by Nancy CoCo
“What happened the night before last?” I asked. “Why were you arguing with Barbara?” I knew what the seniors had told me, but I wanted to hear from Tori why people would think she was mad enough to kill.
Tori looked around the apartment. “You haven’t changed much. The place still looks like it did when Uncle Liam lived here. The décor is mid-century modern and run-down.”
“Thanks,” I said and started to take out the ingredients I needed for dinner. “I remodeled the lobby and guest rooms,” I said. “There wasn’t any money left to update the apartment.”
“I noticed the remodel. The coffee bar and new wallpaper are nice touches.”
I stopped for a moment. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Would you like something to drink? I can pour us both a glass of wine. It seems like we need it.”
“That works for me,” Tori said as she slipped onto a bar stool and leaned her elbows on the island that separated the kitchen from the living area of the apartment. She was right. I hadn’t put any thought into remodeling the space. It still had the green carpet with a raised leaf pattern. The walls were dark and partially paneled. The furniture was old. From Papa’s beloved but ragtag easy chair to the mid-century modern couch with its faded avocado cushions. I was pretty sure the cushions weren’t original, as Grammy liked to DIY her place.
I opened a bottle of red wine and poured us both some. “Look, I’m sorry that you didn’t get a part of the McMurphy when Papa died. I had no idea you wanted it and I think it’s a safe bet that Papa didn’t know either.”
“Oh, Uncle Liam knew,” she said and raised her glass to me in a mini salute. “He just didn’t take the time to change his will. That’s what has me stomping mad. That, and the fact that you took over without so much as asking how I felt about it. I’m a McMurphy, too.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again as sincerely as I could. “Truly sorry for not thinking past my own nose. I was so scared about doing this first season alone that I completely messed up.”
“Well,” she said with a short fast frown, “I suppose Uncle Liam didn’t help by not putting me in his will.”
“Funny how my dad and your mom didn’t want anything to do with the place and here we are arguing over it. Please accept my apology.”
“Fine,” she said. “But it doesn’t mean I’m going to stay here, Allie. My family’s cottage is comfortable enough for now.”
I started making the salad. I liked to make chopped salad by color starting with kale, arugula, and romaine. Then green things like cucumbers and green peppers. Next were red veggies like radishes, red peppers, and tomatoes; after that it was yellow peppers, yellow tomatoes, and then white onion and topped with black olives. I pulled out my chopping board and knife to begin the work. “Do you want me to have the lawyers draw up an agreement? We could split the profits eighty-twenty since I’m living here and doing the work.”
“I suppose twenty percent is pretty generous. It’s not about the money, though,” she said. “It’s about owning part of the family business. What if I get married and have kids someday and they want to run the hotel and fudge shop? I need to have a piece of it to ensure they can have a stake in it as well.”
“Oh,” I said and paused chopping for a moment. The scent of fresh cut pepper filled the air. “I hadn’t thought about our children.”
“Twenty percent is good,” she said with a toast of the wineglass.
“That sounds fine to me.” I stopped chopping and lifted my wineglass. “Here’s to partnerships and family.” We clinked glasses.
“Here, here,” she said and we both drank.
* * *
Dinner was done and everyone had gathered after in the living room. I’d pulled out a chair from my bedroom. Frances and her fiancé, Mr. Devaney, sat on the couch. I sat in Papa’s chair, Jenn lounged on a bar stool, and Tori sat in the chair I had added. I’d offered her Papa’s chair but she refused.
“What did Rex say to you?” Frances asked Tori. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Rex asked about what happened. I told him that I was supposed to meet Barbara to discuss the fund-raiser. I got to the Butterfly House and went inside. That’s when I saw her lying there. I don’t know why but my first reaction was to pull the hand trowel out. It looked painful. I knelt down and called her name. Then I put my hands on the handle, but when I tried to inch it out she bled even more. I stopped and that’s when Allie came in and told me to step away from the body.”
“That must have been horrible,” Jenn said. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had come across Barbara with a garden trowel in her chest.”
“Rumor around town is that you are a person of interest in Barbara’s death,” Frances said and sipped her coffee.
“I’m sure it’s just a rumor,” I said. “Rex knows you wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“No,” Tori said and curled up in the chair as if to protect herself. “I am a person of interest. I didn’t do it, but I’m the most likely suspect.”
“Is it because Wanda saw you arguing with Barbara the night before?”
“Yes,” she said and sipped wine. “That, and Allie found me with my hand on the murder weapon and blood all over me.”
“It’s all circumstantial,” I said. “No one saw you kill Barbara.”
“It doesn’t mean I didn’t want to,” Tori said softly. She looked up at us. “That woman was horrible, I swear. She had a way of manipulating people.”
“What were you arguing about?” I asked, curious. “I mean, what could possibly be a motive for murder?”
“Barbara caught me just as I got off the ferry. She was hopping mad. It seems that Millie Hamm told her that I was bringing in my own catering group for the fund-raiser.”
“Why would that make her mad?” Frances asked. “She’s the one who put you in charge in the first place.”
