by Jane Tesh
“Then he wouldn’t burn down the house, would he?”
“No, but there may have been something in the house he wanted.”
“And it wasn’t Harriet.”
“Sadly, no. This would explain why she’s so grumpy. If Frye’s innocent, if he really loved her, he would’ve stood by during the rough times, maybe even volunteered to help with you and your brothers, made himself useful. Instead, he disappears. We’ve got to talk to Harriet.” I checked my watch. “And I’ve got to talk to a lot of people in Celosia.”
We asked in several of the shops and cafés, but no one knew Kirby Willet or his cousin. Although this was frustrating, I was glad our trip had yielded some results in the Fairweather case. How serious had Harriet been about Jackson Frye? Had they planned a secret midnight meeting in the hopes of eloping?
When we got back, I dropped Jerry off at the theater and started with Ted.
He sat back in his office chair. “My God, Madeline, that was horrible. I’ll never be able to forget the look on Gaskins’ face. What was in that drink? Why would anyone want to kill him?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” I said. “Did you see anyone else besides Rick at the van last night?”
“I didn’t pay any attention to that. I was watching you and the others run around the house.”
“Where exactly were you and the members of S.T.O.M.P.?”
“We were all by the trees.”
“Twenty was with you?”
He looked uncertain. “I thought she was. I really can’t say for sure.” He sat forward. “Dear God. You don’t think she did it?”
“She’s been awfully angry about anything having to do with Mantis Man.”
“Yes, but—that’s—that’s just not—I can’t imagine her killing anyone.”
“Me, either, but it looks bad for her right now.”
We sat in glum silence for a few minutes, and then Ted asked, “Have you talked to her?”
“I’m going to her house next.”
“Madeline, the only person anywhere near the van was Rialto. Does he have a good excuse?”
“He says Gaskins owed him money.”
“And he thought it would be in the van? That’s a little suspicious, isn’t it?”
I really wanted Rick to be the villain. “Everything about Rick is suspicious.”
***
Twenty wasn’t home. I caught up with her at Shana’s. Shana and Hayden live in a large redwood house in a wooden area of Celosia called Autumn Fields. Twenty and Shana were sitting on the porch. Despite the heat, Shana looked cool in a white shirt and red shorts, her long hair pulled back in a smooth ponytail. Twenty had on a green blouse decorated with brown fishnet and orange shorts with lace trim. Her black and white curls stuck out at odd angles as if she’d slept on her head. Shana started to say hello when Twenty interrupted.
“I know why you’re here, Madeline. You think I did it. Everyone thinks I did it.”
“Well, did you?”
She looked taken aback. “No!”
“Just thought I ask.”
“I hated what Gaskins was doing, but I didn’t hate him. He was just a greedy, misguided man.”
I sat down in one of the rocking chairs. “Exactly where were you last night when he took his last drink of soda?”
“With the other members of S.T.O.M.P.”
“Ted doesn’t remember seeing you.”
She gasped at this betrayal. “Of course I was there! It was my idea to picket the production.”
“So you were with the group the whole time?” Something in her expression made me push. “Twenty, I’m on your side. Please tell me the truth.”
She glanced at Shana, seemed to gather some confidence, swallowed hard and said, “Not the whole time.”
I waited.
“I wanted to disrupt the filming, so I went around behind the cameramen, hoping to see a cord I could unplug or something, but even with the moonlight, it was too dark. That’s when I heard the woman scream.”
“Did anyone see you?”
She shook her head. “Everyone ran to see what was wrong, including me.”
Shana tried to lighten the conversation. “I told her she should’ve had on one of her lime green outfits. Then everyone would have seen her.”
Twenty’s curls bounced as she rubbed her forehead. “This is all so awful. I just wanted Celosia to stay the way it is. Now we’ve had another murder.”
“That’s my fault,” I said. “People were safe till I moved to town.”
