by Leona Fox
“This is an office, not a social club,” Emily said in a clipped tone. The men, other than Billy, all left like naughty schoolboys.
“I thought we talked about this, Mister Noon. This is not acceptable behavior,” she said, and Billy once again apologized but she was getting tired of his apologies.
Ellen intervened and asked if she could have a word with Billy. Emily folded her arms and excused herself, her loud footsteps audible as she stomped down the stairs. Ellen sized up Billy. He stood there, smirking, and she could tell he thought he was smarter than he actually was. Ellen asked him a few questions and his answers seemed very rote, as though he had rehearsed them many times over. She observed his body language and the way his eyes darted to the side whenever she mentioned Ray. She noticed how he tried to be as diplomatic as possible but was unable to hide his underlying feelings from her, the truth that he hated Ray. Ellen thanked him for his time and then went back to Emily, convinced Billy was the killer.
“I wonder if you would consent to being part of a trap?” Ellen asked. Emily's eyes opened wide, and then she began nodding.
Chapter 9
Ellen spent the evening getting the plan into place. She called on Andy and Kelly to help, and Andy brought along Iris. Ellen hadn't had much opportunity to talk with Andy's new protégé but from what Andy had said she was a bright young officer and had a good future in the force. So Ellen was inclined to trust his judgment. She had gathered all of them, including Emily, at the cafe where they discussed the plan. For once she was glad it was quiet since it meant they could discuss things in secret, for she didn't want to risk word getting out. After telling them the plan, Iris and Andy looked shocked, but it was Iris who spoke up first.
“You can't do this!” she said, and looked at Andy for support. Again, Andy was torn between his relationship and his job, but Ellen replied before he could say anything.
“Why not?”
“Because there's no evidence to suggest he's the killer. All we have is speculation and that's not enough to trap people.”
“I spoke with him. Trust me, he killed Ray and the only way we're going to catch him is if we trap him. Or do you want to leave him to run the mill?”
“This isn't right. Just because you have a feeling about something doesn't justify you doing something like this. We need evidence. We need proof. You're really not going to let this go ahead, are you?” she asked Andy.
A silence descended over them and all eyes were on the chief of police as they waited expectantly for an answer. Andy licked his lips and took a slow, deep breath before he answered.
“Iris, I understand your concerns, and a long time ago I would have raised the same issues. Even now I am not fully condoning this course of action, but you have to understand that Ellen has worked with us for a long time. I have come to trust, and even rely on her judgment. If she is convinced Billy is the culprit, then that's as good as evidence in my book. It would serve you well to learn from Ellen. Sometimes you have to open yourself up to unorthodox ideas. Let's go with Ellen's plan and if it fails miserably then I will take full responsibility and make sure that none of this goes on your record,” he said. With that settled they disbanded and waited for the following day.
“Thank you for sticking up for me back there,” Ellen said to Andy when they were alone.
“It was just the truth.”
“She reminds me of you when we first met, always so guided by the book.”
“Maybe that's why I decided to take her under my wing. She's a good kid and she could be a great cop if she manages to open her eyes and her mind.”
“Give her time. It can't be an easy thing, to go against everything she's been taught.”
“No, it can't. You really think this plan will work?”
“I sure hope so. It just depends on Billy going for the bait, but I think he's stupid enough to do so.”
Ellen, Andy, Iris, and Kelly were sitting in the car outside the mill, waiting for the signal, while Emily was inside. Each of them was nervous in their own way. Ellen noticed that Iris still was uncomfortable around her but she was glad the young officer had joined them. It showed she was willing to accept guidance.
“I wanted to thank you for everything you've done,” Ellen said, leaning over and speaking to Kelly in a low voice.
“Me? I didn't really do anything. I spent most of my time thinking it was Maggie!”
“I just mean looking after Scampy and being there to take over the responsibility. It was a comfort to me knowing you were out here working the case. And sometimes it's just as important to eliminate leads as it is to confirm them.”
“That's sweet. So you're welcome, but I really don't think I helped too much. I'm definitely not like you, I couldn't solve these crimes on my own. I think I'm best at just giving you someone to talk to now and then.”
“I hope Matthew wasn't too upset that you were working on the case. I know it can take up a lot of time.”
“I think he finds it interesting, to be honest. He's changed a lot. You remember how he was at the beginning, so worried about me being so close to all these crimes, but he kept asking me questions. I think if you hadn't been freed he would have started helping me. In fact, I think he would have been here right now if there was space in the car!” Kelly said.
Emily was standing in the office, noticing the car outside. Anxiety was rushing through her because she trusted Ellen's judgment just as much as Andy, but that meant she was standing in front of a murderer. She had called everyone into the mill to tell them she would be holding staff appraisals to see who would be staying on, as she wanted to re-structure the staff. She also said she was going to be taking a more hands-on approach, which was met with mixed reactions from the sea of people. Her eyes darted toward Billy, and his displeasure was evident. He was the first one to be shown into her office and now they were sitting opposite each other. Emily was sitting forward, while Billy was slouching in his chair, looking like he didn't give a damn about this whole thing.
