“Oh, of course!” Eleanor exclaimed, she turned to her side and began rifling through one of her ornamental boxes, humming slightly, “here it is.” Allegra reached out and took the folded-up note. She was beginning to notice a pattern in which most of her clues came from folded up bits of paper.
She opened it eagerly, but her face fell when she realized that she didn’t know who half these people were. She gave it to Greta who was leaning forward to try and read the list upside down.
“I don’t know those people,” Allegra admitted sadly. She was hoping that a name would stand out to her and that she would make a connection. But she only recognized a few names on that list, which did not help much. Eleanor gave her a sympathetic glance.
“Don’t worry child, that’s why we’re here to help.”
“Hold on,” Greta interjected, looking up, “all these people are in our book club.”
“That’s right,” Eleanor said, nodding along.
“I need to talk to them,” Allegra said suddenly, sitting forward, “but I need to do it in an informal setting. They won’t tell me anything if they think I’m questioning them.”
“Well, I’m hosting the meeting tonight,” Eleanor said slowly, “maybe you should sit in and see what the girls have to say. You might find something interesting.”
“I don’t know,” Greta said hesitantly, “I tried last time, but they were very tight-lipped.”
Allegra slumped back in her chair, trying to think of a solution. She tapped her tea cup in thought, enjoying the warmth of the tea in her hands. It was starting to get a bit chilly in the afternoons. It was not very noticeable, since the climate was so warm, but she had spent a year in a humid climate and she was finding that the smallest things made her feel cold. Eleanor’s house had a warm aura to it, and she felt comfortable just sitting back. Eleanor’s mothering also made her feel warm, but in a more complete way.
“You are underestimating something,” Eleanor said with a wicked twinkle in her eye.
“What is that?” Allegra asked, feeling herself sink into a comfortable haze. She wondered if she could take a quick nap on the couch, but that would probably be inappropriate. She sat up straighter, the sleepiness settling in.
“Gossip,” Eleanor announced gleefully, “this is one of the most traumatic things to happen in this town. If you play your cards right, you will have them fighting each other to tell you what they think happened.”
“You think so?” Allegra asked, trying to stifle a yawn.
“Yes,” Eleanor said with a firm nod, “you can join us tonight, but in the meantime, you can take a nap in the guest bedroom.”
***
The book club was just an excuse for the older ladies of the town to get together and gossip. About fifteen of them filed into Eleanor’s house to drink tea, eat cookies and complain about one thing or another. They spent ten minutes talking about their latest romance novel, another ten choosing the next book and the rest of the time was devoted to coming up with ways to conquer their problems.
It was like a secret club, and Allegra had to admit that she respected the way they had set everything up. People dismissed book club as being boring, but the truth was that it was a very interesting event. She learned more about the people in town at that meeting than she had in the past few weeks.
Book club was also a very sacred club, the members knew and trusted each other, so an outsider like her was treated with suspicion. Which was why Eleanor had her running up and down with trays of beverages and snacks. The ladies spoke freely, thinking that she was too busy to listen to them. As a result, she was picking up a lot of intel.
Everything was going smoothly until about half way through, Ashlee Mathers walked through the door with Ellie in tow. Allegra gritted her teeth when Ashlee stopped, looked through her and sat down as if nothing was the matter.
“Sit down, dear,” Eleanor called, patting the seat next to her, “you’re working so hard.” Allegra put down her tray and made her way to Eleanor’s side with a cautious look on her face. Ashlee crossed her legs and raised her eyebrows judgmentally. The chatter in the room lowered in volume as Allegra sat down with an apprehensive look on her face.
“If only Dot could see this,” Eleanor sighed happily, “she often spoke about you.”
“Poor Dot,” one of the older ladies sighed, “she was new to the club, but we all knew and loved her.”
“I’m sure she loved you too,” Allegra said kindly to the woman she had never met before. The old lady smiled happily and reached forward to squeeze Allegra’s knee.
“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” another woman lamented, and all the other women in the room made sounds of agreement.
“It seems just the other day I was fussing about her,” Eleanor added, looking genuinely sad.
“Her health deteriorated so quickly near the end,” someone said sadly.
“She didn’t even get to finish the book we were reading!”
“I didn’t know that she was new to the club,” Allegra said out loud, frowning, “I thought she always had a book club.”
“Oh no,” one lady said eagerly, talking before anyone else could, “she was always too busy with the factory and then with other things. She only joined two months ago.”
“It was so kind of Ashlee to invite her,” another lady said almost as soon as the first had finished. Ashlee leaned forward proudly and smiled gracefully at everyone around her.
“How kind of you,” Allegra commented, making a mental note.
“Someone had to take the initiative,” Ashlee replied snidely, giving her a smug once-over. Allegra raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“Dot said you wanted to be a writer,” Eleanor interrupted before their staring contest gave way to something else. “Maybe when you’ve written a book we can give you some feedback.”
“That would be lovely,” one of the ladies agreed, looking interested. Allegra smiled thinly, ignoring the woman who seemed intent on burning a hole into her forehead. Ashlee scoffed loudly, and Allegra clenched her jaw.
