by Jessica Beck
“Ollie Wilson. There, are you happy? By the way, tell him that we’re through.”
I imagined him slamming the phone down when he broke the connection. I turned to Pat. “It checks out.”
“At least for Albert’s murder,” my brother said. “What about Mitchell’s?”
“I thought we were going on the assumption that the killer of both men was one and the same?”
“We are,” Pat reluctantly agreed. “Okay. You’re off the hook, Ollie. Would you like us to tell our sister for you?”
“What I’d like you to do is keep one of those crazy women from trying to kill me,” he said.
“We can’t make any promises there,” I said.
“Then I’m going home, loading my gun, and waiting by the door. If one of them comes within a mile of me, I’m going to shoot first and ask questions later.”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I told him.
“Too late. I’m in it now, though, and I won’t go without a fight.”
I expected Ollie to leave right away, but instead, he grabbed a basket and started filling it with staples like bread, peanut butter, and milk. “I don’t know how long I’m going to have to wait, but I’m not going to get killed just because I was hungry.”
After he was gone, I saw that Pat was smiling slightly. “What’s so amusing?”
“We managed to eliminate a suspect and make a big sale, all ten minutes after we opened the Iron for the day. That’s progress on every front, as far as I’m concerned.”
“And then there were two,” I said. “Which one of them do like for murder?”
“I wish I knew. Both Harriet and Sally had their reasons to want to see Mitchell dead, and there’s no doubt in my mind that Albert was killed for his snooping.”
“We’re close,” I said. “I can feel it in my bones. But how do we decide?”
Pat shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s think about it while we’re waiting on customers.”
“What customers?” I asked, and then I looked over his shoulder. There were half a dozen folks walking toward us from the parking lot, so despite our best efforts to work as amateur sleuths, it appeared that for the time being, we’d have to be content running the Iron together.
It was a long day at the Cast Iron Store and Grill, one of the longest that I could ever remember. Every time someone came in, I looked up, expecting to see one of our final two suspects, but each and every time, I was disappointed.
Wherever they were, they weren’t stepping anywhere near our store.
Two minutes before closing, with just a few stragglers still shopping and one diner eating at the bar, Kathleen walked in, looking grim and determined.
Glancing down at Lester Pender’s empty plate, I swooped it up, replacing it with his bill. “Would you like that sweet tea to go?” I asked him.
He looked startled by my fast actions and then nodded. “Yes, that would be fine.”
I transferred his tea into a cup, topping it off with fresh ice and tea, and slapped a lid on it. “There you go.”
“Thank you,” he said.
Lester didn’t complain about my abruptness, but it had clearly thrown him a little off balance. He took the tea, as well as the check, up front, and I hurried after him toward my older sister. As I did, I told the few folks still shopping, “If there’s anything you’d like to buy, now’s the time to do it.”
Nobody protested, and soon enough, the store was empty except for the Marsh siblings and Skip.
Pat said, “You can take off now, Skip. We’ve got this.”
He took one look at Kathleen and then nodded. “Thanks. See you tomorrow.”
After he was gone, Kathleen was ready to talk, and what she told us both definitely surprised me.
CHAPTER 24: PAT
“Why so grim, Sis?” I asked her after finishing up with our last customer. I’d been willing to wait the three minutes until we officially closed for the day, but Annie had done a proper job of shooing everyone out early. I had to hand it to her; none of them had looked peeved by her actions, just slightly uncertain about what had just happened.
“Is someone else dead?” Annie asked Kathleen breathlessly.
I hadn’t even considered that possibility. Maple Crest was beginning to be a very dangerous place to live if there was another body.
“No, at least not yet. I’m not willing to wait a second longer, though. I’m about to haul my main suspect in for an extended round of questioning, and I wanted the two of you to know what was going on ahead of time.”
“Who do you believe did it?” I’d called her soon after Ollie had left. She’d demanded the right to confirm his alibi herself, and she’d called later and told me that it was solid. “Was it Sally or Harriet?”
“I’m nearly positive that Sally is the real killer,” she said firmly.
“What makes you think that?” Annie asked her.
“There’s just too much about her story that doesn’t hold up. Every bit of it feels fabricated to me, and I don’t buy for one second that she was at the Iron last night looking for protection. She was there to hurt both of you, and I’m not going to stand by and watch it happen.”
I considered what she was saying and realized that there might be something more personal involved here than just her professional opinion. “Kathleen, don’t take this the wrong way, but could it be possible that the reason you’re focusing on Sally is because you consider her a threat to us? Isn’t it just as likely that Harriet killed both of those men?”
Our older sister frowned for a moment. “No. I feel my reasons are solid. Besides, I’m not arresting her. I just feel that if I take her to the station and apply a little pressure, she might break down and confess.”
“But what if she doesn’t?” Annie asked gently. It was clear that she too was touched by our sister’s motivations.
“Then I’ll redouble my efforts with Harriet,” Kathleen conceded. “But I don’t think I’m wrong on this.”
