“Them’s the rules, kiddo. Go get yourself some apple juice instead,” Grace teased.
“You’re only three years older, you know. You don’t get to boss me around.”
“Ah, but those three years have made all the difference. You’ll understand when you’re twenty-four.” Grace put her glass aside and grabbed Hazel in a friendly headlock.
“Behave, you two.” Harvey came up from behind Nora and put his arms around her waist. Kissing her gently on the cheek, he said, “Happy birthday again, love.”
“But, seriously, Aunt Tina. You should be careful what you wish for — interesting times aren’t always good times.” Grace grinned.
“Oh, sure. But I could do with something to relieve my boredom.” Tina sighed. “Life’s been in a boring rut these days. I feel like a tree that’s shed all its leaves. My two little ones have spread their wings and flown away.”
“Your kids are twenty-five years old, Aunt Tina. Hardly babies,” Hazel said with a smile.
“They’re always going to be my little babies,” Tina pouted. “Even when they’re old and wrinkled. You’ll understand one day when you’re a mom.”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “You, too? I understand plenty, believe me!”
“Well, I know exactly how you feel,” Nora agreed. “Since Grace moved out, the house has been so much quieter. And one day Hazel is going to move out, too. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself then.”
“Oh, mom.” Hazel shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. “You know it has to happen sometime.”
“Yeah, it should have happened already, like three years ago.” Grace said. “You’re totally a kid still, Hazel. I keep telling you it’s time to leave your safety net and get out into the world.”
Instantly, Hazel’s face turned mutinous. Nora, who privately agreed with Grace despite loving having her daughter at home, said nothing and moved away. Leaving them bickering, Nora headed to the table for another chocolate brownie. Warm yellow light filled the house, along with music and laughter and, personally, even if it wasn’t very interesting, Nora was definitely very happy with her life.
*****
It wasn’t until later that night, long after the lights and music had faded, that Nora sat up in bed suddenly.
“Zoey!” she muttered, clapping a hand to her forehead.
“Hmmwhazzit.” Harvey turned over in bed and pulled her close to him. “Go back to sleep,” he said, his eyes still closed.
“Harvey, Zoey came to me for help today. I completely forgot. I didn’t even call her back.” Guiltily, Nora looked at the clock on her nightstand — 3am.
“Well, it can wait one night, whatever it is. I’m sure she won’t like it if you call in the middle of the night,” Harvey said, opening one eye hesitantly. “Call her first thing tomorrow morning.”
“I don’t know. She seemed really…off.” Nora hesitated. “I feel terrible. I could have taken five minutes at the party and phoned her. But I was just so excited to see everyone…”
“It was a good party, wasn’t it?” Harvey sat up and stretched. “Grace’s idea, all of it. That girl sure does love her mama.”
“We did good with that one, didn’t we?” Nora smiled.
“We did good with both of them,” Harvey said. “You know my favorite memory from tonight?”
“What?”
“When Hazel coaxed Mrs. Mullally into doing the Macarena with her.” Harvey threw back his head and laughed. “I wish I’d recorded that. It was so cute.”
Another twinge of guilt hit Nora. “I should visit Mrs. M. more often,” she said. “I know her grand-nephew and his wife have moved in to help care for her but still...”
“Ah, yes. Handsome, young Tom Shepherd and his wife, Ronnie.” Harvey nodded. “Word in town is those two aren’t too happy with each other right now.”
“Really?” Nora leaned forward. Tom had grown up in Milburn, then moved out to Colorado for college, where he married his wife. In their late twenties, the two had decided to relocate to Milburn when Tom’s great aunt, Mrs. Mullally, needed help. After all, Milburn was a wonderful place to raise kids. And it had worked out well — Mrs. Mullally was able to live at home instead of going to a retirement community, and she was surrounded by family. As for Tom and his wife, they got to live rent-free. Definitely a win-win.
“Word is, Harvey’s grown a bit too close with one of his clients down at his accounting firm,” Harvey said. “At least, that’s what my spies tell me. Apparently Shepherd & Co. Offers different services for their more attractive patrons. Or at least one of them.”
