Read and Buried (24 page)

Chapter Forty

There was, she decided, only one way to find out.

STRING OF LIES
—MARY ELLEN HUGHES

W
hen Lizzie was wheeled out of the treatment room courtesy of a wheelchair and an aide,
Mark rushed up to her and wrapped his arms loosely around her. He kissed her on the
forehead and asked how she felt.

“Okay but sort of groggy. I missed the Christmas Eve service, though, and I so enjoy
it.” She smiled at him. “They have good pain meds here.”

He chortled. “I talked to the doctor and it was a clean shot. More of a graze. They
don’t expect any complications.”

“Yes, that’s what he told me. I need to come back in on Thursday for a follow-up,
though. What about Jensey?”

“She’s in jail. Her husband came down right away with a lawyer. Doesn’t look good
for her, not with what I heard.”

“I can’t believe how this all ended. I did suspect her but not seriously. Because
I knew her. I liked her.”

Mark rubbed her good arm. “I know. It’s hard to understand and accept.”

“I can’t believe you got there so quickly.”

“I might as well confess. Even though I removed your visible police escort, I still
had an officer tailing you. He didn’t see Jensey Pollard but called in when you disappeared
into the alley. That seemed a strange thing for you to do.”

Lizzie took a stab at looking upset. Not very effectively, though, as it turned into
a yawn.

Mark ran his fingers along her chin. “Why don’t I get you home and settled. You need
some rest.”

She looked up at him.

He raised his eyebrows. “I can just hold you . . .” He stopped and stared as the doors
at the end of the hall flew open.

Bob and Molly came rushing toward them followed by Sally-Jo and Jacob, with Andie
pushing to the front of the group.

“How are you? We’re so worried! Are you okay?” they all spoke at once.

Mark held up his hand. “She’s going to be just fine. She has a gunshot wound to the
upper left arm but no complications.”

“What are you all doing here?” Lizzie asked.

“Well, honey, we heard after church what had happened,” Molly said, reaching out and
stroking her cheek. “I was worried when I didn’t see you in the choir. We knew there’d
been a commotion in the parking lot but we went in the front door so we didn’t see
anything.”

Andie jumped in. “And, we just got here and an ambulance came zipping in with Stephanie
in it.”

“Stephanie? Oh my God, is she okay? Is she having her baby?”

“She’s in labor right now,” Sally-Jo said, giving Lizzie a gentle hug.

Mark looked around at the book club members. “Well, I think there are plenty of friends
here for Stephanie. I have to get back to the station but I’m going to get Lizzie
home. She’s worn out.”

“No, I want to wait with everyone.”

“Mark’s right, honey.” Molly reached out and stroked Lizzie’s hair. “It could be hours.
Why don’t you just go on home for now and I promise to let you know.” She glanced
at her watch. “In a little over twelve hours we’ll all be gathering at my place for
Christmas dinner.”

Bob shifted his gaze from Lizzie to Molly. “Well, I think you’d better go on home
and rest up also. You’re going to be mighty busy in a few hours, and I for one can
hardly wait for that amazing turkey-and-all-the-trimmings dinner you’ve promised.”

Molly glanced at Bob. “I truly do hate to leave her.”

“Molly, go home. Now.”

She smiled in defeat. “Maybe I could get a lift with you, Chief?”

“Sure thing.”

A nurse in pink scrubs walked over to the group, as they were saying their good-byes.
“Are you here with Stephanie Lowe?”

Molly nodded.

“She’s doing just fine. That baby just didn’t want to wait. Beat us to the delivery
room, in fact. She’s the mama of a seven-pound, two-ounce baby girl. Both mama and
baby are doing just fine.”

“How marvelous! Can we see her?” Molly asked.

The nurse shook her head. “It would be better if y’all waited for the morning. She’s
pretty tuckered out. We’ll take good care of her, rest assured.”

“Oh wow. Oh wow . . .” Andie said, moving from one to the other, hugging them all.

Molly hugged her back and looked around at them all. “What a blessed Christmas this
is. Lizzie is safe and Stephanie is a mama.”

Chapter Forty-one

A guest is a jewel resting on the cushion of hospitality.

TOO MANY COOKS
—REX STOUT

L
izzie sat next to Mark on one of the three silk brocade love seats in Molly’s living
room and looked around at her friends. Everyone was there except for Andie, who had
opted to stay at her friend’s house for Christmas dinner, and Stephanie, of course.

It had been quite the twenty-four hours. By the time Mark had gotten back to Lizzie’s
place and crawled into bed, it was going on three thirty
A.M.

They’d slept in and had a leisurely espresso and some of Nathaniel’s angel biscuits
that had been tucked away in the freezer, while exchanging Christmas gifts. Mark had
given her a silver bib necklace that she adored, and he’d seemed truly pleased with
the photo of him with Patchett that she’d taken and had framed.

After a cheery lunch with Evelyn in the festive dining room at Magnolia Manor, they’d
joined in the carol singing that followed. Evelyn was all smiles when they’d finally
left. Lizzie had hoped it was because she’d realized it was Christmas Day.

