Small Town Spooky (Cozy Mystery Anthology)

by Anisa Claire West

  “I need something stronger,” Norman commented. “I’ll have a gin and tonic.”

  The four of them sat around the kitchen table. Norman could sense the women were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “OK, I know women,” Norman continued. “You want to know more. But first, Kay, you have to tell me how you got a hold of this and how did you figure out the code?”

  “It was a complete coincidence. I bought this red loveseat at an estate sale. I didn’t know whose estate it was. Then this woman, Erna, came to my home insisting that the loveseat belonged to her.”

  “Not Erna Wilson! That witch!” Norman bellowed.

  “You know, Erna?” Kay’s eye widened. “How did you know Erna?”

  “Who is Erna, and who is Elizabeth Woods?” Gloria was noticeably impatient.

  “One question at time, please. Take a number,” Norman joked gulping his drink.

  “Erna Wilson and Elizabeth Woods were best friends at Montclair College. But everybody knew Erna was jealous of Elizabeth. All the guys loved Elizabeth.”

  “Was she beautiful?” Gloria asked.

  “No—she was gorgeous,” Norman quipped. Gloria made a disagreeable sound. Peggy raised her eye-brows making eye-contact with Kay.

  “So, what happened?” Kay asked unable to contain her interest.

  “Well, how did you find this letter?” Norman asked again.

  “It fell out of one of the pillows from the loveseat. Then Peggy and I decoded the letter and it mentioned your name, Norman Hunt. I suppose the loveseat once belonged to Elizabeth Woods,” Kay deduced.

  “What do you mean, once belonged?” Norman asked.

  “Well, Kay did buy it at an estate sale,” Peggy clarified.

  That’s when Norman lost it and imploded into a meltdown. He buried his face in his hands, embarrassed at his sudden emotional reaction.

  “Norman, dear,” Gloria whispered. “We’re all friends. Everything will be okay.”

  “It will never be okay,” Norman said shaking his head. “It’s too late. I let them down. I never told Elizabeth about the letter. I threw it away and now she’s gone too.”

  Kay gave Peggy a sign that maybe it was time to leave. They had some of the information they wanted but the map was still a piece of the puzzle to solve. One thing that hadn’t eluded Peggy or Kay was that Norman was one of Elizabeth’s admirers. He was clearly broken-up about hearing of her passing. Maybe Norman lost Ben’s letter on purpose? Kay thought silently.

  ***

  Again, Kay tossed in-and-out of sleep. She kept stirring Cody who was resting at the foot of the bed, while Gavin was out for the count. Exhausted but not sleepy was purgatory. So she quietly went downstairs to sift through the evidence.

  Denise is the niece of Elizabeth Woods – okay

  Ben Field was in love with Elizabeth – okay

  Ben and Norman were friends – truth is stranger than fiction

  Ben gave Norman the note – a back-up plan

  Norman never shared the note with Elizabeth – why?

  Kay began to circle the last item on her list deep in thought. Would it make any difference to know? Maybe Gavin is right that the past should remain buried.

  Norman and Ben

  Norman sported shaggy hair and a beard typical of the 1960s when he attended college. Ben was clean cut and a natural athlete. They looked like total opposites. Ben was active in ROTC* and Norman remained on the fringe of the make love not war generation. They met in their senior year while taking a real estate to satisfy graduation requirements.

  Norman was on a different path than Ben. He viewed real estate as a ticket to the good life in Bergen County and dreamed someday of having his own business with a staff of employees. The two college men half-joked about having a partnership, Field & Hunt Realtors, after graduation. Norman was serious whereas Ben could only remain hopeful that he would survive his Vietnam tour. One thing they did have in common though was their mutual attraction to a young beautiful woman, Elizabeth Woods.

  Like Ben and Norman, Elizabeth was in her senior year, had just completed her teaching practicum and needed one more credit for graduation. Her parents suggested to her a real estate business course. The moment she walked into class she turned heads. Both Norman and Ben were love struck.

