Foliage and Fatality Read online

  Terry nodded. “I guess I should ask.”

  “Are you going to be in big trouble with Camille?” Lil asked.

  “I don’t know. She doesn’t usually hold a grudge, and she always says her relationship with Art is not serious, but I’m not sure any more that’s true. She is pretty defensive about him.”

  Max said, “We’ll get out of your hair. I think we should visit a little more with our quilting friends. Maybe Barbara showed them a picture of ‘Al.’”

  Terry nodded, but was obviously distracted by Camille’s reaction. “See you later.” He slapped the fender of the Studebaker.

  “Watch the paint!” Max yelled.

  Lil cast a sideways look. “You’d think this car was your child.”

  “It is.” Max eased the car away from the curb. “I think we ought to stop back at the Inn and talk to Mary and Cathy without the quilt shop distraction.”

  “I’m for that.”

  They stood in the entry hall and were surrounded by total silence.

  “Hello?” Max called out. “Mr. Welter?”

  After a few moments, footsteps came from the kitchen and service area. The swinging door pivoted open and Welter shouldered through, drying his hands.

  “Yes?” He didn’t look as if he recognized them.

  “I’m Terry Garrett’s mother, Lil, and this is my sister Max. We were here yesterday afternoon…”

  “Oh, yes. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. I have some vision loss and in certain light… well, that doesn’t matter. What can I do for you?”

  Max said, “Two of the women on the bus tour rode out to a quilt shop with us this morning. We want to visit with them some more. Mary Carmody and Cathy Messer?”

  Wendell continued to wring the towel in his hands. “Oh, I don’t know anyone’s name besides Marjorie Tarrington. The tour guide. She’s been here before. But I haven’t met any of the others.”

  Max looked at Lil, puzzled. She turned back to Welter. “Is anyone from the group here?”

  “No, I don’t think so. They all left on the bus.”

  “I see. So you hadn’t met the woman who was murdered either?”

  “No, no. I’m sure not. I did overhear one woman talking to someone on the phone yesterday after lunch. I think she was arranging to meet the person at the Kell house.”

  Lil frowned at him. “Did you tell the police that?”

  He looked like he had said more than he intended. “No. I didn’t know who it was. The woman was in the back garden on the other side of a hedge. I never did see her, and like I said, I never got anyone’s names. Why are you asking all of these questions?”

  “We’re just trying to help the police,” Max said, patting his arm. “We’ll get out of your way.” She grabbed her sister’s arm and tugged her toward the door. “Thank you, Mr. Welter!” she called over her shoulder.

  Once outside, Lil twisted free of Max’s grip and rubbed her arm. “What was all the about?”

  “He’s not going to tell us anything—or he doesn’t know anything—I’m not sure which. What do you think of Mr. Welter?”

  Lil shrugged. “He’s a bit strange. Why?”

  “I don’t know. It just seemed like he was awfully eager for us to know that he hadn’t met anyone in the tour group. Kind of odd for a host, don’t you think?” Max started the Studebaker. “And that bit about overhearing that conversation—do you think it was Barbara? Mary told us yesterday that Barbara came back to the Inn after lunch and was going to rest.”

  “It must have been her. It sounded like she was the only one who left the group. I think you’re right about Welter being off. Why would he not tell the police about that conversation, especially since it involved the Kell house?”

  Max considered that and nodded. “True. He’s kind of strange physically, too. He looks like the stereotypical wimpy guy in a movie, but he doesn’t really carry himself that way. You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah. He’s just an odd duck. Should we call Mansell about it?” Lil got out her phone.

  “Definitely. That was a pretty big omission on Wendell’s part.”

  Lil entered the number on Mansell’s card. “Chief? This is Lil Garrett, Terry’s mother. We thought we should pass on something Wendell Welter just told us.” She explained the story that Wendell told them about the phone call in the garden. She paused at the end. Her face flushed a little. “Yes, I see. We thought you should know. Bye”

  She punched off the phone and turned to Max. “Well. He says we shouldn’t be interviewing people about the case.”

