by Jane Tesh
“But you’re doing okay now, right?”
She blinked as if to clear away sudden tears. “Yes. I let it get to me. I shouldn’t have.”
“It was a tough break. But you survived.”
She looked down at the pictures and then back up at me. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Madeline. For a moment, I thought Olivia had won again.”
This isn’t a battle, I wanted to say. This was two silly young women taking stupid pictures. Nobody won. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, thank you.” She managed a slight grin. “I need to shred these.”
***
When were people ever going to figure out that, thanks to the Internet and social media, anything and everything they ever did and recorded—not just pictures of what they had for dinner, or what they looked like when they were six years old—but secret pictures, sex tapes, revealing and embarrassing photos, was out in the world for all to see? If Lauren, Joanie, and Constance, the members of the original Darkrose Coven, were in their teens when they were playing witches twenty or twenty-five years ago, they were most likely in their forties, with Constance being a little older, but even at forty-five or possibly fifty years old, living in today’s world, they had to know this kind of thing was possible. As for the young members of the new Darkrose Coven, they were physically attached to their devices all day long.
Megan was still AWOL. Britney would be in school until two-thirty or three. I didn’t want to talk to Amanda or Joanie. Constance wouldn’t talk to me, and neither, I correctly guessed, would Lauren. I needed a nature break.
***
By the time I reached Camp Lakenwood, I was hot, tired, and hungry. Jerry sat with a group of campers listening to a wildlife expert who had brought along a rabbit, a possum, a raccoon, a big box turtle, and a black snake. He saw me and patted a seat on the bench next to him. I slid in.
“You’re just in time for Nature Talk with Ranger Tom.”
“I need some calm wildlife right now.”
Ranger Tom lifted the snake from its cage to a chorus of little squeaks and ughs from the crowd. “Now this, campers, is a black snake. Black snakes are not poisonous. They are very helpful animals. Farmers like to have them around their barns because they eat rats and mice. People might have told you that snakes are slimy, but they are not. They feel very cool and soft and smooth. Who wants to touch it?” Several kids drew back, but many more raised their hands. “All right. Let’s start over here.”
With the campers’ attention on the snake, I filled Jerry in on my morning activities. “All incriminating pictures have been shredded, so that should be the end of that case.”
One of the campers gave a scream and jumped back from the snake. The black snake’s head was up, his mouth open. The other kids laughed, and Ranger Tom said, “It’s okay. He’s just saying hello.”
“There’s one more little detail I thought of,” I said to Jerry. “If Roger planned to frame Amanda for Harold’s murder, how did he know that she would stop by that night? And how did he get her purse—wait!”
I didn’t mean to exclaim so loudly. Ranger Tom and the campers all turned to look at me. “Sorry.”
“Did you want to touch the snake?” Ranger Tom asked. “You can if you like. I assure you, he’s harmless.”
“Oh, um, no, that’s okay. I’ve, uh, touched one before, thank you.”
The next camper in line insisted on her turn. We moved a little further away to the nearest picnic table, and I continued with my theory.
“I think I know how he got Amanda’s bag. Ernie, the neighbor, told me he’d heard Amanda and Roger arguing. She wanted him to get all of his things out of the house, but said he’d better not take anything of hers. Roger said he would if he wanted to. When Amanda asked me to find her missing Louis Vuitton, she had no idea where it was. What if Roger took it and her credit card to spite her, and then saw an opportunity to make it look as if she’d been in Harold’s house?”
“Sounds like a cunning plan, but how are you going to prove it?”
“I’m too hungry to prove anything right now. What have you got in the way of camp chow?”
“You’re in luck. After Ranger Tom’s talk, it’s snack time.”
Ranger Tom finished traumatizing the more timid campers, packed up his menagerie, and waved good-bye. I had a vague notion that camp snacks involved marshmallows and graham crackers, but Jerry had apples and boxes of raisins for everyone.
Nathan sent the campers to get their snacks and came to me. “What’s up with the case, Madeline? I hope you’re close to solving it.”
“Tell me again why you went to Harold’s Friday night.”
“I knew he’d been having trouble with Amanda, and I thought he could help me deal with her.”
“Why didn’t you call?”
“I don’t know. I told you I don’t often lose my temper. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. A phone call would’ve made more sense, I suppose.”
“I know you were in an emotional state, but I want you to think back and see if you remember anything. A car, a strange noise, a shadow, anything.”
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut to think. Jerry and I stopped crunching our apples so we wouldn’t interrupt the process. After a few moments, Nathan opened his eyes.
“Nothing, sorry. I went up to the door. I knocked. I listened. I didn’t hear anything, so I went home.”
“No strange cars parked outside that you recall?”
“I wasn’t noticing cars. Besides, I don’t know everyone who lives on that street much less the cars they drive.” A counselor called to him, and he hurried off to supervise another activity.
Jerry finished his apple and tossed the core into a nearby trash can. “You want to search the woods today?”
