by Cathy Tully
“Olivia believes homosexuality is wrong.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Fiona Bailey beamed as Susannah approached the Long Branch Stable. “Back for round two?”
Susannah ran a hand through her hair. The thought of spending her Sunday morning on top of a creature that could squash her like a bug made her ears ring and her palms itch, but she needed answers that she suspected only Fiona could give. She hoped she could juggle talking and riding.
Fiona pointed to a young woman who held a smaller mount by the bridle. “Dr. Shine, this is Destiny. She’ll be giving you your lesson today.”
Susannah tried to hide her disappointment. She had returned to pick Fiona’s brain, and she did not want to waste her time with Destiny. During her last visit, Fiona had pointed out Olivia Franklin as someone who might have had a motive to hurt Anita. After meeting her yesterday at the church picnic, Susannah felt Olivia was an unlikely suspect. Although there might have been bad blood between them, Susannah had not discovered anything that suggested Olivia had any contact with Anita after their professional relationship had ended. But Olivia’s comment about Fiona and Anita having a romantic relationship forced Susannah’s hand.
The young woman nodded at Susannah but did not take her eyes off the horse. Her black hair framed a wide, round face, which glistened in the morning sun. She guided the animal toward Susannah.
“Take good care of Dr. Shine. It’s her first time on a horse,” said Fiona.
“Uh,” Susannah began, careful to avoid eye contact with the giant beast Destiny held by a string. “I, uh, thought we could have a chat first. I could use a cup of coffee.”
“I don’t have coffee, but I could do with a cuppa tea,” Fiona said, dismissing Destiny and leading Susannah into the stable. “Now, you know, we Irish drink our tea hot and strong.” She smiled over her shoulder and opened a half door into a small private office. Constructed like the rest of the stable, the walls and door were floor-to-ceiling pine. Against the wall, a file cabinet collected bridle bits. Wedged into the corner, a snack table held an electric kettle and ceramic teapot; above the pot, a shelf held three porcelain cups nested with their saucers underneath and a box with a red label. Various objects of horse-related paraphernalia were strewn on the floor and hung on nails that jutted from the exposed beams. The room had an earthy smell. “I’m glad you made the time to learn to ride.”
Susannah scowled. “Thanks to Varina Withers, I have plenty of free time.”
“Who is that?”
“She’s the Peach Grove detective who thinks I had something to do with Anita’s death. Thanks to her, the local rumor mill has run amok, and my office is suffering.”
“Ah, yes.” Fiona tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear. “The new policewoman. A very unlikable person from what I’ve heard.”
That’s putting it mildly, Susannah thought. “The last time I was here, you mentioned that Anita had a falling-out with Olivia Franklin.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Do you mind me asking how you knew that?”
“From herself. She cursed that woman a blue streak one day. Told me she had fired her and never wanted to see her again.”
“Did she tell you why?”
Fiona picked up the kettle and plugged it in. “I don’t remember. Why do you ask? Do you think it’s important?”
“I’m not sure. After talking to Olivia, I got the idea that the problem might have been more about personalities than professionalism. She seemed distressed that Anita hadn’t married Tomás.”
Fiona dropped one of the tea bags and retrieved it with a graceful twist. She tossed both bags into a small ceramic teapot. “Anita and Tomás? I had no idea they were an item.”
“As far as I can tell, they weren’t,” Susannah replied, watching Fiona’s expression. Fiona turned away, busying herself with the tea preparations. “It was Olivia’s opinion that Anita should have been married.”
“That sounds presumptuous of her.”
“Yes, I believe that was the reason Anita fired her, not any actual problem with her work.”
“I knew Anita was angry with her.” Fiona nodded. “I guess she didn’t tell me all the details. I sure wouldn’t want anyone prying into my personal life.”
“I agree, but Olivia’s opinions didn’t stop at the Cantina.”
“What do you mean?”
“She implied that you and Anita were romantically involved.”
Fiona froze. The cup and saucer she was holding shook, and her fair skin blushed deep into her hairline. She set the cup down so quickly that the small table rocked, pitching into the wall. She closed the office door and pulled herself up to her full height. “What do you mean by coming here and saying something like that? You yourself understand how gossip can damage a business.”
Susannah held up her hand and repressed the urge to apologize. She watched the blush spread down Fiona’s neck and into her chest. “I’m only repeating what Olivia said. She suggested that you and Anita had a close relationship.”
“What would give her that idea?” she snapped, her blue eyes dulled.
Susannah shrugged, determined to hold her ground. She was not nosy by nature, but if Detective Withers would not investigate Anita’s acquaintances, she would have to. It was said that there are no secrets in a small town, but Susannah knew that was not true. There were plenty, but they rarely stayed secret for long. “I suppose she was trying to come up with a reason why Anita wasn’t married.”
“Well, outing me would be convenient for her, wouldn’t it?” The teakettle shrilled, and she prepared the cups while giving Susannah an uneasy glance. She dropped two sugar cubes into one cup and motioned to Susannah, who signaled that she took it black. “I’m surprised you had the nerve to repeat that to me.”
