Murder Befalls Us

by Patti Benning

  “Oh, shut up.” She shoved him back. “He’s not my boyfriend, we’ve just gone on a few dates so far. And aren’t we a bit old for this sort of teasing?”

  He ruffled her hair. “Never. You’ll always be my little sister.”

  6

  The next couple of days were more fun than Angie had dared hope for. Even though she spent a lot of time at the diner, she still managed to see a lot of her brother and his fiancée. They stopped in at least once every day, much to the delight of Betty, who considered herself something of a stand-in grandmother. Angie knew that Jason was spending his days showing Lydia around town, going around to all of the places where he had made his childhood memories. She was sad to learn that she had missed him taking her out on one of her father’s dog sleds with a small six dog team, but she couldn’t help but grin as Lydia described how exhilarating it had been.

  Saturday rolled around, and Angie was glad to be able to sleep in a little bit. Working the morning shifts at the diner during the week meant that she woke up hours before the sun rose five days a week. It could get disheartening.

  There wasn’t much she had to do to prepare for the party. While she was busy working the day before, Jason and Lydia had gone shopping, buying all the food they could possibly need. When she stumbled out of bed shortly past eight, she was surprised to find Lydia vacuuming the living room while her mother folded laundry on the couch.

  “Good morning,” Lydia said brightly as she shut the machine off.

  “Good morning.” Angie fought back a yawn. “I can do that, you don’t have to. I was going to do the cleaning this morning.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” Lydia said. “I know Jason kind of dragged you guys into this party. I’d feel bad if you had to do extra work because of it. I know how much work you do during the week.”

  “It was Percy’s idea,” Angie said. “But it should be fun.”

  “Who’s Percy?”

  “Oh, he was Jason’s best friend when they were younger. He used to drag him into all kinds of stuff.” She chuckled. “My dad used to say that Jason would follow Percy off a cliff. He was always the instigator when they got into trouble. I guess he must be sort of a natural leader — it sure paid off. He gave me his business card the other day and I looked him up. He’s leading a team of marine biologists in Anchorage.”

  “Wow. Jason always tells me that was his dream job. I bet he’s jealous.”

  Angie laughed. “Probably. Anyway, if you’re sure you want to vacuum, I’m going to go take a shower and get ready for the day. I’ll help set everything up after.”

  “Go ahead.” Lydia waved her away. “I’ve got this. I’ve already gotten halfway down my checklist, see?”

  Angie looked to where the other woman gestured, to see a small notebook lying open on the coffee table, a list of chores written in neat lines on the page. She chuckled. “You’re more organized than I am. I’ll leave you to it.”

  People began arriving shortly after two in the afternoon. Malcolm was the first to get there, bearing a gift of wine that he told her he had been saving for a special occasion.

  “I can’t think of a better occasion than your brother’s welcome home party,” he said. “Wait, why didn’t you get a party?”

  Angie wrinkled her nose. “Because I like living my life a bit on the quieter side. I was hoping to move back here without making a big deal about it, but the town didn’t let that happen. I’m glad we’re doing this, though. It really will be nice to get everyone together again.”

  “Are you sure I’m welcome?” he asked. “I mean, I didn’t grow up here.”

  “Of course you are. It will be a great chance for you to meet more people. Come on, we’ve got appetizers. Lydia made crab rangoons that are to die for.”

  A few hours later, the house was full of laughter and noise. Her father was in the kitchen making burgers on a stove top grill and chatting with one of the neighbors, who had caught word of the gathering and invited himself over. Her brother was in his element, going around the house and catching up with everyone he hadn’t seen in years. Lydia followed along with him, looking tolerant and slightly amused. Angie wasn’t surprised when he dragged yet another old friend over to her and asked her if she remembered who he was.

  “Um, Oliver, right?”

  The man nodded. “Yep. It’s nice to see you again, Angie. I heard you were back.”

  “Who hasn’t?” She grinned at him. “So, what are you doing these days?”

  “Teaching in the computer lab at the school,” he said. “It’s not glamorous, but it pays the bills.”

  “I never thought you’d be a teacher,” her brother said, shaking his head.

  “I never thought you’d move to Florida,” Oliver retorted. “Life never goes according to plan.”

  “Well, for some of us it does.”

  Angie turned to see where her brother was looking and saw Percy walking toward them with a woman on his arm. He spotted her looking and waved.

  “There you guys are. Sorry we’re late, we got held up. I’d like to introduce my wife, Esme. This is Jason, his sister Angie, and one of our old friends, Oliver.”

  “Nice to meet you all,” the woman said. “I’ve heard stories about the trouble your group got into as kids. When Percy told me you were having a get together, I just knew I had to come.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” Angie said. “Did you come all the way from Anchorage?”

  Esme nodded. “I usually hold down the fort at home while Percy visits his parents here. It’s hard for both of us to get time off work at the same time, but finally being able to meet all of his old friends was a chance I couldn’t pass up.”

  “Pardon me,” Percy said, interrupting politely. “Could I talk to you, Jason? It won’t take long.”

  Angie saw her brother raise an eyebrow. “All right,” he said. “If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I’ll be down in a bit.”

