Who'll Kill Agnes? (27 page)

Audrey sat mute and motionless. Was she telling the truth or making this up to make sure no one ever suspected her?

“Did you go in the house at all? Did you see Agnes sitting there at the table?”

“No, I stayed outside in the gardens, walking around. I wasn’t in the mood to spend time with Agnes. I knew she was the only one at home and figured that I couldn’t sneak up to my room without her knowing it.”

“Oh my word! Why the hell haven’t you said something about this before?”

“I never connected the events. I was too wrapped up in myself, I guess. As soon as the body was found, I was terrified that I was going to be accused of killing Agnes.”

“If you didn’t do it, then why did you think you’d be accused?” Audrey had no intention of telling Penny that she had concluded that she had done it. But, she wondered, why would Penny think she’d be accused if she weren’t guilty? After all, she drew the damn X, not Penny.

“Because,” replied Penny nervously, “I drew the--”

At that moment Lester came bounding into the room.

“What’s going on?”

Once Bernie’s booking procedures were completed and Bernie was in a cell, Donovan and Metson collapsed in the Chief’s office.

“So, do you think she killed Miz Agnes, too?”

“Hell, no. She’s not that smart. See how she cracked with Kevin.”

“Yeah, but she almost got caught in the act. She was the only one at home.”

“That’s what I mean. She just isn’t smart enough. If she’d killed Miz Agnes, she would’ve been hysterical all over the place. She acted cool as a cucumber at the time and I got the feeling that she didn’t feel one way or the other about her mother-in-law.”

“Yeah, but I’ve read some killers act that way.”

“But not a Tucker. And she would never of thought up a scheme of switching salad greens. That’s thinking and premeditation. Tuckers don’t think and they sure the hell don’t premeditate. They react with immediate violence when provoked. Nope, we got to find a way to get her to spill the beans on Mark.”

“You still think it was him that killed Miz Agnes?”

“Damned right.”

“Are you going to give her a lie-detector test?”

“Yeah, if I can get away with it. Depends on who her lawyer’s going to be. We got her dead to rights on murdering Kevin. If we can get her to answer questions about Mark during a polygraph then the case will be closed.”

“Well, maybe. Them things aren’t allowed in court, you know.”

“Oh hell, Daryl, if she implicates Mark in any way, then we’ve got him.”

Metson was a little dubious about that and decided to change the subject a bit. “It’s crazy her accusing Kevin of killing his mama.”

“Yeah, nobody’d believe anything that ridiculous, accident or not. But that’s a Tucker for you.”

“But why did Mark kill Miz Agnes, if that is, he did?”

“That’s the puzzle. Let’s say that somehow Kevin learned about his mother’s will. Maybe Miz Agnes told him and he being in love with Miz Bernadette told her. And Miz Bernadette being in love all the time with Mark, told him.”

“Then why didn’t Bernadette Tucker marry Mark in the first place?”

“Because he wasn’t as rich as Kevin.”

“This is all pretty farfetched, Chief.”

“Yeah, I know. I been letting my imagination run away with me. But dammit, I know Mark killed Miz Agnes.” The two officers fell silent for a few minutes.

Donovan broke the silence. “You remember those Agatha Christie novels in the library over at Henley House?”

“Yeah, I wondered where her cookbooks were. Why?”

“You ever read one of Agatha’s books?”

“Hell no. I ain’t no sissy. I thought I told you that.”

Donovan looked at him with a pained expression. “Daryl, you nitwit, there’s nothing sissy about murder and ole Agatha could put a lot of ideas into somebody’s head. It makes me wonder.”

“What?”

“Well, her books have sort of come to mind during the case. You yourself mentioned a conspiracy, I think, about them all slipping weeds into her salad. That’s kind of like
Murder on the Orient Express
.”

“What do you mean?”

“The passengers took turns stabbing the victim or something like that. There’s been a couple of movies made from that book. I never read the book but I did see one of the movies.”

“Yeah, but that’s not what happened.”

“Of course not. But there’s lots of books there to give somebody ideas.”

“And you think Mark was inspired by Agatha Christie?”

“Naw, not really,” he laughed. “Nobody in Henley House is smart enough to pull off an Agatha Christie murder, not even Mark. But if anybody had used old Agatha it would’ve been Mark.”

“Well, if he did it, he’s gotten away with it so far.”

