Bring Home the Murder

by Jarvela, Theresa M. ;

  Later that morning, the VW climbed Bluff Hill Road and followed the curvy lane to the cemetery. Inside the cemetery gates the bugler and color guard stood several yards away from the gravesite. The firing party stood ready and in full view of the family.

  She followed the lane through the cemetery, pulled the Bug over and parked under the shade of a large oak tree. Dappled light shone on the ground. The scent of fresh mown grass hung in the air.

  A number of folding chairs were set up near the open grave. Several mourners gathered close by. Amelia Schmidt stood next to a man and rested her hand on his arm. They appeared to be in deep conversation.

  Three mourners stood apart from the others and hovered in the background. The younger woman said something to the older woman, then walked over to join the man conversing with Amelia Schmidt.

  Low-key conversation buzzed until all heads turned toward the cemetery’s entrance. A hearse pulled up near the gravesite. The driver’s door opened and the funeral director stepped out. He walked to the back of the vehicle and unlocked the rear door of the hearse.

  The pallbearers carried Fred’s remains to his wife’s gravesite. They held the flag over the urn and the service began. The minister led the mourners in prayer and asked, “Would anyone like to say a few words about Mr. Jackson?”

  Barry Jackson, Fred’s nephew, introduced himself. The tall good-looking man thanked everyone for attending the service and said a few words about his uncle’s character. An elderly man in uniform remembered Fred’s patriotism. When they finished speaking, the funeral director asked the mourners to stand for the rendering of honors. Volleys were fired and “Taps” sounded.

  Meggie and Walter stood near the back of the mourners while family and close friends occupied the folding chairs. A tear formed in Meggie’s eye as she watched the military detail fold the American flag over the cremation urn, hand it to the detail assistant, who in turn passed it to the detail leader. The detail leader presented the flag to the man who had been speaking with Amelia, Fred’s nephew.

  The minister announced that lunch would be served at the American Legion Club in Bluff. Condolences were offered, and one by one the mourners left the gravesite. A handful of those closest to Fred remained. Meggie turned to Walter. “Let’s go, shall we?”

  The drive to Bluff Legion Club proved somber. Meggie wondered if Fred’s service reminded her husband of his father’s military funeral. She tried to converse with Walter, but soon realized he didn’t want to talk. She left him alone with his reflections and drove on in silence.

  When they arrived at the Legion Club, several people from the cemetery were standing outside the front door visiting. Inside the building, a number of people gathered around the bar area.

  Meggie followed Walter into the reserved room, sat down next to him at a table and waited until the family arrived. She heard her name and turned to see Amelia Schmidt standing by her side. Ruth Burnson stood next to her.

  Meggie slid her chair back and rose. “Please sit down. I’m so glad you didn’t leave right after the services. We didn’t have a chance to talk earlier.” She pulled a chair out for each of them and waited until they sat down.

  “I wouldn’t leave Bluff without thanking you. I owe you so much.” Amelia grinned. “I had a nice talk with Lars and he told me there would be a court hearing. For the time being they released me on my own recognizance.” An inner light shone in her eyes. “I suppose they don’t think an old lady like me will try to make a run for it.”

  Meggie expressed relief that everything seemed to be turning out in a good way. Their conversation was cut short when voices rose in the bar room. Heads turned toward the commotion.

  Barry Jackson, Fred’s nephew, had arrived. He made his way through the mourners, greeted many and shook hands with several. The young woman who sat next to him at the gravesite linked her arm in his. He appeared to be introducing her around. After several minutes he made his way into the private room.

  “That’s Barry’s daughter, Michelle, a pretty young woman. She lives with her mother in the city near Barry,” Amelia whispered. “His ex-wife, Jacqueline, and her brother, Simon, were at the gravesite services, but I don’t see them here.”

  Barry and Michelle strode towards the front of the room where the luncheon had been set out. They picked up their plates and started to move through the buffet line. Guests took their cue and fell in behind them.

