A Star-Spangled Murder Read online

  “So what did you do?”

  “Well, the first thing we did was put a stop to Tricia running to me for help. A friend of mine who is a psychiatrist suggested therapy for the girls, and we insisted they go. He also pointed out that the girls were getting us back together with their pranks—even if temporarily—and that we shouldn’t allow that to happen. So we stopped letting the girls know we were talking about them—and we told Theresa and Titania that unless the pranks stopped immediately, they wouldn’t be able to see me.” He looked a little embarrassed. “It worked. Everything stopped then and there. Until today, that is.”

  Susan looked curiously at Ted Taylor. After the long, detailed story he told, this ending seemed rather abrupt. Was he lying? Or was he just hungry? she wondered, watching him finish the casserole and reach for his drink. Was his behavior at all unusual for a man whose brother had been killed and who was worried that his children might be blamed for the murder? What was usual in such an unusual situation? “So nothing has happened for how long?” was all she asked.

  “At least two weeks,” he answered.

  Susan wasn’t terribly impressed with the length of time. Anyone might say that they were just planning the ultimate insult against their new stepfather. If anyone thought to accuse them at all, she reminded herself.

  Ted Taylor seemed to be thinking the same thing. “Do you think my daughters are going to be connected to Humphrey’s death? They didn’t want to hurt him. They did those things hoping to get him out of the house. Everyone will see that, won’t they?”

  Susan waited a few moments before answering. “I know what you mean. When you talk about thumbtacks in clothing and mixing up concoctions that they hoped Humphrey would mistake for liquor, it all sounds like the kind of ineffectual shenanigans that kids resort to when they don’t have any real power.”

  “Exactly,” Ted Taylor enthused. “Don’t you think we can get everyone to see that? It will protect the girls. I don’t think they had anything to do with this—they couldn’t have,” he insisted, “but even being questioned would be a trial for them. They’re too young to be involved in a murder investigation. You’re a mother; certainly you understand. And …” He paused, looking for words. “And maybe you can make everyone else understand, too?” he ventured.

  “The problem is that not everything sounds completely harmless,” Susan began slowly. “They did tamper with Humphrey’s car, and removing the top step to the basement really could have killed someone—and not only Humphrey.”

  “I’m sure they didn’t want to kill anyone.…”

  “I can believe that. But don’t you see, that’s exactly the problem. Someone could say that your brother’s death was a prank gone wrong. That possibly one of your daughters caused his death even if they didn’t mean for that to result from their actions.”

  “Manslaughter,” the distraught father muttered. “It can’t be. They didn’t do it. They have to be protected. We have to keep this from happening—”

  He was interrupted by the appearance of a ruddy man carrying enough fishing gear to equip Captain Ahab. “Ted! Hey, good to see you,” he called out cheerfully. “I hear one of your girls finally got old Humphrey right where it counted!”

  SIX

  It took a few moments to sort it all out. The enthusiastic fisherman with the large mouth was, Susan discovered, Judy Briane’s husband. He had been out in a boat all day and claimed not to understand the significance of his words.

  “I had no idea,” he was assuring Ted and Susan for the third or fourth time after they had explained about the murder. “How could I? Ryan and I left the house this morning before daylight. The last time I saw Humphrey, he was …”

  “He was where?” Susan asked, wondering why Paul Briane had stopped speaking.

  “I’m thinking. I saw him before breakfast yesterday. He was heading into town to do an errand before he left for Boston. Something about a sea kayak, I think … I didn’t really listen. You can’t fish from a kayak. One quick move and the damn things flip right over. Guess the last time I saw him, he was standing in the driveway right out there—” he nodded out the window “— getting into his Range Rover. I waved and he waved … and that’s all. You know, I feel badly about that. There were some things I would have said if I’d known that was the last time I was going to see him.” He looked away from the window and back into the room. “We’re all going to miss your brother, Ted,” he said. “We were just finding out what a fun person he had grown up to be.” He sighed. “This sure makes the things that have been going on recently seem pretty insignificant.”

