Cordial Killing

by Vikki Walton

  Lil replied, “I would expect he would most likely be on digoxin.”

  “Could he be on both?” Anne scooted forward.

  “No. That could cause some serious issues.” Lil stopped. She faced Carson. “Is that what happened?”

  Carson replied, “We aren’t able to comment on his death.”

  “Oh, of course.” Lil regained her regal pose. “He wouldn’t take nitroglycerin though. He has a heart condition that contraindicates taking it.”

  “Can you tell me how you know that, Dr. Ryan?”

  “Certainly, Sheriff. We dated when we were younger and during college we all did medical testing and took medical histories on each other. That’s when he told us that he had a heart issue and that it was his reason for going into cardiology.”

  “Let’s talk about Dr. Nelson for a moment.”

  Anne watched as Lil twisted slightly to face Carson. “What would you like to know?”

  “Tell me about the time in college after Dr. Nelson joined the group. Also, how the other three ladies in your group handled it.”

  Lil took a deep breath. “Edward was definitely seen as a prize catch to many of the women. His family had money, he had a great future in medicine, and he was good-looking. All the girls on campus were after him.” She shrugged her shoulders. “For some reason, he chose me.”

  I’m sure it had nothing to do with you being beautiful, smart, kind, and humble. Anne wanted to dislike this woman but couldn’t.

  Lil continued, “The thing is once you got Edward away from all his fawning followers, he was a great guy. He had a quick wit, he was caring, and he wanted to make a difference.” She stared past them as if looking back into that earlier period. “I admit I fell for him too. He wanted to get serious. He wanted the full-on relationship; engagement, marriage, kids, the whole works. I loved him, but I’d worked too long and hard to throw away my dream of becoming a physician. I told him that we both needed to concentrate on our studies.”

  “Overnight, he turned from Doctor Jekyll and became Mister Hyde. I think it was the first time in his life someone had ever said ‘no’ to him. He had his friends start calling me names and they’d pull pranks on me, but those pranks sometimes ruined weeks of research—” Anne watched the woman rubbing her arm, which she knew bore an ugly scar.

  Lil took a deep breath before continuing. “He sought to hurt.” She stopped, and Anne could see that Lil was holding back on saying something. “Then he started dating Beth. I’d come back to our dorm and he would be there with Beth and Taylor. He’d fawn all over her and Beth’s gloating drove me crazy. I loved Edward. I felt used that he could throw me away so carelessly and take up with Beth so soon after our breakup. I struggled to stay focused and realized that my grades were going to take a hit if I didn’t get away from them. I applied to lots of other universities and was accepted to Oxford. Edward and Beth married, and after graduation I married my husband.”

  “You realized your dream of becoming a doctor too?”

  “Yes. MD and PhD.”

  “That’s really impressive,” Anne said sincerely.

  “Yes. When I make up my mind to do something, I rarely let anything hold me back from achieving my goal.”

  Did that include revenge and murder? Lil certainly had the knowledge and capability. Motive, check. Means, check. Opportunity, check. Anne stared at Lil. Could this sweet woman really be a deadly murderess?

  Anne finally spoke when the silence grew too long, ignoring the admonition from Carson. “So, it sounds like Taylor and Liz managed to not date Dr. Nelson.” Anne was proud of herself for not letting the cat out of the bag about Liz’s affair with Edward.

  “I can’t speak to Liz, but that’s not exactly true with Taylor.” She gazed down at her lap. “I’m not sure . . .” a long pause ensued, “ . . . if I should be saying this.”

  “Anything you say is held in strictest confidence. It could be important,” Carson urged.

  “After we broke up, Edward got drunk. I mean, horrible drunk. He came over and was pounding on our apartment door. Taylor let him in. He cried about me breaking his heart. He’d brought a bottle with him. Taylor comes from a teetotalling background. She’d never had a drop of whiskey, much less a glassful. She decided to add some to her soda. Before long they were both in a drunken state and they started making out. The problem was that she was so out of it that she wasn’t able to tell him no.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ve always felt so guilty.”

