Show Me Betrayal, page 17
“Doreen’s mom?”
“Yes. She’s worried about Doreen. Really worried. Doreen’s been hiding in her room a lot and not talking. Her mother wants to divert her behavior toward a better path.”
“We’ve all been upset. I’ve seen more of Patricia than Doreen since that night. Now I feel bad. Like I haven’t been a good friend.”
“Not to worry. Florence and I decided Doreen needed some time away from home. She needs a chance to do something fun.”
“I’d like that too.”
“So the plan is for me to take you home to drop off your books, then you’ll take the car over to Doreen’s house and ask to take her shopping. Don’t let her know it was our idea to do this.”
“Okay. This kind of secrecy is easy. The lack of funds is the hard part. Doreen’s never been a shopper. Now, even less so because their money is tight.”
“I convinced Florence that this shopping adventure would be my treat. If something like this can help cheer you up, then that’s marvelous.”
“Thanks, Mother. It’s a nice thing to do.”
“Is it okay that I told Florence you’re seeing Pastor Bailey? I thought he might help Doreen too.”
“Sure. Doreen knows he’s counseling me. I already told her.”
Her mom nodded. “I encouraged Florence to see if Doreen would talk to him. Will you support the idea?”
“Of course. Doreen doesn’t talk much about her feelings to adults. She’s not so fearful opening up around us.”
“She seems to be afraid of me.”
Suzanne chuckled. “She’s petrified of you.”
Her mother frowned. “That girl needs some gumption. Some courage. She can be such a wet rag.”
Suzanne stared at her mother over her rare use of slang. “You’ve taught me to have some gumption, haven’t you?”
“Life can roll all over you, Suzanne. A woman must be strong to handle everything God throws at us. Standing up to me is your first lesson in standing up for yourself in life.”
“Really?” She smiled. “I’ll remind you of that the next time we disagree about something.”
Suzanne arrived at Doreen’s door, and her mother played off her “surprise” visit with as much talent as an Academy Award-winning actress. Doreen seemed delighted Suzanne had permission from her mother to buy both of them an addition to their wardrobe, like a skirt or shirt.
Suzanne drove them to the town square, and they made their way from one shop to another. The plan was to examine everything available within their price range, and then, and only then, would they return to the specific store which held the perfect item to purchase.
They found fashion contenders at Weiss Dress Shop, Blattners’ Shop, and Fredendall and Wilkins Department Store. Once winners were chosen, Suzanne was grateful her Mother had charge accounts they could use.
Glowing with happiness, they returned to the car with their purchases. Their day would not be complete without a stop at Dairy Pride for a chocolate malt and a kwiki, so that was their next stop.
Dairy Pride required you to walk to the window to order, but they delivered the food to your car. A friend named Chris took their order. When he also delivered their food, Suzanne teased Doreen.
“You saw his smiles were only for you, right?”
“Because of Max.” She shook her head. “Everyone in town knows Max is interested in you. Chris realizes he doesn’t have a chance with you anymore.”
“Are you kidding me? He’s had my whole life to show an interest in me. There’s been nothing. Nothing! It’s all about you, my friend.”
The lightness of their mood remained while they consumed their food. The way Suzanne ate would have horrified her mother, and knowing that made her feel rebellious.
“I hope you’ve enjoyed our afternoon,” she said.
“I have. Please thank your mother for me.”
“I will. I think she feels sorry for me about Winnie. So much that she’s inventing ways to cheer me up.” She patted her mouth with a napkin.
“I’ve been depressed since that night,” Doreen admitted. “I’ve had so much to handle. First, my parents are divorcing. That was bad enough. No one gets divorced, yet my parents are leading the way. Then, losing Winnie.”
Suzanne studied her for a moment. “I’m sorry both things happened. They are tragedies.”
“Yes. One is still ongoing, and I’m stuck in the middle.”
“I support your mother in this divorce, you know. Marriage is supposed to be forever. God said, ‘Let no man put asunder.’ But the Ten Commandments also say, ‘Thou shall not commit adultery.’ With your father in love with someone else, she deserves to be happy too. God wouldn’t want your mother to be miserable, actually, just to stay married.”
“What about my dad? My feelings for him are all confused.”
“Once you have time to get used to things, you might feel better about your father. Loving him and supporting his decision to fall in love with someone else are two different things.”
“What about all the gossips in town? They’re talking about him and his girlfriend.”
Suzanne shrugged. “You can’t change that. Eventually, another juicy bit of gossip will emerge. It’ll turn attention away from your parents. It’s not your fault, you know.”
Doreen nodded. “I know, but it could take forever for the scandal to die down. I want to get out of town. Get away. Be free of all this.”
“Do you have a relative you could visit this summer?”
She thought for a moment. “Not that I can think of.”
“What about camp? You know, we’re both old enough to be counselors at Camp Pin Oak.”
Doreen sipped her malt and nodded. “That might work. Actually, it’s a fantastic idea. I could make some money doing that, and I wouldn’t if I stayed with a relative.”
“That’s true.”
“I’d be canoeing, swimming, making lanyards.” Doreen’s face perked up, along with her tone. “We would spend nights in front of a fire making s’mores and singing songs. It would be fun.”
