Set the Stage for Murder (21 page)

***

Roz and Juliet sat side by side on one of the leather sofas in the library and looked up with dread as Teddy and Vicki walked through the door.

“Roz, Juliet,” Teddy began, “I’m so very sorry.”

Juliet buried her head against Roz’s shoulder and began to sob. As tears silently flowed down her own face, Roz encircled the girl in her arms and rocked back and forth. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. “Teddy, are you sure?”

Teddy nodded. “I’m sorry, Roz.”

She looked him in the eyes. “How?”

Although Teddy wasn’t sure how much he should tell Roz at this point, he decided she probably needed to know what she was up against, sooner rather than later. “She fell from the cliff by the Courting Oak. If it’s any comfort, I’m pretty sure it was quick.”

“Fell?” Roz asked in a small voice, unable to hide the fear.

Vicki sat down on the sofa by the two women and put her hand on Roz’s shoulder. “Roz, I’m afraid Meg was wearing your scarf when … when it happened.”

It only took a moment for the weight of Vicki’s revelation to hit home. Roz went white and became totally still. Even Juliet stopped crying and looked up at her. “Oh dear God, Vicki,” she whispered. “I
made
her wear that scarf when she left the guesthouse last night.” The panic rose in her voice. “It was chilly and I made her wear it.” She looked wild-eyed around the room. “Oh, God, don’t you see? It’s my fault that Meggie is dead.” She broke down in sobs and now it was Juliet’s turn to try and comfort her. “It’s all my fault,” she cried. “Oh, God. I’ve killed Meggie.”

“Roz, this isn’t your fault,” Teddy said firmly. “You had no way of knowing what was going to happen.”

Roz wouldn’t be placated. “No, this
is
my fault.” She darted up from the sofa and started frantically pacing around the library. I could have gone to the police when this whole thing started but I didn’t.” She reached into her pocket for her cigarettes and fumbled with her lighter with shaky hands. Teddy gently took the lighter from her and lit her cigarette. She inhaled deeply, held her breath for a moment, and then slowly exhaled. “I made the decision to handle this my way,” she continued, looking at Teddy wide-eyed and frightened. “But I had no idea it would go this far. I had no idea.” She turned her frantic gaze to Juliet. “Julie, baby, you’ve got to believe me. I never meant for anything like this to happen.” Roz crossed to the couch and knelt down in front of the girl. “Oh, Julie,” she cried. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done. I’m so horribly, horribly sorry.” Tears streamed down the faces of both women as they looked at each other.

“I know, Mother. I don’t blame you. But I’m scared for you now.”

“Juliet has a point, Roz,” Teddy said, sitting down on the other sofa and facing the women. “I’m going to have my security people with you at all times.” Roz looked at him blankly, but nodded her agreement. “Obviously, we’re going to have to tell everyone else,” Teddy continued. “If the two of you would like some privacy, I’ll arrange for Sam to accompany you to the guesthouse.”

Roz nodded and got up from her kneeling position. She and Vicki helped Juliet up from the sofa. They were almost through the door of the library when Roz stopped abruptly, as if she’d been struck. She slowly looked up at Teddy and it was as if the reality of the situation had crystallized in her mind. “One of them killed Meggie,” she said in a voice that had become steely. “I’ll see them in hell.”

***

Less than a half hour later, Teddy stood in front of the rest of his guests and broke the tragic news. Everyone present in the living room at least
appeared
to be in shock upon hearing of Meg’s death. Teddy did not, however, reveal that he believed she was murdered or that, most likely, the killer had mistaken her for Roz. He couldn’t imagine that this information would stay hidden for long, but he wasn’t going to be the one to share it. As Vincent had pointed out to him earlier in the kitchen when they were going over what had to be done, not revealing the details gave them a tiny advantage over the person who committed the crime. Right now, the killer was the only one of the guests who knew that this was murder. Maybe he or she would slip up and say or do something incriminating. Also, presumably, the person who murdered Meg was processing the fact that he or she had killed the wrong person; perhaps Teddy or Vicki or Vincent would see this shock register on someone’s face. Granted, none of them thought these scenarios very likely, but they at least wanted to give them a chance to play out. However, when all was said and done, there was no tearful confession from a nervous killer or any obvious lamenting over a murder that had gone awry. Everyone in the room behaved appropriately and as one would expect them to behave, though it wasn’t lost on Teddy that he stood before a room of, not only good but great actors. Consequently, he realized that it wasn’t going to be that simple to catch whichever one of them murdered Meg.

