The Drowned Woman Read online

  ‘You reek of whiskey,’ Arliss said.

  ‘What of it? I don’t put on airs. I know from where I’ve come.’

  ‘Enjoy yourselves,’ Arliss said. And with a nod, she left us.

  ‘I see she’s still up to her old tricks.’ A man with a thick shock of white hair stood next to Granna. Although he had a round belly, he stood tall and strong as he surveyed the room with shrewd and authoritative eyes.

  ‘Ken,’ she said, offering her cheek to him for the proffered kiss. ‘Meet Zeke’s wife, Sarah. Sarah, Ken Connor.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, seeing the resemblance between Ken Connor, Wade and Joe. Although Ken’s hair was white, he had the same intelligent eyes, but where Joe’s eyes were serious, and Wade’s expression full of intensity, Ken Connor smiled at me with kindness.

  ‘Welcome to Millport,’ he said. ‘Lavinia and I wanted to see you and Zeke, perhaps have you over for a Sunday lunch. Are you enjoying it here?’

  ‘I’m adjusting to the blistering heat,’ I said.

  Granna sipped from her flask and offered it to Ken. He took it and sipped as well.

  ‘You always did have good taste in whisky.’ He smiled as he handed the flask back to her. I stood by and listened while they spoke of the war, the speculation in the newspapers of Hitler’s imminent assassination, gasoline rationing, and the impending strike at the mill. Soon Granna wandered off, leaving Mr Connor and me alone.

  ‘She’s a force to be reckoned with,’ Ken said.

  ‘She’s been very kind,’ I said. ‘Do you mind if I ask you about Rachel Caen’s case?’ When a waiter walked by, Ken grabbed a glass of champagne. He took a sip and set the glass down on a nearby table. ‘Of course not. Ask away.’ He took a cigarette out of a silver case and stuck it in his mouth. He didn’t light it. He just let it hang there for a moment. ‘I can’t really comment on an ongoing investigation. But I know who killed her, and I am in the process of getting proof. As god is my witness, I’ll see that justice is served.’

  ‘Why don’t you tell Joe—’

  ‘What are you two talking about so seriously?’ Daphne stepped between us, all smiles and charm. ‘How do you like Sarah, Ken? We’ve been having such fun. It’s nice to have another woman at the house.’

  ‘If you ladies will excuse me. Nice to meet you, Sarah.’ Ken wove through the crowd and joined a group of men who were moving through the buffet line. Next to me, Daphne stood frozen, silent.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked.

  She stared at Ken Connor’s retreating figure as if she hadn’t heard me. ‘Daphne?’

  ‘Nothing, other than Ken being a bit rude. He didn’t even speak to me.’ She smiled at me. ‘Are you having a good time? My mother insists that I mingle, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave you on your own.’

  ‘That’s fine,’ I said. ‘I may get a plate of food and go find Granna.’

  ‘Have you seen Simon? I thought he’d be here by now. Never mind. I’m sure he’ll show eventually.’

  Zeke stepped through the patio doors, spotted us, and smiled.

  ‘Sorry to make you face this crowd alone.’

  ‘I’m glad you’re here, darling,’ Daphne said. ‘I need to do Mother’s bidding, and I didn’t want to leave Sarah without anyone to talk to. There she is now. Off I go.’

  ‘I’m surprised Daphne is such an obedient daughter,’ I said to Zeke.

  ‘Arliss Winslow doesn’t take no for an answer,’ Zeke said. ‘I’m sorry I’m late.’

  ‘Crisis averted?’

  ‘For now,’ Zeke said. ‘Father won’t budge on the wage increase, but we’ve asked the workers for a two-day reprieve, and they agreed. I have a plan, but I can’t do anything until I find Simon. Have you seen him?’

  ‘No, but I met Ken Connor.’ I made sure no one eavesdropped on our conversation. ‘He says he knows who killed Rachel and that he’s getting proof.’

  Zeke shook his head. ‘He’s said that before, and nothing’s ever come of it. Let’s get out of here. Give me a few minutes and we’ll slip out the back door.’

  Zeke had his back to the party, so he didn’t see Ken Connor break away from the buffet line and head toward us.

  ‘Zeke? Can I talk to you for a minute?’ Ken said.

  ‘Sure,’ Zeke said.

