Too Late for Angels

by Mignon F. Ballard

  Lucy laughed. “He might. It’s a shame he can’t see you, Augusta—but then I wouldn’t be able to stand up to the competition!”

  The angel’s cheeks turned almost as pink as her brightly painted toenails. “Good gracious, Lucy Nan, you do make a mound out of an anthill! I only meant the gentleman seems to be pleasant company.”

  Since Julie hadn’t returned her call of the night before, Lucy tried once again to reach her daughter but was greeted with the same recorded message. She was touching up her lipstick when the telephone rang, and Lucy almost collided with the hall table in her rush to answer.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Ellis said.

  “There’s a first time for everything, they say.” Lucy ran a comb through her hair as they spoke. “Better tell me quick. I’m heading out the door for Bellawood.” She told Ellis about agreeing to help Patsy with the newsletter.

  “Bennett found out from somebody he knows at the police department that Lollie Pate did rent a car when she and Florence got off the bus in Greenville that day, and she returned it in Columbia five days later.”

  “So we were right! That creeps me out, Ellis. I don’t suppose she’s turned up yet?”

  “No, but get this: The car she rented had dents on the front bumper that hadn’t been there before.”

  Lucy looked at her watch. “So she must’ve hit something. What?”

  “Do garbage cans ring a bell? Lollie was the one who ran into your cans that night—and probably the one who phoned Florence and told her to meet her in the church parking lot.”

  “But why? There has to be a reason. And where was Florence all that time?”

  “Exactly,” Ellis said. “She had to be somewhere before she showed up at your door.”

  “Her shoes had clay on them like the kind at the Folly. Lollie could’ve kept her hidden in the cottage—I doubt if it would be all that hard to get in, and Poag wouldn’t know. He hardly goes out there anymore, and then he left for that concert tour in Europe.”

  “Makes sense, except the police didn’t find any sign of her when they searched the place yesterday. Poag had somebody come in and clean it after Calpernia died.” Ellis hesitated. “That just leaves one place to look—Lollie Pate’s.”

  “I’m sure they’ve already searched there,” Lucy said.

  “For Lollie, but not for signs that Florence had been there. I wonder if I could just maybe…well…peek in a window…”

  “I don’t like where you’re headed with this,” Lucy told her. “Just let the police take care of it. I gotta go or I’ll be late the first day, but promise you won’t do anything stupid!”

  Ellis laughed. “I promise,” she said. Or at least that’s what Lucy thought she said.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The docents hadn’t arrived when Lucy pulled into the parking lot at Bellawood and Augusta took the opportunity to explore the outbuildings while Lucy met with Patsy in her small office off the back porch of the main house.

  Patsy, who looked as if she might deliver at any minute, struggled to stand and greet her. “How’s the new puppy?” she asked with a welcoming smile.

  “Clementine’s fine. Nettie’s dropping by to let her out while I’m gone.” Lucy waved her back into her chair. “Now, please sit down and let me do the legwork today. I might be able to help you with the newsletter, but ‘I don’t know nothin’ ’bout birthin’ no babies!’ ”

  Patsy laughed. “Relax! He’s not due for another month.”

  They’d had no trouble finding homes for Clementine’s litter mates, Patsy told her, and Shag, the mother dog, had taken up permanent residence in the smokehouse except during holidays when one of the docents claimed her.

  The two of them spent more than an hour going over the upcoming edition of Past Times, Bellawood’s monthly newsletter, and discussing the duties Lucy would be expected to perform if she decided to stay on.

  “It doesn’t pay much, but I found I could do a lot of the work at home. Sometimes I only come in two or three days a week, and it’s never dull,” Patsy explained. She looked at her watch. “Jay should be here in a few minutes. I think you’ll find him an easy interview, and he certainly seems enthusiastic about this project.”

  “Jay? Jay Warren-Winslow?” Lucy hoped her astonishment didn’t show in her face.

