In the Event of My Death

by Carlene Thompson

  “Yes.” He looked neither embarrassed nor menacing. “I had a feeling you might come here after Denise’s murder.”

  “How did you hear about that? It happened too late to make the morning newspaper.”

  “I heard at the diner where I had breakfast. I don’t have all the details, but I do know she was killed like Angie. Beaten to death.”

  Laurel nodded. “A horrible way to die.”

  “Are there any good ways?”

  He seemed so calm, talking softly, smoking nonchalantly. Dangerous or not, suddenly she was wildly irritated with him. “Why did you follow me?” she blurted. “So you could see my reaction to the rope?”

  He looked genuinely surprised. “You think I put that up there?” Laurel was silent. “God, I believed you were one of the few people in town who don’t think I’m a wacko, but I see I was wrong.”

  Oh, no, Laurel thought. The last thing she needed to do was make him angry. “I don’t think you’re a wacko—”

  “Don’t explain. If I were in your place, I’d be scared, too.” He dropped the cigarette and ground it out with his shoe. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Laurel. In fact, I followed you out here because it’s not safe for you to be in this secluded place by yourself considering all that’s going on. Now that I’ve seen the noose, I know I was right to come. Whoever killed Angie and Denise has been out here.”

  Laurel swallowed. “So you came here to protect me?”

  He smiled. “I’m not the scrawny, helpless kid you knew in school. I’m no superhero, but I’m a great shot and I’m pretty good at boxing and karate.” He paused. “Does Kurt know you’re out here?”

  She hesitated. Should she lie and say yes? She still didn’t know how safe she was around Neil. Her hesitation answered his question, though. “He doesn’t.”

  The edges of Laurel’s teeth touched together. What did that mean? That Neil felt free to do whatever he wanted, knowing she might not be found for days?

  “I think we’d better get out of here,” he said as if reading her mind. “This place gives me the creeps and that noose tells me it’s definitely not a place we should be.”

  “Yes.” Laurel heard the relief in her voice. She was sure he heard it, too. “I should go home.”

  “Laurel, I really need to talk to you.” She glanced at him warily. “Would you consider meeting me at McDonald’s for a cup of coffee?”

  Well, there was certainly nothing threatening about that suggestion. But still…“I have the dogs with me. They panic when I leave them alone in the car.”

  Neil glanced at them. “I’m sure you don’t want to invite me home for coffee. I don’t blame you. We’ll get coffee at the drive-thru window, then I’ll join you in your car in the parking lot where you’re in view of dozens of people. Okay?”

  What did he want to talk about? Denise’s death? Faith? Curiosity overrode her desire to get away from him. “Okay.”

  “Good. I’ll walk you to your car. I’m parked right behind you.”

  Quite a bit of deserted land to cover with a man she was afraid had murdered Denise last night. But what choice did she have? As they crossed the stubbly field leading to the road, Laurel couldn’t shake the feeling that someone in the house watched them. After a moment she asked, “Did you see anyone around the farmhouse when you drove up?”

  The wind blew his sandy hair across his forehead, making him look younger. When he was in school, his parents made him cut it so short she never realized it had natural wave. “I didn’t see anyone, but I have the feeling someone is in there. I’ve heard some of what my grandfather would call hobos take refuge in the house during winter.”

  “Yes,” Laurel said vaguely.

  “But that’s not what you’re worried about, is it? You’re afraid the person who put up that noose is in the house.” Laurel nodded. “Do you want to go check it out?”

  “No!” Wait, she thought. What happened to her determination to find the killer? That determination didn’t include going into a deserted house with one of her suspects, she thought. “I’m cold and God knows what we’ll find in there. It could be the person who put up the noose, or it could be several vagrants who’d gang up on us.”

  Neil grinned. “You’re not a liberal who believes the homeless are just hapless victims of the system who don’t mean anyone any harm?”

  “I’m sure many of them are. I’m also sure some would slit your throat for a dollar. I don’t like to think in generalizations.”

