He closed his eyes and let Margaret's voice echo in his memory from their last book club meeting.She had been discussing the moral ambiguity in Agatha Christie's work, how her Belgian detective sometimes allowed killers to escape justice when he believed their motives were pure.Margaret had argued that Poirot's decisions reflected Christie's own understanding that the legal system couldn't always provide true justice.
"Sometimes," Margaret had said, her wine glass catching the light as she gestured, "the only real justice comes from understanding the deeper truth about why someone was driven to murder."
She had been so passionate about that point, so articulate in defending characters who had killed for noble reasons.The other book club members had seemed uncomfortable with Margaret's analysis, but he had understood exactly what she meant.Margaret had always been honest about difficult truths, even when honesty made others uncomfortable.He’d always respected that about her.
But it was also what had sealed her fate.
He opened his eyes and looked at the framed photograph on his desk.It showed the original Willowbrook Book Club members from twenty-two years ago, back when the group had been smaller and more intimate.Margaret wasn't in the photo, of course.She had joined much later, bringing with her an intensity that had gradually changed the entire dynamic of their discussions.
The brass candlestick he’d found in her home had felt surprisingly heavy in his hands.He had chosen it specifically because he knew Margaret would recognize the Christie reference, would understand in her final moments that her death was connected to the literature she loved so much.That had seemed important, somehow.Margaret deserved to die surrounded by the symbols of her greatest passion.
He had made it quick.One decisive blow to the back of her head was all it took.She hadn't suffered; she hadn't had time to feel fear or pain.In some ways, it had been a more merciful death than what she was facing, with the cancer slowly eating away at her pancreas.
The positioning afterward had taken longer.He had arranged her body with the same care she had always brought to organizing library displays, making sure every detail was perfect.The candlestick placed just so, parallel to her body.The bookmark left at exactly the right page inMurder on the Orient Express.Her hands folded peacefully in her lap.
Margaret would have appreciated the attention to literary detail, he thought.She had always been frustrated by book club members who read carelessly, who missed the subtle connections Christie wove throughout her work.But she would have understood the symbolism of her death scene immediately.
Standing up from his desk chair, he walked to the window that looked out on his small backyard.The autumn leaves were falling steadily now, covering the grass in shades of gold and brown.Soon it would be winter, and the barren trees would offer no shelter for the birds that currently flitted between the branches.
Jennifer Haynes lived just half a mile away, in a house that backed up to the same wooded area where he sometimes walked on Sunday afternoons.Jennifer, who had joined the book club a little less than a year ago with such enthusiasm, such eagerness to belong to something meaningful.Jennifer, who had gradually revealed herself to be one of those people who approached literature as a social activity rather than a serious intellectual pursuit.
Unlike Margaret, Jennifer would not understand why she had to die.Margaret had at least possessed the intelligence to recognize uncomfortable truths, even when she disagreed with them.And when he’d come to her, she’d seemed to understand right away why he was there.Hell, for a moment, it almost seemed as if she’d agreed that it was her time to die.
But Jennifer skimmed books rather than reading them carefully, offered shallow observations that missed the deeper themes entirely, and worst of all, seemed to view the book club as an opportunity to gossip about other members rather than engage with the literature.
He returned to his desk and pulled out a clean sheet of paper.Jennifer's death would require different staging than Margaret's.Where Margaret's murder had been a tribute to her scholarly approach to mystery novels, Jennifer's death would need to reflect her superficial engagement with literature.Something from a Christie novel whose characters pretended to be more than they actually were.
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Sidecame to mind immediately.The story of an actress whose carefully constructed public image concealed darker truths.Or perhapsA Caribbean Mystery, where the killer's motive stemmed from someone discovering information they were never supposed to know.
He made notes about Jennifer's schedule, her habits, the security system at her house.She was married, with no kids, and worked part-time at a local boutique.She was predictable in a way that Margaret had never been, which would make the planning easier, but the execution less satisfying.
Margaret had been a worthy adversary, someone whose intelligence demanded respect even as it made her dangerous.Jennifer was simply a problem that needed to be solved, a loose thread that needed to be cut away before it could unravel everything he had worked to protect.
The grandfather clock in his living room chimed ten times, reminding him that he should probably go to bed soon.Tomorrow was Thursday, and of course, he’d gotten the text, saying that the club was still on for tomorrow, to be held at Eleanor’s house.
Walking through his small house, he turned off the lights and checked the locks on his doors and windows.The routine was calming, a return to the ordinary world where he was simply a quiet man who kept to himself and bothered no one.Tomorrow he would go to work, exchange pleasantries with his coworkers, and perform his job with the same methodical competence he brought to everything in his life.
But tonight, alone with his books and his memories of Margaret's final moments, he allowed himself to feel the complex mixture of sorrow and satisfaction that came with having done something necessary but difficult.Margaret had forced his hand… and now Jennifer was making the same mistakes, and soon she would face the same consequences.
He settled into his reading chair with a copy ofa collection of Edgar Alan Poe’s short fiction.And though he followed the stories with joy and great interest, his own plans for murder were never far from the forefront of his mind.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Kate pulled into Eleanor Whitman's driveway at exactly 6:55, noting the three other cars already parked along the tree-lined street.Her hands felt slightly damp against the steering wheel, and she took a moment to steady her breathing before stepping out of her sedan.It had been years since she'd gone undercover in any capacity, and even longer since she'd attempted to blend into a social group where she knew nothing about the established dynamics.
She glanced at her phone one more time, confirming the text she'd received from DeMarco ten minutes earlier:"Arriving now.Parked on Elm Street, one block east if you need backup."The day had been frustratingly unproductive in terms of new leads.Background checks on all the book club members had revealed nothing suspicious, financial records showed no unusual transactions, and none of the neighbors had noticed anything out of the ordinary on Tuesday evening.
Kate adjusted the simple black cardigan she'd chosen for the occasion, hoping it struck the right balance between mourning attire and newcomer casualness.She'd spent considerable time selecting her outfit, wanting to blend in without appearing to try too hard.The copy ofMurder on the Orient Expressin her purse felt heavier than it should, a tangible reminder of the connection between Margaret's death and the literature this group was gathering to discuss.
Eleanor's front porch light cast a warm yellow glow across the carefully maintained flower beds as Kate approached the front door.Through the lace-curtained window, she could see movement inside and hear the soft murmur of female voices punctuated by nervous laughter.Kate pressed the doorbell and arranged her expression into what she hoped was an appropriately somber but interested demeanor.
"Oh, Kate, you're right on time," Eleanor said as she opened the door."Please, come in.Everyone is so curious to meet you."She was doing her best to seem nonchalant, but Kate picked up the slight tremor of anxiety.
Kate followed Eleanor through the same front hallway she'd visited the day before, but now the house felt different.The formal quietness had been replaced by the subtle energy of a gathering.She could smell coffee brewing somewhere in the kitchen, along with what might have been homemade cookies.
The living room had been arranged with chairs in a rough circle, and seven women were already seated with coffee cups and small plates balanced on their laps.Kate immediately noticed that every single person was wearing black, from Eleanor's simple blouse and slacks to the more elaborate funeral dress worn by a woman who appeared to be in her early sixties.
"Ladies, I'd like you to meet Kate," Eleanor announced."She's considering moving into the neighborhood and heard about our book club through a mutual friend.Given the circumstances, I thought it might be nice for her to join us this evening and see how our group operates."
