Let There Be Suspects (13 page)

I got down on my knees and pulled off Sid’s boots. They were more of a fashion statement than real winter protection—after all, she lives in Georgia. Once they were off I was able to cover her feet with an extra afghan.

“Better?”

She nodded and sipped some more.

She finished the coffee and closed her eyes. The kitchen was silent until she opened them again.

“I know . . . about Ginger.”

I took my chair and Vel took hers.

“I’m . . . so sorry!”

My heart nearly froze in my chest. I could tell from the look on Vel’s pale face that hers was chilled as well.

“I can’t believe . . .” Sid shook her head. “How could something like this happen? Who would
do
something like this?”

My gaze had been locked with Vel’s. Now with relief we turned to stare at Sid. “Where were you?” I said. “And why did you leave the church and not come back? Don’t tell me you’re too cold to talk. We’re too worried to wait!”

Sid thrust out the cup. “More coffee?”

Vel snatched it out of her hand and poured a full cup, hot and black, and thrust it back at her.

Sid cupped her hands around it and held the steaming coffee under her chin. “Ed picked
me
to put the baby in the manger.”

“What?” This was not what I’d expected to hear.

“I know. I know.” Sid’s eyes filled with tears. “I was really surprised. Just like you are. But he said my anger at Ginger was controlling my life. He said this was the right time for me to come to terms with it, to forgive and move on. He said . . . he said that until I did, I would never be happy with myself or with anybody else.”

This sounded like something Ed would say. I was surprised and warmed by his concern for my sister. Also not at all pleased about his ability to keep his thoughts secret from me. “And that’s why you left and said you’d be back? You weren’t going to the bathroom?”

“I-I really thought it over. For most of the day. I wasn’t sure I should be the one, but in the end, I saw he was right. Ginger wasn’t the only person who was at fault. I was just as much to blame. So Ed left me the key to his office. When the parish house cleared out, I went in and got the baby. I just stayed there for a while.” She gave a quick sob. “It-it was so peaceful, and when I held the doll I just started to think about how important it is to let our best emotions rule us, how important hope and faith and love are in the world.”

I got her a napkin, and she took it gratefully, wiping her nose and eyes. “I knew it was just a doll. But that didn’t matter. And I knew I’d probably be furious with Ginger again someday, but that didn’t matter, either. I-I felt like maybe I could forgive and move on, that I could, you know, break the hold this has on us.”

I nodded. “What happened then, Sid?”

“I went outside. Ed told me to cut through the Baptist’s parking lot if I didn’t want anyone to see me. So that’s what I did. I went into the nativity the back way. I thought somebody would probably be there, like somebody taking care of the animals, but there wasn’t anybody at all.”

That surprised me, too, but the animals were docile. And tethered.

“So nobody saw you there?” Vel said.

“Nobody. Unless someone was watching from a window or something. I put the baby in the manger.” She sighed and sipped her coffee. “I felt so peaceful. Like I was giving up a lot more than a doll. I said a little prayer, then I decided I needed to be alone. The snow was so beautiful and the town was so quiet. I wanted . . . I wanted to hold on to what I was feeling. I wanted to figure out my life. So I decided to walk. I planned to come back when the services let out. I wanted to be at St. Benedict’s when people went back and found the baby in the manger. So I walked through neighborhoods. I could see Christmas trees in houses, and Christmas lights were lit. I was so happy. Then I started back to the Oval, but I guess I’d walked farther than I thought, because it took awhile. And when I got there, I heard people talking about a woman who’d been found . . .”

She didn’t say any more.

Vel leaned forward and took the cup out of Sid’s trembling hands. “How did you figure out it was Ginger?”

“Some guy saw the body, a young guy. He was pretty shook up. He was describing her to his friend. He said he’d never seen her in town. He said she must have been pretty . . . before. Brown leather coat, long red hair. Purple boots.” She shuddered. “I knew. The boots were too unusual.”

“Why didn’t you just come home?”