  So Paul Briane knew about the girls’ activities! Susan opened her mouth to ask a question or two, but Ted Taylor cut her off. Intentionally, she guessed.

  “There are a lot of people who are going to think that the girls had something to do with Humphrey’s death,” Ted suggested, a stern look in his eyes.

  “What?” Paul sounded sincerely shocked by the idea. “There’s no way those sweet little girls could have had anything to do with something horrible like this. Who would say a thing like that?”

  “It’s one way to interpret what you were saying when you came into the house,” Susan insisted. “And Ted and I were just talking about ways to make sure they’re not involved in all this,” she added, watching the two men exchange looks.

  Paul was the first to speak. “I’m a professional therapist with almost two decades of experience, and I’ve spent a full week with those girls. It’s my professional opinion that there’s no way they could kill someone. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but no one should think a thing like that for even one second. And I didn’t,” he insisted. “I had no idea Humphrey was dead when I walked through that door. If I had, I would have been more careful about what I said. I explained already that I was just talking about that Monopoly game the day before yesterday.”

  Susan didn’t believe it for a minute, but she knew she was going to have to be patient if she was to learn the real story about the girls “finally getting old Humphrey right where it counted.”

  “It was bad timing. I was just telling Mrs. Henshaw that I was worried about people misunderstanding the situation between the girls and Humphrey when you came in.” Ted tried to clarify the situation. Susan wondered exactly what—if anything—the serious expression on his face was meant to convey. “Mrs. Henshaw has some experience investigating crimes, and I was hoping she’d help make sure the girls aren’t wrongly involved in this one.”

  “Good for you.” Paul was immediately transformed from the sincere mourner into the hearty good friend. Susan thought for a moment that he was going to pat her on the head. “If I had daughters of my own, I’d hope they were just like Titania, Theresa, and that little one—Tierney. I always forget her name. Anyway, they’re sweet girls, and I’m sure glad you’re going to help keep them from being wrongfully considered suspects.”

  “Brilliant.”

  They all turned to find that Judy Briane had joined them—trailing silk and sarcasm, Susan thought, watching to see what reaction the men would have to her appearance.

  “Catch anything?” she continued, walking over to her husband, removing the bottle of beer from his hand, and taking a long swig. “I’m thirsty. We climbed a mountain while you and Ryan were out in that damn boat,” she continued. “Sally is in the living room telling Ryan all about it.”

  “Then why don’t we join them?” Paul Briane suggested. Susan got the impression that he was picking up a cue.

  “That’s a good idea,” Ted said, heading for the refrigerator. “Take a couple of bottles with you and maybe some of this cheese. I have no idea what anyone is going to do about dinner around here.”

  “We’re going into Blue Hill to that place everyone recommends,” Judy said. “Don’t worry about us. We can take care of ourselves.”

  Ted Taylor looked relieved. “I’d appreciate that. I have no idea what time Trish is going to get back. I should probably find her—or that po
licewoman.”

  “Good idea,” Paul agreed. “She really shouldn’t be alone right now.”

  Susan glanced at her watch and waited, but no one seemed to remember that there were three children needing care and attention.

  “We could drive you to Blue Hill,” Judy suggested. “It will take Sally and me a few minutes to get our clothes changed, and the men probably need showers, but we could be ready in half an hour.”

  “Great! Why don’t we all meet outside,” Ted said. “I’ll show Mrs. Henshaw out.…”

  “Nice meeting you,” Susan said, taking the not so subtle hint and heading toward the door. But once she got outside, her assumption that Ted was seeking an opportunity to speak to her alone evaporated.

  “Judy and Paul are right. Trish needs me. I should have thought of that half an hour ago. I …” He looked around as though he couldn’t remember why she was here.

