A Decadent Way to Die (27 page)

Then Helene grew somber. “I still can’t quite believe they actually tried to end my life … and wound up killing two people in the process. I’m not a young thing, you know. Ada couldn’t have just waited until I died?”

“Ada is—what’s the new term for it?—troubled.”

“Yes, she’s been troubled for a long time now. And the ironic thing is, I’d already rewritten my will and left everything to Emma and Waldo.” A look of sadness swept over her face. “I’m going to rewrite it one more time. They’ll have to address their substance-abuse problems to receive their inheritances. And even then, it’s going to be in installments. I refuse to finance their addictions.”

“I understand.”

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments as Savannah looked around the enchanting room with its beautiful furniture, the shelves of beautiful dolls, and the large, black-and-white photograph of the little girl.

She studied the picture, and again, she was curious about the child, standing on the quaint, European street, holding a doll in her arms.

“If that isn’t a picture of you,” she said, “do you mind telling me who she is? She’s so lovely, such a sweet little face.”

Helene turned in her chair and looked at the picture that dominated the wall behind her. When she turned back to Savannah, her eyes were filled with tears. “I don’t talk about her. Hardly anyone is still living who knows her story. But because of what you’ve done for me, I’m going to tell you.”

Helene rose and walked over to the large window, overlooking the city, and stood, her back to Savannah.

“Her name was Esther. She was my cousin, one year younger than I was. We lived in the same village in Bavaria, and we played together every day. She had a doll, the one in the picture. It was so beautiful, and I wanted it so badly. She would let me play with it, but I didn’t want to play with it. I wanted it for my own.”

She paused in her storytelling, and Savannah could tell she was crying.

Savannah took some tissues from her purse, walked over to the window, and handed them to her. “That’s understandable, Helene,” she said softly. “Every child wants what others have.”

“Not like this. We aren’t supposed to covet, and I truly coveted that doll. It’s all I thought about night and day … how I could take it away from her, how I could have it for my own.”

Helene dabbed at her eyes with the tissues. “Then one day, Nazi soldiers came to our village. They stayed for a week. And when they left, there were no more Jews in our town. My family was Catholic. Esther’s was Jewish. My aunt and my uncle, and all their children were gone. In one night, they vanished. I remember going with my mother to their house. It was empty.”

Savannah reached for Helene’s hand and held it tightly. “I’m so sorry, Helene. For them. For you.”

“My mother told me to keep the doll to remember her by. But I didn’t want it anymore. All I wanted was my playmate. I left the doll there on the floor that day and walked away. I never saw it or my cousin again.”

Helene turned and waved a hand toward the shelves overflowing with the beautiful creations of her company. “So, for over fifty years I’ve made dolls, dolls for little girls like Esther all over the world … to remember her by.”

“And what a wonderful legacy that is for her,” Savannah said, wiping away her own tears as she looked at the picture on the wall. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

“You’re welcome, Savannah. Thank you for listening.”

Helene walked over to her desk and picked up a white box that was lying there. It was a bit longer than a shoe box and tied with a pink ribbon.

“I want you to have this,” she said, holding out the box to Savannah.

Savannah took it, touched the soft pink satin ribbon. “What is it?”

“It’s the first prototype of our new doll.”

“I thought you threw it in the trash.”

Helene smiled through her tears. “This is a new one. See what you think.”

Savannah untied the ribbon, lifted off the lid, and pulled back several layers of white tissue, revealing the most beautiful doll she had ever seen. It was exactly like the one she had at home, but the black hair was even softer than Valdosta’s, the bright blue eyes more lifelike, and the powder blue dress was covered with exquisite lace and trimmed with white satin edging.

“Oh, Helene! She’s absolutely stunning! Are you sure you want me to have her?”

“Absolutely sure.” Helene gave her a shy, childlike smile, and for a moment, Savannah could see the little girl she had been in Bavaria, so many years ago … before her innocence had been destroyed.

Savannah kissed the doll’s cheek and held her close. “I’ll cherish this gift forever.”

“Good. I’m glad you approve,” Helene said, rearranging things on her desk, suddenly all business. “Because we’re releasing her in time for Christmas, and we’re naming her ‘Savannah.’”

Chapter 25

A
s Savannah’s guests sat in her living room, digging into the hot molten-lava cake, topped with Chunky Monkey ice cream, they all had looks of pure rapture on their faces. Even Tammy, who had decided to be “wicked” for one evening and indulge in “evil” carbs.

“The only thing that would be sweeter than this,” Dirk said, between bites, “would be if I was using Ada Fischer’s written confession for a napkin.”

“I can’t believe you got her to confess,” Ryan said.

“I can’t believe her barrister allowed her to,” John added.

Tammy leaned close to Ryan on the sofa and whispered, “A barrister is a lawyer, right?”

Ryan nodded and sighed. “I’m going to be translating Limey to Yank for the rest of my life.”

