He reached out and took my arm. “Don’t walk away from me. It’s not fair.”
I broke his grasp. “To who? You? I never gave you the slightest bit of encouragement, and you know it.”
His slight laugh held no amusement in it. “Trust me, you don’t have to convince me of that. I’m talking about you.” He tried to lighten his tone as he added, “All I’m asking for is one dinner out. If you have a terrible time, I’ll leave you alone. Think about it, Eleanor. Isn’t it worth that, just to get me out of your hair once and for all?”
I thought about the offer for a few seconds, then said, “Let me get this straight. If I have dinner with you, you’ll drop this pursuit for good. Are you willing to give me your word on that?”
“I am,” he said.
“Okay, then. After this mess with Richard Olsen is over, I’ll have dinner with you.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of tomorrow night.”
“Do you really think you should push your luck?”
His laugh this time was genuine. “If I hadn’t, you never would have agreed to go out with me in the first place.”
“It’s one date, David. Make no mistake about it.”
“Agreed. One date. Tomorrow night.”
“Fine,” I said as I brushed past him and started to put my key in the lock. The phone began to ring inside, and, of course, my haste made it twice as hard to fit my key into the lock. I finally got it open and turned to David. “You don’t have to wait here, you know.”
“I just want to make sure you get in safely.”
I shook my head, darted inside, and flipped on the light. From the light of the hallway filtering out onto the porch, I could see his smile as I closed the door.
I got to the phone just as it died. That was okay with me. If they didn’t want to leave a message, I felt no obligation to hit *69 and call them back.
The phone rang again as I hung it back up, and I snatched it from its cradle before it could ring again.
“Hello,” I said, perhaps with a bit more impatience than I should have.
“Where have you been?” my sister asked over the line.
“I just got home,” I said.
“You should have been inside five minutes ago.”
Was she kidding me? “Sorry I missed curfew, ‘Mom.’ Does that mean I can’t go to the spring dance?”
“Why were you late?”
So, for once, Maddy wasn’t in the mood to play. “Someone was waiting for me on the porch when I walked up to the house.”
“Are you all right?”
“Of course I am. It was David Quinton.”
Maddy asked, “At this time of night? What did he want?”
“He asked me out on a date,” I said.
“Poor guy, he must have skin as thick as a rhino’s.”
“I said yes.”
There was a pause on the other end, then I could hear her gasp. Agreeing to go out with David was just about worth that reaction alone. “You said what?”
“We’re having dinner together tomorrow night.” I said it as matter-of-factly as I could manage.
“Just like that? He finally wore you down, did he?”
“It’s not that at all,” I said as I collected the day’s mail that had been shoved through the slot in the door. Joe had installed a basket to catch it, a handy feature that wasn’t in keeping with the house’s history, not that I minded. Thinking of Joe made me wonder why I’d agreed to go out with someone else. “David promised me if I’d have dinner with him one time, he’d stop asking me out.”
“You’re going to give him a fair chance, aren’t you?” Maddy asked guardedly.
“At what, winning my heart? Be serious. That part of my life is over. This was just the most expedient way to get him off my back.”
“Well, as long as you’re going into this with an open mind, it should be fine.”
“It’s too late for sarcasm,” I said. “Now, unless there’s something besides a bed check going on here, I’m saying good night.”
“Night,” Maddy said. “And, Eleanor?”
“Yes?”
“I’m proud of you. It’s a big step.”
“It’s just dinner,” I said.
“It’s more than that, and you know it as well as I do, no matter how much you might protest otherwise.”
“I’m hanging up now,” I said, and then did exactly that.
Was Maddy right? Was I opening myself up to a new experience? No, I’d meant what I’d said. One dinner, and then David could move on to someone else.
That was all there was to it, and nothing more.
At least I thought so.
Well, maybe.
I guess I’d honestly just have to wait and see.
Without meaning to, I slept in the next morning. After tossing and turning most of the night, it ended up being one of those sleeps that I didn’t enjoy so much as endure. When I looked out the window, I saw that the snow was nearly all gone, leaving a dark and gray day behind in its wake.
I had breakfast, then decided to take a long shower to wash some of the cobwebs out of my mind. It wouldn’t do to be anything but 100 percent, especially since Maddy and I were going to redouble our efforts at solving the murder.
As I was drying off, I heard a large truck outside. When I peeked outside the bathroom window, I saw the recycling truck pulling away from in front of my house. Blast it all, not only had I forgotten to put my own trash and recycling out, but I still had those bundled newspapers from Richard Olsen’s place cluttering up my garage. Now I’d have to dodge the stacks another week. Throwing them out wasn’t an option, and we didn’t have a drive-up recycling center in our county, so I was stuck with them, at least for seven more days.
If the morning so far was any indication, I was in for a long and frustrating day. Boy, oh boy, David would certainly be getting a real treat tonight if the trends so far continued. I should be in rare form by dinnertime.
