Murder by Arrangement (Edna Davies mysteries Book 5) (10 page)

“Did she work on
many projects with you?” Edna bit her tongue to keep her expression neutral,
although she was beginning to dislike this self-centered, arrogant woman.

Farren looked at
Edna suspiciously, but didn’t hesitate with her answer. “Yes, as a matter of
fact. Why do you ask?”

Edna shrugged in
imitation of Farren herself. “Just wondering. The news at the time described
the two of you as close friends.”

Farren had the
decency to look slightly embarrassed. “Being friends with an influential
society dame didn’t hurt me any.”

 Taken aback by
the woman’s bluntness, Edna asked something she might not have, if she had
liked the woman more. “At the time, did Rosie know you were having an affair
with her husband?”

To Edna’s
surprise, Farren didn’t seem to mind the question. On the contrary, she looked
almost pleased with herself. “Nah. She wasn’t smart enough to notice. Frankly,
I’m not sure she would have cared if she had.”

“Why do you say
that?”

Farren twisted
her mouth into a one-sided grin. “I knew from Rosie that they’d been fighting for
months.”

“So the love had
gone out of their marriage? Is that why Gregory turned to you and then to Bobbi
Callahan?”

Farren reacted
as if Edna had slapped her. Face reddening, she snapped, “He was asking for
trouble when he started fooling around with the daughter of his biggest client.
Duke Callahan would have killed him, if he’d known.” This time, she didn’t
grimace at the implication of her words.

Edna was curious
about one thing and hoped Farren would continue to defend herself. “If your
affair was over, why did you visit Gregory the day he died?”

Farren paused
for a minute as if trying to make sense of the question. When she replied, her
voice was quieter and she seemed to have calmed down a little. “I went to pick
up some personal belongings I’d left at his place. He kept avoiding me,
wouldn’t take my calls, so when I heard he was sick and laid up at home, I
decided to drop in on him.”

“And you took
him something to eat?” Edna knew from the news reports that Farren had brought
homemade soup to the invalid.

She shrugged.
“I’d made beef stew for myself the night before. Stretching leftovers with some
barley and broth isn’t exactly rocket science, and I thought it would be better
for him than the pizza deliveries he was probably living on. No big deal.”

And I bet you
figured you could tempt him back by playing Florence Nightingale
, Edna
thought, but did not say aloud. Instead, she decided to push the woman further.
“Why do you think Gregory left you for someone like Bobbi Callahan? I don’t
know her, but I imagine you were more sophisticated and mature than a college
sophomore.” Edna widened her eyes with what she hoped was a look of innocence,
but as long as she was baiting the woman for a reaction, she’d keep going. “Did
you and he quarrel?”

Color flared in
Farren’s face again. “Get one thing straight, lady. He didn’t leave me. I
dumped him
weeks
before he picked up with his Bobbi doll. She wasn’t
even old enough to buy booze in this state.” Farren grabbed up the shoulder bag
she’d set on the seat beside her. “At any rate, it was of no concern. I’d
already moved on.” She stood abruptly, glancing at Edna, then down at her
watch. “I have a meeting.” With that, she spun on her heel and strode out of
the restaurant, leaving Edna to pay the bill.

Minutes later, Edna
was backing out of her parking spot when she stopped for a car that was pulling
in off the street. Since the lot was narrow, being merely a strip between road
and restaurant, the driver stopped, apparently waiting for Edna’s spot.
Dutifully, she backed out until her car was facing his. As she glanced at the
man behind the wheel, recognition struck her at the same time as his face
darkened. John Forrester scowled at her before fixing his eyes on the car that
was driving away. Farren’s bright red BMW roadster. While his attention was
diverted, Edna drove over the low curb and onto the road. As she accelerated
past Forrester’s black Lincoln, keeping her eyes straight ahead, her heart
thudded in her chest.

What is he
doing here? Was he looking for Farren? Has he been following me?
Reconsidering
the last thought
,
Edna scolded herself.
Stop being paranoid
.
He’s
probably here for lunch.
At that moment, the thought struck her … even if
it were purely coincidental that he had shown up at the Harborside Café, it wouldn’t
take a genius to figure out that Edna had been talking to Farren.

