“If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you to our little town?” Sheriff Puckett inquired.
“My husband’s mother lived here when she was younger. She had been really sick the last two years and died three months ago. We stayed with her and took care of her until she passed. She loved this area and always talked so highly of it, so we decided to move here and try to start a new life in a small town instead of a large city,” Sandy explained.
“What was her name? Maybe I knew her,” he asked.
“Amanda Benson.”
“Nope, don’t remember anyone by that name,” the sheriff pondered.
“She was only here a short time, but it was long enough to make an impression on her,” Sandy said, smiling.
“Well, I hope it works out for you and welcome,” Sheriff Puckett stated, heading for the door with his refilled mug. “Tabby, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I’m so glad you came to visit,” Tabby said to Sandy, after the sheriff walked out the door. “I thought maybe I scared you and your husband chasing you down like I did the other night.”
“No, you didn’t. Samuel takes a long time to get to know people, but me I jump right in with both feet and talk to anyone who will talk back,” Sandy laughed.
“That’s the way I am, too,” Tabby admitted. “So, back to your house question. We don’t have a real estate agent in this town right now. We had one, but he passed away and no one has replaced him. It’s kind of word of mouth when something is put up for sale or rent. Some people do go to Larsen City and use Rose Point Realty.”
“I think we moved here at just the right time,” Sandy stated.
“Why is that?”
“Samuel has his real estate license and was going to check around to see if anyone was hiring in his field. Maybe, he could start his own company and represent Whipper Will Junction.”
“Mr. Wells owns most of the property and land around here. He would have to talk to him if he wanted to get anywhere in rentals or sales,” Tabby replied.
Richard Wells was the town elder. Highly respected and very well to do, he was loved by all who lived in the area. He was generous to a fault and made sure the locals lived a good life by keeping the monthly rental rates low on all his properties. He was like a grandfather to Tabby and she adored him.
As the two women chatted, Tabby noticed Jack Fletcher walk by her shop several times, always looking in as he passed the Christmas window. It was the first time that Tabby had seen him away from his store during business hours.
Jack Fletcher, owned Main Street Hardware. The teens around town called him Old Man Fletcher because he was always so cranky and no one knew why. He never married and despised when young children came into his store with their parents. He mostly stayed to himself and only talked to his employees. People around town wondered if he ever ate as his skin hung off his bones. He didn’t have an ounce of fat on his whole body.
Maybe he’s looking at my Christmas window to get some ideas.
“Is there something wrong?” Sandy asked, noticing that Tabby was staring past her and out the window.
“Oh, no, I just saw someone I thought I knew, that’s all,” Tabby answered. “Are you and Samuel going to participate in the Christmas Stroll?”
“I doubt it. Samuel doesn’t like crowds,” Sandy said, frowning.
“If he wants to open a realty office in town, he has to get to know the people that live here and that will be doing business with him,” Tabby said.
“Good point; I will have to use that on him to convince him to go,” Sandy said, smiling. “I so want to fit in with everyone here and raise a family. We have to start somewhere meeting the locals and the Christmas Stroll sounds like such fun.”
“It is. It’s the third weekend in December. The Stroll is Saturday night and the children’s party that we hold every year is the following day at one in the afternoon. I hope you can talk your husband into going.”
“Is this event held every year?” Sandy inquired.
“As long as I can remember. When I was eight years old, I went to see Santa. We wrote letters at school that were to be delivered to the North Pole before the town party. I sat on his lap and his elf wheeled out a purple bike with sparkles all over it. It had a white wicker basket with bright yellow flowers on the handlebars. It was just the bike I had asked for in my letter. I’ll never forget that day. I still have the bike,” Tabby reminisced fondly.
“I’d like to work at the children’s party. How do I sign up?” Sandy asked eagerly.
“There’s a meeting this coming Sunday night at the diner. It’s at six o’clock in the back-function room. We eat dinner while we assign committees and discuss the theme of the party; if you want to volunteer you should attend,” Tabby answered.
“I’ll be there. May I sit with you at dinner?”
“Sure, I’ll introduce you to my boyfriend, Greg and to everyone else there. I always bamboozle him into working on a committee, but I don’t think he minds it that much. In fact, I think he enjoys it,” Tabby laughed.
“I hope I can get Samuel to relax enough to participate in these events and have some fun. He’s always so serious; he never used to be until his mom got sick,” Sandy said, sadly.
“Losing someone or watching someone waste away from a sickness can change a person. Maybe he will start to enjoy life now that everything is over and you have moved here,” Tabby offered.
“I hope so; he used to be so much fun to be around,” Sandy sighed.
“Tell your husband that if he wants to start his business there is a storefront, two doors down from here that is empty. It’s small, but it would be a start. Mr. Wells owns it and his rents are reasonable.”
“I will tell him and thank you for being my first friend in Whipper Will Junction. I love your shop, by the way. I have to run, but I will see you Sunday night at the diner,” Sandy said, heading for the door.
