Murder Has a Sweet Tooth Read online

  They were all about my age and since that was about Vickie’s age, too, I decided they must be Vickie’s closest friends. The first was a tiny, attractive Asian woman in a trim black pantsuit. Soon after she walked in, I heard someone address her as Celia. Next to Celia was a taller, heavyset woman in a dress the exact shade of her filmy gray eyes. She had corn-colored hair and a complexion so pale, she looked like a ghost in a Syfy Channel show. Celia called the pale lady Glynis. Next to Glynis was Beth, a pretty woman of about my height, with shoulder-length brown hair and eyes that were red and swollen from crying. She was wearing a black skirt and a white blouse with tiny white flowers embroidered all over it. There was an empty chair in between each woman and when the double doors opened, three men who’d been talking quietly together in the hallway took their places at their wives’ sides.

  Celia’s husband was tall and as skinny as a string bean. Glynis’s was short and round. Beth’s reminded me of a cartoon caricature, a sort of nebbish with a bland expression, thick glasses, and a bald spot that reflected the dim overhead lights.

  When a representative from the funeral chapel walked in, an expectant silence fell over the crowd. Beth got a handkerchief out of her purse. Celia grabbed her husband’s hand. Glynis dropped her head on her husband’s shoulder and began to sob. I almost started, too, when a man in a black suit who I knew must be Edward Monroe walked in. He was still in shock from the horror of what had happened to his wife, and he had one arm around a little girl of eight or so and a hand atop the head of a five-year-old boy.

  I had to look away so my heart wouldn’t break. “It’s not possible,” I mumbled to myself, but I was sure Eve heard. “There’s no way Alex could have caused this much sadness.”

  I had the next twenty minutes or so to think about it while the minister read a passage from the Bible, and a man who introduced himself as Noel, Vickie’s brother, talked about their growing-up years. He had finished going through their elementary school days, year by year, and started on their middle school years when Eve leaned over.

  “Do you really think he could have been drugged?”

  For a moment, I thought she was talking about Noel, who was certainly putting the rest of us to sleep with details about his life and very little useful or interesting about Vickie. I shook myself out of my Noel-induced stupor and remembered that Eve and I had talked on our way to McLean about the possibility of someone slipping something in Alex’s drink. Now, I nodded. “It would explain why he doesn’t remember anything,” I said, bending my head close to Eve’s and keeping my voice down.

  “And you think somebody might have used one of those date rape drugs?”

  This wasn’t the time to discuss the theory, so I simply nodded. Luckily, not much had happened to Noel in high school. He quickly finished and sat down. That’s when Celia walked up to the podium and I perked up. No one knew a woman like her friends did, and I hoped to learn a lot about Vickie from what Celia had to say.

  “Last Thursday,” Celia began, but her voice clogged and she turned her head and cleared her throat. “Last Thursday, when I went to my son’s school for parent-teacher conferences, I can’t tell you how many people stopped me in the hallways to talk about Vickie. People remember her as a perfect and tireless volunteer and a terrific organizer. If you needed someone to chair the annual harvest festival party for the kids, Vickie was your man. Er . . . your woman,” Celia added, and a reverent murmur of laughter filled the room.

  “Vickie was at every single one of Henry’s soccer games.” She looked at the little boy who was, by this time, sitting on his father’s lap. “She always brought homemade snacks for all the kids on the team—both teams. She always wrote thank-you notes to the coaches at the end of the season. She was the first to raise her hand when Antonia’s Girl Scout troop needed a cookie mom or a car pool coordinator. Every single person in this room is going to miss Vickie. But it’s important to remember that we aren’t the only ones who will feel this loss. McLean will not be as good a place without Vickie among us.”

