Set the Stage for Murder (26 page)

Vicki awoke to kisses from Clementine, who was extremely curious as to why her mistress was calling her name in the middle of the night. As for Vicki’s part, she was extremely curious as to just what the hell that dream meant.

***

The four of them were sitting around the kitchen table having croissants and coffee when the call came. Perhaps things would have ended differently if the lines had been down or if they had simply ignored the ringing phone and gone on about their day. But that isn’t what happened. Instead, Marc picked up, as was his custom. “McDowell residence. Oh, hi there.” He raised his eyebrows in surprise and then furrowed them as he looked in Roz’s direction. He covered the mouthpiece and handed the receiver to her. “It’s Sally Crandall. She wants to speak with you. She says it’s urgent.”

Roz looked confused as she took the phone from Marc’s outstretched hand. “Sally, it’s Roz. How may I help you?” She made eye contact with Vicki, her expression unreadable. “Yes, in a couple hours, then. Good bye.” Roz stood up slowly, crossed the kitchen and replaced the phone in its cradle before turning around and addressing the other three people in the kitchen. “Sally has asked to come and see me. She’s on her way.” Roz had grown noticeably paler in the last few seconds.

Vicki stood up from the table. “Roz, you have to call her back and tell her not to come. Sally could be the murderer.” She shook her head adamantly. “No, it’s too dangerous; we can’t take the risk.”

“Vicki’s right, Roz,” Marc said. “We have no idea what’s going on in her mind. It is too risky.”

“Look, I don’t think Sally is responsible for what happened.” She turned away from them. “Don’t ask me why, but I just don’t believe she’s the one who did this.”

Vicki crossed the room and put her hand on Roz’s shoulder. “She threatened your life. We all heard it. And then Meg ended up dead.”

Roz turned and faced Vicki, her eyes blazing. “Then we have to let her come so this nightmare can finally end.” She relaxed a little. “Look, Vicki, there is a team of security men patrolling the estate. Couldn’t one of them be close by while I’m meeting with Sally? Surely there is a crack shot among the group; someone who could intervene if things go wrong?”

Vicki studied her guest for a minute and then reached for the phone and started dialing. “We’re calling Teddy. If he says this is okay, then I suppose it is.”

Vicki handed the phone to Roz and allowed her to plead her case with Teddy. The call lasted for several minutes and apparently, from her responses, Roz was agreeing to do whatever it was that Teddy was asking of her. Finally, she handed the phone back to Vicki. “Your husband wants to speak with you. I’m going upstairs to get dressed.” She walked out of the kitchen.

Teddy’s voice was fraught with worry. “I don’t like this, Vicki, but if we don’t allow it to happen, I’ve got a feeling Roz will just arrange to meet Sally somewhere off the estate. At least this way we can control the situation.”

“I know; she does seem determined. I’m just afraid she wants this over, no matter what the cost. Do you think Sam can protect her?”

“Yes, I do. I’ve instructed Roz to meet with Sally at the gazebo. It’s an open, exposed space and there are plenty of places Sam and his guys can be stationed, out of sight. I’m calling him as soon as we hang up. And Vicki?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want you anywhere near the gazebo. Do you understand?”

“Teddy, I’m not the one in danger. If it’s okay for Roz to be there, surely it’s safe for me to be nearby?”

“Vicki, I mean it.” Her husband’s voice resonated with a steeliness that she wasn’t accustomed to hearing. It did not make her happy.

“I understand.”

“I love you.”

“
I love you, too.” She hung up the phone before he could add anything else.

***

Vincent was standing by the fax machine in Phoebe’s office, studying a piece of paper when she entered the room. “Vincent, what has you so enthralled, if I may ask?”

“Take a look at this, Mrs. Mac,” he said, crossing to her while still reading the document. He handed it to her. “It’s Meg Pierce’s autopsy report.”

The older woman nodded as she took the piece of paper from him. “So you were able to obtain it.” She crossed to the desk and picked up her reading glasses. “Does it provide us with any new information?”

“As a matter of fact, Mrs. Mac, it does.” He pointed to a spot, a little more than halfway down the page.

Phoebe’s eyes widened slightly. She took off her reading glasses and looked up at Vincent. “Well, isn’t that interesting?”

