“The feeling is mutual.”
We were silent for a moment while we both enjoyed our first bites of pie.
“Sometimes I’m too nosy,” I said, “but I am wondering about the children issue—why Carl wanted them and you didn’t.”
“You’re trying to make sense of me. I can hardly do that myself.” She took a sip of wine.
“I think Carl believed children would establish him as a full-blooded Southerner, make him a part of the community. That’s what he really wanted—to have a home somewhere.”
She sighed.
“I’ve had enough parenting to last me a lifetime. While my father was off giving lectures, writing his books about his idyllic Southern life, I was responsible for my younger brothers and sisters.”
She watched me as I split the last of the pie and pushed the plate in her direction. “Nothing my father wrote about our lives was true, and I was expected to keep the secret. Carl and I were damaged goods, so I guess I thought we deserved each other.”
“Damaged goods?” I asked.
“When you grow up in a family like mine, you don’t get through it unscathed. You hear the arguments and you think you must be part of the problem. Carl didn’t judge me—his childhood wasn’t any easier than mine. I guess that’s what drew us together. It’s also what pushed us apart in the end.”
The bartender motioned to us from across the wooden bar asking if we wanted another glass of wine. We both shook our heads.
“We married too soon because I was pregnant. Carl kept pushing me for kids, but after the third miscarriage I was done—with babies and probably with Carl.”
She stopped talking and I waited. Maybe she wanted to see if I was shocked. When she decided I wasn’t she continued.
“You see, I learned the hard way that some people get broken by their past and don’t recover from it—that was Carl. I did everything I could not to be like my mother, but Carl became his father. He ran around, had schemes to get money, and always wanted more than he had. I thought I could love him into being a better man, but you can’t do that for another person. They have to do it for themselves.”
I couldn’t keep from nodding as she spoke. “I think I tried to do that with Phil. I saw in him what I wanted to see and not what was really there. When he seemed self-centered or insensitive I thought I could help him grow out of it.”
“You have a new boyfriend, right?”
“I do. He’s good to me, smart, kind, funny, but for some reason he doesn’t seem to understand how much I love him.”
“I’ll have a talk with him.”
I laughed. “That would be great. He doesn’t believe it when I tell him. Maybe he’ll listen to a stranger, or better yet, a friend. Why don’t you come to dinner tomorrow, unless you have other plans?”
“No plans beyond grading fourth grade essays about the state of the world.” She saw me wince. “Actually, they’re remarkably good. I wish our politicians would take their advice.” She glanced at her watch.
“We can go any time you want,” I said.
She assured me she was in no hurry. “I don’t get to talk to many adults.”
“I hope this won’t spoil our beginning friendship, but I have to ask—were you really pregnant this last time?”
Kathy’s fair complexion lit up like a Christmas tree bulb. “I’m ashamed about that. I lied to you. I was late and I thought I might be pregnant. I told Carl I was, and he was ecstatic. Then my period came, and I just couldn’t bear to admit I’d lied to you, so I made up the miscarriage story. It’s not like me to lie. I don’t know why I did it.”
“I understand,” I said, but I wasn’t sure I did.
“I was relieved I wasn’t pregnant. I won’t say this to anyone but you—I think I’m also relieved Carl is out of my life.”
That stopped me.
“He can’t hurt me anymore or ask me to clean up his messes.”
I looked at her.
“No, Ditie, I didn’t want him dead and I’m not a murderer. The photograph was horrible, and I’ll never get it out of my mind.”
“You still have no idea who might have sent it to you?” I asked.
“I’ve tried to think who might hate Carl enough to kill him and wish to torture me as well. I haven’t come up with any answers.” She took a last bite of pie. “Now, I have some questions for you.”
“Have at it.”
“I heard about what happened to Ryan. It’s dreadful. Do police think it’s the same murderer?”
I explained the possible scenarios, including the idea that Ryan could have killed Carl out of jealousy, and someone else might have killed Ryan for revenge.
“Why would Ryan have sent me the photograph? I barely know him.”
“That’s a good question,” I said. “Did you think Carl might be having an affair with Harper?”
“Carl clearly thought she was beautiful. He kept telling me I should find out where she bought her clothes, got her hair done. There were a lot of nights he claimed he was working late, and I never knew what he might be up to.”
We discussed the other possibilities. There were only six people on the field after the explosion—Phil, Frank, Andy, Sally, Ryan and Harper. Kathy knew them all, some better than others. I asked about Carl’s interactions with Frank.
“The episode with Frank Peterson happened before I met Carl. I knew Carl was running from something, but it was a long time before he told me what it was. He said he’d learned his lesson.”
Kathy just shook her head.
“The story with Andy is more complicated. I’ve known Andy most of my life. Andy gave Carl a job as a favor to me. Then Carl did what he’d done to Frank. It was just too easy to syphon off money here and there. I felt horrible and promised to pay back every penny. I’ve done that.”
“Was Andy mad at you?”
“I don’t think so, even though I suspect Carl broke up Andy’s marriage.”
