The Widow and the Will (22 page)

Chapter 38

Tess kept finding herself distracted and would stare into Hudson’s private office, as he perused the receipts and lists from her wedding file for the fiftieth time. She kept remembering what she had been doing just a few hours before, and each time Lilly would smack her in the arm to make her focus.

“I’m not seeing anything new,” Hudson said finally, flopping onto the couch in frustration. “What about you?”

“It’s all the same stuff I told you before,” Tess answered, feeling equally disheartened. “We got a goody basket from Emily and Roger, but we never even opened it. Flowers came from my out of town family who couldn’t attend. Three arrangements in all.”

“Where the hell is Ford? He’s usually good at this kind of stuff.”

Tess watched him send a text and she imagined Ford’s face when he received the message.
He probably doesn’t want to be in the same room with me, any more than I want to be around him
.

As they sat in silence, Hudson waiting for a response from Ford and Lilly sifting through papers and receipts, Tess’s mind wandered. Everything in the room reminded her of the night before. She shivered at the images of Ford’s hands on her body as they floated through her mind like serene white clouds across a warm summer day. Giving herself a mental shake, she tried to send them away. She conjured storm clouds and pouring rain in her mind to erase the thoughts. Instead, she began fantasizing about what Ford would look like in the downpour.

“I need coffee!” she said suddenly, standing up and pacing around the room. “Should I make some fresh?”

“Shit, we’re out.” Hudson groaned. He got up and went to the cabinet and opened the door. “I was supposed to pick some up this morning but I forgot.”

“Why don’t I go get some?” Tess grabbed her purse and shot out the door like a racehorse out of the gate. She needed to get away from the scene of her sexual crime. With her head down, she burrowed into her purse for her keys as she fast-walked toward her car.

“Hey now.”

She skidded to a halt to see Ford standing right in front of her, a drink carrier with four Biggby Coffee cups in his hand and a grocery bag in the other. “Shit!”

“Yeah, shit. If you’d have spilled this all over me, I’d have been pissed.”

“Sorry!” Tess reached for the bag to ease his burden. “It’s not like it would have been on purpose.” She smirked at him and he returned it, seeming perfectly at ease with her.

“Course not, but it would have been a waste of good coffee and I couldn’t forgive that.”

He started to move forward toward the office door, but Tess stopped him. She needed to talk to him for a minute and not in front of the others.

“Is everything okay?” Ford asked.

“Yes,” she assured him. “It is, really. I’m just a little nervous about being with you in front of Hudson. I guess I feel a little embarrassed.”

He nodded his head and gave her a genuine smile, one of the few she’d ever seen cross his face. “I understand. It could be awkward. But he texted me that Lilly is here too. Did you say anything to her?”

Tess shifted from one foot to the other while avoiding his eyes.

“I can see that you did. She’s a cool one, your sister. She’ll make sure to keep everything on track. Come on, before the coffee gets cold.”

Ford walked her back into the office, holding the door for her to enter first.

“Look what I found! Should we keep him?”

Tess wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. She meant it as a joke, but knew exactly how it sounded to Lilly and Ford. Hudson had no clue, thankfully, and had eyes only for the cup of coffee his brother held out to him.

“Hey Ford,” Lilly said casually enough. When Hudson’s back was turned, she gave him a pronounced wink and then put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Tess crossed the room in three steps to give her a swift kick in the shin.

“Ladies.”

“What’s in the bag?” Hudson asked as he blew on the hot beverage and then took a sip.

“More coffee and some brownies. I know they’re your favorite.”

Tess handed the bag to Hudson, who began foraging inside. When he lifted a square, plastic container of brownies out of the bag, it was like someone threw cold water into her face. She shivered and then almost immediately her entire body became hot and she felt the familiar buzzing just before a faint.

“I remember something,” Tess whispered. “
I remember something
!” Lilly jumped out of her chair and rushed to her sister’s side. “My coworkers sent me a huge pan of brownies with two mugs and homemade chai tea! Lilly? Do you remember that pretty basket I told you about? It was on the table. Jack ate some of the brownies the morning of the wedding!”

Tess began to shake and her face went white with the memory. It was like she was back in her kitchen on the day of wedding: Jack leaning against the counter, arms crossed, laughing about something. He said he was hungry, then spotted a basket on the counter. His hands rummaging around inside until he found the plate of brownies wrapped in silver cellophane with a gold bow. The crackling and crinkling as he ripped the plastic off and pealed one of the heavy, thick squares from the mound. The cloying smell of chocolate mingling with the smell of coffee throughout the room. Jack loved brownies. They were his favorite. She could clearly see the little brown dots at the corners of his mouth and on his chin.

