The Last Dance

by Sonia Parin

  The edge of Miffi’s lip lifted slightly. “Laurie Meadows.”

  “Do you think she might be able to fit another customer in?”

  “She might. I’ll let her know you’re interested.”

  Abby slid to the edge of her chair. “Someone mentioned quite a few people tried to get you to make dresses for them…” Abby smiled. “I guess Marigold and I were the lucky ones.”

  “And Kelly Pierce.”

  “Oh, yes. That’s right.” So far, she could point to two people who’d had access to Miffi’s house. Her cleaner and Kelly Pierce. Abby wondered if it would be too far-fetched to imagine one of them had tampered with Marigold’s dress…

  Miffi uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “Are you, by any chance, interrogating me?”

  Abby responded with a resounding, “Huh?”

  “You’ve been delving.” Miffi’s eyes brightened. “Has Marigold’s sudden death attracted police scrutiny?”

  A simple yes would suffice, Abby told herself. “The police are looking into her death. Have they been in touch with you?”

  Miffi took a slow sip of her whisky. “Why would they?”

  “I heard something about them wanting to draw up a timeline to include anyone who’d come into contact with Marigold, possibly within the last few days.”

  “I see. Of course, that would include me.”

  Abby supposed she should also add Miffi’s name to the list of suspects. “Did Marigold ever express concerns about her health or make a passing remark about something bothering her?”

  “No,” Miffi said. “Marigold had a positive attitude to everything. She didn’t believe in spreading bad tidings.”

  Abby suspected Joshua had already accessed her medical records but hadn’t shared them with her.

  Miffi swung her foot from side to side. “You want to know who came into contact with Marigold. Is that why you asked about Laurie Meadows?”

  It took a moment for Abby to connect the name to Miffi’s cleaner. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be underhanded. Truth is, the police are carrying out their investigations but I can’t help thinking I could be useful.” Joshua had asked her make discreet inquiries but she knew if she mentioned Marigold to anyone in town, they would immediately jump to conclusions and think they had a killer living among them. Abby sighed. Her brain felt scrambled by lack of sleep and far too much going on around her. She suspected Joshua had called her to try and find out what her next move might be. Did he even know about Miffi Howsen? The thought perked her up somewhat. She was a step ahead of him…

  Miffi studied her for a long moment before saying, “So you’re working under the radar. As a way to assist the police or to get a scoop?”

  “I’d never print anything that would jeopardize the police investigation.” Abby clasped her hands together. “Is there anything you can tell me, anything at all?” As she asked the question, her gaze strayed to one of the photos sitting beside Miffi. It had been taken at the races. Miffi and Marigold had smiled brightly at the camera and they’d been celebrating a win in the fashion stakes. Had something happened to sour the relationship?

  ***

  ABBY LEFT MIFFI’S HOUSE with so many suspicions, her head spun. She sat in her car for a moment trying to gather her thoughts.

  When her cell phone rang, she ignored it. But the caller persevered. Seeing the caller ID, Abby answered and told Joyce, “I have a brief window of opportunity before I need to get back. So, let’s talk fast.” As she spoke, her mind filled with images of the pancakes she’d missed out on that morning. If she went to Joyce’s now, Abby knew she would draw everyone’s attention to her. Anything she said and did could be misconstrued and she could inadvertently set off the gossip mongers. If it got back to Harriet Winthrop, she might pull strings and get Joshua into trouble.

  Abby groaned. She needed to play it safe and stay out of sight.

  Despite having called her, Joyce refused to speak on the phone and insisted on a face to face meeting because, according to Joyce, that was the only way she would know if Abby was telling the truth.

  “Face to face? Joshua asked me to be discreet,” Abby said.

  “What is he afraid of? Does he think the town will go on a rampage and demand someone’s head?”

  “I think it has to do with Harriet Winthrop,” Abby explained. “She wants to avoid a cloud of scandal hanging over her family.”

  “Nonsense,” Joyce said. “Who is she to call the shots?”

