by Jessica Beck
When she paused for a moment longer, the chief said, “You were watching the squirrels in your feeder, and you saw something. What did you see?”
“Hattie had a suitcase in her hand, and she was running out into the woods behind us. Hattie hates the woods! And she’d never go anywhere she couldn’t get on her tricycle. Something is terribly wrong. She’d never just leave it like that!” Millie pointed to the trike to emphasize her point.
“Take it easy, Millie,” the chief said in a reassuring voice. “Why don’t you go back inside, and we’ll see if we can’t find out what’s going on?”
“I couldn’t bear to be shut out of this,” she said, wringing her hands together. “I’m worried sick about Hattie. The fact is that she’s been acting odd ever since Dusty was murdered.”
That got Jake’s attention. For a moment he forgot that he wasn’t the one running the investigation. “How exactly do you mean?”
“She’s been paranoid, peeking out behind her curtains, coming in at the oddest times, and worst of all, she’s been avoiding me. She looks absolutely guilty about something, or terrified. I have no idea which it is. She’s not herself at all.”
“We’ll find out what’s going on,” he said. “Suzanne, why don’t you take Millie inside and make her a cup of tea?”
Was he really trying to get rid of me that easily? I wasn’t going to do it! There was no way I was going to allow them to investigate Hattie’s place without me, and I was about to protest when Millie said, “What I really need to do is lie down. I feel the need to take to my bed.”
It was an expression I hadn’t heard in donkey years, but I wasn’t about to let the opportunity it presented slip through my fingers. “That’s exactly what you should do then. Go rest, Millie. You deserve it. You’re a good friend to Hattie, and I know that she appreciates you.”
I had no idea if she was all that good a friend or not, but I wanted to ease the woman’s mind. “Thank you, Suzanne. Goodness knows I try.”
Once she was inside her house, I turned to the chief. “Nice try.”
“I thought she could use the company.”
“It appears she’s fine without any,” I said. “Now, shall we go check on Hattie’s place and see if we can find anything that might tell us what she’s up to?”
“I’m not so sure you should come in with me, even if the door is open, which it probably isn’t.”
Jake said, “Suzanne could be really useful, Chief. Maybe she’ll spot something that we could easily miss. A woman’s perspective could be helpful.”
I wasn’t sure if I liked the way the conversation was headed, but if it would get me inside the house with them, I was all for it.
The chief simply shrugged as he approached the door.
He didn’t invite us to follow him, but then again, he didn’t expressly forbid it, so my husband and I both chose to take it as a sign that he was okay with our presence.
Unfortunately, the door was locked, so maybe it would be a moot point after all.
“Millie said that Hattie ran away from the back of the house. Could that door be unlocked?” I asked.
“I’m not sure, but it’s worth a try,” Jake said.
We waited and let the chief lead the way. After all, it was technically his investigation at that point, not ours.
The door was blessedly unlocked.
Not only that, it was standing wide open.
The chief drew his weapon, and Jake followed suit.
“Nobody’s home, guys. Remember?” I reminded them.
“It never hurts to play it safe,” Jake said, and the chief nodded in agreement.
“Stay behind us,” he instructed me.
I had no problem with that. As we went from room to room in the small cottage, I realized that Hattie wasn’t much of a housekeeper, or else something very wrong was going on. The place was a wreck, so much so that I couldn’t be sure if she’d been robbed recently or she was just a slob. When we got to her bedroom, the last room on our list, we found it devoid of life as well, just as Millie had said. At least there weren’t any bodies there. I counted my blessings for that. I went into the master bathroom and came back out again in a few seconds. After checking a few dresser drawers and her closet, I turned to the men and said, “She’s clearly planning on staying away awhile.”
“How can you possibly know that?” the chief asked.
“Her makeup kit is gone, along with her toiletries and enough clothes to last her two weeks based on the empty spaces in her dresser. If I know Hattie, she headed out with the thought that she wasn’t coming back anytime soon.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find her,” the chief said.
“Do you really think she killed Dusty?” I asked him.
“Why else would she shoot at Max, attack Michelle, and then run away? If you ask me, we’ve got our killer.”
The chief of police sounded so sure that I felt a little relief from the fact that I wouldn’t have to keep jumping at shadows.
“So, what do we do now?” Jake asked him.
“I can’t imagine her getting too far on foot. I’m heading into the woods to see if I can find her.”
“Want some company?” Jake volunteered.
The chief didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll call some backup for us, but that would be great.” He then turned to me and added, “Suzanne, I’m sorry, but you can’t come with us.”
“That’s fine with me,” I said. “I want to go by and check on Michelle, anyway.”
“You don’t have to do that,” the chief said.
“I know, but I feel a little guilty suspecting her of murder,” I admitted. I turned to my husband and asked, “Are you going to be okay, Jake?”
“I’ve never been better,” he said, and I realized that it was true.
“Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” I told him.
“I’ll be as careful as I can,” he told me with a grin.
