Love and Suspicion Read online

Mariam’s eyes brighten. “It could have been now that I think about it. My apartment was right next to the kitchen.”

  “You didn’t hear any voices?”

  “No voices, just that clink.”

  “Was that around the time the baby was taken?”

  “No one knows exactly what time the baby was taken. All I know is that it was an hour or so before Shelley...Mrs. Woodbury screamed.”

  “The report says you were reading a book that night. Mrs. Eggleston, the sheriff looked in your room and didn’t find a book laying out.”

  Mariam rolled her eyes. “So that’s why the old goat thinks I had something to do with it. Thank you, Deputy, I’ve always wondered what it was.”

  “You weren’t reading a book that night?” he persisted.

  “Look around. I’m a neat freak. Putting books away on a shelf is a lifelong habit I have never been able to break. Mrs. Woodbury was particular too, so I put the book away when I heard Earl run down the stairs and come across the kitchen to my door.”

  “I see.” Rod set his paper cup on the counter beside his hat.

  It was Mariam’s turn to ask a question. “Does Michael Woodbury know you’re bringing up this old case again?”

  “Would it bother you if he did?” Rod asked in return.

  “Well...no, I guess not, but he’s not going to like you asking questions.”

  “Is there anything else you remember about Mrs. Woodbury?”

  “Not really, although she was a bit different than most folks.”

  “Different in what way?” This time it was Rod who noticed one and then another woman who looked in the window and then walked away.

  “Well, she wasn’t like Michael’s second wife, Andrea, trying to spend all of Earl’s money as fast as she could. Before the baby came, she got so bored she took long drives. She was always home by the time Earl came to dinner, though.”

  Tiffany felt odd just eavesdropping, so when the deputy glanced at her once more, she decided to at least look busy. On a notepad, she began to list the titles and the ISBN numbers of the books that were stacked on the counter.

  “After the baby was taken,” Rod continued, “and before she died, did anyone contact her that you know of?”

  Mariam took a moment to think about that. “I don’t mind telling you that part made me mad. She had friends and not a one of them came to console her, although the house was full of Earl’s friends and the cops. I cared about her, but making coffee and tea for a house full of cops was about all I could handle at the time.”

  “You said she had friends. Before the kidnapping, did she have many visitors?”

  “Not that many, but she had women friends who dropped by after Earl went to bed.

  “Do you remember their names?”

  Mariam wrinkled her brow. “Not right off hand. There was a Charles Hadley who came once or twice a month, but they always went into the sitting room to talk and closed the door.”

  “Does Mr. Hadley live here in Blue Falls?”

  “No. I had never seen him before Earl married Shelley. She introduced me the first time he came, but he always let himself out and didn’t talk to me. I don’t know where he lived or anything at all about him.”

  “Do you remember what he looked like?”

  “He was tall and a little on the skinny side. Blond, I think or light brown hair.”

  “How old would you say he was?”

  “Oh, about thirty, maybe a little older,” Mariam answered.

  Tiffany secretly wrote down everything Mariam said about Charles Hadley, and then grabbed the next book. Neither the deputy or Mariam seemed to notice.”

  “And you say he came to see her once or twice a month?” Rod asked.

  “I could be wrong about how often he came. It’s all kind of fuzzy these days. I remember this much, though, Hadley never came until Earl was not home.”

  “Did Earl know about their visits?”

  “You’ll have to ask Earl that question,” Mariam answered.

  “Would you say Mrs. Woodbury was a good mother?”

  “I guess so. It was her first child, so she had books on what to do.”

  “After that night, did you help search for the baby?”

  “No, I couldn’t bear the thought of finding her dead somewhere. I stayed home with Earl. Somebody had to take care of him while he sat next to the telephone for hours and then days, waiting a call that never came.”

  “The call telling him where to find his daughter?”

