by Sarah Hualde
Joan’s distant voice sparkled with mischief. “Too much, Mom. Too much to tell you in one phone call. I’ve got big news. But I might need to wait until Daddy’s on the line. Where is he?”
“Well, baby, it’s the end of September.”
“Oh right, the fishing trip. And you stayed home?”
“For Ivy.” Mother and daughter said in unison.
“Yes, at least that’s the excuse I used...”
Joan laughed. She remembered their yearly fishing trips with humorous disdain. She hated them as a teen but longed for them once she left home. Her poor mother always ended up in the mud or bruised before the end of a trip. There wasn’t a single week of fishing where Lydia came home unscathed.
“I got an email from Ivy. She says there’s a bunch of stuff happening in the neighborhood.”
“Are you guys conspiring against me, again,” Lydia asked.
“Something like that. So, dish!”
Lydia unwrapped the weekend for her girl and left off with the report of Maddie and the refused investigation.
“Why would they do that? It messes up their chances of a settlement later. Don’t they want to know for sure Jake died from the fire? What if he had a weird medical condition that snuck upon him? Della and Bill are both related to him. It may come in handy later, to know.”
Ivy snuck into the room, a sleeping Scout in her arms. “They think they know how he died.”
“They do?” Again the mother and daughter spoke in stereo.
“Hey, sis,” Ivy spoke toward Lydia's cell.
“Hey back,” Joan said. Lydia warmed at the girls’ growing closeness. She wondered what it would be like to have both girls face to face.
“Don’t leave us hanging. How’d Jake die?”
“He noticed the smoke and hurried to leave, but tripped and hit his head on one of the metal armrests.”
In the background, a speaker announced the time and grumbled a name. Joan took a huge breath over the line. Her exhale crackled over the speaker. “Oops. Got to go.”
“Already?”
“Sorry Mom, life doesn’t slow down. I promise we’ll talk again soon.” Everyone sent everyone else their love and the phone call ended.
Lydia stared at Ivy. “If Jake died rushing out of the mobile, why did Bill find him flat on his back with his feet pointing toward the only exit?”
Chapter 15
The day was spent in preparations for the memorial. Lydia flitted about Honey Pot gathering supplies and delegating orders. Ines checked in on the hour. But there was never anything else she needed to attend to other than her fiancé and Jake’s cousin.
Lydia, Flora, Ivy, and Miss Jacqui had everything all under control. Flora guarded Scout while Ivy helped spruce up the house. Miss Jacqui organized seating as she bossed Grant around, having him set up tables and move furniture. Ivy barely got more than a peek at Grant as they hustled to complete their jobs.
Maude Santiago and her assistant, Stefan, arrived to cook at 2 pm. They draped each table in their signature linens, staged the buffet, and arranged the placement of the platters before the first dish hit the ovens.
Ivy worried over the night's attendance. Surely, there wouldn’t be more than twenty people arriving to pay their respects to a man no one really even knew. She wanted to ask Grant what he thought about the situation but couldn’t pull herself away from work.
Lydia arrived to pick her up at 5 pm. She waited in the library as Grant went to fetch Ivy.
He caught her on the landing. Her face was pale.
“What is it?”
“I just saw something I know I definitely wasn’t supposed to see,” she said.
“What?” Ivy shook her head refusing to discuss it. “Come on, show me.”
She led Grant, with great reluctance, down the hall toward the guest bedrooms. Ivy held her index finger to her lips and Grant hushed at the unspoken command.
Voices laughed, muffled only by the double doors to the visitor suite. The bedroom door was ever so slightly ajar. Ivy had left it open upon retreat. She didn’t want to disturb the party entertaining themselves in the guest bathroom.
Grant slowly pushed the door open and slinked inside the room. A suitcase lay open on the bed. Bill’s belongings spewed out of it and across the floor.
“Bill’s staying for the week,” Grant said. Ivy trailed close behind Grant. “It’s no big deal.”
The laughter intensified. Then whispering ensued. Bill’s voice was the loudest of both the speaking parties. But Della’s nasal twang was unavoidable.
