by Tim Myers
“You know I’m allergic to them,” Reggie said.
“Why on earth did you agree to this?”
“Because I’m still the one who runs this family. I expect you to be courteous to our guest.”
Reggie looked like he’d rather eat gravel, but he nodded glumly. “We waited on dessert. Shall I have Matilda serve?”
Helena nodded, and Reggie pushed a button on the wall summoning the next course. After we ate, Helena said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a telephone call to make.” She took my hands in hers and said, “Jennifer, I can’t wait to have you here with us.”
“Thanks again, Helena.”
“You’re most welcome.” She turned to Gail and said, “Good night. Thank you for bringing such a delightful guest with you.”
“Mother, may I have a word with you?” Reggie asked her.
“Of course. I always have time for you.”
I let myself out, and was getting into the Gremlin when Gail flagged me down. I rolled down my window and asked, “What’s up? Am I being summoned back inside?”
“No, but I’ve been pretty effectively dismissed. Reggie asked me to get a ride back to my place with you. Do you mind?”
“Well, I was going out clubbing, but I guess I could drop you off on my way,” I said, laughing. I hadn’t had much interest going to bars when I’d been in my twenties, and I certainly wasn’t about to pick the habit up in my thirties.
“Nightclubbing or card-clubbing?” she said as she got in the passenger side.
“Neither one,” I said. “Actually, I need to go home and start packing. I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble in there. If you’d rather I didn’t move into the cottage, I’ll call Helena in the morning and tell her I’ve changed my mind.”
“You still need a new place to live, don’t you?”
“Yes, but not enough to jeopardize our friendship,” I replied. “It’s easier to find a new address than it is to come up with a new best friend.”
She thought about it for a few seconds, then said, “Jennifer, I couldn’t live with myself if you turned that place down on my account. Helena certainly took a shine to you, didn’t she? I wish she’d smile at me like that just once.”
I laughed. “She likes me because I’m not dating her son. You’ve got two strikes against you from the start. How did you two meet?”
“Thanks for not saying it, but I know what you’re thinking. We’re an odd match.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said as I swung back out onto the highway. I was going to have a longer commute to work every day, but with that cottage waiting for me, it was going to be worth it.
“It’s okay, I’m not sure I understand it myself. There’s just something about him that makes my stomach flutter.”
“Then that’s all the reason you need,” I said.
“I am really sorry about tonight,” Gail said. “I can’t believe Reggie’s friend bailed on you at the last second.”
“Are you kidding me? He did me a huge favor. If he’d shown up on schedule, there’s no way I would have gotten that grand tour, let alone a new place to stay.”
“Actually, it was Martin’s comment that led to it all.” Gail’s voice softened as she added, “Jennifer, I didn’t have a chance to call you today, but I’m sorry about the rumors going on around town about Sara Lynn.”
“You didn’t start any of them, did you?” I asked.
“What? Of course not.”
I grinned at her. “Then don’t apologize for it. That’s just one of the things you have to accept when you live in a small town. People talk, and when there’s something as high profile as this, they tend to talk a lot. Don’t worry. Lillian and I are trying to find alternate suspects for my brother.”
“And what does Bradford say about that?”
I shrugged. “He doesn’t know yet, and I’m not planning on telling him until we’ve got our suspect picked out.”
“Just be careful,” Gail said as I pulled up in front of her condo. “I’d hate to lose you.”
“I’m watching every step I take,” I said. “Thanks again for tonight. I know it didn’t turn out how we’d planned, but 1 had a lovely time.”
“I’ll do better at matchmaking the next time,” Gail said. “I promise.”
“The only promise I want from you is one that says there won’t be a next time. I’ve officially withdrawn my name from the blind-dating pool.”
“You can’t give up,” Gail said. “I know there’s somebody out there for you.”
“Well, unless he walks into my card shop, he’s going to have a hard time finding me. Good night, Gail.”
“Night,” she said. I waited until she was safely inside before I drove back to my attic apartment I’d miss the charming space, but in several ways I was trading up. At Helena’s, I’d have lots more room, und the cats would have plenty of vantage points from which to peer down at me. Having to see Reggie occasionally would be a negative, but the fact that he was allergic to cats meant that he wouldn’t be popping ill on me unexpectedly. As for Helena’s promised visits, I just hoped Oggie and Nash would be on their best behavior, or I’d be looking for another place to live soon enough.
Chapter 6
“Okay, guys, we’re moving,” I told Oggie and Nash when I walked into my apartment.
Oggie yowled at me, and I said, “Hey, I don’t want to go, either, but we’re being evicted.” Just then, the door to the bathroom slammed, though none of the windows were open to create a breeze. “Sorry, Frances, it’s not my fault.” I didn’t know if that would mollify the forgetful poltergeist or not, but if she wanted to haunt someone to protest the move, she was going to have to track down Hester Taylor. After all, it was her fault I was leaving.
Unfortunately, I’d become pretty adept at packing in the past few years, so I had a good idea about how to approach it. After I changed into sweats and an old T-shirt, I made a note to get more boxes at the grocery store. As I started jettisoning unwanted items into a trash bag, there was a knock on my door.