Both Hudson and Ford were at her side as her knees buckled and she sunk to the floor. They each lifted an arm and helped her to the couch. Ford knelt in front of her and lifted her chin with a finger. “Breathe. Slowly.”

Lilly sat beside her and grabbed her hands to massage them. “Lean forward if you think you’re going to faint!”

“I’m okay,” Tess whispered. “I’m okay.” Her face crumpled but she didn’t cry. “Why didn’t I remember that?
How could I have forgotten
?”

Lilly pulled her sister into her arms and rocked her but still Tess didn’t have any tears. She only felt a mixture of relief and dread. Glad that she remember something vital, but unsure of what the revelation would mean. Someone in her
office
had sent that basket. What did that
mean
?

Hudson got her a bottle of water. “Here.” He twisted the cap open for her.

Tess took it with a pained smile. “Thank you.” She took a sip and then accepted a tissue from Lilly just in case. “Why would anyone from my office want to hurt Jack? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe not, but it’s something. Ford, you need to question everyone from the office. Give me the names of every person who works for Dr. Guildford.”

Tess fired off the names of all the nurses, the office manager, the receptionists, and the other billers. “I’ve known most of these people for the last six years. I worked as a receptionist there before I became a transcriptionist.”

“Most of?” Hudson asked. “Start with who you’ve known the least.”

“There’s Mike, the newest nurse. He started about two years ago, I guess. And then there’s Julia and Kay. They’re the billers who came on about three years ago when Amanda retired. Amanda was with Dr. Guildford for twenty some years.”

Hudson scribbled furiously on the page, and Tess despised how mixed up she felt. She was giving him the names of people she liked and respected. She loved her job and the people she did it with and for. How could any of them have been responsible for Jack’s death?

“This is great, Tess.”

“Is it?” she snapped.

Hudson’s head popped up and his face was full of confusion. Within a second, his face flushed red with shame at the realization of what he’d just said.

“I’m sorry, Tess, I didn’t mean…”

“These people were my friends. I may very well be ratting out the person or people who killed Jack. How do you think that makes me feel?”

Tears were a definite possibility now, Tess realized, but she bit down hard on her tongue to keep them at bay. Maybe another time, when she was alone and no one could witness it, she would have a breakdown and cry her eyes out while the cats surrounded her and she could let loose all the emotions she was feeling. But not now.

Chapter 39

Dr. Guildford shook his head in disbelief after Ford explained to him who he was, why he was there, and what he wanted.

“Murder? Are you serious?”

“Very, sir.” Ford’s face was serious and concerned. “Tess will need character witnesses. I’d like to speak with everyone in the office, if that’s all right.”

“Of course, whatever you need. I don’t believe for one second Tess had anything to do with her husband’s death. I’ve known her for many years. She’s a lovely girl.”

“Yes,” Ford agreed, clearing his throat.
You have no idea
. “Your cooperation will be extremely helpful. When can I get started?”

“Now, of course,” Dr. Guildford said. “Come with me and we’ll talk to my office manager first. She can help you to arrange whatever you need.”

Ford was taken to a back office, away from patient rooms, to speak with Daphne Moore, the doctor’s long time office manager. She was a tall woman with light brown and graying hair styled in a tidy French twist. She wore a simple navy pantsuit and no makeup. There didn’t seem to be any frills about her at all, and she greeted him with a firm handshake and obvious confidence. The word that came to Ford’s mind was “handsome.” Daphne Moore was a handsome woman – not necessarily beautiful, but attractive. While Dr. Guildford explained why Ford was there, he watched the expressions on Daphne’s face go from surprise to confusion to horror. That was definitely a good sign. Her eyes were honest and Ford didn’t think he would have any problem getting truthful answers from her.

“Do you mind if I record our conversation?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and set it on her desk. He also made sure he had his notebook and pen at the ready in case he wanted to make specific notes or questions.

“No, by all means,” Daphne said, obviously upset by the circumstances. She rubbed her forehead and then rested her palm against her mouth. “I just can’t believe all of this.”

“You can only imagine how shocked Tess is.” Ford gave her an understanding and sympathetic look. “How long have you known her?”

“Since the day she began working here. I hired her, for heaven’s sakes!”

“Had you ever met Jack?”

Daphne nodded. “Yes, on several occasions. When Tess was a receptionist, he often came in to take her to lunch or drive her home. He always came when we had staff parties when significant others were invited. He was such a nice boy and grew into a wonderful man.” She smiled sadly. “I was there, at the wedding. I saw him on the floor in the church.” Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes welled with the smallest hint of tears. Reaching for a tissue, she sniffed and patted her nose. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget Tess screaming. It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard.”

