by Jane Tesh
“How exciting!”
“Have you ever heard of Bea’s Baubles and Beads?”
Billie gasped. “Oh, my word! Madeline, that’s only one of the classiest collections of jewelry in town. You should come to one of her shows. It’s fabulous. She makes everything herself, so every piece is one of a kind. I have six or seven of her bracelets on right now.”
“So you go to someone’s house for a jewelry show, like a Tupperware party?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Would you describe Bea? I want to make sure it’s the same person.”
“She’s a little round woman, and she always dresses in beautiful black dresses to highlight her jewelry. Very classy.”
“Is she short-tempered and cranky?”
“She’s not the gushy overly friendly type, but I wouldn’t say she’s cranky. Reserved, perhaps.”
Jerry was right. Bea was living a double life. “What about the prices on her jewelry?”
“Toward the high end, but well worth it. The bracelets were around eighty dollars each, as I recall. I’ve seen your mother at one of the shows, so you know they’re expensive little baubles.”
My mother never bought anything cheap. Instead of trying to find a bargain, she would search for days to find the highest price on an item she wanted. “Billie, let me know when the next show is going to be.”
“Are you on the lookout for some bling? Thinking of winning Mrs. Parkland’s crown? It’s mine, I tell you, mine!” She gave one of her braying laughs and said she’d call me when she found out about the next show.
I closed my phone. “It’s the same Bea, only new and improved. Billie said the bracelets sold for at least eighty dollars.”
“So Bea is a lot richer than she looks.”
“Why, then, would she be so obsessed about having her dinky little pictures in the gallery?”
“You know how people are. They can have everything in the world except one elusive thing, and that’s all they focus on.”
Deely called Jerry over to discuss a few more things about the breakfast menu. I sat thinking of all the little pieces in this case and how they were not fitting together. I had Flora, an avowed con woman but convincingly grieving widow. I had Larissa, the wronged ex-wife who was seen leaving the scene of the crime. Then there was Bea with her mysterious jewelry career and a yard full of dangerous bricks. And I couldn’t completely rule out Pamela and her gold button. After all, she had ties to Big Mike and his shady world.
But I couldn’t figure out a motive for Pamela. She was happy to have her artwork in the gallery. She had no reason to want Wendall dead. Unless, like Bea, Pamela was living a second life as a criminal mastermind.
I just didn’t know.
Chapter Twenty-one
I also didn’t know if I was pregnant, so Monday morning, while Jerry was downstairs making breakfast, I called the doctor’s office and made an appointment.
“We can see you this morning,” the secretary said. “How about eleven-thirty?”
I was surprised until I remembered this was Celosia, not Parkland, and getting a doctor’s appointment was not as difficult. “That sounds fine, thank you.” I hung up. Good, I thought. That’s it. No more putting this off. Find out today and deal with it. Then my phone rang. It was Billie.
“Madeline, you lucky thing. There’s a Baubles and Beads party today on Burberry Lane in Ash Grove. Let’s go.”
“Perfect,” I said. “What time?”
“It’s at noon. It’s a luncheon party type thing. Does that work for you?”
Noon. Well, of course it would be at noon today. “Yes, that works. See you there.” Hmm, so much for putting things off. I called and cancelled the doctor’s appointment, feeling a little sense of relief at postponing the baby news once again.
Jerry had eggs over easy and bacon arranged artistically on one of our best plates, which he handed to me.
I sat down and took a napkin from the holder. “Getting an early start on the weekend?”
“You know, I’m really excited about it. Thanks for mentioning it to Deely.”
“You need to share your talent with the world.”
He fixed his plate and sat down. “Are we continuing the letter hunt today?”
“Maybe for a little while this morning. Billie called to let me know about a jewelry show at noon.”
“Are you going in disguise?”
“I may wait until things are going and then slip in unannounced. I want to see Bea in action.”
After breakfast, we drove into town and resumed our letter search, but once again the mind-numbing amount of paper defeated us. Around ten-thirty, I took Jerry home and arrived at Billie’s a little early so we could visit.
She met me at the door. Her whole outfit glittered from her rhinestone headband to her bedazzled shoes. “I’m so excited to be part of your sting operation. How are we going to play this?”
“We aren’t going to con anyone, Billie. I just need a look at Bea.”
“You can see her any time you want in Celosia, can’t you?”
“Yes, but I have reason to believe this is a different Bea.” We sat down in her living room, and I explained what I’d learned so far. “Jerry and I saw her jewelry collection, but no one else in town has any idea she makes such fabulous creations. I want to know why.”
“So do you want me to pretend to be a buyer from New York, or maybe a Hollywood producer who wants to do a story on her and her humble beginnings?”
“No, I’m going to ask her.”
“That’s no fun.”
“You can pretend to be someone else if you like. That’s what Bea is doing.”
***
It was indeed a different Bea, a very different Bea, the classy refined version, all in black, with severe makeup and her hair slicked back. The jewelry had been amazing in her dark upstairs room. Here in the host’s living room on a long table covered with black velvet it was a dazzling fireworks display of shapes and colors. I recognized the yellow spikes and the frosty chunks of glass, the red pendant Jerry had admired, and the green and coral bracelet. Among the other pieces were silver necklaces as elaborate as spider webs, bronze pieces studded with turquoise, and pearls caught in little silver baskets and strung on long silver chains.
