Book Fair and Foul (Ashton Corners Book Club) (10 page)

There’s no point in mourning mistakes when you can fix them.

THE TOADHOUSE TRILOGY: BOOK ONE
—JESS LOUREY

P
atsy Kindall greeted them at the door of the Quilt Patch. “Why, it’s so nice to see you this morning. Do come in. How about some coffee?” Patsy held up the coffee carafe in her hand. “I just gave Mr. Farrow a refill. If you want to join him in the breakfast room, I’ll bring you some cups.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, Patsy. We’d be happy to.”

“Isn’t that just the most terrible thing to happen?” Patsy continued before they had a chance to move off. “That poor young girl. I mean who would do such a dreadful deed?”

Molly patted Patsy’s arm. “It is terrible and I’ll bet you’re feeling shaken by it, too.”

Patsy nodded. She sniffed and looked like she might burst into tears. “Now, you go on and sit and I’ll bring that coffee.”

Molly led the way to a small sunny room off the dining room, facing the backyard.

“What if they all know I’m a prime suspect?” Lizzie whispered.

“If they ask, just acknowledge the fact and give no details. We won’t offer the information.” Molly took a second to squeeze Lizzie’s hand before continuing on.

“Good morning, Mr. Farrow,” Molly said as she swept into the room. “I hope you don’t mind if Lizzie and I join you?”

Carter Farrow tried to stand but got caught up in the tablecloth.

“Don’t stand,” Molly said. “We’re not that formal around here, especially in the mornings.”

Lizzie smiled at him as she sat down. “You’re on your own for breakfast this morning?”

Carter sat back and sighed. “The gals like to sleep in. It’s really my only quiet time of the day,” he said with a chuckle. “But I am happy to have the company of two such charming ladies. I didn’t think we’d be seeing any more of one another, though. It’s such a shame about the circumstances.”

Lizzie felt a moment’s unease but she was pleased that he presented the opening. “Yes, it’s such a horrible thing. I can imagine all of you were shocked by the news of Ashley’s murder.”

Carter nodded. “You cannot begin to imagine the histrionics that accompanied that news. Even A.J. was beside himself.”

“Did you know her very well?” Molly asked.

“Not really.” Carter shook his head. “I’d met her at the odd event where Margaret’s publisher had a presence but this is the first time she’d spent so much time with us.”

“I wonder why that was?” Lizzie murmured.

Carter looked at her sharply. “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, just that why would she come to Ashton Corners rather than a big book conference? Did she say anything about her reasons for that?”

“I really didn’t spend much time talking to the young lady. I think the girls were planning on another book tour or some such, and wanted to go over the details with her. I get filled in at the last minute, since I’m often the driver.” He chuckled.

“What about A.J. Pruitt? Was he involved in that?” Lizzie asked.

“I’m not certain. You’ll have to ask him. He was out and about again real early this morning, though.”

Lizzie made a mental note to find out where A.J. Pruitt had been and just how early. “Did Gigi Briggs go along on any of their tours?”

“Nope. This is the first I’ve seen of that young gal.”

“I suppose the chief has asked y’all to stay in town awhile longer,” Molly said casually.

“He has and I don’t know what good that will do him,” Farrow said, his voice filled with anger. “The girls certainly had nothing to do with it. And it’s a great inconvenience for us. Margaret wants to get home and get back to writing. She has a deadline approaching and it’s so hard for her to write while on the road, you know.”

“I’d imagine it is,” Molly replied.

“And I’m sure it’s the same for Lorelie. The gals’ books always seem to have much the same timing.” He finished off the last of his coffee. “I should think we could be on our way, especially when it appears the murderer may be someone local.” He glanced at Lizzie but looked embarrassed to be doing so.

Lizzie was at a loss for words but Molly came to the rescue. “That’s total nonsense. However, the chief does have to cover all bases.”

