by Nancy CoCo
“My pleasure,” she laughed. Mal ran over to get in on the excitement of the hug, so Agnes patted Mal on the head.
“I really shouldn’t take up any more of your time. Thank you so much for the tea and the talk.” I grabbed Mal’s leash. “One last thing.”
“Yes, dear?”
“You didn’t happen to see a calico cat around, did you? I let my cat, Carmella, out for her nightly rounds last night, and she hasn’t returned yet.”
“No, I haven’t, but I’ll keep any eye out for her. Don’t worry, dear. Cats have a tendency to come back.”
* * *
PUMPKIN SPICE FUDGE
3 cups white chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup powdered sugar
Prepare an 8-inch-square pan by lining with parchment and buttering. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chips and sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for one minute. Stir. It may need 30 more seconds to be completely smooth. Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until combined. If the fudge is soupy, add sifted powdered sugar slowly until thickened to your taste. Pour into a pan and refrigerate until firm. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Makes about 64 1-inch pieces of fudge.
Chapter 12
Mal and I stopped at Benson’s Jewelry. The store was bustling, considering that it was off-season and a Friday. Four people stood around looking at the designs. It was a testament to Benson’s reputation for quality and unique designs.
“How can I help you?” said a young woman in a shift dress. Her hair was up in a messy bun on the top of her head. “Cute pup.”
“Thanks. I’m Allie McMurphy, and this is Mal.”
“I’m Gail Anderson,” she said.
“That’s a beautiful name. I was wondering if you could tell me who this is.” I pulled up the picture of the zombie on the phone.
“Oh no, sorry. I have no idea.”
“I came because I thought maybe someone here would know who bought this ring.” I stretched the photo to zoom into the ring on the zombie’s finger.
“Oh, that was a design from about five years ago. I’ll go ask my manager.” She turned and left Mal and me to peruse the glass cabinets and imagine buying some jewelry for myself. It wasn’t practical when I had my hands in sugar all day, but it was still nice to think about.
“Hello, I’m Henry Benson.” A man in a blue suit coat, white shirt, and blue-striped tie walked up to me.
“Allie McMurphy.” I shook his hand.
“Ah, the famous fudge maker turned sleuth.”
“I would argue against the famous and the sleuth parts. I’m just a fudge maker.”
“Sleuth or not, you do have a question for me. Why don’t you and your pup come back to my office where we can speak in private?”
“Okay.” I followed him to an office at the back of the building. The building was on the side of Main Street with a beachfront view, and the office had two large windows that looked out onto the lake. Two chairs with an end table between them sat near the window, and a big desk was placed in the opposite corner of the room. I looked from the desk to the windows, noting the distance.
“Surprised that my desk isn’t in front of the windows?” he asked me, waving me toward a seat by the window. I didn’t immediately move to the chair.
“Is it because it’s too cold in the winter?”
He laughed. “It’s a reminder that my desk is not the main focus of my business. The customer is.”
“Ah,” I said, smiling and taking my seat by the window. “So you bring customers in and let them enjoy the view.”
“Usually just the paying ones,” he said. He tilted his head and studied me. “I’ve seen you at the town hall meetings. You are quite outspoken.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Compliment noted,” he said. “You remind me of your grandmother, Alice.”
“Thanks,” I said again.
“She was a feisty thing. Beautiful woman, too, in her day. So. What would you like to know?”
“Well, I was wondering if you remember who you sold a ring to.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the zoomed-in picture of the zombie’s hand. “It’s quite distinctive, and Mrs. James pointed me to you.”
He looked at the photo. “Yes, I recognize it. It was a lovely set for husband and wife.”
“Can you tell me who you sold it to?”
“Why?”
I took my phone back and unzoomed to show the back of the zombie’s head. “Because whoever is wearing this ring was also wearing the same costume as Anthony Vanderbilt the night he died.” I showed him the zoomed-out photo. “I’m afraid he might be in danger.”
“Seriously?”
“As serious as I get.”
“Fine, I might as well tell you. You would find out from someone, sooner or later. It’s Joshua Spalding. He and his fiancée came in and bought the rings about five years ago. What do you think Joshua did to merit someone trying to kill him?”
“I have no idea,” I said, standing. Finally, I had the confirmation I needed that the other zombie was Josh Spalding. Now I could confidently act on that information. “But I’m going to find out.”
“Are you?” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Because what you should do is take this information to the police. In fact, I’m going to call them right now.”
“Great,” I said. “Call Rex Manning—he’s the lead on the case. Have him get down to Josh’s place before anything happens to him. Thank you for your time.”
Mal and I left the jewelry shop. I texted Liz. The other zombie is Josh Spalding. Do you know him?
Is that confirmed? she texted back.
Yes. I went to Benson’s Jewelry, where the ring was purchased.
Old man Benson gave you his name? Is that legal?
I said Josh’s life was in danger. He’s going to call the police.
Where are you now? she texted back.
On Main, near the McMurphy.
I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.
Ten minutes later, I was in the lobby of the McMurphy, filling Frances in on our new information. Mal was off her leash and happily chewing a rawhide bone in her dog bed.
