“Oh dear.” Susan pulled a tissue from under her cuff and dabbed where a tear might be expected to course. “Probably for the best, the poor soul.”
The phrase made Kate cringe. It was like something Mother would have said.
Susan made a dry sniffle. “I appreciate your coming, Kate. After what you said to Sy, I didn’t expect such consideration.”
“I’m sorry. I think my mother gave Sy false expectations.”
“It’s partly my fault,” Susan sighed. “I apologize for speaking this way about your mother, but I should have warned Sy not to get involved with her.”
“No apology’s needed,” Kate said, seeing her opening wedge. “You knew my mother for a long time, probably had a lot of experience with her little schemes over the years.”
“Indeed I had.” Susan tucked her tissue back under her cuff, no longer needed. “How she got away with half of what she did, I’ll never know.”
“Right.” Kate leaned forward, closer to Susan. “I wondered if maybe this thing with Sy, about the condos, got started because Mother still owed you a big favor.”
“Did she?” Susan seemed to probe the suggestion for fruit-bearing possibilities. “Why?”
“Because of what happened between you and Miles.”
“That was all very unpleasant. But it didn’t concern your mother.”
Kate hoped she could turn the conversation down the right path, and keep Susan interested until she had what she needed. “I understood Mother helped conceal your housekeeper’s pregnancy from you.”
“Everyone did, but that was Archie’s idea, I think. They all wanted to make the girl go away before I suspected anything. But your mother’s part in the scheme was small. None of us, Mina, me, your mother, wanted any more scandal—you know what happened to our fathers and their business—so we three would do just about anything to avoid bringing attention to our names.”
“So they all lied to you?” Reece asked.
“Maybe they were trying to protect me.”
“I know it’s an uncomfortable subject, but could you tell us what happened?”
Susan picked at some lint on her skirt with the tips of her long nails, her lower lip thrust out thoughtfully. Then, decision made, she took a deep breath and settled back in her chair.
“It started with Mina,” she began, her voice low, confidential. “She said she needed to get away for a vacation. She’d been doing some defense work, driving an ambulance I think, and she was worn out. She looked absolutely wretched, as I remember. There weren’t many places you could get away to during the war because of gas rationing. So Esperanza said she had a cousin who worked in a resort in Mexico, somewhere around Ensenada. The border’s only seventy miles south of here and Mina could get enough gas for the trip; there was no rationing in Mexico. As the story was originally told to me, Mina didn’t want to go down there alone and Esperanza couldn’t go because she was an illegal then and might have trouble getting back across the border.”
Reece raised his eyebrows. “Esperanza was here illegally?”
“Oh, sure. Archie got papers for her later sometime.”
Kate wanted to direct the conversation back to the trip. “I take it your housekeeper went with Mina.”
“That was the plan all along. The girl was pregnant and Miles was the father, and she wanted to be taken care of. Archie paid her a lot of money to get rid of the baby. So this whole Mexico trip was just a cover for the girl’s abortion. Archie got Mina to take her down to make sure she went through with it.”
“And she did?”
“That’s how I found out. Mina, your mother, and Archie all conspired to keep it a secret. Then, some months later, a bill came to our house from this clinic in Mexico and when I asked Miles what it was about he explained the whole thing.”
“And that’s when you left him?” Kate asked.
“No.” She looked up at Kate with big mournful eyes. “I never wanted the divorce. I was willing to forget the whole thing. But Miles couldn’t. He said he was in love with the girl, and he wanted the baby. I thought he was going to crack up over it.”
“Did he know about the abortion beforehand?”
“Never.” Susan exhaled a disdainful puff of air. “He would have stopped them.”
“After you divorced him,” Reece edged forward, enrapt, “why didn’t he marry the girl?”
“She was long gone by then and I think she was pretty fed up with the whole Byrd tribe.”
“Who was she?” Kate asked softly.
