Alibis & Arranging Page 3

  “Are you planning on selling it once you’re done cleaning up?” Aurora asked.

  Rosa’s expression didn’t change but there was a hesitance in her voice. “Well, I’m not so sure what’s going to happen in the future. I’m not even sure the house is mine.”

  Since Max had been the one to handle Hilda’s final will and testament, Aurora knew that, apart from a small token amount to Russell, Rosa had inherited everything. She wondered what Rosa meant.

  “Russell didn’t take it well when Hilda excluded him from her will,” Rosa said. “Max suspects he’s going to contest it and claim that I have no rights to the house. You must know that already, being Max’s secretary and all.”

  “Oh…no, he doesn’t talk about clients,” Aurora said. “Confidentiality.” She didn't add that she'd snooped and heard everything she needed to hear anyway.

  “That’s good to know.” Rosa seemed pleased. “Well, anyway, you see why it’s necessary to go through it all now, don’t you? There’s a document or two that could really help us if turned up.”

  “Like what?”

  “Russell claims that his father had a will which specified that the house was to remain in his family after Hilda passed. This was all years ago and nobody has a copy of that will, somehow.” Rosa paused. “Look, I’m not greedy. If that will does turn up, I’ll happily hand the house over to Russ.”

  “But if it doesn’t?”

  “Well, then…I have me and Jonah to think about.” Rosa shrugged. “Running a farm isn’t easy. There are a lot of hidden expenses, you know. Being an artist doesn’t exactly bring in regular money, either.”

  “I’ll be sure to look out for any important document like that,” Aurora promised.

  “Great.” Rosa handed her a set of keys. “The house is all locked up at the moment. Milly - that was Aunt Hilda’s maid - is going to come help you when you’re working. Be warned: there’s a lot of work. I suppose it might take you a month to sort it all out.”

  “It’s no problem,” Aurora said.

  Rosa sat back and sighed deeply. “So, that’s a relief. I can’t tell you how much I was dreading the thought of going into Aunt Hilda’s house. There are no good memories there for me.”

  “No? I thought you were close to your aunt.”

  “I was…” Rosa shrugged. “It was complicated. My parents died when I was sixteen. It was horrible. My father owned a garage and my mother ran it with him. They were working under a car when it slipped and crushed them both. My life turned upside down. I would have gone to foster care when Aunt Hilda came along and took me in.″

  ″That's awful,″ Aurora sympathized. ″Poor you.″

  Rosa gave her a sad smile and shrugged. ″It was awful, but I came out of it gradually. Aunt Hilda actually helped me a lot in those years. She made me stronger and let me know I always had a place with her. I was so grateful. I still am.″

  ″But?″ Aurora probed, sensing there was more.

  ″But…as lovely as she was, Aunt Hilda was very controlling. I was a bit of a people pleaser, and we got along well enough…until I met Jonah.”

  “She had a problem with you and Jonah, did she?”

  “She made it obvious to everyone at the party, no?” Rosa smiled. “Yes. She hated Jonah, and she hated Jonah’s father and his entire family. She called them The Trashy Tanners. I don’t know why, I could never get a straight answer out of her. Just one of those things, I guess. She tried to forbid us from meeting, but that didn’t work, of course. She actually saw it as a betrayal when I started dating Jonah. Can you imagine?” Rosa laughed and shook her head. “But, she came around to it…grudgingly. I think. Or she would have, eventually…probably. We'll never know now.”

  5

  Wills & Ways

  Joy had a busy day. There was a local club meeting she had to report on, a baseball game she had to attend and write about, and an accident that had occurred that required a quick briefing. When she was done interviewing, writing, editing and submitting her pieces, she finally relaxed and headed home. She’d originally planned to meet with Aurora and Rosa at 3pm but it was already seven by the time she finished her work.

  She stopped at the store first, deciding to pick up some ice cream and chips. Her parents still gave her grief for eating like a hormonal teenager, but Joy couldn’t do without a few midnight snacks - the junkier the better. After a stressful day at work, there was no pleasure quite like sinking into a couch, turning on the tv and opening up a family sized bag or carton of something that was decidedly bad for you.