  Obviously it did. “Oh, I know, everybody thought he had something to do with Calpernia Hemphill’s death, but that’s ridiculous!” Patsy shooed the notion away with a wave of her hand. “He’s a very talented man: writes, directs, and I think you’ll find him a pleasure to work with. We’re lucky he agreed to a contract for the little we can afford to pay.”

  I’ll bet! Lucy wanted to ask if they were sure the man hadn’t padded his résumé, but this was probably not the time, since she glimpsed the young director approaching from across the yard. She also saw Augusta step from the outside kitchen and follow along behind and had to restrain herself from shouting with relief.

  Don’t be an idiot, she told herself. The man has lived in Zee’s guest house for almost a month and other than his lack of knowledge about Perry Como, she seemed content with his presence—besides, Bellawood was now swarming with docents and visitors. What could he possibly do?

  “Jay tells me the two of you have met, so I’ll skip the introductions,” Patsy said as the young man entered and draped himself on a wingback chair across from Patsy’s desk. Lucy was happy to see Augusta occupying the other one. The small room was functional yet comfortable with whitewashed walls, narrow recessed windows, and a worn, but still lovely, tapestry rug. Lucy chose to sit on the end of the tufted Victorian chaise which allowed her to speak eye to eye with Jay while being within a few steps of the door. After all, she reminded herself, someone was responsible for killing three people and had tried to add Ellis and her to their list. It seemed unlikely that Lollie had done it all alone.

  With Patsy’s encouraging presence, however, Lucy found herself forgetting her suspicions as she spoke with Jay about his background and experience. The young director had an easy manner and a quick sense of humor and she laughed so much at some of his tales, Lucy had to remind herself to take notes.

  “I’ll never forget the community production of The Music Man that was presented in a large tent during a violent rainstorm,” he told them. “So much water had collected the canvas gave way and dumped what looked like about a bathtubful of water on the lead playing Marian the librarian.”

  “How awful! What did she do?” Lucy asked.

  “After the shock wore off, she wrapped herself in a towel and finished her solo,” he said. “The audience loved it.”

  “At least you won’t have to worry about that happening here,” Patsy told him. “The barn got a new roof just last year.”

  “About how many do you plan to cast in this production, and does it have a name yet?” Lucy asked.

  “Right now we’re calling it Stone’s Throw Remembers, but I’m thinking of holding a contest to name it,” Jay said, “and as for the cast—”

  The ringing of Lucy’s cell phone interrupted his answer and she apologized, excusing herself to take the call. “I can’t imagine who would be calling me here,” she explained, “unless it’s something urgent.”

  As she stepped onto the porch to answer, Lucy’s thoughts went immediately to her family, as they always did when she received an unexpected phone call, and she was comforted to see Augusta beside her.

  “Lucy Nan, do you know where Ellis is?” Bennett Saxon sounded almost breathless, which was most unusual for him. “We were supposed to meet for lunch and I have no idea where to find her.”

  “Maybe she just forgot,” Lucy said, although it would be unusual for Ellis to forget about food, especially food she didn’t have to cook. “Have you checked the house?”

  “She’s not there and her car’s gone…I thought she might have mentioned her plans to you.”

  Lucy could sense the panic in his voice and tried to speak calmly. “She proba
bly got in a long checkout line at the grocery store. I’m sure she’ll show up. Try not to worry.”

  “But I do worry. It’s not like Ellis to be this late, and with all that’s been going on lately, I’m afraid for her safety,” Bennett said. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”

  Lucy took a deep breath. Yes, she did have an idea, but Ellis had promised. “Bennett, I don’t want to frighten you, but I think you might want to give the police a call.” She told him what Ellis had said about looking in the windows of Lollie’s house. “I don’t think she’d try to go inside, but she was hoping to find some sign Florence might have been staying there,” she said. “And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check out at the Folly, too.”

  “I’ve got to go!” Lucy told Augusta when she got off the phone. “Ellis has disappeared and Bennett’s frantic. I’m afraid she’s poking around for signs Florence might have been at Lollie Pate’s—or she could’ve even decided to search out at the Folly. If Lollie turns up at one of those places, Ellis could be in danger.”

