Murder by Arrangement

by Suzanne Young

  Protection, Edna thought, turning over and bunching the pillow beneath her head. Fiercely protective. Mary had said that about Auntie Bea and the kittens. Edna came fully awake from a half sleep, half dream state. Who else had said that to her recently? She relaxed again when she remembered it had been Louise Callahan. Duke was fiercely protective of Bobbi. Wouldn’t let John Forrester harm her.

  Who else? Edna struggled in her mind, tensing again as she turned onto her right side and pulled the covers up to her chin. Thinking back, she pictured herself in Lily Beck’s sun room, listening to the woman. Rosie. Rose has always been fiercely protective of Violet, from the moment that baby was placed in her arms at the hospital.

  Violet … what was it that Lettie had said? Lily’s medicine didn’t make him better, meaning Gregory. Had Lettie given something to her father in hopes of curing him, but killing him instead?

  Rosie … Rose, Edna’s head throbbed with the word. Clem was holding a rose. Was it meant to be a clue? Must talk to Charlie … must talk to Charlie. Edna finally fell into a dreamless sleep at four o’clock.

  She awoke three hours later, feeling groggy, so she decided to get up. Downstairs, she phoned Charlie. When a sleepy voice answered on the third ring, she said, “Sorry I woke you, Charlie, but since you’re up, come for breakfast. There are things we need to discuss. Scrambled eggs and popovers in half an hour.”

  It took the detective closer to an hour before he knocked on the back door and let himself in, carrying three pink roses that he handed to Edna. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  “Why, how thoughtful.” Edna accepted the flowers, giving her favorite policeman a peck on the cheek. She knew that pink denoted admiration and wondered if he did, too. She was certain Starling would receive multiple red roses from him sometime today and smiled, thinking of how kind this police detective could be. “Help yourself to coffee and sit,” she commanded, retrieving a small vase from a low cupboard and arranging the roses for the table. “I thought you’d be late, so held off cooking the eggs. Won’t take but a minute, though.”

  As they ate breakfast, the small amount of chatter was confined to food and the weather. Charlie finally wiped his mouth, laid his napkin aside, and rose to refill both his coffee cup and Edna’s. Resuming his seat, he said, “Okay. What’s so important you got me out of bed at this ungodly hour?” His grin belied the gruffness of the question.

  “Peppa told me last night that Clem wouldn’t have taken digitalis.”

  Charlie nodded. “Peggy King told me. Matter of fact, the thyroid condition was on the autopsy report.”

  Edna waved a hand dismissively. “So, if he didn’t overdose, either accidentally or on purpose, then someone else must have given him the drug.” She looked across at the detective with her most serious expression. “I’ve been thinking about this most of last night. If Clem wasn’t taking a rose to Peppa, why did he have it in his hand and why clutched so tightly? Furthermore, what was he doing in her neighborhood? How did he get there?”

  “Million dollar question,” Charlie said, sipping his coffee as he studied her face.

  When he said nothing further, Edna continued. “What if he discovered who poisoned Gregory Haverstrum? I can only think it had to be Lily or Rose or ... heaven forbid, Violet. He might have discovered the poison and confronted the killer. It’s the only thing that makes sense of his death.”

  Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Violet?”

  Edna repeated what Lettie had said about Lily’s medicine. “It really doesn’t bear thinking, but I have to admit, it is possible.”

  Charlie leaned forward and, putting aside his coffee, clasped his hands together on the table. “Okay. Let’s, for a moment, suppose someone in the Beck’s household killed Haverstrum and Peppafitch found out. Where’s the proof?”

  “That’s what I was hoping you’d help me with,” Edna said, feeling a twinge of excitement over the prospect of some positive action. “I want to get into Clem’s apartment. There must be something in his place that might provide a clue. Maybe he left a note,” she added, feeling the steam go out of her enthusiasm.

  “Peggy looked around his apartment Sunday morning. Didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary, from what she told me.”

  “But she didn’t know about the digitalis then. We have more information on what to look for now.” She told him what she’d read about “mad honey.”