***

By 10:00am, the sheriff’s department had cordoned off the area where Meg’s body lay as well as the vicinity around the Courting Oak. Officers from Brighton-on-Hudson, the nearest town with an actual police department, were assisting the sheriff and his deputies. By and large, they were a hard-working, earnest group of law enforcement officials. Between the two forces, they regularly dealt with numerous speeding violations, the drunk and disorderly behavior of their citizenry, an occasional liquor store robbery, and, perhaps most unfortunately, frequent complaints of domestic violence. They were even familiar with murder, but more times than not, it was a murder that had developed out of one of the liquor store robberies or domestic-abuse situations.

What they had never dealt with before was the killing of a respected New York actress at the estate of the area’s most prominent family. And they certainly had never come across a group of suspects like the one they were about to encounter. Sheriff Fred Maeker, an affable man in his late fifties, was relieved when a former member of the NYPD offered to sit in while he questioned everyone. Vincent had hoped this would be the case.

At Teddy’s suggestion, the Sheriff and his deputy used the library to question everyone. Although the guests were surprised to find Vincent sitting in and taking notes, the sheriff’s simple explanation that Mr. Spiritos was a former NYPD officer who had offered to assist in the investigation seemed to satisfy everyone. Perhaps it was the comforting way he smiled at them, or the fact that he stood and nodded to them when they entered the room. Whatever it was, it somehow made it okay that the man who had poured wine for them last night was now listening in as they provided an accounting of their whereabouts from midnight to 4:00am. This elusive quality that helped garner the trust of others had served Vincent well all his life.

He listened for the rest of the morning as the Sheriff went about discerning where everyone had been in the earliest hours of the morning. They took a half-hour break after interviewing Sir Anthony Dupree and partook of the chicken salad sandwiches and iced tea Vicki had instructed Marc to prepare for them. By 3:15 they had finished interrogating everyone at the Cottage. The three men took the short walk to the guesthouse and concluded the day’s interviews by questioning Juliet and Roz.

As they were leaving the guesthouse, one of the sheriff’s men approached him, holding a clear plastic bag that contained something white in it.

“
This was all we found, Fred,” the deputy said, handing the bag to his superior. “It was in the woods, just off the path to the oak tree. Looks like blood to me.”

“
Mr. Spiritos, does this look familiar to you?” the sheriff asked.

Vincent studied the bag before answering. “Sheriff, I think you may need to speak with Dame Caroline Dupree again. Although she claims she never left the house last night, I know for a fact that this bandage was on her hand when she went to bed.”

***

“
I most certainly did not lie to you, Sheriff.” Dame Caroline did indignation very well. “You asked me where I was between the hours of midnight and 4:00am and I told you that I was in my room the entire time. Had you inquired as to where I was after those hours, I would have gladly told you that I took a walk around 4:45, after I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.”

The sheriff nodded carefully. “You’re right, ma’am. I don’t suppose I phrased my question properly.” He turned to the young deputy. “Make a note of that, Jeb. I need to be more careful in the future with my interrogation technique.” He turned back to Dame Caroline, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Thank you, ma’am. I certainly wouldn’t want some wily criminal getting away scot-free just because of a stupid blunder on my part.” Dame Caroline’s eyes narrowed, but she remained silent. “So, when you were walking at…” He stopped and checked the deputy’s notes. “That’s right, at 4:
45
am, you didn’t see or hear anything unusual? Caroline started to respond, but the sheriff interrupted her, laughing softly. “Well, there I go again. Did you hear me, Jeb? I asked Dame Caroline if she saw or heard anything
unusual
. You see, what I
should
have asked her was if she saw or heard anything
at all
. Because if Dame Caroline witnessed a murder, but didn’t think it was
unusual,
well, I’d probably never hear about it because I hadn’t asked the right question.” He turned and looked at Caroline expectantly.

