by Jessica Beck
It was time to call the police chief before the track vanished entirely.
“Chief Grant, this is Suzanne Hart. I need you.”
“What’s going on, Suzanne? Are you already in trouble?”
“I resent that remark, as much as I might resemble it at times,” I replied. “There’s something you need to see at the park, and you need to get over here as quickly as you can.”
“I can be there in twenty minutes,” he said with a sigh.
“You might as well not come at all then, if that’s the best you can do,” I answered.
“Are you sassing me, woman?” he asked, trying to hide his vexation with me.
“No, sir. I just meant that the sun is going to wipe out these tracks before you get here.”
“The twin lines in the ice? I saw them,” he replied.
“What do you make of them, Chief?” I asked him.
“I’m not ready to say just yet.”
“Are you being cagey with me, sir?”
“No, ma’am. I wouldn’t do that, ma’am.” Was he poking at me by calling me ma’am repeatedly?
“Okay, I just thought you should know about them if you hadn’t noticed them already.” My tone was curt, and he clearly picked up on it.
Before I could hang up, he said, “Suzanne, I appreciate you calling me. If I hadn’t seen them myself, I would have loved hearing about them from you.”
“No worries,” I said, remembering the burden my young friend had on his shoulders as our chief of police. “They look like lines made by ice skates, but nobody would be skating out in the park in the middle of an ice storm.” And then I knew what they had to have been. “Stephen, why would someone be out pulling an old-fashioned snow sled in the middle of an ice storm? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Suzanne, you haven’t called me Stephen since the mayor made me the police chief,” he said with amusement in his voice.
“Stop trying to change the subject. You knew it was from a sled, didn’t you? Is that how the killer got the body out to the park?”
He hesitated a few moments before answering. “Probably. That’s good detective work, Suzanne.”
“Well, at least you didn’t call me ma’am again,” I said with a smile.
“Sorry about that. We’re canvassing the neighborhoods right now looking for a sled. It might be nice if we could get a bead on where it came from, but the tracks were gone as soon as the sled hit the sidewalk. So far, we haven’t had any luck locating it yet, but I have faith that it will turn up sooner or later. Keep it on your radar as you go around chatting with people this afternoon, okay?”
“You bet,” I said. “Have you spoken with Lori again yet?”
“Twice, as a matter of fact,” the chief answered. “You know, I wouldn’t mind if you and Grace took a run at her, too. You might be able to get more out of her than I’ve been able to.”
“We’d be happy to give it a shot,” I said, quickly agreeing to the proposal.
“You know this is still all unofficial, right?” he asked.
“Of course I do. Chief, I could take classes all day long in forensics at the college and still not be a detective. Grace and I are good with people, not the science of crime solving. We’ll leave that to you pros who train your entire lives for it.”
“Don’t discount the value you two add,” the chief said magnanimously.
“Oh, we don’t. I just don’t want you thinking that we believe for one second that we could do what you do. If we can add a little to the mix, that’s great, and I admit that we uncover answers sometimes ourselves, but no one wants us to take your place, especially not us.”
“I appreciate that. Hey, take it easy with Lori, okay? She’s a bit of a wreck right now, even if she and Greg were in the process of splitting up.”
“We’ll be as gentle as we can be,” I told him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“No worries. Happy hunting.”
After we hung up, I marveled at how well Grace and I worked with the new chief of police. Jake had quit the temporary post when he’d had a conflict with my team and me in particular, but Stephen seemed to be willing to use us in a limited, and extremely unofficial, capacity.
I suddenly realized that we had another book club meeting coming up at the donut shop the next day. I wondered if the gracious ladies in my club would mind the folding chairs instead of the comfortable couch and padded seats we usually enjoyed, but then I realized that I was probably worrying for nothing. The ladies would be focused first on the mystery, and second, my treats. If anything, it would add a little more spice to our conversation about weathering the storm. The meeting was nearly upon me, and I still hadn’t finished the book, but I wasn’t all that worried about it. With Jake out of town, even with an investigation of my own to conduct, I’d finish it in time. I wasn’t sure what it was about the mystery we’d chosen, but I was having the toughest time getting into it. Maybe the women in the group would have some insights as to why I was having so much trouble.
I got home to find Grace sitting in her car with the engine running.
When I approached her vehicle, I saw that she was doing paperwork. I tapped on the glass and, in the process, nearly scared her to death. After shutting off the engine, she got out and frowned at me. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Suzanne?”
“Sorry. I was going to come by and get you as soon as I grabbed a shower,” I said, not mentioning the fact that I’d been considering taking a twenty-minute power nap as well. “Why didn’t you wait for me inside?”
“It’s locked,” she said, “and I didn’t want to miss you by staying at my place.”
“Come on in, then,” I said.
