Wiped Out (12 page)

Charlotte added a star by Sandra Wellington's name. Of course, she'd give Abigail Thornton a call anyway, just to see if she would be interested in having one of her employees do the cleaning.

…Promise me you will at least think about it before you go looking for a new client. Please.
Hank's plea swirled through her head, and Charlotte thoughtfully tapped the pen against the notepad on top of the desk. If she didn't take either client, she'd have both Wednesdays and Thursdays off during the week; then, if and when Hank and Carol have a baby, she'd be free to…
If and when.

God forbid that something should happen, but what if something did happen? What if, for some reason, Carol couldn't get pregnant?

Charlotte's throat grew tight. Hank would be heartbroken, especially after his experience with his ex-wife. Charlotte could still picture her son's beaming face when he told her that he was finally going to be a father. Then, another picture came to mind…her son, tears streaming down his cheeks, his voice choking, as he told her that Mindy had aborted his baby.

Charlotte shook her head as if doing so would shake away the image of her son's tormented face. Thank God, Mindy was out of the picture now. Hank had immediately divorced her. And, finally, after so many years of being angry and bitter, he had opened up again, all because he had found Carol.

Carol.
Even if she did get pregnant right away, it would be nine months before she would have the baby.

Nothing says you can't quit work any time you want to.

Charlotte suddenly smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Of course, dummy. You
can
always quit.” She reached for the phone and dialed Sandra Wellington's number.

 

Mimi's funeral was being held at two o'clock that afternoon. Traditionally, close friends and relatives of the deceased usually would gather at the family's home after the services. Charlotte had agreed to be at the Adams's house by two-thirty to straighten up a bit, make coffee, and have the food that June had ordered from the caterer set up before everyone arrived.

Charlotte had just placed the last of the food on the dining room table when she heard a commotion at the back door. Leaving the platter of sandwiches on the table, she returned to the kitchen just as Gordon, Emma, and Justin entered.

Gordon was wearing a dark gray suit, and Justin, a dark navy one. Both looked very distinguished, but the long black dress that Emma had chosen to wear only accented her pale face and brought out the dark circles beneath her eyes. Charlotte hated thinking such a thing, but the poor girl looked like something dredged up from an old vampire movie.

In spite of her ill-chosen clothes, though, the young woman's swollen eyes and the grief-stricken look on her face tugged at Charlotte's heart.

Emma spared a brief glance Charlotte's way, then told her father, “I'm going to my room.”

“I'd rather you wouldn't,” he said. “Not just yet. People will be coming by soon, and—”

Emma shook her head and her eyes filled with tears. “No, please, Daddy, I don't want to see anyone. I don't know half those people, and besides, they're not coming to see me. Please, don't make me stay down here.”

The bang, bang, bang of the door knocker echoed throughout the house and Gordon turned to Charlotte. “Would you mind answering the door, please?”

“Sure,” Charlotte replied. With a sympathetic smile for Emma, she left the room.

Within minutes after the first group of people arrived, Judith and her partner, Brian Lee, showed up.

Judith glanced over her shoulder at a group of people coming up the walkway. “Just pretend we're part of the crowd,” she told Charlotte. “And for goodness sake, don't let on that I'm your niece. We're just here to observe.”

“Sure, I understand,” Charlotte said, as they stepped into the hallway.

Among the crowd behind Judith and Brian was June, escorted by an older man, who Charlotte assumed was Fred, June's husband. Everyone but June walked toward the parlor. “Aren't those the same two detectives who were asking all the questions?” June asked Charlotte.

Not sure how to answer, Charlotte simply shrugged.

“So what are they doing here?” June asked.

“I think it's standard procedure for the detectives to attend the funeral in a murder case.”

June's eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

Charlotte swallowed hard at being put on the spot. “I read a lot of mystery books,” she explained.

June nodded slowly, her gaze following Judith and Brian as they entered the parlor. Then she fixed her eyes on Charlotte. “Now that's strange. I hadn't noticed it until just now. That woman detective and you could pass for mother and daughter. Are y'all related?”

Charlotte had often been mistaken as Judith's mother, more so than Madeline, and for years it had been a sore point between her and her sister. Since Charlotte didn't want to outright lie, mostly because she'd never been much good at it, she smiled. “I don't have a daughter. Just a son.”

