Ben nodded and the two of them walked out of Beach Reads.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Once back at the house, Agatha swung into auntie action. She sat Summer down, heated casseroles, and nearly force-fed her.
Summer had to admit, after she ate she felt better.
Her phone was sitting next to her plate, and even though she felt like she was constantly watching it, it never rang.
“I wonder if they’ve gotten a hold of Doris yet,” Summer said after her last bite of broccoli and cheese casserole. “She must know something.”
“Know something and not realize it,” Agatha said. “Very likely with her.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s a bit of an oddball. That’s all.”
“Mia doesn’t like her.”
“Well, I think she was a little jealous because Hildy was spending a lot of time at Doris’s place.”
“She was?”
“Yes, you know Hildy read to Doris’s husband. He’s quite ill.”
“So I keep hearing. Have you ever met him?” Summer scooped green bean casserole onto her plate.
“Once. Nice guy. I picked up Hildy from their place when her car was in the shop.” Agatha’s face fell. “That was a weird day, come to think of it.”
“What do you mean?” Summer eyeballed her phone. No calls yet.
Agatha frowned. “It’s nothing.”
“What is it?”
“Just that Hildy said she was getting weird vibes from Doris. Like she was jealous.”
Summer batted her eyes over what she’d just heard, as if it would help to make sense of it. “Doris thought Mom wanted her dying husband? What?”
“I know, right?” Agatha giggled nervously and looked away from Summer, but their eyes met.
Summer’s mind was clicking from one idea and one thought to the next. Pink-haired Doris, maker of the cinnamon rolls (or not), helpful beyond measure at the store, friend of her mom’s.
Her eyes met Agatha’s. “What do you know about Doris?”
“She’s been here for about five years. Came from Albany, New York. Has a couple of kids she never sees. Let’s see … what else?”
“Could she … I mean … do you think?”
“What?”
“Could she have been so jealous that she offed Mom?”
Her words hung in the air for several moments.
Agatha gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. Her eyes widened. She dropped her hands. “I don’t know. But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” She paused. “Wait. she was a friend of your mother’s. We’re being a bit crazy.”
Summer drew in a breath. Were they? “I don’t know about that. Most murders are committed by people who know their victims. Passion. Jealousy. How jealous was she?”
Agatha shrugged. The room silenced as the two of them deepened their own deliberations.
“On the other hand, it makes such perfect sense. She was left alone with Hildy. She might have pricked her with a needle, which could be why she screamed.”
Summer’s stomach churned as she imagined the scene. Her mom betrayed in the worst way. A friend killing her.
She reached for her phone and dialed Ben.
“You’re supposed to be resting,” he said when he answered.
“I’m eating, and then I was planning to nap, but Agatha and I have a suspect for you to check out.”
“Summer, I—”
“Let me explain.” She didn’t give him another chance to enter the conversation. It all spilled out of her.
“Are you finished?”
“Yes.”
“I can question her, but I need evidence to arrest her.”
“That’s what you’re doing right now, correct? You’ll have evidence soon.”
“Summer, promise me you won’t confront her. If she did kill your mother, your meddling now could mess up the case. You need to leave this in my hands. Can you do that?” He breathed into the phone.
He was right. She didn’t want to corrupt the case. She wanted justice for her mom. But she also wanted to strangle Doris. In due time. “Yes, I won’t confront her. I promise.”
“Among other things, she could flee before we get a chance to even question her. If she gets a whiff that she’s a suspect, she might do that.”
“Okay, I’ll tell Agatha.”
“Agatha knows?”
“Yes.” Summer looked around to find her aunt. Was she in the bathroom? In the living room?
Her eyes roamed around the place. But she noted that Agatha’s bag was gone.
“We’ve got a problem, Ben. Agatha is gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, while we were talking, she left. She didn’t even say goodbye.” She paused. “Which means she’s up to something. I’m guessing she’s off to visit Doris.”
“No,” he said.
Oh yes, Ben Singer. Hildy’s sister might be out for blood.
Summer’s heart thudded against her rib cage.
“Summer, don’t go over there. I’m heading over right now.”
She didn’t respond. How could she not go and help her aunt? Why had Agatha left without her?”
“The fewer people around for this, the better. Do you hear me?”
“I do,” Summer said. “Loud and clear.” Didn’t mean she had to obey.
“If you’re correct, then Agatha will be in trouble, and believe me, it’s best to leave this to the pros. I don’t want anybody getting hurt.”
Summer thought about Agatha with Doris. Agatha could hold her own. But what if Doris was crazy enough to come after her with a needle—or worse, a gun?
“Summer?” Ben’s voice came over the phone. “Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” she said, her heart sinking into her stomach. “I’ll stay here if you promise to call me right away with whatever news you have. “
“It’s a deal.”
Summer paced between the kitchen and the living room. “Aunt Agatha! What are you doing? Oh god, if anything should happen to you!”
“Summer!” Mr. Darcy said. “Darcy love you.”
