Sean sat back and closed his eyes. He thought better that way.
Chapter 18
Bernie parked the van as close to the front of the historical society as she could get, turned off the ignition, and got out of the vehicle. There was no need to lock it, because no one would possibly want to steal it. As she hurried toward the door, she wondered what she’d been thinking when she decided to wear her suede over-the-knee boots on a day like today. Even though she’d put that waterproofing stuff on them that the salesman had recommended, in her experience, it never worked that well, especially not on suede.
The historical society was nice and warm. Cozy was the word that popped into Bernie’s head. Jeanine was sitting by the front desk, staring at the seven bags of candy laid out on it.
“You got the good stuff,” Bernie observed as she got close enough to see the kind of candy it was.
She still remembered getting two large 3 Musketeers Bars plus a Snickers bar from Mrs. Steinberg’s mother when she was in the fourth grade. It had been her best score ever, and despite her mother’s warning, she’d eaten all three candy bars when she’d gotten home. Much to her mother’s dismay, she hadn’t gotten sick, either.
Jeanine looked up at her and grinned. “This is what comes from living in a house where my mom gave out apples each year.”
“The kids couldn’t have been happy.”
“They weren’t. We got TP’ed a lot. You think this will be enough?”
“Depends on the weather.”
“I just don’t want to be stuck eating it all.”
Bernie laughed. “The mini bars are the worst.”
“Yeah. Every time you go by the bowl, you take just one or two, and by the end of the day, the whole bowl is gone.”
“There’s always the freezer,” Bernie suggested.
“That doesn’t help someone with a major sweet tooth.”
Bernie thought of Libby. “No. I guess it wouldn’t.”
“So what brings you here? Did your dad want his View-Master back?”
“No. He’s coming for that himself.” Was that a smile on Jeanine’s face? Bernie wasn’t sure. “I’m here because I know you have a whole mass of old letters, and I’m wondering if I could take a quick look through them just to make sure there’s nothing pertaining to Bessie Osgood.”
“I’m pretty sure there isn’t, but I’ll make us some tea,” Jeanine said. “And then we’ll get started.”
“You don’t have to help,” Bernie said.
“I know I don’t, but I’d like to.” Jeanine gestured around the room. “It’s not as if I’m exactly busy.”
Five minutes later Jeanine came out, bearing a tray with two bone china teacups, a teapot, sugar and cream, and a plate of gingersnaps.
“Rosenthal,” Bernie said, looking at the pattern.
“My mother’s,” Jeanine said as she poured the tea.
Bernie took a sip. It was Indian. Oolong. The two women sat there for a few minutes, savoring their tea, before Jeanine said, “So how’s the case coming?”
Bernie shook her head. “Could be better.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“Did you find anything with the View-Master?”
Now it was Jeanine’s turn to shake her head. “If there’s anything there, I don’t see it. There were just multiple shots from out the second-story windows. It’s probably Felicity’s idea of a joke.”
“Maybe I should go back and ask her,” Bernie mused, even though talking to Felicity again was not what she wanted to do. Their last conversation had made Bernie feel as if she was standing in front of Mr. Steiffer’s math class, and he was saying to her, “Just look at the board, and tell me the answer. It isn’t that difficult.” But it was to her.
Jeanine delicately placed her cup on her saucer. “You can’t ask her. She’s in the hospital.”
“With what?”
“She had a stroke. At this point, she can’t use the left side of her body or talk.”
Bernie let out a long sigh. “My father says getting old sucks.”
“It certainly does,” Jeanine replied. “Although your dad doesn’t seem to be doing too badly in that department.”
Bernie gave her a speculative look. “He can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.”
“I figured,” Jeanine said.
She and Jeanine exchanged a woman-to-woman smile.
“Just so you know,” Bernie told her while reaching over and grabbing a gingersnap. She took a bite and let the cookie dissolve on her tongue. “Ready?” she said when she was done eating.
“Ready,” Jeanine answered.
The two women stood up and moved to the room where the letters—officially called ephemera—were kept. Unlike the other rooms, this one was bare except for the three- and four-drawer file cabinets that lined the wall. A square wooden table sat in the center of the room.
“The chairs aren’t very comfortable,” Jeanine noted as she went over to the file cabinet on the left. “But I can’t get money to replace them. Everyone wants things done, but they don’t want to pay for them.” She laughed. “But I’m going to stay off that topic. Otherwise, I’ll be talking about it all day. Fortunately,” she told Bernie, “I’ve gone through two of the file cabinets and put them in order, so I know that nothing is misfiled. That leaves us just two to go over.” And she opened the top drawer of the farthest file cabinet on her left and pulled out three bulging files. “Here you go,” she said as she put them in front of Bernie.
Bernie eyed the files for a moment before gingerly opening up the first folder. “Are they in any particular order?” she asked hopefully.
“Not that I know of,” Jeanine said. “Organization wasn’t my predecessor’s strong point.”
“Wonderful,” Bernie muttered as she started leafing through the papers.
