Death by Committee

by Alexis Morgan

  In a last ditch effort to avoid having to bother the poor man, she’d done some online searches to see if she could track down Julie Tolbert through various types of social media. Although there was nothing on Twitter or several other outlets, she did find the woman’s Facebook page. That was the good news. The bad news was that the page didn’t appear to have been updated since Julie had posted a couple of pictures taken at a church service on Christmas Eve. That wasn’t particularly helpful and neither was the fact that if Julie had posted anything else, it was all private. Unfortunately, that left Abby no choice but to make good on her promise to talk to Troy Tolbert about his wife.

  Her plan was to approach him after wandering past Dolly Cayhill’s house again, to see if there was any sign of activity. She still hadn’t figured out who had actually inherited the place. Glenda hadn’t heard, and Abby hadn’t spoken to either Jean or Louise since their board meeting. After scoping out Dolly’s house, she’d circle around the block in the opposite direction of Frank Jeffries’s land. No way would she risk running into him again, and her chosen route would take her right past Troy’s house. Since he was a long haul trucker, chances were good he wouldn’t be home anyway, but at least she’d be able to tell Glenda that she’d tried.

  “Darn it, slow down, Zeke. Please.”

  This time he finally listened. He abruptly sat down in the shade of a vine maple, offering up a doggy grin as if particularly proud of himself. She patted his head as she pulled his collapsible water bowl out of her pack and filled it with bottled water. He cheerfully lapped it up, storing a fair portion of the water in his jowls, no doubt planning to drool on her at the first opportunity.

  She finished off the rest of the bottle herself while they both caught their breath. It was the perfect spot to linger for a while. From where they stood, she had a clear view of Dolly’s house, which was a hive of activity right now. There were four elderly ladies standing on the front porch listening intently to whatever a younger woman was telling them. Their body language indicated the conversation wasn’t a happy one. From the sharp way the young woman’s hands were waving in the air, she wasn’t in the best of moods, either.

  It was hard to tell from a distance, but two of the older women looked familiar. She was pretty sure they were the ones who’d given her the cold shoulder that day at Bridey’s coffee shop. Nice to know she wasn’t the only one who didn’t much care for their attitude. There was no way to know what was really going on, but it appeared that the younger woman was guarding the door into Dolly’s house, while the older women seemed just as determined to come inside.

  Well, they might have had her outnumbered, but she eventually managed to drive them off. Abby would give anything to know what she’d said to them, because they clearly took exception to it. Right now, they were filing down off the porch, righteous indignation clear in each step they took. It was probably rude to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself.

  The sound must have carried the rest of the way down the block. All four of them immediately turned in her direction like a pack of hunting dogs going on point. Great, now they were headed straight for her. Deciding it would be cowardly to run, she planted her feet and stood her ground.

  Well, actually, she stood behind Zeke.

  It didn’t take long for the gaggle of women to reach her. It was tempting to fire the opening salvo, something both sassy and rude, but these women were Aunt Sybil’s contemporaries. She wouldn’t have approved of Abby going on the attack unless provoked.

  Three of the women formed up in a shoulder-to-shoulder line behind the fourth, marking her as their leader. She glared first at Abby and then at Zeke. He normally greeted newcomers with a wag of the tail and a friendly doggy smile, but not this time. Maybe he sensed their hostility and didn’t know what to make of it. When he shifted slightly to face them more directly, all four backed up a step.

  The leader glared at Abby. “If that . . . that beast makes one aggressive move toward us, I will call Animal Control.”

  All right, then. That’s how it was going to be.

  “Zeke has never met a person he didn’t like.” She curled her lip just a little and gave the four women a withering look. “Until now. If you’ll excuse us, ladies, we have places to be.”

  She gave Zeke’s leash a tug, ready to move on, the situation no longer amusing in the least. The women, though, had other ideas. Evidently their encounter with the woman at Dolly’s house had left them fired up and with no target for their temper other than Abby.

  “You, young lady, are just as rude and arrogant as your aunt was.”