Giving Charlotte one last suspicious look, June walked past her and went into the parlor.

When Charlotte turned to greet the next group coming up the steps, she was shocked to see Rita Landers and Sally Lawson.

At first Charlotte didn't immediately recognize Rita. Her hair was styled differently, and it had been bleached from dark brown to blond. Though the style and color were attractive enough, Charlotte personally thought Rita looked better with brown hair.

Both women nodded a greeting at Charlotte, then went into the parlor. Within minutes, June returned to the front door. “Can you believe the nerve of that Rita Landers showing up here?” Her eyes flashed in anger. “Tell you what. Why don't you go check on the food, and I'll finish greeting the guests? Besides, I don't think I can stand to be in the same room as Rita.”

With a nod, Charlotte happily took refuge in the kitchen.

Later, as Charlotte was checking the parlor for dirty dishes, she spotted Emma sitting by herself near the front window. The young woman looked even more miserable than she had earlier, but evidently, whatever Gordon had said to her had been enough to convince her to stay downstairs.

Back in the kitchen, Charlotte unloaded the tray of dirty dishes, then began replenishing a crystal platter with the last of the sandwiches from the caterer's box. The food was disappearing fast, too fast, she thought, as she carried the platter into the dining room and placed it on the table. With one last look at the table, Charlotte turned to go back to the kitchen, but June sidled up beside her before she'd taken two steps.

“The coffee urn is almost empty,” June said.

“I'm brewing more,” Charlotte told her, “but this—” She motioned toward the tray of sandwiches. “This is the last of the sandwiches.”

June shrugged. “Guess I didn't order enough, but too bad. Maybe once the food is gone, all these people will finally leave.” She glared at Rita Landers, who had cornered Gordon and was having what appeared to be an intimate conversation with him. “Can you believe the nerve of that woman? After all of the trouble she's caused, and she has the gall to show up here. She was also at the funeral.”

June's eyes suddenly grew wide with astonishment. “Well, that just beats all. I didn't realize that Sally Lawson was here too. Why didn't you tell me?”

When Charlotte just stared at her and didn't answer, June shook her head. “Never mind. Poor Mimi—she's probably rolling over in her grave.”

Though Charlotte didn't feel it was her place to keep tabs on who showed up and who didn't, for once she agreed with June. Personally, she thought it was a bit tacky for the two women to show up, especially since they both had to know how Mimi had felt about them.

Back in the kitchen, Charlotte checked the coffeepot, and when she saw that it hadn't quite finished brewing, she gathered up the empty caterer boxes and carried them outside to the large garbage receptacle near the back door.

When she reentered the kitchen, three men she didn't recognize had seated themselves around the kitchen table. Each had a cup of coffee, and each had a small plate piled high with what Charlotte feared were the last of the sandwiches that she'd just put out in the dining room.

Each man in turn gave her a cursory glance, and she could tell from the expressions on their faces that they had dismissed her as only the hired help, someone not worthy of their concern or attention. Then, they ignored her.

“What's this crap I'm hearing about Gordon?” one of the men asked the other two.

“What'cha heard,” the man across from him said.

The man lowered his voice. “I heard that the cops think he did it, that he poisoned Mimi.”

“Uh uh, no way, man,” the second man said.

“I heard the same thing,” the third man chimed in.

“So what's the motive?” the second man asked. “Gotta have a motive. And what kind of evidence do they have on him?”

“Oh, he's got motive alright,” the third man said. “About two million motives, a life insurance policy he took out on her last year.”

The first man shrugged. “So what? If you ask me, that's not much of a motive, especially considering how much he's worth.”

“That's where you're wrong,” the third man said. “I hear he's been playing the stock market and he's lost a bundle.”

“Yeah, well, who hasn't, but you don't see me offing my old lady, do you?”

“No, but you don't have a little honey on the side either.”

The second man rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. But that could be just a rumor. Does anyone know who she is?”

“If they do, they're not talking, and if they're smart, they sure as hell won't talk now, not with the cops breathing down Gordon's neck.”

“Hmm, very interesting,” the first man said. “Could be even more interesting if we knew who she was for sure. Might even be good for a little blackmail.”

