by Tonya Kappes
His breath was hot on my face. My heart was beating so fast. I could see my own chest rising high and then falling. I knew he could feel it.
“Yeah,” I whispered, feeling so secure in his arms. “A relationship.”
He turned his head and bent it down ever so slightly as the phone in my pocket buzzed and rang, making us jump apart.
“It could be Grady about Julia. She’s got the flu.” I reached in my pocket and saw it was Angela Hafley. I’d been so lucky to get her phone number on a murder case not so long ago. “It’s the sheriff.” I looked at Mac.
“She’s arresting us for wanting a relationship at our age,” he joked.
I rolled my eyes and smiled.
“Hey, Angie. What’s up?” I figured it was about Buster. “I’m sorry I forgot to call you about Buster.”
“That’s not why I’m calling, Bernadette.” She sounded very official. “I have some bad news.”
“Is everyone in my family okay?” I asked, my heart sinking into my toes. I eased down in the closest kitchen table chair.
“Your family is fine, I guess. I’m calling to let you know Lee Macum was murdered.” Her words couldn’t’ve shocked me more.
“Murdered?” I questioned and slid my gaze over to Mac, who was now sitting in the chair next to me. I moved the phone away from my mouth and whispered to Mac, “Lee was murdered.”
His jaw dropped.
“Yes. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to ask you to come by the station in the morning, and I’m going to need full details of the events leading up to and when you found Lee.” It was an order.
“Yeah, sure. Do you have a specific time?” I asked. I was going through my stops in my head and wondering how I could fit going to the station into my schedule.
“Can you stop by around lunch?” she asked.
“Yeah, sure,” I agreed, knowing it would be a great time, since that would be right after my second loop, which included the downtown area and Little Creek Road. “I’ll see you then.”
I hung up the phone and put it on the table.
“Wow. I really didn’t see anything to make me think he was murdered.” I was processing the images of how I’d found Lee on the floor. Mac put his hand on mine. “The door was open. I didn’t even question it. And I’m sure Buster didn’t jump up and open it himself.” I was starting to rattle off all my memories of the scene. “Lee’s eyes were open, and he had his hand in this really odd space.” I glanced up at Mac. There was a questioning look on his face. “He has boxes all over the place. There is a tiny path in his house where you can walk. Literally, all boxes piled up.” I snapped. “I recalled the weird open space and wondered how the boxes on top of it hadn’t tumbled. Like that Jenga game.” I nodded my head. Mac still had that expression on his face. “His hand was lying in that space with the stamp I’d given him from my dad the day before.”
“Bernie,” Mac said softly.
“Yeah.” I continued to ramble, not letting him speak. “I asked him if he was moving, and he said heck no, over his dead body. Then I saw Luke at the nursing home inquiring about how he could get them in. There was the fight between Lee and Carla. And between Lee and Walter about your house.” I gasped. “Do you think one of them killed him?”
Mac moved his hand from mine and pushed off the table to stand.
“I’m sorry. You’re hungry.” I shook off my sudden onset of sleuthing.
“I’m leaving.” He stood over me.
“What? I thought we were having supper.” I let out a nervous laugh.
“Me and you.” He gestured between us. “Not me, you, Lee, Walter, Luke and Carla.”
“Huh?” My brows furrowed, and I stood up.
“Bernie, I’m not sure if I can sit around and watch you try to figure out who killed Lee. You almost got killed trying to help me out, and I’m not sure I can go through that again.” He walked toward the door and put his hand on the knob. “Good to see those two are getting along.” He pointed at Buster and Rowena. They were both happily eating out of their own bowls. Rowena’s fur had lain back down.
Mac walked out and shut the door behind him.
For the longest time after Mac left, I eased back down in the chair and watched the two fur babies as they did some sort of dance around each other. Buster switched between easing up to her and cowering down while she took some time walking around and taking a few sniffs of him.
It wasn’t until Rowena touched her nose to Buster’s that I finally took a breath.