“Yeah, but when Miz Bernadette cracks, we’ve got him.”

Metson turned his face away from Donovan and rolled his eyes.

Lightning flashed outside the station windows followed by deafening thunder.

“See,” said Donovan, “even the elements agree.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Rest of June

Bernie didn’t crack. Following her lawyer’s advice, she pleaded not guilty by reason of self-defense. Donovan thought that was the dumbest plea he had ever heard. He and Metson had almost caught her in the act of murder and, as far as they could tell, she had not been in any danger. The Medical Examiner said that Kevin was unconscious when he was smothered. He had taken a very powerful sedative along with a glass of beer. Donovan concluded that Bernie had indeed mixed him a mickey. The only thing that puzzled him was why Kevin was drinking beer from a glass. He was always known to tote beer cans or bottles around with him.

Donovan was looking forward to the trial, the first high profile murder case that he had ever investigated. Bernie’s lawyer got the trial moved to Connor’s Corner because he felt a Tucker couldn’t be tried fairly in Magnolia Creek. Donovan didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, he had an airtight case.

“Well, she passed the polygraph,” Donovan said to Metson when he got the results, “in regards to killing Miz Agnes.”

“You never did think she killed her.”

“Nope, and what’s more it looks like she’s telling the truth when she says Mark didn’t have nothing to do with Miz Agnes or Kevin. Damn! I just can’t believe that boy is innocent.”

“Did she stick to her story about Kevin killing his mama?”

“Yeah. Looks like she’s telling the truth or thinks she is anyway, which is not the same thing.”

“Maybe Mark did kill Miz Agnes and just didn’t tell Miz Bernadette.”

Donovan stared at Metson long and hard, “Son, you just hit the nail on the head. And Miz Bernadette is just having delusions about poor Kevin. But don’t you worry. She killed Kevin and we’re putting her away for that.”

“What if she pleads insanity?”

“She ain’t. She’s still claiming self-defense and we can prove that it wasn’t no such thing.”

Lester went to pieces over the death of Kevin. When it was revealed that Bernie had accused Kevin of killing Agnes, he completely broke down. Audrey and Penny did their best to console him, especially since it appeared to them that he would inherit Agnes’ family fortune after all.

“To think,” said Audrey, “that we went through all that agony of drawing to see who would kill Agnes and none of us had anything to do with it,” although she admitted to herself that at times she still wondered if Penny had committed the perfect crime. But if that were so, then Bernie would never have accused Kevin of killing his mother.

“Hell,” exclaimed Lester, “forget that damned drawing. I don’t want to hear no more about it ever. And I don’t blame Kevin for killing Agnes. But why did he have to tell Bernie? Maybe he’d be alive today. I just can’t believe that he threatened her. He loved that girl.”

“Well,” said Audrey, “she’s a Tucker and hotheaded. She obviously went off the deep end. We all loved Kevin, but, Lester, he wasn’t blood kin, you know. I mean he wasn’t your natural son.”

“So? I loved that boy. I mean I really loved him.”

“Yes, of course you did. But now you’re going to inherit.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, don’t play innocent, Lester. If Bernie is convicted, then as Kevin’s survivor you’ll get the Briar fortune,” which
,
she added bitterly to herself, should be hers
.

“Gawdamighty, this is more than I can take in,” moaned Lester.

“Hey, Chief, you hear the latest?” asked Metson a few days later as he walked into Donovan’s office.

“I doubt it. I’m not on the gossip circuit like you seem to be. What do you have?” He shifted comfortably in his new oversize swivel desk chair.

“I got this from Ole Man Robeson down at The Cup.”

“That figures. So?”

“Miss Audrey talked Lester into giving her the Briar family jewels.”

Donovan sat up straight. “What? But the estate can’t be settled until after Miz Bernadette’s trial.”

“Yeah, I know. You going to do anything about it?”

Donovan sat quietly in a pensive mood. “Hell no,” he finally said, “not unless one of them Tuckers or Miz Bernadette’s lawyer complains. Maybe we ought to go tell the Henleys, or rather Lester, Miss Audrey, and Miss Penelope and the Robesons to keep quiet. Miss Audrey deserves that jewelry more than Lester or Miz Bernadette. Anyways, think how nice them jewels would look on her.”

“Uh, sir, from a legal aspect I don’t think any of that matters.”

