Her light mood faded quickly though. “It must be so weird for all of you locals to realize that poor Belinda never left town. She was lying dead and alone in the old sawmill all this time. It’s sad and creepy.”
“I feel awful for Jason,” Pike said.
“Me, too, and Fern. I should probably go see her.”
Pike took a sip of wine, then asked in a gentle tone, “But don’t you think, Junie, in a way, it must be a relief for them to finally know the truth?”
It was hard to admit she was right. “I suppose so.”
“Is it possible that she wasn’t murdered?” she asked cautiously. “Perhaps it was an accident.” Pike thought for a moment. “Was she hiding from someone?”
“Maybe.”
Pike got up and poured glasses of water for them both, and they changed the subject to other things, namely back to their ghost, and whether or not he might have witnessed Belinda’s death.
Chapter Eighteen
J uniper had a quick shower, changed into a silky nightshirt—Jack’s favorite, and took a few minutes to swipe on some lip gloss. By the time she made it back out to the living room Jack had fallen asleep. She suspected the day’s physical labor at the mill had taken its toll on him. They were moving fast on this project and the crews were racking up plenty of overtime. Instead she curled up at the other end of the couch, with her MacBook Air on her lap.
Her first stop was a subscription site where she searched for mentions of Albert Downey in 1925 using Penny Trubble’s account—compliments of Eve, who swore Penny gave her approval. Juniper immediately came across several articles practically identical in content to the ones she had read in the historical society. Skimming through those, she continued to look for later ones.
The headline Murder-Suicide Boho’s Doctor and His Wife Found Dead blared out. Juniper cringed. Making herself comfortable, she began to read the article—and then the next—and the next…
The body in the steamer trunk has been identified as that of Victoria Downey, wife of the late Albert Downey who is believed to have killed her and then himself in their Bohemian Lake home…
Questions continue today for Almer Stone, brother-in-law of murder victim Victoria Downey…
Authorities continue to look closer into Almer Stone who found the bodies last week…
Marital problems for the new bride and groom cited as the reasons for Downey’s mental breakdown.
Trephinia McNitt, the housekeeper of the Downey manor claims to have seen Almer Stone inside the home right before the murder-suicide. “I was just leaving when I saw him through the window. He looked to be arguing with Mrs. Downey and I thought it strange because the Doctor had left for the mill already and Mrs. Downey was not usually alone with Mr. Stone.”
Trephinia McNitt, the housekeeper who claimed to have seen Almer Stone fighting with Mrs. Downey before her murder, retracted her statement. “It was an innocent mistake. I got the Doctor and Mr. Stone mixed up,” she said, insisting they look similar. “I never saw Almer Stone,” she told Police Captain Daniel Stone.
Bohemian Lake Police say they are no longer investigating the death of Albert Downey. “We believe Albert Downey committed the murder-suicide… his death and that of his wife was a tragedy.
It was almost midnight when Juniper turned off the laptop and went to bed. She woke up the next morning thinking about the situation. Was Trephinia McNitt coerced into retracting her story? It wouldn’t have been difficult to bully a maid at that time. Especially considering it was the accused-party’s brother doing the interrogating. How corrupt was the BLPD back then?
Chapter Nineteen
J uniper was just finishing up her egg whites on toast Friday morning, when Ellie from the Bohemian Festival Committee called. Juniper didn’t like the tone of Ellie’s voice. “Is there a problem?”
“No-no, I was just calling on behalf of Mal and the BFC to see if you’re available to meet tomorrow for lunch. Mallory’s taking over the lead on the Carnival ‘cause Pike is busier than a bee in a flower garden this month and we need to finalize the Carnival details.”
“Sure. I can do that.”
Ellie hesitated like she wanted to say something more.
“Are you sure everything is okay?”
“Yes, it’s just that Mallory asked me… well, it’s something we heard around town. You know, I hate to gossip but there’s someone running your name through the mud around here.”
“Really?”
“He’s telling people you cut corners.”
