Toxic Troubles (An East Pender Cozy Mystery Book 11)

by Leona Fox

However, after she received the news of Ray’s death she dropped everything and ran out of her office. She sprinted to her car and drove straight to East Pender, making her way out of the winding streets of the city, slaloming through traffic as she sought to get there as quickly as possible. Usually when she drove to East Pender she liked to take a leisurely drive and take in the freedom of the freeway. This time her hands clutched the wheel tightly and her foot maintained steady pressure on the accelerator, while tears streamed down her face as she thought of Ray.

  Ray was one of the nicest men Emily had ever met. He had reminded her of her own father, so to hear he had died came as a complete shock. She tried telling herself there had been a mistake and this all had been some morbid misunderstanding but deep in her heart she knew the truth. She knew there was only one person who could help her – Ellen Thatch.

  Ellen had been the woman who, along with the police, had figured out the truth about Michael van De Lay and contacted Emily. So when the young woman went to East Pender she made her way straight to The Chrome Cafe, but was surprised to find it closed. Looking around the streets, she found a random passerby and asked them what was going on. They told her about the case and that Ellen was being held for the crime.

  “Now, personally, I don't think she did it but with some people you never know. Being around all that crime might have taken its toll,” they said, and then walked off.

  Emily didn't know what to believe. It was as though her entire world had been turned upside down. She had no choice other than go to the police station. On the way she looked around at the town, the town that her ancestor had helped build. Through the gates of the park she could see the monument the town had erected to commemorate him, and felt a swell of pride. Her blood was in this town and she knew she had a responsibility to carry on Michael's legacy, to fight for truth and honor. So with a steely glint in her eye she marched in the station and demanded to see Ellen.

  Having no idea who Emily was, Iris held her back and tried to get this intruder to calm down. Iris was only a petite woman but she was strong, and easily held Emily back. Andy soon noticed the ruckus and came up to Iris and Emily, telling them both to calm down. Both of their faces were red and flustered, but once they had separated they were able to calm down.

  “What the hell is going on?” Emily demanded in a loud voice.

  Andy stared at her and told her to go with him. He took her into a private room, and asked her what she was doing there.

  “I got a call saying that Ray has been killed, and I come here to find that Ellen, of all people, has been arrested for the crime! What are you doing? She couldn't have done it.”

  “There's more going on here than you think. He was killed in her cafe and she had made him a meal just before he died. That's all we know so far. We are working on finding the real culprit, trust me,” he said in his strong, even voice. Emily sank into a chair and rested her head in her hands, and the angry strength she just had shown seemed to seep away.

  “I just can't believe he's dead,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

  She wiped her eyes before her cheeks could become tear-stained again, and attempted to put forward a more professional demeanor.

  “It came as a shock to all of us,” Andy said as he pulled out a chair and sat down beside Emily, “but tell me, is there anything you know that could help us? I'm assuming you were in contact with him because of the mill. Did he mention any problems he had, or any arguments he was getting into? Anything would be helpful, no matter how insignificant it seems. I know right now it's probably difficult to concentrate but if you could think of anything it would be extremely helpful.”

  “I can't think of anything specific...not anything that would lead to murder anyway. Look, I need to go down to the mill because it's not going to run itself and I need to talk to the staff there. Do you want to come with me?”

  “Do you think someone at the mill could have been responsible for Ray's death?”

  “I don't think so. They all were a pretty tight crew, but Ray did mention a few of them weren't agreeing with his management style. It wasn't anything major, though, and he didn't make anything of it. It was just one of those things. People always are going to have problems with the management, even if they had been friends before.”

  Andy nodded and rose from the table, walking out with Emily, who was much calmer now, although still distracted with her sorrow. She chewed her lip while Andy walked over to Iris.

  “I'm going to head to the mill with Emily and Kelly, can you hold the fort here? Try looking into Ray. See about his past and if he had anything in his will or anything suspicious.”

  “Sure thing, sir. Who is she?” Iris asked, tossing a glance toward Emily. Andy smirked.

  “She is a person who is far richer than either of us ever will be, and if it wasn't for her this town would be in ruins.” Andy left Iris looking a little confused, for she didn't understand how such an unassuming girl could wield so much power.

  Andy led Emily outside to his car, and called Kelly, picking up her and Scampy on the way. Kelly held Scampy on her lap in the backseat while chatting to Emily, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. It was a short drive to the mill, but there was still ample opportunity for the two women to chat.

  Kelly was eager to find out about Emily's life, but one glance at Kelly's wedding ring and Emily was congratulating her. Andy wore a frustrated smile as he had to endure more wedding talk. It wasn't the ideal thing he wanted to hear while his girlfriend was in a jail cell. But Kelly quickly changed the subject to Emily.

  “And what is life like now that you're the heir to a fortune?” she asked. Emily rolled her eyes.

