by Vikki Walton
Down in the sitting room, Kandi had prepared a nice selection of canapés, hors d’oeuvres, and other pre-dinner delights. She had done a quick-change act in the backroom office and was now dressed in a cute outfit of a green suede top with brown corduroys tucked into brown leather boots. She’d pulled her cherry-red hair back in a high ponytail. As Kandi placed the tray on the hunter’s table and passed out plates, Anne surveyed the room.
Hope had pulled Marie to the side and they were deep in conversation. Anne prayed that Hope could stop Marie’s imaginative mind and tongue. The last thing they needed was a group of women in a house they thought was haunted. The pair left the room and Anne felt some of the tension she been holding release as Marie laughed at something Hope said.
Two deaths. She didn’t believe in ghosts. But what had happened? Was Marie just making a story up for attention? Anne shivered. Get a grip, woman, you’re making yourself crazy thinking about these things.
She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath as she looked around the room.
Taylor had put on a long blue sweater covered by a pair of dark blue slacks. She wore her ubiquitous sensible flats. She had been one of the first to secure a plate and the day’s events hadn’t affected her appetite.
Was that a sign of someone who was guilty? No. The woman worked in close proximity to death on a daily basis. She was probably just used to it.
She turned her attention to Liz. The woman had made some effort. She had on a maroon dress with a multi-colored scarf. Her hair had been blown-dry and soft waves framed her face, which was glowing. She was also the only one wearing heels. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes turned toward the snow that had continued to fall outside.
Hmmm, she looks all decked out for a night on the town? Or even worse, a celebration?
Anne turned toward Beth. She didn’t look like she had done much other than change out of her clothes from the morning. Her hair was tucked behind her ears and she wore a wrinkled navy-and-white top with a blue denim skirt. She accepted the plate from Kandi and nodded half-heartily as Kandi expressed her condolences. Smoothing her skirt, Beth set the plate down in her lap but didn’t eat.
The grieving widow. At least she looks a bit more like it now.
Finally, Anne turned toward Lil who had pulled her white-gold hair back into a twist popular with Doris Day in the sixties. On Lil, it looked right. She wore pearl stud earrings and a simple silver and pearl necklace. She’d finished the outfit with black slacks and black flats.
Lil is the only one wearing black. But that could be simply that the others hadn’t brought black clothing on the trip or thought to wear it tonight. The group was subdued, nibbling at their food.
Taylor spoke, breaking the awful silence, “Kandi, these are so yummy. Thank you for taking such good care of us at such a tragic time.”
“Thanks.” Kandi beamed. “And you’re welcome. Dinner is just about ready, and we’ll eat in about thirty minutes if that works for you all.” She gathered up the trays and headed back to the kitchen just as Hope appeared in the doorway. Hope had gone home and changed into a long brown skirt and tan long-sleeved top. She’d added a locally woven belt low on her hips and a fun, funky multi-colored vest. She’d used a bit of spiking gel on her short hair and she looked great.
“Hello ladies.” She walked over and looked out the window. “I listened to the weather report and it says we are going to get about four to six inches of snow, maybe more. That shouldn’t impede you leaving tomorrow, once the roads are cleared. Please know that we will be providing you all with a complimentary guest pass for a stay at another date.” She smiled at the group.
“Don’t ya’ll worry now. This was certainly not a typical weekend to be sure.” Taylor rose and looked out the window, the snowflakes coming down fast and furious. “Whoa. That is some beautiful sight.”
The other women came up and joined her at the window. Ooohs and ahhs were heard from the ladies. Marie had rejoined the group and was the only one to stay seated.
“I want to go out in it,” Taylor quipped. “Come on, Beth. You come with me.”
Beth shook her head no. With Taylor’s calm coaxing, she relented. The women went to grab their coats from the hall tree.
“I left my gloves upstairs. I’ll join you all in a minute.” Liz headed toward the stairs as Kandi came out of the kitchen area and headed to the living room to gather the used plates and silverware.
“Where’s everyone going?” Kandi asked Liz.
