by C A Phipps
“I better ring Gran and tell her. I hope the Girlz are okay,” she muttered to his back.
Picking up her phone she saw a list of missed calls and messages. She listened to Gran’s first. It was hard to listen to the sad voice, but a relief to hear the Girlz were taking care of her. They had called, then come to the Bakery, and would stay with Gran until Maddie got there. She sent a message back to say she was fine and would be at the station for a while, and not to worry. Now, she could focus on what needed to be done. Then she could be with her family.
A warmth around her ankles could only be Big Red, and when he jumped onto her lap and made soft noises against her neck, she buried her face in his fur, willing herself not to cry.
A couple of minutes later, she felt Ethan’s hand on her shoulder. “Here you go. I added plenty of milk.”
Big Red took a sniff at the milky concoction, which was just the way she liked it, then moved back so she could take a sip. She was surprised Ethan remembered how she took her tea. Then again, he was dealing with a stressed witness, so it was more than likely he didn’t want her to scald her mouth.
Ethan walked around the open-plan apartment. “I like what you’ve done with the place. I never came upstairs, but I heard it was a shambles.”
A change of subject was welcome about now. “It was really awful. There were holes in the floor, and everything was dated and dreary when I moved in, just like downstairs. I like color.”
“You always did. Color suits you.”
She felt her cheeks heat despite the matter-of-fact way he’d said it. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “How’s the shop doing?”
“I thought it would slow down after that crazy first day, but it’s getting busier. I desperately need help. Hindsight is a marvelous thing; you know? I should have had that organized before I opened. I was too impatient, wanting to start paying back my loan as soon as possible. I needed at least another week to get things sorted properly.” She was babbling and didn’t know how to stop.
“It’s good the business is doing well, and I’m sure you’ll get a taker for the job soon. Most people in town respected Denise, but did she ever say to you or the Girlz that she might have any enemies?”
She raised an eyebrow at his deliberate maneuver. “You’re good at this sheriff thing, aren’t you?”
He shot her a quick grin. Ethan had very nice white teeth, she noticed. Perfectly straight. Those braces he’d hated so much had clearly done their job.
“I’ve had some practice,” he said. “Enemies? Did she have any?”
“Of course. Who doesn’t?”
“I don’t think I have,” he said wryly.
“Really? Haven’t you put people in jail? Given evidence that a criminal held a grudge about?”
His lips fought a smile. “Hmm. You seem to be feeling better. Now, back to Denise.”
“Don’t forget I’ve been mainly out of town for years.” When he merely waited for more, Maddie sighed. “There are bound to be disagreements, she was in local government. But I haven’t heard about anyone or anything lately she was upset about. People around here seem to get along pretty well, for the most part.”
He nodded encouragingly.
She swallowed hard. “I can give you a list of the mean girls she associated with when we were at school, but Denise didn’t have anything to do with them anymore. You would have known them. Anyway, most of them don’t live here, they left as soon as they could, looking for bright lights and more fun than Maple Falls could provide.”
Tapping the pen against his chin, he thought for a minute. Then he asked quietly, “Like you?”
She was shocked. Where had that come from? “Me leaving was totally different. I had a plan to be a great business woman, not be seen in all the right places.”
“A famous business woman?”
“Not necessarily. Being great at something doesn’t mean you have a craving for being famous.”
“I would have thought they were synonymous.”
She was growing more irritated by the moment. “Not for me. I wanted to come home knowing I was good at something I’m passionate about. It was, it is, enough.”
“But you hadn’t intended on coming home just yet. And, knowing you are an excellent baker, why did you enter the contest?”
She squeezed Big Red a little harder, and he let out a warning growl but stayed on her lap. “I’m happy to be home, regardless of the circumstances. As for the contest, that was a mistake. I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea. For Denise’s sake, I wish I hadn’t.”
“Why? Do you think her death is somehow connected to the competition?”
She threw her hands in the air, which juggled the cat enough to make him growl again. “I don’t know. Maybe if I hadn’t been there, if I hadn’t suggested going to O’Malley’s for a drink, she might not have been in the parking lot right at that moment. The killer might not have had the opportunity to hurt her.”
Ethan shook his head. “As true as that might be, if the killer wanted Denise to be their victim, a determined killer would find a way and not be deterred by circumstances.”
She gulped. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Sorry. How do you feel?”
“The shaking’s not so bad. I don’t feel sick anymore.”
“Good news if you’re riding in my car,” he said straight-faced.
Any other time, she would have laughed. “I could go in mine.”
“I don’t think you should drive just yet. Let me take you, then I’ll bring you home so you can have that drink.”
Maddie licked her lips. As nice as the tea had been, the thought of having a sip or two of something stronger was certainly appealing. Purely for medicinal reasons, since this nightmare was still feeling surreal, despite her having been an eyewitness. She couldn’t believe she would never see Denise again, or that she and Ethan were calmly talking about who would want to kill her.
“Give me a minute.”
