After locking her truck, she started down the sidewalk. The air was warm and if she wasn’t mistaken she would guess it was in the mid-sixties. A few residents were out for a stroll, but for the most part Kate had the sidewalk to herself.
She picked up her pace, swinging her arms and dreaming of the sandwiches that Carly had promised to bring. The impromptu idea had been a picnic, but Kate knew the grass would be much too soggy to actually lay a blanket down. With any luck, they would find a dry picnic table and she would get a little sun before checking in with Marla Zook, whose kitchen sink was once again in need of fixing.
As she walked briskly, Detective Kilroy’s strange attitude sprung to the forefront of her mind. She had always gotten along with Kilroy, and in the past he’d seemed to appreciate the clues she had brought to the table as a sleuth investigator. What had changed? Why was this case different? Considering that Kilroy had insisted Eddie’s death had been an accident, his attitude was especially puzzling. Why warn her to stay out of it if he truly believed there had been no foul play? There would be nothing to stay out of if it was only an accident. The reason he had provided seemed thin. Yes, gossip could and would easily flourish if the residents caught on to Kate’s suspicions, but so what?
For all intents and purposes, Eddie’s death was the most peculiar one she had ever come across.
Carly was draping blankets over the long, wooden seat of a picnic table as Kate strolled into the park. She had set a picnic basket on the table, and though Kate was a good twenty yards away, she could still tell the wooden table was sopping wet. The sun must have melted whatever snow was left on the picnic table, and Kate hoped the blanket her friend had laid down would be thick enough to spare her bottom from getting damp.
“Hey, there she is!” Carly called out, smiling and addressing Josephine, no doubt.
Carly was completely in awe of the infant girl, and after months of begging, she had convinced Kate and Scott to appoint her and Larry as Josephine’s godparents. She had taken her new role very seriously in the past month, giving extravagant gifts that Josie wouldn’t have use for until she was much older: child-sized clothes, young adult books, and toys with tiny pieces that Josie could easily choke on according to the warning label on the front of the box.
“It’s nice out today,” said Kate, nearing her.
Carly was already reaching for Josie, but Kate urged her back before her friend could lift her daughter out of the carrier.
“She’s napping,” she explained.
“She looks awake to me,” said Carly.
Changing the subject, Kate asked, “How’s it going over at Sunshine?”
Carly rolled her eyes, indicating that business at her flower shop hadn’t exactly picked up. All the local businesses around Rock Ridge had suffered during the long winter months and most were slow to bounce back.
“I have a few orders trickling in slowly,” she explained. A sly smile spread across her face, as she asked, “How’s it going over at the inn?”
Clearly, Carly had heard about Eddie Jackson.
“I got the rest of the day off,” said Kate. “What does that tell you?”
“If the police think it’s an accident, why are they taking so long at the inn?”
“Good question,” she said as she carefully slid the shoulder straps of the carrier down her arms. Josephine was relaxed but not asleep, so Kate laid the changing mat on the picnic table and then set her daughter on it. “I think there’s more to investigate than meets the eye and hopefully Scott agrees and that’s why his team is taking their time over there.”
“Poor Scott,” she remarked and when Kate cocked her eyebrow, she clarified. “He doesn’t have the best track record for working two crimes at once.”
Unfortunately, Carly was right so Kate changed the subject again, asking, “What’s for lunch?”
As her friend began setting plastic plates on the table and placing the sandwiches on them, she explained, “I got tuna melts from Daisy’s.”
It made Kate’s mouth water just to see the warm sandwiches, the toasted bread that smelled amazing, and the little pickles beside them, but as she was about to sit on the blanket-covered bench, she spotted the mayor, Dean Wentworth, jogging along the dirt trail that wrapped the park. It occurred to her that he might have known Eddie Jackson, since the contractor had worked on the construction of the amusement park a few years back.
“Hey, can you watch her for a few minutes?” asked Kate.
