Lemon Larceny (The Donut Mysteries) (5 page)

“It is while I’m
investigating what might be murder,” I countered.
 
“And it would be to your advantage to
start thinking that way, too.”

“How sad that
must be for you, looking at every encounter as a potential threat.”

“Maybe so, but I’ve
found that it keeps me alive, and after all, that’s my ultimate goal,” I said
as a squad car pulled up.
 

I waited until the
police chief got out of the squad car to join him, with Momma not far behind.

“Chief, I’m
Suzanne Hart, and this is my mother, Dorothea Hart.”

“You’re the donut
maker, and you’re the sister,” the chief said.
 
“Jean spoke highly of both of you.
 
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see
what’s going on in there.”

“Should we come
with you?” I asked.

“Thanks, but I’ll
manage.”

The police chief walked
up the steps to the old house with his gun drawn, and as he went inside, I held
my breath waiting for some kind of sound from inside.
 
The house was a Victorian, large and
ancient, and I had fond memories of all of the different hiding spots there I’d
discovered as a child.
 
I’d loved
everything about the place, from its scarred hardwood floors to its glass
doorknobs to its stained glass transom windows over every door.
 
It had been my aunt’s pride and joy, and
I couldn’t help but think that the place looked sad now that she was gone.

The chief finally
walked out with an older woman in tow.
 

She looked flustered
as she hurried over to us.

“I’m so
sorry.
 
I didn’t mean to scare
you.
 
I just wanted to clean up a
little before you got here.”

“And you are?”
Momma asked her coldly.

The woman wiped
her hands on her apron, and then she extended one to Momma.
 
“I’m Greta Miles.
 
I was your sister’s cleaning lady.”

“Hello,
Greta.
 
I’m Dorothea, and this is my
daughter, Suzanne.”

“It’s a pleasure
to meet you both.
 
If you’ll come on
up, I’ll make you a nice pot of tea.
 
I could use one myself, truth be told.
 
Finding Miss Jean like that this morning
has been traumatic for me, I can tell you that.”

 
“Why don’t you go on ahead with Greta,
Momma?” I suggested.
 
“I’ll be there
in a second.”

My mother looked
curious about my request, but she did as I asked and followed Greta inside.

“Before you go, I’d
like a word with you, Chief,” I said.

“Is there
anything in particular that you’d like to ask?”

“I’m assuming
that Greta was indeed my aunt’s housekeeper,” I said.

Chief Kessler
looked surprised by my statement.
 
“Of
course she was.
 
Why else would she
be here?”

I could think of
a few reasons, but I didn’t want to share them with him, at least not until I
got to know him a little better.
 
“It never hurts to ask.
 
Is
there a trustworthy locksmith that you could recommend around here?”

“Are you going to
change the locks already?
 
That
sounds a little rushed, don’t you think?”

“Chief, I loved
and respected my aunt more than I can ever say.
 
I’m just looking after her wishes.
 
So, do you have someone you could refer
me to or not?”

He took out a business
card and jotted something on it.
 
“That’s Hank Caldwell’s number.
 
Give him a call and tell him I said that it was a priority.
 
The other number is my cellphone.
 
Call that if you can’t get me through
dispatch.
 
I was a big fan of your aunt’s.”

“I’m glad to hear
it.
 
Thanks, Chief.”

“You can call me
Greg,” he said, and then he added a lopsided smile.

Was he flirting
with me?
 
He was probably just being
friendly, but it took all I had not to blurt out, “I have a boyfriend.”

“Suzanne works
for me,” I said.
 
“Thanks for coming
over so quickly.”

“I’m just glad
that it was a false alarm,” he said as he saluted me with three fingers.
 
“I’m sorry about your aunt’s
accident.
 
It was truly tragic.”

“Chief,” I asked
on a whim, “are you
sure
that it was
an accident?”

“There’s no doubt
in my mind,” he said.
 
“After all,
everyone knew that she’d been sick lately.
 
She must have lost her balance at the top of the stairs, and she wasn’t
able to catch herself in time.
 
It
was bad, but it was still an accident, plain and simple.”

“Thanks,” I
said.
 
He seemed convinced that he
was telling me the truth, or else he was an excellent liar.
 
Only time would tell which one it might
be.

After Chief Kessler
drove off, I didn’t waste any time calling Hank Caldwell.
 
He agreed to come right over and change
the locks, and I let a breath of air out.
 
Who knew how many keys to Aunt Jean’s place were floating around Maple
Hollow?
 
At least this way, Momma
and I should be able to go to sleep tonight without worrying about any unwanted
visitors.

When I walked
into the kitchen, I found both women sitting at the dining room table with cups
of tea in front of them.
 
There was
another cup waiting for me, so I joined them.

“You were out
there quite a while,” Momma said.

“I had a few things
to discuss with the police chief,” I said.
 
I didn’t really want to get into it with Greta there, so I turned to the
maid and said, “I hope you understand why we were so surprised to see you
here.”

“If I overstepped
my bounds, I’m truly sorry.
 
I just wanted
things to be nice for you when you got here,” she said.

“We’ll be more
than happy to pay you for your time, of course,” Momma said.

Greta looked
shocked by the offer.
 
“I didn’t come
here today for money.
 
It was out of
respect.”

“And we
appreciate it,” I said, “but we’ve got things under control now.
 
It was sweet of you to stop in, but I
hope you understand that my mother and I need a little time here alone to get
used to the situation.”

“I understand,”
she said as she stood abruptly.
 
“I’ll
just be on my way, then.”

I was surprised
by how fast she was moving.
 