  After everyone at Meggie’s table returned from the lunch line, Meggie noticed Ruth and Amelia did not have a beverage. She offered to get them one. When she came back to the table, Barry and his daughter were seated with the others.

  Barry stood as she approached the table. He waited until she set the beverages in front of Amelia and Ruth then held out his hand and smiled. “We haven’t met. I’m Fred’s nephew, Barry Jackson.” He turned to the young woman sitting next to him. “This is my daughter, Michelle. We owe you a debt of gratitude for finding my uncle. Molly Riley has high praise for you.”

  Meggie accepted his thanks and expressed her condolences. Conversation centered around Fred and life on the farm. Barry admitted he didn’t spend as much time with Fred as he would have liked, but recalled a funny story or two about his visits to the farm. When there was a lull in the conversation, Walter excused himself and left the table.

  “They want to talk to me down at the sheriff’s office,” Barry commented. “They’re investigating Uncle Fred’s murder. Close relatives are always suspected until they’re cleared.” He ran his finger around his coffee cup. “I’m Uncle Fred’s only nephew. He had few relatives.”

  Michelle’s face fell. “I’m sure they think because the house was in your name, too, that you might have had motive to do harm to Uncle Fred.”

  “I’m not worried,” Barry rushed his words. “I didn’t have a thing to do with his death.”

  After Barry and Michelle left the table, Amelia confided to Meggie that Barry told her his divorce was anything but amicable. Evidently his wife, Jacqueline, had taken him to the cleaners. “What with the sale of the farm and half of everything else he owned, she came out smelling like a rose.” Amelia glanced toward the doorway. “There she is now with her brother. Simon helped Fred on the farm every now and then when he lived near Bluff.”

  A hush fell over the crowd when the tall attractive woman walked in. She glanced around, whispered something to her brother and proceeded through the buffet line. She nodded at Barry, who stood nearby, then sat down at an empty table.

  Simon walked with a limp and trailed behind her. He seemed like a fish out of water and darted furtive looks here and there.

  Something niggled at the back of Meggie’s mind, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Her eyes narrowed. After a moment it hit her. Maud, the librarian, had suspected a hired hand with a limp might have done away with Fred. Could that man possibly be Simon? Did he have a motive to kill Fred?

  Barry Jackson had a motive. He would be sole owner of the farm. But did he have the opportunity?

  Chapter 21

  A shrill ring woke Meggie. She fumbled for the bedside phone.

  Meggie, I’m sorry to bother you,” Vera’s voice quivered. “Eldon fell during the night. He’s in the hospital.”

  Meggie sat up in bed. “What can I do?”

  “I’m dreadfully worried about him. I know he would appreciate it if I were by his side.” She paused a moment and caught her breath. “Could you possibly look after the shop for me today? I don’t want to put you out. If you can’t make it, I’ll understand.”

  “Don’t worry about the shop. I’ll get dressed right now. Eldon needs you.”

  Meggie arrived at Hearts and Flowers to find Vera in a dither. She paced back and forth across the tiled floor and darted glances out the front window of the shop. “I’m so relieved you’re here, Meggie. I’ve been beside myself with worry.�
� Her voice faltered. “Nettie’s due here any minute to drive me to the hospital.”

  Meggie heard a low rumble. She turned and glanced out the window. Nettie’s car screeched to a halt in front of the shop. Its right front tire nearly hit the curb, her idea of parallel parking.

  “There she is now,” Vera exclaimed. “Thank you so much for watching my little shop.”

  Meggie followed Vera out to the car. After greeting Nettie, she turned to Vera, “Say hello to Eldon for me. Tell him to get better soon. He has a wedding to go to!” She stepped away from the curb and folded her arms.

  Nettie ground the gears. The car lurched forward. She braked, reversed and squealed away from the curb. Seconds later she stuck her hand out the driver’s window and waved over the top of the car.

  Meggie shook her head and shuddered. She glanced around to see who else witnessed Nettie’s bizarre driving. Thank heavens there were few people on the street. Had the time finally come for someone to speak to Nettie about relinquishing her driver’s license? For all the good it would do.

