Lettie didn't remember the drive home from Sophie's house. She figured she was in a state of shock. After parking her van in the garage, she unlocked the door leading to her immaculate green and white kitchen. The kitchen was rarely used; therefore, it was never a mess.
She pitched her briefcase on the round pedestal table, which she had paid next to nothing for at a recent estate sale. Her ex-husband, Doug, had always loved modern furniture, and she had always liked antiques and traditional styling. When they divorced, she sold all the furniture that he hadn't taken. She wanted to start over in a new place with furnishings she liked.
Her mind veered in one direction and then another. Not only was she upset about Charlotte's death, but also she considered the possibility of the death being murder. Who would gain by Char's death? Certainly, Amelia. Obviously Lettie did not know the details of the partnership agreement between the two sisters, and her assumption that they shared equally in the business might be erroneous.
What about Jeff? Would he inherit part or all of Char's half of the business? Char was too nice to have any enemies, so if she had been murdered, financial gain must be the motive. Also, if it were murder, Charlotte most certainly would have to have been poisoned considering there were no signs of violence in the house. Her pain medication would have been a perfect method. Lettie’s inquisitive mind tended to run to the extreme. Speculating about what happened would keep her occupied for the remainder of the night since she believed sleep would prove impossible.
She needed to talk to someone, and, her daughter, Renee, would be up studying for finals. Besides long distance rates were low at this hour.
Renee showed an independence at twenty-two that Lettie had not attained in her lifetime. She hoped Renee wouldn't think she was a wimp, but she simply had to discuss Charlotte's death with someone close to her.
The phone rang twice before Renee answered. Lettie, whose foot tapped furiously, blurted out what had happened hours earlier. Renee was shocked but had a much calmer response toward crises than Lettie. After much rambling and speculation on Lettie's part, Renee changed the subject. They discussed school, finals, and boys. Lettie's foot had stopped its activity for the moment, and she felt the muscles in her shoulders and neck begin to relax.
After a lengthy discourse about her date the previous weekend, Renee had exhausted all the news from South Bend and Lettie’s alma mater. Lettie told Renee about seeing Mitch, and the conversation continued. Finally, Renee called a halt stating that she need to get back to her studies. Lettie promised to keep her informed of the latest developments, and they hung up.
She looked at the grandfather clock in the entry hall. Almost three o'clock. More relaxed than before her phone call to Renee, she reached for the colorful wool in her knitting basket. Her current major knitting project was a Kaffe Fassett designed sweater called Tapestry Leaf. Knitting always calmed her, and this design was intricate enough to occupy her thoughts. Maybe it would soothe her enough so that she could relax even more and go to sleep. She doubted this very much, but decided to have a go at it. Her grandfather clock struck four times. The hour had flown and she had concentrated on the sweater pattern so much that her mind was more serene. After putting down the yarn, she laid down on the couch.
She pulled an afghan off the back of the couch and positioned it just under her chin. She heard the phone ringing and raised her stiff and aching body to grab the receiver on the fourth ring. She looked at the time noting it was seven. The sun poured through the bay window in the living room, because she had forgotten to close the drapes the previous night. It was hard for her to believe she had slept.
"Hello."
"Lettie, this is Mitch."
Lettie's heart was racing--partly from being awakened by the phone and partly from hearing Mitch's husky voice.
"Would you like to have breakfast this morning with an old beau?"
Lettie thought perhaps she wasn't really awake and this was a dream.
"Did you say breakfast this morning?" Lettie queried.
"How about my bringing over some doughnuts and coffee?"
"Now? I just woke up. I'll need to take a shower and get dressed."
"Can you be ready in a half an hour?"
"I suppose so. But don't expect much with this short notice."
"See you soon."
"Do you know where I live?"
"Of course! I can read a phone book."
"Very funny. I'm not thinking very clearly yet. I never was a morning person and after what happened last night I didn't get to sleep until sometime after four a.m."
"See you in half an hour then."
Why was Mitch coming to her house for breakfast? She raced upstairs, through a short hall, and into the master bedroom. It was good that Mitch had not just dropped in and seen her in clothes she had been wearing for nearly twenty‑four hours, she thought. Her blonde hair was no longer in a bun, but hung in clumps around her shoulders, and the remnants of her mascara looked like two streams of lava on her face.
She stripped off the grimy clothes and jumped into the shower. The hot shower served as a wake up call to her senses, and she began to feel better as she quickly toweled off.
