Path to Nowhere (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 2)

by Cynthia Hickey

  Heath patted my shoulder. “We’re getting closer, I can feel it. She knows more than she’s saying.”

  “Which could be very dangerous for her.”

  Something banged the side of the cottage.

  We darted around the corner in time to see a man in a black hoodie race for the trees.

  We took chase, me pulling my Tazor out of my pocket. I wasn’t chasing anyone without some kind of weapon in my hand.

  The man lost us as soon as he crossed the treeline.

  “That’s unfortunate,” I said.

  “Especially for Ms. Wilkinson. Call Ted. I’m pretty sure that man heard our conversation. He’ll be back to make sure she doesn’t talk.”

  16

  “I ought to rent a cottage here,” Ted said when he arrived after our call.

  “No vacancies,” I grinned.

  “I wasn’t serious.” He knocked on Ms. Wilkinson’s door.

  She yanked it open with a scowl. “Figured they’d rat me out. Come on in.”

  Since Ted shook his head at our entering with him, Heath and I went to the next cottage on our list. Leroy’s. It was a bit early in the day for our resident vampire, not that he was really a vampire, only had a severe reaction to sunlight, but I figured if we knocked hard enough we could wake him up.

  He was up. “Shelby! Come on in. Welcome, Heath.”

  “Good morning, Leroy.” Heath let me enter first and we sat at the dinette table while our host poured us a cup of coffee.

  “What brings you two to my humble abode when I’m usually sleeping?” Leroy sat across from us.

  “We’ve been snooping and asking questions,” I said with a smile. “Also, you wouldn’t happen to know anyone with a size eleven shoe that might be peeking in my windows, do you?”

  “That would be me.”

  “What? Why?” I’d never taken him for a pervert before.

  He sighed. “I worry about you, Shelby. Of course, I’m going to be watching.”

  “Thank you, Leroy,” Heath said. “I feel better knowing you’ve got an eye on her.”

  “It’s an invasion of privacy!” I plopped my cup on the table. “Just knock on the door like a regular human.”

  “But I’m not a regular human. Haven’t you heard? I’m the prince of darkness.”

  “It isn’t funny. You scared me.”

  “That I do apologize for.”

  He certainly didn’t look sorry. Instead, I rather felt as if he were patronizing me. I also was no longer sure whether our suspect wore a size eleven shoe. All we knew with fair certainty was that the killer was a grey-haired male.

  “Don’t look so despondent, Shelby,” Leroy said. “You’ll catch the killer.”

  “He’ll most likely find me first. Just like last time.” Lord, don’t let me be locked in a burning building again.

  “Maybe it’s time for you to confront your suspects. Flush ‘em out, so to speak.”

  “Don’t encourage her, Leroy,” Heath said. “Nosing around, then passing the information to Ted, is the safest thing to do.”

  “Whatever happened to that Lauren gal?”

  “She’s disappeared.”

  I decided to focus on my slightly bitter coffee and let the men discuss how I should live my life. Or not live it if my luck ran out.

  My cell phone buzzed. It was Alice wondering where we were and why we weren’t supervising the workers who were on yet another break.

  “We have to get to work. Let us know if you see anything, Leroy.” I gathered our cups and set them in his sink.

  “Will do. Be safe.”

  Heath headed to the boathouse while I made my way to the maze. Sure enough, the four workers I’d hired were sitting under a shade tree having a conversation.

  “What’s up, gentlemen?” I stared down where they lounged on the grass.

  “There’s something in the maze you should see.” The leader of the group, Rob, got to his feet. “Maybe you should give us your cell number so we can reach you when we need to.

  Good point. I gave him my number and followed him into the maze. They’d made a lot of progress over the last few days, putting up sheets of plywood where the tornado ripped out pieces of the maze. It wasn’t as pretty, but I knew the hedge would grow back.

  He led me down a path lined with sticks sporting ribbons until we got to the gazebo, or at least where the gazebo once stood. Now, it resembled little more than a pile of weathered wood.

