by Cindy Bell
“First of all, they don't even know you,” Ida reminded her. “They haven't had the chance to get to know you. Secondly, even if they do hate you, it's their loss, now isn't it?” Ida asked. “You need to stop worrying about impressing them so much. Just be yourself. Part of you is an amazing sleuth, and that's the part we need right now. Because, as far as I can tell we're at a dead end.”
“I know,” Vicky said and rested her forehead briefly against the steering wheel.
“But there must be something. There must be some clue that will give us an idea of who exactly he was meeting with. Who PD actually is. If the cameras prove that Peter is telling the truth about being at the inn all night, then there must have been someone else. I don't think that Poppy is lying about him taking off to meet with someone, otherwise he would have been there when Peter arrived. I remember when I first met Arthur, he was so paranoid, he kept looking around at everyone and everything. It makes sense now that I know he had a loan shark after him. What I don't understand is who he would just take off to meet in the middle of the night. He didn't know anyone in Highland as far as I know. So, who was he going to meet?”
“Maybe it was another debt collector,” Ida suggested. “Peter might not have been the only one who was on the hunt for him.”
“That's a good point,” Vicky nodded. “If only there was a way to know for sure who he was meeting with around the time he was murdered,” she paused a moment and stared out through the windshield. Luckily there wasn't a lot of traffic on the country roads so no one was blaring their horn behind the car. She felt as if she had the first quiet moment to think. “Wait a minute!” she gasped out. “Poppy said that he was playing on his phone. Maybe whoever he met with called or texted him about the meeting. If so we might have a record of who the last person was that saw him alive.”
“Don't you think that Bobby would have checked that out?” Ida asked incredulously. “That should have been the first thing that they checked.”
“Maybe,” Vicky shrugged.
“Well, let's go by the station and see if they did,” Ida suggested.
“Yes,” Vicky nodded. She started to drive down the road. As she drove she went over the clues in her mind. She knew that most of them had been ruled out by circumstance and general disbelief, but there was one key point that she hadn't thought much of since ruling out Miriam's son as a suspect. Arthur's body had been wrapped up in a party tent. He hadn't just been tossed in a ditch somewhere. He had been deliberately placed in a party tent. The only reason that Vicky could think of that someone would be that specific in the disposal of a body, was because that person wanted to make it look like Miriam or someone from her family was involved.
The discovery of the body inside of the tent was likely to put a big dampener on their sales. But the fact that her son was accused of the murder would have made it difficult if not impossible for her to continue to run a business in the small town of Highland. Even though he had been ruled out as the murderer, that suspicion would always hang over the family's reputation. By the time she reached the police station, her mind was buzzing with who might gain something from Miriam's shop closing.
“Vicky, are we going in?” Ida asked after Vicky had parked in front of the police station.
“Oh yes,” Vicky nodded. “Let's see if they found out any more information from Peter.”
Chapter Nine
The moment Vicky and Ida stepped into the police station, Vicky regretted it. She heard Maisy's southern drawl all the way from the front door.
“Bobby?” Vicky asked as she walked up to the front desk. “What is going on here?”
Bobby was grinning from ear to ear as he turned to look at Vicky. “Maisy was just telling us some stories about our detective Mitchell from when he was a little too young to wear a badge.”
“Maisy?” Vicky asked as she stared over at the woman who was seated at Norman's desk.
“Oh Vicky, I was wondering where you were. I got bored at the inn so I decided to come down here and take a look at where my brother works,” she smiled charmingly at Vicky.
“In the middle of an active…” Vicky halted before she could finish her sentence. She was about to reveal what was really going on, and then remembered that she didn't want Mitchell's family to find out.
“Bobby, Norman, can I speak with you please?” Vicky asked.
“I'll keep an eye on Maisy for you,” Ida said with a glimmer in her eyes. Vicky knew that she just wanted to see the baby pictures of Mitchell. But it would be easier to talk with Bobby and Norman if she wasn’t distracted by Ida.
“Absolutely,” Norman stood up quickly. He and Bobby stepped out from around the front desk and lined up in front of Vicky. “How can we help?” Norman asked.
“Did you interview Peter?” she asked as she looked between the two of them.
“Yes,” Bobby nodded.
“Did he give you any new information?” Vicky asked hopefully.
“No,” Norman replied with a slight shake of his head.
“And his alibi?” Vicky asked.
“We confirmed it,” Norman said. “We released him about ten minutes ago.”
“You released him?” Vicky asked with wide eyes. “But he was the main suspect…”
“Not with an alibi he wasn't,” Bobby pointed out.
“What about Arthur's cell phone?” Vicky pressed. “Did you recover it?”
“Yes we did,” Norman nodded. “Why?”
“Did you check it to see who the last person that contacted Arthur was?” Vicky asked.
“The computer tech is looking into it,” Norman said. “I’ll see if he knows who it is yet.”
“Thanks,” Vicky said appreciatively. “We need to figure out what happened to Arthur, and quickly. His wife is planning on selling the property and leaving town as soon as Arthur's body is released. I still have a feeling she's involved in this somehow. As for Maisy,” Vicky said as she lowered her voice even further. “Please make sure that you don't mention the murder to her.”