  Elizabeth, with her long blonde hair, shapely legs and dazzling blue eyes, learned to use her beauty to her advantage long before she entered college and simply accepted it. After all, what pretty girl doesn’t know she’s pretty? Elizabeth was the teacher’s pet in grade school; the cheer-leading captain in high-school; the girl who had not one but two prom invitations. And of course she would pass the real estate exam with a professor who was equally enthralled as Norman and Ben.

  *Reserve Officers' Training Corps

  The three became fast friends, hanging out at the student café, studying together, and sometimes meeting off-campus as well. It was clear to Norman that he didn’t have a chance with Elizabeth. He couldn’t compete with Ben who stood about 5 inches taller, and had an athletic build. It was also Ben’s easy-going personality and the way he made Elizabeth laugh. It would take Norman years to grow comfortable around women. He eventually balanced his lack of charm with making money, lots of it.

  The threesome became a foursome when Erna Wilson began tagging along with Elizabeth. Both Ben and Norman often spoke about Erna disparagingly when they were alone. The made fun of Erna’s beady close-set eyes, the bump on her nose, her whiney voice, the way she stared at Elizabeth. They just couldn’t understand how Elizabeth and Erna ever hooked up as friends.

  One evening Ben and Elizabeth found themselves alone studying. Ben had hoped for an opportunity without Norman or Erna being with them. He quietly slipped his arm around her shoulder. Elizabeth immediately responded with a French kiss so passionate and sustained that Ben couldn’t contain his excitement. They were upstairs in a private study room at the college library and transformed into students whose hormones opened the flood gates of passion.

  It didn’t take long for Norman and Erna to learn that Ben and Elizabeth were lovers. Norman accepted it with equanimity. Erna did not. After graduation, Ben was deployed to Vietnam, and Erna followed as an army nurse. Norman arranged for a group of guys to take Ben out drinking and to visit a strip club. Ben declined. He wanted to spend every possible moment with Elizabeth and his parents.

  “Come on, Ben,” Norman coaxed. “You need to have one big blast before you go to those jungles.” Ben shook his head no. Then, he took out an envelope to give to Norman.

  “Norm, do me a favor.”

  “Anything for you, Ben.”

  “You remember that code we used to pass answers to each other in class?”

  “Oh yeah,” Norman laughed. “We were pretty smart for two dumb guys.”

  “Take this note. It’s kind of stupid, but I wanted to surprise Elizabeth when I return next Valentine’s Day. I hid the same note in one her mother’s chairs last week.”

  “I don’t understand,” Norman said.

  “Listen, only God knows if I’m going to live or die.”

  “Of course you’re going to live,” Norman said to convince himself as much as Ben.

  “If I do, she and I will go on a treasure hunt together. But if I don’t, you know our code and you can help Elizabeth find her Valentine’s gift.” With that Ben stuffed the letter and map in Norman’s hand. “Don’t read it or tell Elizabeth about it unless something happens, promise?”

  “You have my word,” Norman vowed.

  Wednesday Woes

  Dreary February weather lingered into mid-week but for Kay it was a new brighter day. She decided she would forgive Gavin for laughing at her the night before. She felt confident that she could find the Valentine’s gift that Ben Field hid years ago as soon as she and Peggy figured out the map. But there was another Valentine on her mind—her own.

  Snooping was a guilty pleasure of Kay’s and she seized the opportunity to scout for
her gift while Gavin and Cody had gone out for a walk. First, she checked to make sure all the doors were locked downstairs, checked all the bathrooms and called out Gavin’s name. No answer meant he was out for sure.

  She crept upstairs on the tips of her toes, slowly opening Gavin’s study door. He was surprisingly organized when it came to his writing which reminded Kay how serious he felt about it. Now, if I was a Valentine’s gift, where would I be? Kay asked herself. She opened his desk drawers. Nothing. She looked under his stack of papers, still nothing. Then she went to the closet. Kay carried his desk chair over to the open closet door and climbed on top to get a better look at the upper shelf. There were only stacks of old magazines with Gavin’s published articles.

  Kay heard a noise from downstairs. Probably a tree branch falling, she assumed. She continued to unearth a pile of clothes that were on the closet floor, throwing them helter-skelter behind her. One of them landed on Gavin who was standing behind her.

