Dead of Spring: An Alexa Williams Novel

by Sherry Knowlton

  Keisha giggled. “But look at him. He’s the Hulk in a tailored suit. Perfect for what he does for Toland.” She turned to Alexa. “He’s the one they send in when the cause needs a little extra push.”

  “Sounds a little creepy. I don’t remember anyone from Toland approaching us during the Human Trafficking Committee’s work.” Alexa looked at Lauren with concern. The intern now faced away from them, looking at the street.

  Keisha snorted. “Toland is only interested when there’s money to be made. Even they might draw the line at representing sex traffickers; more because of bad publicity than any moral reservations.”

  “Who’s his sidekick?” The two men had stopped for an intense discussion with a third man.

  Keisha followed her gaze. “The little dipshit is Senator Patterson. I’m surprised you’ve never run into him before. His office is in our suite.”

  Lauren finally turned around to join the conversation. “He was the guy with Nason Kurtz that day in the kitchen.”

  “I had it backwards.” Alexa took another look. “I thought Kurtz was the senator.”

  Lauren interrupted, “Hey, isn’t that Walker Toland? The one they’re with now.”

  “Absolutely. They say he’s the most powerful man in Harrisburg.”

  Alexa saw only a tall man, about her parents’ age, with thick silver hair. When he moved his hand, gold cufflinks glinted in the sun. Although his tailored suit had money written all over it, he didn’t look all that special. “More powerful than the governor?”

  Keisha nodded. “More powerful than God. He has enormous influence, and has made so much money lobbying he owns houses in the Caribbean and Aspen. Plus, he has a stable of racehorses. One of his horses won the Preakness last year.”

  “Is it true his estate has a huge bonsai garden, and he shapes the trees himself?” Lauren asked.

  “That’s what I hear. Obviously, I’ve never been there.”

  Alexa took another skeptical look at this superstar lobbyist and said, “So this guy is the Mr. Miyagi of politics, and this Kurtz character is his Karate Kid? Hard to believe.” She drew her attention away from the lobbyists. “I have to get back to the office. You’ll let me know when this report is ready?”

  “Should be in the next day or two. We’ll send it to you for review.” Keisha snapped back into professional mode.

  Alexa made her way through the clusters of people still hanging around the church. The crowd hadn’t thinned much. The news of Senator Martinelli’s murder seemed to be the main topic of conversation. At the edge of the sidewalk, a loud voice slowed Alexa to a crawl.

  “Did you hear there were witnesses?” An older woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat savored the gossip.

  “Witnesses. You mean someone saw the senator being pushed over the railing?” her mousy companion asked.

  A third woman shook her head. “I hear the witnesses were on a lower floor.”

  The mouse declared, “I hope they catch the monster that killed Senator M. What if he kills other people in the capitol?”

  Alexa sighed. Both John and Keisha were right. The news that someone had witnessed the murder had not only leaked but was spreading like wildfire. She hurried to the Land Rover, hoping the police had at least protected their names.

  Chapter Twelve

  Isabella ended Tuesday’s yoga session with a long period of meditation. Alexa rose from her half-lotus position feeling refreshed and serene. “Namaste.” She approached the teacher. “What a wonderful session. I haven’t been meditating at home that much these days. I should get back into it.”

  The tall, slender yogi smiled. “If your heart is telling you to meditate more often, you should listen. Perhaps we need to schedule a few sessions on advanced poses also?”

  “Maybe.” Alexa hesitated. “My life hasn’t gone off the rails like last year, but there are some things going on. Let me see if ramping up my meditation time brings me focus. I’ll let you know about the extra sessions.”

  Haley had missed class because of a social event at the Chamber, but Alexa, Melissa, and Tyrell walked over to the Om Café. When they entered the cozy room, Ariel looked up from the counter. “Two chai teas and a cappuccino, right? No Haley?”

  All three nodded to confirm the drink orders, and Melissa responded, “Nope. The Chamber is announcing some big new economic initiative and swore Haley to secrecy. She called it something weird.” The redhead frowned. “Embargoed, that’s it. The information was embargoed until tonight’s event.”

