Hems & Homicide
Page 2
Opening the hobbit door revealed a narrow, rickety set of wooden steps descending into inky black. No handrail. Nice. My tiny light barely pierced the gloom as I took the first cautious steps. The mildew odor was much stronger down here, tinged with the distinctive odor of mice. Ugh. Hopefully I wouldn’t see any running along the pipes, which were right at eye level.
Step by step I went, testing each stair with my weight. So far, so good. But with my eyes focused on my feet, I didn’t see the spiderweb—until it draped across my face like a haunted-house facial. Sticky and clingy and creepy, maybe with a spider still attached.
Three things happened at once. I clawed at my face, dropped the phone, and lurched down the rest of the staircase. One foot hit air and I stumbled, landing with a sickening thud against what felt like shelves, judging by the sharp edges biting into my skin. Metal screeched across concrete. Objects thumped and crashed. Glass shattered.
“Are you all right?” Ian’s flashlight shone right into my eyes then jerked to one side. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to do that.”
“I think so.” With a shaky laugh, I pushed upright from a leaning position against the shelves. My arm and shoulder throbbed from hitting them hard, and so did my left ankle, twisted when I’d landed wrong. But I would live. “I hope my phone survived.”
Ian stooped and picked up my phone, his light swooping over the area where the shelves once stood. Something white caught my eye, amid crumbled rubble near the bottom of the wall.
A skull, its eye sockets deep and dark.
CHAPTER 2
I stared at the skull without breathing, my brain not quite processing what I was seeing. Then, light-headed from lack of oxygen, I inhaled deeply and sucked in a lungful of dust. Skeleton dust? I began to cough, my stomach flipping over with a nauseated heave.
“Iris, honey? Are you in the basement?” Quick, light footsteps announced the arrival of my grandmother. Grammie paused partway down to take in the scene, holding her own cell phone with its light beaming. Petite and energetic with a sleek gray bob, Grammie wore her seventy years well.
Ian patted me on the back. “You okay?” When I nodded, despite the tears streaming from my eyes and my churning gut, he said, “Uh, Mrs. Buckley. I think we found something down here.” He shifted from one leg to the other. “That, uh, shouldn’t be here.”
I didn’t blame Ian for his inability to speak clearly, since my mind was almost totally blank, my nerves tight with a sensation like a baby’s held breath before the scream. Was this shock? Must be.
Grammie continued down the steps. “Show me.” When Ian pointed his flashlight right on the skull, she gasped. Then she did the unthinkable, leaned closer and used her own light for a closer look at the faded, gold-threaded red cloth circling the skull. When she straightened, the expression in her eyes was bleak. “That’s Star Moonshine’s body. She was my friend.”
“Oh, no.” I flung my arms around Grammie, my own injuries and upset forgotten. “I’m so sorry. What happened?” Something horrible obviously, or how would Star’s body have ended up here, bricked up behind a crumbling wall in the basement of a Main Street building?
“I don’t know. We knew each other so long ago, in the early seventies.” She allowed me to give her a tight hug. “We thought she left town. She was like that, a free spirit who moved from place to place.”
Ian tucked his flashlight under one arm and pulled out his phone. “I’m calling 911. We need to go back upstairs and let the police handle this.”
He was right, of course, but now I felt strangely reluctant to leave poor Star’s body alone in the basement. “I suppose we’d better.” I released Grammie from the hug but kept my arm around her slender shoulders. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Grammie shook off my arm. “I can walk unassisted, my dear. I’m fine.” Indeed, her posture as she climbed the stairs was as straight and strong as ever. But I followed closely, trying not to put weight on my twisted ankle, in case she collapsed with grief and shock or something.
Behind us, Ian was talking on the phone, his voice a low rumble. Thank goodness he’d been here. I shuddered. What if I’d discovered the skeleton while alone in that creepy cellar? Although if I hadn’t fallen, she might never have been found.
“What’s going on?” Madison was waiting for us at the top of the stairs, holding a grocery sack. “I see the lights are still off.”
