Murder by Arrangement (Edna Davies mysteries Book 5) (19 page)

“Stay where you
are or I swear I’ll kill her.” Rosie sounded more controlled and very angry, as
if she’d come to a decision. “Lily, go get Lettie. She’s locked in her room,
but the key is in the door.”

“No.” Now Lily
sounded more determined than frightened, and Edna was certain the woman would
protect her grandchild from falling victim to Rosie’s irrational behavior.

“You don’t want
to do that, Miz Beck,” Charlie spoke quickly, then more slowly to remove the
edge of panic from his voice. “Let Edna go and we can talk. If you want to
leave, I’ll go with you.” Charlie managed to keep his tone low and soothing.

Rosie coughed a
mirthless laugh into Edna’s left ear. “I’m not stupid enough to take a cop with
me. This lady’s coming with me and so is my daughter.” Her voice grew louder
and, Edna thought, more desperate. “What are you waiting for, Lily.” It wasn’t
a question. “I said go get Lettie.
Now
.”

Edna saw
Charlie’s eyes flick above and beyond the pick in Rosie’s hand and wondered
what he was thinking. Did he have a plan to get her out of this? Was he judging
the distance to Clem’s truck? She kept her eyes on his, prepared for any signal
he might give her. Rosie took another wobbly step backward, pulling Edna with
her. The movement caused the pick’s cold metal tip to jab Edna’s skin, but she
refused to be distracted.

At that moment,
Charlie flicked his eyes to Edna’s left and feinted toward Rosie’s right hand.

Ready for his
move, Edna twisted her head and rolled her shoulders away from the weapon, more
in reflex than conscious thought. She was certain Rosie would now push the pick
farther into her neck and determined to go out fighting. As she felt Rosie’s
arm slip from her neck, Edna kicked back, feeling the hard rubber heel of her
shoe connect with the woman’s shin. Surprised that her struggling had loosened
Rosie’s hold on her, Edna pulled down on Rosie’s arm. At once, Rosie yelled and
clawed Edna’s shoulder. She seemed to be the one who was falling, not Edna.

In the same two
seconds it took Edna to move, Charlie grabbed her wrist and drew her toward
him. As soon as she felt her captor’s grip ease, Edna spun to face Rosie. What
she saw made her gasp. John Forrester was grappling with Rosie. His left arm
was around her waist, lifting her far enough from the floor that she had to
balance on tiptoes. His right hand had hold of Rosie’s wrist and, by the look
on her face, he was squeezing hard.

 “Drop it,” he
snarled, giving her hand a quick shake.

After a brief
struggle, all energy suddenly seemed to leave Rosie’s body as she dropped the
ice pick. She would have collapsed to the floor if it weren’t for John’s arm
holding her like a rag doll.

Lily seemed to
come alive when her daughter crumpled. “Here,” she shouted, rushing forward.
“Let her go.”

John obeyed and
Lily folded her daughter into her arms. Both women slid to the cement floor,
mother holding a sobbing child to her breast.

Grabbing the
pick off the floor, John stepped around them and extended the weapon, handle
first, to Charlie. He then shook Charlie’s hand, all the while ignoring Edna.
“Glad you came along, son,” he said.

“Glad you were
behind that truck,” Charlie said, accepting the man’s hand with a grin.

“Have you been
there all along?” Edna stared at the retired detective in disbelief.

John had the
decency to look sheepish. “Yep.”

“How’d you
happen to be here?” Charlie asked.

John shrugged a
shoulder. “Drove by this morning and noticed the open door. Thought I’d make
sure nobody was stealing Miz Beck’s tools. You know how burglars are,” he said,
wiping a hand over his face before glancing at Charlie from beneath lowered
lids. “Anyone reading the handyman’s obit in the paper might think the place
was unprotected. Didn’t see any sense in upsetting the house if everything was
secure, so I showed myself in. Good thing, huh?”

 John maneuvered
the subject away from his illegal trespassing, but perhaps was unaware he was
implicating himself in an illegal search as he turned his head and jutted his
chin toward the center back wall of the garage. “I was looking to see what was
in those cupboards when I heard someone coming this way. Thought I’d just rest
myself over on those stairs behind the truck and keep out of their way.” Again,
he merely slid his eyes in Charlie’s direction, probably to see how his tale
was being received. “You know, in case they were planning to rob the place.”

