Though she’d rather eat worms than repeat something a client had told her, Charlotte went on to explain about the feud between Mimi and her neighbor Sally Lawson. “But mind you,” she said when she’d finished, “that was just Mimi’s version, and there are always two sides to every story.”
“Okay, okay,” Judith said. “Let’s get back to the food and drink. Do you remember who brought what?”
Charlotte grimaced but nodded. “I believe June Bryant brought the brownies that day, and either Rita Landers or Karen Douglas furnished the wine.”
“Either?” Judith asked.
“I’m not sure which one. I just remember Mimi saying that one of them—and she didn’t remember which one—was supposed to furnish the wine that day.”
“And what about the coffee?” Brian asked.
Charlotte glared at him. “What about it?” she repeated. “I’ll have you know that I made the coffee, and for your information, I opened a fresh bag that day.”
“Okay, Auntie, just take it easy. Like I said before, no one here is accusing you of anything. Let’s talk about the wine. Had any of the bottles been opened or were all of them new?”
Charlotte shrugged. “There were a couple of bottles that had been opened, bottles left over from the Friday meeting. The rest were new.”
Charlotte paused, suddenly torn by indecision as to whether she should mention the special bottle of wine that Rita had brought with her. “I don’t know how important this is,” she finally said, “but Rita Landers bought Mimi a special bottle, a particular brand that was supposed to be Mimi’s favorite. Rita said it was a peace offering, an apology from all three women for the disagreement they’d had at the previous meeting.”
Judith sat forward. “Could you point out the so-called special bottle?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No, after the meeting was over, Rita took what was left home with her.”
Brian narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t you just say that it was a gift?”
“No, that’s not what I said. I said it was a peace offering.” Then Charlotte explained about the meeting and how Rita, Karen, and Doreen had ganged up on Mimi to push through their own agenda. “Mimi was upset, and Rita said that Mimi would probably just throw out what was left in the bottle anyway, so she took it home with her.”
At that moment, Judith’s beeper went off, and once she checked it, she made a quick phone call. “We’ve got to go,” she told Brian, as she hung up the phone. To Charlotte she said, “We’ll talk some more later, Auntie, but thanks for the information, and if you think of anything else, give me a call.”
Within minutes, Judith and Brian were out the door. As Charlotte stood on the porch and watched them drive away, it suddenly occurred to her that no one had mentioned the fact that Mimi had eaten lunch with Gordon on the day in question. Didn’t it stand to reason that something she ate during lunch had been poisoned?
Making a mental note to call Judith later, Charlotte went back inside the house.
It was still raining when Charlotte arrived at the Adams’s house on Thursday morning. Since there was no sign of June waiting for her, Charlotte sat with the van idling for several minutes, as she listened to the weather forecast on the radio. A tropical storm was building southwest of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico. Conditions were such that it was possible that the storm could become a hurricane.
Charlotte killed the engine and stared through the windshield at the rain. If she remembered right, she was low on batteries and bottled water, and she needed to check her supply of canned goods as well, just in case the storm did turn into a hurricane, and just in case it headed for New Orleans.
She glanced at the porch again, then checked her watch. She was a few minutes early, but not that early. So what now? she wondered. She could just sit in the van and wait or she could brave the rain, unload her supplies, and wait on the porch.
“No time like the present,” she murmured. Pulling the hood of her raincoat over her head, she climbed out of the van, hurried around to the back, and unloaded her supply carrier and vacuum cleaner.
She set the vacuum cleaner down on the porch near the front door, and just as she bent over to put the supply carrier beside the vacuum cleaner, the door swung open and June stepped out onto the porch. At the sight of Charlotte, June jumped and squealed with fright.
“It’s just me, June.” Charlotte pushed the hood of her raincoat off her head and stood up.
“Oh, good grief, Charlotte! You scared the daylights out of me.”
“Sorry,” Charlotte said. “I didn’t see anyone when I drove up and decided to wait on the porch. It simply didn’t occur to me that you might already be inside waiting.”