“
I did not see or hear
anything
when I was on my walk.” Although Caroline was now red-faced and seething, she managed to stay in control. “Will that be all, Sheriff?”

“
Oh, I don’t think it will be
all
, Dame Caroline. However, it will be all
for now
.” She looked at him for a few seconds with hatred in her eyes before turning around and walking out of the library.

“
Jeb, what you just witnessed was a woman with some serious anger management issues. Wouldn’t you say so, Mr. Spiritos?”

Vincent nodded in agreement, realizing that Sheriff Fred Maeker had a certain elusive quality himself, and it was one that led people to seriously underestimate him. Vincent wagered that it had served him well.

Chapter 21

Vicki and Phoebe made their way through the woods on a footpath that was as old as the estate. Although it didn’t provide the breathtaking vistas that the river path did, the trail in the woods had its own particular charm, especially on a hot summer day like today. Coolness seemed to radiate from the leafy ferns and moss-covered rocks that covered the forest floor, while the towering trees allowed only a dappling of sunlight to enter. Most important, on this particular Saturday, it offered an alternative to the stone walk by the river and the Courting Oak, where the police and sheriff’s departments were still at work.

Vicki picked up a small broken branch and threw it down the path ahead of them, causing Clementine to scurry off after it. “Oh, Phoebe,” she sighed. “What’s the correct protocol to observe when almost all of your dinner guests are murder suspects?”

Phoebe walked alongside her daughter-in-law, with her hand tucked in the crook of Vicki’s arm. She was by no means a feeble woman, but since the ground was uneven, she decided that a little caution might be prudent. It simply wouldn’t do for Phoebe Russell McDowell to suffer a broken hip. “Honestly, my dear, I’ve never been in that particular situation. You’re blazing a new social trail tonight. Surely Rosamund and Juliet won’t be joining us?”

Vicki shook her head. “No. Marc is going to prepare something for Ethan to take over a little later. Both of them insist they have no appetite. I feel so sorry for them. I went over to the guesthouse earlier. They seem so lost.” A squirrel darted across the path in front of them, forcing Clementine to drop the precious branch she was now carrying in her mouth and take off in hot pursuit. The call of the wild always prevailed.

“
Well, she was certainly like family to them,” Phoebe said. “And am I to understand that Meg had no actual blood relatives?”

“
Apparently not, according to Roz. Which means the funeral arrangements fall to her and Juliet. I’ve offered to help out in whatever way I can.”

“
And what are the arrangements?” Phoebe asked. Clementine barked at the base of a large elm tree just ahead of them. Evidently, she had forced her prey up the tree and out on a branch, where he looked down on her in what she considered a victorious manner. Clementine was not pleased.

“
Barring any unforeseen problems with the investigation, the service is to be Tuesday morning at St. Agnes’s Church.”

“
That’s near me, isn’t it? Somewhere in the east sixties, I believe?”

“
Right. I think it’s just a block or two from their apartment. Meg has worshiped there for years.” Clementine gave up and joined the two women again. “Good girl, Clem,” Vicki said laughingly. “I’m sure that nasty squirrel will think twice before crossing your path again.”

A companionable silence fell over the two women as they crossed the road connecting the two houses and reentered the woods on the other side, following the path that would take them to the pond and lake. Once again, Clementine’s instincts took over as she ran back and forth along the water’s edge, barking at the ducks that called it home this time of year. Although some flapping and quacking ensued, it was all part of a familiar ritual in which the dog and fowl routinely participated. It was a charade, and all parties knew it.

“
Shall we rest for a moment in the teahouse?” Phoebe asked?