  Enough was enough. Abby drew herself up to her full height, shoulders back, and stared down at her diminutive opponent. “My aunt was a lady, first, last, and always. She was only ever rude to those who deserved it. That’s obviously more than I can say about the four of you.”

  They gasped in chorus. Had they really thought she’d stand there and cower?

  “Now, we’ll be on our way.”

  Before Abby could go two steps, the woman upped the ante. “Bad manners obviously run in your family. It’s bad enough that Sybil did her best to poison us just to get herself elected as head of the quilting guild.”

  Seriously? They were still spouting that line of crap? “My aunt would not have poisoned anyone. It was just some bad crab dip, for Pete’s sake. Who knows what happened? Maybe Mrs. Cayhill used tainted mayonnaise.”

  “That’s ridiculous. That was Dolly’s prize recipe. She took pride in it and wouldn’t have embarrassed herself by using substandard ingredients.”

  Speaking of embarrassing. Never in a million years would she have expected to be standing on a public street arguing about the quality of someone’s crab dip ingredients. It was past time to be moving on.

  “Come on, boy, let’s go.”

  The women retreated to a safe distance as soon as Zeke moved. They waited until Abby’s back was turned to fire one more shot.

  “We all know what really happened to your dear Aunt Sybil.”

  She shouldn’t respond. She really shouldn’t, not if she was going to be smart about this. Evidently, she wasn’t feeling all that bright right now because she whirled back around. “And what is that?”

  “Let’s just say that everyone thinks Sybil died of a heart attack, but it was really guilt over what she did to Dolly that killed her. And until the truth comes out, we will be keeping pressure on the police to admit that there is only one logical culprit in our friend’s death—your aunt. Everyone else loved Dolly.”

  The old woman poked her finger toward Abby. “And Gage Logan might think he can protect that thug Tripp Blackston, but the truth will come out. When it does, he will pay for his part in Dolly’s death. We will also make sure the city council knows about Gage’s dereliction of his duty. Even if that doesn’t result in criminal charges against him, too, I’m sure he’ll have a hard time finding another job in law enforcement.”

  There was so much wrong with the woman’s assessment of the facts. For starters, not everyone loved Dolly Cayhill, and Aunt Sybil had been an avowed pacifist. Besides, Sybil wouldn’t have been dumb enough to hide the body in her own backyard. She also wouldn’t have used her own quilt as a shroud, especially the one she’d promised to Abby.

  “You’re wrong about my aunt and even more wrong about Tripp. For your information, he spent twenty years serving our country. Like Gage, he’s a hero who deserves your respect, not your stupid, vicious, and small-minded suspicions.”

  There was so much more she wanted to say, to rail against the injustice of their attack, not only on her aunt, but Tripp as well. However, the lump of grief and anger in her throat choked off her ability to talk. She also hated—HATED—that once again she was reduced to tears in public. At least Zeke knew what to do. He licked Abby’s hand and then started walking, dragging her along in his wake. She stumbled along after him, glad that at least one of them had enough sense to get away from such awful women. Once they’d gone a few steps
, she used the hem of her shirt to wipe away the evidence of how much they’d upset her.

  They’d almost reached the far end of the block when the sound of a car slowly approaching from behind them had her hurrying her steps. There was no way she wanted to go a second round with Dolly’s fan club. Keeping her eyes straight ahead, she urged Zeke to pick up speed. Whoever was driving the car wasn’t giving up. It sped up just enough to get in front of them and stopped.

  As soon as she recognized Gage Logan, her first reaction was relief. Her second was a mild rush of panic. No way did she want him to see she’d been crying, but luck definitely wasn’t on her side today. He’d already parked and was climbing out of the squad car to head right for her.

  “Abby, are you all right?”

  She figured her smile was more crazy than convincing, but she gave it her best shot. “I’m fine, Gage. Zeke and I are just making our rounds.”

