by Amy M. Reade
“Keep me posted.” She shuddered at the thought of Beau talking to the kids without them knowing who he really was.
She paused for a moment before plunging into the next topic. “Can you tell me anything about the Eden Barclay investigation?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Bill said. Then he turned serious. “You’re not off the hook. Everyone on Main Street knows you didn’t always get along with Eden and that she got under your skin with all her complaints. But interestingly, a passerby saw Eden and Herb talking the night Eden was murdered.”
“That’s interesting,” Lilly mused. “What do you think they were talking about?”
“I have no idea. That’s going to be a tough one to figure out.”
“But it throws suspicion away from me, doesn’t it?”
“Not exactly, but don’t worry. No one is going to arrest you without evidence. Proof. They need to find a plausible alternative that has nothing to do with you.”
“I’ve got one. How about Jed Horstman?”
“Who?”
“Jed Horstman. Eden’s first husband.”
“She found two men who wanted to marry her?”
Lilly smiled. “Yes. But that’s not the point. The point is that Jed had a strong motive to kill her.”
“And what was his motive?” Bill arched his eyebrows and gave her a quizzical look.
“Money. Classic motive. He knew that Eden had a life insurance policy that would pay for any college their son wanted to attend and he killed her so he wouldn’t have to help pay for college.”
“You know, now that you mention it, I think I did hear something about life insurance Eden had. I’ll check it out. I don’t know if anyone has spoken to her first husband yet.”
“It’s a no-brainer.”
“Please don’t imply the police don’t have brains.”
“I’m not. I’m simply saying Jed Horstman has a million reasons to kill her.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Jim Barclay came by the shop to talk. He told me all about it.”
“And no doubt throw suspicion away from himself,” Bill added dryly.
“He said his alibi has already been confirmed.”
“All right. Let me check tomorrow. In the meantime, I’m going to get online and find a photo of Beau.”
“Will you recognize him?”
“Oh, I think so. I’ll never forget what you said about his eyes. ‘They’re otherworldly. They’re not the eyes of a mortal man.’” He batted his eyelashes and spoke in a high quavery voice.
“Shut up. I was young and stupid.”
“Seriously. I’ll know the eyes anywhere. What else do I need to know?”
“He still looks like a skier. Long-ish hair, graying, tan, a little pudgier than he was fifteen years ago.”
“Aren’t we all?” Bill asked, patting his ample stomach. “I’ve got to go. Let me help you with the dishes and I’ll skedaddle.”
“No need. Just go home and find a picture of Beau. That’s all I care about right now.”
Bill put on his jacket and turned the doorknob. “Say, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Does Noley see anyone? I mean, does she have a boyfriend?”
Lilly looked at him in surprise. “No, she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, I’ll let you know what I find out about Beau.”
“Thanks.” Bill pulled the door closed behind him.
Bill likes Noley?! She thought back to the moment in the kitchen when Bill wouldn’t meet Noley’s gaze and Noley smiled at him like a schoolgirl. Lilly suppressed a squeal of excitement.
Chapter 19
The next morning Lilly had just gotten to work and was locking the back door behind her when the phone rang. It was Bill.
“I found a picture of Beau with some bimbo in a Jacuzzi. Ski slope in the background, the whole works. God, he looks terrible. Beer belly and that pocked, veiny nose that comes from drinking too much.”
Nothing else he could have said would have made Lilly happier. “Did you print it out?”
“Yup. That ugly mug is being shared with every officer in Juniper Junction as we speak. Shouldn’t be long before someone spots him.”
“And what happens when they do?”
“They have strict instructions to tell him to mind his own business and not to harass anyone he used to know in town.”
“I hope that does the trick,” Lilly fretted. “Can they find out where he’s living?”
“If they ask, he doesn’t have to tell them and they can’t force him to answer. But it ought to be easy enough to figure it out. Maybe someone can even follow him, see where he goes.”
“Thanks, Bill. I owe you one.” And I know just the thing, Lilly thought. A date with Noley.
That evening Lilly had closed up the shop and was heading out to her car in the alley when she heard her name called.
“Mrs. Carlsen?” It was a quiet voice, one Lilly didn’t recognize. She looked around in confusion, searching for the source of the voice.
“It’s me, over here.” Lilly glanced around the back of her car and there was a young woman standing there. She had short, ice-blond hair and lovely blue eyes. Lilly knew her from somewhere, but couldn’t place her.
“I’m Mrs. Carlsen,” Lilly said, though she never called herself “Mrs.” “What can I do for you?”
“I’m Taffy. I work for Eden. That is, I did work for Eden.” That’s it, Lilly thought. I remember her from the general store. She was always nicer than Eden.
Taffy continued talking in a halting voice. “Now that the general store is closed, I don’t have a job. Um, I came over here because I was wondering if, maybe, you know of anyone who could help me find a job. I haven’t lived in town very long, so I don’t really know anyone I could ask.”
