Read To Have and to Kill Online
Authors: Mary Jane Clark
P
eggy climbed back up the steps so she could get a better view of the crowd. She searched the faces of the people gathered in front of the cathedral. Many had broken into clusters, discussing Travis and the service. Others were getting into cars, hailing cabs, and walking down the sidewalk, away from the church. She was starting to fear that the person she was looking for was already gone, when she spotted the figure waiting to cross Fiftieth Street.
With determination, Peggy descended to the sidewalk and edged her way through the throng. She caught up in front of Saks Fifth Avenue. Feeling Peggy’s tap on the shoulder, her quarry turned around.
“Excuse me. I have something I want to talk with you about,” Peggy said, sounding more decisive than she felt.
Peggy’s declaration was met with a quizzical expression. “What is it?”
“It’s about what happened at the auction the night that Travis was killed.” She spoke loudly, to be heard over the din of traffic. Peggy looked for a reaction. All she perceived was curiosity.
“Yes?”
Maybe I’m wrong,
thought Peggy.
If I had killed someone, I wouldn’t be so calm if I was confronted about it.
“I saw you on the stage by the podium with the pitcher of water that night.”
“I can barely hear you. Is there somewhere around here we can talk?”
Peggy thought fast about how to answer that question. She felt safe standing on Fifth Avenue with scores of pedestrians hurrying by. Yet this was not a conversation to be shouted over honking horns and screeching police whistles. Though she was starting to have her doubts, Peggy wanted an explanation for what she had seen. As long as they went to a public spot to talk, she would be safe.
“I know a place,” said Peggy, gesturing to Saks. “It’s right inside.”
T
hey took the elevator up to the eighth floor. Charbonnel et Walker Chocolate Café was tucked between Ladies’ Shoes and the Home and Gifts Department. Bathed in pale pink paint and lit by crystal chandeliers, the enchanted corner was dominated by a counter featuring a conveyor belt that transported plates of croissants, brownies, scones, muffins, and every imaginable truffle under glass domes. Dark and milk chocolate, strawberry, lemon, pink champagne, mint, cappuccino, and buzz fizz with its distinctive orange center. Sparkling glass cabinets temptingly displayed hundreds of the treats lined up in precise rows. They could be consumed on the premises or purchased to take away. A gold seal on the candy boxes signaled that the Queen of England was a fan.
“Let’s sit over in the corner so we’ll have some privacy,” suggested Peggy.
As soon as they were settled, a waitress came over to take their order.
“I’ll have a hot chocolate,” said Peggy.
“Make that two.”
“It’s the most divine drinking chocolate that you’ve ever tasted,” Peggy said nervously as the waitress walked away. Was she really gabbing about hot chocolate when she was about to discuss murder?
O
ne wall of the Sea Grill restaurant consisted of large plate-glass windows looking out at the skating rink. Skaters wearing colorful jackets and hats moved in a counterclockwise circle around the ice. Some held on to the railing for support. Some practiced exacting circles and spins. Most were just average skaters out for a couple of hours of fresh air and fun.
The cheerful apparel of the people on the ice, plus the multicolored flags of all the world’s nations, which waved in the breeze above the rink, provided a welcome and uplifting view after the dimness of the cathedral. For the private reception, the tables had been rearranged, mostly pushed closer to the sides of the room, leaving space for people to stand and mingle in the middle. Waiters served wine and passed finger foods to the ravenous guests who were gradually arriving from the funeral service.
After checking her coat, Piper headed straight for the ladies’ room. She found Glenna washing her hands at the trough sink.
“Glad that’s over.” Glenna sighed as she pushed the pump on the soap dispenser.
“Me, too,” said Piper. “I think Travis would have been happy with his sendoff.”
“Yeah, the priest did a good job,” agreed Glenna, “especially for someone who didn’t know Travis personally. Now
I
have to think of what I’m going to say for the toast.”
“Isn’t Quent doing that?” asked Piper.
“That was the plan,” said Glenna. “But Quent’s assistant just told me that he isn’t going to be coming after all.”
“Why?”
Glenna shrugged. “Apparently, he felt he had more important things to do.” She rolled her eyes.
“Like what?”
“Something about talking to the press people. You know Quent. Nothing is more important than publicity and our ratings.”
As she finished drying her hands, Piper changed the subject. “Is Casey here?”
“No. He had to get right back to school.”
“T
here’s no point trying to deny it. You saw what you saw, Peggy.”
“But why?” asked Peggy, her face contorted in incredulity. “Why would someone like you ever do something like that?”
“People do things they normally wouldn’t when they’re desperate. Believe me, I’m not proud of what I did.”
Peggy observed the sagging shoulders, the downturned mouth, the anguished facial expression. She felt a twinge of pity.
“Go to the police yourself,” urged Peggy. “I don’t want to have to tell them. It will go easier for you if you surrender.”
“I have to get a good lawyer first.”
“All right,” said Peggy. “But you must do that right away.”
“You have my word. I will.”
Both were quiet as the waitress brought over the check and cleared away the hot-chocolate cups.
“You know, Peggy, I truly appreciate that you came to me before going to the police.”
“I didn’t want to be the one to ruin your life,” said Peggy, “at least not without giving you a chance to explain yourself or turn yourself in.”
“
You
didn’t ruin my life. I did that all by myself.”
T
hey walked out of the café. Immediately in front of them were the attractive displays of the Home and Gifts Department. Baskets of painted hand-blown Christmas ornaments, tableware, perfume bottles, picture frames, vases, and all manner of house gifts were artfully arranged to tempt holiday buyers.
