by B. T. Lord
Meredith nervously plucked at the pillow’s trim that she still kept pressed up against her chest, as if this offered some sort of protection against Cammie’s questions.
“Well, I’m sure this is one of those unimportant things. Kevin just isn’t the type to hurt anyone. Why, he’s been known to go out in all hours and in all types of weather to help track down a missing pet or farm animal.”
“Then I’m sure we’ll be able to simply check him off our list of potential witnesses.” Or suspects, Cammie thought, but did not say. “I can’t do that until you tell me what you know.”
“About two weeks before our trip to Twin Ponds, Poppie called the group together. She’d heard that a male vermilion flycatcher was spotted near Trendle Lake, so we scrambled to get down there.” When she saw the questioning looks on Cammie and Doc’s face, she continued. “Vermilion flycatchers are a brilliant red feathered bird generally found in the southern part of the United States, Mexico and South America. To see one this far north is a very rare treat. Naturally the whole group hurried to the lake and scattered throughout the woods, trying to catch a glimpse of it. I was walking on a deer track that runs along the shores of the lake when I heard raised voices. At first I thought someone was hurt and I hurried along. When I drew closer, I realized it was Poppie and Kevin. They were arguing.”
“Did you hear the reason for their argument?” Doc asked. Cammie glanced at him in surprise, but she could see by the look on his face that he’d become caught up in the story. She inwardly smiled as she turned her attention back to Meredith.
“It had something to do with a promise Poppie made to Kevin. I never heard what the promise was, but it seemed clear that she was reneging on it, which made him very upset. He kept trying to convince her to change her mind, but she refused. He pushed and pushed until I heard her yell at him to leave her alone. She then took off through the marsh grass. I peeked over the grass and saw him clenching and unclenching his fists before he took off in the opposite direction.”
“You never asked her about this?” Cammie questioned.
“As we were all getting ready to leave, I asked her if she was alright. She seemed preoccupied and out of sorts. She tried to tell me it was because she was disappointed she hadn’t seen the flycatcher. I knew that wasn’t true, but I didn’t push her on it.”
“Did you ever know Aubrey to drink to excess?”
Meredith blinked in surprise at the sudden change in topic. “Um, no, not really. The most I ever saw him drink was one glass of white wine. Why do you ask?”
“Did you know that Aubrey was here at the inn yesterday? He made a nuisance of himself, insisting he had to see you. Tudor refused to give him your room number. He became so disruptive, Tudor threatened to call us. That’s when he left. Why do you suppose he did that?”
A wariness crept over Meredith’s face as she hugged the pillow to her even tighter. If she kept pulling, she’d end up tearing the pillow in two.
“I honestly don’t know,” she murmured.
“Is it because he needed to make sure you didn’t tell me the truth about Magic Calico?”
She shifted on the sofa. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Cammie leaned forward. “You’re the true creator of Magic Calico, aren’t you? And the reason he visited you Tuesday and Thursday evenings for several years was because he needed your help to plot the stories.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Did he sleep with you to make sure you cooperated? Did he promise to pay you, but never did? When he was nominated for the Newbery Medal, did he suddenly decide he didn’t need you anymore and blew you off? Is that why you tore apart your copies of the Magic Calico books?”
Meredith looked as though she were about to have another full blown anxiety attack. “It’s alright, Meredith,” Cammie continued in a gentle, compassionate voice. “There’s nothing illegal about that. Whatever you and Aubrey decided about the Calico books is between the two of you. But as part of this investigation, I need to know the truth.”
