Deceitful Legacy

by Justine Wittich

  “I’d have that nasty creature shot,” Kate said, apparently forgetting her promise to be peaceful. “You needn’t bother giving me back the floss. It would contaminate everything I’ve been working on.” She stood and crammed the linen square she’d half finished into her tote bag, then added the neatly sorted thread sitting on the table beside her. “I tried. I tried to be nice to that ... pregnant creature, and I’ve tried to ignore that vicious, thieving cat, but I can’t do it anymore. Maybe the rest of you will come to realize that Felicity just isn’t quite ... capable, and follow my lead.”

  With that, she walked briskly to the door and disappeared without even saying goodbye.

  Lazarus rose and trotted after her. The silence that followed was broken by a shriek, and Felicity hurried behind them. She arrived in time to see Kate frozen in place in the middle of the foyer while Lazarus rubbed against her ankle. His purr was a rumbling counter melody to Kate’s whimpers.

  “He’s apologizing, Kate. Can’t you tell?” Felicity knelt to scoop him up.

  “As I said, Felicity. You’re just ... not ... capable anymore.”

  With that, she flung open the door and stepped out.

  Felicity watched her stomp across the wide porch and gave Lazarus an extra scratch behind his ears. “You did really well today, Lazarus. Oliver would be proud.”

  Chapter Seven

  Just as Kate made her angry exit, Freddie set his foot on the first of the brick steps leading from the sidewalk to Felicity’s front door. The sight of an obviously upset woman clutching the wrought iron railing and stumbling her way toward him made him stop in his tracks. She was paying little attention to anything other than escape, apparently, as when he placed a cautionary hand on her arm, she started and turned white.

  “My dear lady. You seem so upset you are liable to fall. I certainly wouldn’t want to witness such a sad event. Allow me to assist you to the sidewalk,” he said.

  He could see that his gallantry did little to soothe the woman, so he stepped back and inclined his head slightly, saying, “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dr. Freddie Canaday, Oliver’s cousin. May I be of assistance?”

  Kate drew herself up and eyed him disdainfully before she replied “Indeed, you might want to spend some time watching the actions of that woman. I’m firmly convinced she’s becoming demented.”

  She made a move to step past him, and Freddie halted her progress with a hand on her arm. “You poor dear woman. I’ve been worried something like this might happen. Indeed, that’s why I’m prolonging my visit. Might I be so bold as to suggest we meet somewhere local this evening so I can discover just what has upset you so?”

  Kate’s aggressive stance relaxed, and she nearly preened under his kindly approach. “I think that might be an excellent idea, Dr. Canaday. I don’t believe I’ve identified myself. I’m Kate Berrigan.”

  * * *

  Freddie’s call to let her know he would not be present for dinner gave Felicity a chance to take a breather from the kitchen, so she and Althea set out in late afternoon for the Pizzeria. She had a real yearning for one of their plump calzones, covered with the special sauce that always gave her heartburn.

  “Got your stomach pills, Felicity?” Althea inquired as they entered the restaurant, which already echoed the laughter of students and townspeople alike.

  “Right here in my jacket pocket,” she replied. “I remembered to grab them on the way out the door. Jenny wouldn’t come with us. She was afraid she wouldn’t fit into our usual booth, so I promised to bring her a cheese pizza.”

  The moment they stepped in the door, Tony Carlino swooped down on them. “My favorite ladies!” He hugged each of them in turn. “You’re just in time to get that booth you like in the corner.” As he seized two plastic-covered menus and led them on a serpentine path toward the back, he commented, “I’ve missed you. Rumor has it you have a houseguest or two, Mrs. Canaday.”

  She slid into the booth and accepted the menu he held out. “The students hear all the scuttlebutt, don’t they, Tony? Oliver’s cousin Freddie is spending some time here, and I’ve just befriended a young woman from my class for pregnant women. You’ll have to drop by to meet them.”

