“I see.” Fonnie let this latest information rattle around in her brain for a few seconds. “And did Stephon return on Sunday?”
“No. He said he was heading home, going to check in at his office and then go to the wedding. And Melanie had told Hank Saturday evening that she wanted to ride up with him and Doris to the wedding. She arranged to work Sunday and Monday and then planned to take a week off. I didn't much like that idea, inviting herself to a wedding just so she could see more of Stephon, but she said it was Stephon's idea.”
Midge got up, stretched, went over and looked out at the darkened skies. She pulled the drapes shut and came back and sat down. “I want to thank you again for getting me off my crying jag. It's done me good to talk. I know I must be boring you.”
“No. Not at all. It's very interesting. I like to get a complete picture of things. So you didn't see Melanie Sunday or Monday?”
“No. Tuesday morning Hank and Doris went by her apartment, picked her up, and then we all started up here. Of course, we drove separate cars but we stayed together. We stopped and had lunch at a delightful little Italian restaurant on the way. Got here late afternoon.”
“And how was Buzz feeling then?”
“Better, but still queasy. Then the next day he started getting sick again.”
“And when did Stephon get here?”
“Wednesday morning. The six of us had lunch together. Then you and Keisha arrived that afternoon.” Midge giggled. “Stephon took one look at Keisha and lost all interest in sweet little Melanie. It's a good thing your grandson arrived when he did or Melanie would have been hard to handle.”
“Yes,” Fonnie said. “A good thing.”
Stephon walked Keisha to her room, waited while she inserted her card, pushed open the door. She gently blocked his entrance.
“What? You're not inviting me in?”
She shook her head. “Not tonight.” She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips.
He pulled her closer, kissed her deeply. “Goodnight, then. Sleep well.”
Fonnie came around the corner just as Keisha backed into her room. She left the door ajar so she could see the encounter between Fonnie and Stephon.
Stephon gave the older woman a big grin. “Evening, Mrs. Beachum.”
“Good evening. How was the dance?”
“Crowded. What did you do for entertainment?”
“Listened to Midge tell me all about last weekend in Miami.” Keisha noticed Fonnie paused before adding, “It was very interesting.”
“Is that so? Well, must be going. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Keisha quietly slid her door shut, but not before Fonnie's voice slipped through the crack. “And goodnight to you too, Keisha.”
Chapter Ten
Saturday started off cool and foggy. It matched Fonnie's depressed mood. Last night she'd decided if it wasn't Midge who had poisoned Buzz then it was either Stephon or Melanie. This morning the fog blurred that notion. After all, she reasoned there were two other people with Buzz all the time: Hank and Doris. Either one could have slipped something into his food or drink over the weekend—not enough to kill him—just enough to make him sick so when the final fatal dose was given, enough to stop his heart, his death wouldn't look all that suspicious.
“Motive,” she said in between swipes with her toothbrush. “Who had a motive? What did Hank or Doris have to gain from Buzz's death? Or for that matter—what motive could Melanie and Stephon possibly have? On the surface, it looked like Midge was the only one to gain anything—her freedom from an irritating spouse, life insurance proceeds, perhaps a hefty estate. Fonnie had no idea how well off Buzz was, but she assumed he made fairly good money. But was that enough of a motive?
By the time she finished dressing, Fonnie had almost convinced herself that Buzz's death was natural after all. There had been no poisoning. There was no murderer on the loose. She had been getting herself into a stew over nothing. She'd just been jumping to conclusions. The fog started to lift and Fonnie's mood also lifted as the sun sparkled on the waves.
She brushed her hair in a hurry and hustled down to the dining room. She was hoping to find Jeremiah, to hear what Paul and Amy had said upon hearing the news of Buzz's death, and to discuss the situation with him further.
Jeremiah wasn't in the dining room, but Lula Myers was. She was at a corner table, tapping her fingers and looking angry. Fonnie realized she'd hadn't seen Lula all day yesterday. She must have kept to her room, Fonnie thought, and wondered now what brought her out so early and why she seemed upset.
