Murder by Arrangement

by Suzanne Young

  “Don’t bother calling anyone. Clem will take care of it.”

  The man who had just been volunteered approached in time to hear. Nodding at Edna, he said, “Probably picked up a nail. If you’ll give me your keys, I’ll see what I can do.” His voice, although raspy, was pleasant and surprisingly cultured. His face was turned away from his employer and, as he reached out a hand, his light blue eyes held a twinkle.

  Feeling uncomfortable at Lily’s belligerence toward this seemingly kind and gentle man, Edna smiled. “That would be very nice. Thank you,” she added, handing him her key ring.

  Abruptly, Lily said, “Come have a cup of tea while you wait, Edna. Violet, show Amanda your room, and take your bag upstairs when you go.”

  The girls ran off, followed more slowly by the grandmothers. “Workmen. Got to keep an eye on them or they’ll take advantage of you,” Lily commented, not lowering her voice as she linked her arm in Edna’s.

  Edna glanced over her shoulder to see Clem pulling tools out of the trunk. Either he hadn’t heard or was ignoring Lily. Feeling both gratitude and sympathy for him, Edna said, “How fortunate you are to have a handyman. We’ve been relying on students from the university. They’re good, but what with exams and semester breaks, we can’t always count on the same person being available. Seems we’re always training someone new.”

  Lily nodded as she slowly drew Edna along the sidewalk. “Hired him last fall to help with the garden and building repairs. Place has become too big for me to handle alone. I let him use the apartment above the garage, in lieu of wages. He’s to paint the house as soon as the weather warms up.”

  As they crossed the porch to the front door, Edna noticed that, indeed, the house needed not only a good coat or two of paint, but repairs to some of the trim. Unlike the buildings, she knew the gardens to be well-tended and immaculate. The yard was apparently where Lily expended her time and energy. Edna made a mental note to complete the Christmas Rose water color she had in mind for Lily. She had made up her mind to the single white blossom rather than the clustered blooms of the Lily of the Valley bush. The painting was to be a “thank you” for the special invitation and viewing last month. Seeing Lily’s January blossoms had been a treat. Although Mrs. Rabichek, the previous owner of the Davies property, had filled her gardens with unusual plants, none bloomed in winter like Lily’s.

  The women settled in Lily’s sun room overlooking the back garden. As soon as they were settled in the comfortable, cushioned wicker chairs, Edna said, “I noticed the abandoned beehive when I was here for your garden tour last month. Was your husband the keeper?”

  Lily gazed at the weather-worn hive with its white, peeling paint that stood against the back stone wall and shook her head. “No. It was a few years after his death that I decided to try keeping bees. Thought it would be good for the garden, and I could benefit from the honey.” She chuckled. “Best laid plans and all that. When the beekeeper came out that first year, he warned me against the honey. He said, what with all the rhododendron and azaleas around, never mind that Pieris japonica over there next to the hive, the honey would make me sick, more like as not.”

  Edna knew the Pieris japonica as “Lily of the Valley shrub,” but she was getting better at using the botanical names since she’d joined Greenthumbs. The garden club members seemed to prefer the scientific references. “I haven’t gotten rid of the old thing because I like the looks of it there. Plugged up the holes, of course, so bees can’t get in.” Lily’s voice broke into Edna’s thoughts.

  For the next hour, the two women drank tea and chatted about plants and grandchildren. It was a lovely, sun-warmed room and, after Lily’s discourteous behavior toward her handyman, Edna was surprised at the woman’s affability. Their conversation was light and pleasant, and the time passed quickly before Clem appeared alongside the house, raising a hand to let them know he’d finished. The women left the comfort of the conservatory, Lily to call upstairs to the girls and Edna to speak to Clem.

  “You did pick up a nail. I found the leak and plugged it, so you should be fine,” he said.

  “I don’t need a new tire?” Edna was surprised and delighted at the news. “Let me pay you something for your work,” she said, opening the car door to retrieve her tote.

  “Most certainly not,” Lily said, coming up behind Edna and folding her arms across her chest. She glared at Clem as if he’d been the one to suggest it.

