A Mold For Murder (18 page)

I could see her shake a little as I got in the passenger seat. “You’re safe now.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I swear, you always seem to catch me at my most vulnerable. You must think I’m such a baby.”

“There you’d be wrong,” I said, as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to Harper’s Landing.

“It’s just been such an emotional day for me,” Sharon said. “I heard from Connie’s business manager this afternoon. It turns out he’s the executor of her estate, too, so he had the inside scoop on her will. I know you were curious about that.”

“What did he have to say?”

Sharon shrugged. “I’m not supposed to say anything just yet, but I can tell you that the bulk of Connie’s estate went to one person. Before you ask, it wasn’t me. I’ve been authorized to stay at the motel until the end of the week, then I’ll get a modest settlement. That’s it.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. What else was there I could say?

“It’s okay,” she said. “I knew this job wouldn’t last forever. I just never expected it to end so abruptly.”

“What are you going to do after this?”

She stared out at the road for a few seconds, then said, “Maybe I’ll go back to school. Or who knows? I might even write a book of my own. I helped Connie with the last few she wrote, and it wasn’t that hard.” Sharon shook her head. “Listen to me, making all these plans with not much more than a dime to my name. It will all work out, I know that much. After all, it always has so far.”

She drove a little more, then said, “Ben, has anybody ever told you that you are an easy man to talk to?”

“I like to listen,” I said.

“You’re very good at it.” She paused, then glanced over at me. “Can you keep a secret?”

“I’ve been known to hold on to a few over the years,” I admitted.

“Your girlfriend Diana is going to get a nice green surprise, and it won’t be long.”

“You’re not talking about Connie’s will, are you?”

She grinned, then put one finger to her lips. “Shhh, it’s a secret, remember?”

“That’s terrible,” I said without thinking.

“What’s so terrible about inheriting a hundred thousand dollars? If that’s bad news, I could use some myself.”

I frowned as I turned the ramifications of the inheritance over in my mind. “Don’t you understand? When Molly finds out that Diana is going to profit from Connie’s death, that’s going to make her an even stronger suspect than she already is.”

Sharon bit her lower lip. “I never thought of it that way. I’m sorry, I thought I was sharing some good news.”

“And it will be,” I said, “once this cloud over her is gone. I’ll keep your secret.”

“I know you will. That’s why I told you. Listen, it’s silly for you to have to get a ride from the motel to your car. Why don’t I drop you off at your apartment, and then I can drive myself back to my room.”

It would have been a hassle calling someone to come get me. “Are you sure? I could always follow you back to your room once I have my car.”

“Nonsense. Ben, I’m a grown woman. I can handle driving around Harper’s Landing all by myself.”

I looked over at her, but if there was any doubt in her mind, she didn’t show it. “That would be great,” I said.

“Good. Then it’s settled.” She drove on, then said, “I wonder what Barry and Molly are talking about?”

“I doubt it involves the weather,” I said. “If it will make you feel any better, I can call you as soon as I hear from Molly.”

“You wouldn’t mind doing that for me?”

“I’d be happy to,” I said.

We were approaching the soap shop, and she pulled into the customer lot. “Your car’s not here.”

“It’s around back. That’s where all the family parks.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” She looked over at me and said, “Ben, thanks for coming to my rescue tonight.”

“I didn’t do anything but keep Molly company,” I admitted. “She did all the work.”

“Don’t sell your presence short,” she said.

I got out and closed the door. As I did, she said, “See you tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it,” I said, and she drove off.

TEN

SUDDεNLγ
I was in no mood to go back to my empty apartment. I walked back to the front of the soap shop, but no one was there. It was a pleasant evening, so I chose one of the rocking chairs on the porch and stared out at our herb and flower garden.

