The look on Sylvia’s face tugged at Deena’s heart. Maybe she could use a sidekick. “Will you promise not to ask too many questions?”
“Of course. Whatever you say.” Sylvia beamed. “I didn’t press you about where you were when you were out burning up your hair, did I?”
It was against her better judgment, but Deena agreed to let Sylvia go with her to the church. “It won’t be anything exciting. I just have to ask Reverend Abbott and Darlene a few questions.”
“A few questions about their whereabouts when Ray Brewster was murdered, am I right? Which one of them do you think poisoned him?”
“Sylvia? Who said he was poisoned?”
“You did. I heard you talking to Gary about it the other night.”
“You are sneaky,” Deena said, pulling on her coat. “I’m not accusing anyone of anything. I’m trying to clear Wendy Fairmont.”
Sylvia picked up her cane and put on her coat. “Whatever you say, partner.”
DEENA CHECKED HER PURSE for the third time to make sure she had the papers Detective Guttman had given her. She was nervous, not because she was afraid she wouldn’t find out anything, but because she would find something.
“Where’s Darlene?” Deena asked when she saw Reverend Abbott sitting at the reception desk inside the church.
The telephone rang, so she waited while he told the caller that the kindergarten class would be meeting in the first grade classroom this evening.
He hung up the phone. “She’s gone. Quit. Outta here—thanks to you,” he grumbled.
“Oh my,” Sylvia said, “I’m afraid my daughter-in-law has that effect on some people.”
“Sylvia!”
“I’m just telling it like it is, honey. Have you had lunch, Reverend? You look almost sickly. Why don’t you just let me sit here while you go get yourself a bite to eat.”
“You would do that?” he asked.
“Why, certainly. Back home I do all kinds of volunteering at my church. You just go take a breather, and I’ll take care of things out here. I’m sure the parishioners will understand when I tell them you’re shorthanded. Maybe I can drum up some volunteers to help out until you can find a new secretary.”
“Thank you,” he said and walked off down the hall.
Genius, Deena thought. Sylvia just bought me some time alone with Abbott.
Sylvia leaned her cane against the side of the desk and opened the drawer. “What do you want me to look for while I’m here?”
Deena couldn’t help but chuckle at her mother-in-law’s enthusiasm for sleuthing. “I guess just look for anything suspicious or out of place. If you see anything directly related to Ray, make a note of it.”
The phone rang again. “First Methodist Church. This is Sylvia. May I help you?”
Deena headed off to find Reverend Abbott. She followed her nose to the church kitchen where the reverend was removing a dish from the microwave. “That smells delicious,” she said.
He looked over his shoulder. “Pot roast. My wife is a saint. No matter how many hours they have her working at the hospital, she always manages to have a hot meal waiting for Charlie and me at home.”
“Mind if I join you?” She didn’t wait for an answer and sat in a chair next to him at the table. She looked around casually at the inspirational posters on the wall. In the last five years since Reverend Abbott and Helen had been at the church, they had managed to breathe new life into the place. The education department was growing by leaps and bounds and church attendance was up.
“By the way,” Reverend Abbott said, “what happened to your hair? I don’t remember it being that color.”
Sylvia stuck her head in the doorway. “Actually, I don’t remember anybody’s hair being that color.” She winked at Deena. “Mrs. Barrington has volunteered to cover the desk tomorrow. I’m still working on someone for Friday.”
“Already? You’re an absolute gift from God, Mrs. Sharpe.”
When Sylvia left, he addressed Deena. “You are lucky to have her around.”
“Lucky? Yes.”
“Now what can I do for you, Deena? You’re not here to accuse me of murder again, are you?”
Sort of, she thought. “As I’m sure you know, Wendy Fairmont has been charged with killing Ray Brewster. I’m working with her lawyer, Ian Davis, to help clear her name and get to the truth of what happened to Ray.”
“Very admirable of you. Wendy is a lovely girl. I can’t imagine she would commit such a heinous crime. But, you better make it fast. I have a meeting with the music director in about fifteen minutes.”
She needed to throw him some softballs before showing him the papers. “Did you happen to see Ray on Saturday?”
“You mean, before I saw him lying dead over in the portable building?”
This wasn’t going to be easy. Reverend Abbott was obviously a hostile witness. “Yes, in the morning or afternoon?”
“No. I didn’t get to the church until almost four o’clock. Like I told the police, Peter Collier and I had gone out fishing at the lake. We didn’t get back until after lunch.”
“So, who was in charge of the carnival? Who had a key to open all the doors and let people in?”
“Well, Ray had the keys and was supposed to be here all day to let people in. Mrs. Clooney was in charge. She said the building was unlocked when she got there around ten in the morning. She said she saw Ray a few times coming and going. I’m sure the police have her statement.”
“I see.” None of this was new information of course. “When Ray’s body was found, it was obvious he had been drinking...a lot. Do you think he had a drinking problem?”
“Do birds fly? Can fish swim? Yeah, he had a drinking problem, but he was working on it. Or, at least that’s what I thought.”
“Everyone knows you really went out on a limb to help him. Most people wouldn’t have been as patient with him as you were. As far as you know, did he also have a problem with gambling?”
