Glossy Lips

by Barbara Silkstone

  She smiled and patted the silent WonderDog on the head. “We don’t have to. There’s a small side door to the foyer so people can come and go without wrestling with that carved masterpiece of a front door.”

  Lizzy led us to an unobtrusive door on the sidewall of the entrance. With the tube-safe in one hand, she lifted the doormat and with a slight cackle, she retrieved a key. “Sterling always had to be different. No key-under-the-rock for him.”

  As she put the key in the lock she inadvertently struck the brass door handle with the silver tube. The impact made a loud, clanging noise. She jumped back.

  I put my hand on her shaking arm. “Keep in mind you have every right to be here—sort of. You’re still his wife—sort of. We’re not going through a door sealed with crime scene tape so we’re not violating the law—sort of.”

  We slipped into the gloomy foyer.

  Chapter 34

  “Whatever you do, do not eat or drink anything, not even tap water. And don’t put your fingers in your mouth.” I glanced at WonderDog. “Try to keep his sniffing to a minimum. We don’t know what form the toxic substance is in.”

  “Not exactly hungry,” Lizzy muttered.

  I yanked the yellow gloves from my purse and handed her the left one. “Wear that. Do everything with your gloved hand.”

  She scrunched her face at me. “I’m right-handed, you gave me a left. Besides these are Dave’s gloves for cleaning the barbecue grill.”

  “The senior partner gets to choose.” I slipped on the right glove, my slender digits getting lost in the giant rubber fingers. I transformed from my usual state of all thumbs to all fingers.

  I nodded my head in the direction of the den. We crouched then slinked along the wall. Despite the dry knot of tension in my throat, I smiled at WonderDog paralleling us in a doggy-hunker. Using the cop squat I’d seen on television, I peeked around the doorframe. The room was empty. With my clown-sized yellow glove, I waved at Lizzy to enter. WonderDog beat her in, teeth bared but silent. Good boy. He as a lovable, goofy basket case but don’t mess with Lizzy.

  “What are we looking for?” Lizzy whispered.

  “The jackpot would be poison and a way to administer it. But realistically anything you think seems wrong or out of place. I need for Addy to tell me everything she knows and I need leverage to ensure she’s telling me the truth.”

  Lizzy shuddered, casting a worried look at WonderDog. She patted his head with her ungloved hand while hanging on to the tube-safe. The brillo-haired hound clung so close to her side that she almost tripped.

  “Be on the lookout for Addy,” I whispered. “I’m beginning to get a bad feeling about her.”

  “Addy? She’s devoted to Sterling. She’d never hurt him.”

  My first stop was the leather chair Sterling died in. I forced the thick glove between the arms and seat cushion where clumps of Sterling’s hair had fallen. I hoped to find an exhaust pipe or something that would show how the toxins were administered. I yanked my hand out but the glove got stuck between the seat and the arm.

  The harder I tugged, the more the glove resisted. It would be a dead giveaway. The leather seat swelled pinching the clown fingers. The only way to free the glove was to sit on the chair and expel the air. My DNA would be all over the seat where Sterling died. Icy fingers danced up my spine. To sit or not to sit?

  I clenched my jaw and lowered my butt onto the cushion. With a whoosh of air the glove came free. How much of my DNA was left on the seat? There was some serious explaining in my future.

  Lizzy shook her head and muttered as she fought with her glove. They were for protection from poison but also a good way not to leave fingerprints. Kal would get very upset if we actually contaminated the scene. Perhaps butt prints don’t count?

  “You take the kitchen, while I finish up here.” It was surreal that it had only been a few hours since I stood in that kitchen making tea. We had squeezed so much drama into such a short period of time.

  “Ah hah!” I eyed the liquor cabinet. The screen was up and the bar stood exposed. Jaimie must have forgotten to close it after her Bloody Mary binge. When she got the tomato cocktail out of the refrigerator she removed a paper bag and tossed it away.

