The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  Impatiently, Nora turned to Betty. “Look, Betty, I’m sure Flint just rushed out when he saw the fire and forgot to wake you. He’s probably helping the firemen or in the crowd somewhere. Ask around, won’t you? Someone’s sure to have seen him.” Nora turned to head towards Michelle, but Betty grabbed her sleeve and tugged her back.

  “Do you really think I’m an idiot? The crowd isn’t big enough for Flint to get lost in and, as much as I love my husband, I know he’s not the type to go helping firemen. I’m serious, Nora, please help me. Something’s really wrong.”

  Caught by the urgency in Betty’s voice, Nora paused. “Alright. I’ll talk to the sheriff. Right now.”

  “Thanks.” Betty’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I tried, but he just brushed me off. I guess the fire was raging then and he didn’t have the time but…”

  Nora nodded and set off at a brisk pace, hoping to catch Ellerton before he got tangled up in red-tape. She had to rehearse what to say to him in her head as she walked. After all, Sheriff Ellerton wasn’t exactly Nora’s biggest fan. To be fair, Nora wasn’t exactly his biggest fan, either. Still, both of them had slowly developed a certain professional respect for each other and, even if Nora didn’t think that Ellerton was as sharp or perceptive as ex-Sheriff Sean Dracon, she had to acknowledge that Ellerton was, at the very least, competent. Somewhat.

  “Nora.” Ellerton looked up and snapped his notebook shut as she approached. “What dragged you out here in the middle of the night?”

  “Hello, Sheriff.” Looking down at the shivering Michelle, Nora put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You ok, Michelle?”

  “I’m…” Michelle shook her head. Under the blanket, a lump moved in circles then traveled up Michelle’s chest until a grey head popped up near her neck. The cat glared at Nora and then meowed before tunneling back under the blanket and into Michelle’s lap. Michelle shook her head and shivered.

  “Miss Reed is in shock,” Sheriff Ellerton said, “And if you don’t mind, Nora, I’d like some time alone with her. A lot has happened, and we need to proceed carefully. Luckily, only the basement was damaged, the main bookstore is unharmed. Miss Reed should be able to resume business after a few minor patch-ups.”

  “But it’s still so horrible,” Michelle said. “Bubbles saved my life. I was sleeping in my apartment above the store and he jumped on me and began cat-slapping my face. Then he started running around in circles trying to shepherd me out of the room! Can you imagine? If he hadn’t insisted on waking me up, I’d never even have noticed the fire. Who knows how far it might have spread!”

  “Yes, a lucky break that you caught it so early.” Sheriff Ellerton nodded. “In any case, Miss Reed, you may need to come down to the station for some more questioning later on. I’m sure it was just faulty wiring or something, but we’ve got to go through the formalities, eh?”

  “I don’t understand.” Michelle stared at him, confused. “Formalities?”

  “Clear out any suspicions of arson and the like,” the sheriff continued, almost cheerfully. “Routine questioning, like I said. Not to worry at all. The insurance pays out faster once we investigators give the ‘all-clear’.”

  “I don’t understand.” Michelle stared at him again. “Are you telling me that someone may have deliberately set fire to my store?”

  “Well, no, not likely.” Ellerton laughed. “Faulty wiring or construction error or an accidental cigarette from the opening night — that’s what it probably was. But we can’t just rule anything out, can we? Nothing to worry about though, miss.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, but did you speak to Betty earlier, Sheriff?” Nora asked. “She mentioned that Flint was missing. I didn’t want to scare her when she’s already terrified, but it occurred to me—”

  Michelle and Ellerton stared at Nora. Ellerton scoffed. “Nora, you have an overactive imagination and you know it. Flint’s fine, he’ll turn up soon enough. Now, kindly clear off and let me do my work.”

  “Sheriff!” A sharp cry came from one of the firemen. “You better get over here, and fast.” Nora didn’t miss the urgent tone in his voice. Neither did Sheriff Ellerton, who set off at a jog to see what was happening. Nora followed, her heart beating rapidly. She saw the fireman whisper something to Ellerton and saw Ellerton turn suddenly pale. The sheriff turned around and gave Nora a cold stare.

  “I told you to clear out!” he exclaimed. “Deputy! Jamie! Where are you?”

