Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swensen #9.5)(102)

“Did your mother ever talk about Mrs. Tilley’s accident?”

“Did she? She talked about nothing else for the longest time. She was devastated, you see, because she wasn’t there.

The cellar stairs were right off the kitchen, you see, and if she’d been there she could have stopped her from going 340

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down. She never would have let her attempt those stairs, not if she was there, but it was Christmas Eve and the judge told her to go home to her own family.”

“Was the judge usually that considerate of the staff?”

asked Lucy.

“Now that you mention it, he certainly was not. He made sure he got every cent’s worth he could out of them, and more.” Hannah leaned closer. “Mother didn’t think much of him,” she whispered. “Not that she actually came out and said it in so many words but I got the idea that the judge was having an affair with that secretary of his.”

Emily and Ellie nodded and chimed in, encouraged by Hannah’s frankness. “She was a fast one,” said Ellie.

“Put on airs,” sniffed Emily.

“I heard she went to the beauty salon every morning to get her hair combed,” said Lucy.

“She did worse than that,” crowed Hannah.

“She did?” Emily and Ellie were all ears.

“Now, remember, this was a long time ago, when people felt differently about what we call single mothers nowadays.

They used to be called unwed mothers and that was most certainly not a term of approval.” Hannah nodded knowingly. “But a week or so before poor Mrs. Tilley finally got her blessed release and went to her heavenly reward, that secretary left town for six months or more to care for a sick relative.”

“Ooh,” said Emily, her mouth round with shock.

“I never,” added Ellie, with a sharp intake of breath.

“So you think she was pregnant, with Judge Tilley’s child?” asked Lucy.

Hannah winked. “Oh, I never said that.”

“Oh, no,” said Emily, shaking her head.

“No, not at all,” said Ellie, pursing her lips.

“I see,” said Lucy, understanding that in this case no meant yes. Then she remembered Bill, who was waiting for CANDY CANES OF CHRISTMAS PAST

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her outside, in the cold. “I’ve got to get going, but thanks for all the information. It’s been very interesting.”

“Oh, yes, interesting,” said Emily, nodding.

“Very interesting,” said Ellie, licking her lips.

Lucy took her time walking around the church to the lot where Bill had parked the car. She rarely had a moment to herself and she was determined to make the most of it. A couple of inches of snow had fallen overnight and the reflected sunlight made everything bright. It wasn’t too cold, though, and she was enjoying the fresh air and the quiet, as the snow muffled sounds.

She was thinking how strange it was that Judge Tilley’s affair with his secretary was still a delicate subject, almost as if it had happened yesterday instead of fifty or more years ago.

And even stranger, that their love child had remained a secret to many people for all those years. She was especially curious about the fact that even though Katherine Kaiser’s child was born around the time of Mrs. Tilley’s death, the lovers had not gotten married. Why not? They could have waited for a decent interval, tied the knot, and then added the child to their family claiming it was adopted. But the fact that hadn’t happened seemed to indicate the need to continue keeping their relationship a secret. And that, Lucy thought, could have been because the judge didn’t want people talking and speculating about his wife’s death. It might have appeared a bit too convenient, and might have drawn attention to the judge and his mistress as possible murderers. And then there was the fact that he had dismissed Mrs. Sprout early on Christmas Eve. Did he want her out of the way?

Lost in thought, Lucy would have walked by the car if Bill hadn’t honked. Startled, she jumped, then climbed in beside him. Toby was sitting in his car seat, contentedly nibbling on a long pretzel stick. “Two cents at the general store,” said Bill, with an approving nod.

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“Quite a bargain,” said Lucy.

Bill shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space. “So what were you thinking about? Christmas? The baby? You were miles away, you know.”

“Both,” said Lucy, smiling at Bill and rubbing her tummy.

She hardly wanted to admit she was thinking about a scandal and murder. “Weren’t those kids cute?” she asked.

Back home, Lucy decided to leave the pea soup in the fridge and splurged by making tuna-melt sandwiches for lunch.

Toby could barely keep his eyes open to finish his and Lucy gratefully settled him down for what she hoped would be a long nap. Then, ignoring Bill’s suggestion that she strip the ugly old wallpaper in the hall, she picked up the phone and called Sue.

“Sorry I missed your call yesterday, I was napping,” said Lucy.

“Good for you. I was wondering if you’d like to grab some coffee tomorrow morning. At Jake’s, maybe?”

“Sure,” said Lucy. “Ten? Eleven?”

“Let’s make it ten-thirty,” said Sue. “The place quiets down around then.”