A Fueling Disturbance (An East Pender Cozy Mystery Book 7)

by Leona Fox

  With that, Paul thanked her and went on his way, stopping in on various stores along the way and speaking with the owners and customers inside, most of whom had nothing but praise for Andy. They all saluted his work ethic and everything that he had brought to this town, and often whenever they mentioned Andy, Ellen soon followed. He quickly realized the two of them together made for a formidable partnership.

  “And I’m so glad they finally got together. I was so happy for them. They'd been dancing around it for so long and it was obvious to practically everyone apart from themselves that they were meant to be together. It is so nice when love finally blossoms,” one lady said, and many others expressed the same sentiment.

  Some, however, did not share this view. A few men appeared to be jealous of Andy as it seemed Ellen had been coveted by many of the men in the town, and more than a few women were jealous of Ellen as well. They spoke highly of Andy as a police officer and a man, but added a caveat that, “He has terrible taste in women.” It seemed as though they thought of Ellen as something of a spinster, and that he could have done much better. But all of the opinions he gathered were illuminating and Paul stored them away for later, knowing they would help to enhance his performance.

  The more he spoke with the people of East Pender the more he grew to like the town as well. They were so easy to speak with he felt as though he was friends with them and this wasn't just his first visit to the town. The store owners were quick to offer him free samples of things and everything he tasted was delicious. It had that homemade quality that added a hint of something extra to the food, and just when he thought that he had found the best thing he ever tasted, he then tasted something even better!

  There was one particular piece of cheese he tasted and wanted more, but the owner said he was waiting for the next supply to come in, after which Paul expressed his disappointment.

  “You could try going there directly, they might have some. I buy it in bulk, you see, so I have to wait for them to make it. But if you just wanted a little bit for yourself I'm sure they could sort you out. It's a little way out of town. Jonathan is the man's name, although you might run into his son Ryan. Good people they are, real salt of the Earth types. I'm sure they can sort you out with whatever you want.”

  Paul thanked him and went on his way, figuring a nice drive in the country would be enjoyable. Thankfully, he had left his car at the hotel rather than driving it to the cafe, so it still had gas. He roared along the narrow, winding road that led away from the heart of the town. The road was framed by trees and bushes, but along the way he caught sight of ranging fields with animals grazing upon them. They stretched out to where they met the horizon, and there was a sharp divide between the lush green of the land and the calming blue of the sky. It was easy to forget there were cities like Los Angeles out there. This really was like another world to Paul. In a way, he envied Andy and Ellen and all the people of East Pender for being able to enjoy this scenery on a daily basis. He hoped they appreciated how lucky they were.

  The road led him to the farm, which was a collection of buildings, including a barn, a house, and a few other things. There were bales of hay in a nearby field and a tractor beside the entrance to the house. Paul parked his car on the soft grass and strode to the door of the house, licking his lips at the thought of that tasty cheese. The house was small and the brickwork was old. He imagined it had been standing for a long, long time. He was about to knock on the door when he heard a voice call out to him. A young man, no older than eighteen, ran across from the barn and waved his hand. Paul turned to face him.

  The young man, who Paul assumed to be Ryan, was tall and strong, with a broad frame and deep, sun-kissed skin. Yet, although he had the body of a man, his face was that of a pup.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I actually came for some cheese,” Paul said, and referred to the man who had directed him to the farm. Ryan ran his hand through his hair and blew out his cheeks.

  “You came a long way for that,” he said.

  “I actually came for something else as well. I just wanted to ask you a few questions--” and as soon as he said this Ryan became slightly flustered.

  Ryan’s eyes darted around, but Paul put it down to the fact of his stardom. The door to the house then opened and an older man came out, looking frail and fatigued. Ryan instantly went over to the man, evidently Jonathan, and helped support him.

  “Go back inside, Pa. You know you're not supposed to be up,” Ryan said.

  “I only wanted to see who was at the door. I'm not gone yet. I can still do things,” the crotchety man said.

  Paul observed the scene in silence, watching the father and son interact. Jonathan seemed a lot older than he actually was, and Paul knew there must have been something wrong with him. From the way Ryan rushed to his father's side Paul could tell the young man was concerned. He wondered how tough it must be as it only appeared to be the two of them on the farm. Making a living was tough enough without having to contend with the forces of time ravaging a body. Ryan looked apologetically at Paul.

  “I'm sorry about this, I'll be with you in a moment,” he said as he ushered the older man inside.

  “Is everything okay?” Paul asked innocently.

  “Yeah, it's fine,” Ryan said, although from the look in his eyes Paul knew this not to be the case.

  Over the course of his career Paul had become quite the astute observer of other people and the human condition in general. He was a Hollywood star but prided himself on honing his craft and had become quite a chameleon of an actor. Thus, he spent a lot of time examining people and the way they interacted with each other and the world. Ryan escorted his father back inside and then emerged with a chunk of cheese.