  ‘Alone?’ Ken looked at me.

  ‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I’ll just be outside, Zeke.’

  ‘I won’t be long,’ Zeke said. He and Ken moved away from the throng and sat down in two chairs tucked into the corner of the room. I wandered around, aimless, not quite sure to whom I should speak.

  ‘Penny for your thoughts?’ A woman with kind eyes and gray hair peered at me. ‘I’m Lavinia Connor. You must be Sarah?’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ I said.

  ‘We’re so glad that you and Zeke have come home,’ she said. ‘I saw you talking to my husband, and assumed you were speaking about Rachel. He gets a certain look on his face when he discusses her case. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t go through his files, looking for some clue.’ A tiny, bird-like woman, she looked up at me with brilliant blue eyes, her silver hair tufted atop her head like a nest. ‘I think the past should be left alone, don’t you?’

  ‘I don’t think that anyone should get away with murder,’ I said.

  ‘A woman of substance.’ Lavinia smiled at me. ‘How are you and Daphne getting along?’

  ‘She’s been very kind and welcoming,’ I said. ‘Do you live nearby?’

  ‘No, dear. I live on the other side of town.’ She leaned close to me. ‘Have you heard about our cat burglar? It’s quite exciting. The Van Elstens had their silverware taken while they were asleep in their beds.’

  ‘Joe mentioned it to us when we arrived.’

  ‘We don’t get much excitement around here.’ She sighed and met my eyes. ‘You probably enjoy being out of the limelight.’

  So she knew. I wondered how long it would take her to bring up the murder trial, and the newspapers headlines that didn’t cast me in the light.

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I followed the trial, you know. I thought you were very brave,’ she said. ‘And I read about that woman who was going to kill her husband. You saved his life, too.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say I actually—’

  ‘Nonsense. Take your credit, my dear! I, for one, am very proud to know you. Please promise that you will come to see us.’

  ‘Lavinia.’ I heard Arliss’s hard, shrill voice before I saw her.

  Lavinia and I stepped away from each other like two children caught raiding the cookie jar. ‘There you are,’ Arliss said. She ignored me completely. ‘Would you please go and sit with Mrs Crowel? She has been guzzling the champagne. I want to make sure she doesn’t embarrass herself.’

  Arliss had elbowed her way between Lavinia Connor and me, all but cutting me out of the conversation.

  ‘Of course,’ Lavinia said. She gave me a pitying look before she walked toward the crowd under the tent, where a woman wearing a bright red wig and a green dress danced with two men. She held a champagne glass, its contents sloshing onto the floor and the people around her as she shook and shimmied. I would have laughed out loud if Arliss Winslow wasn’t standing close, giving me the evil eye. The minute Lavinia Connor disappeared into the crowd, Arliss hissed, ‘Don’t be fooled by Lavinia Connor’s kindness. You don’t belong here. You will never be one of us. We don’t want you.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ I said. ‘Moreover, I’ve become hardened to cheap gossip, so your words mean little.’ I set my champagne glass down on the nearest table, gave Arliss a beaming smile, and walked away from her.

  I meandered around, smiling at people, uttering trite responses to equally vapid questions, until I found Zeke, still engaged in conversation with Ken Connor. I caught his eye and pointed to the French doors that led outside. He nodded. I headed out to find a spot to wait for him, away from the crowd.

  Several tables and chairs were nestled amo
ng boxed shrubs around the patio. The arrangement provided private seating areas for those wishing to take a break from the crowd. I found a little nook with a table for two, behind the large fountain. Just as I sat down, the music stopped, and the band took their first break. The dancers moved to the buffet line. Arliss Winslow stepped up to the microphone on the bandstand, welcomed her guests, and invited them in to dinner. My encounter with Arliss had taken away my appetite, and I now welcomed the privacy.

  I leaned back in my little chair, enjoying the night noises and the sound of the babbling fountain. Ken Connor’s words kept running through my head. ‘I know who killed her, and I am in the process of getting proof. As god is my witness, I’ll see that justice is served.’

  My thoughts were interrupted when Sophie came out onto the terrace, looking like a schoolgirl playing dress-up in a black slinky gown, backless and clinging. She had on high heels and no stockings. One hand held a long, ebony cigarette holder, the other held a bottle of champagne. Sophie took a swig out of the bottle.

