by Jane Tesh
“I’ve had a busy morning,” I said. “Everyone came to say good-by.”
“Even Davis?”
“I didn’t expect him.”
I’d taken a big bite of my Mantis burger when Denisha ran in, spotted us, and bounced up to our table. “Guess what, Madeline? We’re going to be rich!”
“You are?”
“And all we have to do is have a party!”
“What kind of party?”
“Pocketbooks! Isn’t that neat?”
Jerry coughed as if he’d choked on his lunch. His eyes widened, and he seemed a few shades paler. I knew he’d done something more than swallow wrong.
“Would this have anything to do with that conversation you had with Rick the other day?” I asked him.
“It’s the brand name scam, one of Rick’s favorites.”
Along with his Mantis Man merchandise, Rick must have gotten his hands on some famous brand knock offs he intended to sell at Tupperware-like parties around town. “It’s one of your favorites, too, isn’t it?”
Denisha frowned. “What’s a scam?”
“A trick.”
“Is it a trick? My auntie says it sounds like a good way to make some money. She doesn’t usually trust people when they talk about things like this, but she likes you, Jerry, and Mister Rialto said you think it’s a good idea, so she’s gonna do it.”
I’d never seen Jerry look so disconcerted. “Did your aunt give Mister Rialto any money?”
“She’s going to the bank first thing tomorrow.”
“Is your aunt home now?”
“Yes, she’ll be fixing lunch. But I’d rather have a Mantis Burger. Madeline, call her and see if I can.”
Jerry got up. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
“Jerry!”
“I’ll buy you a Mantis Burger later, okay?”
He left, tugging a reluctant Denisha and came back alone about a half-hour later.
“Did you explain things?” I asked as he slid into his seat across from me.
He nodded. “I told her I’d made a mistake and she shouldn’t invest in anything Mister Rialto suggested. She was very nice about it. Denisha kept looking at me funny, though.”
“What changed your mind?”
“The other times, it wasn’t people I knew.”
I decided not to say anything else. Had he finally learned this valuable—and to me, always obvious—lesson?
He inspected his now soggy french fries. “Rick’s going to be pissed.”
“He can find another village to plunder.”
Jerry looked at me. “You know, you’re right. I don’t want him pulling that scheme here. I got all caught up in the excitement, just like old times, but it’s different now. I know these people.”
“Does this mean no more séances?”
He grinned. “Well, let’s not go overboard. I may cut back gradually.”
“You won’t have time for séances once you find a job.”
“I hear there’s an opening at the library.”
Jerry in the library. I suppose it could work. “I’m afraid your ties are too loud.”
“I’ve got other plans,” he said.
Oh, dear. “Are you going to tell me what they are?”
“No. I want it to be a surprise.”
“I think I want to know now.”
He checked his watch. “Isn’t it about time for the pageant?”
“Jerry.”
“Come on,” he said.
***
The “Music Man” set had been taken down and replaced with a backdrop of silvery sparkles and giant flowers. The auditorium was full, but Jerry and I found seats at the back. As the contestants paraded through the opening number, singing about confidence and pride and hooray for womanhood and America, I felt my stomach roll with the memory of pageants past. I gripped the arm of my seat, wondering if I was going to heave Mantis Burger and fries.
In one of his rare moments of intuition, Jerry patted my hand and said, “That’s not you any more.”
No. No, it wasn’t. I took a deep steadying breath and managed to watch the rest of the pageant objectively. Most of the contestants followed my advice, stood up straight, wore their best colors and smiled their best smiles. Donna’s smile was tight and forced. She looked worried. But the real surprise was Rose Farrington. Somewhere between my talk and this evening, Rose had transformed into a real beauty queen, so no one except Donna was shocked when Rose won and another girl took first runner-up. Donna was a furious second, barely containing her anger on stage, her smile now as rigid as a doll’s.
“I think there may be another murder in your future,” Jerry said as we stood to applaud the winners.
***
Backstage, the girls hugged me and thanked me for my help. Donna had already flounced out without a word to anyone. I found out later she left with Flynn Davis.
I congratulated Cathy, Mitch, and Evan on a successful pageant. I noticed with amusement that for the evening, Mitch had adopted Evan’s lavender suit and signature yellow handkerchief in the jacket pocket, and Cathy’s evening gown was purple and yellow.
