by Jessica Beck
“Marybeth, why don’t we talk about that later? Let’s focus on the case right now. Trudy said that Professor Jenkins is off our list of suspects, no matter how much interest he showed in that wooden box.”
“How could he have an alibi that tight?” Marybeth asked.
“He was speaking at a conference on the west coast when everything happened here,” I said.
“Do you have any proof besides his word that he actually went?”
“There’s a posted video of his presentation on the internet, and it is date and time stamped,” I said.
“Okay then, we’ll mark him off our list. Did anything else happen?”
“Actually, it’s been a pretty eventful day. When I got here to open the shop, Jim Hicks was waiting for me, and unless I’m grossly mistaken, he threatened me.”
“Now we’re talking,” Marybeth said. “What kind of threat was it?”
“On a scale of one to ten, I’d say that it was about a six.”
“That doesn’t sound like all that much of a threat to me.”
“That’s just part of it. Kelly Madigan came in, and I caught her trying to steal a beret. When I called her on it, she broke down.”
“Did you call the police?” Marybeth asked.
“I thought about it, but given that I’ve just taken the shop over, I wasn’t sure that was the kind of publicity I wanted. I did ban her from the store for life, though.”
“That might be a better punishment after all,” she said.
“Jim Hicks came in later, and the man actually apologized! He promised that he’d drop his pursuit of my shop, and that we were good.”
“Did you believe him?” Marybeth asked.
“I did. He loves his niece, and after hearing her story, I understand things a little better.”
“Are you ready to take them off our list, then?”
I thought about it, and then I replied, “After confronting Kelly, I don’t think she’d be capable of murder. Jim made some progress with me, but I’m not ready to cross his name off our list just yet.”
“So, where does that leave us?”
“As far as I’m concerned, Jim is still there, along with Barbara Hastings, and to a lesser degree, David Whitman, though I’ll know his status better when he comes here later to buy my necklace.”
“Hang on,” Marybeth said. “You’re going to sell one of the things you got from Cora?”
“She never actually gave it to me,” I said. “Given the circumstances, I don’t want to keep it. Lincoln told me that I could pick something else out, though.”
“Let me help you this time,” she said.
“Don’t you trust my taste?”
“You picked out a wooden box, remember?”
I wasn’t about to tell her that had been my ghost cat’s idea. “It had sentimental value.”
“Well, let’s pick something out that has some actual worth. Only it can’t be tonight. That’s the real reason I’m calling. I have to go to Asheville for an emergency meeting with my boss. Her boss is putting some pressure on her to find out why sales are down, and I’ve been summoned to the meeting to testify. I don’t know why they want to talk to me. My numbers have never looked better. Anyway, I may end up staying there overnight.”
“At least you have your travel bag,” I said. Marybeth always kept a backup outfit in her car in case of emergencies, and this clearly qualified in her world.
“I’m all set. I’ll probably see you tomorrow. Christy, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, okay?”
“Is there anything that actually makes that list?” I asked with a laugh.
“There are a few things, but I doubt you’ll get that far down the list. See you later.”
“Good luck,” I said.
“Thanks, but I think my boss is going to be the one who needs it.”
“I’ve got to go,” I said as David Whitman came into the shop.
“Call me later,” she said, but I didn’t answer.
“Do you have the necklace?” he asked.
“That depends. Do you have the money?”
He fanned a handful of twenties out on the counter. I half suspected he’d try to cheat me, but it totaled up to two hundred dollars. I grabbed the necklace and handed it over to him. After a quick examination, he stuffed it into his pocket.
“Do you need a bag for that?”
“There’s no reason to bother with that.”
“Hang on,” I said as he started to leave. “I’m required by law to write you a receipt.”
“Throw it away when you’re done with it, then,” he said gruffly. “I told you before. I don’t want one.”
“You’re not planning on doing anything illegal, are you?” I asked him.
That managed to freeze him in his tracks. “What are you talking about?”
“I understand the police frown on insurance fraud,” I said. “I’d hate to see anything happen to you just because you were out of money.”
“Who told you that?” he asked sharply.
“The word’s out,” I said. “The entire town knows.”
Whitman frowned, and then he looked as though he wanted to spit on my clean floor. “They don’t know half as much as they think they do,” he said. “Sure, I ran into a temporary cash flow problem last month, but it’s all worked itself out.”
“So, you’re saying that you’re not broke?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he replied. “What is it with you people? First Cora accuses me of being shady, and now you’re questioning my finances. I’ll tell you what I told her. It’s nobody’s business but mine. And while we’re talking, there’s one more thing that I need to say. You are not allowed to buy anything else from my mother, no matter what she says. If you do, I’ll make sure that it’s the last thing you buy. Do you read me?”