The other two men guffawed at the first man's little joke, and it was all Charlotte could do to keep from giving them a piece of her mind.

The coffee had finished dripping, so Charlotte welcomed the opportunity to leave the kitchen before she said something she shouldn't. With a disgusted look directed at the men, she picked up the steaming decanter and carried it into the dining room.

Was it true after all? she wondered, as she wove her way through the crowd to the coffee urn. Was Gordon having an affair? Charlotte felt her temper spark. And what about the other things the men had said…the two million–dollar insurance policy and his losses in the stock market? Were those things true as well? If so, it was no wonder the police considered him a suspect.

Charlotte stopped next to the coffee urn and glanced around, her gaze resting on each of the women in the room. Which one? she wondered. Which one was Gordon having an affair with?

R
ita Landers was standing near the hallway door. Was she the one? Charlotte wondered. Was she Gordon's “honey”? Mimi had thought so, had even said as much to June, but Charlotte wasn't so sure. For one thing, it didn't make much sense. Why would Gordon have an affair with a woman who had spread such vicious rumors about Mimi, especially when Rita's penchant for gossip was supposedly the reason he had fired her husband to begin with?

Charlotte's gaze roamed the room again until she spotted Sally Lawson standing near the table talking with a woman whom Charlotte didn't recognize. Was she the one? Had there been more to Mimi and Sally's feud than just a couple of dead trees? Had the real reason for their feud been over Gordon?

With a slight shake of her head, Charlotte turned her attention back to the task at hand and poured the coffee into the urn. She'd poured almost half of it when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gordon come through the doorway.

Charlotte's grip on the decanter handle tightened, and for a split second, she pictured herself flinging the rest of the hot beverage right in Gordon's smug, hypocritical face. She'd never actually do it, of course, and she knew she should be ashamed for even thinking of such a thing, but…

What goes round comes round. If the gossip is true, then Gordon will get his comeuppance one of these days. He will reap what he's sowed.

Somewhat comforted by the thought, Charlotte poured the rest of the coffee into the urn. When she returned to the kitchen, she was relieved to see that the three men were no longer there.

At the sight of the table, though, her lips thinned with irritation. The men were gone, but they'd left a mess, and they had also left half of the sandwiches uneaten on their plates.

Waste.
Charlotte hated waste of any kind, but especially food. There were far too many hungry people in the world for anyone to carelessly waste food.

As Charlotte set the decanter on the cabinet next to the sink, for a second she was tempted to gather the uneaten sandwiches and put them back out on the platters in the dining room. After a moment, though, she changed her mind. Besides, someone might see her, and no matter what her personal opinion of Gordon was, he was still her employer. As such, she had an obligation not to do anything that might cause him embarrassment.

With a grimace, she marched over to the table, and once she scraped all the leftovers onto one plate, she took the plate and dumped the sandwiches into the trash. When she turned to take the plate to the sink, June entered the room.

“We're out of coffee, Charlotte,” she said.

Shaking her head, Charlotte walked to the sink and deposited the plate on top of the others that were already soaking in sudsy water. “That's impossible,” she told June. “I just finished filling the urn.”

“Are you sure?”

Charlotte silently counted to ten to keep her temper in check. “I'm absolutely sure,” she finally said.

June shrugged. “Why don't you go ahead and put on another pot to brew anyhow? That way, we'll be sure we won't run out.”

That's exactly what Charlotte had intended to do, but it irked her that June seemed to take a strange pleasure in exerting her so-called authority.

Just do your job and ignore her.

Charlotte forced what she hoped looked like a smile and picked up the decanter.

“I'll be back to check on things in a little while,” June told her. Then, with a tight smile of her own, June turned and left the room.

Charlotte stared out the window as she rinsed out the decanter under the faucet, then filled it with water. The woman really was a pain, and bossy to boot.

You don't have a little honey on the side either.

Maybe June was Gordon's “honey,” she thought. Come to think of it, June was certainly a likely candidate, especially considering the way she'd stepped right in and taken over the entire Adams family since Mimi's death.

Now you're being downright mean and spiteful.

