Romeow and Juliet (14 page)

St. Patrick’s is a very traditional Catholic church. Most consider it to be the cornerstone of the village of Harthaven. It’s a large brick building with two wings and a bell tower. Father Kilian lives in a smaller house that adjoins the church and is famous for his beautifully maintained flower garden. On the opposite side of the large piece of land which the church shares with the cemetery is an even smaller house that’s occupied by Sister Mary, the only nun assigned to the island. While Father Kilian sees to the needs of the congregation as a whole, Sister Mary focuses on the children’s program.

When I arrived at practice as promised, I was warmly greeted by the children who sang in the choir, as well as many of the parents who stayed behind to watch. I’d been a member of the choir when I was a child and had helped out from time to time since I’d moved on to the adult choir, so I knew most of those involved with the group. I have to admit I was beginning to feel a sense of excitement about the obligation my mother had talked me into.

“Where is Mrs. Cleary?” I asked. Mrs. Cleary had been accompanying the children’s choir on the piano since I’d been a member of the group.

“She had to go to her daughter’s,” a cute girl with brown ringlets answered. “She had a baby. Mrs. Darby is going to fill in.”

“Thank you,” I said, hesitating as I tried to remember the girl’s name. “Stella? Right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You can call me Cait.”

“No, ma’am. Mama wouldn’t like it.”

“Okay, then, how about Ms. Cait?”

“That should be fine.” The girl smiled.

“I hope Mrs. Darby remembers she’s supposed to fill in tonight. She’s already fifteen minutes late.” After everything that had been going on with Keith Weaver, I supposed it wouldn’t be unheard of for Kim to forget her obligation.

“Her car wouldn’t start so Mr. Cody went to get her,” Stella informed me.

“Mr. Cody?” I felt my enthusiasm ebb just a bit.

“Yes, ma’am. He’s going to help you with us. My mama said he’s a real American hero and a cherished member of the community. She wanted to be sure we all were polite and did our best for him.”

“I see. Well, I guess we should go ahead and get started with the introductions. Maybe Mr. Cody and Mrs. Darby will be here by the time we’re finished.” I looked toward the larger group, whose members were mingling around the room. “Okay, let’s all line up in your usual positions,” I announced in the loudest voice I could muster.

By the time Cody had returned with Kim, the introductions had been completed and we transitioned directly into the music, leaving no opportunity for me to chat with either Cody or Kim. If I had to guess I’d say this hadn’t been the first time Cody had helped out. The kids seemed to know and like him, and he had no problem singing along with the group as they rehearsed the songs for the Founders Day pageant.

By the time the rehearsal was over, I was both drained and energized. The children had beautiful voices, and unlike the group who performed when I was a child, they all seemed polite and well behaved. I tried to take a moment to speak with each parent when they picked up their child. By the time the last child had left, it was well in to the evening. My grumbling stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since that morning.

“Did Cody leave?” I asked Kim, who was sitting at the piano, playing a soft melody.

“He’s over at the house, talking to Father Kilian. I hope he won’t be too long. I’m exhausted and would really like to get home.”

“I can drive you,” I offered. “It’s on my way and I’m ready to leave.”

“Thanks.” Kim shut the lid to the piano. “I’d appreciate that. I’ll just text Cody to let him know I have a ride so he can visit for as long as he likes.”

Kim and I turned off all the lights and made sure everything was locked up before we headed out to the parking lot and my clunker of a car. It was cloudy that evening, with a hint of rain in the air. We’d actually just come through a dry spell, so a little rain would be nice. I did hope that it would hold off until I returned home, though; my windshield wipers really needed to be replaced.

“So did you hear that they might have found Keith’s killer?” I asked once I pulled away from the church parking lot.

“They have?” Kim sounded surprised. “I didn’t think they even had any suspects.”

“They really didn’t, but it turned out that some forgeries were discovered at the bank, and the sheriff thinks they might be connected to Keith’s murder. As far as I know, they haven’t made an arrest yet, but if you ask me, it’s just a matter of time until they do.”

I glanced at Kim out of the corner of my eye. She had a huge smile on her face. I guess I could see why she would be happy that Keith’s killer might have been caught, but the size of her grin and the fact that she didn’t even ask who the suspected killer was seemed odd.

“I guess the man who forged the papers must be the same man Keith made a deal with prior to his death,” I fished.

“I guess he must be.”

“What I don’t understand is why Keith would make a deal with this guy in the first place. Unlike the other person involved, Keith didn’t appear to need money.” I decided it was best at that point not to mention Gary’s name.

“No,” Kim confirmed. “He had plenty of money.”

“I suppose he must have been after something else.”

Kim shrugged.

