Letters in the Attic

by DeAnna Julie Dodson

  15

  The community center was decked out in orange, red, and yellow streamers punctuated with bouquets of dried wildflowers tied with raffia. Hurricane lanterns and Alice’s little cornucopias ornamented every table, and colorful squash and pumpkin groupings sat on top of bales of hay in the corners. A smiling scarecrow lounged on either side of the podium and a stuffed crow in a straw hat was perched on the microphone.

  Annie smiled. She had helped set up the tables and the chairs around them earlier in the day. Then the decorating committee, led by Alice, had shooed everyone else out of the building to finish up.

  It looked nice, even if it was a little kitschy—warm and casual and colorful and fun. Who could ask for more? And it smelled wonderful too. The aroma of turkey and ham, baked squash and peach cobbler along with myriad other home-cooked dishes made the large room a treat for the nose as well as for the eyes. Annie knew from experience that everything would taste as good as it smelled. Whether it was Texas or Maine or anywhere between, nobody cooked better than church ladies.

  “What do you think?” Alice stood with her arms crossed looking over the banquet hall. “Too much hay?”

  “It looks great. And of course, you have to have hay. Nothing says ‘harvest’ like big bales of hay and scarecrows.”

  Alice laughed. “Oh, we’ve decided to auction off your pies for donations for the food pantry. Is that OK with you?”

  “Sure. Whatever helps out most.”

  “And they won’t actually be your pies, you understand. They’ll be Betsy Holden’s famous homemade pies.”

  Annie chuckled. “If that gets the bidding up, that’s fine too. Anything I can do to help?”

  “I think we’re all ready. Just waiting for the guest of honor.”

  Annie found herself a seat at one of the tables, and soon Ian spotted her from across the room. She returned his wave, and he made his way over to her.

  “You ladies did a fine job fixing things up, as usual.”

  “I can’t take any credit, I’m afraid.” Annie pulled out a chair for him. “I didn’t have much to do with the beautification portion of the operation, just the basic manual labor.”

  “And pies, I hear.”

  She laughed. “I can’t take credit for those, either. Those are Gram’s recipes, and she’s the one with the reputation for her cooking.”

  “So what are you up to when you’re not baking pies? How are things going with your investigation?”

  “I think I’m spooking myself more than anything else. I was half convinced that somebody was prowling around my house last night.”

  Concern flashed into Ian’s eyes. “Did you call the police?”

  “Just Roy. I never actually saw anyone out there, and he’s right down the street.”

  “And I suppose he jumped at the chance to come see you.”

  “He was nice enough to come by.” Annie looked up and then smiled tightly. “And here he is now.”

  “Annie!” Roy waved from across the room and made his way toward her. “Good to see you again.”

  “Hi, Roy. Ian and I were just talking about what happened last night.”

  “Mr. Mayor.” He extended his hand to Ian, who shook it coolly.

  “Officer Hamilton. I understand you didn’t find any sign of a prowler at Annie’s.”

  “Nope. But I’ll keep an eye on her till we figure out what’s going on.” He winked at Annie. “Meanwhile, I can’t complain about some of the best coffee and best company I’ve had since I’ve been in Stony Point.”

  “She is good company,” Ian said, his voice carefully pleasant. “You haven’t forgotten about our rain check, have you, Annie?”

  Both men looked at her, and she could feel the heat rise in her face. “No, not at all. I’ll let you know about that.”

  Roy’s eyes narrowed just the slightest bit, but he kept a slight smile on his face. “Sounds like running the city isn’t keeping you busy enough these days, Mr. Mayor.”

  “Can’t complain, Officer. Can’t complain. How about you? I don’t suppose you’ve found out anything more about the anonymous letter writer?”

  “Nothing yet, but I’ve got my eyes open.”

  Annie saw Alice and Mary Beth making a fresh batch of punch and seized the opportunity. “Sounds like you two have business to talk about, and I see I’m needed at the drinks table.”

  She waved airily, and over their protests, made her escape.

  Alice grinned at her when she got to their table. “You know neither of them was particularly interested in talking to the other.”

  “Hush and give me that pineapple juice.”

  She punched holes in the top of the can and started emptying it into the big cut-glass bowl. Just as she finished with a fresh batch of punch, Stony Point’s chief of police came up to the table.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Dawson.” He lifted his empty plastic cup. “Am I too early for a refill?”

  “Just in time.” She gave the well-iced mixture one last stir and then dipped out as much punch as the ladle would hold. “How’s that?”

  He took a deep drink. “Excellent, thank you. It’s good to see you again. And good to know it’s outside of work.”

  “Yes, I’m glad to forget about the whole note thing, at least for tonight. Even Ian and Roy were talking about it.” Annie glanced over to where the two men had been standing, but now Ian was talking to elderly Mrs. Snyder, and Roy was nowhere to be seen. “Anyway, tonight is just food and fun. No notes.”

  “I’m sorry we never found out anything for you on that. At least you haven’t gotten any more.”

  She shook her head. “Not since Tuesday anyway.”

  “You had one on Tuesday? Why didn’t you let me know?”