  “Probably a new warehouse,” Alexa grumbled as the three sat at a corner table. Distribution warehouses had descended on the Cumberland Valley like a plague of locusts.

  “I know you hate these warehouses, Alexa,” Tyrell chided. “But they bring a lot of decent-paying employment to people with marginal skill levels. Some of my kids were able to leave foster care and reunite with their families after their parents got warehouse jobs.”

  “Not to mention, I can order something from Amazon or that office store, and it shows up that afternoon.” Melissa’s voice was droll. “Pretty soon, all we’ll need to do is think about buying something, and UPS will drop it off at the front door.”

  “I know there are advantages. I got Scout’s last chew toy in one day. But there are so many trucks, and the air quality is getting worse,” Alexa countered.

  “Speaking of UPS, I got some new display panels for the gallery. I’ll use them for my next show.”

  “That’s not until May, right?” Alexa took a sip of the tea Ariel had delivered.

  “It will be here before I know it. Can you believe it’s officially spring?” Melissa pulled her shawl close. “With this fucking weather, it feels like the first day of winter.”

  “Girl, I thought you were going to clean up that mouth.” Tyrell shook his head in mock disapproval.

  “I’ve made a huge effort, but sometimes you just have to fucking say what you fucking mean.”

  Alexa tried not to snort a mouthful of chai onto the table. “Tyrell, Melissa’s had, let’s say, a free-spirited approach to language since the age of . . .” She scrunched her brow in concentration. “Seven. If years of teachers couldn’t cure her, you may as well give up now.”

  Tyrell grinned. “I don’t give a rat’s ass how you talk, Melissa. So is your landscape show opening in May?”

  “No. That’s later this summer. The May show features three local artists. Two work in oil. One’s a photographer. Put it on your calendars,” Melissa ordered.

  Alexa checked the calendar on her iPhone. “I might be in Italy visiting my parents.”

  “Changing the subject.” Tyrell glanced up from his phone. “I wanted to ask you about your senator. I hear they’re calling it murder now?”

  “Yeah.” Alexa nodded. “By the way, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell people I witnessed anything. Which isn’t far from the truth. I saw him hurtle through the air and hit the floor. I didn’t see anything that happened before that.”

  Tyrell narrowed his eyes. “Are you worried? From what I heard this morning, the cops are closing in on his killer.”

  “Really?”

  “I went to a big meeting for advocacy organizations this morning in the Burg. Everybody was buzzing about the murder and that the cops think the husband did it.”

  Melissa asked the question first. “What husband?”

  “I guess it was an open secret that Senator Martinelli’s been getting it on with some representative.” Tyrell took a moment to amp up the suspense. “Her name’s Madison Greer. She represents a district near Pittsburgh.”

  “Didn’t you say this guy was some old dude, almost a hundred years old?” Melissa looked at Alexa.

  “In his late seventies. I guess he was young at heart.” Alexa scrambled to adjust her mental image of Carmine Martinelli.

  “Or had an endless supply of little blue pills.” Tyrell smirked.

  “People say the senator was very charming. Still, I’m wondering what this Represent
ative Greer saw in the old guy?” Alexa reached for her phone to look up Greer.

  “Isn’t it always about power in these political relationships?” Melissa suggested. “The old quid pro quo.”

  Alexa showed them the picture of Representative Greer from the Pennsylvania House website. An attractive blond woman in a power suit. “He was very powerful, but jeez.” She did the quick math. “This woman is more than twenty years younger than Martinelli.”

  Melissa sighed. “Maybe it was love.”

  A vision of Mrs. Martinelli and her brood sitting in the church struck Alexa. “Who knows? I saw his wife at the memorial service yesterday. She looked at least seventy.” She paused and turned to Tyrell. “So the police think this is a love triangle? A middle-aged husband dropped an elderly senator off the balcony over an affair.”

  “He could have just waited a few months and Grandpa would have keeled over,” Tyrell drawled. “Now the dude’s facing the death penalty. The plus side―if they arrest this husband, you won’t have to worry about being a witness. Hell, you might not even have to testify.”

