Deceitful Legacy

by Justine Wittich

  It was gratifying to see Jenny make the effort to rise. “No, no, Jenny. There isn’t room for you, me and the baby in that kitchen. Let me take care of it.” It occurred to her that Freddie had never so much as offered to hold the door for her when she carried away the remains of a meal. To be sure, it was a swinging door, but his assistance was conspicuous by its absence.

  Once again, Felicity wondered just how long Freddie intended to stay.

  * * *

  An hour later, Max showed up, closely followed by Josh, which was no surprise. “I suppose you’ve locked Mindy in the house with a shotgun by her side,” Felicity said to him as she returned his hug. “We helpless females need all the advice we can get.”

  Josh snickered. “I already got a lecture from Mindy, but we can’t be too careful. This town never has any problems, and suddenly there’s a man at the hospital who was hit over the head, and he’s been joined by one of my history students who suffered the same treatment. And who, I’m pleased to say, is recovering very nicely. I always knew Kendal was hardheaded.”

  He helped himself to a snickerdoodle and poured a cup of coffee. “What we want to do is make sure you ladies exercise a little caution. That alley between the houses, with all those garages opening onto it, is a perfect place for a mugger to hide.”

  “Would I be surprised to hear that you’ve enlisted Andrew to patrol back there and make sure all is safe? Or can we just count on Althea to keep her eye out ... and her gun handy.” Felicity was grateful to Josh for not yet mentioning her own concealed carry. She didn’t want to even imagine Freddie’s reaction.

  Max choked on the cookie he’d just put into his mouth. When he finished coughing, he said, “God help anyone who runs into Althea on the prowl. She’d scare the bejesus out of me if I came on her in the dark.”

  “I think you people are making too much of all this,” Freddie said as he joined them in the living room. “Random muggings take place all over the country in every city every day. This little town isn’t immune.”

  “We’re not making too much of this, Freddie. We just want to make sure we’ve done our best to keep Felicity and Jenny from harm. I talked with Marcus, and he’s volunteered to be with Jenny any time she has to leave the house. I’ll take you to the gun range tomorrow or the next day, whenever you have time, so you can keep up your skills, Felicity, and since you’re so confident of yourself, Freddie, you’re on your own.”

  Josh’s smile was all teeth. “I might suggest that you make sure to stay where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, however.”

  The cat was out of the bag. Freddie turned red and spluttered, “Felicity with a gun? Why she isn’t capable of handling a weapon!”

  Felicity wasn’t surprised by his reaction, but she felt her neck stiffen. “I’ll have you know I’m quite a good shot. And Josh will testify to that. As to my being capable of anything, I prefer others than you to be the judge of that, Freddie. You scarcely know me.”

  It was reassuring to know that Oliver’s cousin rubbed Josh the wrong way too. Usually, she disagreed with most of his pronouncements. Still, she surprised herself by being in partial agreement with Freddie.

  Turning to Josh, she said, “I really think you and Max are making too much of this whole thing. I know that until now we haven’t exactly been Crime Central here in our little valley, but as Freddie pointed out, there haven’t been enough reports to make such a hoo-haa out of the whole thing.” Then, to soften her words, she added, “Although it’s touching at how protective you two have been, and I appreciate it.”

  “Humor us,” Josh said softly. “We love you.”

  “Oh, dear. You would use that word and make me feel ashamed of myself,” she said as she stretched up to kiss his cheek. “Go ahead and watch over us. I’m so glad my craft group is gathering here tomorrow. There has to be safety in numbers in my own home, and you and Max can call off your watchdogs for a while.”

  “The local police are working with the campus police to catch whoever’s doing this, Felicity. Maybe, with luck, by tomorrow afternoon it will all be over.”

  Chapter Ten

  “You forgot to call me,” Kate said the next morning. The pitying smile appeared to be painted on her face. “If I hadn’t run into Murial yesterday and thought to ask her when the next gathering was, I wouldn’t have known. I know you’ve been forgetful lately, so I forgive you.” She patted Felicity’s hand gently, as if she were afraid she might trigger some kind of outburst.

