“He was in love with her,” Maggie said.
“Or he was just obsessed with her,” Hannah said. “Like every other mortal man we know.”
“She didn’t even know he was watching her,” Maggie said. “It’s incredibly creepy.”
“Why do they all get so obsessed with her?” Hannah said.
“She’s beautiful,” Maggie said.
“Claire’s beautiful,” Hannah said. “You don’t see old Ed papering the walls with her, but both Theo and this poor guy did that for Ava.”
“Claire’s pretty in a Rose Hill way, but Ava would be considered beautiful anywhere,” Maggie said. “Besides, Theo’s were just photos; this is art. He got hired to investigate her and then fell in love with her.”
“We gotta talk to the sister,” Hannah said. “She could probably tell us more.”
“Who do you think hired him, then?”
“Will? Will’s mother?” Hannah said.
“His sister might know that, too.”
Hannah used her phone to take pictures of all the art pieces.
They returned the key and went back to the Jeep.
“What now?” Maggie asked.
“We gotta go to this address she gave Skip,” Hannah said.
They drove to the address noted in the copy of the stolen police file, but there was a chain drugstore there in a shopping plaza. They double-checked the address inside with a clerk and then returned to the Jeep.
“She gave a fake address,” Hannah said. “Let’s try the phone.”
After she punched in the numbers, it rang and rang, but no one answered.
“Fake, fake, fake,” Hannah said.
“Why did she lie?”
“Just off the top of my head,” Hannah said, “she’s a crook, or she stands to gain from his death if it’s not murder.”
“So what do we do now?”
“What we do best,” Hannah said. “Develop conspiracy theories and snoop around.”
Just after they crossed the state line into West Virginia, Maggie got a call from Scott.
“I’ll be home in an hour,” she said and ended the call.
“You’re not planning to tell him,” Hannah said.
“Of course not,” Maggie said. “Besides, what’s to tell?”
After Maggie dropped Hannah off in town, Hannah went to Delia’s to pick up Sammy and found Claire in the kitchen going through homework papers. Delia was in the living room watching a movie with all the kids.
Hannah got Claire caught up on what she and Maggie had discovered in Pennsylvania.
“It doesn’t look good for Ava,” Claire said. “I talked to the housekeeper today.”
“Good,” Hannah said. “What’d Gail say?”
“Nanny Siobhan’s miserable, and she wants to quit and go home, but she’s worried about leaving the children. Everyone likes Will, but he’s rarely at home, and when he is, he’s shut up in his office or in the bedroom wing with Ava. He sleepwalks, evidently, and although she likes him she’s afraid he will accidentally scare the children in the night.
“She says Ava is very good to the small children, but she’s very critical of everything Siobhan does and warns her to stay away from Will, not to bother him with anything.
“Gail says the security guy Karl cannot be trusted. He drinks, evidently, and wanders around the property at night. Siobhan locks herself and the children in their wing after midnight and can hardly sleep for being afraid of what might happen.”
“Did she mention Timmy?”
“She doesn’t know why he was sent away, only that he didn’t want to go, and he’s terribly homesick, but Ava won’t let him come home. Will’s planning to take them all to England for Christmas, to see Charlotte. While they are there, Siobhan is going to be allowed to go home, and she is considering not coming back.”
“That poor girl.”
“Here’s the juiciest bit: Gail saw Ava substitute some different pills for Will’s sleeping pills.”
“She drugs him so she can go out.”
“To meet Patrick.”
“I think so.”
“Poor Melissa,” Claire said. “Are you going to tell her everything?”
“I don’t know,” Hannah said. “I have to think this through.”
“Ava has got to be stopped.”
“And somebody has to talk to Patrick.”
“Are you going to talk to him?”
“I don’t want to,” Hannah said, “but I have to.”
Melissa came in the front door. Before she reached the kitchen, Claire and Hannah exchanged looks.
“I hate this for her,” Claire said. “She’s so crazy about Patrick.”
“And he’s crazy about Ava,” Hannah said. “Evidently, it’s contagious.”
Chapter Six - Friday
W hen Melissa got to work the next morning, there was a voicemail message from Trick Rodefeffer asking her to call as soon as possible.
“What’s up?” she asked him when he answered.
“Listen,” he said. “Can I stop by this morning?”
“Come now,” Melissa said. “Sean won’t be here for another hour.”
Trick showed up within minutes.
“Jailbird, we’ve got ourselves a doozy of a problem,” he said. “I heard from the trailer park guy yesterday evening, and he’s had another offer.”
“From who?”
“Well, for some crazy reason, Ava has offered him twice what you did.”
Melissa felt her skin turn hot.
“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Trick said, his hands in the air. “I don’t know why Ava has her knives out for you, but evidently she means business.”
“That woman’s leanin’ on my last nerve,” Melissa said. “What can we do?”
“I told him you were a knockout; maybe flirt with him a little.”
“I’m not gonna flirt with the guy, Trick,” Melissa said, “but I am going to call him.”
