Karen shot her a shrewd look. “Do you think Brian did it?”
“Yes, either him or Selena Starr,” Matilda said. “Can I let you into a little secret?”
Karen’s jawline relaxed. “Yes. You can trust me.”
I thought I would sooner trust a rattlesnake.
“Someone had been sending Judy poisoned items such as chocolates, moisturizer, and perfume. They all contained the poison that killed her.”
I looked at Karen, but she had on her best poker face.
Matilda pushed on. “And all these poisoned items were sent from a small town about an hour and a half’s drive from here.”
Karen narrowed her eyes. “What was the name of the town?”
“Ellende,” Matilda said.
Karen frowned. “I’ve never heard of it. Anyway, I have to be going. I do hope the police find the actual murderer soon.”
With that she left, her poodle prancing beside her.
“I think she did it,” I said. “What do you think, Matilda?”
Matilda shrugged. “I’m at a loss for once.”
Chapter 20
On the way home, Matilda and Eleanor argued at some length about the murderer. Finally, they agreed that Karen was a more likely suspect than the others.
“Should we tell the detectives?” I asked as I got out of my car.
“Do you mean tell them about the negative reviews on Karen’s books which provide her with a motive?” Matilda asked me.
“Yes,” I said. “Do you think they already know? Surely Brian told them.”
“I’m sure he did,” Matilda said. “I’m sure they’re following it up as we speak.”
We walked toward the apartment door. “I’ll go in first because I’m the best at slipping through the door,” Eleanor said. “Then I’ll grab Mr. Crumbles.”
“I think I’ve figured out who did it, but I don’t want to tell you until I think on it some more.” I thought Karen and James were in it together, but I knew my suspicions would set off a round of bickering between Matilda and Eleanor. Matilda always thought multiple people were involved in murders, and Eleanor always held the opposite view.
“Ladies,” said a masculine voice.
It was Brian again. “You haven’t changed your mind about dinner, have you Jane?”
“No, I don’t feel very well,” I lied. “I think I’m coming down with the flu.” I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and he was becoming a little too persistent for my liking.
He grinned at me. “I hope you feel better soon. I was just out for a walk.” He nodded and continued on his way.
Eleanor slipped into the apartment and grabbed Mr. Crumbles, and then signaled for us to enter. “I need to take a nice hot bath before we go to the yoga class,” she said once we had all climbed the stairs.
Matilda snorted. “Nonsense, Eleanor. You’re not supposed to have a hot bath before a yoga class. Sometimes I wonder about you.”
“Sometimes I wonder about you too,” Eleanor said. “I’m going to take Mr. Crumbles for a walk.”
As soon as she put a harness on Mr. Crumbles, he immediately circled to the left.
“I think that cat has permanent psychological damage,” Matilda whispered to me.
“Actually, I’m too hungry to go for a walk just yet. Let’s have a snack and then I’ll take Mr. Crumbles for a walk,” Eleanor said, dropping the leash. “Matilda, would you get some cupcakes and I’ll fetch my laptop? I’ve had an idea.”
Soon we were sitting in the living room eating cupcakes while Eleanor tapped away at her laptop.
“You don’t need to kill the keys,” Matilda said.
“Do you want to do it?” Eleanor said. “I can’t help it, you know. I was raised on typewriters and we needed to hit the keys hard. It’s not like the young people of today with their light touch on the keyboard.”
“What exactly are you looking for?” I asked her.
“I was looking through Selena Starr’s course online,” she said, “and she said to email her assistant, Frieda Heisler, with any questions. I’m just googling Frieda Heisler to see if I can find anything about her.”
“What could you possibly hope to find?” Matilda said, just as Eleanor let out a shriek.
“I’ve got it!”
Matilda and I jumped up and ran to look over Eleanor’s shoulder. She stabbed her finger on the screen. “Selena’s assistant lives in Strasburg.”
My jaw fell open. “Strasburg!” Matilda said. “You’ve got to be kidding! So Selena could have been on the way to her assistant’s when she shipped those items.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t know about that. These days with the internet, no one needs to visit an assistant in person. She could do everything over the internet. Why, there are whole websites with virtual assistants in other countries. No one actually sees them in person.”
“This assistant did,” Eleanor said with a note of triumph in her voice. “Look, she’s posted these photos of them together. Oh, it turns out her assistant is engaged to her son.”
“Then she would visit her in Strasburg,” I said.
“Should you call your detective?” Eleanor asked me.
I shook my head. “He’s not my detective,” I began, but then I added, “He probably already knows and he’ll be offended if I tell him. I’ll have to think of a subtle way to let him know on the slim chance he already doesn’t.”
“You could just pick up your phone and tell him outright. A murder has been committed,” Matilda said solemnly.
“I’ll think about it while I take a bath,” I said.
I headed to the bathroom and poured in some rose and geranium scented bubble bath and then for good measure, dropped in a lavender bath bomb. I watched as the bath bomb dissolved, sending different shades of pretty purple bubbles through the water.
