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

by Leona Fox

  “Obviously you know I'm an artist. It was all I really wanted to be when I was younger. What you don't know is that in all the art classes I took I always was told I wasn't good enough to make a living at it, and sadly they were proven right. But then, one day, I won the lottery and I was able to use that money to live off while I painted. People think I am a professional artist but I'm not. I make a little bit of money off of it but mostly my income still comes from that lottery win. Up until now I've never told anyone because I feel so ashamed. I'm a fraud, a pretender, and that's why I was so distant from you, because you loved me so much and I didn't want you to look at me differently. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through but that's my story. I'm just someone who got lucky once,” she said. She practically was trembling at having revealed the secret that had resided within her for so long.

  Matthew listened to her patiently. Kelly was looking into space. He sidled along the couch and took her hand, which seemed to startle her. She had been expecting him to pull away, and yet he still was sitting beside her, looking at her lovingly, with adoration in his eyes. When he spoke it was with a slow, soothing tone. All he wanted was to quell the anxiety that was causing her entire body to quiver.

  “Thank you for telling me that. I can't imagine how hard it has been for you to keep that inside, but I have to admit I don't fully understand why it was such a big deal.”

  “Because all this time I've been pretending I've been an artist when really I was just a fool who got lucky. Everyone always says how much they admire me for never giving up on my dream, when really I never had to work hard for it, I never had to struggle and strive like so many others. It's just all been easy for me. I haven't deserved it. I haven't earned it.”

  “Yes, you have. I don't care what you say but you are a good artist and whomever told you otherwise is wrong. The lottery win may have allowed you to be comfortable in life but you've still painted, you've still sold paintings. It would have been easier for you just to give up and laze around doing nothing, wasting your life away, but you've carried on and persevered with your talent because it's what you were born to do. That makes you an artist in my eyes, and nothing is going to convince me otherwise,” he said.

  Then he swiveled off the couch and went down onto his knee, still holding her hand. His eyes met with hers. “By telling me this you've shown me you want to be with me. Maybe this is too much again and I'm being a fool for pushing you, but this time apart has proved to me this is real. I want to be with you Kelly, properly. I want to marry you and create a life for you. I don't want there to be any secrets between us again. What do you think?”

  The way he had accepted her secret so gladly made Kelly feel overwhelmed with joy. She burst into tears as she flung her arms around him.

  “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” she cried, and the two of them fell to the floor in a happy embrace.

  The tension of their recent arguments gave way to relief and they had repaired the fracture that had been present between them. Kelly felt whole again, and was ashamed her secret had prevented her from living life. Now that she had been freed she was eager to begin anew with Matthew, and her mind was excited at the prospects of the future.

  However, secrets still reigned in East Pender and Andy's was eating him up inside. He barely could concentrate with everything that was going on and it all was playing on his mind. There was even no comfort found in Ellen's arms. Andy hated himself for this because he had promised himself he wouldn't let it affect the thing most precious to him – his relationship with Ellen. She knew that something was up, but when questioned he only said it was the case or Paul, never did he consider telling her the truth. If only it would just go away...but nothing was ever that simple. Ellen tried to talk with him about Paul, and he told her the actor had come to his house to ask about his past.

  “I didn't tell him anything because I figured you'd want to be the one,” Ellen said.

  “Thanks, I didn't tell him anything either. I just want to leave that all behind me,” he said, but as the lies flowed from his mouth he felt himself getting angry and all he wanted to do was scream and shout. Feeling restless, he paced about the apartment and, in the end, decided to take Scampy for a walk, figuring he may as well do something useful with his time.

  Night was setting in and the town of East Pender was quiet and peaceful. The streets were empty and Andy was alone with his thoughts, which was the last place he wanted to be. He was looking in every shadowy corner, afraid somebody would be looking back at him. Receiving letters at his home made him feel vulnerable. Somebody knew where he lived. So far he only had received letters, but he knew in these cases it rarely stayed at that level, usually escalating to something far creepier. His instincts were primed and he was ready in case anything attacked, but while on the walk he saw nothing.

  Scampy was untroubled, and the two of them strolled aimlessly through the streets. It was his town, Andy thought. Yet he was feeling as though he was losing his grip on it. The gas bandit was running rampant and making him look like a fool. Would this finally be the case where somebody got away? And what if the truth came out about those letters? As far as most people in East Pender were aware, the events depicted in his brother's books were fictional. It was only Ellen, Kelly, and now Paul who knew about them. So at least he could rule out anyone in East Pender sending the letters. Unless, of course, somebody had looked into his life as a cop, but that seemed unlikely as most people in East Pender didn't spare much thought for the outside world.

