James gasped.
“He’d lost the love of his life,” Nora said. “He didn’t care about his own life anymore. He just wanted to get his hands on the woman who’d betrayed and murdered his wife.”
“He was crazy,” Natalie said quietly, in a voice that was heavy with regret. “I didn’t want to kill him. I had to kill him. You don’t understand. He nearly murdered me. It was all self-defence.”
“The dark circles under your eyes, the sallowness of your skin...” Jess considered. “Those weren’t dark circles. They were bruises. Bruises you made sure to disguise with makeup!”
Natalie hung her head.
“You thought she’d been up all night worrying about May’s death,” Nora said. “But, really, after she killed Tyler, Natalie dumped his body into the back seat of his car, drove over the state line, pushed the car off the mountain side and then bicycled all night to get back to Milburn. I saw the bike in her backyard, I just didn’t put it together then.”
“And the camera?” Jess asked. “What happened to the camera?”
Nora shrugged. “Does it matter? Everything’s digital these days. Natalie must have realized it, too, and hoped that nobody else would. There’s sure to be a digital account linked with that device, and those videos are probably automatically stored on some company’s cloud. It will take a few warrants and a lot of phone calls, but the sheriff will get to them eventually.”
“How could you, Nat?” Jess asked, her voice shaking with rage. “How could you?”
“I let you enter my house!” Brooke said in disgust.
“I kissed you!” James closed his eyes in despair.
“It was all for you, James,” Natalie begged, coming up to him and trying to pull him into an embrace. “Don’t you get it? I’ve longed for you and longed for you…and you never even saw me.”
“Don’t touch me!” James shuddered, moving away from her.
“Did you ever consider us your friends?” Jess asked Natalie. “Or were we just stepping stones on your way to James?”
“You just don’t get it,” Natalie said. “I only wanted a family. I only wanted James. That’s it. I didn’t want to murder May. But I knew she’d always stand in my way. I knew she was just blind to my love.”
“She wasn’t blind to it,” Nora said. “She was trying to save you from your own obsessions. It’s too bad you weren’t worthy of saving.”
“You deserve whatever’s coming to you, Natalie,” Jess said.
“Now get out of my house,” Brooke snarled. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”
*****
Epilogue
“Isn’t it beautiful, Mom?” Hazel pulled at the skirt of her sundress, smiling broadly. The sky was powder blue and the sun a daffodil in the sky. Nora lounged on an Adirondack chair in her backyard, soaking in the rays. Kaylee was sitting under the shade of a tree nearby, hunched over a cell phone and muttering under her breath as video game music emanated from it. Austin and Jacob were cheering on Grace, who was locked in a semi-serious arm-wrestling competition with Harvey. Harvey winked as he let her win.
“It’s beautiful.” Nora smiled, and she didn’t just mean the sundress. The doorbell rang and everyone let out a groan.
“Fine. I’ll go get it.” Nora sighed. “It’s probably Tina, anyway.”
But it wasn’t.
Jess and Brooke stood on the doorstep, their eyes sad, but their chins held up bravely. Nora invited them into the kitchen and began pouring lemonade from a tall pitcher filled with ice.
“We came to give you this,” Jess said. She held out a knitted black and red toy gnome.
“The police found it after all?” Nora asked.
Jess shook her head. “No. They found the digital archive online, though, just as you predicted. Natalie’s going to jail. No doubt about it.”
“Jess and I just knitted this for you,” Brooke said. “Kind of like a…memorial to May.”
“Thank you,” Nora said gently, taking it from them. “I’ll treasure it.”
“We came to give you these, too.” Brooke smiled. She held out a pair of baby booties. “I know Grace won’t need them for a while yet but…there it is.”
“That baby’s going to be the warmest baby in Wyoming when winter comes.” Jess smiled. “We’re dedicating this year’s knitting to it.”
“Jess, really there’s no need-” Nora protested.
“Oh, yes, there is,” Brooke said. “I’m so ashamed of the way I acted, Nora. I tried to stop you from investigating because I really thought you’d mess things up. But, if it wasn’t for you, we’d never have found out the truth.”
