Who Moved My Goat Cheese?

by Lynn Cahoon

  “We’re a little far from the ocean for pirate treasure.” He smoothed his shirt. “There’s been a local legend that the Moss family farm was the location of a great treasure. It’s been handed down for years, one generation to the next. Nothing substantial, but rumors that maybe an outlaw buried his gold, thinking he’d come back some day. Stuff like that.”

  “So wishful thinking. Mrs. Potter also mentioned something about a treasure, I guess I was just wondering.” Angie shook her head. “Nona told me about all the treasure hunters that went after that D. B. Cooper guy when he jumped from the plane. Even though there was no indication he survived the fall.”

  “Yeah, like that. I just don’t want folks thinking they have a free pass to go digging up Gerald’s lawn. Even if he isn’t around to chase them off. Now remember, you call me if you think you figured out something. You promised.”

  “Hey, can I ask you something?”

  Sheriff Brown paused on the edge of the deck, his hand on the pole. “Of course.”

  “Ian said you and he were related. Is that true?” Angie saw the surprise form on the man’s face.

  “He told you that? Hmmm, this must be more serious than I thought.” He studied her thoughtfully. “I guess if he’s told you, I can confirm what he said.”

  “Are you his dad or something?”

  The sheriff barked out a laugh. “No, I’m not his dad. His mother was my sister. The folks disowned her once she took off, but I started looking for her and Ian as soon as I was able.” He smiled at her and put his hat back on. “The kid’s got a kind heart. My sister did one thing right in her life.”

  She watched him amble off the porch and down the driveway toward his cruiser. She called after him. “I think Gerald’s death has something to do with the cheese.”

  He paused as he was getting into his car. “So do I, but I’ve been wrong before. Thanks for the coffee.”

  As he drove away, she reflected on their conversation. Was she putting herself in harm’s way for no good reason? Then she thought of the way Gerald Moss had smiled when Precious had danced in front of them that Sunday morning. The guy hadn’t deserved to die. And if she could help find his killer, she wanted to do it.

  She went back into the house and got ready for her day. Ten minutes before her appointment, she was still sitting in the parking lot in front of the building, wondering how to ask the biggest question she had. Why had Mildred been in Gerald Moss’s house this weekend?

  Angie glanced at the clock again and gave up. She’d figure out something.

  The same woman sat at the reception desk when Angie stepped into the now quiet room. No mass of people mingled around the lobby, just the woman clicking on her keyboard. She looked up when the bell over the door ran. “I’m so glad you’re a little early. Mildred has an appointment right after yours so she’ll be running out of here in a few minutes.”

  Angie followed the woman back into the same hallway. “I appreciate you getting me into her busy schedule.”

  “It’s always crazy around here. The life of a lobbying group.” The woman knocked on Mildred’s door, then swung it open. “Mildred, your appointment is here.”

  When Angie stepped into the room, Mildred went white. But to her credit, she held it together for her assistant. “Thanks, Heather. Shut the door, will you?”

  Angie walked over to the chair Mildred indicated and sat, pulling her notebook out on her lap along with a pen. “Thanks for seeing me today.”

  “I don’t have much time.” The woman’s eyes bored into Angie, like she was trying to determine how much she knew.

  Angie decided to go with the obvious. She pulled out the scarf and sat it on Mildred’s desk. The woman blanched white.

  Reacting quickly, Mildred picked up the scarf and rolled it up, putting it into her desk drawer when it was done.

  “Do you have anything to say about that?” Angie pointed to the empty place where the scarf had been.

  “I guess I’d forgotten.” Now that the scarf was tucked away, she seemed stronger, more in control. “But I’m curious, how did you know it was mine?”

  Angie pointed to the door to the hallway. “You wore it for your pictures.”

  The other woman gazed at the door, like she could see the offending picture through the wall. “My, my, you are observant. So what else do you think you know?”

  “What?” Confused, Angie dropped her pen. When she bent down to grab it, Mildred spoke again.

