Deadly Southern Charm

by Mary Burton

  “You can kiss my head anytime,” June said. “Hey, that sounds like a great country song.”

  KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, by Maggie King

  “‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’ I never knew that quote came from The Godfather.” Meryl McKinney’s words mingled with the chatter of the coffee shop as she held up a tattered paperback copy of the famous tome by Mario Puzo. “Did you know that, Kat?”

  “Nope. Never read The Godfather. Or saw the movie.” Kat Berenger rested her blue eyes on Meryl. “Now, about my proposal: do we have a deal?” Kat and Meryl had chosen a table by a window in Zorro’s, a trendy spot in Richmond’s historic Fan District.

  “Oh, absolutely! I’ll do anything to catch the scumbag who killed my best friend.” Meryl’s voice caught and she took a deep breath.

  “And I intend to clear Kenny of suspicion. My baby brother would never have killed his wife.” Kat tossed back her blond curls, setting her earrings jingling.

  The two women sealed the deal with a handshake. Kat couldn’t help noticing the difference between her hands and Meryl’s: while Kat decorated each finger with a ring and her black lacquered nails sported leopard tips, Meryl, nails bitten to the quick, wore no rings.

  Five days before, Vicki Berenger’s husband Kenny had come home from a weeklong trip and couldn’t find his wife. He had the fright of his life when he opened the shower door and found her—dead. Forensics found that Vicki’s shampoo contained a lethal mixture of DMSO and strychnine. Since that day, Kenny Berenger found himself in the crosshairs of the Richmond Police Department.

  “They always suspect the spouse, don’t they?” Meryl asked.

  Kat nodded as customers came and went, ordering their oversized coffees and pastries to go.

  Meryl went on. “What’s DMSO anyway?”

  “A supplement. People use it for arthritis. Some of my clients get it at the health food store.” Kat was a personal trainer at Max’s gym. “DMSO opens up your pores and allows your skin to absorb other chemicals. Like strychnine.”

  “And where would someone get strychnine?”

  “It’s commonly used in rat poison.”

  Meryl closed her eyes, perhaps hoping to block the images her mind conjured.

  “First things first,” Kat said. “Let’s get some coffee. Then we can plan our strategy for putting Vicki’s killer behind bars.”

  “My treat.” When Kat started to protest, Meryl stood and held up a hand. “You’re being so kind and supportive. I’m glad you suggested teaming up to solve Vicki’s murder. Running into you yesterday at Kenny’s was the best thing that could have happened to me.”

  “I’ve been spending a lot of time with Kenny. He stayed with me until the police released the crime scene. By the way, he and I loved the corn casserole you brought.”

  “Thanks. I’m just dreading the funeral tomorrow.” Meryl’s voice caught again. “Well, what can I get you?”

  “Just a skinny latte. I had breakfast at home.”

  As Meryl walked up to the counter, Kat thought that the woman looked like she’d fallen out of bed five minutes before—and had probably spent the night tossing and turning. Tangled, greasy strands of dark hair brushed her shoulders. She wore a wrinkled cotton blouse, capris, and flip-flops worn down at the heels. Hard to believe that Meryl had recently turned forty-five. She looked much older.

  Zorro prepared its coffee in a large roaster that took pride of place by the front window. Kat looked up at the stamped ceiling and down at the original wood floor, now scuffed and worn. Banners from Southern colleges—University of Richmond, College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Commonwealth University among them—covered the walls, along with relics of the past, such as a framed ad for vanilla milk shakes at ten cents. Bookcases held used books. Plants that looked wilted in the soaring heat of a Virginia summer lined window ledges.

  Kat glanced at the few people sitting nearby. A stern-looking man with a military bearing was reading a copy of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. A woman with blue-tinted black hair and oversized red-framed glasses moved to a beat only she could hear through her earbuds. A man of about thirty-five sported a rumpled tee shirt and a baseball cap promoting the Richmond Flying Squirrels, a minor league baseball team. He winked at Kat. She winked back. Despite being fifty something, Kat still enjoyed flirting with men.