  As she was poring over the freezer items wondering if she wanted tutti frutti or mint chocolate, a hand tapped her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Russell dressed in old sweats and a baseball cap.

  “You’re Aurora’s roommate, right?” Russell asked. “We met at Hilda’s party the other day.”

  “Yes, I remember.” Joy smiled. “How can I help you, Russell?”

  “Call me Russ. Could you give me Aurora’s number? I have a…proposition for her.”

  “Oh.” Joy blinked. She looked Russ over. A bit too old for Aurora, she thought. He was at least twenty years her senior. “I don’t think she’s in the market for a boyfriend right now.”

  “Not like that.” Russell flushed. “I meant business. I want to talk to her.”

  “What about?” Joy asked, intrigued. She knew about Hilda’s will, and the fact that Russell had gotten next to nothing out of it. She knew he was thinking of contesting it, too. News spread fast around town.

  “What brings you to Bent River, by the way? Don’t you live down in Oakwoods? Two hours is quite far to travel for a grocery store.”

  “I came here for a meeting with Rosa.” Russell paused. “I wanted to talk some sense into her…but she isn’t listening. I thought I’d pick up some stuff on the way back, and then I saw you.”

  “Happy coincidence.” Joy grabbed a carton of the mint chocolate and headed to the counter with Russell beside her. “What’s this business you have with Aurora? I can pass it on to her.”

  “I’d rather talk directly to her.”

  “It’s about her cleaning Hilda’s house, isn’t it?” Joy reached out as she passed an aisle and snagged a bag of Doritos off the shelf.

  Russell flushed again and looked around as if he were afraid somebody would overhear. “Are you her keeper or something?″

  ″Just a friend.″ Joy grinned. ″Why so sensitive?″

  ″I've had enough of this town and people poking into my business,″ he said. ″It's not like you aren't already on Rosa's side.″

  ″Now what makes you think that?″ Joy asked. ″As a matter of fact, I thought it was a crummy thing for Hilda to do, leaving you with next to nothing. It was your father's money, after all. She only invested it.″

  ″Exactly!″ Russell nearly shouted. Then his voice became low, urgent. ″It wasn't Hilda's money in the first place. That's what my lawyer is going to try and prove. She was just a custodian. In any case…″ Russell hesitated, ″I have my reasons for believing this will all turn out differently.″

  ″You were so devoted to her, too. Used to visit her weekly.″ Joy tapped her chin, hoping a little sympathy would get more out of Russell. He took the bait almost immediately.

  ″I never liked her. She treated my mother atrociously. So did my father, for that matter,″ Russell said. ″Still, my father asked me to look after Hilda when he was gone, and so I did my duty. A lot of good it did me. Only…you know…the timing of her death is really suspicious.″

  ″Is it?″

  ″That's what I want to talk to Aurora about, ″Russell said. ″I think there's another will.″

  ″Ah, Henry's old will, saying that the house should pass to you? Rosa mentioned it.″ Joy nodded. ″She asked Aurora to hand it over if it was found.″

  ″What? No.″ Russell snorted. ″Rosa's just saying that because she doesn't want the real will to come out. See I think after the dinner party that night, Hilda made a new
will. The will Max read out was made about two years ago. Hilda and I…well, we had a falling out back then. I'd left the bathroom floor wet and it caused her to fall and she blamed me for it.″ Russell looked uncomfortable for a minute. ″But the point is, we were fine. We made up. So, surely, she would have put me back into her new will. As a matter of fact, I think it was Rosa she cut out!″

  ″Why would she cut Rosa out?″

  ″Because Rosa dared to go against Hilda's wishes and marry Jonah.″ Russell explained. ″Everyone knows Hilda hated that family.″

  ″Why?″ Joy asked.

  Russell shrugged. ″Why should I care? I only know that she never had a good word to say about the Tanners.″

  ″Hmm.″ Joy considered this. She didn't know how much stock to put in Russell's words. After all, if there was anyone with a grudge against Rosa right now, it was Russell. So the venom in his words and his tall claims of there being another will that would reverse Hilda's decision seemed a little bit like wishful thinking. Then again…it had struck everyone as strange that Russell should be left with mere crumbs out of Hilda's large fortune.