  “Is he going to check it out?”

  “He didn’t say. He sounded pretty annoyed. Well, we tried. We still need to contact Cathy and Mary. I got Cathy’s cell number this morning. Should I call her and see where they are?”

  “Yes—see if we can meet up with them and when.”

  Lil made the call, exchanged pleasantries for a minute and then made their request. “Just a minute. I’ll see.” She covered the phone. “They want to take us out for supper as thanks for taking them to the quilt shop.”

  “I’m game,” Max said. “Did Terry and Melody have plans for this evening?”

  “I doubt it. We all thought we’d be working at the haunted house.” She turned back to her phone. “Cathy, can I call you back in a few? I need to check that my son and his family don’t have plans for us.”

  More phone calls resulted in arrangements made for Max and Lil to pick the other two up for an early supper at a pizza joint in town. Meanwhile, Max and Lil decided they would return to Terry’s house, walk the dog, rest a little, and help Melody out by picking the kids up from school. After the busy morning and stressful lunch, the respite was welcome.

  Rival started the questions as soon as he got in the car. “My friend Dylan said the lady that died at the haunted house yesterday was scared to death! Is that true?”

  “No,” Lil said. “They don’t know what happened yet.”

  Max noticed that she looked uncomfortable at her white lie.

  Rival persisted. “Are we going to be open tonight?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Rosie particularly was glad to spend some time with them. She got a long walk with Max, and then Ren begged to help with another walk. Rosie had no objection.

  Finally, the sisters abandoned Melody to the noisy household and drove to the Hilltop Inn. Their passengers were waiting.

  “Are you sure you just want pizza?” Mary Carmody asked when she got in the car. “We’d be happier to treat you to something fancier.”

  “It seems like we’ve eaten big meals constantly since we’ve been here. Pizza sounds just perfect,” Lil said.

  Chapter Ten

  Max

  The Pizza Plaza reminded Max of a cafe she had frequented in college. In a gallant, but low-cost attempt to duplicate an Italian plaza, cozy secluded booths surrounded a small fountain set on a floor of faux stones. Hanging baskets of plastic flowers provided splashes of garish color.

  The four women took a booth and perused the menu. They finally decided on a vegetarian and a chicken pesto pizza. Cathy added an order of breadsticks to the order. “I know it’s overkill but bread is my weakness,” she said. She went to place the order and came back with a tray of soft drinks.

  While they waited for their order, Max asked about their afternoon. The group had visited several gift and antique shops.

  “But none of them were as cool as that quilt shop this morning,” Mary said. “Thank you again for taking us out there.”

  “No problem,” Lil replied. “I loved it myself. By the time we get home, I’ll have enough projects for the whole winter. Actually, I got so excited about the choices, I forgot to ask you a couple more things about Barbara. You know that my son works for the bank that sponsors the haunted house, and they’re trying to raise money for a new auditorium at the school. But they can’t really reopen unless the murder is solved. So we’re trying to find out what we can to help out.”r />
  “Really?” Mary said. “I love it—you’re just like Nancy Drew, only a little older.”

  Max laughed. “Thank you for that. More like Jessica Fletcher, but still ‘a little’ older. We were wondering if Barbara ever showed anyone in your group a photo of this guy that she knew from Burnsville?”

  A waiter brought their pizza, plates and forks.

  Mary appeared in deep thought. “I don’t think so.”

  But Cathy slapped the table and turned to Mary. “Yes, she did! We were in that wine bar at the last hotel, and you had gone to bed. That was when she told me when the cruise was and that she met this guy…she had a picture on her phone.” She sat back in the booth. “It was weird. He was kind of frumpy looking and she made him sound like a dreamboat.”

  Max smiled, wondering when was the last time she had heard the term ‘dreamboat.’

  “It was a selfie and you could see the ocean in the background. It must have been windy because his hair was kind of sticking up.”