  Augusta spoke softly. “And if you go, you might be in danger, too. It’s not a wise idea, Lucy Nan.”

  “But what if she’s in trouble? What if she needs help?”

  “Then her husband and the police should be able to take care of it.” Augusta came close to sighing. “I hope you can understand just how very frustrating it is when someone you care about ignores your advice,” she said. “I’m asking you not to go.”

  If they had been in a different situation, Lucy would have laughed. “How could I not understand? I’m a mother!”

  And if Ellis hadn’t ignored her advice, she wouldn’t be in this quandary, she thought. “All right, since you put it that way, I won’t go—but on one condition.”

  A wind blew across the porch where they stood and Augusta pulled her cape more closely about her. “And that is…?”

  “You go in my place.” Lucy could see the angel was about to refuse. “Look around you, Augusta. There are people all over the place, Patsy’s right inside, and Ben is probably somewhere close by. I’ll be perfectly all right.”

  “Just see that you stay that way,” Augusta said finally. “I won’t be long.”

  “Please look after Ellis!” Lucy whispered to her as she stepped back inside.

  “Is anything wrong?” Patsy Sellers asked as Lucy closed the door behind her. “I hope no one’s sick.”

  Lucy forced a smile. “A friend of mine got her lines crossed. Nothing serious.” I hope.

  “It’s the strangest thing,” Jay said suddenly, “but I’ve been smelling strawberries all morning. Tell me I’m imagining it.”

  Patsy laughed. “So have I! Maybe it’s because we’re hungry. I didn’t realize it was after one. Why don’t we stop for a lunch break? You can buy snacks and drinks here, but there’s no place close by for lunch, so I took the liberty of bringing soup and sandwiches from home. Hope everybody likes ham.”

  Everybody did like ham, it seemed, as the three of them quickly put away the sandwiches and homemade vegetable soup. Lucy was pleased when Patsy pointed out a small refrigerator and microwave in a recessed area disguised as a cupboard.

  “I hope you two won’t mind if I bow out a little early,” Patsy told them as they finished their dessert of oatmeal cookies. “Have to collect our twins for a dental appointment and I don’t want to be late.”

  “I think a few more questions should cover it,” Lucy said quickly. As entertaining as Jay was, she still didn’t relish the idea of being alone with him.

  “Jay, why don’t you show Mrs. Pilgrim the changes we plan to make in the barn?” Patsy suggested. “And we’ll need several photos, too.” She took a camera from her desk drawer. “This makes pretty good pictures and it’s not too complicated,” she said, showing Lucy how to operate it.

  “I’ll try my best,” Lucy promised, “but only if you’ll stop calling me Mrs. Pilgrim!”

  Patsy laughed, “I’ll try to remember, Lucy,” she said on her way out.

  “By the way,” Lucy called to her, “is Ben Maxwell in his shop? I thought I’d stop in and say hello.”

  “He was here yesterday, but I think he went to a sawmill somewhere in North Carolina to see about ordering wood,” Patsy said.

  “I’ll talk to you later,” she said to Lucy. “Call me if you have a problem.”

  God forbid! Lucy thought, hearing the other woman’s footsteps cross the porch and fade away. Looking at Jay, she tried to imagine him laughing as he charmed Calpernia Hemphill to the top of the Folly before shoving her to her death. “Okay,” she said, grabbing her notepad, “before you shove—I mean, show me the barn, let’s talk about your writing background, Jay. Have there been other plays?”

  “A few—mostly light comedies, and a couple of one-act dramas. This will be my first experience with a production based on history and I’m going to have to depend on a lot of help from Stone’s Throw’s longtime citizens.” He glanced at his watch. “In fact, I have an interview this afternoon with a neighbor of yours. Zee tells me Nettie McGinnis is a descendant of one of the town’s founders.”

  “You’re right, and you’d better take a thick notepad and a lot of pencils,” Lucy told him, laughing. She grabbed the camera. “Now, let’s go see what they plan to do to that barn.”

