The Butcher (Cold Hollow Mysteries Book 5)

by Emilie J. Howard

  ***

  Delilah had rushed to the bakery’s storeroom and slipped out of her fancy garb as she searched her duffle bag and changed outfits. She slithered into jeans, a heavy cardigan, and ankle boots. She pulled the pins out of her hair and fluffed it out. She then grabbed some tissues from her purse and wiped off the heavy makeup and lipstick, checking her appearance in a tiny mirror she kept in her purse. Exiting the storeroom, she ran into Donnie and Daryl, who gave her the thumbs-up, and she smiled and went to place an order with Sarah.

  She sat at a table for two and noticed Samuel twisting right and left, checking all the customers. Timmy was there with a newspaper in front of his face. Samuel had the nerve to pull at the newspaper and look at Timmy. Delilah stood up and raced over to the table and took a seat opposite her boyfriend. She glanced up at Samuel and said, “What a coincidence to run into you here, Samuel.”

  His mouth twitched into a subtle smile but soon resumed its frown. When he didn’t reply, she said to Timmy, “I just placed our order with Sarah. It will be here in a minute.”

  He said, “Thanks, babe.” She blushed. She loved it when he called her “babe.”

  Samuel leaned down slightly and said, “I’m sorry I disturbed you, Delilah. I’m leaving.”

  She shook her head. “You didn’t disturb me, Samuel, not in the least.”

  “Good.” He turned and left the building. When he was out of sight, Delilah and Timmy gave each other a ‘high five’.

  ***

  The chief ran into Samuel as he was leaving the bakery. He hailed him down and approached him on the sidewalk. Samuel approached and said, “We meet again, Chief. How fortuitous.”

  The chief replied, “The case is closed as far as this town is concerned. I just wanted to let you know you’re clear to leave.”

  “And Ivan?”

  “He’s cleared too. Every guest at the annex was cleared.”

  Samuel tipped his hat and mumbled, “Thank you for letting me know, Chief.” He walked away before the chief could ask him when the hell he was leaving.

  He glanced inside the bakery to see Timmy and Delilah sitting at a table together. He entered to hear Delilah’s soft laughter and had a nagging feeling she was up to no good, but his hunger pains exceeded his curiosity. He ambled over to the counter and watched as Donnie handed him a bag and a covered cup of coffee to go. Peaking inside the bag he asked, “You going soft in the head, boy? Don’t skimp. Where’s my cannoli?”

  Donnie laughed. “Just testing you, Chief.” He went to the pastry cases and bagged cannoli for the chief and handed it to him over the counter.

  The chief grumbled, “Everyone is testing me these days. This town’s gonna drive me nuts, you hear me, Donnie? I’ll go bat shit crazy, that’s what this town has planned for me, I swear!” He continued grumbling as he left the bakery and walked across the slushy street to town hall with his purchases.

  ***

  The following morning, the delicate thread holding Samuel’s sanity intact was slowly unraveling. He stormed into Town Hall and was stopped by someone named ‘Artie’. The man was twitching and off balance, but insisted on frisking Samuel. He huffed, tossed his walking cane to the side and extended his arms. After being frisked, he raced up the stairs to the mayor’s office, gave a cursory knock, and entered the room. She was there and smiled at him as he stalked over to a chair and took a seat. He wiped his brow and said, “Mayor Bradbury, you once said I could come to you if I had any problems in this town while I’m here. Well, I have issues.”

  Myrna tilted her head to the side and asked, “And they are?”

  “This town is filled with little liars and thieves. There is a woman named Delilah Gillette who walks around town carrying my dead sister’s purse. Bertrand Sweeney also dons a tie meant as a gift from Patricia to me!” He shook his forefinger at Myrna and continued, “Not only that, but I don’t believe my sister is dead! I think she’s being held somewhere within this town against her will and I’m determined to find her! I have seen her along Main Street, yet she’s elusive. I don’t think she knows I’m in town, as she seems deaf to my call, and I would love to bring her home!” He wiped his brow again.

