Fatal, Family, Album

by Joanna Campbell Slan

  An hour later, back at my worktable, I fairly shouted, “Voila!” One of the few words I’ve retained from four years of French, but useful nonetheless.

  Clancy took one look at my prototypes and said, “You amaze me.” Once we’d hashed out the costs, I sent photos and descriptions to Lee. She called me a few minutes later.

  “Kiki, I am so pleased. These projects should fill up seats quickly, don’t you think? I imagine that you already have people signed up for Friday night, because that’s your regular crop night. Once I send out emails to our list, we should be able to fill up seats on Saturday, too.”

  “I sure hope so.” I explained about the page kits I intended to make. “Did you know that the Budapest zoo was the first to have a successful birth from the artificial insemination of a rhino?”

  Lee hadn’t known that, but the fact impressed her. “That’s fascinating. I figured the ambassador from Hungary was coming because of the Sister City program. I had no idea that rhinos were the string that tied everything together. Good for you! You really are a talented sleuth!”

  I ended the call feeling better than I had in a couple of days.

  Later that afternoon, I phoned Brawny to check on the boys. She reported that they were cranky but better.

  That night Gracie and I walked into a dark house. The tantalizing fragrances of garlic and oregano drew me into the kitchen where I discovered that Brawny had made spaghetti and garlic bread. Erik was sitting proudly at the table, waiting for me. He pointed out that Brawny had lit the candles so that he and I could have a dinner just like the one in Lady and the Tramp.

  That got me giggling. As I sat down, he poured me a glass of “wine,” grape juice. We clinked our glasses together and made silly toasts.

  Detweiler called to say he was working late. Again. I assumed it was in preparation for the visit by the young royals. I did my best to compartmentalize. Anya continued to ignore my text-messages. She stayed at the Moores’ house, breaking my heart with each passing minute. I locked my misery into a box and stored it, only to have it pop out and overwhelm me at the most inconvenient times. How could my daughter stay away this long?

  I really began to doubt my daughter’s love for me. By Thursday morning, I was on the verge of tears every minute. Brawny tiptoed around me, understanding that she was a part of the problem. Detweiler was busy, packing in the hours at work, which meant he had no time to listen to me while I fretted over ever seeing Anya again. I swallowed my sadness, going through the motions of being my normal self. Often I turn to Gracie as a welcome distraction, but Erik had been sitting next to the big dog on the floor and I didn’t have the heart to make him give up his pal. Instead, I told myself to toughen up, even as I climbed into my empty car and drove to the store.

  Curtis showed up every day at store opening and worked methodically. Part of his job was to take moisture readings of the drywall. If we couldn’t get it to dry out, he would have to tear it out and replace it.

  Clancy worked diligently to help me finish inventorying all that had been ruined and to assist me in kitting up all the bits and pieces we would need for the Friday and Saturday crops. Standing at the cash register, she reviewed the clipboard where she’d written down reservations. “The calls are coming in at a brisk pace. In fact, we’re almost full to capacity both days,” she said. “Won’t Lee be thrilled?”

  As if she’d been summoned out of thin air, the front door flew open. Lee staggered in. Her skin was paler than a sheet of copier paper. I shoved a chair under her because she looked like she might faint.

  Clancy ran to the back to get a cup of strong coffee.

  “Lee? Put your head between your knees,” I suggested.

  She did, sitting up only when Clancy nudged her to indicate she’d provided Lee with fortification. “You’ll never believe what just happened to me. The police took me in for questioning! I think they are trying to link me to Nancy’s death!”

  “We’d better go into the back. I’d hate to have a customer walk in on us.” Clancy picked up the coffee and led the way.

  My first question was, “Does Jeff know?”

  “Not yet. He’s out of town. In New York City for a board of directors meeting,” Lee said, settling into one of the kitchen chairs that sits around our break table. “Clancy? Thanks for the coffee. I’m not even sure I want to tell him.”

