Murder in a Basket (An India Hayes Mystery) (20 page)

Chapter
Thirty-Five

For the next two days, I did what I promised myself: I put Tess, Jerry, Celeste, and the murders behind me. The only reminders were the news coverage in the local section of the Akron newspaper and the grateful look on Derek’s face when I arrived at the library each day.

The following Thursday was Halloween.
Lasha was pro-holidays and encouraged (i.e., threatened) the library staff to participate. On Halloween, a costume was a requirement. Lasha felt it made us more relatable to the students. I thought it made us larger targets for ridicule, but what did I know?

As I walked across campus to the library, I noticed many
of the students were in costume. Superheroes, witches, mummies, zombies, and sexy cats were all present and accounted for.

When
I stepped into our office, Bobby was already at his desk. He was wearing a designer suit and his hair was slicked back. “Are you supposed to be a waiter?”

His eyes narrowed.
“For your information, I’m an international spy.” He looked me up and down. “I’d hoped you’d be more creative this year.”

“
What’s wrong with my costume?” I looked down at my gypsy outfit of a gaudy wrapped skirt, peasant blouse, bangles, and beaded necklace, all of which I’d found in my mother’s closet. I completed the look with red lips and a scarf tied around my head. This was my fourth consecutive year of wearing it. Sadly, I gave the clothes back to mother every year because the pieces were staples in her wardrobe. Not as an everyday ensemble. At least I didn’t think so.

“
You could have worn the frontier girl number Carmen gave you.”

“
I hope to never see that dress again. And how is an international spy creative? All you did is put on a suit.”

“
Did you even see what I did to my hair? It took a lot of product to get this effect.”

I rolled my eyes, but I
felt relieved Bobby was joking with me after the heated Erin conversation.

“
I’m glad you stopped up here before I have to go down to the reference desk.”

“
Because?” I arched an eyebrow. It seemed to me Bobby was on the cusp of asking for a favor, which usually involved me picking up one or more of his library tours.

“
It’s about Erin. I just want you to know you’re right. I talked to her.” He grimaced. “She misunderstood our friendship. I won’t be spending time with her outside of the library anymore.”

I winced.
Erin was a good kid, and I would be sad to see her go when she graduated in the spring. I didn’t want her hurt, but in this case, it was unavoidable. “Was she upset?”

“
She called me some words I didn’t know. I need to brush up on my insults.”

“
I’m sorry, Bobby. Do you want me to talk to her?”

He shook his head.
“Let her cool off for a few days. She’ll get over it soon enough. At least, I hope so. I feel responsible.”

“
You are.”

“
Gee, thanks.” He paused. “Talking to Erin was something I needed to do. I just didn’t know it. Thanks for telling me to do it.”

My jaw dropped. A
Bobby thank you was so rare. Before I could say anything, he stood.

“
I need to get downstairs,” he said as he left the office.

Bobby was downstairs at the reference desk, which meant I had the office to myself
for most of the morning. I was updating the library’s website when there was a knock on the opened door. I looked up, half-expecting to find Bobby there to retract this gratitude, but instead found Jendy. Her purple hair stood on end, and she wore a miniskirt with leggings under her black leather jacket. The outfit was a long cry from the mobcap and gingham dress she’d worn during the festival.

“
Can I come in?”

I nodded
. She sat in Bobby’s desk chair and picked up the paperback romance Bobby had left on his desk. It had a picture of a burly shirtless man and a voluptuous woman staring off into the distance. She made a face. “The lady you work with reads these?”

“
It’s a guy, and yeah, he does. You met him at the festival. Remember Bobby?”

Jendy
curled her lip and shrugged. “Whatever works for you, I guess.”

Looks like I nipped that infatuation in the bud, I thought happily.

“Nice outfit.”

I thanked her even though I wasn’t sure her comment was meant to
be a compliment.

Silence fell on the room.
“Jendy, did you have something to talk to me about?”

“
I know O.M. Blocken.”

I felt myself go still.
O.M. was the sister of my friend who was murdered last summer. It was a summer I’d tried to forget.

“
She’s a few years younger than me, still in high school.” She made a face again. “But she’s cool. We have mutual friends. Anyway, I told her about what happened with Celeste, and your name came up. She said I should talk to you, that you could help Celeste.”

“
I don’t know what I can do for Celeste now.”

