Band Room Bash (20 page)

A few minutes later, after he left, I went in search of Max. He was talking to Tommy, who had just returned home, so I went upstairs and got ready for bed. After I got under the covers, Max walked into the bedroom. “After my shower, we need to have that talk.”

Chapter Nineteen

I leaned back against the headboard, picking my nails and listening to the water run in the bathroom. I knew what I had to do. Apologize. But first, I needed to get one other thing cleared up. By the time Max walked back into the room, I had worked myself into a minor dither.

He sat on the bed and grabbed my hands. “Stop picking. You’ll make yourself bleed.”

I sat up straight. “Max, I’ll never live up to your family. I’m a redneck through and through. I’m afraid you’re going to wake up one day and wish you hadn’t married me. Your mother always insinuated I forced you into it. Did I? I didn’t do anything but fall in love with you. In fact, I tried not to fall in love with you. But if I hadn’t done that, then I wouldn’t have Sammie. Or Karen, Tommy, and Charlie. And this one.” I rubbed my big tummy and felt my lower lip tremble. “That would be awful.”

“Where is all this coming from?” Max let go of my hands and put his fingers under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I’ve never regretted being married to you. You’re my balance. You keep me from becoming what my family is.” He paused. “Well, at least my mother.”

“Don’t you think I’m a bad influence on the kids?”

He smiled. “You’re the best mother our kids could have.”

I blinked back tears. “Really?”

He brushed my hair from my face. “Yes. Your spontaneity and daring is what I love the most about you. You’ve helped them not be afraid of things. Especially Tommy. Remember how he was when I first married you? The nights you insisted on sitting up with him?”

I thought about the skinny little boy Tommy had been then, tormented by nightmares. “Yes. I love him,” I said softly. “I love all our kids.”

“I know that.” Max stroked my hair. “I didn’t even consider my mother’s suggestion to put Charlie in a private boarding school. The idea was absurd. The kids need you—they need us as a family. That’s why I didn’t say anything to you. Besides, you didn’t need another reason to dislike my mother.”

“But Charlie knew, didn’t he? He threatened once that maybe he should go to private school.”

Max grimaced. “Unfortunately, my mother said something to him. But I straightened it out. He doesn’t really want to go.”

He kissed me. Then he got up, walked to his side of the bed, and got under the covers.

I rested my head on his shoulder.

We lay in silence for a few minutes. I inhaled the scent of soap on his skin and felt the slow thump of his heart.

“I’m sorry I’ve been acting like I have been. So grumpy you couldn’t even tell me about the housing development. I’ve been very selfish.”

He sighed. “I should have told you. I’m sorry.”

“Have you talked to the board about stopping the project?”

“Not yet. I haven’t had time.” He pulled me closer. “Come to think of it, I think that housing development is one of the reasons that Georgia had it in for Tommy.”

“What?” I lifted my head and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“She wanted to sell the property badly. Nettie was in no condition to make decisions. Dad and I heard about it and approached her. She must have gotten her hopes up. When we determined that the property didn’t meet our criteria, she was furious.” He sighed. “Connie didn’t want to sell. That’s why I talked to her that day at Self-Storage. To make sure she understood we weren’t going to buy it. She was happy.”

“Maybe that’s because she was pawning stuff. Someone in the house was.” I put my head back on his shoulder. “But if it was her, then why?”

“That’s a good question.”

Lying with Max in the dark, hearing his soft breathing and feeling his protective embrace, reminded me again how much I loved him.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “Max, don’t stop the housing project. I know you were doing that just for me. You don’t have to. I’m fine.”

He inhaled sharply.

“I mean it. Like you said, it’s going to happen. It might as well be you and your dad first.”

He turned onto his side. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” He kissed me and pulled me tight. “I’ve missed spending time with you like this. Time alone.”

“Really?” I backed out of his arms so I could see his eyes. “You haven’t tried to spend any time alone with me lately. Cuddling used to be such a big part of our lives. Now you barely look at me.”

He frowned.

“It’s because I’m fat, right?” I moaned. “My ankles are fat, too. My pants are tight. I just can’t help it. And I eat like a horse. I—”

“Baby. . .”

“Well, I do. And I feel so ugly and—”

He grabbed my hand. “Trish, hush.”

“It’s true,” I whispered.

He pulled me close again. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t reading your signals right.”

“What do you mean?” I tried to pry myself loose again, but he wouldn’t let me.

“Well, you keep telling me how bad your body hurts and how tired you are. I’ve just assumed you don’t want anything to do with me—that you just want to be left alone.”

“But you were acting like you were avoiding me.”

“No.” He groaned. “Not at all. I didn’t want to bother you. You have no idea how hard the last month has been.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

I finally untangled myself from his arms. “So you don’t think I’m the fattest, ugliest thing you’ve ever seen in your whole life?”