Each day Lettie took great care in selecting the clothes she would wear. A walk-in closet for her had been one plus that had come from her divorce. From the jammed closet, she selected a pair of gray cashmere slacks and a pink silk blouse. Now what shoes to wear? Lettie was a shoe collector. The last time she counted she had over one hundred pairs of shoes. Her closet had an entire wall covered with shoe racks. Eventually she selected a pair of gray leather flats. She hoped that she hadn't overdressed. Her normal at home attire was jeans, but she wanted to look good for Mitch.
There wasn't much she could do with her wet hair, so she scooped her naturally wavy hair into a ponytail. Normally, Lettie spent a great deal of time on her hair. Adding a pair of pearl stud earrings and a gold bangle bracelet completed the outfit.
She applied face powder, blush, and some lipstick. Being blessed with a creamy, flawless complexion, she rarely wore much makeup, and this would have to do for now because it was almost time for Mitch to arrive.
Lettie went downstairs, straightened the living room, and mentally kicked herself for not offering to make coffee. When the doorbell rang, she noticed her heart racing again and surmised that it was from all the hurrying she had done. She took a quick peek in the mirror and smoothed her hair. Her hands were cold and clammy. Irritated at her nervousness, she took a deep breath and opened the front door.
Mitch had on the same clothes as the night before, but he still looked put together. Only the dark circles under his eyes betrayed the fact that he had not slept the previous night.
"Hi there. Come on in."
"Where shall we eat this veritable feast?"
"I think breakfast is a kitchen kind of thing, don't you?"
"Whatever you say. Lead the way."
Lettie closed the door and lead the way to the kitchen. "I apologize for not offering to make coffee. I just wasn't thinking with all that's gone on and not getting enough sleep."
"Don't worry about it. With the hours I keep, I'm used to drinking any kind of coffee I can get as long as it has caffeine. Anyway, Delectable Doughnuts does make a mean cup of coffee."
"Have a seat here at the table while I get some plates."
"I brought your favorite chocolate iced cake doughnuts."
Gazing at him in astonishment, she was amazed that he would remember that this had been her favorite breakfast food. That was before the big 4-0. Since that transitional age, if she even looked at anything sweet, the calories transformed to inches on her hips and thighs.
"I may be pushing fifty, but my memory is still fairly good. After all the nights we stopped to get doughnuts and coffee before I took you home from a date, how could I forget? You always wanted chocolate doughnuts."
Lettie was grateful at the consideration Mitch had always shown toward her. His kindness in bringing something he knew she truly loved brought back fond memories. At the same time she recalled their last date.
They both knew that their relationship had been disintegrating for at least six months, but they both had refused to acknowledge it. They had dated throughout high school and part of their freshman year in college, but having two hundred miles between them had caused a rift. Both had found the relationship confining--Lettie more than Mitch.
She was away from home for the first time in her life, and had met Doug in South Bend. He had been attending Notre Dame while she was a student at St. Mary's. They met at a Notre Dame football game, and he had flirted shamelessly with her. After that, they began studying together. She didn't actually have any official dates with him while still going with Mitch, but they spent a lot of time together.
Doug was so different from Mitch. He seemed so much more cosmopolitan. A native of Chicago, he had traveled to Europe and sampled many things in life that Lettie had not. His family was wealthy and belonged to all the right organizations and clubs. This had been so exciting to a naive young lady from southern Indiana.
Mitch, on the other hand, had come from a family of five brothers and sisters. His mother and father were hard workers, but they never had an excess of anything. They were good, decent people and had produced hardworking, intelligent children.
She had dreaded that last date. She knew she was going to break up with Mitch, and she felt miserable because she didn't want to hurt him. After much conversation and many tears from both parties, they parted amicably. Of course, they had lost touch and had rarely seen each other over the years. The sound of Mitch's voice brought Lettie back from her memories.
"I guess you're wondering why I've showed up at this hour of the morning."
"I assumed it had something to do with Charlotte," she responded.
"You assumed correctly. As you might have guessed, I was up all night working on this case."
"Mitch, do you think Charlotte really could have been murdered? I have been thinking since I found her body about how other people could gain from her death. When you said the death was suspicious, my mind went into overdrive trying to figure why someone would kill her. Char was such a nice person I can't think of a motive except money. Since there was vomit near her body, I thought maybe someone could have poisoned her. My imagination is working overtime, but she was so healthy. Maybe I'm in denial, because I don't want to think of anyone who is near my age dying of natural causes."
"Hold on a minute. The coroner is doing an autopsy as we speak. Since you and your friends told me how healthy she was, I told the coroner. She will be checking for everything, including poison. Since there was the partially drunk cup of tea by the bed, I'm having it analyzed. I've sealed off the Downey house, so that nothing else can be disturbed. No criticism, but you and your friends might have accidentally tampered with evidence, since you were all over Charlotte's house. Of course, this is assuming that she was murdered."