  As Meryl turned from the counter, Kat got up to help her carry the coffee and a strawberry scone. At the table, Meryl split the scone with a knife and offered half to Kat.

  “I lost my job on Monday,” Meryl said.

  “Oh, no. You lost a dear friend and your job? All in the same week?”

  Meryl nodded, looking glum. “Yeah. Downsizing. Or so they say. I need to get a job fast. I have so many expenses. I had to take a second job a while back, but it doesn’t pay well.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “Oh, um—Burger King.”

  Kat raised her eyebrows, noting Meryl’s hesitation. Aloud, she said, “What did you do at the job you lost? Where was it?”

  “The Heller Corporation. It’s an association management firm downtown. And I… um, I did pretty much everything.” Meryl smiled, showing the gap between her two front teeth. “I answered phones, filed, prepared bank deposits, helped the CEO and the membership specialist. I was there for six years.”

  Kat took a sip of her latte. “So you did everything, huh? And you said they’re downsizing?”

  “Right.”

  “And after you were there for six years.” Kat shook her head. “That’s so unfair. These companies have no loyalty anymore.”

  After a moment’s pause, Kat said, “Now let’s talk strategy for nailing Vicki’s killer. I figure that between the two of us, we know everyone Vicki knew. I’m especially interested in the women in your book group. Hopefully they’ll be at the funeral tomorrow, and you can question them afterwards at the lunch.”

  “How do I question them? I can’t just go, ‘By the way, did you kill Vicki?’”

  Vicki had been Kat’s sister-in-law for three years. “No, you have to be subtle. Cagey. You know these women. And you’d known Vicki since… when? Kindergarten?” When Meryl nodded, Kat added, “I never really knew her. She and Kenny no sooner met than they married.”

  “I told her not to rush into marriage. But she wouldn’t listen.”

  Kat thought she heard an accusing tone in Meryl’s words. Did the woman think that if Vicki had held off on marrying Kenny, she’d still be alive?

  Ignoring Meryl’s subtext, Kat said, “Back to your book group—you all met last Thursday at Vicki’s house and the very next day Vicki is dead. One of them either did it or might know something.”

  Meryl looked doubtful. “Maybe we need to leave this to the police.”

  “The police are laser-focused on Kenny. A retired homicide detective from the Richmond Police lives next door to me and stays in close touch with his former colleagues. He won’t tell me much—doesn’t want to obstruct the investigation—but he does throw me tidbits. I probably shouldn’t repeat what he says”—Kat lowered her voice and leaned forward—“but Vicki was depositing three thousand bucks a month into her son’s college fund. In cash.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Where would she get that kind of money? She wasn’t even working, she was getting her MBA.”

  Meryl looked blank. “From Kenny?”

  “But why cash?”

  Meryl’s eyes filled with tears. “I shouldn’t say this…” she trailed off.

  “Of course, you should say it!” Kat said.

  A young woman with a froth of pink hair and sleeves of tattoos sat in an overstuffed chair, a book in one hand and a yellow highlighter in the other. She turned, frowning, and said, “Please keep it down.”

  Kat glared at the woman, but dropped her voice before saying to Meryl, “We want to find Vicki’s killer and anything you know could help.”

  “Okay, okay.” Meryl paused fo
r a moment to collect herself. “When Vicki was in college, she—she was an escort for a while, and then later she switched to phone sex. Maybe she started doing that again.”

  “But why would she?”

  “She made good money at it. And she wanted to send her son to a good school for pre-med.”

  “Kenny makes good money,” Kat said. “He’d be glad to help out.”

  “She didn’t want Kenny to feel obligated to send her son to school. She wanted her ex to do it, but he wouldn’t come through. So she told Kenny that her father had set up a fund for his grandson.”

  Kat didn’t respond. Instead she slanted a look at Meryl. “That explains the money, but not the murder. Do you think someone from the book group killed Vicki?”

  “Well… rumor has it that Tina Wood was having an affair with Kenny. So maybe she did it.”

  “If they were having an affair, she definitely had a motive. But she has a hell of a nerve going to their house and socializing with Vicki.”

