Address to Die For (10 page)

Tess pointed out Elaine Cumberfield's house as we drove by. It had a white mailbox adorned with the carved wooden head, feet, and tail of a West Highland white terrier. It was clever and cute—just shy of cutesy.

“I'll meet you there a little before two,” I told Tess as we climbed out of the pickup. “Do you want me to bring snacks or anything?”

Tess shook her head. “Elaine loves to feed people. Wait until you taste her gingerbread cookies.”

By the time I had Belle back in my car, Tess had put Mozart in her backyard and hidden her pickup in her garage. She brushed her windblown hair into a neat French twist and stood a little taller. Her ability to change her appearance and persona so quickly and completely unnerved me. But I did trust her and appreciated her help.

I checked the clock on my phone. I had time to drive to the house and check in with Adelia and the electrician. I'd ordered appliances from a shop Tess had recommended. I hoped their claim that their installers were always on time was accurate. They were due at noon. Considering they needed to deliver and install a refrigerator, dishwasher, range, washer, and dryer, if they were any later than noon, I wouldn't have time to make the meeting that had been my own idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meetings should be tightly focused with definite start and end times. Encourage members to hold one meeting, rather than engaging in side conversations on sub-issues that can be distracting and time-consuming.

 

 

 

 

A
delia and her team had the work well in hand when I stopped by the house to check on their progress. The floors and paneling they'd finished gleamed in contrast to the sections they'd not yet reached. As Tess had predicted, the appliances arrived on time. The electrician had nearly completed his work and agreed to stay in case anything went wrong once the new units were plugged in and running. Energy-efficient engineering can only take you so far. Major appliances will still make the electric meter spin, no matter how earth-friendly they are.

I had no qualms about leaving Adelia in charge. With her on the job, there was little left for me to do. I was in the way. I drove to school in plenty of time for the meeting, parked in the shade, and left the windows open a few inches so Belle could catch the breeze. I filled her car water dish from my water bottle and spread out her cooling pad. She settled in for a snooze and I walked across the street.

An elderly woman who could have been the model for the Good Witch of the North opened the door. She was accompanied by a West Highland white terrier who'd apparently been the model for the mailbox I'd noticed when Tess pointed out the house earlier.

“Elaine Cumberfield,” she said, holding the Westie back with her foot while she shook my hand. “You must be Maggie McDonald. Please come in. May I introduce Mackie? I will put him in the bedroom if you're not a dog fan.”

I knelt and rubbed Mackie behind the ears. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Mackie,” I said. “I'm Maggie McDonald. I feel certain we must have a common ancestor.” Mackie's ears stood at attention and he tilted his fuzzy white face, listening politely.

Elaine laughed and pulled a long gray sweater closer around her, overlapping it in the front. “So, you
are
a dog fan,” she said. She leaned in closer to me and whispered, “I knew that. Stephen told me about your Belle. I just didn't think it would be polite to indicate straight off the bat that we'd been talking behind your back.”

I liked Elaine, her dog, and her house, immediately. She wore a long lavender print skirt and white Keds that were heading toward a soft gray—the sneaker version of patina. A purple knit shirt and the gray sweater completed her outfit. Her house was done up in shades of navy and periwinkle blue with a focus on comfort. From the wear on the arms of the sofa, and the faded marks of a growth chart on the doorframe, I could tell she'd lived here a long time and raised a family. Pictures of young women with small children dotted the hall table, but I didn't have time to examine them closely.

“We're in the living room, dear,” Elaine said. “Let me get you a hot drink. Are you coffee or tea?”

“Coffee, please.”

Stephen Laird stood as we walked in. He was the only person I recognized other than Tess and April Chen, the assistant principal from the middle school.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. McDonald,” Stephen said. “Do you remember meeting me at your house over the weekend?”

“Of course,” I said, shaking Stephen's hand and smiling. “You brought bagels and coffee and your wonderful dog, Munchkin. Please, call me Maggie.”

“You've met Elaine, April, and Tess?” Stephen moved his upturned hand in an arc, indicating the women I'd already met. “At the window is Flora Meadow. On my left here is Pauline Windsor.”