  ‘Sophie, put that champagne down immediately before someone sees you.’ Arliss Winslow charged at her daughter like a bull after a red cape.

  Sophie moved out of her mother’s way and took another swig of the bottle.

  ‘Leave me alone, Mother. I’m not in the mood for you.’

  ‘You’re drunk.’ Arliss made the pronouncement like a hanging judge.

  ‘Indeed I am. And I plan to continue. So leave me alone.’

  I eavesdropped without shame, enjoying Mrs Winslow’s anger. Even though I didn’t care for Sophie, I admired the way she stood up to her mother.

  ‘I see you’ve run Sarah off,’ Sophie said. ‘Well done.’

  ‘Keep your voice down. Get in the house now. Go upstairs and change your clothes. I’ll send someone up with food and coffee. You can come down when you’ve sobered up. Either that, or you can stay in your room.’

  ‘Knock it off, Mother. I’m tired of doing your bidding, tired of your senseless manipulations.’ She took a puff of her cigarette and blew the smoke in Arliss’s face. ‘Frankly, Mother, I’m tired of you.’

  The slap came out of nowhere. Hand on skin, loud and stinging. I peered at them through the box hedge. I held my breath, ready for Sophie, the brave rebel, to react. Her eyes flashed, and even in the dusk I could see the red outline of Arliss’s hand starting to bloom on Sophie’s white cheek.

  ‘That’ll knock some sense into you. Come in at once.’ Arliss Winslow walked away from Sophie, confident that her daughter would follow. Sophie shrank before my eyes, defeated and beaten. I hated Arliss Winslow then. Sophie hung her head and followed her mother into the house, her proverbial tail tucked between her legs, when a figure stepped out of the shadows.

  I covered my mouth to stifle the involuntary gasp. Joe took the champagne bottle from Sophie and set it down on a nearby table.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ I had to strain to hear Sophie’s words.

  ‘Trying to find a minute alone with you. It’s not easy with your mother always trying to keep us apart.’ I peered between the bushes as Joe moved close to Sophie and put his arm around her. Much to my surprise, she leaned into him. ‘Why do you let her push you around like that?’

  ‘Stop being so nice to me,’ Sophie said. She pushed away from him and took a cigarette out of a small bag she carried. She tried to put it in the cigarette holder, but Joe wrested it away from her, tore it in half and threw it in one of the ashtrays that lay close by. ‘Knock it off, Sophie. You know you hate smoking. What are you playing at? Why won’t you marry me? Let me take care of you.’

  Sophie reached up and touched Joe’s cheek, a thousand words conveyed in that gentle caress.

  ‘Sophie?’ Arliss Winslow barked.

  ‘Coming Mother,’ Sophie called. ‘I’m sorry, Joe.’ She walked toward the house like a frightened child walking to the front of the class for a paddling.

  I waited in the shadows as Joe slipped away. Time to find Zeke. I was leaving, with or without him.

  We met on the patio.

  ‘Let’s get out of here,’ he said. ‘Do you mind walking?’

  ‘Not if you don’t.’

  ‘My leg’s not hurting,’ he said. ‘I’ll get rid of this wretched cane one of these days.’

  We headed toward the footpath that led through the woods to the Caen house. Moonlight flooded the path with silver light, showing us the way. When we got close to the abandoned barn, Zeke led me off the path.

  ‘Come here. I want to show you something.’ He took me into his arms and brushed my lips with his. We stood like that for a moment, enveloped by the soft strains of the music and the warm June breeze. ‘Follow me.’

  He took me to the abandoned barn. The old picnic table that sat in front of it was now covered with a linen tablecloth. Two empty wine bottles held candles, which Zeke lit. He reached under the table and surprised me with a bucket of champagne on ice and a wicker hamper from which he withdrew two China plates, two crystal champagne flutes, and a big serving platter wrapped in kitchen linens. Zeke unwrapped the linen to reveal a feast of cold chicken, deviled eggs, coleslaw, and potato salad.

  ‘What is this?’ I asked.

