by Donna Doyle
Charmayne looked puzzled. "Others? Like who?"
"There's an old friend of your father’s. I would be honored if he would come too."
"Who is that?" Charmayne asked.
"Do you remember a man by the name of Willy Wilmot? I believe he's a dentist from Trenton Valley."
Surprise was etched on Charmayne's face. "Of course, I remember him." Her face darkened. "He was actually my Daddy's business partner during the time when Daddy was not walking the straight and narrow. When Daddy found faith in God, he left town almost instantly. He's an unpleasant fellow if you ask me." Charmayne wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure you want to invite him to Barnes' party? I am not looking forward to meeting him again.”
"He goes by the name of Salvatore Swaggart now," Molly Gertrude explained, "but, trust me, it's good if he comes. I'll get him an invitation as well…"
"What if he doesn't want to come?"
"He'll come," Molly Gertrude gave Charmayne a mysterious smile. She cleared her throat and said, "Thank you for coming in, Charmayne. You have been a great help. Now if you will excuse me, I have to make a few more arrangements for Barnes' party. I still need to find a trustworthy waiter, and there are a few other details to take care of as well.”
Charmayne nodded and pushed her chair away so she could get up. "You are speaking in mysteries, Miss Grey," she said as she rubbed her forehead, "but I will do as you ask, and trust you."
Molly Gertrude placed her hand on Charmayne's arm. "You asked me to find out what happened to your Daddy… And now I think I know." She narrowed her eyes as she peered into Charmayne's eyes. "But, we must play the game in just the right way, otherwise the bad guys may get nervous and then they may run, and we may never see them again."
Charmayne stared with big, round eyes at Molly Gertrude while she clutched her invitation to JJ Barnes' birthday party to her chest.
"Thank you, Miss Grey. I'll see you on Saturday night."
JJ Barnes was tickled pink as he scanned the living room from his elevated position on the little stage, right next to the Swaying Cornstalks, the local country band that Dora Brightside had been able to hire for the occasion. The jigging mass of people before him seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. This party was much better than he had expected in his wildest dreams, and he needed to make sure to pay Molly Gertrude Grey and her Cozy Bridal Agency a hefty, extra bonus.
"I invited quite a few extra guests," Miss Grey had told him, "just so that we make this a most memorable birthday party for you and your wife." And she was right. Judging by the smiles on everyone's faces and the amount of booming laughter that could be heard from virtually every corner, JJ Barnes' party would go in the books as one of the top events in Calmhaven for this year. And the people of this town needed it, after the ruined wedding party and the unfortunate problems of Abe Mortimer their beloved mayor. People still did not know if Abe would pull through. Most thought he was pretty much dead and gone. For the few who were close enough to know anything about Abe’s progress, there had been a few tentative signs the day before, but for the most part everyone’s nerves were on edge and it was a relief to bring in a bit of laughter and relaxation.
"Enjoying the party, Sheriff?" A cheerful voice, barely audible above the riffs of the country guitars, caught his attention. Barnes turned and stared at the smiling face of the old woman who was responsible for organizing the party and who was heavily leaning on her walking cane.
"I am, Miss Grey. You and your assistant did a marvelous job." He cast her a warm smile. "I am sorry I have been a bit gruff with you, but really… you are much, much better at organizing parties than you are at real police work."
"I know," Molly Gertrude answered meekly. "Actually…" she raised her voice as the Swaying Cornstalks just began their country rendition of 'Can't Buy Me Love.' "…that's what I wanted to talk to you about." The noise became deafening.
"Oh, how is that?" Barnes called back.
"I still would like to give you a birthday present."
A warm smile appeared on JJ Barnes' face. "No need for that, Miss Grey. What can you give the man who already has everything?"
"How about a criminal?" Molly Gertrude tilted her head, hoping she would have sufficiently roused the Sheriff's attention.
His face darkened. "What do you mean, Miss Grey? This is my birthday." Barnes' good mood disappeared as fast as snow in the tropics. "Tonight, I don't want to be bothered with your conspiracy theories."
