A Most Curious Murder (20 page)

“It’s that damned box,” Zoe said from the car seat beside Jenny. “We’ve got to find it. I’ll bet anything that’s what Abigail was coming over to talk about. Had to be. Somebody doesn’t want us, or Abigail, to find it. And is willing to kill for it.”

Jenny couldn’t think of a thing to add. A box. The key. People dying. She hated to say it to Zoe, but she didn’t have a clue to any of it.

Flashing red lights led them all the way to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. Dark roads and strobing lights stretched ahead; taillights pulled over here and there to let them pass.

No moon. No stars. Just darkness and the ambulance. It was Jenny, Dora, and Zoe in Jenny’s car, and everyone was silent, having nothing more to say after they’d stood in shock as Abigail was hurriedly bandaged, wrapped in white cotton blankets, and taken off on a stretcher.

Penelope didn’t join them, not explaining, only leaving to go in another direction.

Jenny couldn’t let herself think—as she walked in the emergency entrance behind the EMTs and the stretcher—of another time she’d walked into this hospital. Dora was holding her hand.
Lisa was ahead of them. That same sense of horror was trying to bring her to her knees.

Abigail was taken away as soon as they got into emergency. They were sent to the waiting room, then called to the front desk for information on the patient—though they could give nothing beyond her name and address. No hospitalization information. Nothing on allergies to drugs.

“We’ll need a relative here as soon as possible.” The small, middle-aged woman behind the desk wasn’t cold, only attempting to handle the business of tragedy.

Jenny gave her Abigail’s phone number and Carmen Volker’s name.

“Her secretary and a good friend. If you call her . . .”

The words were hardly out of Jenny’s mouth when Carmen Volker, hair wild, a black sweater hanging crookedly across her shoulders, hurried in, low black heels clicking atonally on the white tiles as she ran toward them. Her voice neared hysteria when she got to the desk.

“Where is she? Where’s Abigail?” Her voice broke. Her eyes were wild, searching from one side of the room to the other. “She’s not dead, is she?”

She saw the gathered women and ran to them. “What did you do to Abigail?” she demanded. Strands of hair stuck up from the bun at the back of her head. Her chest was heaving. She laid a flat hand there. “She’s not dead. No! No! She can’t be dead. You didn’t do this, too,” she implored Zoe, who sat very still, her eyes leveled on the woman, little hands crossed delicately in her lap.

A nurse hurried over to take Carmen by the arm and direct her through a doorway to an interior office, all the while trying to quiet her.

Dora reached out to pat Zoe’s arm a few times. “She must care for Abigail. She’s terribly upset.”

Zoe said nothing. She was frozen, staring nowhere.

Ed Warner came through the emergency doors, straight to where they sat. “Any word on Ms. Cane yet?”

Dora shook her head.

“In surgery,” Jenny said.

He walked toward the office where the nurse had taken Carmen, and disappeared.

After a while, Zoe whispered, “That’s what
everybody
will think, what Carmen said.”

There was a ripple of despair in her voice.

“No,” Dora shook her head. “This is only more of some big, awful thing we’re caught up in.”

Tony walked in and searched the room. The sweater, tossed over his shoulder, was wrinkled, as if thrown on hurriedly. He ran to where the women sat and took the chair next to Jenny, hands gripped between his knees, head as close to hers as he could get.

He didn’t say anything at first, then whispered, “Heard on my scanner. What happened?”

Jenny shivered. “Zoe found Abigail lying in front of our house. She must’ve tripped.”

“Accident?”

Jenny looked directly into his dark eyes, reading the question.

“There was a lot of blood . . .”

“She fall over something?” He looked at the others, his dark eyes going to Zoe.

“I found her,” Zoe said.

There didn’t seem to be a right question to ask—for any of them. A nurse came over to say that Abigail had been taken to recovery and would then go to ICU for the rest of the night.
She couldn’t have visitors. Her secretary was going to stay in the waiting room outside the ICU, but there wasn’t space for anyone else.

“What about her attorney?” Tony asked. “Isn’t that guy here?”

“Only one person will be allowed.”

Jenny and the others were deciding what to do when Ed returned, nodding and bobbing toward Tony.

“’Nother one,” he said mostly to Tony. “Severe concussion. Her head’s stitched up. Hit pretty hard. Somebody tried to kill her, far as I can make out. Doctor says she took a couple of hard blows—head and back. Not from falling down either.”

He turned to face the women. “I’ve got questions . . .”

“We were expecting her at eight o’clock. When she didn’t arrive, we just thought she’d forgotten . . . or changed her mind.” Jenny took a deep breath. She had the awful feeling she’d done this before, maybe said these same words.