Juniper stared at the phone. “I’ve never cut corners in my life.”
“I know that, Junie. He also said . . . well, it doesn’t matter.”
“Oh yes, it does. What else did he say?”
She hesitated, then added, “He said you probably wouldn’t finish the mill job.”
“Oh, that burns me. It was Frank Patone, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” she said, obviously surprised that Juniper had figured it out.
Juniper paced back and forth across the kitchen, unable to sit still after hearing Ellie’s revelation. “He’s threatened me before.”
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry.” She let loose a heavy sigh. “Mallory wants you to watch your back. She doesn’t like the color of his aura.”
“I will. Thanks, Ellie.”
Juniper hung up, feeling drained. It was barely eight o’clock in the morning and Juniper had a full day of work ahead of her, but she wanted to crawl back into bed and hide from the world.
After gulping down the rest of her coffee, she carried the mug and her empty plate to the dishwasher.
She refused to crawl back to bed. Instead she wanted to go find Frank Patone and smack him upside the head. Once she’d straightened up the kitchen, Juniper sat down and called Bear, then conferenced in Queenie to let her two foremen know that she’d be meeting an energy advisor that afternoon to discuss a new job. Juniper asked Bear to join her at the town hall for the meeting.
“I’ll be there,” Bear said.
“Queenie,” Juniper said. “You stay on top of the mill for now but I’ll tag you in on the next one. We all need to get some experience with these green jobs because as soon as people hear about the government rebates there’s going to be more and more demand for alternative-energy construction,” Juniper said, feeling better. But her good mood didn’t last long once she spoke of Frank’s slurs against her and the company.
Chapter Twenty
A t noon, the BFC met at Cookies & Corsets to put the finishing touches on the Summer Carnival.
Penny Trubble, Eve Banter, Rebel Rouse, Mallory Vianu and Ellie Mae were already seated at a back table when Juniper arrived.
“Sorry I’m late,” Juniper said as she gave each woman a hug.
“Oh, honey, you’re not really late,” Eve said, patting her shoulder. “Late is what I was when I had my second daughter. It’s only five minutes past noon. Anyhow,” Eve said and winked, “everyone knows the good gossip doesn’t start until 12:15.”
“Velma called in sick,” Pike interrupted, setting a teapot down in the center of the table. “I’ll try to swing by to catch up on things as soon as the place clears a little.”
Juniper grabbed her hand. “I can help out too.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Pike said lightly. “Just take note of all the juiciest gossip and fill me in when I come back around.”
“I think Junie’s got the latest news,” Penny said, reaching for the teapot to pour for everyone. “Why don’t you start with the old sawmill and go from there?”
“Oh God, Junie,” Eve whispered. “We heard it was Belinda Battams.”
“Did you know her?” Juniper asked. Eve was older than everyone, not that she looked or acted her age. She was like a surrogate mother to Penny —well, perhaps more like an unruly drunken aunt.
“Barely,” Eve replied. “I was in my thirties at the time, so our paths didn’t cross much. But my sister Michèle was her best friend and I sure did kn
ow the family. They had quite the reputation.”
Penny frowned. “Mmm-hmm, the family wasn’t a happy one.”
“We were barely out of our diapers at the time, Pen. You can’t possibly remember that,” Rebel said.
“No, but Dad does, plus we knew Jason and we all knew the story of the girl who ran away to Nashville. Hell, it was urban legend in Bohemian Lake.”
“I thought it was Seattle?”
“Oh, the rumor changed all the time. It was also Vegas and New York.”
Pike placed two three-tiered trays of tea sandwiches, scones, and crumb cake pastries on the table.
“I’m really concerned about Jason,” Juniper said. “Jack says he spent so many years holding on to the hope that Belinda would return one day, and now to find out that she won’t? Well, he’s been through the wringer. I wish there was something I could do.”
“We could have Nana set him up on a date with a nice girl,” Eve said as she reached for a piece of crumb cake.
