Secrets to Die For, page 3
“They were at the lake awhile ago.” Jessica pointed toward the front door.
“I’ll see if they’re still in the area.” Nina stood. “How about I meet our new committee in the library in half an hour?”
“Perfect.” Jessica nodded. “Lily and I will contact Mabel and Selma.”
“See you then.” Nina waved and headed for the door.
“Tell the cops you’ll help in their investigation!” Lily called after her.
Lily’s advice tempted Nina, but she was at Marley for a different purpose. She would tell the police what she knew and then concentrate on establishing the new library.
Chapter Three
Nina exited the building and headed for the lake. Last night’s storm left the sky clear, but dark clouds rimmed the horizon, forecasting more rain.
Yellow police tape cordoned off the dock and boathouse. A uniformed officer knelt on the dock, examining the surface, while another wearing hip boots stood in shallow water, poking at the dock’s underside. A third man, with curly, salt-and-pepper hair and dressed in slacks and a Richmond Police Department parka, took notes on a clipboard while speaking to a group of onlookers.
Nina recognized him as Pete Russell, the detective who investigated her friend, Wildeen’s, murder. She waited until he broke away from the group and then approached him. “Detective Russell.”
He looked up, and his lips broke into a smile. “Well, if it isn’t Nina Foster. Don’t tell me you’re involved in what happened here.”
His friendly tone put her at ease. “Involved enough to have something to tell you about Ellie.”
“Sure. Just give me a minute.” He pulled a clean sheet of paper from underneath the stack on the clipboard and fastened it on top. “Okay. Whatcha got?”
Nina told him how she and Jessica watched Ellie and Nigel from the library window. “Then, when I met her later, here at the lake, she acted confused. She looked over her shoulder and asked if someone followed her.”
Russell paused in his note taking. “Was anyone in sight?”
“Not that I could see, but visibility was really bad last night. A person could have been hiding by the dock or in the trees. Ellie mentioned knowing someone’s secrets. But when I asked her whose secrets, she didn’t answer.” She expected a reaction to that bit of news, but his expression remained bland.
He wrote awhile and then looked up again. “Anything else?”
Tilting her head, Nina thought a moment. “No, that’s all.”
“Thanks, Nina.” He tucked his clipboard under his arm and stepped away.
Disappointed by his abrupt dismissal, Nina followed him, holding out a hand. “Wait a minute. Do you think someone murdered Ellie? Is that why you’re here?”
Russell stopped and turned. A frown creased his brow. “I’m here because I help out where I’m needed, not because I’m investigating a crime. The autopsy will tell us how she died.”
“But her fear seemed so real.” Nina shook her head. “What about the secrets she said she knew?”
“You think she was murdered, don’t you?”
“Murder is possible, isn’t it? Your men are searching as though the area is a crime scene.” She nodded to the two officers who were still at the lake.
Russell waved a hand. “What they’re doing is routine.”
Nina doubted the police activity was only routine, but she wouldn’t argue. “Well, anyway, I’ve told you what I know. I did my duty.”
“You did, Nina, and I thank you.” He gave a salute. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta talk to some more folks.”
Nina was tempted to hang around, but she had other business to take care of. Still, thoughts of what had happened to Ellie lingered. Was her death accidental? Or the result of foul play?
****
Back in the building, Nina walked down the hall to the new library. Jessica, Lily, and two other women sat in the overstuffed chairs, their heads together in conversation.
Lily looked up as Nina approached. “Here’s our leader!”
“Hello, ladies.” Smiling at Lily’s exuberant greeting, Nina shed her parka and hung it over the back of a chair. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
“Not at all.” Jessica gestured to the woman sitting beside her. “Nina, meet Mabel Whiteside.”
Nina smiled and nodded. “Welcome, Mabel.” Mabel’s silver-blonde hair formed a pale halo around a face with eyes and mouth dramatically outlined with cosmetics. Her frilly pink blouse, matching cashmere shawl, mauve skirt, and high-heeled shoes were more suited to a social gathering than a work party.
