Murder by Christmas (Edna Davies mysteries)

by Young, Suzanne

  The words spoken in a soothingly gentle tone, so contrary to his behavior, increased her unease. She balked at his possessive “our” for her family’s tree, but brushed it aside. Trying not to show fear, she said, “I don’t mean to be rude, Kevin, but is there something in particular you wanted to see me about? Tomorrow is the last day before Christmas, and I have a ton of cards to write this evening.”

  His grin faded as he sauntered to the fireplace and stared down at the glowing embers behind the screen for a few seconds. Only the chair stood between them now. She wondered if he would throw Danny’s present into the fire. When his eyes lifted to hers, they seemed filled with suspicion. “Actually, I’m looking for Mary. I thought she might be here.” As if swapping favor for favor, he twisted his shoulders and gently tossed the wrapped tube so that it landed and rolled beneath the tree.

  Surprised and momentarily silenced by the action, Edna stared at him for several heartbeats before responding. “I think you can see for yourself that I’m quite alone.” Edna’s instincts warned her not to reveal that she, too, was looking for Mary.

  This man had been Laurel Taylor’s husband. Was he abusive? Had he been the one to beat her, leaving evidence of broken bones that the medical examiner found? Kevin looked so much like his uncle Tom, she wanted to believe he was as gentle and kind. On the other hand, Norm Wilkins, their cousin, had a mile-long mean streak. Did Kevin take after that branch of the family? These thoughts were spinning around in her head while the man in front of her studied her face with narrowing eyes. Tightening her grip on the chair back and hoping he wouldn’t see her fingers tremble, she waited for him to speak.

  “Aren’t you good friends, you and Mary?” His tone hinted at a growing impatience.

  She nodded. “We are.”

  “Then you know where she is.” The statement was matter-of-fact, leaving no trace of doubt in the accusation.

  There was no use arguing with a man whose mind was already made up. Partly to distract him and somewhat out of curiosity, she asked, “Why did you pack the snow around my car yesterday?”

  He chuckled, looking pleased with himself. “You wouldn’t answer the door. Didn’t you hear me knock? I banged hard enough.”

  “I wasn’t home,” she said, adding silently, And thank goodness for that.

  “Your car was out front.” He stated the fact as if it were proof that she was lying.

  “Is that why you blocked it in, because you thought I was hiding behind my curtains?” She felt her own temper begin to rise. What a childish thing for a grown man to do.

  “Nah. I did it ‘cause I didn’t want you to leave before I had a chance to talk to you. I had another job to get to, but it wasn’t going to take long. I was going to dig your car out after we talked.”

  “Were you looking for Mary then, too, or did you have another reason for ensuring I stayed home?”

  At once, he became less belligerent and said almost pleadingly, “It’s really important. I gotta talk to Mary”

  “About what?” Edna was more curious than angry now.

  “Not your business.” His face reddened slightly. He sounded as if he were about to lose patience again. As he started to move around the chair, a faint noise from the hall caught his attention. “What was that? Who else is in the house? Thought you said you were alone.”

  She hesitated for only a second. “I have a cat. He’s probably knocked over something on the kitchen shelf.”

  But she knew Benjamin better than that. He wouldn’t be up on the counters. Her heart skipped a beat as she herself wondered who else was in the house. Her back prickled as she remembered the last man who had entered her house uninvited. That man was in jail, but there might be others out looking for Carol James. Was it the man in the Humvee? She wanted to turn so her back wasn’t to the unknown in the hallway, but then she wouldn’t be facing Kevin.

  While she had been distracted by these thoughts, Kevin had moved to her side. He grabbed her elbow and squeezed as he growled, “Where is she?”

  “I’m right here, Kevin. Let her go.”

  They both spun around at the sound of Mary’s voice. The tall red-head seemed to have materialized in the doorway, so silently had she appeared. Wearing a white camouflage coverall patterned with what appeared to be tree branches, she had wrapped her red hair completely in a scarf of the same cloth. Since she didn’t have the girth of a snowman, she looked more like a winter scarecrow, with only a pale, narrow face and brilliant green eyes standing out in the fabric. Benjamin sat behind her, quiet and watching, his eyes on Kevin.