  Mariam nodded. “I’ve never felt so sorry for anyone in my life. I swear I could see that man grow old before my very eyes. After two or three weeks, he tried to go back to work, but he only stayed an hour or two before he came home. I’m surprised it didn’t kill him. He looked so tired and I knew he wasn’t sleeping. Like I said, I could hear him walking from room to room, sometimes all night long. Beverly says he still does that sometimes.”

  “Beverly?”

  “The housekeeper he has now.”

  “I see. Anything else you can tell me?”

  Mariam looked exhausted just talking about it. “Only that I prayed the baby wasn’t dead. I still think she might not be. After all, she was too little to identify her kidnapper, so why kill her?”

  “What do you think happened then?” Rod asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe someone dropped her off at a church somewhere. Everyone assumes it was a man, but it could have been a woman. Every once in a while, a missing child turns up. It’s possible, now isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is,” Rod admitted. He pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her. “Thank you, Mrs. Eggleston. If you think of anything else, just give me a call.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Rod picked up his hat and was about to leave when he remembered one more thing. “Is it possible Earl’s son Michael was involved?”

  Mariam was horrified. “Michael would never do something like that. I watched Michael at Shelley’s funeral and as tough as he tries to be, he actually put his arm around his father when Earl started to tear up.”

  “Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.” Rod acknowledged Tiffany with a nod, walked out the door, and put his hat back on.

  Not thirty seconds later, Mariam set his card on the counter and was on her cellphone calling someone. “Guess who was just here? That new deputy and he was very kind, not pushy or accusing like the sheriff. See, all my worries were for nothing.”

  Tiffany quickly got his phone number off the card and wrote it on the paper. She couldn’t tell who her boss was talking to and it didn’t really matter. The way this town gossiped, it would only be a matter of hours before half the town knew. She decided she liked Rod. He was a no-nonsense cop and didn’t utter even one cliché. Yep, she liked him as well as anyone she’d met so far. Furthermore, she was dying to tell Earl all about it when she got home.

  She remembered seeing the name Charles Hadley on Shelley’s bank statements and now she knew a lot more about him. If Hadley came to see Shelley often, chances are he didn’t have to drive that far, so a search for him somewhere in the state was not out of the question. Indeed, she was eager for her day to end so she could go home.

  Instead of going back to work, Mariam put her glasses back on, grabbed her purse, and opened the front door. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  Tiffany nodded. After Mariam was gone, she tore the sheet of paper off the tablet, folded it, and put it in her purse.

  BEN NEARLY HIT HIS head on the hood of Tiffany’s car when his cellphone rang. He wiped his hands and then answered. “Eddie, what’s up...A package...Is that right? Too bad we don’t have a webcam inside Michael’s office. Thanks for letting me know.”

  Ben hung up and then promptly called Tiffany. “Guess what?”

  “What?” She was wearing a robe and was just getting ready to hop in the shower when he called.

  “Eddie says he heard a rumor that Jerry had a giftwrapped package delivered
to Michael first thing this morning.”

  Tiffany walked into the bathroom to turn on the water. “Think it will blow up?”

  Ben chuckled, “I bet Michael thinks it will.”

  “I’ve been watching and you’re right. Michael drives down Main Street often just to check on his dad. He sure is one complicated guy. One minute I think he’s a thug and the next, one of the good guys. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone like him.”

  “Look at it this way, when you finally make it back home you’ll have a Michael Woodbury story to tell all your friends.”

  “Indeed I will, and a Mariam Eggelston story, and a...”

  “I better get back to work. Later, okay?”

  She begrudgingly said, “Okay, if you insist.”

  “I’m working on your car.”

  “Oh. In that case, get back to work!”

  IN MICHAEL’S OFFICE, Alex set the gift on his father’s large mahogany desk and then relaxed in the first of three chairs facing it. He waited and waited, but when his father didn’t open it, Alex toyed with a frayed piece of upholstery on the arm rest of his chair. On the wall behind him was a large portrait of his grandfather. Aren’t you a little curious?”

