Charlotte simply nodded and didn’t bother to tell June that Emma had already told her the same thing.
Charlotte finished loading the washing machine, then went into the kitchen. Still miffed about having to clean it up again, she began clearing off the table. Just as she loaded the last dirty dish into the dishwasher, she heard Emma and Justin on the stairs.
“June, we’re leaving now,” she heard Justin call out, and within seconds, they entered the kitchen.
“See you later, Charlotte,” Emma said as she and her brother walked through on their way out the back door. “And thanks again for doing my clothes,” she called over her shoulder.
“You’re welcome,” Charlotte responded, giving the girl a maternal smile.
The back door slammed, and Charlotte began the task of cleaning the stovetop once more.
The kitchen was finally sparkling clean…again. Charlotte stood by the sink and was casting an eagle eye over the room to make sure she’d done everything when she heard a rattling noise at the back door. Charlotte went stone still. When she heard the door open and then close, she frowned. It was too early for Emma and Justin to have returned already. Maybe they forgot something.
Then Charlotte heard footsteps…deliberate, heavy footsteps that could only belong to a man, and warning bells went off in her head.
Chapter 8
The minute the tall man strolled into the kitchen, there was no denying that he had to be Gordon Adams. The resemblance between the man and Justin was just too amazing for him to be anyone else.
The man nodded at Charlotte, then stuck out his hand. “You must be Charlotte,” he said, his voice deep and mellow.
Charlotte released her pent-up breath, forced a smile, and shook his hand. “Yes-yes, I am, and you must be Gordon Adams. I’m truly sorry about Mimi. She was a nice lady.”
“Thank you, and thanks for agreeing to come in today.” He released her hand and glanced toward the hallway door. “So, where is everyone?” His forehead wrinkled with a frown.
“Justin and Emma went out,” Charlotte said. “I believe they were meeting some friends for lunch.”
Gordon nodded. “Good. I’ve been really worried about them, especially Emma. I was afraid I’d find them just moping around the house.” He paused a moment, then said, “Is June still here?”
Charlotte nodded. “I think she’s in the library.”
At that moment, June strolled into the room. “Did I hear someone mention my name?” She abruptly stopped just inside the doorway. “Why, Gordon, what are you doing home so early? I didn’t expect you until lunchtime.”
“I heard that the police were looking for me, and I thought I’d better be here in case they showed up.”
“The police?”
Gordon nodded. “Have they been here yet?”
“Why, no—no, they haven’t. But why on earth would they be looking for you now?”
Gordon didn’t answer immediately, and Charlotte suddenly felt like a fifth wheel, just standing and staring at the two of them. The last thing she wanted was to appear to be eavesdropping. But after only a brief battle between her curiosity and her common sense, her curiosity won out, so she turned her back to both Gordon and June, and began scrubbing the sink…again.
Behind her, she heard the scrape of a chair. Then Gordon said, “Is there any coffee left?”
June’s shoes clicked against the floor as she came farther into the room. “Not much,” June told him. “It’s old, though, but I’m sure Charlotte won’t mind making up a fresh pot, will you, Charlotte?” she asked.
Not a please or a thank-you, or kiss my foot. Forcing a smile, Charlotte turned her head and said, “No, not at all.” Grudgingly, she rinsed and dried her hands, then began to prepare the coffeepot.
“Now, what’s this about the police?” June asked Gordon.
“My lawyer called,” Gordon explained. “He said that the coroner finally finished the autopsy on Mimi, and they’ve released her body to the mortuary. It was poison alright, a poison called hyoscyamine. Seems it’s found in a plant called jimsonweed, whatever the hell that is. But that’s not the worst. Chris—he’s my lawyer—tells me that I can expect a visit from the police again. He says that, more than likely, they’ll consider me their main suspect.”
“Why, that’s outrageous!” June cried. “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard of.”
“Yeah, well, Chris says it isn’t that uncommon. He says that in a homicide, the spouse is always a suspect.”
