by Leona Fox
“But why would he have the bottle if not for some nefarious purpose?”
“He could have just been throwing it away. I mean, presumably he's been to the house if he wants to sell it. So he may have gone through the cupboards and gotten rid of anything he didn't need, or he could say he grabbed it by accident.”
“So you don't think he killed George?” Ellen asked.
“Oh no, I think he did it. I'm convinced of that. I just know a bottle of pills and the opinion of a dog isn't going to be enough to prove it.” She tucked into her eggs with relish.
It seemed that the more she worked her brain cells the hungrier she became, and seeing Kelly eat with such gusto was enough to get Ellen's stomach rumbling, too. She soon found herself going to the kitchen and helping herself to a plate. They were sitting in the lounge as the afternoon sun streamed through the window and both of them felt a sense of urgency about the matter. At some point Ricky would leave town, and once he was gone it would be hard to get him back. Ellen knew Andy had his suspicions and, once again, she suggested to Kelly they call him, but again the artist shook her head.
“He's got his own job to do. You think he'd appreciate two amateurs coming to him with this? He's got far more resources and I'm sure he'll be able to get some proper evidence. We need to work with what we've got, and try making a case against him quickly,” she said.
Ellen agreed, but secretly she wanted to call Andy, if only to hear his voice. If what they thought was true, then she had just been face to face with a murderer. George's killer had been in her cafe and it unsettled her, made her feel violated almost, that someone could go around wearing the mask of a normal person when deep inside they had committed a grisly crime.
The two of them sat in silence as they thought about the case and munched on the eggs. There was a soft breeze outside and occasionally the sound of it passing through Kelly's wind chimes could be heard, the soft tinkling a calming melody against the raging, fearful thoughts that swirled through Ellen's mind like a hurricane.
“Did anyone else see you take the pills at the cafe?” Kelly asked after a long while. Ellen had been lost in thought and when Kelly spoke it had startled her, and her own train of thought had been derailed.
“Um, I'm not sure. I don't think so. Most people were looking at Scampy. I tried not to let anyone see. I didn't want to risk Ricky finding out.”
“Well then, we're in a bind aren't we?”
“How do you mean?”
“He's hardly going to own up to taking them is he? It's going to be your word against his and, as much as everyone respects you, and as much as I know you're telling the truth, it's not going to hold up in a court of law.”
“And I know how thorough Andy is with his evidence. He wouldn't even let it get that far. But I still don't get why Ricky would even take it in the first place. It's not like it would do him any good now that George is dead. Do you think we could be mistaken about this whole thing and are just letting our minds run away from us?” she asked, looking at Kelly with a defeated look. Her friend reached over and squeezed Ellen's hand tightly, although nowhere near as tightly as Ricky had done earlier.
“No, it's the only thing that makes sense, but that's not good enough to go and accuse him. We need something stronger. You know...now that I think about it, maybe we should call Andy,” Kelly suggested.
“Are you sure?”
“I hate to admit defeat but I don't know how we're going to get any further with things, short of breaking into Ricky's room and searching his things, and I'd rather not break the law.”
“Me neither.”
“I think we should pool our resources. Maybe Andy might even find this helpful. It can't hurt to ask,” she said.
Ellen was glad Kelly had suggested the idea. Ever since they had seen each other at the parlor she had felt an intense desire to see Andy again, and the more time they spent together the more she missed him when he wasn't there. It was dangerous territory and she tried fighting it as much as she could, because romantic angst was game for the youth, but he made her world a little brighter. She hoped that once George's killer was found the two of them could find some time to spend alone together, sometime where she finally could tell him how she felt. But for the moment when she called him she was all business, and invited him to Kelly's, telling him she had something important to tell him.
“I'm really not sure about this,” Ellen said as they waited.
“Why not?”
“I hope he's not mad we've gone behind his back and done our own sleuthing. I don't think he'd like it if he knew we had put ourselves in harm's way.”
“Well, we don't have to tell him about going around with Scampy. This was just an accident really. It's not like you planned for Scampy to attack him, or that he would drop the bag. We're just an interested party that wants to help. If anything I'm sure he'll be pleased.”
While they waited, Ellen's anxiety grew. Now that she had seen Ricky the world took on a darker tint and East Pender didn't seem the happy, serene place it usually was. There was a killer among them, and unless they could find the proof they needed, he simply would walk away from the town and go back to his life without any punishment. Ellen thought about George and whether he had been aware of what Ricky had done, and how helpless he must have felt that he couldn't warn anyone. She, Kelly, and Andy were all George had left now. They were the only ones who could prove Ricky was behind the murder, and for the sake of George's memory Ellen privately vowed to bring Ricky to justice.
It wasn't long before Andy arrived and Kelly welcomed him upstairs. Ellen wanted to give him a hug but she knew it wouldn't have been professional, but she was glad to see him all the same. He took a seat with them and declined Kelly's offer of food, instead preferring to get straight to the heart of the matter. When Ellen recounted the day's events after they had left the parlor she was amazed at how much had happened. She described Ricky to him, at least the way she had seen him, and when she thought back to the man, the image in her mind was of someone with far crueler features than he had had in reality.