  “Very wise, Laurel. Generalizations can get you in trouble. So can thinking you can solve all problems by yourself, no matter how serious they are.”

  Laurel looked at him sharply. “Are you referring to anything in particular?”

  “A couple of things.” He pointed. “There are the cars. Meet you in ten minutes.”

  April and Alex were grateful to climb onto their warm blanket in the back seat. Alex, with his short hair, was shivering.

  Neil had already maneuvered a turn and was heading away from the farm by the time Laurel got behind the wheel. Was she making a mistake by meeting him? she wondered. No. They would be in a public parking lot and she might learn something important from him.

  When she reached McDonald’s, she ordered coffee for herself and Chicken McNuggets for the dogs. She pulled into a space. While she poured creamer into the hot coffee, Neil tapped on her window. She motioned for him to get in.

  “McNugget fans?” he asked as Laurel fed bits of the chicken to the dogs.

  “Fans of just about everything. I try to watch their diet carefully, but every once in a while they need a treat.”

  “What are their names?”

  “The long-haired one is April. The other is her brother, Alex.”

  “She’s beautiful. He’s cute. He’s also got a powerful set of jaws.”

  “I know. Dr. Ricci thinks there must be some pit bull in his background. It’s always hard to tell with mixed breeds, especially when there are different fathers involved, as in this case.”

  “My son Robbie had a dog. A mixed breed. Apollo. Robbie was crazy about him.”

  “Do you still have him?”

  Neil took a quick drink of his coffee and stared straight ahead. “No. He was killed in the car wreck. When Robbie was lingering, so burned, in such pain, he kept asking about Apollo.” A wry, bitter smile twisted his lips. “He asked more about Apollo than his mother. I told him the dog was fine. I lied to my son on his deathbed.”

  “It was the right thing to do,” Laurel said softly.

  “Maybe the only right thing I did for a long time.” His face hardened. “Ellen and I were separated at the time of the wreck. If we hadn’t been and I’d been driving….”

  “There could still have been an accident.”

  “She was an alcoholic, Laurel. That’s why we separated. I wouldn’t put up with her drinking anymore.”

  “So you left her?”

  “No. She kicked me out because I kept nagging her to get into rehab. I should have taken Robbie with me when I went. Instead I left him in her hands and look what happened. She was driving drunk. At least she died instantly. As usual, everything was easy for her. But poor Robbie…” His voice thickened and Laurel sensed not only his great sorrow but his anger. He sounded as if he hated Ellen. She probably would too if their positions were reversed.

  “Neil…”

  “I’m sorry,” he said curtly. “I didn’t ask you to meet me so I could pour out my troubles.” She sensed the Herculean effort he was putting forth to pull himself together. “I wanted to talk to you about Angie’s and Denise’s murders.”

  “All right, but answer one thing for me first. How did you know I might go to the Pritchard farm this morning?”

  “You’re still uneasy about my following you, aren’t you?”

  She looked directly into his eyes. “Wouldn’t you be uneasy if someone were following you?”

  “Yes. But let me explain. I haven’t been following you until today. It�
��s just that you’re the only one I can talk to about all this—Faith, the unborn baby, the whole thing. You told me about the weird stuff found at Angie’s murder scene pertaining to the Six of Hearts. When I heard about Denise’s murder this morning, I came to your house to talk to you. Then I was worried I might frighten you, turning up at your door so early when you don’t know me well and you live alone. I pulled off the road and was thinking about just waiting and catching you at work when you pulled out of your driveway and headed in the opposite direction from the store. I had this strange feeling you were going to the farm, and I knew you shouldn’t be out there alone. After I saw that noose in the barn, I knew I’d done the right thing by not letting you go out there alone.”

  The explanation sounded plausible. His voice sounded sincere. The expression in his eyes was earnest. Laurel decided to believe him.

  “All right, Neil. I understand. But I’m sure I don’t know much more about Denise’s murder than you do.”

  “Was there a six and a heart and a tarot card?”

  “Yes. That much I do know.”

