“I just thought I’d let you know what we’ve found out about that message.”
My attention instantly turned tail. “You found out something? What?” My heart leapt. Was Trevor about to receive a stroke of good luck? But the news wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped.
Kyle cleared his throat. “Hold your horses, it’s not that helpful. We checked your caller ID and found out that the call was made from the pay phones in the aquarium at the Delacorte Plaza. Oddly enough, it’s the same bank of pay phones where the call to Trevor originated from, the one that was supposed to be from Lydia. We’re asking around, trying to find out if the attendants might have noticed anybody making a call around that time, but chances are pretty slim.”
I sighed. “Well, finding out where it came from is a start, I guess.”
He must have heard the disappointment in my voice because he said, “Hey, your friend has a good lawyer, thanks to your aunt. He’ll get a fair trial. We’ll keep looking. I know you and Miss Florence set great store by this kid, so I’m willing to take a look at anything you might have, as long as we have some substance to go on and not just wild shots in the dark.”
“Say, Jared called tonight. Do you happen to know what he wanted?”
Kyle’s voice instantly chilled. “You know better than to ask me. We don’t run in the same circles.”
Since I’d moved back to Gull Harbor, Jared and I’d picked up where we left off—only as friends. He’d come out of the closet and I realized that he only dated me to cover up his interest in boys, but our friendship had stood the test of time. Kyle and his cousin were still on the outs, but I kept hoping they’d make up. Apparently, I’d been hoping in vain.
“Yeah, right. Stupid of me to ask.”
He cleared his throat. “Persia—about Jared,” he said, slowly as if he was debating on whether to go on.
“Yes?”
A pause. “Nothing, never mind. I haven’t heard from him in a while.”
I hung up slowly. Well, at least this time we’d managed to remain civil. Maybe there was hope yet. I told my aunt what they’d found out. She looked as crestfallen as I felt.
“We have to keep our hopes up,” she said. “I simply refuse to let them railroad Trevor. Kyle thinks he’s being open-minded, but the truth is, he going to rush this through. I know it—I just know it. I talked to Wanda Jansworth today—she’s Winthrop’s receptionist. She told me that the Wangs are already putting pressure on Kyle. They have a lot of clout in this town, and Kyle is in an elected position. We can’t give up because I don’t for a minute believe that the law’s on Trevor’s side.”
Unfortunately, I had a sinking feeling she was spot on. Kyle was being as nice as he could, but I knew he thought Trevor was guilty, and I had no doubt that he’d push for a trial as soon as possible. Winthrop could probably get an extension, but it was impossible to avoid the fact that Trevor was in a lot of trouble, without much hope in sight.
Chapter 9
IN THE MORNING before we left for the shop, I put in a call to Jared. His first class was at seven AM so I figured he’d be back in his office by the time I phoned, and I was right.
“What’s up?” I asked when he answered the phone.
In the intervening years before I moved back to Gull Harbor, Jared got a degree in computer science, went to work for Microsoft for a few years, then quit to move back to Gull Harbor and teach computer science in the community college. He did some consulting on the side and made a tidy income. He’d offered to help us buy a new computer system for the shop, but Auntie was stalling. It meant just that much more work learning how to use it.
“Kyle called me last night, told me all about Lydia, and asked me to keep an eye on you.”
That surprised me. Kyle’s distaste for his cousin was obvious. Jared had confided in me that they were still on the outs. “What? But you two never talk.”
Jared cleared his throat. “Well, darling, he’s worried about you and your aunt and he knows you’ll listen to me where you might not listen to him. He asked me to tell him if you said anything strange or odd about the case.”
Hmm. Sounded like Kyle was fishing for information that he might suspect Auntie and I were hiding. Maybe, but then again, maybe not. His concern for our safety seemed genuine. I sighed and ignored the thought that he was using Jared to get info out of me. No use in stirring the pot, and I might be wrong. What puzzled me was his trust in Jared’s confidence. “What makes him think that you’d tell him anything I confided to you?”
“I asked him that,” Jared said. “He said that he knew I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, so I’d better let him know what was going on.”
