Death by Association: The Wellington Cozy Mystery series

by M A Comley

  Lucy nodded, but remained thoughtful as she finished the first half of her burger. “I’m going to get the waitress to give me a doggy bag for the rest. I’d forgotten how big these were.”

  “Ask her for one for me, too, would you?”

  Lucy flagged down the waitress the next time she passed the table. “Could we get a couple to-go boxes for the rest of our burgers?”

  “Two?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Sure. Let me drop this coffee off to the other customers and I’ll get them for you.”

  Lucy watched the waitress cross the room and tend to the table with the four men. Interestingly, the girl appeared to lean in provocatively, especially toward Dr. Stiltson. Lucy noticed the redness emerge on his neck. His hand moved towards his silverware and he turned to casually look out the window. It didn’t take long for Lucy to work out that he knew the waitress, maybe on an intimate level. He was pretending not to notice her. The girl was talking to him and then cackled loudly at her own words. Dr. Stiltson’s neck grew even redder.

  “Oh my, she’s flirting with him,” Lucy said out loud without realizing it.

  “Who?”

  “The waitress. She’s behaving in a provocative manner with Dr. Stiltson.”

  “Silly, don’t all girls flirt with older, wealthy men?”

  Lucy found it difficult to draw her eyes away, but said, “Maybe, I suppose you’re right.”

  The waitress had filled all four of their coffee cups and now turned away, the expression on her face one of dejection. The girl walked past their table. “I’ll be right back with those boxes,” she said in a low, sad voice.

  “Poor thing,” Jenny remarked. “I know what it’s like—”

  Lucy reached over to pat Jenny’s arm. She removed her scarf from the sleeve of her coat and arranged it around her neck.

  The waitress appeared then with two Styrofoam boxes. “Here you go,” she said. She put them on the table and lay the check on top. The girl reached up to wipe tears from her eyes.

  “Is everything okay?” Jenny, the more sensitive of them, was first to express compassion.

  The girl shrugged. “Sometimes, I hate men,” she said, her voice more hurt than angry.

  “Yes, men can be so insensitive. I hope you find someone who deserves you,” Jenny told the girl.

  The waitress picked up the check and the $20 bill that Lucy had laid on it. “I’ll be back with your change.” This time Lucy caught a glance at the waitress’ name tag. ‘Connie.’

  “No, keep it as a tip,” Lucy replied. The waitress nodded and offered a glimpse of a smile. Lucy tucked her chair under the table and slipped into her coat. She then helped Jenny on with hers, and the two of them left the café and got into Jenny’s van.

  “That was strange,” Lucy murmured. “I haven’t seen him for a long time. His hair has gone gray and he looked heavier, to the point I nearly didn’t recognize him.”

  “Haven’t we all?” said Jenny, letting out a laugh.

  “Do you happen to like Humphrey Bogart?” Lucy asked, changing the subject.

  “Absolutely. I love all those old movies.”

  “Then let’s get back and pick out a classic to watch,” Lucy said. “Hang on, I seem to recall seeing that Casablanca is on tonight. Let’s go home and get into our pajamas and watch it, shall we?”

  Jenny smiled and fired up the engine.

  “Oh no! We forgot our burgers.”

  “It won’t be the first time I’ve done that.”

  “No, really, we can finish them while we are watching the movie. I’ll be right back. I hope the waitress hasn’t chucked them out. I bet they’re used to people forgetting them.” Lucy lifted the handle on the van and slid out the door. She trotted up to the café front door just as it flew open. Dr Stiltson was standing there. “Oh! I’m sorry. Please forgive me, I was in a rush.”

  “No problem. You look familiar.”

  Lucy nodded. “Yes, I’m a former patient of yours, Dr. Stiltson.” She watched his expression and saw recognition dawn in his eyes.

  “Oh, yes, of course. Have a good evening.” He hurried past her and disappeared around the corner of the building toward the side parking lot.

  Lucy went inside and sure enough, the two Styrofoam boxes were sitting stacked on the table where they’d sat. She grabbed them and rushed out to the van. “Got them,” she said as she climbed inside. “We’d better get going. The movie starts soon.”

