I couldn’t see much in the dark, but it appeared to be a lovely patio. A deck box for cushion storage sat behind two comfortable armchairs. Someone had placed yellow cushions on them and opened a yellow-and-white-striped umbrella over a round dining table. I bet Eunice didn’t get out here much to enjoy her backyard. The stairs and uneven bricks probably made her dread a trip to the garage or an afternoon outside.
I returned to Eunice and Nina.
Eunice dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “Abby was always tidying up around here. She pretended she wasn’t, but I knew what she was doing. Like Sophie did just now.”
“Eunice, do you know if Abby had a cell phone or a computer?” I asked.
“Oh sure. She loved that kind of stuff. She’s the one who showed me how to play bridge online.” Eunice tapped on the laptop near her chair. “I thought I’d have to give it up since I don’t get around much anymore. But playing online is almost as good! The only thing I miss is the gossip.” Eunice heaved a great sigh. “Abby was a blessing to me. She was a friend.” She grasped Nina’s fingers. “How did she die?”
I wasn’t sure we should tell her. Would she ever sleep again knowing what happened to her friend right next door?
Nina looked at me with large eyes. She was probably thinking the same thing.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “Wolf might know after the medical examiner takes a look.” That was actually the truth. We didn’t need to mention that her dear friend had been folded up and mashed into a freezer. All Wong had seen were her toes. That hadn’t told us anything about how she had died.
Eunice held a hand out to me. “I want to hire you to solve Abby’s murder. That’s the least I can do for Abby when she was so very kind to me. Name your price.”
I took her gnarled hand into mine. “I don’t charge anything, Eunice. But don’t forget that Wolf is very competent and has a lot more resources than I do. I bet he’ll figure it out in no time.”
“You and Nina will look into it as a favor to me, won’t you?” asked Eunice. “I would do it myself, but I’m not as spry as I used to be.”
“Of course we will.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“I can do any research you need online!” she offered.
She was adorable. “You’d better be careful what you offer, or we’ll be back here with work for you,” I teased.
Nina and I gave Eunice hugs and saw ourselves to the door. I made sure it locked behind us.
“I guess I should call Tilly before she hears about Abby through a rumor,” I said.
“Do you think Tilly’s husband had something to do with Abby’s death?”
“I hope not. Do you think she overheard something nefarious? Maybe she threatened to go public with information that could ruin Wesley’s career?” I squinted into the night as cops walked in and out of Abby’s home. “Who lives on the other side of Abby?” I asked.
We turned together as if our move had been orchestrated. Even Daisy was happy to swing in the other direction. We crossed the street, and for a long moment we stared at the house next to Abby’s.
“I have no idea who lives there,” I said.
“Me either.” Nina’s mouth twitched. “We can ask around.” She scribbled the house number on a scrap of paper.
“Maybe we should drop by with questions for Eunice every day. That would give us an excuse to bring her food and check up on her,” I suggested.
“She’s pretty sharp. I think she would catch on. Wasn’t she friends with Francie?”
“She was.” My elderly neighbor, Francie, was a longtime Old Town resident. “I wish we could find someone to help her. Maybe Francie is clever enough to persuade Eunice to hire someone who could cook and clean and keep her company.”
We walked home in the dark. Even though streetlights and porch lights provided enough illumination, both of us were jumpy and overreacted when a cat darted in front of us. Only Daisy strolled along as usual.
An automatic light had turned on in my kitchen. We could see Mochie waiting for us in the bay window. As we approached, he leaped off his viewing perch and raced to the kitchen door, where he waited, thrilled to see us.
After greeting Mochie, I phoned Tilly to tell her about Abby, but her phone rolled over to voice mail. It didn’t seem right to leave a message about Abby’s death, so I simply asked her to call me.
Nina popped the remaining mac and cheese in the oven to warm it up. She heated a pot of apple cider and disappeared to the dining room, where I kept alcohol.
We wouldn’t eat six chicken breasts, but I baked them all, anyway, planning to use the rest for future meals. I tossed a salad of baby spinach leaves, slices of red onion, a handful of crunchy walnuts, and halved grape tomatoes. Still thinking of Abby, I whisked together a quick dressing of apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, a pinch of dried mustard, and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar.
Nina returned and splashed a healthy amount of bourbon into the apple cider.
When the chicken breasts registered 165 degrees on my cooking thermometer, I placed them on plates and poured some of the buttery juices from the pan over them. A sprinkle of salt and fresh parsley, and they were ready to eat.
Nina brought the macaroni and cheese to the table, which bore a tablecloth of burnt orange, gold, and maroon. I fed Mochie chicken in aspic and cut up a chicken breast for Daisy to eat with her dinner.
Nina and I sat down at the table, but I couldn’t help feeling guilty. What was Eunice eating tonight? I knew she had some food in her cupboard. Was she eating peanut butter on toast? Crackers with cheese?
Nina gazed at me. “You’re thinking about Eunice, aren’t you?”
“We should bring her dinner.”
“I’m in.”
I packed the hot food in an insulated carrier on wheels. Nina wasn’t about to leave her drinks behind. She poured them into thermoses and fastened them to the carrier with bungee cords.
I suited up Daisy in her harness, left Mochie snoozing in the bay window, and locked up. It took us less than six minutes to walk back to Eunice’s house. As we turned onto her street, it appeared that the number of police and emergency vehicles had doubled.
Daisy stayed close to me, probably worried about the busy people moving around ahead of us.
When we reached Eunice’s house, we stopped and watched them for a moment. Neighbors and onlookers had gathered to see what was going on.
We walked up the three stairs to Eunice’s door. I banged the elegant lion’s head door knocker, which had to be antique.
To my surprise, Wolf answered the door.
“We brought dinner for Eunice,” I blurted.
He stepped aside so we could enter. “That was thoughtful of you.”
Nina sang out, “Eunice! We’re back!” She smiled at Wolf. “We brought enough to share if you’re hungry.”
“I need to get back to work. But I might find time for just a bite.”
In a low voice so I wouldn’t cause Eunice more distress, I asked, “Can you tell how Abby died?”
He shook his head. “We’ll have to wait for the autopsy.”
“Is she out of the freezer yet?”