"But tonight is the night that I will expose the man who attempted to kill Abe Mortimer," Molly Gertrude fired back. "But I need your help."
The Sheriff wrinkled his nose. He didn't say anything.
"I think I can prove Abe Mortimer was ruthlessly targeted, Sheriff," Molly Gertrude went on. "Will you give me a chance?"
Barnes stared at Molly Gertrude for what seemed to be the longest time. At last he narrowed his eyes and hissed, "One chance, Miss Grey. Only one."
"Good," Molly Gertrude said. She seemed relieved. "Is there a quiet room where we can talk?"
"How about my study," Barnes replied. "Just the two of us?"
Molly Gertrude shook her head. "No. If you will ask Deputy Digby to round up the following persons, and bring them to your study." As she said it, she opened her handbag and pulled out a paper that contained several names and handed it to Sheriff Barnes.
"What's this?" Barnes asked as he took the list from Molly Gertrude.
"These are the people I would like to see together," Molly Gertrude explained.
The Sheriff read the list.
"Salvatore Swaggart?" He looked up. "Who is he, and what is he doing at my party?"
"He'll tell you himself," Molly Gertrude answered. "And do you see that waiter over there?" She pointed to a tall man who was standing stiffly near the table with snacks and drinks in a starched white shirt and a black bow tie.
Barnes peered at the man. "What about him? That fellow is in need of a haircut," he smirked as he noticed the man's rather wild hair. It covered most of his forehead, and his bushy eyebrows were wild. What made him even stranger were his tiny spectacles, with the rather dark glasses, that covered his eyes.
Barnes turned back to Molly Gertrude. "Couldn't you have hired a waiter that was a bit more sophisticated? Next time, don't go for the cheapest deals, Miss Grey."
"There's a reason he is here, Sheriff," Molly Gertrude said. "Just get him into your study as well."
Barnes narrowed his eyes. "All right, Miss Grey. Just this once, but if you don't have something really amazing to show me… you may be sorry you organized this party."
"I will not let you down, Sheriff," Molly Gertrude said. "Just trust me."
18
Solving the Case
"What am I doing here?" Billy Monroe asked Deputy Digby as the police man directed him to a seat in the corner of Barnes' study.
Digby shrugged his shoulders. "Don't rightfully know, Billy. I am just doing what my boss told me." He turned around again and stepped past the waiter with the messy hair, who stood in the corner next to a tray of drinks, and disappeared back into the hallway.
"Yeah, it's the JJ Barnes special," Alfred Finney piped up with a scowl from a seat opposite of Billy's. "I thought the party was pretty good, until they ushered me in here too. What's going on?"
"Let's all be calm," Charmayne suggested. "Miss Molly Gertrude Grey told me she wanted to talk to us. She said she wanted to solve the mystery of Abe Mortimer's misfortune."
"Miss Molly Gertrude Grey again?" Finney said with clear disdain. "We all know Abe's brush with death was an accident." He turned his face to Dora, who stood in her flowing evening dress right next to the open fire place, and demanded an answer. "You are working with Molly Gertrude. What's going on?"
Dora shook her head. "She hasn't told me, Mister Finney. I suggest, we just wait and see."
The door opened again and Digby returned, this time with Salvatore Swaggert and pointed to an empty seat near the window. "Please, si
t over there."
Both Finney and Charmayne looked surprised at seeing the man, but Swaggart resisted their stares, leaned back in his seat and pulled out a cigar. After he lit it, he blew out carefully formed circles of smoke and glared at the others. "Why are we here?"
Finney frowned. "I had not expected to see you here, Salvatore."
Upon hearing the name Salvatore, Charmayne arched her brows, but decided not to say anything.
"I got this urgent mail, I was needed here," Swaggart hissed, but I am now led to believe it's all been a big hoax and that somebody is fooling us."
Once more the door opened. This time JJ Barnes himself entered, followed by Molly Gertrude Grey.
Upon seeing Molly Gertrude, Finney blurted out in an angry voice, "What's going on? I thought this was a party. It looks more like an interrogation."
"Quiet," Barnes barked. "Miss Molly Gertrude here claims she knows what happened to Abe Mortimer."
