A Day Tea Die For

by Elle Dalton

  It seemed unlikely anything would be poisoned since Chloe had no idea I was coming, but I wouldn’t take any chances.

  “On second thought, I’m still a bit queasy from being in the hospital.”

  “You were in the hospital?” Chloe’s mom brought the tips of her frail fingers to her lips. “What happened?”

  “I’m still trying to figure that out myself.” I eyed Chloe, who shot daggers at me from the doorway.

  “Well, I certainly hope you feel better soon, love.”

  “I think I will.” I didn’t take my eyes off of Chloe.

  “It’s so nice to have a friend of Chloe’s visiting,” her mother continued, sensing some tension and trying to defuse it.

  “I’m surprised you don’t get regular visitors more often.” I peeled my gaze off Chloe to bring my attention to her mother. “Chloe is extremely popular at work.”

  “Really?” Her mother’s smile faltered.

  “Yes. Have you ever met one of our receptionists, Jordan? Chloe was very close to him. Unfortunately, he—”

  “Mom!” Chloe snapped. “You need to go.”

  The woman flinched at Chloe’s harsh tone. Her entire demeanor changed and the joy on her face melted away and fear replaced it.

  There was so much horror printed on the woman’s face that it wasn’t normal.

  She scurried out of the room without another word. Chloe said nothing until we both heard a door close somewhere in the house.

  “Why are you here?” Chloe asked finally.

  I pushed back my shoulders and met her gaze head on. “I know what you did, Chloe.”

  “Is that so? What is it you think I did exactly?” The smirk on her face made me want to slap her.

  “I just want to know why? Why would you do everything you did?” I was vague on purpose, hoping to make her nervous. I should have known that absolutely nothing could make her anxious.

  “How dare you come and accuse me of something I didn’t do, and in my own home! You’ve overstayed your welcome. You should leave.”

  It was fine that she wasn’t going to cooperate with my conversation. I didn’t come because I expected her to admit what she did. I came here to scout for evidence. I’d been looking around since I walked in.

  I rose from my chair and turned my back to her, walking aimlessly around the kitchen. “You have a beautiful home.”

  “And?” she asked.

  “I thought you were broke and on the verge of being without a place to stay.”

  She shrugged. “Does it really matter now?”

  The house was spotless and well-organized, which made it difficult for anything to stand out. But my destination was Chloe’s room, the place she would keep her secrets hidden.

  She continued to ask me to leave, threatening that she would call the police. I ignored her and ran my palm over the counter.

  Driven to the edge, she slammed her hand on the marble countertop.

  That was when I saw it.

  As soon as my eyes made contact with the diamond, I looked away, so she wouldn’t know I’d seen my engagement ring sparkling on her finger.

  A chill crawled down my spine. As much as it creeped me out, a small part of me was relieved she was wearing it as opposed to getting rid of it. I’d be able to get it back when I finally proved she was the killer.

  The engagement ring was, in my mind, proof that I was right. It wasn’t evidence that she’d murdered anyone but it told me she was psycho enough to do something she knew would hurt me. If she could sneak into my room and steal my ring, she was capable of destroying my business, or hurting the people I cared about.

  She tilted her head to one side. “It won’t last, you know.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  She was standing close now, too close for comfort. My insides trembled, but I refused to show my fear.

  “You know what I mean. You and Ervin. You won’t last.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  I didn’t care what she thought of me and Ervin, but I needed to keep her talking. I took a step away from her and continued my walk around the spacious kitchen. The kitchen window was wide open. If they kept their windows open at night, it might give me an opportunity to sneak in later.

  “I’m sure of one thing. You’re not the woman he wants. Sooner or later, he’ll know that I’m the right woman for him, not you.”

  Anger flared inside of me. “Chloe, you need to get a grip. You and Ervin only went on a couple of dates. He’s not in love with you, he never was. You were just a fling, barely even that.”

  “You weren’t there,” she said between clenched teeth. “You didn’t see the way he looked at me. He loves me so much it terrifies him. That’s why he settled for you. But if he marries you, he’s going to ruin his entire life. I won’t let that happen. I’ll protect him.”

  “I don’t think he needs your protection.”

  “Well, he has it. Now get the hell out of my house.” Her hand shook as she pointed to the kitchen door.

  “What? You don’t want to talk anymore?”

  “I said get out,” she roared before stomping past me and out of the kitchen. She would be waiting for me at the front door.

  Before I followed her, I scanned the kitchen one last time, but I doubted she would leave anything lying around in plain sight.

  When I heard her call my name again, I walked out. On my way to the front door, I walked past an open bathroom and two closed doors. They could be bedrooms, one for her and one for her mother.

  I had no chance of seeing what was on the other side of the doors, but I planned on returning until I found what I was looking for.

  As soon as I stepped out the door, Chloe slammed it shut.

  “What happened?” Ervin asked when I got back into the car.

  “Not much, but we’re going to have to spend a little more time in this neighborhood tomorrow.”

  Chapter 18

  I sat in the living room of a neighboring house to Chloe’s, binoculars in hand.

  It happened to be the summer home of an old family friend of Ervin’s. He had gotten permission for us to stay in it for the weekend.

