by Tim Myers
“So all is forgiven?” I searched his eyes, hoping he could see the sincerity in mine.
After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I guess so.”
That wasn’t the most convincing acceptance I’d ever heard in my life. “So do you want to try again tonight?” I shocked myself saying it, but it was already out and there was nothing I could do about it now.
“Thanks, but maybe we should just forget it.”
In the past six months, Greg Langston had asked me out a dozen times. I couldn’t believe he was saying no when I was finally willing to go. “So you’re still upset about last night,” I said.
“That’s not it—at least not all of it.”
“So what is?” I asked.
I didn’t think he was going to tell me, but finally, reluctantly, he said, “Jennifer, I understand you were distracted last night, but you forgot about me altogether. I’m beginning to think you were right to say no all along. Maybe our last chance is gone and it’s time to finally move on, for both of our sakes.”
“Greg, you’re reading an awful lot into one momentary slip,” I said. “One of my crafters died, didn’t you hear?”
He took a deep breath, then said, “Of course I heard. Rebel Forge isn’t all that big. You still had your meeting last night, though.”
I wasn’t about to admit to him that Lillian and I were digging into what we thought was a case of murder. “We were holding kind of a wake last night. It turned out to be a mistake, though.”
“I’m sorry,” Greg said.
“It’s not your fault,” I replied a little too abruptly. “So that’s it, then? We’re finally calling it quits?”
He just shrugged. “I know, it’s hard, isn’t it? Thanks again for breakfast.”
I left his pottery shop a little in shock. Even though I’d been holding him at arm’s length for half a year, I still wasn’t ready for the finality of his pronouncement. Sometimes it was just nice to be wanted, especially by someone I used to love. I was going to have a hard time wrapping my head around this new development, and knowing me, I’d probably stew, pace, and overanalyze the entire conversation until there wasn’t a shred of it untouched in my thoughts.
I hated to admit it, but a part of me mourned my loss, whether it was real or imagined.
Lillian was late again, and after I ate the bear claw I’d bought for myself, I nearly started on hers. I was sad and depressed and irritable, a bad combination when there was any kind of treats around. I’d finally decided to yield to temptation when the front door opened. I don’t think I would have been more shocked if the queen of England herself had walked in when I saw Howard and Betty come in. Neither one of them looked like they’d gotten a bit of sleep, and I didn’t doubt that was true. I thought I’d had a rough night, but from the look of them, I’d had a night at the Ritz.
“Good morning,” I said, trying to put a smile on my face, though I was hardly in the mood for it.
Betty nudged Howard, a subtle thing that I would have missed if I hadn’t been watching them closely.
He said, “Jennifer, I owe you an apology for storming out of here last night. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I said. “Emotions were running high last night.”
“Still, I was wrong. I overreacted.”
“It’s fine. Honestly it is.” I didn’t know if Betty had been hammering away at him all night, but the man who stood before me bore no resemblance to the cold fellow who’d stormed out of my shop. He was so contrite I would have just about forgiven him anything. Anything except killing Maggie Blake. “How are you two doing?”
Betty said, “We’re not doing all that well, to be honest with you, but we’ll get there.” She frowned, then added, “We’re going into counseling, so we’ll see what happens.”
I didn’t have the heart to ask them about Maggie, but Betty brought her name up instead. “We wanted to come by to speak with you before the funeral. You’re coming, aren’t you?”
“I hadn’t heard about it,” I admitted. “When is it?”
“It will be at noon. It’s a graveside service only. That was Maggie’s request. I know you’re busy here, but it would have meant a lot to her.”
“I’ll be there,” I said, wondering how I was going to manage to get home, change clothes and attend the service without shutting my shop down for the afternoon.
Betty turned to her husband. “Howard, why don’t you go wait by the car? I want to talk to Jennifer a moment.”
He obeyed without a word or glance in my direction, and I wondered if we’d ever see him at a meeting again.
Once he was gone, Betty said, “I should thank you, but after the night I had last night, I won’t be able to just yet. Your questions were the catalyst we needed to clear the air between us.”
“I’m sorry,” I said as sincerely as I could manage. I hadn’t meant to drive a wedge between them with my line of questioning.
“Don’t be,” Betty said. “We’ll work through it. I wanted to talk to you about Maggie.”
Just then the front door opened and Lillian came in. “Hello, all. It’s a beautifully crisp morning out there, isn’t it?”
She instantly took in the somber expressions on our faces and her smile quickly faded. “Jennifer, I need to work on that inventory in back. If you two will excuse me, I’ll get right to it.”
After Lillian was safely ensconced in back, I said.
“Honestly Betty, you don’t have to talk about it if I you’re not comfortable.”
“No, there’s something you should know. She and Howard were not having an affair. I’m sure of that now. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t seeing anyone. There was a man I saw her with recently, an older gentleman who lives in town. From the looks of it, they were quite close. If you’re going to look into what happened to Maggie, you should talk to him about her.”
“Betty, what makes you think I’m doing anything of the sort?”
