Ladle to the Grave (A Soup Lover's Mystery Book 4) (15 page)

The moaning continued. Lucky jiggled the knob. He had locked himself in. A sob caught in her throat. He must have realized what was happening and barricaded himself in, in an effort to control the memories. The door was an old-fashioned wooden one with a flimsy lock. She had to get it open and try to calm him down. The sound of glass shattering came from within. Then a heavy pounding. What if Jack hurt himself? There were so many dangerous things in a bathroom.

She hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a small thin knife from the wooden block next to the stove. Running back, she knelt in front of the door. Sliding the edge of the blade into the doorframe, she wiggled the knife back and forth carefully to release the latch. A heavy thud hit the door and Lucky fell back in shock, the knife falling from her hands. Her heart was racing and her hands were sweating. She wiped her hands on her slacks and pushed the knife into the crack again. Wiggling the blade, she felt the metal tongue that held the door. The lock released. She dropped the knife and cracked the door open a few inches. She saw a shadow, seated on the floor next to the old claw-foot bathtub. Jack’s hands covered his face. He was sobbing. She reached around the jamb and flicked on the light, illuminating the room.

Jack shouted and jumped to his feet. He made a lunge for the doorway where Lucky stood. He didn’t realize who she was. He was lost in his nightmare. She pulled the door shut quickly and felt it shudder as his body hit the other side of the wood. There had been blood on the floor and Jack was bleeding profusely from a cut on his arm. He continued to shout and pound on the door. She raced to the front hallway and with shaking fingers dialed Elias’s number at home. He answered on the third ring.

“Can you come over to Jack’s house right away?”

“What’s going on? What’s that noise?”

“It’s Jack. He’s having an attack. I can’t reach him. And he’s cut himself somehow.”

“Be there in five minutes. I’ll stop at the clinic for medication.”

Lucky returned to the doorway. Jack was quieter now. She knelt on the floor and called his name.

“Jack. It’s me. Lucky. You’re okay. You’re home. You’re in Snowflake. All that’s gone away now. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She could hear murmuring from within. Maybe it would be safe to open the door again. Light spilled through a space at the bottom of the door. Erring on the side of caution, she turned on the outside light and unlocked Jack’s front door. Elias would be able to walk right in when he arrived. She returned to the bathroom door and opened it slowly. Jack was seated on the floor. Blood had dripped into the bathtub and a small pool had formed on the floor. It was smeared across his face where he had rubbed his head. Broken glass was everywhere. The contents of the medicine cabinet had spilled onto the floor. Lucky carefully picked up the larger pieces and tossed them in the sink. She grabbed a small towel from the rack and wrapped it around the cut on Jack’s arm.

“It’s okay now, Jack. It’s over. You’re safe. You just have to stay still.”

He looked into her eyes, confused. “Lucky?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“What happened?” he whispered.

“You had a spell, but you’re okay now. Elias is on his way.”

Tears spilled down Jack’s face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. Everything’s going to be all right now.” She prayed her words would make it true.

She heard Elias’s car pull into the driveway and, a few seconds later, his steps across the threshold and down the hall.

“Let me give you a hand,” he said. Lucky stood aside while Elias helped Jack to his feet. He glanced sympathetically at Lucky, as if to acknowledge how badly she had been frightened. “Let’s get him into the bedroom and I’ll patch up his arm. Can you make some tea with lots of sugar?”

“Sure,” she replied and hurried to the kitchen to put the teakettle on. When the water had boiled and the tea was ready, she carried it to the bedroom on a tray with some cookies she had found in the cupboard. Elias sat in the chair next to Jack’s bed. He had helped him undress. Jack was now in his pajamas and the cut on his arm was bandaged. He was sitting up, propped up with two pillows, but looking very pale. Lucky sat on the other side of the bed and rested the tray on Jack’s lap.

“I’m sorry, my girl. I didn’t mean to frighten you. It just came over me.”

