by Kate Bell
“Well, let me tell you, that tramp had it coming. She needed to leave my son alone. My son isn’t just a small town mayor, you know. He’s got the potential to go on to bigger and better things. He could be governor of the great state of Maine! That woman tried to stop him, but she didn’t get to. She thought she could wreck his marriage!” she exclaimed.
I looked around and people were starting to stare. I tried to think of something to do to distract her but came up with nothing.
Alec smiled, trying to appease her. “Mrs. Payne, are you here with someone?”
“Yes, I am!” she said, slurring her ‘s’. “And another thing. I’m glad she’s gone, too. I would never allow her to ruin my son’s life. I told him back when he was dating her in high school that she was no good. She came from across the tracks, so to speak. She wasn’t good enough for my Robert. She would call him at all hours of the night and try to get him to sneak out of the house to meet her. But my boy is a good boy. He would never do it.”
Wow. Mary was really drunk. She was also getting louder and drawing more attention. A moment later, Bob came around from the other side of the dining room.
“Mom,” he hissed, heading toward us at a fast walk. His face was red, and I thought if Mary didn’t settle down, her good boy might blow his top in front of the whole restaurant. “Mom, come on back to our table. The food’s here, and it’s getting cold.”
“Just a minute, Robert, I was having a conversation with the detective, and, and, what’s her name. I told them you were innocent, Robert! They can’t hang this murder on you!”
“I’m sorry,” Bob said, looking at Alec and then me. “She isn’t usually like this.”
“Like what?” Mary asked, her voice rising above the din of the restaurant.
“It’s fine,” Alec told Bob. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Mom, please. Let’s go eat. Your steak is getting cold. We’ll be seeing the two of you later,” he said and took his mother by the elbow and steered her toward the back of the restaurant.
“What? I was just having a conversation,” Mary said as they disappeared around the corner. “What’s wrong with having a conversation?”
I looked at Alec and we both broke out in giggles.
“Stop, we have to stop,” he said after a few moments.
“Wow. I was not expecting that,” I said and took a sip of my water. “I always thought of her as this dignified woman, being the high school principal and all.”
“She’s the high school principal?” he exclaimed in a whisper.
“Was. She retired in June,” I said and giggled again.
“Thank goodness,” he said. “I guess she retired at the right time. Before the drinking got out of hand.”
“Yes, let’s just hope it was before it got out of hand,” I agreed. “Who knows if she was drinking while at work.”
The waitress brought our food and my stomach growled. I realized I’d hardly eaten anything all day other than a small slice of the custard pie I had baked earlier.
“Save part of your appetite and we can have some custard pie later. My daughter should be in her dorm room tonight,” I told him.
“Sounds good,” he said, cutting into his steak. “So I take it that your daughter isn’t thrilled with you dating me?”
I had mentioned to him the other day that she was sensitive about the whole situation. “Well, it’s the first time I’ve dated since her father passed away. I think it will just take some time. She’s kind of on the sensitive side.”
“Oh sure. I can see where that would be hard for her. And what about your son?” he asked.
“Well, unless Jennifer has said something to him, he doesn’t know,” I said feeling a little guilty. Was that something I was supposed to tell him this soon in a new relationship? I wasn’t sure what the rules were. Maybe I needed to look up a blog and find out. Or maybe I could blog about this new chapter of my life? Was it a chapter? Would Alec want to continue dating me? He seemed to be happy in my company.
“I see,” he said. “Well, I don’t blame you. There’s plenty of time for that, later.”
I was excited to see where this relationship would go. I missed having someone around. Alec was working a lot, but we had gotten to spend a lot of time together, investigating the case. I just hoped he wouldn’t get into trouble at work because of me.
Chapter Twenty-one
“This is the best custard pie I have ever eaten,” Alec said, closing his eyes in bliss.
