In a separate car, Marlena Marshall arrived with her own driver and a man who Annie assumed was the family’s personal assistant. Marlena was an aging beauty who appeared to be fighting the ravages of time with plastic surgery. Annie winced as the woman’s smile revealed a face frozen by what she assumed was botox. Although Maxwell looked as though he’d aged gracefully, Marlena appeared to be fighting a good fight with the hands of time, but Annie wasn’t so sure she was winning.
Everett came out of his room to greet his parents and, Annie suspected, to keep them from causing too much trouble. It was immediately obvious to Annie that there was some friction between the patriarch and his wife. The personal assistant flittered between the two of them, scurrying like a trained pet to fetch and carry bags for the couple. Annie felt sorry for him, to say the least.
Excuse me, she said, tapping the assistant on his shoulder. I’m sorry, I missed your name.
Gareth Higgenbotham, ma’am, he replied, shifted Marlena’s overnight bag so that he could pick up Marshall’s suitcase.
Gareth, please let me help you with those bags. Annie didn’t wait for him to accept her offer to help, but instead she grabbed the remaining overnight bag and a large suitcase from the floor beside Gareth and quickly led him upstairs. After depositing the bags in the correct rooms, Annie and Gareth returned to the sitting room where the Marshalls were waiting with Emmett.
Annie, Emmett said as she entered the room. I hope you don’t mind, but I let myself in behind these folks. He turned to Everett. I’m sorry I couldn’t get out here sooner today to talk to you, Mr. Marshall, but I’ve been very busy. Miss Ashcroft seems to be a difficult woman to pin down, he said quietly.
Everett nodded. Kim didn’t have any close next of kin. In fact, we were probably the closest thing she had to a family that I know of.
Marlena scoffed. Oh, please. Everett, I know it’s very sad that she was killed, but you’re making her out to sound like some innocent little orphan waif that we took in out of the cold. She opened a small purse that she carried on her shoulder and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Do you mind? she asked, holding the cigarettes up to show Annie.
Actually, Mrs. Marshall, if you wouldn’t mind, I have a smoking area on the veranda out back. We have a baby staying with us at the moment and I don’t think it would be too healthy for her if we allowed smoking indoors. Annie smiled politely, but Marlena rolled her eyes.
Oh, god, I forgot that you have her brat staying here, she groaned, and for the first time since she’d arrived, Annie was beginning to think that Marlena Marshall wasn’t completely sober. If you don’t mind showing me the way to your veranda, I’d really love a cigarette.
Marlena, Maxwell began, but his wife cut him off.
Don’t, Maxwell. Just don’t. I’m going outside for some fresh air and nicotine. You can stay here and tell the nice policeman all about your darling Kimberly and how much she meant to you.
Annie felt extremely uncomfortable standing across from the feuding Maxwells so she hurried to the door of the sitting room. It’s this way, Mrs. Marshall, she said, pausing long enough for the woman to follow her.
After showing Marlena to the veranda, Annie took a moment to gather her thoughts. Marlena’s attitude towards Kimberly’s death had seemed very ambivalent. Annie wondered if there had been a lot of friction between the two women when Kimberly worked for the family.
Returning to the sitting room, Annie was surprised to find that Maxwell Marshall was taking Kimberly’s death much worse than either his wife or son. His eyes were red-rimmed and full of tears. He dabbed a handkerchief at
them as he answered questions that Emmett asked him. After a few moments, he blew his nose loudly into his handkerchief.
I know this has been a shock for everyone, Emmett told them, but if you can think of anyone at all that might have a reason to attack Miss Ashcroft, it might help us find her killer.
Maxwell sighed. Everett’s right. Kim didn’t have any family to speak of. Maybe some distant cousins, but no one that she’d spoken to in years, maybe even a decade or more.
What about friends, lovers, that sort of thing? Emmett addressed Everett when he asked this and Annie was certain that Everett blushed slightly before he answered.