Meredith passed a trembling hand over her pale face. Doc started to rise from his chair to grab his medical bag, but she put her hand out. “It’s alright, Dr. Westerfield. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “It’s just that it’s not easy to be confronted with the truth of what a complete fool I’ve been.” Cammie remained silent as Meredith gathered her thoughts. “It was shortly after Aubrey and Veronica moved to Mategwas. He began to stop in at the library to do research for a series of books he was writing. They weren’t doing very well and one day he admitted as much to me. I suggested he try his hand at writing a children’s book. There were several popular ones out there, especially those dealing with the world of magic. He’d never considered that before. It was a quiet day. I wasn’t busy, so as a lark, we tried to come up with a suitable character. Magic Calico was my idea. I would have forgotten about it, except that Aubrey showed up on my doorstep that evening, telling me he couldn’t get the character out of his head. We brainstormed the plot for the first book – or rather I did while Aubrey took notes.”
“That didn’t make you suspicious?” Doc asked.
“He said this would be a marvelous story to tell his nephew, who loved magic and wizards and witches and goblins. Besides, he was writing murder mysteries at the time. It never occurred to me that he would actually publish my story. When the book appeared, I was livid. I threatened to tell everyone the truth. It was then he promised that if the books made money, he’d share the proceeds with me.”
“Did he?” Cammie asked. Meredith blushed and the sheriff knew exactly what Aubrey had done. He’d taken advantage of her lack of self-esteem. He’d taken her to bed, feeding her fragile ego while all the time siphoning off her ideas and passing them off as his. It made Cammie’s loathing for the man simmer into a deep hatred.
She shook her head. “He paid for repairs around my home and bought me a new car when mine died. But I never saw the financial rewards he kept promising to give me. I suppose I justified it by believing that although the ideas were mine, he did the actual work of writing them all out.”
“Why did he break it off with you?”
“It was that damned award,” she lashed out angrily. “He came over to tell me about the nomination for the Newbery Award. He’d always been a bit arrogant, but I’d never seen him the way he was that evening. He actually pranced around my living room, telling me he didn’t need me anymore. I could tell the world the truth, but no one would believe me. I was a nobody, while he was a world famous writer.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “It was the worst night of my life. What could I say? Who would believe me?” She paused. “The funny thing is that he began calling me again last month, begging me to forgive him. It seems he tried writing the newest Calico book, but found he couldn’t do it without my help.” She tried to smile through her tears. “It should have made me feel good that he still needs me. But it only broke my heart.”
“When did Poppie find out that you’re the creator of the Calico character?”
“Shortly after I joined her group, she came over to pick me up so we could go birding. I still had the notes from the night before sitting on my coffee table. She took one look at them and immediately guessed what was going on. I lied to her, telling her he was compensating me just to calm her down.”
“Obviously she eventually discovered that wasn’t true,” Doc said.
Meredith nodded. “On our trip to Twin Ponds, she asked me what I thought Aubrey’s chances were of winning the Newbery. Just the mention of it got me so upset, I started to cry. It was then I told her the truth.”
“And it all came to a head at the dinner the night before Poppie was killed?”
She nodded. “I’d never seen her so upset. As soon as we arrived, she called Aubrey and told him we were going to his farm that night to discuss a very important matter. We were barely through the door before she tore into him, threatening to expose him if he didn’
t pay me half of the royalties he’d earned.”
“That’s quite a bit of money.”
“Yes it is. I didn’t really want or need that much, but Poppie was adamant. I needed to get paid for essentially creating the books for him.”
“What was Aubrey’s reaction to this?”
“Naturally he didn’t take kindly to it. He tried to argue with her, but she wouldn’t listen. We all finally agreed that I would get 30% of his royalties. Poppie actually wrote it down, had us both sign it and she witnessed it. She warned him that if he didn’t follow through, she’d expose him to the world. As added insurance, she recorded the conversation.”
Cammie caught her breath. “Does Aubrey know this?”
“No. She didn’t trust that he wouldn’t pull some legal mumbo jumbo to get out of the contract, so she hid the recorder in her pocket.”
“Where is the tape and contract now?”
“She had me put them in the safe in Mr. Montgomery’s office. She thought that would be the safest place for it.”
“And you’re sure Aubrey doesn’t know about the tape?” Cammie repeated.
“I certainly didn’t tell him. And I don’t think Poppie would have said anything. To be honest, I believe she would have relished the truth coming out.”