  She would’ve kept on walking, but Gage blocked her way. What was it with men planting their big feet in front of her this week? And traitor that he was, Zeke parked his backside on the sidewalk and waited to be petted. Gage took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. After shooting a frustrated look back in the direction she’d come, he asked, “Tell me, what did those women say to upset you?”

  Then, without waiting for her response, he pointed toward Dolly Cayhill’s house. “Allison Samuels, that’s Mrs. Cayhill’s niece, called me about them. Evidently, they showed up on her doorstep making a bunch of crazy demands. She ordered them off the property, but she was afraid they wouldn’t stay gone.”

  They both looked back toward the women, who were just now getting into a car. “By the way, they gave me an earful about you and your vicious dog.”

  Luckily he was smiling when he said that last part or else she would’ve gone charging back down the street to tear into them but good. Instead, she patted Zeke on the head and slipped him a couple of treats.

  “He was a perfect gentleman the whole time. If anyone was vicious in that discussion, it was them.” Petting Zeke helped to hide her shaky hands. “They’ve convinced themselves that Aunt Sybil killed their friend and then died out of guilt. If that wasn’t bad enough, they think you’re covering up for Tripp. They still think he was Aunt Sybil’s accomplice in all of this.”

  Gage looked thoroughly disgusted. “I know. I’m afraid nothing will change their minds until the actual culprit is behind bars.”

  If only it were that easy. “And the truth is that maybe not even then, Gage. They are so angry. It’s not bad enough that they tell everyone who’ll listen that Aunt Sybil tried to poison the entire quilting guild. No, she has to be a cold-blooded murderer, too.”

  “I’m sorry, Abby. I’ll talk to them again.”

  “Don’t bother on my account. They’ve lost a friend in a horrible fashion, which is making them lash out because they’re hurting.”

  Regardless, her anger over their attack only strengthened her resolve to make sure the truth over Dolly’s death came out. She owed that much to both Aunt Sybil and Tripp.

  They both watched as the women slowly drove past, all four of them glaring at both Gage and Abby. He shook his head as they turned the corner and drove out of sight. “Look, I can give you a ride home if you and Zeke want one.”

  She actually considered accepting his offer, but she’d already come this far. She’d continue past Troy Tolbert’s house and then head back home. Otherwise, she’d have to walk this way again tomorrow, perhaps risking running into those women again if they did come back to bother Dolly’s niece a second time. “No, we’re fine, but thanks anyway.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure. If they come after you again, though, let me know. I will put a stop to their interference in my case, even if it means I have to haul them off to jail. Maybe spending a night in a cell will give them a much-needed attitude adjustment.”

  Okay, that was a hoot, and she didn’t bother trying to hide her laughter. “Can you imagine how they’d react to that? And I bet Reilly Molitor would have a heyday with that story.”

  Gage’s answering grin was evil. “Yeah, he probably would. Can you imagine the shock of seeing their mugshots plastered on the front page of the Clarion? Their reputations would be ruined.”

  “Or it just might cement their reputations among their friends. Martyrs for the cause, you know. Any chance they’d have to wear one of those orange jumpsuits for the photo shoot? I’m pretty sure that’s not a good color for any of them.”

  “Abby, now you’re just being mean.” He settled his hat back on his head. “But I like the way you think.”

  As he headed around the front end of his cruiser and opened the door, she considered asking him a question or two while she had the chance. Either he’d answer, or he wouldn’t.

  “Have you cleared Frank Jeffries of any involvement in Dolly’s death?”

  Okay, just that quickly the good-humored lawman was gone. “I thought I’d made it clear that I don’t appreciate anyone poking their nose into my investigation. Not those ladies, and not you. What were you doing talking to him, anyway?”

  “We crossed paths at city hall the other day. He said you’d been talking to him.”

  Which was more, or really less, than the truth.

  Police chiefs must have a sixth sense when it came to interrogations. Gage slammed his car door shut and marched back over to the sidewalk. “And the subject of Mrs. Cayhill’s murder just happened to come up in the conversation?”