“You’d be away from your parents, pulling you in two directions.”
“I’d be gone for most of the summer too. Mom’s been talking about her getting a job to help with our expenses. She might feel better about working if I’m out of the house. And she wouldn’t have to feed me, so her expenses would be less.”
Suzanne smiled. “I think spending weeks at a camp at the Lake of the Ozarks would be really keen.” She vowed not to tell her mother about Doreen’s desire to leave town to become a camp counselor. She was still stinging from her comment about keeping her speculations to herself. Doreen becoming a camp counselor was pure speculation, wasn’t it?
Doreen said, “With my luck, they’ll probably put me in charge of a cabin full of bedwetters.” She frowned. “I have experience with that.”
They shared a smile. Doreen couldn’t stay overnight at Suzanne’s house when she was young because of her bedwetting.
“All the better for you to be assigned to them. You could provide proof they can outgrow it.”
“Maybe. What about you being a counselor, too? Could you do it?”
“Do you honestly think my mother would let me?”
She grimaced. “Nope. I don’t see your mother letting you out of her sight for several years.”
For whatever reason, this made both of them giggle.
“You’re right. She couldn’t tolerate not having me under her thumb.”
“Speaking of your mother, I can’t believe she hasn’t scared Max off yet.”
“It’s a surprise to me too.”
“He’s more resilient than I imagined. Your mother is formidable.”
“Yet, he smiles and acts as if the cool treatment she’s giving him is warm. I’m afraid it will be something I do or say, rather than what she does, that will scare him away.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I can’t figure out why he likes me.”
Doreen scrunched her face in anger. “I blame your mother for taking away all of your self-confidence. Ugh! It makes me mad.” She set down her malt. “You’re pretty in your own way. It may not be the typical way, but so what? He likes that you’re smart and funny. Faithful to your friends. Reliable, and on and on. You dismiss so many of your fine qualities because of your mother’s unreasonable expectations.”
“Thank you, Doreen. That’s nice to hear.”
“It’s all true. I’m glad Max is smart enough to see your great qualities. Guys are pigs, as you told me. He seems to be above the rest.”
“I think it’s because he’s out of high school. He’s matured even more since his graduation last year.”
“He knows the meaning of hard work. After all, he’s running a farm with his brothers and pitches in to help his father and older brother with the old farm. He’s cute too. I need to fall for one of his brothers.”
Suzanne laughed. “When I get to know them all better, I’ll introduce you to the best ones.”
“Pinky swear!”
After they confirmed the promise, Suzanne changed the subject. “I think I told you about talking to Pastor Bailey, didn’t I?”
Doreen nodded.
“I felt better after the first session. So much so, I’m seeing him once a week until I decide I don’t need to talk anymore. He’s helped me rejoice in my friendship with Winnie and not to focus on the negative.”
“Is your mother pushing you into this?”
“She suggested it, but I’m glad she did. It’s helped me. Might help you if you need someone to talk to.”
“Is he real preachy?”
“Not at all.”
Doreen looked out the side window. “I don’t enjoy talking about what happened that night.”
“I get it. I don’t either. It’s hard to explain, but Pastor Bailey does a lot of listening, and he’s not judgmental. It’s like talking to yourself, with an occasional suggestion from him on how to uplift the sorrow. Make sense?”
“I guess so.”
The roar of a souped-up engine caused both of them to look around. A bright red jalopy, a mechanical miracle owned by Ray Thompson, caused the noise. He was one of the two who’d picked on Billy the day they’d decorated. He pulled himself out of the car over the door, without opening it. Typical. Either he was showing off or the door didn’t work. He waved at them.
Suzanne ignored him and turned back to Doreen. “I can’t stand that guy. He’s a bully.”
Doreen eyed him through the window as he made his way to the order window. “He sure has a temper. I saw him beating up one of the freshman boys earlier this year, until Mr. Willer broke up the fight. I wonder if he was anywhere near Winnie’s house that night.”
“Think he had something to do with her murder?”
“He could have. He certainly has the temperament.”
Suzanne shuddered. Doreen had a point. She would look into Ray’s history and determine where he was before Winnie was killed. “Did I tell you Officer Ziegler questioned me again?”
Doreen turned in surprise. “Really? Why?”
“I was so upset that night. He came back to ask me more questions the following day. Mostly about Edgar. Some about Winnie, but he kept asking about Edgar’s temperament and where I last saw him. It was pretty awful.”
“Edgar would never have hurt her.” Doreen frowned. “We used to play together as kids, when we lived on the same street. He’s always been a nice guy. The nicest I’ve ever known.”
“That’s what I told them. Mother sat in on their questioning, and she told me I did a good job defending his character. There was another agent with him—a man from out of town. He never said a word. Just watched and listened. He was pretty scary.”
Doreen nervously twirled one of her home perm curls with her index finger. “Do you think they’ll question me again?”
Suzanne threw up her hands. “Who knows? I never thought it would happen to me. Then, here they come, ringing the doorbell.”
“I hope they leave me alone. Once was enough.”