“
You came into Beth’s store a couple of days ago and offered help then.”

I sighed.

“I know she didn’t do it. Celeste wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“
She still cared about Jerry, and Tess was in the way.”

“
Tess and Jerry were married for three years. Wouldn’t you think she’d have done something before now if she was so upset about it?”

She had a point.

“Do you have any proof she’s innocent? Does she have an alibi for either night?”

Jendy
drooped. “You sound like the stupid lawyer Beth found. If she had an alibi, do you think she’d be under arrest?”

“
Is she still in jail?”

“
No, she’s out on bail now. You should go talk to her. She’s at her house.”

“
How do you know she’ll talk to me?”

“
I’ll go with you.”

“
Why do you think I will help you?”

“
Because O.M. said you would.”

Her tone was matter-of-fact
, and she was right. “What’s her address?” I asked.

Jendy told me, and we
agreed to meet at five-thirty outside Celeste’s house.

After work,
I stopped at home to change out of my gypsy outfit and into my version of suburban chic—a hoodie and jeans—instead of driving directly to see Celeste. Even with the stop, I beat Jendy there. I parked on the curb in front of Celeste’s home. The house was a small Cape Cod with bright blue shutters. From the awning, a mobile of glass beads tinkled in the cool October breeze. Up and down the street, porch lights flickered on to tell the trick-or-treaters which houses had candy. The beggars would be hitting the neighborhood at six and would continue until eight.

Across the street a mother lined up her three children
, all in their Halloween best for the obligatory photographs. An engine wheezed down the street. I looked behind me and saw Jendy ride up on a motorized scooter. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I had to kick-start my ride.”

I could see why
. The vintage scooter looked as if it could fall to pieces with the slightest impact.

Jendy led the way
up the walk. She rang the doorbell, but when there was no answer, she produced a key from her pocket. “Beth had one and gave it to me when I said I’d check on Celeste after work.” We stepped inside. The house was dark. A nightlight was the only lighting in the small living room. The blinds were closed and shades were pulled over them for good measure. When my eyes adjusted, I made out the sofa and a lumpy form on it.

Jendy stepped into the room and turned on a table lamp.
The form, someone, I assumed Celeste, moved under a blue fuzzy blanket. “Celeste, it’s Jendy, and I brought India with me.”

Celeste peeked out from behind her
blanket. Her dark blue eyes were red and puffy. A half-empty tissue box and a mountain of used tissues sat beside her on the sofa. She sniffed. “Why?”

Jendy sat on
an ottoman, and I perched on a flowered armchair that matched the sofa.

“
Because she can help you. She can find out who really committed those murders.”

I stiffened.
Jendy was making promises I might not be able to keep.

Celeste blinked.
“How? She’s a librarian.”

Jendy told her how I’d helped find the murder
er of O.M.’s sister last summer. It was the first time I’d heard the story from someone else’s mouth but that didn’t make it any less painful to remember.

Celeste
pulled the blanket securely under chin. “I don’t know how that will help me.”

“
I don’t know how it can either, Celeste, truly, but Jendy asked me to come here and I have,” I said.

She
lowered the blanket a half inch.

“
Who do you think killed Tess and Jerry?” I asked.

“
I don’t know. I don’t know why anyone would kill either of them, especially Jerry.”

“
You can’t think of anyone.”

“
I knew Jerry was angry with Tess’s family over her uncle’s will.”

“
Did Jerry talk to you about the will?” I asked, a little surprised. I’d gotten the impression from the outburst between Celeste and Jerry a few days ago that most conversations between the two were one-sided.

She shook her head
. “They were in the co-op one day and arguing about it. My studio’s not far from Tess’s in the barn.”

“
Do you remember what they said?”

“
Tess was saying she wanted to give away part of the money. I didn’t know until later she meant to give a portion of the money to the co-op. Jerry was trying to convince her not to.”

“
Did she say why she wanted to give the money away?”

Celeste reached for
a fresh tissue and blew her nose. “Tess said she didn’t know why Victor left her in charge of the trust and felt she had to do something good with the money.”

Jendy whistled.
“She was given two million dollars just for the heck of it. I wouldn’t mind having an uncle like that. The only uncle I have has a beer belly and runs a bait shop.”

“
Did you overhear anything else?” I asked.

