“Like I said; you and what army?” Thelma repeated, picking up the feather duster. “Give it up and call Greg.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Tabby admitted, surveying the dent that the chest had put in her wooden floor.
She pulled out her cell phone in defeat and called her boyfriend. He said he would be there in ten minutes. While she waited for her strong, handsome boyfriend to come to the rescue, she brought out the four skeletons that would accompany the chest in the front window.
Eye patches were put on three of them and various colored bandanas were tied around their skulls. Two of them had the honor of wearing pirate boots and two were barefoot losing their boots in the shipwreck. Each had a sword that would be placed at their side once in the window.
Greg sauntered into the jelly shop checking out the front window display as he entered.
“I wondered what you wanted the sea grass for,” he said. “Now, it makes sense. Is this the chest you need in the window?”
“Yes, if you could place it diagonally in front of the sea grass with the top open, that would be great,” she answered.
Greg hoisted the chest and easily set it on the partition top. Tabby held it in place while he jumped into the display area. Placing it where Tabby requested, he hopped back out of the window.
“Love the night sky,” he commented.
“Thanks.”
“See, you should have called him in the first place, then you wouldn’t have a dent on the floor,” Thelma piped up. “You’re just like your grandmother; stubborn.”
“I’m not stubborn, just determined, that’s all,” Tabby said, sticking up for herself.
“Can a poor guy get a cup of coffee around here?” Greg asked, trying to put a halt to the existing conversation.
“You know where it is,” Thelma mumbled under her breath.
Tabby and Greg hurried to the cover of the back room.
“What’s the matter with Thelma? She’s usually so happy and upbeat,” Greg whispered.
“I don’t know. She’s been cranky ever since she got here,” Tabby whispered back.
As they poured their coffee, they heard a quiet sobbing coming from the register area. They set their mugs down and walked out of the backroom to see what was wrong with their elderly friend.
“Thelma, what’s wrong?” Tabby asked, putting her arm around her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bring things to work, but I can’t help it this time,” she sobbed.
“What happened?” Greg asked.
“You know Agatha Crank?” she asked, dabbing her eyes.
“Yes, she was you and Gram’s friend in school. You were the Three Musketeers of Whipper Will Junction,” Tabby answered.
“Agatha and I were the last two left alive in our graduating class. Granted there was only twenty-eight of us back then. Well, she died sometime last night. They found her sitting in her favorite rocking chair on her front porch this morning,” Thelma informed them.
“I’m so sorry,” Tabby said, quietly.
“I’m the last one. All my friends are gone now,” she sighed.
“Not all your friends; you have many other friends in this town who love you,” Greg insisted.
“Oh, I know, but it’s not the same thing. These people were my good friends; people I grew up with. I knew Agatha and your Gram since first grade. I must be the oldest person in town now that Agatha is gone,” Thelma stated.
“I think you might have some competition with Mr. Wells,” Tabby said, winking.
“Oh, he’s a young’un. I have him beat by quite a few years,” Thelma said, smiling and cheering up a bit. “Besides, he wasn’t born here. He moved here when he was two years old. Not many people in town know that so keep it to yourselves.”
“We won’t say a word,” Greg promised.
“Do you want to take the day off?” Tabby suggested.
“No, being here for a few hours will help keep my mind off Agatha,” Thelma answered. “Thank you, anyway.”
“Okay, but if you decide that you want to go home, you just let me know,” Tabby insisted.
“Greg, I have a rather large favor to ask of you. Agatha had no family. I am in charge of making her arrangements. Could you please help me? My mind isn’t what it used to be,” the elderly woman requested.
“Anything you need, you just let me know where and when,” he answered, squeezing her hand.
“That makes me feel so much better,” Thelma said, letting out a large sigh.
“I have to get back to work,” Greg said, giving Tabby a quick kiss. “I’ll see you for supper.”
“You get back to work and finish that window,” Thelma scolded, waving a finger at Tabby. “You’re not going to beat your mother tending to an old woman.”
“I love you,” Tabby said, giving Thelma a huge hug. “I can see why my Gram loved you so much.”
Greg left and Tabby continued decorating her front window. She placed some empty boxes inside the chest to raise the treasure so it could be seen from the street. A black satin cloth was placed over the boxes. Gold, shiny pirates coins were dumped in the chest that she had purchased online. Costume jewelry and gold, jewel encrusted crowns were strategically placed so that they hung over the edge of the chest. In amongst the coins she scattered her jars of jelly as a part of the pirate’s loot.
People had always told Tabby that her gram’s jelly recipes were to be treasured and that the jelly was liquid gold. That was her tie-in to the theme for this year; her jelly was the pirate’s treasure and the story of the window was built around it.
She set one of the skeletons sitting on the side of the chest with his hand reaching in and grasping a jar of jelly. The second and third skeletons were placed on either side of the chest, one clutching a sword and the other with a gold crown sitting cockeyed on his head.
More coins and jelly jars were placed in the sand in and around the sitting skeletons. The fourth skeleton sat in the corner with a smaller chest full of jars of the seasonal special, Blood Orange Marmalade. Tabby sat a parrot skeleton on the top of the smaller chest. A fake emerald necklace was hung from the parrot’s beak and gold bangle bracelets were placed in his talons.
