“A deposit,” I said, turning down his offer of drinks and snacks and going right for the line waiting for tellers. Being that it was lunchtime, it was long, and I was glad I had Dinah to keep me company. She immediately started talking about her situation with Commander.
“I wonder what he’d do if I said no.” My friend adjusted her long purple scarf and looked to me for an answer. I didn’t want to say anything, but if he was really set on getting married and she didn’t want to, it was possible he would call everything off between them. Personally, I couldn’t understand that. If you loved somebody enough to want to marry them, wouldn’t you want to stay with them even if you didn’t get married?
“Maybe you should tell him your concerns about getting married,” I said.
My friend shook her head at the thought. “How can I tell him that as much as I like to see him, I’m glad when he goes home? I wish I could be caught up in the fairy-tale idea of happily ever after, but I’m past that illusion.”
“I see your point. It would be hard to tell him any of that.” As the line edged forward, I noticed something strange. There was a wreath made out of laurel leaves with black ribbons hanging in front of one of the teller windows, and all the tellers were wearing black armbands. The man in the bad suit cruised by the line to assure us all that we’d be helped soon, and I stopped him to ask about it.
“What’s with the wreath and armbands?”
His too-friendly smile faded, and he leaned close. “We’ve had a terrible tragedy. One of our tellers died, and it’s a very strange situation. Nobody knows exactly what happened to her. Personally I thought we should be more low-key about it, but the manager wanted to show that we care for our customers and our employees.”
I had a bad feeling. “Was her name Delaney Tanner?” I asked.
The man seemed surprised. “Then you know her. She was one of our most outstanding tellers. She treated our customers like they were old friends.”
I didn’t say anything, but I was thinking that some of the customers probably were Delaney’s old friends.
My turn came, and I stepped up to a teller and unzipped the pouch, taking out the stack of bills, checks and deposit slip.
“Oh, this is for the bookstore,” the teller said, making a surprised face. She pointed down toward a teller window with a separate line. “That’s for our merchant accounts.”
“I’m sorry, this is my first time doing this.” I started to retract the money, but she said she’d take care of the deposit this time.
“Is there anything else I have to do?” I took the blue pouch and began to zip it closed.
“That’s it as long as it’s under $10,000.” She pointed out a cup full of lollipops. “Have some candy while I count it. She loaded part of the cash into a machine, and I took the opportunity to ask her about Delaney. “If you had come here last week you would have been dealing with her,” the teller said. I realized the wreath was hanging near the business account window. “The manager calls it customer service, but to me, she seemed a little too talkative. But that’s the style of the banks now. We give you water and roll out a red carpet. We have candy and stickers for the kids. How about we just wait on the people in a timely fashion and not make this into a circus?”
“Well said,” Dinah said with a nod of approval. The teller put the rest of the bills into the machine.
“Those are Delaney’s daughters. Poor girls came in to pick up her things,” the teller continued. Dinah and I turned as two young women came out from an office. The counting machine stopped, and the teller completed the deposit and handed me a slip. “You’re good to go. Have a fabulous day.”
The two young women had been talking to someone whom I supposed was the bank manager. They both had the same rust-colored hair as their mother. I watched them for a moment, remembering how they’d looked as third and fourth graders at the school holiday assembly. It seemed strange to see Marcy and Rachel all grown up. Dinah nudged me. “I know one of them. I didn’t put the name together when the young woman arranging for the shower mentioned that one of Delaney’s daughters had gone to Beasley. Marcy Tanner was my student a while ago. I remember her because I didn’t have to remind her to act like a college student. She wrote some really good papers. I don’t remember the exact details, but it seemed like the family went through some kind of trauma.”
“We should offer our condolences,” I said as Dinah and I crossed the bank and caught up with them before they reached the door.
Dinah didn’t need to introduce herself. Marcy Tanner recognized her immediately, though both she and Rachel gave me a blank look until I mentioned my sons’ names.
“We’re so sorry about your mother,” I said. I was at a loss as to what to say to them next, so I just kept blabbing, and the next thing I knew, I’d invited them to join us for lunch. They both agreed readily, which surprised me. It took Dinah and me a moment to come up with a place to go. Under the circumstances, a loud café didn’t seem like the right setting. “I know just the place,” I said finally.
Los Encinos State Park was one of my favorite locales. It was made up of a natural spring that fed a small lake surrounded by a couple of acres of grounds. There was an old ranch house and some other buildings that had been turned into a sort of museum. Recently, a restaurant on the edge of the place had been redone, and part of it was incorporated in the park. When we regrouped a few minutes later outside the park, I led the way to the outdoor patio that overlooked the water, which was filled with ducks and geese, and we were given a table.
We used to take my boys to the “duck pond,” as we called it, all the time when they were small. I assumed Delaney’s daughters had gone there, too. I thought it might be a soothing spot for them. I didn’t plan to grill them, but if some useful information came up, I wasn’t going to turn it down. I didn’t have to say anything to Dinah, because she knew how I operated.
