As soon as Donald finished speaking, he was surrounded. Almost as one the women had abandoned their desks and rushed to his side-to comfort, to reassure, to declare their loyalty to the company and to him. They were, of course, shocked by the news. Susan doubted if anyone other than herself noticed when Donald slipped a sheet of paper from the bottom of a pile on his mother’s desk into his jacket pocket.
TWENTY-THREE
SUSAN WAS CONVINCED THAT DONALD’S DESIRE TO VISIT HIS mother’s office had been driven by a need to obtain the paper he had slipped into his pocket, despite his statement to the contrary. After accepting condolences from his employees, he had wasted no time chatting, but found Susan (wiping her hands, pretending to have just left the restroom-an effort wasted on him) and pretty much demanded to be driven immediately to the police station. She was happy to oblige. And even happier to discover an officer smoking outside the station door who came out to the car to greet Donald and escort him inside.
Her responsibilities completed, Susan drove straight home. Her street was now more crowded than ever, with roadblocks set up at both ends. After identifying herself to the officer manning the barricade, steering around a reporter speaking earnestly into a camera in the middle of the macadam, and driving right over cables laid down by someone for something, she arrived home. Chrissy had parked in her mother’s spot in the garage so she left her car in the driveway and went into the house. This time not even Clue was waiting for her in the kitchen. In her living room she discovered an impromptu party in progress. Erika Fortesque had brought her six-month-old daughter over to see the twins. Zoe Fortesque was, until a few weeks ago, Susan’s favorite baby as well as her goddaughter. A miniature of her mother, Zoe had dark brown hair, big serious eyes, and a slow smile. Sitting on her mother’s lap, she was flirting like crazy with Susan’s grandson. Shannon was sitting on the couch, a twin in each arm, chatting with Erika. Chrissy was kneeling on the floor, unwrapping a bulky package with Kathleen Gordon’s help.
“Zoe and I thought we’d stop in for a visit now that she’s over her cold,” Erika said. “Of course, I didn’t expect to discover Brett and most of his department next door.”
Susan nodded. “You know what happened over there, don’t you?”
“Yes, I called his cell phone as soon as we arrived. Incredible, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I-”
“Mother, look. Look what Erika and Brett gave the twins.”
Susan looked. “Amazing. But what is it?”
“An antique sled. Probably made in Connecticut or Rhode Island between 1790 and 1810,” Erika answered. “I was at an antiques fair over the weekend looking for things for the store, came across this, and couldn’t resist. Look.” She sat Zoe down on the floor and joined Chrissy. “It was made for two children to use at the same time.” She pointed to the double C shape of the back support. “I know it’s not terribly practical.”
Chrissy hugged the bulky object. “I love it! Next winter Stephen and I will take Rosie and Ethan sledding in Central Park the very first snowstorm.”
So much for moving to Hancock, Susan thought.
“Sounds like fun,” Kathleen said, moving over to Susan. “My in-laws are in town for a few days…,” she began, lowering her voice.
“I didn’t know they were coming.”
“Well, things have been so hectic, which is why I’m here now. Jerry and Jed are going to meet us for dinner at the inn tonight. I called them right after hearing what had happened next door.” She looked at her friend, a stern expression on her face. “You need a break.”
“But the kids…,” Susan began to protest.
“My kids are probably already pigging out at Wendy’s with Jer’s parents and I’m sure Chrissy and Stephen can manage here.”
“We can, Mom,” Chrissy jumped in. “You and Dad go out. You’ve been looking exhausted.”
“Well…”
“Come on. Run upstairs and change your clothes.” Kathleen checked her watch. “We’re due there in half an hour.”
“But how will Stephen get home from the station?” Susan asked.
“Stephen is driving Jed’s car home. You and I will drive over separately. I’ll drive home in my car. Jerry will drive home in his and…”
“Jed and I will come back here in mine,” Susan continued the pattern. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“We’ve tried. Go get dressed.”
“Go on, Mom. You don’t want to be late.” Chrissy sounded just like a mother.
Susan gave up. Why should she scrounge around in her kitchen for food, prepare a meal that would be eaten, not in the dining room while the family conversed about the day, but around the needs of the twins, then spend at least another hour in the kitchen cleaning up when she had been offered an opportunity to dress up and let someone else do all the work?
“Okay. Give me twenty minutes to change.”
“I’ll give you fifteen. If we get there early, we can have a quick glass of wine in the bar and catch up,” Kathleen said.
Susan, who was dying to tell Kathleen about her day, took ten minutes to change, two to make sure all the dogs had done what they needed to do in the backyard, and five more saying good-bye to Erika and Zoe. It took less time to drive to the inn than to maneuver out of the driveway and around the mayhem in the street. But she and Kathleen entered the inn fifteen minutes before Jed and Jerry’s train would arrive at the station.
