Death of a Suitor

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

Miles was relieved that she gave him an appropriate word to latch onto. “They are, for sure.”

  “I feel very hip and young all of a sudden. Maybe I should get a manicure more often.”

  Miles nodded slowly. “Sure—why not?”

  “I suppose the only downside is the fact that it costs rather a lot of money. It’s surprising, actually, how very much they cost. And then you need to tip, on top of that. I gave Nicole a very generous tip and now I’m going to have to live very leanly the rest of the week until my check comes in.”

  Miles raised his eyebrows. “You gave her a big tip? Was that because she did such a good job?”

  “No. Well, I did think she did a good job. But it was mainly because it sounded like times were tough for Nicole and she has big plans.”

  “Isn’t she set to receive an inheritance from Jax?” Miles pushed his glasses up his nose.

  “Yes, but that’s going to take forever. As a financial advisor, you should remember that.”

  “Engineer.” Miles’s tone was cool.

  “Right. Anyway, she’s not going to get that money right away—not even close. The property has to go through probate and then she has to sell the property. It’s all going to take a very long time.” Myrtle spread her fingers out in front of her and admired them.

  They were in Miles’s house. He had made tomato sandwiches for them both. They liked different types of mayonnaise, but now Miles kept a small bottle of Myrtle’s favorite in his fridge for occasions such as this.

  “Do you think that Nicole could possibly have murdered Jax?” Miles’s brow furrowed at the thought.

  “Of course she could have. She’s a very strong-minded young woman and she wants to have enough money to leave Bradley and move to her dream city.”

  “Which is?” Miles quirked an eyebrow again.

  “Atlanta.”

  Miles said, “Hm. I wouldn’t have thought Atlanta would qualify as anyone’s dream city, but I haven’t been there for a little while. What’s she wanting to do there?”

  “Something to do with fashion. I don’t know much about fashion, but I’d have thought New York would have been a better spot, wouldn’t you?”

  Miles nodded. “Except for the cost of New York. If she needed money for a move to Atlanta, a move to New York would really require some saving up.”

  “She also admitted being at odds with her dad over his property. Nicole said that they were just completely different people who couldn’t understand each other’s goals.”

  “Jax had goals?” asked Miles doubtfully.

  “Jax’s goals were to enjoy himself in the same house where he’d lived for decades,” said Myrtle. “Goals don’t have to be lofty things, you know.”

  “Although it sounds as if Nicole’s are.”

  They considered this for a few moments. “I suppose she could have gotten very frustrated with Jax and lashed out at him,” said Myrtle. “After all, in her mind, he was holding her back from doing something she thinks she’ll find great fulfillment in.”

  “It’s hard to imagine,” said Miles.

  Myrtle said, “Well, who do you think could have done it?”

  Miles was quiet for a few moments. “I can’t picture any of the suspects killing Jax.”

  Myrtle gave him a stern look. “That’s because you still have a soft spot for Eloise.”

  “I promise you, I don’t. However, I can’t quite picture her as a rabid killer, either.”

  Myrtle said, “She might not have been rabid. She might simply have been pushed a little too far. Jax was like that. He pushed people’s buttons by just being himself. Everything he did was geared to his own enjoyment. He might possibly have been the most self-centered person I’ve ever met.”

  Miles thought about this for a few moments. “I can see that. I mean, he was a lot of fun to be with, of course. He was always laughing.”

  “Naturally. Because he was pleasing himself. But sometimes, in the course of pleasing oneself, one ends up hurting others.”

  “And you’re intimating that Eloise was one of his victims,” said Miles.

  “Absolutely. And Nicole confirmed it.” When Myrtle mentioned Nicole, her gaze pulled back with satisfaction to her robin’s egg blue nails and she wiggled her fingers again.

  “Did she? What did she say?” Miles suddenly looked a bit more alert. Perhaps, having dated a possible murderer made him worried he could be accused of having bad judgment.

  “Nicole said that she’d visited her father a few days before his death and Eloise was screaming at him. The reason she was doing so was apparently because Marigold was inside with Jax and it was obvious they were in a relationship.”

