Meanwhile, high in the mountain, a figure moved laboriously through the dense forest. It was a physically agonizing walk over rocks and thick brush.
“How stupid was I to lose those two? We had them! Let them slip out between our fingers! I’m in so much trouble now.”
Curses and moans cut through the deathly quiet on the way up. Without the moon’s light, the walk would take forever. But the building rage acted to propel the ghostly figure forward.
“Can’t sleep now. Got to get to our meeting place. They’ll be out in force to get me tomorrow. Keep going.”
The night was so black now, it was difficult to see anything at all. Suddenly someone moved quickly behind the stumbling figure and raised their arms, bringing a huge rock down on their head. A stifled scream of pain pierced the darkness. The assailant placed the heavy stone down and put the person’s head on top of it, then ran off.
A group of deer froze in the thicket and silently watched what had just happened. They twitched their ears in that direction to see if the fallen figure would get up and advance their way.
But there were no more steps, only mumbled cries coming through the trees.
“Oh God it hurts. I was almost there. We were almost in paradise. Why did you…”
The voice trailed off and then it was silent again. A breeze started to rustle the trees and the deer set off through the woods again. Within an hour the clouds parted and the moon shone with a silver brilliance, illuminating the dark landscape below.
Chapter Fourteen
In the morning, Ashley woke up with a groan. She walked stiffly to the bathroom and jumped in the shower.
What was going to happen today? she thought. Would they stay and assist the detective or head back home? She’d have to talk to Sean as soon as he woke up.
Meanwhile, she let the hot water wash over her to try and soothe the aches in her muscles. Even her neck was stiff. She would have to take it easy today. Maybe not drive home until tomorrow.
As she got out of the shower, she heard her cell phone ringing and ran to get it. It was Detective Miller. His voice was cordial, but firm.
“Morning,” he said. “I was wondering how soon you could get here to go over a few things.”
“Sean’s not awake yet. As soon as he is, we’ll have breakfast and come over.”
“Good. Call first. Dealing with a lot this morning around here.”
“Will do,” she said.
After she hung up, she reflected on the difference between Detective Miller here and Detective Thompson back home. Nate Thompson was all business on the surface too, but he had a decidedly goofy and loveable side to him. And through all their head-butting over the years, they had become friends. Miller was a man to himself; he carried his pain and purpose deep inside. She respected him, but could never imagine becoming friends with him. At least she hoped that she would be able to help him solve this case and then go home with his respect.
She walked over to the bed to wake Sean just as he groaned and rolled over.
“Food,” he mumbled. “So hungry.”
“Why don’t you get in the shower and get dressed and let’s go eat?” Ashley asked.
“Good idea,” he said. He winced as he got out of bed. “Wow, everything hurts.”
“I know. A hot shower will help. And food. Then we have to go see Miller.”
“Oh yeah. Duty still calls. Then we can go home, right?”
“Don’t know. Have to see what Miller has to say first. That reminds me, though. Going to call home while you shower.”
Ashley dialed her parents. No answer. She left a message for them to call. As she hung up her cell, she sat looking off into space. Her mind swirled with thoughts. She felt that all of the answers to what was happening here were very close. Almost underfoot. But wracking her brain had produced nothing. It was funny. Before she had relied on pure instinct in helping to solve cases. Now she had developed a sense of adding up clues and a practical mindset to assess things. The detectives had to do it all the time. Emotional involvement got them nowhere.
Yet Ashley couldn’t remain emotionally distanced. Especially when friends and family had been involved before. And now, a woman from her youth soccer team long ago was in trouble; she still hadn’t been found and most likely would turn up dead. Plus, a sensitive boy who had played sports with Sean, and had become an actor, was now dead. So what was the bottom line, really? Their lives and their families’ grief, or the “practical reasons” behind their demise?
She knew neither Thompson nor Miller completely detached either; they were good men with good intentions and families they loved. But to get through the day, they had to be methodical and approach their work as a job. Ashley couldn’t do it. As much as people told her that she should become a detective, she never would. She’d rather cook and make people happy.
So why am I constantly getting involved in these cases? she thought. What is it that drives me to do this?
She had asked herself that for the last three years now. She never could come up with an answer. Her mother reasoned it was because she wanted to help people. Ashley knew that was part of it.
But it sounds too banal and corny when people say that, she thought. What else is it?
Her cell phone rang and she saw that it was her mom. When she answered, April started to talk before Ashley could even say hello.
“Your father and I have been reading in the papers about everything that’s happening up there. Are you and Sean all right?” April asked.
“We are. Everything’s okay. The police are doing great work up here and hopefully they’ll close the case soon,” Ashley said.
She wouldn’t go into details just now. She’d share the full story when they got home. She had worried her parent’s enough.
“The question is, are you two okay there? Nothing weird has happened, has it?” Ashley asked.
