Body in the Bog ff-7

by Katherine Hall Page

  She’d left Millicent and Brad earnestly discussing POW!’s response—ignore it or issue a statement?

  Neither of these two anonymous-letter recipients seemed in the least bit nervous about their own well-being, or perhaps they assumed since Patriots’ Day was over, the threat was gone, too.

  Millicent had told them Nelson wasn’t being allowed any visitors. She had called the hospital and she reported, “He’s out of danger and should be at tomorrow night’s meeting.” Faith didn’t let on that Tom had seen him yesterday. Millicent liked to be the bearer of tidings, not the recipient.

  Faith crossed the green, avoiding the spot where Nelson had fallen. How did this attack fit into the puzzle? And Margaret, the first death. Had Nelson discovered something about the identity of her killer?

  But if he had, he wouldn’t have kept it to himself, would he? Unless it was someone he knew, knew well. Faith felt depressed. Things seemed to be turning out like one of those bargains you picked up at a yard sale—a gorgeous, expensive jigsaw of the cathe-dral at Chartres that, after many hours of hard work, you’d find was missing the last few pieces of the rose window.

  The sky was gray and it looked like rain was on the way again. She’d hoped to check out the bog today, maybe taking Pix and the dogs along with the kids.

  The weather would make it impossible. Nor could she return to the Chandler Street apartment and make discreet inquiries. Children did not know the meaning of the word discreet and tended to get in the way. She’d try to go into town tomorrow morning.

  Any question of whether Miss Lora had heard about the latest attack on her family was answered by the teacher’s first words to Faith, whispered furiously after the precaution “Little pitchers have big ears.” And what did that mean, anyway? Faith wondered. “I know you weren’t involved or Reverend Fairchild, but you have got to tell your group to leave us alone. I don’t know what my grandfather’s going to do, and Joey is ready to kill somebody!”

  Faith didn’t doubt it. “I was just with Millicent McKinley and Brad Hallowell. They are as shocked and upset as I am. I’m sure POW! didn’t have anything to do with this. Does the construction company have any enemies you can think of? Another company that wanted a particular contract? Or maybe it was kids, too many beers on Patriots’ Day weekend?” Lora stared at Faith in disbelief and forgot to whisper. “Give me a break! POW! is the only enemy we have and the only group nutty enough to do all this.

  Besides, a bunch of loaded teenagers would try to start the thing for kicks or spray-paint it.” Faith quickly bundled Ben away, picked Amy up, and tried to reach Tom. He wasn’t in his office and she assumed he must have gone to the hospital to see Nelson.

  It wasn’t a day for a walk in the bog, but it was a good day for work. She was not going to be at POW!’s meeting tomorrow, Wednesday night—a meeting that had assumed dramatic proportions. Have Faith was catering dessert and coffee for a library-endowment-fund function. Besides that, there was the real Patriots’ Day dinner party they were preparing for on Friday night—April nineteenth.

  When she opened the door at the company kitchen, she found Niki busy making pastry cream for the following evening. It would fill small tarts topped with raspberries. The former premises of Yankee Doodle Kitchens that Faith had taken over was large and well equipped. She’d added a play area for the kids at one end and had managed to convince Ben that coming to work with Mommy was an extraordinary treat. There were toys and books here he didn’t have at home; plus, he might sometimes get to lick a spoon. Niki held out one to him now.

  “Pretty sucky weather,” she commented, glancing out the window at the sheets of rain pouring down.

  “Oops, forgot the kids were here. Should say, Pretty inclement today, what ho.”

  “What ho,” Faith said. She thought it was pretty sucky weather, too, and wondered if she was one of those people who suffered from light deprivation.

  There hadn’t been much sunshine so far this spring.

  But then, there were plenty of other things to account for her mood. She took Ben and Amy to their corner, depositing her daughter in the playpen for a nap and settling Ben with his Lincoln Logs. She looked at the two of them and tried to remember what Ben had been like at Amy’s age. Same silken flax-colored hair and same sweet baby smell. It went so fast, too fast. She gave them each a kiss.

