by Linnea West
When I followed the prints to the yellow tape, I bowed under it and kept following. I tried to walk down low to the ground to try not to attract attention to myself.
"I told you that you needed to leave the area," Max's voice boomed again. I snapped my head up and saw Max charging in my direction. Crap, definitely not what I wanted to happen.
"Tessa, what the heck," Max said quietly as he got close to me. He was trying to remain ever the professional law enforcement officer, but also didn't want to make me angry. "I told you to stop. Just let us handle it."
"Sorry Max," I said. "But I was just looking at these boot prints that seem to be coming from the crime scene. I was wondering if you had seen them and if they could be a clue."
Max looked down and I couldn't quite tell, but he seemed to get a little pale. He squatted down to get a better look and after a beat, I did too. I wanted a closer look at them. Plus I didn't need another cop to see me inside the tape and come over to yell at me. Max was mumbling to himself.
"Do you think it is a clue?" I asked. I could tell there was just a touch too much excitement in my voice, but I couldn't help it. I was investigating a real crime scene.
"It might be," Max said. "I can't believe I missed this."
He stood up and waved another officer over. A younger man jogged over and Max told him to stand guard over the footprints while he walked me back to the truck. He grabbed me by the elbow and gently started to walk towards the truck. I stole a glance at his face and could tell that he was annoyed. It was well hidden, but after you date someone for so long, you can read the more subtle expressions on their face.
"I'm sorry Max," I said. "I didn't mean to mess things up."
"Well, I'd actually say it was more of a help than messing things up," Max said. "It is kind of annoying that I missed it in the first place. But don't take that as a sign that you should snoop around any more. So thanks, but now I really want you to go."
"Are you mad at me?" I asked quietly.
"Kind of," he said. "But there is one thing you can do to make me feel a little better."
I thought about that for a moment. Technically I was on a date with another guy, so I wasn't going to kiss him or anything. But I took the bait and asked.
"What can I do?" I asked.
"You can dress up for Halloween with me," he said. "And we can go together to the Halloween Hayride."
I tried not to look too shocked. I had already agreed to dress up with Clark. But one look at Max's hopeful face and the knowledge that he was upset with me was just too much.
"Okay sure," I blurted out. "That sounds fun."
Max's face broke into a wide, toothy smile. He ran his hand through his blond hair, which was always a sign that he was unabashedly happy. Well I was glad he was happy, because I had just walked myself into a real pickle. All of a sudden, I was supposed to be in a couples costume with two different men. And I was pretty sure they wouldn't agree for it to be a trio costume instead.
So now I had two mysteries to solve: Who killed Earl? And who would I end up in a couples costume with?
Chapter 8
Clink
I startled at the sudden sound of Mandy setting down a ceramic cup of coffee on the table in front of where I was currently resting my head on my arms. After finally leaving the field, Clark had dropped me off at home. But my parents were waiting up for me. They had heard all of the sirens and turned on the police scanner to hear all of the details. They had tried to call me, but of course my flip phone had been shoved down in my pocket while I was doing my investigation.
Instead, I had spent almost two hours talking to my parents once I was home. I had gone over every detail from how we found Earl's body to which police officers had shown up. Part of it was morbid curiosity on their part, which was definitely an integral part of living in a small town. Part of it was my need to go over all of the details. And part of it was figuring out exactly what to tell any guests who may catch wind of the murder. Thankfully, most people who stayed at the inn were originally from Shady Lake and probably wouldn't be scared off. And most of the motel guests were only around for a night or two before moving on.
So here I was the next morning slurping down coffee to try and wake up. I had been so exhausted that I had forgotten to turn off my alarm for the next morning. Once I woke up at 6, I hadn't been able to go back to sleep. My parents had nicely suggested that instead of bumbling around trying to serve breakfast, maybe I should head down the the Donut Hut for some coffee and breakfast.