Andy listened intently. He pulled out his notebook and made a few notes while Ellen spoke. Occasionally Kelly interrupted, and in time the two women were talking in tandem, flitting between each other. Andy's head turned between each of them, his trained brain picking up on the bits of information that he found vital. When Ellen told him about the bottle of pills he asked for her to hand it over, and the police chief inspected it closely.
“We're at a bit of a dead end now. We're not sure how we even can prove he had these pills. I'm sorry if I messed up, I shouldn't have grabbed them but it seemed like a good idea at the time,” Ellen said.
“It's okay,” Andy said quietly as he turned the bottle around in his hands. The pills inside made a rattling sound as they turned and twisted, dancing inside the small bottle.
“It may not be easy to prove he had these pills but it may give us a clue. I had my suspicions about him but I wasn't sure how to build a case. This just might be what we need.”
“But how? What good is it going to do?” Kelly asked.
“I have an idea,” he said, and slipped the pills in his pocket, followed by his notebook. He leaned forward and spoke in a low voice to the two women.
“You remember the call I got today?” The women nodded.
“That was the toxicology report on George’s body. It turns out the last pills he took weren't to treat his heart condition at all, they aggravated it. Now, there are only two possibilities; either George made a mistake and got the wrong medication, or someone with a motive switched the medication so George would die.”
“Selling a house is certainly motivation,” Ellen said, her heart pounding with adrenalin. Both girls looked excited but Andy had to calm them down. He stood up and held out his palms in front of him.
“Now look, right now I don't know for sure if Ricky is guilty, none of us do, but if we play things right we might be able to make sure.” He sa
t back down and his tone lowered as he told them of his plan.
Ellen and Kelly's eyes grew wide as they took everything in, and for the rest of the evening the three of them planned to set the trap that would lure Ricky in. If he was the murderer he wouldn't escape East Pender, not if Ellen, Kelly, and Andy had anything to say about it.
Chapter 8
As the morning sun started its ascent through the sky Ellen rose from bed, unable to sleep. Despite this lack of slumber, however, she was fresh-faced and her body was brimming with excitement. All through the night she had been going over her part in Andy's plan and hoped she didn't mess it up. She couldn't shake the thought of the moment when George had died, and the realization of what had happened, the betrayal of his own brother-in-law, and she only hoped that wherever George was he would know there were people trying to fight for justice. Although they still didn't know for sure that Ricky was the killer, Ellen was confident it was the case, for she couldn't see any other reason why he would have been carrying George's medication around with him, especially not after Andy had told them the results of the toxicology report.
She got dressed and fed Scampy, who happily scurried around her feet. In the dewy morning she walked through the town square and enjoyed the peacefulness of it. East Pender was the perfect town and it didn't deserve to have the shadows of the city invade it. The crime and vice that was present in that world should stay where it was. Ellen wanted to do everything she could to make sure East Pender preserved the innocence that everyone who lived there held so dearly and, indeed, she felt that was what George would have wanted, too.
When Ellen arrived at The Chrome Cafe she set up the shop as usual and, as the sun rose higher and people began appearing outside, she showed Scampy into the back room.
“I'm sorry for this, but I'm going to need you to stay here for a little while. I promise I'll make it up to you later,” she said, and the look on Scampy's face almost broke her heart.
While she waited for Ricky to come and pick up the photo she pulled out 'The Obsidian Knight' and began reading. She'd picked it up after she had left Kelly's the previous evening, although she hadn't told Andy, and wasn't sure if she was going to do so. But she wanted to know which character was based on him, and this time instead of simply reading the story she inspected every character carefully, trying to spot any personality quirks that overlapped with Andy. However, she didn't have much of a chance to read because Ricky came into the cafe bright and early.
“Is it safe to come in?” he called out, holding the door ajar.
Ellen faked a laugh and told him he didn't need to worry for Scampy was in the back. She tried hiding the tension she felt, because she was in a room alone with a killer and the plan depended on Ricky not suspecting anything. He walked in and asked for a glass of orange juice, which Ellen poured as usual.
“How are you feeling today?” she asked, trying to act like she would have with any other customer.
“I'm okay, it's just tough to think that today is the day I have to say goodbye to him,” he said.
Ellen wondered if anything he said was true, and if he even felt one shred of regret for the poor man who had been killed.
“I understand, it must be difficult, but at least you don't have to mourn by yourself. The whole town will be there,” she said as she handed him his orange juice. Then she took the picture and wrapped it in a cloth before putting it in a bag.
“Just to keep it safe,” she said, smiling at him.
He smiled back at her but, again, she got the feeling that there was no warmth behind the smile and it was almost robotic in a way.
“Are you going to be open after the funeral?”
“I expect so, although I'm sure most people will be going to the pub so they can toast George properly. Toasting with coffee or orange juice just isn't the same.”