  After the car disappeared from sight, she walked back into the shop and turned the sign on the door to let the public know Hearts and Flowers Gift Shop was open for business.

  Later that morning, the bell tinkled over the door, and two mature women breezed in. They spent several minutes inspecting merchandise, made a mess of Nettie’s crocheted pillowcases and walked back out. Meggie straightened the goods. She yawned and looked up at the wall clock. The morning dragged on.

  By afternoon Meggie had accomplished several tasks in the shop, received a report from Vera regarding Eldon’s broken leg and fielded several calls from would-be customers. Now perched on the stool behind the counter, she jotted notes to herself.

  The phone rang and echoed through the shop. She grabbed it on the second ring and recognized Molly Riley’s voice.

  “I’m sorry to bother you at work but when I called your house Walter told me it would be all right to call you at the shop.”

  Meggie brushed aside her apology and slid off the stool. “It’s been slow here this morning. You say you have some sort of emergency? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine but I can’t say the same for my yellow lab. That’s why I’m calling. I think I told you about that lump I found on him? Well, I took him to the vet, and he is going to need surgery.” She went on to explain that Brandy would spend the night after surgery in the animal hospital and then return home to recuperate.

  “It’s a lot to ask after everything you went through when you housesat before, but would you want to sit one more night? I arrived at work this morning and found out I’m scheduled to work the first night Brandy comes home from the hospital. I don’t want to leave her alone.”

  Meggie slid her reading glasses on. She jotted down the date of Brandy’s surgery, the time she would need to arrive at the farm and the time Molly would return home the following morning.

  When she checked her appointment calendar, she found she had nothing pressing to do for most of that day. “I’m free that afternoon and evening. I might have to help Vera that morning in the shop, but I won’t know for sure until I speak with her. Either way, I would love to visit the farm again and watch over Brandy.”

  Molly thanked her profusely and suggested that perhaps Shirley would like to join her since she had expressed an interest in riding Beauty again. When Meggie agreed to the idea, Molly promised to extend an invitation to Shirley.

  A few minutes later the phone rang. Meggie wasn’t surprised to find Shirley on the other end of the line. Her friend admitted she would love to ride Beauty again, but expressed concern about staying overnight. At the same time she didn’t want to hurt Molly’s feelings.

  Meggie downplayed Shirley’s fear of ghosts and laughed at the possibility that a ghost would attach itself to her. She found it unlikely anything unpleasant would happen while they were at the farm.

  After a certain amount of coaxing, Shirley changed her mind. “I really would love to ride Beauty again. I told Bill if we were younger I would have him buy me a horse. He just laughed.”

  Following some discussion, plans were made. Meggie laid the phone in its cradle and breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have to spend the night alone at the farm. She admitted that some of Shirley’s fears were founded. She would be the last person to tell her that.

  Several days later, when the yellow farmhouse came into view, Meggie experienced déjà vu. A brief glimpse from the past flitted through her mind—flashbacks of a white horse, the smell of Old Spice and cigars, cold air swirling around her. She quivered and for an instant wanted to turn the car around and go home.

  Meggie pressed a fist against her mouth and reprimanded herself. She wouldn’t waste another minute on worry. Instead she would rid her mind of unpleasant thoughts and focus on the blue sky, sunshine and green fields. Nothing would blemish her visit. Besides, she wouldn’t be spending the night alone.

  “I don’t see Black and Beauty in the side pasture,” Shirley blurted out. “I hope they’re nearby. At the very least, I hope they’ve learned to come when called. Look, there’s Molly now.”

  Meggie braked the car in front of the farmhouse. The pretty young woman held her hand up to stop the car. She laid the broom down, brushed her long brown hair out of her face and hurried towards them.

