The first two newspaper articles had to do with the murder and the victim itself. But she spied one that delved into the suspects and decided to read that one first.
“Jon Carlson Denies the Charges.”
The article went on to explain that he said he was asleep at the time of the murder, and had a friend over that night to corroborate his story. His friend’s name was Elliot Bergman, also an immigrant from Sweden who had known Jon since they were young. He had given testimony that yes, Jon had been home all night. But the prosecutor in the case had felt that Elliot was hiding something, or that he was covering up for his friend.
Ashley looked for more about Jon but that was all she had turned up so far. She would keep searching.
Maybe not everything had been entered into the computer data base, she thought. I should go to the library and check for old articles about it.
She did one more internet search for Jon Carlson and Elliot Bergman, putting in more keywords this time, and sure enough, an article popped up that immediately gave her the chills.
“Jon Carlson and Elliot Bergman both indicted in decades old theft ring case.”
The article listed the date of their arrest and subsequent release after serving time. This had happened three years before the murder. The question of their tainted background had come up during the murder case, but the defense had argued that theft and murder had nothing to do with one another, and therefore could not serve as evidence as it would prejudice the case. But there was something else that caught Ashley’s eye.
The photo of Elliot Bergman was over forty years ago, but it still resembled the man she had seen in the drone footage! She could be way off since so much time had gone by, but even though the man she recently saw had lost much of his hair and had wrinkles, there was a strong similarity with the bone structure and features. She squinted at the photo. She’d have to show this younger photo of Bergman to Thompson and see if he could do age recognition technology with the man in the drone photo. If it was the same man, then that would explain some things. But what?
I’m pretty sure it was the same man who was at Beatrice Small’s house too, she thought. So was he the man that she might have been covering up for? Was she involved somehow with him and Carlson all those years ago?
Ashley opened up the two newspaper articles on the murder itself. It was almost as if she was winding backwards, knitting it all up.
“Cold Blooded Killer Takes Widow’s Life”
The article went on to detail what had happened:
It said that the widow’s name was Constance Ellridge and she was forty-eight-years-old when she died. Also, that she resided at 505 Maple Lane. Finally, that the house apparently had shown signs of being ransacked before she died, and valuables were stolen. The suspects were her brother who she was estranged from, and a handyman who had been there recently, and Jon Carlson. Apparently Carlson had a thing for the widow, and used to come and visit her on a frequent basis after her husband had died. Then she had rejected him, but he kept coming to her house anyway, bothering her.
Ashley’s head was spinning. How did this all fit in?
She sat there musing until Sean walked into the kitchen to get a drink.
“How are the menus going?” he asked.
“Not good,” she answered. “I was just looking up info on that old murder case tied into the hiker they found on the trail.”
“Ash!” He gave her a baleful look.
She laughed. “Okay, okay, I’m going back to menus.” She switched over to her recipe page and showed him her laptop. “See?”
“I’m going to keep an eye on you,” he warned her. “Hurry up and get them done so we can watch a movie after the game. Who knows when we will have a day together again?” He padded back into the living room.
Ashley quickly switched back to the crime articles. She had to look at one more thing.
The photo of the murder victim Constance showed a smiling dark-haired woman standing in the town square. Slightly behind her was another woman with a cat at her feet with a leash on. Was that a younger picture of the woman she met when she was out walking Charlie? The one who said Carlson had run over her cat? Had they all known each other?
A Shakespeare quote from The Life and Death of King John came to Ashley’s mind. “There is no sure foundation set on blood; No certain life achieved by others death.”
She sighed, then dutifully went back to her menus.
All in good time, Ashley, she thought. Everything will work out. But she wasn’t so sure this time. Some cases aren’t ever solved, she thought.
***
Ashley slept fitfully that night. Images of the faces she had seen in the photos swirled in and out of her mind. Some were actual ghosts, having long departed, some might still be around town, but ghostlike anyway. They might as well have been as they were still in the shadows, unknown in their motives and hard to pin down.
But someone was trying to get through to her, someone who was still very much alive. She didn’t know who, but she could feel it. She just wasn’t sure what to do. Not yet anyway.
***
Up on the mountain road, Arabella sat at her little porch table. She took a drag on her slim cigar and downed a shot of whiskey.
“I don’t give a hoot ‘bout no one’s opinion of me,” she said aloud. “I’m going to find out who’s trying to ruin my baby’s reputation. And I’m going to shoot ‘em.” She fingered her little pistol. Her husband had given it to her years ago when they first moved up here and he had a job that kept him out late at night. She thought about what he had told her.
“A woman and child ain’t safe up here alone at night. Especially a black woman and child. You use this, ya hear? Don’t ask questions, just shoot. Ain’t nobody breaking in to have tea with you while I be gone late at night.”
Arabella had nodded at him, then put the pistol away in the drawer next to her bed. She hated to know it was there, but she also knew deep down that if anyone broke in late at night that she would use it. Not to protect just herself, but little Frank.
