Murder by Arrangement

by Suzanne Young

  “Rose, what are you saying?” Lily’s voice was firm. “I think you should stop talking now. We should go back to the house. Lunch is …”

  “Don’t you know?” Rosie interrupted, sliding her eyes quickly toward her mother and back to Edna. Clearly, she believed that Edna posed a threat and needed to be watched carefully. “He was going to take Lettie away. I couldn’t let him do that,” she said. She lifted her arm and pointed the ice pick at Edna. “Nobody is going to question her, either.” She took a step toward Edna.

  “Hold it right there, Miz Beck.”

  Edna had little time to enjoy the sound of Charlie’s voice as Rosie leaped. Her left arm wrapped around Edna’s neck as she circled and spun to look back at Charlie in the open doorway. It had taken Rosie less than two seconds to pull Edna against her chest and press the ice pick against Edna’s throat.

  Charlie moved his arms out to the side with his hands spread, palms down, in a placating gesture. “You don’t want to do anything foolish, Miz Beck,” he said, walking slowly around the Impala’s hood. “Just put the pick down and let Edna go.” As he spoke, he continued to move slowly in their direction.

  “Do as he says, Rose.” Lily spoke harshly, as if to a recalcitrant child, but stayed where she was, her hands still held protectively against her chest.

  Rosie began to back away from Charlie, pulling Edna with her. “Don’t come any closer.” Her voice wavered slightly and some confusion seemed to creep into her tone when she said, “We’re going to get in the truck. Nobody is to follow or she will die.” As she spoke, Rosie kept backing up while Charlie kept walking steadily toward them.

  Edna wanted to get a foot behind Rosie’s ankle to try and trip her, but she was having difficulty simply staying on her feet as she was dragged backwards. Holding tightly to the arm around her neck to keep from falling, she realized Rosie was very strong. Edna changed her grip on the woman’s arm, preparing to sink her fingernails, however short, into the flesh.

  “Stay where you are or I swear I’ll kill her.” Rosie sounded more controlled and very angry, as if she’d come to a decision. “Lily, go get Lettie. She’s locked in her room, but the key is in the door.”

  “No.” Now Lily sounded more determined than frightened, and Edna was certain the woman would protect her grandchild from falling victim to Rosie’s irrational behavior.

  “You don’t want to do that, Miz Beck,” Charlie spoke quickly, then more slowly to remove the edge of panic from his voice. “Let Edna go and we can talk. If you want to leave, I’ll go with you.” Charlie managed to keep his tone low and soothing.

  Rosie coughed a mirthless laugh into Edna’s left ear. “I’m not stupid enough to take a cop with me. This lady’s coming with me and so is my daughter.” Her voice grew louder and, Edna thought, more desperate. “What are you waiting for, Lily.” It wasn’t a question. “I said go get Lettie. Now.”

  Edna saw Charlie’s eyes flick above and beyond the pick in Rosie’s hand and wondered what he was thinking. Did he have a plan to get her out of this? Was he judging the distance to Clem’s truck? She kept her eyes on his, prepared for any signal he might give her. Rosie took another wobbly step backward, pulling Edna with her. The movement caused the pick’s cold metal tip to jab Edna’s skin, but she refused to be distracted.

  At that moment, Charlie flicked his eyes to Edna’s left and feinted toward Rosie’s right hand.

  Ready for his move, Edna twisted her head and rolled her shoulders away from the weapon, more in reflex than conscious thought. She was certain Rosie would now push the pick farther into her neck and determined to go out fighting. As she felt Rosie’s arm slip from her neck, Edna kicked back, feeling the hard rubber heel of her shoe connect with the woman’s shin. Surprised that her struggling had loosened Rosie’s hold on her, Edna pulled down on Rosie’s arm. At once, Rosie yelled and clawed Edna’s shoulder. She seemed to be the one who was falling, not Edna.

  In the same two seconds it took Edna to move, Charlie grabbed her wrist and drew her toward him. As soon as she felt her captor’s grip ease, Edna spun to face Rosie. What she saw made her gasp. John Forrester was grappling with Rosie. His left arm was around her waist, lifting her far enough from the floor that she had to balance on tiptoes. His right hand had hold of Rosie’s wrist and, by the look on her face, he was squeezing hard.

