Picnics, Pies and Lies

by Cindy Bell

  “I know I’m late, I’m sorry, guys.” She set about preparing their dinner. Once finished she grabbed some leftovers from the refrigerator. Luke had texted to let her know he wouldn’t make it for dinner. She was tempted to ask him what he was working on, but resisted. Instead, she decided to try to distract herself with a little entertainment. One of her favorite shows was on, so she settled on the couch and tried to tune in. However, as she gazed at the screen she realized she had no idea what the plot was, or why the characters were angry at each other.

  Ally hadn’t been able to keep track of any of it because she was too restless. Her mind kept flitting back to the murder. Even though she wanted to just unwind and hope that something came to her, she just couldn’t relax. She knew the best way that she could clear her head was to take a walk. Arnold jumped up the moment she walked towards the door. She laughed and shook her head.

  “You just can’t get enough of these adventures, can you?” Ally took an extra minute to put on his harness and attach his leash. “What about you, Peaches? Do you want to join us?”

  The cat lifted her head from the back of the couch where she had sprawled out about an hour before. She sniffed the air, then rested her head on her crossed paws. “Oops, looks like she’s in for the night.” Ally smiled, then led Arnold out the door. Maybe a good dose of evening air would help her to feel more centered and energized. With everything on her mind, it was hard to even put two thoughts together. As they started off down the street, she found herself walking in the direction of the park. It was one of their favorite places to stroll, but she knew there was another reason she was headed that way. She couldn’t remember why until she saw the river. That trail had stuck out in her mind. She wanted to find out where it went.

  One glance at the sky reminded her that there wasn’t a lot of light left. Still, she wanted to see how far she could get. Once they crossed the small foot bridge it took her a few minutes to find the trail again. It was so well-hidden that she assumed most people overlooked it. But someone had used it, because the twigs and leaves had been trampled.

  Arnold hesitated at the edge of the path. He dug his nose into the leaves, then snorted. When he looked up at Ally, his eyes looked wide and anxious.

  “What is it, buddy? Do you smell something funny?” Ally ran her hand along the curve of his head. “It’s all right, if you don’t like anything, we’ll turn back, okay?”

  Arnold snorted, then took off down the path. She held tight to his leash as he had a tendency to try to break free. As he burrowed through the brush she picked her way through the open spaces between branches and overgrowth. The further they got into the woods the more uneasy she began to feel. The sun sank lower in the sky, and the canopy of trees above her head nearly blocked out all of the remaining light. For extra reassurance she turned on the flashlight on her phone and used it to illuminate the path. There was still enough sunlight to give her a general idea of where they were, but the path grew narrower as they traveled it. She noticed there were a few signs of life on it. Different bicycle tracks crisscrossed each other, and paw prints were clearly sunken into some of the damper spots.

  It felt eerie to be out in the woods alone, and despite believing that there was no one out randomly targeting people, she found herself watching for any signs of movement around her. There was nothing she could do to calm her nerves. As the trail began to widen she realized that she must be nearing the end of it. Arnold continued to sniff and snort along the way. She could see the opening of the trail, where more light spilled in, not from the sun, but from street lamps that had already turned on for the evening. A glance at her phone revealed they’d been walking for about twenty minutes.

  Just as Ally was about to step out, she caught sight of another trail. It veered off into the woods. It was thinner than the original trail, and it could almost be dismissed as just a bare patch. She shone her flashlight down the path, and realized that there was too much of a pattern to it for it not to be a trail. She was tempted to walk it, but it was already dark, and she had no idea where it would lead. She decided she would look into it the next day. Instead, she finished the remainder of the trail and stepped out into a grassy area. She could see the back of apartments. It was the old mill that had recently been converted into apartments.

