“Yes, but we suspect she dated the man who shot you,” Brynn said, pulling the photos up on her phone.
Wes reached for it. “Let me see that. Yes, yes, that’s him all right. He can rot in jail for the rest of his life, for all I care.” His jaw clenched. “I didn’t know they knew each other. But then again, in a place like this, everybody seems to know one another—or at least know someone in their family or a friend.” Wes tucked his thumbs into his jean pockets. “I’ve got to admit, now, that connection between Chelsea, everybody else, and me getting shot is intriguing. But I still don’t see her killing someone.”
Brynn tried to think, but her head hurt. She paused. “I don’t know her. But I do know that people surprise you. Young women have killed people.”
“Also, maybe some nutjob with a crush on her has something to do with it,” Nathaniel said, frowning,
Wes’s eyebrows shot up. “I know at least three guys who have a crush on her and she wants nothing to do with any of them.”
“Who are they, Wes?”
“I think the only one you know is Roy, the guy who stopped by the booth that night at the fair. The other two are guys who work at Mrs. Rowe’s. We’ve been trying to sell them cheese. They’re both high school seniors and wash dishes over there.”
“You get around,” Nathaniel said, lifting one eyebrow.
“It’s part of my job.”
Wes took his work seriously and Brynn was grateful for it. She was prepared to do it all herself. But she counted her blessings more than once when it came to Wes coming along and helping her out.
She reflected on Roy. Tall, skinny, bad complexion. She wished she’d paid more attention to him. But she didn’t remember picking up any bad vibes or anything. “Isn’t he the computer geek?”
“That’s right. A gamer. His new job in Richmond didn’t work out, so he came back here to finish working for the summer,” Wes said.
“How long was he gone?”
“I’m not sure. A week?”
“Doesn’t seem like enough time for him to judge if a job is going to work out,” Nathaniel said.
“I don’t know. He said it wasn’t anything like they’d advertised.”
Brynn mulled that over. Even though her brain was still fuzzy and thoughts weren’t forming as quickly as she’d have liked, her guts said Chelsea was involved in all this—and maybe one of these young men. As soon as she was out of this place, she’d start making more inquiries.
“Do you mind writing down the names of those young men for me?” She pulled over the tablet she and Schuyler had listed names on.
“Sure,” Wes said, glancing over the list. “Uh, Brynn. These guys are already on your list. Except for Roy.”
Brynn’s heart skipped a few beats. She was on to something here. Something that might help Wes out.
Chapter 21
Brynn’s mind raced as she lay in bed. It was 2:00 AM, and the nurse had awakened her to give her medicine. Now she found getting back to sleep difficult. Her mind was clearing and disappointment swam through her. Her first cheese contest had been ruined by someone shooting Wes. Wes was being investigated. The awful woman stopping by their booth. Mike’s face flashed in her mind. He’d helped. He was a lawman, even though he wasn’t a police officer. He was a fire marshal. Could he find out why they were looking so closely at Wes?
She reached for her tablet and jotted down his name so she’d not forget to call him in the morning. She smiled remembering the first time she met his sister, Schuyler, and the way those two picked on each other. Brynn had been lucky to meet the best of the best in Shenandoah Springs. Evidently there was a bad element here that she had only an inkling about from her investigating the fire that took Nancy’s life.
She supposed she and her ex-fiancé may have had unrealistic notions about the bucolic Shenandoah Valley when they had first visited. There were problems and crime here, like everywhere.
Her eyelids felt heavy as the medicine started to take effect. The next thing she knew, she was being awakened again by another nurse with more medicines. An uneasy pattern that had become Brynn’s life.
* * *
The doctor was examining Brynn when Becky entered the room.
“Hey,” she said to Brynn, then to the doctor. “I’m her sister, Becky.”
“Good to meet you,” he said. “Are you local?”
“I live in Richmond. Just got in to check on her.”
