Fixing to Die

by Miranda James

  An’gel had no experience with psychics, but five hundred dollars, plus room and board, sounded pretty low to her for what some would consider professional services. She would ask Benjy to research how much psychics charged for their services. Primrose Pace’s request made her think the woman was more a scam artist than an actual psychic. She probably thought she could get away with it more easily if she didn’t ask for a large fee.

  “Do you think I shouldn’t have let her stay?” Mary Turner asked. “From your expression, I’ll bet you’re thinking I made a mistake in doing so.”

  “Perhaps,” An’gel said. “I’m skeptical, frankly, about Mrs. Pace and her psychic abilities. We asked Benjy to see what he could find about her online. She might be who she says she is and be a known psychic. She could also be a con artist who goes around looking for—” She cut herself off when she realized what she had been about to say.

  “Looking for gullible victims. That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?” Mary Turner didn’t sound upset. “I know I’m a little too trusting sometimes, especially with people I don’t know. I take everyone at face value, and to me, Mrs. Pace seemed sincere.”

  “I’m sorry,” An’gel said. “Yes, that’s what I was about to say, more or less. I would be happy were Mrs. Pace to prove me wrong. If there really is a spirit lingering here, and she can communicate with it and help it find peace, then all the better. The important thing to me and Sister, of course, is your happiness. If her being here makes you feel better, then Mrs. Pace’s services are worth the price.”

  An’gel could tell by Dickce’s expression that she might have been laying it on a bit too thick, but she only wanted to reassure Mary Turner. The poor child had too much on her plate as it was, without An’gel and Dickce worrying her over Mrs. Pace’s bona fides.

  Mary Turner appeared to accept her words at face value, An’gel was relieved to see. She would be more careful in what she said about Mrs. Pace in front of Mary Turner from now on, until she had proof positive the woman was a fake.

  An’gel heard a bell tinkle somewhere in the room, and the sound startled her. Mary Turner, however, appeared delighted. She pulled out her phone and examined it eagerly.

  “It’s Henry Howard,” she said as she jumped up from her seat on the trunk. “He’s home, and he’s downstairs.” Then her face clouded over. “He says Lieutenant Steinberg is on his way here, and he thinks it’s bad news of some kind.”

  CHAPTER 23

  “We’d better go downstairs and find out what this is all about,” An’gel said.

  Mary Turner was already halfway out the door. An’gel and Dickce moved more slowly. They reached the foot of the stairs in time to see Mary Turner dart into the library. Inside they found her with Henry Howard.

  An’gel and Dickce held back discreetly while Henry Howard finished apologizing to Mary Turner for upsetting her. After the apology appeared to be done, they entered the room and joined the couple, who stood, arms around each other, by one of the windows.

  An’gel thought Henry Howard looked better than when she had last seen him earlier in the day. Evidently he had at least managed to eat. He confirmed it when she asked him.

  “There’s a fast-food place about a mile away,” he said. “I walked there and had something, and then I came back here and took a nap in one of the rooms in the annex. I slept for about an hour, I guess, and when I woke up, I realized I had left my phone here and hadn’t told Mary Turner that I was going for a walk.” He hugged her close to him. “I hate it that I worried you, honey.”

  “He does sometimes lay his phone down and then forgets where he left it,” Mary Turner said fondly. “I should have realized that’s what he’d done. I never thought of looking for you in the annex, though.”

  “We’re glad you’re all right,” Dickce said.

  “Yes,” An’gel said. “Now what’s this about Lieutenant Steinberg coming to the house? I gather he must have called you.”

  Henry Howard nodded. “Yes, that’s actually how I found my phone. I heard it ringing and followed the sound. I managed to find it and answer the call before it went to voice mail.”

  “What did he say?” Dickce asked.

  “Did he give you any details?” Mary Turner spoke at the same time.

  “Nothing specific, no,” Henry Howard said. “Only that there were developments and he wanted to talk to us all again. I thought the fact that he was coming here again to talk about these developments wasn’t really a good sign. He didn’t sound like it was good news.”