  Over her shoulder, Felicity caught sight of Murial’s apologetic shrug. She summoned up all the tact she possessed and said cheerfully, “What with everything that’s been happening and my two house guests, I seem to have let a few things go, Kate. Surely you can understand. Is that a new sweater?”

  Ever since her husband’s death, Kate had made it a point to wear outdated clothing in muted colors. Today she sported a bright coral cardigan with deep purple violets embroidered on either side of the opening.

  “I felt I owed it to myself to come out of my shell,” she replied. “After all, it’s really not kind to worry my friends with the weight of my loss.”

  Since Howard Berrigan had been dead for close to five years, and had probably rejoiced in his own passing, Felicity thought it was high time. “I feel sure all your friends are happy for you.” She turned away to greet Mindy, who looked as if she were about to deliver any minute. “My dear, with Josh in his protective mode, I’m surprised you’ve come this morning.” She hugged her niece. “Only what? Two more weeks to go?”

  Mindy grinned. “The doctor says it could be earlier. No promises, but I’m ready any time, believe me. Josh not only brought me here, but he’s sitting out in your living room with his laptop. He’s ...” She looked around and lowered her voice. “He’s in the last chapter of a new book. It takes his mind off his panic.” She giggled.

  “Surely he’s not writing a baby into this book,” Felicity whispered back.

  The two women’s laughter drew the attention of the half dozen other crafters. “What’s the joke?” they demanded.

  “We just pictured Josh delivering the baby himself,” Felicity replied. “He’s standing by in the living room, just in case he’s needed for an emergency run.” She congratulated herself on not actually lying.

  “Well, I think it’s vulgar to joke about things like that,” Kate said. She settled herself prissily into a chair at the table and pulled several swatches of embroidery out of her tapestry bag.

  “Good grief, Kate. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were a leftover from the eighteen-nineties. And an old maid to boot,” Althea said. She reached down to pet Lazarus, who had slipped into the room behind Mindy and settled beside her chair.

  “Ladies, ladies,” Felicity chided. “Let’s keep the morning civil. I really don’t think Mindy needs any upset just now.” Inspiration struck, and she turned to Kate. “I gather you and Oliver’s cousin Freddie are seeing something of each other. It’s so kind of you to help entertain him while he’s here. I’ve been busy trying to get things ready for Jenny’s baby, and I’m afraid he’s been feeling rather neglected.”

  As bombshells went, she couldn’t have chosen anything more startling. Every woman in the room put down whatever handwork they’d brought and turned expectantly toward Kate, whose blush contrasted poorly with her coral sweater.

  “We ... I ... He did take me to dinner last week, and he’s been kind enough to come over and do several repairs that I haven’t been able to find anyone else to do.” A downcast expression swept her features as she continued, “It’s very difficult not to have a man around the house.”

  The silence continued for several beats before Althea commented, “I learned to do all my repairs myself. I couldn’t abide having to depend on another man. What’s mine is mine, and I’ll make sure it stays that way.”

  The embarrassed laughter that followed was broken by the door swinging open and banging against the wall behind it. The sound of a siren in
the distance came in as Josh shouted, “Freddie’s truck is on fire out in front!” He turned and ran toward the front of the house.

  Everyone but Mindy put down whatever they were working on and headed for the door, jostling each other in the process. Felicity paused beside her niece and patted her shoulder. “No need for you to come out. The fire department is coming and will put out the fire. I wonder where Freddie is.”

  “He came in just five minutes ago and headed upstairs. He seemed in a hurry,” Josh said as he rushed back into the room. “Oh, good. You shouldn’t go out front with the rest, Mindy. As soon as I got to the front door, I realized that I’d better come back to make sure you stayed put, but when everyone started pouring past me I sort of lost my focus.”

  “Really, Josh, you have to settle down. This baby will come when she’s ready, and then you’ll have an excuse to be frazzled,” Mindy said.

