by Sandi Scott
Just then, the sheriff called Luna over to where he stood talking to the EMTs. The detective tipped an imaginary hat to Ashley and joined the others near Andrews’ body.
Ashley watched as the technician talked while she waved her arms around—gesturing toward her head, the pond, and the body—and the lawmen listened. The sheriff nodded and shook the EMT's hand before walking back to where Ashley waited, wondering what the sheriff and the detective were hearing.
“Sorry to make you wait,” the Sheriff said. “We'll need to get a statement from you, for the incident report, but the first responders say it looks to them like he drank too much, passed out, fell into the pond, and drowned. It shouldn't be much longer before Luna or I can talk to you, but maybe you'd like to go back inside to wait where you can be a little more comfortable until we can finish up out here? If you wouldn't mind, you could collect those kids and your partner, which will speed things up when we can get to you. Y'all could wait for me in the kitchen, and I'll be up there as soon as we can secure the scene. It looks like we just have a tragic accident here, but we still have to keep things as they are until the justice of the peace makes the official death declaration. Then I'll come find you and get statements from the four of you, just to finish up the report for the files.”
“What about the family?” Ashley asked. “Would you like me to tell Robin what has happened?”
“I'll have to speak with them officially,” the sheriff replied, “but it might be a little easier to get the first word from a family friend instead of law enforcement. Can you handle it? It's okay if you don't feel up to it.”
Ashley nodded, suddenly too tired to speak, and she started back through the garden. What a horrible ending to a great day, she thought. This is going to be so hard for Robin.
As soon as she stepped into the building, Robin ran up to her and grabbed her arm. “Ashley, what happened out there? Those kids said someone is dead. Is that true? Who is it? What's going on?”
Tears filled Ashley's eyes as she thought about how much what she was about to say would hurt Robin. “Let's sit down over here, Robin. I have some bad news, and I think you should sit down before I tell you.”
Robin's eyes filled with fear. “No, no, please no,” she whispered, but she let Ashley lead her over to a chair in the small room just off the foyer. “Please tell me that Cash is okay.”
“He's fine, hon, as far as I know,” Ashley started, but her voice broke with emotion. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “Robin, there's been a terrible accident, sweetie. I'm afraid that Uncle Howard passed out and fell into the fish pond in the back garden. I'm so sorry, but they couldn't save him—he's gone.”
“How?” Robin cried. “Did he hit his head? Did he trip over something?”
“Apparently, when your uncle lost consciousness from the alcohol, he fell into the pond where he drowned,” Ashley said. “I don't think he knew what was happening, though. I think he was still unconscious when...at the end.”
Cash walked up just then with Robin's parents, and Ashley explained about the accident. Then she and Patty, who had been trying to calm and comfort Robin while they waited for word of what was happening, offered their condolences and excused themselves to allow the family some private time together before they had to return to their guests.
Finally, about an hour later, Ashley and Patty were ready to leave. After talking to the sheriff and to Detective Luna, they made sure all the leftover food was covered and placed in the walk-in cooler. Afterwards, Ashley and Patty located Graham in his office before they went to load the few things they were taking with them into the van.
“Graham, we've put the food into the refrigerators,” Ashley said, “but we still need to finish cleaning up and loading most of our equipment. If it isn't too much of an imposition, we'd like to go home now and come back in the morning to take care of the rest. We should be able to finish up and still be ready for the reception if the wedding isn't postponed.”
“Of course, Ashley,” Graham replied. “I was looking for you to suggest exactly that. I'm sending my staff home, too, as soon as the sheriff okays it. I'll stay to take care of anything the wedding party needs before they retire to their rooms for the night. You've had a horrendous evening after an already long day. Go home and get some rest. There's nothing scheduled that will be using the kitchen until late next week, so you come in when you're ready. You can even wait a day or two, if that works better for you.”