“Yes, after I talk with Britney. Meet you back at the house?”
He gave me a kiss. “See you there.”
Chapter Nineteen
I went back into town and did some work in my office until two-thirty. Then I drove to the high school and parked near Britney’s white convertible. I waited, leaning against my car. When the bell rang, she and Clover came out, carrying their books, their purses swinging on their shoulders, looking as if they hadn’t a care in the world, just two ordinary high school girls on the way home.
When Britney saw me, she stopped. Clover bumped into her. “What’s wrong?” Then she saw me, too.
I kept my eyes on Britney. “Got a minute? It’s about Eric.”
They exchanged a nervous glance. “Go ahead,” Britney told her friend. “I’ll text you later.”
Clover got into a red Mini Cooper, gave Britney one more scared look, and drove away.
Britney’s chin went up defiantly. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
“I might be able to help you.”
“What makes you think I need your help?”
“I know you went to Parkland to see a young woman named Shadow about a very personal matter.”
Her expression changed. Now she looked young and scared. “I don’t want to talk out here in the middle of the parking lot.”
“Then why don’t we sit in my car?”
She reluctantly agreed. Once inside, I said, “I’m not going to run to your mother. I don’t want to get you in any more trouble than you already are. I want to hear your side of this story.”
She made one more try to brazen it out. “What story would that be?”
“The woman at the Speedy Stop remembers seeing you and Eric a couple of months ago, right before you went into the woods and he made a video of you. Was he blackmailing you? Is that why you had to get rid of him?”
Abruptly she lost control. “I didn’t kill him!” She took a shuddering breath and clenched her fists. “Believe me, I wanted to. I thought he loved me, but he just wanted money! He said if I told anyone, he’d
post the video all over Facebook. And now I’m pregnant, and I know the baby is his, and I can’t wait to get rid of it!” She burst into tears. “If my mother finds out, she’ll kill me!”
I handed her a tissue and let her cry until she managed to stop. “So Eric extorted money from you for a couple of months?” She nodded. “And he’s the only one you’ve had sex with?” Another nod. No wonder she finally broke down and talked to me. This was a heavy secret to carry that long.
She gripped my hand. “Madeline, swear to me you won’t say anything about this to my mother.”
“I promise. But eventually you’ll have to tell her.”
She pulled away. “No.”
I let that pass for now. “What about the video? Don’t the police have Eric’s phone?”
“I don’t know where it is.”
“Aren’t you afraid whoever killed Eric might decide to post it?”
“They would’ve done that by now, wouldn’t they? Or approached me for more money?”
Someone else liked to have power over people. “Britney, does Amanda know about this video? Is that why you joined the Improvement Society, so she wouldn’t tell?”
Britney had been tearing up for another round of sobs, but at this, her expression darkened with anger. “That horrible old bitch wants money, too.”
I stared at her in surprise. “Money?”
Now that I’d promised not to rat on her, Britney was more than ready to expose Amanda. “She’s broke, did you know that? I came by her house one day with my weekly payment, which was my allowance, can you believe it? I heard her talking on the phone to what must have been her bank. She’s got the house, and that’s it. Why do you think she wanted you to stand guard during her party? She needs that silver service and that centerpiece to sell. She has no source of income, except for me and whatever member of the Society she’s got dirt on.”
“She didn’t get anything from her divorce?” North Carolina was an equitable distribution state, which meant both parties not necessarily received an equal share of property but whatever the couple or the court decided was a fair share.
“All she wanted was that house. I guess she thought she could sell it for more than it was worth, or maybe dupe another stupid rich man into marrying her. But taking money from a high-school girl? I mean, come on! That has to be the lowest trick ever. I even had to borrow money from Clover several times to have enough.”
“Then why was she pushing so hard for an outdoor drama?”
“Duh! For the grant money. I heard her talking about that, too.”
Just as I suspected. CON Industries had nothing on Amanda. “How did she find out about you and Eric?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does Clover know? Does Annie?”
“Why would they tell Amanda? I can’t believe they’d betray me.” She dug into her purse for her compact and repaired her tear-stained face. “If only I had his phone. I could make all of this go away.”
I didn’t mention Eric could’ve made copies or forwarded the video to someone else for safekeeping. Britney had probably already thought of this. “Are you sure you want to make the baby go away, too?”
“Yes.”
“Promise me you won’t do anything crazy.”
She snapped her compact shut. “I don’t want it.”
“Someone else might.”
“I don’t care.”
“Do you have any idea who might have killed him?”
“Maybe another girl he was blackmailing, and she had the guts to do something.”
“Where were you that night?”
“At Annie’s. She’s so lucky she has her own place. She doesn’t have to answer to anyone. She isn’t constantly watched and questioned.” Abruptly, she broke off. “I’ve got to get home.” She gathered her books and swung her purse onto her shoulder. She got out of the car, paused as if she wanted to say something else, then shut the door.
