by Mitzi Kelly
"They're pretty, aren't they?" Mary's tone was breezy and friendly.
Edna gripped the bag in her hands tightly and fixed a smile on her face as she turned. "Yes, they're pretty. Thank you for letting me see them. I'll be off now" Edna's voice was husky and she could have kicked herself.
Mary looked at her quizzically. "Are you all right?" she asked as she scooped up the earrings and walked Edna to the door.
"Yes, yes, I'm okay," Edna said, clearing her throat. "I suffer from allergies. Well, I'll see you in a couple of weeks when the new catalog comes out"
"Okay," Mary said as she turned and locked the front door. "I'm sorry you didn't really get to practice . . "
But Edna wasn't listening. She rushed to her car and fumbled with the keys. Her heart was pounding; she couldn't wait to get away from there. She happened to look up as she was placing the bag in the back seat and saw a black Camaro pull into the driveway. A woman stepped out, tall and slender with hair so blond it had to be a bottle job. The woman cast a quick look at Edna, and then seemed to do a double-take as she glanced over at her again.
Edna ignored her as she got in her car. Just before she pulled away, she noticed that Mary appeared rooted to the spot, and that her lips were drawn into a tight, angry line as she watched the blond-haired woman approach. Mary was probably upset at the amount of unexpected company this morning which was going to cause her to be very late for work.
Millie had just sat back down at the picnic table with a bag of popcorn when Edna pulled up. "It's about time," she yelled when Edna got out of the car. "Do you realize how long you've kept us waiting?"
"Shut up, Millie, and get in the car," Edna said, her voice barely audible. "Trish, you're going to have to drive" Edna walked around the car and got back in on the passenger side.
Millie was about to make a sharp retort when Trish shook her head and placed a hand on her arm. "Let's go," she said. Edna looked pale and drawn, barely able to stand. Something had happened. Quickly, they discarded their trash and got into the car.
"Did it work?" Millie asked eagerly.
"Your plan worked perfectly," Edna said, her voice still void of emotion, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "We need to get out of here. Mary is on her way to work and she may pass this way."
Trish pulled away from the little store, her eye catching Millie's in the mirror. By unspoken consent, they remained silent, waiting for Edna to begin talking. And when she finally started, the story came out in a rush. Trish was shaken at the end, but she was relieved to notice that Edna appeared herself again.
There were tears in Millie's eyes and a stubborn set to her mouth. "Let's go tell Henry right now."
"Wait a minute," Trish said. "I think we should tell Larry first. He'll tell us what to do, and if Henry needs to be told now, then he can tell him."
"All right, Edna, give me your cell phone. I'm going to see if he can meet us now"
Edna reached in her purse. "Call Joe for me too. Tell him to meet us at Trish's house."
The story was related once again, this time with Edna's voice and composure back in place. Joe looked ready to explode, but he had too much dignity to tear into his wife in public. Trish didn't envy Edna's predicament, though. Tonight would not be fun at the Radcliffs' house.
"Now will you go arrest that woman?" Millie asked Larry pointedly.
"I can't just go arrest her," he said, placing his elbows on the table. "I will, however, go talk to her" He hesitated for a moment. "I hate to bring this up, but have any of you considered that the man she did a job for could have been Sam?"
"That's ridiculous!"
"How can you even think that?"
"You son..
"Millie," Joe said sternly, "there's no need for that"
Millie snorted inelegantly. "We're doing everything we can to do your job for you, Larry, and everything we uncover, you turn it around to try and prove Sam's guilt. I, for one, am sick and tired of it."
Larry rubbed his hand over his eyes. "We've been through this a million times, Millie. An investigator has to look at all the possibilities. I didn't say the man Mary Chavez was talking about was Sam. I merely asked if you had considered it. I can't afford to be blind-sided by the facts, and, in the end, I don't think you would want to be, either."
"Just keep your opinions to yourself then. You're in deep jeopardy of ruining our friendship."
Larry sighed. "I'll talk to Mary this week."
