Chapter 11

Chapter

Eleven

“ I don’t understand. Can we go inside and talk for a minute?” Cat nodded toward the house door that Lucy Johnson had left standing open. “I can make you some coffee.”

Lucy sighed and dropped the suitcases on the driveway. “Fine. But I’ve told you everything I know.”

Cat and Seth followed Lucy Johnson into her house. As she did, Cat wondered if the woman was just crazy or if she thought the family was heading to find her and kill her for her husband’s misdeeds.

Or maybe a little of both.

They walked to the back of the house where a bank of windows let the sun into an eat-in kitchen. Casseroles, bakery items, and other food items covered the island. Lucy sank into a chair at the table. “People have been bringing food since Allen died. I didn’t know what to do with it.”

Seth glanced at the counter and then started organizing the food. “Most of this is okay to be out, but you might want to freeze some of these muffins.”

Cat put three on a plate and handed it to him. She lowered her voice and said, “Maybe you could get her to eat something? If she hasn’t been eating, it might be affecting her memory or thought process. I’ll make coffee.”

Seth nodded and took the plate to the table. “Lucy, Mrs. Johnson, maybe you should eat something. When did you last eat a meal?”

Lucy eased out of the black suit jacket she’d worn to the funeral. “I’m not sure. Allen and I were at the party on Saturday. I ate some from the passed trays then. My mother had the kids, so she just kept them with her.”

“It’s Thursday. You haven’t eaten anything since Saturday?” Seth looked over at Cat in horror. Cat took in a big sigh of relief, at least the question of where the children were had been answered.

“I’ve been sleeping. Kim came one day and took me to the funeral home to make arrangements.” Lucy unwrapped the blueberry muffin. She took a bite, then another, and spoke around the food in her mouth. “We went to a Chinese restaurant after that and I ate then. Allen hated Chinese food. Kim and I always went there when we went shopping.”

“So, you and Kim are friends,” Seth asked as he pushed the plate of muffins closer to the woman.

“Kim’s the best. I work in the accounting department at the college. Accounts payable. So I pay the light bills, all the utilities, and things like that. Do you know how many books we order just for a semester? Professors can’t just have one text for a class, no, they need five. No wonder the scholarship kids need help with books as well as tuition.” Lucy was rambling, but at least she was eating the muffins.

Seth nodded in all the right places and when Cat brought over coffee, he nodded toward the fridge. “Maybe there’s something in there we can warm up for her. And maybe we should call this Kim to come sit with her. I don’t think she should be alone. Or driving.”

Lucy latched onto her coffee cup and took a long sip of the hot liquid. “This is so good. Why haven’t I had a cup lately? I can’t seem to remember.”

Cat left her in Seth’s capable hands as she went to the fridge. There was a quart of what looked like potato soup in the fridge and a date was written on top of it. “Use by the fifteenth. Hopefully, that meant this month,” she said as she took the soup to the stove and found a pan in a cupboard. “Lucy, how about some potato soup?”

“You don’t have to feed me,” Lucy Johnson said as she set down her coffee cup. “I’m feeling better, I promise.”

“I’m sure you are, but since we’re here, we might as well help out. Is anyone staying with you?” Seth asked as he brought over some croissants to the table that had been on the counter.

After Cat started the stove to heat the soup, she brought over coffee for both her and Seth.

“Kim’s been in and out, but I can’t tell you when the last time she popped in. She called this morning and told me to get to the chapel by three.” Lucy sipped her coffee and then looked around. “Oh, my. I was trying to leave town, wasn’t I? I vaguely remember packing.”

“When we got here, yes. And it might not be a bad idea to get away for a while, but you seemed a little off when we started talking to you,” Cat sipped her coffee as she watched the woman eat. She was pinking up and she didn’t have a crazed look in her eyes anymore.

“Oh, my goodness, I remember. I accused you two of trying to kill me, didn’t I?” The shock of her words sent the pink back out of her face.

“It’s okay, calm down. I’m sure you just needed some food in you,” Seth patted the woman’s shaking hand. “Can I bring your suitcases back inside?”

“That would be lovely, Seth, thank you.” She rubbed her forehead. “Please tell me I didn’t make a fool of myself at the funeral. I remember going to the chapel. Then it all seems a blur until you two came by.”