  Before Edna could speak, Amanda and Lettie came running up, so after again thanking both Clem and Lily for the rescue and the hospitality, she drove away from the house feeling slightly awkward. Maybe it was because Lily was so abrupt with him, but Edna was determined to find a way to repay Clem.

  Chapter 5

  “Lettie seems nice,” Edna said to Amanda as she headed across town. The comment was partly to make conversation with her granddaughter, but she also was curious to learn what Amanda knew of the Beck family.

  The girl nodded. “Yes.”

  It might be like a dental extraction to get any information, Edna thought with some amusement over the reticence of children. Aloud, she said, “How did you two become friends?”

  Amanda turned to face her, brow crinkled. “What do you mean?”

  “When people become friends, there’s usually something that attracts them to each other, or something that happens to throw them together. Like …” Edna thought for a minute. “Were you assigned to do a school project together?”

  “Oh,” Amanda said as understanding brightened her face. “No project. She lives near me.”

  “So you walk home together?” Edna knew that Irene drove her youngest child to school in the morning, mainly because Amanda tended to dawdle over her morning routine. Irene wanted to insure Amanda didn’t dillydally once she was out of the house.

  At Edna’s question, Amanda merely nodded again, but then seemed to have forgotten the conversation as she stared out at the passing scenery. After a moment’s silence, she turned to Edna with serious brown eyes. “It really isn’t far, Gramma.”

  Taking only a second or two to realize what Amanda was talking about, Edna bit back a laugh at her granddaughter’s reassurance that she wasn’t walking miles every day. The elementary school was four blocks from Matthew and Irene’s house. “It’s nice of you to make friends with Lettie. I bet it wasn’t easy for her to change schools in the middle of the year.”

  Amanda shrugged as if to say “no big deal” and returned her attention to the view. After a minute or two of companionable silence, she glanced back at Edna. “Can Lettie come over to play tomorrow?”

  “If it’s okay with her grandmother, she can.”

  The girl’s eyes sparkled. “We can go to Mary’s and play with the kittens.”

  Edna laughed. “If she isn’t too busy.”

  “Oh, Mary’s never too busy. She likes us to come over.”

  Edna chuckled again. It was true. Mary did enjoy having children visit. She loved to watch them play with the cats and Hank. Her animals seemed to like the attention, too. Benjamin received his share of petting from the grandchildren, but the newness of Mary’s three additional cats drew the youngsters next door.

  As Edna neared town and approached the grocery store, she had an idea she knew would please her granddaughter. “How about flatbread pizza for supper tonight?”

  “Yeah,” Amanda cheered, quickly adding, “Can I pick the toppings?”

  For the next half hour, Edna strolled up and down the aisles, deciding what she might buy to augment her pantry supplies for a nine-year-old guest. While the girl took off for the produce area, Edna found tiny marshmallows for cocoa, cereal with more sugar than either she or Albert liked, and an assortment of snacks. She had reached the pet section when Amanda rounded the corner, holding out a large tomato. After waiting for Edna’s approval, she scurried away in search of cheese. Edna was trying to decide which dry food to get for Benjamin when her granddaughter returned with a packet of mozzarella and another of slice
d pepperoni.

  “What would you like on yours, Gramma?” she said, her forehead furrowed with the seriousness of the question.

  “Would you find a fresh green pepper for me, please? I need to get milk and eggs, then I think we’re done.”

  On a Friday afternoon, even though they were ahead of most of the payday crowd, it took nearly twenty minutes to get through the checkout line and on the road again. When they reached the house, Edna had barely turned off the engine when Amanda jumped from the car.

  “Can I go say hi to Mary?” she called.

  “If you help take in the groceries, I think Mary will be in the kitchen before we have a chance to put everything away,” Edna said.

  Sure enough, Amanda had just put the carton of eggs into the refrigerator when Hank came wiggling into the room, head lowered and tail wagging his entire back end. Spot bounded in on his heels and jumped onto the chair next to Benjamin. As Amanda knelt to hug Hank’s neck, Mary popped her head in the door. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked in her usual greeting.

