Murder at Moonshiner Days

by Michelle Goff

  “Has she ever been arrested for breaking and entering or for a violent crime?”

  “Nope and nope, but just because she hasn’t been caught doesn’t mean she hasn’t done it. If it can be stolen, Constance has stolen it.” Sitting up, Seth elbowed Maggie and said, “If you want to get under Scootie’s skin, call her Constance. Or better yet, Connie Sue.”

  “That’s something else I don’t get. Her parents gave her a pretty name like Constance, but she prefers to be called Scootie.”

  “You think Constance is a pretty name?” Seth asked.

  “It’s prettier than Scootie.”

  While Maggie and Seth bickered over Scootie’s name, the music came to an end. “Oh, thank goodness for small miracles,” she said. “Is Scootie a suspect in the Fifth Street burglary?”

  “No more or less than all the other thieves in Jasper and the greater Geneva County. To be honest, we haven’t explored that possibility yet.”

  Maggie took a moment to relish the relative tranquility of the last evening of Moonshiner Days. “How is her alibi for the night of Jennifer’s murder? Is it solid?”

  “She was in the hospital until early morning.”

  “Could she have sneaked out long enough to kill Jennifer?”

  “Eh. The ER attendants said she was there the entire time. She was hooked to monitors and they checked on her every so often. An ambulance took her to the hospital, so she didn’t have a car with her. She would have had to call a cab or a friend – make that an accomplice – and Scootie doesn’t have many accomplices or friends. With the ER staff giving her a solid alibi, we haven’t checked the whereabouts of all her known accomplices. We did check the cab company, and they didn’t pick her up that night. Thankfully, we don’t have Uber service around here, so that wasn’t an option. Besides, Scootie wouldn’t have left the hospital until they pushed her out the door. She loves visiting the ER. She spends about one night a month there getting treatment for that nervous stomach of hers. So, no, I don’t think Scootie’s good for Jennifer’s murder. Then again, I’m amazed she waited a whole year to try to unload those purses. I would have thought she would have crawled to the first flea market she could find. I would say I underestimated Constance, but she did try to sell them in the middle of town and pretty much on the anniversary of Jennifer’s murder, so let’s not call her a mastermind just yet.”

  “Any chance you all asked her about Jennifer’s ring?”

  “We did, and she said she didn’t know nothing about no ring.”

  “When do you reckon she took the purses from Jennifer’s house?”

  Maggie had hoped the darkness would provide cover and prevent Seth from reading the awareness on her face. It did not. “You just used the word reckon. What are you getting at, Maggie?”

  “Nothing. I was just wondering.”

  “What do you know?”

  “I don’t know anything.”

  “Maggie.”

  Maggie turned her head from side-to-side in an effort to relieve the tension at the base of her neck. “Delphene speculates, note the use of the word speculates, that Scootie swiped the purses the morning she found Jennifer’s body.”

  Seth dropped his head. “According to the report, Delphene was alone that morning.”

  “Scootie drove her there. She moved Delphene’s truck to make way for the first responders.”

  “Of course, she did. Constance is an upstanding citizen. Wait a minute, how did she pack all those purses out of the house without Delphene’s knowledge?”

  “Delphene thought she was in the bathroom.” When Seth raised his eyebrows, Maggie said, “She does have a nervous stomach.”

  “Wonder what else she stole that morning?”

  “I have no idea, but it does provide a possible explanation for how a vendor or carnival worker could have killed – ”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  “Actually, it does. Hear me out. This accounts for how the purses left the house. The electronics and Jennifer’s ring and other jewelry could have been taken out of the house by the killer in one or perhaps two trips.”

  “That’s if Delphene is telling the truth.” Seth bent over and vigorously rubbed the back of his head. “For all we know, she’s lying. She could still be the killer and she could have taken most if not all the stolen goods out of the house the night of the murder. Or mother and daughter could have brought the truck back the next morning to clean out the house.”

  “Did you hear what you just said? Brought the truck back.” When Seth responded to her question with a shrug of his shoulders, Maggie said, “The lady walking her dog the night of the murder reported seeing a car, not a truck. This proves Delphene’s innocence.”

