Raisin the Dead (19 page)

“He's always been controlling, bossy, and unforgiving. No one can meet his demands. Outside of the office, they never speak. But murder? That would be a new low for him.”

“Would he try to frame you for murder to repay you for what in his mind was a betrayal when you left Alessi?”

“I can't believe that. Even he wouldn't go that far. Besides, why would he kill him? What good would it do?”

She had a point.

“Why
daddy
?” Serafina stared at the mirror. “He never had children. That I ever heard of, at least.”

“I have no idea.” I turned to face her. “Serafina, you can't tell anyone about this. Absolutely no one. It could compromise the investigation. That could be dangerous.”

“Don't worry about it. I'm not going to say anything. I want his killer caught.”

“Good. Don't tell your family, friends, anyone. Not the divas either, when we meet again.”

“Bloody Nora!” She shot me an offended look. “You don't have to lecture me as if I'm an imbecile.”

Bloody Nora?
I didn't want to ask what that meant; it didn't sound pretty. “Sorry. I wanted to make that clear.”

“Mission accomplished.”

“Good.” I dug in my purse, pulled out my camera. I moved closer and snapped multiple pictures of the red words. I don't know that I'd ever feel the same about red lipstick again, if that's what it was.

I still had Jacoby's number programmed in my phone. I texted him the picture.
Hello, Sergeant Jacoby. Thought you might like to see this since you're helping out with the Baldelli murder.—Molly.

It took him about thirty seconds to answer.
I have the files on the Baldelli murder, including this picture. Do I want to know why you're there? No one should be there. It's a crime scene.

The police tape outside is in tatters
, I texted back.

I'll get someone to fix it. Get out of there, now! I don't want to have you arrested for obstruction of justice.

I didn't doubt he would.
Leaving now.

“Let's get out of here,” I said.

“Who were you sending the pictures to?”

“Sergeant Jacoby.” Unable to stop myself, I looked around again, in case Sean had missed a glaring clue, even though I knew better.

“This place gives me the creeps now.”

I couldn't say I blamed her. I turned the lights off, did the same downstairs, and we left.

“So who's this Jesse guy?” I asked, my hand poised to open my car door.

Serafina blew out a breath and her brow creased. “He's a guy I was dating.”

“Was?”

“It's complicated.” Her small frown disappeared.

“It usually is with guys.”

“If you aren't going away until you find out all about him, he's part of my security team. We started dating. Now we aren't.”

“Ah.”

“Ah, what?” she snapped.

“Nothing. You said before you missed him, so . . . Never mind, I'm sorry. It's none of my business.”

She yanked her car door open. “Jesse's a great guy. I don't meet a lot of them; they either want me for my money or they want sex with no relationship, or both money and the sex. One guy dated me to get to my mother. Weirdo. My mother's gorgeous, but please. She's not into twentysomething men.”

“If he's a great guy, what's the issue?”

“Jesse has his own success, he owns his own business. He wanted me for me. We clicked. As they say, he ‘got me.' I messed things up with him. He doesn't want to see me again. That's all. We're
finito
. He's got nothing to do with my great-uncle's murder.”

“I didn't think he did. I hope you can work it out with him.”

“Can we not discuss him? I don't need you to play Dear Abby with me. All I'm interested in is clearing myself and leaving.”

“Fine. Do you know your way back to Castle Shore?”

“Yes, and I have a GPS regardless. What happens now?”

“We'll meet in four days and we'll see what we've got.”

By the time I got home, collected Noelle from Dottie, checked in on David and Janice, and met Anthony, who reminded me of Sean so much it was actually painful, I was exhausted. Despite the seriousness of Sean's injuries, the second thing I thought of after seeing Anthony was introducing him to Olivia. I knew five minutes after meeting him that she'd be perfect for him. Too bad he lived in New York City. I certainly didn't want Olivia packing up and leaving Destiny, and from what Sean said, his brother wouldn't want to move here, so the cold water of reality quickly drenched my matchmaking urge.