Kathy was silent as she finished her wine.
“I’m sorry, Kathy.”
“Don’t be. I knew after our first year of marriage what I was dealing with, but I couldn’t seem to let go. Lately, Carl and I were barely speaking. The only time he actually talked to me was to say he wanted a divorce and later, when he thought I was pregnant again, that maybe we could work things out.”
“You said someone was threatening him, and later you gave the book you found to the police.”
“I heard him on the phone, demanding that someone give him more time. When I asked about it, he claimed it was a work issue. But I knew Carl. I knew how he acted when he was afraid. Someone made him feel his life was coming apart.”
“Could it have been Frank?” I asked. “His initials were in the accounting book.”
“I didn’t recognize the initials. I only thought the book was something the police might want to see. They’d searched the house but somehow they’d overlooked it.”
“Mason said it was in an unlocked desk drawer.”
“Yes, how could the police have missed that?”
“Maybe they didn’t. I assume you had visitors after Carl’s death.”
“Everyone has been by to see me, except Frank Peterson.”
“The police said there were pages torn out of the book.”
“Yes. It struck me as odd, but the whole thing was odd. Carl didn’t keep handwritten notes. It was all on his computer at work.”
“And did you recognize it as his handwriting?”
Kathy paused and stared at me. “I never thought about that. It was mainly initials, dates, and amounts of money. Carl did write with a small hand, but these were tiny, meticulous notes. When Carl wrote something out it was more like chicken scratch. I guess it could have been different when he was keeping account of money.”
“Or maybe it wasn’t Carl’s book
at all. Maybe it was planted by someone else to look as if it belonged to him.”
“You mean like the murderer,” Kathy said.
“Who came to visit you after the police searched your apartment?”
“Sally. She seemed devastated and offered to spend the night with me. Ryan and Harper made a visit, and of course, Andy came several times.”
“A lot of people might have threatened to tell Dr. Brockton about Carl’s misadventures—like Frank or Andy—and then demanded money to keep quiet.”
Kathy stood up, and her face took on a hard look I’d never seen before. “Andy would never hurt me in that way! He’d never blackmail Carl. Andy always wanted to protect me, even when we were kids. He’d never do what you’re suggesting.”
“I’m sorry. I like Andy too, but I had to ask.”
I wondered just how far Andy would go to protect Kathy.
Kathy apologized for her outburst.
“I know you’re trying to help me find answers, but you must understand that Andy has always looked out for me.”
She agreed to come for dinner the next night. This was one invitation that wouldn’t upset Mason.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I got home before the kids. Mason called to see if he could come over. He brought some Thai food from a favorite restaurant, and we finally had time to talk over dinner.
“I am sorry, Ditie,” he said.
“I’m over what you did, but what needs to change is how we confide in each other. I’ve been a pretty open book with you, and I don’t do that with everybody. It’s your turn. I want a partner who will talk to me.”
Mason sighed. “You never got to meet my dad, but he was the strong silent type.”
“I bet that drove Eddie wild.”
Mason laughed. “It did.”
“I’m sure your dad was a great guy, but I need someone who can share his feelings. I saw how kind you were the first night we met. You didn’t rush me, and I won’t rush you either, but we have to start somewhere.”
“Where do you want me to start?”
“Why not start with your jealousy, the fantasy you have that I might leave you?”
“You were right about that—it is what my wife did. I thought we had a pretty good marriage, our two boys were great. I was blindsided when she told me she wasn’t happy and hadn’t been happy for years.”
“There was someone else?”
“She finally admitted there was. A doctor friend.”
“This was before she got sick?”
“Yes. Just before. When she got sick, the guy disappeared. I don’t know if my wife sent him away or if he couldn’t handle the situation. After that we had some good years together before she died, but I always wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t gotten sick.”
“Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me? Most people say I’m loyal to a fault.”
“You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you, but you’re so self-sufficient. You don’t really need me. I’m twelve years older than you. How will you tolerate me when I’m an old man?”
I took his face in my hands and kissed him on each cheek and then on his lips. “I love you now and I’ll love you then. I don’t need you to support me financially if that’s what you mean, and I would find a way to survive if I lost you. None of that means I don’t need you. You love my kids, and you make me feel beautiful. A lot of men wouldn’t find me beautiful—too much of me they’d say, or as Phil put it—‘You could be a beautiful woman if you lost some weight and exercised every day.’ You’ve never once said that to me.”
“I’ve never once thought it.”
“I believe you. You don’t want to change me, and I don’t want to change you. I just want you to rest easier. I’m not going anywhere.”
Mason looked at me. “Is that enough talking for now?”
“I guess so.”
“Good, because I have other ideas.”
“Lurleen said she and the kids would get home around eight.”
“That’s plenty of time.”
* * * *
Lurleen arrived at eight thirty. Mason and I were on the porch swing waiting for them. They ran up the steps, and we made room for them.
“We seed spies,” Jason said. “Lots of spies.”
I didn’t bother to correct his grammar. I raised an eyebrow to Lurleen as she walked up behind him.