  In that split second, Edna also noticed that Mary was turned slightly sideways, her right arm down by her side and her hand hidden behind her thigh. Edna recognized the pose and knew Mary held a gun.

  “Mary?” was all Edna could manage to gasp, making the name into a question. Torn between relief at seeing her friend and anxiety at what was obviously tension between Mary and Kevin, Edna couldn’t think of anything to say. Where to begin? She had so many questions.

  “What are you doing here?” Mary broke the growing silence, her eyes never leaving Kevin’s face.

  “I’ve been looking for you. We need to talk.”

  “Nothing to talk about, far as I can tell. I saw you run from Laurel’s house two days ago. Did you kill her?”

  Edna took in a sharp breath and looked at Kevin. His face was bright red now. She didn’t think it was from the fire’s heat.

  “Are you crazy?” The words burst from his throat, almost a growl. “I never saw her. She refused to open the door.” He slid his eyes to Edna before glaring back at Mary. “That the way you women treat people in these parts?”

  “Why were you sneaking around her backyard?” Mary asked, clearly not believing his story. “If you wanted to see her, why not walk in the front door. It’s not even locked during the day.”

  “I didn’t want anyone to see me.”

  Mary scoffed. “Why not? If you’re so innocent, why were you acting so guilty?”

  He glowered for several seconds, as if making up his mind to something. “She’s got a restraining order. I’m not supposed to go near her.”

  “Is that why you ran when I called out? You were violating a restraining order?” She snorted derisively. “I’m not that stupid, Kevin. Those orders are ignored more often than not.”

  “All I know is I heard a car coming up her driveway, so I took off for my truck. I saw you at the stop sign, but until then, I didn’t know it was you who yelled at me. How’d you get around the corner so fast?” Without waiting for a reply, he went on. “Even when I recognized you in that ragtop of yours, I wasn’t about to stop in that neighborhood. Like I told you, I wasn’t supposed to go anywhere near her.” He stopped talking and glared at Mary as if daring her to doubt him.

  “You expect me to believe you didn’t go into the house?”

  “That’s why I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to talk to you, to convince you I had nothing to do with my wife’s death.”

  Edna noticed the surprise that flashed across Mary’s face and wondered if Kevin had seen it, too. Apparently, this was the first she’d heard of Kevin’s relationship to Laurel. True to form, Mary’s recovery was instant, but before she could speak, another voice was heard.

  “Talk to me, Kevin. I’m the one you need to convince,” Charlie said, stepping out of the shadows to stand beside Mary.

  The relief that swept over Edna was enormous. She felt faint with the rush and reached out to grab the chair back. He was wearing jeans and a pullover that had seen better days. She supposed he had come by to remove his deflated Santa Claus from the roof. Whatever the reason, she was happy to see him. Maybe he could dispel the almost-physical feeling of tension between Mary and Kevin.

  Charlie stood silently for a minute. When Kevin only stared back at him, the detective’s glance moved to Edna. Studying her face, he asked quietly, “You okay?” She nodded, unable to speak. His eyes shifted to follow the line of Mary’s a
rm from her shoulder to her hand. “Put it away,” he said, sounding almost amused, but not quite. “Make sure the safety’s on.”

  “Never took it off.” Mary grinned at him as she brought her hand into sight of the others in the room. Looking insolently at Kevin, she moved her feet slightly apart to stand like a soldier at ease, only her wrists were crossed in front of her and one hand gripped the pistol.

  Kevin glared accusingly at Mary. “What’d you call in the cavalry for? There was no need for that.”

  Before she could answer, Charlie said, “I’m the one you need to talk to, Kevin.”

  “I didn’t kill Laurel. I don’t know how else to say it,” he said stubbornly. “How do I convince you I’m innocent?”

  “Why did you break into the house?” Charlie asked.

