The Valentine Mystery

by Kathi Daley

  “You said you were in town to do research. Are you a writer?”

  “No. The research is personal in nature.”

  “I see.” I didn’t really and wanted to know what personal research Coby was in town to carry out, but asking would make me seem too forward, “I was born in White Eagle and have lived here my whole life. I’m happy to help if you need a local perspective.”

  Coby pulled a photo from his pocket and passed it across the table. “What do you see?” he asked as I took it from his outstretched hand.

  “A very beautiful pregnant woman holding a blanket while standing in front of the old Honeycutt house.”

  “You know the place?” Coby asked. I couldn’t help but notice the excitement in his voice.

  “Sure. It’s a big house just outside of town. Edith Honeycutt lived there until she died five or six years ago. It’s been empty ever since. Did you know Edith?”

  Coby shook his head. “It’s kind of a long story and I know you have to get to work, so I’ll see if I can condense it. I was adopted. I never knew who my real parents were and never really wondered about them until a few months ago, when my father died after a short illness. My parents were in their late forties when I was adopted. Both sets of grandparents were dead and I never had siblings, so I didn’t have any extended family to speak of. My mom died when I was in high school, so it was just Dad and me for quite some time. He felt bad I was going to be left alone in the world, so on the day before he passed, he gave me this photo. He told me that he and Mom had adopted me through the foster care system, where I’d been ever since I was found in a church in Kalispell just days after I was born. I was wrapped in a blanket, and that photo was tucked in with me. My dad suspected the photo was of my biological mother, although he didn’t know it for certain. On the back of the photo were the words, ‘Where you go, so goes my heart.’”

  “That’s so sad. Are you here to try to track down the woman in the photo?”

  Coby took a sip of his coffee. “If I can. I started my search in Kalispell by visiting the church where I’d been left on Valentine’s Day thirty-four years ago. The pastor at that time passed away more than a decade ago, and the new one didn’t know anything about me or where I might have come from. I spent some time speaking to parishioners who’d been around back then, but no one said they recognized the woman in the photo. A woman did recognize the blanket, however. Sewn into the corner is a logo with a small cat and the letters CM. The woman told me there used to be a gift shop in White Eagle called The Cat’s Meow. The owner liked to knit and sold her own handcrafted wares in her store. The woman in Kalispell recognized the logo, so here I am. I figured I’d spend some time in town to see if anyone recognizes the woman in the photo.”

  “I’m only twenty-eight, so I wasn’t born yet thirty-four years ago, but my mom and Aunt Ruthie both lived here then. We can ask them.”

  “That’d be great. Thanks.”

  I raised my hand and waved my mother over. When she arrived at our table I briefly explained what Coby was in town to accomplish. She looked at the photo but didn’t recognize the woman. Like me, she recognized the house in the background, and she remembered The Cat’s Meow, but the owner, Gilda Swan, had moved on quite a while back and she didn’t know what had become of her. Aunt Ruthie said the same thing, but she offered to make a couple of copies of the photo, and I said I’d take one of them with me on my route. Mom and Ruthie promised to show the other to any longtime locals who stopped by for a bite to eat. They took Coby’s cell number and one of us would call him if we found anything at all that might help him with his search.

  After breakfast, I headed to the post office to pick up my mailbags and Coby went back to the Inn.

  Trying to find a woman with only a single photo wasn’t going to be easy, especially because she may only have been passing through town. Still, I wasn’t a stranger to the pull of a mystery surrounding a parent, no matter how hopeless the quest might seem. Until Tony found that first photo at Christmas, I’d had a lot less than Coby to go on, and yet I had stuck with my desire to find out the truth about my dad for fourteen long years. Coby had only been looking a few weeks. Perhaps he’d find what he was looking for.

  By the time I got to Bree’s bookstore, it was well in to the afternoon. She was ringing up a customer when I arrived, but she signaled for me to wait rather than just dropping her mail and leaving, as I’d planned. I had a lot of territory to cover in a short amount of time if I was going to be done with my route by five, but Bree was my best friend, so if she wanted me to wait, I would.