  “Drop it,” he snarled, giving her hand a quick shake.

  After a brief struggle, all energy suddenly seemed to leave Rosie’s body as she dropped the ice pick. She would have collapsed to the floor if it weren’t for John’s arm holding her like a rag doll.

  Lily seemed to come alive when her daughter crumpled. “Here,” she shouted, rushing forward. “Let her go.”

  John obeyed and Lily folded her daughter into her arms. Both women slid to the cement floor, mother holding a sobbing child to her breast.

  Grabbing the pick off the floor, John stepped around them and extended the weapon, handle first, to Charlie. He then shook Charlie’s hand, all the while ignoring Edna. “Glad you came along, son,” he said.

  “Glad you were behind that truck,” Charlie said, accepting the man’s hand with a grin.

  “Have you been there all along?” Edna stared at the retired detective in disbelief.

  John had the decency to look sheepish. “Yep.”

  “How’d you happen to be here?” Charlie asked.

  John shrugged a shoulder. “Drove by this morning and noticed the open door. Thought I’d make sure nobody was stealing Miz Beck’s tools. You know how burglars are,” he said, wiping a hand over his face before glancing at Charlie from beneath lowered lids. “Anyone reading the handyman’s obit in the paper might think the place was unprotected. Didn’t see any sense in upsetting the house if everything was secure, so I showed myself in. Good thing, huh?”

  John maneuvered the subject away from his illegal trespassing, but perhaps was unaware he was implicating himself in an illegal search as he turned his head and jutted his chin toward the center back wall of the garage. “I was looking to see what was in those cupboards when I heard someone coming this way. Thought I’d just rest myself over on those stairs behind the truck and keep out of their way.” Again, he merely slid his eyes in Charlie’s direction, probably to see how his tale was being received. “You know, in case they were planning to rob the place.”

  “Well, glad you decided to stay and make sure all was safe,” Charlie agreed, reaching into his breast pocket for his cell phone. “Right now, I think I’d better call this in.”

  “I don’t see a reason for me to hang around. I’ll drop by the station later, if you want a statement.” John Forrester headed for the door, without another word or glance at Edna.

  While Charlie made the call, Edna watched John’s retreating back with a mixture of thankfulness that he’d been there and annoyance at his chauvinism. Once he’d gone, leaving the side door open, she looked at the women still huddled together on the floor. Rosie was crying softly while Lily rocked her child back and forth, murmuring quietly.

  When Charlie finished talking and closed his phone, she turned to him. “I must see about Lettie.”

  He put a restraining hand on her arm. “Better to wait. Help is on the way. You don’t want Lettie to see her mother taken away in a police car, do you?”

  Edna recognized the wisdom in his words and leaned back against the side of the Impala where Charlie joined her. They waited less than ten minutes before Detective Peggy King walked into the garage with two uniformed policemen. Before Edna knew it, Charlie was on his way to the station with Rosie and the officers, and Peggy King was escorting Lily into the house to release Lettie.

  Edna headed home. She was uneasy. Something wasn’t right.

  Chapter 26

  Weary as she was when she got home, Edna had a call to make.

  “Hello, Irene.”

  “Edna? Hi. I was going to phone you later. Diane and I have been planning a surprise for the guys tomorrow night. Som
ething special for Valentine’s Day. I want to fill you in, but we have a couple more details to work out after she gets off work this afternoon.”

  “If you’re thinking of a restaurant, it might be difficult to time a reservation. Their plane could be late.”

  “Oh, nothing like that. We’re going to cook dinner at Diane’s. Starling says she’ll bring the appetizers.” Irene giggled. “I bet she’ll bring oysters from that favorite market of hers in Boston.”

  Edna smiled but didn’t feel very festive at the moment. “Irene, I phoned to give you some bad news.”

  An edge of panic sounded in Irene’s voice. “What’s wrong? Nothing’s happened to Matt, has it?” Before Edna could reply, Irene added, “Or Albert?”

