Morning Cup of Murder (25 page)

“That’s the honest truth, Lacy,” she said shakily. “I tried to convince Barbara not to go public with the adoption, but she wouldn’t be dissuaded. I left here very upset and decided that if our worlds were going to be torn apart, then we were in need of some prune cake.” She swiped at her eyes. Mr. Middleton moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders, giving them a squeeze.

“She sent you a note, too, didn’t she?” Lacy asked Mr. Middleton.

He nodded curtly. “She did, the darn fool woman. She was always trying to stir up trouble when she was young and apparently some people just never learn.”

“Did you come here that night?”

Mr. Middleton looked taken aback. “No. I learned my lesson with Barbara fifty years ago. The less contact with her, the better. No good ever comes of getting caught up in her schemes. When she left here all those years ago, I wrote her off, vowing never to have anything to do with her again.”

Lacy could tell he meant it. Mr. Middleton was one of those straight-laced protective people who might be compelled to murder in a fit of passion, but he would never lie to cover it up, and especially not to his own granddaughter.

“Then who ate the pie?” Lacy mused.

Tosh cleared his throat. “Um, that would have been me.”

Lacy whirled to look at him, her mouth agape. “What?”

His look and tone were apologetic. “She called and told me she was a member of my congregation and invited me over. She gave me pie, and I left.”

“You met her? You were here? Why didn’t you tell me?” Lacy asked.

“Because when I was here, she made a pass at me. I ran out like Joseph with Potipher’s wife. I was embarrassed, and then when I learned about her reputation I was afraid no one would believe that I had left.”

“Tosh,” Lacy said, the hurt evident in her voice. “You were here after my grandma. You ate the pie she brought. You could have been her alibi; you could have cleared her.”

Now it was his turn to look shocked. “Lacy, I didn’t think…I promise you that never occurred to me, or I would have come forward. I’m so sorry.” He looked over her head toward her grandmother. “Mrs. Craig, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

Lucinda waved her hand. “Don’t think a thing of it, Pastor Underwood.”

Lacy turned away from him, too overwhelmed to deal with the implications of what she had learned from him. She blew out a frustrated breath and pushed her hair away from her face. “If it wasn’t any of you who killed her, then who was it?” she asked.

“It was me.”

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer, gasping when they saw her gun.

“Peggy,” Mr. Middleton said. “What are you talking about?”

Peggy looked at him and shook her head. “You still don’t know, Tom. You never did. You never understood.”

But Lacy understood. Suddenly the first entry in the journal made sense. “You’re Round Hole,” she said.

Peggy’s brow lowered and her head snapped toward Lacy. “How did you know about that?”

“I saw it in her journal. ‘Round Hole- Matherly,’” Lacy quoted. The tiny entry she had pondered for so many days now finally made sense. Peggy was in love with Mr. Middleton, and Barbara had taken him away.

“She was horrible,” Peggy said. “You know why she called me Round Hole? Because she said I was like a square peg in a round hole--I didn’t belong. And she made sure of it. She ridiculed what I wore, how I did my hair, and the way I talked. None of the other kids would have anything to do with me, or the teachers, either. Except you, Tom. You’ve always been nice to me.”

“But why did you kill her after all this time?” Lacy asked.

“Because she came back,” Peggy said plaintively. “I thought she was out of our lives forever, and then she came back. And where Barbara went, destruction followed. I knew she would try to contact Tom again, and I was afraid he would fall in love with her all over again.”

“That wouldn’t have happened, Peg,” Mr. Middleton said kindly.

“Of course not,” Peggy said, beginning to cry now. “Because you’re in love with
her
.”
 
She pointed the gun toward Lacy’s grandmother. “I heard you talking all about it in the coffee shop this morning, and I can’t take it anymore, Tom. I can’t take watching you eat your heart out over someone who’s not me.” She swiped at her eyes and leveled the gun on Lucinda, but Mr. Middleton stepped between the two women.

“Peggy, you’ve always been my best friend. Why do you think I spend every morning in the coffee shop except to see you? You’ve been the biggest part of my life all these years, and the one constant I could count on. We’ve spent all our holidays and birthdays together.”

“Then why didn’t you ever fall in love with me?” she sobbed.

“I tried to,” he said. “I wanted to. But the heart wants what it wants. I couldn’t make myself feel something it couldn’t, but I do love you. You know that. Don’t do this.” He stepped forward again and put his arms around her, securing the gun and taking it out of her grasp. She collapsed on his chest and gave great heaving sobs.

A few minutes later, Jason was there. He walked into the house, gun drawn, and then paused in the doorway, a look of confusion on his face.

“One of the neighbors called me and said she saw some people break in here,” he said. His gaze leveled on Lacy and narrowed.

Before Lacy could defend herself, Detective Brenner came puffing up the steps behind him, knocking Jason out of the way. “I knew it. I knew we would find you people here. You’re under arrest, all of you.”

“Oh be quiet, George, before you bust an artery,” Mr. Middleton said. He handed Peggy’s gun to Jason, keeping his arm around her and leading her forward. “Peggy has some statements to make in regards to Barbara Blake’s murder, Jason.”

Detective Brenner stared at the gun in shock while Jason took out a clear evidence bag and slipped the gun inside. The detective’s mouth worked up and down like a fish out of water before he turned his beady eyes on Lacy with a gleam of triumph.

“You, Miss Steele, are under arrest for trespassing. Your friend, Bryce, has been singing like a bird. Apparently now isn’t the first time you’ve broken into this house, and you’d better believe I’m going to make the charges stick, no matter what Ed McNeil might have to say about it.” He turned to Jason. “Cantor, secure that prisoner and then come back to get this one.”

