Thoughts swirled in Enid’s head. “Well, we can discuss that later. I know you’re worried about Fern. Is there anything I can do?”
“The doctor told me she kept mentioning your name. He said she seemed to be upset about something.”
Enid felt a knot in her stomach and a growing sense of dread. “I talked to her yesterday, about Rosie, but she was fine when I left. Sipping tea, as a matter of fact.”
“Look, I have to go.”
“You just focus on taking care of Fern, and we’ll talk later.” Enid’s hands were shaking. “I’m sorry,” she said before Cade hung up.
Enid pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep, but her mind was still racing. Did I cause Fern to have a heart attack? God, I hope not. Even though Enid hated to admit it and didn’t agree with Fern’s actions, she had acted out of motherly love.
Enid got out of bed and sat at the small table by the window. The full moon over Glitter Lake was beautiful. For a moment, she was envious of the life Cassie had created here. It seemed surreal at times, living in a beautiful old inn, and chatting with guests. Enid rubbed her arms and shook herself back into her own world. What a mess I’ve made of everything.
Sitting on the desk was a framed a photo of a Rosie, a smiling teenager. Enid had placed it there as a reminder to stay focused on Rosie’s life. If her family had told her the truth and helped her deal with the consequences of Wynona’s actions, would it have made a difference?
Enid looked at her calendar. She had been in Madden for a couple weeks and had little to show for it. In spite of her promises to Cade, Jack, and Cassie that she was focusing on Rosie’s life, she had gotten caught up in trying to figure out who had killed her. Enid rationalized that she was just thinking like a journalist. After all, murder would make a more compelling story. But Rosie was now much more than a story, and Enid had to admit that bringing Rosie’s killer to justice had overshadowed researching her short life.
Enid spread her notes out on the bed and went through each piece of information she had documented. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself she was wrong or push it out of her mind, one nagging thought kept coming up. I know who killed Rosie.
CHAPTER 56
Enid had managed to sleep only an hour before Cassie knocked on her door, letting her know breakfast was waiting downstairs. Enid showered and threw on the same clothes she wore yesterday and ran a brush through her hair.
Over breakfast Cassie talked about the reopening of the inn next week. She was excited, and rightly so. The renovations were beautiful, and the new bed linens Cassie had bought in Charleston were the perfect finishing touch to the guest rooms. The opening would coincide with the annual Glitter Lake Inn annual picnic.
“I can’t wait for Jack to see the inn,” said Cassie. “He promised he’d come back to Madden in time for the re-opening.”
Enid missed Jack too. Especially now. She needed for him to tell her she was wrong about who killed Rosie. She wanted to be wrong. Desperately.
“I’m looking forward to it, too.” Enid took a bite of her muffin. “I’ll be leaving afterword.”
“Oh. I see. You have what you need for your story then?” Cassie wiped her hands with a dish towel.
Enid looked down at her plate to avoid looking at Cassie. “Pretty much. I need to talk to Jack about the lead, you know, how I want to begin and focus the story.”
“Oh, I see,” Cassie repeated, as if she didn’t know what else to say.
Enid forced a smile. “I’ll be back to visit. Often, I promise. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.” She was sure Chief Jensen wouldn’t appreciate her returning later, but after talking to Cade and Madelyn, things could change in Madden. She hoped their investigation into Mark’s murder wouldn’t distress Cassie further. She didn’t need to relive her son’s murder, even though Cassie wanted justice for Mark just as much as Enid wanted it for Rosie.
Cassie sat in the chair beside Enid. “I know. It’s just that I’ve gotten used to having you here, and I’ve enjoyed your company.” Cassie walked to the stove where the kettle was whistling. As she looked back over her shoulder, she said, “Oh, I almost forgot. You know that wedding I told you about? The one I said I wasn’t going to. Well, I’ve talked myself into going after all.”
Enid felt bad that she couldn’t remember Cassie mentioning the wedding. Her mind had been on other things lately.