“Mabel lives on six.” Jessica smiled at the woman. “You’re our Southern belle, aren’t you, Mabel?”
The woman laughed. “Ah guess ah am. Ah moved heah from Texas to be close to mah son. Sam works for MicroTechno.”
“Lots of our people have moved here from out of state to be near their kids,” Jessica said.
“I’d like to get away from mine.” Lily rolled her eyes.
“This is Selma Bellari.” Jessica leaned around Mabel to nod at Selma. “She lives next door to me and is our resident Scrabble champion.”
Nina turned to Selma. In contrast to Mabel, she was plainly dressed in a white blouse, a red cardigan sweater, and navy slacks. Her dark, gray-streaked hair was gathered into a loose bun on top of her head. “Nice to meet you.”
Selma waved at Nina. “We’ve heard so much about you from Jessica.”
Nina laughed. “All good, I hope. But thanks for coming, ladies. I appreciate your interest in your new library. This room will be—”
“Tell us what you found out about Ellie.” Lily sat forward.
“Not much.” Nina gave Lily an indulgent smile. “I talked to Detective Pete Russell and told him about meeting Ellie and Nigel last night.”
“I bet he said she’d been murdered.”
Nina shook her head. As much as she might’ve wanted him to share information, he hadn’t. “The police have to wait for the autopsy before announcing the cause of death.”
Selma’s nod set her topknot dancing. “I won’t sleep a wink if a murderer’s on the loose.”
“We have good security.” Jessica leaned back in her chair. “Mike or one of his crew is always on duty, and all outsiders must sign in and out.”
Selma sniffed. “Security didn’t save Ellie, did it?”
“Don’t worry, ladies.” Lily spread her hands. “Nina will find out who murdered Ellie. Won’t you, Nina?” She regarded Nina over the top of the glasses. “You do agree that someone killed her.”
Lily’s confidence in her abilities brought a smile to Nina’s lips. “I must admit her death looks suspicious.”
“See. Told ya.” Lily sat back and folded her arms.
“Ah know where ah would look.” Mabel fingered the frilly collar of her blouse.
“Where?” Jessica’s eyes widened and she leaned toward Mabel.
“Dr. Ravensbarger. He was givin’ her those pills that made her so crazy. And, my, he is a Mr. Smoothie. Ah went to him for mah backache, and why, he liked to charmed mah stockings off.” Mabel fluttered her eyelashes.
Mabel’s flirtatious attitude made Nina wonder just who was charming whom.
“He wanted to give me all sorts of tests.” Mabel pressed fingers to her cheek. “Said they were free. Can you imagine a doctor doin’ anythin’ for free?”
Her pink lips twisted into a disdainful grimace. Nina agreed with Mabel’s doubts about a doctor offering free services.
“My friend, Georgia, goes to him.” Selma shrugged and turned up both hands. “She loves him.”
“A lot of our residents see Dr. Ravensbarger.” Jessica smoothed a wrinkle from her skirt. “And Sheryl, our part-time nurse, works for him.”
“Does anyone know who inherits Ellie's money?” Selma looked around the group.
Reminded of Ellie’s fortune, Nina hoped someone knew the answer to Selma’s query.
“Her slimy nephew, Roger, gets some of the money.” Lily wrinkled her nose. “But the biggest chunk goes to—” Her eyes wide, she looked around the group.
Everyone leaned toward her.
“Who, who?” Selma grimaced.
“Come on, Lily, give.” Mabel clapped her hands.
“The daughter of Ellie’s former boyfriend.” Lily turned to Jessica. “Isn't that right, Jess?”
Jessica nodded. “The situation is strange. Ellie’s best friend stole the man she was once engaged to. The two ran off and got married. Why Ellie would leave most of her sixteen million to their only daughter is beyond me.”
“Was the bequest part of her craziness?” Selma wrinkled her brow and looked around the group.
Jessica folded her arms. “I don’t think so. She set up the inheritance right after she won the lottery a couple years ago.”
“The daughter gets ever’thing? Except the chunk for Roger?” Mabel pursed her lips and shook her head.
