Book Fair and Foul (Ashton Corners Book Club) (7 page)

“I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt, Ashley, but I was the one you were talking to on Saturday and I was in the room on Friday night when you flirted outrageously with my boyfriend.”
Boyfriend?
She felt like she was right back in college when Ashley had tried to get even by stealing the next guy Lizzie went out with.

“You’re right and I guess I’m not totally reformed. I’m attracted to cute guys and your guy certainly is that. I didn’t mean anything by it, as I’m sure he knew. I don’t know if I can totally change that flirting thing but that’s all that it is. Really.”

“So, why are you calling, Ashley? What do you expect me to say?”

“That you’ll meet me for coffee tomorrow morning.”

“What?” Lizzie couldn’t believe her ears.

“It’s just a coffee, Lizzie. I don’t expect us to become buddy-buddy but it will make things less awkward in the future. What do you say? I’ll even buy.”

A part of Lizzie longed to say no. She still wasn’t sure if she trusted Ashley but she realized she needed to face her. And, if there was the possibility of them running into each other in the future, then it needed to be settled right now. Besides, she had to admit, she was curious about what there was in Ashton Corners that would keep Ashley hanging around.

“All right. Coffee tomorrow. Do you know the Cup ’n Choc on Main Street? It’s right across from the police station.”

“I’ll find it.”

“Okay. I have to be at school at nine, so how about eight?” Lizzie suggested.

“You’ve got it. See you then.”

Lizzie felt too unsettled by the call to finish reading. She decided to make some tea and ended up cleaning out the upper kitchen cupboards. At eleven she glanced at the clock and gasped. Time for bed if she planned to handle Ashley tomorrow.

If you thought about the unthinkable long enough it became quite reasonable.

—JOSEPHINE TEY

L
izzie slept poorly. She kept waking every few hours and had a hard time stopping the thoughts from whirling through her head. She knew it was all because of her coffee date with Ashley. Such was the power of dread.

She finally dragged herself out of bed at six and donned her running outfit. After feeding the cats, she took the long route along the river and through town, hoping to strike some sort of equilibrium before eight o’clock.

A quick shower when she arrived home did little to help. She opted for a protein smoothie for breakfast, wanting something fast and energizing. She took more care than usual in getting ready for school, applying her favorite eye shadow and lipstick colors as a shield against the disquieting effect of Ashley. She chose her outfit with equal care and decided on a gray pencil skirt, white sleeveless cotton blouse with a shirred bodice and black linen jacket. She pushed the sleeves up to just below her elbows and looked in the mirror. It would have to do.

She made sure she had everything she needed for her morning at school. She had one meeting with parents and a staff meeting at lunch. The rest of the time she had papers to mark from the previous week’s evening literacy class. What with all the preparations for the book fair, she hadn’t found time to do her own homework and needed to have the papers ready to hand back to class on Tuesday night.

She went to check her cell phone to make sure it didn’t need recharging, something she realized she should have done the night before. It wasn’t in her handbag or on the table in the hallway, where she usually stashed it overnight. She tried to think when she’d last used it but couldn’t remember. Certainly not on Sunday. Had she even had it with her? She glanced at the clock on the bookshelf. No time to search for it.

She arrived at the Cup ’n Choc a few minutes early and staked out a small bistro table at the front window. She ordered herself a double espresso, thinking she needed it and would allow Ashley to buy her a refill.

Sitting at the table, watching the customers come in to grab their mug of brew on the way to work, Lizzie tried to create a positive frame of mind. It wouldn’t do any good being antagonistic, especially if Ashley were sincere about her apology. But as she well knew, Ashley Dixon could be very two-faced. She just hoped this wasn’t one of those times. She hated being so uptight about something that was out of her control.

At eight fifteen, she started wondering if Ashley had once again played her. Or, thinking with the more generous part of her brain, had something come up and Ashley wasn’t able to make it? Maybe Ashley had left her a phone message at home. She realized she hadn’t given Ashley her cell phone number, not that it would have done her any good right now, but she had written down Ashley’s when she’d called the day before. She went over to the pay phone hanging next to the restroom door and tried calling it now.

After five rings it went to message. Lizzie said she would wait at the coffee shop another ten minutes and then head to school. She asked Ashley to please call and left the number of the pay phone.