Farrow made a big show of looking at his watch. “I guess I should take a cup of coffee up to Margaret. She likes to start her day that way. Ladies,” he said as he stood and dropped his napkin on the table. At the door, he turned and said, “I think Ashley said there was someone in town she wanted to see.” He shrugged. “I could be mistaken. I wasn’t really paying much attention to her.”

He wandered into the adjoining kitchen as Molly poured them both another coffee from the carafe Patsy had left on the table.

“Yikes. Just as I thought. Word gets around,” Lizzie said. “Do you think I was supposed to look guilty or something?”

“Don’t let that bother you, honey. Keep focused on what we’re here to accomplish.” She patted Lizzie’s hand.

“What now?” Lizzie asked. “Should we wait and see who next appears?” Lizzie chose a pecan swirl from the plate on the table. She did love Patsy’s baking.

“Let’s wait until Mr. Farrow departs upstairs and then have a chat with Patsy. If we hang around long enough, we may get a chance to talk to one of the divas before we leave.” Molly made a face and Lizzie started laughing. It felt good. She knew she was under some strain but this showed just how much.

They sat in silence, enjoying the warmth of the sun shining through the large picture windows, and watching the colorful flower garden that festooned the backyard. To the left of the back door, stretching from the sidewalk to the back fence, was the equivalent of an English country garden. Too many varieties of flowers, all sizes and colors, vied for attention, giving the impression of organized chaos. To the right, an old-fashioned wooden two-seater swing with seats facing each other had been surrounded by smaller shrubs and a border of annuals.

After several minutes they were joined by Patsy carrying a plate of sour cream twists. “May I interest you ladies in a freshly baked twist?”

Molly answered for them both, “That would be lovely, Patsy. Your sour cream twists are to die for.”

Patsy laughed. “You are my best promoter, Molly. Truly. Here you go and arrange for the inn to be full this weekend, usually a slow time of year, and you’re always recommending my baking. You’re such a good friend.”

Molly beamed, looking pleased at the compliment.

“Can you take a few minutes to sit with us?” Lizzie asked.

Patsy glanced into the kitchen. “I never know when those two women will be up but they’ve convinced me to do up a late breakfast if need be. I do probably have time for a cup of coffee myself.” She cleared away Farrow’s dishes and then sat in his chair.

“Are you able to take on having them all here for several more days?” Molly asked.

Patsy sighed. “Oh yes. I’ve hired that cute little Missy Townsend from the Koffee Klutch to help with the cleaning. She’d asked me a while ago if I needed some help. She’s trying to earn some more money so she can go traipsing around the world. Imagine. Well, she’s young enough to do it. She’ll travel until she needs more money, then get a job and so on. Oh, to be young.”

Molly chuckled. “I often think the very same thing.”

“But isn’t this just the most awful way to end the weekend?” Patsy asked, suddenly serious. “I cannot believe that young woman was staying in this house and now she’s dead.”

“Have the police said anything to you about it?” Molly asked.

Patsy shook her head. “No, they haven’t but they’ve been through her room and asked me to hang on to all her stuff for the moment.”

“Who will take it?” Lizzie asked, curious.

“Oh, I think someone from her office is coming down later today. And then there’s that young man.”

“What young man?” Molly asked sharply.

“Quite a good-looking fellow. From New York, he said. He came around here Sunday afternoon asking for Ashley. He’d asked me to tell her Nick was staying at the Ashton Inn. She was out but came back just as he was leaving. She didn’t look any too pleased to see him, let me tell you.”

“Did you tell the police about him?”

“Of course.”

“Did Ashley say anything about him after they’d spoken?” Lizzie wanted to know.

Patsy gave it some thought. “I didn’t speak to her. I watched them a few minutes and then went into the kitchen. I heard her come back in but she went straight to her room. In fact, I didn’t talk to her again after that. So sad.”

“Did you hear her go out again that night?” Molly asked.

“I heard people going and coming a few times that evening, but I was so tired I just stayed put in my sitting room and watched some TV. I’m not sure who was doing what.” She glanced at the large round clock hanging beside the window and gathered their mugs.

