“He’s a good man,” Nora said.
“I never said he was bad,” Harvey agreed. “He’s no white knight like Sean, that’s all. Ellerton’s…business-minded.”
“You never even liked Sean when he was sheriff.” Nora smiled, accepting a plate from Harvey and placing it in the dishwasher.
“Sure. I thought he was too rigid.” Harvey grinned. “Plus we had history. You know, the whole stepbrother thing. Anyway, forget Sean. The point is, watch out for Ellerton. He’s trying to use you.”
“I know he is.” Nora said. “But I don’t mind if it’s for the greater good.”
“Agreed.” Harvey nodded.
The doorbell rang and Nora took a breath. “That’s him, I’m sure. I wonder what he’s going to tell us.”
*****
Chapter 7
The Sheriff’s Theories
Sheriff Ellerton took a deep breath and set his hat beside him on Nora’s dining table. He’d skipped dinner thanks to work, and had gladly wolfed down the pasta that Nora set down in front of him. Now, with his stomach full, Ellerton was far more amiable. He stretched his hands and cracked his knuckles, then rubbed his eyes, attempting to clear away the tiredness.
Nora and Harvey were sitting opposite the sheriff, holding hands. Both their gazes were firmly on him, their attention riveted. Sheriff Ellerton, on the other hand, was looking off into the distance.
“It’s a weird case,” he began. “I don’t really know where to begin. I mean, the murder just happened a few hours ago, really. Time of death is approximately 6:15 pm, I’m told.”
“Poor Maybelle.”
“Poor Maybelle is right. Still, her death was near instantaneous. She lost consciousness almost immediately after she was stabbed, and was dead in a few minutes, if that,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “If there’s any consolation at all, it’s that she wasn’t in pain before she died.”
Nora shuddered. “But she was so young. It’s a tragedy to have life snatched away from you like that.”
“That it is,” Sheriff Ellerton agreed.
“How’s Tyler taking it?” Harvey asked. “Has he been arrested?”
“For now, we’re only detaining him for questioning. We haven’t exactly formally arrested him but, somewhere down the road, we very likely will. The DA hasn’t given me the go-ahead yet. Tyler’s still not speaking, not even to his own attorney. The doctor gave him some Valium to calm him down. But I sure hope he’s well enough to start talking tomorrow.”
“Give him a break, Sheriff.” Harvey said. “Poor guy just found his wife dead in his own house. I’m sure that’d drive me half mad, too.”
“Yeah. Either that or he was mad when he killed her and now he’s in shock,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “I know I said I don’t think it’s him but I haven’t ruled him out, either.”
“Why don’t you think it’s him?” Nora asked.
“A bunch of reasons,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “One, it’s too convenient. Too neat. Second, there’s the tip we received. I told you we got a phone call that someone had heard screaming from Maybelle and Tyler’s house, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, it struck me as fishy, though I didn’t exactly know why till much later. Then I got there and Maybelle was dead and I forgot about the phone call for a few hours. That is, until I got around to interviewing neighbors. Maybelle and Tyler’s nearest neighbors on Delphi Street are still half a mile away. The sound didn’t carry to them. They never made that call.”
“So who did?”
“We don’t know,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “It was a woman, that much is clear. But who? The number can’t be traced, either. It wasn’t a regular phone call - someone used an app that disguises numbers to make it. That’s when I got really suspicious.”
Nora frowned. “You think this woman - whoever she is - is setting Tyler up?”
“Can you even really be sure it was a woman?” Harvey asked. “I mean, apps these days - they can even disguise voices, you know. Heck, my granddaughter, Kaylee, plays around on apps like that all the time. She even prank called us once.”
Sheriff Ellerton pursed his lips. “Well, Macy was manning the phone and she’s pretty sure it was a human woman she spoke to, though she mentioned that the voice sounded scratchy and far off. So it seems someone was definitely disguising their voice.”
“Did Maybelle have any enemies you know of?” Harvey asked the sheriff.
Sheriff Ellerton shook his head. “No. But she did have friends…and, with some friends, well, as the saying goes, you don’t need enemies.”
