Looming Murder (20 page)

I
was at the stove scrambling eggs, one of the few dishes I did really well, and Jenny was setting the table when Matthew came in.

“What have we here?” he asked, looking around.

“Della called at seven o’clock, insisting that I come for breakfast,” she said, and then smiling, she added, “It seems she has an announcement to make. Do you have any idea what that might be?”

Matthew glanced at me with a smile of his own. “I think I might.”

I waved my wooden spoon at him. “Don’t you dare tell her. This is my news.” I pointed to the coffeepot. “How about you make yourself useful?”

Soon the food was ready and served. I opened the fridge and pulled out the bottle of sparkling wine that Matthew had bought the previous day.

“This is a celebration, so mimosas for everyone.” I handed the bottle to Matthew and he popped the cork.

He poured wine into each glass, topping it off with a splash of orange juice.

Jenny waited expectantly. I raised my glass. “Here’s to the new location of Dream Weavers.”

“I knew it!” exclaimed Jenny. “You bought the building! I’m so happy for you!”

I laughed. “I just hope I don’t live to regret it.”

“Does that mean—?” She gestured from me to her.

I nodded. “You can quit your job at Franny’s.”

It was Matthew’s turn to look confused. “What are you talking about? Why would you want to quit your job?”

She put her glass down, looking embarrassed. “I’ve always wanted to open a tea shop, and since the store space is way too big for Della’s shop, she’s agreed to rent me a part of it.” She picked up her glass again—“I’m going into business”—and raised it. “To Tea and Destiny.”

“Is that the name of your shop? I love it.”

She grinned. “Good, isn’t it?”

Matthew dropped bread into the toaster. “So when are you taking possession?”

“Well, since I have to cash in my Roth IRA, and that will probably take a few weeks, I asked for a first of July closing.” I tried to read his eyes. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay another few weeks, but I do need some time to get organized.”

“What about your idea of buying Mrs. McLeay’s old furniture?”

“I reminded David about that and he promised to speak to the nephew.”

Jenny giggled. “You’d better dust off your paintbrush, Matthew. You offered to do all the work for Della when she moved, remember? I’m a witness.”

Matthew laughed. “Don’t worry. My word is my honor. We can do it in the garage.”

“See?” Jenny turned to me with a teasing glint in her eyes. “He’s already saying ‘we.’ Mark my word, you and I will do most of it.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh, I better go, or I’ll be late.” She left the table and hurried to the front. Matthew followed. I scampered after them as fast as my crutches allowed, and stopped. At the door, Matthew and Jenny were having a whispered conversation, one of his arms wrapped protectively over her shoulders. And all at once I felt a sharp stab of jealousy. I turned and left quietly.

•   •   •

I sat at the kitchen table, reeling from the surge of mixed emotions. This was Matthew—my friend. Why would I care whether he embraced another woman? And not just any other woman—Jenny, who was also my friend. If they had found love with each other, I should be happy, not wracked with pain.

What the heck was wrong with me? I was reacting as if I was in love—I stopped, shaken. I had wondered about my feelings for him over the last few days, but the idea left me dazed, with my heart beating wildly. I tried to tell myself that I was wrong, but the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced it was true. It explained the ridiculous romantic thoughts I’d been having about him, the way I often felt flustered in his presence.

I was still sorting through my tangled emotions when I heard the door open and close and Matthew’s footsteps going upstairs. A moment later he came back down. Settling into his work, I guessed, something I should be doing too. I shook off my distress and pulled out my cell phone.

I called my bank. After being put on hold while they transferred me from one department to another, I was finally connected to the right person.

“Sorry, but you’ll have to come down to the bank to do that. We can’t process any of the paperwork unless we have your signature.”

After being told “No, an e-mail, a fax, not even a scan is acceptable,” I hung up in disgust. I had just dropped my cell into my bag when the house phone rang.

From the front room I heard Matthew push back his chair and pick up. A second later, he called out, “It’s David for you.”

I grabbed my crutches and went over.

“David, hi.” I glanced at Matthew, who was standing in the doorway.

