The evening ended on this troubling note. Nicole left with Crystal and Nate. Dawn left next, and Josephine followed behind.
Stephanie sighed after she closed the door on her Aunt Josie. “What a disaster,” she said.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Lurleen said. “Let us help you clean up. In fact why don’t you sit with a glass of wine and we’ll take care of things? I’ll call Danny in to help us.”
Stephanie nodded. “Thanks.”
Danny took over clean-up in the kitchen.
“Is your husband around?” Lurleen asked. “He might be more comfort to you than we can be.”
“I told Jonathan he needed to be gone for the evening and that he couldn’t come home before ten.”
I looked at my watch. It was 9:30 but it felt like midnight.
“We can stay until he gets home,” I said.
“To be honest, Jonathan won’t be much support,” Stephanie said. “He’ll have a fit about the tarot cards. He thinks they’re screwball. Jonathan hates anything unscientific, and he’ll likely have work to do before he goes to bed or a journal he needs to read.”
She sounded so unhappy. Lurleen sat down beside her and took her hand. “We can stay for a while. Where is your cat by the way? I love Big Tom and he acts more like a dog than a cat.”
Stephanie smiled at that. “Big Tom is hiding out in our bedroom I suspect. He and Aunt Josie don’t get along. She claims she’s allergic to cats, but I think it’s more that she simply dislikes him, and the feeling is mutual.”
“Hey, Big Tom,” Lurleen called up the stairs, “the coast is clear. You can come down now.”
Seconds later Big Tom, a very large black cat bounded down the stairs and leaped onto the couch between Lurleen and me. Then he rubbed his head against my hand and started purring.
“He likes you,” Stephanie said, “one bright spot in this dreary evening. He’s a discerning fellow, so you should be flattered.”
“I am,” I said. “My cat, Majestic, barely gives me the time of day if Lurleen is anywhere near by.”
Big Tom settled himself in my lap and continued to produce the noisiest purr I’d ever heard.
“I think he’s inviting you to spend the night,” Stephanie said.
“We won’t do that,” I said, “but we’ll stay until your husband gets home.”
“That would be nice. I admit I am a little rattled by everything that happened this evening.”
“I was surprised by the reading Nicole got,” Lurleen said. “Usually Crystal’s readings are more upbeat. What happened?”
“It was shocking,” Stephanie said. “Crystal’s face fell when she saw the cards. She tried to say there were all kinds of interpretations, but what came out was a warning. Nicole was in danger and she needed to protect herself. Someone close to her could not be trusted.”
Lurleen nodded and stood. “Sit for a while longer. We’ll finish the clean-up although I don’t see much to do in here.”
I dislodged myself from Big Tom and joined Lurleen and Danny in the kitchen.
“Danny, we’ll finish up here,” Lurleen said. “Could you do one more sweep outside to make sure Ben isn’t lurking in the shadows. And then you can go on home. I’ll meet you there in a little while.”
“Done.” He gave Lurleen a smack on the lips, patted me on the arm and disappeared out the back door. “Don’t forget to lock this up after me,” he called back.
Lurleen bolted the door and then turned to me.
“You’re dying to ask me about something,” she said. “What is it?”
“You made it sound as if you’ve had many tarot card readings with Crystal,” I said.
Lurleen colored. “I’ve had a few. I knew you wouldn’t approve, so I didn’t tell you about them. They’ve helped me sort out problems.”
“Do you know what the cards meant, the ones Nicole got? I heard you gasp and saw how distressed you looked.”
Lurleen sighed. “The Tower means unwanted change, violence. The Death card means endings, transformation, and The Devil card means greed, envy, sexual lust. Of course, it all depends on how Crystal interpreted those cards, and we weren’t there to hear that.”
We finished cleaning up and found Stephanie exactly where we’d left her, drinking wine and staring into space. Big Tom lay curled up beside her.
“I don’t know why I let Aunt Josephine suggest this book club,” she said. “Almost none of these people like each other.”
“How did you choose the people to invite?” Lurleen asked.
“I let Aunt Josie handle that. When she wanted to include Nicole, I was surprised. I didn’t really want her here, but Aunt Josie said it was time to heal old wounds.”
“It didn’t sound as if Josephine wanted to heal old wounds,” Lurleen said, “more like she wanted to open them up.”
We heard the front door open and expected to see Stephanie’s husband pop his head into the living room. Instead, it was Josephine.
“I decided to come back, Stephanie, to see how you were doing. You seemed so upset. I didn’t want you to be alone right now, but I see you’re not. You’ve even got that fat obnoxious cat with you.”
Big Tom jumped off the couch, hissed in Josephine’s general direction and headed up the stairs. There was clearly no love lost between those two.
“We thought we’d stay until Jonathan came home,” Lurleen said.
“Kind of you,” Josephine said. “I’m here now, so you can leave, but first I have a few questions. Do you have time to answer them, Dr. Brown?”
