The Fool Dies Last, page 23
Rosemarie’s blush traveled across to her ears and down to her neck. ‘That would be awfully nice, but I don’t want to inconvenience you. You must be terribly busy.’
‘Never too busy to see my good friend Percy,’ Dylan responded gallantly.
‘Oh, gosh.’ Rosemarie giggled.
Dylan gave her a matching gallant smile and then, turning his head so that Rosemarie couldn’t see, he cast Hope a sharp look. Hope blinked at him innocently, pretending that she didn’t understand him.
Giggling some more and wishing Hope and Summer a lovely remainder of the day, Rosemarie headed outside. Dylan began to follow her, but when he reached the doorway, he turned back.
‘Can I trust you?’ he said. ‘Or do I have to call Olivia?’
‘Why would you need to call Gram?’ Hope asked, still blinking innocently.
The sharp look repeated itself. ‘To check on you and make sure that you don’t do anything reckless.’
‘What nonsense,’ Summer scoffed. ‘Calling our grandmother to check on us as though we’re a pair of lost little waifs who can’t possibly make rational decisions and fend for ourselves.’
But as she said it, Summer and Hope exchanged a glance, wondering if perhaps Dylan was correct and they were in fact about to do something reckless.
TWENTY-FOUR
After some discussion, they decided to separate. Hope would enter the hotel first, followed by Summer a short while later. Their goal was to keep a low profile and make their arrival as inconspicuous as possible. They didn’t know if someone would be watching. Presumably, the murderer was still expecting Gerald to appear for the meeting. News of his injuries couldn’t have traveled far overnight. Aside from the calls to Nate and the paramedics, Hope and Summer hadn’t told anybody about the attempted burglary and fall down the stairs, not even Gram. And Dylan hadn’t told Morris. The only unknown was Sylvia, who might have been notified by the hospital that her son had been admitted.
They had greater difficulty agreeing on what to do with the paperwork for the tontine. Since neither they nor the murderer could read more than a few words of the document, Hope was inclined to simply leave it behind at the boutique. Summer, on the other hand, thought that they had a better chance of reasoning with the murderer if they had the pages with them. Hope was doubtful that a person who had used strychnine to poison Marilyn and Roberta could be reasoned with, but she ultimately yielded when Summer argued that there was no risk in bringing the paper to the meeting and considerable risk in not bringing the paper.
All of the excitement with Rosemarie, Dylan, and the donut holes had ended up taking a considerable amount of time, and when Hope and Summer finally arrived at the entrance to Amethyst’s cobblestone drive, it wasn’t nearly as early as they would have liked.
‘We’d better hurry,’ Summer said, a few anxious drops of perspiration appearing on her nose. ‘It’s close to noon, and we still have to figure out where exactly in the spa Gerald was supposed to go.’
‘I’ve been thinking about that. The reception area is far too public, as are the corridors and dressing rooms. Only the treatment rooms are private enough for a meeting like this. Which means that either Gerald or the murd—’ Hope stopped herself abruptly. Even though there was nobody in close proximity, saying murderer aloud in the street probably wasn’t the best idea. ‘One of them must have a booking in their name.’
Summer nodded. ‘Fingers crossed that it’s Gerald, because if the other person used an alias, it will be nearly impossible for us to figure out who it is before they realize that Gerald isn’t coming and slink off.’
‘And fingers crossed that Lisa is working this morning, because she was great at finding Gary’s room for Megan and me the other day—’ Again, Hope stopped herself, and this time she winced. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.’
‘Don’t apologize. I’m glad that you and Megan found Gary’s room and saw what you did. As painful as it was for me to hear, I’m a firm believer that it’s better to know the truth. And that’s why we need to find out the truth about this, too, regardless of how awful it might be.’ Summer paused. ‘You don’t think – what Dylan said earlier – about Gary working his way through the members of the tontine in order to disguise his true goal of poisoning me …’
‘Dylan didn’t mean that seriously!’ Hope exclaimed.