There was a part of Lacy that wanted to hear what Jason had to say. Would he refuse? But on the off chance that he wouldn’t, she decided to jump in and save him from saying anything at all.

“You can’t arrest a person for entering her own house.”

The detective did look in danger of apoplexy when she explained that she owned the Blake house and all its contents.

“As a matter of fact, Detective, you are the one who is now trespassing in my house. I would appreciate it if you would leave. Now,” she finished, then crossed her arms as she waited for him to walk away.

He looked mutinous, but he somehow restrained himself from saying another word. Instead, he pivoted on his heel, walked to his car, and squealed his tires as he drove away.

She and Jason looked at each other, locking eyes over Peggy’s bent, weeping head. So quick she wasn’t sure she hadn’t imagined it, he winked at her, and then he led Peggy out with his arm around her shaking shoulders for support.

Lacy sagged against the counter, suddenly drained of all energy. Tosh moved closer, resting his hand on her shoulder, and she tensed.

“Lacy, please,” he started, but she cut him off.

“Not now. Just not now. I need some time.”

“All right,” he said softly. With a final goodbye to her grandmother and Mr. Middleton, he let himself out.

“Lacy, are you going to tell Frannie?” Lucinda asked.

“No, Grandma, I think that needs to be your call,” Lacy said. “But I do think she deserves the right to get to know her father, and him her.”

Lucinda and Mr. Middleton looked at each other, considering. “I can’t imagine what it would do to her to learn the truth after so many years,” Mr. Middleton said. “I don’t want to hurt her or turn her world upside down.”

“What if she gets to know him in a different capacity? As my, er, gentleman friend?” her grandmother said, blushing faintly.

Lacy blinked at the older couple in surprise. “I think that would be just great,” she said. But when the initial shock wore off, she felt elated over the prospect, and soon she was hugging both her grandma and Mr. Middleton.

Somehow it was appropriate that in addition to her grandmother’s happy ending being released from jail, she should also find her very own Prince Charming.
Now if only I could find mine,
Lacy thought.

Outside in the driveway a car started, and Lacy didn’t know if it was Tosh or Jason.

Epilogue

“Are you sure you forgive me?”

“Tosh, I’m sure. Please stop asking me that,” Lacy replied as they walked up the sidewalk to Barbara Blake’s house. She wondered how long it would take until she stopped thinking of it that way and started thinking of it as her house.

“But I messed up, Lacy. I’m embarrassed by my weakness, and mortified that you had to be the one to see it. I panicked by not telling you everything, and you were so brave and composed throughout the whole ordeal.”

She knew these words almost by heart because he had said them to her--repeatedly--and written them on the note he sent with a dozen roses. Twice. They reached the house and she turned to face him. “Tosh, please stop apologizing. It’s all over and done. I probably would have forgiven you sooner if I hadn’t been dealing with so much at the time. You neglected to tell me you had pie, you didn’t burn down an orphanage. It’s fine; we’re fine.”

He took her hand and looked at it, playing with her fingers while he spoke. “You know what the hardest part of being a pastor is?”

She shook her head.

“It’s trying to figure out how to be a man, too. People are watching me, waiting to learn by my example. I have to be extra careful not to make the wrong move, to go slowly, to keep appearances as well as actions on the up and up.”

“I know, Tosh,” she said. “And I appreciate that about you.”

“Yes, but how much do you appreciate it?” he asked. “In the kind of way that you tolerate it because we’re friends, or in the kind of way that you’re willing to be patient with me and wait for things to progress beyond our friendship?”

“I…” The question caught her totally off guard, rendering her speechless.

Tosh pressed his index finger lightly to her lips. “Don’t answer that tonight. Think about it.” He removed his finger, leaned down, and pressed a light kiss to her lips. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” he asked, resting his forehead on hers.

She shook her head and opened her eyes. “No. Thank you, but I really just want to be alone to sort through her things and try to figure out what to do next.”

“All right. Call if you change your mind.” He grasped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, casting a longing look at her lips, and then he left.

Lacy let herself in her house and made her way to the master bedroom. Pulling out all the shoes from the closet, she looked at the size on the bottom. Apparently she and her grandmother had more in common than their hair and eye color; they had the same size feet. But to Lacy, this wasn’t good news. If the shoes had been the wrong size, she could easily have given them away.

But now before her sat thousands of dollars worth of designer shoes that looked brand new. And they were her size. Keeping them felt wrong, but so did giving them away. These items were the only tangible reminder of her biological grandmother. Should that mean anything?

Her phone rang and she picked it up, not paying attention to the caller ID. “Lacy, it’s me.”

Lacy’s heart felt like it stopped beating. “Riley,” she choked.

“I have some news, and I wanted you to hear it from me first. Robert and I are getting married.”

Lacy tried to swallow and couldn’t. “Congratulations,” she choked, and then she hung up. Her lips were numb, and the room swam. She lay down, put her feet in the air, and some of the sensation began to return to her extremities.

The doorbell rang and she stumbled down the hall, throwing open the door without looking to see who it was.

“Lacy, are you okay?” Jason asked. She hadn’t seen him since the day he arrested Peggy, two weeks ago. She had wanted to call, but she didn’t know what to say, and she was afraid of the possible rejection.

She nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“Because you’re crying,” he said. Taking a step closer, he swiped his fingers on her cheek and held them up so she could see the moisture.

“Oh,” she said. She sniffled, and it was as if a dam burst. She put her hands over her face and sobbed. Jason herded her into the house and closed the door behind them.

“What’s wrong?”

His gentle, tender tone made everything worse. She cried until she hyperventilated. He searched the kitchen, returning with a paper bag for her to breathe into, and then he led her to the couch, sat, and put his arms around her.

She leaned against his chest, thinking how good it felt to be held.