Fillet of Murder (16 page)

“I'll bet I can guess the ending.” Whitnee grinned.

“Well, when I got there, I didn't see any sign of the rabbit. The Butterforths lived in a two-family house and didn't have a garage, so I knew the rabbit had to be somewhere in the house, maybe even in the basement.”

“What did you do?” Whitnee said urgently.

Talia shrugged. “The only thing I could think of. I rang the bell, and when Oriana opened the door I told her I
really
,
really
needed to use the bathroom.”

“Did she let you in?”

“Oddly enough she did, though she looked totally perplexed. She pointed at a staircase, and I raced upstairs. I remember it bothered me that she seemed to be home by herself. I found the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and then started snooping. Which wasn't too hard, since the apartment only had two tiny bedrooms. Sure enough, in the first room I looked, I spotted the makeshift cage she'd constructed for Punky. She'd duct-taped two big cardboard boxes together and made the bunny a cozy little home. It was pretty clever, actually.”

Whitnee's eyes widened. “Did you call the police?”

“Let her finish the story, luv,” Bea said softly.

Looking chastised, Whitnee shrank lower into her chair.

“Punky was in the box munching happily on a carrot,” Talia continued. “I was so relieved that he was okay, I never
heard Oriana creep up behind me. But when I turned to leave there she was, these huge tears streaming down her cheeks. I'll never forget her face—it was so sad. ‘You have to give him back,' I told her. She nodded, reached into the box, and picked up Punky. She handed him to me, and I rode all the way home with him sitting in my bicycle basket.”

“Yesss!” Whitnee pumped her fist.

“Noah was thrilled to have him back, but I felt horrible. I couldn't stop seeing Oriana's tiny, freckled face drenched in tears.” Talia looked away and rubbed her hand over her forehead. “I remember asking my mom, if I saved enough from my allowance, could I buy Oriana a rabbit of her own? But Mom said no, because that would be rewarding her for stealing. When I think back, I wish I'd done it anyway.”

And she wished Bea had never reminded her of the rabbit story. Oriana had looked so shattered that day when Talia cycled away with Punky. It was probably why she'd pushed the memory from her mind. She hadn't thought about Oriana Butterforth in a very long time. Oriana and her mom moved out of town a few years later, and Talia never saw her again.

Whitnee seemed entranced by the story. “Talia, you really are a detective. If you were that smart when you were nine, then you can, like, definitely figure out who killed Phil!”

“I appreciate your confidence,” Talia said, “but that's a pretty big stretch.”

“Not really.” Bea pounded her small fist on the table. “That story tells me you have the imagination to hunt down the clues and put them together. Of course, I've always known you were a clever cookie.” She gazed at Talia with affection, and then looked at her watch and sighed. “Ah,
look at me, keeping you hardworking girls here so late. Let's close up, shall we? But you think about that, luv, okay? Along with that other matter we talked about this morning.” She gave Talia a meaningful wink.

Talia couldn't help smiling. She didn't deserve Bea's blind faith in her. Should she divulge her suspicions about Kendra? Let her know she'd been checking into Kendra's whereabouts at the time of the murder?

No, that would only raise Bea's hopes, and she wasn't ready to do that—not yet. Talia's “case” against Kendra was about as strong as cotton candy—all spun sugar and fluff, with no real substance.

As for the “other matter”—the idea of taking over Lambert's—Talia had to confess that the idea was beginning to get under her skin. During the course of the day, she'd caught herself fantasizing about it several times. Thinking about the changes she'd make, but without destroying the essence of Bea and Howie's original dream. There was so much she could do, both with the menu and with the eatery itself.

For now, though, she'd have to force it from her mind. Nothing was going to happen until Turnbull's murderer was caught and Bea's name was cleared.

They all left together through the front entrance. “Are you seeing Pug tonight?” Talia said to Whitnee, pulling the collar of her flared jacket more tightly around her neck.

“Not tonight. Pug has to work until, like, midnight. He got a job at that new burger joint. The one that opened last month?”

“I've heard of it,” Talia said. “It's in that funky strip mall on Pittsfield-Lenox Road. What does he do there?” Okay, so she couldn't suppress her perverse curiosity about Whitnee's repulsive beau.