  “Damn. Not much doubt about a connection, then, is there?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  He stared ahead, quiet for a moment. “Did you talk to Mary about the locket?”

  “Yes. She admitted that she lied to you. She said her father wouldn’t let Faith wear it. She always put it on after she left the house. He would never have allowed her to be buried with it, even if it hadn’t disappeared a week before she died.”

  “Disappeared?” he repeated skeptically. “That’s convenient.”

  “I know. Faith never said anything to me about losing her locket.”

  Neil reached for two McNuggets and gave one to each of the dogs. April took hers delicately. Alex nearly relieved Neil of a forefinger and thumb. Laurel was surprised when he laughed. It was a deep, heartfelt laugh that chased the sadness from his eyes. “You don’t fool around, do you, Alex?”

  “He’s never certain where the next meal is coming from.”

  “I’m sure that’s a valid worry. They look neglected.” Neil took a drink of his coffee. “Did you learn anything else from Mary?”

  “Well, yes, something really interesting. She said Faith communicated with her mother by letters until the time of her death. Zeke wouldn’t allow communication, so someone rented a post office box for Faith.”

  “The Lewis sisters.”

  Laurel gaped. “The Lewis sisters!”

  He nodded. “Didn’t you know they’re Genevra’s aunts?”

  “Genevra’s aunts. Faith never said a word to me about that.”

  “She didn’t mean to tell me. She was drunk on wine at the time.”

  “Drunk!”

  He looked at her and smiled. “You thought the night she died was the first time she’d had alcohol, right? Wrong. We were the typical repressed teens, Laurel. We drank, we smoked, we had sex. We probably would have done drugs if we could have afforded them. But she wouldn’t have wanted you to know all that. Your opinion was too important to her.”

  “Why didn’t she ever tell me about the Lewis sisters?”

  “Zeke didn’t want her having anything to do with them. She tried to keep the relationship a secret and so did they, to protect her.”

  “But she never even said anything about writing to her mother!”

  “She was scared to death someone would tell Zeke.”

  “Me? She thought I would tell Zeke? That’s crazy.”

  Neil shrugged. “Laurel, you were her best friend, I was her boyfriend and wildly in love with her, but I wonder how well either of us really knew Faith. She lived in a world of secrets. I don’t suppose you have any idea who the father of that baby could have been.”

  “I’ve wracked my brain, Neil.” She didn’t tell him she still wasn’t sure he was telling the truth about being sterile. “Faith and I talked about boys all the time—you know how teenage girls are—but she never mentioned an involvement, or even a crush on another boy.”

  Neil looked into his cup. “I’ve wondered if…well, Zeke is such a nut and Faith was so beautiful…”

  Laurel’s eyes widened. “Oh, God, you don’t mean incest! Neil, that’s revolting!”

  “But possible.”

  “No.” She closed her eyes. “Oh, what am I talking about? I don’t know.” She opened her eyes and looked at him intensely. “But there is someone who might.”

  “Mary?”

  “No. Genevra Howard.”

  “Faith’s mother? But we have no idea where she is. I never did. She might even be dead.”

  “She’s not dead. She’s very much alive and in Wheeling. At least she was yesterday. Neil, she stood beside me at Angie’s funeral.”

  Fifteen

  1

  Neil looked stunned. “How do you know it was Faith’s mother?”

  “She looked like Faith. Much older than Genevra would be, as if she’d had a hard life, but the features were unmistakable. And she left flowers at Faith’s grave.”

  “You sound as if you didn’t talk to her.”

  “No, not really. As I said, she stood next to me. I might not have paid any attention to her if she hadn’t asked if I were cold. Then I decided to visit Faith’s grave. Before I reached it, I saw someone placing red carnations. When I called out, she looked at me and ran. That’s all. I went to the grave. Neil, she’d left six red carnations with a red plastic heart attached.”

  Neil looked at her steadily for a moment. Then he muttered, “Oh, shit.”

  “That’s what I thought. Neil, we’ve got to find her, but I have no idea where to look.”

