The Hanged Man's Noose

by Judy Penz Sheluk

  “She was also the real estate agent of record for the elementary school and Camp Miakoda, which means she had Stonehaven’s confidence. What if she did it for Stonehaven, and then killed him when she found out his intentions were less than honorable? I think we have to keep Poppy on our suspect list.” Arabella sighed. “Levon and Stanford were right. They both told me to let the police do their job. Being an amateur sleuth is harder than it sounds in books.”

  “We just need to focus. It might be easier if we ruled people out, instead of trying to rule them in. I need to follow up with Betsy and get the list of who was in the bar when Stonehaven gave his toast.”

  “I’ve been replaying that scene in my head, and the more I think about it, the more I think Stonehaven’s toast was directed to someone sitting at the bar.”

  “Didn’t Betsy say he had a longer toast planned, one that complimented her?”

  Arabella shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. Stonehaven may have planned to recognize Betsy. But when he said the words, ‘I’m not ashamed of anything I have done,’ it was as if he was taunting someone.”

  “The taunting part certainly sounds like Stonehaven. Do you remember who else was at the bar? Other than Betsy and the wait staff?”

  Arabella nodded. “Gloria, Poppy, Camilla, and Johnny.” A look of abject misery crossed her face. “And Levon.”

  39

  Once again, Emily and Arabella arranged to meet Levon at The Hanged Man’s Noose at noon the following day. While they both agreed the likelihood of either Johnny or Levon being a murderer was remote, the fact remained: Stonehaven’s cryptic toast may have been directed at either one or the other.

  “How do we find out?” Arabella had asked. To which Emily replied she’d no idea, outside of coming out and asking them. Not the best plan, but it would have to do.

  “I suppose it’s possible a message was directed at one of us,” Levon said, “but I can’t imagine why it would have been meant for me. I hadn’t seen or heard from Garry until the day of Arabella’s grand opening, which, while unpleasant, was hardly cause to threaten death, his or mine.”

  “I’m inclined to agree with Levon,” Arabella said to Emily. “I can’t imagine him killing one person, let alone three. Breaking someone’s heart, sure. Killing them, not so much.”

  “Thanks for the backhanded vote of confidence,” Levon said. “And still sitting here in front of you.”

  “That leaves Poppy, Camilla, Gloria, and Johnny,” Emily said, hoping to get them both back on track. “Levon, you call on Camilla, see what she has to say. She’s bound to be more honest with you than she was with me. Arabella, maybe you can connect with Poppy Spencer. She helped you find the retail space for the Glass Dolphin, so hopefully she’ll open up to you. I’ll visit Gloria and Johnny.”

  “Remind me, why am I doing this again?” Levon asked.

  “How about because we asked you to,” Arabella said.

  Levon sighed. “It’s not exactly a reason, but I’ll do it—providing Arabella comes with me to visit Camilla. I am not going there alone, only to hear about it for the next ten years of my life.”

  “I’m supposed to talk to Poppy,” Arabella said.

  “You can swing by on your way home. We can tackle Camilla in the morning.”

  Arabella shook her head. “I don’t want to go to Camilla’s.”

  “And I don’t want the two of you getting involved and dragging me into it. Yet here I am.”

  “We’ll make it up to you,” Arabella promised.

  “That we will,” Emily said. “Let’s meet at The Hanged Man’s Noose tomorrow at one o’clock to compare notes. We’ll even buy you lunch and a beer.”

  “Lunch and a beer is not exactly my idea of making it up to me, but it’s a start.”

  Emily laughed out loud as Arabella fluffed her curls.

  40

  Arabella headed to Poppy Spencer’s office on Main Street, relieved to find Poppy sitting at her desk. It hadn’t occurred to her to make an appointment. She stood up when Arabella entered, giving her what could best be described as a wintery smile.

  “Arabella. I haven’t seen you since the grand opening.”

  It couldn’t hurt to grovel a little. “I may have been a tad judgmental of you that day, Poppy. And I definitely should have thanked you properly for the edible fruit arrangement. It was beautiful and delicious.”

