Jake stared at me with his mouth slightly open. I stared back, my foot tapping lightly on the floor beneath the table. I was nervous. I didn’t usually act so openly contentious, but I seriously did not like the man, and a woman was dead most likely because of his actions.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
It was my mouth that hung open that time. “You’re what?”
He laughed a little. “Your husband always said you were a woman not to be messed with.” He smiled and shrugged. “I’ll be honest, I always thought he meant he wanted me to stay away from you.”
“He probably did.”
“Probably, but I think he also meant in regard to your strength. He said you were a force to be reckoned with.”
I almost blushed, but then caught myself. “Sam was a good man.”
“That he was. There are a few people I will tell my attorney to consider as having problems with my wife. Contrary to local rumors, and though I wasn’t—am not—the best man, Traci wasn’t always an angel.”
Throwing your dead wife—the one you were accused of killing—under the bus was just low. I swallowed back that comment, though I was tempted to say it out loud. Very tempted. “Are you talking about additional former lovers?”
He shook his head. “There weren’t as many as people think.”
“Then who else would want Traci dead?”
“I think it’s best I leave that information to my attorney until he says otherwise.”
“That’s fair. One more thing.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Where were you when Traci was killed?”
“I was at the fairgrounds. You know that.”
“Yes, but at the time she was killed, specifically, where were you?”
“With Gina Palencia. She’d wanted to talk about the event. She had some concerns about Traci.”
I didn’t accomplish much in that meeting, though outside of getting a read on whether Jake was guilty or innocent, I wasn’t exactly sure what I thought I’d accomplish. I didn’t think he killed Traci, and because of that, I was more committed than ever to find out who did.
As I left the jail, another city council member, Rick Morring, was going through the first section of security gates. When he saw me, he waved and asked me to wait inside the secured area. He cleared the check and smiled at me. “Missy Kingston, you’re the last person I’d expect to see in jail.”
I laughed. “Since I’m not behind bars, I don’t think this counts, does it?”
“So, what brings you here? You finally decide to move forward with your pups and prisoners program?”
“Not yet. I don’t have the manpower for it at the moment. One day though.”
He nodded. “What you’ve done for the shelter, for those dogs, it’s amazing. We’re grateful for your service.”
“Thanks, it’s been as good for me as it has been for them, if not better.”
He glanced toward the lockers where he needed to store his belongings before going into the meeting area of the jail.
“I won’t keep you.”
“No, no. It’s okay. What brings you here today?”
“I came to see Jake Fielding.”
His eyes widened. “Really? Interesting.” He paused for a moment and then pointed his finger at me in that cheesy used car salesman kind of way. “You’re the one that found his wife. I forgot about that.”
I nodded. “I wanted to offer my condolences.”
“To a murderer? How kind of you.”
“Innocent until proven guilty, that’s the way our justice system works, and since I know what it feels like to lose a spouse, I thought I should come by.”
He winced. “Oh, well, yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be heartless.”
I plastered a smile on my face. “Of course not.”
“Anyway, I best get inside. City council business and all.” He tipped his head. “It was nice seeing you.”
“You too.”
I called Max on my way to the fairgrounds. “I stopped by the jail.”
“And?”
“And Jake Fielding really is a pompous jerk, isn’t he?”
He laughed. “Always has been, but that doesn’t make him a killer.”
“I think you’re right about that.”
“You don’t think he killed Traci?”
I sighed. “No, I don’t, but I still don’t like him.”
“I’m okay with that.”
“He thinks Jennifer Lee should be a suspect.”
“You already thought that might be the case.”
I hadn’t really given it enough thought to decide that was actually how I felt.
“And he really isn’t a fan of Traci. Or wasn’t, I guess.”
“Marriage is hard. Divorce is harder. Trust me, I know from experience.”
“I guess I was lucky.”
“You were very lucky.”
I changed the subject. I was okay for the most part, but sometimes the grief came back and overwhelmed me, and I didn’t want it to happen then. “I’m on my way to the fairgrounds to check on the set up, and I don’t know, maybe snoop around a little. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe someone I should talk to? Jake said he was going to let his attorney know who might have wanted Traci dead, but he didn’t offer up any names to me.”
“I don’t know of anyone off hand, but let me see what I come up with. In the meantime, just listen. You’ll hear something. We’ve had a murder, and it’s the first one in town in over ten years. People are going to talk.”
Boy, was he right. People were talking, a lot. I wasn’t immune to a good bit of gossip myself, so I understood. Those people that say they don’t like gossip? I’ve never seen any of them walk away when someone’s telling them some. I think everyone is at least a little interested in the latest and greatest, and when it’s big, like a well known person’s murder, it’s bound to draw a lot of talk.
I happened to be the center of attention at the fairgrounds, and while that made my little amateur sleuthing deal easier, it was a bit overwhelming. I’d already been part of the gossip train when Sam passed, and I wasn’t keen on jumping on that ride again.
I ran into Gina in the volunteer tent.
