by Bobbi Holmes
Danielle glanced up to Walt. “I didn’t tell you.” She paused and looked at the doorway and then looked back to Walt. “According to Joe, Ian was going to ask Lily to marry him.” She then went on to tell him about her recent encounter with Joe and their discussion at the police station.
When she finished recounting the exchange, Walt closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh. “I hope he comes to his senses. I hate seeing Lily so unhappy.”
“And if he waits too long, she may be unable to forgive him. Lily can be pretty stubborn.”
They were interrupted when a loud meow came from the doorway leading from the kitchen to the hallway.
Walt turned to Max, who sat just inside the kitchen, his tail twitching back and forth while his golden eyes peered into Walt.
“Yes, Max, that other spirit is still here.” Walt stared at Max in silence for a few minutes and then said, “I understand.”
“You understand what?” Danielle asked.
“Max doesn’t like Agatha. I suppose she should not have been so open with her thoughts when her spirit-self first encountered Max.”
Danielle frowned. “Why is that?”
“Apparently Agatha is not a pet-friendly person. She especially dislikes cats and is unashamed at what she’s done to them over the years.”
“Done to them?” Danielle gasped.
“She didn’t brag about drowning kittens or anything,” Walt began, only to have Max express his disdain for the comment by a low gurgling growl.
Danielle glanced to Max briefly. “I’m with you there, buddy. Anyone who hurts kittens is beyond contempt.”
“As I was saying, while she didn’t boast about hurting defenseless kittens, she admitted taking a cat Joyce had adopted to the pound, and then she lied to her daughter, claimed she hadn’t seen it, and even offered to call down to the pound and see if someone had brought it in. Of course she never actually called.”
“And you learned all this, how?”
“Like I said, when Agatha first met Max, she was pretty free with her thoughts. I don’t think she was fully aware that Max could read them. In essence, she was telling Max that if she could do to him what she did to Joyce’s cat, she would.”
“Max just told you all this?” Danielle asked.
“Yes. In his own way.”
“Ugh, we really need to get Agatha to move on.”
Max stood up and strolled toward the table. He stopped before Walt and sat back down. Looking up to Walt, he let out a meow.
“Sadie?” Walt stared down at Max.
“What about Sadie?” Danielle asked, glancing from Max to Walt. Before Walt had a chance to answer, Max stood up and dashed to the kitchen door leading to the side yard. In a flash, he flew through the pet door and disappeared. Its door swung back and forth for a few moments before coming to a stop.
“What was that all about?” Danielle asked.
“Apparently, Max has noticed Sadie’s absence. It seems those two care more about each other than they let on.”
“What do you mean?” Danielle glanced over to the pet door.
“Max wanted to know why Sadie hasn’t been over for a couple of days. I told him she wouldn’t be coming over again, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was moving. He didn’t take the news well.” Under his breath, Walt added, “I can’t say I blame him.”
MAX HATED DOGS. At least, that was what he had told himself before moving in with Danielle. There was a time when the news of Sadie’s departure would have satisfied his feline heart. Not so anymore. It actually surprised him how troubling he found the news. So troubling, he needed to find some way to prevent it from happening.
Climbing one of the trees in the backyard, he used it to make his way to the other side of the fence. Just as he was about to jump down onto the sidewalk, he paused and looked down the street toward Chris’s house.
Could this mean I might actually come to like that annoying little puppy Chris has adopted? If a cat was capable of cringing at the thought, Max would have. Instead, he leapt down onto the sidewalk and made his way to the other side of the street, to Ian and Sadie’s house.
IAN HAD JUST STEPPED out to the hallway when he heard Sadie barking at the front door. He hadn’t heard the doorbell ring. When he reached the door, he looked through the peephole before opening it. No one was there. Sadie continued to bark.
“Get back, girl,” Ian ordered as he eased open the front door and looked outside.
