She unzipped the insulated lunch bag and took out the salad she’d prepared earlier that morning.
The most likely candidate was June, she decided, given the way June had stepped in and completely taken over after Mimi’s death. But the fact that June had long blond hair wasn’t conclusive evidence in and of itself.
As Charlotte carried her salad and thermos of tea to the kitchen table, she thought of the day of Mimi’s funeral. Rita Landers, the woman Mimi had suspected of having an affair with Gordon in the first place, had shown up sporting a new hairstyle that had been freshly bleached blond. And didn’t Sally Lawson have blond hair as well?
Charlotte forked up a bite of salad. When she began to chew, she wrinkled her nose. Something in the salad had a bitter taste, but she kept chewing and finally swallowed it. Probably the purple cabbage, she thought, forking up another bite. “That’s what you get for being lazy and buying those prepackaged salads instead of making them yourself,” she muttered.
She placed the forkful of salad in her mouth and, ignoring the bitter taste, turned her thoughts to Sally Lawson. If she remembered right, Sally had said something about Gordon and her being old friends. Just how close were they? she wondered.
Maybe there was more to the feud between Sally and Mimi after all than just a couple of dead trees. Maybe Mimi had sensed that there was more to Sally and Gordon’s so-called friendship, and the feud over the trees was just a smokescreen. Mimi’s suspicions could also be the reason why she had rejected Sally’s attempts at friendship.
Charlotte sighed as she chewed another bite of the salad, and after she swallowed, she made another face. Though she’d only eaten about half of the salad, she pushed it away. Enough was enough. She reached for her thermos and took a long drink of the tea in an attempt to get rid of the bitter taste of the salad. All the while, her mind kept going back to Mimi and Sally.
Even if her suppositions about Sally were right, Mimi would have had more motive to murder Sally than Sally had to murder Mimi. Besides, she never had figured out how Sally could have pulled off poisoning Mimi without poisoning others as well.
Charlotte gathered up her dishes and took them to the sink. She dumped the remainder of the salad into the trash. Squirting a bit of detergent on a sponge, she washed and rinsed the dishes.
In the long run, it didn’t really matter who was sleeping with Gordon or what she thought, Charlotte decided. The police had already drawn their own conclusions and arrested Doreen and George Mires.
The police could be wrong.
Charlotte dried the plastic container that had held her salad. Yes, the police could be wrong, and deep in her gut, she knew they were wrong. But who was she to suggest such a thing? Just the maid, came the answer. Merely the hired help. Before anyone would believe her, she’d need proof, not just her conclusions and gut feelings.
Charlotte repacked the dishes in her lunch kit and was still mulling over her suspicions when her cell phone rang. Praying that the caller wasn’t Bitsy again, she pulled the phone out of her apron pocket and answered the call. “Maid-for-a-Day, Charlotte speaking,” she said.
“Oh, Charlotte, you’ve got to come quick,” Madeline cried. “I don’t know what to do. I-I need help.”
Chapter 19
“Whoa, hold on, Maddie. What’s wrong?”
“It’s Nadia!” Madeline cried. “She’s in labor—she’s having the baby, and it’s too early. Oh, Charlotte, I told you—I told you she was working too hard. I told you to—”
“Madeline, stop it!” Charlotte ordered, fighting her own panic. “Where is Nadia right now?”
“For crying out loud, she’s at the hospital. Where else would she be?”
“Which hospital, Maddie?”
“Ochsner, but—”
“Is Daniel there?”
“Yes, of course, but Charlotte, what if something goes wrong—I mean, it’s too early. She wasn’t due for at least another six weeks. What if—”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible,” Charlotte cut in.
“Please hurry,” Madeline begged. “I just don’t think I can handle it if-if—”
“Madeline!” Charlotte snapped. “Get ahold of yourself. Just take a deep breath and calm down. The sooner we hang up, the sooner I can leave and the sooner I can get there.”