“You were fine. You didn’t talk to anyone, but people thought you were overwhelmed with grief,” Cat got up to stir the soup. “Lucy, can you tell me why you thought the family might be sending someone to kill you?”

Lucy closed her eyes. “Kim told me about the missing money. She thinks that’s why Allen was killed. That he was stealing from the college. But we don’t need the money. I got an inheritance trust a few years ago. We invested most of it, put some away for college for the kids, but some, we’ve been using to fix up the house. Just little things, like the bathroom we had Seth work on. We were going to go to Paris in the spring.”

Tears fell now and Seth moved the tissue box closer to her. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Lucy smiled a little and nodded, using another tissue to clean up the tears. “Thank you. He liked you. He was jealous of what you could do with a hammer and saw, but he liked you. I’m not sure what I’m going to do without him.”

“Lucy, what on earth is going on? Why is the car open and your suitcases outside,” a woman came into the kitchen with several bags of groceries. “Oh, you have company. Sorry, to just barge in. I brought you some food.”

“Hi Kim,” Lucy smiled at Seth. “We were just going to fix that problem. Seth, our, I mean, my bedroom is at the top of the stairs. It’s the room with blue walls. You can’t miss it. Just put the suitcases in the closet.”

Seth nodded and headed out to the front door. Cat turned off the stove under the pot and dished up a bowl of soup for Lucy.

“Here you go,” Cat turned her attention to Kim and smiled. “Lucy was a little out of it when we got here. She needs to eat more frequently.”

Kim blinked several times. “I didn’t realize she wasn’t taking care of herself. Don’t you worry, I’ll be here or when I go to work, I’ll have someone come and sit with her. Thank you for all you’ve done.”

“Not a problem at all,” Cat grabbed her purse and looked around the kitchen. Kim was Lucy’s friend. Cat had only met the woman once, at the party where her husband had been killed. It was probably for the best that she and Seth left and let them be alone.

But something was making Cat question her decision. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right, Lucy?”

The woman smiled, “I’ll be fine. What’s that line from Sleepless in Seattle where Tom Hanks says I just keep reminding myself to breathe? That’s kind of where my heart is now.”

“Call me if you need anything,” Cat said as she walked into the hallway where Seth was waiting.

Kim walked them to the door. “I’m so sorry you had to see that. I was here at the first of the week, but Lucy convinced me she was fine. That I should go to work, I shouldn’t have left her alone.”

“It wasn’t a problem. I don’t think she’s been eating well,” Cat glanced back at the house. “We’ll stop in tomorrow and see how she’s doing.”

“Oh, okay,” Kim leaned on the doorway. “I guess I’ll see you then.”

They were almost out of the subdivision when Seth turned to look at her. “Why are we visiting tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure, but something seems off. Have you ever known anyone to freak out like that just because they hadn’t been eating?” Cat tried looking it up on her phone. “I don’t have internet here.”

“We can look it up when we get home,” he turned the truck onto their road. “I wonder what other issues that symptom could be attached to though. Or if there’s another cause.”

“I just don’t understand where her fear of the family is coming from. Even if Allen was the one stealing, and I’m beginning to think he was set up on this, they wouldn’t care about Lucy. If she were involved and didn’t give back the money, that would be one thing. But she’s telling us that Kim told her about the embezzlement. I wonder if Lucy even knew anything about the money before that.”

Seth pulled his truck into the driveway and turned off the engine. “Cat, let’s put this on hold and you try to focus on the rest of the retreat. We only have three more days with the guests. Then you can spend your free time when you’re not writing figuring this out. And your uncle’s worried about you getting involved. Especially if it’s a family matter. We talked when he called me last night.”

“I know what I’m doing, but you’re right.” Cat hated to admit defeat but if Uncle Pete was worried about family involvement, there was a reason. Typically, the crime families stayed out of Aspen Hills and the college per the agreement. But this might be different. Seth was still watching her. “The retreat has to come first. I have a lot of individual sessions tomorrow. If I do any sleuthing, I’ll invite you to come along.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” he opened the door and waited for her to meet him at the kitchen door. “I’ve got to go let Sam out for a while. Thanks for humoring me. I always get worried when Dante’s part of the discussion.”

“Because you’re afraid I’ll run off with a handsome modern pirate?” Cat teased.

Seth laughed as he opened the door. “No, that hadn’t occurred to me. I get worried because even being around the guy is dangerous. You have to realize what his day job truly entails.”

