Midnight Snacks are Murder

by Libby Klein

  Thank God I had a ready excuse to go visit Liz tomorrow. I had that banker’s box of Brody’s items and her chocolate cake.

  I thanked Erika and her father for the information. Before I left, I told them about the party the Teen Center wanted to throw for Erika to celebrate her scholarship.

  She teared up again. “I don’t know if I can go there. I’m so ashamed.”

  “Emilio told me that Brody was the king of second chances. I think he’d want you to be there.”

  Erika smiled and hugged her sculpture tightly. “I’ll think about it.”

  Jonathan walked me to my car. A very different send-off than the last time I’d been here. He asked me, “When you came here tonight, how did you know Erika’s story wasn’t true? How did you know she wasn’t molested?”

  “I wasn’t sure. Not until Erika told the whole story. It did seem out of character for him, though. Everything in Brody’s life pointed to making amends. He wanted to restore the relationship with his daughter most of all, but she wasn’t ready. Erika was like a surrogate daughter to him. And you don’t make a pass at the girl you think of as a daughter.”

  I drove home thinking about my encounter with the Lynches, father and daughter. Erika lashed out at Brody because she felt rejected. The hurt and anger made her say a lot of horrible things that she would regret for the rest of her life. My mind went to Georgina and our fight, but I squashed that thought back down. I wasn’t ready to understand or forgive her yet.

  I parked and said hello to Officer Consuelos, then let myself in. Aunt Ginny and Joanne were on the couch in the sunroom watching Wheel of Fortune and eating Liz’s chocolate cake.

  Joanne hefted herself off the couch. “It’s about time!”

  Not the worst greeting I’ve ever received from Joanne.

  “Nice try, hiding it in a box of kale.” Aunt Ginny gave me a fork salute.

  “How’d you find it?”

  “It was Joanne’s idea.”

  Joanne was getting her bag of knitting and her jacket. “I told Virginia, there’s no way you baked all day and had nothing to show for it. And judging from the size of your thighs, you’re not exactly a kale eater.”

  I paid Joanne and sent her on her merry way before I was tempted to shove her cake in her little troll face. Besides, I had to be nice. I might need another favor sometime. Like tomorrow when I returned to the ex-wife who might have found away to make up for all that missing alimony.

  Chapter 52

  “I’m going stir-crazy in this house. I have to get out.”

  Aunt Ginny woke up pre-cranked, and nothing could calm her anxiety. I tried reason. “It’s only been three days.”

  “I’m not putting my life on hold any longer. I’m old. I don’t have much time left.”

  I tried bribery. “If you behave yourself today, I’ll bring you some egg rolls from Dragon House.”

  “If I want egg rolls I should be allowed to go down to Wildwood and get them myself! Did we wake up in North Korea this morning? Where are my rights!”

  I tried threats. “Do you want Officer Amber to put you in a cell?”

  “I will take that little blond know-it-all over my knee if she even thinks about taking me in.”

  And finally, I resorted to trickery. “Here, hold my cell phone for me for a minute.”

  “What’s this? What’s your doohickey doin’?”

  “Oh that, it’s a game. It’s called Candy Crush. I forgot I left that on.”

  “How’s it work?”

  “Like this, see.”

  “Oooh. That looks fun. Let me try.”

  “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

  Well, that should hold her for a couple hours.

  I pulled the banker’s box of Brody’s items out of the mudroom, where I’d stashed it the other day. I hoped to find something that would give me a clue about Brody’s past. It was full of framed school photographs of Christina, Father’s Day cards, a couple drawings of a big stick figure with blond hair and a little stick figure with brown braids, holding hands. That must be Christina and Brody. In the bottom, I found a clay ashtray with Best Dad scrawled on the front. The bottom had the year. She must have been in first or second grade.

  It was just a few items, but they had obviously meant the world to him, and my heart could barely hold the sadness of it all.