“Loud and clear,” I said. “My, you’ve got quite the temper, don’t you?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” he said, and then David Whitman stormed out of the shop. Had I hit a nerve? I didn’t believe him for a second. The man was clearly up to something. I just wasn’t sure that it had anything to do with Cora and Midnight.
One thing I was sure of. The man was still on my list. In fact, he may have just vaulted to the number-one position.
There was one suspect on our list that I hadn’t had a chance to speak with yet. Barbara Hastings’ name had come up in Cora’s notebook, and the scandal attached to her name might be enough to cause her to kill to protect her secret. I couldn’t make her come to the shop, but I could do the next best thing. It went against everything that Cora believed, but I felt as though she would have made an exception if she could have. I was going to close the shop in the midst of a workday and go looking for my final suspect.
I scrawled a quick note, stuck it in the window by the door, locked the place up, and went off in search of Barbara Hastings.
I found her at home; at least that was something. Barbara lived in a two-story colonial with a tumbled brick exterior.
When she came to the door, she looked worn and a little frazzled. “You’re not Cindy,” she said when she saw me.
“No, my name’s Christy. I’ve taken over Memories and Dreams. Do you have a second to chat?”
“Not really. If I don’t leave in the next minute, I’ll be late picking up my children from school, and I can’t afford to let that happen.”
“Is it because of what happened with the PTA?” I asked, hoping that Cora had been right about that.
She crumpled instantly, and I regretted the way I’d just sprung it on her. “It’s never going to end, is it? I paid them back every dime I took, I made a full confession to the board in exchange for them agreeing not to prosecute me, and they promised not to press charges or tell anyone about it. How did you find out?”
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“It’s a small town,” I said apologetically. I hated the thought of ambushing her like that, even if what she’d done had been so utterly wrong. She’d stolen from the children of our community, and paying the money back didn’t sound like a fair restitution to me.
“I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to stay here,” Barbara said as she wiped her tears away. “It’s been two of the longest weeks of my life, and if anything, it’s just gotten worse since then.”
“Are you telling me that this all happened two weeks ago?” I asked.
“It feels like a lifetime, but yes, it was two weeks ago to the day that everything started to collapse. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to pick up my kids and then start making plans to leave town.”
“You could always stay and just ride it out. It won’t be easy, but you can do it,” I said.
“That’s the pipedream I had before my world came crashing down. My husband left me yesterday, did you know that?”
“I didn’t,” I admitted.
“He couldn’t stand the thought of being married to a common thief. It doesn’t mean a thing that he cheats people every day for his job. No, I’m the pariah.” She stepped out and locked the door behind her. “Excuse me, but why exactly are you here?”
“I’m going door to door telling folks about the changes I’m making at my shop,” I said. It was the first thing that came to mind, and it was so tissue-thin that under other circumstances, it wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“Well, in case you haven’t gotten the complete picture, I’m broke and alone. I couldn’t even afford the things you carry. That’s how far I’ve fallen.”
I watched as she drove away, and then headed back to the shop. If what Barbara had just told me was true, and I had no reason to doubt her, then she had been exposed and punished long before Cora and Midnight had been attacked.
At that point, there had been no reason for her to come after them.
That took one more name off my list, and I was beginning to wonder if the sheriff might know something that we didn’t. Was the real killer one of the two people left on our list, or was it someone else entirely? I didn’t have access to what the sheriff was thinking, but I had no real choice in the matter.
I had to keep digging, and until I could clear both Jim Hicks and David Whitman, I still had to believe that I had a viable suspect list.
The question was how to determine which one of them might be the murderer.
As I was closing up for the night, I glanced at the counter and saw Midnight again in all of his glory. He was pouncing up and down, a sure sign that he was agitated. “What’s wrong, Big Guy?” I asked.
Instead of answering me, he started scratching at the counter with his ghostly nails. It was kind of eerie watching his vigorous movements that resulted in nothing at all. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“Merwerer,” he said emphatically.
I walked toward him, and I expected him to vanish, but he stayed exactly where he was.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t bring myself to reach through you,” I said.
He shook his head once, and then stepped aside. He might not have approved of my squeamishness, but at least he’d understood.
I picked up the paper on top of the pile and saw that it was the sales flyer that Jim Hicks had left me. “Is this what you wanted me to look at?” I asked.
“Mewr,” he said, nodding once.
A sudden chill swept through me. “Is he the one who hurt you?” I asked. The question nearly stuck in my throat as I asked it.
“Merw,” he said solemnly, a yes if I’d ever heard one.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, and forgetting myself for a second, I tried to comfort him by stroking his back.
I could swear that for one second, my hand made real contact before Midnight disappeared.
Okay, I believed my cat, though I couldn’t tell that to anyone else. He’d just named his murderer.