He frowned. “I’d like to release her. But she needs to be watched for a little while longer. She’s still getting dizzy and we don’t want her falling on the way to the bathroom or something.”
“I’m going to be here a few days,” Becky said. “My daughter is at camp. We can get some of Brynn’s friends to stay with her. Plus there’s Wes.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Brynn said. “There will be a lot of folks checking on me.” And it dawned on her that she had made a life for herself, despite what her ex-fiancé had predicted. She had friends, a pretty decent farm and business, and much to be grateful for. She didn’t want to stay in this hospital room any longer than necessary.
“Okay,” the doctor said. “Let’s give it a go. I want to see you back next week.”
* * *
It wasn’t as easy as Brynn had thought. The car ride home made her sick and she got dizzy walking into her house. But when she sat down on her couch, a wave of relief came over her. It was as if each muscle unraveled. She lay back and kicked her feet up.
“Let me get you a pillow,” Becky said. She came back a minute later and Brynn was almost asleep.
* * *
“She doesn’t need to be bothered with this,” Becky said.
“I think she’d want to know,” another voice said. “I mean, she asked me to check into this.”
“Well, she’s sleeping right now,” Becky said.
Brynn lifted her heavy eyelids. “I’m awake.”
“Hey there,” Willow said.
Becky crossed her arms. “I told her you weren’t to be bothered.”
“It’s okay,” Brynn said. “What did you find out?’
“I found out the name of the carnival guy. And get this, he’s got a record a mile long. His name is Ian Fellows.”
Becky sat down. “How do you know about his record?”
“Well, Mike looked him up for us.”
“I meant to call Mike, and I forgot . . .” Brynn said.
“Ian Fellows is an ex-con, in prison for attempted murder.”
Brynn’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She sat forward.
“How long has he been in the area?” Becky asked.
“Well, we don’t know that. But what we do know is he’s been here at least a few days before the fair opened because he was helping set up the rides, right?”
Brynn’s head spun as she tried to remember the day Wes found the body of Donny Iser.
“That puts him here when the murder happened,” Willow said, her brown eyes as wide as saucers.
“Do the police know about this?” Becky asked.
“They do now,” Willow said. “I talked to Mike, like I said, and he’s going to tell them all this. Maybe it will get them off Wes’s back.”
“This is the best news I’ve heard in days,” Brynn said.
“How are you today?” Willow said.
“I’m glad to be home. But I’m still not so hot. I need to get out to the barn and check on the girls. I’m worried about the new cow. We need to fatten her up.”
“Are you hungry?” Becky asked. “I made some chicken soup.”
The words “chicken soup” conjured images of steaming soup with chunks of vegetables and noodles, prompting her stomach to growl. “Sounds so good,” Brynn said.
“Would you like to join us?” Becky asked Willow.
“I’d love to, but I can’t. I told Wes I’d help with the cheese shed today. The owners are coming to get it and we need to make sure it’s clean.”
Brynn’s heart s
ank. That was her job. She should be helping.
Just then, Willow’s phone rang. “Sorry, I need to get this.” She answered the phone. “What? Are you serious? That’s the most ridiculous—”
She hung up the phone and took a deep breath. “Wes isn’t going to need me. It’s been taken care of. And he’s now in police custody.”
“What do you mean?” Becky said. “Has he been arrested?”
“Yes, for the murder of Donny Iser.”
Chapter 22
Brynn’s heart raced as she attempted to stand, got dizzy, and fell back onto the couch.
“Whoa,” Becky said, racing up to her, along with Willow.
“I need to get over there,” Brynn said.
“Where? The station? I don’t think so,” Becky said. “You’re going to sit on the couch.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
“I’ll go,” Willow said. “I’ll go and report back to you.”
Tears stung Brynn’s eyes. They arrested Wes! He didn’t do it! She couldn’t even help him because she couldn’t move around without getting dizzy!
“Brynn, don’t cry,” Becky said, sitting down next to her with her arm wrapped around her. “If you cry, your head’s going to hurt worse. Take some deep breaths.”