“Outside into the snow. Join us. I’ve just got to get my gloves from upstairs.”
Kandi pointed toward the back. “We keep some spares in the back. Feel free to grab a pair so you don’t have to go upstairs.”
“Even better.” Liz smiled.
Kandi grabbed her parka and rushed past Liz. Outside everyone stood on the cleared sidewalk in the front yard, their faces to the sky. Caught up in the wonder, they didn’t see Beth start shaking. She bent over at the waist and clutched her arms to her chest. Anne rushed to her side.
“I’m, I’m . . . ” the woman sobbed.
“No need to say anything. Here, maybe let me help you up to the porch.” Anne took Beth’s elbow and Liz, who had returned, took her other elbow. Liz tried to comfort the woman, but Beth shrugged away her attempt. Instead, she sat down on the porch swing and buried her face in her hands. As Beth’s body shook with gut-wrenching anguish, Lil and Taylor knelt helplessly by her side, their eyes glistening with tears. The snow was coating everything, thick and quiet.
Something moved over by Anne’s house. A figure in a hoodie and pants was moving toward the garages. Kandi yelled, “Hey, you!” The teenager turned his head at the women standing on the porch.
Kandi waved at the boy. “You there! Stop!”
Instead, the boy turned away and sprinted across the cul-de-sac toward the back of Kandi’s house.
Kandi pointed. “That’s the kid that ran out in front of my truck the other day. I could have killed him!”
“Oh, that’s the foster kid, Spencer Andrews.” Marie had finally joined the group on the porch, no doubt afraid to miss out on any conversation. “All those kids just look for trouble. Mark my words, he’s going to end up in jail. Little hoodlum.” She sniffed. “It’s too cold out here. I’m going back inside.”
“Yes, yes, ladies. I think Marie has the right idea.” Hope nudged the women back toward the house. Hope gestured with her eyes to the side. Anne turned to see a flash of brown headed toward the trees.
Oh no. We’ve got to get these women inside. The last thing we need them to see is a bear next to the house. Without a word, they herded the women into the house. After the women were back in the living room, Anne grabbed Hope’s arm. “Was that a bear? It looked like a cub maybe.”
“I’m not sure what it was. I don’t think it was a bear, but it didn’t look like a mountain lion.” Hope took off her jacket and stamped the snow from her boots. “Listen, I’m going to have Autumn bring over some herbs to make a calming tea. Let me go call before the snow gets worse. The ladies can have it after dinner and it will help them to sleep better.”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll want some of that tea as well, after Marie’s stunt upstairs.”
Hope nodded. “Marie is a bit of a snoop, but I’ve never known her to lie or make up stories for attention. Something is going on and we need to find out what it is. I’ll call Stewart to come over now and look around again. There must be something we’re missing.”
“Okay. Plus, we can’t have her attitude affecting the guests. She really upsets me with that holier-than-thou attitude toward foster kids.” Anne rubbed her hands together.
“Yes, I hate when people put everyone in one category too. But I don’t blame Kandi. He did run out in front of the truck. She’s right. He could have been seriously hurt or killed if she hadn’t seen him in time to slam on her brakes. That’s why I tried to talk with him about it.”
“On another note, do you think I
should spend the night over here with you?” Anne queried.
“It probably wouldn’t hurt.” Hope removed the scarf from around her neck. “One of us needs to sleep on the same floor with the guests and the other one down in our office bedroom.”
“Sounds good. Right after dinner I’ll go home and grab an overnight bag. Now we probably need to get the ladies settled at the dinner table. Do you want to check with Kandi and I’ll round up the ladies?”
Anne gathered the ladies back into the dining room. Taylor and Lil went to take their seats while Beth stared at the head where Edward had sat.
“The table looks lovely,” Lil remarked.
“Thank you,” Anne replied. She’d used the gathered elderberry branches and dried flowers that Marie had brought with her. In between the branches and cluster of dark and lighter berries, she’d added short white tapered candles set in aspen containers. In the middle of the table, in a place of honor sat Marie’s elderberry cordial, glowing in the soft lighting.