“Hey, Penny. Could you tell me what room Michelle Pennington is in?” I asked my nursing friend at the hospital.
“Hi, Suzanne. She’s in 227.”
“How’s she doing?”
“The rules and regulations don’t allow me to share that kind of patient information with non–family members,” she said as she winked at me and gave me a thumbs-up. “I hope you understand.”
“Completely,” I said with a smile.
“We have a staff meeting about to start, so we’re a little shorthanded at the moment, but she’s just down the hall if you want to pop in on her.”
I found Michelle in a room by herself. Her section of the hospital was curiously empty of patients, and it was a bit eerie not having the buzzing of activity around her. She was lying in bed staring out the window when she realized I was there.
“Hello, Suzanne. What brings you here?”
“I wanted to check up on you,” I said. “I’m sorry if I’ve been a little rough on you lately. How’s your shoulder?”
“The doctors say that I was lucky. From the angle I was stabbed, it ended up being a shallow wound. Do the police have any idea who attacked me?”
“It appears that it was Hattie Moon,” I said, watching her reaction.
She looked shocked by the suggestion, but I couldn’t tell if it had been rehearsed or not. “Hattie? I was afraid of that.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked her as I took a seat by her bed.
“A few minutes ago, I remembered where I’d smelled that perfume. It had to be Hattie, or another woman with equally bad taste in fragrances.”
“Why would she attack you, though?” I asked her.
“I saw her at Dusty’s place a few days ago,” she said. “She looked startled being caught there, and I wondered what she’d been up to.”
“Evidently Dusty owed her money,” I said.
“I knew al
l about that. This was different. Her lipstick was smudged a little, and when I walked in, I asked Dusty about it. Apparently Hattie tried to pressure him into doing something he didn’t want to do, and when he rejected her, she was furious about it. She had to know that Dusty would tell me all about it.”
“Did you tell the police any of this?” I asked her as I leaned forward.
“I meant to, but what with everything that was going on, I never got a chance to. The truth is, I didn’t want to embarrass Hattie, but after she tried to kill me, I’m a lot less reluctant to turn her in.”
“She’s on the run right now,” I told her. “The police are actively searching for her.”
“I just hope they don’t believe her lies. The woman’s an actress. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll deny everything.”
I was about to tell her that they had evidence when she complained, “Suzanne, I need my lip balm. Would you grab it for me? They put my clothes in the closet.”
I did as she asked, and as I opened the door to retrieve it, I asked her, “Where’s your wrap?” She’d been wearing one when we’d found her, which hadn’t really surprised me all that much.
“I had to throw it out. It was ruined in the attack. What a pity. It was one of my favorites.”
The woman did love her clothing accessories.
But I suddenly realized that Hattie didn’t.
In fact, in all of the years I’d known her, I’d never seen her wear a wrap, a pashmina, a stole, or anything like it.
And I’d never, ever seen her wear a scarf.
Michelle, on the other hand, was rarely without one.
So how had Hattie worn one on the day of the murder and never any other time?
The truth hit me like a fist.
She hadn’t.
The real killer had to be lying in bed three steps from me.
I started for the door when I heard her say, “Suzanne, I really need that lip balm.”
“I’m sorry. I just remembered something,” I said as I took a step toward freedom so I could get help.
With a swiftness that shocked me, Michelle leapt from the bed and launched herself toward me before I could even cry out.
I could have handled her if we’d both been unarmed, but then I saw a glint in the light coming from a sharp surgical scalpel in her hand, and I realized that it was pointed straight at my throat.
“Not a word out of you or you’re dead meat,” she said as she motioned me back to my chair.
I could have screamed then, but I knew if I did, it would be the last sound I ever uttered.
Dutifully, I did as she instructed.
How on earth was I going to get myself out of this jam?
Chapter 24
“Don’t do it,” I pled with her, hoping that somehow I could turn the tables on this killer, or that someone would come in and save me.
“Why shouldn’t I?” she asked with a mad laugh. “If I was willing to stab myself in the shoulder, why shouldn’t I kill you? After all, they can’t hang me twice.”
“Why did you kill Dusty?” I asked. “Don’t you want someone to know? Besides, who am I going to tell?”
“What could it hurt at this point? He dumped me for Emily Hargraves,” she said, spitting the words. “The sick thing was she didn’t even want him! When she spurned him, he let himself into her shop with my key and stole her stuffed animals. It was his ploy to be the hero and get them back for her. He even wrote a juvenile ransom note to throw everyone off. Dusty thought it might just change her mind about him.”
It might even have worked, especially if Max hadn’t been in the picture. Emily loved those stuffed animals more than any reasonable person could understand, and it impressed me that Dusty had gotten it, even if I didn’t approve of his tactics.
“I bet that crushed you,” I said, trying my best to sound sympathetic as I kept glancing at the door. If the staff hadn’t been in a meeting, if the police hadn’t been focused on Hattie, if a thousand other things had happened, I might stand a chance, but it didn’t feel as though there was going to be any help for me on this one.
