A Deal to Die For (6 page)

“It’s okay, Bianca,” she whispered. “We’re here. We’ll help you.”

As if she’d been waiting for someone to make it okay, Bianca turned her head into
Maggie’s shoulder, let out a heart-piercing wail and began to weep.

Maggie could feel Sam’s gaze upon her, and she glanced up to see him watching her
and Bianca with a look of tenderness that made her glance away before it evoked memories
of a time when he’d frequently looked at her like that.

Dot handed Maggie the box of tissue from the side table. Bianca’s sobs weren’t delicate.
They wracked her body like
a boat being buffeted by stormy waters, and her tears soaked Maggie’s shoulder. When
Maggie handed her a tissue, she paused to blow her nose with a sound that rivaled
a trumpet blast before she resumed sobbing again.

“Go ahead,” Maggie said. “Let it out.”

She continued to hold Bianca, rubbing her back and letting her cry. It was several
moments before Bianca pulled back to blow her nose again. Her face was splotchy red
and puffy, and she looked the very definition of miserable.

“I should have come with her,” Bianca cried. “I never should have let her come alone.
She needed me, and I wasn’t here.”

“Shh. There’s no way you could have known,” Maggie said. She smoothed Bianca’s hair
back from her face just as she always did for her own daughter when life dealt her
a crushing blow.

“What am I going to do?” Bianca cried. “I have no one now. No one.”

Dr. Franklin moved to Bianca’s other side. One of the things Maggie had always admired
about him was his ability to say just the right thing at the right time.

“I know it’s a shock, Bianca,” he said as he patted her shoulder. “But St. Stanley
is a good community, and we look out for our own. You’ll never be alone so long as
you’re a part of this community.”

Bianca looked up at him through red-rimmed, watery eyes. She gave a weak nod and patted
the hand he had placed on her shoulder in thanks. She didn’t look entirely convinced,
but seemed grateful for the comfort.

Maggie knew that Doc would be sure that Bianca did feel the community stand beside
her. He was good that way. With quiet gentle guidance, he’d have all of his senior
patients fussing over her, making sure she didn’t feel too alone.

Maggie rose and stood beside Sam and Dot. The three
of them watched as Bianca sobbed softly over her mother while Dr. Franklin stayed
solidly beside her.

Moments later, the door opened and Alice Franklin came in. She took in the scene before
her at a glance. She was dressed casually, in jeans and a cherry red sweatshirt, as
if she’d just finished her household chores before coming here.

She was slender, kept fit by maintaining an overly full schedule. Her thick silver
hair was cut in becoming layers that framed her lined face in a flattering sweep.
But it was the expression on her face that caught and held Maggie’s attention. Her
brown eyes crackled with a furious fire, her nostrils were flared, and her mouth was
drawn tight, as if it had been tied up in a knot. Rage seemed to pour off of her in
waves, and Maggie was stunned.

She had known Alice Franklin her entire life. Alice was a do-gooder to the tenth power.
She volunteered at the hospital, she was a deacon in her church, she was on the school
board and the library board and she was president of the local gardening club.

Alice sent care packages to the soldiers overseas, she knitted booties and caps for
the babies in the preemie ward at the hospital and she brought food boxes to the hungry.
She baked an apple pie whenever she sensed someone needed it, and for as long as Maggie
had known her Alice always had a kind word and a smile for everyone she met.

That was until today, however. The look she cast her husband as he comforted Bianca
Madison was one of scalding anger, and Maggie was surprised that Dr. Franklin didn’t
feel the burn.

“Mrs. Franklin,” Sam said. “Thanks for coming.”

Alice took her gaze off her husband and glanced at Sam. She didn’t speak but gave
him stiff nod.

“Dr. Franklin, Ms. Madison,” Sam said. “I’m going to
have to ask you wait outside. Deputy Wilson and I need to secure the scene.”

“Are you ready, John?” Alice asked. “We should get you home.”