  “I received another gift,” Bree said with a huge grin on her face the moment the customer left.

  “More flowers?”

  “Better.” Bree set a box of chocolates on the counter. “They’re really good. Have one, if you want.”

  I looked in the box and selected one I thought might have a caramel center. “Still no idea who the gifts are from?”

  Bree shook her head as I took a bite of the dark chocolate. “Not a clue. I set my bouquet on the counter during book club last night. I hoped if it had been sent by someone in the group, they would say something or give themselves away in some way, but while everyone commented on how beautiful it was, no one said they’d sent it.”

  “Did you check with the florist and the candy shop to see who ordered the items delivered to you?” I selected a second piece of candy, then put the lid back on the box so I wouldn’t end up eating Bree’s entire gift.

  She nodded. “All either merchant will say is that the sender wanted to remain anonymous.”

  I took Bree’s hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. “I think you should just enjoy the gifts. It’s so wonderful to see a smile on your face again.”

  Bree’s smile faded just a bit. “I guess I have been sort of down in the dumps since Donny.”

  “You’ve gone through something really difficult, and it’s understandable you’d feel a little down. But you seem happy now. Embrace the fun of the mystery.”

  “I guess, but I’d like to know who to thank.”

  “If the person wanted thanks, they would have included their name,” I pointed out. “Enjoy the gifts and don’t worry about who sent them.”

  Bree frowned at me. “It wasn’t you, was it?”

  “Sorry, no. If I knew that receiving anonymous gifts would help you out of your funk and had thought of it first, I might have done exactly what your anonymous friend has, but I didn’t, so I can’t take the credit.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “Listen, I have to go. We’ll catch up later.”

  “Dinner?”

  “I’m going over to Tony’s tonight. How about tomorrow? We can try that new Italian place everyone is raving about. My treat.”

  “Okay, that sounds good. I’ll text you tomorrow to work out the details.”

  I’d hoped to have time to show Coby’s photo around, but I was behind on my schedule and I still had posters to hand out for Brady, so I decided that, except for Hap, the person I considered most likely to have known the woman in the photo, I’d wait to ask around more widely until the following day.

  I intentionally left the part of town where Hap had his store until last so I could stop and chat for a minute. When I arrived, it was already a quarter to five and Hap closed at five in the winter, so our chat would have to be brief.

  “I wondered what happened to you today,” Hap said as Tilly and I walked in. “In fact, I’d all but decided I didn’t have mail today.”

  “You have mail.” I held up the small pile of envelopes before handing them to the tall, thin, white-haired man. “I was running behind and needed to talk to you, so I left you for last. I should have texted so you wouldn’t worry.”

  “A text would have been nice.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” I leaned on the counter while Tilly went to stretch out by the fire. It had been a cold day and I could see she was anxious to settle in for the evening. Of course, I’d promised Tony I’d have dinner with
him, but Tilly loved Tony and Titan, so my guess was she’d be fine with another trip out.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” Hap asked.

  I handed him the photo. “Do you recognize this woman?”

  He studied the photo. “No, I don’t think so; at least nothing comes to mind. Who is it?”

  I briefly explained Coby’s reason for being in town. Hap took a second look at the photo, tilting his head from one side to the other as he thought. “You know, you might want to talk to Dotty Norris. She’s lived just down the road from the Honeycutt house for close to fifty years. I remember Dotty and Edith being friends. Seems to me if Edith had a guest staying with her thirty-four years ago, chances are Dotty would be one of the few to remember.”

  “Thanks, Hap. I’ll chat with Dotty tomorrow. Right now, I need to run. Tilly and I are supposed to be having dinner with Tony and Titan tonight.”

  “How’s that boy doing? He used to stop by now and then, but I don’t think I’ve seen him since before Christmas.”

