The Marsh Madness

I moved as quickly as I could toward the front door. I spotted Lisa and Miranda conferring with a man with a suit. He looked like security. There was quite a bit of gesturing and hand waving on Lisa’s part and a lot of nodding and curl bobbing from Miranda. I had a feeling “the jig was up,” as my uncles like to say. Even at that distance, I could see Lisa blowing her nose vigorously. Pivoting on my heel, I speed-walked down a corridor and into what turned out to be a huge kitchen. My uncles had always warned me never to break into a run until you had no choice.

“Spot check. Health department,” I said, pointing to the far corner. “Do I see droppings? I’ll be back with my citation tablet.” I believe I said that as if it were a real thing.

The startled kitchen staff turned to look at the nonexistent droppings, and I barreled through the door to the outside. I skirted the building and stuck my head around the corner to check for anyone who might recognize Kathryn Risley Rolland. I whipped off the stiff blond wig and stuffed it in the briefcase. I folded the jacket and squeezed that in too, followed by the glasses. With the photo, these new additions tested the hinges on the briefcase, but it held. I found an elastic in my pocket and pulled my hair back. With the dark ponytail and without the jacket and glasses, I headed for the parking lot, hoping no one would recognize me or “Kathryn.” My adrenaline was pumping. It wouldn’t do me any good to be caught here, for sure. What had I been thinking? I was a suspect, and I’d pulled a stunt at the workplace of the victim, unsettling his obviously grieving co-workers. Lisa was devastated, and I had made her life worse. Even though I’d found a useful line on Lisa Troy, I felt like a rat. A rat that needed a bath.

But before my ratty self could reach the Infiniti and drive off, I caught sight of something and ducked back behind the yew hedge by the side of the building. Detective Drea Castellano and Detective Stoddard were making their way up the front stairs. She was all business; he was languid as usual.

I would have some explaining to do, if either one of them discovered me at the Country Club and Spa when I was technically under police watch in the apartment at Michael Kelly’s Fine Antiques.

Logically, I’d be better off taking my chances with the Country Club and Spa staff or garden workers than with the detectives.

I leaned against the wall and whipped off the elastic band. I retrieved the suit jacket and the wig, plus, of course, the glasses. I had to balance the briefcase on my knee to wrestle on the wig. I slithered back into the jacket, which had not been improved by being squished in the briefcase. Still, it was the best I could do. I put the dark-framed glasses on and legged it across the lawn.

I thought I heard Miranda shout something, but I kept going. Young Braydon was headed my way too. I was prepared to knock him over if I couldn’t intimidate him. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a Harrison Falls police car at the entrance of the parking lot. I practically dove into the Infiniti and peeled on out of the lot, spraying gravel. Once I was on the road, I pulled into the first driveway I saw and caught my breath.

“I will never, ever put on another disguise,” I said out loud. “I am cured of that habit.” My bad angel gave me the thumbs-up and whispered, But you got away with it.

My good angel tapped my other shoulder. And did you notice who was driving that police car?

The answer, of course, was Tyler “No Longer Smiley” Dekker. My former number one guy.

Had Tyler recognized me? Did he see me duck behind the yew hedge and emerge as a different person who then hightailed it to her car and took off like one of the Dukes of Hazzard?

That would have been even stickier than running into Castellano. He had contacted Sammy on my behalf, but I knew that he’d draw the line at aiding and abetting my foray to the Country Club and Spa.

What if he followed me? I found myself fighting panic and glanced in the rearview mirror. Sure enough, the Harrison Falls police cruiser zoomed past and continued on down the highway. That meant I was in the clear.