“We have big exciting plans for the fall,” Cathy said. “We’re thinking Miss Celosia Autumn, then Miss Celosia Wintertime, and Miss Celosia Springtime. An entire season of pageants!”
Whether I liked it or not, the Pageantoids were going to be in town. “No Miss Mantis?”
“I really couldn’t get my head around the concept.”
Evan shook my hand. “Thanks again, Madeline. I really appreciated all your support. What did you think of the results? I was pleased and surprised. Rose will be a wonderful queen. I couldn’t be happier. She has a bright future ahead of her.”
“Yes, she does,” I said.
Out in the parking lot, I saw Poppy Farrington dressed in a tight pink dress that made her look like a tattooed sausage. She was standing by a large black motorcycle with Benjy Goins, one of the judges, and he had his arm around her shoulders. She gave me a wink.
I laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Jerry asked.
“This town,” I said. “I love it.”
“Me, too.”
“Really?” I said. “Is that your surprise?”
“My surprise is at Georgia’s,” he said.
At Georgia’s Books, the white ferret was sitting by the cash register, no longer scrawny and dirty, but fat and fluffy.
“This is Poltergeist,” Hayden said. The ferret slid under his hand. As he rubbed its head, it made a soft clucking sound. “Poltey for short. Now any time I hear a strange noise, I just say, ‘Oh, must be the ferret,’ and you know what? It usually is.”
Shana was helping Georgia fix the cardboard display holding Shana’s latest historical romance. “If I’d known that, I would’ve bought a ferret a long time ago.”
Hayden scratched the ferret behind its ears. “I’ve gotten really fond of it. I never had a pet because of my mother’s allergies. Poltey sits right up here with me most of the day.”
“A very calming influence for a ghost,” Shana said.
“This is a very nice surprise,” I told Jerry.
“Oh, Poltey’s not the surprise,” he said. “Starting tomorrow, I’m gainfully employed at Georgia’s Books. Hayden wants some time off to write.”
I stared at him and then stared at Hayden. “Is this true?”
“Jerry and I have been talking about it, and I think it’s going to work out for both of us.”
I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before. The bookstore was a perfect place for Jerry. It was always busy, he could interact with people all day, and he loved to read. “That’s great.”
“You need to sign a few papers for tax purposes, Jerry,” Georgia said. “Come to the back, and we’ll get that taken care of.”
I was going to congratulate Hayden on his decision to spend more time writing when I saw Rick Rialto walk past the store.
“I’ll be right back,” I s
aid.
I caught up with Rick at his Mantis Man shop. To my relief, he was packing the tee shirts and key rings.
“I hear J’s going legit,” he said.
“He’s got a job at the bookstore.”
“Good luck to him, I say.” He closed one box and started filling another with caps and coffee mugs. “This town’s too small for the really big schemes, anyway.”
“Your shop wasn’t doing too well, was it?”
“The murder kinda put a damper on things. It’s funny, ‘cause usually something like that makes people want to buy stuff.” He shrugged. “Oh, well.”
“You’re taking all the fake handbags, too, I hope.”
“Yep.” He reached for the Mantis Man salt and peppershakers. “So the old broad at the library did it, huh? She wasn’t even there that night.”
“She only meant for Gaskins to get sick.”
Rick didn’t seem concerned that Gaskins was dead. “Too bad. Thanks for solving the mystery, though. Got me off the hook.”
“You’re welcome.”
I had turned to go when he said, “Oh, I found out what happened to Jackson Frye, if you’re still interested.”
“Yes, I’d like to know.”
He paused in his packing. “Don’t know how you feel about irony.”
“It has its place in my life.”
“Then you’ll appreciate this. Seems Frye pulled one too many schemes and was finally caught and sent to jail. You remember that prison that caught fire about ten years ago? Killed about fifty inmates? Frye was one of them.”
“Doesn’t that make you want to rethink your life, Rick?”
He laughed. “Nah. I’m not going to get caught.”
“Well, thanks for the information.”
“I thought I’d do you another favor and tell J how you feel.”
What the hell? “How I feel?”
“Yeah, you know, about him getting a job and everything. He’s cool with that.”
“Oh, the job.”
“What’d you think I meant?” Rick gave me a look that was surprisingly serious. “When are you going to tell him?”
“Tell him what?”
“That you love him. You always have.”
I was suddenly interested in the stack of Mantis Man dishcloths. “We’re at an odd place right now.”
“You think he’ll turn you down?”
“I don’t know what he’ll do.”