Her expression lightened for a moment. “Jennifer, I worked as a secretary for the Charlottesville police for twenty-five years. It’s true I mostly just typed and filed, but I’ve been around enough investigations to know one when I see it. Be careful; it can be dangerous.”
I wasn’t going to admit what I was doing, even if she did already suspect it. “Just out of curiosity, who is this fellow you saw her with?”
Betty shook her head. “I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll be at the funeral. I’ll point him out to you.”
“Did you happen to catch his name?” It would be a big help if I knew who we were talking about, since
I was acquainted with just about everyone in Rebel Forge.
“I didn’t know it at the time, but I asked around. His name is Jeffrey Wallace.”
Chapter 10
“Are you sure that’s his name?” I asked. It was hard to imagine my straitlaced neighbor being with Maggie, a woman who was so vibrant and full of life.
“I’m positive,” she said. “Jennifer, I know your brother thinks that what happened to Maggie was an accident, despite that card you got in the mail from her, but I don’t believe it.”
“How did you know about the card?” I hadn’t told anyone but Bradford and Lillian, and I couldn’t imagine they’d shared the information with anyone else.
“We all got them,” Betty said simply. “I can’t imagine Maggie leaving you out.”
“What did yours say?” I asked. Why hadn’t Maggie done more to prevent her death than just make cards? If she’d come to me earlier, I would have done something more to help her than just try to find her killer. Could I have saved her? Maybe I could have, or maybe she would have died anyway, but at least I would have had the chance.
Betty looked down at her hands. “I tore mine up and threw it away without even reading it,” she admitted, tears creeping down her cheeks. “I was jealous; I didn’t want to have anything to do with her. I hate the way I’ve been acting lately.”
I offered her a hu
g, trying to console her. Then the strangest thought jumped into my head while I had my arms around Betty. Was she really feeling guilty over not reading Maggie’s card, or was it possible her guilt went deeper than that? She admitted herself that she’d been acting irrational. If Betty had truly believed that Maggie was having an affair with her husband, could she have killed her competition? How about Howard, then? Now that Maggie was gone, his wife had only his word that he hadn’t been fooling around with Maggie. I was suddenly very happy I wasn’t a member of that particular household. If either one of them acknowledged the thoughts I was having, it would shatter what was left of their marriage. I didn’t see how either one of them could live with the other if they suspected their spouse was capable of murder.
That gave me another question. I pulled away from Betty and asked, “What about Howard? Was the card addressed to both of you, or did he get one himself?”
Betty scratched her cheek hard enough to leave white streaks. “I don’t believe I even saw how it was addressed. I recognized her handwriting the instant I saw the back of the envelope. If Howard got one too, he didn’t volunteer the information. I’m going to assume she didn’t write him unless I learn otherwise.” Her gaze was darting all around the shop as she spoke, and I wondered again about her state of mind.
I had to talk to Howard, and this time, it had to be without his wife hovering nearby. “Lillian, could you come here for a second?”
She came out so quickly I was certain she’d been listening to every word. That was okay; after I started getting more suspicious of Betty’s behavior, it was good to have some kind of backup. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“Yes, I need you to show Betty that new computer program we got in the other day.” Betty started to protest, but I cut her off. “Would you do me a favor and look at it? You’re a lot better with those things than I am. I’m not at all sure it’s worth what we paid for it. Would you mind?”
Betty looked startled by the suggestion, but I was just glad she couldn’t see Lillian’s face. My aunt must have thought I was nuts, but it was the only way I could think of to occupy Betty’s time while I hunted down her husband. I knew that Betty considered herself a computer expert, but I had a suspicion I’d be lucky if mine even worked after she was finished with it. “Is this the time for that, Jennifer? I’d be happy to come by tomorrow and look at it if you’d like.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, tomorrow will be too late. We have to send it back by five P.M. or we’ll lose our chance. I know it’s a terrible imposition, but would you mind?”
“Anything to help. After all, you’ve been so kind to me. Let me just step into the powder room and then I’ll have a look.”
After she was gone, Lillian whispered, “Have you lost your mind, Jennifer? What’s this program, and why does she need to evaluate it?”
“Find some way to keep her occupied. Take one of the new card-making programs and ask her opinion about it. I need to talk to her husband without Betty hovering nearby.”
Lillian laughed, then cut it off when she realized how loud she was being. “I can see you inherited my devious streak. I’m delighted, I must say. I was beginning to wonder if any of you would step forward.”
“So you’ll do it?” I asked as I grabbed my coat.
“I’ll ask her so many inane questions she’ll be hoarse in an hour.”
I patted her hand. “I don’t need that long. Give me twenty minutes.”
Lillian flicked a stray strand of hennaed hair out of her face. “Let’s leave it open-ended, shall we? This is going to be fun.”
“Try not to torture her too much,” I said as I walked out.
“Now what fun would that be?”
I left Betty to Lillian’s devices, and didn’t envy either one of them the upcoming session. I couldn’t worry about that, though. I had to find Howard and talk to him while I had them separated.
I found him leaning against their car smoking a cigarette. “I didn’t know you smoked,” I said as I approached him.
