Murder Is No Accident

by A. H. Gabhart

Alex laughed. “You always were a charmer.”

  “True enough.” Michael managed a sideways smile. “And it could be she’s just worried because her family is having some problems right now. Her father lost his job. That sort of thing.”

  “You’ll figure it out. You always do.” This time Alex reached over to take his hand.

  For just a moment, with her looking straight into his eyes, he thought he could figure it out. Not just what had happened at the Chandler house, but also how to keep Alex in his life. But then she looked at the clock on the wall and pulled her hand away to stand up. The moment slipped away.

  Later in the hospital room whenever Reece drifted into a restless sleep and the nurses stayed out of the room, they talked in muted tones about everything but what he most wanted to talk about. Their future. Instead, they shared memories of crazy things they did when they were kids. When being in love was easy.

  In the middle of the night, she dozed off, and he watched her with a deep yearning to see her sleeping beside him every night. Belonging with him.

  His feelings must have shown on his face because Reece spoke up. Michael had thought he was asleep too.

  “She is beautiful.” Reece’s voice was weak but clear.

  Michael flicked his gaze over to Reece and then back to Alex. “The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Her long lashes lay softly on her cheeks and her lips looked way too inviting. His fingers twitched to reach over and brush a stray lock of hair off her face.

  “You know, Michael, she might never choose love over her career.”

  “Does it have to be a choice?” Michael kept his eyes on Alex. She showed no sign of hearing them.

  “Sometimes. I think maybe this time.”

  Michael let Reece’s words settle in the air between them for a long moment. “Do you think I should turn her loose so she can find somebody to love in the city?”

  Then it was Reece’s turn to be silent as he considered his answer. “I think Alex would do what she wanted to no matter what you did. The question is, should she quit letting you think it possible?”

  “It has to be possible.” The words seemed to be jerked from somewhere deep inside him.

  Reece let out a slow breath. “Adele and I had such hopes for the two of you. And you know Malinda felt the same.”

  The resignation in Reece’s voice stabbed Michael. He sounded like it had been already decided, when Michael hadn’t even found a way to ask Alex.

  Reece went on, almost as though talking to himself. “It would have been good to have seen Alexandria settled before I passed on.”

  “This is just a little bump in the road for you, Reece.” Michael was relieved to shift the focus from him and Alex to Reece’s recovery. “You’ll be back fishing in no time.”

  “That could be, but death is something we all face. Just like Geraldine Harper. Malinda told me about her accident at the Chandler House.” Reece moved his head back and forth on his pillow. “None of us would have expected that. And think about how close both you and Malinda came to death last summer. Alex too, for that matter. Thank God that turned out all right. What happened to that man?” Reece peered over at Michael.

  “Still awaiting trial. Behind bars. The judge didn’t set bail.”

  “No judge in his right mind would set bail for that man.”

  Reece shut his eyes and Michael thought he had drifted off to sleep again. But then he said, “I suppose the Hidden Springs gossips will say Audrey’s ghost pushed her. Geraldine, I mean.”

  “Then who pushed Audrey? Aunt Lindy says she died from a fall down those same stairs years ago.”

  “That would be according to whether you asked Fonda or the coroner.”

  “Who was right?”

  Reece didn’t give Michael a direct answer. “Best to go with the coroner report. Seems little need in opening up that can of worms after all these years.”

  “The statute of limitations doesn’t run out on murder.”

  “True enough. But it was all investigated then. Truett Johnson was sheriff when it happened. Do you remember Truett?”

  “Can’t say that I do.”

  “Well, he’s been gone a long time. Had a heart attack. Anyway, Truett liked his investigations wrapped up fast and with a neat bow. Kept life simpler.”

  “Are you saying he was wrong? That somebody did push Audrey the way Miss Fonda thinks?”

  “She didn’t just say somebody pushed Audrey. She said Audrey’s husband, Bradley Carlson, pushed her. On second thought, I’m not sure she ever actually said he pushed Audrey, but she had no doubt he was to blame.”