  Tony nearly dropped the menu he held out toward Althea, a look of horror crossing his face. “I had nothing to do with that baby, Mrs. C. I swear it. And none of the others, either.”

  Althea snorted. “Hadn’t heard that you did, Tony. If I thought you were guilty, I’d have waked you some evening with my pistol in your ear.”

  “Tony, you keep on ‘not having anything to do with babies until you have the license on the wall’,” Felicity said, quoting Judge Judy. “You needn’t bother with a menu for me. Just bring me the usual, and I’ll want a cheese pizza to take home for Jenny. But don’t bring it till later.”

  “One calzone comin’ up. How about you, Ms. Murphy? Pizza with the works like always?”

  Both women waved him away and watched him wend his way through the crowded room. Felicity sighed. “He’s such a nice boy. It’s really too bad he won’t graduate for another year, or I’d consider him for Jenny.”

  “You have to quit your matchmaking, Felicity. Just because you grabbed Josh for Mindy and encouraged Max and Jo doesn’t make you Marriage Central,” Althea chided. “After the experience Jenny’s had with men, I don’t think she’s ready to do anything but have that baby and finish school.”

  She stopped, her attention focused on the couple making their way into the restaurant. “Well, hot damn! Don’t look now, but your other houseguest has himself an interesting date.”

  Felicity peered cautiously around the edge of the booth, then turned back to face Althea. “I’m certainly glad Tony put us in this back booth. Do you think we can stay hidden here until they’re finished? I don’t want him to know we’ve seen him with Kate.” She had a quick vision of Kate huffily making her way down the brick steps to the street and Freddie approaching with his usual jaunty step. Kate was a self-righteous zealot, and Freddie was a free spirit. The two had absolutely nothing in common. Unless ... “Althea, did you happen to hear what Kate said to me before she left this morning?”

  “Hah! God and everyone heard what she said to you. Everyone in the room stopped talking to take a deep breath. Then Murial commented, ‘I know someone who’s off her rocker, and it surely isn’t Felicity’. You came back too soon, and no one wanted to embarrass you, so they began to talk about something else. I swear, I wanted to go after Kate with a switch.”

  Felicity shook her head. “Poor Kate. She was always a little on the nibby side – couldn’t mind her own business – but she took a turn for the worse after her husband died of a heart attack four years ago.”

  “I always thought he did that on purpose, taking the easy way out,” Althea said as Tony set two glasses on the table between them and poured generously from a bottle of red wine. She waited till he left, then continued, “You’re being kind again, Felicity. She wasn’t just nibby, she wanted to mind everybody’s business but her own. Now that she’s hit this pious streak, she’s trying to put down anyone who doesn’t follow her lead.” She nudged Felicity’s glass closer to her and lifted her own in a toast. “Here’s to proving her wrong.”

  After her first sip, Felicity sighed. “I really would like to know what she’s up to with Freddie, Althea.”

  “No good, for sure. Hate to tell you this, neighbor, but I think Oliver’s cousin is after something. Could it be he’d like to get his paws on some of your inheritance?”

  Felicity drew back as Tony set their orders before them. “Careful, ladies, those metal plates are straight from the oven.”

  “Thanks for the reminder, Tony.” Felicity spooned steaming sauce over half her calzone and picked up her knife and fork. While she cut off a portion to dip in yet more sauce, she frowned. “I’m afraid he’s awfully interested in how much money I have and the way I spend it, Althea. I’ve had to lock the door to my office because he wanted to use my comput
er to pick up his email. Or so he said. This was after I saw him using his smart phone in the back yard. I’m glad the computer is password protected, but I’m also keeping the door to my office locked.”

  She bit the calzone off her fork and chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, then said, “The thing is, he always swore to Oliver that he hated computers. He claims he had to learn to keep up with work.”

  “Guess we’ll have to keep our eyes on him then,” Althea said around her first bite of pizza. “I wish you’d taken my advice and qualified for concealed carry. Then you’d have something in the house in case you needed it.”

