Read To Have and to Kill Online
Authors: Mary Jane Clark
P
iper slid the tray of frosted cupcakes into the display case and then went to the back of the store to wash her hands. She took her phone from the pocket of her jacket. Jack and Glenna had called. She listened to Jack’s message first.
“Hi, Pipe. I heard the news about another murder at the school so I called my contact at the P.D. When they went through the vic’s purse, they found a copy of ‘Casey at the Bat’—you know, the famous poem? They’re thinking that this Jessie Terhune was the one who sent the letters to Glenna Brooks. Seems she went out with Glenna’s fiancé at one time and she may have still had a thing for him and didn’t want the wedding to happen. Pretty crazy. Anyway, they’re taking the woman’s fingerprints and seeing if they get a match to the print on the second letter. I’ll keep you posted.”
Piper thought of the night at the auction, when Glenna had pointed out Jessie and said she thought Jessie wasn’t over Casey. Though Glenna may have been wary of Jessie, she wasn’t about to accuse Jessie of actually being the letter writer. As far as Piper knew, Glenna had not voiced any concern she may have had about her to the police, either.
Even if Jessie had sent the disturbing letters, she hadn’t strangled herself. Her murderer and Travis’s murderer and Peggy’s attacker were still out there.
Piper felt certain they were the same person.
W
hen Piper called Glenna back, the tension in her voice was obvious.
“Oh, Piper, everything is a total mess. We just got back from the police station. They were asking Casey all sorts of questions about his relationship with Jessie and why he had been at the school that late. It was as if they were suggesting that Casey had killed her and called for help to throw everyone off the track.”
“Well, why
was
Casey at the school, Glenna?”
“He had gone back to pick up exams he needed to correct.” Glenna’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I think they are looking at him as a suspect, Piper. Can you believe that?”
For several seconds, there were no words as Piper heard Glenna sniffling. When Glenna finally spoke again, her voice was stronger.
“It’s all so absurd, Piper. But I have to believe it will be all right. I’m home now, but we’re leaving in a little while to meet with an attorney.”
Sunday, December 19 . . . Five days until the wedding
V
in set up the artificial tree while Emmet circled in excitement around the family room. Piper carried all the boxes of ornaments up from the basement. As happened every year, strings of lights had to be untangled, and exasperation ensued when a lone bulb went dead, causing all the others to go out as well. When the tree was finally erect and bedecked in sparkling white lights, Piper and her mother began to decorate while Vin turned to his football game.
“Other families listen to Christmas carols when they put up their trees,” observed Piper. “We’re treated to the sound track of the New York Giants.”
One by one, the ornaments came out of the boxes, familiar but each somehow a pleasant surprise. Terri had saved just about every pipe-cleaner candy cane, painted popsicle-stick frame, or Styrofoam bell her children had ever made, and she insisted on hanging each one of them. There were also glass balls that had belonged to Piper’s grandmother, as well as a Nativity scene that was set up beneath the tree every year. Piper remembered how she had cried when she had accidentally broken the head off the Baby Jesus when she was five years old. Her older brother had tortured her about it, proclaiming that she was surely going to hell. Piper hadn’t been quite certain what hell was, but she was terrified nonetheless. Her father had glued the head back on, reassured Piper, and sent her brother to his room.
Inevitably, some of the small wire hooks that connected the ornaments to the branches were missing and needed to be replaced. Piper watched and said nothing as her mother struggled with threading the hooks into the loops at the tops of the ornaments. But when her mother kept missing the branches as she tried to hang the ornaments, Piper couldn’t contain herself any longer.
“Mom, you’ve
got
to be straight with me. What is wrong with your eyes?”
Vin turned his attention away from the television screen. He and his wife exchanged looks.
“This is ridiculous, Terri,” said Vin. “She’s a big girl. Just tell her.”
Terri took a deep breath. “I have macular degeneration, Piper.”
Piper took the news calmly, astonishing her parents.
“Are you seeing a doctor?” Piper asked.
Terri nodded.
“What does he say?”
“
She
says there are a lot of new treatments. We’re going to be figuring out which ones to try. In the meantime, I have vitamins and supplements to take and I have to pay more attention to the things I eat, like adding more dark greens to my diet. I’ve also started some visual rehabilitation.”
“What does that mean?” asked Piper.
“I’m working with an occupational therapist who is showing me ways to adapt,” said Terri.
“Like putting the rubber band around the chili bottle?” asked Piper.
“Exactly.”
Piper summoned up her courage to ask the big question. “You’re not going to go
totally
blind, are you, Mom?”
“No, sweetheart. That’s highly unlikely.”
Moving closer, Piper put her arms around her mother and held on to her. “I don’t understand,” said Piper. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why make it such a big secret?”
“I didn’t want you to worry, Piper, or feel any sense of responsibility that, now that you’re living at home, you’d have to pick up the slack at the bakery. I’d never want you to give up acting to take care of me.”
“I’m
not
going to give up acting, Mom. But, let’s face it, there are lots of downtimes between parts. I’m going to help you all I can, because I want to, not because I have to. Decorating cakes is not exactly hard to take.”
Monday, December 20 . . . Four days until the wedding
T
he last few days before Christmas were crucial to Walden’s bottom line. Anxious to get to the shop, Arthur barely touched his breakfast. He arrived before any of his employees.
He went directly to the safe and opened it. Arthur took out the metal case that had been used to take the jewelry to
A Little Rain Must Fall
on Friday. He counted as he took out the blue velvet bags and cases. There was one missing.
A diamond necklace was not there.
Trying to keep his composure, Arthur started for the phone. As he picked up the receiver, the buzzer sounded, signaling someone was at the front entrance. When he got to the door, he saw his wife standing outside, and let her in.
