He cocked his head as if he thought the question was odd. “None at all. Like I said, we all loved Tess. Jerry mentioned once they were in the middle of a row with her family, but I don’t know the particulars. I’m guessing her death was a random thing, some crazy walking the campus at night. Stripling’s not as safe as people want to believe. Nowhere is.”
“Maybe,” I said, but I didn’t think so. Whoever killed Tess knew her. I’d bet on it. Derek said she was meeting someone on the festival grounds that evening.
“Painting booth?”
“Huh?”
“You said you have a booth at the festival. Was it a painting booth?”
I nodded and didn’t tell him it was face painting.
“Well if you want to learn about the co-op, you’ve come to the right place. I’m not just the co-op president, I’m also a founder. I’d be happy to show you around and introduce you to folks.”
“That would be great, thanks.”
I was about to follow David and be introduced to the other co-op members when Ina appeared at my arm. She plucked on my sleeve. “I need to talk to you. Now.”
I gave my excuses to David.
Ina pulled me into the weaver Ansel Levi’s empty stall. “He’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
“The jaywalker.”
Chapter Twenty
Momentarily, I blanked. “The jaywalker?”
Ina made an exasperated sound. “The person who nearly ran over Juliet and me on the square. He’s here. I saw him. He went out the back door. We’re going after him.”
Before I could protest, Ina was halfway across the barn. I stumbled after her as she slipped out the door.
The grounds behind the barn weren’t as well lit as the front. The only light to speak of was the moon, which was half shrouded behind a cloud and the yellow light pouring out of the barn’s windows. I paused to let my eyes adjust. I spotted Ina’s shadow creeping across the grass in the direction of one of the half dozen outbuildings peppering the back of the property.
Ina bounced from tree to tree like a super spy, or at least the comedic movie version. I hurried to catch up with her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Tracking a criminal. I saw him go into that building.” She pointed a wrinkled finger at a large shed the size of a one-car garage. It stood roughly thirty yards from the co-op headquarters.
“Are you sure it’s the jaywalker?”
“Of course, I’m sure,” she said in a harsh whisper. “I have a memory like a steel trap. Do you think we should call the police?”
“No,” I said quickly. I’d had more than my fill of the police over the last two days. “They have enough to worry about with Tess’s murder.”
“Are you saying this crime isn’t worthy of their time?”
“In comparison, yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Then, we need to make a citizen’s arrest.” She hopped to the next tree. I followed quickly behind.
There was an orange glow coming from the small barn. The door was cracked opened. Ina was peering into the crack. I tiptoed beside her. “It’s him,” she whispered.
I motioned for her to move and placed my own eye to the crack. I found myself looking into a blacksmith’s shop. Sharp pieces of iron hung from every wall and surface. An anvil sat in the middle of the room with a sledgehammer resting on top of it. A wooden bucket of water sat beside the anvil. Behind the anvil, Jerry fed charcoal into the forge’s flaming mouth.
I pulled Ina back from the crack. “That’s Tess’s husband.”
“It is?” She tapped her chin. “He must be the killer then.”
I pulled her farther away from the smithy. “Keep your voice down. You don’t know Jerry’s the killer just because he jaywalked in front of you.”
“One crime leads to another. Let’s go in there and take him down.”
“We are not taking anyone down. We’re not going to accuse him of anything. We’re going to talk to him.”
“But he is a suspect.”
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“And a ruthless jaywalker.”
I looked up at the moon and mentally counted to ten in French. For some reason, I found French soothing, although the only things I could do with it were to count to ten, say my name, and recite the colors of the French flag.
“Let’s go,” Ina said.
I knocked on the smithy’s door, wondering about the wisdom of talking to Jerry in the smithy. What if Ina was right and he was the killer? With all the sharp objects around, not to mention the deadly forge itself, there were many ways he could silence a couple of busybodies like Ina and me.
“Hello,” I said tentatively.
Jerry spun around. His dark eyes were red-rimmed and his cheeks were white-streaked with tears.
I don’t know if Ina noticed his obvious distress because she pushed passed me into the room. “I’m onto you, Bub.”
“Who are you?” Jerry asked.
“I’m the defenseless little old lady you almost mowed down on the square.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, you’re going to play dumb, are you?”
Jerry looked to me. “What is she babbling about?”
I winced. “Ina thinks you’re the jaywalker who nearly collided with her a few days ago.”
“Early Thursday morning, to be exact,” Ina piped in. “You were carrying a huge box and not minding where you were going. I could have been killed.”
I thought I saw Jerry pale ever so slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t even try to deny it.”
Jerry picked up a small hammer. “Listen, lady—”
I stepped between them. “Ina, you might be mistaken. Remember, you can be forgetful at times.”
“I am not—”
I gave her a hard look and, for once, she snapped her mouth closed. I turned to Jerry. “I’m so sorry about this. I know you don’t need us barging in on you, especially at a time like this.”
He lowered the hammer. “I came in here to work. It helps.”
I nodded. “Painting usually helps me when I upset.”
Ina pouted.
