Part 13 (1/2)
”HEY THERE,” I SAID WHEN MY HUSBAND PICKED UP HIS cell phone.
”What's going on, Savannah?”
”I need you over at Joanne's house as soon as you can get here.”
”Nothing's wrong, is it? Did something happen?” he asked, the concern in his voice coming through loud and clear. I was glad that I'd called earlier and given him a heads-up about my intentions. That way I wouldn't have to explain in front of Laura why I was there, or what I'd been doing. I looked over and smiled at her as rea.s.suringly as I could, and she smiled back at me, a good sign.
”Everything here is fine. As a matter of fact, we need to discuss something with you.”
I could hear a bit of hesitation in his voice. ”We? Savannah, talk to me. Is Rob all right?”
”As a matter of fact, he just finished installing the new locks and left.” It was clear that I was going to have to explain more than I would have liked to over the phone, because I couldn't continue to be vague about the reason we needed Zach there with us. I should have known better than to try to stonewall him. ”I was here helping Rob, and on a trip to the bathroom I noticed a shoe box turned upside down in Joanne's closet. Laura came in around then, and when we looked inside it, we found a box of cash.”
”You and Laura were searching the place together,” he said slowly.
Not precisely right, but close enough. ”That's right. Can you break free and come over here right now? We're not sure what we should do with it.”
”I'm on my way. How much exactly are we talking about here?”
”A little over eleven grand,” I said.
”I'll see you in six minutes.”
I hung up and told her, ”We're all set. Zach's on his way.”
Laura nodded, and then looked around at the litter of shoes and boxes on the floor. ”Should we clean this up before he gets here?”
I nodded as I took in the sight. ”We could probably organize it a little better, but he's going to want to look into every single one of these boxes for himself.”
”Okay. The least we can do is put the lids under the boxes so he can look inside easier, and we can match the shoes with the boxes.”
I wasn't sure we had to be that organized, but at least it would help pa.s.s the time.
As we worked, Laura paused and looked intently at me as she said, ”You were really serious when you told me before that you were looking into Joanne's murder, weren't you?”
I was startled by the question. ”It's likely it's the only way I'm going to clear my name.”
”Are you that concerned with the police, even with your husband working with them?”
I shook my head. ”It's not law enforcement I'm worried about as much as it is the folks in Parson's Valley. The longer this is all hanging over my head, the harder it will be to get anyone's trust back when it's finally over.”
She seemed to think about that before she commented again. ”So, you decided to snoop around Joanne's place.”
”Hey, I really was ready to help Rob if he needed it,” I explained. ”If you're going to get mad at anyone, it has to be me. Rob had no idea what I was up to.”
She looked at me curiously, and then she asked, ”Savannah, were you under the impression that I was angry with you?”
I shrugged. ”You weren't all that happy when you found me in Joanne's closet.”
She nodded. ”True, but that's mostly because I wasn't expecting to find you. How can I be that upset when you helped me find this money? If you want to know the truth, I probably wouldn't have checked a single shoe box. I would have donated them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or even had a yard sale, and I might never have known about that cash. I should be thanking you for helping.”
”You're most welcome,” I said with a smile.
”So let me get this straight. You've been questioning folks all over town since Joanne died. Isn't everyone going to know what you're up to?”
”I certainly hope so,” I confessed.
She nodded. ”Then they'll understand that you're trying to clear your name. That's pretty clever.” After a moment's pause, she asked, ”I'm a suspect, too, aren't I?”
There was nothing I could do but nod. ”Anyone who had contact with Joanne in Asheville is,” I said. ”Naturally, we're both on that list. I don't want a black cloud hanging over me, and I'm guessing you don't want to be a murder suspect, either. It's pretty unpleasant.”
”Believe me, I know what you mean,” she said. ”This whole thing is driving me crazy. I thought we were best friends, but Sandra's not even talking to me anymore, did you know that?”
”Why on earth not?” I asked.
”She thinks it's my fault that she's a suspect, too, since I'm the one who suggested we go shopping in Asheville yesterday.”
”That's ridiculous,” I said as I heard someone knocking on the front door. ”She's probably just scared and upset. She'll get over it.”
”I hope so.”
There was another knock on the door, and I got up to answer it. As I did, I glanced at my watch. Zach had made good time.
”Would you talk to her for me?” Laura asked as she joined me and we walked out of the bedroom with the shoe box full of cash.
”I can try,” I said.
I was pleased to see my husband, but he seemed more interested with Laura than he was with me. ”Is that it?” he asked as he pointed to the shoe box held reverently in her hands. I noticed he'd taken the time to put on a pair of latex gloves as he'd walked to the door.
”It is.” After seeing his gloved hands, Laura said, ”There's no reason to worry about the fingerprints, is there? Savannah and I both touched it, and I'm sure Joanne did as well.”
”You can't be too careful,” he said. ”May I?”
”Absolutely,” she said as she handed the shoe box to him.
Zach lifted the lid off and looked at the money inside. ”That's a lot of cash,” he said. ”Any idea where she got it?”
”I wish I knew. She could have been selling things on eBay for all I know,” Laura said. ”Do you think it's significant?”
”It's hard to say. It might be,” Zach said.
”Or it might not be at all,” I said. I explained to Laura, ”My husband has a tendency to overa.n.a.lyze things at times.”
”Savannah, you don't need to apologize for me.” He put the lid back on the box, and then handed it to Laura. ”You need to call the attorney handling Joanne's estate and give this directly to him.”
”You mean I can't keep it?” she asked, clearly startled by his advice.
”If what I've just heard is correct, it's yours anyway. You are the sole beneficiary, aren't you?”