Foul Play at the Fair

by Shelley Freydont

  “I felt awful and almost told Fred I couldn’t marry him, but I loved him so much.”

  Liv thought about Fred, stocky, round, and bald, and she was just a little envious of that kind of love.

  “You never told him?”

  Dolly shook her head. “I couldn’t stand it if he knew. He would be so hurt.”

  “So did you take ten thousand to the hollow?”

  “That’s most of our savings. I couldn’t do it. I was sure he would retaliate and tell Fred, but he didn’t. I guess because someone killed him.”

  “I guess.” Liv wasn’t sure what to believe. She was certain Dolly hadn’t killed him; she couldn’t have lifted him into the apple press. But Fred? Bill? Joss?

  “Liv, please don’t tell. I know I should have confessed years ago. But so much time has gone by. I hardly ever thought about it until Pete came back stirring it all up again. Now I feel worse than ever.”

  “Have you ever considered just telling Fred? I mean, after twenty-five years of marriage, he should know how much you love him. He might be upset, but he’ll come around. Then you won’t have to worry about it anymore. I think you’ll feel better if you do.”

  “I actually do feel a little better just telling you.”

  “Then think about telling Fred.” Liv hoped she was advising the right thing; she didn’t know beans about sustaining a relationship. She should be getting advice from Dolly, not giving it, not that she had a relationship to seek advice about.

  “I will, and, Liv, don’t worry about the food concessions. I’ll get started today. We’ve done this for years. It’ll come together. You’ll see.”

  Liv stood up. “I’d better get going, but I have one more question. Who else got blackmail letters?”

  “No one. At least, I don’t know of anyone.” Dolly’s mouth opened. “Do you think he did this to other people in town?”

  “Considering how much he made from you, I’d say it’s a good bet he was doing the same to a lot of people. A very lucrative after-school job.”

  Liv reached the office before Ted, which was just as well. She had lots to think about. She left the bag of muffins and Ted’s tea on his desk and took her latte into her office.

  She spent the next few minutes going over the schedule for the coming weekend and the rest of the month.

  Food was way behind, but she was confident that Dolly and Genny could pull it together in plenty of time. Andy Miller’s maze had looked good from the outside when she was out there last, but she hadn’t talked to Andy at all. That was something she needed to do.

  She’d go today, take a look at the maze, get an update on the hayrides, and if the Zoldoskys were home, she’d check on Junior. The neighborly thing to do.

  She called Bill. He didn’t answer. She left a message telling him about her plan to hire a security service. Gave him several names she’d researched and asked his advice.

  Maybe he’d get back to her. If not, she would hire whichever one she could afford. But first she’d have to clear it with the council and the mayor at the next meeting.

  The outer door opened and Ted walked in. “You’re early,” he said, lifting his eyebrows.

  “I’m getting anxious about the weekend.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Did you hear about Bill?”

  “That he’s been taken off the case?”

  “Yes. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I just found out last night when I went over there to see if he was okay, since nobody has seen him or heard from him in days.”

  “Was he okay?”

  “No. He looked like—pardon the expression—shit.”

  “He must be pretty upset.”

  “That’s an understatement. People were giving him a hard time before the state took over; now they’re accusing him of not doing anything.”

  “That sucks.”

  “It does. But Bill’s tough. He’ll get through it. What’s on the agenda for today?”

  “We’re going full steam ahead, but if the council is going to balk, we need to get our deposit back on the tents and start triage.”

  “I don’t think there’s going to be a problem with that.”

  “The tents or the council?”

  “Neither. I found out who called in the state police.”

  “Not the mayor or Janine.”

  “No. Rufus and Roscoe.”

  “The councilmen?”

  “Yes, dimwits that they are, they wanted to help speed things along. Instead, they’ve helped railroad Joss into jail. They’re feeling pretty contrite. I don’t think they’ll vote against us.”

  “Good.” Liv sat back down. “Ted, come in and close the door.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  Liv nodded. “Maybe.” She picked up a pen and tapped it on the desk, wondering how she could ask Ted what he knew about the blackmailing attempt without breaking her promise to Dolly.

  “Did—What kinds of things did Pete Waterbury do when he was younger that got him into such trouble? Besides what he did to Andy and Victor Gibson?”

  “Why this sudden interest in Pete’s past?”

  “If I’m going to save the festival, I need to understand what I’m dealing with.”

  Ted perched one hip on her desk and looked down at her. “What do you want to know?”

  “What was he involved in? Drinking? Drugs?”

  “Check and check. Mainly he was just a conniving snake. The kind of kid who bullied smaller kids on the playground, stole their lunch money, told them he’d beat them up if they told. In high school he turned to bigger things. Stealing. Lying. Extorting money from anybody he could scare.”

  “Blackmail?”

  “Who have you been talking to?”

  Tread very careful, Liv. “What do you know?”

  “Well, we have muffins and tea and coffee. You’ve been to Dolly’s and BeBe’s this morning. Since BeBe didn’t even live here when Pete was carrying on, it must be Dolly. What did she tell you?”