  “She didn’t say pushed when I found her beside Geraldine either.” Michael replayed Miss Fonda’s words in his head. “She said Audrey was dead because of him. She didn’t say who he was.”

  Reece frowned. “You think she saw somebody there?”

  “I don’t know. Poor woman was barely coherent when I found her by the body. She’d gone back in time. She thought Geraldine was Audrey.”

  “Odd how dementia works.” Reece shook his head a little. “A sorrowful disease. But that would explain why she was so upset. She was distraught when Audrey died. When Truett wouldn’t listen to her, Fonda came to me. She wanted me to press charges against Bradley, but there wasn’t anything I could do. I wasn’t part of the prosecutor’s office then, and even if I had been, I couldn’t have done anything. There was absolutely nothing to indicate Audrey’s fall was anything but an accident.”

  “Why was Miss Fonda so sure it wasn’t?”

  Reece breathed in and out slowly, as though gathering his thoughts. “She didn’t like Bradley. Claimed he wasn’t good for Audrey, but he gave every appearance of being a loving husband. He did make no secret of his disdain for small-town life. A man with his aspirations wanted to be where the action was. The house was all that kept them in Hidden Springs.”

  “Aunt Lindy said the sisters, Fonda and Audrey, didn’t always see eye to eye.”

  “Very different personalities. That made things even more complicated. Audrey felt having the house proved she was the favored daughter. She couldn’t quite give that up even though Bradley hated living there. He said you didn’t have to believe in ghosts to know the place was haunted. By memories. By family expectations.”

  “I can understand that.” Michael knew about the weight of family expectations. He and Aunt Lindy were the last Keanes in Keane County. If he didn’t have children, the family line would end. Something Aunt Lindy would consider a tragedy, but Hidden Springs would continue on whether a Keane was in residence or not.

  “I suppose you can.” Reece hit the button to raise the head of his bed and reached for the glass of water on the table by his bed. “All this talking has dried out my mouth.”

  “I’m sorry. I should be letting you rest.”

  Reece waved away Michael’s words. “No, no. I have a hard time sleeping at home in my own bed. No way can I sleep here.” He looked over at Alex. “Looks like Alex is managing fine.”

  “I doubt she slept much last night. Worried about you.”

  “She’s a sweet girl.”

  Sweet wasn’t a word Michael had ever thought to use to describe Alex. Striking. Electrifying. Determined. Maddening. Adored. But when he thought about it, she was very sweet to Reece.

  Reece went on in a musing tone. “But I suppose it’s natural that Geraldine’s death would make Audrey’s death come to mind for those of us who remember her. Both falling to their deaths down those stairs, but accidents do happen.”

  “All the time.”

  “Nothing about Audrey’s accident aroused suspicions except Fonda’s accusations that somehow Bradley was at fault.” Reece sat his plastic water glass down and twirled it around. “The only red flag at all was the large life insurance policy Bradley took out on Audrey the previous year. That did supply some grist for the gossip mill. But it’s not unusual to buy insurance for one’s spouse.” He was silent for a moment. “I had a policy on Adele
. Nothing like what Bradley had on Audrey, but a fair amount. That didn’t mean I ever wanted to cash it in. I do miss that woman.”

  “Do you think Bradley missed Audrey?”

  “Hard to answer for someone else. He did give every appearance of being grief stricken at the funeral. Shocked by her death as everyone was. But then he went home and packed his and little Brad’s things and left the next day. It wasn’t long before we heard he had remarried. Never came back to Hidden Springs. Left it up to Fonda to do whatever she wanted with Audrey’s things. Fonda wasn’t in any shape for it either. She wandered around in a daze for weeks. Much the way she is now. Not sure about anything except how much she disliked Bradley.”

  “But she was married then, wasn’t she?”