“Not at all. I’m at the bakery every day and your father still insists on working part time, although I don’t know why. He really should fully retire now. We haven’t gone out much while you’ve been gone, although we are going to the Smith’s for dinner tonight.”
“Good,” Ashley said. She wanted to keep up the cheery chatter. “How are the cats?”
“Call me back and let’s video chat and you can see for yourself,” April said. “They do really miss you.”
They talked on screen a few minutes with Ashley speaking to Charlie and Susie Q while they stared wide eyed and yowled at her. Charlie paced in front of her and occasionally pawed at the screen. As usual, he had to be front and center and had no problem with blocking Susie out.
“I’m sure he’s running the house down there,” Ashley said.
“Of course he is,” April replied. “We just do his bidding. Keeps him happy.”
“Thanks for taking such good care of them Mom. Gotta go. Will be in touch soon.”
“Wait, aren’t you two coming home soon?” April asked.
“We might be. Or we might stay one more day. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, let Sean know all is going well at the bakery.”
“I will. Love to you and Dad. Bye!”
April waved in the screen. “Bye honey!” The cats were still staring at the screen as she closed her laptop. She smiled ruefully to herself. Now that she had been out of town during the last two cases, she longed for the familiar scenes of home, and to wake up in her own bedroom.
Let’s see what Miller has to say to us today, she thought. There’s not much more that we can do at this point.
***
As soon as Sean was dressed, they headed over to the diner for breakfast. The cop car was downstairs and followed them to eat. The policeman ordered food to go to eat in his car. Ashley and Sean sat down in the middle of the diner. Sean ordered enough food for an army.
Ashley stared at him wide eyed after the server left the table with their orders.
“You’re not really going to eat all of that, are you?” Ashley ask
ed.
He grinned at her. “Watch me.”
When their food came, he had no trouble polishing off his eggs, potatoes, bacon, toast and side order of pancakes. He washed it down with orange juice and coffee. He then sat back and patted his stomach.
“Nothing like a diner breakfast,” he said.
“I can see,” she said. She was barely though her eggs and potatoes.
Sean eyed her toast. “Are you going to eat that?”
“You know I won’t,” she said.
He reached for her two remaining pieces and spread jam on them.
She laughed. “Enjoy.”
Her cell phone rang. It was Detective Miller.
She took the call.
“I’m ready for you,” Miller said.
“We’ll pay the bill and be right there,” Ashley said.
***
On the way to the station, she noticed the crowd had grown substantially for the festival from when they arrived. The shops and cafes were overflowing with people. Every place seemed to be stuffed to the gills. It appeared that all the publicity about the murder had created a wave of curiosity-seekers who were just as interested in being here because of the town’s new found notoriety as they were for the plays.
This should break attendance records for the season, she thought.
Just then, her cell phone rang again. She didn’t recognize the number. It kept ringing.
“You should pick it up, Ash. Maybe its Harley,” Sean said.
She answered on the last ring. It was a weak voice, sounding far off, punctuated by soft crying.
“Ashley. It’s Harley. I’m not going to make it.”
Then silence.
“Harley, where are you? Just tell me. We’ll try to get you,” Ashley said.
“No. You can’t. But I want you to know what really happened. I killed Ben. I had to. I didn’t want to, but they made…” Her voice trailed off. A gasping sound. “And I….”
Ashley frantically motioned for Sean to pull over.
She spoke into the phone, calmly and directly. “Harley. Listen to me! If you’re in trouble, we will help you. You’ll have a chance to explain your side of the story. Believe me, if you didn’t want to hurt Ben but you were forced to, we can help. But you have to tell me where you are. Please Harley, let us help you.”
There was only crying on the other end of the phone, then a choking sound.
“Harley?” Ashley said.
Ashley and Sean sat in total silence with the windows shut so she could hear as well as could be. Ashley barely breathed as she continued to hold the phone pressed to her ear.
“Harley?” she whispered.
“I’ve done so many bad things Ashley. I won’t be coming back. Please remember what I was like a long time ago…” Another spasm of crying and choking. Then silence. Then the phone went dead.
Ashley left the phone to her ear in case Harley tried to call back. Nothing. They sat there for a few minutes.
Ashley turned to Sean. Her voice was shaking when she spoke. “Drive to the station. I’ll give my phone to Miller.”
“Ash, she was talking so low that I couldn’t hear what she said,” Sean replied.
“She was crying and apologizing. She’s gone. I know it.”
Sean stared at her anxiously. “She just called. She could just be too weak to talk anymore.”
Ashley’s voice was firm. She was looking out the car window. “She’s gone. They’ll go and try to find her, but she’s gone.”
***
They drove the rest of the way in silence. As soon as they parked at the station, Miller was standing in front with some policemen. He waved at them to come over.
“We need to talk right now. I need you to stay tonight. We’ve got a trap set for the play this evening and you need to be in attendance,” Miller said.
Ashley handed over her phone to Miller. He looked at it quizzically.