She had a few friends from her previous job, but she seemed to drift apart from them the longer she worked with us. I’m afraid we monopolized her time, for the most part.
But we paid her very well for it, Maxwell added. And we always took Kim on our family vacations. Of course, most of my vacations are working ones, he added.
I’m confused, Annie interrupted. Was she your business assistant or your personal assistant?
I hired her as my personal assistant to help with my business, Maxwell replied. Her role was pretty fluid, though. She did everything from schedule meetings for me to picking up my dry cleaning. And, like I said, since she was always with us, she was almost like family. He rubbed at the corner of one eye, catching yet another wayward tear. She worked for me for nearly five years. I came to love her like a daughter, you see.
Annie nodded compassionately. I can imagine that you’d be close after working together for so long. Do you know why she left her job?
Maxwell’s face paled slightly. Yes, I believe I do, he said quietly. She told me that it was because of the baby. She asked me not to tell anyone, but of course I told Everett because he and Kim were very good friends. I hoped that Everett might be able to talk her out of leaving. I offered to pay for the best daycare in Asheville if she’d just move closer to us, but she said she wanted to stay in Atlanta.
Emmett twisted the end of his mustache thoughtfully. Now, if she was so content with her job, and you treated her like family, why do you think she wanted to leave the minute she found out that she was pregnant? It doesn’t make much sense to me, he mused.
I believe she was seeing someone in Atlanta and I believe that whoever it was, they wanted her to leave us. But I know her time with us was happy, Maxwell stated with certainty. She told me that she loved our family and her job. But Kim was very headstrong. I guess she felt like she needed to make a clean start with her own new family, he added forlornly.
Do you know who the father of her baby is? Emmett asked. Because that’s definitely a next of kin we should be looking at, he added.
Maxwell shook his head. She refused to tell me who the father of her baby was. I’ve often wondered if she was afraid of telling me because she thought I might disapprove. I’ve also wondered if she was afraid of the baby’s father. I mean, what if he forced her to quit her job and stay away from us? Perhaps she was in a bad situation, he said. Maybe if I’d have been more insistent, she would have stayed with us and she’d still be alive today. Fresh tears filled his eyes.
Annie felt compelled to comfort the man. Despite his reputation as a successful and powerful businessman, it was clear that he was a soft hearted guy. Mr. Maxwell, could I get you something to drink? I have tea, coffee…whatever you like.
He pulled himself together and nodded. That would be lovely, thank you. I would love a coffee, he replied.
Em, how about you? Annie thought that the chief of police looked a little distracted. Her suspicions were confirmed when he stared at her question blankly.
Huh?
Would you like a cup of coffee? she repeated.
Sorry, he replied. I was thinking about something else for a minute there. And yes, I’d love one, thanks.
Everett declined her offer, so Annie headed to the kitchen to make coffee for the rest of her guests. She passed a very harried-looking Gareth on the way. He was looking for something in the foyer and didn’t hear Annie approach him. He practically jumped when she called his name.
Mr. Higgenbotham, would you like a cup of coffee?
He stared at her like a deer caught in headlights. After a few seconds, he replied. I could murder one, he
admitted. But first, have you seen a small black bag around here? It’s about so big, he exp
lained, holding his hands several inches apart from each other. It was meant to go to Mrs. Marshall’s room but I just checked and it’s not there.
Annie pondered his question for a moment. I think I sat a black bag down in Mr. Marshall’s room. Could that be the one?
Gareth’s eyes grew large. Oh, I hope so. He hasn’t gone in there yet, has he?
Annie shook her head. I don’t think so. Why?
Gareth glanced around to make sure that no one was listening to their conversation. It’s Mrs. Marshall’s private bag, Ms. Richards. No one is allowed to see what’s inside. Especially not Mr. Marshall, he added. He spoke quietly and quickly. Annie could see beads of sweat on his forehead and she wondered if the man wasn’t completely overworked.
