Mountains, Marriage and Murder

by Patti Benning

  She had felt better about leaving before she had learned about the argument between Eli and Brian. She didn’t like the thought that the young man might have had something to do with the marriage officiant’s death. The idea of leaving her daughter behind made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t know that she had an option.

  Her eyes fixed on Brian. Other than when he had complimented the soup, he hadn’t said anything for the entire meal. He was sitting between Eli and his girlfriend, but hadn’t so much as glanced at either of them. Victoria seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder as well. She was talking animatedly to Allison, but hadn’t said a word to Brian since they had sat down. They had definitely had some sort of falling out.

  Moira sighed. It was probably best if she didn’t say anything. It would be more dangerous if the killer thought that she suspected something. Once Candice and Eli were safely on their honeymoon, then she could relax. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn’t her job to solve this crime. The lead detective on the case seemed very capable; she was sure he would figure it out in time.

  “What time do you have to leave tomorrow, Mom?” Candice asked.

  “Our flight leaves at eleven. We should probably leave the cabin no later than eight.” She, David, Denise, and Reggie were all taking the same flight back to Michigan. It would be good to be back on familiar ground, even knowing that her daughter wouldn’t be returning for a couple of weeks.

  “I’ll set my alarm so I’m up in time to say goodbye,” her daughter promised. “We were all thinking of going on a hike together, so getting up early will probably be a good thing.”

  “Do you want me to make some snacks for you to take with you?” the deli owner asked.

  “We can make our own.” Her daughter grinned. “I am a married woman, after all. I’m sure I can figure out snacks.”

  By the time dinner was over, Moira had made her decision. She wanted to drive into town and talk to JoJo, the owner of the little restaurant that had catered the reception. If one of her employees had had some sort of issue with Paul Brown, she would certainly be the one to know. She would feel much better about leaving if she was certain that the killer wasn’t anyone in the wedding party. That peace of mind would go a long way towards helping her relax on the flight home.

  David offered to do all the dishes, since she had cooked. Normally, Moira would have stayed and helped him, but today she simply thanked him and told him about her plan to go into town.

  “Can I come?” Candice asked as she brought her plate to the sink.

  “Of course. You don’t want to stay here with Eli?”

  “I’m about to spend two weeks travelling around the country with him. I’m sure he can survive me being gone for an hour. I want to spend some more time with you before I go. I’m a bit nervous about the trip,” she admitted. “I’ve never really done something like this on my own before.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Moira told her as the two of them walked outside. “I went to Europe with David, and we didn’t have any troubles. You’ll still be in the states, so even if something does go wrong, we’ll be able to figure it out. I don’t want you to worry about all of the what-ifs. Just have fun.”

  “I’m sure I will once we actually start. I can’t wait to see all of the places I’ve always wanted to go to. It’s going to be amazing.”

  “I hope you have a wonderful time,” Moira said as she started the engine. “And just think of how good it will feel when you’re back, and the two of you have been around the country together? This is the beginning of a brand-new world for you. You have your own family now. Hopefully by the time you get back, I’ll be used to that idea.”

  “That reminds me, Eli is worried about Reggie flying back without him. Will you make sure he’s got everything he needs?”

  “We will. We got the four seats together, and he’ll be sitting next to David. We’ll handle anything that comes up.”

  “Thank you. I’m sure Eli will be relieved to hear from him once he’s back in his room at the assisted living home.”

  Moira hesitated for a moment as she navigated the twisty roads. “Candice, I hate to ask you this, but you have any idea what happened between Eli and Brian? Or between Brian and Victoria? The three of them haven’t spoken since this morning.”

  “I just know that Brian did something that Eli doesn’t approve of, but I don’t know what. I didn’t push for any details. It’s hard to have a serious conversation with everyone else around.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.” She changed the subject soon after that. She didn’t want the last real discussion that she and her daughter had before the honeymoon to be about a dead man. Nothing they said now would change what had happened, all they would achieve would be to make themselves feel worse about it.

  It was well past dark by the time they pulled into the little town. She was glad to see that the Valley Eatery was still open, and would be for another couple of hours. With the windows glowing softly, it looked like a welcoming and warm place to stop. If she hadn’t already eaten, she would have been sorely tempted to grab a bite there. The food at the reception had been amazing, and their brunch earlier in the day had been even better. It’s a good thing that they aren’t closer to Maple Creek, she thought. Otherwise, the Grill might have some competition.

  She went inside, Candice trailing behind her. She hadn’t explained to her daughter what she was doing there, just that she wanted to talk to JoJo in person. It was obvious immediately that the restaurant was grieving the marriage officiant’s death. A table against the back wall had been set up as a memorial to the dead man. A blackboard propped up next to a picture of him read, In Loving Memory of Paul Brown. Bartender, friend, and brother. We will miss you.

  Moira stared the memorial for a long moment, realizing for the first time what a death like this meant in a town this small. They must have gone in to brunch before the police released the information about the man’s death. By now, the entire town must have heard about it. She wondered how many of the couple in town had been married by him, and how many people had been served drinks by him every night.