“Or maybe he was being blackmailed,” I offered. “There’s been a rumor going around about him having an affair.”

Kim frowned. “You think Keith was being blackmailed?”

“I don’t really know, but it seems plausible.” I turned onto Kim’s street. “I suppose if he was being blackmailed, the blackmailer must know who Keith was having the affair with. I imagine it will all come out once Finn gets him to talk.”

“Who is this person the police suspect of the blackmail?” Kim asked.

“I really shouldn’t say.”

Kim reached for the door handle as I pulled up to the curb. “But you know who it is?”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“Would you like to come in?” Kim asked.

I hesitated. I hated to be rude, but I really did want to get home. “I should get back so I can see to the cats.”

“Just for a minute,” Kim persuaded. “It looks like the house is dark. Kourtney is out and my husband is away. I’d appreciate someone coming inside with me while I turn on the lights. I’ve been a little spooked since Keith’s death.”

I turned off the ignition. “Okay, but just for a minute. I really do need to get home.”

I followed Kim up the walkway as the first clap of thunder vibrated through the night sky. Kim used her key to unlock the door as the first drops of rain began to hit the pavement. I followed her inside as she made her way across the dark room and flipped on a light. I waited by the entry while she turned on lights farther down the hall. My eyes were drawn to airline tickets lying on a table near the entry. I’m not sure why I did it, but I picked them up and looked at them. There were two tickets to Rio that had been torn in half. My hand began to shake as I realized that one of the tickets was in her name and the other was in Keith’s.

“Nosy much?” Kim asked when she walked back into the room.

I looked at Kim and suddenly I knew. She was the woman Keith had been having the affair with. Cassie had said that Kourtney’s dad had left her mom because of some big fight. Could the fight have been over Keith Weaver?

“You’re the woman Keith was having the affair with,” I unwisely said.

“It wasn’t an affair. We were in love. We planned to run away together.”

I looked at the tickets, which confirmed two first-class seats for flight 630 out of Seattle.

“But he changed his mind,” I realized.

“The bastard told me he had a change of heart
after
my husband left me and my marriage was destroyed. What kind of a monster does a thing like that?”

“Someone found out about the affair and he was being blackmailed,” I realized. “That’s why he was going to change his vote.”

Kim continued to stare at me, but she didn’t respond.

“But at the last minute he had a change of heart,” I decided.

“It was just a stupid project and he was willing to throw away everything we had in order to block the development. Not only did he have the audacity to suggest that he regretted his decision to vote in favor of Bill Powell’s project but he also regretted his decision to leave his wife. After everything I gave up for him, he was going to work things out with her.”

“So you killed him.”

“I didn’t mean to. We went to the cannery to take some measurements for the newspaper ad Keith planned to run. We got to talking, and he told me that he’d had a change of heart about both the vote and leaving his wife. I totally lost it. We started arguing and I picked up a board and hit him over the head.”

“You have to tell Finn what happened,” I instructed. “It will go easier for you if you turn yourself in.”

“I’m not going to turn myself in,” Kim said firmly.

“But . . .” I’d just started to argue when I saw her reach into her purse and pull out a small gun.

“You have a gun,” I said lamely.

“I’ve lived with a violent man for the past twenty years.” Kim looked at the weapon in her hand. “I always thought it would be him that I’d one day use it on. Funny how life works out.”

“You’re going to shoot me?” I screeched.

“You’ve left me no choice.”

“You know, people say that, but in most cases, such as this one, it really isn’t true,” I pointed out. “You have a lot of choices.” I inched toward the door. “Good choices.”

“Like what?” Kim raised the gun and pointed it at my chest.

“You could let me go.”

“And why would I do that? You’d run to Finn and I’d never get away in time.”

“The tickets have been destroyed,” I said.

“I can have them replaced. Besides, I only need one.”

“But Kourtney . . .” I reminded her of her daughter.

“She wants to live with her loser of a father and I’ve decided to let her. She’s with him now. I lied before. I guess I could just tie you up until I land in Rio and then call and let someone know where you are.”

“But the flight is in two days’ time,” I pointed out.

“Would you rather I shoot you?” Kim asked.

“No. Your plan makes sense.”

I decided to cooperate while Kim led me to her basement and locked the door. At least she didn’t bother to tie me up. Not that I was going anywhere. The windowless room was dark and dank, and I could only image what was slithering around on the dirt floor. I sat down on the floor near the door and prayed that someone human would find me before someone reptile did.

I had no concept of how long I’d been in the basement or what time it was. I heard voices overhead, followed by a shot and then multiple footsteps. I closed my eyes against the light as someone opened the basement door.

“Cait, are you in here?” I recognized Cody’s voice.

“Is she in there?” I heard Danny ask.