“Who found her?”

Nobody spoke until Zoe said, “I did. I was going over to spend the night with Dora and Jenny. Since the break-in, I’ve been nervous. You know, that man might come back.”

“If you don’t mind my saying . . .” he started.

“Don’t bother,” Zoe interrupted. “I know what you’re thinking, but all I did was walk over to the Westons’ house.”

“What business did you have with Abigail Cane?”

“Nothing. I wasn’t going there to see her. Under the circumstances, it didn’t seem right. But Dora called. She said Abigail never showed up and that I should come on over.”

“You said ‘under the circumstances.’ Mind telling me what circumstances those were?” Ed’s manner was almost lackadaisical, as if her answers barely interested him.

“I’d say you know pretty well.” Zoe slid forward and planted her feet fast to the floor. She looked Ed straight in the eye. “And
I’m telling you a couple of things right out. Number one, I did not sneak over to the Westons’ and bash Abigail in the head. Even if I was running around killing people, willy-nilly, how dumb do you think I am?”

She stopped to look at her circle of friends. Nobody looked back. She drew in a long breath. “Number two, I’m not dumb enough to dump bodies around me like banana peels. And now I will not say another word without Penelope, my attorney, here to advise me.”

Ed looked hard into her set face. “Better call her,” he warned. “I’ve been over to the Westons’. My men are there now. We found the weapon used on Ms. Cane. Turns out it was a fairy.”

“Fairy?” everyone asked at the same time.

Ed almost smiled. “One of your statues, Ms. Zola. From that garden of yours. Heavy thing with a daisy on its head. Broke in a thousand pieces. Call that lawyer of yours. Then maybe we should go over to the station and have a little talk.”

“I don’t believe this.” Jenny had nothing better to offer.

Dora said, “Why, Ed, this is intolerable. You know as well—”

“Sorry, Ms. Weston. I can’t ignore what’s right in front of me anymore. I know this woman’s your friend, but I can’t turn a blind eye to what she been doing. I feel bad. Been trying to tell myself nothing that was going on had anything to do with Ms. Zola.” He shook his head and didn’t look at Dora. “Can’t anymore. She’ll be at the jail until I call the district attorney. ’Fraid I’m turning everything I’ve got over to her.”

“What’d she do, Ed?” Jenny kept her voice under control, though she wanted to bark at the man. “Jump up and down to hit her? All the while swinging that statue? This is totally crazy. Somebody’s trying to frame Zoe. Even you have to see it.”

“Then give me somebody else. You don’t think I like this, do you?” He shook his head as if sincerely wishing for a different answer.

“Wait a minute here.” Tony put a hand out to stop Ed Warner before he got out of his chair.

“You were a cop,” Ed said. “You know I’ve got a job to do.”

“But . . .” Even Tony didn’t have an answer to that one.

For a moment, Zoe’s spirit seemed to be back. She pulled in a long breath, put her fists at her waist, and leaned away as if about to spout what Jenny imagined could be the quote of all quotes. Her mouth was open. Her eyes were huge.

Nothing came out. Slowly she deflated.

Zoe walked out beside Ed. She was so tiny next to the tall chief, walking with her head bowed, her feet moving fast as she tried to keep up. She looked like a child.

Watching her broke Jenny’s heart.

They stood outside on the steps of the hospital when Johnny Arlen came out behind them. His hair was uncombed, his jeans dirty. The checkered flannel shirt he wore over a T-shirt hung open. Beside him, deep in conversation until he saw the group gathered on the steps, was his brother, Gerry. Jenny hadn’t seen Gerry in years. She was as surprised to see him there as she was to see Johnny.

Gerry was much older than Jenny remembered, scruffier. When he turned to look at her, his eyes were half-focused and then startled.

He gave her a brief nod. Jenny felt the blood drain from her face at the sight of both men. Besides all their history, the fact that Johnny had destroyed the Little Library made her stomach churn.

“Angel just had the baby.” Johnny wiped a hand over his mouth, avoiding everyone’s eyes. He gave an embarrassed laugh. “No waiting this time. Gerry picked me up and the baby was born about the time we got here. Got to go tell the girls. They’re with my mom.”

“What did she have?” Dora’s lips were dry, though her voice was steady and polite. Jenny watched her mom struggle with her feelings and was proud of her.

“Another girl.” No excitement. Just the statement. He didn’t look at Dora, only down at his feet. “Three girls now.”

Tony introduced himself, sticking out a hand to shake Johnny’s, and congratulated him. He took Gerry’s hand, though it was offered halfheartedly.

