“Did you tell the sheriff all of this today?” Nora asked.
Michelle nodded. “He got it out of me, yeah.”
“Do you think Kenny’s the killer, then?” Nora asked.
Michelle bit her lip and twisted her hands together. “Look, I want to say ‘yes’ just so everyone will get off my back. After all, if Kenny’s the killer, I’m not. But the truth is…I don’t think so. After all, I got the restraining order years ago. I haven’t even seen Kenny since. He may have moved on.”
“He hasn’t,” Nora informed her. “I spoke to him today, and he’s still in love with you. He told me that he’d take care of anyone who harassed you.”
Michelle turned green. “Take care of what? What did he mean by that?”
“I don’t know,” Nora said. “Did you know he was at the bookstore last night? At the party?”
“Impossible! I would have seen him.”
“He was standing outside,” Nora said.
Michelle seemed lost in thought. “Then it’s him…you think he did it. Oh, Kenny! What a waste!”
“What about Flint?” Tina asked, rubbing her chin. “Did Flint ever mention Kenny to you? I mean, he must hate Kenny, right? After everything that happened between them?”
“I wouldn’t know. I never really spoke to Flint about anything other than our divorce. Even after that happened.” Michelle shrugged. “We weren’t exactly on speaking terms, you know? But yeah…if I had to guess, I’d say Flint still hates Kenny.”
“Hmmm…” Nora considered.
“My ex-husband never knew how to forgive anyone other than himself,” Michelle said. “When I was married to him, he still had grudges from grade-school. Some people like to see themselves as oppressed by the world, you know? Flint is definitely one of them.” She laughed, a bit self-consciously. “Look, don’t get me started bad-mouthing Flint. It’d take the whole day and I’d still not be done. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, you know.”
“You still have feelings for Flint, don’t you?” Nora asked, staring at Michelle with new eyes. Michelle flinched, as though she’d been hit.
“I don’t,” she said, shaking her head vehemently. “What kind of an idiot would still have feelings for a man who cheated on her? Right? Of course, I don’t.”
Nora bit her lip. She couldn’t quite read Michelle. Her lips were saying one thing and her eyes another. As though prodded, Michelle burst out. “I mean, I spent ten years with him. Obviously I can’t be indifferent to him. I have ten years of knowledge about this man. That’s like…that’s like two PhDs! I know so much about him I…” She shook her head.
“You never had a serious boyfriend again after Flint, did you?” Nora asked.
“No. Bubbles has been the one constant in my life. As for men, I love them but I can never really get close to one again. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust anyone.” Michelle shrugged. “That’s ok. I had my share of fun.” She looked up at Nora. “Oh, great. Now you probably think I’m pathetic and a murderer.”
“I don’t think you’re pathetic.”
“I don’t see why not. I think I’m pathetic. Years and years since I divorced Flint, and I still can’t bring myself to trust again. Meanwhile, the man who cheated on me is happily married to the woman he cheated on me with, and they’ve got a nice, cozy, little life here in Milburn.” Michelle’s voice was seething with hatred and bitterness and she blinked suddenly, as though she’d just heard herself. “I mean, good for him. I just wish some of my bad luck would come their way sometimes.”
Nora held her breath at the bitterness in Michelle’s voice. Privately, Nora would have wondered if Michelle had decided to take a more active role in bringing Flint the bad luck she thought he deserved. Aloud, Nora said, “You’re tired. Flint is the last person you should be thinking of right now. Maybe we should both just try and get a good night’s sleep?”
“Thanks,” Michelle said. “But I’m going back to my place.” She stood up, taking Bubbles into her arms.
“Are you sure? You should stay the night,” Nora said.
Michelle shook her head firmly. “You’ve done so much for me Nora, and I really appreciate it. But no thanks.”
“You know it really won’t be a problem. I’ve got lots of extra space. Are you sure you’re going to be comfortable back home?” Nora asked, trying not to sound relieved and already thinking about phoning Grace.