Jess shuddered. “I’d never have found out just how much Natalie hated me.”
“I’m just glad we never have to see her again,” Brooke said.
A car honked outside.
“Well, we should go.” Jess smiled. “Peter and James are getting impatient.”
“A double date?” Nora raised an eyebrow.
Jess smiled shyly. “Something like that.”
“You and James are dating, then?” Nora asked.
“We’re taking it slow,” Jess said. “But…yes. James begged me for another chance, and I decided that life’s too short to hold grudges.”
“And Peter?” Nora asked Brooke.
“Peter was only mad that I felt the need to lie to him,” Brooke said, hanging her head. “He said all I’d needed to do was tell him how I felt and he’d have stopped pressuring me.”
The car horn rang out again and Nora smiled. “We can catch up later. I suppose it’s best for you to leave now.”
“Thanks.” Jess hugged her tight, “Honestly. We owe you.”
Nora shook her head. “Thank the sheriff, too. This whole time he’s been working hard to build an airtight case against Natalie.”
“Oh, we know,” Jess said. “He’s got my vote in the next election.”
“He’ll win in a landslide for sure.” Brooke nodded.
They waved goodbye as they walked down the driveway. Nora watched them from the kitchen window, waving goodbye herself. As Peter’s sedan sped off down the street, Nora leaned against the counter and took a sip of the lemonade.
Outside, Hazel was bent over, laughing as Austin and Kaylee played hopscotch together. Grace was lazing on a chair, her hand over her growing belly, while Jacob sat behind her. Harvey was taking a million photos of the scene. The harsh winds of winter had finally passed over, and gentle sunshine was now everywhere.
Summer was finally here.
The End (of Knitting With The Dead)
Continue for Retiring With The Dead…
RETURN TO MILBURN…25 Years Later
A Sequel Series To “A Murder In Milburn”
BOOK 6:
Retiring With The Dead
By
Nancy McGovern
Chapter 1
The Scare
The distance from Nora’s house to Milburn General Hospital was exactly five miles. Even with traffic, it didn’t take longer than ten minutes to reach. Nora knew this well because, years ago, when she’d been pregnant with her first daughter, Grace, she’d made several trips up and down the road with Harvey, planning the route and timing it. Ten minutes…tops. That’s all it took.
But now, as Nora sat in the back of the ambulance clutching Harvey’s hand, the ride felt like an eternity.
It started three days ago when Harvey had complained about a headache. Nora hadn’t thought much about it - summer was unusually hot this year and she’d figured that some lemonade would cool him off. Besides, Harvey had been working extremely hard lately. Nora had just chalked it up to the heat and the usual stresses that came with being a business owner.
But when the headache didn’t disappear over the weekend, Nora had worried more and more. She’d nagged him about it throughout breakfast that morning, but Harvey had brushed her off when she suggested going to the hospital.
“It’s not a big deal, sweetheart,” he'd
said, kissing her head. “It’s the heat. I just need to drink more water.”
“Funny how we’ve been whining for months that the weather’s too cold and, now that summer’s here, we hate that, too.” Nora laughed.
“Maybe we’re just getting old and crotchety,” Harvey said.
“The sixties aren’t old,” Nora protested. “We’re middle-aged, my friend.”
“Speak for yourself. Personally, I feel like a tire that’s been worn thin,” Harvey had admitted with a rueful smile.
“Nonsense. You don’t look a day over forty,” Nora had said loyally, kissing him back.
“Hey, Mom.” Nora’s younger daughter, Hazel, had been spending the weekend and trundled down into the kitchen, yawning and stretching. “Smells good.”
“Hands off the bacon!” Harvey had warned her. “It’s all mine, made to crispy perfection.”
“Aw, come on…you can spare a bit.” Hazel had taken a strip off his plate and, tilting her head back, slowly lowered it into her mouth. “Yum!”
“Hazel, sweetheart, wash your hands first! I’ll fix you a plate.”
