Ellen McKenzie 04-Murder Half-Baked (13 page)

“What on earth do you mean?” Anne asked.

“He turned you against me.” She glared at Marilee, then turned to include the rest of us.
There was more than rage, more than frustration on Leona’s face. There was despair. She had a corner of her sweatshirt in her hand and was twisting it, round and round, faster and faster, as she talked, words matching her hands, faster and faster. “He told me I was a fool to even think about taking Marilee away, and he didn’t want me to take care of the baby. That he’d see to it I couldn’t. Arrogant old bastard. Just like all of them, men, always think they know best. He told you, didn’t he? And now you’re going to try to stop me, too.”

I could feel my mouth go dry. She’d told Doctor Sadler her idiotic scheme? Of course he
ha
d tried to talk her out of it. Only, coming from him, it was probably an order. I watched the corner of the sweatshirt, thought about strong hands and the arm of an angel. Leona had been at the bakery when Marilee had called Gina and walked back to Grace House. The cemetery was a short detour over the bridge. The angel arm must have been lying conveniently on the ground, just waiting to be picked up and swung. And I remembered something else. Tuna sandwiches and a late lunch. A very late lunch. What was it you always looked for in mystery novels and, I was sure, in solving real crimes? Motive, means, and opportunity. I wondered if Leona knew she had just cast herself in the role of murder suspect.

C
SI ended, and Dan turned the TV off before the commercials started, leaned back, and yawned. “I’m beat.” He picked up Jake, who had been lying across both of us, put him on the floor, gathered up the empty ice cream bowls and headed for the kitchen. I put aside the pile of presents I hadn’t finished wrapping, shoved paper and tape into a bag, and followed with cups and saucers.

“There’s no room in this thing.” He stared into the dishwasher.

“Sure there is. Just move those plates over and
—
”

“You do it.”

He moved aside. I did. He stood in the middle of the kitchen and watched me.

“How’s your wedding dress coming along?” he asked. “Are you going to be happy with it?”

I added soap, closed the door, and flipped the switch. “No idea. Pat won’t let me see it until she gets it together, and frankly, with all I have to do, I’m grateful. My list gets longer, not shorter. What are we going to g
ive
your parents for Christmas?”

“The chance to come to our wedding.” He grinned.

“Be serious.”

“I’m perfectly serious. The inn ballroom is putting a huge dent in our savings and we still don’t know how much the florist is going to cost. Or the caterer. Do we have any idea how many people are coming?”

I shook my head, wondering if Dan was going to explode. He didn’t. He sighed. “Somehow we’re going to have to reign in both of our mothers. We won’t have any savings left at this rate.”

Our savings. Twice, he’d said “
our
savings.” Brian, my ex, had never referred to anything we had as “ours.” Only
his
.

“As for a Christmas present, get my Mom a potholder or something,” Dan went on gloomily. “She’ll love it.”

Now there was a good way to impress an impending mother-in-law, even one I’d known all my life. Maybe that sweater I’d seen when I was in San Luis Obispo last week. It was really pretty and it was the kind of thing Georgie always wore. It shouldn’t take more than
—
let’s see. A couple of hours should do it. Oh, well. Maybe I could check off some other people on my list while I was there. I didn’t have anything for Dan’s fourteen-year-old niece, his sister-in-law, or his father.

I followed him out of the kitchen and toward the staircase. He paused to pick up Jake. “How this cat gets so limp, I’ll never know.” He yawned again.

“Dan.” I paused on the first step.

He turned to look at me and smiled. “Charlie Rose doesn’t come on until midnight. I can’t stay up that long.”

I had to laugh. “Watching him wasn’t what I had in mind. I was thinking
—
”

“Good,” he interrupted. “It wasn’t what I had in mind, either.” He reached down the staircase and took my hand. “I was thinking
—
perhaps something a little more physical? Marriage should have a few special
—
perks. I have one or two I was going to save for our honeymoon, but since that won’t be until May, maybe tonight’s the night.” His grin was downright evil. My shudder was pure pleasure.

Dan went down the hall into the bathroom, and I sat on the bed, thinking about perks. I smiled and stretched, ready to pull the sweatshirt over my head, but stopped.

“Dan,” I called out.
The
water
wasn’t
running. He should be able to hear me.

“Hmmn?” was the muffled reply.

“Do you know yet who killed Doctor Sadler?”

He walked back in wearing nothing but his shorts. Navy blue shorts. Oh my, I thought, my my my. For a man in his forties, he certainly looked
…
I finished pulling off the sweatshirt and reached around to undo my bra.

“Let me do that.”

I let him.

“Well, do you?” My question was a bit muffled, but I needed to ask before I got too distracted.

“No.” He was pretty distracted himself. “And I don’t want you playing detective. Last time you almost got killed. The wedding just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Dan.” I tried to sit up, but that didn’t quite work out.
“
Listen one second. Okay?”

“One second.” Only he didn’t stop doing what he was doing.

