“As much as anything,” Barbara said a little sarcastically.
“And that was the only thing you were to do until the day of the party?” Susan prompted.
“Yes. On the day of the party, he wanted me to make a salad and deliver it to Rebecca in the afternoon. You can imagine how surprised I was when he suggested that. After all, I would have thought that even an incompetent cook can manage a salad.”
“But this wasn’t an ordinary salad, was it?”
“No.” She took a breath before continuing. “It was a Christmas salad.”
“Red and green?” Rebecca asked sarcastically.
“Made with Christmas ingredients,” Kelly said, correcting her. “Mistletoe, poinsettia, narcissus, yew needles, and berries.”
“All poisonous,” Susan added. “Including the tree preservative in the dressing.”
“But no one was going to eat it. No one was supposed to and no one did!”
“Then why did you bring it to my house? What reason did Evan give you?” Rebecca looked disconcerted for the first time.
“I didn’t ask him why. I just did what he asked me to do,” Kelly answered, appearing proud of the fact.
“But there were other things that Evan asked you to do,” Susan continued.
“Yes. He told me to fake a minor auto accident and to call him for help.” She seemed confused. “But the policeman who found me wouldn’t take me home to make the call—and I had everything set up: eggnog, cookies—he insisted on taking me to the hospital. Then, when I finally got a chance to call Evan’s business number, someone else answered—and he had told me he would … and that I was to talk to no one else—and my car was wrecked, so I called Susan’s house. I knew her kids would be home and could get in touch with her. I had to get home from the hospital.” She stopped again and took a deep breath, remembering that night.
“But then …” Susan prompted.
“Then, when Susan and I got home, there was Evan’s body in the living room—in the chair that he had asked me to set up.”
“For him?” Kathleen asked.
“He didn’t tell me who it was for.”
“But later—after Evan’s body had disappeared—did you change the whole arrangement and put out tea and lemons?” Susan asked.
‘Yes. Evan had given me very specific directions, and I had prepared everything ahead of time, because Evan said there might only be a few minutes to do it. I had to stuff the old cookies and eggnog down the garbage disposal and put out the fresh refreshments. But I did that, yes.”
“You didn’t think it was all a little strange? You didn’t think about giving up on the plan once Evan was dead?” Susan asked.
“No. You see, Evan told me to disregard anything unusual that happened that night. So I did.”
Rebecca stared at Kelly with her mouth open. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“I just did exactly what Evan told me to do. He said that the most important thing was that I tell nobody about it. And I haven’t—at least, not until now.” Kelly folded her hands in her lap and looked around at her neighbors.
“So he was killed while you were at the hospital,” Barbara said.
“So Kelly didn’t do it, either,” Elizabeth added triumphantly.
“So who did? And who called the police?” Jerry Gordon asked, looking puzzled.
“Evan called the police. Remember he said he had to make a phone call from the bedroom? Well, he didn’t then, of course, but he must have called from Kelly’s house right before the murderer got there,” Susan announced. “And the person who killed Evan was the person that Evan was planning to kill.” She paused. “It took me awhile to figure it out. Of course, it didn’t make sense that Evan would make such elaborate plans for his own murder. But I couldn’t even begin to figure this out until I put together what he had been asking Kelly to do—to behave in a manner that would make her appear unbalanced and then have an accident. We were all talking about Kelly’s supposed mental problems; it had become common knowledge that she wasn’t always acting in a balanced manner. Calling Kathleen was supposed to make her sound paranoid, and making the salad out of poisonous ingredients certainly wasn’t normal behavior. So what would Evan do if he was called upon to help his ex-wife in this situation?”
“Call a doctor!” Claire cried, looking at her fiancé with a shocked expression and yanking her hand from his clasp.
Dr. Barr responded by jumping up. “So what?” he exclaimed. “Who would have thought a middle-aged suburban housewife could figure it out.” He glared at Susan. “Yes, Evan was going to call on me to help his poor little crazy ex-wife, and then he was going to kill me—to save himself and his business. Evan loaned me the start-up capital for my company. And to make sure he would make a profit if I died (because my company is almost entirely dependent upon my selling ability—anyone can figure out how to package vitamins and vegetable protein), he insisted that I take out a very expensive life insurance policy on myself. With Evan, of course, as the primary beneficiary. Thus, I’m afraid, I became the answer to all his financial needs—which were considerable, I understand. And, besides, with me dead, he didn’t have to worry about the exposure of some of his shoddier business deals. Such as that Baxter property thing. So he decided to kill me.”