She joined Lula on the pretext of hating to eat alone. Lula welcomed her politely and signaled the waitress over. “I'm just having coffee,” she said to Fonnie, “but I assume you're a breakfast eater.”
“Absolutely. My stomach and my brain both insist on being fed in the morning.” Lula smiled and Fonnie thought how pretty she was without her pout. “Sure you won't join me in some blueberry pancakes?”
“No way. It's much too early for my stomach, and my brain is still wondering why I'm out of bed.”
The teenage waitress grinned through a tangle of braces, took Fonnie's order and poured Lula more coffee. “Be right back with the best pancakes in the county.”
Fonnie started the conversation back. “Then why are you?”
Lula frowned. “Why am I what?”
“Out of bed. You're not looking exactly perky this morning.”
“I'm supposed to be taking Melanie to the airport. She asked me last night and I was too drunk to say no. Of course she wasn't in very good shape herself when our goodbye party broke up. I think one of the boys had to help her to her room. Now the men are playing golf and Doris said she was taking Midge to get her hair done this morning so I'm left to tote Melanie around.”
Fonnie's brain jumped back a couple of sentences. “Goodbye party? She's going home?”
“Yeah, said there's no excitement around here now—meaning there's no unattached males huffing and puffing at her door.”
“So you threw her party last night?”
“It was Edgar's idea. When she told him she was flying home this morning, he insisted on having the gang up for drinks.”
“The gang?” Fonnie was curious to know if Stephon was part of the gang.
“Just Hank, Doris, Tony, and Clara. Edgar called Midge but, as expected, she declined.” Lula scowled at her coffee. “Midge is a wet blanket even when she's not in mourning. I hope Edgar isn't going to insist on keeping her in our social circle.”
Fonnie's mouth dropped open at the insensitive remark, but Lula didn't seem to notice. She strummed her fingers on the table top. “Melanie better get her tush down here, or she'll be walking back to Miami.”
“Maybe she overslept,” Fonnie said. “But then I guess you've called her room.”
“Called her room, her cell phone, had her paged. Nothing.”
“Maybe she took a run on the beach and forgot the time.”
Fonnie's pancakes arrived and she busied herself covering them with butter and syrup.
Lula finished her coffee and stood up. “You'll have to excuse me, but I'm not waiting any longer. If you see her, tell Melanie I've gone back to bed and she'll have to call a taxi.”
Jeremiah came up a minute after Lula left and plopped down across from Fonnie. She swiped at a drop of syrup dribbling down her chin. He was dressed in a sky-blue sweat suit and smelled of musk. Fonnie inhaled deeply, gave him a welcoming smile. “I guess you're ready for your mid-morning snack by now.”
“That's right. Been up for hours. Been wanting to talk to you.”
“I'm flattered. Or shouldn't I be? Is this business rather than pleasure?”
“Both. Talked to Paul and Amy last night. They wanted to fly in this afternoon.”
“But there's no need,” Fonnie said.
“Told them that. And they finally agreed. They're coming back Wednesday as they had originally planned.” Jeremiah hailed the passing
waitress and gave his order. “When I told Paul about the autopsy and all, he said something rather strange.”
“Strange? What do you mean? What did he say?”
“He said, 'I knew Buzz was worried. I should have talked to him about it.'”
The young waitress came up and Jeremiah ordered coffee and an English muffin. He then turned back to Fonnie. “You reckon something's going on in that law firm that isn't quite kosher?” Before Fonnie could respond Jeremiah went on, “And there's another odd thing.”
“What's that?” Fonnie asked.
“Tony. Clara said he was anxious to get home today, but now he's changed his mind. He thinks they ought to stay since Midge is staying and she's so upset.”
“Was Tony that close to Buzz and Midge?”
“I didn't think so. He managed some of Buzz's investments, played golf with him, but I didn't think it went any further than that. Anyway, Clara says they're going to stay over the long weekend.”
“Actually, I'm glad about that.” Fonnie said. “It'll give me a chance to get better acquainted with Clara.”