She stopped, studied the bird, back in his cage. “Summer loves Darcy,” she whispered, trying to hold back tears.
“Screw it!” She said a few minutes later. “I’m going over to Doris’s house.” But she had no idea where it was. She’d text Glads or Poppy. Just as she was readying to text, the phone rang. Ben Singer’s name came on the screen.
“Hello,” she said.
“We’re here at Doris’s place.”
“And?”
“Nobody is here. Not her or her husband or Agatha.”
Relief spread through her. “Thank God.”
“Are you sure that Agatha came over here?”
“I just figured that’s where she went. She just took off.”
“It was a fair assumption to make.”
“I can’t reach Agatha on the phone or by texting.”
“I’ve not been able to reach Doris either.” He sighed. “Okay, given the circumstances. I’m putting out an APB and going to get some search and rescue help. It might just be a coincidence, but better safe than sorry.”
“Thanks, Ben.”
“I’ll check around with Agatha’s friends and family to see if they’ve heard anything.”
“Great. Keep me posted.
Summer clicked off to find Piper and Mia standing there.
She needed a bell or something on the front door. “Jesus, you two scared me.”
Piper’s face was stony. “What’s going on with my mom?”
Mia crossed her arms and glared, which is one of the things she did best.
“You two better sit down.”
Chapter Sixty-Four
“So, nobody knows where she is?” Piper said with a quiver in her voice.
“Has she texted or called either of you?” Summer asked.
They both scrolled through their cell phones.
“Did she really go to confront Doris?
” Piper said.
“Of course she did!” Mia said.
“No wait. Let’s not jump to any conclusions. Maybe she stopped over there, and since they weren’t home, she moved on,” Summer said. Trying to keep them both calm was one thing, but trying to keep herself calm was quite another. She felt it in her guts: Agatha was in danger.
“Yeah,” Mia said. “You keep telling yourself that when the same crazy woman who killed your mother might have Gram tied up in a basement somewhere!”
“Mia!”
“Let’s not go there,” Piper said, blinking furiously. “When were you going to tell me?”
“I only just learned. This is all happening very quickly. I was just going to call everybody when you walked in.”
“Did you say the police are looking for her?” Piper asked, still blinking.
Summer nodded.
“And they are looking for Doris?” Still blinking.
“Yes, Ma. She told you all of this, like, five times. What’s wrong with you?” Mia stood and gathered her bags. “I’m not going to sit here with you two, while something could be happening to Gram.”
“Where will you go? Sit down!” Piper said. Blink. Blink. Blink. “You’ve no idea where she is.”
Mia flung herself into Piper’s arms, sobbing. Just like that, the smart-ass teenager morphed into a frightened child. “Shh,” Piper said, rubbing her back.
They sat down together.
“If anything happens to her …” Mia managed to get out through the sobs.
“Listen,” Summer said. “Agatha may be thin, but she’s freakishly strong. I doubt that Doris would want a piece of her. Come on.” She tried to smile.
“You’re right,” Piper said. “Besides, Mom’s smart and can handle just about anything.”
“But what if Doris has a gun?” Mia said. “What then?”
The three of them sat in silence.
When Summer’s phone rang, it startled them. It was Ben again.
“Doris’s husband is in the hospital,” he said. “He’s in a coma.”
“Is she there with him?”
“No, but she was there earlier.”
“So you’ve yet to find either Doris or Agatha?”
“Right. But we’re working on it.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
He clicked off.
Mia and Piper looked at her for answers, which she readily gave them.
“Now what?” Piper asked.
“The police are combing the island,” Summer said.
“That doesn’t comfort me at all,” Piper said. “What if we searched too?”
“I promised Ben I wouldn’t get involved.”
“You didn’t make those promises for me.” Piper stood.
“Me neither.” Mia followed her mother. “Let’s call the book club ladies.”
Summer couldn’t allow all of her mom’s family and friends to go searching for Agatha without her.
“I promised Ben I wouldn’t go to Doris’s house, but I said nothing about searching for her.” She grabbed her bag, and they were off, making calls and planning to all meet at Beach Reads to come up with a strategy.
* * *
The police had left the crime scene tape around the vampire romance section. Several of the book group members were already there, along with Poppy.
“I can’t believe Doris killed Hildy. It makes little sense to me,” Glads said, folding her arms.
“It makes perfect sense,” Marilyn said. “Think about it. She was with her alone. That’s when she screamed, and she screamed because Doris pricked her with a needle, not because she had a heart attack.”
“I don’t know … it’s just too awful to think about,” Glads said. “Doris is odd. But a killer?”
“What matters right now is finding her and finding my mom,” Piper spoke up.
“So let’s figure out where to look and who’ll go where,” Summer said.
“The police are at her house,” Piper said. “From my understanding, they’re going to stay there.”
“Her husband is in the hospital, so I’m sure she will be heading there at some point,” Summer said.
“I’ll be going to the hospital,” Poppy said, standing. “What should I do if I see her?”
“First, call the police, and then call me.” Summer said.
