by Sonia Parin
“Ma’am, I can assure you, I did not see the lady of the lake or any other lady swimming in the lake.”
Miss Haverstock harrumphed. “You need a keen eye, Clifford. You also need to suspend your disbelief. Something I know you repeatedly refuse to do.”
Clifford offered a small deferential bow. “My apologies, ma’am.”
“When did you see this lady of the lake?” Abby asked.
“The morning of the picnic, of course.” Miss Haverstock signaled to the dainty table beside her chair. “I use these.”
A pair of opera glasses!
“I have these scattered around the house. My eyesight isn’t as sharp as it used to be.”
Yes, but… how helpful could opera glasses be? “And what exactly did you see?”
“A woman emerging from the lake.”
“Or maybe a man,” Abby thought she heard Clifford murmur under his breath. When she looked at him for confirmation, he averted his gaze, but she noticed one eyebrow curved slightly.
“And what did this woman do?” Abby asked.
“She stood by the shore and waved.” Miss Haverstock lifted her hand and gave what looked like a royal wave.
“Did you happen to see if she was waving to anyone in particular?”
Miss Haverstock’s eyes widened slightly and her lips parted. “Now that you mention it, no. I’m afraid not. The sight of her held me enthralled. She had long tresses the color of sunshine. She made me think of Botticelli’s Venus rising from the sea… albeit with clothes.”
Abby slanted her gaze toward Clifford and thought she caught him lifting another eyebrow.
“Do you remember what she wore?”
“Yes, she reminded me of my mother. A light colored blouse and skirt.” Miss Haverstock’s eyes fluttered. “Maybe it was a dress.”
“Would you mind if I try them?” Abby asked and gestured to the opera glasses.
“Help yourself. They are quite powerful.”
Abby went to stand by the window and, lifting the opera glasses, she looked at the lake. They really were quite good. She strode over to the next window and this time she looked further, toward the opposite side of the lake.
She was about to turn when she caught sight of a shape moving between trees. She must have gasped because Faith came to stand beside her.
“What?” Faith mouthed.
“Nothing,” Abby mouthed back and turned to thank Miss Haverstock for her time.
“Oh, you must come back soon. Lady and Duchess will be so disappointed they missed meeting Mr. Doyle.”
“What’s the hurry?” Faith asked. “We missed out on having more Portuguese Custard Tarts.”
“I do hope Joyce changes the name. It’s a bit of a mouthful. Hold on to Doyle, please.” Abby put her foot down and drove them out as fast as she could.
“I hope you realize there are speed cameras in the area.”
“Out here? Surely the police wouldn’t waste their resources on a road with little traffic.” She turned into the main road but didn’t slow down.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Abby bit the edge of her lip. “I’ll risk it. Besides, I’m not really going fast. It just seems like it.” She checked her mirrors. “I don’t see anyone on the road.”
“You’re not supposed to. The police are quite cunning and know where to hide.”
She eased off the accelerator and leaned forward.
Faith laughed. “You think that’ll make the car go faster?”
“There was someone at the lake. I’m willing to bet it was a person of interest. We have to get there before they leave.”
“We should call the police,” Faith suggested. “It’s what a sensible person would do. Right?”
Abby chortled. “We’re already here. By the time the police arrive, the suspect might have left.”
“So it’s a suspect now. Returning to the scene of the crime?”
Abby pointed ahead. “There’s a car.”
“Oh… Oh, dear.”
“What?”
“I recognize the car. It has the comedy and tragedy masks sticker on the back. It’s our Eden Thespians logo. Kitty had it custom made.”
“No doubt she came back to look for her missing button.” Abby smiled. “Let’s go give her a hand.” And catch her in the act, she thought.
“This doesn’t look good for Kitty,” Faith murmured. “Why would she be looking for her button near the cove?”
Doyle trotted a few steps ahead of them. He stopped and turned, almost as if wanting to hear Abby’s response.
“Remember I pointed out a photo of Kitty walking away from this general area?”
“You don’t really think… No, I don’t even want to say it. Kitty lives for her acting and nothing else. She would never resort to an act of violence.”
Abby assumed everything Kitty had told her about her childhood behavior had been in confidence so she refrained from mentioning it, mostly because she didn’t want to be the one to cast a shadow over her character.
“How did you ever see her from so far away?”
“Those opera glasses were quite potent. Also, she’s wearing a yellow top.” Abby turned her thoughts to the lady of the lake with hair the color of sunshine. If she’d been wearing cream colored clothing… Could she have been at the picnic?
They’d almost reached the path leading to the little cove when Kitty emerged.
She looked up and gasped in surprise. It took her a few seconds to compose herself and when she did, she lifted her chin and said, “I can explain.”
Abby and Faith exchanged a raised eyebrow look. “What do you think you need to explain?” Abby asked.
Kitty folded her arms. “You’re wondering what I’m doing here.”
“Yes, I suppose we are, but I think we can take a wild guess and say you’ve come looking for your button.”
“It doesn’t make me guilty.”
“Probably not, but don’t you think it would be too much of a coincidence for you to lose it near the little cove?”
“I know it looks bad but there is a perfectly good explanation.”