“I’ve seen you around town,” Johnny said. “Ex-cop, right?”

“Ex-cop. Carpenter now.”

“In case I ever need something built, I’ll give you a call. Hope you’re cheap.”

Tony ignored the remark and the laugh that followed. “You hear about the Cane woman?”

Johnny shook his head. “Abigail Cane?”

“She was attacked tonight. A few hours ago. On her way to Mrs. Weston’s house.”

Johnny turned a reluctant and uncomprehending look on Dora. “What was that lady doing at your house, Mrs. Weston?”

Dora didn’t answer, so Johnny moved down a step behind his brother. “As I said, got to go tell the girls about the baby. Nice seeing you.” He nodded to Dora, and then to Jenny, his face blank, eyes looking beyond her.

He loped down the hospital steps, shirt flapping around him. At the bottom of the steps, he turned to give Jenny a questioning look, then, shoulders hunched up to his ears, he fell in beside his brother, hurrying off toward the parking lot.

“Guess that lets him out on this one,” Jenny said.

“Don’t be so fast,” Tony said. “Abigail was attacked almost three hours ago. You heard what he said: Angel
just
had the baby. This looks serious for Zoe. I’m going to take a closer look at this guy.”

Tony ran down the steps ahead of her. Jenny watched him go and told herself what she needed was one of Zoe’s turrets.
A big tower to hide in. Where none of the knaves and rogues could reach her.

***

Jenny and Dora, with nothing left that they could do, went home. Penelope called as they pulled into the driveway, asking Jenny to come to the station.

“Zoe needs you. She’s really unhappy. I think a friend here with her would help keep her spirits up.”

Jenny didn’t want to be needed. For just a minute, walking up to the house behind Dora, she thought about leaving town. There was no rest here in Bear Falls. No time to think about the things sitting on her own plate. All she’d found was trouble on top of trouble, people caught up in old feuds, a Little Person who shouted “Off with her head” when it pleased her, a man she’d felt comfortable with until he’d turned on her, dead bodies . . .

“Is she in a cell?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Then what can I do?”

“The chief said he didn’t mind if you stayed the night with her.”

“Come on, Penny. Really? Share a cell with Zoe?”

“At least come and tell her Fida’s okay. Read her bedtime stories for all I care. Just talk to her. That’s all I’m asking.”

***

When Jenny got to the police station, Penny was standing at the door.

“Don’t act nice to the chief,” she whispered near her ear while giving Jenny a surprise hug. “This is getting out of hand,” Penelope growled as loud as she could. “I’m thinking maybe I’ll file a civil rights action against this guy. He wants to charge her
with assault now. Easier to prove than murder. It’s a trick, Jenny. That’s what it is. A lesser charge to hold her on until he scares up some evidence. I’ll have her out of here by tomorrow. This is close to harassment, you ask me.” She aimed her voice at Ed Warner, doing paperwork behind a desk and ignoring them.

Penelope took Jenny by the arm and led her to chairs in the farthest corner of the waiting room. Even there she looked around her before whispering in a voice so low, Jenny could barely hear her.

“Anything new with that box and key?” Penny asked, head bent so her hair masked most of her face. “I’m sure that’s at the heart of all this. Nothing to do with Zoe in the least, this attack on Abigail. Came out of nowhere. If her brothers weren’t both dead, I’d swear one of them was after her. Gotta be something with that box. That’s what the killer wants.”

She stopped talking when the chief got up and ambled out of the room, down a long side hall.

“I brought up Johnny Arlen,” Penelope whispered, watching Ed Warner’s skinny back disappear. “He’s the only bone I’ve got to throw to the dogs.”

Jenny shook her head. “Johnny didn’t do this to Abigail. He barely knows her.”

Penny leaned in closer. “Don’t tell the chief that. We’ve got to hurl as much doubt his way as we can come up with.”

The chief was back, a dejected Zoe walking behind him, her orange suit too long, the rolled-up legs hanging and tripping her. Her little arms hung from the wide sleeves like sticks on a snowman.

Ed Warner walked her to them.

“I’m letting her go,” he said. “Don’t know what’ll happen tomorrow, but right now I’ve got a couple of other people to look at.”

“Which means you don’t have anything against her.” Penny gave a snort and got up to put her arm around Zoe.

“Don’t push it, Penny,” Jenny warned, almost hissing.

“You can take her home,” Ed said. “All she needs is her clothes. I’ve got her papers made out and signed. You can pick ’em up over there.” He indicated the desk where he’d been sitting.

“Remember,” Ed Warner called after them as two men with bloody noses made a noisy entrance. “No leaving town for any reason.”