Though Charlotte knew she should listen to her conscience and she should be ashamed of herself for thinking badly about anyone, she simply couldn't ignore the feeling in her gut that had nothing to do with her own resentful feelings toward June. There was just something about the woman, something that went beyond her own personal dislike of June.

Charlotte felt as if a battle were being fought in her head, a battle of good versus evil, of choosing to have a positive outlook on life or choosing a negative outlook. She preferred to believe that there were still generous, selfless people in the world, people who only wanted to help others out of friendship. And there were people like that, she reassured herself. She was sure of it. But there were evil people in the world as well.

So which was June? Was she one of the generous types or did she have an evil, more sinister motive for doing all the things she did?

As Charlotte turned off the faucet and poured the water into the coffee maker, she thought back to the first time she'd met June; more specifically, she recalled the conversation she'd overheard between June and Mimi on that day. June had seemed truly distressed about the situation with her husband, Fred, and she had seemed truly concerned about him.

As for June taking over, even Mimi had acknowledged that June looked after her, made sure she didn't overdo, and hadn't Sally Lawson commented about June's penchant to take over as well? Maybe June had always been a take-charge, caring sort of person. Maybe trying to run things was simply part of June's personality, her way of showing friendship.

But what about Emma?

Charlotte grimaced. That Emma had resented June's so-called help had been more than clear. But Emma was still young, and she'd been grieving. To be fair, the girl might have resented anyone at that particular time.

 

On Sunday morning, the sun was shining, and already the air was hot and muggy. Since it was Madeline's turn to cook Sunday lunch for the family, Charlotte drove straight to her sister's apartment complex when church services ended.

Charlotte, Madeline, and their children were all that were left of Charlotte's immediate family, and from the time the children were small, it had long been a tradition for everyone to gather at either Charlotte's house or Madeline's apartment for lunch on Sundays after church. Charlotte always looked forward to the event, but today she looked forward to it even more than ever. Today was the day that Hank was going to announce his and Carol's engagement and wedding plans to the family.

When Charlotte knocked on the door, Judith was the one who answered. “Hey, Aunt Charley.” She gave Charlotte a hug.

“Hey, yourself.” Charlotte stepped through the doorway. “I didn't see you at church this morning. Where were you?”

“After I left the Adams's house yesterday, I got called out—a double homicide.” She shrugged. “I didn't get to bed until early this morning.”

Charlotte patted her niece on the back, made a sympathetic sound, and then glanced around the small living room. “Guess I'm the first to arrive, huh? So, where's your mother?”

Judith rolled her eyes. “Would you believe that she has everything ready—cooked, that is—and all she has to do is heat it up when everyone gets here. But during church Davy asked her if she was going to have brownies for dessert, so, the minute she got home, she rushed back to the kitchen to whip up a batch?”

Charlotte laughed. “That little schemer. He knows just how to wrap her around his little finger.”

Judith grinned. “You're right about that. She's impossible when it comes to that little boy. She's spoiling him rotten. What a change, huh?”

“Humph, just wait until Davy's little sister decides to make her entrance into the world.”

“Speak of the devil, I think I just saw Daniel, Nadia, and Davy drive up.” Judith walked over to the window. “Yep, that's them, and right behind them are Hank and Carol.”

“Will Billy be able to make it today?” Charlotte asked. “You are still seeing him, aren't you?”

Judith nodded. “Yes, ma'am, I am. And so far, so good.”

“So what does he think of your new partner, Brian?”

Judith shrugged. “Billy knows that Brian is no threat to our relationship, and Brian respects the fact that Billy and I are together.”

Charlotte nodded her approval. “So, is Billy coming over?”

Judith shook her head. “Not this time. Poor thing, he's been working double shifts now for two weeks, so I told him to just stay home and get some rest.” Judith grimaced and lowered her voice. “Besides, Mother doesn't exactly welcome him with open arms when he does show up.”

Charlotte reached out and patted her niece's arm. “Just give your mother a little time, hon. She'll come around eventually.”

Madeline had disapproved of Judith's relationship with Billy Wilson from the beginning. Like Judith, Billy was a cop, but as Madeline had so often pointed out to Charlotte, unlike Judith, who was a detective, Billy was just a patrolman. Madeline was of the opinion that Judith could do a lot better for herself.