I was going to have to overpower her myself, but my tools to fight back were limited. If I could keep her talking, though, I might still have a chance of making it out alive.
“I went to his place and told him I loved him,” she said, frowning as she told her story. “He laughed at me, and then he led me to his bedroom where he had the stuffed animals all set up. He told me his plan, and then he said that even if it didn’t work, he was finished with me. He told me that I was used up! I grabbed a knife from the dresser, and before I knew what was happening, I stabbed him with it! You should have seen the shocked expression on his face! He couldn’t believe it was happening. He clawed at the knife, and then he grabbed me and pulled me to him. As the knife clattered to the floor, he managed to get blood all over my scarf! Once he was dead, I realized what I’d done, but I couldn’t just confess and go to jail! I threw the knife onto one of the cows and I left.”
“Taking your bloody scarf with you,” I said. “Why did you keep it, though? Wasn’t it too incriminating for you to have in your possession?”
“I thought it might be useful,” she said. The woman was a true schemer; that was certain. “It was, too.”
“So you decided to plant it in Hattie’s basket and then call the police with a hot tip,” I said.
“I thought it would get her locked up, but it ended up being what gave me away, wasn’t it?” She seemed particularly curious, and I decided to indulge her. After all, at least it would buy me some time. The only thing I had within reach was a hospital pillow and sheet, neither one of them much use against sharp steel.
“You always dress so stylishly with scarves, pashminas, and wraps, and I suddenly realized that I’d never seen Hattie wearing one,” I confessed.
“A man would have missed that,” she said. “Fortunately, you’re the only woman who knows me and is involved in the case. I might just get away with this after all.”
“How are you going to explain my death?” I asked, choking on my own words.
“You said it yourself. Hattie is on the run. Clearly she stormed in here, and she did it. I may have to knock myself unconscious, but it will be worth it.”
“Jake won’t buy it,” I said.
“Wait until he hears my spin on it,” she answered.
“Why set Hattie up, though? Why not Emily? Or Max? Were you the one who took a shot at Max at the lake?”
“I was just shooting randomly at the cabin. I knew you and your husband were investigating the murder, and I wanted to scare you off. Was that really Max in the doorway? I thought it was Jake. Anyway, I’m glad that he’s okay. I had considered framing him or Emily, but then I overheard a cop saying that they were both in the clear. I had no choice but to go after Hattie, but every time I tried to plant that bloody scarf, her nosy neighbor was watching. She should be next, after I finish with you. Sorry, Suzanne, but your time is up.”
Michelle must have been working up her nerve to kill me in cold blood.
Evidently, she was ready.
Unfortunately for her, though, so was I.
Chapter 25
As she lunged for me, I did the only thing I could think to do.
I grabbed the pillow and swung it at the knife with all that I had.
It didn’t knock it out of her hand. In fact, it didn’t even come close, but it did manage to startle her.
I pushed Michelle aside, knocking her down in my eagerness to escape, and I raced for the door, hoping that someone would be nearby to help me with this killer.
I didn’t make it, though.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed my ankle, and before I knew what was happening, I was being pulled down to the floor beside her.
In her anger at being attacked, she must have forgo
tten about the knife momentarily, but when I looked over at her, I saw that she was doing her best to recover it to finish me off.
I couldn’t let that happen, though.
I reached the knife a split second after her hand wrapped around it, but that didn’t mean that she’d won. Instead of going for the weapon, I grabbed the hand holding it.
“Stop being so difficult,” she panted as she fought for control.
My only answer was a war scream that shook the walls. If I was going to die anyway, at least she wasn’t going to get away with it.
The sound shocked her. “Shut up!” Her scream was nearly as loud as mine.
As hard as she tried, Michelle didn’t manage to break my grip, but she caught me off guard, and in a surprise twisting move, she jammed the knife toward my throat.
I somehow managed to deflect it, but as I did, she snapped her wrist again, and the blade pierced my arm.
At first I didn’t feel its sting, but then, as I looked down and saw the blood, I felt a wave of pain and nausea sweep over me.
Not only had she wounded me, but the blood was making my grip on her hand slippery! If I let up for one second, I knew that I was dead.
Trying to beat back the pain, I kept fighting for control of the knife. Every ounce of my being was focused on wrestling it from Michelle’s grip.
But I knew that I was losing the battle.
If no one came to my rescue soon, I realized that I wasn’t going to win this final battle.
I wasn’t going to die without a fight, though. If Michelle managed to kill me, it wouldn’t be without me fighting back with every last ounce of energy I possessed.
I was a moment from being overcome when I heard a joyous sound.
The hospital room door opened.
Someone had heard my scream after all!
The only problem was that Michelle had somehow managed to finally break free from my grasp.
I looked to see her drawing the knife back to strike a deadly blow to my heart, just as she had done to Dusty Baxter, and I took what I realized might be my last breath on earth.