Silver Springs Cozy: Pawsitively Lethal Part 9

"What would have motivated him to do such a thing?" Maggie asks gently, hoping to keep Marla engaged in the conversation.

She scoffs again. "When he left Clara, he blamed her for the disaster that was his life. He took no responsibility for his debt, his poor choices, his enemies. He said it was all because of Claras drinking and drug habits that he had nothing."

Maggie nods and Marla pauses. "But you dont believe that," Maggie encourages.

"Of course not. Hes an adult. He has to grow up and take responsibility for his actions. As a couple, they were a team. And he just abandoned Clara."

"So why wait to kill her? Why divorce her and not kill her back then if he really wanted her completely out of his life?"

"Insurance money," Marla says, satisfied with her answer.

Its Maggies turn to tilt her head to one side in question. "What do you mean?"

"Clara only recently wanted to change the beneficiary on the life insurance plan we bought on her when we adopted her."

"Oh? Who did she want to change it to?" Maggie asks.

"Ginger Rae."

"Not you or David?"

Marla shakes her head. "Im sure youve heard that we didnt get along famously."

Maggie nods. "I have heard. Im sorry about that."

"Nothing to be sorry about. Its just the way it was." Marlas voice is unconvincing.

Maggies phone rings and she pulls it from her handbag. Detective Daniel Stevens is calling. Maggie debates whether to answer it but shes almost positive the conversation with Marla is nearly over. She excuses herself and walks quickly outside, leaving her bag on her chair.

"Hi Daniel."

"Maggie. I have something I wanted to tell you. Its about Marla, Claras adoptive mom." His voice is hurried.

"I know who she is. I was just talking to her actually. She thinks-"

Daniel interrupts before Maggie can tell him Marla thinks Stewart is guilty. "Whoever she thinks is guilty is just a cover. She had strong motive and didnt live far enough away to be ruled out."

"What do mean? Not getting along with her daughter can barely be called a motive." Maggie cant believe shes defending Marla but she hasnt heard anything that sounds like the woman is guilty of murder.

"No? What about being the beneficiary of her daughters life insurance plan?"

CHAPTER 21.

"What? How can that be? She just told me Stewart was still the beneficiary but Clara wanted to change it to Ginger Rae," Maggie says, walking further from the house in case someone decided to walk outside.

"Im sure she did. But thats not the whole truth. When Clara and Stewart divorced, the beneficiary went back to Marla by default. Clara was in the process of changing that to Ginger Rae and Marla got wind of it."

Maggie is silent, speechless.

"Theres more. Marla and David run their own business. And they recently got themselves into hot water financially. Theyve filed for bankruptcy," Daniel continues.

Maggie leans against her car in the driveway and faces the house. She doesnt see anyone in the windows but wouldnt put it past Marlas conniving att.i.tude to be spying on her right now. "And an alibi for Sat.u.r.day night? They dont even live in Silver Springs."

"Youre right, they dont. But they dont live far. And no alibi that someone other than the two of them can confirm. They claim to have gone for a late night walk. It was their anniversary and they didnt have the money to do anything fancy."

"Isnt that convenient," Maggie says under her breath.

"What?" Daniel asks.

"Nothing. Im going back inside. David hasnt said a word. I want to try to get him to open up."

"Good luck."

Maggie hangs up and stares at the phone in her hand for a moment. She had no reason to suspect Marla or David before talking to Daniel, but now they look as guilty as anyone. Even guiltier than Stewart, who had been top on Maggies list.

Back inside, Maggie sits and listens to memories about Clara. Ginger Rae sounds the most nostalgic. Marla has an edge to her voice and David is still silent.

"If youll excuse me for a moment," Marla says during a lull in the conversation. She stands and heads toward the bathroom.

Maggie watches her go, noticing an evident limp in her stride. She immediately suspects one of two things: Marla couldnt be the one Valerie saw running away from Ginger Raes house on Sat.u.r.day night because shes even having trouble walking; or she underestimated her agility and injured herself when jumping out of Claras window.

