Runaway Murder

by Leigh Hearon

  * * *

  She glanced back one more time as she rounded the spiral staircase and headed up one floor instead of down. The deputy was now talking to his wrist, no doubt gathering forces. She knew she was taking a big chance right now, but she also knew this was likely her only opportunity to find out who had been accessing the dumbwaiter. She wasn’t at all convinced it was the occupant of either bedroom she’d been in earlier. Lucy truly wouldn’t hurt a fly, and Gwendolyn had more pressing issues to deal with than murder, such as getting Marcus around to her way of thinking.

  But the bigger problem still remained. Annie wasn’t at all sure which guest she was looking for, but a quick tour of each bedroom seemed to be the logical place to start. Which one first? For some unknown reason, her mind kept coming back to the same person. She wasn’t sure why, since there was nothing that overtly linked this guest to the murder of Judge Bennett. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this woman’s bedroom was the one she should investigate first.

  She dug out the master key from her pocket and placed it into the keyhole. The door swung open, and she quickly entered, scanning the tables and counters for some clue that would tell her she’d made the right decision to come here.

  Like Gwendolyn’s bedroom, this one was rather unkempt, with clothes, books, notebooks, and trinkets strewn over chests, chairs, and bookcases. But she found what she’d unconsciously been looking for in a very conspicuous place.

  It was on the table where the coffee machine stood, along with a basket filled with coffee, tea bags, and the usual condiments. Should she take it with her? Annie wavered. It would be horrible if it were to go missing before she could inform Detective Wollcott, the only law-enforcement official she intended to tell. But if it did, would her word be enough to convince the detective that she had seen it, just in this place, a few hours before? Probably not.

  Yet what were the chances of any guest’s returning to the house unless Hollis authorized it? And she could tell him, as well. Of course she would. He needed to know which of the many houseguests he’d so hospitably hosted for the past week had killed one, probably two people.

  She decided to risk leaving her found object in situ. Chances were no one would return here before she could make her discovery known, but just as a precaution, she used her cell to snap a quick photo to prove that it had been here when she was. She tiptoed out of the room and locked the door behind here. Lightly running down the stairs, she slipped out the front door and took the same path back to the stables, arriving behind the warm-up ring.

  She saw Gwendolyn, poised on Martinique by the entrance to the dressage court. Her face was set as if she were ready to go into battle.

  “Lots of luck,” Annie said under her breath. “You’ll need it.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  SUNDAY AFTERNOON, OCTOBER 15

  The judge’s bell rang out as Annie walked briskly toward the spectator booth. Then she stopped. She’d looked up, expecting to see his familiar face, but Marcus was no longer seated there. She looked around, but his equally familiar frame was nowhere in sight. Then she saw Harriett standing by the tiers, and walked over to join her. If she admitted it, Annie was curious to see how Gwendolyn fared in the dressage ring. She might as well get the running commentary from the person who knew her student’s riding better than anyone else.

  Harriett nodded at her in a not-unfriendly manner.

  “She is in a state,” she said shortly. “I’m not holding my breath.”

  Annie wondered if Marcus might have played a part in creating that state but simply returned the nod and concentrated on what Gwendolyn was doing in the ring.

  This test did not ask for the immediate circles she’d seen before. Instead, she watched Martinique perform the same collected gaits she’d seen in the other rides, but in quick, successive order. When the gaits were against the rail, the horse often seemed to be on a multilane track. Gwendolyn was asking a lot of Martinique, and Annie could see her requests weren’t often producing the desired effect.

  “She’s not preparing well!” Harriett hissed to Annie. “Rushing is the enemy of balance! She knows this!”

  The judge’s bell jangled, and Annie froze. What did it mean when it rang mid-test? She watched Gwendolyn bring Martinique over to face the judge, then turn in the other direction. Annie looked inquiringly at Harriett.

  “She’s gone off course,” Gwendolyn’s trainer said through gritted teeth. “That will cost her in points.”