Their next stop was for a brief visit with Stephanie and her baby. Lizzie had been
relieved to see how happy Stephanie appeared to be. Gone was the anxiety that had
haunted her for so many weeks. They’d assured her of a ride home in the morning when
she was to be discharged. Then, they’d made their way to Molly’s for the much-anticipated
Christmas feast.

Lizzie squeezed Mark’s hand as Bob ushered Molly into the room.

“Just come and join us for a few minutes,” he told Molly. “Let’s sit and relax before
we start in on the eating.” He held her arm as she sat on a velvet wing chair and
then handed her a glass of eggnog.

Molly laughed. “That’s probably a good idea but not for long. Everything’s ready to
be served up. Mark, can you tell us any more about what’s happening with Jensey Pollard?”

“Not too much but I can tell you that she did admit to killing Alton. She’d managed
to put their affair out of her mind and get on with her life. But it was more the
guilt and grief over having an abortion that took over when she saw him again. She
wanted to get even.”

“I think it was also fear,” Lizzie added. “This had been a closely guarded secret
for almost two decades and here he was back in town.”

Bob nodded. “He sounds like a cocky son of a gun. I’ll just bet she worried he might
start telling folks about their past.”

“That wouldn’t do for someone with a respected role in the community. Not to mention
what her husband would say if he found out,” Molly added.

Sally-Jo finished her eggnog and leaned over to put her empty glass on the cherrywood
coffee table. “But in the end, he did find out. Who knows what would have happened
if she hadn’t shot Derek.”

“Maybe his ex-wife would have given it a go,” Jacob said and made a face.

“This is way too sad to be discussing on Christmas Day,” Molly said, standing. “Sally-Jo
and I are going to get everything dished up and y’all are going to take your seats
at the dining room table. And there will be no more talk about murder in this house . . .
not until our next book club meeting.”

“And then we’ll be discussing what’s written between the covers,” Lizzie added.

“Damn straight,” Bob grinned. “And it’s my turn. Finally, a policing story.”

Molly stopped at the door and turned back to them, smiling. “Merry Christmas, my dear
friends.”

Reading Lists

Lizzie Turner

1. Mary Jane Maffini—
The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder

2. Avery Aames—
Lost and Fondue

3. Julie Hyzy—
Grace Interrupted

4. Janet Bolin—
Dire Threads

5.
Jacklyn Brady
—Cake on a Hot Tin Roof

Sally-Jo Baker

1. Krista Davis—
The Diva Cooks a Goose

2. Lorna Barrett—
Sentenced to Death

3. Ellery Adams—
A Killer Plot

4. Jenn McKinlay—
Books Can Be Deceiving

5. Dorothy St. James—
Flowerbed of State

Molly Mathews

1. Agatha Christie—
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

2. Dorothy Sayers—
Busman’s Honeymoon

3. Rhys Bowen—
A Royal Pain

4. Ann Purser—
The Hangman’s Row Enquiry

5. Louise Penny—
The Brutal Telling

Bob Miller

1. Robert B. Parker—
Sixkill

2. James Hall—
Dead Last

3. James Lee Burke—
Rain Gods

4. Ed McBain—
Hark!

5. John Connolly—
Every Dead Thing

Jacob Smith

1. Greg Rucka—
Keeper

2. Lee Child—
Tripwire

3. Paul Levine—
Flesh and Bones

4. Phillip Margolin—
Supreme Justice

5. Donald Westlake—
Get Real

Andrea Mason

1. Janet Evanovich—
Visions of Sugar Plums

2. Charlaine Harris—
Dead and Gone

3. E. J. Copperman—
Night of the Living Deed

4. Karen Olson—
Dead of the Day

5. Victoria Laurie—
Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye

Stephanie Lowe

1. Kari Lee Townsend—
Tempest in the Tea Leaves

2. Maggie Sefton—
Unraveled

3. Amanda Lee—
The Quick and the Thread

4. B. B. Haywood—
Town in a Blueberry Jam

5. Ayelet Waldman—
Death Gets a Time-Out

Turn the page for a preview of Erika Chase’s next Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery . . .

COVER STORY

Coming soon from Berkley Prime Crime!

Read, read, read. That’s all I can say.

THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK—
CAROLYN KEENE

“T
he thing about friendships,” Molly Mathews stated, then paused to take a sip of her
iced tea, “is that they’re as cozy as an old chenille bathrobe that you crawl into
when you’re feeling down, or have a bug, or just want to feel good all over.”

“Teensy Coldicutt and I were best friends all through our school years,” Molly went
on, smiling as her mind made the trip down memory lane.

Lizzie Turner leaned forward in the patio chair to better hear Molly’s voice, which
had softened with the reminiscing. This was the most relaxed Lizzie had seen her friend
in months, although Molly’s attempts to contain her excitement were noticeable.

Molly glanced around her spacious backyard gardens before continuing. “She used to
wear pedal pushers when all the rest of us had to wear dresses, and her hair in ringlets,
Shirley Temple style, which, incidentally, she hated.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard you mention her before.”