“
Tess said she was searching her uncle’s things to see if she could find out. I think she felt bad that her brother and sister were essentially written out of the will. That or she felt bad that they were giving her such a hard time about it. Maybe if she knew Victor’s reasons for the decision, she’d feel better about it and her brother and sister would, too.”

Knowing
Lepcheck, I doubted that.

“
Did she ever find anything?”

Celeste shrugged.
“That was the last I heard of it.”

Jendy leaned forward.
“Do you think that’s why she was killed?”

“
I don’t know,” I said.

I stayed for a few minutes longer before making my excuse
s. Jendy stayed behind to microwave Celeste a cup of soup. I was surprised nineteen-year-old Jendy would spend Halloween night in with Celeste instead of out with her friends. She was what Ina called “a good egg.”

As I pulled in
to my driveway, Templeton’s black figure sat in my kitchen window for the whole street to see, as if he knew this was his night to shine. Ina was on the white resin chair on her front porch. A large plastic bowl of candy sat on her lap. Theodore, my brother’s cat and Ina’s ward, sat at her feet. He wore a pirate hat and a black patch over his left eye. He didn’t move and his other eye was closed, so I assumed he was sleeping as a form of self-preservation. At least Ina hadn’t put a peg leg on the poor creature as her original plan included.

Chapter
Thirty-Six

After the quick stop at home to grab my own bowl of candy, I drove to my sister’s house. Carmen and Chip lived in a Dutch colonial house just three blocks away from me. As it would be Poppy and Lilly’s first Halloween, Carmen invited the family over to see the girls and Nicholas in their costumes.

My dad’s van was in the driveway when I pulled in. Nicholas was on the front porch. He
wore a policeman’s uniform.

“
Hello, Officer Tuchelli,” I said.

He giggled and patted the holstered toy gun on his hip.
“Daddy’s taking me trick-or-treating.”

“
That sounds fun.”

He nodded.
“We are going to where the rich people live so we can get the king-size bars.” He held a finger to his mouth. “Shh, Mom’s not supposed to know. She thinks we are staying in our neighborhood.”

“
Your secret’s safe with me.” I stepped into the house.

Nicholas skirted around my leg
s and pulled his gun on his grandmother. “Stick ’em up!”

“
Carmen, how can you a let a child have a gun?” Mom asked. My mother was a black cat for the holiday. She had a black nose and white whiskers painted on her face and a headband of cat ears on her head.

“
First of all, it’s a toy, and second of all, his father gave it to him.” Carmen scowled at her husband as she adjusted the girls’ costumes. Chip, in fireman garb, slunk out of the room. He was a pretty smart guy.

I paused to take in the
twins’ adorableness. Poppy was dressed as a peapod, and Lilly was dressed as a carrot. I also noted Zach was dozing on Carmen’s hearth as if he belonged there. He was even in costume in the form of a superhero cape.

Nicholas saw me looking at the girls
. “Peas and carrots. Mom said it’s cute. I don’t get it.”

“
Not much to get,” I said. “But it’s most definitely cute. You’re cute, too.”

“
Eww. Policemen can’t be cute!”

“
Oh, yes, they can.” I tickled him.

He chortled.
“Don’t make me throw you into the big house!”

Carmen arched an eyebrow at our mother.
“I wonder where he’d have learned that phrase.”

Dad
, who was dressed as a farmer in bib overalls, a red bandana around his throat, and blacked out teeth, reached over the arm of the couch to wiggle Lilly’s ear. She smiled. “Please, let’s not fight.” He picked Lilly up and deposited her on his lap. Rolling the wheelchair a little closer, he plucked Poppy from the couch and plopped her down beside her sister.

Nicholas left the room. Maybe he and Chip were going to work on a map of the best house
s to hit in Stripling.

Mom looked around frantically.
“Where’s the camera? Aren’t they darling?” She found her digital camera and started clicking pictures of Dad and the girls.

Carmen turned to me.
“Where’s your costume? I told you to wear a costume.”

Carmen was dressed in an adult
-sized onesie. Her bobbed hair was separated into two pigtails, and a dusting of freckles was drawn on her face with eyebrow pencil.

“
Really? You expected me to wear a costume after forcing me to wear that awful dress to the festival?”

“
Don’t complain. It wasn’t that bad.”

“
It was. Trust me.”