He laughed. “No. Not at all. I’m nuts about you. I always have been. And I think you’re beautiful.”

I didn’t go into work on Tuesday or Wednesday in an effort to rest as ordered. That meant no excuses for not completing sewing for the baby’s room. But, by midday Wednesday, I thought I would go insane. The only thing saving me was knowing I was going to help Elissa and Sherry begin to sort through play costumes that afternoon.

Yellow fabric slid under the needle of my whirring sewing machine as I finished a seam on the last set of curtains. My mind was whirring as fast as the machine. I’d tried to call Marvin at the hospital, but he didn’t answer his phone. I couldn’t find out from anybody what had really happened to him. I kept running all my clues over and over in my head.

I was done with the curtains and had started the ruffle for the bottom of the crib when my home phone rang. I grabbed the portable off the wall in the kitchen.

“Well, I’m glad you’re home and not risking my grandchild’s life by going to work today.”

“Hi, Ma. I can be taught.”

“I have my doubts about that. What are you doing?”

“Sewing. Then I have to help Sherry and Elissa Scott with costumes for the play.”

“You’re going to drive?” she demanded. “You know we’re having high winds. Where are you going?”

“To the high school. It’s not a long drive. It can’t possibly hurt anything.”

“That place is a bastion of murder and mayhem,” she said. “You should pull the kids out.”

“Everything is locked down now. During the day only the front door is open, and the resource officer sits there at a desk. After school you can’t get in unless you have an appointment. It’s safe.”

“Well, locks don’t stop bad people. In fact, seems to me it would just encourage them to break in. And what if the bad guys are in the school already? We’re surrounded by all sorts of criminals, you know.” Ma paused. “That’s why April is on leave for a few days.”

“We’re surrounded by criminals, so April’s on leave?”

“Yes.”

“So, what’s the crime?” I asked.

“Just like I said. Gambling. See? People should listen to me.”

As usual, my mother’s conversational technique made me feel as if I had brain whiplash. “April is gambling?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Not April. You should know I’d have better sense than to hire someone who gambled.”

I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t ask the obvious question: How can you tell when people are gambling—do they have it written on their heads? “Well, who then?”

“It’s Connie. She’s been gambling. Online.”

“Connie’s gambling online. . . . What does that have to do with April being on leave?”

“She’s got to take care of Nettie, of course.”

“Where is Connie? And why can’t she still watch Nettie?”

“Connie’s been stealing stuff from Nettie to pay off her gambling debts.” Ma huffed indignantly. “Can you imagine? The family had her arrested last night. Today they’re having a big family meeting to figure things out.”

Pieces of the mystery puzzle began falling together in my head, but I wasn’t sure they were making a complete whole. This did possibly explain April’s comment that Nettie was misplacing things. Perhaps it hadn’t been Nettie at all. Instead, Connie was taking things to pawn. And was Connie gambling online in the school library? If Georgia had discovered what Connie was doing, that would explain Georgia’s anger and their fight in the library. Was Connie the murderer? And that brought up Marvin. He had a copy of a pawn shop receipt on his desk. Was he in on this with her?

“Have you heard anything about Marvin Slade?” I asked.

“Oh, that one,” Ma said derisively. “Yes. This morning Gail’s cousin’s wife came by. Her husband is on the school board. She told Gail that Marvin was out of the hospital today, but they think maybe he was involved in the drug scheme. You know what they’re saying, don’t you?”

“No. That’s why I asked.” I tapped my fingers impatiently on the kitchen table.

“Don’t get smart or I won’t tell you,” she said.

I doubted that. She could never stand not sharing a juicy tidbit of gossip, but I apologized anyway.

She sniffed. “The drugs Coach Smith used were for performance all right, but not just sports. They were supposed to help the kids take tests better. Something called Inderal. People take it for their hearts. Can you imagine? What will they think of next? Coach Smith claims Marvin knew all about it and was helping kids pass tests by cheating.”

Now I was really confused. Cheating. Gambling. And a drug called Inderal.

“That principal woman was here this morning to get coffee. Oops. I have to go. We have customers.” Ma hung up before I could even say good-bye.

I needed more information. I picked up the phone and called my doctor’s office.

Chapter Twenty

A half hour later, my cell phone rang. Sherry’s name popped up on the screen, and I hit the Talk button.

“Hey, Sherry.”

“Mrs. C., are you still coming to help with costumes this afternoon? Ms. Bickford told me this morning before she left for vacation that she didn’t think you’d be coming because you’d been in the hospital.”

“I’m still coming. Is your dad okay with you doing that at the high school?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Aunt Elissa will be there, and that seems to make him feel better.”

That made me feel better, too. Then a thought occurred to me. “I hope we don’t have to work in the band room.”

