Death on a Silver Platter (13 page)

16

Sophie was on the freeway headed west by seven-thirty on Monday morning. She’d promised Millie Veelund that she’d be out to the house by nine, and she didn’t want to be late. Putting some distance between her and the hotel right now, spending some time alone, felt like a good idea. After Bram’s health scare on Saturday, he was doing much better. No more indigestion or dizzy spells. All the tests had come back looking good, although his doctor had encouraged him to take a few days off just to rest. Fat chance, thought Sophie. But Bram had surprised her.

After the bypass surgery last year, Bram had returned to work on a part-time basis, but it wasn’t long before he’d jumped back in with both feet. Sophie had tried to get him to cut back his hours permanently. They didn’t need the money, so why push so hard? She eventually gave up, realizing that Bram loved his job, and doing what one loved was always the best medicine. In that respect, Sophie and her husband were a lot alike. When she left this morning, he was still in bed. Instead of his usual afternoon program, the station had agreed to run one of the
Best of Baldric
tapes. But tomorrow, he would be back on, live.

Margie had a meeting with her business partner today. They planned to look at office sites for their new wedding consulting business. Sophie was glad to think that Margie was busy with
anything
other than just hanging around the hotel. Sophie and Bram had barely had a minute to themselves since Margie arrived. They’d eaten every meal with her. Entertained her every evening. Discussed ad nauseum the ins and outs of her new apartment—the colors she wanted in each room. The bile green she’d picked out for the living room nearly took Sophie’s breath away.

Sophie was sick of gritting her teeth and trying to be nice, sick of being told she seemed tense. As far as she was concerned, Margie was a master at ducking responsibility. Margie called it “delegating.” Sophie had an endless list of phone calls she’d promised to make to “ease Margie’s transition back to Minnesota.” She wanted to tell her to make the damn calls herself, but parental guilt—and Bram’s disapproval—prevented her. Sophie had decided that yes, Margie was indeed difficult, no matter what Bram said. On the other hand, Sophie also figured she wasn’t trying hard enough. That’s why spending time alone in the car seemed like such a godsend. For the next hour, she wouldn’t have to force her lips into a smile she didn’t feel.

Not that Sophie entirely understood what Millie Veelund expected from the meeting this morning. Sophie was hardly an expert when it came to bed-and-breakfasts, although running the Maxfield had taught her a great deal about the hotel business. Perhaps she could pass on something useful. And it would give her another chance to check in with Elaine and see how Tracy was doing.

What had started out as a thin mist in St. Paul had quickly thickened to fog. By the time Sophie reached the Veelund property, she could hardly see fifty yards in front of her. She hoped it would lift by the time she had to head home.

As she turned onto the private service drive, the three-story log mansion rose out of the fog like a haunted house in a Stephen King novel. Millie’s idea to create a bed-and-breakfast in the middle of nowhere wasn’t exactly the stroke of a business genius.

After parking the car by the garage, Sophie hurried across the lawn and up the steps to the screened porch. She pressed the front doorbell and then waited. The house seemed unusually dark and silent, especially after all of last Friday’s activity. She peeked through the glass on the side of the door but couldn’t see a single light on. She waited a few more seconds, then rang the bell again.

Still no response.

Thinking that perhaps everyone was out having a morning swim, she trotted back down the steps and followed the graveled walk to the pool house. But once again, she struck out. The pool house door was locked up tight. She checked her watch and saw that it was only eight-thirty. She was half an hour early. Maybe that was the problem.

Returning to her car, she decided to see if Elaine was home. On the way in from the highway, she’d noticed a sign that pointed to Wisteria Cottage. Backing out of the drive, she headed south along the private road. Once she found the sign again, she made a hard left onto a dirt road. She didn’t see the house until it loomed suddenly in front of her. It was about an eighth of the size of the main house. There were two other cars in the drive—an old, beat-up Ford truck and a new Land Rover.

Before she could knock, the door swung inward. “Sophie? What are you doing here?” Elaine looked exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept for days.

“Remember?” said Sophie, feeling a bit unsure. “I promised your mother I’d drive down this morning. She wanted to talk to me about turning her house into a bed-and-breakfast.”

“Oh, God,” said Elaine, running a hand through her uncombed hair. She backed up. “I completely forgot. Come in.”

Once inside, Sophie was assaulted by the acrid smell of sweat mixed with stale cigarette smoke. She glanced into the dining room and saw Alex and Danny sitting at the table, along with that boyfriend of Tracy’s. Zander was just coming out of the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee. Everyone blinked at her so strangely, she felt like an alien.

