by Leona Fox
“Sure you won't miss him? You two seem to have become quite attached,” Kelly said.
“Of course I will, but I think it's important to keep things in the family.”
“From what I gather Ricky won't be sticking around for too long. As far as I could tell he wants to sell the house. He kept asking questions about its condition and what the market was like.”
“Sell the house? I suppose that makes sense if he's not going to be living here. It's still a bit of a shock, though. George's body is barely cold and already things are moving on. I suppose it just goes to show the world doesn't wait for you to move on with things,” Ellen said.
“I did some research, just to check the fellow out. I found out he owned a business that went under a couple of a years ago, so I imagine he could use the money.”
“He could have set some money aside. Just because his business went under doesn't mean he's completely broke,” Kelly interjected.
“Oh I know, but the whole thing seems rather convenient, doesn't it? And, I don't know, there was something about him that didn't sit right with me. I think I expected him to be more upset when he was talking about George. But the money is certainly the motive,” Andy said.
“People deal with grief in different ways. I remember when my parents died I was acting like nothing had happened for about a week. Then suddenly it all hit me while I was washing up, of all things, and I cried for hours. And we can't just go around accusing every poor person of murder, especially not one who has just lost his brother-in-law. He may not show it but I'm sure he's grieving, and we should show compassion,” Ellen said.
“I agree completely,” Andy said. He looked as though he was about to say something else when his cell phone rang.
He excused himself and walked out of the parlor. Ellen's eyes followed him as he moved outside and stood on the small porch area that overlooked the garden. There was a serious expression on his face and he ran his hands through his hair, something Ellen noticed he did when he was frustrated. He looked back into the parlor and waved at Ellen, gave her an apologetic smile as he pointed at his phone, then walked away completely. It seemed that whenever they had any time to spend together something always turned up to interrupt them.
“Well, that's all rather interesting isn't it? A mysterious brother-in-law who shows up after the body has been discovered. I wonder what other skeletons George was hiding in his closet?” Kelly said in a conspiratorial tone.
“I hardly think a brother-in-law is a skeleton in a closet.”
“It's still something he didn't figure to mention to anyone.”
“Some people don't like talking about their family,” Ellen said, looking back to where Andy had just been standing. She began thinking about the look that had come across his face when she first had mentioned his brother's new book.
“Shall we go and get lost in the maze? It's a good day for it,” Kelly suggested after draining the last remnants of her mug. Before Ellen could respond she felt her own phone vibrate and pulled it out to see that Sarah was calling her.
“Is everything okay?” Ellen asked in a worried tone.
“Ellen, hello, yes, yes, everything is fine it's just that there's a gentleman here to see you, and he seems quite adamant about seeing you right now. I'm so sorry to interrupt your day off like this but he demanded that I call you,” Sarah said. Her voice was quavering and it was clear she was quite worried about this mysterious man.
“It's okay Sarah, you did the right thing. Don't worry about anything. I'm on my way. Who is this man?”
“I don't know. I've never seen him before, but he says his name is Ricky Acts.”
Upon the mention of Ricky's name Ellen's throat tightened and she pressed her lips together. In the background she could hear Kelly's questions.
“I'll be right there,” she said, and hung up the phone. When she informed Kelly, the artist said the maze could wait, and the two of them sped back to town.
Chapter 6
“This is exciting. What do you think he's like?” Kelly asked breathlessly as they walked from the car to the cafe. Ellen's heart was racing.
“We don't have long to wait to find out,” she replied as they rounded the corner and entered the cafe.
Sarah was standing behind the counter, a worried look on her face. The poor girl, Ellen thought. Sarah was a kind person but she suffered from a nervous disposition, and unexpected things like this were enough to make her tremble. She gestured with her head to a table in the corner, but the flick of the head wasn't necessary to identify Ricky Acts for he was the only person in the cafe Ellen didn't know.
Sitting in the glare of the sunlight, he was sipping on a glass of orange juice while flicking through the local paper. His legs poked through the other side of the table and with his large set of shoulders he looked cramped in the corner. A silver mane of hair sat atop his head and his face was strong, with a square jaw. Looking closely, Ellen could just about see the resemblance between him and George's ex-wife, but where she always had been jolly and full of life he seemed cold, and his thin lips seemed unused to smiling. But, she conceded, she couldn't blame him for that since he had suffered a failed business, a sister dying, and now his brother-in-law passing away. It was a lot for one person to take.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Kelly asked in a low whisper.
“No, it's fine, you just go and see that Sarah is okay. The poor thing looks as white as a sheet.”
“Okay, just be careful.”
Ellen shook her head. She was in her own cafe and all they knew about Ricky was that he wanted to sell George's house, which was a perfectly normal thing for him to do in his position. Ricky stood up and greeted her with a handshake as she took a seat.
“It's a nice place you have here,” he said. He spoke with a clipped accent and set the paper aside. Ellen noticed he had been reading the story about George.
“Interesting reading?” she asked, nodding to the paper.
“Yes, it was nice to see what everyone thought of my brother-in-law. It seems as though he was a beloved member of the community.”
