African Violet Club Mystery Collection

by Elise M Stone

  “Bernadine is thinking of starting a book club,” she said to Nancy. “Would you be interested in joining?”

  “A book club?” Nancy looked doubtful. “What’s that?”

  Bernadine jumped in. “We’ll all read the same book, you see, and then we’ll meet to tell each other what we thought about it.”

  “I’d love to be in a book club,” Mary said. “We could read all of Nora Roberts’ books. We could talk about those for a long time.”

  Too long, Lilliana thought.

  “How do you talk about a book?” Nancy asked.

  It appeared as if Nancy was not going to be a good candidate for the book club. She decided to give Nancy another chance. “Why, you discuss what happened and how you felt about it. Whether you liked the characters or not, whether what they did seemed realistic, things like that. Often people relate to books because what happens in them is similar to things that have happened to the reader.”

  “Maybe we could talk about American Idol.”

  Lilliana almost choked on her next bite of turkey burger. She swallowed it and said, “That’s a television show, not a book.”

  Nancy tilted her head back and looked down her nose at her. “I know that.”

  Bernadine covered her mouth with her hand. Lilliana assumed she was trying not to laugh out loud.

  Nancy looked sulky. “I don’t like to read much. But I do watch television. Why, I can tell you all about the Robertsons and the Kardashians.”

  Lilliana rolled her eyes and hoped Nancy hadn’t noticed. The last thing Lilliana wanted to do was discuss “reality” television shows. Fortunately—or unfortunately as it turned out—Bernadine changed the topic.

  “What do you think of Gordon?”

  Nancy turned dagger eyes on Bernadine. “I think you ought to stay away from him.”

  “I thought you were interested in Lenny?”

  This whole lunch conversation was getting to be a disaster.

  “I am, but just in case, I think I ought not to shut Gordon out.”

  “What makes you think either one of them is interested in you?” Bernadine finished her sandwich and licked her fingers.

  “Why, I’ll have you know that Lenny and I always go to the Wednesday night movie together.”

  Lilliana raised her eyebrows. While she’d occasionally seen Nancy and Lenny when she’d gone to see a movie on the big screen television on movie night, sometimes even seen them sitting next to one another, there’d been no indication that they were a couple. Apparently Bernadine had noticed the same thing.

  “Hmmmph! It didn’t look like you were together last Wednesday when I went.”

  “Well, that’s because I was talking to Gordon,” Nancy explained. “I think Lenny was jealous.”

  “Is that why he asked me to sit with him?”

  Nancy’s eyes were smoldering coals as she stared at Bernadine. Lilliana jumped in before the two women could come to blows. “So what have you got planned for after lunch?”

  Nancy turned toward her, confusion reigning before her face cleared. “Why, go back to the slot machines, of course.”

  “I wish they had shows in the daytime,” Bernadine whined.

  “That would be nice,” Lilliana agreed. She’d much rather see a singer or even a magic act than gamble. She glanced down at her watch. Two more hours. Fortunately the van was leaving early, probably so they’d be in time for dinner—which Lilliana planned on skipping. Three big meals in one day was a bit much for her.

  “What are you going to do, Lilliana?” Bernadine asked.

  “I’m not sure.” She thought about going back to the poker room, but she didn’t really want to play. And it seemed unlikely she’d be able to talk to Harlan there based on what she’d seen before. “Maybe I’ll take a walk around the hotel, see what they have here.”

  Bernadine made a face. “Sounds boring. Almost as boring as the slot machines. Maybe I’ll try some blackjack.”

  “What about you, Mary?” Lilliana asked.

  “I think I’ll try bingo for a while.”

  That pretty much ended the conversation. The four ladies finished their lunch, then went their separate ways, promising to meet when it was time to board the van.

  After passing through the casino area, all the while trying to hold her breath so she wouldn’t have to smell the smoke, Lilliana was relieved to reach the lobby. It appeared as if there were two wings of guest rooms. She didn’t think walking up and down long hallways filled with doors would be very interesting and almost abandoned her plan. Then she noticed a sign that read Meeting Rooms with an arrow pointing to her left. Maybe there would be something interesting going on in that direction.