Sid looked up. “Aggie, I know how this looks. I know what the police are going to think. We’d been seen fighting. I was alone at the manger scene right before . . . before. I realized I needed to retrace my steps, figure out exactly where I’d been and try to calculate exactly when. In case somebody had seen me walking by. But I was so upset, after I went a block, I couldn’t find my way. I couldn’t remember if I’d turned here or there or anything, and the snow was falling harder.” Her voice caught. “And then I was just scared.”

Vel chafed Sid’s hands in hers.

“Ed knows I was the one who put the baby in the manger,” Sid said. “The baby must have been there when Ginger . . . when Ginger . . .”

Vel nodded. “Okay. But that just means you were there first.”

“Come on! I was there. I’ve had a running feud with Ginger most of my life. I just broke up with my boyfriend because he was flirting with Ginger!”

I sat silently, the weight of the evidence against Sid sealing my lips.

“We don’t even know for sure this was murder,” I said at last. “And if it was, maybe the police already know who did it. Don’t borrow trouble, Obstinate-Sidian.” Times like these call out for childhood nicknames.

“I was going to get Ginger to one side tonight and tell her I wanted to start over, that maybe we’d never be friends but there was no reason to be enemies. That I was sorry for every time I’d ever hurt her.”

“Really?”

Sid looked up. “Well, I was going to
try
. I could have managed some of it. And meant it.”

We didn’t have time to make plans on how to approach whatever came next. The front door opened again and we heard heavy footsteps. In a moment Ed and Detective Kirkor Roussos walked into the kitchen.

Detective Roussos is one of the most attractive men I’ve ever known, in a brooding Greek fisherman sort of way. He’s somewhere in his early forties, intelligent, and distinctly reticent. Roussos and I are, well, I don’t know what we are. Not colleagues, although I did manage to help him close a case. Not friends, since our only connection is murder. Not adversaries, since even though we didn’t agree on how involved I should be in solving two recent Emerald Springs homicides, we did agree that solving them was an excellent idea.

Although I’m a happily married woman, I’m aware that if I weren’t, I’d be looking for more than murder to connect me to Kirk Roussos.

“How’s Cliff?” I asked, rising to greet them.

Ed stripped off his coat and gloves. “About like you’d expect. He had just finished up at the house, and he was washing up to come over here.”

“Where is he now?”

“He’s back at the hotel. He doesn’t want to see anybody. Detective Roussos has already questioned him.”

I waited, but nothing was forthcoming about that.

I nodded at Roussos, who nodded back. He was wearing his detective mask. If he had any feelings about being back in our kitchen, they weren’t in evidence.

“This is my older sister Vel Forrester,” I told him. Vel rose and shook his hand.

“This is my younger sister Sid Kane,” I said.

Sid didn’t get to her feet, but she held out her hand.

“Detective Roussos would like to talk to you,” Ed said. “Individually. He wants to find out everything he can about Ginger. He’ll need to talk to Junie, too.”

“Can’t this wait? It’s been an awful night.”

“I’m sorry, but it can’t,” Roussos said. “Would you like to go first, Mrs. Wilcox?”

I looked at my sisters. Sid gave a slight nod. I looked at Ed and mouthed “Jack.” Then I turned to Roussos. “Okay. Where shall we talk? The living room? Remember where it is?”

“I’ll get Junie,” Vel said. “It might take her a few minutes to pull herself together.”

While Ed stayed in the kitchen with Sid, I led Roussos to the other room. I perched on the edge of the couch and he took a chair. He looked uncomfortable, and the parsonage furniture really isn’t that bad. I suspected he was sorry to be here under these circumstances.

I pondered the point of questioning my sisters and me separately, but the reason seemed obvious. Roussos really didn’t care what Vel and I might say in each other’s presence since we’re clearly not suspects, but he did want to get Sid off by herself. Doing it this way, like some sort of package deal, he called less attention to that fact and stood to make her more comfortable.

