April nodded at me. I caught a glimpse of Old Betsy, her black SIG P227 .45-caliber handgun, pushing the bottom of her plaid coat a few inches away from her hip. Too obvious in my opinion, but everyone knew she carried protection with her wherever she went. I shook hands with Millard, thanked him, and adjusted the microphone.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” I began. Lissette was front and center, which made it both easy and difficult for me to concentrate. “As everyone is aware, we lost a much-honored and cherished colleague last week. George Braun had achieved remarkable success in his field over a long history of time. Today, we will see his recent work and take a moment to say goodbye to a pillar of the science community.”
I caught a sneer forming on Lissette's lips. Her nose wrinkled and twitched as I spoke. A few folks applauded while I paused to click the button Karen had shown me earlier. Gabriel's efforts had worked. A photo of George Braun taken on his first day on campus was projected on the screen behind me.
“Before we show you George's special exhibit this afternoon, let's take a minute to get to know the man behind the flowers and the science.” I clicked the button again and watched as a picture of George and Judy burst on the screen.
I felt a tad guilty goading Lissette in such a manner. She was a friend whom my aunt and Nana D had known for years. I assuaged my concerns knowing all I planned to do today was say enough to force Lissette to react. She had little way of knowing I'd discovered the truth. Once the sheriff showed me a picture of Judy Nutberry, I recalled seeing a similar one of her in the folder George had kept under his bed at Maggie's family's inn. We didn't realize who she was at the time given how she'd been sick and had deteriorated in the last year. I, unfortunately, had to besmirch Judy to push Lissette over the edge.
“We're privileged to have a photograph of George and his wife, Judy, from sometime earlier this year. We don't know a lot about his private life given the professor rarely spoke about himself, but judging by the look on their faces, George and Judy had a happy marriage. It's a shame Judy hasn't returned our calls to be here with us today. Perhaps she was jealous of the man or wasn't a very supporting wife.”
Lissette gasped. Fern turned to her with a mixed sense of shock and apprehension. I glanced at Ursula who'd made a concerted effort to hold it together, but it was obvious this exercise was a painful experience. I'd come to know her well in the last few months and recognized when she was frightened, saddened, or worried. I had to keep pushing further.
“As we all gather today to launch the Mendel flower show, let us remember this bright and kind man for all he's accomplished over the years. Let us hope George Braun can rest in peace and that we can locate his indifferent wife to share some important news with her about his profound legacy.”
Lissette took a step forward. Not a huge one, but enough that I could see a tear rolling beneath her eye. A thin line of mascara traced the contour of her cheek. It took all the remaining energy I had left, but I pushed myself to deliver the final blow.
“We're building and dedicating a memorial to the late George Braun, a scholar, a brilliant scientist, and an honorable humanitarian who deserved our gratitude.” I clicked the button for the last slide to appear. A memorial plaque Gabriel had created using Photoshop earlier that afternoon—beautiful stone background, crisp and elegant black writing, and a flowerpot etched in all four corners.
George Braun, In Memoriam of a Beloved Professor, Friend, and Husband.
“No! This is nonsense. He wasn't any of those things. George Braun was a monster,” Lissette shouted as she climbed to the stage and trembled uncontrollably. She dropped her purse and walked up to the podium.
“Lissette, are you okay?” I asked while reaching a hand toward her shoulder.
She shoved me away, grabbed the remote aiming it randomly all around the room, and pressed buttons until the picture with Judy reappeared on the screen. “That devil killed my sister.” She rushed behind me and thrust her hands on the image as if she were trying to connect with Judy. “He abandoned her. He stole her money and left her to die all alone.”
One of the sheriff's team members moved closer to the steps on the opposite side of where Lissette stood. I walked toward her and gently removed the remote from her hands. “Lissette, let's get you some water in the other room. I'm sure you're confused. George is the one who died. We need to honor him before we cut the ribbon for today's exhibit opening.” I clicked the power button and let the image fade from the screen. I felt awful further torturing the woman, but she'd killed a man and needed to pay for her sins.
