Now you’re being downright mean and spiteful.
Though Charlotte knew she should listen to her conscience and she should be ashamed of herself for thinking badly about anyone, she simply couldn’t ignore the feeling in her gut that had nothing to do with her own resentful feelings toward June. There was just something about the woman, something that went beyond her own personal dislike of June.
Charlotte felt as if a battle were being fought in her head, a battle of good versus evil, of choosing to have a positive outlook on life or choosing a negative outlook. She preferred to believe that there were still generous, selfless people in the world, people who only wanted to help others out of friendship. And there were people like that, she reassured herself. She was sure of it. But there were evil people in the world as well.
So which was June? Was she one of the generous types or did she have an evil, more sinister motive for doing all the things she did?
As Charlotte turned off the faucet and poured the water into the coffee maker, she thought back to the first time she’d met June; more specifically, she recalled the conversation she’d overheard between June and Mimi on that day. June had seemed truly distressed about the situation with her husband, Fred, and she had seemed truly concerned about him.
As for June taking over, even Mimi had acknowledged that June looked after her, made sure she didn’t overdo, and hadn’t Sally Lawson commented about June’s penchant to take over as well? Maybe June had always been a take-charge, caring sort of person. Maybe trying to run things was simply part of June’s personality, her way of showing friendship.
But what about Emma?
Charlotte grimaced. That Emma had resented June’s so-called help had been more than clear. But Emma was still young, and she’d been grieving. To be fair, the girl might have resented anyone at that particular time.
On Sunday morning, the sun was shining, and already the air was hot and muggy. Since it was Madeline’s turn to cook Sunday lunch for the family, Charlotte drove straight to her sister’s apartment complex when church services ended.
Charlotte, Madeline, and their children were all that were left of Charlotte’s immediate family, and from the time the children were small, it had long been a tradition for everyone to gather at either Charlotte’s house or Madeline’s apartment for lunch on Sundays after church. Charlotte always looked forward to the event, but today she looked forward to it even more than ever. Today was the day that Hank was going to announce his and Carol’s engagement and wedding plans to the family.
When Charlotte knocked on the door, Judith was the one who answered. “Hey, Aunt Charley.” She gave Charlotte a hug.
“Hey, yourself.” Charlotte stepped through the doorway. “I didn’t see you at church this morning. Where were you?”
“After I left the Adams’s house yesterday, I got called out—a double homicide.” She shrugged. “I didn’t get to bed until early this morning.”
Charlotte patted her niece on the back, made a sympathetic sound, and then glanced around the small living room. “Guess I’m the first to arrive, huh? So, where’s your mother?”
Judith rolled her eyes. “Would you believe that she has everything ready—cooked, that is—and all she has to do is heat it up when everyone gets here. But during church Davy asked her if she was going to have brownies for dessert, so, the minute she got home, she rushed back to the kitchen to whip up a batch?”
Charlotte laughed. “That little schemer. He knows just how to wrap her around his little finger.”
Judith grinned. “You’re right about that. She’s impossible when it comes to that little boy. She’s spoiling him rotten. What a change, huh?”
“Humph, just wait until Davy’s little sister decides to make her entrance into the world.”
“Speak of the devil, I think I just saw Daniel, Nadia, and Davy drive up.” Judith walked over to the window. “Yep, that’s them, and right behind them are Hank and Carol.”
“Will Billy be able to make it today?” Charlotte asked. “You are still seeing him, aren’t you?”
Judith nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I am. And so far, so good.”
“So what does he think of your new partner, Brian?”
Judith shrugged. “Billy knows that Brian is no threat to our relationship, and Brian respects the fact that Billy and I are together.”
Charlotte nodded her approval. “So, is Billy coming over?”
Judith shook her head. “Not this time. Poor thing, he’s been working double shifts now for two weeks, so I told him to just stay home and get some rest.” Judith grimaced and lowered her voice. “Besides, Mother doesn’t exactly welcome him with open arms when he does show up.”
Charlotte reached out and patted her niece’s arm. “Just give your mother a little time, hon. She’ll come around eventually.”
Madeline had disapproved of Judith’s relationship with Billy Wilson from the beginning. Like Judith, Billy was a cop, but as Madeline had so often pointed out to Charlotte, unlike Judith, who was a detective, Billy was just a patrolman. Madeline was of the opinion that Judith could do a lot better for herself.
“Just look how much she’s changed her attitude toward Nadia and Davy,” Charlotte pointed out.
“I hope you’re right, Auntie. If she’d just give Billy half a chance, she’d see what a really great guy he is.”
Hank waited until the family sat down for lunch to make his announcement, and the rest of the lunchtime was filled with excited chatter about his and Carol’s upcoming wedding.
When it was time for dessert, Madeline brought out an angel food cake stacked with strawberries. Then she brought out a plate of double fudge brownies, which she set in front of Davy.
“For my favorite grandson,” Madeline told the little boy.
Grinning from ear to ear, Davy suddenly stood up in his chair and grabbed Madeline around the neck. As he hugged Madeline fiercely, Charlotte felt her throat tighten with emotion. One of these days…one of these days, she hoped soon, she’d finally have her own grandchild to spoil.
