“Mom, I’ll tell you what. How about tomorrow? I have a catering job on Sunday, but tomorrow could work,” Ashley said. “And I’ll ask Sean to help if he can.”
“Oh, thank you, honey. That would be great,” April replied.
“Of course. I’ll see you then,” Ashley said.
Burt shouted again. “Take lots of vitamins before you come over! You’re gonna need ’em!”
“Oh, hush, dear. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill,” April said.
“There’s already a mountain of crap up there, and it won’t be reduced to a molehill unless you put it out on the front lawn and stick up a yard sale sign,” Burt replied.
Ashley laughed. “See you tomorrow bright and early. Tell Dad he’s off the hook going up in the attic.”
April lowered her voice as she spoke into the phone. “Thanks, honey. It won’t do his heart any good to get more excited about this.”
Burt had snuck up behind his wife as she whispered into the phone. He interjected with his thoughts again. “If you want to do my heart any good, let’s make some cold hard cash from all that junk.”
“Bye!” Ashley said.
She got off the phone just as she heard her mother responding again. No doubt they’d talk about the pros and cons of a yard sale all morning.
Ashley turned and smiled at her cat, Charlie. “You see what silly things humans get worked up about, Charlie? It’s lucky you’re a pampered pet.”
Charlie gave her a look as if to say, “Pampered pet is the wrong choice of words. I prefer His Majesty.”
He then walked into the kitchen to get a nibble of dry food.
His companion, Susie Q, yawned on the couch.
“I know what you’re thinking, Susie,” Ashley said.
A quote sprang to her mind from Shakespeare’s The History of Troilus and Cressida—“The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue!”
Susie gave her a bored look.
Charlie walked back into the living room to join Susie. He gave Ashley another look that said, “Fancy words, Mom, but no, that’s not what she’s thinking. We’re both thinking about why we haven’t gotten any tuna filet in the last few days.”
With both cats giving her the stare-down, Ashley laughed to herself again and went to prep food for her next catering job. She had always loved to cook since she was a child, and after college, she began working in local restaurants to get experience. She started her own business after the restaurant she had worked in got closed down a while ago.
Even though it was scary at first to drum up clients on her own, she was doing pretty well now as her cooking talents became her calling card. Most of her jobs were referrals lately, and as long as she was willing to travel to some neighboring towns, it seemed she could get enough work to keep on growing her business.
The best part was being able to do something she loved. Catering definitely had its moments. Granted, sometimes there were demanding clients, or the food ran out because more people were added on at the last minute. In addition, even now, she still sweated every event to make sure everything was right. But what profession ran perfectly well all the time?
She hummed to herself as she pulled out fresh vegetables from the fridge to cut up. Then she checked her chickens in their marinade. Everything looked good, and the luncheon she had scheduled on Sunday promised to be fun. She was making lemon sorbet for the first time, and putting fresh basil in to give it extra flavor.
She also had a small steak to share with her boyfriend, Sean, when he got home for dinner. A baked potato, a fresh salad, and a nice red wine were the perfect accompaniments. Sean had also promised to bring home some fresh bread from his bakery, Babycakes.
There was nothing like staying home for dinner and eating well. Ashley glanced outside as the sunshine streamed in the window.
What a day.
Summer was gently fading away. Soon, the nights would get chillier and the leaves would start to turn in the mountains as autumn rippled in. It was her favorite time of year, and she daydreamed as she prepped the food about all the meals she would cook. With the cats sleeping on the couch, the sunlight dappling her living room, and Sean due home soon, it felt very good indeed at the moment.
Chapter Two
The next day
When Ashley arrived at her parents’ house in the morning, she was surprised to see her mom climbing up and down the attic ladder with boxes.
“Mom, don’t do that. You could hurt your back. I’ll get started up there,” Ashley said.
“Hi, honey. I just wanted to assess the damage,” April replied.
Burt made his opinion known. “I tried to convince your stubborn mother to wait.”
“Well, now that you’re here, I’ll just go through these few boxes in the kitchen to see if we should keep anything,” April said.
Burt pleaded with his wife. “If I pay you a few bucks, can you not open the boxes and just wait to unpack everything outside for the yard sale?”
April beamed. “Now dear, we may find some of Ashley’s things in here.”
Burt turned to his daughter with one last ploy. “Then I’ll give you a few bucks not to keep anything in those boxes.”
Ashley laughed as she climbed the attic ladder. “I’m going in!”
April shouted, “Let us know if you need anything!”
Ashley yelled back. “Lots of coffee!”
Burt grumbled as he headed for the garage. “I need a safe place to hide.”
Ashley took one look at all the boxes and realized this was going to be an all-day affair. Her boyfriend, Sean, couldn’t get over until after three, but that would still give her plenty of time to search for what should be kept and what could go to the garage sale. She started to unpack the boxes one by one and saw things of hers and her parents’ that she hadn’t seen in a long time.