  Edna looked at him quizzically, then thought the detective might be trying a bluff. How could he know that Kevin was the one who broke into Laurel’s house.

  For a minute, he looked as if he were going to deny the accusation, but then he sighed. “How’d you know it was me? Fingerprints?”

  Charlie smiled and nodded. “Since you were in the military, your prints are on file. Pulled you up, nice as you please and just as quick. Even if we didn’t have proof of you being in her house, I could have guessed. Her papers were gone, but not the TV or jewelry or anything a burglar usually takes, except maybe for the computer. Don’t really have to be a detective to figure it was personal.” His smile faded. “So why’d you do it?”

  Kevin ran a hand through his dark curls and sighed heavily. “I wanted to find out why she came to Rhode Island, why she wanted to live near my relatives. I was hoping she might have been looking for me, maybe she wanted me back. I loved her, and she loved me … once. That afternoon, I went to the house because I wanted to show her that I’ve changed.” At that, his entire body seemed to sag. “When I heard Miz Davies talking to you that night, I knew it was too late, but I wanted to find something, anything to tell me why she moved here. I wanted time to sort through everything, so I took the lot. It’s all in my room at Norm’s place.”

  A loud knocking at the front door sounded like a burst of gunfire in the stillness that followed Kevin’s confession. Mary motioned to Edna that she would see who it was and disappeared down the hall. She returned shortly, followed by two uniformed officers.

  With a look of panic on his face, Kevin glanced from them to Charlie. “What are they doing here? I told you I didn’t kill her.” He frowned before his expression turned to one of self-satisfaction. “You can’t arrest me for breaking and entering. I’m her next-of-kin, so legally, that night, I entered my own house.”

  Charlie held up a hand, palm toward Kevin, and slowly shook his head. “As her husband, you’re the prime suspect in our murder investigation. I need you to come to the station and answer a few questions. You’re not under arrest …” he paused briefly before adding softly, “not yet.”

  Chapter 20

  “Where have you been?” Edna nearly hissed at Mary, not certain whether to shake her or hug her.

  They had collapsed side-by-side onto the sofa while Charlie arranged with the officers to take Kevin to the station where the detective would join them as soon as he’d spoken to Mary. One policeman was instructed to drive Kevin’s pickup to the station.

  Mary put her gun on the cushion beside her, but before she could turn to Edna, Charlie walked back into the room, distracting them for the moment.

  “I’m so glad you showed up when you did,” Edna greeted and motioned for him to sit in Albert’s chair across the coffee table from the couch. “How did you know not to ring the bell?”

  “The black Humvee’s out front, the one with the tinted windows that you told me about. When I saw it in your driveway, I thought I’d better let myself in quietly. Since we both thought that car might belong to whoever’s been trolling the neighborhood, I thought I’d first better make sure you were okay.”

  Edna’s heart skipped a beat at this news, but before she could react, Mary spoke up.

  “Kevin’s truck was out there, too,” she pointed out. “Did you consider that he might be the dangerous one and not the driver of the Humvee?” Her tone was challenging.

  Charlie shook his head. “His behavior’s been a little odd, but I figured the bigger threat might come from Edna’s other visitor.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “In any case, not knowing what to expect, I thought it might be better to apologize after than announce myself too soon.”

  Edna was still shaken over the image of the huge dark vehicle in her driveway, when Mary spoke again. “It’s my car.” She looked pleased with herself, as if she’d put one over on the detective. “Actually, it’s not really mine. I borrowed it from a friend ‘cause I didn’t want Kevin to spot me.”

  “You’re the one who nearly drove me off the road?” Edna’s relief at seeing her friend alive and well was changing to annoyance that Mary had not only made her worry, but had frightened her half to death with that monster of a vehicle. Curiosity got the best of her. “Why did you keep squirting washer fluid on the windshield?”

  Mary’s face reddened. “I was trying to flash the lights, so you’d know it was me.” In her own defense, she added quickly, “I’m not used to that car. I kept hitting the wrong lever.”