  Annie could not keep up with the flow of the test, but even she was aware that Gwendolyn was not connecting with her horse, who seemed stiff, tense, and a tad unsure of where he was next supposed to place his hoof. Each time Gwendolyn passed by at a trot or a canter, her face seemed a shade more rigid and intractable. Neither rider nor horse was enjoying their time in the arena. That much was evident.

  Martinique trotted down the centerline one last time and halted. Gwendolyn gave a short salute and turned to exit without even waiting for the judge’s recognition. Harriett sighed heavily and began to walk over to the warm-up ring, where Martinique would now be examined by one of the stewards. Annie could think of nothing to say to Harriett that would be helpful, so she simply watched her go and began to look again for Marcus. Could he have gone to the public parking area? She walked past the warm-up pen on her way, studiously avoiding eye contact with Gwendolyn and her trainer.

  “Is there anything in those boots of yours or are they hollow?” she heard Harriett sharply remind her student. “Collection is with the seat and leg, not only the reins!”

  Even Harriett seemed at her wit’s end with Gwendolyn right now. Annie knew she was. Gwendolyn had done nothing but irritate her from the moment they’d met.

  Marcus was indeed in the parking lot and smoking a Sherman cigarette, a habit he tried to hide from Annie, usually not very successfully.

  “How’d she do?” he asked casually.

  “Slightly less than hideous.”

  “I was afraid of that.”

  “Why? What happened? I was only gone for ten minutes.”

  “That was all the time she needed.”

  Annie fell silent. This ought to be interesting.

  Marcus threw his cigarette butt on the gravel, ground it to a pulp, then picked it up and placed it in his pocket.

  “That’ll just make your clothes stink. Why not try the trash bin over there?”

  Marcus looked at her as if advice was not what he most wanted to hear right now but obediently went over and deliberately placed the cigarette remnant in the trash. He walked back and gave Annie a long hug. At last, he released her and held her at arm’s length.

  “You were right.”

  “I love hearing those three little words. In what way, Marcus?”

  “I told someone close to me about our little spat, expecting to get her full sympathy and support for my position. Instead, I was told I was an ignorant and stupid, stupid man who couldn’t see the truth when it was staring me in the face.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “That bad. I was told even a fool could see that Gwendolyn had been doing her best to get her hooks into me for years, even before—well, as soon as she realized my marriage was on the rocks.”

  “Aha. And who was this brilliant sage?”

  “My mother.”

  Annie burst into laughter, which didn’t stop until Marcus found an excellent way to do so.

  When he’d stopped kissing her, Annie told him, “I’d like to meet your mother someday. Not in the way it sounds but because she sounds like such an interesting woman.”

  “She told me she’d like to meet you, too. In just about the same words. Just be forewarned. She’s a lot smarter than I am.”

  The sound of a sports car in high gear came from behind them, and Annie watched a gold Porsche roar out of the parking lot and toward the front gates.

  “I don’t think she’s supposed to leave,” Annie mused. “I wonder if the plainclothes deputy who�
�s supposed to be watching her will be able to stop her.”

  “He should let her go. She didn’t kill anyone, did she, Annie?”

  “No. She just tried to make everyone’s life miserable. And pretty much succeeded.”

  “Well, she’s not going to make mine that way. I won’t repeat what she told me when you’d gone off to do your derring-do, whatever that was. And I tried to tell her the truth as gently as I could.”

  “But it wasn’t enough.”

  “I’m afraid it never will be.”

  Annie sighed happily.

  “If it’s any consolation, you make me as happy as I ever hope to be.”

  “Same here. I don’t suppose there’s a refreshment bar around here? I could do with a good bracing drink.”

  “Let’s go look. I’ll join you. I’m not riding.”

  * * *

  They found Hollis and Miriam in the refreshment area under the shade of a large umbrella, each holding a tall G and T.

  “I’ll have what they’re having,” Marcus told a passing waiter. “Annie?”

  “In retrospect, I think I’ll just have a Pellegrino. I may not be riding, but I do have to talk to a couple of burly policemen this afternoon.”