  Susan decided to help him out. “Why don’t I find your daughters and feed them dinner?” she offered, deciding that if she waited until someone remembered the girls to make her offer, it would probably go unmade. “Then you won’t have to worry about getting back early,” she added, not that he appeared to be a man rushing to meet his children’s needs. In fact, since Judy Briane’s entrance, Ted Taylor had apparently forgotten he had children. Susan realized she was getting interested in the mystery in spite of herself. “I can even put them to bed. There’s plenty of room at my house.”

  “That would be wonderful. And it’s exactly what I was talking with you about. The further away from all this the girls are kept, the better. I know it’s imposing, but—”

  Susan interrupted with the standard polite reassurances.

  “But I don’t know what Trish would want.…” Ted apparently had a new thought.

  “Why don’t you just tell her that they’ll all be at my house and she can come over and get them whenever she’s free? It might make things easier for her, too. She already has a lot to worry about.”

  “You’re right. Thanks.” He looked around as though having no idea what to do next.

  “You’d better get back to your guests,” Susan reminded him. “I’ll head to the water and find the girls.”

  “Thanks,” he repeated, and disappeared into his dream house.

  Susan followed the path to the granite stairs that led down to the surf. She heard a dog barking and assumed it was Titania’s retriever; she just hoped the animal didn’t expect to sleep with the girls. She started down to the water’s edge, where more than one red head was shining in the sunlight.

  The stone stairway had been built for the original house, and the steps were well worn and slightly slippery. Susan walked carefully, thinking over what she had been told of the Taylor family’s problems. She was less than impressed with Ted Taylor’s fatherly virtues after the way he had forgotten all about his precious girls in just a few minutes of his guests’ company. Or had he? she asked herself, stepping around a small stream of water that was dripping from the rock. Was it possible that he was trying to keep his houseguests occupied and away from his daughters? She decided to think about it all later. The two youngest sisters had seen her and were waving their arms in the air and calling out. Susan hurried toward them, thinking as she went that no matter what else was happening, Tierney and Theresa, at least, were not mourning the death of their uncle and stepfather.

  “Look what we found! A whole bucket full!” The youngest girl held out a tin pail full of miniature crabs, most less than an inch long. “Theresa lifts up the rocks, see, and I grab them before they run away.”

  “Nice teamwork,” Susan said. “What are you going to do with them?”

  “We’re going to put them back,” Theresa answered. “Then they can grow up to be full-sized crabs.”

  “Yes, we promised Titania that we would,” Tierney announced. “She says that it would disrupt the environment if we took them away. She’s very smart. She’s in the gifted classes at home.…”

  “She’s not all that smart,” Theresa said, jerking the pail away from her little sister. “I learned all about that in fifth grade. You don’t have to be in the gifted classes to know things.”

  “I think you’re all pretty smart to be caring so much about the environment,” Susan suggested, hoping to avoid an argument. “Where is Titania?” she added. “I thought I heard her dog.…”

  “You heard Karma, all right. Titania was making her go to your house, and she wanted to catch sea gulls instead. She was barking and barking and barking!” Tierney shook her head to emphasize the commotion.

  “My house? Why my house?”

  “Who knows?” Theresa said. “Titania said she was going to take Karma to your house and that you would know what to do. Titania thinks she’s so smart and then she does awfully dumb things, don’t you think?”

  Susan had no interest in getting involved in any sibling rivalry, so she merely smiled and changed the subject. “Are you girls hungry? I told your father that you all could eat dinner with Kathleen and myself.”

  “Who’s Kathleen?”

  “My houseguest. What about dinner?” she repeated.

  “I guess so,” Theresa said slowly. “If my father thinks we should.”

  “What are you having?” Tierney asked, dumping the bucket of crabs in a large pool of deeper water and then watching the crustaceans flee.

  “We had been thinking of lobster if you wanted to go to the pound with me. Or there’s always hamburgers.”

  “Hamburgers!” Theresa cried.