  I peaked in the wastebasket. The paper bag was there. Using my gloved hand, which was like picking up pennies with a boxing glove, I retrieved it and set it on the counter. I poked at a greasy, white paper bearing the Crabby Nancy logo. Inside was a receipt and a Styrofoam box which contained a small piece of fried fish. The date and time on the receipt showed Sterling had paid cash for a fish dinner the night before. That explained how Sterling had fried fish for breakfast. Leftovers. But stashed in the bar instead of the kitchen.

  He must have suspected he was being poisoned and feared eating anything at his home. But why didn’t he just leave the manor and eat on his way to the office? It was almost as if he had deliberately lingered at his house knowing he was at risk. He was either laying a trap for someone or he feared for Heather’s safety.

  Sterling’s lungs were clear. I now had an explanation for the fish in his stomach. How was he poisoned, and with what? Kal said there were no wounds, abrasions, or needle marks on Sterling’s body and no poison in his stomach.

  I knocked on the doorframe before entering the kitchen, taking care not to startle Lizzy and her faithful canine companion. “Find anything?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m coming up empty. There’s nothing unusual here. The place is so clean it’s intimidating. It doesn’t look as if Sterling ever ate at home. There are no half-opened packages, no juice in the refrigerator—not even salt and pepper on the counter.” She waved her left hand in a sweeping gesture and the glove flew off. It went sailing into the sink.

  “I refuse to wear that stupid thing any longer! It’s too big and gets in the way. Besides, I used to live here so my fingerprints are bound to be all over the place. I know for a fact that fingerprints last for years and years,” she said.

  “I was more concerned about us touching something that might be toxic. This glove is driving me nuts too. Let’s be bold and gloveless.” I pulled the yellow piece of blubber from my hand and laid it on the kitchen table.

  “A kitchen this clean is suspicious. I gave this room a quick inspection when I made your tea this morning. It’s clear Sterling was afraid to eat at home.” I told her about finding the bag from Crabby Nancy’s. “He must have sensed he was being poisoned.” Lizzy joined me in a shiver.

  “You’re saying Addy was poisoning him. Who else would touch his food? I don’t believe it!” She locked eyes with me, daring me to convince her.

  When you are certain you are right there is no sense in wasting time convincing a doubter. Lizzy would believe me—and very soon. “Let’s hurry and finish before Kal arrives. He’ll call a halt to our private investigation.”

  I raised my finger in the air. “Take me to the wall safe. Let me have a quick look at it. We can snoop around Sterling’s bedroom, and then I’m going to have a friendly little chat with Addy—wherever she is.”

  Chapter 35

  The staircase to the second floor was an ornate, dark wood affair, the kind of thing you would expect to find in an old house. Barracuda Manor suited what little I knew about Sterling Kelly, but I couldn’t imagine Lizzy living in a place like this. She was all light and whimsy, whereas this place was the perfect setting for a murder or two.

  Lizzy touched the brass knob as if expecting an electric shock. The bedroom door swung open on silent hinges. I gagged. The aroma of men’s cologne grabbed me and wrestled me to the ground. It was a particular scent that lodged in the back of my throat and left my teeth feeling fuzzy.

  She touched a light panel just inside the door and the room glowed an eerie shade of green, lit by recessed lighting over a platform bed that dominated the room. I took in the entire setting before entering.

  A hunter green upholstered headboard matched the base of the bed, causing the strange greenish aura. An emerald
and gold quilt complemented the fabric on the headboard in a garish way. A huge portrait of a woman, who wasn’t Lizzy, hung on the wall across from the bed.

  Heavy drapes were drawn open leaving sheer curtains to cover the expanse of windows, letting in the dusky light. A cushioned seat stretched along the bottom of the lead-paned glass.

  We entered the room, followed by WonderDog. I tried not to inhale but the cologne smell sent my stomach roiling. Lizzy strode to a landscape painting and pulled it aside to reveal a wall safe.

  “I don’t suppose you know the combination?” I asked. I examined the lock. Anyone with any safecracking skills could have opened that baby. Myron would have laughed at it.

  “Sterling used to change the combination on the first day of every month. I never really cared enough to watch how he did it. I’ll be lucky if I can crack this little thing.” She waved the tube-safe in the air.