  Felicity bit back a smile. “You two stay here and comfort each other. I’m going out to watch that awful truck burn. Freddie will show up any time to see what the noise is about.” As she made her way toward the front of the house, she was ashamed that her first feeling was relief. Several neighbors had called to ask her what that rusty, dented truck was doing parked in front of her house. Now it would most likely be towed away. Then she realized that this disaster would mean Freddie had no means of driving away any time in the near future.

  The fear this engendered dissipated as soon as she realized that she could simply buy Freddie a new truck and send him on his way. This idea made her hurry to join the crowd on the front porch. She would cheer on the firemen and make a nice donation to the Fireman’s Fund.

  Just as she headed for the door, Freddie clattered down the stairs shouting, “My truck! Who set fire to my truck? I parked it not twenty minutes ago. Someone has been meddling with my truck.”

  He brushed past Felicity as if she weren’t there and slammed through the door. Felicity followed him to see what he would do next. His excitement seemed staged, as if he’d been rehearsing upstairs.

  She found Murial and the others clustered at the top of the porch stairs. They’d regrouped after Freddie pushed his way through, and stood watching him shout instructions at the firemen, who were uncoiling hoses and attaching them to the hydrant at the curb two houses down. One of the men even went so far as to take Freddie’s arm and gently guide him back to the edge of the sidewalk. She heard the fireman’s calm voice, and wondered how Oliver’s cousin was going to take the firm directions he was being given.

  He stayed where he was put, but that didn’t keep him from pointing out the errors he apparently thought they were making. “No, no! You’ll never put out the fire that way! Aim the hose at the storage box behind the cab! I have valuables in there!” Felicity wondered what could be so valuable that he’d left it in the back of his truck while it had been parked out there off and on for over a week.

  It hardly mattered, for the men ignored him. Flames kept shooting from beneath the hood, and one of the firemen demanded to know whether there was a full tank of gas. Freddie shouted, “How would I know? The gas gauge hasn’t worked for five years. Just put out that fire!”

  With a disgusted shake of his head, the man walked away from him.

  Felicity watched as Andrew made his way up the sidewalk through the crowd, which now included three teenagers on bicycles and a cluster of young children whose mothers were fruitlessly trying to keep them several houses away from the fire. Just as Andrew approached him, Freddie began to swear at the firemen. A policeman who’d followed the engine to the scene reached Freddie at the same time as Andrew, and, one on each side, guided him down the street.

  “Where are they taking him?” Kate demanded. “He should be allowed to stay. It’s his truck that’s being destroyed.”

  “They’re doing the best they can, and he’s making an ass of himself,” Althea pointed out. “Putting out an engine fire is almost impossible as long as the carburetor is feeding gas into it. He has no right to call them names.”

  “Don’t talk about him that way. He must have important papers in there or he wouldn’t be making this scene.” Kate’s color rose as she defended Freddie. “I happen to know he carries a lot of information with him. He needs his portfolios, because he’s handling some investments for me.”

  Felicity gasped so strongly that she had to cough. “Investments? Freddie? Surely not. He’s a college professor.”

  “You have no idea of how wide his experience is, Felicity. You’ve never taken the trouble to get to know him, and he’s Oliver’s cousin!”

  Shouting from where Andrew was restraining Freddie interrupted a conversation Felicity really wanted to take further. She leaned over the porch railing to get a better view and was horrified to see Oliver’s cousin swing his free arm toward the police officer’s face. Fortunately, the target ducked, and Freddie lost his balance, falling sideways into the fireman.

  Without delay, Freddie was handcuffed and led toward the cruiser parked in the middle of the street. Between that activity and the efficient actions of the firemen around the truck, Felicity was sure her guests and all the neighbors were getting their tax money’s worth of entertainment.

  Even Lazarus was enjoying the scene. He sat, posing like an Egyptian statue, at the corner of the stone railing, watching first the fire and then the activities around the cruiser.

  “They’re arresting him!” Kate cried. “That dear man is being arrested!”

