Traveling Town Mystery Boxset

by Ami Diane

  As she turned onto Main Street, she paused. A few souls had braved the weather, darting in and out of storefronts. Down the street on her left, shadows moved inside the sheriff’s office. She averted her gaze, afraid that just staring at the building would somehow summon Sheriff Chapman.

  Next-door to the station, someone stepped out of the Keystone Library. Ella straightened, her thoughts turning from the sheriff and calling a cab. It occurred to her that she could get some of her questions answered about Kayline’s symptoms from a book since her cell phone was still out of commission.

  Ella waited for a car to pass then tromped across the street and entered the two-story brick building.

  Rows and rows of leather-bound volumes and hardback books stretched the length of the building, pulling her in with their scent. She’d never seen heaven before, but she was pretty sure this was it.

  Her fingertips danced over the spines as she walked the aisles. By the third row, she realized that the library’s collection was outdated by several decades, which surprised her since most of the books seemed to be in great condition.

  Ella scanned the section signs, hoping they’d give her a hint as to where she’d find the book she needed. After searching for several minutes, she caved and wandered over to the reference desk. A stout woman with horned-rim glasses looked up from her Steinbeck novel.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Um, yes.” Ella tugged off her gloves. “I was wondering where your medical books were?”

  The librarian arched an eyebrow. “Like first aid or survival?”

  “Er, no. Something more along the lines of allergies.” As an afterthought, she added, “Maybe something that lists side effects of specific medications or interactions.”

  The woman’s lips tightened into a thin line. “You must be new here.”

  Ella’s stomach dropped to her boots. This was a small town. If word got back to Sheriff Chapman that she’d been asking for books about allergic reactions and drug interactions, it would be perceived as suspicious. He’d probably throw her right back in that stinky jail cell.

  Her brain scrambled to come up with a plausible explanation. “It’s just, I’m a grad student, researching adverse medical reactions and negligence in the medical community.” Ella bit her bottom lip to stop the lie from sounding worse.

  “Grad student, huh?” The woman peered down her nose at Ella, inspecting her. “Then I was right. You are a visitor.”

  “Yes.” Ella clenched her jaw. Why was everyone so hung up on that?

  “Well, we have books on medication administration and pharmacology. Aisle six.”

  Ella thanked her and wandered until she found the correct section. The pharmacology books were lumped together with the medical administration ones, near the biology section.

  First, she slid out The Merck Manual, the edition so old her grandmother had probably used a similar one in her nursing days. Next, she grabbed all of the pharmacology ones she could—a total of three—and grabbed a few of the medical administration ones for good measure.

  Her biceps ached by the time she found an empty table. Plopping down her stack of books, she settled into a chair and cracked open the medical information book. The scent of aged paper and dust rose from the pages. Ella pulled the banker’s lamp on the table closer and searched the index for “allergy” or “allergic reactions,” as well as “anaphylactic reactions.”

  As she suspected, the only symptom that aligned with high histamine levels was the rash. Kay had shown no accompanying swelling, a struggle for breath, or even seizures in the case of an anaphylactic reaction. Nothing to explain the vomiting or the appearance of delirium.

  On a whim, Ella searched out the section on poison oak and found an accompanying picture of a rash. Best she could tell from the black and white photo, it appeared similar to the waitress’s rash.

  With a sigh, she rubbed her forehead then poured over one of the pharmacology books—also outdated by several decades. After reading through all of the statins, beta-blockers, and ace inhibitors in the first book, she pushed it aside and began reading through the next book. Again and again. None of them had the side effects Kay had exhibited.

  Ella’s eyelids drooped, and her attention wandered as the light waned through the windows, growing the shadows on the hardwood floor. Without knowing more about Kay—if she was even taking medication for anything—it was pointless to search through mounds of books, guessing what could’ve caused her death.

  She closed the book in front of her and gathered the others. What was she doing? She should let the professionals handle this, and she should be working on either getting out of town or on her thesis.

  Yet, a knot in her gut formed and remained. The sheriff seemed fixated on Will being guilty, and she didn’t know anyone else trying to help him.