  I happened to glance out the window, which afforded a clear view of the caretaker’s cottage. Exterior dusk to dawn lights illuminated the garden and the area between the houses. It looked peaceful, almost too peaceful.

  “Sit here and keep an eye out for Addy, Jaimie or Kal while I visit the caretaker’s cottage. If I find Addy, I’m going to pretend to be her new best friend.”

  “Please don’t make her feel that she’s a suspect. Addy would do anything for Sterling.” A frown hooded her amber eyes. “If she doesn’t answer the door there is a back way in through the utility laundry room. The key is—”

  “Don’t tell me. Under a fake rock.”

  “How did you guess?” Lizzy gave me a sheepish look. “I wouldn’t let you chat her up alone if I thought there was the slightest chance she was a killer. I’m good at reading people.”

  I nodded. It was pointless to argue. “You have WonderDog to protect you. The police should be here soon. Lock the door after me—and don’t open it unless it’s Kal. He can search Sterling’s bedroom and bath. It’s more important that I have a chance to get into Addy’s head—alone.”

  She drew her face into a grimace. “Right…now no one in my world is trustworthy according to you and Kal. “Not Jaimie, or my father, or Dave or…”

  “You work on the tube-safe. If you get it open, be discreet about it. Sterling meant it for you. Keep your eyes open. Text me if you see anything suspicious—particularly if it happens to be sneaking up behind me!”

  Lizzy sat on the monster-sized bed, holding the tube-safe to her chest. She closed her eyes.

  “Wait! You’re supposed to keep your eyes open,” I said.

  “I was just wondering if sitting on his bed, I could contact Sterling—kinda meditate a message to him. He might be able to send me the combination,” she said, grinning impishly. “That man could talk his way out of hell. I’m sure the devil will let him answer an incoming call.”

  We both laughed, easing the tension in the room. Sterling was a stinker. He could have put the tube or whatever is in it into the hands of another lawyer for safekeeping. It was clear he enjoyed tormenting Lizzy—even after he was gone.

  Chapter 36

  I wobbled over the narrow cobblestone path from the manor house to the caretaker’s cottage, adjusting my purse over my shoulder. After I received no response to my soft knock, I hit the door a few times with my fist—still no answer. Maybe Addy wasn’t home, or perhaps she didn’t answer the door after dusk or on the day her boss died or when she had the flu.

  A dark-colored car was parked in the garage. I couldn’t tell the make or model since I could only see its roof through the high ornamental windows. I looked back at the manor house to confirm that Lizzy was watching. She was. I gave her a subtle wave, and then returned to banging on the front door.

  Just when I was about to give up and circle the cottage to find the utility room, the front door swung open. Addy stood there in a fuzzy gray robe, her chestnut brown hair held back in a ponytail. She narrowed her eyes when she saw me.

  “What do you want?” She cocked her head to one side. “Y’all bringing Heather back?”

  “No. Heather is having such a good time playing with my kitten. She did have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I hope that’s okay?” I wanted to focus on her child before I turned the conversation to her.

  “That’s good. Too much going on here.” She rubbed the base of her throat.

  “I’m just checking on you,” I said in my most soothing voice, flattering her with my concern for her wellbeing. “I’m a grief counselor and you’ve been through so much.”

  She clutched her robe together at her neck, and moved aside allowing me to enter her little home. I stepped in and did a quick scan.

  The room had an open floor plan. Terracotta tile floors, vaulted ceiling, and rough stucco walls. The L-shaped kitchen was separated from the living room by a marble counter with barstools. A shiny black stove fit between the worktops and cabinets. A matching refrigerator stood close to where I waited.

  Using my kindly therapist voice, I said, “You must still be in a state of shock over Mr. Kelly’s death.”

  I took three quick strides, plopped onto one of the barstools, and dropped my purse at my feet. She watched me, unsmiling. After a few seconds she joined me, sitting with one stool between us.