“Don’t confront her,” Mia said. “We don’t want her to know we’re on to her.”
Poppy nodded and exited the shop.
“Is there any place that she frequented?” Piper asked. “She came here a lot. The hospital. Anyplace else?”
“The library,” Glads said. “Don’t know why I didn’t think it about it earlier. She spends a good bit of time there, researching health things.” She paused. “She, of course, was trying to save her husband. She was always looking up alternative methods to treat cancer.”
“But why would she have taken Agatha to such a public place? It doesn’t make sense,” Marilyn said, “unless there’s a basement or something she can get into there?” Her voice rose to a question.
Glads’s face fell. “Of course there is. And of course, being the stupid woman I am, I showed it to her one day.”
“You’re not stupid,” Marilyn said. “You didn’t know she was a killer. Who would? She, with her cinnamon rolls and pink hair.”
Lucy, the doctor’s assistant, cleared her throat. “I don’t think she could get away with taking Agatha to a public place. I mean, first, everybody knows Agatha and would know if something were wrong. If you think about it, she had to keep her quiet. She’s probably drugged her or something, right?”
The women quit talking as they considered what Lucy said.
The image of a bound and gagged Agatha taunted Summer.
“The police are at her house. Poppy’s at the hospital,” Piper said. “What about Mom’s place?”
“That’s a great idea,” Summer said. “I’ll go with you.”
“Me too,” Mia said.
Summer looked at Marilyn and Glads, along with Rose, another book club member. “If you could stay here in case anything pops up. And call me immediately.”
“Or if you could think of another place they might be … text us.”
“What about the cove?” Glads said.
Summer’s stomach tightened. Would Doris have taken Agatha to the cove? Tomorrow, when the tide came in, it would be completely underwater.
Piper gasped. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“We’ll check it out,” Glads said.
“Please be careful,” Summer said. “We’ve already lost Mom. We don’t want to lose anybody else.” She hugged Glads, then Marilyn. “Please text me if you find anything.”
“Likewise,” Marilyn said.
“I’ve set up a group chat on your phones,” Mia said. “It will be very easy for us all to keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Mia.”
* * *
When Summer, Mia, and Piper arrived at Aunt Agatha’s house, the first thing Summer noted was the lack of cars in the driveway. Of course. Aunt Agatha had her car. But would Doris have hers?
The lack of cars around was not a good sign. Agatha and Doris most likely were not here.
Piper opened the door. “Mom?”
All of them stepped inside to a quiet house.
“I’ll look upstairs—you take the basement,” Mia said.
“Basement?” Summer said. “No. I’ll take upstairs.”
“Nobody likes a smart ass in times like this, Mia,” Piper said. “I’ll take the first floor.”
The three of them split up. What would they do if they found Agatha and Doris? They hadn’t discussed that. Summer felt a wave of panic. She’d deal with that when the time came.
She moved up the stairs and down the small hallway to Agatha’s room. Agatha and her husband stood in a photo on the nightstand. Several photos of Piper and Mia were scattered throughout. A nice one of her and Hildy hung on the wall. Summer stopped and examined
it. They must have been in their early twenties. On the beach. Arms wrapped around each other.
Summer blinked away a tear. Now was not the time.
She opened the closet door. She looked under the bed. Nothing. No clues. And no Agatha. She moved on to the guest room and found nothing.
A text message beep alerted her.
Doris’s husband just passed away, and the hospital can’t find her.
Summer walked down the steps and found Ben Singer standing at the bottom.
“Did you think we weren’t watching this place?” Hands on his hips. “Summer, go home.”
Mia and Piper looked sheepish.
“This is my aunt’s home. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is you promised not to get involved. This is a police matter.”
“I promised not to get involved in the investigation, yes. I didn’t promise not to go to my aunt’s house.”
“To see if she was here,” he finished the sentence. “Jack is going to escort you ladies back to your homes. Everybody is going to their own houses and not leaving until I say so. Is that understood?”
“You can’t do that,” Piper said.
“Watch me. You’re obstructing justice. Don’t make me put your asses in jail.”
“Absurd,” Summer said.
“Maybe. But don’t push me. Jack?” A young uniformed officer entered the room. “Take these ladies back to their houses.”
“Maybe you should be out finding my grandmother instead of harassing us!” Mia shot at him.
His looked at Piper, then at Summer, with a sideways grin. “I’d swear she was your kid, Summer. In any case, do what I say.”
Chapter Sixty-Five
Summer, Mia, and Piper had no choice. They were police-escorted back to Summer’s house in silence.
“I always thought if I were brought home by a cop, it would be for a more interesting reason,” Summer said.
“What will the neighbors think?” Piper said as she opened the front door and laughed.
“Who cares?” Summer said.
They walked into the living room, where Mr. Darcy greeted them.
Summer plopped onto the couch, Mia next to her.
“What if something happened to Mom? What am I going to do?” Piper wailed.
Summer wrapped her arms around Piper. “I know. I know.”
Little Bookshop of Murder Page 24