“But she wanted to be in charge and I hadn’t discussed anything with her yet. I planned on talking to her the morning I found her dead. You see, I have a good friend who has a catering service in St. Ignace and she offered to give us a good deal as long as she could deduct a portion from her taxes as charity.”
“Sounds good,” Jenn said.
“It took me a week to negotiate the thing with her. I figured Barbara would be fine with it.”
“Sounds like you figured wrong.”
“Hmm, she lit into me like I was a naughty schoolgirl. It got my back up. We were in public for goodness’ sake and what I did didn’t deserve that kind of talking to.”
“How did you react?” I asked. “Were you physical? Did you threaten her?”
“No.” Tori shook her head. “I just let her scream at me and stewed. I figured once she got it all out, I’d let her know in no uncertain terms that she couldn’t treat me like that.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Frances said.
“I’m not good with confrontation,” Tori said. “I usually think of all the good things to say the next day. So I’ve learned to just let people get things out of their system then I go see them later and let them know how wrong they are.”
“So you said nothing during this?” I asked. “Because Wanda made it sound as if the argument gave you motive for murder. But what you are telling us sounds too tame and very different from what the seniors are telling me.”
“The seniors?”
“My sources at the senior center,” I said. “They told me that you started the argument with Barbara because she was spreading the rumor that your father was an embezzler.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“That’s definitely two very different stories,” Frances said. “Usually the senior gossip network is dead on.”
“Not this time,” Tori said. “My father? An embezzler?”
“They told me it was an old story. Your father took money out of the yacht club petty cash.”
“He paid that back,” Tori said, her expression one of confusio
n and disbelief. “That happened well before I was even born. Why bring that up again?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “The seniors didn’t know either. They felt it was old hat. But the story is that you found out and lit into Barbara about it.”
“Neither of those stories sound like motive for murder,” Frances said.
“Perhaps it’s just the fact that you argued that is contributing to you being a person of interest,” Jenn suggested.
“If arguing is cause for murder then a lot of people could have done it,” Frances said. “Barbara was known for causing trouble.”
“I agree. That’s not enough evidence to make you a person of interest,” I said. “Whoever killed Barbara did so in the heat of the moment.”
“How do you know that?” Mr. Devaney asked.
“They used a hand spade. It’s not likely someone would come into the place intending to stab Barbara with such an unwieldy weapon. If it were a knife or a hatchet, maybe it was premeditated. But a trowel is spur of the moment. It was most likely lying around. I noticed that there were pads for kneeling nearby and a fresh bed of garden soil. Either Barbara was working on the garden or the killer was.”
“The only other people who work in the gardens at the Butterfly House are Mrs. Gilmore and Ms. Scott,” Frances said. “Oh, and a young man who was let go a few weeks ago. He wouldn’t have been in the Butterfly House and Emma Scott was out sick with a summer cold.”
“Well, someone has to have a motive for murder. I talked to the ladies at the senior center,” I said. “They said that Barbara was very active in the community. They also told me that there were a lot of people with motives to kill her. It seems she had the reputation of being a bit of a mastermind when it comes to controlling people and outcomes.”
“That part they got right,” Frances said. “I’m afraid that Victoria isn’t the only person to feel the sting of Barbara’s tongue. That woman could manipulate things until you swore it was your idea to do it her way. Heaven help you if you were immune to that. Then she came down hard.”
“That’s what she did to me,” Tori said. “I felt ambushed.”
“And then someone ambushed Barbara at the Butterfly House,” I said.
“Do you think it was someone who saw you arguing with Barbara on the dock?” Jenn asked.
“That could be anyone,” Tori said. “She ambushed me in front of everyone who was docking.”
“Besides, that would imply premeditation and like I said, I’m pretty sure if the murder were premeditated, the killer would have used something easier than a hand shovel.”
“I bet they won’t find any prints but yours on the handle,” Mr. Devaney said. We all turned and looked at him. He shrugged. “If the murder was spur of the moment, the killer may have been gardening and would most likely be wearing garden gloves at the time of the murder.”
“Oh,” Tori said and put her hand on her mouth. “I wasn’t wearing gloves.”
“Exactly,” Mr. Devaney said.
“That means the circumstantial evidence all points to me,” Tori said. Her shoulders dropped and so did her expression. “No wonder Rex spent two hours questioning me.” She looked up. “Do you think I need a lawyer?”
“I’ll call my cousin,” Frances said. “He worked out well when Allie was a suspect a few months ago.”
“He’s a good guy,” I said. “He won’t steer you wrong.”
Tori ran her hand through her hair. “I can’t believe I need a lawyer. I didn’t do this.”
“We can figure this out,” I said and patted her hand.
“Allie’s good at sleuthing,” Jenn said.
“I’ll help,” Tori said. “I’ve got the most invested in this. The problem is that I need to plan this fund-raiser.”
“We can help you with the fund-raiser,” Jenn suggested.
“No.” Victoria shook her head. “No, I don’t need your help with that.”
“Oh,” Jenn said, clearly disappointed.
“It’s not personal,” Tori said. “I know more people on the island and the surrounding area. I can get things pulled together faster and with better results.”
