“We have met, but we weren’t introduced. I’m Maisie. I handle the costumes.”
Dani’s eyes widened. She remembered something Paul had told her when she’d ridden in his car. Something about Coco and Arthur having a fight. Was this the same Maisie who he’d claimed had overheard them?
Maisie was picking up the clothes again and Dani said, “Hey, can I carry some of that for you?”
“Not a chance,” Maisie said, looking down at her crutch. “You probably shouldn’t even be on your feet, you know!”
“I’m alright,” Dani grinned. “In fact, I can’t keep still for more than two minutes.”
“I’m the same way,” Maisie laughed. “School was never easy for me because of it.”
“But you found your passion eventually, so that’s good.”
“What, this?” Maisie laughed. “This is just a side project. My real job is working for Tucker Transportation. You heard of them?”
“Nope.” Dani smiled.
“Good,” Maisie said. “Boring should be their middle name. I handle logistics and boy is it yawn-worthy. If I didn’t have the theater, I’d go mad, I think.” Doubt flickered on her face. “Man, I hope they catch Arthur’s killer soon so things go back to normal here.”
“Do you think Dante could have done it?” Dani asked, lowering her voice.
“I’m not so sure.” Maisie had lowered her voice, too. She looked around, making sure nobody else could hear her. “Personally, I’ve got my own suspicions.”
“You do?”
Maisie nodded. “I mean, I don’t want to point fingers, but...”
“But maybe there’s things you overheard that made you wonder...” Dani let her voice trail off, waiting. Maisie brightened.
“Exactly! I overheard Arthur one time. He and Coco were having some sort of argument.”
“Did you hear what it was about?”
“I mean… I wasn’t eavesdropping, you know?” Maisie said. “It’s just that I was working after-hours to get one of the costumes ready. I was sitting behind the curtains, so I don’t think they saw me.”
“What were they saying?”
“Arthur was saying, ‘It’s both, hate and love, don’t you see that? I feel both hate and love for you!’ He was… his voice was strange. It wasn’t himself. It was almost scary.”
“Scary?” Dani asked.
“Yeah. I mean...” Maisie shook her head. “If you’ve ever seen a bar fight start, you know there are two types of fighters. One is the kind that bellows and roars and maybe throws one punch and that’s it. The other kind, the real dangerous kind, grows quieter and quieter, but meaner. Like a rattlesnake that’s still before it strikes.”
“That’s how Arthur sounded?”
“Yeah,” Maisie nodded. “He was furious. I could tell.”
“What did Coco say?”
“Coco was pleading with him. She was saying, ‘No, that’s all wrong. It can’t be that way and you know it!’ I leaned forward to hear more and I guess they kinda saw me because Arthur’s voice changed almost immediately. He called out to me and then asked me what I was doing there.”
“Did you tell him?”
“Of course. I showed him the costume, too, so he wouldn’t think I was lying. He lost interest and wandered off. I went home after that.”
Dani bit her lip. “Interesting.”
“For what it’s worth, I like Coco,” Maisie said. “She’s always been nice to me. She actually listens to my suggestions, unlike the others.”
“Sure,” Dani said. “But, if she was having an affair with Arthur...”
“Then it’s possible that she killed him,” Maisie said, looking miserable. “I know.”
“Have you told Darwin what you heard?” Dani asked. “The sheriff, I mean. You should talk to him.”
“I want to,” Maisie said. “But I didn’t want to look… you know… weird. What if he thinks I’m making it up or something? Or worse… what if he tells Coco, and then she makes life difficult for me? The last thing I want to do is make an enemy of the mayor’s wife!”
“Talk to him,” Dani said. “Darwin is a good man and a competent sheriff. He’ll make sure your anonymity is protected.”
“You sure?” Maisie asked.
“I’m sure,” Dani said. “Besides, it’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?”
“The right thing, yeah,” Maisie sighed. “Just not the easy thing!”