Once we were inside the cottage, I noticed that several of the lights we’d had on when the power had gone out the night before had come to life, including the movie we’d been watching. The screen had a randomly moving logo now, the movie long since playing itself out. I shut it off as I put my coat on the couch. “I’m going to grab a quick shower before we do anything else, okay?”
“Mind if I do a little more work on the kitchen table while I’m waiting?” she asked me.
“Be my guest. If you have to go in to work today, it’s fine with me.”
Grace grinned. “Now why on earth would I do that? If I put in another fifteen minutes, I don’t have to take a vacation day.”
“You really love your job, don’t you?”
“You know it, almost as much as you love yours,” she replied. “Have a good shower. Did you speak with Stephen? Did he tell you we had his blessing to talk to Lori Whitmore?”
“He did,” I said. “No worries. I won’t be long.”
“Like I said, take your time,” she answered.
Chapter 8
The shower wasn’t as good as a nap, but it still managed to help rejuvenate me. I took the time to dry my hair thoroughly before I joined Grace. There was no sense going out into the cold with it wet, even if I knew that the old wives’ tale about chilly weather causing colds wasn’t true. Momma had ingrained it into me as a child, and that made it fact, whether it was actually true or not.
After getting completely ready, I found Grace collecting her papers and shoving them into her briefcase. “Perfect timing. I just finished up.”
“You know, you could always just tell them you put in the time,” I told her with a grin.
“Sorry, that’s not going to happen. I might play fast and loose with some of the company’s policies, but that’s one I happen to agree with.” Grace took in my clean clothes and shiny hair. “My, don’t you look nice.”
I noticed that her casual attire was still classier than my finest dress. The woman could sleep in her clothes and still look better than I could if I had an hour with a professional stylist. “
Right back at you,” I said. “Are you ready to tackle Lori?”
“It’s not going to be easy, but it needs to be done. Do you think she could have actually killed her husband?”
“I’m sure it happens more than we realize,” I said as we walked outside. “Should I drive us over there?”
“In Jake’s truck? You’re kidding, right?”
“I didn’t think you were supposed to take your company car out on personal business,” I reminded her.
“That’s where I consider the policy more of a suggestion than an actual rule,” she answered with a grin. I wasn’t about to argue situational ethics with Grace.
“Come on,” I urged her. “Climb in. It’s not so bad, and Jake has four heavy sandbags in back for extra weight, not to mention brand-new tires. We’ll be fine.”
“If you say so,” Grace said skeptically. Once she climbed in, she smiled at me. “This isn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting.”
“I’m sure if Jake were here to hear that, he’d be gushing with pride right about now.”
“Speaking of your husband, have you had any more word from him?”
“As a matter of fact, he managed to get a message out to me through a ham radio operator. Everyone at the party is fine. Evidently they’re all hunkering down at the lodge and probably having the time of their lives. I doubt they’ve even noticed they are snowed in. When you get that many ex-law-enforcement folks together, the shoptalk alone would curl your toes.”
“I’m just happy that he’s okay,” she said.
“We’re all good on that front,” I said as I drove us to where Lori was staying. She’d moved out of the home she’d shared with Greg in town and was now living with her best friend, Penny Parsons. Penny was a nurse at the hospital and a friend of mine as well. She hadn’t been in her place long either, moving to be closer to work a year earlier.
I was surprised when Penny answered the door after we knocked. “I thought you’d be at the hospital,” I said.
“I just got off my shift,” she said, looking quite a bit worse for wear. “Why are you here, Suzanne, Grace? Strike that. I just realized why. It’s Lori, isn’t it? She can’t talk to you, ladies.”
“What makes you think we’re here to see Lori?” Grace asked her.
“My mistake. Are you here to see Lori?”
I wasn’t about to lie to my friend. “Yes.”
Penny frowned before she answered. “Like I said, she’s a mess. Evidently the police chief has been grilling her off and on for hours, and she’s in no shape to talk to you two.”
“Who is it, Penny?” a woman’s voice called out from the living room.
“Girl Scouts out on a cookie run,” the nurse said, openly scowling at us now and daring us to dispute what she’d just said.
“Girl Scouts don’t sell cookies this time of year,” the woman said as she joined us. I wouldn’t say she looked particularly happy to see us standing there, but she didn’t seem all that surprised by our presence, either. “I wondered when you two would get around to talking to me. You’re looking into what happened to Greg, aren’t you?”
“We are,” I said. This was no time for subterfuge, though Grace and I used that as well occasionally during the course of our investigations.
“You might as well come in, then,” she said.
Penny didn’t move, though. “Lori, you know that you’re under no obligation to speak with them. You’ve had a rough day. If you ask me, I’d say don’t do it.”
I couldn’t blame Penny for protecting her friend, but I couldn’t just let her turn us away without a fight, either. “Lori, you loved him once, and you can’t deny it. Don’t you want to help us find his killer?” I asked her.
“Suzanne, that’s not fair, and you know it,” Penny said, scolding me.