The next couple of days passed uneventfully. Trish had been able to get caught up on her bookkeeping and had even managed some deep cleaning on her house. Edna had worked on soothing Joe's feelings, and she and Joe had spent yesterday with their sons. Millie's grandchildren had come over and she'd grilled hamburgers. At least, Trish hoped it had been the grill shooting up all that smoke from Millie's backyard.
As peaceful as the days had been, it didn't ease any of their nerves. The phone lines burned up between them, hoping one or the other of them had heard something from Larry, or any news that would bring Sam's tragedy to an end. They were that sure that Mary Chavez had been involved in Susan's murder, and all that remained to officially close the case was her confession.
Millie was especially anxious for someone else to be charged with the crime-she couldn't wait to rub Henry's nose in it, or so she said.
It was on the third day that news finally came. Trish was feeling so good about all she had accomplished that she decided to give her torture machine another try. She quickly changed into her exercise outfit-surely she wouldn't be interrupted this time-and poured a sports bottle full of water. Then she went and gently perched on the leather bench. Patting the cold, steel frame, she murmured softly in a sweet voice, "Now, we're going to be friends, aren't we? I promise not to overdo it this time and you promise not to kill me. Is that a deal?" She figured she may as well try a little psychology on the brainless contraption; her open antagonism toward the blasted thing sure hadn't gotten her anywhere.
She leaned back, locked her arms across the shoulder braces, and took a deep breath. Pressing forward with her arms, she felt the pull immediately, but it was manageable. She heard the click of the weights as they rose up while she pressed. Thrilled, Trish grinned and counted, "One ..
Then the unbelievable happened. The doorbell rang.
She released the shoulder braces and the weights fell with a loud clang. Frustrated beyond measure, Trish contemplated ignoring whoever was at the door. She didn't need superhuman powers to know it had to be either Millie or Edna. But if what they had to say was important, she would never forgive herself. That didn't mean she had to like it, though.
Marching angrily to the door, she swung it open. "Can't I get a minute's peace around here?" She shouted before she realized it wasn't one of her friends, after all. Larry Thompson stood on her front porch, staring at her as if she had lost her mind.
Trish winced and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Larry, I'm so sorry. I thought you were Millie. Come on in." She ushered him in, still apologizing, her face a bright red.
"You and Millie are that good of friends, are you?"
Trish chuckled as she sat across from him. "Actually, we are. She would have come back with a sharp retort and then marched on in. So, what can I do for you?"
Instantly, Larry sobered. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "I was hoping I could get all three of you together, and Joe too"
Trish's eyebrows raised but she didn't say anything. This didn't sound like it was going to be good news. "Millie's daughter is still over at her house. Do you want me to call her?"
Larry thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No, you can fill her in later. What about Edna and Joe?"
"I'll call them," she said, reaching for the phone. After a few minutes she hung up and shook her head. "They're not home. Larry, is something wrong?"
Larry raked his fingers through his hair. Trish was getting worried. Something must be terribly wrong. "There's been ..
. um, a development"
Oh no, she prayed silently, her heart sinking to her toes, please don't let him say they've found more evidence against Sam.
"Would you like something to drink?" Trish was stalling. She didn't want to hear whatever it was Larry had to say. It wasn't good, of that she was certain.
"No, I'm fine. Look, there's no easy way to say this. I went over to Mary Chavez house. I was going to question her, to threaten her with a search warrant if she couldn't explain the earrings." His gaze held hers firmly. "She's dead, Trish."
It took several seconds for Larry's words to register. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice sounding weak even to her own ears.
"I'm afraid it's true. It looks like a suicide."