“I’m very sure,” Michelle said. “Besides, Sheriff Ellerton’s men have been tailing me since I left the station. They’ll be watching my house all night, too. Everything will be just fine.”
*****
Chapter 13
In Flames
Grace and Kaylee came back home soon after Michelle left. Nora always loved spending time with her new granddaughter. Pampering the child seemed to come naturally to her. They were soon all in their pajamas watching Jumanji on TV with bowls of ice-cream topped with cherries and strawberries in their laps.
“I still wish I could have said bye to Bubbles,” Kaylee carped. “Mom keeps promising me I’ll get a pet of my own soon, but she’s been saying ‘soon’ forever.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Yes, as soon as you get your grades up. You always forget that part.”
Kaylee snuggled into Nora’s side. “Grandma, can you tell Mom how important pets are to a growing child.”
Nora laughed. “Leave me out of it. You want another bowl, sweetie?”
“Do we have any pistachio ice cream left?” Kaylee asked.
“I’m afraid not.” Nora’s eyes twinkled. “But I have actual pistachios — we can mix them into the vanilla ice cream.”
“Aw, it’s not the same thing.” Kaylee sighed. “But ok, I guess.”
“The sufferings of Kaylee Giordano, a book in three volumes.” Grace grinned. The phone beside her began to ring and Grace looked up at Nora quizzically. “Mom? Any idea who that is so late?”
“It’s nearly midnight,” Nora said. “I don’t know who’d be calling at this hour.”
“Well, pick it up,” Grace said, still looking at Nora.
But Nora felt frozen. A deep pit of anxiety had opened up in her stomach. Bad news was hiding behind that phone call — she just knew it. Somehow, the past few hours of cuddling with Kaylee and watching a good movie had made Nora forget the rest of the world. Now it was beating down her door again, and she didn’t want to answer.
“Oh, for…” Impatiently, Grace grabbed the phone instead. “Hello? Yes? Oh!” Grace’s shoulders went up to her ears and her eyes widened. “Really? Yes, she’s here. OK. Yeah, I’ll give it to her.” Grace turned to Nora and held out the phone. “Mom, it’s the sheriff. He wants to talk to you.”
“Sheriff Ellerton?” Nora frowned. She took the phone from Grace immediately. “Yes, Sheriff? How can I help?”
“We need to know if Michelle Reed is with you,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “Are you hiding her?”
“Me?” Nora was confused. “Michelle left my house hours ago. What’s going on?”
“Nora, I’m telling you this only once: if you’re hiding Michelle and I find out, I’ll have to arrest you, as well. Get it? This is serious business.”
“What do you mean by ‘hiding her’? Why would I hide her? Has something new come up with Jake Tipper’s death?”
“As if you don’t know,” the sheriff said. “Someone lit Jake’s house on fire.”
“They did what?!” Nora exclaimed. “When?”
“Not too long ago. The firemen are still working to put it out,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “As for Michelle, my men were tailing her but lost her, apparently. Suspiciously, around the same time the fire started.”
“Sheriff…” Nora’s heart was beating faster. “Something could have happened to her. Something bad. Would you please trace her phone?”
“Is this a joke to you? Tracing phones, tracking movements — things like that take time,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “Right now, we have no idea where Michelle is. But, I promis
e you, we’ll be asking her a lot of questions when we find out. I’ve got no doubt she’s the one who started this fire. I should never have allowed the judge to set bail.”
“Sheriff, if Michelle’s guilty, you’re welcome to arrest her and throw the book at her as far as I’m concerned,” Nora said. “But just consider, if she’s not, then she’s in terrible danger, isn’t she? The madman setting fire to houses will probably go after her next.”
The sheriff sounded a little less gruff as he said, “Well, I’ve got men looking for her at present. She’s not at home and she isn’t in any of the motels or hospitals near Milburn. I just had a hunch that you were involved somehow. Guess I was wrong.”
“This fire at Jake’s house,” Nora said, “it’s definitely arson?”
“It’s too early to say yes or no, but let’s just say that it would be far too much of a coincidence for Jake’s house to spontaneously combust,” the sheriff said. “My bet is yes, it’s arson. The question is why? Killing Jake wasn’t enough, now the killer wants his house burned down, too?”