  On the drive home, Alexa processed this new information—really just gossip at this point. This whole enraged husband theory sounded pretty implausible, but if true, the identities of the men quarreling with the senator wouldn’t matter. Alexa imagined a new scenario. The argument ends, and the others leave the senator alone. Then, the cuckolded husband emerges from the shadows to hurl Martinelli into the rotunda. She wanted off the hook as a witness. But Alexa had her doubts about this new version. Of course, the police must have evidence if they were targeting the husband.

  As she slowed the Land Rover to turn into her lane, Alexa remembered the weeping woman in deep purple at the memorial service. She’d only seen the woman in profile, but the blonde hair, the age―it could have been Representative Madison Greer. The elegant mourner had seemed very affected by the senator’s death. Alexa let out a long breath. Maybe Tyrell’s gossip was true.

  “Aunt Alexa! She’s here. Hey, Scout.” Courtney and Jamie tumbled to the door when Alexa and her dog entered the house.

  Jamie darted away and came back holding a big chocolate bunny covered in iridescent blue foil. “Look what the Easter Bunny brought me.”

  “Happy Easter, kiddos.” Alexa took off her light coat and carried her basket of apple pies toward the kitchen, following the scent of baking ham. “Guys. Please make sure your candy is up on a table so Scout can’t get it. Chocolate can make dogs sick.” The two kids and the mastiff raced into the family room.

  “Kate, what can I do to help?”

  Alexa’s petite sister-in-law looked up from stirring a big pan of candied sweet potatoes on the gas range.

  “Nothing here. The ham and the baked corn are in the oven. The salad’s done and in the fridge. Dinner’s probably fifteen minutes away.”

  “What about the table?”

  “That ball’s in Graham’s court. Maybe you could check? And make sure the kids aren’t gorging on candy.”

  “Sure.” Alexa headed first to the dining room, where Graham had completed his mission. Set with the good china, the place settings gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the french doors. She continued down the corridor to the family room, where her brother and his children were glued to a Charlie Brown cartoon. Scout had wedged his huge mass between Courtney and Jamie, who were sitting on big floor pillows.

  “Lexie. Happy Easter.” Graham rose and kissed his sister on the top of her head. “How’s the production line going? I tried to help, but Kate threw me out. You know she’s queen of the kitchen.”

  “Dinner’s going to be soon. Do the kids need to wash up first?” Alexa smiled. “I’ll help Kate get everything on the table.”

  “Thanks. I’ll handle the kids.” Graham drifted back to the couch, and Alexa circled back to the kitchen.

  Half an hour later, the family had put a big dent in Kate’s feast. The children, eight-year-old Jamie and his seven-year-old sister Courtney, had eaten most of the food on their plates, despite the candy they’d downed earlier in the morning.

  “Kate, this is an excellent meal.” Alexa took another bite of baked corn.

  Her sister-in-law pushed a strand of strawberry blonde hair from her eyes. “I wasn’t sure I could pull this off. We’re so used to just showing up at your parents’ house, and Susan has everything ready. But it turned out to be fun.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart. You did the Williams family proud, keeping up the tradition.” Graham reached for his wife’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “Mommy, may I be excused?” Jamie asked.

  “Me too,” Courtney squealed, not to be outdone by her brother.

  “You may. We’ll have some of Aunt Lexie’s pie later. After the dishes are done. Finish your Charlie Brown movie.”

  Courtney and Jamie raced from the room. This time, Scout didn’t follow the children. He stuck close to the food.

  Graham shook his head. “A lot has happened this year. Mom and Dad bought the house in Umbria. All the changes at the firm with Dad and Pat retiring.”

  “I miss Mom and Dad, but they’ll be back here most winters. I’m anxious to see the villa. It looks pretty great in the photos.” Alexa smiled.

  “Speaking of changes, did Graham tell you we’re looking to buy a beach house in North Carolina? I’d like to spend part of the summers down there with the kids. Since my parents retired and moved south, I don’t see as much of them as I’d like.” Kate’s expression turned wistful.

  Her husband jumped in. “We’re thinking of this as a two-for; maybe even a three-for. We get to see more of Kate’s parents. You know how much we love the beach. And Mom and Dad will be away during the summer anyway. We figure I could do some long weekends and maybe a week here and there. Kate and the kids could spend at least two months during the kids’ summer vacation.”