“No!” she screamed at me as she scanned the room for someone to believe her. “That man deserved to die. That man killed Judy. But I got revenge. I made him suffer for everything he did to her.” Lissette morphed into a mad and raving animal who'd been trapped and cornered only five feet away from me. She seized one of the flowerpots on the table and rushed toward me with fury in her eyes.
I had only a moment to turn to the side and protect myself as she raised the pot and forcefully slammed it against my head. I fell to the floor while she ran across the stage to the other set of steps. The last thing I remembered seeing before my vision went pitch black was April whooshing toward us.
* * *
“He's come to,” someone said. I recognized the voice, but my head was too groggy to properly connect it to a person.
Another one, definitely a woman's this time, said in a soothing tone, “Don't get up. Do you know where you are?”
I mumbled a yes or a no, I wasn't sure what sound came out of my mouth. Suddenly, the focus in my eyes began to clear. I seemed to be lying down. Fern sat next to me. Why did she have dirt on her hands? I tried to get up, but a strong grip held me back.
“Stay put. You might have a concussion,” the first voice said again. Whoever he was cradled my head in his hands. He leaned over me and smiled. “Do you know who I am, Kellan?”
I did. “Brad Shope. You're a nurse. Did you give me the good drugs?”
Brad and Fern laughed. “No. You were hit on the head with a flowerpot, and it knocked you out,” Brad replied.
“Apparently, your head isn't as strong as you think it is,” Fern added.
I began to recall what'd taken place before I was rendered unconscious. “Did they catch her?”
Fern explained what'd happened. As soon as Lissette reached for the flowerpot, April leaped up the stairs to prevent her from throwing it at me. The sheriff had been too far away, and in the rush to escape, Lissette clunked me on the head. When I fell to the ground, Lissette tore across the stage finding herself caught between Officer Flatman and the sheriff. “It was quite a scene for two minutes. Lissette ran back and forth until they closed in on her, then she jumped off the stage to escape through the crowd,” Brad noted.
“She got away?” I mumbled feeling my strength come back. How could that happen?
“No, someone tackled her,” Brad said, rubbing something on my head. “This might sting a bit.”
Footsteps approached from the other side. “How's he doing?”
“He's doing fine,” I told April. “Was it you who tackled Lissette Nutberry?”
“Not exactly.”
“I guess that would be me,” Fern said with a hearty laugh. She was built like a quarterback, there'd be no getting past her.
“Thank you.” I felt the pain in my head settle in for what would be a long night.
Brad cleaned out the wound with antiseptic and applied a bandage. “I think you'll be fine, but we should really get you to the hospital to see if there's any damage.”
April laughed, “I'm not sure how they'll be able to tell. He must've been brain damaged already to come up with this hokey plan.”
“You went along with it,” I retorted. It hurt to laugh, though. “Did Lissette confess?”
April nodded. “We took her into a private office to let her calm down and vent. We got enough to arrest her, but she's asked for a lawyer before saying anything else
.”
While Brad helped me sit upright to see if I was able to walk on my own, Fern told me that Millard ushered everyone else into the first exhibit. He'd given them the choice of continuing or going home and coming back tomorrow for the full show. Most wanted to move forward to see George's special exhibit. April and her team interrogated Lissette. Brad and Fern attended to me while I laid stretched out on the stage. They'd put a pillow under my head and called Nana D, so someone knew what had happened.
Although I was able to get up, I needed more time before I could walk to a car. April grabbed a chair and helped me get situated. “Lissette told us she'd finally tracked her sister down to a small town in Switzerland over a month ago. She'd been sending Judy money to help with all the medical bills. Judy couldn't work on account of her heart condition. She left the United States last year because she thought her family made too big a deal of it and wanted her privacy. That's when she met George.”