“I’m here,” I called from the back of the dark room.

My eyes refused to adjust to the light, so I couldn’t see who picked me up and carried me up the stairs, but I could tell by his scent that it was Cody.

“How long have I been down there?” I asked.

“It’s Thursday morning. Late morning,” Danny specified. “I came by your place to pick you up so we could meet Maggie’s ferry, but you weren’t home. It was obvious you hadn’t been home. Max hadn’t been let out and the cats hadn’t been seen to. I knew you had choir practice last night, so I called Cody, who told me you’d left there with Kim. I called Finn, who’d already suspected Kim was the killer.”

“The shot?” I asked as I continued to keep my eyes closed.

“Kim,” Cody answered. “She shot at us but missed. Finn has her in custody. We should get you to the hospital.”

“I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’m fine. My eyes just need to adjust to the light.”

I tried to open my eyes, but it was going to take a while for my day vision to recover.

“What about Maggie?” I asked.

“Tara went to pick her up. I imagine they’re at the house by now.”

I leaned my head against Cody’s strong chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. It felt safe and comforting. I let the tension leave my body as I relaxed in his arms.

“Let’s go home,” I suggested.

Cody carried me out to the car. I could hear Danny and Finn talking. Finn agreed to come by the house to talk to me after he wrapped everything up with Kim. Danny must have driven, because Cody continued to hold me until he placed me safely on my own sofa with a frantic Max looking out for me.

Danny brought me a pair of sunglasses, which allowed my eyes to slowly adjust to the light. It felt good to be home among family and friends. To be honest, there were times during my long stay in Kim’s basement when I’d doubted I ever would be again.

“I really enjoyed spending time with Siobhan, but I’m so happy to be home.” Maggie helped herself to a second serving of the casserole Tara had brought by. “I missed everyone so much.”

We were all glad to have Maggie home as well, especially Akasha, who hadn’t left her side.

“I still can’t believe Kim killed Keith and tried to kill you,” Maggie said to me.

“I think killing Keith was an accident, an act of rage she later regretted. And I don’t think she planned to kill me. She just wanted me detained until she could follow through with her plan to leave the country,” I answered.

“I do feel bad for her,” Marley commented.

“She was a married woman fooling around with a married man,” Maggie countered. “She brought her problems on herself. It’s poor Mr. Bradford I feel bad for. Have you heard whether they’ve determined if his sister was involved?” Maggie looked at Finn, who’d decided to stay after coming by to talk to me about Kim.

“It appears Camden Bradford’s sister knew nothing about the blackmail of Keith Weaver or the bribery of Gary Pixley. When Bill Powell first brought the project to the attention of the bank he was looking for private investors to get the developmental stages off the ground. His site foreman, as well as Bradford’s brother-in-law, each invested a significant amount of money. When it looked like the project might be blocked by the council they panicked. They blackmailed Keith and bribed Gary in order to ensure that the proposal passed.”

“And we’re sure these men aren’t responsible for poisoning Maggie’s tea?” I asked.

“It doesn’t look like it,” Finn confirmed. “As odd as it might seem, it appears we had three separate things going on that just seemed to be related on the surface.”

“Don’t worry.” Danny squeezed my hand. “We’ll get whoever was responsible for making Maggie sick. Cody and I have been working on a plan.”

“Is that right?” I looked at Cody.

“Hey, I helped as well,” Tara chimed in.

“I agree to take a nap and miss all the fun,” I joked.

Max barked as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” I offered.

I couldn’t imagine who would be stopping by at this time of the evening. It turned out to be Francine, with Romeo in her arms.

“I’m so sorry,” I blurted as I opened the door.

“May I speak with you for a moment?” Francine asked.

“Sure, come on in. We’re having dinner. Would you like to join us?”

“No. I can only stay a moment. I want to talk to you about Romeo.”

“I’ve tried to keep him inside. I really have,” I assured her. “He’s a tricky cat who’s way too smart for his own good.”

“Yes, well, it seems Juliet is quite taken with him. Until he moved in with you, she was content to stay inside, but now I find her sneaking out on a regular basis.”

“I’m so sorry. I’ll find him another home.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you about. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take him.”

I couldn’t have been more surprised if Francine had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

“You want him to live with you?”

“I’m afraid Juliet will just continue to sneak out otherwise. I have a feeling if we allow them to be together both cats will stay put. I suspect it might be too late to defend Juliet’s virtue at this point anyway. It’s early to tell for sure, but I suspect kittens are on the way, and it only seems right that they have a mother and a father to watch out for them.”

I smiled.

“You, of course, can visit with Romeo any time you want.” Francine took a deep breath. “Do we have a deal?”

I hugged the tiny woman. “We have a deal.”