Second Bloom

by Sally Handley

  “Unbelievable.”

  They stood silently as the line inched forward through the entrance hall, into the room where Mrs. Hagel’s closed coffin lie in state. A picture of Mrs. Hagel, the one that had appeared in the paper, was displayed on a stand in front of a beautiful display of red roses with a white ribbon reading, “Dearest Mother” in gold lettering. Holly and Ivy filed past the coffin.

  A couple in front of them was offering their sympathy to a middle-aged woman seated in a cushioned wing chair near the coffin. Her blonde hair coiffed in an elegant chignon, she wore a black suit accented by a strand of classic white pearls and matching earrings. She smiled graciously, accepting the condolences being offered. Standing beside her was a heavy-set young man, probably in his twenties. He, too, shook hands with the guests, but fidgeted impatiently, not making eye contact with anyone.

  As the couple moved on, Holly approached the woman, extending her hand. “Hello. We’ve never met. I’m Holly Donnelly and this is my sister, Ivy. I’ve lived in the neighborhood for years and Mrs. Hagel and I shared an interest in gardening.”

  “Ah, yes, Edna, my mother-in-law, loved her garden. So very kind of you to come. I know she’d be happy you were here. This is my son, Phillip.”

  “So sorry about your grandmother, Phillip.”

  Phillip’s hand was clammy and Holly detected a faint smell of alcohol. He said nothing, looking past Holly at the back of the room.

  Holly turned and headed toward the rows of seats. She scanned the crowd and noted a few familiar faces from the neighborhood. On the far side of the room Doris Franklin sat alone. She waved Holly over. Ivy came up behind her and said she needed to use the ladies room, so Holly walked over to sit with Doris.

  “The photo they selected is beautiful, isn’t it?” Holly said.

  “Yes, Edna was a real beauty,” Doris replied

  “How are you doing these days, Doris? I haven’t seen you at the Garden Club meetings lately.”

  “Getting out at night is hard for me, you know. I can’t drive anymore. Still, I really can’t complain. My son is good about taking me places. He dropped me here and will pick me up later.”

  “That’s nice,” said Holly, glad the conversation had taken a personal turn.

  Suddenly a loud noise startled them. They looked to the front of the room and saw that a flower arrangement had fallen to the floor. Phillip Hagel’s face was flushed as he backed away from the display. He put his head down and quickly left the room, as the funeral director appeared and righted the display, rearranging some of the flowers that had been jostled by the fall.

  “There. You see. He can’t even conduct himself properly at a wake,” Doris said with disgust. “I’m telling you, I’m just sick about Leonelle. Do you know her?”

  “We met,” Holly said, not volunteering any additional information.

  “She didn’t do it. I know she didn’t do it. I read in the paper there were no signs of a break-in, so that’s why they believe it was Leonelle, but I’m telling you, they should investigate that grandson. He had keys to the house. I know he did. The whole family did. Whenever I was there, they let themselves in. They never rang the bell. I hope the police talked to them.”

  Holly was relieved to see Ivy approaching. “Doris, my sister and I are leaving early tomorrow for a few days in the Catskills. We need to go home and finish packing, so we have to leave you. Listen, if you need a ride to the club meetings, call me. I’d be happy to pick you up and take you home.”

  “That’s so kind of you, dear. If I’m up to it, I will call you. You have a safe drive tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Doris.” Holly stood up and turned to Ivy. “Let’s go.” As she took Ivy by the arm, she noticed a strained expression on her face. “Are you all right?” Holly whispered as they made their way to the door.

  “I’ll tell you outside,” Ivy whispered.

  In the hallway, Holly stopped. “Hold on. That’s Mrs. Hagel’s son. I’ve met him and I want to offer my condolences.”

  Steven Hagel stood conversing quietly with two men in the hall. His hand trembled slightly as he adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses. His baggy and wrinkled suit contrasted sharply with the chic and elegant attire of his wife. Holly waited a moment until one of the men made eye-contact with her, causing Steven to look over at her as well.

