The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Nora felt a sudden fondness for Tom, even though she hadn’t seen him too often. Anyone who took good care of Mrs. M. was alright in her book.

  “But…as for him and Ronnie…” Mrs. Mullally frowned, then shook her head. “All I know is, they should be careful.”

  “Careful? Why?”

  “Marriage isn’t easy, you know. Kids these days think happiness should be delivered faster than a pizza. It doesn’t work like that.”

  “They have issues?” Nora asked.

  “Tom works too hard, I think.” Mrs. Mullally sighed. “And Ronnie’s just getting used to the stresses of being a mother to two little monkeys. Plus, I don’t think she’s made too many friends in Milburn yet.”

  Nora nodded. “I see.”

  “Still, nothing they can’t work through if they talk to each other properly,” Mrs. Mullally said.

  Nora remembered what Harvey had told her — the rumors of Tom having an affair. Even if it were true, she certainly didn’t want to bring it up around Mrs. Mullally and risk upsetting her favorite nonagenarian.

  “But what was Ronnie talking to Zoey about?” Nora asked.

  Mrs. Mullally shrugged. “Who knows? They were good friends, the two of them. I think Ronnie always looked forward to Zoey’s visits because then she had someone friendly to talk to. I’m not much use to her at my age, you know. Too much of a gap. But Zoey got along well with Ronnie. Until recently, at least...”

  “What happened?” Nora asked.

  “The last few weeks, Zoey seemed much colder.” Mrs. Mullally frowned. “I suspect—”

  The door opened and Ronnie came back with a glass of water. Mrs. Mullally fell silent immediately.

  “Here you go.” Ronnie was careful to shut the door behind her so that Nora couldn’t peek inside the house. Was she hiding something? Nora drank the water and handed the glass back. Ronnie tucked it under one arm, then moved to Mrs. Mullally’s wheelchair and began to wheel her in. Nora went to the door, planning to hold it open, but Ronnie gave a panicked little yelp and said, “Thanks, Nora. We can manage ourselves. Goodbye now.”

  “Oh, it’s no problem—” Nora said But Ronnie shook her head fervently and maneuvered so that Nora couldn’t open the door herself.

  As Ronnie wheeled Mrs. Mullally inside, Nora peeked into the house.

  It looked normal to her, if a little messy with toys, clothes and plates strewn all about. What was Ronnie so afraid of Nora seeing behind that door? Had Zoey seen something? Could it be that she had left Nora’s party so quickly because she’d met Ronnie there?

  For now, there was no way to know. But Nora was determined to find out, one way or another.

  Another car pulled up as Nora was about to leave and Tom Shepherd got out. He was scratching at his wrist and so lost in thought that he nearly bumped into her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry!” he exclaimed.

  “That’s alright,” Nora said. “You’ve got a nasty scratch on your wrist there, Tom.”

  “Caught it on a bush while gardening this morning.” He sighed. “What are you doing here, Nora?”

  “I was delivering some brownies. But I could ask you the same question — aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  “I forgot my phone at home.” Tom smiled uncomfortably. “Well, I’ll see you some other time, when I’m not so rushed!”

  *****

  Chapter 7

  At The Diner

  As Nora left Mrs. Mullally’s house, the first thing she did was try to call Hazel. But, to her irritation, her phone was dead. She must have forgotten to charge the battery overnight. Grumbling to herself, she drove to the diner, hoping that Tina would have a spare charger there.

  The diner hadn’t opened yet and, in the kitchen, Angela was still doing the prep work for the coming day. Tina was writing on a chalkboard in beautiful cursive writing — Today’s Specials: Pork Roast & Gravy, Fit n’ Healthy Broccoli Soup With Homemade Sourdough Rolls, Pecan Pie.

  “Anything I can do to help?” Nora asked, as she stepped in.

  “There you are!” Tina exclaimed, dropping the board. “You’ve been up to some mischief, haven’t you? And you didn’t take your partner-in-crime along for the fun! For shame, Nora!”

  Nora bit back a grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, yes you do. Deputy James called me. Your phone’s dead, apparently. He seemed really eager to talk to you.”

