Fit To Be Tied

by Elizabeth Craig

  Beatrice said, “And they started seeing each other?” Noo-noo walked sleepily over and Beatrice reached down to pull her up onto her lap. Noo-noo took up all of Beatrice’s lap and then some. But the little dog fell right to sleep.

  “That’s right. Until . . . they didn’t. Gerald’s daughter, Joan, is a friend of mine and she’s been upset at the way Gerald had been treating me. She knew that he’d fired me because I’d asked him for a raise. I think she also guessed who my daughter’s father might be, although I never said a word to her. Anyway, she was not happy that her dad was seeing Colleen. Joan had apparently seen them out together when she was in Lenoir and confronted her father about it later.”

  “And he admitted to his daughter that he was seeing Colleen?” asked Beatrice.

  “That’s what she told me. He told her that he was trying to keep the affair quiet and Joan told him that he wasn’t doing a good job if his own daughter was able to find out about it. I mean, Joan is no fan of Gerald’s wife, Laura, but I think she felt as if Gerald was really taking things too far.”

  Beatrice asked, “Because he was having several affairs?”

  “She complained to me that he was really behaving badly. And then, the next thing we knew, he broke up with Colleen. He does get tired of people and sort of tosses them to the side.” Amazingly, Salome said this without rancor. “And I guess that’s what happened with Colleen.”

  Beatrice asked, “Was it a mutual breakup? Or might Colleen be harboring some bad feelings for Gerald?”

  Salome snorted. “Oh, I think she’s definitely harboring bad feelings. Joan said that Gerald had the insane idea to break up with her in a public place. A restaurant in Lenoir, Joan told me. I suppose he thought that would be a good way to prevent any hysteria or arguments. But apparently, Colleen didn’t care a whit whether they were in a public place or not. Joan said that Colleen really flipped out. She started yelling at Gerald. Practically foaming at the mouth. I think Gerald was shocked.” This made Salome smile a little at the thought.

  Beatrice said, “Well, if she’s a wealthy woman, sometimes with wealth comes a feeling of entitlement. Maybe she wasn’t used to being broken up with. Perhaps she usually got her way with everything.”

  Salome said, “Maybe so. It must be nice, if that’s the case. Or maybe she’s just the kind of person who doesn’t like to be humiliated and she felt like Gerald had set her up to look bad in a public place. I mean, apparently it was at this nice restaurant. Joan’s friend saw the whole thing and told her about it and then she filled me in.”

  The bell rang, indicating that a customer was coming in. Salome called out a quick greeting and carefully divested herself of the cat. She said in a hushed voice to me, “Thanks for listening to me, Beatrice.”

  “I’ll pass your message along to Wyatt. And tell Posy I said goodbye. Noo-noo and I are going to head back home.”

  Soon, Beatrice and Noo-noo were back at home. Beatrice greeted Wyatt who was eating an apple in the living room.

  “I have some news,” he said with a smile.

  “Do we have a new contractor?” asked Beatrice as she lay her keys on the dining room table.

  Wyatt said with a smile, “I think we may have. Len met all the main requirements.”

  “Which are?”

  Wyatt said wryly, “He can start right away and he’s renovated kitchens before.”

  “Excellent!” said Beatrice.

  “I spoke to him on the phone and he said he’d come by the house soon. How did it go with Noo-noo at Posy’s?” Wyatt reached down to pat the little dog, who grinned a doggy grin before lying completely still beside him and falling right to sleep.

  “She was a tremendous hit, apparently. Everyone came over to see her, which has made her completely exhausted. She made a new friend with Maisie the cat, too.”

  “Good,” said Wyatt. “Maybe she can go back and visit there a few times while it’s noisy here.”

  There was a jaunty knock at the door and Beatrice gave Wyatt a weary sigh. “I bet I know who’s at the door.”

  “I won’t take that bet because I know who’s at the door, too.” Wyatt stood up and looked apologetically at her. “I hope it won’t seem rude, but I’m going to the back to lie down for a few minutes.”

