“I’m sorry. Ms. Redding is in a meeting all morning,” Charmaine Kellogg said, her voice all smooth professionalism. “May I help you?”
“Thank you,” I said. “I have a business here in North Harbor. I was hoping to talk to Sloane about what’s going to be available as far as space in the project. We went to college together.” Strictly speaking, that was all true.
“I could give you an appointment to see Ms. Redding next week.”
I couldn’t wait until next week. “I’m sorry,” I said, “the only time I have available is eleven thirty this morning.”
I sounded a little pretentious even though I was telling the truth for the most part. On Tuesday Mac and I were going to look at a house with a garage and a couple of outbuildings just outside of town. The owner was in the hospital with a broken hip and would be coming out to an apartment. His son wanted an estimate for us to take care of emptying the house and readying it for sale.
“Eleven thirty will be fine,” Charmaine Kellogg said. I was already forming an image of the woman as someone sleek and elegant in a beautifully tailored business suit and dark-framed glasses. She’d probably turn out to look nothing like that.
“Do you know how to find our office?” she asked.
“No. I don’t,” I said.
She gave me directions, and I realized that the Wellington Group was in the same building as North by West’s North Harbor office.
Interesting.
I went back downstairs. Charlotte was showing a customer the chair that had been in my office a few days ago. Mac was out back at the workbench.
“Mac, did you remember the other day when Charlotte mentioned the Wellington Group as a possible investor in North Landing?” I asked as I walked up to him.
He put down the sanding block he’d been using. “I remember,” he said. “They invest primarily in real estate on the East Coast.” His dark eyes narrowed. “You think they are involved in the development here?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I have an appointment with Sloane Redding at eleven thirty.”
“I don’t recognize the name,” he said.
I didn’t bother telling him that I did. “You can manage things here?”
He smiled. “Take as much time as you need.”
Since the North by West office was just a few minutes’ walk from Jess’s shop, I called her to see if she’d like to have lunch.
“I’d love to,” she said. “I’m rolling a hem on an overskirt, and by lunchtime I’ll be cross-eyed.”
“I’ll stop for sandwiches,” I said. “See you later.”
Charlotte stuck her head around the storeroom door. “Mac, could you carry out a chair for a customer?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said.
Since Charlotte was busy, I decided I might as well start the ironing. I’d just plugged the iron in when Rose and Mr. P. came in the back door.
“Hi, Rose,” I said. “I thought you were taking the day off.”
“I was,” she said, “but Alfred and I have learned a little more about Caleb Swift.” She looked at her watch. “Liz should be here in a minute.”
Mr. P. was already getting settled at his desk.
“I’ll just go put the kettle on,” Rose said.
I wondered if they were the only detective agency in the world that seemed to run on tea.
I had time to iron two lace-edged tablecloths before Liz arrived. We all gathered around Alfred, with the exception of Mac, who was waiting on a customer.
“So what did you find out?” Charlotte asked.
Rose and Mr. P. exchanged a look and he spoke first. “Well, it seems that young Mr. Swift wasn’t quite the young man of character he seemed to be on the surface.”
I thought about Elspeth calling Caleb the proverbial, entitled rich kid. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I talked to three young women he dated. At first they were rather noncommittal, but eventually they opened up.”
Rose smiled at him. “Alf has a very nurturing way about him,” she said.
“They all told me the same thing,” Mr. P. said. “Caleb Swift had a very dark, possessive streak. One of the girls told me that Caleb smashed the screen of her laptop because he thought her history professor was flirting with her. Another told me that she was up late studying and discovered Caleb was sitting outside her dorm room in his car.”
Charlotte shook her head wordlessly.
Liz held up a hand. “So how exactly does this help us figure out who killed Lily? Do you think Caleb Swift’s been alive all this time and suddenly decided to come back and kill Lily?”
“It’s not impossible,” Rose said.
“It’s not damn likely, either,” Liz countered.
I couldn’t help noticing the tight lines around her mouth.
“It’s one more piece of the puzzle,” I said. I looked at Mr. P. “Any luck so far with the Wellington Group?”
He shook his head. “I’ll keep digging,” he said, turning back to his laptop.
I put my arm around Liz’s shoulder. “Let’s have some tea,” I said, starting toward the door into the shop.
“What makes you think I want a cup?” she said.
“I wasn’t asking,” I said. “What’s with you today?”
She brushed a curl of hair away from her face. “This is just ridiculous. Caleb Swift most likely fell off that sailboat of his and drowned years ago, and now Rose thinks he came back from the dead to kill Lily?”
I sighed. “Okay. I know that part isn’t very credible, but now we know something about Caleb Swift that we didn’t know before. Maybe it’ll be useful.”
“I don’t see how and I don’t care how nurturing Alf is. I don’t think we should be prying into those girls’ lives.”
“You’re right.” I gave her shoulders a squeeze. Charlotte had started dusting a set of bookshelves. “Charlotte, would you make the tea?” I asked. “Liz could use a cup.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said.
Liz reached over and laid her hand against my cheek. “I’m sorry I’m such a crabby old hag.”
I put my hand over hers. “Love you,” I said.
I walked over to Mac. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“I need to make a phone call,” I said. “Can you hold down the fort for a few more minutes?”
“Sure. I’ve got this,” he said.
I went upstairs to my office and closed the door behind me. Liz wasn’t being completely straight with me and I was pretty sure I knew why. I stared at the phone for what seemed like a very long time. And then I picked up the receiver.
Chapter 19
Elspeth Emmerson showed up about twenty minutes later. As always, she looked perfectly put together in knee-high caramel-colored boots and a pumpkin-colored coat, with her blond hair pulled back from her face on one side. Only the fact that she kept sliding a narrow gold and silver twist ring up and down her right index finger let on that she was nervous.
I walked over to her. “Are you sure about this?” I said.
She nodded. “Yes. It’s time for me to stop acting like I have something to be ashamed of.”
“You don’t,” I said.
There were no customers in the store. Charlotte was standing next to the rack Mac had mounted on the wall, hanging the tablecloths that were already ironed and talking to Liz. They both turned around at the sound of Elspeth’s spike heels on the wide plank floor.
“Hi,” Charlotte said with a warm smile.
Liz fixed her gaze on Elspeth, but her eyes flicked to me for a moment. “What are you doing here?” she said.
“I came to talk to Charlotte and Rose and everyone else about Caleb.”
“But you already told Sarah that you and Caleb went out for a short time.”
“I didn’t tell her everything,” Elspeth said.
Concern was etched into the lines on the older woman’s face. “I know this is painful for you,” she said quietly. “Why don’t you let me do this?”