Dr. Franklin spun around to look at her. Maggie noticed that he hastily took his hand
off Bianca’s shoulder with an awkward pat that looked like he felt guilty to be caught
comforting her and yet didn’t want to be rude by abandoning her completely.

“If Sam says it’s all right for me to leave, I suppose I can go,” he said. He gave
Bianca a furtive glance, as if trying to determine whether she’d be all right without
him.

Alice Franklin turned to look at Sam. He was studying Alice and Doc, and Maggie knew
he hadn’t missed the hostility coming from Alice or the tension between the couple.

“I’ll lock up the office when they’re finished here,” Maggie said to Doc. “You go
ahead.”

Sam gave Maggie a curious look, as if he knew she was watching him watching the Franklins
and was trying to get them to leave.

“I suppose it would be all right if you left,” he said, looking back at Dr. Franklin.
“But I may have more questions for you, and if you remember anything else, please
let me know.”

“I will.” Dr. Franklin rose to his feet. His gaze skimmed over Vera as if he wanted
to look at her one last time but knew that it would not be received well.

Maggie watched as they left. Dr. Franklin held the door open for his wife. Alice walked
past him without acknowledging him and strode out with her head held high and her
eyes still snapping with anger. It was quite an exit.

“Was it just me?” Dot asked. “Or was that awkward?”

“Very perceptive, Deputy Wilson,” Sam said. He was
frowning at the door, and Maggie had a sudden urge to protect the Franklins.

“I’m sure it was nothing,” she lied.

Sam looked at her with one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other.

“Really?” he asked. His voice was low so that only Maggie and Dot could hear him.
“’Cause I think Alice Franklin just left scorch marks in the carpet.”

Maggie gave him a severe frown and turned her attention back to Bianca.

“Bianca,” she said. “The sheriff needs to finish up in here. Why don’t we go outside
and get some fresh air while we wait, okay?”

“I don’t want to leave Mom,” Bianca protested. “She wouldn’t want me to leave her
side.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam said. He glanced out the window and then back at them. “The medical
examiner is here, and we have to make room for him to work. I know this is difficult,
but we need to do this, Ms. Madison, so we can find out what happened to your mom.”

Bianca’s eyes watered up again, and tears ran down her cheeks. Maggie glanced out
the window and saw the county coroner’s van parked in front of the building. They
were opening the back and pulling out a stretcher. She didn’t think it would do much
good for Bianca to see her mother handled by a group of strangers. She held out a
tissue to her and waited while Bianca dabbed her face.

“Come on,” she said. “It’ll be all right. Dot will stay and watch over your mom.”

Bianca glanced at Dot, who nodded in agreement.

“I’ll call your housekeeper, Molly,” Maggie said. “She’ll want to know what’s happening,
and she can come and give you a lift home.”

Bianca moved slowly toward the door as if her grief was holding her captive in the
room with her mother. Maggie’s heart broke for her. She couldn’t imagine the shock
and pain Bianca must be feeling.

Outside, Maggie led Bianca down the walkway to a small alcove made out of a cobblestone
patio with a rounded concrete bench. In the spring, the alcove was surrounded by flowers,
but now, in the middle of November, it was just brown earth and dry grass with dried-out
tendrils from the blooming vines that had once decorated the surrounding trellises
but would be dormant until the coming winter snows melted and spring returned once
more.

Maggie took her phone out of her pocket and had Bianca recite the number to dial to
call her home. There was no answer.

“Did Molly have the day off today?” she asked.

“She usually works a half day on Saturday,” Bianca said. “She should still be there.
Then again, Mom might have given her the day off to go to the flea market.”

“Does she have a cell phone?”

Bianca nodded and recited the numbers. Maggie dialed, and a voice answered on the
third ring.

“Hello,” Molly Spencer answered in her usual polite tone.

“Hi Molly, it’s Maggie Gerber.”

“Maggie, how are you?” Molly asked. “I haven’t seen you in ages. Did you really buy
My Sister’s Closet? I heard that you did, but I haven’t had a chance to pop in and
check it out.”