  Hollis’s eyes immediately locked on hers. “What have you found, Annie?”

  “I’ll tell you, but first I want to make sure that every one of your guests is still present and accounted for. Gwendolyn just left, or at least, she tried to leave in her car. I don’t know if the guy covering her will reel her back in, although I think she’s blameless in both deaths. But it’s imperative that everyone else remain here, at least until I can talk to Detective Wollcott.”

  “This sounds ominous.”

  “It is. I—”

  “Hollis!” It was Melissa, running toward them, Amy a few steps behind her. “I can’t find Lucy! The test scores for her level are posted, and I wanted her to see them. She scored 75.17! But I can’t find her anywhere. Amy’s looked, too!”

  Hollis frowned. “Unbelievable. The two people the police are supposed to watch seem to have vanished.”

  “Supposed to watch? Why? Is Lucy in danger?” Amy’s anxiety over her friend was palpable.

  Everyone seemed to be looking at Annie. She chose her words carefully.

  “Not in immediate danger, no. At least, not in my opinion.” Turning to Hollis, she said, “But we do need to find her. And quickly. I am afraid that our killer may decide to make one more heroic gesture, even though—”

  She stopped. No one except Hollis and Deputy Collins knew she’d discovered a container that looked to contain poison. And, of course, they had no way of knowing whether this was the only one.

  “Hollis, when did you tell everyone that you’d be escorting them to the stables today in your cars?”

  “Last night. I went down to the stables around nine, right after we’d made the decision. Miriam and I had talked about it and decided it was the sensible thing to do.”

  Damn! That meant the killer could have secreted the poison on her person and brought it to the stables. So no one was safe. No one who encountered her, that was.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Hollis seemed genuinely distressed.

  Annie gave him a quick smile. “No, we just have to make sure we know where everyone is from now until I can contact Collins and call Wollcott.”

  “Liz and Patricia are by the horses for sale,” Melissa said. “They’re surrounded by people and seem to be fine.”

  “Great. Can you tell them to stay there and not move until further notice?”

  “I’ll go.” Amy turned and began to run back to the stables.

  “And come back here when you’re done!” Melissa called after her. Amy didn’t turn, but her bobbing head told everyone that she understood.

  “Whom else are we missing?” Hollis sounded as if he dreaded the answer.

  “Harriett was in the warm-up arena before Gwendolyn took off. She’s probably still there with Martinique. Gwendolyn didn’t have time to groom him before she hightailed it out of here.”

  “I’ll tell her to—what, Annie?” Melissa asked. “What do I tell her?”

  “Tell her to come to the hospitality area and hang with Hollis and Miriam. Just say it’s police orders. She’ll grumble, but she’ll do it.”

  “Right.” Melissa left at a run.

  “What can I do?” Marcus asked.

  Annie scanned the warm-up area. There was no sign of Nicole, who she knew was due to ride soon.

  “Do you remember the woman who came in with Gwendolyn?”

  “The one with the Mardi Gras helmet?”

  “That’s the one. Her name is Nicole, and she’ll be riding her test in—” She glanced at her watch. “In forty-two minutes. I would have expected to see her in the warm-up arena by now. She must be with her horse near her stall. I’ll go with you, point her out, then let you cover her.”

  “Do I have to talk to her?”

  “Better that you don’t. She’ll be mentally preparing for her test and won’t appreciate your brilliant wit right now. Just don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “What can we do, Annie?” Miriam’s voice expressed the concern that Annie knew all of them felt, an unknown fear that someone else’s life was still in danger. And they didn’t even know what she knew. She was touched by their faith in her.

  “Just gather people in as they arrive. After I point out Nicole, I’ll go in search of Lucy. And Tabitha. Have you seen her since she was in the ring?”

  “Just briefly,” Hollis said. “We watched her ride and congratulated her afterward. She was about to take Jackson back to the stables to groom.”

  “Great. With luck, she’ll still be there. Okay, everyone, with the exception of Patricia and Liz, whom we’ll let stay in the stables with potential customers, everyone else agrees to meet here as soon as they get the word. Marcus, you can tell Nicole when her ride is over. Now, let’s go, but not at a run. The public is going to get suspicious if too many people start racing around, especially after the events of yesterday.”

