by Cindy Bell
“Take it easy, now.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes as she stepped up beside Ally. “We all know Ally, we know she would never say the things Christian has claimed she did. Let’s keep in mind that his goal is to cause a scandal and to very likely tear this town apart. It’s up to us to show him that Blue River doesn’t fall that easily.”
“She’s right.” Mrs. White frowned. “I’m sorry, Ally, I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. I was more frustrated with Luke and the rest of the police department, as I’d like to see this murder solved. Then Christian wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, would he?” She quirked a brow. “Tell me, is he getting close?”
“He doesn’t really tell me too many details about the case.” Ally cleared her throat. She was sure that he would tell her even less now that he had good reason to doubt that the information would remain with her.
“Ladies, why don’t we focus on the chocolate? How do you like the taste of it?” Charlotte clasped her hands together as each woman took a sample.
Ally was relieved to have the focus off her. However, the day did not get any easier. All anyone discussed when they came in was the article, Christian, Luke, and Ally. As the traffic began to die down she became full of regret. Had one simple conversation with Christian really caused all of this?
* * *
While Ally and her grandmother went through the process of closing up the shop, Ally could barely hold a conversation with her because she was so distracted by the events of the day. She grimaced when her cell phone rang. She didn’t want to deal with anything else. But the sight of Luke’s name immediately brought a smile to her lips. She hesitated for just a second. What if he was calling to say that he really was upset with her?
“Hi, Luke.”
“Hey, Ally. How did things go this afternoon?”
“Not great.” She frowned. “How did things go for you?”
“Not great, either. Our main suspect has an alibi.”
“Billy?”
“Yes.”
“Luke, you don’t have to tell me about this, you know?” Ally had to force the words out. She was dying to know what he had to say, but she wanted to be sure that he trusted her.
“I know I don’t. But I trust you. And I know you’re as hung up on this case as I am. So, it turns out Billy was with Anita at the time that the murder took place. She claims she never left his side, so there’s no chance that he slipped away. Billy says that he didn’t tell us before, because he wasn’t sure of the exact time of the murder.”
“Really?” Ally scrunched up her nose.
“I also have some strange news. I decided to take a look at the property that Josh inherited, as well as the furniture. The property is as expected, an empty piece of land. But the furniture was not.”
“Oh? What do you mean?” Her mind reeled as she realized that Billy would have to be crossed off the list of suspects.
“I mean, I know antiques. I know what to look for, and that furniture didn’t seem antique to me.”
“Interesting.” Ally narrowed her eyes as she gestured for Charlotte to come closer. “Why would they claim they were antique if they weren’t?”
“Maybe they didn’t know. There is a certificate of authentication. Either I’m wrong, or someone conned the McArtles into thinking they had some very valuable furniture.”
“Hm. Maybe you could have an expert take a look?”
“We can, but since Josh is dead we can’t get his permission. At the moment the furniture is in limbo. Once we get approval from a judge we can have it evaluated, but it’s not exactly top of the list. It’s just a strange happening, I don’t see what it could have to do with the murder.”
“I don’t either, but I’ll see what I can find out in the meantime. I think Anita knows a good bit about antiques. I think she used to work in antiques. You should check with her.”
“Great thanks. I will.”
Ally hung up the phone, then looked into her grandmother’s eyes.
“So, we have a problem. Billy has an alibi.” Ally shared everything Luke told her.
“How strange. Anita mentioned she had an important meeting that day, but she never said anything about Billy going with her.”
“Maybe it was personal.” Ally shrugged. “But with her being at his side the whole time, there’s no way it could be Billy.” She sighed and chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “What a mess.”
“Ally, you’re not still upset about the article, are you?” Charlotte searched her eyes.
“A little. I can’t help feeling responsible for it.” Her cheeks burned.
“It wasn’t your fault. Christian would have written that article no matter what you said to him. He didn’t need you as a source, he made all of it up, anyway. Really, let yourself off the hook. Don’t dwell on this.”
“I know that I didn’t do anything wrong, but it just doesn’t feel that way to me.” Ally smiled some as her grandmother’s words softened the harshness of the comments she’d heard. “I hate to think that anyone believes what Christian wrote.”
“Don’t worry about it, don’t give it another ounce of your energy. All of this is going to be just fine.”
“Honestly, I don’t think it will be. I don’t think it will be fine until we figure out who the killer is.” Ally slouched down in a chair behind the counter. “And I don’t see how that’s going to happen. The worst part is, if we can’t figure it out, and the police can’t either, then we’ll just prove his article right.”
“The hard part is, Billy was the obvious suspect. If he didn’t do it, then whoever did, somehow had his bow and arrow? They stole it? Why? To frame him?” Charlotte shook her head. “That seems like a stretch.”
“It does, but it’s not impossible. However, maybe whoever stole the bow and arrows sold it to someone who participated in the contest.”
“It is hard to wrap my head around that, though.”
“I agree. And we can’t rule out Frank and Christian. Definitely not Christian.” Ally narrowed her eyes. “Ugh, every time I think of him, I just want to—”
“Now, now. No one can take your peace unless you hand it to them.” Charlotte patted her shoulder. “Let’s try to stay focused.”