  “No, it doesn’t. Didn’t you hear what I said a minute ago about an ambulance taking Scootie to the ER? That freed up her car for Delphene to use.”

  “I thought you doubted Delphene’s guilt.”

  “That was before today,” Seth said.

  “Just because Scootie stole from Jennifer doesn’t mean Delphene killed Jennifer.”

  “No, but Delphene doesn’t help matters by lying.”

  “Seth, I told you that she’s only speculating on how Scootie got those purses. Finding Jennifer’s body was a shock and she can’t be blamed for losing track of how long Scootie spent in the bathroom.”

  “That’s not the lie I’m talking about. Delphene’s told us from the beginning that she was home sleeping when Jennifer was murdered. Granted, that’s not a solid alibi to start with, but today we found out that might not be true.”

  Maggie could feel her face reddening. “What do you mean?”

  “Scootie says her mommy wasn’t home that night.” Raising his eyebrows again, Seth said, “That means somebody’s lying.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Later that night, as Maggie caught up on much-needed sleep, a cold front moved into Geneva County, bringing a soaking rain and plunging temperatures to the area. Although the weather forecasts had predicted the swift change, when Maggie opened the door to let her dog into the back yard, the chillier air caught her by surprise.

  “I’m glad I don’t have to go to the Moonshiner Days parade,” she said to Barnaby as he bounded back into the house, leaving a trail of muddy footprints behind him.

  The year before, she and Luke had attended the parade together. Afterward, he had talked her into trying chocolate-covered bacon. They had sat on the stoop in front of the Sentinel, eating the sweet-and-salty treat and watching the vendors close their booths and drive out of town. And, in years past, she had covered the event for the paper. A few years prior, though, Joe had assigned coverage of the parade to himself, a move that had coincided with his daughter riding a horse in the parade. Maggie watched the rain puddle in her yard and felt grateful for that horse. Thanks to it, she wouldn’t have to juggle a camera, a soggy notepad, and an umbrella.

  Her contentment was mitigated by the fact that she couldn’t stay home and curl up on the couch with a book. She had made an appointment to meet Phil Wainwright for brunch. Then, she had to swing by Edie’s for a baby shower-planning committee meeting.

  “You’re lucky, Barnaby, you get to stay inside this cozy house.” He glanced outside before looking at her like he realized he had it made.

  Maggie spotted Phil drinking coffee and reading the Jasper Sentinel at a table in the middle of the restaurant. When he saw her, he smiled and placed the newspaper on the table.

  “Good morning. I was just catching up on the news. I liked your story about the quilt show. Are you related to the lady who won third place? I think her name is Lena Morgan.”

  “Yes, she’s my mom. And before you ask, I did not inherit the needlework gene. It’s a constant embarrassment to her that I can’t even thread a needle.”

  Grimacing, Phil said, “That is embarrassing, Maggie. Even I can thread a needle. On the first day I went back to work following my wife’s death, I caught my jacket in the car door and ripped out the seams. So
, I taught myself the basics of sewing. It’s just the basics, though. Your mom would be offended by my work, but it’s saved me from running to the dry cleaners every time I need my clothes mended.” Phil’s shoulders started shaking and suddenly he was consumed with laughter. “I guess a stitch in time saves more than nine.”

  Maggie couldn’t help herself and was soon laughing along with Phil. They were still chuckling when a perky waitress with fake freckles on her face and a red, checkered shirt tied around her stomach approached their table with a menu and a glass of water. “What can I get you to drink, baby?”

  “Orange juice,” Maggie answered. “Oh, and I like your Moonshiner Days costume.”

  “Thank you, baby, but it ain’t nothing fancy. I pulled this old shirt out of my closet and used my eyeliner pencil to make the freckles.” Turning to Phil, the waitress asked, “You ready for a refill, sweetie?”

  “Sure,” Phil said. “You can bring me an orange juice, too.”

  “I’ll be right back with that, baby.”

  When the waitress walked away, Phil rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t offend me, but it does make me uncomfortable when a stranger addresses me with terms of endearment. I never know how to react.”