“Thank you,” Patty said. “We'll be here tomorrow, though, I promise. You might let Cash know that there are leftovers in the refrigerators if they get hungry before breakfast. You should get some rest as well. You're going to have a few busy days coming up after this, dealing with all of the paperwork and with the media, not to mention the local unofficial news sources.”
“You mean the sweet little old ladies and men who know everything before it happens and tell everything they know even if it isn't quite accurate?” Graham smiled as the two friends laughed softly.
“Yeah,” Patty said, “all the innocent-seeming blue-hairs! God love them; they're like a force of nature, aren't they?”
Ashley and Patty said their goodbyes, and then they went out the kitchen's back door where they found Ryan waiting for them at the van. “Are you two okay?” he asked. “Is there anything I need to carry out to the van before we leave?”
Ashley shook her head. “No,” she said. “We're leaving the rest for tonight. We'll take care of it tomorrow. Let's just go. I'm so exhausted I can't even think of what else we might need to do. I was going to stop at Seagrass Sweets to check on what we need this week, but I vote that we all just forget about that and go home. Everything will still be there for us in the morning.”
“That sounds perfect,” Patty said. “I don't think I can speak to anyone else tonight—well, maybe to Smoke Daddy, but not to anyone else. And you know that if even one of those sweethearts we talked about with Graham has already heard about all of this and has spread the word, once they see the lights on in the kitchen, folks will be 'dropping by to check on you' as an excuse to get the gossip.”
Ryan nodded in agreement without speaking and turned the van in the direction of Patty's house. The friends rode in silence, the two women with their eyes closed in exhaustion. The traffic light gods smiled on them, and it only took about five minutes to pull into the crushed-shell driveway.
“Good night, my friends,” Patty said. “Ashley, I'll meet you at the kitchens tomorrow. Say, around 10 o'clock? I’d like a bit of a lie-in after all this excitement.”
“Works for me,” Ashley replied. “Sleep well, Patty. Thanks for everything today. I'll see you in the morning.”
Patty closed the van door and walked toward her front porch, waving at Ashley and Ryan without turning around. Just as she stepped up onto the wide, welcoming veranda, the front door opened, and Smoke Daddy stepped out. He enveloped Patty in a warm hug. He looked up, waved at Ashley and Ryan, and led Patty indoors with his arms still wrapped tightly around her waist.
“Aw, that's sweet,” Ashley said. “I'm glad he's there, so she doesn't have to be alone. She's not exactly used to being on the scene when a dead body is discovered. That man is perfect for her tonight. He's great at knowing when to talk and when to let her just be quiet.”
“You know, Ash,” Ryan said. “That could be us, too. I mean, if you agreed that we should move in together, neither one of us would ever have to be alone.”
Ashley frowned. She knew they needed to have this discussion, but she really didn't have the energy to concentrate on it. It also seemed rather insensitive for Ryan to use a man's death to try to convince her of his personal agenda.
“Ryan, please,” Ashley said softly. “This really isn't a good time for this discussion—not right after I had to tell my friend that her favorite uncle is dead on the eve of what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life. I'm just not sure about living together yet. I need time to think it through, and I'm wa
y too tired to think clearly about anything tonight, much less something this important. Please, can't we talk about it later?”
Ryan's face fell, and his voice held the hurt her words caused. “Sure, hon, I understand. We can talk later. I shouldn't have even mentioned it tonight. I wasn't thinking about it starting a whole big conversation. I just had the thought and shared it. You're right—the timing is wrong.”
Hearing what he wasn't saying, Ashley forced herself not to sigh. “You do know I love you, right? I'm just scared. Eventually I want us to be together all the time, but it just feels like we're moving so fast—like we just started dating a couple of days ago, instead of a few months. I don't want to rush into living together and sabotage our friendship. I never want to mess things up and have you—have either of us—regret moving in together. It's a big step, and I have to know, to really know, that it's the right time.”
