Murder in Evergreen

by Jane T O'Brien

  “Good morning, Mr. Fisher, my name is Ava Pierce, I am the sister of Arlene Blanchard and would like to meet with you as soon as possible.”

  “I will be in my office the entire day. Please come by in an hour if that’s convenient.”

  *****

  I wonder what Arlene’s sister wants? I wasn’t disappointed when my assistant didn’t return to her job last year. I’m not a man women swoon over but Arlene never tried to hide her feelings for me making our working relationship awkward.

  *****

  Nelson Fisher kept a picture of his wife Sarah on his desk. She had been gone for over four years and his heart still fluttered when he looked at her smiling face. If it hadn’t been for meeting Sarah in his last year of high school, he wondered what would have become of him.

  He returned to school after an unsupervised, carefree summer with his cousin, Billy. His parents never knew the extent to which their son violated the values he had been taught from his earliest years. It still brought him shame when he remembered to days of drinking whiskey and beer until he couldn’t remember his name. His aunt and uncle invited Nelson to their home hoping he would have a calming influence on their wayward son, Billy. Unfortunately, the reverse happened and Nelson became as rebellious as Billy.

  To this day, Nelson never swallowed another glass of whiskey or downed a beer. The memory of the time he proved his manhood by seducing the daughter of the richest man in town would forever haunt him.

  Beatrice Danforth was a pretty, shy teenager when her parents suggested she invite some young people to a party at the country club. They felt, Beatrice, the couples only child needed to come out of her shell and meet people her age. Long before she could walk, she was a part of every party and gathering at her parent’s estate. Beatrice had been exposed to people all her life, but they were folks her parents’ ages and older. Beatrice didn’t know how to interact with children her own age and therefore she retreated into her shell when she was with young people.

  “Hey, Nelson,” said Billy. “The Danforth’s are throwing a party for their daughter at the country club tonight, let’s crash it. With your good looks and my great personality, we can hook ourselves a couple rich chicks.”

  Billy always bragged about all his conquests. Nelson believed everything his cousin told him and envied the way he talked about the girls he’d been intimate with. Nelson took an extra swig of his uncle’s whiskey that night to give him courage.

  The party was in full swing when the cousins arrived. The doorman directed them to the party room without question. Nelson was intimidated when he looked around the dance floor. These girls were more sophisticated and dressed more provocatively than any girls he’d ever met before. Even another shot of whiskey wouldn’t help with his feeling of inferiority. It was then he noticed a pretty girl sitting alone at a table. She was dressed in a modest blouse and shorts and looked uncomfortable.

  “Nelson, if you don’t lose your virginity tonight, there is no hope for you.” Billy said as he grabbed the arm of a beauty with a halter top and a pair of the shortest shorts Nelson had ever seen.

  Nelson poured two glasses of punch from the buffet table and found his way to the pretty girl sitting alone. He opened the flask he’d carried in his pocket and laced each drink with a little vodka.

  “Hello,” he said to the girl.

  “Hello back,” she said without smiling.

  “Aren’t you having a good time?” he asked.

  “It’s horrible. My parents forced me to have this party and I hate all these people.”

  “Maybe this will help,” Nelson said as he handed her the cup.

  “What did you put in it?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Enough to make these people more likeable.” He glanced around the room and smiled at her.

  Beatrice took a large swallow of the punch. She knew it had alcohol in it. She’d been drinking wine at dinner for years when her parents entertained their friends.

  The sweetness of the punch and the slight bitterness of the vodka made her smile for the first time that evening.

  “You are pretty when you smile; my name is Nelson, what’s yours?”

  “I’m Beatrice Danforth and my parents are the richest people in town. I can get much better vodka than the bitter stuff you put in this drink,”

  “How are you will you do that?” Nelson asked.

  She took his hand and led him to a storeroom filled with bottles of any kind of alcohol imaginable. Beatrice stepped on a stool and lifted a bottle of clear liquid from the top shelf. She found a package of plastic cups and he followed her outside to a cabana by the pool.

  She opened the vodka and filled half the glasses handing him one.