"Once you are done gulping down that coffee, I'd really like to hear about what in the world happened last night," Mandy said. I had sent her a text when I got home and was half asleep last night that said I had found a dead body so naturally she wanted to hear a few more details.
"I gather it was connected to all of that police stuff happening down by the field," Mandy said. I knew that she knew more than she was letting on. She had an annoying habit of trying to get information by acting innocent and clueless except she was chewing her lip which was always a dead giveaway. Plus Trevor worked as a dispatcher, so even if he hadn't been on duty last night, one of his buddies would have alerted him to the unique situation.
"Okay, it isn't really that exciting of a story," I began.
"Umm, earth to Tessa, you found a dead body," Mandy jumped in, almost jumping out of her chair with excitement. "Of course it was exciting! So spill."
And spill I did, telling her every detail and ending with the problem of who I would decide to plan a costume with. By the time I got to the end, Mandy's eyes were gigantic, almost popping out of her head. She had been excitedly drinking coffee the entire time I had been talking.
"So who are you going to dress up with? Clark or Max?" Mandy asked. She was wringing her hands in front of her, in obvious distress for my situation. She and Trevor had been dating for a long time and despite my dislike for him, they never really fought. So my love life struggles were now her soap opera. That was just fine because her excitement meant she was more than willing to also help me figure out the messes I get myself into.
"I have no idea, but I'm more concerned with making sure the Halloween Hayride happens as scheduled," I said.
"Well you don't really have to worry too much because I have news too," Mandy said. She folded her hands and leaned across the table conspiratorially. "Trevor says that they already have a prime suspect."
Now it was my turn for my eyes to pop out. How in the world did they have a suspect already? Maybe I really was a crappy detective if I hadn't already figured it out. I pushed my self-doubt aside and waited for Mandy to spill the beans. She was drawing out the conversation by slowly eating her donut and drinking her coffee. I may have been the one to move away to the big city for a while, but Mandy had no trouble bringing drama on her own.
"The police are thinking Ralph may have done it," she whispered across the table at me. "You know, that big oaf who always follows Earl around?"
"That would certainly make sense considering the big footprint I found," I said. I leaned back in my chair to think a little more about it. I realized I didn't know all that much about Ralph or Earl. I'd need to put on my investigative hat and snoop around a bit. I did feel a little guilty because Max had distinctly told me not to investigate. But it wasn't just every day that a real life murder mystery falls into my lap.
Ding ding
The door opened and Ronald walked in looking dazed. That poor man always seemed to take the weight of the world onto his shoulders. Or, at least, the weight of Shady Lake. He stood in the doorway for a moment before he spotted me. A few of the other regulars tried to wave and greet him, but he seemed not to notice them. He smiled briefly at me as he started to make his way over.
"I really should get back to work," Mandy said. "I'll leave you to deal with Mayor Panda."
I grabbed her arm to stop her as she tried to walk past me to the kitchen.
"Hey, are you busy tonight?" I asked. "Because I have a few things I need to do a
nd I need a partner in crime."
"You're lucky I'm free, bored, and Trevor is working," Mandy said. "Because I'm a little afraid you mean that literally."
"I'll pick you up at 7," I whispered. Mandy winked at me and went back to work.
As Ronald lumbered up to my table, I noticed he looked even worse close up. His shirt which was usually crisply ironed, was all wrinkled. The black circles under his eyes were even more pronounced than usual. His shirt had even been buttoned wrong. He didn't even bother to smile again as he waved to a few of the townspeople that he walked by. Apparently he had been on a mission to find me and once he did, he could greet other people.
"Tessa, I'm sure you've heard what happened," he said gravely as he sat down across from me. He folded his hands in front of him on the table. "If not, I come bearing some very bad news."
"Don't worry Mayor," I said. "I know all about what happened last night. I was actually there when the body was discovered."
Ronald's mouth gaped open and I gathered that he had not been told much about what had happened. I thought it was awfully strange for the mayor to not know what was going on.