“Focused on what?” Ally shook her head. “We have no idea who killed Josh. Billy wasn’t there, but it was his arrow that killed him. Frank might have done it, but he was Josh’s good friend, so why would he? And Christian is the scum of the earth, but I really can’t see him committing a murder just so that he could write an article.” She shook her head and stacked the last empty tray on the shelf.
“Now wait a second, let’s say Billy has just done a very good job of hiding his guilt in this matter. Could Anita be covering for him? I think we need to consider that his alibi isn’t true. Maybe there’s something more between him and Josh. Maybe he has something to hold over Anita’s head that made her claim she was with him. If that was the case then there is one person who would know the truth about all of this, that would be Anita.” Charlotte frowned. “With both of Billy’s parents gone, and no hint of who Josh’s close family is or whether they are even involved in his life, then Anita is our best source of information when it comes to Billy and Josh.”
“But what if Anita doesn’t want to tell us anything? How can we get her to tell us things without making it look as if we’re casting suspicion on Billy?” Ally chewed on her bottom lip. “The last thing I need is one more person in this town upset with me.”
“That’s true. It might be difficult to get her to tell us more. If we had the opportunity to take a look around her house, we might be able to find out more information.” Charlotte tilted her head from side to side. “It’s a risk, but if she’s protecting Billy we need to find out for sure. She claimed she had an appointment, but now suddenly she was with Billy the whole time? I think she might be lying about something. My guess is she’s lying to cover up for Billy, because he is her last connection to Karen. She was close to him when he was gro
wing up. She hasn’t mentioned it before, but she might love him like her own son.”
“That’s very possible,” Ally agreed. “I guess it would be worth taking a look.”
“I think it would be. It certainly can’t hurt.” Charlotte frowned as she wiped a cloth across the counter.
“But how are we going to get in to take a look around?” Ally raised an eyebrow.
“That won’t be too difficult. I’m sure I can come up with something.”
By the time they closed up the shop, Charlotte had a wide smile on her face.
“Let me guess, you know exactly what to do?” Ally met her eyes with a grin.
“It’s simple. I’ll pretend I left something at her house when I dropped off the trays. I’m sure she’ll let us take a look around for it. Hmm, I know, my key to the shop. It’s on a separate key ring, so I’ll say it must have slipped out when I was there. That should give us a little time. What do you think?”
“It sounds good, but it feels wrong, doesn’t it?” Ally frowned as she followed her grandmother out to the parking lot. “It’s one thing to dig into a suspect, it’s quite another to dig into a friend.”
“Yes, it is, but I still think it’s the right thing to do. If you’d like, I can do it on my own, Ally. I wouldn’t want to involve you in something that you’re not comfortable with.” Charlotte reached the car and turned around to look at her granddaughter.
“No, it’s okay with me.” Ally opened the door of her car. She did feel some hesitation about looking into Anita, but she was more concerned about finding out what really happened to Josh. Anita might not even know that she had the piece of evidence that would break the case wide open.
Chapter 13
When Charlotte and Ally arrived at Anita’s house, Ally’s stomach churned nervously. What if she didn’t want to let them look for the key? What if she saw right through the ruse and knew that they suspected she might be involved in covering up for a suspect? She pushed the thoughts away and tried to focus on the fact that if Anita was involved in covering up the murder, she needed to be exposed. No matter her reasons, Josh’s death couldn’t go unsolved.
Charlotte met her granddaughter’s eyes. “Ready?” She stepped up onto Anita’s porch.
“Ready.” Ally nodded as she stepped up behind her. Charlotte knocked three times and the door swung open.
“Charlotte? Ally?” Anita stood in the doorway as she assessed them both. “What’s wrong?”
Ally guessed that the worry etched across their faces conveyed some urgency.
“I’ve done something foolish. I’ve misplaced my key for the shop. I’ve looked everywhere for it, and then realized the last time I can remember having it was just before I brought the trays back to you.” Charlotte shook her head. “I was wondering if we could come in and take a look around for it? I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Of course you can. Come inside you two, right now. Feel free to look around the living room. I’ll look through the kitchen. I didn’t find it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not here.” Anita smiled as she waved them into the living room.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” Charlotte began to look under the couch cushions. “I can’t believe I misplaced my key, I am usually so careful. I guess I really am getting old.”
“Oh, it has nothing to do with getting old. I don’t believe that.” Anita shook her head. “It’s just because you’re so busy. With the shop, and Jeff.” She wiggled her eyebrows then headed into the kitchen.
“Oh stop!” Charlotte laughed, then shot a look at Ally. Ally nodded and surveyed the living room as closely as she could. However, she doubted that if Anita had anything to hide it would be out in plain view.
“Anita, do you mind if I use your bathroom? It’s a bit urgent.” Ally shifted from one foot to the other in a rather embarrassing dance.
“Of course, it’s just around the corner first door on the right.” Anita began looking under the kitchen table.
