Murder at the Tremont House (A Blue Plate Cafe Mystery)

by Alter, Judy

  Donna dropped the children off before Tom arrived, and I set them to doing their homework. “Ask me about anything but algebra,” I said.

  When Tom came in, it was late, I was tired, and I knew he was too. Besides, Ava stared at us so intently we couldn’t have a good conversation. I told him quietly I wanted to talk tomorrow, and then I seated him with his children and said, “Okay, here’s the algebra whiz.” All three grinned, Ava high-fived him, and I realized they were as glad to see him as he was to see them. How could I break that up, even if I thought it was the right thing to do?

  True to his word, Rick walked me home. We let Huggles out first thing and sat on the porch, him with a beer and me with wine. When Huggles disappeared for several minutes, I panicked and called him. He came around the corner of the house from the driveway.

  “How did he get past the gate? He’s never done that before.”

  Rick put down his beer, unwound himself from the rocker, and went to look. I followed close behind, with Huggles at our heels wagging his tail. The motion sensitive lights Rick had insisted I install came on and we could clearly see that someone had driven through my fence and smashed it. Pieces of shattered wood lay on the ground, and my first worry was that Huggles would get splinters in his paws. Then I thought about the enormity of this act of vandalism. Someone was telling me they could get close to Huggles…and to me. Any time they wanted.

  Rick said, “Damn!” and didn’t bother to say it softly, while I moaned, “Steve made that fence for me the last day he was free.” That was probably the last thing Rick wanted to hear.

  “Call your insurance agent tomorrow, and I’ll get a fence man down to fix it tomorrow. I can probably get faster action than you can.” He was all business. “You okay to stay alone? I wish you’d get that gun.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.” Then righteously I added, “I’ve been locking my doors. And I have Huggles.”

  “Better than nothing.”

  But after he left, the house seemed empty, and I wished I had the children there. They’d be no protection, I told myself, and then answered, But they’d be distraction. What is it they say about when you begin answering yourself?

  That night I lay awake, listening to the normal creaks and groans of an old house. But now, each little noise held a threat, and every time I startled and sat up in bed, I disturbed Wynona, who was distinctly displeased, and Huggles jumped to his feet. But he never barked and never rushed to a door or window. Finally I fell into a troubled sleep.

  ****

  Rick was terse to the point of brevity when he came in the next morning about ten. I’d saved him a sticky bun, sure he’d be along, but he waved it away. “Don’t need sweets this morning. Just came to report. Fence man will be at your house by noon today. I told him dog was inside, you’d be at work, and just go ahead and replace. They’ll send you a bill.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And I found out where Sara Vaughn lives. It damn well is at least halfway to Tyler. Going to drop in on her about suppertime. What time is basketball practice over for Ava?”

  “About 4:30, I think.”

  “Okay. I’ll give her time to collect things and get home. Then I’ll pay an unannounced visit. She doesn’t have to let me in, but I hope she will. I’ll be back in time to walk you home.”

  And with that he was gone. I wanted to call after him, “You really did need something sweet this morning!” But his mention of Ava made me remember I had asked Tom to come talk. He came in for lunch, when I was too busy to talk to him.

  “Can you come to the house about two? It won’t take long, but I’d just as soon have some privacy.”

  “Okay, but now I’m worried about what’s up.”

  “Nothing serious,” I lied.

  Lunch rush was over by one-thirty, and I went home to let Huggles out and make tea. The fence man was hard at work, and I had to bring Huggles in because he really wanted to help. The man was semipatient with the dog but really wanted to get on with his work and get out of there. I could tell from looking that the fence would be adequate but not built with the loving care Steve put into the original one. I hoped in a way, he never saw the replacement.

  As promised, Tom came about two, and we talked in the kitchen instead of on the porch because Huggles would have had a fit if we were inside and he was outside. I poured tea, sat down, and stared at him.

  “You’re making me uncomfortable,” he said, running his hand around the inside of his sports shirt collar. “What’s going on?”