Here, come with me quickly and we’ll see if the bag is in Mr. Marshall’s room. She led Gareth up the stairs and to the room where she remembered seeing the bag. It was just where she’d left it.
Oh, thank god, Gareth sighed. She’s been in such a horrible mood these past few days, I don’t think I’d have a job if I screwed this up.
Annie felt sorry for the man. Are the Marshalls that demanding to work for? she asked. They said their last assistant was with them for years.
Gareth waited until they’d left the room before he confided in Annie. I think Mr. Marshall and Everett liked her a lot more than they like me. I know that Mrs. Marshall didn’t, though. That’s why they hired me specifically, because I’m not a pretty young woman, he added.
Annie let out a small gasp as she realized what the assistant was implying. Do you think that Mrs. Marshall thought that her husband only hired Kimberly Ashcroft because she was young and pretty?
Gareth nodded. I don’t think that. I know it. She’s convinced that her husband was having an affair with that Ashcroft woman, but you didn’t hear this from me. I need this job way too much right now or I’d give that insane woman a piece of my mind for the way she treats her husband. She’s far too paranoid for her own good, he added.
Annie thought about what he’d said. And they hired you because you aren’t a temptation for Mr. Marshall. And I suppose Marlena hoped to make her husband jealous by hiring a young male assistant, she mused aloud.
Ha, well, that wouldn’t exactly work. I don’t date women, Gareth confided. And even if I did, I would not be crazy enough to date someone like Marlena Marshall. That woman is a hot mess.
Annie agreed with his last statement, but she couldn’t help but think that it was highly unprofessional for a personal assistant to share such information with someone he’d only just met. But then again, she realized that the entire situation was far from typical for anyone involved.
Well, Gareth said, clutching the bag to his chest. I’ll just go and put this where it belongs. Thank you so much for helping me! He hurried on to Marlena’s room, leaving Annie to wonder about the strange new guests she had staying in her home.
9
An Unexpected Visitor
The tension in the air was palpable during the hour or so that Emmett spent talking to the Marshalls. Even though he kept the tone conversational—they weren’t technically suspects in Kimberly’s death, after all—his presence seemed to amplify the general sense of unease for the houseguests.
Everett spoke to Emmett after his father, answering questions about his relationship with the dead woman in clipped answers. Annie could sense that he was uncomfortable answering the questions in front of his father, so she offered to show Maxwell Marshall to his room. Shortly after he’d gone upstairs, Marlena breezed back into the sitting room, the stale scent of cigarette smoke clinging to her as she collapsed dramatically into the plush cushions on the settee.
Emmett cleared his throat, ignoring her grand entrance. Mr. Marshall, I understand that you had been in contact with Miss Ashcroft since she left your father’s employment.
Annie tried to be in the room most of the time that Emmett was talking to the Marshalls. She told herself that it was important to know exactly who was staying in her home, especially since there was now a foster child living there, too. However, curiosity was her real motivator, if she was honest. Ever since Everett Marshall had arrived at her place, an uneasy feeling had settled itself in the middle of her stomach. It had only intensified as the other Marshall family members arrived. If she’d learned anything in her forty plus years of life, Annie had learned not to disregard those gut feelings.
I tried to keep in touch, Everett told the chief of police. But Kim really made it difficult. She stopped taking my calls, wouldn’t reply to texts or emails. She did text me to let me and the family know that she’d had the baby and that they were both healthy. He hesitated. She called me last week, out of the blue. Said she would like to speak to me about something important, but she wouldn’t say what that was.
Did she say anything about her life after she left your family? Was she dating anyone? Emmett asked.
She said that she was seeing someone, though she didn’t tell me who. I believe she planned to tell me that the day she died. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but Marlena didn’t give him the chance.
You never told us about talking to her, Marlena hissed. Were you planning some sort of secret meeting? Some sort of rendezvous? Oh, for goodness sake—I don’t see what that girl’s appeal was to the men in my life. She wasn’t even that good of a personal assistant. She couldn’t tell the difference between Cristal and Bollinger. She had no class, Marlena sniffed.