"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that Tessa," Ronald said. "What an awful thing to have happen. I was not aware you had been there. But I was glad to see you. We are going to need some good planning to make sure this Hayride happens and is just as profitable as it is other years."
"Don't worry Mayor," I said. "I will make it my personal mission to make sure that this Hayride is successful. Whatever happened to Earl can't change one of Shady Lake's oldest and most fun traditions."
Ronald looked visibly relieved, letting out a large exhale as he sat back in his chair. I almost wanted to get up and give him a big hug, but I settled instead for a friendly little pat on his forearm. Suddenly, I noticed that the special watch Ronald always wore was gone. All employees of the city were given a special watch once they had been working there for five years. It was a source of pride for all employees and once they received them, they wore them proudly.
"Is your watch being repaired?" I asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you not wearing it."
Ronald stared at his wrist as if he had just noticed it was gone. The wrist he normally wore it on even had a small indent where it always sat. But today Ronald absentmindedly rubbed the indent while he stared off into the distance.
"I'm actually not sure where it is," he said. "I just noticed it was gone when you pointed it out. I'm actually going to leave you now so I can figure out what I did with it."
He rose from his chair and started to make his way to the door. He walked almost as if he were in a daze.
"Ronald," I called. He turned and looked at me. "I promise I will make sure that the Hayride happens."
"Thank you Tessa," he said. Ronald smiled a real, genuine smile. "I appreciate that."
And I meant it. I was going to get to the bottom of this murder. No one could come to Shady Lake and just ruin our Halloween Hayride.
Chapter 9
At seven o'clock sharp,I pulled up in front of Mandy's building. She lived above the Donut Hut downtown. When her parents owned the Donut Hut, they used to rent out the apartment upstairs for a little extra income. When Mandy took over, she decided to just move in because she and Trevor needed a place to live anyways.
I parked in the alley next to the shop like I normally did. I wasn't supposed to, but I did it anyways. Mandy came bounding out of the door, dressed in head to toe black. Sometimes I swore that we were mindlinked. All I had told her was that we were going to go do some things and she had rightly assumed that meant some shady investigation that required stealth. I was also dressed all in black and had brought along a bag of dark clothes for Mandy, which would apparently not be needed.
Mandy jumped in the front seat of the station wagon. Her eyes were dancing with excitement. She might say she doesn't like gossip or to meddle, but she had no qualms joining my meddling.
"Where are we headed?" she asked. "I'm assuming the field?"
"You bet your sweet bippy," I said as I shifted into drive and rolled out of the alleyway. I didn't like to park there at night and I was always glad when I was able to leave the alley.
The streetlights were coming on and as we drove by the high school, the soccer team was playing a game under the stadium lights. The stands were filled with spectators and I could even see the cheerleaders waving their red and blue pompoms. Even after a murder, Shady Lake still managed to be cozy and comforting. I turned onto a gravel road and drove out to the middle of nowhere.
"What are we going to do if there is a police officer stationed there?" Mandy asked over the low din of an old country western song on the AM station. "Won't it look awfully suspicious if we roll up all dressed in black?"
"Do you really think they have someone stationed out here?" I asked. "If they have a suspect already, I'm sure they think it is all cut and dry. But I'm not so sure it is."
"Why not?" Mandy asked. She was digging through her purse. She fished out a pack of gum and I stuck out my hand for a piece. She took out two pieces, one for each of us and she handed me a foiled wrapped piece.
"I just don't think Ralph makes sense as a suspect," I said. The headlights lit up just a small patch of gravel in front of my car as we drove. "I assume he is being paid by Earl, right? So why would he kill his source of income? And it seems like Ralph is the only person Earl wasn't a total jerk to. So what would be Ralph's motive?"
Mandy popped her gum for a few moments while she thought about it. It was a totally unappealing habit she had done since middle school, but the one upside to it was that it meant she was always carrying at least one pack of gum.
"You're right," she said with a shrug. "Once you actually think about it, it doesn't make much sense at all."