“Nobody.” Susan finally sounded scandalized. “We didn’t know her people at all. She was just a big girl from the Midwest. I think she was only about seventeen or eighteen, though she said she was older. Like a lot of girls, she came to California during the war to get a job and get a man. She was too young for defense work so she took a domestic position.” Susan looked up. “Good domestics were impossible to find during the war. Otherwise I would never have hired her.”
“What was her name?” Kate persisted.
“Let me think.” Susan made a brief show of effort, but she was watching Kate the way a bargainer eyes the merchandise, as if trying to decide if the asking price is too high. “I just can’t remember. I think I called her Bridget.”
“Bridget?” After all they’d been through, how could Susan possibly forget the girl’s name? Kate stopped herself from challenging the obvious lie. She might need to come back to Susan later.
“I called her Bridget because I called all my girls Bridget,” Susan dissembled. And Kate gave her credit, she was good at the game of bluffing. “I never thought of her as anything but Bridget. Why?”
The ‘why?’ was the kicker. Kate knew it was the call for a bid.
But Reece answered first. “Just curious. We’ve listened to the family gossip all our lives, but the stories get all twisted around. We wanted to know the truth.”
“Now that Miles is gone,” Susan said, rising from her chair, “why drag it all up?”
“Good point.” Kate understood that the conversation was over. She stood and Reece followed. “It’s been nice chatting with you.”
“Nice to see you again, dear. You will let me know about funeral arrangements?”
“Of course.” Something occurred to Kate as she stepped outside. She caught Susan just before the door shut. “One more little thing. I know this sounds like nonsense, but what did Miles keep in the drawers of his nightstand?”
“The drawers of his nightstand?” Susan repeated, as if testing her hearing. “Good heavens, it’s been more than forty years, but let me think.” She thought for a minute, shaking her head the whole time, so that Kate expected another “Bridget” answer.
“Little things,” Susan finally said, and there was such a long pause that Kate was afraid she had finished. Then Susan shrugged and took another breath. “He kept his cuff links and shirt studs in a little box. His checks. And pictures, photographs of his friends, his mother. He liked to look at them at night before he went to sleep. He wasn’t much of a reader, you know, not like Dolph and your father. That’s all.”
“Thanks,” Kate said. “That’s a big help.”
“I can’t imagine why.” They left Susan standing in the open doorway, still puzzling over the question.
“You hit paydirt, kid,” Reece said when they were out of earshot.
“I think so.” She got in the car and reached across to pop the button on Reece’s door. “Like I’ve been telling everybody, the burglar in Miles’s house was stealing pictures.”
“Yeah. But you said they were pictures of the bastard. Susan just exploded the bastard theory.”
“Did she?” Kate tried to hold her speed within a reasonable infraction of the limit as they drove away from the Ratchers’. “You know the bill from the clinic in Mexico? What if it was for the delivery of a baby, and not an abortion? Wouldn’t Mina have paid for the girl’s abortion on the spot? A bill for obstetrical services would have come a few months later. Right?”
&nb
sp; “You’re tenacious. Can we stop for a pizza on our way?”
“On our way where?”
“I assume we’re headed now for a clinic in Ensenada.”
“It’s not necessary,” she said. “I’ve already been there.”
FOURTEEN
“WHAT IS ALL THIS?” Kate sat down on the foot of her bed and twirled the bottle of iced champagne in the massive silver bucket. Her suspicions were aroused when she saw the Dom Perignon label. It looked like a setup to her—the expensive wine, the armful of pink roses from the garden spilled across her pillow, like maybe Helga had gotten into the silver service again to help Carl out. But what was he up to? Delicious sex last night, arguments this morning. She didn’t know what to expect next.
Among the roses she found a little velvet box, and glanced around, expecting Carl to come out from somewhere and kneel beside her like the hero in some corny old movie. When, to her great relief, he didn’t show, she reluctantly opened the box.
A single pearl, the size of a marble, dropped to the end of a fine gold chain. It was pretty and simple, more to her taste than the jewelry she’d found in Mother’s room. And it matched the earrings Carl had given her on their last wedding anniversary, just before she’d moved out. But the gift made her wary. And she had no idea what had become of the earrings.
