Organized to Death Read online

  “I’ll be fine, Mother Morris,” he said. She stood aside so they could enter.

  “Hello, Tina. It’s good to see you,” she said, closing the door behind them.

  “You look tired,” Tina said.

  “Oh, I am. I am. Have to keep going, though. You know.”

  “I’ll get Nicky upstairs and into bed,” Rachel said.

  Mrs. Morris led Tina into a perfectly organized living room. Tina knew the whole house was organized down to the medicine cabinets. Crystal had inherited her mother’s love of order, but apparently the gene had bypassed Rachel completely. Oddly enough, Tina had never felt totally comfortable when she’d come to play with Crystal, or later to do homework with her and just talk in her bedroom. Too afraid she’d mess something up. And yet, she’d been attracted to the idea of having such a perfect home.

  She perched herself on a Queen Anne chair. A dish of potpourri sat on the drum table next to her, the scent fake and cloying.

  “How are you, dear?” Mrs. Morris asked. “And your mother, your Uncle Bob?

  “We’re all fine, thanks. Mother is her usual self, and Uncle Bob never changes.”

  They both laughed a bit.

  An awkward silence ensued, and Tina finally ventured to ask, “Have the police found out anything?”

  “No. No, they haven’t. Or if they have, they haven’t told me. It must have been very hard for you to find Crystal like that. Rachel is having nightmares, you know.”

  “I’m okay. Still in shock, a bit, I think. I’m sorry Rachel is having nightmares. I’m working right now, which helps take my mind off it.”

  “But the police won’t let Rachel in the house … “

  “No, not with Rachel. I got a job with Dr. Hockmann. Seems Dr. Stevenson didn’t clear everything out, and Ted, I mean Dr. Hockmann, asked me to help them out.”

  “Oh. I see.”

  What did she see? Tina couldn’t tell. Tina told herself not to be silly—it was just a phrase. But Mrs. Morris’s expression told Tina there was something unsaid. About Dr. Hockmann?

  “You’ve met him?” she asked.

  “Yes. Yes, after Crystal… After Crystal… died, he came to see me, gave me a sedative. One for Rachel, as well. There was something… off, about him. Oh, I shouldn’t be saying this. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, spouting off like that. I’m sure he’s a perfectly fine doctor.”

  “Of course,” Tina said, remembering her own uneasiness.

  Rachel came downstairs then, saving them from their discomfort.

  “Nicky’s asleep,” she said as she collapsed onto one of the two couches. “I wonder if the same person shot Crystal.”

  Mrs. Morris looked startled. “Probably. But why? What on earth could be the reason?”

  “I’d guess they both know something,” Tina said. “Maybe they don’t even know that it’s a problem for the, um, shooter.”

  “But that means Nicky is still in danger,” Rachel wailed.

  And so are you, Tina thought. Maybe Nicky wasn’t the target. Maybe you were.

  CHAPTER 9

  When she entered her house, she didn’t know how much more could she take. She’d missed her target. A twenty-two wasn’t good at such a distance, but it was all she had.

  Nicky, that nice young man, had clutched his chest, or maybe it was only his arm, but hadn’t fallen. All her other shots had gone wild. As she sped away, she hadn’t see anyone else around, so she hoped no one could identify her.

  She didn’t know whether to be happy or sad she hadn’t killed Rachel today. How many of them would she have to kill, anyway? She hadn’t counted, only knew that Rachel was a threat. She and Crystal were close, had been since they were young girls. It made sense that Crystal would tell her sister what she knew.

  Shaking all over, she poured herself some brandy and collapsed onto a kitchen chair. The hell with putting the brandy in her tea today.

  But while finishing her second glass, she realized she’d have to kill them all. Even Nicky. If Crystal told Rachel, and Rachel told Nicky, and Crystal also told her husband, Charles, and …

  She poured herself a third brandy.

  CHAPTER 10

  After both Rachel’s mother and Tina tried to reassure her, Tina left. As she drove the few blocks home, Tina realized it was only midafternoon. She hadn’t had lunch and thought she should probably go back to the doctor’s office, but just didn’t feel up to it.

