Ring Around the Rosy (23 page)

“Only if you let it.”

“Well, obviously you did, or you
wouldn’t have been looking for greener pastures.”

“I wasn’t looking. It just
happened.”

“What did you see in that guy
anyway?”

“Sam’s attractive, but I really
don’t know.”

“Then why did you?”

Clare’s eyes filled with tears. “I
wish I knew. I don’t know what I’m going to do if Steve divorces me.” Suddenly
Clare was sobbing. “What will I do without him?”

It took all of Susan’s effort not
to yell at her sister to get a life. Sure, Clare was guilt-ridden, but she
wasn’t the first woman who fooled around. At least she had a good job now.

“Maybe I should seek professional
help, to deal with all this.” Clare’s hands trembled as she rearranged the salt
and pepper shaker for the hundredth time.

Susan wanted to reach out and grab
Clare’s hands to still them.

“You know, Clare, that’s probably
the best idea I’ve heard yet. I don’t mean to sound nasty. I hate to lay more
guilt on you, but think about your kids.”

“I know,” Clare said. “It’s just
that it hurts so badly. I loved Steve, and I don’t know if…”

Susan cringed. She was sick of
listening to Clare pour her heart out and whine. Okay, maybe she had the right.
She’d been through a lot, but darn it, so had her family. Her kids didn’t
deserve this sniveling mother. They deserved someone who could take charge,
show them some stability. They weren’t used to this side of Clare. She had
always doted on her kids.

“That’s enough, Clare!” Susan sat
up straight in her seat. “This isn’t just about you. It’s about Johnny and
Katie, too.” The shocked look on Clare’s face made her pause, but not for long.

“You have to quit feeling sorry
for yourself. If Steve divorces you. His loss. Your loss. More importantly, the
kids’ loss. It’s time to put your feelings aside, grow up, and start thinking
about them.”

Susan sat back. She hadn’t meant
to hurt her sister. She didn’t know what made her blurt out her thoughts. But
Clare needed to quit with the self-pity thing and think about the kids.

“You’re right. I’ve been only
thinking of myself again.” Clare shook her head. “And listen to me monopolizing
the conversation. Tell me about your job.”

Typical Clare, change the subject
when it became too uncomfortable. That’s how she dealt with life. No wonder she
thought she had a perfect marriage. She had gone along with everything Steve
wanted.

Not that Steve wasn’t good to her
sister. He was. He worshipped the ground Clare walked on. At least he appeared
to. But Clare always gave in. It was always what Steve wanted. Clare wanted a
colonial style house. Steve wanted the Tudor style. Clare gave in. It added to
his prestige, Clare said. It was like that with everything in their marriage.
Of course, Clare was given free hand on how to decorate, for the most part. But
even then, Steve wouldn’t allow certain things. Like the claw-foot tub in the
bathroom. It didn’t fit with their style of house, he said. Had to have the
ultra modern bathroom. If the truth were known, the house was probably built
with a claw foot tub. Ultra modern didn’t fit the tudor style, but far be it
from her to say so.

Susan sipped her drink.

“Hello, are you awake? I asked
about your trip to Florida.

“Oh, uh, well, it was enjoyable,
and I liked Dave’s family.” Susan smiled. The memory of Dave’s family warmed
her. “I’m not sure how to describe them. They tease each other — almost
unmercifully. It’s all good-natured. You know what I mean.”

Clare nodded.

“They were so... I don’t know,
what’s the word? It’s like they thought Dave and I had a serious relationship,
or something. They treated me like I was part of the family. I wish we could
have stayed longer, but work... Anyway we’re supposed to get together some time
with his brothers and sister.”

“So tell me about Dave. I mean
what’s he really like? We had no idea you were spending so much time with him.”

Susan laughed. “Well, we spend a
lot of time on this darn case, but I did fix him dinner a couple of times, and
he seemed to like it. I mean, I didn’t poison him.”