  Charlie didn’t respond as eager as she’d hoped. He looked at his watch. “I have a meeting with the chief that will probably last most of the morning. I’m not promising anything, but I will meet you at the Beck house this afternoon. Say about one-thirty?”

  Edna knew her face had fallen. She wanted to leave immediately, not waste any more time.

  He reached across the table and gently squeezed her wrist. “We don’t have a warrant, nor do we have much of a reason for snooping in Clem’s rooms. All we can do is ask Lily if we can go look around. If she says no, I’m afraid that will be it.”

  Edna tried to feel optimistic. “She won’t say no. Why would she?”

  As it turned out, Edna didn’t have to wait until the afternoon to visit Lily Beck. An hour after Charlie left, the woman herself phoned and invited Edna to lunch. “My daughter and granddaughter are with me through the weekend. You were so gracious to Violet, I’d like to return some of your hospitality. Violet, also, asked particularly if you could join us.”

  Edna was both nervous and excited as noon approached. She went through her wardrobe twice, trying to decide whether or not to wear a dress, but eventually settled on charcoal-gray woolen slacks with a forest-green silk blouse. The choice was made when she thought of rummaging through Clem Peppafitch’s living quarters. She’d be more comfortable in trousers.

  She was so preoccupied that she nearly forgot to phone Charlie. Thinking that his meeting must be over after nearly three hours, she was disappointed when he didn’t answer his cell. She wanted to tell him personally about Lily’s luncheon invitation and let him know that he needn’t meet her later. When the “speak beep” sounded, Edna sighed and left a message.

  “You won’t guess, Charlie,” she began. “Lily phoned after you left this morning and has invited me to join her, Rosie and Lettie for lunch. I’m certain I can come up with a plausible reason for her to let me into Clem’s apartment. No need for you to meet me at her place. It should be fairly straight-forward for me to search his place, and since we’ll be driving together to the airport this evening, I’ll fill you in then with whatever I find. I hope your meeting went well.” With that, Edna hung up, got into her coat and left the house at eleven forty-five.

  Chapter 25

  “It’s about time you got here. Did you forget your key?” Lily Beck’s voice came out as the door was swinging open.

  Traffic being light, Edna had pulled up onto the bungalow’s driveway several minutes earlier than expected, but decided to ring the bell instead of sitting in her car. Most hosts she knew were ready before the guests were actually due to arrive. Of course, there were exceptions.

  “Am I late?” she said, taken aback by Lily’s brusqueness.

  Lily’s expression softened, but only slightly. “Of course not. I thought you were my daughter.” She drew the door wider to let Edna into the hall. “Unless you’re very hungry, I’ll hold lunch for a while. Rose took Violet shopping and they haven’t returned yet. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. I told her specifically to be home before noon.”

  Edna saw her chance to visit the garage and to distract Lily’s irritation at the same time. “It’s really no problem. I can wait to eat.” Uncertain and a bit nervous as to how Lily would take the request, Edna plunged ahead. “As a matter of fact, I would like to ask a small favor of you, and perhaps now would be a good time.”

  “Oh?” Lily frowned, looking wary.

  “Yes. You see, I was hoping to get a look at Clem’s apartment. Peppa is a friend of mine, and I know how distressed she is over his death. It would be too upse
tting for her to inspect his place herself. I imagine she’d feel she had no right, since she and Clem have been divorced for so many years. I thought if you would allow me, I could look over his belongings to see if there might be something personal of his that she would like to have. You know, an old photograph or a watch. Something along those lines.” Edna knew she was babbling, but Lily was simply standing in the hallway, staring at her. When the woman still said nothing after Edna paused for breath, she decided to play her last card. “Perhaps in the process, I could box up his effects, so the apartment can be cleaned for your next handyman or tenant.”

  At the suggestion, Lily finally reacted. “Of course. Wait here. I’ll get my coat and the keys.”

  Minutes later, Edna stood beside her host at the side door to the garage which stood slightly ajar.

  Lily shook her head as she pushed the door wider. “Rose and Violet are too careless about closing doors. They know I don’t like things left open.”

