The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “You just have to wait a bit longer,” Nora said. “Once some time passes, nobody will even notice if you two start dating.”

  Adriana hunched even more. “I don’t know. It’s all complicated now. Lillian hates me anyway, and Derek’s pretty big on family.”

  “Do you like him?” Nora asked.

  “Yes,” Adriana said softly, her eyes shining. “Yes, I really do.”

  “Does he like you?” Nora asked.

  “I don’t know. I hope so.”

  “Well, go find out. And don’t worry too much about the rest. If you want something bad enough, just go get it.”

  Adriana laughed. “You sound like Fred right now. But that’s good advice. Thank you. Just…do me a favor and don’t mention this to Lillian, would you? I think she’d go crazy and kill me if she found out right now.”

  Nora nodded. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  Adriana tried to get up to leave but Nora stopped her. “I have just one more question.”

  “Sure,” Adriana said.

  “Did Fred ever mention his ex-wife, Dana, to you?” Nora asked.

  Adriana nodded. “Oh, yeah. More than once. He talked about how she’d cheated with a pool boy.” A flash of anger lit up Adriana’s face. She paused for a second, carefully considering her next words, then asked, “Do you think that the reason Dana was so eager to pin the murder on me was because she did it?”

  “It’s a thought,” Nora said. “After all, the bottle could have been poisoned any time, up to a year ago. It’s just that Dana is never in town.”

  “Oh, but she was in town a few months ago,” Adriana said suddenly. “In fact, she was in Fred’s house!”

  “What?!” Nora got up suddenly.

  “I wouldn’t have known, except for a coincidence. Fred was out of town for a conference that week. I had borrowed a book of Rowan’s and went to return it. Rowan opened the door and I saw Dana inside. It was only for a moment, Rowan tried to shield her from view, and she quickly shut the study door. But I am sure it was her - I’d seen photos of her,” Adriana explained. “Do you think that’s important?”

  “Important?” Nora smiled. “Yes. Yes I think it just might be.”

  *****

  Chapter 17

  Confessions and Cola Cake

  Nora and Adriana’s conversation was interrupted by the buzz of Nora’s phone. She picked up, only to hear a high-pitched voice scream, “Mom!!! Get down here! They’re releasing Dad! Like, right now!”

  Pushing away her uneaten lunch, Nora jumped up, said her goodbyes to Adriana and rushed out to her car.

  Feeling buoyant, she switched the radio on and was immediately rewarded with an ABBA song. Humming and snapping her fingers, Nora felt a weight lifting from her. Humans have a short memory for feelings and, with Harvey in prison, Nora had spent the last few days feeling every ounce of happiness sucked out of her. She’d literally been unable to remember what it felt like. The fact that he’d be with her once again filled her up like helium fills up a party balloon.

  She screeched to a stop in the parking lot of the police station and ran inside. Hazel, Austin and Grace were waiting, big smiles on their faces.

  “There you are!” Hazel exclaimed.

  “Can you believe it! Dad’s going to be free! All charges have been dropped!” Grace clapped her hands in glee. “Mom, it’s really happening! I thought I was dreaming when I heard.”

  “I want to let out three cheers for Sheriff Ellerton.” Hazel’s smile stretched from cheek to cheek. “We have to buy him a big, big bottle of champagne.”

  “Maybe later,” Nora said. “Where’s your dad? Is he out yet?”

  “No, we have about fifteen more minutes. He and the lawyer are still working on the paperwork.” Hazel looked at her watch.

  Grace gave a little groan and sank down onto a seat. She put a hand over her belly and sighed. “The little guy’s just as excited as all of us. He’s kicking like a mule.”

  Nora was immediately concerned. “Sweetheart, would you like to go home and rest? There’s enough of us here already.”

  “Not a chance,” Grace said. She gave a whoop. “I’m compiling a list of prison jokes I can start hitting Dad with as soon as he comes out. I’m going to rib him forever about the time he was iin jail for murder.”

  “Easy girl, it might be too soon to make jokes like that,” Hazel said. “I’d give it a month at least.”

  “How about a hundred years?” Nora asked. “As far as I’m concerned, I want to forget this ever happened.”

