A Mold For Murder (8 page)

There were a few murmurs among my brothers and sisters. The Perkins clan had been in the soap business, and just the soap business, for generations. It was a dramatic proposal indeed.

Kate went on, speaking over the doubters. “We need to drag ourselves into the twenty-first century. There are so many complementary products we should be carrying that fit perfectly with our carefully and lovingly handcrafted soap.”

I raised a hand, an acceptable form of questioning. Kate looked reluctant to call on me, but I didn’t back down, and she finally acknowledged me. No doubt she was expecting a blast, since I was known as one of the more traditional members of our family. I was a man of limited interests, devoting my life to the craft of soapmaking, and I could see how she might think I’d believe it heresy to branch out.

“What products did you have in mind, and are they things we can make here ourselves?”

She, along with the rest of my family, appeared to be shocked to hear an intelligent question coming from me.

“I’m glad you asked, Ben. I believe we should start small, with just a few products that we can easily fabricate ourselves. In addition, there are kits available from some of our suppliers.”

“That’s all well and good, but what exactly are you talking about?”

I’d forgotten to raise my hand, but nobody commented on it. Kate held up a display that she’d obviously spent a great deal of time on.

“In the beginning, I think we should add lip balms and hand lotions, but at a later date, I’d like to add bath salts and fizzies to our line.”

I nodded. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

“Benjamin, I didn’t see your hand,” Mom said, though I could tell that she approved of my statements.

“Look closer, Mom, they’re both right here,” I said as I waved them in the air.

That got a chuckle from most of my family, but not my mother. “Are you finished with your tomfoolery? Kate has more to tell us.”

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try,” I said.

Kate grinned at me, but she cut it short as our mother returned her attention to the front.

She continued, “Making these products is in many ways similar to what we do now. We’ll go over the processes later, but initially, I’d like you all to approve a Spa Indulgence corner of the sales floor. I think a six-month test would be fair, and I’d like to get started on it immediately.”

She sat down in a nearby chair, and I could see the presentation had been a strain for her. Kate was wonderful one-on-one, but she was uncomfortable speaking in front of groups, even if she happened to be related to the entire audience.

I raised my hand. “I have some questions about profit margins on small runs in back and sales up here. Have you done any kind of financial breakdown on your proposal?”

Kate nodded. “I’ve done cost-benefit analyses on everything, and we can actually make more money on these new items than we do on soap.”

That got a few nods from the crowd. We all kept a careful watch on our business bottom line, and if anything could add to it, most of us would be in favor of it.

“How about the materials? What are we going to have to carry that we don’t already have?”

“We can get our needed supplies from John Labott,” Kate said as she nodded toward Louisa. “He’s giving us a very good deal on our materials.”

And why shouldn’t he, since he’d been dating Louisa for some time?

“Are there any other questions?” Kate asked.

“Where would you like to put it?” Mom asked sternly. She guarded the store’s layout with a vengeance, and I knew that would be the hardest part of Kate’s sale.

She stood and walked to the corner between the break room and the outer wall. It was the least desirable floor space in the shop. “We could put it right here.”

“Nonsense,” Mom said. “That would never work. It’s where I have the clearance section. Do you have any other ideas?”

“Not just yet,” Kate asked. “I wanted to see what you all thought of the basic idea first.”

“Very well,” Mom said. “If there are no other questions, we will vote. In order of your ages, come into the break room and fill out a ballot.
Yes
means you approve of the idea,
no
means the opposite. Any questions?”

I started to say something sarcastic, but I buried it when I saw the tension on Kate’s face.

No one else said anything either. “Let’s vote.”

The second Mom walked into the break room, my siblings gathered around Kate to congratulate her on her presentation.

Mom popped out a second later. “Benjamin? It’s your turn.”

I went into the break room and wrote
yes
in bold letters.

Five minutes later, we’d all voted, and Mom said, “I’ll be right back.”

She was as good as her word, but when she rejoined us, there was a stern look on her face. Kate’s expression died the second she saw it.