“The murderer is looking for something. Or, at least, trying to destroy it,” Nora said. “My guess is it’s Jake’s laptop. Do you have it in custody, Sheriff?”
“Laptop? Well, we have confiscated his work computer. We didn’t find any laptop in his belongings.”
“Start looking for his laptop, Sheriff. I’ve got a feeling it’s the key to this mystery,” Nora said. “And thank you for calling me.” She got a grunt in reply as the sheriff hung up his phone. Putting her own down, Nora began to pace the house nervously. She never should have let Michelle leave! Who knows where she was now? What if something bad had happened to her?
“Mom?” Grace put her hands around Nora’s waist and gave her a hug from behind. “You ok? You’re worrying me.”
“Michelle’s missing and Jake Tipper’s house burned down,” Nora said. “The sheriff’s keeping an eye out for her, but he’s had no luck so far. He thought that maybe I was hiding her.”
“Missing?” Grace stepped back. “Where could she be?”
“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” Nora tapped her feet. “I’m worried. Something’s wrong. Really wrong.”
“What was that laptop you were talking to the sheriff about?” Grace asked.
“Jake Tipper was blackmailing folks,” Nora said. “He hid his information in a laptop and the police haven’t found it yet.”
“Oho!” Grace whistled. “So, the murderer’s after the laptop, then? I wonder what could be on it!”
“I don’t know. I can’t think!” Nora exclaimed. “I feel like every nerve in my body’s on fire, too. Grace, I’ve got to get out there and start looking for Michelle. She’s in trouble. I can feel it.”
“Mom.” Grace put both hands on Nora’s shoulders. “Calm down. Take a deep breath, will you?”
Nora complied, sucking in air as fast as she could. It didn’t make her feel better, but it did calm her frantic brain down a little.
“Ok, so Michelle is missing,” Grace considered. “Did she say anything to you before she left? I mean, did she mention anyone or anything?”
“She was just talking about her ex…” Nora slapped a hand to her forehead. “Her ex-husband! She was talking about her ex, and she was getting emotional. Maybe she went over to talk to Flint!”
“Well, there you go. You can call him, then,” Grace said.
Running to the phone, Nora dialed Flint’s number and waited impatiently as it rang. She tried calling him thrice and only got his voicemail each time. Frustrated, she decided to call Betty’s number instead and, again, her calls weren’t picked up.
“Mom, seriously, you’re this close to hysteria,” Grace said, putting her index finger and thumb together. “Calm down, will you?”
“I’m going out.” Nora grabbed her coat. “I’ll—”
“You’ll what? Roam the streets trying to find Michelle?” Grace asked.
“Yes,” Nora said, her jaw set. “Take care of the house, will you? I have a key, so don’t wait up.”
“Mom—” Grace sighed and shook her head. “You know, there was a time when you used to worry about me staying out late. I never realized I’d have to worry about you.”
“Circle of life.” Nora kissed Grace’s cheek.
“That’s not what that means,” Grace said, but Nora had already run off.
At first, Nora wondered if she should drive around Milburn looking for Michelle’s car. That didn’t seem smart, primarily because Nora didn’t even know what Michelle’s car was. She had a vague idea it was something black and sedan-y but, beyond that, she had no clue. Nora’s next idea was to drive to Flint and Betty’s house but, when she reached there, she saw that the lights were off and their car wasn’t parked out front.
As a last resort, she decided to drive to Jake Tipper’s house. If nothing else, she could talk to the sheriff again. See if Michelle had been found.
As she pulled onto the street, she could already see a crowd around Jake’s house. A red jeep was parked two houses away and two teenagers sat on the hood, drinking coke from cans and throwing popcorn at each other as though they were at a movie. Nora parked her own car, went closer and realized she knew these teenagers. Or, rather, their parents. Joey Malone worked for Harvey and they’d been to dinner at his house several times.
“Tim Malone,” she said as she approached Joey’s son, who was throwing popcorn in the air and trying to catch it in his mouth.
