Renewed for Murder, page 23
“Wait, I’m confused—what does an accident have to do with Claudia Everhart?”
“That’s the really strange part of the story. My grandmother said this other high school girl showed up at the hospital, asking about Patricia Johnson. She seemed frantic, so Grandma took her aside to calm down. That’s when the girl, who gave her name as Claudia Everhart. said something so odd my grandmother never forgot it.”
I switched the phone receiver to my other hand and shook out my fingers, which had cramped from the tightness of my grip. “What in the world did she say?”
“She claimed the wreck wasn’t really an accident.”
The phone slipped from my hand, banging against the floor. I swooped down and grabbed it, apologizing to Tony as soon as I pressed the receiver back to my mouth and ear. “That doesn’t make sense. All the reports said Patty Johnson somehow lost control of the car and hit a tree. According to what I’ve read, she wasn’t driving under the influence of anything, and no other vehicles were involved.”
“That’s what my grandmother said too, but Ms. Everhart told her the victim could’ve blacked out because she’d hurt her head earlier in the week.” Tony expelled an audible breath. “She wanted Grandma to tell the doctors to check and see if Patricia Johnson had a prior head injury.”
“And did they?”
“No, because … Well, my grandmother said it would’ve been almost impossible to tell, given the victim’s trauma from the accident. Anyway, Grandma did mention this to some of the officers investigating the wreck, but she said nothing ever came of it. Apparently, no one could verify that the victim had recently suffered a bad fall, and then Ms. Everhart retracted her story.”
“She said it didn’t happen?”
“That’s what the deputies told my grandmother when she asked about the case. So it was officially listed as an accident, probably due to distracted driving, and that was that.”
“But your grandmother always had doubts?”
“Yeah, which is why she remembered Claudia Everhart’s name when I mentioned my research. Grandma told me she always felt Ms. Everhart was telling the truth at the hospital and, for some inexplicable reason, lied later.”
“Wow, thanks for sharing,” I said, my mind racing as I attempted to slot these new clues into place.
“I didn’t know if it would be helpful, but it was such an interesting story, I thought you’d like to hear it,” Tony said. “Librarians always like to compile all available information, right?”
“Absolutely.” I thanked him again before saying goodbye.
Clicking the receiver back onto the phone base, I stared blankly at the wall for a moment before making another call.
“Hello, Aunt Lydia,” I said when she answered the phone. “I wonder if you could do me a favor?”
“I’ll do whatever I can,” she replied. “As long as it doesn’t involve cooking. I’ve already done way too much of that today, prepping some garden vegetables for the freezer.”
“No, this is connected to Zelda’s case. Could you please ask her and Walt to come by your house around five or so? I’ll stop by on my way home from work.”
“To do what?” Aunt Lydia’s voice held cautious undertones.
“Ask a couple of questions.” I took a deep breath. “And see if we can finally get Zelda to tell us the truth.”
* * *
I walked home at a faster pace than usual, anxious to speak with Zelda. I wasn’t sure she would agree to explain everything—after all, she’d maintained her silence so far, even with the threat of a murder conviction hanging over her head. But armed with more information, I felt it was worth a try.
When I opened Aunt Lydia’s front door, I heard voices sailing down the hall from the back. Locking the door behind me, I made my way to the enclosed sunporch, which stretched across the back of the house.
Aunt Lydia, seated in her favorite wooden rocker, looked up as I entered. “Why, hello, Amy,” she said, signaling me she’d simply invited her friends over and hadn’t mentioned my planned ambush.
I grabbed the arm of a fan-backed wicker chair and turned it to face the glider, where Walt and Zelda were seated next to one another. “Hi, guys.” I plopped down onto the chair’s rose-patterned chintz cushions. “How are you both today?”
“Tolerable,” Walt said, his dark eyes narrowing. He had obviously noticed the tenseness in my posture, or perhaps the overabundance of enthusiasm in my voice.
Zelda’s pink-tinted lips twitched into the semblance of a smile. “Oh, I’m fine, dear, really. I think everyone else is more worried about my situation than I am.” She swept one of her hands through the air, her gesture including Walt and Aunt Lydia.
