by Ryan, Sofie
“I did,” she said. “He told me it was an allergic reaction to furniture stripper he’d been using.” She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t think that’s true?”
“I’m not sure.” I looked at Mr. P. “Could you check something out for me?”
“Of course I could,” he said. “What is it?”
“I heard there’s a problem with an infestation of poison ivy in the park. Could you find out if that’s true?”
He nodded. “I can do that.”
“Sarah, do you think the rash on Jim Grant’s arm was poison ivy?” Rose asked.
“Maybe,” I said.
“Charlotte said that Daisy told you she dropped Arthur off by the park and he walked to Maddie’s house. Do you think Jim Grant might have met him in the park?”
I twisted my watch around my arm. I wasn’t sure if I should tell Rose about the possible rash I’d seen on Arthur Fenety’s arm. I didn’t want to lie to her, but it just seemed that I was getting pulled deeper into their investigation every day.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s possible.” I hesitated.
“Dear, is there something you’re not telling us?”
“Yes,” I said. “There was a mark on Arthur’s wrist. I noticed it when I checked for . . . his pulse. I just glanced at it and I thought it was some kind of scrape.”
“You think it was poison ivy?” Her blue eyes widened. “Do you think Jim Grant could have been waiting for Arthur in the park? Maybe he followed Arthur to Maddie’s house and poisoned him there.”
Mr. P. looked up from the keyboard. “You’re right,” he said to me. “The park is dealing with an infestation of poison ivy. It’s in all the flower beds and along the sides of a lot of the pathways.”
“Thanks,” I said. I looked at Rose. “We don’t know for sure that Jim Grant was even in the park, let alone that he saw Arthur. He said he didn’t get here until Tuesday morning.”
“And if James did follow Arthur, where did he get the poison and how did he get it into Arthur’s coffee cup?” Mr. P. asked. He looked at Rose. “We can’t jump to conclusions.”
She nodded. “All right.”
Mr. P. looked at me. “I’ll see if James Grant had any connection to a source of napthathion.”
Rose looked at her watch. “Liz should be on her way to Phantasy right now. Maybe she’ll find out something that will help Maddie.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I said.
The two busloads of leaf peepers kept us busy until lunchtime.
Rose came in, looking dejected, to relieve Charlotte.
“You talked to Liz,” I asked.
“I did.” She shook out her apron and pulled the neck strap over her head. “There are at least half a dozen people in Maddie and Charlotte’s neighborhood that have that pesticide in their garage or garden shed.”
“Didn’t anybody pay attention to the ban?”
Rose tied her apron at her waist. “It doesn’t look that way,” she said. “The police are going to say Maddie had lots of opportunity to get the poison that killed Arthur.”
I leaned over and gave her a quick hug. “Maybe Alfred will come up with something.”
“I’m not giving up,” she said with a frown.
I smiled. “I didn’t think you would.”
Rose went to straighten a collection of old tin camp kettles. Mac was on the phone. I decided to go take another look at my morning’s treasures before lunch. As I went past the sunporch door Mr. P. beckoned to me. “I might have found something,” he said.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Do you remember what time Maddie said Arthur arrived?”
I thought for a moment. “Between quarter after and twelve thirty.”
“And you said his sister dropped him off at the park?”
I nodded. “She said it was such a nice day he wanted to walk.”
Mr. P. hiked his pants a little higher. Not that they were too low to begin with. “Sarah, how long do you think it would have taken him to walk to Maddie’s house?”
I shrugged and tried to picture the trail that ran through the woods and out to the sidewalk on the other side. “No more than ten minutes.”
“Which means his sister would have dropped him off sometime after noon.”
I nodded. “That sounds right.”
“Daisy Fenety was in the dentist’s chair at eleven forty-five.”
I frowned at him. “Do I want to know how you know that?”
He smiled. “I doubt that you do.”
“So, Daisy would have dropped him off around eleven thirty or so?”
Mr. P. nodded. “I think so.”
I rolled my shoulders forward to work out a kink. “Where was he for that extra time?”
Mr. P. nodded. “Exactly. I asked Royce Collins if he saw Arthur. He delivers flyers in that area Mondays and Fridays. He did.”
Royce had been the mail carrier in Charlotte’s neighborhood as far back as I could remember. I had no idea how old Royce was, but Gram always said you could set your watch by him.
“Did he say what time he saw Arthur?” I asked.
“Royce figures it was about eleven thirty.”
“Then it was,” I said. “That means there’s at least a half an hour unaccounted for.”
Mr. P. nodded. “Exactly.”
I left Mr. P. to see if he could figure out what had happened in the missing time and hoped he wouldn’t break any laws doing it.
I spent a chunk of the afternoon updating the store’s inventory list. Avery and I washed and dried all the dishes I’d brought from the motel, and Rose arranged some of the pieces on a long, low seventies-style buffet that Mac helped me set up in the window.
“Do you have any plans for dinner?” Rose asked.
I remembered then that I hadn’t gotten to the grocery store. Again.