“Some goes to Ellie's favorite charities,” Jessica said. “But the daughter inherits the biggest part.”
“Lucky her.” Lily raised her eyebrows.
Nina stood and held up her hands. “Ladies, this conversation is interesting, and we’re all concerned and sorry about what happened to Ellie, but we’d better get to work on our project.”
“Just tell us what to do.” Selma scooted to the edge of her seat.
“First, have any of you ever worked in a library?” Nina looked around the group.
Selma and Mabel shook their heads.
“I was librarian’s helper in grade school.” Lily raised her hand. “I stamped books with the due date. The librarian had a pencil with a rubber stamp attached to the end, so you could either write or stamp.”
“Are we stampin’ due dates on the books?” Mabel picked up a book from a nearby table and held it up. “Using a stamp would sure help me. Ah have a terrible time remembering dates.”
“You should join our Word Games Club.” Selma patted her topknot. “Making words helps keep the brain active.”
Mabel smoothed her skirt. “Thank y’all, Selma, but ah cain’t spell past ‘cat’ and ‘dog.’”
“We won’t use a date due stamp.” Nina picked up a clipboard. “This clipboard will serve as our check-out. People will be on the honor system to record the books they borrow and cross them off when they are returned. A computer with a list of the books will be available, but we’ll keep lending as simple as possible.”
“I like simple!” Lily bounced up and down.
The woman’s enthusiasm brought a smile to Nina’s lips. “Me, too, Lily. Now, first of all, we need to finish sorting our donated books. Jessica and Mabel, you can unload the boxes stacked on the floor and put the books on the table. Selma and Lily will sort the books into two piles, fiction and nonfiction.”
Everyone set to work.
Nina inspected the books Selma and Lily sorted, choosing those to include in the collection and those to discard. Despite her resolve not to interfere with the police investigation, her thoughts strayed to Ellie’s death. Had the woman suffered an accident? Or had she met with foul play?
A woman with an armload of books arrived. She had reddish hair and a sprinkling of freckles across a pug nose. Faded jeans hugged hips that appeared too narrow for the size of her upper body. “I hoped I’d find someone here.”
Nina winced at the strident voice.
“Hello, Harriet.” Jessica smiled at the newcomer and then turned to Nina. “Harriet Hambly lives on two, home economist, and had a TV program.”
“Indeed, I was on TV.” Harriet shifted her load of books to display a red sweatshirt emblazoned with ‘In the Kitchen With Harriet Hambly.’ “Mine was the longest running program ever on Channel Fifty-Four. We were such a smash.”
“Harriet loves to talk about herself,” Lily whispered behind her hand to Nina.
Nina nodded and smiled. She’d met Harriet and had noticed her self-centeredness.
“I brought copies of my books to donate.” Harriet looked around the room. “Where shall I put them?”
“On that table, please.” Nina pointed to an empty table.
Harriet crossed the room and deposited her books.
Nina followed, counted twelve volumes, and then looked up. “Did you write all these?”
“I did.” Harriet stuck out her chest. “Five cookbooks, four on crafts, two on flower arranging, and one on home decorating. Could my donations have a shelf all their own? They are all autographed.”
“We’ll see.” Nina straightened the stack. She’d had such requests at the library and, not wanting to discourage donations, always gave a vague reply. “I’m not sure how our spacing will work out. But, thank you for your donation. I know the books will be appreciated.”
“No one who lives here cooks much anymore.” Lily wrinkled her nose. “Why should we when dinner is included in our rent?”
Harriet propped her hands on her slim hips. “A lot of residents use their kitchens.” She went to stand beside Jessica. “You cook sometimes, don’t you, Jessica?”
Jessica looked up from her sorting. “I do like to bake cookies.”
“I’m sure your books will be of interest.” Nina used a soothing tone, hoping to avoid an argument between Harriet and Lily. She had the feeling that, for an unknown reason, Lily did not like Harriet.
Harriet gazed around the room. “How are you doing so far?”