“Well, glad you
decided to stay and make sure all was safe,” Charlie agreed, reaching into his
breast pocket for his cell phone. “Right now, I think I’d better call this in.”

“I don’t see a
reason for me to hang around. I’ll drop by the station later, if you want a
statement.” John Forrester headed for the door, without another word or glance
at Edna.

While Charlie
made the call, Edna watched John’s retreating back with a mixture of
thankfulness that he’d been there and annoyance at his chauvinism. Once he’d
gone, leaving the side door open, she looked at the women still huddled
together on the floor. Rosie was crying softly while Lily rocked her child back
and forth, murmuring quietly.

When Charlie
finished talking and closed his phone, she turned to him. “I must see about
Lettie.”

He put a
restraining hand on her arm. “Better to wait. Help is on the way. You don’t
want Lettie to see her mother taken away in a police car, do you?”

Edna recognized
the wisdom in his words and leaned back against the side of the Impala where
Charlie joined her. They waited less than ten minutes before Detective Peggy
King walked into the garage with two uniformed policemen. Before Edna knew it,
Charlie was on his way to the station with Rosie and the officers, and Peggy
King was escorting Lily into the house to release Lettie.

Edna headed
home. She was uneasy. Something wasn’t right.

Chapter 26

Weary as she was
when she got home, Edna had a call to make.

“Hello, Irene.”

“Edna? Hi. I was
going to phone you later. Diane and I have been planning a surprise for the
guys tomorrow night. Something special for Valentine’s Day. I want to fill you
in, but we have a couple more details to work out after she gets off work this
afternoon.”

“If you’re
thinking of a restaurant, it might be difficult to time a reservation. Their
plane could be late.”

“Oh, nothing
like that. We’re going to cook dinner at Diane’s. Starling says she’ll bring
the appetizers.” Irene giggled. “I bet she’ll bring oysters from that favorite
market of hers in Boston.”

Edna smiled but
didn’t feel very festive at the moment. “Irene, I phoned to give you some bad
news.”

An edge of panic
sounded in Irene’s voice. “What’s wrong? Nothing’s happened to Matt, has it?”
Before Edna could reply, Irene added, “Or Albert?”

“No, dear. The
men are fine. I’m calling about Rosie Beck.” Edna took a deep breath before
continuing. “She’s been arrested. It looks like she actually might have
poisoned her husband two years ago. Nothing’s definite yet, but they’re
questioning her.”

“Oh, Edna, how
terrible.” After a second’s pause, Irene said, “How’s Lettie? Is she okay?”

“She’s with her
grandmother and a policewoman. I’m not sure how she’ll take the news of her
mother, but I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

Irene was silent
a while longer before she said, “What do I tell Amanda.”

“Maybe you
shouldn’t say anything until we’re certain.”

“That’s probably
wisest,” Irene agreed.

They ended the
call shortly thereafter, promising to be back in touch if Edna received any
information about the Becks, or if Irene had further details about the family
dinner, although her enthusiasm for the event seemed to have diminished
considerably.

Edna was
restless for several hours after speaking to Irene. Something was nagging at
her, but she couldn’t bring it from the back of her mind into the light. Her
thoughts switched from Lettie to Rosie, from Rosie to Lily, from Lily to
Charlie, before starting again. Over and over, she wondered what they were doing,
how they were feeling, and what was it that disturbed her about the whole
affair. Wandering around the house, she half-heartedly straightened up for the
cleaners who would arrive in the morning.

That evening,
mostly to have something to do, she scrambled an egg and warmed a cranberry
muffin. She had no appetite, but forced herself eat the light supper. She felt
exhausted, but couldn’t seem to sit still or lie down. She didn’t want to go to
bed or read, so she put on her coat and went for a walk.

The cold, humid
air quickly seeped through her outer clothing and into her bones, but she
didn’t return to the house for another twenty minutes. The night was dark with
only a partial moon, but the stars were bright in a clear sky. When she did
finally open the door and enter the mudroom, the phone was ringing. Running
through to the kitchen phone, she picked it up just as the answering machine
kicked in.