  The mental image of the looming hulk of a vehicle returned to Edna’s mind, along with a fresh picture of Mary behind the wheel, turning on the wipers instead of the headlights. At the image, Edna began to laugh. “I’m not certain I would have guessed it was you even if I’d seen headlights instead of wipers.” The release of tension that had gripped her for the last hour was like a dam breaking, and she couldn’t control her fit of giggles. As she laughed, first Charlie then a reluctant Mary joined in, until they were clutching their sides with the pain.

  When she was finally able to control herself, Edna pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped tears from her eyes. “I think Mary needs to explain where she’s been for the past two days, but first I could use a drink. Mary, put that gun up somewhere, out of sight. Charlie, build up the fire, if you would. It’s gotten cold in here.”

  Leaving her guests to do her biding, she went to the kitchen for a bottle of wine and two glasses. Knowing Charlie wouldn’t drink alcohol before going back to work, she heated a mug of coffee, left over from breakfast. Mary followed her into the kitchen and went through to the mudroom to stow the gun in her down jacket. When she returned to help Edna carry drinks into the other room, she’d also released her hair from the tightly wound scarf and looked more herself.

  Once they were resettled comfortably by the blazing fire Charlie had stoked, Edna took a sip of her cabernet and began to feel warmer and more relaxed. Mary and Charlie were now sitting in opposite corners of the sofa across the coffee table from where Edna sat in her favored chair.

  Charlie was the first to speak after taking a gulp of coffee and setting the mug on the table. He laid an arm across the back of the couch and half turned to Mary. “I need to get to the station to interview Kevin, but first I want to hear what you have to say. Did you see him enter Laurel Taylor’s house, the afternoon she died?”

  Mary shook her head. “I went back to the shelter that afternoon to talk to her about Bethany. I drove up toward the garage in case someone else wanted to pull in behind my Jeep. That’s when I noticed a man in the back yard. Didn’t know it was Kevin at that point. He was crouched, like he was trying to duck out of sight. He was acting so suspicious, I stopped and got out of the car. I pulled out my cell in case I needed to call for help and then moved as quietly as I could, up along the side of the house. I wanted to see what he was doing.” Mary paused to stare into her glass, and Edna suspected her friend’s mind had drifted to the events of that fateful afternoon.

  “Is that when you recognized Kevin?” Charlie prompted.

  His voice seemed to bring Mary back to her story, and she raised her head to look at him. “I still didn’t know
who it was. When I got to the corner of the house and peeked into the yard, he was running toward the back fence. I only saw his back, so I shouted at him. I think I said ‘hey’ or ‘stop’ or something like that. He didn’t even slow down. I figured I could catch him on the next block, so I ran back to my Jeep. All I could think was to get around to the next street to see who it was.”

  “That’s when he saw you,” Edna guessed, remembering the earlier bits of conversation between Kevin and Mary.

  She nodded. “I got around the corner and up the side street as fast as I could. There’s a four-way stop at the intersection. He was going straight through when I got there. Guess my car must have surprised him ‘cause he turned and stared straight at me. I knew he recognized me, but he didn’t stop or slow down. That made me wonder what he’d been up to.”

  “Did you go back to the shelter?” Charlie asked.

  She shook her head. “Uh-uh. I took off after him. Wanted to talk to him, find out why he’d been lurking around Laurel’s back door. I mean, he acted like he knew he shouldn’t be there.”

  “Why did you disappear?” It was Edna’s turn to ask the question uppermost on her mind. “I’ve been so worried about you. Why didn’t you call?”

  “First off, I couldn’t find my phone. Don’t know where I might have left it.”

  Charlie dropped his arm from the back of the sofa and straightened his left leg. He paused while his hand disappeared into his trouser pocket and reappeared with a cell phone that he handed to her. “Edna found it beside the driveway at CATS. Keep it safe for the next few days, will you? Once this case is closed, you can toss it back into the snow if you’d like.” He resumed his half-turned position with a twinkle in his eyes.