  Abby brushed her hand across her eyes. “How can we meet without drawing attention to ourselves?” Abby should have known better than to ask…

  She listened to the instructions and waited until Joyce hung up before she rolled her eyes. “Okay. I can do this. I’ve lived here long enough to know what some people consider to be odd behavior is nothing but a walk in the park to the people of Eden.”

  She drove up to Brilliant Baubles and, as per Joyce’s instructions, parked the car across the street. Next, she dug out her sunglasses and put them on.

  She would cross the street at a sedate pace, enter Brilliant Baubles and ask to be shown through to the back room.

  If Joyce’s fiancé, Bradford Mills, asked any questions, Abby had been instructed to say Joyce had sent her.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Bradford asked in his deadpan tone.

  Abby lifted her shoulders. “I just want to meet with her in private. She said you’d know how to organize that.”

  Putting the book he’d been reading down, he shook his head and said, “I should know better than to ask questions. All right. Follow me.”

  He led her through to the back of the store and up a narrow set of stairs.

  “It’s through there.”

  “What is?”

  “The rooftop.”

  “Huh?”

  “The buildings are connected. You can walk all the way to Joyce’s rooftop access.”

  The rooftop. “Please tell me there’s a high wall around the building.”

  “Just keep your eyes to the ground,” Bradford suggested. “You’ll be fine.”

  Abby tried to ignore the quivering sensation already surging through her thighs. Easing the rooftop door open, she peered out.

  “What took you so long… and why are you crouching?” Joyce asked.

  “Would you please come away from the ledge.”

  Joyce tipped her head to the side. “Are you by any chance afraid of heights?” She spread her arms out and swirled around. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t mind missing out.”

  “You do know it’s all in your mind.”

  Abby groaned. “I really don’t have a problem with that. Can we please get this over and done with? I really do have to get going. You know, the whole point to coming up here was to avoid being seen talking. I’m sure people can see you from the street below.”

  “Okay. So, what’s the news?” Joyce asked as she approached her.

  Abby told her about Joshua asking her to keep a low profile. “On the one hand, he wants me to make discreet inquiries and, on the other hand, he wants me to not be seen or heard. He’s usually so level-headed… I think Harriet Winthrop is getting to him. The last time I saw him this flustered, he had to deal with a city detective treading on his toes.”

  “I’m not surprised by Harriet’s behavior. She’s wealthy and likes to control everything and everyone.” Joyce crouched down. “You really have it bad. I’ve never known anyone afraid of heights.”

  “It’s strange,” Abby said, “I don’t mind flying in an airplane but when I set foot on anything higher than a couple of steps, my legs begin to wobble.”

  “So, Joshua isn’t sharing anything with you?”

  “It’s sad. I thought we had something going.” Abby grinned. “Hey, you might be able to help me.”

  “I knew it. You’re going behind his back.”

  Not exactly, Abby thought. “Why would you say that? You don’t k
now what I’m going to ask.”

  “Okay, go ahead.”

  Abby nibbled the edge of her lip. “I’m thinking of getting my own place. Someone mentioned a cleaner. Her name’s Laurie Meadows. Do you know anything about her?”

  ***

  “THERE YOU ARE. I was beginning to think you’d bailed out on me,” Faith said when Abby returned to Willoughby Park. “So, did you come up with any new leads?”

  “Maybe. What about you?” Abby flopped down on the couch and closed her eyes.

  “I had a boring time of it going through the guest list. And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Your name is nowhere to be found.” Faith grinned. “At first, I assumed Kelly Pierce had left it out because she might have thought I didn’t need to see your name on the list to know you’d attended. After all, you were right there beside me. Then, I decided to ask her about it.”

  When Faith didn’t continue, Abby thought she might be aiming for a pregnant pause. Peering at her, Abby saw Faith smiling.

  Faith got up and rounded the table. Leaning against it, she crossed her arms. “Kelly didn’t answer straightaway. When she started shuffling papers around, I got the impression she wanted to distract me. Why do you think that is?”