  I put the box in the trunk of my car. I wouldn’t have a cake to deliver, but I had to talk to Liz about Brody’s past. This wasn’t something that could wait. All I needed now was a babysitter. I could beg Sawyer again, but it might be too soon for that. She was still dealing with PTSD from the other day. I went back in to the kitchen, where Aunt Ginny was oblivious to everything but the screen of my phone, and picked up the landline. I could try Joanne, but I was getting low on cash.

  A pitiful figure wrapped in a gray pashmina that matched her downcast eyes quietly slinked into the kitchen.

  “Georgina. What are you still doing here?”

  “I want to talk to you.”

  “About what?”

  “The other day we both said some things we regret .”

  “I don’t regret anything.”

  Georgina unwrapped herself and sat down at the kitchen table across from Aunt Ginny.

  Oh, so you’re staying?

  “You’re moving on with your life, and I have to make peace with that.” She sighed. “And I’m sorry I said you were a bad wife. You were a wonderful wife, and John adored you. I was just trying to scare you away from getting involved in a new relationship.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Well, I know I can be a bit heavy-handed once in a while.”

  Was Hitler unpleasant once in a while? “Go on.”

  “It’s just that …” Georgina’s eyes teared up. She looked out the window toward the porch swing. “You’re all I have left … and you’re leaving me behind.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Georgina wiped a tear away from her eye before it could ruin her mascara. “Phillip’s gone. John’s gone. And if … when … you get remarried, you’ll be gone. I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Where am I going?”

  “With your new family. You won’t be my daughter-in-law anymore. I’ll never see you again. All our fun times will be over.”

  Where was I for these fun times?

  “You’re just … you’re the only daughter I’ll ever have.”

  Her lip quivered, and more tears forced their way over the layers of Maybelline.

  I took a good, hard look at Georgina. She was small. And vulnerable. And for the first time, she looked sincere. My heart swelled with pity for her, even if my head battled against it. In the end, pity won.

  “Georgina, you won’t have to be alone. Even if I were to remarry, not that I’m planning on it, you will always be a part of my life.” That was a hard truth to swallow. I had to take a deep breath and let it out to regroup. “Just like John will always be a part of me, you and I will always be family.”

  She relaxed her shoulders, and her face brightened. “Why don’t you call me Mom?”

  Whoa. “Baby steps.”

  Aunt Ginny looked up from my phone. “How long has Georgina been here?”

  “About six levels.”

  “Is she staying?”

  “That’s up to her.”

  Georgina smiled. “I’ll have Squiggy bring in my bags.”

  Smitty is going to kill me. “You could really do me a favor today.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “I have to run an errand. Could you stay with Aunt Ginny and keep her out of trouble?”

  “I can try.”

  “That’s all anyone can do.”

  Chapter 53

  I drove over to Liz’s consignment shop with Brody’s belongings. I really didn’t want Liz to be guilty. I liked her. But people can do strange things when their emotions get away from them. Some people will plan for years before they make their move to get revenge
. Just look at Georgina. She’s made my life hell for twenty years. If that’s how she treats those she loves, imagine how she’d treat her enemies.

  Liz answered the door wearing a fluffy red sweater and Levi’s. “Hi. How does the vintage Eastlake look in the guest room?”

  “It’s gorgeous. That will go a long way to make a statement with our guests when we officially open in the spring.”

  “What’s in the box?”

  “Do you know Brody’s secretary, Judy?”

  “We’ve never met, but I’ve talked to her on the phone a couple of times. Apparently, Brody could walk on water.”

  “That’s definitely Judy. Well, these were Brody’s things that he had at the office. She thought maybe you and Christina would like to have them.”

  Liz’s eyes softened. She took the box from me. “Come on in. I’ll make us some tea.”

  A young girl of about twenty was sitting at the table eating a bowl of Cocoa Puffs. She had her father’s face but her mother’s brown hair and hazel eyes. “You must be Christina. I’m Poppy.”

