Morning Glory Circle (17 page)

Hannah looked at Maggie, who nodded.

“Go, leave me here, I don’t care,” Maggie said. “It’s only a few more hours.”

Sean hailed Sam just then and Sam rolled over to the pub caravan to talk to him.

“I could just run him home and be right back,” Hannah offered.

“No ma’am,” Maggie said. “It’s a bakery policy that employees who find dead bodies get extra time off without pay.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Are you doing okay?” Maggie asked her.

“Yeah, I think Sam’s more shook up than me,” Hannah said. “I feel kinda jumpy, but Sam’s a mess.”

“Why is he so upset?”

“He feels like he can’t protect me,” Hannah said, “and it makes him feel helpless.”

“Uh oh,” Maggie said. “That’s not good.”

“I just hope he snaps out of it. I don’t think I have the energy to deal with another deep funk right now.”

“Anything I can do?”

“No, but thanks. He’ll stick to me like a decal for a few days but growl every time I talk to him, and then some government agency will get hacked by space aliens and he’ll have to go back to work.”

“Did you talk to Sean?”

“Not yet. And look at your hunky brothers over there, drawing the woman to them like flies to honey. We need one in this caravan; hot men are good for business.”

“I’m immune to it. I grew up sharing a bathroom with them, and all I remember is the farting and fighting.”

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,” said Hannah, who had four older brothers of her own.

“Do you think we can get in Margie’s house and look around?” Maggie asked as Hannah put on her coat.

“We just need a key,” Hannah said, “and I know where we can get one.”

Scott passed the Fitzpatrick Bakery caravan but saw Maggie was busy with customers, so he stopped to converse with Sean and Patrick instead.

“Good to see you,” he said to Sean.

Sean leaned out over the front counter and shook Scott’s hand.

“I thought I better start doing my filial duty,” Sean said. “People were starting to think Patrick’s the only son in this family.”

“The only working son, that’s for sure,” Patrick said. “Wearing a fancy suit and having meetings all day isn’t what I’d call honest labor.”

“Ask Patrick if he’s heard any good lawyer jokes lately,” Sean said to Scott.

“I’ve got a million of ‘em,” Patrick said.

“And I’ve heard about half of them already today,” Sean said.

Scott left them to their customers and walked on down to the PJ’s caravan, where Tony and his nephew were selling slices of pizza and calzones. Tony motioned to Scott to come around to the back of the caravan, and Scott met him at the back door. Tony jumped down and they walked back a few feet, where they could talk privately.

“I heard about Margie,” Tony said, wiping his hands on his apron, which was spattered with pizza sauce.

“Mmm hmm,” Scott said, and then was quiet.

“My mom got a letter in the mail; I think she got it Wednesday but she just told me about it today. I think Margie may have sent it to her. She was pretty upset about it.”

“What did it say?”

“Pretty much what Margie was referring to the day she threatened me. Asked if my mother knew what I was doing with a certain person late at night.”

“Was there a request for money to keep it quiet?”

“No,” Tony said. “It sounds to me like Margie just wanted to make sure my mom knew this information, to hurt her.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about this. I’m going to need to talk to your mother.”

“I figured you would. I told her she has to tell you about it. She doesn’t want to but she will.”

“Should I go to the house?”

“She’s up at the community center right now,” Tony said. “Just do it outside, away from her friends, if you don’t mind.”

“Don’t worry,” Scott said. “I will.”

“Thanks,” Tony said. “Oh, by the way, that sheriff’s investigator came to talk to us, but we didn’t say anything about the deal you made with Margie.”

“I appreciate your good intentions,” Scott said, “but I’m not asking anyone to lie for me. It may all have to come out.”

“We don’t see it as lying for you,” Tony said. “You always do what’s right by the people in this town and we want to do what’s right by you.”

“Thanks,” Scott said. “I appreciate the loyalty.”

Up at the community center Antonia Delvecchio did not look glad to see Scott, but made a show of welcoming him into the kitchen, where a group of women were cooking and baking.

“Please have some coffee,” she implored him. “Have some macaroons. I made them myself.”

Scott couldn’t resist the offer, and soon found himself being plied with food from every direction. Afraid to offend anyone, Scott took a few bites of everything put in front of him. Several of the women took the opportunity to mention their unmarried daughters and extol their virtues.

“Sherry made the lemon squares, Scott,” Mrs. Meyers said. “You wouldn’t believe how hard that girl works at the college, but she still makes time to sew and cook. She’s an old fashioned girl. I just wish she could meet the right boy.”

“Men these days seem to go for flash over substance,” Mrs. Haddad said as she placed a plate of baklava before him. “My Julia is a beauty inside and out, but she doesn’t paint herself up and display all that God gave her just to hang out in bars, like some I could mention. She’s in town for the festival, Scott. You should stop by and see her. I know she’d love to see you.”

Scott recognized that he was one of very few unattached men under the age of fifty in Rose Hill, so he was used to these pitches. He felt sorry for their daughters, though, who he knew would be mortified to hear their mothers say such things. They were nice women, all of them, but everyone knew his heart was spoken for.

As soon as he finished all the desserts he could manage, Antonia said loudly, “Scott, would you mind to take a look at the thermostat outside the cloakroom? I think it’s broken. I’ll show you.”

Antonia Delvecchio held herself in an almost imperious manner, but she also had a powerfully sensuous quality that was impossible to ignore. She led Scott across the common room out into a cold hallway where everyone hung their coats, and Scott was disconcerted to notice the sway in her walk was incredibly sexy. As she turned to face him he noted her beautiful bone structure and Mediterranean complexion seemed also to have defied the aging process. Scott reflected that she must have been an amazingly attractive woman when she was younger, yet it had been the short, homely Sal who had won her heart.

