by Lyndsey Cole
By now, policemen arrived carrying all their assorted paraphernalia into the kitchen. The police chief took charge of that activity while Detective Crank hustled Danny into a room to the left of the front door. Annie and Martha went outside to check on the dog. Mia stayed behind with Leona, trying to keep her sister calm while Danny was being questioned.
The dog had made herself comfortable on the blanket in the back seat of Martha’s car. Annie estimated her to be around fifty pounds. Possibly a mix of shepherd and lab. She was panting heavily. Martha patted her head. “She’s about to have her pups. Should we just leave her in here?”
Annie dialed her friend Karen Sherwood who ran the local animal shelter. As she waited with her fingers crossed that Karen would pick up, she said to Martha, “I’ll try to get Karen to come help with this.” After five rings, Annie was relieved to hear Karen’s voice and she explained the situation. She hung up and told Martha, “Karen’s on her way.”
Annie kept her eyes on the big house, watching the activity as people passed in front of the windows. It seemed like forever before the body was carried out to the waiting ambulance. “Claire certainly wasn’t my favorite person by a long shot, but I can’t imagine who would want her dead,” Annie said more to herself than to Martha, the only other person within hearing distance.
Karen tapped Annie on her shoulder, making her jump. “What’s going on here? All you told me was you have a dog about to have puppies.”
“Yeah, well, Claire McClaven was murdered. The dog is a distraction at this point. Did you look in Martha’s car yet?”
Annie and Karen bent down to check on the dog. “We could move her to my van. She’d have more room there.”
The ambulance backed out, unblocking Martha’s car, so she pulled closer to Karen’s van. The three of them managed to lift the blanket with the dog and shift her into the van. “There you go. Who wants to pick a name for her?” Karen asked.
“Bella,” Martha said without any deep thought.
“That works. Bella it is.” Karen slammed the door. “Stop by later, I’m sure you’ll want to see the pups.” She drove out, leaving Martha and Annie stuck with only Claire McClaven to think about.
Martha pulled a sweater from her car. “It’s getting chilly. Or else the thought of Claire stabbed in the back is giving me goosebumps.” She looked at Annie. “Do you think Danny will be arrested?”
“Detective Crank likes to wrap things up quickly and Danny was in the house and his fingerprints will be on the murder weapon. I’m kicking myself for leaving the knife here after he had lunch.” Annie pulled on Martha’s arm. “Let’s go back inside and see what’s happening.”
Detective Crank opened the door from the inside at the same moment Annie reached to push on it, making her lose her balance. “Clumsy, today?” the detective said as she grabbed Annie’s arm. “You’re next. Follow me.”
Annie forced herself to take a deep cleansing breath to calm her nerves and, hopefully, prevent her from saying anything stupid to annoy the detective. She was determined to try to improve their relationship for Danny’s sake.
Detective Crank held the door for Annie to enter, then closed it. “Sit over there.” She pointed to a straight back wooden chair. Annie glanced above her head expecting to see a bare light bulb glaring in her face.
“How’s the dog?”
The question caught Annie by surprise. She looked at the detective leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and her eyes piercing into Annie. “I called my friend Karen Sherwood. She runs the Second Chance Animal Shelter in town. Karen took the dog with her. We named her Bella.”
“Good. I might swing by later and check it out.” She lowered her arms and pulled a chair opposite Annie, sitting down and stretching her legs out in front. “So, tell me about your visit here today.”
Annie relaxed. This was a different side of the detective than she had ever seen before. “Well, I brought lunch over for Danny around one thirty. He was working upstairs, but when I called to him, he came down and we both sat on the porch while he ate.”
“What did you bring?”
“A chicken sandwich with mayo, not humus. Iced tea and a raspberry scone.”
Christy nodded. “Any utensils?”
Annie hesitated. “Yes. I brought a knife from the Black Cat Café. Danny used it to cut his sandwich in half.”
She opened her notebook and jotted down some notes. “What happened to the knife?”
Annie turned her head and looked around the room. An old sofa was pushed against the wall, covered with layers of dust. Cobwebs hung from the corners of the windows. Old Henry Harper must not have been in this room for years. She brought her attention back to Detective Crank. “I left the knife in the lunch bag for Danny to return to Leona. The bag was on the little table on the porch when I left.”
“You left, and Danny Davis stayed here.”
“Yeah, Claire hired him to renovate the house. He’s been working here for several weeks already.”
Detective Crank stood up and walked behind the chair she had been sitting on, placing both hands on the back and leaning forward. “You stuck your nose into the last murder in town, when John Holland floated to the edge of Heron Lake. Who do you think killed Claire McClaven?”
Annie stared at Detective Crank. “You want to know what I think?”
“Yeah. I want to know so I can be sure to look in the opposite direction.” She stuck her notebook in her back pocket and left the room.
The noises from the rest of the house filtered into Annie’s consciousness. So nothing had changed with Detective Cranky. Annie let her guard down for a minute, only to get treated like a fool. That wouldn’t happen again, she told herself.
