Chapter 33
Dear Natasha,
I love the look of concrete planters. There’s something very permanent and classic about them. But my husband thinks plants won’t do well in them. What’s the scoop on concrete?
Garden Lover in Concrete, Washington
Dear Garden Lover,
Concrete planters and urns do offer some benefits besides their looks. Their weight prevents them from blowing over easily, they last longer than a lot of other materials because they don’t rot or become brittle, and the thickness helps the soil maintain a more constant temperature.
Natasha
Iran forward, careful to slow as I neared the spot where I thought they were. I inched up and peered around the corner.
They were in an alley. One of them appeared to stand behind the other, strangling him with something. The second one was grabbing at his own neck, desperately trying to survive.
I looked around in a panic for something—anything—I could use to knock out the attacker. I spied a concrete urn overflowing with flowers just outside a gate. I tossed the plants and hoped I would be able to lift the heavy urn high enough.
It turned out that adrenaline really does help a person do amazing things. In an angry frenzy, I swung that baby up over my head, rushed forward, and let gravity take care of the rest. The urn came down on the attacker’s head with a cracking sound so awful that I cringed. I hoped it was the concrete and not his head that made that sound.
He instantly released his grip and crumpled to the ground.
The other person fell, too, and lay there in a fetal position, hacking.
I grabbed my cell phone, which started to ring. It was Wong. I held my purse by the strap, ready to sling my bag at the attacker if he so much as raised his head.
“Wong!”
“Where are you? I’m cruising the street, but I don’t see you.”
I backed toward the sidewalk, never taking my eyes off the two people lying on the ground. The beam of car lights caught me, and the next thing I knew, Wong was standing next to me.
She flicked on her flashlight and walked forward. I went with her.
The beam lighted Madison Jenkins gasping for air with her hands on her neck. Not a foot away from her, Parker Dixon bled profusely from his head.
Wong called for an ambulance.
I knelt beside Madison. “Do you need help sitting up?”
She gazed up at me and blinked. “Sophie?” she rasped.
“Don’t try to talk yet. Just concentrate on breathing.”
I held her in my arms until the ambulance arrived. One EMT tended to Parker and the other checked out Madison.
When they asked what happened, I had to tell them the truth. “I hit him over the head with that.” I pointed at the urn.
The EMT grimaced.
“He was trying to strangle Madison.” I didn’t want him thinking I made a habit of running around slamming urns on people’s heads.
It wasn’t until they were loaded into the ambulance that Wong’s flashlight picked up the flash of a bloody knife on the ground where Madison had lain.
Wong looked over at me. “Does that belong to you?”
“Never saw it before in my life.”
She bagged it as evidence. “This should be a heck of a story.”
Wong was still shining her flashlight along the alleyway when Wolf arrived.
“There!” I shouted.
Wong backed up. “What did you see?”
“A chain.”
The three of us studied the ground.
“Right there.” I pointed at a golden chain that gleamed under the beam of the light.
Wong picked it up with a gloved hand and held it in the air for us to see. The ends had fancy clasps on them.
“I’d be willing to bet that chain belongs on a pricy purse that Trula can’t find.” I looked over at Wolf. “The weightlifting chains didn’t match the marks on Angus’s neck, did they?”
“How did you know?” he asked.
“I’d bet this chain will be a perfect match.”
Wolf gazed at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I might be a little sore tomorrow, though. That urn was pretty heavy.”
“Do you know why Parker was trying to strangle Madison?” asked Wolf.
“If the chain matches, then Parker murdered Angus. But I have no idea why Parker was after Madison. Maybe she knew too much?”
“I’d better get over to the hospital,” said Wolf. “Wong, can you give Sophie a lift home?”
I waved them off. “If it’s not too late, I’m due at a meeting.”
* * *
The story about Parker exploded through the rumor mill in Old Town the next day. My phone started ringing at seven in the morning and didn’t stop. By eight thirty I turned the ringer off for some peace and quiet.
Of course, that didn’t stop Nina, Mars, Bernie, and Francie from coming over and demanding confirmation.
Over coffee, frittatas, and a luscious fruit salad of summer berries with cantaloupe, I told them everything I knew. Mostly they were shocked about Parker.
“Maybe we should go over to console Trula,” suggested Nina.
“Might be too soon,” said Francie. “At the moment she must feel sort of shell-shocked. Who would ever have thought that mousy man would be so sick and devious?”
It wasn’t until Wolf dropped by that we got the full scoop about the murders.
He sat down at the kitchen table with us and ate ravenously. “I’ve been up all night.” He looked over at me. “Parker has a cracked skull.”
I gasped. “Oh no! That’s my fault.”
“He was trying to kill Madison. No one is bringing charges against you. You were defending her,” said Wolf. “Besides, he’ll be all right. He’ll be in prison, but his skull will heal.”
“In prison? So he murdered Hollis?” asked Nina.
