Murder by Christmas (Edna Davies mysteries)

by Young, Suzanne

  Edna glanced at the cradle. “I don’t think so. It looks like a regular phone, not an intercom.”

  Mary sighed. “Well, maybe there’s a some sort of number or code you need to know to get a dial tone.”

  As they talked, Edna began to look around for any other means of freeing them from the tape. There were a few plastic bottles and small tubs on the counter, a tube of some sort of medication, a drinking glass and … she spotted the tape and scissors. Roselyn had thrown them to the back of the three-foot-deep counter.

  Edna carefully twisted her body, regretful of having to let go of the counter with her hands, and half-fell onto the shelf. Pushing and wriggling, raising herself on her toes, no matter what she tried, she could not reach the scissors with her head. In her overcoat, she was hot and exhausted when she finally gave up. She was resting on the shelf, trying to decide what to do next, when she heard a muffled ringing.

  “What’s that?” She slid around to look down at Mary.

  “It’s my cell phone,” Mary said, sounding surprised and excited. She rolled over and was struggling to sit up when the ringing stopped. “Bet that’s Charlie. I was supposed to be at the station at nine. It must be well past that by now.”

  Edna rolled over and tried to grasp the lip again. Either she turned too fast or her hands were numb, but she couldn’t find the edge and began to slip off. Turning her body as she fell, she managed to land on her hip and shoulder instead of her face. She lay still for half a minute, taking mental inventory of any pain before she opened her eyes to look at Mary.

  “You okay?” Her friend’s eyes were wide with worry.

  “I’m fine. Just a bit shaken. My coat padded the fall.” As she spoke, Edna’s mind swung to what she’d heard. She couldn’t help sounding accusatory when she demanded, “Why didn’t you tell me you had your phone with you?”

  “I didn’t remember it was in my pocket. I’ve been just a little distracted.” Mary sounded annoyed and petulant when she added, “Where’s your phone?”

  “In my tote.”

  “Where’s your tote?”

  “In your car.”

  “So fine. Don’t blame me.” Mary’s voice was filled with frustration and resentment.

  Edna felt ashamed of her implied criticism. “Let’s not quarrel. If I back up to you, I can get the phone out of your pocket. You’ll have to guide your jacket to my hands.”

  As she spoke, she rolled onto her other side and, with Mary’s help, fumbled for the mobile and pulled it free. Lying on the floor with the phone held in her bound hands, she flicked up the lid and ran her fingers across the surface. Her momentary elation dissolved into despair. “It feels almost smooth. I’m not certain I can distinguish the different buttons. How do I turn it on? What do I push if it starts to ring again?”

  “Hold on,” Mary commanded. “I can’t see what you’re doing. Your hand’s in the way.”

  “I can’t put my finger on a button without my hand there.”

  Both women were snapping at each other, and Edna’s nerves were beginning to fray when she heard another voice. “What’s going on here?”

  All the frustration, fear and anger she’d felt that morning burbled into her throat and threatened to come out as a howl as she spun her body around to see Charlie practically running down the length of the room. He bent to look into the face of each woman, asking, “Are you okay? Anyone hurt?”

  “Scissors,” Edna squeaked out through her tight throat. “On the counter.”

  Instead of heeding her, he reached into his pants pocket and came out with a jackknife. With deft but careful strokes, he sliced through the tape between Edna’s wrists and then between her boots, leaving her to unwrap herself while he turned to Mary.

  “I told you to keep your phone handy, didn’t I,” he quipped, as he cut her bonds.

  “It was right here at my side,” she joked back, rubbing her wrists after removing the tape.

  On his knees, Charlie turned back to help Edna remove the last of the tape from her boots. Impulsively, she reached out and hugged him.

  “I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my whole life.”

  Once she’d released him, he helped her to stand. She rested against the counter while he gave Mary a hand up. Finally able to remove their coats, the women both began to walk tentatively and swing their arms to get circulation flowing again.

  As soon as Edna began to feel better, she went to Mary and put her arms around her friend in a gentle hug. “I’m sorry I was cross with you. Please forgive me.”