Cassie sat back down at the table. “It’s in Greenville tomorrow. Once the inn’s open again, I won’t be able to get away, so I decided to go. I really don’t have my heart in it, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen some of these people who were Mark’s friends, so I feel obligated. But I really don’t want to.” Her voice trailed off. “Do you know that feeling you have when you know you need to do something but just hate to do it?”
Enid recalled the obligatory visits to Fern’s house on Sundays when she really didn’t want to go. “But if you haven’t seen them in a while and you like them, why not go?”
“I know it’s silly. I’m just not the mood for a wedding, I guess. But you’re right. I need to go. I’ll be leaving this afternoon and staying overnight with a friend. You sure you’ll be okay here alone?”
A short time ago, Enid wouldn’t have worried about being alone at the inn. But things were different now. Maybe she should stay in a hotel in Columbia while Cassie was away, but Enid didn’t want to alarm Cassie, or give her an excuse not to go. “Of course.”
“I’ve already called Molly and asked her to have someone check on the inn tonight. She told me she was glad I called. Seems Eddie and gang have been up to no good again, mostly harassing people. She’ll get one of the county deputies to drop by and check on the inn.”
Enid felt a knot in her stomach. “You shouldn’t have gone to that trouble.” She got up from the table and put her dishes in the sink. “I need to make a few calls.” She hugged Cassie. “You have a good time at the wedding and don’t worry about anything here.”
* * *
Upstairs in her room, Enid called Jack in Chicago. As the phone rang, she felt foolish. “Jack, hi, it’s me.”
“Hey, kiddo. What’s up? Everything okay?”
Jack’s voice was both comforting and disconcerting. She didn’t want to admit to herself how much she had missed him. Her feelings made her feel even more guilty when she reminded herself that Cassie was obviously infatuated, if not in love, with Jack.
“It’s good to hear your voice.”
“Likewise. I’m coming back for the picnic. I promised Cassie I’d help her get ready for it. Did she tell you?”
Enid tried to keep her voice from trembling. “Yes. She did. That’s great.”
“You called for a reason. What’s on your mind?”
“I’m feeling a bit foolish now for calling you. It can wait until you get back. By the way, I’ll be leaving Madden after the picnic, assuming my car is ready.”
“Your car? What happened?”
I just got run off the road by someone who wants me to kill me, that’s all. “Just an accident. I had a few bruises, but nothing serious.” Enid suddenly realized how much had happened since Jack had left for Chicago.
“Are you giving up on the story?”
“No, I found out what I needed to know. I’ll fill you in next week.” She chewed on her lower lip. “I’m looking forward to catching up.”
CHAPTER 57
After talking to Jack, Enid went downstairs to get one of Cassie’s homemade gingersnap cookies with lemon frosting. Yes, she would definitely miss Cassie’s cooking. The thought of going home to Charlotte filled her with dread. Was Cade staying in their house again? Where would she stay? When would the bank take possession of their house? The questions kept coming, but the answers did not.
She shook off the feelings of despair and tried to focus her thoughts. She needed a sounding board, but Jack was still in Chicago, Cassie had gone to the wedding, and Cade’s attention was on his m
other who had just had a heart attack—that Enid had likely caused. Unfortunately, Enid was going to have to work her way through this mess alone.
She went downstairs and sat at the big table in the library. She had tried several times to begin writing Rosie’s story, but each time, she had struggled with it. Not so long ago, it seemed to be a simple, sad tale of a young woman killed and then forgotten by her family. Now, it was harder for Enid to blame Fern and Myra for their roles in the deception. They did what they thought was right, even if she didn’t agree. To complicate things further, Enid had learned who killed Rosie. At least, she was pretty sure she had. What should I do now? Who should I tell?
Enid looked at the time on the big English wall clock. Chief Jensen would have left the station by now. She rummaged around in the big leather tote and found a crumpled note that had an emergency number for the chief. A few weeks ago, she could not have imagined that she would turn to Chief Jensen as an ally or to ask for his protection. But things had changed.
After three rings, Molly answered. “Hello, this is the Madden Police. How can we help you?”