  “That’s a shame.” I put my hands on my hips. “Can you rebuild?”

  “Yes, ma’am. But, that isn’t what I brought you here to see.” He led me around the back of the pile.

  Sticking out of the dirt was a small ornate box. I squatted in front of it, wanting to pull it out of its resting spot, but knowing Ted would kill me. Wait. What if it had nothing to do with the murder?

  I tugged on it until it came free. Drat. Locked. I was sure Heath could get it open. “Thanks. The maze is looking great.”

  “We thought we’d be finished by the weekend, but building the gazebo back will take longer. Want us to string lights? We can have them operate off a battery.”

  “That would be wonderful.” And so pretty at night time. I made a mental note to have the maze activity one week from this weekend.

  Clutching the box to my chest, I left the maze, told the workers to get back to work, and headed for my cottage. I needed a safe place to hide the box until I had time to open it. The closet and under the bed were too common.

  I shoved the box in the broiler part of the oven with my baking pans. It should be safe enough there.

  Confident no one would find the box, I headed for the toolshed and my wheelbarrow. It had been too long since I’d gotten my hands dirty and there were weeds to be pulled. Not to mention new flowers that were delivered the day before. If not for Alice’s demands, and trying to find Teresa’s killer, I’d be digging in the dirt every hour of my working day.

  As I dug, I again went over what I knew about Teresa’s killer…which wasn’t much. Maybe Leroy was right. I needed to confront my suspects. Lauren, since she was in hiding, was out. That left…half the population of Shady Acres.

  Who were the more womanizing men there? The Poker Boys, of course, but they weren’t killers. That left Alan Barker and Damon Markson. My questioning them would be a wonderful welcome to the community. They’d probably move, then Alice would have my head. Residents were already dropping like flies since my arrival.

  I stood and popped the kinks from my back. Headed for the pool, a towel over his shoulder, and wearing of all things a speedo, was Damon. Gross. Still, I put my tools in the wheelbarrow and followed.

  Since the man was a huge flirt, he shouldn’t need much encouragement to talk. I wheeled into the pool area and started trimming nearby bushes.

  “There’s the belle of Shady Acres.” Damon’s voice rang out.

  And, so it begins.

  “I’m looking for some new arm candy. Want the job?” He leaned against the pool side and grinned over his shoulder.

  Gag. “I’m with Heath, but thank you for the compliment.” I snipped a branch as if it were his neck. “Too bad Teresa isn’t here. She would have jumped at the chance.”

  “Yeah, sad what happened to her. She was a looker. She wouldn’t have been the one for me, though. I like my women focused on me, not enjoying the company of other men.”

  Understandable. I made a noncommittal noise and kept snipping.

  “You know, though, a woman’s place is next to her man. Not dozens of others. A woman needs to choose.”

  I glared at the back of his head. “I suppose it’s different for men?”

  “Yes. It has been since the beginning of time.”

  I made a sniffing motion at his neck. “If you say so.”

  He glanced back. “You don’t agree?”

  “I don’t believe in double standards.”

  “I could convince you.” He sneered.

  “No, thanks.” I needed a
shower just from talking to him. “I’d best move on.”

  “A gorgeous woman like you shouldn’t be doing manual labor. You should be reclining amongst luxury.”

  “We can all dream.” I let the pool gate slam behind me and rolled the wheelbarrow over Alan’s bare feet.

  He cursed and jumped back. “Careless woman.”

  This one wasn’t as flirtatious as the one in the water. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I guess you were thinking on the true words of Mr. Markson.”

  “You agree with him?” How many chauvinists did this place have? One was too many.

  “Without a doubt.” He shoved past me and limped inside.

  I spotted Heath coming my way. I motioned for him to come with me to the toolshed. Once there, I explained about the box the workers had found.

  “Let’s go take a look. The boathouse is coming along nicely. Should be finished in a day or two. I was on my way to tell Alice to order the boats and kayaks, but that can wait.”

  We hurried to my cottage and retrieved the box from its hiding place. Heath had the lock cut off in a matter of minutes.

  “This is exciting!”