  When she pulled into her driveway, she saw Brandon standing under the maple tree, obviously waiting for her. He tensed his large, strong frame when he saw her. She climbed out of her car, not sure whether she wanted to talk to him or not.

  But as she approached and saw the concern on his face, a sigh of relief escaped her, and she fell into his arms. Such a comfortable man, a man who always knew the right thing to do, who never made waves, except in court where he seemed to come alive, to be a different Brandon. With Tina, he was always gentle.

  So, of course, she resisted him. He coddled her, wanted to protect her from life. Right now, that felt wonderful. But at other times, it felt claustrophobic.

  After they hugged, he grasped her upper arms and moved her back a bit so he could look at her face.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. “I just heard about it on the news.”

  She gave a shaky laugh. “I’m fine. I’ll be okay, Brandon.” But thoughts of Crystal suddenly overwhelmed her, and she fell back into his arms, sobbing.

  She hadn’t really cried for Crystal. She’d been in denial. Crystal, for all her faults, had been a friend. They’d shared so much together, and now she was gone.

  “It’s all right,” Brandon murmured in her ear. “Go ahead and have a good cry.”

  Tina didn’t know how long they stood under the maple tree, but eventually her sobs turned to hiccups, and she pulled away.

  Then he ruined it. “You see why it’s better if you just marry me and don’t work.”

  She looked up at him, her face tear-streaked, her hand itching to slap him. She took a deep breath. “Thanks for letting me cry, Brandon. But I’m not some princess you can shut up in a tower and keep away from the world. I wouldn’t even want that. I’ll see you later.” She left him there.

  In the kitchen Uncle Bob sipped a cup of hot chocolate while feeding Princess some treats.

  When he saw her face, he jumped up and gave her a hug. “Just hit you, huh? Sit down. I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”

  Princess licked her hand. Tina buried her other hand in the dog’s thick yellow coat and willed herself calm while Uncle Bob put in his hearing aids and made her chocolate.

  Halfway through her drink, she said, “Nicky was shot.”

  “Nicky was shot,” Uncle Bob repeated. He wanted to be sure he heard her right.

  She nodded. “Outside the Morris house. Rachel brought him to the doctor’s office, and they called an ambulance. I took Rachel to the hospital and stayed with her while they patched Nicky up. He’ll be okay, but it’s just one more thing. I’m wondering if the shot was meant for Nicky or for Rachel. What could they know or have done to make someone shoot at either one, and why was Crystal murdered?”

  Uncle Bob shook his head. “The police will figure it out.”

  “I suppose so. I wish they’d hurry up. I need to call the doctor’s office, tell them what happened at the hospital and that I won’t be back today.”

  Just as she sank down onto her bed, the phone rang.

  Hank’s voice was warm in her ear. “You okay?”

  “I will be,” she said in as firm a voice as she could manage, but tears clogged her throat and watered her eyes. She couldn’t cry anymore. Enough was enough.

  “Of course you will,” Hank said.

  And there was the difference between Brandon and Hank. Brandon thought she needed protecting. Hank believed she could handle whatever life dished out.

  Tina thought the reality might be somewhere in between. It was nice to be thought of as strong and abl
e to handle anything, but she remembered Brandon’s arms holding her, trying to protect her. She remembered why she had come home to Newport, tail between her legs.

  Hank’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts. “Aren’t you going back to work?”

  How did he always know where she was, what she was doing, and sometimes, it seemed, her very thoughts?

  “I’d rather not,” she said.

  “You should.”

  She knew he was right. Did she really want to sit here the rest of the day and wallow in her own misery?

  “Maybe I will.”

  He laughed softly. “Good girl.” He hung up.

  Both annoyed and amused, Tina washed her face and lay down with a cold, wet washcloth over her eyes for five minutes, then went downstairs to tell Uncle Bob she was going back to work, after all.

  “Good girl,” he said, and she laughed. He looked puzzled, but she left without explaining.

  Outside, she met her mother coming in. “Where are you going? I just heard about what happened.” Laura looked at her critically. “You’ve been crying. Come back inside, and I’ll make you a good strong drink.”