Kate put the pearl and its box out of sight. Giving it back would be tricky, but not as tricky as keeping it. Quickly, she changed out of the dress she had worn to Susan Ratcher’s and into her new red jogging shorts and a Nike T-shirt. It was time to run, to loosen the kinks, to clear her head. At the bedroom door she turned and looked again at the arrangement on her bed.
It was time to get out of there.
She glanced at the hall clock as she passed. Five-thirty; lots of time to run. Depending on which bus Esperanza took, she wouldn’t be home for another hour or two. Kate began plotting how she’d get the information she wanted out of tight-lipped Esperanza.
She stretched her arms up high, feeling her back and shoulder muscles loosen. She nudged the kitchen door open with her hip, intending to slip a frozen dinner into the oven to eat when she got back.
“Hi.” Carl stood at the kitchen counter slicing a loaf of French bread. “I wondered what happened to you.”
She stopped in her tracks when she saw him and the swing door slammed into her back. Rubbing the impact spot, she took in the steaks marinating in a pan by the sink, draining salad greens, and the bowl of Carl’s homemade Roquefort dressing. It all seemed to belong with the wine chilling by her bed upstairs and her suspicions were again aroused. “You knew where I was going. What’re you up to?”
“I’m preparing a farewell dinner.”
“Oh?” She took a step into the room. Any way she looked at it, this was good news. If his mother left, Carl would be easier to dislodge. “Is Helga ready to go home?”
“I put her on a plane an hour ago. This is my swan song.”
“You’re leaving, then?” She didn’t believe him, not with the champagne and pearl business. He had to have a kicker up his sleeve. “When?”
“Tonight. I stopped by our house and aired things out today. You know how stale it gets, shut up in hot weather.” He turned back to work on his bread. “I left you a little present upstairs.”
“I saw it. It’s very pretty, but…”
“Don’t get excited. It’s just a token. I bought it when I got the earrings, to give to you later. I think you should have it.” He kept his back to her, and she knew he was having difficulty with whatever it was he wanted to say. “I know my being here has made things pretty tough for you, emotionally, I mean. I’d hoped you might get used to having me underfoot again.” He tried a light chuckle that died somewhere in his throat. “But I guess not. We just seem to argue all the time. Maybe we still need some distance between us to sort things out.”
“I think you’re right.” Kate took another step into the room.
He smiled at her. “Thought I’d fix you one last decent meal before I turned you back over to Esperanza.”
“She’s a great cook.”
“She burns everything. You want garlic on your bread?”
“I was going to run on the beach.”
“I know I should have asked you first.” He looked at all the food on the counter.
“Okay.” Kate decided to postpone the run. After all, his leaving was an occasion to celebrate. And she was famished. She would figure out how to give him back the pearl later. “Yes. Lots of garlic.”
The smell of food reminded her that she and Reece had never gotten around to lunch. She sat down at the table and pushed aside Esperanza’s big sugar bowl to reach the bread box. She searched around until she found the usual hidden bakery bag. She took out the two croissants and pinched off some flaky crust.
Carl tipped the knife in her direction. “Don’t eat those.”
“I’m hungry.”
“You won’t have room for dinner.”
“Sure I will.” She walked over to the sink. “They’re stale anyway. Esperanza bought them before she left for her sister’s yesterday. Let me help you do something. Salad maybe? It’s hard to ruin a salad.”
“Maybe you can find a way.” He tossed her a head of lettuce.
Kate switched on Esperanza’s radio and hummed along with the Latin American music as she made the salad, glancing frequently at Carl. Everything seemed so ordinary that she kept waiting for something bizarre to happen.
Carl seemed more relaxed than she had seen him for a long time. Swaying to the music, he dropped the thick steaks under the broiler. “Aye, aye, aye, aye,” he sang along with the radio, “Cielito lindo.”
“Pretty good, gringo,” she flicked water at him from her fingertips.