“Gambling? Um...what do you mean?”
“You know, like betting on football. Or horse races.”
Reverend Abbott looked down at his watch. “Not as far as I know.” He shoveled the last bit of stew into his mouth and took a drink of soda. “Is that all? I need to get ready for my meeting.”
Deena reached into her purse and pulled out the papers from Detective Guttman. “Just one more thing. Have you ever seen these before?”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out the answer was yes. The reverend’s face turned bright red and his breath caught in his throat. “What—where did you get those?”
“Are they yours?” Deena asked, ignoring his question.
He stood up and carried his dishes to the sink. “No. I’ve never seen them before. Is that all?” He turned to her and smiled as fake a smile as she had ever seen.
“You said Helen was at the carnival Saturday night. Darlene said she was at the hospital. As far as you know, where was your wife when Ray died?”
Reverend Abbott clearly struggled to keep his composure, but his face gave him away. “She was at the hospital, just as Darlene said. I didn’t realize she had been called in to work an extra shift that night.”
“The Maycroft hospital?”
“Yes, of course. Now I really must go.”
“Thanks for talking to me. You’ve been a big help.” She folded the papers and put them back in her purse. “Tell Helen I said hello.” She got up and walked back toward the reception area. That should give them something to think about, she thought.
“It’s time to go,” Deena told Sylvia when she got back to the front desk.
“But who will mind the phones?” Sylvia asked.
“Not our problem. We’ve got more work to do.”
That was all Sylvia needed to hear. She picked up her cane and her handbag and followed Deena outside. “Don’t you want to know what I found?”
“What did you find?” Deena asked, humoring her mother-in-law.
“A man called
looking for Darlene. I got his name, but when I told him she was no longer working there, he hung up abruptly.”
“Besides being rude, what do you think it means?”
“When I was going through the desk, I found that same man’s business card. Here, let me get it. I dropped it in my purse.”
“Why would you take his business card from her desk?” Deena asked. Her mother-in-law had just gone from trusted sidekick to petty thief.
“Because I remember seeing the same man’s card on our kitchen counter.” She pulled the card out of her handbag.
“What? Whose card is it?”
“It belongs to a man by the name of Julius Dunbar.”
AFTER DEENA EXPLAINED who Julius Dunbar was, Sylvia seemed a little deflated. She had hoped the information was an important clue. Deena told her that the man was working for Wendy’s future father-in-law and had hoped to keep her out of jail and out of the news.
“Don’t worry,” Deena said, “we are just getting started. I want to go talk to Stephanie Gander again.”
“I’m a little tired and my foot is starting to hurt,” Sylvia said. “Besides, I still have to make a cake. Why don’t you drop me off at the house.”
“Sure, but don’t feel like you have to cook for us. You just get some rest.”
“Oh, it’s not for you.”
Deena rolled her eyes. Just when she thought they were making progress, here Sylvia went playing up to Gary again. I wonder if she’ll ever make me a cake?
IT WAS TOO EARLY TO go see Stephanie. She wouldn’t be getting out of school for another hour. Deena’s options were to check on her antique booth or check on Sandra. Going to see Sandra would be more fun. Besides that, she could look for treasures for her booth. As she turned down Main Street, Deena had an uneasy feeling. Was she being followed? She checked her rearview mirror again. She was probably just being paranoid after her previous episode earlier in the fall. Who would be following her anyway?
She turned on the radio and listened to a seventies pop rock one-hit wonder whose name she couldn’t remember. When she pulled into the parking lot, she sat in her car a moment and looked around to make sure there was no one suspicious. I’m just being silly. She got out of the car and went inside the shop.
The familiar jingle of the bells on the door felt like a warm hug. Sandra was waddling around with a feather duster like some kind of TV housewife from the fifties.
“Hey, mama,” Deena said. “Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?”
“I just want to make sure everything is spic and span for when you have to take over. I didn’t realize how dusty everything had gotten.”
“I’ve heard about this. They call it nesting. It happens just before the baby comes.”
“Whatever. All I know is that if anyone puts another item back on a shelf where it doesn’t belong, I’m going to chop them into little pieces, put ’em in a suitcase, and throw it in the lake.”
“Oh my. That just means more work for Ian. He’s already got one murder case on his plate, he doesn’t need another.”
Sandra returned to the front counter and balanced herself on the stool. “How’s that going, by the way? Ian won’t tell me anything. He usually keeps his cases confidential, but he’s even more tightlipped than usual. Says he doesn’t want me to have any stress.”
“He’s a wise man. You should listen to him.”
“I’m glad you stopped by,” Sandra said.
“Of course you are. I’m your best friend.”
“There’s something I need to tell you. It’s...good news and bad news.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the baby, is there?” Deena felt a lump in her throat.
“No, no. Nothing like that. In fact, the good news is we finally decided on names for the baby.”
“Yay,” Deena said, clapping her hands together like a kid in a candy store. “Tell me. Tell me.”
“Well, if it’s a boy, we are going to name him Evan Patrick after Ian’s grandfather.”
“I like that. It has a nice ring to it.”