  “He did?”

  “He did. You know why, don’t you?”

  Nora nodded. “I think so.”

  “Deputy James said you went to meet him yesterday and handed him a glove in a plastic bag. A single glove.” Tina put her hands on her hips. “Explain yourself.”

  “Wait. First, what else did the Deputy say?”

  “You’ll have to call him yourself, I guess,” Tina said. “He’s such a bigmouth normally, but he wouldn’t say a word to me!”

  “He wouldn’t?” Nora felt rising excitement in her belly. Something was up. Maybe the glove had been a useful clue! Could it be that Matt had killed Zoey? Poisoned her somehow? The glove had probably helped tie it all together.

  “Did he…did he say anything at all?” Nora asked.

  “Only that you’re to call him back as soon as you can,” Tina said. “But I swear, Nora, I will have your head if you don’t tell me exactly what you were up to yesterday. Where did you find that glove?”

  “It’s a long story,” Nora said, before launching into a shortened version of it when Tina continued to wait impatiently.

  When Tina was satisfied, Nora borrowed her phone and stepped outside to call Deputy James.

  The man who picked up, however, was Sheriff Ellerton. He did not sound pleased.

  “So!” David Ellerton exclaimed as soon as he picked up the phone. “Nora Nathaniel. I specifically told you to keep your nose out of this and you try to go behind my back and give my deputy a so-called ‘clue’. Did you think I’d give you a pat on the back and a medal? Or did you think James wouldn’t tell me?”

  “I didn’t go behind your back, Sheriff. You just weren’t at the station when I came in,” Nora explained.

  “Oh, I’ll bet.” Sheriff Ellerton snorted. “As for this ‘clue’ of yours, it’s useless. For one thing, we didn’t find anything on it. For another, even if we had found ‘I killed Zoey’ written in blood, it would be inadmissible in court since we, the police, weren’t the ones to find it.”

  “Well…”

  “Yes, that’s right. If this had been a clue, your meddling would have ruined it for us.”

  “Well, since you never would have found it anyway, I don’t see how that matters,” Nora shot back, her temper rising a little. “Sheriff, are you sure there was nothing on it? No toxic substances, for instance?”

  “Just regular, old garden dirt,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “Want me to go arrest Matt Whitman over it? Oh hey, Matt. Remember your girlfriend who died of a heart attack? Someone found a harmless glove in your house and decided to be a busybody, so now we’re arresting you.”

  “Ok, that’s enough,” Nora said. “I’m sorry it was of no use to you, Sheriff. I just found it really funny that Matthew would have a single glove, and under his sofa at that.”

  “Well, maybe you don’t know this, but bachelors in their fifties tend to be messy,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “Don’t jump to absurd conclusions so easily, will you?”

  “What about Zoey, then?” Nora asked. “Are you sure it was a heart attack, now?”

  “Forensics will be in tomorrow and I’ll do a press conference then. You can find out the same time as the rest of the world,” Sheriff Ellerton said and hung up.

  Nora stared at the phone and wondered if she could have come up with a retort that would have pulled the sheriff down a few notches. As of now, nothing came to mind.

  Tina, who had stepped out behind Nora, gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Never mind. We’ll show him. You’ll see.”


  “I don’t care about showing him,” Nora said. “I care about Zoey. If someone did kill her, I don’t think Ellerton is going to be the person to figure it out. It almost feels to me as though he hopes the forensics report comes back clean!”

  “Well…we all do, right?” Tina asked awkwardly. “I mean, I know I was excited about having a case again, but if it comes down to it, I’d rather that Zoey went from a heart attack because it was her time. I’d hate for her life to have been cut down by some psychopath.”

  “Yeah. I know.” Nora was quiet. “The thing is, Ellerton doesn’t really care either way. All he cares about is his own reputation. He wants the forensics to come back clean because he doesn’t want to go through the trouble of an investigation. At least, that’s the feeling I get.”

  “Well, well, well. Look whose opinion of the sheriff took a sharp nosedive since yesterday.” Tina grinned.