Willow crouched down in front of her. “Look, I’m going to head over there and I’ll let you know something as soon as I can. His dad is there and his lawyer. There’s nothing you can do but stay here and take care of yourself.” Willow’s deep brown eyes were serious. She patted Brynn’s shoulder.
Brynn swallowed back a sob. She couldn’t picture sweet, kind, hardworking Wes in jail! What a mess! She nodded. “Please. Yes. Please let me know something as soon as you do. This . . . is a nightmare.”
“They can’t hold him without evidence,” Becky said. “I’m sure they’ll be letting him go soon.”
Brynn’s worry lessened—a bit. “That’s true. But innocent people go to jail every day.”
“You’ve been watching too much true-crime TV,” Willow said, standing. “Don’t think about that stuff. This is Shenandoah Springs. We don’t keep innocent people in jail.”
Brynn wanted to believe that.
Becky didn’t say a word, though Brynn knew she wanted to. So far, Becky wasn’t thrilled with the place Brynn had chosen to live and farm. She was concerned about odd events after the church fire, and now this. Brynn was touched by her concern, but she loved it here.
“Okay,” Brynn said to Willow. “Please keep me in the loop.”
“I will. Believe me,” Willow said, and left.
Brynn and Becky sat on the couch for a few moments in silence. Becky’s eyes were as wide as the moon. Brynn’s temples pounded. She lay back on the couch and closed her eyes.
“I can’t believe it,” she said. “He’s one of the nicest people.”
“Thank goodness he has a lawyer. I don’t care what Willow says. This place ain’t all that great. Look at what happened with Nancy. And they were targeting you next.”
What her sister said was all true, but the police helped, and they did have to go by the book—even in Shenandoah Springs.
“That’s all over,” Brynn said. “I’d rather not think about it. I’ve got enough on my plate right now.”
“Yeah,” Becky said. “Perhaps too much. Why don’t you sell the place and come back to Richmond? I miss you so much and Lily would love to have you closer. And then there’s Mom and Dad.”
Why didn’t Becky understand? This life was her dream. Her micro-dairy farm and cheesemaking company. She’d worked hard for this.
“I’m not leaving,” Brynn said. “Any place has good things and bad things about it. I love the CSA. I’ve made good friends. I love my cows. I’m not going anywhere.”
Becky sighed. “From my standpoint there’s been nothing for you but trouble.”
Brynn could see that. “Yes, but my business is growing. I’m making more sales. All of this other stuff? Happenstance. A blip.”
“I’d not call your assistant in jail for murder a blip, Brynn. I’m sorry. That’s serious.”
Brynn’s heart sank. It was. She knew that, but she wanted to remain hopeful. “I know,” she snapped. “But I know he didn’t kill anybody and I’m going to help prove it.”
“How? You’re recovering from a concussion.”
“I already have a list of suspects. I’m not allowed to look at the screen, but you are. Let’s do some research.”
“Brynn—”
“Come on. It will be fun—and useful. We won’t be able to find out everything from the internet, but it will be a start. I’ve done a little research already and found out the man who shot Wes also had been seeing Chelsea. It all revolves around her, it seems.”
“Who? The sixteen-year-old girl? Come on, Brynn. You’ve really taken a hit to the head.” She paused. “Let me get your soup.” She stood.
“I’m not eating it,” Brynn said. “Not hungry.”
“You’ve got to eat, whether you’re hungry or not.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Okay, I’ll research for you after you eat. Eat first and rest. Give me your list and I’ll take care of it.”
Brynn smiled. “We’ve got a deal.”
* * *
As Brynn ate her chicken noodle soup and watched her sister at her laptop, she decided she had the better end of the deal. The soup was incredibly delicious, salty enough with small chunks of veggies, noodles, and chicken. Her sister was sighing and moaning and groaning over the computer.
Her cell phone interrupted Brynn’s eating. It was Willow.