“I know. I walked over ’cause I was worried. I know Nate’s been here.” She glanced at Elias. “Nate told me he was coming round to see Jack. I should have come with him. It’s my fault. I knew this would hit Jack hard. I shouldn’t have waited so long.”

Elias shook his head slightly to indicate it was best not to talk about anything just yet. “I gave Jack a sleeping pill. And I think if he has trouble sleeping over the next few nights, it might be a good idea to take one before bedtime. It’ll help him relax, which is what he needs right now. That and those cookies and tea. His blood sugar’s probably low too—that’s not going to help.”

Lucky supported the heavy cup as Jack sipped it slowly. He broke off a piece of the cookie and placed it in his mouth. “I don’t wanna be a burden to you two.”

“You’re never a burden, Jack. Don’t even say that.”

“It’s no trouble,” Elias replied. “We’re all vulnerable. It’s okay to ask for help. That’s what family and friends are for.”

Jack finished the cookie and almost all of the sugary tea. His eyelids were closing. Lucky took his cup and placed the remaining cookies on a napkin at the bedside table. She turned on the night-light on the bureau. It was a small white porcelain lamp of a man and woman waltzing. She smiled to see that Jack had kept it all these years, the silly lamp her grandmother had loved. She turned off the lamp next to the bed and covered Jack with a light blanket and spread. She eased one of the pillows from under his head. He was fast asleep already. Elias stood and carried the tray out to the kitchen.

L
UCKY COLLAPSED IN
a chair at the kitchen table. She was completely drained and emotionally exhausted. She rubbed her temples and finally rested her head on her hands. She heard Elias’s steps behind her and then felt his warm hands on her shoulders. He massaged her neck until her tense muscles began to relax. She breathed deeply. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

“Can I get you something? A glass of wine?”

She felt laughter burbling inside her.

“What’s so funny?” Elias’s hands were still.

“Don’t stop. That feels wonderful.” She sighed. “Jack wouldn’t allow a bottle of wine in his house. He thinks it’s for sissies. I’ll make us some more tea.” She rose from the chair and added water to the kettle.

“That’s even better.” Elias watched her carefully as she moved around the kitchen. “It was bad tonight?”

She turned and nodded. “Very.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I’d been with you.”

“It’s okay, really. I was worried about him all day and especially after Nate turned up. I sort of had a feeling all this recent stuff, Leonard attacking and threatening him like that . . .”

“What’s that?” Elias looked concerned.

“It happened this morning at the Spoonful.” She filled Elias in on the confrontation. “Then Nate talking to him about the autopsy results. I had a feeling this might happen—might set him off. I was able to talk him down a bit before you got here.” She turned and smiled. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For being there. Being there for me—for both of us.”

“Of course.”

They fell silent as Lucky poured the boiling water over the chamomile tea. She carried the mugs to the table and passed the sugar bowl to Elias, knowing he liked to sweeten his tea.

“Can I walk you home?”

She shook her head. “I think I should stay here tonight—just in case.”

“I’ll stay with you.”

“I appreciate the offer.” She reached over to touch his hand. “Really, I do, but you’ll feel better if you get a good night’s sleep. I can crash on the sofa. Jack has a second bedroom, but he uses it as an office, so there’s no extra bed.”

“Ah. Rejected again.”

“Stop that.” Lucky laughed.

“That’s better—you’re smiling.” He studied her face.

“Oh, I totally forgot.”

“What?”

“I left the lawn chair by the window outside. That’s how I got in. I should drag it back.”

“I’ll get it. You stay here.” Elias left by the kitchen door. She heard him outside the window, grunting as he lifted the heavy chair. A minute later he returned.

Elias took a sip of his tea. “Jack will be fine. This has been a bad time for him, but I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

“Not if he thinks he gave those women something poisonous, he won’t. And I know he didn’t. He doesn’t trust himself as much as I trust him. He wouldn’t make that kind of mistake.”

“What do you think happened, then?”

Lucky glanced at him quickly to reassure herself he wasn’t being dismissive. She was afraid he might laugh at her suspicions. “I think someone tampered with that basket of herbs. I think Agnes was a target; her death was not an accident.”

