Strawberry Shortcake Murder (24 page)

“You’re quick, Andrea. And you could be right. But how did the killer know that Lucy had taken the pictures?”

“Lucy must have told him. She must have tried to blackmail him, Hannah.”

“That fits with what Herb told us. Lucy said that she was working on something important, and if it worked out, she’d have enough money to buy her leased car. She must have figures that Boyd’s killer would cough up big bucks for those negatives.”

“Lucy should have known better. I really didn’t think she’d be so foolish.”

“Not foolish, stupid,” Hannah corrected her. “Really stupid.”

“Do you think that the killer…?” Andrea stopped speaking and steadied herself against the wall. She seemed unable to voice that possibility. It didn’t matter. Hannah knew exactly what she meant.

“That’s one theory, Andrea, but it’s just a theory. We don’t even know, for sure, that Lucy talked to Boyd’s killer.” Hannah’s mind went into overdrive, attempting to come up with an alternate scenario. Her gut told her that Boyd’s killer had been the one who’d broken into Lucy’s apartment, but Andrea wouldn’t be much help if she panicked. “All this could have been done by one of Lucy’s other blackmail victims.”

A little color began to come back to Andrea’s cheeks as she thought about that. “Do you really think so?”

“It’s possible. They’d have a lot to gain, too. It could have been Mayor Bascomb, or Claire, or Mr. Avery.”

“Mr. Avery?”

“Why not? Lucy had his money. He could have been trying to get it back.”

“You’re right.” Andrea looked very relieved. “At least we know it wasn’t Danielle. She doesn’t even know about the blackmail, and she’s still in the hospital. And Norman didn’t do it. You gave him his letter, and he wouldn’t have any reason to break into Lucy’s place.”

“Very good.” Hannah was pleased. Andrea was starting to think straight.

“But what about Lucy’s film?” Andrea asked. “Why would Mayor Bascomb, or Claire, or Mr. Avery bother to destroy it? If Lucy was blackmailing them, she had already showed them the prints. They would have been after the negatives.”

Hannah sighed. Perhaps Andrea was thinking a little too straight. But it was a legitimate question, and she had to come up with an answer. “It could have been a new blackmail victim. Lucy might have taken some incriminating pictures last night. The new victim would figure she hadn’t had time to develop her film yet.”

“That makes sense. But what about Lucy?” Andrea looked nervous again. “Why is she missing?”

“You already came up with a theory about that,” Hannah interrupted her, wishing that she didn’t have to walk a tightrope between Andrea’s hysteria on one hand and her logical questions on the other.

“You’re right. I forgot about that. I said that if Lucy discovered that her evidence was missing she’d think the police were after her and might skip town.”

“That’s right. And the theory still fits. If Lucy flew the coop before her apartment was vandalized, she doesn’t even know about it. Let’s concentrate on thinking about where she might have gone.”

Andrea sighed. “That’s going to be hard, Hannah. I don’t even know where Lucy comes from. And I don’t think she has any friends in town. Nobody seems to like her much.”

“Only because she’s rude, nosy, conceited, and she blackmails people. Otherwise, she’s all right.”

Andrea laughed, actually laughed, and Hannah knew that her sister was back on track. Now all she had to do was keep her there.

“Where shall we start, Hannah? You must have some ideas.”

“Of course I do,” Hannah declared, searching her mind for something that Andrea could do. “Why don’t you check Lucy’s closet and see if any of her clothes are missing. She might have packed a bag before she left.”

“That’s a good idea. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll look around in the kitchen and the bathroom.”

“No, don’t do that.” Andrea started to shiver again. “I don’t want to be alone, Hannah. What if it was the killer? He could come back.”

“Why would he? He thinks he destroyed all of Lucy’s evidence. He doesn’t know that we’ve got the film she took of him.”

“That’s right.” An expression of relief replaced the panic that had resurfaced on Andrea’s face. “Go ahead, Hannah. I’ll be all right. What are you going to look for?”

“A clue to Lucy’s whereabouts. It could be a map, a note with an address, anything like that. But we have to hurry, Andrea. Vera’s going to think it’s weird if we’re up here too long.”

“Okay. You have a tape player in your truck, don’t you?”

“Yes. Why?”