Mom announced, “We have a decision. Congratulations, Kate. You’ve got your space.”

We all celebrated with her until Mom held up one hand. “There’s just one problem, as I see it.”

“What’s that?” Kate asked, her enthusiasm tempered for a moment.

“Since the back area clearly won’t do, I’d like to propose we give your idea a fair trial and make room toward the front of the shop. Do you have any objections?”

For a second Kate was nine years old. She hugged Mom and said, “Thank you. Thank you all.”

We applauded, and Mom said, “I expect to see your layout before you touch a single item on our shelves. Agreed?”

“Absolutely,” Kate said.

Mom nodded, then said, “The meeting is adjourned.”

We were all feeling pretty good about our family and our business when the phone rang. Louisa just happened to be standing nearby, so she picked it up, despite the fact that we were officially closed.

“Ben, it’s for you,” she said over the chatter of our family.

“Take a message,” I said. “This calls for champagne.”

“I think you’re going to want to take this call,” she said, and I felt my heart sink. I had no idea who wanted to talk to me, but from the look on Louisa’s face, there was little doubt in my mind that I wasn’t going to like it.

FIVE

“
THIS
is Ben Perkins,” I said, after getting a quizzical look from Louisa. Why was she staring at me like that? She had to know more about who was on the telephone than I did, since she was the one who had just answered it.

“Am I interrupting anything?” a familiar voice asked.

“Hi, Kelly. No, we’re just handling some family business. What can I do for you?”

“Ben, we need to talk,” she said.

“If it’s about Diana, I already ran into Molly. She said your meeting today didn’t go particularly well. Good job.”

“Ben, you know I can’t talk to you about one of my clients.”

“Then what did you want to talk about?” She certainly had my curiosity up.

Kelly hesitated, then said, “I can’t do this over the phone. Are you free tonight?”

“What about your daughter?” I asked, not mentioning her ex-husband Wade’s name. Kelly had broken up with me to reconcile with him, though I’d heard enough rumors around town that it wasn’t working out. I had been upset losing Kelly, and then Diana had come into my life. Still, I had enough feelings left for Kelly to feel my heart skip just a little at the sound of her voice, even though I was firmly committed to Diana.

“Annie and Wade are having dinner together,” Kelly admitted. “I don’t suppose you’d like to get a bite with me, would you?”

“Sorry, but I’ve got plans with Diana,” I said, not trying to be hurtful in any way.

“I understand,” Kelly said, a little more curtly than I liked. “Would you have time to meet me afterward, then?”

I glanced at my watch. “I’m not picking her up for an hour, so if you’ve got the time, I can meet you now. Should I come by your office?”

“How did you know where I was?” she asked. “Have you been keeping tabs on me?”

“No, I just figured that’s where you would be.” I’d driven past her law office several times lately, at all hours of the day and night, and more often than not, Kelly’s car was parked out front. I didn’t know when she had time for Annie, but then I realized that really wasn’t any of my business anymore.

“I’ll see you in five minutes,” I added.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

After I hung up the phone, I started toward the door, but Louisa cut me off. “What was that all about?”

“What are you talking about? Can’t a man be friends with an old girlfriend?”

“She hasn’t had that status long,” Louisa said. “Ben, you’re not going to do something stupid, are you?”

“I rarely plan those kinds of things in advance,” I said, trying to lighten the tone of our conversation. We were starting to attract some attention from our other family members, and I hated to be in their crosshairs, especially tonight.

“I mean it,” she said. “You need to be careful.”

“I will,” I said, then I stopped and kissed Kate on the cheek on my way out. “Congratulations, Sis, you did a fine job.”

“I was scared to death, and you know it,” she said. “But thanks for your vote.”

“How do you know I voted yes?” I asked her.

“Because I’d kill you if you didn’t.”

I laughed. “My pencil nearly pierced the ballot, I pressed down so heard on that
y
.”

“So where are you off to? Stay and celebrate with us.”

“I’d love to, but I’ve got an appointment.”

“This late in the day?” Kate asked as she glanced at her watch. “Are you sure you can’t put it off until tomorrow?”

