Murder of a Hermit, page 20
‘And stay away from retention pools,’ Summer added dryly.
Hope raised an eyebrow at her sister. ‘That isn’t funny.’
‘It isn’t funny,’ she agreed apologetically. ‘I would ordinarily say that the most obvious motive for killing Carter was fear. Gina or the Bergs were afraid that he would disclose their fraudulent activities. But in this case, Carter was a source of money for them. People don’t usually slaughter a goose that lays eggs.’
‘Unless the goose had dried up and the only remaining eggs were our books. Once Gina had those – or at least one of the books – Carter was nothing but a potential liability to her and the Bergs.’
‘But isn’t it an even greater risk for them to kill Carter?’ Summer responded. ‘Based on how wealthy Gina is and how proficient Jill and Austin are at fooling people, they’ve clearly pulled this or a similar scam many times before. Harriet thought so, too. If they murdered every person who they had conned out of money with a séance, there would probably be an entire graveyard full of bodies.’
Hope grimaced. ‘What a gruesome picture. But you’re right. They wouldn’t kill everyone they had tricked. So if they’re responsible for Carter’s death, then he must have been different from the other victims of their schemes in some way. It’s possible that Carter turned out to be a greater threat than they previously believed. Or perhaps the books altered the equation.’
‘The more I think about it,’ Summer mused, ‘the more I think that something must have gone unexpectedly wrong yesterday afternoon. I’m obviously not an expert on the preferred modes of murder, but I highly doubt that anyone would construct a plan to drown Carter with giant rubber hoses in dirty drainage water that had been pumped out of the Larsons’ cellar. It’s much too unreliable, and it might take too long, and too many people could wander by the side lawn while it’s occurring. So the murderer in all likelihood acted impulsively, in the heat of the moment.’
‘Maybe Carter and his killer agreed to a meeting to hand over the second book, and they got into an argument during it. Carter may have wanted to renegotiate the deal. Perhaps he realized that once he had given up both books, he would no longer be a valuable goose, and he was concerned about surrendering his leverage too easily.’
‘He might have also been asked to surrender his leverage to a different person,’ Summer suggested.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, what if Carter had arranged to give the book to Gina, but Austin showed up to collect it instead? Or Jill? With three people, several combinations are possible. Carter could have gotten nervous and tried to back out of the deal with the new person, especially if he was growing increasingly inclined to talk to us. And the new person could have become nervous in turn, worried that the others would find out about the substitution. After that, the whole thing went off track, and Carter ended up dead.’
‘If that’s indeed what happened,’ Hope said, ‘then the murderer could be any of the three.’
‘Any of the three,’ Summer confirmed. ‘They all had the opportunity to do it. Gina disappeared from the boutique sometime between Austin’s arrival and the power going out, so she had the opportunity. Austin came into the boutique wet – either from sweat or water out of the retention pool – and breathing heavily, so he had the opportunity. And we only saw Jill in the morning during the palm reading, so she presumably also had the opportunity.’
Following Harriet’s directions, Hope turned down an unnamed side road that was marked by a crimson stripe of paint on a decaying tree stump.
‘And two of the three,’ Summer continued, ‘probably don’t know who the murderer is, either. There’s a good chance that they’re guessing the same way we are right now, only much more anxiously.’
‘Jill and Austin, too?’ Hope questioned. ‘Don’t you think that they would tell each other if one of them had killed Carter?’
‘No, I don’t. On the contrary, I would wager that in the case of the Bergs, their cons come well before their marriage vows. With Jill and Austin – and most certainly Gina – there is no honor among thieves.’
Hope smiled. ‘Are you saying that because of Nate’s remark when Dylan translated the title page of Volume I for him?’
Summer gave an indignant little sniff. ‘Both Nate and Dylan should be more respectful of crows.’
The smile grew. ‘If you happen to see any crows during your date on Saturday, you can tell Nate that. It might, however, detract from the ambiance of the stars and the fireflies.’