Trick helped himself to coffee while Melissa called the seller. She told him she knew he’d had a better offer, but that she thought the income from the little house project would help her keep the mobile homes that were there affordable for low-income families. He listened to her, and then said he would prefer to sell it to her, and if she could get a contract to him by the end of the day they would call it a deal. Melissa ended the call feeling triumphant.
“Sean can draw up the contract today,” Melissa said. “We beat her!”
“Not so fast,” he said.
“Why?”
“You’re going to need the town council to approve a zoning change,” Trick said. “That plot is zoned for mobile homes, but I’m not sure those tiny houses qualify.”
“What do I have to do?” Melissa said. “That has to be in the contract.”
“Talk to Kay,” Trick said. “She’s the mayor; she may be able to push it through.”
“Listen,” Melissa said to Trick. “I appreciate you giving me the heads up on Ava’s offer; I know your commission would have been more with that sale.”
“Money’s not everything,” Trick said.
He leaned against her desk and gave her what she knew he thought was a sexy look. It was kind of sad, really.
“I’m not interested,” she said.
Trick stood up straight and lifted his hands in the air.
“It was worth a try,” he said. “I’m only a man.”
“I’ll tell you what I will do,” Melissa said. “You help me sell the tiny houses, and I’ll give you a commission on those.”
“Deal,” he said, and they shook on it.
“And another thing,” Melissa said.
“Anything for you, darlin’,” he said.
“You call me ‘jailbird’ one more time, and I’m gonna kick your paw-paws right up into the top of your tree.”
Around noon a tall, dark-haired woman came into the office. She looked familiar to Melissa, but she couldn’t place her. She was dressed in a navy blue pant
suit, a white blouse, and sensible navy blue shoes.
“Teresa Reyes,” she said. “I have an appointment with Mr. Fitzpatrick.”
Melissa’s heart rate sped up, and she could feel her face flush. The appointment wasn’t on Sean’s calendar. How could she have screwed that up?
The woman’s face bore a neutral expression that Melissa could not read.
“Is Mr. Fitzpatrick in?” the woman asked.
“He is,” Melissa said. “I’ll get him for you.”
Instead of calling his office she hurried down the hallway and entered without knocking.
“Teresa Reyes is here,” Melissa said. “I’m sorry I didn’t have her on the calendar.”
Sean didn’t seem surprised. He calmly rose and went down the hall, where he shook the woman’s hand and invited her back to the conference room. Melissa, who had every intention of listening at the door, was then dismayed when Sean turned to her.
“Melissa, remember that package I had you put in the safety deposit box?”
Melissa nodded.
“Would you mind to get it back out for me? There’s something in it I want Ms. Reyes to have a look at. And lock the front door when you leave. I don’t want to be disturbed.”
Melissa, heart pounding and nerves jangling, hurried to do as he asked. When the bank employee gave her a pen to sign the safety deposit box log, her hand trembled as she signed. She brought the padded envelope back to the office, knocked on the conference room door, and when Sean opened it, Melissa noticed his laptop on the table.
“Thank you,” he said. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to take a nice long lunch, and don’t come back until 2:00. You can put the phones direct to voicemail and lock up as you leave.”
And then he whispered “and don’t worry.”
Melissa didn’t know what to do with herself. She was too nervous to eat and didn’t want to see anyone she knew. She went to the IGA, bought a bottle of soda, and took it to the park to drink. No sooner had she sat down on a bench than Ava’s nanny arrived with Olivia, who was throwing a tantrum. The nanny handled it well, and within seconds had redirected Olivia to bossing around the other kids in the sandbox.
The nanny sat down on the same bench as Melissa, gave her a rueful look, and rolled her eyes.
“She’s a handful,” Melissa said.
“She’s a narky snapper and a pain in my arse, but I’m mad for her,” the woman said. “My name’s Siobhan, pleased to meet you.”
She held out her hand, and Melissa shook it.
“I’m Melissa,” she said in turn.
“One of these yours?”
“No,” Melissa said. “Mine’s in college.”
“You don’t look old enough for that.”
“Thanks,” Melissa said. “Where are you from?”
“Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland,” Siobhan said. “And in 45 days, Lord willing, I’ll be back there to stay.”
“How long have you been away?”
“Since this one was born two years ago,” she said, gesturing to Olivia. “It will break my heart to leave her, but if I stay here much longer, I’ll lose my feckin’ mind.”
“Why’s that?”
“Her mother, her majesty, is a feckin’ slapper,” she said.
“What’s that mean?”
“I’m sorry,” Siobhan said. “I’m supposed to talk like an American around the children, but I’m sick and tired of trying to be someone I’m not.”
“I hear ya,” Melissa said. “I concentrate so hard on grammar sometimes it gives me a headache.”
“Where are you from?”
“Tennessee,” Melissa said. “It doesn’t even matter where you’re from, it only matters to these folks that you’re not from here.”
Siobhan held out her hand, and they shook on that.
“A slapper’s a slut, by the way,” Siobhan said.
“I know what that means.”
“You would think the woman would be satisfied with that hunk of a husband she’s got. He’s mad for her, all right.”
“But she’s not.”
“Off her nut, if you ask me,” Siobhan said. “Got it made, she does. Feckin’ eejit.”
“She cheats.”