Bea saw me and stiffened. “What are you doing here?”
“A friend invited me. These are wonderful, Bea. I didn’t know you made jewelry.”
“Thank you. And I’ll thank you not to say anything to anyone in Celosia.”
“Why not? There are some necklaces here that could be framed and hung in the gallery.”
“Certainly not! This is a business, nothing more. I have my own separate artwork, as you well know.”
So she was truly blind to her jewelry’s artistic worth. “I won’t say anything, but I’m curious why you don’t want people to know. It’s gorgeous stuff. Don’t you think they’ll like it?”
“Of course they’ll like it. But I’m not ready to show it to them.”
This seemed odd, but maybe she was planning a big jewelry show to impress everyone. Another woman called her away, so I wandered the room, admiring the jewelry and catching bits and pieces of conversation. Most of the women were trying on the necklaces and bracelets and checking themselves out in the little mirrors Bea had provided. I heard a lot of “That looks fabulous on you,” and “You have to buy that.” Then one woman asked, “Bea, when are you going to open a store in Parkland? You’d have no end of customers.”
“I’m looking for the right place,” she said.
“Didn’t you check with Olympia Mall?”
“The rent there is too high. I’m happy with my house parties right now.”
It was indeed a party. The hostess had a wonderful array of little sandwiches, fruit pizzas, and tiny cupcakes of all flavors. Bi
llie filled her plate. “Isn’t this great? Dinner and a show. I’m getting that coral bracelet, I don’t care how much it is.”
“The green one? That is spectacular.”
We took our food to one side of the room where chairs had been set up along the wall. Billie balanced her plate in her lap. “What are you going to buy? I saw you eying that red and silver pendant.”
“It’s gorgeous, but I’m here on a mission.”
“Learn anything mysterious?”
“I’m really surprised by Bea’s appearance. You should see her in Celosia. She looks like a little old farm woman who’s been working in the fields all day.”
Billie indicated her sequined top with its display of bedazzled butterflies and flowers. “Some people prefer to be casual at home. Not me, as you can tell.”
“Yes, but this is a drastic difference, almost as if she’s two different people: cranky garden gnome and sophisticated socialite.”
“Maybe she thinks people wouldn’t take her seriously as a jewelry designer if she showed up in her overalls and boots.”
“I’m not so sure. When I was more involved with my art, I met a lot of artists who dressed oddly, but their work was so creative and amazing, no one cared what they looked like.”
I watched as Bea talked with the other women, showing them how some of the pieces should be worn, and helping with clasps. Occasionally, she shot me a suspicious look, which I returned calmly. I didn’t mind keeping her secret, but I was determined to find out why it was so important.
“I meant to ask you if the police ever caught that Perkins woman,” Billie said.
“I think she got away. But she won’t bother you again.”
“She’d better not. Can you imagine having that much nerve? How did Jerry know her?”
“An old friend from Con School.”
“Does he have a lot of those?”
“More than I like. This one in particular wanted him back for more reasons than just to play tricks together.”
“Uh, oh.”
“Jerry didn’t see that, of course.”
Billie’s laugh made everyone in the room pause for a moment. “Of course! It took him years to figure out he was in love with you.” She lowered her voice. “This Perkins woman isn’t going to be a pest about it, is she?”
“You’ll never believe how I finally got her to back off.”
“You told her you’d beat her to death with your tiara?”
“I told her I was pregnant.”
Billie almost dropped her plate. “Are you?”
“If I could ever get this case solved, I’m going to find out.”
“Are you excited?”
I’d forgotten that I hadn’t seen Billie in a while, and she didn’t know all the particulars. “When I was married to Bill, that’s all he talked about. I began to realize that was the only reason he’d married me. He wanted a lot of children so he could brag about his masculinity. You can imagine how that turned me off. And there were other reasons the marriage didn’t work.”
“But Jerry wants children?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t push me. Well, he does, sort of, but in a light-hearted way, and I’ve come around to the idea. He wouldn’t be like Bill, leaving me to take care of everything. He’d really be involved every step of the way. You should see him with the neighborhood kids.”
“Well, good luck, Madeline. You must call me the second you know.”
The jewelry party was still going strong, and the hostess indicated that everyone could stay as long as they liked, but Billie and I left around two. She’d spent all her money, and I wanted to get home.
I thought about stopping by the doctor’s to see if they could work me in, but changed my mind. It was as I’d told Billie. I needed to solve this case first.
Chapter Twenty-two
Jerry met me on the porch, offering a bowl full of pretzels. I waved it away. “Thanks, but I’m full of party food.”
“Was Bea happy to see you?”
“Not at all.” I sat down in one of rocking chairs, and Jerry perched on the porch railing. “I should have taken a picture of her. You would be amazed. She looked extremely wealthy and put together. I’ll bet she sold over a thousand dollars’ worth of her jewelry, and the party wasn’t over yet.”
