by Jessica Beck
“That suspicion has hurt business already, hasn’t it?”
I looked up from my tea. “How could you possibly know that?”
Gabby laughed. “Suzanne, our businesses are close together. Did you think for one moment I wouldn’t keep an eye on street traffic?”
“I suppose not,” I replied. I glanced over at Grace, who was sipping her tea and not saying a word. It was the wisest course of action, but one I’d never been able to take myself, no matter the circumstances.
Gabby patted my hand. “We are women who own businesses in a small Southern town. It is in our best interests to watch out for each other.”
“Thanks,” I said, meaning it. It was nice having her in my corner, even if we weren’t best friends.
“So, who is on that list of yours so far?”
Grace, contributing to her own downfall, chose that moment to speak. “I thought you were giving out information, not collecting it.”
The stare Gabby gave her was enough to melt stone, and Grace realized that she’d overstepped her bounds.
“Is there any reason I can’t, or shouldn’t, do both?”
Grace was quick to apologize. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just so curious about what you know.”
If Gabby was mollified by the explanation, she didn’t show it. She looked expectantly at me, and I knew I might as well tell her who we thought was involved so far.
“So far, we’ve got Lacy Newman, Cam Hamilton, Sherry Lance, a builder named Vern Yancey, Nancy Patton, and Cara Lassiter.”
Gabby nodded as I shared each name on the list. “I’m familiar with all of them except Nancy Patton.”
“She was Lester’s wife,” I said.
“What?” Gabby gasped out, nearly choking on her tea. “He was married?”
“You didn’t know?” I asked, trying my best not to act smug that I’d found out something she didn’t know.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we have to cut this short. I’ve got a migraine headache, and it’s suddenly killing me.”
I couldn’t let her go just like that, though. “What was your information? I shared all I know with you.”
Gabby walked us to the front of the store, and as she let us out, she said, “Lacy’s got a secret she’s been protecting for a dozen years, and I heard that Lester was going to reveal it. It could be a sound motive for murder. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go home and lie down.”
“I hope your headache gets better,” I said as she nearly shoved us out the door.
“What was that all about?” I asked as Grace and I walked to my Jeep.
“She nearly choked when she heard about Lester’s wife. It was almost funny knowing something that she didn’t.”
“There was more to it than that, Grace. The news disturbed her so much she didn’t even try to make up a good excuse to kick us out. Gabby must have had a reason to be upset, but I don’t have the slightest idea what it could be.” A thought so ridiculous it didn’t bear being spoken aloud occurred to me. I dismissed it instantly, but Grace must have been watching me.
“What?” she asked.
“Excuse me?”
“You had an idea, but then you killed it. I want to know what you were thinking.”
“It’s crazy,” I answered.
“Then it should fit right in with us.”
After a moment’s hesitation, I asked, “Is there any way Lester and Gabby were dating?”
Grace shook her head. “Thanks a lot. I won’t be able to get that image out of my head now. You’re right. It’s crazy.”
“I told you.”
Grace took another step, and then said, “It does make sense, though. She reacted to the news that Lester had been married a lot more strongly than she should have.”
“We need to find out if it could be true,” I said. “If they were dating, she might have had some reason for wanting him dead.”
“I know I’d feel that way if I was going out with Lester,” Grace said.
“We need to forget it for now. It’s time to speak with Lacy,” I said, then noticed Grace hesitate at the Jeep door. “Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure how I’m going to interrogate an old lady I like,” she admitted.
“You don’t have to come along. I can do it by myself.”
Grace shook her head and climbed into the Jeep. “No, if you’re doing it, then I am, too. Have you thought about how you’re going to handle it?”
“I thought I might give the straightforward approach another try,” I said as I started the Jeep.
“You’re a rebel investigator; you know that, don’t you?”
“It’s too tough to hide why we’re asking questions of our friends,” I admitted, “but don’t give up all hope. I’m certain we can fool someone with a cover story before this is all over.”
“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t at least try,” she said with a grin. Part of the reason Grace liked to help me were the outlandish stories we created to get the information we were after. There were times I worried that she didn’t take things seriously enough, but all in all, she was a good person to have watching my back.
* * *
Lacy was working in her garden when we drove up. I couldn’t believe how she’d managed to make her flowers bloom so beautifully. Momma and I had tried to grow a hummingbird and butterfly garden in the backyard of our cottage, with minimal success. It might be the perfect lead-in for asking questions. As I stopped in the street in front of her place, I told Grace, “Follow my lead.”
“Are we going to try to trick Lacy? Suzanne, she’s known us our entire lives.”
“I’m going to ask the questions. If you’d like, you can sit in the Jeep.”
“I’ll come with you,” she said as she got out. Grace wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone, but it seemed she didn’t want to offend Lacy at any cost. I’d have to find out why, but this wasn’t a good time to do it. I had questions to ask, starting easy, and ending up hard.