After checking to be sure no one was in either restroom nearby, Antonia spoke in a low voice.

“Anthony told me I should tell you about the letter. Such lies! That witch, that Margie person; I knew she was a troublemaker. She was no good.”

“Where is the letter?”

“I burned it,” She said. “And I hope she burns in hell as well, may God forgive me.”

With her emotions riled Antonia became a little more Italian, kind of like when Maggie’s father drank he became a lot more Irish.

“What did the letter say?” Scott asked her.

“It was all lies about my Anthony. He was seen with someone late at night, so they must be lovers; that my heart must be broken to have a son such as this. I love all my sons, Scott, but Anthony, he is the closest to my heart, capiche? Of course you do. You’re close to your mother as well. My Anthony and I have such a close relationship, I would know if something like this was true, and it’s not. He’s the only one who has not married, this is true. But he is so special, and there has just not been the right woman for him. That’s all it is. Anything else is just lies and evil thoughts from this person, this jealous Margie. I know she’s dead and I must not speak ill of the dead, but anyone who would do such a thing, well…she doesn’t deserve to live among decent people.”

Scott thought he got the gist of the letter, but wanted to be sure.

“She inferred that Tony is gay.”

“She used an awful word, a word I would not repeat to you, to anyone.”

“Did she ask for money?”

“No, she didn’t. It was meant to hurt me, to ruin my relationship with my beautiful son, but it was not blackmail.”

“When did you get the letter?”

“Tuesday. Salvatore picks up the mail, but it was addressed to me. I didn’t tell him about this. It would kill him to even think it might be true. It’s not true! Anthony has had many girlfriends. He recently broke up with a young woman who lives in Pittsburgh; he used to go see her on the weekends. I never met the girl but she was lovely, he said so. She came from a nice family, unfortunately they were not Catholic, and she would not convert. Anthony knows how I feel about these things. He would never marry someone outside our faith.”

“Did you try to contact Margie?”

“I didn’t know it was from this woman. It was written on a typewriter with no signature. After I told Anthony about it he told me about her visit to his office, and her threats. That’s when we knew who it must be. Then she is dead so there is no one to confront.”

She shrugged as if to say, “and that was that.”

“So there was no contact from her before or after you received the letter?”

“No, none. If she had come to me for money I would have slapped her face. I would have spat on her. Such disrespect, and to my husband, a town council member and a respected businessman in this town for so many years. God forgive me, may she rest in peace, but if she had lived, well, I might have killed her myself.”

“Mrs. Delvecchio,” Scott said. “I’m investigating her murder. Please try to be more careful what you say.”

“I’m an emotional woman, Scott. Pay no attention to what I say. When I’m upset I say things I shouldn’t. It’s the Sicilian blood; it runs hot when my family is threatened. Please forgive me.”

“And you didn’t tell Tony about this until today.”

“Yes, we are so close, you know, I can’t hide anything from him. Nor he from me.”

“I appreciate you talking to me. I wish you had kept the letter.”

“You won’t tell anyone about it. What it said, I mean.”

“I can’t see any reason to.”

“Lies!” she hissed as she pulled the sweater draped around her shoulders closer around her. “Wicked lies.”

Scott thanked her and left the community center.

The bar caravan stayed open until 10:00 p.m., but Maggie closed the bakery caravan at 8:00 p.m. and Tommy helped her carry the money and leftovers back to the bakery. She passed Caroline on her way out. It was the first time Maggie had seen her without Drew attached to her hip.

“Hey!” Caroline called out cheerfully, “I’ve been trying to reach you all day!”

Maggie just kept walking, leaving Caroline staring after her.

“Verbally assaulting one Eldridge sister per day is my new limit,” Maggie told Tommy.

The bakery had closed at 6:00 p.m., and it was dark inside when Maggie unlocked and opened the front door. She had just set the cash box down on the front counter when she heard something in the kitchen, and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. A metal pan or bowl hit the floor back there, and Maggie sent Tommy running out the front door, saying loudly, “Go to the diner and ask Pauline to call Scott.”

Tommy met Ed coming out of the diner.

“What’s happened?” he asked, seeing Tommy’s face.

“There’s someone hiding in the bakery,” he said breathlessly. “Maggie’s still in there.”

Ed hurried back with him while dialing Scott on his cell phone. Maggie had turned all the lights on and was standing just inside the front door, holding a long wooden rolling pin like a baseball bat. They all waited there until Scott arrived, thankfully without Sarah.

Scott’s first concern was Maggie, and as soon as he saw she was okay, he led the way to the kitchen. Scott slowly swung open the door and flipped on the light, but whoever it was had gone. The back door was standing wide open, letting big gusts of frigid air and swirling snow into the room.

The noise Maggie had heard was a pan of brownies, left out to cool with a dishtowel over them, flipped over onto the floor. Maggie got a broom and dustpan to clean up while Scott looked around in the alley.

“Looks like whoever it was is long gone,” Scott said, noting the large, wet boot prints left on the kitchen tile. He examined the door but it didn’t seem to have been forced.

“The backdoor locks automatically every time you close it,” Maggie told him, “so I know Mom didn’t leave it unlocked. I came in the front, which was also locked.”

“Who has keys?” Scott asked her.

“Everyone in the family,” Maggie said.

Scott suggested they change the locks. Ed called Sonny Delvecchio, who owned the hardware store, and he said he’d be down in a few minutes.

The adrenaline rush quickly wore off and Maggie felt herself go rubbery-legged and suddenly unable to deal with one more thing. Tears filled her eyes, so she turned and began wiping down the counter in order to hide them. Scott thanked Ed and nodded toward the door.