“Probably not,” Molly shook her head, looking regretful. “We’d lost touch over the
years even though we were the best of friends. That is, until Teensy met John Coldicutt
at our senior prom. My, oh my, it was love at first sight . . . for them both. Wouldn’t
you know she’d go and marry him right after graduation? Her folks were plenty mad
but there was nothing they could do about it.”

“What happened then?” Lizzie fanned herself with her napkin. No breeze today and the
Alabama temperature had hit the midnineties. Even her yellow cotton sundress felt
too hot. But it was relaxing sitting out on Molly’s patio, so she wasn’t about to
complain.

“Well, John wasn’t from around here. He was visiting some relatives, I think. He came
from Georgia, so that’s where they lived after getting married. And then they moved
all the way to Tucson. Teensy came back to Ashton Corners to visit a few times but
her folks never really forgave her, so finally she stopped coming. And then many years
later, she gave up on writing to me.”

Lizzie noticed the brief flash of sadness in Molly’s eyes. “You must have been so
pleased when you learned that Teensy had moved back here.”

“I was delighted,” Molly agreed, clapping her hands, giving Lizzie a glimpse of a
younger girl. “I couldn’t believe it when she just showed up here at the front door.
And I recognized her immediately. She really hadn’t changed much, just gotten a bit
older. Well, quite a bit. But then, so have I.” Molly took a long drink of her tea
and then chose a cinnamon pecan twirl from the plate on the table.

Lizzie nodded but, as usual, found it hard to think of Molly as being seventy-three
years old. Her hair, though gray, always framed her face with a soft halo, and what
lines had embedded themselves around her mouth and eyes gave her a look of perpetual
laughter, not of haggard age. And her sense of style made it understandable when others
pegged her at least ten years younger. Lizzie sighed, hoping she’d look that amazing
in later years, then helped herself to a second tea cake.

“Why did she move back now?” she asked.

“Her husband died of cancer last year and I guess she just found it too hard to stay
on her own in Tucson.” Molly pushed the long sleeves of her filmy blouse up to her
elbows now that the sun had shifted away from her. She kept her wide-brimmed white
linen hat on, though.

“That’s sad, but very nice for you.”

“Yes, it is. But I haven’t told you the best part. Teensy wrote a book, sort of a
historical saga, she calls it, with a mystery element. So I told her the Ashton Corners
Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society would be delighted to include it on our
fall reading list. It will be my choice for September.”

“I think that’s great. We could have her as a guest at that meeting, too. It always
adds another layer to the book, meeting the author and getting her take on it all.”

“I’m glad you agree, Lizzie.” Molly finished her tea and suddenly looked serious.
“But I’ve gone a step further and I’m hoping you’ll be on line for this, also.” She
gazed straight at Lizzie, her face unreadable.

Lizzie waited to hear more. Molly seemed to be enjoying ramping up the suspense.

“Well, Teensy was devastated to hear that the Book Bin closed and we don’t have a
bookstore in town any longer. But I assured her I’d help her market her book. I’ll
hold the launch right here in my house and arrange some signings in town for her,
too.”

“I think that’s great. What’s the catch?”

“I’ll need some help . . .” Molly let the statement just dangle there.

“Uh-huh. You’re meaning me, aren’t you?”

“Well, honey, you are in charge of the book club.” Molly gave the brim of her sun
hat a slight adjustment.

Lizzie nodded. “Of course I’ll help. But is it possible we can do all of this in the
next month before school starts? I’ll be fairly busy working with the teachers for
the first few weeks after that.”

“Well, surely. That shouldn’t be a problem then. And I’ll contact the printer and
order the books. I think it would be a good idea to call the rest of the book club
and maybe set up a little meeting on the weekend, a patio party, and get them all
involved, too. Do you think they’ll all agree?”

“I think that’s guaranteed.” Lizzie thought it through. “I’m happy to do the promotional
stuff. And Sally-Jo would be a whiz helping with the organizing and planning a menu.
You are going to have food, I’d imagine?”

Molly nodded.

“And Stephanie would take pride in selling the book,” Lizzie went on.

“We’d have to ask Andrea to watch over Baby Wendy in that case,” Molly added. “Stephanie
can’t be tending to her child at the same time as counting out change.”

“That would work. But I’ll bet Andie could also help with the selling and between
the both of them, keep an eye on the baby, too.”

Molly seemed to be considering the possibility and finally nodded her agreement.

“I’ll just sweet-talk Bob into handling the operations portion,” Molly said with a
twinkle in her eye. “You know, moving the books around and such. I daresay that will
appeal to his orderly tendencies, as in law and order.”

“Sweet-talk him? Molly, you devil.” Lizzie laughed, stretching her legs out and into
the sun that was creeping past them on the patio. “Jacob will be certain to help with
that, too, I’d think. Or maybe we could put his lawyerly skills to good use elsewhere.
Dealing with the publisher maybe? Do we need a contract or two?”

Molly leaned over and squeezed Lizzie’s hand. “I know Teensy will be so pleased. I
can’t wait for you to meet her. She’s larger than life.”

“I look forward to it and I’ll bet everyone in the book club will be happy to take
part. After all, we’re always up for a mystery.”

And, it would be good to not have a murder on their agenda—except, of course, between
the covers.