“Evan planned to kill you?” Kelly was incredulous.
“Yes, he even told me so just before I shot him. How stupid he was to think that I would meet him alone without a weapon. I knew how much I was worth to him dead. And I knew how much he wanted to keep his sleazy business deals to himself.”
“You—you used me as an excuse to see Evan socially … to get to that party,” Claire cried out.
“No, my dear, I didn’t. Evan knew I was going to be in New York City over the holidays and had invited me himself. He was planning to kill me, remember. But, when I heard you talking on the ship with that couple from Hancock that evening in Istanbul, I decided that I could use some allies in town.”
“You were still using your relationship with my mother,” Jed said angrily. “You convinced her to end her vacation early and come back here. You made her think that you were serious about your relationship! We accepted you at our house and as our friend.”
“I had no choice,” Dr. Barr responded. “I was fighting for my business, for my life.”
“Why didn’t you just stay out of his way? Why did you ever come to Hancock?” Jed asked a little more calmly.
“I had to kill him. Don’t you see? One of the conditions of Evan’s investment was that I keep up the payments on that damn insurance policy. I couldn’t go through the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, hoping Evan was solvent!” He turned to Susan. “But you had connected me with Evan in some way, hadn’t you?”
“Yes. Kelly showed me the gifts she had bought and wrapped and labeled for all Evan’s business associates. There was one for you.”
“An alpaca scarf!” Kelly cried out. “I shopped for hours to find just the right one. Then you killed him!”
“And you’re not going to get away with it! You’re a miserable man,” Claire cried.
“So what are you going to do?” Barr said, with a sneer, and Susan thought that they were all seeing his true personality for the first time. “Believe me, I’m not afraid of a bunch of beef-fed, cholesterol-clogged, heavy-drinking suburbanites. Especially since I have this.” He pulled a gun from his jacket.
Maybe it was their cholesterol levels or maybe it was the gun, but no one moved toward the man who, aiming his weapon at Jed in a way that made Susan’s heart miss more than one beat, moved backward toward the front door. What he didn’t know was that the doorway was filled with a half a dozen unsmiling, similarly armed policemen. Two grabbed his arms, one grabbed him around the neck, and one spoke.
“We’ve got him. And, thanks to whoever called, we heard everything. My chief needs someone to make a statement, and he also wants to talk to the Henshaws.”
“He … ? Why?” Susan sp
oke up.
“Seems a United Parcel man was making a last-minute Christmas delivery at about five-thirty this afternoon and he found a strange package leaning against your front door—a package containing the dead body of a Mr. Evan Knowlson. The chief thinks you may know something about it.”
THIRTY-SIX
The presents under the tree had been opened, the wrapping paper was sizzling in the fireplace, and the Henshaw family was happily entertaining the Gordons on this Christmas Day. Susan was in the kitchen putting what is known as the finishing touches on their dinner. Kathleen was with her.
“Dr. Barr explained to the police that he left the body in front of our door on his way to your house,” Susan explained.
“Assuming it would be found when you got home?”
“Yes. It was in one of those gigantic plastic bags that are sold to wrap large gifts in; this one was embossed with thousands of tiny candy canes. Luckily it had ripped and a hand was sticking out—otherwise it probably would have been there waiting for our return, just like Dr. Barr planned.” Susan opened her oven door and pulled out a large brown goose as she spoke.
“The UPS man must have been surprised,” Kathleen commented, leaning on the counter and watching Susan baste the bird.
“I suppose so. All the police said was that he called them from next door and then returned here to wait for them.”
Kathleen reached across the counter and snatched a cube of stuffing. “I cannot believe that we’re going to sit down and eat another big meal after the one my mother prepared last night. I didn’t think I’d ever be hungry again and here I am …”
“Watch out, it’s hot,” Susan warned, returning their dinner to the oven and checking the timer. “The police must have had some day. Didn’t they think it was a little unusual when you called and asked for armed officers to wait in case a murderer confessed?”