“Common or not, I still say it’s outrageous. But, Gordon, this Chris, is he a good attorney—I mean, you know—a good criminal attorney? Not that I’m insinuating you’re a criminal,” she added hastily, “only that you really need the very best there is for something like this.”
“No, Chris is a corporate attorney, but he’s part of a big firm and has an associate who specializes in criminal law. Daniel something or another is his name.”
Charlotte’s hand froze in midair as she reached to switch on the coffeepot. Daniel? Surely he wasn’t talking about her nephew, her Daniel.
There you go again, jumping to conclusions.
Charlotte grimaced and switched on the coffeepot. There were probably lots of attorneys named Daniel.
Behind Charlotte, June made a sympathetic noise, a hum that dipped to a lower octave, then lifted to a higher octave. “I’m sure everything will be just fine,” she reassured Gordon.
“Yeah, well, I hope so,” he said. “Since they’ve released Mimi’s body, I’ve decided to hold the funeral on Saturday afternoon. I have an appointment after lunch today with the funeral director to go over the plans for the service.”
Charlotte figured she’d heard all she was going to hear about what the police were doing. She still had work to do upstairs, and since the coffeepot was gurgling, she quietly left the room.
Just as Charlotte neared the doorway leading into the hall, she heard June say, “You really shouldn’t go to the funeral home by yourself. Why don’t I go with you? But first I’m going to make sure you eat a good lunch. I’d planned on cooking a roast. That way, you and the kids will have some leftovers this evening.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. Another mess in the kitchen.
It was almost three-thirty that afternoon when Charlotte began to pack her cleaning supplies so she could leave. Everyone was still gone, and the house was quiet.
The police never had showed up. Gordon had been mainly concerned that they would show up when Emma and Justin were there, but since the kids were gone, Gordon and June had decided to go on to the funeral home after they’d eaten lunch.
Charlotte had just wedged the last of her supplies, a bottle of lemon oil, into the supply carrier when the bang, bang, bang of the door knocker echoed throughout the house.
“Now what?” she complained. As she marched out of the kitchen and down the hallway, she figured it would be just her luck for the police to show up while she was still there.
Charlotte half expected to find Brian Lee and Judith standing on the porch. She threw the dead bolt. At the thought of her niece, she suddenly remembered that she never had called her to tell her about Mimi’s lunch with Gordon.
She pulled the door open. When she saw the middle-aged, attractive blond-haired woman standing in the doorway instead, she smiled at the woman and asked, “May I help you?”
“You must be Charlotte, from Maid-for-a-Day.”
“Yes, I am,” Charlotte responded, wondering how this stranger knew who she was.
“I’m Sally Lawson, the next-door neighbor.” She motioned toward the right side of the house.
Sally Lawson, the tree killer. According to June, she was possibly Mimi’s murderer as well.
Charlotte’s smile faded.
Sally Lawson bent down, and for the first time, Charlotte noticed that there was a picnic basket at her feet. When Sally picked up the basket and held it out to Charlotte, a wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread drifted up from the b
asket. “This is some food for Gordon and the kids,” Sally said. “Just a little something for their dinner tonight.”
Mimi had been poisoned…more than likely by something she’d eaten or drank.
Don’t be silly. The woman would be really stupid to poison the whole family. And, besides, why would she do such a thing to begin with?
Charlotte swallowed hard and took the basket. “That’s really nice of you,” she said.
Sally shrugged away the compliment. “It’s the least I could do. Is Gordon here, or the kids? I’d like to express my condolences.”
Charlotte shook her head. “No, they’re not in at the moment—sorry—but I’m sure they’ll be grateful for such a thoughtful gesture.”
“Maybe I should leave a note then,” Sally said. “If I could just borrow some paper and a pen, then I wouldn’t have to disturb you again.”
“Of course,” Charlotte told her. “Just follow me.”
Once in the kitchen, Charlotte set the basket on top of the cabinet and handed Sally Lawson the notepad and pen that were kept by the telephone.
