She opened the barn door with a hard pull and Freckles greeted her, tail wagging. She crouched down to pet the dog. “How are you this morning?” The Saint Bernard–collie mix always appeared to be smiling because of the way her “freckles” were placed around her mouth. Brynn loved it. After petting Freckles and feeding her, Brynn turned to the cows. Petunia, her most vocal cow, moped a hello. She was ready to go outside, as was shy Marigold. Buttercup was currently the one in milking and Brynn reached over to the milking tubes and attached them. Where was Jewel? Brynn squinted her eyes and looked toward the corner where the Highland cow usually stood. A tuft of hair showed over the stall wall. Was she sleeping?
Brynn walked over to find her curled in the corner, almost like a cat. “Jewel?”
No response.
Brynn crouched down and petted the cow, lifting her chin, gazing into her big brown eyes. The cow blinked and didn’t respond to Brynn’s gentle pulling in trying to get her up.
“Are you okay, girl?”
The cow didn’t move. Brynn sat down next to her, with the sound of the milking machine in the background. Petunia mooed again. She was one impatient cow. But when she mooed, Jewel stiffened and turned her head. Did she not like Petunia?
Brynn’s thoughts turned. This cow had been alone for her whole life. Now she shared a barn with three cows and a dog. Perhaps she craved downtime. Quiet time. Brynn understood.
But then again, possibly Jewel was sick. You couldn’t be too careful with the health of animals. She made a mental note to call Schuyler today.
The milking machine switched off. Brynn stood and walked over to the other cow and detached the tubes. She lifted the milk pan away from the cow, poured the milk into jars, and took them to the freezer. When she came back, she opened the barn door and the cows left the barn. Brynn gazed over at Jewel, who didn’t even look toward the door. Brynn left it open, in case she changed her mind.
In the meantime, Brynn readied herself for a meeting of the CSA. She had thought maybe they would cancel since apparently Josh was still in jail, but they decided to have it, anyway. She showered, changed into something presentable, and was on her merry way.
Just walking from the house to the car, Brynn had started to sweat. Who knew the Shenandoah Valley would be so humid? She longed for a cool, crisp fall day. She slid into her car, cranked up the AC, giving thanks to the gods of modern cooling systems.
When she opened the door to the community center where the CSA held meetings, everybody looked up at her. They were missing their leader, and it showed. Josh was a benevolent leader and kept everybody on an even keel. This meeting was going to be interesting with him gone, especially since the official start to the fair was tonight. The opening ceremony, followed by the annual tractor pull, and pie contest were on the schedule.
“Hey,” Brynn said.
Grunts and groans of greetings were exchanged.
“Who’s manning our booth tonight? Josh was on the schedule.”
“I can’t. I’m at the craft hall,” Willow said.
“Pie contest?”
“Tractor pull.”
“Me too.”
All eyes turned to Brynn, once again. “I can do it,” she said. “Is everything over there that I’ll need?”
“Yes,” Willow said. “The displays have been set up, along with some of our products for sale.”
“Okay. Doesn’t sound too hard. I’ll bring Wes with me.”
The place quieted, which was unusual.
“Maybe that’s not such a good idea,” said Tom. “I mean, he’s a suspect in a murder.”
“Who told you that? He’s not a suspect. He’s the person who found the body, so of course the police are looking at him,” Brynn said.
“He might scare folks off; that’s all I’m saying.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Willow said. “Bring him along. If people have a problem with it, then too bad.”
“Let’s move on,” Tom said. “We’ve got other issues to discuss. How is the renovation of the old community center coming?”
Brynn cleared her throat. This was her ongoing project. “I reported last time that I needed to take a break from it until after the fair. I’ll get right on it the day after the fair is over.”
“Okay, our next delivery is scheduled two days after the fair. Hope to see you all here to help.”
The place quieted again. This was the quietest meeting Brynn had been to.
“When are they going to let Josh out?” someone asked.
“We don’t know,” Willow said. “The accident is still under investigation.”