Shana got the joke, but Twenty was too upset for any attempts at humor. “Madeline, you’ve got to solve this mystery, too. If someone’s going around putting poison into drinks, you’ve got to stop them. That kind of news will ruin Celosia’s reputation just as badly as a horror film.”
“What about Lance Henderson?” Shana asked. “He’s been very vocal about his dislike of Gaskins and the movie.”
“I’ll be talking to him, too.”
***
Everyone involved with “Curse of the Mantis Man” was in the lobby of the Wayfarer Motel. They were having a community gripe session about having to stay in Celosia.
The minute Henderson saw me, he said, “I’m not sorry he’s dead, but I didn’t kill him.”
“Take it easy,” I said. “I’m not accusing you. I just want to ask everyone a few questions.”
“Why should we talk to you?” one of the cameramen asked.
“She’s a detective,” Davis said. “Though we don’t really need to say anything. I don’t know why Henderson doesn’t just confess.” He turned to Lance. “We all know you hated him. Why don’t you admit you got rid of him so we can all get out of this backward little town?”
Henderson snarled. “I’d just worked out a deal with him to narrate the stupid movie. You had an equal chance to kill him yourself.”
Davis laughed a short laugh. “Why would I kill him? He was giving me my big break in show business.”
“Oh, yes, your big break. ‘Curse of the Mantis Man.’ Well, it turned out to be a curse, all right.”
Davis poked his finger at Henderson’s chest. “In case you’ve forgotten, old man, we were right out in front of everybody filming a scene when Gaskins died.”
Henderson pushed Davis away. “And how did he die? We don’t even know if he was murdered. He could’ve had a heart attack.”
“He was poisoned,” I said. “Anyone could’ve put the poison in his drink at any time.”
Stephanie sat by herself, crying into a wad of Kleenex.
“Where did you keep his sodas?” I asked her.
“We have a little fridge in the van. I always bought the kind of cola he liked and kept at least six bottles in there.”
“So you’d open one of the big bottles and keep his cup filled all day?”
“Yes. He always drank it up before it became flat, so buying big bottles was cheaper.”
And easier to slip something in. “Who else knew about this?”
“Everyone in the cast and crew. It’s a running joke how much soda he drinks—used to drink.” She wiped her eyes. “I always put in just the right amount of ice. He liked the plastic straws with red and white stripes. He said they were much better than just plain straws.” Her voice quit. She sobbed. “I really liked him. He never yelled like some directors.”
“Were you happy as his assistant? You didn’t want to be in the movies?” I thought Stephanie might harbor some desire to be in front of the camera, and Gaskins had refused her request.
She shook her head. “I was very happy with my job. I liked being the one he depended on. Now what am I going to do?”
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do,” Davis said. “You’re going to do what the rest of us are doing, sit around wasting valuable time while that hick sheriff bumbles through the investigation, assisted by Miss Beauty Queen here.”
How could I have ever thought this man was remotely handsome?
�
�You didn’t seem very happy with Gaskins’ decision to have Lance narrate the film,” I said.
Davis’ eyes narrowed. “Not a very solid motive to kill someone, is it?”
“Oh, I don’t know. My last case involved a woman who wanted to be a porn star. I think people are capable of just about anything.”
“Well, why was that other guy hanging around the van?”
“He says Gaskins owed him money.” I turned to Stephanie. “How did Gaskins finance this film? Did he ever talk to you about that?”
She nodded. “I looked after the accounts, too. He had a backer.”
“Who was it?”
“Some fellow he knew from here, a man named Kirby Willet.”
Finally, a connection. “What can you tell me about him?”
“He and Josh went to high school together. Josh said Willet would advance him some money to get started. That’s why we came to Celosia.”
“Did you ever meet Willet?”
“Here’s the odd thing. We were supposed to, but Willet never showed. Josh was very upset. I guess he thought Willet had backed out.”
“So he didn’t get his money?”
“No, and there isn’t a record of it anywhere. We had to go ahead and start filming and hope Willet would show up with the money.”
