by Diane Weiner
The Tainted Course
A Sugarbury Falls Mystery
by
Diane Weiner
This book is dedicated to my husband, Robert. His patience and ever present support are so greatly appreciated.
Chapter 1
Henry Fox pulled into the gravel lot in front of The Outside Inn. Although it was still winter, the unseasonably warm day had begun to melt the snow into dirty slush. “Watch out when you get out, Maddy. Don’t step in the puddle.” He walked around and opened the door for his wife, Emily. They’d been married going on thirty years and he still held doors open for her. One of the things she loved about him.
“I’m starving. I hope Coralee has her mac and cheese casserole on the menu tonight.” Emily loosened her scarf. “What are you getting, Maddy?” No answer. “Maddy?”
Maddy pulled one of her air pods out of her ear. “What’d you say?”
“I said what are you in the mood to eat tonight?” She hated that Maddy couldn’t be in the car for five minutes without needing to have the air pods in. She knew it was personal. Maybe the music wasn’t even turned on. She suspected it was Maddy’s way of avoiding conversation.
“Oh!” Maddy wiped off the bottom of her jeans. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d parked in a puddle, Dad?”
“I did. Never mind.” They climbed the porch steps and Henry held the door for both his ladies. Coralee Saunders, the owner, greeted them as usual with a big dose of hospitality.
“Maddy, Harriett was adopted this afternoon. Mrs. Blag finally gave into her daughter. Poor girl had been dragging her mom into the cat café every time they stopped by. Guess she succumbed to the pressure, though she herself cuddled that orange tabby like it was a baby. Now there are only four cats in the café. I think that’s about the least we’ve had since you opened it.”
Maddy, wringing the melted snow from the hem of her distressed jeans, looked up. “That’s great. Another month and it’ll be kitten season so it’s good we’ll have plenty of room.”
Coralee grabbed three menus. “I tried a new vegetarian recipe tonight. Israeli couscous with grilled Roma tomatoes.”
Coralee continually surprised Emily and Maddy with her enthusiasm for coming up with innovative vegetarian recipes for them, even though Coralee’s favorite dish was a bacon cheeseburger, heavy on the bacon.
“Maddy, isn’t that your friend Ava and her mother?” asked Emily.
A heavy set woman with short red hair sat between a teenager and a little girl.
“Yeah, it is.” She walked over to her friend. “I missed you at school today.”
“Mila had another seizure. I helped Mom get her to the emergency room. Believe me, I’d have rather been sitting through Geometry than waiting in a boring room with no internet service.”
Emily said, “Sorry to hear that. Is she okay?” She couldn’t remember Ava’s mother’s name. Embarrassing, since she normally had a reporter’s mind for details.
“Poor baby has had random seizures since she was two. Thankfully, they’re over quickly, but I always get her checked out just in case.” She extended her hand to Henry. “Faith Maguire. I’ve seen you at the hospital, but we haven’t formally met.”
“Henry Fox. How are you enjoying being the new school superintendent?”
“It’s only been, what, six months, but so far so good. I don’t miss my old commute; I can tell you that. Atlanta traffic is crazy bad at any hour. I’ve yet to find traffic in Vermont. And Ava and Milo can attend the local schools here. Back home, the local high school was so bad Ava stayed with her Dad during the school year.”
The waitress brought over drinks. “Are you ready to order?”
“Would the three of you like to join us for dinner?” said Faith.
Emily looked at Henry, who looked at Maddy for a clue as to how to answer.
Maddy said, “Sure.”
“Miss,” said Faith, “Can you grab three more chairs for our friends?”
“Your wish is my command.” When the waitress turned to grab the chairs, the tray knocked into Faith Maguire’s glass, spilling Diet Coke all over the white tablecloth and worse, all over Faith’s white pants.
“Can’t you be more careful? Where do they find the help these days?”