Without hesitation, Carly jumped at the chance, lifting Josie off the picnic table and saying, “Take all the time you need.”
Kate started off toward Dean who was rounding the bend, but he didn’t see her so she picked up the pace, jogging to cut him off at the pass.
“Dean!” she called out, and the mayor glanced over his shoulder.
He turned and began jogging in place, pressing his fingertips to his neck to get a read on his heart rate.
“Thanks,” she said, out of breath as she reached him. “Do you have a minute?”
“I just started my workout.”
That was a no, so she said, “Talk and jog, but slowly, Dean. I’m still getting back into shape.”
As they started off at a mild jogging pace, Kate asked, “Did a man named Eddie Jackson work at the amusement park when it was under construction? His friend Zack Bristow did...”
“Ah, the name rings a bell,” he said. “What did he look like?”
“Almost fifty, he’s a small guy, wiry build, he’s friends with a virtual giant?”
“Oh yeah, yeah, I remember him. Eddie, you say? I remember him as Edward, you know, always putting faces to paychecks.”
“Right,” she said, as she waved her hand, “slower.”
“Kate, you’re killing me here.”
Dean slowed to a walk for her.
“Did you ever hear of anyone having a problem with Eddie?” she asked, eyeing him as she heaved to get air in her lungs. She was certainly earning her tuna melt with all this exercise.
“If I did, it was two years ago, more than that actually.” He thought for a moment then clarified, “Two and a half years. Did something happen to Eddie?”
“He was killed and I don’t believe it was an accident.”
He guessed, “But the police do?”
“At this point, they do.”
“Well the only thing going on in Eddie’s life back then was a divorce, but he didn’t let it affect his job. “Man, I’m sorry to hear that,” he added as a delayed reaction. “Eddie seemed like a good guy.”
“A divorce? Do you know his wife’s name?”
“Not off the top of my head, but it would be in my records since Eddie was using the health insurance my company offered. He would’ve listed his wife.
“Can you get her name to me when you’re back in the office?”
He mumbled in agreement and then took off jogging.
When she turned, she realized she had migrated a ways from the picnic table.
One brisk walk later and she was sitting beside Carly. She placed her hand on her sandwich and was relieved to discover it was still warm.
They ate and chatted, and gradually the conversation meandered onto the subject of Amelia Langley and her uncouth murder tour, which was certainly bringing the older woman business, but both Carly and Kate agreed it was at the expense of the town’s reputation.
“Maybe we should bring it up at the next town meeting?” Carly suggested. “I doubt you and I are the only ones who feel this way. If we put it to a vote, maybe we could shut down her tour.”
“Isn’t that vindictive?”
“Hey, if people aren’t buying flowers because Amelia’s murder tour has hurt a wider tourist market, then no. We would be completely justified.”
“So you’re saying that Amelia is attracting gawkers and not real tourists who want to go out into town and spend money.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. The majority of my usual customers are the
shop owners along Main Street. They like to spruce up their stores with flowers. But if tourists aren’t shopping there, then they aren’t going to splurge on bouquets. And guess what, none of them have been ordering bouquets.” Carly raised her eyebrows as though she had made an airtight case.
“When is the next town meeting?”
“I’ll ask Larry, but you’re with me, right?”
“Sure, I’ll back you up.”
As they finished their sandwiches, Kate’s cellphone began vibrating in her pocket. She swiped the screen to answer the call when she saw that it was Marla Zook.
“Hey, Marla, you’re calling about the sink?”
“Yeah, when can you come over? The bucket under the pipe has been filling faster than I can dump it.”
“I’ll head over now,” said Kate. “See you soon.” After returning her cell to her pocket, she said, “Gotta head out. Thanks again for lunch.”
Carly helped her get Josie situated in the baby carrier on her back and then Kate started off on the six block walk to her truck.