“Hello, hello.
I’m here,” she nearly shouted into the receiver, hoping if it were either
Albert or Charlie, he wouldn’t have hung up.

When the “speak
beep” sounded, Edna heard Charlie’s voice.

“Where have you
been? I’ve been trying to reach you for the past half hour.”

“Walking. What’s
the news?”

“Nothing
definite yet. Rosie’s cooperating with us, but it’s taking time to get things
out of her. Also, she seems frantic about her daughter and keeps asking to see
her.”

 “How is
Lettie?”

“According to
the children’s advocate, she’s clinging to Lily right now. Too soon to tell
what will happen, but I’m guessing they’ll leave the girl with her
grandmother.” Charlie paused and then added hesitantly, “I get the impression
that Rosie isn’t easy about her daughter staying with Lily.”

“What makes you
think that?” Edna was surprised at the comment, but upon hearing Charlie’s
comment, the fog in her head thinned slightly.

“Can’t put my
finger on it,” He sighed. “Maybe I’m just tired and not thinking straight.
Actually, I’m on my way home to get a few hours of shuteye before I go back.”

Stalling for
time in case her vague thoughts became clearer, she asked, “Have you seen John
Forrester?”

“He stopped by
the station just before I left.”

“And?” Edna
prompted. “Did he tell you why he was at Lily’s and why he’s been investigating
a two-year-old case?” She hastened to add, “I’m very glad he was and I’m
deliriously happy he went into that garage this morning, but I’ve never
understood his motive.”

“Said he was
doing it for his daughter.” Charlie clipped the last word off so abruptly, Edna
knew he regretted saying it.

“Bobbi
Callahan,” she said, guessing John had asked Charlie to keep a confidence.

“You know about
the relationship?” He sounded surprised.

“Yes,” Edna
said, “but only recently. I spoke to both Louise Callahan and Bobbi yesterday
morning. It appears to be no secret, but neither do they want it to be the
topic of gossip. The relationship is why he was taken off the case two years
ago. According to his wife, Duke Callahan used his friendship with the chief to
pull John from the investigation. Claimed it was a conflict of interest.”

Charlie laughed.
“I should have known you’d have the facts. Mary’s influence, I imagine.”

Edna ignored the
remark as she spoke her next thought aloud. “So John decided to reinvestigate
in order to protect his daughter.”
Everyone seems to be protecting a daughter
,
the voice in her mind said.

“So he claims,”
Charlie interrupted her musings. “Said everyone who was interviewed as a
possible suspect two years ago has been living under a cloud of suspicion that
won’t be lifted until the truth comes out. Bobbi is afraid those doubts might
jeopardize her teaching career. Folks might not want their kids associated with
someone mixed up in an unsolved death. John told her he’d check, see if he
could spot any stones left unturned. He told me that after reading the case
file, he was pretty sure Rosie was responsible for her husband’s death.”

Not right,
not right
, the voice insisted. Straining to remove the remaining fuzziness
from her brain, Edna said, “How did he come to be in Lily’s garage this
morning?”

“He wasn’t
getting anywhere with the case. He’d almost decided to give it up, but thought
he’d question the Becks one more time, especially when he learned Rosie was at
her mother’s house. Figured he might learn something if the two women were
together and he could get them pitted against each other.”

Sounds like a
tactic he’d use
, Edna thought but didn’t say aloud as Charlie went on
speaking.

“When he drove
by the place, he saw the garage door was partially open. Said he thought he
might look around before announcing himself to the house. He told me, if
nothing came of it, he’d probably have dropped the investigation.”

Turning her mind
to parents and children, Edna paid little attention to Charlie’s last words.
Perhaps it was a mother’s instinct speaking when she said almost to herself,
“Someone needs to interview Lettie.”

“We’ll be
talking to her and to Lily,” Charlie reassured Edna.

“No, I mean
now.” Edna hoped the sudden urgency she felt was getting through to him. “Ask
her about Saturday night.”

“Oookaaay,”
Charlie drew out the single word.

“Trust me,
Charlie. I think Lettie knows more than anyone suspects, including the child
herself.”