  “Didn’t Roy tell you?”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  “Maybe he didn’t think it was that important. It was pretty much the same stuff as the other two.”

  “You’ve had three of these things now?”

  Annie wrinkled her brow. “I thought Roy was keeping you informed all this time. Maybe since you put him in charge of the investigation, he wanted to wait to talk to you about it until he had more to go on.”

  Chief Edwards’ eyes narrowed. “I think Officer Hamilton and I need to have a little discussion right about now.”

  Annie looked around the hall and finally spotted Roy on the far side of the room with his back to her. He was talking to Wally Carson. “You didn’t put him in charge of the investigation, did you?”

  “No. Is that what he told you? Since I didn’t hear about any other notes, I figured the thing had played itself out. Like I said, the officer and I need to discuss the matter.”

  “Do you mind if I go with you? I have a few questions of my own for Officer Hamilton.”

  Wally and Roy erupted into laughter as Annie and the chief of police approached them.

  “Hey there, Chief.” Wally slapped Edwards on the back. “I tell you, I thought I had some good stories, but Roy beats me all hollow.”

  Annie smiled tightly. “Evidently you both enjoy tall tales.”

  “No harm in a good fish story, I always say.” Roy’s habitual smile was a little uncertain as he looked from Annie to his chief and back again. “As long as everybody’s amused by it and everything.”

  Chief Edwards’ eyes were fixed on Roy. His face was stony. “Will you excuse us a minute, Wally?”

  “Um, sure. Whatever you say, Chief.”

  Wally scurried over to where his wife was setting out appetizers. Voice low, he said something to her, and both of them pretended not to look in Annie’s direction.

  “What’s been going on with Mrs. Dawson’s case, Roy?”

  Roy was unable to look his boss in the eye. “Just what I told you, Chief. It’s been kind of quiet lately.”

  “You mean, except for those two notes you didn’t tell me about?”

  Roy glanced at Annie. “I, um, I didn’t say anything because I was hoping to have a
breakthrough before now. I thought it would be better if I solved the thing and then let you hear about it. No use bothering you when there’s really nothing much to report.”

  “Nothing to report? ‘Nothing,’ as in that man you saw on my front porch?” Annie glared at him. “Or was there anybody there at all?”

  “Annie—”

  “What’s been going on here, Roy?”

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “And what do I think? That there wasn’t anybody on my porch that day but you? That there wasn’t anybody prowling around my house last night but you? That you were the one writing those notes all along? Why don’t you want me to find out about Susan, Roy?”

  “No, no. You’ve got to listen to me. It wasn’t like that. I didn’t start it.”

  They had kept their voices at a conversational level, but it was clear that the people around them knew that the three were engaging in more than small talk.

  “Let’s go over to the office and talk about this,” Edwards said. “That’s not a suggestion, Officer.”

  As they walked toward the exit, Alice pulled Annie aside.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Just getting something straightened out.” Annie realized that her expression must be tense to say the least. She forced a bit of a smile. “It’s all right. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  The town hall was just across the street from the church and its community center, and soon Annie, Roy, and Edwards were in the chief’s office. No one had said anything during the walk over, but as soon as he had shut the door behind them, Edwards demanded an explanation from his officer.

  “I know it sounds pretty lame, but I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Why don’t you want me to find out about Susan?” Annie insisted.

  “What?” Roy laughed faintly. “No. Susan? I don’t know anything about her. She’s dead. What do I care?”

  “Then why did you write those notes? Why were you threatening me?”

  “I would never threaten you. You must know that. I thought—” He glanced at his chief and ducked his head. “Annie, do I have to explain?”

  Edwards crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I want to know what’s been going on here, Hamilton. What do you have to do with these notes?”

  “I don’t know what I was thinking. I swear I’ve never done anything like this before. I just—” Roy swiped one hand over his face. “I thought if I kept writing those notes, Mrs. Dawson would keep coming to me about them, especially if she thought I was in charge of the case. Then I’d be able to talk to her, and she wouldn’t just blow me off. And I thought that, if she spent a little time with me, she might get to like me after all.”

  “And when did this plan come to mind?”

  “It was after she brought in that first one,” Roy admitted. “You gave it to me to analyze, and I realized—”

  “Wait a minute. After the first one? That one wasn’t yours?”

  “No. I did the last two, but not the first one. That one, I swear, I’ve been all over it and there’s just nothing traceable about it. That’s what gave me the idea.”

  Annie had to clench her jaws to keep from boiling over. “So we’re no closer to knowing who left that one for me?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “And really, there wasn’t anybody on my porch that day?”

  “Shoot, Annie.” Roy managed a pale imitation of his usual grin. “You caught me right after I put that note through your mail slot. What else could I say?”

  “And last night?”

  “I figured you’d call me if you thought somebody was out there, and then maybe we could talk, spend a little time …”

  He shrugged weakly, and she pressed her lips together, keeping her rising anger in check.

  “What part of Terroristic Threat don’t you understand, Officer?” Edwards glared at Roy. “How about Abuse of Authority? Sound familiar?”