  “It doesn’t offend me, either, but I don’t understand why they just can’t say ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir.’ Or in this area, ‘sis’ or ‘bub.’”

  “That was something I had to get used to when I moved here. Every family has at least one variation of sis or bub. For years, I kept expecting Sissy Spacek to waltz into my office.” Opening his menu, Phil asked, “What looks good to you?”

  Maggie, who had been thinking about the combination of sweet and salty all morning, said, “Pancakes and a side of bacon. I never pass up an opportunity to eat pancakes and/or bacon.”

  “Bacon does make everything better,” Phil said. “I think I’ll have some, too, along with hash browns, a small bowl of gravy, and a biscuit.” Closing the menu, he said, “Why not? It’s raining on my Moonshiner Days parade. I deserve to treat myself.”

  Glancing at the folded paper on the table, he said, “I was serious about your quilt show story. It’s reassuring to live in a town where we embrace and elevate the accomplishments of regular folk.” Nodding at Scootie’s mugshot and archived photos of Delphene and Jennifer, all of which peered up at them from the Sentinel, he said, “Especially in light of the darker news that greets us from the front page.”

  “Do you know Scootie?”

  “Only through Jennifer.”

  When the waitress returned, they placed their orders and made small talk before Maggie veered the conversation back to Scootie. “Did Jennifer ever talk about Scootie? Did she ever express an opinion about her?”

  “Yes, and it wasn’t a good opinion, I’m afraid. She didn’t approve of the way Scootie treated her mother.” By way of clarification, he added, “The way she treated Delphene.”

  “Scootie claims Jennifer gave her the purses and wallets –”

  “There’s no way that happened. First of all, Jennifer would not have given away her beloved handbags. She bought purses the way other people buy food. Second, if she were to have given away her purses, she wouldn’t have given them to Scootie Williams, of all people. It just doesn’t make sense. In fact, the only thing that makes sense is that Scootie stole those handbags. The question is – when?”

  The waitress stopped by long enough to refill Phil’s coffee cup and leave two glasses of orange juice and a plate of biscuits. Maggie picked up a biscuit and a packet of blackberry jelly, sliced into the biscuit, and smothered it with the jelly. When she bit into the bread, some of the jelly escaped from the biscuit and landed with a plop on the table. Wiping up the errant jelly with a napkin, she said, “I shouldn’t be allowed to eat in public.”

  “You’re talking to a man who should be forced to wear a bib. There’s no need to apologize to me. How is your investigation coming along?”

  “Unfortunately, it’s not been very productive. I keep going around in circles.”

  “How can I help?”

  “Well, I was hoping you could shed some light on a matter that’s come up. A couple people have told me that you tried to pursue a romantic relationship with Jennifer.”

  Phil’s grin stretched across his tanned face. “I told you there had been talk about Jennifer and me.”

  “I know, but this was a very specific assertion from people who were close to her.” When Phil didn’t respond, Maggie asked, “Is it true?”

  “No, it is not. I’d wager that Traci Taylor told you this. I’m sure she believes it to be true, because,” Phil paused while the waitress delivered their orders. He allowed himself two bites of the hash brown and one bite of bacon before saying, “Jennifer probably told her that I wanted to date her.”

  Maggie emptied a pack of butter onto the stack of pancakes before drenching them in hot syrup. “Why would Jennifer have lied to Traci?”

  “I wouldn’t characterize it as lying. You need to understand Jennifer’s mindset. She fell into a lonely depression after Mel died. Everybody saw that. I spent as much time with her as possible. Even if we just went down the street to the coffee shop, I tried to get her out of the house. I think she misconstrued my intentions. She very well could have expressed these misconceptions to Traci. But they were just that. Misconceptions. Jennifer was my best friend. We were just that. Friends. To be honest, we were good friends because we weren’t each other’s types.”

  Maggie recalled Traci explaining that Jennifer preferred worker bees. She wondered what type of woman Phil was attracted to.

  “This bacon is really good,” Phil said. “How are the pancakes?”