“Based on what, exactly?” I asked her.
“My gut, which is made up of years of experience dealing with bad guys,” she said. “If you should find Sally before I can, don’t do anything to antagonize her, okay? She’s dangerous, and I don’t want her going after the both of you, too.”
“We’ll try not to,” I said, and Annie nodded in agreement.
After Kathleen was gone, Annie cleaned the grill, and I worked at shutting down the front of the store. The cash register balanced beautifully, and I actually finished up a minute before she did, something that was rare on most days. As she joined me up front, Annie asked me, “So, what do we do now? Do we look for Harriet, just in case Kathleen has it wrong?”
“I’m not sure there’s anything we can do at this point,” I said. “Either way, Kathleen is determined to finish this case herself.”
“I don’t like it,” Annie said.
“We can talk about it more, if you’d like. What do you say? Care to take a ride to the bank with me?”
“Why not?”
We never made it, though.
When we walked out of the Iron together, Harriet Parton was standing there, looking for all the world like a cold-blooded killer.
Trying my best to play it cool, I said, “Harriet, we missed you today. Was there something we could do for you? We just closed up, but if it’s an emergency, I’m sure we can make an exception.”
I glanced over at Annie, who was currently looking at me as though I’d lost my mind. What else could we do, given the situation?
“I’m here to confess something to you both,” she said, her glances darting around the building. “Are we alone?”
“Kathleen is on her way over here,” Annie blurted out. To me she didn’t sound convincing at all, but hopefully Harriet didn’t know her as well as I did.
“Then I’ll be quick about it,” Harriet said. “Timothy saw me the night of the class, didn’t he?”
“Of course he did,” Annie said. “You two had a con
versation, remember?”
Harriet shook her head, as though she was trying her best to displace a gnat. “After it was over.” She looked down at her feet. “I came back. He nearly caught me spying. I was so embarrassed.”
“Why did you return?” Annie asked her. I was looking around for something that I could use as a weapon. I would have taken anything at that point, but short of lifting up a rocking chair and holding her off like a lion tamer, I was stumped.
“I wanted to see if Sally was there. She’s dangerous, but nobody will believe me. I wasn’t there for any other reason.”
“Then why did you run off when Timothy spotted you?” I asked her.
“I was mortified that he’d catch me snooping. What can I say? I panicked.”
“Is that why you followed us to the hollow tree at the park?” Pat asked her.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Harriet, there’s no reason to bother denying it. We won’t think less of you for doing it,” Annie said soothingly.
Harriet shook her head. “Why would I do that? It doesn’t make sense. What’s so special about this hollow tree you’re referring to?”
“You really don’t know, do you?” Annie asked her.
“I don’t have a clue. Anyway, I just had to come by and get that off my chest. I hated the thought of anyone thinking that I was up to no good. Despite what Mitchell Wells did to me, I would never have killed him, and as for Albert, he was irritating, but that isn’t reason enough to murder anyone.”
She turned to go, and Annie called out, “Are you going to be okay?”
Harriet turned back toward us. “I think so. I won’t lie. This has all dredged up a past I wanted to forget, but I know that I wasn’t responsible for anything that happened to anyone, so I won’t have any trouble sleeping at night. Sally can’t say the same thing.”
After Harriet was gone, I looked at Annie and whistled softly. “So, it appears that Kathleen was right about Sally after all.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that,” Annie said as she sat in one of the chairs. “Can the bank wait until later?”
“Why not?” I asked, taking the chair beside her. “What’s on your mind?”
“Didn’t it all seem a little staged last night when we caught Sally here, Pat?”
I nodded. “I wondered about that, too. It was as though she was making it up as she went along.” I remembered her biting her nails, and the Band-Aids on her hand. “I am such an idiot! I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
“What are you talking about, Pat?”
“Did you see those Band-Aids on her finger and thumb last night?”
“She slammed the car door on them,” Annie said. “She told us that, remember?”
“Sally was lying to us, Annie. I’m willing to bet if Kathleen pulls off those Band-Aids, she’s going to find wounds consistent with knife cuts. She must have done it driving one of those knives into the doors she targeted.”
“That’s why she was really here,” Annie said excitedly. “I bet she was going to stick one in your door as well, only we caught her before she could do it. That has to be it! Everyone else involved got a knife calling card but you and Harriet. She was probably next in line after the Iron.”
I was about to answer when I heard someone step forward from the woods beside our building. “Very good. You two are smarter than you look.”
Sally Tremont was standing before us, a knife gleaming in each hand.
It appeared that we’d figured things out on our own.
It just looked questionable whether we’d ever live long enough to tell anyone about it.
CHAPTER 25: ANNIE
Sally looked behind her toward the empty parking lot. “Is it true what you just told Harriet?” she asked us.
“Which part?” I asked her. Pat and I were doing our best not to make her angry. She’d gotten the drop on us, and it was up to us to figure out how to get out of this particular deadly jam.
“Is your sister really coming back?” Sally asked heatedly, pointing the knives at us and jabbing them to emphasize her question.