“Oh, no.” Nora bit her lip. “If Ronnie takes the kids and leaves him, Mrs. Mullally will be devastated. She loves the little ones.”
“How many do they have again?”
“Two. A four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son.”
Harvey whistled. “That’s a handful. I don’t know how we ever managed it.”
“The house was just one big, dirty pile of laundry away from collapsing in on itself back then.” Nora laughed. “Zoey’s helped me through a lot of that, you know. You were always so busy with your sixty-hour weeks, and I had the diner…”
“Life’s better now,” Harvey said. “Easier, isn’t it? Funny, at thirty, I never thought I’d turn sixty and be glad those days were over. I wanted my youth to last forever.”
“Are you really glad those days are gone?” Nora asked. “I mean…sometimes I feel like I just blinked and life flew by me.”
Harvey pulled her back into his arms. “What I mean is that life was good and now it’s even better! And I have no desire to be chasing any more little kids around! We raised two strong young women and it’s their turn to be young.”
“I don’t know…” Nora sighed. “I’ve got one of those bad feelings, you know? Like a wave’s about to break over our heads. It’s the kind of feeling you only get at three in the morning.”
“Hmm.” Harvey scratched his chin. “Let’s see… how do I make those bad feelings go away? I know!” With a sudden grin, he began tickling Nora and she batted his hands away, shrieking with laughter. They ended up in a pile together and, eventually, fell asleep in each other’s arms. Nora slipped into peaceful dreams, once again forgetting all about Zoey.
It wasn’t until morning, when the phone rang, that it all came rushing back to her. Even before she picked up, Nora had a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Tina was on the line. “It’s Zoey!” she exclaimed, distressed. “I just found out. I can’t believe it! She’s dead, Nora!”
*****
Chapter 2
Death Knocks Once Again
Zoey lived in a small, whitewashed house on Orchard Street in East Milburn. Half the houses on the street were up for sale or foreclosed, their windows cracked and their lawns overgrown. The handful of neighbors who still lived on the street had gathered around the yellow tape the police had put up and were having hushed discussions about what had happened.
Nora’s car, a black BMW, attracted a lot of looks as it screeched down the street and parked next to Zoey’s house. Tina and Nora got out, slamming the doors in sync. A man in a sheriff’s uniform walked out of the house, hitching his pants up as he strode down the lawn. He caught Nora’s gaze and rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. Nora was unimpressed, too. She’d always liked Sheriff Sean Dracon, who was tough, but fair. Since Sean had retired and gone off on a year-long RV trip with his wife, Karen, a few months ago, his former deputy, David Ellerton, had become sheriff. He was an experienced man, but not quite as bright as Sean, in Nora’s opinion.
“What are you two doing here?” Sheriff Ellerton asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “How did you find out so soon?”
“In this town, gossip moves faster than lightning and Tina’s the lightning rod,” Nora said.
“Yes, well, I don’t want gossip, and I don’t want false rumors,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “I know you two and your affinity for mur
der.” He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t go around town telling people Zoey has been murdered. I’ll have a press conference as soon as we figure out what went down.”
Tina and Nora gave each other a look, then turned to the sheriff.
“So, was it murder?” Tina asked.
Nora bit her lip. Poor Zoey. Poor, poor Zoey. If only she had taken five minutes and talked to her yesterday! She felt a wave of guilt crash over her. She could have been there. She could have saved Zoey. If only she hadn’t been selfish and distracted.
“A neighbor went into the house at 7am,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “He was the one who found Zoey dead. That’s all I’m saying now. It could be death by natural causes. We aren’t sure yet.”
“Natural causes? Like what? A heart attack? No way. Zoey was a fitness freak,” Tina said. “She always talked to me about some new fangled diet she was on. Her latest was—”
The sheriff took off his hat and cradled it under one arm. “Tina, I’m busy now. I’ll take your statement later. For now, would you and Nora clear off? I’m busy interviewing others.”
“Wait, I met Zoey yesterday evening,” Nora said. “She said she wanted to talk to me urgently.”
“She did?” Sheriff Ellerton’s eyes narrowed. “What about?”