  Jenny competently drove the large van toward the house; in the meantime, the questions swirled in Lucy’s mind. It had been obvious that the doctor and the waitress knew one another. The girl had gone out of her way to flirt with him while he had flushed and looked away. Something didn’t feel right about the situation. Usually, men reveled in having such attention thrown at them, didn’t they? So what the heck was his problem, and how did they know one another? Could she be one of his patients? Would she be flirting with him in front of the other men if she was?

  17

  Someone knocking on the front door woke Lucy from a deep sleep the next morning. She sat on the edge of her sofa, rubbed her eyes and then wrapped herself in the quilt. Being cautious, she peeked out the kitchen window, but could only see a strange car sitting in the drive. She cranked open one of the side windows and called out, “Who’s there?”

  A figure stepped back from the door, and Lucy frowned; it was Sophia Dillon, an old school friend she hadn’t seen for many years. She jerked open the front door and threw her arms around Sophia. “Is it you? Is it really you?”

  “It’s me. You don’t know how much trouble I had finding you.” Sophia stepped in and kicked off her shoes and hugged Lucy a second time. “I ended up at the police station and a very nice man there told me exactly where you live. In fact, I got the distinct impression that he might know you.” There was a twinkle in her blue eyes.

  “Brendon?”

  Sophia nodded, a broad grin lighting up her face. “Oh, my, you have no idea how good it is to see you again.”

  Lucy heard a noise over her shoulder and turned to see Jenny coming out of the bedroom in her wheelchair. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, Jenny. Look who’s here. Do you remember Sophia?”

  “Yes, I do. We weren’t close like you two, but I remember her from school. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to freshen up and get dressed before I join you. If you’re making coffee, please save me a cup?”

  Sophia nodded. “We didn’t have any classes together, but I remember seeing you in the hallways. You go ahead and take your time. I’m not in any hurry and if you don’t mind, Lucy and I have a lot to catch up on.”

  Jenny waved with a smile and then disappeared into the bathroom.

  Lucy beamed, so excited to see her dear friend again. “Sophia, please, sit down and make yourself at home. Jenny is staying with me temporarily and I’ve given her my bedroom. While she’s in the bathroom, I’m going to run in and grab some clothes from my dresser and throw them on. I’ll be back before you can blink.” Lucy headed to the bedroom and heard Sophia say behind her, “I don’t know. I can blink pretty fast.”

  A few minutes later, when Lucy returned to the kitchen, she found Sophia sitting at the table, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. She had laid out two additional place settings, each one with its own waiting cup, and in the center of the table was a plate piled high with donuts. “Where on earth did you find those? I didn’t have any donuts.”

  “I brought them with me. Sit down and tell me what’s been going on in your life since we last saw each other. Let’s start with that hunk of good lookin’ I just met downtown. Is this a potential?”

  Lucy laughed. “We used to really dislike each other, but I guess the worst enemies can find a middle ground. I don’t know, things change. I suppose something happened, and we just began to drift closer. We were thrown into some tempestuous situations– what with him being a cop and me being a newspaper reporter at the time. Enough about me, wha
t are you doing and where do you live?”

  “I…” Sophia cut her sentence short and acknowledged the arrival of Jenny. “Join us. I come bearing gifts. A whole platter of donuts. We can snack and chat.”

  “Two of my favorite things,” Jenny said and drew up to the table. Sophia jumped up to pour a coffee for each of them, truly making herself at home.

  “Anyway, as I was saying, I’m living down the coast in a little town on the beach in South Carolina. I guess you can probably hear a twang in my speech now.”

  Lucy nodded. “Now that you mention it…”

  “I knew you’d pick up on it. Down there, they call me a Yankee and believe me, that’s not a compliment.”

  Lucy laughed and sneaked an iced donut from the platter. “Are you married? Kids? Job?”

  “Hmmm… no, no, and I’m a professional psychic, in that order.”

  “Whaaaat?” Lucy responded.

  “Oh, goodie,” Jenny said.