  “Can I help you with something?” He asked in a low voice.

  Kay jumped several inches off the floor and slid on her rump in front of him. “Gavin Murphy! How dare you sneak up behind me!”

  “Me! You’re the one who’s sneaking about!” Gavin helped her off the floor, pretended to dust her pants, then he playfully slapped Kay across her backside. “What are you looking for?”

  “You know damn well what I’m looking for. My Valentine’s gift.”

  “Well, I didn’t buy it yet,” Gavin answered and turned around annoyed.

  “Gavin, it’s only 2 days from now, what are you waiting for?” Kay’s anger heightened.

  “I’m waiting for the sweetheart I knew to return.”

  It really irked Kay how he could feign injured feelings so believably. She glanced in the mirror and didn’t like what she saw. May be she had started to take Gavin for granted, getting too preoccupied with the loveseat wasn’t helping and not paying attention to her appearance. Wasn’t this normal for couples after a while, she pondered. She hadn’t bought him a Valentine’s gift, the loveseat was really for her and she knew it.

  ***

  Meanwhile, across town, Gloria was needling Norman about Elizabeth Woods. She was relentless in her pursuit of hearing every detail. Norman was sure what Gloria both wanted to hear and did not want to hear that he and Elizabeth dated. If he said they never dated, she wouldn’t believe him. If he confessed that he had dated Elizabeth, Gloria would be jealous and want to know more details. It was one of the perils of mature relationships. You can have a history but not a past.

  Norman remained quiet. His mind drifted to his youth, while Gloria’s questions fell on deaf ears. The truth would hurt Norman more than Gloria. The truth was that Elizabeth Woods had met another teacher at the school where she worked while Ben was away at war. Norman knew about her relationship but figured it wasn’t serious, once Ben came home Elizabeth would come to her senses. But in the interim, Norman made a play for Elizabeth and she took the bait. Her need for male attention was insatiable.

  One Saturday afternoon she arrived unannounced at the real estate office where Norman worked. She came over under the pretense of looking for an apartment. As they browsed through photos of apartments, Norman kept touching her arm. Elizabeth rubbed her thigh against his pants. They were alone in the heat of the moment. When she left they promised they would never speak about it again or tell Ben. That was one promise Norman kept.

  “So were you in love with her?” Gloria asked breaking the silence.

  “All the guys were in love with Elizabeth.”

  “She sounds like a slut.” Gloria snapped back. It was a sure way for a woman to demean another by labeling her a slut. Gloria knew it and didn’t care. Norman winced at Gloria’s choice of words.

  “We were all young, Gloria. She was not a slut. She was lonely.”

  “So why didn’t you help her find Ben’s gift?” Gloria hammered away. “I know why, because you were hopeful that you and Elizabeth would end up together.”

  “No, no, you got it wrong.” Norman defended. He beat his fist on the coffee table. But of course that was the very reason. Norman was hopeful. When he learned of Ben being killed in Vietnam, he gave Elizabeth sometime before making his move. Instead, she married the teacher.

  “So what happened?” Gloria asked.

  “Nothing happened. Ben died, Elizabeth married another man, and I threw away the letter and map. That’s the whole story.” Norman assured Gloria.

  Gloria wanted to believe him and she hated her own insecurities. This whole scene had cast doubts about Norman all over again. May be he remained a bachelor all these years because he never could marry Elizabeth. This thought nagged at her.

  “Do you love me?” Gloria asked pitifully.

  Norman moved toward Gloria, placed his arm around her shoulders and kissed her. He would take this opportunity to show her just how much he did care. Without hesitation he led Gloria to the bedroom…

  A Chance Encounter

  Later that day, Kay went to the Pearl River Library to research the map. Gavin said from the start that it looked like an old map of Pearl River. She asked a reference librarian for assistance who brought Kay to a local history section. Kay was surprised how her heart began to pound with anticipation. It was if she was going to make a startling discovery. Calm yourself and focus, she thought.