The Hancock Inn was in full flower. Pots of spring bulbs lined the walls and sat on the tables. Massive glass urns full of flowering quince, forsythia, and pussy willows filled the deep windowsills of the old stone building, their vibrant colors reflected back into the room. Hundreds of votive candles in frosted glass holders augmented the brass chandeliers and electric wall sconces. The effect was warm, lush, and as different from the nightmare that was going on next door to the Henshaws’ house as it was possible to get. Susan took a deep breath and felt herself relax.
Charles, maître d’ and owner, dashed to the door to greet his guests. “Mrs. Henshaw. Mrs. Gordon. I was thrilled to see your names on the reservation list. It has been too long since we saw you.”
“Three weeks, I think,” Susan said, smiling at Charles’s enthusiasm.
“Too long. Too long. And you must try the New Zealand cockles tonight. They’re on the menu as an appetizer, but, of course, we can prepare them as an entrée. They are absolutely superb.”
“Sounds sensational,” Susan said. “Charles, Kathleen and I only have a few minutes before our husbands arrive. Do you think you could find us a private spot in the bar where we could chat?”
“Of course, girl talk. Follow me!”
Charles seated them in a booth at the back of the bar and hurried off, promising to send a waiter and two glasses of chilled Prosecco to their table immediately.
“So, tell me about your day!” Kathleen demanded.
“I don’t know where to start.”
“Did you speak to Nadine’s neighbors?”
“Yes! Although I can’t tell you how much trouble I had finding them.”
“Well, save that for later. Tell me what they said.”
Susan leaned across the table so her words could only be heard by her friend. “Donald grew up on Perry Island!”
“What?”
“But not in the family home we’ve heard about. He lived in an apartment over a real estate agency when he was a kid, before his mother bought the family home there.”
“That’s interesting.”
“And she wanted to build a development out there.”
“What?”
“Yes, on the point of land where Perry Island Care Center is located!”
“But-”
“And Donald told Sophie-”
“Sophie?”
“A neighbor at their old place. She and her husband live in one of the houses that Donald built on the land that he purchased along with Edith’s cottage.” She saw the mystified expre
ssion on her friend’s face and backtracked a bit. “Sophie and Donald have known each other for years. And they had an affair.”
“Susan…”
“Look, none of that is important. What is important is that Donald told her…”
“… in a moment of passion?” Kathleen said, grinning.
“Possibly in a moment of passion, but more likely in a moment of bragging. He told her that he knew a way to put Perry Island Care Center out of business.”
“What?”
“You heard me! He said he knew a way to put the care center out of business.”
“So that the land would be available for his mother to develop.”
“For someone to develop. Apparently there was a bit of competition between Donald and his mother and he had even bigger plans for Perry Island. Something about a multiple-use development-homes as well as a hotel and a conference center. You know the sort of thing.”
“How was he going to do it?”
“I don’t know exactly, but he has built developments before.”
“That’s not what I mean. How was he going to put Perry Island Care Center out of business?”
“I have no idea. Maybe he was going to arrange for some mysterious deaths.” She stopped speaking as the waiter appeared with their wine.
Kathleen took a sip of the wine and smiled. “This is delicious. Thank you.” She nodded and he left them alone.
“You know, Blaine Baines Executive Homes and Estates is the same business entity as Donald Baines Executive Homes.” Susan took a sip from her flute.
“Really? Why would they have two different names if they are the same company?” Kathleen smiled over Susan’s shoulder. “Private time has come to an end. Guess whose husbands are standing in the doorway?”
“Ours, I hope. I’m starving!”
The women got up and joined their spouses.
The two couples were seated in a small bay window in the dining room. They chatted a bit then got down to the serious business of deciding what to order.
“I’ll have the New Zealand cockles as a starter. And the grilled swordfish with cucumber lime salsa,” Kathleen ordered.
The waiter looked over at Susan. “I’m not quite ready,” she said. “Let the men order first.”
Jed, who knew that his wife liked to hear what everyone else was having before she made up her mind, leapt into the breach. “I’ll have the scallop brochette with spinach for an appetizer and the prime rib.”
Jerry frowned at the menu. “Sounds good. I’ll have the same appetizer and the duck.”
“And madam?”
Susan looked up. “The New Zealand cockles and the roasted salmon filet. And can we get a bottle of the Prosecco, too?”
“Good idea,” Jed agreed.
Now that their selections were made, Susan could return to a problem she had been grappling with all afternoon. She turned to her husband. “Jed, can you run a business and use different names for the same business?”
Jed looked at his wife and smiled. “You’re going to have to explain your question a bit before I can answer.”
Kathleen knew exactly what Susan was trying to say. “Susan and I were wondering about the Baineses and their real estate companies. They have a few offices that we know about. One is called Blaine Baines Executive Homes and Estates. Blaine Baines runs… ran… that one. And the office that Donald set up in town is called Donald Baines Executive Homes.”
“And you’re wondering if they are the same company,” Jerry said.
“Actually, we know they are, but why would they use different names?” Susan said.
“There’s an excellent reason for a company like that to use different names at different outlets,” Jed said.
“Why?”