“I got here early to check things out,” June said, her tone snippy. “And I thought I would hang around while you cleaned. It’s not that I don’t trust you but,” she hastened to add, “it’s just that someone might call or come by, and I promised Gordon I would see to things for him. And speaking of trust…” She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a key and a piece of paper. “This is the key to the front door. Just don’t lose it.”
June placed the key in Charlotte’s hand, and from the look on June’s face, Charlotte felt as if she’d just been handed the key to the Fort Knox gold bullion depository.
“And I’ve written down the alarm code for you.” June handed Charlotte the piece of paper. “For heaven’s sake, don’t lose that either.” Then, with one last meaningful look, June turned and walked back inside the house.
It’s not that I don’t trust you but…Just don’t lose it. Charlotte felt her temper flare as she glared at June’s retreating back. In all her years of running Maid-for-a-Day, she’d never had a customer question her trustworthiness nor had she ever lost a key or misplaced the numbers for an alarm code that had been entrusted to her, and she truly resented the insinuations.
Drawing in a deep breath and counting to ten, Charlotte slipped the piece of paper into her pants pocket and pulled out a key ring. Once she’d hooked the key onto the ring, she dropped the key ring back into her pants pocket. Later, she’d tape the paper with the alarm code into her appointment book. Feeling a bit more in control, she picked up the vacuum cleaner and went inside.
June was waiting for her near the dining room entrance. Now what? Charlotte wondered, as she shut the door. Maybe if she ignored June…With a brief grimace that Charlotte hoped passed for a smile, she walked past June and headed straight for the kitchen.
So much for ignoring her, Charlotte thought, when she heard footsteps behind her. So what else was on her mind? she wondered. Whatever it was, Charlotte was pretty sure it didn’t have anything to with the key.
They were almost to the kitchen when June asked, “Have you talked to the police yet?”
Charlotte entered the kitchen, her gaze taking inventory of the mess as she set down the supply carrier and the vacuum. “Yes, I have,” she answered, momentarily distracted by the sink full of dirty dishes and the food-splattered stovetop. “I talked to the detectives right after our phone call yesterday.”
Charlotte had a good idea of what was coming, so hoping that June would take the hint and leave her alone, she walked over to the dishwasher, opened it, and began filling it with the dirty dishes stacked in the sink.
June didn’t take the hint, and to Charlotte’s annoyance, she followed her across the kitchen. Stopping at the cabinet, June leaned against the countertop near the sink and crossed her arms. “What did you tell them—I mean, what kinds of questions did they ask you?”
Charlotte felt like saying, none of your business, and she felt her temper flare again. She had work to do and wasn’t in the mood for yet another interrogation after enduring the one from Judith and Brian, especially not from June. In hopes of discouraging June from further questions, she simply shrugged and said, “Just the obvious questions. Probably the same ones they asked you.”
“Well, I hope you told them about that little stunt that Rita, Kar
en, and Doreen pulled. And about that awful Sally Lawson too. You did know about her, didn’t you?”
“Not a lot,” Charlotte hedged. “Only what Mimi told me, something about some dead trees.”
June’s face contorted and tears leaked from her eyes. “Well, you can bet that I told them. I gave them an earful. I told them all about Rita and about Sally too. Guess those two hussies are happy now.”
At the sight of June’s tears, Charlotte frowned. Maybe she’d been wrong about June. Maybe her offensive manner and probing questions were just her way of working through her grief for her friend.
June, evidently misinterpreting Charlotte’s frown, nodded and said, “Yeah, they both finally got what they wanted. Rita finally got her revenge, and Sally won’t have to worry about her stupid pool being shaded any more. I don’t know how they did it—” She sniffed. “But I’d be willing to bet that one of them—either Rita or Sally—is to blame. They were both so jealous of Mimi that they couldn’t see straight.” She shook her head. “Poor Mimi. She didn’t deserve to die like that.”