They groaned as a group. Eve was at it again, wanting everyone to be as blissfully happy and married as she had been. Even though none of her own marriages had ever worked out.
“Eve, you are a glutton for punishment and a disappointment to women’s lib,” Penny said, reaching for one of the tea sandwiches.
“I’m just saying it’ll get him out of the house,” she retorted. “Men need women to civilize them.”
Penny shot a hand into Eve’s purse and pulled out a notebook with a picture of something that resembled a man’s genitalia. Penny cleared her throat as she held it up for all to see.
“Give me that!” Eve said. “That’s my date book.”
“Oh, put it away, ladies,” Pike scolded as she wandered by. “You’ll give poor old Harold a heart attack.”
Harold looked over and winked.
“Sorry Pike.” Penny apologized. “I was just proving how civilized Mother Teresa, I mean Eve was.”
“Oh, be quiet. It’s art.” Eve shot back, “So, Junie, I haven’t heard yet how you found the body.”
“It wasn’t really a body,” Juniper said, and winced. Juniper quickly checked the nearby tables to make sure nobody was listening in. “More of a corpse. Not much more than bones. The crew and I were doing a walk-through of the old sawmill to see what work needed to be done. I opened up the roller door, and... ” Juniper gritted her teeth. “She was there. She’d been inside the flour roller all this time.”
Penny had already heard the story, but she still looked pale.
Eve blinked repeatedly. “Oh, my goodness.”
Eve was the only one still shoving her mouth with food. “I’ll never eat flour again,” She mumbled through a mouthful of dessert while shaking her head.
“I beg your pardon?” Pike said. “What do you think that Old Fashioned Crumb Cake was made with?”
The girls couldn’t help but laugh.
“Can you sit for a half second?” Eve scolded.
“Sorry. I’ve actually heard all too much about that dreadful discovery,” she said, giving Juniper’s shoulder a light squeeze. “I do have to live there when this is all said and done. You carry on and I’ll be back around shortly.”
She started to walk away, but stopped abruptly. Juniper turned to see what had caught her attention and noticed Finn had just walked into the café. Juniper smiled and waved at him.
Every other woman in the place saw him, too, and half of them were waving, to no avail.
He wore a tight black T-shirt that showed off his tanned, muscular arms, along with faded jeans and scuffed boots. He was all male and rugged, a nice contrast to the cozy feminine shop.
Juniper watched him approach and whisper something in Pike’s ear.
Pike’s face instantly flushed, it was obvious to all of them that Finn must’ve suggested something naughty.
Finn sauntered into the kitchen, not making eye contact with anyone. As he left, Pike busied herself at the front counter, clearly trying to pull herself back together.
“Oh, how romantic,” Penny sighed.
“He is so handsome,” Eve whispered.
Pike deliberately avoided their table while she bustled from one guest to the next and back and forth from the kitchen, carrying dishes or bringing out new teapots.
“Her face is still red,” Eve whispered.
Penny smiled. “She looks so happy.”
Yes, Pike was practically glowing, and her girlfriends seemed to be thrilled for her.
Then she disappeared behind the swinging door.
“Maybe Pike needs a little afternoon sugar for one of her dishes,” Eve suggested.
They all reached for another round of sandwiches and chatted some more as they ate. Then the conversation drifted to the problem of Frank Patone.
“He’s a bad apple, Junie,” Eve said between bites. “Try to avoid him.”
“I’d love to, but he keeps bad-mouthing me to potential customers.”
“He’s such a blowhard,” Penny muttered.
Eve turned to Penny. “You got that right. Any ideas on how to get him to back off?”
“You mean besides running him over with a cart and flattening his tires?” Juniper said.
Penny smirked. “Who did that?”
Juniper smiled at Eve while Eve looked up and whistled.
“You are gonna get yourself killed one day, Eve,” Penny sighed. “Let’s try something safer. I’m friends with his daughter, Meg and she loathes the man. I may be able to find out what he’s up to.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Juniper said. “Now, should we get down to Carnival business? I’ve still got to hit up the hardware store.”