  “Let’s say we’re both at fault and move on,” Poppy said, with a slightly warmer smile. “Is everything okay with the shop?”

  “Sales aren’t exactly rocketing, but I’ve made a few, and I’ve done a couple of appraisals. It will take some time to build clientele.” Now was not the time to mention that money was already getting tight. She needed to spend more time on business and less on investigating.

  “But with the property itself, there are no issues?”

  “No, none.” Arabella cleared her throat. “I’m here on another matter.”

  Poppy slid her designer-framed glasses halfway down her nose. Arabella tried not to flinch as the steel gray eyes assessed her. “What sort of matter?”

  “It’s about the night of the presentation at The Hanged Man’s Noose. Stonehaven’s toast, to be exact.”

  “It was odd, I’ll grant you that. It certainly turned out to be eerily prophetic. Betsy told me later those were the last words of Samuel Lount, although I understand he had more to say before you interrupted him with your toast. What did you say again? Something like, ‘let’s all drink to the newest traitor in town.’ I’ll admit to being moderately amused at the time. Stonehaven wasn’t a man used to being mocked.”

  “Glad to have made an impression. Here’s the thing, though. I’ve been thinking about Stonehaven’s toast, and I’m convinced he was sending a message to someone sitting at the bar.”

  “And you think that someone might have been me?” Poppy shook her head. “I can’t see why. I sold him a couple of properties and there was definitely no animosity between us. Quite the opposite. He was going to hire me to lease out the retail and commercial space at the elementary school once we closed on the schoolhouse. We were still working on getting planning permission.”

  Subject to planning permission, meaning Poppy was without a commission now that Stonehaven was dead. It also meant she had no motive to kill him, and every reason to want him alive.

  “You said you sold Stonehaven a couple of properties. What was the other one?”

  “I suppose it will all come out with the police investigation. It was an old boot camp for young offenders in Miakoda Falls. A place called Camp Miakoda.”

  So Levon was right. Stonehaven had been the buyer.

  “There was some animosity, there, come to think of it,” Poppy said.

  “What sort of animosity?”

  “It was my listing. I figured it would be an albatross. Who wants to buy an old boot camp for young offenders? But to my surprise, two buyers were interested. I got the distinct impression there was some history between them, but that wasn’t my concern. My concern was getting the best deal for my client.” Poppy smiled at the memory. “It turned out to be quite the bidding war, with an added bonus. I gained Garrett Stonehaven as a client.”

  “Who was the other bidder, do you remember?”

  “Of course I remember. He barely spoke to me again until recently, when Garrett Stonehaven came to town. Then, all of a sudden, he’s like my new best friend. Wanted to be part of things, recommend people to be on the planning committee for StoreHaven. It seemed out of character, but I was never the one holding the grudge. Plus, we needed someone like Johnny to smooth the waters with the merchants along Main Street, get them on board with the plan. Someone folks would trust.”

  “Johnny?”

  “That’s right. Johnny. Johnny Porter.”

  41

  Based on the sulky expression on his face, Levon wasn’t any too pleased to be paying a visit to Camilla. Well, too bad for him. Arabella wasn’t about to go into the lion
ess’s den alone. Never mind that Levon insisted he’d only wanted to rent a room for a week or so and figure out where things had been going wrong. Reality was couples hit rough patches all the time. And most husbands didn’t all traipse off to an attractive widow’s B&B looking for a place to stay.

  Next thing you know, Arabella and Levon were headed to divorce court, with Camilla gloating in the wings and spreading her malicious lies all around town.

  It had taken a long time, but bit-by-bit Arabella and Levon had managed to resurrect their friendship. After all, they’d been friends long before they became lovers, and business associates before that. But she still missed the whole of Levon, even after all this time. She wondered, sometimes, if he felt the same way. Not that it mattered. Arabella knew she could never completely trust Levon again. And without trust, you didn’t have a relationship.