Wolf gulped coffee. “Madison killed Hollis. Gage had asked Madison how she would feel if he left the firm. She knew something was wrong but he wouldn’t tell her anything except that he was having a meeting with Hollis. She came to the conclusion that it was Hollis who was doing something wrong at the firm and that Hollis murdered Gage to keep his secret. Seems she told the police, but there wasn’t any evidence. She thought Hollis was getting away with murdering her husband. Madison had a key to the Haberman house from the days when they were close. After the underground dinner she walked over there. She was lurking in the alley when she saw Kelsey leave, followed by Gavin. She let herself into the house, saw the foggers that Kelsey bought and set them off in the master bedroom in revenge for Gage’s death.”
“So she didn’t know about Parker and what he was doing at the firm?” asked Mars.
“If we can believe her, she didn’t know a thing about it. Parker picked his victims very carefully. He has lawyered up and he’s not talking, but we think Gage found out what Parker was doing. Gage may have even confronted him and planned to tell Hollis. Angus made a very hefty deposit into his bank account the day after Gage died. If we follow the money, we’re pretty sure it will lead to Parker.”
“Parker hired Angus to murder Gage?” asked Mars.
Wolf took a deep breath. “That’s how it looks. And it appears that Parker was paying Angus to spy on Hollis. Apparently, Hollis learned about Parker’s unorthodox billing. We suspect that being a good guy, Hollis tried to give Parker a chance to give up his law license and retire. Before he stopped talking, Parker was highly amused by the fact that someone else murdered Hollis. He says he didn’t know who did it, though. I think Parker imagined he was home free, except for Angus who would surely have testified that Gage’s death was murder for hire.”
“Then why was Parker following Madison last night?” I asked, sipping my morning tea.
“Madison thought you were getting too close to the truth. She was afraid that you would expose her as Hollis’s murderer. Madison knew she’d lost her earring and was terrified that you would find it. Madison was following you last night, Sophie. That knife she was carrying was meant for you,” Wolf explained.
I felt a little queasy. “I must have confused her when I ducked out of sight. But the knife was bloody . . .”
“She got a pretty good dig at Parker’s leg when he grabbed her.” Wolf downed his coffee.
“So that’s why Madison lied about seeing Cindy running the night she set the foggers.”
Wolf nodded. “She was trying to throw suspicion on Cindy.”
I poured more coffee into his mug. “Did Parker tell you why he was strangling her?”
Wolf looked up at me. “He thought Madison was you. He meant to strangle you. Parker followed Fawn to your house yesterday morning. He knew it was only a matter of time before you knew the truth. Seems Cindy told him you would be attending the meeting at the library, so he waited for you and tailed you in the dark. You probably saved your life when you hid and let them pass you.”
My friends looked at me in horror. Now I really felt queasy. But the one I felt the worst for was Gavin. He lost the only father he knew, one who had been good to him. And now when he learned the truth, he would know that his biological father was a murderer and a blackmailer.
* * *
After breakfast, we left the dishes in the sink. Except for Wolf, who had to get back to work, we all walked down to the waterfront and tied white cotton scarfs on all the benches. They looked very festive blowing in the wind. We didn’t know if Kelsey was watching the live camera at that moment, but we all lined up and waved in case she could see us.
Kelsey returned that night. Nina, Francie, and I helped her clean out the refrigerator while we caught her up on everything that had happened.
“Madison?” asked Kelsey. “I never even considered her. And now I feel like such a dope for giving Angus a job as our handyman. I bet Parker set that up to get Angus inside our home. You can’t trust anybody!”
Francie handed me another half-eaten casserole dish to empty. “We’ll go through this again when they release Hollis and you can have a proper funeral service.”
“Maybe this time people won’t look at me like I’m a murdering vixen.” Kelsey handed me a casserole. I dumped the contents and read the name on the bottom. Lavinia Brown.
“Maybe this time,” said Nina, “we’ll keep Natasha out of the way.”
Kelsey laughed. “She is a little pushy.”
I stacked clean casserole dishes on the dining room table and walked back to the kitchen through the living room. I stopped dead in the center of the room when I heard voices. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but someone was whispering. Jay’s ghosts!
I hurried into the kitchen. Placing a finger over my mouth, I whispered, “Come into the living room.”
They followed me in silence.
Francie was the first to speak. “Ghosts.”
Kelsey frowned. “I heard them before I left. I thought they were Hollis’s killers lurking outside. Where do you think they’re coming from?”
“Was that a giggle?” I asked. Suddenly I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew where the whispers were originating. “Kelsey, have you got a flashlight?”
She retrieved one from the kitchen and handed it to me. I opened the door to the small side garden and walked to the base of Gavin’s tree house. As quietly as I could, I climbed up the ladder. When my head reached the floor of the house, I aimed the light inside.
Gavin’s friend Chadwick was necking with a pretty girl. They blinked and shielded their eyes when I shone the light on them.
“Do your parents know you’re here?” I asked.
They sheepishly shook their heads and followed me down the ladder.
“Wait right here,” I said. “Nina, would you phone Jay and ask if he can hear the ghosts in his house?”
She dialed his number and talked with him. “He doesn’t hear them now.”
I nodded to the kids. “Climb back up there and talk.”
In seconds we heard the whispering.
Nina laughed. “Jay says the ghosts are back.”