By eight thirty with still no Ashley, nor a call from her, Lizzie shook her head, chiding herself for being so gullible. Ashley was playing games again. Well, she wouldn’t cave this time. She returned her cup and saucer to the counter and left for school.

*   *   *

L
izzie was called to the office just as she was heading to the noon staff meeting. The secretary handed her the phone when she asked what was up. She answered, curious who would be phoning her on the school line.

“Lizzie, you’re not answering your cell,” Mark said.

“Hi, Mark. Actually, I may have lost it. I couldn’t find it this morning but I wasn’t able to spend too much time searching for it. What’s up?”

“I’m not quite sure how to tell you this,” he started. She immediately tensed, wondering what was coming.

“I’m at the White Haven Funeral Home . . .”

“Not Mama,” Lizzie cried out.

“No,” Mark almost shouted. “No, nothing like that. I’m sorry, I’m not doing this very well. I should have thought about that. No, it’s Ashley Dixon. Her body was found this morning.”

“What? We were supposed to meet for coffee this morning. She didn’t show. Was she already dead? How did it happen? Where was she found?”

“I can’t give you any details right now but I wanted to phone to tell you that Officer Craig is on her way over to the school. She’ll escort you to the station to answer some questions.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Lizzie, listen to me. I wish I could be the one to interview you but I can’t be seen to be any part of this, not with our relationship. There’s a message from you on her cell phone and several people are aware of your feelings about her, especially after that argument on Saturday. So I have to play this by the book and have you answer some questions. It’s all routine. It will be fine. You know Craig, she’ll get you back to school in no time at all.”

“But why are you so cautious about all this? Sure, I didn’t really like her and we did have a few words but that was it. Should I be worried?”

Mark was silent for several seconds. “Lizzie, I know where your cell phone is. It was found near the body.”

Lizzie realized she was shaking. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She had no answer to that. She closed her eyes, hoping to calm her heartbeat.

Finally, she took a deep breath and said, “Mark, Amber Craig doesn’t have to come and get me. I can drive over on my own after school or right now if you want.”

“Trust me, Lizzie. Like I said, it’s better if we do this totally by the book. Trust me, baby . . . okay?” He was pleading. Which frightened Lizzie even more than the thought that just struck her. She was the main suspect.

*   *   *

“I
’m recording this interview, Lizzie,” Officer Amber Craig said as she switched on the tape machine. She then ran through the standard questions of name, address and occupation.

She gave Lizzie a quick, reassuring smile before continuing. “You knew the deceased, Ashley Dixon?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about your relationship.”

Lizzie explained having her assigned as a roommate that first year at Auburn University, but by the second year, she roomed with someone new, and she hadn’t seen Ashley since then.

“Why did you get a new roommate?”

Lizzie hesitated then cleared her throat. “I asked for one.”

“And why did you do that?”

“Because we weren’t compatible. We parted ways after the first semester.” Lizzie didn’t want to make Craig’s job any tougher than it was but she knew from watching TV cop shows that it’s best to give the minimal amount of information.

Craig had obviously watched the same shows. She shook her head and leaned back in her chair. “And how did this manifest itself?”

“Ashley liked to be top dog and she didn’t like the fact that I got better grades in the two classes we shared.”

“That was the big issue?”

Lizzie paused, wondering how to phrase her answer. “It started out with that but then progressed.”

Craig’s right eyebrow shot up. Lizzie wondered just what she’d been expecting her to say. “Tell me about it,” Craig said.

Lizzie sat back also. She knew she had to cooperate and not hold anything back. “Ashley liked the attention of guys and she had lots of boyfriends. She never dated the same guy more than a few times. But there was one who decided he wanted to take me out. I said no but he told Ashley I’d come on to him. She started paying me back right away.”

“How?”

“If she knew I was interested in a guy, especially if I’d had a date with him, she would flirt like crazy and usually ended up dating him herself. Then, and I’m assuming this is the reason, when she figured I’d lost interest, so did she.”

“Did that make you angry?”

“Sometimes, depending on the guy. But that was a long time ago.” Lizzie laced her fingers together and then quickly undid them, wondering if that was a sign of someone with something to hide.

“And yet, as I understand it, you weren’t too happy to hear that Ashley Dixon was in town. Is that right?”

