The Remedy Is Murder

by Mary Maxwell

  “So he’s like that cranky old man who screams at the neighborhood kids to get off his lawn?”

  Zack laughed. “Not quite! He bought the old McLachlan ranch, so I don’t think too many kids will be taunting him anytime soon. That place is ten thousand acres, which is very, very big lawn.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Laura Lamott walked into the kitchen at Sky High Pies the next afternoon with a large cooler in one hand and a backpack over the opposite shoulder.

  “Hello, ladies!” she called with a dazzling smile. “Isn’t this an amazing day?”

  She heaved the cooler onto the counter, put down the backpack and announced that we were going to be the first people in town to try their newest ice cream flavor.

  “Danny and I are calling it Love and Cherish,” she said. “Can you guess why?”

  Julia shot me a look: one part curiosity, one part hunger.

  “Is it because you’ve decided not to divorce?” she asked Laura.

  Our friend answered with a nod that was followed immediately by a single tear tumbling down her left cheek.

  “We woke up the other day,” she said in a trembling voice, “and realized that we’d been fighting about stuff that doesn’t matter. And then we rushed over to Dr. Whistler’s office and told him that we were done with counseling.”

  “Congratulations!” I said. “That’s wonderful news!”

  She rushed forward and met Julia and me in the middle of the room where we fell into a group hug.

  “I really don’t know how we got so lost in all the nonsense,” she said after the embrace ended. “We’ve been together for almost ten years. And we’ve been through so much. But there was this one day, months and months ago, when I said something that ticked Danny off and he did the same. It sort of grew from there into this, I don’t know, maybe standoff is the right word. But do you want to know what we realized the other morning?”

  Julia and I both shook our heads.

  “We’re stubborn as mules,” Laura said. “That was it. And it wasn’t like we didn’t know that already. But somehow, in the craziness of running a business and raising our kids and helping Danny’s mother take care of his dad…” She brushed more tears from her face. “…and all the other things that everybody does in a day…” She pulled a paper towel from the roll on the center island and dabbed her eyes. “…well, somehow we lost sight of what really matters.”

  I reached over and squeezed her hand. “This is really great news, Laura. Thank you for sharing it with us.”

  “We were worried about you guys,” Julia said. “And not just because we were afraid that Scoops of Joy would have to close if you split up.”

  Laura’s woeful expression shuddered briefly before she burst into rolls of laughter.

  “I know, right?” She walked over and gave us another quick hug. “The whole town would be up in arms if Danny and I closed the shop.”

  “Actually,” Julia said, “I was teasing. Our real concern was you guys and the kids.”

  “Well, praise the Lord,” our friend said, holding both palms heavenward, “we’re going to make it! We’ve talked about it and prayed about it and talked some more. The bottom line is the fact that marriage is tough. It takes work. And it takes open hearts and minds. Me and Danny aren’t unique or special. There are countless couples that decide not to stay together for whatever reason. But in our case, we’re taking a new approach to smooth the wrinkles and level out the bumps.”

  “Well, it really is joyous news,” I said. “Thanks again for letting us know.”

  She made a face. “How could I not? You guys have heard me whine and moan about my marriage for months. After such a long litany of bad conversations, I definitely wanted to share the happy news.”

  Julia gestured at the cooler. “And you made a new flavor to commemorate the decision. That’s pretty special.”

  “We hope you’ll like it,” Laura said. “It’s a mix of mint chip, salted caramel, chocolate chip cookie dough and marshmallow crunch.”

  “Sounds amazing!” I cheered. “Should we have some now?”

  “We can,” she replied. “Or you can save it for later. I actually brought four quarts; one for each of you, one for Harper and a spare just in case. That way, you could have some now and share it with your families tonight if you like the sample this afternoon.”

  I looked at Julia. “What do you think?”

  She shrugged. “I can wait.”

  “You don’t have to,” I replied.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Laura said, pointing at the backpack before she shifted her gaze to me. “I also brought my laptop with the security video that you asked Danny about on the phone this morning. We could all sample the new flavor while I show you the footage from the day Eileen was attacked.”

  “Oh, that’s even more good news!” I said. “Why did Danny change his mind?”

  “Well,” she replied with a smile, “he liked the way you put it: something about one small business owner asking another small business owner. Plus, his attitude about everything has totally changed since the revelation about our little disagreement.”

  “How about this?” Julia suggested. “You guys go into the office and look at the video while I finish cleaning the kitchen. When we’re all done, we can scoop up the new flavor and give it a whirl.”

  “Thanks, Jules!” I said. “That sounds like a perfect plan!”

  “I thought you might like the idea,” she said with a puckish grin. “Now, you two run along and let me get back to it. The sooner we finish work, the sooner we can have a scoop of Love and Cherish!”

  CHAPTER 13

  “That’s the person,” Laura said a few minutes later as we sat at the desk. “When we heard that the police found one of our cups after Eileen was assaulted, I flipped out and started poring over the videotape from that day.”

  “How did you know what to look for?” I asked.

