Deadly Reunion (13 page)

“Nothing happened at the reunion,”
Melodie chided. “They just had a little argument. Crystal, being a natural drama queen, made it out to be bigger than what it was. She was always good at pushing people’s buttons. Besides, I’m sure Crystal would have wanted him there. You know, a Hollywood director at the funeral. She would have loved that.”

“Has Crystal been pushing many people's button lately?” Grace asked
, remembering Kyle's suspicions that Crystal's fall was not an accident.

Melodie
walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. Light flooded the room. “No more than usual.”

“Do you think it's possible that
—” Grace wasn't sure how to finish. How do you ask a grieving friend whether someone hated their sister enough to kill her? Besides, applying Occam’s razor, it's more likely that Crystal tripped and fell.
              Melodie looked back at Grace, sensing her unspoken question. “Do I think someone pushed Crystal?” Melodie shrugged. “I don't know. I loved my sister, but I'm not naive. Crystal had her faults. She enjoyed causing drama. She couldn't wait for Hope to arrive last night. She was practically giddy with delight when she saw her. I don’t know. Maybe Crystal pushed Hope too far, maybe—”

Outraged Grace stepped fo
rward to stand next to Melodie. “Now wait a minute. My sister did not push Crystal. First of all, Hope wouldn't harm a fly. Secondly, it was your sister who tackled Hope, practically throwing them both down the stairs. Not to mention, Hope was in the restroom when Crystal fell. Crystal's own husband can vouch for Hope's whereabouts.”

“Grace, I'm sorry,”
Melodie said, reaching out to touch her friend's arm. “I don't know what I'm saying. I don't believe Hope did anything to Crystal. I only meant, maybe Crystal pushed someone too far. You’re right. Hope wasn't the only one angry with her.”

Grace shook her head.
“I’m sorry, too. Diana mentioned something about Adam pestering her in the last month?”

Melodie
smirked. “She seemed happy enough to see him to me. In fact, when we were calling everyone, trying to encourage people to attend, Crystal insisted on calling him herself. She even met him at the airport and invited him to stay here.”

“Adam's been staying here?”
At Melodie's nod, she added, “For how long?”

“Since he arrived.”

“Do you know what they were fighting about at the reunion?”

“No.”
Melodie turned back to the window. “Crystal had a tendency to cause even the most law abiding, peaceful person to become a raging lunatic. Maybe the police know. Why don't we go ask them?” she said, turning from the window and walking out of the room.

Grace walked to the window. Sheriff Bellamy was just getting out of his police cruiser.

*  *  *  *

Grace pressed herself against th
e hallway wall. Almost there. Another ten feet and she would be out the back door. From there, she only had to go down the walkway, past the pool and into the neighbor's yard. She looked both ways and strained her ears. She was prepared to slide back into the downstairs bathroom at the first sound of a footfall. She clutched her purse to her chest and tightened her muscles as she stepped away from the wall.

One step.

She looked behind her. No sound. Another step, then another and then another.

Finally,
her hand was on the doorknob. She looked out the back door window. All clear. She turned her hand and pressed. Locked. She lifted her other hand to turn the deadbolt when she heard her cellphone ring.

Grace jumped three feet in the air. Panicking, heart thudding, she stepped back into the hallway and opened the first door
she came to. The linen closet.

“Do
you hear something?”

Grace squeezed into the closet while simultaneously sliding open her phone and pressing it to her chest.

“I think it's coming from down the hall, Sheriff.”

At the sound of footsteps passing in front of the door, Grace pressed herself against the shelves.

“Is anyone else here with you, Mrs. Baker?”

“Yes
. . .” Melodie's voice sounded strained, “. . . my friend Grace, but she said she was going to walk to my house. I live just down the street.”

“We need to speak to her
, too. Can you check upstairs to see if she's still here? If so, ask her to meet us in the living room.”

Grace breathed a sigh of relief when she heard
Melodie and Sheriff Bellamy walk back to the main hallway.

She steadied her heartbeat
, and brought her phone to her ear.

“Can't talk.
I'll call you back later,” she whispered.

“Where are you? What are you doing?” Kyle whispered back
, amused.

“I'm in a linen closet hiding from the police.” Grace opened the door and peeked around the corner
, before sliding out into the hallway.

“Why? What did you do?”

Annoyed Grace snapped, “I didn't do anything. I'm hiding here because I don't want them to ask me any awkward questions. Namely about you.”

“Why do they want to question you?”

“I don't know. I'm at Crystal's house. The police suddenly dropped by to pay a visit. They're talking to Melodie right now.”

“Good. Can you hear what they are saying?”

“No, I can't hear what they are saying, and before you even ask I am not going to eavesdrop. I do not want to end up in jail for lying to the police, or obstructing justice, or whatever else they could charge me with.” Grace could feel Kyle's frustration through the phone. “I'm staying as far away from the police as I possibly can.”

*  *  *  *

Grace crept along the hallway. She could hear Melodie softly crying, and Sheriff Bellamy trying to console her.

Grace passed the hallway table
, making sure not to make any noise. If she could make it to the kitchen she would be able to hear what was being said without being seen. She knew she would have to talk to the police, eventually, but she still wasn't sure what she would say if they started asking her about her phony job.

She hated to admit it
, but in this case, Kyle was right. She needed to know what was being said. If Crystal was murdered, then Hope could be a possible suspect. Her alibi wasn't exactly iron clad. Especially, considering it came from Hope's former lover and the—possible—murder victim's husband.