  “Wow.” Alexa pushed aside the selfish thought that the entire family was bailing on her and said, “Go for it. It sounds like a great idea. Are you going to hang on to the cabin at Pine Grove?”

  “For now.” Kate took a sip of wine. “We still might want to spend weekends there in the fall. We might rent it out while we’re at the beach.”

  “We’ve selected five beach houses to look at. We’re taking a long weekend soon to check them out.” Graham assumed his lawyer voice. “We’d like to close a deal next month so we have the place for this coming summer.”

  “I hope you can find a place you like.” Alexa’s enthusiasm was sincere. “I can’t complain about Mom and Dad deciding to spend summers in Italy. I love that the cabin’s mine, now. I’ve upgraded the lane, the deck, and the house. I’m still considering a garage, but I might wait until the fall to tackle that. I don’t want noise and workmen everywhere during the summer. I want to be able to relax on the deck whenever.”

  “When are you going to visit Mom and Dad?” Graham asked.

  “Late May. I’m going to stay two weeks.”

  “We may fly over in August before the kids go back to school. We need to see how this beach house thing plays out.” Graham stood and lifted the platter with the remains of the ham.

  “Maybe you can spend a week with us at the beach too,” Kate invited as the three adults carried the remnants of the meal to the kitchen. Scout plodded behind, snatching errant crumbs off the floor.

  When the dishes were nearly finished, Alexa whispered to Graham and Kate. “Scout and I are going out to hide the eggs.”

  Kate laughed. “You don’t have to whisper. When those two are glued to the TV, they can’t hear anything except what they’re watching.”

  Alexa and Scout stashed bright plastic Easter eggs throughout the backyard. Inside the twist-open eggs, Alexa had secreted candies, small change, and miniature images of children’s book covers. The actual books rested on the bottom of the pie basket in the kitchen.

  A few minutes later, the entire family burst out into the bright, sunny afternoon. Graham, Kate, and Alexa sat in la
wn chairs on the patio and watched Courtney and Jamie chase around the yard, trying to find the hidden eggs. Scout ran back and forth between the children.

  “How many do you have?” Alexa shouted. “Bring your baskets over and let’s check if you found them all.”

  Each child removed the eggs and placed them on the table. Jamie dumped his nine in a pile. Courtney arranged her eleven in a perfect line.

  “Cheater,” Jamie yelled. “You have more than me.”

  “Your sister didn’t cheat. She just found more eggs than you did.” Graham’s tone was stern.

  To cut off what she knew would be a lecture, Alexa jumped in. “Plus, you don’t know what’s in your eggs yet. Some have better prizes than others. Why don’t you open them up to see what’s inside? I’m going in to get us some apple pie.”

  By the time they’d opened the eggs, received their books, and eaten a slice of apple pie each, the afternoon sun was setting. Alexa and Scout prepared to leave.

  “Happy Easter, Aunt Lexie. Thanks for the Easter egg hunt.” Courtney’s words were muffled as she raced into the family room.

  Jamie stayed and gave Alexa a little hug. “Thanks. You were right, Aunt Lexie. I got better prizes. I got five books, and Courtney only got four.”

  Alexa laughed. “I hope you and your sister will share the books so you both get to read the stories.” She stood and looked at Graham and Kate. “What a great day. Thanks.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  By the time they arrived home, twilight bathed the forest in shadow. Alexa parked the car, and Scout leapt out. He made a quick trip to the edge of the pines, which towered dark and forbidding in the fading light. Standing on the deck, Alexa felt a frisson of unease as the darkness swallowed the mastiff and he disappeared from sight. She shook off her moment of disquiet, muttering aloud, “Get a grip. You can’t let this Martinelli thing take over your life.”

  “Scout,” she called and waited until the huge dog appeared, loping toward the cabin. Inside, the mastiff headed straight toward his pillow in the living room and collapsed with a loud groan. “Kids wear you out, buddy? I’m beat, too. I’m going to run upstairs and change into sweats.” Passing through the living room, she noticed the light blinking on the answering machine. When she pressed play, she tensed at the sound of John’s voice, expecting him to lay on more guilt for not joining his family this weekend.