Charlotte didn’t wait for Madeline’s reply. She immediately switched off her cell phone and dropped it into her pocket. Near the phone on the counter was a notepad and pen. Charlotte hurried over to the counter and snatched up the pen, but her hand was trembling so badly that she could barely write.
She clutched the pen even tighter, and taking her own advice, she took a deep breath, and then another one. Feeling a bit more in control, she scribbled a hasty note to Gordon explaining that she’d had a family emergency and had to leave. She left the note in plain sight on the countertop near the coffeepot, and in record time, she quickly gathered her cleaning supplies.
Outside, the sky was gray, and a fine mist was falling as Charlotte quickly loaded her supply carrier and vacuum cleaner into the back of the van.
Ochsner Hospital was located on Jefferson Highway in the bend of the Mississippi River, not far from the Orleans–Jefferson Parish line. Charlotte comforted herself with the thought that Ochsner was one of the finest hospitals in the South, and the doctors there were top-notch.
Traffic was light, and she was making good time until she came to the first of the three sets of railroad tracks that crossed Jefferson Highway.
“No,” she groaned, as she pulled up behind the line of vehicles waiting for a train to pass. To add to her anxiety, the train was moving so slowly that she decided she might as well put the van into park.
As she shifted the lever into park, she checked her watch. Fifteen minutes had passed since she’d left the Adams’s house. Again she took several deep breaths. Then, she began to pray.
A full ten minutes later, the last of the train finally passed, the cross arm lifted, and she shifted into drive. A few minutes later, when she finally reached the hospital’s cavernous parking garage, she had to drive all the way up to the fifth level before she could locate an empty parking spot.
Charlotte found Maddie standing outside the baby nursery. She was staring through the glass partition. Charlotte walked up behind her sister and placed her hand on Madeline’s shoulder. “Which one is she?”
Madeline shook her head, and when she turned to face Charlotte, her eyes filled with tears. “She’s not in there, Charlotte. She was born right after I talked to you, and they had to transfer her up to the neonatal intensive care unit. She weighed just a little over four pounds and was having some breathing problems.”
Charlotte squeezed Madeline’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’s getting the best of care, Maddie. It’s fortunate that Nadia chose this hospital. And speaking of Nadia, how is she holding up?”
Madeline shrugged. “Not too great. She’s exhausted…and frantic with worry. The doctor had to give her something to calm her down, and she’s dozing right now.”
“And Daniel? Where is he?”
“He’s talking to the pediatrician.”
Charlotte put her arms around Madeline and hugged her tightly. “It’s going to be okay, Maddie,” she murmured. “Just have faith.” She released her sister and smiled. “Besides, that little girl comes from sturdy stock, and if she’s anything like her mom and dad and grandmother, then she’s a fighter.”
“I wish I could believe that,” Madeline whispered. “Dear Lord in heaven, how I wish I could believe that.”
“Believe it,” Charlotte said firmly. “Now, why don’t we go to the waiting room, where we can sit down while we wait for Daniel. I think I saw a coffeepot in there. I don’t know about you, but I could use a cup. And some aspirin,” she added.
“Headache?” Madeline asked.
Charlotte nodded. “Just a small one.”
When Daniel finally joined Madeline and Charlotte in the small waiting room, Charlo
tte’s heart went out to him. He looked haggard and worried. She hugged him tightly. “And how’s my favorite nephew holding up?”
“I’m okay…I guess. I’d be a whole lot better if…” His voice trailed away.
“What did the doctor say?” Madeline asked.
Daniel straightened and squared his shoulders. “He said that if she makes it through the night, she’ll have a good chance of surviving.” He sighed, then bowed his head. “What am I going to tell Nadia, though?”
“The truth,” Charlotte said. “You tell her the truth.” Charlotte reached out and took Daniel’s hand in hers. “She’s stronger than you think, hon.” In an attempt to lighten the tension, Charlotte released Daniel’s hands, then poked him in the chest with her forefinger. “And by the way, young man, I have a bone to pick with you. When did she go into labor and why wasn’t I called right away?”