  “Thank you,” Lil said. “That’s good to know. I imagine the police have found her phone and they can check it out. You see, we have speculated that Al Carson wasn’t his real name, and maybe he killed her to avoid having anyone here in town know about his romance with her.”

  “Oh, gosh,” Cathy said. “That’s awful. Do you know what the guy’s name really is?”

  “We might,” Max said. “The police are working on it.” At least, she hoped they were.

  “Is there anything else Barbara said that might indicate who would murder her?” Lil asked.

  “No,” Mary said. “How do you know it wasn’t just random?”

  “We don’t. But we wonder what she was doing there, or if she was killed somewhere else, why did the killer move her body to the haunted house?” Max lifted a piece of gooey pizza from the pan to her plate, swiping at the long string of cheese, and continued. “It was a deliberate attempt to stage the body, and the main customers were children, for heaven’s sake. That’s really sick.”

  “Well, Barbara certainly didn’t seem worried or scared. She was really hoping to meet up with this Al Carson guy. Or whatever his name was.” Cathy took a big bite of her slice. “Mmmmm. This is yummy.”

  Mary shivered. “Can we talk about something else? This murder spooks me out. Cathy said you sisters travel together a lot? That sounds wonderful. My sister died three years ago from heart problems, and I miss her so much. I wish we had done some traveling together.”

  “Do you have any other siblings?” Cathy asked.

  Lil laughed. “Actually we have two younger sisters and a brother. But they all have families and our sisters think we’re nuts. I’m not sure they would go with us even if they were alone.” She looked at Max.

  “I’m sure they wouldn’t.”

  The rest of meal, Max and Lil recounted some of their adventures, and Mary and Cathy talked about some of the tours they had taken.

  “We met a year ago on a bus trip to Kentucky,” Mary said. “It followed the Bourbon Trail.” She smirked at Cathy. “Cathy likes her bourbon.”

  “Oh, hush,” Cathy said. “I didn’t notice you avoiding it. One night—omigosh!”

  They all swiveled their heads toward the pickup counter where Cathy was staring.

  “It’s Art Carnel,” Max said. His back was to them but his face was easily visible in the overhead curved mirror.

  “I think that’s the guy in the picture with Barbara!” Cathy said in a low voice.

  Just then Carnel looked up into the mirror and frowned. He paid for his pizza and turned around.

  “Ladies,” he said with a faint smile, nodded and walked out the door.

  “Are you sure?” Lil asked Cathy.

  “Well, I couldn’t swear to it but it sure looks like him.”

  “You may have to identify a photo for the sheriff. Especially if they never found Barbara’s phone,” Max told her.

  Mary shuddered. “Because he might be the murderer.”

  Max nodded. “It’s possible.”

  They finished stuffing themselves as they rehashed the killing, in spite of Mary’s unease about the subject, and asked the waiter for carryout boxes. Max and Lil didn’t learn anything else new. Mary paid the bill and they headed back to the Hilltop Inn.

  After exchanging email addresses and good luck wishes on their respective travels, Mary and Cathy waved goodbye, and Max and Lil left for Terry’s house.

  On the way, they approached the country road that led to the haunted house. Max slowed down.

  Lil frowned. “What are you doing?”

  “I know we can’t get in the house, but I’d like to take a look around. All that rain, there should be tracks left by the murderer.”

  “Unless the rain washed them all away.”

  “I won’t know unless I look.”

  “It’s dark out.”

  “Of course it is. It’s—” Max looked at her watch in the streetlight—“7:30 pm in October. It’s always dark then.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Lil said, and gripped the door handle just in time as Max spun the wheel toward the country blacktop.

  “Look at it this way—we can take a quick look around without anyone questioning where we are—Terry, Camille, the police chief…”

  “Maybe if we are worried about accounting to those people, there’s a good reason. They would say we are nuts! This is probably dumber than breaking in to Dutch Schultz’s apartment last summer.”

  “Probably,” Maxine said cheerfully.