  A second later the hairs on the back of her neck raised as she realized that she must be standing directly behind Christian’s apartment. As if to confirm that, she heard Max begin to bark from inside the apartment. She knew that if Christian caught them back there, she would have a lot of explaining to do. Instead of dealing with that she decided to head for the road. It was too dark to take the trail back, even though it would be a far quicker way home. As she walked she did the math in her head. Someone using that trail could have easily made it to the park in under a half hour. Billy had a supposed alibi. However, the bow in Anita’s closet stuck out like a sore thumb in her mind. If it was Billy’s, then she was certain Anita was lying to protect him, and that he was the killer. But would she really protect a murderer? Did she feel that much loyalty to Karen?

  By the time they arrived at home Ally was tired. So was Arnold. He curled up on his bed and began to snore within seconds. Ally sat down on her bed and invited Peaches into her lap. The cat curled up, yawned, then looked into Ally’s eyes. There was a quiet confidence in her furry friend’s presence. It was as if she was trying to draw out the same confidence in Ally. The way she held Ally’s gaze was knowing.

  “I know, I should have it by now.” Ally bit into her bottom lip. She closed her eyes. Frank had a fight with Josh. Anita and Christian were there, too. That meant that Frank, Josh, Anita and Christian were in the same place at the same time. Were they there together? Was it a meeting of some kind? If Luke was right about the furniture then the only thing of worth Josh had inherited was the land. Had he offered to sell it to Christian, or Anita? Why had he changed his mind about his plans with the land? That might just be the key. If Josh was ready to create something with Frank, what had led to him deciding against it? She fell asleep that night with that question circling around in her mind.

  Chapter 14

  The next morning Ally left early for the shop. Arnold huffed and snorted at the door until she finally decided to take him with her. He could enjoy some fresh air in his pen behind the shop. On the drive to the shop, she considered her options. She’d checked the paper that morning and discovered that there was no new article by Christian. He was certainly nosy. Maybe he would know exactly what Frank and Josh were arguing about, and how Anita might be involved. She decided to swing by his place before heading to the shop. As much as it made her blood boil to think of speaking to him, she knew he was her best source of information. She parked behind his apartment, and left Arnold in the car as she walked up to the door. As if Christian had a sixth sense, he stepped outside just as she raised her hand to knock.

  “Ally.” He smiled at her. “What a pleasant way to start my morning.”

  “Hmm, I wish I had felt that way when I read the article you wrote.” She narrowed her eyes.

  “You read it?” Christian grinned. “Did you like my work?”

  “Your work of fiction? No, not really.” Ally cleared her throat and reminded herself that she was there to gain information not make an enemy. “I heard that you were there when Frank and Josh fought. You didn’t mention any of that to me, during that casual conversation we had.”

  “Hmm, no I didn’t. But you also didn’t ask.” He raised an eyebrow. “I guess you just assumed that since I’m new in town, I didn’t know anything about anything.”

  “My mistake.” Ally held his gaze. “Perhaps you could tell me what they were fighting about?”

  “Haven’t you spoken to Frank?” He leaned back against the door frame and studied her. “He should be able to tell you.”

  “I did talk to him, and no he didn’t say a word about it. So, I’m asking you. Do you know why they were fighting?” She crossed her arms and conti
nued to stare straight back at him. She knew now, that he liked to toy with people. She wouldn’t give him an inch.

  “Settle down.” Christian raised his hands in surrender. “Yes, I heard them. They were arguing because Josh told Frank that their business venture was off. He wanted to know why. That’s when the old lady stepped in.”

  “Old lady?” She scowled. “That’s not very polite.”

  “Hey, I’m only telling you what I saw. Do you want me to tell you more or not?” He stood up from the door frame and crossed the distance between them. “What’s more important to you, courtesy, or the truth?”

  His question, and the way he posed it, made her throat go dry.

  “The truth, of course. Not that you would know what that is.” The words jumped out before she could think to stop them.

