Murder by Yew (An Edna Davies Mystery #1)(45)

Sixteen

Mary visibly relaxed at the sound of the bell, but Edna remained tense. She was certain that her jitters were due to her fright in the night and wondered how long it would be before she didn’t jump whenever somebody came to the house—even someone else’s house.

“I keep forgetting I have a watchdog now,” Mary called over her shoulder as she headed for the front hall with Hank at her heels.

Edna smiled, watching Benjamin bring up the rear and remembering the blood-chilling yowl he’d emitted. She had her own “watchcat,” she thought, her humor returning and easing some of her stress. A few minutes later, dog and mistress returned, followed by police detectives Charlie Rogers and Peggy King. Benjamin, too, slipped into the room, noticed only by Edna.

Not certain whom she had been expecting, Edna felt a further sense of relief and hurried over to them. “Did you catch the prowlers?” She heard the hope in her voice, wanting to return home but not before the intruders were caught. The memory of Tuck lying on the floor flashed through her mind.

“No,” Charlie shook his head, “but we’d like to examine the scene ourselves. We need your permission to do that.”

“Certainly.” At once, Edna felt deflated and realized she had been hoping the police had come to deliver some good news. Whether it was about the burglars or Tom’s killer didn’t matter, as long as the news was positive. She mentally shook herself and tried to act as if she were interested, but she believed that rehashing last night’s events would be a wasted effort. “Do you want me to go with you?” she asked, uncertain as to what the detectives expected.

“If you wouldn’t mind. We might have some questions.”

“Of course. I’ll need my coat. It’s by the front door.”

“Me, too?” Without waiting for an answer, Mary started to follow Edna. “Come on, Hank.”

“I think you’d better stay here with the dog,” Charlie said. “We don’t want too many feet trampling over the evidence.”

“But … “ Mary started to protest. Her dejection was plain. Edna knew it must be a big disappointment for her not to be included in the investigation of a crime scene, especially since it was right next door, and she had already been part of the action.

“We shouldn’t be long,” Detective King patted Mary’s shoulder. “From what Russell and Grayson told us, there isn’t much to see.”

Mary brightened, but only slightly. “I’ll make coffee. Can you come in for a cup when you’re through?”

“We’ll see.” Charlie smiled as he ushered Edna and his partner from the room.

The wind had stopped, and the rain was hardly more than a heavy mist when Peggy pulled the unmarked patrol car to a stop in front of the Davies’ house and turned off the engine. Getting out of the passenger’s seat and opening the rear door for Edna, Charlie motioned the women to stay behind him as he examined the ground on his way to the back patio. He studied the area around the lock before using Edna’s key to open the back door.

As instructed, Edna remained in the mudroom while the detectives went slowly through the kitchen and beyond to the front hall. Peggy had grabbed a camera and begun taking pictures as soon as they’d left the car. Once the officers disappeared from sight, Edna leaned back against her workbench and turned to study the back door, struggling to remember if she had locked it yesterday.

“Okay, Mrs. Davies, you can come in now.” Charlie broke her concentration before she reached a conclusion.

“Is the phone working yet?” She hadn’t spoken to Albert since Friday and wanted desperately to hear his voice.

“It should be,” Peggy said. “They brought the lines back up early this morning.”

“Do you mind?” Not waiting for his permission, Edna walked past Charlie and through the kitchen to her small office, but when she picked up the phone, there was no dial tone. Returning to the kitchen, she frowned at the detectives. “My line’s still dead.”

“Check outside, would you?” Charlie spoke to Peggy as he pulled out a chair for Edna at the kitchen table. The two sat in silence while they waited for Peggy to return. Sitting in the kitchen, Edna felt the terror of the night returning. She lowered her eyes to stare at her folded hands and willed herself to be calm.

“Line’s been cut.” Peggy called from the back door as she hurried through the mudroom. “Rain washed away any prints there might have been, but the cable was definitely cut where it comes into the house.”

“I’ll have the phone company get someone out here.” Charlie reached into an inside pocket of his suit coat, pulled out a cell phone and flipped it open. Edna listened while he ordered telephone repair service out to her address as soon as possible. When he’d finished the call, he smiled at her. “They’re sending someone out this morning.” He hesitated for a moment, and his smile disappeared as he leaned slightly forward. “Do you know of anyone who might want to harm you or your husband?”

The question surprised her, and she blurted out, “Of course not.” Then, after a second or two of thought, she added more quietly, “I can’t even think of a reason, let alone a person.” The detectives remained silent, watching her, so Edna thought some more about events leading up to last night. She felt frustrated and frightened to think someone might want to hurt her. As she thought back, realization brought a surge of relief. “I wasn’t supposed to be here last night.” She looked from one to the other, willing them to agree with her that she wasn’t someone’s target. “If it hadn’t been for the storm warning, I’d have stayed in Boston with my daughter.”