  Liv shrugged. “Just some stuff about Pete spying on and blackmailing people.”

  “People? Or Dolly?”

  Liv looked away. This was harder than she’d expected. She could lie. Hell, it had been part of the job description back in Manhattan, but she didn’t want to lie to Ted.

  “Let me make it easy on you. Did she tell you about her and Bill?”

  “I’m sworn to secrecy. How did you know?”

  “Oh hell, Liv. It’s no secret what happened between them.”

  “Dolly thinks it is. She’s afraid it will break Fred’s heart if he found out.”

  Ted chuckled. “Not his heart, but Fred almost broke Bill’s jaw.”

  “When?”

  “When he got back from ROTC camp. Bill confessed and apologized. Fred let him have it. Fred was athletic in those days, and I don’t think Bill tried very hard. He was feeling pretty guilty.”

  “And how did you know about it?”

  “Oh please, this is Celebration Bay. Even in those days, guys talked. But they did swear me to secrecy. Much ado about nothing, if you ask me.”

  “Men,” Liv said, disgusted. “Dolly’s been carrying around this guilt all these years. Why didn’t someone tell her?”

  “Fred thought it would save Dolly embarrassment. Guess he was wrong.”

  “Well, since you know that much, I don’t suppose it matters if I tell you Pete was up to his old tricks.”

  Ted raised both eyebrows, which made his eyes pop. “Dolly didn’t pay him?”

  “No.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.”

  “But I think it was because she couldn’t figure out a way to come up with the money without Fred knowing.”

  “Dolly, Dolly, Dolly.” Ted shook his head.

  “She didn’t pay him, but I think it’s about time someone told her that her secret is no secret.”

  “I think you’re right. What a fool Pete was. Did he actually think anyone would care about what happened thir
ty years ago?”

  “Somebody did.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “What? Are we giving up on the idea that one of the Zoldoskys killed him?”

  “What do you think?” Liv said, not able to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  “I’m afraid that it’s looking more and more like a local matter. But, if we must investigate, can we stick to figuring out who stole the check and forged your signature?”

  “Okay. If we discount you and me…”

  “Which we do, in case you’re wondering.”

  “I wasn’t wondering.” Though she had other questions she did want the answers to. “It had to be someone who had access to the checkbook, and who was savvy enough to take one out of order, so we wouldn’t realize it was gone until we got to it, which makes a really big window of opportunity. So who else besides Dolly was Pete blackmailing?”

  “Sometimes your mind scares me,” Ted said.

  Liv shrugged. “The devil is in the details. An event planner’s motto. You have to see the pieces without losing the whole picture—ever.”

  “So you’ve told me. You didn’t mention, however, that they take being proactive to the next level.”

  “Is that a euphemism for buttinsky?”

  “Let’s leave it at overly curious.”

  “Well, if those detectives would light a fire under their butts, or if Chaz Bristow would rouse himself to help, I wouldn’t have to do it.”

  “Chaz?”

  “Yes. Did you know that he used to be an investigative reporter?” She held up her hand. “No, don’t say it. ‘It is Celebration Bay, Liv,’” she mimicked.

  Ted chuckled. “And you asked him to help?”

  “Yes. He turned me down flat.”

  “I’m sure he has his reasons.”

  She gave him a tight smile. “And I’m sure you know what they are.”

  “Leave it alone, Liv.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I do have more important things to worry about, like who stole the check. And when.”

  “Well, the checkbook is locked up every night. So it had to be during the day. And it could have been last year, for all we know. That’s when we got the new checkbook. We only discovered it this week because we’d finally gotten to it.”

  “True, but it was made out to Pete and he didn’t arrive until last week,” she reminded him.

  “If he was the impetus for the theft.”

  “Which seems likely. I wonder…” She fanned through the remaining pages but didn’t find any more missing checks. “Well, that’s a relief, sort of.

  “So who had access?”

  “The mayor?” Ted guessed. “And wouldn’t that just cut it?”

  “Actually, anyone could walk right into this office. The mayor, his secretary. Anyone on town business. Anyone just passing through. Committee chairs, vendors. What were we thinking to leave such a temptation out in the open?”

  She hadn’t been thinking. She’d become enamored by her new life, was enjoying the laid-back, easy lifestyle, and she’d forgotten there were crooks and, unfortunately, murderers, even in the smallest town. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  “It’s usually in a desk drawer. Someone would have had to look for it.”

  “Or know where it was kept,” Liv added. “Which brings us to…”

  “Janine,” they said simultaneously.

  “You think so, too?” Liv asked.

  “Seems crazy. She doesn’t need the money. Her ex-husband paid a bundle. But she had access to the checkbook before you came. And probably afterward, too.”

  “But why? She was just a kid when Pete left town. Why would she be paying him blackmail? Or was she just being spiteful? Trying to derail the festivals?”

  “Sounds extreme.”

  “It does. Even for Janine. But who else could it be?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re not going to confront Janine and risk a lawsuit. I suggest we let the detectives deal with catching the thief, if they are so inclined.”