“Kid spies,” she said. “Nothing too frightening. The movie was about a school for kid spies, and now Jason is sure that’s where he wants to go to school.”
Lucie looked at me. “It wasn’t scary at all, Aunt Di, just funny.”
“Good. Thanks, Lurleen. You want some dinner or a drink?”
She shook her head. “Danny’s going to pick me up here around nine and we’ll go out to eat.”
I left her seated next to Mason and went inside to run a bath for Jason. Lucie took a shower upstairs. I was feeling a little guilty that I hadn’t been around them more in the last few days, but neither one of them seemed upset about it.
Jason climbed in bed with no fuss. I read a short book and gave him a kiss.
“I love you second Mommy,” he said.
“And I love you, my first and only boy.”
Lucie wanted to talk. She wanted to know what was going on. I told her some of it, so she wouldn’t worry that our family was in danger. I told her Kathy was coming to dinner. Lucie remembered her from the morning they’d spent together.
“Aunt Di, I was wondering…”
“Yes, Lucie?”
“Do you like it when Jason calls you Mommy?”
“I love it, Lucie, but it doesn’t mean you have to call me that.”
“Would it be okay if I did? Do you think my real mom would mind?”
“Lucie, you and I both know I can never take the place of your mom. I wouldn’t want to. But you should know I love you like a mother. I couldn’t love you more. So, if you want to call me Mom or Mama or Mama Di, that’s all fine with me. And if you want to keep calling me Aunt Di, it doesn’t change a thing about how much I love you.”
I put my arm around her and she leaned against me as she tried out each name. “I think I’ll call you Mama. I never called my first mother that.”
“That’s perfect.” I kissed her, tucked her in, and stayed with her until she fell asleep.
When I came back outside, Danny was seated beside Lurleen on the swing. He jumped up but I waved him back down. I joined Mason on the top step of my porch.
“I’ve just been filling these two in on what’s happening,” Danny said. “I assume you want to hear about it from the beginning.”
“I do.”
“Phil still isn’t under arrest, but he can’t leave the state for at least another few days. In the meantime, I’m checking out who might have had access to Phil’s lockbox key. It seems Phil has had some female visitors in his Whitley suite.”
“Like who?” I asked.
“Like Sally. She stayed over more than once.”
“So there is something going on between them,” I said.
“Nothing serious according to Phil. He claims it’s pretty one-sided, but he’s not exactly pushing her away.”
“You said female visitors plural.”
Danny nodded. “Harper stopped by to see how Phil was doing. Phil had me clear out while she was there. And this one is a surprise—Kathy Thompson came by. She wanted to know all about the relationship between Phil and Carl, their past relationship that is. Apparently Carl never told her much about their feud in med school.”
“She came by when?” I asked. “I just had a drink with her and she didn’t mention it.”
“It was sometime yesterday,” Danny said.
“Did Phil talk to her?”
“He did. He didn’t mention the na
me of the woman he claimed both he and Carl were seeing in med school, but he did talk about the cheating scandal. He said it was likely to be Carl who was cheating and then blamed it on him. Kathy got a little huffy about that.”
I looked at Danny.
“I wonder why Phil is being so circumspect about the woman in question.”
“I wondered that too,” Danny said. “I told Phil I needed to know everything, but he wouldn’t budge. Claimed it was his Southern honor not to sully the reputation of any woman.”
“Oh, please,” I said. “He’d sully some woman’s reputation from ten years ago?” Then I had a different thought. “What if it’s not from ten years ago? What if he’s still involved with the same woman and what if Carl was too? Kathy said she knew Carl had affairs.”
“That would certainly change things,” Mason said.
“As far as I know only two women visited Phil in his hotel room who knew him from his med school days,” Danny said.
“Harper and Sally,” Lurleen said.
I frowned. “I wouldn’t mind pinning these murders on Harper, but why would she do it? And how could she have orchestrated those murders from long distance? I can’t work that out.”
Sally was a more likely possibility—she was such an enigma and seemingly devoted to Carl. If Ryan had killed Carl and sent the photo to Kathy, could Sally have figured that out? Sally had an identical gun to Phil’s. Could she have filled one with live ammunition before the fighting started.
I asked Danny about that.
“Hmm. You know, Sally asked Phil to look at her rifle. She thought there was something sticking on the trigger mechanism. Phil checked it out and handed it back to her. She held both guns for a while and handed one back to him when the battle started. She could have filled either one with live ammunition. Phil didn’t have time to do more than aim and fire.”
“I wonder if she’d realize a smaller bullet couldn’t be traced?” I said. “If not, she’d have had time to put the live bullet in Phil’s gun.”
“And maybe urge him to aim at Ryan,” Lurleen said.
“It’s time we find out more about Sally,” I said. “She comes across as so innocent and a little goofy. She says whatever people want to hear. I also think I need to have another talk with Kathy. She says she doesn’t like to lie, but she’s lied to me twice.”
Into the Frying Pan Page 19