“Tell him to come over here,” I said.
Minutes later, we introduced Jay to his two ghosts. He shook their hands. “You’ve been driving me batty. I must say that it’s a tad disappointing that the ghosts of Revolutionary spies aren’t chatting in my house. On the other hand, I’m relieved to know that I wasn’t imagining things.”
Chadwick and his girlfriend called their parents. We waited for them in Kelsey’s kitchen, where the clean-up continued.
Jay pitched in, helping stack the casserole dishes. “Natasha paid me a visit today.”
Uh-oh.
He bowed his head as if in shame. “She brought trash bags and wanted to clean out my house.”
“I’m sorry, Jay. She can be quite obnoxious. I’m sure she meant to be helpful.”
“After my wife died, I didn’t want to be at home. Everything reminded me of her. I was devastated when I lost her. I even slept in my office some nights.” He was speaking softly, and I could tell that he had loved her very much.
He finally looked up at me. “It’s not like me. It’s so awful that I just stay away. I live with my curtains closed so no one will know. Somehow, Natasha found out. It will be all over town in no time.”
“Maybe you could talk with someone about it? A professional?”
“Could you help me? I want to clean it up, but it’s so overwhelming that I don’t know where to start.”
“Of course. You have a lot of friends. We would be thrilled to help you.”
* * *
The very next day, the entire neighborhood, except for Natasha, gathered at Jay’s house. Bernie brought trucks, Kelsey brought beach music, and I brought trash bags. Gavin showed up on crutches with Chadwick and the cute girlfriend. They took the backyard under expert gardener Francie’s direction.
Jay surprised me by wanting to rid himself of almost everything. I had expected him to hold on to much more.
Naturally, the murders were still a hot topic of discussion.
Nina, Kelsey, and I were working in the living room, which was turning out to be amazingly gorgeous under the clutter.
“So where did you go to hide out?” Nina asked Kelsey.
“To the mountains. I found a little place that rents out cabins. I figured strangers would be noticed around there if someone came looking for me.”
“You really weren’t hiding from Parker?”
“I didn’t know who to run from. That’s why I left. I was afraid to answer the door or even walk over to your place.”
I tossed a stack of magazines into a trash bag. “Parker never propositioned you?”
“I probably have Hollis to thank for that. Once I met him, we were inseparable. Parker was probably smart enough to realize that while I fit his disgusting scheme, I would have ratted him out to Hollis.”
The front door opened. I picked up trash bags to hand to Mars. But it was Trula who walked into the living room. For the first time in my life, I saw her dressed in jeans and a man’s shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
We fell completely silent.
Trula walked over to Kelsey. “I’m so sorry about everything.” Tears streamed down her face, marring her makeup. “I’m so ashamed of Parker. And I’m ashamed of myself for not realizing what was going on with him. I . . . I trusted Parker implicitly. How could I have been such a fool? I’ve been so rude and unkind to you, Kelsey. I thought you were a threat to my marriage. I saw how Parker looked at you. He hasn’t ever looked at me that way. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
I held my breath.
Kelsey reached out and hugged Trula. “I think you just did.”
“So, Trula,” I said, trying to change the subject, “did you ever work out Parker’s ancestry?”
She wiped her face. “He comes from a long line of decent people. No spies, no historical figures, no one who owned or lived in a grand Old Town residence. I’ll tell you what, though, they would be unbelievably ashamed of him now. Just like I am. The way he abused those women! And murder, too! I can’t—” The tears began again. “I never imagined him being so brutal.” Her shoulders curved forward. “How could I have lived with someone like that?” She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I was nothing but a bank account to him.”
Trula had been through a lot in the last couple of days. I dared to ask her something I was itching to know. “Trula, why did you tell me you bought silver polish at the hardware store?”
She stiffened and her eyes grew large. Letting out a breath, she said, “Because I was ashamed that I had bugs in the house and needed a fogger.”
I smiled at her and gave her a little hug. She was learning that she was just like the rest of us.
I hauled the trash bags out to the foyer just as Natasha and Lavinia Brown arrived. They jostled each other as they tried to be the first to the front stoop.
Lavinia gazed around. “Is Jay moving?”
Natasha gloated when she said, “I’m helping him overcome his hoarding problem.”
That was a major exaggeration. The only impetus she had been was one of embarrassment.
“Hoarding?” Lavinia stepped inside with Natasha right behind her. I trotted out to the curb and handed Bernie the trash bags.
When I returned to the house, Lavinia and Natasha were squabbling about what color to paint the living room.
Natasha shook her head. “You’re just like Sophie, you have no feel for what’s trending. These walls should be minion yellow. All these antiques are passé. We’ll bring in some mid-century modern and pale-lime accents.”
Lavinia stared at her like she had lost her mind. “Colonial blue for the walls. And the stunning antiques stay!”
At that moment, Jay entered the living room.
Lavinia and Natasha descended on him, chattering nonstop. But he had eyes for only one person in the room. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he walked past Natasha and Lavinia.
Trula, her makeup horribly tear-stained, smiled as he approached her and took her hand.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that a love match had bloomed in the library.