For a few minutes we just enjoyed the surroundings and placed our orders. I liked breakfast no matter the time of day and picked out an omelet. When the waiter left, there was an awkward moment of quiet while we all sipped our water. I finally broke the silence by saying I hadn’t seen their mother for years. I didn’t mention that I’d actually seen her the day before. That was all it took for both girls to start talking.
“I don’t think anybody appreciated what our mother did,” Marcy said. “Our father died when Rachel and I were in high school. It turned out he’d cashed in whatever life insurance he had, and we were left with nothing but his debts. My mother had to sell our house, and we moved into an apartment, but she never complained about anything and just did what she had to do. She hadn’t had a real job for years, but she took whatever she could get. We all got jobs.” Marcy looked to me. “You must know how friendly my mother was. She made relationships when she worked at the cleaners, which led her to get a job at a jeweler’s.”
I mentioned that I knew Delaney had worked at Shedd & Royal. “That was really a second job,” Rachel said. “But it led to her becoming a teller at the bank. Our mother worked so hard to keep things going after our father died. She really liked working at the bank, though. She hinted recently that it was going to get even better, like maybe she was going to get a promotion.” Rachel was beginning to tear up. “I just wish I had told her how much I appreciated everything she did.”
I offered her a sympathetic pat as I thought about how my situation had been so different. I was devastated when Charlie died, but he had taken care of everything and left me very comfortable in the financial department. I felt a twinge, thinking just like Rachel that I wished I could say thank you.
The waiter brought the food, and the conversation stopped momentarily. Dinah had stayed silent up until now, but as the waiter left she jumped in.
“It sounds like your mother had things to look forward to,” she said.
“I know why you’re saying that, Mrs. Lyons,
” Marcy said. “Our mother was not depressed. She’d come through a hard time, but she was making the most of things. She liked her job at the bank. She was always talking about her customers. I was surprised at all she knew about them, but then she was smart and really friendly. And, no, neither of us have any idea what she was doing in CeeCee Collins’s guest apartment. I don’t think she even knew CeeCee Collins, though my mother was very discreet. She talked about customers but never named names.”
“We had to go over all of it with some detective,” Rachel said. “It had to have been some kind of accident.” The waiter refilled our water glasses. When he left, Rachel continued. “I know she had some plans that night, but she didn’t tell me what they were. I’ve been racking my brain, trying to remember any little detail. I just remember she seemed happy, not depressed.”
There was something else on my mind, but I wasn’t sure how to say it so they would understand that I wasn’t just being nosy but was trying to help find out what happened. Finally, I just said it. “Was your mother seeing anyone?”
Rachel and Marcy traded looks, and finally Rachel spoke. “We wanted her to meet someone and tried to get her to sign up for online dating, but she wouldn’t do it. She said if she met someone it would have to be the old-fashioned way. I don’t think she was seeing anyone, but if she was, she didn’t tell us.”
The conversation died off after that, and we concentrated on our food. The Tanner sisters finished first and set their napkins on the table. “Thank you so much for this, but we have to go,” Marcy said. “There are details we have to take care of.” She let out a heavy sigh. Dinah and I stood when they got up, and they hugged both of us.
“Thank you again. You have no idea how nice this was. You let us talk. It’s been nothing but questions from the cops or us having to try and tell other people that it’s okay, when it’s anything but.”
Rachel turned to me. “I know your reputation as some kind of amateur detective. Please let me know if you find out anything about what really happened.”
After they left, Dinah and I spent a few minutes walking on the grounds of the park. We’d bought some feed from a dispenser and were dropping handfuls to the ducks that clamored at our feet. “What did you think of their answer to that last question?” I asked. “Do you think Delaney would have been seeing someone and not told them?”
Dinah took a moment to think. “The best way for me to judge is by what I’ve told my kids about any men in my life.” Dinah was long divorced, and her kids were grown and lived out of state. “They don’t know about Commander,” she said finally. “The way I look at it is, if we get engaged, I’ll tell them.”
“So you’re saying you think that Delaney could have been seeing someone but didn’t tell them.”
“She could have been waiting to see if it was going to go anywhere.” Dinah threw the last of the grain to the ducks.
“But that doesn’t help us figure out what she was doing in CeeCee’s guest apartment. I don’t think CeeCee is lying when she says she doesn’t know.”
“What about Tony?” Dinah said. “Do you think he has something going on the side? And if so, would he do anything as crass as actually meet that someone on CeeCee’s property?” I watched a mother with two toddlers go by. The toddlers had almost the same walk as the pair of ducks in front of them.
“I hope not.” I glanced at my cell phone to check the time and saw that a reminder had come up. “Oh no. How could I have forgotten about tonight?” Dinah had a blank look, and it was clear she’d forgotten as well.
“The promo for Yarn U. The idea is that all the teachers will show off what they are going to teach, including you. How could I have forgotten? I’m supposed to be the assistant manager, and I forgot something as important as this!”
Dinah stepped in. “You’ve had a few things on your mind. We all have. After what happened at CeeCee’s, it’s a wonder you remember anything.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “Okay, now take a deep breath and then let it out. It’s not too late. We just have to make a few calls.”