“I guess our houseguest can stay a few days.” I dragged the to-go bag over to me and thought about what had just happened between Mac and me.
I dug out one of the bowls of beans and the cornbread wrapped up in tinfoil. Instead of feeling sorry for myself and analyzing what happened, I stuffed my belly with not only my bowl of beans and serving of cornbread but also Mac’s.
There was no sense in staying up late. When I headed back to bed after taking Buster outside, Rowena followed me back to the bedroom as normal and Buster followed us as if he knew what we were doing. I’d grabbed Buster’s papers Kayla had given me from the vet clinic. All three of us climbed up in bed. Rowena made herself comfortable on her usual spot, Richard’s pillow. And I watched as Buster found his spot next to me. His little face sat between his front paws, staring at me.
He finally drifted off to sleep in the same position while I read all about him. I was happy to see the great care Lee took of him, but why did Lee make me the emergency contact? It didn’t make sense.
“Well, it does say you need to lose some weight, and they’ve cut back on your food.” I looked down at the sleeping pup. I rubbed my hand over his neck, but he didn’t budge. He’d had a long day. And night. “You know what helped me lose the extra pounds I put on after I lost Richard?” I didn’t know whether I was telling Buster this for him or for me to come with grips about what I was about to say. “Walking my mail route. And I’m thinking you just might be able to go on the route with me now that I can’t leave you here all day by yourself.”
Buster’s eyes never opened, but he did roll from lying on his stomach to turning onto his side, looking very comfortable in his new home.
TEN
Chocolate Crunchie was the breakfast of choice for me. I’d already fed Rowena and Buster. I was happy they both remembered each other when we got up.
“Good morning, Iris.” I answered my phone as I poured some coffee into my thermos. “You’re up awfully early.” I nestled the phone between my ear and shoulder and started to get my things together so I could go to work.
“I can’t believe it. Lee was murdered. You did it again.” She sounded more excited than sad about it.
“Huh?” I asked and watched as Rowena continued to get more sniffs of Buster. He was busy following me around the farmhouse.
“You found another dead body. You’ve become known as more than a mail carrier.” She laughed.
“What on earth are you talking about?” I asked her.
“Lucy Drake’s show this morning. She told the world how you found Lee, and now it’s an active homicide. Get this”—she paused, building up to a big climax—“she’s calling you the mail carrier who is delivering more than the mail. She’s delivering bodies to the morgue. A mail carrier magnet for murder.”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “Magnet for murder?”
“Mail carrier magnet for murder.” Iris laughed. “I about peed myself when I heard it come through my car radio.”
I sat there stunned for a second.
“I’m going to stop in and see her this morning.” I made a mental note not to just deliver the mail to WSCG radio station but to actually make an appearance to Lucy Drake, the morning DJ.
“It’s all in good fun when we are having yet another crisis.” Iris was probably right, but I didn’t embrace the new nickname. “How’s Buster? Rowena like him?”
“They are actually getting along pretty well, and I’ve made a decision to keep him, but I ha
ve one small problem,” I told her. “I’m not sure what to do with him during the day.”
“Easy.” Iris always saw things as easy and always had a solution. I braced myself to hear what she had in mind. “Take him with you. Clip a leash and go.”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” I didn’t tell her that I’d already considered it, but it’s always to get good confirmation.
One, walking would help his weight issue. And two, he wouldn’t be here all day with no one to let him out.
“And you can sic him on Lucy Drake.” Iris giggled so loudly I had to remove the phone from my ear. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I’m dropping off donuts to the beautification committee for their last meeting before the big day.”
“Watch how Carla reacts for me.” I still had my little mental list of suspects, and I was definitely going to tell Angie all about them when I went there today.
“Carla? Why?” Iris asked.
“She seems like a likely suspect to me. Don’t you think?” I pondered whether I might be wrong.