  “He’s been working on some secret project for whoever he works for. I have no idea exactly what it is, but it seems to be taking a lot of his time. I know he was out of town for two weeks last month because Titan stayed with me while he was away, but I think he’s about done at this point. I’ll tell him to stop in and say hi when he’s next in town.”

  “Do that. I always enjoy chatting with the lad.”

  I wouldn’t exactly call Tony a lad. Not only was he twenty-eight and an adult by anyone’s standards, but he was a good six feet four, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. The term lad, in my mind, conjured up someone young and scrawny, and Tony was neither. Of course, I suppose age is relative. To someone Hap’s age, those of us who haven’t yet reached thirty probably did seem like kids.

  I’d just reached my Jeep when Mike texted me to ask if I could come to his office before heading home for the day. He was only a couple of blocks away, so I started my Jeep and drove in that direction. I parked in front, then sent a quick text to Tony, letting him know I might be a few minutes late. Then Tilly and I headed into Mike’s office.

  “You wanted to speak to me?” I said, sitting down across his desk. It was a mess and looked like he’d been sorting through old files.

  “I just have a few questions about yesterday’s accident,” Mike said, shoving a pile of manila folders aside.

  “Okay, shoot. What do you want to know?”

  “You said last night that you were nearing the section of highway with that series of sharp curves when you heard a crash.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Did you actually see the accident occur?”

  “No. I was still on the north side of the curves. I heard the crash and then a deer ran into the road. I swerved to avoid hitting him and momentarily lost control of the Jeep. By the time I regained it and managed to stop the Jeep, both vehicles were already where you found them.”

  “And both men were still in their cars at that point?”

  “Correct. I approached Coby’s vehicle first because it was still on the road. He was sitting in the driver’s seat and appeared unharmed, but he couldn’t get his car door open. I managed to force the back door open, which is how he got out. Once Coby was safely out of his vehicle, he and I went to check on the other man, who was unconscious. By the way, how is he?”

  “I’m afraid he didn’t make it.”

  “Oh, no. I’m so sorry.”

  “I only have a preliminary report to work off, but it looks like the cause of death was heart failure. I’m operating under the assumption he had a heart attack.”

  “Coby said the man’s heart wasn’t beating when he checked shortly after the accident. He administered CPR and his heart started beating again.”

  “When I spoke to Walters last night, he said he was following the vehicle driven by the other accident victim when the car spun out of control. He told me that he tried to avoid a collision but was unsuccessful. It appears the car Walters was driving hit the back of the car in front of him, pushing it off the road, where it traveled down the embankment and smashed headfirst into a large tree. I’ve gone back to the site and looked around, and it seems that for the lead car to hit the tree as hard as it did, the force to the rear of the vehicle had to have been significant. Walters swore he wasn’t speeding, but I don’t see how he couldn’t have been. Did you see anything that might explain what caused that first vehicle to hit the tree at the speed it did?”

  “The accident was over before I arrived. I guess if the man spun out of control and Coby ran into him, the force created by the two cars colliding could have caused the first vehicle to veer off the road at a significant rate of speed.”

  “Maybe.”

  I could tell by his expression that Mike still didn’t believe things had gone down the way Coby said they had, but he was going to let it go for now.

  “Were you able to identify the man who died?” I asked.

  “According to his ID, his name was Armand Kowalski. His driver’s license was issued in California and his home address is in San Francisco. I don’t know a lot about him and I’m still trying to track down his next of kin. I have some feelers out, so I should know more by tomorrow. In the meantime, if you think of anything at all you want to add to your statement, give me a call.”

  Chapter 4

  By the time I went home, changed my clothes, grabbed food for Tilly and both kittens, and drove us all up the mountain to Tony’s, it was close to six-forty.

  “Sorry I’m late,” I said as I let myself and the animals in the front door. I let Tang and Tinder out of their car carrier while Tilly enthusiastically greeted Titan.