“Wait a minute,” Davis said. “There isn’t any money? How are you planning to pay us?”
Stephanie looked at him as if she couldn’t believe he’d be so crass. “There’s enough money for your salary, Davis. Willet isn’t the only backer.”
“I’m looking for Willet, too,” I told Stephanie. “If he gets in touch with you, let me know.”
***
I went back to the theater to pick up Jerry. I also wanted to speak to Cathy and Mitch. They were thrilled to have been part of the drama, but even more thrilled I had agreed to speak to the contestants.
Cathy almost galloped down the aisle of the theater. “Madeline, we’re so happy you changed your mind! Here we thought you were out of the pageant world, and Evan tells us you’re coming to coach all our girls.”
“No, I’m coming to speak to them and answer some questions,” I said. “Nothing was said about coaching.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re so excited to have you on board.”
I wanted to grab Cathy by the collar and shake her till her eyes rattled. I gave her a look that made her back up and clutch Mitch by the arm. “I don’t want to talk about the pageant. I want to talk about what you saw last night. If either of you have any useful information, I’d appreciate hearing it.”
Mitch said, “We saw that poor man fall over, that’s all. We heard later that he’d died.”
“Anything else? Anyone snooping around the van?”
They shook their heads. “I did see a woman creeping around behind the cameramen,” Cathy said, “but I thought she’d lost something. She kept looking at the ground.”
Twenty, trying to find a cord to unplug. Maybe Cathy could supply Twenty with an alibi. “Was this woman dressed in odd clothes?”
“Yes, I remember saying to Mitch she looked like she could use a good fashion consultant.”
“Do you recall where she was when Gaskins fell?”
“I couldn’t say. We really didn’t pay much more attention to her.”
“Was she anywhere near the van?”
“I don’t think so. Do you think she killed him?”
“I’m trying to prove she didn’t.”
“Well, if you ask me, Lance Henderson’s your prime suspect. Some of the people were getting his autograph before they started filming, and I’ve never heard such griping and complaining in my life. Not about the autographs. He was tickled by all the attention. He was complaining about his tiny role in the movie.”
“What about that other fellow, though?” Mitch said. “The one running around the house with Madeline? He did a fair share of griping, too. I thought the whole crew was cranky.”
These two were not much help. Cathy beamed. “All right, then,” she said, as if she and Mitch had solved the mystery. “Can we expect you here at three?”
“I’ll be here.”
Cathy and Mitch hurried off. Jerry finished playing for the “Wells Fargo Wagon” number and came down the aisle to me.
“How’s your investigation coming along?”
“Plenty of suspects, plenty of motives, and no clear leads, although I almost had an alibi for Twenty.”
“Almost?”
“I thought Cathy Sloop could place Twenty away from the van.”
“Can she? I guess the better question is will she?”
“She and Mitch were more excited about me dispensing words of wisdom to the pageant contestants.”
“What about Ted?”
“What about him?”
“You said you were going to see him today.”
There it was again, that odd impression that Jerry might be jealous. “I needed to know if he saw anything that might help me.”
“Was he helpful?”
I tried not to smile. “Not really. I talked to Twenty, also, and the whole cast of ‘Curse of the Mantis Man.’ As I said, plenty of suspects, plenty of motives. It’s been a long morning. Are you ready for lunch?”
“There’s some pizza left.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Austin and Denisha were waiting on the porch and very happy to learn that Jerry had some leftover pizza. They were very unhappy they had missed all the excitement the night before.
“My mom wouldn’t let me come,” Austin said. “Something about her stupid S.Q.U.I.S.H. group.”
“It’s S.T.O.M.P., not S.Q.U.I.S.H.,” Denisha said, “and my aunt said it was too late for me to be out. I told her it was summer and not a school night, but she says midnight’s too late for anybody to be out.”
I sat down in one of the rocking chairs and took a slice of pizza from the box. “It wasn’t something you two really needed to see.”
