Who knew what kind of nervous energy had propelled Christy Ann that afternoon? Her house was immaculate, and she had baked three kinds of cookies and set up a beverage station for the guests. Deena noticed lemonade was not among the drink offerings.
She and Gary milled around and made small talk with the neighbors. She recognized most of the faces, although some of the names eluded her. She turned around and saw Gary talking to Marcie from the bank. The chopsticks were gone from her bun, but she wore an Asian scarf around her neck that appeared to practically be choking her.
“Don’t think another thing about it,” Gary said. “It’s really no big deal.”
Obviously, she had been apologizing again for her uproar at the bank. She turned to address Deena. “Mrs. Sharpe, it’s good to see you on friendlier terms.”
“Call me Deena. I didn’t realize we were neighbors.”
“She lives on the block behind us a few doors down,” Gary said. He looked back at Marcie. “I’m not a stalker. I’ve seen you wrestling with your lawn mower a few times.”
Marcie scowled. “That darn old thing. It gives me fits. I think my ex-husband cursed it before he left me. Of course, that’s been a while. I should be able to buy a new one soon. Do you mow your own lawn?”
Deena spoke before Gary could answer. “Not anymore. It interferes with his sports watching. He’s a professional, you know.” Her eyes twinkled.
“Oh?” Marcie asked. “What kind? A player?”
“No. Watcher.” Deena grinned. “Apparently the announcers can’t do their jobs unless Gary is talking along with them, answering their questions, and offering his own analysis.”
Marcie got the joke and laughed. “You two live next door to Edwin, right?”
“Yes,” Gary said. “We’re just sick about what happened.”
“Poisoned?” Marcie shook her head. “Who would do such a thing? He and I were good friends. I used to take him to bingo every Friday night.”
“Really?” Deena remembered Tiny mentioning a crazy-looking lady with Edwin at bingo. He must have been talking about Marcie and her hair.
“Yes, he was lonely and, frankly, so was I.” She looked down at the floor. “Ever since my divorce, I’ve found it hard to open up to people. Edwin was kind and funny. I’m really going to miss him.”
Deena touched the woman’s arm. “If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where I am.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes seemed to grow dark then. “Do the police have any suspects?” She lowered her voice. “Rumor has it that it was his granddaughter.”
Deena whispered back, “It couldn’t have been her. She was in jail.”
Marcie’s jaw dropped just as Christy Ann tapped on a glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” she said. “I’m sure you all know the reason we are here. Our dear neighbor Mr. Cooper was murdered sometime this morning.”
There were a few gasps in the room. Apparently not everyone knew the circumstances after all.
“Until this despicable killer is caught, we need to be more vigilant than usual. I invited Officer Luis Santos here to speak to us about our role in keeping the neighborhood safe. He’s just joined the police force.” She waved him forward. “Officer Santos.”
The neighbors clapped to welcome him.
“Thank you, Mrs. Maples. First, I want to assure you that the Maycroft Police Department is doing everything possible to find whoever killed Mr. Cooper and to bring him to justice.”
“Excuse me, officer.” It was Charla Hicks, the real estate agent. “You said ‘him.’ Does this mean you have narrowed down the suspects to a male?”
“Uh, no, actually. It could be a male or female. Sorry for the confusion.”
“Do you think it was his granddaughter?”
Deena couldn’t see who asked the question.
“We are not speculating on any suspects at this time.”
Several more people started to ask questions and Santos held up his hands. “Folks, let me just remind you that we are here about your safety when you are on watch. First and foremost, never go out alone.”
“I’ve got that covered with my list,” Christy Ann said and held up a stack of papers.
“Good. Also, if you go out at night, always carry a flashlight and a whistle. And most importantly, never try to confront anyone on your own. Call the police so that we can handle it.”
“I got my dog, Choppers,” Mr. Wallingham said. “He’ll take care of anyone around here trying to break in and murder somebody.”
Santos shook his head. “No, no. That’s not what we want.” He continued with his list of dos and don’ts until he’d covered all the major points.
Deena stopped him on his way out the door. “Thanks for coming, and don’t worry, we aren’t a bunch of vigilantes looking to extract our own justice. I think people are just angry and upset over what happened. They’ll settle down.”
“I hope so.” He tipped his hat and left.
Christy Ann had the floor again. “I’ve made a list of partners to go out on watch in the evenings. I know mornings are just too hectic.” She passed out the papers. “If you can’t go at your assigned time, please call to make arrangements for someone to take your place.”
Deena looked at the list and raised her hand. “Christy Ann. You have Gary assigned to go out with Marcie. Why am I not on the list?”
“Oh, I thought you had a bad hip or knee or something. I thought that’s why you never exercise. And Marcie is single.”
“We’ll be a team,” Gary interjected quickly.
Marcie mouthed the words “thank you” to him.
Deena leaned in and whispered to Marcie, “I can’t believe I missed getting in my jammies early for this.”
Instead of joining her for a good giggle, Marcie knitted her brow. “What did you mean earlier when you said Kitty was in jail?”
“They took her in last night for elder abuse for stealing from her grandfather when she went to the bank last week. She’s out now.”