  “Detective Kincaid,” Laura answered. “I called her to see if Eileen had given a description. She said boots with spurs and a dark hoodie with a crown design on the back.”

  “Did you tell Dina what you found?” I asked.

  Laura’s withering sigh answered the question. “I wanted to wait until after I showed it to you,” she said. “I hope that won’t be a problem.”

  After she rewound the video and started it again, I focused on the individual that had caught Laura’s attention. The person appeared to be of medium height and on the slim side, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, jeans and cowboy boots.

  “See?” She pointed at the laptop. “They’re carrying one of our jumbo paper cups. That’s the same size the police found.”

  “But how can you tell it contains a milkshake?” I asked.

  She laughed. “To the untrained eye,” she said in a deep, professorial tone, “it looks like just any old paper cup. But to a confectionary professional…” She giggled and went back to her normal voice. “Sorry, Katie. I’m in a goofy mood today.” She rolled her eyes. “Being happy around the clock is so much more fun than how I was feeling a couple of weeks ago.”

  “I’ve been there,” I said. “Maybe for a different reason, but I’ve definitely had those moments.”

  “Anyway,” she continued, pointing at the screen again, “I enlarged this on our desktop computer in the office at Scoops. We always write the flavor of milkshake on the cup before we make it. Kind of like at Starbucks when you go in and order one of their fancy coffees.” She stopped the video and pointed at a spot at the top of the cup in the image.

  “You can’t see it as well on the laptop, but our code is right there; just a few little letters that show he ordered a large chocolate peanut butter shake.”

  “That’s fantastic!” I said. “I can’t wait to tell Dina.”

  Laura shrugged. “I hope it helps. And I hope that she’ll forgive Danny for being overly protective about the tape.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “She understands.”

&
nbsp; “What about Deputy Chief Walsh?” Laura asked. “I saw him at the store last night and he totally gave me the evil eye.”

  I smiled. “There are a million reasons Trent might be in a grouchy mood. I wouldn’t worry about him either.”

  “Well, I’ve got another cooler out in the van,” she said. “I’m running a quart of our new flavor by his office on the way back to the store.” Her face lit up with a grin. “Just in case, you know.”

  “Sure thing,” I said, deciding not to mention Trent’s recent diet. “Everybody in town is aware that he loves your ice cream.”

  “I know that it’s silly,” she replied, “but I feel like we really let everybody down by playing hard to get with the video.”

  “Seriously,” I said. “Don’t sweat it. You’re coming forward now, so that’ll be helpful to the investigation.”

  She motioned at the laptop again. “Do you think that’s the person that’s been assaulting folks?”

  “I don’t think we can make that determination yet,” I said. “But this is definitely helpful evidence. Were you going to share the footage with Trent when you drop off the ice cream?”

  “Oh, golly no,” she said. “The man intimidates me too much. I was planning to leave his ice cream at the front desk before I talk to Detective Kincaid. I’ll give her the video on a flash drive.”

  “That’ll work,” I said.

  “You know, I watch a lot of cop shows,” Laura added. “I know that not being able to see the person’s face will be a little bit of a snag, but they’re wearing some pretty unique spurs. Maybe those will help with identification.”

  Since we hadn’t discussed the boot accessories yet, I asked if she could rewind the video again and let me have a look.

  She smiled. “Actually, I can do one better than that. I had our oldest boy take a screen grab and then enlarge the boots so you can get a real good look at the spurs. Matthew’s only nine, but he knows computers like nobody’s business.”

  “Well, there you go!” I said, raising one hand for a high five. “Thank you, Matthew!”

  She worked the keyboard for a few seconds to toggle between the video and a photograph.

  “That’s them,” she said, pointing at a black-and-white picture of the heel of one boot. “And see right there? Oval cup spurs with little playing cards on the band.”

  I leaned closer, examining the image. I wasn’t an expert when it came to boots and spurs, but Laura’s description was exactly right. The gear on the boot showed four miniature cards with the silhouette of a heart, diamond, three-loaf clover and spike in the center.

  “Think that’s going to helpful?” she asked.

  “I sure hope so!” I told her. “Make sure you share that with Dina, too. She’s looking for anything and everything that might help identify whoever is responsible for these attacks.”

  “And Don Sterling’s murder, right?” Laura said.

  “That’s right,” I agreed. “Even if they only intended to scare him, they’ll be charged with homicide for Don’s death.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Lynn Jaffrey’s shop, Buckles & Boots, reminded me of a place in Durango where my grandfather took me, my brother and sister during our annual summer visit when we were kids. It was crammed with a seemingly endless assortment of hats, boots, slickers, rain coats, gloves, bandanas, overalls and leather goods that scented the air with a rich, pungent and slightly sweet aroma. I didn’t get to her shop often, but Lynn was a regular at Sky High, especially on Saturday when she and her husband came in often for lunch.

  “Is that really you, Katie?” she called when I stepped in from the sidewalk. “I barely recognize you without the apron.”

  “I know, I know,” I said. “How’s your day going?”