“Oh, no,” Sherry said. “That would be awful. We’ll be in the auditorium behind the stage. I’ll meet you at the side door nearest the auditorium to let you in. Umm, but I have a favor to ask you.”

“What’s that?”

“Can you go by Ms. Gilbert’s house and pick up a few more costumes? We’re missing a couple of things. Somebody named April said she found what she thinks we need. Aunt Elissa is at some sort of meeting and will be coming straight here, and my car still isn’t working right.”

I agreed. I’d be perfectly safe going to Nettie’s house, since Connie wasn’t there. I promised to be at the school in an hour and a half.

At Nettie’s a flustered but smiling April opened the door before I could even knock. That was good. The wind was blowing something fierce, sweeping leaves across the overgrown lawn and whipping my already frizzy hair into a mop.

April grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. “Trish. I’m glad to see you. Just so I can talk to someone who makes sense. Can you stay and have coffee?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I have to get these things over to the high school.”

Her smile died. “This place is just creepy. I hate it here.” She glanced around. “I get out as much as possible. I left Granny Nettie here for a little while this morning to go pick up a costume from Connie’s storage unit. Granny can stay by herself for an hour or so.”

“I want a tuna sandwich,” a voice called from the parlor.

A flicker of irritation flashed over April’s face. “Granny, it’s too early to eat.” She looked at me. “She eats all the time. No wonder Connie gambled and Georgia acted like she did. And this house—I’ve never been anywhere in my life that’s so gloomy. There are so many weird noises.”

“Old houses are like that.” I took a deep breath and wondered why I could still smell Connie’s perfume. Then I heard one of the noises she was talking about—a distant, metallic-sounding noise. She shivered.

“I know what that is. Sherry was looking around last time she was here and said the hinges on the garden shed squeal. I’ll bet the door is blowing in the wind.”

Nettie shuffled out of the parlor. “I’m hungry.” She noticed me standing there. “Is that Trish?”

April turned to her. “Yes. Trish Cunningham.”

Nettie peered at me. “You were here before. Connie isn’t here. She was packing to go, and they came and got her. But sometimes I still hear her.”

April rolled her eyes. “I’ll go get the costumes for you. I’ve got them folded in a bag.”

She walked down the hall and disappeared into the back of the house. Nettie watched her for a minute then turned back to me. “People shouldn’t yell. I taught the girls better than that. I’m glad you’re not yelling.”

“Who’s been yelling at you?” I couldn’t imagine April raising her voice, despite her frustration with the situation.

Nettie shook her head. “Connie and that other woman. Georgia’s friend. Did you know Connie was packing to leave?”

April returned with a bag. “I’ll carry this to the car for you.” She turned to Nettie. “You stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“What is Nettie talking about. . .people yelling?” I asked while I held open the passenger-side door of my SUV.

April dropped the bag on the seat and shut the door. “I have no idea. I don’t know half of what she’s talking about. I guess Connie was arguing with someone.” She sighed. “I miss working. Being here is driving me up the wall. Connie got out of jail this morning, but she won’t be coming back here right now. I don’t know what the family is going to do.”

“How come she’s out of jail if she stole Nettie’s things?”

“The family isn’t going to press charges. And most of the stuff has been recovered. They just want her to get some help with her gambling addiction.”

“So they don’t think she killed Georgia?”

April shrugged. “She says she didn’t, but you’d better believe I’m not eating or drinking anything that I didn’t bring here myself.” She met my gaze. “I’m worried about being poisoned.”

That reminded me of my earlier conversation with the nurse at my doctor’s office. “Does Nettie take any medications for her heart?”

April nodded. “A beta-blocker.”

“Is it called Inderal?”

“I can go inside and look,” she said.

“Can you? And call me on my cell phone, okay? I need to get going or I’ll be late.”

When I arrived at the school, I parked in a side lot. As I got out of my car, Carla drove past me in her Volvo. That was odd. I thought that Sue, the school secretary, had said that Carla was leaving for vacation. And Sherry had just mentioned that Carla left this morning. I must have misunderstood.

Sherry was waiting by the side door to let me in. “Hey, Mrs. C. I’m glad you’re here. Aunt Elissa just got here. Mr. Slade showed up at the door awhile ago, but I couldn’t let him in. I’m under orders from Dad not to let anyone in except for you.” She glanced at me with a happy grin. “Tommy talked to me for a little while before he went to work.”

We passed through the double doors of the auditorium and walked down the red-carpeted aisle, then up the wooden stairs to the stage. Sherry held the red velvet side curtain back for me, and I walked past her into the cavernous space where Elissa sat in a molded plastic chair holding a clipboard, her cane hanging on the chair back. The two boxes of costumes we’d gotten from Connie the previous weekend were at her feet.

“Hi, Trish,” she said.

“Hey Elissa.” I put my purse and bag on a table.