She wondered about Eddie’s divorce. If he were in the midst of it two years ago, would his ex-wife circle back years later to get her revenge? Just because they had gotten divorced didn’t mean the process hadn’t been amicable, she thought. But it was as good a place to start as any, and she hoped Dean would get in touch soon about the woman’s name.
Kate was yanked from deep thought when she noticed a folded note on the windshield of her truck. Immediately, she had a bad feeling and glanced up and down the street but no one was around. After cautiously approaching her vehicle, she pulled the note out from under the windshield wiper, unfolded it, and read:
Back off or you’ll be next, Mrs. Fix It.
Nerves ratcheted up her spine. She crumpled the note in her fist and had a good mind to chuck it in the gutter, but shoved it into her pocket instead and unlocked her truck. After getting Josie settled into the car seat in the back, she stalked around her truck and examined each tire, making sure no one had slashed them. Convinced that they looked fine, she climbed in behind the steering wheel and debated whether or not to tell Scott about this new development.
In Kate’s mind, a threatening note only confirmed her suspicion that Eddie Jackson had been murdered. What puzzled her was that word couldn’t have traveled through town that fast, and only a handful of people had seen her at Over the Moon.
Detective Kilroy came to mind.
But she pushed the thought out of her head. There was no way Kilroy could’ve been involved in Eddie’s murder. He didn’t even know the guy. Plus, he had arrived at the inn with Scott and therefore couldn’t have been at the inn at the time the glass was pushed from the second floor. She would’ve noticed him or recognized his personal vehicle in the parking lot.
Kilroy was probably just being territorial, and perhaps the daily stresses of being a cop had finally gotten to him.
But then who had left the note?
She started her truck up, twisting the key in the ignition. The walk had taken her long enough and Marla Zook lived on the other side of town. So she eased her truck into the street and drove off, hoping Marla wouldn’t have to wait too long for her sink to be fixed.
Josephine fell asleep during the ride. There was something about the bumpy dirt road that led to Marla’s house that put the infant right to sleep. Kate squeezed the brakes, rolling to a stop in front of the single mother’s house, and as she climbed out and rounded the hood of her car, she spotted at least three repairs on the outside of the house alone. The storm gutters had bent downward at strange angles, no doubt from the weight of snow all winter. The front steps were cracked. And one of the first floor windows was so tarnished it should be replaced with clear glass.
With her tool kit in hand, she was carefully making her way up the cracked stone steps and then knocked on the door, which caused commotion inside the house that to Kate sounded like teenage girls scuffling around.
Moments later the door popped inward, revealing Marla’s two teenage daughters.
“Mom’s in the kitchen,” one of them said, widening the door for Kate to step inside. As she walked through, the girl smiled at Josie and said, “He’s so cute! What’s his name?”
“Uh, she’s a girl, actually. And her name is Josephine.”
Both girls screwed their faces up and exchanged a skeptical glance.
“Trust me,” said Kate. “I know the sex of my child.”
“Why is she dressed in yellow?” the other girl asked. “Isn’t that more of a boy’s color.”
“Colors don’t belong to boys or girls,” she explained. “Colors are for everyone.”
The girls shrugged and raced off through the living room, and Kate continued on into the kitchen, where Marla was crouched beneath the sink and swapping one full bucket for an empty one.
“Thank God you’re here!” she exclaimed. “Tell me you can fix this! My arms are tired.”
“Here, let me get under there,” said Kate, as she set her tool kit down, opened it, and found a wrench.
Marla seemed hesitant, but aligned the empty bucket under the dripping pipe, shuffled back, and rose to her feet.
Instantly, Kate identified the problem. A plastic ring connecting two pipes had cracked, but in her expert opinion, the leak shouldn’t produce the outpouring of water that it was if Marla wasn’t running the faucet.
“Have you been using the sink?”
“It’s clogged,” said Marla.
Quickly, Kate got to her feet and glanced in the sink. It was full of dirty dishes sitting in dingy water that was nearly to the basin’s brim.
“So you have two problems,” she concluded.