Lilly thought for a moment. “I don’t know of anyone off the top of my head, but that doesn’t mean no one is hiring. Give me your full name and your contact information and the next time I’m at a Chamber of Commerce event I’ll ask around. If no one in the Chamber is hiring, maybe someone knows of an opportunity.”
“I would appreciate that,” Taffy said. She pulled a pad of paper and a pen out of her purse and scribbled down her name and number. Handing the paper to Lilly, she said, “It’s too bad about what happened to Eden.”
It took a lot of courage for this woman to come over here to talk to me in the alley, especially since I’m a person of interest in Eden’s murder, Lilly thought. To Taffy she asked, “Who’s taking care of the general store right now?”
Taffy shrugged. “Mr. Barclay, I guess. He told me he had to let me go because he’s going to sell the store and move.”
He didn’t mention that to me. “Is he selling the store with everything in it?”
“I think so.”
“I’m glad you came to see me, Taffy. I’m sorry that you’ve been a casualty of Eden’s death, too. I’ll do what I can to help you find something.” Lilly paused, her brain working furiously. “Taffy, tell me. Have the police spoken to you about Eden?”
“Yeah, they talked to me the day her body was found.”
“I know they think Eden died Wednesday night in my store. Were you at work with her that night?”
Taffy didn’t seem perturbed by Lilly’s questions, which was a relief. She wouldn’t want to cause more grief for the woman. “We closed an hour early on Wednesday, so it was five o’clock when I left. Eden was going through the day’s receipts.”
Lilly nodded, hoping that her silence would compel Taffy to keep talking. It did.
“When I left the store Mr. Barclay was there. He and Eden were having such a fight.”
“Really?”
Taffy nodded. “He was mad because she had lied to him about a bill and he came down to the store to have it out with her.”
“A bill from the store?”
“I dunno. I got the feeling it was a bill that came to their house, so maybe not.”
This was news. Not only was Jim Barclay was trying to sell the general store already and get out of Juniper Junction just days after Eden’s death, but they had had a big fight the night she died.
“Did you tell the police about the fight?”
“Yeah.” So why hasn’t Bill told me about this yet?
“Okay. Well, I’ll be in touch if I hear anything, Taffy.” Taffy offered a little wave and walked down the alley while Lilly fumbled with her car keys. When Lilly saw the woman turn toward Main Street, she whipped out her phone and dialed furiously.
“Bill, someone who worked for Eden just paid me a visit.”
“Who?”
“Taffy something-or-other. She says Eden and her husband were having a big fight at the general store the night Eden was murdered.”
“Why do you keep talking to these people?” Bill asked after heaving an exasperated sigh.
“I don’t go looking for them. She came to me. And so did Jim Barclay.”
“All right, okay. Fine. Please, will you stop talking to people the minute you find out they have any connection whatsoever to Eden Barclay’s death? We don’t know who did it. In other words, there’s a murderer out there.”
Duly chastised, Lilly couldn’t give up her line of questioning. “So have the police investigated the fight?”
“Yes. Jim Barclay has an alibi, remember? He told you so, and he happened to be telling you the truth. He went to some bar after the fight. He and some friend of his took a selfie that was time-stamped around the time Eden was killed. Then he stayed overnight at his sister’s house. She confirmed it. Apparently he didn’t want to go home after the big fight in the general store. When he got home the next morning Eden was missing. He called the police, we checked it out. It wasn’t him, Lilly. I know you don’t want to hear that.”
“It wasn’t me, either. I’m just tired of worrying that I’m going to be arrested and charged with something I didn’t do.”
“Let me get off the phone so I can get back to work and find out who did do it. And please don’t go asking questions that are better left to the police.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” That was the best he was going to get from her. “Oh, before you go, have you heard anything about Beau?”
“Nothing. But someone’ll see him, don’t worry. He hasn’t bothered to stay hidden since coming back to town, so I don’t expect him to go into hiding now.”
After she hung up Lilly drove home through the darkened streets. When she turned down her cul-de-sac she could see a pickup truck parked in front of her house. Who’s that? If Laurel has brought Nick over here without my permission, I’ll let her have it.
She pulled into the driveway and was gathering up her belongings when there was a knock on the driver’s side window. Lilly jumped and let out a gasp, then looked up into the face staring back at her.
Chapter 20
“Beau?” She reached for her cell phone and held it in her hand while Beau held his hands in a praying gesture, obviously not wanting her to call anyone. She rolled down the window a couple inches.
“What are you doing here?” she seethed.
“I came to talk to you.”
“You’re not welcome here. Now get lost.”
“Wait. Please, Lilly. We need to talk. Please open the car door and let me talk to you.”
“You can talk to me just fine through the open window. Why are you here?”
“I thought we could get together for a bite to eat.”
“No way.”
“Please? We’ll go somewhere well-lit with lots of people, I promise.”
“No.”
“I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.”
“There is nothing you could say to me that I would find even a little bit important.”
“Please, Lilly. Hear me out.” Lilly glanced at the house. No one seemed to have noticed that she was home yet. Even Barney.
“Have you been inside the house?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing.
Beau held up his hands with an I surrender gesture. “No. Really, I haven’t.”