  “Is Pix coming?” Niki asked when Faith returned.

  “No, she has a conference with Danny’s English teacher. It seems he’s adopted the role of class clown and the teacher doesn’t find it amusing. Pix doesn’t, either, but she also thinks he’s bored. If anyone can handle this, Pix can—simultaneous curriculum re-vamping and humble-pie consumption.”

  “Speaking of which, what are we serving for dessert Friday night? Have you decided?”

  “Yes. A plate of three sorbets: cranberry, apple, and blueberry—New England fruits, garnished with fresh fruit. And since people want something decadent for dessert, even here, those chocolate crunch cookies.

  We can do half with white chocolate.”

  “Yum,” Niki said. “They’re toothsome, and speaking of toothsome morsels, I saw your Miss Lora at Avalon Saturday night. And she wasn’t wearing a smock.”

  A week ago, Faith would have dismissed Niki’s observation, yet now she knew it was entirely possible that Miss Lora was spending her free time dancing at this Boston hot spot and not doing the loopty-loo at home.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Of course I am.” Niki was always sure. “At first, I didn’t recognize her without her glasses and those Mr.

  Green Jeans outfits she usually wears, but it was her, or she, whatever. Cool dress, ended just below her ass, Mylar or something shiny. Definitely spandex.” Faith was going to Chandler Street even if she did have to tote her offspring.

  Early the next morning, as soon as the kitchen door closed behind Tom and her brood, Faith grabbed a light jacket and got in the car. She followed the same route they had taken on Saturday, slowed now by morning commuters. She turned down Clarendon and started searching the side streets for a parking place.

  Every empty space was either resident permit only or a tow zone. Finally, she spotted one on Tremont by the Boston Center for the Arts, pulled in seconds before the car behind her could cut her off, and got out.

  Niki had described the man Lora Deane had been with at Avalon and it sounded like the same person she’d been with earlier on Saturday. When Faith had asked Niki if he could possibly be Lora’s brother, Niki had had a hard time stopping laughing. “If it was her brother, they’re giving new meaning to ‘incest is best,’ ” she’d told Faith wickedly. Hiring Niki had been one of the smartest things she’d ever done, Faith thought as she walked back toward Chandler. Work was never dull.

  She did have a plan for this morning, and to that end, she had brought her clipboard. Today she’d be a graduate student doing research on feelings of community in Boston’s neighborhoods. How well do you know, say, the person downstairs? Whom can you turn to for help? That sort of thing. If she couldn’t find out anything about the apartment by the end of an hour, she’d have to try another approach. But it was bound to work—if anyone was at home.

  She pressed the buzzer of the apartment on the floor below. No answer. Then she tried the one above.

  Again nothing. She pressed the buzzer for Bridey Murphy, who was on the top floor. Her curiosity about this occupant was almost as strong as it was about Lora. Her ring was answered and she quickly pushed the front door open before it locked again. She walked into a neatly carpeted hall and up the stairs. The Deane apartment had the same hand-lettered sign on the door as on the mailbox. She went up two more flights. Bridey Murphy’s door was ajar, chain in place.

  “Yes, what do you want?” a voice quavered.

  Faith went into her routine.

  “Well, I don’t understand all you’re saying, but I’ve lived in Boston neighborhoods my whole life. You’d better come in.”

  Bride
y Murphy was a little old lady.

  Faith resisted the temptation to say, So this is what became of Bridey Murphy—hoax or no hoax. Instead, she started to explain why she was there, or ostensibly why she was there. It really wasn’t necessary. Bridey was obviously lonely and ready to talk to anyone about anything.

  Her apartment was spacious, although crowded with furniture—a large couch, easy chair, ottoman, end tables, bookcases, a formal oak dining-room set, the china closet crammed with plates, figurines, and cups. Lace curtains hung at the windows, doilies were in abundance, and hand-colored family photos from the twenties and thirties decorated the walls. Over the small fireplace, there was a large, elaborately framed chromolithograph of a little stone cottage nestled in the green hills of County something.

  “I grew up in the West End. It’s gone, of course.