What would I do without my best friend?
CHAPTER 12
It turned out that only Dinah and I had forgotten about the Yarn U Preview that night. Well, CeeCee had, too, but under the circumstances, I didn’t think that counted. I told her not to worry about it. Her class was going to be a onetime thing showing how to make items for charity. It was going to be free, at her insistence, and I was sure it would be full. Despite her earlier fussiness, Rhoda said she would be there, and Elise was coming and bringing samples of the projects for her class as well as some kits in case someone didn’t want to sign up for a class but still wanted to make something vampire style. Eduardo was full of apologies about missing all the group things lately, but he promised to attend with samples of his lacy crochet work. Adele already had all of her things at the bookstore. And luckily, Dinah had all her pieces in her tote bag.
I saved contacting Sheila until last, but I was completely surprised when she seemed okay with showing off a sample of the hug. Though she did make sure that all she had to do was stand there and let her work speak for itself. What a relief. I had somehow managed to pull off the reminders without giving anyone an inkling that I’d forgotten. I didn’t even think Mrs. Shedd realized it as I went around the store, putting up signs on the posters for Yarn U directing people to the yarn department.
The rest of the setup was easy. I just had to move the chairs away from the long table in the yarn department and put out cards with the class names and instructors, along with lots of sign-up sheets. And then it was home to take care of the animals.
* * *
“Oh, you’re here,” I yelped in surprise as I came through my kitchen door. My son Peter was standing at the counter, eating a bowl of the vegetable stew. He set down the spoon momentarily.
“Sorry if I scared you. I left messages everywhere that I was stopping by. You still don’t look at texts, do you?” I didn’t think he expected an answer.
“I’m guessing you heard about the excitement.” I slipped off my jacket and set it down.
“An unknown body is found in a celebrity’s guest quarters by a crochet group—yes, I heard about it, and I saw you running away from the news crew. Actually, it was my assistant who said, ‘Isn’t that your mother running away from the reporter?’ Mother, not again. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have my assistant point out that my mother found another dead body? He made all kinds of jokes calling you Hercule Pink, Molly Marple, and Sherlock Hooks.” Apparently Peter’s assistant knew about my crocheting.
There was reproach in his voice. Peter dearly wanted me to keep a low profile—or maybe no profile. He was a TV agent and very concerned about his image. He’d been ambitious from the time he was a kid and had a lemonade stand that offered iced, blended drinks.
“It’s not an unknown body anymore,” was the only thing I could think of to say.
“I know who it is.” He said it in a dismissive manner, as if he didn’t want to talk about the fact that he had gone to school with Delaney’s daughter. “You should be more careful. I know you and your friends go sticking your noses where they don’t belong.”
I told him not to worry, that me and my friends were Teflon when it came to trouble. He didn’t see the humor in it and went back to eating the stew.
“Why don’t you sit down and eat?” I said, doing my best Vanna White impression to show off the built-in kitchen table.
“No time.” He tilted the bowl and got the last of the broth onto his spoon. Peter disapproved of just about everything I did, so in the hopes of avoiding him going through the laundry list of everything I was doing wrong, I changed the subject.
“I saw an old friend of yours. Erin Willis. She has another name now, and I can’t remember what it is, but she reminded me that you two went to prom together. She’s going to have a baby, and her mother wants to d
o the baby shower at the bookstore.” He had his back to me, and I couldn’t see his brown eyes, but I had the feeling they were glazing over. Now that I thought about it, it occurred to me that Peter had probably asked her more because of who her father was than any great love between them. “You must see Evan Willis all the time. Isn’t one of the shows you packaged with Wolf Films?”
When he turned, he had that look that kids give their parents—basically a how-can-you-be-so-clueless look. “Mother, Evan Willis hasn’t been at Wolf Films for a few years. And when he was, it had nothing to do with my work.”
“I suppose they gave him some kind of production deal when he left,” I said, trying to prove that I wasn’t as clueless as he thought. Peter shook his head in distress at what I’d just said. I guessed that meant I was beyond clueless.
“No, he didn’t get a production deal. Last I heard he was out of the business.”
“He must be doing something that pays well. They still have the house with the tennis court, and Erin Willis didn’t even ask the price of the crochet shower. She just said they wanted the deluxe package.”
Peter just shook his head again as he put his bowl in the dishwasher and slipped his suit jacket back on. I opened the door and let the herd of animals go outside. Even Blondie came across the house to join them. I followed them outside to supervise the cats, and a moment later Peter joined me.
As much as I’d tried to avoid it, I got the laundry list of everything I was doing wrong. It started with me dating a homicide detective, even though that was ancient history now, and went into how I shouldn’t be letting my other son live with me or have all these animals. His final point was I should downsize and relocate to some condo settlement meant for older people. Then he surprised me by giving me an awkward hug. The best I could guess was that it was because there was no one around. “The stew was good. Thank you.” More surprise. Peter couldn’t be accused of overusing those two words.
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