  “Who said I didn’t,” Felicity answered. She had to conceal a grin. People tended to underestimate her, and she’d made a point of pretending she hadn’t done it yet. Josh had been very helpful, and he still went with her to the shooting range every few weeks, just to make sure she wasn’t going to forget how to use that sleek little .22 caliber Glock he’d insisted she buy.

  Althea toasted her again. “Congratulations! I should have guessed. What do you suppose those two are discussing over there? I’d love to be a bug on the salt shaker just about now. And I suppose we’ll have to stay here until they leave, just so they won’t know we’ve seen them. After all, what would two old women be doing in a campus pizza shop?”

  “We’re out drinking wine and enjoying our meal. I suppose the only thing they have in common is me. Do you suppose they’re going to try to steer me to a clinic for one of those mental capacity tests?” She wasn’t too worried about that. Josh and Mindy would put the stop to any foolishness. It was a shame she’d become so suspicious of Freddie’s motives, but she had to consider this advance warning that he and Kate were teaming up. Stirring the pot a little might be a good way to find out if she was right, and besides, it could be entertaining. “What do you think we might do there in the neighborhood that would convince Freddie I was becoming a dotty old dear?”

  Althea’s answering grin could only be described as evil. “Felicity, I’m honored that you asked. Give me a day or two to plot, although I feel sure you’ll come up with something on your own very quickly. It might even be a good idea to invite Andrew to bolster the lunacy.” She lifted another slice of pizza and watched the cheese droop over the edge of it before taking a bite.

  Laughter made Felicity set down her fork and reach into her purse for a tissue. “Oh, dear. Just when I thought life was settling into a comfortable rut I find myself with a pregnant young woman to care for and a relative whom I suspect has designs on my bankbook. Althea, who said getting old was dull?”

  * * *

  Cousin Freddie was having the time of his life. He’d always been a conniver, and in Kate he had discovered the perfect, hapless partner. She was so consumed by such an ingrained jealousy of Felicity that he was convinced she would go out of her way to deliver any hurt she could manage. He smiled at her over his mug of beer, watched her sip tentatively at the Chianti he’d insisted she have with her meal, and began his campaign. “I must admit I hadn’t expected to find Felicity quite so unsettling,” he said, putting as much concern into his voice as he could.

  “I think she’s just getting out of hand,” Kate replied. “She’s spending more and more time with that group from church, interfering in the lives of those young women, women who obviously have chosen their path and will only take from her as long as she’ll play Lady Bountiful. And that room of hers. Do you know she’s thinking about having exercise classes in there for all of us? Zoom-zoom or something.”

  Kate sipped, grimaced, and continued, “What on earth business does a woman her age have doing exercises? She says it’s some sort of South American business. Foreign!” She paused and removed a tissue from her purse. “And that cat! He has free run of her house and half the town. God only knows what kind of diseases he brings in. I just hope she doesn’t become ill because of him,” she added piously.

  “She does talk to him as if he could understand what she’s saying,” Freddie said regretfully. “Still, it’s upsetting to see such a fine woman just ... not ... behaving as one might expect the widow of a distinguished professor to behave.”

  “I feel I can be truthful with you, Dr. Canaday, since you obviously have Felicity’s best interests at heart. It’s always been my opinion that Felicity had taken on some of her husband’s eccentricities. Your cousin was known for his ... notions. I’m sorry if that sounds critical, but there was always talk around town. That library of his left her in a terrible situation, what with all those people coming and going after he died, but he’d made it clear in his will that it should be open to everyone for research. Twenty-four hours a day and every day of the week! Do you believe that?”

  “I thought Felicity had paid for the library we visited last week?”

  “Of course she did. She moved it from her house, breaking the terms of her husband’s will, if you ask me. She spend millions of dollars on that library addition at the college.” She lowered her gaze and said piously, “I overheard her talking with Max the builder one day, and was embarrassed for her. I won’t use the word she used, but you can surely imagine what it was.”

