“Nice job, that. I suspect you weren’t meant to find it, though.”
“Do you think Henry was supposed to find it?” I asked. “I doubt it would make it to the morning. There are a couple of raccoons living back there.”
“I know. Been raising hell with the library’s garbage cans.”
“I’m sure. I’m surprised they didn’t get at this box, especially since there was probably food inside.”
“Presumably,” Ro said. “You didn’t sneak a peek, did you?”
“Of course not. I called you right away,” I said, leaning a bit closer to take another look. “The box is in pretty good shape. If it is the box of tarts Freddie made, it mustn’t have been outside all this time. The box looks brand new still.”
“Good surface for prints, but I don’t expect we’ll be that lucky,” Ro said. She turned to look at me.
“You’ll probably find Freddie’s,” I said.
“Thanks for the tip, Ruth. I know where you are if we have any more questions. Head on home now before Blue gets into trouble.”
• • •
I walked back out of the alley, toward Washington Street, past Ro’s car, which was parked up on the curb. I untied Blue, and held onto his leash tightly so he wouldn’t bound back down the alley. I needn’t have worried. Blue pulled me down the street to greet one of his favorite people, Flo.
“Hi, Flo, need help with that?”
Flo loaded the box into her car. She turned back around, and bent down to say hello to Blue, and looked up at me. “No thanks, Ruthie. Just bringing some foil home so I can cut squares for the shop.”
“Can’t you buy them ready-cut?”
“You can, but I like to have different sizes. This way is cheaper, and it gives me something to do besides eat while I watch TV at night. Where are you coming from? You didn’t find another body, did you, Ruth?” Flo asked, her forehead creased with concern.
“What would make you think I found a body?” I asked Flo, or rather Flo’s backside, since she was reaching into her backseat to grab something. I may have had a bit of an edge to my voice, but honestly, who could blame me? She pulled herself out of the backseat and turned around to give Blue a couple of dog treats.
“Whoa, calm down. Just a question. Ro’s parked crazy, and you’ve been back there awhile. I wondered what was going on.”
“How do you know Ro came back to see me?”
“She told me when she got out of her car. Said you’d called something in. So I decided to wait around, see what happened.”
“You would’ve found out sooner or later.”
“I’d be up all night wondering. Besides, Jeff and Ro have been pretty tight-lipped lately. I was wondering if you had any more luck.”
“None,” I lied.
“Where’s Ben?” she asked.
“Helping Pat with the Latte,” I said.
“I heard they were going to reopen tomorrow,” Flo said. “That’s good. Nancy’s probably home baking up a storm. I wonder what Pat needed help with.”
“Got to admit, I didn’t ask for details. I was a little ticked that he left.”
Flo laughed. “Explains the run this late. Have you had dinner? Want to come over?”
“Thanks, Flo. I have so many leftovers. You’re welcome to join me—”
“Laundry night. I’ve got to call Kim’s sister back again tonight too—”
“You finally tracked her down?” I said. “Why wasn’t Nancy calling her?”
“Nancy didn’t know what to say. I can fake sympathy better than she can. We’ve already talked a couple of times. Her sister would rather not come out here to claim the body, so I’m trying to help her figure that out.”
“That’s a little cold, isn’t it?”
“I would hate to imagine Ben not coming to get me if I passed somewhere else, that’s for sure. The sisters weren’t close. After Kim’s husband died, it seems like Kim cut ties with everyone in that life.”
“That’s it? No other family?”
“Even I’m feeling sorry for Kim these days. No other family. Her sister’s first question was about Kim’s will,” Flo said. “That’s never a good sign. Then there’s the way she died. I couldn’t help Googling ‘allergic reactions.’ Terrible way to go. Can you imagine having an allergic reaction that bad?”
“I can’t. Seems like more and more people have allergies these days.”
“Isn’t that the truth? Good thing Jason knows how to talk folks through different remedies. Not sure how I’m going to handle any tough questions for the next couple of days.”
“Jason’s taking a day off?”
“He works more hours than I can count, but I can’t fault him for taking a couple of days,” Flo said. “He seems like he knows his stuff. He makes up these drops. Apparently they help with different ailments. A couple of drops here, a couple of drops there, bingo bongo, you’re a new woman. Can you imagine?”
“He sold me some—”
“He’s making us money,” Flo said. She reached into the bag and took out another treat for Blue. “Back in the day, people would travel around and sell bottles of heaven knows what and pretend it was medicine. I hope we’re not doing the same thing here.”
“I’ve heard about homeopathy before. I’m impressed that Jason knows what he’s doing.”
“He got training up in upstate New York. He used to own a shop with his sister, until she passed a couple of years back. I shouldn’t be so judgmental of him, I guess. He does bring in the business.”
“Business is a good thing,” I said. “Question is, is it the business you want?”
“That is the ten-thousand-dollar question, isn’t it?”
chapter 24
I walked up the street, toward the Cog & Sprocket. Instinctively I looked over at the Town Hall. Buttoned up for the night. I couldn’t wait to get over there, back to work. Clocks made sense. They didn’t always work. But they made sense.