  “No, dear. The men are fine. I’m calling about Rosie Beck.” Edna took a deep breath before continuing. “She’s been arrested. It looks like she actually might have poisoned her husband two years ago. Nothing’s definite yet, but they’re questioning her.”

  “Oh, Edna, how terrible.” After a second’s pause, Irene said, “How’s Lettie? Is she okay?”

  “She’s with her grandmother and a policewoman. I’m not sure how she’ll take the news of her mother, but I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

  Irene was silent a while longer before she said, “What do I tell Amanda.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t say anything until we’re certain.”

  “That’s probably wisest,” Irene agreed.

  They ended the call shortly thereafter, promising to be back in touch if Edna received any information about the Becks, or if Irene had further details about the family dinner, although her enthusiasm for the event seemed to have diminished considerably.

  Edna was restless for several hours after speaking to Irene. Something was nagging at her, but she couldn’t bring it from the back of her mind into the light. Her thoughts switched from Lettie to Rosie, from Rosie to Lily, from Lily to Charlie, before starting again. Over and over, she wondered what they were doing, how they were feeling, and what was it that disturbed her about the whole affair. Wandering around the house, she half-heartedly straightened up for the cleaners who would arrive in the morning.

  That evening, mostly to have something to do, she scrambled an egg and warmed a cranberry muffin. She had no appetite, but forced herself eat the light supper. She felt exhausted, but couldn’t seem to sit still or lie down. She didn’t want to go to bed or read, so she put on her coat and went for a walk.

  The cold, humid air quickly seeped through her outer clothing and into her bones, but she didn’t return to the house for another twenty minutes. The night was dark with only a partial moon, but the stars were bright in a clear sky. When she did finally open the door and enter the mudroom, the phone was ringing. Running through to the kitchen phone, she picked it up just as the answering machine kicked in.

  “Hello, hello. I’m here,” she nearly shouted into the receiver, hoping if it were either Albert or Charlie, he wouldn’t have hung up.

  When the “speak beep” sounded, Edna heard Charlie’s voice.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for the past half hour.”

  “Walking. What’s the news?”

  “Nothing definite yet. Rosie’s cooperating with us, but it’s taking time to get things out of her. Also, she seems frantic about her daughter and keeps asking to see her.”

  “How is Lettie?”

  “According to the children’s advocate, she’s clinging to Lily right now. Too soon to tell what will happen, but I’m guessing they’ll leave the girl with her grandmother.” Charlie paused and then added hesitantly, “I get the impression that Rosie isn’t easy about her daughter staying with Lily.”

  “What makes you think that?” Edna was surprised at the comment, but upon hearing Charlie’s comment, the fog in her head thinned slightly.

  “Can’t put my finger on it,” He sighed. “Maybe I’m just tired and not thinking straight. Actually, I’m on my way home to get a few hours of shuteye before I go back.”

  Stalling for time in case her vague thoughts became clearer, she asked, “Have you seen John Forrester?”

  “He stopped by the station just before I left.”

  “And?” Edna prompted. “Did he tell you why he was at Lily’s and why he’s been investigating a two-year-old case?” She hastened to add, “I’m very glad he was and I’m deliriously happy he went into that garage this morning, but I’ve never understood his motive.”

  “Said he was doing it for his daughter.” Charlie clipped the last word off so abruptly, Edna knew he regretted saying it.

  “Bobbi Callahan,” she said, guessing John had asked Charlie to keep a confidence.

  “You know about the relationship?” He sounded surprised.

  “Yes,” Edna said, “but only recently. I spoke to both Louise Callahan and Bobbi yesterday morning. It appears to be no secret, but neither do they want it to be the topic of gossip. The relationship is why he was taken off the case two years ago. According to his wife, Duke Callahan used his friendship with the chief to pull John from the investigation. Claimed it was a conflict of interest.”

  Charlie laughed. “I should have known you’d have the facts. Mary’s influence, I imagine.”

  Edna ignored the remark as she spoke her next thought aloud. “So John decided to reinvestigate in order to protect his daughter.” Everyone seems to be protecting a daughter, the voice in her mind said.