  “I will,” she promised. He and Lydia followed Percy away. She turned back to Esme. “Can I get you a drink? The refreshments are over here…”

  The party continued, with Angie playing hostess in her brother’s absence. Things began to wind down, and she joined Malcolm on the couch in the living room.

  “Hey,” she said. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m enjoying myself,” he said. “How are you?”

  “Exhausted,” she said. “My brother vanished. I have no idea where he’s gotten to. He should be playing host, not me. I think people are starting to leave, though. Have you seen Maggie?”

  “You just missed her. She left about two minutes ago. She couldn’t find you, so she asked me to tell you goodbye and that she had a good time, but that her son’s babysitter can’t stay too late tonight.”

  “That’s too bad. I’m glad she enjoyed herself though. Do you want to —”

  A sharp scream cut through her words. It sounded like it had come from outside. Conversation in the room died down as people looked toward the front window. Angie stood up, frowning. It was a cold night; she didn’t know why anyone would be outside unless they were going directly to their car. Her heart stuttered as she realized who the scream was likely from — Maggie.

  She hurried toward the front door, Malcolm following her. She was in the middle of pulling on her boots when the door slammed open and her friend practically fell inside. Her eyes were wide and panicked, and Angie put her hands on the other woman’s shoulders to help calm her down. Her first thought was that a bear or a moose might have wandered into the yard, but no, she would hear the dogs barking if that was the case.

  “Mags, what’s going on?” she said.

  “Th-there’s a body,” her friend stammered. “Outside, in the snow.”

  7

  For the first time since people had begun to arrive at the party, complete silence fell over the house. Angie stared at her friend in shock, then released her shoulders and pulled her boots the rest of the way on, grabbing her coat from the close
t and shrugging it on as she stepped out onto the porch. Malcolm was right behind her, and she heard the sounds of other people getting their own shoes and coats on as well.

  “Where —”

  “Over here,” Maggie said, interrupting her before she could even finish her question. Angie followed her friend around the side of the house. She saw the person lying in the snow the second she rounded the corner. He or she would have been easily visible from where Maggie’s car was parked.

  He, she thought. She recognized Percy almost immediately, and from the angle at which his neck was, there was no question that he was dead.

  Malcolm put a hand on her shoulder to steady himself, and she realized she had come to a dead stop mid-step. Her eyes were glued to the body as her brain tried to catch up with reality.

  “I… I don’t understand,” she said. “I just saw him… he was fine.”

  “The balcony,” Malcolm said. She looked up, and understood immediately what he meant. There was a small balcony on the upper level of the house, where her mother used to take her tea in the mornings. Percy was lying beneath it. He must have fallen, she thought.

  Before she could even begin to wonder how he had fallen two stories to his death, her father made it out of the house, followed by a couple of guests. They all stopped and stared in shocked silence at the body, until her father spoke.

  “Everyone, go back inside. Angie, call the police.”

  She hesitated, looking back at Percy one last time before following Malcolm to the front door. She pushed her way inside, ignoring the questions that pelted her as she rushed toward the kitchen, where the land line was. She picked it up and dialed the emergency number, stumbling through her words when the dispatcher answered.

  She was asked to wait on the line after telling the woman what had happened. While she stood there silently with the phone pressed between her cheek and shoulder, her hands nervously wringing themselves in front of her, her brother stepped into the kitchen.

  “Hey, Ange. What’s happening?” he asked.

  She just stared at him, unable to form the words to tell him that his friend was dead.

  “Okay, we have an ambulance and patrol cars en route,” the dispatcher said in her ear.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Why’s everyone standing in the living room?” her brother asked.

  She covered the lower portion of the phone with her hand. “Go talk to Dad, Jason.”

  He frowned at her, but left the kitchen. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing frantically that this was all just a dream.

  Her father didn’t let any of the guests leave before the police arrived. The entire group waited silently indoors. Jason was standing angrily in a corner, while Lydia tried to comfort him. Angie and Malcolm stood quietly next to her father and Maggie, who was trying not to cry. Sitting on the couch was Esme, Percy’s wife, sobbing quietly into Angie’s mother’s arms.

  Malcolm was watching out the window, and was the first to see the emergency vehicles when they arrived. “They’re here,” he said softly.

  Angie looked at Maggie. “Mags, they’re going to want to talk to you. They’re probably going to want to talk to all of us, but especially you since you found him. Are you up to it?”

  She nodded, taking a deep breath and pushing her shoulders back. “I am.”

  “Looks like your father’s here,” Angie added, glancing out the window herself. Her own father, who had kept his boots and coat on, had already slipped out the front door to greet the police.

  “He is? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. That makes me feel a little better, at least.”

  Maggie’s father was Detective O’Brien, and he handled most of the serious crimes in Lost Bay. He took his job seriously, but had a soft spot for his daughter.

  “Let’s get our stuff back on, Mags. Dad shouldn’t have to handle all of this on his own.”

  Her friend nodded. Angie felt her heart twist at the look on the other woman’s tear-streaked face. She had always been the more timid of the two of them, and had never handled emotional situations well. She knew how hard this must be for her friend.