If Kitty didn’t come out with it right then and there, Abby would have no choice but to suspect Kitty of trying to buy time to get the details sorted out in her mind.
Doyle sat in front of Kitty and looked up at her.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Did you train your dog to do that?”
“As a matter of fact, no. Doyle came to me fully equipped with a full range of mannerisms. Which makes me wonder about his previous owner. But that’s all beside the point. You were about to explain yourself.”
“The day of the picnic I went for a stroll. There’s no crime in that.”
Doyle tilted his little head.
“Okay, it was more of a blowing off steam walk.” Kitty drew in a deep breath. “Gordon proposed to me again.”
And that made her… steamy?
“He… He caught me off guard and I was completely unprepared,” Kitty continued.
After what Kitty had told her about her personality, it all began to make sense. The theater gave her clarity and direction. Everything she had to do and say was scripted for her.
“I was afraid I’d say something to put him off for good so I… I stormed off. Not literally. Inside, I could feel myself falling apart, but I think I managed to maintain a calm demeanor. It’s only when I got to the secluded path that I started to grind my back teeth.” Kitty’s hands clenched. “I bent down to pick up a rock.” She shrugged. “I guess I needed to vent my anger. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t angry with Gordon but, rather, with myself. I should have accepted his proposal the first time.”
Abby could see her eyes softening.
“He’s the perfect gentleman. Loving. Considerate. Funny.” Kitty laughed. “I’ve never experienced a boring moment with him. And he cooks.” Kitty swung away and growled. Turning back to face them, she said, “I think I lost the button when I bent down.”
Abby rea
lized Kitty could not have had anything to do with Miranda’s death. She’d already been out in the middle of the lake and had been dead for several hours. “When I arrived I started taking photos straightaway and one shows you emerging from that secluded path. It sort of places you near the scene of the crime but the timing is wrong so I guess that puts you in the clear.” Could she say the same about Gordon? She’d wondered about him before but he simply didn’t strike her as a killer. His first reaction to Kitty and Miranda’s altercation had been to ensure the situation didn’t escalate. Also, a couple of the Dear Abby correspondents had mentioned seeing him sitting near them…
Miranda had been killed well before anyone else had arrived. Abby’s mouth gaped open and then clammed up in frustration. Miss Haverstock had said she’d heard music and had then seen the lady of the lake.
“What?” Faith asked.
“I have too many thoughts bumping around my head. I think I’m about to explode.” Miss Haverstock must have been confused. Miranda had died well before anyone had started playing music.
Kitty’s voice hitched. “What if the police find my button?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. We’ve all searched for it now and no one’s found it. For all we know, someone picked it up. Maybe one of the kids. Or we might have trampled on it. It’s a bit muddy around there.” She refrained from mentioning falling on her butt the day before.
“I wish the police would just catch the killer. How hard can it be? We can’t walk around suspecting everyone.”
Chapter Thirteen
They drove back to town in silence. Abby would have bet anything Faith’s thoughts were spinning around while hers… Well, they too spun, but with a slight difference. She had a wheel of fortune in her head. “Where it stops nobody knows…”
“What was that?” Faith asked.
Abby made a turn and parked the car outside the pub. “It’s too late to go back to work.”
“You’re right. I think we should go sit in front of your crime board and mull this over. I should warn you. I might scream. I never realized how frustrating this could be. How on earth does Joshua do it?”
“It’s a pity Gordon Fisher is so nice. He had the perfect motive. I think his love for Kitty would have driven him to commit a crime for her.”
Mitch stood behind the bar chatting to a group of customers. Seeing them, he gave the counter a brisk wipe and beckoned them over.
He grinned and said in a singsong tone, “I know something you don’t.”
Abby grinned right back at him. “Miranda’s cousin checked in today.” Smacking her hand over her forehead, she then drew her cell phone out. “I just remembered something.” She keyed in a message and hit send. “Joshua needs to go through Miranda’s cosmetics. What if instead of looking at people who were at the picnic, we should be working our way backward and trying to find proof of a premeditated act. We know the poison can be extracted as a powder and that could easily be mixed in with a moisturizer.”
“Look at her.” Mitch leaned against the counter. “As giddy as a kid at Christmas time.”
“I’d hate to rain on your parade.” Faith went around the counter and helped herself to a packet of peanuts. “I’m guessing Miranda suffered from a severe allergy, the sort that crops up in an instant, and any contact with bee venom would have manifested quickly. If she’d applied moisturizer laced with poison at home, she would have dropped dead before she reached the front door.”
Abby nodded. “I agree, but Joshua seems more amenable to accepting my ideas. I’d like to think he’ll be happy to check this out. I need to have this crossed off the list so it doesn’t plague me.”
A hand clamped around her shoulder. She didn’t need to turn around to know Joshua stood behind her. “I’ll go quietly, officer. No need to handcuff me.”
“But that’s half the fun,” Joshua said.
“Did you get my message?” Abby asked.
Nodding, he took the barstool next to hers and ordered a beer. “Are you girls eating or drinking?”
“Abby’s decided to dine like a pauper but I’m having a big platter of something,” Faith said. “I haven’t decided what yet but it’ll probably go with a beer so, if you’re buying, I’m drinking.”