  “Mr. Hagel, sorry to interrupt. I’m Holly Donnelly. I’m sure you don’t remember me, but we met a few years ago when I was visiting your mother. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss.”

  “Thank you. Donnelly, you say. That name sounds familiar. How did you know my mother?”

  “Through the garden club. I bought the Jorgenson’s house.”

  “Yes. My mother used to talk about you. Wait a minute. Aren’t you the one who introduced her to that gardener?” he asked irately.

  “Yes, but the gardener had nothing to do with …”

  “But I heard from my lawyer that you’re trying to help this Gomez woman now, too. You have a lot of nerve coming here,” he said, his voice rising.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Hagel. I was just leaving.”

  “You should,” he said coldly. “And please don’t come to the funeral. If I find you trying to talk to my family, I’ll call the police.”

  Holly turned, grabbing Ivy’s arm, and headed to the door walking as quickly as she could. They stepped outside and closed the door. “That was humiliating.”

  Before they could descend the stairs, the door opened behind them and Steven Hagel’s wife appeared. They felt like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.

  “Ms. Donnelly, I couldn’t help overhearing and I just want to apologize for how my husband spoke to you in there.”

  “Please don’t apologize.”

  “No, no. Steven is distraught. He loved his mother very much, but still it was rude of him to address you that way. No one is more shocked than I that the evidence pointed to Leonelle. If you are trying to help her, I’m sure you have your reasons.”

  “Thank you for understanding, Mrs. Hagel. I’m really sorry for your loss. We’d better go. Good-night.”

  Holly and Ivy turned and went down the steps, practically running to the car. Inside Holly immediately locked the doors.

  “Ugh! I just can’t believe that happened,” Holly said. “While you were in the ladies’ room, the grandson knocked over a flower display, and Doris started in again about how badly she felt about Leonelle. She read in the paper that there was no break-in, but she said she knew the grandson had keys to the house. The whole family did. Why do people keep telling me these things?”

  “And the bad news is they’re now telling me things because they think I’m you.”

  “Oh, no! That’s right. I forgot you had something to tell me.”

  “When I was in the stall, two women came in the ladies’ room, talking about the grandson knocking over the flowers. When I came out, one of them turned out to be Denise Archer. She thought I was you and started telling me about The Bachelorette, asking if I’d watched the show like she told us to. When the other woman left, Denise looked over at me.”

  Doing a dead-on imitation of Denise, Ivy continued, “You know, Holly, I’ve been thinkin’. Maybe it wasn’t Brunetti who killed her after all. Those grandkids stand to inherit a bundle now Edna’s gone. You notice the granddaughter’s not here? They say she’s taking care of the business. If you ask me, she’s just a, well, it rhymes with witch, you know what I mean? The grandson’s a klutz, but she’s the one with the brains. If the brother had anything to do with Edna’s death, she’s the one who would have to tell him what to do, because he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. Ya know what I mean?’”

  Holly grunted. “We can’t get out of town fast enough.”

  24 A PHONE MESSAGE

  Entering the kitchen, Holly noticed the light blinking on the answering machine.

  “Aren’t you going to check the message?” Ivy asked.

  “And listen to someo
ne provide me with another murder suspect, like a disgruntled employee of Hagel Printing and Paper or a spurned former lover or maybe a lost love child returned to claim her inheritance?”

  “Okay,” Ivy held her hands up in surrender. “Calm down. You go upstairs and I’ll check.”

  “Fine. And if it’s Manelli, you can call and confess that you lied about erasing his last message,” Holly said as she headed to the stairs.

  Ivy hit the play button.

  “Hello. It’s me. Elena.” She sounded as if she’d been crying. “I tried not to bother you for the last few days, but I was wondering if you found out anything that could help my mother. She’s been transferred to the county jail.” Here Elena broke down, crying. “I’m so scared and worried for my mother. Please call me.”

  When the message ended, Ivy turned around. Holly was standing in the doorway. They just looked at each other. Holly dropped her handbag on the kitchen table and sank down onto a chair.

  “What are we going to do?” Holly asked. “With everything that’s been going on today, I actually forgot about her.”