“We’ve had a bad night,” said Elaine, sitting down next to Danny.

“It’s Tracy,” said Alex. His blond hair drooped over his left eye. “She’s missing.”

“We found an overnight bag with her clothes in it,” said Elaine, tapping a cigarette from the pack sitting next to her. “It was in the grove, right near the tennis court. We searched all night, but couldn’t find her. I called everyone she knows, but nobody’s seen her. The police helped us search, and they’ve put out an A.P.B.”

Sophie was stunned. She sank down into an empty chair to listen.

“We figure she climbed out the window of her bedroom,” said Danny, waving Elaine’s cigarette smoke away from his face. “Sometime between one and two A.M. She drugged the security guard. When the guard finally woke up, she called Elaine right away to tell her what had happened, but we already knew. Tracy must have hidden in the grove. We’re not sure why. We know she was there because she left her overnight bag behind.” He went on to explain that Mick was in on it, but that Tracy had orchestrated the escape.

Sophie noticed that as Danny talked, Mick just stared at his hands.

“And then the damn fog rolled in around six,” said Elaine. “We only had an hour of light to search.” If a person could seem numb, exhausted, and frantic at the same time, Elaine did.

What had been left unspoken, thought Sophie, was that Tracy could also be dead—by her own hand. “I was just up at the main house,” said Sophie. “I knocked, but nobody answered. I assume your mother must still be in bed.”

Elaine looked up at the clock on the wall. “I suppose.”

“Does she know about Tracy?” asked Sophie.

“We didn’t find out ourselves until after three in the morning,” said Danny, rubbing a hand over his beard, then adjusting his glasses as he glanced at his watch.

Zander, who’d been standing silently in the kitchen doorway, finally spoke. “I thought it was best to let Mrs. Veelund sleep. There wasn’t anything she could do.”

“But I wonder why she didn’t answer the door?” said Elaine. “That’s kind of odd. I think I’ll give her a call.”

“It’s not a good idea to break the news to her about Tracy over the phone,” cautioned Zander. “Maybe we should all go back.”

Everyone looked disheveled, thought Sophie, except for Zander. With his fresh white shirt open at the collar and his gray linen slacks and black belt, he could have just stepped out of a
GQ
ad.

“I won’t tell her about Tracy,” said Elaine, setting her cigarette down on the ashtray. “I’ll just make sure she’s okay.”

“Whatever you say,” said Zander. “You know best.” He moved into the room and began pouring fresh coffee into everyone’s mugs.

Alex pushed his cell phone across to her.

As Elaine pressed the numbers, all conversation died. She drummed her fingers on the table, then picked up her cigarette, tapped off the ash, and took a drag. Blowing smoke high into the air, she glanced from face to face. “She’s not answering.”

“Maybe she went for a walk,” said Alex. “You know how much she loves her morning walks.”

“In this weather?” said Zander. “I highly doubt it.”

“But if she did, we certainly don’t want two people missing,” said Danny.

Elaine clicked the phone off.

“I think I better go over there,” said Alex.

“Let’s all go,” said Danny. “No use staying here.” He glanced at his watch again.

“Why do you keep looking at your watch every five seconds?” demanded Elaine, stubbing out her cigarette. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“Sorry,” said Danny. “It’s just . . . I booked a flight back to New York this morning.”

“When did you do that?” asked Alex.

“After the heart to heart I had with Mom on Saturday. I found out what I needed to know. Now I can leave.”

“And what did you find out?” asked Elaine.

“It’s hard to have a heart to heart with someone who doesn’t
have
a heart,” muttered Alex.

Danny cracked a smile. “Tell me about it.” Under his breath, he added, “
There was an old woman who swallowed a fly
.”

“Did you discuss her idea to sell the company?” asked Elaine. “I hope you talked her out of it.”

“I didn’t try. Our agenda was more . . . personal.”

Elaine turned to Alex. “You had a conversation with her on Saturday morning, too, didn’t you? How come she’s talking to both of you and not me?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” said Alex. His smile looked more like a grimace.

“Is there something going on I don’t know about?”

Both men shrugged.

Zander raised his hand. “Why don’t we have this conversation back at the main house?”

“He’s right,” said Danny, standing up and stretching. “We should go.” Switching his gaze to Sophie, he added, “When Mom hears that Tracy’s missing, I don’t know how interested she’ll be in meeting with you. You may have driven all this way for nothing.”