“Mrs. Nathaniel.” Tim Malone straightened up immediately and nudged his friend, who was also engaged in popcorn catching. The other boy straightened up, too, and tried to pretend he didn’t notice the popcorn boinking him on the head.
Suppressing a laugh, Nora asked, “How’s your dad? Well, I hope? Does he know you’re here?”
“Um, he’s good. I told him I’m staying over with Kurt tonight.” Tim looked uncomfortable. “Kurt lives across the street. We just came over to see—”
“The fire. Have you been here since it started?”
“Have we?” Kurt looked proud. “We’re the ones who noticed it and called the police!”
“Yeah, they may give us an award!” Tim looked really pleased at the thought. “Like, we may have saved lives, right? By calling the police?”
“You might have.” Nora nodded. “Good work. When did you notice the fire?”
“Well...” Tim hesitated.
“Go on, I won’t tell your dad,” Nora prodded him.
Tim looked relieved. “Alright. See, Kurt and I were having a sleepover, and we were supposed to be asleep by 10:30. But then…a friend of mine messaged.”
“Oh, a girlfriend?” Nora asked. Tim didn’t reply, but the blush on his face told her she’d hit the nail on the head. “Ok, Tim. Then what?”
“My friend messaged saying we should all meet at the movie theater, see a late night show,” Tim admitted. “So Kurt and I snuck out of the house…but then I saw the fire.”
“I noticed it first!” Kurt protested. “Remember? I said, ‘Isn’t it weird that there’s a light on in Jake’s house? He was just murdered the other day.’”
“Yeah, but you were trying to convince me it was a ghost.” Tim laughed. “I’m the one who noticed the light was flickering and figured out that it was a fire.”
“But I still saw it first. You wouldn’t even have noticed.”
“You didn’t even want to call 911!” Tim protested. “I’m the one who insisted we should.”
“Boys, boys.” Nora cleared her throat. “I need you to focus, please. Have you talked to the sheriff?”
“He didn’t seem very interested in talking to us.” Tim sighed.
“Did you see anything else that seemed out of place or strange?” Nora asked. “I mean…someone lurking around or… anything?”
Tim shook his head. “There was a woman who looked like she was walking home from work, and a man walking a dog. That’s all. This is a quiet street, you know. We didn’t see an
y men holding up a sign saying ‘I’m a murderer’ if that’s what you’re asking.”
Kurt burst out laughing. “Yeah, we didn’t see any man with a sword dripping blood or anything like that.”
“We didn’t see a guy carrying a can of gasoline with a matchbox in the other hand,” Tim carried on, still laughing.
“We didn’t see a…” Kurt frowned. “You know what, Tim? We did see a guy carrying a gas can.”
“That was two streets away, dummy,” Tim said.
“So? He could have walked, right?” Kurt was growing more excited. “I mean, think about it. He was walking towards his car and he had the gas can in his hand. He was facing away from us. So he was walking…south, right?”
“I guess.”
“So, where did the gas come from? There’s no gas station in that direction!”
Tim paled and looked as though he were about to faint. “You don’t think—”
“What did he look like?” Nora asked, jumping in.
Tim and Kurt both looked at each other, then shrugged. “I mean, we weren’t really paying attention, you know?” Tim said. “Looked like a guy who ran out of gas, that’s all. Normal.”
“He was wearing a baseball cap, and jeans and a jacket,” Kurt jumped in. “I don’t think I know anything else about him. I couldn’t pick him out in a lineup or anything like that.”
“What did his car look like?” Nora asked, hoping to find something.
“His car was pretty dope,” Tim piped up. “A black mustang. An old model.”
“Yeah! Hey! Does that help identify him?” Kurt looked up at Nora really eagerly. “Should we go talk to the sheriff again? I think we should.”
“Wait till everyone at school hears about this,” Tim said. “Mel’s gonna freak!”
“Dude, did we really pass by a murderer?” Kurt looked simultaneously afraid and very excited.
The Milburn Big Box Set Page 160