by Abigail Keam
“Oh, I do, Charles. I do.”
22
“How’s it going?” I asked Franklin, sitting in the parlor at Wickliffe Manor.
“Well, I guess. Ferrina is a hard taskmaster. I don’t think she knows what she’s doing, but she does show passion for the issue of abandoned horses. I give suggestions when I think they’re needed, but most of the time she ignores them. The main problem I’m having is that she is constantly changing her mind.”
“How so?”
“Whom to contact. Do we do an email? Do we do a newsletter? Do we do Facebook? Do we do snail mail letters? There is no protocol set in place.”
“Doesn’t Ferrina know that you have helped with many fundraisers?”
“It doesn’t seem to have an impact on her.”
“What’s going on in their house?”
“King took a fall after the kickoff party, so he is upstairs most of the time.”
“I was at that party, and he did seem shaky on his feet. Anyone with him?”
“Chase is.”
“No other caretaker?”
“I haven’t seen one yet.”
“Have you seen King?”
“No, but I hear him, knocking on the floor with his cane, and I see the kitchen help taking up his evening meal on a tray.”
“Why don’t they get a baby monitor?”
Franklin said, “They have a phone intercom system throughout the house. I hear Ferrina talking to King on it.”
“Don’t you think it odd with all their money Ferrina doesn’t hire a nurse?”
“Maybe she has interviewed people while I’m not there. I’ve also seen brochures for assisted-living facilities.”
“With all the square footage in that mansion, wouldn’t it be more convenient to take care of King at home?”
“Maybe King requires more assistance than a nurse can provide at this stage, Josiah. He’s a big man. Just to get him in and out of a shower would be a struggle, even with a male caretaker.”
“That’s why I have my big shower stall. When my time comes, just stick me in a wheelchair and push me in. I’ll handle the rest myself.”
Franklin scratched his nose. “You planned the Butterfly well. No steps. Extra large hallways and bathrooms. Easy to negotiate even if you’re in a wheelchair.”
“That’s why it is referred to as a cradle-to-the-grave house.”
“Hmm. Ferrina is installing a pneumatic elevator.”
“That means King’s condition is uncertain. They wouldn’t be putting in a fifty thousand dollar elevator if King was being thrown on the scrap heap for good.” I thought for a moment. “Were you able to do any nosing around?”
Franklin shook his head. “Ferrina keeps me pretty busy.”
“You said Chase is helping take care of his father. Is there any talk about his going back to school?”
“I overheard Ferrina and Chase get into it about that very subject. Chase wants to stay home and help his father. He seems very devoted to King.”
“Is Ferrina as devoted?”
“I think so, but in a different way.”
“How so?” I asked.
“She recognizes King is on borrowed time and has faced it. Chase is in denial and thinks his father can recover.”
“This sure paints a different picture of the Landau family. I always thought Ferrina married King for his money.”
“I think Ferrina really loves King. If you’re looking for medical or personal neglect with King, I don’t think you’ll find it. This new charity of Ferrina’s is helping her prepare for King’s eventual death. She will have an automatic support group, and something to occupy herself after King’s demise.”
“You talk as though you like them, Franklin.”
“I don’t like them, but I feel for them. Ferrina is a shrill, foolish woman and Chase is a stuck-up jerk. There is a malaise about the house. Perhaps the atmosphere would lighten up if Chase would go back to school. His presence causes a lot of drama. He’s always second-guessing Ferrina which drives her crazy.”
“Is Ellen Boudreaux over there much?”
“Ellen came a couple of times but she went upstairs in an attempt to visit King, and Chase laid down the law. Said King doesn’t want any visitors and told her not to come back.”
“Don’t you find it odd that Chase doesn’t want anyone to see his father?”
Franklin shrugged and shifted in his chair. “People are very self-conscious about infirmity. Maybe King doesn’t want anyone to see him frail and bedridden. Maybe he just wants to rest. Visitors can take a lot out of an ill person.”
“Can you be on the lookout for letters or a death certificate from an earlier wife?”
Franklin looked surprised. “King was married before? I didn’t know that.”
“I’m trying to verify his earlier marriages. June told me that her girlfriend had married King while she was in England, but King told me his first wife had died in a car accident.”
“I don’t mind eavesdropping, but I’m not going through someone’s personal papers, Jo.” Franklin took pity on my drooping expression. “Why don’t you get online and check the state marriage register?”
“I did and I couldn’t find any documentation of any marriage predating Ferrina.”
Franklin thought for a moment and said, “Okay, he married out-of-state. Why not check Ancestry dot com or pay for a national background check? I do them all the time for potential employees. My office handles sensitive information, so we need to know that the employees are trustworthy. My boss doesn’t trust the background checks people bring in, so I dig deeper. You’d be surprised what I find out about people.”
“You do that and you’re griping about looking for some old letters?”
“I can cover my tracks hacking a computer, but I could get caught rummaging through someone’s desk.”
“Then hack their computer, boy.”
Franklin grinned. “I already have. There’s nothing of interest on Ferrina’s computer.”
“Did you check her email?”
