Bless Her Dead Little Heart

CHAPTER 34

“How can you know that?” An’gel asked.

“I asked them all when they took their baths,” Kanesha said. “I found out that they didn’t know about the water heaters, and none of them likes cold baths. So they discussed it and came up with their own schedule. Mr. Thurmond always showers at night, as does Miss Cameron. They set times an hour apart, although it wasn’t necessary from what you told me.”

“I forgot to tell them about the hot water,” An’gel said. “Did you say anything, Sister?”

“No, I didn’t think of it,” Dickce said.

Kanesha continued with her list. “Mrs. Cameron likes to bathe first thing in the morning, and Mrs. Sultan, or rather, Mrs. Mingione, likes to sleep in. She had her bath shortly before her husband arrived, as it turns out. That left Mrs. Pittman, who decided to have hers after lunch.”

“Antoinette cleaned up in that bathroom while they were all eating lunch,” An’gel said. “She put fresh towels in there.”

“It wasn’t until after Antoinette put in those fresh towels,” Kanesha said, “that the killer hid the spiders inside the one on the top. Antoinette removed three towels from that bathroom and replaced them with four more.”

An’gel considered what Kanesha shared with them and realized the chief deputy was right. Maudine Pittman was the target, not her mother. The evidence seemed clear.

An’gel recalled her conversation with Dickce before they were asked to join Kanesha a few minutes ago. “Maudine was the target for the second murder, then. What about the first one? Do you think Rosabelle was the target, as she claims? Or was Marla the intended victim all along?”

“That depends on the overall motive,” Kanesha said. “What would be the motive if Signora Mingione died before anyone else? The most obvious answer is money. But how much? I think the amount depends on the order in which they die. If the signora dies first, her three children get their money from their fathers’ wills, and then they can do whatever they want with it. Spend it all or leave it to their heirs. If she dies after any of the children, she benefits until her death. I’ve got a call in to her lawyer in California to discuss the situation with him. I don’t know whether I can get him to talk without getting the client involved, but I have to try.”

“Dickce and I were discussing all the possibilities while we were waiting to talk to you,” An’gel said. “The variables make it so difficult to figure anything out.”

“Yes, they do,” Kanesha said. “Ladies, I think I need to remind you that figuring this out is my job. I appreciate everything you’ve done to help, but I want you to be extremely careful. I have no reason to believe that the killer would go after either of you—unless you somehow stand in the way. Please do not do anything that would make the killer think that you are a significant obstacle.”

An’gel appreciated the chief deputy’s concern for their welfare. She did not want to attract the murderer’s attention, nor did Dickce. Of that she was certain. The fact remained, however, that there was a killer in her house. One who had killed twice and, she was convinced, intended to kill again. She wanted it to stop.

She realized Kanesha was waiting for a response. “We both understand.”

“Yes, we do,” Dickce said tartly, with a slight stress on the pronoun.

“I’m going to ask both of you the same thing I asked everyone else,” Kanesha said. “I want you to consider everything you’ve seen, every interaction you’ve had with your guests, and if the slightest thing seems odd, I want you to tell me. It doesn’t matter how trivial it might be. I want to know about it.”

“I’ll do my best,” An’gel said, this time careful not to answer for her sibling. Dickce could be so touchy sometimes about being the younger sister.

“I will, too,” Dickce said.

“One more thing,” Kanesha said, “and then I think we’re done for the moment. I want to post two of my men in the house overnight, along with the off-duty man you’ve hired. I want to monitor everyone’s movements as much as possible. Once everyone has gone to bed, I’ll have my two men remain in the upstairs hall. Your man can patrol the first floor. Is that all right with you?”

“I’m frankly relieved,” An’gel said. “Very pleased as well. Thank you.”

“What about the garage apartment?” Dickce asked. “What if someone manages to slip out of the house and attacks Junior and Benjy?”

“I don’t have another man to spare for that,” Kanesha said. “I’m liable to be shorthanded as it is, especially if there’s some kind of emergency. Perhaps it would be best if Mr. Pittman and Mr. Stephens spent the night here in the house.”

“Is there possibly another off-duty deputy who could keep an eye on the area between the house and the garage?” An’gel asked. She thought Junior and Benjy would be safer if they weren’t in the house overnight, but she didn’t want to say that to Kanesha.

“I’ll check for you,” Kanesha said. “I appreciate your willingness to keep them all here in your house, despite the reservations I have about the potential danger. If it weren’t for the fact that moving them to a hotel could make it more difficult for us to keep an eye on them, I would have moved them out tonight.”

“I understand, but I don’t think anything will happen tonight with your men on duty in the house,” An’gel said. “I’ll simply have to hope that this will be the last night and that tomorrow you’ll have the killer in custody, and I can send them to a hotel if they have to remain in town for a while.”