  “Sorry, that's all we've really got at the moment. I need the rest of it to deliver to our clients,” he said, looking exhausted.

  “That will do me for now,” Paul said, taking the cheese and handing over some money, “must be hard work, running this farm with just the two of you.”

  “Yeah, it is. We have a couple of people who come and help now and then but, other than that, it's just the two of us. It's rewarding, though, and it's been in the family for, well as long as the town has been here. We're proud of the tradition.”

  “I can imagine. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about something?” Paul asked.

  “Uh, sure, I guess. I mean, I don't know how much help I'll be but, yeah, go for it.”

  “It's just about Andy, the police chief. I'm playing him in a movie, you see, so I'm asking people about their impressions of him so I can make sure I have an accurate portrayal. What do you think of him? Have you ever met him or spoken with him?”

  “No, can't say that I have. Obviously, I know who he is and I've heard about some of the crimes. Word spreads pretty fast around these parts, even around here, but we're pretty far removed from the rest of the town. So we only usually hear about things when we go and make deliveries or buy supplies. Never had the opportunity to meet the man myself. It's just me and Pa out here, y'know. We don't have much cause for calling the police and they don't have any reason to come out here.”

  Paul nodded and took an admiring look around the farm, breathing in the rustic smells of the country before he thanked Ryan and went on his way. As he got in his car he broke off a chunk of cheese and chewed it as he drove, thinking about Andy. So far everyone only had high praise for the man and Paul was interested to see Andy in action.

  Meanwhile, Ellen and Andy were together trying to work through the case. So far there had been little in the way of progress as there had not been any clues at the crime scene. So they began by trying to figure out a motive. The immediate theory that came to mind was one of spite, but they could not think of anyone who would want to do that to so many residents of the town. It was a large undertaking simply to annoy people, and of all the miserly residents of the town that they could think of, none of them really sprang to mind. They went and aske
d them questions anyway, but all of them had an alibi or some other reason why they wouldn't have been able to commit the crimes. For example, Mr. Bollings never had a kind word to say about anyone and always was grumbling about something or other, but he had a stooped back and bad knees. So there was no way he could have bent down and siphoned off the gas in all of those cars.

  “You think your brother ever will write a book with a crime like this?” Ellen asked. Andy chuckled.

  “No way, he's all about the murders and the drug rings. I'm glad to be away from all the darkness. It saps your life, consumes you. I much prefer it out here. Although, well, no, better not get into that,” he said, looking distracted.

  “Into what?”

  “Just that I know really bad crimes are being committed and sometimes I feel as though I should be back in the city, fighting that. But it's one thing that's never going to end. There's always going to be crime.”

  “And there always are going to be good people who like fighting it.”

  “And people like you,” he said, smiling.

  Then he leaned in and gave her a kiss. He looked at her for a few moments in a way that made her feel self-conscious.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I was just wondering, you know, if they made a movie of this instead, who would play you?”

  “Oh, gosh, I don't know. Maybe Meryl Streep? I don't know any actors these days. I'm so out of touch! I have to say though; I don't envy Paul at all. It must be so stressful always to be bothered by people wherever you go. I can't imagine he ever gets any rest. It's bad enough here, but I can't believe what it must be like in an actual city where he's a household name.”

  “Did you never dream of being a celebrity when you were younger?”

  “Of course, didn't we all? But I think it's one of those things where the idea of it is far more attractive than the reality. I'm sure all the money and luxury must offset the stress but I don't think I could deal with that and I'd prefer to keep my life the way it is. But, to be honest, I dreamed about many things when I was younger and they never came to pass.”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, just silly things, like I wanted to be a princess. Then after I saw Mary Poppins I wanted to be a nanny. I'm sure you had the same dreams?”

  “No, I always wanted to be a cop. Ever since I can remember it was the one thing I wanted to do, just to fight crime and make the world a better place.”

  “How could you know something with that much certainty from such a young age?”

  “Well, I have to be honest with you...it was all due to Batman. I wanted to be him when I was younger. Then, obviously, that wasn't going to happen. So I did the next best thing and became a cop.”

  “And here we are now.”

  “Here we are.”

  “It's funny to think, really, that all those decisions we made all those years ago provided the foundation for the rest of our lives. They set us on the path to what we are now, and we had no idea what would happen at the time.”

  “And who knows what might happen next?” Andy said, and with that they continued thinking about the case.

  Chapter 4

  Kelly was sitting morosely in her apartment, staring at a blank canvas, holding a paintbrush loosely in her hand. Her mind was awash with thoughts and yet there was no focus to it at all, and she was unable to form an image in her mind. It was as though she was in a trance, and then suddenly it was broken by a knock at the door. She walked down and opened it to find Matthew standing there. They hadn't spoken since their last conversation, when she had walked out on him and their relationship had been left in tatters. Ever since then Kelly barely had stopped crying and the pain in her soul had made her entire body ache. From the look of it Matthew had been suffering from a similar plight.