“Yes,” Lizzie answered softly.

Craig sat quietly. Eventually, Lizzie gave in and started talking.

“It went beyond the guys. She accused me of stealing some of her things. And then she started spreading rumors about me.”

“That must be hard to get over,” Craig said, her tone matching Lizzie’s.

“Things got better once she moved away and I got on with my life. I hadn’t thought about her since then.”

“And when you saw her here?” Craig prompted.

“I was shocked.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“Yes.”

Craig remained silent again. Eventually Lizzie continued.

“She intimated that she might make a play for Mark.” Lizzie swallowed hard. She knew others had heard and the argument could get back to Officer Craig one way or the other.

“When did you last see her?”

“At the book fair on Saturday.”

“You talk then?” Craig asked.

Lizzie assumed she’d already heard. “We had a discussion, in fact. Raised our voices a bit.”

“About Chief Dreyfus?”

“Basically.”

“Tell me about the book fair.”

“Well, Molly Mathews came up with the idea and the book club helped with the planning and the event. Four authors were invited and the public bought tickets to the daylong fair. That got them lunch, tea and two sessions with the authors as panelists, doing readings, book sales and signings. That’s about it.”

“How did you decide on the authors?”

Lizzie thought a moment. “Molly had a promotional flyer she’d received at the bookstore about these three authors who were on tour. It seems they do this a lot, so Molly contacted the publisher and the arrangements were made.”

Craig looked at her notes. “There were four authors, though, weren’t there?”

“That’s right. The publisher suggested adding Gigi Briggs to the list. She’s someone they’re really pushing.”

“And Ashley Dixon? How did she happen to be included?”

“I understand that the authors invited her. She just appeared on Friday, although she’d phoned the Quilt Patch to confirm a room beforehand. You’ll have to ask Patsy Kindall about that.”

“I plan to,” Craig said, a touch of sarcasm in her voice. “How did they all get along?”

Lizzie shrugged. “I think there are some egos involved, but other than that, they seem to be friends.”

Craig nodded. “Did you have any other contact with Ashley Dixon?”

Lizzie realized that Mark must have told her about the phone call. She hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else.

“Yes, she phoned me on Sunday night and asked to meet for coffee the next morning.”

“Why would she do that?”

Lizzie searched Craig’s face, hoping to see some sign of how the interview was going but realized Craig’s “police face” would give nothing away. In her mid-twenties, Officer Amber Craig wore her long blonde hair pulled back in a bun. Her clear skin and angular features attracted second looks from most men, but the icy blue eyes usually made them have second thoughts.

Lizzie cleared her throat. “She apologized and said we should clear things up since she would probably be spending a lot of time in Ashton Corners in the future.”

“What did she mean by that?”

“I have no idea. She didn’t explain.” Lizzie shifted in her chair, realizing that Craig had sat perfectly still throughout the interview.

“How did the fact that you’d be seeing a lot more of her make you feel?”

“She’d alluded to that earlier in the weekend, so I was ready for it. In fact, I knew what she suggested was right. We needed to set things straight.”

Craig’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean by ‘set things straight’?”

Lizzie looked horrified. “I only meant we needed to talk things out.”

“Is that what she said at your coffee date?”

“No. She didn’t show up. I waited for half an hour but then I had to get to school.”

“Where were you meeting?”

“At the Cup ’n Choc.”

“What did you think when she didn’t show up?”

Lizzie shrugged. “I thought either she’d forgotten, slept in or something else had come up.” She just about added that it would be like Ashley not to let her know if that’s what had happened.

“How did your cell phone end up at the scene?”

Lizzie gulped. “I have no idea. I noticed this morning it was missing but I can’t remember when I last used it.”

Craig looked skeptical. Even Lizzie thought her answer sounded made up. Wasn’t that what they said in the movies? My car was stolen this morning? Somebody must have taken my purse? I haven’t seen it in days? But she wasn’t lying. Something had happened to her cell phone. Or someone. She actually flinched at her next thought.

“You don’t think someone is trying to frame me?” Lizzie asked, feeling a bit sick to her stomach.

Craig had been watching her closely. She now lifted her shoulders slightly. “It’s possible. Anything is possible at the start of an investigation. Do you have any ideas who might try something like that?”