“Would you like me to hold the baby while you work?” she offered.
Kate tensed at the suggestion, but knew she would have to lie on her back to fix the leak. She wished she hadn’t let Maxwell take the rest of the day off. These days, he was just as valuable as a babysitter as he was an apprentice contractor.
She reasoned she couldn’t keep coddling Josephine forever, and as she got to her feet, she fully intended to take Marla up on her offer. But when she spotted a reclining baby swing in the corner of the kitchen, she had a better idea.
“Do you mind if she sits in this?” she asked as she walked over to the swing.
“Oh, that’s my sister’s. Sure,” said Marla. “She visits every now and then with her little one.”
Kate slid Josie into the swing, discretely checking its legs all the while to be certain it was structurally sound. Convinced that it was, she crawled under the sink, turned onto her back, and began replacing the cracked connector with a new one from her tool kit.
“So,” began Marla, making small talk. “It’s just Hazel over there at the library nowadays?”
“That’s what I hear,” said Kate, speaking up since she was shoulder deep in the cabinet beneath the sink. “I’m not sure the town has the money to hire another librarian.”
Marla tapped her foot as though doing so helped her think. “Even if a new librarian only cost the same as Mrs. Briar?”
“Well, I think the town has been looking to save money, so when Mrs. Briar was killed, they took it as a financial blessing...not to sound crude.”
“I was thinking about applying for a job there.”
Kate angled her head so she could see Marla. “You’re a librarian?”
“Technically,” she supplied. “I went to school for it, but then I became a housewife and mother. But Terry has been dead for years, nearly a decade in fact. And I have to start thinking about the girls’ college fund.”
“I hear ya,” said Kate just as her cellphone began vibrating in her overalls. “Shoot,” she muttered, reading the screen. It was Dean Wentworth calling. “I should take this.”
Kate got to her feet and swiped the LCD screen.
“Dean, that was fast,” she said quickly. “You got a name for me?”
“Barbara Jackson,” he supplied. “Though after t
he divorce, I’d have thought she would have reverted to her maiden name. And the address listed on the insurance form is, of course, the old house she shared with Eddie.”
“Still, that’s helpful, thanks a lot!”
“Oh I went the extra mile for you,” he interjected. “I made some calls and found out the divorce was never finalized.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No, so either Eddie and Barbara decided that they loved each other too much to go through with filing the papers, or things between them got especially messy.”
Or perhaps neither had the money to pay the kind of attorney’s fees that often come with processing a legal divorce, thought Kate.
“You might want to give Amelia Langley a call,” he added.
“Why’s that?”
“Because according to the town files, Barbara Jackson’s current address is Over the Moon.”
Chapter Five
Kate sat on the living room floor with an intimidating amount of paperwork to sort through, fill out and file as a result of Eddie Jackson’s death.
Scott was holding Josephine on the couch. The infant was not thrilled that her father was attempting to feed her using a baby bottle.
The morning sunlight cut into the living room at an angle that glared in Kate’s eyes. Overwhelmed, she wasn’t so much reading the forms as staring at them.
“What have you got planned today?” Scott asked after another attempt to wedge the rubber tip of the baby bottle into Josie’s mouth, which made her squirm in protest.
“Filing these accident reports, for one,” she grumbled. “Then I have to hire a new contractor to replace Eddie, and with any luck we’ll be back on track at Over the Moon.”
“Do you want to connect for lunch?”
“I can’t make any promises.”
“Then dinner?”
She glanced up at him and the look on his face told her that Scott could use a night out.
“And bring Josephine?” she asked, remembering that there were few restaurants in town that would tolerate their daughter. As soon as Josie had reached a healthy weight, Kate and Scott had started venturing out with her to see if they could reclaim even a fraction of their prior lives. But Josie was unpredictable. At times she had been quiet and they were able to dine like normal people. And other times she had screamed her head off, giving the restaurant manager no choice but to ask them to leave.
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