I smiled. I never tired of people complimenting my pies. “Thank you. I put extra nutmeg in it. My grandmama taught me that little trick. It brings out the flavor of the custard.”
“Well, your grandmama knew what she was doing,” he said, taking another bite. His black hair glistened in the kitchen light. “Do you miss Alabama?”
“I do. It amazes me how after all these years, it still makes my heart ache when I think about it. I try to get back there at least once a year. Now that the kids are both in college, I’m going to try to get back there more often. I really miss my mama,” I said.
“I can imagine,” he said. “It always feels good to go home, even if home is less than a hundred miles away. My own mother never could cook, but she could order pizza better than anyone I know.”
I giggled. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, but I do. She would try now and then, but it was always a complete disaster. I had to learn to make mac and cheese when I was six just so I could survive.”
I laughed again. “Well, at least she tried. It’s nice you can visit her when you want. Maine isn’t that different from Alabama. I mean, obviously, it’s different. But the small town people are very similar. Just really friendly, you know?”
He nodded. “I’ve heard people in the South are friendly, and it certainly applies to Sandy Harbor as well.” He glanced at my kitchen clock. “I hate to be a party pooper, but I have an early day tomorrow.”
“Oh,” I said, disappointed. It was after eleven and way past my own bedtime, but I was enjoying his company. “What are you working on tomorrow?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll find someone new to interview. Or interrogate. Or I may speak to Ellen Allen again. I’m sure she would be delighted, and I feel like there has to be something more there,” he said, laying down his fork.
“And what about Diana’s husband? It seems like he should have more feelings for his deceased wife. And I know we’ve said it before, but who gets a divorce because they want to be a professional dancer this late in life? It doesn’t add up,” I said, picking up both of our plates and heading to the sink.
“It’s true, her husband was pretty indifferent about her death,” he said. “But like I said, you never can tell with some people. There’s no telling what lies beneath the surface.”
“You would think he would at least fake it for his sons’ sake,” I said. “I think we should interrogate him again.”
Alec chuckled. “I guess I can haul him in and put him under some two-hundred watt light bulbs. ‘Where were you on the night of your wife’s death?’”
“Now you’re talking,” I said as we walked to the door. “Maybe you can bust his kneecaps?”
“I’ll get right on that,” he said. We stopped in front of the closed door and took a minute to stare at each other. “I have to go.”
“Okay,” I said. He kissed me and I opened the door.
“All right you two, don’t move!”
We both looked toward the voice. Mary Payne stood on my front porch with a gun pointed at us.
I sensed Alec tensing up. “Now, Mrs. Payne, let’s not behave hastily. Why don’t you hand me that gun so no one gets hurt?”
“I have no haste!” Mary said and swayed a little. “I am not going to let the two of you ruin my son’s reputation and his future! He has potential. He’s going to be the governor of Maine one day!”
I wasn’t sure why she kept talking about his future in politics. Bob was a loan consul
tant at the bank. He had become mayor only because his competitor, John Savins, died during the mayoral campaign. No one else stepped forward to run against him, and so he became mayor.
“Mary, give me the gun before anyone gets hurt,” Alec soothed.
If Mary had been drunk at the restaurant, now she was completely blotto. She swayed on her feet and the hand holding the gun shook. I was afraid it was going to go off without her even intending for it to.
“Oh someone’s going to get hurt,” she slurred. “I know two someone’s that are going to get hurt. Now back up. We don’t want an audience.”
I glanced at Alec. He remained stoic, with his jaw tight. “Mary, I want you to hand me that gun,” he tried again. “You don’t have to do this. I know you don’t want to hurt anyone.”
She laughed and made a raspy-throated sound. “You’re crazy. I’m going to stop you from ruining my boy’s career. That crazy woman was blackmailing him. She had to be stopped and I’m glad someone did it. None of this was Robert’s fault!”
“Did he kill her?” I asked. I figured it was worth a shot. Mary was so drunk she might squeal on her baby boy.