Elias stared at her. “What? Why?”

Lucky leaned across the table and took his hand in hers. “You saw those photos my mother took. I think the Warners were deliberately avoiding the camera. And the dates that were written on the back—one was October tenth with an exclamation mark.”

Elias nodded. “I remember.”

“Look, I don’t know what it means, but it means something. Jack remembers that my mother was going on about something at one point in time. When she got an idea in her head, she wouldn’t let it go. And he said that my dad told her to leave it alone, to mind her own business.” Lucky tested her tea. It had finally cooled down enough to drink. “I think she knew something, or she suspected something about the Warners, but I don’t know what it was.”

“Well, maybe the date is significant. Something happened on that date that she connected to that family. How we’d go about figuring out what that was, I don’t have the slightest idea.”

Lucky was heartened to hear Elias use the word “we.” He hadn’t dismissed her suspicions but was giving them a fair hearing.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot and maybe I’m on to something—something that might clear Jack. It might not explain how some toxin ended up in that wine, if it really did, but at least it would prove that Agnes was a target. I just know there’s an explanation that doesn’t involve Jack.”

“Right now, you need to get some rest. Come on, I’ll help you make up a bed. Maybe it’s a good idea for you to spend the night, in case Jack wakes up or feels confused.” He followed her down the hall and helped her lift blankets out of the linen closet. Grabbing one end, he spread one out over the sofa cushions and watched as she kicked off her shoes. “Since you’re kicking me out, at least walk me to the door and give me a good-night kiss.”

Lucky smiled. “Of course.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him as he kissed her tenderly.

“Good night. Sleep tight and lock the door after me.”

Lucky watched him as he walked down the path to the drive where his car was parked. He gave her a quick wave, then climbed in and drove away.

Lucky walked through the house, making sure all the windows and doors were locked. She rinsed out the mugs that she and Elias had used and then remembered the mess in the bathroom. No rest for the weary, she thought. Once all the medications had been replaced in the cabinet and the broken glass cleaned up, she scrubbed and rinsed the tub and mopped the floor, cleaning up any trace of glass and blood. Tears threatened to come as she thought of Jack and how much he still suffered. How much did he keep to himself and not tell her? When she finished and the bathroom and its contents were back in place, she peeked in the doorway of Jack’s bedroom. He was fast asleep and snoring gently. She breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on the sofa in Jack’s office, kicking off her shoes.

She was still too wired to sleep. She picked up a book from the shelf. It was one she had read years before but she didn’t care. She opened it to the first page and started to read. Before she knew it, her eyes had closed and the book had fallen to the floor. The sound caused her to jump. She reached down and put the book on the table next to her. She should take off her slacks and blouse and try to get some sleep but a feeling that there was something left undone bothered her. She tiptoed through the house. Everything seemed fine. A night-light burned in the kitchen. She shivered, and closed the curtains at the window. She felt plagued by an unsettled feeling. She walked the length of the hallway to the front door. The hallway was dark and the outside light was off. With a hint of moonlight she could clearly see the sidewalk in front of Jack’s house.

Someone stood there. A shadow. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She reached over to the hallway table and quietly slid a drawer open. She grasped the flashlight that Jack kept there. She carefully turned the knob of the front door and stepped outside. She flicked on the light and shone it at the man who stood there. Leonard Warner’s face was clearly lit. He blinked and turned away from the light, then turned back to stare at her. Their eyes locked. She could feel the red anger that emanated from the man. She took a step forward, wanting him to know she wasn’t afraid of him and wouldn’t stand for his behavior. Leonard turned away and walked quickly down Birch Street. She shuddered and breathed deeply, aware now that she had been holding her breath. Perhaps she would have a word with Nate after all.

Suddenly the night closed in and a wave of anxiety tinged with loneliness swept through her. Did Jack ever feel like this? Living all alone in his cottage, his wife gone, his only child dead? She was all her grandfather had to live for. She had to make sure he was looked after. She stepped back inside the house and locked the door behind her.