Death in Reel Time (7 page)

I could see he was deciding whether to push further to
get her alone. Finally he walked over and pulled a chair in front of her. He sat, his knees almost touching hers, and took her hand.

“It's your husband, Beth. There's been an incident. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but Blaine's dead.”

A
SHOCKED SILENCE FELL OVER
the room and for the first time I realized what people mean when they say it was as if time stood still. Beth stared at Denny, an eerie, perplexed smile on her face.

“No, he's not dead,” she said. “It's not that. Not that at all. I did yard work today; there were so many leaves to rake. The shade is lovely in the summer, but then you have all those leaves.” She put out a hand, palm open. “I've got blisters even though I wore work gloves the whole time.”

“Beth,” Denny said, cupping her shoulder with his hand. “Beth, I'm sorry, but Blaine is dead. There's no mistake. We found him in the lake about a half hour ago.”

Olivia let out a sound that was somewhere between a squawk and a gasp and moved quickly to Beth's side. Winston stood to let Daniel get to her as well, but Beth shrugged off her mother's embrace and wiggled out to stand near the window, fists clenched at her sides. “That's not right,” she insisted. “It wasn't that hard, only who would think two trees
could make that many leaves. Really? I just get so tired. I can't go on like this. I can't be the one who—”

Suddenly she stopped babbling and it was as if her core had melted. She crumpled to the floor before anyone had a chance to catch her. Out cold.

Olivia, Marydale, and Coco immediately formed a triage team, scurrying to get cool cloths and smelling salts. They seemed to know what they were doing. The guys looked on helplessly and I asked if I should call 911. Olivia shook her head. “I think it's the shock. Let's give her a minute.”

The rest of us stepped across the hall to the dining room while the women, Daniel, and Tony saw to Beth. Almost everyone had been stunned into a speechless stupor or else they were trying to be circumspect, but Esme was neither. She set right in on Denny, shooting questions rapid fire. What happened? Was it an accident? A car wreck? Where did it happen? Was he absolutely sure it was Blaine?

Denny held up a hand. “Look,” he said, glancing around the group before his eyes came back to rest on Esme. “You know I trust you all not to run your mouths, but this is an active investigation and I've got to watch what I say. I'll tell you this much. It was not an accident, though it hasn't been ruled on yet. A kayaker came upon his body floating in the lake. Poor kid was shook up so bad he had to be sedated. Cause of death is not official, the coroner will make that call, but there's no question it was Blaine Branch; I saw the body myself. Jenny's at the lake securing the scene; she hates doing notifications.” He took a breath that swelled his big body even bigger. “Can't say I care for it, either. Worst part of the job.”

Jennifer Jeffers was Denny's partner. She's a bit of a prickly pear and for some reason she hadn't taken a shine to Esme or me. Neither of us had the warm fuzzies for her either, but she was good at her job.

Denny glanced toward the archway into the living room and all eyes followed. Beth was sitting up now, though she seemed almost catatonic. Daniel and Tony half carried her to the couch. Then Daniel came out to talk to Denny.

“Denton, you said an incident. What exactly do you mean by that? An accident or what?” he asked.

“I'm not free to say more right now, Daniel, I'm sorry,” Denny said, slipping past him into the living room while the rest of us hovered in the hallway.

“Beth,” Denny said, going down on one knee beside the couch, “I'm so sorry, but I need to ask you a few questions. When's the last time you saw Blaine?”

Beth frowned and looked to Denny as if she couldn't take in the words. “I woke up and he was gone,” she said in wonderment.

“So this morning is the last time you saw him?” Denny asked.

“His car is in the shop,” she said. “He did
not
take his car. He's around someplace. Alan took him somewhere. Alan told him it was finished, but Blaine won't accept it. Wait, no, that can't be right, Alan left already, didn't he? What day is this, I can't think.” She frowned up at her mother. She shook her head as if to clear it but the effort made her wince and she became even more befuddled. “So many leaves,” she said again with a heavy sigh. “I can't do it all. I told him,
I can't do this
. It wasn't a lie, not really. Maybe of onission.” She
frowned at the fractured phonics and tried again. “Of odission.” She gritted her teeth. “Omission,” she said, enunciating each syllable with labored attention. “Not dead, though. A surprise, and not like me at all. But not dead.”

