A Killer Closet by Paula Paul

the morning air was cool, and Irene pulled her colorful handwoven shawl tighter around her shoulders and arms as she waited for Harriet to emerge from the church.
    In spite of church attendance declining nationally, the Basilica of Saint Francis in Santa Fe still attracted relatively impressive numbers for morning Mass. Irene had to watch carefully to find Harriet among those leaving through the wide doors at the front of the church. She spotted the black lace mantilla Harriet wore on her head first. She was of the generation that, in spite of Vatican II, still liked to cover their heads in church. Of course her head covering would be black handmade silk lace. She, like Adelle, would never think of wearing anything but the finest and most expensive of anything.
    Irene called to her from where she stood a few feet away from the door. Harriet looked up when she heard her name and waved to Irene before she started walking toward her. When she got closer, Irene could see that Harriet’s eyes were reddened and her face blotchy from crying.
    “Oh, Irene!” Harriet said when she spotted her. “You’ve heard about Susana?”
    “Yes, I’ve heard.” Irene put her arms around Harriet and felt the woman’s body convulse with a sob.
    Harriet pulled away from her and dabbed at her eyes. “Who could have done such a thing?”
    “I was hoping you might have some ideas about that,” Irene said.
    “How could I possibly know anything about murder?” Harriet said, tears spilling out of her eyes again.
    “Adelle said Susana mentioned something to the two of you about searching in her hunting lodge if anything ever happened to her.”
    Harriet looked confused for a moment. “Searching in her hunting…? Oh, you mean Mariposa. She did mention something like that, but I had forgotten. I guess I ignored her when she said it. She could be so over-the-top that I got used to not…I shouldn’t have been so callous. I should have paid more attention and asked her what she meant by that.” She dabbed at her eyes again.
    “Don’t be too critical of yourself. Adelle obviously ignored her, too.” Harriet was the most tenderhearted of Adelle’s friends. Although she had no financial need to work, she’d been an English teacher at a Catholic high school in Santa Fe.
    “I feel just awful. And it happened in your store. Why?”
    “I don’t know the answer to that, Harriet. But I really want to find out why both of those bodies ended up there. Both of them were Adelle’s friends. I just can’t let this go.”
    “Irene…”
    “Can you tell me exactly what Susana said about—what did you call it? Mariposa?”
    “Yes, she named the lodge Mariposa Landing.”
    “Odd name for a hunting lodge.
Mariposa
means butterfly in Spanish.”
    “Well, Susana could come up with some odd ideas at times,” Harriet said. “Like her telling us to search Mariposa if anything should happen to her.”
    “Search where, exactly? In the house? On the grounds? Looking for what?”
    Harriet shook her head. “I don’t know. We didn’t ask. As I said, we ignored her. It was usually best not to get her started on anything like that. She had so many imaginary problems and ailments. Every new disease she heard about, she imagined she had it. Once she even told us she had low T.” Harriet shook her head. “She didn’t even know what that meant.”
    Irene remembered Susana’s rather dramatic remarks about Loraine’s death and her supposed affair. Was she only being overly dramatic? “Do you know where the lodge is located?” Irene asked. “I mean where, exactly, within the Pecos Wilderness?”
    “Of course. I’ve been there several times. She even gave me a key in case George and I ever wanted to use the lodge.”
    Susana felt a momentary jolt of sadness for her mother, who had never been invited.
    “Lovely place,” Harriet continued. “Except for the way it’s decorated, of course. Susana had no sense of style when it came to decorating. Should