  Michael glared at his son. “You open it if you’re so brave. I’m not in the mood to be bitten or injured today.”

  Alex scoffed, picked up the package, set it in his lap and waited for something to happen. “Nothing moving inside.” He removed the bow and examined each side of the small box. “No hidden switch or scary wiring.” With that, he ripped the paper off and opened the box. Inside was a blue case and inside the case was a note, and a pen and pencil set with the Woodbury logo on it. Alex kept the note and set the open case back on the desk where his father could see inside.

  “Michael,” Alex read, “I hereby declare you the winner. How about we call a truce before this little spat of ours hurts someone?” Alex tossed the note on the desk and then waited for his father to say something – anything at all. Instead, Michael said nothing, stood up, walked to his picture window and stared out. Alex was used to that. Besides, he already had more than enough information to get the rumor mill off and running before the weekend.

  AFTER ROD LEFT THE bookstore, he jotted down some of the things Mariam Eggelston mentioned, especially about Charles Hadley, in his notebook. He was about to drive away when Millie called on his private cellphone. “What’s up?”

  “I need you to do me a favor.”

  “Sure, what?”

  “The doctor wrote a pain prescription for Nancy’s arm, but I can’t get away to take it to her. Would you mind?”

  “Not at all. I was afraid it was worse than she admitted.”

  “She wouldn’t let me see it when I was there this morning, but maybe she’ll show it to you. Nancy hates being a burden. I already picked up the prescription and some clean bandages.”

  “Great. I’ll swing by.”

  In less than half an hour, Rod pulled up in front of the widow’s house and when neither she nor Willie came outside, he climbed the steps and knocked on the door. It took a few moments, but Nancy finally answered. “Willie’s napping,” she whispered.

  “And you’re in pain,” he said as he showed her the small white paper bag. “I can see it in your eyes.”

  “It’s not that bad.” She opened the door wider so he could come in. “I thought it would be healed by now, but I keep bumping it.” Her cozy little home appeared to have little more than two bedrooms, a living room/dining room area, one bath, and a kitchen. Just like the outside of her home, the inside was neat and clean.

  He took the pill bottle out of the sack, set both on the table, and then went to the kitchen. Rod found a glass, filled it with water, and went back to the table. “Mind if I take a look. I’m no expert, but they make us take first aid in cop school.”

  Nancy grinned, waited for him to unfasten the lid on the pain pills, and eagerly took one. “Actually, I welcome your help. I’m right handed, and not that handy with my left.”

  He took a seat across the small table from her and watched as she carefully peeled the old bandage off the inside of her right arm. She was right, the skin was not broken, but he could see red marks where she’d bumped it. “Let’s try a thicker bandage.” He pulled some burn medicine, some cotton balls, and three packets of sterile gauze out of the bag. Next, he used a cotton ball to tenderly spread the burn medicine on her arm, and then cut the bandage longer and wider than her burn. He tripled the thickness and then carefully taped it to her arm.

  It was not until he finished that he noticed a hint of tears in her eyes. “Did I hurt you?” Instinctively, he touched her hand.

  “No,” she whispered, “It’s just nice to have someone who cares.”

  He smiled. “It’s nice to have someone to care about.” He took a deep breath and then stood up. “Duty calls. See if you can get some rest, and don’t run any equipment on those pain pills.”

  She stood up and walked him to the door. “Yes, Sir.”

  “Wayne will probably come by to check on you tonight.”

  “He always does,” she said. “He’s one of the good guys.” Before he even got down the steps, she closed the door and then curled up on her sofa to wait for the pain medicine to take effect.

  AFTER ALL THE GUESTS checked out of the Bed and Breakfast and before the bar crowd began to arrive, Birdie sat on a bar stool sipping a soda and talking to Pamela. She chose a cashew out of a dish, put it in her mouth and chewed it. On Fridays she liked to wear a short, red silk dress with matching heels.

