After the lunchtime rush had ended, Maddie penned a new sign – Back at 3.30pm. Surely that would give them enough time to drive to Grace’s, interview her, and return to the town square?
Since they didn’t feel like walking such a distance, they headed to Maddie’s house to grab her car.
“Maybe Trixie will want to join us.” Suzanne’s eyes lit up.
“Good idea.” Maddie smiled.
It seemed Trixie had used her intuition and knew about their plans because the feline was just inside the front door when Maddie unlocked it. Dangling from her mouth was a turquoise harness.
“Goody.” Suzanne grinned at the feline. “I’m glad you’re coming with us, Trix.”
“Mrrow.” Trixie seemed to have a smile on her face as Maddie buckled the harness around her body.
“We’re going to Grace’s house to ask her questions about Veronica,” Maddie informed her familiar. “And we’re going to look at her garden first.”
“Mrrow!” It sounded like the feline version of Suzanne’s “Goody!”
A few minutes later they arrived at Grace’s house. A garden surrounded the large Victorian.
“She must have a couple of acres at least,” Suzanne said admiringly. “Look at all those flowers!”
Blooms of all shapes, sizes, and colors decorated the front garden.
“I don’t know which one I like the most,” Maddie admitted as they hopped out of the car. “Be careful with the flowers, Trix,” she told the cat. “Some flowers can make you very sick, like lilies.”
“Mrrow,” Trixie replied, her eyes wide as she stared at all the different plants.
Maddie had a small front and back lawn and a few shrubs. After Trixie entered her life, she’d researched dangerous plants for cats and was pleased to discover that everything in her garden was deemed safe.
They opened the cream wrought iron gate and stepped inside the garden.
“Ooh, orange honeysuckle!” Suzanne inspected the trailing vines. “It’s gorgeous! I’m going to ask Grace about it.”
“That was quick,” Maddie said wryly, her attention caught by some pink dahlias further along that side of the garden. A blue and white marbled pot stood next to them in the corner, a chip marring its appearance.
“I really do like it,” Suzanne said earnestly.
“Mrrow,” Trixie agreed.
“Okay.” Maddie smiled.
They trooped along the path to the porch.
Suzanne pressed the doorbell, a loud chime echoing inside.
“I hope she’s home,” Suzanne murmured. “I didn’t notice a car in the driveway.”
“Maybe it’s in the garage,” Maddie suggested, as she spotted a coach house in keeping with the Victorian look of the house. She assumed Grace used it as a garage.
The front door, decorated with stained glass inserts featuring red roses, opened noiselessly. Grace greeted them with surprise, looking cool in a cream shift dress.
“Maddie and Suzanne! And Trixie.” She bent and smiled at the feline. “What are you doing here?”
“We’ve admired your garden for ages,” Suzanne said. “And since we’re thinking about getting into gardening, I wanted to ask you about your gorgeous orange honeysuckle.” Suzanne pointed to the flower that had snagged her attention.
“Oh, yes, that’s an Orange Trumpet Honeysuckle, and it’s native to the area,” the older woman replied. “Why don’t I give you a cutting?”
“That’s very kind of you,” Maddie replied.
“Mrrow,” Trixie seemed to agree.
“Yes,” Suzanne added.
“I’ll just get some shears.” Grace disappeared inside the house.
“That was easy,” Suzanne whispered.
“Shh.” Maddie widened her eyes and tilted her head toward the open front door. She didn’t want Grace to hear them, even if they were murmuring.
A minute later, Grace reappeared, a large pair of garden shears in her hand, the tips looking wickedly sharp.
“Is there anything else that’s caught your eye?” she asked pleasantly as she led the way down the porch steps and toward the honeysuckle.
“Not really,” Suzanne told her. “I mean, everything looks so pretty, but I think the honeysuckle will really suit my little garden.”
Grace nodded as she cut a few different lengths of the vine and dug in her pocket for a brown paper bag.
“Here you go.” She handed the bag to Suzanne with a smile. “Put each cutting in a small pot with some soil and make sure you water them regularly. Hopefully they’ll take.”
“Thanks. Did you hear about Veronica?” Suzanne asked. “Someone killed her.”
“Yes.” Grace nodded. “I heard.” Her expression didn’t give anything away.
“I hate to say this ...” Suzanne seemed to pause for effect, “...but I was the one who found her.”
“No!” Grace looked shocked. “I’m sorry, my dear.”
“Thanks.” Suzanne smiled wanly. “I guess that’s what happens when you’re curious and you look inside a garbage can.”
“I don’t know what the world is coming to.” Grace tutted. “But Veronica wasn’t a nice person. I’m not surprised in one way that she ended up being murdered.”
“Really?” Maddie asked.
Sadness swept over Grace’s expression. “She ruined my life – along with my father.”
“Oh.” Suzanne’s eyes widened and Maddie was pretty sure it wasn’t an act. “What happened?”