  A lanky young man with shaggy whiskers was immediately at Ellerton’s side. “Get this crowd out of here right now. Now. That includes anyone and everyone who isn’t officially part of our squad. Capiche?”

  “Uh…” Jamie looked at Nora. More than once before, she’d helped the Milburn PD solve seemingly unsolvable cases. “Mrs. Nathaniel’s okay, right boss?”

  “I said everyone,” Ellerton repeated, irritated.

  “What do we do with the body in the basement, Sheriff?” the fireman asked Ellerton.

  Ellerton whirled around and his face turned red. “I told you to keep it down, buddy! Lips zipped. I don’t want the entire town to know at this point.”

  Nora’s eyes widened. Deputy Jamie took her by the elbow and ushered her away from an increasingly-irate Ellerton. As Nora stumbled away, she found herself scanning the crowd for Betty and biting her lip hard. Nora was nearly certain who the body in the basement belonged to. The question was — how could she possibly break it to Flint’s wife?

  *****

  Chapter 4

  The Body In The Basement

  Unwilling to face Betty and unsure if she even was correct, Nora decided to speak to Michelle instead. Michelle was half-asleep in the back of the ambulance and, with all the hubbub around, nobody seemed to care. Gently, Nora shook her awake.

  “Huh? Wh…oh.” Michelle blinked. “Hey, Nora. Can we just go over to your place now? The firemen told me I couldn’t stay in the apartment until the investigation is complete. If Sheriff Ellerton has more questions, I guess he can wait till tomorrow morning. I really need to stretch out and sleep a bit.”

  “Michelle, I don’t think Ellerton is going to wait,” Nora said. “In fact, I’ve a feeling you’re going to be spending the night in custody.”

  Michelle looked alarmed. “So they’re serious about arson then? That’s…you know what? No. That’s not unbelievable. In fact, I’ve got a pretty good theory who did it, and I’m sure you won’t be surprised, either. Flint’s made no secret of the fact that he wanted the bookstore. He was mighty angry when Larry handed it to me in the will. You should have seen how red he got. I mean, I guess it’s hard to believe that he’d stoop to such—“

  “Michelle,“ Nora interrupted her, “it’s wasn’t Flint. I don’t think so, anyway. And you’ve got bigger problems than arson.”

  Michelle was staring at something behind Nora and Nora turned to look, too. Sheriff Ellerton had taken Betty Biggs aside and had seated her in the back of his car. She listened to him wide-eyed and then gave a sudden shriek before burying her head in her hands. Ellerton looked as though he was in pain. He shut the door gently then got into the driver’s seat and drove Betty away.

  At the same time, two men emerged from the basement carrying a stretcher. A white sheet was pulled over what looked like a rather large body. Another paramedic asked Nora and Michelle to step out of the ambulance while they loaded the stretcher and, in minutes, the ambulance was speeding away in the direction of the sheriff’s office.

  Michelle, standing on the curb with Bubbles in her hand, had gone white with shock. Her mouth was open as she stared at the ambulance. “Wh—what…”

  “They found a body in your basement,” Nora said. “I think this may be a murder investigation now, Michelle. I think that’s Flint’s body.”

  “It can’t be!” Michelle exclaimed. “That’s horrible. I’m still dreaming. It’s not true.”

  “Er…Miss Reed?” A polite Deputy Jamie was suddenly poking her elbow. “Sheriff radioed. He asked if yo
u’d mind coming along to the station right away?”

  “But Bubbles…” Michelle said.

  “I’ll handle him, don’t you worry,” Nora said, taking the reluctant cat away from Michelle. “I strongly suggest you call a lawyer if you have one, Michelle. This doesn’t look good.”

  “What?” Michelle stared at her for a second, then anger flashed over her face. “Are you suggesting that I’m a suspect?”

  “Now, now. Nobody’s a suspect. These are routine questions,” Deputy Jamie said.

  “Stuff your routine questions!” Michelle exclaimed. “Me going to the sheriff’s office isn’t a suggestion, is it? It’s an order!”

  “Well, look, it’s always better to cooperate,” Deputy Jamie said. “We all want the same thing here, right?”

  “A good night’s sleep is what I wanted,” Michelle said. “Looks like there’s none in store for me in the near future.”