Chapter 15

Edna decided not
to go home, at least not yet. John Forrester knew where she lived and she
didn’t want to chance an encounter with him, if he took it into his head to pay
her another unannounced visit. She drove to one of the largest of the local
malls and parked in the middle of a row where her car might blend in with
others in the lot. She’d kept an eye on her rear view mirror and was fairly
certain Forrester hadn’t followed her, but she knew from watching her favorite
TV detective shows that expert investigators could be crafty when it came to
trailing someone. 

He might be
watching her right now, but she couldn’t very well sit in her car all day, nor
did she wish to walk around the stores simply to kill time. Should she go see
how Tuck and Peppa were getting along? Maybe she’d better organize her thoughts
before she did anything else.

Rummaging in her
tote bag, she took out a small notebook and pencil and began to jot down the
questions she had surrounding Peppa’s problem.

How did Clem
end up at the foot of Peppa’s driveway?
According to Charlie, both Clem’s
truck and Lily’s Impala were in the garage, so he hadn’t driven. Someone had
cleared the snow off the driveway, so it was impossible to tell if or when the
cars had last been moved.

Had he
walked?
Edna thought it was fairly certain Clem wouldn’t have trudged three
miles on a stormy night before collapsing less than a hundred yards from
Peppa’s doorstep, but she wrote down the question anyway.

Was he
already dead when Peppa drove over him?
That was the tough question and one
the medical examiner would have to answer.

If Peppa’s
Mercedes hadn’t killed him, had he died of natural causes?
Again, the
answer would have to wait for the medical examiner’s report.

Why was he
clutching a Christmas Rose?
Noting
Lily Beck
in the margin, Edna
wondered with an inward groan how she would approach that question.

So deep in
thought was she that the sudden appearance of two women getting into the car to
her left startled her. Not two minutes later, the owner of the pickup, parked
on her right, got in and drove away. Sitting in her car with two empty slots on
one side and one on the other, she felt exposed. Looking around cautiously, she
started the car and moved to the next row, pulling in between an SUV and a van
with the name of a plumbing company on the side. Feeling somewhat easier now
and more than a little silly, she picked up the notebook and pencil again.
Leaving a few blank pages, she began noting questions she had about the
Haverstrum death.

Gossip at the
time was that there were symptoms included in the autopsy report that may or
may not have been related to his heart failure. She would ask Charlie what he
knew about that.
Could Lily have administered some of her ‘special medicine’
that Lettie spoke of?
Had Lily thought to cure her son-in-law and ended
up killing him instead?
Edna thought of her own recent education on the
unpredictability of the strength of plants grown in one’s garden. Those used
for medicinal purposes could just as well cause an overdose, if a season’s soil
and weather conditions created more potent vegetation. She decided to find out
from Lily if she were interested in herbal medicine. Did she actually use what
she concocted to treat illness, or was that simply something she said to Lettie
to satisfy a child’s curiosity? Again, Edna might have to tread carefully on
that point.

Why was John
Forrester investigating the case?
Another thing she’d ask Charlie. He might
know or be able to find out, she thought, marking his initials in the margin. She
remembered in some of the novels she’d read and shows she’d watched that some
retired cops, finding time on their hands, looked into old crimes. Was that
what Forrester was doing? It certainly seemed that he thought a crime had been
committed, despite any evidence to prove it, so Edna approached her next
questions with that in mind.

Who benefited
from Gregory Haverstrum’s death?
She thought Rosie was probably the main
beneficiary, but she’d check to be certain. Edna remembered Rosie saying she
never received his life insurance, but it was unlikely that insurance would
have been his only asset. If a significant inheritance had been at stake,
certainly the papers would have been full of it, but no reports had mentioned
Haverstrum’s finances. Had he even written a will? If not, all his worldly
goods would automatically have gone to his wife, Edna thought. The Haverstrums
had lived in an expensive house, but they could have been up to their eyeballs
in debt.

