“Noooo, I can’t. Just leave me …”
Quinn scoffed. “No way, Mrs. Hauser. We’re getting out of this shed together. Hold onto me as tight as you can!”
She started making a deep sound, like a wounded animal. “I deserve to die. You go. Tell my boy I’m sorry …”
Quinn wasn’t having it. “No! You hold on, you hear me?” With a strength she didn’t know she had, Quinn pulled the woman up and toward the doorway. Mrs. Hauser’s feet couldn’t hold her weight and she stumbled into Quinn, whose body slammed against the doorjamb on her useless shoulder. She didn’t know pain like that even existed. The pain went from white to yellow, searing the retinas of her eyes. As much as she wanted to, Quinn knew she couldn’t hold on. Still grasping Mrs. Hauser, she felt her body fall forward.
She braced herself to hit the concrete. Every muscle tensed, even as the yellow around her turned black, closing in. The last thing she remembered was falling into someone, not something. Strong arms surrounded her, and Milly’s weight vanished.
“I’ve got you, Quinn. You’re both safe now. You did it—you got ’em.”
She knew she must have been dreaming because Quinn was floating on air, with Aiden flying next to her, telling her everything was going to be okay.
Chapter Thirty-One
“A warrior is defined by his scars, not his medals.”
—Matshona Dhliwayo, Canadian philosopher and author
“It’s always the nice quiet ones that end up being all the trouble.”
Quinn knew her cousin was attempting to find the funny, but it had only been a couple of weeks since she had been rescued by Aiden and the Vienna PD from the Hausers’ backyard. Her left arm was in a cast, broken in two places and with a dislocated shoulder. She was recovering from a concussion as well.
When Dr. Hauser had dosed her with chloroform in her father’s office, he’d carried her out and into his waiting car in the back, knocking her head against almost every desk corner and wall surface of the Caine house on the way out. For over a week, Quinn hadn’t been able to see straight, taking even reading and watching TV out of the rotation of leisure activities.
Today was the first day she hadn’t felt like hurling her cookies all over herself.
“I still think it’s too soon for you to be going out.”
Almost everyone in her family was standing over her. Hovering. She knew they meant well, but Quinn was desperate to get out of the house. And she had a feeling RBG felt the same way because she trotted right to the front door as soon as Quinn rolled herself off her parents’ couch.
“I know it’s a little soon, but I promised.” Quinn tried reaching for her purse, but it was just out of reach. Daria, her mom, and her dad all lunged for it at the same time. Quinn thought it a miracle they all didn’t crash headfirst into one another.
Her mother won that particular race, handing her the clutch. “You know, there’s no shame in canceling. Everyone would understand.”
“No way. I can’t,” Quinn insisted, leaning on her father’s arm. “Listen, we’ll go there and right back. No lingering afterward. No stopping off for a bite to eat.” She could tell from their expressions that she wasn’t doing a good job of convincing them.
“Listen, I don’t expect y’all to understand. But I have to be there, especially since …” Quinn took a shoring breath. “Especially since she can’t be.”
They all shared a look.
“No, we understand. You’re right.” Daria interwove her fingers with those on Quinn’s free hand. “Let’s get you there on time then.”
The four of them piled into the Caine station wagon—her mom and dad, Daria, and of course RBG. Her parents had found someone to watch the store for a while. Her brother was picking up Rachel and meeting them there.
Quinn was expecting a small crowd. It was midweek, in the middle of a workday, so most people in town would be working, which was fine because she wasn’t interested in a big fuss. However, she knew something was up when they pulled into the Vienna Community Center parking lot only to find it jam-packed.
“What the heck is going on?” Quinn asked, craning her head around. “Are they giving away free memberships or something in there?”
Her father scanned the lot. “Let me drop you all off in the front, and I’ll find a space.”
Quinn smiled, grateful for the suggestion. She didn’t want to say anything, but the idea of walking a distance in upper-nineties heat, while still trying to find her land legs, was enough to make her swoon, and not in the romantic, happy-ending way.