  “True. Gilbert was one of those men ready to go along with whatever his wife wants. Like me, I suppose.” Reece laughed a little. “While Adele was alive, people often accused me of being henpecked, but that wasn’t it. Not at all. I was just relaxed. Not sure that was the case with Gilbert.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Reece’s smile was gone. “I don’t know that I could ever put my finger on it. The two of them, Fonda and Gilbert, didn’t exactly fuss and fight. Gilbert didn’t seem to care enough to fight, if you know what I mean. There were times I wondered if he only married Fonda to find the treasure he was so sure was hidden in the walls of the Chandler mansion. As a way of coming into money.”

  “Do you think there’s treasure to find?” Michael had heard all the rumors about hidden treasures in the old house.

  “Who knows? The house goes back a ways. Might be a secret cubbyhole somewhere. Fonda used to laugh about Gilbert tapping on the walls trying to find something like that. She put up with it, but she refused to let him tear into any of the walls to search. She took preserving the house exactly as it was while her parents were alive very seriously.”

  “It definitely has an antique feel.”

  “With good reason. Her parents and grandparents before them were collectors and acquired some fine things. That’s probably where the treasure is. In the paintings and antiques. I’m surprised Vernon Trent hasn’t been trying to mine that treasure. But then with Fonda not exactly in her right mind, I suppose he can’t.”

  “It wouldn’t matter. Miss Fonda wouldn’t sell anything to him any sooner than Aunt Lindy would.”

  “Or me.” Reece took another drink and wiped his mouth on an edge of the sheet. “But you’re right. Fonda clung to her memories. She got the house solely in her name after Audrey’s death. Bradley and little Brad didn’t get any part of it then. That was the way the Chandlers had their will drawn up. A rather odd document, but legal enough. Hardly seemed completely fair, but I suppose if Bradley or the boy had inherited the house, it would have been sold. Fonda and Audrey’s parents were determined that not happen. So they wrote all sorts of conditions into their will.”

  “Guess it was good Bradley had the big insurance policy then.” Michael shifted a little in his chair and made the plastic covering squeak. He glanced at Alex to see if the different noise woke her. Her eyes were still closed but he had the feeling she was no longer asleep.

  “I’m sure it helped him get established in Indiana. You knew he was a representative in Congress for his district up there, didn’t you?”

  “Aunt Lindy told me that.”

  “Was still serving last I heard. Wonder if Alex knows him up there in DC?”

  “Ask her.” Michael leaned over and touched her knee. “I think she’s playing possum.”

  She flicked her eyes open with a slightly abashed smile. “Maybe. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”

  “And just how long have you been eavesdropping?” Michael hoped she hadn’t heard Reece talking about their chances to make love work between them. Or lack of chances.

  She sat up and stretched. Even with her hair mussed and her clothes rumpled, she still looked like a sleek cat. “Not long.”

  But she avoided looking at Michael as she quickly stood up to fluff Reece’s pillow and straighten his covers. She must have heard Reece. How come everybody was losing hope even before he found a way to ask? He wanted to take her hands. Make her look at him. Really look at him. Make her believe they could love one another. But first, he might have to make himself believe.

  14

  Sunday morning, Reece was dressed and ready to leave the hospital fifteen minutes after the doctor gave the go-ahead. Then he fidgeted while a nurse mostly ignored him and went over home care instructions with Alex. Michael stood to the side, almost glad to hear the nurse go on and on about this or that reason Reece would need assistance. Reasons for Alex to stay in Hidden Springs for at least a few days.

  On the way to Reece’s house, he drove through the Fast Serve for coffee and sausage biscuits. Mary Greene was working the drive-thru window.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Greene. Thanks for letting Maggie go fishing with us yesterday.” He handed her the money for his order.

  Mary Greene was an attractive woman even with the silly Fast Serve hat perched on her short brown hair and the weary lines on her face. Probably pulling extra hours with her husband out of work. She smiled and that erased a few years from her face and made Maggie’s resemblance to her more evident.

  “She had fun.” The woman handed change out to Michael.

  “Good to hear. But I got the feeling she was worried about something. Did she mention anything to you?”

  “You know teenagers.” The woman avoided his eyes. “Always something going on with them.”

  With mothers of teens too, it seemed. “You’ve got that right, but if there’s any way I can help, let me know.”