  Her lips curved into a smile as she leaned into the driver’s window. “Hello. You can park in the garage if you’d like. I’ve spent hours this week cleaning it. Now there’s actually room for a vehicle.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Meggie slapped a mosquito on her arm. “I heard the weather report this morning. They’re predicting heavy rain and hail later today.” When Molly stepped away from the Bug, Meggie shifted the car into reverse and backed into the garage.

  The building had definitely been given a face lift. Michael’s tools were gathered together, organized and mounted above the work bench. All leftover odds and ends from remodeling were gone and the entire cement floor appeared to have been washed. The old hutch sat in the same spot but no paraphernalia surrounded it.

  “Sure looks different, doesn’t it?” Molly followed them into the garage. “Michael will go into shock when he sees it.”

  “You don’t have to tell me how much work goes into cleaning a garage.” Shirley lifted her bag out of the car and ambled towards Molly. “I don’t clean our garage anymore. I figure if Bill messes it, he cleans it.”

  Molly laughed. “I’m glad you’re both here. Not only because Brandy needs a sitter. I really enjoy company. It gets lonely way out here at times.” She glanced at their luggage. “Can I help you carry anything?” When they declined, she led the way to the house.

  A woodpecker knocked its beak against a rotted pine tree. Their host acknowledged the red-headed bird. “Thanks heavens for wild birds and farm animals.” She nodded at the hummingbird feeder suspended from the porch eaves. “Even those tiny birds are a godsend.”

  Meggie watched a tiny bird suck nectar from the feeder and thought about Molly’s reluctance to be alone on the farm.

  “When I first suspected this house might be haunted I was afraid. But I wouldn’t admit my fears to anyone. Over time I learned to live with the situation. But when Fred Jackson was found in the well, my old fears set in.” She paused. “The solitude has become almost unbearable. I pray every day Michael will find work closer to home.”

  Meggie tried to think of something reassuring to say, but Molly changed the subject and continued on.

  “I’ll be leaving early for the hospital to cover for a co-worker who needs to take off early. I’ll probably be napping when you return from riding. I don’t want to fall asleep at the wheel.” Molly pulled the screen door open and motioned her guests into the entryway. “Shirley, you can have either bedroom upstairs, whichever you prefer. They’re both ready.”
She glanced down at Shirley’s bag and held out her hand. “Are you sure I can’t help you with that?”

  Shirley shook her head. “No thanks. I can manage. It’s not heavy.”

  Molly drew her hand back and watched Shirley climb the stairs. “As soon as you’re settled in, come down for some lunch.”

  In the master bedroom Brandy slept on a mat near the head of the bed, her food and water dish nearby.

  “I hope you don’t mind if you share the room with a dog.” Molly shifted her eyes from Meggie to Brandy. “I thought it made more sense to have her in the bedroom than anyplace else. She might wake during the night. If she slept in another area, you probably wouldn’t hear her.”

  Meggie assured Molly she had no qualms about sharing the bedroom with man’s best friend. She admitted to feeling safer with Brandy close by.

  “Thanks, Meggie. I really appreciate what you’re doing.” A smile spread across the young woman’s face and her eyes rested on Brandy. “The vet told me she would sleep most of the day and into the evening. She’s gone through a lot.”

  Shirley crept into the bedroom and stood beside the other women. Brandy moaned and twitched, but her eyes remained closed. “I don’t think she’ll be much company tonight, but maybe she’ll keep any unwanted visitors away, if you know what I mean.”

  Meggie nudged Shirley. She widened her eyes and shook her head slightly in an attempt to warn her friend against mentioning the strange happenings that had taken place on the farm. The less Molly thought about them the better.

  The three women crept out of the bedroom and Molly closed the door behind them. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping upstairs, Shirley.” She slipped an apron on and began pulling dishes out of the cupboard. “After all that’s happened I wouldn’t blame you if you did.” She turned to her guests. “Make yourselves at home. It’ll only be a minute. I hope you’re hungry.”

  Shirley cleared her throat and crossed her fingers behind her back. “Don’t think for a minute that I’m worried about ghosts. The thought never crossed my mind. I couldn’t have been more excited when you invited me to spend the night.”