Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates (distant reading .txt) 📗

completely take after their fathers. They sometimes joke about how neither of them bears the slightest resemblance to their mother. Except that their mother’s a professor emerita at Cambridge and because of her they grew up immersed in history books.”

“James told me his American father died when he was a baby and his mother brought him back to England. But … he and Daisy have the same last name. Daisy wears a wedding ring.” Although James did not.

“James grew up close to his stepfather, so as a way of honoring him when James was old enough, he took his stepfather’s name.” Charlene wiped tears away. “Daisy’s husband’s back home in Oxford, caring for their baby daughter. She kept her own name when she married for professional reasons. Some women do these days, you know, Lucy.”

“Uh. Yeah. I guess.” Don’t I feel the fool?

“You weren’t here when they first arrived. I introduced them to everyone and mentioned the relationship. I think it’s sweet that a brother and sister work so closely together. I never thought to … to mention it again.” She fell back with another round of laughter.

“But … but … why did you run out of the Dockside Lounge Bar the other night when you saw me?”

“You were at Dockside? I didn’t see you, Lucy. If I had, I would have suggested James and I join you. The place was too crowded and we didn’t want to wait for a table.”

“That’s good, then,” I said. “Not good that you’re leaving, but good that you and James are going to be together. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Lucy.”

I leaned over and gave her a hug. She reached up and hugged me tightly in return, and I could feel her body shuddering with more laughter.

“Can you, uh, not mention this to anyone?” I asked, when we’d separated and Charlene was drying her eyes. “It’s kind of embarrassing. What I thought, I mean.”

“Your secret is safe with me, Lucy.”

“Has Bertie any thoughts about who’s going to replace you? Not that you can be replaced, Charlene. You’re irreplaceable.”

“It’s nice of you to say so. I have a candidate in mind and I made the suggestion, and she seems to approve of it. I’ll leave it up to Bertie to tell you and Ronald on Monday, okay?”

“That’ll have to be okay. I’m happy for you, Charlene, very happy. Now that I know James isn’t a dastardly cad out to do you and Daisy both wrong, I’d like to get to know him better.”

“He’d like that too, Lucy. He told me he found you very cold, and I was surprised to hear that. I guess I now know why.” And she burst into another round of laughter.

Chapter Twenty

Once again I escaped with my tail between my legs. My mother might have bragged that I have investigative skills, but these days I was turning out to be wrong every single time.

My mother might have bragged …

When I got back downstairs, it was almost five o’clock. Closing time on Saturday. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” I announced. “The library’s about to close. Please take your books to the desk. We’ll be open again on Monday morning.”

Ronald went upstairs to lock up the children’s library. Only one patron was still in the building, and she brought me one book and left without trying to engage me in conversation. Once I was alone, I placed a call. “I need you to try to remember something, Mom. It’s important.”

“If I can,” she said.

“A couple of people said something to me lately about you telling them I’m a detective. I’m nothing of the sort, but that doesn’t matter now. Can you remember what you said to whom and when?”

“I didn’t say you were a detective, Lucy. Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know, Mom. Maybe you were making conversation. Perhaps you didn’t use those exact words, but can you remember saying something like that? It’s important.”

Silence came down the line, and I let her think.

“Didn’t we talk about this on Wednesday,” she said at last, “when we were at the hotel when the police spoke to Evangeline?”

“That’s right,” I said. “You said I had people to interview.”

“I was providing you with an excuse to get out of spending the day with Evangeline and her crowd of hangers-on. I didn’t mean it.”

“Doesn’t matter if you meant it or not. Not if people thought you did.”

“Then again, I believe I also said something to that effect yesterday evening. We were in the hotel bar, and you called me and mentioned that the police were going to release Rich’s body. Evangeline asked what we’d been talking about, and I told her you were investigating again. I might have said that once you get an idea in your head, you never give up.”

“Do you remember who was there? Evangeline. Anyone else?”

Silence again. “Ricky, Evangeline’s friend Leon, and the lawyer your father sent to keep an eye on things down here—Stephen.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“What’s this about, dear?”

“Nothing.”

“Obviously not nothing. Go ahead and keep your secrets. Are you coming for dinner tomorrow? Ellen’s going to invite you and Connor. I’m planning to go home on Monday with Evangeline.”

“Dinner tomorrow. We’ll be there.”

I thought back to my list. I’d eliminated most of the suspects. Who remained?

I made two phone calls. Neither was answered. I left messages to call me back.

Ronald clattered down the stairs, briefcase in hand. “Any plans for tomorrow, Lucy?”

“I’ll probably see my mom before she leaves. Connor and I were hoping to have a beach day, but now we have a house to look at, so we’ll see how it goes.”

“Good luck with that.” He waved good-night and left.

Daisy and James and Charlene came next. Charlene and James were holding hands.

“We’re going to Rodanthe tomorrow for the day, Lucy,” Charlene said. “Would you and Connor like to come?”

“Thanks, but I doubt I’ll have time. My mom’s leaving Monday, and I have a line on a house for Connor and me to see.”

“Good luck with the house.” She smiled at James, and he gave