She turned toward me, narrowing her eyes at me. The porch light glinted off the stream of drool that trickled down her chin. “No!” she barked. “My boy’s a good boy! He’s always been a good boy! He would never kill anyone. It’s all that woman’s fault. If she hadn’t tried to blackmail him and try to force him into having an affair, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
I nodded at her. “Good. That’s a really good thing. And since he’s innocent, you have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right, Mrs. Payne. I knew Bob was innocent from the start. I simply needed to get information from him to help me catch the real killer. He’s been very helpful and I’m sure we will be catching the real killer any day now, thanks to Bob’s help,” Alec said in calm tones. He was a smooth talker, and I hoped it worked on her. Otherwise, we were going to end up looking like Swiss cheese.
“That’s not what Bob said. He said you all but accused him of murdering that crazy woman,” Mary said, swaying again.
“He simply misunderstood me,” Alec said shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll certainly set him straight first thing in the morning. I’ll apologize for any misunderstanding. I would hate for him to think I suspected him.”
I saw Mary’s trigger finger squeeze just a little, and I swallowed hard. We needed help, and we needed it now, but it was late and cold out and there wasn’t anyone on the street.
“You’re lying,” she told Alec. “I know how you cops are. I’ve seen plenty of CSI episodes. You break the suspect down and then throw the book at them. Doesn’t matter if they’re innocent or not. You just lock them away!”
“No, Mrs. Payne, that’s all done for dramatic effect on television. Why don’t we go inside and discuss this like rational people? Have some coffee? It’s cold out,” Alec said. “Allie baked a delicious custard pie that you have just got to try.” I could see his hands flex from the corner of my eye. I wondered if he had a gun on him somewhere. I had never thought to look or to ask, but didn’t cops keep a gun on them at all times?
Mary hesitated, and a confused look came over her face, and then she shook her head. “Don’t try to confuse me. I know you’re trying to play a trick on me!”
While she was still talking, Alec launched himself at Mary and had her on her back before she knew what hit her. She screamed, and the gun flew out of her hand. Alec whipped out handcuffs from somewhere and slapped them on her. It all happened so fast, all I could do was stand there and watch. I was in awe. Had he gone to school to learn how to do that?
“Get off of me, he’s a good boy!” Mary cried. “Leave him alone!” She began sobbing loudly. I saw my neighbor’s light come on and the curtains moved aside a little.
“Easy, Mary, it’s okay,” Alec soothed as if she were a small child. “Everything will be okay.” He looked at me. “Can you dial 911 and tell them to send backup?”
I had been frozen in place and his request got me moving as I reached in my pocket for my phone. Before I could dial it, we heard sirens in the distance. “Looks like someone beat me to it.”
“They must have been close by,” he said, rolling off of Mary and helping her to sit up. “Mary? Did you murder Diana Bowen?”
Mary sobbed harder and nodded her head. Alec looked at me, eyebrows raised.
“She did it?” I whispered to him.
He nodded.
“I couldn’t help it. I had to protect my Robert,” she sobbed.
“How did you get her to eat that awful candy apple?” I asked. I just had to know.
“We had community meetings for the bazaar every day for the week leading up to it. I gave her tea with poison in it. I thought that would be enough, but it wasn’t. Then I brought her the apple, and I told her I made it special for her on account of all the work she had done for the bazaar. I told her there was no one else that could pull a bazaar together like she could. She was so full of herself, I knew she wouldn’t refuse.” Mary sat on the ground and sobbed uncontrollably.
I looked at Alec. Pride goes before a fall. Diana had been proud of her community work and it had been the death of her.
“But the apple was store bought?” I pointed out.
She sobbed harder. “Don’t you know you can get syringes from the vet supply store?”
A police car pulled up and Yancey Tucker got out. “Whatcha got detective?”
“Murder suspect,” Alec answered and helped Mary to her feet.