  Myrna knew he was in distress and it was her responsibility to diffuse the situation. She spoke in a soft soothing manner. “Samuel, it is often said the living see their loved ones among crowds after they pass. It’s a longing of the heart and mind. It dwindles with time.” He went to object, but she held up her hand. “However, to soothe your mind, I will have Ms. Gillette come here and produce her purse and we can settle the matter. As for Mr. Sweeney, I will also have him come to the office right now and produce the tie he was wearing the day the two of you met. Will this satisfy you?”

  He begged, “I know I sound paranoid, but I swear to you, I’m not. If the two parties have no forewarning, do it now.”

  He watched as Myrna picked up her phone and dialed the tavern’s number. She gave Delilah strict instructions and hung up the phone. She then called Mr. Bertrand Sweeney. When she was done, she sat back and clasped her hands in front of her atop the desk. “They are on their way. They will be here in a few minutes.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her as she glanced at some papers on her desk.

  Within moments, Delilah came bouncing into the room. She shook Samuel’s hand and took the opposing seat. Myrna held out her hand. “Give me your purse.”

  Delilah handed it over to her, and Myrna examined it and handed it over to Samuel. He looked for the initials embossed inside and instead of PW, he saw DG. His mouth dropped open, and he thrust the purse back in Delilah’s direction. She took it back and smiled at Myrna. “Is there anything else I can do for you today, Mayor Bradbury?” She purposefully accentuated the last name.

  Myrna displayed a tight smile. “No, but thank you for coming, Ms. Gillette.” Myrna decided she would explode all over Delilah later that night. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know she and Maurice were up to no good.

  As Delilah left the office, Bertrand Sweeney entered the room, wearing a green silk tie. He refused to look at Samuel but approached and sat in the empty chair. Myrna leaned over her desk and fingered the tie, flipped it over to reveal the maker, and patted it back in place. “Bertrand, would it be permissible for Samuel to examine the tie?”

  Bertrand gave Samuel a sideways glance and murmured, “It’s the last time.” Samuel leaned forward, examined the tie, flipped it over, and noticed the label was different. He began winding it around his hand, choking Bertrand.

  In a flash, Samuel’s hand was whacked with a yardstick. It stung and bit into his skin. He jerked his hand away and released the tie. He saw the mayor standing over her desk, the yardstick in her hand. “Your actions were uncalled for, Samuel! We’re doing this for your peace of mind, and you display aggression?” She dismissed Bertrand, but not before telling him to stop in and see Artie downstairs.

  Samuel sat there, ashamed. He stared at his lap. “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be! You’re acting like a petulant child when people are trying to help you!”

  He agreed. “I know. I don’t know what’s come over me. I thank you for trying to put my mind at ease. You have my word: I will not torment Bertrand again.”

  “Or anyone else in this town.”

  He relaxed back in his chair, glanced at the long ruler she still held, and sighed. “As mayor of this town, you should probably carry a deadlier weapon.”

  Myrna sensed Samuel’s mental status was deteriorating, and he was sitting right in front of her as it happened. “Did I just hear a threat?” She sat down again, dropped the ruler, slid her right hand beneath her sweater, and pulled her gun from its holster. She held it aimed at Samuel, beneath the desk and out of his line of vision.

  He shook his head. “Just an observation. There is something terribly wrong with this place, Mayor Bradbury. Please be careful. Perhaps your eyes are blind to certain things.”

  She grinned. “My eyes are wide
open, Samuel.”

  He wouldn’t relent. “Mayor, it seems the Gillette family has this town sewn up in a neat little package.” His gaze shifted to her as he asked, “I wonder how the commissioners would feel about everything happening here?”

  Myrna remained stoic. “Because your sister was a resident here, I’m aware you know how the town is run. As far as the commissioners go, they are informed of everything.”

  He snickered. “They only know what you want them to know. I’m more than certain they do not know about the Mafia being present or how the chief of police is as corrupt as they come.” He waved his hand through the air and continued, “I’m not even going to delve into backroom deals, the death of my sister, or any other manner of mayhem that has gone on in the past in this town.”

  Myrna frowned, leaned forward, and sneered. “They’d also be interested to know you’re a cold-blooded murderer. I’m sure they’d also get a kick out of you hiding your other sibling in this town with you.” She sat back, shaking her head. “You think we’re stupid, and that’s a colossal mistake, Samuel. Why keep your only surviving sibling to yourself? Why not introduce them to the town and set them loose on all of us?” She began laughing and said, “It would be interesting to see what happens.”