“Of course, but please call me Ditie.”
“And you should call me Josephine. I wonder what you thought of the evening,” she said. “It seems I missed the most important part—when Nicole claimed to be frightened of something she saw outside the house. Did you believe her?”
“She certainly looked terrified,” I said. “You don’t think she was telling the truth?”
“I don’t honestly know,” Josephine said. “Nicole rarely tells the truth, so it’s hard to be sure.”
“If she wasn’t telling the truth, she’s a very good actress,” Lurleen said.
“I can assure you she is.” Josephine said. “She can beguile any man into believing she’s in love with him. She did that with my nephew, Don Junior. Nicole loves only one person and that’s herself. She can manipulate people, male or female, into doing what she wants them to do. That’s what she did to you, Stephanie. She convinced you to introduce her to Don Junior.”
“She convinced you, too, Aunt Josie, that they would be a good fit.”
“It’s true, and she convinced my brother as well. I think my sister-in-law, Judith, had some doubts about her, but she had her own health issues, so she didn’t say much.”
“Health issues?” I asked.
“She had scleroderma,” Josephine said. “For some people it’s an annoyance, a tightening of the skin, but for Judith it was a death sentence. Of course, she didn’t know that at the time. She lived long enough to have a third child, Luke, and that made her last years happy ones.
“As to me, Stephanie is right. I was all for the marriage at first. Don Junior seemed very much in love. I’m usually a good judge of character, but it took me a while to see through Nicole. Then it was too late. They were married six months after they met, and it became clear she was only interested in his money. Even then I thought she had some goodness in her. She seemed fond of Luke and offered to stay with him when he went into the hospital. She was a nurse in training so it seemed like a very good idea and a kind offer.”
I waited to see why Josephine was telling us all this.
“I never knew what really happened when Luke was hospitalized. I was away at the time.” She hesitated for a moment. “That’s what I want you to find out, Dr. Brown. I was going to call you in a day or two but here you are. I’ll pay you whatever you ask. I simply want to know if someone caused Luke’s death either deliberately or through negligence.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Do you have reason to believe someone did that? Do you really think someone would kill a ten-year-old boy on purpose?”
“There was a lot of money involved. My brother was setting up a trust for Luke. He and his wife were old when Luke was born, and I know he was afraid they might both die before Luke was grown. His wife had been sickly for the last ten years of her life and died when Luke was five. My brother was determined to protect Luke financially with a substantial trust, and that trust would cause other people in the family to receive a lot less money from the inheritance than they were expecting.”
“You mean Nicole and Don Junior?” I asked.
“Also Stephanie and Jonathan,” Josephine said. “Everyone would have inherited a great deal less.”
“Aunt Josie, you can’t imagine Jonathan or I cared about that. Jonathan loved Luke like a son.”
“I know he did,” she said patting Stephanie’s hand.
“So,” I said, “you imagine someone, Nicole to be specific, could have let your nephew die in the hospital. You think she might have killed him?”
“I don’t know what to believe but I need to find out. My brother died a year to the day after Luke’s death.”
“What?” I asked.
“He had a bad heart and was in the hospital recovering from an initial heart attack. He suffered a second one and died.”
“On the anniversary of Luke’s death?” I asked.
“Yes,” Josephine said. “October 26. It was probably a horrible coincidence, but I can’t be sure of that. My nephew’s divorce from Nicole happened a few months after my brother died, and Nicole walked away with a fortune. If my brother had lived, I don’t think he would have let that happen.”
“You think Nicole murdered two people?” I asked. “Luke and your brother?”
“I don’t know, but I want you to look into it—discreetly.”
“This is a matter for the police,” I said.
“They dismissed both cases years ago for lack of evidence. No one will find the truth if you don’t. A precious child died, and I can’t let that go unexplained. You’re a pediatrician, so I suspect you feel the same way I do about the situation.”
I suddenly felt as if Josephine Strout was giving me my personal tarot card reading. She seemed to know my sensitivities. No, I could not stand to see a child suffer or die without understanding what had happened to him or her. Even when I did understand I was miserable. I’d had some children die while I was their pediatrician, and it was heartbreaking. I had become a pediatrician to save the lives of children, not lose them.
She also seemed to know about my other vulnerability, that when someone asked for my help I could rarely say no.
“I’m not really sure what you want me to do. Your nephew Luke died six years ago and your brother a year later. That’s a long time ago.”
“I want you to see what you can find out. I’ll pay whatever you ask.”
Josephine seemed to think everything was about money. “I don’t want your money,” I said. “I’ll have to think this over, and I’ll let you know in a few days.”
“Yes, of course,” Josephine said. “I didn’t mean to insult you, but I desperately need your help.”
We were interrupted at that point by the sound of the front door opening.
“Everyone gone?” a man called out from the doorway. “I guess not,” he said, entering the living room. “Hi, Aunt Josie.”