“You all have a wonderful dinner,” Anne said.
“You’re not going to eat with us?” Beth spoke up.
Hope replied, “We normally sit in the kitchen during dinner.”
“Oh, please have dinner with us,” Taylor exclaimed.
“Yes, do, unless you really prefer to stick with your routines. We wouldn’t want to change anything,” Liz remarked.
Anne nodded. Better to stick close to this group. Hope took one end of the table and Anne the other end.
Marie made a big show of picking up the cordial. She then made her way around the table stopping at her place. As she went to pour the cordial, Liz reached toward the branches and in the process knocked over Marie’s glass. Cordial seeped into the placemat and across the table, landing on Marie’s chair and the floor.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Marie. How clumsy of me.” Liz mopped up the cordial with her napkin. “Please trade seats with me.”
Beth stood up and backed away from the table. “I’m sure her place can be cleaned up. Why can’t you just let things go? Always trying to fix things. Helping out. Why can’t you leave things alone?”
Anne was shocked at Beth’s tone. Hope moved quickly to Beth’s side. “It’s not a problem.” She helped Beth sit back down and they put some napkins under the area where Marie was sitting.
Marie moved over to Liz’s seat while Hope moved the wet chair away and pulled up a chair from the corner. Liz thanked Hope and sat down.
Marie poured her glass and held it up to the light. As she spoke, the ladies were passing around the platters. Kandi had made roast beef, mashed potatoes, and a roasted vegetable medley. Marie took a healthy sip of the cordial. Her face took on a strange look.
“This tastes—” Her eyes grew wide and she began shaking. Her hand dropped the goblet, shattering the glass on the table.
Those with raised glasses hastily set their goblets back down on the table and stood up.
Hope rushed over to Marie. The woman had slumped down in her chair. Her face paled.
Hearing the commotion, Kandi rushed into the room followed by an ashen-faced Autumn.
“Kandi, call an ambulance!” Hope commanded.
With Anne’s help, they laid Marie down on the floor. Taylor had come over and took up the woman’s hand, using her watch to take Marie’s pulse while Lil elevated her feet up on a chair. “Her pulse is very irregular.”
Beth and Liz stood clutching each other. Hope’s eyes told Anne what she feared.
Lil spoke quietly, “She’s been poisoned.”
Liz screamed, “Someone tried to kill me!”
Chapter Thirteen
The women had all been taken out of the dining room and were back up in their rooms. Hope had covered Marie’s body with a sheet and they locked the door into the dining room.
Kandi met Hope and Anne in the hallway, motioning for them to join her in the kitchen. “I just heard on the radio that a blizzard is about to hit us.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “Also, Stewart’s here.”
Hope nodded. “I’ll call and get Sorcha to come over and stay with mom and Missy. Let me go talk to Stewart.”
Sam and the other paramedics had arrived. They were waiting on the medical examiner to take Marie’s body away. Sheriff Carson stood at the dining room door and watched as the crime scene investigators worked the scene inside. He motioned to Anne and she took him back to the office. She closed the door behind her.
“Now it looks like we could have two murders on our hands.”
“Two?” He looked down at her.
“Don’t you see? Someone must have killed Dr. Nelson and then killed Marie, who you know is a snoop. Maybe Marie found out something she shouldn’t know, although she sat at a different seat, so it must have been meant to kill Liz. But maybe it had something to do with the ghost Marie saw.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Carson held up his hands and motioned for her to take a seat. “Ghosts? When did we start dealing with ghosts?” He shook his head and Anne bristled. She knew he already thought she was a bit of a kook.
He went on, disregarding her look of frustration. “Let’s deal with the current death situation first. Right now, we have one death that looks to be a heart attack, but we won’t know until the autopsy is complete. Marie’s death is definitely more suspicious, but again, we don’t have all the facts. Let’s start with those.”
A knock on the door sounded and Carson commanded, “Enter.” He was obviously used to being in charge no matter where he was.