She was a guest in someone else’s home. She would not retaliate and allow the conflict to escalate beyond what it already had. It would be rude and insensitive. She repeated those words to herself, but it was harder to put them into practice than it was to say them.
“Do you have something in your throat?” Greta asked sweetly, leaning forward to look at Ashlee.
“No,” Ashlee replied, giving her a sugary smile, “I was just thinking about how loose the term ‘writer’ can be.” Allegra swallowed a retort and clenched her fist.
“What were your aspirations again?” Greta asked casually, sipping her tea, causing Ellie to choke on her tea and Ashlee’s smile to fall from her face.
Chapter Twenty
The room fell silent for a few moments and Ashlee turned a bright red color before sipping at her beverage. Ellie looked down and bit the insides of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing out loud. After a few awkward seconds everyone began talking again.
“Did you visit my great-aunt often?” Allegra asked the woman sitting across from her.
“As often as I could,” the woman said slowly, sipping delicately from her cup, “but the truth was that Dot didn’t like us fussing over her. She was very stubborn.” Allegra nodded, she knew Grumpy Dot, not even an illness could make her pretend to like people.
“That doesn’t mean that she was ever alone,” the woman said hurriedly, a slightly guilty look passing over her face, “She had her regulars.”
“So, tell us about this book you’re writing,” another woman looking eager to be part of the conversation.
“Constance,” the original woman said, looking annoyed, “we were talking about Dot.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Constance apologized, blushing profusely, “my hearing isn’t what it used to be.”
“That’s all right,” Allegra said kindly, she was annoyed at the interruption, but she did not want to be unkind to any
one, especially considering how nice everyone was being. She had expected to be treated like a pariah, but once the ice was broken, everyone was treating her like a member of the family.
Maybe she had been judgmental too. While thinking everyone in the town would exclude her and judge her for being different, she had never made an effort to connect with the people. She was wrong about the town, there was something here that made you want to stick around to see what happened.
“But do tell us about your writing, it is a fine goal to have,” the first woman said with sincere interest.
“You see, Emily,” Constance interjected, wagging her finger at her friend, “you were just as curious. We don’t get a lot of new folks around here.”
“I wouldn’t consider myself new,” Allegra said awkwardly, wondering if these women knew who she was.
Constance shook her head slightly, “We know who you are, you troublemaker, that doesn’t mean we know a lot about you.” Emily nodded seriously. “Now, tell us about your book.”
“I haven’t written one yet,” Allegra admitted shyly, “I’m always so busy.”
“You know,” Constance said suddenly, looking intently at Allegra, “I wanted to be a dancer. I could have been a good one too. But then after the children came, I had too much to do. Now, the children are gone, the grandchildren are getting older. And the one thing that stayed, is the wish that I had danced anyway.”
“There are a thousand excuses you could make, Allegra, but they will disappear. But you’ll always wish you had written that book. It’s not too late,” Emily summarized, giving her a stern look.
Allegra nodded obediently, her mind already working through the advice. They were right. At the end of the day, you only have what you have done or what you wish you had done. She wanted to look back on her life and realize that she did everything she wanted to do. Regret has no purpose if it comes too late.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely, “you have given me a lot to think about.”
“And I would pay to read whatever you write,” Emily said with a chuckle, “from the way Dot talked, you are quite the character.”
“I do enjoy a book that is full of character,” Constance agreed, munching on one of the cookies.
“Dot spoke about me?” Allegra asked, trying to fish for more information. It is always a good feeling when you hear that someone was talking about you. If it was bad, then you want to find out what they said. But if they said good things, it can boost your self-esteem. There is just something special about finding out that you exist beyond your actual presence.
“All the time,” Constance said emphatically, “you were like her child and grandchild wrapped into one. You know she never had kids, so she adopted you.”
“I never knew she felt like that,” Allegra said wonderingly, her heart swelling with love for someone who would never know.
“That’s probably why Ashlee is so jealous,” Emily remarked casually.
“Ashlee? Jealous?” Allegra sputtered disbelievingly.
“That’s right, dear, a woman doesn’t act like that unless she’s threatened. Besides, she heard a lot about you from Dot.”
“Did she spend a lot of time with Dot?” Allegra asked slowly, glancing at Ashlee from the corner of her eye.
“Yes, those sisters were always there. Ellie would be fussing around like a mother hen while Ashlee made herself comfortable. You know how they are. Poor dears, whenever I went around, they were there. Stationed like sentinels. It was very sweet of them.”
“They were always running errands for her, even when Dot yelled at them to stop,” Constance said fondly, looking over at the sisters.
“That’s why I think it’s such nonsense that the police are investigating her,” Emily said, her eyes flashing with annoyance, “Ashlee loved Dot.”
Allegra followed their gaze and watched Ashlee laugh loudly at something someone told her. Her eyes were bright, but there were dark circles under her eyes. The investigation was beginning to get to her. Allegra realized how hard it must be for her, trying to keep up the façade or perfection while trying to combat suspicion.
“I never knew that,” Allegra said thoughtfully, looking away when Ashlee looked up.