  Grace nodded. “I can imagine.” She put a hand over her mom’s. “It’s been so hard on you, Mom. And you’ve been an absolute champ. You were really so strong.”

  “Only because I had all of you backing me up.” Nora’s eyes got a little misty. She leaned down and gave Grace a big hug, then motioned to Austin and Hazel to join in.

  “Yeesh. All this public display of emotion. Can’t we all just go have a beer instead?” a voice said.

  Nora jumped. She didn’t need to look to know that it was Harvey. She took a deep breath, feeling like she was in a dream, then turned around. Harvey stood there, looking unshaven and tired, but absolutely happy. He gave Nora a rueful smile. The sheriff stood behind him. He gave her the briefest of nods, as though reminding her of their deal, before rushing off into his office. Austin must have caught his look, because he gave Nora a puzzled glance.

  Ignoring everyone else, Nora jumped into Harvey’s arms. She didn’t want to squeal like a little girl seeing her birthday cake, but her vocal cords weren’t being obedient. She felt his arms wrap around her like iron bands and his heart beating a drum solo under his skin.

  “Let’s go home.” Harvey’s voice was hoarse. “I could really do with a long, long shower.”

  *****

  Half an hour later, Nora was in her own kitchen again. They’d ordered pizza to snack on, but Nora felt celebratory - a cake was definitely in order. While Harvey showered, she moved around the kitchen making his favorite - a super-chocolatey cola cake. She hadn’t forgotten that she owed Deputy Sanders a cake, too, and this felt like the perfect time to make it. She’d bought a whole bunch of Ghirardelli’s baking-chocolate bars the last time she’d been to San Francisco and she’d been saving them for a special occasion. This definitely felt like it.

  She mixed the cola along with the oil, butter and cocoa until it was bubbling on the stove and then poured it into a bowl where she’d already combined sugar, flour and salt. Then, after giving the whole mixture a good beating, she folded in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. When it was all well-mixed and a deep brown, she poured it into a pan and popped it into the oven.

  Hazel, meanwhile, had been mixing together butter, cocoa and heavy cream to make frosting, though Austin kept teasing her by dipping a spoon into the bowl and stealing licks. Hazel finally had to threaten him with her own spoon and, with the energy of two little puppies, they began a mock swordfight with them. Austin ended up picking her up off the floor before Hazel declared defeat.

  Harvey walked into the kitchen, his hair still wet from the shower, looking much better in clean clothes and a freshly-shaved face. Kaylee was sticking to him and he had an arm draped around her shoulders.

  “The man of the hour!” Jacob had been giving Grace a much needed foot massage, but he got up as Harvey entered and gave him a bear hug. “We’re all so glad to have you home, Harvey.”

  “Thanks,” Harvey said.

  “Want some pizza, Dad? You must be starving,” Grace offered.

  “Or a drink, maybe? I could mix you something?” Hazel added.

  “You should sit down,” Austin urged.

  “How about you all stop treating me like a fragile vase and more like the normal man I am?” Harvey grinned. “I’m not going to shatter, you know.”

  Nora still had her back to him, having taken over frosting-duty when Hazel got distracted. She turned off the stove now and turned around. Harvey did look be
tter. In fact, much better than he had any right to look. He could joke about not being a delicate vase but, between his scare at the hospital and being jailed, Nora really had thought that he might shatter. It truly was a relief to see him so relaxed.

  “The sheriff is full of surprises,” Jacob said. “I guess this whole case is full of surprises, really. Who could have guessed that Fred died because of poison and not your punch! We were all totally fooled!”

  Austin caught Nora’s eye as Jacob said this, then quickly looked away. Nora felt a surge of fondness for him. He’d really helped her keep her secrets. He helped her investigate even more.

  “I was fooled, too,” Harvey admitted. “Thank goodness they have forensics reports now. If this had happened a hundred years ago, I’d be a goner. I mean, even I thought I’d killed Fred. That was the worst I’ve ever felt in my life.”

  Harvey caught Nora’s eye and cocked his head. She knew immediately that he wanted to speak to her alone.

  “But you’re okay now, right?” Hazel sounded suddenly young and frightened as she placed a hand on her father’s shoulder. “You’re feeling good?”