“Now then, what do you think you bring to this mill?” Emily began.
“Come off it Emily, do we really have to do this? You know what I can do. You've been seeing it for the past few days. They practically voted me in as the new boss, so I should be sitting there with you doing all the other appraisals.”
“That may be, but I'd rather do them all myself so I can familiarize myself with every employee here. I would appreciate it if you just would humor me and answer the questions posed to you.” Billy huffed and sat up, mirroring Emily's posture.
“And who is going to do your appraisal?” Billy asked, his tone slightly threatening, or was Emily just imagining it?
“I'm the owner. I don't need an appraisal.”
“In my opinion, if I'm allowed to speak freely, you do if you're going to be spending more time here. And what did you mean by that, exactly? Surely you can't mean you're going to stay here all the time. It's like I said, your place is in the city and my place is here. You can leave the mill in my capable hands and I'll take care of it. I assure you of that. Besides, if you are going to run the mill then, really, I have to protest because you don't have any experience at it.”
“I'm a quick learner,” Emily said sternly, “but we are not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about you.”
“And the thing you lack,” he continued, as though she had not said anything, “is experience working with the guys. You don't know how they tick. You have no common ground. I know the way they think and I know how to keep them happy. Come on, you know you don't really want to be here either. You don't fit in. It's fine, okay? I get it. You want to prove yourself and live up to your legacy or whatever. Nobody is going to think less of you for going back to the city. You made a mistake in picking Ray but you can rectify that by letting me have control.”
“Ah, so you lied before about your respect for Ray?”
Billy's eye flickered for a moment. “No...I did respect Ray, as a person. But I'm sure
you've seen what people thought of him as a manager. He was too old, and stuck in his ways. We just need some fresh blood.”
“Like mine?” she said, challenging him. Billy pressed his lips together and leaned even closer to her, his menacing eyes staring at her.
“Look, what happened to Ray was a tragedy but it was the best thing for the mill. He wasn't working out. None of us thought so. The smart thing for you to do is to get back to the city where you belong and leave us alone.”
His voice was almost a growl and Emily felt a shiver run down her spine, for she now was convinced she was staring into the eyes of a killer. She wondered if Ray had known that Billy was responsible as he took his last breath. Summoning all her courage, she remained composed and matched his icy stare.
“I am the owner of this mill and I am not going anywhere. We are going to sit here and finish this appraisal and if you do not meet the required standard I will have no problem in finding a replacement for you,” she said through gritted teeth. Billy rocked back and had a dark look in his eyes, then a smile crept over his face.
“I apologize. How about we start over? Would you like a drink? I'll go make us a couple of coffees and then we'll come back and start over,” he said. Emily was sure that whatever drink he made would have an extra ingredient.
As soon as he had left the office Emily grabbed a flashlight from the desk and shone it out the window, turning it on and off. The people in the car rushed out and came into the mill. Emily ran down the stairs to meet them and told them what had happened. As they strode through the mill everyone looked at them with surprise. Ellen wondered if any of them knew what was happening, if they had been aware of Billy's plan. They reached the kitchen and caught him red-handed, pouring some poison into the coffee.
“Hold it right there,” Andy said as he walked up to Billy and examined the concoction he was making.
The ingredients were exactly the same as the ones used to poison Ray. To everyone's surprise Billy didn't look shocked or even try to plead his innocence as he was led away.
Epilogue
Ellen sighed as she stared at the quiet cafe around her, still worried about the future. Emily was sitting opposite her, and Andy just had come in.
“What are your plans now?” Ellen asked.
“I think I'll stick around for a while longer. I need to make sure the mill is stable and, well, I kinda like it around here,” she said, smiling. “I do have to wonder if anyone else was working with Billy, though. I don't like the idea of having to be afraid of a cup of coffee at work.”
At this point Andy joined them. “As far as I can tell Billy was working alone. He confessed fully and said he did it all for the sake of the mill. He claims you and Ray were running it into the ground and nobody was happy working there. I think you coming back to the mill really threw him off. He expected just to take over Ray's role with no questions asked.”
“So it was just a coincidence that Ray died while he was here at the cafe?” Ellen asked.
“It seems that way. I did ask Billy about it and he said it was just lucky for him since it drew suspicion away from him. I think that's why he was so confident about threatening Emily, but yes, it seems Maggie is completely innocent.”
Ellen wasn't sure how to feel about that. It somehow felt unfair that just because of a random coincidence her cafe had suffered and Maggie's was able to get a head start. For the rest of the afternoon Ellen was despondent as she saw how quiet it was. However, toward the evening more people began trickling in, even some of the younger crowd like Ryan, the farmer's son. The place was lively and Ellen was filled with happiness as it gave her hope that the two cafes could at least coexist. Many people came and asked her about the latest crime.