  She pulled a face. “Inventory,” she said. “It’s like going insane one product unit at a time.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir,” I said. “When Julia and I did our last monthly count, we took so many coffee breaks that we went through two pots and a dozen mini blueberry scones.”

  Lynn sighed. “Oh, don’t those sound good? I was so hungry about an hour ago that I ate some jerky.”

  “I wish that I’d brought a goodie bag for you,” I said. “I’ll do that next time.”

  “I won’t stop you,” she teased. “But we’ll be in for lunch in a couple of days, so I can wait until then.”

  “How’s your other half doing?” I asked.

  The grin that appeared made my heart sing. Lynn and Buck had been married for thirty years. They had four kids, three grandchildren and a rock solid relationship that could serve as a blueprint for plenty of other couples in town.

  “That old guy’s doing great,” she replied. “He’s thinking about retiring early so he can help me out around here.”

  “Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

  “Can’t wait,” she said. “When he first started his career, it was like a slice of heaven. He excelled in sales and slowly climbed the ladder. But after such a long time, he’s ready to downshift a little. The travel’s harder and harder on him every year.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I said.

  She laughed again. “Me, too! I know we’ll still be working hard, but it’ll be much nicer to do it with my best friend.”

  “Amen,” I said.

  “So what brings you in today?” she asked. “Does Zack need a new pair of Wranglers?”

  “Not quite yet,” I said. “I was actually interested in a pair of spurs.”

  Lynn lifted one eyebrow. “For you or him?”

  “Neither,” I said. “I’m doing a little research for something, and was curious about spurs with playing cards on the band.”

  She nodded. “We carry those. Did you want to see a set?”

  “If it’s not too much trouble,” I said.

  Lynn turned on her heel, motioning for me to follow.

  “They’re right here in the corner,” she said over her shoulder. “We had a sale going a while back, but there happen to be exactly six sets in stock at the minute.”

  When we reached the other side of the store, she pointed at a small group of boxes arranged neatly on a shelf.

  “We have that model in two styles,” she explained, pointing at the small photographs on the sides of the boxes. “There’s either antique or black satin, and they both have a gooseneck shank.”

  “I’d ask you to translate,” I teased, “but I don’t want to fritter away any more of your time.”

  She frowned. “No trouble, Katie. I can show you the different styles.”

  “Thanks, but I’m actually more interested in something else,” I said. “Can you tell me if these sell well?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s see,” I said. “In the past six months, how many sets have you sold?”

  “Ah, that’s an easy one,” she said. “We just started carrying these three months ago. Since then, we’ve sold exactly four sets.”

  I smiled. “And you know that because you’re doing inventory?”

  “Good guess!” She snickered again. “I thought they’d sell better since so many people like gambling and horses, but so far only the four sets have moved.”

  “Okay, here’s where it gets a little dicey,” I said. “No pun intended. Would you be able to tell me who bought those four sets?”

  Lynn’s lighthearted expression darkened. “Why would you need to know that?”

  “Well, that’s why it might seem dubious,” I said, “because I can’t exactly tell you the reason. But I can promise you that it’s for a very good cause.”

  She tapered her gaze and thought about my request. Then she said, “Is this for one of those things you do for Detective Kincaid?”

  I nodded.

  “And is it related to the folks that were attacked?” she asked. “Like Eileen and Don?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “In that case, I’ll be more than happy to give you the names. Do you want to wa
it? It’ll take me a minute to search on the computer.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” I said. “Why don’t you keep going with your inventory? If you can send me an email with the information sometime tomorrow, that would be fantastic.”

  “I can do it tonight,” she said. “Buck’s in Tulsa for work today and tomorrow, so I’ll be here late. I’ll aim to get you the names by eight o’clock, okay?”

  “Whenever is good for you,” I said. “If you run into a hurdle and can’t get to it this evening, don’t worry about it.”

  “I don’t think that’ll happen,” she said confidently. “Look for an email later on.”

  CHAPTER 15

  It was late that afternoon when Dina called. After apologizing for not responding to my text earlier in the day, she asked about the security video from Scoops of Joy.

  “Yes, I’ve seen it,” I told her. “But first, you don’t need to tell me that you’re sorry for not getting back to me sooner.”

  “Well, I feel bad when I don’t,” she said. “You’re doing us a favor, Katie. I should be more responsive. So I’m sorry. Again.”

  I held my tongue, deciding not to get into it. We’d been friends for so long that I knew habitual apologies were a permanent part of her personality.

  “Hello?” She sounded annoyed. “Are you ignoring me?”

  “I’m here,” I said. “And I’m not ignoring you. I was just waiting until you’d finished saying that you’re sorry.”

  “Well, I am,” she said. “I’m sorry about being poky.”

  “I know,” I replied. “But you don’t need to say anything.”

  “Okay, then fine!” She sounded a smidge more annoyed. “In that case, I’m sorry for apologizing.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked with a laugh. “You must be having a really bad day.”

  She sighed. “Can you tell?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  “Well, it has been pretty stressful. And I’m—”

  “Please don’t say that you’re sorry again!”