“Oh, are you kidding?” Norman laughed. “She has baby pictures!”
Vicky looked up at Maisy, who was grinning. “Oh boy, I hope that Mitchell doesn't find out about this,” Vicky said but she couldn't help but laugh a little. Maisy seemed to be quite happy to share as much as she could about Mitchell. While Vicky waited for Norman to check into the phone, she leaned back against the front desk. She heard Bobby on the phone.
“I just want to confirm that it is Poppy Darcy?” he asked. “Thanks,” he hung up the phone.
“Poppy's maiden name is Darcy?” Vicky asked as she looked back over at Bobby.
“Yes,” Bobby nodded. “Looks like she might be our PD after all.”
“Maybe,” Vicky nodded slowly. Something just didn't feel right. Was it possible that Peter and Poppy had been in on the crime together? “Norman, the phone?” she called out. Norman had been drawn back into the baby picture fest that was occurring around Maisy.
“The tech says the last call was to a number that wasn't on his contacts list. It was a little before eleven at night.”
“Were they able to find a name connected to the number?” Vicky asked hopefully.
“It's a private listing,” Norman shrugged. Vicky knew that Mitchell had ways of getting information that the rookies were not privy to.
“I’ve got the number here. I’ll try calling it,” Norman said. He went behind the desk and called the number.
Then he hung up.
“It was the voicemail for Stan Vincont, a Property Developer,” Norman explained to Bobby as Vicky listened closely.
“Arthur called a property developer just before his murder,” she shook her head slightly. Then it began to dawn on her. Poppy and Arthur had been arguing about selling the property. Meet with PD likely stood for property developer. Maybe Arthur had made a plan to meet with Stan Vincont and decline his offer to purchase the house. Maybe Poppy had found out about it and she had killed Arthur.
“Vicky, you have to see this,” Ida said with a laugh as she held up the picture. Vicky stared at the picture. She wanted to stay focused on the crime, and solving it. But those adorable blue eyes made her heart melt.
“He was so cute,” Vicky gushed.
“Cute, and a terror,” Maisy corrected her. “That boy had a temper. He still does. If you do anything to cross him, he never lets you forget it,” she shook her head with a smirk.
Vicky frowned. Maisy's words sunk in. Was she doing something that crossed a line with Mitchell? Would he be able to forgive her for investigating the case without his knowledge? It wasn’t like she hadn’t looked into cases before and besides he couldn’t be contacted, she thought, trying to justify her actions and calming her nerves.
Vicky took out her phone and searched the internet for an address for Stan Vincont. She could find a home address but no business address. The address was in a neighboring town so that was why she hadn’t heard of him before.
“Maisy, we'll see you later?” she asked and raised an eyebrow.
“No rush,” Maisy laughed. “I'm having a great time.”
“Ready?” Ida asked as she stepped up beside Vicky.
“Don't you think that we should do something to stop her?” Vicky asked with a grim frown.
“It's a little late for that now,” Ida said with a laugh. “Besides, it will be a nice little surprise for Mitchell to come back to after the honeymoon.”
“Good point,” Vicky couldn't help but laugh a little.
“I've got an address we need to check out,” she said. “Let's get moving before we have to pick up the boys.”
“All right,” Ida agreed. As they piled back into Vicky's car, she caught a glimpse of Maisy leaving the police station. She had her very own souvenir badge and had managed to snatch one of the officer's hats. Vicky couldn't help but notice how much she looked like her brother. She smiled to herself at the thought of adding another sister to her family. She was looking forward to getting to know Maisy and Mae-Ellen, she just hoped that she would have the chance to.
***
It took Vicky and Ida about half an hour to reach Stan Vincont’s home address. The house was a modest rancher. The yard was well-tended with an assortment of flowers blooming in a small garden. There was a square placard hanging from the front door that advertised his services as a property developer. Vicky and Ida walked up to the front door.
“It doesn't look like he's home,” Ida said as she peered into the front window of the house.
“No car in the driveway,” Vicky observed as she studied the empty driveway.
“No lights on inside,” Ida said. “Do you want to knock?”
“No, let's take a look around back,” Vicky said as she was already halfway around the house.
“Vicky, someone might see us,” Ida warned as she followed after her.
“Like who?” Vicky asked as she rounded the back of the house.
“Like him,” Ida said when over the fence she spotted a mountain of a man in the neighboring house watering his garden. He turned off the hose when he saw the two women.
“What are you doing back here?” he asked in an aggressive tone.
“We're just looking for Stan,” Vicky said quickly. “We were supposed to meet with him about a property.”
“Well, you just missed him,” he said as he tilted his head towards the front of his house. “I saw him leave about ten minutes ago, that's why I came back here to water. I try not to disturb him if he's home.”
“Oh darn,” Vicky pouted. “I knew I didn’t get the time right for our appointment. Any idea where he might be?”
“Uh well,” the man squinted into the mid-day sun. “My best guess would be out on the old Darcy property. That's all he's been talking about. He has this grand plan with the Darcy and Smith properties.”
