Chapter 17

Chapter

Seventeen

O ne of Uncle Pete’s officers found Maggie bleeding on the back stairs of the west hall. From the blood trail, it appeared that Lucy had attacked her in her room but Maggie had been trying to find someone to help. She was alive but in bad shape.

Uncle Pete moved Lucy from the ambulance to the back of a patrol car. Cat walked with him. “Is she alright?”

“The medics checked her out before you got here. I was trying to get her to tell me where she got the blood on her since they told me it wasn’t hers. I should have had them check the whole house,” Uncle Pete watched as they rushed Maggie out of the house and into a second ambulance.

“Uncle Pete? How did Lucy know Maggie was going to be here? When she came and found the house empty, why did she keep looking?” Cat watched Lucy in the back seat. Something didn’t add up.

“Maybe she followed her here and took advantage of the house being empty.” Uncle Pete was heading to the crime lab van that had just pulled up. Cat looked up at the windows and saw several faces watching them. She knew the writers would be documenting everything they saw for a future scene.

She waited for him to send the crime lab techs up to Maggie’s room with another officer. He turned and stared at her. “What are you thinking? I can hear your gears moving all the way over here.”

“Lucy didn’t have it together to act on this. Someone led her to Maggie. She said she saw it in the book, but where did she find it? Allen said the night he died that he left his planner at work. He even laughed that it was a rookie mistake. Has Lucy been at his office?”

He took his hat off and rubbed his forehead. Cat knew he was starting to get a headache. “You think someone handed Lucy the planner so she’d come and stab Maggie?”

“Yes. And I think whoever did that knew about the affair and the money.” Cat thought about her visit to Lucy earlier. “And Maggie wasn’t the one he was having an affair with, it was Kim. You need to talk to Roxie.”

Uncle Pete helped Seth tape off the broken window before he left. He’d been quiet since Cat had told him her suspicions, but even now, hours later, Cat wasn’t sure Roxie could have set Lucy up like this. Lucy had hated Roxie. Thought she was stealing Allen’s donors. So why would she listen to her if she came back with the planner?

Cat tried to sleep that night, but she kept turning the murder and Maggie’s attack over in her mind. She didn’t think Maggie could have killed Allen. Maybe they could have had an affair, but Allen didn’t seem her type. And would he have an affair with Maggie and Kim? She guessed it was possible, but Cat didn’t think Maggie would trade one power-hungry college administrator for another one. Especially one who made less money. Maggie would have wanted money to spend and not in some country where they didn’t mind Americans with lots of money and a past.

Maggie was one of those writers who wanted to publish for the glory. Money was something that she could already access. But becoming a household name was something her money couldn’t buy her.

As soon as Cat woke up on Sunday, she called the hospital. Maggie was alert and out of danger. She had a guard on her room and Cat’s uncle had requested no visitation.

When Cat asked about her husband, the nurse snorted. “He came for about five minutes last night, signed papers, and left. He didn’t even ask to see her.”

Cat got up and got dressed. The clock said it was four thirty, but she couldn’t go back to sleep. She went downstairs where Shauna was baking. The room was bright and warm, a stark difference from last night’s gloom. “Did you clean?”

Shauna handed her a cup of coffee. “I couldn’t sleep. I came down here. Then, I couldn’t cook in a filthy room so I cleaned and started baking once I was done. I believe once the guests have left with Seth, I’m going to sleep for a week. You might have to clean up the dining room yourself.”

“I can do that. Just let me know what you need. Last night was crazy.” Cat sipped her coffee. Her eyes felt like grit but like Shauna, she knew she wouldn’t sleep if she went back to bed. She updated Shauna on Maggie’s condition and the comment the nurse had made.

“President Martin is a jerk.” Cat slipped lower in her chair. “But I never thought he’d treat her like that. She was always at his side.”

“Sometimes you don’t know what’s going on in a marriage unless you’re inside of it.” Shauna glanced at her planner. “Seth needs to be out of here by ten to get everyone to their planes on time. I’ll have breakfast available starting at eight.”

Cat’s phone buzzed. She had a message from Grace Evans. She held it up. “It looks like I’m meeting the college gossip source at six this morning. She has church service this morning but wants to check in with me about poor Maggie.”

Shauna yawned. “Are you going to have Seth drive you? Or drive yourself?”

“I’ll walk. I’ve already decided that writing this morning would be a waste of time. I don’t think I can form a complete sentence. At least the walk should wake me up so I can hang with the writers one more time without falling asleep while they’re chatting.” Cat tried to figure out when she needed to leave. “I’m going to go check my emails. If I’m not down by five-fifteen, come wake me up. I’ll be the one with her head on her desk, snoring and possibly drooling.”

“Pretty image. You and Seth are good at those.” Shauna teased as she stood and started gathering ingredients for another brunch dish. “I need to get the next pan ready for the oven.”

The one thing she’d learned as she hosted these retreats, no matter what was going on in town or her personal life, the retreat just kept going. Today, the writers would be heading home. Uncle Pete might be here for dinner. Lucy was either in jail or a locked ward right now, charges pending on her attack on Maggie and maybe killing Allen.

