Out Оf Circulation

SIXTEEN

On the walk to work at the college library I pulled out my cell phone and called Helen Louise. I figured by now the morning rush had subsided and she might have a moment to chat. She answered after two rings.

“Good morning,” I said. “Are you totally exhausted?”

“Pretty wrung out,” she responded, and I could hear it in her voice. “I think I managed about four hours’ sleep, if that much.”

“Any chance you can sneak in the back and have a nap in your office? Or take the afternoon off to get some rest?”

“Not today.” Helen Louise sighed heavily. “I have a huge order of petits fours for a garden club tea this afternoon and three dozen quiches for a bridge party this evening.”

“Poor baby. I’m glad business is so good, but I wish you had some time to rest.”

“That will have to wait until tonight. I’m planning to leave around seven and go home and drop in the bed straightaway.”

“No dinner tonight, then.” I was disappointed, but she needed the rest.

Diesel could hear her voice emanating from the cell phone, and he meowed and chirped. I told her that, and she chuckled. “Give him a kiss from me,” she said. “Afraid I have got to go now, sweetie.”

“Talk to you later, then.”

By now Diesel and I had reached the steps of the antebellum house that housed the library’s administration offices and the rare book room and archives.

Diesel scurried up the steps as soon as I released him from his halter, and moments later I heard him warbling away. I trotted up the stairs after him to see what had him so excited.

As I stepped onto the second-floor landing and glanced down the hall toward the door of my office, I saw two figures, their backs to me, bending down to pet the cat.

“Good morning, Miss An’gel, Miss Dickce. How are you?”

“Tired, Charlie, but otherwise tolerable.” Miss An’gel straightened. “You’re running a bit late today.”

“Goodness, An’gel, the poor man probably overslept after such a terrible night.” Miss Dickce scowled at her sister. “I know I would have if you’d left me alone.”

Miss An’gel shot her sibling a look of withering contempt, and I had to suppress a smile as I responded. “I’m afraid I did oversleep this morning, ladies. Forgot to set the alarm, and my backup didn’t try to rouse me the way he usually does.” I begged their pardon as I stepped around them to unlock the door.

“Diesel, I’m surprised at you.” Miss Dickce chuckled.

“Sometimes he takes pity on me,” I said as I switched on the lights. “Please come in.” I strode ahead to find a second chair to add to the one in front of my desk.

The Ducotes seated themselves, Diesel between their chairs, and I faced them from behind my desk. “Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee, tea, or water? It won’t take a moment.”

Miss Dickce opened her mouth to speak, but Miss An’gel cut her off. “No, thank you, Charlie, we’ve just come from breakfast at home.” Miss Dickce looked decidedly grumpy now. She stroked Diesel’s head, and her frown eased into a smile.

“What can I do for you?” I couldn’t think what brought them to my office so soon after the events of the previous night.

“You’ve been involved in other murders.” Miss An’gel got straight to the point. “We want you to help us figure out who murdered Vera. The sooner this is resolved, the better for all of us.”

“We can’t believe someone had the audacity to commit murder at River Hill,” Miss Dickce said. “Vera will probably haunt us for the rest of our lives now.”

“Beauregard will take care of that,” Miss An’gel sniffed. “She wouldn’t dare. The point is, Charlie, I will not have it said in Athena that Dickce and I had anything to do with Vera’s death. We had no reason whatsoever to want the wretched woman dead. We had already taken steps to remove the thorn from our side, and it didn’t involve anything to do with murder.”

“I have to say, it certainly was a masterstroke how you maneuvered Vera into retiring from active charitable works.” Despite the gravity of the situation I was hard-pressed not to grin as I recalled the presentation of the award.

“Thank you,” Miss An’gel responded with a prim smile. “But that’s just the point, you see. Vera had to accept that award or become a laughingstock by making a scene and refusing it. Arranging it that way, so she would have to resign from all her committees, was the worst thing we could have done to her. We didn’t need to push her down the stairs.”

“Not at River Hill,” Miss Dickce said, eyes flashing. “We would never desecrate our own home like that. There have been enough deaths there over the years.”

“I do see your point.” I glanced over at Diesel, who appeared slightly antsy, thanks to the sudden tension in the room. He moved away from the Ducotes and clambered behind me into his usual spot in the window. “Besides, as much as we all disliked Vera, the person who killed her had to hate her to the point of desperation.”

“Exactly.” Miss An’gel nodded vigorously. “We want you to figure out who that person was. He or she had to have a motive far stronger than any one that my sister or I could have. We pitied Vera and—I must admit—disliked her heartily, but she didn’t deserve to be killed.”