Chapter 27

Friday morning,
after leaving instructions with the Housekeeper Helpers, Edna left for her
weekly hair appointment and brunch with Peppa and Tuck. She wondered if Peppa
would show up and if she had any more information about Clem. She did and she
had, but the three friends could hardly shout across the room or speak while
having their hair shampooed. For the first time that Edna could remember, Tuck
waved off her usual root coloring. She didn’t want to be late to the diner and
miss any news.

Finally seated
in their preferred booth in their favorite café with coffee and scones before
them and the waitress gone, the three friends could talk.

Without
preamble, Peppa said, “Peggy King came over last night.”

Remembering that
the lead detective had been a “Saturday morning kid” of Peppa’s, Edna was
certain Peggy made a special trip to give Peppa whatever information she could.
Edna waited, trying to be patient, but questions whirled in her head.

“What did she
say?” Tuck asked, sounding exasperated over the slowness at which her friend
was imparting news. She watched Peppa intently as she bit into a blueberry scone
and took a sip of coffee. “Don’t tease,” Tuck insisted. “Out with it, for
heaven’s sake.”

Peppa swallowed,
looking down into her coffee mug. Edna didn’t think the old librarian was
teasing. Rather, she was trying to get control of her emotions before speaking.

“Clem didn’t
take digitalis. What happened was he ate some sort of tainted honey that Lily
had stored in her garage.”

Edna nodded.
“Mad honey.”

“That’s what
Peggy said,” Peppa agreed. “Charlie told her what you found in Mrs. Rabichek’s
journal and that it had properties similar to digitalis, suppressing his heart
rate, besides making him disoriented and confused.” She shook her head in
sadness. “That, plus the physical strain and extreme cold, was enough to stop
his heart altogether.”

“Why did he eat
the honey, if it wasn’t any good?” Tuck demanded.

Peppa scowled at
her. “He obviously didn’t know what it was. Rosie told him he was welcome to
anything he found in the garage cupboards. She said her mother tended to hoard
her homemade goods, but Rosie thought the food would spoil, if it sat for too
many years.” Peppa took another bite of scone and chewed thoughtfully. “The
police found a honey pot on Clem’s kitchen table and figured he’d filled a
honey pot from a pint of the bad stuff in the cupboard. They’ll be testing it
to make certain.” Peppa sighed heavily. “Clem always had a sweet tooth, and he
always preferred honey over sugar in his coffee, if you can imagine.”

“How did he end
up at your house?” Tuck asked, seeming too curious or excited to eat.

“Yes,” said
Edna, “and why was he holding a Christmas Rose? Was he trying to point the
finger at Rosie Beck?”

“Nobody knows,”
Peppa said. “I’m guessing he discovered how Gregory Haverstrum died and was
taking a piece of the plant to show the police.”

Tuck looked more
confused than usual. “Why didn’t he do that months ago?”

When Peppa
merely shrugged, Edna spoke up. “I bet he recently found out the details of
Gregory’s death from John Forrester. The old detective has been talking to
everyone associated with the case. Granted Clem wasn’t around two years ago,
but John’s been hanging around Lily’s place and would certainly have talked to
Clem. As a botanist, Clem would have figured out that it must have been
ranunculin that caused the blistering and ulcers around Gregory’s mouth and in
his throat. I think Peppa’s right about Clem pulling the plant to show to the
police.”

 The friends
talked more, but their speculations soon petered out. Saddened by all that had
happened in the last week, they cut short their visit and went to their
respective homes.

For the rest of
the day, Edna fidgeted as the clock moved slowly toward four-thirty when she
would meet up with Charlie. Impatient for information, she wished he would
phone before then with news of Lettie or Rosie, but wasn’t surprised when he
didn’t. Edna was certain her hunch about the child was correct, that she had
answers to questions nobody had thought to ask the youngster.

The hour finally
came to leave. Edna was to drive to the police station and pick up Charlie
before they headed for the airport to meet Albert, Matthew, Roger and Ken. To
transport the men and their luggage, two cars were needed, so Starling had
agreed to meet them at the baggage carousels.

When Edna
reached the lot at the police station, she switched to the passenger’s seat.
Five minutes later, Charlie got behind the wheel and started the car. Edna
didn’t even wait for him to pull forward.

“Well,” she
said, “did you talk to Lettie?”

