Discarded Promises Page 21

  “Do you have any suspects?”

  “Not yet. This is as much as I can tell you.”

  “But—”

  “That’s as much as I can divulge at this point.” He steepled his hands on the desk. “Look, I don’t want you to keep coming out. This guy is going to find you if you do. Just stay home and let us solve the murder.”

  Quilla crimped her mouth in an “oh, yeah” fashion.

  “We’re working hard on this case.”

  “It’s about time you do something,” she said, standing. “If you find anything, please let me know.”

  “I’ll reveal what I can. Remember this is an investigation and you’re not privy to information.”

  “Have you located Sadie’s family?”

  “Yes, we have. Her sister is arriving tomorrow.”

  “A sister?”

  “A half-sister. Her mother married after she left here. She has one sister and two brothers.”

  “I’d like to talk to her and offer help. Can you give her my number or give me hers? I want to help anyway I can.”

  “I’ll talk to her and give her your number if she wants it.”

  Quilla sighed and left.

  “He’s right, you know. You can’t keep coming out like this,” Irving said, looking around him once they were outside. “I’m getting nervous about so many people seeing you. The object is to stay low-key.”

  But it felt good to be out and breathing in fresh air. “I’m getting claustrophobic in that apartment. I’m not used to staying in all the time.”

  “You’re just getting your energy back. Try not to overdo it.”

  “Drop me by the store, please.”

  “That’s the last place you should be. The killer could be staking out that place.”

  “If I can’t do anything else, I can bake the biscuits.”

  He regarded her as he started the motor to his SUV. Powerful vehicle for a big guy. “You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever seen.”

  “Look.”

  “Yeah, you’re stubborn. Regardless of which way you cut it.”

  Quilla stared forward. “I am not.”

  “I’m taking you down the alley and in the back door and pray nobody’s watching for you at the store. You can’t go out front. I want you to stay in the back room. Regina can bring you what you need.” They stopped at the stoplight and Irving glanced over at her.

  Quilla didn’t respond.

  “Otherwise I’m taking you back to the apartment.”

  Quilla stared straight ahead through the windshield. The snow had almost melted and she hadn’t gotten a chance to wet her feet good. “I could always fire you.”

  Irving roared with laughter. “You could if you hired me. But since you didn’t . . .”

  “I thought employees were supposed to be submissive.”

  “Forget it. Lady, I’m way too big to be submissive. You stay in the back,” he warned.

  He pulled into the street that led to the alley. He stopped the SUV so the passenger side was by the back door.

  “Give me your keys. When I open the door, you can get out.”

  “Yes, sir.” Quilla gave him a smart salute.

  Irving shook his head and got out.

  Quilla heard “Stubborn” before he shut the door. She should be ashamed of herself for acting like an idiot. But being secluded was wearing on her nerves. Still, it wasn’t fair to take it out on poor Irving.

  Irving drove Quilla to National Airport the next day to pick up Sadie’s sister. Her name was Loretta Carver.

  Quilla and Irving waited at the luggage arrival area. Quilla flashed a sign in her hand with Loretta’s name written on it. Every two minutes an announcement came over the loudspeaker warning flyers not to carry luggage aboard that didn’t belong to them. The airport was crowded with businesspeople.

  It seemed like ages before a young woman approached her.

  “Are you Quilla Day?”

  “Yes.” The woman was young, no older than Regina’s twenty-five. She wore black slacks, a red top, and a long black leather coat, but she wasn’t the raving beauty her sister had been.

  “I’m Loretta.”

  “I’m so sorry about Sadie.” Quilla had expected someone who looked like Sadie, flashing and daring. This woman was subdued, reminding Quilla more of a nurse, teacher, or accountant.

  “Thank you for meeting me here. I was so pleased when Detective Wilson told me about you. I hadn’t seen Sadie since last Christmas, you know.”

  “Do you have bags?” Irving asked, trying to get them out of the airport and back to Denton’s apartment quickly. “You all can catch up on the ride.”

  “Just one suitcase.” They moved toward the luggage carousel. Minutes passed before the luggage started to appear. When they gathered Loretta’s bag, Irving walked to the short-term parking lot for the car, warning the women to stay inside until he drove to the gate. He felt confident in leaving them since weapons weren’t allowed in the terminal and there were many airport police about.

  They finally settled in the warm vehicle, and Irving drove off.

  “The crime-scene tape is still up at Sadie’s apartment,” Quilla said. “You may stay at my place if you like.”

  “Thanks, but I made a reservation at the Holiday Inn. It should be right down the street from her apartment.”

  “If you need anything just call me. Here’s the address of my shop. It’s just around the corner from the hotel.” Quilla scribbled her cell phone number on the business card. She twisted in her seat and handed the card to Loretta. It was difficult since her arm was still very sore.

  Quilla was struck again at how different Loretta’s appearance was from Sadie’s. It wasn’t just the complexion. Sadie was flashy and strikingly gorgeous. Loretta was pretty, but her beauty was definitely understated. She wore middle-class office fashion while Sadie wore high fashion. Loretta’s entire outfit, including the coat and purse, cost less than one pair of Sadie’s shoes.