“Hey Missy. How are you?” She came toward me, her long brown ponytail whipping back and forth, and she sashayed my direction wearing a pair of four inch heels I would have tripped in after a few steps. “I’ve been so worried.”
She hugged me, and I hugged her back, hiding my slight cringe in the collar of her pink sweater. I wasn’t a touchy feely kind of person at all, unless it was family. “I’m fine, you don’t need to be worried about me.”
“Well, we all are. It’s a tragedy, what happened to Traci, and you, you poor thing, you had to find her like that.” She shook her head and made a tsk sound. “It’s horrible. Just horrible. People are running around here like chickens with their heads cut off. No one knows what to do. It’s like they’ve lost all sense of order because Traci’s gone. Seriously, we have a festival to run. Someone has got to get it together.”
“And that should be you, Gina. You’re the assistant lead anyway. It’s natural for you to step up and take charge.”
She blushed. “You think? I wouldn’t want to upset anyone.”
“What would upset everyone is the festival tanking because of what happened. I know I want it to be a success for Traci. In her honor. Don’t you agree?”
She nodded. “Yes, yes. I do.”
“Then you should say something to everyone.” I glanced around the tent and took a quick head count. There were at least twenty volunteers there at the moment. “But first, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“I heard you and Traci discussing the clown, and I…I was wondering if you ever resolved that.”
She laughed and waved me off like it wasn’t a big deal at all. “Of course we did. The clown’s a go. She was fine about it after I explained my reasoning. It’ll be fun. He
’s not going to scare people. He’s more of a funny clown.”
I nodded. “That’s good.”
“Anything else?”
I shook my head. “I was just curious.”
“Missy, I adored Traci. Adored her. I mean, she had her things, you know? Things that drove people crazy of course, but she was a good egg, and I liked working with her.” She glanced around the room. “Now, I think you’re right. I think it’s time for me to take charge and get this festival back in gear.” She clapped her hands and then whistled. “Everyone gather around please. I have an announcement to make.”
When everyone scooted toward the classically dressed woman in her big heels, she stood up on a wood picnic table. “Since Traci, God rest her soul, is gone, and I’m the assistant head volunteer, Missy Kingston here suggested I should take over and get the festival on track.” She smiled at me, and from her glowing cheeks and slight wave of her hand, it felt like she was a celebrity appeasing her fans. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” She blurted out a bunch of bru-hah-hah and go team go kind of speak, then proceeded to dole out a to do list a mile long, assigning tasks to everyone in the tent as well as people not there. She even gave herself an assistant and had her take notes. It was kind of impressive.
I headed over to the pooch party tent area to make sure everything was still in order. Though the fairgrounds had overnight security, I worried something would happen and kept a close watch on our space. Still good to go, I opted to take a walk around the festival itself and see what I could dig up.
People were talking about Traci’s murder like it was the only news in town. I was surprised to hear most people felt Jake was guilty, and their opinions on his punishment were intense. Two women were especially angry and accusatory.
“He should get the chair.”
“No, not the chair. That’s too kind. He needs a public hanging.”
I wasn’t even sure if Georgia had the death penalty and I thought their comments were a bit extreme. “Why do you think he did it?” I asked the two women.
The one who opted for electrocution, a plus-sized blonde with the fashion sense of a super model—I envied that—said, “Because he did.”
Well, there you go.
“Of course he did it,” the other said. She didn’t have the same fashion sense, and even though she dressed nicely, her attire suffered by comparison. “He wanted a divorce, and Traci was fighting him tooth and nail.”
“As she should,” the blonde said. “She was there when he got his start. If not for her, he wouldn’t be the man he is today.”
“A man in jail accused of killing his wife?” I asked. From their slack jaws, it might not have been the right question.
“You don’t understand. You don’t know what it’s like. You have a good—” Blondie stopped herself before sticking her knee-high boot into her mouth.
The other woman, whose name I couldn’t for the life of me remember, glanced around the fairgrounds like she was looking for someone. Anyone but me.
“No marriage is perfect. They all have their ups and downs.” I smiled confidently, pushing my shoulders back a bit. “But a marriage doesn’t have to be bad to have issues. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. It’s quite possible Jake’s innocent and someone else killed Traci.”
“She’s right, you know. Traci wasn’t easy to work with, Shelly. You know that.”
Kim! That was her name. “I’ve heard that a few times, Kim, and though I haven’t worked with her much, I think I can see how some felt that way. She was very specific in her requests and what she wanted.”
“She was a shrew,” Kim said.
Goodness, I wouldn’t have gone that far. Cruelty was alive and well at the fairgrounds. “Shrew’s are people too,” I said.
I wasn’t making a joke, but they both laughed.
“What if Jake didn’t do it?” I pointed to Shelly. “You just said she wasn’t all that easy to work with.” I then pointed to Kim. “You called her a shrew. Isn’t it possible someone else thought the same, or thought poorly enough of her to want her dead?”
They both stared at me.
“Well, I guess it’s possible,” Kim said.
“Maybe. You never really know people anymore,” Shelly said.