“I’ve got good news for you,” David said. “The nephew says that for a hundred dollars you can have the whole lot.”

“Everything?”

“Everything in the house—furniture, drapes, kitchen utensils, pots and pans, all except the fixtures.”

“That’s great.” I’d spotted an antique open-coil toaster on the kitchen counter. What other interesting things might I find?

“Frankly, if it had been up to me, I’d just give it to you for free. Even if he made a few bucks selling it at auction, it would cost him more than that to pay for shipping.”

“I’m not going to argue about a hundred dollars. At that price it’s a bargain.”

“So when do you want to pick it up?”

I thought quickly. “How about a week from Saturday? That’ll give me time to get rid of these crutches and set up the garage for painting. But would you mind if I took inventory before then?”

“Sure. I have a couple of errands to do. How about if I pick you up in about an hour?”

“I’ll be ready and waiting.” It would be a relief to get out of the house.

I hung up, and turned to Matthew. “What was that all about?” he asked.

I explained about the furniture. “I know you offered to help, but you don’t have to. I can set up an area of the garage and have it all done in no time.”

“You’ve done so much work on this place. Doing a bit of painting in return is the least I can do.”

“Er, I hate to break it to you, but it’s not just a few pieces. There’s a ton of stuff.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just lay plastic sheeting over the floors and the walls. Then I can spray-paint everything in no time.”

“You can’t just spray-paint without washing and sanding everything down or the paint won’t hold.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, kiddo. I promise I’ll do a good job.”

He had just called me kiddo again. All at once, the emotions I’d been suppressing came surging forth.

“So we’re back at that again, are we?” I snapped, more hurt than angry.

He looked at me in confusion. “Back at what? What are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry.” I shook my head, feeling like a fool. I grasped for some excuse. “I-I just don’t feel very well. It—it’s just the stress of . . .” Before he could see the tears that trembled on my lashes, I grabbed my crutches and hurried out of the kitchen, hobbling upstairs to my room. I closed the door and plopped down on the bed.

Damn it! There he was, offering to do something nice for me and instead of saying thank you I had behaved like an idiot.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I simply had to get a grip, control my emotions.

I was still lying there, berating myself, when Matthew knocked on my door. I sat up, wiped my eyes and finger-combed my hair. “Come in.”

He pushed the door open and leaned against the jamb, looking contrite. “Listen, kiddo—”

I rolled my eyes. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“You’ve been calling me kiddo since we were children,” I blurted.
So much for controlling my emotions.
“And just in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a child anymore.”

He looked stunned. “Is that why you’re angry with me?”

“No, er, yes,” I said, getting off the bed. I picked up my crutches, trying to look aloof as I tucked them under my arms.

He dug his hands into his pockets, looking confused. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“That’s not it, Matthew.”

He put up a hand to stop me. “Tell me something. Are you uncomfortable living in the same house with me?”

Blood rushed to my face and I stumbled on my words again. “It-it’s just that—”

He cut me off. “You don’t have to explain. I should have known it wasn’t a good idea to just barge into your life this way. Maybe the best thing for me to do is move back into your condo until your new place is ready.”

“No!” I cried, taking a few steps toward him. “You shouldn’t have to go. This is your house. I’ll move.”

“That’s ridiculous. You have your store here. It’ll only be for a few weeks.”

“Wait.” I grabbed for his hand. But as soon as our fingers touched, I forgot what I wanted to say. His eyes met mine and he looked as startled as I felt.

I took a step closer, or maybe he leaned in, but suddenly his eyes were staring into mine, golden and warm, like liquid honey. The spicy smell of his aftershave wafted up to my nose as I took a deep breath. My eyelashes dipped and my head tilted back.

The next thing I knew, he was halfway down the stairs, taking them two at a time. A second later, the front door opened, then slammed shut.

M
r
s. McLeay’s house was even dustier than I remembered, but this time I was prepared. I wore jeans rather than my red linen dress. Besides, I remembered Matthew’s comment about my dressing up for David.

David watched me taking notes for a few minutes. “If you don’t mind, I’ll wait for you in my car, where I can make some phone calls.”