“How is that not fair?” Grace asked her.
“She’s in no condition to have a conversation with you,” Penny insisted.
Lori touched her friend’s arm. “Do you honestly think there’s one chance in a thousand that they won’t come back here tomorrow, or the next day, or the one after that?” she asked the nurse softly.
“No,” Penny said, and then she turned to us. “No offense.”
“None taken,” I said with a slim smile. “Believe me, it’s important, or we wouldn’t ask.”
“Fine. It’s up to you, Lori. As for me, I’m going to bed.”
“We’ll try to keep it down,” Lori said as Penny started to disappear into a back room.
“I’ve been on my feet twenty-six straight hours. You could set off a cannon in here and I wouldn’t hear it.”
“Thanks, Penny,” I called out.
“Don’t thank me,” she said sleepily. “If it were up to me, you’d still be standing outside wondering what just happened.”
I laughed at her comment, which was the perfect response. “Good night.”
“Night,” we all echoed. I looked around the place after Penny left. The only sign that Christmas was close was a sad little artificial tree no more than three feet tall sitting on the coffee table.
Once the nurse was safely ensconced in her room, Lori said, “I’d offer you something to drink, but this isn’t my place. Penny has been kind enough to let me stay here, but I’m careful not to overstep my welcome.” The recent widow collapsed onto the couch, and then she said glumly, “So, you want to talk about Greg. Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Who would want to hurt him?” I asked her gently.
“Do you mean besides me?” she asked as she shrugged. “Don’t bother denying it. I know that’s what you two are thinking. So is the police chief, for that matter.”
“We understand that just because you were splitting up doesn’t necessarily mean that you wanted to see him dead,” Grace told her.
“Tell that to your boyfriend, then.”
“I’m sure he’s just following procedure,” Grace began to explain when Lori cut her off.
“It’s okay. I don’t blame him, but I don’t have to like it either, do I?”
“No. I understand completely,” Grace said.
“So, you want to know who else might want to kill Greg. The truth is that’s all I’ve been thinking about since I first heard the news. Believe me, it doesn’t make any sense.”
“So, you don’t know anyone who might be holding a grudge against him?” I asked her incredulously. I didn’t know anyone who went through life without collecting at least a few folks who wouldn’t shed a tear if tragedy befell them.
Lori pondered my question for a few seconds before she answered. “Did Greg have enemies? Sure. Who doesn’t? But putting a bullet in him and dumping his body in the park wasn’t exactly a proportional response to being snubbed or treated rudely, do you know what I mean?”
“His body wasn’t just dumped,” I reminded her. “Someone went to great pains to set him up on a park bench to make it seem as though he were one of the town’s plastic Santas. Why go to that much trouble?”
“You’ll have to ask the killer, but I assumed it was to make it take longer for someone to discover the body. The police chief showed me a picture of him, if you can believe that, and I didn’t have any idea it was Greg, and I was married to the man. If you and Grace hadn’t been walking close by, would anyone have realized what was happening until later?”
“Maybe not,” I said. It was an interesting point, especially for the widow to be making. “You don’t happen to own a sled, do you? Or Penny?”
Lori looked puzzled by the question. “The chief of police asked me the same thing.”
“And what did you say?” Grace asked her.
“I told him no, but what could it possibly matter?”
I decided to skip answering that particular question. After all, th
ere was no need for her to know just yet that her husband’s dead body had been sledded out to the park in the middle of the ice storm. “It’s just one of the things we need to know. Okay, so you say you don’t know anyone who would want to kill him. I can respect that, but surely there must be someone who’s not pleased with him.”
After sitting there a few seconds, she said, “I know he and his boss have been having problems lately. Calvin Trinket has been threatening to fire Greg, and my husband seemed to dare him to go through with it. Something’s going on there, but I don’t have a clue what it might be.”
“Where exactly did your husband work?” I asked her. I knew Greg commuted out of town, but I didn’t know where he went every day or even what he did for a living. It had just never come up during any of our many interactions. He bought donuts, I sold donuts. It was usually as simple as that, with a little small talk thrown in for good measure.
“He was the assistant branch manager at Ninth Savings Bank in Union Square,” she said proudly.
“Do you have any idea what the nature of the problems he was having with his boss might have been?” Grace asked her.
“I asked him a few times, but I never got a straight answer out of him. Greg and I weren’t really all that close over the past few months.”
“What happened between the two of you? Do you mind me asking?” I knew it wasn’t any of my business, but I was having a hard time understanding how love could just die like that.
Lori looked as though she wanted to cry, but she managed to hold it in. “All I know for sure is that it takes two people to want a marriage to work. After his car wreck and his time in the hospital, things were never the same between us.”
“Did he just give up on you, or was there someone new in his life?” Grace asked her gently.
“No! Never! Not Greg. He wouldn’t have done that to me. I honestly don’t know what happened. He refused to share whatever was happening to him with me.”