As April paused for me to process what she said, Connor walked over to us. “Hey, man. I hear you lost a fight with a flowerpot. Definitely an uneven match. You never had a chance.”
“Ha! We'll see about that when I kick your butt in the gym tomorrow,” I jeered as my head throbbed. “Maybe the day after.”
Brad laughed, “I've seen you both at the gym. Connor will destroy you in under a minute.”
“Let's give it a few days before exercising again. I don't want to shame you two days in a row,” Connor teased. “We'll do coffee tomorrow. I have to chat with you about something.”
For friends, those two sure liked to gang up on me. Since I remembered that was the second time Connor had mentioned needing to talk to me, I knew I hadn't sustained too much damage from the whack to my head. He'd also failed to tell me his news at the gym earlier in the day. “Were you just meeting with Lissette?” I asked.
“Yes. It happened on college property, so I sat in with the sheriff and her team while they grilled the woman,” Connor noted. His role as director of security at Braxton came in handy. “George had been stealing all the money Judy's family had been sending her for the medical bills. He used it to further his research, finance the special flower exhibit, and track his sister.”
“Lissette went to visit Judy four weeks ago and found her near death. She was all alone in her bed without anyone to take care of her. Judy died that evening, and when Lissette searched the house, she discovered George Braun's deception and the missing family money. Lissette followed him to Braxton, even tried to get a job with him at the flower show. She used a fake name with a perfect resume, then showed up to meet him. She wanted revenge, but he never hired her.” George hadn't recognized Lissette in their interview because his wife had looked much different due to her illness.
“He didn't hire her because George gave the job to Gabriel,” I said.
Connor choked. “Your brother's back?”
“Let's chat about that another time,” I whispered. At least I hoped I did. Either the acoustics in the room were off or my head was worse than I'd thought.
Brad said, “You ought to take a break right now. Your head needs rest to properly recover.”
April supported Brad's insistence that I head to the hospital. “This is the second time you've put yourself in the line of fire to get a killer to confess to their crime. Do you have a death wish?”
I shook my head. Probably too quickly because everything was fuzzy for the next twenty seconds. Trails of blurry dots followed me wherever I focused. “I do not. I'm motivated to protect people I care about. Fears are meant to be conquered.”
“Does that mean you want to hop on a flight with me to Antigua to visit my family this weekend?” Connor asked with a sly grin.
“Stop messing with me. I'm a sick man,” I finally relented. There would be no flying in my future. Brad and Connor helped me stand. When I declined to go to the hospital to have any scans or tests run, we cut a deal. Brad would take me home to Nana D's and monitor me for a few hours. Fern agreed to follow Brad in my SUV, so it wasn't left on campus overnight.
As we prepared to leave, Officer Flatman escorted Lissette in handcuffs into the main room. She stopped him when they passed us. “Kellan, I'm sorry I hit you. I… I… was so upset at seeing Judy's picture with that arrogant bastard. How could you say all those wonderful things about him?”
“I'm sorry. I know he hurt your family.” I felt bad, but I couldn't tell her I'd tricked her in case it caused any issues with her future trial. As far as everyone else was concerned, Lissette simply broke down and confessed when she heard me talking about her sister.
“I'm sure my lawyer will fix this. It was a misunderstanding. I confronted George at the costume extravaganza. He pulled a knife on me. I had to protect myself.” When Lissette began to struggle, Officer Flatman yanked her away.
“Maybe that defense would work if she stabbed him once and rushed out to get help. But she stabbed the guy twice and lied about the timing of her sister's death. The rest of her family still thinks Judy only died a few days ago. Lissette's going away for quite a long time,” April advised.
“Will the charges be dropped against Helena now?” I asked April.
“We're working on it. She did lie to us, and she helped someone we know remove evidence from George's room.” April had her hands on her hips and cast a warning look in my direction.
“But if that didn't happen, we'd never have—”
“Take Little Ayrwick home, Brad. He's sounding a bit delusional.” April followed Officer Flatman out of the building and waved her fingers goodbye in my direction. “Toodaloo.”