Well, that answered that. Kyle was worried about us, but why? He already had Trevor in custody. Maybe he knew something that we didn’t. If so, I knew we’d never pry it out of him. We weren’t exactly friends, and even Auntie wouldn’t be able to squeeze him on official business. I changed the subject, launching into a discussion about my upcoming self-defense class. Jared had volunteered to play the part of the attacker; he wore padding to give my students someone to practice on. A good sport about it, he was as thrilled as I was when one of the timid students opened up and really let fly.
After breakfast, Auntie and I took off for the shop. The weather hadn’t made up its mind yet about what it wanted to do. Patches of sky were peeking between clouds that threatened to make good on their promise of more rain, but it looked like the sun would have a brief foray before they took over. I inhaled deeply. The scent of water permeated the air; we’d be drenched before night. Spring in western Washington—water, water, and more water.
Tawny was waiting next to the bakery. Good to her word, she had refused to open up alone. I unlocked the door and propped it open to clear out the last lingering hints of burnt sage, while my aunt disappeared into the office. Tawny looked around, a nervous glint in her eye.
“So, like, you cleaned up the blood and everything?” Her eyes were fixated on the carpet where Lydia’s body had sprawled.
“Yes, Tawny. Don’t worry. The carpet and all the shelves have been cleaned, and Aunt Florence asked Bran Stanton come in and perform a purification ritual. Everything’s all right.” Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t true. Everything was far from all right. Lydia had been murdered in our shop and, as nasty as she was, she didn’t deserve that. When Tawny still didn’t budge, I asked, “Were you friends with her?”
She gave me a startled look. “Friends? As if. I knew her in school and all, but we didn’t run with the same crowd. By junior high, half the class hated her and she got worse as the years went on. I mean, it’s awful that somebody killed her, but if you want to know the truth, a lot of people had reason to. She was downright vicious to anybody who wasn’t part of her own little clique.”
Hmmm… it seemed as if bitches were born, not made. “Anybody in particular that she tormented?”
Tawny popped her gum and laughed. “Yeah… let’s see… Corky—he was president of the chess club back then, and Lydia talked two of her jock friends into pantsing him in front of the whole school. Nobody knew he was a cross-dresser until then. And Shawna. Lydia stole her boyfriend the day before the prom just because Shawna bought the dress Lydia wanted. Who else? Edgar—Lydia used to cheat off his homework.”
I could tell that Tawny was starting to get warmed up and settled myself down to listen.
“Don’t forget Brandy. Lydia turned her in for possession of pot and got her suspended and thrown in juvie for a few days, which put an end to the chance she had for a Vandyke Scholarship that would have paid her tuition for four years of college. The scholarship went to one of Lydia’s friends instead. Funny thing is, Brandy never smoked pot so how the stuff got in her purse is a mystery.”
“What about Trev? Tawny, did Trevor have any run-ins with Lydia back then?” Whether or not that would have any impact on the case, I didn’t know, but it seemed like a good thing to ask.
<
br /> “Oh yeah. Trevor had a thing for her even back then, but she ignored him until about a year ago. She didn’t bother him, though—not like the other kids. He was cute and I guess she was keeping him in the wings for one of those in-between-serious-boyfriend times. Who else? Tina, the fat girl of the class. Lydia made her absolutely miserable, even though Tina was talented and funny. Lydia used to call her some awful names. Oh—and Debbie. Lydia really had a chip on her shoulder about Debbie for some reason. Should I go on? There are more.”
I shook my head. Her list sounded like roll call from a body-count movie and reminded me of what high school in Gull Harbor had been like. Cliques rule, everybody else drools. And Lydia reigned supreme over all. Nightmare on Prom Street.
“Sounds like she terrorized your class.” I readied my station and leaned back in my chair.
Tawny perched on the counter, swinging her legs. “I guess. My friends and I, we didn’t pay much attention. We just tried to avoid getting caught near her. We used to joke about it. Who was going to be her Victim of the Day and all. I never made it onto her list, but a lot of people hated her, Persia. Even some of the teachers. And yet, ya know, she ended up homecoming queen and she was voted ‘most likely to succeed’ for the senior yearbook.”