  “Jeff is going to have a cow,” I said, pushing sugar Lee’s way. Clancy got up and grabbed the carton of cream we keep in the refrigerator. Then, thinking better of what I’d said, I amended my comment. “Jeff wouldn’t have a cow. He’d have a racehorse. A Triple-Crown winner. Jeff wouldn’t be caught dead with a cow, would he?”

  “No.” Lee shook her head. A sad little smile indicated she understood I was joking around. “Not hardly. I don’t want him to have to deal with this. He’s working on a big project in the UK. When he hears about this, it’ll be a distraction for sure.”

  “Any word on the cashier’s check?” I asked.

  “Not a peep. They’ve sent bulletins to banks all over the world. Fareed is pulling his hair out. He’s decided he’ll have to tell the prince what happened in advance and give him a fake check at the event. Then we’ll fulfill our obligation later.”

  Clancy sat down, and I put on a new pot of coffee because Lee might need more than one jolt of caffeine. Even though it was sub-zero outside, I grabbed a Diet Dr Pepper for myself.

  Once I popped the top and sat down, Clancy jumped to her feet. It might have been comical to an onlooker, because neither of us could sit still.

  “All this fuss just because you wanted to track down a missing check. This is just crazy,” I said.

  Clancy reached into the refrigerator and brought out a loaf sealed in plastic wrap. “Chocolate Chip and Walnut Banana Bread. I baked it last night. Seems like a good time to offer both of you a slice.”

  My mouth watered at the thought of the Chocolate Chip and Walnut Banana bread. Any crisis is a terrific excuse for a sweet treat to eat, and this certainly qualified as a crisis. I watched eagerly as Clancy unwrapped and cut pieces.

  “The detective seemed sure that all of this is linked. Somehow.”

  “What was the detective’s name?” I wondered if it was anyone that Detweiler knew.

  “Detective Blanco Albertez. Two guys in uniform took me to Ferguson Police Department. Albertez interviewed me in a conference room.”

  “At least they didn’t put you in jail. That’s something to be thankful for!” I’d been wrongfully accused and taken to the county jail. It was not an experience I cared to remember.

  “Right. There’s that to be thankful for.” Lee detailed what had happened while she was in police custody. “The detective kept asking me questions about Nancy screaming at me in the parking lot. The spat that everyone saw after our board meeting. Albertez keeps hinting that there must be more to the situation, like perhaps I’d accused Nancy outright when we were in the ladies’ room. Just to set the record straight, I never, ever accused her of theft or malfeasance.”

  I took one bite from my piece and pronounced it “heavenly.”

  After nibbling at her slice, Lee continued, “I have no idea what came over Nancy. She seemed nervous, but otherwise she seemed fine in the board meeting. I thought she was just excited about giving that much money to the Tusk Trust. I went into the stall, did my thing, and when I came out, she started screaming at me!”

  “I’ve been wondering about something. Is it possible that the missing money market check was a trial run? I can’t work out the details, but it just seems so odd that first one check would go missing and then another.”

  “I certainly didn’t understand how cashier’s checks worked. Did either of you?” Clancy asked.

  “It’s not like the three of us just fell off the turnip truck,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “Is it possible that the person who’s behind this doesn’t realize the cashier’s check can’t be cashed? Could the person who has the cashier�
��s check be the same person who originally took the money market check?”

  “If that’s the case, it would have to be someone in Nancy’s household.” Clancy used a fork to delicately cut off pieces of her bread. I, on the other hand, picked mine up with my fingers.

  “I think you’re right, Clancy. We know there’s Nancy’s husband Bert and her stepdaughter Rochelle.” With that in mind, I told them what I’d learned from Nancy about her rocky relationship with Rochelle.

  “Wait a minute. You’re suggesting that a teenager is behind all this?”

  “Not possible,” Lee said. “I happen to know that Rochelle and her father were up in Chicago at the time that Nancy was killed. They were in O’Hare, waiting for their flight. Fareed told me.”

  “Okay, so neither Bert nor his daughter had opportunity. Did they have motive?”

  Lee shook her head. “No. Not that I’m aware of. I’d heard that Rochelle hated Nancy, but that’s an angry teen for you.”