There was another sniff from Summer. She started to respond but cut herself off with a chortle. ‘Oh, she’s definitely anxious.’
‘Who is?’
‘Gina. We’re here.’
Hope slowed the car. She had been so focused on following the curves of the narrow road and making sure that they didn’t careen off the edge into a ditch, she hadn’t noticed that the road terminated a short distance ahead of them in a cul-de-sac. A solitary driveway lay at the far end of the cul-de-sac. Unlike Carter’s open driveway, this one was blocked by a large, black steel security gate. A matching black steel fence stretched along both sides. It wasn’t clear if the fence enclosed the entire property, but there was no visible end to it. There was also no visible mailbox or any indication of the owner’s name or house number.
‘How can we be sure that it’s Gina’s?’ Hope said.
‘I’m sure. You followed Harriet’s directions faithfully. She said that it was a lone house on a dead end with a gate, just like this. And that’ – Summer pointed toward a pair of tall posts standing at one corner of the gate – ‘was where the sign Harriet told us about used to be. It was obviously torn down in a great hurry. You can still see the ripped corners left on the posts. Gina – or Madam Gina, I should say – must be awfully anxious about something if she’s suddenly taken the sign away now, even though she wasn’t willing to remove it before when the neighbors complained.’
Hope nodded. ‘If only we knew what exactly Gina is anxious about.’
Summer chortled again. ‘Yes, there are so many possibilities. Being in possession of stolen goods, fraud, murder…’
Driving slowly around the cul-de-sac, Hope peered through the thin gaps in the fence. ‘I don’t see the house. Do you?’
‘Not even a glimpse. It makes me question the supposedly wonderful view that it has. Maybe Gina’s house will turn out to be the same as Carter’s cabin, and there will be no view at all.’
‘That seems odd. I remember Miranda specifically saying that the house was on the edge of the mountain, overlooking the valley. I had assumed that meant it would be up high. But we’ve gone nearly the whole way down.’
‘Harriet described it as being on the side of the mountain. Are we on the side?’
‘Honestly, I have no idea.’ Hope stopped the car short of the driveway and glanced in the rearview mirror. ‘Speaking of Miranda, I think that she might be behind us.’
‘Really?’ Summer twisted in her seat for a better look. ‘You’re right. That is Miranda – or at least it’s her car.’
The approaching car halted for a moment as though the occupants were as astonished to see another vehicle on the road as Hope and Summer were. Then it continued forward, pulling up beside the sisters.
‘Miranda is driving,’ Hope observed. ‘There’s no sign of Paul.’
‘Why is she visiting Gina?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. To discuss the next selection for their book group? To plan another get-together? To admire a purportedly spectacular house where the cellar isn’t leaking and the electricity remains on?’
‘It’s rotten timing for us,’ Summer complained.
‘Maybe not,’ Hope replied.
Summer looked at her in surprise.
‘The gate is impossible for us to climb, and we can’t drive around the fence. If Gina is as anxious as we think she may be, then there’s a high probability that she won’t allow us on the property. But Miranda may have more success.’
‘Clever,’ Summer complimented her, and she turned toward the gate. ‘Do you see a camera?’
‘No, but there must be one, possibly several of them. If we’re lucky, their range is poor. Let’s linger toward the rear while Miranda goes ahead of us.’ Hope reached for the handle of the door. ‘She’s getting out, so we’d better follow suit.’
Smiles and greetings were exchanged as the sisters and Miranda exited their respective vehicles.
‘What a funny coincidence to find you here,’ Miranda exclaimed. Her voice was extra squeaky, but her tone was as friendly as always.
‘Hope and I were just saying the same thing,’ Summer responded, ending the sentence on a questioning note.
Miranda must have caught the subtle hint, because she held up a slim tote bag. ‘I promised Gina that I would share some cookbooks with her, and I’ve been tardy about it. After all that has happened at the brownstone’ – her smile faded, and she sighed wearily – ‘I needed to get away for a little while. I’ve been running errands most of the day, trying to keep busy and distract myself.’