I went upstairs to my apartment, stripped, threw on one of my sleep t-shirts, and slid between my cool sheets. After checking on Sean tomorrow, I was going to see what I could find out about Jill McGinley. I didn't plan to uncover anything sensational, and I couldn't wait to see what the other divas came up with on their “suspects.”

I awoke well after nine the next morning. I jumped out of bed. Poor Noelle. It's a wonder she hadn't wakened me to go out. I threw on a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt, laced up my sneakers, then Noelle and I set out for a nice walk. It did me a lot of good, too. I'd decided to take the next two weeks off, with Olivia's blessing, which is why I'd slept in. Janice, David, and Anthony had declined my offer to drive them to Destiny Memorial. They had some grocery shopping to do and would drop by the hospital later.

I called the nurses' station in the ICU to see how Sean was doing. The nurse who answered told me he'd had a good night, but he was still hooked up to the ventilator and heavily sedated. I told her I'd be in later to see him. I'd take Dottie with me. She was eager to see him.

I wanted to start looking into Jill McGinley. Jill was such a doll; I felt bad doing this behind her back, but I could hardly tell her she was on a list I made up of murder suspects. My first stop would be Ed McCray, since he'd known Philip for years. Maybe he could tell me something about Philip and Jill's relationship. I fastened Noelle's leash on her, put her in the backseat, and we took off.

I was glad to see Ed's Honda parked in the driveway at Addair's Funeral Home. I parked behind it and as I was getting out, Brian was coming out the side door. He waved when he saw me.

“Hi,” I greeted him as I slid out of my car and closed the door. Noelle ran circles around him until he bestowed upon her what she considered sufficient greetings.

“Hi, what's up?” he asked.

“I'm here to see Ed McCray, actually.”

“Oh.” He glanced at the stairs leading to Ed's apartment on top of the garage, but didn't ask me to elaborate.

“I've got a body to pick up at the hospital; I'm just leaving. Hey, I'm sorry about Sean. How's he doing?”

“Thanks. He's still sedated and unconscious. I'll be seeing him later.”

“I hope he'll be okay. That was a bad fall. Lola told me you're doing our wedding cake. That's great. I keep meaning to call you and thank you.”

I smiled at him. “I'm happy to do it. I won't even charge you. Consider it a wedding present.”

“That's really nice of you, Moll. I'm glad we've both moved on and can still be friends. That's important to me.”

“Me, too. Well, I better go see Ed. Take care. Tell Lola I said hi.”

“I will. See ya.”

I knocked on Ed's door and waited.

“Molly, this is a nice surprise. Come on in.”

“Thank you. I hope this isn't a bad time. I have Noelle, is that a problem?”

“Not at all. You're both welcome here anytime.”

We followed him to the living room. I sat on his recliner and Noelle curled up on the floor and immediately fell asleep.

“What can I get you? Coffee? Tea? Lemonade?”

“I'm fine, thank you.”

He eased himself down on his couch. “So, what can I do for you?”

“Sean Corsino is in the hospital.”

“Oh boy. I know, I saw the paper. Poor guy. How's he doing? Dottie is all broken up over it. How are you holding up?”

“I'm okay. I'm going to take her to see him later if she wants to go. His parents and brother are here. I hope he'll be awake soon. The doctor said it will be a long recovery for him.”

“That's really a shame.”

I nodded. “The reason I'm here is since Sean is in the hospital, I thought I'd try and help in Philip's murder investigation. Sergeant Jacoby is helping out, but I'm not sure where Sean was in the investigation, beyond considering my mother and Serafina Alessi as suspects.”

“I read about the Alessi woman. As far as your mother, I can't believe she would hurt anyone, much less kill anyone.”

“That's why I want to help. Did Philip ever mention to you that he had a niece?”

“No. I had no idea. He never mentioned any family.”

