As soon as they parked, the cop car pulled in behind them. Ashley ran to the policeman and gave him a description of the businessman, and warned him if he saw him, he should be apprehended.
“Can’t do that without the go ahead from the department, ma’am,” the officer said.
“I understand that, officer. Just please keep an eye out for him. Especially if he comes here,” Ashley said.
“Will do,” the officer said.
***
Ashley and Sean rested and then got ready for the evening. The tension in the air was palatable.
Ashley gritted her teeth as they left for the play. Every part of her was filled with dread. She’s have to buck up for the evening and try to be strong.
A quote from Shakespeare’s Henry the VI Part One crossed her mind. “Of all base passions, fear is the most accursed.”
They arrived at the theatre, sat in their seats, and looked around. The playhouse was packed. People milled around with actors that walked up and down the aisles while everyone was getting ready for the performance to begin. Much Elizabethan banter was being thrown around, and every now and then a group would burst into laughter as an actor would sit in someone’s lap or recite a riddle. Sean opened his program to read up on the show.
“Miller said to enjoy the show. And we might as well do that,” he said.
Ashley sighed. “Hope it’s a good performance.”
“It says The Merry Wives of Windsor was written around 1592.”
“A long time ago and parts of it still ring true,” Ashley said.
“Falstaff was one of my favorites when I studied Shakespeare in school,” he replied.
“He was quite the character,” she said.
Soon the juggling on stage stopped, the actors began to file backstage, and the lights went down.
After the first few lines of the play, the actor playing Falstaff entered and said, “Now Master Shallow, you’ll complain of me to the King?”
The actor playing Shallow then replied, “Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer and broke open my lodge!”
“But not kissed your keeper’s daughter?” Falstaff replied.
“Tut, a pin! This shall be answered,” Shallow replied.
“I will answer it straight; I have done all this. That is now answered,” Falstaff said.
The audience was howling with laughter. The actor playing Falstaff was big, beefy and had perfect comic timing. The wonderful thing about Shakespeare’s comedies was how they were so funny after hundreds of years. In spite of what had happened, Ashley was laughing along with everyone else as the play progressed. For a moment, she really was focused on just the play.
***
Just before intermission, Ashley caught a man out of the corner of her eye getting up and darting down the aisle to the back. It was the man from the restaurant who had left and walked by Ben Colton’s parents. The one who Mrs. Colton had called murderer. And the same man Ashley had just spied in town by the ice cream shop this afternoon.
She turned her head to see where he had gone, but the house lights came up simultaneously with everyone jumping to their feet and clapping.
“Sean, I saw that business man again! Let’s get out to the lobby quick!” Ashley said.
They filed out, but the crush of people waiting to get snacks and drinks was too much. Ashley’s eyes searched everywhere, but as far as she could tell, the man was gone.
Why was he here? she thought.
They spent the rest of the intermission looking for him, but had no luck. The bell rang and they filed back in with the rest of the audience. As soon as they took their seats, an announcer walked onto the stage and addressed the audience.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m sorry, but Mr. Keith Townsend, who was playing Falstaff, has taken ill. The part will be played by the understudy Tim Kurtz for the remainder of the play.”
There was a collective gasp from the audience. Rarely did an actor fall ill during the play.
Ashley grabbed Sean’s hand. “I wonder if that guy who ran out of here just before intermission had something to do with this.”
Sean looked around nervously and squeezed her hand back. He whispered in her ear. “We have to stay here!”
“I can’t, I want to find out what happened to that actor!”
He started to argue with her, but she was already up and exiting the row. He excused himself and took off after her.
Once she reached the lobby, Ashley questioned some of the ushers. “Does anyone know what happened to the original Falstaff?”
One usher simply shook his head.
Another one was very excited. “Not yet, but he got taken to the hospital!”
“Which hospital?” Ashley asked.
“There’s only one in town,” said another usher. “Our Angel of Mercy on Beekman Avenue.”
“Thanks,” Ashley said.
Ashley and Sean exited the theatre and ran to their car.
The entire time, Sean urged her to go back to the theatre.
Ashley ignored his requests. “Sean! We’re only going to check out what happened, I promise!”
They plugged the address into their GPS and arrived at the hospital within ten minutes. Ashley jumped out of the passenger-side and started to quickly walk in.
Sean kept trying to caution her. “Ash! Shouldn’t we talk to the police first?”
“I’m sure they’re already here,” she said.
Sure enough, squad cars were parked outside, and when they went into the lobby, there were a group of police officers taking notes. Ashley scanned the room and saw Detective Miller talking to a doctor. She waited patiently until he had finished, then leaned in to talk to him.
“Let me guess. He was poisoned,” she said.
Miller looked at her with surprise. “That’s right. And why aren’t you back at the theatre like you promised me?”
“We would’ve been. But someone else got poisoned, so all bets are off.”
Miller glared at her. “Yeah, but it’s not going to be like Ben Colton. Thank God. The paramedics got him here just in time. The doctor pumped his stomach and gave him an antidote. He’s still unconscious, but he’s alive.”