  Searching for the best words, I stirred my tea vigorously. Then of course instead of using tact, I just blurted it out. “Ava asked if she could come live with me.”

  He pushed back from the table and stood. “I hope you told her absolutely not. N.O.”

  “I told her I’d talk to you. She’s miserable, and she’s at a vulnerable age. I remember what a difficult time Gram had with Donna all through high school. I don’t want Ava to go sour on us.”

  He leaned against the sink, his hands clutching the edge of the counter so hard his knuckles turned white. “Ava is a different person from Donna,” he said with anger in his voice.

  Don’t shoot the messenger! “I know that, but she’s still miserable, says she can’t bring friends home because she never knows what mood her mother will be in.”

  “She couldn’t leave Jess. She’d be heartbroken.” He was clutching at anything.

  This was harder than I expected. “She wants to bring Jess.”

  He sat down and put his head in his hands. I could barely hear as he said, “My family breaking up. I’m not ready for that. What are Henry and I supposed to do? Live in those awful circumstances?”

  “She thinks Donna wants to move to the B&B.” I twisted a napkin in my hands and avoided looking at his eyes.

  His laugh was harsh. “She would but she’s afraid to stay alone at night.”

  Nervous tension made me laugh aloud. “Big, brave Donna? Afraid at night?” I thought of my middle of the night fears the night before, but I had conquered them. “Everybody has three o’clock in the morning fears.”

  “She wants a gun, and I don’t think she’s responsible enough to own one. You know her temper.”

  Horrified, I said, “No. Don’t get her a gun. She could shoot anybody if she got scared.” I paused a minute. “There’s one other thing that makes this not a good solution…well, several. But Rick thinks I’m in danger. I’ve had some vandalism….”

  “The fence?”

  “Someone drove through it.”

  Chuckling just a bit, he said, “I thought Huggles had suddenly gotten the urge to roam.”

  The dog, hearing his name, came over and laid his head on Tom’s lap. Tom petted him and looked off into the distance, while I waited in silence. No sense adding all the other reasons it was a bad idea—he was still to help with homework, etc. I could tell Ava was going to be disappointed, and I’d just have to have them all over more, or maybe the girls in one shift and Henry in another.

  At last Tom said, “This is the final straw. I can live with her unhappiness and bitchy moods if I have to, for the sake of the children, but I will not let her mess up my children. And I won’t burden you with two girls to raise. You’ve got enough on your mind.”

  Another long pause during which I saw no reason to protest that we should all remember I was officially still a murder suspect.

  At last he said, “Does Rick really think you’re in danger? I’d say you should come to our house, but under the circumstances…and I know you don’t want to leave Huggles.”

  “Especially not now. I’ve had some threats against Huggles.”

  He shook his head. “How low can a person be to threaten a dog?”

  “Or how desperate?”

  He suddenly sat up straight and abandoned the dog. “You don’t think it’s Donna, do you?”

  I shook my head. “No. Beneath it all we’re sisters, and I know she wouldn’t do that. Sometimes, Tom
, I think maybe you should take her to a doctor. She’s always been moody and tempestuous, but this is different, worse.”

  “That’s my resolve—a doctor in Dallas and then a counselor. Can you ask David to find out about a good internist?”

  “I’m sure he’ll say Baylor Southwestern, but I’ll ask.”

  “Thanks. I guess I better get back to the store and go by the office on the way, see if Wheeler’s still in one piece. Seems to me this used to be a calm, quiet little town.”

  “I’ve been thinking that all this has happened since I moved back. Maybe I’m the jinx. Maybe I should go back to Dallas.” The idea lingered, but I knew I would be chasing David if I did that.

  “Don’t you dare. I need you here to help me with the children. They love you…and so do I.” He kissed the top of my head and left.