  She passed a housekeeping cart in front of an open door and glanced in. The hotel maid glanced up, gave her a smile, then went back to fluffing up the pillows on the bed. Ah, there was another sign up ahead. That one said Conference Center. She followed the sign and arrived at a hallway with the conference rooms directly in front of her and meeting rooms on each side. A pair of artificial palm trees flanked the entrance to each conference room. It was very quiet, except for an amplified male voice coming from the far room on her right. Curious as always, Lilliana headed toward the open door.

  “And that is the way to assure million dollar sales each and every year!” The young man behind the podium said the words with such enthusiasm, he might as well have raised his arms over his head like a victorious boxer at the end of a match. And, like the winner of a boxing match, the attendees gave him a boisterous round of applause.

  As they rose from their seats, Lilliana backed away from the doorway, not wanting to be trampled by the stampede. The audience, made up mostly of men, made their way toward the back of the room in groups of two and three. The hubbub of conversation didn’t let Lilliana distinguish any words they were saying.

  So far her exploration had turned out to be a bust. She wondered if there were any shops at the hotel. She remembered how on a trip to Atlantic City, there’d been this luxury hotel that had expensive boutiques opening out onto an atrium. Although Lilliana couldn’t afford to buy the least little thing from any of them, it had been fun browsing and seeing how the other half lived.

  She was about to leave when she thought she spied a familiar face. She positioned herself behind a couple of large men so he wouldn’t see her. Peeking between the two men who hid her, she verified her first impression. Harlan Taft was coming out of the meeting, talking earnestly with the speaker who’d been at the podium.

  Unfortunately, Harlan turned right, probably to get out of the crush of people, while her two-man shield turned left, following the crowd down the hallway. Being careful to keep as many people as possible between Harlan and herself, she made her way to the far side of the hall. With a quick glance to make sure Harlan and the young man weren’t looking in her direction, she scooted behind one of the artificial palm trees to listen.

  “Of course I’m glad to see you,” the young man was saying, although his tone of voice said quite the opposite. “But it’s not a very good time. I’m working now.”

  “You’re always working,” Harlan whined.

  “I have a job, Dad.”

  Dad? Lilliana peered between the plastic fronds to get a closer look. There did seem to be a slight resemblance between the two men.

  “In fact, I need to get to Green Valley. I have another presentation in less than an hour.”

  Lilliana edged out from behind the plant as she tried to hear better.

  “You could be late for once,” Harlan said.

  The young man breathed an exasperated sigh. “You know, if you’d come out to the house, I could give you as much time as you want.”

  “And how am I supposed to get there? You made sure I’d be stuck in the middle of nowhere in that old folks home.”

  “Dad, that was your choice, not mine. You could have come to live with me and Cherelle, but you wanted your independence.”

  “Not a chance.” Ha
rlan shook his head. “I’m not going to let that woman work her voodoo spells on me the way she did on you.”

  “Just because she’s from Trinidad doesn’t mean she uses voodoo spells.” The young man took several deep breaths. “Listen, why don’t I come out next Sunday to visit you. I’ll bring Gabriel with me. It’s been a long time since he’s seen you.”

  “You leave Gabriel at home. I don’t want the people I live with knowing my grandson’s a pickaninny.”

  Before she could stop herself, Lilliana gasped—loudly enough for the two men to hear her. Both men’s heads swiveled in her direction, their faces perplexed and surprised. In Harlan’s case, the surprise was soon replaced by consternation, then anger.

  “What are you doing here?” Then he muttered, “Nosy old busybody.”

  Lilliana started to reply, but she had no words. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish that had jumped out of its bowl.

  Harlan leaned in her direction. His son grabbed his arm before Harlan could charge toward her.

  “C’mon, Dad. Walk me to the car and we’ll make plans for Sunday.”

  Harlan complied, but midway down the hall he gave her an evil stare over his shoulder.