‘Are you sure? Because it’s possible, isn’t it? There’s no question about Gary cheating on me, so why couldn’t he take it one step further and try to murder me, too? It would save him from a lot of hassle and a potentially messy divorce. He’s familiar with the community center and the spa. He also has access to plenty of Tarot cards.’
Hope stared at her.
‘It’s possible, isn’t it?’ Summer reiterated.
‘Well, yes, in theory,’ Hope began hesitantly. ‘But let’s be honest, it’s a pretty complex scheme, and Gary has never been especially clever or motivated. And he couldn’t have known about the tontine, because we didn’t know about the tontine.’
Summer couldn’t argue with her on those points. ‘I suppose you’re right. I suppose I’m just being paranoid. Plus, I doubt that Gary would ever hurt Gram. He always liked Gram.’
‘Right now, thankfully – regardless of Gary – Gram is the safest of all of us,’ Hope said. ‘She’s with Morris, and if Morris hasn’t already been notified of Marilyn and Roberta’s lab results, I’m sure that he will be shortly. Then he’ll probably be even stricter than Dylan and won’t let Gram put a morsel in her mouth without running it through half a dozen chemical analyses first.’
Summer chuckled. ‘I can see Morris doing exactly that. Speaking of Dylan, he wouldn’t actually tattle on us to Gram, would he? I don’t want her coming to look for us.’
Hope shook her head. ‘No. I think Dylan was just testing us. He could see that we were up to something, and he was trying to work out what it is.’
‘Well, fingers crossed that he doesn’t work it out – at least not until this horrible meeting is concluded.’
‘At the rate we’re crossing them,’ Hope replied, ‘we’re going to need more fingers.’ And with a wistful smile at her sister, she turned and headed toward the hotel, the manila envelope tucked under her arm.
Any chance for an inconspicuous entrance evaporated the moment that she stepped through Amethyst’s glass doors.
‘Hello!’ Megan called from across the lobby. ‘Hope!’
With a large wave in greeting, Megan began to zigzag toward her, cheerfully conversing with various hotel guests along the way. By the time she reached Hope, nearly everybody in the lobby had taken notice of Megan – and, by association, Hope.
‘If someone was watching for Gerald,’ Hope remarked under her breath, ‘then they now know that I’m here. It’s a good thing that Summer didn’t come inside at the same time.’
As though reading her mind, Megan gave her a quick hug and said, ‘I’m glad Summer isn’t with you.’
Hope looked at her in surprise.
‘I need to warn you.’ Megan dropped her voice and directed Hope to the nearest nook off the lobby. ‘It’s about Gary.’
‘Gary?’ she asked, her surprise – and apprehension – growing. Did Megan also have some reason to suspect that Gary might be involved in the murders?
‘Summer needs to be prepared,’ Megan told her. ‘Gary might be coming back around. Misty checked out this morning.’
‘Oh, is that all?’ Hope exhaled with relief. ‘You had me worried there for a second.’
It was Megan’s turn to show surprise. ‘But it’s a big deal! Without Little Miss Mystique and her hotel room, Gary will surely return to the house, and if he returns to the house, he’ll no doubt attempt to worm his way back into Summer’s life.’
‘He might try, but he’s going to face some stiff competition,’ Hope responded with a smile. ‘Last night at the brownstone, Nate proposed a date of sorts, and Summer accepted.’
‘He did? She did?’ Megan questioned excitedly. ‘Why didn’t I hear about this before?’
‘It just happened, and there have been a lot of other things going on …’ Hope hesitated. For a minute, she was tempted to give Megan a full update regarding Gerald and the attic, the papers tucked under her arm, and the meeting in the spa. But then she decided against it. The explanation would take too long, and even in the nook, they were too exposed. Plus, Hope was already having reservations about the wisdom of her and Summer’s plan, and she didn’t want Megan to add any further misgivings.
Megan evidently noticed her distraction, because she said, ‘You look rushed, so I won’t keep you. I have to dash myself. Bridezilla and the wedding planner are back. Now they want to forgo flowers completely and use origami butterflies instead.’
Even with the stress of the impending meeting, Hope had to laugh. ‘I’m starting to feel sorry for the groom.’