“I did,” Maggie said. “But, listen, I can’t talk about that right now. Molly, I’m
afraid I have some bad news.”

“What is it?” Her voice sounded cautious, and Maggie knew exactly how she felt. Ever
since Charlie was killed in the line of duty, Maggie simply hated getting bad news.

“It’s Vera,” Maggie said. “I’m sorry, Molly, but she’s dead.”

“What?” The shock in Molly’s voice reverberated through the phone, and Maggie wished
there were a better way to tell someone such awful news.

“She was found in Dr. Franklin’s office,” Maggie said. “I’m so sorry, but there was
nothing he could do.”

“Oh dear,” Molly said. “Does Bianca know?”

“Yes, she’s actually here at Dr. Franklin’s with me now,” Maggie said. “I was wondering
if there was any way you could come and get her? She’s understandably pretty upset.”

“Of course,” Molly said. Her voice was high and tight, as if she was fighting back
some tears of her own. “I’ll be right there.”

“Don’t rush,” Maggie said. “I’m here with her, and I won’t leave.”

“Thanks, Maggie,” Molly said. “Oh dear, I know Vera Madison wasn’t well liked in St.
Stanley, but she was always good to me.”

Her voice broke, and again Maggie felt terrible for being the bearer of bad news.

“I know,” Maggie said.

Of course, she didn’t actually know that Vera had been a good employer, but given
that Molly had been the Madison family housekeeper for the past twenty years, she
figured it was a safe assumption that Molly was happy in her employment.

Bianca sat with her shoulders hunched, staring at the ground. Every now and again
a shuddering breath ran through her, letting Maggie know that at least she was breathing.
She didn’t want to intrude on Bianca’s grief, so she stood quietly beside her, letting
her sift through her feelings.

“I left the flea market in a hurry,” Bianca said. “Ginger Lancaster said she’d watch
over the booth for me.”

“It’ll be fine, then,” Maggie said. “Ginger is an accountant. There is no fuzzy gray
area in her world. If she says she’ll watch it, she will.”

Bianca nodded.

“When we’re through here,” Maggie said. “I’ll go and help her pack up your things
if you’d like. We’ll make sure everything is delivered back to your house safe and
sound.”

“Oh, I can’t ask you to—” Bianca began, but Maggie cut her off.

“You don’t have to ask. It’s just what neighbors do.”

“Thank you,” Bianca said.

A gray sedan pulled into the lot. It parked haphazardly in front of them, and out
jumped Molly Spencer.

Molly was built soft and round. Her light brown hair, which would normally swing down
to the middle of her back, was held up in a hair clip. She wore jeans and sneakers
and a long-sleeve polo shirt in pale blue.

One glance at her face and Maggie knew she’d been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy,
and the tip of her nose was pink. There were wet spots on the front of her shirt where
the tears had hit.

She hustled right over to Bianca and enfolded her in a hug that made what little composure
Bianca had been hanging on to crack and crumple. Bianca sobbed onto Molly’s shoulder,
and Maggie felt abruptly like an eavesdropper on the grief the two women shared.

Molly glanced at her over Bianca’s head and gave her a nod as if to say she had it
under control. Maggie slowly backed out of the little alcove and headed back to Dr.
Franklin’s office.

The coroner was wheeling Vera’s body out on a stretcher.
Sam and Dot stood just outside the door, watching. They wore identical expressions
of concern mingled with suspicion. Maggie wondered if they taught that look in cop
school or if it just came with the profession.

“Excuse me, is it all right if I lock up?” Maggie asked. “I promised Doc I would.”

Sam looked at her for a long moment, and then said, “Yes, I think we’re done in there
for now.”

“Bianca is just down the walkway in the little alcove, sitting with Molly Spencer,
their housekeeper,” Maggie said as she pointed. “In case you want to let them know
that the body is being moved.”

“I’ll go tell them,” Dot said. “I’ve built a nice rapport with Bianca. I think she’ll
take it better from me.”