“Don’t give it another thought. Maybe I should just go. Get out of your hair.”

“No,” said Elaine with a sigh. “You never know what she’ll want to do. If you don’t mind wasting a little more of your time, why don’t you come back to the house with us?”

“Of course,” said Sophie. As she rose from her chair, she glanced at Mick. During the entire conversation, he’d remained silent. She had the distinct sense that his silence was related to guilt. She wondered if there was something he had to feel guilty about, beyond the obvious.

After turning off lights, they all trooped out to their cars. Mick headed off alone in his truck. Elaine and Zander rode with Alex and Danny. And Sophie brought up the rear. Everyone was driving so slowly, and the weather was so grim, that Sophie felt as if she she were part of a funeral procession. She thought about Tracy all the way to the main house.

After Elaine unlocked the front door, they all filed inside. Except for the tick of a grandfather clock in the hall, the house was still. None of the curtains had been opened.

“Your mother must still be in bed,” said Zander, taking the stairs two at a time. Elaine followed. Danny and Alex headed into the living room to open up the house and turn on some lights. Sophie wasn’t sure what to do, so she stayed in the foyer with Mick. He looked about as uncomfortable as it was possible for a person to look. His hands kept moving in and out of his pockets, never sure where they should be.

Suddenly, Elaine appeared at the top of the stairs. “Danny! Alex! Come up here. Now!”

Sophie stepped to the bottom of the stairway and looked up.

“It’s Mother,” said Elaine. Her face was ashen.

Alex brushed past Sophie on his way up.

As if in a trance, Sophie took a step up. Then another. And another. She was drawn irresistibly to the secondfloor landing. As she approached the bedroom door, she turned around just as Danny rounded the stairs and rushed toward the room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking both frightened and intensely alert.

“I don’t know.”

“It’s Mother,” called Alex.

Sophie stood in the doorway.

Alex was holding Elaine as she cried against his shoulder.

The lifeless body of Millie Veelund lay on the bed, covered by a flowered satin comforter.

Behind her, Sophie could hear Danny whisper, “
There
was an old woman who swallowed a horse. She’s dead, of
course.
”

17

“Hi, honey. It’s me.” Danny had taken his cell phone out onto the porch to call his wife. He needed to let her know that she wouldn’t need to pick him up at La Guardia. He wouldn’t be coming home today. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got some bad news.”

“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

It was a few minutes after eleven. The police and the county coroner had just left. Since his mother’s death had been unattended, an autopsy would need to be performed. Nobody doubted that her death was anything other than natural, but still, procedures had to be followed. Everyone in the family already knew her last wishes. She wanted to be cremated, her ashes scattered on the property by the creek. But that would have to wait until a death certificate could be issued. The coroner told Alex that he would perform the autopsy later in the day. Alex seemed to know the man. To Danny, it seemed as if Alex knew everyone in the county. The coroner assured the family that matters would be handled with the utmost care. As soon as a cause of death could be officially established, their mother’s remains would be released and they could begin to make funeral arrangements.

“Mom died this morning.”

“Oh, honey. I’m so incredibly sorry. How—”

“She died in her sleep. It was peaceful.”

Danny couldn’t believe how twisted his feelings were. He’d been so furious with her yesterday, and yet today, after her body had been removed from the house, he’d broken down, cried like he hadn’t cried since he was a child. At first, when he’d seen her lying there in her bed, so still, so pale, so profoundly silent, he’d felt a moment of triumph. The greatest single source of irritation and anger in his life was gone. Ding dong, the witch was dead. But then he’d kissed her good-bye—kissed her cheek and touched her hair. That’s when he began to fall apart.

He’d finally gone to his room. He was ashamed of the sick mixture of emotions that had plagued him ever since he could remember. But Elaine had heard him crying. She hadn’t even knocked on his door. She’d simply come in. The two of them sat on the bed, holding each other. Through his tears, he told her what he’d been feeling. How could he hate someone and love them at the same time? Elaine said that she felt the same way. So did Alex. Their mother had been a confusing human being. Danny said that he thought she was a victim of her own lack of imagination. As soon as he said the words, he realized that the same could be said of him.

“Are you okay?” asked Ruth.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“But you won’t be coming home.”

“No. Not today.”

“I’ll pack and catch the next flight out. When’s the funeral?”

“There won’t be one . . . exactly. Ruth, listen. There’s really no reason for you to come. Mom wanted to be cremated. She didn’t want a funeral, just a, well, a sort of memorial service. And she only wanted her kids to be there.”