“Yes?” Brynn said.
“Okay, here’s what I’ve been able to find out from Mike. They are not telling anybody anything. But Mike said the gun that was used was registered to Wes.”
Brynn’s stomach clenched. Wes bought a gun? If she’d known that, she wasn’t sure how she’d like him living on her property. But then again, several people had told her she should own one living in the country. Perhaps that’s why he’d purchased it.
“I didn’t know he has a gun.”
“He doesn’t. Wes claims he never bought it, but all the evidence says he did.”
Brynn shifted from shock to anger in a split second. “Someone is setting him up.”
Becky looked up from her screen.
“My thoughts exactly,” Willow said.
“I agree that’s what it looks like,” Becky said, looking up from her laptop. “There may be a lot going on that we don’t know about. We’re not privy to all the information that the police have gathered on the case.”
“True,” Brynn said. “But Wes isn’t a liar. If he’d purchased the gun, he’d say so.” She tried to will away the headache creeping into her temples.
“Wes is twenty years old. There may be a lot we don’t know about him, but one thing I know is that when I was twenty I was keeping a lot of secrets from everybody. I didn’t consider it lying. I considered it my private life. It was nobody’s business.”
Brynn pondered all of that. She pulled the blankets in closer around her as a wave of weariness came over her. She closed her eyes. Was Wes keeping secrets? Did he purchase a gun, knowing how Brynn felt about guns? They discussed it several times when Brynn was being harassed. The sheriff suggested she buy a gun. She couldn’t do it.
Things were a bit different in the country, she knew, and most people had guns, especially farmers with animals. You never knew when you’d have problems with wild animals. Brynn shuddered to imagine it. This was one reason she didn’t keep chickens, even though she’d love fresh eggs in the morning.
“Did you find out anything?” Brynn asked.
“Not much more than we already know. Rad, the young man who is now in jail for shooting Wes, has a record. Mostly drugs. Could he be behind this?”
“Why not? Someone is.”
“In that case, he’s already in jail.”
“But what if it’s not him? What about
the other guy—the guy who’s already been to prison? Ian Fellows?”
“I’ve not found anything online about him, except his Facebook page, and it seems like he’s been working hard to stay out of prison. He’s posted about trying to find better work, about his kids from a previous wife, and so on. I know this stuff can be fabricated, but it looks as if he’s trying to stay clean,” Becky said.
Brynn hated to make assumptions. People could change—but it was hard for people who’d gotten out of jail to start again, sometimes through no fault of their own.
“I don’t know. Is it a coincidence he’s seeing Chelsea? A guy who was in prison for attempted murder? And one of her boyfriends is killed?”
“I’m certain the police are looking into him. Don’t you think?”
“I hope so. I’ll mention it to Nathaniel. He can check with Wes’s lawyer,” Brynn said. Her headache was getting worse. “It must be time for more medicine.”
“It is,” Becky said. “Do you need some water?”
“No, I have plenty.” Brynn eyed the coffee table, full of medicine, water, spent plates, and bowls. It looked as though she’d been sick for weeks. She knew Becky would clean up as soon as she was done researching.
Brynn popped a few pills in and swallowed. “Did you find anything else?”
“Let me ask you a few questions. Was she dating the guy who was killed in the tractor accident?” Becky asked.
“Yes.”
“And she was dating the guy who was shot?”
“Yes.”
“And at one point she dated Rad?”
“Yes.”
“And now she’s dating the carnie?”
“Yes, I think so. I mean, I don’t really know her. Even Wes doesn’t know her. Perhaps the carnie was a onetime date.” Brynn shrugged. Woozy, she lay back into her pillow.
“Do you know anybody who might know her better?”
Brynn’s brain fogged. Was it the medicine? Had she been trying too hard? “I need to think about that.”
“You look tired.”
“Yeah, all of a sudden. I think I’m going to take a nap.”
Becky smiled. “I think you are, too.”
* * *
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