By the time she was done, her back was aching, her eyes were burning, and she had a headache. She’d found nothing about Bessie Osgood, but she had found a small item from the local newspaper about the closing of the Peabody School.
Bernie sat back in her chair and read it aloud. “Today, George Marak, headmaster of the Peabody School, has announced that it is with profound regret that he and the Board of Directors of the Peabody School have come to the painful decision to close the school by the end of the semester.” Bernie looked up. “There’s no mention of Marak killing himself.”
“That happened a week later.”
“Did the paper do a follow-up?”
“I believe they called the suicide an unfortunate accident.”
“You could say that.” Bernie was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Of course, they called Bessie Osgood’s murder an unfortunate accident, too.”
“Well, don’t forget that in those days people used euphemisms. Suicides were unfortunate accidents, and girls didn’t have babies out of wedlock. They went on extended trips to Europe. And married couples slept in separate beds.”
Bernie put the article back in the folder. “That place really does have bad karma.”
Jeanine stretched. “So it would seem.”
“I wonder why the article is here?”
Jeanine shrugged. “I guess someone must have thought it was of interest. I really don’t know why. As far as I can see, the things in these cabinets are random pieces of stuff, most of which should be thrown out.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“Because I’m afraid that the moment I do, it will turn out that I’ve thrown out some irreplaceable document.”
Bernie laughed and got up. “Isn’t that always the way.”
“Well, it is in my life.” Jeanine pointed to the folder. “Here. Take the article with you, and show it to your dad, not that there is anything in it he doesn’t already know.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. That’s one piece of paper out of here.”
“I’ll send my dad over with some cupcakes for you,” Bernie told her.
&
nbsp; Jeanine patted her hips. “Just what I need.”
Bernie tucked the article in her bag, thanked Jeanine for all her help, and walked outside.
It had stopped raining, but the sky was overcast, and the air was cold and damp. Bernie buttoned up her jacket and headed for her vehicle. She’d just gotten behind the wheel when her cell rang. It was Brandon.
“No. I can’t do a matinee,” she said.
Brandon laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Very nice. See what you get the next time you ask.”
“I’m irresistible. You can’t say no to me.”
“Talk about misplaced ego.”
“Seriously, I’m calling because Inez is here, drinking away.”
“I’ll be right over,” Bernie told him.
“And can you be a sweetie and stop on the way and get me some sugarless gum? I’m all out.”
“I’ll think about it,” Bernie said before she clicked off. But, of course, Brandon knew that she would.
Including the stop at the gas station to pick up Brandon’s gum, it took Bernie fifteen minutes to get to R.J.’s. The place was uncharacteristically empty, except for Inez, who was hunched over her drink at the bar, in the corner farthest from the door.
“She’s been here for the last thirty minutes,” Brandon told Bernie sotto voce.
Bernie nodded as she assessed Inez out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t wearing any make-up, which made the bruise on her jaw stand out. From its purplish color, Bernie judged it was two days old at the most.
Then there was Inez’s hair. Bernie shook her head as she contemplated it. It was orange, the obvious result of a bad dye job, and to make matters worse, tufts were sticking out in various directions. It looked as if Inez hadn’t taken a comb to it in two or three days. How anyone could do that to themselves, Bernie couldn’t imagine. The stained denim jacket over the grey sweatshirt Inez was wearing didn’t do anything to help the situation.
Bernie turned toward Brandon. “Well,” she told him, “she certainly doesn’t look in good shape.”
“She’s not,” Brandon said.
“Is she drunk?”
“No. But she’s getting there fast. Can I get you anything?”
Bernie grabbed a handful of peanuts and started shelling them. “A Coke will be fine.”
A moment later Brandon was back with a Coke. Bernie grabbed it and drifted down to where Inez was sitting.
“Hi,” Bernie said as she sat down next to Inez.
Inez glared at her. “What do you want?” she demanded.
Bernie cracked open a peanut and tossed the nut into her mouth. “Are you okay?” she asked after she’d swallowed.
“I’m fine.”
“Because it doesn’t seem to me as if you are.”
Inez stared into her beer for a moment and then took a drink. “Well, I am.”
“What happened to your face?”
Inez touched the side of her jaw, realized what she was doing, and quickly put her hand back on the bar. “I fell.”
“Are you sure no one hit you?”
Bernie couldn’t read the fleeting expression that ran across Inez’s face. Was it anger? Sorrow? Pleasure that someone cared enough to ask? All of them? None of them? Bernie didn’t know.
Then Inez frowned. “I got drunk, and I fell off the sofa and hit the edge of the coffee table on the way down. Satisfied?”
Bernie took a sip of her Coke. “Not really, but if that’s what you say happened, then that’s what happened.”
“That’s what I say happened.” Inez took a gulp of her beer and slammed the glass down on the bar. “Ian is a putz. You know that?”
Bernie ate another peanut and put the shell on top of a napkin. “Why is Ian a putz?”
“Because he fired me.”
Bernie didn’t say anything.