“But I’m your wife. And Zoe and Abbie—they should have a chance to say good-bye.”

“I know. But she was specific about her last wishes. It’s just supposed to be Alex, Elaine, and me.”

“I need to do
something
, Danny. It’s only right.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “We could send money to one of her pet causes, but they’re all so off-the-wall. I mean, do you really want to support the Emanuel Swedenborg Society?”

“What’s that?” said Ruth.

“Don’t ask.”

“I’ll send flowers. A huge bouquet of whatever’s in season.”

“That would be nice.” It was more than his mother would have done for her.

“How long do you think you’ll have to stay?”

“Well, there’s another bit of news I need to tell you. Tracy ran away last night. Nobody knows where she is.”

“Oh, Danny, Elaine must be in a panic.”

“She is.”

“Why do tragedies always come in clumps? Are you sure you’re okay? You’re taking all your medication? This is a lot of stress for you, honey. If I were there, maybe I could lessen it for you.”

“I’ll only be here a few more days. I’ll leave after the memorial.”

“What about the reading of the will?”

“Everybody knows what’s in it. Mom left everything equally to her three kids. We’re rich, Ruthie.”

“God, does that mean you can tell your publisher to go to hell?”

Again, he laughed. “I suppose it does. If I wanted to. But I don’t. I was thinking about it last night. I’m going to finish that book, Ruth. Show the world that I’m not washed up as a writer.”

“Honey, that’s wonderful.”

“But you can quit teaching now. If you want.”

“I adore teaching.”

“Yeah, I know. I have a feeling we won’t be very successful at this being rich stuff.” He thought of Alex and Elaine. He knew they wouldn’t have the same problem.

The fog was starting to lift. Through the mist, Danny could see the outline of the sun. It looked flat, like a shiny silver dollar. A day that had begun in darkness was about to turn bright.

“Tell me more about Tracy,” said Ruth. “I don’t understand. Why did she run off?”

“Her boyfriend said she felt trapped here. Like she was in jail.”

Danny heard a cell phone ring. When he looked up, he saw that Mick was standing by the garage, holding a phone to his ear. “It’s a long story,” said Danny. He wondered who might be calling Mick. “You know, sweetheart, I think I should probably get going. I’ll call you later in the day, okay? I should have more information by then.”

“Oh, honey, I love you. I’m so sorry this happened.”

“I love you, too. More than you could ever know.”

“You’ll call if you need anything.”

“I will.”

“Be safe.”

“You, too. Bye.”

After clicking off, Danny returned his attention to Mick. His head was bent as he talked. Danny tried to hear what he was saying, but he was too far away.

Suddenly, Mick stuffed the phone in his back pocket, hopped into his truck, and started the motor. An instinct told Danny that he should follow. He waited until Mick had backed out of the drive and was on his way to the service road, and then he rushed over to his rental car. Thankfully, he had his keys and wallet with him.

For the next forty minutes, Danny followed the truck at a reasonable distance. It wasn’t likely that Danny would lose him in such open country. Instead of heading northeast toward the Twin Cities, Mick took County Road 8 west. Just this side of Maple Lake, as the speed limit dropped to twenty-five, he pulled into the parking lot of the Lake Breeze Motel. Danny kept driving, but turned around at a gas station about a block away and headed back. By the time he reached the motel, Mick’s truck was empty. There were only three other cars in the lot and Danny didn’t recognize any of them.

Parking close to the exit, Danny slipped out of the front seat and cut quickly to the far end of the building. The motel was old, the screens on the doors and windows rusted. Tufts of weeds sprouted from the cracks in the sidewalk. The truck was parked in front of room number five. Danny approached cautiously. As he neared an open window, he could hear Tracy’s voice. Then Mick’s.
Bingo.

Now that he’d found Tracy, Danny wasn’t about to let her get away. But there was no reason not to listen to the conversation—or, more accurately, their argument. Mick sounded pissed.

“I was worried sick about you, damn it.”

“Don’t blow a gasket,” said Tracy. “I figured Mom was watching you.”

“Well, she wasn’t.”

“But I couldn’t take the chance. And anyway, I wasn’t sure you’d go through with it. It seemed to me like you and Mom were getting a little too chummy.”

“I like your mother. So shoot me. But I would never have betrayed you. You’ve gotta know that.”

Danny bent down and looked inside. Tracy was sitting on the bed. Mick was standing over her, hands on his hips. Neither faced the windows, so Danny kept on watching.