  Lil sighed and folded her arms, but made no further comment.

  They reached the lane and Max drove carefully up to the house. The headlights only picked out the drive and the dead leaves alongside. The signs of course were still gone, and when they pulled up in front of the house, the porch was wrapped with crime scene tape.

  “Hand me the flashlight out of the glovebox,” Max ordered.

  “Yes, Ma’am!” Lil shot back.

  Max ducked under the tape and climbed the steps to try the door. Locked, as she expected. She descended the steps and headed around the side of the house. The other door opened on the Studebaker.

  “Wait!” Lil called.

  Max turned and used the light to guide Lil’s feet as she stumbled as fast as she could through the piles of leaves and brush. “I thought you’d stay in the car.”

  “Not by myself.”

  “Oh, right,” Max laughed. “Like I’m any protection.”

  Lil bent over to catch her breath. “But I don’t want to die alone.”

  “That’s encouraging. Okay, let’s see what we can find.” Max swept the flashlight back and forth ahead of them.

  The shrubs and plantings along the house suffered from both overgrown weeds and early frosts. Some appeared to be beaten down by the storm and others possibly trampled. The trampled areas weren’t necessarily near windows, though, so no logical explanation for them came to mind.

  At the back of the house, rather than go through the garden, Max turned away from the house and walked along the garden fence. At the corner, a barely discernible path led into the woods. Max followed it.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lil whispered.

  “Of course not. But I think there are some outbuildings down this way. I saw them from an upstairs window the first day we came here.”

  “Don’t you think the police have checked this all out?”

  “Maybe. But maybe not.”

  Lil scoffed. “You wouldn’t admit it even if you had watched them do it.”

  “Maybe not.”

  “This is stupid.”

  “Jeez-Louise, Lil, what did you come along tonight for?”

  “A free pizza. Why are you stopping?”

  “Because of this fence across the path.” Max stepped to the side and aimed the flashlight at a barricade ahead.

  Lil moved around her and peered past the fence into the darkness. “It’s another farm or something, you think? Look
s like the woods end. I can tell there are large buildings around an open lot.”

  “I can’t see if there’s a house or not, but it doesn’t feel abandoned. Let’s go back. This doesn’t feel right.” Max led the way back up the path.

  “It never did feel right,” Lil muttered.

  When they reached the garden fence, they skirted it toward the back of the lot. The unearthly ballroom dancers swayed in the breeze, barely visible in the ambient light.

  Max remembered a tool shed and perhaps another building behind that on the other side of the garden. They walked between the garden fence and more overgrown woods. The normal night sounds seemed amplified—an owl hooting in the distance, scrabbling noises in the underbrush, and distant traffic noises from the nearest highway. A twig broke.

  Lil grabbed Max by the shoulder. “What was that?”

  “Just an animal. Relax.”

  Lil listened harder and tried to walk more quietly. She thought she heard a cough. Her ears playing tricks maybe.

  Maybe not.

  They reached the tool shed.

  “Here, hold the flashlight.” Max turned the simple chunk of wood nailed to the doorframe and pulled the door open. “Shine it in here.”

  Lil made none of her usual comments on Max’s bossiness and pointed the light toward the interior of the shed. The usual rakes, shovels, and spades stood along the walls. A rusted push mower took up most of the center and a few chipped clay pots lined the high shelves.

  “What is that in the corner?’

  Lil gasped as she illuminated the pile of cloth and recognized an arm poking out to one side.

  Max answered her own question. “I think it’s a manikin.” She took the light and maneuvered around the mower.

  “The one that was in the bedroom?”

  Max pulled the lumpy object, like a large rag doll, upright. It had no clothes or hair but sported dark eye makeup and bright garish lips.

  “I don’t think so. It didn’t have this kind of makeup. This one—or one like it—was at the dining room table. It reminded me of Morticia Addams.”

  “Who?”

  “You know—the Addams Family. My favorite TV show back in the day.”