Usually I was fine with being single and on my own, but I did seem to be happier whenever there was someone else in my life. If Connie Brown had never come to town, as the contessa or as herself, I would be with Diana right now, but that just wasn’t possible at the moment. Sharon’s admission that Diana stood to inherit a large amount of money because of Connie’s death had shaken me more than I realized. After all, Diana was the only one still alive who had been privy to the conversation between her and Connie the night before the murder. While Diana’s account seemed reasonable enough, was it the truth? I could envision a much more dramatic confrontation, filled with confessions, pleas, and violent reactions. I wanted to believe Diana with all my heart, but she’d mentioned too many times what a crushing blow losing her parents had been.

But had it been enough to turn her into a murderer? Diana certainly had motive. Since a hammer from our shop had been used in the homicide, the means were present. That left opportunity, and she’d been at the soap shop for the signing. I hadn’t kept tabs on her after we’d separated before the actual event, so it was possible she could have slipped into the back room and committed the murder. A chill went through me when I recalled what she said trying to get back into Where There’s Soap later. She claimed she’d spilled something on her clothes.

Diana had claimed it was a drink, but could it have been blood instead?

“Stop it,” I said to myself out loud. I could easily make a lot of the same accusations of any of my other suspects. With the back door unlocked, anybody could have had access to that hammer and the murder victim, so the means and opportunity were there for all of them.

That left motive. Betsy Blair had reason enough to want Connie Brown dead, if the plagiarism claim was real. Sharon Goldsmith may have thought she was getting more than she did, or her employer could have driven her to the point of murder out of mistreatment, no matter how much she protested that Connie was normally much nicer, and that I’d just seen her in her worst light. Sharon had been a no-show at the signing, something that had struck me as odd at the time. Either Barry Hill or Brian Ross could have killed her as jilted suitors, no matter how many years separated their betrothals to the murder victim.

I wished my grandfather Paulus was in town. It would be good to hash things out with him, but he wasn’t in any hurry to get back from his European trip.

I didn’t notice the car pull up in the side lot, and I didn’t look up until I heard footsteps approach.

I never would have guessed who was paying me a visit.

“May I join you?” Kelly Sheer asked softly.

“Pull up a rocker,” I said, gesturing to one of the chairs on the porch.

“I saw you sitting out here as I drove past the shop. Were you talking to yourself, Ben?”

“Maybe just a little,” I admitted.

She nodded. Kelly was still dressed in a suit, but I noticed she’d let her hair down, something I’d never seen her do while she was in her “lawyer” mode.

“You’re working late,” I said.

“Annie and her father are in Charlotte again,” she said simply. “It helps me fill the time.”

I took it in without comment, since there was nothing I could really say.

“A lot’s been happening over the past few days,” I finally said. What was wrong with me? This was a woman I’d enjoyed talking to in the past, and our current level of comfort with each other was more like a job interview than a casual conversation.

“More things have been going on than you realize.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

She started to answer—I could feel it by the way she rocked forward—when I heard my littlest sister’s voice. “Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?” Cindy asked.

Her light mood died, and I realized that she must have seen our faces. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I forgot my purse.”

When she ducked into the shop, Kelly stood. “I’d better be going.”

“You don’t have to leave,” I said.

“Honestly, it’s better if I do.”

I was still trying to figure her out when Cindy came back. She looked around for Kelly, then said, “I didn’t mean to run her off, Ben.”

“You didn’t,” I said. “Do you have a second?”

“For you?” she asked with a smile. “I always have time for my big brother.” She moved gracefully into the chair, and I marveled at how my baby sister had grown into such a lovely, poised young woman.

As she settled in beside me, I said, “I’m surprised you don’t have a date tonight.”

She smiled. “What makes you think I don’t?”

“Don’t let me keep you then,” I said. “I know how impatient your young men tend to get when you keep them waiting.”

“It’s good for them to get a little antsy,” she said, settling back in her chair, obviously in no hurry. “So, what’s up with the murder investigation? Can you believe the newspaper? We should sue them. I can’t believe everything turned out the way it did. What are you going to do next?”

