A Puzzle in a Pear Tree (16 page)

28

SHERRY CARTER GLARED AT CHIEF HARPER ACROSS THE TABLE in the tiny interrogation room, an adjunct of the police station’s twin holding cells. Dan Finley sat beside the table with a steno book and pencil. Jonathon Doddsworth stood by observing and radiating smugness.

“Miss Carter,” Chief Harper began. “You understand you don’t have to talk to us. You have the right to remain silent. But should you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can be taken down and used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, an attorney can be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I have just read them to you?”

“I don’t believe this.”

“Miss Carter. Could you please signify that you understand your rights?”

“I understand my rights.”

“Sir, you’re going a little fast,” Dan Finley protested. “I’m not so good at this.”

“She hasn’t said anything yet,” Chief Harper said irritably.

“I didn’t get all her words.”

“Just make sure you get the part where she says she understands her rights.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Miss Harper, I hand you a stack of envelopes and ask you if you recognize them.”

“Recognize them?”

“Yes. What are they?”

“Red envelopes.”

“Where did you get those red envelopes?”

“You just gave them to me.”

Chief Harper flushed. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. These envelopes were found in your house. How did they get there?”

“I haven’t a clue.”

“You claim you never saw these envelopes before?”

“I saw them when you found them at my house.”

“I mean before that.”

“I never saw them before that.”

“I’m way behind,” Dan groaned.

“Damn it, Finley.”

“I’m doing the best I can, Chief.”

“Might I suggest you proceed,” Doddsworth put in. “The evidentiary value of this interrogation pales beside its practical worth. I seriously doubt a suspect as astute as Miss Carter would say anything to implicate herself.”

If Chief Harper appreciated the suggestion, he didn’t show it. “Miss Carter. I want to impress upon you, you are in very serious trouble here. If you have any explanation for the facts, now would be a real good time to produce it. These envelopes were found in your house. How did they get there?”

“I haven’t the faintest notion.”

“That’s a less than satisfactory answer.”

“It’s the only one I have. Since I have no knowledge whatsoever of the envelopes you speak of. Where exactly did you find them?”

“You needn’t tell her that,” Doddsworth interjected. “If the envelopes are hers, she knows.”

“Well, they’re not, and I don’t,” Sherry stated. “If you don’t wish to tell me, I will continue not to know. Which is certainly an unsatisfactory situation from my viewpoint. How does it look from yours?”

Chief Harper scowled. “This is getting us nowhere.”

“Of course not,” Doddsworth said. “Never mind the allegations you
can’t
prove. Concentrate on the ones you
can
.”

“Such as?”

“The computer program.”

Chief Harper took a breath. “Miss Carter, do you own a computer program called Enigmacross?”

“Yes, I do.”

“When did you purchase the program?”

“A few days ago.”

“How many days?”

“I don’t recall.”

“Let me ask you this: When did you purchase it with relation to the encrypted poems that were discovered in the high school theater?”

“It was right after that.”

“After the poems were discovered?”

“Yes.”

“Miss Carter, do you recall a conversation you had with me after the second poem was found pinned to Miss Baldwin’s costume? After your aunt had translated that poem for me? Do you recall a conversation on the village green? When I asked you if you would look into what kind of computer program could generate such a puzzle? And you assured me you would. Do you recall that conversation?”

“Yes, I do.”

“And that was
after
the second puzzle was found?”

Sherry said nothing.

“Miss Carter, a check of your credit card records shows that you actually purchased the program the day
before
that conversation, the day the
first
puzzle poem was found. Do you have any explanation for that?”

The door flew open and Cora Felton burst in. “Well, well, the old third degree,” she declared heartily. “What, no rubber hose?”

Doddsworth’s face darkened. “Miss Felton, you have no right to be here.”

“And you
do
? You seem to be somewhat confused. Let me clear it up for you. Connecticut is in
New
England. You probably heard the word
England
and got all excited. It’s not really your jurisdiction. See, there was this little thing called the War of Independence a while back. I don’t recall all the details, but the upshot is we don’t have to listen to you Brits anymore. So, if you could just hold your water, I’m talking to Chief Harper. He, I believe, is an American.”

“Damn it, Cora,” Chief Harper said. “You’re only making this worse.”

“Well, that’s a neat trick. You’ve arrested Sherry for murder. Would you mind telling me how it could be worse?” Cora put up her hand. “Please, don’t bother. The point is, Sherry’s got rights, and, just because she’s a friend of yours, there’s no reason for her to give them up. Particularly when your friendship is so tenuous as to include a murder accusation.”

Jonathon Doddsworth had recovered his composure. “Miss Felton, must I remind you that you are not an attorney?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Cora replied. She smiled, radiating sweetness. “I’ve
got
an attorney.”

Becky Baldwin came walking in.

29

BECKY BALDWIN LOOKED LIKE A MILLION BUCKS. MAYBE two million. Becky always looked good, but today in particular. Her makeup was invisible, so carefully applied as to be impossible to detect. Her matching silver earrings and necklace were exquisitely understated, discreet. Her blue Armani sheath might have been a business dress but could have passed as evening wear. Sherry got the impression that when Becky had heard who the client was, she’d rushed right home and changed.

Becky shooed everyone out of the interrogation room, sat at the table across from Sherry.

“All right,” Becky said. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

“I’d rather be shot dead.”

Becky grinned. “I understand the sentiment. However, this is a murder case. In a murder case, it’s advisable to talk to your lawyer.”

“You’re not my lawyer.”

“Oh, but I am. Your aunt gave me a ten-thousand-dollar retainer.”

“Ten thousand dollars! Good God, she’ll have to get married again.”