“I
didn’t mean immediately.
 
You can at
least finish your tea,” I said.

“No, that’s not
necessary.
 
If you don’t need me, I’ll
be going along now.”

And before I
could stop her, she was gone.

“What did I say?”
I asked Momma.

“Why are you so
surprised that she left so abruptly?
 
You were the one who suggested that she go.”

“Not instantly,”
I said.

“Why did you want
to get rid of her?” Momma asked.

“I wanted to see
what clues Aunt Jean left us, and I didn’t want to do it with Greta hovering
nearby.”

“That was smart
thinking,” Momma said when the front doorbell rang.
 
“Now who could that be?”

“It’s probably
Hank Caldwell,” I said as I got up to answer it.

“Who is Hank
Caldwell?”

“He’s the man
who’s here to change all of the locks,” I explained.

“Is that really
necessary?” Momma asked.
 
She just
wasn’t getting it.
 
We were on the
defensive now, and that meant making ourselves as safe as we could manage.

“You’d better
believe that it is.
 
We don’t know
how many keys are out there floating around, and I want to be sure that no one
tries to get in when we’re asleep.”

“That’s good
thinking,” she said.
 
“I wouldn’t
have thought of doing that.”

I would take any
praise I could get.
 
“Don’t worry.
 
It takes a while to get the hang of
this, but you’re a smart lady.
 
I’m
sure that you’ll catch on,” I added with a grin, which she returned in kind.

A man in his mid-sixties
was standing at the door when we opened it.
 
His hair, as full as it was, was pure
white, and while his face may have sported more wrinkles than a raisin, his
back was straight, and his eyes were clear.
 

“You must be Hank
Caldwell,” I said as I offered him my hand.

With a grin, he
replied, “Well, if I must be, then I must.
 
You wanted the locks here all changed?”

“We do.
 
Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“It’s a smart
thing to do, but not many folks think of it until it’s too late.
 
Besides,” he added with a grin, “my
cousins are in town, and I’m eager to leave the house right now at the
slightest excuse.
 
I’ll have you
fixed up in an hour, or it will be free.”

“There’s no need
for you to make that promise,” my mother said.

“It wasn’t really
a promise.
 
It’s just an
expression.”

“Well then, you
should be careful using it,” Momma said with the hint of a grin.
 
“Someone might just take you up on it
someday.”

“I suppose they
could try,” Hank said.
 
“Now, if you
ladies will excuse me, I’ll get to work.”

“I suppose we need
to wait to start searching until he’s gone,” Momma said softly after we left
Hank to his work.

“Sorry, but I
thought this should be a priority.”

“Suzanne, there’s
no need to apologize.
 
I think it’s
a wonderful idea.
 
What do we do in
the meantime, though?”

“I don’t know
about you, but I’m going to keep an eye on Hank,” I said, my voice barely above
a whisper.

Momma laughed,
and then she saw that I was serious.
 
“You aren’t joking, are you?”

“Momma, there are
only two people in Maple Hollow that I trust, and we’re both standing right
here.
 
It’s going to be smart if we
keep that in mind at all times.”

“How are we going
to watch him without him growing suspicious of our attention?” Momma asked.

“That’s the easy
part.
 
We’re going to ask him a lot
of questions as he works, and listen intently to every reply he makes.”

“I can do that
myself,” Momma said.
 
“That way you
can go ahead and search on your own.”

“Thanks for the
offer, but we’re going to need to be on the buddy system while we’re here,” a
suggestion I’d ignore later, much to my own regret.
 
“Whatever we do while we’re here, we do
it together.”

“I suppose that’s
prudent,” she said.
 
“But you’re
better at making inane conversation than I am, so I’ll let you lead the way.”

“I’m not sure
that’s a compliment exactly, but it sounds like a plan to me.”

We both approached
Hank, who was on one knee removing the front door lock with a long
screwdriver.
 
“So, are you a lock
specialist, or do you handle other situations?” I asked him.

“Well, I don’t
shingle roofs anymore, not since I nearly fell off one a few years ago, and I
don’t dig foundations, but if you have a problem with your house between the
ground and the sky, then I’m the one you should call.”

“Be careful.
 
We might just take you up on that,” I
said.
 
“This old house may need more
of your attention.”

“I’d be most
appreciative if you called me, then, especially for the next nine days.”

“Are your cousins
really staying with you that long?” I asked.

“That’s not the
worst part,” he said as he pulled off the old lockset completely.

“What is?” Momma
asked.

“They’ve already
been here for two solid weeks, and they are driving me stark raving crazy,” he
said good-naturedly.

“Family can do
that sometimes,” I said with a smile as I looked at my mother.
 
“I don’t mean you, of course,” I added
with a grin as I looked at Momma.

“I didn’t think
you did,” she said, offering a smile herself.

As Hank worked
his way through Aunt Jean’s locks, we chatted about a great many things,
including my dear aunt, and by the time the handyman was finished and handed us
the new keys, we were all old friends.

“Remember; call
me if you need me, day or night,” he said as he folded Momma’s check up and
stuck it in his front shirt pocket.

“We will,” Momma promised.
 

After he was
gone, I locked the door behind him and then turned to Momma.
 
“There, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

“Suzanne, I may
have underestimated you.”

“What do you
mean?”

“You are very
good with people, aren’t you?
 
I
often wondered how you got folks to tell you things they never should have
during the course of your investigations, but your questions are so sincere
that people can’t help themselves, can they?”

“I’ve found that
it helps if I really do want to know the answers to the questions that I ask,
but that’s not the real secret.”