“What is she doing in here?” Grant’s eyes bugged and the color left his cheeks. His expression mirrored Ivy’s. Ivy shrugged and motioned back to the bedroom door.
“Let’s go.”
Grant shook his head. “I don't think so. I want to know what Della is doing in there with Bill.”
“You really don’t,” Ivy said.
“My aunt deserves to know.”
The bathroom door knob rattled. Grant jumped into action and shoved Ivy under the bed. She gagged on dust bunnies and stifled a yelp. Grant slid in beside her. Footsteps from the bathroom soon followed.
Ivy wanted to close her eyes to make her hiding more complete. Like being a little girl and hiding under the sheets from the dark. But she knew it would be silly to do that in this situation. She needed to record whatever happened and be prepared to run should the need arise. Grant scrunched in closer. Their shoulders overlapping, both of them slowed their breathing.
Someone sat on the bed above them.
✽✽✽
Downstairs Lydia helped Maude Santiago. “Do you know you’re linens are upside down? They don’t look bad that way but I wonder if you’re aware.”
Maude nodded. “I don't feel our logo is especially appropriate, given the circumstances.”
Lydia grabbed a business card from the tiny dish next to the napkins. Con Fuego - Fire up Your Night was scribed in an O. A wreath of flames encircled the restaurant’s name.
“Oh, I see.” Lydia smiled at Maude. “Thanks for being so proactive.”
“I’m happy to help.”
✽✽✽
“Not much longer.” Della’s voice was the first to crack the silence. Ivy guessed she was the one sitting on the bed. Bill’s feet clonked across the room, at a thoughtful pace.
Not soon enough. Not if you said you’ve seen him in town.”
“I said I thought I saw him. I don't know for sure. I didn’t go up and start a conversation.”
“Did he recognize you?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve changed a lot over the last few months. Hair, weight, some new nips, and tucks. I doubt he gave me a second look.”
“That would be impossible.” Bill’s voice held its gentle rhythm but its tone sounded edgy. This didn’t feel like Professor Barnaby from the other day. Ivy shivered. Had Bill always sounded so slimy? Maybe that’s why Ivy was having all those flashbacks? Part of her was picking up on the hidden vibe of the creepy side of Bill.
Grant placed a caring hand on top of hers. His eyes smiled confidently into hers. Cheering her on and calming her down at the same time. Ivy didn’t know how he did it. She marveled over Grant’s uncanny way of reading her. She wondered what else he knew about her that she hadn’t yet said.
Della giggled flirtatiously. Grant blanched. His face flamed. Ivy guessed he was reacting out of concern for his aunt. “That was a compliment. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”
“Better than ever.”
Della’s high heels dangled just below the bed skirt. Ivy wished she could inch further under the four-poster but she’d have to roll over Grant to get any farther away from Della Strap. “So, when are you going to tell them?”
“Tonight, I’ll announce it after my speech.”
“Try not to look so happy about it. Ines isn’t an idiot. She’ll figure it out,” Della’s voice oozed with flirtatious threats.
“You worry about you. I’ll wo
rry about the rest. You almost slipped at the hospital.”
Della let loose a lazy sigh. Her shoes walked closer to Bill’s. “Can you blame me? It was so creepy. Him just lying there and you standing right next to me. No one thought anything of it.”
“Let’s hope not.”
Della and Bill’s shoes were almost touching. Ivy couldn’t imagine them being any closer without the rest of their bodies touching. Grant’s lip shook but it wasn’t fear or sadness. He was ticked.
“What are you wearing, tonight,” Della said with seductive interest.
“Will you knock that off,” Bill said, taking a big step backward toward the hall. “I guess I’ll ask Ines’ nephew to head over the apartment and grab my suit.”
“Which one?”
“I’ll let him choose. He’s got decent taste.”
“Tell him to pick out one with a bow tie. Bowties are cool.” Della laughed. Her happy was too loud and pronounced. It didn’t sound like joy. More like disguised hostility. Bill didn’t return the bubbly laughter.
“Now come on. Let’s get back to everyone else before they notice.”