“Amen to that,” Dickce said.

“I suggested they all go to their rooms and stay there until it’s time for dinner,” Kanesha said. “I have a deputy already on duty upstairs, and the other man will join him around eight P.M.” She rose from behind the desk. “If you need anything at all, call me. Use my personal cell number, not the sheriff’s department line.”

An’gel walked Kanesha to the front door. “I’m going to pray we have a quiet night.”

The chief deputy flashed a smile. “Like Miss Dickce said, amen to that. I’ll be back in the morning.”

An’gel closed the door and leaned against it for a moment, her eyes shut. What she wouldn’t give for a short nap right about now. The stress of the situation continued to sap her energy.

“I’m going to see if anything else needs to be done in the dining room,” Dickce said from the doorway of the library. “Poor Antoinette and Clementine are probably exhausted by now. We’d better give them both overtime for all this.”

An’gel nodded. “I’ll be along in a moment.” For a few seconds more she wanted to stay right where she was and enjoy the silence.

There was still much to do, however, before they could go to bed. She would insist that Clementine go home soon. She was sure Antoinette had kept an eye on her grandmother and insisted she rest during the day. Clementine was a hardy soul for the most part, but she couldn’t put in many sixteen-hour days. This was the second, and unless there was significant progress, An’gel realized, tomorrow would be another long, long day for all of them.

The doorbell rang, and An’gel was so startled she almost jumped away from it. She took a moment to catch her breath before she opened the door. She figured it was probably Kanesha coming back to tell her something she had forgotten to earlier.

The person standing before the door was definitely not Kanesha. An’gel had to stifle a gasp when she caught a glimpse of the young man’s face. She had never in her life been so close to a man this beautiful. Dark curly hair, liquid brown eyes, a strong nose, sensual lips, tanned skin, and chiseled features made her think of film idols of her youth. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a thin waist. His dark jacket and trousers accentuated his coloring perfectly. He could have stepped right off the cover of a romance novel.

An’gel realized she was staring rudely at the young man. She blinked and tried to focus her thoughts. “Good afternoon, what can I do for you?”

He smiled, and dimples appeared in both cheeks. “Scusi, signora, I will speak to Signor il Conte, per favore. I have come with his valigia, how you say, luggage.” He nodded, evidently pleased that he had remembered the English word.

“You are the manservant of Signor Mingione,” An’gel said. She should have figured that out right away. She might have, had she not been so stunned by his appearance. He was exotic for Athena, to say the least. “Please, do come in, and I will let the signor know you are here.”

“Grazie, signora,” he said. He picked up two large suitcases with apparent ease and brought them inside, where he set them gingerly on the floor.

An’gel closed the door. “Why don’t you wait in the parlor?” She gestured toward the open door.

He frowned but then nodded. She thought he might not understand the word parlor. She should have used the Italian word, but her mind blanked when she tried to recall it.

The young man walked into the parlor and stood there. An’gel decided she had better get herself up the stairs to let Antonio know about this arrival. She couldn’t continue to stand here and gawk at the handsome gentleman.

She walked quickly, but with care, up the staircase and knocked on Rosabelle’s door. This time Antonio answered right away. He smiled as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

“You have come to tell me that my valletto has arrived with my luggage. I called him and asked him to do so. I will come down at once to retrieve it.”

“Yes, your valet is waiting downstairs for you,” An’gel said. “He told me he wanted to speak with you. He’s waiting for you in the parlor.”

That did not appear to be welcome news, An’gel thought. Antonio’s mouth tightened as if he was clenching his teeth, but then he suddenly relaxed.

“I will see what he wants and send him on his way.” Antonio brushed past her toward the stairs.

“That’s up to you,” An’gel said, following more slowly. “He was perfectly polite, in fact, a charming young man, I thought.”

Antonio did not reply, although An’gel was sure he had heard her. What was it about this valet of his that seemed to make him tense? She couldn’t figure it out.

She hurried to catch up to Antonio once she reached the bottom of the stairs. She was curious to hear what he would say to the young man. She knew it was none of her business, but her curiosity was aroused. Exactly what happened to Dickce earlier, she realized, when her sister eavesdropped on the meeting between Rosabelle and Antonio. An’gel would think about that later.

As she neared the door, she heard her sister’s voice. What was Dickce doing in the parlor? She was supposed to be in the kitchen helping out.

An’gel strode forward into the parlor. Dickce stood smiling at the gorgeous young man while Antonio glowered at him. The young man smiled, too.

“An’gel, I invited Luca to stay and have dinner with us, and he said yes. Isn’t that delightful?”