  As the two of them strolled along, Andy was looking mindlessly around him, letting his feet guide him. There was no particular destination in mind, and Scampy was happy enough walking with his nose touching the ground, enjoying the various scents in the evening air. It was only when Andy rounded a corner that he stiffened and his police instincts kicked in. Across the road, in the shadows, he saw a hidden figure moving. Andy knelt behind a car, and gestured for Scampy to sit beside him. Andy watched intently as this mysterious figure siphoned off more gas, and Andy smiled. It had been due to sheer dumb luck, but finally he had come across the gas bandit. Wasting no time, he sprinted across the road and announced himself. The bandit looked up, startled, and moved to run but Andy was too quick and strong. He quickly apprehended the man and pushed him to the ground. As Andy arrested him he saw that it was Ryan, the young farmhand, who was apologizing profusely. Andy had many questions for him but they would have to wait for the station. He called in for a car to take them back, and then quickly called Ellen to let her know he had caught the bandit red-handed.

  “You have caused us quite a bit of trouble,” Andy said, shaking his head at the young man.

  Chapter 9

  Ryan was being held in an interrogation room when Ellen arrived. He was sitting with his shoulders slumped forward, shaking and trembling with the guilt and shame at what he had done. His eyes were raw and wet from all the tears he had shed and, although he had the frame of a man, they all were reminded of just how young he was from the way he acted and carried himself.

  “He looks pretty shaken up,” Ellen said.

  “Yeah, he's been like that ever since I found him. He keeps apologizing over and over again. It's difficult to get a straight answer out of him,” Andy admitted.

  Ellen sighed and rubbed her temples. Why wasn't anything ever easy? The two of them entered the room and, as soon as they did so, Ryan pleaded with them for mercy, continually apologizing.

  “Let's try to calm down and start from the beginning, shall we?” Ellen said, sliding into a chair opposite Ryan.

  Andy did the same, and both of them tried to give Ryan the chance to calm himself. He took a couple of deep breaths as Ellen asked him why he did it. When Ryan began speaking his voice was quivering. It wasn't long before he burst into tears again, and Ellen and Andy had to strain to understand the words through the sobbing.

  “I didn't mean to hurt anyone; I didn't want to do it I just...I thought this was the best way. At least
people wouldn't be hurt, you know, and I didn't think of it as stealing, really, but I couldn't face it on my own, all the responsibility.”

  “The responsibility of what?” Andy asked.

  “The farm. It's my father. He's ill, and the medications he needs...he was taking more than he should have and it all just ran out. I didn't even realize before it was too late, I had so much else to worry about. And the farm barely is surviving as it is. I knew if I wasn't able to pay for his medication then he was going to die and...and I wasn't ready for that. He's my father, I couldn't let him go like that, but we needed things to make the machines on the farm work and I didn't have enough money. I'm just so, so sorry that it came to this. I never wanted to do this. I just...I didn't see any other choice.”

  Andy and Ellen glanced at each other. They knew of the farm but weren't close with Ryan or Jonathan, and they had no idea Jonathan had been ill. Instead of a need for justice the two of them were filled with pity for the young man, especially Ellen, who knew the pain of seeing her parents ebb away before her eyes.

  “Why didn't you ask anyone for help?” Ellen asked softly.

  Ryan sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. The young man cut a pathetic figure but the two adults looked at him with sympathy. It would have been hard enough to care for the farm at such a young age, let alone when coupled with having to look after his father.

  “We've never really looked to the town. You know what it's like, we're all the way out there. We never really feel like we're a part of the community. Sure, people are nice to us when we come in and deliver supplies, but it's not like we ever come here to spend time with people. We're too busy. The farm has been in our family for generations and it's always been the same. Used to be that there was a big clan but over the years it has just dwindled until only the two of us were left. We're used to taking care of our problems by ourselves.”

  Ellen looked over at Andy and they were so in tune with each other that they knew what the other was thinking.

  “You are a part of the town Ryan, and you shouldn't suffer in silence. Look, what you did is wrong, there's no arguing about that. I think you are going to have to make amends to a lot of people in the town because, while you didn't actively harm anyone, you did inconvenience a lot of people, and more than a few of them were scared,” Ellen began.

  “But,” Andy continued, “there were no direct victims of this crime and, given the circumstances, I think we'd prefer to try helping you and your father. Like you say, the farm has been in your family for generations and if anything were to happen to it then it would be a detriment to the cultural value of East Pender. And more than that, we're sorry you don't feel like a part of the community. Perhaps we should see this as an opportunity for you and your father to come back into the fold and be a part of this town again.”

  Ryan barely could believe what he was hearing and he looked at Ellen and Andy in turn, blinking in disbelief.

  “You really mean it?” he asked.

  “Of course. We're not monsters Ryan, and people make mistakes. But you have to promise you'll try making it up to the people in town. And I do have to warn you, it's not going to be easy. A lot of them are very angry,” Ellen said.