“When I’m through with the closet, I’m going to take out Lucy’s answering machine tape. We can listen to it in your truck. Maybe somebody called her back with a reservation number or something and she’d already left.”

“Brilliant.” Hannah rewarded her with a smile, then headed off to search the kitchen and the bathroom. She didn’t think she’d find any clues, but she had to look.

There was nothing in the kitchen except pulled-out drawers and open cupboards. Hannah checked the garbage and found nothing but two tuna cans, a bread wrapper with a stale heel of bread inside, and shards of the plate and coffee cup that Andrea had broken this morning when she’d come in through the kitchen window. The worst-case scenario didn’t occur to her until she’d flicked on the bathroom light and spotted the shower curtain had it been closed this morning? She couldn’t remember, and she certainly didn’t want to ask Andrea. Hannah reached out with shaking fingers, and then hesitated, doing her best not to think about what Anthony Perkins had done to Janet Leigh in Psycho.

The shower had contained nothing but a bottle of shampoo and some rust stains near the drain. They’d double-checked Lucy’s doors and windows to make sure her apartment was secure and then they’d gone back downstairs to return Vera’s key. They hadn’t mentioned the break-in to her, knowing that it would only cause her a sleepless night of worries about Lucy. As far as they could tell, nothing was missing from Lucy’s apartment, and they’d decided to report it later, when they spoke to Mike and Bill. Then they’d driven to The Cookie Jar, pulled into Hannah’s space in the back, kicked up the heater so that they could huddle close to the vents, and listened to the answering machine tape.

There had been Norman’s call, the one that had told them Lucy wasn’t at his office, several calls from Rod to ask where she was, a slew of messages about Lucy’s overdue credit-card balances, and one from a telephone solicitor who’d read his whole pitch on the tape. The only call that was even remotely interesting was from Delores. She’d wanted to know whether Lucy was more interested in necklaces or earrings.

“What was all that about?” Hannah asked, when they’d played Delores’s message.

“Oh, Mother’s probably angling for another article in the paper. They ran one while you were off at college about her collection of antique clocks.” Andrea sighed as she pressed the button to rewind the tape. “There aren’t any clues on here, Hannah. What shall we do next?”

Hannah shrugged. They were getting nowhere fast. “Let’s drive back over to Lucy’s place. Vera said she was going straight to bed. If her lights are off, we’ll check the garage to make sure Lucy’s car is gone.”

“What good will that do? It’s got to be gone if Lucy is.”

“Not necessarily.” Hannah backed out of her parking spot and headed down the alley. “Lucy could have left town with someone.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know, but we should still check. Investigating is a process of elimination. You have to explore all the possibilities, and whatever’s left, no matter how implausible, has got to be it.”

“I never thought about it like that before.” Andrea sounded impressed. “You’ve really got a good head for this, Hannah.”

“It’s Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s head. I read it in a Sherlock Holmes book. I probably misquoted it, but it’s essentially what he said.”

“Maybe I should buy Bill a set of Sherlock Holmes for Christmas.” Andrea sounded thoughtful. “Do you have them on tape?”

“Yes, if you’re talking about the PBS series.”

“Not television, audio. Then he could listen to them on his way to work.”

“It’s only a ten-minute commute. He’ll get so interested, he’ll probably sit out in the parking lot until the end of the chapter and get docked for being late.” Hannah drove around the corner. “Here we are, Andrea. Check to see if Vera’s still up.”

Andrea peered out her window as Hannah drove slowly past her house. “It’s all dark. She must have gone to bed.”

“Good.” Hannah cut her lights and turned into the alley. She didn’t want of the neighbors to spot her. Vera’s garage was an old-fashioned, freestanding structure that sat on the rear corner of her lot. Hannah parked at the side of the alley and shut off her engine. “We’re here.”

“If Vera ever listed her house on the market, we’d call that a two-car garage,” Andrea said, sounding amused. “Can you imagine two cars fitting in there?”

Hannah flicked off the dome light so that it wouldn’t shine when she opened the door. “Two little sports cars, maybe, but that’s about it. Come on, Andrea. Grab those flashlights in the back and let’s check out the garage.”

“Do you really need me for this?”

Andrea’s voice had started to shake again, and Hannah turned to her in surprise. “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve got cold feet.”