  “Yes, well…” Meryl spread her hands.

  “Did Tina use the bathroom the other night? If so, she had an opportunity to doctor the shampoo.”

  “I have no idea. I’m pretty sure we all used the facilities at least once. It’s not the kind of thing you really notice.” Tears spilled down Meryl’s cheeks.

  “Okay, take a minute.” Kat pressed a tissue into Meryl’s hand. “I know this is very upsetting.”

  “But what about…” Meryl trailed off, clearly uncomfortable. “What about Kenny?”

  Kat sighed. “What about Kenny? He didn’t do it. He was out of town on business all last week and didn’t get home until Friday, when he found Vicki. And he loved her.”

  “But he was having an affair!”

  “You said that was a rumor.”

  “He could have added the poison to the shampoo before he went out of town.”

  Kat sighed again. “Do you know how often Vicki washed her hair?”

  Meryl looked startled at Kat’s unexpected question. “Every other day. I think.”

  “Okay, let’s say that Kenny did add the poison before he went out of town. He left on a Sunday, right?”

  Meryl nodded.

  “That means Vicki would have used that shampoo at least twice, maybe three times, before Friday. So why wasn’t she poisoned earlier in the week?”

  “She said she had her hair cut and shampooed by her stylist last week. Plus she alternated shampoos a lot.”

  Meaning that Kenny could indeed have managed to switch shampoo bottles before leaving for his trip. Kat became even more determined to clear her brother.

  “Okay,” Kat held up her hand. “Let’s consider the method the killer used: DMSO mixed with strychnine.”

  “You said earlier that someone could get DMSO at the health food store. And that strychnine is in rat poison.” When Kat nodded, Meryl continued. “So, we just have to find someone with a rat problem who also had a motive to kill Vicki.”

  Kat laughed ruefully. “From what my cop friend tells me, rat problems in the city are more common than you might realize.”

  “I imagine an Internet search would tell anyone how to mix DMSO with strychnine.”

  “You’re right. But Internet search histories can be traced.”

  “The killer read it in a book, maybe? Some author used the same method?”

  “That’s what I’ve been thinking,” Kat said. “Do you know Hazel Rose?”

  “No.”

  “Hazel’s a romance writer, but she’s started writing mysteries. She’s also something of an amateur sleuth. She’s on a trip right now or else she’d be solving this mystery. She told me about a book on poisons that she uses for reference. The Richmond Public Library has a copy of the book.”

  “Really?”

  Kat sipped her coffee. “I went to the library and found the book. I asked the librarian about mysteries featuring poison and she suggested several, including An Unbecoming Death which included a scene that was identical to how Vicki died.”

  “So it looks like the killer got the idea from that story.” Meryl looked thoughtful as she chewed her scone. “The book group members all read mysteries.”

  “The librarian said that someone else had recently requested the same book. She wouldn’t tell me who. Of course, she probably doesn’t even know. But if we showed her a picture of the women in your book group…” Kat looked at Meryl. “What do you think of that idea?”

  Meryl shoved a too-big piece of scone in her mouth and swallowed the food with the help of her coffee. “I really don’t feel comfortable questioning people who could be killers.”

  “Okay. Let’s ask ourselves which of these women had a motive. Besides Tina Wood allegedly having an affair with Kenny.”

  “I don’t know. We all went to school together. Vicki stole Carol Sarris’s boyfriend in senior year.”

  “That was almost thirty years ago. You think Carol would kill Vicki now?” Kat sounded doubtful.

  “No. Just saying.”

  “Did any of the folks in your group have rat problems? Not that one has to actually have a rat problem to get rat poison, but it’s a place to start.”

  Meryl chewed one of her well-chewed nails. “Lots of people have rat problems in the city.”

  “You’re right.” Kat drained her latte. “You mentioned that Vicki had been a phone sex operator. So maybe she blackmailed one of her clients.”

  Meryl’s face lit up with hope. “I bet that’s what it was.”

  “Don’t get all excited. If it was one of her clients, he—or she—would have to have been in Vicki’s house and used the bathroom. It’s pretty unlikely that Vicki would ply her trade as a sex worker in her home. Assuming she even was a sex worker.”