“I love your flowers,” I said as we approached. “Grace and I were driving past, and we just had to stop to admire them.”
Lacy’s eyes softened when she saw Grace. “How are you, child?”
“I’m fine, ma’am,” she said.
“Tell me your secret,” I said. “Momma and I have been trying to do something like this, on a smaller scale, and we’ve raised more weeds than flowers.”
Lacy smiled. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.”
“I only wish I were,” I said.
Lacy nodded. “I strip the grass from a new spot where I want my garden, then I take a shovel and turn the soil. After that, I rake it smooth.”
“That’s all it takes?” I asked, interrupting her.
“That’s barely the beginning. Next I lay down four thicknesses of newsprint, add a pickup truck full of topsoil from Hardy’s Garden Center, and mix in two bushels of horse manure. It’s gold to a real gardener.”
“It sounds like a lot of work,” I said.
“Oh, it is, but the results justify the commitment. Arthur always thought so, at any rate.”
Arthur was her late husband, and if the rumors were to be believed, he was the secret Lacy was hiding. “I never really knew him,” I admitted. “How did he die?”
“His heart stopped,” she said simply.
“I suppose that’s what ultimately happens to all of us,” I said, not realizing how it might sound to Lacy.
Grace snapped, “Suzanne, that was uncalled for.”
Lacy shook her head before I could reply. “Easy, Grace, she didn’t mean anything by it. Isn’t that what happens to us all, eventually?” As she spoke, Lacy kept moving the weeding tool in her hand, flicking out and removing the offending plants with great ease. I watched her, thinking that while Lacy might look frail, her hands were certainly strong enough to strangle someone, especially if she caught them by surprise.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t intend to be insensitive.
I understand Lester Moorefield was coming after you next.”
A look of distaste crossed her face. “What a dreadful, petty little man. I heard his attack on your donuts.”
“I hate to admit it, but there was a seed of truth in what he said,” I replied. “From what I’ve been hearing, he was going to be even harder on you.”
For a split second, Lacy’s smile faltered, but it was back so quickly that I began to doubt what I’d seen. “That man certainly had an imagination, I’ll give him that.”
“Donuts were my sin,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “What was yours going to be?”
Grace started to say something, and I warned her off with a quick glare. This was what we’d been leading up to all along.
Lacy made another stab at the ground with her tool, and then said, “I’m tired. I’m afraid I need to go in now. It was nice seeing you both.”
Once she was gone, Grace asked, “What did you think you were doing? You practically accused her of murder.”
I looked carefully at my best friend. “Grace, what are you not telling me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Suzanne,” she said.
Something was troubling her, that was certain. “Come on, we’ve been friends nearly our entire lives. Whatever it is, you can trust me.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” she said, her voice quivering a little as she spoke.
“Try me. I’m on your side. You know that. No matter what.”
Grace looked as though she wanted to cry, and I felt like a real heel, but I had to know what hold Lacy had over her.
After nearly a minute, my friend said, “When I was younger, my parents were fighting all the time, and I had nowhere to go. I could only stay at your house so long, you know. You had your own life. One night when you were out of town, my parents had a horrible fight, and I had to get out. I ran away from home, and I happened to walk by Lacy’s. She was out on her porch, saw my tears, and called me to her. We spoke for hours about everything under the sun, and by bedtime, I was ready to go home. But not alone. Lacy walked me to the front porch, then went inside to speak with my parents while I waited there. I don’t know what she said, but all I know is they stopped fighting in front of me after that. I owe Lacy more than I could ever repay for standing up for me.” Grace was crying as she spoke, and I hugged her quickly.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about it?” I asked when she was a little calmer.
“I was ashamed of them,” she admitted, “and myself.”
“I’ll try to be gentler with her from now on,” I said, “but I can’t just let this go. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do,” she said. “I don’t think I can come back here with you again, though. It’s just too hard on me.”
“I understand completely. Do you want to stop for the day, or do you feel like going somewhere else with me?”
“That depends,” she said as we got into the Jeep. “Where did you have in mind?”
“I thought we’d head over to Union Square and talk to Nancy Patton again. I’m not going to leave this time until I get a confession or an alibi I can prove. What do you say? Are you with me?”
“Don’t worry; I have no problem ganging up on her,” she said with a smile.
* * *
We were parked and heading into Nancy Patton’s business when I saw a familiar car nearby.
“It might not be a bad idea to put this off,” I said.
“Why?” Grace asked. “You’re not getting cold feet about questioning one of our suspects now, are you?”
I pointed at Jake’s car. “With him in there, I do. We could always pop in to Napoli’s and get a quick bite.”
“We’ve already cadged one meal out of them. Let’s try somewhere else.”
“Why would you want to do that?” Jake asked as he stepped toward us. “You love Napoli’s.” I’d just assumed he’d been in Nancy’s shop, so I hadn’t expected him to be across the street. Evidently he’d gotten close enough to hear some of what we’d said. “What brings you two to town?”