“What about Jill? Did he ever say anything about her?”

Ed frowned and rubbed his chin. “A little. I did notice some things, too.”

I rummaged in my bag for my notebook and a pen. “Do you mind if I take notes?”

“You go right ahead. I only saw them together a few times. Wasn't like Baldelli and I were best friends. When I did see them, Jill was clingy, and seemed to need attention all the time. Least that's my impression.”

“How did he take that?”

“Guess he put up with it.” He chuckled. “Sometimes I wanted to peel her off him.”

I smiled at that image as I wrote. “When did you see them together?”

“Oh, he brought her to some of the Elks or Mason dances, or on the trips to the casinos they sponsored. Dottie and I are real fond of those casino trips. I don't really know what Jill saw in him. Don't get me wrong, Baldelli was a great guy, but he was no spring chicken. What did she want with a man so much older?”

“Maybe they were lonely. They were both on the Library Advisory Board. I don't think they planned to fall in love. It's one of those things that happens.”

Ed frowned. “Now that's another thing. Dottie and I were talking about this the other day. He didn't seem as in love as she was. Of course, he's around my age. Dottie and I don't act like a couple of lovebirds, either. Not in public, at least.”

I smiled at that. “Did he talk about being engaged?”

“At first he did, he seemed real pleased about it. Then something may have happened.”

I looked up at him. “Like what?”

“Maybe he was having doubts.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“No, he didn't, I admit that. I'm not one to go telling tales out of school, you understand, but I overheard part of a conversation he had with Father Davidson at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

“I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose, so don't get the wrong idea. I happened to be approaching the door leading to the parish hall kitchen when I heard voices in there. So I stopped.”

“One of them was Philip Baldelli?”

Ed nodded. “He said, ‘I don't think I want to go through with it, Father. But if I don't, it'll crush her.'”

I scribbled some more, then looked up. “Through with what?”

“I'm not sure. I heard Father Davidson tell him that they should set aside some time to talk, then I walked away. It wasn't right for me to stand and listen.”

“I understand. I'd feel strange, too, doing that. Do you know when this was?”

“Right before he was killed. Maybe a week or so. I don't remember exactly. I don't know if he was talking about his marriage to Jill, or what. He loved her, but I don't think he liked how clingy she was. Almost childish. But what do I know? That's my opinion.

“Maybe I'm way off base. I like my women with a little feistiness in them. I like that Dottie has her own hobbies, and doesn't have to spend every second with me.”

I smiled. “You're a sweet couple. Could Philip have meant something else?” I asked.

“Sure. I just thought I'd throw that out there. If we thought hard enough we'd probably come up with a dozen things a human being doesn't know if he or she can go through with.

“Although Jill came to church occasionally with Philip, she wasn't Catholic. He did mention to me that it bothered him a little, but he could deal with it. He also mentioned she really wanted him to join the Lutheran church. Maybe that's what Baldelli meant, that he couldn't go through with leaving Catholicism. Although I don't know why that would crush Jill. Sorry, Molly, I'm not a lot of help.”

“No, you are a help. You're shedding some light on their relationship.” I wrote a few more sentences.

He pointed at my notebook. “For the record, I'm not saying she killed him because he didn't want to become a Lutheran. I like Jill; so does Dottie. I don't figure her for the murderer. I'm still thinking it's that Alessi woman. And I'm not saying Baldelli wasn't going to marry her.”

I smiled at him and closed my notebook. “Got it. It doesn't seem like the investigation was going anywhere before Sean got hurt. I'm not sure whom he talked to; he didn't share that information with me. The man is a stickler for keeping police business to himself.”

Ed chuckled again. “He knows best.”

“I'm afraid the killer is going to get away with it. Sergeant Jacoby is smart, but he's got his own town to worry about. How much time can be put in to solving a murder in Destiny?” I asked.

“Anything I can do, you let me know.”