  “Better than good,” Harvey corrected her. “I’m feeling ready to take on the world! People say a vacation refreshes you. But jail is even better! I feel like I sorted out all of life’s priorities in there.” He stretched then added, “I’m going to take a nap now, actually. Nora, you look exhausted, too. Want to join me?”

  “Go ahead, Mom.” Grace pushed her. “We’ll take the cake out when it’s ready and frost it. It’ll be waiting here, beautiful and perfect, when you wake up.”

  “But Deputy Sanders’ cake has to go in the oven next,” Nora said. “I’ve made the batter and it’s in the fridge.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Grace promised. “And I won’t let these two savages have a food fight with it, either.”

  “Hey!” Hazel protested.

  “Who appointed you Guardian Of All Cakes?” Austin grinned.

  “Consider it a privilege of being the older sister.” Grace smiled back.

  “Older sisters have privileges?” Kaylee looked suddenly interested.

  “Sure! Responsibilities and privileges, both.” Grace explained tenderly. “You’ll learn soon enough.” She suddenly winced and put a hand over her belly. Jacob looked concerned but she waved him off. “It’s been happening for a while. Don’t worry. Mom, Dad, go take a nap. We’re all good here.”

  *****

  Upstairs, Harvey shut the door and sat on the bed. “Listen, I had a talk with the sheriff. We need to talk, Nora.”

  Nora took a deep breath. “Did he tell you about my deal?”

  “Yes,” Harvey said. “Are you crazy? Did you really make a deal with him to go away for a year? There’s no way we can honor that.”

  “I didn’t see a choice at the time,” Nora admitted. “But, the more I think about it, Harvey, the more I feel like you really could use a year away. Imagine the two of us getting nice and brown on a golden beach somewhere in Greece or Italy. Just a year of fun and good food and no worries at all. Something fun to jump-start our retirement!”

  “We can’t just run away for a year. Be reasonable,” Harvey said. “Besides, we still have my company to think about.”

  “What’s to think about? It belongs to Rowan Bailey now,” Nora said.

  “I have to figure out a way to undo it,” Harvey said. “My employees still need me.”

  “No, they don’t,” Nora said firmly. “It’s out of your hands now, Harvey. Your family needs you. I need you. Your only focus during this next year should be on getting as healthy as possible.”

  Harvey’s lips pressed together in an obstinate expression for a split second, then he shook his head. “That’s not all. There’s something important that I learned. Something you need to know. There’s a reason that Sheriff Ellerton let me go so easily.”

  “What is it?” Nora asked.

  “They found Eddie Shaw,” Harvey said. “He’s dead. Suicide.”

  Nora shuddered. “That’s horrible!”

  “He killed himself the morning after Fred died,” Harvey said. “He left a suicide note behind, too. It was a full confession. He admitted that he was responsible for killing Fred Bailey, and asked for forgiveness for everything wrong he’d done in his life.”

  “Oh, my.” Nora put a hand over her mouth. “So it was him, after all.”

  “Yes. The sheriff hasn’t announced it yet, but he will soon enough. The case is closed now. As far as prison is concerned, we can rest easy. I’m free.” Harvey put his hands behind his head and fell backwards onto the bed. “I feel free, too! I’ve taken all this for granted for so long. I’m seeing it with new eyes now - you, the kids, our home. I love it all anew.”

  So it was all over. Nora took a deep breath. She jumped into bed next to Harvey and gave him a big kiss. They cuddled each other, happy just to be so…free.

  And as for the persistent thought in the back of Nora’s mind which insisted that something was wrong, that Shaw simply couldn’t have had the chance to poison Fred? Well, she totally ignored it.

  *****

  Chapter 18

  Confrontations and Champagne

  Nora was groggy when she woke up. She and Harvey had fallen asleep in the same position in which they’d been cuddling, and she didn’t know how many hours had passed. Her arm had pins and needles in it now. It was not quite dark outside and, at first, her foggy mind thought that it was dawn. Her confusion deepened when she saw that the bedside clock said “8:00”. For a few seconds, she wondered why it was still dark at all at eight in the morning. But then her mind cleared and she realized they had just had a very long afternoon nap. It was eight o'clock in the evening.