"How long have you and Marla been married?" Maggie asks David, hoping to draw him out of his sh.e.l.l.

He looks surprised that shes speaking to him. "Forty years, just this Sat.u.r.day." He looks proud of himself for remembering.

"Congratulations. Thats quite a feat these days."

David chuckles. "It hasnt all been easy. What with the challenges of raising Clara, then her messy divorce from Stewart, and running our own business. Sometimes it seemed like we were just complicating our lives with every decision we made."

"What kind of business?" Maggie asks.

"Construction. But ever since the financial crisis, we havent been able to recover. It looks like we might have to return to the general work force in our sixties."

"That must be tough," Maggie says, hoping that her empathy will open him up more.

David nods, his eyes lighting up. "But well make it through."

Marla comes back into the room, her limp slightly less prominent. "Are you okay?" Ginger Rae asks her, staring at her bad leg.

Marla waves her hand as if its nothing. "Oh yeah, just an old injury acting up." She turns to her husband. "What will we make it through?"

"I was just telling them that our business has been suffering," David says nonchalantly, but Marlas eyes grow wide.

"Thats none of Maggies business," she whispers loudly to David. "Your sister, fine, but Maggies a complete stranger."

David shrugs. "Its just our reality."

Maggie notices that Marla is on edge while David is too calm. "Im really sorry for your loss," she says, bringing the conversation back to Clara, and the reason shes here. "But I have to get going. Im sure Ill see you again before you leave."

Marla and David both stand and shake her hand and Ginger Rae escorts her back to the front door. "How long are you staying at Winonas?" Maggie asks.

"Im not sure. I just dont feel safe going back to my house right now." Maggie nods in understanding.

"If you need anything, let me know." Maggie offers an out of character quick hug and then is gone.

She heads straight to the grocery store to pick up the fixings for dinner. As she walks in, she glances down at her list and b.u.mps into someones shoulder. She looks up to offer her apologies, and even behind the dark sungla.s.ses, the man is unmistakably Stewart Cole. The scar on his chin is exactly the same as in the photo Daniel sent her just this morning.

But now, in person and in the present, Maggie sees fresh scratches on his cheeks that could have easily come from bushes on a speedy escape after committing a crime.

CHAPTER 22.

Maggie is torn. She has to get food for dinner but she wants to find out what Stewart is doing in Silver Springs. b.u.mping into him may not be the opening she needs, but she could at least follow him to find out where hes staying.

Maggie decides to abandon her shopping plans for the time being and she turns around. She just catches Stewart getting into a green pickup truck and she walks as quickly as she can, without running, back to her Prius. She doesnt want to draw any attention to herself.

Stewarts truck doesnt move right away, like hes conveniently waiting for Maggie to get to her car. Maggie waits until he finally drives out of the parking lot and away from the center of town. Its nearing the end of the work day so there are plenty of other cars on the road and Maggie follows at a safe distance.

Stewart makes only one turn-into the parking lot of a motel north on River Road. Maggie drives past, turns around and quickly parks on the side of the road so she can watch him. Stewart walks to the upper level and enters a door in the middle. She finds her binoculars that have come in so handy in the past and sees that hes staying in room 206.

It takes her only fifteen minutes to figure out where Stewart is staying, time well spent she thinks, and she heads back to the grocery store and to the house. She has a nice dinner to prepare for a double date.

All of the animals are inside when Maggie shuffles through the door, bags b.u.mping against her hips as she juggles too many things at once. Oscar is all over her within moments, adding to the confusion, but Suzie barely lifts her head and Opal jumps onto the counter and then to the top of the fridge to avoid all of the chaos but still keeping an eye on the dogs.

"You dogs are in early today," Maggie says. Its just past five and they often arent home until after Maggie gets home from closing the shop. "You want some food?"

