“I don’t think anyone would’ve attacked if you were there,” Landon said. “The working theory is that our suspect is a woman.”
“Because only two men were present or because a man would’ve been noticed going in the women’s bathroom?” Clove asked.
“Well, kind of both,” Landon said. “We believe Fay was attacked about twenty minutes before you found her.”
“See, Thistle,” I prodded. “We were outside then. There’s nothing we could’ve done.”
“Fine,” Thistle said, whipping the cloth off her face and sitting straighter. “That does make me feel a little better. Where is my pad Thai?”
Clove wordlessly handed her a container, although I didn’t miss the small smile playing at the corner of her lips. Thistle was a pain in the rear end, but no one enjoyed it when she was morose. For some reason, because it happened so rarely, it was harder to swallow.
“Noah is still convinced it’s the three of you, but I pointed out your outfits were too skimpy to hide a knife, and I saw the inside of Bay’s purse. The rest of you didn’t have purses when questioned.”
“How did he take that?” I asked, holding out my fork so Landon could have a bite of my lunch.
“Not well,” Landon replied after swallowing. “He’s convinced I’m making that up because it’s a detail he would’ve noticed. He was a real … pill … this morning. To be fair, I don’t think he found another place to sleep until it was really late. He had to Google local inns, and then he couldn’t find the proper names of the roads on the signs in the dark. He was not happy.”
“Where did he land?” Clove asked. “There are about ten inns in the general vicinity.”
“I have no idea,” Landon said. “Tell me about your chat with Edith.”
I related the conversation, every surreal tidbit of it, and then sat back to study Landon’s face as he considered the information.
“I don’t buy it,” Landon said finally. “What kind of person holds onto a grudge that long?”
“The kind who can’t let things go and is bitter,” I replied. “Mrs. Little is definitely bitter.”
“Do you think she’s also a murderer?” Landon asked. “I’m going to have to question her about all of this, and I’m not looking forward to it. In fact, I have no idea how to question her because I don’t want to bring up the magic stuff in front of Noah.”
“Maybe you should let Chief Terry question her,” I suggested. “He’s still involved in the investigation, and he understands all of the intricacies involving my family.”
“Is that convenient way of saying you’re all nuts?” Landon challenged.
“Dude, you canoodled a candle last night,” I said. “You have no room to talk.”
“I guess it’s good I like my women crazy,” Landon said, shaking his head. “Okay. I’ll talk to Chief Terry and send him in Mrs. Little’s direction this afternoon. I have no idea where to point Noah, though. He wanted to have lunch so we could strategize, but I couldn’t take another second of his moaning.
“When I told him I was coming here for lunch he just about had a fit,” he continued. “He reminded me of a kid melting down in the toy aisle because his mother won’t buy him the spaceship he wants. His attitude is getting old.”
“How angry was he that you stayed with me?” I asked.
“Very.” Landon’s eyes were warm as they locked with mine. “He knows where I stand with you, though, and he honestly wasn’t surprised. He thinks you’ve cast a spell on me or something. That’s what he said. He has no idea how close he is to the truth.”
I balked. “You can’t cast a love spell on someone,” I argued. “They never work. People’s hearts and minds can’t be twisted that way. If you love me, it’s because you really love me.” I was being defensive, but couldn’t seem to help myself.
“I know that, Bay,” Landon said, his face incredulous. “I was teasing you. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Oh.”
“Good grief, woman,” Landon muttered, pointing to the tray for another mouthful of food. “Do you really think I believe you bewitched me?”
“I don’t know,” I hedged. “Sometimes you act confused about why you’re still hanging around when we do something stupid.”
“That’s because I don’t want anything happening to you,” Landon said. “That’s love. It’s real love, in fact. I know how I feel, and I know the only thing you did to make it happen was be you. Just … chill.”
“Oh, so sweet,” Clove said, sighing.