  “What do you think, Miss An’gel?” Mary Turner asked.

  “I think we need to wait and hear what the lieutenant has to tell us.” An’gel could see that her young friend was apprehensive, and she didn’t want to make her feel any more unsettled than she already was. She speculated that the developments were further information about the cause of death. She hoped that they had somehow confirmed it was natural, although they hadn’t had time to examine the body much further.

  “He ought to be here any minute now,” Henry Howard said. “Why don’t y’all go into the parlor, and I’ll see if I can round up Serenity and Truss. Oh, and Mrs. Pace. She’s still here, isn’t she?”

  “As far as I know,” Mary Turner said. “I’ll go check her room.”

  “I’ll call Benjy,” Dickce said. “Is it okay if he brings Peanut and Endora?”

  “Fine with me,” Mary Turner said before she hurried out the door.

  “Ditto with me.” Henry Howard smiled and followed his wife.

  “Should we go tell Marcelline?” Dickce asked.

  An’gel shook her head. “Henry Howard will probably go through the kitchen to get to the annex. He can tell her. Let’s go in the parlor, and you can call Benjy.”

  To her surprise, she and Dickce found Primrose Pace already in the parlor, standing at the fireplace and evidently examining the mantel. “Hello, Mrs. Pace. Mary Turner just went upstairs to look for you.”

  The medium smiled. “She won’t find me there.” She gestured toward the mantel. “Isn’t this a beautiful piece? I don’t think I’ve seen one like it in any of the other antebellum homes I’ve visited.”

  “Yes, it is beautiful,” An’gel said. “Mrs. Pace, Mary Turner is looking for you because Lieutenant Steinberg is on his way here with news of some kind.” She watched carefully to note the medium’s reaction to this announcement.

  “Is he now?” Mrs. Pace murmured as she turned her attention back to the mantel. An’gel thought the woman’s back had stiffened slightly before she turned away. Otherwise Mrs. Pace didn’t seem affected by the news at all.

  “I texted Mary Turner to let her know Mrs. Pace is here,” Dickce said.

  “Good,” An’gel said. “We might as well be comfortable while we wait.” She chose one of the sofas and indicated that Dickce should join her. The one she selected afforded a good view of most of the room.

  Benjy walked in with Endora on his shoulder and Peanut on a leash. Peanut immediately came to greet An’gel as if he hadn’t seen her in months, and she gave him the attention he craved. Benjy seated himself between Dickce and An’gel, and Endora immediately climbed down from his shoulder and into Dickce’s lap.

  “Any luck?” An’gel asked, keeping her voice low. Mrs. Pace stood only about seven feet away.

  “A little. Three articles.” Benjy matched his tone to An’gel’s. “Nothing conclusive. There’s no website, and that surprised me. Must use word of mouth.”

  Mrs. Pace turned and stared at them, and An’gel felt uncomfortable. Had the woman heard them and figured out that they were talking about her? An’gel smiled in a friendly manner, and Mrs. Pace turned away again.

  “Later,” she whispered to Benjy, who nodded to let her know he had heard.

  Marcelline came into the room with Mary Turner. The housekeeper distanced herself from her employ
er, however, even though Mary Turner tried to get the woman to sit next to her. Marcelline shook her head and chose a nearby chair instead.

  An’gel thought it a shame that the two women were on the outs with each other, but she thought Mary Turner was right to stand up for her husband. Marcelline was no doubt hurt, and An’gel hoped she would get over it. She understood the housekeeper’s protectiveness but thought the woman had gone too far. Clementine, her own housekeeper, was protective of her and Dickce but she never spoke to them the way Marcelline had talked to Henry Howard.

  Protective. An’gel said the word several times in her mind. Marcelline always watched out for Mary Turner’s best interests. What if Marcelline had decided that getting rid of Nathan Gamble once and for all was in Mary Turner’s best interests? She wanted to discuss the idea with Dickce and Benjy and felt frustrated that she couldn’t do so right away. Depending on what Lieutenant Steinberg had to tell them, however, her new idea could be moot. She wished the man would get to Cliffwood and get it over with.