  “How was your flight from Memphis?” Quilla asked.

  “Okay.”

  “Must be warm there in comparison to here.”

  “Oh, it’s absolutely freezing here. Did you know Sadie well?”

  “Sadie used to live next door to me when she lived in Alexandria years ago. She was a teenager then. She and her dog visited my shop often. We had lunch now and then, and I often babysat her dog.”

  “She mentioned you and your treat shop.”

  “She left her dog with a neighbor. Do you want me to bring her over?”

  Loretta wrinkled her nose. “Could you keep her for a while? I’m allergic to animals.”

  “Of course.”

  “Sadie never had really close friends. Although she was a sweet person, always had been. She just never seemed to fit in.” Loretta sighed. “Men always took advantage of her because of her beauty.”

  Quilla grew quiet. Loretta seemed to need to get some things off her chest.

  “Did her death have something to do with a man?”

  “I don’t know. Sadie disappeared the morning after she announced she’d written a book.”

  “What was the name of it?”

  “She didn’t give a title, but it was on the subject of mistresses.”

  “Unfortunately, a subject she knew well.” Her voice was hoarse with frustration and grief. “She was always somebody’s mistress. She deserved better. It seemed like things were always going wrong for her.”

  Quilla remained quiet as they drove beside the Potomac toward Old Town. With the snow on the riverbank, the view was beautiful. The area was getting a record snowfall for December. Snow usually held off until January or February before it dumped its load. It wasn’t much, really. Just a couple of inches, but enough to brighten the day, especially in areas where humans hadn’t yet disturbed.

  Quilla invited Loretta to dinner. Giving her directions to Denton’s apartment, they dropped her off at the hotel and then Irving rushed Quilla to the apartment, expel
ling a huge sigh of relief once they were behind locked doors.

  It was time for her to take another antibiotic. Afterward, she flipped through an album she’d taken from Sadie’s place. She knew she’d have to give it to her sister soon. She’d given it a cursory look before, but now she looked more thoroughly. Sadie had carefully labeled all the pictures.

  There were photos of a stolen weekend at the Greenbrier. A concert at the Kennedy Center with Sadie in a picture alone. Quilla wondered whom she attended with. There were photos of friends, a sales conference Tom took her to in Las Vegas.

  According to Denton, Wendy was now working in the office with Tom. The powder room must be burning up with rumors of his affairs. Quilla wondered how long it would take the news to reach Wendy. Or if she already knew.

  Three hours later, Loretta buzzed the outside door. Irving depressed the button for her to enter. She was pale with grief.

  “I just saw a video of her. They’ll release the body tomorrow. My God. She looked horrible.”

  “She died two weeks ago. It took that long to find the body,” Quilla said.

  “We’re going to have her cremated and scatter the ashes back home. But my brothers and I want to have a wake here for her friends. Would you help me? My brothers are arriving in a couple of days, so I hope to have something the day after.”

  “Of course I’ll help.”

  Chapter 14

  Around eleven the next morning, Quilla’s father called her. “A couple of women here want to see you,” he said.

  “What about?”

  “They said they were Sadie’s friends. They won’t talk to me. I told them you weren’t available, but they insisted they would only talk to you. It’s too unsafe for you to come out. I’ll get them to leave a number and you can call them.”

  “I’ll be right over,” she said.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Denton asked. It was Saturday and she was helping him fix lunch.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he said even before she explained.

  “I have to.”

  He regarded her with an expression so fierce she had to laugh. “Where are you supposed to be going?”

  “To the shop. Some friends of Sadie’s want to talk to me.”

  “It could be a setup.”

  “I don’t think so. Besides, it’s a man who wants to kill me.”

  “Like a man can’t send a mole.” Denton dialed a number on his cell phone. “Hey. Need you to run by my place for a few minutes. Are you far?”

  “No,” Jake said. “Can be there in five minutes.”

  Denton disconnected. “Jake will be here soon.”

  In a few minutes, Quilla was walking to her store between Denton and Jake. Two women were sitting in the back room sipping coffee, and her father was entertaining them.

  “Here she is,” her father said, standing. “I’ll get back to the store.”

  Quilla entered the room with the men still flanking her. It hit Quilla momentarily that something smelled good coming from the back. She recognized Melissa but she didn’t recognize the other woman. Both reminded her of Sadie. They were gorgeous, their makeup was expensive and flawless, and they wore expensive designer wear.

  It also struck Quilla that neither of them was particularly young. Sadie had been forty, although everyone thought she was in her early thirties. These women appeared to be in their early to mid-thirties.

  They looked askance between Denton and Jake. “We were hoping to speak to you alone,” Melissa said.

  “There have been attempts on Quilla’s life. We go where she goes,” Denton said. His gruff voice struck fear in the other woman.

  They looked uneasily at the men, then Melissa spoke up. “This is Alice. We read about the wake in the paper and we wanted to offer our help if you need it. We were pretty close to Sadie.”

  “Sadie’s sister is here. Maybe you’d like to speak to her. The wake is in two days.”

  “How do you know Sadie?” Denton asked.

  They glanced at each other again. “We ran in the same circles.”

  “Do you know who might have killed her?”