“Is there anything in here that needs refrigeration?” Charlotte asked.
Sally nodded. “Yes, everything but the bread. And by the way, none of the containers need to be returned. They’re all disposable.”
The refrigerator was full, and it took Charlotte several minutes to rearrange the contents in order to accommodate the food that Sally had brought. While Charlotte rearranged the food, Sally sat at the table and scribbled a note.
Even after Sally had finished the note, she continued to sit at the table and watch as Charlotte transferred the dishes of food from the basket into the refrigerator.
“You know I really admired Mimi,” Sally said. “She was so generous with her time and money, always heading up some type of charity event. And such a beautiful woman—always dressed to the nines and every hair in place.” She slowly shook her head. “I still can’t believe she’s gone. And I still haven’t figured out why the police came around to question me. We were neighbors, but it’s not as if Mimi and I were the best of friends or anything. And with those high shrubs between our two houses, I sure can’t tell what’s going on over here.” She paused thoughtfully.
Charlotte closed the refrigerator door. “My understanding is that the police are questioning everyone even remotely connected to the Adamses,” Charlotte told her.
“I suppose so,” Sally murmured. “And don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t have minded being friends with her, especially with us living right next door to each other.”
Sally paused briefly again, and Charlotte waited patiently when she didn’t make a move to leave. From the look on Sally’s face, Charlotte could tell she still had more she wanted to say.
Finally, with a sigh, Sally went on. “I tried for a while—to be friends, that is—but Mimi was always a bit standoffish.”
As Sally spoke, Charlotte studied her. She seemed genuinely distressed, and contrary to what Mimi had led her to believe, Sally seemed like a nice lady, at least on the surface anyway. Yes, she decided, a nice lady, but perhaps a lonely lady as well. Why else would she be confiding in a maid, a complete stranger?
Though Charlotte wasn’t sure exactly how to respond to Sally, she still felt like she needed to respond in some way. “Well, like you said,” she finally commented, “Mimi was involved in a lot of charity events. Maybe she just didn’t have a lot of time to make friends.”
Sally shrugged. “I guess, and you’re sweet to say so, but I really think she simply didn’t like me for some reason.” She shrugged again. “At first I thought she was jealous of my past friendship with Gordon. He and I go back a long way. Our families were friends. Of course, when he married Mimi, our friendship more or less ended. But I also wondered if it had something to do with the fact that I didn’t join her garden club.”
A sad little smile pulled at Sally’s lips. “But why on earth would I want to join a garden club? It’s like I told her, I don’t know beans about flowers and plants—no pun intended. And I honestly don’t think she did either. I never could understand how she could head up a garden club.
“It really is ironic if you think about it,” Sally continued. “Mimi has all of these lovely plants inside and outside, yet she didn’t seem to know much about them at all. The previous owners of the house planted most of the plants, especially the ones outside. But between you and me, I always suspected that her gardener was the real expert. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead or anything, but she couldn’t even get a silly tree to grow. Why, just in the past year alone she planted two in the same spot and both of them died. If you ask me, I think she overwatered the silly things—drowned them.” Sally paused and stared with unseeing eyes into space.
Two sides to every story. After hearing Mimi’s complaints about Sally, Charlotte had wondered about Sally’s side, and now that she’d heard Sally’s side of the issue, Charlotte was thoroughly confused. Sally’s version didn’t even vaguely resemble what Mimi had told her. So which version was the truth?
“You know,” Sally said, interrupting Charlotte’s thoughts, “this is the first time I’ve been in this house since Mimi and Gordon moved in.” She glanced around the room. “This really is a beautiful old home, and Mimi had impeccable taste.”
Sally suddenly frowned when her gaze took in Charlotte’s supply carrier and vacuum cleaner sitting near the cabinet. “Oh, my goodness, I’ll bet you were leaving, and here I am rattling on and on.” She stood and handed the notepad and pen to Charlotte. “Thanks for listening, though.” She motioned toward the picnic basket. “I hope Gordon and the kids can use the food. I just felt like I needed to do something to help them out, for old times sake.”
