A lightbulb clicked on in my head. “That’s why she collected newspapers.”
Jane nodded. “Mom was obsessed. She grabbed every paper she could and would scour them for information, hoping that something in one of them would tell her who killed her brother. It sounds crazy, but she believed it. I think she was hoping that the culprit would write in or something, like those serial killers you hear about who want attention.” She laughed, and then motioned toward the hall, and the room that was filled with years of newspapers, stacked nearly to the ceiling. “He never did, obviously.”
It made my heart ache to think about it. I might have treated Eleanor Winthrow with more understanding if I’d known what she’d gone through. That’s not to say it made me approve of her spying on me, but perhaps I’d have stopped by more often to try to work things out, rather than just assume the worst of her.
“Mom spent years begging the police to do something, but what could they do? There was no evidence they could use, no witnesses. He was found off a trail, in a spot that didn’t make sense.”
“How so?”
Jane considered it a moment before responding. “It was an isolated spot. No one knew why he was there, and as far as I know, they still don’t.”
My interest piqued. There was a mystery here, and I was a sucker for a good mystery.
“Mom swore up and down the police were protecting the killer for some reason, though why she suspected that is anyone’s guess,” Jane went on. “She alienated most of the town with her accusations. It didn’t help that Wade had started a controversy of his own before his death.”
I leaned forward. “What kind of controversy?”
Jane fiddled with the newspapers as she answered. “As I mentioned, I wasn’t around for it, so I got a lot of the details afterward. I’m not sure how accurate some of it is, mind you. I’ve heard different versions of the tale over the years, but nothing recently, other than when I talked to Mother. Most of what she heard were mere rumors, and you know how that goes.”
“Yeah.” Rumor had a tendency to become fact sometimes, especially in a small town.
“My uncle was a few years younger than Mom, which put him in his thirties at the time of his death. The big hubbub started when it came out that his girlfriend was in her teens.”
I couldn’t help it; my eyebrows rose at that. “He was dating a teenager?”
“She was eighteen, I believe. Might have been nineteen, though the way some tell it, she was barely fifteen. I know for a fact that Wade wouldn’t have dated her if she wasn’t legal, so that’s just hogwash.”
“That’s still a pretty big age difference, even if she was legal,” I said.
“It was. And back then, people were more sensitive to that sort of thing, at least here in Pine Hills they were. The way Mom told it, Wade was harassed pretty badly, and his friends were involved just as much as everyone else. The girl was treated just as horribly, if not more so. You know how kids can be. School had to have been a nightmare for her.”
I could only imagine. “Did someone kill him because of his relationship?” I asked, thinking that if the girl’s parents disapproved of the two of them dating, one of them might have acted rashly and killed Wade for it.
“No one knows for sure,” Jane said. “Mom thought so. She claimed there was no other reason anyone would want to hurt him, that Uncle Wade was well liked by everyone up until he started dating that girl.”
I thought that it was a pretty crappy thing to do, to turn on someone just because you didn’t approve of who they were dating.
“What about the teenager?” I asked. “Was she murdered too?”
Jane shook her head. “No. Mom told me she still lives here in Pine Hills, but I can’t fathom why she would. If she was treated as badly as I’ve heard, it would have made more sense for her to leave town and never come back. I know I would have.”
“Do you know her name?” I asked, curious. If I knew her, then perhaps I could learn more about what made Eleanor like, well, Eleanor.
“I do,” Jane said, rising. She grabbed a box of trash bags out from beneath the counter, removed a bag, and dumped the stack of newspapers into it. “Her name was Rita,” she said. “Rita Jablonski.”
2
“Rita?” my best friend, Vicki, asked later that day. “Are you sure she meant our Rita?”
“Positive,” I said. I took a sip from my coffee before tying on my apron. “Apparently, our young Rita had a thing for older men back in the day.”
“Wow.” Vicki looked to her husband, Mason, who merely shrugged.