  “Sometimes I wish I was just plain old me again. My friends always tease me about it. Some of them, well, some people who I thought I knew, turned out to be different, asking me for loans and everything. I told them I couldn't just give them money and they got funny about it, and now we're not friends anymore. I find I have much less time on my hands now because charities always are calling me and I have to attend meetings regarding the mill. And even though it happened a while ago I'm still having to meet with lawyers just to verify my claim. A few other people have come forward and said they're the rightful heir as well, but so far all of them have been proven to be fakes. I never expected to be back here under these circumstances, though.”

  “No, but you know you're always welcome here. This is your home, after all. I'm sure Michael van De Lay would have wanted to know his descendant was still in the area.”

  “I know, and I'm going to make it a point to come back here more often. I think I'll be staying for a while anyway to sort out the mill. I'll have to find a new manager.”

  “Are you going to promote from within again?” Kelly asked, and her detective mind suddenly switched on. A promotion to a managerial position was certainly a motive.

  “And if so, who would be the likely candidates?” she added quickly, thinking it was best to begin a new list of suspects.

  “I don't know. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with the rest of the staff. I trusted Ray with all that. I suppose I haven't been a very good owner. Perhaps if I had taken more of an interest, if I had visited more, then things would be different...”

  “You can't blame yourself for this. There's only one person who is at fault and that's the person who poisoned Ray. Think of it this way, if they were going after the people running the mill, then it's lucky you weren't here. Otherwise, you could have been in danger as well.”

  This somber thought gave Emily second thoughts and the three of them sat in silence as the car made its way to the mill. Kelly's mind was active with thoughts and a new line of investigation. She still felt it was a little too convenient that Ray was in Ellen's cafe when he died, so she still harbored suspicion for Maggie. But she hoped the people at the mill would be able to shed some light and reveal some new information that would help solve this case.

  Chapter 5

  The ca
r turned off the main road. The mill loomed in front of them, the ground opening up, covered in gravel. Deep tracks ran from the mill entrance where the trucks came and went. The sound of industry churned and roared as the machinery and the men worked together. It was the beating heart of East Pender and without it the town would suffer immensely since it was the primary source of income. The river flowed strongly to the left of them while behind them the buildings of the town spiked into the horizon. The bright sun cast long shadows, and the trees swayed a little in the soft breeze.

  As the three of them left the car gravel crunched under their feet. Kelly leaned down and clipped the leash on Scampy. The dog did not like it, but Kelly couldn't have him running about when there was so much dangerous machinery around. The large building towered above them and all around there were various people in overalls. Some were wearing hard hats, others were not. Some were smoking and chatting casually, while others were walking around with sweat-stained red faces, hard at work. Things seemed to be running smoothly, despite Ray's absence.

  “I'm a little nervous,” Emily said, fearing her absence meant the men under her employment were not going to be amenable to her presence.

  She knew that to them she was the outsider, a woman who knew nothing about the industry, and while she had attempted to educate herself, she was still a layman when it came to the mill.

  “You own this mill, and these men are here because of you. And don't forget that one of them could be a murderer. Show them strength. They need to know you're in charge here,” Kelly said.

  Emily looked around nervously while Kelly and Andy glanced around with an examining eye, trying to see if there was any suspicious activity. They walked into the center of the yard and not many people paid them much attention. The mill was almost a world apart from the rest of the town, with its own social dynamics and hierarchy. As such they didn't pay much attention to anyone not dressed in the standard clothing.

  “Not very polite at greeting guests are they?” Andy muttered, and was about to announce his presence when Emily rested a hand on his arm.

  “Let me,” she said, and walked forward.

  People still were talking and not paying much attention to this petite blonde girl with a heart-shaped face, and yet Kelly saw a transformation that shocked her. For a moment Emily looked completely out of her depth, small in this world of huge behemoths. Then she planted her feet firmly in the ground and the voice that rang out was loud and strong, commanding the attention of all who were present.

  “Silence!” she began, and many people turned to look at her.

  A few people continued speaking but they soon stopped as they saw their colleagues' attention captured by the person in the middle of the yard. Suddenly, aside from Emily's voice, only the grinding gears could be heard. It was so silent, in fact, that people inside the mill were surprised at the lack of noise and came out themselves to investigate. What they found was Emily giving a speech.

  “Some of you may recognize me, some may not. My name is Emily and I am the owner of the mill. In my absence Ray has been manager, and as you know he has died. I'm here to ensure the mill is running smoothly. So if you have any questions then I shall be in the office. I also would ask you to be patient as this is not my area of expertise, but hopefully we all can get through this tough time together.

  “I know Ray has been a part of this mill for a long time and I'm sure that for many of you it's like losing a family member. So let's all work together to try honoring him by seeing the mill thrive. I also have with me Andy and his consultant to ask you all some questions about Ray that hopefully will lead us to finding the person who killed him. I hope you all are cooperative with them. Now, I will be in the office if you need me,” she said, and walked briskly off to the mill. Andy and Kelly followed.

  “That was unexpected,” Kelly said.

  Emily shrugged it off. “I've been taking leadership classes,” she said.

  Kelly raised her eyebrows at Andy. The three of them walked into the mill and made their way up the stairs to the office, which stood on the highest floor, overlooking the mill to observe the workers.