“Yes, she cheats, that pile of shite.”
“She’s that obvious about it?”
“To me it is, and to everyone else it is, but she’s got himself so twisted around her little finger he’s blind in one eye, and the other one’s not seein’ too well.”
“So he doesn’t know.”
“He doesn’t want to know,” Siobhan said. “He’s worried she’s going to leave him any minute; always racing around, trying to please her. Ungrateful skank that she is, she treats him like a plonker when really, he’s a bit of a dream.”
“Is she a good mother?”
Siobhan snorted.
“For show, she is. When himself is around or someone she wants to impress.”
“Do you think she’d leave him?”
“Not a chance,” Siobhan said. “He’s covered up in cash, that one is. Filthy with it.”
“What would he do if he caught her cheating?”
“He’d think it was his fault,” Siobhan said. “He’d be begging her to forgive him for driving her to it.”
“That’s sad.”
“It’s driving me right round the bend, I tell you,” Siobhan said. “I don’t know how I’ll last another month and a half.”
“But you’ll miss the kids.”
“I’ll miss this one, that’s for sure. Livvie’s a right little devil, but she’s a good ‘un, not like her mam.”
“What will you do for work at home?”
“My mam has a café in Kinsale, right in the middle of the touristy bit,” Siobhan said. “Nothing sounds finer to me than working in the caf all day, getting pissed with my friends at night, and bangin’ me some lads. I’m too young to live like a feckin’ nun.”
“Will you go to school?”
Siobhan shrugged.
“I might, yeah,” Siobhan said. “I just need to blow off some steam, you know?”
“I do know,” Melissa said. “Can I give you some advice, though?”
Siobhan shrugged.
“Imagine yourself at your mother’s age, and how you want to be living. Do you want to still be working in a cafe, feet hurting, tired all the time, serving tourists, and living on tips?”
“I’ve got lots of time to figure that out.”
“I know it seems like it,” Melissa said. “I wish I’d looked out for myself instead of worrying about what some guy wanted, or if he did or didn’t love me.”
“No worries here. Men are full of shite, like,” Siobhan said. “They can’t keep it in their pants, none of them. Still and all, there’s nothing like a good, hot snog to cheer a girl up.”
“Why do men cheat, do you think?”
“It’s not their fault, like,” Siobhan said. “They’ve got that willy, yeah? Leads them around like a dog, doesn’t it? And dogs don’t half like to roll in shite.”
Melissa laughed.
“I heard that same answer just the other day,” she said.
They watched Olivia bossing the other children around, and Melissa reckoned she came by it naturally. Charlotte had been just like that, charming and sweet when it suited her, but mean and demanding when that didn’t work.
“Do you ever see Charlotte?” she asked.
Siobhan shook her head.
“She’s not allowed back here,” she said. “I don’t know what she did, but it must have been bad.”
Melissa saw Will’s security man, Karl, get out of his car and walk toward them. There was something about that man that made the hair rise up on the back of her neck.
“I’ve got to go,” Melissa said. “It was so nice to meet you, and I hope you’ll be happier back in Kinsale.”
“Mind yourself,” Siobhan said. “I’ll see you around.”
When Melissa got back to work, the
woman had gone, and Sean was sitting at the front desk, talking on the phone. He hung up just as she came in.
“There you are,” he said. “Nice lunch?”
“I can’t eat. I’m too wound up,” Melissa said. “Was that lady here because of Patrick?”
“Melissa, relax,” Sean said. “I know you’ve had a rough time lately, but I think you’re getting a bit paranoid.”
“When someone’s out to get you it's not paranoid,” Melissa said. “It’s watching your back for an excellent reason.”
“It’s going to be okay; will you trust me on that?”
“What’s going on, Sean? What was in the envelope?”
“I can’t tell you,” he said. “Just know that our family has your back, and we’re going to do everything we can to protect you.”
“I appreciate that, I do,” Melissa said. “She looked familiar, that lady.”
“She’s worked in Rose Hill before. That’s all I’m going to say about her,” Sean said. “Let’s do some work.”
Later in the afternoon, Sean and Melissa were going over the trailer park sale contract when Ava came in. The color was high in her beautiful face, and her nostrils were flaring.
“You just made a huge mistake,” she said, pointing her finger at Sean.
“Why is that?” Sean asked in a calm voice.
“She,” Ava said, now pointing at Melissa, “ruined a deal I wanted to make, and that’s a serious conflict of interest.”
“The way I understand it, it’s you who wants to ruin things for Melissa,” Sean said.
“As soon as I tell my husband about this, you’ll be fired as our attorney,” Ava said. “And he may sue you for what she did.”
Sean had been sitting on the edge of Melissa’s desk, but now he stood up and faced Ava.
“I look forward to meeting you in court,” he said. “The results of the discovery process alone should provide the judge with a very entertaining picture of you and the kinds of things you’ve been doing lately. I somehow don’t think you’d like your husband to know what you’ve been up to, so I suggest you give more thought to the consequences of this temper tantrum you’re throwing. Now, if that’s all, Ava, we have work to do.”
Pumpkin Ridge (Rose Hill Mystery Series Book 10) Page 13