“I quit twenty years ago,” he said, the evidence of his lie dangling from his fingertips. “Okay,” he added, “every now and then I sneak one, but not many, and not often.”
“Just in times of stress, maybe?” I asked.
Howard dropped the cigarette to the curb and snuffed it out with his shoe. “Who knows why any of us do what we do?” He looked behind me. “Where’s Betty?”
“She’s helping Lillian with something at my request. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Why should I mind?” Howard asked, still looking back toward the shop. It appeared he was going to bolt any second, so I had to act quickly. “She told me about the card you got from Maggie. Do you still have it?”
The color drained from his face, and his hand went back to his pocket, no doubt reaching for another cigarette. “How did she know about it?”
“She got one, too,” I said, watching his reaction. It wasn’t good. I swear, the man got physically ill just thinking about the prospect. In a halting voice, he asked, “What did hers say? Did she tell you?”
I thought about toying with him a little more, but I didn’t have the stomach for it. “She tore it up before she read it. So what did yours say?”
The relief that swept over him was palpable. “What? It was nothing, just a regular card she made.” He paused, then added, “She was trying out her Christmas cards and asked me my opinion.”
Now I’ve told some lies in my life, from little white ones to huge and utter whoppers, but I could swear I saw his nose grow as he told me that.
Trying my best to hide my incredulity, I asked, “Do you still have it? I’d love to see it.”
He couldn’t resist the lure of his cigarettes any longer. As he lit another one, he shook his head. “No, I threw it out. After all, she didn’t need my input anymore, did she?”
It was clear Howard was hiding something, but what? I was about to press him when I heard Betty’s voice behind me. “Howard Hudson!” she shouted. “Put that out this instant.”
He looked guilty as he stubbed it out. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Sorry won’t cut it. You promised.”
Not able to hide the exasperation in his voice, Howard said, “It was one cigarette, Betty.”
She approached us and pointed to the curb at his feet. I noticed four butts there at the same time Betty must have. “Get in the car, Howard; we’ll talk about this later.”
I could see he wanted to protest, but he got in docilely without looking at me again.
Betty said, “Why were you out here talking to my husband? Haven’t you done enough already?”
“I was just getting some fresh air,” I lied. “I’d forgotten he was out here waiting on you. So what do you think of the new program? You didn’t take long to look at it.”
“It’s worthless,” she said. “I didn’t need long to determine that. I’d send it back while you have the chance.” She lowered her voice, then added, “Your aunt seems to have some trouble with her basic computer skills. You should send her to the class at the library. Your sister-in-law is a good teacher, and believe me, Lillian could use the lessons.”
They drove off, and I was left there staring after them. I glanced over at Greg’s pottery shop, saw a sudden movement, and wondered if he’d been watching me. I wished I had the time to make things right with him again, but I had a funeral to get ready for. Besides, I didn’t have a clue what I could say to him to change his mind. I wasn’t even sure that I wanted him to.
Lillian was waiting for me just inside the door. “Jennifer, I’m so sorry. She was determined to leave, and the only way I could have kept her was with the dead bolt.”
“Don’t worry about it; you did fine. I heard everything I was going to hear.”
That perked her up. “So what did his card say?”
“Now, how did you know that?” I asked. “Oh, that’s right; you were eavesdropping again when I talked to Betty.”
�
��Jennifer, I prefer to think of it as being able to confirm your account of the conversation if you ever need it. I was doing you a service, young lady.”
“And I greatly appreciate it,” I said, fighting to hide my smile. There were days when my aunt was the only bright spot around, and this one was shaping up as one of those times.
“Don’t keep me in suspense. What did it say?”
“I don’t think we’ll ever know,” I said as I took off my coat. “He made up a quick lie about her trying out Christmas cards on him. It wasn’t the slightest bit credible, but I couldn’t shake him.”
Lillian frowned. “Jennifer, perhaps he’s telling the truth.”
“What do you mean?”
Lillian paced around the shop. “You know as well as I do that Maggie liked to experiment with her card making. Is it that unreasonable that she wanted to field-test a few of them? She could have mailed the card to Howard before she decided to mail the ones to you and Hilda. I’m wondering about something, though.”
“What’s that?”
Lillian bit her lip, then said, “I don’t mean to sound petty, but it appears that everyone in the club got a card but me.”
“That is odd,” I said. “You and Maggie got along, didn’t you?”
“As far as I was aware,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it, Lillian,” I said. “I’m sure she wasn’t in her right state of mind when she sent those cards. I’m going to break one of our rules, if you don’t mind.”
Lillian perked up. “I’m always up for rebellion, you know that. What did you have in mind?”
I flipped the sign from open to closed. “We’re shutting the shop down so we can both go to Maggie’s memorial service.”
“I don’t mind staying behind,” Lillian said. There was a tinge of hurt in her voice.
I took her hands in mine. “Listen, I’m sure she didn’t mean to slight you. Besides, I need you there to catch anything I might miss. I loved Maggie, but I’m not going to this thing for her. I want to see who else shows up, and how they act.”