  “When did all that start?” Lucy pressed her friend.

  “Well…” Sophia tossed her head from side to side, flinging her long blonde hair over her shoulders. “You remember when we were in school you always said I was lucky? I won the football pools, knew which girls were going to get pregnant and which would get thrown over by their boyfriends?”

  “Come to think of it, yes, I do remember that. You would come to school with an umbrella when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Does that mean you can see into the future?”

  “Future, present, past. I guess you could say that the whole world of spiritual phenomenon is an open book to me.”

  Jenny leaned in. “That’s just fascinating to me.”

  “Oh, no, don’t get too excited. Nothing that good is perfect. Believe me, it has its downsides as well.”

  “Oh! Do tell!” Jenny begged.

  Lucy gave Sophia a warning glance, unsure whether either of them might get spooked by what she was about to tell them.

  Sophia nodded slightly. “Sometimes, you see things you don’t want to see. Like the time I saw a cavity way back here,” she pointed to the back of her mouth, “and I knew I’d have to get it filled or maybe even have a crown. They’re hard to get to back there, you know.”

  “I’ve had some psychic episodes myself. Nothing like what you describe, but all the same. That’s why I was interested in how they came to you. Wanted to do a comparison, you see.” Jenny picked at the donut on her plate.

  Lucy felt the need to suddenly change the subject. “Where are you staying?”

  “Oh, I’ll get a motel down on the highway.”

  “I wouldn’t hear of it. I have a cot in the attic. I’ll have that and you can sleep on the sofa. That is, if you don’t mind?”

  “Mind? I’d love it. It’ll be just like the old pajama party days we used to have. I’ll grab my bag in a while. I brought you a little present, anyway. You can both share it.” Sophia reached for her giant seashell shaped handbag and dug around inside. She withdrew a box and laid it on the table.

  “Saltwater taffy!” cried Jenny in delight. “Oh, I love this stuff.” She looked at Lucy and pointed at the box. “May I?”

  “Help yourself.”

  The three of them eventually left the kitchen and went into the living room to talk about their high school days. Before long, morning had melted into afternoon.

  Jenny began backing out of the room. “You two go right ahead without me. I always take an afternoon nap.”

  Lucy looked up, concerned. “Do you need anything?”

  “Oh, no. I’m fine. Talk to you both at dinner.”

  “Oh, can we go out and eat somewhere? My treat?” Sophia asked.

  “If you insist,” Lucy said.

  Jenny waved over her shoulder. “Good. See you both when I get up.”

  Lucy and Sophia went back to rehashing their schooldays.

  Sophia suddenly stood up and walked into Lucy’s office, motioning for Lucy to follow. Sophia gestured for Lucy to sit down and collected a small chair for herself from the living room.

  “I need to talk to you, Lucy,” she said, lowering her voice. “I didn’t want to bring it up in front of Jenny. I didn’t want to scare her.”

  Lucy leaned forward and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong, per se, well, not exactly. I hope you don’t mind me showing up out of the blue like this, but I felt compelled to come.”

  Lucy’s body tensed. “Okay. I love having you here, but it sounds like this is more than old friends catching up. I haven’t seen you in years and then you’re sitting here with me in my office.”

  “All right, I’m just going to come out with it. As I told you, I’m a psychic. I didn’t realize that’s what it was back in the day, but as I began seeking counseling for what was going on in my head, I finally found a therapist who knew what she was doing. Turned out, I wasn’t mentally unstable after all—I was mentally able. There’s a big difference.”

  “I guess so. But what does this have to do with me?”

  Sophia patted her hand. “I’m coming to that. We haven’t seen one another for a very long time and I live states away. But recently, I’ve been dreaming about you. They’re not the usual type of dreams either, Lucy.”

  “What do you mean? You’re scaring me.”

  “I know and I’m sorry, but this needs to be said. I knew I couldn’t just look your number up and call you. I doubted if you would have believed me over the phone, anyway. I had to come and see you in person. To impress upon you how much danger you’re in right now.”

  “Are you serious?” Lucy gripped the edge of her desk.