  “Me, too.” Ivy lowered her head. “I’m so sorry I convinced you to try to help this girl. We gave her hope, and now what do we tell her?”

  Holly hesitated for just a moment, got up, reached for the phone, and said, “The truth.”

  “Hello, Elena? It’s Holly Donnelly. I’m here with Ivy. I’m going to put you on speakerphone. Can you hear us?”

  “Yes, yes. Thank you so much for calling me back.”

  “Elena, I’m sorry, but we don’t have a lot to tell you. This morning Detective Manelli came here and told us we were interfering with a police investigation and that we had to stop. We told him everything we had learned, and now we have to just let the police do their jobs.”

  Elena started crying.

  “Elena,” Ivy cut in. “I think Detective Manelli will get to the truth. He listened to what we told him and I think he is going to keep investigating until they find the real murderer.”

  “You really think so?” Elena asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Ivy reassured her. “Holly and I are going to go away for a few days, but we’ll call you when we get back, all right?

  “All right.”

  “Try not to worry,” Ivy said.

  “I’ll--I’ll try,” Elena sniffled.

  “Good-night, Elena,” Holly said.

  “Good night.”

  Holly returned the handset to its cradle. “This is not any kind of a good night,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “Do you really think Manelli will investigate what we told him, or did you just say that?”

  “I don’t know. Why did he come here today? Did he really need to do that?”

  “Maybe he just wants to wrap this case up without any complications. Maybe he’s worried that the police will look bad if we find out something they didn’t.”

  “He doesn’t impress me that way. He seems like a decent guy, not somebody who couldn’t care less if an innocent woman goes to jail. Think about it. Maybe he came here because he was already investigating Novardo and he figured we could mess things up. Or maybe he thought we could get hurt and he needed to stop us.”

  “I don’t know. I think you’re just sweet on him because he’s good-looking.”

  “So you admit he’s good-looking?”

  Holly stood up and said, “I’m going to bed.”

  “Yes, I guess we better try to get some sleep.”

  “’Try is the optimum word. I don’t know what’s worse, not being able to sleep, or the nightmares I’ll have if I do fall asleep.”

  “Put the television on. Watch a sitcom. That might help take your mind off things.”

  “Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

  In her room Holly turned on the television and searched the channel guide. She smiled when she saw Bewitched was playing. Thirty minutes with Samantha, the witch turned housewife, was exactly what she needed to clear her mind. She set the timer for thirty minutes. Before the first set of commercials finished, she was asleep. She dreamt that Gladys Kravitz, Samantha’s nosy neighbor, came over and started telling her that she thought Abner, her husband, might have murdered Mrs. Hagel. When Samantha closed the door on Gladys, she turned to face Nick Manelli, dressed in a shirt and tie and a red cardigan sweater asking, “Who was at the door, Honey?”

  25 REDDINGTON MANOR

  At just about noon the next day, Holly drove up the steep, gravelly driveway to Kate Farmer’s house at the top of Creamery Road in Reddington Manor, NY. As soon as they made the turn onto the property, Kate’s dog, Amy, started barking. When Holly and Ivy got out of the car, Amy jumped up and down, her tail wagging like a metronome on steroids. Holly let Lucky out of the back seat and she joined in the excitement when Kate appeared on the front porch. After dog pats and hugs of welcome all around, the dogs’ movements ratcheted down from fever pitch exhilaration to a lower grade of fidgety animation.

  “Let’s bring your stuff in right now, so we can really relax and have a leisurely lunch on the porch,” Kate said.

  Holly opened the trunk and they each grabbed whatever they could handle. Kate led them across the stepping stone path to the rambling white house. Forest green trim framed the windows and eaves, and a wide porch wrapped around three sides of the house. Wicker furniture lined the walls invitingly and a round table set for lunch nested in the corner with three chairs around it.

  “Isn’t this lovely!” Ivy exclaimed. “I’ve heard so much about this place that I feel as if I’ve been here before. I just adore this porch!”