  “Try this, you won’t need that nasty punch, it’s better all by itself.”

  Nelson had known no one like Beatrice Danforth before. He knew she couldn’t have been more than fifteen but she didn’t act like it. He kissed her and when she kissed back, his hormones coupled with the alcohol in his system took hold and he lost control.

  To this day, Nelson never knew if he’d forced himself on Beatrice or if she was a willing participant. Billy found him the next morning sprawled on a bed in the cabana.

  “Nelson, wake up, we’ll be arrested if they catch us here.” Nelson’s head felt like it was removed from his body. He wanted nothing more than to throw up but he ran to his cousin’s car holding his jeans in his hand.

  After sleeping until well into the afternoon, Nelson drove Billy’s car to the Danforth mansion. He asked to see Beatrice but was told she and her parents left for Europe earlier that morning. He didn’t notice the curtains closing tightly on the third floor of the mansion as he drove down the long winding driveway to the highway towards Hillsboro.

  *****

  Nelson returned to Pineridge a few days later. He felt sick whenever he thought of what he might have done to Beatrice Danforth. On the first day of school that fall he met and fell in love with Sarah and tried to never think about his misadventures in Hillsboro that summer.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Mrs. Ada Pierce is here to see you, Principal Fisher.”

  Nelson walked toward the door to greet his visitor.

  “Mrs. Pierce, it’s a pleasure to meet Arlene’s sister. How may I be of help to you?”

  “Mr. Nelson,” Ada replied, “I’m sorry to say I lied to you about Arlene when I said she had moved out of state. Arlene was killed in an automobile accident. She was driving through Hillsboro when she lost consciousness. The coroner found a drug in her system. I was mortified when I heard that and I was too ashamed to tell anyone what happened to her. To my knowledge, Arlene took no medication, however, I can’t argue with the proof of the medical report.

  “I won’t take any more of your time, Mr. Fisher, I felt the need to come clean with you because my sister was investigating your time in Hillsboro.”

  Nelson wasn’t certain he’d heard Mrs. Pierce’s words correctly. “Arlene was investigating my time in Hillsboro?” he asked.

  “Yes, I brought her journal with me, I discovered it recently and I thought you should know that she was determined to discover facts about your background you may not want to be exposed. I am telling you this because two young women from the Hillsboro area visited me. They have questions about one of your teachers, Laura Abbott.”

  “I know Ms. Abbott last worked in Hillsboro but that was long after I visited in my youth. I don’t think it is any more than a coincidence. I am sorry about Arlene, she was a nice person.” Nelson was relieved she didn’t return but he didn’t know it was because of her death.

  *****

  After Mrs. Pierce left his office, Nelson read the pages of Arlene’s journal. He was shocked that she had stolen a ring from Ms. Abbott’s dresser drawer. What could the woman have been thinking? I remember the day Arlene told me she would visit the teacher and bring her flowers. I thought it was a nice gesture and encouraged her to see her during the class day. Who coul
d have guessed she had her own sinister reasons for visiting the young teacher?

  “Janet,” he called to his assistant, “Call Ms. Abbott to my office when she can break away from her lesson, please.”

  “Yes, sir,” Janet answered.

  Twenty minutes later, Laura appeared at Mr. Fisher’s door.

  “You wanted to see me, sir?”

  “Yes, Ms. Abbott, please sit. I had a visit from Ada Pierce, she is the sister of my former assistant, Arlene Blanchard. Mrs. Pierce gave me some pages from Arlene’s journal. On those pages, Arlene confesses to removing a valuable ring from your dresser drawer when she came to visit you after your surgery. When she suggested visiting you, I didn’t know she had an ulterior motive and I apologize for her behavior.”

  “Mr. Fisher, what Arlene did is not your fault. I’m not sure what she intended to do with the ring, but it washed up on the shores of Lake Hillsboro in the town of Evergreen. I had every intention of returning the ring to the man who gave it to me but I couldn’t part with it. It was a reminder of a happy time in my life. It is now back where it belongs.”

  “Ms. Abbott, I can see the pain in your eyes, I don’t think you need a ring to remember the person who gave it to you.”