‘Me, too. I have a sneaking suspicion that the marriage won’t last much longer than the origami butterflies, which will probably be changed to hydrangeas by tomorrow.’ Megan rolled her eyes. ‘But I expect to hear all the details about Summer and our favorite detective later. Wine and cheese at the boutique after work, as usual?’
Hope nodded, and Megan hurried out of the nook, blowing her an air kiss in parting. As she watched Megan zigzag back across the lobby the way she had come, Hope wondered with some amusement if Dylan would make a dispensation for the leftovers from the four o’clock wine-and-cheese. She tried to think of what arguments she could use to persuade him, doing all that she could not to focus on the task immediately before her. If she concentrated on Dylan, then she might manage to make it down the staircase to the lower level of the hotel, past the purple orchid on the black marble table, through the double doors into the spa.
Her heart was pounding so hard when she entered the reception area that Hope was sure it could be heard over the rhythmic pitter-patter of raindrops playing as part of the spa’s background music. She must have looked as jittery as she felt, because the two ladies lounging on a pair of velvet chairs glanced at her with pitying expressions. One woman had a glass of lemon water in her hand, and when she started to take a sip, Hope almost shouted at her to stop, but she caught herself just in time. She didn’t recognize either woman, so there was no reason to believe that the water had been poisoned.
With her usual bun and slim-fitting uniform, Lisa rose from behind the reception desk. ‘Hey there, Hope.’
Hope gave a shaky, grateful sigh. ‘Hi, Lisa.’
‘Do you have an appointment today? I didn’t see your name …’ As Hope approached the desk, Lisa lowered her voice to prevent the ladies from overhearing. ‘How are you? I have to confess that I’m not doing so well. I can’t quite come to grips with what happened last week. Poor Mrs Smoltz. It’s the first death we’ve ever had at the spa. And I think that word has been spreading about it, because we’ve had more than the usual number of cancellations over the past few days. Some were without any explanation at all.’
‘That’s why I’m here, actually,’ Hope said. ‘Not in regard to a cancellation, but to follow up on something to do with Marilyn. Can you tell me if Gerald Norquist has an appointment scheduled for noon?’
‘Gerald Norquist?’ Lisa’s brow furrowed. ‘I don’t think so. I don’t recall him as a client – and I’m usually pretty good with names – but I’d be happy to take a look.’
‘Thanks …’
Lisa sat back down at the desk, tucked a couple of loose strands into her bun, and checked the computer. ‘It’s just as I thought. Gerald doesn’t have an appointment. He’s never been to the spa.’
Hope frowned.
‘Out of curiosity,’ Lisa said, ‘is he related to Sylvia Norquist?’
‘Yes! Sylvia is Gerald’s mother. Does she have an appointment?’
Lisa checked the computer again. ‘Sylvia has Tuesday evening and Thursday morning booked. Nothing today, though.’
The frown deepened. No Gerald. No Sylvia. Who else might have an appointment? It couldn’t be Gary, could it? ‘What about Kirsten Willport?’ Hope asked.
This time Lisa didn’t need to check her computer. ‘Kirsten is here right now. She was scheduled for eleven.’
‘Which room?’
‘The treatment should be nearly over. She’ll be out any minute, if you want to—’
‘Which room?’ Hope pressed her.
Her tone must have been either sufficiently determined or sufficiently desperate, because without further debate, Lisa answered, ‘Kirsten is in room nine.’
‘Room nine,’ Hope echoed. ‘I really appreciate this, Lisa. I remember you mentioning last week that tiger’s eye helped with your exams. If you want to come by the boutique tomorrow or the next day, I’m sure that we can find you another crystal, or a tea – Summer is excellent with teas – to relieve any lingering stress or nervousness.’
‘That would be great! I’ll definitely stop by. I don’t work on Wednesday afternoon, so …’ Lisa didn’t finish the sentence. Perhaps she sensed Hope’s own nervousness, because lowering her voice once more, she said, ‘Everything is OK, right? Nothing bad is going to happen again, is it?’
Although Hope would have dearly liked to reassure her, she couldn’t. She wasn’t confident enough herself. All she could muster was a small, not overly optimistic smile. ‘I’m expecting Summer to arrive shortly. Will you tell her about Kirsten’s room?’