“Thanks, Mom. But you know what? I’m not that hungry. I’m gonna go get the yard work out of the way, like I promised, and I’ll eat breakfast after.”
“Like you promised?” Harvey raised an eyebrow. “Yard work is my job.”
Hazel shrugged. “Mom told me I should do it this week, that you’re not feeling well.”
Outraged, Harvey had pushed back his chair and stood up. “Nonsense! There’s nothing wrong with me! I’ll go do it right this second.”
*****
As she paced the corridor outside Harvey’s hospital room, Nora felt a chill come over her. Over and over, she thought about those last few moments of peace and couldn't believe it had only been an hour ago! Seconds after he’d announced his intention to pursue the yard work, Harvey had fallen to the ground in a faint. Nora wasn’t very proud of the way she’d handled it - the sight of Harvey, her Harvey, in a pile on the floor had sent her into hysterics, only broken when Hazel phoned for an ambulance and shook her out of it. Now Hazel sat on a plastic chair in the corridor, tapping a message into her phone.
“Grace said she’ll be here as fast as she can,” Hazel said. “So will Austin.”
Nora still didn’t trust herself to speak. She nodded, keeping her lips pressed together. A door had opened in her mind, and dangerous possibilities peeked out through it. With great effort, Nora had slammed that door shut, not wanting to even consider such things. But the price was that now she couldn’t think at all - her brain lapsed into a sort of numbness, while her body fought off hysteria by pacing up and down the hallway.
The door to the hospital room opened and a smiling doctor stepped out. “Mrs. Nathaniel?”
“That’s me!” Nora said. Hazel jumped up and squeezed Nora’s hand. Nora squeezed back, immensely grateful that Hazel was here. The next few moments could change her life forever. The doctor’s words, whatever they were, would be irreversible. Nora felt fear settle like dead weight in her stomach. What if something terrible had happened to Harvey?
The doctor gave her a reassuring smile. “Relax. There’s absolutely nothing the matter with him. We ran all the tests we needed to, and he’s fine.”
Nora felt lightheaded. She stumbled back and clutched one of the plastic chairs, thinking she might faint herself. “Harvey’s alright?” She felt her fear vanish and relief rush into the vacuum that was left behind.
“He’s right as rain. He mentioned that work stresses have kept him up the last few nights. I suspect he’s overworked himself a little bit.”
“A little bit? Dad’s only got two gears - fast and faster.” Hazel shook her head. “He never stops working.”
“Well, maybe he should consider easing off a little bit,” the doctor said. “But that’s up to him. For now, he’s free to go home. Mrs. Nathaniel? Are you alright? Do you need a check up, too?”
Nora had collapsed into a chair and was holding her head in her hands, taking deep breaths.
“Mom?” Hazel sounded concerned.
“I’m fine,” Nora managed weakly. “Let’s go see your dad.”
*****
There was a tearful reunion and Harvey was soon discharged from the hospital with warnings from the doctor to not stress himself too much. Dinner that night saw the entire family gathered together. Grace, Jacob and little Kaylee sat on one side of the table with Hazel, Nora and Harvey on the other. Clearly relieved from outcome of the scare earlier that day, everyone seemed even more cheerful than usual.
“Sorry I’m late. Here’s the barbecue sauce you asked for, Grace.” Austin, Hazel’s boyfriend, leaned down to give her a quick kiss and took his place at the table.
“Thanks.” Grace looked up gratefully. “Kaylee’s going through a phase. She smothers everything in it.”
“It’s not a phase, Mom. It just tastes good!” Kaylee protested. “Besides, you and your cravings are way worse!”
“That’s true.” Jacob put an arm around Grace, who was heavily pregnant. “She made me go get her the ingredients for a banana split at 2am last night.”
Grace raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t make you do anything. And, if you really want, we can certainly switch places.”
Jacob laughed and shook his head. “No thanks. I’ll stick to the late night grocery runs, you stick to having the baby.”