Dirk took a big bite of the ice cream, started to say something, then looked at Savannah and swallowed it first. “We had Ada good,” he said. “Besides Kyd’s confession, we searched her house and found a prescription sleep-aid bottle in a bottom drawer in her bathroom.”

“That doesn’t sound particularly incriminating,” Ryan said.

“It does if you filled the prescription for the first time on the day your aunt got poisoned, and if the lab finds your prints in cocoa powder on it.”

“Woo-hoo,” Savannah clinked her spoon on the side of her bowl. “Go Eileen and the lab kids!”

“And then there’s the extension cord.” Dirk grinned. “The one she put on the boom box so that it would reach from the plug to the tub. We found it rolled up in Helene’s garage, where Kyd said it would be. The female end was partly melted, and it was discolored around the prongs. And it had Ada’s fingerprints on it.”

“And they were so careful to wipe everything else down,” Savannah said. “No matter how smart a killer is, they can’t think of everything. And those two aren’t nearly as smart as they think they are.”

Dirk agreed. “They’re more worried about sticking it to the other one than they are about protecting their own backsides.”

Tammy finished her cake and set the bowl on the side table next to her. Savannah saw her reach up and touch her cheek. The swelling had gone down, but the bruise was spreading and turning an ugly shade of brown and green that no makeup could hide.

Tammy glanced Savannah’s way and the two friends looked into each other’s eyes for several moments.

“I’m okay,” Tammy said. “Stop worrying, big sister.”

There was an instant hush in the room. Everyone stopped talking, even eating. No one had mentioned the elephant in the room all evening.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Savannah said finally, breaking the awkward silence. “I knew you would be.”

“Yes, me, too,” Dirk added.

“I had no doubt, love,” John told her.

Ryan reached over and patted her on the knee. “It’ll take time, Tammy. But we’re all here for you. Don’t you forget that.”

Tammy placed her hand over his. “Thank you. All of you.” She drew a deep breath. “My counselor is really helping me. And I’ve joined a support group for people who’ve been in abusive relationships. They’re so helpful and understanding. One of the women is a doctor, another’s a judge. There are some guys there, too. This happens to all kinds of people.”

John nodded solemnly. “We had a close friend whose partner battered him. It took him years to end the relationship. He could have used a group like that.”

“Anyway, I’m starting to feel a little better. I’m going to go back home.”

“Do you think that’s wise, dear?” John asked. “I don’t mean to be overly protective here, but …”

“I checked on old Chad today,” Dirk interjected. “I drove by his house. He was out in the yard. When he saw me pull up, he ran into the house.” He snickered. “Well, ‘run’ might be overstating it a bit. He hobbled, limped, did this strange little crab dance across the lawn to his door. I hear he took a bad spill off his bicycle and injured his naughty bits.”

In unison, they all turned to look at Savannah, who was suddenly fascinated by a particular chunk of chocolate in her Chunky Monkey.

“Anyway,” Dirk said, “I think our buddy Chad has a lot of other things on his mind right now besides Tammy.”

“Good,” Tammy said. Then with a note of sadness in her voice, she added, “Eventually, I hope to have other things on my mind besides him.”

When Tammy, Ryan, and John had left, and only faithful old Dirk remained, faithfully polishing off the last of her ice cream, Savannah sat quietly in her chair, feeling the effects of the past few days sweep through her body.

“I’m not as young as I used to be,” she told Dirk, as she massaged an aching muscle in her thigh … probably the leg she had used to smash Chad’s door open. “I don’t spring back from this crap as quickly.”

“Avoid more of the crap,” he replied, offering Diamante a taste of the ice cream off his fingertip.

“How? Retire from my work?”

“You’d have to retire from the human race.”

“Sounds good. Wanna go find a deserted tropical island somewhere? It’ll just be you and me.”

He brightened. “Sure. With a big coconut tree and—”

“Two coconut trees.”

“Two?”

“One for your side of the island and one for mine.”

“Oh, of course. What was I thinking?”

She grinned at him. “You can come over to my side once in a while.”

“Gee, thanks.” He returned the smile. “No need to. I’ll be able to hear you jabbering at me from the other side of the island.”

“But you’ll only hear half of it.”

He set his bowl aside, picked up Diamante, and cradled her against his chest. She rubbed her whiskers against his cheek.

Savannah watched them, thinking that any guy who loved cats as much as dogs couldn’t be all bad.

“You know, Van,” he said softly, “you’re so tired, because you take care of the whole world. At least, everybody in your world, and that’s a big job.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do. I know where it comes from, you being the oldest of nine kids, your mom not taking care of you guys when you were little, and you having to grow up quick.”

“Granny stepped up.”

“Yes, but you went through a lot before the court gave you guys to her.”

Savannah shrugged. “I just did what I had to. Still do.”

“No, honey. You don’t have to. That’s what I’m trying to tell you here. I’d be the first to admit that, at any given time, in any given place, you’re the strongest person in the room. But that doesn’t mean you have to take everybody and their problems onto your own back.”

Savannah stared at him, considering his words. “Do I do that?”