In deference to her son’s presence and because she didn’t want to hear a lecture from him, Charlotte chose a small slice of the cake, but just thinking about the brownies made her mouth water.
Later, after the table had been cleared and they were cleaning up in the kitchen, temptation overcame Charlotte’s willpower, and she snitched a brownie.
“And how has your blood sugar level been lately,” Madeline taunted.
“None of your business,” Charlotte retorted.
“Well, you’d better not let Hank see you.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Charlotte broke the brownie in half, handed one of the halves back to Madeline, and took a generous bite out of the other half. When the luscious chocolate melted over her tongue, she said, “Hmm, these are absolutely wonderful, Maddie. I think I just died and went to heaven.”
Brownies…death…June…the HHS meeting…
Startled by the sudden sickening thought, Charlotte stopped chewing. She’d told Judith and Brian Lee about June furnishing the brownies for the Monday HHS meeting, but had she told them about Mimi’s complaint that the brownie she’d sampled earlier that morning had been bitter?
Charlotte thought back to the brief interrogation and decided that she had neglected to mention Mimi’s complaint. Then again, she’d still been in shock over Mimi’s death, and she’d been in a snit over the attitude of Judith’s new partner, so there was no telling what else she’d neglected to tell them. Of course, the brownie that Mimi had insisted on Charlotte sampling had tasted just fine—more than just fine—and she hadn’t suffered any ill effects from eating it, but…
“Charlotte? Are you okay?”
Though Charlotte nodded absently, her mind was suddenly racing, and the small bite of brownie in her mouth felt as if it had suddenly tripled in size.
Charlotte sat down hard in a chair near the kitchen table. Of course. The answer was as plain as the nose on her face,
so simple that she couldn’t believe it hadn’t occurred to her before, and the longer she thought about it, the more clear it became. Why couldn’t two batches of brownies have been prepared? One batch for the HHS members and one batch laced with juice or ground up leaves from the jimsonweed.
“Charlotte, for Pete’s sake, what’s wrong with you?”
It was the alarmed tone in Madeline’s voice that finally got Charlotte’s attention. She swallowed hard, almost choking on the bite of brownie, then said, “Nothing’s wrong, Maddie. I’m fine. Really I am.” She handed the rest of the uneaten half of brownie to her sister. “But I think you’re right. Hank would have a fit if he saw me eating this.”
That afternoon, long after Charlotte had left her sister’s apartment, the thought of Mimi’s complaint about the bitter brownie haunted her. She probably should have mentioned it to Judith right then and there, but Judith was having such a good time talking to Carol and Hank about the wedding plans that Charlotte hated to ruin the happy occasion. Besides, without any proof other than her say-so, what good would it have done anyway?
Mimi had said that a “friend” had suggested planting the jimsonweed, but she never did name the “friend.” The “friend” easily could have been June, though. If it had been June, who suggested that Mimi plant the jimsonweed, even if Mimi had told someone about it, there was no way to prove it now and no way the poisonous plant could be directly linked to June. And there was no way to prove that June had baked two batches of brownies or that she’d laced one of the batches with the jimsonweed. By now, June would have gotten rid of any evidence. Even so, Charlotte decided that maybe she’d give Judith a call later that evening, just to see if the police had come up with any suspects.
Except for Sunday, Charlotte hadn’t had a full day off in over a week, and she was bone tired. On Monday morning she had to force herself to get dressed and head out to work.
When Charlotte parked the van in front of the Adams’s house, for a moment she simply stared at the beautiful old place. Such a shame, she thought. Mimi had put her heart and soul into turning the old house into a home and a showplace, and now…
Charlotte sighed. And now Mimi was gone, her life cut short at the hands of a murderer. Yet, as cold and heartless as it seemed, life went on, and sitting there thinking about it all wasn’t getting her work done. Besides, there was nothing anyone could do about Mimi’s death except find the killer and see that he or she was punished.
Another day, another dollar, she thought, as she climbed out of the van. All the work she’d been doing for the Adams family since Mimi’s death had been good for her bank account, but she’d gladly give it all back in a heartbeat if the reason for it had never happened.
Charlotte trudged around to the back of the van and unloaded her supplies. She had tried to call Judith several times before going to bed, but she never was able to reach her. Finally, she’d given up and gone to bed. But she hadn’t slept well at all for thinking about June and the brownies, and she’d dreaded the thought of coming face-to-face with June.
There was simply no way she could prove June had laced the brownies with the poisonous jimsonweed, not unless June confessed, and Charlotte didn’t think that was a likely possibility. But there was also the little matter of motive. What possible motive could June have for murdering her best friend?
…But you don’t have a little honey on the side either.
For the umpteenth time, Charlotte wondered if Gordon’s “honey” could be June, and for the umpteenth time she told herself that just because she didn’t like June didn’t mean that the woman was a murderer and an adulteress.
Charlotte had the house key in her hand and was reaching to unlock the front door when it suddenly swung open. She fully expected to see June standing in the doorway and was surprised when she saw Emma instead.