  “It was a long time ago; I was led to believe he was a married man but that turned out to be a falsehood. It might be too late for us.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Fisher, I didn’t mean to be so personal.”

  “Laura,” he said feeling compelled to call her by her first name, “I have the strangest feeling we are connected. I visited my cousin in Hillsboro when I was a teenager. I haven’t been back since but I have been thinking about my time there lately.”

  “I only lived there a couple years. I don’t have a close relationship with my parents, they didn’t approve of my being a teacher and I took the job in Hillsboro because it was miles from my hometown. I fled from Hillsboro when I thought I’d been duped by my fiancé. It was foolish of me not to talk with Alec about that woman who claimed she was his wife. I doubted anyone could truly love me because my parents didn’t. I always felt like an intruder in their lives.”

  “Laura, that is sad. I don’t believe you aren’t loved. Since I have been at Carter Elementary, every student in your classes loves you. This morning, Maggie Flynn and Jessica Granger stopped me in the hallway to beg me to let you teach sixth grade next year so you could be their teacher again.”

  Laura smiled, “I love my students, this is the most difficult time of the year for me, having to say goodbye to them.”

  *****

  Molly and Joanna worked on floral arrangements for a small wedding to take place that evening. The marriage was the second for the bride and groom. They wanted the decorations to be simple but tasteful. Molly enjoyed working with the couple, they were obviously happy they’d found each other the second time around.

  “Laura called me last night,” said Joanna, “Mr. Fisher called her into his office to apologize for Arlene Blanchard swiping her ring.”

  “Why would he apologize, did he know what she’d done?”

  “Not until Ava Pierce told him and showed him Arlene’s journal. She told the truth after we paid her a visit. Laura confirmed that Mr. Fisher had a connection in Hillsboro about fifty years ago. It seems he spent the summer with his cousin, Billy Fisher. Mom says the Fisher family hasn’t lived here since she was a girl. Laura said she plans to come to Hillsboro when she finishes the school year in two weeks.”

  “I hope we haven’t opened an old wound for Laura. Luke tells me my snooping will get me into trouble.”

  “Dylan would prefer we stay out of it too. I told him I’ve been around you too long and you bring out the Nancy Drew in me.”

  The door to the shop opened and Brooke came running in.

  “I came from Alec Danforth’s apartment, you asked me to check his medicine cabinet. I did and there wasn’t any sign of pills. Before I left, I measured his kitchen cabinets for shelf paper and I found a prescription bottle. I asked Alec if he would like these in the bathroom and he said no, they are vitamin pills and his sister would have a fit if he didn’t take one every morning with his breakfast. When he left the room, I took one and here it is. I thought we could have it analyzed. It doesn’t look like any vitamin pill I’ve ever seen.”

  “We’ll take this to Joe at the pharmacy. He will tell us if it’s a vitamin or something more potent,” said Molly.

  *****

  “Hi ladies,” said Joe when his assistant told him Molly and Brooke wanted to ask him about a pill.

  “Joe, I hope you can help us, we would like to know if this pill is a vitamin,” Molly handed the pill to the pharmacist.

  “I can tell you it’s not a vitamin. I think I know what it is but let me be sure. He reached under the counter and brought out a large red book.”

  “Those are all medications?” said Brooke, “I never knew there were so many.”

  Joe turned to the page with a photo of the pill he held between his fingers. “It’s what I thought, this is a drug used for ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.”

  “Could it cause a personality change, Joe?”

  “This is a small dosage but over time it could cause irritability and mood swings. Brooke, has Lucy been diagnosed with this condition?” Joe asked with concern.

  “No, Joe, this pill has nothing to do with any child in Evergreen,” Molly replied. “Would the medication cause excessive drowsiness?”

  “It could cause drowsiness in some patients but not at a dangerous level, especially this low dosage. Dare I ask why you need to know about this medication?”

  “If my suspicions prove correct, I’ll let you know. Thanks for your help, Joe.”

  *****

  “What are you thinking, Molly? You have that intense look on your face again.”