*****
Chapter 17
Darwin And A Drunk
With her father heading out of town that night for a friend’s birthday party, Dani found herself heading to the local diner for dinner. It was almost nine by the time she’d arrived and her stomach was grumbling. Sharon was supposed to have joined her but had phoned to say she’d had a sudden issue at work. So Dani found herself seated at the counter, trying to decide if a hamburger with onions and mushrooms sounded better than the Spaghetti Bolognese. Out of the corner of her eye, she was surprised to see Brad and Coco in a booth by the picture window, both looking down into their mobile phones while their food lay untouched between them.
Dani was about to place her order when the sound of heavy boots walking up behind her had her swiveling around.
“Well, well.” Darwin smiled down at her. “Looks like someone’s had a long day.”
He was still in uniform, though his hat was tucked under his arm. His hair, freed from the hat, was escaping in all directions, sticking out like a halo around his face. He looked pleased.
“Look at that, a smile on your face,” Dani said. “A rare sight!”
“Is it? I thought I have it every time we meet.” He sat down on a bar stool next to her, letting his long legs stretch out under her seat. “I’m glad I ran into you, actually. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Is it about the thief?” Dani asked.
Darwin nodded. “You were there when we arrested Dante, right?”
Dani nodded. “If it matters, I don’t think you’re on the right track there.”
Darwin frowned. He didn’t seem too pleased to hear comments about the investigation from her. “Oh, really? Why? Because Linda thinks her son is innocent?”
“The insurance angle seems ridiculous to me,” Dani said. “Dante’s well off. Would he really kill Arthur just to collect money?”
“Well off? Dante had a rich father who’s now divorced his mother. He has a huge house, sure, but what job does he have? There’s not too much money in the theater business. Don’t discount the idea that he’d kill for money just yet.”
“Dante’s very passionate about his play, though. Killing off his own main actor, and in such a public way? What could it get him? If he had to kill someone for the insurance, there were more subtle ways to go about it.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, we looked into his alibi for the night of the break in at your house,” Darwin said.
“Dante was supposedly at the hospital visiting his father when the break in happened,” Dani said. “Is it true?”
“We did check. His alibi for the night is air-tight. We have him on camera,” Darwin said. “We even have him on camera slipping and hitting his cheek against the door.”
“He was telling the truth about the bruise on his face, then.” Dani blinked. “Huh.”
“Clumsy guy,” Darwin smiled. “Pretty funny to see it on camera, though.”
“So it isn’t him, then.” Dani said.
“You’ve got your suspicions pinned on someone else, then?” Darwin asked.
“Not exactly,” Dani said. “There’s just a lot going on. Darwin, have you heard of a woman named Juliet Francis?”
Darwin made a sudden motion that almost had him falling off his chair. “Sorry,” he said, as he righted himself. He cleared his throat. “Juliet Francis?”
“Yes,” Dani said. “She used to be a regular at the theater, some thirty years ago.”
“Oh, I know,” Darwin said. “She died when her house caught fire.”
“Exactly. Well, you know that Arthur’s real name was Marshall Mushens, right? And Marshall was Juliet’s boyfriend.”
Darwin gave her his best poker face but Dani could see from the glint in his eyes that he’d followed up on this line of investigation already. He waited for her to go on without confirming or denying a thing.
“Was that fire ever looked into? I mean really looked into?” Dani asked. “What caused it? Was Juliet’s death an accident? Or was it something more sinister than that?”
“Good questions,” Darwin said. “I’m surprised you’ve followed the trail so far.”
“I mean, I feel like that’s the angle you should be looking into,” Dani said. “Juliet was an enigma and she was the reason Marshall/Arthur returned to Innocence. I think if you looked into it, you might find a hidden motive.”
“Anything you’d like to order?” Fanny, the owner of the diner, straightened out her apron as she appeared in front of them. “The usual for you, Sheriff?”
“Thanks,” Darwin smiled gratefully. Fanny reached under the counter and handed him an ice cold bottle of orange soda.
Dani laughed. “Orange soda?”