  There was a knock on the door. Harvey was still fast asleep and tried to snuggle closer to Nora. Disentangling herself from him, Nora tip-toed to the door. She opened it just a crack and let her head peek out. It was Kaylee.

  “The sheriff’s here to see you, Grandma,” Kaylee said, her eyes wide. “Dad let him wait in the study. He said he wants to talk to you and Grandpa alone.”

  Nora heard the creak of the bed as Harvey got up.

  “Tell him we’ll be right there,” Nora said.

  Kaylee’s lips trembled. “Is he here to take Grandpa back to jail?”

  “Nonsense.” Nora kissed Kaylee on the head. “Don’t you worry about that. Your Grandpa is not going anywhere.”

  *****

  A few minutes later, Nora and Harvey were sitting face to face with Sheriff Ellerton in the downstairs study. The sheriff hitched his pants up over his belly as he leaned back onto the couch and he placed his hat on an end table beside him.

  “I just came to let you know I don’t need your help after all,” he told Nora. “Eddie Shaw was the killer, after all. So it’s all done now.”

  “Is it?” Nora asked pointedly. “Sheriff, Adriana told me that she’d seen Dana in the house with Rowan a month or so ago. I thought that-”

  Sheriff Ellerton waved her off. “Nora, you’re not hearing me. Eddie Shaw did it. It’s over.”

  “Do you have any proof he did it, though?” Nora asked.

  “Proof?” Sheriff Ellerton laughed. “We have a full confession, signed. That’s all the proof anyone needs.”

  “But confessions can be faked,” Nora argued.

  Sheriff Ellerton was suddenly impatient. “You’re trying to get out of our deal, aren’t you? You just don’t want to leave town. The case is closed, I tell you. Eddie Shaw killed Fred Bailey. I thought you’d be happy. Harvey’s completely in the clear now.”

  “Ellerton.” Harvey’s voice was a growl.

  Sheriff Ellerton looked up, surprised.

  “You made a deal with Nora when she was desperate,” Harvey said. “You used her vulnerability against her. I don’t take kindly to that.”

  “Are you planning to leave town or not?” Sheriff Ellerton asked. “Because, right now, it sounds like Nora is planning to
rake up muck in a case that is rightfully shut.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Harvey said, standing up. “I’m staying right here with my wife, in my town. As for you, I’d be a little less worried about what Rowan thinks and a little more worried about what we think. Nora’s words hold a lot of weight in this town. I have a bit of influence myself. Who we support as sheriff really matters.”

  “What are you saying?” Sheriff Ellerton was turning green.

  “We needed you,” Harvey said. “We needed you on our side, but all you cared about was your precious badge.”

  “Harv-”

  “No. Nora, I have no idea how you gave in to his bullying - and bullying is what it was - but it stops now. Ellerton, you’re not welcome in my house. And, if I were you, I wouldn’t antagonize us any farther unless you really do want to lose your badge.”

  Ellerton stood up, scowling. “You’re not untouchable, Harvey. You did punch Fred Bailey. I could still convince Rowan to press assault charges against you. I’d honor the deal and leave town if I were you.”

  “Over my dead body,” Harvey said simply. “You just signed my support away, Ellerton.”

  “Fine. I’ll leave.” Sheriff Ellerton swooped up his hat. “But let me tell you this, Nora. If you’re thinking of poking your nose further into Fred’s death, you’ll only make a fool of yourself. Eddie Shaw was left-handed and had pretty distinctive handwriting. I’ve matched his suicide note very closely with his bank checks and official letters. Nobody but him wrote that confession. There’s no deeper plot to be dug up.”

  “Oh…” Any thoughts Nora had about Eddie’s note being a fake faded away. The sheriff was absolutely positive.

  Sheriff Ellerton left, slamming the door behind him, and Nora turned to Harvey.

  “Was that wise?” she asked. “The sheriff’s mad at us now.”

  “Like I care. I told you, I have unfinished business in Milburn,” Harvey said. “I can’t leave town until I figure out what to do about my company. I know you think it’s gone forever now but, Nora, I built that company. I hired those people. I still love what it stands for and what I worked so hard to build. I meant it. I’m not going anywhere.”