  “I figured you might be after you texted, so I planned for dinner to be ready at seven. Would you care for a glass of wine or maybe a beer while we wait for the lasagna to be done?” Tony took my coat, hat, and mittens and hung them on the coatrack near the door.

  “A beer would be great. Thanks.” I followed Tony, who was dressed in faded jeans and a sky-blue sweater, into the kitchen. “It smells wonderful in here. I never had time to stop for lunch, so I’m starving.”

  Tony handed me a slice from the loaf of freshly baked French bread he had cooling on the counter. “You shouldn’t go all day without eating.”

  “I didn’t.” I took a bite of the bread after spreading a pat of butter over it. “Remember, I had breakfast with Coby.”

  “That’s right. How did that go?”

  I briefly explained why Coby was in White Eagle. “Maybe you can use your facial recognition software to find the woman in the photo.”

  “I’d be happy to try if your friend wants me to. I think we should ask him first.”

  “I’ll ask him tomorrow.” I took another bite of the bread. It really was delicious. Soft and hot on the inside and crisp and browned around the edges. “It seems like forever since we’ve hung out. Did you finish the project you’ve been working on?”

  “Yes, I did. I have another one I’ve been putting off until after I completed this one, but I think I’ll take a few days off before I jump in. Did you finish your kitchen? The last time I spoke to you, you said you wanted to paint it.”

  “I never even started. Between working Monday through Friday, volunteering at the animal shelter on Saturdays, and keeping my mom happy by spending most Sundays with her, I haven’t had any time to myself. I’m looking forward to hanging out and playing video games this evening. It’s been a while.”

  Tony used a finger to wipe a smear of butter from the corner of my mouth. “It has. I’ve missed you. And Titan hasn’t been happy that Tilly hasn’t been coming around.”

  I glanced toward the fireplace. The two dogs were curled up, cuddling. They really did seem to love each other. “I need to make more of an effort to bring her by. Maybe Sunday. I’ve had dinner with my mom five weeks in a row. I think it’s time I took a day for myself.”

  Tony smiled. “Sunday would be great. We can do anythi
ng you like.”

  A feeling of contentment washed over me as he removed the lasagna from the oven before sliding in the garlic bread in its place. Tang and Tinder had decided to join the dogs, and all four animals slept while Tony and I ate. I wanted to ask him about his research into my dad’s whereabouts, but I hated to ruin the perfection of the evening, so I decided I’d wait to bring it up until after I annihilated him in whatever video game he’d agreed to test.

  “What’s going on with Shaggy?” I asked after we’d polished off an impressive amount of the lasagna. Shaggy, whose real name was Stuart, owned a video store in town and was Tony’s best friend.

  “Not a lot, as far as I know. I’ve been so busy, we haven’t hung out much, but I do know he’s working on a new distribution contract he thinks will help his business get the jump start it needs. In fact, I think he’s in Denver this week.”

  “He’s out of town?”

  “As far as I know, he left a week or so ago. He said he was going to close the store for a couple of weeks so he could head out and visit his brother as long as he was going to be in Colorado.”

  “Dang, there goes my number one suspect.”

  “Suspect?” Tony raised a brow.

  “Bree has a secret admirer who’s been sending her gifts the past couple of days. I thought it might be Shaggy.”

  Tony looked surprised. “Why would he be sending Bree gifts? They barely get along.”

  “I know they fight a lot, but I sort of get the idea Shaggy’s in to Bree, and teasing her is some sort of courtship ritual.”

  Tony lifted a shoulder. “I guess you have a point. It is odd how he picks on her more than anyone else. Still, I don’t think he’s the type to do something as subtle as send anonymous gifts. Jumping out at her with a can of Silly String is more his style.”

  “I guess you’re right.” I picked up my plate and took it to the sink.

  “I’ll get this stuff,” Tony said.

  “Okay, then I’ll take the dogs out for a quick break while you clean up. I’d hate to be interrupted once the annihilation begins.”