Tess sat in a navy corduroy club chair next to the fireplace. She wore her power suit, but had kicked off her heels and tucked her feet beneath her. Across from her sat Pauline Windsor. Like everyone else in the room, Pauline had looked up and smiled when I walked in, but I was wary. I wished I'd remembered to ask Tess about her. I was dying to figure out what I'd been missing when Pauline accused me of hijacking her personal parking spot.

April sat on the floor next to the coffee table. The woman Stephen had introduced as Flora Meadow perched on the window seat beneath a bay window. She picked dead leaves from a lush geranium and crumpled them in her palm. She looked like a younger, stouter, and more nervous version of Elaine.

Stephen passed me a plate of gingerbread men, while Elaine handed me a steaming mug of coffee.

“I guessed you take cream,” she said. “If you prefer black, I'll pour it out.” I assured her it was perfect and took a sip to prove it. Real cream.

Elaine sat in an overstuffed Victorian rocker looking as if she'd escaped from a Brontë novel. Her hair was meant to be pulled back in a bun, but renegade hairs created a friendly cloud around her head.

Stephen patted a seat on the couch next to him. “Have a seat, please, Maggie.”

“We're still waiting for Dennis DeSoto,” Elaine said. “But why don't we tell Maggie about ourselves before we begin.”

She turned to me and smiled. “I'm Elaine. I've lived in this house for fifty-five years, ever since I started teaching history at Orchard View the year it opened. My husband was the first principal. I took a few years off while our three girls were young, but later on I taught and became principal after my husband died.”

Stephen interrupted her. “Elaine's in on this meeting, Maggie, because she keeps a close eye on the school.”

“And I'm Flora Meadow,” said the woman from the window seat, fingering the crystal medallion she wore around her neck. “I'm the PTA secretary, a parent, and an herbalist.”

I had no idea what an herbalist did, but from the crystal and the fairies embroidered on the bottom of Flora's forest-green skirt, I figured it was some sort of Northern California New Age thing. I had a vague impression of having seen her among the parents on the first day of school.

Flora must have been used to explaining her profession. “I work with herbs and roots to devise natural treatments to support balanced body systems and maximize health,” she said, rattling the description off as if it were all one word.

“Now is not the time for a commercial break, Flora dear,” Elaine said. Flora looked offended and shrunk in on herself like a startled snail retreating into its shell.

The front door crashed open. Dennis DeSoto had arrived. “Ah, good to see you're all here,” he said. “I can't stay, but April, I wanted to let you know that Demi has everything in hand in the office, so you can stay here as long as you need to. I must run. I have an important meeting.”

Dennis scanned the room and scowled when his eyes met mine.

I had no idea why he'd taken such a dislike to me. But he was odd himself, so I decided not to worry about his opinion.

“Thank you, Dennis,” said Elaine. “Please don't let us keep you from your
important
meeting.”

Dennis disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived.

“Who's Demi?” I said.

April grabbed a gingerbread man from the plate on the coffee table and bit off his head. “Her name is Elisabeth,” April said. “She's married to that jerk. Dennis just
calls
her Demi. All their kids have names starting with D, and Dennis thought hers should match.” She glared at the headless gingerbread man and amputated his foot. “Elisabeth is kind, smart, and attractive. I can't figure out why she stays with him. A man that self-centered
cannot
be good in bed.”

Tess snorted. I tried to hide my smile with my coffee cup.

“You should switch to decaf,” said Flora. “Chamomile tea can be calming too.” She picked up her cup with a shaking hand and smelled the coffee. “Is this Starbucks or from the independent coffee shop, Elaine?”

“I'm afraid it's Maxwell House, Flora. Would you like some tea?”

Flora replaced her cup in the saucer without taking a sip. She muttered something under her breath about fair-trade practices and how no one took these things seriously except her.

Stephen cleared his throat, and everyone's attention shifted to him.

“Let me tell you what I know about what happened at the school last night,” Stephen said. “And then we can talk about how we'll proceed.” He looked at his watch. “It's five past two now, and I'd like to get us all out of here before school ends at three.

“Police investigators suggest the porta-potty explosion and the squirrels were done by the same kid or group of kids. My contact did not tell me, specifically, what the connection is.”