"We all know what happened to him." Finney was in an obstinate mood. “This mess is not very good for my business. I don’t for a moment believe he choked on my cake anyways. It’s a slur on my good name. The old goat had a heart attack I bet. I think my reputation has suffered enough, and I don't want to have to be subjected to more nonsense from this old lady. I suggest you move her to a nursing home as soon as possible." He got up with the intent of leaving the study, but Digby stepped in, and placed his firm hand on Finney's shoulder. "Sit down, Albert. You are not excused."
Molly Gertrude Grey cleared her throat. "I am really sorry to have you all gathered here, but I am absolutely convinced Abe Mortimer's unfortunate encounter with supposedly deadly cake was not an accident, but that some unscrupulous character tried to kill him. What's more, I believe those responsible is right here among us."
That information caused a stir in the room. All eyes were now on Molly Gertrude.
"There are four of us here, not including you, Sheriff Barnes and Deputy Digby," Charmayne cried out. She looked around, a little white in the face.
"That's right," Molly Gertrude added. "There’s you and Billy, there's Albert Finney… and there's our good dentist Salvatore Swaggart…" She let her voice trail off, "… or shall I call you Willy Wilmot? After all, that is how Charmayne knows you."
Swaggart scowled. "You've got nothing on me, lady. There's no law against changing your name. I needed a fresh start after all the lies in Calmhaven. I figured a new name would help."
"Of course," Molly Gertrude said with a small nod. "I understand. And that's not why you are here."
"So, why am I here?" Swaggart blew out another blue cloud of smoke. "I've got nothing to do with Abe Mortimer. In fact, I wasn't even present at that wretched wedding." His eyes flashed with dark hatred.
For a moment it was absolutely still in the room. Nobody dared to say a word.
"Let me explain," Molly Gertrude said at last, and she turned to Billy.
"My first suspect was Billy."
All eyes turned to Billy who shifted uneasily on his chair. "I loved Abe," Billy squealed. "I had nothing to do with this.”
"But you are heavily in debt, aren't you Billy?" Molly Gertrude stated, as she stared at Billy. "And you were hoping Abe Mortimer's wealth would help you to clear them…"
"I did," Billy confessed while his eye began to twitch, "But, I was going to ask Abe for a loan. That's all. I loved Abe."
Molly Gertrude nodded. "It's common knowledge that both, you and Abe, were not always such model citizens. Of course Abe changed when he joined Papa Julian's church, and he became like a father to you… although you, Billy, still kept on gambling and you collected enormous debts.”
Tears sprang out of Billy's eyes. "I am sorry, but I really had nothing to do with Abe’s…” Billy’s voice tailed off to silence.
"Maybe not," Molly Gertrude said, but from the way she said it, it was clear Molly Gertrude was displeased with Billy. "I also investigated Albert Finney," she went on.
"What a waste of time," Finney fired back. "I had nothing to do with it. Why in the world would I jeopardize my business? My cake was clean. There was not a trace of poison in it. "
"There are more ways to murder a man than by putting poison in a cake," Molly Gertrude fired back.
"But, I am not even in the will. I have no motive."
"Actually, you do," Molly Gertrude replied in a firm voice. "You are still in love with Charmayne, and you hated the fact that Abe allowed his daughter to marry Billy, the man you despise from the depth of your heart. And was not that first mouthful intended for the groom?"
"Lies. This is outrageous," Finney cried out. "I want a lawyer."
Molly Gertrude didn't listen, and simply went on with her observations. "Actually, my suspicion rose when I happened to bump into you at the dental office in Trenton Valley, the clinic of Swaggart, and he handed you an envelope full of aspirin… "
Bewilderment flashed over Finney's face. "You were there… in Trenton Valley?"
"We were Albert," Molly Gertrude replied. "And as you may know, the doctor’s did find traces of aspirin in Abe Mortimer's saliva."
A cry erupted from Charmayne's throat. Before anyone knew what was happening, she jumped up, ran over to Albert Finney and began to pummel the startled man with both of her fists. "You horrible, wicked man… You did it. You tried to kill my Daddy. You were jealous, and mad at my father for allowing Billy to marry me, instead of you."