  Mary returned the hug. “Guess we were both a little cranky. Good thing Charlie showed up when he did.” She stood back and smiled down at Edna. “I’ll forgive you, if you forgive me.”

  Feeling greatly relieved, Edna smiled back. “Done,” she said before turning to Charlie. “How did you know where to find us?”

  “Jake Perry told me,” Charlie said. “And he pointed me to where I could find the spare key to the back door.”

  “And here I thought you’d traced me through the GPS on my cell phone--which,” Mary reminded him again, “was right here at my side.”

  “I would have, if I’d been sure you hadn’t left it on Edna’s coffee table,” he chided her before growing serious again.

  “You said Jake told you where to find us?” Edna interrupted their banter, wondering at Charlie’s news.

  “That’s right. I was in the office waiting for a certain someone to show up for her interview …” At this, he scowled good-naturedly at Mary. “And while I was waiting, I happened to be talking to our dispatcher when the call came in about the Perrys. Seems Doctor Perry was driving too fast and skidded off the road on Route One, down near Charlestown. Because his wife wasn’t wearing her seat belt, she was thrown against the dashboard. Jake called nine-one-one for an ambulance, but the squad car got there first. Apparently, he was feeling guilty about leaving you two here, so he alerted the cop who radioed in to us.”

  Ignoring his teasing jibes, Mary said, “Did you arrest him?”

  “Do you want to press charges?” Charlie’s smile vanished as he became serious again.

  “Dunno,” she said. “But you should arrest him for the murder of Laurel Taylor. He all but admitted he …” She hesitated for a beat. “or she … one of the Perrys killed Laurel,” she ended lamely, her voice fading along with her certainty.

  “Exactly.” Charlie picked up on her indecision. “So far, we have no proof that either of the Perrys killed Laurel Taylor.”

  “If they’re not in jail, where are they?” Edna asked.

  “The EMT’s took her to the hospital. At the least, she’s suffered a concussion. Jake’s with her. I’m going over there next to talk to him.”

  “What time is it?” Mary suddenly seemed anxious.

  “Nearly noon,” Charlie said.

  She pulled her jacket off the counter. “Priscilla and Faye will be at my house in another couple of hours with food for the party, and I need to get to the grocery store. Comin’, Edna?”

  Edna shook her head. “I’d like to go with Charlie to see Jake and Roselyn.” She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “If that’s okay.”

  He nodded. “I’m not conducting an official interview at this point, so I don’t see why not.”

  Mary shrugged into her parka. “Suit yourself. Anything I can get you from the market?”

  Edna mentally reviewed the items she needed. “Maybe a half gallon of milk. I can get by for the next couple of days with what’s in the larder. My family will just have to ‘make do or do without’,” she quoted her grandmother who had lived through the Great Depression.

  “I’ll see she gets home,” Charlie said before turning to Edna. “What time is Starling flying in? When I spoke to her last night, she said their plane was due to land in Providence at one o’clock. With all the cancellations yesterday, I’m thinking there’s a good chance their flight has been changed, and I don’t want to leave you alone until someone can be wi
th you.”

  “I wasn’t able to reach either Starling or Grant this morning. I’m hoping it’s because they were in the air with their phones turned off,” Edna said. She didn’t want to think about her children not showing up that afternoon, so she said nothing more.

  Mary’s concentration seemed wholly on zipping her jacket and pulling on her gloves. She looked up only when the other two fell silent. “Okay. I’m off then. See you later.” She waved and headed for the back door.

  She’s up to something, Edna thought, but didn’t have time to dwell on what it might be before Charlie pressed his hand to the middle of her back, indicating they should follow Mary outside.

  “My tote,” Edna called, as she saw the Humvee skidding across the snow-packed parking lot toward the exit.

  “This it?” Charlie held up a colorful cloth bag that had been resting on the hood of his unmarked vehicle.

  She sighed with relief, grateful to Mary for being so thoughtful. Quickly, she pulled open the side pocket where she kept her mobile, hoping to see she’d received a message from one of her children. When she found the pocket empty, she frantically rummaged through the items inside. Finally looking up in despair to see no sign of Mary, she wailed to Charlie, “My phone must have dropped out in her car.”