  Not an auspicious beginning, Edna thought as she followed her host into the building.

  The black Impala was parked in the first bay. Clem’s battered old pickup stood in the fourth and farthest. Partially hidden by the truck’s bed, a set of stairs rose to a small landing, then turned and ran up the far side of the building to the apartment above. Between the empty second and third bays were a snow blower, a gas-powered rototiller and an electric lawn mower. The machines, lined up neatly, one behind the other, looked old but well maintained.

  The room itself was immaculate. Pegboard had been mounted on either end of the back wall. The one in front of the Impala held hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, plyers and assorted other small hand tools. On the wall facing Clem’s vehicle hung saws of various sizes, along with automotive and gardening tools. Below the pegboard at the far bay was a workbench, beneath which stood a backless bar stool. Under the stairs leading to the overhead rooms, Edna spotted the tops of several toolboxes lined up along the wall beyond the hood of the truck.

  “And they left those lights on.” Lily was obviously not pleased. “Costs money. I suppose my granddaughter has been playing in here again.” Her annoyed tone drew Edna’s attention away from the examination of her surroundings, and she looked up to see that the long florescent ceiling lights over the third space and over Clem’s vehicle were indeed aglow. “And that door.” Another burst from Lily. “Those cupboards should be locked. Someone’s been in my pantry closets.”

  She hastened around the car’s hood and headed for a row of tall, shallow cupboards built into the middle section of the rear garage wall. When Edna approached behind her hostess and looked over Lily’s shoulder, she saw shelves had been built from floor level to about six feet. Quarts of beans, tomatoes and pickles were arranged two deep. Pints of jams and honey were double-stacked, as well. On top of each cupboard were old cookie and candy tins, most painted with Christmas scenes. Edna supposed they were empty, but only because her own would be. She perked up instantly when Lily removed a jar of honey from a shelf at eye level and turned to hold it up to the light. It was less than half full.

  “Looks like Clem helped himself to my supplies.” She sounded more surprised than upset. Edna shivered at the woman’s cold tone when she said, “Guess he got what he deserved then.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” Lily said, turning to face Edna and extending the jar for a better view, “that this is the honey I told you about. I kept some, even after the beekeeper’s warning that it could make me sick. Since the hive sat next to my Lily of the Valley shrub, he figured the bees fed on it to the exclusion of other blossoms.” She frowned for a second or two before adding, “Didn’t think it would be lethal, though.”

  “If that’s true that the bees fed off the Pieris japonica, what you’re holding would be what’s known as ‘mad honey’,” Edna said, as a piece of her puzzle fell into place. “I’ve been reading about it in Mrs. Rabichek’s journal.”

  “And what have you read? Will it indeed make someone sick? Please don’t tell me it would be fatal to whoever ate it.”

  “It shouldn’t.” Edna thought the time was not right to inform Lily about the thyroid condition that caused Clem’s heart to beat slower than normal and that this honey would have repressed the rate even more. Since they were on the subject, however, she said, “I have learned quite a lot about herbal remedies in Mrs. Rabichek’s journals, to the extent that I’m thinking of putting some of the plants in my yard to use.” Hoping she sounded naïve enough, she went on. “Something Lettie … er, something Violet said makes me think that you might be knowledgeable about natural remedies.”

  Lily’s eyes narrowed as she studied Edna. “Oh? What did she say to make you think that?”

  “Well,” Edna hesitated, wondering how thin the ice was on which she was treading. “She happened to see a sketch I made of a Christmas Rose blossom and mentioned that she saw you making medicine from the flower.”

  Lily’s face flushed. “I don’t know where she got that idea. Violet’s watched me propagate plants many times, but I don’t remember ever telling her that I was making medicine.”

  Edna felt her temper begin to rise and tried to keep irritation from her voice. Was Lily hiding guilty secrets? “She told me that your medicine didn’t make her father feel better. What did she mean?”

  Instead of answering, Lily turned to replace the jar on the shelf, so Edna wasn’t able see her expression. “I’m sure I don’t know.”