“From the sound of things, it won’t wait,” I said as I ducked out without any more explanations. As I drove my Miata to Kelly’s office, I couldn’t help wondering what she wanted to talk about. Even though I knew I’d find out soon enough, that still didn’t keep me from speculating on a thousand different possibilities as I drove to her office.

 

 

“
THANKS
for coming by on such short notice, Ben,” Kelly said as I walked in.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about your summons. What’s going on?”

“Right to the heart of the matter. That’s one of the things I like best about you.” Her voice softened as she added, “You seem happy.”

“I can’t imagine how. It’s more than a little disturbing to have someone killed in my shop. When you consider that Diana is tied in with the victim, I’d say all and all I’m pretty miserable at the moment.”

“I meant before today,” she added haltingly.

What did she expect me to say? “Kelly, I’m sorry for everything that happened between us.”

She looked at me as if I’d slapped her. “I’m not. I enjoyed spending time with you. I just wish . . .”

I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation with her. “You know I did, too. That’s not what I meant. I should have said how sorry I was about how things ended. I guess we both just wanted different things. Please tell me that’s not why you called me this evening.”

She shrugged her shoulders slightly, then looked carefully at me as she asked, “You’re digging into this woman’s murder, aren’t you?”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” I replied as innocently as I could manage.

She laughed. “Come on, Ben, I haven’t known you forever like just about everyone else in Harper’s Landing has, but I know you can’t pass this up, especially with what’s at stake.”

“Okay, I’ll admit that I’ve been giving it some thought, but there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“Not as far as I’m concerned.” She picked a brass paperweight up off her desk, shifted it from hand to hand, then put it back down. “What I’m about to share with you is idle speculation, nothing more. I’ve mentioned it to Molly, but I’m afraid she’s not being as zealous as either one of us would like.”

“And you think I will be? I’m a soapmaker first and foremost, not a detective.”

Kelly smiled. “Ben, this isn’t your first mix-up with murder. You’ve proven to have good instincts when it comes to these matters, and I don’t doubt you can be of assistance now. But if you’d rather not know what I suspect, I’ll apologize for bothering you and you can be on your way.”

I wasn’t about to get up from that seat until she told me what she had to say, and we both knew it. It was time to cut to the chase, though.

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“Then you admit you’re investigating this Brown woman’s homicide?”

She was baiting me now. “Kelly, I’m not a hostile witness on the stand. I admit it.”

That got an instant look of contrition from her. “I’m sorry. I’ve been dragging this out, haven’t I? I suspect that I’ve been a little lonely lately, and I’m taking advantage of you.”

How could she be lonely? She had a daughter and a husband at home with her. I wasn’t about to get into that with her, though. While we were still cordial toward each other, we’d both treated the subject of our past as a forbidden topic of conversation up until now.

She paused, then said, “I suspect one of Molly’s fellow police officers is a little more involved in this case than she’s willing to acknowledge.”

She certainly knew how to get my attention.

“What makes you say that?”

Kelly leaned forward in her chair. “I’ve had some dealings in Fiddler’s Gap that might be a factor in this case. While I don’t doubt for an instant that Molly’s sources here in town are broader reaching than mine, I doubt she has the connections in other areas I do. What do you know about Fiddler’s Gap?”

“I haven’t spent much time there, besides going to Krankle’s Bakery.” Kelly had introduced me to the odd but sweet old couple, and I’d been going there whenever I had the chance ever since. It was one of those family businesses that gave small towns part of their charm.

“They’re on vacation for the next six weeks, did you know that? Anyway, I was up there a few months ago, and I got into a conversation with Gustav about a customer of his who left as I was coming in. The man looked vaguely familiar, but I didn’t know his name. Anyway, you know how Gustav likes to talk, so he started telling me about the man. He said he’d been jilted at the altar twenty years ago, and it had soured him on love. It took me a few weeks to realize where I’d seen him before, and then it came to me. His name’s Brian Ross, and he’s a cop right here in Harper’s Landing.”