Murder by Kindness

by Barbara Graham

  “Moonshine?” The chief snorted. “This would be the third still we’ve had to extinguish since the beginning of the week, and the second one today.”

  “As much as I hate to say this,” Tony murmured, “I think for a change Angus is the victim.”

  “Angus the victim.” Chief Cox rolled the words together as if they were all just one. “That is just so wrong.” He ran a hand over his face leaving a great sooty smudge over most of it.

  “I know. But what else would explain it?” Tony pulled up a map on his cell phone. “Look. The first fire was here. As I recall, we didn’t think too much about it because it was an accident looking for a place to happen.” He tapped a spot on the screen with his fingernail and then swore when instead of zooming in on the spot, an entirely different phone application opened. He groaned. “I thought I’d try something new, you know, twenty-first century and all.”

  The chief’s laugh held a note of sympathy. “Yeah, I tried that one once, too. Let’s use this instead.” The chief pulled a paper map of the county from his truck and spread it across the hood of the Blazer. He tapped on a dot. “Here was the first one. Here’s Mayhew’s farm. And over here, Farquhar’s still.”

  The most obvious similarity, at least to Tony’s eyes, was the three fires were all about the same distance from downtown Silersville. They were not in line with each other but looked more like spokes from a wheel. “So why do you think someone is intentionally burning stills?”

  “Well, they are illegal unless they have a permit, but unless you’re keeping secrets from us, law enforcement is not the problem.” The chief raised his eyes to the fire. “Only thing I can guess is maybe some holier-than-thou teetotaler is on a rampage and doesn’t care if this whole end of the state goes up in flames.”

  Tony had to agree. “If someone wants to corner the moonshine market, why burn down those who aren’t your competition?”

  “And how does this person know where these stills are?”

  Tony thought it wouldn’t be a stretch for someone to know about Mayhew’s still, because although hidden, it was not far from the road. But, who would have the nerve to go on Farquhar’s land? The family had the reputation not only of shooting first and not bothering to ask questions, but also of shooting at people for the pleasure it gave them.

  Chief Cox said, “Do you want to have some fun?”

  Tony thought the chief’s expression showed just how much the man enjoyed living on the edge. “After you.” Although he’d said the words, Tony opted to march by the fire chief’s side up the road next to, but not on, the Farquhar property. They paused to watch the flames now devouring a couple of trees next to the charred still.

  Staring at his destroyed still, Angus looked defeated and turned to the fire chief. A coating of soot over his normal dirt did nothing to improve the landowner’s appearance. “Put it out.”

  “We’ll do our best.” The chief signaled for his team to go to work. They swarmed the area, clothed in heavy gear, attacking the flames with enthusiasm.

  Tony had minimal training as a firefighter, but he could swing an ax. Staying out of the way, he chopped where the chief indicated. They managed to create a fire line to control the burn. As he stared at the burnt-out still, Tony assumed it had been arson, like the others. But why? And who? And where would the next one be?

  Once the fire was under control, Tony returned to the landowner and dragged the chief along. “All right, Angus, tell us about the fire. How did it start?”

  For a moment it looked like Angus would refuse to answer.

  “I dunno.” Angus paused, and then grudgingly he supplied a few facts. “There weren’t any lightning.” He wiped a soot-grimy hand on the already filthy shirt he habitually wore.

  Tony thought it hadn’t looked much worse the last time Angus wore it into town. “Did you see the fire start?”

  “Nah. I was up there and comin’ down from the house.” Angus indicated a path worn into the underbrush. “The whole thing jest blew up. Fire everywhere. I ain’t never saw nothin’ like it.”

  Tony believed him. The stunned expression in his bloodshot eyes couldn’t have been feigned. “How close to it were you when it started?”

  “I was maybe about even with that shed.” Angus indicated a pile of boards leaning against each other. “I, um, was on my way to check on somethin’ in the shed, you understand.”

  “The somethin’, I presume, is your stash of moonshine.”

  Angus seemed to find something on the bottom of his wornout shoe very interesting.