  As she poured over the books making notes, she could feel someone’s eyes on her. Kay finally looked up. It was Denise, the young woman from the estate sale.

  “So we meet again,” Denise said.

  Kay bit her lip and closed the book. “Yes, my, my, such a small world.” Kay mused.

  “I’m not going to ask you about the loveseat,” Denise assured her.

  “Well if you’re not going to ask me about it, why mention it at all,” Kay countered.

  “May I sit down?” Denise asked still ignoring Kay’s snarky attitude. Kay nodded yes. Her stance softened as she began to look into the blue eyes of this pretty woman. Denise was young enough to be her daughter.

  “I guess I do want to talk about the loveseat,” Denise began. “It’s not that I want it back. I’m just curious if there’s something about it that Erna knows that I don’t.”

  Kay smiled and chose her words carefully. She wasn’t about to give the goods on this just yet. How did she know that Erna didn’t put her up to this? For all she knew, Erna could be waiting outside the library..

  “Before I answer that, and I don’t know if I have an answer,” Kay quickly added. “Does the name Ben Field mean anything to you?”

  Denise’s raised her eye-brows and leaned forward to speak quietly to Kay.

  “How do you know about Ben Field?” Denise asked.

  “Nope, you answer my question first,” Kay insisted.

  Denise loosened her wool scarf and unbuttoned her winter coat. It signaled to Kay that this was going to be a juicy long story.

  “This is all I know about Ben,” Denise began. “And it’s not much.”

  “I’m listening,” Kay said lightly.

  “Years ago when I was dumped by a guy,” Denise started. “No, I need to go further back.”

  “My mother died when I was a toddler and my Aunt Elizabeth adopted me. She was my mother’s sister. My father was young and let me go. I guess he didn’t want the responsibility. Aunt Elizabeth was happily married and she had no children of her own.”

  “So your Aunt Elizabeth was also your adoptive mother?”

  Denise nodded yes then continued. “So when I was about 16 a boy dumped me. I was crushed. I came home crying to my aunt. You know how young love can be.”

  “Oh yes, the end of the world for a girl,” Kay chimed with a growing fondness for Denise.

  “That’s when my aunt told me about her first love, Ben Field. She said he died in Vietnam but she never forgot him. Yet her heart managed to heal and she married the man who was to be my adopted father.”

  “Did your heart heal?” Kay aske
d with a smile.

  “Of course! I have a fabulous man in my life,” Denise affirmed. ‘So I’m still confused, how did you know about Ben Field?”

  “Well, I have a friend who went to college with Ben. We were reminiscing the other day when Ben’s name came up.”

  Denise gave Kay a sideward glance. She knew this couldn’t be the only reason Kay asked about Ben. However, Denise remained respectful and chose not to pursue it any further. Kay felt her face flushing. She hated to be deceitful especially to such a sweet woman. Denise began to button her coat.

  “Did your aunt ever mention a Norman Hunt?” Kay blurted to stop Denise from leaving.

  “Norman,” Denise chuckled. “Aunt Elizabeth would mention Norman whenever she wanted to compare him to any loser I happened to be dating. I never knew his last name, but I guess he had a thing for my aunt. I had the feeling she may have once slept with him. I better go,” Denise said politely. “I have to find my guy a Valentine’s gift.”

  Kay smiled as Denise walked away. What a charming girl, Kay thought.

  ***

  Erna was indeed waiting outside the library for Denise.

  “Denise!” Erna called while seated in her car. Denise turned around, saw Erna and began to weigh whether she should talk to her.

  “Denise!” Erna called again. Denise felt compelled to walk towards Erna.

  “I saw your car parked outside the library and decided to wait until you came out,” Erna explained.

  “Yes, I had to return a few movies,” Denise replied.

  There was an awkward silence. Denise’s feelings toward Erna had cooled to a point where she knew she didn’t want anything to do with her. After all, she was her aunt’s friend not hers and now with Aunt Elizabeth gone, what would be the point of carrying forward. But ever the good-natured soul, Denise gave her a few moments.

  “Denise, I am so sorry for what I’ve said and the way I’ve behaved. Please forgive me.”