Yasmine Galenorn - Chintz 'n' China 04 Page 19

  Once I got home, I slipped out of my jeans and into a calf-length brown rayon skirt and a burgundy turtleneck sweater, then zipped up my tan suede boots. If things went right, maybe I could persuade Irena to sell Joe the lot now that she couldn’t use Brent as an excuse anymore.

  I finished putting away the last of the groceries when the doorbell rang. Mur was dressed, once again, in a fancier-than-usual suit, but she looked no-nonsense. She strode in, gave me an approving glance.

  “Ready?” She glanced at her watch.

  I nodded and gathered my purse and keys. As I slipped into her truck, I looked at her. “Do you think Irena had something to do with Brigit’s death?”

  Mur grimaced. “I have no idea. Whatever happened, it was a long time ago. Irena seems awfully cagey, but maybe she’s just worried about word getting out that Brent’s been stuck in an institution all these years. She’s a schmoozer, runs in high society right up there with and above Harlow. Some of those folks take a dim view of oddball relatives. I think that was especially true back in the fifties when she first got married. On the other hand, maybe Brent did it and she knows and has been trying to protect him all these years.”

  Both thoughts made sense to me. And if she knew he’d killed Brigit, it might account for her trying to keep things undercover. Maybe she was protecting him but felt guilty about it. If people heard about him, they might ask why he was there and bring up unpleasant questions. We passed through the west side of Chiqetaw, where the lawyers and doctors congregated their practices, into one of the garden suburbs. Chiqetaw might be small, but it had its neighborhood districts. Or cliques, should I say.

  Irena’s house was buttressed up against the Chiqetaw Links Country Club & Golf Course. Harlow had been offered a membership, but she turned it down with a quick and icy “no.” The club was known for its subtle racism and Harl refused to take part in any such discrimination. She’d made her displeasure known around town, but only a few of the members tried to strike back. Her philanthropy and substantial wealth buffeted her from criticism.

  We slipped out of the truck and headed up the walk. Apparently Irena had her housekeeper waiting for us because she opened the door before we had the chance to ring the bell. Murray introduced us, and the maid led us into a long foyer, then off to the right into a formal living room. As she withdrew, closing the double doors behind her, I glanced around nervously. The furniture looked like it cost more than my entire house.

  “Jeez, just don’t spill anything,” I said.

  Mur grinned at me with a wry smile. “I don’t drink on the job, luckily.” She rubbed her foot on the white carpet. “Who in the hell buys white carpeting? It has to be a status symbol, especially in areas like this where we get so much rain. Rain equals mud, you know.”

  I was about to agree when the door opened and a woman who looked to be in her mid-sixties stepped through. Irena. She and Brent bore a resemblance to one another, but it was obvious that Irena had been under the knife a few times; since they were twins, therefore, she had to be seventy-one, the same as Brent. She had that taut, overstretched look that some stars get when they’ve had a little too much plastic surgery.

  “Detective Murray, it’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand, smiling, although her expression said she was anything but happy to see us. Murray introduced me. Irena peered at me for a moment, then said, “Oh yes, the fireman’s girlfriend. You own the tea shop. You have a quaint and charming store, my dear.”

  I forced myself to bite my tongue. I’d dealt with her type before. Dazzlingly polite and aloof, she’d already negated any worth I might have, categorizing me as “Joe’s girlfriend” which meant I wasn’t worth bothering with.

  Murray indicated the black leather sofa. “Shall we sit down? I have some questions I need to ask you.”

  Irena took a seat in the wingback, while Murray and I gingerly sat on the overstuffed leather couch. I felt dwarfed—the thing had been made for giants.

  “I can’t imagine how I can help you, but ask away.” She fidgeted in her seat and I noticed her hands were in constant motion, twisting her handkerchief. My guess was that Irena wasn’t the best poker player in town.

  Murray sighed. “Why don’t we start with your brother? All these years, you’ve told people he’s been living overseas and yet, all this time he’s been at the Fairhaven Psychiatric Hospital. Would you tell me why you’ve kept up this charade, and why Brent was committed?”