“And now you both gone, and I have to do what I got to do,” she said aloud. “Ain’t that right, Queenie?”
Her cat gave her a silent meow when she heard her name, then went back to grooming herself. It was so quiet up here, it didn’t seem like anything could disturb the peace. But Arabella smelled trouble coming. And she’d be ready for it.
Chapter Eight
Ashley sat at the kitchen table staring at her laptop. She had been trying for half an hour to come up with a menu for the holiday tea she was catering for the group of young girls. It had to suit them, but it had to have components that their moms would like too. Why was it so hard? It was just a tea; she had done dozens of them before. She vigorously shook her head from side to side. It was silly, but she felt that going through the motions worked. Whenever her Dad had been stuck on something, he would shake his head hard.
“Helps shake out the cobwebs,” he would tell her when she was young.
Ashley shook her head again.
Charlie stared at her.
“That’s right, Charlie, I’m stuck,” she said, looking at her cat. “How does this sound?”
She read aloud the ingredients she had written down so far.
Charlie jumped down off a kitchen chair and walked into the living room, glancing back at her briefly as if to say, “You humans worry about the silliest stuff. See you later when it’s time to eat.”
Ashley laughed and turned back to her menu. She had all the requisite components; varying types of tea sandwiches; minced chicken salad, cucumber with butter, cream cheese and sweet fig jam, and egg salad, all on white bread cut in delicate triangles. She also had petite scones, fruit tarts, tiny chocolate mousse cups, clotted crème, lemon curd for the scones, and three types of teas, two herbal and one black holiday tea with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Wouldn’t that be enough?
I need to add something with more body, since this will l
ikely serve as dinner as well, she thought. And something more substantial for the moms.
She shook her head again. Then her fingers typed away:
Quiche Lorraine
Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
Tossed Mixed Green Salad
Then she went up to her list of tea sandwiches and added:
Roast Beef on Rye
Salmon on Pumpernickel
There! Much heartier! Enough to satisfy everyone. She smiled to herself. Now I’m done.
The little girls would probably not touch the salmon or roast beef, but they might eat the quiche. In any case, she was sure the moms would appreciate the more substantial spread. After the tea, they could take their little charges home and not have to make dinner. It was good.
Ashley called Lara.
“Hey, I’ve got the tea menu all done. I’ll send it your way.”
“Great,” Lara said. “Can’t wait to see it.”
“It’s good! You’ll like it.”
“I’m sure I will. We’ll have fun.”
“As long as we can keep those kids off their phones,” Ashley grumbled.
“Ashley, give it up. I’m sure their moms will try to do that, but this is the age we live in.”
“You’re right, not my kids, not my problem.”
“That’s right!” Lara said.
“I’ll swing by and pick you up,” Ashley said. “No need to take two cars.”
“See you Saturday!” Lara said.
***
Saturday morning was overcast and gloomy. There was a chill in the air, and as Ashley dressed in her black pants and burgundy blouse, she decided to add a black turtleneck underneath. It looked stylish, and would also keep her warm. She laid out a black sweater wrap on the chair with her purse and chose a warm knitted scarf to wear. Looking out the window, she noticed a few snowflakes softly swirling down.
Wonderful, she thought. What a perfect day for tea.
She picked up Lara and they arrived at the hostess Annie’s house early to set up and noticed a fire in the living room area. There were subtle decorations throughout the house, nothing overdone, rather a natural approach to the welcoming of winter and the holidays. Scented natural boughs of fir were everywhere, and candles with scents of cinnamon and apple were lit on the tables. She had discussed the table settings with the hostess, and indeed on the table was a fairy land picture of small holiday tea napkins, lazy Susan tiered glass, small china cups and flowered tea pots in holiday colors. Everything looked as if it was out of a Victorian Christmas. Ashley stopped and took a few photos before she headed to the kitchen.
Annie stepped into the dining room. “Do you like it?”
Ashley turned around and smiled at Annie. She could see she was beaming with pride.
“It’s beautiful. Straight out of a dream. The girls will go crazy when they see this,” Ashley said.
“Do you think they will stay off their phones?” Annie said.
Ashley laughed. “I was just saying that to my friend, Lara. Let’s hope!”
Soon the prep was going on full speed in the kitchen and the house was filled with the fragrant smells of afternoon tea. Annie had put on soft classical music, including the Nutcracker, and the fire crackled away in the hearth. It was one of those days where time seemed to stand still, and dreams of a simpler life filled Ashley’s head. She wasn’t feeling sad or nostalgic as life was good with Sean in the present, but part of her ached at the memories of her childhood. She never had a smart phone or tablet to distract her, she did watch television, but otherwise played outside during all the seasons, and even though being bullied on the school playground had always been an issue, she never had anyone try to make fun of her or threaten her over the internet. It wasn’t that it was better in the yesteryears, but it was different. And the truth was, she preferred it the way it used to be. She wondered if she and Sean could handle all of the tech changes when it was their time to raise children. She wasn’t sure. But life was all about change, and they would have to deal with it. She looked up at the clock. The children should be arriving very soon.