  They just leveled it for the hospital, you know. Mass General. But that would be before your time. Now, the West End—that was a neighborhood. If you had a scrape and your own mother wasn’t home, you could go into anyone’s apartment and they’d give you a bandage and a cookie. Not like today.” She was off and running. All Faith needed to do was direct the course toward the present.

  “So, you don’t feel that close to the people around here? Even in your own building?”

  “Not close, no. I know them all right, but that’s not to say I know them. Sounds silly—” Faith interrupted her. “They’re just people you say hello to in the hall?”

  “Exactly. Would you like a cup of tea, dear? And I’ve got some nice Irish soda bread. I’m Irish, you know, both sides. I guess you could tell from the name. I’ve gotten a lot of comments on that over the years, but I just say, ‘Bridget—Bridey—Kathleen Murphy. That’s the name I came into this world with and it’s the one I plan to have when I go out.’ Not that I didn’t have my chances.”

  Faith looked at the woman’s softly lined face and bright blue eyes. Her hair was still thick, although the curls were pure white now. She was sure Bridey had had her chances. She must have been very pretty.

  “Never found anyone I thought I’d want to wake up to every day, and then, my own parents fought like cat and dog. Couldn’t see living the same way.

  Maybe I’ll be sorry when I’m older, but not so far. I like my independence.”

  If Bridey wasn’t sorry yet, Faith doubted she ever would be. The woman was close to ninety if she was a day. The cane leaning against her chair was the only sign of any infirmity.

  “Tea would be fine, but please let me make it.” Over the woman’s protests, Faith got the tea and soon they were sitting at the kitchen table over their cups like two old friends.

  “After I lost my apartment in the West End, I moved farther up on the Hill—Beacon Hill. It was a nice place, but I hated what was happening all around me. Thank the Lord my parents didn’t live to see it.

  They loved the West End. Everyone together. It wasn’t just the Irish. All races, all religions, you name it. Everybody got along. We never thought not to.

  “I was working at Chandler’s in those days, the bookkeeping department. Now, that was a lovely store. When they went out of business, I went over to Filene’s, but it wasn’t the same.” Bridey sighed deeply.

  This was a woman who still wore a hat and gloves to church, Faith thought. Bridey was neatly dressed in a navy skirt, white blouse, and pink cardigan with a little enameled forget-me-not brooch at her collar.

  “Then the rents on the Hill began to go up like crazy. My brother had bought this building and he told me I could have any apartment I wanted. I took this one because it was up high. He’s done very well in real estate,” she confided.

  “What about the other people in the other apartments? Aren’t you friendly with any of them? I noticed some of the names as I was ringing buzzers.

  There was one, for instance, Deane, just below. Their apartment must be like yours.”

  “Well now, that’s a strange story if you ask me.” Faith was. “Yes?”

  “Only here on weekends and sometimes, very rarely, for a week at a time or at night, then out the next morning, early. I know because I’m up at five myself. Never could lie about in bed, and I go down to get my paper. Something fishy, I thought, and I was going to tell my brother, but then I met her and I can’t imagine she’s involved in anything wrong. A nicer girl you’ll never meet, that’s Lora.” Lora! Lora Deane was renting this apartment herself! And one in Aleford!

  “Has she told you why she’s on this peculiar schedule?”

  “No, but I’ve figured it out. I think she’s a nurse or some kind of live-in worker and this is her permanent address. She’s never had time to come in for a cup of tea, but I know she will one of these days. She always stops to ask how I am when she sees me. Brought me some cookies she’d baked at Christmas. Now, you can put that down on your form, because it is neighborli-ness. I’d go to her for help in a minute if I needed it.

  Not like some I could name. Why the Macombers have lived here for years, and if I get a nod of the head, I count myself lucky.”

  Faith had her information, but she stayed for a half hour longer talking to the old lady. As she left, she promised to come back and knew she would.

  Away from Bridey Murphy, Faith considered this new information. Lora Deane was living a double life.