  Abby held up her cell phone. No messages. Not even from Joyce who’d promised to find out anything she could about Laurie Meadows.

  “There. That’s what I mean.”

  “Huh? What?”

  “You’re trying to distract me too and… or avoid having to answer my question.”

  “Sorry, my mind is elsewhere. I saw Joyce and asked her to find out something for me. I was hoping she’d get back to me soon.”

  “You’re still trying to avoid answering the question.”

  Swinging her legs off the couch, Abby sat up. “So, what did Kelly say?”

  “Nice tactic. Now you’re shifting the focus away from yourself back to Kelly.”

  “Well, you did say she’s the one who wouldn’t answer you.”

  Faith’s eyebrows drew down. “Are you trying to confuse me?”

  “Did she have a reason for leaving my name out of the guest list?”

  Faith nodded. “Charles asked her to.”

  Abby’s eyes widened. “He did? Did she say why?”

  “No, she made up an excuse and left. Now, I’m curious because if you didn’t get an invitation, how did you end up attending the ball?”

  Abby strode over to Doyle and crouched down to give him a scratch behind the ears. “Did you talk with Charles?”

  “He’s out and about. I assume we’ll have afternoon tea with him. Then again, Kelly might alert him and he might try to avoid answering questions by making himself scarce. He knows how to play the absentminded role to the hilt. I’ve seen him do it when he’s trying to avoid something unpleasant.”

  “Well, I’ll be interested to find out why he gave Kelly those instructions.” And why he hadn’t mentioned anything about it when she’d turned up at the ball, Abby thought. “Has Joshua been around?” Seeing Faith roll her eyes, Abby added, “I only ask because he called me earlier and specifically asked me to avoid drawing attention to myself. Apparently, Harriet Winthrop is concerned about me snooping around and stirring widespread panic in the community… As if I would.”

  “She might be hiding something,” Faith suggested.

  “That’s what I thought, but Sebastian said she’d agreed to an interview.”

  “Did he say when?”

  No, he hadn’t.

  “I think that’s your answer. Although, I can’t imagine why Sebastian would play along. I’m beginning to wonder if we should add more names to our list of suspects.”

  Abby looked up and toward the table. “Oh, there’s a printer.”

  “Yes, Kelly brought it in while you were out. That’s when I cornered her. Do you want something printed out?”

  “I thought I did, but now I can’t remember what.” Abby stabbed her fingers through her hair. “Joshua’s behavior has me all confused. He more or less told me to stay put and enjoy living in the lap of luxury. Harriet Winthrop is putting pressure on Joshua and I don’t like that one bit. She’s hiding something.” Looking at her cell phone, she remembered the article she’d bookmarked. “Hang on. I just remembered. It’s not a photo. It’s an article. I’ll send it to you. Can you access you email from here?”

  Faith nodded and sat down. “Here it is. Oh, this looks interesting.”

  Hearing footsteps approaching, Abby turned. “Speak of the devil.”

  Joshua strode into the ballroom, his hands in his pockets.

  “Detective, I guess you’re here to tell us the case has been broken and we can go home,” Abby said.

  Faith whimpered. “Oh, so soon?”

  “Do you see me jumping for joy?” he asked. “I came to see if you’d made any progress on the photos I gave you.”

  Oh, now she felt like a neglectful pupil who hadn’t done her homework. “Faith’s been busy doing that and I believe she hasn’t picked up on anything of interest.”

  He strode over to the whiteboard and studied it. “You’re a bit light on suspects.”

  “I feel you’re taking advantage of my sleep deprived mind.” Abby took the marker and wrote a few names. Turning, she saw Joshua’s eyebrows curve up.

  “Miffi Howsen,” he said.

  “She made Marigold’s dress.” Abby tapped the whiteboard.

  “You suspect her?”

  “No, I didn’t say that.”

  “But you added her name to the board.”