“Then why isn’t the dog going nuts that I’m home?”
“How do I know?” Taking a deep breath, Lilly rolled down the window a little bit further and sighed.
“If I go with you, will you stop bothering me?”
“It’s not my intention to bother you.” A non-answer if I ever heard one.
“Okay, then, follow me.” She rolled down her window and put the car in reverse while she waited for him to get away from her car. She backed down the driveway and pulled out into the street as he ran to his car and hopped in. In just a moment he had driven around the bend of the cul-de-sac and pulled up behind her. She pulled out her phone to call the kids. Let him wait.
“Laurel? It’s Mom. I’m going to grab something to eat at the diner on Main. Do you want me to pick up something for you and Tighe?”
“Just a sec. I’ll ask him.” Lilly could hear Laurel yelling for Tighe. They carried on a muffled conversation and finally Laurel came back on the phone.
“I’ll have a roast pork sandwich with fries and Tighe wants a cheeseburger, medium well, with tomatoes. Fries for him, too. Thanks, Mom.”
“I won’t be late,” Lilly assured her.
She hung up and drove slowly to the end of the block, remembering the nosy Mrs. Laforge just a minute too late. She hoped her neighbor hadn’t snooped on the whole exchange between her and Beau and wouldn’t ask the kids in the morning who the stranger in the pickup truck was.
There were parking spots in front of the diner. Lilly slid into one and Beau parked behind her. He followed her to the front of the restaurant, then hurried to open the door for her. She gave him a suspicious glance as she walked past him. She led the way to a booth as far from the window as she could get, her gaze sweeping the other tables and booths as she walked, praying she wouldn’t see anyone she knew.
He sat down across from her and reached for two menus that were propped up at the end of the table. He handed one to her and opened his own.
“What’s good here?” he asked. “My treat.”
“Oh, no you don’t. I’ll buy my own dinner, thank you.”
“Suit yourself,” he answered with a shrug. She glanced at him over the top of her menu. What was she doing here? She had children at home. They would not be happy to learn she was having dinner with their father, a man she disliked so much she wouldn’t even talk about him. His eyes met hers over his own menu and she quickly looked away. She said a silent prayer of thanks when the waitress came over.
“What can I get you two?” she asked cheerfully.
“Ladies first,” Beau said with a maddening smile.
“I’ll have a grilled cheese sandwich with a small side salad, please. And a glass of water.”
“I’ll have coffee and a slice of peanut butter pie.”
The waitress left and Lilly put her menu down. “Why didn’t you order dinner?”
“I already ate dinner.”
“Then what are we doing here? I always have dinner with the kids.”
“I told you. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Then talk.”
Beau clasped and unclasped his hands and cleared his throat. He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again.
“Just spit it out,” Lilly directed with a hint of impatience.
“I would like to be part of the kids’ lives again.”
Lilly didn’t think she had heard him right. “You want to be a father again?” she asked, incredulous.
“Yes. I’ve matured a lot and—”
“I would hope so.”
“As I was saying, I’ve matured a lot and I think I could be a good father. Remember how I was with Tighe in the very beginning?”
“Before you started running around on me and didn’t have any time for him,” Lilly clarified with a sneer.
“I’m not that man anymore.”
“Congratulations.”
&nbs
p; “Lilly, you’re not making this very easy.”
“And why should I?” she asked between clenched teeth, leaning forward so other people wouldn’t hear her. “What have you ever done to make things easy for me? Or the kids? And now, fifteen years later, you come back saying you’ve changed? I’ve got news for you, Beau. Everyone changes over the course of fifteen years. I changed, too—I got smarter. And I’m too smart to let you back into their lives now.”
“Please just think about it,” he said.
“No way. What makes you think…” She stopped talking as the waitress delivered their food. Lilly had no appetite. “Could you box this up for me, please? And I’d like to get another order for takeout. Can I get a roast pork sandwich with fries and a cheeseburger, medium well, with tomato? Fries with that, too, please.” The waitress nodded and took Lilly’s plate away. Beau dug into his pie and took a big gulp of coffee.
Lilly leaned back and stared at Beau as he ate. He didn’t seem to notice—or if he did, he didn’t seem to mind. The nerve. She was tempted to get up and leave him there with his pie, but she didn’t know how he would react to that. She was afraid he might cause a scene. The old Beau would have done just that. Plus she had ordered dinner for the kids and she had to wait for that.
So she waited. When Beau finished his pie he wiped his mouth and folded his napkin, placing it carefully on the table next to his plate. “So,” he began. “Tell me about them. The kids, I mean.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Lilly said.
“No, seriously. I’m interested in knowing more about them. How’s Tighe doing? Is he into sports?” Beau looked at her with an interested expression.
“For your information, he likes to go camping. And he skis, just like his dear old dad.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. She hated to tell him anything about the kids, but she supposed that if push came to shove, he could get the information in other ways. At least if she shared the information she could control what he learned.
Beau wisely ignored the jab. “How about Lauren?”
“Laurel. I’ll make sure to tell her you were asking about her.”