  “Sinful. Had Jennifer started dating again?” Maggie asked. “Traci mentioned that she had met a man online. Do you know anything about him?”

  Maggie was sure she saw Phil’s mouth twitch before he said, “No. Jennifer mentioned him once, but that was all. I think she was just testing the waters to see how we would feel about her trying online dating. She never talked about it again, so I think she took our advice and, as Barney Fife would say, nipped it in the bud. Todd and Traci were very vociferous in their opposition to it. Todd asked her if she would approve of Blake dating a man she met online, a stranger for all intents and purposes, and cautioned that she’d end up dead if she didn’t watch herself.”

  “Hmm,” Maggie nibbled on a slice of bacon. “If all of you thought it was potentially dangerous, if you were afraid she’d met an unsavory character, why hadn’t you said anything about it before now?”

  Phil sipped his coffee and said, “I can’t speak for Todd and Traci, but I told the police. I couldn’t remember the man’s name, but what I could remember should be in the case files. But,” he placed the cup in the saucer, “I never considered there to be anything there. She mentioned it once, months before her death, in an offhand way. I assumed it was a joke. But I did tell the police. When I didn’t hear anything else about it, I decided it must have been a dead end.”

  Maggie made a note to ask Seth and Blake what they knew about Jennifer and online dating. As she did so, she asked, “I’ve been in contact with the police, but I haven’t taken a look at the files. Is there anything else you told them that might help me?”

  Phil pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes in concentration. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Is there anything you haven’t told them that might help me?”

  Scratching the back of his neck, he said, “You know, I’ve enjoyed this meal as well as the company, but I don’t see how any of this matters now.” Brushing the newspaper with the back of his fingers, he added, “It’s looking more and more as if Delphene and her daughter are responsible for Jennifer’s death.”

  “Scootie has an alibi and Delphene hasn’t been charged, much less arrested. So, if there’s something else,” smiling, Maggie said, “amuse me.”

  “Well, I’m sure it’s nothing, but there is something else. I almost told you tha
t first time we met, but I don’t want to make trouble for anyone, especially someone I’m sure is as innocent as a newborn baby.”

  “What is it, Phil?”

  As his shoulders fell, he said, “At least one of Jennifer’s arguments with Blake turned physical.”

  “On whose end?”

  “Blake’s. Jennifer said Blake pushed her so hard she fell onto the floor. It made a bruise and a knot on her head. She showed them to me the next day.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The drive to Edie’s took only three minutes, so Maggie didn’t have much time to contemplate Phil’s news. Although she had a vague notion of allowing her mind to wander from the task of choosing party favors, decorations, and shower games to organizing the list of suspects in Jennifer’s murder, she quickly realized that would not happen. In addition to Edie and Edie’s mom, Edie’s sister-in-law and one of Edie’s friends from work were also on the party planning committee. What’s more, the younger two women had four children between them. Edie held a sleeping baby, but the other three kids were crawling, walking, and running around the room. While the kids screamed at one another, the adults’ conversations centered on diapers, baby food, and pediatricians.

  The episode gave Maggie a glimpse into her future as Edie’s best friend and her baby’s Antie Maggie. She envisioned herself sitting silently at birthday parties as Edie and the other mothers gushed over outfits or debated the educational merits of particular toys. When quizzed on her feelings about children, Maggie had always maintained that she liked them and pointed to her nephews as examples. But as the three toddlers in her midst ripped toys out of one another’s hands, she began to question her previously-voiced opinion. Besides, it was easy to like her nephews, who lived hundreds of miles away in Indianapolis with her brother and sister-in-law. She didn’t see them as often as she would have liked, so when they did visit Kentucky or she made the trip to Indiana, she was so happy to see them that they didn’t have the chance to get on her nerves.

  The children scampering through Edie’s living room were getting on her nerves. She entertained the fleeting thought that she might feel the same way about Edie’s little girl before chastising herself. Her inner voice was repeating the mantra, “I will love that baby,” when Edie’s friend asked her, “Now, Maggie, you’ve never been married. And you don’t have any children. Right?”