A Taste of Death (Maggie Olenski Series)

by Hughes, Mary Ellen

  Elizabeth's name was brought up a few times, though, and to Maggie's dismay it seemed to be generally assumed that Elizabeth would soon be charged with Jack Warwick's murder. If anyone felt to the contrary, they were keeping silent, and since Maggie's aim was only to overhear, she had to bite her tongue more than once to keep from defending her friend. It was depressing to learn that so many of Elizabeth's neighbors were finding it that easy to believe in her guilt.

  Maggie looked around more than once for Regina, hoping to get a few minutes conversation with her. But after that disconcerting comment she had made after Alexander's exit, Regina seemed to have disappeared into thin air, and Maggie's frustration grew.

  When guests began drifting to the foyer to leave, Maggie mentally threw up her hands. There was nothing more she could accomplish. Since she hadn't had much to eat the whole evening, she grabbed a few quick bites, then joined Dyna in asking for their coats.

  Outside, as they waited for her car, Maggie shivered from the cold.

  "It must have dropped twenty degrees since we came," she complained, shifting her weight from one foot to another in their thin-soled pumps, hands jammed in her pockets and shoulders hunched against the cold wind blowing.

  "Here comes your car."

  Maggie climbed in and waited for Dyna to buckle up. She made a U-turn and headed home, waiting for the heater to raise the temperature at least a few degrees. Her breath puffing visibly as she talked, Maggie shared what little she had learned.

  "Did you do any better?" she asked Dyna.

  Dyna admitted she hadn't, her snooping activities having been largely diverted by John. Maggie's mood slumped further.

  They arrived home, and as soon as she stepped inside Dyna pulled her shoes off. "I'm exhausted. I think I'll just go to bed."

  "Don't you want to have some tea? Talk a while?" Maggie asked, not feeling ready for bed herself. She hoped Dyna would stay up with her, chase away some of the gloom she felt descending on her.

  Dyna, however, seemed ready for pleasant dreams. She shook her head with a sleepy smile. "Sorry. I can hardly keep my eyes open. See you in the morning."

  Maggie watched Dyna disappear up the wrought-iron steps. She wandered into the kitchen, feeling physically tired, but mentally keyed up, the evening's events running through her mind. She wasn't sure she had learned anything that would be in any way helpful to Elizabeth, and that, along with the encroaching fatigue, depressed her.

  She remembered her plan to call Rob and picked up the phone. Talking to him would help. It had been too long. She wanted to feel his hug reaching through the line. She needed him to tell her that she was doing okay, that all would be well.

  What she got was, "This is Rob. I'm sorry I'm not here right now. If you leave a message after...."

  Maggie hung up without leaving a message. She walked over to the sliding glass door and gazed out at the dark which seemed endless and empty. Maggie leaned her head against the glass, feeling its chill against her skin.

  Was she doing any good at all, she wondered? Was Elizabeth any better off now than she was three days ago? Maggie sighed. She just didn't know.

  CHAPTER 16

  Maggie dragged herself out of bed the next day. Somewhere in the middle of the night her brain had finally stopped tossing around its store of conflicting thoughts and allowed her to have a few hours of sleep. She stumbled down the steps to find Dyna seated at the kitchen counter, sipping her tea.

  Dyna looked up. "Wow, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had a hangover. Was that really just ginger ale you sipped all night?"

  Maggie smiled. "I had a rough night. Just give me a minute."

  Maggie poured out coffee, grateful that Dyna had brewed a pot. She held the mug between both hands, and, sipping slowly, wandered over to the sliding glass door. The day outside looked grey and cold. A Blue Jay flitted from tree to deck and back again, its squawkings seeming to be aimed directly at Maggie. She gave a sigh and turned away from the window.

  "Dyna, I'm worried we're not getting anywhere. I had hoped to make much more progress than we did last night. It seems like this whole thing is just going in circles."

  "It's not all that bad," Dyna said. She stood up and bustled into the small kitchen. "You're probably just having a blood-sugar low. You didn't eat much last night, did you? I was just thinking it'd be fun to make pancakes. I haven't made them in ages, and we've got all the stuff right here. I'll even fry a little bacon for you to go with it. How's that sound?"

