“That town was nothing like Hancock. We only chose to live there because we found a property we couldn’t resist. And Nadine didn’t really get along with our neighbors there.”
Susan didn’t know what to say. Too many things seemed to be happening at once. But she knew her primary focus should be the babies’ safety and helping Chrissy. And that meant keeping Shannon out of jail. Which meant finding out who killed Nadine. And maybe, she realized, Donald had just offered her some help with doing just that.
“Perhaps if I could talk to other people who knew her better… longer…”
“I suppose.” Donald looked as though he didn’t believe his own words. “But I don’t see how you’re going to contact them.”
“Perhaps I could look in Nadine’s address book.”
“I can’t imagine where I’d find it.”
“Her desk? Pocketbook?”
“I’d rather not go through all that right now. Her purse is so personal. It doesn’t seem like something I should do. This has all been very upsetting, you know.”
Susan knew she was being insensitive, but really, he had asked her to do him a favor and seemed to be completely disinterested in helping her do it. If she hadn’t been hoping to learn something from all this, she would have had no trouble turning him down. And she was about to do that anyway, figuring that she could just get on with her own life, when Donald offered a solution.
“I could probably have my secretary give you a copy of our Christmas card list.”
“Your business list?”
“Oh, no. Mother kept that separately. I’m talking about our personal list. Nadine and I both believed that it was important to keep in touch with old friends and acquaintances and Christmas is surely the easiest time to do so, but my wife was always too busy during the holidays to send out cards so my secretary took over that chore. She-my secretary-is very efficient. I’m sure the list is up-to-date.”
“It might be helpful if I could take a look at it,” Susan said, trying not to sound too excited. She had investigated many murders, but no one had ever offered her a complete list of the deceased’s acquaintances.
“Then perhaps I should go to the office and ask for a copy of that list for you.” Donald paused and Susan had an idea.
“I could stop in and get it if that would be easier for you.”
“Oh, it would be. Everyone is so upset about Nadine’s death, of course, and they’re worried about me. If I go into the office, I’ll just have to waste time calming down my staff.”
“If you call and tell your secretary that I’m coming…”
Donald beamed as though Susan had had an original thought. “Then you can just stop in and pick it up! Exactly!” The beam faded. “There is just one problem though.”
“What?”
“If you should happen to run into Mother…” He took a deep breath. “She might ask about me.”
“Of course she’s concerned about you,” Susan said, speaking as a mother rather than a neighbor.
“I hate for her to worry. It’s a horrible shock, of course, but I’m going to be fine.”
“I’ll tell her that I just saw you and-”
“Oh, no! Don’t say that! She thinks… well, I didn’t want her to worry.”
“What do you want me to tell her?” Susan asked.
“I told her I wanted to be alone today… tonight. I just don’t want her to worry.”
“But if I run into her what reason shall I give for being at your office?”
Donald, no longer the bereaved widower, smiled broadly. “You could just tell her that you’re interested in selling your house,” he said. “Mother would be more than happy if she thought she was getting such an important listing.”
Susan and Clue returned home, both a little tired, one more than a little puzzled. Donald was not acting like a man who had lost his wife in a brutal attack. At least he was the first person she had known to drown grief in a new exercise routine. And his request that she take part in the memorial service… she was still thinking that one through when she walked into her living room.
And discovered Shannon sitting on the couch surrounded by baby presents. She was writing in a large notebook, but looked up when Susan entered the room.
“Hi.”
“Where are the twins? Chrissy?”
“All three are upstairs asleep. In fact, I think this is the first time all three of them have been asleep at the same time since I started this job. We spent a few hours unwrapping baby gifts and it wore everyone out. I decided to take advantage of the calm to make sure the names of the givers and the gifts were recorded. Chrissy said she wanted to start writing thank-you notes as soon as possible.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Susan said, removing a few stuffed animals from Clue’s reach.
“Your daughter must be very popular. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone to get so many baby presents.”
“Well, of course, being twins there are two presents for every one.” She glanced at the gifts. “What is that?” she asked, indicating a pile of patterned cotton that seemed familiar.
“Baby clothes. Apparently dressing up your baby as though he-or she-is going off to war is the latest thing in New York City.” Shannon held up two tiny rompers made of camouflage-patterned fabric.
Susan wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Well, at least they’re not discriminating between the sexes.”
“I suppose you could say that for them,” Shannon agreed. “To tell the truth, it’s about the only thing positive I can think of to say. I think children should be children as long as possible and not miniature military officers…”
“Or gangster rappers,” Susan finished holding up a pair of baggy baby jeans.
Shannon grinned. “At least there’s lots of room for diapers.”
Susan laughed and then changed the subject. “I was over on Perry Island this afternoon.”
Shannon ’s smile vanished and she looked down at the page she had filled with names and addresses. “And?”
“And I met a new woman, one of the residents. Her name’s Sally Worth.”
“Sally was one of my favorite residents, along with Carolyn Breen. And Carolyn was killed…”
“Well, Sally and I talked for a bit and she told me about this young man who a lot of people at the Center think might be the killer…” She paused, waiting for Shannon ’s reaction.
The nurse didn’t look up and said only one word. “Mike.”
“Yes. Mike Armstrong. She also said he is your cousin.”
Shannon nodded. “My favorite cousin.” she said. Then she took a deep breath and began her explanation.
SEVENTEEN
KATHLEEN AND SUSAN WERE STANDING OUTSIDE OF DONALD Baines Executive Homes, pretending to examine photographs of homes for sale as they exchanged information.
“ Shannon didn’t hesitate for a moment when I mentioned Mike Armstrong. She said he’s her cousin… her favorite cousin… and she admitted that she’s worried about him,” Susan explained, as she peered at a huge stucco home with such a variety of sizes and shapes of windows it could have served as a display for the Pella Windows Company.
“Does she think he might be the murderer?” Kathleen asked.
“She claims to believe his story that while he did steal some of the residents’ belongings, he never harmed anyone in any way. She described him as sweet, if somewhat confused.”
“Back when I was a cop, I heard that type of thing said by relatives of mass murderers,” Kathleen said.
“But Sally, the resident who told me about Mike, said the same thing about him-in different words, but the idea was the same. And she gave me the impression of being a very astute individual.”
“Susan, she’s in a nursing home.”
“I know, but she really impressed me. In fact, she’s not the only one. Her friend was funny and bright as well.”