“Hell, I know, but there’s a lot of legal stuff that ain’t fair. Miss Audrey’s had a rough time, losing her sister and nephew and all. Can’t figure out why Miz Agnes didn’t leave her the jewelry in the first place.”

“Well, Miss Audrey’s got it now.”

“What made Lester give it to her?”

“According to Ole Man Robeson, who got the info from Mark, it seems that Lester don’t think they’re worth anything and so he said to Miss Audrey something like ‘What do I want them doodawdles for? You take them and prance around in them’.”

Donovan laughed. “Oh, that Lester Henley is a case.”

“Yeah, but Ole Man Robeson said Mark was really upset about Lester giving away the jewelry.”

“Why the hell should he care?”

“Damned if I know.”

“That’s just it, Daryl. Nothing that’s happened at Henley House should be any of Mark Robeson’s business. But he’s always there, lingering like a cancer.”

“Well yeah, especially if he killed Agnes.”

“Tell you what, let’s pay another visit to Henley House tonight. See how old Lester and Miss Audrey and Miss Penelope are getting along, maybe nudge Lester to get rid of Mark.”

“Let’s hope we don’t run into another corpse.”

“Or Mark’s oar-doves.”

That evening as they drove to Henley House, Metson commented, “Well, at least the weather’s better than it was the last time we came out here.”

“Yeah, that was the damnedest thing, Daryl, how the weather was that night. There weren’t no rain to speak of, just all that lightning and thunder. Like a spirit or some such thing was trying to warn us.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Naw,” laughed Donovan, “but sometimes there are things that happen that make you wonder.”

Mark opened the door to the two officers.

“Evening, Mark, or are you still Marcel?”

“No, Chief Donovan, that little game is long over.”

“Damn glad to hear it,” he growled, “can we come in?”

“Of course, sir. Mr. Henley is in the library if you wish to speak to him.”

“That’ll be fine.”

Donovan and Metson followed Mark to the library where they found Lester watching TV and drinking beer.

“How you getting along, Lester?” asked Donovan.

Lester arose from his chair and shook hands with the officers then turned off the TV. He was unshaven and had bags under his eyes.

“It’s hard, gentlemen, it’s hard. Losing my wife and now my boy.” He started to sob.

“There now, you just set back down and try not to think about them.”

“Oh, but you don’t know how much I miss Kevin,” he wailed.

“Well, we’re real sorry about all your misfortunes.” He glanced around the room. “Where are Miss Audrey and Miss Penelope?”

“Audrey’s gone to New York. Says she’s going to auction off her Aunt Hilda’s jewelry.”

“What the hell?”

“Yeah, fat lot of good it’ll do her. Them doodawdles looked like nothing but paste to me. The way she and Bernie carried on about that stuff you’d a thought they belonged to the Queen of England.”

“But Miss Audrey thinks they’re worth something?”

“Yeah, but when she finds out different she’ll come crawling back here.”

“And where’s Miss Penelope?”

“She got herself a little apartment. Moved out today.”

“How she going to pay for it? Don’t tell me she really is Aunt Hazel. My wife said she was.”

“Well, of course. Everybody knew except Agnes. But that don’t pay nothing. She got a job with Shirley Gates.”

“You mean Miz Henley’s old job?”

“Nope, that’s been discontinued. Penny’s going to be Shirley’s production assistant on her TV show.”

“How did she get that job?”

“Shirley came over the other night to offer condolences about Kevin. Penny and I got to telling her about-uh-Agnes and things she had done to Penny in the past.”

“You mean done for Miss Penelope.”

Lester eyed Donovan skeptically. “Well, not exactly. Anyhow, Penny and Shirley hit it off real good and Shirley offered her the job. It’s the happiest I’ve seen Penny in years.”

“So, it’s just you and Mark living here?” Donovan knew he was going to have to tread carefully in discussing Mark.

“Yeah, but his dad’s going to move in, too. Got plenty of room now.”

“You know this place isn’t legally yours until after the trial ends and the estate is settled.”

“You throwing me out?”

“Hell no, Lester, as far as I’m concerned it’s yours but I’d keep a low profile if I was you. Miz Bernadette’s lawyer might intervene especially if they find out you gave away that jewelry. Speaking of which, I heard tell Mark was upset about that. You know why?”