Murder by Yew (An Edna Davies Mystery #1)(35)

“Is it true?”

“No. I think Tom was smarter than that. If he did want Nancy to leave Walt, he’d have kept it to himself. The fastest way to send her back to her husband would have been to try talking her into leaving him. Besides, Tom knew better than to interfere in his daughter’s life. I think he was genuinely bewildered that his son-in-law didn’t like him.”

“Do you think Walt would kill his wife’s father? Should I add him to our suspect pile?” Starling flipped a clean card to the top of her stack.

“Well,” Edna hesitated “from what I gather, he’s a bully, and he drinks too much, but I don’t see his type of person being sneaky. I think of poison as the work of a devious person. A tyrant like Walt uses a gun or even his fists, but not poison.”

“Okay, but I’m going to keep him as a suspect. I’ll note your objections on his card. Who else could it be? What about the money angle? Who inherits?”

“I don’t have any way of knowing Tom’s net worth, but I don’t think he was wealthy enough for anyone to kill him for money. I assume his daughter will inherit whatever he had.”

“Mom,” Starling sighed, “you need to be more hard-nosed about this. Putting someone’s name down on a card doesn’t mean they’re guilty, but you should investigate all possibilities.” She giggled when she added, “We’re turning you into a grade A, class one detective.”

Edna smiled, appreciating her daughter’s attempt to lighten the conversation. “Okay, make a card for Nancy, too, and a question as to whether or not she’s Tom’s sole beneficiary. I’ll check into it when I get home.”

When Starling completed the task, she said, “Who else could have wanted him out of the way? Any angry husbands out there? Could he have been killed for love?”

The image of a tear-stained face popped into Edna’s head. “I think Mary Osbourne was very much in love with him, probably since childhood.” She saw again the pain in Mary’s eyes. “She’s the last person I’d suspect of hurting Tom, though.

“Now, Mom, think again.” Starling raised an eyebrow. “Could she be a woman scorned?”

“No. Mary doesn’t seem to expect attention from anyone. I think if Tom had made a pass at her, she would have scurried off to hide. As odd as she might be sometimes, I like Mary. She’s a gentle soul who needs someone to care for.”

“Well, I’m going to make a card for her. According to you, nobody you’ve mentioned is capable of murder. So far, the only one mean enough seems to be this cousin, but he may be too obvious. You really need to look deeper and be less sympathetic.”

As she said this, Starling took a blank card from the bottom of the stack, but Edna had had enough. The thought of someone she knew being capable of murder was giving her a headache, and she felt unbearably tired.

“This has been a big help, dear.” Her voice sounded weary, even to herself. “I’ve had enough for tonight. How about we start fresh in the morning?”

But that night did not bring much rest to Edna. Falling asleep shortly after crawling beneath the warm blankets, she woke two hours later to the sound of wind and rain rattling the window beside her bed. She thought of Albert, which made her wonder why he had called Dr. Isaacs Phil instead of Phyllis, and then spent the next several hours tossing and turning, her mind switching between what Albert might be doing and who could have poisoned Tom. Sometime before dawn, she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, Starling was shaking her.

“Wake up, Mom. The weather bureau has issued a severe storm alert—hurricane force, they’re saying.”

Startled awake, Edna sat up too quickly and immediately felt light-headed. “Wha …” She stared, dazed, toward the window. Rain cascaded down the panes while nearby tree branches whipped and cracked in the wind. “I’d better get home,” she said, tossing the covers aside.

“Maybe you should stay here until they know what the storm is going to do. You could get stuck on the highway.”

Still slightly groggy, Edna swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Have they closed the roads?”

“Not yet. So far, it’s just an alert.”

“Which is why I must leave for home as soon as possible. I’ll feel better knowing everything is battened down.” She reached for her slacks, talking more to herself than to Starling. “I’ll need to fill the bathtub with water and get out candles and the kerosene lanterns.”

“Do you really think you should?”

“Yes, dear.” Edna cut her daughter’s protests short, then smiled, giving Starling a quick hug. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I have my cell phone, and if I get into any trouble, there’ll be other cars on the highway. People always help each other in these kinds of emergencies. Besides, I’ll only sit and worry if I stay here, and there’s Benjamin to think about. I know Mary will take care of him, but he’ll feel better if I’m home. Now, would you please go make some coffee while I take a shower?”

Starling looked doubtful, but she nodded, and Edna hurried off to the bathroom with an armful of clothes. By the time she’d showered and sat for a minute to have a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, the wind had picked up, blowing the rain almost sideways.

“I’d go with you, Mother, but I have a really important photo shoot tomorrow that I can’t cancel.“