“As well we should be,” Walt grumbled. As he sat back, the glider banged into the stone wall behind him. “The sheriff’s department still seems to be focused on Zel as their main suspect, even though it’s clear as crystal she had nothing to do with that woman’s death.”
“Yeah, about that.” I placed my hands in my lap and squeezed them together to disguise a slight tremor. “I heard something today I wanted to ask you about, Zelda. Not that it necessarily ties into the case, but it made me wonder …”
As Zelda squirmed on the cushions of the glider, Aunt Lydia shot me a glance as acidic as vinegar. “What’s this all about, Amy? No sense hyping up the mystery. This isn’t an episode of Murder, She Wrote—ask your question and be done with it.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath before plunging into dangerous waters. “There was a young woman who died in a car accident not long after the vocal competition where Earl Blair suffered anaphylactic shock. Her name was Patricia Johnson, and somehow, she had a connection to Claudia Everhart. Or, at least, Ms. Everhart showed up at the hospital after Patty Johnson’s wreck, so there had to be something going on there.”
Zelda’s face blanched until her skin looked as fragile and pale as the blooms of a paper-white narcissus. “Where did you hear that?” she asked, in a strangled voice.
“From the grandson of a nurse who was on duty when Patty Johnson was brought in to the ER,” I said, ignoring the icy daggers Aunt Lydia’s eyes were casting my way.
“What’s all this?” Walt draped his long arm around Zelda’s shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. “Why are you so upset over this old story, Zel?” He shot me a fierce glance. “Of course, I remember hearing about it at the time, but that was nothing but a tragic accident.”
“It was tragic,” I agreed, as my fingernails bit into my clenched palms. “But Claudia Everhart apparently claimed it wasn’t precisely an accident. Or at least, she told the nurse it might have been precipitated by another event—a fall of some kind that could’ve led to Patty Johnson later blacking out in her car.”
Zelda dropped her head into her hands and burst into tears. As sobs wracked her body, Walt patted her back and sent Aunt Lydia a silent plea for help.
She immediately stood and crossed to the glider, sitting down on Zelda’s other side. “Now then,” she said, laying her hand over Zelda’s knee. “It can’t be that bad. Just tell us what’s going on.”
“You don’t understand,” Zelda managed to sputter out. “My dad was a doctor.”
Aunt Lydia shared a confused look with Walt. “We know your father was in general practice, but what does that have to do with anything?”
Zelda choked back another sob and sat up with a jerk, dislodging Walt’s arm. Fishing in the pockets of her black tunic top, she yanked out a cotton handkerchief. “It means I should’ve known better. I did know better,” she added, wiping the tears from her face.
“About what, darling?” Walt kept his voice low, but I could hear tension vibrating through his words.
“Patty Johnson.” Zelda blew her nose before balling up the handkerchief in her fist. “I should’ve insisted she get looked at by a doctor or some other medical professional.”
“Hold on.” I slid to the front edge of my chair. “Patty Johnson did experience some sort of head trauma before her car accident? And you knew about it?”
Zelda’s curls bounced as she bobbed her head. “Yes, I knew. And so did Gwen Ohlson and Olivia Bell. And Claudia Everhart, as it turned out.”
I sat back, bumping my head against the high back of my chair. “How did this happen?”
Zelda straightened and crossed her legs, throwing off Aunt Lydia’s hand. “The actual fall happened at the music competition where my choir tied for first place with Stonebridge. But I have to go back a little further to explain.” She sniffed. “You see, even though Gwen and Olivia and I went to Leeland, and Claudia and Patty attended Stonebridge, there was another connection between some of the girls.”
“The summer community theater production of Brigadoon,” I said.
“That’s right.” Zelda dabbed under her nose with the wadded handkerchief. “I wasn’t involved with that show, but the others were. The main actress was already chosen—she was a girl from the theater program at Clarion—but there was another role they were all vying for.”
“Jean, the secondary lead,” I said, remembering the photo Kurt had given me.