“Being accused of murder is making me nervy. I don’t care if you two were partners or not. I’m fighting for my practice and maybe for my life. I need to find out if you’re telling me all you know.”
Fiona looked at her as if weighing something in her mind. She sighed, pulled a chair over, and motioned to Susannah to sit.
“Anita and I had a fling.” She stared into her cup. “I was a fool. I should have known better.”
“What do you mean?”
Fiona tugged at her shirt pensively. “I already knew what kind of temperament she had. We had been acquainted for a while before anything happened. Then all at once, we were involved. It lasted a few weeks before the fighting started. She could be demanding.”
“About what?”
“Everything. She wanted a discount on her lessons. She wanted me to help her negotiate a good price on a mare she had found for Dolores. She insisted I give Dolores a job, even though I couldn’t afford to pay her. She thought the girl needed to learn a work ethic.” She rolled her eyes.
“She didn’t?”
“No. Dolores is a sweet girl. She did everything I asked of her and did it well. She’s quiet and unassuming, the exact opposite of Anita.” She allowed herself a meager smile.
Susannah nodded. The requests themselves were not unreasonable, but with an overbearing personality, it could become unbearable. She imagined having to work with someone like Marcie Jones and shuddered.
“She had me on the phone night and day. Not lengthy calls, mind you, but it became tiresome. She would ring me here.” She nodded at her desk. “I worried that we would be found out. If it got out, it could cause problems.”
Susannah opened her mouth to protest, but Fiona put her hand up. “Sure, not everyone would have a problem with it, but enough would. I told you last time, I hear a lot of gossip. People can be ugly and judgmental. What would those same people think if they knew the truth?”
Susannah didn’t answer. She had found Peach Grove lovely and inviting, but she knew not everyone was welcoming. There were those who were threatened by newcomers and always saw them as outsiders. She had been called a Yankee a few times, but it never bothered her. Cultural d
ifferences made the world interesting. She had always enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. When she landed here, she was lucky to have found Larraine and Bitsy, who welcomed her and helped her navigate the niceties of small-town Southern life. They offered their friendship and, in a way, insulated her against gossip and ill will. Perhaps Fiona hadn’t found the same friendships.
Fiona said, “Now, don’t be looking at me like that.”
It was Susannah’s turn to blush. “Like what?”
“Like I’m a redheaded orphan.” She stood and poured more tea in her cup, motioning to Susannah, who declined. She placed the teapot down gingerly, then jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “I love this town and this land, but open your eyes, woman. Do ya see who’s out there?”
Susannah braced her saucer so her teacup didn’t tremble. Horses were out there: large, heavy, beady-eyed, and ferocious. “I—”
“Girls,” Fiona interrupted, looking at her oddly. “Girls love horses. Now how would it look if it got out that the owner of the stable was gay? How do you think that would go over at the church picnic?”
“Uh—”
“I take a lot of precautions so that there’s never a reason for gossip.” She tipped her head. “That door is always open. I delegate lessons and encourage the parents to stay and watch. Two staff, at least, are here with me at all times. If I give a lesson or spend one-on-one time with a youngster, it’s always out in the open and there’s another adult close by. No child can ever claim I got her alone.
“Then Anita came along, and I got swept away. You asked me the other day why I didn’t sue her for the money she owed me. The truth is, I was afraid to take her to court.”
“Did she threaten you?”
“Not in so many words. She told me if I pursued it, I would be sorry. So I dropped it.”
Susannah sat in silence, sipping at her tea. She was seeing a side of Anita that she hadn’t seen before. Charming and gregarious as the owner of the Cantina Caliente, behind the scenes she could be manipulative and argumentative. From where Susannah sat, Fiona had an excellent motive for killing Anita: blackmail. Nevertheless, she could not have had the opportunity. If Tomás and Pilar were correct, Anita wasn’t taking heart medication. In order to have digitalis in her system, she would have had to consume it without her knowledge. The killer needed access to her meals, and Fiona had not been around Anita for a while.
It occurred to Susannah that the killer might be someone who was a familiar face at the Cantina, and that was not Fiona. “Did Anita ever mention anyone that might have held a grudge against her?”
“No. She never seemed to care what anyone else thought. She was bullheaded, that one. I’m surprised she cared what Olivia thought.”
“Maybe she was like you and didn’t want anyone getting too familiar?”
“Perhaps, but Anita had a perfect cover.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, she had a family. She had a child and lived with her mother. People fill in the missing pieces with a picture that makes sense to them. She told me a lot of people believed she was a widow who was supporting her elderly mother. They admired her for that.” A flyaway hair fell in her eye, and she swiped at it. “They don’t realize that she was never married or that Pilar doesn’t work because she doesn’t need to.”
Susannah considered this. Had Anita pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes? Colin saw her meeting someone after hours, and judging by the quick about-face she had made when walking Colin through the bar, it had been someone she did not want Colin to see. Was this after she had dropped Fiona? Did she find a new girlfriend—one who drove a blue sedan? Would she care that Colin saw her getting into the car with a woman late at night?
Susannah frowned.
“Dr. Shine?” Fiona had put her cup down and was studying her.
“I was wondering if Anita could have been seeing someone new.”
