Lettie tried to regain her composure. So much had happened since last night, and she wrestled with raging emotions: the death of Charlotte and the reappearance of her first love. Deciding to get organized for the day, she scurried to the kitchen to begin her list making. She had been making lists since Renee was little. It was her way of keeping her life in order. Note pads and pens rested near every phone in her condominium. She poured another cup of coffee, sat down at the kitchen table, and began writing. The phone interrupted her scribbling. Gloria Spencer wanted to discuss what type of food Lettie would take to the Downey’s house. Sophie had agreed to prepare one-hour yeast rolls and a layered salad. Lettie settled on a broccoli casserole and some kind of dessert.
"Lettie, would you mind driving your van to pick up all the food?"
"Sure. No problem."
"Why don't you pick me up, and I'll keep everything from toppling over."
"Okay, but there's no hurry. The police have sealed off Charlotte's house until they figure out the cause of death. Mitch Crawford came over this morning. I know you don't know him, but he is the detective investigating Charlotte's death."
"What on earth did the police want with you?"
"Mitch and I dated in high school; and, since you aren't from around here, you wouldn’t have reason to know him. He wanted to talk to me about Charlotte's friends because he thinks there is something suspicious about her death."
"What did he say? Why would he think the cause of her death was questionable?"
"He believes she could have been poisoned." Lettie employed a little license with what Mitch had told her.
"How horrible. Who would want to poison dear Charlotte? She didn't have an enemy in the world and never spoke ill of anyone or hurt anyone that I know of. Of course, I've only known her for the five years I've lived in Stafford."
"If I were guessing, I would say she was killed for her money."
"Surely Jeff will inherit her money, and he couldn't have killed her," Gloria responded.
"It could have been her sister, Amelia. After all, she might inherit the business and not Jeff."
"I thought that a husband in this state always inherited everything."
"Well, I don't know about that, but if you want I could talk to my attorney. He certainly could clarify that point."
"Oh well, it doesn't matter. She probably just died. We most likely will find out after Jeff gets back in town." Cutting the conversation short, Gloria announced, "I need to get going so I can call the rest of the girls. Talk to you later."
Lettie replaced the receiver and walked to her bookshelf of cookbooks. Her memory for the ingredients of the broccoli casserole failed her. A list for groceries was now necessary. Fresh broccoli was a requirement, and she knew she didn't have that. A quick search of her refrigerator revealed cream cheese and Parmesan cheese, neither of which was moldy--a minor miracle. Having not yet decided on her dessert, she wrote "dessert" on her list as a reminder. She regretted volunteering to bring something fattening.
The last two years her meals had consisted of Gourmet Delight frozen dinners and many nights of ordering in or going out. Most of the decent eateries in Stafford had seen her at one time or another. She didn't really like eating out alone, so she always took one of her murder mysteries with her as a companion. Her favorite restaurant for lunch was the Ladybug Café, which served wonderful homemade courses. For dinner, her choice was the Fireside Restaurant, which served lighter, healthier cuisine. Her lists complete, she looked at the clock. Only three hours until Mitch would get the coroner's report. It might as well be an eternity. Mentally she chastised herself for not giving him her cellular phone number in case she wasn't at home when he received the autopsy report.
Lettie called Watkins and Edwards Real Estate, her employer, to confirm that nothing earth shattering needed her attention. Gina, the receptionist, assured her that she would call if anyone needed her. Fortunately, she didn't have any appointments scheduled for the day.
Lettie went to the living room and retrieved her knitting from the basket stationed at the side of the couch. While knitting, she began to think more clearly. After she finished three rows on the elaborate pattern, the phone rang. Lettie jumped. Her nerves must be more ragged than she had thought. "Hi, Sophie. I intended to call you, but I decided I'd let you sleep in. It was hard for me to wait because I have so much to tell you." "That was nice of you; now listen. I just looked out my living room window and saw yellow tape all around Charlotte's house. What do you think is going on?"
"The police have sealed off the house, because they think Charlotte might have been murdered. Mitch came here this morning asking questions about the bridge group. He brought over chocolate doughnuts. It was 'a blast from the past' as they say on the oldies station."