“So you’re just going to go along the same old way until what? You’re roommates at the nursing home?”
The dishcloths were too soft; otherwise, I would’ve thrown the whole pile at his head. “Get lost, Rick.”
He grinned. “Or you find something better? I’m available.”
“No,” I said. “You’re leaving. We had a deal.”
He gave me a salute. “Unlike our friend Kirby the Mantis, I keep my end of all bargains. See you later, Mac.”
I was so glad he was leaving town, I didn’t correct him.
***
And I was so pleased about Jerry’s job, I thought I’d press my luck. When I came back to the bookstore, I asked him, “Now what about Tucker’s wedding?”
“I think I’ll go.”
I took in some air. “I don’t think I can take any more surprises today.”
“Harriet will be there. You hold her down, and I’ll ask the tough questions.”
***
Jerry still didn’t want to go inside the Fairweather home, so it was fortunate that Tucker’s wedding was held in the garden. Delighted, Tucker asked Jerry to stand with him. Des played the piano. Harriet, dressed in her usual dark clothes, sat by herself on the front row. I watched her face as Tucker’s gorgeous bride, Selene, floated down the aisle in a shimmery gown, accompanied by her equally attractive father. All through the brief ceremony, Harriet’s expression remained fixed. Afterwards, as Tucker and Selene cut their wedding cake, she stood off to one side as if poised for flight. Jerry brought her a piece of cake.
“Harriet, I need to talk to you.”
“I’m very glad you decided to come,” she said. “Let’s not spoil things.”
He took the picture out of his pocket and turned it over so she could see the words, “To Jack with all my love.” “I just want to know about Jackson Frye.”
She paled. She would’ve left if I hadn’t been there to block her way. “Harriet, we know about the robbery. We know Frye came to the house that night to steal some things. He caused the fire, didn’t he?”
Her mouth trembled. She put her hand over her eyes for a moment, and when she looked at us, her eyes were shiny with tears. “I let him in. May God forgive me, but I let him in.”
Jerry took her arm and led her to a chair. “We just want to know what happened.”
She kept her head down. “I was so mortified. The first boy I ever cared about, and he didn’t care about me. He only wanted inside the house. He ran, the candles fell over. It happened before I could think. I couldn’t bear the thought of being blamed. I’m a Fairweather! These things don’t happen to people like us.” She gave Jerry a glance and then avoided his eyes. “You were always playing with matches. It was easy to make people believe you had done it. You were so little, I didn’t think it would matter.”
“Good God, it did matter, Harriet. I’ve spent my whole life thinking I killed our parents.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Didn’t you believe me when I told you it was an accident?”
“Yes, but what kind of an idiot causes huge flaming accidents? No wonder I never thought I could do anything right.”
She was crying now. Jerry handed her his handkerchief. She wiped her eyes. “I tried to make it up to you. When Uncle Val was making out his will, he asked me if I wanted his house, and I told him to leave it to you. I knew you wouldn’t come back here, and I thought you might like his place.”
“Harriet.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “I can’t decide if I’m angry or relieved.”
She grasped his hand. “Please don’t be angry.”
The photographer came up. “Excuse me, folks. I’d like to get a shot of the family.”
Des, Tucker, Selene, and her father stood waiting at an archway covered in roses. Jerry hesitated and then pulled Harriet to her feet.
“Come on,” he said. “You need to be in the picture.”
She wiped her eyes and even managed a smile for the camera. Then she kissed her brothers one by one and left.
“That was nice,” I told Jerry.
“I can’t hate her,” he said. “She’s all alone. At least I got a house out of the deal.”
“Now we know why Val left the house to you.”
“And I have you.”
Tucker strolled up in time to hear this. “Is there a possibility there might be another wedding soon?”
To my surprise, Jerry caught my hand and held it tight. “Yes,” he said. “If Mac will have me.”
I didn’t know what to say. My heart started beating so fast, I’m sure the front of my dress was flapping.
“I’ve been trying to tell you for days, and somehow the time never was right,” he said. “You’re my best friend. You’ve always been here with me, and now that I know I’m not a complete idiot, I can’t let you get away. You found the answer, so now I’m going to say what I’ve been wanting to say. Will you marry me?”
I could hardly speak for laughing. “Yes!”
“Deal.” He put his arms around my waist and pulled me to him. “But we’re not going to shake on it. I have something better in mind.”
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Epigraph
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
More from this Author
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