“I do,” Cat admitted. When she’d been married to Michael, he’d been friends with Dante but Cat hadn’t realized who exactly Dante was in the family hierarchy. It was only after Michael’s death that she found out that he was in leadership. A status that gave Dante power and put a target on his back at the same time.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re back,” Shauna came in from the hallway. “The writers have been asking for you. I think they want to know how the funeral went.”

“The funeral was weird,” Cat went to the tea kettle and turned it on, setting herself up for a cup of tea. “Have you ever heard of anyone not thinking clearly when they don’t eat?”

“Of course, it’s brain fog. Your body is a machine and if you don’t feed it, nothing works well, including your mind. Why? Is your uncle having problems?” Shauna set some cookies on the table and then sat down at the table. “I knew I should have sent over more food this week. When he’s involved in a case he doesn’t eat. Shirley and I have talked about this before.”

“No, why would you think, never mind,” Cat finished setting up her tea. She noticed that after greeting Shauna, Seth had left the kitchen to take care of his dog. “Allen’s widow, Lucy, was acting strange at the funeral. Paranoid. She didn’t even stop to talk to anyone once it was over. So Seth and I went to her house and found her packing her car to leave town. She calmed down a little when I heated some soup for her, and she admitted she hadn’t been eating.”

“Paranoid about Allen’s death and, well, Aspen Hill’s special secret?” Shauna guessed as Cat sat down, taking a cookie from the plate.

“Yeah. She thought people were trying to kill her. I guess Kim Stage has been visiting since Allen died and put a bug in her ear about Allen stealing money from the college.” Cat stirred some sugar in her tea. “So why would a so-called friend try to freak out someone who just lost her husband?”

“If you’re talking about Kim Stage, she’s a viper, not a friend,” Maggie stood in the doorway, a cup of coffee in her hand. “I’ve been waiting for you to come back. Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Shauna pulled out a chair and glanced at her watch. She met Cat’s gaze. “I need to finish freshening up the guest rooms so I’ll let the two of you talk.”

“Thanks, Shauna,” Cat pushed the plate of cookies over to Maggie as she sat down. “Are you hungry?”

“After that fiasco of a funeral? I don’t know how I feel. I’ve met Lucy several times. She’s a warm and loving woman, but the person at that service? She was different.” Maggie took a cookie and broke it in half. “And if Kim was such a good friend, why wasn’t she even at the funeral?”

“She didn’t come?” Cat hadn’t noticed Kim’s absence. “Maybe it was too hard on her.”

Maggie made a noise in answer.

Cat looked up from her cup. “What? What am I missing?”

“It’s only a rumor,” Maggie shook her head and broke the cookie in half a second time. Then she ate a quarter. When Cat didn’t drop her gaze she shrugged. “Martin had complaints from the staff in fundraising that Allen and Kim were too close. That there was an affair going on.”

“You’re kidding? And now she’s the one watching out for Lucy’s welfare?” There was something wrong with this picture.

“Maybe it was just a rumor and they were all just friends,” Maggie paused, “but Martin said that one of the staff members caught them in Allen’s office.”

“Do you know who?”

“Mike. Mike Tosan. He went directly to Martin to complain saying he didn’t think it sent the right message to the rest of the department.” Maggie ate another quarter of the cookie.

“The guy who replaced Allen also blew the whistle on his affair?” Cat wondered if that was the ‘something else’ going on that could explain Allen’s death. Was Lucy to blame?

“Yeah. Martin was planning to promote Roxie based on her numbers but Mike made the case that he wasn’t being taken seriously because he was the whistle-blower on the affair. The whole department’s a mess.” Maggie picked up the last quarter of the cookie. “I don’t know why I even try to convince myself that I’m not going to eat the whole cookie. I’m a stress eater. If I’d lost Martin, I would be eating everything in sight rather than nothing at all. I guess we all react differently to grief.”

Cat and Maggie talked about the evening’s activities. Jon Booth was reading pages tonight before the writing sprints.

Maggie stood and held her coffee cup. “I’m not sure he’s going to like my comments on the pages he gave us. His main character is unlikeable, but maybe that was what he was going for.”

As she left the kitchen, Cat wondered if her uncle had any clearer idea on who killed Allen or at least, found the missing money. Maybe it was time for a family supper. She went to find Shauna to see what was planned for dinner.