“No,” I said.
“We’re going to McNamara’s for clam chowder and cheese biscuits. Why don’t you join us?”
“That sounds good,” I said. “Yes.” After the middle of September I’d decided not to keep the store open on Friday nights. There wasn’t enough business. “I have to take Elvis home first. What time should I meet you?”
“Six thirty,” she said.
I pulled the elastic out of my hair. “I’ll see you there,” I said.
Rose and Avery decided to walk to Liz’s and set out together. Mac wanted to put another coat of varnish on the top of the table. I was carrying a box of old sheet music to the car when Nick pulled into the lot.
He smiled when he caught sight of me.
“Hi,” he said, walking over to me and taking the box out of my hands.
“Hi,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to give you a heads-up that the police found a safe-deposit box belonging to Arthur Fenety. In Rockport.”
I exhaled loudly and shook my head. “Was there anything of Maddie’s in the box?” I asked.
“I can’t answer that, Sarah,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you about the safe-deposit box as it is, but I figured news would get around town pretty quickly, anyway.”
It was as close to a yes as I was going to get.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Thanks,” I said.
He smiled. “You’re welcome. I had fun last night.”
“It’s been a long time since you were up on that stage.”
He shifted—self-consciously it seemed to me—from one foot to the other. “It felt good.”
I smiled. “It sounded good, too.”
His smile got wider. “I’m going to pretend you’re not just trying to flatter me.”
“I wasn’t.”
Nick pulled his keys out of the pocket of his Windbreaker. “I’ll let you ge
t back to work,” he said. “Tell Jess next time the chips are on me.”
“I’ll do that,” I said. I couldn’t exactly tell him he was the reason they’d actually been on me last night.
Nick headed for his SUV and I walked over to Mac. Behind him I could see Elvis prowling around the shed.
Mac was wiping down the top of the table. “Was Nick looking for his mother?” he asked.
I shook my head. “The police found Arthur Fenety’s safe-deposit box.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“I have a feeling it might be bad.”
Chapter 19
I took Elvis home, fed him his supper and turned on the TV, setting the sleep timer so it would shut off when Jeopardy! was over. I felt a little silly but I told myself setting up the television so my cat could watch a game show wasn’t any weirder than sticking a Santa hat on his head at Christmas, and people did that all the time.
I managed to fit in a run and a shower and still get to McNamara’s on time. The ladies were sitting by the window. Rose waved when she caught sight of me. It was busy inside—a typical Friday night—and the line went all the way back to the door. I squeezed my way inside. Charlotte stood up and gestured to the empty chair at the table. She mouthed something but the only word I caught was food. That was enough for me. I headed over to them, dodging elbows and oversize coffee cups.
“There was no clam chowder left,” she said. “So I got you broccoli-cheese soup, and roast beef on a whole-wheat roll.”
“You’re an angel,” I said, hugging her. “I need to talk to you about something,” I whispered against her ear.
She nodded almost imperceptibly as she let me go.
I pulled out my chair and sat down, smiling across the table at everyone. “How are you?” I asked Maddie.
“I’m all right,” she said. “I heard about your trip to the airport. Thank you.”
“Anytime,” I said. I studied her face, looking for any sign that she was lying, but I couldn’t see one. And she was lying. I was sure of it. Not about killing Arthur Fenety, but about something. The timeline just didn’t work out. But I needed to talk to Charlotte before I said anything. The broccoli-cheese soup was steaming with crisp croutons and slivers of Swiss cheese on top. Charlotte had also gotten me a cup of coffee, and for a few minutes I ate and let the conversation swirl around me.
I’d eaten about half my soup when Jess walked in. She waved and walked over to us.
“Hi,” she said, reaching down to swipe the pickle off my plate.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I was hungry. I kind of lost time sewing.”
“Get something to eat and come and sit with us,” Rose urged.
Jess shifted her gaze to me.
I nodded.
“I’ll be back,” she said.
I ate a little more of my soup. Charlotte reached for the teapot. “We need more hot water,” she said.
“I’ll go,” Rose offered.
Charlotte shook her head. “Sit. You were on your feet all day.”
“So were you,” Rose said.
I pushed my chair back. “She wants an excuse to look at the cupcakes, Rose,” I said, picking up my cup. I looked at Charlotte. “I’ll come with you. I need more coffee.”
“Bring enough cupcakes to share with the class,” Liz said.
Charlotte and I joined the end of the line, which had gotten shorter in the previous five minutes. Jess was already at the counter, ordering.
“What is it?” Charlotte asked.
I made a face. “I don’t exactly know how to say this.”
“It has to do with Maddie, doesn’t it?”
I nodded. “Nick stopped by for a minute after you’d all left. He wanted to give us a heads-up that the police had found Arthur’s safe-deposit box.”
She pressed her lips together for a moment. “What was in it?”
I folded my hands around my empty coffee mug. “He couldn’t tell me, but I got the feeling they found something that belonged to Maddie.”
Charlotte’s gaze immediately went to the table. “But Maddie said she didn’t give Arthur anything.”