I grabbed my aluminum softball bat before I went to the peephole to see who was visiting me. Though Bradford had arranged for a stainless steel door to be installed, I still never answered without some kind of protection, and the bat had served me well in the past.
It was Lillian. I unbolted the door and stepped aside so she could come in.
She looked at me critically, then said, “Jennifer, if you greet all of your callers that way, I can see how you might have trouble attracting a young man.”
“This is the best repellent I know for the bad ones,” I said as I locked the door behind her. “You’re out awfully late.”
“And unfortunately you’re not. What happened to your mystery man?”
“He’s going to remain one,” I said. “He stood me up.”
Lillian frowned. “So now they’re rejecting you before you even meet? That certainly cuts down on the stress level, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not all bad,” I said. “I found a new place to live.”
“I can’t imagine how that came about.”
I told her about my new arrangement, but she wasn’t as happy for me as I’d hoped. “You should be thrilled, Lillian. My problems are over.”
“Or are they? Jennifer, you haven’t had much contact with people like the Blooms in your life, have you?”
“Just because they have money doesn’t mean they’re different,” I said.
“Nor does it mean they’re better,” she replied. “Remember that.”
“I didn’t care for Reggie Bloom, but I found his mother delightful. She’s a cat lover, too.”
Lillian shook her head. “And that’s all you need to vouch for someone else’s character, isn’t it?”
“I’ll admit it goes a long way,” I say. “You should see this place, Lillian. It’s a beautiful cottage near the main garden, and it’s completely separate from the house. Oggie and Nash are going to love it.”
“So y
ou haven’t taken a room in their home?” Lillian said, acting a little surprised.
“Are you crazy? No, it’s all by itself. There’s no way I’d be a roomer somewhere, no matter how nice it was. Have you ever been inside the house? It’s incredible.”
“No, but I dated Peter Bloom at one time, though his name was Bradbury then.”
“What are you talking about, Lillian?”
Lillian frowned. “So you don’t know everything about your hosts. Their family tradition is that the head of the household is a Bloom, regardless if it’s a man or woman. When he married Helena, one of the things Peter had to agree to was to abandon the name Bradbury forever and take his wife’s name.”
“How odd,” I said.
“In this culture, perhaps, but it’s not without precedent in the world. That was just the beginning of the changes he was forced to make.”
“Well, I like Helena, and the place is perfect for me,” I said.
Lillian shrugged. “I take it you’ve made up your mind, then. You know you can still come live with me if you’d like.”
“Thanks, Lillian—I really do appreciate it, but I think it’s better for everyone this way.”
She nodded, then clapped her hands together. “Then the least I can do is help you pack. I wish Hester was in town, I’d give her a tongue lashing like she’s never had in her life. I still can’t believe she’d kick you out into the street like this.”
“It’s all for the best,” I said. “I wasn’t all that taken with the other people living here.”
“They were both less than satisfactory, weren’t they?”
As Lillian helped me sort through some of the things I’d accumulated since moving to Whispering Oak, I said, “So what brings you by here tonight? I know you’ve got better things to do than to check up on me and my dates.”
“Actually, I have some progress to report on our investigation,” Lillian said.
“Don’t keep me in the dark,” I said. “What did you find out?”
“Nothing concrete as of yet,” she said. “But I did make an appointment with Polly Blackburn. I told her I was thinking about putting my house on the market, and she jumped at the chance to talk to me.”
“Doesn’t she realize they’ll have to blast you out of there with dynamite to get you to leave?”
Lillian frowned. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily true anymore. There are times I envy your lifestyle, Jennifer. You change places more often than I change fabric softener. There must be some real advantages to keeping your roots shallow.”
I looked at the mess I was in the middle of. “It’s not as positive as you think. I hate packing and unpacking, but it’s a part of moving.” I looked around the attic apartment. “I’ve grown quite fond of this place,” I said. “I’ll miss it.”
“How about your cats? Will they miss it too, do you think?”
“As far as Oggie and Nash are concerned, as long as their meals come on time and they have one of my pillows to sleep on, they couldn’t be more content.” I put a few more books on the pile, then said, “What about Luke Penwright? How are you going to get him to talk to you?”
“Actually, we’re having lunch tomorrow at Hurley’s. I was going to suggest The Lunch Box, but he surprised me by asking me to meet him where his ex-wife was murdered. I find that rather odd, don’t you?”
“I think he’s crazy,” I said.
There was another knock on the door, and I told Lillian to be quiet.
I retrieved my bat from the couch, then asked, “Who is it?”
“Jennifer, it’s me. Use your peephole.”
I unbolted the door and let my brother in. He nodded to Lillian, then bolted the door behind him. “Good girl. I’m proud of you for watching out for yourself.”
“I learned my lesson,” I said, remembering the time recently when someone had broken into my place. “I don’t answer the door without my softball bat. So what brings you out this late? Cindy’s going to have your hide.” Bradford’s wife liked him at home.
“I’m working. She understands it’s about family.”
I nodded. “So, have you had any luck clearing Sara Lynn’s name?”