“Shut up. You’re an excellent
cook.” Clare slapped Susan’s hand and laughed.

They talked a little more about
Florida and Dave’s family, but mostly about Dave, and Susan’s feelings for him.
It was the first time she had discussed him with anyone. It felt good sharing
her thoughts with Clare.

“Still, I’m not ready for a
relationship. I have to my career.”

“You’re being silly, Susan. Why
can’t you have a career and a relationship, too? Millions of women do it. Look
at Mom and Dad.”

“I know, but they didn’t have to
butt heads to establish themselves. Honest, Clare, if I hadn’t got those phone
calls, there’s no way I’d still be on this story.” Susan finished off her
drink. “Even with that, Ernie tried to take me off of it.”

“Have you heard from Kate?” Clare
changed the subject again.

Obviously, Clare agreed with their
mother who didn’t think Susan should pursue her career.

“Not lately, why? Is something
going on with her?”

“No, I was just thinking we should
have invited her to lunch. How about we do this again soon.”

“Sure, let’s.”

“Maybe she’ll agree to spend the
night so neither of you won’t have to drive home at night, or maybe we’ll make
it a weekend. We haven’t done that in a long time. I’ll set something up,”
Clare promised as they left the restaurant and walked to their cars.

Susan hugged her sister. “I do
hope you make an appointment with your shrink real soon. And you know, even if
Steve divorces you, you still have a life. You have a great job, terrific kids,
you’ll get by.”

Clare got in her car and shook her
head. “I know you’re right, it’s just... Oh, I don’t know. I’m so confused. To
be honest, part of me likes him being gone.”

“All the more reason to get
counseling. Besides, he’s not completely innocent in this. If he hadn’t been
gone so much and had paid more attention to you, well...”

“That’s no excuse, Susan. It’s my
fault, and I have to deal with it. I have to learn to live with the guilt.
Thanks for listening. I’ll make an appointment.” She waved at Susan and pulled
out of the parking lot.

Susan stared at the empty space
Clare’s car had sat. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that to Clare, but her
sister really did need to get on with her life. Shrugging, Susan got into her
own car. Before she pulled out of the lot, Greg came out of the restaurant
alone. Hoping to avoid him, she threw her car into drive and sped away.

Strange, she thought he left. Was
he watching her? Was he the one who left the roses? Worse, was he the killer?
He’d been acting rather odd lately, asking her out and all, showing up at
Meliti’s Market and not buying anything. Came in to see her, he said.

 
She shook her head, nah, it couldn’t be Greg.
He didn’t strike her as the type. Too outgoing to be a secret admirer or
stalker. Of course, he did buy her that damn rose. She hadn’t even taken it
with her. She’d seen enough roses to last her a lifetime. If she never saw another,
it would suit her just fine.

She turned on the radio and turned
up the volume. She didn’t want to think — not about Clare, not even about Dave,
and surely not about the roses and the murders. She just wanted to go home.

Chapter Nineteen

Propped in front of her door were
two red roses, this time wrapped in floral paper and looking fresh. They
couldn’t have been there long. She looked around, unlocked her door, and went
inside, holding the flowers carefully with only two fingers. Unsure whether
they could get fingerprints off paper, she wasn’t about to smudge them. She
sniffed the strong scent of the roses, set them on the counter, pressed the
message button on the answering machine, and listened to someone trying to sell
her windows.

No other messages. She sighed in
relief. Dave had said he’d try to join her for dinner. Knowing she didn’t have
anything in the house, she grabbed her jacket and headed to Meliti’s market.

Today, the aroma of Italian
sausage greeted her as she opened the door, and she decided to buy some
marinara sauce and homemade noodles for dinner. Tony dished up the thick sauce
while he teased her about Dave. “You’re sure feeding that detective good.
Either you’re under suspicion, or something suspicious is going on.” He winked at
her. “Or is he your own personal body guard?” He smiled at his own joke. “Or
maybe you’re under surveillance?” With that comment, he let out a big guffaw.

