by J A Whiting
“No, let’s see what’s beyond the trees.”
The dogs led the way and bounded between the trees into the wooded area while Claire and Nicole stopped and looked back to the house.
“I think Maddy was right.” Claire rubbed at her temple. “Someone was here that night.”
Nicole eyed her friend. “Do you get a feeling of who it might be?”
“No.” Claire gave a weary smile. “Wouldn’t it be helpful if I did?”
“Yup,” Nicole kidded. “You need to hone your skills.”
The dogs barked from a few yards into the trees and the girls hurried to see what caught their attention.
“It’s part of the park.” Nicole pointed. “Look. There’s a walking path here. It must lead back to the park.”
With one hand on her hip, Claire turned in a circle glancing up and down the trail that ran behind the houses situated along the Dodd’s street. “Well, this is convenient, isn’t it? Park where we did, walk up the path, sneak into the Dodd’s backyard, and enter the house. Kill Grace and then escape into the woods.”
“If that’s what happened, then it would mean that Dr. Dodd didn’t kill his wife.”
Claire made eye contact with her friend. “Or, someone was out walking that night. They heard the commotion at the house, stepped into the Dodd’s yard, saw Grace fall, maybe got a look at the killer, got scared, and rushed away.”
“A witness.” Nicole nodded. “It makes sense.”
“The police must have checked this out,” Claire said. “They must be thinking the same thing we are. I bet they’ve talked to the neighbors, asked if anyone was out walking that night. Maybe someone gave them some good information.”
Nicole crossed her arms over her chest. “And I bet they didn’t find out anything important.”
“Why do you say that?” Claire tilted her head.
“Because the District Attorney’s office would have told Vanessa if there was a good clue or something helpful,” Nicole noted. “I bet nobody knows anything. It’s been days since Grace died. This mess isn’t going to be solved anytime soon.”
“Is that what your intuition tells you?” One side of Claire’s mouth went up.
Nicole winked. “Maybe my intuition is getting stronger from hanging around with you.”
Claire bent to scratch the dogs’ ears. “I think we all make a good team.”
Bear and Lady woofed in agreement.
“Shall we walk back to the car along the path?” Nicole asked.
“Sure,” Claire nodded and as she was about to follow along the trail, some movement near the Dodd’s house caught her and Lady’s eyes. “Nic,” she spoke softly. “There’s someone at the house.”
Nicole hurried to Claire’s side and peered between the branches. “A woman. Maybe it’s the housekeeper.”
“Good idea. Shall we go introduce ourselves?”
“You bet.”
“If it is the housekeeper and since no one is at home,” Claire suggested, “she might be more willing to speak freely. We might get some helpful tidbits from her.”
Nicole and the dogs pushed through the trees. “Or she’ll call the police on us for trespassing.”
“One way to find out.”
The Corgis and the young women walked across the lawn towards the woman who stood with her hands on hips staring at the group as they approached. And she wasn’t smiling.
14
Nicole waved at the petite, stocky, gray-haired woman who looked increasingly alarmed the closer Claire, Nicole, and the dogs got to her. “We’re friends of Vanessa. We were walking on the path from the park.”
The woman eyed them warily, and although she seemed to be relaxing slightly, she had an expression that said she wanted these intruders to go away. “Vanessa isn’t home.” Despite her short stature, the woman’s arms were toned and her body appeared strong with a contained energy embedded in her muscles.
“Are you a family friend?” Claire asked with a smile.
The woman snorted and her light blue eyes flashed. “I’m the housekeeper.”
“Do you take care of the yard, too?” Claire wondered why the housekeeper was outside the house.
With a vigorous shake of the head, the woman said, “I saw you from the window. I wondered why you were prowling around, staring at the house.”
Nicole asked, “How long have you worked for the Dodds?”
“A long time,” the woman’s voice held a grumpy tone.
“I’ve known Vanessa since we were in school together here in Greendale. Did you start working for the Dodds right after Vanessa went to college?”
“Ten years.” The woman nodded and kicked her toe in the grass.