“Sure, no problem.” Being freed from having to make conversation was a relief. I could barely hold my thoughts together. On my pad, I scribbled “six balloon chairs,” checked under the dining room table and spotted a Victorian-style coffee table and a footstool. I added those to a quickly growing list and moved on. Soon I had itemized every piece of furniture on the main floor, and although I wasn’t sure I could salvage the sofas and armchairs, I still had more than enough to fill a house. I continued on to the kitchen. In the top cabinets were two complete sets of dishes. I grabbed an old cloth and rubbed off enough dust to identify them as an old blue and white Chinese pattern. It was beautiful and would look gorgeous on my finely woven white linen place mats. On another shelf I found an assortment of heavy crystal glasses. I took note of those and moved on. In a far cupboard, I discovered a collection of milk-glass serving pieces. I couldn’t believe my luck. I dug some more and found a set of bone-handled cutlery.

By the time I finished recording all the furniture on the second floor, I knew I had scored big. Obviously Mrs. McLeay hadn’t cared much about furniture. Most of it was rather plain, but she sure had a thing for kitchenware. I returned downstairs, locked the front door and shuffled out to David’s car.

I slid in, tucking my crutches between myself and the door. “You can’t imagine everything I found. I haven’t gone through the dressers and closets yet, but there’s so much furniture I’ll hardly need to buy a thing. Setting up will cost me next to nothing.” I laughed. “Which is good because next to nothing is all I can afford.”

He turned the key in the ignition and the motor roared to life. “Good for you. If you’re happy, then that makes two of us. Now, with any luck I’ll sell that house soon.”

Three minutes later he pulled up in front of Matthew’s house. “Here you go.”

I looked at the front door, wondering what kind of greeting I was about to get. I thanked David and stepped out of the car, my heart already racing.

The first thing I saw as I walked in was a suitcase waiting by the front door. I swallowed the lump in my throat and hobbled to the kitchen.

“Oh, er, hi,” said Matthew. He was on his hands and knees, pulling Winston’s dog food out from under the counter. “Sorry, Della. I’m almost done here. I’ll be out of your way in no time.”

I could feel the heat in my face. “Honestly, Matthew, you don’t have to go. You’re not in my way. I think my nerves are just raw from everything that’s been happening.” I tried a chuckle, but it came out a squawk. “Finding a body isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence. And for that matter, neither is cashing in all my life savings.”

“I guess you have a point.” He looked relieved and just as I thought everything was going to turn out all right, the doorbell rang. He hesitated, about to say something. Instead, he got up and disappeared down the hall.

“I’m back.” It was Jenny. She appeared in the doorway, looking rushed. “I only have a few minutes—lunch break. I’m so excited, I just had to drop by and tell you my good news.”

I hoped my smile looked genuine, but I couldn’t erase the picture of Matthew’s arm around her. “Come on in. What news?”

Matthew offered her a chair. She sat, throwing back her long sandy hair with a quick flick of her wrist. She was wearing her usual yoga pants with an off-the-shoulder silk knit in a soft blue that made her tanned skin glow. Rather than beautiful as she always was, today she was breathtakingly gorgeous.

“I just spoke to Marnie.” Her eyes gleamed with excitement. “And she’s agreed to provide all the pastries for my tea shop. Isn’t that great?”

“Terrific. I was just about to make some fresh coffee. Would you like some?”

“Sure, I’ll have a cup.” She turned to Matthew. “Doesn’t Della make the best coffee in the world? Maybe she should make the coffee for my shop?”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “She sure does.”

Jenny must have sensed the strained atmosphere, because the next thing she said was, “Did I drop by at the wrong time?”

Matthew shook his head. “No, no. Della and I were just talking about my moving back to Charlotte until she takes over her new place.”

Jenny glanced at me, frowning. I kept my face impassive.

“Is that what that suitcase is doing in the front hall?” She looked from him to me and back again. “So your messiness finally caught up with you.” She chuckled, but behind her casual demeanor her eyes were full of questions. “I don’t blame her one bit for kicking you out. After all the work she did, getting this place in shape, you come in and mess everything up.”