  Irena winced. “Committed is such a harsh word, Detective. Brent was a danger to himself. Even as a child, he wasn’t very stable, he was always so emotional and passionate about life. He was an artist, you know, but our father was only proud of him when Brent made the football team. Father thought it might snap Brent out of what he considered his ‘sissy ways’, but all it did was point out how different he was from the other boys. He spent a year at Yale, failed miserably, and had to come home.”

  Mur regarded her quietly. “How old was he, and what happened when he returned?” She was jotting notes as quickly as Irena gave them to her.

  “Brent was nineteen when he came back. He stayed home for a year, trying to regroup. Father insisted he give it another shot—he’d pulled some strings, gotten Brent back into school on conditional acceptance. Before he was supposed to leave, something just snapped. He collapsed into his own little world. The doctor recommended shock treatment. That was routine back then, and so our parents signed the papers and committed him to Fairhaven.”

  Up until then, she’d been telling the truth. I could hear it in her voice, see it in her aura. But she’d glossed over something with the last—left something unsaid. Not a lie, really, but an omission.

  Murray’s gaze flickered toward Irena and I knew she’d picked up on the shift, too. She nodded, though her expression remained passive. “I see. Can you tell me why your parents, and later on you, lied about his whereabouts?”

  Irena shrugged, a bitter expression crossing her face. “Detective, you weren’t even alive at that time. You have no idea of how easily any hint of mental illness could ostracize a family. My parents were high on the social ladder, not only here, but in Seattle and on the east coast. They were only thinking of me. It was better to have people think that Brent ran off to Europe, if I were to have any hope for a normal life. They told me never to talk about his problem, so I did as they asked. And the lie became habit, and then—in its own way—the truth. Brent really is in a foreign country, but one that exists within the confines of his own mind. Why, even my husband doesn’t know that Brent is living at Fairhaven. After all these years, I’ve never told him.”

  “Do you ever go see him?” I asked.

  Irena gazed at me quietly. “Once a month. I tell my husband I’m going to have lunch in Bellingham, and I go sit with Brent for the afternoon. He never seems to care, but I do it anyway.”

  I liked her a little better, and forced a smile to my lips, which she gently returned.

  Murray let her breath out in a slow stream. “All right. What can you tell me about Brigit O’Reilly? She was your maid, was she not?”

  Irena nodded. “Yes, lovely girl, around my own age. She was quite competent, and we were sorry to lose her but she wanted to go back home to Ireland. I think she missed her family.”

  There—again the omission. I nudged Murray ever so slightly.

  Murray’s eyes flickered and I knew that once again, she’d caught the shift in energy. “When did she leave?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I was in and out of the house that summer getting ready for my wedding. I really don’t remember,” Irena said. She paused for a moment, as if thinking, then shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

  Murray sat her notebook and pen down on the coffee table. “Mrs. Finch, what would you say if I told you that Brigit never left Chiqetaw? That the skeleton we discovered on your lot is hers? We’ve confirmed it, for all intents and purposes.”

  Irena gasped, delicately fluttering a hand to her throat. “Oh my
! You can’t be serious?” She gave Murray a wide-eyed correct-me-if-you-dare look. Murray returned it with her own icy stare.

  “I don’t joke about death. Brigit’s remains were found stuffed in a hole beneath the yew tree on the back of your lot. We found her diary, her suitcases, and her clothing hidden away in a basement room. We think she may have been murdered, and we want some straight answers. I might remind you that there’s no statute of limitations regarding murder.”

  I was suddenly glad that I wasn’t on the receiving end of Murray’s interrogation. Irena sniffed; I could feel her waver. Then she let out a loud sigh.

  “I’d help you if I could,” she said, “but I simply don’t know what happened. As I explained, I was heavily involved with wedding plans and at that age, wasn’t thinking too clearly about anyone or anything else.”

  Murray flipped her notebook shut. “I see. Thank you for your cooperation.”

