The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “So, how are preparations coming on?” Mrs. M asked. “And for the seven hundredth time, is there any way I can help you?”

  “No, thanks.” Nora laughed. “Between Simone, Tina and Karen, I hardly have any work to do myself. They’re the best bridesmaids I could have asked for.” It wasn’t entirely true that she had no work, but she really didn’t want Mrs. M to be exerting herself. Nora stirred some cream into the hot cocoa she had made, and handed a mug to Mrs. M.

  “I can’t wait,” she said. “Of all the things I’ve done in life, marrying Harvey feels the most…” She took a breath. “I don’t know. I feel the way I did right before I was set to open the diner with Raquel. Life changing, is the word that comes to mind. But also, it’s right. You know? It’s something that’s going to make me happy and proud and… more myself.” Nora scrunched her nose. “I’m sure you have no idea what I’m blabbering on about.”

  Mrs M’s eyes softened. “I know you well enough to say that this is the right thing to do,” she said. “Harvey loves you, and you love him. When you find that kind of love in the world, you hold on tight to it and don’t let go.”

  With a start, Nora realized that Mrs. M was echoing her own words back to her. She’d said this to Charlotte in their car ride together. That seemed like a very long time ago. And Raquel’s death? Raquel’s death felt like another lifetime. The night her best friend had died, she’d helped Nora dress up for a date with Harvey. The navy blue dress still hung in the back of Nora’s cupboard, unworn ever since, along with a pair of yellow pumps that Raquel had lent Nora.

  Raquel was gone, and part of Nora ached, wishing that she could have been here, could have shared in the joy. And as much joy as she felt, part of Nora was also very nervous. That’s why she was unable to sleep. Eliza’s death had just reminded her of how random and cruel life could be sometimes.

  “Eliza’s death affected you,” Mrs. M. said. “I can see it.”

  “I didn’t know her at all,” Nora said. “But… I can’t help wondering if it’s an omen, you know? I’m terrified that… something bad might happen. I keep brushing the thought off, and in the daylight, I was fine, but when darkness fell, the thoughts returned and refused to go away.”

  Mrs. M nodded. “Have you talked to Harvey about it?”

  “I…” Nora sighed and shook her head. “I love him, but I didn’t want to.”

  “Why not?”

  She didn’t have an answer. At least, not one that she could say out loud. The thing was, she didn’t want to tell him because… things were perfect right now. She didn’t want him to think that she doubted him, or that she was scared of the two of them together. It wasn’t that she doubted him. It was that she doubted her own luck.

  “Never mind,” she said. “How’s the cocoa?”

  “Could use some marshmallows and a fireplace,” Mrs. M. said with a smile. “How’s your omelet?”

  Nora pushed it away, half eaten. “I’m not very hungry any more. I should get back to sleep, maybe.” Her phone buzzed on the counter.

  “Huh?” Nora said, looking at it. “It’s 2am.”

  “If it’s Harvey, tell him I disapprove,” Mrs. M teased.

  Nora waved at her with a laugh, and walked back to her room, picking up the phone on the way. “Hello?”

  “Nora?”

  “Who is this?” She didn’t recognize the panicky male voice on the other end.

  “Nora, I didn’t mean to. Oh my god. I didn’t mean to. I was drunk. I was blackout drunk! I didn’t realize...”

  The hallway around her seemed to suddenly stretch out forever, and a lump of dread formed in her stomach. Who was this? Why did the voice sound so familiar? “Why don’t you tell me all about it?” she asked, deliberately keeping her voice as calm as possible. Unconsciously, she was imitating Harvey’s method of dealing with panicking people.

  “I’m scared,” the voice said. The man at the other end was shaking. Why couldn’t she place his voice? She knew him. She knew him. But whoever he was, his voice was slurred like he’d had too much to drink, or like he was on drugs. “They’re going to find out,” the voice said. “The diner. They’re going to find it at the diner.”

  “Find what?” Nora was alarmed now. “Find what at the diner? Who are you? Listen, talk to me.”