  Anne was stunned. “It’s not your fault what someone else does.”

  Lil put her face in her hands. “If only I hadn’t gone to the library that night. I could have stopped it.” She looked up. “I came home, and Taylor was sick in the bathroom. She was crying about what she’d done and how her mind kept saying no, but she couldn’t get it out—couldn’t stop it. The day after it happened, Edward acted like nothing had occurred. For him, it was just a one-night stand. But Taylor was—still is—what you would call a good girl. She’s never touched alcohol since.”

  “Did Beth or Liz know what happened?”

  “Liz did. Taylor was crying one night, and she worked it out of her. I think she may have told Beth but I’m not sure.” Lil sighed deeply. “I don’t see what this has to do with now, though.”

  Anne and Carson exchanged a look. Had Taylor waited all this time to take her revenge on Edward? But that didn’t explain Marie’s murder. Had Marie seen or heard something she shouldn’t have? Or had the poison been intended for Liz instead of Marie? Liz said the note was in Beth’s handwriting, but could she have been mistaken? Was it Taylor who actually wrote the note?

  Lil straightened her back. “What else do you want to know?”

  “We were informed that you and Edward had a conversation at the gazebo before he died. Can you tell me what that was about?” asked Carson.

  “He wanted to start over. He said he was leaving Beth and we could have a fresh start. He was going to retire from his practice and we could travel like we’d talked about in college.”

  Anne’s eyebrows shot up at that revelation.

  “What did you say?” Carson asked.

  “I told him that he needed to make his marriage with Beth work.”

  If Lil only knew that he was cheating on Beth with Liz.

  “Did anyone overhear this?”

  “I guess anyone could have heard it. But I didn’t see anyone around.”

  Carson thanked Lil and she walked out of the room.

  “Geez, what a Pandora’s box. That guy was a real piece of work. What a jerk.”

  “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel, Nancy.”

  “Anne.” She huffed.

  “Let’s let this stew for a bit and then we’ll go back over it.”

  The lights went out.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Anne gasped.

  “Take my hand,” Carson spoke into the darkness.

  Anne reached for him. A shock went up her arm as she grasped his hand. The electricity might be out but there were still sparks in this room. Had he felt it too? “I have a flashlight in the kitchen.”

  “Okay, let’s go get it.”

  After retrieving the flashlight, Anne told him about the batch of headlamps they had used for walking. She pulled out the box while he shone the light on the contents. They had bought ten. Anne remembered that Liz had one of them, but that should have left nine. One was still missing from the box.

  She showed Carson the box. She took one and he took the box from her. With his light casting a beam in front of them, they made their way to the living room. Hope had started the fireplace earlier, and all the women were subdued as the wind howled around the corners of the house.

  “Ladies, we will all be staying here in this room until the lights come back on. If you would like to gather some things from your rooms—pillows, blankets or other items, you can do that and then bring them back here. We have these headlamps you can use. We’ll
take turns going up to the rooms and you can go by yourself or either myself or Anne and Hope can accompany you.”

  “I can go myself. I’m not afraid of the dark.” Liz grabbed one of the headlamps.

  “Liz, please also bring your other headlamp with you when you come back.” Anne held up the box.

  “Will do.” Liz left the room and headed upstairs.

  Lil stood up from the sofa. “Anne, could you accompany me upstairs?”

  “Hope too,” said Carson.

  “Yes.” Hope got up and the three left the room.

  “Wait for me!” Beth yelped.

  The hall was empty when they made it up the steps. Hope and Anne stood in the hallway as Beth went into her room and Lil moved down the hall to her room.

  Lil returned with a pillow, blanket, and her purse. “I wasn’t really sure what to take. Do you think Liz has gone down? Should we wait for her?”

  The trio went to Liz’s door and knocked. No answer.

  Anne put her ear to the door. She could hear water running. “I think she’s in the bathroom.”