I got up. “Thank you for talking to me.” I squatted and gently nudged Noelle awake. “Come on, sleepyhead, time to wake up.”

Ed got up, too. “You call on me anytime. Bring Noelle again. I pray his killer is found soon.”

He walked me to the door and I made my way to my car. I'd stop by the library later to see Jill. Without mentioning my conversation with Ed, maybe she could shed some light on things between her and Philip.

***

“I am so glad you offered to take me to see Sean,” said Dottie as we rode in the elevator up to the ICU. “Not that I can't drive myself, but it's much nicer to have company.”

“I agree.” The elevator door slid open and we made our way to Sean's room.

I stopped so abruptly that Dottie ran into me. “What's the matter? Are we in the wrong room?”

Felicia looked up and smiled at us. “Good morning.”

I did a double take to make sure it was her. Not only because her voice sounded so different—“cheerful” is the word that comes to mind—but also because of her looks. Her hair was held in place with a plain barrette. She wore a pair of white cargo pants with a three-quarter-length sleeve navy and white striped shirt. White leather Keds were on her feet. Her makeup looked natural; not heavy like it was the last couple of times I'd seen her. She looked like the girl next door.

Sean's eyes were closed. I went over to the other side of the bed. I'd deal with Felicia in a few minutes. I wasn't about to confront her here, or let her ruin my time with Sean.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I touched Sean's cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“He can't talk,” snipped Felicia, her seconds-ago smile gone. She leaned down to his ear. “I'll be back later, Sean. Sweet dreams.” She gave me a look so hostile I'd bet it could peel paint off a wall.

My heart crashed. I remembered what Sean had said about Jordan being the girl next door, and realized why Felicia altered her appearance. She wanted him to think she was Jordan.

It took all my willpower and maturity to even speak to Felicia; never mind be civil about it. “Would you mind stepping out into the hall?”

“Is everything all right?” whispered Dottie.

“It will be,” I whispered back.

Felicia cast a last longing look at Sean, which made my stomach roil, before following me out.

“You aren't supposed to be here,” I told her in the loudest voice I could without attracting negative attention from the medical staff and disturbing other patients. I pointed to the sign on the door. “Can't you read?”

“I read perfectly well. I did exactly as it instructed.”

“Why are you so interested in Sean?” I hissed. “He doesn't have money, he isn't a world traveler, and he's assured me he is not going back to the city. He's just a regular guy. Why don't you let him be happy? He's over Jordan. He and I are in a committed relationship. If you cared at all about him you'd respect that.”

“That's just it,” she retorted. “He's a regular guy. I've had rich men, powerful men, I have more jewelry than I can wear in a lifetime, I've traveled all around the world. What I haven't had is what Jordan had with Sean. True happiness. Someone who loves me no matter what. When Sean sees that I'm slowly changing into Jordan, he won't want you. He'll do anything to get Jordan back. I'm the only one able to deliver her to him. Believe me. You don't have a chance.”

“He'll see right through you. He's not stupid.”

“Will he?” She bestowed a fake, sugary smile on me, then turned and marched towards the elevators.

“My goodness. What's wrong with that woman?” exclaimed Dottie. “She scares me. Did you see her eyes? They're all wild-looking.”

“I noticed. I think she's beyond just being nasty, I'm afraid she's suffering from a real mental disorder. Sean mentioned that once.”

“Do you think she's dangerous?”

I let out a sigh. “I don't know. I hope not.” I walked over to the nurses' station. “Excuse me.”

I didn't recognize the nurse when she turned around. Her nametag read Cathy. “Hi. Can I help you ladies?”

“I came to see Sean Corsino,” I told her. “The woman that was in his room just now isn't allowed to be in there. Her name is Felicia Adams. Her name was also given to the guardroom downstairs. How did she get into his room?”

She looked puzzled. “I think you may be mistaken. She checked in with me. Her name is Jordan Corsino.”