I watched Britney get into her convertible and drive away, my heart aching for the troubled young woman and the decisions she’d been forced to make. When the truth came out, and it would, she might have a hard time dealing with her mother, but surely Lauren would forgive her and help her. As for Amanda, she’d reached new lows in the despicable department. I wanted to stand in the town square and announce her financial situation to the world—she’s a fraud, a penniless fraud!—but she was my client, damn it. Now more than ever I wanted to solve Harold’s murder.
***
When I got home and saw the silver car parked next to Jerry’s red Jeep and Austin’s four-wheeler, I forgot about Britney and Amanda and everything else. Derek sat on the porch, looking as smug as Joanie Raines.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Fairweather.”
“Derek.”
“Hope you don’t mind me stopping by to let Jerry know how things went.”
There were no words to describe how much I minded. “Where is he?”
“Oh, he and those two kids are in the kitchen making cookies or something. Cute kids.”
The cold look in his eyes gave me the chills. I didn’t want him anywhere near Austin and Denisha. “Well, I’ll go see how they’re getting along.”
Jerry had rolled out the dough, and Austin and Denisha were cutting cookies into animal shapes. Jerry glanced up, and even though he kept his tone light, his expression said something was very wrong
“We decided to make sugar cookies. Choose your animal.”
Denisha pressed her cookie cutter into the dough. “I’m making cats.”
Austin was rolling dough between his hands. “Snakes for me. They’re going to have chocolate chip eyes.”
I took a bird-shaped cookie cutter from the collection on the table. “Looks like fun. Are you staying for supper?”
“Jerry said he was taking you out tonight, but he’s going to grill hamburgers tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” I made a couple of bird cookies and handed Jerry the cutter. “Where are we going?”
“Parkland. For a couple of hours, maybe.”
“I thought we weren’t going to go.”
“There’s a special tonight.”
“Wasn’t your friend Artless Bob taking care of that?”
“Bob can’t come.”
My heart sank. “Did he give a reason?”
“He had an accident.”
An accident. My heart skipped a beat.
“Look, Madeline! I gave him some fangs.”
I admired Austin’s cookie dough snake. “That’s great.”
Denisha wiped her hands on a dishcloth. “Mine are all ready, Jerry.”
Jerry put Austin’s snakes and Denisha’s cats, dogs, and pigs onto the cookie sheet and put it in the oven. “Ten minutes. Set the timer, Denisha.”
Austin started out. “I’m going to see how many laps I can do in ten minutes.”
“Go out the back door,” Jerry said. “It’s closer.”
Austin dashed out the back, and in a few moments we heard the roar of his four-wheeler.
“Do you think your friend would like a drink?” Denisha asked.
“That’s okay. Mac can ask him. Would you do me a favor and go upstairs and see if I left my cookbook in the bedroom? I was reading it last night.”
Denisha skipped out of the kitchen.
The minute she was gone, Jerry explained why Derek was parked on our porch. “Here’s the deal. Derek owes a lot of money to a really bad character, and if I don’t go along tonight and help him, I’m a little worried about what he’ll do.”
“Derek or the bad character?”
“Both of them.”
“Are the kids in danger?”
I’d never seen Jerry look so serious. “I told Derek I would kill him if he even looked at them wrong.”
I had to get
rid of Derek once and for all. “Where are you going?”
“Talley’s. It’s a sports bar in Parkland.”
I thought a moment. “All right. Nell told me if I needed help to call her dad. He’d know someone in the Parkland Police Department, wouldn’t he?”
“Mac, you can’t call the police. If they catch and arrest Derek, they’ll probably catch and arrest me. I sure don’t want to spend time in jail with Derek and his pals, especially if they know my wife blew the whistle.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Hope this con goes over without a hitch.”
That settled it. I was going to take care of Derek myself, and I knew how.
The kids came back, the cookies came out, and the rest of the afternoon rolled along as if nothing was wrong. Austin and Denisha went home. Derek and Jerry talked on the porch. And I called Big Mike.
Chapter Twenty
During my last case Big Mike gave me a phone number to call if I ever needed his help. Upstairs in my studio, I punched in the number. For a moment, I wondered if it was a real number. Jerry had told me Big Mike was very elusive and never stayed too long in one place. What if he’d moved? What if he wasn’t able to help? I would have to call Chief Brenner and arrange a raid on Talley’s sports bar and pray that Jerry could get out without being arrested.
The deep cheerful voice that answered immediately calmed my fears. “Madeline, my dear! Wonderful to hear from you! How’s our chef?”
“That part of his life is going very well, thanks,” I said, “but a fellow named Double-Dealing Derek is forcing him to take part in a con tonight to pay back someone Derek owes.”
There was a long thoughtful “Ah.” “And where is this happening?”
“Talley’s in Parkland.”
“I know Derek and I know the place. Leave it to me.”
“Thank you.”
“However…”
Uh, oh.
“If I do this for you, Madeline, you will owe me a favor.”
I’d almost forgotten who I was dealing with. “As long as it doesn’t involve anything illegal.”