  “Just two?” a young hostess asked them.

  “Sorry, we aren’t eating here,” Moira said, turning her attention away from the memorial. “I was actually wondering if I could speak to your boss. I met JoJo last night, and I wanted to give her my condolences.”

  “She’s not in right now, and won’t be for a few days,” the woman said. “Mr. Brown was her brother, and his passing really hit her hard.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “She broke down when she got the news. It was terrible,” the woman said. She lowered her voice. “She told me that they had an argument the night before he died, and the last thing she said to him was that he was an embarrassment, both as a brother and as an employee. How terrible is that?”

  Moira nodded, her mind swirling with this new information. The two of them had had an argument on the night of the reception? She remembered how drunk the man seemed, and wondered of JoJo had been upset with him for wrecking the image of her restaurant. Maybe their argument had gone just a little bit too far. The deli owner felt her skin crawl. It looked like there was another suspect, and this one had a lot stronger of a motive that Brian did.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  *

  By eight o’clock the next morning, she, David, Denise, and Reggie were packed into their rental car along with all of their luggage. Moira felt as if she was still half-asleep as David drove through the winding roads down through the mountains and back towards the city of Denver. She had woken up hours ago to pack, and after the busy day the day before, she knew that she was running on fumes. Once they were on the plane, she planned on getting her travel pillow out and falling straight asleep. That would have the added benefit of shortening the flight as well. She couldn’t wait to get home that afternoon and see the dogs again. It was funny how much she missed them when they weren’t around. She hoped t
hat they had a nice time with Martha. She would have to thank the woman profusely for watching them.

  “Are you sure we packed my walker?” Reggie asked from the back seat. “I don’t remember seeing it.”

  “I’m sure,” David said to the elderly man. “It’s the very last thing I put in the trunk. It will be the first thing we unpack at the airport. Are you feeling well?”

  “I’m feeling well enough to wish we had eaten breakfast before we left,” he grumbled.

  “We’ll grab some fast food in Denver,” Moira said. “Do you think you can wait until then?”

  “Yes, yes, I’ll live,” he said. “This mountain air has given me quite the appetite.”

  Moira was hungry, too. Even though she had tried to make sure they were organized the night before, getting everything packed that morning had been chaotic. She had been forced to rush through her goodbyes with Candice, out of fear that they would be late. Missing the flight was the last thing they needed.

  Candice and the others would be responsible for making sure that the cabin was cleaned up before they left the next day and for turning the keys in to the travel agency. It was a big responsibility for the younger people, but Moira knew that her daughter and Eli would be able to handle it. She was glad that her daughter was getting a chance to have some time alone with her friends, and also just a bit glad that she wouldn’t have to go on the planned hike with them. She couldn’t deny that she was feeling worn down by this trip, and she definitely didn’t feel up to trekking through miles of rocky terrain.

  “You double checked that they have everything they need for their flight?” David asked Moira, evidently thinking along the same lines as her.

  “Yes, they have everything they need to board. We’ll just have to trust them to put everything in order before they leave the cabin. I hope they have fun today. I wish we could have stayed longer, but at the same time, it will be good to get back home. This was a fun, well-deserved break from work for all of us — for the most part.”

  “A well-deserved break from sitting in my room all day,” Reggie said from the back.

  Moira realized that Candice and Eli’s absence would affect the older man even more than it would her. She knew that Eli saw his grandfather almost every day. Reggie would likely go out of his mind with boredom at the assisted care home before his grandson returned. When Eli did come back, Reggie would have something to look forward to. After they returned, he would be moving into a bedroom on the first floor of the farmhouse they had recently bought. Moira knew that the elderly man was excited for that change, despite his worries about being a burden for his grandson. Instead of living in an assisted living home with strangers, he would be with his family again.

  “It was an eventful trip,” she said. “That’s certain. I think I could do with a little boredom, personally. I’ve had enough of murders and suspicion to last me a lifetime. I just wish we knew for sure who the culprit was.”

  “I still think Eli should go to the police with what his friend said,” Reggie said. “Of course, he didn’t listen to me.”

  Moira jerked her head around to look at the aging man. “What are you talking about?”

  “That kid, Brian, or whatever his name was. He told Eli that he hit Mr. Brown. He says he didn’t kill him, but I still think the police might like to know about it.”

  “He admitted to punching him?” David asked, glancing up at the rearview mirror to look at Reggie. “Eli told you that?”

  “Yes, he came to me right away when he learned about it. I told him that he should try to get his friend to confess on his own, but if he wouldn’t, he had to make a choice about whether or not he was going to tell the police. I just think he made the wrong decision. He should have told them.”

  The deli owner glanced at her husband. She felt a spark of fear. Brian had hit the man, but he said he didn’t kill him. Could she trust that he was telling the truth about that? He had spent the past day lying to all of them, pretending to be just as confused as they were. How could anyone trust him after that? She had just left her daughter behind in a secluded cabin with a man who very well might be a murderer. No wonder she felt a prickle of adrenaline in her palms.