  Beth came out of her room to make sure they hadn’t left. She then gave them the thumbs-up and went back into her room. Lil joined them, and they made their way over to the stairs. Anne and Hope followed her down the stairs.

  Anne reached out and pulled Hope close. She whispered, “I’m not going to kid you Hope, I’m really scared. I have this strange feeling we’re being watched. I don’t believe in ghosts, but first Ralph dies, then Edward, and now Marie. It’s really creeped me out.”

  Hope rubbed Anne’s arm. “Some people are more in tune with energy. My mother is like that. It’s not really a lot of mumbo jumbo stuff, she is just able to read people and energy very well.” She sighed. “But I know what you mean. This weekend has been very odd, and I’ve also had some strange sensations.”

  Anne could see Taylor as she walked closer to the lit fireplace. She heard Taylor say, “This is freaking me out.”

  “I’m sure it’s just a transformer down due to the storm.” Carson stood in the doorway and nodded at Anne and Hope as they stood on the staircase.

  Taylor’s voice carried up the stairs. “No, I mean what’s going on. Yes, you couldn’t have picked a worse time for a blizzard and the lights to go out. But someone here is a killer. What’s to stop them from picking us off one by one?” Her voice quivered.

  “Me. That’s who,” Carson replied. “That’s why we’re all going to stay here in this room together.”

  Hope and Anne remained on the stairs between the upstairs landing and downstairs until Lil made it to the living room. Then they’d go back up to get Liz and Beth.

  Carson turned to Taylor. “You want to go up and get anything since Hope and Anne are already up there?”

  Taylor nodded and put the headlamp on her head, switching on the light.

  As Lil passed her on the way, Taylor reached the stairs. Hope and Anne tilted their headlights to better illuminate the staircase.

  A scream caused them to grip the banister. Beth, with a look of horror, was at the top of the stairs. She was pointing down the hall toward the back staircase. “A ghost! I just saw a ghost!” She stumbled down the stairs as Carson bounded up the stairs two at a time.

  “What is it? I heard someone screaming. Is someone hurt?” Carson shone the flashlight all along the hall. He went in to each room with the trembling women behind him. “Oh no.”

  “What?” said Anne and Hope in unison.

  “I told you that no one should be with anyone else on their own. Taylor and Lil are all by themselves.”

  The group quickly descended the staircase. “Don’t go so fast. Don’t leave me!” Beth shouted.

  She turned her head and at the end of the hall a ghostly figure was moving toward the back staircase.

  Her scream stopped everyone in their tracks.

  “There it is again!” She broke down, hysterically sobbing.

  Carson rushed back up the stairs while Hope helped the distraught Beth down the stairs to the living room.

  “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all this. Let’s get you to the living room.” Hope sought to comfort the hysterical Beth, while a shaken Liz stood next to the fireplace. Taylor and Lil had gathered on the sofa.

  Anne was glad to see Liz in the group but how had she made it downstairs without anyone seeing her?

  After noting that all the women were accounted for in the living room, Anne mounted the steps. Carson headed toward the back staircase door. He turned to see Anne behind him.

  “Quick! Go back down and lock the door into the back hall.” He waved with his flashlight.

  Anne stumbled and half-slid down the stairs. Racing toward the kitchen, she tripped and fell before making it to the door of the servant’s staircase. She reached up and locked the door. Now limping, she hobbled back to the front stairs and climbed them to find Carson fussing with the door. “It’s locked.”

  “Well, they’re trapped. I’ve locked the downstairs door so unless they break it down, they have no escape but up to the attic.” Anne reached into her pocket. “Here are my house keys.”

  “Step back.” He motioned for her to move behind him. Carson quickly unlocked the door and shone his flashlight inside. No one was on the landing. The door to the attic was closed. Shining his light down the staircase, it too was empty. He turned his flashlight toward the attic stairs. His light landed on a hook latch that Stewart had installed thinking that may have been the banging that others had heard.

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Anne broke down crying.

  “Now, now.” He gathered her into his arms. “It’s okay to be scared.”