  Tina wasn’t sure if that was a motherly idea or not, but it was tempting. She glanced at her watch. It was only three thirty.

  “I need to get back to work. Ted and I were talking about how to get it all done when the excitement started. Where have you been that you heard about it?”

  “Oh, I was at Patty’s house, having lunch with the bunch. Nora wasn’t there, but she called after it happened. Right in her own driveway. Patty said she sounded upset, but strong, as always.”

  “How is Brandon’s mother?” Tina asked. “He was saying when I saw him last he wished he knew where she disappeared to every once in a while.”

  “She seemed fine.” Laura clamped her mouth shut.

  Tina knew she wouldn’t get any more out of her. “And was Hank’s mother there?”

  Her mother gave her a look. “Yes, Mitzi’s in town.”

  “Anyone know where she disappears to every so often?”

  “No.”

  “But you do know where Brandon’s mother goes. Maybe Mitzi’s ill.”

  “She’s been disappearing for the past twenty years, off and on, Tina. Maybe something mental. I don’t know. No one does, as far as I can tell.”

  “I don’t even think Hank knows, and he seems to know everything else that goes on in town.”

  “Oh, I bet he knows by now. A family secret.”

  “You think so?” It was not something Tina and Hank talked about. She hadn’t asked him about his mother in years. Maybe seeing Mrs. Morris earlier had made her think about mothers. Crystal’s and Rachel’s mother seemed to be closest to the ideal that the media loved than the other mothers she knew. Certainly Hank’s and hers didn’t fit the mold, and Brandon’s was an enigma. Tina didn’t know much about Brenda’s mother, either.

  “I’m going in,” Laura said. It’s chilly out here.”

  Tina had been too distracted to notice the weather, but the sky was overcast, and the wind off the ocean was biting her face and hands.

  “I’ll see you at dinner,” Tina said and headed for her car.

  Back at Ted’s office she had questions to answer, and by the time she got to work it was after four. Everyone became too busy to talk, so she went to the kitchen and began at the sink, washing the dishes and giving the sink a good scrub. Then she removed everything from the cabinet closest to the sink, washed the shelves, and put things back in an orderly fashion. Methodically, she moved around the room, cleaning and straightening each area as she got to it. In an hour, she’d made a dent in the mess, and she was feeling better. Her mind had been in a zone where she wasn’t thinking about Crystal’s murder anymore, and her jangled nerves had calmed down.

  Brenda and Ted entered the kitchen, talking about a patient. “What did you think?” Brenda asked.

  “Too many possibilities. That’s why I ordered so many tests. After we get the results, I’m sure I’ll have to refer her to someone else.”

  Brenda nodded, then saw Tina standing by the stove, looking at it with distaste. “Disgusting, isn’t it?”

  Tina nodded. “I’m tempted to leave it to last, but then it will be hanging over my head.”

  “But look how much you’ve done! I had no idea the sink could shine like that.”

  Tina laughed and opened the cabinets she’d finished. “You should be able to find things when you need them, now. I just hope everyone puts stuff back when finished with it.”

  “We’ll try,” Ted said. “Good job. I’m glad you came back and got to work.”

  “So am I. Can we talk about how we’re going to get you and Sylvia organized?”

  “I’ve been giving that some thought.” Ted leaned against a part of the counter that was now immaculate. “We have Thursday afternoons off, and all day Saturday. I’ll ask Sylvia to work Thursday, with pay, of course, and you and she can work in her area then. And on Saturday, you and I can start on my office.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Tina said. “What’s the upstairs like, by the way? Did you want me to do anything up there?”

  Brenda shuddered. “Spooky place. Full of old furniture and cobwebs.”

  Ted gave an uneasy laugh. “We can talk about that later and then decide what to do. No hurry—no one ever goes up there.”

  “Mind if I take a look?” Tina asked.

  “No, of course not,” Ted said quickly.

  Tina glanced at her watch. Just after five. “I’ll do that tomorrow as a break from working some more on the kitchen.”

  “Might not seem like much of a break,” Brenda said, grinning.