Vicki, Mason, and one of our employees, Lena, had worked the early shift at Death by Coffee, giving me time to go to Eleanor’s services. I’d be working alongside Beth Milner and Jeff Braun until close, which was fine—I liked both of them—but I couldn’t gossip with them like I could with my best friend, so I’d come in a little early so I could do so.
“I can’t believe Rita’s never said anything about it,” I said. “She spends half her time egging me on to solve crimes around town, and she’s never once brought up the fact she was involved, even indirectly, in a murder investigation over thirty years ago.”
“Maybe she’s forgotten about it,” Mason said.
“Or she wishes she could forget.” Vicki nudged her husband with her elbow. He grinned and then went to the counter to take an order from a regular with an allergy to cats—a sneezing Todd Melville.
“I feel like I should do something,” I said, watching Todd. The man came to Death by Coffee nearly every day, but with his allergy, he looked miserable doing it. Even though Trouble—Vicki’s black-and-white cat, who was also Misfit’s littermate—rarely left the books section of the store, Todd’s allergies made it a chore for him to order his coffee. I sometimes wondered why he bothered.
“Like what?” Vicki asked. “It happened a long time ago.”
“I know, but I feel like I should, I don’t know, check it out.”
“You mean, investigate it?”
I gave a halfhearted shrug. “It sounds silly, but I keep thinking it might be a good way to honor Eleanor’s memory. She spent her life wondering what happened to her brother. It caused her to become a hoarder and to pull away from society. If I could solve his murder, then perhaps her spirit might be able to rest peacefully.”
Vicki regarded me a long moment before speaking. “It could be dangerous,” she said. “Whoever killed him has kept it secret for over thirty years. They won’t like you reviving it.”
“There’s no telling if he or she’s still alive,” Mason said, rejoining us.
“If the killer’s dead, then I have even less to worry about.”
“And if they’re not?” Vicki asked.
“I’ll be careful. It’s not like I’m going to go door to door asking about it. I figure I’ll talk to Rita and some of the people who lived in Pine Hills back then and see what they have to say. It might not amount to anything, but at least I’d feel like I’m doing something.”
“Are you sure Rita will want you poking around in it?” Vicki asked. “She hasn’t brought it up, and you know there’s got to be a reason for that.”
“If she asks me not to look into it, I’ll drop it,” I said, and I meant it. Over the years, Rita had become a friend, despite how often she got on my nerves. When I’d first met her, she was a nosy busybody who overreacted to just about everything. While much of that was still true, Rita’s a genuinely good person at heart. When she wasn’t trying to force me to do something I didn’t want to do, I enjoyed spending time with her.
“Do Rita and her gossip buddies still go to that writers group?” Vicki asked. Rita’s friends, Georgina McCully and Andi Caldwell, were two older ladies who might have some insights into what had happened thirty years ago.
“I think so,” I said. “I haven’t been there in ages, so I can’t be sure.”
“Maybe it’s time you went back,” Mason said as the front doors opened and Beth and Jeff entered o
ne after the other.
They were closely followed by Mason’s dad, Raymond Lawyer, and Raymond’s girlfriend, Regina Harper.
“Uh-oh,” I said, noting the look on Raymond’s face. I could almost hear his teeth grinding from where I stood behind the counter.
Beth hurried to the back room, passing by the rest of us without so much as a hello. She looked stressed, and it was no wonder why. She used to work for Raymond at Lawyer’s Insurance across the street. Raymond wasn’t very happy she’d left his employ to come work for me, and he made sure everyone knew it.
Mason was the first to react. He left us to steer his father and Regina to a table in the corner, far away from Beth, who was hiding in the back. Raymond was giving him an earful, but thankfully, wasn’t shouting.
Yet.
“Leave it be for now,” Vicki said, resting a hand on my arm. I was trembling with anger and was dying to give Raymond an earful myself. “Mason will handle him.”