Ashley looked at Ryan as he looked straight ahead, focusing more closely than usual on the familiar route to her home. “I know I'm not explaining this very well. Part of that is because I'm so tired right now, and I'm so very sad for Robin and her family. I can't believe we were there at another death and that it's someone we knew! But part of the reason I can't explain it to you is that I'm not even sure exactly what I'm feeling myself. I just know I'm scared of losing what we have together now, of not having you even as a friend anymore. And I'm also scared of losing it all if I wait too long; maybe you’ll get tired of waiting for me to figure everything out and walk away, that you'll decide it isn't worth it, or that I'm not worth the hassle. I'm pretty much a mess over here!”
Ryan smiled slightly and answered her, “Ashley, we will always be best friends, no matter what happens with our romantic relationship. I love you and I'm in love with you. I want us to be together, to share all of our lives, but, even more, I want the best for you whether that includes me or not. I understand that you aren't sure. I won't say that it doesn't hurt to hear that, but I still understand. I even understand that it's hard for you to trust men after the whole thing with Serge. I'm not going to get tired of waiting. I'll stick with you as long as it takes, but I'm also going to keep hoping that it doesn't take long. I'm going to keep asking you to share our lives, but I can give you some space, too. I'm going to stay around until you're ready. You, or I should say, we, are absolutely worth the wait.”
Ashley sniffled a little as tears filled her eyes. This was why it was so hard for her to decide. He was so patient and so understanding. How could she risk messing this up and losing Ryan altogether?
CHAPTER FOUR
The next morning, Ashley loaded Dizzy in the car and headed for the Fresh Start commercial kitchens where Patty and she rented space. Even with the later than usual start, she planned to drink at least two more cups of coffee before tackling the rest of her day, which would be lighter than expected since Robin's wedding wouldn't be taking place that afternoon. She had managed to get to bed early the night before, but a vision of Howard Andrews’ body and Robin's heartbreaking response to the news of his death kept her from sleeping soundly. She finally gave up and spent a couple of hours in her home kitchen, experimenting with a new, simpler chocolate hazelnut soufflé recipe.
“Let's go, Dizzy,” Ashley called as she opened the car's back door and unclipped the dog's seat belt after pulling into the kitchen's staff parking lot, “Let's go see Patty!”
The dog jumped out and raced to the back door of the building. She turned back to check on Ashley as if asking—what’s taking you so long—while her tail beat an excited tattoo on the door.
“Who's there?” Patty's voice came through the closed wooden door. “And why are you beating on this door? Hold onto your hat and have a little patience. I'll be right there!”
Laughing, Ashley unlocked the door and let Dizzy enter the back room ahead of her. “It's just my crazy dog. Good girl, Dizzy,” Ashley said as the excited dog stopped right at the threshold of the door into the kitchen. Dizzy knew that she wasn't allowed out of the storage area, but she stretched it as far as she dared, leaning as far across the line as she could to try to greet Patty for herself.
“You silly thing, you,” Patty laughed as she came over to ruffle the dog's fur. “You make a lot of noise, Dizzy!” Patty looked up at Ashley. “Did you sleep at all last night? I tossed and turned all night, and last night was harder for you than it was for me since you tried to revive Mr. Andrews. You look as tired as I feel.”
After pouring themselves steaming mugs of coffee, Ashley and Patty sat on the tall stools at the stainless-steel prep table. Ashley breathed in the warm, fragrant steam before answering. “No, I really didn't,” Ashley replied. “I'd doze off, but I kept thinking about Robin and her uncle, so I didn't stay asleep. The two of them have been really close all her life. He was like a second father to her until he 'took against' Cash, as my grandmother would have said. It caused a lot of awkwardness between them. I know it upset her because she talked about it a few times. In fact, I think she gave him an ultimatum just a few days ago: her uncle was to stop trash-talking about Cash, or Robin would cut off communication with Howard. Now, they'll never get the chance to patch things up with each other or for Cash to win Howard over, all because Mr. Andrews had too much to drink. And at the rehearsal dinner for her wedding—I'm sure the memory will come back to haunt them every year when their anniversary comes around.”