  It wasn’t hard to convince the homeowners. Most people in town trusted Ervin because his grandfather was a retired chief of police.

  “How long do you expect to be out here?” Ervin asked as he joined me on the couch.

  “I don’t know... until Chloe leaves.” I hadn’t kept him up to date about all my plans. I doubted he’d like them.

  “Until she leaves? What then? Will we follow her?”

  “No, we’ll break in.”

  “Are you kidding me, Diana?”

  I knew he wouldn’t like it.

  “They kept the kitchen window open even late into the night. I just have to sneak in through that gate in the backyard, crawl into the window and find Chloe’s room. I just know that I’m going to find something to incriminate her. I bet she’s the kind of killer who keeps memorabilia of her crimes…”

  Ervin sighed. “I really think we should go back to the hospital. You need to heal and I’m not so sure you’re really on the right path here.”

  “I am.” I lowered the binoculars to look at him. “What’s the alternative, that Karen did it? That my mom tried to kill me? Come on Ervin, this has Chloe written all over it. I really need your support right now.”

  “Okay, okay, fine.” He rubbed my back. “I’m here.”

  His phone vibrated and lit up inside his pocket, shining through the fabric of his jeans. He pulled it out and frowned.

  He stared at the screen. “It’s your aunt again.”

  Aunt Jolene and my mother had been calling nonstop since late last night.

  I didn’t feel too guilty about my mom calling. She had done some pretty awful things. I didn’t owe it to her to put her mind at ease. But Aunty Jolene had never been anything but kind to me. She was probably worried sick.

  But if I called back, she’d demand to kn
ow where I was and end my investigation before it even got started. As hard as it was, I had to keep her in the dark. It was for the best.

  When I was done, Karen and my mother will be found innocent and nobody will be in danger anymore.

  “Just let it go to voicemail,” I said to Ervin.

  We’d been watching Chloe’s house for hours with no end in sight, but I was glued to the window. I kept my body mostly behind the curtains, only peeking through my binoculars from the edge of the window.

  “Do you want something to eat at least?” Ervin asked. “You haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

  Food was the last thing on my mind. The pancakes Ervin made me earlier had more than filled me up, my appetite still wasn’t back to normal.

  I was about to respond when from the other side of the road, Chloe’s garage door opened.

  Adrenaline shot into my veins, speeding up my heart rate.

  “They’re leaving,” I whispered as a dark car backed out of the driveway. “This is it, this is our chance.”

  “This is illegal, you know that right?” Ervin asked. “You sure you still want to go through with this?”

  “Support, baby,” I reminded him, “I need your support.”

  The car drove off down the block and I hopped off the couch.

  “Here’s the plan. You go hide behind those bushes, between those two windows. I’ll sneak in through the kitchen, find out which of the rooms is Chloe’s and let you in.”

  “That bush over there next to the flowerbeds?” Ervin pointed into the distance.

  “Yes. Let’s go now before they come back.”

  Even though I’d just seen Chloe and her mother leave, I was paranoid to walk to the other side of the street. I kept looking around me, making sure no neighbors were out on the street who could possibly alert Chloe about what was happening. But the street was pretty much deserted.

  I reached over the top of the wooden gate to unlatch it. It opened easily. While Ervin went to crouch in the bushes, I ran to the back window, which I prayed would still be open.

  I was wrong. The large window that sat above the kitchen sink was closed. That put a dent in my plans.

  I wasn’t going to give up just like that, though. Chloe had ruined my life, killed my friend, hurt so many countless people. If I had to do some damage to her home to get in, I would.

  I grabbed a large rock that sat in the garden, tightened my hand over it, and threw it at the glass. It shattered, leaving large shards on the grass and inside the kitchen. I grabbed a fallen branch from a nearby tree and used it to clear off the remaining glass shards that hung from the window.

  I hoisted myself up, an effort that took all my energy and I didn’t have much of it. I was out of breath as my leg swung through the window to rest on the windowsill. When I tried to get my other leg through, my palm landed on a shard of glass. At the sight of my blood, I inhaled sharply and gritted my teeth.

  I had come too far to let pain stop me.

  I managed to make it into the kitchen, leaving behind a trail of blood.

  I turned on the faucet and rinsed the blood into the sink so I could see how deep the wound was. It stung like hell, but there was no need for stitches.

  A white linen towel with a rose stamped onto it hung from the oven handle. I wrapped it around my hand.

  There was no time to waste. Chloe and her mom could be back any minute.

  It wasn’t hard to find out which of the two rooms belonged to Chloe. The scent of her perfume hung in the air and one of her dresses, a flowery one I’d seen her wear before, was spread out on the bed.

  I opened the window to let Ervin crawl in.

  “Hurry,” I whispered even though we were alone.

  He jumped in and stared at the bloody towel wrapped around my hand. “You’re bleeding. What happened?”

  “It’s nothing, I cut my hand on broken glass. Let’s do this.”

  “Broken glass?” He ignored my request to avoid the subject. “What broken glass?”

  “The window wasn’t open. I had to break in.”