“You know what is bothering me the most right now?”
“What?” asked Peggy.
“My mother. She’s going to be devastated when she learns what I’ve done. I can’t even think about the Christmas she’ll have. I guess, before I do anything else, I have to break the news to her.”
Peggy nodded glumly. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly.
“You’ve got to stop apologizing, Peggy. It’s not your fault.” They both stopped at a display of desk accessories. “Maybe I could get something here. You know, to have a Christmas gift for her when I go over and tell her. What do you think?”
“I guess so.” Peggy shrugged. She thought of how shattered she would be if a child of hers had killed someone. She felt extremely sorry for the woman.
“Let me look at these. My mother loves anything with enamel.”
They picked over the shelves displaying small clocks, boxes, and animal figurines.
“How about this?”
Peggy looked at the enameled letter-opener. It was certainly beautiful, long and smooth and encrusted with crystals on the handle.
“It’s very pretty,” she said. “Does your mother need something like that?”
“I doubt that anyone really needs a three-hundred-dollar letter-opener, but she’ll think it’s beautiful and, hopefully, that will bring her pleasure. She can use it to open my letters from prison.”
Peggy smiled weakly at the attempted joke.
A
blast of cold air hit them as they exited onto Forty-ninth Street. Peggy looked at her watch. There was probably still time to catch the end of the reception at the Sea Grill.
They walked together to the corner. Peggy held out her hand awkwardly. “All right then. Good luck. I’m trusting you to do what you said you would. Go to the police right away.”
“You should be hearing about it on the news tomorrow. I’m sure the police will be eager to let the press know they have their killer. Thank you, Peggy, for letting me handle it this way.”
“You’re welcome and I’ll pray for you,” said Peggy as the light changed. She crossed over Fifth Avenue on foot, leaving her companion to hail a cab.
P
eggy continued on Forty-ninth Street, telling herself she had handled all of this correctly. What was the worst that could happen? If the killer didn’t go to the police immediately, she would.
I was right to offer a fellow human being the chance to do the right thing.
Still, something felt wrong.
Peggy jostled through the pedestrians walking hurriedly to their destinations. The elevator that led from the street level down to the Sea Grill was near the middle of the block. Peggy went into the glass-enclosed vestibule, pushed the button, and waited, watching out the window as a Zamboni systematically resurfaced the ice in the rink below. One of these days, she was going to get it together, rent some skates, and get out there herself.
Peggy was still facing the ice, wondering if she might still be able to do a spin, when she felt a gust of cold air. Someone had opened the door to the vestibule. She turned around.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, a quizzical expression on her face.
“There was something else we needed to settle.”
Just then, the elevator doors slid open.
“Get in. I’ll ride down with you.”
Peggy’s instincts told her not to get into the elevator, but she stepped inside anyway as the person she knew killed Travis York followed. It was only one quick floor down to the Sea Grill. What could happen in just a few seconds?
Before the doors closed, Peggy’s hands sprang to her neck as the enameled letter-opener, in one swift thrust, was shoved into her jugular vein.
A
fter about an hour at the reception, Piper was ready to leave. She had spoken to just about everyone. The only person she hadn’t had a chance to talk with was Peggy, but she was nowhere to be found. Perhaps Peggy had been so upset by the funeral that she had decided not to come to the reception after all.
Knowing that she would be seeing all the same people on the set the following morning, and conscious that by leaving now she could avoid the rush-hour traffic out to New Jersey, Piper headed to the coat check. While she waited for her coat to be retrieved, Piper took a couple of dollars out of her wallet for a tip.
She buttoned her coat and smiled at the receptionist as she walked past the front desk, on her way to the elevator. Before she pushed the button, the doors opened on their own. Piper stood back, waiting for someone to get out. No one did.
As she started to make her way into the elevator, Piper saw that there
was
someone inside. She immediately recognized the white hair and the navy wool coat.
“Peggy!” cried Piper, rushing to her friend.
Peggy was slumped against the wall of the elevator car. Her eyes were closed, there was blood all over her face, and something shiny was sticking out of her neck.
“Call 911. Get an ambulance!” Piper screamed to the receptionist, but the elevator door had already closed again. She grabbed hold of Peggy to support her. Piper tried to think of what to do. What had she learned in all those first-aid classes that her father had insisted she take?
Piper could hear Vin’s voice.
Stay calm, assess the situation.
It looked like a letter-opener protruding from Peggy’s neck. Blood was dripping from the sides of the wound. The jugular vein. If that had been cut, or a carotid artery hit, it still didn’t necessarily mean Peggy was going to die. If she got emergency treatment quickly enough, there was a chance she could make it.
But Piper wasn’t trained and didn’t have the equipment to suture the wound. Again, she thought of her father, suspecting he would have a suture kit in at least one of his various emergency-supply bags. She was never, ever going to roll her eyes at him again.
I
t took just seconds to go the one floor up to street level. The doors slid open. An older couple stood in the vestibule, waiting to go down. The pleasant expressions on their faces went slack as they saw what was inside the elevator.
“Please,” Piper pleaded. “Call 911. Right away.”
“We don’t have a cell phone,” the man sputtered as his wife clung to his arm and pulled him back.
Piper could see that she was going to have to let go of Peggy and get her BlackBerry out of her bag. She gingerly extricated herself, gently resting Peggy on the floor. Piper made the call, told the dispatcher the situation and where to come. While she kept the connection with the dispatcher open, Piper took off her coat and covered Peggy with it. They waited together for the EMTs to arrive.