Trish jumped up from her chair and started pacing. "That's ridiculous!" Her mind was racing. Mary was dead? No, it didn't make sense. Edna hadn't said a word about Mary's being depressed or full of despair. And as sensitive as Edna was, she would surely have noticed. They had all seen her just a few nights ago, too. Mary had been friendly and smiling with them, and then when Sam had seen her she'd evidently still had enough passion to be angry about losing her job. Angry people didn't commit suicide, did they? No, the ones who killed themselves were people who decided they couldn't go on, were listless, felt hopeless ... Trish leaned against the kitchen counter and buried her face in her hands. Here she was trying to rationalize a totally irrational behavior.
"When did Mary die?"
"I don't know for certain. The medical examiner will give us a pretty accurate time. A neighbor told me that her husband is a truck driver. We're trying to track him down now."
"Who is `we'?"
"I was out of my jurisdiction. I called the San Antonio Police Department, and then I called Chief Espinoza. He wants to see all of you as soon as possible. He has a few questions." Larry's voice was flat and matter-of-fact.
"What did you tell Henry?"
"I told him the truth-or most of it. I only told him about you seeing Marywearing the earrings."
Trish nodded, grateful he had left out the details of their snooping. "Why do you think it was a suicide?"
"There's a bullet hole in her head and a gun in her hand."
Trish glanced out her front window again and then resumed pacing. Was Michelle ever going to leave? Trish wanted desperately to tell Millie what had happened to Mary, but she wasn't about to march over there and blurt it out in front of Millie's daughter. She didn't even know how much Michelle knew about her mother's escapades. To add to her frustration, Edna still wasn't home, either. She had hit the redial button on her phone enough times to cause blisters to erupt.
Trish plopped down on the sofa where she had a clear view of Millie's house. She was half afraid that Henry would drive up wanting to talk to them. She had told Larry they would all go over to the station early tomorrow, but that might not satisfy Henry. He was going to want to know what their interest in Mary had been, why they believed she had a pair of Susan's earrings, and, for good measure, he'd probably yell at them some.
Movement across the street caught her attention. Michelle was giving Millie a hug on the front porchfinally! She waited until Michelle had driven off before she practically flew out her front door and started across the street. At the curb, she saw Edna and Joe turn onto the street and she waited until they pulled up alongside her.
"Hi," Edna called out as she rolled down her window. "Want to come over for some coffee?"
"Can you come with me for just a minute?"
Edna's eyebrows rose. "Where?"
"To Millie's. It's important." Joe looked at Trish a moment, and then he nodded and backed up his car into Millie's driveway.
As soon as Millie let them in, Trish said, "I've got some horrible news"
"What is it?" Edna's eyes rounded as she looked at Trish with concern.
She proceeded to tell them what Larry had said. "I told him that we'd come by tomorrow to talk to Henry' ,she concluded. "They don't know exactly when it happened. The medical examiner is working on it. I guess they'll talk to her fellow employees at the restaurant to find out the last time she was at work. You may have been the last person to see her alive, Edna."
"Well, not the last person. Didn't I tell you? When I was leaving, a woman drove up," Edna said, and she briefly described the woman. "I don't think Mary was too happy to see her."
"I wonder who she was," Trish mused. "It might be helpful in establishing a time line. We'll tell Henry about her tomorrow."
Joe spoke for the first time. "I'll go with you. Sam's attorney may be interested in this latest development. Besides, if Henry decides to lock you three up, you'll need someone there to post bail."
"That's very funny, dear," Edna said, but she wasn't smiling.
Joe was the designated driver the next morning as they headed toward the police station. "When we finish here, I'll drop you ladies off and go see Sam. He needs to be told what has happened"
"That's good. I'll be over at Trish's if you need me for anything."
"Just remember," Millie said earnestly from the backseat, "we only answer Henry's questions with a `yes' or a `no.' Don't offer any information, and don't tell him everything we know."
Trish sighed in exasperation. "For goodness' sake, Millie, the whole reason we're going to see Henry is to discuss what we know about Mary. We'll have to tell him everything."
"No, we don't," she cried. "Henry hasn't offered to help us one bit, and now he wants us to give him all our evidence so he can take the credit. I say, no way!"
Joe coughed and quickly looked out the side window to hide his smile. What evidence could these three think they had?