  Miles tilted his head to one side. “I thought everyone in town allegedly knew that Marigold and Jax were having an affair.”

  Myrtle shrugged. “There are none so blind as those who will not see.”

  Miles blinked at her. It was rather unusual for Myrtle to quote scripture to him.

  “Anyway, that would explain why Eloise was so angry. She didn’t know that Marigold and Jax were still seeing each other. Eloise seemed to think she and Jax were in an exclusive relationship, according to Nicole.”

  Miles’s brow furrowed. “Well, she wasn’t in an exclusive relationship. She was also seeing me. How could she be angry with Jax for doing the same thing she was? Seeing someone on the side?”

  “I guess Eloise thinks she can feel any old way she wants to,” said Myrtle with a sniff. “It’s rather childish of her. But then, I’d expect that of Eloise.”

  Miles said dryly, “Yes, I gathered you don’t like her.”

  “The point is that Eloise could certainly have killed Jax if she was that angry. Maybe she went home and brooded on it for a while then returned to hash it out with Jax. He could have said something that really made her angry and she attacked him.”

  Miles still seemed rather unsettled by the mental image of all this. Myrtle said with a shrug, “Or, if you prefer, Allen could have done it.”

  “Allen West?”

  “The very one.”

  “Did Nicole say he was on the outs with Jax?” asked Miles.

  “She did, although she had no idea what it was about. She didn’t even know Allen’s last name, but I knew who it was when she mentioned the theater. I know Allen’s been very involved in the theater for decades.”

  “It’s his favorite thing,” said Miles solemnly. “Although he does also enjoy scrabble.”

  Myrtle nodded. She was aware that Miles was very successful in scrabble-playing groups in Bradley. It was unspoken between them that Myrtle was rather too good at the game. They didn’t play together anymore. In fact, no one in town would, so Myrtle had taken to playing against the computer. If the computer could have quit playing with her, it would have, too.

  “He’s still a friend of yours, then?”

  Miles said, “I’d call him a good acquaintance.”

  “Could we go pay him a visit?”

  Miles said, “I don’t think acquaintances drop in on one another. Especially if one is wanting to interrogate the other about murder.” He looked at his watch. “But I can tell you where Allen is right this very moment.”

  “How perceptive of you, Miles!”

  “It’s only because he’s always in the same spot this time every day. He’ll be sitting on the benches near the diner with another couple of the old guys. We could invite him to lunch with us.”

  Myrtle smiled at him and stood up. “What an excellent idea. And I’ve had a hankering for a pimento cheese dog with chili fries lately.”

  Miles looked a little green. “I don’t know how you handle that much grease. And processed meats.”

  “I’m positive the diner doesn’t use hot dogs with nitrates and nitrites,” said Myrtle breezily.

  Miles’s expression indicated that he wasn’t so sure.

  Minutes later, they saw that Allen was indeed sitting on a bench in downtown Bradley with a couple of old fellows. Allen wav
ed when he saw Miles walking up and nodded politely to Myrtle. He had thinning white hair and was dressed very neatly—almost as neatly as Miles. But his eyes had lost their usual twinkle and spark and the lines in his face had settled into frowns of dissatisfaction. Something was definitely wrong and Myrtle doubted it was the fact that Jax was gone.

  “Hi there, Miles, how are you doing?” he asked, sounding a bit perkier than he looked.

  “Just fine, thanks. Myrtle and I were about to have lunch—would you like to join us?”

  He seemed to hesitate and Myrtle wondered if he was on a budget. Since she was on a budget, especially after her manicure, she said, “Do join us, Allen. It’s Miles’s treat.”

  Miles gave them both a tight smile.

  Allen hopped up with alacrity and said, “Thanks! That sounds awesome. See you later, guys.” And he quickly left the other old boys on the bench to their own devices.

  Usually, they had to wait to be seated, but today there was a booth available right away for them. Allen glanced over the menu hungrily while Miles and Myrtle waited.