I grinned over at her. “Which question would you like me to answer first?”

“Take your pick,” Cindy said. “I’ve got the time.”

“The investigation is taking more turns than a drive in the mountains. Every time I think I’ve got my finger on who killed Connie Brown, something happens to make me doubt my earlier choice.”

She rocked a few seconds, then said, “It can’t help that Diana is a suspect. Does Molly really think she might have done it?”

I shrugged. “Molly Wilkes is a real pro, no matter what some folks in Harper’s Landing might think. She goes by evidence, not her idea of what the truth might be. The two of us have had our share of differences in the past—the whole world knows that well enough—but I trust her. She’ll figure out who did it.”

Cindy pinched my arm. “Along with a little help from my oldest brother. Ben, she relies on you more than either one of you will admit. I know how much you like to snoop.” She rocked a few seconds more, then asked, “Why did you become a soapmaker and not a cop?”

“Soap is in my blood,” I said. “I can’t imagine ever doing anything else. I might dip my toe in the detecting water now and then, but I could never do what Molly does.” I paused my rocking long enough to ask, “Speaking of career choices, how is your decision coming? Any ideas on a career path?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do. Soapmaking is fun, but do I really want to spend the rest of my life making seashells and turtles, and teaching people how to enhance their homemade soap? How fulfilling could that be?”

“You’d be surprised,” I said, careful to keep my voice neutral.

“Ben, I didn’t mean anything by that. You know I respect the family business. I’m just not sure it’s for me. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“Littlest sister, you’d have to do a lot more than that to bother me. I know soapmaking might not be for everybody, but I love doing it. I thought you enjoyed teaching classes.”

She shrugged. “I do. I’m just not sure it’s all I ever want to do.”

“I understand,” I said, “but we’re not that rigid around here. Work with us until you figure out what you want to do with your life.”

“No thank you. It would be too easy to get sucked into the family business forever. I can just see waking up right here thirty years from now and wondering how I let it happen.”

“Ultimately,” I said, “we all have to make that decision for ourselves. I’m glad you’re giving this a year’s trial, but it’s going to be up soon. If you’re eager to get out, you should probably make a break for it soon before we get our claws all the way in you.”

Cindy rocked forward and stood up.

“Hey, I was just joking,” I said as I looked up at her.

She smiled slightly. “I know, but you’re right. It’s time I made a decision. I just don’t want to disappoint the family.”

“And by family, you mean Mom, don’t you?”

“She’s a big part of it,” Cindy admitted.

“Choose your path and live it to the fullest. If you give it anything less than everything you’ve got, that’s the only way Mom will ever be disappointed in you. We all love you, and nothing would delight the entire family more if you found a niche here with us, but we all want you to be happy. That’s what’s important.”

“Thanks, Ben,” she said softly. There was a somber mood between us, and it was pretty obvious that Cindy felt it every bit as much as I did. She added lightly, “So, are you going to sit out here all night, or are you going home?”

“I think I’ll stay awhile longer,” I said. “But you don’t have to keep me company. Go on, you’ve kept your date waiting long enough.”

She leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Thanks for the talk.”

“Anytime,” I said.

I’d meant every word I’d said to her. It wasn’t a requisite that family members work at Where There’s Soap. It had just turned out that way. But if Cindy wanted to go out in the world and find her own way, I’d do my best to support her. I’d made a vow to myself that I’d watch out for her the day she’d been born, and I wasn’t about to break it now.

 

 

I
decided I’d sat around on the porch long enough. I wasn’t in the mood for company, so I drove my Miata to my apartment and made myself another sandwich. I wasn’t getting much nutrition in the way of fruits or vegetables lately, but I wasn’t a big fan of cooking a big meal when it was just me. Maybe I’d go out and get a strawberry milkshake later. That ought to satisfy a couple of the food groups, fruit and dairy, too. As much to keep me company as anything else, I flipped the television on and looked for some sporting event to take my mind off my problems.