“How was Aubrey when you left the farm that night?”
“He was calm. Even contrite that he’d treated me so badly.”
“How did you feel about what Poppie did?” Doc asked.
“I was grateful and in awe. That’s why I could never have killed her. She was willing to fight for me. No one has ever done that before.”
Cammie shifted in her seat. “Why do you think Aubrey moved away from Mategwas?”
“It was part of his belief that he didn’t need my help anymore. He was looking for a fresh start where he’d be the sole creator of the Calico books.”
“Did Veronica know about any of this?”
“I doubt it. I don’t think he could have lived with her disappointment and disgust over his dishonesty.”
“Did Aubrey ask you to pretend you and Poppie had gone over there to have dinner with him and Veronica?”
She nodded. “He was terrified the truth about Calico and our financial arrangement would get out. It seemed easier to just pretend we’d simply gone over there to have dinner together.”
Cammie met her eye. “Despite everything he did to you, you still love him, don’t you? That’s why you couldn’t tell me what was going on.”
Her eyes watered. “I’m such a cliché, aren’t I? The lonely, ugly woman desperate for attention from any man. I never believed I’d become that caricature.” She looked up at Cammie as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Do you know what true loneliness is, Sheriff? No, of course you don’t. You’re attractive and confident and know exactly who you are. I was never like that. Oh, I wanted to be, but when you look like me and you’ve spent your life the butt of other’s jokes and putdowns, especially from the opposite sex who see you as unattractive, I never dared to dream that someone might actually look past the curveless body and horse-like face and see what I have inside. Whatever his true intentions, Aubrey was the first to do that. So, in spite of everything he did, yes, I still love him. In spite of his arrogant exterior, I saw another side that was kind and gentle and compassionate. Was it an act? Could he hold that act for so long? We spent hours in each other’s company. I’m not sure he’d have the focus to keep up the pretense over so much time.” She wiped the tears with the back of her hand. “But none of that matters, does it? If he killed Poppie, he deserves to pay for it.”
“Do you think he killed Poppie?”
She looked out the window for a long moment. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted.
Cammie went directly to Tudor’s office. “Did Meredith leave anything with you to put in the safe?”
“As a matter of fact, she did.”
“Could you get it for me?”
He eyed her. “I need her permission. It’s the law.”
“I am the law,” she reminded him. He crossed his arms against his chest and tilted his chin in a stubborn gesture.
She impatiently picked up the phone from his desk and dialed Meredith’s number. When she picked up, the sheriff put it on speaker and asked, “Do I have your permission to get the envelope you left with Tudor?”
“Yes, you do.”
“Thank you.” She hung up the phone and glared at Tudor. “Happy now?”
“My, my. Did Jace not deliver last night?” He cringed when she growled at him. He hurried to the far side of his office where a small safe sat against the wall. He kneeled down, put in the combination and a moment later withdrew an envelope. He handed it to Cammie who opened it up and saw a small black voice activated recorder inside, along with a folded piece of paper. She took out the paper and quickly scanned it.
“I need to make a copy of this on your copier.”
“Be my guest.” After making the copy, she put it back into the envelope. “I’ll need you to sign for the envelope,” he said as she turned to leave. “Just to make it legal.”
She suppressed a snide remark as she signed the voucher. She met up with Doc in the foyer, and they both walked out of the inn.
“Well, that’s an open and shut case if I ever saw one,” Doc remarked as they climbed into Cammie’s Explorer. “Poppie threatened Aubrey’s entire existence. Imagine the worldwide scandal if it was discovered that he stole the ideas for the Magic Calico series. It would be like telling the world that all of Ernest Hemingway’s work was actually written by his first wife Hadley. Or one of those six toed cats that run around his Key West property. Thank God Poppie had the presence of mind to record their meeting, or else it would have devolved into a he said/she said situation.”