  "It sounds like my mother," Maggie said, smiling. "No problem is so bad it can't be fixed with good food."

  "Sure doesn't hurt. You go up and get dressed, and I'll call when it's ready. We can talk more afterwards."

  Dyna began pulling bowls and pans out of the cupboard with so much clatter and enthusiasm that Maggie couldn't argue. She carried her coffee upstairs with her, feeling her mood lift a bit with each step. By the time she had dried off from her shower and dressed, she could smell the tantalizing aroma of cooked bacon. She grabbed her socks and hurried on down to the kitchen.

  <><><>

  Maggie did justice to Dyna's pancakes, mopping up the last of the syrup on her plate with her final forkful.

  "Where'd you learn to make these so well?" she asked, as Dyna watched with the satisfaction of a doting grandmother.

  "Oh, we used to make pancakes every weekend. Sometimes waffles. Dad liked to make them, and he'd try different kinds - potato, blueberry, whatever. I guess I caught the bug. Or inherited the pancake gene, or something."

  "You picked a good one to inherit."

  "Yeah, but I sure picked the wrong gene for noses. Mom has this little turned-up nose, and Dad has the one with the bump in it. You see which one I got."

  "Your nose is fine. And John seemed to think so too, last night."

  Dyna's cheeks on each side of her fine/bumpy nose turned pink, which made Maggie smile.

  "He was probably just being nice."

  "John doesn't strike me as someone who is nice without the proper feeling behind it."

  Dyna smiled. "Yeah, maybe. He's a pretty up-front kinda guy. And he can be fun when he wants to. We were having a good time. At least we were until Alexander ended it all."

  "Alexander spoiled a good time for a lot of people last night." Maggie remembered Paul escorting Karin out in a hurry, as well as the dismay Alexander's announcement of the imminent sale of Big Bear had caused to many.

  "He said he was flying to New York today. I hope he has one doozy of a hangover to spoil his day. He deserves it."

  Maggie picked up the dishes and carried them to the dishwasher. She ran hot water and soap into the sink and began washing up the skillet.

  "I have the feeling," she said as she scrubbed at crusted grease with a soapy sponge, "that Alexander's life is one long headache. He's not a happy man."

  "No, but, you know, he should be. I mean, he's got a great wife, and a terrific little boy. And look what he does. It's like," Dyna thought for a moment, "like someone who has a fantastic dinner in front of him, maybe duck a l'orange, and then ruins it with catsup or hot sauce."

  "Mmm." Maggie looked around for a wire scrubber, found it, and went back to work on the skillet. "Mentioning food reminds me that Alexander certainly seems to have something against Dan Morgan. I wonder if it's because he sees how Dan is able to appreciate what he himself has been so careless with."

  "You don't think Karin and Dan are involved with each other, do you?"

  "I don't know. Maybe just to the extent that Dan treats Karin like an intelligent, talented person and she responds to that."

  "I didn't see them anywhere near each other last night."

  "No, Dan stayed mainly with Leslie. Which was interesting."

  Maggie rinsed and wiped the skillet, then turned on the dishwasher. As it started chugging she left the kitchen and sank into one of the blue tweed chairs. "I spoke with Karin a bit. She was as reserved as usual, but she was definitely unhappy with Alexander's pu
sh to sell Big Bear."

  "Yeah, she's gotta be."

  "Does she have any family here? Other than Alexander and Paul, I mean."

  "Gee, I don't think so. Why?"

  "I guess I was just wondering if she might choose to stay here."

  "You mean without Alexander?"

  "If she has to. Do you see her wanting to eagerly go wherever he decides to go?"

  "Not the way he's been acting lately." Dyna moved to the floor and assumed the lotus position, tucking her legs and feet into what looked to Maggie more like the "pretzel" position. "But if he sells Big Bear," Dyna continued, "Cedar Hill will change. Karin might not want to stay in the new Cedar Hill."