Only nothing was going to make Sid comfortable. I hoped Ed was already on the telephone to Jack McAllister. Jack is a new associate in the best law firm in Emerald Springs. His real interest is criminal law, which is why he agreed to come back to the town of his birth and work for the firm. He grew up in the church, and his mother, Yvonne, has been a friend and a supporter. If nothing else, having Jack here when Roussos questions Sid will provide some protection.

Jack is also something of a hunk, and for some time I’ve wished I could introduce him to Sid. Although not like this.

“You’ve known the victim how long?” Roussos asked.

I concentrated on saying nothing that would incriminate my sister. “Since she was a little girl. I’m sure Ed told you that Ginger lived with us on and off when we were growing up. Her mother had an alcohol problem, and my mother tried to shield Ginger from the worst of it.”

He nodded. “Before this visit, when was the last time you saw her?”

“Years ago.”

“And why was that?”

“Because Ginger had a lot of problems.”

The questions went on that way for awhile. He asked, I gave the briefest answer I could. I didn’t want anything I said to come back and haunt Sid.

His eyes never left my face. The experience was disconcerting. The last time we’d spent any real time together, he’d been armed and trying to save my life. It’s hard to work up animosity toward a man who is responsible for the air in your lungs.

“Okay,” he said at last. “We’re almost done. Just tell me where you were tonight.”

I did. Succinctly.

“And who was with you?”

I named everyone in the family, including Sid. “Ginger and Cliff were going to meet us here after the service. For dinner and a gift exchange.”

“And everyone you named, they were with you the entire evening?”

“No. Sid left before the service at our church began.”

“Did she tell you where she was going?”

“She indicated she was going to the parish house next door to the church. I thought she was going to use the restroom.”

“Did she come back?”

“You know she didn’t. Ed gave her the job of putting the baby in the manger.”

“When did you see her again?”

“When she came back here.”

“And when was that?”

“Maybe half an hour ago. I didn’t look at a clock.”

“Anything else?”

“Just that you’re wasting time. You should be out looking for whoever did this.”

I thought something like sympathy shone from his eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure. He just nodded and stood.

I stood, too. “Can you tell me how she died?”

He considered. I knew he didn’t want to share details, but this would be public soon enough. “It’s looks like either she was hit with something, or she fell and struck her head. Hard.”

I nodded, trying not to picture this. “I’ll send Vel in.”

“I think I’ll need to talk to Miss Kane next.”

The doorbell rang, and I went to answer it. Jack was shivering on our porch in ratty jeans and a down ski jacket. Not the usual young attorney gear, but it would certainly do. I hauled him inside. “He’s about to interview my sister. I’m so glad Ed called you.”

“He called from the hotel while the detective was talking to the victim’s husband. I was at a party out in the country. And the roads are slick. I couldn’t drive any faster.”

I should have known Ed would call Jack without my prompting. “They’re in the kitchen.”

Jack followed me in, just in time to find Sid getting to her feet. Jack strode over to her like an older, more experienced man in a suit and held out his hand. “Sid, I’m Jack McAllister. Ed and Aggie asked me to sit in on your interview with Detective Roussos.”

“Jack’s a lawyer,” I said.

“Why do you need a lawyer?” Roussos asked her.

“Why do you need to ask?” Jack asked Roussos.

Roussos shrugged. “This way?” He started toward the living room.

We could hear them talking, but not what was said. Ed put his arms around me and pulled me close. He smelled like snow and fresh air and peppermint. I saw candy canes in his suit pocket. Some child had probably given them to him at the service.

“How’s Junie taking this?”

“You know Junie. She’ll get through it, and she’ll make sure we never know how badly it hurts her. She won’t want us to worry.”

“How about the girls?”

“I don’t want them to remember Christmas as a scary time. I told them as little as I could. They were sad something happened to Ginger, but they don’t—didn’t know her well. We can probably salvage a lot of tomorrow for them if we work hard. I’m sure this whole situation seems more puzzling than anything.”

“It puzzles me, too. Did you have a chance to talk to Sid?”

In a low voice I told him what Sid had said about the evening. “What about Cliff?” I asked.

“You mean how he’s doing? Or did he kill her?”