“A grand plan?” Vicky asked curiously.
“I probably already said too much,” he shook his head. “It's never going to work out anyway. The woman that inherited the property isn't going to sell. At least, last I heard.”
“Thanks, you've helped us out a lot,” Vicky said and Ida offered him a warm smile.
“No problem,” he said and turned his hose back on. He hummed softly as he watered the plants. Vicky and Ida walked back towards the car.
“That confirms it, Stan might just be the last person who saw Arthur alive. He might be able to give us some information,” Vicky said hopefully. “I think this is our last chance of getting this murder solved before tomorrow morning when Mitchell gets back.”
“I think you're right,” Ida said as she glanced at her watch.
Vicky drove above the speed limit as she headed towards Poppy's house once more. She parked a few houses down from Poppy's property so that they wouldn't alert her to their presence. She hadn't been too friendly on their last visit. As they walked up to the property from the rear, they could hear voices. Vicky tugged Ida behind a large shed so that they could listen in.
“You're not just playing with me again, are you, Poppy?” a male voice asked.
“I'm serious this time,” Poppy replied. “Now there's nothing to stop me.”
Vicky stole a glance around the side of the shed. She saw a man who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties. He was wearing a black suit. In his hand he held a clipboard. He had his back to Vicky, but she could clearly see Poppy.
“It's Poppy and I bet that's Stan,” Vicky hissed to Ida.
“Shh, let's listen to what they're saying,” Ida said and leaned closer to the edge of the shed.
“Look, my husband was the one who didn't want to sell. Now he's dead, and has left me all of his debts. I have a loan shark after me. If you want this place, it's yours. But you have to pay me fast,” she crossed her arms and looked at him sternly.
“Well, Poppy I'm sure that we can work something out to make that happen,” he said as he adjusted his thin brimmed hat. “As I said, I am very interested in the house and the land. Would you be willing to sign something today?”
“I would,” she nodded quickly. “Let me just give my lawyer a call, and see if he can meet us.”
“Sure,” he nodded with a slight smile. “It's always good to have all your ducks in a row.”
Poppy looked at him strangely for a moment, and then stepped into the house.
“Look at that,” Vicky said with a slight smirk. “I bet it was Poppy who killed her husband after all.”
“What makes you think that?” Ida asked as she watched the man walking casually across the side yard of the property.
“Think about it. Poppy inherited this house and this land. It was hers. But Arthur was insisting on not selling it, probably because he was scared that the loan shark would take that money from him and that Poppy would find out about his debts. Or maybe because he wanted to wait until it was worth more. Either way he was standing between her and a lot of money. She probably decided she'd had enough and got him out of the way.”
“Hmm, not exactly a happy marriage,” Ida said with a sigh.
“Not in the least,” Vicky agreed. “Poppy made that clear with the way she talked about him, like he was just a piece of furniture that she had to live with.”
“Years go by,” Ida pointed out. “Some marriages end up that way.”
“Not mine,” Vicky said with confidence. “If I ever start feeling that way about my marriage, I'll do something about it.”
Ida offered her a tolerant smile as if she knew a little more about life than she did, but she did not press the matter. “Well, why don't we ask that fellow a few questions? Maybe Poppy let something slip about how she killed her husband.”
“Maybe,” Vicky agreed, still a little troubled by the look that Ida had given her. As they slipped out from behind the shed, Vicky kept one eye on the
porch of the house to watch for Poppy.
“Hello there,” Ida said as she walked up to the man. He glanced down at his clipboard, and then up at Ida. He took a slight step back when he saw her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“We're interested in this property,” Ida explained smoothly. Vicky stepped up on the other side of the man. She watched the way he clutched nervously at his clipboard.
“It's not for sale,” Stan said sharply as he eyed the two.
“Why not?” Ida asked. “I heard it was.”
“I'm already buying it,” Stan explained.
“Maybe we could make the owner an offer,” Vicky suggested. “I heard her husband just recently passed. This place must have some bad memories.”
“What do you know about that?” Stan asked with some interest.
“About Arthur being murdered?” Ida asked. “Well, it's all over town.”
“Too bad they haven't arrested the killer yet,” Vicky sighed.
“Did you know Arthur?” Ida asked.
“We met once or twice,” he replied and shook his head. “It's a shame what happened.”
“Well, I bet Poppy will be looking to sell quickly,” Ida said. “I wouldn't want to live in a town where my husband was murdered.”
“That makes sense,” Stan nodded.
“Stan, did you meet with Arthur before his murder?” Vicky asked boldly.
“What?” Stan stammered out.
“Do you know anything about the murder?” she asked.
“Like what?” Stan asked, and then lowered his voice. “What exactly do you want to know?”
“I just want to know if Arthur mentioned fearing for his life, or whether his wife had been threatening him,” Vicky explained.
Stan stared at her for a long moment.
“Actually, I do have something that might interest you,” Stan said and tilted his head towards the driveway. “If you want to take a look it's in my car. When I heard about the murder I was a little unsettled by it, so I decided to keep it. I guess,” he hesitated a moment and lowered his voice, “I was hoping to settle things with Poppy first.”