Authors: Allison Kingsley
Mind Over Murder (18 page)
“I should think so. I was worried about you. Who brought you home?”
“Stephanie.” She glanced at the clock again. “I have to go, Mom. I’m supposed to be at the Raven’s Nest in half an hour.”
“How are you going to get there? I could come home and take you. They can do without me here for a little while.”
“No, it’s okay, Mom. I’ll take the bus. I’ll see about renting a car later, at least until I get the insurance on the other one.”
It took her another five minutes to convince her mother she was well enough to go to work, and she had to scramble to shower and dress. She heard her mother’s phone ringing as she was heading for the door.
She paused for a second, decided it was probably a survey or one of her mother’s friends and left it ringing as she closed the door behind her.
At the bookstore, she found it full of customers, most of whom were in the Reading Nook enjoying coffee and scones. Stephanie greeted her with a look that clearly expressed her worry over her cousin’s condition. She said nothing, however, though Molly rushed over and gave her a hug.
“Are you all right?” Molly peered up at her, her eyes full of concern. “Steph said your car was totaled. It must have been horrible when you realized your brakes weren’t working.”
Clara managed a brief smile. “It was. But I’m fine, except for a crashing headache.” She glanced at her cousin. “I’m going over to the pharmacy to get this filled. Can you do without me until I get back?”
Stephanie nodded. “Take your time.”
“Thanks.” Clara stepped out into the street, blinking as the sunlight stabbed her eyes.
“I just heard the news. How are you?”
The voice seemed to come from nowhere, and she had to blink several times to focus before she recognized Frannie.
“I’m doing all right.” She turned her back to the sun.
Frannie wore a pair of sunglasses that just about hid her whole face. “Roberta told me what happened,” she said, her fingers twisting the strap of her shoulder bag. “How awful. You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t.” Clara did her best to smile. “A night in the hospital and I’m as good as new.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it.” Frannie looked down the street, and then back at her again. “Be careful, Clara. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” She walked off, leaving Clara staring after her.
Was that a warning?
What is it Frannie knows? Damn it, Sense, where are you?
What is it Frannie knows? Damn it, Sense, where are you?
Shaking her head, Clara headed for the pharmacy just as Roberta stormed out of the hardware store, her face dark with annoyance.
She looked at Clara as if she were something nasty she’d found in her sandwich and stalked across the road with complete disregard for the motorist who had to abruptly brake for her.
Clara would have given anything to go into the hardware store to find out what had upset Jordan’s new owner, but no matter what excuse she came up with, Rick would probably catch on right away that she was simply being nosy.
When she came out of the pharmacy with the pills the doctor had prescribed, Rick was stacking rakes and shovels in the wooden barrel outside his store. After a mental battle with herself, she gave in to the impulse and walked up to him.
She spoke his name, and he spun around, brandishing the rake like a weapon. His expression changed when he saw her. “Clara! I thought for a moment you were the spider woman.”
Clara raised her eyebrows. “Who?”
“That Prince woman.” He jerked his head at Jordan’s. “I call her the Black Widow. I swear she’s capable of devouring a man whole.”
He actually sounded sincere. Could it be that, after all, Roberta’s comments about her relationship with him were nothing more than wishful thinking? If so, knowing how much Roberta wanted more, Clara could afford to feel sorry for her. “She can’t be that bad.”
“Well, she is.” His brows drew together as he stared across the street. “I think she’s after my store.”
“I think it’s more likely she’s after your body.”
The gleam in his eyes when he looked at her unsettled her. “Well, if she is, she’s going about it all wrong.”
She remembered what Roberta had said about marrying him. It seemed the lady was doomed to disappointment on that score. Her delight at the thought was so disturbing she cut off Rick’s next words with a hasty, “Gotta go! See you later.”
Not that Rick’s relationship with Roberta was any of her business, of course.
Even so, her steps were considerably lighter as she hurried back to the bookstore.
“I saw you talking to Rick,” Stephanie said, the minute Clara got inside the door. “Did you ask him for a date?”