She stretched and wandered over to the counter, where she began folding a stack of star-and-moon print scarves while I digested what she’d said. Even when I’d been in junior high, the cliques had been just as bad; but since I’d started taking martial arts in seventh grade, I’d escaped all that. Nobody messed with members of the Tai Kwan Do club, not even the jocks. By the time I graduated early and left home at sixteen, I’d acquired a certain mystique—I didn’t have many friends my own age, but I had even fewer enemies.
I shook myself out of my memories and was about to start in on the samples for the Juniper Girl line when the door opened and Heddy Latherton swept through. Great. Just great. I wanted to get some work done today, but Auntie had warned me we’d be deluged by curiosity-mongers. Could I make a quick escape? I glanced at the office door and calculated my speed against Heddy’s determination. Nope, I’d lose, hands down. She was headed straight for me, a greedy glint in her eye. The woman was hungry for news. I squelched my instinct to run, bracing myself against her onslaught.
In her mid-fifties, Heddy had been divorced and remarried three times. Third time must have been the charm, because she hit the jackpot with old man Latherton. Chester had been seventy-eight when they married a year ago, my aunt told me, and within two months, he was in his grave. Heart attack, no doubt brought on by actually having to live with his new bride. Heddy had lost a husband, but gained a fortune.
“Persia Vanderbilt! Aren’t you looking pretty today—how are you? Is your aunt here? I had to come in and tell you just how much I worried about you two when I found out what happened! What a shame that such a thing would happen in your shop, would you ever believe it? And Lydia, our local beauty queen at that—now who could possibly believe that Trevor would be angry enough to kill her? Of course, you never can tell. They always say it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
As she ran out of steam, I pounced on the brief silence. “Thank you for your concern. We’re standing behind Trevor in this, and we’re positive that the evidence will prove that he’s innocent.”
It came out sounding stiff, but I had to say something. I just wished I felt as sure as I sounded, but regardless of my own doubts, I had to squelch the rumor mill before it got out of hand. As I listened to her run on at the mouth, a thought began to crystallize that Heddy and her insatiable nosiness might be of some use in our investigation. I doubted that Kyle had bothered to ask her anything; hearsay and rumors weren’t evidence.
“Why don’t you have a seat and chat with me for a moment?” I said, trying to figure out the best approach. Blunt wouldn’t work, Heddy liked to feel as if she were doing her listeners a big favor by parceling out information. I let her drone on for a few moments, then let out a loud sigh.
Her eyes flickered. “Is something wrong, dear?” Yep, a pounce, just like I’d hoped.
“It’s just that, oh, it just seems awfully cruel. As you said, who could have hated her that much?” I let my voice drift for a moment. “I mean, wasn’t she awfully young to have enemies?”
Heddy gave me a keen look, then glanced around to make sure we weren’t being overheard. She leaned in. “That’s why I think Trevor did it. He had the biggest motive. My dear, I understand that you and your aunt want to stand up for him, but we have to face facts. Jealousy is a powerful motivator, and brings even the strongest men to their knees. Why my very own Chester—”
Bingo! I jumped on the opening before she could run off on a tangent. “Jealousy? Well, I know she broke up with him recently but…”
A coy smile curled around her lips and then she winked. “Oh, my dear, it wasn’t the breakup that hurt his ego so much. It was the other man! Some men simply cannot stand being supplanted.”
Other man? Lydia had already found somebody else? If that was true, then maybe Trevor had gone off the deep end. I mulled over the thought for a moment, then said, “So she was seeing someone else? I’d heard rumors but…” Again, the bait. And again, she rose like a fish to the worm.
“Well, yes. That’s why they broke up, you know. Lydia told Trevor that she’d found somebody new. Melinda was talking to Allison, who told her all about it, and of course, Melinda told me—”
Whoa, slow down! I cleared my throat. “Melinda? Allison?”
Heddy was in full thrall now, revved to go. “Melinda is my youngest niece. Allison, a friend of hers, was one of Lydia’s best friends. Apparently Lydia found a new boyfriend and told everybody that Trevor wasn’t worth her time; that her new beau was far more exciting.”