Keisha was sitting up in bed enjoying her second cup of coffee. Thank goodness for the coffee maker in the room, she thought. She hated getting dressed immediately upon awakening. This way she could mull over last evening and the coming day without having to make small talk with anybody.
Okay, what about last evening? She hadn't jumped out of bed this morning singing love songs as she had yesterday. She was fond of Stephon—very fond of him, but were things moving too fast? Did she really know him? And had Fonnie started acting rather distant to him? What was that all about?
And today? Stephon had suggested they take a picnic lunch and spend the day exploring beaches and possibly a lighthouse. She had murmured something about spending some time with Fonnie that seemed to irritate him. She stared out at the fog and was rather hoping it would last all day. Maybe that would automatically rule out a picnic. She’d heard Fonnie leave her room a little earlier, and decided to try to join up with her later.
The phone by her bed rang. She picked it up slowly, trying to figure out what she was going to say to Stephon. But the first sound of his laughing voice erased all doubts from her mind. Of course she wanted to spend the day with him. Of course the fog would soon lift and they could enjoy a picnic on the beach, climb a lighthouse, maybe even fly to the moon. Fonnie would understand. She'd been young once herself.
They agreed to meet under the pier behind the motel. He would get the picnic stuff and she would make her excuses to Fonnie. It was going to be a glorious day.
Just as Keisha had predicted, the weather was beautiful, one of those rare perfect days that southern Februaries toss in between frigid winds and snow flurries and downpours. The thermometer stretched into the sixties and the sun shone like a benevolent god.
The picnickers finished the last chicken salad sandwich, the last chocolate-chip cookie, slurped the last of the iced tea. The quilt Stephon had dragged out of his car covered the bit of the beach they claimed for their own. Lying on their backs, they studied the whimsical clouds, told their family histories, whispered their dreams, locked their fingers. Somewhere along the way, their voices faded, their eyes closed, they napped.
Keisha was awakened by a plop of dampness on her cheek. The sun had disappeared, the temperature had dropped, and it had started to sprinkle.
By the time they got back to the car, they were soaked. “So much for the perfect day,” Stephon growled as he tossed the quilt in the back seat.
Keisha swiped her hair back out of her eyes and laughed. “Like my daddy, the preacher, says, 'Into each life some rain must fall.'”
Stephon smiled, took her hand. “Think your daddy will like me?”
“Probably not. But I do. That's all that matters.”
Fonnie and Jeremiah also took advantage of the lovely morning. Instead of the beach, though, they wandered in and out of antique shops, laughed when they found artifacts that were common in their childhood and sighed over an exhibit of quaint valentines. They had lunch at a replica of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
Jeremiah noted the dark clouds approaching from the east and they made it back to the motel before the rain set in. They walked into the lobby and straight into the middle of an argument.
Edgar had his hands on his hips and was glaring at Lula. “But you agreed to take her to the airport.”
Lula tossed her head. “Could I help it if the dingbat didn't show? I was up waiting for her.” Lula grabbed Fonnie by the hand. “Just ask Fonnie if you don't believe me. She was with me at that ungodly hour.” She turned to Fonnie. “Tell him. Wasn't I waiting for Melanie?”
Fonnie looked around in puzzlement. “Sure. You were looking for her. What's the matter? Did she miss her plane?”
Hank nodded his head, his face a mask of worry. “She missed her plane all right, but the worst of it is that she's missing!”
Jeremiah shoved forward. “What do you mean, missing?”
“I mean missing. She's not here. She's nowhere around.” Hank clenched his fists. “My niece is missing.”
“Now just calm down,” Jeremiah said. “How do you know she's missing?”
“When Lula told me she hadn't taken Melanie to the airport, I called the airline. She wasn't on her booked flight or any other flight. The desk clerk said she hadn't checked out of her room, but there was no answer to my knock. That's when I really started getting worried. I called Edgar and he told the desk clerk to let me into her room. Her bed hadn't been slept in. Her things are all still there, even her purse. But she's gone—disappeared.”
