I knew Misty was hurt and disappointed, and I did think she deserved an explanation; nevertheless, there was so much going on right now that I was distracted from doing the right thing.
Alyx came home from Umatilla around noon. I heard her ask Misty why she looked so sad, and I sauntered out to the living room. I stayed out of the way while she played with Misty and her string––an athletic shoelace Ethan had given her when he couldn’t keep her away from his shoes. Misty was obsessed with it. If she wasn’t dragging it, she was laying on it, and don’t anyone dare touch it without her permission.
A few minutes later, Misty walked away bored, dragging her string behind her. Alyx headed to her bedroom and came out in her grungy housecleaning clothes. She headed for the kitchen, and we heard a big sigh, big enough to get our attention––all of us wondering whose mess she was cleaning up. Of course, no one wanted to look like the guilty party, so no one went to check it out.
I expected to see Alyx come out of the kitchen with her bucket of cleaning supplies. Instead, she grabbed the cordless phone and took it to the living room. I positioned myself on the back of the couch near her head so I could hear the speaker on the other end.
“Hi, Maggie, has it been very busy?”
“Why? You want to come in?”
“Not necessarily, but you know I’ll be there if you say so.”
“I’m kidding. The three of us can handle it. Next week, we reevaluate, right?”
“Right.”
“How was your trip to Umatilla?”
“The ride was uneventful. No aggressive drivers flashing their lights at me to get out of the way because I was driving the speed limit instead of the twenty miles over they were doing. For a change, there were no accidents to slow down traffic or bring it to a complete standstill. It actually turned out to be a pleasant drive.”
“Did you have any trouble finding the house?”
“It’s not hard to find an address in a rural city of two thousand residents. I saw their white, plantation style home at the end of the long driveway as soon as I turned off the main road. It was a huge house––at least three thousand square feet, I’d guess, with a four-car garage attached to the house by an old-fashioned breezeway. It didn’t have any trees or landscaping. I assumed the house was new and they hadn’t gotten around to that yet. There was an unfurnished wrap-around porch. I rang the doorbell––not sure anyone would answer and make the whole trip a waste of time.”
“What did she say when she saw you standing there?”
“Well, Carole was pleasant enough and she welcomed me in. She took one of the portraits from me and set it down against the wall in the foyer without even looking at it. I told her I left her a message to let her know I was coming and to call me back if she wasn’t going to be home, and since she didn’t call, I assumed it was all right. She said she appreciated me making the trip, although it really wasn’t necessary, and that I could have just waited until after the estate sale, as we’d discussed.” Alyx sighed.
“Judging from how you said she was dressed when you met her,” I could hear Maggie say, “I’m curious as to what the inside of her house looks like.”
“The living room is unfurnished as is the dining room,” replied Alyx into the receiver. “The rest of the rooms I glimpsed on the way to the family room were sparsely furnished. The family room is the only room completely furnished. The transitional style furniture is tasteful and expensive. A low, decoratively painted cabinet holds a large-flat screen TV. Built in shelves flank the fireplace and showcase beautiful bound books and other objets d’art. The room is perfect in every detail. Carole took a seat on the couch, and I sat on the loveseat facing her. I leaned the portrait I carried along the side of the couch and asked how long she’d lived there. A little color appeared on her cheeks then. I was embarrassed for asking when she said that right after they moved in, her husband’s company did some downsizing, starting with his paycheck, and they had to hold off on furnishing the rest of the house.
I asked her what kind of work her husband does and she said his company designs, sells, and installs security systems for businesses and then she quickly changed the subject.”
“Did she say why she left the portraits behind?” Maggie’s voice rang out.
“No, she didn’t and there wasn’t an appropriate place in the conversation to ask.”
“How did she react when she saw them?”
“She didn’t. In fact, she didn’t look at them at all while I was there, which means that she knew who they were and must have left them behind intentionally. Maggie, this whole thing about Althea has me baffled. I don’t understand why she was killed, and who could have hated her enough to want to kill her.”
Alyx shifted the phone to the other ear and I changed position.
“Carole even admitted to me that she and Althea didn’t get along. She said Althea filled her son’s head with stories about the diamond hidden in the desk. Apparently, she had forgotten that her husband had burned the desk. I hope that I didn’t contribute to that illusion.”
“What do you mean?”
“The first time she came in the store and asked me where I got the desk, I told her what I’d been told––that it was part of an estate whose owner had lived out of the country for many years. At the time, I didn’t notice anything unusual; then again, I wasn’t looking for anything unusual. It wasn’t until much later that she told us about her life in Africa.”
“If she thought that it was the same desk why did she wait seven months to buy it?” Maggie asked.
“I wondered the same thing. Carole said I didn’t know her aunt very well. She had money and could have paid for the desk when she saw it. Evidently, Althea told Carole that she could probably get the desk for half of what I was asking, if not free. By then, I had a knot in my stomach.”
“I’m sorry, Alyx. I know you thought a lot of her. It sounds like she was starting to lose her grip on reality––you can’t hold her responsible.”
“Carole said the same thing. She said her aunt was sick and although they released her from the mental health facility where she’d lived for ten years, she was never the same. I said that I understood and that was the reason I felt compelled to find out who killed her and why. At that point, Carole got up and I took it to mean it was time for me to leave. She walked me to the door, thanked me for bringing the portraits, and shut the door before I stepped off the porch. I got in the car and saw a vehicle approaching, clouds of dust in its wake. Since the driveway wasn’t wide enough for two vehicles, I waited for it to pull up. A skinny young man in baggy jeans, black t-shirt and a black cap, lumbered up to the side door without looking at me.”
“Not a very friendly bunch, are they? I’m sorry the trip was such a disappointment.”
“I know. I’m thinking that maybe I should forget about it and leave it for Smarts to handle.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, although I don’t believe you. Did you do anything else––like shop for a ball gown?”
“On the way to Umatilla, I passed the Sand Hill Mall and thought it might be a good idea to stop on the return trip and look for a dress for the masked ball. It didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore though when I pulled into the parking lot. I drove around the lot twice before I found a parking space out in the boondocks. Inside the mall, people were aimlessly wandering around, some with shopping lists in hand, others with scowls on their faces and I couldn’t wait for all the hustle and bustle to be over. Anyway, after an hour of shopping, I was ready for a break and took the escalator down to the food court. As you know, shopping has never been high on my list of favorite activities, and I always reward the effort by having something I don’t normally eat, usually some greasy fried food. I remembered why I was there before it was too late, and opted for a salad instead. I finished lunch and wasted another hour not finding anything I liked.