  She appeared to have made an enemy. Not that they had ever been friends. How dangerous an enemy was Harlan? Was his hatred so intense it could lead to murder?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  THE next morning, Lilliana strolled down the driveway of the retirement home toward the village of Rainbow Ranch. She’d already called Mike’s Garage and been told Willie’s car wouldn’t be ready until after lunch. She didn’t have the patience to sit around and wait. Besides, it was time she checked in with Chief Cartwright to see what progress he was making on his murder investigation. It didn’t take her long to reach City Hall. She waved at DeeDee as she entered the lobby. “Is the chief in?”

  “He sure is, Mrs. Wentworth. I think he’s on the phone with the county.”

  Lilliana didn’t let that stop her. She headed straight for the chief’s office and rapped on the open door. Cartwright looked up from his telephone conversation and waved her in. She sat in the chair in front of his desk. Shortly thereafter, the chief wrapped up his call and hung up.

  “How are you this morning, Mrs. Wentworth?”

  “I’m fine.” She tipped her head toward the phone. “Any news?”

  “Nothing I can use.” The chief looked dejected. “As we suspected, the only fingerprints on the ice pick were Nancy Gardner’s. As for the rest of the room...” He shook his head. “There must have been a million fingerprints in it, all belonging to various residents and employees of Rainbow Ranch Retirement Community. Trace evidence was even more useless. I don’t think they’d vacuumed or dusted that place in over a week.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It gets worse. Kirstie won’t give me the names of residents who are taking Xarelto because of HIPAA regulations. And the judge won’t give me a warrant for it because it’s not specific to any one person. I already know about Willie O’Mara, so there’s no point in getting a warrant just to confirm that he’s my primary suspect.”

  “I wish I could help you.” Anxiety ran through her body in a surge of pain that was almost physical. The chief’s continuing suspicion of Willie—the one person Lilliana was certain had not killed Ruby—was sure to be hampering a thorough investigation. “But I don’t know who’s taking Xarelto either. Maybe I can do some more looking around.” She stared off into the distance as she tried to come up with a plan.

  “Don’t do anything illegal,” Cartwright cautioned.

  “Oh, I would never...” She saw Cartwright’s skeptical look and decided she wouldn’t say anything more on that topic. But, speaking of Kirstie, she wondered if the chief might be interested in being a replacement for the nurse’s abusive boyfriend. They were about the same age, and as far as she knew, Cartwright didn’t have a girlfriend. Lilliana usually didn’t play matchmaker, but in this case... “What do you think of Miss Wallace?”

  The chief was taken aback. “As a suspect?”

  “Oh, no. Not as a suspect. As a person.”

  As if considering this for the first time, he said, “I don’t know her very well. She seems competent enough.”

  “She’s quite attractive, don’t you think?”

  “I hadn’t really noticed. Actually, I kept staring at the tattoo she has on her forearm.”

  “What tattoo?” Lilliana didn’t remember any tattoo. Perhaps the two of them wouldn’t be such a good match. Although young people today didn’t think of tattoos in the same way her generation did.

  “The one of the dagger with the snake wrapped around it. Doesn’t seem like the kind of thing a nice girl would put on her body.”

  “Sounds like a caduceus to me,” Lilliana said with relief, “which would be quite appropriate for a nurse.”

  “A what?”

  “A caduceus. Here, let me show you.” Lilliana took out her cell phone and brought up the Wikipedia app to show him. “See? It’s been a symbol of the medical profession for centuries.”

  Cartwright stared at the image on the screen. “Well, it might be okay then.” He shook his head. “But I’m not interested in talking about Kirstie Wallace. I’m interested in finding a murderer, narrowing my suspects. Which, as far as I know, are limited to Willie O’Mara at this point.”

  Lilliana felt a tightening in her chest and quickly leapt to Willie’s defense. “I’m convinced Mr. O’Mara is innocent. And there’s something else you should know.”

  Cartwright prompted her. “What might that be?”