“Yes. I was trying my best to get into the Leeland chamber choir at the time, so I’d already cultivated Gwen and Olivia’s friendship.” Zelda cast Walt an apologetic look from under her dewy lashes. “It was when I was so rude to you. And you,” she added, glancing at my aunt.
“I remember. You were running with that crowd all summer,” Aunt Lydia said.
“I was so foolish. I was so desperate to be a part of their clique.” Zelda shook her head. “Don’t ask me why. But anyway, I knew from Gwen and Olivia that Patty Johnson from Stonebridge had snagged the part. They were not happy.”
I caught Aunt Lydia’s eye. “Kurt told me Uncle Andrew worked on the Brigadoon production, designing and painting sets.”
“Did he?” My aunt lifted her golden eyebrows. “That was before my time, but I suppose Kurt might’ve known.”
She’s still pretending she didn’t know, I guess for Zelda and Walt’s benefit, I thought. But I couldn’t let that stand in the way of the truth. “Kurt also said Uncle Andrew witnessed a fight between Olivia and Claudia, with Gwen on the sidelines.” I shifted my gaze to Zelda. “Did you ever hear anything about that?”
“Oh dear, yes,” she replied. “Apparently, Claudia was defending Patty. They weren’t close friends, from what I was told, but because they both went to Stonebridge, and the schools were rivals, Claudia took Patty’s side.”
The lines creasing Walt’s forehead deepened. “But what does any of this have to do with Ms. Johnson’s death?”
“I’m getting to that,” Zelda said, with a trace of her usual feistiness. She primly placed her hands in her lap. “There were a lot of bad feelings boiling between all those girls—Gwen, Olivia, Patty, and Claudia. Unfortunately, their feud hadn’t been resolved by the time we attended the competition that fall.”
“And then there was the whole mess with Earl Blair dating both you and Claudia,” I said. “I guess it didn’t help matters.”
“It didn’t, although as I have said before, I wasn’t really in love with Earl, so it didn’t upset me much. It kind of hurt my pride, since I actually loved someone else …” Zelda leaned into Walt, who smiled. “But Olivia and Gwen already had it in for Claudia, so they spread a lot of rumors about her, which led Earl to break up with both of us at the same time.”
“She slipped him that cupcake, didn’t she?” Aunt Lydia asked.
“I always thought so, but Earl wasn’t convinced. Like I told Amy, he accused me as well as Claudia. There was never any proof as to who it was, of course, so no one was ever brought to justice.”
“Which is a good reason for Earl Blair to choose your garden when he lured Claudia to her death. He wanted to frame you in addition to killing her,” Walt said grimly.
“Maybe, although …” Zelda took an audible breath. “He’s not the only one who had a motive.” She met my questioning gaze. “I think Amy has an inkling as to the other likely suspects.”
“Gwen Ohlson and Oliver Rader? Was one of them blackmailing Claudia and she finally refused to pay?”
Zelda shook her head. “No. She was blackmailing them. And me,” she added, meeting Aunt Lydia’s exclamation of surprise with a wan smile.
Walt massaged his temples. “I’m confused. What could Claudia Everhart have on any of you?”
“Although we didn’t know it at the time, she saw something we wanted to keep a secret.” Zelda squared her shoulders. “You see, before the competition, when everyone else was distracted by the incident involving Earl, I walked in on an argument between Patty Johnson and Gwen and Olivia. Apparently, Patty had lost an earring on the risers during her choir’s earlier rehearsal, and had come back to look for it. She ran into Olivia and Gwen, and words were exchanged. Somehow, everything escalated and”—Zelda looked from Aunt Lydia to Walt—“Olivia shoved Patty off the top riser.”
“She hit her head when she fell,” I said in a hushed voice.
“She did, poor lamb. So hard she was knocked unconscious for a short time.” Zelda’s sigh was echoed by my aunt. “I ran to her while the other two were climbing down from the risers. There wasn’t any blood, but I knew”—tears welled in Zelda’s eyes—“I knew she should be checked out. My dad had dealt with head trauma before, and I’d heard him say how dangerous it could be, especially if someone blacked out.”