  “Don’t you? Where would you go if you were she?”

  Laurel shook her head slowly, then closed her eyes. “The Lewis sisters!”

  “Exactly.”

  “But if she doesn’t want to be found, they won’t tell me anything. Besides, she might have left after the funeral.”

  “That’s true. I suppose it’s too much to ask that Mary communicated with her, too.”

  “Yes. Unlike Faith, Mary always did what Zeke told her. She still does. Neil, didn’t Faith ever give you a clue about where her mother was?”

  “No. Faith never talked about her mother except to say that she wasn’t the person Zeke claimed.”

  “Obviously Faith loved her mother very much, but there’s no denying Genevra deserted the family.”

  “There’s also no denying that Zeke Howard is a lunatic. I think he always has been, although he used to be able to hide it better than he does now.”

  “But Faith wasn’t frightened of him.”

  “I think she was scared senseless of him but she wouldn’t admit it. I do know she hated him.”

  “And now he thinks she’s his guardian angel. That’s ironic.”

  “Maybe he feels so guilty about her he’s completely refashioned their relationship in his mind.” Neil drained his cup. “I guess we’ve traded all the information we have for now. I’m going to work on tracking down Genevra Howard this afternoon.”

  “And I’m going to the Prices’. Did you know Audra was hospitalized?”

  Neil looked concerned. “She wasn’t attacked, too, was she?”

  “No, but she saw her mother’s body. She’s in shock.”

  A look of genuine anguish passed over Neil’s face. “I’ll pay Wayne a visit, but I really don’t think I can bear seeing another child in a hospital bed…”

  Impulsively Laurel put her hand out and touched his. “I don’t think Wayne would expect you to visit her. She doesn’t even know you. He’ll understand.”

  Neil smiled. “How come you seem so much more human than Monica and Crystal, or even Denise? No wonder Faith thought so much of you. She told me one time she’d trust you with her life.”

  Laurel was so taken aback she could only blink at him for a moment. Then she said huskily, “And look what happened when she was with me.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Laurel. If my guess i
s correct, you didn’t want the two of you to be in the barn that night. And you tried to save her.”

  Laurel hesitated. “What makes you say that?”

  “In the hospital waiting room the other day you pushed up your sleeves. I saw the faint burn scars on your arms and hands. I didn’t think much about it at the time. Then you told me how Faith really died and that you were there. The fire. You don’t have to be a genius to realize you must have reached into the flames trying to save her. I know none of the others would have done it.” He ran a finger lightly down her cheek. “I agree with Faith. Her life was safe in your hands. Even now you’re trying to help her.”

  Laurel’s mind jumped to her waking dream of Faith, so beautiful, looking into her eyes and saying, “You know, Laurel. You know.” What did she know? How could she help?

  When she came back to the moment, Neil was climbing out of the car without even a good-bye.

  2

  Laurel watched Neil drive out of the parking lot. Then she fed the dogs the rest of the McNuggets, drank her cold coffee, and left for home.

  April and Alex had clearly enjoyed their adventure, particularly the food, but when she opened the rear door of the car, they both jumped out and ran directly to the house. “No place like home, huh, guys?” she laughed as she unlocked the front door. Inside they made a beeline for their cushions in front of the fireplace. Laurel knew they would appreciate a fire, but she intended to leave soon and never left a fire untended.

  Twenty minutes later she entered a local deli and ordered a huge platter of cold cuts, potato salad, and coleslaw. When it was ready, she went to the Price home.

  The driveway was parked full of cars. Laurel sighed. She thought it must be so hard on bereaved families to be inundated with people, to force themselves to be polite and sociable when probably all they wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry. But “paying respects” was a custom Laurel had grown up with. She would have felt as guilty about not coming as she did about inflicting herself on Wayne.

  He opened the door looking like a different man than the one who’d welcomed her to the party. His skin was pasty, his sparkling dark eyes dulled and almost lost in shadowy hollows, and his whole body seemed shrunken.