  Celia sat down and Glynis took her place. “Vickie was absolutely the most wonderful woman in the whole world.” She giggled a little in that uncomfortable way people do when they’re not sure if they should be laughing or not. “If you knew her, this isn’t news to you. You know she was beautiful, and that she took pride in her looks. You know she kept a perfect house, and that if the Big Guy up there”—Glynis looked toward the ceiling—“if the Big Guy ever decides to re-create the Garden of Eden, he’ll ask for Vickie’s advice. She was gifted when it came to gardening and decorating, and she could throw one heck of a party. There isn’t one . . .” Glynis turned toward the urn on the table. “There isn’t one party any of us will ever have or ever attend that we won’t think of you, sweetie. We’ll miss you.”

  Beth was waiting at the podium even before Glynis walked away. “Vickie loved her family,” she said. “Edward . . .” Beth’s eyes welled and her voice wobbled over the words. “She loved you, Edward, and you know she was the perfect wife. She loved you, Antonia. And you, Henry. Your mommy is looking down on you right now from heaven. She’ll always . . . always . . .” It was all Beth could say. Sobbing, she returned to her seat.

  Sobbing, we all watched her.

  After that, things wrapped up pretty quickly. On behalf of the family, the funeral director thanked everyone for coming and invited friends and relatives to the Monroe home for lunch. We all stood and, row by row, filed past the urn.

  Because Eve and I were in the back row, we were the first out the door. But when she made to go out to the parking lot, I put a hand on her arm. “I want to talk to them,” I said. “To Vickie’s friends.”

  Eve was taller than me. She didn’t even have to strain to look over my head and back into the room where the service had been conducted. I looked that way, too, and saw Celia, Glynis, and Beth, their arms linked, standing in front of the urn. “What are you going to say? That you’re trying to find their friend’s killer? They know Alex is in custody.”

  “I was thinking I’d say I was a friend from college, that I heard about Vickie and—”

  Just as I was practicing the lie, the three women walked out of the room. They stood in a tight circle, their arms around each other, and well-prepared lie or not, I didn’t have the heart to butt in.

  But then, I didn’t have the luxury of not butting in, either. Not if I intended to get to the bottom of Vickie’s murder.

  Just as I approached, Glynis pulled out of the hug. “We should go Wednesday after school,” she said to her friends, sniffing. “We always go on Wednesdays, and the kids will be disappointed if we don’t. We don’t want to upset them. We don’t want to let them know how upset we are. Besides, we owe it to ourselves to keep things as normal as we possibly can.”

  “You’re right.” Celia nodded.

  Beth said, “I promised Erin we’d do Clemyjontri Park this week.”

  “That’s fine,” said Celia.

  “Agreed,” said Glynis. “Four o’clock?”

  And when nobody objected, the three women split up and went to stand with their husbands.

  Watching them go, Eve leaned over my shoulder. “You’re not going to tell them you’re an old friend from college?”

  “I’ve got a better idea.” No one was paying any attention to me, but I turned away anyway when the three friends walked toward the door. “I’m not going to be an old friend, I’m going to be a new friend,” I told Eve. And before she could ask for details I hadn’t thought of yet, we turned and left the funeral home.

  WHEN IT COMES TO PLAYGROUNDS, CLEMYJONTRI Park is something of a legend. At least in this part of Virginia. It features four different play areas with a carousel in the center, and though I’d read that the playground took up the better part of two acres, that didn’t quite translate. At least not until I arrived there Wednesday at four and realized it wasn’t going to be easy to find Celia, Glynis, and Beth. I trudged over just about the entire playgroun
d before I caught sight of them watching a horde of children scramble over the jungle gym in the Fun and Fitness area.

  That was just about the time I realized something else—showing up at a playground without a kid made me stick out like a sore thumb.

  If I was as thorough and as organized as I claimed to be, why didn’t I think of that?

