Tierney had the grace to look sheepish. I said, “At least you don’t need to lie about it any more.”
He said, “I knew Angie from school, and I knew her partner, too. I didn’t like him quite as much. She got in touch when she came to town and let me know what she was doing. So sure, I passed on the information when we found the first body. She was vulnerable, and Frank here kept me in the loop. Frank and I started to suspect that there might be a connection with his car theft project. Big money in that game. We knew that the people running this car theft ring were high-stakes players with a lot to lose. After her partner’s murder, I told her to stay out of sight, but she kept in touch. That’s why we stalled you, Charlotte.”
Sally said, “It makes my head hurt, it’s so complicated. So who killed the so-called Mel and Del?”
Tierney said, “We’ll probably never prove it, but we’re sure one of the Hallidays disposed of them. Mel and Del were great as muscle, but they weren’t bright enough to withstand questioning. And Charlotte had recognized them. They became a liability. We’ve tied that killing to Autumn’s weapon, although it will be hard to know which Halliday pulled the trigger. That’s why conspiracy is so useful.”
Sally interjected, “So Angie was on the run, afraid for her life. Whatever made her come back to Quovadicon?”
I said, “Apparently, love makes women do crazy things. It seems she was just as smitten as Robbie was. He fell for her despite that disgusting desk, and she fell for him despite his lack of social finesse. She decided to see him one more time to say good-bye and explain what had happened. She called on the office phone and foolishly set up a meeting on a side road near Quovadicon. Autumn eavesdropped on that call as she had on so many others. Autumn sent her father to collect Angie, while she took care of Robbie. He told Angie they would kill Robbie if she didn’t play along. She must have realized that the Hallidays meant to murder them both.”
Ramona said, “Good thing it didn’t work. I think they’re made for each other.”
I nodded. “I guess those wedding magazines I spotted in her apartment were more than just décor.”
Ramona said, “I told you he was sweet. I’m glad they met up. Too bad it led to all this turmoil and danger.”
I nodded. “No kidding. A lot could have been avoided if Reg Van Zandt hadn’t tried to control the investigation, not that he suspected Robbie or Fredelle, but he didn’t trust their judgment.”
Ramona had an update on that. “At least it was the turning point for Robbie to get out from under his father’s thumb. Robbie has tons of money squirreled away. As you can tell from his wardrobe and car, he never spends a cent. Now he’s taken Angie off to a resort in the Caribbean to rest and recover.”
Sally said, “What does Robbie’s father think about that relationship?”
“I think Robbie’s past caring. He has a reason to be his own man now. I, for one, am glad. I think they’ll end up at the altar before too long,” Ramona predicted.
Pepper, edging back to her seat, overheard. A small smirk hovered on her lips. “I guess they’ll find out in time what that’s worth.”
Nick looked up at her with big sad puppy eyes. “Aw, come on, babe. You don’t mean that.”
Sally said, “I hope the Van Zandts appreciated how many people were endangered.”
I said, “Well, Robbie apologized for getting me out to Quovadicon that day. He’d called me, being so mysterious, because he’d figured out that Autumn had fooled Fredelle. I let the cat further out of the bag by telling Autumn he was meeting me, too. I didn’t even suspect her at that point. I thought I was being sensible calling Tierney. Who could have predicted what was going on?”
Sally had been unusually quiet. “So why did Fredelle show up?”
“She’d left for the day and when she spotted Robbie racing back, she circled back and followed him. She’s always been a mother hen to him and she just wanted to apologize, but she found herself facing Autumn and her weapon. Then Tierney showed up waving his badge, I bet. Is that right, Connor?”
Jack said, “Those chicken cutlets are taking a while. What about your rosemary bread? Are you going to eat that?”
Tierney had returned to his seat at the other end of the table, opposite Sally and Benjamin, but he was close enough to hear most of our conversation. “At that point, they were between a rock and a hard place.”
I said, “Perhaps that’s when they hatched the plan to kill everyone and make it look like I had done it, because I’m widely known as a danger to Woodbridge. That might have kept the investigation from leading to them.”
Pepper said, “Well, they’re locked up now, and they’re not getting bail.”
“It all worked out all right, except that Charlotte missed her Therapy Dogs orientation meeting,” Sally added.
I said, “That was okay, too. The pooches still need a lot of work. The spring session seems more realistic.”
Jack stood and said, “You’re right. And since we’re toasting, here’s to happy endings. And hey, look, here comes the pollo al limone.”
The wineglasses were lifted. “To happy endings.”
Pepper raised her water glass. “Yeah, sometimes they happen.”
The bride stood and added her own toast. “To friendships. And to new beginnings.”
Jack gave me a nudge.
From the end of the table, Tierney winked.
Mary Jane Maffini is a lapsed librarian, a former mystery bookseller, and a previous president of Crime Writers of Canada. In addition to creating the Charlotte Adams series, she is the author of the Camilla MacPhee Mysteries, the Fiona Silk series, and nearly two dozen mystery short stories. She has won two Arthur Ellis awards for short fiction, and The Dead Don’t Get Out Much, her latest Camilla MacPhee Mystery, was nominated for a Barry Award in 2006. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with her long-suffering husband and two miniature dachshunds.
Table of Contents
Praise
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Death Loves a Messy Desk Page 27