Sally’s mouth suddenly twisted into a disapproving grimace. “Of course, I’m sure June Bryant has been more than eager to see that Gordon and his kids are well taken care of.” She let out a put-upon sigh. Then, as if realizing how what she’d said must have sounded, she quickly added, “Of course, June was one of Mimi’s best friends, so naturally she’d want to do all she can.” She gave Charlotte a quick fake smile. “Like I said before, I just wanted to express my condolences.”
When Charlotte packed up her van to leave the Adams’s house, the rain had finally let up and the sun was out. But the resulting heat and humidity were brutal. The moment Charlotte opened the van door, a rush of pent-up heat assaulted her, and as she settled into the driver’s seat, she rolled down all of the windows and switched the air-conditioner on high. Even with the windows down and the air-conditioner blowing, the inside of the van was still like an oven.
As Charlotte drove home, she kept reliving the conversation she’d had with Sally Lawson. First there had been Sally’s remarks about Mimi’s lack of gardening abilities, then the snide inference about June. But if Sally and Mimi weren’t that friendly and, as Sally had pointed out, the high shrubs obstructed her view of the Adams’s house, then how did Sally seem to know so much about Mimi’s lack of gardening skills?
June had said that both Rita and Sally were jealous of Mimi, but after listening to Sally, it appeared that Sally was really more jealous of June’s friendship with Mimi than anything else. After all, Sally had said she’d wanted to be friends with Mimi, and evidently Mimi had rejected her attempts at friendship. Or was there something else going on, something to do with Gordon? Maybe, as Sally had pointed out, Mimi was jealous of Sally and Gordon’s past friendship.
Charlotte shook her head. It was just plain too hot to even think straight, and in spite of the air conditioner running full blast, the van was still stifling.
By the time Charlotte turned onto Milan, she was drenched in sweat. As she approached her driveway, her heart sank when she caught sight of the red Dodge Neon parked in front of her house.
“Nooooo,” she groaned. For a split second, she was tempted to not even stop, tempted to just keep on driving. “Why me?” she complained, as she pulled into the driveway. “And why today of
all days?”
Chapter 9
Charlotte loved her sister. She really did. Any other time, she would have been delighted with a visit from Madeline. She grimaced as she applied the brakes. Well, not exactly delighted. Maybe pleased was a more appropriate word, she decided. But not today.
Now be nice, Charlotte.
“Okay, okay,” she grumbled, as she turned into her driveway. To give Madeline credit, she had come a long way over the past few months, and the change in her had been for the better. Though Madeline and her new daughter-in-law, Nadia, had gotten off to a rocky beginning, they’d well made up for it since.
Slowly but surely, mostly due to Nadia’s little son, Davy, Charlotte suspected, Madeline had been learning to give instead of take, to be more selfless instead of selfish. Madeline simply adored her new little step-grandson and was eagerly anticipating the little granddaughter due to be born at the end of September.
But despite the change in Madeline, Charlotte still couldn’t bring herself to completely trust her sister’s turnaround. “Old habits die hard,” she murmured, as she switched off the engine. Once trust had been betrayed, it was almost impossible to give it again, and Madeline had betrayed Charlotte’s trust one too many times in the past.
Charlotte climbed out of the van and trudged up the steps to her front door. Though she hated thinking the worst, usually the only time that Maddie came by for a visit was when she wanted something. So what did she want this time? Charlotte wondered.
“Where on earth have you been?” Madeline asked the minute Charlotte stepped inside the front door. Without giving Charlotte time to answer, Madeline plowed right on ahead. “I’ve been waiting for over an hour,” she complained. “Good thing you keep that extra key under that silly ceramic frog in the flower bed, or else I’d have already had a heat stroke. Why, on the way over here I heard on the radio that the heat index was one hundred one degrees this afternoon.”
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