  She gave me a timid smile. “Hi.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you. How are you doing?”

  “A little better.”

  “That’s good.”

  Liz and Christina went through the box reminiscing, oohing and giggling over each item.

  Christina pulled out the “Best Dad” ashtray and her lip started to quiver. Her voice caught in her throat as she said, “Thank you for bringing me these.”

  “Of course. I’m sure your father would have wanted you to have them.”

  Liz put the items back in the box and handed it to Christina. “Why don’t you take these up to your room, honey? And let me and Poppy chat.”

  When Christina was gone, Liz sat down with our mugs of tea. “We have to go clean out his house this week. It’s going to be so hard on her.”

  “Maybe it will make her feel closer to him in some way, and bring some closure.”

  “I sure hope so. She’s been miserable. Have you found out anything yet about what happened?”

  “Well, I’ve run into a few brick walls. In fact, that’s part of why I’m here.”

  “Oh?”

  Please be innocent, Liz. “How did yours and Brody’s relationship end?”

  “The same way most relationships end. With lots of name-calling and tears and hurt feelings. But we eventually got over it. I think as we matured we both realized that we were equally guilty, and equally innocent.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We were seventeen. We didn’t know what the heck we were doing. How can you expect two teenagers to make a marriage work? Marriage is hard for grounded adults. With us, you throw in a baby and some drugs—we were doomed.”

  “Did you ever want to kill him?”

  “All the flippin’ time. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. And every day was a toss-up between heads and tails with us. We just couldn’t make it work, but I know I will love him until the day I die.”

  “Last night I learned that Brody used to sell drugs.”

  “That’s how we met. Brody was my dealer.”

  “I thought you met in high school.”

  “We did. I used to buy coke from him twice a week after seventh period. Then one day we started partying together. A year later we had Christina.”

  “Where did you go to high school? West Philly?”

  She laughed. “In a small town in Pennsylvania. Middle-class white people are the largest group of drug buyers in the country. Life in the suburbs is that boring. I used to spend my babysitting money on coke every week to help me get all my homework done.”

  “My God, Liz. I would have never guessed. You and Brody must have made some enemies in those days. Is there anyone you can think of who would want to kill him? Maybe his drug supplier? Or a disgruntled buyer?”

  “Doubtful. The only things that get you on the outs with your base are stealing or squealing, and Brody never did either. Now the family of a client. That’s another story. They never blame the user for seeking a score. They blame the dealer, as if he lured their precious baby into a back alley and forced them to do blow.”

  This conversation was sounding more and more like a prison interview in a movie, not a chat over tea with a small-town mom. “Are there any angry family members who might be harboring a grudge against Brody?”

  She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them they were glassy and full of pain. “There was one, but it was almost twenty-five years ago. Surely they would have moved on by now.”

  “I don’t know, Liz, there is no statute of limitations on grief.”

  Liz hesitated. “You have to understand, Brody was a good guy. A jock. He wasn’t exactly your Colombian drug lord. He only started selling drugs to keep himself in supply. One day he sold a gram of coke to a new kid at school. He didn’t know the guy from Adam, had never met him before, but his eyes were flashing dollar signs, so he didn’t ask any questions.”

  Liz picked up her tea with shaking hands and took a sip from her mug. “We found out later that the boy had never done drugs before. He was only thirteen. He was just trying to make an impression on some older kids at a party. He OD’d and died.”

  “Oh my God, Liz.”

  “Brody was very lucky that he was tried as a minor, because he was only sentenced to ten months in juvie. He turned eighteen on the inside. He bounced around aimlessly for a few years after he was released. That’s when I called it quits and got out. I had Christina to protect. I broke ties from Brody and got clean. That boy’s death was a real wake-up call. But Brody couldn’t get over the pain of being responsible for it. He never dealt again, but he bottomed out on heroin.”

  “I can’t even imagine what he went through, or the boy’s family.”