  It was almost three o’clock when the two of them circled around the back of the kitchen and hurried past the small stone building where the springhouse once kept milk and butter cool. Lucy called to Shag, who perked up briefly from her nap on the smokehouse steps, then went back to sleep. As they passed through the gate where the puppies had escaped, Lucy noticed the locked door on Ben’s woodworking shop. The schoolchildren had gone home now, and only a few curious visitors remained. Bellawood would soon be closing for the day and the place seemed lonely and silent. A narrow, dusty path led to the weathered old barn which was located at least a football field away from the house. It was unlocked, Lucy noticed, when Jay pulled open one of the huge double doors—probably because there was nothing of value inside to steal. The barn still smelled of the livestock that had once been kept there, and hay littered the floor in stalls now empty of horses. In a narrow tackroom to the side, a few harnesses and bridles—even an ancient yoke—hung from the walls and the burlap sacks used for picking cotton had been tossed in a pile in the corner.

  Jay stood for a minute looking about as he drank from a bottle of water, then, putting the bottle aside, wandered about the vast building with long, loping steps. Lucy took a deep breath. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine she was back on her uncle’s farm, where she and her brother took turns riding an old dappled mare named Sugar who always went at the same plodding pace. She stopped to take a couple of photos of the main part of the barn where a collection of primitive tools lined the rough-hewn walls and a ladder led to the loft.

  It seemed Augusta should have been back by now and Lucy tried not to think of what might have happened if Ellis had run into Lollie Pate. Where was she, and why hadn’t someone called? Lucy checked the cell phone in her purse to be sure the power was still on.

  “Lucy?” Jay must have been trying to get her attention because he was looking at her quizzically. “Here’s where we plan to build the stage,” he said, pacing off an area at one end of the large room. “We’ll only be using a portion of the building,” he told her. “The dressing rooms will be backstage, of course, and there’ll be a concessions area and rest rooms near the entrance, leaving the rest of the building in its original state.”

  “What about the loft?” Lucy asked as he posed in a comic stance while she snapped his picture.

  He looked up at the wide boards, now gray with grime and time, where remnants of straw sifted through the cracks in the wind from the open door. “It’ll need reinforcing, but it should give us just enough room for the flies—that’s the space where scenery and equipment are raised and lowered. The floor of the auditorium will slope up, allowing room for docks beneath the stage.” J
ay laughed at Lucy’s blank expression. “That’s just a fancy name for storage space.”

  “It’s hard to believe they could turn this creaky old place into a fancy theater,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “It’s going to cost a fortune!”

  Jay stepped back and looked around him. “It won’t be fancy, but it’s not going to be cheap, either,” he said. “That’ll be your job, I guess, if you decide to take it on. We’ll have to get everybody so excited about this project they’ll be standing in line to donate their money!” He groaned as he looked at his watch. “Oh, crap! I’m late already! Do you mind seeing yourself out? Just pull the door shut behind you.”

  Lucy checked the film in her camera. “I won’t be far behind, but I do want to get a few shots from another angle. Now, where did you say the dressing rooms will be?”

  Feeling a little guilty and a lot silly for having suspected Jay, Lucy quickly took the photographs she wanted and sat on a wobbly bench to jot down a few technical terms before she forgot them. No wonder Zee enjoyed the young man’s company! His enthusiasm was contagious, and Lucy was becoming more and more captivated by the lure of Bellawood.

  She wasn’t even aware that Lollie Pate stood behind her until she heard the creaking of the ancient floor timbers.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Whatever you do, don’t show fear!

  Lucy stood, measuring the distance to the door. Unfortunately, Lollie stood in the way. “Lollie. I didn’t know you were here.” Lucy spoke as if she had just come upon her at a reception, a backyard barbecue. Take a deep breath. Act natural. She took a step forward. “It’s chilly in here, don’t you think? Let’s go where it’s warm.”

  Lollie blocked her way. “I want the pin,” she said.

  Lucy’s smile felt as if it had been plastered on her face with mucilage. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes, you do. You may as well admit you have it. I know she left it there.” The woman’s usually neatly styled hair hung in limp strands about her face. She wore no makeup and her beige slacks were smeared with dirt.