  “Is it? Clancy, you’ve taught angry teens. Does Rochelle’s behavior sound normal to you? It sure doesn’t to me. Rochelle hated Nancy. She could have paid someone to steal that check out of spite.”

  “I can’t see that, but I could see an animal activist group being involved.” Lee folded her hands in her lap. She stared down at her interlaced fingers. I had this sense that she was at war with herself. Whatever she was thinking, she was unsure whether she should share it with us.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Throughout our history of existence, Zoo Keepers has been targeted by animal rights activists who don’t believe in keeping animals in zoos. Lately those people have ramped up their complaints. We’ve been getting threatening letters from them almost daily. We have a lot of detractors. People who feel that keeping animals in zoos is criminal.”

  “Surely they don’t object to zoos like ours. May I?”

  Clancy nodded. “Of course, help yourself.”

  I got up and cut myself a second slice of the Chocolate Chip and Walnut Banana bread. Boy, was it ever good.

  “Actually, they do,” Lee said. “Animal rights activists feel the money and attention could be better spent by improving the natural conditions for animals. The most radical among them think that no animal should be caged or kept in captivity by humans. That includes our domestic pets like dogs and cats.”

  “Not surprising.” Clancy clucked her tongue. “Fanatics never see the world in all its complexity. They thrive on black-and-white, good-versus-evil, and rigid stands. Often such groups go off half-cocked because they don’t care about the facts. They have convinced themselves they know all they need to know.”

  “Give me an example.” I picked up my plate and carried it to the sink so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat more of the sweet bread.

  “Here’s one off the top of my head,” Lee answered. “An animal rights group headquartered in Connecticut went to court when seventeen elephants were flown here from Swaziland in Africa. The elephants were destined for zoos around the country, and the president of the group protested that confinement bores and stresses the animals.”

  “Sounds like a reasonable argument to me,” Clancy admitted. “Being cooped up would drive me nuts.”

  I thought about Gracie spending hours here in her doggy play pen. Typically she slept all day, but if she had the choice would she have preferred roaming around? She seemed happy enough, but was she? Maybe she was thrilled to stay home rather than come to work with me.

  “We agree that animals that are in captivity can get bored and stressed,” Lee said, nodding her head vigorously, “but in this case, the elephants in question were scheduled to be killed, in order to make room for more rhinos at a reserve in a drought-stricken country. So you see, the truth was more complicated than the animal rights people thought.”

  “Isn’t that the way of life?” Clancy mused. “Everything seems simple until you peep under the covers. That’s when you discover the knots and tangles.”

  “Who is the ‘we’ who’s been getting these threats?” I finished my Diet Dr Pepper and walked the can to the recycling bin.

  “All the board members. Past and present. This has been going on for a long time, but it really ramped up this last month. Fareed suspects that they got wind of the fact we were planning to hand Prince William a check for a million dollars.

  “Is it remotely possible that the animal rights activists are behind Nancy’s murder and the theft of the check?” I wondered out loud.

  Lee thought that over. “I guess.”

  “A million dollars is certainly a good motive for murder.” Clancy stated the obvious. “Lee? If I were you, I’d hire an attorney.”

  “I did.”

  In chorus, Clancy and I chimed, “Jim Hagg.”

  “How’d you guess?” Lee looked genuinely puzzled.

  Hagg was the go-to guy for anyone who had money or good sense. He was also the man people hired when they were guilty. The cops all hated Hagg, because he threw up one roadblock after another when defending a client. That said, Detweiler and I had often joked that if either of us were ever accused of a wrongdoing here in the metropolitan St. Louis area, we would call Hagg.

  I told Lee how we were able to guess that Hagg would serve as her representation.

  “He certainly seems to know his job. The very mention of his name put a scare into the detective. In fact, I called, Hagg came, and I walked out.” She stumbled a little over that last word. “I still can’t believe I was even questioned!”

  “They certainly have nothing to go on except the fact that Nancy attacked you, right?” My question was rhetorical.