  “I totally understand. You’ve had a long and stressful day and it’s only early afternoon. Maybe you can get a little sleep.” Beatrice walked to the front door and peeped out to see Meadow there, as expected. Noo-noo lifted her head to acknowledge the visitor, before laying it back down again and falling right back to sleep.

  Meadow practically exploded into the house, full of pent-up energy. “How did the appointment go?” she first asked. “I know Piper said everything was fine, but was it really fine?”

  “Perfect. The baby is healthy, Piper is healthy. All is well,” said Beatrice quickly, knowing that a drawn-out response would only make Meadow more anxious.

  Meadow beamed. “Perfect, indeed. The very answer I was looking for. And now—the murder. I couldn’t believe it when Ramsay told me. And, like usual, he didn’t give me a single detail! I had to come and pester you on your busy day to find out more.”

  Beatrice said, “Now Meadow, you know that Ramsay does give details to us. He’s been very helpful in the past.”

  “Only when he has the time. And today he’s simply not making it. He’s only making excuses and spending time with the forensics guys and the state police. It’s very vexing,” said Meadow, heaving a gusty sigh. “Now tell me what you know.” She glanced around the cottage. “Where is poor Wyatt?”

  “Wyatt decided to lie down for a little while. I think discovering Gerald this morning took it out of him today,” said Beatrice.

  Meadow abruptly shifted to a stage whisper, which was practically as loud as her conversational voice before. “The poor man! It must have been an awful shock. But what on earth was he doing there at the factory so early in the morning?” Her tone suggested that Wyatt’s predilection for early visits to businesses might have created the problem to begin with.

  “Oh, it was a meeting . . . the church HVAC construction. Gerald was supposed to be giving Wyatt the lowest bids for the work. Then Wyatt discovered him.”

  Meadow said, “And Ramsay said that it was definitely murder. No question about it. I thought it more likely that perhaps he was felled by a heart attack, considering the number of hours the man worked. He was quite the workaholic. But Ramsay was quite sure about the fact that it was homicide.”

  This came as no surprise to Beatrice, since Wyatt had found Gerald tied up to his chair. But she had the feeling that Ramsay didn’t want that bit of information divulged to Meadow.

  “Horrible!” said Meadow with a snarl. “For such a thing to take place in Dappled Hills! Surely it must be someone from one of the cities, passing through.”

  Meadow was always fond of the itinerate murderer theory. As if someone from Charlotte or another city had decided to specifically travel to Dappled Hills for the express purpose of killing a resident.

  “Don’t the police find that the perpetrator is usually someone close to the victim?” asked Beatrice. “Not a random stranger.”

  “What . . . like Mark Carpenter? Gerald’s son? Fiddlesticks! He always seems like a really good person,” said Meadow.

  Beatrice said thoughtfully, “I don’t really know him very well; I’ve only seen him now and again in church. Would you describe him as friendly? Easy to know?”

  Meadow opened her mouth to enthusiastically agree, but then wavered. “Well, I don’t know about very friendly. I’m sure he’d want to be, but maybe he doesn’t really know how. He’s the sort of person who’s a little socially awkward. But he’s supposed to be very, very good at business.”

  “Yes, he seemed very invested in the family business.” Beatrice said, “Oh, never mind me. I’m probably reading too much into it. He just had a huge shock and people act oddly when they’re surprised.”

  Meadow said, “Did
you speak to anybody else? Or, did Mark have any idea who might be behind his father’s death? I simply can’t imagine it.”

  Beatrice said, “He did mention Salome Hewitt.”

  Meadow’s mouth became a wide O. “No. It simply isn’t possible. She seems like the sweetest thing, and she’s a quilter.”

  Beatrice knew better than to try to convince Meadow that quilters could be anything but upright, God-fearing citizens. “It doesn’t mean anything . . . she might not have been involved at all. But she definitely has reason to dislike Gerald, it seems.” She pressed her lips shut. There was no way that she was going to give away Salome’s secret: that her daughter was Gerald’s.

  Meadow was laser-focused as usual, though. “Why on earth would Salome dislike Gerald? Oh, I suppose you mean because he fired her so abruptly after so many years of loyal service? Yes, that made me very angry with Gerald, myself. Poor Salome was out there trying to fend for herself—and her with a young daughter. The very idea! But, like Salome, I can be angry with Gerald and not kill him. It’s just that he did an extremely tacky thing.”