  I swallowed my mortification and thanked my lucky stars that Eve wasn’t able to be with me that day. One woman without children was odd. Two were bound to look conspicuous. As it turned out, Eve said she had too much to do that afternoon. She claimed she was going to zip over to Très Bonne Cuisine so she and Norman could look through samples to choose the napkins that would be on the table at the wedding. (Just for the record, I insisted that the napkins Bellywasher’s already owned would be fine, but once Eve and Norman got the whole cotton sateen idea in their heads, they were impossible to control.) No matter, I didn’t believe the table linen story from the start. Oh, no. My worries ran far deeper. I had suspicions about another wedding cake fiasco. Believe me, as soon as I had a free minute to devote to it, I was going to go into full detective mode and call every bakery in Arlington and beyond. One sparkler-encrusted wedding cake per lifetime is one too many.

  I promised myself I’d think about that another time. For now, I had a murder to investigate. With that in mind, I walked over to the Fun and Fitness area like I had every right to be there. When I stopped to look things over, I just so happened to end up close to where Celia, Glynis, and Beth were talking quietly.

  “Wow.” When I pulled in a breath of wonder, I didn’t have to fake it. The place was spectacular. Besides, I was out of breath from walking the playground. “I’ve heard good things about this place, but I never thought it would be so incredible. The kids are going to love this!”

  Celia turned and offered me a smile. “You didn’t bring your kids? When they find out, they’re going to declare you Monster Mommy.”

  We all laughed. I took that as a good sign and moved a casual step closer. “They’ve got music lessons this afternoon. All three of them,” I said, lying through my teeth—about the music lessons and, of course, about the three kids—and not caring a bit since it was all for a good cause. “I figured it was a good time to come check things out.”

  “You’re new to the area?” The question came from Glynis, and since it played into the persona I’d made up for myself on the drive to Fairfax County, I was all set to jump right in.

  “Just moved in,” I said. “We bought a house in the Humboldt Creek development.”

  “That’s where we all live!” Have no fear, I didn’t tremble when Glynis made the announcement. I had the tasteful program the funeral chapel gave out at Vickie’s service, remember, so I knew all these women’s last names. I’d looked up their addresses, and I’d even cruised by their homes a couple times. I knew there were two new streets being added to the upscale elegance of Humboldt Creek. I saw that on those streets, a few of the houses were finished and people were already moving in. In my mind, I’d decided which of those houses I was going to pretend was mine. It was a redbrick Colonial with white shutters and a brick front walk. I’d just seen the moving truck out front on Tuesday, and when I drove by that Wednesday afternoon, there were already pots of tulips outside the front door and off-white draperies, tasteful and simple, hanging in the windows. There was a Lexus in the driveway, a landscaper busily at work manicuring the lawn, and a couple kids’ bikes leaning against the garage door.

  Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

  “What a coincidence.” I pretended it was and offered Celia and Glynis a smile in turn. When I got to Beth, I had to wait. She was distracted yelling to her son, Jeremy, who looked to be about eight, that he should take it easy because he had practice with the Tigers later that evening and he was going to tire himself out. That taken care of, she wrinkled her nose and gave me a careful look.

  “You were at Vickie’s funeral,” Beth said.

  At the funeral, they’d been so preoccupied with their own grief, I hadn’t expected any of them to notice me, and I silently cursed myself. Out loud I said, “Oh, my gosh, wasn’t it just awful? I never knew Vickie, of course. I mean, we just moved here from Chicago so I don’t know anyone in the area at all yet. But I read about her murder in the paper and I saw that she lived nearby and I just had to pay my respects. As a neighbor. And a mom.”

  Tears streamed down Beth’s cheeks. I didn’t have to lie when I said, “I’m so sorry. Now I recognize you. All of you.” Celia sniffed and fished a tissue out of her pocket. Glynis’s bottom lip trembled. “You were her friends. I remember seeing you in the front row at the funeral chapel. I’m so very sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

  “Oh, there aren’t any bad memories. Not where Vickie is concerned.” Beth laughed through her tears. “She was so wonderful. I’m just glad they found the creep who did that to her.”