“You think one of the Stitchin’ Witches did it?” Brooke’s face flashed in front of Nora’s eyes and she was suddenly uncomfortable. “You’ve got very little proof of that.”
“I know,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “It’s just a line I’d like you to poke your nose into, Nora. See if anything comes up. After all… you were already talking to them all, weren’t you?”
“Who told you that?” Nora asked, surprised.
Sheriff Ellerton tapped the side of his nose. “I’m not as useless a sheriff as you like to think. And Tina isn’t the only one who overhears things. Natalie asked you to mediate some fight, didn’t she?”
“Well, yes, but it was a ridiculous little fight. Nothing that would warrant murder,” Nora said. “The knitting club just couldn’t decide where their yearly funds should go.”
“Money,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “That’s a powerful motive.”
“It wasn’t about money - all four of them have plenty. It was about ego.”
“Ego’s an equally powerful motive,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “I don’t understand your issue here, Nora. All I’m asking you to do is talk to the girls. Or should I say…witches.”
“I will,” Nora said. “Just…don’t assume it’s them.”
“I’m not assuming anything, remember? As far as anyone is concerned, I’m just a play-by-the-rules cop who’s arrested the husband and isn’t following up on anything else.” Sheriff Ellerton grinned and took a long sip of his coffee. “In times like these I’m sure Maybelle’s friends will all want to talk to you - all relaxed and informal, of course. No interrogations.”
“Got it.” Nora nodded. “Keep it casual.”
“Exactly.” Sheriff Ellerton smiled. “I won’t lie. I think one of them is responsible. Maybe it’s because of the weapon used. A man just isn’t likely to grab a knitting needle, is he?”
“I’m not so sure,” Nora said. “By the way, Sheriff, were there any marks on Tyler?”
“There was blood on him when I found him, but it was all Maybelle’s. There’s not a scratch on him,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “It was sad, really. I found him hugging her, but she was quite dead. He was crying, the poor guy. See, that’s another thing that I found weird. He was draped only in a towel when we found him. His hair was damp, even. Like he was fresh out of the shower. What’s that all about? If the theory is that he and May were fighting, it got physical and then he stabbed her, well…it’s kind of hard to stab someone when you’re only dressed in a towel, isn’t it? Imagine clutching your towel in one hand and a knitting needle in the other? Never heard of anything like it. Just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Hmmm.” Nora considered this.
“Maybe he killed her in a sort of maddened rage, went blank, showered, and then came down. At that point he realized what he’d done and began crying,” Harvey theorized. “I mean, I’ve heard people blanking out and doing heinous things.”
“Yeah…that’s a decent theory. But, if it’s true, where are the clothes he was wearing? When he and Maybelle left from the office, Tyler was wearing a white pinstriped shirt and khakis. I found those in a heap in the hamper with no bloodstains. I didn’t find any other clothes of Tyler’s with blood on them, either. When you stab someone, you always get blood on you,” Sheriff Ellerton explained. “I mean that’s the thing. It isn’t impossible that he killed her. Maybe he changed out of his office clothes,
wore different clothes, killed Maybelle, hid the clothes, took a shower, then posed as a grieving husband in only a towel when we burst in.” Sheriff Ellerton was shaking his head as he talked. “It’s just…that sounds nonsensical.”
“But you think it’s more likely that someone snuck in while he was in the shower and murdered Maybelle?” Harvey said. “That sounds improbable, too. Doesn’t it?”
“Does it really? If someone had planned this, if someone knew where Tyler and Maybelle were going that day, maybe they could have done it.”
“What do you mean?” Nora raised an eyebrow.
“The Stitchin' Witches had a knitting meeting today but cancelled it,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “They decided to all meet at Natalie’s house for dinner at 7pm. Tyler and Brooke’s husband, Peter, were invited, too. You see? Someone knew that Tyler and May would be at home by 6pm to get ready. Someone planned this.”