I glanced at Grammie, who didn’t respond. “We found a skeleton in the basement.” When Madison barked a laugh of disbelief, her hand flying to her mouth, I added, “Yes, seriously. The poor woman was one of Grammie’s friends from ages ago. Ian is calling the police.”
“Oh no. That’s awful.” Madison’s face was a mask of horror. She hugged Grammie with one arm. “You must be devastated.” She tugged at her arm gently. “Come sit down.”
I hobbled along behind them, eager to sit down. Madison had arranged a couple of upholstered wooden chairs in the front bay window so we headed there. After collapsing on the surprisingly comfortable cushion, I stretched out my leg with a wince.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Grammie asked, bending to look at my ankle.
“I fell down the stairs. That’s how we found, um, Star. I crashed into a set of shelves. She was behind them, partly concealed in the wall.” I bent to look too, now that I could actually see properly. My ankle was only slightly puffy and bruised, thank goodness.
“I missed all that while I was at the store.” Madison squatted with ease to check the injury. As an extreme-sports aficionado and the daughter of two doctors, she was well acquainted with treating injuries. “I’ll go back and get some ice.” A small convenience store and gas station was down the street a short distance. “Remember: RICE.”
“Rest, ice, compression, and elevation.” I lifted my leg onto the box Madison set in front of me, which still held ugly plastic reindeer ornaments, according to the picture. They would definitely get tossed into the dumpster we were ordering, along with the paneling and the rest of the useless inventory left by the previous occupant.
If we open the shop. How could we, knowing that Grammie’s friend had been buried in the basement? My ankle began to throb even worse, probably because my pulse spiked in response to my dire thoughts.
Madison uncapped two bottles of water and handed us each one. “Be right back.” As she shut the door behind her, the bells above it jingled. One fell off and hit the floor, tinkling as it rolled.
“I think we need new bells.” Grammie’s tone was dry.
Something about her deadpan statement set me off. I began to giggle, which grew into painful belly laughs, and then I burst into tears.
Grammie patted my arm. “It’s all right, honey. Go ahead and let it out.”
Hearing the same advice I gave Grammie after Papa died only made me cry harder. I dug around in my apron pocket, grateful for the wad of clean tissues I always carried. After the sobs finally died down, I wiped my eyes and blew my nose. “Sorry. It’s been a strange day.”
“No need to apologize to me.” Grammie looked up when the lights came on. “So that’s where Ian’s been. He fixed the lights. I noticed the ones in the hall were out.”
“Grammie, do you think—” Before I could vocalize my doubts about keeping the store, a cruiser pulled up in front of the store, the light bar strobing.
Through the bay window, we watched the officers as they emerged from the cruiser. The man driving was the new chief, Anton Ball, who was only a year or two older than me and who I’d gone to school with. He hitched up his belt and said something to his companion, a woman with light brown hair pulled into a stubby ponytail. Rhonda Davis, also a former schoolmate. Married to a lobsterman, she had a son in preschool.
The two officers turned as one and made their way toward the front door. In the back of the store, steps thumped on the basement stairs and a moment later Ian strode into the room. “Want me to get that?” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead buzzing past and opening the front door for th
e officers. “Thanks for getting here so quickly.”
Anton stood back to let Rhonda enter first, his sharp brown eyes taking everything in. He’d always been a good guy, kind and smart and reliable. As a police officer, he gave the impression that he was solid, someone to depend on. We certainly needed that right now.
“Mrs. Buckley. Iris.” He nodded a greeting before turning to Ian. “I understand you called 911 to report finding a body.” Rhonda pulled out a tablet, prepared to take everything down.
Ian ran a hand through his hair, rumpling it even more. A couple of cobwebs clung to his fingers and he wiped them off on his jeans with a frown. “Yes, sir. We, er, Iris found a skeleton in the basement, behind the wall.”
The officers’ gazes swiveled to me, and I explained how I fell down the stairs and bumped into the shelves. I left out the part about the cobweb attacking my face. “The skeleton was behind the wall, which is starting to crumble. It looked as if it had been there a while.” My stomach heaved again and I put a hand to my mouth, praying it would settle down.