  “I wasn’t trying to terrorize anybody. Annie, you don’t believe that, do you?”

  She sighed. “I have to admit that I wondered most of the time whether I was being threatened or just advised. But, Roy, no matter how mild they might have been, you know how scary it is to think somebody is stalking you. How could you do that to me? How could you lie to me like that and make me think you were looking out for me when all you were doing was making a way for yourself?”

  Roy said nothing. There was nothing he could say. Chief Edwards broke the silence. “You have every right to press charges, Mrs. Dawson. We have a pretty good case here.”

  “What’ll happen if I do?”

  “Whether or not he’s convicted, and he most likely would be, that would pretty much end his career as a policeman. We’d have to fire him, and it’s pretty likely he wouldn’t get hired on anywhere else.”

  Annie glanced at Roy. “And if I don’t?”

  “If you don’t, he will have the opportunity to tender his resignation, and that will be the end of it.”

  Annie pressed her lips together. “And have him do something like this in another town?”

  “No!” Roy ducked his head. Then he lifted it again. “No. Annie, I’m sorry. I mean, I’m really sorry. I know what I did was wrong, and there’s no excuse for it, but I won’t do it again. I wasn’t trying to hurt you or anybody. You know that.”

  She looked away. She did know that. And she knew how small towns could be for outsiders, especially for an outsider who took a false step. But a police officer was supposed to abide by the law no matter what, not take advantage of his position.

  “What do you want to do, Mrs. Dawson?” Edwards pressed, and he glanced at Roy once again. “Of course, he’ll be suspended until this matter is resolved.”

  Roy’s eyes pleaded with her, and she was forced to look away from them.

  “Can I think about it for a day or two?”

  Roy grabbed her arm. “I swear I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, Annie. Especially not you.”

  She coolly detached his hold on her. “I’ll let you know, Chief Edwards.”

  She went back to the church alone, glad it was not a long walk. What in the world was Roy thinking? Did he think any woman would appreciate being deceived, no matter how flattering the reason? But that was really just an irritation. More troubling was the knowledge that she still had no idea who had sent the first anonymous message she had received. She looked around the dark street, and the idea that someone was watching her came back with intensity. She was glad for the welcoming lights of the church building.

  Ian was standing in the doorway. Had he been waiting for her?

  She hurried her stride. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Being a little bit nosy, I guess.” He held the door open to let her in. “Everything all right?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” She dredged up a smile. “I guess you’re a better judge of people than I am.”

  He glanced toward the town hall. The light in Chief Edwards’ office was still burning.

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  She exhaled slowly. “No. I’m just disappointed.”

  “Did Edwards ever find out anything about the anonymous note you got? I mean, besides that there weren’t any prints on it?”

  She considered telling him about the other notes and about Roy, but she decided that was between Edwards and his officer. If the chief of police wanted to discuss his department’s disciplinary matters with the mayor, that was his business.

  “No, they still haven’t found out anything on that note.”

  “And you haven’t heard anything more from whoever sent it to you?”

  “No,” she answered truthfully. “I don’t think I’m any closer to figuring out who that was than when I got it in the first place.”

  “I hope you’re being careful. Sometimes you find out more than you really want to when you’re digging up the past.”

  “What do you mean?” Annie studied his face. Was this friendly advice or something more? />
  “Just that there are some real weirdos out there. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Sometimes it’s best to keep out of things.”

  Mind your own business.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

  “Only that I worry about you.” He gave her a puzzled smile. “Is that a bad thing?”

  “I’m a big girl, Ian. I can take care of myself just fine without your help.”

  She stalked back into the banquet room and left him standing there staring after her.

  When she came in, Alice smiled at her from behind the punch bowl.

  “Where’ve you been? And where’d the police force go?”

  “I think I’d better have some of that punch.” Annie picked up the cup Alice had just filled. “I need to cool off.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Do I look feeble?”

  Alice snickered. “What?”

  “Helpless?”

  “Annie—”

  “Incompetent?”

  “What are you talking about? I’d say you’ve had too much punch already, except the only thing in it is pineapple juice, sherbet, and ginger ale.”

  “And where have you been, Annie?” Stella came up to the table with a covered casserole dish in both hands. “You missed Pastor Wallace’s presentation.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry I did. Was he surprised?”

  “He pretended well at least.”

  Alice chuckled. “It’s nearly impossible to keep a secret around here.”

  “I had to take care of some business with Chief Edwards,” Annie explained.

  Stella lifted one silver eyebrow as she set the dish on the table. “About this Susan Morris still?”

  “Sort of. It was another dead end.” Better to leave Roy and his adolescent antics out of the conversation for now. “I just wish I knew more about what she was feeling, what she was going through, right before she died.”

  “Whatever it was,” Stella said, “she’s at peace now, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah, well, I only wish I could be.” Annie sighed. “I just know there’s something more here than I’ve found out so far. But even talking to her fiancé hasn’t really gotten me anywhere.”

  Stella pursed her lips and almost imperceptibly turned up her nose. “Archer Prescott.”