by Susan Harper
"Do you think Donnie would have taken it?” asked Felicity.
Linda frowned. “I don’t think so. My uncle’s not exactly a devious sort. He was mad at his mom about not letting him have the table at his house, but I don’t think he would outright steal it. I mean, my mom used to bring it to his house all the time without Grandma Rose knowing, so I don’t think it would be that big of a deal to him to where he would feel like he needed to steal it.”
All while Linda was speaking, Felicity had been scribbling notes in her notebook, but Linda didn’t seem to notice. Felicity offered her condolences again just as Jefferson was arriving with some punch. He sat down next to Linda, and she thanked him for the drink. Before they could say much more, Felicity noticed Linda’s brother Tommy slipping out of the waiting area. “Excuse me, you two,” she said and made a quick departure, leaving Jefferson alone with Linda.
Where are you going, Tommy, Felicity wondered as she dipped into a back hallway. She saw Tommy turning the corner away from her just in time, so she hurried after him. A part of her expected to catch him in some devious act with the way he had so carefully tried to slip away unnoticed. Had Tommy gotten tired of taking care of his grandmother and decided to end it?
Felicity turned the corner, and there was Tommy sitting on the dirty ground with his back pressed up against the wall. He had his hands covering his face, and Felicity could hear him attempting to stifle some sniffles. Now she felt bad for her suspicion. He had simply needed a moment to himself. She cleared her throat. He glanced up, quickly wiped his face, and started to struggle to his feet. “No, sit,” Felicity insisted and then plopped down next to him, her notebook tucked under her arm. “Are you all right, Tommy?”
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “I just keep thinking that this is my fault. That I shouldn’t have left my grandma alone in the morgue. Someone killed her while I was gone!”
Felicity shook her head. “I don’t think so, Tommy. All you did was go upstairs to the lobby to get her some punch. There’s no way you were gone long enough for someone to force her to drink something and then long enough for her body to break down what she ate and create that gas that hurt Autumn. The coroner got here way too fast, and Autumn started the autopsy as soon as you and Linda gave the okay. Whoever poisoned her must have done it much earlier than that. Your grandmother isn’t dead because you left her alone for just a few minutes to go get her some punch.”
Tommy nodded as though this was somewhat reassuring, but after a moment, his face contorted into something unsettling. “Do you mean to tell me that someone might have poisoned her earlier in the night right in front of me, and I didn’t even notice?”
“I don’t know, Tommy,” said Felicity. “Why don’t you just tell me what happened this evening? Anything you remember?”
He slumped his shoulders and bent his legs to hug his knees. He seemed to be thinking for a moment before he spoke. “Well, we were by ourselves at her house before we came here. She was a lot more like herself today, earlier today, that is. It was one of her good days. She was laughing and joking around with me like she used to do before the Alzheimer’s got really bad. She was even the one who came up with the crazy cat lady idea. Lizzy, one of my grandma’s great-granddaughters on her deceased husband’s side, had come to visit a few days before and had left all these stuffed animal cats of hers. You should have seen how Grandma cackled about the crazy cat lady idea. She thought she was so clever. That’s the kind of Grandma Rose I’d like to remember. Not the Alzheimer’s version of her, you know?”
Felicity nodded and smiled at Tommy. “It’s good that you got to spend some time with her like that.”
“It’s been a long time since she’s been like that. It didn’t last long, though. Almost as soon as we got to the hospital, she started acting like, well, a loon. She was cussing and yelling all night. She was being demanding. One minute, she was thirsty, and the next, she wasn’t. Sometimes she wanted to go to the lobby to listen to music, but then the music would be too loud. She’d want to sit still but then would yell at me because I stopped pushing her. She yelled at everyone, and not just family, just anyone who she perceived to be in her way. She cussed out poor Candice once because she didn’t get her tobacco for her fast enough. I mean, it was such a disappointment.