  “Did you hear about the gift Jerry Terrell gave to Michael?” Pamela asked. In contrast, Pamela preferred blue jeans and a blue blouse.

  “Not yet. I’m not answering the phone today.”

  “Oh, one of those days. Well, Alex couldn’t wait to call me. Jerry wants to call a truce and sent a very expensive monogramed pen and pencil set to Michael as a peace offering.”

  “What’s the catch?” Birdie asked.

  “That’s what I want to know. By the way, Jolie moved out this morning. It’ll be nice to have her gone. She’s sweet, but she cries constantly. Was I that blubbery when Michael and I split up?”

  Birdie helped herself to another cashew, “The worst case of blubbery I’ve ever seen. Don’t you remember the night we spent out at the lake trying to drown ourselves?”

  Pamela laughed, “Is that what we were doing? I was so drunk; I didn’t even know where we were until we woke up still at the lake the next morning.”

  “With the worst hangover in history.”

  Pamela helped herself to a cashew too. “I remember that part vey well.” She ate two more cashews before she brought up the next subject. “That new deputy is asking questions.”

  “I heard.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” Birdie groaned. “We put all that behind us years ago, and I don’t even remember what we said, or why we said it.”

  “Neither do I. We were stupid, immature kids at the time, and Michael had all the cards.”

  “Just like always.”

  Pamela got up, walked around the bar and refilled her soda. “The deputy showed up at the bookstore and asked Mariam about that night.”

  “You think she told him the truth?”

  “Not a chance.” Pamela said as soon as she retook her seat. “She adores Michael – always has.”

  “She won’t adore him if the truth comes out. We both know Michael has more money than he makes working for Earl. He’s up to something and has been for years. We just don’t know what.”

  “Someone must know.” Pamela studied the same sad expression she had seen on Birdie’s face a thousand times before. “You should have been the one to marry him. My parents would have let me keep Alex.”

  “Way too late to think about that – almost twenty years too late.”

  “I know, but things would have turned out a lot different if...”

  “Pame
la, we can’t change one single second of what happened. Michael swore I was lying and my parents believe him. I’ve accepted what happened and moved on.”

  “Have you truly moved on? Tell me, don’t you stay here because you hope someday your daughter will figure out how to find you?”

  Birdie slumped. “Look at it this way, if I had married Michael instead of you, my daughter would have turned out just like Gloria.”

  Pamela laughed. “How true, how true. Didn’t you ever want more children?”

  Birdie puffed her cheeks. “I thought you knew. The birth tore me up inside and the doctor had to remove my uterus.”

  “I never even guessed. I’m sorry.”

  “So am I. Under the circumstance, I didn’t want more children anyway. You didn’t have any more children either.”

  “Michael’s children? Not on your life.” Pamela took a sip of her drink to wash down the cashews. “That’s not the only reason you stay here, is it?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Don’t you? I remember a night a few years ago when you said you were trapped here and could never leave. I asked you why and you made me swear not to tell, but didn’t tell me. You just cried and ran up to your room. You wouldn’t even open the door for me. What happened?”

  “I was drunk that night.”

  “So was I.”

  “Pamela, don’t ask me that. I can’t tell you – I can’t tell anyone. I just can’t.”

  OVER DINNER THAT EVENING, Tiffany filled Earl in on what Mariam told the deputy. Earl didn’t seem all that surprised about some of it, which made Tiffany ask, “You haven’t bugged the bookstore, have you?”

  Earl chuckled and shook his head. Beverly served each a piece of apple pie and joined them at the table. “No need to. Mariam’s been saying these things for years, just not to the sheriff. He probably knows too by now.”

  “First I’ve heard of a Charles Hadley, though,” Earl said.

  “Me too,” Beverly agreed. “That deputy must be a real charmer if he got her to tell him something she’s never said before.”