“I don’t know, but she seemed really desperate. She said she didn’t want to involve the police because she wasn’t sure, but that maybe I could help.” Nora took a deep breath. “I wish I had. Instead I brushed her off because, well, I had people over.”
Sheriff Ellerton had whisked out a notepad and was busily scribbling everything down. “So you’re saying she didn’t leave you any clues at all about what was on her mind? Nothing?”
“Nothing,” Nora said. “I’m sorry, Sheriff.”
“That’s okay. You have my number if you should remember anything.” Sheriff Ellerton scratched his head. “Meanwhile, we’re going to interview the neighbors and let forensics figure out what happened to her. Thanks anyway, Nora. Now, if you and Tina could...” He cocked his head to their car.
Tina was looking at the front yard, where a distraught man in a shirt three sizes too large for him was talking to Deputy James. “Is that the neighbor who found Zoey?” Nora asked.
“Mr. Whitman, yes.” Sheriff Ellerton frowned. “Now, both of you, I know you have a history of stumbling onto cases like this and trying to be sleuths yourselves. Maybe Sean was okay with it. I’m not. If I find you interfering, I’m not going to warn you twice. You’ll be in big trouble. Understood?”
Tina bristled. “Really? What kind of trouble? I wasn’t aware asking someone questions was a crime. This is America, you know.”
“Tina, come on, let the sheriff do his job.” Nora pulled at her hotheaded friend’s arm.
“No! For your information, Sheriff Ellerton, Nora’s been solving cases since you were just a deputy. She’d make a better detective than you any day. Don’t go around getting a big head just because you got a fancy new hat!” Tina exclaimed.
“Fancy new—” Sheriff Ellerton turned red.
Nora put herself between the two of them and herded Tina into the passenger seat of her car. “Sorry, Sheriff. Tina’s just not had her coffee yet. We won’t interfere! Have a good day!”
With that, Nora jumped into the driver’s seat and revved up her engine. Tina glared at Sheriff Ellerton over her shoulder.
“You’re such a doormat sometimes,” Tina said. “He was totally rude for no reason. He knows how much you’ve—”
“He’s a new sheriff and he’s got a reputation that needs building,” Nora said. “Naturally, he’s a little bit sensitive right now. You could stand to be a little more sensitive, too, Tina.”
“Pshaw! We’ve got a murder that needs solving here! I’m not going to hold my tongue to appease some idiot’s fragile ego. Did you hear how he tried to threaten us? Laughable!”
“You think it’s a murder?” Nora asked. “I mean, don’t you want to wait for the forensics?”
“Of course, it’s a murder! It’s plain as day. Yesterday she had news she wanted to tell you, today she’s dead. It’s murder, I’m telling you. It’s just that we don’t know how she was killed yet. In any case, the how doesn’t matter so much — not if we figure out the why.” Tina’s eyes had a glow about them, and her whole body seemed to crackle with electricity. “Nora, it’s obvious why she came to you, right? Because she knows your history with murders. Everyone in Milburn does. Heck, I’d bet everyone in Wyoming does.”
“Come on now, Tina. I was never famous. Besides, I stopped all that when Grace and Hazel came around.”
“Yeah, motherhood and the diner just left us with no time to breathe,” Tina smiled. “But things are different now. The diner is running smoothly, the kids are grown and our brains are sharp as ever...”
“Tina, we’re not even sure this is a murder yet.”
“Oh, not this again!” Tina snorted. “Okay, let’s suppose it’s a tragic, natural death. Fine. So what harm will we do if we ask a few people a few questions? Starting with the neighbor — the mysterious Mr. Whitman.”
Nora’s lips twisted to the right. Her hands tapped the steering wheel. “You’re right,” she said. “There’s no harm in asking questions.”
“That’s the spirit!” Tina slapped her on the arm. Then, sobering a little, she added, “Poor Zoey. She was always so obsessed with fitness. I thought she’d live to be ninety. But you never can tell when death will get you.”
“She was at your house Mondays and Fridays, right?” Nora asked.