  “I mean...” Nora sighed, her shoulders drooping. “I don’t know, Tina. Say, let me ask you something. Did Zoey ever mention Ronnie Shepherd to you?”

  “Ronnie Shepherd?” Tina looked astonished. “No. Why would she?”

  “How about a silver jacket?” Nora asked.

  “A silver jacket?” Tina frowned. “Oh, that’s what Matthew said she talked about, right?”

  “There’s something funny going on,” Nora said. “Zoey didn’t just die of a heart attack. I’m sure of it.”

  Tina nodded. “But who could have killed her? And why would they kill her?”

  Nora rubbed the back of her neck. “There are three theories I have right now. First, her so-called monster of an ex-husband could have come back somehow. Second, Matthew Whitman killed her out of a toxic love. And, third, Zoey found something or heard something or saw something at one of her clients’ houses, and was killed as a result of it.”

  “But what?” Tina asked.

  “That’s what I’m going to find out,” Nora declared.

  “You mean, that’s what we’re going to find out, partner,” Tina replied. “Don’t muscle me out of this one, Nora Nathaniel. If someone hurt Zoey, I want to know who, too. I’m with you all the way.”

  “Deal,” Nora said. “Look, you know Kim Morris, right? What say we go pay her a visit later today?”

  “You know her, too,” Tina said. “She was at your party the other day.”

  “What?” Nora stared at Tina and her mouth fell open.

  “Yeah. She and Perry were both there. I was surprised, considering Harvey isn’t exactly best friends with Perry—”

  Nora stared at Tina. “Were they in the room when I came in with Zoey?”

  Tina tapped her chin. “Probably. Well, look, I was in and out of the house since 5pm to help decorate. I think they came around 6pm. Perry was talking pretty intensely with Harvey—”

  “Ah.” Nora suspected that was when Perry had offered Harvey the deal.

  “Kim was off on one side talking to Hazel,” Tina said. “That’s all I remember.”

  “But later? I came in around 7pm,” Nora said. “Where were they then?”

  “I wish I knew,” Tina said. “I was too excited about the party, and there was quite a crowd.”

  Nora sighed. “So maybe they were the reason Zoey left the party so quickly. This just widens our pool of suspects. All I know is neither Kim nor Perry stayed long enough to personally wish me a happy birthday. I would have remembered if they had.”

  “Huh,” Tina said.

  “Harvey would know how long they stayed,” Nora said. “I’ll have to ask him.”

  “I don’t think you need to,” Tina said. “I know that car. Looks like Kim Morris is coming to the diner for breakfast.”

  *****

  Chapter 8

  History & The Ex

  “Hi, Kim.” Tina waved as the grey Mercedes parked and a woman with blunt-cut hair and dark eyes got out. “What a surprise! I’ve never seen you at the diner this early.”

  Kim gave Tina a cheeky grin. “A pleasant surprise, I hope. It’s a slow day at the clinic so I thought I’d get some breakfast. Besides...” She hesitated. “I was thinking about Zoey all night. The truth is, I needed someone to talk to.”

  “We were just talking about her, actually,” Tina said. “Come on in.”

  They settled down into a booth and Kim ordered a plate of scrambled eggs while Tina poured coffee for all three of them. Apart from a few regulars at the counter, the diner was quiet this time of the morning. Sunlight poured in through the picture window onto the mint and magenta interior that hadn’t seen renovations in quite a few years now. The décor was dated, but none of their customers had ever seemed to mind and, to Nora, it just added a feeling of comfort to be sitting under the same paintings she had picked out nearly thirty years ago now.

  Nora’s eyes lingered on one painting that had been done by her best friend and original partner, Raquel, who had been murdered just days before the diner’s Grand Opening. It was an oil painting of a tree in autumn. Half of it’s branches were bare, and a little pile of orange had gathered under it. But right on top of the tree was a green leaf, triumphantly holding on to the last vestiges of summer. Raquel hadn’t been much of a painter, but that particular canvas had a melancholy air to it that Nora loved. It was largely ignored by most of the patrons, since it hung in a corner above a shelf full of glass knick-knacks. But it stood there faithfully, reminding Nora of lost friends and old times.