  “I’m afraid so. I know there’s every chance you’ll think of me as a nutter, I accept that. I’d have doubts too, if someone like me showed up on my doorstep, believe me. But the fact remains that I’m terrified for you and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I kept quiet and something happened to you.”

  Lucy’s stomach twisted into knots, and she coughed to clear her suddenly dry throat. “Can you be a little more specific? About what you’re seeing, I mean?”

  “Someone wants you dead. There, I’ve said it.”

  “Oh, Sophia. I don’t know what to say. This is too bizarre for words. You have no idea what’s been going on in my life recently.”

  Sophia tilted her head and smiled. “Yes, I do. I saw you, locked up there in your attic, petrified.”

  “You did? But how?”

  “I told you, in my dreams. That’s how the warnings manifest themselves. The fear you felt transferred itself to me while I was asleep. I know why Jenny is staying with you, without your need to enlighten me. She’s a friend to be treasured for sure.”

  “She is. Who is it, Sophia? Who wants me dead, and why?”

  “I’m not sure yet. That’s another reason I came. Something is missing from my dreams. Sometimes, it’s better to visit the person, touch their personal belongings; it helps to get a better reading. I have to tell you. Just a while ago… when I came to the door and hugged you…”

  Lucy gripped Sophia’s hand tightly. “Yes? Don’t hold back, I need to know.”

  “I felt it go through me like a lightning strike.”

  “Oh, heavens. Do you think all this is coming to you because we were once as close as sisters? Maybe it’s the memories that have stirred these images in your dreams. Oh, I don’t know, just ignore me. I’m guilty of trying to come up with a reasonable explanation because all this sounds just…”

  “Bizarre?” She shook her head and chuckled softly. “Memories? I don’t believe that. How would I know about you being locked in the attic, if I hadn’t seen it in my dreams?”

  Lucy fell silent, unsure how to answer.

  Sophia went on. “I assume the police are working on the case?”

  “The case?”

  “Yes, the other woman. The dead one.”

  “You know about her as well?”

  “Yes. I see her lying with a pillow covering her face and th
en it disappears. It feels like someone suffocated her with a bed pillow and then took it with them.”

  Lucy was blown away by the details Sophia had given her. “Gosh, you’re right on both counts.”

  “You’re scared.”

  Lucy laughed without humor. “Isn’t that obvious? I’m sorry, that was condescending, and I didn’t mean it to be. Yes, I’m terrified, I thought having someone here in the house with me would alleviate my fears. Brendon can’t always be here. He feels his time is best spent solving the murder; he told me yesterday there was a connection between me and Mrs. Stiltson, the woman who died. If he solves that, then it should solve the issue surrounding me at the same time.”

  “He’s right. It would.”

  Lucy ran her thumb along the edge of the stack of printer paper, ruffling it like playing cards. She looked out the window, and all was quiet for a change with her neighbors. She knew Marnie was becoming more adventurous about going out, maybe they’d gone out for a ride and would be back soon. Facing Sophia again, she asked, “What do you think I should do?”

  “Use me. Use my special abilities. Expose me to as many people as you can and if their energy toward you is bad, we’ll go from there. Can you get me anywhere near where the victim was found?”

  “I really don’t know. I can ask Brendon. I’m not sure whether it is still a crime scene or not.”

  “Yes, ask him. It helps me considerably to feel the energy where the spirit left the body. What’s the matter? You look kind of pale and icky.” Sophia was grinning.

  “It’s a pale and icky topic, don’t you think?”

  “Nah. It’s really the most natural thing in the world, if you think about it. We’ll all end up there, eventually. Just some of us won’t make old bones getting there.”

  “That definitely makes it icky in my book, I don’t mind telling you.”

  Sophia’s face changed. “I’m sorry, Lucy. Maybe I shouldn’t have come. Not everyone believes in my gift. I didn’t intend shoving them down your throat. I had my conscience to consider.”

  “No, no. I appreciate you caring and that you went to all this effort to warn me. It’s just a little, well, different. Hard to comprehend.”