I half raised my hand and Stephen nodded to me.

“Does that mean the vandalism at my house may be connected too?”

“What vandalism?” Pauline said.

I started to answer, but Stephen jumped in. “Maggie and her family moved in less than a week ago, but have experienced a spate of property damage.”

“I thought we were here to discuss protecting the school,” Pauline said. “Not to cater to individual homeowners.”

“You're right, Pauline,” Stephen said. “Maggie is here not only because it was her idea to brainstorm ideas to protect the school, but also because the problems at her house may have some connection to the school issues. Her experiences may help us catch whoever is behind this.”

Pauline looked away.

Stephen continued: “Maggie suggested we encourage dog walkers to exercise their pets on the campus, and ask parents to find out what their children have heard from other students. The police are in favor of both ideas, but suggest that dog walkers patrol in groups, keep their dogs on leashes, their cell phones handy, and, of course, clean up after their pets.”

“Miss Harrier will have a problem with that,” said Pauline. “She's always been at odds with the dog owners who use the field before and after school.”

Stephen smiled. “Munchkin and I have been the target of her wrath, and you're right, there's no love lost between her and the dogs. She's worried about liability and overwhelming poor April here with requests for help from kids who've stepped in a mess the dogs left behind.”

April wrinkled her nose.

“The police will step up vehicle patrols through the night and do a walk-through in the late evenings.” Stephen paused and looked at Elaine. “We'll be relying on you and the other neighbors to report anything you see or hear that's unusual.” He tilted his head and rubbed his earlobe. “Remember, stopping vandalism is necessary for several reasons.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “We want to catch minors, address any issues they have, and scare the pants off them before they have to be tried as adults. We want to keep the school in good shape for the students. And, let's face it, vandalized schools don't give voters a good impression. The school parcel tax is up for renewal next year, and we'll need every vote to get it passed.”

Elaine chimed in: “And no school has extra staff or funds to be doing unnecessary maintenance.” Everyone made noises of agreement.

Tess spoke up. “You each have different spheres of influence, so talk up this effort among your friends and neighbors. Refer any questions you can't answer to Stephen, April, or me. April, if Miss Harrier has any issues, have her call Stephen or Jason Mueller. But please assure her that the police are in favor of our plan, although we can refine it if there are any problems. I'll draft up a letter if you like, for Harrier's signature. To tell the school community what we're doing?”

April nodded. “That would be great. She'll want to edit it, so if you can get it to me on a thumb drive, I'll tell her it's a draft that you need her help with.”

Pauline spoke up. “I'll put together a roster for the dog walkers, so we can make sure we've got coverage on evenings, nights, and weekends.” She pulled out her phone and her fingers moved quickly, apparently making notes. “Elaine, I know you like the hour before school. What about the rest of you? Stephen?”

“Munchkin and I have another assignment at the moment, but let me know if you can't get anyone for the wee hours: two-to-four, or midnight-to-two. I'll find someone.”

Pauline nodded. “I'll let you know. If students are our vandals, I don't think they'd be out that late, but you never know.”

Tess leaned forward in her chair. “Mozart, Teddy, and I will take after dinner. Say, seven-to-eight?”

Pauline looked at me, fingers poised over the phone. “And you? Maggie, was it? What time would you like? I know you have that golden retriever.”

I hesitated. The kids and I had no routine yet. I had no idea what would work. And with Max gone, I needed to be home in the evenings with Brian and David. They were both old enough to be left alone for short periods, but I wasn't ready to let them fend for themselves on a regular basis.

Stephen broke in on the conversation. “Pauline, let's leave Maggie off the list for now. She's just moved and has a lot on her plate.” He held up his hand as Pauline began to protest. “Even if she saw someone destroying school property, it would be difficult for her to identify the person. She doesn't know anyone yet, besides us.”

Pauline sniffed.

Stephen's understanding of my predicament left me in an expansive mood, so I threw Pauline a bone. “I've been active in my children's schools, Pauline,” I said. “I intend to volunteer both here and at the high school after we get settled. Our moving van still hasn't arrived, though.” I smiled and was expecting an empathetic smile over the perils of moving, but she ignored me.