Nicole stretched out her hand to shake. “I’m Nicole Summers and this is my friend, Claire Rollins.”
The woman gave Nicole’s hand a look of displeasure, but took hold of it anyway. “Edie Brookhaven.”
“We’re sorry about Mrs. Dodd,” Claire told Edie.
Edie glanced down at the ground. “Yeah.”
“Did you work that day?” Claire kept her voice even. “Did you notice anything that seemed off?”
“Off? How?” Edie took a quick look at Claire and then shifted her eyes downward.
“Did it seem like a regular day? Did the Dodds act like anything was wrong?”
Edie had on a full apron that tied behind her waist and neck. She shoved her hands into the wide front pocket. “Same as always, far as I could tell.”
“Are you usually here every day?” Nicole asked.
“Usually five days a week. Eight to five.”
“You probably don’t see much of Dr. Dodd since he must be at work when you’re here,” Claire observed. She couldn’t help but think that something was simmering under the surface of this woman.
“Sometimes he works from home. I make his meals when he’s at home. I usually make the family’s evening meal before I leave for the day.”
“How are they to work for?” Claire watched Edie’s face and saw a flicker wash over her for a moment.
“Fine.”
“Was Mrs. Dodd at home on the day she died?” Nicole took a look up to the third floor window and quickly turned her eyes away.
“She was here.” Edie shook her head. “You never know what the future holds, I guess. Here today, gone tomorrow.” Deep wrinkles ran over the woman’s forehead and along the sides of her mouth. She had a missing tooth and some other teeth were crooked in the gum. Edie gave the impression of a life hard-lived and Claire couldn’t figure out if it was a result of hard work and low wages or if substance-abuse might have played a role in aging the woman.
“Did you like Mrs. Dodd?” Nicole asked.
“She was fine.”
“How about Dr. Dodd? Did you like him?”
“I didn’t have much to do with the doctor.” A gruffness seemed to color the sentence. “I did my work, that was it.”
“And Maddy? You worked here from when she was about ten years old?” Claire asked.
Edie’s eyes brightened. “Yup. Maddy’s an angel. A sweet girl. Smart, too.”
“Do you live in Greendale?” Claire questioned.
Edie gave a look of disbelief that anyone would ask such a question. “Me? In Greendale? No, I do not. I live in Dorchester.”
“Do you ever stay late at the Dodds to work?”
Making eye contact briefly with Claire, Edie rubbed her arm with her hand. “Once in a while. Why all these questions?”
Nicole took in a deep breath and decided to give their inquiry an air of authority to see if they could get more information from the housekeeper. “Vanessa has hired Claire to look into Mrs. Dodd’s death. Claire is an attorney.”
“Oh.” Edie gave Claire a long look. “You find out anything yet?”
“I’ve been gathering information, interviewing people.” Claire nodded. “I’m piecing things together right now.”
Edie blinked at Claire assessing this news. “Do you want
to go sit on the porch and get out of the hot sun?”
The group moved to the front porch and the Corgis followed after the three people as they made their way to the rocking chairs to sit while they talked. The dogs sat down in the shade of the covered porch. Edie gave the animals a long look. “Who do the dogs belong to?”
Bear and Lady moved closer to the woman and wagged their little tails.
“They’re mine,” Claire said. “They’re good dogs. They helped save me from an attack once.”
“Did they?” Edie’s face softened as she reached to pat the friendly Corgis. “I always liked dogs.”
“Do you have one?”
“No. Too hard to have a dog in an apartment. Maybe someday, if I ever live on the first floor. I’d like a dog of my own.”
Claire waited a few moments before asking, “Did Mrs. Dodd seem her usual self the day she died?”
“Yeah, she did, if by usual, you mean, was she angry.”
“Was she angry a lot?”
“Recently, you might say.”
Nicole nodded. “Vanessa told us about Dr. Dodd’s affair.”
Edie’s lips tightened. “Did she tell you her father accused her mother of having an affair?”