  The fire chief said, “You might want to check your shed and see if your stash is still in there.”

  Alarm widened Angus’s piggy eyes and he scuttled away. A howl of rage told the rest of the story.

  Tony wasn’t going to admit his feelings to Angus, but he found more than two cases of arson more alarming than finding some homebrew. He hated the idea of having someone running around the county starting fires. The potential for disaster—major losses of property, or death—had him searching his pockets for his antacids.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Theo knew she was losing control. The shop phone rang incessantly, and a sales rep had lots of new fabrics to be decided upon—for or against her placing an order. She finally got rid of him and mumbled, “If one more person says to me, ‘I don’t know how you do it all,’ I’ll probably snap and zoom around like a runaway helium balloon.”

  “Now, Theo. Aren’t you overreacting?” The shop’s new part-time employee, Susan, stood in Theo’s office/workroom doorway. Concern was written on her sweet face.

  “Don’t be silly. Of course I am.” Theo breathed hard, like she had been running up and down the stairs in her shop. “I do not get it all done, and you know it.”

  Susan nodded. “But you try so hard.”

  “Yes, but look around this room.” Theo gestured to one corner of the room, filled with toys and children’s furniture, and on around past several different piles of fabrics, including the stack of juvenile flannels under a small black cat who was carefully grooming herself. Theo’s cutting table was only visible because so many things had been shoved off of its surface and now were overflowing the plastic laundry basket beneath it. Her sewing machine was surrounded by a mountain of plastic boxes. “I can’t keep up.”

  Susan stepped farther into the room. “Will you let me help?”

  Theo felt silly and desperate. “I know I need all kinds of it. I just don’t know what to tell you to do up here.”

  Susan reached for an empty box. “I’ll just gather up the loose items, and you’ll find a home for them later.” Susan didn’t wait for a response as she deposited a handful of pens and rubber bands into the box. “You grew up here, in Silersville?”

  Theo nodded. “Like my parents and grandparents, I was born and raised in Park County. We learned to be careful of foreigners. As you’ve probably learned since moving here, that’s anyone not born here and whose parents weren’t either.”

  “And Tony? How did you meet him?” Susan carefully placed the rulers used with the rotary cutter into their wooden block with grooves cut into it, getting the rulers off of the table.

  Theo stopped her frenzied movement and automatically fell in step with her new assistant, putting things away. “I remember when Tony and his family moved to town. I’d see him riding his bicycle or playing in the park across the street from my grandparents’ house. It’s our house now. Tony had so much freedom.” Theo laughed. “He was big for his age and had three older siblings. Back then, I thought he was much older than I was, instead of just two years older.”

  “You didn’t play in the park?” Susan seemed confused.

  Theo gave a little shrug. “I was orphaned very young and my grandparents, who were old enough to be my great-grandparents, raised me. Even in our small community, they were often disturbed and anxious about ‘foreigners’ and ‘meanness.’ Both were equally not to be trusted.” What she did not describe was the degree of the
ir protective sheltering.

  “But you married Tony?” Susan added more small items to the box, clearing off a section of the next table.

  Theo began folding lengths of fabric she’d tossed into a basket. “Not until years after my college graduation. Tony had been in the Navy, went off to college and was working as a cop in Chicago when he returned here for his father’s funeral. We reconnected. Not long after that we married and, of course, I went to Chicago as well.”

  “Now you live here again.” Susan didn’t ask it, but the question was obvious.

  “Yes, we moved back several years ago so he could eventually run for sheriff.” Theo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She didn’t mention how badly injured Tony had been, shot while he was off duty. Distracted by old disturbing memories, she was surprised to see that in just a few concentrated minutes, Susan had cleared a path in the chaos. “Wow!You’re a lifesaver!”

  “I’m not quite that good, but I do have a lot of experience with less than ideal storage space.” Susan laughed, even as she continued gathering and stacking.

  Theo studied Susan’s expression. “You look like you’re developing a plan.”