She bolted to her bedroom and stared at her stricken face in the mirror. She wasn’t the same person who had left here this morning, and she doubted she would ever be again.
With a trembling hand, she brushed her tangled hair then went to the bathroom to wash her face and hands which made her feel marginally better. A few minutes later, she and Ethan were on their way to the station.
When they arrived, Laura was ahead of them, about to enter another room with a deputy. She turned a tear-stained face toward Maddie, and their eyes met. Laura’s lips trembled, and Maddie took a step towards her, knowing how she must be feeling, but the Deputy pushed her gently inside and shut the door.
Another half-dozen people lined the hall, all people from the fair, all of them looking a little dazed. The murder, Maddie realized, wasn’t going to affect only her group of friends. The whole town would have their belief that they were safe in this little corner of the world shattered.
Ethan led her to a room opposite the one Laura was in, where another deputy waited. A small machine was sitting in the center of a nearby table. Maddie’s mouth went dryer than a leaf in autumn at the idea of being recorded. She didn’t know what she should say or what she might know that would help.
There was also a cloud of guilt over not being able to save Denise, and the guilt anyone would get when talking to the law, as if she had in fact done something wrong.
She sat in the metal chair and nervously waited for them to begin.
“Deputy Jacobs will be conducting this interview,” Ethan said.
Maddie nodded, and Ethan smiled encouragingly. The other man didn’t smile, and he began the interview.
“Tell me everything you know about what the mayor was doing prior to her death.”
Maddie explained about the pie competition and her winning the top prize. “My friends and I were going to meet Denise at O’Malley’s. I thought I was leaving before her,” she finished with a wobble.
“Whose scarf was it we found a
t the scene?”
“Scarf? Oh, you mean the one I saw wrapped around my tire as I was getting into my car?”
“Yes.”
“I have no…” Then Maddie remembered seeing it around someone’s neck earlier that day. “I believe it might be Angel’s. She wears one like that. Actually, anything bright.”
“I see.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “But Angel wouldn’t have had anything to do with Denise’s death. We were all friends.”
The deputy raised an eyebrow.
Anger bubbled inside her. “No, really. You should put your time into finding the killer, not questioning Denise’s friends.”
Ethan gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s his job.”
“Well, I don’t happen to like the way he’s doing it.”
“Ms. Flynn,” the deputy continued, “we don’t know for sure this was a murder, but we are treating it as suspicious. You’ve said more of your friends were planning to meet up. Can you confirm they are Angeline Broome, Suzy Barnes, and Laura McKenzie?”
She folded her arms and nodded, but refused to entertain the idea that her friends were potential suspects, even though she had little to add about anyone’s whereabouts.
There followed more questions that Maddie couldn’t answer and she had the distinct impression the deputy thought she wasn’t co-operating.
“I think that’s all for now, Ms. Flynn.” The deputy said tersely as he rose, turned off the machine and left the room.
Maddie glared at Ethan, who shrugged unapologetically. “Nobody’s being accused of anything, but there are rules and guidelines which need to be followed in any investigation. Often, something you never dreamed of could turn out to be a vital clue.”
“It wasn’t Angel,” she said stubbornly.
“I agree.”
Sagging into her chair with relief, she let out a hitching breath. “Why?”
“For one thing, Angel didn’t leave the cake tent for most of the morning, which would have been her main opportunity. She was always surrounded by people which would have made it hard to add anything to a cake or pie.”
She knew he was trying to ease her fears, but it wasn’t working. How awful would it be if they accused Angel because of something she’d said? If there was anyone from their group who might be involved, it was more likely to be Laura.
She bit her lip, feeling suddenly guilty over her thoughts. Should she tell Ethan anyway? Her head hurt, thinking about it.
She pointed to the door. “I see they’re talking to Laura.”
Ethan pulled his chair closer. “They are. Maddie, if you know something you need to tell me no matter who it concerns.”
She hesitated. “It may be nothing, and I don’t feel good about saying this.”
“It won’t go any further than this room if I can help it.”
“She might have some problems with jealousy.” Maddie blurted, already feeling ashamed.
“Yes?” he said encouragingly.
“That’s it.”
“Who was she jealous of? Denise?”
“Maybe.”
“Maddie?”
She clasped her hands tightly on the table. “All right. It’s me. I was Angel’s best friend, and then Laura latched on to her while I was in New York City. When I would visit she avoided me, then when I came back to stay, she didn’t seem very happy about it. She … she also baked a pie.” The words left a sour taste in her mouth.
“Thanks. I’ll check on her statement when I get yours. It’s being printed for you to sign now, then you can go home.”
True to his word, it wasn’t too much longer before the paperwork arrived, and Ethan placed it in front of her.
“This is what you told the deputy. Please check that it’s correct and sign at the bottom.”
He was being professional, but she didn’t like the change in his tone. Was he suggesting something was wrong with what she’d said, something she might like to change? She felt like she’d been dragged through a wringer. All she wanted to do was to get back home, but she took pains to read statement, before hastily scrawling her signature.
