Accessory to Murder (27 page)

“Those stupid stencils are going. I did them myself—so eighties. I'll replace them with crown molding. The vanity has to be ripped out, too. I decorate other people's houses, but my own is a slum. Towels are on the chaise longue.”

Josie wrapped herself in a fat fluffy towel and staggered off to the john. She'd had only a few sips of wine, but she was definitely woozy. Unless she was staggering from all the food she ate. She felt odd. Very odd. Josie wondered if there was something wrong with Joanie's fresh-ground cinnamon.

Even in her woozy state, Josie knew the bathroom wouldn't win any awards for originality. It was powder pink with a boxy beige vanity and a gold-framed mirror. Stenciled near the ceiling was some sort of design. Josie stood on tiptoe for a closer look, then nearly fell backward.

Ohmigod.

It was Halley's famous bird-and-bluebell design, except it was pale pink. It looked so forgettable in that color.

Where did Linda get that design? Did she borrow it from Halley—or did Halley steal it from her?

Suddenly, the puzzle pieces began falling into place. Josie wiped her wet feet on the pink rug and tiptoed through the house to check the theatrical photos in the den again.
Snap!
Another piece fit.

On the way back to the pool, she passed through Linda's kitchen. On the desk there was a pile of magazine subscription cards and catalogs—The Territory Ahead, Harry & David, Omaha Steaks, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co. All the places that had deluged Josie with boxes.
Snap. Snap.
More puzzle pieces fit together.

In the wine rack by the dining room were six bottles of Topolos Alicante Bouschet, the prizewinning California wine. Linda didn't pick up those bottles at the supermarket. She had to order them. And Josie had had a case delivered to her house.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
More pieces. She was getting the whole picture now.

Josie stumbled back out to the pool, dazed by what she'd seen. She had to get out of there. She'd make her excuses and leave. No, run. She wouldn't even bother getting dressed. She'd grab her clothes and drive straight to Alyce's. She could call the cops and Jake's lawyer from there.

“What's wrong?” Linda said. She stood up too quickly and grabbed the chaise arm to steady herself.

“I have to go. I got a call on my cell phone,” Josie said. “Mom needs me.”

“Your mother called you?” Linda said.

“Just now, when I was in the bathroom,” Josie lied.

“I don't think so,” Linda said. “Your cell phone is right here on the table. You put it there, remember?”

The phone sat there like a silent accusation.

Without warning, Linda pushed Josie headfirst into the hot tub.

Josie choked, sputtered, and swallowed great gulps of water. She tried not to panic as she flailed around in the warm hot tub. She was bigger than Linda. She could fight her way out. She just had to get her head above the water.

At last, Josie clawed her way to the surface, shook her waterlogged head, and opened her chlorine-raw eyes.

She was staring down the barrel of a pearl-handled pistol.

Josie could hear the hot tub bubbling like a demented cauldron.

Linda was standing over her, a rabid beach bunny in a pale green bikini. The pearl-handled pistol was small but deadly, like the woman holding it. Looking down that barrel was like staring into eternity.

The fear reached through Josie's fog. Linda didn't seem drunk anymore. She was in control. She had a crazy light in her eyes—the yellow-green that signaled tornado weather. Linda was hell-bent on destruction.

“You figured it out, didn't you, Josie?” Linda said. The soft, alcoholic slur was gone. Her voice was hard and steady.

Keep her talking, Josie thought. Maybe I can distract Linda or pull her into the water. I have to make her drop that weapon.

The adrenaline coursed through Josie's veins like liquid fire, washing away some of the drowsiness. She fought to marshal her scattered thoughts. Don't sit there, she told herself. Talk! But what do you say to a killer?

Josie knew Linda felt unappreciated. She'd try praise.

“Nobody sees how smart you are,” Josie said. “You're an actress. The photos were right on the wall, but nobody noticed. You played a boy in
Peter Pan
. It was easy to reprise that successful role and play another young man. You're small and thin. A little dark makeup, a stocking cap, some baggy clothes, and you could pass for a young male shooter. What did you do after—”

Josie hesitated while she searched for the right word. There was no polite way to describe Halley's killing. “After it was over? Run inside the mall and change clothes?”

“You got it in one,” Linda said. “I shot the bitch, then ducked into the diaper-changing stall in the women's restroom. I had some baby wipes in my pocket to remove the dark makeup. I took off the gangsta clothes. Underneath, I wore beige pants and a cashmere sweater. Nobody noticed my flats were Dearfoams slippers. They fit right inside my clunky athletic shoes.

“I buried the gangsta clothes and shoes under the smelly diapers in the trash. No one would search that waste can too closely. When I left the stall, I looked like every other woman at the Dorchester. I walked right out of the mall. I was home free.