“It’s not right,” I said, vainly trying to read Raymond’s lips. If I made out one disparaging word toward Beth, I was going to leap across the room at him. “She doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.”
“Trust me, I feel the same way. But if you press him too much, Raymond is liable to explode. You know how he is.”
Oh, did I ever. Raymond Lawyer wasn’t a nice man. He only cared about himself—and maybe Regina now that they were a couple. He treated Mason badly, and never bothered to hide the fact he thought his son was wasting his life helping Vicki at Death by Coffee. He’d only gotten worse ever since he hooked up with Regina, who was his female counterpart—she was just as contrary and spiteful as he was. I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with the both of them.
“You should go,” Vicki said, stepping in front of me so I’d stop staring at Raymond.
“Go where? I just got here.”
“The writers group tonight. You should go and talk to Rita and her friends. It’ll do you good, and I bet both Rita and Eleanor would appreciate that someone is looking into the murder after all this time.”
Lena wandered down the stairs where she’d been shelving books. She glanced at Raymond, grimaced, and then joined us. “Everything’s done,” she said. Her hair was a bright purple, cut short, which was her preferred style. I couldn’t imagine her with a normal hair color.
“Go ahead and clock out,” Vicki said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jeff clocked in just as Lena grabbed her things to go. Beth had yet to return from the back, and I imagined she’d wait until Raymond left before she’d emerge.
“You go on ahead,” I told Vicki. “I’ll make sure Beth’s okay.”
“You sure? I could stick around if you want me to.”
Since Raymond and Regina were here, I assumed Vicki and Mason had plans with them. At least, I hoped so. If they were here because of Beth, there’d be no holding me back.
“No. Go,” I said, forcing a smile. “We’ll be fine.”
Vicki didn’t look thrilled about joining her husband with his father, but after snagging Trouble from upstairs, join them she did. She glanced back once and gave me a mock look of horror before taking Mason’s arm. Raymond shot me a glare, his face turning an angry shade of red, before he said something harsh to the couple.
“Jerk,” I muttered, before I turned away and headed to the back room to find Beth.
She was leaning against the sink, head bowed. She wasn’t crying, which I took as a good sign, but she was clearly upset.
“Hey, Beth,” I said. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.” She didn’t sound it.
I approached slowly, as I might a scared animal. “Did Raymond say something to you?”
“No.” She looked up and managed a smile. “I didn’t give him the chance.” She took a deep breath, and seemed to relax as she let it out. “Seeing him shook me up a little, but I should be okay to work.”
I searched her face, worried I’d see something that would tell me different. Beth appeared okay, if not a little rattled, but who wouldn’t be with a man like Raymond stalking after them?
“Let me check to make sure he’s gone,” I said. “I can clock you in and you can start on the dishes.” There weren’t many sitting in the sink, but it would keep her busy for ten or fifteen minutes.
Beth relaxed even further. “Thanks, Krissy. I appreciate it.”
I turned and headed for the door just as Jeff poked his head inside. “Someone is waiting for you out here, Ms. Hancock.”
By the expression on his face, I knew I wasn’t going to like it.
“Coming.”
Jeff vanished back out front. I took a deep, calming breath, and strode out to see who wanted to talk to me.
My heart sank when I saw Raymond Lawyer on the other side of the counter.
“Mr. Lawyer,” I said, as pleasantly as I could manage. “Is there something I can get you?” I glanced behind him, but Vicki, Mason, and Regina were gone.
“I don’t appreciate you poaching my employees,” he said. “You’ve avoided it thus far, but we need to have a discussion.”
“Do we?” I asked. “I didn’t poach anyone. Beth came on her own, willingly. You should accept that.” I turned away from him so I could clock her in. When I turned back to the counter, he was still glaring.
Deep down, I knew I should hold my tongue, smile, and wait for him to give up and leave. Unfortunately, his insistence that Beth and I had somehow wronged him grated on my nerves. And that’s not to mention how he’d treated Vicki and Mason ever since the two of them had gotten together. The man thought he could control everyone’s life, and I, for one, wasn’t about to let him get away with it.