“I've never been one much for drink so I'll pop by. Thank you again for all your help, it really is good to know a place like this exists. Sometimes in the city it's easy to forget. I'll be sure to mention it to my friends, they could use trips here to recharge their batteries.”
“We always welcome visitors with open arms,” she said, waiting for the right moment to say what was on her mind.
All she wanted to do was shout at Ricky and accuse him of everything. Now that they were alone together she could see the smugness in his eyes. She knew he thought of them as simple folk, and he was the big city slicker who had pulled the wool over all of their eyes, but Ellen wasn't going to let him get away with it. She was going to let him enjoy that thought before ripping it away from him and showing him that just because East Pender was a world away from the world it didn't mean they were stupid and naive. She suppressed a wicked smile as Ricky continued talking, blathering on about a few of his business interests.
“You know, you really should come and visit the city one day, and remind yourself of the life you used to have. I'd be happy to be your tour guide, we perhaps could grab dinner some night,” he said, with that loving look in his eyes.
It was a look she had seen from many men before, but the thought of being with him made her skin crawl. The thought of being with anyone apart from Andy filled her with revulsion, even though the two of them hadn't actually discussed their feelings for each other.
“That's very sweet of you,” she said, feeling proud of her ability to hide her disdain for him. It would have been the easiest thing to sneer and turn him away, but the moment wasn't yet right.
Soon though, she told herself, very soon, “but I'm quite happy here and I, well, dating is a game for people far younger than I.”
“You do yourself discredit. You're far more beautiful than most women even half your age, but if that's the way you feel, then so be it. I have some matters to take care of before the funeral, but I'm sure I will see you there. Thank you again for this,” he said, holding up the picture, and then he made a motion to leave, heading toward the door. Ellen's eyes lit up as the plan was fully in motion now. Before he left she called out to him while she reached up and pretended to get some crockery out.
“I actually did find something else of George's that might be good for the funeral. It's in the back, though. Do you mind just going through to the office and getting it? It's something that he used to love, it's just on my desk, you can't miss it.”
“Oh, yes, that would be great, really. Thanks for all you've done for him. I'm sure he would have appreciated it,” Ricky said as he opened the door.
Ellen watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye and, when he turned the handle, she rounded on him. Ricky backed away in horror as Scampy leaped out of the doorway, yapping and barking loudly. Ricky barreled through chairs and tables, creating a loud cacophony of noise as he tried escaping the dog’s attention. He looked at Ellen, desperate for help, but saw only a sly smile. She walked out from behind the counter and stood behind Scampy.
“I'm sure he would have appreciated it more if you hadn't killed him,” she said in an icy tone, folding her arms.
Ricky paused and didn't take his eyes off her even as he moved a chair to put in between himself and the dog. Ellen waited patiently for his response, but she didn't expect him to laugh. The cafe was strewn with tables and chairs and Scampy still was barking in the background.
When Ricky finished laughing he looked at Ellen and, finally, his mask had vanished. She saw the icy blue of his eyes and the aquiline features of his face took on a cold, cruel look. He straightened his back and seemed to ignore Scampy's barking, growing larger and more imposing before her very eyes. Ellen gulped and hoped she hadn't bitten off more than she could chew. After all, this was a man who had killed his own brother-in-law. She was nothing to him and he certainly would have had no qualms about killing her, too. Now that she looked in his eyes in this manner, she was sure he had killed George. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind.
“I didn't kill George,” he said, his voice dry and even. Ellen smiled softly.
“I
suppose from a certain point of view that is true,” she said, sighing.
“After all, technically, he took the pills himself. But is that really going to help you sleep at night?”
As she spoke she walked back behind the counter and pulled out the bottle of pills, setting them in front of her. Ricky's eyes followed them and she could tell he was worried. His eyes filled with rage and his entire body bristled and simmered with tension. His face blanched and he gulped.
“Switching a man's medicine was done with the intent of killing him and I think it's enough to send you away for a long, long time,” she said, looking at him directly, although he didn't wilt as she expected him to.
It seemed as though there still was some fight in him after all. He glared at Scampy, who by this point had stopped barking and was growling quietly, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. Ellen was glad Scampy was there, for she was sure if he wasn't Ricky would have come upon her. Although Andy was nearby she didn't know if he could get there in time, so the dog would be getting a big treat later.
“As I understand it you're the one who found George in the first place, and now you're the one with the bottle of pills. If there's anyone who seems to have killed him I believe it would be you. Perhaps you should take that into consideration before you start throwing around accusations about who killed George, because from where I stand the prime suspect looks like you.”
Ellen stood motionless at the counter, hating that he was so sure of himself, and so confident of how things were going to play out. It was obvious he felt as though he had committed the perfect crime, and was about to get away with it without any remorse. How could a man be so heartless? How could he be so cruel? Ellen asked herself. She almost asked Ricky himself, but knew she wouldn't receive a straight answer, so didn't even bother.
“You have no proof, Ellen. At the moment you're just like this mutt, barking loudly, but all you're doing is creating noise,” he sneered.