“Right,” I said. “Well, good.” I was a bit miffed at Tori for her refusing Jenn’s offer. It got my back up that Victoria was considered a local and we weren’t. There was a long awkward silence.
“I think it’s time for me to get going,” Frances said and got up. Mr. Devaney got up with her.
“I’ll see you home,” he said and put his hand on her shoulder.
Frances patted his hand. “Thank you, Douglas.”
“I’ve got to go as well,” Victoria said and stood. “Thanks for dinner, Allie. Now that I have a lawyer, I can put him to work drawing up the ownership papers on the McMurphy. If that still works for you.”
“Do you think we need a lawyer?” I stood as well while Jenn continued to lounge and absently pet Mella the cat.
“I’m more comfortable with putting it in writing,” she replied.
“Sure,” I said. It felt as if she didn’t trust me. Still, miffed or not, I was a person of my word. “That works. I’ll just be sure that my lawyer is okay with the contract before I sign.”
“I think you two have the same lawyer,” Jenn pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
“I’ll get a new one,” I said. “My parents know a few in Detroit.”
“Fine,” Tori said.
“Good,” I said and hugged my waist. “Thanks for coming over. You’re welcome to come to dinner anytime.”
“No thanks,” she said and raised her chin. “But I’m good. I don’t need your charity.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, it isn’t charity when you’re family,” I said as I held the door open. “Frances, tell her it’s not charity.”
Frances looped her arm through Victoria’s. “It’s not charity. Douglas and I eat with Allie almost every night. Next time, you can bring dessert, okay? Now, come on. We’ll see you home.”
I closed the doors after our good-byes and turned to Jenn. Mal had gotten jealous of the kitty and sat on one side of Jenn nudging her hand for pets while Mella had the other side and batted Jenn’s other hand. “That went well,” I said with a hint of sarcasm.
“You can’t expect one dinner to create harmony,” Jenn said and got up to help me with the dishes. “I think it did go well considering.”
“I’m insulted that she thinks we need a lawyer. We’re family,” I pointed out and filled the sink with soapy water.
“Inheritance is always a touchy subject. You probably should check with Papa Liam’s lawyer and make sure the will allows you to share the McMurphy.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t know.” Jenn shrugged and picked up a towel to dry the dishes I’d washed. “I’m not all that good on the legality of things, but it seems to me there was a reason your papa left the McMurphy only to you. His lawyer might know a thing or two about it.”
“You are pretty smart,” I said.
“I know.” Jenn grinned at me. “I know.”
Chapter 8
The next day I had my rescheduled meeting with Mrs. Gilmore. I sat in her tiny jam-packed office. My chair was squished in between stacks of books and boxes that were clearly empty but marked RUSH.
“Thanks for coming in, Allie,” Blake said. She sat at her desk. It was piled high with file folders and books on butterflies. The room was filled with bookshelves and a wide variety of books old and new. On the back wall was a scientific poster of a butterfly, its scientific name and the names of all its parts. “I’m so sorry about Barbara. If I hadn’t asked you to meet me, you wouldn’t have gotten involved.”
“But then I wouldn’t have known Victoria was on the island. Or that you were putting together a fund-raiser.”
“I was going to tell you about the fund-raiser yesterday when we were supposed to meet. Victoria and the committee plan on bringing a lot of fudgies in and we would like to use the McMurphy as the hotel of
choice for the fund-raiser.”
“Well, thank you,” I said and drew my eyebrows together. “What made you choose the McMurphy over the likes of the Grand or The Grander or even The Island House Hotel or one of the resorts?”
“We want them close to the Butterfly House and we want to give them a cheaper option than the Grand and others,” Blake said. “You were the first we thought of. I know you have regular patrons and you seem to be doing well this season, but we thought it would help you and help us if the McMurphy was the hotel of choice for the fund-raiser.”
“Okay,” I said and pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the reservation calendar that I’d automated. “What dates are you considering?”
“The Thursday and Friday after Labor Day.”
“That’s after the season is over.”
“Just after,” Blake said. “We thought we could entice people to come and see that we are more than a summer island. Besides, the monarch butterflies will be in their best shape that time of year.”
“I see,” I said, letting a frown cross my face. “I had promised my parents that I would visit them the week after Labor Day. Let me get back to you on the dates. I need to check with them and make sure they don’t already have things planned for me to do.”
“I understand,” she said. “But don’t take too long. We want to build flyers and other marketing pieces soon. We can’t do anything without knowing the hotel.”
“What kind of activities are you thinking?”
“Oh, Victoria is quite good at this. She has a complete package based on donation levels. The basic package is twelve hundred dollars for two. They get valet parking at the ferry, ferry to and from, hotel, a guided tour of the island by horse and carriage, a fancy dress ball dinner at the fort, and breakfast at the Island House the next morning. The packages will go up from there. The premium package will include private tours of the fort and the Butterfly House as well as the best parts of the parks. We hope to raise a quarter of a million dollars.”
“That’s a lot of money,” I said.
“We need it for building repair and such. Now that I have a crime scene in the middle of the house we need it even more as I can’t sell tickets until it is cleared and cleaned up. You would not believe how expensive it is to clean up a crime scene.”