Cobwebs were stretched around the entire scene. Large furry black spiders were hung from the webs. Other spiders were placed so they looked like they were crawling out of the chests and skeletons eye sockets.
Tabby stepped back and admired her window. She was sure she would beat her mother this year. People were gathering outside on the sidewalk enjoying the pirate scene.
“Thelma, do you want to go outside with me and look at the window before you leave for the day?”
“It looks like there are many viewing it already,” she answered, smiling. “Let’s go see what they are saying.”
There were no customers in the shop so the pair ventured out to the sidewalk to hear the verdict on Tabby’s window.
“I feel like Gladys Twittle eavesdropping like this,” Thelma whispered.
The general consensus was the window was well liked. The locals seemed to understand the tie-in of the pirates treasure with the shop’s jelly. Tabby couldn’t have been happier with the comments. The window looked awesome and would probably look even better at night.
They returned inside and Thelma left for the day. Tabby continued to decorate the interior of the shop. A large witch’s cauldron was placed in the center of the wedding table surrounded by wine glasses that were held by skeletal hands. Vases with fake black roses were placed around the wedding corner.
Skulls were tucked in among the jelly shelves along with cobwebs and more black spiders. Tabby stood holding one of the fake skulls thinking to herself that not too long ago she had been holding real human skulls in her hands. It upset her to think that a person could just disappear and never be accounted for again. Didn’t they have families that looked for them?
As she stood there, lost in thought, the bell chimed on the door. Sheriff Puckett was comin
g in for his daily cup of coffee.
“I was just thinking about you,” Tabby said, smiling.
“I hope it was good thoughts. I could use some right now,” he said, disappearing out back to get coffee.
“Bad day?” Tabby asked, placing the last skull on the counter next to the register.
“Isabella’s family has some strong influences in Boston. I spent the last two hours on the phone trying to get the warrant to search their property and I am being blocked in every direction that I go in,” he answered.
“Anthony did tell me that her family had a lot of law enforcement and judges in their back pockets.”
“I believe it. I did manage to find out that Alexander Martinelli was Isabella’s first cousin and the skulls that you found, or should I say that Anthony Capri found so far have not matched any of the licenses that he placed in the letter to you,” he stated, sipping his coffee.
“That means that there are more bodies in the cornfield,” Tabby said. “I wonder just how many are actually out there.”
“I don’t know, but at this rate, we may never know. The same judge issued paperwork ordering us to release Anthony’s body. Isabella and a funeral company hearse picked up the body this morning. At least that same judge can’t change the findings listed on the death certificate; homicide.”
“That’s good news for me anyway. I told Isabella I would be out there on Sunday to remove all the Halloween decorations that were in the farmhouse. I’m glad she’s not going to be there,” Tabby said. “That woman gives me the creeps. I don’t think she’s who she pretends to be, all timid and all.”
“She’s far from timid,” the sheriff agreed.
“Gage is adamant that she killed Anthony.”
“Somehow, I wouldn’t put it past her. Family code is everything to their kind… blood family, that is. Now, that we know Alex was related, his death has to also be tied in somehow to Isabella and her family. I’m almost hoping that she will move out of Whipper Will Junction and back to the city and let the city police deal with her, but I don’t know if they will leave the property unprotected now that human bones have been found.”
“When I go out there Sunday, I am going to look around the farmhouse for that secret room,” Tabby informed the sheriff. “Isabella said she would return home to bury Anthony in Hingham once the body was released. I won’t have to hurry if she’s not around.”
“Is Greg going with you?”
“No, he’s having an open house for his grandmother’s Victorian in Larsen. He was hoping to sell it before winter sets in so he doesn’t have to worry about taking care of it during the colder months,” Tabby answered. “Later in the day, he promised to help Jenny with her books to see just how much money is gone from the bookstore.”
“I just left Jenny’s place. She is doing much better and tells me she should have the bookstore open again next week,” the sheriff said, smiling. “And, she conned my wife into being the fourth on your bowling team.”
“That’s the old Jenny I know,” Tabby chuckled. “So, what do you think of my front window? You haven’t said a thing about it.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” he mumbled.
“You hadn’t noticed? I spent all day on that window,” Tabby moaned.
“Sorry, my mind was elsewhere…”
“No comment at all? You’re one of the judges, aren’t you?” Tabby asked suspiciously.
“How did you figure that out so quickly?”
“You can show no favoritism so you pretended to ignore it. I knew it. I won’t tell anyone, I promise,” Tabby confirmed.
“Please don’t. I didn’t want the job, but like my wife, I can’t say no. I’ll see you tomorrow for my coffee,” he said, leaving.
He turned as he closed the door, smiled and said, “Nice window, by the way.”
Tabby and Sheriff Puckett had a special relationship. He was like the father she never had growing up. There was a trust between them that could never be broken. They had nothing but the deepest respect for each other in both a personal and a working aspect. She smiled knowing that a good man like Stan Puckett would always have her back.