I stepped closer to the counter and lowered my voice.
“You really should try to be nicer to people,” I said. “Maybe then, you’d be able to keep your employees and they wouldn’t need to go looking for new jobs.”
Raymond didn’t respond. He just stood there, anger boiling off him, as if he thought he could intimidate me into giving him what he wanted—whatever that might be.
I softened my voice, hoping that somehow, I’d reach him. “Please, Mr. Lawyer, leave Beth alone. Let her work. Maybe someday, she’ll decide to come back to you. I won’t stop her if that’s what she wants. You should do the same; let her make her own choices.”
The door opened and Mason poked his head into the store. “Dad?”
Raymond straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and then turned and walked away. Mason gave me a questioning look, but I didn’t know what to tell him, so I merely smiled and waved good-bye.
The moment they were gone, Beth appeared from the back. She thanked me and then went about wiping down tables, shooting occasional glances toward the door, as if afraid Raymond might return.
Now that trouble was gone—both Raymond’s attitude and the cat—I turned my focus to work. Death by Coffee wouldn’t be busy for the rest of the day, outside a small rush once most people’s workday ended. Since it was warmer out, the rush would be smaller than in the winter when everyone wanted something hot to chase the chill away.
We still had guests, of course. There weren’t many places you could get coffee in Pine Hills. We had no fast-food restaurants, and other than Death by Coffee, the only place you could sit down and relax with a fresh pot of coffee was the Banyon Tree. It ensured we’d always have customers.
It also rubbed some people—Judith Banyon, namely—the wrong way.
A little while later, I was humming along to a song playing over the speakers, wiping down a recently vacated table, when the doors opened and Officer Paul Dalton walked in. He was smiling, which showed off his dimples, which immediately made my knees go all weak and wobbly. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair, which was just a few shades from blond, before he made his way over to me.
“Hi, Krissy,” he said.
“Paul.” Irrationally, my heart was thumping in my chest. To say I had a
thing for the local police officer would be an understatement. We’d even gone on a date once, though it had ended in disaster. I’d recently told myself I’d stop holding back and would see if there was truly anything between us, but every time we came face-to-face, I chickened out.
“Can I get a coffee?” He asked it in a way that told me there was something else he wanted to say but was stalling for time.
“Of course.” I went behind the counter and ignored the grin Jeff shot my way.
Paul leaned on the counter while I filled his order. “How was it this morning? Are you doing okay?”
“I’m okay. It was a nice service.” I handed him his coffee. “This one’s on me.”
His smile widened as he took a sip. “I wish I could have come with you.”
“You had to work,” I said. “And you didn’t really know her. I ended up helping out Eleanor’s daughter, Jane, with cleaning up a little afterward anyway.” And then, because I couldn’t help myself. “Did you know Eleanor’s brother was murdered?”
Paul lowered his coffee to the counter. “No. When?”
“It was a long time ago,” I said, causing him to relax. Apparently, he’d feared I was going to tell him I’d gotten myself mixed up in yet another murder investigation. “Jane says it happened around thirty years ago.”
“Oh. I wouldn’t remember it even if I’d known,” he said. “I’d have been just a kid.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Though I was a tad disappointed. I don’t know why, but I’d hoped he’d remember the case and would be able to tell me something about what happened. “His name was Wade. . . .” I trailed off. Jane hadn’t told me his last name—I was pretty sure it wasn’t Winthrow since Eleanor had once been married, and I don’t think she’d changed her name after her husband’s death.
“Sorry,” Paul said. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“That’s all right. It’s just sad. The murder was never solved, and Eleanor lived her entire life wondering who killed him.” I almost brought up Rita, but decided to hold off until I talked to her about it. I didn’t need Paul getting interested until I was sure Rita wouldn’t be upset if I looked into her boyfriend’s murder.
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