Fiona shook her head. “I have no way of knowing.”
A soft knock came on the door, and Fiona opened it to reveal Destiny, who shifted tentatively from foot to foot and began tugging on a lock of her hair.
Susannah glanced at Fiona. How long had the girl been standing there?
“I don’t mean to bother you,” she stammered, looking down at her feet. “Patches is getting restless.”
Susannah looked at her watch and jumped to her feet. “Thanks for the tea, but I’m going to have to cancel the lesson. I’ve taken up a lot of your time, and now I’ve got to get back.” She hoped she was a more accomplished liar than Destiny, who glanced up at them guiltily.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Bitsy tumbled into Susannah’s living room and sprawled into an overstuffed chair, removing her spiky sandals and plopping her feet on the coffee table. Susannah handed her a can of Coca-Cola and flopped on the sofa opposite her. Bitsy popped the top with a grin and said, “I see you remember me when you do your shopping.”
“Yes, but I’m still not buying you chocolate-covered Oreos.”
“Ooh, girlfriend,” Bitsy said, slurping the foam off the top of the can, “you don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I think I do.”
“Anyway, we have to agree on the name of our crime solving club.”
“We don’t need a name. We’re not a club.” Susannah sighed.
“We’re a group of like-minded individuals working for the good of the membership. That sounds like a club to me.”
“I guess it does.”
“I nominate “Ladies Crime Solving Club. When are Tina and Ms. Larraine gonna get here? We need to vote on it.”
“In a few minutes.” Susannah glanced at the clock. It was going on noon, but her visit to the Long Branch Stable felt like it had occurred days ago. She moved to the back door and drew the curtain, glad that she had visited Fiona before the weather had changed. Outside, the sky was overcast above the pine trees that edged her yard. She had chosen this house because of the undeveloped acreage that came with it. Unlike where she was raised in New York, she couldn’t see to the end of her property. There, homes sat on a small wedge of grass, hemmed in by fences and within arm’s reach of the neighbors. Here, she could observe the weather and the wildlife without another human in sight. Over the years, she had spied the occasional rabbit and once a bushy-tailed red fox from the comfort of her living room window. “I’m surprised Tina isn’t already here. She called earlier, and she was full of questions about what went on at the picnic.”
Despite the prayers of the faithful, rain had moved in on the picnic yesterday afternoon, not long after her conversation with Olivia. After that, the crowd migrated indoors, which was where she had found Iris and Bitsy, their plates piled with fried chicken, ribs, potato salad, and chocolate cake.
“This food is so delicious,” Bitsy had said. “It takes my mind off how disappointed I am by their shooting range.”
“All they had was a couple of cans set on an old tree stump,” Iris mumbled, taking another bite of fried chicken. “I couldn’t try out my new zombie targets.”
“Uh-huh,” Bitsy said, jutting her chin to indicate the farm that abutted the church. “And you’re not supposed to shoot if that old cow is in the field, on account of how it sours her milk.”
The three women had laughed and gone their separate ways.
Susannah hadn’t spoken to anyone about her conversation with Olivia or about her discovery at Long Branch Stable. When Tina called this morning, Susannah had declared an impromptu meeting for latte and brainstorming. Bitsy was the first to arrive, bringing the group naming idea with her. Susannah changed the subject with a brief description of her conversation with Olivia and then asked, “What’s your take on what Olivia said about single-woman business owners?”
“I never heard such a thing,” Bitsy said, banging the Coke can on the table with a hollow clunk and crossing her legs. “As if I need to be married to run Peachy Things.” She harrumphed and then went silent, bringing her hand to her mouth, using her fi
st to muffle a belch. Slowly she sat up, her brows creased and her nose wrinkled. “Then again, now that I think on it, I suppose I have.”
“You have what?”
“Heard such a thing. I am a church-going woman.” A look of alarm suddenly crossed her face, and she sat up, her heels thunking on the floor. “Remember, I said Roman and I made up?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we more than made up. He asked me to move in with him.”
“He did? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Cause there’re some details I wanted to mull over, so to speak.”
“Mull over?” Susannah echoed. She pulled herself up, scrutinizing the woman sitting across from her. Bitsy was the most spontaneous person she had ever met, and the words sounded like Chinese coming out of her mouth. “What do you mean?”
“We have so much fun together. I can be myself with him, and I feel content having him around.”
Susannah blinked. Content? Her brain froze, thoughts stagnated as she tried to make sense of the words. Something wasn’t right. “What is happening here?”
“And, you know, that PTSD pill has not slowed things down in the bedroom, if you know what I mean.”
Susannah rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to know what you mean. So what’s the problem?”
“He only took the job at the hospital on a temporary basis. He’s been interviewing for months, and he finally got him a terrific job offer.”
On the surface, that sounded like excellent news. The kind any content girlfriend should crow over, but Bitsy looked troubled. “Go on.”
“It’s in Phoenix.”
“Oh.”
“Arizona.”
“I got that.”
“You know what they have out there in Phoenix?”
“No, what?”
“Hell if I know, but it’s hot, and I hear there’s a lot of traffic. I can stay here for all that.”
“Wait. I thought he wanted you to move in?”