“Yes, it’s delightful,” Thistle deadpanned. She was still unhappy, but the color was returning to her cheeks. “Part of Edith’s story makes sense. Mrs. Little has hated Aunt Tillie for as long as I can remember. I never gave much thought as to why.”
“A high school grudge isn’t something to kill over,” Landon argued.
“It depends how deeply you feel things,” Thistle said. “Besides, Edith said that’s where it started. It obviously didn’t end there. Mrs. Little has been building up resentment for decades. I’m guessing things really got out of hand when she fell in love with Floyd and had an affair with him.
“She was angry because she thought Aunt Tillie was helping to keep Floyd away from her when really the only thing Aunt Tillie wanted to do was kill Floyd because he was beating his wife,” she continued. “Floyd was a nasty piece of work. That’s why he turned into a poltergeist and tried to kill Bay.”
“Don’t remind me,” Landon growled, squeezing my knee. He clearly wanted to anchor contact between us because he worried I was dwelling on the bewitching thing. I responded by resting my cheek against his shoulder, which caused him to kiss my forehead.
“Oh, I love you guys when you’re cuddly,” Clove said. “I miss seeing this at the guesthouse.”
“Shut up, Clove,” Thistle barked. “I’m talking.”
“I don’t miss that,” Clove said, making a face. I couldn’t help but smile. I did miss that. Our lives were in flux and nothing would be the same again. I realized things would eventually get better, though, and I wished that day would hurry.
“Mrs. Little is the type to let things boil her butt for decades and then snap,” Thistle offered. “Maybe she finally snapped and this is the outcome.”
“I think she’s capable of murder,” I admitted. “She has some sociopathic tendencies, even though I believe she truly loved Floyd. I’m not sure it’s her, though. The only thing I’m sure about is that it isn’t Aunt Tillie.”
“We always knew that,” Thistle said. “The old bat is crazy, but she’s no murderer.”
“No, she’s not,” Landon agreed. “Noah is convinced she is. As long as he’s focused on Aunt Tillie, though, that allows Chief Terry and me to anticipate his moves. He’s fairly predictable. Even though he’s not staying at The Overlook, I’ll still be able to keep an eye on him.”
“We need to figure out where he’s staying,” I said, lifting my head as the wind chimes over the front door jangled to signify a customer’s entry. To my surprise, I found my father standing in the doorway. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hi, Bay,” Dad said, offering me a wan smile as he stepped further into the store. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“We’re just eating lunch,” Landon said, gesturing toward the empty chair at the edge of the carpeted area. “Join us. I bought enough food to feed an army.”
“I have to be back out at the Dragonfly because we’re expecting a delivery, but I wanted to talk to you guys, and lucked out because you’re all here,” Dad said, sitting. His relationship with Landon wasn’t exactly warm, but it was improving. He actually smiled when Landon nudged the container of spring rolls in his direction. “We had a surprise guest show up in the middle of the night, and given the rumors flying around town I figured you’d want to know.”
“Well, that answers that question,” Thistle intoned. “Agent Goober is staying at the Dragonfly. My only question is: Did he know our fathers owned the inn before he checked in
?”
“He knew,” Dad supplied. “He called in the middle of the night, and Teddy checked him in. We didn’t think a lot about it at first. We were tired and distracted. He said he was an agent and he had a government credit card.
“This morning he took the opportunity to grill all three of us over breakfast,” he continued. “He wanted to know what we thought about Tillie and the possibility of you guys covering for her.”
“That jerkoff,” Landon muttered, shaking his head. “I can’t believe he did this.”
I could believe it. I was more disappointed in the fact that we didn’t anticipate it. “What did you tell him?”
Dad’s eyes twinkled. “What do you think I said? I said that Tillie was a murderer and you guys would be more than willing to help her hide a body.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“He’s joking, Bay,” Landon admonished. “Your sarcasm detector must be on the fritz today.”
“I told him the truth,” Dad said. “I told him that our relationship with Tillie is tempestuous because she’s a busybody. I also told him she’s loyal to a fault and wouldn’t murder anyone. Then I told him if he suggested the three of you were guilty of anything he would have to leave. He quieted down pretty quickly after that. He grumbled a little about crazy people not respecting his authority, but I have a feeling that has to do with how he got kicked out of The Overlook.”