“The bad news is, if it’s a girl, we are going to name her Sylvia Beth after my grandmother.”
Deena felt like she’d been kicked in the gut. “Sylvia? Really? You know Gary’s mother will think you named the baby after her, right?”
“I know.”
“Of all the names in the world, that’s what you come up with? What about Bethany or Nicole or Michelle or anything else?”
Sandra laughed. “We’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I was afraid to tell you. I was going to wait until your Sylvia went back to Oklahoma. But since it looks like she’s going to be here awhile...”
Deena dropped her head. “Sounds like you’ve decided, so I guess I’ll have to accept it. Gary and I are still going to be the godparents, right?”
“Of course! Nothing has changed.”
The front door opened and several girls came in. They were high school students inquiring about volunteer opportunities.
Deena strolled over to look around the shop. Still in a little shock, she could barely bring herself to look at the vintage pottery. She picked up a piece that appeared older. It was marked “Made in Japan.” She set it back down on the shelf in front of her. Then she remembered Sandra’s threat and quickly moved it back to the top shelf where she had found it.
One of the girls at the counter looked familiar. She might have been in one of Deena’s classes a few years back. Why were they here now? School wouldn’t be out for at least another hour.
Deena walked back up to the counter. “Hey girls, what are you doing out of school so early?”
The girl wearing a Texas Tech t-shirt turned around. “Oh hey, Mrs. Sharpe. We got out early for a teacher workday.”
“Ah, I see. I remember those.” It suddenly hit Deena that Stephanie might already be at home. She needed to get there as quickly as possible in case Stephanie was working that evening.
Deena looked up at Sandra. “I’ve got to go. Sorry. I’ll talk to you later.”
As Deena hurried out the door, Sandra called after her, “What is it? Are you mad at me?”
“No, of course not. I’ve got a witness to interview.” With that, she was out the door and headed to Stephanie’s house.
Maybe Stephanie noticed some things Charlie missed. What exactly had Wendy said that sounded like a threat when she was talking to Ray? If it was convincing enough for Guttman to arrest Wendy, Deena needed to hear it for herself.
As she got nearer to Stephanie’s, a strange thought came over her. If Wendy didn’t kill Ray, could that mean her pastor or his wife was really guilty of murder? She hadn’t really let herself think like that, even though she was the one pushing for them to be investigated. Men of the cloth, devout religious people, just don’t do things like this. And Helen Abbott was one of the sweetest people she’d ever met. She just couldn’t see either of them being guilty of committing this crime.
Darlene, on the other hand, was a more likely candidate. Although she was a nice person, she didn’t have the same kind of standing in the town. People liked her, but she had her abrasive side as well.
Maybe they were on the wrong track altogether. Maybe someone else had killed Ray. Someone with a shady background like Ray himself. But wouldn’t that kind of person be more likely to shank him or hit him over the head with a whiskey bottle?
Deena knew she needed to be more objective. She would talk to Stephanie and see what she had to say. But it would take a lot of convincing to believe someone like Wendy who had everything going for her and everything to lose would risk it all for a man like Ray Brewster.
Chapter 19
Maycroft had just one high school. Kids went there from all around the county. Stephanie lived in the south part of town, an area known for rowdy bars and run-down businesses.
Deena checked the address again and pulled onto Stephanie’s street. The houses were small but mostly well kept, with a few junkers wedged in between. As she got
closer, she saw several cars parked in front of the house.
She hadn’t expected to see Charlie Abbott there. And she certainly hadn’t expected to see him and Stephanie lip-locked in broad daylight leaning against a car. She parked in front of the neighbor’s house and got out.
Luckily, the two teens let go of their grip on one another to come up for air.
Charlie was the first to spot her. “Mrs. Sharpe. What are you doing here?”
Stephanie blushed, turning almost as red as the new Mustang she was standing in front of. The shiny new car looked out of place on this beige street with its well-worn houses.
“I’m here to talk to Stephanie about Wendy Fairmont. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Sure,” Stephanie said. She turned back to Charlie. “I’ll call you later.”
Charlie nodded his head and hurried across the street to get into his truck.
Deena waved as he drove off. “I didn’t realize you two were dating,” she said with a sly grin.
“We’ve been friends awhile, but we started...seeing each other at the beginning of the school year.”
“Can I ask you a few questions about Wendy?”
Stephanie looked back at the house. “I’d invite you in, but...”
“No problem,” Deena said. “Let’s just sit here on the front steps. I’m not sure if you know this, but I’m working for Ian Davis, who is Wendy’s lawyer. We’re trying to find out what happened on Saturday between Wendy and Ray. Can you tell me what you heard and saw that day?”
Stephanie pulled the sleeves of her jacket down over her hands and rubbed the fabric with fidgety fingers. “Like I told that detective, Wendy seemed annoyed with Mr. Brewster pretty much the whole time we were there. She was yelling at him to help us, but he just kept walking off.”
“Is that all? She was just yelling at him about helping? She didn’t threaten him or anything?”
“Well, right before we left, I heard her say something like, if you ever bother me again I’m going to kill you.”
Cozy Suburbs Mystery Box Set Page 75