“Planned? A stabbing with a knitting needle sounds pretty unplanned to me.” Harvey frowned. “I’d have said it was a spontaneous killing.”
“I thought that way, too,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “Until I really thought about it. Like I said, I have no proof, this is all just conjecture at this point. Forensics aren’t even in yet. But, here’s the thing - I know for a fact that Maybelle argued with the Stitchin’ Witches. Correct? I also know that her 'friends' all knew exactly where her knitting needles were kept. After all, they’d gathered in her home many times. They also all knew she’d be home by 6pm so she could come to the dinner by 7. One of them could have planned this, murdered her and then run away.”
“The stab…” Nora started. “Was it clean? I mean…stabbing victims don’t usually die in one go.”
“Exactly.” Sheriff Ellerton nodded vigorously. “That’s another thing that makes me think it was premeditated and not a rage-induced murder. One stab and the victim died, near instantly. Whoever this was…they knew what they were doing.”
“I just hope we know what we’re doing,” Harvey said. “If what you’re saying is true, Nora’s putting herself at great risk looking into it. The murderer won’t hesitate to kill again.”
*****
Chapter 8
Taking A Hint
Natalie wasn’t at home when Nora went over the next day. Nor was she at her office. At a loss, Nora headed over to Jessica’s boutique instead. At the door, Nora let out a sigh as she caught sight of the large, red CLOSED sign.
She knew where they were as soon as she pulled up at Brooke’s house. Natalie’s cute convertible and Jessica’s sensible sedan were both parked outside. Nora shifted on her feet as she rang the doorbell, the cookies she’d baked earlier suddenly feeling heavy in her arms.
Where Maybelle’s house was more of a mansion, Brooke lived in a charming Craftsman home with a striped chimney and three gables. A blue and yellow children’s bicycle lay in the garden, while a pair of roller-skates sat next to a potted plant on the porch. A hand-painted sign saying “Peter, Brooke, Andrew & Brady Welsh” with smudges and finger-prints around the words, hung on the door.
“Nora?” Brooke blinked in surprise as she opened the door. “I…what…” She looked down at the container in Nora’s hands and automatically reached out to take it when Nora held it up.
“I had to come over when I heard about Maybelle,” Nora said. “I brought cookies.”
“Oh.” Brooke’s eyes were rimmed with red, and her face looked puffy. She stared down at the cookies for a second, as though she were trying to process a normal way to react.
“You’re probably still in shock, aren’t you?” Nora asked. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yes…no. I don’t know.” Brooke shook her head.
“Who is it, Brooke?” a voice called from inside. Natalie and Jess suddenly appeared on either side of her. They both looked like they’d been crying, too.
“You should come in,” Brooke managed finally. “I’ll make you some coffee. Or iced tea if you prefer.”
“I’d like that,” Nora said, stepping in. Natalie and Jess had sloughed off to the living room without looking at Nora. Both sat on an old, yellow couch, holding hands and looking at the fireplace. Awkwardly, Nora shifted a comic book to a side-table and sat down on an armchair opposite them. Brooke headed off into the kitchen and reappeared shortly with a glass of iced tea for Nora, and the cookies she’d brought on a decorative, red plate. She sat down next to Jess on the armchair and Jess put her head on Brooke’s shoulder. Brooke gently patted her cheek.
“We’ve been here since we heard,” Natalie said. “Peter took the boys to their grandma’s.”
“I don’t want them to see me like this.” Brooke sniffed. “I haven’t even told them yet about May. They really liked her. She played pranks on them…she always pretended to find a dollar in Andy’s ear whenever she saw him.”
“She was great with kids,” Jess agreed. “She would have made an amazing mother.”
“She was supposed to meet us for dinner at my place,” Natalie said. “I had the food ready and everything. I still have it in my fridge...” Her lips began to quiver. “This is my fault. If I’d had my party earlier…or if I’d not cancelled the knitting meet…maybe none of this would have happened.”
“It’s not your fault. Nobody could have seen this coming,” Brooke said fiercely. “How were we to know that someone wanted to kill her?”
