Chapter 21
Dear Natasha,
I love buying solid wood furniture at flea markets. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to tell if it’s solid wood or just a veneer. How can I tell the difference?
Flea Market Mama in Canton, Texas
Dear Flea Market Mama,
Follow the grain of the wood over the edge. Does it continue? If not, it’s likely veneer. Open a drawer. If they went to the trouble of making dovetail corners in drawers, it’s more likely to be solid wood. But be careful, as some pieces are made of solid wood and veneers.
Sophie
“Was the back door open when you arrived or did someone have to open it from the inside?” I asked Stella.
“I rang the bell and Joan opened the door.”
“Did she say anything?”
“She was very nice. She said how sorry she was about my dad and how grateful she was that I didn’t cancel on them. That she had been afraid they would have to find someone else, and no one would be available at the last minute.”
“How did Joan look?”
“Fine.”
“Was she upset or flushed or fussing about something?”
“No. Not that I noticed.”
“What happened next?”
“I carried the first board in. When I was arranging it, I remember Tripp saying he’d forgotten the flowers and had to go pick them up. Joan told him he’d better hurry.”
“Did they sound angry?”
“No. I don’t recall any animosity between them. I went out to the van and got the second board. When I positioned it, Joan admired it.”
“So she was near the table with the boards?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see Tripp?”
“I didn’t notice him. I don’t know if he had left or not. Then I retrieved the third board. When I came in, I remember feeling something squishy under my shoe. That was when I noticed the contents of a board all over the floor and I saw Joan sprawled in the middle of it.”
“Any sign of Tripp?”
“Not that I noticed. It all happened so fast. I felt the squishy thing, saw the food on the floor, and then Joan. That’s when I screamed. It only took seconds. Then you and Nina entered the store through the front door.”
“Does Tripp have a reason to dislike you?”
“Gosh, I hope not.”
“Have you ever had any arguments or discussions with him?”
She seemed surprised by my question. “No!”
“How about your dad or Jordan? Did they have any run-ins with Tripp?”
“If they did, I don’t know about it.”
I tried hard not to sigh. I wasn’t getting anywhere. “What do you know about Joan?”
“Except for dating my husband, she was a nice person. At least I thought she was. Last year we were part of a group that was organizing a summer vacation art class for children, so I had a chance to get to know her a little bit better. She grew up in Old Town. It was just her and her mom, no siblings. She went to George Mason University, and majored in art. She was into making pottery and I think she said she also dabbled in painting with watercolors and was taking some classes in it.”
“Did she know your dad?”
“Everybody knew Dad.” She frowned and thought for a moment. “Yes! I think she bought a painting from him. I don’t know much about it, but I recall how excited she was.” Stella checked her watch. “Good grief, listen to me just rambling on. I need to get over to my mom’s to feed my babies. We’re staying over there for the time being. I feel safer there.”
“Has someone threatened you?”
“Only the police. I never want to go through that again. We’re moving anyway. It will be easier to move if we stay with Mom for a few days while I sort through Dad’s house and bring all our stuff over.”
Dad’s house. The words rang in my ears. His desk or bedroom might contain something of interest. “His home must be very special.”
“It’s nice but it needs updating. I’d love to get rid of the wallpaper and paint some of the walls white to give it a more modern style. Sophie, what didn’t fit in the store went into his house. My dad was a savvy businessman, but he kept all kinds of things. Is it okay if I bring some items down to you to sell?”
“That would be great.” I would have to drop by when I thought she was working in the house. A little rude, I guessed, but it could be helpful to snoop around.
“Thank you for listening to me. Do you think you can figure out who murdered Joan? It’s so important to me and my children.”
“I can’t make promises, but I’ll do my best.” I packed up the rest of the cookies for her kids. “If anything comes to mind, however unimportant it might seem, I want you to tell me about it.”
“What if they try to arrest me?”
“Call Ronin right away to let him know. But I don’t think they’ll do that. Wolf seemed a little miffed about it. My guess is that they’re going to be very careful.” I didn’t mention that they might bring her in for questioning in connection with the death of her father. She had enough to worry about.
“Thank you, Sophie.” Stella walked away clutching the little box of cookies I had given her.
That night I whipped up some banana walnut bread to use up bananas before they went bad. While it baked, I made a list of people who might have wanted Orson dead. It wasn’t long. His former business partner, Karl Roth, seemed a little off kilter to me. He was my top suspect, followed closely by Jordan St. James. I had to assume that Jordan would have thought Stella would inherit Orson’s entire estate outright. That would fit with the sweet behavior she described when Orson was in the hospital and died. It changed abruptly when the will was read. Myra was miffed with Orson for not leaving the store to Stella, and rightly so. She was one of Orson’s suspects, so I had to consider her.
As much as I loathed adding Stella’s name to my list, I did it anyway. I couldn’t count her out. She had provided the food for the engagement party, which was the perfect way to have poisoned him. It dawned on me that someone who knew Stella would be preparing the food might have seized the opportunity to poison Orson at the party because blame would fall on Stella.