  The man at the other end was sobbing now, his voice shaking. “I didn’t mean any of it,” he said. “I thought… I don’t know what I thought, really! But I promise you, hurting you wasn’t part of the plan. I shouldn’t have gone along with it. But… I had to do it. It was just a…” His voice got cut off as he sobbed some more.

  Nora was getting alarmed. The man speaking to her was hysterical, but he was trying to tell her something. Something crucial. If she wasn’t wrong, it was all related to Eliza’s death.

  “They’ll send me to jail for this,” he cried. “I can’t go to jail. I can’t! I’d rather die.”

  “You’re not going to jail,” Nora said, holding onto the phone with one hand as she frantically dressed with the other. “I promise you, you’re not going to jail. Now I want you to do me a favor, buddy. You with me?”

  “Y-yes?”

  “Take a breath,” Nora said. “Take a deep breath. Together with me now. Come on.” She took a deep breath, and noted with satisfaction that he did, too.

  “Good,” she said. “Now another.”

  He took another breath, and then three more. “Thanks,” he said, his voice sounding far more calm.

  “Now first of all, make sure you’re safe,” Nora said. “Whatever you have to tell me, you can tell me once you’re sure nobody will harm you.”

  “I’m safe,” he said. “I’m at the diner right now. I thought maybe I could… but the forensics team was already here. I was too late.”

  “The diner?” Suddenly, it clicked together. This was Bret! Of course! This was Bret’s voice. But why was he at the diner? He had a spare key, since he had first shift a few times a week. But what was going on?

  “I’m driving there now,” Nora said. “Stay on the phone with me or if you want, I can call Sean?”

  “No!” His voice grew panicky again. “No, you can’t! They’ll arrest me. Nora please, if they know…”

  “All right, no Sean. I’m coming over though.” Nora had him on speaker now, and tapped out a quick message to Harvey, hoping he wasn’t too fast asleep. She got in her car, and zoomed out of the driveway. “Talk to me, Bret. What’s going on?”

  There was silence on the other end.

  “Bret?” The dread that had been pooling in her stomach now became a certainty. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

  *****

  Chapter 9

  At The Diner

  The diner had yellow tape all around it, a sight that made Nora’s heart clench a little. She parked her car hurriedly, and raced to the back entrance. Her mind went blank as she saw the open door, which was swinging in the wind. This was Raquel, all over again. All too well, she could recall that horrible day when she had found out Raquel had been murdered at the diner. The murder had thrown a dark shade over everything she loved, and not only had she lost her best friend, for a long time, she had lost her diner too. If something had happened to Bret…

  She refused to think about it.

  “Bret?” she called tentatively as she entered. “Are you there?” Silence greeted her, apart from the lone call of a wolf far in the distance. Outside, the mountains lurked in darkness, watching silently as she moved through the kitchen, careful not to touch a thing. The diner was shrouded in darkness too, save for the blue light from her phone, which allowed her to see only sections of the kitchen at a time. She knew and loved this kitchen, and in the daylight, it was her refuge. But now, the dim light made the same counters and equipment look different, as if they had a life of their own at night.

  Her heart was hammering now. The door to the reach in freezer was open. Everything else was seemingly untouched.

  Nora decided to phone Bre
t. When three calls went straight to voicemail, she gave up, and decided to call Harvey instead. He picked up almost as soon as the phone rang. “Nora?” His voice was heavy with sleep.

  “H-Harvey? Did you get my text?”

  “No. I was asleep.” He was instantly alert. “You sound scared. Where are you?”

  “At the diner,” Nora said. “I’m not sure what’s going on.”

  “The diner? Wasn’t that… all right, Nora, I’m going to be there as fast as I can,” he said. “Don’t go inside alone, all right? Get back in your car and call Sean if you have to.”

  “I’m already inside. The kitchen,” she said. “Bret called me. He sounded really weird. I thought there was something he wanted to say… but then…”

  “Called you at…” Harvey paused as if checking a watch. “2am?”

  “I couldn’t understand him at first, but I think it was—”

  “Related to the murder?” Harvey asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Nora, are the lights on?” Harvey asked. “In the diner?”