  “Ouch.” He laughed, his eyes flashed, and he stood so close that she was forced to take a step back. “You are feisty, aren’t you? Anyway, the woman stepped in, and she tried to explain to Frank why the business idea was a bad idea. Frank accused her of interfering, and told Josh that he was old enough to make his own decisions, and not to let himself be manipulated by the old lady.” He chuckled. “That’s when things got physical. I guess Josh thought he was being chivalrous by defending her honor. Either way, I broke it up, and everything was fine after that.”

  “Interesting. Thank you for telling me.” Ally’s mind churned with the new information. If Anita was pressuring Josh to give up on the idea with Frank, could that have stirred enough rage in Frank for him to go after Josh? She still didn’t quite believe it, since as far as she knew Frank would not benefit from Josh’s death, and they seemed so friendly at the picnic. But either way she was going to look into it more.

  “You’re welcome.” Christian tilted his head to the side and gave her a cocky grin. “I’m not such a bad guy, you know, once you get to know me.”

  Ally forced down the words she wanted to hurl at him. This wasn’t the time, and she didn’t want to be distracted. Something was beginning to fit together in the back of her mind, but the pieces wouldn’t fit just right. Still, a knowing brewed within her, one that she was sure would lead to the truth about Josh’s death. If only she could allow it to come to the surface.

  * * *

  When Ally arrived at the shop Charlotte was already there and opening up. She didn’t usually work so many days at the shop, only when she felt the urge to, but since they were working on a mystery, she was there to talk things out. Ally spilled the news about Christian the moment she stepped inside.

  “Oh, Ally you never should have gone to speak to him alone. That man is a scam artist!” Charlotte pursed her lips.

  “I know, but I couldn’t resist. Besides, like you said, if people will believe him over me, then they don’t know me well enough to be considered my friend. What do you think about what he said? Why would Anita have anything to do with Josh’s decision about the piece of property that he inherited? It doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Charlotte tapped her finger against the curve of her chin. “She’s also possibly covering up for Billy. Do you think she wanted to buy the property from Josh and give it to Billy? Maybe she’s really a lot closer to him than we think.”

  “Maybe.” Ally shrugged. “But then that really doesn’t explain why Billy would kill him. And why would she need to buy the property back when Billy already had a lawsuit filed against Josh to possibly get it back himself?”

  “Maybe she didn’t know about it?” Charlotte rubbed her head. “I’m not sure.”

  “We need to go back to the river.” Ally met her grandmother’s eyes. “That’s where the answer is going to be. We know that whoever did this, did it on foot. But they had to have a quick way to get there and to get away.”

  “You think something was left behind?” Charlotte nodded slowly. “Yes, that makes sense.” She glanced up at the clock. “We have about an hour before opening. But maybe we should wait until later and go after work?”

  “No.” Ally bit into her lip for a moment. “I think we should go now. When I walked the path it was too dark to see much, even while it was still quite light outside. I’d rather go now, while we have plenty of light, and the park should be fairly empty.”

  “I think that’s a good idea. We’ll have a better chance of finding something and plenty of time to look.” Charlotte reached for her purse.

  “Wait, I could just go on my own, Mee-Maw, if you want.” Ally studied her grandmother for a moment. Sometimes she forgot there was such a big age difference between them. Was it right to traipse her all around that narrow path?

  “I don’t think so. Are you forgetting who I am?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow as she locked eyes with her granddaughter. “There will never be a need to baby me, Ally. If we do anything, we do it together.”

  “Yes, Mee-Maw.” Ally’s cheeks burned with a hint of shame. She knew that her grandmother disliked it when she was protective of her. She couldn’t blame her. She was spry, intelligent, and could handle herself in any situation. More often than not, it was Charlotte coming to her rescue. “But if we go poking around we’re going to look suspicious. It might tip off whoever did this, that we might be on to them. We need to look like we have a reason for being there.” She tipped her head towards the back door which led to Arnold’s pen. “We can take Arnold with us for a walk. He did great helping me along the trail when it was almost dark. He might sniff something out for us.”