“I thought so, Mrs. Mac.”

“Have you faxed this to Clea yet?”

“Yes Ma’am, I did.”

Phoebe went to her desk and picked up the phone. “Then I think a call to Theodore is in order, don’t you?”

***

Vicki relaxed and said a little prayer of thanks when she observed Sally pull up and get out of her car. The other woman’s dark-washed jeans and white blouse were figure hugging, and she wasn’t carrying a purse, so clearly whatever happened today wouldn’t involve a concealed weapon. Vicki opened the front door as Sally walked up the porch steps.

“Vicki, I hope you’ll forgive me for intruding. It’s just very important that I speak with Roz.”

Vicki smiled as she stepped back and allowed her guest to pass. “Nonsense, Sally. It’s not an intrusion at all. And I hope you’ll stay for lunch.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I’m afraid I need to get back to the City. Ed and I have plans with Connor.”

“Well, another time then,” Vicki offered.

“Yes,” Sally agreed. “Another time. Now, where would I find Roz?”

“She’s in the gazebo. Do you know the way?”

“Yes. I know the way.”

***

Clea threw the autopsy report down on Teddy’s desk and pointed to the line she had circled in red. “It seems Meg Pierce was a sinner just like the rest of us, doesn’t it, T. M.?”

Teddy looked at the piece of paper and then looked up at Clea. “Could this be correct?” he asked as the phone rang.

“Could be and is. Now pick up that phone. You know good and well that it’s your mama wanting to talk to you.”

***

Vicki knelt in the cutting garden, cell phone in hand, and looked across the river at the Catskills, contemplating the information that Teddy had just given her. He had found it unexpected and interesting, and so did she. But it also meant something, didn’t it? It meant something very important, but Vicki couldn’t quite grasp what it was. It was just like that moment in her dream when Clementine wouldn’t allow her to go into the woods so that she could see what it was floating there in the darkness. What was that white object that seemingly floated in mid-air? And why was Clementine so intent on keeping her from it? Why was she so intent that her growl became almost human; almost a baby’s cry?

When the answers finally came, they did so furiously and quickly, as if one domino had toppled and triggered a chain reaction, laying waste to an intricate design someone had carefully crafted. Vicki stood up quickly, dropped her garden shears into the basket on the ground beside her, and started running toward the gazebo. She had to get there before something awful happened; she hoped it wasn’t too late.

When Vicki arrived, out of breath, the only person in sight was one of the new security guys. The gazebo itself was empty. “Where are they?” Vicki asked, struggling to catch her breath. “Where are Roz and Sally?”

“Ms. Crandall just left.” His look became one of concern. “Is everything okay, Mrs. McDowell?”

“What happened in the gazebo? Was there any sort of fight or disagreement?”

He shook his head. “Not that I could tell, Mrs. McDowell.” He pointed to the edge of the woods. “I was standing right there with a good view of the gazebo. When Ms. Crandall showed up, Ms. Whiting was sitting on that far side, facing me. Ms. Crandall never sat down. She just stood there saying something to Ms. Whiting, who never moved, except to nod her head every so often.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Then Ms. Crandall just turned and walked down the steps, never looking back. Ms. Whiting stayed there for a few minutes more and then got up and headed for the path that goes by the river.”

Vicki started toward the river. “Mrs. McDowell, is something wrong?” he asked.

Vicki hesitated before answering him. “No, I guess not,” she said over her shoulder. “I just need to check on Ms. Whiting.” She hurried off to prevent him from asking any more questions. After all, there was a chance that she was wrong about everything.

Roz was sitting on the wrought-iron bench that surrounded the Courting Oak, looking out at the view. The police tape had been removed and the area was, once again, serene and beautiful. Although the sound of footsteps on the stone path had alerted her of Vicki’s arrival, she continued to stare out over the river. Vicki took one look at her face, a face that now appeared older and troubled. The mask was gone. Roz took a deep breath, slowly turned to face her friend, and studied her face for a moment before turning back toward the river. “What is it you know, Vicki? Because I can tell by the way you’re looking at me that you know something.” She smiled wanly. “Did Sally find you before she left? Did she tell you about her theory? The one that she and Ed came up with?”

