None of the members of Mrs. Haggerty’s book club was married.
Except one—Sally.
Sally certainly wasn’t happy in her marriage to Robert, and what had Mrs. Haggerty and her friends done for her? They had invited her to join their book club. A woman who worked for the Office of Vital Records had given her a certificate. They had given her a wooden box and a gift bag full of cremains…
Everyone has a job to do. Everyone contributes.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place. I could see all the characters and their roles in the story clearly. They all had a job. All made a contribution. Viola, the women’s advocate and human resources professional, managed the group. Lola, the nurse, forged medical records at her hospital. Destiny printed death certificates at work. She provided custom engraving for the urns from her Etsy shop, and Birdie stole animal cremains from the shelter to fill them. Then there was Kathy, the cleaner who tidied up the evidence of their crimes and Gita, who used her flower delivery business to handle the memorial arrangements…
That tattoo over Mrs. Haggerty’s heart—the one she claimed she got years ago—wasn’t a three-leaf clover at all… it was aclub.
Mrs. Haggerty wasn’t protecting Brendan. She was covering for her friends. But what was Penny’s role in all this? And how long until they initiated Sally?
I started the engine.
“Where are we going?” Vero asked.
“We’re taking Patricia back to her car. Then we’re going home.”
“Why?”
“To get ready for book club.”
CHAPTER 21
Vero and I raced home from the shelter. The van’s tires screamed into the driveway just before dark. Cam greeted us at the door and plucked Arnold Schwarzenegger from my arms. “Where have you been? I was worried! And hungry.” He planted a kiss on Arnold’s head. “Man, I missed you, little buddy.” Cam sniffed his ears. “Why does my dog smell like burgers and fries? He’s not supposed to eat that shit. It gives him gas.”
“Where are the kids?” I asked, trying not to look as frantic as I felt.
“Watching a movie on the couch.”
“And Mrs. Haggerty?”
“Upstairs in her room. I think she’s taking a nap.”
I felt myself sag with relief. It had been one thing to have her puttering about in my house and homeschooling my children when I’d assumed she was innocent. It was entirely another after hearing Patricia’s story. Until I knew for certain what Mrs. Haggerty and her friends were up to, I didn’t plan to let that woman out of my sight.
“When’s dinner? I’m starving,” Cam asked.
“You work on dinner,” Vero said to me. “I’ll check on the kids.”
Cam followed me into the kitchen, talking my ear off about their ride in the Lincoln—which he insisted on callingThe Eggplant—while I boiled a pot of spaghetti and reheated a container of sauce.
“How was Arnold? Did he behave?” he asked.
“He was a very good boy.” Minus the puddle of pee he’d left on the passenger seat of my minivan.
“He is, isn’t he? I mean, we’re still working on the pissing-on-the-floor thing. Mrs. Haggerty gave me some pointers. She’s got a pretty good track record with the potty training and shit. Check it out, Mrs. D.” Cam held up a finger to get my attention. “Arnold and I have been doing obedience training. Show her your trick, buddy.” Cam sank to his haunches and held out a fist. Arnold lifted a paw and gave it a gentle bump. Cam’s face was giddy with pride. “See? Arnold isn’t dumb. He’s justextrinsically motivated,” Cam said, enunciating his newfound vocabulary word. “That means you should give him a treat. But if you don’t have any, that’s cool.” He opened the refrigerator. “We’ll settle for a beer.”
“Nice try,” I said, closing the fridge.
“Then how about some of those brownies Mrs. H was telling me about?”
“Not on your life. Our deal was spaghetti and chocolate cake.” I served out a heap of spaghetti and passed him the plate.
Cam licked his lips as he carried it to the table. “You won’t hear me complaining.”
I set one hundred and forty dollars in cash in front of him as he shoveled spaghetti into his mouth. He tucked the money into his pocket as he chewed. “Can I get an extra twenty?” he asked. “I need to catch an Uber back home.”