“Would you believe me if I said we came here looking for you?” I asked.
That got a soft chuckle. “Not on your life. You’re here to grill Ms. Patton, so don’t try to deny it. It just makes you look desperate.”
I smiled at him. “You caught us.” I extended my wrists. “Would you like to lock us both up?”
“Don’t tempt me,” he replied with a grin of his own, and then turned to Grace. “I see she’s roped you in on another investigation.”
“I just can’t seem to say no,” Grace answered. “Why don’t I take a walk down the street so you two can have some privacy.”
I said, “Thanks,” at the same time Jake said, “No need.”
Grace looked at us both, and then said, “See? You can’t even agree on that.”
Before either one of us could say another word, Grace took off.
“What was that all about?” I asked Jake. “You’re not avoiding me, are you?”
“If I were, it would be to protect you.”
That answer surprised me. “From what?”
“Wagging tongues mostly, but ultimately, from yourself.”
“Don’t worry about me; I can take care of myself,” I answered.
“Okay then, do it for my sake.”
“You can handle things even better than I can,” I admitted.
“Let’s just say my job’s easier if the people I’m investigating don’t know about our relationship.”
I frowned at him. “I’ve got to admit, I don’t like that. You’re not ashamed to be seen with me, are you?”
“Are you kidding? I love it. It just makes things too complicated sometimes.”
“Then I guess Napoli’s is out for tonight.”
He shrugged. “Sorry, it’s a little too public, given the investigation.”
“I want to see you,” I said a little more emphatically than I should have. “Tell you what. Why don’t you come by the house and Momma and I will feed you. You can even park in the lot and walk across the grass to our place. Nobody has to know you’re even there.”
“I don’t have to be that clandestine,” he answered.
“Let’s not take any chances. How does six sound to you?”
“Great, if you’re sure I’m not putting you out.”
I laughed. “You know my mother. She’ll be delighted to have you, and I shouldn’t have to tell you how I feel.” I pointed to the consignment shop. “Have you spoken with her yet?”
Jake nodded, the frown lines showing in his face. “She’s a hard woman, isn’t she? To be honest with you, I didn’t have much luck.”
“Maybe Grace and I will do better.”
“I suppose stranger things have happened.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said with a slight grin.
“Suzanne, we both know that confidence is one thing you don’t lack.”
“What’s another?” I asked.
“I could stand here complimenting you all day, but I have work to do. See you tonight.”
“Tonight it is.”
CHAPTER 13
I hadn’t planned on conducting the interview without Grace, but I wasn’t about to let an opportunity when there were no customers go to waste. It was time to ask Nancy some tough questions.
“We need to talk,” I said as I walked inside and approached her.
“I did all my talking with him,” she answered. “If he struck out, do you honestly think I’d talk to you?” I could see Jake through the window, and Nancy kept staring at him until he got into his car and drove out of our line of sight. “I saw you two talking out there. What did he want with you?”
“You’re not the only one he’s giving a hard time to,” I said. “I figured you might want to help me get him off both our backs.”
“How can you do that?”
At least I had her interest. Apparently Jake’s questioning had bothered her more
than she’d wanted to let on. “Tell me what I need to know, and I can sic him on somebody else’s tail.”
“Why would you do that for me?” This woman didn’t trust anyone.
I shrugged. “By helping you, I help myself. I really just have one question for you. Do you have an alibi for the night Lester was murdered?”
“I was with someone.”
“Did you tell the state police inspector that?”
Nancy bit her lower lip for a second. “It’s complicated. He’s married, and his wife’s the jealous type.”
After what I’d been through with my ex-husband, Max, I wasn’t especially fond of cheaters, but I needed this woman on my side. “Call him, tell him it’s okay to talk to me, and I can convince the police that you couldn’t have done it.” I’d been about to say that she was innocent, but clearly that would be a stretch.
“Hang on,” Nancy said, and excused herself. As she walked into the back room to make her telephone call, I had to wonder who this mystery man was. Would he come forward to alibi her, or would he leave her dangling in the wind and move on to his next conquest? Momma always said that if a man cheats with you, someday he’ll cheat on you. I know for a fact that she hadn’t been talking directly about Max, since he’d been unattached when we got together, but I had to wonder if she sensed something about the man that love had blinded me to. I wouldn’t be the first woman it had ever happened to, and I doubted that I would be the last.
I was still musing about that when Nancy came back in. “Sorry, I can’t help you. He’s out of town at the moment.”
Convenient, I thought, but did not say. In three seconds, I was glad I’d managed to keep my mouth shut, because Nancy added, “He’ll be by the donut shop sometime tomorrow, and he’ll back me up.”
“I’m free now,” I said, hating to leave any loose ends hanging. “I’ll meet him wherever he might be.”
“Chicago?” she asked. “He’s away on business and won’t be back until late tonight. It’s that, or nothing.”