  I piped up. “Mrs. Finch, on a different subject, may I ask why you don’t want to sell the lot to Joe? I’ve spoken with your brother and he’s given his permission.” I held up the paper he’d signed and she paled as she looked at the signature.

  “Yes, I’m also curious to hear your answer,” Mur said. “Why didn’t you want to sell the land, Mrs. Finch? Could it be that you knew the skeleton was there all along?”

  I watched Irena wage war with herself. Finally she motioned for me to wait while she picked up the phone, hitting number five on speed dial. After a moment, she said, “Williams? This is Irena. Put through the sale of the lot that fireman wanted. Files. Yes, I said put it through. We have permission from my brother. Yes, from my brother. In writing.”

  She replaced the receiver on the cradle. “You made your point. I’ll need a copy of that note for my lawyer. He’ll confirm it with the doctor. You can mail it to him—George Williams. He’s in the book.”

  Turning to Murray, she added, “I had no ulterior motives in keeping the land away from Mr. Files. I simply didn’t think my brother was capable of giving the permission needed, but apparently it seems that you and Ms. O’Brien … she flashed me a searching look, “have taken care of that little problem.”

  We stood to go. Murray said, “Mrs. Finch, one last question, if you would. Do you know why your brother might feel like he’d done something terrible to Brigit? While we were at the hospital, he broke down and began begging for her forgiveness.”

  Irena froze. I could see her throat muscles contract as she breathed. Slowly inhale, slow exhale. After a moment she shook her head. “I can’t think of anything. They barely ever spoke. I’m surprised he even remembers her name.” She blinked and the reserved matriarch was back. “You have to understand something about my brother’s condition. Schizophrenia often includes both paranoia and delusions. Whatever he’s concocted in his mind about Brigit exists only within his own tormented imagination.” She gestured to the door. “And now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.”

  Murray nodded. “Thank you for your time.”

  “I trust you’ll be as discreet as possible about my brother’s information? I’d rather not have it come out now that he’s been locked away all those years.”

  I couldn’t read the look on her face, but it wasn’t a good one. We took our leave and headed out for the truck, mulling over what Irena had told us. No concrete answers, and so much unsaid. I wondered if we’d ever find out the truth of the matter. That is, if anybody knew, after all these years.

  Thirteen

  From Brigit’s Journal:

  I was thinking of stories this morning—I’m going to have to remember a lot of the family stories quite soon.

  When I was little, my mother told me that our family had been blessed by the Sidhe. My great-grandfather, Jonathon, was hiking down to the water one morning to go fishing, when he saw a little girl sitting on the side of the road. He stopped to ask if she needed help. She said she was hungry, and he gave her the bit of bread he had in his pocket, even though it meant he’d have no lunch. He offered to take her back to his home so his wife could give her a proper meal, even though it meant going out of his way.

  The little girl stood up and transformed into a tiny little man, no bigger than Great-grandfather’s knee. He said that since Jonathon was so helpful, without begrudging the help, he’d bless the family. We might have times that were hard, but no one would ever stay lost—no matter what happened. We might run away, or be swept out to sea, but somehow, we’d always end up home again. The faeries would watch over us.

  SINCE JOE WAS coming for dinner, I decided we’d order Chinese takeout. I could hardly wait to spring the news that Irena had agreed to sell the lot after all, though I was still a little worried she might try to back out of the deal again. I glanced at the clock. Five-fifteen. The kids wouldn’t be home till near six and Joe had said he’d arrive around six-thirty.

  On a hunch, I pulled out the pages I’d copied from Brigit’s journal and began reading through them again, to see if I could find anything I’d missed. And then—there it was. A story about her great-grandfather and the faeries.

  I read through it, silently thinking about the Will o’ the Wisps. We’d barely seen them since the night I discovered the skeleton. Could their purpose have been to lead us to her? Perhaps they were the faeries that were watching over Brigit’s family. Now that we’d found her body, they could fade back to wherever it was they’d come from. I had a sudden urge to put flowers out for Brigit, to assure the powers that be that we were thinking about her. No doubt her bones would be returned home to her cousin, so Brigit would be going home, in a manner of speaking. I wanted her spirit to rest, as well.