Anton’s thick brows knitted together. “It’s better not to make assumptions right now. We need a full forensics examination.”
“But, Chief.” Grammie put up her hand. “I know who it is. Star Moonshine. She disappeared over forty years ago.” She touched her hair. “I recognized her headscarf.”
The officers stared at Grammie with surprise, and Anton stepped closer, a series of expressions roaming over his face. He settled on a frown, his hands resting on his hips. “Star Moonshine?” His voice was tinged with disbelief. It was a very unusual name. “Did you touch anything?”
Grammie sat a little taller. “No, of course not. I know better. Her scarf was clearly visible.”
What was up with Anton? I’d never seen him act so … official, not toward us anyway. “We only saw the skull,” I said. “And we certainly didn’t touch it.”
Anton continued to frown. “Officer Davis, let’s go examine the scene.” He nodded toward us. “Don’t go anywhere, okay? I need full statements from both of you.”
“Of course,” Grammie said. “Whatever we can do to help.”
“I’ll take you down to the basement.” Ian gestured. “It’s back that way.”
After the trio left the room, I said, “What’s the matter with him? He’s acting different.” Not only was the chief usually warm and friendly, he was known to be fair. He tried to encourage rehabilitation among Blueberry Cove’s wrongdoers rather than fill the lone jail cell. Of course most crimes in town were fairly minor—vandalism, petty theft, and the occasional fistfight.
Grammie’s nimble fingers pleated the bottom of her sweater, over and over. “He’s a little out of his depth, I think. Probably worried about making mistakes in such an important case.” She let out a rueful laugh. “I have a feeling that finding Star is going to stir up a lot of ancient history.” Her mouth turned down. “Some of it not so good.”
“Obviously, if she was murdered.” I cringed. Had I really said that out loud? But it must be true, right? No one hid a body behind a wall if they died of natural causes or even an accident.
Through the window, I saw a man in a suit sauntering down the sidewalk, a messenger bag slung across his torso. After a moment, I recognized the man from the Belgian Bean. Well, actually I recognized the bag first. I wanted one, bad.
For some reason, he stopped in front of the shop and stared up at the façade. I couldn’t believe it was due to the beauty of the building, although the brick window arches on the second and third stories were quite nice.
Madison crossed the street carrying a bag of ice, and the man turned and said something to her. She said something back, then pushed past him to open the door. To my horrified disbelief, he followed her inside.
“Ah, Madison,” I said when the pair entered. “This isn’t the best time…”
Madison gave me a slight headshake. “Iris, this is the new code enforcement officer. Kevin Lee. He’s here to inspect the building.”
CHAPTER 3
A code officer showing up now? My day had just gotten worse, something I didn’t think was possible. Before I could protest, Grammie hopped to her feet. “How nice to meet you, Mr. Lee. I’m Anne Buckley and this is my granddaughter, Iris.”
Kevin eyed me with disdain, clutching his bag to his side. “We’ve met. Ah, um, I’m here for a first look at the premises.” His lip curled as he glanced around. “I understand you are putting in a store?” His tone said good luck with that.
“We are,” Grammie said, still smiling warmly. “With a grand opening on Memorial Day weekend. Didn’t the town get our paperwork?”
I regarded my grandmother with admiration. My knee-jerk reaction to overbearing bureaucrats was an urge to rebel. Which often backfired, I had to admit.
“Your application was only the first step.” Kevin opened his messenger bag, papers spewing forth. “In order for the occupancy permit to be awarded, we will need the following—” He droned on about business licenses, sign ordinances, required exit lighting, and the like.
Madison rolled her eyes and popped open a water bottle. I tuned out, overwhelmed by the volume of red tape. I’d think about it all later, much later. Frayed fabric caught my eye. Was that a rip in my favorite apron? I took a closer look and found the sash had separated from the skirt along one side. I untied the bow and pulled off the apron, planning to hand-stitch it later. For now, I draped it on the chair arm.