A loud meow greeted him. Just as he looked down, Sadie pushed by Ian’s legs, her tail wagging.
Sitting on his welcome mat was Danielle’s cat, Max. The moment Sadie went outside, Max stood up and began weaving around the dog, rubbing against her while purring loudly.
EIGHTEEN
Reception sucked along this stretch of highway. Or maybe it’s just my crappy car radio, Larry thought. With one hand on the steering wheel and his eyes moving from the road ahead and back to the dashboard, he fidgeted with the controls. He was hoping to catch Paul’s daily radio show. He couldn’t remember when it was on exactly. Unfortunately, by the time he found the station, Paul was wrapping up the show.
“Before I sign off, I want to extend my condolences to the family of Frederickport native Agatha Pine, who passed away this last weekend. Her grandmother and father moved to Frederickport in the twenties. Services will be held Wednesday afternoon, at 2:00 p.m., at Frederickport Cemetery’s Memorial Chapel. Mrs. Pine died when—” Larry’s car radio lost the signal before Paul was able to finish his sentence.”
“Hot damn!” Larry shouted, slapping his palm on the steering wheel. “Things are looking up!” Grinning ear to ear, Larry turned off the radio and began humming a tune. He was still smiling when he pulled up in front of his house on Monday afternoon. It wasn’t until Brian Henderson pulled up behind his car and parked did the smile start to fade.
“WHAT HAS HE SAID?” the chief asked Brian as the two stood in the office adjacent to the interrogation room, looking through the two-way mirror, watching Larry Pruitt. He sat alone at the table, fidgeting with his wristwatch.
“I asked him if he knew his grandmother had died. He said yes. I told him we needed to talk to him and asked him to come in with me. He didn’t seem to have a problem with it.”
“I suspect he knew we would be showing up. I imagine he has his story already worked out,” the chief said, turning from the mirror and heading to the door.
“AFTERNOON, Larry,” MacDonald greeted him when he walked into the interrogation room a few minutes later.
Larry turned to MacDonald, watching him approach. “When Brian said you needed to talk to me about my grandmother, I didn’t think it would require questioning in here.”
“I have some questions about how your grandmother died.” MacDonald sat down across from Larry.
Larry flashed MacDonald a grin. “Just as long as she’s really dead. That’s all that I care about. I thought it would just be my luck if the old witch outlived us all. I bet my mother is over at her house celebrating.”
MacDonald arched his brow. “You aren’t even going to pretend to be sad?”
Larry laughed. “Are you serious? I’m glad she’s dead, and I don’t care who hears me say it. It’s not like she can change her will now.”
MacDonald frowned. Leaning back in the chair, he studied Larry. “I have to admit, your attitude surprises me.”
“Why? Certainly you saw how she really was. A manipulative bitch who tried to control everyone in her family.”
“Let me restate: I’m not surprised you’re not sad over her death. I’m just surprised you’re so freely expressing your opinion, considering how she died.”
“What do you mean?” Larry asked with a frown. “What does how she died have to do with anything?”
“Considering she died under suspicious circumstances.”
Still frowning, Larry repeated, “Suspicious circumstances?” He considered the chief’s words for a moment. His frown turned to a smile, and he began to
laugh.
Stunned at Larry’s reaction, MacDonald asked, “What’s so funny?”
“When you say suspicious circumstances, are you suggesting someone might have killed my grandmother?” he asked after suppressing his laughter.
“That’s generally what it implies.”
“So which one of them do you think did it? Frankly, I didn’t think any of them had enough nerve.” Larry leaned back against his chair and chuckled.
“You.”
Larry’s smile faded. “Me? I wasn’t even here when the old battleax kicked off.”
“You were the last one to see her alive.”
No longer finding humor in the situation, Larry abruptly sat up straight in the chair. “Hey, I’ve been out of town all weekend. I wasn’t even here. You can check with the Portland hospital. I’ve been there all weekend. Just got back to town less than an hour ago. Talk to the staff there; they’ll back me up. I’ll be happy to give you their names.”