“Okay, let’s taste everything,” Ashley said to Lara.
They took bites of the food and nodded their heads.
“Great,” Lara said.
“Ah yes, this is good. Hope everyone comes hungry.”
The doorbell rang, and they could hear the first girls arrive excitedly talking to one another and the mother’s exclaiming at how wonderful the house looked. Shortly after, more and more guests arrived until the dining room was ringing with the sound of excited chatter.
“Showtime,” Ashley said.
She and Lara went to greet the guests, and lay the spread out. Plate after plate of delicious food soon filled the long table. At each place setting, Ashley had laid a Christmas cracker for the girls to pull. As everyone sat at their place, they’re were squeals of delight.
“I guess they are off their tech devices,” Ashley said.
Lara smiled at her. “Well, what do you know? Turns out the power of good food and friends can actually do that.”
They circled the table with the steaming pots of tea, and began to pour whatever each girl and their mom requested. Then they went back into the kitchen to give everyone their privacy, and take a break. All they heard from the dining room was laughter.
“Good to hear that sound,” Ashley said.
“Yeah,” Lara said. “Now, I’m finally in the holiday spirit.”
“Me too,” Ashley said.
The afternoon seemed to speed by, and before they knew it, the hostess Annie had come in to congratulate them and tell them what a good time everyone had.
“And there’s only a few scones and tarts left!” Annie said.
“Good,” Ashley said. “I hate to have leftover food. Please tell everyone to take any of the scones or tarts home to finish later.”
Just then, the kitchen door burst open and the moms poured into the kitchen.
“Best tea I ever had!” said Debbie, a pretty blonde with a wide smile. She gave Ashley a hug and laughed. “I could’ve sworn you were English when I tasted everything!”
Another pretty blond with a sweet demeanor put her hand out. “Hi, I’m Holiday, just like the well…you know,” she laughed. “That was wonderful! My daughter ate everything!”
And yet another blond stood there giggling and exclaimed, “My daughter didn’t get on her phone once!”
“Oh, yes she did, she was taking photos of the spread Lynn! Nice try!”
They all laughed.
“You know what I mean! She wasn’t texting!”
A tall striking brunette grinned at Ashley and Lara. “Hi, I’m Colleen. That was something. How about you come do a dinner party for us grown up girls? I’ll send you some dates and you can let me know if you’re free.”
“Cool idea,” said Abbey, another mom. She gave Ashley a beautiful smile.
“Sounds good,” Ashley said. “We’d love to.”
There was more joking and laughter before the women said goodbye and left the kitchen. Ashley really liked this group of women. They had good spirits, she felt it. Plus they looked like a lot of fun.
We’d have a great dinner party, she thought. They’re my kind of people.
Annie paid Ashley and then Lara helped clean up and pack the car. Ashley stood in the parking lot with her best pal and looked out at the vista from Annie’s house. The snow had stopped for a while during the tea, but now it floated lazily down again. The air was crystal-clear and getting quite cold. Ashley tied the scarf tighter around her neck.
“The tea, the snow, that fireplace, now I’m ready for everything to kick in full swing,” Ashley said.
“Me too,” Lara said. “Let’s go, time to get home and relax.”
***
They drove in silence, satiated and happy. It was comforting to be with an old friend; they were like family. You could talk, or not, and it was all okay. They both stared out at the darkening sky.
“Get down!” she yelled at Lara.
Ashley hit the gas and sped away, making a sharp turn at the next street.
“What was that?” Lara screamed.
“I’m not sure, but I think someone just threw large rocks at the car. We’re going to my place and call the police!”
She zig zagged down several side streets until she reached her place and screeched into her parking spot. Sean was just walking into their front door when he saw them pull in. He ran over to the car and saw the broken windows.
“What happened? Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes, but we could’ve been hit! I was dropping off Lara when it happened. Didn’t see who did it, it was too dark. But they were clearly trying to hurt us!” Ashley said.
Sean had a grim look on his face. “Let’s get inside and call the police. You have to give a report. Lara, you need to stay with us tonight.”
Lara was trembling as she dashed inside. “No argument there.”
The police came shortly after their call and Ashley and Lara gave them all the details of what happened.
“Do you need to go to the hospital? Any cuts from the glass?” one of the officers said.
“Not me,” Ashley said. “Lara?”
“No cuts,” Lara said.
After the police left, the tow truck came to pick up the car for repair, then they all walked inside, exhausted from what had happened.
“What an amazing day turned into a nightmare,” Ashley muttered. She collapsed on the couch.
Lara sat beside her friend.
Sean stood there, looking at them both. “Are you sure you’re both okay?”
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 78