Footsteps approached the room where Annie’s feet were glued to the floor. The police chief, Tyler Johnson, walked in. “Are you okay? You look like you’re ready to punch someone.” He nodded his head. “Oh, Detective Crank was just in here with you, wasn’t she? You two aren’t getting along again?” He chuckled.
Annie pointed her finger in Tyler’s face. “How can you stand that woman? She pretended to like me so I let my guard down, then, wham. She blindsided me.”
Tyler held up both hands. “Don’t take it out on me. I’m only the messenger.”
Annie squinted her eyes with suspicion. “Messenger? Don’t tell me. The bad cop-good cop routine?”
“You watch too much TV, Annie. Detective Crank said to tell you you’re free to go. We’ve talked to everyone who was here.”
“No you haven’t.”
Tyler flinched. “What are you talking about? Who did we miss?”
“The killer.” With that statement, Annie walked by Tyler and joined her friends who were waiting outside.
Chapter 3
Leona’s face was ashen. “What did you tell the detective?” she demanded as soon as Annie emerged from the house.
“I answered her questions. Honestly. Where’s Danny?”
“With Detective Crank. More questions. I have a bad, bad feeling about all this. Who would want Claire dead?”
Martha harrumphed. “Who wouldn’t want her dead? Her husband left her years ago. She treated everyone like dirt. Her son, Cody, is the only person I can think of that I never heard Claire say a bad word about.”
“What’s going on here?” A tall, thin man with hair starting to turn gray walked quickly up the driveway toward Annie and her friends.
“Fancy meeting you here, Henry Harper the third,” Annie said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Henry looked at all the police cars. “So, who’s going to tell me what happened?”
Annie faced Henry with her arms crossed. “How well did you know Claire McClaven?”
“I despised her. She was nothing but a scheming witch, scamming my father out of our family home.”
Leona moved closer to Henry, acting chummy and a little flirty. “How often do you come by to check on the old homestead?”
Henry shr
ugged. “Ever since my granddad died, I swing by once in a while. I wasn’t thrilled when my father sold the place to that woman. I like to keep an eye on what she’s up to.”
Leona smacked him with her elbow. “Well, you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Oh?”
“All these police cars?” Leona swept her hand around the yard. “Claire McClaven is dead.”
A broad smile spread across Henry’s face. “You don’t say. Did her nasty personality finally do her in?”
Leona chuckled. “Indirectly, that’s pretty close to the truth. Someone murdered her.”
Henry whipped his head around to stare at Leona. “Are you serious? She finally annoyed someone enough to get what she’s deserved ever since we knew her as kids?”
“She’s a lot older than you. What did she ever do to you way back when?” Leona asked, definitely interested in finding out some dirt from Claire and Henry’s past.
He waved his hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter anymore. Thanks for the update. You made my day.” Henry walked off, looking over his shoulder every few steps and almost walking into a pink Cadillac zooming into the driveway.
“News must be traveling like wildfire around town. Here comes the queen bee of the Catfish Real Estate Agency. Violet Sheldrake is probably worried her commission check might bounce if she didn’t cash it already,” Leona said.
Violet slid from the driver seat, smoothing her polyester pant suit back into place as she straightened. Her gaze made the rounds of everyone standing nearby, finally settling on Annie. “What’s going on? A neighborhood coffee klatch?”
“We were just leaving. What brings you here, Violet?”
She pointed to the police cars. “I heard something over the scanner and decided to come see for myself. There’s an awful lot of police cars here. Did someone get hurt?”
Leona moved closer to Violet and laughed. “Yes. You could say that.”
Violet stamped her high heeled foot. “Will someone please tell me what happened?”
A voice from behind asked, in a none too friendly tone, “And who are you?”
Violet turned around to see Detective Christy Crank standing with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “What is this anyway? A gathering spot for the bored and curious?”
Violet walked toward Detective Crank. “Thank goodness there’s someone here who can tell me what’s going on.”
Detective Crank grabbed Violet’s arm. “I asked you a question.”
Violet stuttered and blushed before she pulled herself together, pasted on a big smile, and extended her hand to Cranky. “I’m Violet Sheldrake, owner of Catfish Real Estate Agency. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you yet.”
Detective Crank looked at Violet’s hand and ignored it. “Great. You saved me a phone call. Come inside, I have a few questions for you.” With that, she turned without looking back but Violet hurried to keep up with the long strides of the short detective.
“I wonder why Violet really came over here,” Annie said.
Henry, who had returned to the group when Violet drove in, answered, “I think she’s holding part of the mortgage. The bank wouldn’t give Claire the full amount plus what she needed for the renovations so Violet agreed to finance the balance until Claire got an income stream going.”
“So she’s worried about getting her money,” Leona said with a smile on her face. “It appears Violet miscalculated on this investment.”
“Maybe or maybe not,” Henry replied.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Henry shrugged and finally strolled away for good.
Danny walked out of the house with his head down and shoulders sagging. Leona’s expression darkened momentarily before she hugged him and smiled, trying to lighten his mood. “Ready to go home?”
Danny nodded. “I should have lied like you told me to. I could have said I was in a different room with a view of the back door.”
“Why? What happened in there?” Leona asked, staring at his face, trying to read what was coming so she could be prepared for the worst.
