Миранда Джеймс - Fixing To Die

“I see,” An’gel said. She might have a little talk with Kanesha when they were home again. She wanted to know exactly what the deputy had been telling her colleagues.

“Kanesha assured me that if I ever encountered you in the course of an investigation, I might as well resign myself to being helped.” Steinberg quirked an eyebrow. “She also told me that you wouldn’t overstep and that I should listen to you if you had something to tell me.”

“That was kind of her,” An’gel said, now feeling embarrassed. Was the lieutenant about to confide in her? Give her more details of the case?

“I would appreciate it, Miss Ducote, if you and your sister did not try to help me,” Steinberg said. “Now, if there’s nothing else, I have to get on with this investigation.”

“Very well, Lieutenant,” An’gel said. He hadn’t been rude. His tone had been respectful, but nevertheless her pride was smarting. She turned to walk out of the room, but before she could leave, two of Steinberg’s officers escorted Primrose Pace into the room.

An’gel moved around the trio but contrived to remain by the door in hopes that Steinberg might forget about her momentarily.

“That was not a smart thing to do, Mrs. Pace,” Steinberg said. “Or would you rather I address you by your real name?”

CHAPTER 26

An’gel slipped a little farther out the door and pressed herself against the wall right outside, her head slightly cocked.

“All right,” the lieutenant said. “Alesha Jackson. Have a seat, Ms. Jackson.” Then there was a pause until Steinberg barked out an order. “Shut that door.”

An’gel sidled away by the wall as quickly as she could. No one left the room before the door closed. Belatedly she realized that she had forgotten to look in the hallway to see whether there was an officer observing her. She turned and looked toward the parlor door. The hallway was empty of cops at the moment. Suppressing a huge sigh of relief, she hurried into the parlor.

She almost knocked right into the female officer.

An’gel caught herself in time, and the officer neatly sidestepped her. “So sorry,” An’gel said.

“No harm done, ma’am,” the officer replied.

“Officer, Lieutenant Steinberg said it would be okay for us to have something to eat.” An’gel smiled. “Breakfast was around six hours ago, and I for one am famished. I’m sure the others are, too.” She raised her voice as she turned to address the group. “Aren’t you?”

“Hungry?” Benjy piped up. “I certainly am.” Peanut woofed to let everyone know he would be happy to eat as well. An’gel thought he and Endora both deserved treats because they had been so well behaved the past hour or so.

Mary Turner stood. “Marcelline, let’s go to the kitchen and see what we can put together for everyone. Will that be okay, Officer?”

“Just a moment, ma’am,” the policewoman replied. “There needs to be an officer with you, if you don’t mind. I’ll call for someone.” She stepped away toward the door, and An’gel took this as her cue to resume her seat.

In a couple of minutes another uniformed cop appeared to accompany Marcelline and Mary Turner to the kitchen. The latter waved away Dickce’s offer of assistance.

“Thank you, Miss Dickce, but we’ll manage. Why don’t y’all go ahead and move into the dining room, though, and we’ll bring the food in there.”

“Excellent idea,” An’gel said, getting to her feet once again. She grabbed a glass of water for herself from the tea cart and carried it with her. Her throat was feeling parched, but the water soothed her and eased her headache a little.

Henry Howard made sure there were enough places at the table for everyone and encouraged them to sit. An’gel, Dickce, and Benjy, with Peanut and Endora with him, sat at one end of the table. Truss Wilbanks took the seat next to Dickce. Serenity Foster chose a place at the other end, away from the others. Henry Howard sat next to Benjy. Their minder, as An’gel thought of the officer, stood in the doorway watching them.

An’gel kept glancing at her watch and saw that it was a full twenty minutes before Marcelline and Mary Turner brought in two large trays, cold roast beef and sliced chicken on one, bread and cheese on the other. Marcelline, along with her escort, went back to the kitchen to fetch in the drinks and the condiments. Henry Howard found utensils from the sideboard, and soon they were all making and eating sandwiches and drinking cans of cold soda.

An’gel hadn’t yet had a chance to share with Dickce and Benjy the fact that Primrose Pace was an alias. She glanced around the table. Henry Howard moved next to Serenity so that Mary Turner wouldn’t have to, but Marcelline had no choice. Marcelline didn’t look at the woman. Everyone seemed intent on eating, and An’gel wondered whether she dared risk talking to Benjy and Dickce.

No, she decided, others would overhear, and she didn’t want the lieutenant to find out she had let something slip in front of all of them. Instead, she pulled out her cell phone and composed a brief text to her sister and Benjy. They both observed her with her phone, and neither one reacted when their own phones registered receipt of her text. Dickce waited for at least a minute before she pulled out her phone to look at it, and Benjy not long after. From what An’gel could tell, no one else was paying any particular attention. In fact, both Serenity and Truss had their own cell phones out, fiddling with them.

An’gel had kept her message brief: Primrose Pace is really Alicia (? Alesha? Alisha?) Jackson. Benjy looked up and nodded. An’gel knew that as soon as he was able, he would see what he could dig up on Ms. Jackson. She put her phone aside.

She continued to observe the others as discreetly as possible. Truss Wilbanks looked considerably better now, and An’gel was glad to see that. She had really been afraid he might collapse on them earlier. Had he played any role in Nathan Gamble’s death? Had his near-collapse been symptomatic of guilt or simply sheer nerves?

Henry Howard and Mary Turner continued to whisper to each other. Henry Howard met An’gel’s glance from across the table but immediately dropped his eyes.

How long would they all have to remain together like this? An’gel was eager to go upstairs and start examining the bathroom for signs of a hidden door. Surely Lieutenant Steinberg would release them soon, maybe once he had finished dealing with Alesha Jackson, alias Primrose Pace. She must have a police record, An’gel thought. Her fingerprints had given her away. If Ms. Jackson had nothing to do with the death of Nathan Gamble, she’d had a mighty unlucky break when she chose Cliffwood to try her scam on a trusting Mary Turner Catlin.

Let that be a lesson to her .

Mary Turner might not press charges, An’gel figured. After all, what had the woman taken? One night’s stay here at Cliffwood and two meals. Two hundred dollars, maximum. Unless she was wanted in connection with another crime, Ms. Jackson might go free.

The entrance of Lieutenant Steinberg into the dining room surprised everyone, An’gel thought, even her. They had all relaxed, thanks to the food and drink, but with Steinberg in their midst, An’gel felt the level of tension begin to rise again.

“If I could have your attention, please,” Steinberg said, although no one was talking and all eyes were gazing at him. “I wanted to bring you up-to-date and also tell you that you will be free to move about the house. The French room, as I understand it is called, is off-limits at the moment and is sealed. I must warn you that any attempts to tamper with the seal will not be treated lightly, and you could face charges if you do make an attempt.” He paused to glance around the room.