  They arrived at the Gilroy Mansion just as Camilla was getting out of her Mercedes. She was decked out in black spandex tights and a fluffy white fake fur jacket, a yoga mat under her arm. Arabella couldn’t help but notice the toned thighs, flat tummy, and tight ass. The woman probably hadn’t eaten a shortbread cookie in a decade. She glanced at Levon and was amused to find him trying not to look.

  “Levon,” Camilla said, completely ignoring Arabella. “Don’t tell me you’re back looking to rent a room? The farmhouse not working out for you?”

  “Pull in your claws, Camilla. We’re here to ask you a couple of questions about Garrett Stonehaven.”

  “Why would I want to answer them?” Camilla’s eyes flicked over Arabella. “Especially with her here.”

  “Why wouldn’t you? Unless you’ve got something to hide. If you don’t, then we can get this whole affair put to rest.” Arabella flashed a saccharine smile. “It can’t be good for business, people knowing a man might have been murdered in one of your rooms. Whatever would your precious Shakyra think?”

  “Low blow, even for you Arabella. Especially after your nasty toast to Garrett at the presentation.” Camilla sighed dramatically. “Besides, you’d be surprised at the ghoulishness of people. I’ve had more interest in that room in the past week than I have in the past year.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Levon said, “which is all the more reason you should be inviting us in. Unless you want us to debate this outside so the neighbors can hear.”

  That got Camilla’s attention. “Come on in. I’d offer you tea and scones, but it’s not like this is a social visit.”

  They settled into the front parlor. Arabella couldn’t help but notice that the room was looking a bit sad around the edges, as if Camilla had run into hard times. Levon had told her that the rental unit he’d stayed in had been done up to the nines. Had all the money been poured into the rentals? Arabella realized she knew nothing about Camilla’s financial situation, beyond the rumors Graham had left her without a bean. Not that she was convinced. Camilla had always been good at spinning a yarn. She’d learned that the hard way.

  “What was it you wanted to know?” Camilla asked. She was perched in an oversized wing chair, her legs tucked underneath her. She reminded Arabella of a jungle cat, sleek, self-satisfied, superior, and in complete control of every movement.

  “We wanted to talk about Stonehaven’s toast,” Levon started. “He stared right at the five of us. At you, me, Gloria, Poppy, and Johnny.”

  “How can I ever forget? It was like he was speaking to us directly. Not that I understood the message. I keep thinking I should, but I don’t.”

  “Let’s assume his toast was a message to one of us. Maybe whoever understood the message felt threatened enough to kill him. If it wasn’t you, and it wasn’t me, then who was it meant for?”

  Camilla shrugged. “How should I know?”

  “Gloria, Poppy, and Johnny,” Arabella said, trying to keep the frustration from her voice. “Who of the three was the most likely to pay Stonehaven a visit? And get let in?”

  Camilla frowned in concentration. “I have to say any one of the three are possible. Gloria was on his team, and she owned the apartment building he wanted to buy. Then again, a dead man can’t exactly buy real estate.”

  Arabella conceded she had a point. “What about Poppy?”

  “Poppy was his real estate agent, but for her to benefit, he had to be alive. The schoolhouse property wasn’t set to close until all the approvals were in place. That was one of the reasons for the presentation. It was one of the requirements from the Cedar County Municipal Board.”

  “I didn’t realize that,” Levon said.

  “Neither did I,” Arabella said.

  “I’m not even sure if his team members knew. Regardless, Johnny had nothing to gain by Stonehaven’s death. He was lobbying for the Main Street Merchants’ Association. You both know as well as I do that Johnny would do anything to get Main Street back to its glory days.”

  “So we’re no further ahead,” Arabella said, although she was thinking quite the opposite. Because Johnny Porter would do anything for Main Street. Which meant he must have recognized Stonehaven’s pyramid scheme for exactly what it was. An elaborate version of the same game he’d played at Camp Miakoda. She glanced at Levon, saw the way his face had drained of all color, knew he was thinking the same thing. They had to get in touch with Emily, warn her about Johnny before she went over there to question him.

  She just hoped they weren’t too late.