  This time the pause was longer. “She said you don’t build a good library with ... with chicken manure.” Her face turned pink and she bent her head as if unable to believe she had said what she’d said.

  Inwardly admiring Felicity’s choice of words, Freddie managed to look horrified. “Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound like the sweet, conscientious helpmate Oliver described to me. And the one time I’d visited with the two of them, I certainly wouldn’t have imagined anything like that coming from her. My dear lady, I can understand your concern, and I’m relieved to know I’m not alone. We must find a way to ... make sure the sweet woman is not a victim of her own failings.”

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Felicity made her first attempt to portray ditziness. It was such a simple thing to do that she wondered how many other opportunities would present themselves during the day. She was seated at the small table in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal when Freddie made his entrance.

  “What in the hell is that animal doing eating on the table?” he demanded.

  Felicity looked up, doing her best to look surprised. “Why, he always eats there, Freddie. You just haven’t come down early enough before this.”

  Lazarus, as if enjoying his part in a play, lifted his head from his bowl of kibble and directed a malevolent green stare at the source of interruption.

  Her spoon poised above her bowl, Felicity said matter of factly, “I’ll fix your breakfast as soon as he’s finished.” She then scooped up another spoonful and directed her attention to her bowl.

  The only reply was the swishing sound the swinging door made as it closed behind her houseguest.

  “I think that went well, don’t you, Lazarus?”

  * * *

  She fed both her guests an hour later, and it was a silent meal. Felicity could tell that poor Jenny was still somewhat overawed by her surroundings, and by having her meal set before her – just as if she were somebody. It was going to take some work to build the girl’s self esteem, but help was at hand. Freddie obviously was overcome by the early morning revelation of breakfast arrangements, and had little to say. Sounds from the kitchen told her Mindy had arrived to take Jenny on a bargain hunting excursion, and Felicity prepared herself for a lecture after Freddie had collected himself.

  “Here I am, right on time to grab the last piece of bacon,” Mindy said cheerfully as she maneuvered her bulk through the swinging door. She followed through on her threat and crunched cheerfully as she settled into an empty chair. “I got a ten percent off coupon at Big Lots online last night, Jenny. You and I are going to stock up on diapers and a few necessities.”

  The girl’s face colored and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m afraid I ...”

  “You don’t have to worry about a thing,” Felicity reassured her. “The church has a fund for those of you in th
e program, and Mindy will help you find whatever you need at the very best price. She’s a wonderful shopper. I’ll give you a debit card that will cover the things you need. You have only a few short weeks to get prepared, Jenny. Aren’t we lucky to have you in place so you’ll be ready for that baby?”

  Tears glistened on Jenny’s cheeks. “Mrs. Canady, I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Just relax and have a healthy baby. Then when you finish your degree, you can thank me. I’ll be at the ceremony to cheer for you.”

  Jenny burst into tears, and fled for the stairs.

  “Well done, Aunt,” said Mindy, who was now munching on a slice of cinnamon toast. “Now you better go up and get her tears wiped away so we can get started. I haven’t got all day, you know.”

  Freddie continued to work his way through the mound of scrambled eggs on his plate. Felicity considered his expression thoughtful, and felt quite sure his mind was getting around the references to the “church fund”. He had to be shrewd enough to know that no such thing existed except through her generosity. She could almost hear the adding machine in his mind making more black marks against her sanity.

  “I feel sure you can find somewhere else in town to explore on your own today, Freddie,” she said as she gathered her breakfast plate and reached for the empty egg platter. “After I get Jenny underway, I’ll come down and tidy the kitchen before going to my Yoga class. I’d thought of having the instructor teach here, but she says the aura of the space she uses is much more soothing to her students than my room.” She shook her head as she pushed open the door to the kitchen. “She said there was too much ‘active energy’ in there, and advised me to try Zumba.”

  Minutes later the door swung open and she passed through on her way upstairs, calling over her shoulder, “Mindy, keep Freddie entertained until I come back with Jenny.”