A faint smile pulled at Daniel’s lips. “Nice try, Auntie, but to answer your questions, Nadia began complaining about a backache last night. Then, about seven this morning, she began having contractions.”
Charlotte turned to Madeline. “Why didn’t you call me, then?”
“She didn’t call you because she didn’t know,” Daniel said. “Since it was so early and all, Nadia wanted to make sure it was the real thing before we alerted the family.”
When Charlotte finally left the hospital around four-thirty, baby Danielle was still holding her own, and Charlotte’s headache had gotten worse.
Charlotte hadn’t wanted to leave at all, but Daniel and Nadia had dropped Davy off at day care that morning on their way to the hospital, and someone had to pick him up. They had called Judith, but she couldn’t leave work. Knowing that neither Daniel nor Madeline wanted to leave the hospital, Charlotte had volunteered to pick up Davy.
Nadia had already prearranged for Davy to stay with a neighbor that evening, so after Charlotte picked him up from day care she dropped him off at the neighbor’s house.
With Davy settled, Charlotte fully intended to return to the hospital. She had just pulled up at the stop sign and was waiting for an opening in traffic on South Claiborne when she suddenly groaned.
“Oh, just great!” she grumbled. “Just terrific!”
In her haste to get to the hospital earlier, she’d left clothes in the washing machine at the Adams’s house. If the clothes were left too long, they would mildew for sure.
For several seconds Charlotte debated on what she should do. After what she’d discovered about Gordon, she was sorely tempted to let the silly clothes mildew. And she was sorely tempted to drop Gordon from her client list altogether.
But then she suddenly remembered that she’d left her lunch bag there as well. Besides, she reminded herself, what Gordon did or didn’t do was none of her business. Her business was doing the job she was paid to do.
“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled, feeling unreasonably irritated. Her headache had worsened, and her mouth felt like cotton. Finally, she spotted a break in the traffic.
A few minutes later, Charlotte parked the van in front of the Adams’s house. She didn’t expect Gordon to be home yet, but as a precaution she knocked on the door anyway. Key in hand, she waited a couple of minutes and was just about to insert it into the lock when she heard the lock click, and suddenly the door swung open.
“What are you doing back here?” June demanded.
Charlotte had to bite her tongue to keep from retorting that it was none of the woman’s business, and she had a good mind to ask June the same question. But why ask when she was already pretty sure that she knew the answer. For one thing, the silk lounging pajamas June had on weren’t exactly what someone paying a casual visit to their best friend’s grieving husband would wear. Besides, Charlotte figured asking would just be a waste of time. June would never admit to the real reason for being there anyway.
“I had a family emergency earlier,” Charlotte explained, and when she realized that the tone of her voice was a bit sharp, she immediately apologized. “Sorry, I’m just tired and a bit frazzled. I didn’t plan on returning, but then I remembered that I’d left some clothes in the washing machine, and I knew they would mildew before I returned to work on Friday. And I also left my lunch bag.”
June nodded, and when she stepped back, Charlotte figured that was her invitation to come inside. “I saw the note you left for Gordon,” June said. “And I saw your lunch bag sitting on the cabinet. I just came by to drop off some food for his dinner.”
Yeah, right. Sure you did, and I’m the Queen of Mardi Gras. Charlotte simply nodded, stepped past June, and headed down the hallway. Just do what you came to do and get out. “I won’t be but just a minute,” she called out over her shoulder.
Out of habit, as Charlotte walked past the entrance to the dining room, she glanced into the room, and for the briefest of seconds, her steps faltered. But ever aware that June was behind her, and ever aware that more than likely June was watching every step she made, Charlotte forced herself to keep on walking.
June had outright lied about the reason she was there. Charlotte had suspected as much, but now she knew so for certain. June hadn’t come by just to drop off a meal for Gordon. She’d come by to share one with him. Charlotte’s glimpse of the dining room revealed that, the dining room table was set with Mimi’s good china, table linens, and candles. And there was a bottle of wine chilling in a wine bucket—all evidence of an intimate dinner for two.