Sherry hung a suit on a hanger and slipped it onto one of two racks. “We’ve been sorting through the costumes, checking them against the list Aunt Elissa got from Ms. Bickford.”

“Oh,” I said. “I wonder how Carla got that. I thought Connie was supposed to get it from Marvin the day we found him in the band room. . .but, I guess she didn’t.”

Sherry picked up a man’s dress jacket. “This is one of the things that Tommy is going to wear. Isn’t it cool?”

I nodded, noting the proprietary way she held the garment and spoke about my son. This was taking some adjustment on my part.

Elissa caught my eye and smiled as if she could read my mind. Then she shifted in her chair. Her cane slipped off the chair back and clattered to the floor.

Sherry scurried over to pick it up before I could try.

“Do you mind if I ask what happened to your leg?” I asked Elissa.

She shook her head. “Stupidity. I was running after a kid who had stolen a car. I blew out my knee.”

“Is it going to get better?”

She shrugged. “I hope so, but it’s a long process.”

We were interrupted by ringing from my cell phone. It was April.

“Trish? Sorry. Everything’s going crazy. Connie is missing.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Anyway, that medicine? You were right about it. It’s called Inderal.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Be careful.”

“I will. I gotta go take care of the garden shed. That noise is driving me crazy.”

I folded my phone shut and shoved it back into my purse then glanced up at Sherry and Elissa. “Did you guys know Connie was in jail, but she was let out this morning?”

“Yeah.” Sherry slipped the man’s dress jacket on a hanger. “Aunt Elissa told me a little while ago.”

“That means all the suspects from my list are on the loose.” I could help but feel a bit nervous. “I guess the high school is the safest place to be. Even Carla is gone. I saw her leaving the parking lot when I arrived. I guess she’s leaving for her vacation.” I frowned. “You know what? Something just occurred to me. Why is Carla allowed to go on vacation? Isn’t she a suspect?”

Elissa nodded. “You’re right. She shouldn’t be allowed to go.”

“I thought she was already gone,” Sherry said as she reverently brushed imaginary dust from Tommy’s jacket. “She took off at lunch today from what I heard.”

Elissa glanced at her watch then handed her niece a black jacket. Sherry slipped her arms into the sleeves and twirled around. “This is the one that I’m going to wear in the scenes where I’m dressed to go on my honeymoon with Mortimer Brewster. Isn’t it great? You know, we get to kiss at the end, when he carries me off the stage.”

I ignored that and began to pull things out of the bag I’d gotten from April, laying them on the table.

Elissa’s phone rang, and she yanked it from her pocket. “Yes?” She listened for a moment then said yes again and hung up. “Listen, ladies. I’ve got to go do something for a few minutes. I’ll be back.” She turned to Sherry. “You have your cell phone?”

She patted her pocket. “Was that Dad?”

Elissa nodded, stood, and grabbed her cane. “I’ll be calling you to make sure you’re all right.”

She turned and disappeared through the curtain as Sherry hung the black suit up on the rack. “I know she’s helping Dad. Maybe they’ve found Connie.” She turned and faced me. “Did you know that Dad was going to meet that book author today for coffee?”

I looked up at her. “Abbie? Really?”

“Yeah. He likes her, I think. I like that she writes books.” Sherry was very still, watching my face.

“I think she likes him, too.”

“Do you know her well?”

I smiled. “Yep. She’s my best friend.”

Sherry relaxed. “Well, in that case, she must be all right.”

My smile widened. “That’s a nice thing to say.” I turned and pulled a garment from the bag I’d gotten from April and held it out. It was a familiar-looking blue linen jacket. “This doesn’t look like a costume.”

Sherry reached out and touched it. “Smells like perfume.”

She was right. It smelled like Connie’s distinctive scent.

“I don’t think this should be here.”

Sherry grabbed the bottom of the jacket and held it out to look at it. Something rattled in the pocket. She reached inside and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper.

My mind snapped back to the day Georgia was murdered. Connie had been wearing this jacket and slipped a piece of paper into her pocket. She’d also looked scared.

“What does that say?” I asked.

Sherry glanced through it. “It’s an e-mail from that guy who died. You know the one in the article you and Aunt Elissa found? He says his family is coming around to the idea that he wants to marry Connie. He wants her to move back to Charlottesville to live.”

I heard footsteps on the stairs to the stage. Elissa must be back.

“Oh wow.” Sherry gazed at me with wide eyes. “Then he says that Carla had been to see him and accused him of giving Connie a family heirloom watch that should have been hers.”

The puzzle pieces fell together. I knew who the murderer was. I just didn’t know why.

“What’s his name?” I asked

The curtain swung open. I looked up, expecting to see Elissa. Instead, Carla Bickford stood there.

“His name was Aaron Bryant,” she said. “Ronnie.”