Ally headed down the hall, but she stopped before she got to the bathroom. If they were going to find out anything about Billy, or Josh, it wasn’t going to be found in the bathroom. It might be found in the study, though. As she stepped inside through the open door of the study she held her breath. As long as Charlotte kept Anita distracted, everything should be fine. But if Anita got wind of what she was up to, there would be no good explanation for her digging through her study. As quietly as Ally could she moved through the study towards the desk. It had several utility bills, a few personal letters, and a stack of yellow envelopes that had yet to be used. A pang of guilt washed over her as she remembered picking up the envelope and handing it to Anita when she saw her at the store. After a quick glance over the items she didn’t dig any further. Instead, she turned to leave the room.
As Ally walked towards the bathroom she passed the hall closet. It was open slightly. If Anita had anything she considered to be a skeleton, then maybe it would be hidden in there. As she pushed aside the coats she felt something solid behind them. Her fingertips ran across a smooth curve. After a few seconds she realized what it was. A bow! She pushed back the coats and stared at it. It certainly was a bow. She started to reach for it when she heard Charlotte call out for her. Instead of grabbing it, she pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture. Then she headed back to the bathroom. Charlotte met her at the door.
“Oh Ally, sweetheart, are you feeling okay? I told Anita you’d been having some tummy troubles.” She locked her eyes to Ally’s.
“I’m okay now, Mee-Maw, thanks.” Ally cleared her throat, then met her grandmother’s eyes. “And look what I found!” She held up her key from the shop. “It was in the bathroom!”
“It was?” Anita looked stunned as she stepped into the living room. “But I don’t think Charlotte used the bathroom while she was here.”
“How odd.” Charlotte’s eyes widened just a smidge. Tension grew thick in the room as Ally tried to think of a good explanation for how the key got into the bathroom. Just then, a cat prowled into the living room.
“Oh!” Anita laughed. “She must have thought it was a toy. She’s always hiding her toys around the house. So sorry about that, Charlotte, I’m glad that you found it.”
“Me, too.” Charlotte smiled as she took the key from Ally. Ally was relieved that their ruse hadn’t been exposed. Unfortunately, it had all been for nothing, as she hadn’t found anything out about Josh or Billy. But she had found a hidden bow, that might just mean something.
“Thanks again, Anita, and anytime you want some chocolate, just stop in!” Charlotte moved towards the door.
“Thanks, I might just do that.” Anita grinned. “And keep track of that key!”
“I will!” Charlotte laughed as she headed out the door. Ally followed after her. As soon as they were back in the car, Charlotte turned to Ally. “So, did you find anything?”
“Only this.” Ally showed her the picture of the bow in Anita’s closet. It was dark and grainy, but there was no doubt about what was hidden in the closet. “It seems a little strange to me.”
“Does it? It doesn’t seem strange at all to me.” Charlotte continued to study the picture closely. “Anita is a talented archer, she always has been. It doesn’t surprise me that she would have a bow hidden away. What were you thinking? That she might be the killer?” She laughed and shook her head. “I can’t see Anita doing anything like that.”
“No, but I thought maybe she was trying to protect Billy. I mean, she was best friends with Karen, and Billy is her son. She must feel a deep connection to him. Maybe she gave him an alibi, and decided to hide his bow when she heard that he was a suspect. What do you think?” Ally searched her grandmother’s eyes. “I know it may seem like a stretch, but it’s something, right?”
“Yes, it’s something all right.” Charlotte pursed her lips for a moment. “No connection between Josh and Billy, though?”
“No. But I couldn’t bring myself to search too deep. I jus
t glanced at a few things on the desk and took a peek in the open closet.”
“Maybe there was nothing there to find.” Charlotte shrugged as Ally started the car. “Just because she’s close to Billy, doesn’t mean she has any actual information that will help with the case.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“I think we need to reassess what we know. Should we go to my place?” Charlotte put her seat belt on.
“Sure.”
As Ally drove towards Freely Lakes she wondered if she should have snooped around a bit more. But there wasn’t enough time, and it just didn’t feel right to her. Anita was a well-respected and kind woman who as far as she knew had never done a thing wrong in life. She didn’t like the thought of treating her like a criminal.
As they stepped into Charlotte’s apartment Ally turned towards her grandmother.
“We missed something.” Ally stared at her grandmother as she tried to piece together the evidence they’d gathered. “Somewhere along the line, we’ve missed something very important.”
“But what?” Charlotte raised her hands in surrender. “We’ve gone over everything at least a dozen times. I’m not sure what we could be missing.”
“Let me think about it. I’m also going to send this picture to Luke and see if he can find anything that identifies the bow as Billy’s.” Ally sent off a text with the picture attached. Once the text was sent she sat down on the couch beside her grandmother. They went over every piece of information they knew so far. But it all led them in a circle, right back to Billy. It didn’t seem as if anyone else could have logically committed the crime, or had the motivation to take Josh’s life. Ally headed for home still feeling as if a key piece of evidence was missing. She hoped that everything would be clearer by the morning.
* * *
Ally made it home just before her two pets decided to tear apart the kitchen in search of food.