What was I going to do about it, though?
I was still trying to come up with a plan when my phone rang.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when it did.
Marybeth asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“I just got the weirdest feeling about you. My uncle just called. It appears that our investigation is over.”
“What happened?”
“They are arresting David Whitman in a few minutes for fraud and attempted murder. He tried to shove his mother down the stairs to make it look like an accident. Can you believe that?”
Remembering the man’s temper, I had no trouble buying that he could have done just that. “That’s pretty horrific, but what does it have to do with us?”
“My uncle told me that they’re pretty sure that he killed Cora and Midnight, too. He was seen near the shop half an hour before it happened, and he had more than that necklace on him when they arrested him.”
“Something else from my shop?” I asked.
“That’s why the police will be calling on you soon. They need you to identify a pair of diamond earrings they believe were stolen during the robbery.”
“We haven’t had any diamond earrings for months,” I said.
“Well, regardless of that, he believes that he has the right man.”
I didn’t, but I couldn’t tell Marybeth that my dearly departed cat had named someone else as he killer. “Great.”
“You don’t sound all that convinced,” she said.
“It’s just a shock hearing what he just did,” I said.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said. I didn’t believe that David Whitman had killed Cora and Midnight for a second, but I also didn’t want to spend another moment arguing with Marybeth about it.
“Well, I thought you’d be pleased. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for calling,” I said.
After we hung up, Nancy Glade walked in, carrying something in her hands as though it was priceless. “This is your lucky day, Christy. I’ve got something really nice for you today.” Nancy loved to haunt flea markets in the area, and she had constantly brought in items she thought were of value, only to have Cora tell her that her items were nearly worthless.
I did my best to smile. “Let’s see it.”
“You like cats, don’t you?” Nancy asked before she would hand it over.
“You know I do,” I said.
“Then you’re going to love this,” she said as she handed me a hard glass snow globe. There was a black cat in its center, and I felt a tug thinking about Midnight. “Go on. Shake it up.”
I did as she asked and saw the cat suddenly surrounded by swirling patterns of white. No self-respecting cat I ever knew would allow themselves to be caught out in a snowstorm, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that. “It’s cute,” I said.
“It’s more than that,” Nancy said. “It’s art.”
I wasn’t about to debate that with her for a second. “How much are you asking?”
“I think it’s worth ten dollars at least,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow and flipped it over. Someone had put a piece of tape on the bottom, and they’d marked the price at one dollar. “That’s quite a markup you’re asking for there.”
“Oops.” She quickly peeled off the tape as though it would erase the price I’d just seen from my memory as well. “How about five?”
“I’ll give you two,” I said. “That way you can double your money.”
“Oh, it’s worth more than that,” she said cagily.
“Well, I hope you have luck getting it.”
I tried to hand the snow globe back to her, but she wouldn’t take it. “Hey, we’re still dickering here, aren’t we? How about two-fifty?”
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she said, and I didn’t doubt it for a second. After she left, I realized that I wasn’t making any progress at the shop. Maybe it was time to do what I’d promised Nancy and go back home. If nothing else, it would be a real pleasure to see Shadow again. He’d been keeping himself scarce lately, but I believed that we both needed time together right now more than ever. I put the snow globe down after giving it another shake. Nancy was right; the glass was heavy, not the cheap plastic many snow globes were made of these days. I decided to mark it for sale at five dollars and see if I got any takers. I’d find a place for it tomorrow, but for now, it would work just fine as a paperweight.
“Shadow, I’m home,” I said as I walked into the house.
No greeting from either cat, which was not that big of a surprise. I got some of his food out and put it on the floor in the kitchen, and then I proceeded to heat up some soup. I wasn’t in the mood to cook, so it was good enough to eat. Halfway through my meal, I heard a noise at my feet, hoping it was Midnight.
It wasn’t. Shadow had joined me after all. I finished eating, and then waited for him. Meal time was one instance I never interfered with my cats. After he finished, he looked up at me, licked his lips once, and then asked, “Mew?”
“Sure, hop on up,” I said as I made room for him on my lap. Shadow leapt up in an elegant fashion, and then he bumped my chin once before settling down. As I stroked his coat, I said, “I’m sorry I haven’t been very good company lately. You’ve had it worse than me.”
“Mwerr,” he said, and I supplied my own interpretation of his comment.
“Okay, we are suffering equally, but I should have been better with you. I resolve to change from this moment forward.”
His reply was a quick sneeze, and then without warning, Shadow jumped to the floor. “Hey, where are you going?” I asked, but I didn’t get a reply. I loved that about my cats. They made a fuss when they saw me, but when it was time to go off on other explorations, they never thought twice about saying good-bye. I would have loved to be more like them, but I’d never mastered their art of aloof behavior.