“Oh yes, George was lovely. It's such a shame about what happened. My condolences to you, I know it must be hard for you to be here,” she said with a sympathetic look.
“Thank you,” he said curtly, and quickly moved on with other business.
“I realize you're a busy woman so I won't keep for too long, and I do appreciate you coming back here at such short notice. It's just, as you understand, as lovely as your town is it does hold some painful memories for me so I would like to make my stay here as short as possible. I was walking past your cafe when I noticed the picture of George on your counter. I was wondering if I could use it for the funeral? It seems my sister was the one who took most of the photos, so the only ones I could find were years old.”
“Of course you can!” Ellen said. “And I agree, it is a good photo. It definitely captures the way he was.”
“Indeed, it makes me regret we were not closer.”
“I can imagine,” she said softly.
“It's just that after my sister died the reminders were too painful. It was easier to stay away, although at least I know they both were happy here. I'm glad in a way, it seems as though everyone here is a part of one big family. I'm sure George loved you all.”
“We are, and we're quite nice people. I'm sure if you wanted to stay you could see that, too,” Ellen said, but Ricky shook his head.
“No, I have other matters to attend to. I did visit a long time ago, before my sister was ill, and then I came again when she was, well, you know. I know she had a fondness for this place but in all honesty I think I would be rather bored. I like the energy of the city. It keeps me young, and since I'm getting on in years that is something I take very seriously,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“I can understand that, although since I've moved here from the city I haven't missed it at all.”
“Oh, you had moved
away?”
“Yeah, I went to college and then stayed there. It was a good life but then my parents grew ill so I came back, and after that I didn't want to leave. It seemed like a good idea to stay here.”
“And you don't miss the city at all?” Ricky asked.
Ellen pursed her lips. “I guess, if I really thought about it, there are a couple of things I miss. I mean, it was convenient to have everything in one place, and the food was amazing, but nothing beats the atmosphere of this place. I'm sure if you stayed around a while you'd see that.”
“In a way I really wish I could. Life is quite hectic at the moment and I'd love to be able to spend some time in a sleepy town like this, but my duties call. I just would like to put George to rest and let everyone say their goodbyes to him, and then I'll be on my way.”
“Then I'll just get you your photo,” Ellen said.
She rose and made her way over to the counter. Ricky was a few steps behind, having had to gather a brown bag. Kelly, meanwhile, had noticed Scampy was absent. When she'd asked Sarah about it, Sarah said the dog had been restless so she put him in the back where he could run around to his heart's content. When Kelly opened the door to look for him, Scampy bounded out and ran straight for Ellen with a happy look on his face. Then he sensed Ricky, and Ricky certainly sensed him. The dog began barking and growling and every pair of eyes in the cafe turned to Ricky, who held out his hands.
“Dogs never have seemed to like me,” he joked, but his voice was devoid of humor and Ellen could see the genuine fear in his eyes.
He backed away and Scampy continued growling and gnashing his teeth. The small dog looked fearsome. Ellen tried to call him away, but the dog was taking no notice of her.
“There, there, uh, good boy,” Ricky said, and the man who had seemed so composed just a short while ago now looked incredibly frightened.
Beads of sweat had formed on his temples and his large body was twisted in a defensive posture. He clutched the bag close to his body. Both Ellen and Kelly rushed to try grabbing the dog, but they were too late. Scampy leaped up, snarling, and if it had not been for the bag he would have taken a bite out of Ricky. As it was the brown paper was ripped to shreds and the bag’s contents spilled out onto the floor. Ellen and Kelly rushed forward. Kelly grabbed the dog. It took all of her strength to drag Scampy away. He fought against her grip and twisted in her arms, trying to get back to Ricky, jaws foaming with angry saliva, hot breath fuming out of his nose. When the door slammed the whole cafe seemed to relax. Ricky took out a handkerchief and dabbed his face.
“Well that was rather a surprise,” he said as he bent down to pick up everything that had been spilled.
“I'm sorry about that. I know how you feel, that's usually how animals react to me. Scampy is about the only one who hasn't. I was going to ask if you wanted to take him back, but I'm guessing that's not going to happen.”
Ricky laughed a little, “That dog has never liked me. Maybe it can smell the city on me, or my cats. I prefer them, they're much less hassle.”
“That must be it,” Ellen said, although in the back of her mind she wondered if there was more to it than that.
Ellen got Ricky a fresh bag and helped him gather up the loose items. Most of them were normal, everyday items, but there was something that caught Ellen's eye. There was a bottle of pills that she was sure had George's name on it, and while Ricky was busy searching the floor for everything else, her hand darted out and grabbed it, slipping it into her pocket. The rest of the cafe was looking toward the back door, where they could hear the sounds of Kelly struggling with Scampy, who seemed to be putting up the fight of his life. Never before had Ellen ever known Scampy to be this flustered around anyone. She wondered if perhaps her and Kelly's plan had been the right one, and only now had they run into the murderer.