“You were here on Saturday when your grandmother died.”
“Saturday? Are you saying she died on Saturday?”
“Right after you brought her in the house and took her upstairs. Did you just leave her there? What happened?”
Furiously shaking his head, Larry said, “I didn’t even go upstairs with her. Yes, I took her in the house, but I didn’t even make it up the stairs.”
“Maybe you need to tell me exactly what happened after you wheeled your grandmother into the house the last time you saw her.”
Taking a deep breath, Larry gave MacDonald a nod as he gathered his thoughts. “I wheeled her into the hallway, and just before we got to the stairs, my phone rang. The record of the call is still on it, you can check yourself.”
“Who called, and what does it have to do with your grandmother’s death?”
“It was my ex-wife. She was frantic, told me our son was in the hospital. It looked like a ruptured appendix. I told Gran I had to leave, asked her to tell Mom what was going on, and I just left her there. It’s not like she isn’t capable of getting around in the wheelchair; she does it at home all the time. She just wouldn’t be able to get up the stairs by herself.”
“So you just left?”
Larry nodded. “I drove straight to the hospital. Ended up staying there all weekend, taking turns with my wife, sitting with our son. He’s doing better, so I just came home today to grab some things. I planned to go back this afternoon after I squared it with work.”
“You haven’t called them yet?”
Larry shook his head. “No. I had today off anyway because of the holiday. I planned to call my boss when I got back into town this afternoon, and see if I could get a few days off.”
“Why didn’t you answer your phone when your mother and sister tried to call you?”
Larry shrugged. “I told Gran if there was any news, I would call. I asked her to tell them not to call me.”
Studying Larry’s facial expressions, MacDonald asked, “Why would you do that?”
Larry let out a sigh. “Because Mom and Martha get all hovery when something like this happens. And frankly, I prefer they stay out of my private life.”
“They are family,” MacDonald reminded him.
“Yes, they are,” Larry said coolly. “Which is precisely why I didn’t answer their calls.”
“I also left several messages on your phone to call me.”
“I never answer a call from a number I don’t recognize. Too many telemarketers calling cellphones now.”
“I left a message,” the chief said.
Larry shrugged. “Well, I was a little preoccupied with my son. I didn’t bother checking my messages. I was at the hospital, and everyone I cared about was there.”
“So you’re saying your grandmother was alive when you last saw her on Saturday?” the chief asked.
Larry stood up for a moment and pulled his phone from his pocket. Leaning across the table, he handed it to the chief before sitting back down. “Yes. And you’re welcome to check my phone. You’ll see the incoming call from my wife right before I left Marlow House. And the text messages we exchanged about our son.”
MacDonald looked at the phone briefly and then set it down on the table. He looked at Larry. “I’ll do that in a minute. So tell me, do you think your grandmother could have gotten up those stairs by herself?”
“I would like to tell you she could. Maybe I’m not especially close to my siblings, but I really hate for one of them to go to jail for doing something that will make all of us happier.”
“Is that a no?”
Larry considered the question, and then let out a sigh. He shook his head and said, “No way. Mom’s house is a split-level; the only bedroom on the lower floor is the master. That was always Mom’s room. But about a year ago, Gran said she could no longer get around without a wheelchair and insisted Mom switch rooms with her. Mom didn’t want to do it at first, and she said she’d buy Gran a second wheelchair to leave on the upper level. There weren’t that many stairs, and Mom insisted Gran could walk up them; after all, she is able to maneuver the shower with the grab rails. But Mom never bought the second wheelchair, and Gran got her room.”
“What happened?”
“Gran could only maneuver up and down the stairs by holding onto the rail with one hand and having someone else hold her other arm. Mom realized the time she would be spending helping Gran up and down those stairs wasn’t worth keeping the master bedroom. Plus, I think she suddenly realized it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to have the upper floor to herself. Gran could no longer get up there by herself.”