  “Hello,” she said, awkwardly looking away from him.

  “Hey, I'm sorry I didn't call I just...I just wanted to see you and hoped we could talk about some things?”

  “I don't know if it's going to do any good. I said all I have to say...”

  “I know, I just, I really want just to spend some time with you. It's been hard the past few days. I feel like I should apologize because I got angry the other night and I don't want that to be the way we leave things.” He had an earnest look on his face and after a moment of consideration Kelly opened the door and allowed him in.

  “Did you hear about the gas bandit?” Kelly said, trying to make idle small talk to avoid the bigger issues.

  “I did, indeed. It's terrible, isn't it? I can't imagine why anyone would do something like that, especially outside a fundraiser.”

  “I'm surprised you weren't there.”

  “I figured you'd probably be there and I didn't want to make it awkward.” Silence descended upon them.

  Both of them had many things to say and yet knew not what to talk about but, soon enough, there was another knock at the door. Kelly opened it to find Paul standing there. He introduced himself to Matthew and came in, then asked each of them about Andy.

  “You're better off talking to her because she's close with them. As for me, I've only had good experiences with him. He's a good sort, and he takes his job seriously which, if you ask me, is exactly what you want from a police officer,” Matthew said.

  Kelly had much more to say, praising Andy's work ethic and the way he went about solving crimes. “But, if you ask me, he wouldn't be as successful if it wasn't for Ellen, and I hope you realize the important part she plays in keeping the town safe. Of course, I'm a little biased because she's my best friend, but it's important to recognize her as well I think.”

  “I actually have heard a lot about her and their partnership. Have they been working together a long time or was it just since they've been in a relationship?”

  “Oh, far longer than that. Don't even get me started on those two. They, well, they take their sweet time about things, that's all I'll say.”

  Paul scribbled a few things down in his notebook and then noticed the artwork around. After he complimented her on it, Kelly took him on a little tour. As she described a few things he asked more pointed questions about Ellen, which Kelly answered, thinking nothing of it. After Paul had seen everything Kelly had been working on he said he would be interested in buying at least one painting, possibly more, as he wanted a memento of his time in East Pender. He said he would be in contact with his details. He bid them both farewell, and then Kelly returned to Matthew.

  “Well, that's something. Now I can say I've had a movie star in my apartment,” she said lightheartedly, but there was no sense of joy on Matthew's face.

  He had a grim, stony look, and when Kelly turned to face him her mood darkened as well. The weight of their fractured love hung heavily around them like a mist. It poisoned them, and made it difficult for them to be in the same room with each other.

  “It always feels like there's more to say,” he began, “but I wanted you to know that I was really hurt by the way you ended things. I hate second guessing myself and I don't think I should have to do that when I'm with someone. It should feel natural and come easily. I'm getting older now and I don't want anything casual. I want to settle down again, especially when I feel things for you that are so strong...and I know you feel the same way, too. I just can't understand why you keep holding things back from me. I get that it's scary to take this leap but surely the risk is worth it? Unless I've been mistaken this whole time and I've completely misinterpreted the way things have been between us?”

  “Matthew,” she started, but he quickly interrupted her.

  “Please, let me finish. I spent a long time rehearsing this in my head and I want to get it all out before things get all confused again,” he said, and took a deep breath.

  “My marriage changed my perspective on things. When it ended I realized I had wasted so much time trying to make it work when I knew it was doomed to failure a long time before it ended. That was hard because I thought it was going to las
t forever. Then I was alone again and I honestly didn't know if I would meet anyone else that I felt strongly about, but in that failure at least I worked out what I did and didn't want from a relationship. One of those things is complete honesty and openness. I know you're holding something back, for whatever reason. I really want this to work because I don't think I'm ever going to find anyone like you ever again, but I need you to be open with me. I'll give you some time to think about it and I hope we can work this out but that's where I'm coming from.”

  “I understand how you feel,” Kelly said, “I'd really like this to work as well I'm just...I'm not sure I'm able to give you what you want.”

  “You are if you really want to. You're in control of your life and your choices, Kelly. I just hope you choose the one that's going to be best for you,” he said.

  With that, he spun on his heels and left Kelly alone with her thoughts. As soon as the door had shut Kelly yelled in frustration, not at Matthew, but at herself. The secret she held within was torturing her and would not let her rest. It was eating away at her soul but she felt completely powerless against its hold. The secret had been a part of her for so long that she did not know how to reveal it to someone else. She always had known this day would come. Ever since she made that fateful decision all those years ago she knew one day it would come back to haunt her.

  Matthew had been right when he said her choices shaped the path of her life, but little did he know it was a choice she made long ago that led her to this...and now it all seemed hopeless. She was sure that if she did tell Matthew the truth he would not want to be with her anyway, and if she didn't there would be the same result. It was a no-win situation and it left her feeling desolate because while she had been with Matthew she thought she actually had a chance for happiness. Yet, the dark shadow loomed over her once more and prevented her from being happy.