As she left the shop and walked north on Main Street, Tabby watched Jack Fletcher pass the window again, heading the same way as Sandy. Tabby ran out to the sidewalk and watched as Fletcher ducked into the Penny Poor Antique Shop when Sandy stopped to look at the decorated front window of the Whipper Will Drugstore. He never came out again so Tabby could only assume he ducked out the back door.
What is the sudden interest in our new residents?
Janice returned from lunch. Tabby left to visit Tillie at the library to check to see how her first day back to work was going. As she approached the library, people were going in and out the front door as if a murder hadn’t even happened there.
Tillie was standing at the front desk checking out books for eager readers. Jason Myles, another librarian, was running around helping people find books. Tabby walked up to the front desk.
“Jason, could you come watch the front desk so that I can take a break?” Tillie called out as Jason hurried by her with an armload of books.
“Sure, I’ll be right back,” he said, disappearing behind the stacks of books and returning empty-handed.
“I’ll only be gone fifteen minutes or so. We’ll be in the back office if you need me,” Tillie informed her assistant as she walked away.
Tabby took a seat on the leather couch and Tillie made two cups of tea for them.
“Sugar and milk?” she asked Tabby.
“Both, please.”
Handing Tabby her cup of tea, Tillie sat on the couch next to her. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was afraid to. After a few quiet minutes passed, Tabby decided to start the conversation.
“How are you doing?” she asked Tillie.
“I didn’t sleep much last night. Every little sound around the house made me think someone was breaking in to get me like they did Mrs. Piper,” she admitted.
“I don’t think you are in any danger; Mrs. Piper was killed for a specific reason. Is that all that is bothering you or is there something else?”
“Mr. Dickers called from the library board this morning and off
ered me the head librarian job. I said yes, but I hope people don’t get the wrong idea from me accepting the position so fast,” Tillie replied.
“Don’t worry what other people think. The job had to be filled and you were the logical one to fill it,” Tabby assured her.
“There’s something else. I think I am losing my mind,” Tillie announced.
CHAPTER 5
* * *
“What do you mean, you are losing your mind?” Tabby inquired.
“You’re going to think I am crazy…”
“What happened, Tillie?
“I came into the library a half an hour before opening time like I normally do. After starting up the computers, I began to walk around and turn on the lamps that are on the study tables. That’s when I saw her,” Tillie said, shuddering.
“Saw who? Was there someone in the library besides you?”
“I saw Mrs. Piper. She was standing behind the desk just staring at me,” Tillie answered quietly. “I didn’t know what to do so I ran and hid in the office. When I came out a few minutes later, she was gone.”
“Are you sure it was Mrs. Piper? Could it have been someone else that you mistook for her in the dim light?” Tabby asked.
“No, I am sure it was Mrs. Piper. Do you think I am crazy?”
“Not at all. Some people are so attached to their life here on earth that they can’t move on. This library was everything to Mrs. Piper; she worked here for over fifty years. You yourself said that she wouldn’t give up her job when asked and apparently, she still doesn’t want to give it up,” Tabby stated.
“Do you think she is going to stay here forever?”
“I don’t really know. Maybe, or maybe she wants someone to find out who killed her before she can rest,” Tabby replied.
“Please don’t tell anyone what I saw. I would rather that other people see her before anyone knows that I have,” Tillie requested.
“I won’t say a word, I promise. Don’t be afraid of her, Tillie, I don’t think she will do anything to you. She’s just watching over her beloved library,” Tabby insisted.
“It’s just creepy, that’s all. I’ve never seen a ghost before and she gave me quite a start.”
“Did you give Sheriff Puckett the list of visitors this morning?” Tabby asked.
“Yes, I dropped it off at his office on my way to work,” Tillie answered.
“Good. Maybe he can learn something from the listed names,” Tabby said, setting down her teacup and standing up. “Don’t let the ghost get to you; just do your job and you’ll be fine.”
“Can I call you if I need anything?” Tillie asked.
“Anytime and for anything,” Tabby replied as she walked out the door.
Tabby returned to her shop and got to work assembling jelly gift baskets. As fast as she put them on the shelves, they were snatched up by the holiday shoppers. Janice was out front ringing the register and the place was hopping. Sheriff Puckett came in for his usual afternoon coffee. He dodged the customers and disappeared through the lace curtains into the back room.
“Hello, Sheriff. You look much happier than the last time I saw you,” Tabby said.
“Things are coming together, slowly. Oscar Hall, the editor-in-chief at the Whipper Will Daily News called me this morning. He found the newspaper that Mrs. Piper was viewing. The dark-haired man who was pictured on the front page that day was Carl Bender,” Sheriff Puckett stated.
“Who was Carl Bender and why was he on the front page?”
“Larsen National Bank was robbed by four men. Carl Bender was the only one caught, but not until three days later. They got away with over half a million dollars, which to this day, has never been recovered.”
“Did they know who the other three men were?”
“One of the three was a security guard who worked at the bank. He was the inside mole who fed the others information. During the robbery, Carl shot the guard as he ran out the door. It was never determined why he did it and he would never tell anyone why even after he had been caught.”