“Oh dear,” Marcie said.
“I know. Hopefully the case will be dropped now that Edwin is . . . gone. That way no one else at the bank has to find out that Leslie let Kitty empty the safe deposit box.”
Christy Ann walked up. “Deena, would you mind taking a picture of the group before everyone leaves? I want to put it in the newsletter.”
“Okay. Do you want me to use a tripod so I can be in the picture? I can run across the street and get mine if you don’t have one.”
“That’s okay. I don’t want everyone to have to wait. You can just take it.” She called for attendees to gather in front of the fireplace.
When they were all ready, Deena held up her cell phone and asked everyone to say, “Cheese.” It wasn’t the foremost word on Deena’s mind, but she censored herself. She sent a copy of the picture to Christy Ann’s phone.
Afterward, Gary motioned to Deena that it was time to leave. She walked over and grabbed a handful of cookies first. “Might as well get something useful out of this evening.”
Chapter 23
Gary had let Deena sleep late and she was grateful. No commitments, no interviews, no worries.
And no job.
Deena lay in bed trying to decide how to spend the day. She could go to the antique mall, ask her sister-in-law Estelle to join her for a leisurely lunch, or go to the thrift store to visit her best friend. Maybe Sandra would have her baby with her there.
After her shower and coffee, Deena felt like a new person, although the same old worries crept back into her head. She went to the front window and looked out. All seemed quiet at Edwin’s house. Her phone rang in the kitchen, and a foreboding feeling came over her. Hopefully, it was someone asking her to buy more life insurance or something.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mrs. Sharpe. It’s Kitty Cooper.”
If it was possible to get double knots in the stomach, Deena did. All she could
think to say was, “How are you?”
“Terrible. The police know we took that man to the bank with us. I’m not sure they believed me when I said we didn’t kill him. And I still can’t find Clay. That’s why I’m calling. Were you able to locate him?”
“No, I’m sorry. They said he called in sick to work.”
“I know, and he wasn’t there today.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “I—I just left the tire shop. I’m too upset to work. I need help. Do you think you could meet me?”
Deena hesitated. Could this be a trap? Maybe Clay and Kitty were scheming something together. But why would it involve her?
When Deena hesitated, Kitty pleaded. “Please? I don’t know who else to turn to. It’s about my grandfather.”
Deena sighed. “Okay. Can you meet at the doughnut shop across from the thrift store?” She wanted to keep the spot neutral, just in case her instincts about Kitty were wrong.
“Sure. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Wait,” Deena said, still feeling a little vulnerable. “How did you get my number?”
“It was in the phonebook. I called your landline.”
“Oh.” Deena hung up, but not before she heard Kitty moan something about old people.
Deena hadn’t really expected to have a free day, but at least this way she could still pop in and see Sandra. Maybe Ian had shared something with her about the case, although she knew Sandra didn’t usually reveal anything her husband had told her in confidence.
And, well . . . doughnuts.
When Deena got to the parking lot, she saw Kitty’s red car with Kitty still inside. The girl followed Deena into the shop. They both ordered and Deena picked up the tab.
Once they were seated with hot coffee and warm pastry, Kitty began to open up. “This has been the worst week of my life. I lost my grandfather, my boyfriend, and even my freedom for a few hours, although if Detective Guttman has his way, it may be forever. I can’t believe he thinks I would kill Granddad.” Tears spilled from her face like raindrops from a dark cloud. “And he says he’s looking for Clay too.”
Deena felt sorry for the girl. “Did Clay leave any signs about where he might have gone? I thought you only had one car between you. How far could he have gone?”
“If he hitched a ride with a trucker, he could be halfway across the country by now.” Kitty dabbed a paper napkin at her eyes.
“Hmm.” Deena thought about it. “But did he pack a bag or just disappear?”
“He packed a bag. It didn’t have everything in it, but it had the essentials.” She shook her head. “I don’t think he’s planning on coming back.”
“But why would he up and leave like that? Did he know you had been arrested?”
Kitty looked around nervously at the other patrons. She and Deena were in a far booth, but she must have worried someone would overhear them. “I think so. He was at work and they took me away at the end of the day from Freddy’s. I didn’t get to talk to him, but I’m sure the other people at work told him what happened.”
“Okay,” Deena said, wiping doughnut crumbs from her blouse. “Let’s be logical about this. What are the reasons you can come up with for Clay to take off like that?” She had one big one in her mind but wanted to hear what Kitty would say.
“He doesn’t love me anymore.”
Deena made a sound like a buzzer indicating a wrong answer on a game show. “Ehh. Too sudden and definitely too coincidental, timing wise. What else?”
Kitty sighed. “Maybe he saw I got arrested and assumed it was for our bank scam and thought they’d be after him next.”
“Sounds like you’ve thought about that one already.”
“Yeah, but I’d be surprised that he’d just abandon me.” Kitty added two packets of sugar to her cup and stirred it like a tornado touching ground.
“Didn’t you say he had a police record already? Maybe he was more afraid because of that.”
“Maybe, but they were pretty minor arrests. Marijuana possession. Petty theft.”