  "Mmm. And Regina won't like the changes that are bound to come either."

  "That's for sure."

  The phone rang. Dyna looked too tangled up to move quickly, so Maggie went to pick it up.

  "Hello?"

  "Maggie, it's John Severin."

  "Oh, hi John." Maggie looked over at Dyna with a smile. Dyna's face had lit up at hearing John's name.

  "Is Dyna there with you?"

  "Yes, shall I put her on?"

  "No, not now. I'm just calling to tell you both to stay put."

  "Why?" Maggie asked, suddenly uneasy. John had spoken brusquely. He was definitely calling as 'Sheriff John', not as friend John.

  "Lock your doors and don't go out until I can come by."

  "John, what's wrong. What happened?"

  Maggie heard John take a deep breath. He clearly didn't like having to say what came next. "Alexander Dekens was found dead early this morning. Killed by a rifle shot as he was driving to catch his plane."

  CHAPTER 17

  The cabin's interior light, already grey from the sunless day, had become leaden with the news of Alexander's death. Maggie switched on lamps in the downstairs living area, which brightened the room but did little to relieve the gloom. She opened her laptop then snapped it shut. She knew she couldn't concentrate on math puzzles for now.

  Maggie reflected on how different she felt hearing about Alexander's death from when she had heard about Jack Warwick. Jack's death by poisoning had been a shock, but she had known, and, truthfully, cared, little about him at the time. She had listened to Jack speak, but hadn't spoken to him. New to Cedar Hill, she didn't yet know Jack's wife, or any other townspeople that his death would affect. Elizabeth, who would be greatly affected, had not yet been rediscovered by Maggie as her childhood friend.

  Alexander, on the other hand, had become quite familiar. Maggie hadn't grown to like him, but he was little Ethan's father, Paul's brother, and the man whom Karin had loved enough, once upon a time, to marry.

  Now he was dead. Shot. But by whom, Maggie was unable yet to wonder as she was still working on the simple realization that it had happened.

  Dyna, apparently, had the same problem. She wandered aimlessly from room to room, window to window, saying little but looking stunned.

  "Maybe you'd like to work on your yoga while we're waiting," Maggie suggested.

  Dyna looked over. "Yeah, maybe." But she made no move to do so, instead wandering into the kitchen to fold and re-fold the dish towel.

  The phone rang. Maggie, who was nearest, picked it up.

  "This is Carol, from Dr. Fortier's office." Maggie knew from the tone of her voice that the veterinarian's receptionist hadn't heard about Alexander. "Ali is doing well and is ready to be picked up. Would you like to come this afternoon?"

  "I'll have to get back to you on that, Carol. Today might be difficult."

  "We don't mind keeping him, but he's full of energy and raring to go. We're open 'till five. Just let us know and we'll have him ready."

  Maggie promised to call, and hung up. "Ali's ready to be picked up," she said to Dyna.

  "I forgot all about him! I still have to get a litter box and food and all."

  "We can get everything easily. I'm sure John will give us the go-ahead very soon." Having said that, Maggie walked to the glass door and gazed out at the road, willing his sheriff's car to come driving up the hill. Maggie thought of Elizabeth, wondering if she should call her. Better wait until I have more information, she decided.

  Another thought came to her on the heels of that, this time a hopeful one. Had Alexander been shot by the same person who murdered Jack Warwick? If so, that would surely clear Elizabeth! It hardly seemed likely that Elizabeth would own a rifle or even know how to fire one. That could and would be easily verified. John would have to look for someone who did.

  Maggie was on the point of sharing this encouraging thought with Dyna when movement on the road caught her eye - John's car.

  "Here he comes," she called out, and Dyna slipped off the kitchen counter stool and hurried over to the window. Dyna watched as the sheriff's car pulled into the cabin's driveway, then hurried to open the side door.

  Maggie heard John tramp up the outer steps and tap the snow off his boots.

  "He's really dead?" Maggie heard Dyna ask. John must have nodded, for as he stepped into the small foyer, Dyna leaned against him. He put his arms around her and held her for a moment, then let go and pulled off his cap. Dyna led him into the living room.