  Soon enough, it was just Nora and Bubbles on the curbside, watching the deputy’s car drive away. Bubbles was wriggling really hard in Nora’s arms and she had a tough time calming him down. The fight seemed to go out of him after a little while and he lay slumped in her arms, his yellow eyes scanning the road.

  “Poor kitty. You’re so protective of your mommy, aren’t you?” Nora sighed. “Let’s get you home. I think I have some kibble for you. Or maybe a can of tuna? Will that cheer you up?” Bubbles was three parts fluff and one part skin and bones, or at least he felt like it. Nora resisted the urge to bury her face in his wonderfully silky fur and smother him with kisses. At this point, she was sure that he’d give her a few nasty scars in return.

  Back home, Nora set Bubbles upon a rug near the stove and began rummaging around. It was nearly 5am. Nora decided that she’d rather have an early start than go back to bed. Bubbles wasn’t sleeping but he looked as though he were in a sulk. He refused to touch the food Nora put in front of him and refused to even look at her.

  “That’s alright,” Nora said in a soft, soothing voice. “I get it. You’re alone, you’re scared and Michelle’s missing. I’d hate the world, too. Don’t worry, though. I promise I’ll get her back for you safe and sound.”

  Bubbles mewed.

  “Hmm. That’s true,” Nora said. “It does look like she’s in trouble, doesn’t it? Flint was her ex and, if his death was foul play, she’s going to be the prime suspect. No doubt about it. Tell you what, let’s find a way to sneak into Sheriff Ellerton’s good graces, shall we? You know what the sheriff’s soft spot is?”

  The cat refused to answer.

  “I’ll tell you.” Nora opened up her cupboard and brought out a bag of chocolate chips along with flour, unsweetened cocoa and instant coffee granules.

  “See, I’ve experimented with this for years,” Nora said. “I’m not bragging, but I really do think I’ve invented the world’s yummiest muffins. Too bad there’s chocolate in it. So, none for you.”

  Bubbles mewed again.

  “Yeah, I do sound like a lunatic talking to you, don’t I? Tough luck, buddy. You’re the only person around. Besides, I like you. You’re a good listener. I can see why Michelle likes you, too.” Humming a little tune, Nora preheated the oven and buttered up a muffin tray. She began beating the ingredients together, talking to Bubbles all the while.

  “Yeah, I know, I’m using buttermilk instead of normal milk. But it just goes so well with chocolate, you know? They’re best buddies. Kinda like you and I will be one day, I hope. I mean, I could use regular milk, but it changes the texture. It’s just never as moist as when I use buttermilk.”

  Bubbles mewed again.

  “Ah, but you see, I’m not wasting time, Bubbles. I’m being strategic. Picture this: the sheriff and his deputies have been roused out of their beds in the middle of the night. They’re tired, cranky, they have a murder and arson to deal with. Tough job. They’re so busy they probably forget to even eat! Then I walk in with a tray of beautiful, freshly-made, double-chocolate muffins with oozy, half-melted chocolate chips. They’ll be a lot likelier to share some info, won’t they? Honestly, it’s a great trade.”

  Bubbles licked his paw and turned away, flicking his tail slightly.

  “Now, as I was saying, I’ve spent years perfecting this and I really do believe that the key ingredients in my muffins are…” Nora did a little drumroll, “instant coffee granules! I just add a little pinch and it really brings out the flavor of the chocolate. You can’t taste the coffee, either.”

  “Nora?” The door creaked open and Tina walked in. She looked wary.

  “Tina!” Nora pushed the tray inside the oven and cleared her throat. “I…er…I didn’t expect you.”

  “Who were you talking to?” Tina asked, looking around, puzzled.

  “Um, nobody,” Nora said. Bubbles walked over and swiped her ankles and Nora gave a little yelp.

  “Is that Michelle Reed’s cat?” Tina asked.

  “What are you doing here so early, anyway?” Nora asked.

  “I thought I’d come see you before heading over to the diner. I’ve gotten three phone calls already. Did you hear about the fire at Larry’s Literature?” Tina’s eyes were wide and her body radiated both nervousness and excitement at once.

  “It’s called Books & Bubbles now, isn’t it?” Nora asked. “Yeah, I heard about it. I was there, as a matter of fact.”

  “I knew it. Trust you to be on the scene of the murder before anyone else!”

  “Murder? So people know about the body?”