  Chapter 24

  At the hospital, Edna and Charlie found Jake Perry sitting at his wife’s bedside. In the private room, Roselyn was resting back against three pillows. A lump the size of a small egg at her hairline was mottled red and black. Husband and wife were holding hands, looking unhappy and uncertain even before they noticed the two visitors enter the room.

  Jake’s face flushed when he saw Edna. Half rising, he said, “Are you okay?”

  She went to the foot of the bed and gripped the rail. She had mixed feelings about this couple whom she’d genuinely liked, but who’d tied her up so dispassionately. Not knowing what to say, she merely nodded as Jake sank back in his chair.

  Charlie walked over to stand beside the bed, across from Jake. “How’re you feeling,” he said looking down at Roselyn.

  She murmured something Edna couldn’t make out. It was obvious that the woman wasn’t “fine” though.

  “Tell me about Laurel Taylor.” Charlie could have been speaking to either one of the Perrys as he pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat. Another chair stood in a corner of the room where Edna could sit, if she chose. She respected the fact that the detective was working and left her to take care of herself.

  “Not much to tell, really,” Jake said, taking his wife’s left hand in both of his. He played with her gold wedding band instead of looking at the detective.

  “I think there is,” Charlie said. He shrugged out of his topcoat and let it fall back over the chair. “Why don’t we start with your visit to the cat shelter on the day she died? You were both at the house, at one time or another. That right?”

  Roselyn had turned to face her husband and the window beyond. She was watching Jake’s face now with an expression of love and trust, apparently leaving the story-telling up to him.

  He nodded once at Edna before looking across the bed at Charlie. “She saw me arrive with Norm Wilkins that morning. We were there to take photographs for Laurel to use to promote her shelter. I enjoy taking pictures of animals. It’s a hobby of mine, so I don’t mind doing it for other folks.”

  Listening to his inconsequential ramblings, Edna sensed the vet’s reluctance to get to the point. Charlie must have, too, because he prompted, “So you set up to take some pictures. I understand Norm posed as Santa for you.”

  “That’s right. We spent about an hour, maybe a little more. Roselyn arrived as we were packing up to leave. She usually checked on the cats a couple times a week, trimmed their claws, brushed their teeth. Whatever was needed.”

  “What was Laurel doing while you were taking pictures?” Charlie asked.

  “She was right in the middle of everything. Insisted on posing in several of the photos. Sat on Norm’s lap for some.”

  “She was acting like a silly teenager, for heaven’s sake--as if she was a cute, young cheerleader.” Roselyn’s soft but angry voice surprised them all. She twisted around to scowl at Charlie. “I went there to check on the cats and watch some of the picture-taking. I had just come in the front door when I heard Jake tell Norm they were finished, so I went straight through to put my bag in the kitchen. By the time I got back, Norm was headed out to the van with the tripod and props. I went into the front room to see Laurel tiptoeing up behind my husband, holding some mistletoe up in the air. His camera case was on the card table and he was bent over, packing his gear away while she was sneaking up behind him.” At this, Roselyn gave a self-satisfied nod, but still looked angry. “I stopped her before she could kiss him.”

  If Charlie were surprised at Roselyn’s willingness to speak, he didn’t show it. “How did you do that?” he asked.. “How did you stop her?”

  “I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her away from him.”

  “Was that all? You just pulled her away?”

  Roselyn shook her head. “That was all I intended to do--just get her off my husband--but she laughed. She started waving the mistletoe over her head, sashaying around, making fun of me. When I tried to grab it, she moved her arm back.” Roselyn looked down at her hands and paused briefly. She stopped frowning and gazed matter-of-factly at Charlie. “So I slapped her. Hard. Across the face.”

  “Honey,” Jake spoke, interrupting her. “You don’t have to say anymore. You had nothing to do with …”

  She turned and held her fingers to his lips. “I want to tell him. It’ll be okay.” She waited for her husband to say something, but he only nodded and kissed her fingers before she drew her hand away.