  Her robe opened at the bottom. She was wearing yoga pants and sneakers. If she were ill she might be chilled although it was in the high-80s outside. She was seized by a dry, hacking cough until her eyes turned red and teary.

  “I appreciate your concern,” she said. She flexed her fingers on the counter. “No one except Heather ever thinks about me.” She coughed again.

  “With you being here alone, I was concerned. Bad things continue to happen around here. There was a break-in at Lizzy’s cottage today. You being here alone, I thought to see if you were okay.”

  With a half-hearted shrug she said, “I’m okay except for this cough. How’s Lizzy’s boyfriend?”

  My adrenaline surged and my muscles grew tense as I struggled to hide my reaction. Addy just implicated herself in the incident at Lizzy’s. How did she know Dave was hurt during the break-in?

  “It does help to talk about the pain of your loss,” I said, the words of consolation tasted bitter. Concentrating on her was the best way to prevent her from realizing what she’d just done. “Would you like to share what you’re feeling right now?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “What am I feeling? Sterling—Mr. Kelly—had a weak heart. I tried to keep him from being upset. That was hard to do because his work was all about being angry for his clients’ benefit. He used to practice being furious in the mirror every morning. He would rant and rave at his own image before he ate his breakfast. It took a lot out of him.” She went on a coughing spree, fighting to catch her breath.

  “You’re certain he had a heart attack?”

  Addy grimaced. “No doubt in my mind it was his heart, but I’m not the one to ask. Dr. Holland’s been his doctor for as long as I can remember. When he gets back from his trip y’all can ask him.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “His doctor is away?” This was not good news.

  “He left on an exploration thingie down the Amazon River. The doc said he’d be out of touch the entire time.” She snorted. “Just when Mr. Kelly needed him he took off on a midlife adventure—for six months. Closed up his practice and split.”

  “Did Sterling take any medicine for his heart?”

  Her eyes darted back and forth. “He told me he was taking digitalis.” There was an angry edge to her voice.

  “I don’t remember seeing you in the house this morning. Were you nearby when Sterling passed? It must have been horrible for you.” I tried to reach out to her, but she drew back as if my touch would sear her skin.

  Addy shook her head. “You know better than that. You saw me with Heather at the walk-in clinic. We were there for hours.”

  She hugged herself. “I’m not feeling well. This flu-bug is taking me down. I really don’t need to talk my way through this. I can cope
. I’ve had to deal with a lot in life. Mr. Kelly’s death is just a drop in the pot.”

  I was not about to let her get away. “Do you think it was his argument with Dingler that precipitated his heart attack?”

  She seemed to have a quick change of heart. Rather than trying to escape from me, she dropped back on the stool. Her eyes were wide and glowing. “It wasn’t that fight but the one the night Peanut—Mr. Nott—died.”

  “Peanut fought with Sterling the night he died?”

  “I don’t like to talk about the dead, especially someone who was as nice to me as Mr. Nott.”

  I sat quietly, letting the silence carry her forward. Rather than make eye contact I studied the black stove. There was nothing special about the appliance. It was just a place to fix my eyes until she was ready to spill the beans. When she began to speak, I turned to face her.

  “Mr. Nott got me my job here. We knew each other from childhood. I needed to work and he went to bat for me. I owed him.” She cocked her head, triggering another cough.

  “Were you two involved—romantically?” That would account for her dislike of Jaimie. How could a housekeeper compete with a blonde bombshell who wore peek-a-boo frocks?

  “Gag! No…!” She rolled her eyes. “They call that incest! Ain’t it illegal in some states?”

  You could have knocked me off my barstool when the meaning of Addy’s words sunk in. I never met Peanut—seeing his body curled in the tiny trunk of Lizzy’s car didn’t count. I’d only known Addy for a few days, but to think they were siblings was a jaw dropper.

  Chapter 37

  Addy wore a wicked smirk, evidently pleased with shocking me. “Newton Nott is my half-brother—same mother, different fathers. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but it doesn’t matter now.” She coughed, unable to muffle the sound.

  “I would have never guessed,” I said. And truly, I wouldn’t.