  “Y’all already know what you want?” he asked.

  Miles said, “Myrtle made a pick about twenty minutes ago and I always get the salad.”

  Allen made a face. “Are the salads even good here? The specialty of the house is fried food.”

  “The salad is always fresh.” It was about as good of a compliment as you could make about a salad.

  After they placed their orders, Myrtle gave Miles a prompting look. Miles apparently didn’t feel much like being pushy. He said, “So, how have you been, Allen?”

  Allen, luckily, seemed to be in the mood to talk about his problems. “Oh, I’ve not been doing so great. Well, you know how it is. If it’s Tuesday, it’s the dermatologist. If it’s Wednesday, it’s the dentist. Lots of medical things going on. But what I’m most upset about is my work at the theater.”

  “Oh?” asked Miles mildly.

  Myrtle asked, “What is it that you do at the theater?”

  “I’m afraid it’s past tense now,” said Allen sadly. “It’s all over for me now because I was let go. But I used to do absolutely everything there. I’d work on sets, act, advertise, be an usher, help Toucan with the books, run errands—whatever needed to be done.”

  “Why on earth would Mr. Toucan dispense with such a valuable member of his staff?” asked Myrtle crisply. “Has he lost his mind?”

  “He was lied to,” said Allen. “And he couldn’t seem to see the truth. But I wasn’t a member of his staff. There really was no paid staff there. I was just a volunteer.”

  “More like a super volunteer,” muttered Myrtle.

  Miles frowned. “I don’t understand. What happened?”

  Allen sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. “Oh, it’s been awful. You know how Jax was also at the theater a lot.”

  “Were you friends?” asked Myrtle.

  “We were friendly. I wouldn’t have called us friends since we never did anything together outside of the theater. But we did spend a good deal of time together when we were at the theater.”

  Myrtle said, “What do you make of his sudden death?”

  Allen said, “Well, I’m certainly concerned. It’s a horrible thing to happen in a quiet neighborhood like his.” But there was a discernible note of smugness in his voice and something else, besides. Maybe schadenfreude.

  “You did know where he lived, then?”

  Allen blinked in confusion. “Just because I had to go by there sometimes on theater business. He’d paint sets and I’d pick them up in my truck and take them back to the theater. He did a pretty good job with them,” said Allen grudgingly.

  Miles said, “What did Jax have to do with your being let go at the theater?”

  Allen’s face darkened. “He lied. He said that he’d caught me pilfering money from the till.”

  Myrtle’s and Miles’s eyes opened wide.

  “That’s right. Then he told Toucan that I’d seen Jax come in and that I’d put the money right back. But the damage was already done by then. Toucan just didn’t trust me anymore. I couldn’t stand being over there with him watching me all the time like he thought I was going to take something. Before I could quit volunteering, he asked me not to come back.”

  “Why would Jax do something like that?” asked Myrtle.

  They stopped talking while the waitress put down their food.

  As soon as she walked away, Allen said viciously, “Because that’s the kind of person he was. A mean one. Just look at the way he treated women—with absolutely no respect. The guy wasn’t normal, I tell you. I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but I can definitely see where someone could want to take Jax out. He messed with too many people. At some point, someone was going to bite him back. But it wasn’t me.”

  “Did you ever see the women he dated at the theater?” asked Myrtle. Allen nodded and she asked, “What was your perspective on them?”

  Allen gave a short laugh. “I thought they were too nice to be seeing Jax. I even told both of them—warned them off. I tried to explain the kind of person Jax was because I’d seen his behavior repeated year after year with different women. I said they were going to end up being hurt.”

  “Do you think they might have told Jax that you’d warned them off?” asked Miles slowly. “Could that be why Jax lied about your taking money?”

  This apparently hadn’t occurred to Allen. He made a face. “Maybe.” He then proceeded to comfort himself by gulping down large quantities of food. “Anyway, it didn’t do any good. Marigold and Eloise kept dating Jax.” He looked at Miles. “Sorry, Miles. I know Eloise was your girl for a while.”