  “But why?” When all three women looked at me in wonder, I knew I had to explain myself. “Not why are you glad they found him,” I said, pretending to be embarrassed by the gaffe. “Why did he do it? It’s just so awful to think about. I can’t imagine anyone would stab a woman to death. Not unless they were involved or something and it was a sort of lovers’ quarrel.”

  “No way.” Glynis slashed one hand through the air. “Did you see something like that in the papers? Because I’ll tell you right now, no way that’s true.”

  “Then she didn’t know him?” I asked.

  “I can’t even imagine she knew where that bar was.” This came from Beth. She paused and glanced at her friends. “Well, can any of you? Vickie was such a home-body. She would never hang around in a bar by herself.”

  “Only she wasn’t by herself,” I reminded them.

  “Vickie wasn’t the type who snuck around and did things behind her husband’s back,” Celia added. “She never would have been in that bar alone. And she sure never would have been carrying on with somebody. It’s crazy.”

  “But the cops think that guy . . . I think I read his name was Alex . . . they say that this Alex guy did it. Do you have any theories about why he would?”

  Celia shook her head. Glynis stared at the ground. Beth started crying all over again.

  And I knew I wasn’t going to get another thing out of them. “Look, I really am sorry to have dredged up so much sorrow,” I said, relieved that at least I could be honest about this. “I’m sorry you lost your friend in such a horrible way, and I’m truly sorry because I can see that you’re going to miss her terribly.”

  “She was perfect,” Celia said, and it struck me that it wasn’t the first time I’d heard the word. I remembered the eulogies these women had given back at the funeral. Each one of them had used that word, perfect.

  Perfect friend.

  Perfect wife.

  Perfect mother.

  Vickie Monroe was perfect.

  So what was she doing hanging out in a bar every Tuesday night?

  And if she was so perfect, why would anybody want to kill her?

  Five

  APPARENTLY THE COPS HAD ALREADY BROKEN THE news to Alex. That would explain why when he walked into the visitors’ room at the jail that Wednesday evening, the first thing out of his mouth was, “I didn’t know, Annie. Honest, I didn’t know that Vickie was married.”

  If Alex was a liar, he was a mighty good one. When he sat down in the chair across from mine, I studied the pained expression on his face.

  “They think it’s why I killed her,” he said on the end of a sigh. “They think that maybe I didn’t know, and that Vickie, she told me that night that she was married and that I wasn’t happy hearing it.” His voice faded; his gaze was suddenly unfocused. It took him a couple seconds to come out of his funk, but when he did, his eyes snapped right to mine. “I never knew until the police told me. I swear to God.”

  “And I believe you.” The guard outside the door happened to be watching, or I would have reached across the table
to give Alex’s hand a squeeze.

  “Jim couldn’t come.” Since I was alone, it was an obvious thing for him to say, but I forgave him. In a place like this—in a situation this insane—it was only natural for Alex to think about his friend and cousin.

  “You know how the restaurant business can be. There was some problem with a beer delivery today and Damien, one of our cooks, has been sick. Jim wanted to be here—”

  “But he’s busy. Aye. I understand. And I know he’ll come by when he has a chance.” Alex shifted in his chair. “And the house? I feel so awful about the house, Annie. The redecorating, it’s my gift to you and Jim. And now . . .”

  “It doesn’t matter.” It didn’t. But a thing not mattering and that same thing not being of burning interest, those are two different things. I tried not to sound too eager when I said, “I’m sure you’ve already accomplished a whole lot in the house. You probably got the living and the dining room done, and . . .” I drew out the last word, encouraging him to chime right in.

  Instead, Alex laughed. I shouldn’t have been offended, seeing as how I’d intended to cheer him up with this visit. I wouldn’t have been offended if he didn’t shake his head in wonder. “You’re brazen, you know that, woman? Even here in a jail in the midst of the worst thing that’s ever happened to me—”