“Why would she ask Rick for a date?” Molly asked, appearing from behind a bookshelf. She looked at Clara with great interest. “Do you like him?”
“No! Yes! No . . . Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Clara headed for the Nook, calling over her shoulder, “I’m going to take a pill.”
“You should go home,” Stephanie called out after her.
Ignoring her, Clara turned the corner and found the Nook empty of customers, except for Frannie, who sat in one of the armchairs. She had a book on her lap and was munching on a ham roll, with a can of soda on the table next to her.
She looked up when Clara came in and smiled at her. “Head still hurting?”
Clara nodded, then wished she hadn’t, as once more pain sliced through her forehead. “I’m going to take something for it,” she said, and reached for a paper cup next to the water cooler.
“Good idea.” Frannie held up her book. “I’ve just finished reading Wayne Lester’s book. It’s wonderful. Would you like to read it?”
She held it out, and Clara took it from her. “It does look real interesting, but right now I’ve got so many books on my TBR list, it would be months before I could get to this.” She handed the book back to her and filled the cup with water.
“So, what pills did the doctor give you?” Frannie asked, a loud pop accompanying her words as she snapped open the soda.
Clara squinted at the label. “Vicodin. These things are pretty powerful, and they make you drowsy. I think I’ll only take a half.”
“Good idea.” Frannie took a sip of her soda then added, “How are you getting to work without a car?”
“I took the bus this morning.” Clara snapped a pill in half and dropped one half back into the bottle. “I’ll see about renting a car later.”
“I’ve got one you can use.” Frannie wrapped up what was left of her roll and put it back into a paper bag. “I use my bike most of the time, and my car really needs to be out on the road. The battery runs down if it’s sitting too long in the parking lot. Could clog the fuel system, too. You’d actually be doing me a favor by running it.”
Surprised by the offer, Clara hesitated.
“It’s not a fancy car,” Frannie said, getting to her feet, “but it will get you back and forth until you can get another one.”
Catching the defensive tone in her voice, Clara realized a refusal would probably offend the woman. “That’s so very nice of you!” She thought about hugging her, then decided against it. Frannie was not the hugging type. “I’ll take really good care of it.”
Frannie smiled, her eyes lighting up as if she’d been given a surprise gift. “Great then.” She walked over to the cooler and dropped her soda can into the trash bin. “I can go home and get it tonight and bring it back for you. Then you can give me a ride home.”
Clara thanked her again, genuinely touched by the generous offer. It seemed there was a lot more to Frannie than she’d first thought.
She said as much to Stephanie after Frannie had gone back to Jordan’s. “She such a timid little woman, but she’s really good-hearted and pretty intelligent, too.”
“She’s had a tough life.” Stephanie bagged a couple of books and handed the package across the counter to the waiting customer. “You know about her son, don’t you?”
Clara shook her head. “I thought she wasn’t married.”
“She isn’t anymore. She’s been divorced for several years now.”
“So what about her son?”
Clara never got her answer, as the two of them were too busy serving the customers at the counter. Stephanie rang for Molly to join them, and Clara couldn’t help noticing the change in the people waiting to be served the minute Molly stepped behind the counter.
More than a week after the murder and they still suspected her of killing Ana. Clara watched the young woman as she made the transactions at the register, seemingly unaffected by the frosty atmosphere surrounding her. Clara wasn’t fooled for an instant.
Molly was hurting, and doing her best to hide it.
It reminded her that she hadn’t yet taken Molly to task about her taking the day off and lying to Stephanie. As soon as things quieted down, she decided, she’d tackle the subject.
John Halloran ambled into the store around two and disappeared into the Nook, much to Clara’s relief. She managed to avoid him when he returned to the counter with a book in hand, leaving Molly to wait on him.
Meanwhile, Stephanie kept glancing at the clock and finally told them, “I have to go and pick up my kids. Their friend’s birthday party should be over by now.” She looked at Molly. “If things are still busy at four o’clock, would you stay on for a while to help Clara? I don’t think she should be here alone if it’s busy.”