  “Well,” Lee drew the word out. “There is one thing. Hagg was pretty upset about it, too. Albertez told me that somebody texted Nancy right before the Zoo Keepers’ board meeting ended. That message is the reason she drove to Ferguson. Albertez says he can prove the text came from my phone!”

  I did my best to hide my surprise. I could see Clancy’s eyes grow wide, too. It was possible that Albertez was lying to Lee, but on the other hand…maybe not. I had to ask. “I assume you didn’t send the text. Is there any way that someone could have used your phone? Without you knowing it?”

  That brought tears to her eyes. “Yes. I feel so silly about it. Someone swiped my phone. I didn’t notice it until after the Zoo Keepers’ meeting. I thought I’d left it at home by mistake. After the meeting, I went back to the house and turned it upside down. No luck. I tried calling my number from our landline. No luck with that either. I knew that I had my phone in my purse earlier in the day. I used it while I was grocery shopping. After the board meeting, I got in my car and drove off, but I was still upset about Nancy screaming at me. I pulled off of 40 and stopped for an iced tea at a Wendy’s. I wanted to talk to Jeff. He would calm me down. That’s when I realized my phone was missing. I figured it would turn up sooner or later, and I didn’t want Jeff to fuss at me for being careless.”

  “That explains why I couldn’t get you on your phone the day I called about helping with inventory. I wound up calling your landline.”

  “It’s impossible that somebody took my phone. I always keep it in my purse inside a zippered pocket.” Lee colored and averted her eyes. “Jeff’s been warning me that I don’t watch it carefully enough. Sometimes I carry too much inside my purse and the zipper doesn’t want to work right. That’s one reason I didn’t tell him right away that it was missing.”

  Our conversation was interrupted by the back door swinging open. Of course, Rebekkah knew Lee, and we could certainly talk in front of Dodie’s daughter. Dodie had drummed into all of us the importance of keeping our customers’ secrets, so keeping mum about a friend’s secrets was second nature. After Rebekkah hung up her coat and poured herself a cup of coffee, Clancy got Rebekkah up to speed about what needed to be done with the soggy paper we’d dumped into one big plastic bin.

  “Lee?” I put a hand on her arm. “If I had a dollar for every woman who’s lost a phone in
this store, I could personally write you a check to cover that missing million. It’s so easy to do. The smaller the phones get, the harder it is to keep track of them.

  “Albertez implied that the text message sent from my phone proves that I set Nancy up.” Lee’s voice had a hitch in it. “He says that Nancy drove to Ferguson in response to my text message. That’s impossible.” Lee lifted her chin defiantly. “I didn’t do that. I just flat out didn’t.”

  “Doesn’t make any sense, does it?” Clancy mused. “Why would you text someone when you were with them at a meeting? Perhaps Detective Albertez lied to you about having evidence of a text message?”

  “Hagg said that’s possible. He’s going to find out.”

  “Who else was in the building the day that Nancy died? Besides the Zoo Keepers board members?”

  “There’s always a janitor who unlocks the Meyer Building for us and locks up after we leave. That week it was a substitute.”

  “Maybe the janitor or somebody ‘borrowed’ your phone and made that text message,” I said.

  “Impossible. How would he get my passcode?”

  Clancy shook her head. “Remember that old saying from Sherlock Holmes? He was talking to Watson and he said, ‘How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?’”

  Rebekkah looked up from her counting. Her dark curls framed her face. “The Sign of the Four. That’s the name of the story where Sherlock said that. But later Mr. Spock repeated it on Star Trek.”

  “But how would anyone have gotten my passcode?” Lee asked.

  “I’m betting there’s CCTV in that room. If so, the janitor could have watched what you punch in, written it down, and then used it later.”

  “Wow.” Clancy pulled out a chair and sank down. “None of this could have been done spontaneously. There are so many moving pieces. This must have been a well-orchestrated plan. Whoever did this is pretty sharp. There aren’t many exits from 270 into Ferguson. Once Nancy left the beltway, she would more than likely stay on a main artery. Someone could have easily tailed her car.”