Ethan took her home, helped her out of his car, and walked her to the back door. He still had her keys, and after he’d opened the door, he put them in her hand.
“Do you want me to come up?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, but thanks.” She didn’t mean to sound ungrateful but she did need to talk to Gran and the family.
“I could check your apartment.”
As nice as the offer might be, it didn’t help with the jitters she was experiencing. “Is there some reason I should be afraid?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Way to reassure a girl, Sheriff.”
Ethan looked exasperated. “I don’t want you to be scared. Just careful.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Make sure you lock all the windows and doors, especially when you’re home alone, and no leaving keys under mats.”
His censure was light, but she knew she wouldn’t do that again. Steeling herself for the answer to a question which had been bugging her, she blurted it out. “Do you think the killer is still in town?”
Ethan took a minute, as if he was weighing up what to say.
“Until we know what the cause of death is, we won’t know if there even is a killer, if there is a motive, or what it could be.”
She sighed, suddenly wanting the security his presence offered. But he had work to do. They needed to know why Denise had died, and if it was murder, then the killer must be found. That was the most important thing for Ethan to be doing, not babysitting her.
She lifted her chin. “Denise was a good person and well-respected in this town. If it was murder, it’s too awful to contemplate that someone from Maple Falls would harm her.”
“The motives of a killer often seem irrational or ridiculous to the rest of us. To them, they’re very real issues. That’s why we have to sort through any and all information we can find.”
His little speech put a lot of what had happened into perspective. “Do the town a favor and find the truth, Ethan.”
Her voice was light, but she was feeling so emotional that when he squeezed her shoulders, she contemplated falling into his arms, remembering what a good hugger he was.
“I intend to. We’ll talk soon.”
Oblivious to her internal dilemma, he walked away, tall and strong, while Maddie felt like a lump of dough with all the air thumped out of it.
She should have gone straight to the cottage, but she needed a moment to compose herself.
Chapter Fifteen
To Maddie’s surprise, Gran was in the apartment. She’d heard Maddie arrive with Ethan and was waiting at the top of the stairs with Big Red, her eyes filled with tears, and had no doubt heard every word. Maddie waited for her to come down and they hugged with Big Red walking between their legs. Then they sank onto the couch.
“I can’t believe it.” Gran said after a minute or two.
“It’s crazy. I’m sorry I didn’t answer my phone, it was on silent.”
“You had a terrible shock. The Girlz came by as soon as the deputies let them leave the festival. When I insisted on being back here to wait for you, they brought me and waited a while. We did get your text, so I wasn’t worried. I knew Ethan would look after you. Do you want to talk about it?”
Maddie nodded. She explained her version of events and Gran listened in horror.
“I wish I had been there with you.”
“I’m glad you weren’t. It was a very long day and you have been so ill. How are you feeling now?”
“Much better than this morning, but I am dog tired.”
“Me too. Let’s try and get some sleep.”
They went up the stairs together. Exhausted Maddie struggled to change into her pajamas. Big Red, always sensitive to her moods snuggled up close to her, wrapping his long tail around her arm. He stayed there all through the long nig
ht, when sleep was fleeting.
Well before dawn and after hours of tossing and turning, she went downstairs to bake, even though it was Sunday.
Gran was already there, making a pot of soup. “I hope I didn’t wake you, sweetheart.”
“Not at all. I was lying there thinking about things until I couldn’t stand it anymore.”
“I know what you mean. Tea?”
Maddie nodded. “I’ll make it.”
Gran put the last of her soup ingredients into the pot, cleaned up, then joined Maddie at the counter to watch the sky lighten over the fields across the road. It was going to be a beautiful day, Maddie thought, but it seemed wrong to enjoy it.
“How are you feeling today? Has your stomach settled?”
Gran broke the silence. “I’m much better. Still a little queasy, but I’m thinking it’s more about poor Denise. Do you really think she was poisoned?”
“I don’t know, but from what Ethan said, it looks likely. We should keep that between us though.”
Gran nodded. “Will we open tomorrow?”
“At first, I thought no, but at least it will keep us busy. What do you think?”
“I’ll get some brownies and cookies made this afternoon.”
“I’ll make some pies.” Then Maddie shuddered, reconsidering. “No, I won’t make any pies for a couple of days. Cake would be better.”
Gran pursed her lips. “You’re probably right not to. Pies were the last thing she tasted, and no matter that we know it had nothing to do with us, some of Maple Falls residents will likely point fingers.” She sighed. “I’ll make us some breakfast, then I might go over to the cottage and do some more packing.”
“I could come and help.”
“No, you’ve got enough to do here sweetheart, and someone needs to watch the soup. Maybe you could try to figure out that coffee machine everyone keeps talking about. Either that, or you should hide the darn thing.”
Gran was trying to lighten the mood, but all Maddie could muster was a nod, relieved that Gran didn’t want her to go to the cottage today.
A little while later, as Maddie was finishing the dishes and Gran was stirring her soup, Angel appeared at the back door. The moment she was inside, they were in each other’s arms, crying like babies.