Slip and Go Die (A Parson's Cove Mystery) (15 page)

“I didn’t tell you because it’s none of your business. Besides, Esther specifically asked that I not tell you.” Once again, he stared at me through his bloodshot eyes. “Can’t you leave me in peace? Don’t you think that if Esther were somehow implicated, that I would do something about it?”

Aw, he was trying to put some kind of guilt trip on me.

“Of course, I do, Reg. I should realize by now that you are the perfect cop. You never make mistakes. Why should I think for one moment that my silly, tiny, little brain might find some sort of clue that you, heaven forbid, may have overlooked.”

Two could play at this game.

“All right. All right. You win. I know one thing: if I don’t tell you something that you want to hear, you will never leave me alone. You will hound me until I lose my mind.”

“Well, I don’t think I’d go that far, Sheriff Smee.”

He nodded. “Oh yes, you would.”

I waited. He sat staring at my tablecloth.

Finally, he said, “She went there to pick up Millicent.”

“What?”

“You heard me. She was there to pick up Millicent.”

“Why was Millicent there?”

I could tell by the look on his face that Reg Smee’s patience was rapidly reaching its climax.

“Not that it’s any of your business, Mabel, but it just so happens that Millicent has become an entrepreneur. She started up her own little business a couple of months ago.”

“What? This is the first I’ve heard about it.”

Reg sighed. He knew now that since he’d gone this far, there was no turning back, not unless he wanted me to bug him until he lost his mind, that is.

“She has her own business. Beulah was one of her customers.”

“Why was this such a big secret? You mean everyone in town knew about this except for me and Flori?”

“I have no idea who knew about it and who didn’t. It’s no big secret, I’m sure.”

“Why didn’t Millicent want to do business with me?”

Reg seemed to find quite a bit of humor in that statement. He threw back his head and roared.

After pulling out a somewhat used handkerchief, he wiped the tears from his cheeks and said, “That’s a good one, Mabel. You’re probably the last person Millicent would want to do business with. Besides, you carry most of the same stuff in your store anyway so why would she come to you?”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Oh, greeting cards and little knick-knacks, that sort of stuff.”

“Reg, doesn’t it seem like the case is solved? Isn’t the answer right in front of our eyes?”

He was busy grimacing as he tried to shove the hanky into his too-tight pants pocket.

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” I said, “isn’t it obvious then that Millicent is our prime suspect? She had been up to Beulah’s, the crime scene. Undoubtedly, she had her list of customers and would have cased each house. Who would know more than anyone else in Parson’s Cove, which house had the most junk to steal? Besides, perhaps you didn’t notice but she’s wearing a very expensive coat.”

Reg stared at me. “First of all, Miss Wickles, this is not ‘our’ case. Secondly, don’t you think I would have checked out her alibi?”

“Really? You checked out her alibi?” I grinned. “I’m impressed.”

It wasn’t easy to notice but under his ruddy, weather-beaten skin, I did see a touch of pink. Imagine, Reg Smee was blushing.

“So, what was the little princess up to the day that Beulah died and the night my store was robbed?” I asked.

Reg wriggled in his chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. There weren’t too many kitchen chairs built wide enough for his broad posterior. The chair creaked in protest so he sat still.

He looked longingly over at the kitchen stove. There was just enough coffee left in my old, glass Pyrex coffee pot for one more cup.

I stood up. “Why don’t you finish off this last cup of coffee, Reg? Be a pity to throw out good coffee, wouldn’t it?”

He nodded.

I fixed the coffee for him (after all these years I know how almost everyone in Parson’s Cove takes it) and, for good measure, plopped another muffin on a plate.

I sat and waited until he’d wiped the last crumb off his chin (which didn’t take too long) before I spoke.

“I take it that Millicent had a good alibi then?”

He lifted the cup to his lips and nodded before downing the last of it.

“Yup. She hadn’t been up to Beulah’s that day at all.”

“Got witnesses to prove it?”

“Witnesses to prove what? I can’t go around accusing people of crimes when there’s no proof that a crime took place. What kind of a cop do you think I am?”

“A very good one, Reg. And, a very thorough one,” I added. “I don’t understand why Esther went up there then, do you?”

Reg sighed. “A very simple explanation: It was getting late and Millicent wasn’t home yet. Esther checked the list Millicent had made up of all the customers she was going to see that day and Beulah was on it. Esther was worried that Millicent might get all the way out there and then not get a ride home.”

“So where was Millicent and how did Esther get out there?”

Reg shook his head. “You know, Mabel, if you weren’t so generous with your coffee and muffins, I wouldn’t be so generous to you. You know that, don’t you?”

I smiled sweetly. “Of course, I know that.”

“Well, it’s no big secret. I don’t want you blabbing it round to everyone that I told you though. Got that?”

“Of course, Sheriff Smee.”

“You don’t have to start ‘Sheriff Smee-ing’ me. Esther got a ride out to Beulah’s with Prunella Flowers, if you must know.”

“Are you serious? Prunella? They haven’t spoken to each other in years. Did you know that?”

“No, I can’t say that I did. Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?”

I pulled the chair up closer to the table.

“Yes. I don’t understand why Esther wouldn’t have phoned first though. That would make more sense than running out there.”