  He smiled. “Hopefully something good is inside.”

  Like children opening a Christmas present, we peered in as Heath slowly peeled back the lid. Nestled inside were false teeth, a watch, prescription bottles with Bob’s name on them, and a necklace. Maybelle’s treasures.

  My first day on the job I’d found Maybelle’s body in the greenhouse. She’d been poisoned under the orchids. Well, accidentally, as she’d ingested the poison intended for Alice. I’d always wondered where some of her stolen things had gone.

  “Let’s give this to Alice.” Heath closed the box and stuffed it under his arm.

  Alice was supervising the dinner buffet when we found her. “I hope you two are working and not spending all your time investigating. Officer Lawrence is here enough to do that himself.”

  “The workers found this in the maze.” Heath handed her the box.

  “It’s some of the things Maybelle had stolen.”

  She raised wide eyes to us. “Talk about old things coming back to haunt you. That isn’t the only thing reappearing. Take a look at the women’s mirror in the bathroom.”

  Lauren was back? I dashed into the bathroom, Heath on my heels despite Alice’s protests.

  The message simply stated, “Bang.”

  I guess our game wasn’t over.

  “I don’t like this,” Heath said. He grabbed a paper towel and smeared the message. “Don’t answer back.”

  “Where is she hiding? If she can get here to do this, she can’t be far.” I had no intention of answering, but he’d made a mess on the mirror that I would have to clean up.

  Just as I headed for glass cleaner, sirens filled the air. I took one look at Heath and Alice and sprinted for the door. The sirens grew louder.

  We barged outside as Ted, gun drawn, raced toward the cottages. We followed at a run.

  The ambulance stopped in front of Ms. Wilkinson’s.

  “Stay back.” Ted gave us a stern look. “I don’t need anyone in the way.”

  “What happened?” Tears filled my eyes.

  “We got a 911 call about an intruder. Stay behind the sidewalk, please.”

  We did as ordered and waited, my heart in my throat, for some word. It took fifteen minutes to come out.

  “No one in there except Ms. Wilkinson. I’m sorry to tell you, she’s dead. Obvious cause of death is strangulation with a red scarf.”

  I put a hand over my mouth. “We just spoke to her this morning.”

  “I’ll need to know about that conversation when I’m through here.”

  Heath drew me into his arms. “Someone heard our conversation. This is getting bad.”

  “We need to find out where everyone was at the time of death,” Alice said, writing something on her clipboard. “I’ll make an announcement for everyone to return to their cottages.”

  “Good idea,” Ted said. “No one leaves until I’ve spoken with them.”

  She hurried off. Moments later, we heard, “There has been a situation at Shady Acres. All residents return to their cottages and stay until further notice.”

  Nothing like frightening the masses. Like a herd of frightened cattle, the dining room emptied and folks headed home.

  “That’s efficient.” Ted re-entered the cottage.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Shelby, I’ll let you in after my investigators are finished. I know you have a good eye, but you don’t need to see this.”

  Sadness over another death filled my heart. I wiped my tears on my dirty arm and turned to lay my head on Heath’s chest. I vowed to find the killer by the maze event.

  17

  After three hours, Ms. Wilkinson’s body was removed from her cottage. I really wanted to follow Ted door-to-door, but curiosity had me entering the crime scene instead.

  There might not have been blood often associated with a violent death, but the chair and coffee table were overturned. The bulb of a lamp shattered. A struggle had ensued. I really hoped she had put up a good fight.

  I blinked away the tears stinging my eyes and wandered through the cottage. Other than the front room, nothing seemed amiss. Most likely, her assailant had knocked on the door and she’d let him in.

  Had she been strangled with her own scarf or had the killer brought it with him? “There’s nothing to see here.”

  “If she fought, the killer might be sporting some scratches.” Heath put his arm around my shoulder. “We’ll check the guests once everyone is released from their cottages. They’ll most likely congregate in the dining hall to compare notes.”

  “You’re right.” It would be the best place to gather clues. For now, we’d have to go with my first idea and shadow Ted.