He flicked water back. “I thought you’d acquired a taste for Latin lovers.”
“You’re right, Carl,” she said dryly as she carried the salad toward the dining room. “I think it’s time to put some distance between us.”
“Sorry. It just slipped out.” Carl followed her, carrying a bouquet of knives and forks. He set two places at one end of the long mahogany table. “I don’t like you being in this house all alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have Esperanza. Remember what Miles said, ‘Trust Hope.’”
“Trust Hope?” He sat down and smothered his lettuce with Roquefort dressing. “Oh yeah. Esperanza is Spanish for hope. Dolph told me that’s what they used to call her.”
“At least it was her own name.” Kate forked some salad. “Susan Ratcher said she called all her housekeepers Bridget. Must’ve had quite a turnover.”
“That stinks.” Carl’s lips curled in disgust. “Poor girls had enough indignities to live with. She should at least have had the class to call them by their own names.”
“Why, Carl. I think you’re a humanist a-borning.”
“Don’t hold your breath.” He stabbed some lettuce. “What else did you learn from dear Susan?”
“Actually, in spite of herself, she was rather helpful.” Kate heard the back door open and she froze. The door shut, sending a waft of cool outside air against the swing door. “Esperanza’s back. I’d better go in and tell her about Miles.”
“She doesn’t know yet?”
“There’s no telephone at her sister’s.” Kate listened to Esperanza moving around in the kitchen. “I had to tell her about Mother, too. I hate it. Well, won’t be any easier later.”
“Not yet.” Carl caught her hand before she could push her chair back. “This is our farewell dinner, remember? Let the bad news wait.”
“I don’t know.” Kate looked down at her bowl, her appetite gone.
“At least give her time to get her coffee made. She’ll need some fortifying.”
The swing door opened. “Hola,” Esperanza chirped, carrying two plates of steaming meat and a basket of garlic bread. “These look ready.” She put the plates in front of Carl and Kate.
“Thanks.” Kate touched Esperanza�
��s arm as she reached in front of her. Maybe the bad news should wait a little. Kate had a lot to ask her about and she didn’t want Carl around to interfere. She forced a smile and looked up at Esperanza.
“Have you eaten? There’s plenty of steak here. Why don’t you get a plate?”
“My sister, Rosa, she always feeds me too much at her house. I’ll just make some coffee.” Esperanza breezed back into the kitchen and made a clatter of coffee pot and cups, humming tonelessly along with the radio.
The swing door opened again, the stale croissants on a plate preceding Esperanza through. “Anyone eating these?”
“Go ahead,” Carl said, slicing off a large piece of rare meat. As the door closed he turned to Kate. “Aren’t you eating? This looks great.”
“I thought you said Esperanza overcooked everything.” She began to cut the steak. Thick, red juice ran from the gash. She pushed her chair back from the table. “I’m going to put this back under the broiler.”
Juggling the juice-filled plate in one hand, she reached with the other to push the swing door, but stopped when she heard a violent crash on the other side. Something solid, a falling chair maybe, hit the kitchen side of the door.
“Esperanza!” Kate pushed the door, but whatever had fallen wedged it shut. Alarmed when there was no answer, she put the plate down on the floor and used both hands to push the door. “You okay? What happened?”
A low, gagging, animal sound was the only response.
“Esperanza!” Panicked now, using sheer will to bolster her strength, she forced the door enough so that she could reach in and push away the blocking chair. The door fell open, sending Kate in a headlong rush into the kitchen.
Kate dashed toward Esperanza, who stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, arms flailing helplessly in the air.
Kate gagged when she saw Esperanza’s face. Pink, bloody foam bubbled out of her gaping mouth, consuming the flesh of her lips and chin as it sizzled down to the collar of her starched dress.
For an instant Kate, stunned, just looked at her, not knowing what to do. “What happened?”
But the only answer from Esperanza was a gurgle of bloody foam.
No Harm (The Kate Teague Mysteries Book 1) Page 16