  “I’m wondering what reason a woman would have to drug a grown man. Alec said he had been taking these so-called vitamins for years. What doctor would prescribe this medication without the patient’s knowledge? I want to talk to Adam about this. He might fill in the blanks.”

  Molly called her brother-in-law’s office. “Hi, Doris, this is Molly Ryan is Dr. Sloan available for a short visit from Brooke and me?”

  “I’m sure Dr. Sloan can see you for a few minutes. We have a full waiting room, as you can tell by all the children’s voices but he should be free in another hour. I’ll let him know you’d like to see him.”

  Molly and Brooke stopped in the sandwich shop for lunch while they waited for Adam schedule to clear.

  *****

  “Hello, ladies, Brooke how are two of my favorite little patients? I hope this visit isn’t out of concern for either of the children.”

  “No, Adam, the kids are fine. Molly is sleuthing again and I’m being nosy.”

  Molly explained the reason they were there and her concern that Beatrice Danforth was drugging her brother without his knowledge.

  “I don’t know Alec Danforth well, I think no one does. I often visited his gallery when it was open a few years ago. He might have been eccentric, as some artists are, however, don’t remember him being easily distracted or having symptoms of hyperactivity. I was in medical school then and was knew about social behaviors.”

  “Do you think a doctor would prescribe this medication to an eight-year-old after the death of his parents?”

  “Do you mean if the eight-year-old was the reason the parents died?”

  “You’ve heard that theory too?”

  “Not in years, I know my parents cautioned me about leaving anything near the water heater. It happened before my time but I remember hearing the boy was responsible for the explosion. A traumatic experience could cause emotional problems but would not bring about a brain disorder.”

  “Joe Simpson said ingesting that medication wouldn’t cause someone to fall asleep at the wheel.”

  Adam looked surprised at Molly’s words. “What are you saying, Molly? Did someone fall aslee
p while driving?”

  “Yes, a woman from Pineridge who might have visited the Danforth’s mansion shortly before falling asleep at the wheel and driving into a tree. There is no proof she was at the mansion but according to a journal she kept, that was her intention.”

  “The Danforth’s are an odd pair but I can’t believe they are capable of murder.”

  “Maybe they didn’t intend for the woman to die, maybe they were trying to scare her off. She had a ring that was given to a schoolteacher in Hillsboro by Alec Danforth. Alec and Laura Abbott kept their relationship secret because of Beatrice. It became known recently that Beatrice arranged for a young woman to impersonate Alec’s wife and confront the teacher. Laura left town without Alec’s knowledge. That was ten years ago and they haven’t seen each other since. The dead woman, Arlene Blanchard, stole the ring from Laura. I found it in the water last year. I turned it over to the police.”

  “Molly, you have an uncanny way of finding yourself in the middle of a mystery. I hope you will be careful; I don’t think the Danforth’s will welcome your investigation. If the woman who died was drugged, you could be in danger too.”

  “I’ll be careful, Adam.”

  He hugged his sister-in-law. “You and Stephanie finally found each other, I don’t want her to lose you again.”

  Molly and Brooke left the doctor’s office. Adam shook his head, he loved Molly like a sister and worried her safety. I wish she would stick with her floral shop and stop playing detective. Stephanie says she thinks Molly is worried she and Luke can’t have kids. I hope that’s not the case, maybe being a mother will make her less of a snoop, but I doubt it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Beatrice Danforth watched from her third story sitting-room window as Alec’s manservant piled clothing and suitcases into the back of the limousine. She hoped the man was taking unworn clothes to Goodwill but she knew it meant Alec was leaving their home.

  It all started when that florist asked questions about that stupid ring. Why didn’t I have it incinerated instead of throwing it in the lake? It has been ten years since that little schoolmarm tried to get her claws into my Alec. I thought I was rid of her until that wicked woman showed up at my door. I told Jasper to get rid of her but then he said she had a ring that belonged to Laura Abbott. I should have grabbed it from her hand then, instead, I let her into my home. She knew the secret and I couldn’t let her tell Alec. She threatened me, no one threatens Beatrice Danforth and gets away with it. Mother and Father could attest to that if they were alive. An evil grin crossed over Beatrice’s face.