“I’m sorry but I should check on my baking. I’m now doing up a fresh batch of shortbread for sherry hour today.”

“That’s quite all right. I guess we should just be on our way,” Molly said, with a glance at the hallway. “Thank you for the coffee.”

Lizzie took her own mug into the kitchen and said good-bye, joining Molly at the front door. As they were about to leave, Lorelie Oliver called out as she descended the stairs.

“Oh my, you are early birds around here, aren’t y’all?”

Molly took a deep breath and turned to face her. “We just thought we’d stop by to see how you’re doing. It must be so upsetting with what’s happened to Ms. Dixon.”

“Oh, Ashley. Hmm. Yes, it’s very upsetting. We were all just so distraught when we heard about it. She was such a dynamic child and brimming with excellent marketing ideas. It’s a loss to us all.” She paused on the bottom step, tying the sash of her silk Chinese kimono more tightly around her waist.

Lizzie noticed the time for histrionics had obviously passed. In fact, Lorelie seemed quite dispassionate about it all.

“And what are your plans now that you’re required to stay extra time in our fair town?” Molly asked.

“Oh my, I hadn’t given it much thought really. I suppose there’s not much to do around here, though.” She sniffed. “It’s really most inconvenient. I had to cancel plans for several appointments. And I had to make sure my dog sitter could continue taking care of my dear little Blossom for a few more days. It will be only a few days, won’t it? Oh, it better be. I don’t know what I’ll do otherwise. Of course, I should be doing my writing. There’s another deadline looming. There always is.”

“Well,” Molly ventured, “you could always look at it as a chance to do some research on small-town living. It might come in handy for a future book.”

Lorelie gave it a moment’s thought. “You might just have a point there.” She smiled. “On the other hand, I am always working flat out, so I’m trying to look upon this as a gift of time. Time to relax and play.”

Molly inhaled deeply. “Well, Lizzie and I are going to put our heads together and line up some events for y’all, to help make it worth your while. But for now, I thought you and Caroline might enjoy a tour of our town this afternoon. We could stop at Designs by Dora, which has a wonderful array of gifts and clothing, and then have tea at the Jefferson Hotel. They do a proper English tea there.”

Lorelie’s eyes had lighted up at the mention of clothing. She answered without much thought, “That would be delightful. And we’d all love to do some more events. It’s always so much fun to meet our adoring fans. Thank you so much for suggesting it all, Molly.”

“That’s good then. Would you be so kind as to invite Caroline to join us? And we’ll come by for you at around two,” Molly added.

“Of course.” Lorelie stepped back to allow Patsy entry to the breakfast room, her tray laden with a coffee carafe and covered basket of sweet breads.

Molly and Lizzie left as Lorelie settled herself at the table.

A perfect opportunity, I thought with a grin. For what, I didn’t know. But at least it was a start.

YOU CANNOLI DIE ONCE
—SHELLEY COSTA

“T
hat was brilliant, Molly,” Lizzie said as they got into the car.

“It just struck me while talking to Lorelie, shopping and tea with the divas would be a good way of extracting information from them. You’ll come, of course?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good. Now, we have just enough time to plot some distractions over lunch at my place. I have some butternut squash soup I made yesterday.”

“My favorite.”

“They’re all your favorite,” Molly said with a chuckle.

Lizzie grinned. “But I was supposed to have lunch with Paige today. I hate to cancel this late but maybe I can change it to tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you invite her over? I haven’t seen Paige in a long time.”

“That’s nice of you, Molly. I’ll give her a call when we get back to your place. Do you mind if we take a small detour on the way?”

Molly raised her eyebrows.

“I’d just like to run by the White Haven Funeral Home and have a look at where they found the body.”

“Certainly. But what if the police are still there?”

“We won’t stop. We’re just two women out for a leisurely drive.”

Lizzie noticed two white compacts parked in the lot at White Haven Funeral Home when they cruised past. They certainly didn’t look like police cars, so she turned her car around and went back, parking just to the right of the entrance where the funeral home sign was on full display.