“Oh, you know, he, like, waits tables, helps clean the kitchen after closing time, that sort of thing.” She lifted her thin shoulders in a world-weary shrug. “I guess I'll just poke around the mall for a while and then go home. Not much else to do.”

“My offer stands,” Talia said quietly. “If you need a place to stay—”

“Got it,” Whitnee said brusquely. She turned her back on Talia and stared out over the arcade.

Touchy
, Talia thought to herself. She didn't know what to make of Whitnee's roller-coaster moods, but decided to cut her some slack. Clearly the girl lived under stressful conditions. Having Connie Parker for a mother would make anyone snappish.

The plaza was empty, and eerily quiet. Even Jim Jepson's jack-o'-lantern had gone dark. On the street behind the lighting shop, the brittle leaves from the fading maples whispered in the cold breeze. The yellow police tape around Turnbull's place was gone. Did that mean the police had collected all the evidence they needed?

In the corner shop, Time for Tea, lights shone through the front window. Was Jill still there?

Bea secured the front entrance to Lambert's. “All right now, luvs, we have to walk to our cars together. I never thought I'd see the day when I didn't feel safe here.” She shook her dark head sadly. “If the coppers ever catch the real killer, I'm going to throw a big party. And you two”—she slipped an arm through each of theirs—“I can't do enough to thank you. You've been here for me every minute.”

“Bea, we're only doing our jobs,” Talia said. “And the police
are
going to find the killer. Maybe they just need a little push in the right direction.” She looked over at the tea
shop. “Listen, I think Jill is still in her shop. I need to bend her ear for a few minutes, so I'm going to pop over there and see if she has time for a chat.”

“You be careful!” Bea cried. “Never mind, Whitnee and I will walk you over there, won't we luvvy?”

“I guess so,” Whitnee said in a peeved tone. “I've got no place else to go.”

Why was Whitnee acting so strange? Talia wondered as they headed toward the tea shop. Ever since Talia had told the rabbit story, she'd seemed jumpy, almost to the point of surly.

Give her a break,
Talia reminded herself. They'd all been as jumpy as fleas since Turnbull was murdered. Why should Whitnee be any different?

A sudden gust of wind sent a cold blast down the back of Talia's neck. She shivered, and the memory of the weird guy who'd been watching her earlier slammed into her brain. Was he still hanging around? The idea that he might be close by sent another chill through her.

“Let me see if Jill's in, then you two can go to your cars,” Talia said, unhooking her arm from Bea's.

Peeking through the glass, she spotted Jill tidying up the shelves in the tea shop. The sight of all the beautiful teapots gave Talia a momentary lift. She knocked on the door and called Jill's name, hoping she wouldn't startle her.

Jill turned abruptly. When she saw Talia waving at her through the glass, her face relaxed. She set down the flowered teapot she was holding and scurried over to unlock the door. “Well, hey, you're here late,” she said, lifting her gaze to Bea and Whitnee. “Can I help you all with something?” Jill's words were gracious, but her tone was flat.

Talia scrunched her face in a
sorry-to-be-a-pest
kind of
way. “We were just going out to our cars when I remembered something I wanted to ask you. Can I come in for a sec?”

“All of you?” Jill leveled a hard look at the trio.

“Ah, no,” Bea said lightly. “Whitnee and I are leaving, aren't we, luv? Have a good evening, Jill.”

But Whitnee didn't move, nor did she speak. She stood staring at Jill, her face a pale mask in the faint light that drizzled from the tea shop. Only when she realized Bea was tugging at her elbow did she finally turn away. The two hurried off toward the town lot, leaving Talia alone with Jill.

“So, it's just us chickens,” Jill said, an uneasy flutter in her laugh. The subtle scent of honeysuckle swaying around her, she ushered Talia inside the shop.

“So, how was your day?” Talia said. “Lots of sales?” Her stab at sounding casual made her voice come out like a squeaky hinge.

Jill flashed a brief smile. “I'm sure you didn't come over here after hours to inquire about my day,” she said evenly. “What can I do for you, Talia?”

Hmmm. Why the sudden frost? “Sorry. I know you want to close up, so I'll get to the point. Last night when we all met in here and you were arguing with Kendra, I overheard you say she was sitting pretty. Do you mind if I ask what you meant?”