The waitress said, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Coralee finds Harmon College students who were cheated out of an education thanks to a nosy, old…”
Coralee stepped in. “Summer, that’s enough now. Take a break and then swap tables with Lou Ellen.” Coralee patted the spilled soda with a clean towel. “Come, move over here.” She led them to a new table by the window, overlooking the snow-covered golf course. “I’ll send Lou Ellen right over.” She left Faith a clean napkin with which to blot her pants.
Maddy said, “I think she knocked over the drinks on purpose. What was that about?”
Faith said, “Nothing. I’m sure it was an accident. Now, what’s good here? We were here for brunch once, but never for dinner.”
Emily said, “Maddy and I don’t eat meat, but the mac and cheese is great and so is the linguine primavera. I don’t know how Coralee manages to find fresh vegetables in the middle of winter in Vermont but she does.”
“I want mac and cheese,” said Mila.
“Honey, you know you can’t have dairy, it might cause another seizure. How about a burger?”
Mila said, “Okay, Mommy.” She folded her hands, looking disappointed.
Not having gone through the early stages of parenthood, Emily was surprised that Mila didn’t put up a fuss. “What grade are you in, Mila?”
“Second. I’m in Miss Pratt’s class.”
Maddy perked up. “Miss Pratt? She’s my half-sister! Do you like her?”
“She’s the best. She says I have the best handwriting in the class. And when I don’t feel good, she lets me put my head down.”
“What a coincidence,” said Faith. “Miss Pratt says she’s new in town also.”
“Yes. She graduated with her teaching degree last spring and then she found out I was her half-sister so she came to visit. Then she saw a job posting and applied for the teaching position.”
“Fortunate for us,” said Faith. “It’s hard finding good teachers these days.”
“Maybe if they paid them better or respected them more…don’t get me started,” said Emily.
“I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m hoping to attract new talent to our district.”
Lou Ellen came to the table to take their orders. Everyone took Emily’s suggestion and ordered the mac and cheese. Faith ordered a burger for Mila.
Henry said, “Ava, where does your dad live? It must be an adjustment not seeing him every day.”
“I really miss him. He lives in Savannah, Georgia. Mom won’t let me see him at all anymore.”
“Now, don’t put it like that, Ava.”
“You know it’s true. You got the court to take away his visitation rights. I can’t believe you could be so cruel. Mila won’t even remember him by the time she grows up.”
“Stop being a drama queen, Ava. And stop airing our dirty laundry in front of strangers, um, new friends.”
“He hates you, you know. He said he wished you’d drop dead.”
The silence hung over the table like still air on a humid day. Emily wished the food would come so she could at least have something to focus on.
“Ava, do you and Maddy have all the same classes?” Henry took a sip of water.
“Mostly. I’m taking painting as an elective though.”
“Painting, huh? I make furniture as a hobby. I could throw a bookshelf your way if you want practice.”
Ava smiled, tension diffused by Henry’s talent for peace making.
“And you
know I’m in band,” said Maddy. “You can’t be in both.”
“Hey, Maddy. I’ll bet painting wouldn’t make Chester flee the room like when you practice.”
“Thanks, Dad. You’re so supportive.”
Lou Ellen, thankfully, returned quickly with the food.
“Delicious,” said Faith. “How’s your burger, Mila?”
“Good, but I’m not that hungry.”
Henry said, “I’ll bet when you see the desserts Coralee makes you’ll be plenty hungry.”
Faith glared at him. “I rarely let her have sugar.”
“Really? I’m a physician and I say a little dessert now and then is good for you.”
Emily cleared her throat. Faith’s phone vibrated on the table. “Hello? Yes, Tilly. That’s fine. We’re eating dinner at the Outside Inn. We’ll be home in a little while.” She put down the phone. “That was our housekeeper/nurse. She spent the day in Burlington and wanted to let me know she was back.”
A handsome Hispanic man followed Coralee through the dining room.
“Arturo, it’s the bulb over there by the window.”
Arturo stopped in his tracks when he spotted Faith. “You! What are you doing here? You’re the one who should have been banned from the country, you old witch.” He grabbed a chair as if he was about to use it to hit Faith. Coralee stopped him.