“Hey, Charlotte.”
“Good morning.”
Emma craned her head around either side of Charlotte. “You didn’t happen to see June, did you?”
No, and I hope I don’t was what Charlotte wanted to say, but she simply shook her head.
Emma frowned. “She said she’d be here before we left to go back to school.”
“Maybe she’s just running a bit late.” Charlotte bent down and picked up her vacuum cleaner and supply carrier.
“Need some help with that stuff?” Emma asked.
Charlotte shook her head again. “No, hon, I’m used to lugging it around, but thanks anyway.” She walked past Emma and headed for the kitchen. Behind her, she heard Emma close the door.
In the kitchen, Justin, who was reading the newspaper at the table, glanced up when Charlotte entered.
Charlotte smiled. “Good morning.” The boy smiled back. Charlotte set her stuff down by the cabinet. “Emma says you’re leaving this morning, going back to school.”
Justin nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Emma entered the room. “I didn’t see June,” she told her brother. “Think I should call her?”
Justin shrugged. “She’ll be here, Em. You know she’s always late.”
Emma made a face and plopped down in one of the chairs. “Yeah, I know, but I really wanted to talk to her before Dad got here.” To Charlotte’s surprise, Emma said, “I need to apologize to her for being such a brat about everything.”
When the back door opened, then closed, all three turned toward the back hallway. Within seconds, June, carrying a Krispy Kreme donut box in one hand and a plastic grocery bag in the other hand, walked into the kitchen.
“Sorry I’m late,” June told them, placing the box and the bag on the countertop. “I wanted y’all to have some donuts and orange juice before you left.” She turned and took glasses and plates out of the cabinet.
“June?” Emma approached the older woman, and June turned to face her. “I-I want to apologize,” Emma said, her eyes filling with tears. “I’ve just been awful to you and I want you to know that I’m sorry and that I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for us this week.”
June’s face went slack with surprise, and a lone tear slid down her cheek. After a moment, she reached out and pulled the girl into her arms. “Aw, honey, it’s okay. I know this has been rough on you, and I understand. I loved your mother too, you know, and I just did what I did because I love you as well.”
Charlotte’s throat tightened and her own eyes misted over. Feeling like an intruder and feeling horrible because of all the nasty things she’d been thinking about June, she slipped out of the room.
Either she’d let her wicked imagination get the best of her, Charlotte decided, and June was truly sincere, or June was a deceitful fraud, a consummate actress who was evil, through and through.
But which one was she?
Chapter 13
Within an hour after June had arrived with the donuts and orange juice, Gordon showed up to drive Emma and Justin to the airport. June walked outside with them to see them off, and once they drove away, she came back inside the house.
“I’m going to miss those two,” she told Charlotte. “I just hope they’ll be okay.” She sighed and bowed her head, staring at the floor. “It’s nice having the kids around,” she murmured. “I wanted more children, but Fred didn’t. And now, with Johnny away at school…” Her voice trailed away. Then, after a moment, she shrugged. “Who knows, I’m not too old yet and maybe it’s not too late.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering that she’d been talking to the maid, June straightened her shoulders and said, “If anyone calls or if you need me, I’ll be in the library for most of the day. Gordon and the kids went through a lot of the cards from the florists yesterday after everyone left, but there are still a few thank-you notes that need writing.” June shook her head. “And I’ve got to figure out what to do with all of those blasted flowers and plants that people sent. There were so many that the walls of the church were lined with them. Way too many to leave at the cemetery.” She paused thoughtfully. “I suppose I could see about
donating some of them to a hospital or maybe a nursing home.”
June’s topsy-turvy mood really made Charlotte uncomfortable and wary, and the last thing she wanted was to have to stand there and listen to the woman carry on as if everything were normal.
“Donating them to a hospital or nursing home is probably a good idea,” Charlotte finally forced herself to say. “Especially considering how much Mimi loved plants and flowers.”
June nodded absently. “Yes, well, I guess I’d better get busy and let you do the same.”
So relieved that she could have cried, Charlotte nodded back, and it was lunchtime before she saw June again. Charlotte was seated at the kitchen table eating the chicken salad and crackers that she’d brought from home when June walked into the room.
“Hmm, that looks delicious,” June said, eyeing Charlotte’s salad. She stepped over to the refrigerator and, after rummaging through it, pulled out what looked like a dish of jambalaya.
“Guess I’ll have the jambalaya,” June said, placing the dish in the microwave. “I’ve noticed that you eat a lot of salads,” she said. “You don’t look like you need to lose weight. Is that why you always bring a salad?”
Charlotte shook her head. “Not really. I’m a borderline diabetic, so I try to watch what I eat.”
The microwave beeper sounded, indicating that the jambalaya was ready. To Charlotte’s surprise and dismay, June seated herself at the table across from her.
For the first few moments, they both ate in silence, but Charlotte’s curiosity finally got the best of her. Why not pump June? Why not just see what she had to say?
Charlotte cleared her throat. “If you’d rather not talk about it, I’ll understand,” she said, “but I was wondering if the police have come up with any suspects yet?”
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