  “No,” Nora said. “I only used my phone’s flashlight.”

  “All right. For my sake, please don’t investigate alone,” Harvey said. “Go back to the car. Did you bring along that Taser I gifted you?”

  She’d been in too much of a hurry to remember she had it. “It’s in my car. In the glovebox,” she said.

  “Great. Go back to the car, lock the doors, and hang on. I’ll be there any minute now. Call Sean!”

  “I…” Nora paused suddenly. “Harvey, a car just pulled up.”

  Harvey gave a brief, but sharp curse. “Okay. There’s knives in the kitchen, right? Grab one. Defend yourself if you need to. You should stay silent and hide now. I’m going to stay on the phone and keep you company, all right?”

  “Are you driving one handed?” Nora asked.

  Harvey gave a pained laugh. “Are you honestly thinking of my safety right now?”

  “Don’t be rash,” Nora said, “This might be nothing.” There was a tremor in her voice, though, that gave away the lie.

  “It isn’t nothing,” Harvey said. “We both know it. I love you, Nora, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Just stay strong for me, two more minutes.”

  Nora wanted to reply, but had to stay quiet. She was hiding behind one of the counters. Two men were at the door now. Their shadows blocked the vague light from the parking lot. One of them raised his hand and shone a flashlight around the room.

  Nora pressed herself against the counter, praying that the flashlight would miss her somehow. Once, twice, it swung past her. The third time, it centered on her, nearly blinding her with its intensity.

  “Nora?” the man at the door asked.

  She exhaled all the air from her lungs. This was Sean’s voice.

  “Sean?” She stood up, just as Sean flicked on the lights. She winced at their fluorescent glare, and held up a hand to cover her eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” Sean asked. Deputy Ellerton stood next to him, looking equally confused.

  She let out a deep breath, and her heart began to beat normally again. “Thank god it’s just you. I was so scared.” She took a step toward him, and to her surprise, he took a step back.

  “You still haven’t explained what you’re doing here,” Sean said. For the first time, she noticed that his voice was hard. This wasn’t her friend Sean talking. This was Sheriff Dracon.

  “I- I got a call from Bret, saying he needed to talk to me,” Nora said. “He was incoherent, but I could tell he was talking about Eliza’s murder. He was scared of something… or someone. I tried to calm him down, and rushed here as fast as possible.”

  Sean sighed. “Nora… why didn’t you call me?”

  “Bret didn’t want me to,” Nora said. “I wanted to call you but things just happened so fast...”

  “Did you see the yellow line outside?” Sean asked. “The one with Police Line - Do Not Cross written on it?”

  “I did, but Bret—”

  “And you realize that there’s an ongoing investigation regarding the murder of Eliza Raclette?” Sean asked.

  “Sean… come on!” Nora protested. “Give me a break, will you?”

  “You deliberately crossed police lines, Nora. I don’t think you’re looking at this from a neutral standpoint. If anyone else had been caught doing this, you’d assume they were the murderer, wouldn’t you?”

  “What does my diner have to do with Eliza’s murder? I’m telling you that the cake had to have been poisoned after—”

  “And I’m telling you, we’ve found forensic proof that says otherwise,” Sean said. “Nora, I’m going to have to arrest you now.”

  The world seemed to tilt, and then right up again. “You’re arresting me?” she asked, incredulous. “Sean, this is me. Nora.”

  Harvey’s car screeched into the parking lot, and he came running in just as Sean had handcuffed her and read her the Miranda.

  “What on…” Harvey’s eyes grew wide.

  “Harvey, I don’t want any trouble now.” Sean put up a hand, and took a step back.

  “You’re arresting Nora?” Harvey’s voice was dangerously low, and the look in his eyes even scared Nora. She stepped between him and Sean.

  “Harvey, he’s only doing his job. This will be cleared up soon enough. Don’t do anything rash now.”

  “Rash?” Harvey laughed. “I’m not going to do anything rash. What’s the big deal, right? He’s only arresting the love of my life on trumped up charges.”