But what if she didn’t do either?

Cat could see her being upset with Maggie for having an affair, but would she kill Allen? And why did she say someone had borrowed her dress? If something had broken in her mind, would she still be fixated on that one little clue? She had no problem admitting to attacking Maggie. So why wouldn’t she say she killed Allen for cheating?

When Cat overheard Roxie talking with Lucy, she’d been defending her husband. Would she do that if she’d killed him?

She pulled out the notebook she’d been writing ideas about the killing. She wrote out all her questions. Then went downstairs to refill her coffee.

Alicia was there in the foyer, coffee at her side and her laptop open. She smiled as she saw Cat coming down the stairs. “Another early bird. I wanted to get some work done before I headed back to the dorms this morning. Seth’s dropping me off on his way to the airport.”

“It’s always good to pre-plan your writing time before the world takes over your day.” Cat sat down next to her. “Did you have a good retreat?”

“It wasn’t what I expected. Everyone was so nice and chatty, but as soon as the sprints started, they worked. I’ve been in study groups that met three or four times before ever opening a book. The retreat is self-directed and it’s up to you to get your work done. No one is waiting for a proposal or a chapter. Well, I guess you have more firm deadlines.”

“Once the contract is signed and the book is done, yes. Then I have people waiting on something I produced. But it’s up to me to write consistently and plan my day or week to get the words down and the book done. In that way, it’s a job. But so many writers I know let life take over and nothing gets done besides talking about the book.”

Alicia closed her laptop. “That’s what Maggie said. She told me she’d let her husband’s ambitions take over her life. But she was done playing the perfect wife. She said you had shown her the way.”

“Me?” Cat pointed to her chest and laughed. “I got my first book done because I was bored with the thesis I was supposed to be writing. My ex-husband wanted me to publish the thesis. The effect of genre literature on the decreasing the amount of reading in high schools. I didn’t find a correlation. Genre literature actually increased reading levels. I started reading a few of the books the students were telling me about and I got hooked. Then I started writing my academy series. Tori and her world just appeared as I wrote. My success was a total accident.”

“It was what you were meant to write,” Alicia squirmed in her seat. “Have you heard anything about Maggie? Is she going to live?”

“I checked in with the hospital and she’s doing good. There’s a guard outside her room, just in case.” Cat paused, then asked, “Was she worried about anyone?”

“Maggie is fearless. I would never be able to speak my mind like she does. She wants to be a full-time author like you. She said she was done with academics and her husband. Do you think she meant she was going to divorce him?”

Cat thought about what Maggie had told her. Had she told her husband she wanted a divorce? Was that why she was in the hospital? “Honestly, I don’t know. Let’s just think good thoughts about Maggie and her getting better right now. You know you can write here anytime you need a different environment. Just let Shauna know you’re coming so we make sure someone’s here. We ask that you don’t use the house during retreat weeks though.”

“That’s so sweet of you. I’m going to start writing at the library. There are so many cubbies there and best for my diet, you can’t take food or drink inside. So I’ll have to walk a bit to get a treat. Not just to the dining room.” She reopened her laptop. “I’ve done a lot of thinking about who I am and what I want during this last week. Thank you for giving me the time and space to do that.”

Cat squeezed Alicia’s shoulder as she stood. “Just do you. That’s the best anyone can hope for. And if you do sell your book, let us know so we can shout you out to the other retreat guests.”

Cat headed into the kitchen, thinking about Maggie and her husband. The college president and his wife were a power couple. Cat knew two presidents before the Martins and the college seemed to look for that dynamic. Or at least, that’s the person they’d chosen for the position. Someone with a strong spouse. Someone to talk to potential professors’ wives or husbands, explaining the advantages of small-town Aspen Hills. How the town was close to Denver for the cultural experience yet a place with low crime and small-town values. A great place to raise a family.

But had Maggie gotten tired of choosing the right tie for her husband? Her kids were grown and she had told Cat that she wanted more of a career, more of a life. Had that been the reason behind her attack? Her inability to be happy with the status quo? Or was it something about Allen’s murder? Or even the embezzlement?

The problem was there were too many good reasons she could have been attacked. Cat was certain if she found out why Maggie was attacked, she’d also find the answers to the other questions. Maggie was a lynchpin, so to speak.

“You look more awake. Did you take a nap?” Shauna said as Cat came into the kitchen. “I didn’t expect you downstairs for another ten minutes or so.”

“No, I went down the what-if rabbit hole. I told you about Maggie, right? She’s still in the hospital and Uncle Pete put a guard on her door. Even family is barred from seeing her.” The charge nurse on the floor was the wife of a professor that Cat had worked with at the college. She loved the gossip.

“Yes, we talked earlier. You are tired.” Shauna rolled her shoulders as she wiped down the counter.

Cat nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee and then looked at her clothes. “I didn’t realize how late it was. I better go change into something warmer.”

“Okay, but if you want, I can ask Seth to drive you,” Shauna wiped her hands on a rag. “I’m worried.”

“I’m fine,” Cat started to walk out, but she paused. “Alicia’s up and writing. I told her she could come by anytime she wanted to write here. I think she’s worried that she’ll be bothering us.”