“Beth,” Daniel said, his voice firm, “do not say another word.” He turned to Denny. “She's invoking. She's in no shape to be talking to you until we know what this is all about.”

Denny frowned. “Daniel, this isn't an interrogation, it's a notification.”

“I don't care what you call it,” Daniel said. “Until we know what's what, she's not saying another word. I'm her lawyer.”

“Daniel, you're a real estate lawyer,” Olivia said, her words quiet and gentle.

“I'm a
lawyer,
” Daniel repeated. “And we're done talking. Beth is going to the emergency room to get checked out. Right now.” He pulled his keys from his pocket and handed them to Tony. “Go get the car, would you?”

“I'm coming, too,” Olivia said.

“Mom, why don't you stay here,” Daniel said. “I'll call you.”

“I'm coming, Daniel,” Olivia said in a tone that brooked no argument.

*  *  *

“Do you think Beth's okay?” Tony asked, for perhaps the tenth time. He, Jack, Winston, Esme, and I were working to clear away the dinner table, put away food, and get the dishes washed and packed back into the boxes Daniel had used to bring them to Olivia's.

“I'm sure she's fine,” Esme said, though she didn't sound sure and I wasn't, either. Beth definitely hadn't been herself from the moment she came in the door at Olivia's that evening and her reaction to the news that Blaine was dead was strangely disconnected.

Marydale and Coco had taken Olivia to the ER in Marydale's car so they could bring her home if need be. Marydale had promised to call the minute they knew anything. Apparently they didn't yet, as my phone had gone stubbornly mute.

Esme put the tablecloth into the washer and we finished tidying up the kitchen and packing up all the family history stuff to take back to our house. In the South when there's a death in the family the food pours in. It's what people do because it's something they
can
do. The dining room would be needed for its normal function over the next few days.

As I handed Tony a stack of scrapbooking supplies to put into a box I noticed the injured hand again. I asked him about it.

“Second time I've done that, you'd think I'd learn, right?” he said. “My kickstand jammed and I got my hand slammed trying to release it. It's nothing.”

I saw his hands were shaking. “Tony, Beth's strong, you know,” I said, confident in the truth of that statement, at least.

“I know, I know,” he said. “I just don't like to see her like that. She's always got her act together. Always. But tonight? Even before that cop came she seemed all strung out or something.”

“I don't know what to tell you,” I said—another true thing. “We should hear something soon. Try not to worry. You're really fond of Beth, aren't you?”

“Fond? What do you mean by that? Like am I crushin' on her or something weird? Nuh-uh, not like that. I owe her, is all; I owe her big-time. I was headed into zombieland—just another one of the walking dead—when she first knew me back at Morningside High. Let's just say I was into a lot of stuff that didn't bode well for my future health and well-being. Hadn't been for her I'd be in jail, insane, or dead by now. She sure deserves better than—”

Just then my phone rang and I snatched it out of my pocket. Marydale, as always, was calm and collected, but there was concern in her voice. “It wasn't just shock. Beth has a concussion. It's serious but not life threatening. She can't remember what happened. All she remembers is waking up out in the yard and she barely remembers that. Apparently she must have fallen and hit her head on something when she was doing yard work. The docs are saying she may be addled for a while and probably won't remember much about this whole day by tomorrow. They've run tests and done scans and they don't think there will be any lasting damage but they're going to keep her overnight for observation. We're trying to convince Olivia to come home, and I think she's about ready to give in. She's totally exhausted. Daniel will stay here with Beth.”

“How is Beth taking the news about Blaine now that it's had a chance to sink in?” I asked.

“I'm not sure it has sunk in,” Marydale said. “She just keeps saying things that make no sense and insisting he isn't dead. I still can't get my mind around it myself and I don't have a concussion.”