“I’d hate to be the cause of that. Still, ten thousand is almost nominal in a murder case.”

“This is absurd.”

“Isn’t it? You wanna fill me in? Your aunt only had time to hit the highlights.”

“Exactly what highlights did Aunt Cora hit?”

“The police found the envelopes to the puzzle poems hidden in your house.” Becky made a face. “It is generally considered a bad move to hang on to such incriminating evidence.”

“Funny. What else did Cora say?”

“That’s not enough? It convinced me you need a lawyer.”

“I wouldn’t imagine accepting ten thousand dollars takes much convincing.”

“Let’s not make this about money. It becomes so tawdry when it’s about money.”

“You could always refuse the case.”

“I could, but you’d have to pay
some
lawyer. Clearly you need one.”

“Is that all Cora told you?”

Becky’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “You mean did she mention the pregnancy test? Don’t worry, she didn’t say a word. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

Sherry sighed. “This isn’t going to work.”

“Oh, but it is. And very nicely too. You’re charged with killing the Virgin Mary. Do you know what the media’s going to do with that?”

“What a nightmare.”

“Actually, it’s not bad. I got Mr. Channel Eight wrapped around my finger. He’ll do practically anything I want.” Becky raised her eyebrows archly. “Now, if we just had an in at the
Bakerhaven Gazette . . .
”

“Ha-ha,” Sherry said. “And the MTV movie award for cattiest defense attorney goes to . . .”

Becky raised her hand as if acknowledging thunderous applause. “Thank you. I’d just like to say that I could not have won this award without the help of the defendant, Sherry Carter. Thank you, Sherry.” She picked up a pen and poised it over her legal pad. “Okay. You done sparring? You got anything useful you’d like to tell me?”

“For instance?”

“You have any priors? A criminal record they’ll be able to throw in my face?”

“Sorry to disappoint you. I had all my prostitution convictions expunged from my record because I was underage at the time.”

“Good. I’ll be able to push for bail. How much do you make?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You’re a substitute teacher, aren’t you? How much do you earn?”

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“Setting bail. The judge is gonna wanna know what your ties are to the community, whether you pose a flight risk. A lucrative job is an inducement to stay.”

“Then I haven’t got one. The work is part-time. The salary is negligible.”

“Really? What do you live on? Alimony?”

“No.”

“You couldn’t get alimony?”

“Are you enjoying this as much as you appear to be?”

“If I have to put you on the stand, the prosecutor is going to throw questions like this at you. I have to know how you’re going to answer.”

“I don’t have alimony because I didn’t want it, and didn’t ask for it. I found myself in a relationship with an abusive drunk. I didn’t want his money: All I wanted was out.”

“You won your divorce?”

“It wasn’t that hard. He’d been arrested twice for beating me up.”

“Twice?”

“I didn’t go back to him. He came after me.”

“I see.”

“You sound as if you don’t believe me.”

“I’m a lawyer. I could argue his side of the case at the drop of a retainer. Right now I’m prepared to argue yours.”

“Oh, really,” Sherry said. “What are you prepared to argue? You haven’t even asked me anything. Except about my personal life.”

“What would you like me to ask you?”

“How about those envelopes found in my house. How come you haven’t asked about them?”

“I assume they’re not yours.”

“Of course they’re not mine!”

“So what do you want me to ask about them?”

“How about who put them there?”

“Do you know who put them there?”

“Of course not.”

“I didn’t think so. If you did, you’d have told me. So what’s the use asking?”

“We could discuss who
might
have put them there.”

“That we could. Tell me, were you and Cora both out of the house at any time today?”

“Cora was gone all morning. Aaron took me to lunch.”

“When did Cora get back?”

“After I did.”

“There you are,” Becky said. “The house was unoccupied during lunch. Anyone could have planted those envelopes.”

“Exactly,” Sherry said. “You have to find out who.”

Becky winced. “Oh, dear.”

“What’s the matter?”

“You’ve been watching too much Perry Mason. My job is
not
to find out who did it. My job is to prove it wasn’t
you.
And I use the word
prove
in a legal sense, as in
prove beyond all reasonable doubt.
It doesn’t matter if all twelve jurors think you did it, as long as they don’t have grounds to vote for a conviction. If I can arrange for that happenstance, I’ve done my job.”

“Wouldn’t
suggesting
who might have done it tend to help?”

“Yes, of course. If there are any likely suspects, trot them out. Was anyone at your house today?”

“Just Doddsworth.”

“What did he want?”

Sherry’s eyes shifted.

“Right.” Becky nodded. “The pregnancy test. Did he have any chance to plant the envelopes?”

“You suspect
Doddsworth
?”

“No, but it doesn’t matter. If he had the opportunity, I can
suggest
that he might have. Could he have done it?”

“No. I’d have seen him.”

“Are you sure?”

“He was never out of my sight. I let him in, let him out. Watched him drive off.”

“You didn’t leave him in the living room just to get him a drink?”

“I brought him into the kitchen.”

“Did he precede you into the living room on his way out?”

“No.”

Becky shrugged. “Oh, well. I can still raise the implication. The prosecution would have to prove different. But we’re better off on the lunch angle. How long were you gone?”

“About an hour and a half.”

Becky nodded. “Aaron takes nice lunch breaks. So, there was plenty of time for anyone to have planted the envelopes. The problem is, why on earth would anyone want to frame
you
? Can you think of anyone who has it in for you?”

“Present company excepted? No, I can’t. Clearly it is a case of the killer attempting to pass the buck to get off the hook.”

“So it would seem. We still can’t rule out the possibility it was done specifically to get you.” Becky exhaled. “Okay, let’s go get you arraigned for murder.”