  “Know? Half the town saw Betty weeping in the back of the sheriff’s car. The sheriff’s being really tight-lipped but it’s obvious that the body is Flint Biggs’, isn’t it? I heard about how he was missing when his wife woke up. Poor Betty! Looks like Michelle did him in. I guess you can never underestimate a jealous ex.”

  “I don’t know,” Nora said. “I’m not so sure.”

  “Well, that’s not the only mystery around here. What are you doing?”

  “Baking my double chocolate muffins,” Nora said.

  “Oh-ho-ho. Someone’s trying to bribe the sheriff into sharing information.” Tina grinned. “Think I can get one of those, too? Or maybe half a dozen? It’s terrible for my waistline but, boy, your muffins are more addictive than—”

  “It’s not bribery exactly,” Nora cut in with a grin. “I just know that Ellerton’s more likely to tell me something when he’s got a full stomach. I’ve never known a hungry man who wasn’t irritable.”

  “Oh, you can say that again. You know how my Sam gets when it’s 9 o’clock and he hasn’t had dinner? He somehow simultaneously becomes a toddler and an old man. Talk about cranky.”

  “Anyway, what have you heard?” Nora asked.

  “Less than you, clearly, since you were there. But Mrs. Smith told me that the fire started sometime around 3am. Michelle raised an alarm and the fire department was there in record time. Good men, those.”

  “Agreed.” Nora nodded, mentally making a note to send a tray of muffins their way, too.

  “Well, Michelle and Bubbles were already on the street by the time the fire department and the sheriff reached the scene. Mrs. Smith said Michelle seemed really cool and collected throughout. Not panicky or upset like you’d expect.” Tina raised her eyebrow, as though this were significant.

  “She’s been a nurse for years,” Nora pointed out. “Very likely, in an emergency, she becomes cool and collected while us normal folk freak out.”

  “Well, maybe so,” Tina admitted. “But the body…Mrs. Smith said she heard it was absolutely unrecognizable. Burnt to a crisp.”

  Nora shuddered. “Please, Tina.”

  “Sorry. No details. Poor Betty. She couldn’t even identify the body. The clothes were unrecognizable, too. They’re going to match dental records to confirm it’s Flint, even though everyone already knows it is.”

  Nora frowned. “Wait, Betty didn’t confirm it’s Flint? Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, Mrs. Smith’s youngest works admin d
own at the station,” Tina said. “She said Betty refused to identify it. Said it’s not Flint.”

  “It’s not Flint?” Nora’s eyes widened. “The body’s not Flint’s!”

  “Oh, come on, Nora. Of course, it is. People don’t vanish from their beds in the middle of the night.”

  “No, Tina. When I saw the body, I did think it was unusually large. Flint isn’t a large man. He’s small and slim. It wasn’t him.”

  “Oh, well, who was it then?” Tina asked, confused. “And where is Flint?”

  “We’re going to find out,” Nora said, squaring her shoulders. Behind her, the oven dinged. The muffins were ready, and so was Nora.

  *****

  Chapter 5

  A Commotion

  Nora’s muffins were well-received, with the sheriff and his deputies pouncing on them almost as soon as she walked in. Nora, however, was given a less-than-warm welcome.

  “It’s really nice of you to bring these over,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “Just as long as we’re clear that you’re to expect no special treatment at all.”

  “Me?” Nora tried to look wide-eyed and innocent and failed miserably.

  “It isn’t Flint,” Tina said, her voice high with excitement. “The body in the basement. It isn’t Flint, is it? Then whose body is it? And where is Flint?”

  The sheriff coughed, looking irritated. “Now, Tina, I can’t talk about an active murder investigation, you know that. I promise that we’re hard at work trying to uncover the—”

  “It’s not him!” a voice cried out. A door was thrown open and Betty Biggs stormed out into the hallway. “I’ve given you my statement five times already — that body is not Flint! How many times do I have to repeat it?”

  “Now, Betty—“ Instantly abandoning Tina and Nora, Sheriff Ellerton was at Betty’s side, trying to persuade her to move into his office.

  “No. I’m sick of all this questioning when what you should be doing is looking for Flint! A man is dead, and my husband could be next. You have to find him, and fast, instead of hanging about here and…and eating muffins.” Betty looked absolutely disgusted by the half-eaten muffin in Sheriff Ellerton’s hand. The sheriff reddened.