“
You only wore it one day anyway.” Carmen pursed her lips. “I’m just glad it’s over. The whole thing nearly fell apart.”

“
Are you saying you won’t be chairing the Founders’ Festival next year?” I hoped I didn’t sound too happy at the prospect. However, if Carmen wasn’t involved in the festival, I couldn’t be coerced into running the face-painting booth. My hands still smarted from cramps after painting tiny figures on children’s cheeks in the cold.

“
I never said that. I can tell you it won’t be on Martin’s campus. What a disaster.” She looked thoughtful. “In fact, next year I will chair it, and it will be on the square. That’s a more centralized location anyway, and it will attract people to downtown.”

“
The parking will be a nightmare,” Mom said.

Carmen scowled at her.

“Better wait until it’s closer to the time to make a decision like that,” I said.

Carmen looked dubious. In her mind
, it was always
why put off planning for tomorrow that which could be done today
? “I already have plans on how to improve it. Not just the change of location. Other things, too.”

“
All the crafters making it out alive would help,” I said.

Carmen grimaced.

“We’re off,” Chip said. The front door slammed.

“
Did you take an extra jacket? Chip! You forgot the flashlight.” She hurried after her husband and son with a flashlight, jacket, and extra pillow case clutched in her hands.

Mom handed me
the camera. “Take our picture.” She squatted by Dad’s chair, and I snapped pictures.

“
How’s the bell tower crusade going?” I asked between clicks.

“
Minor setback,” Dad said. “We will get it right yet.”

“
That’s right,” Mom agreed. “We have a plan.”

“
You’re not going to chain yourself to anything, are you?” I handed Mom the camera.

“
Not at present.”

I decided not to worry about it at the moment.

Dad bounced the girls on his knees.

The front door slammed opened.
“India, bring the candy. The beggars are starting to arrive,” Carmen called.

I grabbed the bowl of
candy and headed to the porch. I handed Carmen the bowl and sat on one of the white rockers. Carmen dropped a chocolate bar into the waiting hand of a little mouse.

After a witch and
a gymnast came to claim their own pieces of candy, Carmen turned to me. “Does Ricky really think Celeste killed Tess and Jerry?”

I nodded.
“The scene was pretty convincing.”

Carmen’s drawn
-on freckles quivered. “You think he’s wrong.” It was a statement, not a question.

“
I’m not sure,” I admitted.

“
Ricky can be bullheaded. I remember that about him. It’s one of the reasons we fought so much.”

Her mention
of Mains caused me to remember another Halloween when Carmen was in high school, and I was still in grade school. There had been a dance on the square that Halloween. It was the only Halloween dance I can remember. Mains came to pick Carmen up for the dance. He’d already been her on-and-off-again boyfriend for two years, and he was a common fixture in the house. Carmen had worn a yellow dress, and Mains a white shirt and dress pants. I was in my construction worker costume, ready to start my beggar’s night rounds, bent on scoring as many king-sized chocolate candy bars as I could.

Carmen twirled her yellow s
kirt for Mains when he arrived in his dad’s minivan to pick her up. He’d whistled appreciatively. They hadn’t noticed me there on the other side of the garage waiting for my friend Olivia to come so we could hit the streets. They whispered and laughed together before leaving. Their rapport with each other—when they weren’t in the middle of a fight—was a central part of my childhood. I didn’t know how I could think of Mains as anything other than my sister’s ex-boyfriend. He’d been that for far too many years. I shook my head to clear out the Halloween cobwebs. This memory and the countless others like it were the reasons I held Mains at an arm’s length.

Carmen sighed.
“I don’t believe Celeste did it, either. I know she and Jerry were engaged a long time ago, but if she was so upset about it, why didn’t she kill Tess back then? It doesn’t make sense to wait so long. A jealous ex-fiancée commits a crime of passion in the heat of the moment.”

“
Look at you, Miss Detective,” I said.

Carmen grimaced.

I silently agreed with her assessment. So if Celeste didn’t kill Tess and Jerry, who did and why?

Mom and Dad came out, each carrying a granddaughter, and without a word exchange
d, Carmen and I agreed to drop our conversation.

On
Carmen’s front porch, surrounded by my family and as the hobbits, ballerinas, and firemen came to claim their goodies, I thought of Celeste alone in her home with that pile of tissues. This could be her last Halloween at home for a very long time.