“We barely started when you interrupted.” Lily picked up a book and studied the cover. “Selma and I are sorting fiction and nonfiction, so don’t disturb our piles.”
Harriet strolled along the table, picking up books and perusing them.
Nina noticed a birthmark on the back of Harriet’s right hand. The shape reminded her of a butterfly with its wings spread.
“I felt terrible when I heard about Ellie.” Harriet put down a book she’d been paging through and faced the group.
Everyone nodded and murmured agreement.
“You were a good friend of hers, weren’t you?” Jessica reached into a box and pulled out a handful of books.
“We were friends.” Harriet turned to Nina. “I saw you at the lake talking to the policeman. What did he have to say?”
Why was Harriet so curious? Out of concern for Ellie? Or for another reason? “Nothing much. I told him about my encounter with Ellie last night at the lake.”
Harriet’s eyes widened. “You talked to her at the lake? What did she say?”
Nina gave Harriet an abbreviated version of her conversation with Ellie.
“Poor Ellie.” Harriet shook her head. “She was really mixed up. What a terrible accident.”
“Her death was no accident.” Lily pushed out her lower lip. “Someone killed her!”
“Why, that idea is ridiculous.” Harriet pursed her lips. “Who would want to harm poor Ellie?”
“Nina will find out who.” Lily lifted her chin.
Harriet frowned at Nina. “What is she talking about?”
“Haven’t you heard how Nina solved a murder last summer?” Lily waved a hand in the air. “Well, now she’ll solve this crime.”
Nina felt her stomach clench, but she managed a smile in Lily’s direction. “I do enjoy mysteries, but I’ll let the police deal with Ellie’s death.”
Harriet approached the boxes of books sitting on the floor. “Ellie told me she was donating books to the library. Did she?”
“I don’t know.” Nina shrugged. “We haven’t opened all the boxes yet. Why do you ask?”
“She had a book of mine she intended to return but never did. I thought maybe my book got mixed up with her donations.”
“What was the title?” Nina picked up her clipboard and pen, ready to record the information.
“Never mind.” Harriet waved a hand. “The book’s not important.”
After Harriet finally left, the room was quiet.
“I wonder if Harriet’s unreturned book is what she and Ellie argued about the other day?” Selma broke the silence.
“Tell us about their argument.” Mabel sank into a chair.
Everyone, including Nina, stopped working and leaned toward Selma.
Selma’s gaze roved over the group. “I was on my way downstairs to check my mailbox, and I heard voices coming from inside Ellie’s apartment. As I passed by, the door flew open, and Harriet rushed out. Her face was as red as her hair. She was really mad.”
“Ah saw them fightin’ in the laundry room last week.” Mabel nodded. “Ah don’t know what about, though, because they quit talkin’ when Ah came in.”
Selma added a book to her stack. “Maybe Harriet was mad ’cause Ellie didn’t want to give back the book.”
“Or maybe Ellie couldn’t return the book because she lost it.” Jessica propped her elbows on the table.
“Maybe.” Selma shrugged. “But I got the feeling those two weren’t the good friends everyone thought them to be.”
With growing interest, Nina followed the women’s conversation. Despite her resolve to keep her distance, Ellie’s mysterious death intrigued her, especially since she felt at least partly responsible. Should she follow her inclinations and become involved? Or leave the investigation to the police?
Chapter Four
Half an hour later, Lily looked at her wristwatch. “Oh oh, gotta go. Wally and I have a date to play checkers.”
Jessica shook her head. “Haven’t you two progressed beyond checkers?”
Noticing Jessica’s eyes twinkled with teasing, Nina hid a smile.
“None of your beeswax, Jessica!” Lily reached for her walker.
“Ah saw you two at the movie in the auditorium last Friday.” Mabel winked at Selma.
“Didn’t I see Wally come out of your apartment the other night?” Selma hid a chuckle behind her hand.
“Nina, tell them to stop picking on me!” Lily pushed her lips into a pout. Reaching into the pink basket attached to her walker, she pulled out a tabloid-size magazine. “I almost forgot the donation I brought.” She held out the magazine.