Chapter Eleven
When Hank declared that Melanie had disappeared, Fonnie studied the people around her. Edgar was glaring at Lula, Lula looked disgusted, Doris was sniffling, Tony was pacing, Clara was staring at Tony.
“You called the police?” Jeremiah asked.
“Of course, I called the police,” Hank nearly screamed. “The gal that took my call muttered something about twenty-four hours, but said she would pass the word along and maybe someone would be out to investigate.” He threw his hands up. “Can you believe that? Maybe someone from the police would come out.”
It was at this juncture Keisha and Stephon came in. Fonnie tried to explain the commotion while at the same time telling them they should go to their rooms and get on some dry clothes.
Stephon wiped his hand across his face. “Melanie missing? I'm sure she'll turn up somewhere. She seemed fine last night.”
“You saw her last night?” Keisha's voice held a definite edge.
“Yeah. When Tony took her to her room. Her room is next door to mine. I'd gone to get some ice after I said goodnight to you. I waved to both of them as they went in. I don't know if they saw me or not.”
All eyes rotated to Tony. His face paled. Hank came up closer. “You went to her room? And where was Clara while this was going on?”
“Hey!” Tony said. “You've got it all wrong. Remember Clara had a headache and left the party early. I was getting ready to leave after you and Doris did. Melanie looked a little unsteady on her feet. So I saw her to her room to be sure she got there all right.”
“But you went in?” Hank was now nearly in Tony's face.
“Just for a second. Just to be sure she was okay.” Tony backed away from Hank and appealed to Stephon. “You saw me leave her room, didn't you? I wasn't in there but a minute.”
Stephon shook his head. “Sorry, I went on into my room. I didn't see or hear anything else.”
Edgar, who had been listening carefully, came up and slapped Hank on the back. “I think we all need to calm down. There's got to be a logical explanation. It must be that Melanie decided to go back out after Tony left her. She may have met someone else, had more to drink, and passed out.” He laughed. “Some poor slob is probably waking up right now and wondering how that beautiful blonde got into his bed. She'll be crawling out of a hole somewhere soon and not a bit worse for wear.”
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So that's the reputation Melanie has, Fonnie thought. She was glad Brian wasn't around to hear it.
“I really have to get out of these wet clothes,” Keisha whispered to Fonnie.
Fonnie nodded. “I'm going up in a little bit. Come to my room when you get changed and we'll talk.”
Keisha shed her clothes and jumped into the shower. She was chilled in both her body and her mind. The hot water stilled her shivering, but her brain was still disturbed. Poor Melanie, she thought. Keisha hadn't much liked the girl, but she hoped nothing bad had happened to her. And just for a second, a disturbing thought fluttered through her mind. Maybe Melanie had seen Stephon waving at her and had taken it as an invitation. What would Stephon had done if Melanie had come knocking at his door? Nonsense. He would have mentioned it if that had happened and he certainly wouldn't have invited Melanie in.
Keisha kept pondering Melanie's possible whereabouts as she dried off and slipped into warm slacks and sweater. “But where could Melanie be?” she asked herself as she walked next door.
Fonnie anxiously waited for Keisha. She was worried about her young friend. Was Keisha being taken for a romantic ride by Stephon as Brian had been by Melanie? Fonnie hated to admit it to herself, but she had misjudged Melanie big time. Now she was having ambivalent feelings about Stephon. On the surface he seemed like a nice young man. Amy liked him and Keisha was obviously infatuated. But Fonnie had some qualms about him. Had he told Keisha about being in Miami, about being with Melanie? And after he had waved goodnight to Melanie, had he really gone into his room and not come back out? What if he had waited for Tony to leave Melanie's room and then paid her a visit? Or was there a connecting door between his room and hers that could be opened by mutual consent? So many questions with no answers.
There was a faint knock on the door. Almost timid. But Keisha was never timid, Fonnie thought as she went to the door. It was Doris. “So sorry to intrude. But I'd like to talk to you if you don't mind.”
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