“My one guilty pleasure,” Darwin said. “I can only have it when Ellie’s not around. Soda isn’t good for a tween’s teeth.”
“It’s not good for a grown man’s teeth either,” Dani said with a smile.
“Ah, but it’s good for a grown man to feel like he’s ten again.” Darwin took a long sip and closed his eyes in momentary pleasure. “There. One sip and I can forget all about my stresses and go back to a time when buying the latest comic book was my biggest worry.”
Dani gave him an appreciative nod. “Being sheriff can’t be easy. Especially in times like these.”
“To be honest, I’ve never been anything but a cop in my life. I love the job. It gives me purpose,” Darwin said. “But raising Ellie alone - and being Sheriff at the same time - that’s tough. There’s days I fantasize about quitting.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Darwin laughed. “Yeah, it’s just a fantasy. What I’d really love to be is a full time dad but, unfortunately, my pockets aren’t quite deep enough to afford it.”
“How’s Ellie doing?”
“She’s at her aunt’s tonight,” Darwin said. “My sister and brother-in-law are perfect angels. Unlike her tough dad, they let her play games until an hour past bedtime. She loves spending the night once a week.”
“Does she still love chemistry? Last time I met her she said it was her favorite subject.”
“Oh, she’s moved on to computer programming now,” Darwin said. “Last week, I caught her trying to hack into my laptop and had to have a serious talk on boundaries. Truth is, I’m kind of proud.” He gave her a broad grin. “Wouldn’t have thought I could produce a girl with a brain like that.”
Darwin, when talking about his daughter, was a completely different man than Darwin, the sheriff, Dani mused. Sipping from his orange soda and speaking about Ellie, he looked relaxed and happy with a spark in his eye, especially as he talked about Ellie’s achievements in school or the way she still tied her shoelaces wrong sometimes. There was a magnetic warmth to him.
It vanished the second a drunken Paul stumbled into the diner, replaced by an instant wariness.
“What’s he doing here?” Fanny said in a whisper behind them.
Paul wasn’t there for the burgers, that much was clear. With unsteady steps, he headed right to Coco’s booth, a leering smile fixed on his face. The mayor saw him approaching and shot a look around the diner to see who was watching before whispering something to Coco. Almost immediately, they began to slide out of the booth, but it was too late. Paul had already reached them.
“So, I hear Maisie talked to the sheriff,” Paul said with a lecherous grin fixed on Coco. “Going to make a statement soon, Coco? Or will this get “handled” by the mayor.”
“You’re drunk, Paul,” Coco said, her voice high and quavering. “Get out of here.”
“Sure, I’m drunk. But at least I’m not a murderer,” Paul said.
“Listen, Paul, that’s my wife you’re talking to.” The mayor had shot out of his seat and was attempting to put himself between the two.
“Shut up!” Paul gave a drunken hiccup. “That’s my girlfriend you’re talking about. Remember that…she was mine first!”
“I broke up with you years ago!” Coco said.
But Paul had hit a nerve. Dani saw the mayor recoil for a second before bunching his fists up.
In a flash, Darwin was between them. He had a friendly hand over Paul’s shoulders and was tugging him towards the door. Paul tried to shake off the hand only to go breathless with pain as Darwin squeezed a small, unseen nerve.
“Come on, Paul,” Darwin said. “Not a good move to harass people while they’re trying to have dinner, right? Let’s talk outside.”
“Sure, take the mayor’s side. I know you will. Probably conspire with him to keep things a secret, too, just like with Juliet!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the mayor exclaimed.
“Oh, you know what it means,” Paul said with a big grin. “If it wasn’t for Dani, I’d have forgotten all about Juliet.” Paul turned towards Dani, gave her a wink and a wave. “But she reminded me about the fire the other day. Not something you like to talk about…eh, Brad? How old were you back then? Sixteen? Seventeen? Old enough to have a huge crush on Juliet, anyway. Your dad was the sheriff back then, wasn’t he?”
“Get him out of here, Darwin, before I do something I regret.” The mayor’s voice was like the low growl of an enraged tiger. “Now.”