Tina nodded. “And, boy, did my house need her. Not so much now but, when the kids were younger, hoo boy. She was always so efficient, too. I mean, I was always ready to gossip, but she always kept an eye on her watch. That’s how I’ll remember her — mop in one hand, hair pulled up in a bun, eyes sparkling as she talked about the latest scandal.” Tina put her hands up to her face. “I can’t believe she’s really gone.”
“It is strange, isn’t it? I never even realized how fond I’d grown of Zoey over the years.” Nora’s voice shook a little. “Hazel and Grace loved her, too. Hazel especially. She even spent those few summers working as Zoey’s assistant during high school. She and Zoey were always talking a mile a minute when they got together. Oh, I don’t know how she’s going to take this.”
“It’ll be quite a shock, I’m sure,” Tina said. “Nora, do you even know if Zoey had any family? I mean all these years and I never even asked her...”
“She was divorced. No kids,” Nora said. “She never talked much about it, but I got the sense that she never completely got over her ex. I don’t know why. I’m probably imagining it, of course…just a feeling.”
“Yeah, I know she was divorced,” Tina said. “Zoey told me a million times that dating wasn’t for her.”
“She never talked about her ex-husband to me,” Nora said. “She always changed the topic if I poked. But she’d get this strange look in her eye...”
Tina nodded. “Obviously. You know why, right?”
Nora shook her head. “What? Why?”
Tina leaned towards Nora. “He was a monster, that’s why.”
“What?!”
Tina nodded. “Kim Morris told me. Zoey worked for her and Percy, too.”
Percy Morris was Harvey’s biggest competitor, a shark of a real estate developer who tended to swallow up the little fish. He and Harvey had a cordial relationship on the surface but, underneath, Nora suspected that both were always looking to one-up the other. As for Kim, Nora had met her several times through the years and always thought she was sweet, if a little bland.
“They’re good people,” Tina continued. “Sam’s been friends with Percy since school, you know. Percy was always the lead troublemaker. Ah…those days when we all went out on joyrides in his older brother’s car. Fun times.”
“Sure, but you’d kill your kids if they had done the same thing as teenagers.” Nora laughed.
“Of course, I would. T
oo dangerous.” Tina winked. “Well, anyway, Kim told me that she’d glimpsed a scar on Zoey’s leg by accident once. She asked about it and Zoey got really weird, muttered something about a man...”
“And from that you presume he’s a monster? That’s a good workout you must have gotten, jumping to conclusions like that.”
“Well, if her ex-husband was the one who gave her the scar, he’s obviously a monster.”
“You should tell this to the sheriff, actually. Just in case,” Nora said. “If it is a murder, he’ll want to interview any ex-husbands.”
“You know it’s the funniest thing — for all her gossip and cheerfulness, Zoey never really talked about herself with me,” Tina said. “I feel like I knew her, and yet never knew the real her. You know? It was all superficial talk.”
Nora pulled up at the diner and Tina got out.
Nora paused. “Hey, you can hold down the fort today, right? I think I’m going to take the day off.”
Leaning down, Tina looked Nora in the eye and, for the first time, noticed just how shaken up her friend was. “Sure, I can handle it. You go home and rest. Try and think hard about what Zoey said to you yesterday. Every single word. Any clue will help.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.”
“And, Nora?” Tina shut the door but paused with her hand still on the handle.
“Yeah?” Nora looked at her.
“I know your brain is flooded with guilt right now, but none of this is your fault,” Tina said. “Try and say that to yourself at least ten times today, okay?”
“Okay.” Nora gave Tina her first real smile of the day and then drove off. But the smile faded as soon as Tina was out of view. If Zoey’s death really was a murder, then it was Nora’s responsibility to catch the killer. She’d already failed Zoey once. She wasn’t going to fail her again.
*****
Chapter 3
Hazel’s Mess
Nora entered her house through the kitchen door and found Hazel at the dining table with her feet up, a bowl of cereal in hand, chair precariously dangling on two legs. As soon as the door opened, Hazel’s chair dropped down on all fours with a bang and her feet flew off the table. In her haste, she ended up spilling some milk on the floor.
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