  Henry Howard shepherded Serenity Foster and Truss Wilbanks into the parlor. An’gel was not surprised to note that Serenity’s face bore its evidently habitual scowl. Wilbanks, on the other hand, looked nervous to An’gel. The moment he seated himself on the other sofa, he pulled a handkerchief out of his inner jacket pocket and started mopping his brow. His skin tone was rather gray as well, An’gel decided. What was the man so afraid of?

  Serenity Foster chose an armchair several feet away from the one Marcelline occupied. Henry Howard hovered near the parlor door, ready to admit the police when they arrived.

  “Mrs. Pace, wouldn’t you like to sit down?” Mary Turner asked. “There’s room here by me, or I can bring another chair closer if you prefer.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Catlin,” the medium said. “I’m happy right where I am.” She had not strayed more than a foot or two from the north side of the fireplace, An’gel noted. Why wouldn’t she sit, though?

  The doorbell rang, and An’gel immediately felt the level of tension in the room begin to rise. Even Peanut and Endora were quiet. She glanced at Mrs. Pace. The medium’s enigmatic expression interested her. The woman’s eyes appeared to rove from face to face. Was she getting vibrations, or whatever they were called, from people in the room? An’gel wondered.

  An’gel could see the front door from where she sat, and she watched as Henry Howard admitted Lieutenant Steinberg and two other police officers, one of them female. Then several more people, also in uniform, came in behind them. An’gel began to worry. What was about to happen here?

  Henry Howard escorted the lieutenant to the fireplace and then took the spot on the sofa next to his wife. Steinberg waited a moment before he spoke, letting his gaze wander over the assembled group much the same way Mrs. Pace had done not long before. An’gel was about ready to tell the man to get on with it when he finally spoke.

  “I appreciate y’all’s patience as we have been investigating this case of a sudden death,” he began. “I know there’s probably been a lot of confusion and wondering what’s going on. I’d like to be able to set your minds at rest and tell you we’ve got an answer.” He paused. “Unfortunately, I can’t do that. We don’t have a definitive answer yet.”

  Get to the point, An’gel thought. What answers do you have?

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss all the details, pending the outcome of our investigation, you understand,” Steinberg said. “We’re still in the information-gathering stage, and I have more questions for some of you, those who were either family or close associates.”

  An’gel glanced quickly at Truss Wilbanks. He had turned even grayer, if that were possible, and his hair was dark with perspiration. He was definitely frightened.

  Steinberg reclaimed her attention as he continued. “I’ll need to talk to you separately, of course, and Mr. Catlin has suggested that we use the library again for that purpose. I would like for you all to remain in this room while I talk to those I’ve already mentioned.” His glance swept over An’gel, Benjy, and Dickce. “Even the ones who I don’t plan to question further today need to remain as well. My men will be examining the scene of the death more closely, and it will be easier if all of you stay here and out of the way. Are we clear on that?”

  An’gel fought the temptation to say “Sir, yes, sir!” Instead she merely nodded, as did most of the others. Wilbanks still looked too scared even to nod. He stared like a hypnotized rabbit at Steinberg.

  “I appreciate your cooperation in this matter,” Steinberg said. “I realize it’s getting on for lunchtime, and I plan to finish this round of questioning as soon as possible. I intend to be thorough, however, and so it might take a while. If anyone here has a medical condition that requires meals at certain times, or if you have medication you need to take, please inform the officer who will remain on duty in this room.” He paused. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ll be getting on with our work.”

  An’gel was thoroughly aggravated with the man. He hadn’t given them anything other than that the investigation was continuing. Why make a production out of a simple announcement like that? He could have done it with much less drama. She suspected that there was something more serious going on here, and she was going to challenge him to admit it.

  She rose to her feet before Steinberg had taken two steps away from the fireplace. “Lieutenant, before you go, I have a question for you.”