I lowered myself into the bath. I adjusted the water temperature and wriggled my toes, thinking I should put another coat of nail polish on them. With Matilda and Eleanor out for the night, I thought I would lie on the couch and watch TV, maybe something calming like the Hallmark channel. Maybe a nice murder mystery. Wait? Did I just think that? No, I needed to watch something more relaxing than that. My mind was already spinning with the murder mystery in which I was now embroiled.
I lay in the bath until the water turned cold and topped it up several times with hot water. Finally, I started to look like a prune so thought I had better get out. I was reluctant to leave the soothing water.
I toweled myself dry and applied a liberal amount of vanilla scented body butter. I wondered whether I should slip into my bathrobe, but instead pulled on some sweatpants and a tee shirt.
I was in the kitchen deciding what to make for dinner when Eleanor returned from her walk with Mr. Crumbles. “I didn’t realize how late it was when I left,” she said. “Jane, would you do me a favor?”
I was suspicious. “What is it?” I asked tentatively.
“Mr. Crumbles needs more practice walking on the leash. Would you give him some practice?”
“I’ve just had a nice bath and I really don’t want to go outside again,” I said.
“That’s quite all right. I meant inside the apartment.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to,” I said. “What should I do?”
“You don’t need to give him any incentives if you know what I mean,” she said with a big wink.
I frowned, so she added, “I don’t want to say the word, but it starts with T.” She pointed to the packet of cat treats on the coffee table.
The realization hit me. “Oh, I see. Sure.”
“Yes, as soon as he hears those rattle in the packet, he runs in circles,” she said with a sigh. “He doesn’t need them to walk forward anymore. He’s quite good at that.”
“What exactly would you like to do with him?” I asked her.
“Just do a few laps of the apartment in both directions. It’s important to go in both directions.”
“Of course,” I said.<
br />
“And then would you mind taking his harness off? You know how to do it, don’t you?”
“I’m sure I can figure it out,” I said. “Don’t worry. You two go and have a good time.”
“How can anyone have a good time at yoga?” Eleanor said.
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want,” Matilda said angrily.
Eleanor sighed. “I know it’s good for me.” She rolled her eyes at Matilda when Matilda wasn’t looking.
After Eleanor and Matilda left, I stretched out on the couch and tried to find something to watch on TV. I couldn’t find anything I liked, because my mind was churning. There was something about Selena’s assistant living in Strasburg that just didn’t sit right with me. Yet for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what it was.
I had just given up watching TV and decided to give Mr. Crumbles a spot of training. He was sitting on my lap. “We need to do a few laps of the apartment,” I told him. He meowed in protest.
I lifted Mr. Crumbles off me. He didn’t seem to mind being put in the harness. We had only walked from the couch to the sideboard when the doorbell rang. “Who could that be?” I said aloud. I picked up Mr. Crumbles and made my way to the door. I was half hoping—well, maybe more than half hoping—it was Damon.
I opened the door to see Brian Birch.
He held out a white plastic container with a blue lid. “I brought you some chicken soup,” he said. “Chicken soup is good for the soul—and for sick people.” He pushed his way past me into the apartment.
My stomach sank.
Chapter 21
I followed Brian up the stairs. “Thanks so much for the soup,” I said. “I just need to sleep for an hour or two and I’ll have it later. Thanks,” I said again, hoping he would take the hint and leave. I remained standing, so he wouldn’t sit. Alas, my ploy did not work as he threw himself down on the couch.
“Why don’t you relax and I’ll serve you the soup now?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t feel well. I just want to be alone.”
Brian looked a little put out but said, “Sure. Do you mind if I discuss something with you quickly before I leave?”
I was at once wary. “What is it?” I asked him.
“I’m a little worried. I overheard you say you knew who the murderer was. Is that right?”
I shrugged. “Not exactly. I thought two of them were in it together, but now I’m not so sure.”
He leaned forward. “Which two?”
“Karen and Selena.” Mr. Crumbles half-heartedly swiped at my sweat pants and caught one claw in the bottom. I bent down to free him.
“Why do you suspect them?” he asked. “I’m sorry you’re feeling sick, but the police questioned me again and now I think they suspect me. I know you’ve been doing some sleuthing, and I thought if we put our heads together we might come up with something.”
“It’s just that Karen had a motive. We didn’t think Karen had a motive, but then we discovered what it was, thanks to you. And we also found out that Selena had an assistant who lives in Strasburg, so it makes sense that she would have shipped the poisoned gifts on her way there.”
He sat back in his seat. “I see. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“There probably is. I just don’t know what it would be yet. I’d have to ask Matilda and Eleanor.”
He wrung his hands. “I’m most apprehensive, to tell you the truth. I’m surprised it’s taken the police this long to make an arrest and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious over the whole matter. Are you sure you won’t let me serve us both some chicken soup and we can talk it through?”
I gave up. Brian clearly wasn’t about to make a move on me, and he did want to discuss the case. Besides, I also suspected him, so I thought it a good opportunity to question him further, maybe draw him out. “All right then,” I said. I made to move to the kitchen, but he jumped to his feet. “You sit down, Jane. You’re sick, after all. I’ll serve the soup.”
I sat at the table waiting for him to return. When he wasn’t looking, I fetched my phone and surreptitiously texted Matilda to ask her to come home at once.