  “There are several women who were jealous of Ruby Robinson. She was quite flashy, you know, and all the men noticed her—more than they noticed women who have lived at Rainbow Ranch a lot longer. Jealousy is a very strong motive. Maybe one of them wanted revenge for Ruby taking her man away from her.”

  “Do any of these women have names?” Cartwright asked.

  When she’d started her discourse, she’d been thinking of Bernadine. Lilliana suddenly realized she’d be pointing at both Nancy and Mary as well. She couldn’t seem to avoid casting suspicion on her friends. Maybe if she gave him all three names, he wouldn’t focus on any one of them. Which is what she did.

  “Anything else you want to tell me?” Cartwright kept his pen poised over his notebook.

  Her encounter with Harlan at the casino came to mind. It had been an awkward ride back in the van, avoiding eye contact with the man. But he hadn’t made any specific threats toward Ruby. Lilliana shook her head. “No, that’s all for now. If I find out anything else, I’ll be in touch.”

  It was still too early to pick up Willie’s car, so Lilliana thought she might stop by Cathy’s Café for an early lunch. It would also give her an excuse to pass by Pulaski’s Gourmet Grocery and see if UPS had held the package or left another notice on the door. Much to her surprise, when she reached the grocery the lights were on inside. She peered through the window and saw a young woman with remarkably long, copper-colored hair dusting the countertops. Lilliana tapped on the glass to get her attention. The woman looked up, put down her dust cloth, and came to the door. She opened it a crack and stuck her face in the space. “Can I help you?”

  “Good morning. My name is Lilliana Wentworth, and I used to shop at this store regularly when Mr. Pulaski ran it.”

  The girl swung the door open wider. “So you knew my great-grandfather?”

  Lilliana smiled despite the ache in her heart. “Yes, I did. He was a wonderful man.”

  “Why don’t you come inside? I’d like to talk to you.”

  “Gladly.” Lilliana entered the store and looked around. Bittersweet memories came flooding back, and she sniffed at her runny nose. Quickly she fished in her purse for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes.

  “Were you close friends?” The girl’s amber eyes lit up her heart-shaped face.

  “Yes, we were, ...”

  “Jaclyn. Jaclyn Pulaski.”<
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  “Jaclyn. What a nice name.” She put the wadded up tissue inside the outer pocket of her purse. “I didn’t know your great-grandfather long, but we got along well. He kept me supplied in Earl Grey tea and chocolates.” She glanced down at the spot in front of the counter where the gourmet chocolates used to be. Except for a coating of dust, it was empty.

  Jaclyn, noticing her glance, said, “I had to throw out a lot of food. So much had expired because Grandpa Ted wasn’t here to sell it. The chocolate was partially melted because the air conditioning wasn’t on. I’ve ordered what I could based on invoices he had on file, but it takes so long for the imports to get here. Most of the new stock hasn’t arrived yet.”

  Lilliana’s spirits immediately lifted. “So you’ll be reopening the store?”

  “Yes.” Jaclyn smiled. “My parents think it’s a terrible idea, but I got tired of going to school. I also got tired of living with them, having to stick to their stuffy rules. I want to be on my own, do something useful with my life. Since Grandpa Ted left his house to me, I convinced them to let me come here to try running the store.”

  “I’m thrilled,” Lilliana said. “It’s so nice to have a place like this to shop in. The supermarkets don’t have the same quality merchandise, and the van only goes into town every other week.”

  “You can depend on me,” Jaclyn said. “Just let me know if there’s anything you want, and I’ll make sure to get it for you.”

  “You’re so sweet.” Just like your great-grandfather, thought Lilliana. She looked at her watch. “Would you be interested in having lunch together? Cathy’s Café serves a nice chef’s salad.”

  “You know, I am hungry. I’d be happy to join you for lunch.”

  After a lunch where the two women got to know one another better, Lilliana walked back to the store with Jaclyn, continuing their conversation. Jaclyn shared memories of spending summers on her great-grandfather’s ranch, learning to ride a horse and herd cattle, helping with the chores. And she wanted to know more about how Lilliana had known Ted. Lilliana was happy to share her memories. She left out the cave and the fairies, of course.