  “Yeah, the porch is what really sold me on the house,” Kate said as she opened the door that entered into a huge country kitchen. A window opposite the door looked out onto the backyard and the farmland and mountain beyond.

  “Wow! What a view. This is amazing.”

  Kate smiled and said, “Okay, let me show you to your rooms.” She led them through the kitchen door that opened into the living room. The hardwood floors sparkled. Magazines and books were stacked in neat piles on the coffee table. They climbed the stairs and Kate took Holly’s bag to the room straight ahead at the top of the stairs.

  “Ivy, you’re in there,” she said pointing to the room directly to the right. “Why don’t you settle in, use the bathroom if you need to and come back downstairs. I’ll start plating up our lunch.”

  When they returned to the kitchen, Holly and Ivy found nicoise salad beautifully arranged on their plates. “Okay, what will you have to drink, Ivy?” Kate asked. “Holly, I don’t have to tell you beer is in the refrigerator.”

  “Iced tea or water is good for me,” Ivy replied.

  Kate got out a jug of tea from the refrigerator, poured two glasses, and said, “Okay. Grab a plate and your drink and let’s go outside. I can’t wait to hear what you’ve been up to.”

  “Don’t ask,” groaned Holly as she opened a Blue Moon, placing the bottle directly in the iced mug Kate had waiting for her. She grabbed the mug by the handle, got her plate and followed Kate and Ivy outside.

  “This looks delicious. I didn’t realize it, but I’m actually starved,” Ivy said.

  “Quelle surprise!” Holly mocked. “You’re always starved. She’s just like you, Kate. The metabolism of a hummingbird. I don’t know where you two put it.”

  They made small talk while eating, savoring the meal, the view and the company. After a dessert of ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, they carried their dishes inside, replenished their drinks and returned to the porch.

  “Oooh, this is great,” Holly purred as she sank into the comfortable cushions, pouring herself another beer. “I don’t think I’ve felt this relaxed since …”

  “Since I arrived and we discovered Mrs. Hagel was murdered and Juan was the prime suspect,” finished Ivy.

  “Okay,” said Kate, tossing her napkin on the table. “I’ve waited long enough. Tell me what’s been going on.”

  “Let’s see. When did I last talk to you?�
�� Holly asked.

  “Juan had brought Elena Gomez to you to see if you could help her mother.”

  “That seems like a lifetime ago now. Here’s what’s happened since.”

  Holly started by explaining how they agreed to go with Elena to visit her mother and her mother’s lawyer and how their involvement snowballed from there. She ended describing the wake and the call to Elena the night before.

  “Yesterday was just the worst. Can we stay up here for the rest of the summer?” Holly asked.

  “Hey, don’t forget I have a flight back to South Carolina next week,” Ivy chimed in.

  Kate turned to Ivy. “So, I guess this isn’t exactly the vacation you were expecting? You even had a starring role there, saving Juan.”

  “I have to say it hasn’t been boring, that’s for sure. I’m glad I was able to help, but I think the police would have figured out that the pills killed her eventually. I have to tell you, though, Holly has left out one important character in the story. She hasn’t told you about Nick Manelli.”

  “Nick Manelli! Who’s Nick Manelli?” Kate asked, her eyes widening as she turned to Holly.

  “Ivy, really?” Holly burrowed her head deeper in the cushions and closed her eyes.

  “What?” Ivy laughed. “How could you leave him out of this story?”

  “Tell me who Manelli is,” Kate demanded turning back to Ivy.

  Without opening her eyes, Holly said, “I didn’t leave him out of the story.”

  “You described everyone else by name and in detail. Why not him?”

  “C’mon, already, who’s Nick Manelli?” Kate asked, spilling some of her tea, now on the edge of her chair.

  “I just didn’t think he was important.”

  Ivy laughed loudly, “Wow, are you in denial.”

  Kate stood up and shouted, “For heaven’s sake, will one of you tell me who Nick Manelli is.”

  Holly opened her eyes and both she and Ivy looked at Kate, as if just noticing she was there.

  “He’s the hunky detective that has a crush on Holly,” Ivy finally replied.