  “Not really,” said Miles with a sigh.

  “Jax didn’t care a thing for them . . . it was evident in the way he was talking about them. He only cared about himself. But those two women weren’t all softness and light, either. I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened to push one of them over the edge.”

  Myrtle said, “So you think Marigold or Eloise killed Jax.”

  “Maybe. Or it could have been Jax’s daughter. What’s-her-name. Nicole. She has a hard face. Wears too much makeup. She was always after Jax to do something with his property, too—she wouldn’t leave him alone about it. I guess all those expensive clothes and purses and things add up and she’s short on money. But yeah, I still think it’s probably one of the women he was seeing who finally did him in.”

  Miles asked, “How is Mr. Toucan handling all the different roles you’d filled?”

  “Well, he’s in a pickle now. But he’d had Jax take over them all.”

  Myrtle said, “That seems odd to me. Jax was this laid-back, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He didn’t seem like the sort who’d want to do that much work.”

  Allen shrugged. “It wasn’t really work to Jax, like it wasn’t really work to me. The theater was a fun place. I kind of felt as if I was playing all day long. I think Jax felt the same way.”

  Miles said, “Can’t you go back now and ask Mr. Toucan to reinstate you? Especially since Jax is gone. I’m sure he’s probably scrambling to try to cover everything.”

  Myrtle added, “You should just tell him that you hadn’t done anything and explain why Jax was lying about you.”

  Allen set his mouth stubbornly and shook his head. “I’m afraid my pride just won’t let me, y’all. The theater and Toucan should have trusted me after all my years of service over there.”

  He looked sadly down at his empty plate as if he had no idea how it had gone from full to bare. Miles hesitantly asked, “Are you doing all right, Allen? Taking care of yourself and all?”

  Allen nodded. “I’m not short on cash, just haven’t had it in me to eat. But, sitting here with friends, my appetite came back.”

  Miles looked a bit glum at having sponsored everyone’s lunch as he pulled his wallet out and headed to the front counter to pay.

  Myrtle was now eager to be rid of Allen. He appeared to be hav
ing so much fun, however, that she worried dumping him was going to prove a chore. All kinds of excuses came to her mind, but in the end, she didn’t need any of them since the old boys were still hanging out on the bench in front of the diner. Allen happily greeted them, patted his full tummy, and settled down to gossip.

  Myrtle waved him off and then said in a low voice to Miles, “That’s just as well. I have other things I want to do today besides hang out with Allen. Want to come with me to the Bradley Bugle?”

  Miles acquiesced, although going to the newspaper office wasn’t very high on his list of things to do.

  “And thanks for lunch, Miles. It was delicious, as always. How was your salad?”

  Miles sighed. “It was a salad. There’s not too much that can go wrong when making a salad, although once I had one that had far too much dressing on it. The big thing is that my stomach doesn’t hurt and I don’t feel like I’m about to fall asleep in the middle of the day.”

  “Sounds like a win-win,” said Myrtle dryly.

  “Uh-oh,” muttered Miles.

  Myrtle looked up with narrowed eyes to see Eloise beaming at them from across the street and hurrying over.

  Chapter Nine

  “FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE,” Myrtle grated.

  “Hellooo there!” Eloise said cheerily. “Fancy running into the two of you here. I was just thinking about you, Miles, and suddenly my thoughts manifested. It’s a miracle.”

  Myrtle was fairly certain that there was nothing remotely miraculous about the fact that Eloise was stalking Miles. This wasn’t the first time since Miles had broken up with Eloise that she’d suddenly appeared. Myrtle was convinced that Eloise suddenly found Miles irresistible because he was no longer available to her. She’d seen it happen all too often in her 80-something years.

  Miles gave Eloise a small smile. “Hi there.”

  “Want to have lunch with me? Both of you are welcome, of course. I thought I’d go to the diner.”

  Myrtle decided to let Miles handle this all by himself.

  Miles cleared his throat. “As a matter of fact, we’ve already eaten. We’re also about to run an errand for Myrtle. Hope you have a nice lunch.”