“Just look how much she's changed her attitude toward Nadia and Davy,” Charlotte pointed out.

“I hope you're right, Auntie. If she'd just give Billy half a chance, she'd see what a really great guy he is.”

 

Hank waited until the family sat down for lunch to make his announcement, and the rest of the lunchtime was filled with excited chatter about his and Carol's upcoming wedding.

When it was time for dessert, Madeline brought out an angel food cake stacked with strawberries. Then she brought out a plate of double fudge brownies, which she set in front of Davy.

“For my favorite grandson,” Madeline told the little boy.

Grinning from ear to ear, Davy suddenly stood up in his chair and grabbed Madeline around the neck. As he hugged Madeline fiercely, Charlotte felt her throat tighten with emotion. One of these days…one of these days, she hoped soon, she'd finally have her own grandchild to spoil.

In deference to her son's presence and because she didn't want to hear a lecture from him, Charlotte chose a small slice of the cake, but just thinking about the brownies made her mouth water.

Later, after the table had been cleared and they were cleaning up in the kitchen, temptation overcame Charlotte's willpower, and she snitched a brownie.

“And how has your blood sugar level been lately,” Madeline taunted.

“None of your business,” Charlotte retorted.

“Well, you'd better not let Hank see you.”

“Don't worry, I won't.” Charlotte broke the brownie in half, handed one of the halves back to Madeline, and took a generous bite out of the other half. When the luscious chocolate melted over her tongue, she said, “Hmm, these are absolutely wonderful, Maddie. I think I just died and went to heaven.”

Brownies…death…June…the HHS meeting…

Startled by the sudden sickening thought, Charlotte stopped chewing. She'd told Judith and Brian Lee about June furnishing the brownies for the Monday HHS meeting, but had she told them about Mimi's complaint that the brownie she'd sampled earlier that morning had been bitter?

Charlotte thought back to the brief interrogation and decided that she had neglected to mention Mimi's complaint. Then again, she'd still been in shock over Mimi's death, and she'd been in a snit over the attitude of Judith's new partner, so there was no telling what else she'd neglected to tell them. Of course, the brownie that Mimi had insisted on Charlotte sampling had tasted just fine—more than just fine—and she hadn't suffered any ill effects from eating it, but…

“Charlotte? Are you okay?”

Though Charlotte nodded absently, her mind was suddenly racing, and the small bite of brownie in her mouth felt as if it had suddenly tripled in size.

Charlotte sat down hard in a chair near the kitchen table. Of course. The answer was as plain as the nose on her face, so simple that she couldn't believe it hadn't occurred to her before, and the longer she thought about it, the more clear it became. Why couldn't two batches of brownies have been prepared? One batch for the HHS members and one batch laced with juice or ground up leaves from the jimsonweed.

“Charlotte, for Pete's sake, what's wrong with you?”

It was the alarmed tone in Madeline's voice that finally got Charlotte's attention. She swallowed hard, almost choking on the bite of brownie, then said, “Nothing's wrong, Maddie. I'm fine. Really I am.” She handed the rest of the uneaten half of brownie to her sister. “But I think you're right. Hank would have a fit if he saw me eating this.”

 

That afternoon, long after Charlotte had left her sister's apartment, the thought of Mimi's complaint about the bitter brownie haunted her. She probably should have mentioned it to Judith right then and there, but Judith was having such a good time talking to Carol and Hank about the wedding plans that Charlotte hated to ruin the happy occasion. Besides, without any proof other than her say-so, what good would it have done anyway?

Mimi had said that a “friend” had suggested planting the jimsonweed, but she never did name the “friend.” The “friend” easily could have been June, though. If it had been June, who suggested that Mimi plant the jimsonweed, even if Mimi had told someone about it, there was no way to prove it now and no way the poisonous plant could be directly linked to June. And there was no way to prove that June had baked two batches of brownies or that she'd laced one of the batches with the jimsonweed. By now, June would have gotten rid of any evidence. Even so, Charlotte decided that maybe she'd give Judith a call later that evening, just to see if the police had come up with any suspects.

 

Except for Sunday, Charlotte hadn't had a full day off in over a week, and she was bone tired. On Monday morning she had to force herself to get dressed and head out to work.