“Yes, she was pretty unpleasant about it,” I said, taking over from Helen Louise, “but Gerry gave back as good as she got. Gerry didn’t seem at all intimidated by Deirdre Thompson. In fact, toward the end of what we heard, it sounded to me like Gerry was threatening Deirdre.”
“Yes, Gerry made it sound as if she knew things about Deirdre’s past that Deirdre wouldn’t want getting around,” Helen Louise said.
“Right after that is when we walked away,” I said. “So if Gerry told Deirdre what she knew about her, we didn’t hear it.”
“We met Stewart, who was looking for Gerry, to thank her for the invitation to the party. He and Haskell were heading home because Haskell had to be up early tomorrow,” Helen Louise said.
“While we were talking to him,” I said, “Deirdre came down the hall behind us and ordered us out of her way.”
Kanesha made more notes while Helen Louise and I waited. I clasped Helen Louise’s hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. We were both tired and ready to be out of this house. I hoped Kanesha didn’t have many more questions for us.
“Did you speak to Ms. Albritton at any point after that incident?” Kanesha asked.
“Yes,” I said. “She came down the hall not long after Deirdre did. Stewart had left, and Gerry came up to us and asked if we were enjoying the party. She encouraged us to have more champagne.”
“She didn’t appear upset or anything by the scene with Deirdre,” Helen Louise said. “Cool as cool could be.”
“Did she have the brandy snifter with her then?” Kanesha asked.
Helen Louise and I exchanged glances of inquiry. I shook my head. “I don’t think so, but I really can’t say for sure. She might have.”
“I don’t think she did, either,” Helen Louise said.
“She must have left it somewhere while she was in the den,” I said.
“Or she could have had it with her in the den, left it, and then went back for it,” Helen Louise said.
“If she left it unattended in the living room or the dining room,” I said, “anyone could have slipped poison into it.”
“Yes, I had already figured that out.” Kanesha’s tart tone reminded me that I didn’t need to state the obvious around her. She resumed questioning us. “Did you at any time see any other person tonight drinking anything from a snifter?”
“No, all I saw was champagne flutes,” Helen Louise said.
“I asked for a bottle of water at one point,” I said. “I think I saw a few more of those, but no glasses besides the champagne glasses.”
“The catering staff would know more about that anyway,” Helen Louise said.
Kanesha nodded. I noticed, with slightly bitter amusement, that Kanesha did not inform Helen Louise that she had already figured out that obvious point. Evidently the deputy reserved such remarks for me.
“One more question for now,” Kanesha said. “I might have others later. Tell me this, did either of you see Ms. Albritton again, before she collapsed?”
“No,” Helen Louise and I said in unison.
Kanesha stood. “All right then. Thank you. You can leave now.”
Helen Louise and I rose tiredly from our chairs. “We need to retrieve Helen Louise’s coat from the den,” I said. “Is that all right?”
“I’ll send Haskell for it,” Kanesha said. “I assume he would know which one it is.”
“He would,” Helen Louise replied. “Thank you. We’ll be waiting near the front door. Okay, Charlie?”
“Yes. Good night, Deputy Berry,” I said.
Kanesha nodded, and Helen Louise and I left the room. We didn’t have to wait long before Haskell brought the coat. I helped Helen Louise into it, and we thanked Haskell and bade him good night.
The temperature had dropped since we entered the house, and we hurried across the street to escape the chill. Helen Louise stopped at her car.
“Would you like to come in for a few minutes? Maybe have some coffee?” I said.
“No, thank you, sweetheart,” Helen Louise said. “I want to go home and get this dress off. I’m going to take something to help me sleep, and hopefully I’ll conk out quickly and not dream about this awful night.”
I hugged her and kissed her good night. “Drive carefully,” I said as I opened her door.
“I will,” she said. “Good night, love.”
I watched her back out and drive down the street. I had one last look at Gerry’s garish decorations before I went into the house. I hoped someone turned them off. I didn’t think I could bear looking at them again.
SEVENTEEN
After a restless night, during which bad dreams fractured my sleep, I woke with a dull headache and a stiff neck. I rubbed a pain-relieving lotion onto my neck and took a couple of aspirin for the headache. Diesel watched me attending to my neck, and his nose twitched. I didn’t think he cared for the aromatic scent of the lotion.
Downstairs, I poured a cup of coffee, added cream and sugar, and slowly began to sip at it. I was doing my best not to think about the disastrous party and the death—perhaps murder—of the hostess. It had dawned on me belatedly last night that, if Gerry had been poisoned, Helen Louise might have risked being poisoned herself by performing CPR. I supposed it depended on the type of poison used, whether there would be any residue on Gerry’s lips that could affect anyone else.
I had texted Helen Louise after that alarming thought had occurred to me and waited anxiously for an answer. I’d been on the point of calling her when I received her reply. She was fine and felt no ill effects. That had relieved me, but it hadn’t stopped my subconscious from fretting over it during the night, hence the bad dreams.
After a few more sips of coffee, I felt up to checking on the kittens. They would be ready for breakfast, I had no doubt. Diesel was already in the living room, sitting next to the cage and watching them. Upon seeing me they all crowded against the wall of the cage, meowing and batting at the wire mesh.
“Good morning, boys and girls,” I said. “Never fear, you’re not going to starve. I’m going to feed you, I promise.” I had to watch them carefully when I opened the door to slip inside and out again. Ramses wasn’t the only talented escape artist among them.
Somehow I managed to get in and out with the empty food dishes. When I returned with the food, they were too interested in eating to try to escape from the cage. They stayed engrossed in their breakfast long enough for me to freshen their water. When that was done I cleaned the two litter boxes, and then I stood outside and watched the kittens for several minutes. Their mischievous innocence provided the tonic I needed. I could so easily get used to having them around, I knew.
At least, my heart knew that, but my head knew that six cats in the house, even one as large as this, were five too many. Or maybe only four too many. Diesel might like to have a little companion.
Stop that, I told myself sternly. It would be time to think about that only once I found out where the kittens came from and whether they were truly in danger if they went back there.
Diesel came with me when I left the living room. I retrieved the paper from the walk, and I noticed that the Christmas display at Gerry’s house was no longer lit. Then I went back inside. The longer I stared at the house, the more my thoughts would turn to the events of last night. This was one unexplained death in which I did not want to be involved, other than as a witness. I knew Kanesha would come back with more questions before long, but once I answered them, I wouldn’t do anything more.
Right, the little voice in my head said sarcastically, but I banished it and went into the kitchen to drink coffee and read the paper. Diesel went to the utility room to eat his own breakfast. Azalea would arrive momentarily, and mine would soon be ready, too.
Later, after I dressed for my day at work, Diesel announced his intention to accompany me by standing at the door to the garage and meowing. After bidding good-bye to Azalea, I led Diesel to the car, and we headed for the library administration building, which was located in an antebellum house that had belonged to the college for nearly a century.