“I know what you mean. We cleaned up here, but is there anything else we can do?” I asked.

“I don't think so,” Marydale said. “Denny's notified Blaine's family. Daniel talked to them on the phone and let them know what's going on with Beth. They'll probably be taking over the arrangements, under the circumstances. Frankly they'd probably have taken over regardless of the circumstances.”

“Yeah, I understand Sterling Branch is a take-charge kind of guy,” I said.

“He is,” Marydale said with a sigh. “I don't mean that as a slam against the man. He's a good guy, and he and Madeline will be crushed by this loss. But Sterling has never been the sort to stand on the sidelines. And in this case that's good. Beth is in no shape to deal with anything right now. I just can't imagine how this happened, Sophreena. None of it makes any sense. I don't think we're getting the whole story from Beth.”

“I don't think so, either,” I said.

What I thought, but didn't say aloud, was that it was probably best we were spared the particulars.

O
VER THE NEXT THREE DAYS
we got to know a lot about Blaine Branch. His life and, of course, the circumstances of his death were examined at length in every form of media. Attendees at his funeral overfilled the church and spilled out onto the sidewalk. He was lauded for his charitable works, his service to the community, and his success as a businessman. He was eulogized in glowing terms by his fraternity brothers, friends, and members of the various boards on which he served.

I noticed that Peyton seemed to be keeping himself somewhat apart from his family. Several times I saw him staring at Beth, his eyes narrowed. I couldn't read anything into his expression, but it was unsettling.

Madison Branch seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Marydale sat beside her at the funeral, holding her hand. Marydale's daughter and Madison had been best friends growing up and Madison still regarded Marydale as she would a beloved aunt. Marydale had spent a lot of time with
her since she'd come back. I knew Madison was in a fragile state and it was the worst-kept secret in Morningside that her return had caused a rift in the family. She'd been a wild child in her teen years, and at the age of twenty-six, when she should have outgrown her wild-oats stage, she ran off with a sandlot volleyball player, flipping her entire family the proverbial bird on her way out of town. Six months later he crept out of their hotel room somewhere in Portugal, leaving her with ten dollars in her purse and two thousand dollars in hotel bills. Sterling and Madeline had rescued her, brought her back home, and built her a little studio-sized house on their property. They'd been supporting her financially and in other ways for the past year while she tried to figure out how to get her life together. Blaine had been incensed. He believed in the bad karma/tough love school of relationships. He'd barely spoken to Madison during the past year and had continued to pressure his parents to cut her off.

At the funeral, in contrast to Madison's emotional unspooling, Beth was stoic. Either Olivia or Madeline was by her side every minute making sure she didn't overtax. She appeared shell-shocked, registering little as people approached with condolences. True to Marydale's prediction, the Branch family had taken over all the arrangements for the funeral, consulting Beth only when necessary. Which was a good thing. Blaine's sudden death and her own injury left Beth barely functioning.

Some of the mourners probably came out of obligation to Sterling and Madeline Branch, while others were drawn by more prurient impulses, but many were there to support Beth. True details were slowly leaking out: that Blaine
had been killed by a blow to the head, that the death was ruled a homicide, that Beth, too, had been injured on the day of Blaine's murder. In addition the rumor mill was grinding away. Blaine and Beth had been a prominent couple in Morningside and his murder was the stuff of TV crime docudrama. Even as his life was being lauded inside the church, it was being torn apart in shops and cafés. There was gossip that he was having an affair, that he was caught up in shady business dealings, that he was a secret gambler or drug addict. That neighbors had heard gunfire at his home on the day he died. None of it was supported by anything as cumbersome as facts. It seems that when the murder of an ordinary citizen occurs, people will search for any motive to assure themselves that if they simply stay away from whatever misstep or vice got that person killed, they can stay safe from harm.

Esme and I had continued to work on sorting and organizing Olivia's family artifacts so they could all be stored away in good order; we were expecting to continue with the project after the first of the year, when things had settled down. So I was surprised when, two days after the funeral, Olivia called.