“Sure you do. Most of the time, you think you’re the only one who can handle a situation or that you can handle it better than anyone else. And that’s usually true. But it’s also good for people to solve their own problems. That’s how they learn.”

She watched him stroke the cat’s ears, heard her purring. “Granny used to tell me the same thing.”

“Well, there ya go. If Granny said it, it’s just a plain fact.”

“Are you telling me that I shouldn’t have gone after Tammy’s creep?”

“No. I’d never second-guess you on something like that. But I wish you’d come to me, asked me to help you with it. That was a really dangerous thing for anybody to do alone. You could have been hurt or killed, Savannah.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

“It wouldn’t have been a bother. It would have been my honor to stand by you, behind you, in front of you, whatever you wanted. But you never ask me for help, Savannah. You never need me.” He looked at her with his heart in his eyes. “I need you. I depend on you a lot. And it would mean the world to me to think that, at least once in a while, you needed me.”

“Oh, Dirk.” She jumped up from her chair, hurried over to him, and sat down on the sofa beside him. She picked up the cat and unceremoniously set her on the floor. Then she grabbed him in a bear hug … one of the no-frills, rib cracking kinds he usually gave her.

“I will next time,” she told him, kissing his cheek.

“You will not.” But he looked pleased as he ruffled the top of her hair with his big hand.

“I’ll try. I promise I’ll try.”

Dirk had been gone less than a couple of minutes—just long enough for Savannah to change into the white, flannel nightgown that had once been Granny Reid’s and settle into her book-cat-chocolate ritual—when the phone rang.

It was Dirk. “I think I left my sunglasses there,” he said, sounding totally disgusted. “That or I’ve lost them again.”

“It’s dark out. How did you notice your sunglasses are missing?” She sighed, replaced the lid back on the chocolate box, and slid it into the magazine rack. At this rate, these truffles would last her until Christmas … or at least next week.

“A dude’s gotta keep tabs on his shades,” he said. “They make you feel like a man.”

“They make
you
feel like a man.” She set her cats and her book aside and started walking around the living room, searching his usual spots where he tended to plop things down and forget them. “Do you know where you left them?”

“You always ask me that. And I never do.”

“Where are you?”

“Lester Street. I’m almost there.”

“I’ll keep looking.” She hung up and went to the kitchen, muttering, “Dang boy’d lose his head if it weren’t sewn on….”

She opened the freezer door and checked inside, figuring that any guy who would leave his car keys in there might also stick a pair of shades inside. Nothing.
Not even ice cream,
she thought, thanks to her pack of ravenous guests.

She smiled and closed the door, thinking she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Glancing around the kitchen, she spotted them … black Ray-Bans camouflaged on top of her black coffeemaker. “There they are, you turkey butt,” she said to the forgetful, soon-to-arrive Dirk. “I’m gonna get a piece of scratchy, itchy twine and tie these onto your head.”

She heard the knock at the door and hurried back through the living room and into the foyer, nearly kicking over a cat. “Sorry, Di,” she said. “Go get back on the footstool. Mommy’ll be there in a minute. Just let me give Uncle Dirk his sunglasses, so that he can look like a man.”

She turned the deadbolt and swung the door open.

Looking into the semi-darkness—she had forgotten to flip on the porch light—she saw something that confused her.

Dirk had something on his face, she thought. Something white.

Her mind spun, trying to figure out what she was seeing and what it meant.

“What are you wearing there?” she said.

He was playing some sort of silly joke, like he did on Halloween when he thought it was hysterical to appear at her door wearing a mask that looked like a decomposing corpse.

He stepped closer to her and raised his hand. “It’s your fault, you bitch! You didn’t like me! You told her to leave me!”

In an instant, she knew. This wasn’t Dirk.

The thing on his face was a bandage. And he was pointing a gun at her head.

“No!” She raised her arms and crossed them over her face. “Don’t!”

Fire flashed through the darkness.

A sound like thunder crashed around her.

Smoke filled her lungs, and her wrist stung as though someone had stabbed it with a red-hot poker.

She tried to grab at the gun, but it was just out of her reach.

Another thunderous sound and blaze of flame.

More choking, blinding smoke.

It felt as though someone had slammed her in the chest with a huge fist. Then came the fiery pain.

And another blast.

It all seemed like a terrible dream, in slow motion, where something horrible is happening, but the dreamer can’t run, can’t speak, and can’t wake up.

“She loved me. But you told her I was no good. It’s all your fault.”

Gasping and holding her chest, Savannah stepped backward.

My weapon,
she thought.
It’s in the closet
.

But the closet was six feet away and he was never going to let her get that far.

Besides, she was already shot, several times.

As the strength left her legs, she crumpled to the ground and lay there on her side.

Chad stood over her, looking down at her.

“You’re gonna die! You’re gonna die for what you did to us … to me!” he shouted at her.

As though from far away, she heard and saw the next two blasts. She was dimly aware that one had hit her leg and another her abdomen.