“No,” Vicki said quietly. “But she knows about Juliet, doesn’t she? She knows that you’re not Juliet’s mother.”

Roz turned her head sharply and looked at Vicki with a puzzled expression. “How do you know that if she didn’t tell you?”

“Meg’s autopsy report. She had given birth to a child at some point.”

Roz closed her eyes and nodded, taking in the information. “I see. And you automatically assume that the child is Juliet?”

“No, not automatically.” Vicki sat down on the wrought-iron bench. “But there are too many other things that point to that same conclusion, not the least of which was Meg’s devotion to Juliet. When I put all of them together, it became pretty clear.”

Roz nodded again. “What other things, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Roz, I’m sorry this has happened. Maybe we should go back to the house so you can rest …”

“What other things, Vicki?” Roz interrupted.

Vicki sighed. “Juliet’s actual birth, for one. No one else was there for the delivery; just the two of you.” She waited to see if Roz was going to say anything, but the other woman remained quiet. Vicki continued. “And then Tony told me the other night that he never knew about Juliet until you brought her back to London. I found it very odd that you wouldn’t tell him you were pregnant, considering the fact that you were trying to keep him in the marriage. You knew he wanted children more than anything. Telling him the thing he most wanted to hear would seem to be the logical course of action, so why wouldn’t you do it?” Vicki glanced at Roz, who was sitting perfectly still, looking at the water. “Well, you wouldn’t do it if you weren’t really pregnant; you couldn’t run the risk of Tony hopping on a plane and showing up in Prague. Instead you had to take a gamble and hope that when Tony finally found out he had a daughter, everything would be okay. And it worked.”

“For a time, at least,” Roz said quietly. “As you said, he wanted to be a father very badly, and as you’ve probably figured out, I had discovered that I couldn’t have children; I just never shared that knowledge with him. As it turned out, the baby was just a temporary fix. It was a bad marriage; I just didn’t realize it at the time.”

“And then there was the situation with Connor and Juliet,” Vicki said gently. “Your and Meg’s resistance to the relationship seemed extreme and excessive. Of course, I know now that it had to be. I’m sure both of you were at your wit’s ends, trying to keep Juliet away from her half-brother.”

“You can’t imagine that absolute hell of it, Vicki!” Roz had closed her eyes and tears were running down her face. “It caught us totally by surprise. Naturally, we knew that the two of them were acquainted – our little theater world is so small that we never expected otherwise. But they were such totally different people with different interests. It never occurred to us that they might become attracted to each other. She was nothing like the wild girls he ran around with. But then he went to rehab and it really did change him.” She shook her head. “He wanted different things out of life; simpler, purer things. And one of those things was Juliet. We – Meg – had kept her so sheltered that her experience with boys was … limited, to say the least. When Connor focused his considerable charm her way, well, she couldn’t resist.”

“So you blackmailed him in order to keep him away?” Vicki asked.

“Not at first. We tried to discredit him in her eyes and we tried to keep them apart; I sent her to Europe, just to get her out of the country!” Her voice had started to rise. “Vicki, you can’t imagine how panicked we were. We had to keep them apart and I was at the end of my rope! Blackmail was my only option.”

“You could have told them the truth,” Vicki said quietly.

Roz’s response surprised Vicki with its intensity. “That was not an option!” she said vehemently. “The scandal would absolutely destroy me!” She searched Vicki’s face, frantically looking for understanding. “I could never take that risk.” She shook her head in disbelief at Vicki’s apparent lack of comprehension. “Don’t you get it, Vicki? I don’t have a marriage; I don’t even have a child. All I have is a career and it is
everything
to me. Being Rosamund Whiting is my
everything
!” She got up and began to pace. “We never should have agreed to this project, you know. But Juliet wanted all of us to do it so badly and we signed on, for her sake.” She took a cigarette from the pack in her pocket and lit it. “But that’s when everything started going wrong. That’s when Connor started paying attention to her.” She turned and looked at Vicki. “If it weren’t for this play, all of us wouldn’t have been sitting together at your dining room table Friday night, which evidently, is all that Ed and Sally needed to figure things out.”