She should be getting plenty of vibes now, I thought as I measured beans into the coffee grinder.

“I know. I’m a slob. What can I say?” He played along.

Jenny snapped her fingers. “I have an idea. Don’t move back to Charlotte. That’s just plain silly. Why don’t you move in with me? I have a spare bedroom. And you know me. I’m not at all like Della. I’m as much of a slob as you are.”

Translation? You and I are the same. We’ll fit together like a horse and carriage
. I wanted to throw up. I kept my back to them and turned on the coffeemaker.

“You wouldn’t mind?” he said, and I almost had a meltdown.

They went on talking about how this could work out. He could use the back bedroom, blah, blah, blah. I tuned out in disgust and went shopping in my mind. I imagined myself trying on a sexy blue dress, the same blue Jenny was wearing now. I gave the dress a deep neckline, deep enough to reveal a bit of cleavage—not that I would ever wear something like that in real life, but this was a daydream, so why not? And just for the heck of it, I gave it a tight skirt, with a slit up the side, and I looked sexy.

“Della?”

I snapped back to reality. Jenny was looking at me with a question mark in her eyes, and Matthew was nowhere around. I heard his footsteps going upstairs. “Della?” she repeated.

“Uh, yes?”

“Is everything all right?”

“Of course. Why?”

She didn’t answer, but from the way she was studying me, I knew I wasn’t fooling her one bit. I also knew it had nothing to do with auras or feelings. I just knew my misery was written all over my face. At last she said, “Did you and Matthew have an argument?”

I nodded, avoiding her eyes.

“I see.” And when I looked at her, I thought she really did. “Don’t worry. Whatever it was about, he’ll get over it. In the meantime, he can stay at my place.” She must have sensed my embarrassment because she changed the subject. “Oh, before I forget. Listen to this. Marnie was just coming back from the bank when I saw her, and guess what?”

I shook my head. “What?”

“The money she took out of the bank to invest with Jeremy Fox? It’s back in her account—the entire amount. When she asked the teller about it, the girl told her that it came in by electronic transfer from the Cayman Islands.”

My mouth was still hanging open when Matthew rejoined us in the kitchen, looking uncomfortable. “So, you really wouldn’t mind if I used your guest room for a couple of weeks?”

“Not in the least. The house has felt so empty since . . .” She waved vaguely. “It’ll be nice having someone around.”

He nodded, smiling. “In that case, I accept.” I couldn’t object without making a fool of myself even more than I already had.

Jenny jumped up, smiling at me reassuringly, as if telling me not to worry. “Great. Let’s go.” They took off, heading for the door.

I swallowed a lump in my throat the size of a fist. He had taken Winston, hadn’t he? I went through the house, calling, “Winston,” getting no galloping dog, not even a slobbering kiss in response.

I was all by myself, completely and utterly alone. And suddenly the house felt spooky rather than warm and safe. I wanted to be anywhere but here. But the shop was opening in—I glanced at my watch—twenty minutes. I couldn’t just leave. I was running a business here. I hoofed it back to the kitchen, opened the fridge and rummaged through it.

I was hungry—but not. I slammed it shut again. And then I opened it and grabbed a container of yogurt. I sat at the table, dragging my spoon around in the yogurt without taking so much as a bite.

The phone rang and I jumped. But it wasn’t Matthew.

“Oh, hi, Mom.”

“Don’t sound so happy to hear me, dear.” Her voice lilted in amusement.

“Sorry, Mom. I’m just having a bad day.”

“That’s why I’m calling, dear. I was just speaking to June and she told me that you and Matthew had an argument and that he was moving back to the city. What happened, sweetheart?”

I groaned silently. “He told her that?” He must have called his mother while I was taking inventory of the furniture at Mrs. McLeay’s house.

“Well, June called him and he sounded so upset that she dragged it out of him. But he wouldn’t tell her what the argument was about. So, tell me what happened.”

I scrambled for some excuse. “I think, with my shop taking up all of the downstairs space, he’s feeling a bit put out. This is his house, after all, and I changed everything around and now he doesn’t even have a place to sit quietly and watch TV. And after stumbling on a dead body, I’m stressed out of my mind. We just got on each other’s nerves.”