“As long as she knows the treats end this morning,” Shauna grinned, “she’s welcome anytime. Except for retreat weeks.”

“That’s what I said,” Cat sipped her coffee. “I’ll check in before I leave. Remember to call the insurance company Monday morning and see if we can get reimbursed if we have the glass replaced tomorrow.”

“Seth said he’s got a guy who can fix it. I’ve already filed an online report. I’ll call and make sure before I let him set up the appointment.” Shauna went over to her kitchen desk to add a note to her planner. “Maybe we should send flowers to Maggie?”

“Yeah, that will be nice.” Cat hurried upstairs, not stopping to bother Alicia who was focused on her laptop. Writers were of two groups. If they were emotional, sometimes, bad things happening around them either slowed their writing or gave them a place to escape. Cat had a feeling that Alicia was one of those who escaped. It wasn’t a bad trait.

It only took her a few minutes to change up into jeans and a sweatshirt. She put on her hiking boots to give her a little traction. It had snowed a bit last night. Not enough to stop the world from turning here, but it would make some places slick until it melted when the sun came up. She went into the kitchen and grabbed her parka, beanie, and scarf. She tucked her wallet into her inside jacket pocket and told Shauna she’d be back in an hour or so. She hoped it would be sooner, but if Grace had some information, she wanted to give her the time to tell her.

Cat could focus on the whys behind what was happening now. The retreat was all but over. As soon as brunch finished, the writers would go home. Shauna would do a deep cleaning of the house. And she would be back working on her upcoming deadline. Seth’s life didn’t change much during retreat weeks, except he didn’t take any outside work those weeks. Uncle Pete liked having someone on sight with strangers in the house. Cat had tried to explain that writers were different, but then one turned into a stalker killer and ruined her credibility.

Maggie had gone to talk to her husband before the attack. Had he known what was coming and sent a deranged Lucy off to take the blame? How had Lucy gotten into the house? Had someone shared the entrance code? Seth insisted on changing it after every retreat, so it couldn’t be anyone from a prior retreat. And, well, writers. Cat smiled at the thought as she walked into the Coffee Bean. When looking for a suspect, you could usually cross off anyone who was currently writing a book. They had no mental bandwidth to plan a murder. And if they did, they weren’t spending enough time writing.

She waved at Grace and went up to order and pay for her mocha. It was Sunday so a hot chocolate with a coffee punch would be perfect. She could watch her calories tomorrow.

Grace Evans had her phone out and was texting when Cat arrived at the table. She unwrapped her scarf and tucked it with her mittens into her coat pockets before taking the coat off and sitting down. The barista would bring her mocha. “How are you this cold morning?”

“Good but freaking out a little. I suppose you’re the same. Was Maggie attacked in your house? That must have been scary.” Grace pushed her phone aside and leaned closer, waiting for Cat’s response. “Oh, sorry for bailing on yesterday’s coffee. I forgot and got stuck in Denver.”

“We were all gone when the attack happened. I take the writers out for dinner on the last night of the retreat. Maggie was supposed to join us, but well, you know the rest.” Cat leaned back, letting the barista drop off her cup. She took a long sip. “Coming home and having your house lit up with emergency lights, that was a little bizarre. Finding out Maggie was attacked, it, well, I guess I’m still dealing with how I feel.”

“Is it true that Lucy Johnson did it? Did she kill her husband too? I remember seeing her at the party that night. She looked a little out of it.” Grace was ignoring her coffee.

Cat had forgotten that she’d talked to Grace that night. “Do you remember what Lucy was wearing?”

Grace rolled her eyes. “Don’t you remember? She had on that hideous silver sequin dress. Someone should have told her she looked like a disco ball.”

Cat hadn’t focused on what anyone was wearing. She’d been too busy trying to listen in on conversations. Dante had thought that someone might slip up and say something to implicate them in the embezzlement, but Cat thought it had been a long shot. But now, she remembered seeing Lucy at the party. Most of the dresses had been long and straight. Most faculty wives prided themselves on their slim figures. And the rumor was that anytime someone didn’t meet the stereotype, they were replaced with a trophy wife. Young, like Cat had been when she married Michael. Lucy had a few extra pounds, but in that dress with all the poofy layers, she had looked heavy.

Lucy hadn’t been wearing the red dress. So who had?

Cat was about to ask Grace the question when she stood up. “Sorry, I’ve got to get home and get the kids ready for church. Call me and we’ll do lunch next week. I’m so glad you’re okay. I was worried.”

Cat thought Grace was more worried that Cat might have gossip that she didn’t have. And now that she figured out she didn’t, she had other people to talk to. Grace knew everything. And Cat bet she would know who was wearing red dresses at the party.

Alone, Cat finished her drink, then pulled out her phone and texted her question to Grace. She might not get an answer until after the woman had milked the church group for all their gossip, but she might be curious enough to wonder why Cat was asking.

At least that’s what she was hoping for. She stood and pulled her coat back on. Right now, she needed to get home to say goodbye to the writers. And see what Shauna had made for brunch. She was starving.