In one box, there were some of her childhood dolls and puzzles, and lots of books that her Mom used to read to her. In another box were all her sports trophies. And in another were her science project from the fifth grade and her third-place ribbon from that contest.
She smiled to herself as she thought back to that time. She remembered her mom picking her up from school the day of the contest. She had cried to her mother that she hadn’t gotten first place. Her mom had turned around in the car and stared at her daughter.
Ashley still vividly remembered what her mother had said to her that day. “Ashley, you worked so hard on that project. Every day for a month. And we didn’t do it for you like some of the other parents did for their kids. We let you do it yourself. That will always be a first-place project to me.”
Then her mother had leaned over the seat and given her daughter a fierce hug.
When Ashley had gotten home that day from school, her dad put the finished project on the table by the window and hung the third-place ribbon on it.
Burt had been very complimentary to his daughter as well. “This is for everyone to see when they come in or drive by. Third place! Out of the whole class! Way to go,” Burt had said.
He then high-fived his daughter.
After that, Burt had walked to the garage, whistling.
Ashley leaned against the wall and remembered now how proud she felt of that third-place ribbon. A few tears ran down her cheeks at the memory.
She opened another box and saw a stack of letters. They were from her father to her mother from the Vietnam War. It was long before email, phone apps, and social media. Back in the days when her father had just spilled his heart out on hand-written pages.
In the letters, Burt wrote about how much he loved April. How much he missed her. And about some of the terrible things he had seen in the war.
Sometimes, he mentioned how scared he was. But no matter what, he always finished each letter with the same sentence—See you soon, chick.
Ashley read over a few of the letters in the attic. One of the envelopes also had an old picture of her mom in it. Her mom wa
s so young and pretty. In her letters to Burt, she wrote how worried she was about him.
Don’t do anything impetuous, her mom had written. Get home safely.
Another letter had a photo of her mom at the beach, smiling in the sun, with her hair blowing in the breeze. She looked so beautiful.
Ashley read a few more sentences from one of the letters.
Here’s my new bathing suit. I’ll wear it for you when you get back and we head out for some time in the sun!
Ashley sat in the attic, absorbed in the past. Over the years, she had seen a number of photo albums containing old photos of her parents, but she had never seen these letters before. A realization struck her of how much time had passed, of how much her parents had loved one another all this time, and how quickly life went by. She wondered if she and Sean would have the durability her parents had years from now.
For a moment, Ashley’s heart ached for something that she couldn’t put a finger on. But the more she read, the more she understood where her feeling was coming from. In one of the letters, her father wrote about some of his war buddies who didn’t make it—friends that her mother knew as well. Burt wrote that they would be coming home in a box. He urged April to visit their families.
It made Ashley think of people her age that had lost a parent. Mothers and fathers who wouldn’t be there to see their kids grow up or dance at their weddings. With that thought, Ashley put her head in her hands and had a good cry.
April stood at the bottom of the ladder and became worried about her daughter. “Ashley? Everything okay?”
Ashley wiped her eyes on her sleeve and reassured her mother. “I’m okay, Mom. I’m just reminiscing.”
“Will you be ready for lunch soon? You’ve been up there quite a while already,” April responded.
“Not quite yet. Give me another half an hour,” Ashley said.
Ashley then opened a box that was sitting next to her parents’ love letters. Inside was a stack of newspapers and clippings. She quickly browsed through them, thinking there wasn’t much she could do with the contents. Her mom would have to see if there was anything she wanted to hang onto.
As she quickly flipped through the important headlines of the global events from a bygone era, she noticed a clipping from twenty-five-years ago. The article was from the local newspaper. In bold letters, the headline read “Wife of Local Businessman Found Murdered in Home.”
It sounded like a tabloid headline, but as she pulled the article out from the stack, she saw that it was definitely from the Comfortville News.
Ashley sat back on the floor and read the article aloud. “Melissa Anderson’s body was found yesterday morning in her dining room by the housekeeper. The cause of death was a blunt-force-trauma wound to her head. The victim’s husband, Robert Anderson, said he had been away for the weekend on a business trip and had learned of his wife’s death when he returned later in the day.”
Ashley took a few deep breaths before she continued reading. “Police are investigating a possible break-in and robbery of the victim’s house, as several jewelry items and other valuables appeared to be missing. The victim’s parents, Bill and Linda Parker, are asking the public for any information to help with the case.”
Ashley put the clipping down then saw another newspaper article that was dated three days later.
She read it aloud. “Parents of Melissa Anderson Speak Out.”
The article went on to state that due to recent questioning, Bill and Linda Parker believed that their daughter’s husband and their son-in-law, Robert, was responsible for their daughter’s death. The news reported the parents’ anguish over losing their only child.
Bill Parker was quoted in the article, saying, “We know he killed her, and we will fight to prove it.”
Ashley’s eyes widened. Even though she remembered hearing of this crime a long time ago, she had been too young to process it. Now that she was reading the details, it was so eerie. She found more clippings in the box. Each one detailed the local scandal.
Ashley was transfixed. She picked out a paper near the bottom of the stack and read it. “Mistress Testifies!”