He leaned down to give Stephanie a kiss and I noticed a bald spot in the midst of his thinning black hair. That made it likely he was a little older than he looked and several years older than Stephanie, in his forties at least.
“Jonathan, I’m glad you’re home,” Stephanie said.
Jonathan looked around the room. “I remember you, Lurleen. Steph told me you were coming to the book club. I’m glad to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Lurleen said.
“And you must be Dr. Brown—I’ve heard a lot about you as well.”
Jonathan was a tall man who looked a little like Ichabod Crane. Perhaps the holiday was catching up with me.
“Jonathan is an MD PhD, so you two can talk shop,” Stephanie said.
“Not tonight, I’m afraid,” I said, “I have to get home; I have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Yes, me too,” Jonathan said. “I work at the CDC, Special Pathogens Branch, Viral Unit.”
“I’m sure you have your hands full,” I said.
“Yes.”
“No work is too much work for my husband,” Stephanie said. “He seems to thrive on it.”
There was something about the way she said that that sounded more like a criticism than a compliment.
We said goodnight and left.
“What a meeting and what a mess!” Lurleen said, once we were in her car heading to my house. “If this is what all book clubs are like, I probably don’t need to add them to my life.”
“I’m not sure anyone enjoyed this evening,” I said, “with the exception of Dawn who seemed to be doing her best to keep things on track. You tried too, Lurleen.”
“I didn’t want to start a fight,” Lurleen said. “I don’t know these people, and I’m not sure I’m going to want to know them, at least not all of them. At first, I thought it was great to have a man in the group, but then I realized he was only there to be near Nicole. I’m sure he’s hoping to spend the night with her. That would make Crystal a third wheel, so I wonder if she’ll actually stay in the house as planned. She’ll probably leave Nicole’s protection to Nate. And what was that business about a ghoul outside the window?”
“I believe Nicole was genuinely frightened,” I said, “although I have no idea what she saw. I saw bruises on her, and she didn’t like it when I asked about them.”
“You think they came from an abusive husband like Ben Ash?” Lurleen asked.
“Nicole denied that, but I wonder.”
“I’d offer her support,” Lurleen said, “but she didn’t seem to want any. She seemed about as warm as a cold cup of coffee. What did you think?”
“I think she’s pretty sealed off, scared but sealed off, unreachable as you suggest. Still, it was only our first meeting, so who knows what she’ll be like once she gets to know us? I saw you talking to Stephanie as we were about to leave. What was that about?’
“Stephanie wants my help the same way Josephine wants yours—not so much to follow up on old murders, more to see what might be going on with Jonathan. She says he’s always been a workaholic, but lately he’s seemed depressed and anxious. He’s never home and when he is he won’t talk to her. I told her I’d support her in any way I could. What will you do about Josephine?”
“I’m going to sleep on her request. She wants some answers and maybe I can get them for her. She came pretty close to accusing Nicole of murder, maybe of two murders. It’s hard to know what to believe. I wouldn’t mind talking to Nicole to form my own opinion.”
“I can make that happen,” Lurleen said, “or Stephanie and I can make that happen.”
Lurleen dropped me off and headed home to Danny.
Mason greeted me at the door. “The kids are in bed asleep.”
He must have seen the worried look on my face.
“Not a good meeting?” he asked.
“Not in any sense of the word.” I told Mason about the evening from start to finish, including Josephine’s suspicions and her request.
“You said she’s in the health care field,” Mason said. “Surely she knows people who could follow up on her concerns.”
“Maybe, but I think she wants to keep this as private as possible,” I said. “Mason, was there ever an investigation into either death, Luke’s or his father’s?”
“Not the boy’s death. I would have remembered that if there had been. The death of Donald Strout Senior made news. He was well known in the Atlanta community, had his fingers in a lot of pies. Health care was one of them. I think he bought up some hospitals and made them for-profit hospitals, a new idea a few years ago.”
“A bad idea, I’d say.
“A lot of people agree with you, Ditie. I think if there had been any hint of a suspicious death, I’d remember the investigation, which I don’t.”
“I’m not sure what to do, Mason. Josephine seems desperate for my help.”
“And you can’t leave a child’s death with a mystery surrounding it,” Mason said.
“No, I don’t think I can—not for Josephine’s sake or my own. I told her I’d sleep on it and let her know in a few days.”
“Good. Let’s both sleep on it. I’ll check to make sure I didn’t miss an investigation into either death.”
“Thanks. In the meantime, Lurleen and I are going to see if we can get to know Nicole better.”
“What?” Mason asked. “You’re going to meet with someone Josephine Strout thinks might have killed her nephew and her brother?”
“When you say it like that, it sounds like a really bad idea,” I said.
“It is.”
“Okay, no decision and no meeting with Nicole until you can check things out.”
As it turned out, there would never be a meeting with Nicole.