  “Yes, hamburgers,” her sister agreed. “I don’t like eating things that have been alive.”

  “Hamburgers it is,” Susan said, without explaining about the beef industry. “Let’s head for the house. It sounds like your sister’s there waiting for us.”

  “What do you mean?” Tierney asked.

  “I can hear the dog barking. Can’t you?”

  “Yes, but it’s strange,” Theresa said.

  “Why?”

  “Because usually Karma doesn’t bark when she’s with Titania. Usually she only barks when she wants to be with Titania.”

  “Maybe something’s wrong.”

  “We can hurry, but I don’t think anything is wrong,” Susan tried to reassure Tierney. “Kathleen is there, and she’d take care of any problem that comes up. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty hungry. Anyone like nachos—besides me, that is?” she asked, hoping to distract their attention. That dog was making an awful lot of noise.… “And I know there are potato chips and Fritos.”

  “I love Fritos—and Titania does, too. She says they’re made from corn.”

  “You are so dumb. Everyone knows that—not just Titania.”

  “I am not dumb and I didn’t know that!”

  “Maybe we should race?” Susan suggested. Sure, there would be a winner and a loser, but at least all the quibbling would stop. The girls sped off and she hurried after them, thinking of kind phrases to use to comfort Tierney when she lost.

  But Tierney didn’t lose. The girl sped by her older and taller sister and almost leapt up the gentle slope of grass that spanned the distance from Susan’s house to the water. Luckily Susan found she didn’t have to say anything to Theresa either. The girl was knocked into the water by a very enthusiastic, very wet golden retriever. By the time Susan had caught up with them, both dog and girl were covered with the black mud that lined the bottom of the cove.

  “Stop! Karma! Stop!” the girl was crying out, but Susan was relieved to see that she was laughing. Susan grabbed the muddy orange bandanna that hung around the dog’s neck, but it slid over the animal’s head. Apparently thinking this was an exciting new game, the dog leapt up and dug her long teeth into the muddy fabric—and through it to Susan’s hand. Susan screamed and dropped the scarf. Karma dropped it at the same time and sat down, her haunches sinking a few inches into the mud.

  “She didn’t mean to hurt you. She’s not a vicious dog.”

  “That’s the
way she plays.” Theresa agreed with her sister. “She’s still a puppy, you know.”

  Susan wasn’t about to succumb to those droopy eyes with the feel of the dog molars on her fingers. “How are we going to wash her off?”

  “She loves being hosed down,” Tierney suggested.

  “And we should do something about your sister, too,” Susan said. “There’s an outdoor shower around by the kitchen door. I’ll run inside and find some towels and something for you to wear. You run up to the house and get Titania—she’ll have to wash her dog.”

  “Someone else is going to have to do that,” Kathleen said, walking down to the group. “Down, Karma!” she insisted as the dog tried to leap up on her linen slacks.

  “How did you do that?” Susan asked, amazed by the dog’s instant obedience.

  “Dogs always listen to a good trainer—I worked with police dogs when I was starting out in Philadelphia, so I know how to do it. You just have to show some authority.”

  “You’ll have to show me,” Susan said ruefully as the dog leaned against her leg, licking her knee. But she had more important things to worry about. “What do you mean Titania is gone? Where is she?”

  “I don’t know. She left the dog and an envelope with your name on it. I promised I’d take care of Karma until you arrived and give you the note. It’s up at the house.”

  Susan frowned. “Then I guess I’d better go read it.” She got the impression that the two sisters were making an effort not to look at each other. She didn’t have time to think about what that might mean. The dog had taken off, running at full speed back to her house. “I hope it stays outside.” But as she spoke, Karma leapt up onto the porch and, mud and all, pushed through the screen door and into her living room. The children flew after the animal, and Kathleen and Susan followed as quickly as possible. By the time Susan had arrived on her porch, Tierney was tugging the dog out the door. “Good thing you’ve got most everything in there covered up.”