This was the most shocking article of all. According to the clipping, Robert Anderson’s alleged mistress, Caitlin Harding, had testified under oath about her affair with him. During her testimony, she revealed that he had mentioned to her on several occasions that “he was suffocating in his marriage.”
Caitlin then admitted that Robert had confessed to her that he “wanted his wife out of the way.” In addition, Caitlin claimed that Robert told her that if she was patient, “they would be together forever.”
When pressed further, Caitlin had told the jury that after the death of Melissa, Robert had admitted he had gotten into a terrible fight with his wife. Yet when Caitlin was asked if Robert had confessed to committing the murder, she had replied, “No.”
In closing, Caitlin told prosecutors that she had broken off her affair with Robert after the murder, as she felt “shaken” by it. Asked what Caitlin meant by “shaken,” she had glanced at Robert in the courtroom and said she “didn’t feel safe around him anymore.”
It was crazy how many newspaper clippings there were about the case. Ashley also noticed that there seemed to be some missing every other day or two days.
Well, they had to report on something else from time to time.
At least that was what Ashley thought. Then again, at the time, it was no doubt the biggest event to hit Comfortville in years.
At the bottom of the pile, Ashley saw one last clipping. The headline read “Robert Anderson Found Not Guilty.”
Ashley zeroed in on a photo that was below the headline. In the picture, Robert Anderson was smiling as he left the courtroom.
Ashley’s stomach twisted. In the background of the photo, Melissa Andersons’s bereaved parents stood and watched Robert going free.
The look of disbelief on their faces tore at Ashley’s heart.
Ashley was lost in this sordid chapter of her town’s history when she heard her mother call her from downstairs.
“Ashley, honey. Time for lunch!”
“Coming!” Ashley replied.
Chapter Three
Ashley walked down the attic ladder in a fog, her mind spinning with what she had read.
“I’ve made BLTs,” April said, “and put out pickles and chips. Your dad took a big sack of food with him to work.”
Ashley ate one of the sandwiches and a big bowl of chips. Her mom chatted on about the decoupage club that she belonged to. Ashley politely listened with one ear, but her thoughts were on Comfortville’s decades-old crime.
Finally, Ashley let her thoughts spill out. “Mom, why do you think Robert Anderson was found not guilty of murder charges? Something seems wrong with that verdict.”
“Goodness, whatever made you think of that?” April asked.
“I found lots of newspaper articles about the crime in the attic and couldn’t help reading them.”
April paused for a moment as she put things away from making lunch. Her face looked pale.
Her mother frowned. “No wonder you were so quiet up there. I thought you were going over boxes of your old toys. Did you actually get any work done?”
“I got some done. Don’t worry. I’ll finish everything, just like I promised. But I was too young to remember much about what happened and couldn’t help but read over the articles. Especially since we’ve had two crimes in Comfortville since,” Ashley replied.
“I understand, honey. But to tell you the truth, I can’t add much to what you read. It really turned this town on its head. It was the first major crime since I had grown up here, and it was a big shock for most of the residents. Many of us knew that the Andersons were having marital problems, but no one thought she would get murdered. To this day, most people around here think Robert Anderson was guilty.”
“It appears that way,” Ashley mused. “I read in one of the articles that Robert said his wife threw a g
lass at him during a big fight. Apparently, Robert stormed out and left town in the evening.”
“Uh-huh.”
“The coroner said that Melissa Anderson was bludgeoned to death later that night. I can’t help but wonder why, of all the times to leave for business, Robert chose that night.”
April sighed. “Neither can I.”
“By my calculations, he seemed to have plenty of time to commit the murder,” Ashley said. “I still can’t understand why a jury could have found him innocent.”
April gave her daughter an important insight. “At that time, Robert Anderson was a very powerful man in this part of the world. He owned a lot of profitable businesses. Some of us think that might have swayed the jury.”
Ashley considered that point.
Her mother continued. “In any case, it’s a shame. After the trial, Robert sold the house and moved away. As far as I know, no one around here has seen him since. The way I see it, that’s probably a good thing.”
Ashley agreed. “Probably. Still, it seems he got away with murder.” She exhaled. “Melissa’s poor parents.”
“After the trial ended, the Parkers moved away, too. They headed back to the Midwest, where they had some family. Not surprisingly, after what happened to their daughter, they had no interest in staying here.”
“I’ll bet.” Ashley’s heart was heavy. “How awful for them.”
April became visibly uncomfortable. “I’d rather not talk about it anymore. It brings up terrible memories of what this town had to go through.”
“Okay, Mom,” Ashley said.
Just then, Ashley’s cell phone rang.
Chapter Four
“Hey, Ash, are you almost ready to get going on that hike?” Ashley’s friend Lara asked over the phone.
Ashley’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Uh, sorry, Lara, I totally forgot about the hike. I’ve been more caught up than I thought in cleaning out my parents’ attic. I think I’ll have to call off the hike today. Seems like I bit off more than I can chew.”
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 35