“Oh, Maybelle!” With a cry, Jess got up abruptly and ran away to the bathroom. Nora shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
“I’m sorry about all this. Thank you for coming,” Brooke said, turning to Nora. “It was kind of you. We’re all just overwhelmed right now.”
“I’m going to go check on Jess.” Natalie got up and walked away, leaving Nora and Brooke alone. Brooke leaned back, lacing her hands around the back of her neck.
“They’ve taken Tyler into custody,” Brooke said finally. “Peter told me this morning.”
Nora nodded. “Looks like the sheriff is planning to arrest him for murdering Maybelle.”
Brooke winced. “I don’t believe it. Tyler loved her. Someone else must have done it.”
“I don’t know,” Nora said. “I’m not so sure. I mean, who would want to kill Maybelle?”
“Exactly. It all feels so unreal,” Brooke said. “May was so…alive. I mean, you know what they say about some people dying and then being buried seventy-five years later? That wasn’t her. She was so…so colorful and full of energy and ideas.”
“That day at the pool...” Nora said. “What did she say to you?”
Brooke was suddenly alert, her eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”
“Just…how did she seem? Did she talk about Tyler or mention a fight or anything? I know you were upset with her after you talked...”
“No, we talked about something else. A totally stupid thing. She didn’t mention Tyler at all that day.” Brooke’s voice was a little cold. “Why do you ask?”
Nora shrugged. “I’m just trying to make sense of it all, I suppose.”
“That’s up to the police, I think,” Brooke said bluntly. “Why are you asking if May and I fought? What are you implying?”
“Brooke, relax. I wasn’t implying anything.” Nora held up her hands. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
“Have I? You and I have never really talked before and now you show up to my house with cookies. I’ve heard stories about you, Nora. Anyone who lives in Milburn has. You fancy yourself a detective.”
“Brooke-”
“No. This was my friend. Do you know what that is? Maybelle was my friend. You’re trying to imply that I murdered her.”
“Why are you being so defensive? I didn’t imply anything like that,” Nora said. “I saw you two fight the other day, and I thought maybe if May told you something important-”
“May didn’t tell me anything important. You didn’t see us fight. She and I just had a conversation, that’s all. Sometimes friends have heated conversations.”
“You said you hated her,”
Nora said quietly. “You came to the locker room after talking to her and you looked miserable. Then you said you hated her. More than once. I just wanted to know-”
“You’re just poking your nose where it doesn’t belong!” Brooke exclaimed. “You can take back these cookies. I don’t want them.” She shoved the plate angrily so that it nearly slid off the coffee table in front of her. Nora caught it in time and set it back in the center.
“Brooke, you need to calm down. I think the whole situation has upset you and you’re overreacting,” Nora said. But was Brooke truly overreacting? Or was she panicking because she had something very real to hide?
“I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t even want to look at you right now,” Brooke hissed. “How could you come here at a time like this and…and sniff for gossip? How could you?”
“Brooke.” Natalie came out from the hallway. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah.” Brooke took a shaky breath. “It’s okay.”
“I thought I heard you raise your voice,” Natalie said. “Jess was crying but she’s better now. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’m okay. Nora’s just asking me about a fight May and I had,” Brooke said.
“A fight? You mean that thing with the Stitchin’ Witches about where to spend this year’s dues?” Natalie shook her head. “That seems so unimportant now, doesn’t it? So long ago.”
Brooke didn’t correct her, although Nora was sure that was not what May had come down to the pool to talk about. “It does seem long ago. A lifetime ago.”
“I’d asked Nora for help to mediate between you guys and May, you know,” Natalie said. “Nora was kind enough to agree.” She gave a bitter laugh. “I guess we don’t need her now.”
“You asked her to mediate?” Brooke raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that. Funny. She bumped into me soon after and we did talk about it a bit.” She turned back to Nora. “Was that you trying to mediate?”
“Yes, but that’s not important now, is it?” Nora asked.
Brooke stared at her coldly. “Maybe to you it isn’t. But it helps me see that all of your so called kindnesses are calculated.”
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