“Is that what it was all about?” She sounded disappointed.

“What did you think the argument was about?”

She hemmed a bit, and finally admitted, “I thought maybe you two had a lovers’ spat.”

“A lovers’ spat! That’s ridiculous.”

“Sometimes when there’s tension between a man and a woman, you have to ask yourself if the cause is attraction.” As my mother babbled on, I couldn’t help but wonder at how she had hit the nail on the head. She was wrong in only one way. The attraction was all one-sided, and that was driving me insane.

“Della? Are you still there?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. You were saying?”

“I was saying that I’d like to come for a visit one of these days. I haven’t even seen your shop yet, you know.”

“Tell you what, if you wait until the first of July, you can come and visit me in my new place.” I went on to tell her all about the building and my plans for the new shop. But as exciting as I tried to make it sound, my mother took it like bad news. “Oh, well.” She sighed. “I guess I should stop hoping you and Matthew—” Her thought trailed off unfinished.

“As disappointed as you are,” I wanted to say, “I’m ten times more so.” But all I said was, “That’s exactly what you should do, Mom.”

•   •   •

The rest of the day went by second by agonizingly long second. Every time I heard a car, my heart went into overdrive. Was it Matthew? Jenny’s words had made me feel somewhat better. At least I knew she had no designs on him. But how could she imagine everything would be fine when she had no idea what had almost happened?

Meanwhile, I sat at my loom and continued weaving until I had not only completed the second blanket but also finished the warp for a third one. By six o’clock my back was screaming and my stomach was growling. And I was still heartsick over how I should best approach the matter.

I threw together a salad, added canned tuna and a boiled egg for protein and sat down to a lonely dinner. I’d lived almost all of my adult life alone, and now, after only three days of Matthew being here, I missed him—and Winnie. On the bright side, I’d been so distracted this afternoon that for the first time in days, I’d thought of something besides the murder.

I went hunting for my cell and found it on the kitchen counter. I punched in Jenny’s number. I was dying to know what Matthew was doing, but instead all I asked was, “What are you up to?”

“Nothing much. I’m almost finished with my second baby blanket. How about you?”

“I’m bored to tears.” And then, before I could stop myself, I asked, “Is Matthew with you?”

“No. He dropped off his suitcase the moment he walked in and then took off. I haven’t seen him since. Why don’t you call Susan? If she has nothing to do, maybe you could ask her to come over. It would be a lot better than letting her go and do something dangerous. I’m still worried about her.”

I’d been so busy feeling sorry for myself that I hadn’t even thought about Susan.

Not having to spend an evening alone sounded great. “Good idea. I’ll do that right away.” I hung up, then punched in Susan’s number. She picked up on the first ring.

“Hi, it’s Della. I was just wondering if you happen to be free, if I could talk you into coming over.”

“Normally, I’d be happy to, but I’m busy right now,” she said, sounding preoccupied.

“Well, how about if I come over to your place?”

There was a long pause, and for a second I thought I heard somebody in the background. “I don’t think so,” she said at last. “Maybe some other time.”

“Uh, is somebody there with you?” There was another pause, during which I could have sworn she covered the mouthpiece. “Susan? Is everything all right?”

“Everything is fine, Della. I’ll speak to you later, okay?” And then, before I could say anything, I heard her yelp, followed by a thud, and the phone went silent.

“Susan? Hello?” I stared at the receiver in my hands, filled with fear. It sounded as if someone had attacked her. I shook my head. I was just imagining things. I hung up and dialed again, getting a busy signal. I paused, questioning myself. Had I really heard someone in the background, or was it maybe just the television or radio? I was trying desperately to quash the panic that was quickly rising. I had to do something. Without pausing to think, I punched in Jenny’s number.

“Susan’s in trouble. We have to get there. Now,” I shouted.

And, bless her for reacting so fast, it wasn’t two minutes before she zoomed up in front of the house and screeched to a stop. I hurried out, jumped into her car and we took off. Two sharp turns later we pulled up in front of a pretty Cape Cod.