  ″So where does Aurora factor into this?″ Joy asked.

  ″All I want is a promise from her that she'll take any legal-looking document she finds right to Max,″ Russell said. ″I wouldn't trust Rosa with a paperclip right now. Max is ok though. He's a good lawyer and he'll do the right thing. If a new will should turn up, that is. Of course, I'll sweeten the deal for Aurora if she needs it.″

  ″There's no need for that,″ Joy said. ″Aurora's bound to do the honorable thing anyway. I'll tell her what you said.″

  ″Maybe I can sweeten the deal for you, too,″ Russell said. ″You wanted to write a book on Aunt Hilda's life, didn't you?″

  ″You know about that?″

  ″Sure, you were discussing it at the table the other night.″ Russell rubbed his hands together. ″As of now, Rosa controls the estate, and I'm pretty sure she's not going to allow you any access to Hilda's documents. On the other hand, if I were in charge, I'd let you have all the rights you want to the book. I'd cooperate thoroughly. Heck, I'd pay you to write it.″

  ″I don't appreciate bribes.″

  ″Who said it's a bribe? It's just a…suggestion,″ Russell said.

  They were standing outside in the cool, night air by now, Joy with a bag of groceries in her arms, Russell holding onto a can of Pepsi. He fished in his pockets and clicked open his car. ″Think about it. It's definitely a win-win situation for you if that will turns up. A scoop for the town paper, plus a new book. Find me that will, Joy, and all of us will be happy.″

  6

  In The Shadows

  Once again, Aurora stood outside Hilda's mansion, gazing up at the house. It looked forlorn, somehow. Like a pet waiting for it's owner to come back. Of course, Aurora told herself she was just imagining it. Houses don't get attached to their owners, it's the other way around.

  She stood at the doorstep and pressed the bell thrice, with no response. Then, remembering that the doorbell was broken, Aurora headed to the back door. She had spotted a bottle-green Ford parked in the shade of a tree right outside. Hilda's maid, Milly, was supposed to meet her there and Aurora guessed that the car was hers.

  Aurora didn't think she'd get much work done that day, really. She’d just get a feel for what needed to be done and strategize how best to do it.

  In some ways, clearing another person's hoard was far easier than cleaning out your own room. There was less sentiment attached, and one tended not to get side-tracked as much. Rosa had made it clear that she wanted the bulk of the items donated or auctioned off, save for one or two that she'd asked Aurora to put aside. Rosa had also generously offered Aurora first pick at any piece she liked.

  The sun slipped through leaves and branches, creating a pleasing pattern of shadow and light as Aurora walked to the back. It was a pity, really, to be cooped up inside a dusty house on a fine day like this. The beautiful weather called out to every bone in Aurora's body, asking her to throw away all her duties and go for a hike or a swim instead. Bent River had dozens of lovely trails to explore, and Aurora hadn't seen even a quarter of them. But the truth was that, even if the idea fascinated her, hiking alone always spooked her a little bit. Lost in thought, Aurora reached the back door and knocked sharply on the French windows. She could hear a rustling noise inside and supected that Milly was probably preparing things.

  Aurora knocked again, only to be met by silence. It was a strange, watchful kind of silence. As though somebody were holding their breath. Straining her ear, she heard a soft footfall from somewhere inside the house. She peered through the glass panes of the French window. With the bright sunshine outside, the interior of the house, with its mostly drawn curtains, was barely visible. Still, Aurora thought she saw a shadow slip into the hall.

  ″Milly! I'm back here!″ she called. There was no answer. A shaft of light flooded through the house as the front door opened. Aurora groaned. Now she'd have to trudge her way back around the house. Sighing, she made the walk. Then she paused, confused.

  The main door was ajar, but nobody was in sight. She heard the gunning of an engine and a slight squeal as a car sped down the road. Turning around, Aurora spotted the taillights of the green Ford as they turned the corner.