  Detective O’Brien spotted them when they walked outside. Angie saw him do a doubletake when he saw his daughter. He hurried over, waving away the officer who was talking to him.

  “Mags?” he said. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was invited to the party,” she said. “And… I’m the one who found the body.”

  He frowned and glanced at Angie. She felt sixteen again, as if she was the one responsible for getting them into trouble.

  “Officer Jace will take care of the body and the documenting of the scene. I want you both to tell me exactly what happened.”

  “I was about to go home,” Maggie said. “I was just scraping the snow off of my car when I saw what looked like someone lying in the snow by the side of the house. I was a little bit worried, but I didn’t think it was anything serious. I guess I just thought it was someone being silly or something. I… I walked over to see if they were okay, but they didn’t answer when I called out, and when I got closer, I saw the way he was lying…” She trailed off with a shudder. “Then I ran back inside and told Angie what I saw and she and Malcolm and her father came out and then her father told Angie to go inside and call the police. And that’s it. I didn’t even realize it was Percy until Angie said something.”

  “So you knew the deceased?”

  Maggie nodded. “I went to school with Percy. He was best friends with Angie’s brother. You’ve probably met him.”

  Detective O’Brien sighed and rubbed at his temples. “Probably. Who all was at the house tonight?”

  Maggie turned to Angie, who answered. “… plus a few significant others who I don’t know that well because they’re not from town or they’re not close to my age,” she said when she was done. “Everyone’s still here except for a few people who left early. My dad thought you might want to talk to them.”

  “Good thinking on his part. That sounds like quite the party,” he said. “Any special occasion?”

  “My brother’s welcome home party,” she said.

  “Ah, I’d heard he was visiting. Was there alcohol at this party?”

  “We had some beer and wine, but nothing very strong. People can’t exactly take taxi’s home.”

  “Do you remember if the deceased had much to drink?”

  “I don’t think so, but I wasn’t paying particular attention to him,” she said. She knew what he was thinking. Percy would have to be pretty unsteady on his feet to fall from the balcony accidentally.

  “Did he get into any significant arguments tonight, or do you know of any other reason why someone might wish him harm?”

  “No to both questions. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.”

  “Thanks. I think that’s all I need from you two for now. Are you okay to drive home, Maggie, or do you want me to give you a ride to your apartment when I’m done?”

  “I’ll be okay,” she said. “I have to pick up Josh, and I’m already late.”

  She and Angie said a quick goodbye, with a promise to talk more tomorrow. Angie watched as her friend got into her car and drove away, then went inside where the detective was questioning the other guests. She did not look around the side of the house where the police and paramedics were examining the body.

  8

  Angie knew that the shock of Percy’s death would echo through the town for weeks. The mystery surrounding his death would make it even worse. How had he fallen from the balcony? That question plagued her all through the night. She slept fitfully, grateful for Petunia’s comforting warmth at the foot of the bed whenever she woke up.

  She finally gave up on sleep when the glowing numbers of the clock on her nightstand told her it was seven in the morning. She still felt exhausted, but lying in bed wasn’t helping anything. Keeping quiet, so as not to wake anyone else, she tiptoed through the house to the front door, where she let Petunia outside to ta
ke care of her morning business. Oracle had been moved back to the dog yard the night before, and the house felt strangely calm without his rambunctious energy.

  Once Petunia came back inside, Angie made her way to the kitchen. The warm light coming from the room told her that someone else was already up. She was unsurprised to find her brother sitting at the kitchen table, turning a coffee cup slowly around in his hands.

  “Hey,” she said softly.

  He looked up. “Hey. You’re up early.”

  “So are you. I couldn’t sleep.”

  He nodded and turned his attention back to his drink. “There’s more coffee in the pot. I just made it.”

  “Thanks.”

  She gave Petunia a scoop of dog food in her bowl, then grabbed herself a mug from the cupboard and spent a few minutes preparing her drink. She didn’t say anything as she sat down across from her brother. They sat together for a while, sipping their coffee in silence other than for the crunching of kibble as the husky ate her breakfast.

  “I think I was the last person to see him alive,” her brother admitted after a while.

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “We talked on the balcony. The rest of the house was too crowded. He offered me a job. We chatted for a bit, then I went in and left him out there alone. That was the last time I saw him.”

  “I’m sorry.” She hesitated. “Was that why he wanted to talk to you? The job offer?”

  “Yeah. He was offering me a position at the center he works for. I would have been in charge of gathering and interpreting local weather data to track how temperature and precipitation levels affect the migratory habits of native species. He was so happy. I just can’t believe that he’s gone now.”

  “Do you think he slipped?”

  Jason frowned. “I… don’t know. There was some snow on the balcony, but it wasn’t too bad. He hadn’t been drinking much or anything. I don’t see how he could have fallen over the railing.”

  “I’ll have to ask Maggie, but I got the feeling her father wasn’t convinced it was an accident.” Detective O’Brien had spent hours at their house the night before, talking to each of the guests before they left for home, and then examining the balcony with painstaking thoroughness.