‘We’ve been running errands, too,’ Summer told her. ‘We don’t even know if the electricity has been restored.’
‘I don’t know, either. I tried calling Paul a few minutes ago to check if there had been an update, but I couldn’t reach him. The reception is terribly spotty on the mountain. In some locations, it’s fine. In other locations, it’s impossible to get a connection. I also tried calling Gina. I wanted to advise her that I was planning on stopping by. But I didn’t have any better success with her. Is she expecting you?’
Summer shook her head.
Miranda’s brow furrowed. ‘Then she might not be home. She usually keeps the gate open when she’s here.’
There was a pause. Hope and Summer exchanged a glance. They needed Miranda to approach the gate first.
‘Is Gina an avid cook?’ Hope asked, trying to spur Miranda on. ‘I’m sure that she’ll really appreciate receiving those books from you.’
‘She was particularly interested in the one on crepes. She told me that she had recently purchased a specialized crepe pan, but the recipes that she had gotten from the internet weren’t good.’
As she spoke, Miranda began to walk in the direction of the gate. Hope and Summer were quick to follow her.
‘Gina and I have been talking about hosting a progressive dinner party,’ Miranda continued, ‘where we would go from one house to the next for different courses. Maybe you would be interested in participating?’
Turning so that Miranda couldn’t see her, Summer pretended to silently choke. Hope struggled to restrain a laugh. Summer was right: Gina might very well try to poison them at such a dinner.
With a small cough, Hope replied politely, ‘A progressive dinner party would be nice, Miranda, but isn’t the distance between the houses somewhat prohibitive?’
‘Not necessarily. We could do the hot foods in the city and then conclude with the dessert up here. Or we could start up here with cocktails and appetizers and then move down to the city for…’
The sentence was left unfinished as the unmistakable sound of car engines came from behind them. They collectively turned toward the road and found two vehicles approaching the cul-de-sac. The first car was unidentified. The second was a marked police car.
‘Gracious,’ Miranda said with concern. ‘I hope that Gina is all right and nothing bad has happened to her.’
The sisters looked at each other gravely.
‘The Bergs?’ Summer whispered.
Hope had no answer. If Jill or Austin had killed Carter, would they go after Gina next?
Summer’s expression lightened. ‘Maybe the police have come to arrest Gina.’
This time she apparently didn’t speak quietly enough, because Miranda blinked at her, startled.
‘Arrest Gina?’ Miranda echoed. ‘Why would the police do that?’
Not prepared for the lengthy explanation that was required, Summer faltered. ‘Oh, well, I—’
She was saved from having to struggle further by the arrival of the two cars. They pulled into the driveway, the marked police car behind the other. The first car stopped directly next to Hope and Summer. Its glass was so darkly tinted that they couldn’t see the interior. The window on the driver’s side lowered.
‘Nate!’ Summer exclaimed.
Miranda hurried toward him. ‘Are you going to arrest Gina?’
Nate didn’t immediately respond. He looked from Summer to Hope to Miranda. He didn’t smile or greet any of them by name. A man sitting in the front passenger seat next to him said something that Hope couldn’t hear. Nate replied with a slight nod. A moment later, the black steel gate started to open slowly. Both Hope and Summer took a step backwards in surprise.
Nate looked at them again. ‘I don’t know what you’re doing here,’ he began, his voice stern.
Although he gave the impression of speaking to the three as a group, Hope could tell by the focus of Nate’s gaze that his words were intended more for Summer and her than for Miranda.
‘But you need to leave,’ he continued. ‘Go home.’
‘Are you going to arrest Gina?’ Miranda asked a second time.
‘Gina Zaffer is being interviewed as a witness,’ Nate said in a formal tone.
‘Then she’s all right? Nothing bad has happened to her?’ Miranda breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I’ve been so worried about everyone and everything since yesterday. I can’t stop fretting.’