  Frowning, Aurora stepped into the house. Dust specks floated in the air, captured in a beam of sunlight. Silence filled the house.

  ″Milly?″ Aurora called out, her voice a little tentative. ″Are you here? It's me, Aurora. We spoke on the phone?″ Her footsteps sounded loud as she walked through the hall. Chills went up her spine and she shook them off. She was being ghoulish and silly, of course. Milly would probably appear any second, maybe with a glass of lemonade in hand. At least, she hoped this would be the case - Aurora suddenly felt her throat was very dry.

  She heard the rumble of a car driving through the gates and jumped. A black sedan slowly pottered up the drive and parked near the fountain. Milly, dressed in a bright-yellow top and blue jeans, got out of it.

  Confused, Aurora walked over to her.

  ″Hi!″ Milly said, shaking her hand. ″Sorry, I hope you got my texts saying I'd be a little late? I had to go pick up some medicine for my daughter. She's down with the flu today.″

  ″So, that wasn't you in the green Ford?″ Aurora asked.

  ″Huh?″ Milly looked confused.

  ″The door was open,″ Aurora said. ″I walked right in. Someone was already in the house, I think.″

  ″That's impossible,″ Milly said. ″Rosa said she locked the house up tight after the funeral, and nobody's been here since. I expect it's really dusty.″

  ″Someone was in the house. I saw them,″ Aurora said. ″I know it wasn’t you. I think I would have been able to make out a bright yellow top. This was someone wearing dark clothes.″ Aurora told her what she had seen through the window.

  Milly turned pale. ″You don't think…you don't think it's Hilda, do you? Back from the dead?″ She hastily made the sign of the cross on herself.

  ″Not unless ghost-Hilda decided to drive a green Ford for some reason.″ Aurora shook her head, dismissing Milly's superstition. ″This was a real person.″

  ″A thief?″ Milly asked, sounding interested.

  ″I'm not sure. We better check and see what's disturbed. Come on.″ Aurora tugged at her hand. ″Let's go through the house room by room. You'll be able to tell if things are out of order, I'm sure.″

  ″Let's go!″ Milly looked enthusiastic at first but, as they went through room after room, her enthusiasm waned. There was clutter all around, especially on countertops and tables. Old newspapers and magazines sat in clusters in odd places. But the drawers and cabinets were neatly shut, and nothing really looked like a thief had gone through it.

  ″Maybe the sun got to you,″ Milly said finally. ″Nothing's out of place as far as I can see. Let's have some lemonade and cool down before we start.″

  Aurora did
n't argue, but she knew she'd seen someone. She just wished she could find out who.

  7

  The Gossipping Maid

  Putting all thoughts of the bottle-green car out of her mind, Aurora began to do a rough inventory of the house with Milly trailing along. Mentally, Aurora began trying to estimate the hours it would take to get it all ready for auction - after all, Rosa was going to pay her by the hour.

  Milly was a disinterested aide. She spent her time tapping away on her phone as Aurora catalogued room after room. Aurora, in the meanwhile, tried hard to sort through things that looked antique but were not and things that looked garbage but were antiques. There were leather bound books, statues from exotic lands, crystal gewgaws, strings of fake pearls and even a scroll that looked like it was made of gold but was actually far too light to be anything but plastic. Aurora paused to run a hand along a jewelry box that stood on a chest of drawers in Hilda's bedroom. Tiny enough to fit in two hands, it stood on claw-legged feet. On top was engraved the head of a woman looking into a mirror and touching her hair. Aurora opened it expectantly. The inside was lined with red velvet but quite empty. Then she remembered a stray comment she'd overheard at the funeral - something about how Rosa had taken Hilda's earrings. Well, Rosa had clearly emptied all of the jewelry from the box. Sighing, Aurora moved on.

  When Aurora finally took a break, Milly served her some Coke from the fridge and poured an equally-large glass for herself.

  ″This is going to take longer than I thought,″ Aurora said. ″A month, at least.″

  ″That's great,″ Milly said with a broad smile. ″The longer the better, seeing as I'm out of a job otherwise.″