“Mom had a good time doing it,” I said. “She was going to kick him in the face if she needed to.”
Dad chuckled. “That sounds about right. I need to know what you guys want me to do. We’ll kick him out, too. We’re more than willing.”
“Don’t do that,” Landon said, glancing at me. “It might be uncomfortable for you to have him there, but he also might tell you something he’d be less likely to share with me. He’s not thrilled about my relationship with Bay, and I think he’s withholding a few tidbits from me because of that.”
“Do you want us to ferret out information?” Dad asked.
“If you can do it in an unobtrusive manner, go for it,” Landon replied. “But if your unobtrusive manner resembles your daughter’s, don’t do it. He’ll catch on to that pretty quickly.”
I was pretty sure I should be insulted. “Hey!”
“You’re beautiful, sassy and wise, sweetie,” Landon said. “You’re a terrible liar and your undercover skills are horrendous. We all have crosses to bear. Those are yours.”
Dad chuckled. “We can feel him out,” he said. “He’s our only guest tonight. We have another couple checking in tomorrow. What’s this all about?”
“It’s a really long story,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Suffice it to say this town’s dark underbelly might be exposed before long.”
“And Tillie?” Dad prodded. “How is she taking things?”
“Now that she’s not rooming with Thistle and me, much better than before,” I replied.
“It sounds as if I’ve missed a lot,” Dad said. “We should have dinner and catch up.” It was a pointed suggestion.
“We will,” I promised. “We can’t talk freely in front of Agent Glenn, though.”
Dad pushed himself to his feet. “I understand that,” he said. “As soon as he leaves, though, I expect a visit from you three. You can bring your boyfriends.”
“We’re looking forward to it,” Landon said. “Thank you for telling us where Noah is staying. I think it might come in useful.”
“Good luck,” Dad said. “He’s convinced Tillie is guilty because she’s mean. I tried explaining that’s her personality and that she’d rather torture someone than kill them, but he doesn’t believe me.”
“That’s what I said,” I chortled.
“Great minds think alike,” Dad said, winking. “I’ll be in touch if he lets anything slip. You guys take care of each other. If someone is killing people and they realize you’re sticking your noses in it, you could become targets.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Landon said, grim. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect them with my life.”
“And that’s the only reason I like you,” Dad said. “Good luck. I think you’re going to need it.”
Twenty-Five
I left Clove to deal with the remnants of Thistle’s hangover after lunch, sharing a hug with Landon on the sidewalk in front of the store before he trudged off in the direction of the police station. Noah’s suspicions were wearing on him, but there was nothing I could do to ease the pain except focus on the case. The sooner we solved it, the sooner Noah would hightail it out of Hemlock Cove.
I pointed myself in the direction of the bakery, breathing a sigh of relief when I found it empty except for the owner, Mrs. Gunderson. She lifted her eyebrows when she saw me, shooting me a warm smile.
“Hello, Bay.”
“Hi, Mrs. Gunderson,” I said, approaching the counter. My relationship with the woman wasn’t one of ease and comfort. She’d always been pleasant and nice to me, but she knew I was aware of her husband’s beatings. Her former friendship with Aunt Tillie eroded over the years, but at her core I knew Mrs. Gunderson was a good person. “How have you been?”
“I can’t complain,” Mrs. Gunderson replied. “We do better business in the winter because most people don’t want coffee and doughnuts in the summer. I enjoy the down time, though.”
I’d never considered that. “I need your help.”
Mrs. Gunderson stilled, her face unreadable. “I see.”
“I have a feeling you know what I’m here about,” I said, pressing forward despite her obvious reticence. “I’m not trying to stir up trouble. I hope you know that. You’ve lived here all your life, though, and you’re familiar with the players.”