“Hey, Sheriff,” the deputy spoke. “They’ll be here for a few more hours. There’s a call on the radio from dispatch. They’ve shut down I-70 due to the blizzard and there’s been a ten-car pileup on the road leading out of town. We need to go work the scene, sir.”
Carson nodded. “Permission granted, Ruiz. I’ll take statements and meet you in forty.”
“Yes, sir.” The deputy tipped his hat to Anne and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Carson pulled his notepad out and motioned for her to start. Anne told him about the meal and how Liz had accidently spilled Marie’s drink. They then switched seats. They had been passing around the food when Marie took a sip and then fell back into her chair. Lil had been the one to say that she’d been poisoned.
“Okay, so Lil made the pronouncement that Marie had been poisoned. Correct?” He continued to write.
“Yes.”
“How does she know that?”
“Oh, Lil’s a big researcher. She must know what effects poisons have and how they show up.”
She stopped. Lil knows about poisons. Anne heard her tell Edward she was sorry after he was dead. Did Lil kill him in revenge for choosing Beth?
She looked up to see Carson staring at her. “Anything else?”
“Then Liz screamed. She said someone had wanted to kill her instead of Marie.”
Had the poison been meant for Liz? What reason would someone have to kill Marie?
Anne continued, “Plus, we have the note. All this time I’ve thought it was meant for Dr. Nelson or Beth. But what if Beth had written it and decided against giving it to someone? Maybe to Lil.” She clasped her hands together. “Or what if Lil had been the one who wrote the note to the doctor?”
Carson stopped writing. “Let’s hold off on all the suppositions for now. Tell me about this ‘ghost’ Marie claims . . . claimed she saw.”
“That’s another weird thing.” Anne responded. “We all—me, Hope, and Kandi—have all been hearing noises.”
“Like what kind of noises?”
“They vary. Sometimes it sounds like footsteps. Especially on the back staircase but also in the hall. Then a loud banging every once in a while.” Anne scooted forward. “Earlier, Marie was going to use the back steps and she said a cold hand reached out and stopped her from going down the steps. Then a bright light hit her eyes so all she could see was a figure all in white.”
“Hmmm.” Carson stopped writing. “Have you gone up in the
attic to check it out?”
Anne pushed her hair behind one ear. “Yes. We had Stewart come over and take a quick look-see, but he didn’t find anything. The shutters are all secure too.”
“I think we should go up and take a look at the back staircase.” He rose from his seat and Anne followed him. He stepped to the door and waved her through first and stepped aside to let her pass.
“Do you want to go up the front stairs or the back stairs?” Anne inquired.
“I think the front stairs.” They walked together and went up the stairs to the landing. In the hall, the doors were shut to the rooms. “Whose room is whose?”
Anne pointed out the rooms. On their right was where Edward and Beth’s room was located. Across from them a narrow door revealed a small room that had been converted into a storage closet. On the left from the landing was the small room where Marie had napped, and next door was Liz’s room.
Directly across the hall from Liz was Lil’s room and next door was Taylor’s room. Anne noted that they shared a connecting bath.
He bent down and spoke quietly in her ear, “Now where was the note found?”
Good thing I’m a modern, capable woman or this is where I’d be swooning over his masculine charm. She giggled at the thought.
He looked at her, and she could tell he decided against saying anything.
She pointed to the Nelsons’ room. He nodded. “Okay, let’s check out Marie’s room.” Inside, the bed linens were crumpled from where she’d been napping, but nothing else looked out of place. Anne noticed a wadded-up tissue next to the communicating door. She went over to it and realized that you could easily listen in on the conversation in the next room. She moved closer and overheard Liz talking about flights. Anne couldn’t blame her for wanting to get away from whatever was going on here, but she had begun to have her doubts of anyone leaving with the blizzard coming, and now Marie’s death. No one was going to Denver tomorrow.
They left the room and Carson followed Anne toward the back stair. “This is some beautiful old paneling on these walls.” He ran his hand over the highly-polished mahogany. “Expensive for that time, too.”