Murder at Catfish Corner: A Maggie Morgan Mystery (16 page)

Chapter Thirty

Stella reached
over the table and clutched Maggie’s hand. “Thank you doesn’t even begin to
express my gratitude to you,” she said. “When no one else believed me, when no
one else believed the truth, you did.”

Maggie fidgeted
in the booth she occupied with Luke. When Maggie had refused Stella’s offer of
a cash reward for solving the mystery of Hazel’s death, Stella had insisted
that Maggie and Luke join her at the Dinner Bucket for lunch. Although Maggie
appreciated Stella’s generosity, her praise made her feel self-conscious. “It
was nothing. Really. I asked a few questions.”

“Don’t sell
yourself short,” Luke said. “You recognized that necklace as a clue. You solved
a crime. You’re two-for-two.”

“I don’t know
about that,” Maggie said. “The police had it right from the beginning. Well,
more or less.”

“No, they did
not have it right,” Stella said. “Hazel’s death was not an accident. She was
murdered and we, you and I, had it right from the beginning.”

“I don’t know if
I would describe her death as a murder.”

“That’s because
you believe Vanessa’s version of events,” Stella said. “I do not. I believe she
hit Hazel on the back of the head, which made her fall into that water. Then,
she watched her die. And I have not forgotten that Earl David Osborne allowed
my sister to remain in that water for hours. I told him he had disappointed me
terribly. He put his head down and refused to look me in the eyes. I guess his
guilt will have to console me because it doesn’t appear as if charges will be
brought against him.”

“I thought you
might be disappointed in the resolution,” Maggie said.

“Why’s that?”

“Because Earnest
is innocent. You were so sure of his guilt.”

Stella sighed. “From
what you’ve told me about your conversations with him and Brandi, he seems
miserable and that does give me some comfort.”

Maggie heard
Luke cough, which she read as an attempt on his behalf to suppress laughter. “It
doesn’t seem like he has much joy in his life,” she said.

Stella smiled
and tilted her head slightly. “I think that’s what they call karma.”

“So, how’s
Dennis?”

Stella’s smile
faded. “Not well. I’m afraid he’s unhappy with me. He had hoped I would change
my mind and ask my daughter to allow Fallon to stay in the house. I will not do
that, especially after learning how she got the money to pay her rent and buy that
furniture and her car and who knows what else.”

“Well, it takes
two,” Maggie said.

“She took
advantage of him and preyed on his vulnerabilities and his good nature. It’s my
hope that time will heal his heart and open his eyes regarding that woman. You
know, she and Brandi are two peas in a pod. Both used their children as excuses
for their bad behavior. Wanting to provide a better life for your children does
not justify immoral actions.”

Maggie didn’t
want to debate the actions of Fallon and Brandi with Stella, so she asked,
“What are your plans for the houses?”

“Brother is
going to move back into our family home, rent-free, of course, but my daughter
is not signing it over to him. At least not yet. We’re selling Hazel’s house.
My daughter hasn’t told Dennis yet, but she’s going to split the money with him.
That will help replenish his savings. She said she might even throw a couple
bucks my way, but I don’t need the money.” Stella produced an envelope from her
purse and said, “Speaking of money, you’ve made it clear that you will not
accept cash. So, in addition to this delicious lunch, I hope you will agree to
accept these gas cards. They will help fund your vacation.”

“That is so kind
of you, Mrs. Martin.”

Stella held her
hand to her chest. “Friends do not refer to one another by their titles, Luke.
Please, call me Stella.”

“Stella,” Luke
said with a smile, “Maggie and I will think of you as we drive toward the Grand
Canyon.”

“Yes, thank you,
Stella,” Maggie said.

“No, thank you. Now that I know what really happened to my sister, maybe
I can begin to let her go.”

Maggie and Luke
bid their farewell to Stella outside the restaurant. As they walked down the
street, Luke said, “I had to make sure I thanked her for the gas cards before
you could refuse them.”

“I knew what you
were doing.” Maggie smiled. “I also saw you trying not to laugh when she
celebrated Earnest’s misery.”

Maggie turned
the corner and ran into Seth.

“Whoa,” he said.
“I’m going to give you a ticket for speed walking.”

Luke greeted
Seth with a slight nod. Maggie said, “Hey, Seth. Are you headed to the Dinner
Bucket?”

“Yeah. There’s a
club sandwich there with my name on it.”

“We just came
from there. We had lunch with Stella Martin.”

“How is she
taking the news?”

“She’s handling
it well. She feels vindicated. Of course, she’s not buying Vanessa Griffith’s
story. She thinks it was murder. It’s not, is it?”

Seth scratched
his head. “Probably not and even if it is, her lawyer can bring in as evidence
the initial report that ruled it an accident.”

“But she let a
woman die,” Luke said.

“I didn’t say a crime
wasn’t committed,” Seth said. “But proving murder involves, well, it’s
complicated.”

“What will
happen to her?” Maggie asked.

“If she’s smart,
she’ll accept a deal on this charge as well as on the fraud charges that are
bound to be filed. She’ll probably serve some time for the death, but they
might get by with only paying a fine on the fraud. I don’t know, though.
Anything could happen.”

“I would hate
for those kids to lose both their parents.”

Seth grinned.
“That’s because you’re a good person, Maggie Morgan. So, are you ready for your
trip? You leave tomorrow, right?”

“How did you
know about that?” Luke asked Seth.

“I told him,”
Maggie said.

“When?”

“I think I told
him the other night when I called him for advice.”

“And I bet you
were all too happy to help,” Luke said to Seth.

“Luke, you’re
out of line,” Maggie said. “I’m the one you’re mad at. Don’t blame Seth.”

“No, he’s the
one who’s out of line and, don’t worry, I can be mad at both of you,” Luke
said. “He’s been encouraging you to investigate these murders and put yourself
in jeopardy just so you’ll run to him for help.”

“Can we please
have this conversation later?” Maggie asked.

Luke nodded,
began walking away, and said, “Oh, yeah, we’ll talk about this later. You can
count on that.”

Maggie closed
her eyes. When she opened them, she saw that Seth remained on the sidewalk.
“I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. You
can’t apologize for another person’s behavior.” Seth shrugged. “Besides, maybe
he’s right. Maybe I am looking for any reason to spend time with you.”