“Arturo, what’s the matter with you? This woman is a guest. You can’t work here and treat people like that. I’m afraid…”
“Don’t fire him, I’m sure this is the best paying job he can find since there aren’t apples to pick in the winter time.” Faith took a sip of her tea.
Arturo grabbed for the chair again. Coralee grabbed his wrist. “Calm down. You can change the bulb later, it’s not that important.”
Arturo shook his finger in Faith’s face. “You cost my sister her job and now she’s back in Mexico all alone while her family is here.”
“That’s what happens when you sneak into this country. Don’t try to tell me she didn’t know any better.”
“Arturo, let’s go.” Coralee’s voice was stern. She apologized to the table and led Arturo out of the dining room.
Henry said, “Maybe we should be going.”
“No, he’s not going to ruin our evening. You mentioned dessert earlier. Waitress!” Faith signaled for Lou Ellen to come over. “We’d like to see a dessert menu.”
“I can tell you the special desserts tonight. We have cheesecake, Boston cream pie, and apple strudel with vanilla ice cream.”
“I’m stuffed,” said Emily. She seldom turned down dessert, no matter how full she was, but she’d had enough of this anything but relaxing dinner.
Henry said, “We can get dessert to go, how’s that? Save it for when we’ve had time to digest our meal. Coralee’s desserts aren’t something to pass up.”
Emily knew Henry couldn’t pass up the apple strudel. “Fine. Two apple strudels. We have ice cream at home in the freezer. What would you like, Maddy? Same as Dad?”
“Yeah.”
When the desserts were ready to go, Ava said, “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” She looked at her mother. “Right, Mom?”
“Of course. I only needed you to help me today because Tilly had the day off. Henry and Emily, it’s been a pleasure. Maddy, I’m sure we’ll see you soon.”
Chapter 2
The next morning, Emily knocked on Maddy’s door. “Time to get up. Dad made waffles. If you hurry, you’ll have time to eat them before school.” She went into the kitchen and poured food into Chester’s bowl. Henry sat at the counter reading the newspaper while monitoring the waffle iron.
“What an experience last night. Ava’s mother has been in town what, six months? In the course of an hour’s dinner we met two people who hate her,” said Henry. “When Maddy came to live with us, remember how worried we were about being good parents to a teenager? After having dinner with Faith Maguire, I’d say Maddy is lucky to have us. I think Fiona is up there in heaven smiling that she chose the right guardian.”
“What brought that on? Do you hear it?”
“Hear what?”
“Harp music coming from the sky.”
“Very funny. I don’t know. I think we set a good example for Maddy to follow. I saw how Faith was with the first waitress and the handyman. She talked down to them and obviously had hurt them. And look how her little daughter was afraid of her.”
“Afraid?”
“As soon as Mommy said no dairy the poor kid pulled back. She never said she wanted a burger and did you notice she hardly ate two bites?”
“I guess Faith was trying to do what was best for her health. I can’t imagine having a child with seizures. Must be difficult.”
“Show me a piece of literature that ties seizures in with eating dairy.”
Maddy came into the kitchen. “I heard you made waffles.”
“Sorry, the early worm gets the bird. Or is it the early…”
Emily pointed to a platter full of waffles. “Stop teasing her, Henry. She’s already running late for school. Maddy, does that skirt meet the dress code? It’s a little short.”
“I’m wearing tights and boots so stop tripping. I wore it last week and you didn’t say anything.” She grabbed a paper plate and made herself a waffle to go. “I have to catch the bus.”
As usual, Emily heard the door slam. “Didn’t you think that skirt was too short? I don’t want to get called down to the school to pick her up because she doesn’t meet the dress code. Maddy certainly isn’t afraid of me, that’s for sure. Sometimes I’m a little afraid of her with that teenage temper.”
Henry hugged her. “Stop tripping, Mama. You’ve got to pick your battles. Hey, want some strudel to go with those waffles?” He opened the fridge and took out two Styrofoam containers.