“Who knows what they thought? They did it.”
“So I guess it’s all over.”
“Except for Kelly’s and Rebecca’s grief,” Kathleen reminded her.
“It really is horrible,” Susan answered. “It’s true we all said that Kelly would do anything for Evan, but who would have thought that the lies he wanted her to tell would eventually provide a cover-up for his own murderer?”
“And, with Rebecca hiding the body for her own reasons, it was incredible that Barr was ever discovered. Then she lied about how successful the business was as well. It’s amazing that we found out the truth, with so many people committed to keeping it hidden. You did some good detecting there, Susan.”
“Kathleen, did it ever occur to you who Evan expected to be convicted of Dr. Barr’s murder?”
“Kelly,” she answered slowly and sadly. “I know. He was setting her up for two purposes: first so he’d have an excuse to get Dr. Barr away from the party and to her house and then, probably so he could claim that she was crazy and killed him. I assume that was the reason that he wanted her to change the setting after the body was originally found. Involving her in a cover-up, no matter how inadequate, would definitely help convince the police of her guilt. It really is sick, isn’t it?”
“Well, I’m not going to waste any time regretting his death, if that’s what you mean.” Susan slammed down the lid on a copper casserole and turned to Kathleen. “I’m not terribly sympathetic to Dr. Barr, either, of course. To kill another person in self-defense is one thing, but he appeared to think so highly of himself and the business he created that he had no scruples about using Claire and us—and everybody, in fact, to protect himself.”
“How did he discover the body in the garage?” Kathleen asked.
“Jed gave that away,” Susan admitted ruefully. He got angry at Dr. Barr’s bragging about his strength and mentioned the punching bag. Barr realized that there was a box as well as a bag involved.”
“And Claire? How’s she taking all this?”
“She’s holding up well—better than I would have thought. In fact, last night she made some comments along the lines of ‘There’s no fool like an old fool’ and then asked to go to the midnight carol service at church.” Susan turned off the oven. “When she woke up this morning, she was ready to help us celebrate Christmas. I must admit, I’m impressed.”
“Me, too.”
“Although—” Susan paused and grinned—“she’s been on a real eating binge. But then, so have we all.” She looked at the warm Parker House roll that Kathleen was munching. “Everything can sit here for another half an hour. Why don’t we join the others in front of the tree?”
“Great. I promised Chad I’d look at his new tape deck.”
“Just don’t ask him to demonstrate the volume. He turned it up all the way first thing this morning and the ornaments on the tree are still shaking.”
They were greeted by a chorus of “Grandma got run over by a reindeer” on the stereo as they entered the living room. Chrissy was sitting in a window seat, reading a new book; Chad was lying under the Christmas tree, playing with the dials on his new tape deck; Jerry, Dolores, and Claire were seated around a cheerful fire. Jed appeared behind them, a tray of crystal flutes in his hands.
“I have anticipated your every need,” he announced, putting the tray on the coffee table beside two sweating bottles of Moët.
“Wow! Especially if this turns out to be a cold winter,” Kathleen agreed, picking up a full-length, spruce green sheepskin coat from the back of the sofa. “Some gift.”
“Yes,” Susan agreed, laughing. “And there’s my gift to him.” She pointed to a larger, shorter brown version of the same coat lying on a chair across the room.
“They even came from the same Madison Avenue store,” Claire pointed out.
“Just another example—”
“Of great minds thinking alike.” Everyone chorused the ending for Jed.
Jed chuckled, poured, and passed out the champagne. “We all saw that fabulous car you bought Kathleen,” he said, handing Jerry a glass. “What did she give you?”
Jerry smiled at his wife. “Do you want to tell them or should I?”
“She’s pregnant!” Dolores blurted out, preempting everyone else.
But, in the congratulations that followed, everyone forgot everything except the good news. As Jed told his wife that night as the two of them sat in front of the fireplace in their bedroom, it really was a perfect Christmas. All the problems of the past had been cleared away, the future was sure to bring much happiness and joy, and the present was perfect.
Susan just nibbled a lebkuchen and smiled happily.
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We Wish You a Merry Murder Page 26