“I never even thought of it,” Iris said with a gasp. “Do you think? I mean, she’s been so vocal about her distaste for him since she entered Sugar Creek Gap into the contest.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but she did ask my mom to put arsenic in the biscuits Mom gave me to deliver to him when I dropped off his mail.” Chills ran up my body. I shuddered thinking about it.
“Oh no.” Iris cried out, “I just can’t believe this world. And to think Lee’s death might be over some silly messy yard.”
“Don’t be going around saying it’s her because that’s just my theory. Do you think it’s dumb?” I asked.
“Dumb? What?”
“I wasn’t even going to mention it, but Mac came over last night for supper. We kissed.” I waited for Iris to scream.
Her scream lasted about three seconds, followed by a few “oh my Gods.”
“But then he told me he couldn’t continue if I was going to stick my nose in Lee’s murder because he couldn’t stand it if I got hurt, and he left.” I gave an abbreviated version in which I left out how Angie had called and interrupted what was looking to be another kiss.
“How dare he,” she said. “You have a knack for this sort of thing, and I’m going to help out. I’ve got to go, but I’ll keep my eyes and ears on Carla.”
“You let me know.” I hung up the phone and slipped it into the pocket of my work pants before I grabbed the thinner zip-up work coat.
Even though the season was turning to spring, the mornings still held a bit of coldness in the air to go along with the chills I already felt from thinking Carla killed Lee, so I had to bundle up.
“Rowena, you be a good girl.” I patted my leg and grabbed my keys. “Let’s go, Buster. You get to be my co-worker.”
I wasn’t sure how my boss would take this change, but when I got to the post office, it was already buzzing with mail carriers, and all of them loved on Buster. Of course, all their questions about how I found Lee made me a little late for the nursing home.
“Oh, Bernadette,” Vivian said in a voice oozing with southern sorrow. “I’m so sad to hear of Lee’s death. I knew you two were close.”
The smell of bacon and waffles came from the dining room and made my stomach growl.
“Ummm.” I swallowed, trying to wet my dry mouth. “Why do you think we were close?”
This was a recurring observation from everyone I’d come into contact with today. Even my co-workers at the post office said this about Lee and me.
“Buster, for one.” Vivian bent down and patted him. “And the fact Lee welcomed you into his home.” She stood up, shaking her head. Her eyes filled with sadness. “To think someone killed him.”
“About that.” I knew this was a perfect time to ask her about her chat with Luke. “You know I was in here when Iris was calling bingo, and I couldn’t help but overhear Luke Macum say something about losing his memory.”
Vivian stood up a little taller. Her face became stern as she tugged her chin in the air and looked down past her nose at me. A couple of residents walked by.
“Bernie!” Vince Caldwell, one of my favorite residents, waved to me on his way to the dining room. “Come see me.”
I waved back.
“Are you asking me to break my confidentiality I pride myself on to tell you the private conversation between Luke Macum and me?” she asked loudly, as if I’d stolen her own apple pie recipe and learned of a secret ingredient. We all keep those sorts of little tidbits to ourselves. “Do you think Luke killed his uncle?” She crossed her arms, taking a sudden interest. “I mean”—she leaned in a little bit—“I can probably tell you but not in front of the residents.” She slid her gaze to Vince and the other resident. “I can’t have them thinking I tell their secrets. But I know you really helped on the last murder in Sugar Creek Gap, so I might have some information if it will bring Lee to eternal rest.” She made the sign of the cross as if she’d turned into Sugar Creek Gap’s own Mother Theresa.
It took every fiber of my being not to roll my eyes at her.
She motioned for me to follow her into her office, which was located right there in the lobby behind that big glass window. She took a seat behind the big wooden desk while Buster lay on the floor and I sat in the chair.
“According to Luke, Lee has been saving everything. Even every little piece of mail you gave him.” Her eyes grew. “In fact, he was eating Buster’s food.”
“What?” My face contorted. I just couldn’t believe it.
“Mmm-hmmm, that’s what Luke told me.” Her lips pinched with subtle nods of the head. “He said Lee has been forgetting to lock his doors at night too.” Everything she was saying didn’t at all go with the Lee Macum I knew. “These are all signs of dementia, and Luke feared Lee was too far gone to live alone.”