  “So he claims,” Charlie interrupted her musings. “Said everyone who was interviewed as a possible suspect two years ago has been living under a cloud of suspicion that won’t be lifted until the truth comes out. Bobbi is afraid those doubts might jeopardize her teaching career. Folks might not want their kids associated with someone mixed up in an unsolved death. John told her he’d check, see if he could spot any stones left unturned. He told me that after reading the case file, he was pretty sure Rosie was responsible for her husband’s death.”

  Not right, not right, the voice insisted. Straining to remove the remaining fuzziness from her brain, Edna said, “How did he come to be in Lily’s garage this morning?”

  “He wasn’t getting anywhere with the case. He’d almost decided to give it up, but thought he’d question the Becks one more time, especially when he learned Rosie was at her mother’s house. Figured he might learn something if the two women were together and he could get them pitted against each other.”

  Sounds like a tactic he’d use, Edna thought but didn’t say aloud as Charlie went on speaking.

  “When he drove by the place, he saw the garage door was partially open. Said he thought he might look around before announcing himself to the house. He told me, if nothing came of it, he’d probably have dropped the investigation.”

  Turning her mind to parents and children, Edna paid little attention to Charlie’s last words. Perhaps it was a mother’s instinct speaking when she said almost to herself, “Someone needs to interview Lettie.”

  “We’ll be talking to her and to Lily,” Charlie reassured Edna.

  “No, I mean now.” Edna hoped the sudden urgency she felt was getting through to him. “Ask her about Saturday night.”

  “Oookaaay,” Charlie drew out the single word.

  “Trust me, Charlie. I think Lettie knows more than anyone suspects, including the child herself.”

  Chapter 27

  Friday morning, after leaving instructions with the Housekeeper Helpers, Edna left for her weekly hair appointment and brunch with Peppa and Tuck. She wondered if Peppa would show up and if she had any more information about Clem. She did and she had, but the three friends could hardly shout across the room or speak while having their hair shampooed. For the first time that Edna could remember, Tuck waved off her usual root coloring. She didn’t want to be late to the diner and miss any news.

  Finally seated in their preferred booth in their favorite café with coffee and scones before them and the waitress gone, the three friend
s could talk.

  Without preamble, Peppa said, “Peggy King came over last night.”

  Remembering that the lead detective had been a “Saturday morning kid” of Peppa’s, Edna was certain Peggy made a special trip to give Peppa whatever information she could. Edna waited, trying to be patient, but questions whirled in her head.

  “What did she say?” Tuck asked, sounding exasperated over the slowness at which her friend was imparting news. She watched Peppa intently as she bit into a blueberry scone and took a sip of coffee. “Don’t tease,” Tuck insisted. “Out with it, for heaven’s sake.”

  Peppa swallowed, looking down into her coffee mug. Edna didn’t think the old librarian was teasing. Rather, she was trying to get control of her emotions before speaking.

  “Clem didn’t take digitalis. What happened was he ate some sort of tainted honey that Lily had stored in her garage.”

  Edna nodded. “Mad honey.”

  “That’s what Peggy said,” Peppa agreed. “Charlie told her what you found in Mrs. Rabichek’s journal and that it had properties similar to digitalis, suppressing his heart rate, besides making him disoriented and confused.” She shook her head in sadness. “That, plus the physical strain and extreme cold, was enough to stop his heart altogether.”

  “Why did he eat the honey, if it wasn’t any good?” Tuck demanded.

  Peppa scowled at her. “He obviously didn’t know what it was. Rosie told him he was welcome to anything he found in the garage cupboards. She said her mother tended to hoard her homemade goods, but Rosie thought the food would spoil, if it sat for too many years.” Peppa took another bite of scone and chewed thoughtfully. “The police found a honey pot on Clem’s kitchen table and figured he’d filled a honey pot from a pint of the bad stuff in the cupboard. They’ll be testing it to make certain.” Peppa sighed heavily. “Clem always had a sweet tooth, and he always preferred honey over sugar in his coffee, if you can imagine.”