  “Yes, he’s good at finding things. Maybe he’ll notice something we don’t. I’ll get his leash.” Charlotte grabbed his leash and harness.

  The two of them stepped outside and Charlotte cooed at him as she opened his pen. Arnold leaped up with joy when she started to put the harness on him. She clipped the leash to the buckle on the harness and straightened up.

  As they headed for the car, Charlotte felt her heartbeat quicken. There was only so much time left before the murder would run cold. If there was something out there to find, she hoped they would be able to find it fast. On the way to the park Arnold wiggled around in the back seat. Usually he sat still, but today he seemed to be extra energetic.

  “Hmm, it seems to me that he’s looking for trouble.” Ally shook her head as she glanced into the back seat. “Maybe we shouldn’t have brought him.”

  “He’ll be fine, it’s just the heat. Pigs always want to find ways to cool off. I didn’t expect it to be so warm today.” Charlotte fanned herself with her hand.

  “I don’t think anyone did. This heat came out of nowhere.” Ally signaled to turn into the parking lot. “I’m sure not too many people will be out exploring this time of day or in this heat. We should be pretty safe to snoop around. I didn’t run into anybody last night. I hope we don’t run into Christian.” The memory of the way he smiled at her made a shiver run down her spine. “Hopefully, he won’t be out here.”

  “If he’s looking to cover up his tracks he might be.”

  Ally nodded, but the thought didn’t feel right. Christian rubbed her the wrong way, but he still didn’t strike her as a killer. At least not Josh’s killer. She did think the supposed reporter had a lot to hide, and a shattered moral compass. Perhaps his ability to be charming had clouded her view, but she didn’t see him as having enough motive to commit the crime.

  Chapter 15

  There were a few cars in the parking lot near the playground, other than that the park seemed empty. Ally parked near the river and they both climbed out of the car. When Ally popped open the back door, Arnold bounded out. She barely caught his leash before he took off towards the grass.

  “All right, slow down!” Ally laughed as she tightened her grip on the leash.

  “I told you he’d be able to help us out.” Charlotte matched her pace with theirs. Arnold tugged towards the river, but Ally guided him in the direction of the path that led across to the other side of it. After a short walk across the bridge, they began up the trail that led into the woods w
here the shooter was believed to have stood. Arnold was far more interested in what might be hiding underneath the fallen leaves than he was in any evidence that might have been overlooked. As Ally and Charlotte scoured the area, the sun continued to beat down on them.

  “I think the temperature is at least twenty degrees higher than it was yesterday.” Ally wiped some sweat from her brow and kicked a rock down the slope that led to the river. “I’m not sure that we’re going to find anything here. Maybe we should just head home. This heat might be too much for you.” She looked over at her grandmother with concern.

  “Don’t worry about me.” Charlotte waved her hand. “I grew up at a time when air-conditioning was a rare luxury. But you do look a little flushed.” She grinned. Then nudged her arm. “Ally, don’t be so serious. I know this is stressful, but we’re not going to find anything any faster by being stressed out.” She skimmed her eyes over the surrounding trees. They towered high above with thick outstretched branches that almost blocked out the sun. “I know the police said that this might have been where the arrow came from, but I wonder.”

  “Wonder what?” Ally followed her grandmother’s gaze.

  “It was overcast that morning, remember? Almost too chilly for the canoe race.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the river. “Even now, my view is a little blurred from this spot. What if we’re looking in the wrong place?”

  “Where else could we look?” Ally squinted against the sun as she stepped out from under the trees. “The river is long, and there are plenty of places where someone could hide.”

  “Hide, yes, but not necessarily shoot an arrow. I imagine that the killer needed to be close to shoot with such accuracy. This slope runs the length of the bank. There wouldn’t be any stability if the killer was any closer to the water.”

  “Yes, you’re right. I can see that.” Ally’s foot slipped some as she edged down the slope. “So where? Are you thinking the killer might have been in the water, too?”