Oh, for goodness sake, Mother, not everyone is as big a snob as you. Kim didn’t come from money. In fact, she grew up in a very poor household and had to work very hard for everything she had. That’s part of why Dad and I respected her so much. She was willing to work hard and she had a strong work ethic.
Emmett scratched his mustache absentmindedly. Did you ever have a romantic interest in Miss Ashcroft?
Annie watched Everett’s face pale, then flush. I asked her out a few times. She turned me down.
Did that upset you in any way? Emmett inquired. Were you angry about her rejecting you?
No! Everett protested. I mean, yeah, my feelings were a little hurt. We’d been friends for years, but I understand why she didn’t want to get involved with me. I mean, she was working for my father. And she didn’t want to let something like a relationship interfere with her job.
And where do you think she saw that job going? Marlena interjected. Come on. Nobody can make a career out of being a personal assistant. Kim was obviously looking for an in with this family so she could get her foot in the door. I’m sure she thought you were sweet, Everett, but don’t tell me that she wasn’t hoping that your dad would leave me and run to her instead.
Everett rolled his eyes. That’s not true. You, Mother, are paranoid. And this isn’t the time or place for that paranoia. He rubbed at his temples with his fingertips. I’m sorry, Mr. Barnes. Did you have any other questions for me? If not, I really just need to go and lie down. I’ve got a headache that won’t quit and I’d like to begin making funeral arrangements for my dead friend, if that’s okay. He glared at his mother, who shrugged her shoulders at his outburst.
Emmett nodded. You’ll be here for a few days? I know where to find you if I think of anything else. He rose from his seat and nodded to Marlena. Mrs. Marshall, thank you for your time. He started towards the door, but
stopped before he walked through it. Is your mama upstairs? I’d like to have a word, he said quietly as he stopped beside Annie.
I think she’s in the kitchen feeding the baby. Go on in. She’ll be happy to see you. Annie turned to Everett. Can I get you something for your headache? I keep a bottle of extra strength pain reliever in my office. No stranger to headaches, she explained.
That would be great, Everett replied. He turned to his mother. I’m going to need Gareth to run some errands for me later. Will you tell him to come find me when he’s free?
Marlena pouted. I’d planned on sending him to the store for some things, she replied. I
guess he can do both at once.
Annie thought that whatever they were paying Gareth, it probably wasn’t enough. She started towards the kitchen but was stopped by a knock at the front door. Through the glass window in the door she could see a man’s face.
Are you expecting anyone? she asked Everett.
He shook his head slowly. No, but he looks familiar.
Annie detoured to the front door and opened it. May we help you?
The man at the front door smiled weakly. I hope so, he said. My name is Philip Hutchens. He extended a hand to Annie then nodded at Everett. And I already know Mr. Marshall, but would you mind if I asked your name?
Annie wrinkled her brow in confusion. My name is Annie Richards. I own this establishment. How do you know Marshall?
Everett replied before Philip could respond. You worked for my father once. That office building in Atlanta, the one that had to be rezoned three times because of some legal technicality. He frowned in confusion. But what are you doing here, if you don’t mind my asking.
Philip coughed to clear his throat and smoothed his dark hair. I was told that I could find someone here who could tell me about what happened to my fiancee. He turned to Everett. What happened to her? What happened to Kimberly Ashcroft?
Annie’s mouth popped open in surprise. Your fiancee?
Everett’s face turned stony. Annie, if you don’t mind, I am definitely going to need those pain relievers.
10
A Surprise Proposal
Emmett Barnes had been in Bessie’s kitchen countless times. He’d visited her on numerous occasions and trusted her with everything he had, including his life. However, standing before her now, watching her give baby Emma a bottle, Emmett felt his insides turning to chaos. He may have seen a lot of things in his forty plus years as a member of law enforcement, but nothing he’d ever experienced was as terrifying as the moment he was currently inhabiting.
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