Andy's eyes twinkled as he walked out of the cafe and allowed Ellen to enjoy playing host as she told them the latest story, even pointing to the table where Ray had died. It became something of a monument and people crowded around the table, wanting to sit where he had. The event also became a memorial as people began talking about Ray. Even some of the workers from the mill came into the cafe to thank Ellen for finding out the truth. It turned out they had been sincere when they expressed respect for Ray. Although they had had issues with his management style they still were sorry to hear he had died because, as they had said before, he was like a father to them.
When the cafe was at its busiest the door was flung open dramatically and everyone turned to see what was happening. A man in a long purple cloak stepped inside. He held in his hand a cane, and wore a large top hat. Ellen noticed he was wearing mascara to give his eyes an exotic look, and he had a pencil mustache. His shoes were shining and the cloak billowed around him. He wore a shirt underneath with a red bow tie. He stopped as he entered and looked around carefully, his sharp eyes examining everything. Then, he flung his head back and laughed heartily. Everyone in the cafe stared at each other, not sure what to make of this mysterious man. Ellen took it upon herself to approach him, and interrupted his laughter.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“No, but I can help you, all of you!” he said in a sing-song voice. “Please take these, and prepare for the arrival of the greatest show on Earth!” With that he sent a flurry of leaflets flying into the air, while he swept his cloak around him and disappeared into the night.
Ellen caught one, and looked at the colorful leaflet depicting the usual circus acts. She noticed the center was highlighted by an angel, evidently the star of the show. Ellen watched the delight of everyone around her as she sighed, for a quiet town East Pender often was very lively.
Volume 12
Part I
Thrills And A Kill
An East Pender Mystery Series Book 12
Chapter 1
It was a calm day in East Pender. Ellen was sitting with Kelly in The Chrome Cafe, enjoying the peace and quiet. The cafe was fairly busy, and for this she was glad. Ever since Maggie had opened her own cafe down the street Ellen had worried if people still were going to come to hers, but after the death of Ray and the suspicion that was cast upon her things had returned to normal.
Aside from Maggie’s cafe’s early surge of popularity, the people of East Pender showed their loyalty by returning to The Chrome Cafe again and again, much to Maggie’s chagrin. She and Ellen hadn't spoken much; the two of them went out of their way to avoid each other, only sharing glances and scowls as they passed each other on the street. Thankfully, in the interim there had been no cases for her to work on, so she had been able to devote her time fully to the cafe.
“You know, I popped into Maggie's the other day,” Kelly said. Ellen looked shocked and mock betrayal was written all over her face.
“I was just curious to see how she was getting along!” Kelly said defensively.
“I'm only teasing you, it's a free country. I'd actually like her to succeed. I still feel bad about the way I handled everything in the first place. I've even thought about going in there a few times myself but I don't think I'd be very welcome. How was it?”
“Still doing well. In fact, I think that she--” but Kelly cut herself off and angled her head to the side.
“Do you hear that?” she asked.
“Hear what?” Ellen said. The two of them stopped speaking as they stretched their ears.
“It's like...it's like music,” Kelly said, in a disbelieving tone.
It was difficult to hear at first because the noise in the cafe was loud with all the little sounds; people chatting, cups clinking against saucers, newspapers rustling, Scampy shuffling around the floor, and so on. Taken by themselves these would not have caused any noticeable distraction, but combined they formed a large wall of sound and the two women had to strain to hear what was outside. Gradually it became clearer and clearer and more people became aware of it. They whispered among themselves, then shushed each other. Suddenly the cafe was plunged into silence as everyone turned their heads to the window. For now the music was reaching them loud and clear, the upbeat
, happy melody piercing the air and providing the perfect addition to the bright day.
Even Scampy was sitting in silence, his beady eyes blinking as he tilted his head to the side and tried to make sense of this music. It sounded like a big brass band, with trumpets roaring and trombones blaring out a fast rhythm, while loud drums banged and cymbals crashed together, making the air crackle with vibrancy and sheer, forceful noise. Yet there was something else contained within the music as well, something that reached down deep into Ellen's heart and reminded her of yesteryear, of a long-lost childhood memory that caused a wide smile to appear on her face. She remembered the smell of sawdust and all the colorful costumes, the impossible feats she saw performed...the sweet taste of candy floss, and the sheer joy that came from sitting in between her parents in the dim tent as she was thrust into another world.
“Come on,” Ellen said to Kelly, rising from her seat, throwing the door open to let the music flood into the cafe.
Now people were talking again, excitedly, and one by one they all stood up and made their way outside, drawn to the music. It was alluring, and it was as though they were caught in a trance, as if they were children being led away by the Pied Piper.
“What's going on?” Kelly asked, still a little puzzled.
“Don't you see? The circus has come to town,” Ellen said, relishing her words, then turning to join the throng of people who walked out of the cafe, moving along in a long line.