Charlotte knew she should attempt to comfort June in some way, but the truth was, she really didn’t like the woman very much.
Do unto others… Charlotte suddenly felt like hanging her head in shame. After all, it was pretty obvious that the woman was truly grief stricken over losing her best friend. Do right and you’ll feel right. The words of her pastor pricked at her conscience.
Charlotte forced herself to reach out and pat June on the back. “I truly am sorry for your loss,” she said.
June stiffened for a moment; then, she made a vague gesture with her hand. “It’s not me so much,” she said, “but my heart breaks for Emma and Justin. And Gordon too, of course,” she added in a choked voice. She brushed away the tears with her fingers, sniffed, and then squared her shoulders. “Which reminds me, the kids—Emma and Justin—got in late last night. They’re still asleep upstairs.”
Charlotte nodded. At least now she had an explanation for the mess in the kitchen.
“I thought I might make them some breakfast when they wake up.”
A sudden thought occurred to Charlotte, and she frowned. “Is Mr. Adams here too?”
June shook her head. “No, he left early around seven or so, but I’m sure he’ll be back a little later on.” She pushed herself away from the cabinet. “Guess I’d better stop gabbing and let you get to work now. I’ll be in the library if you need me. I’ve still got several calls to make to some out-of-town acquaintances whom Gordon wanted notified.”
Charlotte had cleaned the kitchen, and while the dishes washed, she’d dusted the parlor and dining room. She was back in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher when Emma and Justin Adams wandered in through the doorway.
Except for Emma’s hair being blond—and Charlotte suspected it was bleached—she was almost the spitting image of her mother. Justin’s hair was also blond, also bleached, she suspected, but the shape of his face and his eye color were completely different, so Charlotte decided that he must favor his father. Both were dressed in oversized T-shirts and lounging pants, probably the same clothes they’d slept in, Charlotte figured.
“Who are you?” Emma asked.
“Charlotte, Charlotte LaRue. I clean house for your parents. And you must be Emma, and—” She glanced over at Justin. “You must be Justin.”
The girl nodded. “Oh, yeah, I remember now. Mom mentioned that she’d hired a new maid.”
“I’m truly sorry for your loss,” Charlotte said softly.
“Th-thank you.” Tears welled in Emma’s eyes, and she stumbled over to the table and slumped down into a chair. She scrubbed at her face with the heels of her palms and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. “I-I still can’t be-believe sh-she’s d-dead,” she cried.
Justin rushed to his sister’s side. “Aw, come on, Em.” He knelt down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.
June suddenly appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on in here?” She took one look at Justin and Emma, sighed, pressed her lips together in a sign of pique, and then marched over to the table. “Now, Emma, you’re going to have to get hold of yourself. Your father is counting on you.”
Emma jerked her head around to glare at June. “In case you haven’t noticed, my father isn’t here at the moment. And even if he were, he would understand.”
Justin gave his sister one last squeeze, then stood up. “Em can cry if she wants to,” he told June. When June’s only response was to tighten her lips even more, Justin shifted his gaze to Charlotte. “Is there anything here to eat? I mean, I know you’re not a cook, but I just thought…” His voice trailed away in embarrassment.
Charlotte smiled at him. “It’s okay, hon, I know what you meant. I’ll check—”
“I had planned to fix breakfast,” June interrupted. To Justin she said, “Your father asked me to look after you two until he gets home.”
Justin shrugged. “You don’t have to do that. Cereal is okay. There’s probably some in the pantry. Mom always kept some for when we come home.”
“Nonsense,” June said sternly. “Growing boys and girls need a good hearty breakfast.” She walked purposefully to the refrigerator and took out a carton of eggs, a package of bacon, and butter.
Emma cleared her throat. “We’re not exactly boys and girls any longer,” she said. “And we can take care of ourselves.”
June slammed a container of orange juice onto the counter, then faced Emma. “It was just a figure of speech, Emma.”
“Well, excuse me,” Emma shot back.