“You don’t have to tell us,” Maddie said quickly. “We don’t mean to be nosy.” It was one thing to ask questions, but she didn’t want to intrude on the older woman’s private thoughts.
“My friends know what happened, so it’s not as if it’s a big secret.” She hesitated. “But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t spread it around.”
“Of course,” Maddie promised.
Suzanne nodded.
“I’d just graduated high school, and I was in love with my boyfriend, Richard. We were pretty serious – or so I thought.” She sighed. “My family was well off.” She gestured to the house behind them. “We lived here back then – in fact, my grandfather built it – and I was happy here. My father was strict, but I thought he loved me.” She laughed bitterly.
“What happened?” Suzanne asked.
“He caught us together one day.” She smiled wryly at their surprised expressions. “Not like that. We’d decided to wait a little longer. But my father caught us kissing in the garage—” she gestured to the coach house next to the house “—and assumed the worst. I didn’t know he was such a snob.” She shook her head.
“Mrrow?”
“Richard was from the wrong side of the tracks, dear,” she told Trixie. “He was a good person – a great person – and he couldn’t help being poor. His parents were hard workers, but they could only get badly paid jobs, so they couldn’t get ahead. He was about to start work in a couple of weeks at the mill so we were enjoying our time together until then. In the fall I was supposed to go to college.”
“What happened?” Now it was Maddie’s turn to ask.
“My father threatened him with his handgun. He must have spotted us, gone back to his study and retrieved his gun. Said he’d shoot him if he saw us together again. I pleaded with Dad, but he wouldn’t listen.” She shook her head in regret. “I never saw Richard again.”
“You didn’t?” Suzanne looked shocked. “Couldn’t you arrange to meet him secretly?”
“I wanted to,” Grace told her. “But I couldn’t chance being seen going to his house. Back then there weren’t cell phones or the internet. I couldn’t risk calling him on the landline inside the house, and his parents didn’t have a telephone back then.”
“Wow,” Suzanne murmured.
“I begged my father to continue to let me see Richard, but he wouldn’t listen. And then ...”
“Yes?” Maddie was eager to hear more.
“I heard he’d left town with Veronica,” Grace said in a rush.
“What?” Suzanne looked shocked.
“It was two weeks after my father threatened him. My friend told me. Later, I heard that they’d gotten married and were living in Idaho. I thought he loved me.” The older woman seemed to blink back tears.
“I’m so sorry,” Maddie said. She couldn’t imagine that happening to her and Luke.
“I thought Veronica got a college scholarship,” Suzanne said, looking puzzled.
“She did.” Grace nodded. “I heard she went to college and Richard got a job in the same town and they were married for years.”
“Oh.” Maddie’s heart went out to Grace.
“Mrrow,” Trixie said softly.
“So you can see why I disliked that woman.” Grace straightened her spine.
“You didn’t meet anyone else?” Suzanne asked delicately.
“No.” Grace shook her head. “My father was determined I marry well, but none of the men he introduced me to appealed to me. Even guys I met through the normal way ...” she sighed “It just wasn’t the same. What Richard and I had was special. Or I thought it was. I didn’t want to “settle” so I didn’t marry anyone.”
“What about your father?” Maddie couldn’t help asking.
“He didn’t like it, but apart from dragging me to the altar, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. I finally told him I would never marry since he ruined my chance with Richard.” She shrugged. “By that time, he’d mellowed a little, and said he regretted what he’d done, but by then it was too late. As far as I knew Richard was still married to Veronica.”
“When was that?” Suzanne asked.
“About ten years ago,” Grace said. “My father died not long after, and left me everything.”
“But Veronica seemed to be on her own when she returned to Estherville.” Suzanne tapped her lips.
“I know.” Grace nodded. “That struck me as odd because I was sure she’d love to parade the fact she’d stolen Richard from me and that they were still together.”
“No one’s said anything to you about him?” Maddie asked delicately.
“No. And none of my friends know, either.”
“That is strange,” Suzanne said.
Grace nodded, then checked her watch.
“Oh dear, is that the time? You girls will have to excuse me. I’ve got a church meeting in half an hour.”
“Of course,” Maddie said.
“Thanks for the cuttings.” Suzanne waved the paper bag. “I’ll go home and plant them.”
They said goodbye and got into Maddie’s car.
“Wow!” Suzanne buckled up. “I’m glad my family isn’t like Grace’s. Nothing is going to stop me from seeing Ramon.”
“Not even a gun pointed at you?” Maddie started the engine.
“Nope.” Suzanne’s ponytail swished. “Surely there was a way they could have sent messages to each other and made plans to run away together,” she mused.
“Maybe it’s harder to organize that in real life than it is in the movies and books,” Maddie replied. “They didn’t have email back then, either.”
“I have no idea how people managed in the old days.” Suzanne shuddered dramatically.
Maddie smiled as they drove back to the town square, then sobered. She’d been moved by Grace’s story and had felt sorry for the older woman. She just hoped it wasn’t an omen for her and Luke or Suzanne and Ramon.