  She’d baited him and watched him flinch and his hands clench. He’d just given it away. He was guilty of both accusations. Her lips curled into a sinister grin. “For your own sake, it’s better if you don’t try to delve into the dark recesses of this town, or I can assure you, it will come back and bite you in the ass!”

  He regained his composure, sat back, relaxed, and placed his hands before him; his fingers tapped against each other as he took measure of Myrna. He had no idea how she knew about the half breed, nor did he care. The fact she thought his sibling was in town with him was ludicrous. It was just bait and nothing more.

  Her gaze was steely; he was certain it could burn a hole in his skull. She was no longer the pleasant woman she was capable of being. “You once said I was a formidable woman,” she said. “Do you want to find out just how formidable I can be?”

  He raised his hands in the air and replied, “Here I was thinking this was going to be a pleasant exchange of words and reassurances, and now you are threatening me?”

  She leaned forward and spoke through gritted teeth. “When I threaten you, you’ll know it! You’re not fooling anyone. Your intentions in this town are not pure. So I’m giving you one last chance.” She slapped her free hand down on her desk. “Get out of my town.”

  “Or what?”

  She sat back. “You’ll find out.”

  He wrapped his arms around himself and falsely shivered. “Oooooh, it seems I’ve rattled the tiger’s cage.”

  She stared at him and knew he was just as sick in the head as his sister had been. His moods shifted too swiftly to gauge. He was dangerous and unpredictable. She never encountered such tenacity in an enemy. Samuel was like a tick refusing to disengage from its host. She shouted toward her office door, “Come in, Chief Hanover. This meeting is officially over.” She knew Artie had been instructed to call the chief any time Samuel entered the town hall. She was sure the chief was standing outside the door, eavesdropping.

  Sure enough, Chief Hanover entered the room, grabbed Samuel by the arm and said, “Let’s get a move on. I guess you don’t know how to play nice, and now you’ve woken death from her long slumber.”

  Samuel stood, bowed to Myrna, and left the office. He tipped his ridiculous top hat and said, “It’s been an absolute joy, Mayor. I wish you a good day.”

  Myrna’s blood was boiling, but she maintained a calm façade. As soon as her office door clicked shut, she holstered the gun, picked up her phone, and called Bertrand Sweeney. He should have picked up the package from Artie and gotten home by now. When he answered, she said, “Move it along. It’s on.”

  He replied, “I’ve already begun.”

  She then called Big Lou. He picked up on the first ring. She stated, “You should have long-distance capability.”

  “Are you kiddin’? I was the first one in town to get it. How the heck do you think my men in New York called me about the grave? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, just rattled. Get a couple of your boys back to town.”

  She could hear the smile in his voice as he asked, “Is it on?”

  “Yep. It’s time to put the squeeze on.”

  She then called the bed and breakfast and annex. She instructed them to close Samuel’s room the following morning, and both facilities were to be completely booked, thereby leaving him with no bed to sleep in or a pillow to rest his weary head on. His days as a guest of the town were over. If he didn’t leave town by then, she was going to punch his ticket.

  ***

  Before leaving for home, Myrna made a stop at the tavern and dragged Delilah into her office. They sat down across from each other, and Myrna glared at her. “Spill it.”

  Delilah batted her eyelashes, snickered, and asked, “Spill what?”

  “Knock it off. I know you and your father are up to no good and tormenting Samuel. I’m trying to get him out of town, and here you two are playing games.”

  Delilah sighed and stared at her desktop. She confessed, “We only aggravate him if he aggravates us. It’s quite harmless. Basically, I just dressed up like Patricia and strolled around town.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  Myrna relaxed back in her chair. “It explains why he doesn’t believe anything we say. He thinks she’s still alive and hiding somewhere.”

  “Myrna, he’s nuts.”

  Myrna tittered and inclined her head toward Delilah. “I found out today. He’s just as wacky as his sister was; however, it also makes him dangerous.” She paused and said, “Let me see your purse again.” Delilah showed it to her, and Myrna noticed the new initials embossed inside. She returned it to Delilah and asked, “What happened to Patricia’s?”