“Only baby boomers use email. Younger people text, Josiah.”
“Excuse me for living. Did you check her phone then?”
“Not yet. She hangs on to that thing like it’s an appendage.”
“Find some way to get her away from it.”
“Yes, swami.”
“The others?”
“I’ve never seen Chase with a phone or a computer. He uses a landline to call out.”
“A young man without a phone. Sounds odd to me. Chase’s generation always has a phone on them.”
“I agree.”
“Find some way to check his room, Franklin. He’s got to have a phone somewhere.”
“No can do. Upstairs is off limits to me.”
“So improvise. Jeez.”
“Jeez, no way, Josiah. I’m not going to do any high risk snooping for you. I’ll do some hacking and eavesdropping, but I draw the line at being called a thief which is what they will shout if they catch me upstairs. You forget I was accused of murder in the past. Now enough is enough.”
I sighed and slumped in a sumptuous wingback chair. A slight breeze came through an opened window. It felt good. Though it was late autumn, it was unseasonably warm though it was forecasted that we were going to experience a cold November. “You’re right. So sorry, Franklin.” I decided to change the subject. “When will Hunter be back?”
“He called this morning and asked me to meet his plane tomorrow. He sounded tired.” Franklin offered to freshen up my iced tea, but I put my hand over my drink. “Will you be home Thanksgiving?”
“I plan on being home Thanksgiving, but Asa said something about the two of us going away the day after Christmas for a little R and R.”
“I want to have Thanksgiving here at Wickliffe Manor. I’m inviting you and Asa and some other friends. I’ve already talked it over with Hunter. We’re going to deck the place out. Have Christmas decorations already up. We’re goin
g to do nineteenth-century type stuff like bittersweet on the mantel, popcorn strings on the Christmas tree, a real pine garland winding up the staircase. The manor will smell like heaven, and I bought gobs of beeswax candles. Thanksgiving by candlelight. I can’t wait.”
I hesitated. “It sounds lovely.”
“But?”
“I can’t leave Matt and Emmeline alone on Thanksgiving. I’m sorry.”
“How is Emmeline?”
“Growing like a weed. You should see her.” I bit my lips. What a stupid thing to suggest.
Franklin emitted a barely audible sigh. “I would like to see her. Maybe I’ll call Matt and invite him. He’ll say no at first, but if you work on him, he might change his mind.”
“That’s very generous of you, Franklin. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Matt and I made our peace a long time ago. I can’t hold a grudge forever. I know it’s over between Matt and me, but I want to keep my connection with Emmeline.”
“Word on the street is you are dating.”
Franklin chuckled. “Nothing serious. Basically going out with good friends for dinner and a movie.”
“I see.”
“Give me a few days before you mention Thanksgiving to Matt. I have to discuss this with Hunter first. He’ll be resistant to the idea. He doesn’t like Matt.”
I stood up and called for Baby. “You let me know when.”
“For sure. By the way, Jo, as to finding out information about King’s wives, you have the perfect resource to nose around all you want.” Franklin took the last sip of my drink. “Don’t look at me blank like that. You know who I mean.”
I slowly smiled. I sure did.
23
I called the number to an old fashioned answering service.
A woman with a Caribbean lilt to her voice answered, “Holden Caulfield’s Answering Service. What is your message, please?”
I smiled at the reference to Catcher In The Rye. Asa loved her jokes. “Rosebud,” I said.
“Thank you.” The woman hung up.
Twenty minutes later, the phone rang.
I answered it.
“What’s wrong, Mother?”
“Nothing that you can’t fix, Asa,” I replied, my fingers tapping impatiently on my couch cushion. Now I would get some solid answers instead of this bumbling investigation of mine.
24
“I don’t know why you’re angry, Hunter.”
“I go away for a week and when I come back, I find my brother is employed by the very people involved in my last case.”
“Franklin said he needed the money.”
Hunter yelled, “It’s unethical. I could be investigated myself over this. Josiah, you’ve gone too far this time. You don’t seem to know when to quit. That morbid curiosity of yours has a cost to the people around you. You can’t use your friends like chess pieces. This is not a game. I’m so mad, I could spit cotton.”
“Then you’re really not gonna like this. Franklin is thinking of inviting Matt to Thanksgiving.”
“I know. He’s already told me, but I don’t want to talk about that right now. I gave Franklin orders to quit and hope the Landaus don’t sue me.”
“For what? They hired Franklin knowing his last name was Wickliffe.”
“Did Franklin tell them he was related to me? No, I bet he didn’t. That’s the issue.”
“I don’t know what he told them.”
Hunter sat down and put his head in his hands. “You’re a wild card, you know. I never know what you’re going to do or whom you’re going to involve. You put yourself and others in danger all the time. What I don’t understand is why people keep coming back for more of your crap.”
I sat down beside Hunter. “It sounds like you are giving me my walking papers.”
Hunter looked up. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that if Franklin was discovered meddling, he would be in danger? Someone might hurt him or worse. I have only one brother, Jo.”
“Before I even knew you existed, Franklin and I investigated cases together. He has worked with me on many murder cases. You talk about Franklin as though he was your best friend, but where were you when he was shot?”