“Grady Wilcox was seen going toward the cemetery the day Doctor Sadler was killed. Gina said
—
”

“We’ve already talked to him, Ellie, and to everyone who is remotely connected with Grace House and all the other charities, clubs, and organizations old Doctor Sadler honored with his presence, and, of course, his advice.” He paused, pulled me around to face him, and laughed. “Got it in before you could ask, didn’t I
?
”

I laughed, too. Sort of. “So you know he’s looking for Marilee?”

“He’s not making it a secret.”

“But, Marilee’s scared to death of him. Could he
…”

“Quit worrying. She’s fine. Grady’s got a meth problem but so far he’s destroyed no one but himself. However, we’re keeping on eye on him. And, before you say anything, I don’t think he killed the good doctor. And I do plan on finding who did before the wedding. In the meantime, like this meantime, let’s forget it. Hmm?”

We did. At least, I did. Dan’s “perks” were better than advertised, and the next half hour was most pleasant. However, once Jake had been let back onto the bed, the lights were out, and Dan was softly snoring, I lay awake for a while. The police were aware that Grady Wilcox wanted to find Marilee, and I doubted they were interested because they thought Grady wanted to apologize. Dan had refused to say anything more. True, he had other things on his mind, but at the best of times he said very little about what the police thought or did. Maybe, just
maybe
, Gina was onto something. At any rate, it sounded as if Marilee needed to stay hidden for a while. Marilee. I replayed the scene from this afternoon
—
Leona’s determination to set up housekeeping with her, Nathan and Anne’s equally determined opposition to that plan
—
and wondered some more. Where were her parents? No one had suggested she go home or even that she call them. What kind of parents would abandon their barely more than teenage daughter to the mercy of a wacko husband and impending childbirth? I sighed. My ex, for one.

And then there was Leona. Again, Leona. Was her hatred of Doctor Sadler so great she could have killed him?
Considering
the look on her face,
the answer was
a large
“
maybe.
”
She could easily have gone to the cemetery, possibly to talk to him one more time, and become so incensed she picked up the angel arm and killed him. I could picture it
—
him refusing to listen to her, Leona becoming more and more agitated, him more stubborn, until finally, she los
es
it. Only, there was no proof. No fingerprints and no bloody clothes. I almost sat up in bed. Bloody clothes. Surely whoever killed Doctor Sadler
ended up with
blood
y clothing
. There was enough on everything else.
Some had to have gotten on the murderer. So, what had happened to the clothes? I tried to remember what Leona was wearing when I met her in the kitchen. Whatever it was, it
hadn’t been
bloody. I looked over at Dan. He was sound asleep, snoring gently. He wouldn’t be too happy if I woke him up to ask about bloody cloth
ing
. I pushed Jake off my pillow and snuggled down beside him. I’d ask him tomorrow. I planned on asking a lot of questions tomorrow.

The drama generated by Leona th
e
afternoon
before
had continued for a while. By the time things had calmed down, neither Anne Kennedy nor I had the time or the energy to look at houses, so we had scheduled another appointment. For tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, I’d ask her a few questions
un
related to real estate. Like, did Leona have a jacket that was no longer hanging in the entry hall closet
?

T
he next morning we both had meetings, so, of course, the coffee took forever to brew and Dan took half a century in the shower. I was wandering around in my bathrobe and furry slippers, trying to get the antiquated furnace to give up a little more heat and wondering how soon I could
convince
a plumber to
come
fix the shower in the bathroom my father had put in off the service porch when my sister and I were teenagers. I had ignored the problem when it was just Susannah and me. Now, when she was home from school, there would be three of us. This morning’s juggling of shower and teeth brushing made me painfully aware of the need to get it up and running.
I had to call that
plumber. I glanced once more at the clock. Five minutes more, that
wa
s all Dan was getting.
Then I’d start banging on the bathroom door.

He walked into the kitchen shaved, pressed, and looking wonderful.

“You look beautiful.” H
is kiss was
much more than perfunctory.

Wonderful I did not look, but I liked hearing it anyway. It sure beat what Brian would have said. I returned the kiss with enthusiasm before pouring him coffee.

“I’ve given notice on my condo.” He reached for the sugar and
heaped
two spoonfuls
into
his mug before I could stop him. “I have to be out January First. As that’s the day after the wedding, besides being some other kind of holiday, I thought we might as well start moving my stuff over here this weekend.” He took a bite of the orange cranberry muffin I put in front of him, ignoring the bowl of oatmeal alongside. “This is good. Did Mary make these?”

I noticed he hadn’t asked if I’d made them. Oh
,
well. “No. I got it at Ianelli’s Bakery. Why?”

“It’s better than usual. Not so
…
it’s sort of
…
it tastes better. What’s this?”

“Oatmeal.”

“I haven’t had that since I was a kid.” He picked up his spoon and gingerly poked at it.

“It doesn’t bite and it doesn’t explode. Try it.”