“You rushed out so fast you forgot your medication,” said Laura, holding out a prescription bottle. “I have some shopping to do on Madison Avenue anyway, so I thought I’d bring it over.”
Arthur took her arm. “Come to the back with me,” he said.
“What’s wrong, Arthur? You don’t look good.”
“I’m not,” answered Arthur, his face ashen. “I think the diamond necklace was stolen. Someone must have taken it while we were at the soap opera set on Friday.”
“And you didn’t notice until now?” asked Laura.
Arthur shook his head. “I just had the security guys put the case directly in the safe when they brought it back. All I can say is, thank God, we’re insured. That necklace is worth seventy-five thousand dollars and we’re in no shape to eat the cost of replacing it.”
“The insurance premiums are paid up, aren’t they?” asked Laura.
Arthur nodded. “Of course, I had to let go two of our salespeople to do it. But I wouldn’t think of letting the insurance lapse.”
Laura was quiet.
“What?” asked Arthur.
“You didn’t take the necklace yourself, Arthur, did you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“For the insurance money.”
“How can you even suggest that, Laura?”
“Because I know how worried you have been about finances,” Laura answered, adding softly, “and desperate people do desperate things.”
“I may be desperate, but I’m not a fool. If I got caught doing something like that I really
would
be ruined.”
“Have you called the police yet?” asked Laura.
“I was about to do that when you came in.”
“All right, I’ll leave you to it,” said Laura. She gave her husband a short kiss on the cheek. “I do love you, Arthur. Everything is going to work out.”
“I hope so,” he said.
Laura started to walk away, stopped, and turned around. “One more question,” she said. “Was Casey at the soap-opera party by any chance?”
“Actually he was there for a little while with Glenna. Why do you ask?”
“Because the way you’ve been worried about dispersing funds to Casey, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if you stole one of your own necklaces and then tried to blame it on your brother.”
W
hile he waited for the police to arrive, Arthur tried Quent Raynor’s office.
“You’re lucky you reached me,” said Quent. “I’m trying to weed out what to take to L.A. and what to throw out. This place is a mess. Years of stuff that I just don’t need. Oh, and thanks again for helping us out on Friday. I’ve looked at the tape and your jewels look fantastic.”
“That’s why I’m calling, Quent. I’ve just discovered that the diamond necklace is missing.”
“Really? I’m sorry to hear that, Art.”
“I put it in the case myself Friday afternoon,” said Arthur. “And now it’s gone.”
“Uh-huh,” muttered Quent, holding the phone to his ear as he continued weeding through a desk drawer.
“So, I think it disappeared at the wrap party.”
Quent straightened. “You’re kidding me.”
“I’m afraid not,” said Arthur.
“Let me get this straight,” said Quent. “You’re saying that, three days ago, somebody here stole your necklace and you are just finding out now?”
“It looks that way.”
“No, Arthur,” Quent yelled, pounding his fist on the desk. “I think it looks like you are trying to blame my people when you should be looking at your own security guards—who obviously were incompetent—or anybody else who had access to the necklace over the weekend.”
“The only other person who had access is me,” said Arthur.
“Then, buddy, I suggest you get ready for the police and insurance investigators to come a-calling and figure out what you’re going to say to throw suspicion off
yourself.
”
“That’s not helpful,” said Arthur stiffly. “I was calling as a courtesy, to let you know what’s happened. I’m sure the police will want to question you and your staff.”
“Well, that’s going to be a tough job,” said Quent. “After we wrapped on Friday, some of the cast and crew were taking off for Christmas vacations, some were leaving for the West Coast. Good luck finding them.”
Tuesday, December 21 . . . Three days until the wedding
P
iper realized she hadn’t done any Christmas shopping.
The thought didn’t rattle her. She always waited till the last minute. But tomorrow she had to make the layer cakes, Thursday would be consumed with decorating the cake, and Christmas Eve would be taken up with Glenna and Casey’s wedding. Plus, she and Jack had made plans to exchange gifts and have dinner tonight. So, today was the only day available.
She took out her BlackBerry and tweeted:
OFF TO POWER SHOP. PRAY FOR ME.
S
he always tried to do her Christmas shopping in Hillwood. There was something about the main street lined with trees strung with little white lights that felt much more like Christmas than the several giant shopping malls in easy driving distance. Piper also liked supporting the local merchants. She worried about the big stores putting the little ones out of business.
Her first stop was the bookstore. She selected a newly published volume on survival techniques for her father to add to his collection. For her mother, Piper chose a current book that was being compared to
Gone with the Wind
.
When she brought the books to the counter, Piper flipped through them as she waited for her turn with the cashier. She thought the print in her mother’s book seemed small.
“Do you have this one in bigger print?” asked Piper, holding up the book.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, we do,” said the cashier. “We have a whole large-print section in the back.”
Piper scanned the shelves and found the book she was looking for, as well as a large-print biography of Vivien Leigh, her mother’s favorite actress.
Next on the agenda was the lingerie shop that Piper knew carried practically nothing her mother would ever be caught dead wearing. She found a simple blue bathrobe and matching slippers for her mother and a nightgown for her sister-in-law. Piper was mightily tempted to buy the beautiful silk teddy on the mannequin for herself. But she practiced restraint. She was nearly at the bottom of her savings and it looked like the check she’d be getting from the work on
Little Rain
was going to have to last a long time. Anyway, the teddy would likely go on sale after Christmas.
Finally, Piper went to the men’s store. They had the flannel-lined jeans her father liked. She picked up two pairs, along with suede gloves for her brother. Piper spent a good deal of time walking around, looking for something for Jack, ultimately deciding on a Prussian-blue cashmere sweater. It was also more than she could afford, but Piper bought it anyway. She’d worry about her credit card bill next month.
She did a lot of that.