He put the car
in gear and moved slowly out of the lot. “Peggy did. I told her you suggested
asking Lettie what she did Saturday night.” He glanced over at Edna. “You’re
pretty wily, you know that?”

Edna nearly
bounced in the seat with nervous anticipation. “What did she say?”

Charlie watched
for traffic as he accelerated onto the road. “Lettie said she and her mother
were watching a movie. She said they were snuggled up on the couch in Lily’s
den ‘cause it was a scary film. Her mother let her stay up late.”

“Until what
time?” Edna asked.

“Around eleven,
according to the girl.”

“So they must
have been together when Clem was walking toward Peppa’s house,” Edna
calculated.

“How did you
know Lettie could alibi her mother?” Charlie gave Edna another quick glance.

“I didn’t, but I
remembered Lily saying she left halfway through the show. Innocent as children
are, I doubt Lettie would consciously think to give her mother an alibi, if one
were necessary.”

Charlie nodded
without taking his eyes off the road. “After talking to the girl, Peggy had
Lily brought to the station for questioning. She resisted answering at first,
but after Peggy told her about Lettie’s confirmation of Rosie’s alibi, Lily
finally admitted to driving Clem away from her property. Said that on her way
to bed, she’d gone to the sun porch to make sure the shades were drawn and
spotted Clem stumbling around the back garden. Snow was falling pretty steadily
by then, so she put on a coat and went to see what he was doing.”

“And learned he
had heard about Gregory Haverstrum’s symptoms and connected them with the
Christmas Rose,” Edna finished for Charlie.

“Exactly.” He
glanced out the side view mirror before changing lanes and passing a slower
vehicle. “Clem must have loaded his tea with the poisoned honey shortly before
deciding to gather the evidence he’d need to prove his theory.”

Edna shifted in
her seat, turning slightly to study Charlie. “Rosie told me her mother never
drove in bad weather. That’s why I didn’t suspect her sooner, but I still don’t
understand why Clem got into the car with her. He must have been leery of his
employer. After all, it was her plant, her garden and her son-in-law.”

“Remember, the
‘mad honey’ made him disoriented and weak. Lily probably had no problem getting
him into Rosie’s car, particularly if she told him she was taking him to the
hospital.”

“That’s another
thing. Why use Rosie’s car? Was Lily trying to implicate her daughter?”

Charlie shook
his head, keeping his eyes on the road. “She couldn’t have used the Impala,
even if she’d wanted to. Rosie was parked behind it in the driveway.”

“Knowing her
mother wouldn’t have driven in the snow,” Edna completed the thought. She
winced at the irony before asking, “Why did Lily leave Clem so close to his old
house?”

“She didn’t
realize it was his old neighborhood. By that time, I’m guessing she wasn’t
thinking clearly. She admitted that all she could think about was getting him
away from her place. Didn’t care where and probably wasn’t even aware of what
street she was on. When she figured she’d driven around enough, she stopped,
pushed him out of the car and drove off.”

“Did she mean
for him to die?”

“Claims not. She
said she was ‘terribly annoyed’ at him for what she considered his disloyalty.
She only wanted him away from her property. Like I said, she probably wasn’t
thinking rationally, but the forecast was for below-zero temperatures that
night. I think she figured it was late enough at night and with the heavy
snowfall, it was almost certain he wouldn’t survive. Because of the condition
he was in, she probably thought, if he did survive, he wouldn’t remember what
had happened.”

“If you hadn’t
found out Rosie was with Lettie Saturday night, would Lily have let her
daughter be blamed for Clem’s death?”

“Her idea was
that nobody could prove anything against Rosie, so she was waiting before
implicating herself.” Charlie looked over at Edna and raised his eyebrows,
clearing doubting Lily’s statement.

Edna shook her
head at the mother’s duplicity before speculating, “So Gregory Haverstrum was
Lily’s doing, too, I imagine. It certainly would explain Lettie’s comment about
her grandmother’s medicine not making her father better. She must have seen
Lily put something into her father’s food or drink.”

Charlie shrugged
without glancing at Edna. “Probably, but we haven’t pressed the girl about what
she witnessed two years ago. For the time being, we’ve released Rosie.” He slid
his eyes toward Edna as if wondering how she would take the news, but before
she could say anything about Rosie’s manhandling of her, Charlie rushed on.
“Her lawyer is taking responsibility for her staying in town, so Peggy thought
it would be best if Rosie and Lettie could be together in Lily’s house for the
time being.”