Maddy was getting ready to ring my bell as I opened the door to get the paper.
I spotted her empty hands. “What, you didn’t bring breakfast today?”
“There wasn’t really time,” she said. “Why didn’t you call me earlier? I can’t believe I overslept. Have you been waiting for me long?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t about to admit that I hadn’t been up all that long myself. “I didn’t mind. It gave me a chance to do a few things around the house.”
“Do you have any ideas where we should start?”
“I’ve got one,” I said. “I think we should try Penny Olsen’s place again.”
Maddy scowled slightly. “I still think we’re wasting our time. He was her ex-husband, Eleanor.”
“That gives her more reason than most folks to want him dead then, doesn’t it?”
Maddy shrugged. “We can try her shop, but I doubt she’s back from her trip.”
I grabbed my coat and locked the front door on our way out. “If she’s ever coming back.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Think about it,” I said. “It’s a real possibility that she’s gone for good.”
“That would make her look guilty, don’t you think?”
“I do,” I said.
“Let’s go see.”
I headed for the garage when Maddy tapped my shoulder. “Why don’t we leave your car here and take mine? It deserves a rest after the last few days it’s been having.”
“I suppose so,” I said. “I was kind of looking forward to driving today, though.”
She tossed me her keys. “Then you can chauffeur me around for a change.”
I flipped the keys right back to her. “I don’t think so.”
“Then it’s settled—I’ll drive us in my car.”
It wasn’t an argument I cared about one way or the other, so I got in the passenger side and waited for my sister. She was probably right. The Subaru deserved a break, and maybe if I left it parked in my garage, the driver’s-si
de window would make it twenty-four hours before anything else happened to it.
As we neared Penny’s antique shop, Maddy said, “We need a backup plan in case she’s not there.”
“We can always talk to Sheila again.”
“If she’s still in town,” Maddy said.
“Everyone seems to be leaving, don’t they?”
“It looks like Timber Ridge isn’t the haven folks once thought it was,” Maddy said.
“It’s the reality of the world we live in these days,” I said. “No one’s really safe, are they? Sometimes I think it’s all just an illusion.”
“My, that’s a rather grim outlook. You’d better lose that attitude before your big date tonight. Want to talk about it?”
“No,” I said curtly, hoping to put that out of my mind until I had to deal with it later.
“Then how about some make-up tips?”
“Why don’t we just enjoy the drive?” I said. “Talking just spoils it.”
“Be that way,” she said with a hint of laughter in her voice. After a few minutes, she added, “We’re here.” Maddy pointed to the window of Penny’s antique shop and said, “See, I told you she was still gone. It’s dark inside.”
“But the sign’s gone,” I said. For an instant, I saw a brief flash of light inside the shop. “Did you see that?”
“What was it?” Maddy asked.
“I don’t know, but I think we should find out.”
As Maddy turned off the engine, she asked, “Is there any chance you want to call Kevin Hurley before we go barging in there?”
“Now, what fun would that be?” I asked. I got out of the car, but my sister didn’t follow. “Aren’t you coming?”
“I guess so, but I still think we should have some backup.”
I pointed to her purse. “Still have your stun gun?”
“I don’t go anywhere without it.”
“Then we’re armed.”
“Really?” She looked at me a second. “What do you have?”
“Pepper spray and a bad attitude. That should be enough, don’t you think?”
“It all depends on what we find in there.”
“Then let’s go look.”
I couldn’t see much through the darkened windows of the shop, and Maddy was getting ready to knock on the door when I grabbed her arm.
She said, “What’s wrong? Did you change your mind about getting someone else over here?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then what is it?”
Instead of answering, I put a hand on the door. “Let’s try this first.”
“It’s got to be locked,” Maddy said in a dismissive voice.
The phrase nearly died in her throat, though, as the door swung open, and I took my first step inside.
Chapter 12
“Who’s there?” a voice called from the back of the shop the second I walked inside. “I’m warning you, I’m armed.”
“It’s Eleanor Swift,” I called out quickly.
Penny Olsen stepped out of the shadows holding an old-fashioned rifle. I was taken aback by her appearance. The last time I’d seen her—just a month before—Penny had been a pretty, vibrant woman, but it was hard to reconcile that image with the woman standing before me. Her hair, normally so elegantly coifed, needed a good wash and comb, while her make-up was nonexistent.
“It’s you,” she said, obviously not that pleased to see me.
“Would you mind lowering that thing?” I asked as I gestured toward the gun.
“Oh, this? It’s not even loaded.”
Given her current state, I wondered how she could be sure. “I’d still appreciate it if you’d point it somewhere else.”
“All right,” she said as she reluctantly leaned it against the wall. “What do you want, Eleanor?”
“I need to talk to you,” I said, motioning with one hand behind my back to keep Maddy outside. In the state Penny was in, I didn’t want to push her any further than I had to, and I was afraid that my sister’s style of shoving until someone felt no option but to shove back was going to be way over the top for the present situation.