“It’s true,” Pat and I said in nearly perfect unison.
Sally seemed to consider that. “Then let’s go inside, shall we? Go on. I’m standing right behind you, so don’t try anything cute. One of you might be able to make a break for it, but I’m sure to get the other. Think about that for one second. Is your freedom worth your twin’s life?”
“We’ll cooperate,” I said. I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Pat because of me, and I was certain that he felt the same way. Sally had found the perfect way to control us, not through threatening us directly, but by menacing our twin.
Pat unlocked the door, and I could see his gaze dart around, looking for something to use as a weapon in case we could distract Sally long enough to act without jeopardizing each other. It would be tricky, but we couldn’t just let her kill us without at least putting up a fight. “Go on. Step all the way back to the grill.”
I thought about grabbing a cast iron skillet, or even trying to use a trivet to attack her, but like a good girl, I’d put everything away. If we survived this, I promised myself that I wouldn’t be as fastidious in the future.
“What do you want from us?” Pat asked her once we were near the storeroom door. “We don’t have any real proof of anything.”
“These cuts are proof enough,” Sally said as she held up her bandaged hand. “That was clever of you. I’m sure if your sister has that blade analyzed for DNA, mine is going to show up. The blood ties me to the knife, and the knife ties me to the murders.”
“You’re the one who followed us in the park, aren’t you?” I asked, trying to buy us a little more time. “How did you know what we were doing?”
“I’d been following Albert around, trying to figure out how much he knew, when I heard him mention it to your brother. I would have grabbed the evidence myself, but you got to it before I could. What did it say, exactly? Did it name me as the killer?”
“It was all gibberish,” I said flatly.
“You’re lying,” Sally snapped.
“If you don’t believe us, there’s a copy of everything upstairs in my apartment,” Pat said.
Why would he tell her that? What possible way could that be to our advantage? And that’s when I remembered his walking stick, the one I’d tripped over earlier on my way out of the bathroom. Was that the weapon he wanted to use to defend us? It might just work after all. If Sally had pulled a gun on us, it would have been dicey, but unless she was an expert at knife throwing, the heavy wooden stick might give us the advantage that we needed.
“I want to see it for myself,” she said.
“Stay right here and I’ll go get it for you,” Pat volunteered. No doubt he was planning on coming back with some kind of weapon, if not the stick, then something even deadlier.
“Not a chance,” Sally said.
“What am I going to do? You’ll be holding my sister hostage.” He looked over at me and said, “Sorry, Annie.”
“No apologies needed. It’s a good plan,” I said.
Sally wasn’t buying it, though.
“We’ll all go together,” she said as she jabbed the knives in our direction. “March.”
As we headed upstairs, I wondered what Pat might be planning. As for me, I was intent on grabbing that walking stick and using it on Sally before she could cut either one of us. I just hoped that my twin, in his enthusiasm to save us himself, didn’t do anything to wreck my plan.
As we walked up the stairs, I lagged enough behind to let Pat go ahead of me. I couldn’t risk him being stabbed as I lunged for the walking stick. If Sally managed to get me, that was something that I could live with, but not him. It was time to try to distract her. “You left the note in the tree about Ollie, didn’t you?”
I glanced back and saw her smile. “You found that, did you? I was hoping that you would. I couldn�
�t match what Albert had left you, but I took a shot. How did I do?”
“You failed pretty miserably at it,” I said, doing my best to get her angry so she’d slip up.
“So you say,” she said curtly, “but who’s got the upper hand right now?”
“At the moment,” Pat said, understanding what I was trying to do.
“For the rest of time, as far as you two are concerned,” Sally said snidely. If there had been any doubt in my mind before about her intentions, they had just evaporated. Sally meant to kill us, and it was up to my twin brother and me to stop her.
“At least satisfy our curiosity. Why did you kill Mitchell and Albert?” I asked her, trying to distract her.
“Do you even have to ask? Mitchell rejected me and cheated Ollie out of his inheritance. If I couldn’t have him, I was willing to settle for Ollie, but not poverty. There was no way that he was going to walk away from the ruin he created unscathed.”
“And Albert?” my twin asked.
“He was getting too close to the truth, and what was worse, you were both starting to listen to his ravings. I knew that if I didn’t do something, and quickly, either one of you or your older sister would figure out what happened ten years ago, and I was right, too. Nothing I did stopped you! When you ignored the final knife warning, I knew that I was going to have to kill you both to get any peace at all.”
We were almost at the top of the steps, and I prayed that Pat would let me carry out my plan. If ever there was time that we needed some of that fabled twin ESP, it was right now.
“There’s just one last thing that you failed to take into account, something that’s going to be the end of you,” I said as Pat passed the walking stick and I neared it.
“What’s that?” Sally asked as she leaned forward.
“This,” I said as I grabbed the heavy stick and swung it out at her head. The blow was glancing instead of direct, as I’d hoped. If my plan had worked, it would have killed her on the spot, or at the very least, knocked her unconscious.