“You're the only one who bothered to figure it out,” Linda said. Admiration tempered the steel in her voice. “The police acted like I was wallpaper. They asked me a few questions about Halley's mood and possible enemies, then dismissed the little woman. I didn't count. The cops knew the killer had to be somebody smart. Only men have brains.

“You're used to being underestimated, too, aren't you?” Linda's pistol wavered for a second. She righted it and pointed it straight at Josie's head.

“The police helped me by arresting some kid running through the other end of the mall. He'd committed that notorious African-American crime, RWB—Running While Black.”

Josie wished she had this confession on tape. She wished she wasn't sitting in a hot tub, sick and woozy, with a crazed killer pointing a weapon at her.

Keep Linda talking, she told herself. But it wasn't easy with a gun aimed at her right eye. Josie's mouth was so dry, she could hardly get the next words out.

“Halley stole your design, didn't she?” Josie struggled to stay awake. She wanted to slip into the warm water and close her eyes. What was wrong with her? How could she feel sleepy when she was facing death?

“She's a thief,” Linda said. “That pissed me off. She took my design and made it Halley blue. She transformed it with that color of hers. Nobody noticed my design in puke pink. Color is a vital element. I blew it. I admit that.

“I just wanted to go with her to New York. I didn't even ask for a share of her business. I wanted to work for Halley until I got my decorating business going. Her name and contacts could jump-start me in New York.

“You know what she said? I wasn't good enough. She stole my idea and then said I wasn't good enough.”

Linda's laugh was corrosive. “I nearly killed her right then. Fortunately, I didn't. They're wrong. Crime does pay.”

Snap!
The last piece fell into place. “You were the fifth investor,” Josie said. “You'll get a share in the keyman-policy money.”

If I'm dead and nobody knows you're the killer, Josie thought. She fought harder to remain alert. She wanted to lie down and sleep forever. No! She jolted upright. She saw Amelia, laughing as Josie baptized the giant turtle. Josie had to live. She didn't want to miss one day with her daughter.

“That's right,” Linda said. “I invested everything I'd saved to expand my decorating business in her career. A million dollars should be enough to get me out of here.”

“What about your little girl?” Josie asked.

The gun shook in Linda's hand, and her finger tightened on the trigger. Oops. Josie had said the wrong thing.

“You mean my little mistake?” Linda said. “She's better off without me. She's Daddy's little girl. If I go to New York, she'll have him all to herself. We never hit it off. Halley and I had that in common, too. Motherhood was a mistake and we both knew it. That's the problem with kids. You can't drop them off at the Humane Society when you get tired of them.

“Oh, don't look so shocked, Josie. Do you know how many women in Wood Winds are bored with playing Mommy? Give them enough wine and you'll find out. Half the women here would dump the kids like stray kittens if they could get away with it.”

Linda's red-gold hair came loose from its clip and tumbled down her back, giving her a wild beauty. Josie could see she was growing more upset. The gun barrel was almost in reach. A little closer, Josie thought. Just a step closer, and I'll be able to grab it. She fought back another wave of tiredness. Calm her down. Keep her talking while you look for an opening. And dammit, stay awake.

“Why did you set up Jake?” Josie said. “Not that I object. He's a jerk.” It felt good to say those last three words, even to a double murderer.

“Because he's an arrogant son of a bitch,” Linda said. “He was at Halley's house a hundred times and barely remembered my name. Every time we met, he'd say the same thing, ‘You're Linda, right?' Then he'd forget and we'd go through that routine again.

“He always remembered Halley's name. She promised to make him rich. Halley knew how to lead men on.”

Josie had a sudden flash of inspiration. “Jake did more than forget your name. He cut you out of the New York job, didn't he?”

“See, you are smart,” Linda said. “Or maybe you know Jake. I bet he never quite remembers your name, no matter how many times he sees you with Alyce.”

“That's right,” Josie said.

Jake is facing murder charges because he forgot Linda's name, Josie thought. He made her feel like nothing. And she got her revenge. Amelia was right. The little things we aren't aware of can make a lasting impression on someone else.

“Halley killed me, but Jake put the stake through my heart,” Linda said. “The keyman policy required us to have a backup administration in place in New York, in case anything happened to Halley. She was traveling to Italy twice a month, and that wasn't the safest country for a businessperson. There'd been a rash of kidnappings.

“I offered my services as backup. I had all the qualifications. I had a successful decorating business. I knew how to run an office, and I had design experience. Experience? Halley stole my design, although I'd kept my mouth shut.”

“Why didn't you sue her?” Josie said.

“Because I still had hopes of riding on her coattails. I thought I could guilt her into taking me to New York. But Halley told the other investors I wasn't talented enough. And Jake, charming Jake, said I was ‘only a housewife' with no executive experience or planning skills. So the other investors voted against me, and hired someone in New York.