Blue lumbered along ahead of me, bounding up the stairs to the porch, then stopping. He leaned back and made a noise. I stayed back with him. The sun had dropped quickly, and my eyes were adjusting to the gray dusk filter. I should have left the lights on.
“Ms. Clagan?” Freddie said, getting off one of the rocking chairs and stepping into the shaft of light that the streetlight cast.
“Whoa, Freddie. I didn’t see you at first.”
“Sorry—we didn’t know you were home. We needed a place to sit for a minute.”
“We?”
“My dad and I.”
I stepped up onto the porch and looked over to the left. Sure enough, Fred was sitting over in the corner, on one of the rocking chairs. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, head hanging forward.
“Fred?” I said. “Everything okay?”
Fred looked up at me, shadows playing on the planes of his face. He laughed, but there was no joy in it.
“About as far from okay as a man can get and still be standing. We didn’t think you were home. Needed a place to sit and think.”
“Do you want to come inside?” I said.
“Yes, please,” Freddie said. “Come on, Daddy. Maybe Ruth can help us.”
“Doubt it, but may as well.”
• • •
I invited them both upstairs, but Fred declined. Blue wanted to go, probably to say hello to Bezel and get a drink, so I ran up to let him into the apartment. I grabbed the basket of tea and brought it back downstairs with me. I went over to the electric kettle in the shop kitchenette and turned it on. I gave the Hamiltons a minute to settle in. I watched as Fred went over to the windows and checked to make sure the blinds were closed, which they were. Standard closing procedure, as was triple-checking the locks on the windows. He turned toward his daughter and whispered something to her. I tried not to give in to my nerves. I c
ouldn’t imagine Freddie as a killer. Still, she and her father were on the list. I was glad I’d left the apartment door open and hoped Blue would come to the rescue if I called him. I double-checked that my phone was charged and in my pocket. Check on both. Jeff was on speed dial if need be.
“Would either of you like a cup of tea?” I asked.
“Did you find the box?” Freddie asked.
“What box?” I said. I hoped my face didn’t betray me. I should have texted Jeff to come over.
“Freddie—” her father interrupted.
“We were on our way back to get the box,” Freddie said, rubbing her eyes. “But then we saw that the police were there. So was Blue, so I guess you were there too? Did you find it? I didn’t want to leave it by the Sleeping Latte. I’d already caused them so much trouble. Losing a whole day of business because of me.”
“Wasn’t because of you, sweetheart,” Fred said. “This is all on me. Tell you what—why don’t you go make us some tea? I’ll tell Ruth about the tarts.”
We both watched Freddie walk toward the back of the shop. Fred was sitting on the settee, watching his daughter. I stood by the front door, ready to bolt if I needed to.
“I wasn’t really going to kill her,” he said.
“Kim?” I said. My throat was dry. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
Fred nodded. “I knew she was allergic. Freddie told me that she was making some food for the party on Saturday, and I decided Kim needed a special treat.”
“So you talked your daughter into making . . .”
“I didn’t talk her into anything,” Fred snapped. “She had no idea. None. I knew she had a special folder online that Nancy and she shared for a to-do list every day. I remembered that Nancy had sent a special order for cherry tarts, so I changed the date and added the almonds in the crust.”
“Wouldn’t Freddie question the change?”
“No, Nancy has her well trained. If she asks that a specific recipe be made, Freddie does it. Otherwise Nancy trusted Freddie to use her own recipe. Freddie is a helluva baker, but needs some guidance.”
“So you had your daughter make cherry tarts that you gave to Kim, knowing that they would make her sick? Possibly kill her?” I asked. I stayed by the door, but put my phone back in my pocket.
“No, wait. No,” he said, shaking his head. “Let me start again. I tricked Freddie into making the tarts but I didn’t give them to Kim. All of them are still in that blasted box you’ve just found. Well, minus the two I ate, which were delicious.”
“Okay . . . So you wanted to kill her, but you didn’t?”
“Not kill. I figured she’d use that plastic pen thing of hers—”
“Her EpiPen?”
“She had them all over the place. I remember Nancy telling me about Kim making her learn how to use them. Kim was paranoid. I figured, worse came to worst, she’d have an attack and use the injector. Or someone would for her. I just wanted to give her a scare.”
“That’s terrible. Why would you do that?”
“I didn’t go through with it. Couldn’t. Not because I had second thoughts about serving them to Kim. I didn’t. I wanted to make her sick. See her suffer.” His hands were balled up at his sides—there was real anger there. “But when I saw Freddie’s note on the box, I realized she’d be blamed. Even if I got them served to Kim without anyone knowing where they came from, Freddie would blame herself the minute she put it all together. If she put it together. I love my daughter, I couldn’t take that risk. She’d never get over it.”
I looked over at Freddie, who was sitting by the tea station. Blue had come down and was sitting in front of her. She was petting him with both hands, nuzzling his neck.
“She’s all I’ve got left,” Fred said softly. “I’d never hurt her.”
“She’s a good girl,” I said, reassuringly.
“Baking is the only thing that she loves to do,” Fred said. “I can’t believe I almost took that away from her.”