Jerry ate a pretzel and tossed another over the rail to a waiting squirrel. “Any clue as to why she keeps her stuff hidden away?”
“I’m sworn to secrecy. She told me she wasn’t ready to show her jewelry to people here. I kind of sympathize. I don’t like showing my artwork until I’m satisfied with it. How was your day?”
“I’ve been on the phone with Deely. I think he’s as excited as I am. I called Fred, too, to see if he had a car we could afford. He said to check with Reliant Motors in town. You want to go car shopping?”
“We really ought to find that letter.”
“I know. I’m trying to put off digging through all that paper.”
“It’s a pain, but if it will reveal any sort of clue, then I’m willing to shovel through the rest of it.”
The squirrel bravely poked its head over the edge of the porch. Jerry gave it another pretzel. “Have you noticed we’re always rooting through heaps of stuff? We hunted all through Tori’s attic for that key Nathan needed for his inheritance.”
“The glamorous life of a private eye.” I pushed myself out of the chair. “Let’s do it.”
***
As we pulled open yet another file drawer and tackled yet another stack, Jerry amused himself by singing selections from Oklahoma interspersed with bits of The Ballad of Baby Doe. Baby Doe made me think of Flora. Once the mystery was solved, she’d be on her way to Palm Beach. Maybe Wendall had left enough money so she wouldn’t have to play any more marriage games. Maybe she set this whole thing up so she could live in Palm Beach. Or maybe Pamela was fooling us. Maybe she’d been Big Mike’s girlfriend long enough to learn a few tricks. But neither one of these scenarios really worked.
I pulled a piece of paper from the next stack, looked at it, blinked, and looked again. The letterhead read: Daniel Richards and Co. Finally! “Jerry, I think this is it.”
He came over to read the letter with me. The letter was addressed to Pamela Finch and stated that she was permitted to make whatever changes necessary to Building 2619, also known as the Flair For Fashion Dress Shop. It was signed by Daniel Richards, witnessed, and notarized.
“Okay,” Jerry said. “Pamela can fix her shop. Drinks all around.”
“Wait a minute.” The next piece of paper was torn, many of the words faded and difficult to read, but I could see Daniel Richards and Co. at the top, along with a name that jumped out. “Jerry, this is addressed to ‘Dear Mrs. Ricter.’”
“Can you tell what it says?”
I brought the letter over to better light provided by the desk lamp. “Something about purchasing a building. ‘Regret to inform you that another buyer,’ then something about other property available. That’s Bea’s name, though, and the number 2604. What would you like to bet Building 2604 is the gallery?”
“Bea wanted to buy it?”
“And Wendall beat her to it.”
“Hello, motive.”
I took out my cell phone and found Richards’ number. “Daniel Junior was going to look through his records for me. Maybe he can double check this.”
“Sorry to have taken so long,” Richards said when I reached him, “but I had to search through several of our lists. Our records show a Mrs. Bea Ricter put in an offer on the building, but Wendall Clarke got his offer in first.”
“Building 2604, the former Arrow Insurance building?”
“Yes.”
“Would your father have sent her a letter informing her of this?”
“I’m sure he did. I have a copy right here.”
/> And I had Bea’s copy. I had one more loose end to tie up. “Mr. Richards, do your records show that Pamela Finch put in a bid for Building 2604?”
“No, she did not.”
“Thanks.” I hung up. “Pamela’s in the clear, but Bea wanted the building, all right, and I’ll bet you anything she wanted it for a jewelry store.”
“But didn’t you find out she didn’t want to sell her stuff in Celosia?”
“I heard her tell someone at the party that the rent at the Olympia Mall was too high. I’m guessing that rent anywhere in Parkland wasn’t going to suit her, but here in Celosia, she could have a large building of her own, a big flashy jewelry store, the kind of gesture that thumbs her nose at the entire town. Only Wendall bought it first.”
“What’s her letter doing in with all of Pamela’s papers?”
“Pamela told me there might be some Art Guild paperwork in all this. Bea used to be secretary for the Art Guild and sent all the papers to Pamela. I’ll bet that letter got mixed in with the Art Guild files.”
“What now?”
I folded Bea’s letter into my pocket. “We’ll give Pamela the letter she’s been looking for and just keep quiet about Bea’s. I want to see what Bea says about it.”
***
Pamela was so thrilled we had found her letter, I was forgiven for suspecting her of murder. Jerry and I drove to Bea’s house. The dark blue Honda wasn’t in the drive, but just to make sure, we got out and went to her door. She wasn’t home.
Jerry got a good look at Bea’s front yard. “Are these the famous bricks? She’s got enough to bean everyone in town.”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure there’s one missing from around that bush.” I took a closer look. “In fact, there are a couple missing. I wonder what she’s planning to smash now?”
“You can ask her. She’ll be at rehearsal tonight. We’re blocking ‘The Farmer and the Cowman,’ and Aunt Eller has a part in that song.”
I frowned. “What I can’t figure is where she was hiding Wednesday night. Pamela was in the gallery office, Larissa was in the main gallery. Where was Bea?”