“Come on, Paul. If you’ve got a statement to make, make it down at the station.” Darwin pulled him to the door.
“Sure!” Paul yelled. “Lock me up, when it’s those two you should be going after! Can’t hide behind your money and connections for too long, Brad! No you can’t! It’s all going to come back and bite you!”
The door jangled as Darwin virtually pushed Paul outside and then went after him. Coco was trying to light up a cigarette but her hands were shaking too much. The mayor, on the other hand, had a sheen of sweat on his forehead, and red-eyed rage on his face.
“Let’s go, Coco,” he said in a short voice, barely looking at his wife. She followed him quietly, giving one forlorn look towards Dani as she left.
“Want to use the back, Mayor?” Fanny called out. “I wouldn’t want to run into Paul again out in front.”
“Thanks, Fanny,” the mayor said. If he’d felt any rage, he’d already managed to control it. Apart from a slight red at the tips of his ears, there was no sign of his anger anymore. Dani marveled at the sudden change. Brad, she thought, was as effective an actor as his wife. No doubt he was still boiling on the inside but, on the outside, he was making light jokes about Paul.
“The man needs some serious treatment,” Brad laughed. “I mean, I always knew he was obsessed with Coco but this, it’s new and dangerous. Gonna have to put a restraining order on him.”
“He gets this way when he’s drunk,” Fanny nodded. “He’s better now than he was a few years ago.”
“Yeah, you can cure his alcoholism, but you can’t cure his personality,” Brad said. “Anyway, I don’t want to waste too much time on him. Fanny, how much do we owe you?”
“On the house tonight.” Fanny waved him off.
He still brought out his wallet and laid a twenty dollar bill on the counter. “I insist.”
All this while, he hadn’t looked at Coco once, Dani noted, and Coco hadn’t looked anywhere but the floor.
Fanny placed a burger in front of Dani as they left. “Show’s over everybody,” she called out loud and smiled as the other patrons of the diner turned back to their food, whispering eagerly to each other about the events that had just transpired.
The door jangled and Sharon stepped in, looking confused. “Did I miss something?” she asked as she sat down next to Dani.
*****
Chapter 18
Who Lit The Fire?
Sharon and Dani shared a plate of fries as they discussed Paul and the mayor. Fanny leaned on the counter, listening to them talk with some interest. The diner’s owner was a stick thin lady with tight gray curls on her head and loose skin hanging from her neck. She occasionally put two fingers to her lips, a vestigial remainder of an old smoking habit she’d long since kicked.
“What did he mean Maisie’s testified?” Sharon asked. “What could the costumer have to testify about?”
Before Dani could tell the real story, Fanny leaned over. “I heard she caught Arthur and Coco kissing,” she said. “Paul probably got drunk and jealous when he heard. That man has an unhealthy obsession with Coco and everybody knows it. Horrible thing, really.”
“But Coco’s not all that innocent, if she’s kissing her co-stars.” Sharon said. “Poor Brad. I like him, you know. He’s a good mayor. Just a little too concerned with other people’s opinions, and a little too ambitious for his own good.”
“He should be concerned with other people’s opinions,” Fanny said. “For the longest time nobody liked him, you know.”
“Why not?”
“Brad was a womanizer, and a bit of a prat,” Fanny said. “He comes from one of the richest families in town so people were lenient. But that didn’t mean they were fond of him.”
“So how did he become popular enough to get elected mayor?” Dani asked.
“Thanks to Coco, mostly,” Fanny said. “When he married her, people’s opinions about him began to change. Heck, he began to change. I think he buckled down and started working instead of just fooling around. She was good for him in the beginning, you know. I think when she first agreed to marry him, he was just stunned that someone like her could want him. Then, afterwards, I think he really tried to mold himself into someone worthy of her. But now...” Fanny sighed. “The things we love so deeply are often the very things that break us.”
Exposed Negative: A Small Town Cozy Mystery (Shot & Framed Book 2) Page 10