  “I know you saw me at Gerald’s the other day. It’s not what you think.” Her voice was calm and even.

  Angie decided to turn the question. “What is it that you think I know?”

  “I was seeing Gerald on a personal matter.” She stared Angie in the eyes, not breaking the gaze. “A very personal matter that if it was revealed to my members here at the commission, my loyalty might be brought into question.”

  Angie frowned, trying to decipher the meaning behind the words or the true message the woman was telling her. Then she got it. She felt the surprise widen her eyes and a short squeak escaped her lips.

  “You didn’t guess that,” Mildred sank back into her chair and took out a photo of the two of them from her desk drawer. “You thought I had something to do with his death.”

  “You were in love with him?” Angie stated it as a question, but she already knew the answer, just looking at the woman across the desk.

  Now Mildred shrugged. “What is love? At our age, comfort and companionship is more important than love. We enjoyed each other’s company. I realized a few days ago that I’d left my favorite scarf over at the house. I didn’t want to just leave it there. If the Sheriff had found it, I’d be telling him this story, and not you.”

  This was not what she’d expected at all. To hear Gerald tell it, Mildred was the enemy. And he had been sleeping with her? Hiding in plain sight. The plan had been brilliant. No one would have suspected a relationship. Shaking off the visuals that came with the idea, she decided to get right to the point. “So if you didn’t kill Gerald, who do you think did?”

  “If I was to point a finger at anyone, it would be Carl. Carl Simpson. He’s been angry about the goat cheese production for years. He blames Gerald for cutting his prices but really, the guy just has really bad business sense. If there’s a decision to be made, Carl will pick the wrong one. That’s why he was fighting with Martin on Friday. Martin called him on something he said in the meeting.” Mildred wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I miss Gerald so much. It’s going to be hard to get over losing him.”

  “Why did you keep your relationship a secret?”

  “Old habits, I guess.” Mildred grabbed another tissue. “Cattle folk don’t mingle with goat folk. It’s just the way it is. And the board would have seen it as a conflict of interest.”

  “But you think Carl might have a reason to kill Mr. Moss?” Angie wasn’t following the woman’s logic.

  “He blamed Gerald for everything. If Carl thought getting Gerald out of the way would increase his profits, he would have done anything to get the goat dairy to shut down.” Mildred sank back into her chair. “Believe me, there wasn’t anyone in town who hated Gerald as much as Carl did.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Angie got directions to the Simpson Dairy from Mildred. But she didn’t need them. When she walked out into the lobby, Carl Simpson stood in front of Heather’s desk, arguing with the red-faced receptionist. He pounded the desk. “I pay your salary.”

  “No, Mr. Simpson, you don’t. And you can’t bully your way into an appointment with Mildred. I’ve already told you she’s with someone and then she has to leave for another appointment.” She caught Angie’s gaze and shrugged. “I’ll be glad to make you an appointment for tomorrow.”

  He turned to follow Heather’s gaze. “You done with her? I need to get in there.”

  “Sorry, she left a few
minutes ago. I’ve been on a call. She was nice enough to let me use her office.” Angie hoped Mildred wouldn’t walk out and prove her a liar. But she figured the woman had heard the ruckus and was hiding under her desk, hoping for the man to go away. “But I need to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

  Now, his eyes left the hallway where he had been focused on any sign of his target. “Who are you?”

  Angie stepped forward and held out her hand. “Angie Turner. I’m opening The County Seat next week. I don’t know if you’ve heard of us, we’ll be a farm-to-table restaurant, so I need to set up arrangements with local producers.”

  She could see the wheels turning in his mind. And from what she saw, she figured she would be paying premium prices to do business with Simpson Dairy. “I had heard something about your little venture. Are you sure River Vista’s big enough to support a fine dining restaurant?”

  “We’ll be fine, I’m sure. Now, can you tell me about your relationship to Gerald Moss?” Angie decided to attack directly.