“I’ve never known the police to keep someone this long because of an accident,” Tom said. “There must be more to this.”
“They think it was on purpose,” Kevin, the Christmas tree farmer, said. “They think he ran that boy over on purpose.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Brynn said.
“I agree,” Tom replied. “What do we do in the meantime?”
Willow cleared her throat and stood up. “We carry on as best we can. We support their family. We answer questions from the police. We support him. He’s done so much for all of us. Everyone knows he didn’t run him over on purpose.”
“But you were there,” Kevin said to Willow. “So was I.” His voice cracked. “And I’ve gotta say it looked . . . like . . . I don’t know . . . odd.”
“It was an accident. Accidents look odd,” Tom Andrews spoke up.
“All I know is if he was sleeping with my daughter, I’m not sure how I’d handle it,” Kevin said.
“Please!” Willow’s voice raised. “This needs to stop. We know him. We know that he’s handled more than one prickly situation with Chelsea and he’s done it with a cool head.”
Brynn took it all in. She was getting acquainted with this community and didn’t know much about Chelsea, but from what she gathered, the young woman had a few issues.
“That’s true,” Tom said. “Sitting here theorizing isn’t doing him any good.”
“Does anybody else consider it odd that both of the young men killed were summer helpers?” Kevin asked.
Brynn had. And had discussed that very thing with Willow.
“It’s a coincidence,” Tom said. “One doesn’t have to do with the other. Necessarily.” He looked around the table with a serious stance.
“It couldn’t. Josh killed Evan, whether it was by accident or not. He was in jail when Donny was shot,” Willow said.
A chill ran down Brynn’s spine. Once again, the thought occurred to her that a killer lurked in Shenandoah Springs. She glanced around the table, realizing that exact concern weighed heavily on the group.
Chapter 13
When Br ynn arrived at home, she was pleasantly surprised to see Tillie. She was there visiting Wes, Brynn was certain. She walked in and the two of them were sitting at the kitchen table sampling Wes’s soft cheeses.
“This one is too sour.” Tillie puckered her face.
“Noted,” Wes said.
“Hello! How’s it going?” Brynn hated interrupting what appeared to be the two of them concentrating on good stuff.
“Oh hey,” Tillie said, standing and opening her arms to give Brynn a hug. Brynn and Tillie had gotten close during the investigation of the church fire.
“How was the meeting?” Wes asked.
“Okay, but you and I are going to man the booth tonight.” She opened a drawer and fished out a spoon.
“What about the girls?” Wes said.
“The girls will be fine. Well, our girls will be fine. I’m not sure about Jewel. Schuyler’s going to swing by. Has she left the barn?”
“No,” Wes said.
“Maybe she’s homesick,” Tillie offered.
“Maybe. I thought she was going to fit right in, but when I walked into the barn this morning she was curled up into a little ball.” Brynn dipped her spoon into the first sampling and brought it to her mouth. She plopped it i
n and swirled it around and swallowed. “Tillie’s right. It’s too sour.”
Tillie beamed. “What did I tell you? World-class taste buds.”
“How’s everything going with you?” Brynn sat down at the table.
“Good. I’ve been busy helping Mom and Dad on the farm.” Tillie’s family owned the local apple orchard and they ran a little family store, displaying their products. “We’re all a little freaked out about the two deaths.”
“Yeah, we are, too.” Brynn watched Wes for a reaction and there wasn’t any. He seemed to have worked through his nervous fear.
“Everybody knows Wes is innocent. They have to follow protocol,” Tillie said. Her amber eyes held a flicker of concern.
“Sure,” Brynn said. “He has nothing to worry about.”
A knock at the door, followed by it opening, interrupted their conversation. “Yoo-hoo!” It was Schuyler, there to see about Jewel.
“We’re in here,” Brynn said.
Schuyler popped her head in. “Hello. I’m going to go over to the barn and check Jewel out.”
“I’ll come with you.” Brynn stood.
The two of them left through the front door.
