Murder of a Sweet Old Lady

She straightened and turned around. The top of the table was slightly askew. Pushing the rim with her palm, she was able to nudge the top into a twenty-five degree angle from the base.

A small orifice was revealed. Skye slipped her hand into the hole. At first all she felt was the grain of the wood, but her fingertips soon closed upon something smooth.

As the object came into view she could see that it was an envelope. The stationery was pink and smelled of her grandmother’s lavender sachet. Skye slid out a single sheet. Her grandmother’s faint handwriting filled the page.

It was addressed to Annamaria Boggio, Antonia’s sister, but the stamp had never been canceled.

Dear Annamaria,

Today has been the worst day of my life. Once again I have been weak and allowed Angelo to overrule me. Will my daughter ever forgive me? Her look of panic when we told her she had to go away will remain with me always. She was not comforted by her sister’s presence as I had hoped.

The nurse he hired to do the wicked deed and take care of her afterwards seems passable, but she has no warmth and makes it clear she does what she does for money.

I hear Angelo’s key in the lock. I will have to mail this when he is not around as he has forbidden me to write of this matter. Please pray for your niece as her father forces her to get rid of her child.

Your loving sister,

Antonia

Skye’s heart pounded. This certainly put a whole new light on things! Since neither of her aunts had appeared pregnant in the photo and they had been gone for only a month, her grandmother must have been referring to an abortion. So who had the abortion, Minnie or Mona? And did the other sister know what was going on?

Skye grabbed the phone and called the hospital. She was in luck. Minnie was allowed to speak on the phone.

After polite chitchat Skye got to the point. “Ah, Aunt Minnie, please stop me if this upsets you, but I was wondering if you remember that time you and Mona stayed with a nurse in Chicago?”

“Sure,” Minnie answered readily. “Why would that upset me? Mona needed to have her appendix out. Mom and Dad sent me to keep her company.”

“But you were all right?”

“Sure.” Minnie’s voice reflected her memory of a good time. “It was sort of fun to be in the city. And Mona recovered real fast. It was almost like being on vacation. I even took some pictures . . .” Minnie’s voice trailed off. “I wonder what happened to them?”

“I’ll see if I can find them,” Skye promised. “Thanks, Aunt Minnie; get well soon.”

So Mona had had the abortion. Did that mean she had killed Antonia? After all these years, why would she kill her mother? If it wasn’t to gain something, what else was accomplished by her death?

The family history. Killing her stopped Antonia from talking about the past and thus revealing Mona’s abortion. Would her aunt kill to keep that secret?

Skye thought about her aunt and uncle’s marriage, about his position in the Knights of Columbus. Mona might kill to protect that.

Skye suddenly leaped from the couch. She reached for the phone and dialed. No one answered at her parents’ house.

She swore in frustration. She had to talk this over with someone. What if she was wrong? She tried Charlie and Trixie. No one was home.

Great, I guess I’ll have to talk to Wally. Probably should have been my first choice anyway, but he’s still so mad at me about going to the survivalist camp. Oh, well, this isn’t something I can put off.

Skye reached once again for the phone, but this time there was no dial tone. She looked out the kitchen window, but the storm had worsened and she couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead.

Shit, I suppose the electricity will be next. I’d better store some water just in case. Electrical outages in Scumble River had been known to last a long time.

After she filled the bathtub, she’d change and drive in to see Wally. Might as well get the whole thing over with. Damn, he’d be really pissed about the whole incident with the Chicago police.

Skye walked into her bathroom and leaned over the tub. Before she could straighten she felt something poke her in the back. She gasped and whirled around.

A steel barrel stared her in the face. The person holding it said, “Stand up slowly with your hands in the air.”

CHAPTER 23

Nine, Ten, Round the Bend

“ow did you get in here?” Skye asked. “I’m sure I locked all the doors.”

“I borrowed the key from your mother’s purse,” Mona answered. “I’ll slip it back in before she notices it’s gone.”

“What do you want?” Skye stared at the gun Mona held in her right hand.

“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?” Mona prodded Skye through the bedroom and into the living room.

Skye sat down hard on the sofa. “Figured out what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t pull that innocent act on me. I knew you were closing in ever since you talked to Nurse Prynn. And you made it clear last night at dinner that you suspected me.” Mona’s mouth was bracketed by wrinkles Skye didn’t remember seeing until today.

“I’ve suspected everybody.” Skye’s hand closed over a pen wedged between the couch cushions. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was the only one available.

“Quit lying.” Mona gestured to the patio doors. “I’ve been watching you through the window, and I saw you jump up and run to the telephone.”

“Then you know I’ve already called the police.” Skye looked her aunt in the eye.

“I don’t think so. Your first inclination would be to call your mother, and I know she’s getting her hair done. Charlie isn’t home either. And I cut the wire pretty quickly, so I’ll have to take the chance you didn’t tell anyone.” Mona’s voice was firm.

“If I can figure it out, so can someone else.” Skye inched to the edge of the seat, palming the pen.

“No. You have knowledge others wouldn’t have. With Nurse Prynn gone there really is no one left who remembers.”

Skye searched her memory, trying to think of something to say to change her aunt’s mind. “Aunt Minnie knows. Isn’t that why you tried to kill her with those sleeping pills?”

“I didn’t try to kill Minnie. I never intended for her to die. I wanted everyone to think she had attempted suicide so they’d suspect her of killing Mom.” Mona rubbed her temple, a faraway look on her face. “She doesn’t know anything. She never knew I had an abortion. Minnie has always lived in her own world. She never even knew I was seeing Beau, so she couldn’t know I was pregnant by him. She was told I had my appendix out.” Mona moved closer to Skye. “Now get up. You need to put a dress on.”

“Why do I need a dress?”

Mona ignored Skye’s question as she walked her into the bedroom and opened the closet.

“I still don’t understand why you’re willing to kill rather than have people know that you had an abortion as a teenager.” Skye took off her shorts and T-shirt and slipped on the dress Mona handed her. “That is why you killed your own mother, isn’t it? Because you were afraid Grandma would tell me about your abortion when she got to that point in the family history.”

“You have no idea what I’ve been through. I begged Mom not to tell anyone, but her memory was getting so bad for the present, and seemed to be getting clearer for the past. I couldn’t chance it.” Mona stared at Skye. “She just wouldn’t cooperate. I asked her for the family Bible. I knew she would have made some note of the baby. But she said she didn’t know where it was. I asked for the pictures Minnie took while we were in Chicago with Nurse Prynn, and Mom claimed they had been thrown out years ago.”