“I had wanted everyone to see Grandma Rose tonight while she was acting like herself again, you know? But no one got to because she just fell back into her delusional self. She had even bit me once tonight when I told her I wasn’t going to take her to see the stupid haunted house. I mean, she doesn’t have any teeth, but that still hurt. I was just so tired, and I needed a breather. I took her to the morgue and set her wheelchair up outside of the actual haunted house. I told the woman in the witch costume…your friend Autumn…that I would be right back and was going to get my Grandma and myself some punch before I pushed her through the haunted house. Knowing Grandma, she probably yelled at Autumn and decided she wanted to just push herself through the haunted house without me, and, well, we know what happened then…” Tommy’s voice trailed off.
Felicity remained silent for a moment. “It’s not your fault, Tommy,” she reminded him.
“Thanks,” he said. “She used to be so sweet. I know it’s not my fault, but I still feel bad for neglecting her even if it was just for a few minutes. I just needed a few minutes is all. I just needed five minutes to myself. I hate that she died while I was gone. That’s not the way it should have happened. She should have died at home in her bed, maybe in her sleep. Not by herself in some creepy haunted house in a morgue!”
Felicity waited before speaking. She gave Tommy a moment to get a hold of himself before she asked, “At any point during the night tonight, did you ever leave your grandma alone with anyone? Like a family member?”
Tommy seemed to think for a minute before answering. “Um…yes, actually. When we first got here, I had to use the bathroom. I left Grandma Rose with my cousin Stacy’s husband Rodney. But that had been hours before she died. If she was killed by cyanide like what the police are saying, then it wouldn’t have taken so long…or she would have at least showed some symptoms, right? And Rodney, I don’t think he would… No, he wouldn’t. And besides, I was only gone for a few minutes to pee.”
“Yes,” Felicity agreed, mostly to appease Tommy. The last thing she wanted was for Tommy to get upset with Rodney just because of something she said. “I’m sure you’re right. Tommy, are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, I think so,” he said. “I just needed a minute alone…but thank you for coming to check on me, Felicity. You’re very kind.”
“Of course. Why don’t I walk you back into the waiting room?” she asked as she stood up and then offered Tommy a hand to help him up as well. He took her hand and rose to his feet; he did one more wipe of his face for insurance, then he followed her back to the waiting room where his family was gathered.
Felicity quickly scribbled some notes down before tucking her notebook back under her arm. She wasn’t sure just yet, but she felt that she might just have a few leads.
Chapter 8
The police decided that they weren’t going to shut the entire party down since most of their suspects had gathered in one room. They simply shut down the wing of the hospital that would grant anyone access to the morgue and put up some yellow tape to keep people from wandering away from the lobby where the bulk of the party was taking place. Most partygoers still had no idea that someone had died or that a murder had taken place; they had likely heard the Code Orange, so most guests seemed to assume that the chemical spill was the only reason the party was being restricted to the lobby/dance hall.
Currently, a hazmat team was in the morgue cleaning up the area to ensure the safety of the detectives. The two detectives who had been called in were already down in the morgue dressed in their suits. The detectives had assured Jack that there were no more suits, so he needed to stay with the family members. Felicity was fairly certain that there were i
ndeed additional hazmat suits, but the Newnan police were still not pleased with having to work with Jack.
While Jack was stuck on babysitting duty for the Younglings, Felicity and Jefferson decided to seek out Stacy and her husband Rodney after having learned that Rodney had been left alone with Grandma Rose, even if it had only been for a brief amount of time. So far, it was the only lead they had, and Felicity intended to pursue every possible clue that they had. Stacy was with the family, but when Felicity asked about her husband’s whereabouts, the woman had shrugged. Stacy seemed a bit distraught and it was as though she had not even noticed her husband’s absence. “He might be at the party,” said Stacy. “This sort of thing makes him really uncomfortable. He’s the kind of guy who hides out in the bathroom at a funeral.”