  We located him at Bob’s where the Poker Boys had gathered following Alice’s announcement. While the cottage door was closed, the window was open. Unembarassed at stooping to eavesdropping, I planted myself within clear hearing distance.

  “We were at lunch,” Bob said. “You can find plenty of people to attest to that.”

  “Anyone not at lunch?”

  “Shelby and Heath weren’t there. Neither was Ms. Wilkinson, that Damon fella, or Alan Barker.” He paused. “Alice wasn’t there at first. She came in late. Let me think…yeah, Scott was missing, but that isn’t unusual. The boy stays to himself a lot. Oh, and Leroy, but he’s never at the meals.”

  “Most people attend the meals fairly regularly,” William said. “It’s social time. It was strange that Shelby wasn’t there. She might be a little thing, but she puts away some food.”

  I smiled. My friends were awesome, if not exactly moral.

  “We’re done here. You men are free to leave,” Ted said.

  “You don’t suspect us?” Bob asked.

  “No, sir.”

  “Then we aren’t doing something right.” He laughed, the others joining in.

  The front door to the cottage opened. Ted stepped around the corner of the cottage and glared. “Shelby, you’re a trial.”

  “I’m not breaking any laws or getting in your way.”

  A look of exasperation appeared on his face. “Good.” He marched to the next cottage, which happened to be Mom’s.

  “You don’t need to bother her. She isn’t a killer.” I jogged to catch up with him.

  “She might have seen something. I’m not leaving anyone out.”

  He tried to shut the door in my face when Mom opened it, but I stuck my foot in the way. “She’s my mother.”

  “Seriously, Ted.” Mom gave him ‘that look’ and ushered me and Heath inside.

  Ted groaned. “I think it’s time to retire.”

  “Well, Minerva’s cottage will be available soon,” Grandma said from her spot on the sofa. “I know that is crude and crass at this time, but it’s the truth. You want to move to Shady Acres, now is the time.”

 
Sometimes, I could not believe the words that came out of her mouth. “Really, Grandma.” I plopped next to her on the sofa.

  “What?” She looked at me in astonishment. “I’m only stating a fact.” Transferring her attention back to Ted, she said, “I was here with Sue Ellen and didn’t see a thing.”

  “It’s true,” Mom said, averting her gaze. A true tell that she was lying.

  “Then how do the two of you know what happened?” Ted narrowed his eyes.

  “I have failed to teach Sue Ellen how to tell a white lie,” Grandma said. “We did see something, but wanted to let Shelby know first. People tend to clam up when you’re around Teddy.”

  “That’s impeding my investigation, Ida.”

  “I apologize for that. Very well, since Shelby is here…now, I’m not accusing anyone, but I saw a man in a black hoodie knocking on Minerva’s door. She opened it and told him to go away, but then seemed to reconsider and let him in.”

  “You didn’t see his face?” Ted’s pen scratched furiously across his notepad.

  “He has a big nose. That’s all that I could see with his hood up. Oh, and he was Caucasian, as the cops say.”

  A big nose could be anyone or a few, depending on who Grandma thought fit that description. I’d be studying faces at the next meal. We were getting close. I could feel it. I could also tell from the expression on Ted’s face that he had a suspect in mind. Getting the name from him would be quite the task.

  “What do you consider a big nose?” Ted asked.

  “Maybe it wasn’t big, but that’s all I could see.”

  And my only clue flew out the window.

  “So, all you can say with certainty is that is was a white male?” Ted asked.

  Grandma nodded. “Yes, I can say that with certainty.”

  “Sue Ellen?”

  “That’s what she told me.”

  Ted nodded. “You saw nothing on your own?”

  “No, I popped in here to grab a book to read while sitting at the reception desk. When Alice made her announcement, my mother came here. She said it wasn’t safe for old women to be alone.”

  Ted’s head jerked back to Grandma. “You knew there had been a murder?”

  “Why else would Alice make such a statement? I’ve been around long enough to know that death lives at Shady Acres. This place is deliciously cursed.”