  “Hi, Mary.” Edna grinned and winked at Amanda who looked up at her grandmother with wide brown eyes as if to say, “You were right.”

  Leaping to her feet, the youngster hurried to Mary who bent to receive the girl’s embrace. Edna could see the flush of pleasure on the redhead’s face.

  “Come in, Mary. We’re having flatbread pizza for supper. I hope you can join us.”

  When Mary didn’t answer immediately, Amanda encouraged her. “Oh, yes, Mary. You gotta stay. You can choose your own toppings,” she added, making it sound like a bribe.

  Mary grinned. “Hard to refuse an invitation like that.”

  “First, let’s have cocktails by a fire in the living room,” Edna suggested, taking a bottle of cranberry juice from the fridge for Amanda’s libation and reaching for a bottle of red wine for Mary and herself.

  Amanda volunteered to put out one of the newly purchased snack mixes, while Mary offered to light the prepared fire in the living room hearth. They were nicely settled when Edna heard the front door open.

  “Anyone home,” called a familiar voice.

  “Auntie Starling,” cried Amanda, jumping to her feet to follow Hank into the hall.

  “What are you doing here, kiddo?” Starling’s voice preceded her into the room as she appeared with an arm around her niece’s shoulders and a hand scratching the black Lab’s head.

  “I’m staying with Gramma ‘til Monday,” Amanda announced proudly.

  Edna and Mary rose to greet the youngest of the Davies children before Edna went to fetch another glass from the kitchen.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked her daughter, returning to hand her the wine. “It’s wonderful to see you, but I didn’t expect you this weekend.”

  “Charlie’s taking me to dinner tomorrow night for an early Valentine’s treat since he’s on duty all next week. When I heard about the storm moving in, I thought I’d drive down early and spend the weekend.”

  Starling was a mix of her parents, long-legged and slim like Albert with Edna’s auburn hair and brown eyes. She lived in Boston’s Back Bay and was half-owner of an art gallery where she displayed framed photos of New England people and places, mostly historic, and where her partner sold his oil paintings of sights around Boston and Cambridge.

  She plopped down on the sofa next to Mary as Amanda resumed her place on the rug with her back against the arm of the couch and Hank stretched out beside her. Starling waited for Benjamin to jump into her lap before taking a sip of her wine. Stroking the ginger cat, she looked fondly down at the top of her niece’s head and spoke to Edna. “With Dad gone, I thought you’d be alone. Nice to see Manda-Panda here.”

  At Starling’s pet name for her, the girl tilted back her head and grinned up at her aunt.

  “Tell me about the storm. I haven’t tuned in the news today,” Edna said. “What’s the latest forecast?”

  “’Bout four inches, they’re sayin’,” Mary answered before Starling could reply. “Rain first, turning to sleet, then snow, so the roads will be nice and slippery.”

  “Brrr,” Starling grumbled. “I’m ready for spring.” She gently ruffled Amanda’s hair. “What’s the news from Poppy and Matt?” she asked, using the name that Dean, the youngest grandchild, had dubbed Albert during the family’s Christmas visit. “How’s the fishing trip going?”

  “Let’s call ‘em,” Amanda said, tilting her head again to study her aunt’s face.

  “After supper,” Edna said. Correctly reading the restlessness in her neighbor, she went on, “Right now, I think Mary has something to tell you.”

  The redhead’s face lit up with her chance to tell about the ghost, while Amanda’s eyes grew wide and Starling refrained from laughing at the idea. Edna guessed her daughter didn’t want to spoil Mary’s story by announcing that there was no such thing as ghosts. Also, the rebel theory probably delighted Starling who was an avid student of New England history.

  Who am I to naysay, Edna thought as Mary was describing the unusual sounds she heard.

  “Can you come over tonight and help me investigate?” Mary concluded.

  Before her daughter or granddaughter got carried away with the idea, Edna spoke up. “Maybe another time, Mary. I don’t want Amanda to be up all night if she’s expecting her friend to visit tomorrow.” Before too many groans of protest could emanate from the others, Edna stood. “Ready to make pizzas?”