The name was spelled out in large letters, about two feet high, black and cut out; suspended from the letters was a green sign with black lettering, about four by six feet, the top of it at least ten feet off the ground, stating this was a funeral home, established 1986, proprietors Ivan and Francis Abernathy, along with a telephone number. The space underneath it was empty at the moment but Lizzie could picture the very plain wooden black coffin, about six feet long, tipped on its side, hanging by two large hooks. She imagined it was at the police station being processed or something. Maybe it was being held as evidence since it was the final resting place of the body.

Lizzie stared at the space for the longest time. “You know, Molly, someone would have had to remove the top, heft the body inside while preventing it from tumbling out since it was hanging on its side, and replace the cover, making sure it stayed put.”

“Just how did the body get discovered?” Molly asked.

“Mark said that the cover had come loose and an arm had slipped out.” She shuddered as she visualized it.

Molly didn’t seem to be too bothered by the image. “I doubt a woman could manage that.”

“Ashley must have weighed about 120 pounds. The upper edge of the coffin hung about four feet off the ground. It would be a tricky maneuver but easy for a woman if there were an accomplice.” She wondered if Mark had come to the same conclusion. Two murderers? Cohorts? Why not?

“That makes sense logistically, but doesn’t it become even more difficult to discover a motive? Unless all the authors had ganged up on Ashley. But why would they?”

Molly was silent for a few moments. “Huh. It could be just like
Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie.”

It seemed ridiculous to be even thinking it, but these people were all accomplished at plotting murders. Now Lizzie was really looking forward to the afternoon shopping excursion.

*   *   *

M
olly had gone upstairs to refresh herself before they left to pick up the divas. Paige had begged off the lunch, agreeing to meet Lizzie the next day instead. She’d been shocked at the news of Lizzie’s enforced holiday but agreed it was a good time to do some snooping, as long as Lizzie stayed safe.

Lizzie sat sipping her iced tea out on the patio when the phone rang. Lizzie waited to see if Molly would pick up, and after another two rings, went inside. Mark’s number showed.

“I’m so pleased to hear from you,” Lizzie said when she answered. “But, is this a business call?”

Mark laughed. “No. This is very personal. I’ve been thinking about you since we last spoke and want to hear you say you’re all right. I figured, once again, that no answer at home meant you were at Molly’s.”

“Hm. What does that say about me?” She gave a small laugh. “Actually, I’m looking at this as a mini-holiday with time to get caught up on some things. Besides, I still have my literacy class that meets tonight. I’ll have to prep for that later.”

“That’s good to hear. But I’m also a little worried that this extra time will go into your doing some sleuthing into this case. I won’t even ask you to tell me that’s not so.”

“Very wise. I do want to ask you something, now that I have you on the phone. Who is this Nick person who visited Ashley?”

“Where did you hear about him? Never mind. Patsy Kindall is good friends with Molly, isn’t she?” He sighed. “I guess I can tell you that he and Ashley were engaged for a few months until she broke it off, just before she came down here. He followed her to try to patch things up.”

“Is he a suspect? A broken heart is a good motive.”

“It is and he’s on the list. It seems they also worked together at the publishing house. I’m going to send Officer Yost up to New York with some questions for the staff. I want to make sure this isn’t an internal work problem that followed her to Ashton Corners.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“Glad you approve. Now, since I’ve told you all that, there’s no need for you to try to figure it out. In fact, I’d really be happy if you told me you’re going straight home and staying there for the afternoon and preparing for your class tonight.”

“Really. Well, Molly and I are taking the divas on a little fashion tour of town this afternoon. Molly thought they might be getting a bit antsy and there’s no better soother than some shopportunities.”

Mark laughed, although it sounded a bit strained. “I sense an ulterior motive here. Have fun but be sure to let me know if you learn something about the case.”

“The case? I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Chief.”

That sigh again. “All right, we’ll let it go for now. But one day, Lizzie, we’re going to have a serious talk about boundaries, as in who is the cop around here.”