  They spent the next hour coordinating the following weekend’s activities. Made location grids for the food tents, which would be located in the town green, at the Waterbury farm where the Haunted Hayride was held each year, and at Andy’s Maze of Madness. Other farms and households were participating with produce stands, yard sales, u-picks, and yards turned into private parking.

  “I’d better run out and make sure the maze is ready and that Andy has taken care of who will be running the hayrides. I should have done it sooner, but with the funeral and Joss’s arrest, it just seemed like an insensitive thing to do, not to mention downright rude. Now I feel irresponsible for not having done it.”

  Ted chuckled. “You could just call.”

  “I know. But a picture is worth a thousand words.”

  Ted nodded his agreement. “In that case, I suggest we close the office early. This is not strictly festival business, but I want to talk to Bill and tell him Roseanne’s story.”

  “We promised not to tell.”

  “You did. But I mean to run it past Bill before I hand Donnie and her over to the detectives.”

  “I supposed it has to be done.”

  “Yes. And besides, it might help get Joss out of jail.”

  “I think I’ll come with you if that’s okay.”

  “What about Andy and the Maze of Madness?”

  “I’ll go tomorrow.”

  “Vacation?” Ted exclaimed. “Bill hasn’t taken a vacation for as long as he’s been sheriff.”

  The desk sergeant quickly looked around and leaned forward. “He’s not the only one thinking about taking time off. Since those muckety-mucks from the state came, we haven’t had a minute of peace. They don’t need our help in the investigation; they just want us to step and fetch. The head guy told Bill to stick to parking tickets.” He glanced at Liv. “I won’t repeat what Bill said.”

  Ted blew out air. “And then he put himself on vacation leave.”

  “Pretty much,” the sergeant agreed.

  Liv was speechless. How could he just walk at a time like this when there was a murderer loose in their town, when Joss’s freedom was hanging in the balance, when they needed him to keep things running smoothly?

  The sheriff’s office door opened. Detective Devoti stepped out, saw Ted and Liv, and after a piercing look, began walking toward them.

  “So,” Liv said loudly to the sergeant. “I just wanted to let you know that my dog has been found, so no worries, but thanks anyway.”

  The sergeant looked confused, then got it. “Glad to hear it, and you just keep him on the leash when you’re out. We do have wild animals that come into town sometimes. Wouldn’t want the little fellow getting mauled.”

  The detective arrived at the desk.

  “Good morning, Detective…Devoti, isn’t it?”

  He didn’t condescend to answer.

  Liv started to turn away, then turned back. “Oh, while we’re here. Did you find out who forged the check from my office?”

  “It’s under investigation.”

  “Maybe handwriting analysis?”

  Devoti gave a slight snort. “This isn’t television, Miz Montgomery.”

  Liv gritted her teeth and smiled. “If only we had their budget.” She turned to the desk sargeant. “Thanks again. Have a nice day.”

  With that, she strode toward the front door, half afraid the detective would call her back and destroy her exit. But she and Ted were on the sidewalk, before she stopped.

  “That officious little pr—so-and-so.” She took off toward Ted’s car, which was parked at the curb.

  Ted blipped the locks and opened the door for her. His mouth was going through a series of contortions. Liv glared at him and got in the car.

  When he got in the other side, he was laughing. “I’m sure the lieutenant was relieved to know you found your lost dog.” He started the car. “Really, Liv. That was awfully close to false reporting.”

  Liv shrugged. “J
ust a little stretch of the truth. Whiskey did run out in the garden last night. It took me forever to get him back in.”

  “You are one cool cookie.”

  Cool cookie? “Why, thank you, Ted. I think.”

  “Grace under pressure. You didn’t miss a beat.”

  “I’ve dealt with brides more outrageous than Detective Devoti and handled them without breaking a sweat.” She paused. “Besides, you don’t jerk my town around and expect me to take it lying down.”

  Ted’s smile broadened. “Good.”

  They drove to the north side of town and stopped in front of a small white cape with green shutters. The yard was immaculately trimmed and mowed. The bushes were shaped into perfect cubes. Liv had learned from BeBe that Bill was divorced, lived alone, and had two grown children who lived on the West Coast. He sure took good care of his home.

  Ted rang the bell, waited, rang the bell again. When no one answered, he walked around the side of the house, Liv following on his heels.

  The backyard was enclosed in a chain-link fence. At the back of the long yard was a vegetable garden. And sitting on a step stool was the Celebration Bay sheriff weeding a row of bushy green plants.

  Ted marched toward the garden. Liv had to make a couple of running steps to catch up to him. “Bill.”

  Bill looked up, hesitated with a clump of yellowing leaves grasped in his hand. Then he tossed the weed into a woven basket and pulled at another clump.

  Ted didn’t stop until he was standing right over his friend.

  “Of all the stupid, asinine—we’ve got serious trouble here, and you’re weeding your garden.”

  “Might as well get something useful done.”

  “You might as well have kept your temper with that arrogant jackass from the state.”

  “Why bother.” Bill yanked another clump of grass from the ground and tossed it toward the basket. “My guess is they’re just some screwups that someone higher up sent to get them out of the way. All posturing and not a brain between them.”