Chapter 36
How’s it going at the craft-in? Adrian asked in a text message, as the conversation with Linda was turning to her finding Zooey’s body.
Okay, more later, Cora texted back.
She turned back to Linda. “Was there anything odd about the body?”
“What do you mean? Other than being found in a huge macramé bag?” Linda said.
“Yes,” Cora said. “Other than that.”
“Rigor mortis hadn’t set in,” Linda said. “I touched her. As I said, I thought it was some kind of macramé arm. She was . . . still warm, actually.”
“So it hadn’t been long,” Jane said.
“No,” Linda said. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
“What do you mean?” Katy said. Katy was sitting behind a small craft table, working on a miniscrap-book. Some people knit when they are stressed, others scrapbook, mused Cora.
“I mean, the killer must have been right under our noses,” Linda said.
“Stop with the drama,” Jana said. “You’re scaring me. We’re supposed to be relaxing here.”
Cora caught herself. That was true. She needed to back off.
“I have one more question,” she said. “Was there anybody in the room, or outside the door? Anybody suspicious looking?”
“Why are you so interested?” snapped Katy.
“Her boyfriend is a suspect,” Jane said, placing her hand on Katy’s shoulder. “She’s trying to clear his name.”
“I can’t think of anybody suspicious lurking around. In fact, the room was empty. I wondered where they were. It was nearing time for the class and the room was empty. Even her assistant was nowhere to be found,” Linda said.
The women soaked that in.
“Would you like a Swedish fish?” Jana said, holding out the bag to Cora.
“No thanks,” Cora said, and then almost to herself, “I wonder where her assistant was. I haven’t seen him since.”
“Oh, he’s quite torn up,” Katy said. “Back in his room medicated, I should think.”
Mathilde made her way to the group.
“Hello, ladies,” she said. “How’s it going?”
“Okay,” Jane replied.
“As well as can be expected,” Katy said.
“Are we relaxing? I mean, I don’t know. I thought this would help, ” Mathilde said.
“Oh yes,” Linda said. “Bourbon might do me better, though.”
“I’d be happy to bring you a drink,” Jane said, standing up.
“Oh, honey, thanks. That would be so sweet of you. Frankly, I’m having a hard time getting this out of my head. You’d think I’d be used to seeing dead bodies. Well, I am, but this was way different,” Linda said, and her lip twitched.
“Oh dear,” Cora said, and placed her hand on Linda’s. She’d been so focused on helping Adrian. Had she been insensitive to Linda and her friends? “I never should have brought any of this up. I apologize.”
“You brought it up?” Mathilde said.
“Yes,” Cora replied. “Just trying to make sense of it all, I suppose.”
“Besides that,” Jana said, “her boyfriend is a suspect.”
“Is he?” Mathilde said. “I haven’t had much time to pay attention to anything other than this.” There was a note of bitterness in her voice.
“Is there something else we can do to help you, Mathilde?” Cora asked.
“Try not to talk about the incident,” she said.
“That’s not going to help a thing,” Katy said, turning a page of her scrapbook. “Trying to sweep stuff under the carpet never got anybody anywhere. People need to communicate their feelings. We can’t go around repressing them.”
Mathilde’s carefully painted faced fell. Cora thought she saw her cheek twitch.
Good Lord, the woman was stressed. Of course she was. How would Cora feel if this happened at one of her retreats? As it was, murder had happened right down the street from her retreat, and again, not too far away—all too close for comfort. But thank goodness there had never been one at Kildare House, where the retreats were held.
Mathilde sat down next to Katy. “You know, you’re right.” She looked as if she were deflating. “I’m not sure how much further I can go with this. I want to go home, hug my kids, and curl up in a ball on my couch.”
Cora must have looked surprised.
“You didn’t realize I have kids?”
“No. I mean. I’ve never read anything about your kids,” Cora said.
Jane came back into the circle and handed Linda a drink.
“I keep my kids out of my public story,” Mathilde said.
Suddenly Cora’s respect for Mathilde went up more than a few notches.
“I have three. They are at home with my mother,” Mathilde said, smiling. “I hate leaving them, but it doesn’t happen often anymore and it’s not like I’m far. I used to travel quite a bit, but now it’s only once a year and during this retreat.”
“You’ve built something here,” Jane said.
“Thanks, and I’m hoping this weekend doesn’t destroy it,” she said.
“I doubt that. You’ve got great years behind you,” Cora said with reassurance.
“Yes, but this weekend . . . murder . . . fighting with Hank.” Mathilde paused. “I had to fire him.”
“Yes, we heard,” Cora said.
“We saw him later at the Drunken Mermaid,” Jane said.
Cora gauged Mathilde’s reaction.
“I don’t care where he goes, as long as it’s away from me and this place,” Mathilde said. “I’ll deal with his being at the Drunken Mermaid later.”
There was something about her tone. Menacing? Bitter? The hair on the back of Cora’s neck prickled.
“Someone said that you own the place,” Jane said.
“Partially,” Mathilde replied. “But Hank is my partner. My lawyer will deal with him. I simply want nothing to do with him anymore. I want out.”
“It’s too bad,” Cora said. “You’ve been partners for years.”
“Yes, but he’s changed. I don’t understand what happened to him. The last straw was the retreat. He wanted me to close down. And that was my first inclination. But all these women have paid big bucks. Some of them have saved for quite some time. I need to respect that and give them what they came for, don’t you agree?” Mathilde said.
“I suppose I do,” Cora said. “There’s been some trouble around my retreat, but nothing like this. I’m not sure what I’d do.”
“You’ve got to do what you think best, of course,” Jane said.
This conversation was leading in directions that Cora hadn’t anticipated, but Adrian’s texts kept coming in. “Excuse me, ladies. I’m going to check on my boyfriend and Cashel.”
“Cashel?” Mathilde said.
“Yes, remember Ruby’s son had some trouble with his stomach or something and had to go to the hospital? No big deal. But I’d like to touch base and see how he’s doing,” Cora said.
“Oh, that’s right,” Mathilde said.
“I’ll come with,” Jane said. “I need to try London, again. I couldn’t get through the first time.”
After they left the craft-in, Jane and Cora walked together down the long Mermaid Hall.
“She’s stressed,” Jane said.
“Of course, and the others are, too,” Cora said. “Possibly Hank was right. Maybe it would have been best to call it off and have everybody go home.”
“But maybe Mathilde is right, too,” Jane said.
Cora’s bag slid down her arm and she heaved it back to her shoulder. “There’s no perfect way to deal with something like this. But I’d like to think if it happened at one of our retreats we’d pull together, not crumble like Hank and Mathilde.”
“Me too. I had the feeling it had been coming awhile. Didn’t you?” Jane said.
“It seemed like it,” Cora said. “Why don’t you check in with London and meet us at Adrian’s room. He says he has news.”
“Okay, we’ll see you there,” Jane said.
The elevator doors opened and there stood Tom, Zooey’s assistant, appearing cool as a cucumber with sunglasses on his face. Cora smiled. He ignored her and walked off the elevator.