“What a miserable day,” Schuyler said, wiping her brow.
“Yeah, it’s so humid. I feel like I’m swimming instead of walking.”
They opened the gate to the field. Freckles ran over to greet Schuyler. “Hey, girl, how’s life treating you?” Freckles’ tail wagged furiously as Schuyler petted her. “Okay, now we’ve got to see about your new friend.”
Brynn and Schuyler walked the short path to the barn, with Freckles at their feet. Brynn had left the door open, in case Jewel decided to join the other cows in the field.
“Hey, girl,” Schuyler said as she crouched down next to the cow. Jewel lifted her head. Brynn watched as Schuyler worked her magic. Her touch always seemed to ease the animals—with or without her acupuncture needles. She began to hum as she petted the cow. The cow’s tail flopped up and down. “Her eyes look clear.”
She peered into the cow’s ear. “Ears look good. Has she eaten?’ ”
“Not today, but yesterday she did.”
“Hmmm. Let’s get you up and moving,” she said. She stood and gently pulled the cow. Jewel lifted herself to a standing position.
Brynn’s heart raced. She was standing. That was a good thing.
“She’s not eaten much or regularly for a while. She may be having some digestive issues.”
“Makes sense.”
“Movement should help. Their first reaction to a little stomach pain is often to curl in a ball and not move. Which is the worst thing for them.” She led the cow to the barn door. Jewel followed but wasn’t happy about it.
“She also doesn’t like this heat. It’s got to be uncomfortable for her.”
“I’ve been making sure she gets plenty of water. I’m not sure what else I can do.”
“Is the creek low?”
Brynn nodded. “When it stormed the other day, there wasn’t much rain. It’s not rained hard in a while. We need a huge rain. But nothing.”
“She’d probably love a bath,” Schuyler said as she tugged on the cow’s red collar until she was out of the barn completely. “Like a nice cool hosing off.”
“We can do that.” Brynn’s heart went out to the shaggy little cow. She had been alone with her owner for years. She wasn’t used to being with other cows. She was definitely shy and having a hard time fitting in. Besides all that, Schuyler thought she had a bellyache. She must be miserable with all that hair in this heat. But she was one of the cutest cows Brynn had ever seen.
Wes and Tillie came around the corner. “Yay! She’s up!”
“Hello, Jewel,” Tillie said, and walked over to her. “Do you remember me?” The cow’s tail flipped around.
“She needs a cool hosing off,” Schuyler said.
“I’ll get the hose,” Wes said, and disappeared around the corner of the barn to fetch it.
“I have to get going,” Schuyler said. “I’m needed over at the fairground. Some animals don’t like this show business. Every year, I’ve got to deal with nervous animals.”
As Brynn turned to walk her back to her truck, she noticed the sheriff’s car coming up her driveway. Schuyler stopped in her tracks. “What does he want?”
“Probably me,” Wes said, coming up behind them with the hose. “He might have more questions.”
“Why don’t they leave you alone? You discovered a body. End of the story.” Tillie flipped her strawberry-blond hair in a huff.
“A body that was shot,” Wes said. “Murdered. He’s just doing his job.”
Even though it was sweltering, cold swept through Brynn. Of course Wes was right. The sheriff was just doing his job. But dark doom washed over Brynn as the sheriff approached the house.
Chapter 14
Tillie took over the hosing off of Jewel as Brynn, Schuyler, and Wes walked to the driveway. Schuyler opened the door of her truck. “If you need anything, let me know.” Her words felt weighty. Her tone said her concern was about more than the cow. Brynn knew that she meant it—but she hoped they wouldn’t need her for anything. She turned her attention to Sheriff Edge and Wes.
“Can I help you?” Brynn said.
Sheriff Edge looked at her, then Wes. “I just have a few more questions for Wes; then I’ll get out of your hair. I promise. I can see you’re busy.” He looked in the direction of Tillie, still hosing off Jewel, who had perked up quite a bit as the cool water washed over her.