  “True,” Miriam agreed. “It’s not really done at these kinds of shows.”

  Marcus grinned and set off with Annie for the stables at a brisk pace.

  Andy’s stall was at the opposite end of the barn from where Lucy, Amy, and Liz’s horses were housed. Annie scanned the aisle and saw with relief the big Andalusian saddled and now being handheld by Nicole outside his stall. Nicole’s brilliant, sparkling helmet was a dead giveaway.

  “There she is, in the helmet with the rhinestones,” Annie told Marcus, pointing with her arm. “Just wander over to that area, look at all the nice horses, and follow her out when she goes into the warm-up ring. She won’t leave it, except, of course, to enter the dressage court once the judge rings the bell. I realize her safety seems assured, but I’ll still feel better knowing you’ve got her in your sight at all times.”

  “Yes, but Annie—”

  Annie turned impatiently.

  “What if someone does approach her? Who’s the bad guy here? Can’t you tell me anything?”

  “I wish I could. If someone does approach her, just make contact with Nicole as well. That should be enough of a deterrent. Bottom line, she can’t be alone with anyone. Does that help?”

  “Your wish is my command.” Marcus gave her a quick kiss and strode down the aisle. Annie hoped he wouldn’t be too conspicuous. He was one of the few spectators she’d seen today who had completely skipped the English riding look and was wearing khakis and boat loafers. And as Nicole’s fiancé had pointed out, he was a devilishly good-looking man. Oh, well. Marcus would just have to do.

  Annie ran down to Jackson’s stall but only found the horse, unsaddled, placidly chomping on a bit of hay. She ducked into the tack room. Several people were poking through their tack chests, but Tabitha was not among them. The rear entrance was just around the corner, so just to make sure, Annie looked around by the hot walkers, wash rack, as well as th
e huge round pen where she’d seen Nicole misuse her horse a few days ago. Neither Lucy nor Tabitha was visible. All this exertion was catching up with her. She was breathing heavily. Perspiration from her forehead dripped down her face. She unceremoniously wiped it off with one forearm and then reached into her pocket. It was time to bring Detective Wollcott up to speed.

  He answered on the first ring, and Annie plunged in.

  “It’s Annie. I think I’ve found our killer.”

  There was a slight pause on the line.

  “Who?”

  Annie told him. “She’s in the bedroom next to Gwendolyn’s, which is the one where the dumbwaiter is in almost plain view.”

  “And?”

  “I went into her room today. I just had a feeling I’d find something. And I did.”

  She paused, and wondered briefly whether her discovery was really the great epiphany she’d thought it was just an hour ago.

  “And what did you find, Annie?” Detective Wollcott was being very patient. But at least he wasn’t condescending, as Deputy Collins had been.

  “It was a traveling immersion heater, the kind that’s just a coil and you plug in to heat water. It was right by the coffeemaker, and near an outlet.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m having difficulty making the connection.”

  “We know the dumbwaiter in Gwendolyn’s room was how she transported the thermos of the tea from the kitchen to her room. Obviously, she must have had a key to Gwendolyn’s bedroom to be able to get in. But if Gwendolyn was down at the stables, which is where she is most of the time, it would be easy to retrieve the thermos, go back to her own room to add the poison, then switch the thermos Chef Gustav had prepared with the lethal one.”

  “So far I’m following you.”

  “The only problem was that Judge Bennett liked her Lady Grey tea served hot. Our houseguest couldn’t very well go to the kitchen and heat it as the chef did, in a saucepan on the stove. So she used the coil in her room to heat the tea, poured it in the thermos, then took it downstairs to make the switch. That should have been fairly easy. The kitchen was bustling early Saturday morning, Chef Gustav was preoccupied with his missing staff, and guests had been invited to pick up a thermos whenever they wished. It wouldn’t have been difficult to walk in with one thermos and walk out with another.”