“I had a doctor’s note, too. What am I going to do now?” Inez demanded. “Who’s going to hire me?”
“No one if you don’t pull yourself together,” Bernie told her.
Inez gulped down the rest of her beer and signaled Brandon to bring another one. As he went to get it, a man and a woman came in and sat down near the door. The couple was laughing and joking. Inez looked at them with hungry eyes. After a minute or so, she wrenched her eyes away.
“We used to be like that before Amethyst,” Inez said wistfully.
Bernie knew Inez was talking about herself and her husband.
“We were really happy together,” Inez added. She watched while Brandon set her Coors down in front of her and moved on to the new customers. She poured it into her glass and took a big swallow. “Really happy. We liked each other.”
“Is that why you killed Amethyst?”
Inez wiped her lips off with the back of her hand. “A lot you know. Why would I kill her?”
“Because she destroyed your life? You just said as much.”
“Yeah. She did. But I was making her pay.”
Interesting, Bernie thought as she took another sip of her Coke. “Is that right? And how were you doing that?”
“You don’t believe me?” Inez said.
“Well, it’s a little hard to imagine.”
“You think she was smarter than I was?”
“Well…”
“Even with my drinking, I’m still smarter then she was,” Inez growled. “Better looking, too.”
“I don’t believe it,” Bernie said, egging Inez on.
“That I was better looking?”
“No. That’s true.” Bernie remembered when Inez used to come into the shop.
“I had a better body.”
“That’s true.”
“And I dressed better.”
“I’m not disputing that. It’s the intelligence part.”
Inez looked outraged. “Hey, I have a master’s in remote sensing.”
“True, but I’m not talking about that kind of intelligence.”
Inez gave Bernie a beery, conspiratorial smile. “She was a sneaky little bitch, wasn’t she?”
Bernie popped another peanut into her mouth. “In a word, yes.”
“But I found out something she didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Really?” Bernie hoped that she had conveyed just the right amount of disbelief.
“Yes. Really. Amethyst was moving, and she didn’t want anyone to know. But I knew.”
“How did you know?”
“I heard her talking.”
Bernie maintained a skeptical expression.
“It’s true. I did,” Inez insisted.
“Where? While you were cleaning the bathroom?”
A crafty expression stole over Inez’s face. “Never you mind.”
Bernie ate another peanut. “In the supermarket? The garden store? Probably not.” Bernie contemplated the options some more. “Did you clean her house?”
Inez looked at her in astonishment.
“You cleaned her house? I don’t believe it,” said Bernie.
“Believe it,” Inez snarled.
“Given the circumstances, I find that hard to believe.”
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Inez said and gulped her drink.
“Come on,” Bernie told her. “You have to give me credit for this. You have to admit I’m good.”
“Yes, you are,” answered Brandon.
Bernie was startled. She’d been so engrossed in her conversation with Inez that she hadn’t realized Brandon was standing in front of her, with another beer for Inez. She was always amazed at how quietly he moved for a big guy. She smiled at him and turned her attention back to Inez.
“That must have been hard, working for Amethyst. More than hard given the circumstances.”
Inez didn’t say anything.
“Did you do it so you could get back at her?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Actually, I think it is.” Bernie took a sip of her Coke and put it down. “So after you tried blackm
ailing her, I’m guessing Amethyst didn’t want you working at her place anymore.”
“She had no right to do what she did.”
“Are you talking about the fact that she broke up your home, the fact that you worked for her, or the fact that she fired you?”
Inez hunched her shoulders and took another swig from her glass. “A person’s got to live, doesn’t she?”
“So, what did you hear?” Bernie asked.
A cunning expression stole across Inez’s face. “Maybe it wasn’t something I heard. Maybe it was something I saw.”
“How much did you ask from Amethyst?”
Inez drained the last drop from her glass and put it down. “What difference does it make?” She leaned in toward Bernie. Her mouth twisted itself into a sneer. “You know what she did? She laughed at me. At me. Told me I was a loser and no one would ever believe me.”
“So what did you do?” Bernie asked.
“Guess,” Inez said.
“Got even?” Bernie said.
Inez laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Bernie asked.
“You are,” Inez replied, and she got up and started for the door.
“How about if I buy you another drink?” Bernie said.
“You think I’m that easy?” Inez said. “Well, screw you.” And she left.
“That went well,” Brandon said.
“Didn’t it, though.” Bernie tapped her fingers on the bar. “I should have offered her money instead.”
“Somehow I don’t think that twenty dollars would do it.”
“Are you saying I’m cheap?”
“No. I’m saying you’re broke.”
“Amethyst was a real piece of work,” Bernie said thoughtfully.
Brandon grinned. “That would be one way of putting it.”
“And the other way?”
“She was a sadistic little bitch.”
“These days people would say she had a personality disorder.”
“They’d probably say that about Hitler, too.”
Bernie chuckled. That was one of the things she loved about Brandon. He always made her laugh.
“You know what?” she said.
Brandon planted his elbows on the bar and supported his face with his hands. “What?” he said.
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