A surge of mama bear protection tore through Brynn. She wasn’t Wes’s mother, but his parents had trusted her with him. He’d just turned twenty, not a boy, but certainly not an adult. She drew in a breath. “What’s the problem? He answered questions before, right?”
Sheriff Edge lurched back, as if shocked that Brynn spoke.
Her face heated.
“It’s okay, Brynn; I’ve got no problem helping the police find whoever killed Donny,” Wes said with a composed voice that chilled Brynn. How could he be so calm when she herself was nervous? “You don’t need to worry. I’ve done nothing wrong. Go ahead inside and I’ll answer any questions the sheriff has.”
Brynn’s legs trembled. What was wrong with her? She was making too big of a deal over this. Of course, there would be more questions. It was a murder case. They had to proceed methodically.
“Are you okay?” Sheriff Edge asked.
She nodded. “I’m a little woozy. It must be the heat.”
“Let me help you inside,” he said.
Come on, Brynn, put on your big-girl panties. “No,” she said. “I’ll be okay.” She willed her legs to move and they did. She glanced over at Tillie, finishing up with Jewel, and walked up to her front porch and opened the door to the cool air-conditioned air.
Sweet relief. She hadn’t realized how hot she was. But she knew that wasn’t her only problem. The gravity of the situation weighed on her. She tried to ensure Wes didn’t see how worried she was, but she was truly nervous. A second questioning from the police? She wondered if it meant they were taking a harder look at him as a viable suspect. And how could it be? She had faith in the justice system, even though she knew it wasn’t perfect. She knew Wes didn’t kill anybody. How could they be considering him as a suspect? Was it only because he happened to find the victim? Or was there more to it that she didn’t know? That Wes didn’t know?
She walked down her hall to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She sat down at the table, drinking the water and looking out over her backyard filled with her cows and dog, along with Tillie, who was gathering the hose and putting it away. Sheriff Edge and Wes had gone into the car to chat.
Brynn took another drink of water.
She’d come to rely on Wes a great deal over the past few months. She’d originally bought the farm assuming she and her fiancé would run it, but when that didn’t work out she decided to do it herself—which was a lot of work.
She was only too happy to accept the help that Wes gave her. Okay, she taught him how to make cheese, but he was a good and willing student.
The house phone rang. Brynn jumped. It rarely rang. They decided to get one because cell service could be sketchy in Shenandoah Springs and when there was an emergency she didn’t want to deal with a squirrely cell phone.
“Hello,” Brynn said.
“Hi there. This is Roy,” the voice said. “Wes’s friend? I’ve been trying to reach him. He’s not answering his cell.”
That’s because he’s sitting in a cop car being questioned by Sheriff Edge. But she decided to keep that nugget of information to herself. “He’s busy right now,” Brynn said. “I’ll give him the message that you called.”
“Thanks, yeah, please tell him to give me a call,” he said, and then hung up.
That was odd. Wes had only been out of cell phone reach maybe a half an hour and Roy felt the need to call the house phone? She shrugged and took another sip of water. She glanced at the clock and realized she should get ready for the fair. She and Wes needed to be there soon to work the booth for the CSA. When she offered to do it she felt lively, but now she wanted to head to bed. Perhaps a shower would perk her up.
Someone knocked at the door and opened it. “Brynn?” It was Tillie.
“In here.”
“Are you on the phone?”
Brynn realized she was still holding the receiver. “No, one of Wes’s friends just called. Roy?”
“Roy? I thought he went back home to Richmond.” Tillie leaned against the wall.
“Maybe he did. He didn’t say where he was.”
“Oh, that’s cool. He was offered a gaming job, I heard.”
“Gaming?”
“Yeah, you know, like computer games. He’s into all that.”
“Oh.”
“How could they think Wes had anything to do with any of this?” she asked, her amber eyes wide with worry. “I’m kind of worried; well, I’m a nervous wreck.”
Brynn hated to ask this, but given the past, she thought she was entitled to. “Do you know something I don’t know?”
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