A picture of
Lily Beck’s home popped into Edna’s mind. It was neat and clean, but decidedly
shabby. And her clothes had obviously been expensive, but they were dated and
threadbare as well. Apparently, Lily had to watch her budget. Edna thought of
the obvious tension between Rosie and her mother.
If Rosie had money, wouldn’t
she help her mother maintain the family home or buy her a new outfit?
Edna
supposed Rosie would probably not be employed as an assistant to an event
planner if she didn’t have to work.

What else
might have motivated someone to murder Gregory Haverstrum?
Edna didn’t
think Rosie would kill her husband simply because he’d been cheating on her.
Maybe the motive wasn’t money or sex, but something else like revenge. If not
his wife, could an angry business associate have wanted Haverstrum dead? Maybe
she should check on whether or not any of his clients had lost a considerable
amount of money because of his advice.

Edna’s head
began to throb. Too many questions and not nearly enough answers. Going back
over the pages, she realized that one person was definitely associated with
both deaths. Obviously, her next step was to speak with Lily Beck. Edna thought
again of the ex-detective who also was connected to both cases. Why had
Forrester shown up at the scene of Clem’s death? The handyman could hardly have
had anything to do with what had happened to Gregory Haverstrum. Clem hadn’t
even been living in the area two years ago.

As Edna was
about to start her car, she had a dreadful thought. What if Forrester were to
see her at Lily’s? She felt her temper rise at the bullying attitude of that
man. He had no authority to tell her what she could or couldn’t do, and she
knew part of her anger was at herself for allowing him to intimidate her. She
could very well be on garden club business or even offering condolences over
Clem. The retired policeman could assume Edna was asking about the deaths of
the handyman or the son-in-law, but he couldn’t prove a thing.

Now, all she had
to do was think of an excuse to give Lily for dropping by unannounced. A sympathy
visit over the loss of her worker was weak, but it would have to do.
I’ll  take
her some flowers
, Edna thought, then immediately laughed at herself.
What’s
the expression? Taking coals to Newcastle?
She thought then of the sketch
she’d done, meaning for it to be a thank-you for last month’s invitation to
view Lily’s winter garden. Under the circumstances, Edna knew she’d never be
able to give that particular present to Lily, ever. A drawing of the Christmas
Rose would be a terrible and gruesome reminder. Edna considered keeping it for
herself, but immediately rejected the idea. She couldn’t help but think of Clem
lying in the snow when she saw the blossom. Not only that, but if she were to
hang the painting in her house, there was always a chance that Peppa or Tuck
would spot it. She decided to burn it in the fireplace as soon as she got home.

After a moment’s
thought and scanning the storefronts that weren’t blocked by the SUV to her
left, Edna decided to visit a small tea shop where she bought a tin of her
favorite English Breakfast tea and a box of fancy chocolate digestives. The
boutique’s small paper bag with string handles was attractive enough to serve
as gift wrapping.

Hoping Lily
would be pleased with the gift and anxious to talk about recent events, Edna
headed for the Beck house. As she drove, she began to wonder about Lily’s
family. Why had Rosie taken Lettie home after the youngster had been with her
grandmother for only a day? Supposedly, the girl was to stay the week because
Rosie had to work long hours preparing for several Valentine’s Day weddings.
Was it Rosie who needed to have Lettie near her or was the little girl afraid
her mother would go away just as her father had done?

Pulling onto the
broad driveway, Edna spotted Lily bent over in the garden, seeming to tamp down
dirt with the blade of a small shovel. The woman straightened as Edna turned
off the engine. Neither Lily’s nor Clem’s vehicle was in sight. Getting out of
the car, Edna glanced at the windows of the apartment above the garage and idly
wondered who would clear out Clem’s belongings or if he’d even had very much to
begin with. She speculated if anything in his place might provide a clue to
what had happened to him. She might offer her help to pack up his things and
take them to Peppa.

These thoughts
were interrupted as Lily waved her over. When Edna approached, she could see
Lily looked disgusted.

“That wretched
man uprooted my Christmas Rose.”

Edna looked at
the tangle of roots, leaves and a few mangled blossoms. “I assume you mean
Clem. Did you see him do it?”