  “She’s… She’s a person of interest. Marigold saw her several times this week. Also, Helen Forbes would have spent a lot of time with Marigold.”

  “Yes, we’ve spoken with her.”

  “And?”

  Instead of answering, he asked, “Who is Laurie Meadows?”

  “Miffi’s cleaner. I added her to the list because she had access to Miffi’s house.” And, therefore, the dress, Abby thought.

  “Kelly Pierce?” Joshua exclaimed.

  Abby had added her name because Kelly had left her out of the guest list. “Call me petty.”

  “You weren’t on the guest list?” Joshua asked. “Why not?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know. Perhaps you could look into it for me, please.”

  “Harry Winthrop’s brother?”

  “We know Harry has a brother, we don’t know his name. Faith came up with a theory about him being a scorned lover. And, you know me, I’m willing to take anything into consideration.”

  “His name is James,” Joshua offered.

  Abby added the name to the list.

  “What about motive?” Joshua asked.

  Abby pointed to the notes Faith had added. “Jealousy, revenge…”

  “They’re too broad.”

  Abby lifted her chin. “You’ll have to forgive us. We’re only amateurs poking around in matters that shouldn’t concern us.”

  Faith murmured, “I think you should apologize to Abby.”

  “What did I do wrong?” Joshua asked, his tone all innocent.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Faith said. “Just play it safe and offer a universal apology.”

  Joshua turned to Abby. “I’m sorry.”

  When she didn’t say anything, he turned to Faith, “I don’t think it worked.”

  “I would suggest chocolates or flowers, but I think she’ll be happy with a snippet of information.”

  Abby slanted her gaze toward him and saw Joshua bite the inside of his lip.

  “Okay. I told you Marigold died of formaldehyde poisoning. The coroner says the large amount of whisky she imbibed accelerated the toxicity.”

  Whisky? Abby looked at Miffi’s name on the whiteboard. “Anything else?”

  “Yes.” He brushed his hand across his chin. “The coroner found large concentrations of the substance on the dress.”

  The dress?

  “You need to read the article Ab
by found,” Faith said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “YOU DON’T LOOK surprised,” Faith said as Joshua read the article Abby had found.

  “That’s probably because the coroner suggested Marigold absorbed the formaldehyde through her skin by way of the dress. Initial tests confirm it.”

  “Have you questioned Miffi Howsen?” Abby asked.

  He nodded. “I’ve just returned from talking with her.”

  He must have arrived soon after she had left her, Abby thought.

  Faith sidled up to Joshua and sniffed him. “Yes, he’s telling the truth.”

  Joshua looked at Abby who shook her head and said, “Don’t ask.” Clearly, Faith had picked up the scent of cigarettes on Joshua.

  Nodding, Joshua continued, “She mentioned you’d been to see her… On another matter.”

  “I took a bottle of whiskey as a thank you for working on my dress at such short notice.”

  “The dress you wore to the ball you weren’t invited to?” Faith asked.

  “I’ll get to the bottom of that,” Abby murmured under her breath. “Would you like to compare notes?” she asked Joshua.

  When he shared the information he’d collected, Abby realized it matched everything she already knew. A moment ago, he’d been surprised she had added Miffi’s name to the whiteboard. So, Abby assumed he hadn’t found any reason to point the finger of suspicion at Miffi. No history of bad blood, and no incidents that might have pushed Miffi to take matters into her own hands.

  “Miffi insisted she and Marigold were on good terms,” Joshua said.

  “Do you have any reason to doubt her?” If Miffi had been hiding her grievances, she had done an exceptional job of it.

  “No. So far, she’s in the clear. But as you’ve made a point of noting, other people had access to her house and the dress.”

  “I interrogated Kelly Pierce at lunch,” Faith offered. “She’s been working for Charles for a year. You might want to look into her work history and see if she ever had anything to do with Marigold.”

  “You suspect Charles’ assistant?”

  “Not really, but she might have fooled me. Kelly’s been quite helpful in answering all my questions. She’s even been good humored about it.”