Sowed to Death

by Peg Cochran

  The crowd continued to swell as they waited for the start of the demonstration. Shelby glanced toward the tent they had just left, wondering if they’d gotten to the jams and jellies yet. She would have to miss the announcement of the winner. But it was worth it to see the excitement on Billy’s face. Especially when Jake came by and ruffled his hair.

  “How are you doing, sport?”

  Billy beamed with pleasure when he noticed the envious looks from some of the other boys being shot in his direction. Shelby thought he grew at least an inch right then.

  The crowd was noisy and it was hard to hear. Billy tugged on Shelby’s shirt again and she bent down so she could listen.

  “Is that a real person in there?” he asked, pointing to the car.

  “No, that’s a dummy. It’s not real, but it’s supposed to look real.”

  By now the firemen had donned their coats and hats and were in full regalia.

  Dear Reader, I must admit that Jake looks very attractive in his fireman’s getup. And terribly virile. But I shouldn’t be thinking about that right now, should I?

  It appeared as if Jake was going to be the one to wield the Jaws of Life. Shelby was glad she and Billy had snagged a spot in the front row. She pushed him in closer so he could see better.

  It was hard to imagine that anything could cut through the incredibly heavy steel of a car, but Jake was about to do just that.

  He held up one of the huge pieces of equipment that had been arranged next to the car. Shelby thought it looked like a lobster claw from a horror movie.

  “This is a cutter. It can cut through the metal of a car as easily as your can opener cuts through a tin can. It exerts 12,358 pounds of cutting force at the blade center.”

  The sound of the crowd drawing in its breath was audible.

  Jake put down the cutter and picked up another piece of equipment. “This is a spreader. It can tear into a vehicle with greater force than we could ever achieve without it.” He smiled at the crowd. “Both pieces are powered by a hydraulic system.”

  He laid that piece of equipment on the ground as well and picked up a third one. “This”—he held it up so the crowd could see—“is a ram. We can use this to push up the dashboard of a car to help to extricate the victim.”

  Billy began fidgeting. He was anxious for the demonstration to start.

  “As you can imagine,” Jake continued, “this equipment is expensive. The Lovett Fire Department is hoping to purchase another set, so if you can throw some money into the hat, we’d appreciate it.” He pointed to where one of the firemen was holding out his hat. “This equipment has saved many lives on the road, but it’s come in handy for certain farm accidents as well.”

  That got everyone’s attention, and several people pulled out their wallets.

  Jake must have become aware of the restlessness of the children in the crowd. He grinned. “I’m sure you’re all anxious for the demonstration to begin.”

  He started up the cutter and picked a strategic part on the car. He began cutting, and slowly the unwieldy-looking contraption bit through the metal of the car, as if it were child’s play. Jake put the cutter down and picked up the spreader. He used that to pry open a hole in the side of the car.

  He stopped briefly. “If this were a real accident, there’s a good chance the dashboard and steering wheel would have been pushed forward, trapping our poor victim. We would then use the ram to push it out of the way.”

  Jake once again wielded the spreader, slowly enlarging the gap in the car.

  “Cool!” Billy exclaimed as he watched the procedure.

  By now Jake’s face was shiny with perspiration. He shoved his hat back on his head and reached into the hole he’d cut in the side of the car. Earl Bylsma was standing by with his gurney at the ready.

  Jake grabbed the dummy by the shoulders and began to pull it out of the car. A strange look came over his face but was quickly replaced by one of calm determination. The dummy slithered the rest of the way out and Jake placed it carefully on the ground.

  Something was wrong. Shelby sensed it but didn’t know what it was. Her instinct was to rush Billy away from the scene, but he was too enthralled to be moved that easily.

  Jake took off his hat and knelt next to the dummy. He appeared to be feeling for a pulse. It was then that Shelby noticed the thin trickle of blood that was flowing away from the dummy.

  Jake motioned for Earl to join him. Earl glanced toward the dummy, and even from a distance Shelby could see how white his face had become.

  He dropped to his knees, put his hands on the dummy’s chest, and began chest compressions.

  The crowd was stunned into silence except for a large woman in a flower-printed top and matching capris who began to scream.

  “It’s not a dummy.” She pointed toward where Earl and Jake were kneeling. “That’s a real body.” And she screamed again.

  4

  Dear Reader,

  There were certainly some surprises at the county fair. Not the least of which was the ending of Jenny Hubbard’s five-year winning streak with her famous lemon meringue pie. After what had happened to Isabel Stone, the other judges declined to taste it.

  Tonya Perry took home the blue ribbon for her rhubarb pie in what everyone is calling a stunning upset. Please don’t think I’m bragging, but my jams and jellies came in first, and I now have a blue ribbon to my credit.

  And Billy has his red ribbon, which he proudly pinned to the bulletin board in the kitchen.

  Of course the most surprising event of all was finding that the dummy in the station wagon being used for the Jaws of Life demonstration wasn’t a dummy at all . . . but a real body.