Caught off-guard, Enid stammered. “Molly, I . . . I was expecting . . . I’m sorry to bother you, I thought this was a private number for Chief Jensen.”
“We rotate the after-hours calls to this number. It’s my turn tonight. Do you have an emergency?”
“Well, not exactly. But I do need to reach the chief—tonight if possible. Is there another number where I can call him?”
“He’s tied up right now. I’ll give him a message.”
“Please ask him to call me on this cell number. I need to speak with him as soon as possible.”
“It might be a couple hours, since you said it’s not an emergency.” Molly sounded annoyed.
“That’s fine. I’ll wait.”
“Are you at the inn?”
Enid hesitated. “Yes.” Molly knows I’m alone here.
After ending the call, Enid checked all the windows and doors and read for a while in the library. She picked up the phone to call Jack again, but decided against it. What could he do from Chicago? She sat on the sofa and put a pillow behind her head to ease the pounding in her temples.
* * *
A few hours later, Enid woke up. How long had she been asleep on the sofa? Enid checked the door locks and turned off the lights before going upstairs. She couldn’t blame Chief Jensen for not returning her call. After all, their relationship had been contentious from the start. Still, she couldn’t imagine that he would ignore her completely. She turned out all the lights and went upstairs to her room.
After a half hour of tossing, her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Jensen, she grabbed it quickly before looking at the screen. “Hello.”
Cassie’s voice was a surprise. “Enid, I’m so sorry to wake you up. Please forgive me. It’s just that I decided not to go to the wedding. I’m coming back tonight and I didn’t want to scare you by showing up unexpectedly.”
“Why did you change your mind? Are you feeling okay?”
Cassie sighed deeply. “I don’t know if I can explain it. I haven’t seen some of these people in almost ten years, since Mark, well, you know. Going just to recapture a memory or two about Mark was selfish and foolish. I had dinner with my friend, and we had fun catching up. But I’m leaving now, so I’ll be home in a couple hours. The drive has been good for me. I needed the time to think. Besides I have something I want to tell you.”
“Well, as long as you’re okay, I’m glad you’ll be home soon.”
“Don’t wait up for me. I’ll just come in the back entrance and hit the bed. We can talk in the morning.”
“Sounds good. Drive carefully.” Enid didn’t like the idea of Cassie being alone on the highway at night.
“You just get some sleep.”
The thought of Cassie coming home helped Enid relax. She would talk to Cassie in the morning and then decide what she needed to do. The fact that Chief Jensen ignored her was annoying but not surprising, all things considered. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Jack’s friend Dan at SLED. Relieved that she had a plan of action now, Enid pulled up the covers and went to sleep almost immediately.
CHAPTER 58
A noise woke Enid. She sat up in bed and looked at the time on her phone—almost two o’clock in the morning. Then, she remembered Cassie had come in late. The noise she heard was likely Cassie fixing herself a snack in the kitchen. Enid turned over to go back to sleep.
The sound Enid heard next was one of those things that stays with a person the rest of her life. A loud “boom,” pierced the silent night. Cassie! Enid jumped out of bed and ran to the door. When she opened it, a female voice wailed, “No, no, no” so mournfully that Enid stopped in her tracks.
“Cassie?” Enid called out but heard no response. Enid got the gun her from the bedside drawer and made sure it was loaded before she ran downstairs. There was no smoke or anything to indicate an explosion or fire, other than a faint smell that reminded Enid of the range where she had learned to shoot at Cade’s insistence.
When Enid went toward the kitchen, it was dark, but the outside lights provided shadowy illumination. A dark figure bent over a body on the floor in a pool of dark liquid. The kneeling figure raised an arm and pointed a long gun at Enid. She instinctively raised her own gun with shaking hands and fired at the center of the person who was trying to kill her. Aim for the biggest target.
The noise and recoil of her own gun firing terrified Enid. The person she shot at was moaning softly and reaching a hand out for her gun that had fallen to the floor. Enid forced herself to break out of her stupor and run down the hallway toward the front door. Just as she tried to unlock it, another loud boom filled the air and small bits of flying debris from the door jamb hit the side of her face and neck. Don’t look back, just run! She fumbled with the lock and opened the door.