Aunt Lydia pulled a clean tissue from her pocket and passed it to Zelda. “But Olivia and Gwen didn’t want to tell anyone, I guess.”
“No, and they swore me to silence. Stupidly, I went along with them—partly because we likely wouldn’t have been able to compete with our choirs if we told anyone, and partly because I knew if I went up against Gwen and Olivia, my membership in the in-crowd would be over.”
“But what happened to Patty? She must’ve been okay if things proceeded as planned,” Walt said. “I mean, the choirs obviously did compete.”
Zelda’s light brown eyes glazed over as she stared at Aunt Lydia’s lush garden, which was framed by the windows behind me. “She came to, seemingly okay. Only had a slight headache, she said. But I knew something was wrong. She didn’t remember the argument or being pushed, so when Olivia told her she’d simply fainted and fallen, Patty believed it.”
“Olivia and Gwen convinced Patty it was an accident?” Aunt Lydia frowned. “And you went along with that?”
“To my eternal shame and regret,” Zelda sniffed back another sob as she focused her gaze on my face.
“Claudia Everhart saw you,” I said, not bothering to frame this as a question.
Zelda nodded. “We didn’t see her because she was in the wings. I think she was hiding there because she had given Earl the cupcake and wanted to steer clear of the commotion over that, but, at any rate, she saw everything.”
“Which is why, when Patty had her car accident, Claudia rushed to the hospital. I think she initially wanted to expose what had happened at the competition, but changed her mind later.” I snapped my fingers. “She decided to blackmail the three of you instead.”
“Not exactly the best way to honor her friendship with Patty,” Walt said with a grimace.
“I don’t think they were really friends, dear.” Zelda patted his hand. “And I guess Claudia saw a way to turn the whole disaster to her advantage.”
“She blackmailed you all this time?” My aunt’s eyes widened.
“Yes, but not regularly, and not for large sums at any one time. It was never enough to make my husband suspicious, or make me dip into my savings, anyway.” Zelda pursed her lips. “I always suspected she just hit us up when she was a little short, or wanted to take a trip, or something. Anyway, that was why you saw her leaving my house that day, Lydia. She was in the area, so I guess she thought she should try to squeeze a little more money out of me. But, for once, I said no.”
“Which is why she came back,” I said, piecing together the likely sequence of events in my mind. “She was in your garden, planning to ambush you again whenever you came outside, or working up the courage to bang on your door again, or something like that.”
Zelda nodded. “I imagine so. It was about the blackmail again, which is why I was so evasive with the authorities when they asked whether I knew her or had encountered her recently. I thought if I said anything, the whole story would come out.”
“But why wouldn’t you tell the authorities?” Aunt Lydia crossed her arms over her chest. “She was the one at fault. Blackmail is illegal.”
“So is what we did, covering up an accident that led to a death. Or, if not illegal, certainly morally repugnant.” A tear rolled down Zelda’s cheek. “The truth is, I was so traumatized when I heard Patty had died, I wanted to bury the entire incident. I knew she could’ve blacked out due to lingering effects from that fall and I … Well, I know it sounds cowardly, but my guilt paralyzed me. I simply wanted it to all go away.”
“And now?” I asked, fighting to keep disapproval from coloring my tone. “You must tell the sheriff’s department everything you just told us, Zelda. They need to know there are others, like Gwen and Olivia, who could’ve wanted Claudia Everhart dead.”
“I know.” Zelda turned to Walt. “And before you say anything, I realize I should’ve confessed this from the beginning. But I spent years hiding the truth, and I thought, maybe …”
“You’d be cleared without dredging up past transgressions?” Walt took hold of Zelda’s shaking shoulders. “I understand, Zel, but it was incredibly foolish. What did you think, that I’d love you less if I knew the truth?”
Zelda bobbed her head. “You and Lydia. I was ashamed I’d treated you both shabbily around that time, and then I’d done something so horrible …” She burst into tears again.