Suzanne eyed Doreen. “I never saw you after they found Winnie. Probably because they divided us in the aftermath. Where did they make you wait?”
“In the attic. There were a bunch of us who stayed up there and didn’t go outside. They questioned us first.”
“Was Edgar up there?”
Doreen shook her head. “I didn’t see him.” Her finger twirled her curls at an even faster rate.
“But what about Billy? You had Billy, didn’t you?”
“Just for a minute. When the police spotted him, they asked me about him. Once they found out we weren’t related, the officer took him away.”
“Poor Billy. Was he upset?”
“Didn’t seem so. I figured they made his mother come get him.”
Suzanne nodded. “He’s so much younger than everyone else. I’m sure they had to consider his well-being. Any idea where Edgar was?”
“I saw him and Winnie line dancing with you and Max. That’s the last time I saw either of them.”
Suzanne thought for a moment. “He wouldn’t have left the attic without Billy, would he?”
“Maybe he went to the bathroom or something. He knew I had Billy, so maybe he didn’t want him tagging along.”
“When I was watching Billy, Edgar was good about checking in on him. Why would he go downstairs without letting you or Billy know?”
Doreen shrugged. “Who knows? But Edgar wouldn’t have hurt Winnie.”
“I agree.”
Chapter Thirty
Liesl
November 12
Liesl turned from the open wardrobe and declared with waving hands, “I give up. We’ve looked everywhere, and there’s nothing here.”
“There’s plenty here.” Nicole swept her hand across the room. “The problem is that it’s not what we’re looking for.” She grimaced. “How about we change the linens and do some laundry? Maybe we’ll find more places to search if we’re doing something else.”
“Sure.” Liesl stretched her stiff muscles.
Nicole moved to the bed and reached to yank off the sheets.
“Stop! Wait, just a second.”
The harshness of Liesl’s tone made Nicole jump. “What? You’re scaring me.”
“Sorry. Something’s occurred to me. If we fold the bed linens and comforter into a ball, we can keep the fibers and hairs for testing. I’ll run and get some paper bags. We can have them tested for traces of poison, hair, fibers, and things.”
“Sort of like CSI, but you’re bringing the stuff to the technicians.”
“Exactly. If someone poisoned her with food or drink, they could have spilled some. We took samples of the food and medicines in the house. What if someone put something in her water or food and took it away or destroyed the container? We might never find it.”
Nicole nodded. “But if they spilled it, the evidence could be here. Great job.”
Liesl snagged paper bags, plastic gloves, and a permanent marker. They wrote the date, time, and description of the item on each bag. Starting with pillowcases, they peeled them off the pillows, rolled them into themselves to keep any hairs and fibers, and put them in a bag. The process was repeated for all the linens.
Nicole turned to her. “If this turns out to be important evidence, I may end up having to testify.” She gestured to the bed, and the bags lined up beside it.
Liesl blew her a kiss. “You’re already involved in this, no matter what. You’ll make an impressive witness. Right after you finish being a brilliant investigator.”
“Ready to do your bed?”
“Sure,” Liesl said. “We’d better put clean sheets on one of the guestroom beds as well, if you’re staying here tonight..”
When they’d finished making both of the beds, Nicole gathered the sheets and started out the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Downstairs to throw these in the washer.”
“Let’s throw them in the laundry chute, so we don’t have to carry them down two flights of stairs.”
“Of course,” Nicole grinned. “I forgot about it.”
Liesl led the way into the short hallway between Aunt Suzanne’s bedroom and bathroom. The wall had a built-in door for the chute, which she held open.
Nicole began feeding sheets through the opening. “More two- and three-story houses should have these things. They’re really handy.”
“Aunt Suzanne’s mother insisted this be in the plans for the house. Too bad she didn’t put one in my room.”
“Doesn’t it go through the kitchen?”
“No. On the first floor, the chute’s door is in the butler’s pantry. The laundry chute and the dumbwaiter run side-by-side, with the dumbwaiter only running between the first and second floors. The laundry chute runs from up here to the basement.”
“Oh, that’s right. Didn’t we get in trouble once for dropping stuff in there?”
“Yep. Not one of our brightest ideas.”
When they’d passed everything down the chute, they headed to the basement.
A dank smell rose as they descended the stairs, and Liesl wrinkled her nose. “Whew. This basement needs some airing out. If it weren’t so cold, I’d open a window.”
The windows were located high on one wall, close to the ceiling. In a remodel several years earlier, the basement was equipped with egress windows and wall ladders. Aunt Suzanne made these improvements because of nagging by Liesl and the insurance agent. In case of an emergency, like a tornado, Aunt Suzanne could go to the basement. If she needed to escape, she could climb out, using the ladder-window combinations.
Nicole turned to her with exasperation on her face. “Hello? You had someone trolling around outside this morning. Now you want to invite them in?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t open anything.”
The sound of rattling metal made Nicole jump. “What’s that?”
“Just the giant.”
“I’m jumpy, I guess. It’s been a long time since I’ve been near your giant.” She eyed the huge old furnace malevolently, slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans, and shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not much of a protector, but at least you’re not alone. As far as the damp smell goes, there are products that take dampness out of the air. Probably where Justin works.”