As she paused, I had a distinct tingling sensation in my neck. This was important, even if I didn’t know how or why. “Does anybody know who her new boyfriend is? Was?”
“No,” Heddy said, almost sadly. “She wouldn’t say. Melissa said Allison gave her the distinct impression that the man might be… well… on the wrong side of the law or something. But Allison said that she didn’t know who it was, although she thought he might have something to do with the contest.”
I sat back, pondering what she’d divulged. Another boyfriend, possibly a tad bit shady. Could shady equal dangerous? And then I remembered Colleen’s insinuation the other day. “At least I didn’t screw the judges in order to win.” Had Lydia slept with the judges in order to get her crown? Could her boyfriend actually be one of the judges? I filed away the thought and gave Heddy a bright smile to ward off further questions.
“Well, that’s all very enlightening. What a business, don’t you think? Now, did you come in for a facial today, or are you looking for something in particular?”
“Oh, one of your aunt’s facials, my dear. They’re the best in town.”
I escorted her to the counter to make an appointment with Tawny and returned to my station, my thoughts a million miles away from my work. I put away the oils, too distracted to pay attention to what I was doing. I’d mix up some generic rose bath salts. They required little more than measuring and stirring and it meant I could try to sort out what was rapidly becoming a complicated situation.
AN HOUR LATER I slipped into the office to talk to my aunt, but she was on the phone. I grabbed a notepad and scribbled, “I’m headed to the Delacorte Plaza” and held it up for her to see. She nodded and waved. As I stopped to pick up my purse, I felt the same déjà vu that I had the other day, but damned if I could figure out what it was about. With a shrug, I told Tawny that I’d be out for a while. As I headed toward the door, Barbara came through it.
“You want to go with me?” I asked after telling her where I was going.
“Sure, just stop in with me so I can tell Dorian. Ari’s on top of things today, so I can take off without feeling guilty.”
Ari was Dorian’s nephew
who had recently come to the United States. His uncle hired him and put him to work, and Ari had proved to be a stable and competent righthand young man. The two men just waved when I told them I was kidnapping Barb for an hour or so.
I pulled out from my parking space and navigated through downtown Gull Harbor. The air pulsed as shoppers hurried along the sidewalks, trying to avoid the chill in the air by ducking into the various bookstores, cafés, antique stores, yarn and sewing shops, and all the other fun haunts that made up the unique flavor of the town.
Gull Harbor was laid out on a grid, with most of the streets running in a crosshatch pattern. Island Drive ran through the center, crossed by numerous major intersections. Moss Rose Cottage was on the northeast side of town, while Delacorte Plaza sat in the southwest, away from Puget Sound. I turned right onto Morocco Avenue. Traffic was light, though in a month it would be thick with tourists. During the summer months, all the locals took the back roads, avoiding the heavy traffic, and left the main thoroughfares to the sightseers.
Gull Harbor was visitor-friendly. Parking was plentiful, streets were wide and clean, the sidewalks were dotted with benches, flower boxes everywhere were filled with ivy and morning glory, and well-groomed shade trees provided respite from the summer sun and a place to hang Christmas lights during the winter.
The shop windows were inviting, with few of those hole-in-the-wall dives that made people shiver and cross to the other side of the street. Like all towns, Gull Harbor had a seedy side, but it was found on the outskirts. Over along Oak and Pine and Elmwood the taverns flourished and even a rumored brothel ran under the auspicious eyes of Clarice Wilcox, the local madam. But all in all, crime was under control, and the Gull Harbor that the tourists saw was pristine and beautiful, albeit rainy.
Delacorte Plaza was situated at the corner of Fortune and Gates Avenues, and took up a good block. Essentially a giant shopping mall, the complex housed everything from the Gap to a six-theater movie cinema. The complex also housed a four-thousand-square-foot interactive aquarium at its center. While I preferred shopping in smaller boutiques, I’d been to the DP, as the locals called it, on more than one occasion and always found myself lured into the aquarium, entranced by the beauty of the fish and the sea creatures in the giant backlit tanks.
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