“Good,” Ashley said. “We spotted a suspicious man who ran out just before intermission at the play tonight. He had been at the café with Ben’s parents and also hanging out in the public square near an ice cream shop before the play. He ran when I approached him.”
“You approached him—?” Miller started to say, then he sighed. “Never mind. Can you identify him if you see him again?”
“Of course,” Ashley said.
“Good. We’ll find him,” Miller said.
“Have your men found Harley?” Ashley asked.
“Not yet, but they will.”
“Where did the tracking on her phone lead them to?”
“We’ll discuss it when they find her,” the detective said. “Excuse me, but I have to get back to my men and file a report.”
Ashley and Sean left soon after talking to Miller. He was in the middle of a media storm of questions, and the hospital was doing all it could to keep some sanity.
***
Ashley and Sean headed back to their B&B for the evening and turned on the TV. The news of the fallen actor was front and center.
The reporter looked very serious facing the camera. The theatre marquee was in the background. “Another actor has been poisoned during a performance at ‘The Play’s The Thing’ Shakespeare troupe. This time it was during The Merry Wives of Windsor. It was supposed to be a summer of entertainment, and instead leaves those of us in Brewer asking, who’s next?”
Ashley sighed. All of this, and they still hadn’t found Harley. She shook her head.
Why? Think Ashley. Think.
Sean’s phone rang. He stared at the number. It was a different one again. Sean and Ashley looked at one another and she gestured for him to pick it up.
“Hello?” Sean said.
There was nothing. Just quiet. A long silence.
Sean spoke up again. “Hello?”
“Sean?” a voice said.
“This is him.”
“Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you—” Sean started to say.
The line went dead just as Ashley began to gesture frantically for Sean to hang up.
“Oh no, that was so stupid of us. They are calling to trace where we are and had you on the line just enough time to do that,” she said.
He stared at her. “You’re right.”
“We have to leave. Now! We can’t stay here!” Her eyes were frantic.
Sean took a deep breath. “Call Detective Miller and ask what we should do.”
“I’ll try him now, but I don’t think we’ll get through just yet. He’s probably still busy. In the meantime, let’s check out and put our bags in the car. We can go to that diner that’s open late and decide what to do until the detective calls back.”
She left a message for Miller while Sean checked out of their room. The lady at the desk gave him a surprised look.
“Sorry you won’t be with us longer, but there are a lot of people who will be happy to get your room tomorrow,” she said.
Sean mumbled “thank you” and left. He couldn’t tell her of course, but she wouldn’t have any guests in that room for a while. The police would keep it empty to avoid putting any new people in danger.
Ashley and Sean spoke with the cop who had been keeping watch over their room. They told him about the call they had received. The officer then followed them to the diner and waited in the car.
They sat in a booth in the back. It was brightly lit and packed with people. It was as safe a place as any to wait for the detective to call back and advise them what to do next.
A server came by and smiled cheerily at them. She was an older woman with a kind face. “Good evening, folks. What can I get you?”
Even though they had eaten dinner already, they were both suddenly very hungry.
“I’ll have a piece of rhubarb pie,” Sean said. “And coffee please.”
“Great choice,” the server said. “And you, Miss?”
“Blueberry pie,” Ashley said. “Is that good too?”
“Ma’am, we are known for our pies. Our blueberry is in season and can’t be beat.” The server smiled. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please. As strong as you’ve got.”
The nice lady winked at them. “Staying up late, huh? Are you two reporters?”
“No. Just tourists,” Ashley said.
“Well, by now I’m sure you know about all the new excitement in town with that poor actor. I’ve lived here all my life and could do with less excitement like this. Poor man. Heard he’s still alive, though, so that’s good. Too bad the other one didn’t make it. Things haven’t been the same around here since that company came in to steal our water. I’m so sick of greedy corporations. Glad I’m going to retire soon.” She walked away quickly to get their coffee.
Ashley looked around the diner. There were people of every age and every walk of life. The “average” people who made up most of the small towns just about everywhere. Most of them were no doubt hardworking folks, or retired from working all their lives. They just wanted a good life and to care for their families. The wonderful thing about living in a place like this was that it was far from the crowded cities. It also had geographical beauty, clean air, and plentiful water. Now that was all about to change. And it wasn’t happening just there. It was happening everywhere across the country. Either it was grabbing water rights and building plants that were going to pollute the surroundings, or it was fracking and causing damage deep down in the ground, or it was mining and stripping the land of its resources until there was nothing but deep scars in the earth.
I know that people need some of these resources, and we have to be practical about growth, but why can’t we find a balance? And where will it end? she thought. And at what cost?
Sean looked at her gloomily. “I know what you’re thinking. We just left a part of the country where a big corporation was trying to tear up the land, and now this. There are no easy answers, Ash.”
“No,” she said. “There never are.”