  Both women shook their heads.

  “Did Sadie interview you for her book?” Quilla knew the question was indelicate, but she didn’t know a delicate way of putting it.

  Alice patted her hair. “She might have.”

  “Why does it matter?” Melissa asked.

  “Because someone murdered Sadie.”

  “Honey, the police aren’t going to waste much time looking for her murderer.”

  “Why not?”

  “They don’t for our kind.”

  “Do you have any information that will help?” Denton asked.

  “I just know she was tired of this life and she was thinking of leaving.”

  “How do you know?” Denton said.

  “Because she started wanting things. She said she wanted a baby.”

  “At forty?”

  Melissa bristled. “Just because we don’t live a squeaky-clean life doesn’t mean we don’t want families and things just like other women do.”

  “I never said that. But . . .”

  “She wanted a baby. Said it was important to her and that Tom didn’t want any more children, especially by her. I told her she should have known better.”

  Denton grunted beside her.

  “Don’t you turn up your nose at us!” Melissa said. “It’s nice squeaky-clean men like you who pay for women like us on the side. Tom sits in that church pew most Sundays, the perfect family man, gives generous donations to the church and charities, but he still can’t live without us.”

  “They don’t understand,” Alice said quietly. “Besides, this isn’t about us. So let’s not get on our soapbox.” She pinned Denton with her stare. “I don’t care what you think about me. And I don’t apologize for the way I live. There are worse ways to go. But Tom was tired of Sadie. He might have enjoyed her for as long as it lasted, but in our line of business, you don’t start expecting things. I never did. And I tried to warn Sadie not to approach Tom about her wishes.”

  “Did she ask him to get a divorce?” Quilla asked.

  “I think so.”

  “He would have never done that. Not in a million years,” Melissa said. “I told her his paycheck comes from his wife’s family, but Sadie didn’t care.”

  “I got the impression that she didn’t expect him to marry her,” Quilla said. “But I think she was afraid that he might dump her. Do you know why?”

  “I know she said Tom was mixed up in something dangerous. She was afraid because she discovered what it was.”

  “Do you know if she recorded that information anyplace?” Denton asked.

  “She kept a diary. Tom didn’t know about it. She never told anyone that, either.”

  “Didn’t the police find it when they went through her apartment?”

  “I don’t think so,” Denton said.

  Quilla remained silent. But she knew the time had come to tell Denton she had the diary. He was going to be angry.

  “We’ll have to check again,” she said.

  Alice pulled a card out of her pocket. “Here’s my number if you need to talk to me,” she said, handing it to Quilla. “Quite frankly, I don’t understand Tom going this long without a woman. He isn’t known to deny himself pleasures even if Sadie is dead.”

  Melissa became extra busy searching for a number. Quilla couldn’t believe it. Was she actually having an affair with Tom when she was his friend’s mistress? Of course, Tom was the more attractive man, but still. Quilla regarded Melissa, who was still acting guilty. She was working at the apartment. He must have chosen her for a reason. Quilla made a mental note to stop by there later on.

  The women left, but Quilla stayed for a while. It felt good working again, just looking out the window and breathing in crisp, fresh air.

  Denton was talking with her father, and Quilla wished she could spend the day there. Her store carrie
d a nice assortment of items.

  There were the rhinestone collars that many men thought were over the top, but some women truly enjoyed dressing their dogs to look pretty. She glanced at the tree with all the pictures of the dogs she missed seeing on daily visits, that she missed handing out treats to. Some of them even ate from her hand. Running Reo’s treat shop was a job she truly enjoyed.

  Loretta called her on the cell phone and Quilla asked her to come by the shop. She gave her directions and hung up.

  She glanced down at Lucky. She sat beside Quilla complacently right now. But the smell of something in a pot pulled her attention.

  She took the top off the Crock-Pot for a peek. Some kind of heavenly smelling stew was bubbling. Her father was quite the cook.

  Loretta arrived a few minutes later. She had changed into a different pair of slacks and pretty aqua top that complemented her face and made her resemble Sadie more. She had the same pretty curvature and lively eyes. Only Loretta seemed more sophisticated.

  “I was thinking I’d have something after the wake, maybe a buffet,” she said.

  But as they were making plans a couple of volunteers from the dog rescue groups Sadie worked with and another for the homeless shelter dropped by. The people from the dog rescue offered to sponsor a buffet. Many of the volunteers were well-to-do and Sadie had worked with them since she had arrived in Alexandria.

  It was only fitting, Quilla thought, that her friends pitch in to give her a good send-off.

  An hour later, Quilla, Denton, and Jake returned home. Before she left, her father seemed tired and Quilla had dished some stew in a container and sent it home with him.

  For now, whatever she and her father shared seemed to be flowing along. At this point, neither of them was willing to rock the boat.

  For some reason Quilla couldn’t understand, she felt some attachment to him. She almost hated herself for wanting things to be right between them. He’d treated her mother horribly, so how could she feel anything for him but hatred?

  Worse, what kind of person did it make her?

  Quilla had expected to have that heart-to-heart with Denton when they returned to his apartment, but he was called out and Jake ended up staying with her until he returned.