“Oh my. That’s quite a find,” Frances said.
The doorbells rang, and Liz walked in. She had a look in her eye that suggested, as my Papa Liam would say, that she was “loaded for bear.” Without any preamble, she asked, “What do we know for sure?”
I recounted my story yet again: my visit with Agnes James, her suggestion of where to ask about the ring, and Mr. Benson’s grumpiness. “But he told me it was Joshua Spalding. Do you know him?”
“I went to school with his wife, Becky,” Liz said. “Becky’s packing up to go to her mom’s for the month. She’s pregnant and due in just over a month, so for safety’s sake she wants to be closer to her doctor.”
“Then let’s go. Frances, do you want to come?”
“I’ll be fine here. I look forward to hearing what you find out.”
I grabbed my jacket, and we both stepped out into the crisp air. The street was almost deserted this close to dinnertime. “Should we call before showing up at their door?”
“I texted Becky on my way here, and she said she doesn’t mind us stopping in. It’s how I knew she was packing.”
“Oh, right. What do we do if Rex is there?”
“I asked her to text me if Rex got there first. She asked why, and I told her we would tell her when we got there. But let’s hurry—we shouldn’t keep a pregnant woman in suspense.” We power walked past the marina and the fort to the homes built behind the churches. The Spaldings lived in a little worker’s bungalow. It was quite lovely, with white shiplap siding and pale blue shutters. There were empty flower boxes under the front windows, and a lit jack-o’-lantern on the porch. It was cl
ear they took good care of the little house.
“Nice place.”
“I know, right? Josh is a blacksmith during the week and a bartender on the weekends. He creates metal artwork, too, and sells that in the art shop downtown.”
“Wow. I didn’t know anyone was a blacksmith anymore.”
“Someone has to shoe all the horses that work on the island.”
“Makes sense.”
We climbed the three steps to the small porch and knocked on the door. A peek through the window showed a cozy inside that was well lit by a warm fire in the fireplace. Music played softly. Becky opened the door after we knocked a second time. She was a tiny girl, and very pregnant. Her hair was pulled back into a low pony tail with bangs cut straight across her forehead.
“Hi, ladies, come on in. Sorry if the place is a mess. Like I said, I’m packing.”
Packing or not, the place was perfect. It looked ready for a Good Housekeeping photoshoot. There was the soft scent of pumpkin spice from an orange candle on the coffee table. On the mantle above the fire, wedding and other couple pictures were interspersed with more Halloween decorations.
“What is this all about, and why do you think the police are going to come see me??”
“I’m sorry, we don’t mean to scare you, but did Josh go to the zombie walk?” Liz asked without taking the time to sit.
“Yes, I made our costumes myself. He was a zombie professor, and I was a pregnant zombie.” She waved her hand over her belly. “Kind of hard to be anything else at this point.”
“Where is Josh?”
“He’s at work. With the horses mostly gone, he’s been picking up more shifts at the Nag’s Head. Is everything all right?”
I pulled out my phone and once again pulled up the pictures from that night. “Is this him?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Why?”
“Because he could be a twin to this guy.” I showed her the pictures of Anthony.
“Is that Anthony Vanderbilt?”
“Yes.”
She sat down hard on the couch. “The dead guy?”
“He’s dressed just like your husband. Where did you get the suit coat? Maggs said that Anthony wore his favorite one because it was getting old.”
“I bought it at a used clothing shop.” She looked at me. “Did I do this?”
“Oh, honey. No, you didn’t,” Liz said sat down and grabbed her hands. “This isn’t your fault. If anything, you might have saved your husband’s life that night.”
“Do you know who might want to kill your husband?” I asked.
“No,” she shook her head. Her large eyes began to tear up. “No, Josh is a really nice guy. Everyone loves him.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe someone else didn’t like that everyone loves him,” Liz said.
“That sounds weird. Why kill a guy because everyone loves him?” I asked.
“We might be looking for a loner or someone who wants to be loved by everyone but isn’t.” Liz shrugged and pursed her lips. “Who would that be?”
“Do you think Joshua is still in danger?” Becky asked.
“You said he was at work? He should be fine, as long as he’s in public view.”
“Wasn’t Anthony?”
“No, he was alone in the alley on the way to meet his mom.”
“Still, I’m going to text him,” Becky said.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Liz said.
There was a knock on the door. We all looked at each other for a moment. Then Becky got up slowly. Her belly was so large she had to scooch to the edge of the couch and rock herself up. Liz gave her a hand. I saw why it had taken two knocks for her to get to us.
The person outside knocked again before Becky could get to the door. “Hi, Becky,” I heard Rex say. “Is Joshua at home?”
“No,” she said. “You might as well come in. These girls were just telling me that he might have been who the killer wanted to murder that night. Is that true?”
Rex stepped in and took off his hat. His blue gaze paused on me for a moment, warming my skin. Then he turned to Becky. “Where’s Joshua now?”