“Jennifer, that’s why I’m here. Do you have any idea where Bailey is right now?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. “No, not a clue. How about you, Lillian?”
My aunt shook her head. “He could be in New York by now, for all I know.”
“What makes you think he’d go there?” Bradford asked.
“It was just a figure of speech. I could just as easily have said San Francisco.”
“But you didn’t,” Bradford pushed. “You said New York.”
“Perhaps I said it because I’ve been thinking of going back sometime soon. Fifth Avenue is my Mecca, you know.”
Bradford shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it. I just wish I knew where he was.”
“Did you hear he stole Sara Lynn’s money before he took off?” I asked, instantly regretting the slip when I saw his face.
“She didn’t say a word to me about it, and I was with her three different times today. What happened?”
“You know what? Maybe I was mistaken,” I said, trying to backpedal as fast as I could.
“We both know better than that,” he said. “Now tell me.”
Lillian stepped in before I could tell him. “If you must know, Sara Lynn noticed that he’d taken five hundred dollars from their emergency fund and left an IOU. Sara Lynn couldn’t be sure when he’d taken the money. Most likely it has nothing to do with what happened last night.”
“Lillian, I might not be your biggest fan, but I know you better than to think you’re stupid. Do you honestly expect me to believe the money vanishing isn’t tied into Bailey’s disappearance?”
“I don’t expect anything from you,” Lillian said. “I’m just giving you a plausible alternative to the conclusion you just jumped to. It could just as easily have happened that way.”
He shook his head. “If you don’t mind, I’ll ask Sara Lynn if that’s the conclusion she reached as well.” His hand was on the doorknob when he said, “Oh, and do me a favor. Don’t call her. I’d like to see what her honest reaction to the theft is without you coaching her.”
Lillian shook her head. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
After Bradford was gone, my aunt reached for my phone. “Who are you calling?” I asked.
“Your sister, of course,” she said.
I reached over and hung up the telephone.
She stared at me and asked, “Jennifer, have you lost your mind? I need to tell Sara Lynn he’s on his way.”
“Lillian, stop a second and think it through. Do you honestly think Bradford’s going to be able to get Sara Lynn to tell him anything she doesn’t want to? She’s more stubborn than you are.”
Lillian nodded. “I still think we should warn her that he’s coming.”
“And I think we’ve done enough already. I can’t believe I told him about the missing emergency cash.”
“Jennifer, you’re just trying to help. So why do you think Bailey ran like that? It certainly makes him look guilty, doesn’t it?”
“Do you think he’d actually do it?” I couldn’t imagine my brother-in-law doing anything of the sort.
“People stopped surprising me ages ago,” she said.
“Okay, let’s see if we can help Sara Lynn out a more constructive way. You’re talking to Polly and Luke. Should I tackle Kaye Jansen while you’re doing that, or should I tag along with you?”
“Honestly, I don’t know if either one of them would talk to me if you’re right there. After all, your sister is the prime suspect, and we don’t want any repeats of today.”
“Hey, I already said I was sorry,” I said, remembering my confrontation with Addie. “I can keep my mouth shut. I promise.”
Lillian appeared to think about it a few seconds, then said, “I suppose you could be in the other room when Polly comes by
to talk about the house. Short of slipping you in as a waitress, I don’t know how I can get you close enough to my lunch date.”
“Leave that to me.” I knew I could work it out with Jack Hurley so that I’d be seated right behind Luke Penwright at the restaurant the next day. “So what do we do about Kaye?”
“We’ll tackle her later if our other two leads don’t work out,” Lillian said as she stifled a yawn. “Now what can I do to help here?”
“You can go home and get a good night’s sleep,” I said. “We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
“I don’t mind staying, honestly, I don’t.”
“Good night, Lillian,” I said as I pushed her toward the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Fine, I can take a hint,” she said as she left. I loved my aunt to death, but I didn’t need her helping me pack. After all, I’d be the one putting everything away in my new place, and to do that, I needed to know where everything was in the boxes. I worked another half an hour before I found myself yawning, too, so I decided to call it a night. Oggie and Nash were curled up on my pillows, both of them sound asleep. I just wished I could drop off as quickly as they could, but I had a lot more on my mind than they did. As I finally nodded off, our suspects’ faces were swirling around in my head, with one disturbing addition. Every now and then Bailey’s face would pop up, only to fade away again. At least I hadn’t seen Sara Lynn’s face in the whirlwind. I would have never gotten to sleep then, if my subconscious mind was willing to admit what I wasn’t ready to say out loud: that Sara Lynn surely had the required motive, means and opportunity to do away with Eliza Glade.
I felt like a criminal the next morning as I hid in Lillian’s pantry waiting for Polly Blackburn to show up.
“Jennifer, can you hear me all right?” Lillian asked.
“I can hear you just fine,” I said, “but I won’t be able to see her face. I need to see her expressions if I’m going to be able to tell if she’s lying or not.”
“Sorry, I don’t have any one-way glass for you to peek through. You know, that might not be such a bad idea. I could duck into the pantry and see what my guests are really up to behind my back.”