“She did but the line was busy and you know Esther, she isn’t the most patient person in the world.”

“Oh, all right, but even so, why would Esther make Prunella go out of her way like that? Couldn’t she wait until Beulah got off the phone?”

He shrugged. “I can’t explain why Esther does the things she does. If you want to hear her story, then keep quiet for a couple of minutes. Can you do that?”

I simply nodded. If he wanted me to be quiet, I would begin immediately.

“Prunella told me that she waited out in the car while Esther went up to the house; said she’d hardly taken two puffs of her cigarette when Esther came running back down to the car, screaming her head off.” He stopped for a second, thinking, I suppose, that I needed time for that bit of information to sink in. “Now,” he continued, “do you understand why Esther had no part in Beulah’s death? Do you think that you can get it through your thick skull that no murder has taken place here? That the only crime we’re trying to work on is the robbery that took place at your store?”

“Why would Prunella give her a ride?”

Reg groaned and looked up at the ceiling.

“Because Esther phoned her, crying her eyes out and saying that she was sure her daughter was frozen to death in a snow bank, that’s why. Besides that, she didn’t know who was giving Millicent a ride so she was convinced it might be some serial killer. You know she never lets that girl out of her sight. Satisfied now?”

“I guess so.” Perhaps, Flori might have done the same thing. Hard to say. I always figured she smothered those kids of hers too much.

I had to admit that I was a bit disappointed. It would have been so satisfying to connect Esther with any sort of crime. Oh well, maybe I didn’t have a murder case to solve but I definitely had my hands full with my own problems. Who had Charlie seen robbing my place? Who would be so wicked as to threaten an innocent unassuming man like Charlie? When I caught up with them, I didn’t want to imagine what I might be tempted to do.

Reg stood by the door, twirling his hat with his finger.

“By the way,” he said, “you didn’t happen to make an inventory of Beulah’s things, did you?”

“I most certainly did. There was no way I was going to let you think that I might cheat you.”

“Good girl. Could I have a copy, Mabel?”

“Sure, but how do you think that will help?”

Reg stood and said nothing for a moment. He shook his head. “I don’t know if it will but maybe some of the things will turn up in some pawn shop. There’s something that keeps going over and over in my brain: Why would someone steal everything? It was quite obvious that most of it was probably junk. Why would the perpetrators go to all that trouble? Why didn’t they just take the things that were worth a lot of money?” He looked at me. “That’s what I’d like to know.” He hit his fist in the palm of his other hand. “That’s what I’d like to know.”

Umm, I thought, that’s what I’d like to know, too.

Chapter Nineteen

Reg hadn’t been gone five minutes when Flori burst through the door, puffing and panting like a wild woman.

“What are you doing here, Mabel?” she shrieked. “Why aren’t you at the store? Are you sick?” She rushed over to feel my forehead. It must have proved disappointing because she shook her head and removed her hand. “Did they catch the crooks? How come you didn’t phone me this morning?” She proceeded to shake my arm. “I’ve been calling and calling and your line is always busy. I’ve been worried sick.”

Flori’s cheeks were as pink as the scarf wound around her neck. She had obviously hopped out of the shower and rushed out the door before making sure her hair was completely dry. It stood out in all directions as if frozen in time. Well, definitely frozen. She had managed to stand still long enough to apply her eyebrow pencil though, artfully creating two golden-red arches.

“Come and sit down, Flori.” I pulled out a kitchen chair, shoved one of my cats off and said, “Flori, sit.”

She sat.

I walked over to the counter and put the phone back on its hook.

“You had the phone off?” she asked, trying hard to get her puffing under control. Flori believes there are many things that are truly sinful, besides drinking gin: one is, of course, telling a lie but another, almost as serious, is leaving your phone off the hook. I, on the other hand, firmly believe both are at times necessary for good mental health. At least, for mine.

I decided to make a fresh pot of coffee. As soon as I opened the cupboard door to reach for the coffee tin, cats emerged from every corner of the house. With all the excitement going on in my life, my cats couldn’t totally depend on me for regular mealtimes. While the coffee was perking and Flori was busy removing all her outerwear, I filled the cats’ bowls up with food and water. The thought did cross my mind that I should clean the two large litter boxes but decided to leave that task for later. Besides, every time Flori looks at them she shakes her head and says, “How can you stand cleaning up after all those cats? Why don’t you get rid of a few?” I always answer graciously, “How could you have cleaned up after all those kids of yours? I don’t know why you didn’t get rid of a few. Besides, who was it that suggested that I get a cat in the first place?” Then, of course, she reminds me that she had said ‘cat,’ not ‘cats.’ Well, how was I to know Philip would turn out to be a Phyllis? And, on and on, it goes.

The cats were busy gouging themselves, the coffee was finished perking and Flori was sitting there, looking quite radiant in her powder blue sweatshirt with matching pants. Flori has this flare for fashion so it didn’t surprise me at all to see a large pink silk flower pinned on one side of her shirt.

I poured the coffee. This was my fourth cup so at this point the magic was gone and I was enjoying the smell more than the taste. Flori loves my muffins so I placed another plate of strawberry muffins on the table. My strawberry supply was starting to diminish; next, I’d have to start bringing out the blueberry.