Ford squirmed in his chair, unable to truly imagine the torment in the sounds Tess must have made, yet feeling a deep sense of sympathy for her. He knew what that kind of anguish was like. He knew what kind of a dark place it came from.

“How many others from the staff attended the wedding?” Ford found his voice and tried to get the interview moving again.

“Just me, actually. Tess invited the entire staff, even though we all knew she couldn’t really afford it. They were trying to keep the wedding small. So, we decided that we would all decline the invitation and have a little party here for her, then celebrate after she got back from her honeymoon. In the end, though, I decided I couldn’t miss it. I practically watched her grow up.”

Ford chewed on the end of his pen and wrote the word “party” in the notebook. “When did you have it?”

Daphne pursed her lips and thought for a second. “It was the Wednesday before the wedding. It was a surprise shower. I called her that morning and asked her to come in to the office for some special project or something, I don’t remember what exactly. When she got here, we were all in the kitchen. There were gifts and food and a cake.”

“What kind of gifts?”

“Oh, the usual. We got things from her bridal registry, some people gave just a card and some money.”

“Was there anything that stuck out? Premade gift baskets? Plants or flowers?”

Daphne’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Dr. Guildford asked that we get her several flower arrangements and plants. And there was a gift basket with lots of goodies in it for the day of the wedding. Brownies, cookies, teas, coffee. It was a little bit of a running joke among the women in the office. They all remembered their wedding days and how they hadn’t eaten anything. Stories about almost passing out at the altar. We wanted to make sure Tess and Jack had something to eat.”

Jackpot
! Ford forced himself to sit still and not give Daphne any hint of his relief.

“Where did that particular basket come from?”

“It didn’t come from anywhere. Between all of us, everything was homemade. Well, except the coffee and tea. Those came from Biggby, Tess’s favorite. But everyone made something different to put in a basket we got at the dollar store.” Daphne eyed him with suspicion. “Why? Does that matter?”

“I can’t really disclose too much,” Ford explained, “but it might.”

Daphne leaned back in her chair and frowned. “I understand.”

“I really appreciate your candor, Ms. Moore,” Ford told her, as he stopped the recording app. “I think that’s all I have for you right now. Could I start speaking to the other employees now?”

“Sure. Do you have any particular order you want them called in? You can use my office.”

“No, whoever is free is fine. I don’t want to disrupt the day any more than I already have. I just want to ask some general questions about what kind of relationship people had with Tess. She’ll need all the character witnesses she can get. I’m here to determine who would make the best ones.”

Daphne nodded. “I certainly hope you choose me. There is absolutely no way in hell she had anything to do with Jack’s death. I watched those two grow up together. I never saw two people more in love than them.”

Ford forced a smile on his face.
I’m getting a little tired of hearing how much in love they were
. He reached to shake her hand as she stood up. “I appreciate that. Hopefully this won’t take long.” He threw her a charming smile to help her relax.

“Not everyone is in today, though. Mike called off sick this morning and Sarabeth doesn’t work today.”

Ford jotted the names of the missing employees into the notebook. There was no way they could have known he was coming. “That’s fine.”

One by one, Daphne sent in each employee at the doctor’s office. Sometimes Ford asked the same questions in the same order. Other times he mixed things up. He felt fairly confident that Ms. Moore would make sure there weren’t any extraneous conversations between the employees, but he couldn’t be positive. He knew his presence was a distraction and tongues wagged no matter what he tried to do to stop it. His biggest concern was that the two missing people would get the heads up about the questioning. If either of them were involved, they might bolt. It wasn’t that much of a worry. Ford had his ways of finding people. He just hated to think about the time it would take to do it.

As he left the doctor’s office two hours later, Ford was feeling hopeful, but not nearly as confident as he wanted to be. Molly Kincaid had baked the brownies and Madeline Cole had assembled the basket. It did not explain how the poison had gotten into the brownies though. Molly was a kind, sweet woman who had cried real tears upon hearing that Jack’s death was suspicious and that Tess was a person of interest. Madeline had been just as affected by the news, but her reaction was one of anger and profanity. Neither woman seemed to have any kind of negative thought about Tess or Jack, or a desire to hurt them in any way.

As he rode back to the office, thoughts of his night with Tess tried to push their way to the front of his brain and he struggled to shut them away. The distraction of those memories was not what he needed then. He had to keep his eye on the prize, which was keeping Tess out of jail and finding the real murderer.