Felicity and Jefferson thanked her and headed back to the hospital’s lobby, where the party was still in full swing, in hopes of finding Rodney. The hospital had grown increasingly crowded, which was probably why the police had decided not to throw everyone out. They wanted to keep what happened quiet so they didn’t cause a scene. A murder in a haunted house taking place in a morgue on Halloween night would cause an excited and unnecessary frenzy that the Youngling family simply did not need.
“I don’t see him anywhere,” Felicity moaned. She glanced Jefferson’s way. “You’re still wearing your costume? Aren’t you cold? You got soaked.”
Jefferson shrugged. “I don’t have a change of clothes. It’s drying up, though. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re going to get sick,” Felicity scolded. She scanned the crowd again and huffed. “I honestly didn’t expect this big of a crowd. I hope we had enough food for everybody.”
“A lot of the crowd showed up way after dinner, so I think half these people are just snacking a little bit. We should be good,” Jefferson assured. He nudged her suddenly. “Look, I spy a Youngling.”
Felicity glanced in the direction that Jefferson was nodding. Over by the drink table was Candice dressed in a Snow White costume; she had found a tray and was gradually placing plastic cups on top and filling them up with punch. “Maybe she’s seen Rodney. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to interview another Youngling. She might know something. Tommy did say that she brought Rose her tobacco tonight.”
“I wonder if Candice would give us the recipe for her apple pies?”
Jefferson grinned.
“I bet you scarfed yours down in one sitting, didn’t you?” Felicity teased as they approached the drink table.
“Don’t judge me.”
Felicity stifled a giggle and then tapped on Candice’s shoulder. “Hey, Candice,” Felicity said. “What are you doing out here?”
Candice looked at Felicity for a moment and then perked up. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you! Hey, Felicity. I’m just getting some punch for the family. Everyone’s all cooped up in that waiting room, and honestly, I think I needed to get out for a minute before I got all worked up again.”
“That’s really sweet of you to get everyone drinks. Can we help?” Felicity asked.
“I think I got it. I was able to find this tray, so I should be good. I think there’s room on here…for some food, maybe? I’m sure not everyone had a chance to eat before everything happened,” she said.
“I’ll grab something for you,” Jefferson offered.
“Thanks. If you could just grab some finger type food so everyone can just pick. If anyone is totally starving, they can come down here,” said Candice.
Jefferson gave Felicity a nod before heading to the food table to fill a plate for Candice. “I’m sorry about your grandmother,” said Felicity. “I’ve been told you two were very close.”
Candice frowned as she began filling up the cups with punch. “Yeah. She raised me. She was practically my mom.”
“Oh?” Felicity frowned. “I didn’t know.”
“My mom was Grandma Rose’s oldest, and she passed away a few years after I was born. Dad was really neglectful. He wasn’t a bad guy or anything, he was just young and stupid and had no idea what he was doing, and child protective services were going to take me away until my grandmother stepped in. Dad signed over his parental rights to her so that I wouldn’t have to grow up in the system. I liked living with my grandma growing up. She was like a sour patch kid—sour and then sweet. She had a fierce personality but was also a complete sweetheart. She’s the one who taught me how to bake. That apple pie recipe was hers; she taught it to me.”
Felicity offered Candice a smile. “I think it’s funny that you’re the apple pie lady and that you dressed up as Snow White.”
Candice looked down at herself and then laughed. “Yeah, I guess that is pretty funny, isn’t it? Kind of like how you’re dressed up as Nancy Drew, and you’re supposedly this local super sleuth, right?”
Felicity nodded. “Jefferson’s idea. He’s actually pretty smart when it comes to marketing. He should have gone to school for it instead of wasting his time with me.”
Candice smiled. “I’m sure he’s happy working for a pretty woman like you. And, shoot, he’s freaking cute. Are you two…well, you know?”
Felicity blushed and quickly changed the subject. “Listen, Candice, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind me asking you a question about something you said at the reunion?”