She felt the bottle of pills against her leg and hoped Ricky hadn't noticed. Her heart raced as he talked, because he was so normal it was impossible to think he was capable of such a thing. She wanted to look at the bottle again, just to make sure she had seen what she thought she saw, but she didn't dare risk it in such close proximity to Ricky, and she didn't know how she would explain it even if she did. Sarah came over to help as well and apologized profusely to Ricky.
“It's alright, honestly, it's not your fault, just that damn dog's,” he said, and Ellen was surprised at the harshness in his voice.
So far he had seemed calm and reasonable, and only now did she detect a hint of cruelness in his voice. She licked her lips as the last few things were picked up, but when Ricky had placed the last items in the bag a puzzled look came upon his face. He patted his pockets and then looked all around him on the floor.
“Are you missing something else?” she asked, making a conscious effort to stop her voice from trembling.
“No. I...thought I had something else but I guess I must have left it in my room. Yes, I'm sure of that. I hope you don't mind but I think I'd better be going. I don't want to risk having a bite taken out of me,” he said.
Once again the easy manner had returned, and it made Ellen wonder if she simply had imagined the snapping tone. But the bottle of pills rolled around in her pocket and they weighed heavy with portent. She didn't know what it could mean, but she felt like it was important that she had picked them up.
Still with a fast beating heart, she stood up with Ricky and led him to the counter where he finally could get his hands on the photo.
“This is just wonderful,” he said.
“Everyone has been coming in and paying their respects to him,” she said.
“He was a good man, but at least he and my sister are together now,” Ricky said with an ethereal quality in his voice.
“Well, thank you again for all your help,” he said, “I'd like to keep this here for now so people still can pay their respects. I'll come and pick it up tomorrow before the showing,” and held out his hand for her to shake.
“You're welcome, and I'm sorry again about Scampy,” she said taking his hand.
He had an iron grip and after shaking his hand she had to shake hers again to try ridding herself of the pain that had come from him squeezing her so hard. She watched him walk out the door, as did everyone else, and then, with a determined look on her face, she rushed to the back to find Kelly. She spoke to her best friend in a low voice to ensure nobody else in the cafe could hear. Now that Ricky had left, Scampy seemed to be calmer, and he rushed up to Ellen as she came in. Ellen took him into her arms and cuddled him, petting his soft fur.
“We have to go somewhere quiet to talk,” Ellen said. Kelly's eyes lit up with excitement, for both of them knew that something didn't sit right about Ricky.
Chapter 7
On the way to Kelly's house Ellen had her hand lodged in her pocket, her fingers rolling the bottle of pills around and around, making sure she didn't drop them. The two of them walked at a brisk pace, but not too quickly, so as not to arouse suspicion. As they walked Ellen was telling Kelly about Ricky.
“He seemed pleasant enough, but now that I think about it, there was something about him I found strange, and I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like he was saying all the right things, you know, all the things you're supposed to say, but almost as though he was acting, like he was wearing a mask. When Scampy attacked him he snapped and he was so angry.”
“Wouldn't you be too if a dog came at you?”
“Yes, but this was different. I don't know,” Ellen sighed, “maybe I'm over-thinking this.”
“There's definitely something off about him. Everyone in that cafe thought so. Sarah mentioned he barely said a word to her, and when other people went over to talk to him to offer their condolences he basically ignored them.”
“He does come from the city, though. It probably seemed strange to him that so many strangers would come up to him like that outside of a funeral.”
“Why are you trying to make excuses for him?”
“I don't know, I'm just try
ing to piece things together in my mind, to make sure I'm sure of things,” Ellen said.
The two of them continued in silence until they reached Kelly's house. They walked into her lounge and Kelly put on the kettle, while Ellen paced over the floor. She pulled out the bottle of pills and was equally relieved and horrified to see she had been right about George's name. Relieved because it meant she hadn't been mistaken, but horrified because she didn't know why Ricky should have a bottle of George's pills.
When Kelly returned she asked Ellen what she was holding, and when Ellen told her, Kelly almost dropped the mugs on the floor. She rushed up to her friend and took the bottle of pills.
“I'm not going crazy, right? It does say George?”
“Most definitely. I need to get some biscuits,” she said, and promptly left the lounge again.
Ellen threw up her hands as Kelly puttered about in the kitchen. Ellen could hear the clanging of pots and pans, and then there was a shout of 'How do you take your eggs?'.
“Eggs? I thought you were getting biscuits?”
“I know, but then I had a craving,” Kelly called out, and soon enough the sound of sizzling eggs greeted Ellen's ears.
Ellen grew exasperated but she knew this was how Kelly worked. She was a highly intelligent individual and Ellen had to be patient and let the method come through. When Kelly emerged from the kitchen with a plate of eggs there was an electric energy in the house. Ellen waited expectantly for Kelly's appraisal of the situation, for she wanted to know what someone else thought before she gave her own conclusions, mostly because she didn't like to think she was correct.
“I've been thinking about it,” Kelly said as she devoured the eggs. She offered some to Ellen, but Ellen declined.
“Just because he had these pills doesn't mean anything bad, and neither does the fact that Scampy reacted the way he did. After all, the two of them would have seen each other before and he may just be one of those people that Scampy doesn't like.”