  “I am.” Susan waved at a space near Theo’s children’s nook. “I think we could put some shelves over there to hold some of these plastic project boxes. You’d still be able to see what’s inside without having them spread out like this.”

  Surprised by the depth of her relief, Theo felt tears well in her eyes. “Of course. It’s really so simple. I just couldn’t see past the chaos.”

  “Psst,” Gretchen murmured. “The Grand Duchess is back.”

  “Did her herald announce her?” Theo looked up and smiled. She felt friendlier than she had the first time the woman had arrived, probably because she wasn’t feeling quite as overwhelmed and now was positive the woman’s arrival wasn’t a prank. “I didn’t hear a trumpet, did you?”

  Gretchen cocked her head to one side, listening. “Nope. No trumpet.”

  Theo stepped forward to greet the woman. The Grand Duchess wasn’t exactly classified as a customer, but Theo felt no rancor, only simple curiosity. In spite of the woman’s imperious manner, Theo had rather enjoyed her. She wasn’t completely sure what title to use when addressing her so she mumbled, “Your Grace.”

  Wade’s wife, Grace, heard the second word and popped up from behind a pile of flannel fabrics. “Yes?”

  Theo grinned, thinking the conversation was starting to resemble a vaudeville act. “Who wants coffee?”

  Jenny Swift and Eunice Plover had not been in the shop on the previous visitation by the royal. The two women, best friends since forever, were stitching on the charity quilt in the company of a couple of other women. They invited the Grand Duchess to sit with them. Moments later, five women were involved in an animated chat and much laughter.

  “Excuse me.” Theo tried to break into the conversation.

  Grand Duchess Anna turned in her chair to face Theo. She lifted one finely arched eyebrow. “Is there a reason for the interruption?”

  Theo managed a smile in spite of the disparaging expression. “Would you care for some coffee or tea?”

  “Tea would be lovely. A touch of cream,” the Grand Duchess stated, turned her back to Theo and, addressing the other women at the frame, said, “Isn’t it nice to have staff?”

  As Theo headed toward the kitchenette, she could swear she heard the sound of coffee blowing through someone’s nose. She hoped it wasn’t spraying onto the quilt.

  As she was preparing the Grand Duchess’s tea, Eunice came up behind Theo. She spoke softly. “I’m glad Jenny has so many cheerful people around her today. Thank you for the distraction.”

  “Why today?” Theo ran several possibilities through her brain but didn’t come up with anything.

  Eunice lowered her voice. “It’s been twenty years today since Jenny’s daughter died.”

  “Oh, my. I liked Shannon. We were in high school together.” Theo felt both surprise and sadness. “It doesn’t seem possible that twenty years have passed since her accident.”

  “I know,” Eunice agreed. “Each year time seems to speed by faster than the previous one. Now it seems like I get the Christmas tree taken down only a few days before it’s time to put it back up. Mine’s artificial, so I’m thinking of just leaving the thing up all year long.”

  “If we weren’t already so crowded in our house, I might consider it as well.” Theo tried to imagine where they would leave a tree inside for an extended period of time. It was impossible. At Christmas, they had to rearrange all of the furniture in their living area, even relegating some of it to the garage. Not only was space a problem, but the whole family preferred the smell of a small, fresh tree. If they left the fresh tree in place, Theo guessed they wouldn’t make it through January without having every needle fall onto the floor.

  “Oh, waitress.” The dulcet tones of the Grand Duchess carried across the room. “Where is my tea?”

  Theo heard her speaking in a slightly softer tone, addressing Jenny. “She’s not very efficient, is she?” A theatrical sigh followed. “Good staff is so hard to find these days.”

  Theo delivered the tea, with no apology, and was amused that the Grand Duchess gave her a coin for a tip. When she looked at it, though, she gasped. Gleaming in the palm of her hand was a United States one-dollar gold coin dated 1863. Theo was stunned. A coin from the middle of the Civil War? When she tried to return it to the older woman, her efforts were rebuffed. The coin felt warm in her hand. Since Theo actually knew nothing about the Grand Duchess, she thought she might ask Tony for his help getting the coin returned to some other member of the family.