“Someone helped her up those stairs at Marlow House.”
Larry shrugged. “Gran did say she was going to look for Henry to help her.”
“Henry was supposedly in the downstairs bathroom when she was found.”
“That boy must have been having a problem that day,” Larry muttered.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because when we were sitting outside, Henry promised to take Gran to see the upper floors. He even offered to carry her wheelchair upstairs. But first, he said he wanted to use the bathroom. Promised he would be right back. But he didn’t come back. He was gone for at least thirty minutes when I finally volunteered to take Gran. So was he in the bathroom that entire time?”
“What do you think?”
“I suspect he didn’t go to the bathroom when he said he did. Henry was great at promising Gran things and not carrying through. But Gran had a soft spot for Henry, and she would ignore it when he did stuff like that.” Larry shrugged.
“Do you think Henry could have taken her upstairs?”
“Sure. I mean, if she ran into him on the first floor, I don’t think he could get out of it at that point. After all, he did offer to take her up there. You said she fell going up the attic stairs?”
“Yes. She was found at the bottom of the stairs on the second floor. Her neck was broken.”
Larry cringed. “I can see him taking her up there. But if she fell, why didn’t he admit he took her up there? I mean, it’s not like he pushed her.”
“Unless he did.”
“So you think someone took her up the stairs—and then pushed her?”
MacDonald nodded. “It’s possible. She didn’t have her wheelchair on the second floor. It was still downstairs. Somehow, she got up one flight of stairs, and then she crossed the second floor—without a wheelchair—and started up the attic stairs. If she couldn’t walk without assistance, as you say, then someone had to have taken her up there. And if no one is coming forward to admit they helped her up the stairs, I have to wonder why.”
“Maybe they left her because they were afraid. Not because they pushed her,” Larry suggested.
“We know Shane was coming down from the attic when she fell.”
“Shane? You didn’t say anything about Shane being there.”
“He’s the one who found her. According to him, when he came down from the attic, he found he
r at the base of the stairs. He started shouting. That’s when we found her.”
“Shane…” Larry muttered. “I can’t see him helping her up the stairs. But shoving her down the stairs? Yeah, I could see him doing that.”
NINETEEN
Peeling back the foil wrapper, Adam was about to take his first bite of the breakfast burrito when he heard a soft knock at his door. He looked up and saw Ian Bartley standing in his office doorway.
“Hey, Ian,” Adam greeted, rewrapping his burrito.
“I’m sorry; I’m interrupting your breakfast.”
Adam shoved the now rewrapped burrito to the side of his desk. “No problem. What can I do for you?”
“Leslie wasn’t in the front, so I hope it’s okay I just walked on in.” Ian took a seat facing Adam’s desk.
“She’s coming in late today. So what’s up?”
“I need to talk to you about your grandmother’s house.”
“Is there a problem?”
“I need to move,” Ian blurted.
“Move?” Adam sat up straighter in the chair. “Can’t believe you found a better place in Frederickport, right on the water, for that price.”
“No, I need to leave Frederickport.”
“You’re kidding me? Damn, I hate to see you go.”
“I know I have another few months left on my lease. Of course I’ll honor it. But I wanted to give you the heads-up. If you find someone who wants the house now, then they can have it, because I plan to move out by the end of the week.”
“Where are you going?”
Ian didn’t answer immediately. Finally, he said, “That’s still up in the air.”
“Is Lily going with you? If she is, I bet Danielle is going to miss her.”
“Umm…no…Lily and I broke up.”
Dumbfounded, Adam stared at Ian. “I’m sorry.”
Ian shrugged. “It happens.”
“Wow,” Adam muttered, leaning back in the desk chair. He shook his head and let out a sigh. “Damn, I never thought I would feel this way.”
Frowning in confusion, Ian asked, “What way?”
