The next morning was bright with sunshine that actually seemed to warm the air. Mary took her coffee outside to walk around the yard while Millie sniffed the bushes. The roses were starting to put out tender red shoots. Spring really was here. She let the sun warm her while she waited for Millie, and thought. It was really a continuation of the thoughts that wound through her head all last night like a swarm of bees. They still buzzed this morning, but so far, that’s all they were doing.
Millie was still meandering through the flower beds when the phone rang. Mary started up the stairs in no hurry. The answering machine would pick up the call if she missed it, and she didn’t really want to talk to anyone this early anyway. The last few days had been horrific and this morning was, so far, peaceful and pleasant. A phone call at eight in the morning meant someone wanted her to do something. Mary didn’t want to do anything, at least not until she’d finished her coffee.
The phone was still ringing when she entered the kitchen. She must have forgotten to turn the answering machine back on last night. She sighed. If whoever was on the other end needed her so badly they’d let the blasted thing ring a dozen times, she’d better answer it.
It was Ellen. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine. I was outside, looking at the rose bushes, and it took a minute. What’s the matter? You sound upset.’
There was a tone in Ellen’s voice that Mary rarely heard. She might have wanted to know how her aunt was, but that wasn’t why she’d called. The little choking sound that came over the phone convinced Mary that, once more, something was wrong. ‘What is it?’
‘You know how yesterday you were commenting we hadn’t seen Gloria Sutherland for a couple of days? That you were surprised she hadn’t shown back up at the Plyms’?’
Mary was filled with dread. She took the phone and what was left of her coffee over to the kitchen table and sat down. ‘Yes. I remember.’
‘They found her.’
The dread got stronger. ‘What do you mean, found her. She wasn’t missing, was she? She just hasn’t turned up … where is she?’ A shiver ran through her, strong enough to make her put the half-full mug of coffee on the table. This wasn’t going to be good.
There was a quiver in Ellen’s voice. ‘You know that steep hill across from Gloria’s house, the one that ends up in that little ravine? We looked down it the day we took the walk up there. Do you remember how the dogs wanted to go down there? Well, they found Gloria at the base of it this morning, up against a tree, dead. She’s been there a couple of days.’
It took Mary a minute before she could say anything. ‘Do they know what happened?’
‘Dan says it could have been an accident. She could have fallen and rolled down the hill. I guess she was pretty banged up, so …’
Mary wondered if Ellen felt as sick to her stomach as she did. She’d never much liked Gloria, even as a child, but this! ‘Are they sure it was an accident?’
Again, a pause. ‘No.’
‘Oh.’ She wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t that she’d expected this, but somehow … Agnes. She’d seen Gloria the night Miss Emilie had been murdered, walking through the downtown around … what time had Agnes said? Somewhere between one and two. She was coming from the direction of both the Plym house and the church. Had she seen something? Someone? If so, what had she done with that information? Something that had gotten her killed? Poor Gloria. ‘Who found her?’
‘The people who live on the hill across from Gloria. Their property ends in the ravine somewhere but they never go down there. The only reason they did this morning was because their dog was down there, barking, and wouldn’t come back up.’
‘What does Dan say?’
‘Lots, none of it fit to repeat. He’s on his way down to San Luis Obispo to meet with the coroner. He wants an autopsy done, now. He’s going to get a court order to go through her house and will be back here in a couple of hours.’
‘He’s going through … does he think she was killed in her house?’
‘I think he wants to look through her bank records.’ Ellen’s voice was stark. ‘I think he’s going to be looking for the missing fifty thousand dollars.’ There was a pause then Ellen resumed, her voice still a little shaky. ‘I’ve got to go. We have an office meeting and I really should be there. Look, I’ll call you later after I talk to Dan.’ She paused again. ‘Are you going to be all right?’
‘Of course.’ Mary realized that came out a little tart. She hadn’t meant it to, but if Ellen thought she’d be overcome with grief, well, she wasn’t. Shocked, upset and more than a little worried, but sadly there was no grief involved. ‘Call me on my cell. I have some things to do.’
Millie ate her breakfast with pleasure. Mary finished another two cups of coffee, forced down a piece of toast, did a little housework that could no longer be put off and answered the phone. Several times. The news was out, the local radio and TV stations not only were reporting it but embellishing the story with every grizzly non-fact they could dream up. Gloria might not have had the recognition in life she would have liked, but she was getting plenty in death.