  Edna thought she’d better be careful in phrasing her next questions. She didn’t feel good about using the child this way, but she had to get Lily to talk. If upsetting her would do the trick, then Edna had to try.

  “Does Violet have access to these cupboards? You said you thought she might have been playing in here.” Edna raised a palm to indicate the overhead lights, reminding Lily of her earlier remark. “If she misunderstood and thought you did make remedies, she could have taken something from these shelves to help cure Gregory’s flu two years ago. Do you think that’s possible?”

  “Nobody has access to these cupboards but me.” Still with her back to Edna, Lily chose a small key on the ring in her hand and locked the door. By the time she turned around to face Edna, Lily seemed to have regained some composure. Brusquely, she said, “I must have forgotten to close and lock the door properly. It probably swung open on its own.”

  “Children are very inquisitive and seem to know things we are certain they don’t,” Edna said. She carefully avoided any mention of the missing honey which would make it fairly plain that the cupboards weren’t as secure as Lily implied. “Do you think your granddaughter might have discovered where you keep your keys?”

  “I hide them in my kitchen,” Lily said, sounding smug. “Even if she found them, they’d be only a bunch of keys to her. She wouldn’t have any way to know they open doors here in the garage.”

  Edna wasn’t convinced. The girl could have seen her grandmother use the keys. Children do have a memory for small details, as Edna only knew from raising four of her own. Now was not the time to argue the point with her host, however. More important matters needed dealing with. “It is conceivable that Violet misconstrued something you said, but you should be aware that she is intrigued with what she considers your ‘medicine.’ Her comment leads me to believe she gave something you made to her father, thinking it would make him feel better.” Edna paused there. She didn’t want to voice the obvious. If Lettie gave ranunculin to her father, she’d be his unwitting killer. The honey was here in the cupboard and might have been what poisoned Clem, but where was the Christmas Rose potion? Was there some still here in the garage? Pushing the distracting thought to the back of her mind, Edna said, “I’m afraid I have to mention Violet’s comment to the police. They’re going to want to question her.”

  “You’re not going to say anything to the police.”

  Both women spun around at the sound of Rosie’s voice. Edna wondered how long the young woman had been standing o
n the other side of the Impala and how much she had heard. At that moment, Rose rounded the hood, swiping at the pegboard as she passed between the car and the back wall. “Nobody’s questioning my daughter.”

  “Rose?” Lily spoke her daughter’s name as a question. After a brief hesitation, she said, “It’s about time you got home. Lunch will be cold, but we’d better go eat. Where’s Violet?”

  Edna suspected Lily was trying to divert Rosie’s obvious anger. Edna’s eyes didn’t leave the younger woman’s face as she stopped beside her mother and glared at Edna.

  “Rose, put that thing down,” Lily snapped. She was holding her key ring tightly against her chest with both hands. Edna thought she could see fright in the woman’s eyes as she stared at her daughter.

  Lily’s comment made Edna look at the hand Rosie had half-hidden behind her thigh. In it was clutched an ice pick. The five-inch, narrow shaft looked rusty and there appeared to be a crack in the old wooden handle, but Edna knew the point would be sharp … and dangerous … and deadly. Her eyes sprung back to Rosie’s and she took an involuntary step back from the malice she saw in them. Having heard of the woman’s erratic behavior from Irene, Edna suspected Rosie was losing control of her emotions, but never expected to see the madness in her eyes as was now evident.

  “Nobody’s taking my daughter from me.” Rosie hissed the words.

  Edna wondered if it were even possible to reason with the woman, but she had to try. “You asked me to help, Rosie,” she said in what she hoped was a reassuring tone. “Remember? The truth needs to come out, if the suspicion and bullying are to stop. We talked about that. You and your daughter should be able to live in peace, but that won’t happen until people know what happened two years ago.”

  Rosie shook her head, still angry. “Lettie was never supposed to be the one to suffer. Our troubles should have been over once Gregory was dead.” She gave a short menacing laugh. “He thought he could take her from me and leave me with nothing.”