  “She crossed a line, Harvey,” Sean said. “Literally.”

  “After everything she’s done for this town, you really think anyone’s going to believe you?” Harvey asked. “Everyone knows Nora is—”

  “I know.” Sean exploded in frustration. “I don’t for a minute think she’s the killer. But you know what, Harvey, if you used your brain, you’d see that something is wrong. There was poison mixed in with that frosting, and some of it was found in the diner right here. Next thing I know, I get reports of lights being on in the diner, and come out to investigate. What do I find? Nora’s in here, alone, and the fridge door is open. I have to book her on tampering with evi—”

  “When did you get the call?” Harvey asked.

  “What?”

  “What time did you get the call?”

  “It took me about twenty minutes to get here, so…”

  “Nora called me only ten minutes ago,” Harvey said. “You can check her call logs. Bret called her before that, which means that whoever reported those lights saw Bret in here, not Nora.”

  “The lights weren’t even on when I came here,” Nora agreed.

  “We’ll sort that out later,” Sean said. “The first thing I need to do is get you down to the station to talk, and post a guard or two here at the diner. For now… we’re done. No more arguments. Deputy, get the car out front.”

  *****

  Chapter 10

  In Jail

  “You’ll be out on bail by tomorrow,” Harvey said, his voice low. “And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure Sean is out of a job tomorrow.”

  Nora looked at him from behind bars, wondering how on earth she had managed to end up in jail. Dawn was just beginning to lift the curtains of darkness, although the sun had yet to rise. Hours ago, she’d been making cocoa and eating an omelet, and discussing wedding plans. Now suddenly… everything had changed.

  “You hear me, Nora?” Harvey asked. “I’m going to make sure this goes away. I promise.”

  “Harvey.” Her heart melted as she looked at him. His face was riddled with doubt and worry, and looked almost gaunt. He hadn’t even had time to change out of his sweatpants and T-shirt because he’d come running as soon as she had called him. She reached out and held his hand through the bars, and he gripped it tight.

  “No more talk of firing Sean,” she said. “I’m not very pleased with him at the moment, but he’s just doing his job. He’d be a bad sheri
ff if he went around favoring me just because I’m his friend, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “There is no way you’re responsible for any of this,” Harvey said. “Sean’s a bit of a bully. He could have talked this out with us. There was no need to arrest you.”

  “I did cross the line.” Nora shrugged. “I should have waited for the cops to show up instead of charging in.”

  “That’s just… that’s just who you are,” Harvey said. “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to go up, strangle Sean, and then come join you in that cell.”

  “Don’t even joke like that, Harvey,” the Deputy called out from behind them.

  “He’s right. Don’t even joke like that,” Nora said. “Harvey, I don’t care much about being in jail. The cell’s clean enough, actually. But what about Bret? I’m genuinely worried about him. He’s only a kid.”

  “He’s 22,” Harvey said. “Old enough to take care of himself.”

  “It’s not right,” Nora said. “The whole thing is scaring me. Please make sure Angela and Tina are all right. Then make sure Sean is trying to find Bret.”

  “We sent a Deputy around to his house,” Deputy Ellerton piped up. “He wasn’t there.”

  “Was his car missing too?” Nora asked.

  “No,” Ellerton said. “His car was parked on the road. We’ve got no reason to think he’s missing yet. Except he isn’t picking his phone up. For all we know, he’ll wake up drunk somewhere and tell us this has all been a misunderstanding.”

  Nora shook her head. “That’s… no. Something’s wrong there.” Her head was aching now, and her entire body was feeling the exhaustion of staying up all night. She rested her head against the bars and tried to think.

  “I’ll go,” Harvey said. “I’ll drive to every bar in a ten mile radius of town, and try to hunt Bret down. If I can’t find anyone who’s seen him, I’ll hire a private detective who’ll probably do better than certain Sheriffs I won’t name.”

  “Come on Harvey. You’re just sore because Nora’s in here. She’ll be out by morning, and this whole thing will blow over. Just because Sean doesn’t play favorites is no reason to get mad.”