Digby rushed forward and pulled Charmayne away from Finney. The man stared with round, wide eyes at Charmayne and then slouched over in his chair. "I didn't try to kill, Abe," he mumbled. "It's all a mistake. I want a lawyer."
Charmayne began to weep, and while Digby prevented her from battering Finney, she pointed a trembling finger at the cake maker. "You knew my Daddy was allergic to aspirin. I told you that myself. Very few people knew about that. Even the slightest bit of aspirin would cause him to go into anaphylaxis. You killed him." She howled hysterically again.
"I did not feed Abe any aspirin… I needed it for myself."
"I know," Molly Gertrude agreed. "I did some checking on your dental records. And you are having all your teeth pulled."
Albert Finney blushed.
"You've been eating too much of your own sugary concoctions, and you are now paying the price. The aspirin you've been given by Swaggart was only to help you to combat the pain after all your teeth were pulled out."
"I-eh…" Finney stammered. "It's true. I went to Swaggart in Trenton Valley, as I didn't think having rotting teeth was a very good advertisement for my cake making business."
"And that…," Molly Gertrude said as she turned to Salvatore Swaggart who was still forming perfect circles with the smoke he blew out, "…leaves you, Mr. Swaggart."
The dentist stared with a defiant look at Molly Gertrude. If he could have had the power to crush Molly Gertrude as if she were nothing but an annoying ant, he would have instantly done it.
"You were buddies in crime, Swaggart," Molly Gertrude said with a scowl. "You and Abe used young kids for your dirty plans, supposedly as an organization that was helping orphans, foundlings and castaways. You even got an award from the Calmhaven city-department for your so-called good works…"
Swaggart's eyes flashed, but he said nothing.
"Here's the proof," Molly Gertrude said, and she pulled out the photograph that Billy had given her. She handed the picture to JJ Barnes who stared at it with fascination. "This is a picture of you getting an award, but it was all lies. You never did a thing for these poor children, but you and Abe only used them. But then Abe changed…"
Molly Gertrude motioned for the waiter to give her some water. The man walked over and respectfully handed her a glass.
After Molly Gertrude took a few sips she continued. "Abe Mortimer was sick and tired of being a crook. He confessed everything when he joined Papa Julian's church, and even served a year for some of his crimes. He was genuinely sorry. He stopped his criminal life, of which Billy was a part, and
he turned good. From that day forward he only lived to undo the evil the two of you had committed. He also tried to convince his former buddies to stop their wicked lives as well, which is why he took such an interest in Billy."
"It's a nice little bedtime story," Swaggart scoffed. "And then there came a big, fat gray elephant with a big snout who blew magical fairy dust over the land and all the children fell into a happy sleep." He shook his head in disgust and let out a curse.
The others stared at him, shocked at his language.
"There's no elephant, Swaggart," Molly Gertrude hissed. "Abe Mortimer gave you a chance to repent, but you did not care. You never changed. Abe Mortimer was tired of your unrepentant life style and he was going to the police."
Swaggart, feeling awfully sure of himself, chuckled. "Where's the proof, old woman? You've got nothing on me."
"We got this," Molly Gertrude said. She opened her purse again and pulled out Abe Mortimer's diary that Charmayne had given to her.
"What's that?" Swaggart asked, while he narrowed his eyes.
"It's a diary. Abe Mortimer's diary… He mentions you several times."
"The bungling words of an old man," Swaggart jeered. "That's no proof,"
"Shall I read you some passages?" Molly Gertrude suggested in a meek voice. "There are some passages here in which he claims he was going to talk to the police, giving them names, dates and places about the crimes the two of you committed. He didn't really want to rat on you, he just wanted you to stop using innocent young people. Simply put, he wanted you to stop being a crook. And the…" she leafed through the diary, "… he gave you an ultimatum. Two weeks before someone tried to kill him, but you did not heed it."
She pulled another piece of paper out of her bag. "Ever see this?" She unfolded it for all to see. It was the threat that Charmayne had found in her Daddy's drawer.