Larry was waiting outside when they drove up, and he escorted them into a spacious room with a large oval table and comfortable chairs. A sideboard held coffee cups, sugar, and creamer. They provided all the comforts of home, Trish thought nervously as she sat down. The only one who looked perfectly at ease was Joe as he pulled out a chair for Edna, but then Joe always looked perfectly at ease.
When Larry left them to get coffee for everybody, Millie started circling the room, looking under the table, the chairs, and behind the wall pictures.
"What in the world are you doing?" Trish hissed.
"I'm looking for bugs. This is nothing but a fancy interrogation room. Stay on your toes, girls."
"Millie, please stop acting like we're guilty of something, and sit down," Edna said. "Henry is not our enemy."
"I'm not, unless you lie to me" Henry appeared suddenly in the doorway and closed the door behind him.
Millie sat down with a huff. "There's no need to lie when you don't even pick up on the truth."
Trish cringed. Millie was too far away to strangle, but Joe could slap her if he would just lean a little to the left. But Joe just sat there, his pursed lips the only sign he was not pleased with Millie's remark.
Henry seemed to take it all in stride as he said hello to everybody and sat down. He carried a notebook and pen and jotted something down, probably the address of the prison he would be sending them to if Millie didn't keep her mouth shut.
Larry came in, then, with a large thermos of coffee. "Please, everyone, just help yourself. I have to make a few phone calls, but I'll see you before you leave"
Joe raised his eyebrows at Edna, but she shook her head. "Nothing for me, thank you, I'm fine."
Millie pushed herself from the table and sauntered over to the sideboard. Trish closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. She could tell by Millie's demeanor that she was getting ready to say something they were all going to regret. She wasn't wrong. "Okay, Henry," Millie said as she poured a cup of coffee, "let's cut to the chase.
"I'm sure Larry has filled you in, and you know what we know. Whoever murdered Susan also murdered Mary Chavez. So why don't you drop the charges against Sam and go after the real killer?" Then she turned suddenly, in what she probably thought was a dramatic gesture, and leaned against the sideboard, narrowing her eyes at Hen
ry over the rim of her cup.
Henry leaned back in his chair, tapping the end of his pen against the notebook. "Gee, Millie, why didn't I think of that?" he said sardonically, rolling his eyes. "Now, sit down, please"
Millie glared at Henry, but did as she was asked.
"Larry has already filled me in on most of the details, but I'd like to get the story directly from you. Please talk one at a time-Millie, you go last-and tell me about Mary Chavez. Don't leave out any details, regardless of how insignificant you think something is. Trish, you start"
Trish cleared her throat. This was just terrific. "Well, you already know we were going to try to find out who could have had a motive in setting up Sam for the murder of his wife. We decided to start with ex-employees. We got word that, when Sam sold his business, the new owner was bringing in his own bookkeeper, the position Mary had held while working for Sam. We also learned that she was not very good at her job and was extremely upset when she was let go. Actually, there were two employees who were downright angry, Mary and a man named Tom Jones. We haven't talked to him." At least that much was true. Henry didn't need to know that they knew where Tom lived, though.
She cleared her throat again before continuing, wishing she had gotten some coffee. "We found out where Mary was currently working, and we decided to pretend that we recognized her to gauge her reaction when we mentioned Sam. We never got that far, though, because Millie thought she recognized the earrings Mary was wearing as the same ones stolen from Sam's safe."
Henry was listening intently, jotting down copious notes off and on. "Go on"
"Well, we needed proof before we came to you. .
"So you were going to eventually tell me all this, huh?"
"Of course we were!"
"Of course you were," Henry sighed. "Go on"
"We developed a plan for Edna, who would be able to identify the earrings better than anyone, to get up close to Mary"
"And how was she going to do that?"
"She was going to pretend to be selling Avon" Henry cocked his eyebrows but didn't say anything. "And it worked. Edna was able to see the earrings close up, and they were definitely Susan's."