Realizing what
Charlie’s admission meant, Edna said, “I don’t plan on pressing charges, but
why did Rosie react as she did, threatening me with that pick?” Edna shuddered
at the memory.

“Our
department’s psychologist spoke to her before Peggy agreed to release Rosie to
her lawyer. She feels that John’s reopening of the case stirred Rosie’s
subconscious. Her own repressed memories, plus questions Lettie’d begun to ask,
pushed Rosie to the brink. She didn’t want to believe her mother was capable of
so heinous an act, and it put her psyche at odds with her growing conviction.”

Edna was silent,
thinking about all that had transpired in the last week until Charlie’s voice
brought her back to the present.

“Is there
anything else about our case that you haven’t figured out?” he said, flashing
her a grin to let her know he was being facetious.

“Yes,” she retorted,
returning the smile. “How did you happen to walk into the garage when you did?
That sort of timing only happens on TV shows.”

He laughed.
“Talk about a fluke. Lettie sent a text to Amanda. She was furious that her
mother had locked her in her room, but she was also worried about her mother’s
strange behavior, so she sent a text to her best friend. Probably in the state
Lettie was in, she forgot Amanda doesn’t have a cell of her own and that the
message would go to Starling’s mobile. When she saw the message, Starling
phoned me. Practically ordered me to get over to Lily’s immediately.” He gave
Edna a lopsided grin. “Fortunately, my meeting was over.”

Edna hid a
smile, familiar with her daughter’s bossy side, but not willing to acknowledge
it to Charlie. Returning to the seriousness of the situation, Edna said,
“Rosie’s behavior certainly was strange.” She shivered, remembering again the
jab of the ice pick into her neck. “She took me completely by surprise, but
that’s another reason I thought she probably hadn’t poisoned anyone.”

Charlie frowned,
sending another brief glance in Edna’s direction. “Oh?”

“Poison is
usually the weapon of a weak person. A coward, if you will,” Edna explained.
“Rosie went for me with a pick. If she had killed her husband, I imagine she
would have used a knife or she would have hit him over the head with something.
She was aggressive, not sly.” Edna fell silent for a minute before voicing her
next thought. “What do you suppose Lily’s motive was in killing her
son-in-law?”

Charlie shook
his head. “I have no idea, but Peggy has a theory from what she learned during
Rosie’s interview. When she told her mother about the pending divorce and how
unreasonable Gregory had become, Lily decided to step in. Gregory threatened
not only to get custody of Lettie, but also to make certain Rosie got
practically no money from him. Lily was sure he could make good his threats,
since Gregory had money to hire the best lawyers and Rosie had none. Even in
his will, Haverstrum tied up all his assets in a trust for his daughter which
she can’t touch until she’s twenty-five. Lily was in no position to help
financially unless she sold the family home, so she did the only thing she
could think of to protect her child. Lily had raised Rosie on a shoestring after
her own husband died. She didn’t want Rosie to go through the same struggle.”

Edna sighed,
feeling deeply saddened for the hopelessness Lily must have felt to have gone
to such extremes. “What happens now?” she asked, thinking of the nine-year-old
child who seemed caught in the middle.

Approaching the
airport exit, Charlie put on his signal. “It’s up to the lawyers,” he said,
turning off the highway.

When they
reached the terminal, Charlie let Edna off at the arrivals door before driving
off to park the car. She found Starling in the crowd waiting in the baggage
claim area. Passengers were already coming off the escalators from the upper
floor.

“I was wondering
if you’d make it,” Starling said, kissing her mother’s cheek. “I thought I
might have to squeeze four big men and their luggage into my little Toyota.”

Charlie joined
them as Edna finally spotted a familiar and beloved head of white, wavy hair.
Instead of coming off the stairs, however, Albert and Matthew stepped out of an
elevator. Roger and Ken were close behind. Her heart lurched when she saw her
husband was still walking with the aid of his cane and his free hand was behind
his back as if for balance. Smiling to hide her concern, she waved. Matthew saw
her first and lifted a hand in acknowledgement.