“For heaven’s sake.” Clara smiled at her cousin. “Stop mothering me. I have enough of that from my real mother. I’ll be just fine. It always eases up by late afternoon, anyway, and I’ll sit in the Nook between customers.”
Stephanie frowned, obviously reluctant to leave. “All right. But call me the second you feel you need help, all right?”
“I promise. Now
go
.” Clara turned back to assist another customer, and after a moment or two of hovering, Stephanie left.
go
.” Clara turned back to assist another customer, and after a moment or two of hovering, Stephanie left.
By three-thirty, the store was empty again, and Clara joined Molly in the Nook for a cup of coffee. Clara waited until they were both seated on the couch before casually saying, “John Halloran was in a couple of days ago. He said he saw you riding down the coast road on the back of your boyfriend’s motorbike.”
Molly’s cheeks turned pink. “Er . . . yes. I wasn’t feeling well, so he took me for a breath of fresh air. He thought it would help me feel better.”
Clara studied her face. “And did it?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s amazing how a ride along the coast road on a motorbike can blow the bugs out of your head.”
“Really.”
She’s lying
.
She’s lying
.
Molly slid her gaze away and picked up her coffee. “We were busy today. That’s good. How are you feeling, anyway?”
“I’m okay.” Clara paused, then added, “I’m worried about you, though.”
Molly shot her a nervous glance. “Me? Why me?”
“If you keep making up stories like this, you’re going to end up in real trouble some day.”
The pink in Molly’s cheeks turned red. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” Clara picked up her coffee. “You called in sick on Wednesday so you could go for a joyride with your boyfriend.”
Eyes sparkling with resentment, Molly stood up. “So what if I did? Just about everybody does that at some time or other. It’s not a crime!”
“No, it isn’t.” Clara put down her cup. “Look, Molly, all I’m saying is that when you get caught out in a lie it makes people wary of trusting you, and right now, can you really afford to do that?”
For a moment or two Molly looked as if she might explode; then, suddenly, all the fight went out of her, and she let out her breath on a sigh. “No, I guess not. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me. You let Stephanie down, though, and I suggest that next time you want a day off, just ask her. I’m sure she’ll work something out for you.”
“Okay. You’re right.” Molly looked at the clock and sat down again. “Seriously, though, how’s the headache?”
Clara smiled. “It’s still there. In fact, I think I’ll take the other half of my pill.” She patted her pants pocket and frowned. “I must have left them on the table.” She got up and walked over to the cooler, letting out her breath in relief when she saw the bottle lying on the table.
She opened it and shook out the white tablets into her hand.
Just then the doorbell rang, announcing a customer.
“I’ll go.” Molly jumped to her feet and vanished around the corner.
Clara heard voices and realized there was more than one person out there with Molly. She couldn’t see the half tablet, so she quickly broke another one in half and swallowed it down. Shoving the bottle into her pocket, she hurried out to help Molly.
Things slowed down considerably after the three customers left, and Clara insisted Molly leave at four, the end of her shift.
Time dragged after that, and she passed the hours straightening up the magazine racks and restocking the shelves.
By six o’clock her head was hurting again, but she was reluctant to take another pill until she could go to bed and sleep it off.
If she was going to drive Frannie’s car home, she didn’t need to be any more drowsy than she was already. In fact, she couldn’t wait to go home and crawl into bed.
Her knees and back ached, and there was something wrong with her wrist. It felt weak and hurt every time she tried to lift anything. Glancing at the clock, she wondered how long it would take Frannie to ride home and get the car.
What if she couldn’t get it started? What if the battery had died from sitting too long in the parking lot?
She thought about calling for a cab, but then if Frannie came back for her she’d have a wasted journey, and without knowing Frannie’s phone number, there was no way to get in touch with her.
She decided to wait outside for her. The fresh air would revive her somewhat, and she would be ready to go when Frannie got there.
After turning out the lights and locking up, she stepped out into the street. Clouds had blown in from the ocean, and she felt a sprinkle of rain on her face as she peered down the hill, hoping to see the lights of Frannie’s car.
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