In the kitchen, Charlotte saw even more evidence that June had lied. A large pot simmered on the stove, something was heating in the oven, the countertop was littered with various ingredients for cooking, and dirty dishes were in the sink. June hadn’t simply dropped off a meal. She was actually cooking the meal in Mimi’s kitchen.
Charlotte felt her insides churn with outrage. Poor Mimi was barely cold in her grave, and already June, Mimi’s so-called best friend, was playing house with Gordon, Mimi’s husband. The whole matter was despicable enough to disgust even a maggot.
When Charlotte reached the laundry room, she paused. Expecting June to still be behind her, watching her, she glanced over her shoulder. But June was nowhere in sight. With a shrug, she walked over to the washing machine, jerked open the lid, then yanked open the door to the dryer. Grabbing a handful of wet clothes out of the washer, she stuffed them into the dryer, and as she transferred the rest of the clothes, her mind raced.
The panties. No wonder June had acted so strange when she’d mentioned finding the panties. The stray pair of panties belonged to June.
Charlotte shook her head in disgust. All along she’d had her suspicions about June, but all along she’d tried to convince herself that Rita was the guilty one, mostly because of what June had told her about Rita, she now realized. All along June had been the one who had encouraged everyone to believe that Rita was so jealous of Mimi and so vindictive that she was capable of murder. Then, just in case no one believed her about Rita, Charlotte figured June had tried to hedge her bets by using her venomous tongue to malign Sally Lawson as well. June had probably been the one who had put the bug in Mimi’s ear about Sally killing Mimi’s trees to begin with. June also could have talked Mimi into believing that Gordon was having an affair with his old friend Sally.
“Some friend,” Charlotte whispered in disgust. The same “friend,” Charlotte was sure, who had encouraged Mimi to plant the toxic jimsonweed.
In retrospect, Charlotte could see it all as plain as the nose on her face. June had deviously and purposely set up the other women as likely suspects in order to cover up her own duplicity.
After going to so much trouble, how surprised June must have been when the police had arrested Doreen and George Mires instead of Rita or Sally.
Charlotte frowned. Or had she been surprised? she wondered. Were Doreen and George victims of June’s treacherous scheme as well?
Charlotte pulled a dryer sheet out of the box and threw it into the dryer, then slammed the dryer door.
All along she’
d had her suspicions about June and about Gordon, but she’d made excuses for both of them, excuses that seemed reasonable at the time. But that was then and this was now. That was before she had proof that the two were having an affair.
An affair. Charlotte swallowed hard as she stared at the dryer settings. Closing her eyes, she reached up with both hands and massaged her temples with her fingertips. Her head felt as if it were about to split open.
Another thought suddenly occurred to her, and her eyes sprang open. Had Gordon been a part of everything all along? Had he done more than just have an affair with June? Was it possible that he’d conspired with her to rid himself of his wife, or had June acted alone?
Charlotte clutched the edge of the dryer, as she thought back to what she knew about Gordon, and she tried to recall what she’d heard the three men in the kitchen discussing on the day of Mimi’s funeral.
It was possible that Gordon had conspired with June, she supposed, but other than the gossip she’d heard about the insurance policy, his losses in the stock market, and his philandering, there was no real evidence that he’d been part of a murder plot.
With a sigh, Charlotte set the timer on the dryer. She turned the dryer on, then stood there for several minutes, staring at the laundry room wall. How long had June and Gordon been having an affair? Her mind still racing, Charlotte felt her stomach tighten in a knot.
She should have told Judith about the brownie incident, about how June had insisted that Mimi sample one of the brownies the morning before the HHS meeting and about how Mimi had complained to Charlotte that the brownie was bitter.
“It was bitter alright,” Charlotte muttered. Bitter with the jimsonweed. And she should have told Judith about the gossip she’d heard about Gordon as well, instead of worrying what Judith or the police would think about her meddling.
Charlotte reached into her pocket for her cell phone. “No time like the present,” she whispered, as she punched in Judith’s phone number. “Please, oh, please be there,” she murmured, as the phone began ringing.
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