And then there was Audrey, the nurse who had dated Orson. I needed to find out more about her. I added only one person who hadn’t been on the list Orson made, Doreen Donahue. I folded the paper and left it on the kitchen table, in case I thought of anyone else. After the bread cooled, I covered it with a cake dome and headed upstairs to bed.
The next morning, Nina jogged across the street with Muppet and Rosebud.
I opened the kitchen door when I saw them coming. She carried two bags and a drink tray with three cups in it. “I brought lattes. Have you had breakfast?”
I took one of the steaming drinks and sipped it. “That was thoughtful of you.” I drank a little more. “Caramel and mocha?”
“Exactly.” She held up a bag. “Fried eggs and croissants. Shall we eat outside so the dogs can run around before it gets hot?”
“Sounds like a good plan. Are we expecting a third or are you terribly thirsty?”
“I figured we could invite Francie.”
I nodded approvingly, gathered up a round tablecloth, napkins, and forks, and followed Nina outside. Daisy romped toward the backyard, followed by Rosebud and little Muppet, who was surprisingly fast for her size.
As I spread the purple-and-blue-flowered tablecloth over my cast iron table, we could hear my neighbor Francie talking to her golden retriever, Duke.
“Now, Duke, you know you’re never going to catch that squirrel. I’d think you would have given up on that quest by now.”
Nina peeked over the fence between our houses. “Would Duke like to play with Daisy, Muppet, and Rosebud?”
Duke barked joyfully and ran to the gate.
Daisy responded and waited on the other side.
“Sure. Are you having breakfast? I’ll come join you.”
Nina opened the gate for them. Duke shot through at hyper speed and raced off with Daisy, followed by the other dogs. I carried Francie’s mug over to the table under the tree where we would be sitting. The scent of coffee wafted to me.
Francie ambled over with a bowl of Cream of Wheat. About the same age as Wanda, or a little older, Francie had spent a lot of time in the sun gardening and bird-watching. Her face bore the wrinkles of a lifetime outdoors. Straw yellow hair stuck out from under her baby-blue sun hat. She had lived in Old Town most of her adult life and knew a lot of people.
Nina pulled three breakfast boxes out of the two bags. “I brought enough for everyone.”
Francie opened hers eagerly. “The doctor said I’m not supposed to eat eggs because of my cholesterol,” she grumbled, pushing her bowl of Cream of Wheat away. “I think eggs are the healthiest thing I can eat! I’m not giving them up, no matter what that bossy doctor says about it. Eggs got me this far. Mmm. Croissants. Is there chocolate in them?”
“They were all out of chocolate ones. These are plain,” Nina apologized.
“Too bad, if they were dark chocolate, then they’d be good for us!” She tore a piece off one and munched on it.
“I like the way you think, Francie!” Nina laughed and handed her a latte.
“Francie, do you know Audrey Evans?” I asked.
“Oh, sure. She was a nurse for years. When she retired, she started volunteering at the library and the blood drive. I guess you’re asking because of Orson?”
I nodded. “Someone said she was his girlfriend before Wanda?”
“Girlfriend? They were a couple. I was shocked when I heard about Orson’s engagement to Wanda. Don’t get me wrong. Wanda is a lovely person. Her earthiness is positively refreshing. She makes me feel like the world isn’t so complicated, like it’s still as easy and simple as when we were young. I don’t know what happened between Audrey and Orson. Everyone has been talking about it.”
“Think she could have killed him?”
“She’s a nurse!”
“That doesn’t mean she’s an angel.”
“I bet a lot of her patients would disagree with that.”
“She would know how to poison someone,” said Nina.
Francie gasped. “I heard Orson was poisoned, but I didn’t believe it.”
“Were you there?”
“At the engagement party? Wouldn’t have missed that for the world. It’s not often one of my more mature friends gets hitched. It’s a miracle to meet a man at our age, much less love him enough to marry the guy. And Orson could be a little cranky, I think. He was quite opinionated. But then, after a certain age, I guess most of us are.”
“I’d like to talk with Audrey.”
Francie poured her latte into her mug and thought. “I could invite her to lunch. Would you be available today or tomorrow?”
Nina and I nodded.
Francie pulled out her telephone and made a call.
We only heard Francie’s end of the conversation, but it seemed to be going well. She ended with, “I would love that! I’m supposed to meet with a couple of my friends. Would you mind if I brought them along?” Francie gave us a thumbs-up. She ended the call. “We’re on. She has a new bird and wants us to stop by before lunch.”
“Today? That would be perfect!” I said.
Francie beamed and laughed aloud. “I’m getting good at sleuthing. You two are a terrible influence on me.”
I checked the time, but it was still early. “I thought I’d go have a look at Karl Roth’s store this morning, but he threatened me at Natasha’s house.”