‘We’re all fretting,’ Summer commiserated.
There was no sign of sympathy from Nate. Instead, he repeated even more sternly, ‘You need to leave. Go home.’
Summer frowned.
‘Gina is a witness?’ Miranda pursued. ‘Is it in connection to Carter?’
‘Yes.’ Nate hesitated, as though debating how much to say. ‘Gina informed us that she held a séance…’
The man in the passenger seat snickered. Although it was barely perceptible, Hope saw Nate wince. She understood his reaction, because she winced, too.
Miranda’s jaw sagged. ‘Gina held a séance?’
‘A séance,’ Nate confirmed grimly, ‘during which Carter Dalton is claimed to have appeared and is claimed to have identified his killer.’
There was another snicker from the man next to him.
Miranda’s jaw sagged lower. ‘But that can’t be correct. How can that possibly be correct?’
No one answered her. The gate finished opening with a loud clang.
‘Leave,’ Nate instructed them one final time. ‘Go home now.’ And as his car began to pull forward through the gate and up the driveway, he glanced quickly back at the sisters and mouthed, ‘Gina said it was you.’
TWENTY-TWO
‘The bloody witch,’ Summer spat, simultaneously tossing a moldy half of a lemon into the trash bag. ‘The bloody, bloody witch.’
‘Our ancestors will not thank you for saying that,’ Hope – who was examining the contents of their refrigerator and handing the discards to her sister – reminded her.
‘Our ancestors never would have held a fake séance to accuse an innocent person of murder,’ Summer rejoined.
‘But are we certain that’s what Nate meant? Gina identified us – ostensibly through Carter – as his killer?’
‘Of course that’s what Nate meant! There is no other interpretation. It’s why Nate looked at us the way that he did yesterday in front of the gate. The way that he looked at me.’ Summer groaned. ‘He despises me now.’
Hope suppressed a sigh and studied a wilting head of lettuce. Summer had been alternating between fuming about Gina and lamenting over Nate ever since they had climbed back into their car on the cul-de-sac and returned to the brownstone the previous afternoon. Although she had been too tired to continue for long in the evening, Summer had recharged the grievance battery overnight and started afresh in the morning.
‘It must have been awful for Nate when they reached Gina’s house and she gave them a detailed account of the supposed séance and the alleged apparition of Carter,’ Summer said. ‘Can you imagine how Nate’s colleagues must have reacted to her story? Their smirks and sarcastic comments?’
‘We’ve dealt with skeptics and cynics all of our lives,’ Hope replied, deciding that the lettuce remained edible for another day or two. ‘Gina Zaffer’s fabrications are precisely what make people cynical and skeptical. It isn’t new for us. And it isn’t entirely new for Nate, either. He winced only slightly when his colleague in the car snickered at the mention of the séance. In my opinion, Nate handled the situation shrewdly. He didn’t identify us by name in the driveway or distinguish us from Miranda in any manner. We were simply three women who happened to be visiting Gina and told by the police – firmly but politely – to leave the property while they interviewed her. Nate warned us about the séance so that we could be on our guard, which is a clear indication that he doesn’t despise you in the least. On the contrary, he wants to protect you.’
‘I never thought of it that way.’ Summer’s cheeks flushed.
‘While you’re thinking of it and looking pleased about Nate’s protective instinct, smell this mayonnaise and tell me if it should stay.’
Summer put her nose to the container of mayonnaise and promptly added it to the trash bag. ‘If we have to throw away this much rotten produce and spoiled condiments from our refrigerator after being without power for a day, then Miranda must have lost everything in her freezer. She’s probably very unhappy.’
‘Yes, but with the electricity back on, she can begin to restock her shelves, and that will distract her from what she heard yesterday about the séance. She was somewhat rattled by it, which is understandable. It’s one thing to have seen a sign on a post for Madam Gina; it’s quite another to learn that Gina is purportedly communicating with the ghost of a man who drowned in the water pumped out of your cellar.’