“That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t want that to happen again.”
“Yeah, he got shot, my dog got shot, and I got thrown off a cliff. I don’t remember you being in the picture at all.”
“That’s because you were flown to Key West to recuperate leaving Franklin to deal with his wound and outrageous medical bills.”
“Don’t put this on me. You weren’t there, Hunter. You were getting divorced in England for what—the third time? You know who was there for Franklin? Matt, that’s who. It was Matt who was at the hospital. Matt who cared for Franklin during his recovery. Matt who paid Franklin’s bills when he couldn’t work. Matt who paid the rent on Franklin’s apartment. Franklin said you called a few times, and that was it.”
Hunter was nonplussed in the face of my tirade and continued without skipping a beat. “And then who else got shot because of you, Jo? Matt, that’s who. And this time it didn’t take a couple of months to recover. It was almost a full year, and he’s still recovering. Have you taken a good look at Matt, Josiah? Really a good look.”
I hung my head. “I know. I know. Matt looks—ravaged. I swear to you that I tried to get him to stay away. I begged Matt to live in town but he wouldn’t. Don’t you think I am filled with guilt every time I look at him?”
“You’re dangerous, Josiah.”
“Hunter, you can’t blame me for all of this. I didn’t kill a man and stash him in the back of my friend’s car, nor am I responsible for a crazy cop who shot me and my friends either. The only thing I can do—the only thing that gives Franklin and me back our power is to go out and catch the bad guy. That’s why Franklin went undercover to the Landau house. He wants his power back. That’s why I can’t let Shelby Carpenter’s murder rest. It’s personal. It’s not a game with me. Can’t you understand that?”
Hunter threw up his hands. “There’s no talking with you. You’re going to do what you want to do and the rest of the world be damned. I’m beginning to see.”
“See what?”
“Nothing.”
“Were you going to say you see why Brannon left me?” I couldn’t believe Hunter was venturing down this road.
“Ellen might be a fool, but she’s reasonable.”
“When men say women are reasonable, they mean women who are malleable.”
“Ah, here we go making this into a gender issue. Maybe Brannon left you because you were too irrational to live with.”
I slapped Hunter’s face and then recoiled at what I had done.
Hunter glared at me for a long time before he rose and quietly left. I didn’t even hear the front door shut behind him.
What had I done?
What had I done?
25
I blew my nose into one of June’s embroidered handkerchiefs. “I don’t know what came over me. My behavior is inexcusable. I wouldn’t blame Hunter if he never wanted to see me again.”
Lady Elsmere handed me a teacup. “Take a sip of tea, dear. It will make you feel better.”
“What am I going to do, June?”
“People act badly for a reason. Look at me. My new medication made me meaner than a caged panther.”
“I’m not on any new medication. I can’t use that as an excuse.”
“I think finding Shelby Carpenter’s body may have triggered something.”
“Like what?” I asked, taking sips between pathetic little sobs.
“Josiah, you have been under tremendous strain for the past few years. Your husband left you for a younger woman. You lost your teaching position. You lost your savings. You were stalked. Saw your friends shot. Fell off a cliff. Almost lost your farm. Witnessed a murder/suicide at Matt’s wedding and have been stumbling over dead bodies ever since. Your adrenaline system is in overdrive all the time.”
/> “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
“Humans either flee at the possibility of danger or they fight. You chose to fight but you haven’t learned to turn off the impulse.”
I burst into tears again and wailed, “You’re condemning me, too! I am a bad person.”
June thrust a slice of lemon pound cake at me. “No, I’m not. Stop balling at once. Here—eat this.”
Sniffling, I managed to shove a piece of cake into my mouth. Yummy. It was so buttery, so lemony, and so light. This is what angel wings must taste like. Don’t ask me where that thought came from.
June said, “I thought food would quiet you down.”
“Who wants to cry when they can eat something like this?”
“Josiah, look at me.”
I lifted my watery eyes. “Yes?”
“You shouldn’t let Hunter get away. He’s a good man. Besides that, he’s educated, handsome, and is willing to put up with you.”
“Am I that bad?”
“You’re intimidating to men. You are intelligent, independent, resourceful, and brave—a force to be reckoned with. Those traits can be very daunting to men, even men advanced on the evolutionary scale like Hunter.”
“I’ve never seen anyone as angry as Hunter. He was practically spitting at me.”
“Oh, fiddlesticks. That’s not true. You and Brannon used to have knockdown fights all the time—then play kissy face an hour later. Hunter probably regrets half the things he said before he was out the door.”
“I don’t know, June. You should have seen Hunter’s expression after I slapped him.”
“I guess the same expression you would have shown if he had hit you. Did it ever occur to you that Hunter was genuinely frightened for Franklin? Fear can make people angry.”
I shook my head. “Never occurred to me. I didn’t analyze what was going on. I just felt attacked.”
“That’s another thing, Jo. In all the time this havoc has been happening in your life, have you seen a therapist once?”
“I couldn’t. When I had the time, I didn’t have the money, and when I had the money, I didn’t have the time.”