“So, how did they identify Carl Bender?” Tabby questioned.
“He shot the guard, but he didn’t die right away. With his last breath, he told the cops who it was that shot him. The detective assumed he ratted out Bender for shooting him and leaving him behind. They tracked Bender to here in Whipper Will Junction and arrested him at his house.”
“Did he live alone?” Tabby asked.
“No. When they searched the house for the money they discovered woman’s clothes in the bedroom and a second bedroom that was done in blue. He apparently had a wife and a young son; both disappeared before the police got there.”
“Do they know who she was? And how do they know that she didn’t take the money with her?”
“They never found out who she was. No one had ever seen her in the eight months the Benders lived in town. The locals didn’t even know Bender was married. Back then, people minded their own business and the town wasn’t as populated. She might have taken the money with her and made plans to meet up with him later.”
“Did you know Carl Bender?”
“Not personally, but I wasn’t the sheriff back then. I took the position a year later,” he answered.
“I wonder if my mom knew him? I’ll have to ask her,” Tabby stated.
“She might have. They lived on Ball Road behind her shop,” he replied. “When Bender went to jail, the bank foreclosed on the property and auctioned off the house. Mrs. Piper bought it at a really great price.”
“That’s interesting,” Tabby said, thinking out loud. “Is Bender still in jail?”
“He died quite a while ago while he was still incarcerated. He had cancer and he knew he didn’t have long to live. A reporter from the Daily News requested an interview right before Bender died which he granted. He was asked several times about the location of the missing money. He stubbornly gave the same answer each time.”
“What was his answer?” Tabby asked.
“He said he would take it to the grave and he did, along with the names of his accomplices. Everything I just told you is a matter of public record and can be found online.”
“By the way, Mrs. Piper’s memorial service is next Tuesday at nine a.m. at the church. I know a lot of the businesses in town are staying closed and not opening until noon in her honor,” Tabby informed him.
“I know. Betsy Piper came in to tell me. She’s taken a week off from the elementary school to take care of her mother’s affairs. The assistant principal has stepped in to take her place while she’s out,” Sheriff Puckett stated.
“How is she taking her mother’s death?”
“As well as can be expected, I guess. She’s putting her mother’s house up for sale. Betsy decided to stay put in her own house even though she inherited her mother’s larger one. She said there were too many bad memories for her to move back there,” the Sheriff replied. “What she meant by that, I have no idea.”
“Another small-town secret,” Tabby joked. “See you for coffee.”
Janice was busy at the register when Tabby stepped out from behind the curtain with the sheriff.
“It’s been wicked busy out here,” Janice said, frowning.
“I’m so sorry. But, when I tell you what I found out, I’m sure you will forgive me,” Tabby said, dangling a juicy tidbit in front of her employee.
“Fine; help that lady over there near the baskets. I haven’t been able to get to her,” Janice stated.
“Yes, ma’am,” Tabby saluted as she walked away. “Bye, Sheriff Puckett. I’ve been ordered to get to work.”
The Christmas shopping crowd kept coming right up until closing. Janice locked the door and let out a sigh.
“I’m almost looking forward to January,” she said.
“Me, too,” Tabby admitted.
“Now, tell me what you found out,” Janice said, planting herself at the bridal table. “And it better be good.”
“This is another one of t
hose things you have to take to the grave. Promise?” Tabby replied.
“Oh, this must be good,” Janice said, sitting forward on the edge of her chair.
“Tillie saw Mrs. Piper’s ghost at the library this morning.”
“Seriously? You’re joking, right?” Janice asked, sitting back in her chair.
“No, I’m not joking and neither was Tillie when she told me about it. The ghost was standing behind the front desk staring at her as she turned on the lamps on the study tables. She ran into the office scared out of her wits and when she came back out the ghost was gone.”
“You’re not joking, are you? Mrs. Piper’s ghost was really in the library?”
“Yes, that’s what Tillie said.”
“This is a much better story than the ghost that supposedly walks around the cemetery at the end of Ball Road,” Janice exclaimed.
“What ghost in the cemetery? I’ve never heard that story,” Tabby asked.
“Some that have seen him say that it is a man, small in stature, that floats from stone to stone as if he was reading who was buried in that spot. I can’t believe you have lived here all your life and never heard about The Floater. That’s what they call him,” Janice stated, matter-of-factly.
“I guess I never paid attention to local ghost stories because I didn’t believe in them; until now,” Tabby admitted.
“You didn’t see it, so how can you say you believe in them now?” Janice asked, puzzled.
“If you could have seen Tillie’s face when she was telling me about it, you would be a believer, too.”
“I’ll wait until I see Mrs. Piper’s ghost for myself,” Janice replied.
“You go to the library?”
“Yes, I go to the library. I read all the time. I’m there at least twice a week,” Janice replied, a little put off with her boss.
“Oh. I didn’t mean anything by that question. I just didn’t know you read so much,” Tabby said, noticing the tone of Janice’s voice.
“There are lots of things you don’t know about me,” Janice informed her boss, standing up.
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