  I sat there a long time with my thoughts spinning.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rick called the café about six-thirty, and once again he was terse. This time I found out there was a good reason. “You better call Tom and get him to walk you home and check the house. I’m going to be here awhile. Someone put a bullet in Sally Vaughn’s head. Smith County Sheriff is here, but I can’t leave because I found her. And it’s still my case in a way. He’ll want to hear the whole story. They’ll have to test, but I bet it’s the same gun that killed Sara Jo.”

  I dropped the phone and covered my mouth. For a moment, I felt like I should run for the bathroom, but my empty stomach quieted itself, and I picked up the phone to hear, “Kate? Kate?”

  “Sorry. I dropped the phone. I…I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “Neither was I. I may sleep on your couch tonight, but be sure Tom checks the house when he brings you home. I’ll call when I’m almost there. Turn your alarm on and keep your phone handy.”

  If I hadn’t been so stunned I would have said, “Yes, sir!” But I didn’t. I simply hung up the phone. I couldn’t go home, which is what I really wanted to do, because Rick would have a fit if I went alone.

  Marj looked at me. “You seen a ghost? You’re about that white. What’s wrong?”

  “The math teacher from the high school… She’s been shot.”

  “Omigosh. You sit down, honey, and I’ll bring you coffee. You need something stronger.”

  “No, no coffee. I don’t think my stomach could handle it. I just need to sit.” And I did, huddled in a corner, watching customers without seeing them. Two young women dead, and Cary Smith was the only link I could think of between them. For once in my life, I didn’t go off half-cocked. I squelched the impulse to go to the Smith house and confront Cary.

  I did call Tom, who came promptly while I was closing up, said absolutely nothing about Donna or whether he’d talked to her, and walked me home. He refused to let me go in until he’d checked the house, and I suspected he had a handgun.

  The new fence was in place. Huggles inspected it under my watchful eye. Tom came out and announced we could go inside. Poor Huggles had pent-up energy from his days of confinement. In the kitchen, Tom watched him dance around and said, “Unless you and Rick take him for a good long run this weekend, I’m going to. Maybe I’ll do it anyway. Kids would love it.”

  With a caution to lock the door after him and turn on the alarm, he gave me a hug and was gone. I supposed if he talked to Donna, she’d be the one to tell me, an encounter I wasn’t looking forward to.

  I didn’t exactly put on a seductive, flimsy nightgown in anticipation of Rick’s arrival, but I did make sure I looked a little more presentable than usual—replacing my worn T-shirt and cotton pants with a nice pajama set Gram had sent me several years ago and which I’d never worn. I went to bed early, but as usual these days, I lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling, listening for noises as Gram’s old house shifted and creaked. The idea there was someone out there who wanted to harm me, let alone kill me, was almost beyond my comprehension. I wasn’t really afraid, and yet I knew if they were determined enough neither Rick nor Tom, not an alarm system nor Huggles, could protect me. It depended on how determined they were. In spite of all the anger and bitterness—and, yes, murder—that had surrounded Gram’s death, I’d always felt safe and sheltered. And now that layer of protection was stolen from me, and I wanted it back. I glanced at the clock as it crept toward midnight, then one, then two.

  Finally at almost three, Rick called. He was in the driveway and would head for the back door. I went to turn off the alarm and let him in.

  He was no longer terse. He was exhausted, and I guess that softened him. He put his arms around me and said, “I’m glad to see you. Sorry I woke you.”

  “Wasn’t asleep. I couldn’t sleep. Is there any news?”

  “No. I told the whole long story, and I called Halstead to tell him what had happened. I’m going to talk to Cary’s father first thing in the morning. There’s something he isn’t or hasn’t told me.”

  He wanted to talk about it, as though talking would erase the picture from his mind. We sat at the table and he pulled on a beer occasionally while I sipped water. His description was so graphic I wanted to stop him again and again, tell him he was ruining any chance I had for sleep. I could see the scene in mind.

  Sally Vaughn lived in an old farmhouse she’d remodeled inside and out, a two-bedroom wood structure. Her furniture was antique. He’d seen all that before he saw her, because with her car in the driveway, he became suspicious and looked in the windows. Finally he knocked one more time, tried the door, and used a credit card to open the lock—who knew cops knew such tricks?