“Ashlee was always trying to see how she could help,” Constance assured her, “especially during those last few months.”
“Do you know how many months that was?” Allegra asked suddenly, looking directly at Constance.
“Well,” Constance said, squirming uncomfortably, “I’d have to say the last two to three months. Why?”
“No reason,” Allegra said casually, sipping at her now cold tea.
***
“All right,” Allegra said in annoyance, “why am I here?”
“I just thought it was time for a little chat,” Officer Crane said innocently, his eyes widening slightly. She raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair, trying to fight off the feeling of annoyance that was coursing through her veins.
Officer Crane was the type of person that changed annoyance from a feeling to a disease. When he was around, annoyance creeped into your brain and began affecting all your major organs. This disease inspired hateful thoughts and made your skin itch. It was a gift that few people possessed, and Crane had it in abundance.
“You’re going to get me fired,” she told him, fighting to keep her tone light, “I’m supposed to be working. How do you tell your new boss the police won’t stop harassing you?”
“I’d hardly call this harassment,” Crane said blithely, barely batting his lashes.
“You wouldn’t,” Allegra retorted, folding her arms against her chest. Crane made a little sound and leaned back too, watching her carefully.
“I wanted to let you know that the case is going well, and that we are closing in on a few suspects.”
“Thank you,” Allegra said, feeling a little sheepish, it looked like he was trying to be nice. Maybe she had judged him too harshly, or he was trying to mend bridges. Either way, she should be nicer to him. “Did you also find Reginald’s behavior suspicious?”
“Reginald Vance?” Crane asked frowning.
“Yeah, because of his connection to Dot,” Allegra said slowly, frowning at his confusion. She thought they were making progress in the investigation. In her own investigation, Reginald Vance was one of the prime suspects.
“Ah yes,” Crane nodded, “his connection.”
“You don’t know what I’m talking about,” Allegra realized in frustration.
“Of course, I do,” Crane snapped, the back of his neck turning red as he folded his arms too.
“Why did you call me here?” Allegra asked, shaking her head.
“Ah yes,” Crane said seriously, leaning forward again, “I heard that you are conducting your own investigation. I am asking you to stop, since it is interfering with my own investigation.”
“What investigation?” Allegra asked incredulously, “I bet you’re still fixated on Ashlee Mathers!”
“I cannot discuss the details of an ongoing investigation,” Crane reminded her, giving her a haughty look, “but I can arrest you for obstruction of justice. So, I’m asking you nicely to stop and hand over any evidence you may have collected.”
“Obstruction of justice?” Allegra cried, “I haven’t seen you in a week! I have not been interfering with your investigation. Or lack thereof. You should have found the clues long before I did.”
“So, you do have information,” Crane crowed, “I will not ask you again, Ms. Mitchells, hand it over before I arrest you.”
“Right, and then you get the credit for all my work,” Allegra snapped, piecing together his motive. Crane leaned back and lifted his eyebrows. He folded his arms again but said nothing. “Look,” she said tiredly, “maybe we can work together. I’m sure you have information that I don’t have yet.”
“You’re a civilian,” Crane scoffed dismissively, “Give me the information or I will arrest you.”
“Arrest me then,�
�� Allegra announced, putting her hands on the table between them, “but I’m going to get a lawyer. This must be illegal.”
“It is not illegal,” Crane sniffed, looking affronted, “You are being very difficult, Ms. Mitchells.”
“And yet you haven’t arrested me yet,” Allegra pointed out.
“Do not test me,” Crane warned, “I have been patient up until now. You are not qualified to handle this case. I am the lead investigator, I have been trained for this sort of thing.”
“Then how are you so far behind me?” Allegra challenged, refusing to back down. She would not let all her hard work be taken by someone out to make a name for himself.
“I am held back by red tape and protocol,” he snapped, “I cannot break into people’s houses and pry information from old ladies at a book club.”
Allegra shook her head angrily and clenched her teeth. She was wrong, Crane was not trying to mend bridges, he was trying to steal work and patronize her. If he had asked for help she would have gladly given him her file of notes. Instead, he chose to treat her like a child and use his position to try and intimidate her. She glared at him and he stared back, not willing to budge.
“Fine,” she snapped, reaching into her bag and pulling out the thin file she used to store all the clues. She tossed the file on the table and leaned back, trying not to smile as he eagerly grabbed the file.
His smile disappeared when he flipped through the file and realized that half of the clues were in code and that her notes made no sense whatsoever.
“What is this?” he asked angrily, shaking the file in her face.
“My entire case,” she answered sweetly, shrugging her shoulders.
“This is gibberish,” he snarled, tossing the file back onto the table, “I should have known you had nothing.”
“You should have,” Allegra said sweetly, “can I go now?”
His eyes darkened, and she swore he was about to launch at her from across the table. Instead he stood up and leaned forward over the desk.
“Tell me what these notes say,” he said threateningly.
She stood up too, causing her chair to jump backwards. She leaned on the table, mirroring his stance and looked him in the eyes. She learned that the best way to deal with bullies was to stand up to them.
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