“Are you going to come into the party?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Those are Tess’s friends. Not mine. Half of them think I killed her.”
I saw Ina open her mouth, and I stepped on her toe.
“Yow!”
Jerry jumped. “Did you poke yourself on something? There are a lot of sharp objects in here.”
She gave me an accusatory glare. “No.”
“Why would they think you’d hurt Tess?” I asked.
His shoulders sagged. “I can be hotheaded at times.” He threw more charcoal into the forge, and sparks flew. Ina and I jumped back. “And someone told the cops I was planning on divorcing Tess.”
“Were you?”
Another piece of charcoal flew into the forge’s fiery mouth. “No.”
“Then why would they think that?” Ina piped in. She gave me a triumphant look as if to say I can ask a question as well as you can. I didn’t doubt it.
Jerry pulled the chain controlling the billows and pumped air into the fire. The flames grew. Ina and I stood there mesmerized. “A few months back I was upset about something stupid. You know how married couples fight over silly little things. I came into the co-op that day really steamed and might have said I was thinking of leaving my wife. I didn’t mean it. It was a dumb comment to make. I know that.”
“Who heard you say this?”
“I was mad and wasn’t making a secret of it. Anyone could have heard me say it.” Whoosh, whoosh went more air into the fire. He let go of the chain. “I’m sure Celeste Berwyck was there. She’s always following me around the co-op.”
“Why would she do that?” Ina asked.
Jerry grimaced. “I don’t know. She’s crazy.” He paused. “I’m sure everyone in the co-op hopes I did it, so
they’d have grounds to kick me out. I’ve been a member for two years, and they only let me in because of my wife.”
“Oh, for some reason I thought you and Tess had been married for a long time,” I said.
He shook his head. “We’ve only been married for three years.”
“Do you know anyone in the co-op who would have a grudge against you or Tess?”
Jerry selected a ten-foot pole of iron and stuck it into the forge’s mouth, burying it in the blazing hot charcoals. He looked me straight in the eye for the first time, and his gaze was just shy of menacing. “What’s it to you? I thought you were a face painter. You a cop or something?”
I gulped. “No. I’m a friend of Derek’s.”
Jerry brow furrowed. “You’re that librarian my stepson said was going to find my wife’s killer.” He snorted.
Ina straightened to her full four-foot-ten height. “Oh, she will. She solved a murder last summer.”
Jerry squinted at me as if trying to imagine that. It would be a stretch for the most imaginative person, I was sure. “I think our conversation is done here. I have work to do.”
“We’ll be on our way,” I said. “So sorry to bother you.”
Ina looked ready to protest, but I nudged her toward the door.
“If you find out who killed my wife, be sure to tell me who it is so I can repay them.” Jerry sent another puff of air through the billows into the fire, and the flames sparked.
I didn’t say a word, just dragged Ina from the smithy.
When we were out of the smithy’s earshot, Ina said, “I can’t believe you portrayed me as a senile old lady.”
“It seemed like the right move at the time.”
Ina sniffed. “He’s lying about the jaywalking. I know it was him.”
“I believe you, but we weren’t in the position to force the issue.”
“Should I call that mouthy Officer Knute to check him out?”
“I’m sure Jerry’s already on the police radar where Tess’s death is concerned.” I paused. “He’s hiding something. That’s for sure.”
“Do you think he’s the killer?” Ina asked excitedly.
“I don’t know. You said he was carrying a box.”
Ina nodded. “Yes, a big one, and it looked heavy.”
“I wonder what was in it. My best guess is he doesn’t want us to know. Why else would he deny the jaywalking?”
“Jaywalking is a crime,” Ina said, aghast.
“Yes, I know, but not one people are afraid to admit to. Also I think there is something more to his relationship with Celeste. I know she has strong feelings for him. I wonder if they were reciprocated.”
“You think they killed Tess so they could be together.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to get a divorce?”
“If Jerry divorced Tess he wouldn’t get any of Zach’s money. Maybe he thought it would go to him if Tess died, since he’s her next of kin.”
“From Lew’s explanation, that’s not how the trust works.”
Ina shrugged. “Yeah, but Jerry probably didn’t know that.”
That wasn’t a half-bad theory, I thought. Hoping not to encourage Ina too much, I only said, “Maybe. Let’s see what else we can find out at this party.”
Ina grinned, and I suspected she was having a little too much fun with this.
Chapter Twenty-One
When Ina and I entered the barn, David appeared at my elbow. “Is everything all right?”
“Um, yes,” I said a little startled.
“Good, good. There’s someone I’d like you to meet. I was just telling her you were Tess’s booth neighbor at the festival.” David led me to one of the stalls.
I glanced behind me to see if Ina was following, but she had disappeared again. Her vanishing act was becoming an annoying habit.
David led me straight to the broom maker, AnnaMarie LaRue. She was yet another crafter Derek had included on the list. AnnaMarie was a head shorter than me and near Tess’s age, late forties. She had thick, frizzy strawberry blond hair with long bangs that covered her eyebrows. If it weren’t for her hair I wouldn’t have recognized her. She was the woman who ran away from the group when Carmen announced the murder to the festival crafters.