  “Why do you care?” Carl shrugged, no emotion showing on his face. “The man was a fraud. I wouldn’t doubt if he actually used store-bought milk for his cheese products. Goat milk just doesn’t have the fat content needed to develop a good cheese curd.”

  “You would say you were rivals?”

  “No way. I don’t have a problem selling my cheese. In fact, I’ve got too much demand on my product. Why would I worry about a little podunk dairy that doesn’t even use real milk?” He sat half on the desk.

  Angie saw Heather’s grimace and figured the woman would be Lysoling the desk as soon as soon as she got the man out of her office. Angie fought the grin that wanted to curve her lips. “So did you kill him?”

  “You’re joking right?” Carl rolled his shoulders. “I wasn’t even in town the night the old man went over the cliff. I took a date up to Sun Valley for a show and we didn’t get back into town until Tuesday morning. When I found out the old goat was dead, it was a good day.”

  “Who would want to kill him?” Angie figured the guy was talking, she might as well play all her cards.

  “Probably that realtor. I heard he was playing her and was actually about to sign a sales contract with another realtor. Some guy out of Boise who specialized in developments. Women are useless when it comes to business decisions. Gerald and I did agree on that fact.” Carl stood and focused on Heather. “Get me an appointment for tomorrow and call me on my cell. I’ve got better things to do than waste my time here.”

  Angie and Heather watched as he left the office, then through the window as he climbed into his jacked up black Dodge Ram. The truck looked like he’d just taken it off the showroom floor.

  “What a jerk.” Angie let her smile crease her lips. “I can’t believe you didn’t deck him.”

  “I’ve had a lot of experience working with that guy. He’s being truthful at least on where he was when Mr. Moss died. I know the girl he took to Sun Valley. She said the weekend was awful and she had never been so happy to be home as she was on Tuesday. He won’t be getting another date.” The woman started moving things so she could wipe down the area where the offending butt had touched her desk. “How did things go with Mildred? Is she really gone?”

  Angie glanced back toward the door that was inching open. “It’s safe to come out. He’s gone.”

  Heather whistled. “You’re lucky he believed you. I’ve had him storm past me and check the office, even when she’s really not here.”

  “I have a trustworthy face.” Angie said her goodbyes and went out sit in her car. She pulled out her notebook and made notes from the two conversations she had. Glancing at her watch, she decided to stop by the restaurant and check in with Felicia.

  She dialed her friend who answered with a sleepy, “Hello?”

  “Don’t tell me I woke you.” Angie laughed. “I’m on my way into town. You need anything?”

  “I’m not at the apartment. I stayed over at Connie’s last night. We went into Boise and must have hit every bar downtown. Everyone was having Ladies’ Night specials which is just a code for we need more people in the bar mid-week.” Felicia paused. “It was fun, then. By the time we ran out of bars, I was tore up so Connie let me crash in her guest room. Did you need something?”

  “No, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Don’t forget we have to do ordering at the farmer’s market on Saturday morning. I think we should be able to get everything we need there.” After getting Felicia’s assurance she’d be there, Angie turned at the next side street that went through to Southside Blvd and headed home.

  When she pulled into the driveway, she was just getting out of the car when she heard Erica calling her. She waved her over, then went to the porch to let Dom out. The dog may have his own exit, but when she came home, he still wanted to be with her. She sat on the rocker and gave him loves while Erica walked the rest of the way.

  “Hey Angie. Granny saw you pull up and she wanted me to come over and tell you something.” She bent down and greeted Dom with a rub on his head.

  “Do you want some iced tea? Or a soda?” Angie motioned to the chair next to her, but Erica shook her head.

  “Neither. I’m heading into town for a study group. We want to get ahead of the curve for math class this fall. The professor is a real believer in homework.” She leaned against the rail. “Anyway, Granny saw a man over here at the place. He knocked, but then when you didn’t answer, he walked around the house and into the barn. She thought that was weird, but by the time I got out of the shower, the guy was gone.”