She took his good-natured humor
with a smile, surprised at his friendliness and almost off-color remarks. He
was a sweet kid. A little fresh, but sweet. If only he knew how close to the
truth he came.

At the bakery section, she decided
to pick out something for dessert, maybe some Italian pastry and spumoni. Old
Mrs. Meliti waited on her. “My Anthony,” she said. “He decides to go to college
at night and on Saturdays. I try to tell him is too much — he should just go
during the day. No, he say, I help out in the store this way, is better. Ah.”
She shrugged. “Whatcha going to do? Kids, they no listen.”

As usual, the old woman didn’t
give Susan a chance to reply, and changed the subject.

“My Amanda is engaged.” Mrs.
Meliti’s face crinkled into a smile. Her eyes filled with pride. “To such a
nice Italian boy. Look it her, finally she smiles, eh.”

Susan glanced at Amanda, and sure
enough, the girl’s smile lit up her face while she waited on a customer.

When Susan stepped into the
checkout line, she couldn’t help but notice the large princess cut diamond on
Amanda’s left hand.

“Hi, Ms Weston.” Amanda’s said.
“How are you today?”

“Congratulations, Amanda.” Susan
didn’t realize Amanda even knew her name. The girl sure was a beauty,
especially now that she smiled and revealed two dimples. Her shiny black hair
contrasted with her fair complexion. She definitely could be a cover girl.

“When’s the big day?”

“He only just gave me the ring
last night. We haven’t set a date yet, but probably soon. I mean, we’ve known
each other since we were kids. But Nick joined the service, and he only just
came home. Now he has to find a job.”

This quiet, shy girl had become an
overnight chatter box. All of a sudden, she sounded like her grandmother. Susan
couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Thankfully, someone stepped in line behind
her, and Amanda turned her attention to them.

After Susan put the spumoni in the
freezer, she hit the play button on her machine. Clare’s voice came on.

“Susan, I’ve been thinking about
it, and I called Kate. She’s available to come tomorrow night if you are. Call
me back and let me know. I’d like to spend some time with my two favorite
sisters. Call me.”

Susan looked at her schedule.
After an interview with Bob Jenkins about the Annual Pumpkin Fest, she was free
for the next couple of days. It would be fun to stay with her sisters.

She dialed Clare’s number and got
her voice mail. “Hey, Clare, count me in, sounds like fun. What time and do you
want me to bring anything? Call me.”

She ended the call and heated the
sauce and warmed the spaghetti noodles only minutes before Dave arrived. She
opened a bottle of wine, and hoped they could settle in for a restful, relaxing
evening.

Unbelievably, it was a quiet
evening, and when Dave kissed her goodbye at the door, she remembered to tell
him she’d be at Clare’s for the night.

“Don’t want you to worry about me.”

He kissed her again. “You have a
good time, relax, and enjoy yourself.”

So much for her decision to cool
it with him, but she couldn’t help it. She enjoyed his company, his
companionship. If it turned into anything else, she’d deal with it then.

The next day, when she pulled into
Clare’s, Kate pulled in right behind her and got out of her car.

“Kate, what a surprise,” Susan
said. “I didn’t think you‘d be here this early.”

“I came bearing gifts.”

“What’s that?” Clare came outside,
hugged Susan and looked at Kate.

Kate handed Clare a large package.

“What, I... Oh,” Clare stammered.
“What the heck is this?”

“It’s a quilt. What do you think
it is?”

Clare took the package. “Really?
For me?”

“No, it’s for Susan. That’s why I
gave it to you,” Kate teased. “Of course it’s for you.”

“Hey, where’s mine?” Susan
pretended to pout. Not that she wouldn’t have liked one of Kate’s quilts. Kate
did beautiful work, especially after she bought her long-arm quilting machine.
The quilting designs she turned out were spectacular.

“Well, come inside.” Clare said.
“We can’t stand out here talking all day. Besides, I can’t wait to see my
quilt.”