  The firemen quickly formed a cordon around the body that had been pulled from the wreckage of the Volvo. Earl grabbed a sheet off the gurney and with obvious reverence draped it over the corpse.

  Several of the firemen tried to get the crowd to disperse, but they were reluctant to move for fear of missing out on something interesting. Shelby could imagine this would be the talk of the town at dinner tonight and for many weeks beyond.

  She shielded Billy as best she could, but he was determined not to miss anything.

  “Is that a real body, Mom? Is it?”

  “It looks like it,” Shelby said, putting a hand on his shoulders and squeezing. “It’s terribly sad. I think we should move away and let the authorities do their job.”

  “But then we’ll miss all the good stuff,” Billy protested.

  Right then Shelby felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Matt standing behind her. She couldn’t control the sigh of relief that escaped her.

  “Hey, Billy, how about you come with me? I need to collect some traffic cones from the field where the tractor pull was held. Think you can drive the truck in a straight line for me?”

  “You bet! Can I go, Mom? Can I?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Matt mouthed at Shelby.

  “Okay. But be careful. Please!”

  Billy took off without a backward glance, for which Shelby was very grateful.

  It only took minutes, but it seemed like forever before the police arrived—two uniformed officers who quickly began stringing up crime scene tape.

  A familiar face suddenly appeared in the group crowded around the body and Shelby felt her spirits lift. Without thinking she began walking toward the figure in the Tigers baseball cap and worn jeans.

  Frank was a hair taller and a little older than his brother, Bill McDonald, had been, but his appearance never failed to give Shelby a jolt. It was like seeing Bill come back to life, and it always made her heart beat a little faster.

  Frank looked up when he saw Shelby coming, and despite the solemnity of the occasion, he couldn’t help giving her a big grin.

  Shelby hovered in the background, admiring the way Frank, as the lead�
��and only—detective on the Lovett police force, took charge of the situation. Shelby knew she should collect Billy and leave but instead she stood and watched as Frank chatted with each of the firemen in turn.

  He spoke briefly to one of the uniformed officers, then walked over toward where Shelby was standing.

  He looked Shelby up and down, a small frown puckering the skin between his eyebrows.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Billy?”

  “He seems okay. Matt came along and took him away shortly after they pulled the body from the car.”

  Frank nodded toward the car. “It’s Zeke Barnstable. Do you know him?”

  “He has the farm down the road from Love Blossom. He gives us corn every summer.”

  “Can you tell me what happened? I can’t get a coherent story out of anyone else.”

  Shelby explained about the demonstration and everyone’s horror when the dummy turned out to be a real body.

  “We’re waiting for the ME—we’ll know more when she gets here.”

  “Do you think it was . . . ?”

  “Murder?” Frank shrugged. “We’ll find out.”

  • • •

  Frank had told Shelby to go on home and that he would stop by later. She didn’t know why, but that thought was comforting.

  Billy was tired and dirty and smelled like the barnyard when they got back to Love Blossom Farm. He’d had a hot dog, a corn dog, cotton candy, a pretzel, and some funnel cake. Shelby hoped he wasn’t going to be sick, but so far he seemed to have been blessed with a cast-iron stomach. After a brief argument she managed to convince him to get in the tub. Amelia had stayed behind at the fair with a friend whose mother promised to bring her home after the fireworks.

  Shelby felt at loose ends. The scene at the fair had upset her more than she realized. Bitsy and Jenkins were anxious to go out, so she opened the back door and stood on the steps. The air was cooling as the sun dipped in the sky. Shelby gazed out over the farm and felt some sense of peace return. There was the faint scent of thyme and rosemary in the air from her herb garden, along with the ever-present aroma of manure from Jake’s farm next door.

  Finally, she went back inside and retrieved her jumbled knitting from the basket by the living room sofa. The ladies in the knitting group she’d joined had convinced her not to give up, but Shelby suspected it was hopeless no matter how hard they tried to help her. She held up the needles and gazed in dismay at the tangled mess hanging from them. There were holes where there shouldn’t have been any, places where the stitches were too loose, and places where they were too tight. Shelby shoved the whole thing back in the basket and went out to the kitchen.

  The sound of splashing from the tub upstairs had ceased and moments later Billy appeared in the kitchen with his damp hair smoothed down. He was wearing a pair of pajamas that were clearly too small. He was growing so fast, Shelby thought. Before she knew it both he and Amelia would be out of the house and on their own. She made a promise to herself to cherish every moment between now and then.

  She kissed Billy good night and listened as he climbed the stairs to his room. She was about to settle down in front of the television when the front doorbell rang.

  Frank was leaning against the doorpost when she opened the door.

  “Hello.” His voice was raspy and he sagged from weariness.

  “Come in.” Shelby swept an arm toward the living room. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Would coffee be too much trouble?” He sighed. “My day isn’t over yet.” He scrubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin.

  “I’ll put some on.”

  He followed Shelby out to the kitchen, turned one of the kitchen chairs around, and straddled it. He watched as she spooned coffee into the coffeemaker, filled the carafe with water, and then added it to the machine. The machine gurgled to life shortly after Shelby pushed the ON button.