  ‘An impromptu picnic at our old barn. We used to keep the horses here, until Daphne convinced my father to build her the new stables closer to the house. It’s dry as tinder and really needs to be demolished. Simon, Will, and I used to play here when we were kids. Our sentiment has kept it standing.’ He poured two flutes of champagne and handed one to me. ‘That was the past. Now I am here with you. Thanks for coming home with me, Sarah. I know it hasn’t been easy.’ We held up our glasses in a silent toast.

  ‘Mrs Griswold has done us proud,’ Zeke said, as he piled food on a plate.

  ‘This is perfect,’ I said, realizing just how hungry I had become.

  ‘It’s nice to be alone with you,’ Zeke said. ‘Much better than Arliss Winslow’s party.’ The band started again, and ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000’ serenaded us. We listened, leaning against each other, enjoying the music, glad to be away from the crowd. The band played ‘In the Mood,’ ‘A-Train,’ the whole retinue of popular dance music.

  ‘What were you and Ken Connor talking about?’ Zeke tensed at my question. I persisted, nonetheless. ‘Do the police think Simon had anything to do with Rachel’s murder?’

  ‘Finding the emeralds in his office didn’t exactly endear him to the police. There’s talk.’

  ‘He didn’t kill her,’ I said. ‘I’m sure of it.’

  ‘How can you be so certain? You only just met him.’

  I shrugged. ‘Call it intuition, if you want. I just know in my heart that Simon didn’t kill anyone. He’s too …’ I chose my words carefully, ‘… weak. I can see that he gambles and is a bit reckless when it comes to money, but your brother is not a murderer. And if he is arrested, I am going to clear his name.’

  ‘If my brother’s arrested, we will both clear his name. We’ll work together. No secrets?’

  ‘No secrets,’ I said.

  ‘Joe Connor won’t be too happy to discover you meddling in one of his investigations.’

  I took a sip of champagne. ‘Joe Connor will have to deal with that.’

  He kissed me. ‘If you’ll reach into the hamper, you’ll find a tin with a large slab of chocolate cake in it.’

  I reached under the table.

  ‘There’s another box as well, bring that out too.’

  Zeke got two forks and we shared the cake, eating it right out of the tin. I reached for the leather box that Zeke had set on the table. ‘What’s this?’

  ‘A little bird told me you took a fancy to it.’

  There, nestled on the white silk which lined the box lay the fountain pen, the gold filigreed overlay gleaming in the moonlight.

  ‘This is beautiful. You’ve got to stop spoiling me,’ I said.

  ‘Not a chance,’ he said. ‘I love the look on your face when I give you gifts.’


  He kissed me, and I soon forgot about the pen, the chocolate cake, and everything else. ‘You two are all over each other like children.’ Simon walked into the clearing by the barn, dressed in work clothes, a serious look on his face.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Zeke asked.

  Simon took in our picnic, the champagne bottle turned upside down in the ice bucket. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt your tete-a-tete, but we have a situation at the plant.’

  ‘What? Simon, be serious. What could possibly require you to need me at the plant at ten-thirty at night?’

  ‘A malfunction in one of the machines,’ Simon said. ‘Production has come to a full stop. Bob Napier thinks he can patch it together, but I don’t think it will be safe. The men are coming in the morning to fix it, but we need to move things around so the repairmen can work. I was thinking the women could continue with sewing the fabric. At least we won’t have to shut down completely—’

  ‘Okay,’ Zeke said. ‘I’ll take Sarah home and meet you there.’

  ‘I’ve got my car at the road,’ Simon said. ‘I’ll drive Sarah home and take you myself.’ We didn’t speak as we packed up our picnic. Simon helped us carry the baskets to the car, where we stowed them in the trunk. When we arrived at the house, Zeke walked me to the door, saw me safely in, and sped off with Simon.

  Chapter 9

  I awoke to a relentless pounding on the bedroom door. The bedside clock said seven-thirty.

  ‘Go away,’ Zeke called from the bedroom.

  ‘It’s me, Helen. Please, let me in.’

  Zeke groaned.

  ‘I’m coming,’ I said. When I stood up, a throbbing pain started behind my eyes, the price I would pay for the champagne we had consumed last night.

  I opened the door to Helen, whose eyes were swollen into slits from crying. She followed me into the room and sat down on the sofa.

  ‘Sarah—’ She could barely get the words out.

  ‘Take a breath,’ I said. I rubbed her back as I handed her a handkerchief. Zeke swept by me, on his way to the bathroom.