Della’s heels clicked out of the room and Bill’s feet followed. One of them pulled the door closed. Grant and Ivy laid there a while longer and listened for their footsteps to fade.
Ivy wondered if her heart was beating so loudly because she was so afraid or if it was going wild from being so close to Grant. She didn’t know which option she preferred.
Chapter 16
Lydia rushed through the streets of Honey Pot without technically speeding. She took every side street or alleyway she could to get to Professor Barnaby’s apartment.
Ivy white-knuckled the dashboard and closed her eyes. The urgency each woman felt swelled in her stomach and was about to make Ivy sick. Two hours until the memorial was due to begin and Bill was just now sending them to get his suit. Grant was originally commissioned to select the clothing. Ines begged Lydia to go in his place. She really wanted Grant by her side.
Bill was acting so abnormal for his reserved and respectable self. He walked with a slight swagger and was curt with everyone except Della.
Lydia wanted to be an understanding Christian woman and refrain from anger. But Bill Barnaby was pushing it. She needed to physically walk away before striking out at him in the kitchen when he critiqued the homemade pies and brownies. Bill was lucky Miss Jacqui wasn’t in the kitchen. He’d narrowly missed her exit. She would have tossed a chocolate cream pie right at his face.
Now, Ivy and Lydia were doing the crazy man a favor. A very last-minute favor.
“We’re doing it for Ines,” Lydia said. Ivy didn’t respond. She slit open one eye and inspected their location. Lydia stopped driving and pulled up the curb. “Come in with me, will you?”
“Of course.”
Speed walking on wet cement was ludicrous. Lydia and Ivy knew it but couldn’t help but rush. They also ran up two flights of stairs. The old fire escape serving as a makeshift outer entrance was slick but not soaked. Lydia stepped into the corridor, holding the door open for Ivy.
The hallway only hosted two flats. The one on the right was used for storage by the landlord and the other was Bill’s. Bill’s door was already open. Ivy pulled her cell out of the pocket of her jeans and signaled to Lydia.
Both ladies knew they were entering the foreboding place. They didn’t pause to think it over.
Lydia didn’t call out a hello to anyone present. She strolled in slowly and deliberately.
The apartment was a mess. Retrieving her phone Lydia snapped pictures of the entire place. Clothes were scattered all over. Drawers sat upturned on the floor. The refrigerator was open. There were cartons of lactose-free ice cream melting on the kitchen countertop and boxes of cereal dumped on the floor.
“This looks like a TV episode,” Ivy said.
Lydia was thinking the same. Who would do this to Bill Barnaby? “Bill’s a nice guy. Who would tear up his apartment?”
“Della?”
Lydia paused her rummaging through what remained in Bill’s closet to look at Ivy. The girl’s tone was serious and knowing. “Spill.”
Ivy explained her under the bed adventure and the scene that led her there. “I caught them kissing,” she said.
“Bill and Della?”
“Yes.”
“Ines said that Bill was unstable. That he was doing weird things and saying odd things but kissing someone other than Ines is beyond weird. It’s split personality stuff.”
“You’ve been watching too many mystery movies. And they’re called alters now, not split personalities.”
“Thanks and I’ve watched just as many mysteries as you have. Since you’ve been the one holding the popcorn bowl. Bill just met Della and, sure, they share this strange bond of losing Jake but it doesn’t make sense that they should make out the next day.”
“Grief is weird,” Ivy said.
“And he is on anti-anxiety meds, according to Ines.”
“Still, I don’t think Ines would let his behavior go unanswered. Unless. Do you think he’s being drugged? Maybe Della is switching out his meds.”
“Did you actually see them kiss,” Lydia asked, as she pieced together the only decent combination of jacket, slacks, shirt, and tie available. She snagged a bow tie at Ivy’s reminder.
“Their faces were awfully close to not be kissing. Should we call Gus?”
Lydia frowned. “Yes. But we don’t have a lot of time to stick around and wait for him. Maybe you could take this to Bill and I’ll hang back and wait for Gus?”