“I don’t know, Vivian.” I sat back in the chair and pondered what she was saying. “I saw Lee every day but Sunday, and he seemed sharp as a tack to me.”
“I’m just telling you what I know.” She made a pish-posh noise. “It don’t matter now, because he’s not coming here.”
“Did you have a spot open for him?” I asked, knowing there had been a long wait list.
“We only had one of the single-bedroom assisted-living rooms open, which is the costliest because of it being one bedroom when all the open living rooms are full. But Luke didn’t seem to care to pay for the ten-thousand-a-month bill because he said Lee had an extensive stamp collection that was worth a ton, and he was sure he was guardian of Lee’s estate.” She drummed her fingers on the desk. “Seeing he’s Lee’s only heir and all.”
“Well, thanks.” I stood up, and Buster took my lead. “I’ve got to get this mail delivered, or you’re going to have an uprising,” I teased and hoisted the bag on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be any more help. It’s a terrible situation, and I hope they find his killer fast.” She sighed. “Poor Luke.”
“Yeah, poor Luke,” I muttered to Buster on my way out of her office. “Poor Luke, nothing.”
I hurried myself down to the community mailboxes and quickly got those filled. Then I headed over to the apartments on the nursing home property where my parents lived.
It was owned by the nursing home, but the apartments were single-living arrangements perfect for elderly couples who didn’t want to do yard work or even cook if they didn’t feel like it. They were able to use all the amenities the nursing home had to offer, including an indoor pool, a workout room, a library, a couple different cafes, and the dining hall, not to mention the daily field trips and the fun activities the administration planned.
Mom and Dad loved it there, as did my good buddy Vince.
“You’re late,” Vince scolded when he saw me coming back down the hall to go out the front door.
“I was just heading to your place.” I smiled at him. “Want to walk with me?”
“Yes, but I brought this little fell
er something.” He pulled a piece of bacon from a paper towel in his hand. “I’m sure you don’t approve, but a little bit won’t hurt.”
I kept my mouth shut and got a little concerned Buster might get a belly ache, since I didn’t know him well. He gobbled up the bacon.
“New employee?” Vince asked on our way out the door. “Or are you scared someone is going to kill you on the route?”
“So you heard.” We crossed the street from the main building to the apartments and down the sidewalk while I told him about Lee.
“Any suspects?” he asked with a gleam in his eye and stared at me under his busy grey brows.
Vince was retired from the FBI for fifteen years now. When he left the Bureau, he wanted a small, quiet little town with a good view, and Sugar Creek Gap was that for him. And he even had some access to various websites and codes that’d helped us in the last murder investigation. He was very knowledgeable.
“Well, it’s no secret how Carla has been running around town talking bad about Lee and his house. Then there’s his nephew Luke, who I was told was going to place him in the nursing home. I can’t forget the fight I heard between Lee and Walter Ward about the property or the fight Lee had with Carla. All three could be suspects, but I’m not sure. None of them seem like killers.” I handed him his mail and grabbed the mail for the next stops out of my bag.
I could tell he was noodling over what I was saying, processing it like I’d seen him do the last time.
“I’ve got to go to the station at lunch and give the sheriff my statement,” I told him. “I’ll run all my thoughts by her and let you know what she says.”
“Sounds good.” He shook his mail at me. “I’ll do some background checks on your suspects and let you know what I find out.”
“Perfect.” I smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Or later if you call with some information.”
While Buster and I delivered the mail to the rest of the apartment residents, I didn’t give any more thought to Vince and the pride he took in trying to help out. No matter how much Carla, Walter, and Luke could be suspects, I really couldn’t figure out exactly why each one of them would honestly have the guts to kill someone, much less Lee. Maybe Mac was right. It wasn’t my job to solve murders, much less point fingers, when the law stated that everyone was innocent until proven guilty.