  42

  Emily paced the living room, trying to ignore the two gallons of Hay Bale stacked in the corner. Her mind kept flicking back to that first day in the Sunrise Café. Some clue was there, something she was missing, something beyond February’s stumble over Carter’s jacket.

  It wasn’t that she suspected Gloria. Because if the deaths of Carter, February, and Stonehaven were orchestrated by the same person—and she believed they were—then Gloria had the best alibi of all. You couldn’t sell property to a dead man.

  She’d gone over it and over it. A vase of roses had been in the bay window. Yellow roses. She glanced at the cans of paint, thought about the lavender roses from Johnny. He’d mentioned to her, the first time they’d met, that he had a fascination with colors. If the flowers had been meant to signify love at first sight—and admittedly she might be making a bit of a leap there—then maybe yellow roses also meant something.

  A Google search revealed several meanings: “Joy; Gladness; Friendship; Promise of a New Beginning; Welcome Back, Jealousy; Remember Me; and I Care.” Talk about the all-purpose rose. Could be nothing more than a vase filled with yellow roses, meant to complement the yellow and orange décor at the Café. But Emily didn’t think so. The question was what did they mean? And had Johnny sent them?

  Gloria stared at Emily. “You want to know about the yellow roses that were here the day Carter died?”

  “Yes, you see, I’m writing an article on the meaning behind the color of roses.” Not true, but certainly plausible. “I think most people know red is for true love, but beyond that, most people don’t realize that different colors have different meanings. For example, lavender roses mean ‘love at first sight.’ Yellow roses have a few meanings, like ‘welcome back’ or ‘new beginning’ or ‘remember me.’”

  “I get you, sure. I guess you journalists are paid to notice every detail. You’re right, the yellow roses were sent with a note that said, ‘To a Prosperous New Beginning.’ But I figured whoever sent them selected yellow because they matched the décor in here.”

  “You said whoever sent them. You don’t know who sent them to you?”

  “I have no clue. You see, the card wasn’t addressed to me.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “No, the roses were sent to February. I thought it was odd at the time. What sort of prosperous new beginning could a waitress at a small town diner have?”

  Emily couldn’t begin to imagine, but one person might have the answer. The chairman of the Main Street Merchants’ Association.

  It was time to face Johnny Porter.


  Johnny was on the phone when she arrived at It’s a Colorful Life. He gave her a quick wave and hung up a few seconds later, turning his 100-watt smile on her in full force. Once again, Emily was struck by his movie star good looks. She felt her resolve melt a little. Damn, but this is going to be hard.

  “Hey, Johnny. I wondered if you have a few minutes to spare.”

  “Sure.” He looked at her, his black-brown eyes filled with concern. “Is anything wrong?”

  Every fiber of her being wanted to say, “No, everything’s good, I thought I’d take you up on that dinner you were offering.” But she couldn’t back down now. It was time to find out the truth.

  “I’ve been thinking about Stonehaven’s death. I can’t seem to think about anything else.”

  Johnny gave her a sympathetic nod. “You knew him back in Toronto, didn’t you? Arabella told me you used to write about him in Urban Living all the time. So his death must have come as a terrible shock.”

  “You could say that.” Emily took a moment to consider her options. Like confronting Johnny with her theory in a safer, more public place. Ask him out for dinner at The Hanged Man’s Noose. Or Frankie’s Fish and Chips. No, Nigel would be sure to eavesdrop and dinner out was simply delaying the inevitable. And It’s a Colorful Life was a public place, wasn’t it? A customer could stroll in at any moment. She forged ahead. “My relationship with Stonehaven was complicated.”

  “Complicated?”

  “It’s true he was a frequent source for my Urban Living feature articles, but recently there had been some personal animosity between us.”

  Johnny laughed out loud. “Personal animosity? Who didn’t have personal animosity with Garrett Stonehaven? Not to speak ill of the dead, but the man had an ego the size of Toronto and the moral compass of a gnat. He had no compunction about crushing anyone who stood in his way.”