  Hunger gnawed at her, and she glanced at her watch. It was nearly dinner time. As Ella jumped to her feet, her chair fell back. The librarian shot her a look.

  Ella mumbled her apologies as she relocated the chair to its position behind the table. After replacing the stack of books, she thanked the surly librarian and headed back to the inn.

  The temperature jumped as she stepped into the mansion. After shaking the snow off her coat, she hung it on the coat tree just inside the door then kicked off her wet boots.

  “Lucy, I’m home,” she called to the empty entrance hall.

  Firelight flickered on the parlor door. She longed to warm up by the flames, but the smell of food and laughter from the kitchen tugged her down a different hallway.

  As she swung the kitchen door inward, there was a loud crash. Ella started, frantically searching for the source of the noise.

  “Get that varmint out of here!” Jimmy stood in the middle of the kitchen, his feet wide and his hands curled into tight fists.

  Chester sat on top of the cabinets, near the ceiling, his bushy tail twitching behind an elegant tuxedo complete with bow tie. Apparently, he’d had a change of heart about the dress.

  “It was an accident!” Grandma Wink snatched a dishrag from the sink and scooped up bits of a pecan pie from the floor.

  “It’s okay, Wink. I’ll get a mop.” Rose gave Chester a wide berth and squeezed past Ella through the doorway.

  From somewhere near Ella’s feet came a loud hissing sound. She jumped back, jamming her elbow into a cabinet. Pain shot up her arm as Fluffy bounded forward, spewing at Chester high above.

  Ella dropped beside Wink and helped collect bits of pie. “Well, from what I can tell—” she held up a chunk of filling “—it looked delicious.”

  “Thanks, dear. It was.”

  “Would it be gross if I still tried a bite?” She dropped the bit of pie after catching Wink’s mortified expression. “Yeah, no, it’d be gross. I know.”

  Wink looked at her sideways.

  “But would you judge me?”

  Wink grabbed the garbage can.

  “Yeah, me too,” Ella continued.

  When Grandma Wink turned her back, Ella picked up a bit of pie crust, mushy side up, and began to bring it to her mouth just as Rose came sweeping back in.

  “Ella, no!”

  Wink turned. “Oh for heaven’s sake. I’ll make you one if you’re that hungry.”

  Ella let out a hollow laugh. “Seriously, I was kidding.”

  Wink shot her a stern expression, pointing at the bin. Ella dropped her head and reluctantly deposited the dessert into the can before continuing to clean. She, Wink, and Jimmy gathered the largest pieces while Rose worked the mop, Grandma Wink’s eyes on a constant swivel in Ella’s direction the entire time.

  After the floor had a nice, glossy sheen to it, Wink tried to coax Chester from his perch.

  Jimmy resumed his rampage, his face a violent purple. “I told you not to bring that critter around here, Wink.”

  “I can’t leave him at home by himself. He gets lonely.”

  “Lonely? Squirrels don’t get lonely! And what on earth is he
wearing?”

  Grandma Wink brushed a lock of blue hair away from her face. “I think he looks dashing.”

  “He looks like an undertaker,” came a creaking voice from the table. Ella jumped and turned to see Crazy Flo by the window.

  “What the—how long have you been there?”

  “Long enough to see you try to eat pie from the floor.”

  “Did not.” Ella stuck out her chin but didn’t meet Flo’s gaze.

  Putting her hands on her bony hips, Wink said, “He does not look like an undertaker. He dresses better than any of your ex-husbands ever did.”

  Flo raised a glass of what looked like iced tea, but from the smell wafting Ella’s way told her a generous helping of something alcoholic had been added. “Can’t argue with that. That includes the one who was an undertaker.”

  Wink’s brows rose. “Oh, I forgot about him.”

  “Good Lord,” Ella said, “how many times has she been married?”

  Before either could answer, Rose interjected, “Look, the mess is all cleaned up. No harm done.”

  “Yeah, no harm,” Jimmy muttered, his eyes resting on the garbage can, full of disappointment. Ella realized he wasn’t mad about the commotion or sticky floor so much as the demolished pie.