“Chicken?” Hazel passed the plate to Austin, who thanked her and scooped a huge portion onto his plate.
Nora smiled fondly at Austin. Since he’d started dating Hazel he was always around, and she considered him part of the family now. She snuck a sideways glance at Harvey, who was a little subdued as he ate his meal.
When they’d all finished, Jacob nudged Austin and cocked his head towards the kitchen sink. He nodded at Kaylee and she got up with a resigned sigh. Soon, the three of them cleared the table and began to do the dishes, leaving Hazel and Grace alone with Nora and Harvey.
Grace gave Hazel a look, then cleared her throat.
“Mom, Dad…Hazel and I have been talking,” Grace said.
Harvey groaned. “I think I can guess what about.”
“Hush, Harvey. Let the girls speak.” Nora put a hand on his forearm.
“We think Dad’s working too hard. Way too hard. And there’s no reason to anymore,” Grace said. “I mean, Jacob and I are pretty well settled, Hazel’s business is growing by the day, and the two of you have enough savings in the bank to get by.”
“You need to chill, basically,” Hazel said. “You’re not forty anymore, so stop acting like it and working like a maniac.”
Grace patted her stomach. “After all, we want you around for a long, long time.”
Harvey put a hand over his eyes and groaned. “Alright, I get it.”
“They’re right, you know,” Nora agreed. “You need to ask yourself why you’re pushing so hard, Harv. The time has come for you to ease up on the reins a little bit. This last week especially, you’ve been working nonstop.”
Harvey sighed. “Well, I guess I might as well tell you. The thing I’ve been working so hard on is…an offer from another company.”
“What’s that?” Nora raised an eyebrow.
Harvey nodded. “Someone’s offered to buy me out.”
“Who?” Grace asked. “Not Fred Bailey?”
“Bailey?! You know I’d never sell to him. I despise the man. He’s a vulture. If he took over my company he’d run it to the ground. Everything I’ve spent a lifetime building would be ruined in a year.” Harvey shook his head. “No. This is a company from London that’s looking to expand here. They’ve made me a great offer and, especially after today, I think I’m going to accept it.”
“Wow.” Hazel whistled. “Selling off Nathaniel Realty? Who’d have thought this day would come?!”
Harvey looked at them both. “Of course, if either of you wants to take over, I could reconsider. I always loved the idea of handing it over to on
e of you girls. Or both.”
“Not a chance,” Grace said. “I’ve got my hands full with my own job.”
Hazel shook her head. “Sorry, Dad, I’m just not cut out for real estate. Landscaping is creative and outdoorsy. It’s the perfect match for me.”
Harvey shrugged. “Then, if none of you object, I’ll send Rolfe and Co. an email and get the ball rolling.”
“Is it really going to be that easy for you?” Nora asked. “Retiring like this?”
Harvey shrugged. “I think this decision has been a long time coming. The time is right and that scare today just proved that I need a more relaxed life now.”
“Great news, Dad!” Hazel beamed and ran over to hug him.
“Congratulations!” Grace exclaimed, unable to run anywhere.
Nora put on a smile and gave Harvey a hug but part of her was a little resistant. This was a huge decision and she could see that Harvey had been wrestling with it for quite some time. Still, it felt like a new landmark had been reached and, although she was very happy, she was also nervous about what the future would bring.
*****
Chapter 2
A Surprising Offer
A brisk wind blew outside, shaking the branches on the pine trees across the road. The sky was a brilliant blue, dotted with clouds like whipped cream and a yellow peach of a sun shining down on the world. Inside the diner, business was slow. A few teenagers were crowded into one booth, drinking milkshakes and laughing at YouTube videos while, in another corner, the local knitting club was gossiping and laughing as they deftly worked away on bright-colored scarves. The buttery smell of a freshly baked pie filled the air, along with the steaming aroma of strong coffee.
Tina was behind the counter, as usual, humming to herself and sneaking the occasional look at Nora, who was staring down into her coffee. Nora jumped as her phone buzzed and then tapped out a hasty message.
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