Claire’s eyes widened. “Mrs. Dodd was having an affair?”
Edie scoffed. “No, she was not. Maybe the doctor accused her to make his own affair seem legit. You know, blame the wife … and pretend he was having an affair only because she was having one.”
“Did you hear this or did Mrs. Dodd tell you?”
A sigh slipped from Edie’s throat. “I was here late one night, baking for an event the Dodds were having on the weekend. I heard them arguing in his office.” A cloud settled over her face and Edie bit her lower lip. “Dr. Dodd said he wouldn’t have started his affair if Grace hadn’t been having one. Grace flew into a rage. She called him names, called him a miserable liar. She said he made the whole thing up to justify his own fling.”
“What did Dr. Dodd say to that?”
“I went into the hall to hear better. I got scared. I heard him tell Grace that he’d gone through her phone records trying to find the person she was meeting up with. Grace threw something across the room, that’s what I thought anyway. The door was closed. Something shattered. She screamed at him. She told him never to invade her privacy again. She called him an old whore, told him he was sickening, and to never accuse her of his own disgusting infidelity.” Edie looked down at the emerald lawn stretching out to the sidewalk. “I heard what sounded like punches. The doctor yelled at her to stop. I guess Grace was hitting him. I think he hit her, too. I moved back towards the kitchen. I didn’t want them to find me standing there if they came out of the office.”
Claire asked, “When did this happen?”
Edie’s face was solemn. “The night before Grace died.”
“What happened next? Did Grace and Dr. Dodd keep fighting?” Nicole’s eyes were wide.
“Grace came out of the office and I rushed into the kitchen to pretend I didn’t hear anything that was going on. Grace came into the kitchen to get a dishtowel. Her hand was cut and she wrapped it up with the towel. I offered to help. She sat in one of the kitchen chairs. She told me to go home. I asked if she was okay. She told me yes, go ahead home now. I told her I’d finish up the baking and head home.”
“Did things stay quiet then?”
“Grace went upstairs. I waited for the cake to finish baking and then I cleaned up. Dr. Dodd came into the kitchen. He looked surprised to see me there. He turned around and walked out without saying anything. There was blood on his temple.” Edie pointed to the side of her face to indicate where the man’s wound was. “I hate to say it, but I was secretly glad he had an injury, too. He was the one who caused the trouble. It’s all his fault.” Some beads of sweat showed on the woman’s forehead and her face flushed red. “It’s all his fault,” she muttered.
Claire asked carefully, “Do you mean it’s Dr. Dodd’s fault that Grace fell?”
Edie’s voice was almost a whisper. “It’s his fault Grace is dead.”
Leaning towards Edie, Claire chose her words with care and spoke softly. “Do you think Dr. Dodd is responsible for Grace’s fall?”
Edie blinked and straightened. “What?” She brushed at the sweat on her brow, stood abruptly, and hurried to the front door of the house. “Sorry. I have to get back to work. You can sit here as long as you want.” With a click, the door closed after her.
The Corgis jumped up and whined.
Nicole stared at the shiny black door of the house. “Why the sudden end to the conversation?”
“Did I ask a question that was too difficult to answer?” A cold, hard hand of anxiety gripped Claire’s stomach.
15
Claire sat on a small stool stocking the lower shelves in the store room of Tony’s market. Since sitting with the housekeeper on the porch the previous day, Claire had been puzzling over the things Edie had told her and Nicole. More than once, the woman said that Grace’s death was Dr. Dodd’s fault. What exactly did she mean? Was Dr. Dodd at fault indirectly because of his affair and the impact it had on the marriage or was he the direct cause, did he push Grace from the window? Finishing her task and heading to ask Tony what else she could do to help him, questions swirled in Claire’s head and she wanted to talk to Edie again about the Dodds and what else might have happened between them.
When she stepped out of the store room, Claire spotted Tony talking to a customer who was hidden from view by a tall shelf. Claire couldn’t remember seeing the man look so bright-eyed and energetic and she wondered who he was talking to. Bear and Lady sat next to Tony wagging their tails.
