Out of Circulation (CAT IN THE STACKS MYSTERY)
Page 19
My head ached from trying to sort out who died when and the possible implications of wills and inheritances. I’d better get down to the courthouse as soon as possible.
I checked the time. Too late to go today; it was already seventeen minutes after five. The courthouse would have to wait until tomorrow morning.
“Come on, Diesel, let’s go home.” I shut down the computer, put the journal away in my desk and locked it, thought about it a moment, unlocked the desk, and pulled the journal back out. Maybe I should take it home with me to finish reading tonight.
No, that wouldn’t be right. Materials from the Ducote Collection were not supposed to leave the archives. Back into the drawer went the journal again, and this time it stayed there.
Diesel, impatient to be on the way, meowed loudly at me. He was already by the door, and I didn’t linger.
On the walk home my head buzzed with questions. A new one that occurred to me was whether I should share the revelations from Cecilia Ducote’s journal with Kanesha. If one of the Ducote sisters did turn out to be the killer, then the information about the relationship with Vera would have to come out.
But if they were both innocent, there was no point in anyone else knowing the story. It was a private family matter, and I felt guilty enough as it was for having pried into it myself.
I couldn’t share this with Kanesha yet. If I found some proof that either Miss An’gel or Miss Dickce pushed Vera down those stairs, I would have to. But until then I would keep quiet about what I’d learned.
That one decision made, I felt better. Diesel and I turned into the driveway and headed for the back door. I let him open the door, and while he did, I pulled my ringing cell phone from my pocket.
Kanesha. That was eerie. I had just been thinking about her, and now she was calling. I stepped into the empty kitchen as I answered.
“I’m about five minutes away from there. Okay if I stop by?” she said after barely giving me time to say hello.
“Sure, come on by.”
I had just enough time to shed my coat and read a hastily scrawled note from Laura, informing me that everyone would be out for dinner tonight and I was on my own, when the doorbell rang.
“Thought it would be good to check in with you, share information,” Kanesha said without preamble the moment I opened the door.
I stood aside for her to enter and then followed her into the kitchen where Diesel was waiting. He meowed loudly three times, and I understood the message.
“Please have a seat, and I’ll be back in a minute,” I said with an apologetic smile. “His Majesty has informed me that the Royal Food Bowl is empty and in need of filling.”
Kanesha scowled as she pulled out a chair and sat.
I hurried into the utility room to take care of Diesel’s needs. He watched anxiously as I added fresh dry food to his bowl—not completely empty, by the way—then warbled to let me know I was dismissed now that I had fulfilled my duty.
Smiling, I went back to the kitchen to join Kanesha. “Can I offer you something to drink?” I asked. I went to the fridge to fetch a can of diet soda for myself.
“No, thank you. Have you turned up anything else?”
“I’ll get to that in a minute. First, how is your mother? She didn’t come to work today.” I explained about the note I’d found this morning.
Kanesha frowned. “When I talked to her, she was fine, or so she said. She didn’t say anything about not coming to work today. That’s how she is, though. She won’t ever tell me when she’s not feeling good, because she doesn’t want me to worry.”
“Aunt Dottie was the same way,” I said. “I hope Azalea got some rest.” I decided to start with the reenactment as I sat down across the table from her. She leaned forward in her chair as I told her what we’d done.
“That was a good idea,” she said when I finished. “Any conclusions?”
“Mostly that Azalea would have had a hard time seeing much. It was even darker in there than I realized.”
“Do you still think there’s something she’s holding back?”
I nodded. “It’s a feeling I can’t shake. I know it doesn’t sound rational, but there was simply something about her manner the first time I talked to her. And the second time as well. I want to talk to her again, and this time I’m determined to find out what she’s not telling us.”
“Good luck.” Kanesha leaned back in her chair. “Anything else you can tell me?”
“I went to visit Sissy and Hank Beauchamp today, too. Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce came by again this morning and asked me to go see the Beauchamps to collect the money they promised for the fund-raiser.”
“Did you actually get money from them?”
“A check from Sissy,” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“I wish Miss An’gel luck in getting it cashed. I’ve been doing some checking into people’s money, trying to see what the financial angle could be in this case. The Beauchamps are in bad shape. There’s actually a mortgage on the house, and they’re behind three months already. Hank’s law practice isn’t doing well, and Sissy has never worked a day in her life.”
“Any idea why they’re so short of money?” I asked. “I thought the Beauchamps were wealthy.”
“They used to be,” Kanesha replied. “Their father was rich, left them a lot of money from his own law practice. But Sissy has expensive tastes, and so does Hank. He also has a gambling problem.”
I nodded, remembering again what Helen Louise had told me. That was a fast way to run through a fortune. I felt sorry for them, but I realized that, in terms of motive, they had to be considered prime suspects in Vera’s death.
“I thought the house looked rather sad, needs new paint, and there’s not a lot of furniture, at least in the hall and in the front parlor.”
Kanesha nodded. “Aunt Lily told me they had started selling the furniture. She said it like to have broke her heart, seeing all those family heirlooms go. Then they had to let her go, too. They couldn’t pay her, and she couldn’t work for free.”
