Page 16 of Accidental Murder
Kayla scooped up Java and hurried after Hanrahan. She stumbled in the high heels.
Mrs. Tennyson trotted alongside. “Careful. Don’t trip, dear. You don’t want to twist an ankle.”
Kayla regarded her neighbor. She’d caught her on more than one occasion perched on her stoop, pretending to read a book, when she was clandestinely keeping tabs on the neighbors. “Ma’am, did you see the man sitting beside me on the curb?”
She nodded.
“Did you recognize him?”
“I’m not sure. The police hang out in the café at the end of the block, so all of them look familiar to me.”
Kayla sagged. She couldn’t pin the murder on Dennis. Not yet anyway. “Was the man you saw wearing a mask?”
Mrs. Tennyson clutched the shawl collar of her robe. “I couldn’t say.”
“But he had dark hair.”
“It might have been a black mask, now that you mention it. The knit kind that covers the head. But I can’t be sure. My eyes aren’t what they used to be.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Megan Hanrahan didn’t putthe car into gear. Instead, heater blazing, she sat wondering why she was the lucky one to have caught a case outdoors on the coldest night of the year. Hopeful that Tom in Vice would notice her at the monthly share-all meeting earlier in the day, she’d donned her taupe suit and heels. When she’d run into him, he hadn’t gazed at her once.
Pushing thoughts of her pathetic single life aside, she rubbed her tired eyes and returned her focus to Ashley Macintyre’s statement. Ashley claimed she and her sister had been as close as sisters could be. They were twins in every way. They talked daily. They shared everything, including the cat. When Megan’s twin had decided to move to Arizona, Megan hadn’t batted an eye. Mara wanted to be a stay-at-home mother in a town where crime wasn’t headline news. She liked going to Girl Scout meetings. She enjoyed baking chocolate chip cookies. She would never understand Megan’s commitment to public service. Converse with each other daily? Megan shook her head. Not happening. She couldn’t fathom that kind of sibling relationship.
She watched Ashley Macintyre pull her Acura from the curb and tap the brakes as if unsure of her direction, and she felt atwinge of pity. She didn’t envy Miss Macintyre the nightmares ahead.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kayla droveto Ashley’s townhouse, her mind reeling with self-castigation. The glare from Christmas decorations strobing the windshield and the noise of lunatic holiday drivers honking incessantly didn’t help her developing headache.
She parked, collected Java and the tote from the floor of the car, and trudged to the door. After drawing in a deep breath, she stepped inside. The aroma of lavender pervaded her senses. A vase of fresh flowers stood on the black granite table in the foyer. She set Java on the floor and made her way down the streamlined hall decorated with photographs. All of them of Ashley. Ashley pitching Maybelline mascara. Ashley marketing Maybelline Dream Matte mousse foundation.
Kayla’s heart ached as she studied each picture. Could the world stand to lose such a beauty? Couldshe?
The living room was as pristine as always. She would find no food hidden beneath the cushions of the black silk sofa. There would be no fingerprint smudges on the glass tabletops. She remembered commenting once that a toddler would be in danger roaming Ashley’s house, to which her sister had remarked, “Who wants kids?”
Kayla did. At least two, maybe more.
Ashley would never get a chance to reconsider her choice.
Choking back a sob, Kayla plodded to the kitchen. She set Ashley’s purse on the counter and removed the cashmere scarf. When she sank into a chair at the black café table, the overwhelming realization of what lay ahead hit her. She’d have to redirect the mail. Cancel bank accounts. Contact Ashley’s agent and friends. Sell Ashley’s townhouse. As a team, she and Ashley had handled their father’s estate. To do it alone would be daunting.
When she was breathing normally again, she knew the one phone call she couldn’t put off. Though their uncle liked Ashley, he adored Kayla. Lying to him about her death would be hard, but she had to do so.
She fetched Ashley’s cell phone from the tote and stabbed in a number she knew by heart. David picked up on the first ring.
In a few choppy sentences, Kayla broke the news. Her uncle’s wracking sobs rattled her, but she didn’t waver in her resolve. She would beg his forgiveness later. They spoke for less than a minute, David askingwhere,why, andwho. Kayla responded as best she could and promised to touch base soon.
Before hanging up, she said, “I love you, David.”
“I love you, too, Ashley.”
Java brushed against Kayla’s ankles and yowled. She searched for a can of tuna. Finding none, she opened a tin of anchovies.
“This is all we’ve got tonight, kitty.” She bit back tears. Ashley’s favorite snack had been anchovies on crackers. The fishy smell always put Kayla off, but Java was in seventh heaven.
After serving the feast, Kayla shambled into the bedroom and perched on the queen-sized Catalan bed. The white coverlet was crisp, the white satin pillows new. A huge bowl of lavender sachet rested on the bedside table. A lavender-scented eye mask lay beside the bowl. Three purple pillar candles stood on theebony dresser. According to Ashley, the glow of candles did the soul good. Kayla couldn’t rouse herself to light one.