Hannah knew her sister wasn’t referring to the fact that the heater in her truck wasn’t putting out much hot air. “Why now?”

“Because the last time we searched a garage, we found a dead body.”

“The last body we found wasn’t in the garage, and this is a different situation. We’re not even sure that Lucy is missing, much less dead. She could be out chasing down a hot story.”

“Do you really believe that?”

Hannah sighed. She didn’t like to lie. “Not really.”

“I don’t believe it, either. And I have a really bad feeling about this. I think we should call Bill and Mike.”

“And tell them what?” Hannah asked. “Do you want Bill to know that we broke into Lucy’s apartment and stole her stash of evidence?”

“No.”

“Okay, then buck up. If I have to break in, I’m going to need you to hold the flashlight.”

“Break in?” Andrea sounded shocked. “You didn’t say anything about breaking in!”

“I said if the first thing we’ll do is look through the window. If the garage is empty, there’s no point in breaking in. Besides, you told me you like to be helpful.”

Andrea groaned, but she retrieved the flashlights and handed one to Hannah. “All right. But if Lucy’s car is there, I’m not going in.”

“Deal.”

Hannah got out of the truck and waited for Andrea to join her. They walked around the side of the garage and Hannah pressed her flashlight up against the windowpane before she clicked it on. She peered through the dusty pane, spotted Lucy’s car, and gave a little groan.

“What is it?” Andrea’s whisper was loud in the quiet night.

“Lucy’s car.” Hannah whispered back. “And that means I go in.”

“Why?”

“Because she could have left something inside that’ll tell us where she’s gone.”

Andrea thought about it for a moment. “All right. Are you going to break the garage window?”

“Not unless the door is locked. It’s the old kind that doesn’t have an opener. I can see the mechanism.” Hannah snapped off her flashlight and stuck it in the pocket of the parka.

“Do you think it’ll be unlocked?”

“There’s a good chance. Most people don’t lock their garages in Lake Eden. There’s practically no crime.”

“If you don’t count murder.”

Hannah gave an appreciative chuckle as they retraced her steps to the front of the garage. At least Andrea had recovered enough to crack a joke. She bent down to grasp the handle on the door, turned it until it clicked, and then pulled. The door slid up smoothly. Either Lucy or Vera must have greased the track before the first snowfall.

Andrea gave her the high sign and squared her shoulders. “I changed my mind. I’m going in with you. I’d never forgive myself if something bad happened to you and I wasn’t there.”

That comment struck Hannah as funny and she bit back a giggle. Andrea seemed to think it would be terrible if something bad happened when she wasn’t there, but everything would be okay if she was it didn’t make sense, but Hannah was glad to have her company all the same.

After they’d stepped in, Hannah reached up to lower the door. Andrea gasped and she stopped. “What is it?”

“Do you have to close the door? It’s so dark in here.”

“I guess not, but don’t turn on your flashlight. Vera’s neighbors across the alley might see it. Just inch your way along the side of Lucy’s car and don’t trip over anything. I’ll go first.”

Both sisters inched their way forward until Hannah had reached the driver’s door. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her flashlight, and pressed it up against the window. “Okay, Andrea. I’m going to look to see if I can spot anything.”

“Okay. Hurry, Hannah. I’m freezing.”

Hannah snapped on her flashlight, took one look, and snapped it right back off again. “Do you have your cell phone with you, Andrea?”

“Of course I do. I’m a real-estate agent, and I never go anywhere without it.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s in my purse in your truck. Why?”

“I want you to go back to the truck and call Bill. Tell him to come over here right away.”

Andrea gasped as the implication of Hannah’s request sank in. “Lucy’s in her car?”

“That’s right.”

“Is she… uh… dead?”

“As a mackerel.”

“But are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Hannah fought to keep her voice steady. The sight she’d captured with the beam of her flashlight had completely eliminated the necessity for an ambulance, and she wasn’t about to share the details with her sister. “Just do it, Andrea. Right now. And after you’ve called, eat a couple of cookies. It’s going to be a long night.

The county cruiser pulled up in record time, and Hannah was relieved to see Bill and Mike. At times like this, the presence of two officers who’d been trained to deal with the aftermath of death was very reassuring.

Mike got out of the cruiser and came straight up to Hannah. “What happened?”