  “It was big news in our small town, and so many people were angry when Brody was released. They wanted him to rot in jail forever. The boy’s death sparked community outrage that trickled over to me and Christina. It’s why we moved away. Follow me.” Liz got up and walked into a small sitting room off the kitchen. She got a picture off of the shelf and handed it to me. “This was taken right after I got pregnant. I’m not even showing yet. The boy overdosed in my seventh month.”

  The picture was of a young Liz and Brody standing in front of their high school. Liz was carrying a stack of books and Brody had his arm around her. They were looking at each other and laughing at some now-forgotten joke.

  The name of the high school in block letters on the building caught my attention and made the skin on my scalp prickle. “Where did you go to school?”

  “Harmony, Pennsylvania. See, you can just make out the name Harmony High right there in the picture.”

  My heart dropped within my chest. “Liz, what was the name of the boy who died, quick!”

  “Ah … ah … Justin. Justin Rhodes. Why?”

  “Did he have any sisters?”

  “One. She was a lot younger than him. Tina, I think. No, Tracy.”

  An image flashed in my memory just like the photograph I held in my hands. I thought she was just being extra nice, but maybe she was checking up on Aunt Ginny the whole time. “Liz, can I use your phone, please?”

  Liz handed me her cell. “Yes, of course.”

  I dialed my own cell phone. My voice mail came on. I tried it again. Same thing. Either Aunt Ginny was hitting ignore or the battery was dead from playing Candy Crush. No one answered the home phone either. Georgina wouldn’t pick up. Smitty wouldn’t pick up. What is going on over there?

  I handed Liz her phone and the picture. “I’ve got to go!”

  “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “I know who killed Brody. And I know why they’re trying to frame my aunt for it.”

  Chapter 54

  I rushed home, my hands shaking so hard I thought the engine was seizing up in my Toyota. I threw the car in park and left it running, passed Officer Birkwell, who raised an eyebrow, t
ore into the house, passed the library where Smitty and Georgina were locked in an embrace. What the—! I would have to wrap my brain around that later. There was no time right now.

  I ran up to my room to my laptop and googled the article about Harmony, Pennsylvania, and Justin Rhodes. I found what I was looking for and printed the page. I grabbed the paper and tore back down the stairs, hopping over Figaro at the halfway point.

  Aunt Ginny was coming down the hall. “What has gotten into you?”

  “I figured it out. I should have suspected sooner, but I thought she was just doing her job. Stay here! Don’t let anyone in before I get back.”

  The drive to Dr. Weingarten’s office in North Cape May didn’t take long. I would have liked more time to prepare what to say, but instead I had to focus on breathing. I could feel a full-blown panic attack coming on, and I needed to be cool right now. I looked at the clock on my dash. There was always the chance that she wouldn’t be there. If all the patients were gone for the day, they could have closed early. If Yolanda was back from maternity leave, she could have gone to her next assignment. I could be too late.

  I pulled into the crushed-clamshell parking lot. Nurse Tracy was just locking the front door. She glanced up and we made eye contact. Her hand froze on the doorknob. She knew I knew. I threw the car door open while she frantically jammed the key back in the lock and shimmied it around, then flung the door open and ran back inside. But I was too quick for her to lock me out. I threw my hip against the door and pinned her between it and the waiting room wall.

  “I know what you did, Tracy!”

  “You don’t know anything!”

  With surprising strength, she pushed the door back against me. I jumped into the waiting room and faced her, one on one. “After all these weeks of you checking on Aunt Ginny and offering advice.” I held out the printout of Justin Rhodes’s death for her to see.

  She stood there, her chest heaving from exertion. “So how’d you figure it out?”

  “Brody’s ex-wife told me about your brother’s overdose. When I learned that Brody was from Harmony, Pennsylvania, I remembered the logo on your scrubs. Nurses Do It in Harmony. That was the final piece.”