“Looks like I’m going to have another talk with Aubrey,” Cammie said as she pulled out of the parking lot. “I also need to follow up on that story Meredith told us about Poppie’s argument with Kevin.”
“Kevin wasn’t even here,” Doc scoffed. “I say Aubrey’s your man. He had means, motive and opportunity.”
Cammie glanced at him. “When did you become the expert on such things?”
“I’ve acted as your sounding board enough over the years to pick up a thing or two.” He chuckled as he rubbed his hands together. “I know I’ll regret admitting this, but what a rush questioning Meredith. I was so caught up in all of it, I almost felt invincible. I believe I’d make a valuable sidekick to you.”
“That spot’s already taken by Rick,” she answered, alarmed by Doc’s attitude.
“Who says you can’t have two? The more I think about it, the more I’m liking this.”
“No offense, but the county needs you more as a doctor and coroner.” She saw he wasn’t paying attention. Jeez, this was the last thing she needed. Her mind raced with possible ways to change his mind. The one she finally chose wasn’t the greatest, but she hoped it was enough to work. “Tell you what. You can continue to use your vast intelligence in helping me figure things out the way you have been doing. I can’t tell you how invaluable your insights are. You can continue to focus on serving the community and assisting me.” She saw he wasn’t quite convinced. “Besides, do you really want to spend hours traipsing through the woods and marshes looking for a suspect? Whenever you get called out when the weather’s cold, you complain about your arthritis.”
He smiled. “I know you’re throwing me a bone, but I appreciate it. A sounding board I shall remain. Now step on it. I have ten minutes to get home, slip on my lab coat and be ready to receive Mrs. Hennessey.”
After dropping Doc off, she drove straight to HQ. She walked in to find both Rick and Emmy on the phone. A few moments of eavesdropping told her they’d tracked down the servants on the list Hannah had provided, and were interviewing them. She poured herself a cup of coffee from the machine and walked back to her office. Taking off her jacket and hanging it up on the coat rack, she sat at her desk, tu
rned on her computer and took a long sip from her mug.
Fortified with caffeine, she turned to her computer and began to write up Meredith’s interview. She was just about done when Rick poked his head in.
“Emmy and I tracked down the folks on the list Hannah gave us. We discovered--”
Cammie held up a finger and finished typing up the last sentence on her report. “Done,” she announced. She swung her chair around and pointed to the chair in front of her desk. “Now I can give you my full attention.”
“Emmy is still on the phone with one of the maids, but we tracked down everyone, including the caretaker with the weird name. Beauregard? Beau Brummel?”
“Baudelaire French.”
“That’s it. Everyone both Emmy and I spoke to confirmed they heard he’d moved to California after his dismissal and died out there. I’m in the process of finding his death certificate.”
“Did you uncover anything that might help us?”
“Not really. Hannah wasn’t kidding when she said her mother was the devil incarnate. None of the people we spoke to had anything kind to say about Poppie. She was unreasonable, impossible to respect or to like, changed her mind constantly while blaming everyone around her, including her husband and daughter, when things went wrong. There was always high turnover in the Beresford home. After a while, the word got out and it became more difficult to hire staff.”
“Did anyone mention Hannah’s friend Willow?”
“The house maids did. They remembered her as a quiet, shy girl who only visited that one time. They were all shocked when they read in the newspapers that she’d killed herself. One of the maids, a woman by the name of Heather Brownley said she wouldn’t be surprised if it had been her visit that made her take her life. She’s the only eyewitness to one of Poppie’s attacks on Willow.”
“What did she see?”
“She was passing by the library when she overheard Poppie telling Willow that she needed to toughen up or she’d be an embarrassment to her family and herself for the rest of her life. Willow ran out of the room in tears. Having been at the tail-end of Poppie’s tongue herself on many occasions, Heather knew the damage Poppie could do to a sensitive girl like Willow obviously was. I’ve written up all the interviews if you want to take a look at them. There’s also a copy of Willow’s obit that Emmy found on the internet in the file as well.”