  Steinberg turned to face her, his expression steely. “Yes, Miss Ducote. What is it?”

  An’gel figured some people were intimidated by that clipped tone, but it didn’t work with her.

  “I don’t think you’re being completely frank with us, Lieutenant. I think you should tell us whether you are now treating the death of Nathan Gamble as suspicious.”

  Steinberg held her gaze for a long moment, but An’gel never wavered. She was determined he was going to give her a satisfactory answer.

  Finally, he spoke. “Yes, Miss Ducote, we are.”

  CHAPTER 24

  An’gel heard the sounds of indrawn breaths from several people in the room. Her gaze was still locked with that of the policeman. She let it go a beat longer before she said, “Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate your candor.”

  “Ma’am.” Steinberg nodded. “I’ll be ready to start questioning in a few minutes. One of my officers will let you know.” He strode out of the room.

  An’gel resumed her seat. The tension seemed to lessen with Steinberg’s departure from the room, but not greatly, An’gel felt. She glanced from face to face, trying to discern whether one of them appeared more worried than the others. After her survey she concluded that, whoever was responsible for the death of Nathan Gamble, he or she wasn’t giving anything away at the moment.

  They sat in silence for several minutes. An’gel saw that the officer in the room with them was the same tall young man from earlier in the day. He stood near the front of the room between the windows. He would have a good view of the assembled suspects, An’gel thought. He wouldn’t be able to hear whispered conversations, however.

  An officer appeared in the doorway and summoned Henry Howard to the library. Henry Howard gave his wife a quick kiss, squeezed her hand, and then accompanied the officer from the room. A different officer came in to make an announcement.

  “Lieutenant Steinberg requires fingerprints from everyone,” he said. “We are set up in the dining room, and I will ask you to come one at a time. We’ll start with you, ma’am.” He nodded toward Marcelline.

  The housekeeper started to protest, then evidently thought better of it, and left her chair to head to the dining room. After that, the officer slowly worked his way through the group, escorting them back and forth to the dining room. Henry Howard returned about midway through, and Mary Turner was asked to join the lieutenant.

  By the time the fingerprinting was done, Mary Turner was back with them, and Sereni
ty Foster left for the library. An’gel badly wanted to talk to Mary Turner and Henry Howard. One thing she wanted to know was whether the French room door had been locked when Henry Howard went up to check on Nathan Gamble.

  When Serenity returned and the officer called for Truss Wilbanks, An’gel seized the chance. She got up and stood for a moment, then casually moved over to join her hosts on the other sofa. Primrose Pace chose that moment to move from her spot near the mantel to another part of the room. She chose a chair by one of the front windows, An’gel noted.

  Now that the police were treating Nathan Gamble’s death as suspicious, An’gel wondered briefly about Mrs. Pace’s claims about the man’s peaceful passing. She intended to ask the medium about that as soon as she had the opportunity.

  Now, however, she focused on Henry Howard, who occupied the place between her and Mary Turner. She leaned slightly toward him and said in a low tone, “I have a question for you. When you went up to check on Nathan this morning, was his door locked?”

  Henry Howard nodded. “Yes, it was. The lieutenant asked me the same thing. I used my passkey to open it.”

  “Thank you,” An’gel said. She leaned back and glanced toward the front of the room at the attendant policeman. She realized he had moved a couple of steps closer to the group. He seemed intent on her. No doubt he was curious about her conversation with Henry Howard. She had more questions for her young host but decided she would wait until they were no longer under police scrutiny to pose them.

  She focused her gaze on the wall across from her, over her sister’s head. She began to consider the importance of the locked bedroom door. How significant was it?

  The lieutenant was treating this as a suspicious death. To An’gel, that meant murder. So, did the murderer need to be in the room to kill Nathan Gamble? If, for example, Gamble had been poisoned, the killer could have been anywhere else in the house, depending on the action of the poison and the method of administration. She wondered if Gamble took any medications. Perhaps it had been done that way. The point was, with poison, the locked door was likely less significant.