Tony spotted Claire hesitating in the aisle. “Your friend’s here.” His voice practically sparkled and when Claire moved forward, she saw Tessa, the clairvoyant she’d met last month, standing in front of Tony. The woman turned to Claire and wrapped her in a hug.
“I got out of work ahead of schedule so I’m early. Hope that’s okay.” Tessa worked a few blocks from the small market and deli, so she and Claire decided to meet there when Tessa was ready.
“I’ve been helping Tony while I waited for you. I see you’ve met.” With a raised eyebrow and a sly smile, Claire looked over Tessa’s shoulder and caught Tony’s eye. The big man’s cheeks were flushed pink and his eyes were shining. He shifted his gaze back to Tessa to avoid Claire’s scrutiny.
“Do you have a bathroom I can use before we leave?” Tessa asked and Tony pointed out the way to the tiny restroom tucked in a back corner.
“So,” Claire started in on her friend once Tessa was gone. “I saw you making moon eyes at Tessa.”
“What? You’re imagining things, Blondie.” Tony scurried behind the counter and pretended to arrange things. “I’m being friendly is all. I’m welcoming your friend.”
“Yes, right.” Claire sidled up to the counter with a grin. “Is that why you’re blushing?”
Tony turned away to fiddle with something on the far counter. “I was out in the sun,” he muttered.
“I see.” Claire couldn’t suppress a chuckle. Hearing the restroom door open, she leaned over the counter and whispered, “Tessa isn’t married by the way.”
Tony growled low in his throat, but his face lit up when he saw auburn-haired Tessa coming towards them.
“All set,” Tessa said. “Shall we go?”
Claire put leashes on the dogs. Tessa took hold of one, smiled at Tony and told him how nice it was to meet him, and headed for the door.
Giving the man a hug, Claire said softly, “I’ll put in a good word with her for you.” Tony scowled at Claire as she left the market with a wide grin over her face.
With the sun low in the sky, the women walked up the brick sidewalks to Beacon Hill, all the while, Claire giving a monologue about the latest twists in the Grace Dodd case and asking Tessa a million questions about paranormal skills.
Tessa tossed her head back and laughed. “
I’m no expert you know. There isn’t a manual that explains it all. I can only advise you based on my own experiences and the experiences of those who’ve confided in me. A lot of what you’re asking I don’t have an answer for.”
Claire frowned. “It’s all just too complicated.”
“You have to live with your skills for a while, become accustomed to them, learn what you can do and what you can’t do.”
“Last month, I felt things strongly and my feelings were correct. Now, I’m only getting little hints of sensations and I don’t know if they’re simply the intuition that a normal person would feel or if I’m actually sensing something more … more, what? Paranormal? Is that the word I should use?”
Tessa said, “You can use any word that suits.”
“Am I losing the skill that started to show up last month? Could it be disappearing?” Claire’s lips turned down.
“Don’t push.” Tessa waited for Bear to sniff around the bottom of a light post. “If you try too hard and get stressed over it then you might not sense anything. It’s a subtle skill that you have. You need to be open-minded and clear-headed so that unseen information that floats through the world is available to you.”
“That makes sense.” Claire nodded. “I’m impatient though. I want to be able to help, but I get wound up and anxious, and a lot of the time, I don’t sense anything at all.”
“You’re learning about your ability. Give it time and practice, but remember, you can’t force this and the harder you push at it, the more it will float away from you.”
“What if I’m losing my skill?” Claire’s voice was tinged with hopelessness. “Last month when this started, I didn’t want this darned skill and now I’m afraid it’s going away.”
“Time will tell.” Tessa puffed. “This hill is killing me.”
“We’re almost there. Do you want to stop to catch your breath?”
“I’m okay. I just need to get in shape.”
“You can train each day with me and Ian, if you like,” Claire offered.
Tessa rolled her eyes. “I’ll leave that nonsense to you two. I was thinking of just getting out and walking more.” A bead of sweat trickled down the woman’s temple. “Tony seems very nice.”