"You and Mitch are getting rather cozy." "Funny, Sophie. We're old friends, and he just wanted information. Since he knows me better than the rest of the Covered Bridgers, he consulted me."
"He could have called, you know."
"You're right, I didn't think about that." Her mind wandered momentarily. "Lettie, I can't imagine anyone wanting to murder Charlotte. You know how everyone loved her. Who does Mitch think had a motive for murder?"
"I don't know. We can clear ourselves of the alleged crime, and I don't think anyone in the bridge club would have any reason to kill her."
"Maybe he should consider some of her charities. Something could be amiss with the people or goings on in one of them."
"My theory is that she was killed for her money. That would leave two prime suspects: Jeff or Amelia or both. Of course, I'm assuming that either of them would profit financially by her death."
"From what I saw last night, I think that Amelia is capable of about anything, but I can't imagine poor, sweet Jeff harming Charlotte. They seemed so devoted to one another," Sophie surmised. "You know the old phrase, about still water running deep. Well, he may not be what he seems. He's always so quiet, polite, and good to Char that I can't imagine him doing anything either. And he was in Chicago at the time of her death. It would seem to me that Amelia would be the chief suspect," Lettie added. "If she were poisoned, Jeff could have given her something before he left. However, she volunteered at the hospital, got her hair frosted, and was able to get back to the house. If Jeff had given her something in the morning, I would think she would have felt bad early in the day. Of course, poisons sometimes take a long time to take effect, so he could have given her something before he left the house." "Maybe she really was sick, though. She might have complained to someone. I think I'll call her hair dresser; what's her name?"
"Oh, it was someone at the Harried Hare Salon, but Gloria did the calling, remember."
"That's all right. I'll just call the salon and ask for the person who does Charlotte's hair. You might call someone on the hospital guild and see if she complained about not feeling well early in the day."
"Lettie, do you think we should be doing this? After all, we don't even know she has been murdered." "I know curiosity killed the cat but I don't see what harm it would do to ask a question concerning how she felt. People will just think we are concerned friends wondering about when she got sick. We don't have to tell the real reason we want to know."
"I guess you're right. I know some people in the hospital auxiliary. I'll call the volunteer office at the hospital as soon as we get off the phone."
"I'll contact her hair dresser this morning, and we can compare notes later. Why don't I come over to your house this afternoon? That way we can keep a watch on what's going on at Charlotte's." With Sophie's concurrence, Lettie said that she would be over as soon as she talked to Char's hairdresser. The autopsy results would probably come back while she was at Sophie's house. The afternoon loomed like an eternity. She had tolerance for the most tedious of tasks including intricate knitting patterns, but when it came to waiting for something, patience was not one of her virtues.
It was not difficult to get in touch with Charlotte's hairdresser. Veronica Collins was more than willing to discuss her client, whose hair she had been doing for many years. Concerning the previous day, she told Lettie that Charlotte seemed herself, until she received a phone call. Gloria Spencer had told the Covered Bridgers about the call, but Lettie had completely forgotten.
"The phone call seemed to agitate Charlotte, and she was in a hurry to get finished so she could go home. I couldn't rush her highlighting, but she left with her hair wet." Lettie suddenly recalled her dead friend's body. Charlotte's hair was not in a state of disarray. It had been curled as she normally wore it. Certainly Charlotte hadn't been badly ill if she had fixed her hair.
"Did she say who called?"
"She only told me that she had to meet someone at her house." Lettie's mind started spinning. Who could have called and why would they interrupt Charlotte while she was getting her hair done? She quickly thanked Veronica and returned the phone to its cradle. Could it have been the killer who called? Obviously, someone had been at Charlotte's house after Jeff had left in the morning.
This was indeed an intriguing twist, and she would act on it as soon as she heard from Mitch. Waiting was the hard part. Lettie decided to phone the police station to leave her cellular phone number in case she was away from home when Mitch got the news of the autopsy report.
She dialed the non-emergency number of the Stafford Police and asked to leave a message for Mitch. Her call was transferred to Jim White who had taken her statement the previous evening. Officer White reminded her that he was Mitch's partner and took her message.
With nothing left to do at home, Lettie put her knitting project in a tote bag, picked up her leather handbag, and headed to her garage. She would be at Sophie's in ten minutes.