Patty agreed. “I know what you mean. I sat with her while you were outside with the sheriff and the detective. I had to tell her that an incident had happened. When she couldn't find her fiancé or her uncle inside, she wouldn't stay in the building until I told her something. I only told her that there had been an accident and that we needed to stay out of the way, so the paramedics could help the person who was hurt and that she needed to help keep her guests calm. She was nearly hysterical from worrying about the two of them because we couldn't see either one of them anywhere in sight.”
“When I wasn't seeing the body during the night, I kept seeing Robin’s face when the sheriff told her that her uncle had died. I'd already told her, but I guess she was hoping that I'd made a mistake and that the sheriff would tell her that Howard was okay after all. I don't think I've ever seen that kind of pain on someone's face in my life; she was absolutely crushed.” Ashley choked up thinking about it. “She said that she had never seen Uncle Howard drunk before. According to her, he rarely drank anything alcoholic at all, and, when he did, he limited himself to a single shot of Scotch, which he sipped slowly. She said that he never really developed the taste for liquor, so he generally avoided it.”
The two friends sat silently for a moment, thinking about what had happened, and then Ashley stood up and shook herself, as if to disperse the sadness. “Well,” she said, “we have a lot to get done today. Can you go with me to pick up our things from Estes Mount? Then we'll need to get to work on the McCoveys’ anniversary dinner. I really want to do our part to make their fortieth anniversary the best one yet.”
“Sure, I can come along,” Patty nodded. “I'll take my car, though, and stop by to check on the flowers for that party on the way back. That way, we can get twice as much done in the same amount of time. I've already gotten the mirepoix chopped and ready for the soup, so you can get it simmering quickly if you get back before I do.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ashley said. “C'mon, Dizzy—time to go again!” They headed to their respective vehicles and left for the Estes Mount. As she drove, Ashley tried to think of something she could do for Robin and her family. I guess I can do what I do best, she thought. I'll make sure they have food for the next few days.
Later, after they'd loaded all their belongings into the van and given the Estes Mount kitchen a good scrubbing, Patty left on her errand, and Ashley looked for Graham to let the manager know that they were finished and that she was leaving. “Hey, Graham,” she said. “Just wanted to let you know that Patty and I finished cleaning the kitchen area. It should be clean and ready for your nex
t event. I'm sorry we left it all last night, but ....” She shrugged, holding her palms up in a “what can I say” gesture.
“Definitely understandable, Ashley,” Graham replied. “We all left as quickly as the sheriff released us, too. We weren't here more than about 15 minutes after you left. We left everything where it fell and dealt with it this morning, just like you and Patty did. Oh, hey—did you hear that the autopsy report came back this morning?”
“No, I hadn't gotten the word,” Ashley replied, a bit surprised. “That was unusually fast.” She knew that the body had to be transported to Austin for the post-mortem examination and that it could take several days if the lab there was busy, especially since there was no obvious indication of foul play.
“Yeah, and it wasn't great news,” Graham continued. “Howard Andrews wasn't drunk after all. In fact, based on the blood alcohol level, he apparently only had one drink. So, he didn't drown because he passed out from the booze.”
“Oh, wow!” Ashley said. “Did the sheriff say whether they think it was an accident or if they suspect foul play?”
“From what I gathered,” Graham said, “the sheriff's office is now investigating it as a homicide, not an accident. They didn't come out and say that they've ruled out an accident, but it seemed pretty clear from the questions they were asking and the way they were checking out the scene. I think the only reason Mueller said anything to me at all was to explain why they were back here to look around some more and why they were collecting any evidence there might be. After they told the family what the medical examiner discovered, I guess he figured I'd hear it anyway.”
“Drat!” Ashley said. “I hate that the man is dead, no matter how it happened, but I was so hoping that at least it wasn't foul play. We've had too much of that lately. He did seem intoxicated when he was ranting during the toasts, so it made sense that he'd passed out. This is going to make it even harder for Robin, knowing that someone hurt him—killed him—on purpose.”