  Perhaps the only way to do that was to cleanse the lot. And perhaps that was the final key in bringing Sammy back home and returning Mab to her ghostly owner. Brigit had loved her cat; they rested together even in death. And maybe that’s why she was still walking the world, even after we’d discovered her final resting spot. She was looking for her cat.

  I’d just started listing ingredients that went into the strongest exorcism ritual I was familiar with when a brief knock announced that Joe was home. He popped his head around the corner, wearing one of the biggest smiles I’d seen in awhile.

  “I’m early. That okay?”

  “Okay? Of course!” I dropped my pen and raced over to give him a big hug, breathing his scent into my lungs. He smelled like cinnamon and spice and cloves, and my desire flared as he gathered me in his arms and glanced at the clock.

  “Do we have time before the kids come home?”

  It was six o’clock. The kids got out of their after-school activities at six-fifteen and it would take another twenty minutes for them to arrive home.

  “C’mon!” I grabbed his hand and dragged him upstairs. Quickies had their time and place, and right now twenty minutes in bed with Joe was one luxury I wasn’t about to take a pass on.

  We tumbled out of our clothes, laughing. I reveled in the feel of his hands on my skin, on my breasts, on my thighs as he traced circles with his fingertips, drawing vines and tendrils. He leaned over and slid his tongue against my own and I welcomed his presence in my home, my bedroom, my body. Joe reached for protection and then rose above me, bearing down with the mastery of his ancestors—robust and full of vigor. As my legs entwined around his waist, I forgot all about ghosts and spirits and long-forgotten bones in a sweep of love that brushed them into the dark corners of my mind.

  BY THE TIME the kids came trooping through the door, we were dressed and back in the kitchen. My heart ached at the look on their faces when I broke the news that Sammy hadn’t come home yet. Tears in their eyes, they headed into the living room to play with the kittens. I ordered the takeout, then Joe and I talked over coffee while we waited for it to arrive.

  He leaned back in his chair. “You met with Irena today, didn’t you?”

  I blinked. “Did she call you?”

  “Her lawyer did,” he said, breaking into a wide grin. “The lo
t’s mine. He’s working up the final papers now. We can get back to work on it, though I have to tell you, that damned place scares me out of my wits. What the hell are we going to do about it?”

  I went over everything that had happened with Brent and Irena and White Deer. “I’ve come to the conclusion that Brigit must be searching for Mab. The Will o’ the Wisps were there to lead us to her body, thanks to the pact the faeries made with her great-grandfather,” I said. “I’m thinking that if we clear the lot, Sammy and Mab will be able to exchange places and Brigit and Mab will be free to rest or go off and do whatever it is that spirits do.”

  “Maybe so,” he said, musing. “Broken hearts and ghost cats and skeletons in trees … the stuff legends are made of. I wonder who killed her.”

  “If you ask me, I think it was probably Brent. According to Irena, he was always unstable and, unless I miss my guess, for some reason he snapped and killed her, then tried to cover it up. When Irena heard that a skeleton was found on the lot, she must have put two and two together.”

  “Maybe.” He toyed with his coffee mug. “Meanwhile, though, I want to talk about something else. Specifically, your birthday.”

  I blinked. We’d barely discussed my birthday since we’d found the basement and the hauntings had started. “Yeah, tomorrow night. I’ll be thirty-seven. Joe,” I said, hesitating.

  “What?”

  Taking a deep breath, I took the plunge. “Do you think … in ten years, do you think our age difference will bother you? I’ll be closing in on fifty by then. Well, forty-seven, and you’ll still be in your prime.”

  He stared at me, puzzled, then a look of understanding spread across his face. “Good God, woman! Has that really been worrying you?”

  I nodded, blushing.

  He laughed. “Emerald, I’m in love with you. Not your age. You’re beautiful and vibrant and everything I want in a woman. Whether you’re thirty-seven or sixty-seven, I’ll still love you.” With a soft look, he reached across the table and took my hands in his. I hung my head, embarrassed to have questioned him in the first place.