Tabby heard a bang from the window area. Ghost had jumped up into the display and knocked the small chest lid closed sending the parrot skeleton into the sand. Tabby reached in and grabbed him, tapped him on the butt while scolding him and set him down. He took off for the cat door and disappeared upstairs. She reached over the partition and reset the scene.
She closed up the shop, fed the cats, and left for the diner to meet Greg. Tom Montgomery was doing the honor of seating the patrons instead of his wife, Judy. He led Tabby to the couple’s usual booth and put down two menus.
“I’m assuming Greg will be here shortly?” he asked.
“Yes, he will. I’m a little bit early,” she answered.
“El will be your waitress; Bea isn’t back yet.”
“I’ll just look over the menu while I wait for Greg. I feel like eating something different tonight instead of something off the special’s board,” Tabby replied.
“Sounds good to me,” Tom answered. “Enjoy your meal.”
Tabby sat in the booth perusing the menu. A loud voice broke her train of thought.
“I do not wish to sit anywhere near her,” the voice complained.
“You have two choices. The only booth that’s open or come back in an hour,” Tom Montgomery answered.
“Gladys, just be quiet and sit where’s available. I’m hungry and I don’t want to listen to your foolishness. Tom, I’ll take the booth whether my wife will or not,” Donald Twittle replied.
“Fine, you go and eat and let your poor wife starve,” Gladys announced loudly. “I’m going home and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
“Whatever,” Donald mumbled as he followed Tom to the booth next to Tabby’s and left his wife standing there near the door. Seeing that her husband wasn’t going to give in, she followed reluctantly and glared at Tabby as she seated herself in the booth with her husband.
Just as things quieted down, James MacAvey, the owner of the town market, walked up to Tabby’s table.
“Gage is gone. He didn’t show up for work today. I called the school and he hasn’t been to class either,” he said. “I found an empty envelope with your name on the outside of it. Do you have any idea where he is?”
“I have no idea,” Tabby answered, knowing full well Gladys was listening to every word.
“I knew it,” Gladys shrieked. “Another body that that killer has something to do with. No one believes me, Tabitha Moon is pure evil. You’ll see; you’ll all see that I’m right.”
Gladys wiggled out of the booth and went running for the door. Her screaming could be heard all the way down Main Street. Her husband stood up and approached Tabby with his head hung low.
“Tabby, I am so sorry. Again, I have to apologize for my wife’s rude behavior,” Donald said, shaking his head. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“It’s okay, Mr. Twittle, it’s not your fault. In the long run, people will learn the truth and I won’t be thought of as a killer like your wife claims,” Tabby said, quietly.
“Please, call me Donald. My wife can certainly hold a grudge and I am sorry you are on the receiving end of her madness.”
“Things will straighten out, don’t worry,” Tabby assured him.
Greg came through the door and up to the table.
“What’s going on?”
“My wife had another one of her fits,” Donald stated. “Sometimes, I think she is really losing it. I think she needs to see a doctor.”
“I think I know some people that would agree with you,” Tabby said, sadly.
“Enjoy your supper, if you can,” Donald said, returning to his own booth.
Greg sat down and wanted to be filled in on everything. Meanwhile, Mr. MacAvey had quietly taken a seat in the back corner of the diner. Tabby started to tell Greg what happened and suddenly realized t
hat the market owner was sitting by himself waiting for things to calm down.
“Mr. MacAvey,” Tabby said, waving him over to the booth. “Please, come join us.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that crazy woman would go off the deep end when I asked you that question,” Mac said quietly as he sat down next to Tabby. “No offense, Donald.”
“None taken,” came the reply from the adjoining booth.
“It’s okay, I’m getting used to it,” Tabby admitted. “Don’t worry about it. Now, let’s get back to Gage.
“What’s the matter with Gage?” Greg asked.
“He’s missing,” Tabby stated flatly.
CHAPTER 13
* * *
“What do you mean he’s missing?” Greg asked.
“He hasn’t been home and didn’t show up for work today,” Mac related. “I found an empty envelope with Tabby’s name on it in his room.”
“Of course you did,” Greg replied, rolling his eyes.
“Was it an envelope postmarked Whipper Will Junction?” she inquired, ignoring her boyfriend’s eye rolling.
“Yes, it was. How did you know that?” Mac asked surprised.
“Because, I received it in the mail and passed it on to Sheriff Puckett. He must have thought that Gage should have the contents of the envelope since it concerned him,” Tabby answered.
“Was it something bad; something I should know about?” Mac asked.
“I don’t feel it is my place to discuss the contents of the envelope. It is not bad, it is quite good actually, for Gage anyway. Certain other people in Whipper Will Junction might not agree with me or the contents of the letter,” Tabby stated. “If that someone found out about the documents in that envelope, Gage might be in danger.”
“Should I go to the sheriff?”
“I would,” Greg answered. “If he knew what was in the envelope and felt Gage should know about it, he should be told that something has happened and that the boy is missing.”
Bloody Good Marmalade (Jams, Jellies and Murder Book 2) Page 11