June and Emma glared at each other, but after several tense moments, June was the first to break the deadlock. With a put-upon sigh, she turned her back to Emma, opened the cabinet, and took out a small bowl. She cracked an egg and dumped it into the bowl, then reached for another egg. “I’m making breakfast,” she announced, her no-nonsense tone indicating that it was not up for debate.
Charlotte had just put away the last glass from the dishwasher, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Justin wink at his sister. With a smirk, Emma rolled her eyes.
Time to get out of the kitchen, Charlotte decided. Besides, two women working in the kitchen were one too many, especially when one of them was June. Maybe now would be a good time to clean the bedrooms. “I’ll be cleaning upstairs if anyone needs me,” she said, as she closed the dishwasher door.
“By the way, where is Dad this morning?” Emma asked June, as Charlotte walked briskly toward the doorway. “You’d think that for once, especially today, he could stay home,” she added.
“Now, Emma, your father is an important man. He…”
June’s voice faded as Charlotte climbed the stairs, and she wondered what kind of excuse June was making for Gordon.
Charlotte’s heart ached for Emma and Justin. In her opinion, no excuse was good enough for their father being absent when they needed him. From personal experience, she knew how devastating it was to lose a parent—she’d lost both of hers in a fatal airplane crash. For her, there had been no one she could turn to and no time to grieve. Instead, she’d been left with the total responsibility of caring for her sister, Madeline, then only fifteen, as well as Hank, who had been a toddler at the time.
Emma and Justin deserved to grieve, and they deserved more from their father. Gordon was the one who should have been there lending comfort, not his wife’s best friend and certainly not the maid, a complete stranger whom neither of his children had ever met. It was no wonder that Emma seemed so resentful of June. But being resentful was no excuse for bad manners. After all, June was just trying to help.
Once upstairs, Charlotte decided that she should probably clean Justin’s and Emma’s rooms first. After a quick inspection of both rooms, she found that neither was really that dirty, just cluttered.
She had cleaned Justin’s room and had just finished scrubbing the shower in Emma’s bathroom when the girl stuck her head through the doorway.
“Hey, Charl
otte,” she said. “Just in case my father calls, Justin and I are going out for a while.” She heaved her suitcase up on the bed, unzipped it, and began rummaging through it.
Charlotte scooped up her cleaning supplies and said, “If you have any clothes that need washing, I’ll be happy to do that for you.”
“Oh, wow, thanks, Charlotte.” Emma began pulling different items out of the suitcase. “Actually just about everything I have is dirty.”
Maybe the girl’s manners were better than she’d thought, Charlotte decided. As for her attitude toward June…
Mind your own business. With a sigh, Charlotte placed the cleaning supplies into her supply carrier and set it outside in the hallway. Once she’d gathered up Emma’s dirty clothes, she left the room and headed downstairs.
As she passed through the kitchen on her way to the laundry room, she noticed that June was still sitting at the table finishing up a cup of coffee and staring out the window into the backyard. There were dirty dishes still half full of eggs, bacon, and toast on the table, and a greasy frying pan had been left on the stovetop. A partial loaf of bread, the carton of eggs, and a tub of butter, along with a container of orange juice, were still sitting on the cabinet.
Charlotte grimaced but kept walking. A fat lot of good it had done her to clean the kitchen, she grumbled silently, as she went into the laundry room. After dropping the clothes on the floor, she turned on the washing machine and added detergent. Now she’d have to clean it all over again. And, from the looks of things, a lot of good it had done June to insist on cooking breakfast. Next time maybe June would listen, and Charlotte vowed that next time she’d be sure to clean the kitchen last, especially if June was around.
“Charlotte—”
Charlotte jumped at the unexpected sound of June’s voice just behind her. With the washing machine filling with water, she hadn’t heard her approach.
“Sorry,” June said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to tell you that I’ll be in the library if anyone calls or comes by. And the kids will be out for a while. They’re meeting some friends for lunch.”
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