Taking her time, Quinn made her way inside, flanked on either side by her family. She was there to receive a special citizen’s commendation from the Vienna Police Department, for her role in trying to catch a killer. Frankly, Quinn thought, if anyone should receive an award, it should’ve been her cousin. She had been the first to notice Quinn was missing and, after alerting the police, had retrieved both dogs to assist in the search and rescue. But Sister Daria had refused any recognition, so-once again-Quinn was the consolation prize.
As soon as she walked into the assigned room, realization dawned on Quinn: it was standing room only in the auditorium, and everyone was there for her.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Oh noooo,” Quinn dragged out. “There must be some kind of mistake.”
A voice off to the side piped up. “No mistake. This is all for you.”
It was Aiden, in his dress blues, looking like the Vienna PD version of Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman. She half-expected him to swoop her up in his arms and carry her away into endless summer.
Hey, she knew it was probably never going to happen between them, the beginning of Q&A, Quinn and Aiden. But in the first split second she caught sight of him, she imagined there was an “us,” that impossible girlhood wishes had become a grown-up reality. Those brief seconds? She granted herself that small indulgence.
He placed his hand on her good shoulder. “Hey, I know crowds make you nervous, but I’m going to be with you the whole time.”
The warmth from his touch spread across her skin, soothing her. “Okay, good.”
She trusted Aiden, without question. Ever since Dr. Hauser’s arrest, Aiden had come by every day-and if he was running late, he made sure to text her right away. That was more of a challenge than ever before since the case-and Aiden-had received national attention. It made sense. He had been the one to find the opened Mycological membership book on Finn Caine’s floor, putting two and two together. But Aiden blew off any attempts at praise, saying, “Quinn had already dragged herself and Milly halfway out of that shed. She had already saved herself.”
“Hey, did I miss anything?”
Her dad was back from parking the car.
Aiden offered his hand. “Good to see you, Finn.”
Her dad beamed. “Always good to see family.”
Another police officer approached Aiden. “It’s time, sir.”
“Right.” He offered his arm to Quinn. “Let’s do this thing.”
The crowd took their seats as Aiden led her down the aisle. Quinn scanned the faces in the audience as they worked their way up to the front of the room. The Huttons were there, holding hands and smiling her way. The sisters of Guinefort House almost had a full row to themselves, with Daria sitting right in the middle, looking relaxed and happy. They all brightened when they spotted her, even Sister Theresa. The staff of Prose & Scones—Sarah and their new hires, Leah and Melanie, waved. She was glad her parents had closed the store for the hour so they could all be here.
Getting closer to the front rows, Quinn was pleased to see Maxie in all her glory, her hair in rainbow-colored braids this time, and next to her was her old friend and new boyfriend, Ren. After being cleared of all charges, Quinn had heard through the grapevine he had sold that car as soon as it was released from the police impound. No one could blame him. The idea of Dr. Hauser—a man sworn by the Hippocratic oath to save lives—transporting Tricia’s body in
his car in order to dump it was too much for Ren to bear. He was living back home with his parents, but with the way Ren and Maxie were gazing at each other, Quinn wouldn’t be surprised if she heard they were moving in together sooner versus later.
“Can you make it up? The steps?”
She nodded. “Just don’t let go, okay?”
Aiden stilled, his eyes darkening. “Never, Quinn.”
She was just about to work up the courage to tell him something, when someone tapped on the live microphone. Someone was giving introductions, informing everyone of what Quinn did to try to find Vienna’s killer.
“Why don’t we all give a round of applause to our woman of the hour, the recipient of Vienna’s Special Commendation Award, Ms. Quinn Caine!
The mayor started clapping, and the whole auditorium followed, a roar of applause and whistles. She even heard a “Go, Quinn!” from her brother in the audience. With Aiden’s help, she walked up the stairs to the podium.