AnnaMarie sniffed. “You’ll have to excuse me. It was a bad idea for me to come here tonight.”
David patted her arm. “Tess would have wanted you here.”
“You’re right. You’re right.”
“Did you know Tess well?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, she was my dearest friend. I don’t know what I’ll do without her. She was an angel to me during my divorce, even let me stay with her until the house issue was settled.”
“She was quite a lady,” David agreed.
“Ever since I spoke to the police . . .” AnnaMarie spoke in a distant way. “I’ve wracked my brain trying to think of anyone who would hurt her. No one comes to mind.”
I blinked. “You spoke to the police?”
“Yes, a very nice detective. His name was Mains. He couldn’t have been kinder. He said I could call him if I thought of anything. He gave me his cell number.”
David grimaced. “They were here this afternoon. They searched Tess’s workspace and questioned the co-op members who were around. Since most of the members were at the festival, I imagine the police interviewed them there.”
AnnaMarie nodded. “That’s where they talked to me. It was just awful staying at the festival, knowing what had happened there. I forced myself to stick it out because I knew Tess would’ve wanted me to.”
David smiled at her. “She most certainly would. Tess had great faith in your talent.”
“I know,” AnnaMarie moaned. “Without her support I wouldn’t have joined the co-op. It’s so nice to see all these people coming out to celebrate her life. She was a wonderful person, just wonderful.”
“I really know her son better. I’m a librarian at Martin, and he works in the library,” I said.
AnnaMarie teared up again. Mascara streaked her face. “Poor Derek. He’s such a sweet kid. It’s a tragedy this happened to him again.”
“Happened again?”
“You don’t know?”
I shook my head.
“Derek’s father, Tess’s first husband, died when Derek was a little boy. He was walking home from work when a car hit him.”
“When was this?” I knew my tone was sharp.
“Ten years ago. Derek was eight at the time.”
Why hadn’t Derek mentioned this before? He’d hung around me at the library for months telling me every little detail of his life. I knew his roommate’s name, his class schedule, and the professors he liked and didn’t like, but he never mentioned this? Then I remembered he never mentioned Lepcheck was his uncle, either, and that certainly would have been more likely to come up in conversation than his father’s death. I realized Derek and I had never spoken of anything with any real depth. We chatted. Actually, he chatted until I shooed him away from the reference desk. Was it because I held Derek at arm’s length, hoping to keep a professional distance? How well did I know Derek, really?
I pushed back the guilt that crawled up my throat and tried to focus on AnnaMarie. “That’s horrible. Where did her husband work?”
“He was a personal accountant. His office wasn’t far from the square.”
“And someone hit him and ran?” I was still in a state of disbelief.
AnnaMarie looked pained to think about it. “He worked late that night and was walking home. Since he lived so close to his office, he walked almost every day. Stripling is a safe place. There never seemed to be any reason to worry. He was crossing a side street when he was hit just a block from home. It was late, and he wore a dark suit. The police thought the driver didn’t see him until it was too late.”
“What was his name?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have mentioned that before. His name was Seth Welch.”
“Who was the driver?”<
br />
Sadly, she shook her head. “It’s still an unsolved hit and run.”
I felt my stomach tighten. Poor Derek, I thought. He’d lost both of his parents, and he was only eighteen. It was a lot for anyone to deal with, not to mention a teenager.
AnnaMarie checked her watch. “I can’t believe I’ve been here this long. I need to get home. I told my husband I’d only be an hour.”
“Are you sure you can drive?” David asked. “I’m sure someone can give you a lift home, and you can pick up your car tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fine.” She looked around, taking in the whole room. “This was nice. Tess would have been touched.” AnnaMarie choked a sob. “If you’ll excuse me . . .”
David placed a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry about that. This has been so hard on AnnaMarie.”
“No need to apologize. I feel horrible that I didn’t know about Derek’s father.”
“I’ve known Derek since he was a child. He’s a quiet but resilient kid. Now I’d like you to meet the other members of the co-op.” He led me across the barn to a couple standing next to the buffet table. A large punch bowl sat at the end of the table. Disposable plastics cups full to the brim with red-violet punch lined the end of the table like sentinels. “Ansel? Car? Meet India Hayes. She’s a painter living in Stripling, and she knew Tess.”
The woman had a small afro with an elaborate hat placed upon it and tethered down with flowered hatpins. The man was about my height and had silky brown curls flying in all directions. He held out his had. “I’m Ansel Levi. I weave. This is Carrington Snowden. She’s our resident milliner.” That explained the outlandish hat. Carrington didn’t extend her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
A waiflike woman in a peasant skirt tapped David on the arm. “David, one of the musicians has an electric violin, and she wants to know where she can plug in her amp.”
David looked reluctant to leave. “All right, where’s she at? I can show her. If you will excuse me, India.”
I smiled, happy to see him go. I was relieved because I planned to question Ansel and Carrington about Tess’s murder. I feared David would think it odd when I asked more questions about Tess and less about joining the co-op.
Murder in a Basket (An India Hayes Mystery) Page 12