  Rick shifted in his chair and took another swig of his beer. “Sally didn’t exactly surprise her killer. It looked like they were sitting at the round oak table talking.” He put his head in his hands, and then raised it again to look at me with anguish in his eyes. “Sally was sprawled face down on the table in a pool of blood. A single bullet had pierced one hand and then her head, as though she’d put a useless hand up to protect herself.”

  I shuddered. Is that what someone wants to do to me?

  Finally, he ran out of story. “Can I shower? Show me where to sleep. I know I’ll have to put these clothes on again, but I feel like I have to wash the stench of death off me.”

  I showed him Donna’s old room, assured him only Henry had slept in the sheets, and gave him towels. “Night. Are you leaving early?”

  “No. I’ll probably leave about when you go to the café. Six thirty?”

  I nodded. And I almost giggled remembering Gram always sent us to bed with the words, “Sweet dreams.” Neither of us would have sweet dreams this night.

  Next morning, as we both left, he was contrite. “I shouldn’t have told you all that last night. I’m sorry. I just…well, I needed someone to talk to, to get it out of my system. Thanks for listening.”

  I put a hand on his arm.” “I know. I’m glad I was there.” I didn’t tell him I hadn’t closed my eyes all night, even with him in the house.

  “I like Henry’s bed,” he said in a lighter tone. “I believe I’ll take up residence there until this is over.”

  Okay, but no more death scene details, please. Out loud, I said, “I’d feel safer. I admit I’m a bit spooked.”

  “I think you’re okay in the daytime, and I’ll be around at night. You’re for sure okay in the café.”

  With that we parted, and I waved at him as he drove by and I walked across the grass between the house and the café. It never occurred to me Gram would say, “Child, you mustn’t sully your reputation.” But that’s exactly what she did say.

  “Gram,” I countered, “which should I lose? My reputation or my life? You know he was protecting me. No hanky-panky.”

  But as usual she was gone.

  ****

  As expected, Donna called the next morning. But instead of the anger I waited to hear, she sounded tired, almost defeated. “I hear my daughter wants to move in with you,” she said.

  “She mentioned it.”

  “Kate,
that’s it. The last straw. I know Tom wants to leave or have me leave. In fact I think he’d like to move in with you too.”

  “Don….”

  “Let me finish. My family is falling apart, and I don’t know what to do.”

  Donna sounding pitiful? “Are you going to be home this morning?”

  “No. I have people coming to the B&B this weekend. One couple is staying a week. I have to get over there and change beds and clean and do all the things I’ve been putting off. Oh, one couple is another travel agent, and one of the others is a recommendation from the travel agent I had last week. So thanks for a good idea.” For once, my sister sounded downright grateful instead of angry. Maybe we were making progress.

  “I’m glad it worked. Put the coffee pot on about ten fifteen. I’ll be over.”

  “Okay.” She sounded neither dismayed nor delighted at the prospect of a visit from me.

  I got there a little earlier than expected, and she was upstairs making beds. Even doing housework, Donna looked well dressed, the only person I know who did housework in high-heeled sandals, tight capris, and a tank top. I bet downstairs somewhere there was a shirt that matched the capris. Today I noticed how thin she had become—she was always trim, but now she was skinny, and I felt a knot of worry settle in my stomach. I knew she did no exercise, absolutely none, except making beds at the B&B. I shook off the thought for the time being. Bed making is always easier with two people, so I helped her make up three king-sized beds, and then we went downstairs to the kitchen. Coffee was ready, and I poured two cups, putting cream and sugar in hers.

  We sat at the kitchen island, and she faced me with resignation. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Your family.” I was determined to be blunt. “It’s none of my business, but this morning I’m going to have my say, and I want you to listen. It’s what Gram would want.”

  “Gram. She never approved of much I did, including getting married right out of high school.” She shrugged. “Now I think maybe she was right.”