  Ervin’s mouth dropped. “Diana, this is getting out of hand. I was willing to go along with this plan when I thought we’d be in and out but… There’s evidence of us breaking and entering now.”

  “So? Once I find evidence of what Chloe has done, nobody is going to care that we broke into her house. We’ll have saved the day. And I’ll pay to have the window fixed.”

  Ervin looked around the room, taking in the blush-covered walls and quilted bed sheets.

  “And what evidence is that exactly? It looks like a normal room, Diana. Nothing suspicious here.”

  He was right. The room was immaculate. Apart from the dress on the bed, everything was in its place.

  “We have to look around. Please, baby. We don’t have much time.”

  I started looking everywhere, peering under the bed, yanking out drawers, and going through her clothes in the wardrobe.

  Ervin flipped over the shaggy rug to see if one of the floorboards was out of place.

  Nothing.

  “Baby, there’s nothing here. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Not yet. I’m not walking out of here empty-handed. I know there’s something in this house that will tell me the truth about Chloe. I just need to—”

  I was interrupted by Chloe’s bedroom door being flung open.

  My heart froze. I had been so sure the house was empty, but standing before us, wide-eyed, was Chloe’s mother.

  “What are you two doing?” she asked in a raspy voice.

  “I… I’m so sorry,” I stuttered.

  “Why are you in my house? Why are you in Chloe’s room?” She looked at both of us in turn.

  Ervin tried to say something, but I placed a hand on his arm.

  The only thing that could justify my actions was the truth.

  “I think your daughter tried to kill me,” I said.

  “I don’t understand?”

  “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there have been so many deaths at the Ivory Rose. I’m sure you’ve heard. I think Chloe is responsible.”

  I expected Chloe’s mother to jump to her defense, to tell us that her daughter would never harm anyone. Instead, she looked down at her bare feet.

  She knew something.

  After a moment of silence, she met my eyes. “You two should go… before Chloe gets back.” She turned to leave.

  “No, wait,” I called after her. “Please, help us if you can. You don’t trust Chloe either. I can see it on your face.”

  When she turned around, tears shone in her eyes.

  “She was a good girl, you know. She used to be such a sweet girl growing up. When her father left us, I made it my mission in life to heal her pain. Chloe wanted for nothing. I made sure of it. Whatever she wanted, she got. I thought I was doing what was best for my daughter.” She slumped against the doorframe. “I realize now that I may have created a monster.”

  Her own pain darkened her features. I approached her and took her frail hand in mine.

  “We… We have to stop her. My best friend is going to take the fall for Chloe’s crimes. If there is anything you know that can help us, you need to tell us.”

  “Come with me,” she said, after thinking through it.

  She led us to a door in the kitchen, hidden behind a cabinet, that easily slid over.

  “This goes to the basement, that’s where Chloe spends most of her time. She won’t let me in there. But I hear her playing music. A lot of romantic songs. I thought perhaps she had fallen in love with someone and was getting better. I thought with a good relationship, she might be motivated to turn her life around. I lied to myself.”

  Ervin finally spoke. “It’s not your fault. Chloe made her own choices.”

  She wiped her cheeks. “You’re wrong,” she sobbed. “I’m her mother. It was my job to guide her. I should have done better.”

  I put my hand on the basement door handle and turned it, my h
eart pounding with curiosity. I was so anxious that when Chloe’s mother put her hand on my shoulder, I jumped.

  “You need to promise me something,” she whispered.

  “Anything,” Ervin and I said at the same time.

  “You need to keep me safe from her. You don’t know what she’ll do to me if she finds out I let you down there.”

  “We’re going to keep everyone safe from her. I promise. Just be ready to call the police if we find anything.”

  She nodded and stepped back.

  I opened the door and we went down the stairs.

  The sight that met us at the bottom of the stairs was overwhelming. Stacks of papers were strewn everywhere on the floor. Words from magazines had been cut out to be used on the far right wall, where she had made one giant collage. A collage that was dedicated to Ervin.

  “What the hell?” Ervin muttered as he stepped toward the wall.

  He had gone pale. I couldn’t start to imagine how he was feeling. We knew that Chloe had a crush on him, but spread out in front of us was a whole new level of obsession.

  She had cut out pictures of him and covered them in hearts. She had pictures of the two of us, photos I never knew were being taken. Photos of us sitting in the dining hall eating together, or chatting in the library. Chloe had pasted her own head over mine, but I knew it was me because I recognized my outfits.

  “This is… How could she be this obsessed with me?” Ervin asked, appalled. “We barely went out.”

  “She’s not stable, Ervin. We knew that. Unstable people can latch onto anything.”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets as he processed the information. “You were right. You were right all along. It was Chloe. She’s the one who poisoned you. She wanted you out of the picture. It’s my fault you got hurt.”

  “That’s not true, sweetheart.” I placed both my hands on his cheeks. “It’s not your fault that I was poisoned, just like it’s not my fault that Donny died.”

  For the first time, seeing it through Ervin’s perspective, I felt a bit of the guilt lift. I wasn’t responsible for what happened. Chloe was.

  I hoped her secret room would prove she was a murderer.

  I wrapped my arms around Ervin’s waist to comfort him. He held me for a second, then he gasped.