  "Coffee?" she asked, her face somber. "Something to eat?"

  "No, I can't stay but a minute. We're trying to get around, check that everyone's all right."

  "What exactly happened?" Maggie asked.

  "All we know right now, and what we've already told the papers, is that Alexander was apparently on his way to Boston, to catch a shuttle for New York. He left his house about 5:30 this morning. He hadn't gone very far out of town and hadn't reached the main highway. An early morning hiker came upon his car in a ditch off Evergreen Road. He called it in as an accident. The paramedics discovered he had been shot in the head."

  "Definitely murder?"

  "We're treating it as such, although it could have been a hunter's stray bullet. It's small game season right now."

  "If it was murder," Maggie said, "someone was a very good shot to aim accurately at a moving target."

  John looked at her, not commenting.

  "Would you say Alexander's death is connected to Jack Warwick's?"

  "You're beginning to sound like one of those newspaper reporters."

  "I'm sorry, I don't mean to badger you, John. I'm only thinking of Elizabeth. If the same person killed Alexander as killed Jack, it must be obvious that person is not Elizabeth."

  "We're a long way from any conclusions."

  "But Maggie's right, isn't she?" Dyna jumped in. "Surely you must see that Elizabeth was set up with that evidence you found. That she couldn't hurt a fly."

  "I thought we agreed last night we wouldn't get into any of that."

  "Yes, but John...."

  "John's right," Maggie interrupted Dyna. John clearly wasn't about to discuss or admit anything about his on-going investigations. No use making him angry with Dyna.

  "I'd like to check your locks if you don't mind," John said. He had become "Sheriff" John once more. "And ask you to be extremely cautious." John went to the sliding glass door, clicking the lock off and on, testing the door. He glanced at a security bar standing upright in the door's track.

  "Best keep this in place," he said, flipping it down. "You won't need to go onto your deck in this weather."

  He walked around, checking the cabin's windows. "Don't go walking outdoors alone for the time being. If you need to go out, head for populated areas. Don't open your door to strangers."

  "I don't think it's a stranger we have to worry about, do you?" Maggie asked.

  John glanced up the stairs, walked passed them and put his hat back on. "Keep your doors locked at all times."

  "But John, who would want to harm us?" Dyna asked.

  John's eyes softened for a moment looking at Dyna. "No one, I hope. I'm just asking you to be careful. Be aware."

  "We will," Maggie promised.

  <><><>

  After John left, Maggie tr
ied shifting Dyna's thoughts to lighter matters, suggesting they get what she needed now for Ali.

  "John won't disapprove of us going out together to the busy part of town. I've never had a cat, Dyna. Do they need cat beds, special equipment?"

  "Missy liked people beds. I think cats pretty much make their own decisions on that. I don't know what to get. Let's just go to a pet store and look around."

  They were gathering up keys and jackets when the phone rang. It was Carol, calling from the Veterinary office again.

  "I forgot to tell you that Mrs. Hanson - the lady who works for Mrs. Warwick? - dropped off a few things for Ali. There's a carrier, litter box, bowls, and some other things."

  "That's great Carol. Thanks."

  When Maggie told Dyna, though, she wrinkled her nose. "Maybe I'll use the carrier, but I don't want the other stuff. I want Ali to make a fresh start. I want him to feel safe."

  "You'll let all the things from Leslie go to waste?" Maggie asked. Her innate frugality cringed at replacing what didn't need to be replaced.

  "Maybe they can use it at the vet's. I don't want it."

  Dyna said it with such firmness that Maggie let it go. If spending a few dollars on new equipment for Ali made her happy, Maggie was all for it.

  <><><>

  The "few dollars", however, rapidly escalated as Dyna roamed through the pet store. She had already chosen the basics, and began piling cat toys, brushes, and cat treats into her basket. Maggie finally spoke up when Dyna stopped to check out a "cat condo", a four foot high maze of carpet-covered perches, hideaways and scratching posts.

  "Remember, you've got to take this home with you eventually. On a plane."