Lisa responded with an anxious nod.
Hope nodded in return and, taking a deep breath, headed toward the adjoining corridor with the treatment rooms. Under other circumstances, she might have laughed at the irony. Room nine had also been Gary and Misty’s room. For the second time in less than a week, she was walking down the same corridor to the same room with the same amount of dread in her steps. But Hope could see no humor in the perverse situation. Her mind was fixed on one thing: Was Kirsten the murderer?
For better or worse, Hope found the corridor empty. There was no sign of Sean with his housekeeping cart. There were no other spa employees or guests, either. Only the same rhythmic pitter-patter of raindrops as in the reception area, which to Hope, in her agitated state, was beginning to sound more like a jackhammer than a tranquil drizzle.
Room nine was midway down the corridor, on the left-hand side. She paused when she reached the closed door. Should she knock? Announce her arrival? Call the police? Blockade the entrance? Sean had said that the spa walls were solid and few noises passed through. Hope leaned toward the door and listened. She expected not to hear anything, but to her surprise, somebody inside the room seemed to be talking. The voice was too indistinct to make out any words or even to determine if it belonged to a woman or a man. And then, suddenly, there came a muffled shriek.
Hope grabbed the handle of the door. It wasn’t locked, and she hastily swung it open. Last time a giggling, cuddling couple had appeared before her. This time there was no couple, only Kirsten Willport. She wasn’t sitting in a chair, or lying on a treatment table, or even simply standing in the room. Kirsten was huddled on the floor, cowering in the far corner, her spa robe wrapped tightly around her. Her face was pale and panicked. Tears of fear were streaming down her divine skin.
Momentarily forgetting why she was there, Hope started to move toward her. ‘Kirsten, what’s wrong? You look as though—’
‘No, no!’ Kirsten cried. ‘Go back. Go back!’ She waved wildly at the door. ‘Get out. Get out!’
‘But I—’
It was all Hope managed to say before the door slammed shut behind her and the lock clicked. Hope spun around, and when she did, she discovered that Kirsten hadn’t been waving at the door. She had been waving at a person standing behind the door.
‘How disappointing to see you, Hope,’ the person said.
TWENTY-FIVE
For Hope, there was no disappointment. Only extreme confusion. Ever since Gerald had told her about the stolen keys and the intended meeting, she had tried to figure out who would want the papers from the attic. The top suspects had been the remaining members of the tontine. Gram had always been out of the question, of course. But if it wasn’t Sylvia or Kirsten, either, then the killer had to be somebody who could access both the community center and the spa, somebody who was aware of the tontine, and somebody who knew enough about everyone involved to deliver a Tarot card to Summer’s house and force Gerald to do their bidding. Summer had thought the person needed money. Nate had thought the person wanted money. And Dylan had gone so far as to suggest that Gary might be using the other murders as a ruse to kill his wife. But the one person who nobody had remotely considered – the one person who didn’t seem at all connected to the matter – turned out to be the person standing in front of Hope now.
‘Mystique?’ Hope said, stunned.
‘I prefer Misty, thank you. And if I’m being truthful, there have been times when I’ve thought about changing it entirely. People tend not to take me seriously after learning my name. My mom claims that she was going through a hippy-dippy, back-to-nature phase when I was born, and she thought Mystique sounded groovy.’ Misty threw her head back and laughed at Hope’s bewildered expression. ‘I can see that you weren’t expecting me. For what it’s worth, I wasn’t expecting you, either. I was expecting Sylvia.’
That only staggered Hope more. ‘Sylvia? I–I thought …’ The words came out in a raspy whisper. ‘I thought the meeting was with Gerald.’
‘The meeting was arranged with Gerald,’ Misty corrected her. ‘But he’s such a scaredy-cat that I figured if I threatened his mom, he’d go running to her in a fright, and then she’d show up here in his place. I didn’t think that he’d come crying to you instead.’
‘He–he didn’t come crying to me.’ Hope struggled to steady her voice. ‘I caught him trying to steal the paper you wanted.’