Mayor Laurie DeBlasio stopped clapping as she handed Quinn an engraved plaque. “Quinn Caine, on behalf of our town, we want to commend you with our highest honor. Because of your quick thinking—twice—our residents can rest in safety, knowing that justice has prevailed.”
Quinn took the award and thanked the mayor. She really hoped they didn’t expect her to give a speech, because her mind was blank, and her spirit was still heavy.
The mayor leaned towards the microphone. “The town of Vienna and our esteemed police department aren’t the only ones who want to thank Ms. Caine for her heroic efforts. We have someone else here to see you, someone who’s gone through much to get here today.”
Quinn couldn’t imagine who it could be. She looked back on the people seated. Rachel was sitting next to her brother, giving her a thumbs-up. Bash didn’t know it, but during one of Rach’s visits earlier in the week, she had let Quinn in on what had happened between Granny Nora and her beloved David. Short version, he was her great-grandpa—but they had gone through hell and back before they earned their happily-ever-after. Quinn hoped Rachel and Bash fared better. She scanned the rest of the people and couldn’t figure out who was missing.
And that’s when, coming from behind the stage-right curtain, Scott rolled Milly Hauser out in her wheelchair.
She handed Aiden the award, unable to take her eyes off her. “I can’t believe you’re—” She didn’t even finish her sentence before bolting across the stage and throwing her arm around her.
Mrs. Hauser’s arms wrapped around her shoulder as she pulled Quinn down. No one could tell if the women were laughing or crying. Maybe a little bit of both.
Quinn broke her embrace to gaze at Milly. “How is it you’re here? The last time I saw you, you were in a medically induced coma!”
“I know! I was there! Well, sort of,” she teased.
It was like seeing a ghost in plain sight. She might have even squeezed Milly’s hands several times just to make sure.
“The doctors—they didn’t think you’d live to the end of the week.”
Milly threw back her head and laughed. “Well, that was your first mistake. Doctors don’t know everything, you know.” And then, Milly Hauser winked.
The mayor motioned the three of them to the front of the stage. “Why don’t we get some photos of all of you together. Give this horrible story a hopeful ending.”
They did as they were asked, Quinn’s right hand holding Milly’s left, with Scott behind her and Aiden on her other side. Flashbulbs went off in staccato succession, making her blink black and yellow spots.
Trying to whisper, Quinn leaned toward Scott to ask, “So, how is she doing for real?”
He shrugged. “She’s a fighter, what can I say? We almost lost her a couple of times, as you know, but she bounced back. It’s kind of a miracle.”
He was right. While Quinn was in the hospital, she had visited Milly in her room, even if the woman didn’t always know she was there. Turned out her husband had been poisoning her for months—or at least trying to. As he had stated in the shed, because his wife ate like a bird, his earlier attempts had failed until he increased the dosage.
With everything that had occurred, Aiden was able to convince the Slingbaum family, without having to resort to a court order, to allow an autopsy of Dr. Chaim Levine. Now that the medical examiner’s office knew to look for traces of amanita phalloides, otherwise known as death cap mushrooms, they were able to test his remains for that substance. It’s a poison not part of a typical toxicology report—something Carlson Hauser knew as a physician.
And sure enough, they determined that Rachel’s uncle had received a lethal dose. Only that time, Dr. Hauser hadn’t put them in a quiche: he’d dried and ground the mushrooms into a powder, which he added to a medicinal herbal tea mix he’d heard Dr. Levine drank, one that tasted awful anyway, so the added mushroom powder wasn’t detected by taste or scent.
Some “welcome to the medical neighborhood gift” that turned out to be.
The Vienna PD found what was left of the tea in the doctor’s home. “Thank Christ he didn’t share it,” Aiden had said during one of his many visits to Quinn while she recovered, keeping her updated. “Otherwise, we’d have a mass homicide on our hands. Two were bad enough.”