“That's when I decided to kill Halley and blame Jake for her murder. He'd never guess it was me. I didn't exist for him. Well, he got a taste of my planning skills. I set him up so perfectly he'll never be free. The keyman insurance was my idea, by the way. Jake took credit for it. Maybe he really believed he suggested it. He'll pay dearly for stealing that idea. And me? Well, the million bucks I'll get from the keyman policy is more than I'd get suing Halley.

“Jake had a cold coming on, and he kept sneezing. Halley gave him a tissue. He used it and dropped it on the ground. That was so Jake. The world is his trash can. I picked it up and put it in my purse. It was yucky.”

Yucky? A woman who'd murdered two people thought a used tissue was yucky?

“I left it in the hotel room when I tied the scarves on the bedpost. That gave the cops their DNA. I used Halley's key to get in. Jake gave it to her. I slipped it out of her purse. Jake never asked the police if her hotel key was missing. He wasn't a detail man.

“I didn't know about the video in the parking garage, but it helped me. It was like God wanted me to blame Jake.”

Josie didn't think God had anything to do with it, but she kept that to herself. The pistol was still pointed at her eye, and Linda was gripping the gun tightly.

“I knew Halley's schedule,” Linda said. “When she was in town, she always checked the mall stores on Monday. I picked the Dorchester Mall for the carjacking because it had a crime problem. The purse snatchings and holdups were the talk of Wood Winds.

“Killing Halley was easy. I walked up and shot her. She looked surprised for a second, but she never said a word. She never knew it was me. My disguise was perfect. You know what? It felt good to kill her. I never lost a night's sleep. She deserved it.”

Josie shivered in the warm water. Linda wouldn't hesitate to shoot her when this monologue was over.

Keep her talking, Josie thought. Keep yourself alive. And stay awake. She dug her nails into her leg, and the pain brought her back.

“Jake deserved what happened to him,” Josie said. She almost believed it. “But why kill Evelyn?”

“I put the suffering artist out of his misery.” Linda gave a hard, harsh laugh. “He figured it out. I don't know how, but he knew I was the killer. I'd underestimated him. I never told a soul how I felt about Halley's betrayal. But I put it in a letter and sent it to her. I told her I wasn't going to sue, but I wanted Halley to know that I knew she'd stolen my idea. It was my only mistake. Somehow, Evelyn got it. He knew it gave me a motive for her murder. It wasn't my fault, not really. His own greed killed him. The great lover wanted money to keep quiet. When I refused to pay him, he said someone else would buy that information.”

“So he called me,” Josie said.

“And tried to get the money from Alyce. I heard you on your cell phone at her house. I knew Alyce would pay anything to save Jake. I had to act fast. I called Evelyn, said I'm meet him at his place that night, and I'd pay twice what Alyce would.

“Evelyn was so trusting. He met me alone in his disgusting little rathole. He thought he could handle a housewife. He'd been drinking, as usual. I put secobarbital in his wine. He passed out in less than ten minutes. I strangled him with a Halley scarf.”

Wine. Josie's sluggish thoughts suddenly stirred. “You've drugged my wine.”

“That's right,” Linda said. “It's starting to work. I've been watching you fight it, but you won't be able to much longer. In another two or three minutes, you'll fall asleep and drown.”

That sent an electric jolt through Josie. Her eyes opened wide.

“Don't worry,” Linda said. “It won't hurt. I'll have some secobarbital in my wine, too, but not as much as I put in yours. My husband is due home early today. He'll find us. You, unfortunately, will have drowned in the hot tub. I will pass out on the chaise and survive.”

“But they'll trace the drug back to you,” Josie said.

“Do you think I'm stupid enough to order it at my own address, under my own name? I bought it on the Internet under a fake name.”

An angry Linda waved the gun at Josie. “They'll find traces of secobarbital in my wine, too. When they revive me, I won't remember much, except that Jake stopped by to talk to you and I invited him in.”

“Jake?” Josie said.

“Yes, Jake. They'll find the secobarbital bottle in his glove compartment. The arrogant twit still doesn't lock his car, even after all that's happened. Some people never learn.”

Josie waited for Linda to be distracted, so she could make a grab for the gun. But the demented decorator was too guarded.

“You sent me all those catalogs and packages,” Josie said. “You wanted to stop my investigation.”

“I wrote down your credit-card information when you were at my house. Women are so careless with their purses. Too bad my plan didn't work. I really liked you, Josie. I wanted you to live.”

Linda said that last sentence with such sadness, Josie almost felt sorry for her. Then it penetrated her drugged brain that this woman felt bad about killing her.

“When I couldn't stop you, I started planning to get rid of you. I took you seriously. If you hadn't stopped by today, I would have invited you tomorrow.”