  His embrace was warm, and she felt more secure than she had for days. She swallowed a sob. “I’m not scared. I think I sprained my ankle.”

  “It might be okay to be scared.”

  “Why do you say that?” Anne looked up into Carson’s face.

  “Because of this.” He held up a sheet that had two holes cut out for eyes.

  “We’re not the only ones in this house.”

  Chapter Twenty

  With Carson on her side, Anne managed to step-hop back down to where the ladies were. Lil moved out of the chair and Taylor gathered sofa pillows to elevate Anne’s foot.

  Carson said, “I’m going to go get some ice for that ankle.”

  “Let me go with you, Sheriff. I’d like to grab some arnica cream as well as make some herbal tea for everyone.” Hope quickly reached his side.

  He nodded. Then turning to the women, he said, “No one leaves this room. Understood?”

  They all nodded.

  In the kitchen, Hope lowered her voice. “What do you think is going on?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

  “But first—” He headed off to the back office.

  When he returned, his face told Hope something was wrong. “What is it?”

  “My gun. It’s missing.”

  Hope sat down at the table. Even in the dark room, lit only by the bright snow outside, the fear showed on her face. “So, we have a killer in the house who is intent on killing us.”

  “Don’t worry. Whoever took it isn’t planning on killing all of us.” He ran his hands through his hair. “We can’t let on that the gun is missing. Not even to Anne. Got it?”

  Hope nodded. She shook her hands out at her sides and let out a long breath.

  They returned to the living room where Hope handed Taylor the arnica ointment. As Taylor applied the ointment, Lil cut up part of a sheet to use as an ace bandage for Anne’s foot, which was already swollen and turning colors.

  “Ladies, here’s some herbal tea for you.” Hope passed cups around. “I also grabbed some of Anne’s granola bar stash.” The ladies took the tea and unwrapped the bars. No one spoke. The wind howled. Normally, the fire would have made for a cozy evening campout, but everyone was on edge, their eyes constantly flittin
g toward the hallway.

  Carson moved over to the door and sat down facing the hall toward the kitchen and the front staircase. He leaned back on the wide wooden door jamb, presenting a human barrier between the living room and the hallway.

  Every sound seemed magnified. The women huddled close to each other. Hours went by. Before long, the adrenal rush now gone, coupled with the hypnotic effect of the fire, the women began nodding their heads. One by one, the women fell asleep.

  A sound woke Anne. She glanced over to Carson, his body tensing at the noise. He caught her eye and put his finger to his lips. He leaned over and touched Hope on the shoulder. She startled but sat upright. He pointed toward the kitchen. There was definitely a noise.

  He got up and quietly edged over to the dining room. With hand signals, he motioned for them to shut the pocket doors to the living room. Anne and Hope both shook their heads. He scowled at them. Hope went over and grabbed two pieces of firewood. She went over to Carson and handed him one. Anne could see he was telling Hope to go back to the living room, but she was having none of it.

  Giving up, he motioned for her to get behind him and the pair crept out of sight. Anne felt useless as she sat with her foot up on the pillow. The throbbing had subsided, so she took the chance to stand up. Pain shot up through her leg. She hobbled on her injured foot and crept over to the doorway. She could just see Carson and Hope’s figures moving slowly down the hallway. Each held the log tightly gripped in their hands like a bat. Carson leaped and a figure all in black appeared out of the darkness, headed for Anne. She screamed, and the figure turned, bolting up the main staircase. Forgetting her ankle, Anne moved to the stairs. As she put pressure on her hurt ankle, she stumbled and fell. Carson came around the corner and raced up the stairs, followed by Hope.

  A door slammed. Carson ran down to the back staircase and threw the door open. He aimed the headlamp up and down the stairs. No one. Nothing. The door to the attic yawned its black hole. He cautiously climbed the stairs to the attic. As he reached the top, he switched off the headlamp he’d retrieved from downstairs. After letting his eyes get accustomed to the dark, he tentatively opened the door.