Enid ran across the sprawling front porch and down the brick steps. The damp, cool gravel walkway cut into the soles of her feet. Suddenly, she was blinded by a glare of light, and she heard a car sliding on gravel. Enid felt something warm and sticky on her side. In a half-conscious state, Enid heard someone yell, “No, Mama, don’t!” The world then faded to black.
CHAPTER 59
For years after her mother’s death, Enid dreamed of being in the hospital again, at her mother’s side. Each time, after waking, she would recall the painful memories of watching the woman she loved lose her battle with cancer.
But this time, it wasn’t a dream. She was in a hospital. Enid slowly opened her eyes and then shut them quickly, as the bright lights overhead burned into her vision. Through squinted eyes, she saw a woman in a blue uniform standing over her.
“You’re safe. Relax.” The woman stared at the screen beside Enid’s bed, watching her blood pressure and pulse. The woman repeated, “You’re safe now.”
Enid slowly opened her eyes. “What happened?” Even as Enid asked the question, scenes of the previous night were flooding into her thoughts. Cassie! “Where’s Cassie? Is she alright?”
The nurse stuck a thermometer in Enid’s mouth and then turned around to speak to someone in the hallway. “She’s awake. You can come in now.”
The unmistakable wide-brimmed hat of Chief Jensen came into view. “Good afternoon, Ms. Blackwell.”
Afternoon? How long have I been here? Enid nodded to the chief since she still had the thermometer in her mouth. Jensen sat in a chair in the corner until the nurse removed it. She noted Enid’s temperature and turned toward the chief. “Don’t tire her out. She needs to rest. Five minutes, okay?” Before he could respond, the nurse left the room.
Enid tried to remember the details of the shooting, but only bits and pieces surfaced in her memory. She raised her hand, being careful not to dislodge the intravenous needle in her arm, and motioned for the chief to come closer.
Chief Jensen, hat in hand, stepped over to her bedside. “They tell me you will be fine. Just some buckshot in your side and hip. You
were lucky. But lost some blood though. Probably why you fainted.” He pulled the chair up beside the bed and sat down. The big hat was lying at the foot of Enid’s bed. She hated that hat. “Do you remember what happened?”
Enid shook her head, which made her dizzy. “Is Cassie alright?”
Chief Jensen dropped his head and shook it. “I’m sorry. I know you two had gotten pretty close.”
Enid’s world suddenly spun off its axis. Surely she was dreaming. “What do you mean?” Enid tried to focus on the details of the scenes that kept flashing through her memory. Was that Cassie on the floor? She shut her eyes and squeezed tight, but the tears fell anyway. “Cassie is dead? Who killed her?” Enid remembered firing her own gun. Oh, God, no! Had she shot Cassie?
Chief Jensen raised his eyes to meet Enid’s. “Molly shot her.”
A rush of jumbled thoughts flooded Enid’s medicated brain. In the past few days, it had become clear to her that everything she had learned about Rosie’s life and death pointed to the fact Rosie had not been killed during a drug buy. Instead, Rosie had been killed by someone close to her. But why?
Enid looked at Chief Jensen. Did you know Molly killed Rosie? Did you cover it up? Enid could hear the blood pressure monitor beeping more rapidly, and the nurse came in the room again.
The nurse took Enid’s hand and spoke softly. “Do you want me to run him out?” she said with a faint smile.
Balancing her fears with a need for answers, Enid replied, “No, but thanks.”
“I’ll be right outside at the nurse’s station if you need me.” She put a box of tissues on the bed near Enid’s hand.
As if reading Enid’s thoughts, Chief Jensen said, “I had no idea Molly was involved. You probably think you have no reason to, but you’ve got to trust me on this.” The tortured look on his face said it all. She believed him.
“I shot at Molly, but it didn’t stop her.”
Murder in Madden Page 21