“How did you get here?” demanded Mick.

“A friend.”

“Who?”

“Just a friend, okay?”

“What are you going to do now?”

“I need money. I want you to take my cash card and go withdraw two thousand dollars. Bring it back here.”

“Then what?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

Mick sat down on the bed next to her. “You’re not going to like this, but I know what happened to you, that you were molested when you were a kid. Your mom felt like she had to tell the family—since you took off like you did. I just happened to be there.”

“She had no right!”

“And I’ve got some more bad news. I didn’t want to spring it on you right away, but you gotta be told.” He took her hand. “It’s your grandma. She . . . died in her sleep last night.”

Tracy just stared at him.

“I’m sorry. I know you loved her a lot.”

“I didn’t love her. I
hated
her.” Her voice grew even more strident.

“But—”

“If anybody could have prevented me from being molested, she could’ve.”

“You mean . . . she knew?”

“She had to know.”

Danny wished he could see their faces more clearly. The rusted screens made it almost impossible.

Tracy whispered something to Mick. Mick whispered something back, then he slipped his arm around her shoulder. They sat silently for a few seconds. Danny guessed that Tracy was crying.

Finally, Mick said, “We’re in this together, Trace.”

“Then go get the money.”

“I’m scared you won’t be here when I get back.”

“Where else would I be? This place is a freakin’ pit. I want out of here before I catch some infectious disease.”

Mick stood while Tracy searched through her backpack for the card.

“Trace?”

“Huh?”

“Why did you leave your overnight bag in the grove?”

She didn’t immediately answer. Handing him the card, she finally said, “I was hiding behind some bushes until it was time for my ride to pick me up. Out of the blue, Alex walks past me—just a few yards away. He was on his way up to the main house.”

“What time was that?”

“Around one. I got scared. And then when I saw Doc Holland’s car pull into the driveway, I figured there were entirely too many people around, so I took off. I guess I forgot my bag. Good thing I had my backpack on.”

“What was Holland doing there at that time of night?”

“Beats me.”

Mick took the card and pocketed it, then kissed her. “I’ll be back.”

When he opened the door, Danny blocked his exit.

“Jesus, Trace, it’s your uncle.”

“You’re an idiot!” screamed Tracy. “He followed you.”

Behind Mick, Danny could hear a door slam. Pushing into the room, he saw that Tracy had disappeared into the bathroom with her backpack. “Tracy, you’re coming home with me. I don’t want to fight with you, but you nearly gave your mom a heart attack leaving like that.”

From behind the bathroom door, a voice said, “Leave me the hell alone.”

“I can’t.” Danny glanced at Mick, who didn’t seem to know what to do. He ran the flat of his hands down the fronts of his jeans, looking confused.

“Look, Tracy, your mom deserves better. She needs to know you’re okay. She’s scared to death.”

“I’ll send her a postcard.”

“Not good enough.”

“Just leave, okay?”

“Not without you.”

“I’m not going back there,” she yelled. “And I’m not letting her put me in some padded room.”

“That won’t happen.”

“How would you know?”

Suddenly, the door opened. Tracy stepped back into the room. But this time, she was holding a gun.

“God, Trace,” said Mick, backing up. “Where did you get that?”

“My backpack.” It was slung over her shoulder. “It belonged to my grandfather. It works just fine. And it’s loaded, in case you were wondering.”

“Tracy, put it down,” said Danny.

“Toss your keys on the bed,” demanded Tracy.

She had the gun pointed straight at Danny’s stomach. Looking at the piece of cold, hard steel, so foreign, so menacing, and at the steady hand holding it, Danny realized anything he had to say would be a waste of breath. He dug in his pants pocket for his keys and threw them on the bedspread.

“Take the keys,” said Tracy, nodding to Mick.

“Trace, this is crazy.”

“Do it!”

“Okay, okay.” He scooped them up.

“Do you have any cash on you?”

Danny pulled his wallet from his back pocket. Inside, he found three hundred-dollar bills and two twenties. He handed them to Mick.

Motioning with the gun, Tracy said, “Get in the bathroom.”

“Where are you going? Will you at least call your mother and tell her you’re okay?”

“Shut up and do it.”

“You won’t use that gun. You can’t just shoot me.”

“You don’t think so?” She cocked the trigger.

Danny backed inside. The door slammed in his face. He heard what sounded like a chair being wedged against the door. A moment later, the screen door slammed. A motor started. Tires screeched. And they were gone.