Her cell phone was still searching for a signal, so she decided to go home. She would call Blaine from there and maybe play with her grandchildren for a few minutes. She might even find an opportunity to sound out her daughter on a possible move to Hancock.
But she knew the patrol car parked in her driveway indicated a change in her plans. She pulled into the garage and hurried into the house.
It was strangely quiet. Even Clue, after greeting her enthusiastically, returned to her nap on the kitchen floor. The mastiffs seemed to think greeting anyone without a dog biscuit in each hand was a waste of their time. Someone had made a trip to the local warehouse store and left two cases of Pampers on the table along with a giant bag of jelly beans. She was heading for the living room when she heard voices from behind the closed door to Jed’s study. She knocked and, when no one answered, opened the door just enough to peek in.
Brett Fortesque was leaning against Jed’s desk, arms crossed, staring down at the Oriental rug with a frown on his face. An officer she didn’t recognize perched on the arm of one of two matching wing chairs that faced the desk. Donald Baines sat in the other chair, his arms propped up on his knees, his head in his hands. The policemen looked up as Susan entered the room.
“Brett? Has something happened… Chrissy…”
“Chrissy and the babies are fine. The baby nurse has driven them all to the museum. Apparently your charming daughter thinks three weeks is old enough to be introduced to art.”
Susan smiled. That sounded like her daughter.
“But something has happened,” he continued. “Blaine Baines has been murdered.”
“ Blaine…” Susan looked at Donald. “Your mother?”
“My mother,” he confirmed without looking up. “Someone has killed my mother and my wife.”
Susan glanced at Brett. She didn’t know what to say.
“Perhaps you could make some coffee for us,” Brett said.
She nodded and hurried back to the kitchen. She was pouring water into the pot when Brett entered the room. “Do you want something with your coffee?” she asked, having no idea what to offer when the bag on the table caught her eye. “Jelly beans maybe?”
He grinned and reached out for the candy. “Actually, they do look good. Do you always buy such large bags of sweets?” He ripped open the top.
Susan reached into an overhead cupboard and passed him a large crystal bowl. “No, but it’s hard to resist a bargain sometimes. Dump them in here. That way everyone can pick out their favorite color.” Brett did as she suggested while she ground coffee beans. When the water was dripping through the grounds, she joined him at the table. “Why are you all here?” she asked, selecting one bean of each color, and popping a green one in her mouth.
“Sorry, I should have explained right away. I was driving by your house. We’re patrolling this neighborhood more than usual since the first murder. Some of your neighbors are a little nervous. Anyway, I was driving by and Chrissy and Shannon were putting the babies in the back of the car. I stopped to say hello and see if I could help out in any way when a call came into the station that there had been another body found next door to you.”
“What?”
“Blaine Baines was found in her son’s house,” he explained, popping a handful of mixed jelly beans in his mouth.
“Where?”
“In the kitchen.”
“How was she killed?”
“She was stabbed.”
“Just like Nadine.”
Brett nodded.
“And Donald found her.”
“Yes. He obviously couldn’t stay in the house, and Chrissy said she was going out and offered your home as a… a refuge for him.”
Susan sat down at the table and grabbed a handful of candy. “I don’t know what to say. It seems, I don’t know, impossible.”
“That’s pretty much what Donald has been saying. It’s almost as though he’s in shock-or thinking hard about something else. That’s one of the reasons I suggested the coffee.”
“What’s the other reason?”
“I wanted to talk to you for a minute, to let you know what’s going on.”
Susan began collecting cups and saucers and placing them on a tray. “And?”
“To ask you if Donald could stay here while we’re working next door. We’ll get the job done as quickly as possible, but it will be at least an hour before we get his mother’s body out of there.”
Susan considered his request. She didn’t want Donald to run into Shannon again, but how could she turn Brett down? She was still trying to figure that one out when the other police officer entered the room.
“Mr. Baines wants to go to his mother’s office and tell her staff what has happened. I didn’t know what to say,” the young officer explained.
“We need to ask him some questions…” Brett began.
“I could drive him to his mother’s office,” Susan said, seeing a way out of her problem. “He probably shouldn’t be driving-or alone. And I could take him down to the police station when he’s done there.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Brett said slowly. “I can understand if you want your house free of this when Chrissy comes home with her babies,” he said to Susan. Then he turned to the officer. “Tell Mr. Baines that Mrs. Henshaw will drive him to the office and then to the police station. And that he is not to speak to anyone on his mother’s staff-or anyone else-alone. If he agrees with that, we’ll let him go.
“Keep an eye on him,” he continued to Susan when they were alone again. “I don’t want him running off and talking privately to God-knows-who unless I know about it.”
“I’ll try to keep track, but-”
“Just do the best you can. And keep in touch. Let me give you my cell phone number. If anything unusual happens, if you even feel uncomfortable about anything he does, call me immediately.”
“I will, but he might not even want to go with me…” she was starting to say when the officer returned.
“Mr. Baines says fine, but can you leave immediately.”
Susan looked at Brett. “Isn’t this urge to dash down to his mother’s office a little unusual?”
Brett frowned. “I can’t say I disagree. Susan, maybe you shouldn’t do this. One of my officers can take him down to the station and he can wait until we’re done.”
Susan saw a possible opportunity to learn something begin to slip through her fingers. “I really don’t mind doing this, Brett.”
He looked over at her and frowned. “Okay. But you and I had better spend a little time together soon. At this point, an exchange of information might be beneficial.”
“Great.” Susan got up. She didn’t want to tell Brett about Shannon or Perry Island, and she realized he was going to find out for himself if she didn’t get him out of here before Chrissy and the twins returned. As much as she admired Chrissy’s determination to start her children’s education early, she doubted if the babies would find art enthralling and suspected they could be home any time now. “I’ll just collect Donald and we’ll be on our way.”
“And you’ll call if-”
“I’ll call if anything at all happens, is unusual, or… or anything,” she promised him.
Donald’s entrance prevented more conversation on this particular subject. After assuring Brett that they would let him know when they arrived at the police station, Susan led her neighbor through the connecting door to the garage.
“I’m very sorry about all this,” she said, realizing the inadequacy of her words as soon as they were out of her mouth.
“I was very close to my mother. She brought me up alone, you know.”
They were settled in the car and Susan pressed the garage door opener and backed out. The scene had changed since she arrived less than half an hour before. Police cars lined the street, lights flashing. Vans from the local television station were in the process of setting up. Susan glanced over at Donald. He was scrunched down in his seat, collar up, staring straight ahead. She accelerated and they managed to make their escape without attracting undue attention.