Deena gave Kitty a hard look but bit her tongue. She wanted to lecture the woman about the company she kept but remembered that Kitty said she was no Girl Scout. For all Deena knew, Kitty might have had her own previous brushes with the law. “Any other reason he might have left?”
The question hung in the air like the Goodwill blimp. Deena let it float awhile as Kitty seemed to shut down.
“Kitty? Anything else you can think of?”
She grabbed another handful of napkins and hid her face in her hands. “He didn’t poison Granddad. I know it. He wasn’t that kind of person. Plus, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Explain.” Deena sat back and nursed her cup.
“If he killed Granddad, it would have to be for the money, right? But if he left, he wouldn’t get any. So why would he do it?”
Deena reached over and put a hand on Kitty’s. Love truly was blind. “Maybe he did it for you. To take care of you.”
Kitty shook her head and began whimpering like a wounded animal.
Deena knew the girl must have thought of this already on her own but didn’t want to face up to it. After the tears dried up, Deena said, “I have one other theory. Maybe Clay isn’t gone for good. Maybe he’s just hiding out until the coast is clear, and then he plans to find you and have you run off with him.”
Kitty nodded as though the thought made her feel better. “I guess that could be true.”
“Kitty!” Deena pounded her fist on the table. “Don’t even think about it. If he killed your grandfather, you can’t even consider the possibility of taking him back.”
She closed her eyes tight. “I know, I know.” Then, “Unless it was an accident.”
“Seriously?” Deena was at the end of her rope.
Kitty reached into her handbag and pulled out two white letter envelopes. “I have another problem I was hoping you could help me with. But before I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
Deena’s eyes were glued to the envelopes. “I can’t make that promise. If it’s anything illegal—”
“It’s not, at least I don’t think so.”
Deena was dying to know what secrets were hidden in the envelopes, but as curious as she was, she knew better than to make a promise she couldn’t keep. “Maybe you should confide in your attorney instead of me.”
Kitty rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding? She kept calling me Katherine and would barely make eye contact. The social worker told me it was my grandfather’s lawyer who convinced the judge to let me out. My lawyer just did the paperwork.”
“Ian Davis. He’s one of the good ones.”
“Yeah? Do you think he will help me?” Kitty’s eyes pleaded her case.
“I don’t know. He may still be your grandfather’s attorney even though he passed.” Deena thought about calling him but was pretty sure what he’d say. “Why don’t you give me a hint as to what this is about, and then maybe I can help you figure out what to do.”
Kitty glanced at the envelopes. “I told you I got stuff out of Granddad’s safe deposit box. Well, there were two wills in it and they’re different.”
“Oh,” Deena said, feeling a rush of relief, “I know the answer to that one. As long as they are both legitimate, the will with the most recent date is the valid one.”
Kitty blew out a sigh as she plopped the two documents onto the table. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
Deena leaned forward. “Are you saying the most recent will doesn’t name you as the beneficiary?”
Kitty nodded.
“But I even heard Edwin tell you everything he had would be yours.”
“I know, right? Apparently, he changed his mind and forgot or something.”
“Who is the other beneficiary?”
Kitty shoved the envelopes toward Deena and leaned back as though the effort took every last ounce of energy she had left in her body.
Deena opened the first envelope and pulled out three sheets
of paper. She skimmed the first part about Edwin being of sound mind and body. Her eyes tracked down to the line with a name typed on it. There in black and white was the name Katherine “Kitty” Cooper. She turned to the last page where Edwin had signed and dated the document. It was dated in September three years earlier. There was even a notary stamp. “I’m no expert by any means, but this one naming you looks real to me.”
“It is. I was with Granddad when he had it notarized.”
The second envelope shouted at Deena, “Open me!” She picked it up and realized her hands were trembling ever so slightly. She pulled out three sheets of paper that appeared identical to the first ones, and her eyes flashed right on the name of the benefactor. It was Marcie Anne Phillips. “Marcie?” She looked over at Kitty.
“I don’t even know who she is, unless she’s that lady who takes Granddad to bingo on Friday nights.” Her shoulders dropped even further. “Did you see the date?”
Deena turned to the last page. “January of this year. That was just two months ago.” She noticed the same signature and notary stamp as the first will. “I don’t know what to say.”
Kitty was apparently all cried out. “If Clay did kill my grandfather to help me, it was all for nothing.”
Deena had the last two pages of the will laid out side by side. They were both originals, as far as she could tell, and the signatures were identical. “That’s strange,” she said as she wondered aloud. “Who writes their name the exact same way every time?”
Kitty shrugged, obviously not getting Deena’s point. “I thought about just throwing the new one away. Maybe this was the only copy. But I was worried there might be another copy somewhere and they would arrest me.”
Deena couldn’t take her eyes off the documents. “Do you have anything else with your grandfather’s signature on it?”
Kitty thought a minute. “I have his checkbook in my purse.”
“Can I see it?” Kitty passed it to her, and she flipped through the carbon copies of checks with Edwin’s signature. They were all similar enough. It seemed to Deena that if Edwin had indeed changed his will, Marcie would have known about it and said something at the previous night’s meeting.
Stay Sharpe Box Set Page 43