  “It's funny,” Emily said, “a long time ago this whole place only existed in Michael van De Lay's imagination. Now I'm here, all these years later. It's amazing when you think about it,” she said, and the others agreed.

  When they reached the office Emily opened the door to see a man sitting with his feet up on the desk, papers sprawled over the surface, and a phone in his hand, and by the sounds of it he was making a personal call. He heard the door open and was about to tell them in no uncertain terms to leave him alone when he saw that it was Andy, and he did indeed recognize Emily from when she had visited the mill before. He quickly slammed the receiver down and pulled his feet off the desk so fast that he almost fell out of the chair. He then made a hasty attempt to tidy the desk while Emily folded her arms and tapped her foot on the floor.

  “And who might you be?” she asked.

  “The name's Billy Noon, ma'am,” he said, bowing his head slightly out of respect.

  He was a wiry man with thin hair that was swept back tightly across his scalp. His angular jaws were peppered with light stubble and his dark eyes flicked about, evidently intimidated by his boss coming to visit.

  “And what are you doing here?”

  “I, uh, well, after Ray...after what happened we needed someone to oversee the mill. So I stepped up and I've just been taking care of it until your arrival.”

  Kelly and Andy glanced at each other, instantly suspicious of the man. Emily strode over to the desk and looked down at the various documents and forms lying about. It was not as tidy as she had intended. She sat down in the chair and pulled it up to the desk, then folded her hands together and looked up at Billy.

  “Did you hear what I said outside?” she asked. Billy shook his head. Emily sighed and repeated the main points, then Billy nodded in acknowledgment.

  “I'm sure you recognized the chief of police and his consultant. They're here to ask the workers some questions about Ray. I believe it fitting that they start with you. Now, enlighten us. Ray mentioned to me there were some people who did not agree with his managerial style, was that true?”

  Billy glanced at the two other people in the office and nodded. “Sure, I mean, I don't know how much help I'll actually be but I'll try my best. As for problems, I mean, yeah, some people weren't too happy with the way he was running things but it was typical job problems, certainly nothing bad enough to want to kill him.”

  “Can you be a little more specific about these problems?” Andy asked.

  “Well, you know, just usual things, like he was working us too hard or wouldn't let some guys have holidays off. I think a lot of people thought that since he was one of us he'd be a little more, y'know, casual about things but he really took to his role well. He was very respectful of his duty and he didn't let the guys get away with anything. I think that was a shock to some of them because they thought they'd get some perks since we all had been friends and he'd been out there on the floor with us all those years. But it's not like we didn't understand. He was the boss and we had to do what he said, that was that. It's the way of the world. And really, he'd been a part of the mill for longer than any of the rest of us. And believe me, I've only been up here for a short while but all the stuff he had to deal with, trust me, he had a lot on his plate.”

  “We're going to need a list of these people who had grievances with him,” Kelly said.

  “Are you serious? Everyone moans a little about their job. Most of the guys out there had at least one thing to complain about but, like I said, that's just the way it is.”

  “Still, we'd like some names. And is there anything else you can tell us? Did Ray mention anything else from his life?” Kelly added. Andy remained impassive, taking notes.

  “Not really. He was a decent guy. He was more...reserved than he used to be but I guess he felt he had to be now that he was the manager. Overa
ll though everyone was still alright with him. It wasn't like we were looking to riot.”

  “And you took over his role when you found out he was dead? Were you the natural one to fit?”

  “Yes I--” and then Billy paused as he saw the accusing look in Kelly's eyes. He looked at all three of them, one by one, and an incredulous look came upon him. “Whoa, let's back up a minute here. Are you really thinking I killed him?”

  “A promotion is motive for murder.”

  “It may be but I didn't kill him, and I thought this was just a friendly chat, not a full-on questioning. I liked Ray. We'd been working together for a long time. I'm as sad as they next guy to see him gone, believe me,” he said. Andy and Kelly remained unconvinced.

  “Perhaps it would be best if the two of you go ask the other workers. I would like to have a few words in private with Mr. Noon to catch up with what has happened the past few days,” Emily said to Andy and Kelly, while Billy gulped. Kelly and Andy left the room, and made their way down to the floor.

  “I almost feel sorry for the guy. I can't believe Emily could change that quickly. She's certainly taken to the role,” Kelly said.

  “She has indeed. What do you make of him?” Andy replied.

  “Seems sincere. Also seemed comfortable in that chair. I'm not sure if he's really what we're looking for but I'd like to have a proper conversation with him. Hopefully the others will help to shed some light on what went on here,” she said.

  The two of them spent a substantial amount of time working their way around the floor, talking to people individually and in groups about their opinion of Ray and what happened. Contrary to what Billy had claimed, they were more critical of Ray and were quick to share their opinions. Almost all of them were framed the same way, qualifying their statement with, 'He was a good man but...' and then went on to describe how his methods had been outdated and archaic, and how he was not open to new ideas or suggestions. This was most notable from the younger workers, although all of them did seem sad that he had died.