“And you’re loyal to your aunt and desperate to protect her,” Mrs. Gunderson said, filling in the blanks. “I understand why you’re here, Bay. Take a seat and I’ll get you something to drink. Do you want coffee or iced tea?”
“Iced tea, please.”
I sat at the small table in the corner, watching Mrs. Gunderson prepare two glasses of iced tea before she joined me. She seemed resigned to my questions.
“Okay, let me have it,” Mrs. Gunderson said once she was settled. “What do you want to know?”
“What do you know about Patty Grimes?” I asked, going for the easiest question first.
“Patty was a few years older than us,” Mrs. Gunderson replied. “I wasn’t particularly close with her. My family was very poor when I was younger and I had to work on the farm, so I didn’t have time to play around like most of the other kids. I wasn’t privy to a lot of the gossip, and the other girls looked down on me.”
That made sense. “Still, I’m sure you were aware of her.”
“I was,” Mrs. Gunderson confirmed. “She always seemed … lost. You know she never married, right?”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,” I said. “Maybe she never found the right person.”
“She was convinced a man named Victor Donahue was the right person. She was determined to nab him.”
There was that name again. It seemed farfetched to believe Victor had a place in this tale sixty years after he had a leading role, but it appeared more and more likely. “I met Victor yesterday,” I said. “He’s in a home in Bellaire. Someone else brought up his name, so we checked him out.”
Mrs. Gunderson’s eyebrows shot up her forehead. “He’s still in the area? I thought for sure he moved downstate or somewhere. That was the rumor I heard.”
“He could’ve moved downstate,” I clarified. “I only know he’s in this area now. I have no idea where he’s been. I also heard a rumor that he had some sort of weird triangle with Aunt Tillie and Patty.”
Mrs. Gunderson chuckled. “When you say it like that it sounds like a small-town soap opera.”
“I think it kind of is.”
“You’re probably right,” Mrs. Gunderson said. “Victor Donahue was one of those kids who was a
big shot in high school but you knew would amount to nothing in the real world. At least I knew that. What’s funny is I could recognize it in him and not Floyd. But that’s a whole other discussion.”
Not for the first time my heart went out to the woman. She’d lived a rough life. “So what happened between Patty and Victor?”
“Victor was used to female attention, so when Tillie and Patty fought over him he enjoyed it,” Mrs. Gunderson replied. “Patty really liked him and saw him as her future. Tillie was playing a game. She didn’t really care either way.”
“Victor chose Aunt Tillie and then realized too late she didn’t want a relationship,” I surmised. “Am I right?”
“Pretty close,” Mrs. Gunderson said. “Tillie went out on exactly two dates with Victor before Calvin showed up on the scene. That was all she wrote for Victor and Tillie’s romance. By that time he’d already hurt Patty’s feelings, although I think she still would’ve taken him back. Victor was smart enough to know that she’d hold it over his head forever.
“Patty was convinced Victor would come running to her for reconciliation,” she continued. “She told everyone who’d listen that it was about to happen. Margaret and her cronies fed into that. Viola and Fay told everyone it would happen, too.”
“It didn’t happen, though,” I said. “Victor left town.”
“He did,” Mrs. Gunderson said, nodding. “He joined a logging crew. That was big business in this area back then. It seems strange to think about it now, but that was one of the primary ways for young men who weren’t headed to college to make a living.”
“What did Patty do?”
“She made excuses for a little bit, and then she fell apart,” Mrs. Gunderson replied. “She let Margaret feed her rage, and picked a fight with Tillie. By that time Calvin and Tillie were engaged, so Tillie had moved past Victor and didn’t care where he ended up. That made things worse for Patty, though.
“I married Floyd soon after, and my life was not what I dreamed, so I kind of fell out of touch with that crowd because I was embarrassed,” she continued. “Margaret had a little club of gossipy nags, and she led full offensives against Tillie. Like I said, I was … beneath … them. That’s what they thought, anyway. None of their efforts worked, though, and I often wondered what Margaret really wanted when she mounted an assault.”
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