  Edna was spellbound both by the tale Roselyn told and by the loving interaction between husband and wife.

  Rolling her head back toward Charlie, Roselyn continued her story, smiling faintly, but with no joy. “I didn’t like hitting her, but it worked. She brought her arm down, and I grabbed the mistletoe. That’s when Jake stepped between us. As far as I was concerned, that was the end of it. Laurel sat on a chair, holding a hand to her cheek and pretending to cry. We left her there.” Roselyn picked at the hem of the sheet that covered her to her chest. “I told Jake to go on to the van, and I’d be out in a minute. I had to get my tote from the kitchen. When I saw the teapot on the table, I didn’t think twice. It was a good place to get rid of the mistletoe. I sure didn’t want it. After that, I took my bag and left. I was still pretty mad when I got to the front door, so I reached up and pulled the rest of the mistletoe off the light. I was going to drop it on the lawn, but I figured she’d just hang it back up again, so I tossed it into the car.”

  “Do you know mistletoe is poisonous?” Edna asked. She knew she shouldn’t interrupt Charlie’s interview, but she was curious. The words had come out before she could stop them.

  Roselyn’s eyes grew wide. “No.” The word came out in a startled gasp as she shook her head. The action must have caused some pain because she winced, sagged back onto the pillows and closed her eyes. Her long speech was over.

  The image of the crushed mistletoe entwined with a red ribbon popped into Edna’s head as Charlie’s gaze left Roselyn and turned to Jake. “Your Volvo was seen in the driveway later that day. Which of you went back?”

  “Me,” Jake said. “I went back about four o’clock.”

  Edna noticed Roselyn’s hand tighten over her husband’s as if for support and reassurance.

  He continued to speak to Charlie as if he hadn’t felt his wife’s grip, although his eyes flicked to hers for an instant. “After my last patient, I was going to download the pictures I’d taken. When I opened my case, I noticed one of the cameras was missing. I suspect Laurel took it, knowing I’d come for it. When I got to CATS, she was a little unsteady on her feet, as if she’d had a drink or two, although I didn’t smell liquor on her breath.” He brushed a hand over his mouth and chin a
nd studiously avoided looking at his wife.

  “I don’t know. She might have had some of the tea from the pot. Her words were slurred, too, but only slightly, not really enough for me to think she was about to pass out or anything. She asked me, since I was there, if I would change a light bulb for her. The one at the top of the stairs had burned out.” At this, he paused and looked at Charlie with a sheepish expression. “Old trick, right?”

  Charlie bobbed his head and gave a half-smile of sympathy, but said nothing.

  Jake went on. “She said the new bulbs were in the upstairs hall closet, but that was an excuse for her to follow me without my being suspicious of her intentions. When I turned my back and reached up to unscrew the burned-out bulb, I felt her arms go around my chest and her head press against my back. She took me completely by surprise. I grabbed hold of her wrists, loosened her grip and twisted around to face her. I told her to lay off, that I wasn’t interested.”

  He rubbed the back of his wife’s hand in a nervous gesture. Relating what had happened, rousing memories that he’d probably wanted to bury forever, he stopped talking and bowed his head.

  Charlie finally broke the growing silence. “Go on.”

  Jake shrugged and met Charlie’s eyes. “She reached for me again. Actually, it was more like she was falling toward me, but I was ready for her by then. I held onto her upper arms and gave her a good shake to let her know I meant business. When I let go, she stumbled backwards and tripped over her own feet. I didn’t push her. Honest.” His eyes seemed to plead for Charlie to understand. “She was so close to the top of the staircase, she just backed off into air and fell. As soon as I realized what was happening, I tried to grab her, but I missed. When I got to the bottom of the steps, I could tell her neck had been broken. There was nothing I could do to save her.”

  “Why didn’t you call an ambulance or the police?” Charlie asked.

  Edna was impressed with the detective’s cool demeanor. Her heart was racing with the images Jake’s story had invoked, and she realized she’d brought a hand up to her mouth. She knew Charlie to be sensitive enough to be moved by Jake’s confession, but he didn’t show it.