  Mild-mannered nursery school teacher by week, hip single on the weekends. But why was the deception necessary? What else was going on? And maintaining two places ran into money. Was this the real reason Lora didn’t want to loan Joey Madsen funds for Alefordiana Estates?

  Faith drove past the bowling alley on Route 2 and accelerated as she went up the hill before the Aleford exit. She’d never thought of Miss Lora as a mystery woman. But what did they really know about her—or any of the rest of the family? Faith decided it was time to pay a call on Gus, the paterfamilias. She knew him from the Aleford Minutemen activities and they’d always maintained a light, joking relationship. Gus was a bit of a flirt, but not obnoxious. He never crossed the line from art form to lech. It was a skill she admired—and enjoyed. She tried to think of some pretext. No parish calls, and ringing his doorbell for POW! was definitely out. Besides being in the Minutemen, Gus was president of the Aleford Chamber of Commerce.

  As soon as she’d started Have Faith again, she’d joined. The Chamber sponsored a large cookout on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. All the local merchants had special sales and the event drew a big crowd. She felt a sudden pressing need to talk to Gus about the plans and what Have Faith might supply.

  Ben was spending the afternoon with a friend and Faith was able to get Mrs. Hart to come over while Amy napped. The way things were going, the woman might never get to see what the child looked like awake. She almost called Pix, but she didn’t want to let her know where she was going. Pix might have a lot on her mind, but she’d still remembered that Faith hadn’t told her why she was asking questions about Brad Hallowell earlier.

  Faith had completely forgotten her promise to tell Pix everything when she could and was a little embarrassed to reveal it had involved the phone calls Lora Deane had been getting, which were by then common knowledge in town.

  “And you suspected Brad?”

  “Well, an ex-boyfriend, angry, hurt.”

  “And that was what you couldn’t tell me?” Pix said, looking Faith straight in the eye. No wonder the Millers had such honest children.

  Gus and Lillian Deane lived in a large brick house at the end of a winding drive near the Aleford/Byford border. It was imposing—a three-car garage, swim-ming pool for the grandchildren and now the great-grandchildren. The shrubs were trimmed into round balls; those lining either side of the front walk were squat muffin shapes. There wasn’t a fallen twig or leaf on the smooth green lawn. Every window was shielded from the sun’s rays by an awning with an elaborate D in script square in the middle. She’d decided not to call first, just take the chance he would be in. She didn’t want him to have time to think why else she
might be paying him a visit. Supposedly, he was retired from active work and didn’t spend much time on the job sites anymore.

  Faith rang the bell and heard chimes.

  She was in luck. Gus opened the door himself.

  “Now, this is a nice surprise to find on my doorstep.

  Come on in, Faith.”

  “I had a few moments free, so I thought this might be a good time to talk about the plans for the Memorial Day cookout. It’s not that far away.” Gus nodded. “Only six weeks.”

  She couldn’t tell whether he was onto her or not.

  There had been an underlying note of amusement in his voice.

  “Terrible weather this spring,” he continued. “Hope it’s better for our cookout. But then a lot can happen in six weeks.”

  He led the way to the rear of the house. Lillian didn’t seem to be home; otherwise, she’d have been there offering Faith something to eat or drink. Gus might maintain a higher profile in town, but the house was his wife’s domain.

  “Lillian’s over at Bonnie’s. Can’t keep away from the baby. Let’s sit in here and you can tell me what’s on your mind.” He opened the door to what was obviously his den. There was a large-screen TV at one end with appropriately comfortable seating. French doors led to a broad patio that ran the full length of the rear of the house. A desk with computer and printer indicated that the room was not purely recreational. He motioned to two chairs overlooking the garden and Faith sat down. A curio cabinet held a collection of beer steins. Some of them looked quite old. He noticed her glance.

  “I started buying these when I was a young man.

  Can’t pretend they came down in my family. Nothing came down, except maybe an attitude. I don’t want to say it’s special to the Deanes, but it’s a way of life.

  You work hard, don’t let yourself be pushed around, and leave the key under the mat for those coming next.”

  He knew damn well she hadn’t come about how much potato salad they were going to need.