  Tina looked at the stove. “It will be from cleaning this stove.”

  They all smiled, and Tina said she’d see them tomorrow.

  The wind had picked up, and it bit through her as she walked to her car. It would be dark soon. Tina loved Newport in the summer with its bright, sunny days and long evenings, but she didn’t like fall and winter much.

  She stopped at a convenience store on the way home, filled up her tank, and bought a Milky Way candy bar for later.

  As she drove up to the house, she saw, parked in the street, Hank’s silver Jaguar. A thrum of excitement beat at her heart, and she climbed out of the car in a happier mood.

  Hank and her mother sat in the living room on the old, comfortably shabby Victorian furniture. Her mother was laughing at something Hank said, and Tina looked at the two of them with bemusement. Her mother claimed that Hank was a most unsuitable person for Tina to date. Tina protested that they were just friends and weren’t going out. Now Laura sat there, seemingly charmed by him. Tina supposed she’d never understand her mother.

  Hank stood as Tina entered. He made no move to touch her or hug her. He checked her over from foot to head, his silvery-gray eyes lingering on her face. She gave a slight shiver.

  “Hi!” Her over-bright voice sounded false to her own ears.

  “Hello,” they both replied.

  Her mother sat in her chair, watching Tina and Hank with narrowed eyes. Defiantly, Tina stepped closer to Hank and pecked him on the cheek. “Haven’t seen you in a while,” she said.

  “Been busy.”

  Doing what? She wondered, but knew better than to ask.

  “I’m taking you out to dinner. I figured you need cheering up.”

  “And you’re just the man to do it,” Tina said with a laugh. “Cheerful Hank.”

  He looked nonplused. Tina laughed harder, and she noticed that even her mother had a ghost of a smile.

  “Where are we going to have this cheerful meal?” Tina asked.

  “Don’t push your luck,” her mother said. “Hank might rescind his invitation.”

  “It was an invitation?” Tina asked. She couldn’t seem to help herself, baiting Hank tonight. “I thought it was a command performance. Do I need to change? Scratch that. I definitely need to change.” She smelled of cleaning supplie
s and felt as if the grime from the kitchen had been transferred to her own body. “Hank, you can continue to amuse Mother while I take a quick shower and change.”

  “… don’t know what’s gotten into her lately,” she heard her mother say as she left the room. Tina grinned.

  She walked up the broad, winding front stairs. In her bathroom, she threw her clothes in the hamper and took a quick shower. She dressed in a dark blue, slinky short dress that showed off her figure, glad for the impulse purchase now. Carefully, she applied a bit of makeup, especially around her still-swollen eyes. She took her silver heels and a silver purse from the closet and stuffed the absolute necessities from her bigger, everyday one inside. She put on lots of jangly silver bracelets, a necklace, three rings, and even an ankle bracelet over her pantyhose-clad legs. Tina loved getting dressed up, except for the pantyhose, although she would never admit it to her mother. Laura had even sent her to charm school when she was in seventh grade, so she knew how to walk down the stairs without tripping in her high heels.

  Hank stood up again when she entered the living room. Tina glanced at her mother, who would approve of the dress, the heels, bag, and hose, but disapprove of all the jewelry. A quick thought of an ankle tattoo went through Tina’s mind, and she grinned a big grin at Hank. He, of course, thought the grin was meant for him, and he gave her a doubtful look. Usually she was careful not to be “girlish” around him, but tonight she felt the need to lighten up.

  Uncle Bob came into the living room, looked at Tina, and gave a low whistle. Everyone laughed, and on that note, Tina and Hank left. She climbed carefully into the Jaguar, but still showed a lot of leg. Same when she got out in front of Canfield House. Hank took her arm, and they walked inside.

  Calm. Tina sank into the plush booth and let out a huge sigh. She loved this place. Quiet, elegant, it made her feel she was back in an earlier time.

  They ordered drinks and a shrimp cocktail, and while they waited for those, studied the menu although both knew it by heart. Tina ordered the grilled scallops, and Hank a porterhouse steak. After their drinks and appetizer were set down in front of them, Hank said, “You went back to work, and it helped.”