“I don’t think she’s being completely honest about that. Or about how long she was in the kitchen.”
Charlotte looked at me again. I could see the worry etched into her face. “I’ve been wondering about that myself. You don’t think she . . . ?”
“No. Maddie didn’t kill Arthur, but she is hiding something.” I exhaled slowly. “I think it’s time we found out what it is.”
Charlotte glanced over at the table where Rose was making room for Jess and another chair. Then she looked at me and nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said.
We went back to the table with a fresh pot of tea, half a dozen dark-chocolate cupcakes with mint green icing, and coffee for me.
I waited until they all had a fresh cup of tea before I spoke.
“I saw Nick just before I got here,” I said.
“Did he tell you anything about the investigation?” Rose asked, pausing with her cup halfway to the table.
“The police found Arthur’s safe-deposit box in a bank in Rockport.” I was watching Maddie out of the corner of my eye and I saw the color drain from her face.
Rose set down her cup “Did they find any of the jewelry that belongs to Jim Grant’s mother?”
“I don’t know what they found. Nick couldn’t tell me,” I said. I looked across the table. “Do you think there was anything of yours in that box?” I said to Maddie.
She shook her head. “No. I told you. I didn’t give Arthur anything.” Her face was very pale.
Charlotte reached across the table and laid her hand on Maddie’s. “The police are going to find out.”
Rose looked flabbergasted. “Charlotte!” she exclaimed.
Liz frowned. “What are you talking about?” she said.
Charlotte just looked at her friend and the color flooded back into Maddie’s face. Maddie’s gaze met mine across the table at me. “They’ll probably find my father’s railway watch in that box. At least I hope they do.”
“Oh, Maddie,” Rose said.
“How much money did you give him?” I asked.
“Twenty-five thousand dollars.” She looked away. “It’s true. There’s no fool like an old fool.”
“Balderdash!” Liz said. “You should be able to trust the people you love.”
“Liz is right,” I said, leaning forward and propping my forearms on the table. “You’re not a fool. You trusted the wrong person, who took advantage of that.”
“You could have told us,” Charlotte said gently.
Maddie looked up at us all again. “I was humiliated. I didn’t want anyone to know, and then once I lied I had to keep telling the same story.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “There’s something else I have to tell you, about the day Arthur died.”
“Go ahead,” Liz said. “We’re not going to judge you.”
Maddie managed a half smile. “Thank you. This is a little complicated because it involves someone else.”
“Just start at the beginning,” I said.
She nodded and took a deep breath. “I knew,” she said.
“Knew what?” Charlotte asked, although I think we knew the answer.
“I knew that Arthur was a con artist.”
“How did you find out?” I asked.
“It was after I gave him the twenty-five thousand to invest. I kept waiting for the latest financial statement to arrive and it didn’t. So I did some research into the fund.” She swallowed hard. “I should have done that in the beginning. The entire thing was a house of cards, and the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t see how Arthur could have been duped. So I did some research on him, too.”
“What did yo
u find?” Rose asked. I could see the concern in her blue eyes.
“At first, nothing,” Maddie said. She was picking at a loose bit of skin on her index finger with her thumb. “He used different names, and most of the women he conned were too embarrassed to tell anyone. You saw the article in the paper. Then I was talking to one of the organizers of the fund-raising dinner where Arthur and I met. She asked me his name. She said she was talking to a friend of hers who thought she recognized him. And I knew. I just knew. I called the woman. Her name is Aleida Scott.” She paused, pressed her lips together and swallowed again. “I invited Arthur for lunch and the two of us were going to confront him. Together. We planned to tell him that we’d go to the police with our stories if he didn’t give the money back—not just ours, but everyone’s.”
“What went wrong?” I asked, reaching for my coffee.
Maddie continued to pick at her thumb. “At first nothing. Aleida arrived early. She seemed a little nervous but I didn’t think there was a problem. She stayed inside and I got Arthur settled on the patio. When I went back in she was gone. Her car was gone and she wasn’t answering her phone.”
Charlotte glanced at me. “That’s why it took so long to make lunch.”
Maddie nodded. “Yes. I was phoning every number I had for Aleida and checking the window to see if she’d come back.”
“She lost her nerve,” Liz said.
Maddie looked at her. “She doesn’t want her family to find out. She’s afraid they’ll make her give up her home and management of her money.”
Liz shook her head sympathetically.
“You have an alibi,” Rose said.
Maddie shook her head. “No.”
“Yes,” Rose insisted. “Did this other woman, Aleida, see you make the coffee?”
Maddie thought for a moment. “Yes. I poured her a cup and then I poured one for Arthur.”
“What did she do when you took it out to him?”
“She stood by the window and watched me. She wanted to see Arthur before she came out to the patio.”
Rose was smiling. “So, she drank the coffee after you made it and she saw you take it to Arthur—without making a detour into your garage for any pesticide. Maddie, you have an alibi.” Rose looked at me. “Sarah, am I wrong?”