  Her attention was drawn back to Kim, who’d finished exchanging pleasantries with Tina, and now asked, “Have either of you heard from the police? They’re going to declare it a poisoning soon.”

  “Really?” Nora’s eyes widened. “Sheriff Ellerton said he’d have a press conference later, but didn’t tell us anything about…well…about what they found out.”

  Kim wrinkled her nose. “Ellerton always feels so dull to me. I preferred Sean, to be honest. He was sharp as a tack. Nothing got past him.”

  Nora silently agreed but it must have shown on her face because Kim grinned. “I guess you feel the same way about our new sheriff. Well my husband, Perry, has some sources in the station, and they told him — and this is just between us, of course — that the forensics are in. Zoey was poisoned. It was in her smoothie.”

  Tina put a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe it. Poor Zoey! I mean, I suspected. But, still…are you sure, Kim?”

  “Sure as sure can be,” Kim said, her face grim. “The killer mixed white baneberries into the smoothie — instant death, in other words. It’ll be all over town by tomorrow, anyway. You’ll see. That’s why I couldn’t sleep last night. I just can’t figure out who would want to kill Zoey.”

  “I agree,” Tina said. “She was so nice. Still, I suppose you never know what’s going on in someone’s life, do you? All I ever talked about with her were diets and meal prep.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Kim laughed. “Zoey was big on that, wasn’t she?”

  “But who could have gained access to her smoothies? She made them fresh every morning.” Tina scratched her head.

  “Someone snuck into her house,” Nora said. “Someone knew she pre-chopped her fruits & veggies for her smoothies each week, and they poisoned the batch with white baneberries.”

  Kim shuddered. “Surely not. I mean, I pre-chop my fruits & veggies each week, too. Are you saying someone could sneak into my house and...” She looked pale.

  Tina put a hand on hers and patted it gently. “Don’t worry. Nobody’s going to hurt you, Kim.”

  “I suppose not,” Kim said, but she still looked scared. “You two…do you think this has anything to do with her ex-husband?”

  Nora and Tina looked at each other. “I don’t know,” Nora said. “Zoey really never talked about her ex to me.”

  “She told me once that he was in jail,” Kim said. “What if he got out and decided to take revenge or something?”

  “You should tell the sheriff,” Tina said. “He should follow up on this.”

  “I looked
it up myself, actually,” Kim said. “I know his name. Brock Williams.” She took out her phone and pulled up a website. “See? Sentenced to twenty years in prison for murder.”

  “Well, that’s a long time,” Tina said.

  “Yeah, but he was put in jail twenty years ago!” Kim exclaimed. “He got out last year.”

  “May I?” Nora took the phone from Kim and, with a few clicks, she had Brock Williams’ entire history in front of her. It was both scary and comforting how little you could hide in the internet age.

  Apparently, twenty years ago, in the neighboring town of Jackson Hole, Brock Williams had attempted to rob a bank and an unfortunate teller had been killed during his getaway. Brock had been arrested the very next day, and sentenced soon after. It was a tragic, pointless crime, it seemed, with grief as its only true outcome.

  “He could be anywhere now, including Milburn!” Kim said. “He has to be the one who did it, right?”

  “Of course.” Tina slapped the table. “My goodness. Poor Zoey! Her ex really was a monster. He committed cold-blooded murder once and, twenty years later, he’s done it again.”

  “We have to show this to the sheriff,” Nora said. “That is, assuming he doesn’t already know.”

  “I don’t think Ellerton knows anything.” Kim sniffed. “He was hoping all along that it was just a heart attack. Perry told me — and this is just between us girls — that Ellerton hates paperwork of any kind, especially the amount that a murder brings.”

  Tina snorted. “I knew it. That man is downright lazy. He should never have been elected sheriff.”

  “Not that we have too many other choices with Sean gone,” Kim said. “There’s Deputy James, of course, but he’s a bit too loudmouthed, in my opinion. At least Ellerton knows how to keep a good public image.”

  “With any luck, Sean will come back from his year-long holiday and be ready to take up the position again,” Tina said.

  “The thing is…” Nora hesitated.