I didn’t want to be a part of gossip, but my interviewing skills were limited to foster and shelter volunteers. Murder investigations weren’t my area of expertise. “So, Jake could be innocent, and that means the killer is still out there.”
Shelly gasped. “Oh, that would be awful. What if they weren’t trying to kill Traci, but wanted to stop the festival?”
Kim’s eyes popped open and she jumped up onto her tiptoes. “I heard they did something to the pumpkins. What if they weren’t trying to kill Traci, and instead wanted to kill festival attendees?”
I’d just opened a can of worms I probably should have kept shut and tucked far away in the bomb shelter Sam built in our basement. “I don’t think someone was trying to cause any mass murder by pumpkin. The festival isn’t until Friday. Planning ahead is one thing, but that’s a little much.”
Shelly giggled. “You’re probably right. And come to think of it, I did see Traci and that no good tramp that slept with her husband arguing earlier. I wouldn’t put it past her if she wanted to take Traci out.”
I raised my eyebrow. “No good tramp?”
Kim smirked. “Jennifer Lee. I saw it, too. She was all up in Traci’s face talking about how Traci needed to get over it already. I think Jennifer wanted her happily ever after, but we all know that won’t happen with a cheater like Jake Fielding. Poor tramp’s ending up a happily never after.” She laughed. “That last part was my words, not hers.”
“You heard them arguing?”
“Uh huh. I wasn’t even ten feet away from them,” she said.
Shelly agreed. “I was on the other side, but I heard them, too.”
“Have you gone to the police with that?”
Shelly blanched. “Oh, gosh, no. Why would I do that? I don’t want to get involved.”
I pressed my heels into the ground. “Oh-kay. Well, I think you should. Anyone that was seen arguing with Traci on the day of her murder is a potential suspect. Didn’t the police interview you yesterday?”
“Not me. I left before she was killed,” Shelly said.
“I did, too. I had to pick up Charlie from day care.”
“So, when did you see them arguing?”
Shelly shrugged. “Maybe an hour or so before I left, which, from what I gather was around the time this whole mess started.”
“You really should tell the police.”
“Do you think we should tell them about Rick Morring then, too?” she asked.
“What about Rick?”
Kim sucked in a breath and shook her head. “You mean you don’t know?”
My jaw clenched. The two women must have thought I was a rabbit and they were dangling carrot scraps near my face. Did they think it was funny? Just in case, I had no intention of giving them any satisfaction. “Listen ladies, I have a lot of work to do for the festival. If you know something, you should go to the police. It’s the right thing to do.”
As I pivoted around on my heels to leave, Shelly grabbed my arm. “Rick Morring wants your part of the festival shut down. He was all up in Traci’s face about it, too.”
“She’s right.” Kim nodded as she spoke, as if that would make her statement more important. “I saw it myself. Said he’d make sure you couldn’t be here next year if he had to get a new festival organizer. Traci was not happy.”
“Nope, not happy,” Shelly said.
“What? Why? Why would he say those things?”
They both shrugged. Shelly added, “I’ve heard he thinks the dogs are a danger to people, and you having them out like that can put a huge financial burden on the city. I’m not saying that I agree with him, I’m just repeating what I heard.”
Kim raised her hand. “Me, too. I heard it, t
oo.”
I inhaled deeply and swallowed back what I wanted to say as I watched a group of people a few feet away scatter in various directions, one being Rick Morring. “That’s good to know, but I still think you should go to the police.” I couldn’t say that enough. I smiled at both of them. “Have a great day, ladies.”
They smiled, and I made a beeline straight for Rick Morring.
Chapter Four
“Rick, wait up.” I jogged to catch up with him as he flipped around toward me.
It was just a flash, but I could have sworn he’d grimaced when he saw it was me. “Oh, Missy Kingston, we’re running into each other a lot lately.”
“Seems that way, doesn’t it?” I caught my breath. “Listen, I heard you have some concerns about the dogs at the festival. If you have a moment, I’d like to discuss it with you.”
He balled his hands into tightly clenched fists and then released them. “Concerns? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” He sped up his pace, and I kept up with him.
“The concerns you shared with Traci Fielding. Something along the lines of you wanting to keep the dogs out of public places because it wasn’t safe for the citizens of town.” I thought I’d dialed back my attitude, but it was pretty darn clear in my tone.
No one messes with my pups.
His neck stiffened and the cords on each side swelled like hoses filling with water. “As I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He glanced at his watch. “And really, I’ve got a lot to do today, so I’m not sure I have time to discuss this.” He flipped back around and headed the direction he was going before I caught up with him.
“Have you told the police you were arguing with Traci Fielding shortly before her death?”
He froze, and then a few seconds later, he turned around and smiled, but not a happy smile, a forced, obligatory, I-don’t-like-you-but-I’m-doing-my-best-to-fake-it kind of smile. “Mrs. Kingston, I was at the police station for a city council issue, and whomever told you I was having an argument with Traci Fielding is misinformed. We were discussing matters regarding the festival. She wasn’t thrilled with something I said, but it was in no way an argument, and I certainly did not kill the woman.”
Pooches, Pumpkins, and Poison Page 4