  “But I think if we had a little fundraiser we could make some money for your father and hopefully that should ease your minds a little bit.”

  Ryan was unable to help himself as he rushed around the table to give them both strong hugs. It was unusual for a case to turn out this way but Ellen and Andy wanted more than anything to help the residents of East Pender. This evidently had been a cry for help. Ellen was true to her word and news soon spread about the fundraiser. Initially people were skeptical. They grumbled about the fact Ryan hadn't been served justice, but the young farmhand tried his best to make it up to everyone. He offered to do odd jobs, and his earnest manner won them over, as did the plight of Jonathan. It made them all look at each other, as they often were proud of the community spirit they had fostered in the small town. Yet, in this instance, a couple of people had been struggling and nobody knew anything about it.

  Ryan and Jonathan were welcomed into the cafe with open arms and everyone was in a joyous mood. Ellen was glad things had been resolved fully, and the crowd was jubilant. Scampy, as always, was barking and yapping playfully. Jonathan looked a little overwhelmed, as did Ryan, as the two of them hadn't been used to much social interaction in their time. But Ellen played the perfect host and soon had them chatting with a few people. When she left Ryan he had been in deep conversation with a pretty young girl. Ellen thought to herself that perhaps the family-run farm still had hope of another heir, and new blood would see it flourish once again.

  To see everyone in such good spirits warmed Ellen's heart and it put to rest the ugly memory of the crowd that had gathered in the square. It proved to her once again that East Pender was the finest place to live. Paul came to say his goodbyes, and shook Andy's hand, declaring that he hoped he would be able to do the man justice in the film. Ellen and Andy were rather icy toward him given everything that happened, but the rest of the crowd were sad to see him go. They all made sure to talk with him before he left, knowing there probably never would be anyone like him coming to their doorstep again. Only two people were missing from the event: Kelly and Matthew. Ellen still had not heard from her best friend and she was beginning to get worried, as Kelly never had been out of touch for so long. However, Kelly came waltzing through the door with a smile on her face and grabbed Ellen's hand, leading her to the side of the room.

  “I'm surprised to see you here,” Ellen said.

  “I know, and I'm sorry for shutting myself away like that,” Kelly said.

  “I'm just glad you're okay...you are okay, right?”

  “Yes, I'm wonderful, and I have something to ask you.” As Kelly spoke she clutched Ellen's hands tightly, “Will you be my maid of honor?”

  Ellen's eyes widened as she processed the news. After a moment of initial shock had passed she embraced her friend tightly, overjoyed at the news.

  “So the two of you are back together then?” Ellen asked.

  “And then some!” Kelly replied.

  “I only came in to ask you this. Me and Matthew are...going to have a quiet night in together and catch up on some of the time we missed,” Kelly said, with a coy expression. Ellen squealed with delight.

  “You have to promise to fill me in on everything that happened!” Ellen called out after Kelly had left, and Kelly did indeed promise that.

  The fundraiser was a success and by the end of it everyone was friendly with each other. The smile on Jonathan's face made it all worthwhile. Sometimes it was nice to remember that not all crimes were the morbid kind.

  Ellen and Andy returned to his house and cuddled up together, glad that the matter of the gas bandit had been resolved.

  “I bet you're glad Paul's gone,” Ellen said. Andy grunted in reply.

  “I know you didn't like it but thank you for actually trying,” she continued.

  “It means a lot to me that you would accept that it's happening and try helping him. I'm sorry if I pushed you toward it, by the way. I just thought it might help you forget about everything that happened. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the movie comes out. I know you won't want to watch it but I think I'll have to check it out, just to see what Paul does with the role.”

  Ellen spoke a little more until she fell fast asleep, the rigors of hosting a party had tired her out. Andy looked down at her and smiled. He was a fortunate man, and he thanked the stars every day that he was in such a position with her. However, the past played on his mind and, once again, a sleepless night beckoned. It was in the small hours of the morning when he was hit by the urge to wake up again. He went to his study and opened the file, reading through the letters once more, losing himself in the mystery of the person writing them. The moonlight streamed in through the window and a small lamp billowed out a sphere of light. Footsteps sounded in the hallway as Ell
en approached and yawned.

  “What are you doing?” she said, half-asleep. Andy looked down at the papers and exhaled deeply, then looked back at Ellen, who rubbed her eyes.

  “Nothing,” he said in a hollow voice, and stuffed the papers away, then went with Ellen to their bed.

  But he still couldn't get the letters out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. It was clear something dark, something dangerous, was coming. Sooner or later he would have to tell Ellen the truth. But who could have been sending the letters? Was it just a matter of time until they revealed themselves or would they continue with this charade for a while longer?

  Find out what Ellen discovers in book 8 of The East Pender Mysteries Here: http://amzn.to/2aKNEVH

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