  “That’s one word for it,” agreed Beatrice.

  “It’s just fortunate that Salome has folks looking out for her. A sister to take her in. And Posy, who was happy to offer her a job, even though Salome isn’t making the money she was before.” Meadow made a face. “No, it can’t be Salome. Think of someone else.”

  Beatrice said, “I also spoke to Salome today when I was picking Noo-noo up from the store. Salome did mention that Gerald was having an affair. At least, that’s what she believed,” she appended quickly as Meadow’s eyes and mouth grew large again.

  Meadow said, “An affair? Who on earth has an affair when he’s married to someone like Laura? She’s at least ten years younger than he is and looks like a movie star. He was lucky to be married to her, at his age and with his disposition. He had an affair?” Meadow’s demeanor suggested that Gerald had some nerve.

  Beatrice said quickly, “It was someone I didn’t know. You likely wouldn’t know her.”

  This seemed to make Meadow feel rather insulted. Meadow considered herself a sort of acting goodwill ambassador for Dappled Hills. A one-woman welcoming committee who’d lived her entire life in the town and wanted nothing more than to make everyone love it as much as she did.

  “How could I not know her? How could she know someone like Gerald Carpenter and not me?” demanded Meadow.

  Beatrice said in a soothing voice, “Because she doesn’t live here. Or, at least, she’s not in Dappled Hills most of the time. She has a house in Lenoir.”

  “But how did Gerald know her? He’s not the kind of guy who got out a whole lot. In fact, I think he spent most of his time at the office.”

  “He did, according to Joan. But apparently not all of his time at the office,” said Beatrice.

  “How on earth did he have the time for an affair?” demanded Meadow.

  “From what I understand, he might have been having more than one,” said Beatrice with a sigh.

  Meadow said, “Wow. I really misjudged him. Here I was thinking he was Mr. Responsibility for putting in so many hours at work and at the church and all the time he was messing around behind everyone’s back.”

  Beatrice said sternly, “This information is obviously between you and me, Meadow. We can’t let it go any further. Nobody else knows.”

  “My lips are sealed,” said Meadow

  Beatrice said cautiously, “Salome seemed pretty certain. Although, I don’t think that information is for public consumption. Besides, Salome said that Gerald called it all off.”

  “Well, I should think so! He came to his senses, I suppose,” said Meadow.

  “The woman he was seeing wasn’t very happy about it. Apparently, Gerald dumped her in a public place, thinking that she wouldn’t make a scene. But she wasn’t the kind of woman who appreciated being made a fool of in public, so that approach backfired,” said Beatrice.

  “Who was this mysterious woman?” asked Meadow with a frown.

  “Her name is Colleen Roberts,” said Beatrice. “As I said, I didn’t know her.”

  Meadow snorted. “You should. In fact, I think you will. Very soon. She’s a socialite in Lenoir. And I do know her. She and I have a couple of mutual friends.”

  “Well, no wonder I don’t know her. I don’t exactly hang out with socialites. And I’m not often in Lenoir.”

  “No, but her daughter is getting married and it’s supposed to be this tremendous event. My understanding is that Wyatt is to marry them,” said Meadow with a smile.

  “Somehow I’m always the last to know these things,” said Beatrice, shaking her head. “I don’t know if I’m just not paying attention, or if I’m not speaking to the right people.”

  “It’s probably just another wedding to Wyatt,” said Meadow with a chuckle. “After all, he performs a zillion of them. But it’s actually supposed to be a big deal. Apparently, Colleen chose our church specifically for its ‘rustic charm.’” She glanced at her watch. “Okay, I should scoot along. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Chapter Six

  AFTER SHE LEFT, WYATT poked his head out from the back and looked inquiringly at Beatrice.

  “All clear,” she said with a chuckle.

  He walked sheepishly into the living room and sat down. “Sorry. I just suddenly felt a real lack of energy right when she knocked on the door.”

  “Oh, I totally understand that. Meadow can sometimes pull the energy right out of a person,” said Beatrice. “Were you able to nap?”