  “Thank you.” She handed out the coffee in a cardboard tray.

  His rearview mirror didn’t show anybody behind him to hurry him on his way. A good time to find out some things. “She said you cleaned the Chandler place.”

  “Right. I’ve been cleaning for Miss Fonda for years. I miss her being there now. The house feels so empty when we go over there.” She handed out the sack of food.

  “When was the last time you were there?”

  She paused, thinking about her answer. “About three weeks ago. I only clean once a month now, but Sonny Elwood did ask that I clean again as soon as I have time. No reason I shouldn’t, is there? After Mrs. Harper’s accident, I mean.” She sounded a little worried.

  Behind Michael, a car pulled up to the speaker to order. “No. Clean whenever you want.” Michael put the cruiser in gear. “Tell Maggie hello for me.”

  She smiled and waved before she turned to speak into the microphone hooked to a headpiece. Her voice squawked out of the box behind him, almost unrecognizable.

  Reece was inside settled in his recliner when Michael got there. Alex raised her eyebrows at the fast-food sacks.

  “We need coffee,” Michael said. “And there’s yogurt and fruit cups if you aren’t a sausage biscuit fan, but Fast Serve makes good ones.”

  “They do indeed.” Reece held out his hand. “I’ll take one and that coffee.”

  “Uncle Reece, do you think you should? They said to watch your diet.”

  Reece leveled his eyes on Alex. “You can fix chicken soup later. Right now coffee and sausage biscuit is on my list. So hand them over, Michael.”

  Michael did his best to ignore Alex’s disapproving look as he handed Reece one of the biscuits.

  “They said you might have trouble swallowing for a while.” Alex looked so worried Michael began to regret stopping at the Fast Serve. “You don’t want to choke.”

  “I heard them, Alexandria. I was there even if that starched hankie nurse acted like I was deaf and blind. But a man has to eat. I’ll take teeny bites and chew ten times before I swallow.” He took a bite to demonstrate and then sipped his coffee. “Ahh, so good to be home. A man should have the right to pick his place to die.”

  “Nobody has said a thing about you dying.” Alex narrowed her eyes on Reece. “You’r
e too ornery to die. Unless you commit suicide by way of fast food with the help of those who should know better.” She turned her scowl on Michael.

  “Sorry.” Michael backed up a step. “I guess I missed the doctor’s diet directives.”

  “I guess you did.” Alex’s glare didn’t get any softer.

  “Don’t worry about it, Michael.” Reece gave a little shrug. “She’s a lawyer. She’s rewriting the facts to suit her case. That doctor never said one thing about sausage biscuits. He said I needed protein and fruit. Sausage equals protein.” He held up his coffee. “This came off some kind of bush, didn’t it? So fruit.”

  She made a face at Reece. “I do not rewrite the facts. I search out the right facts!” Her smile was back for Reece as she gave up the fight over the food, but when she turned back to Michael, the smile didn’t seem as easy. “Don’t you have to go home and feed that dog of yours?”

  Michael took a sip of coffee. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  Reece quit chewing to watch them.

  “No, not at all. Well, maybe a little. Uncle Reece needs to rest. He can’t say the doctor didn’t tell him that.” She shot a look over at Reece, then packed the remaining sausage biscuits back in the paper sack and shoved it at Michael.

  Things were not going exactly as he hoped. “Okay.” He fastened the top down on his coffee. “I’ll go peacefully if you walk me to the door.”

  He sat the coffee and food sack down on the table by the door and took Alex’s hands. She didn’t pull away from him, but she wasn’t exactly relaxed either. “We need to talk, Alex.”

  “We always talk, Michael.”

  “But do we ever say anything?”

  “Sometimes and we will again, but not today. I’m tired. You’re tired.” She slipped her hands away from his and lifted up on her toes to brush her lips across his.

  It was all he could do not to grab her and pull her close. “You’re not going to disappear back to Washington on me, are you?”

  “How can I? Not until I find a nurse or housekeeper, somebody to help Uncle Reece.” She kept her voice low as she looked back toward Reece.