“What are you doing with your hand?” Penny asked as she started to reach for the gun again.
“I had a cramp,” I said. “Besides, you already told me it wasn’t loaded.”
“Yes, but was I telling the truth?”
She was acting decidedly erratic, even by my standards.
“It’s understandable that you’re upset, but I want you to know that I had nothing to do with what happened to your ex-husband.”
“What are you talking about?”
There was an odd look in her eyes as she asked it, and I wondered if something inside her had snapped. Then it dawned on me all at once. “You really haven’t heard, have you? I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you. It’s about Richard.”
“What about Richard? Nothing’s wrong with him. I spoke with him just before I left town.”
“When exactly was that?”
“Ten days ago,” she said, putting herself well away before the murder.
“I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but someone murdered him. I found the body, so I know he’s dead.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but the look of relief I saw there wasn’t even in the top ten choices.
“He’s really dead?” Was that hope in her voice?
“I’m afraid so. I can’t believe the police haven’t talked to you yet.”
She shrugged. “I just this moment got back into town. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even been home. I came straight here to check on the shop.” She made a clicking sound with her tongue, then said, “I can’t believe it.”
“Excuse me for saying so, but you don’t seem all that distraught.”
She laughed, another reaction just a little too odd for my taste. “There’s a reason he was my ex-husband,” she said.
“Still, you must have loved him at some point.” Why I was defending the dead man’s honor was beyond me, but I suppose it was because I believed that everyone deserved at least one mourner, even if I couldn’t bring myself to fill that role for Richard Olsen.
“I suppose I must have, though it’s difficult to recall now. He somehow managed to cheat me all the way to the end, didn’t he?”
“What do you mean?” I kept my eyes on her, making sure she didn’t retrieve that weapon. I had my doubts about it being unloaded, or Penny’s compunction to use it.
“I had three more alimony payments coming from him, and then it was over. The courts decided that five years was enough, since I had my own business. Still, I would have loved to have had those last checks from him, just to spite him.”
“You really hated him, didn’t you?”
She shook her head. “I might have while we were married, but I got over it. Am I sorry he’s dead? I don’t even know how I feel yet, the news is so recent.” She mulled it over a few seconds, then said, “I suppose that leach of a sister inherited everything, didn’t she? Have they found the will yet?”
“Yes, but from what I understand, there was no need to. The house, the bank accounts, everything was in both their names. It all reverted to her the moment he died.”
“That figures,” Penny said. “He always did have a soft spot in his heart for her, though I never cared for the woman. I was never good enough for her precious brother, at least according to her. I can’t believe he’s actually gone.”
Penny Olsen was obviously in the mood to talk about her ex-husband, and I might not have another chance to talk to her before Kevin Hurley did, and that was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to pass up. “Do you know anybody who might have wanted to hurt him?” I asked.
“Do you have a pen and paper? We could make a list, but I’m afraid it would be easier going through the Timber Ridge phone book.”
“Surely not everyone hated him,” I said. “He had a way about him, especially with most women. I don’t mean me, but I’ve
heard some found him attractive.”
“They certainly did when we were married. You know about him and the mayor’s wife, don’t you?”
I nodded. “She denies it, but I have my doubts.”
“You should. I caught them together in the end. Why do you think I threw him out? He’s been seeing Faith for a long time. They were sneaking around together even before she married our fair mayor. I’ll wager you didn’t know that.” She paused, then added, “I wonder if one of them had the guts to kill him. I could see Steve doing it, but I’m not sure about Faith. Well, maybe if he broke it off with her.”
I tried to keep my expression even, but she must have caught something in my glance. “He did, didn’t he? The fool. I used words to go after him, but dear, sweet Faith would use a pistol. I warned him about her, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
“I understand he was fighting with his neighbor about a property line,” I said.
“That’s nothing,” she said as she waved a hand dismissively in the air. “He and Travis White disliked each other from the first time they met, and that line gave them something to argue about.” She reached one hand down to a table and ran her fingers over a carved wooden elephant. “I wonder….”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Go on, you can tell me,” I said, hoping fervently that she wasn’t through.
“Richard had a dirty little secret, one I didn’t find out about until after the divorce.”
I wasn’t sure that it was something I wanted to hear, but if I was going to try to solve his murder, I needed to learn what I could about the man. “What was it?”
Penny’s eyes lit up. “Why, Eleanor Swift, I believe you have a dark streak inside you I’ve never seen before.”
“It’s just human nature to be curious, wouldn’t you say?”
She laughed. “Oh, I never doubted it in myself.”
When it appeared she wasn’t going to explain, I prodded her gently. “So, what was it? What was Richard hiding?”
She was about to tell me when the door opened. I turned to warn Maddy off, but instead, Kevin Hurley was there.
“Where have you been?” he asked as he walked up to us.
“I didn’t realize I had to check in with you everywhere I went,” I said.
A Slice of Murder Page 19