“I just got a call from Harley on the way over. She said that she killed Ben and that she wasn’t going to make it. Then the call cut off. She’s gone, detective,” Ashley said.
“How do you know that she’s—?” Miller started to say.
“Please detective. I’m tired. There’s already been so much suffering. If you’re convinced your plan will work, let’s do it. Tell me all about it.”
Ashley walked into the station and headed down the hall. Detective Miller stared at her phone a few moments, then at Sean. They both headed wordlessly down the hallway to his office.
***
Meanwhile, up in the mountains, the water kept rushing at full speed through the bends and crashing over the rocks in the streams. The pumps worked relentlessly to bottle the pristine water. The deer were hiding in the thicket now after their nighttime hunt and their strange encounter with the person who fell in their midst.
Hawks circled intently above as they eyed the motionless figure below, waiting to see if it moved again. Instinct would tell them when to swoop down. Every living creature had an expiration date and nature wasted no time in following the natural order in life.
Chapter Fifteen
Miller laid out the plan in the office. “I have people tracing where Harley’s phone call came from. They should find her…or at least where she was calling from. She may be gone by now. We will have answers on that soon.”
Ashley hung her head.
Miller loudly cleared his throat. “In other news, I need you to go to the performance of Merry Wives of Windsor tonight. We have a tip that some of the ringleaders in the operation will be in attendance. Why they will be there, I don’t know. But hopefully we will get some answers and bring in those responsible for the crime in this town. Any questions?”
“Where did the tip come in from?” Ashley asked.
“An anonymous phone call. But it sounded convincing. We need to check everything out,” Miller said.
“What do we do at the play tonight?” Sean asked.
“Just be there. You’re our decoys, so to speak. And don’t worry, you’ll be protected. We will have a lot of officers ready to go if anything should happen,” Miller said.
“But whoever is supposed to show up will see all the police and that will tip them off,” Sean said.
“They will be plain-clothes officers,” Miller said. “Dressed as festival goers.”
Ashley looked nervous. “Are you sure they’ll have us covered?”
“Of course. Just sit and enjoy the play,” Miller said.
“Yeah, right. Just enjoy the play,” Ashley muttered.
“I heard from Thompson that you were a Shakespeare aficionado,” Miller said.
“I am. But this is a diff—” she started to say.
“Okay, talk later. And remember, don’t do anything, Ashley. Just sit at the play and pretend you are a festivalgoer. We’ll do all the rest.”
Ashley gave the detective a compliant look. “Of course.”
Sean looked sideways at her. Her face was masking something. He turned back to the detective and cleared his throat. “What she says.”
Detective Miller lowered his voice and stared back at both of them. “I mean it.”
***
Ashley and Sean left the station and headed back to the hotel. A cop car trailed them from behind. Along the way they talked about what might be in store for the evening.
“I wonder if they really can catch whoever is behind all of this Sean,” Ashley said.
“I’m sure they will, Ash.”
“I’m not as sure as you are. This could go very high up.”
“I know. But after tonight, we have to get back home. We’ve done enough. And it’s time I run my bakery. And you get back to catering. So let’s just do what Miller says and sit there tonight like the good little decoys we are.”
“Right,” she said.
“Do you really mean that?” he asked.
“I do. Unless I something that he’s obviously missed.”
“Ash—” he started to say.
<
br /> “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything dangerous. Just keeping my eyes peeled.”
Sean drove carefully on the street as people were dashing back and forth across the road without using the crosswalk. Many of them were dressed up in Shakespearean garb and laughing and jostling as they ran in the streets. Ashley gazed out the window at them as they passed by the car. Some people grinned at them and yelled things like “Faire thee well” and “Good eve” as they walked by. One man leaned in close to her window and said “How now, good woman?” and tipped his hat. She smiled at him to be polite, but secretly was tired of the overkill from the crowd.
Sean sensed her mood. “They’re just having fun, Ash.”
“I know,” she said. “But I’m sad and tired. It’s not fun to me now.”
He squeezed her hand. “We’re going home soon.”
As they rounded the corner onto the street where the hotel was, Ashley caught a glimpse of a man standing near an ice cream shop. Tons of people were in line to get a cone, and he nearly blended in with them. Except for the fact he had a suit on. And his face was unmistakable.
He was one of the businessmen from the café the night they were there with Ben’s parents.
“Stop!” she yelled.
Sean pulled over quickly. “What is it?”
“Wait!” she said and jumped out of the car.
Ashley started to walk towards the suited man. He was glancing around as if he was looking for someone, but as soon as he saw her, he ran off into the crowd.
She ran back to the car and jumped in. “Follow him, Sean!”
Instead, Sean steered toward the hotel. “No! We’re going back to our room and then heading to the play tonight.”
“Sean, I just need to find out who he is! I’m sure he’s involved with all of this.”
“I’m sure he is too. But we’re going out tonight and doing what Miller instructed us to.”
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 69