That woman was truly going to drive me up a wall. I needed a vacation from her before I got myself put into jail for crossing lines I knew better than to cross. “I need some pain medication. Stat!”
Chapter 21
As we walked toward the parking lot, a woman's voice called out to us. “Hold up, can I have a minute with him?” Ursula said with Myriam closely in tow.
“Sure. Make it quick. He needs some downtime.” Brad stepped to the side to talk with Fern as I leaned against his car.
“I don't know how to thank you, Kellan. My brother wasn't a good man, but he didn't deserve to die that way. It doesn't really matter now, I made peace years ago. It's time to move on,” Ursula said.
Myriam swallowed something that must have been stuck in her throat. “I suppose you will be needing a day or two to recuperate, Mr. Ayrwick?”
Ursula swatted at her wife. “M, I'm sure we can find someone to cover his classes for a few days. We owe Kellan that much.”
“Let not sloth dim your horrors new-begot,” Myriam replied in my direction with a gentle bow. Henry VI. I couldn't muster the nerve to fight back, but as she walked away, I caught her wicked little wink in my direction. Myriam had been grateful for my help, and her choice of apropos quotes made it obvious. Was this a turning point in our relationship?
Fern and Brad helped me get situated in the car. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I fought the urge to fall asleep. I hadn't gotten proper rest in a long time, but even now I wouldn't be allowed to sleep until Nana D knew I wasn't concussed. I'd finally come to realize that despite winning a battle here or there, I'd never win the war when it came to the women in my life.
The rest of Monday was a blur. Nana D informed me Brad and Fern stayed until I was beginning to function normally again. Of course, my grandmother told all her friends I'd drunk too much that evening. While I was in and out of brief naps—she'd wake me every hour to be sure I was okay—all her cronies called to check on me. A few had been at the flower show and wanted to know why Lissette Nutberry went crazy living up to her name in spectacular fashion. Although usually one for gossip, Nana D had been close to the woman and wasn't ready to talk about what had gone wrong.
“Thank you, Nana D. Everything is coming together, but I still can't figure out why Anita Singh was so upset this week when we asked about her marriage. At one point, I thought she might have been George's w
ife.” Lissette had confessed to taking Anita's lab coat to hide the blood stains on her costume. She eventually threw everything out, which is why nothing had been returned to the shop.
“Oh, I wish you'd asked me that,” Nana D replied, heading to the front door. “Anita Singh got married earlier this year, but the folks at the immigration office are harassing her about it.”
“I didn't realize she wasn't an American,” I noted finally realizing why she was apprehensive to talk to us.
“No, you have it backward, Kellan. Anita was born here, but her husband wasn't. He's from Iran, and with all the focus on border patrol, travel restrictions, and the reticence to grant citizenship, they've been threatening to deport him. Her family also hasn't been supportive of her marrying outside her culture.”
“Did she marry him for love or to keep him in the country?” I said.
“Don't be a fool! Anita is one of the most honest and caring people I know. Of course, it's legitimate. But she's been fighting with the government all year long. Unfortunately, Ed Mulligan is the one who reported Anita's husband to immigration. He thought he was protecting her.”
“Meaning what… he might have had a chance with her?”
Nana D nodded. “If he couldn't have her, then no one else could. I told that man he was a stupid fool. I think he's learned a lesson this time. Once George found out what Ed had done, it was easy blackmail to elicit more money for his lab experiments.”
* * *
While Nana D dropped Emma off at school on Tuesday morning, I had breakfast with Aunt Deirdre. Myriam had found someone to teach my class that day, which meant I could take some time off. I knew I'd be back to work on Wednesday, so I didn't worry too much about the impact.
“I'm devastated for her,” Aunt Deirdre said, sulking in her Earl Grey tea and crumpets. She'd brought them from London knowing Nana D wouldn't have anything like them at Danby Landing.
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