  The evening passed quickly. After supper, Mary took Hank and Spot home to see what mischief her house cats had “gotten themselves into,” as she put it. Edna took Amanda and Starling into her office where they used the speaker phone to reach Albert, Matthew, Roger and Ken in Florida. After much joking and laughing and tall tales, the call ended, and Edna thought a mug of hot cider with a cinnamon stick stirrer would help quiet Amanda and allow her to sleep.

  When the youngster had finally been tucked into bed, Edna and Starling sat for a while longer before the dying embers of the fire.

  Starling was stretched out on the sofa with Benjamin curled in her lap. “Amanda’s having a friend over tomorrow?” she asked, breaking the easy silence.

  Edna nodded as she continued to gaze at the fire, her mind occupied with the earlier events of the day.

  “I didn’t know she had friends in this area.” Starling seemed intent on grabbing Edna’s attention.

  Edna mentally shook herself back into the room and turned to her daughter. “She hasn’t. This is a new friend who happens to be visiting her own grandmother this week.”

  “So who is she, this new friend of Manda-Panda’s?”

  Realizing it would be good to voice her recent thoughts, Edna gave Starling the long version of Amanda’s unplanned visit, beginning with Irene’s call the previous morning. In explaining Irene’s concerns about Rosie Beck, Edna reminded Starling about the scandal that had been front-page news.

  “So, are you talking about Rosie Haverstrum?” Starling suddenly showed more interest. “Wow. That was quite a story. Knocked this town on its ear, at the time.” She pushed herself up straighter, causing Benjamin to jump down and head for his bed next to the warm hearth. “You know her mother?”

  Edna nodded. “Lily Beck. She’s a long-time member of the garden club. By the way, Rosie took her maiden name back. She goes by Rosie Beck now.” Edna looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “I don’t know what surname Lettie goes by. I wonder if Irene would know. I don’t want to assume and cause the child any embarrassment if she hasn’t kept her father’s name.”

  “Speaking of the dead, have you ever mentioned your sleuthing escapades to Dad?” Starling’s eyes twinkled. Edna guessed that, as they say of a good lawyer, Starling wasn’t asking a question to which she didn’t already know the answer.

  Edna scowled, taking what she knew to be bait but rising to it anyway. “You’re perfectly aware that I haven’t, nor do I intend to. What’s past is past, and there’s no need to stir up old troubles unnecess
arily. Besides, it would be much too complicated to explain everything to him at this late date. He’d only worry.”

  Chapter 6

  Saturday morning dawned cold and windy, but sunny. There was no sign of the predicted storm until Edna stepped outside to fetch the newspaper from the front stoop. Decidedly, there was a smell of snow in the frigid air. Starling and Amanda clattered downstairs as Edna poured her first cup of coffee. The consensus was for a waffle breakfast with bacon, after which Edna settled at the kitchen table with a final cup of coffee and the daily crossword while Amanda and Starling went next door to visit Mary and her menagerie.

  But Edna couldn’t keep her mind on the puzzle this morning. She’d slept restlessly. At one point, she dreamed she was wandering from room to room in a maze. She was trying to find her way out into the open air, but each door she passed through only led to an increasingly dark and stuffy interior. Suddenly, she found herself in the center of a crowd. Wherever she looked, people were glaring at her, pointing and shouting words she couldn’t make out. One woman picked something up from the ground and threw it at her. Others followed suit until everyone seemed to be hurling objects at her. She found herself backing against a wall. Stones banged against the surface, barely missing her. Her feet stuck to the floor, so she could only bob and weave, dodging the flying debris. She finally awoke with a start, struggling against the sheets she’d gotten wrapped around herself. The hammering was caused by something, probably a tree branch, hitting the side of the house as a fierce wind picked up outside. That had been at four in the morning, and, heart racing, she’d been unable to get back to sleep. Now, in the bright morning light, she restlessly set aside the newspaper and took her coffee into the office.