Lily frowned as
if the thought hadn’t occurred to her. “Well, no. I didn’t actually
see
him do it. I would have stopped him if I had. That female police officer was
here not an hour ago. Showed me a picture on her phone and asked if I
recognized it. Well, of course, I came straight out here and found this.” Lily
flapped her hand at the churned-up soil.

“Maybe someone
else did the damage and he only picked up one of the blooms.”

Lily turned on
her, sounding half angry and half curious. “Who would do such a thing?”

“I have no idea.
I’m just wondering why Clem would destroy your plant and attempt to take a
bloom to his ex-wife, particularly since he hadn’t seen her in years.”

Lily poked her
shovel around in the dirt. “I don’t know who else would have done such a thing.
Certainly not my daughter or my granddaughter. They wouldn’t dare. And you’ve
just confirmed my suspicion. If Clem didn’t do this, why would he be carrying
around one of the blooms?”

Edna shook her
head. “Wish I knew.”

As if the
thought had just occurred to her, Lily eyed Edna inquisitively. “I don’t often
see you in this neighborhood.”

Edna suddenly
felt awkward. She should have realized from the way she’d seen Lily treat Clem
on Friday that the woman had little feeling for the man who’d worked for her
these last several months. Edna plowed on, still hoping to gain something from
the visit. “I thought you might be upset over your handyman’s death.” She held
up the bag from the tea shop. “I came to offer my sympathy and bring
condolences,” thinking again as she spoke the words that the woman didn’t
appear to need comforting.

Lily seemed to
soften considerably, but not, Edna suspected, over the memory of her employee.
Maybe she wasn’t used to receiving gifts from acquaintances. “How nice of you,”
she said, her face flushing with pleasure. Pushing the shovel into the loose
soil next to the demolished Christmas Rose, she reached for the present and
peeked inside. “Lovely.” She looked up at Edna and smiled. “Let’s go inside and
I’ll brew a pot.”

Exactly what
Edna had hoped and she was suddenly glad she’d thought to bring that particular
gift. With Clem being foremost in her mind, when she followed Lily into the
kitchen, Edna said, “I didn’t know when I met him the other day that your
handyman was the ex-husband of my friend Harriet Peppafitch.”

“And I didn’t
realize you were acquainted with Peppa,” Lily said. “I used to take Rose to
Saturday story hour at the library.”

Edna couldn’t
tell by Lily’s bland expression what she thought of Peppa, so decided to
continue with the excuse for her visit. “I thought if I could tell Peppa about
Clem’s work here and particularly his last days, she might find some solace.”
Who
knows
, Edna thought,
that tiny white lie may turn out to be the truth
.
Aloud, she said, “Can you tell me anything about him that I could take back to
her? Aside from his work for you, was he involved in anything else? Hobbies,
perhaps, or maybe he spent time with friends in the area? Maybe he reconnected
with some of his old colleagues?”

“Let me think,”
Lily said, having filled an electric kettle with water and turned it on.
Falling silent while she pulled the tea tin and biscuit box out of the small
bag, she seemed to concentrate more on her gifts than Edna’s questions. She put
some digestives on a plate and reached for a white porcelain teapot decorated
with violets. Disappearing into the dining room, she returned with two china
cups and saucers which she set on a wooden tray alongside the biscuits.

By the time Lily
had finished setting things out, the water was boiling, so she poured some into
the pot. When the porcelain was warm enough for her apparent satisfaction, she
poured out the water, spooned tea leaves into the pot and carefully refilled
it. That done, she covered it with a cozy and turned to Edna with a smile. “If
you’ll carry the tray, we’ll go sit in the conservatory. It’s my favorite room,
especially on a sunny winter day like today.”

Admiring Lily’s
proper way to make a pot of tea, Edna followed her hostess to the bright,
glassed-in room at the back of the house. When they were settled in cushioned
wicker chairs, she posed a different question. “How did Clem come to work for
you? You said you knew Peppa from the library, but had you known her husband? I
understand they separated about five years ago and he left town.”