  “Yeah. I guess.” Meryl looked distressed at such a promising possibility coming to naught.

  “But blackmail? That’s an interesting possibility.” Kat gave Meryl a long look. “How about this scenario: Vicki found out that her dearest friend, her lifelong friend, was embezzling funds from her employer.”

  The little color in Meryl’s face drained. “Embezzling? I never heard Vicki mention anyone embezzling.”

  “When you said you did ‘everything’ for the Heller Corporation, did that include bookkeeping?”

  “Yeah, so. Why are you asking?”

  Kat leaned forward. “I heard one hundred thousand dollars is missing from Heller’s general fund.”

  “Who told you this? Your cop buddy?”

  “The Heller Corporation’s Membership Specialist also belongs to Max’s Gym. According to her, you were fired for embezzling.”

  “That’s Patty Oates. And she is lying.”

  “I know your mom has a lot of medical problems. I know you took a second job at a fast food restaurant for the extra money. I also know the restaurant is having a problem with rats.”

  “You read too many mysteries. Besides Burger King isn’t having any such problem.”

  “Did Vicki figure out you were stealing? Was she blackmailing you?”

  Meryl said nothing, folding her arms as her gaze shot daggers at Kat.

  “Remember when I said that the librarian said someone else had recently requested An Unbecoming Death?”

  Meryl still didn’t respond. She sat, looking mutinous.

  “She picked you out of a Facebook lineup.”

  Meryl rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

  “And the fast food place where you work is C.J.’s, not Burger King.” Kat swiped at the screen on her phone and read, “Former and current employees claim there is a rodent infestation at C.J.’s, a popular fast food restaurant in Richmond.”

  “Okay, maybe C.J.’s had a problem. But that happened way before I started there.”

  “But they probably still had the poison stashed away.”

  Tears suddenly filled Meryl’s eyes and streamed down her face. “My best friend was bleeding me dry all so she could send her idiot son to an expensive pre-med program. I pity th
e poor people who end up being his patients.”

  Kat sat back, but said nothing.

  “It all started when I borrowed a small amount from Heller so my mom’s insurance wouldn’t cancel. I was going to pay it back. I confessed this to Vicki one night when we drank too much wine. She immediately started blackmailing me and I had to keep embezzling to pay her. A few weeks ago she upped her fee from three thousand to thirty-five hundred. I couldn’t do it. My mom has a lot of medical expenses, and her insurance premiums skyrocketed and my brother cares more about his gambling than our mother. I realized Vicki was never, ever, going to stop.”

  “Unless you stopped her.”

  Meryl sighed. “Yes. I hate computers and the library had all the information I needed to poison Vicki.”

  “You did get the poisoning idea from An Unbecoming Death?”

  Narrowing her eyes, Meryl said, “Yes.”

  Kat was sure the police would find Meryl’s prints on the book. Leveling her gaze at Meryl, she asked, “So how did you do it?”

  “Like you said, I stole some rat poison from work, found DMSO at a health food store, and a bottle of Vicki’s favorite shampoo from another store. I only had to dump some of the shampoo out and add the other ingredients to the bottle. Then at book group I excused myself to go to the bathroom and switched the bottles. Child’s play. Too bad I didn’t get to see the gory results.” The look of pure hatred on Meryl’s face alarmed Kat.

  Kat tapped the cover of The Godfather. “‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?’”

  “Meryl McKinney, I’m arresting you for…” The man in the Flying Squirrels cap and tattered tee shirt flashed his Richmond Police Department badge and finished reading Meryl her Miranda rights. The woman with the blue-tinted hair and oversized red-framed glasses approached and handcuffed a shrieking, cursing Meryl.

  “I’m Detective Thomas Fischella and this is my partner, Detective Stephanie Garcia. You are under arrest.”

  “I’m going to kill you,” Meryl hurled at Kat as the detectives hauled her away.

  Zorro’s customers and employees froze in their places, not speaking, not moving, as if in a tableau.