“I didn’t know your aunt worked for the Beauchamps.”
“For nearly forty years.” Kanesha made a sour face. “And now she has to go out looking for a new job, at her age. She can’t afford to retire.”
“I’m sorry she’s lost her job.” I was about to add, If there’s anything I can do, let me know, but I realized in time that wouldn’t go over too well. Kanesha would bite my head off.
“What about Morty Cassity?” I asked. “Is his financial position solid?”
“From everything I can find out, he’s in excellent shape. Worth about twenty-five million or so.”
“Money that the Beauchamps could certainly use, and with Vera out of the way, Morty is free to marry Sissy.”
“That could wrap it up pretty neatly,” Kanesha said. “But there’s a matter of proof. Motive is there, but we still have to make sure one of the three of them had the opportunity.”
“Morty was upstairs with Vera,” I said. “We know that from Azalea’s evidence.”
“He was upstairs with her part of the time, but we don’t know for sure that he was still upstairs when she got pushed. Unless Mama can swear in court that she saw him do it, of course.”
Her cell phone rang as I was about to pose a question. Kanesha held up a hand to forestall me as she answered her phone. “Right,” she said. “On my way right now.” She ended the call and put the phone back in her pocket. “Three-car accident about three miles out of town. We’ll talk more later.”
That was fine with me. Maybe by the time we talked again, I would know enough to make a decision about sharing what I’d learned about Vera’s connection to the Ducote family. I showed Kanesha to the door, then wandered back to the kitchen to figure out what to have for dinner.
Diesel waited by the fridge and peered inside the moment I opened it. I never could figure out what it was he looked for, but he inevitably wanted to see inside whenever someone opened the door.
I put it in the oven to warm. While I waited for dinner to be ready, I went upstairs to wash up and fetch the book I was reading, the latest Ellery Adams Books by the Bay mystery. This was a relatively new series, but I loved the characters and the North Carolina setting.
Downstairs again, I checked the casserole, but it needed about another fifteen minutes. I tried to read, but I couldn’t block my worries about Vera Cassity’s murder from my mind. I put the book aside for now and focused instead on the thoughts that wouldn’t leave me alone.
I kept coming back to Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce. What if one of them had killed Vera? For the sake of the family honor. Would an eighty-year-old scandal be that much of a scandal now? All the principals involved were long dead.
Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce might be embarrassed by the revelation that Cecilia Ducote was not their birth mother. They might be even more embarrassed to have to acknowledge Vera Cassity as a half sister.
But I couldn’t see embarrassment as a compelling motive for murder.
Then again, my family had never been as prominent as the Ducotes, though they had been in Athena about as long. I was proud of my ancestors, and I knew of some skeletons in the family cupboards that were rather embarrassing, but still.
A lot would hinge on what I found out about the wills of the three principals, Richard, Cecilia, and Essie Mae. And whether Vera could possibly be a third daughter of Richard Ducote. I think if I could have broken into the courthouse right then and there to get to the information I wanted, I would have. Patience had never been one of my virtues, particularly when the stakes were this high.
The casserole was as delicious as I expected, and I ate rather more than I should have. That was what happened when I was anxious. I fetched Diesel some of the treats he liked rather than letting him have any of the casserole. There were also onions in it, I realized, and he didn’t need onions or cheese. He for once seemed satisfied with the treats, perhaps because I pretended they came from the casserole dish.
The Ducote sisters. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Every which way I turned, there they were. They’d orchestrated Vera’s “retirement” from public life, and I had to wonder how much else they might have orchestrated. Now that I thought about it, they had certainly been directing my footsteps. First they asked me to involve myself in the case, then they sent me off to talk to Morty Cassity. This morning they had me going to talk to Hank and Sissy Beauchamp.
Were they purposely directing me so that I wouldn’t have time to think about them as possible prime suspects in Vera’s murder?
THIRTY
The Ducote sisters were definitely devious enough to be pulling the puppet strings, and I had been all too willing to let them.
I found it difficult, though, to think of them in that way. They would have to be fine actresses to dissemble that well—the Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine of Athena.
No, I just couldn’t see them that way.
All this speculation was fruitless. With a sigh I got up and started to clear the table. Once that was done, I went to the den to watch television, but that failed to hold my interest. Diesel was not pleased when I roused him from the couch and told him I was going to bed.
He followed me nevertheless, and by the time I was ready to slip under the covers, he was sound asleep, sprawled over his half of the bed. More like two-thirds, really. I made myself comfortable, picked up the Ellery Adams book, and this time I focused on the story and was soon absorbed by it.
When I woke in the morning, after a surprisingly restful night’s sleep, I was alone in bed. Diesel could be quite the nocturnal gadabout, but I was used to it by now.
As I came down the stairs, I sniffed and happily detected the smell of bacon. Azalea was back today, and I could look forward to a nice, full breakfast. No making do with cereal and toast today.
Once I had fortified myself with a stout breakfast I would try to convince Azalea to talk to me and tell me everything she’d seen in that dark stairwell on Tuesday night.