***
Their pie arrived and it looked amazing. They both dug in. Neither one spoke for a minute except to exclaim how incredible the pie tasted. After a few minutes, the server came back.
She laughed when she looked at Sean’s empty plate. “Good?”
“You rarely find rhubarb pie. And when you do it’s not always good. I have to say this is the best I’ve ever had,” Sean replied.
Ashley smiled at the lady. “And that’s saying a lot. He has a bakery back home.”
“Oh, then I am definitely impressed. I’ll let our pie-maker know what you said. What’s the name of your bakery?” she asked.
“Babycakes,” Sean said. “In Comfortville.”
The server smiled. “I’ll remember that. My husband and I are talking about going on a road trip. If we pass through your town, we’ll hit you up. Be right back with some more coffee.”
Just then, on the TV that hung on the wall of the diner, a news flash interrupted the regular programming.
Ashley stared at the screen. The headline blared across the screen: “Poisoned actor has regained consciousness.”
The broadcast then cut to a doctor talking about the actor’s current condition.
Ashley scooted out of the booth quickly and got closer to the screen to hear the report.
“We are keeping him stable and monitoring him constantly. He’s not ready for questioning yet, but maybe in a few days. I want to thank my entire team for all their help. Hopefully Mr. Townsend will recover soon so he can return home to his family. That’s all we have for now. Goodnight,” the doctor said.
Ashley’s mind was racing. Soon that poor man could answer questions. And hopefully he could provide clues as to who attempted to murder him.
She returned to the booth and went over what she had heard with Sean. The diner was slowly emptying out. They couldn’t leave until Miller called back, though. It would most likely be a while after this recent development. Chances were, it would be another long night.
Even with the coffee, Ashley was getting tired. She rested her head back against the booth stall while Sean looked at his phone. A few more tables emptied out. She started to close her eyes when she saw two men enter the diner.
It was two of the PWCS businessmen from the restaurant the other night. Both of them sat down near her and Sean and looked them right in the eye.
Chapter Sixteen
Ashley clutched Sean’s hand under the table. He responded by squeezing her hand back. Then they turned away from the men and started to talk nonsensical things about the weather, the plays, and how pretty the surroundings were. Even though they chatted on, hoping the men would leave, the two men continued to sit there and ordered coffee. Ashley tried to text Sean without appearing obvious.
We have to leave. But where?
Sean texted back. We can’t. We have to wait for Miller to call.
I’ll text him now, Ashley responded. Should you go out and tell the cop outside in the car?”
She texted Miller that they had to check out of their B&B as she was sure someone called them to trace them. And that two suspicious men had likely followed them to the café.
Less than a minute passed before the detective texted back. Sorry, long day. Got your message. We’ll sent two men to check out your hotel room and secure the area. Where are you now?
Fern Tree Café. Can you send someone for us? Ashley texted back. We’ll talk to the cop here.
Coming now, was the reply.
Ashley pushed her phone over to Sean and showed him the detective’s messages. Out of the corner of her eye she could tell the men were still staring at them while they drank their coffee. After a few moments, the men got up from the table and walked by theirs.
One of them lowered h
is voice and said to Ashley and Sean as he passed, “Go home now. Or we’ll get rid of you. Last warning,” and kept on walking. They headed toward the door just as Miller and two policemen entered the café.
Sean raised his hand for Miller and pointed to the two men trying to exit the café. The cops stopped them.
Ashley ran up and whispered urgently to the detective. “Those are the men I’ve been talking about!”
Miller told the police to take the men outside for questioning, and told Ashley and Sean to come with him. Patrons in the café had stopped eating and were staring at the sudden appearance of the police. Not good.
***
As soon as they got outside, the detective started to grill them.
“Why have you two called so much attention to this situation?” Miller asked. “You were supposed to sit in the theatre and be decoys. Nothing else! We have a homicide, and another attempted one, and I need to get to the bottom of this! And may I remind you that your friend is still missing and probably dead too. What are you doing? I can’t spend my time babysitting you!”
“I’m sorry, Detective, but I think those men are involved in the murders.”
She explained that another strange call had come in, but that it was obviously to trace them, and that it wasn’t safe to stay in the hotel. In addition, she felt that those men from the diner should be taken in for questioning as they had threatened her and Sean.
“We will question the men, but I can’t arrest them on your feelings! We have no evidence to convict them of anything,” Miller said.
“They know something detective!” Ashley shouted. “And they threatened us!”
Sean looked at her in surprise after her outburst.
The police stopped their questioning of the businessmen and turned and stared at her.
Miller had a world-weary look on his face as he listened. What was happening in his small artsy town was more sinister than anything he had ever encountered in his career. He didn’t have much hope for humanity anymore. Not only because he had lost his only child, but because of the way the world was going in general. Everything he thought he knew about life was eroding. This case was another sign that the bubble he thought he lived in of peace and quiet, and neighbor helping neighbor, was over. No place was untouched anymore. It pained him deeply to realize that.
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 70