  “David, we have to go back,” she said.

  He blew out a breath of air, then reluctantly nodded. “I’ll turn around up there,” he said. “See if you have any phone service, maybe you can reach Eli or Candice on the land line.”

  David executed a cautious U-turn, and they headed back the way that they came. No one in the vehicle objected, even though it would mean missing their flight. They could always buy new tickets, but nothing could replace someone’s life.

  Moira tried to call the cabin whenever they hit a patch of cell phone service, but the line rang through to the voicemail machine every time. She had to force herself to breathe slowly and deeply, trying to avoid having a panic attack. She should have trusted her instincts when she thought that something was up with Brian. Why wouldn’t Eli have told anyone? she thought. She felt a spark of anger towards him, but shook it off. Brian’s his best friend. And he did tell someone — he told Reggie.

  David was already unbuckling his seatbelt as he pulled into the driveway. Moira got out of the car the instant it came to a halt, and the two of them hurried to the door. It was locked. Normally, she would have been glad that her daughter had remembered to lock the door, but right now it was nothing but an annoyance. She had left both sets of keys with Candice and her friends, so she and David had no way to get inside.

  “They must have already gone out on their hike,” David said. “What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Moira turned to survey the wilderness around them. Just a couple of days ago, she had loved the seclusion of the cabin. Now, it felt frightening. Somewhere out there were her daughter and her son-in-law with a suspected killer, and she didn’t have the slightest idea of how to find them.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  *

  David and Denise helped Reggie from the car to the wooden swing on the front porch while Moira dug through her suitcase, looking for her tennis shoes. She couldn’t very well go hiking through the rocky forest in her sandals. A twisted ankle would do nothing but slow them down. As she tied her laces, her mind raced, coming up with horrible images of her daughter, injured or dead, at the bottom of a cliff somewhere. If Eli decided to confront Brian while they were out there, there was no telling what might happen. It would be easy for the man to make a death look like an accident. A tiny push was all it would take, in some places.

  “Are you ready to go?” David asked.

  “Yes,” Moira said. “Is Reggie going to be okay waiting here?”

  She was reluctant to leave the older man behind, but there was no question of him coming with them. She couldn’t chance anything slowing them down.

  “Yes, he’ll be fine. He’s got bottled water, a blanket, his walker, and even a bag of chips in case he gets hungry. He told us to go and do whatever we have to do. He thinks that you’re overreacting a bit, but he would never say it to your face. He likes you too much.”

  “I’m not overreacting. I know my daughter. If she finds out that Brian is the one that punched Paul, then she’s going to say something about it. I don’t know Brian well enough to say what he would do, but I do know that fear is a powerful motivator.”

  She was thinking about Logan, Denise’s nephew. She knew that her friend had understood what she was talking about. She saw the emotion flash across Denise’s face. “You’re right. Even good people can to bad things when they’re frightened.”

  Moira turned to go, then hesitated, looking back at her friend. “Denise, will you stay here? We may need someone to call the police if things go wrong, and I don’t feel right leaving Reggie alone out here.”

  Her friend shook her head. “I want to help.”

  “You will be,” Moira said. “I’d be more comfortable leaving someone else here just in case they come back. You can
come out looking for me and David to tell us that they returned. Reggie can’t.” Reluctantly, Denise nodded in agreement. She would stay behind with Reggie.

  “All set? The longer we wait, the farther ahead they’re getting,” David said. Moira nodded and stood up.

  “Let’s go find our daughter — and our son-in-law.”

  Neither Moira nor David had any experience in wilderness tracking. There were a couple of trails leading away from the cabin, and it took them longer than Moira would have liked to figure out which one was most likely. At last, David pointed out a rock that had been wiped clean of dirt.

  “It looks like someone might’ve sat down here, maybe to tie their shoes,” he said. “It’s probably our best bet.”

  “All right, I’ll trust your instincts,” she told him. “This trail it is. Let’s go.”

  They started off down the path, both of them silent as they listened for voices. With any luck, they wouldn’t be too far. She had no idea how long it would take her and David to reach them, and that was if they had even chosen the right trail to go on. Why had she ever thought it was a good idea to leave without seeing the murder case solved? She should have delayed their flight from the beginning.

  They had been walking for a good half hour when she froze. She had finally heard something besides bird song. “David, do you hear that?”

  “I think it’s them,” he replied in a low voice. “I’ll let you decide what to do.”

  Moira bit her lip. She had been so sure just a little bit ago, but now that they had found the group, she began to wonder if Reggie was right. Was she overreacting? Would Candice think that she was being overprotective? She didn’t want to wreck her relationship with her daughter, not just when things were going so well. For a long time, she had been the overcontrolling, overprotective mother that any child would have hated. Was this going a step too far? If she was wrong about Brian, would Candice ever forgive her?