Joshua turned to Abby. “Dining like a pauper? Are you on a diet?” His eyes widened in surprise.
“No… I’m merely trying to eat sensibly, but I could postpone it until tomorrow. It’s all about proportions and moderation. Right?”
Faith took a sip of her beer and smiled. “After the number of tarts you indulged in today, you should stick to salad.”
Mitch winked at her. “Hannah can whip you up a filling salad. I’m thinking something along the lines of chickpeas.”
Abby sunk into her seat. “After all the running around I did today, I think… I’ll have a burgher. In fact, I deserve a burgher.”
Mitch nodded. “One Falafel coming right up.”
“I said a burgher.”
Mitch gave her a thumbs up and took the order to the kitchen.
“I can’t think on an empty stomach.” Abby helped herself to a peanut and turned to Joshua. “Why do you think Miranda’s cousin chose to stay at the pub instead of at the house?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. She’s here to sort out her cousin’s belongings. Maybe she’s afraid of ghosts.”
Faith and Abby looked at Joshua, their eyes wide.
He smiled. “What?”
Abby poked him with her finger. “Are you Joshua’s doppelgänger? I can’t believe you willingly shared that information with us.”
“It’s the end of a long day for me,” he said. “I let my guard down.”
“I find that hard to believe.” Abby decided he wanted something from her and had deliberately tried to lower her defenses by sharing information. “Why would someone who claims she didn’t have a great relationship with Miranda offer to go through her belongings?” Where had that come from? She’d heard it from someone… “Wait, don’t answer. William Matthews asked Sahara Johns to go through Miranda’s things as a special favor because he either doesn’t have the time or he doesn’t have the heart to dispose of Miranda’s personal effects. Yes, that would be my guess, and we know Miranda didn’t have much family. I guess he doesn’t either.” So the only person he could turn to had been Sahara Johns. Abby wondered how Sahara felt about being assigned the task.
Mitch approached and set a plate down in front of Faith. The large burgher had a generous serving of golden fries. He set another burgher down in front of Joshua. Abby rubbed her hands. She couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into…
“What’s this?”
Mitch rounded the bar and got busy pouring a beer. “It’s good for you. Eat up.”
“That doesn’t actually answer my question.”
“Think of it as a burgher without the bun.”
“And the meat.” She looked at it. “This isn’t meat. It’s shaped like a mini burgher but it isn’t a burgher. I thought you liked me. Why would you deny me a burgher? Now I have to sit here and watch these two scoff down their delicious burghers.”
Without asking, Joshua gave her his burgher and took her plate of falafel.
“Did you do that to shut me up?”
“You were sounding a bit whiny,” Faith said around a mouthful of burgher.
“I actually like falafel and this is the only place around here that serves it.” Joshua nudged her. “Also, Faith’s right. You sounded miserable.”
Mitch shook his head. “She suckered you into it. There’s no coming back from that.”
Feeling guilty, Abby offered Joshua some fries. “I’ve been thinking. I don’t envy you your job. You have a dead woman and, somehow, you have to trawl around for some sort of proof she was killed. What do you do to switch your mind off death?”
“I catch up on sleep.”
“Joshua’s being modest.” Mitch stepped away from the counter almost as if trying to avoid being within reach o
f Joshua’s ire. “He makes French bread. I’ve never tasted better. Hannah’s been trying to get his recipe for ages.”
“You bake?”
“I dabble,” Joshua said.
“Heads up,” Mitch said and gestured toward the door.
Turning slightly, Abby saw a woman walk in. Her short hair, the color of honey, framed a round face with dimpled cheeks.
Sahara Johns, she presumed.
Chapter Fourteen
Mitch cleared their plates away and smiled at Abby’s frown. “Sahara Johns is having dinner in her room.”
“Couldn’t you entice her to enjoy the comfort, service and company of the bar?”
Mitch laughed. “What do you want me to do? I can’t force her to have dinner here just because you want to keep your eye on her.”
Abby waved a fry at him. “For once, could you not be so accommodating? How are we supposed to get information out of her if she keeps to herself?”
Faith patted her on the shoulder. “She’s in mourning. Give her a break.”
Abby turned to Joshua. “How did she react to the news about her cousin’s death?”
“The usual way. Shock. Disbelief.”
“Did she shed any tears?” Abby knew not everyone reacted to bad news by crying. Emotional releases could kick in as a delayed reaction. If she received news about someone close to her dying, she’d… Actually, she had no idea how she’d react. To date, the deaths in her family had been expected. With most family members enjoying longevity, their deaths had almost been overdue and every funeral she’d attended had been about celebrating the person’s life.
“She didn’t cry in my presence.” Joshua finished his beer. “Do you girls have anything planned for the rest of the night?”
“We were going to sit and stare at Abby’s crime board.” Faith reached for the desserts menu and scanned the contents. Looking up, she smiled at Abby. “What? I’m not the one making statements about limiting my food intake.”
Abby frowned. “I didn’t say anything.”
“But you were thinking something. Something along the lines of… How could Faith think about dessert after stuffing herself with a massive burgher?”