  “Probably Ian checking on Precious.” Angie smiled. “The guy is pretty sure I can’t take care of one baby goat by myself. He may have wanted to see how the dehorning medicine was working.”

  Erica shook her head. “Granny knows Ian. He helped her harvest and sell her garden last year. This year, we decided not to plant, which is going to be easier on all of us.”

  “What did he look like? What was he driving?” Angie set up, wondering who was wandering through her place while she wasn’t home.

  “Tall guy, wore a hat, so Granny couldn’t tell hair color that far away. But he drove an old truck. The kind you usually have on a farm.” Erica studied her shoes. “She couldn’t find her glasses in time, so she couldn’t get a plate number. Frankly, I think some of her description is suspect too. If she didn’t have her glasses on, she’s blind as a bat.”

  “But you think there really was someone here?” Angie looked at the barn. “I’ve got to check on Precious.”

  They jogged to the barn where Mabel scratched the dirt near the front door. One down, one to check on. Angie walked through the open door and straight through to the one stall that was filled. Precious lay on the straw, sleeping in the sun. Angie slapped her hands together and the goat’s eyes opened wide in shock. Then she jumped to her feet and came running to the gate, bleating welcome to her guests.

  “I guess everyone’s okay.” Angie rubbed Precious’s head, then looked around the area. “Nothing seems out of place.”

  “That’s weird. Maybe he was just looking for you but when he checked the barn and you weren’t there, he left.” Erica glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go.”

  Before Angie left the barn, she turned on the baby monitor and fed the goat and hen. As she walked back to her house, with Dom at her heels, she wondered who had paid her a visit and why. That second question would be much harder to find out.

  She couldn’t do much about it tonight. Instead, she pulled out the Bing cherries she’d had left over from Wednesday’s family meal and foraged through the refrigerator until she had composed a recipe in her mind. Cooking helped her relax and she needed a break after the day she’d had. She turned up the stereo she’d tuned to a classic 70’s rock station and let the worries of the day disappear as she cooked her dinner.

  * * * *

  Friday
morning she sat at the table and crossed people off her list of Gerald’s possible killers. Mildred had dropped out of the top five and Carl Simpson was off the list before she even knew to put him on. However, if Carl was right, Reana Whiting had motive to kill the guy who she’d been courting to sell his house for ever. She tapped her pen over Reana’s name. The problem was she didn’t feel like a killer. Which she knew was stupid, you couldn’t feel your way through an investigation. You had to have facts. And there were facts that pointed to the friendly realtor.

  She glanced at her watch. If she left right now, she’d probably catch Reana at the real estate office. Although she’d done this line of questioning before and the woman had stonewalled her. Worse, Reana had tried to throw her under the bus as a scapegoat for Gerald’s murder. Which made her seem even more guilty in Angie’s eyes.

  “Dom, I’m going into town for a while. You guard the house and don’t let anyone inside, okay?”

  She leaned into his big ruff of fur, giving him a quick hug. The dog was all she had. Well, the dog, the goat, and the chicken. She sighed; she might as well face reality. She was running a small zoo. She grabbed her purse and locked the door as she left. If someone was stopping by, he’d have to get through a locked door. Then he’d have to get through Dom.

  Dialing Felicia’s number, she drove into town. When her friend answered, she jumped right into her question. “Hey, you going to be around in about thirty minutes?”

  “Good morning, nice to talk to you. And yes, I’m at the apartment this morning and feeling much better than I did yesterday, thanks for asking.” Felicia paused.

  “Sorry, I’ve been by myself for a couple of days. I’ve lost my skill for small talk.”

  Felicia laughed. “Sweetie, you never could stand small talk. Anyway, I’ll be here. Anything going on I should know about?”

  Angie decided the story would be easier to tell in person. “I’ll fill you in when I get to the apartment. There’s a lot that you need to know.”