“Dessert first thing in the morning?”
“Of course not. Second thing in the morning. I had waffles first.” He dipped forkfuls of strudel into the leftover syrup on his plate. “I’ve got the early shift at the hospital. I’ll be home before dinner.”
“I’ll be at St. Edwards. Class ends at 3:00. Then I have office hours. I’ll take my dessert with me.”
Henry drove to the community hospital. He’d retired before moving to Vermont when he was barely old enough to join the AARP and realizing the need for medical care in Sugarbury Falls, opted to work part time at the hospital. He ran into his buddy, Pat in the parking lot.
“You look like you slept in your clothes.”
“Funny. I was over at Megan’s watching Netflix and I fell asleep. My patients don’t complain about how I look.”
“Seeing as they’re dead, I guess not. Things are going well with Megan, aren’t they?”
“Very. After Carol died, I imagined a lonely life ahead of me. Megan changed all that.”
“Your very own detective to watch out for you. When are you going to put a ring on it?”
“As a matter of fact, I’m planning to. Just trying to pick the right time and place. Ring’s in my dresser drawer waiting.”
“Congrats, buddy. Megan is a prize. Do you think she’ll say yes?”
Pat nodded his head. “And to think I was going to ask you to be my best man.”
An ambulance sped by as they neared the hospital entrance.
“Looks like the day’s starting off with a bang. Catch you later,” said Henry.
Henry had no sooner put on his white coat when he was pulled into Emergency. The paramedics were frantically trying to revive a lifeless woman. Henry took over compressions. He sensed she was already gone, but gave it his best effort. “Paddles. Clear. Try again. Clear. Epi…” No response.
“It’s too late. Time of death, 8:43 am.” He pulled the curtain closed and turned to the paramedics. “What happened?”
“The housekeeper called 911. She found the patient collapsed on the bedroom floor. She figured it was a heart attack.”
A short, middle-aged woman ran into the ER. �
��Is she okay? Where’s Faith?”
Faith? Henry put it together. Oh, my God, the woman on the table was Ava’s mother, Faith Maguire. The one they’d eaten dinner with last night. He’d been so busy trying to save her, he hadn’t noticed. He took a deep breath so he’d have a shot at sounding professional. “Are you the next of kin?”
“I’m the housekeeper/nanny. Me and her daughters are her family. I’m Tilly Armstrong.”
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Ms. Maguire didn’t pull through.”
“What do you mean? I…when I saw her last night she was perfectly fine. Alive. I tucked in Mila and she was helping Ava with her homework. This morning, I got the girls off to school and she, and she still wasn’t awake. I…I found her collapsed on the floor by the bed and called 911. What am I going to tell the girls?”
Henry said, “Is there someone we can call?”
“What about the girls? They’re in school. Should I pick them up?”
“How about the girls’ father? They’re divorced, right?”
“Yes. I should, I can…I’ll call him but he’s in Georgia.”
“Call him. Maybe he should be the one to tell them.”
“What should I say? Was it a heart attack?”
“I’ll let you know as soon as we can determine the cause of death. Did she have a heart condition, allergies, or any other medical condition you know of?”
“No heart problems or allergies that I know of. I’ve only worked for her the past few months. She has type two diabetes. Do you think that’s what killed her?”
“Without examining her, I can’t say. We’ll be in contact as soon as we know something.”
After Tilly Armstrong left the hospital, Henry called Pat in the morgue. “Do you have time to look at a recently deceased patient? She’s the mother of Maddy’s friend.”
“I’ll squeeze her in. Give me a couple of hours.”
“Thanks, Pat.” Always protective of his new daughter, he worried about how the news would affect Maddy. Maddy had lost her own mother, which is how she came to be their daughter. On the one hand, she’d be a comfort to Ava. After all, she’d recently been through it. On the other, the wound was still recent. Some nights he heard Maddy crying into her pillow when he passed by her room to say good night. Emily would know how to handle this. He gave her a call and relayed the details.