Danny held up his hand to show them a cut on his palm. “Detective Crank noticed this and grilled me on what happened.”
“So?” Leona took his hand and traced the cut with her finger. “You cut yourself. You’re working with power equipment.”
“That’s what I told her. And I told her I talked to Claire around three this afternoon.”
Annie dug the toe of her shoe into the dirt. “Detective Crank. I can’t stand her and I’m not going to trust whatever her conclusion is.” She patted Danny’s arm. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out. Whoever was in the kitchen must have followed Claire into the house after you talked to her and before we arrived at five. That’s not a very big window.”
“Maybe an hour or two at the most,” Danny replied.
“Were you expecting Claire to show up?”
Danny sighed. “Claire did whatever she wanted. There was no set schedule. Sometimes she left me notes and I wouldn’t see her for several days, and other times she would show up three or four times in the same day.” He looked at the women. “I showed up here at seven and worked until five, six days a week. Claire never told me what her schedule was.”
Martha tapped Leona on her shoulder. “Let’s move this discussion someplace else before Cranky comes out again. She won’t be happy to see us all hanging around here, and my guess is she’ll assume something sinister to make Danny’s life more miserable than it already is.”
Annie opened her car door. “We can all go to my apartment.” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for everyone to decide.
“Okay,” Leona said. “I’ll stop at the café and take something out of the freezer to heat up in case anyone feels like eating.”
Four cars left the driveway behind Annie’s green Subaru. Uneasiness surrounded her. She didn’t think Danny killed Claire McClaven but he did have a violent past when he was drinking, connected to his experiences in Iraq. Could he have had a flashback? Claire surprising him and making him think she was someone else, someone wanting to attack him? Annie tried to push that thought away.
Chapter 4
Annie arrived at her apartment first and let out a satisfied sigh. Jason’s car was in the driveway. He had been gone for the past week and she was thrilled to know he was back. Unfortunately, he would be less than delighted when he saw who was following her home. Not that he didn’t like all her friends, but an evening for the two of them to relax together alone and catch up would be on his wish list.
The door of Cobblestone Cottage, Jason’s lake house, opened and she watched as the radiant smile turned into a questioning gaze when his eyes moved beyond Annie to the other cars pulling in. Roxy bounded from the car straight to Jason, sitting and waiting politely for a dog treat that he always had ready for her. Annie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly.
“There’s been a bit of a problem,” she whispered in his ear.
Jason chuckled. “That’s your middle name. What now? I see the troops have followed you home.”
Martha and Mia were arguing as they approached Jason and Annie. “It’s my event,” Martha said, “and I think we should still have it.”
“But Claire was your granddaughter’s mother-in-law. Maybe you should at least postpone it.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Did you say was?”
Annie turned Jason around and pushed him toward his door. “I told you there’s a small problem. Claire McClaven was murdered in the old Harper House. While Danny was doing some renovations.”
Jason stopped. “Murdered? Don’t tell me Detective Crank is in charge.”
Leona pulled in with Danny. She carried a tote bag with her and brushed past Jason, going straight into his house without a word.
Jason blew a calming breath out. “Leona is not taking this well, is she? Danny was in the house?” Jason leaned as close to Annie as he could. “Was he involv
ed?”
Annie pursed her lips. “I don’t think so, but I’m pretty sure that’s how Cranky will see it.”
Banging sounds came from Jason’s kitchen. “We’d better get inside before Leona destroys my house.”
Two six packs of Sam Adams sat on Jason’s counter with four missing. Mia and Martha each had a beer and continued their argument on Jason’s porch. Leona held an open beer in her left hand and extended one toward Danny but he shook his head no. “Come on, it will help you to relax.”
“No, Leona. I stopped drinking and I’m not going to let this get me started again.” He stomped out of the kitchen and joined the women on the porch. With a glass of ice water.
A tear slid down Leona’s cheek. “See?” She looked at Jason and Annie. “He’s such a great guy. There’s no way he murdered that horrible woman. We have to figure out who came into the house while Danny was upstairs working.” Leona dumped black bean and corn vegetarian chili into a pot and put some corn bread in the microwave to defrost. “Hope veggie chili is okay with everyone. I couldn’t find any meat chili.”
Jason took two beers, handing one to Annie. “Any more details you can fill me in on?”
“Henry Harper the third showed up, said he just happened to be in the neighborhood. And Violet Sheldrake arrived. Cranky took her inside for questioning.” Annie sipped her beer.
“Is she a suspect?”
“Doesn’t make much sense to me. Henry said she’s holding part of the mortgage since Claire couldn’t come up with all the money. Why would she want Claire dead if Claire owes her money?”
Leona stirred the chili and popped the corn bread into the oven. “It could be interesting to get a look at the contract. I bet Henry knows what it says.”
Annie counted out spoons, knives and bowls for the chili, bringing everything to the porch on a tray. “Food will be ready soon.”
Martha looked at Annie. “What do you think I should do?”
“About what?” Annie replied, setting the tray on a small table.
“The baby shower. Your mom says I should postpone it but everyone already has it on their schedule and relatives from out of town are here now.”