“Go right ahead,” she said as she finished pouring punch into the last cup. She pointed to one cup at a time, counting them.
“At the reunion, you said something about Tommy when we were talking about how he was helping out your grandmother. Something about hoping he was doing it for the right reason. What did you mean by that?” asked Felicity.
Candice sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. That’s just me being paranoid. Tommy is a great guy. I guess since Grandma Rose is sort of both a mom and a grandma to me, I’ve always been a little extra protective of her. When Tommy just up and moved in with her two years ago when she started getting sick…well, there was a rumor going around the family that maybe he was just trying to weasel his way into getting her to change her will. I know Tommy would never do that, but you never know. I guess I was just worried that maybe he was taking advantage of her. He doesn’t have a job or anything; he dropped everything to take care of Grandma Rose. I should be grateful, not suspicious.”
“Thank you for being honest with me,” Felicity said.
Jefferson arrived with two plates full of finger foods, and they fit perfectly onto the tray. “Thanks, Jefferson!” Candice said and smiled brightly at him.
Felicity and Jefferson had made an assortment of sandwiches and other finger foods to go along with their main course. Felicity was glad they had chosen to make the sandwiches, as they were coming in handy to feed the Younglings.
“So, Candice, I’m just curious as to whether or not you could possibly think of anyone who would want to hurt your grandmother? Growing up with her, you probably know her better than anyone,” Felicity said.
“You got that right! But as far as enemies, I can’t really think of anybody. I mean, who would want to hurt an old woman who didn’t really have much time left anyway? But, honestly, until her Alzheimer’s started really getting to her, she always got along so well with everyone. Well, except maybe Rodney.”
“Oh?” Jefferson asked.
“Well, it’s not really Rodney’s fault. I mean, maybe it is, I don’t know. The family hasn’t ever really liked him. I guess we’re all just old-fashioned. The whole stay-at-home dad thing is a little weird, and Grandma Rose has never been shy about letting Rodney know she thinks he’s a creep for it. I did hear that Rodney and Stacy are fighting right now, though. Stacy quit her job, so it sounds like Rodney is going to have to work. We’re all pretty sure he married Stacy for her money.”
“Interesting,” Felicity said. “Listen, Candice, I’m certainly not accusing Rodney of anything, but do you know whether or not Stacy and Rodney are in your grandmother’s will?”
Candice chuckled. “Oh, I don’t really know what’s in her will. At le
ast, I don’t know the details of it. I do know that she has some really fancy life insurance policy. She took out a really expensive one that will give money to her kids as well as her grandchildren. I guess if you think about it that way, pretty much everyone could be a suspect because we’re all going to be getting checks thanks to that crazy policy she has.” She stood upright and picked up the tray of drinks and food. “I should probably get going.”
“Have you seen Rodney anywhere?” Jefferson asked.
“Yeah. He went to check out your little detective exhibit you had set up,” she said before thanking Jefferson again for helping her fix a plate of food, and soon she was gone.
Felicity whipped out her notebook and got right to work on writing down everything she could recall form her conversation with Candice. She filled Jefferson in on what he missed while he had been fixing the plates. “Rodney is kind of starting to look suspicious,” said Jefferson. “But Candice is right. Anyone who knew about that insurance policy could be a possible suspect.”
“But if Stacy just quit her job and Rodney is suddenly going to be responsible for becoming the family breadwinner, a nice check would be pretty tempting,” Felicity said. “But I think we need to talk to Rodney before we make any assumptions.”
Jefferson nodded. “Agreed. Let’s go find Rodney.”
Chapter 9
Felicity and Jefferson didn’t find Rodney at the detective exhibit, but they assumed that they had merely missed him so they expanded their search back toward the party. “You know,” Jefferson griped as they made a circle around the lobby in search of Rodney. “You would think he would be a little more upset about his wife’s grandmother dying to the point where he would not feel like partying.”