When I walked into the kitchen I thought for a moment I was seeing double. There were two Azaleas standing at the stove, their backs to me. After the first moment of shock passed I realized that one of the Azaleas was slightly taller than the other and wore a different-colored dress.
“Good morning, Azalea.”
The two figures turned, and Azalea turned out to be the shorter one. The resemblance between the two of them was eerie. Then I noticed the other woman looked older than Azalea and tired. Deep lines scored her forehead, and I realized this must be Azalea’s sister Lily.
“Morning, Mr. Charlie,” Azalea said, wiping her hands on her apron. “This is my sister Lily Golliday. I brought her with me to help with some of the heavy cleaning today. She used to help me out some when Miss Dottie was alive. I sure hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I said warmly. “Good morning, Mrs. Golliday. I’m glad to meet you.” I advanced and extended a hand.
Lily’s hand trembled as she placed it in mine. She ducked her head shyly. “Thank you, Mr. Charlie. Nice to meet you, sir.”
“Lily, why don’t you go on and be sorting out that laundry,” Azalea said. “Soon’s I finish up with breakfast we gonna start on the upstairs.”
Lily nodded and glanced at me before she disappeared into the utility room.
Azalea poured me a cup of coffee, then returned to the stove to plate my food. As she set it down, she said, “Thank you, Mr. Charlie. I appreciate you letting Lily help me today. She done lost her job and she can’t stand not being busy.”
“Lily can help you as much as you need her,” I said. “I heard about her losing her job.” Belatedly I realized that was probably a mistake.
Sure enough, Azalea glowered at me. “How you be hearing about Lily losing her job? Ain’t nobody knowing about that but me and her and the Beauchamps.”
“Actually I heard it from Kanesha,” I said meekly. “I talked to her yesterday when I mentioned I’d been to see the Beauchamps about something. When I told her I was surprised the house was in bad shape and there wasn’t much furniture, she told me about your sister being let go. That was all it was.” I probably said too much. Azalea had that effect on me sometimes.
She appeared to be mollified, however. Maybe she wouldn’t rake Kanesha over the coals later for blabbing to me. “I forgot Kanesha knew. She and Lily be real close.”
That was a bullet dodged. Azalea turned away, and I tucked into my breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, and gravy. While I ate, Azalea followed her sister into the utility room, and they emerged several minutes later and headed upstairs.
There was still no sign of Diesel. I wished I could lie in bed till all hours sometimes, but this morning I had too much to do. Before I reported for my volunteer shift at the public library at eleven I needed to get to the courthouse. And before I left for the courthouse I wanted to talk to Azalea.
I checked the clock. I had two hours and forty-three minutes to do all that. I chewed my final mouthful of bacon and biscuit, had a last sip of coffee, then hurried upstairs to get dressed.
I heard movement on the third floor when I came out of my bedroom ten minutes later, and I headed up the stairs. There were four bedrooms up there, an empty one on either end. Stewart and Justin occupied the other two, also at opposite ends of the floor. Azalea and Lily must be working in the vacant ones.
As I neared the open door of one bedroom I could hear voices.
“…such nice things Miss Dottie had,” Lily said with a catch in her voice. “Miss Sissy and Mr. Hank used to have, but they’s all about gone now. My heart be just about breaking for them, �
��Zalea. That house look so pitiful now.”
I paused about three feet away from the door. Perhaps now wasn’t the best time to interrupt the sisters for my conversation with Azalea.
When I heard Lily start sobbing I beat a hasty retreat. I would talk to Azalea later.
Diesel greeted me on the second-floor landing. Laura’s door stood open, and she poked her head out. “Morning, Dad.”
“Morning, sweetheart. How are you this morning?”
“Fine.” She yawned. “Still sleepy, but okay. How are you?”
“Fine also, but I have a busy morning, and I need to leave Diesel here. I have some business at the courthouse, and I can’t take him with me.”
“I’m going to be here until lunchtime,” Laura said. “Is that long enough?”
“Should be. Thank you.” I looked down at the cat. “Diesel, I want you to stay with Laura this morning. I would take you if I could, but the person I need to see is allergic to cats.”
The one time before I had tried to take Diesel with me to the vital records section had been a disaster. The poor woman there sneezed so much that I took Diesel away after about three minutes. I explained this hurriedly to Laura.
“No problem, Dad. Come on, Diesel, come back in here with me.”
Diesel looked from me to her before, tail in the air, he turned and strode in majestic leisure down the hall to my daughter’s room. Laura and I exchanged grins before I hurried downstairs.
I couldn’t remember the name of the woman in the vital records office, but a nameplate told me that she was Laurel Sanders. I greeted her, and she looked up from her desk. Her eyes narrowed as she recognized me.
She frowned at me. “Did you bring your cat with you?”
When I assured her I hadn’t, she relaxed. “I actually do like cats,” she said. “I’m just horribly allergic.”
“No need to apologize,” I said. “I need your help this morning.”
She approached the counter, peering over the glasses that had slid down her nose. “What are you looking for?”