Brian walked back before I finished my text. I held the phone under the table. He set two steaming bowls of chicken soup on the table and wasted no time spooning some into his mouth. After he had consumed half a bowl, he said, “Jane, you strike me as a very clever woman, so I thought you’d have one clear suspect.”
“I did suspect Selena over Karen, but then you told us about Karen’s motive,” I said. “Who do you suspect?”
“I don’t know, to be honest,” he said. “Karen definitely had the motive, but then again so did Selena, and Selena had the opportunity.”
“The opportunity?” I echoed.
“Yes, you know, going past the Ellende post office to ship all those poisoned gifts to Judy.”
I went cold all over. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. I hadn’t mentioned the name of the town to Brian. There was only one way he could know—if he was the murderer. He also had a motive. Judy had made sure he was unfairly dismissed from his job. “Who told you about the gifts?”
He frowned. “The gifts?”
“The thallium-laced gifts sent to Judy.”
He put down his soupspoon and leaned back in the chair. “The police told me,” he said.
“The police told me they hadn’t told anyone,” I countered. It was a lie of course, but I wanted to trap him. Still, I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth, because if he was the killer, then he would know I was onto him.
And I was right.
“I knew you had figured out it was me when I overheard you outside your apartment door earlier,” he said. His tone was chilling.
“Honestly, I had no idea,” I protested. “I thought Karen and James were in it together.” I bent down and pretended to move Mr. Crumbles aside, but flipped my phone to the record setting.
“So how long have you known it was me?”
“I put two and two together just then,” I said. “You slipped up when you mentioned the town, Ellende. The police also suspect Rebecca, but they have never mentioned the town to her. Also, you dropped enough hints about Selena, and you obviously know Selena’s daughter-in-law lives in Strasburg. It didn’t make sense to me that the murderer would ship those items from a small post office where they would be seen and remembered. It only makes sense if someone was framing someone else. You wore a headscarf, a big hat, dark glasses, and make-up. Also, the clerk said the person hardly spoke at all. A woman would need not to disguise her voice, but a man would. It all makes sense.”
“You’re too clever for your own good,” Brian said. His tone was menacing. His whole demeanor had changed.
“But what was your motive?” I asked him. “I heard that Judy Jenkins ruined your life. You were a high-paid executive and Judy managed to get your job by telling dreadful lies about you.” I was doing my best to stall for time. I was hoping Matilda had received the text and was on her way home.
“When she saw me again she didn’t recognize me,” Brian said. “I had legally changed my name because she made my name mud in my industry. Besides, I was about a hundred pounds heavier and had a beard back then, so she didn’t recognize me.”
“Did you deliberately offer your services to her so you could murder her?” I asked him.
He made a sound of disgust. “Of course not! What do you think I am? No. When she arrived in town, she approached me. As I said, she didn’t recognise me. And of course she didn’t know my name. I recognized her, of course.”
“So when you saw her again, was it all too much so you decided to take revenge?”
He shook his head vigorously. “Nothing like that.”
“What was it?” I asked. My palms were sweaty. Was Brian actually going to try to kill me? And where was Matilda?
“She finally did recognize me. Unfortunately, a mutual friend told her, but I didn’t find that out until later. She cam
e into my office one day and was acting a little strange. I could tell by the way she looked at me that she had found out it was me. And that very afternoon, my business started getting negative reviews online. I knew it was her and I knew she was going to ruin me. That’s when I had the idea to start sending her the poisoned gifts.”
“You wanted to frame Selena,” I said.
“I didn’t have anything against Selena,” Brian said, “but it was the best idea I could come up with in a hurry.”
“There’s one thing that puzzles me,” I said. “How did you get the thallium?”
He looked pleased with himself. “That’s what’s making it so hard for the police,” he said smugly. “They can’t link anyone to thallium. I was hoping they would suspect Selena, because her son works for an electronics contract manufacturer. He would have access to thallium.”
“Then how did you get it?”
He smirked at me. “My parents still had some old ant poison on their farm. They were selling the farm and moving to Philadelphia, so they asked me to dispose of it legally. They’d had it in their barn for decades. They had some other nasty old chemicals as well. Can you believe it? I certainly couldn’t believe my luck when they told me just how deadly it was.”
“Well, I won’t tell anyone you did it,” I said. “Why don’t you just leave town?”
“I’m sorry, Jane. It’s nothing personal.” He stood up. “Oh well, they say chicken soup is good for the soul, but confession is too. I feel so much better.”
I figured he was stark raving mad. I looked over my shoulder. Mr. Crumbles was halfway between the kitchen and me. He was sitting there in his harness and leash licking his paw. I made up my mind. I sprinted for the kitchen as fast as I could.
I heard Brian’s chair hit the ground as he came after me. In a move that Matilda would have been proud of, I launched myself into the air and grabbed the bag of cat treats. I shook them just as Brian’s fingers closed cruelly on my wrist.
I shook the treats once more and then opened my eyes as Brian released his grip. I looked down to see Mr. Crumbles running around Brian’s legs in circles, trapping them with the leash.
Confection is Good for the Soul: An Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery Page 14