“Really?” Yancey asked when he saw it was Mary Payne.
“Really,” Alec said, handing her over.
I pulled my sweater tighter around me and shuddered. The gun still lay on the porch, glinting in the porch light. I was glad I had asked Alec in for pie, otherwise I might not have seen the light of day had I been on my own.
Chapter Twenty-two
“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Lucy said, taking a sip of her coffee. She was melancholy and I couldn’t blame her. She had lost a dear friend as well as her boss. “I wouldn't have suspected Mary Payne. I delivered flowers to her countless times over the years and she always tipped me. She was always a friendly, talkative person.”
“At least there’s closure,” I said, putting my hand on hers. “We won’t have to wonder who the murderer is anymore, and she won’t hurt anyone else.”
We were having coffee at the Cup and Bean. I glanced around to make sure Mr. Winters wasn’t eavesdropping with those bionic hearing aids of his. The coast was clear. He must have been out walking his ancient Yorkie, Stanley.
Alec sat across from me, texting. After a few minutes, he put his phone down and looked up.
“And like I said, Allie. Someone having a short temper does not make them a killer,” Alec said, stirring his coffee. “You shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
I stuck my tongue at him. “I was close. It was his mom. How did you know to ask her if she was the killer?”
He shrugged. “She was very emotionally invested in her son’s innocence. Granted, many mothers would be, but I just had a hunch. And she was drunk, making her a little more likely to talk.”
“In other words, you got lucky?” I said, giving him a big smile.
He chuckled. “You could say that. But I prefer detective’s intuition. Besides, what did I have to lose? All she could have said was, no.”
“What a crazy woman,” Lucy said. “I never realized she was nuts. She was the principal of the high school for almost thirty years! Good thing she wasn’t a teacher. No telling what she would have taught those kids.”
“Yeah, I never took her for crazy,” I said, thoughtfully stirring my coffee. Sometimes you just couldn’t tell about a person. “I always thought well of her.”
The morning sun was shining through the coffee shop window and I had to scoot my chair over toward Alec to keep it out of my eyes. It was as good an excuse as any to get closer to him.
>
“Do you really think Diana was blackmailing Bob Payne?” Lucy asked with a hint of a tear in her voice. “I just can’t imagine her doing that.”
Alec shrugged his shoulders. “That’s what he and his mother say. But he never gave us any proof of it. Not that it matters now that we have a confession.”
“I just can’t believe I didn’t know Diana was capable of something like that,” Lucy said, stirring her coffee. “I thought I knew her so well. We spent so much time together.”
I sighed. “I’m just glad it’s over. Lucy, have you heard what will happen to the flower shop?”
“Nope. I asked Dick, and he said he hadn’t decided anything.”
We all looked up as rain began splattering against the coffee shop window and the sun was covered by a dark cloud. I shivered. The calendar might still say fall, but it felt like winter was setting in.
“Wow, it’s really coming down,” Alec said. “I love the rain.”
He looked at me and our eyes met. I was so glad he had come into my life. He was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. For the first time in years, I felt hopeful about the future.
THE END
Author’s Notes
I love Allie and her tenacious spirit. She’s going to find the killer regardless of what anyone says. I also love the fact that even though she’s nervous about a new relationship, she’s open to it. I didn’t intend for Allie to be attracted to Alec. She did that on her own as the story unfolded. But I think they make the perfect couple with their sassy personalities and their desire to see the killer stopped.
Halloween was one of my favorite holidays as a child. I remember my mother taking my siblings and myself to my Aunt Susie’s house to trick-or-treat. I was the youngest at two-years-old, dressed in a pink flannel elephant costume, holding my mother’s hand as we walked down the sidewalk to knock on doors. Aunt Susie was one of the first people I told about my desire to write. As an adolescent I moved away from the city I was born in and the one where she lived, but she supported me and always asked if I was writing when we spoke or exchanged letters. I miss her terribly!