“Yes, lets! I’ll start us off. So, we’ve got eight vendors for the park,” Mallory said.
“Eight?” Juniper exclaimed, a little shocked.
Ellie laughed. “Is that all?”
“The park isn’t that big,” Eve said.
Mallory went down her list. “Let’s go over what we’ve got for the kids.”
“Kids? Why would we want to attract them?” Eve teased.
“We’ve got a bouncy castle and a cotton-candy truck coming,” Ellie said ignoring her. “They’ll park on the street. They also do popcorn.”
“Pike’s staff is also making mini cupcakes,” Juniper said. “And we’ve got all of the usual food vendors returning. So, there’ll be poutine, ribs and burgers.”
Rebel reached for a strawberry. “They’ll also have the face-paint lady and a puppeteer for the kids.”
“Geeze, all you need is a creepy clown and we’re all set,” Eve added.
“Moving on.” Mallory said, “I’ve got the pep squad set to decorate the fire trucks Friday afternoon.”
“Hopefully there won’t be any fires this year,” Penny murmured. Then everyone looked point blank at Eve.
“What? How else was I supposed to get the firemen out? Don’t tell me none of you enjoyed the view.”
Ellie raised her hand. “Um, I’ve got a new entry in the parade, if you ladies don’t mind.
It’s a Scooter Squad. Five boys and three girls will scooter along the parade route, and at the end they’ll have a double ramp set up where they’ll do lots of tricks.”
“That sounds like fun, but why only three girls,” Eve said. “I want in.”
“They’re the only girls who wanted to but I’ll have another ask around.”
Mallory frowned at Eve and then looked back at Ellie. “What if they get hurt?”
Ellie chuckled. “They’ll be wearing the usual bubble wrap—padding and helmets. It’s nothing they don’t do at the skate park so there shouldn’t be any more injuries than usual, but I’ll have the parents sign their general release, so the town won’t be liable.”
“Make sure you get Eve to sign off and have the ambulance on stand-by.”
“Oh, hush. That’s what you said about me snowboarding and I did great.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it handled,” Mallory said with a sig
h, and wrote something down. Mallory continued scanning her clipboard for another few seconds, then looked up. “Okay. On to the advertising,” Mallory said, nodding at Eve.
“I’ve been to every store and restaurant on the town square,” Eve said. “The restaurants all plan to offer a special and the stores will push a few sales items. The town square retail association is running ads in this Sunday’s paper and next week’s, listing every business that’s offering a deal. They should have quite a nice turnout.”
Mallory stared at her list for a long moment, then looked up at them. “I think we’re ready.”
Rebel grinned just as a waitress approached to clear their dishes and take their money.
“What happened to Pike?” Eve asked.
“Something came up,” the waitress said, and quickly changed the subject. “I hope everything was to your liking today.”
“Wonderful, as always,” Eve said, and popped the last piece of crumb cake into her mouth.
They waited for the server to leave and then they stared at one another.
Penny leaned closer. “I think I know what came up.”
Eve fanned herself. “And on who.”
Chapter Twenty One
A fter the planning meeting, Juniper headed to the Baron’s Hardware Store and walked around the enclosed nursery, studying plants, and imagining the landscapers vision for the Mill. Of course, the trip had another purpose. She just hoped Fern would open up about Belinda, and she wanted to speak with Fern’s Great Aunt Edie about Albert. Unfortunately, her neighbor was nowhere in sight.
“Hello, Junie,” Fern’s husband said as he passed by.
Juniper followed him into the main store and gazed at the paint counter, where he stood, looking chipper in a bright yellow T-shirt. They hadn’t always gotten along, but that had all been worked out at New Years.
“Good morning, where’s that lovely wife of yours?”
“She’s out back planting something or other. You know Fern; she doesn’t know where her thumbs stop and the gardens begin. You look perplexed. Can I help you with something?”
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