  “I think I might have drifted off for a minute or two, but then my phone rang. It was Edgenora calling from the church office and scheduling a meeting with a mother of the bride,” he said.

  Beatrice lifted her eyebrows. “Was it, by any chance, Colleen Roberts?”

  Wyatt blinked at her. “Now how on earth would you know that?”

  “Just a lucky guess. Meadow mentioned that her daughter was having a big wedding and that Colleen was very involved in the process.”

  Wyatt looked puzzled. “I somehow don’t even remember that we know Colleen.”

  “I don’t think that we do. But her name has come up today as someone who might have known Gerald Carpenter pretty well,” said Beatrice.

  Wyatt sat down next to her on the sofa and absently patted Noo-noo, who was still taking a nice nap. “You mean that they were involved somehow?”

  “That’s what I’ve heard, although I can’t confirm it. But it’s possible.” Beatrice snapped her fingers. “While I’m thinking of it, I was supposed to ask you to schedule a pastoral visit with Salome Hewitt.”

  Wyatt pulled out his phone and looked at his calendar. “Of course I will. Is she doing all right?” he asked with concern.

  “I don’t think she is, no. Gerald had apparently fired her recently and she’s been struggling to provide for her daughter.” Beatrice paused. “I have the feeling that Salome would rather me prepare you for what the meeting might be dealing with—she feels incredibly guilty that she had an affair with Gerald. An affair that resulted in the birth of her daughter.”

  Wyatt nodded slowly. “I see. It does sound like she’s had a tough time of it lately.”

  “And we didn’t get the full picture of it from Mark this morning.”

  Wyatt said, “But Mark might not have known. As far as he was concerned, Salome was asking for a raise and his father was being stingy. It could be that that’s as much information as Gerald shared with him. After all, it doesn’t exactly put Gerald in a good light. I wouldn’t think he’d want to share that information with his son.”

  There was a tap at the door and Wyatt and Beatrice stared at each other.

  “Well, she was gone,” said Beatrice, getting up off the sofa. “You can scoot off again, if you want to.”

  “No, I’m good this time,” said Wyatt.

  But it wasn’t Meadow at all. Instead, a middle-aged woman with blonde hair, red lipstick, and expensive
clothing stood outside the door.

  “Can I help you?” asked Beatrice.

  The woman smiled at her, showing off a perfect set of gleaming teeth. “I’m imposing on you, actually. My name is Colleen Roberts and my daughter’s wedding is coming up in a couple of months. I called the church office and we set up an appointment with your husband, but I was in the area and thought I’d just run by and see if I could knock this one thing off my list right now. I swear it will only take a few minutes. You have no idea what my list looks like.”

  Beatrice stood back a bit from the door to let her in and the woman sailed in, notebook in hand. Wyatt stood up to greet her and she flashed that perfect smile again.

  “How did you know where we lived?” asked Beatrice. She realized that her voice sounded a little tight, but she couldn’t really help herself. It was hard enough finding a line between Wyatt’s ministry and private life. It didn’t help when they were approached at home.

  “Oh, Meadow Downey told me. I met her out a few minutes ago, running another errand. She asked me all about Elena’s upcoming wedding. You know how Meadow is—she absolutely loves a wedding. And she told me all about your upcoming grandbaby,” added Colleen with a rather insincere smile. “Congratulations to you both!”

  Beatrice had no doubt that Meadow had told her. And probably a lot more than Colleen wished to hear.

  “Thank you,” said Wyatt politely. “Please, won’t you sit down?”

  It was a fairly rhetorical question since Colleen was already on her way to one of their floral, overstuffed armchairs.

  “A coffee maybe?” asked Beatrice dryly.

  “Would you? I’m a little on the sleepy side today, I have to admit.” Colleen glanced over at the kitchen and made a face. “Wow. Looks like you’re having some work done.”

  Wyatt said, “A bit of kitchen renovation, although the work has stalled out recently. We’re hoping it will be knocked out soon with a new contractor. But the coffee maker is right here in the living room now, so no worries.” He poured her a coffee himself, adding cream and sugar at Colleen’s request.