Now Ivy frowned. The thought of talking with Bill swirled her stomach the same way the smell of an old kitchen sponge might. She wrinkled her nose.
“Call Ines and let her know you’re coming. You don’t even have to talk to Bill.”
Ivy hugged Lydia. She hurried to leave and caught her shoe on the bedroom rug. Ivy hit the hardwood, rattling her teeth.
“Ow.” She sat and rubbed at her jarred wrists and knees.
“Are you okay,” a man’s voice said, too close for comfort.
Chapter 17
Grant paced the upstairs hallway. He dressed in the best he had in Honey Pot. But he didn’t come prepared with semi-formal or business casual wear. His mom was bringing up his nicest suit for Aunt Ines’ wedding. Next week his shiny shoes and best tie would be easy to find in a pinch. For the moment, gray corduroy with a polo shirt and his nicest pair of Chucks would have to do.
He hoped Della wouldn’t pitch another fit before the memorial. Aunt Ines was up to her neck in Diva Della’s preferences. The entire memorial was for her.
Ines felt bad asking her friends to not only attend but help with the festivities. She calmed herself dreaming of having Bill back to normal. The sooner Della left, the sooner, Ines believed that would happen. Grant agreed with her. So, he continued to do his utmost to please Bill and Della and keep them out of Aunt Ines’ hair.
Grant’s pacing led him to worry. Bill was getting more and more edgy, the longer he waited for his suit to show up. Why he didn’t pick it up himself was beyond Grant?
Della and Bill practically passed Bill’s apartment on the way to Ashton. They drove to the hospital and to the funeral parlor early that morning. Della formally ID-ed Jake as Bill had his hands examined and the largest of the gauze removed. Then they went to arrange the delivery and cremation of Jake Cloverdale’s body. It would have been a simple five-minute distraction to pick up Bill’s suit on their way back to Ines’.
Grant could hear Bill fuming in the best guest room. At least Della was no longer in the room with him. She’d returned to the Sleeping Pretty and would be arriving with Maddie and Lou, just in time for the service.
The smells coming from the Con Fuego caterer’s trays made Grant’s mouth water. He hadn’t eaten all day. His stomach growled as the doorbell rang.
✽✽✽
“Oh, Gus. You scared me.” Lydia sat on the edge of Bill’s bed with a hand res
ting gently on her chest. She took a moment to catch her breath.
“Me? Scare you?” Gus tucked his sidearm away and ran a hand through his hair. “If I hadn’t heard Ivy’s voice before she fell I would have come in the room ready to shoot.”
“At us?”
“No, not at you. At the man that the landlord saw running from the building five minutes before you arrived. I hustled over here as soon as I could.”
‘What man?” Ivy leaned against the wall.
“Some stranger. He’s been popping up everywhere in the last few days. This is the first time that I’ve seen, he’s actually committed a crime.” Gus surveyed the room and then zoned in on Lydia. “Unless you two are the ones responsible for this?”
“Don’t be silly. We found it this way.”
“And you went right in? What were you thinking? If Ethan were here...”
“We were thinking we needed to get a bereaved Bill Barnaby his suit for the memorial.”
“Besides,” Ivy said. “Lydia was just about to call you. I’m heading over to drop this off and she was going to wait for you to arrive. So, I guess I'll catch you later.” Ivy headed toward the door with Bill’s best clothes draped across her arm.
“Wait a second. You can’t just leave.”
“Please, Gus. Bill really does need this suit. I’ll stay and you can talk to Ivy later.”
Gus dropped his hands to his thighs making a loud and amplified smack. “Fine. But don’t you do anything else, like this. Ever again. Especially when Ethan’s not here. You got it?”
Ivy smiled. “Got it.” She waved at Lydia with her one free hand and rushed out the door.
Lydia watched Ivy leave and listened to the outer door shut before turning the full power of her eyes onto Gus. “Tell me about this stranger.”
Chapter 18
Ivy ran up the driveway and beat on the front door. Della answered. “Here’s the suit.” Ivy shoved the clothing into Della’s arms and avoided all eye contact.