One thing Dr. Hauser hadn’t been lying about: Tricia had been an unfortunate accident, an unexpected casualty. Milly had invited her over for dinner, a diversion for Scott to set up a dream-come-true proposal scenario in the backyard of his family’s estate. Ironic, considering Tricia and Scott were both trying to get away from their families’ suffocating influences, but as Scott had shared with the police, the ring was a family heirloom, so he felt compelled to have the proposal on their property.
Milly had served the mushroom quiche her husband had intended only for her. By the time Dr. Hauser got home later that night, Tricia was already too ill to drive and was going to have Scott take her home. But Dr. Hauser insisted she stay at the Hausers’ so he could “keep an eye on his future daughter-in-law.” That part had also been true. He wasn’t sure if she’d had enough to cause her death. With that particular kind of poisonous mushroom, victims initially feel awful, but then seemingly recover from all symptoms over several hours. “That’s actually when they’re in the most danger,” one of Quinn’s doctors had informed her while she was still in the hospital. “The patient thinks the worst is over and returns to normal activities. Meanwhile, the internal organs are starting to shut down. By the time the paralysis hits, it’s too late.” The same had happened to Tricia: in a few hours, she felt like herself, so Scott drove her home.
Milly Hauser may have been in good spirits at the award ceremony, but Quinn could tell something still weighed heavily on Scott. Of course, he was still grieving over the loss of his fiancée, but Quinn sensed there was something more. She waited for the photographers to get all their shots and for people to file out of the auditorium.
“Scott, are you okay? I mean, all things considered.”
He was not able to meet her eye. “No, I’m not okay. I’m never going to be okay.”
The mayor’s face reddened. “I’ll leave y’all to talk.” She offered an awkward half grin before walking away.
Scott’s mother turned her wheelchair to face her son. “It’s going to take time, honey. This has been a loss on many levels.”
The pain in his eyes was palpable. “I left Tricia’s place that morning, convinced whatever had made her sick had passed, and didn’t think twice about it. I didn’t even call later in the day to check in with her, just to make sure.”
Aiden took a step closer. “Man, this is not on you. Do you understand me? There was no way for you to know she’d be dead by that afternoon. You know who did know what was coming?”
Scott’s head dropped. “My dad.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Him, not you.”
Scott met Aiden’s steely gaze. “I know, but—”
“But nothing,” Aiden insisted. “Your father admitted to tr
ailing Tricia that day, pretending to bump into her near one of her listings, then convinced her to come back to his house so they could discuss wedding plans. He could’ve gotten her help at any point, and he didn’t because he knew it would be traced back to him. Your father let her die and then used Diamond’s car to dump her body.”
Milly grabbed her son’s hand. “Listen to him! This was a tragedy, but none of it is your fault. Please don’t take that on, son.”
Aiden removed a business card from his coat pocket, handing it over to Scott.
“I already have your number,” Scott said.
“Yeah, I know. This is the number for Victim’s Services.”
Scott reluctantly took the card.
“I have it on good authority you haven’t used that number yet—not a good idea considering all that’s happened.”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t pretend.” His mother sucked in a lungful of air. “Don’t let pride get in the way, like I used to.”
Something changed in her son’s expression, a softening. He put the card inside his wallet. “Okay, okay. I’ll call them. As soon as we leave here.”
Quinn let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Aiden seemed pleased. “Good. And call me if you need to talk.”
Scott nodded. “I will.”
Quinn gazed down at his mom, still surprised to see her all pink-cheeked and healthy. “Mrs. Hauser, I can’t begin to tell you how much it meant to me that you came.”
She held up her plaque. “Nonsense! I’d never miss an opportunity to add to my trophy collection.”
“What other trophies have you won?” Quinn asked.
“Oh, for golf. Some for tennis. I was quite the athlete back in high school and college.”
“I’m not surprised,” Scott added. “You succeed in everything you try.”
Milly’s eye teared. “That’s one of the nicest things you’ve ever said to me.”
“Just the truth.” He glanced at the time on his phone. “We better get you back home. If you expect to start in a couple of weeks, you need all the rest you can muster between now and then.”
To Kill a Mocking Girl Page 29