Jill lifted her chin, then shrugged. “I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. Phil had a sizeable life insurance policy naming Kendra as beneficiary. Now that he's”—she swallowed—“gone, Kendra will be able to collect on it.”

Life insurance. That hadn't even occurred to Talia. “A large policy?”

“Depends on your viewpoint, but two hundred fifty grand is large by most people's standards.”

Whoa. A cool quarter mil.

“In my book it's a queen's ransom,” Talia said. “So why did he leave it to his ex-wife if he hated her with such a passion?”

Jill folded her arms. “Quite simply, it was a deal made with a she-devil, that being Kendra, of course. Poor Phil. I'm sure he didn't expect her to be collecting on it so soon. Nor did I,” she added in a thin voice.

“A deal in return for what?” Talia prodded. Okay, casual was out the window. Pushy was in like a gale-force wind.

“In return for leaving him alone, for letting him run the shop the way he wanted to, without all the glitz and the showy trash she wanted to infuse into the place.”

“Maybe it's me, but that just doesn't ring true,” Talia said. “Why did she care? Was she really all that wild about vintage lighting?”

“Of course not. It was just another way to stick it to Phil.”

“But the life insurance policy wasn't enough, was it, because Phil was relatively young and healthy. So she found another way to torment him. She persuaded her stepson to take over the old antiques shop and open a comic book store he didn't even want. Jill, did it ever occur to you that Kendra could be the killer?”

Jill gave out what might have been a belly laugh if her abdomen hadn't been as flat as an iron. “Kendra, murder Phil? Are you kidding? She'd have to risk chipping a nail, for God's sake!”

Talia felt taken aback. “Honestly, Jill, I'm a little surprised at your reaction. I Googled her. I know all about her
grand plan to build a spa on the land she's buying from the town.”

Jill shook her head. “I hear what you're saying, and believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to see Kendra doing hard time.” She toyed with the diamond-studded heart that hung from her neck on a chain. “But Kendra would never take a risk like that. She's too smart. And how did you know about Aaron?”

Talia smiled. “He came into Lambert's today for fish and chips. We had a short but very interesting chat. I liked him—he seems genuinely devoted to his dad.”

Jill sagged against the adjacent display counter. “I begged Phil to forget about the comic book store, but he couldn't let it go. To him, it meant another win for Kendra.” She mimed licking her finger and swiping it down over a chalkboard. “He just couldn't watch that happen. It was making him crazy.” Her blue eyes welled with tears. “Every so often, it hits me that he's gone,” she whispered. “It hurts.”

Talia still couldn't make sense of Jill's relationship with Turnbull. It was a puzzle with pieces so warped they simply didn't fit together.

“Jill, I know I'm prying, but what was really going on with you and Phil? What is it I'm not seeing? And please don't tell me it was his good looks. As women, we both know that gets old very fast.”

The tiny lines next to Jill's eyes deepened. “Then you may as well sit down. This will take a few minutes.”

“Am I keeping you from your daughter?” Talia said, feeling more than a twinge of guilt.

“Yes, but she's in good hands. She and my mother are going to watch a movie and order a pizza, so they'll be fine until I get home.”

They sat at one of the small tables in the front of the shop. Jill folded her elegant fingers on the table in front of her. “Phil and I knew each other since high school. We lived in the same neighborhood, in a town just outside of Hartford. Went to a pretty rough school. Phil was a year ahead of me, and a fairly good student. He was a loner in a school where most of the boys hung out in gangs.” She smiled, and her face took on a dreamy look. “Phil never tried to fit in. That was one of the things I admired about him. He wasn't very macho, but he was
sooo
good-looking. Gorgeous eyes, wavy blond hair with a hint of auburn, perfect skin.”

“You had a crush on him.” Talia smiled at Jill.

“Kind of.” Jill flicked an imaginary crumb off the table. “Anyway, this one afternoon I was walking home from school. I was almost there when three of the seriously bad boys from school appeared out of nowhere. They'd been lurking, waiting for me. Two of them grabbed me, started squeezing me in a really nasty way.” Her face flushed, and she rubbed at her cheeks. “The other lowlife just stood there, leering at me, laughing. I'd never been so terrified.”