  Wink gave up on getting Chester down from the cabinets. “Why don’t I just pop into the diner and grab another pie? They’re going to waste in there, anyhow, since I’m still closed.” Turning to leave, she caught Ella’s eye. “And everyone keep Ella from eating off the floor, please,” she hollered before slipping out.

  Rose gathered the mop and bucket, her chiffon dress whipping around the room like a cloud.

  “I don’t want to intrude on your dinner,” Ella said, feeling it the pertinent thing to say. The truth was, she did want to. These people were fun and warm, and she was starving. “I’ll just grab something from the fridge—”

  “Nonsense!” Rose sloshed the pie-water from the bucket down the sink. “There’s plenty here.”

  “Less than there was before,” Jimmy mumbled. As he sank into a chair, he shot a death glare at Chester who stared back, still high above on the cabinets. Fluffy had inched closer, tail swishing, eyes locked on his target.

  Scraping a chair across the floor, Ella sat between Jimmy and Flo. Wink whisked back into the room, carrying another pie. She glanced at Chester, her face falling with relief as if she’d expected him to cause more trouble in her short absence.

  Ella poured tea from the pitcher on the table into her glass and sniffed it. “How come we aren’t using the dining room?”

  “Dining room’s too formal,” Grandma Wink responded. “This is a family meal.”

  Ella glanced around the table. “Should I get the other boarder? Edwin was it?”

  Wink sat across from her and unfolded her napkin. “Oh, he usually doesn’t join us for meals. If you hadn’t noticed, he’s the shy type.” She cleared her throat and peered over her shoulder at the counter. “Where’s this mold I’ve been hearing so much about, Rose?”

  Rose, who had just set the bucket by the door, called from the open refrigerator door, “It’s coming.”

  Ella’s eyebrows pinched together, and she glanced sideways at Jimmy and mouthed the word, mold?

  He leaned closer and dropped his voice. “They take turns. One does the meal, while the other does the dessert.” His voice hitched higher when he glanced towards the fridge. “Tonight was my wife’s turn for the main course.”

  He shuddered and gave a subtle shake of his head in warning about what was coming next. Ella gave him a weak smile, leaned forward, and grabbed her fork.

  She was so hungry, she’d eat anything. Although, the word “mold” made her hesitate. Could it mean cheese? Had Rose prepared a cheese platter of some kind?

  “Alright,” Rose called in a sweet, sing-song voice, “ta-da!”

  She laid a large tray in the center of the table. A massive, green blob wriggled on the platter like Slimer from the Ghostbusters.

  Ella froze, Jimmy recoiled, and Flo swore loudly.

  Ella couldn’t make sense of the undulating mass in front of her. The green tower stilled, and she realized she was staring at gelatin.

  Memories of grade school and snacks and bold flavors came to mind, followed by hospital food, then an unfortunate incident involving food poisoning. What was disconcerting were the chunks of something inside of Slimer.

  The table had fallen completely silent.

  Finally, Grandma Wink broke the spell, clapping her hands and saying, “I’m always game for a good gelatin mold.” But Ella noticed the pallor of her skin. “What flavor?”

  “Lemon-lime trout.” Rose’s ruby lips smiled with pride.

  Ella’s stomach lurched, and all appetite vanished.

  Flo jabbed a fork at the mound. It wiggled to life again, and Jimmy flinched. “I thought we agreed. No more molds.”

  Grandma Wink shot her a look. “Well, I’m game.” She handed her plate to Rose, who smiled like she’d won a prize.

  Rose plopped a large glob onto the plate. As it passed by Ella, she caught a whiff of the trout mixed inside and quickly turned away, pretending to stare out the dark window.

  “Ella?” Rose stared at her expectantly.

  A wheezy noise escaped Ella’s mouth as she held up her plate. Rose clasped onto the edge, but Ella couldn’t quite let go of the other. They played tug-of-plate over the middle of the table.

  “Ella, if you just—that’s it.” Rose came away with the plate, plopped a blob of green on top, and handed it back.

  “Oh God,” Ella breathed watching it dance on her plate.