  Delilah shrugged and then began giggling. “I tossed it off the road and into the woods in New Hampshire. Father said it would make a luxurious winter home for field mice.”

  Myrna laughed. “You just won’t leave the ‘mouse thing’ alone where Patricia is concerned, will you?”

  Delilah laughed and shook her head. “I can’t!”

  After reprimanding her for her interference, Myrna hugged Delilah goodnight and left the office. She ran into Maurice and pecked his cheek before he went into the poker room.

  ***

  Maurice moaned, “But it’s such an inopportune time! Corrine is only in town for a few more days! I have a date with her tonight at Robert’s restaurant.”

  Big Lou looked at him in shock. “Are you shitting me? You’re putting a broad ahead of revenge?” He shook his head. “I swear to Mother Mary, Baby Jesus, and all the angels, Delilah was right. You’re going through some kind of midlife crisis.”

  Delilah added, “Watch this, Big Lou. This is what he’s thinking about doing to Corrine tonight.” She stood, batted her eyelashes, and lifted her chin as she pretended to embrace someone and gaze into the imaginary person’s eyes. “Mon chère, let us get lost in a touch of lips and tangle of tongues.”

  Maurice scratched his left ear as he laughed at Delilah’s performance. Her eyes rolled, and she plopped in her seat. “I swear, Father, wake up! I mean, I like Corrine, but could you please be careful?”

  Maurice released a heavy sigh. “My sorrow is for having to step in and take the helm again. It was nice allowing someone else to be in charge, even if it didn’t last as long as intended.”

  Big Lou laughed. “Make no mistake, your daughter-in-law is still very much in charge.”

  Maurice’s eyes grew wide, and a sly grin crept on his face. “I pity poor Samuel Whittier.”

  Delilah asked, “What are you going to do about Corrine?”

  Maurice’s emerald eyes sparkled. “I’m going to take her on our date tonight as planned. I’ve wonderful arrangements
solidified at the restaurant.”

  Delilah collapsed over the table, knowing she would have to get her evening “Patricia” costume ready. Big Lou groaned in despair.

  ***

  Samuel Whittier exited the town pizzeria with supper for him and Ivan. He placed it on the passenger’s seat of the Hummer as he started the engine. After a light snowfall, the roads had been sanded again, and he made his way toward Main Street when a sight stopped him cold. He placed his foot on the brake and pulled over to the nearest parking spot.

  Maurice Gillette and Patricia were walking arm in arm down Main Street toward Carla’s Fine Cuisine! Patricia had the same walk, gorgeous coat, scarf, and meticulous hairdo. He cut the engine, leapt from the vehicle, and plowed through a snow mound. He hit the sidewalk running, screaming, “Patricia, stop!” He watched in despair as the loving couple hastened their steps and entered the restaurant even as he ran forward.

  He burst into Carla’s to see customers talking together and dining on the sumptuous cuisine, and he rushed to a waitress. “Where is Mr. Gillette? I just saw him enter.”

  The waitress, Becky Macy, answered, “He’s in the private dining room with his date.”

  He turned and looked about the restaurant and asked, “Where is it? I need to see him.”

  She shook her head. “He doesn’t wish to be interrupted. I’m sorry, but I can’t disturb him.”

  He grabbed her by the blouse and shook her. “Take me to him now!”

  He felt a hand like a vise grip around his neck from behind. A deep voice said, “Get your filthy paws off my daughter.” It was Robert Collins, the chef.

  Samuel released Becky’s blouse and raised his hands in surrender. “Forgive me. I’ve not been right since my sister’s passing. I beg of you, allow me to see Maurice Gillette and his date, if only to look.”

  Robert released his neck, grabbed his arm, and dragged him to the private reception room’s door. He cracked it open and allowed Samuel to peer inside. Samuel saw a table for two in the center. The couple was dining by candlelight, but Maurice’s date was not Patricia. Samuel’s shoulders slumped. Maurice had been a liar; he’d cared nothing for his sister, or he would not have staged such a romantic date so soon after her death. Samuel hated the man. He frowned, turned, and as he walked through the main dining room, he spied Delilah come from the women’s room fresh as a daisy.