“He’s at the Nag’s Head, pulling a shift,” she said. “He volunteered for extra duty to try and save up enough money that he could take the first six weeks off of work when the baby came.” Becky rubbed her belly. “He doesn’t want to miss a moment.”
“Brown and Lasko,” Rex said into his walkie-talkie. “Go pickup Joshua Spalding from the Nag’s Head.” He turned his attention back to Becky. “They’ll make sure he’s all right.”
“She was packing to go to stay with her Mom in the Lower Peninsula for the last few weeks of her pregnancy.”
“My mom was a flipper,” she said.
“A what?” Rex asked.
“A flipper. When she was pregnant, one moment she wasn’t dilated, and then the next she was at a full ten. It goes quick in my family, so I want to be near the hospital.”
“Why don’t you keep packing? I’ll stay here to make sure you’re safe. And these ladies are going to leave and go to their homes as well. Right?”
“Yes, sir,” Liz said, sending him a mini salute. “Come on, Allie, let’s go.”
“Thank you for seeing us, Becky. I hope you have a safe trip, and I can’t wait to meet the new baby.” Liz pulled me out of the house. Rex closed the door on us quickly.
“Okay, so maybe you two aren’t as close as I thought,” Liz said, putting put her arm through mine and walking me toward Main Street. “That was kind of mean.”
“He’s just mad because we beat him to the clue. It’s not like we weren’t going to tell him.”
“I know,” Liz said. “I mean, he’d read it in the morning paper anyway.”
We both laughed, but then I sobered. “You aren’t going to put that in the newspaper, are you? Don’t you think the killer will still try to go after Josh?”
“On the contrary, this is a small community,” Liz said. “Once I put in the paper that the killer might have actually wanted to kill Josh, then the whole town is going to keep its eye on him. It’s the best safety net there is.”
“Wow, it’s so kind how people look out for each other here.”
“It’s not kind,” she said. “It’s because they want to be the next person to find a dead body. Ever since you started this thing, all the seniors have been dying to get into your shoes. No pun intended.”
“Huh. Well, maybe Rex will be able to talk Josh into going with Becky to her mother’s.”
“Do you think that will keep him safe? Frankly, I’m not so sure,” Liz stated. “The killer might just follow him to Saginaw and pick him off where no one’s watching.”
Chapter 13
Liz left me at the McMurphy. I went inside and gave Frances a hug goodnight as she and Douglas went home for the day. Even though Mal had gotten plenty of exercise today with all our walking around, I took her out again for a short night walk to look for Mella.
It was quiet. The sun went down and the stars popped out early in the autumn and winter. Even though I should have been enjoying such a nice night during one of my favorite times of the year, I couldn’t stop worrying about my kitty. It would be difficult for her to get run over, since there were no motor vehicles on the island and very few horse-drawn carriages right now. Most people walked or road bicycles. It wasn’t until after the snow fell and people got out their snowmobiles that things would be dangerous for a cat. So what was keeping Mella from coming home?
“Allie, are you alright?” It was Mr. Beecher again. It was just like old times, running into him twice a day while walking Mal. I was glad to see him back to his old routine.
“Still looking for my cat.”
“I still haven’t seen a calico on my wanderings. Doesn’t mean she won’t turn up, though.”
“Do you think someone would take her or hurt her?” I asked.
“I think you are letting your experience of finding dead bodies color your thoughts. If
I remember correctly, she was a stray who adopted you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then she’s simply off on a mission.”
“I hope so,” I said with a shake of my head. “I hope this isn’t connected to the murder. She’s the one who found the body, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know. Seems she’s a smart cookie. I’m sure she can take care of herself.” He reached down and slipped Mal a dog treat, then straightened slowly. “Still trying to get used to long walks with a cane.”
“How’s your girlfriend?” I teased. “Is she taking good care of you?”
“As good as she can,” he said. “She’s the best.”
“And you don’t marry her because . . . ?”
“She won’t have it. She’s independent and enjoys her time alone.”
I turned to walk back toward the McMurphy, and he turned with me. “I understand that, but even us independent types get lonely sometimes.”
“Are you thinking about getting married?”
I slipped my arm through his. “Maybe someday. Are you asking?”
His laughter filled the air, warming me. Mal pranced beside us. “Oh, if only I were a young man again.” He patted my hand. “I’m sure you want children.”
“I do, yes,” I said. “I can imagine them playing in the McMurphy. Frances would have to babysit while I made fudge—can’t have them behind the counter with the hot sugar. But I’d teach them to make fudge and keep the tradition.”
“You are a traditional girl, aren’t you?”
“I know some people think it’s old fashioned, but for me there is nothing better than walking in the same places your ancestors walked, and where your descendants will walk. There’s a nice continuity about it.”
We walked in silence down the back alley. He stopped in front of my steps behind the McMurphy. “I’m glad you’ve come to stay on the island. You give us all hope for the next generation.”
“Oh, thank you.” I blushed and gave him a quick hug. “You take care.”
Mal and I climbed the stairs to my back door. I took a moment to look out beyond the alley to the rolling hills behind me. “Mella, wherever you are, please come home. We miss you.”