“Shelf space. Think about the soda beverage aisle in the grocery store,” Jed continued when he saw the mystified expression on his wife’s face. “There’s a huge selection. Some shoppers buy Coke. Some buy bottled spring water. Some are looking for diet drinks. Most of those choices are created, bottled, marketed, and put on the shelves by a few big conglomerates. But they don’t brag about the common ownership. Because the common ownership blurs each individual brand’s image. That a drink made from sugar and chemicals with artificial colors added might come from the same purveyor as the water from the pristine stream in Montana doesn’t help either product sell.”
“You’re saying that they might just be two different faces of the same company,” Kathleen said as their appetizers arrived.
Susan stared down into her bowl of shellfish and wondered if she was imagining that this might be an important concept.
TWENTY-FOUR
SUSAN OPENED THE FRONT DOOR TO TAKE CLUE FOR HER morning walk and found Brett Fortesque standing on the porch.
“We need to talk.”
“I-”
“We need to talk right now.”
“If we could do it while I walk Clue…”
“Fine.”
“… then you could walk Rock and Roll at the same time.”
“I could, but I’m not going to. Susan, this isn’t a social call.”
“Then we’d better go before Clue has a nervous breakdown. Golden retrievers are not known for their patience.”
“Neither are police officers,” Brett said, starting down the walk.
Susan hurried to catch up. “You know about Perry Island.” The words were out of her mouth before she could think about whether or not they were wise. Damn! She shouldn’t even think of leaving the house until she’d taken the time to drink at least one cup of coffee.
Brett looked down at her. “I know about Perry Island and I know the woman who is taking care of your grandchildren right now was employed there when the murders happened.”
Susan waited for more.
“And I know about Mike Armstrong and that he’s her cousin.”
“Oh.” Susan stopped to allow Clue to sniff the corner of a neighbor’s stone wall. “So why do you want to talk to me if you know everything.”
“Susan…”
“Brett, you’re not going to arrest Shannon!” Susan cried.
“I’m not going to arrest anyone. Now. But I may suggest that she come down to the station house so I can ask her some questions.” He stopped, turned around, and faced Susan. “Two dead women have been found in the house next door to you, Susan. I have no reason to suspect anyone in your home is involved, but you know perfectly well that I can’t ignore the connection.”
“I know, Brett. But I’m sure Shannon didn’t kill anyone. She was with Chrissy when Nadine was killed. Besides, she’s a wonderful person and a sensational nurse.” She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard him snort at this statement. “It’s true, Brett. The police on Perry Island didn’t arrest her, did they?”
“The police on Perry Island didn’t arrest anyone. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
“And what reason would she have to kill Nadine-if she had the opportunity-or Blaine? She didn’t even know them.”
“Really? Donald recognized her.”
Susan thought for a minute. “Yes, but the fact that Donald knew Shannon doesn’t mean she would kill his wife. Think about it, Brett. What reason would she have to kill Nadine? If she was trying to hide her connection to Perry Island Care Center, she would have needed to kill both Nadine and Donald.”
“And Blaine Baines, too,” he said.
“So have you ordered extra protection for Donald?” Susan asked. She realized she sounded sarcastic, but she had been caught unprepared. She had hoped she and Brett wouldn’t have this talk until she had figured out who killed Nadine and Blaine and all those poor old people. Clue stopped and she was glad of the break. She couldn’t do it. Too many murders over too long a time. She was never going to figure this one out. She looked up at Brett who was standing quietly by her side.
“I don’t think she killed anyone, Brett,” she said quietly. “And she is a wonderful nurse and I don’t know what Chrissy and
Stephen would do without her. But I can’t figure out anything about all this. I’ve talked to so many people, but nothing I’ve learned leads in any particular direction. And, of course, now Blaine ’s dead.”
Clue looked up impatiently and pulled on her leash. “We’d better walk. This poor dog’s main exercise for the past week has been trying to keep Rock and Roll from stealing her dinner and barking at all the confusion next door.”
“Not exactly the ideal dog’s life,” Brett said.
“Not exactly.”
“Susan, you know I’ve grown to respect your investigative abilities.”
“It took you long enough,” Susan yanked on the leash to prevent Clue from flattening a gorgeous curbside display of crocus.
“You’re probably right.”
Susan blinked. Where was this conversation going? “But I thought you were angry at me for not telling you about Perry Island and Shannon and all.”
“Not angry. It would make my job a lot easier if you shared what you know with me, yes. But sometimes you… well, sometimes your enthusiasm for what you think you know gets in the way of rational thinking.”
“Brett, why are you here? I mean, you didn’t show up on my doorstep at dawn just to chat, did you?”
“No. To be honest, I wanted to pick your brain. You usually have insight into the personal relationships of the people involved in any of my cases.”
Well, he already knew what she had been trying to hide. Why not? “Okay. But I don’t think I know anything. I mean, I’ve heard that Nadine and Donald were having marital problems, and that Donald and his mother were competitive, and that Nadine and her mother-in-law didn’t get along. And, damn it, that’s really all I’ve learned.
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