“I appreciate your confidence in me, ladies, but the sheriff wouldn’t be too happy to have me poke my nose into this.” I had poked my nose into things in the past, despite Kanesha’s best efforts, but I had done my best not to interfere in her investigations. Of course, Kanesha was on the sidelines this time, I remembered.

“Don’t you worry about Gerald Tidwell.” Miss Dickce waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. “If he gives you any trouble, An’gel will have a little talk with him. He’s coming up for reelection next year, and without a good word from An’gel he’ll have a hard time winning.”

“Dickce, you shouldn’t say such things.” Miss An’gel scowled at her sibling. “Even if it’s true. People will get entirely the wrong idea.” She turned to me. “I don’t think Gerald will be a problem, really. Besides, he has the notion stuck in his head that Azalea Berry killed Vera. That’s the biggest load of bull hockey I’ve ever heard.”

That was probably the closest to swearing that Miss An’gel would come in mixed company, and once again I had to resist the urge to grin.

“Azalea Berry is a fine Christian woman,” Miss Dickce said. “She would never strike another person in anger. She does have a temper, the good Lord only knows, but she would never turn violent.”

“Even though she did have plenty of reasons to despise Vera.” Miss An’gel sighed. “Now, think about your aunt Dottie, Charlie. Wouldn’t she have wanted you to do your best for Azalea?”

That was hitting below the belt, and from the gleam in Miss An’gel’s eye, I saw she knew exactly what she was doing and was daring me to deny her.

I’d rather take on Attila and a battalion of his Huns before I’d hold out against Miss An’gel. “Very well, I’ll do what I can.”

“Good man.” Miss An’gel beamed, and Miss Dickce nodded. They both rose. Miss An’gel continued, “Now you must excuse us, Charlie. We have an appointment with Q. C. Pendergrast. If you need anything at all, let us know.” After calling good-bye to Diesel and receiving meows in return, they departed.

Too late I realized I hadn’t asked them about Azalea’s possible motive for killing Vera. If I was going to help exonerate Azalea completely and identify the real killer, I needed to know the source of Azalea’s loathing for Vera. Otherwise I’d just be spinning my wheels and not accomplishing much.

I turned to look at my cat lounging in the window. “I have my marching orders, boy, but I’m not too thrilled about it.” I reached forward to rub his head, and his expression of blissful contentment tickled me. I wouldn’t mind trading places with him for a week or two, though the litter box might not be that much fun. “All that will have to wait, though. Right now I need to get back to the work I’m actually paid to do.”

“I always figured you talked to that cat. What I want to know is, does he talk back?”

I whirled around to see Kanesha Berry standing in the doorway. Her expression enigmatic as ever, I couldn’t tell whether she was amused or annoyed. I felt my face redden.

“Please, come in.” I stood and beckoned her forward.

We both sat, and I watched her warily. Was this an official visit? I presumed it was, since she was in uniform.

“I’m not part of the investigation into Mrs. Cassity’s murder.” Kanesha stared right at me. “So this is all off the record, all right?”

Surprised, I nodded. “Fine with me.”

“Despite the evidence to the contrary, the sheriff is insisting on treating my mother as the chief suspect.” Kanesha’s nostrils flared, a slight crack in the facade. “It’s absolutely ridiculous because it would have been physically impossible for Mama to push that woman down the stairs.”

“I know,” I said, and Kanesha’s eyes gleamed. “She was locked in at the bottom of the stairs—the narrow stairs—and there was no way she could have pushed Vera down from above and then gotten herself to the bottom without trampling all over the body.”

“Exactly.”

“Is the sheriff that dumb, that he can’t see the obvious?”

“No, but he’s using Mama to get at me.”

“I thought he was the one who promoted you in the first place. Why would he want to get at you?” I couldn’t figure that one out.

“Because I’m too good at my job.” Kanesha shrugged. “Next year he’s up for reelection, and he has this crazy idea that I’m going to run against him.”

“Are you?”

“Not yet.”

Neatly, coolly said. I admired the woman’s sangfroid. “Even so, he’s not going to be able to railroad Azalea on this. When it comes to court, he’d be a laughingstock.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to push it as far as he can, do his best to humiliate me and my family. I am not going to let that happen.”

Tidwell had better watch his back. He’d made an enemy now, an implacable one.

“It won’t. Your mother has some powerful allies, you know.” I told her about the Ducotes’ visit, and she relaxed, almost imperceptibly.

“That’s good to know. And I appreciate the fact that you are willing to stand up for Mama, too.”

“I am,” I said and decided it was time to get everything out in the open. “One thing puzzles me, though. I know your mother despised Vera, but I don’t know why. I can’t imagine Azalea has a strong enough motive to want to kill Vera.”

“That’s just the problem.” Kanesha’s tone was cool. “Mama and I both have reason to want that witch dead. Vera Cassity as good as murdered my cousin.”