He stared into the bowl, then picked up the cream pitcher and inspected its contents with suspicion. “This isn’t cream. It’s not even milk
.
It’s blue.”

“It’s not blue. It’s just
…
not very white.”

“It’s skim milk, isn’t it.”

“I’m worried about your arteries. You eat way too many eggs, you take cream in your coffee, you like bacon, all that stuff. I have visions of your arteries clogging up like the drain in that blasted shower, full of black yucky stuff, keeping the blood from flowing. I’m just trying to make sure don’t you have a heart attack.”

“I don’t think skim milk’s going to do the trick. A nice calm life might. And so far
,
my love, life with you hasn’t come close. However,” he looked at me over his mug and grinned, “I’m willing to take my chances. But, Ellie, I really do like cream, or at least milk that’s white, in my coffee.”

Marriage is all about compromise. It had never worked that way while I was married to Brian. “How about that creamer stuff? The nonfat kind?”

Dan frowned. I held my breath. “Get the Irish Cream flavor.”

Wow. The butterflies that had started fluttering around in my midsection retreated. Maybe this marriage was going to work after all. “This weekend? What are we going to move? Stuff like what? Books? Dishes? That old recliner?” I’d been wondering about that chair. I hated it.

“The chair can wait. I thought we’d pack up some of the other stuff. My beer mugs, that kind of thing.”

I started to say something about the chair but stopped. Marriage is all about compromise.

Dan pushed his oatmeal bowl away and downed his coffee. “I’ll eat some tomorrow,” he said, sneaking a look at me. “Promise.” He snatched the other half of his orange cranberry muffin and looked as if he were heading for the front door.

“Wait.” I followed him into the living room. “Something happened yesterday I didn’t tell you about last night.”

“Something more about Grady Wilcox? I said we’d already questioned him.” Dan frowned as he pulled his coat off the peg.

“Did he tell you that he’d signed release papers so Marilee’s baby could be adopted? Without her knowledge? And that Doctor Sadler got him to do it?”

Dan froze, one arm in his jacket, the other in the air, fishing for the empty sleeve. “Doctor Sadler got him to do that? And the mother didn’t know about it?”

“She still might not know.”

“Somehow he avoid
ed
mentioning that fact.” He slid his other arm into his coat, settled it over his shoulder holster and buttoned the bottom button. “It doesn’t really change anything. And it hardly gives Grady a motive for murder.”

“But it might give Leona one.”

“Who?”

“I tried to tell you last night.”

“You did?”

“Well, before we
…
I started to
—
”

“Before we got distracted?” Dan laughed. I grinned back at him.

“Right. Before then. But Dan, something happened when I was at Grace House yesterday.” I relayed what Leona had said, trying to describe her anger, but Dan didn’t seem impressed.

“Ellie, we agreed you’d stay out of this one. I’m pretty sure Leona, whoever she is, didn’t beat poor old Doctor Sadler to death.”

“Then who did?”

“We’re looking into that.”

“Dan, listen.”

“Ellie, I have a meeting. So do you.”

“I know. But they can’t start without you, and I still have a little time. I’ve been thinking.”

Dan groaned then grinned at me. I didn’t think it was that funny so I ignored it and went on.

“Doctor Sadler was an old man. He wasn’t a threat to anybody, except maybe someone at Grace House. Grady Wilcox is looking for Marilee. It’s possible he tried to get Doctor Sadler to tell him where she was, and when he wouldn’t, he might have hit him in frustration. But Leona had a real motive. She wants that baby. Doctor Sadler was determined she wasn’t going to get it. I think she needs to

be
…”

“Looked at?” Dan quit grinning and thought for a moment. “Why would you think Leona had a chance at the baby? It doesn’t belong to her. And if the mother doesn’t want to share an apartment, let alone her baby, then where’s the motive?”

I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him he was making this too simple, that Leona wanted to live with Marilee and her baby and was violently bitter against Doctor Sadler for trying to stop her. Only Dan wasn’t waiting to hear all that.

“I’ll give Anne a call and talk to her about Leona, but, short of asking her if she thinks she’s capable of murder, I’m not sure I’ll learn much.”

“Ask her if Leona has a jacket or coat that has gone missing.”

“What?” That stopped him. “Why?”

“There was a lot of blood around there. It doesn’t seem possible whoever did it got away without some of it on their hands and clothes. There was a lot on that angel arm, also. Why didn’t you get fingerprints?”

Dan looked at me for what seemed like a long time. “From here on, we’re only watching the Disney channel. All we got off that angel arm were smudges. The killer must have worn gloves. And, yes. Whoever it was must have gotten blood on them.”

“So you are looking for bloody clothes?”

He sighed. “I’ll ask Anne.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “See you tonight. And, please, try not to find any more bodies, okay? It’s going to be a busy enough day.”

He left. I stuck my tongue out at the closed door and went upstairs to shower and dress. With luck, I’d make our office meeting on time.