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Authors: Jill Churchill
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cases are kept, and that’s anyone who’s ever worked here. Regina was awfully trusting of everyone and wasn’t concerned with theft. In fact, the board had to overrule her objections to updating and improving the security system.“
“I suppose the police fingerprinted the display case,“ Jane said.
“I guess they must have,“ Lisa said. “But they might have found a ton of prints or none at all. The kids who come here love that display. They all lean on it and touch it. Besides, we had a leak from the sink in the upstairs rest room last week that made a big stain on the wall behind the case. We had to wrestle it out into the middle of the room. It took half the staff to move it out, then move it back when the painting was finished. And in the meantime, it was in the traffic path, and I imagine many people who visited the room touched the display as they squeezed past. But if the—the person who did this awful thing had any sense at all, he cleaned off all the prints.“
“And you think that person was Derek Delano?“ Shelley asked.
“No. No, I really don’t.“ Lisa obviously regretted her earlier remark about him. She put down her fork and fiddled around pulling her hair back and reclipping a tortoiseshell barrette while she thought. Finally she said, “Derek is ambitious and nasty and has an ego the size of Texas, but I don’t think he’s truly mean-spirited. And he’s very bright and well educated. I believe if it had gotten through to him that he probably wasn’t ever going to be director of the Snellen, he’d have just altered his plan and gone somewhere else to move his career along. I don’t think he especially liked or disliked Regina, either. I’m not sure he can like or dislike people. I think he categorizes them as useful or not useful.“
“And Georgia Snellen is useful?“ Shelley asked.
“Oh, you’ve seen her hanging on him? I guess either she’s convinced him she is or—well, to be vulgar—she’s useful, and handy, in other ways.”
Jane had been working her way through her salad, which was very good, while Shelley and Lisa talked. Now she closed the clear plastic container and started tidying up the table. “Was there anyone who did dislike Ms. Palmer?“ she asked.
“Well, Caspar Snellen never bothered to disguise his feelings, but other than that, I don’t know. Anybody else who found fault with her would be unlikely to tell me about it.“
“And why did Caspar Snellen dislike her?“ Jane asked.
“Money. His aunt’s money, which he counted on getting and didn’t. And the fact that he’s a miserable person who goes around imagining that everybody’s conspiring against him.“ Lisa shuddered a little and suddenly said, “I really appreciate you two letting me blow off steam. I’m sorry—I probably ruined your lunch and said a lot of dumb things I shouldn’t have.“
“Not in the least,“ Jane assured her.
“You know, I’ve realized since Saturday that when someone close to you dies, people tend to think the kind, polite thing to do is try to take your mind off it. As if it’s somehow ghoulish or tasteless to even mention the person’s name in polite company.“
“It’s well meant,“ Shelley said.
“I know. But it can make you feel that everybody just wants to forget they existed at all. Thanks again for listening. It helps. And thanks for picking up lunch, Shelley. I think this is the first time in days that I just sat down for this long. Oh, give me your receipt and I’ll make sure Sharlene reimburses you.”
When Lisa had gone, Jane gave the stuffed cat a preoccupied pet and went right back to work so she could push away the thought that was troubling her. To lose a best friend must be an awful thing. If Shelley were suddenly taken out of her life, Jane couldn’t imagine how she’d , cope. Nobody could fill that empty space. And it must be worse for Lisa Quigley, who had no husband or children and, given her work schedule, probably no
“I suppose the police fingerprinted the display case,“ Jane said.
“I guess they must have,“ Lisa said. “But they might have found a ton of prints or none at all. The kids who come here love that display. They all lean on it and touch it. Besides, we had a leak from the sink in the upstairs rest room last week that made a big stain on the wall behind the case. We had to wrestle it out into the middle of the room. It took half the staff to move it out, then move it back when the painting was finished. And in the meantime, it was in the traffic path, and I imagine many people who visited the room touched the display as they squeezed past. But if the—the person who did this awful thing had any sense at all, he cleaned off all the prints.“
“And you think that person was Derek Delano?“ Shelley asked.
“No. No, I really don’t.“ Lisa obviously regretted her earlier remark about him. She put down her fork and fiddled around pulling her hair back and reclipping a tortoiseshell barrette while she thought. Finally she said, “Derek is ambitious and nasty and has an ego the size of Texas, but I don’t think he’s truly mean-spirited. And he’s very bright and well educated. I believe if it had gotten through to him that he probably wasn’t ever going to be director of the Snellen, he’d have just altered his plan and gone somewhere else to move his career along. I don’t think he especially liked or disliked Regina, either. I’m not sure he can like or dislike people. I think he categorizes them as useful or not useful.“
“And Georgia Snellen is useful?“ Shelley asked.
“Oh, you’ve seen her hanging on him? I guess either she’s convinced him she is or—well, to be vulgar—she’s useful, and handy, in other ways.”
Jane had been working her way through her salad, which was very good, while Shelley and Lisa talked. Now she closed the clear plastic container and started tidying up the table. “Was there anyone who did dislike Ms. Palmer?“ she asked.
“Well, Caspar Snellen never bothered to disguise his feelings, but other than that, I don’t know. Anybody else who found fault with her would be unlikely to tell me about it.“
“And why did Caspar Snellen dislike her?“ Jane asked.
“Money. His aunt’s money, which he counted on getting and didn’t. And the fact that he’s a miserable person who goes around imagining that everybody’s conspiring against him.“ Lisa shuddered a little and suddenly said, “I really appreciate you two letting me blow off steam. I’m sorry—I probably ruined your lunch and said a lot of dumb things I shouldn’t have.“
“Not in the least,“ Jane assured her.
“You know, I’ve realized since Saturday that when someone close to you dies, people tend to think the kind, polite thing to do is try to take your mind off it. As if it’s somehow ghoulish or tasteless to even mention the person’s name in polite company.“
“It’s well meant,“ Shelley said.
“I know. But it can make you feel that everybody just wants to forget they existed at all. Thanks again for listening. It helps. And thanks for picking up lunch, Shelley. I think this is the first time in days that I just sat down for this long. Oh, give me your receipt and I’ll make sure Sharlene reimburses you.”
When Lisa had gone, Jane gave the stuffed cat a preoccupied pet and went right back to work so she could push away the thought that was troubling her. To lose a best friend must be an awful thing. If Shelley were suddenly taken out of her life, Jane couldn’t imagine how she’d , cope. Nobody could fill that empty space. And it must be worse for Lisa Quigley, who had no husband or children and, given her work schedule, probably no
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