"Oh Mitch, I thought this might just be my imagination running wild. So you think someone could have put something in her tea. That would have been a safe bet since that is practically all she ever drank."
"I remember your inventive imagination. Remember when you thought Jerry Clark stole your puppy?"
"Let's not talk about that. It's too embarrassing."
"Okay, back to Charlotte. I wondered if you could remember if anyone had anything against her; that is, enough to murder her."
"Of course the obvious--Amelia. I don't know her, but she seems like such a nasty person. She didn't even seem to be concerned with her sister's death. On top of that, she planned to work this morning. Then, Jeff would benefit from her death, but he was in Chicago. Other than that, I don't know anyone who didn't like her. Of course, Sophie knew her better than I did. You should talk to her again."
"I will and all the other girls in the bridge group. That's another thing I need to get their names, addresses, and phone numbers from you." While Lettie found the list of Covered Bridgers in her roll top desk, Mitch helped himself to a second doughnut.
"Hey, I might just take you up on that pot of coffee. I think I could use another cup." Lettie handed Mitch the list to look over, and he began copying the needed information. She retrieved a package of coffee beans from her refrigerator, and while she ground the beans, she began humming. Considering what had happened last night, she felt fairly good.
She had that cozy feeling she always had when she and Doug were first married. This was insane! Mitch had only come over to talk about Charlotte. Wondering if he were still married, she stealthily looked at his left hand. He wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Of course, that didn't mean anything. Thousands of men didn't wear wedding bands. What was she thinking? Did she hope that she and Mitch could become a twosome? After all, she had learned to be independent again and wasn't looking for a lasting relationship. After more than twenty-five years, they probably had nothing in common but their memories. She felt foolish and irritated at herself.
The sound of Mitch's voice brought her back to reality.
"What did you say? I was thinking about something."
"I asked if you wanted another chocolate doughnut."
"Of course, I might as well throw my diet to the four winds."
"You're on a diet?"
"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I weigh at least twenty pounds more than when we were in high school."
"You sure look fine to me."
"Thanks, but ever since that wonderful fortieth birthday, I can't seem to keep my weight under control. I used to be able to eat anything, but I can't now. However, under the circumstances, I can't refuse one of my favorite things."
While the coffeepot dripped its dark brew, Lettie devoured doughnut number two for the morning.
"I think you should eat a chocolate doughnut once in a while, so you wouldn't have to swallow them whole."
"Are you making fun of me?"
"No, I'm just trying to give an old friend some advice."
"I hope you don't think I'm too old. After all, I am younger than you," Lettie blurted out. "Only by a few months, and anyway I didn't mean a thing by the word 'old,' maybe 'longtime' would have been a better choice of words."
The sounds of coffee dripping stopped, and Lettie immediately reached for her favorite stoneware mugs. Remembering that Mitch took his coffee black, she placed the filled mug in front of him. She put a teaspoon of heavy whipping cream in her mug. Cream was one thing that she had not given up on her diet, but she had succumbed to using only a teaspoon per cup instead of a tablespoon.
"Speaking of not forgetting. You remembered I drank my coffee black."
"Not too bad for an 'old' friend, huh?"
"I suppose you're never going to let me forget that."
"Probably not."
She thought about how much fun she was having under the circumstances. She even felt calm after such a traumatic night.
"Well, I think I'll get going. I'm going to try to get a few hours sleep. The coroner said she would get the autopsy completed by one o'clock, and I want to see the report first thing. I hope I haven't spoiled your morning."
"Heavens no. I'm usually up at six. I couldn't sleep last night, so I knitted until I got drowsy and went to sleep on the couch, so I'm actually got up an hour later than normal. It's a good thing you called, or I might have slept all morning. At least stay for another cup of coffee, since I made it." After Mitch finished his second cup of Lettie's coffee, they walked slowly to the door.
"Mitch, would you mind phoning me when you find out what killed Charlotte. I'll be wondering about what happened, and it would be nicer to hear it from you than wait for tomorrow morning's paper."
"As soon as I can, I'll call. I wouldn't want that overactive imagination of yours to get out of control. It really was nice seeing you and having doughnuts like the good old days."
"Yes it was."
She wanted to say that she hoped they could see each other again soon, but her lack of courage and good sense told her that was not the proper thing to do.
"Remember to call me as soon as you can, you know I'll be waiting on pins and needles."
"Don't worry, you'll be the first nonofficial person I'll call."
With a quick goodbye and a casual wave, he turned and hurried to his car without looking back. Lettie stood in her doorway watching his car leave the main entrance, her thoughts in a whirl.