Maggie sets her over-full bags on the kitchen table until after the animals are fed and Suzie leaps off the couch at the sound of dinner in the kitchen. Opal even comes down to the floor to eat beside the dogs, a major improvement in their relations.h.i.+p over the past month.

With the animals happily occupied, Maggie takes out her veggies and washes them in the sink, sets the fish on the counter and gets water started in a pot for brown rice that always takes longer than she plans for. Just as she puts her empty bags away, the front door opens and a friendly voice calls her.

"Maggie?" Drews voice says.

"In the kitchen," she calls back, her stomach getting b.u.t.terflies simply knowing hes here. Shes like a teenager in her first relations.h.i.+p sometimes with how Drew makes her feel.

Drew leaves his coat and shoes at the door and finds her in the kitchen. Maggie, busy cutting vegetables, turns only her head and Drew produces a bunch of pink, yellow and orange gerbera daisies from behind his back.

Maggie smiles, leaves her knife and veggies on the cutting board and happily accepts the gift. "You didnt have to do that," she gushes, falling even more victim to teenage tendencies.

"Of course I didnt have to, but I wanted to. Besides, Flower Power was having a sale. And theyre right across the street from work. I pa.s.sed them on the way to my car and couldnt resist. I knew youd love them."

Maggie offers a quick hug, which Drew takes full advantage of, and twirls her around the kitchen once. She escapes his antics to protect the flowers and finds a vase for them.

"What can I do to help?" he asks, rolling up his sleeves and taking Maggies spot in front of the cutting board.

She swats his hand away from the knife just before he picks it up and says, "Nothing. I like to work alone in the kitchen." She b.u.mps her hip against his to move him away from her work station.

"Hmm. Just like you like to work alone on investigations."

"Not true," she retorts, her back to Drew, who takes a seat at the table and pats Oscar on the head. After the quick greeting, all three animals disappear outside.

"Prove it. Tell me whats going on. Whatd you find out today?"

Maggie picks up where she left off with her preparations in the salad making. The oven is preheating for the fish and she rattles off all of the information she collected about Stewart, Marla and David, and her visit with Valerie Hunt, even though that conversation didnt particularly offer any insight into what happened Sat.u.r.day night.

"And what about Ellen Furst? Howd that go with Ginger Rae?" Drew asks once Maggie exhausts her information.

"Good, from what Ginger Rae told me. Theres an article coming out tomorrow about Clara. And Karl is on probation until further notice."

"Great. Im glad that contact helped."

"Well, well see how things shake out." The front door opening interrupts their conversation and Maggie turns in surprise, expecting Clem home early. "Denis, hi," she says. "Clems not home yet."

Without missing a beat, Denis says, "Good. I have something I need your help with."

Maggie leaves her salad and heads toward the front door. "Is everything okay? I didnt expect you until later."

Denis nods. "Everythings fine. I just had to talk to you before Clem got here." He pulls a small black velvety box from his pocket and continues. "I want to propose to her tonight. I thought you could hide this somewhere in her dinner."

Maggies eyes grow wide with surprise. "She said you guys were talking about marriage but I didnt expect it to happen so soon." Shes giddy for her twin sister.

"I dont think she expected it so soon after our conversation either. Thats why I want to do it tonight. I want it to be a surprise."

Maggie takes the small box and opens it. Inside is a simple ring with three small stones that reflect the little bit of light coming in from the windows. "This is perfect for Clem. Its not too showy. Sh.e.l.l love it."

Denis smiles shyly. "Thats what I was hoping youd say."

"I bought a cheesecake for dessert. Ill add this to the top of hers." Maggie is already antic.i.p.ating Clems reaction-shock and awe.

Clem gets home late, putting everyone on edge, especially Denis. Maggie can tell he wants to get his proposal over with and move on to the next stage of their relations.h.i.+p. Or at least know what Clems answer is.

When she finally walks through the door from the garage, the dogs rush in after her and the house is thrown into chaos once again. "Sorry Im late. It smells delicious in here. Im starving. Thanks for cooking," she spouts off without taking a breath.