  So Tripp hadn’t carried through on his threat to snitch to Gage about her confrontation with the contractor, not that it mattered now. She was well and truly busted.

  “Zeke and I were out walking the other day, and we came down this same street so I could see where Dolly lived. I was just curious. Anyway, some of the ladies in the quilting guild happened to mention how upset Frank Jeffries was when she threw a roadblock in his plans to tear down an old farmhouse and build on the land. Since I was already in the neighborhood, I might have wandered onto his property to look around.”

  Gage looked at her as if she’d just sprouted a second head. “Might have, or did?”

  “Okay, fine, I did. So I went up on the porch to see if the place really was worth saving, or if she’d interfered because she didn’t want to look at a bunch of lesser homes over her back fence. I was just leaving when Mr. Jeffries pulled up. We didn’t exchange names, so he didn’t learn who I was. That didn’t happen until he heard the mayor call me by name at city hall.”

  Might as well tell him all of it. “When he ran into me afterward at the grocery store, he was still upset from his discussion with the mayor. Evidently, he’s worried that the delay in getting his permits is making some of his funding for the project a little shaky. I was just a handy target for his temper. He told me that you’d been out to talk to him about his problems with Dolly. And then Mr. Jeffries told me to stay away from him and his property, which I have, and I will.”

  It was nothing but the truth, but Gage didn’t look convinced. With that suspicious nature of his, no wonder he and Tripp were such good friends. “If you’ve already seen Mrs. Cayhill’s house and promised to stay away from Frank’s place, why are you walking through this area? It’s not like you don’t have an entire town full of other streets to choose from.”

  Seriously, the man was like a dog with a bone, although that might be an insult to Zeke and his brethren. “Because Glenda, Louise, and Jean asked me to drop by and check on a member of our quilting guild to see how she’s doing. Her house is on the next block over.”

  Again, that was the truth even if she’d glossed over the details a bit. It wasn’t as if Gage had any vested interest in what happened to a bunch of quilts. It was a relief when he once again relaxed and headed back to get into his car.

  Before climbing inside, he stopped to give her one last long look. “I repeat, if those ladies give you any more grief, I want to hear about it. That’s the same thing I told Mrs. Samuels, too. No matter w
hat they think, the law says she has every right to dispose of the estate as she sees fit.”

  “So they have issues with whatever she has planned to do?”

  “They seriously want her to turn that house into some kind of museum or some such idiocy. Actually, it sounded more like it would be the Dolly Cayhill Shrine.” Then he winced. “Sorry, that was unprofessional. Please forget I said anything.”

  She winked at him and cupped her ear. “What? Did you say something? I didn’t quite catch that.”

  He grinned and did a drumroll with his hands on the roof of the car. “Take care, Abby. Tell Tripp I want a rematch soon. I ended up buying four rounds the other night.”

  She waved one last time as he drove off.

  “Zeke, you’ve been most patient. Let’s swing by Troy’s house, verify he’s off on a road trip, and then head home. I’m ready to be done with this day.”

  Her furry friend woofed his agreement and charged off down the sidewalk.

  They’d only gone a short distance down the street when she heard someone running in her direction. With everything that had happened, she hurried her steps even as she glanced back to check out the woman coming up behind her at a fast clip. Even though she’d only seen her from a distance, Abby immediately recognized her as Dolly’s niece.

  “Excuse me, but Chief Logan just told me that you’re Abby McCree.”

  Not at all sure she wanted to admit it, Abby nodded anyway. She couldn’t very well call Gage a liar.

  After taking a few seconds to catch her breath, the woman said, “My name is Allison Samuels. I believe you knew my aunt, Dolly Cayhill.”

  Still feeling her way into this conversation, Abby shook her head. “No, actually I never had the pleasure of meeting her.”

  Not while she was alive anyway.

  Allison snorted. “I’m not sure it would’ve been a pleasure. To say Aunt Dolly could be difficult is putting it mildly. All rigid good manners and God help you if you didn’t live up to her standards. I never quite managed to do that and gave up trying years ago.”