  She turned around and leaned against the counter.

  Frank looked around the kitchen. “A person could feel at home here.” He gave an embarrassed half smile. “I mean, compared to my place. The few pictures I have are still stacked against the wall and the furniture is pretty much where the movers put it down.”

  He glanced at Shelby’s laptop, which was sitting open on the kitchen table. “Are you still writing that blog or whatever it’s called? Doreen—she’s our new department secretary—says she reads it all the time.”

  “I enjoy it, and it brings in some money,” Shelby said. She saw the stack of bills on the counter out of the corner of her eye and sighed. “Of course Billy would have to break his arm.”

  “I’d be more than happy to help—”

  “No, that’s fine. I’m managing.”

  The coffee machine had gone silent, and Shelby was grateful for the excuse to turn around so Frank couldn’t see her face. She brushed at the tears that had collected in the corners of her eyes and retrieved two mugs from the cabinet. She filled them and handed one to Frank.

  “I can’t thank you enough for this.” He took a gulp and closed his eyes. “Murder is always hard to digest,” he said finally. “It’s not something you ever get used to.”

  “Murder?”

  Frank groaned and rubbed his eyes. “There was a sizable dent in the back of Zeke’s head.”

  “Could he have fallen?”

  “According to the ME . . . no. Besides, someone had to have hauled the body over to that car and then shoved it inside.”

  Shelby suddenly felt very tired. She pulled out a chair and sat down.

  “Did you know Zeke at all?” Frank turned the chair back around and rested his elbows on the table.

  He suddenly seemed terribly close, and Shelby leaned as far back in her chair as she could.

  “I didn’t know Zeke—not really. He was quiet. Some people thought he was standoffish, but I think he might have been shy.”

  “He seems to have been a bit of a loner. We haven’t found anyone who knew him very well.”

  “That’s often the way with farmers—they’re out in the field from sunup to sundown. There’s not a lot of time for socializing, except maybe for church on Sunday.”

  Frank cracked a grin. “Makes my job sound like a piece of cake.”

  Shelby pushed her empty coffee cup away. “I doubt that.”

  Frank stretched his arms overhead. He looked at his watch. “I’d better get going. There are a few more things I’ve got to do before I can call it a day.” He reached out and touched Shelby’s hand. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  Shelby felt heat rush into her face.

  Frank pushed back his chair, scraping it across the floor. He stood up.

  “If you need anything, call me, okay? I promised Bill I would take care of you and the kids, and I meant it.”

  • • •

  Shelby felt unsettled by Frank’s visit. She forced herself to sit down and turn on the television. Bitsy and Jenkins took this as their cue to curl up on the sofa for a nap, grunting and snorting as they got into a comfortable position.

  Shelby was flipping through the channels when the front door opened and then slammed shut so forcefully, the pictures on the wall rattled.

  “Amelia?” Shelby jumped up from her seat as footsteps stomped down the hall.

  “What’s the matter?” Shelby asked when she caught sight of her daughter. Amelia’s eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears.

  Amelia balled her fists at her side. “My life is over,” she yelled at Shelby.

  “What happened?” Shelby said calmly. Amelia looked fine—clearly this wasn’t a life-or-death situation. There was no blood or signs of blunt trauma.

  “It’s over between me and Ned,” Amelia said on a sob.

  Dear Reader, over? Amelia is too young to date�
��at least in my opinion—and so far her relationship with Ned has consisted of declaring their undying love for each other and passing notes in class. (Miss Fischer, Amelia’s English teacher, called me to complain about that. Amelia is right—she’s a dinosaur who’s forgotten what it’s like to be young.)

  Shelby was suddenly overcome with fatigue—all that had happened at the fair, and now this—and she longed for the comfort of her bed. But Amelia needed her.

  “What happened?” She shooed the dogs off the sofa, sat down, and patted the seat next to her.

  Amelia sank into the sofa cushions and crossed her arms over her chest. She stuck out her chin and glared at Shelby. “My life is over—I’m not kidding.”

  “You still haven’t told me what happened. Did you and Ned have a fight?”

  “No. That’s the thing.” She turned to Shelby. “It’s all your fault. If you would let me date this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “What happened?” Shelby said for what felt like the millionth time, exasperation creeping into her voice.

  “I saw Ned—at the fair.”

  Shelby nodded encouragingly. “And?”

  “He was holding hands with Katelyn. He even won her a stuffed animal.” Amelia buried her head in Shelby’s shoulder. “I thought she was my friend.” She hiccoughed.

  “I’m sorry. I know that hurts.” Shelby patted her on the back. “Did I ever tell you about Hayley Robbins?”

  Shelby felt Amelia’s head moving back and forth against her shoulder.

  “We were starting high school and she had just moved to Lovett with her family. We had homeroom together and quickly became friends. People used to joke that we were twins because we did everything together.” Shelby paused, surprised at the emotions the memory still stirred. “Then I caught her trying to kiss your father at one of our school dances. She’d lured him into an empty classroom.”