Bless Her Dead Little Heart

CHAPTER 33

An’gel wondered whether it was her imagination, or was Antonio protesting a bit too much about his manservant? What reason could he have for not wanting the man to stay here at Riverhill? True, it would be somewhat inconvenient in terms of sleeping arrangements, but on the other hand, having another able-bodied man in the house in case of trouble wouldn’t be a bad thing. Kanesha might prefer not to add a new person to the mix, she realized, and she decided to let the matter drop. Her curiosity over the manner of Antonio’s arrival was finally settled.

“Signor Mingione, would you come with me, please?”

An’gel turned to see a deputy standing nearby.

“If you will excuse me, ladies,” Antonio said with the flash of a smile. “Yes, Officer, I will come.”

“Miss Ducote,” the deputy said to An’gel, “Chief Deputy Berry asked me to let you know she’ll be ready to talk to you and your sister shortly.”

“Thank you,” An’gel replied. When he left the room, she noticed the deputy who had remained in the room all this time went with him. She motioned for Dickce to join her on the sofa.

“Now we can talk,” An’gel said. “Tell me about Benjy.”

“All right,” Dickce replied. “Here’s what he told me.” She gave An’gel the details about the rubber spiders and repeated Benjy’s denial that he had anything to do with frightening Maudine to death with them. “I believe him,” she concluded.

“I reckon I do, too,” An’gel said, “but it sure looks like someone is trying to implicate him in all this. He had no opportunity to squirt the water on the stairs, nor did Junior. Since neither of them could have set up the first accident, then I think we have to rule them out as being responsible for the second.”

“I agree,” Dickce said. “Who was the target, though? Rosabelle was insistent that she was the intended victim the first time, and then she said she is just as terrified of spiders as Maudine was.”

“I don’t know,” An’gel replied. “I keep going round and round with it, but I never come out with a clear answer. I found Wade’s accusation that Rosabelle is the murderer interesting. I have to confess I wondered myself if she wasn’t responsible.”

“Me, too,” Dickce said. “I wouldn’t put anything past her now, not after the displays we’ve seen. Wade might be right. What he said about his father’s will could be important.”

“Rosabelle told me that the trusts set up by her first and second husbands would dissolve with her death, and her three children would receive their shares to use as they see fit.” An’gel paused. “According to Wade, if one of the children dies before Rosabelle, that portion doesn’t pass to the grandchild and instead reverts to the estate.”

“And to Rosabelle,” Dickce said. “She does love money, but do you think she would really murder her own children to get it?”

“Let’s say she would. Why then would she want to murder Marla, her daughter-in-law? Marla would have no claim on the estate, even if she outlived Wade.”

“Out of spite?” Dickce said. “Or a trial run maybe?”

“Possibly,” An’gel replied. “But if Rosabelle died first, Wade would inherit his father’s money. Marla would benefit that way. And possibly Benjy as well, if he is in either Wade’s or Marla’s will.”

“That’s really pushing it,” Dickce said. “Think instead about Bernice and Juanita. With Maudine gone before Rosabelle, Bernice’s share doubles because Junior gets nothing. What about that?”

“If Bernice outlives her mother, then she inherits a considerable amount,” An’gel said. “Then Juanita inherits from her mother.”

“I wonder what Rosabelle could do with the money if all three of her children predeceased her?” Dickce said. “Would she be able to will it to anyone she chose, since the beneficiaries of the trust were dead?”

“It’s like a maze,” An’gel said. “So many potential routes to the answer. But which one is the right one?”

“If there’s another murder, that would give us a clearer picture,” Dickce said.

“Don’t say that, even in jest,” An’gel said sharply. “I can’t stand the thought of another murder in the house.”

“I know,” Dickce said contritely. “It is horrible, isn’t it?”

“I hope Kanesha figures this out soon. I want all these people out of our house, and I never want to see any of them again,” An’gel said. She glanced at her sister, expecting total agreement. Instead Dickce looked uneasy. “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing, really,” Dickce said. “I hope it’s over soon, too.”

An’gel wasn’t satisfied with that answer, but she knew that pressing Dickce about it wouldn’t get her anywhere. Dickce could be stubborn to the point of madness, and right now she didn’t have the energy to force the issue. She had a sneaking suspicion Dickce was hiding something from her, but whatever it was would have to wait.

She checked her watch. Nearly six o’clock. She’d told Clementine earlier they would eat at seven. The food would be ready, but would everyone want to sit down to dinner together after what happened this afternoon?

If they didn’t, she decided after brief reflection, they could fill their plates and take them to their rooms. She really didn’t care. It might even be less stressful for all of them. She didn’t relish another scene like the ones they had witnessed last night or today.

“Ladies, would you come with me now?”

Startled, An’gel realized the deputy had come to take them to Kanesha. “Of course.” She was more than ready.

She and Dickce followed the deputy across the hall to the library and took their seats in front of the desk. An’gel thought Kanesha looked frustrated and tired, much as she herself probably looked to the chief deputy.

“Have you made any progress?” An’gel asked.

“Hard to tell,” Kanesha replied. “Not a single one of them saw anything that is useful. From what they’ve told me, they all might as well be invisible once they get up on the second floor.” She shook her head. “I thought surely, if I took them through their movements, one of them at least might have seen one of the others coming out of a room, going into one. Anything that could give me a break in this case. But not a single thing.”

“Have you talked to Benjy Stephens yet?” Dickce asked, rather abruptly, An’gel thought.

Kanesha nodded. “Yes, ma’am, before I talked to Signor Mingione. He told me about the water pistol and the rubber spiders.”

“You’re not seriously considering him a suspect because they belonged to him, are you?”

An’gel thought her sister sounded militant all of a sudden, almost as if Benjy were her son instead of someone else’s. What was going on in Dickce’s head? And more important, in her heart?

“They do link him to both murders,” Kanesha said. She held up a hand as if to forestall another protest from Dickce. “I know it’s only circumstantial. According to Mr. Stephens, everyone knew about the water pistol and the rubber spiders. Everyone also had access to his room in California, and I see no reason to doubt that. I am sure he didn’t have the opportunity to go upstairs and set up the accident that killed his mother. I also strongly doubt that he had anything to do with putting those spiders in a towel for someone to find.”

“That’s good,” Dickce said. “He’s a nice boy, and I’m sure he has nothing to do with all this. He simply has the misfortune to be connected to an ill-fated family.”

An’gel thought that made Benjy sound like a Tybalt or a Mercutio, both of whom paid dearly for their membership in two feuding houses. She resisted the urge to snort at her sister’s hyperbole.

“So what’s next?” An’gel asked.

“My first concern is to stop another murder from happening,” Kanesha said.

“Do you really think there will be another attempt on Rosabelle?” An’gel said.

“It’s entirely possible,” Kanesha said. “I don’t think the murderer has achieved his complete purpose yet.”

“Does that mean you think Rosabelle is the intended victim?” Dickce asked.

“Eventually, yes,” Kanesha replied.

“What do you mean by that?” An’gel asked, startled.

Kanesha smiled grimly. “I’m almost certain that Mrs. Pittman was the intended victim today, and not her mother.”