Chapter 21

21

Jenna has offered to visit the florist, mostly to get out of the house. She wants to get away from Catherine. Something about the way Catherine takes charge of everything irritates her, even though Jenna certainly doesn’t want to take on management of the funeral arrangements herself.

As Jenna drives downtown to order the flowers—from the same florist that used to deliver fresh bouquets to her parents’ house on a regular basis—her thoughts turn to what Irena told Catherine. So the detectives already suspect it was one of them. Because of the inheritance, obviously. But is there something more? What did Irena hear, exactly? She decides that after her business at the florist, she will pay Irena a visit and ask her herself.

The bell on the door to the flower shop tinkles when Jenna enters. Inside, she is assaulted by a riot of color and the sweet, pleasant smell of fresh plants. She spends some time choosing a number of arrangements for the front of the church—lilies and roses. She knows Catherine will be pleased. When she’s finished, Jenna leaves the shop and is surprised to spot Audrey across the street, staring at her. She wonders if Audrey is following her, whether she already knows she’s not going to be rich after all.

Jenna gives Audrey a smile and a flippant wave, then turns her back on her.

---

•   •   •at the station, Reyes and Barr are digging through background information on the Mertons’ adult children. Catherine and her husband, Ted, are quite well-off—but they’ll be in another league entirely with the inheritance.

Details of Dan Merton’s financial situation reveal signs of desperation, however. He has not worked in six months—since his father sold his company. He and his wife, who doesn’t appear to have a job either, must have been living on savings. They have recently been using new credit cards to pay the minimums on other credit cards that are maxed out. His parents’ deaths could not have come at a better time, Reyes thinks cynically.

The youngest, Jenna, seems to live from month to month, relying mostly on the generous allowance provided by her parents, occasionally selling some pieces of her art for modest amounts. There are no signs of any recent problems she might have had with her parents. But she’d lied about when she and her boyfriend had left the house on Easter Sunday. Why?

Who he finds most interesting right now is Irena Dabrowski, the cleaning lady. She cleaned the knife to protect someone. It was rather foolish of her, but she wouldn’t have been thinking clearly. Obviously she thinks the murders were committed by someone close to Fred and Sheila, someone she cares about, most likely one of the kids.

He wants to know why.

---

•   •   •irena puts down the phone, unhappy. She has been asked to come to the police station to answer a few questions. There’s an unpleasant surge of adrenaline coursing through her body.

She notices Jenna’s car drive up as she locks her bungalow behind her.

“Irena!” Jenna calls, getting out of her car and approaching her. “Do you have a minute?”

“I’m on my way out,” Irena says, as Jenna reaches her and gives her a brief hug.

“Where?”

“One of those detectives just called me; they want to ask me some questions.”

“What are you going to tell them?” Jenna asks bluntly.

“Nothing,” Irena replies. “I have nothing to tell them. Why would I?”

“Good.” Jenna studies her. “I was over at Catherine’s this morning,” she says. “She said you told her that the police might suspect one of the family. What did they say, exactly?”

Irena shifts her eyes away. She doesn’t want to talk about this right now. “It’s just—they made a big deal about the money.”

“Of course they’re going to make a big deal about the money,” Jenna reassures her. “But that doesn’t mean anything. It was probably a robbery.”

“I heard them say that Fred and Sheila might have known their killer.” Irena feels dizzy, saying this to Jenna.

Jenna looks at her intently. “Why do they think that?”

“They think Sheila must have opened the door to whoever it was, and it was late at night.”

“So? That was Mom for you, she’d open the door anytime, to anyone, you know that.”

Irena nods. “But it was so violent.” She stops there. She doesn’t want to describe it, doesn’t want to relive it. “They thought it might be—personal—somebody they knew.”

Jenna seems to consider this information.

Irena says, “I have to go.”

“Come back to Catherine’s as soon as you’re done and tell us what they say,” Jenna says.

“All right.”

“Irena?” Jenna says as Irena turns away. She turns back. “Catherine and I are worried about Dan.”