  If the woman was swimming in money, it wasn’t apparent to anyone looking at her. She was clean, but her poorly-dyed magenta hair needed touching up, and her clothing was straight from a discount store. On the other hand, Theo had seen the enormous antique Rolls Royce and suspected it would be worth more than their house and her car and the shop all put together.

  Tony studied the small coin Theo had handed to him. She had been so curious about it, she’d walked over to the Law Enforcement Center, clutching the coin in her hand.

  “Wouldn’t you expect rubles or francs from the Grand Duchess instead of Civil War gold?” He was sure his grin wouldn’t fool anyone. Tony was seriously interested in how and when and why their small county had acquired the woman and now her gold. The chauffeur who had stopped by Tony’s office when he was searching for the woman had been only superficially informative. They did not know where she lived or where she was staying while visiting Park County.

  Tony felt torn. He couldn’t use simple curiosity as an excuse to ask people personal questions. He learned nothing except the Grand Duchess seemed quite pleased with the gentleman and, by extension, his ability to drive a car that looked as long as a school bus.

  Neither of them had broken any law Tony knew of, and he left them to their privacy. He had never expected them, together or separately, to remain in Silersville for more than a day. It was quite a feat for them to arrive, apparently reside, interact with others and maintain close to total secrecy and anonymity for several days now. Maybe the royal family had local connections. If so, they were carefully staying off the radar and not in any of the local motels.

  “I can’t keep the gold.” Theo frowned at him. “All I did was deliver a cup of hot water and a tea bag to her.”

  “I wouldn’t think you could, at least not without our determining she has ownership of it—as well as all her faculties.” Tony didn’t like the idea of the woman potentially becoming the victim of some ne’er do well who would fleece her out of her precious coins. “Did she mention where she lives, where they came from?”

  Theo shook her head. “You know more about her than I do. She just appeared, with lots of attitude, in my shop the other day. She uses her title, not her name. As far as I know she hasn’t told anyone where her home is, but we all know she has staff instead of family.
The gentleman always escorts her to the shop and returns later for her. He doesn’t share his own name.”

  “I know that much. His name is Tom Richards, and you’re right. We met and had a short chat. Is the Grand Duchess still in your shop?” When Theo nodded, Tony decided to accompany his wife and have a little conversation with the older women who gathered in the classroom.

  He knew most of the ladies. Some he’d known for about thirty years, and some were newer. He thought he’d start with Eunice and Jenny. The pair of women loved to flirt with him. That was just fine. He liked them, too. Once they made it through the “when are you going to leave your wife and take up with a real woman” business, they settled in to answer his questions away from the quilt in progress. It didn’t take long to learn they knew no more than Theo did about the Grand Duchess.

  Eunice frowned. “It’s hard to imagine a non-quilter arriving in town and just happening to find the gathering at the shop. Someone must have suggested she join us.”

  “She’s very dramatic,” Jenny added. “But other than treating your wife like a serf, she doesn’t talk much. She has lots of attitude and drinks tea, but she doesn’t ask us about ourselves and she doesn’t say anything about her personal life.”

  Theo joined in. She waved a hand to indicate the whole shop. “The Grand Duchess doesn’t even look around. The ladies who don’t quilt and who come in for visiting usually at least admire the activity or the new quilts.”

  “Send Wade in to sit with them.” Eunice laughed. “I’ll bet she talks to him.”

  It was pretty much what Tony was thinking himself. He joined his deputy on the sidewalk and outlined the business with the coin and the woman’s mysterious arrival and lack of sharing. “At least see if you can determine if she’s in town voluntarily.”

  Tony watched as Wade found a seat at the quilt frame. It wasn’t easy. Between the size of the group and the bulk of his duty belt, Wade finally managed to wedge himself between the two tiniest women. He picked up a freshly threaded needle someone had left behind. “You ladies don’t mind if I add a few stitches?”