She slid around the corner and entered the butler's pantry. Pressing herself against the wall
, she could hear everything that was being said.

“Mrs. Baker
, if you have any information on who would want to harm your sister you need to tell us.”

“I have told you. I just don't know,”
Melodie said. “Sure, she had arguments and disagreements, just like everyone else, but I can't think of anyone who would
actually
want to kill her.”

“How was her relationship with Mr. Lake?”

Grace pressed her ear closer. All she could hear was Melodie's sniffling.

“Mrs. Baker?”

“They have been arguing recently. All couples have rough patches. My husband and I went through a rough patch.”

“What were they arguing about?”

“Crystal wanted to start a family, but Tom didn't. Couples fight, but that doesn't mean one of them is going to bash the other's head in with a trophy.”

“Can you think of anyone who hated your sister enough to kill her?”

“No. Crystal wasn't easy to get along with, but I can't believe anyone would want to kill her. There is something that I should mention. I didn't think about it . . . I mean, it didn't really mean anything at the time. The day after the reunion, I noticed, or at least I think, someone had been in my house.”

“What makes you think that?
Was something missing?”

“No.
I couldn't find that anything had been taken, and I can't really say for sure, but . . . I think some things had been moved. Not taken, just moved around.”

“Why didn't you call us?”

“I thought it was the stress. That my mind was playing tricks on me. Now that I know my sister was murdered, I'm not so sure.”

“Al
l right,” Grace could hear rustling sounds as someone stood up, “if you can think of anything else, please contact us immediately.”

Grace waited
in the pantry until she heard the sound of car doors slamming and a car pull away from the house. Once she was sure Bellamy was gone, she left the pantry and entered the dining room. Melodie was still sitting at the table, staring off into space.

“There you are
. I was afraid you had left.” Before Grace could respond, Melodie stood up and began pacing. Running her hands through her auburn curls, she said, “Grace, they think she was murdered. They said, she didn't fall, but someone had hit her on the back of the head. They asked me a bunch of questions. They're trying to check alibis.” She stopped pacing and stood directly in front of Grace. “Can you call Kyle? I really need to speak to him.”

“Just calm down.
” Grace pulled out a dining room chair and sat down. “Why don’t we—”

Grace jumped when she heard a door slam and running footsteps. “
Melodie? Melodie? Where are you?” Diana's voice sounded strained.

“I'm right here, Aunt Diana. What's wrong?”

“That's what I want to know. Becky from next door called me and said there was a police car parked outside. I was afraid something had happened.”

Melodie
quickly filled her in on the sheriff's suspicions.

“Murdered?
” Diana brought her hand to her mouth. Her face flushed angrily. “I told you, Melodie. I told Crystal, too. I told her he would kill her one of these days.”

“Au
nt Diana, we don't know what happened. Don't go jumping at conclusions,” Melodie snapped. “Grace doesn't want to hear this.”

Before Grace's better manners could take over, she found herself blurting out
, “Do you know who killed her?”

“No, she doesn't!”
Melodie snapped.

Shocked
, Diana turned to Melodie. “You're going to let him get away with this? He murdered your own sister. How could you?”

“Aunt Diana,”
Melodie said, measuring out each word, “we don't know any such thing, and I am not about to start accusing people. We should let the experts handle this.”

Diana sat
down in a huff. Clearly upset and hurt by her niece's words.

Melodie
continued her agitated pacing until she reached the window. “Oh great! It’s Sherlock Holmes. I wish he would go back to Denver.”

Swiveling around
in her chair, Grace saw Steve Mattingly hop out of his car and walk to the front door. Wondering why he was here, Grace asked, “Does he still have a crush on you?”

Melodie
made a face and rolled her eyes. Grace smiled. Steve had always been a thorn in Melodie’s side. Making no secret of his crush, he had spent every free moment from elementary to high school trying to get Melodie to notice him. He never seemed to accept the fact she just wasn’t interested in him. Melodie definitely had a type and unfortunately for Steve, he was not it.

“He's probably already heard the good news and wants me to hire him,” she said b
itterly. “I'll go talk to him.”

Grace and Diana sat in awkward silence until they heard the sound of
Melodie opening and closing the front door.

Grace could no longer contain her curiosity. She reached out and gripped Diana's arm. “Who do you think killed Crystal?”

For a second, Grace feared the older woman was going to follow her niece's harsh command, but Diana wiped her watering eyes and blurted out, “Tom! Melodie's protecting him for some reason, but I know it's him.”

“How do you know that? Did you see him do it?”

Diana shook her head. “No, but it has to be him. Who's the first person the police automatically suspect when someone dies? The spouse, that's who. But they're not going to look at him. Oh no. Not the Assistant District Attorney. No, they'll try to pin it on someone else, while he walks free. Just watch Grace, they will try to blame someone else.”

“But why do you think it's Tom?”

“They fought all of the time. The way he would look at her sometimes. It was just chilling. He didn't really care for her. He never did.” Diana started crying harder. Grace slipped her arm around the older woman's shoulders. Her grief palpable. “He just wanted her money, and once he got that . . . If only Crystal had listened to me. I had tried to convince her to leave him, but she wouldn’t. ”

Both women turned their heads at the so
und of the front door opening. Diana squeezed Grace's hand, stood up and walked out of the room.

Grace stood up and walked to the front entrance.