“She’s really good at it. I’ve gained five pounds since she started working at the Latte.” Fred didn’t respond, so I decided to be more direct. “So you ate two of the tarts?”
“I did. They were delicious.”
“Which means that when they look inside the box, two are going to be missing. Your fingerprints, and Freddie’s, are probably on the box. Freddie is going to get blamed if a nut allergy killed Kim.”
Fred nodded. He looked miserable. “She found the box in the back of my truck this afternoon. Panicked.”
“And threw them out on a Dumpster,” I said. Fred shrugged, and I could tell that we were both thinking the same thing. On a Dumpster, not in. What was she thinking?
“You have to believe me—I didn’t kill Kim.”
I looked at Fred. I believed he could have killed her. But use his daughter as the murder weapon? I couldn’t believe that. “You need to tell the chief,” I said.
“What happens if I get arrested?”
“I’ve got the name of a lawyer—”
“What will happen to Freddie?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” I said. I had no idea what I meant, but it sounded good. For now.
• • •
A few minutes later Jeff was downstairs with Fred and Freddie. I’d left them down there, talking. Blue kept looking at the door and then back at me.
“We need to give them space,” I said to Blue. Bezel came out and looked at us both. “I figure it’s a good sign that Jeff didn’t arrest him outright. Don’t you think?”
Bezel wound herself around my ankles. I knew it was less an “I agree” gesture than a “Gee, my food dish seems empty” challenge. I acquiesced by giving both Blue and Bezel some food. Then I hauled out the leftovers. It was getting late, and I was hungry. No word from Ben, so I assumed I was eating solo tonight. Not the first time, not the last. Though, truth to tell, I was more than a little disappointed. Where was Ben? I took my phone out of my pocket and texted him again. Putting a plate of leftovers in the microwave. Want to join me?
I turned to see who was coming up the stairs and was happy but a bit disappointed to see Jeff.
“You’re having dinner,” he said. “I was hoping to talk, but I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll check in with you later.”
“Are you hungry? I’m microwaving leftovers, and I’d love the company.”
“Where’s Ben?”
“I don’t know,” I said, pouring myself a glass of water. “He went out to help Pat with something at the Latte, but I haven’t heard from him. Probably got waylaid into another project. Zane and Pat are cooking something up. Maybe they’ve enlisted Ben. Anyway, about my desire not to eat alone? Can I get you a plate?”
“Actually, that sounds terrific,” Jeff said. He checked his watch. “Eight thirty. It feels later. I can’t remember which meal I had last, and it’s going to be a long night.”
“So you let Fred go?”
“Had him taken down to the station to make a statement, get his fingerprints.”
“You aren’t going to arrest him?”
“Not enough evidence. Yet.” He went over to the kitchen sink and washed his hands.
I knew better than to push. Jeff was my friend, and I was happy to give him a safe space to just be. I was extra glad that I held back when I watched him lean on the edge of the sink and close his eyes. Was there more gray in his hair today? The circles under his eyes were more pronounced, that was for sure.
“What would you like to drink?” I asked. “There’s wine, some sweet tea Caroline made, lemonade—”
“Caroline’s sweet tea sounds great. I’ll get it out of the fridge. How about you?” he asked, keeping the door propped open.
“Will you think less of me if I have a glass of wine?”
“Of course not. The rosé h
ere in the fridge?”
“Perfect,” I said. “While you’re at it, could you grab the two covered bowls on the second shelf? Salads.”
“How did you end up with so much food?”
“A couple of impromptu dinners here at the Cog. You would have been here except, you know.”
“Kim.”
“Yeah. That.” I put two serving spoons on the table and went over to the microwave as Jeff’s plate was finishing up. I wasn’t a great cook, but I was an excellent heater-upper. When it came to food, I was able to time things perfectly. It was a skill I’d developed and perfected over time. I put Jeff’s plate in front of him. He waited until I sat to dig in, but dig in he did.
“Flo made the pasta, didn’t she?”
“She did,” I said. “There’s plenty, so enjoy.”
Jeff looked over at the clocks on the wall. “Weren’t those downstairs?”
“Good eye. Yes, someone is coming to look at them tomorrow, so I brought them up here for safekeeping and to get them gussied up a bit.”
“They look great to me,” he said. He hit the screen on his cell phone, which was sitting on the table face up. “Time is perfect. How much will they go for?”
“Around two thousand dollars. Each.”
Jeff took a big swig of tea. “Each? Walk me through your safety protocols again.”
“We have alarms on the doors and windows downstairs, as you know, since you helped me pick out the system. We turn it off during the hours we’re open, unless we’re working alone. Then we make sure the panic button is operating. The outside lights are on a timer, and the back door is on a motion detector. Plus, we have the outside cameras on the Town Hall pointing over here. If something happened, they may help.”
“They may, though Nadia has them focused inside the Town Hall, specifically the clock tower.”
“Nadia is scary with the technology. She’s getting me set up on apps that will turn the lights on if we aren’t here. Also an alert that will make it seem like I am home even if I’m not. She’s getting the Town Hall hooked up, so we can turn the lights on the tower on and off in case the timers get screwed up.”
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