  “That ‘dear’ man just took a poke at a policeman, Kate. What did he expect? A box of candy?” Althea said.

  Lazarus threw her a look of approval. Felicity had been sure the cat would soon go inside, as he didn’t ordinarily like crowds of people and loud noises, and Heaven only knew, there was an abundance of both in front of her house. However, the cat continued to watch the scene intently. She wondered if he understood what was happening. One never knew with Lazarus. She sighed.

  Josh would have to go down to the police station and post bail for Freddie. All this upset was very unsettling, and she hoped all the hubbub wouldn’t upset her pregnant niece. How fortunate that Jenny was at her class. Really, she decided she, herself, was as upset as anyone. She wondered if there was any wine left from the bottle she’d opened for dinner the night before.

  “Felicity, do you have any brandy?” Althea demanded. “Kate’s just about to fall over in a faint. I think the fool woman has some idea Oliver’s cousin is becoming her beau, as well as her investment counselor. I don’t want to be around when she finds out he isn’t suited for either job.”

  Althea’s dry comment brought Felicity back to the chaos on her front step, and she said instinctively, “No brandy, but I feel sure there’s a glass of wine left from dinner.” She’d just have to bring up another bottle from the wine cellar.

  “I never drink spirits,” Kate said weakly. “Just let me gather myself, and I’ll leave.” She straightened her back and appeared to regain her composure. “I believe I’d be better off just going home. I parked in front of your garage, and I’ll just walk around the house and leave now.”

  “I’ll come along with you to make sure you’re feeling all right,” Felicity said, and guided her down the front step to the little walkway that led around the far side of the house. As if on signal, Lazarus leaped lightly down and led the way.

  When they turned the corner, Kate came to a dead stop. “That awful animal is climbing up the lattice on the side of your house!” she shrieked.

  Felicity took hold of her arm, which was shaking so wildly her purse had begun to swing in a half circle. “Yes, I know. He’s going inside to see if there’s anything in his bowl,” she said calmly.

  Kate pulled away from her in horror. “He just disappeared behind that shingle!”

  “That’s his private entrance. Dear Oliver built that for him, because he got tired of having to let Lazarus in and out all the time. The cat does love his freedom.”

  “You’re as crazy as Oliver was!” Ka
te shrieked. “I found it hard to believe the tales Freddie told me, but now I believe every single one of them. Don’t touch me and don’t come near me. I can find my way on my own.”

  With that she set off at a half trot toward the back of the house. Leaving Felicity with more than enough food for thought. Freddie had bought her masquerade hook, line and sinker, and apparently had even added his own observations. What kind of stories had the man been making up?

  Oliver had always enjoyed his contacts with his cousin, spoken highly of his intelligence, even while chuckling over the eccentricities they shared. And now that she thought of it, Freddie hadn’t exactly shown her any signs of the intellect her husband had admired.

  And what kind of valuables, if any, were in the metal locker in the back of that old truck. Felicity turned and hurried to the front of the house. She wanted to be there when the firemen forced it open so she turned and hurried back the way she’d come.

  By the time she turned the corner, it appeared the flames were nearly under control, but such a crowd of neighbors and curiosity seekers crowded the sidewalk in front of her house that Felicity couldn’t make her way down to where the fire chief now stood, conferring with two helmeted firemen.

  The women from her craft group were spread along the porch railing, and Althea had pulled up one of the wicker chairs, where she sat knitting and grinning wildly. “Felicity, you certainly know how to entertain your guests. This is better than a wide screen view of the Super Bowl. I think the high point was when they hauled Freddie off in handcuffs.”

  “Althea, you’ve always had the most bizarre sense of humor of anyone I know,” she replied, pulling another chair alongside her friend’s. “I must say I see humor in it, too, but the arrest isn’t really funny. Whatever do you suppose possessed Freddie to make him attack that policeman? I hate to tell Josh what happened, but I’m going to have to ask him to go bail Freddie out. Poor Josh.”