Austin was pleased to have the inside scoop. “My mom said Mister Gaskins fell over dead, and the police think he was poisoned.”
For once, Denisha had nothing to add. She licked pizza sauce off her fingers and acted as if Austin’s news was too boring to comment on.
“Yes, that’s right,” I said.
“So he was murdered, right here in front of everybody?”
“It looks that way.” I gave the pizza box a doubtful look. “Isn’t there anything else to eat besides pizza?”
“Peanut butter,” Jerry said.
“We’ll make a run to the grocery store.” I wanted another look in room sixteen at the Wayfarer Motel, but that would have to wait. I didn’t want to involve the kids. “What’s up with you two today?”
Austin reached for another piece of pizza. “I want to buy a Mantis Man tee shirt, but my mom won’t let me. She says it’s tacky.”
“That salesman’s a friend of yours, isn’t he?” Denisha asked Jerry.
“Yes.”
“Somebody told me he dressed up like Mantis Man and scared some people last night at the bridge.”
“Could be.”
As much as I admired Jerry’s sense of loyalty, in this case, it was unnecessary. “Can we be straight with the kids? Everybody knows everything in town before it happens, anyway.”
Jerry thought it over for a minute. “I don’t guess he’d really care. It was a publicity stunt,” he told the kids. “To help drum up interest for his Mantis Man store.”
“He didn’t need to do that,” Austin said. “There’s lots of interest in Mantis Man.”
Denisha wiped sauce off her mouth. “You was there, too, wasn’t you, Madeline? With Jerry?”
As I hesitated, Jerry grinned. “Can we be straight with the kids?”
“Yes, Denisha,” I said. “Jerry and I were there, but we were just investigating.”
“People say they heard a really loud scream.”
I sighed. “Yes, that was me.”
She frowne
d. “But if you knew this Mantis Man was Jerry’s friend, how come you screamed?”
“Because at the time, I didn’t know it was Jerry’s friend.”
“Oh.”
I thought the matter was settled. I should’ve known better. Denisha’s frown deepened as she thought things over.
“So how come Jerry didn’t tell you?”
“He didn’t know, either.”
“Oh.” She turned to Jerry. “Was you scared?”
“A little. But then I decided to attack.”
“I wish I’d been there,” Austin said. “I would’ve given him a good smack!”
Denisha gave him a pitying look. “Austin Terrell, you would’ve run the other way.”
He stuck his tongue out at her.
“Don’t start,” I said. I got up. “Peanut butter, anyone?”
I didn’t have any takers, but Denisha followed me inside to the kitchen and sat down at the table while I made a sandwich. The smell of the peanut butter reminded me I hadn’t followed up on the Blue Ribbon brand of peanuts Kirby Willet preferred.
Denisha had another question for me. “Madeline, when Jerry attacked Mantis Man, is that why you screamed?”
“Yes. I thought he might get hurt.”
“I’d rescue Austin if Mantis Man was after him.”
“Good for you.”
“We need to keep an eye on the boys.”
I laughed. “Denisha, sometimes I forget you’re only ten.”
“Auntie says I’m old for my age.”
“What happened to your folks?”
“They died in a car crash when I was just a baby. I don’t really remember them. Auntie is my mother’s sister, so she took us in. She didn’t have no children, so it worked out.” She paused. “Jerry’s sister had to look after him and his brothers, didn’t she? It’s almost the same.”
I couldn’t imagine Jerry sharing this information with her. “How do you know about Jerry’s family?”
“Auntie read the wedding announcement in the paper about Jerry’s brother getting married, and she told me their sister brought them up.”
I brought my sandwich and sat down across from her. “What else did your aunt tell you?”
Denisha folded her hands in front of her on the table. “Well, I already knew Jerry had two brothers named Des and Tucker, but I didn’t know he had a sister. Auntie says her name is Harriet and she’s the oldest. She had to take care of all the little boys after their parents died in a fire. The reason I remember is because Jerry is an orphan, just like me.”