“Mr. Lee. Kevin.” Grammie put up a hand, trying to stem the tide of paperwork flooding our way. “I promise you, we’ll take care of all that. But right now is not the best time for a discussion or an inspection.”
Kevin goggled at her. “Whyever not? According to the regulations, you must submit—” Madison let out a delicate snort, loud enough to make the inspector falter. Before he could gather himself, footsteps and voices echoed from the back of the store.
“This is why not.” Grammie waved toward the police officers and Ian trooping into the room.
“Are you inspecting the building’s security system, Chief?” Kevin asked Anton. He rustled through his papers. “Don’t forget the checklist.”
Anton raised a brow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Kevin. A police investigation is under way.”
“We found a skeleton in the basement,” Ian said. He winced when both officers glared at him. “It won’t be a secret long,” he said in his own defense. “Look outside.”
Indeed, spectators were gathering on the sidewalk, giving 33 Main Street more attention than it had gotten in decades.
Something thudded onto the floor, drawing attention back to Kevin, who had dropped his precious bag. All the color drained from his face. “Skeleton? In the basement? But who is—”
“We don’t know yet.” Anton gave Grammie a slight headshake, to let her know not to say anything. “The state police and the medical examiner’s office will be arriving shortly. Until they finish their work, there won’t be a statement or any conclusions drawn.”
“Yes, sir,” Madison muttered. I remembered that Madison and Anton had often butted heads back in high school. The pair locked eyes, with Anton looking away first.
“While we wait for the crime scene team, I’d like to get statements from Ian, Iris, and Anne,” Anton said. “Madison, do you have anything to contribute?”
“Not I.” Madison lifted her water bottle. “I was at the store buying water when the, um, discovery was made.” She came over and hugged me, then Grammie. “I’ll talk to you later.” She gave me a significant look that meant she’d be waiting for details.
I nodded to let her know the message was received. “We’ll be at the farmhouse once we’re done here.”
After the door closed behind Madison, Kevin piped up again. He was leafing through a booklet. “Zoning laws prohibit the burial of a body on private property without prior authorization.” Everyone stared at him. “Just so you know.” Color flooded his cheeks.
“Kevin.�
�� Anton was clearly exercising his patience. “I know you’re new here and all, but this … situation does not fall under your jurisdiction. Like I said, it’s a police matter.”
Ian folded his arms across his chest. “Yeah, this was a covert burial, if you know what I mean.”
The inspector’s mouth flapped open and shut a couple of times. “You mean … murder?”
“Unless the person committed suicide, then concealed their own body, yes,” Ian replied.
Anton made a chopping motion suggesting that Ian quit making comments. “So, Kevin. Why don’t you shelve whatever you’re doing here until a more opportune time?”
Finally Kevin got the hint. He stuffed the paperwork back into his bag and slung the strap over his shoulder. With a last glance around at the circle of watching faces, he let himself out. On the sidewalk, several people accosted him, but he shook his head and kept walking.
“Good man,” Anton muttered. He turned to Ian. “All right, let’s take your statement then you can be on your way.”
Rhonda typed while Ian once again took the officers through his movements. After describing my fall down the stairs, he asked, “How’s that ankle doing?”
I lifted the bag of ice to peek. The swelling had gone down although the skin still looked blue. “A lot better, thanks.” With any luck, the sprain had been nipped in the bud.
Ian returned to his tale, telling the officers how he’d called 911 then fixed the lights, noticing that a couple of breakers had popped. “But I didn’t touch anything else down there.” He shuddered. “I didn’t want to, frankly.”
“Is that it?” At Ian’s nod, Anton said, “If you think of anything else, give us a call.”
The carpenter turned to us. “I’ll be in touch, okay?” He glanced around the room, taking in all its disarray. “I’ll come back at your convenience and write up an estimate for you to work with.”
“Thank you, Ian,” Grammie said. “We appreciate your help.” Sitting with hands clasped in her lap, she appeared totally unruffled.