I nodded and slowed the car down. I always forgot where the actual turn-in for the field was. Plus, as we came up to the turn, I wanted to make sure we didn't look too suspicious just in case Mandy was right and there was someone there. But the coast was clear and I drove down and parked in front of the sheds.
"Here's our game plan," I said as I handed Mandy a flashlight. "We are just going to walk slowly around the area and look for anything I missed before. But it is very important that we don't touch anything."
Mandy rolled her eyes at me, which I ignored. It's not that I think she's an idiot, but people mess up crime scenes all the time. I had to make sure she understood what to do. We both quietly climbed out of the car. I started to walk towards the field and I motioned for her to stay close to me.
We walked up the gravel driveway towards the field where the tractor was still sitting surrounded by tape. I swept my beam of light back and forth, looking for anything out of place. So far, all that I saw were a bunch of footprints that seemed to belong to the police. From the looks of it, they weren't too careful about where they walked. No wonder they had already bumbled when I had been the one to find the footprints.
When we got to the edge of the field, Mandy suddenly stopped. I turned back towards her and saw her clenching her jaw for a moment before the gum popping started up again, this time even more fast and furious than it had been before.
"You don't have to be scared," I said. "I'm pretty sure this wasn't just some random killing. The murderer won't be here any more."
"I know, I know," she said shaking her head violently. "I just can't get the thought out of my mind. Let's just finish up and get out of here."
I ducked under the caution tape and waited for Mandy to do the same. After a moment's hesitation, she did, all while muttering about why in the world she was friends with me at all. I ignored her and soldiered on into the field.
The ground was lumpy and grass covered. Even though it was a farm field, nothing had been farmed there in decades. It had been kept an empty field just for the Halloween Hayride. Someone came out once every two weeks and mowed it all down to the ground to keep it from becoming too overgrown. There were a few trees here and there and a giant ro
ck in the middle of the field. It all made the large orange tractor stick out like a sore thumb.
"Hey, what's that?" Mandy said, suddenly stopping in her tracks.
I followed the beam of light coming from her flashlight, my eyes landing on something that was glinting in the light. I couldn't tell what it was or even how big it was.
"I'm not sure," I said. "Stay here and keep your light on it and I'll go over and check it out."
I tried not to get too hopeful that I'd found some big clue because most likely, we had found something like a gum wrapper left over from the last Halloween Hayride. But as I got closer, I realized it was much bigger than a piece of garbage.
Holy moly, I thought. I have hit the motherlode.
Laying in the dirt, mostly covered by some weeds, was a watch. And not just any watch. It was a five year, commemorative watch. Just like the one that was given to all city employees. Just like the one Ronald had misplaced.
"Mandy, you're gonna want to see this," I called back to her. She tiptoed closer. She was going so slowly I just knew that she was unsure if I was gonna show her a clue or some severed body part. But when she got close enough, she gasped.
"No way," she said as she bent down to get a closer look. "Isn't that one of those fancy, city hall watches?"
"It certainly is," I said. "And Mayor Ronald was missing his watch when I talked to him this morning. When I asked him about it, he said he didn't know where it was."
Mandy stood up stick straight, seemingly frozen in time except for her eye which were darting back and forth. I took Mandy's phone out of her other hand and took a picture of exactly where the watch was and what it looked like when we found it. Then I used a stick to move it around and try to see it a little better. No doubt about it. It was definitely the watch of a city employee.
"But, you don't think Ronald could have done this, right?" she asked. I tried to answer, but I really didn't know. So I just opened and shut my mouth a few times, trying to think through exactly what I thought.
On one hand, Ronald certainly had a motive. Earl was trying to ruin the town's largest fundraiser. Ronald took his job as mayor very seriously. He wouldn't just let Earl get away with it. I'm sure whatever Earl had been doing out here that night hadn't been something to help us out. On the other hand, as far as I know, Ronald wouldn't hurt a fly. He was the nicest man ever. Plus, he would never put the Halloween Hayride at risk.