do what you do, but I’m doing an okay job at Let’s Play, aren’t I?”
“You’re doing a fine job, darling. And I’d say that even if I weren’t your mother. If we ever get past this nonsense, the exhibit should be a big hit. In spite of Hadley.”
“You still awake, Dad?’
Nolan spoke from the opposite corner. “I am. I’m sorry I missed all those years, but I hope we can do better in the future. Maybe you’d like to plan a trip to Ireland, meet your half brother and sister?”
“I’d like that,” Caitlin said. “Maybe in the spring-Let’s Play is pretty busy in the summer. And not during spring breaks. But I’m sure I could work out something.”
The voices faded. The low fire crackled and spit. Outside it was quiet, except for the occasional crack as a branch fell from the weight of the ice. I fell asleep.
I awoke to full daylight. Checking my watch, I saw that it was nearly nine o’ clock. The fire was long dead, and three out of my four companions were still lumps under mounds of blankets-Nolan was snoring in an armchair, and Jason and Caitlin were snuggled together like puppies. The fourth, Arabella, I could hear down the hall, talking with Hadley. I disentangled myself from my own wrappings and, after a quick stop at the bathroom, I stumbled down the hall. Halfway there I encountered the smell of coffee and picked up my pace.
Hadley and Arabella were seated across from each other at a small table. There was a window behind them, and through it I could see a glittering array of ice-coated trees and shrubs-and an alarming number of broken branches dangling. “Morning,” I said. “Is there more of that?” I nodded toward their mugs.
“On the stove. Nolan showed me how to light the burner last night. I
I helped myself and sat down. “Any word from the outside world?”
“The power’s still out, but I think I saw a utility truck.”
“I hope so!” Arabella said. “There’s a lot to be done, and we have to talk to the police before we move forward.”
The idea of meeting with the law didn’t appear to bother Hadley now. She stirred her coffee idly and stared into space. I definitely preferred this resigned Hadley to the bitchy and demanding one, although I wondered if this mood would last.
“Hadley, do you have flour and eggs and sugar?” Arabella asked. “Maybe I can put together a meal.”
“I don’t know. Try that cupboard over there.” Hadley gestured vaguely.
I fled the scene of unlikely domesticity and retreated down the hall, away from the living room, where there were sounds of stirring. I retrieved my cell phone from my bag and punched in the number to my office. Eric answered promptly. “President’s office.”
“Eric, it’s me.”
“Nell! I was worried about you-it sounds like a real mess out there in the burbs.”
“You’ve got that right. I’m not even home-I’m still at Hadley’s house. Long story, but we’re all good. How’s it look there?”
“Roads are clear, so it’s business as usual. Do you think you’ll make it in?”
“I hope so, but we’ve got to get a tree out of the way first.” As we spoke, I could hear the welcome sound of chain saws in the lane in front of Hadley’s house. I peered out the window in the front and could see that the morning sun was well on its way to dissolving the layer of ice on the windshield of my car. “I think it’s happening as we speak, so I can probably make it by noon.” Then I was struck by a sudden thought. “Eric, can you ask Shelby to get in touch with Barney Hogan and have him call me this afternoon?”
“Yes, ma’am, I can do that. Everything okay?”
“I think so, or at least it will be. Thanks, Eric-see you later.” I hung up and thought a moment. There were five of us to transport back to the city, and three cars: mine, Hadley’s, and Caitlin’s. I wasn’t sure if the police wanted me to have any part of the coming discussion, but it might be best to be available, just in case-which meant we should all head for the city.
“I think they’re working on that tree now,” I said to the others. “We can head for town as soon as the road is clear. Do you need a ride, Hadley?”
There was a flash of the old Hadley, and I could almost hear her saying,
“I agree,” I said. “But I don’t think you need me. I’ll go in to work and be available if the police want to talk to me, but I think between all of you, you’ve got it covered. Oh, and don’t forget to take the Willy heads with you.”
CHAPTER 33
A tow truck had hauled the trunk of the fallen oak to the side of the road in under half an hour, and I managed to beat my estimated deadline and arrived at the office by eleven. I made a mental note to keep a change of clothes at the office in the future, not that I expected occasions like this to come around too often. At least, I hoped not. Caitlin had taken her parents and Jason in her car, and Hadley had promised to follow shortly, as soon as she checked her property for any storm damage. I wasn’t sure I trusted Hadley to follow through with making a statement without some encouragement, but I couldn’t exactly hog-tie her and throw her in my trunk, appealing though that idea was. Even by the light of day, I thought the scenario we had worked out the night before still made as much sense as anything else. I hoped the police would agree.
Eric was hovering anxiously at his desk, waiting for me. “Thank goodness! The news reports made it sound like a battle zone out there in the burbs.”
“A lot of tree damage,” I told him, “but once we reached a main road, things were fine. Did I miss anything here?”
“Nothing worth mentioning. So, tell me what went on last night?”
I checked my messages: nothing urgent. “Go get Shelby. She should hear it, too.”
Eric was gone in a flash and returned in moments with Shelby in tow. I wondered if she’d been waiting for my arrival. “Sounds like you had an interesting evening, lady,” she said, sitting in a chair opposite the desk. “So, spill it!”
“Shut the door and sit down, Eric. And I trust you won’t mention this to anyone else yet. Arabella, Caitlin, and Hadley should be on their way to police headquarters as we speak.”
“So who did it?” Shelby demanded.
“Apparently nobody,” I said, and watched their expressions with amusement. “Seriously, it looks as though the whole thing was a stupid accident. This is how we worked it out last night. Hadley was more or less ordered to go along with this exhibit by her publisher, because her sales were way off, along with her income. She wasn’t happy, and I gather she made life miserable for everyone, but she didn’t have a choice.” I paused before adding, “Hadley also has a taste for well-muscled young men, as Chloe informed us.”
“Do tell,” Sheryl said drily, and winked at Eric.
“Yes, and Hadley connected with one of the electricians who was working on the exhibit-the late Joe Murphy.”
“No!” Eric said. “But she didn’t kill him? Did he reject her?”
“She says she dumped him, but I wondered if she might have had a hand in his death. It seems unlikely, though-she doesn’t have the skills, and she does have a pretty good alibi. Maybe being accused of murder would have been a great way to get some publicity, but definitely the wrong kind. In any case, I think she’s used to discarding the, uh, objects of her attentions rather quickly, and nobody’s ever cried foul, before now.”
“Did Hadley volunteer all this delightful information?” Shelby asked.
“Not at first. But when Nolan went down to the basement to retrieve the Willy heads they didn’t use in the exhibit, he saw the house’s wiring and told us it was a mess-the worst combination of original old wiring combined with some recent shoddy patches and quick fixes. Apparently Hadley asked Joe to do a little work for her, and he did a lousy job. Which led us all to conclude that it was his sloppy work on the Willy the Weasel head that killed