  “Hey, you’re spiritual too?” Flo elbowed her in the ribs. “Rose and Jimmy go to church every Sunday.”

  “Do they now,” Ella said absently. She poked at her food. “Is it alive?”

  “Of course not,” Rose scolded. “Don’t be silly.”

  Ella poked again. “Right. Gotcha. But is it alive?”

  Rose let out an exasperated sigh. “No. It’s not alive.”

  Ella frowned picked at it with her fork, trying to separate the meat from the sweet treat. She liked trout. She liked gelatin. But like oil and water, they didn’t combine well.

  “I’m happy you’re here, Ella,” Rose said once everyone had been served up. “The table would’ve felt empty tonight.” She glanced at Ella’s spot, a sadness filling her eyes behind her glasses.

  “How do you mean? Who else is usually here?” The instant the sentence left her mouth, she regretted it. Kay. She was who was missing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s okay, dear,” Grandma Wink said, holding up a hand. A glob of jello rolled off of her fork and splatted onto the table. “We weren’t sure if we would have our usual get-together, but we figured we’d do this in Kayline’s honor. And Will’s, since he’s unable to join us .”

  Jimmy lifted his glass of iced tea. “To Kayline.”

  All around the table, the sentiment was echoed, and the kitchen was filled with the clinking of glasses.

  Grandma Wink dabbed a napkin over her mouth. “William will be back soon enough.”

  Jimmy moved a pile of green covered trout around his plate, trying to pick off the gelatin. “Hope so. Chapman’s got him in his sights, though.”

  Ella took a long swig of tea, hoping it would dilute the flavor of lime trout. It didn’t. She wondered if Flo could spike the drink for her. “Won’t the sheriff release him when he doesn’t have enough evidence?”

  Jimmy sighed. “It doesn’t quite work that way here. We don’t have that luxury.”

  Ella was about to ask him what he meant when he asked her about her car. Now it was her turn to sigh.

  “Lou says another day. Chapman wants me out of here yesterday. So, I’m going to call a cab once I’ve finished eating.”

  Jimmy dropped his fork and fumbled to retrieve it. “Sorry, our phones only make local calls.”

  “I’m sorry? What about at the
diner?” She looked at Wink.

  Wink picked at the green mush on her plate.

  Jimmy answered for her. “Diner too. All Keystone Village phones.”

  Ella’s mouth worked back and forth like a fish. “But how-what?”

  “Best if you just traded your car in.”

  Ella was still reeling over the fact that none of the phones in the village made outside calls. She understood wanting to be off the grid, but that was taking it a bit far. And now, she’d have to trade her jeep in for one of Lou’s lemons.

  “What’s the rush? Sheriff won’t notice her.” Flo took a long swig from her iced tea, unaware of the weighted stares around the table leveled at her. “He’s too busy with Six.” She finally looked up. “What?”

  A pregnant silence followed. Ella leaned in, her gaze traveling the table. She wasn’t being paranoid. They were hiding something.

  Ella shifted the topic back to Kayline. “Even if he hadn’t demanded it, I want to get out of here fast because Sheriff Chapman suspects I might have something to do with Kayline’s death.”

  “Poppycock,” Flo growled. The others bobbed their heads in agreement, and some of the tension broke.

  “Well, something killed her.” Ella waited a breath then asked casually, “Do any of you know if she was taking medication for anything?”

  Rose brought her tea to her mouth. “Not that I know of. Wink?”

  Grandma Wink’s blue hair whipped back and forth as she shook her head. Then, she reached into the breast pocket of her button-up shirt and pulled out a handful of peanuts.

  Without a word, she held out her hand. Chester leaped from the top of the cabinets to the island and then to the outstretched nuts.

  Fluffy dashed across the floor, his furry paws sliding across the smooth surface despite his claws. He froze under Wink’s chair, his large green and hazel eyes fixed on the squirrel.

  “Wink, please. That’s so unsanitary.” Rose got up from the table and gathered their empty plates. When she picked up Ella’s, she said, “Ella, you hardly touched your food. Didn’t you like it?”