by Cindy Bell
Ally eyed the couch. A Great Dane was sprawled across it. He gazed at her with his big eyes as if she was nuts for thinking he would share.
“Get down now, get down, boy.” Charlotte shooed him off the couch.
Ally settled down beside her. From the kitchen, Bernice shouted orders at her children. Some they listened to, some they did not, but mostly they wrestled and fought over toys.
Ally was stunned by the noise level, and the constant movement. She’d been around children of course, but not that often, and as an only child she’d never had any sibling rivalry to endure.
When Bernice returned to the living room, she had two cups of tea in her hands. Ally’s heart softened as she realized that even though the woman was so busy, and grieving, she had thought to make them both something to drink.
“Thank you.” Ally smiled at her as she took the cup. “You have a lovely family.”
“Lovely?” She grinned. “Mya, do not ride that dog! He is not a horse!” She rolled her eyes then looked back at Ally. “They say it gets easier. I can only hope. I want to thank you both for the candies, they will help me through this. I know that my mother was well known in the town and everyone keeps calling to check on me, but honestly, I’m okay.”
Charlotte studied her eyes and noticed that there was no swelling or redness. It didn’t look as if she’d been crying at all. She opened her mouth to ask her about Gladys, but before she could the front door swung open.
A tall man walked in wearing neck to toe coveralls that were stained with grease and other forms of grime.
“Daddy.” Mya ran over to him and hugged his legs.
“What’s this, company?” He looked from his wife, to the women on the couch. “You didn’t tell me we were having anyone over.”
“Oh, we didn’t call ahead.” Ally frowned as she realized that maybe they should have. “We just wanted to offer our condolences and drop off some chocolates.”
“I see.” He eyed her for a moment, then shifted his attention to Charlotte. “That’s kind of you.”
“It’s no trouble. We’ve been using Bloomdale Dairy Farm as our source of milk for years, and I just want to offer my sympathies for your loss.”
“Oh, thanks.” He brushed off a child that had attached to his leg. “Yeah, we’ll keep delivering until the sale is final.”
“I haven’t signed any paperwork.” Bernice turned to look at him with a frown. “I know that I supported the sale before, but now that Mom is no longer here I feel like I have to honor and fight for her wishes. This is not what Mom would have wanted, and you know that.”
“Maybe not, but we can’t handle a dairy farm, Bernice, be reasonable, we can barely handle a kid farm.” He made a funny face at the youngest child. He smiled at first, then burst into tears. “See?” He shook his head. “There’s no question about it, we’re selling.”
“But the farm workers practically run the farm. All we need is a supervisor to keep things organized. That’s it.” She crossed her arms. “It’s my decision.”
“You listen to me, it is ridiculous to even consider keeping that farm after what Grainder has offered.”
“Maybe we should go.” Charlotte stood up as she detected the scent of something burning in the kitchen. She knew things were only going to get uglier.
“Yes, I’m sorry, that would probably be best.” Bernice sighed as her husband continued to argue with her and the children began to plead for dinner.
By the time Ally stepped outside, she was exhausted, and she had only been watching.
“That poor woman.” Ally grimaced. “How can she put up with all of that?”
“One day you’ll find out.” Charlotte winked at her.
“No, never.” Ally laughed as she walked back to the car.
“We’ll see.” Charlotte grinned.
Chapter 7
Once back in the car Charlotte and Ally drove towards the farm. It was a slow drive because there was a large tractor in the road ahead of them.
“Interesting that the two of them aren’t on the same page about selling the farm.” Ally stared at the tractor as it inched along. “I sensed more than just a little argument was about to happen.”
“Me too. I feel a little badly for Bernice, I hope that she can handle herself against that brute.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
“Brute?” Ally looked over at her. “Did you really think he was that bad? He was frustrated, yes, but I don’t think he would do anything to harm her.”
“Ally, just having a man try to force you into a decision you don’t agree with is being harmed. It was her mother’s farm, now it’s hers, why should he get a say in what happens to it?”
“While I agree that no one should ever be forced into a decision, I have to say that his opinion on the matter should be heard. They’re a family, even if she is the one who inherited the farm. That doesn’t mean that he won’t be affected by her decision to keep it. He might be more aware of their financial situation, and may feel it’s a terrible idea.” Ally sighed as she resisted leaning on the horn. It seemed to her that the tractor driver actually slowed down because she was behind him. The road was too narrow, with ditches on either side, for her to go around him.
“Well, if the rumors are true he is in a lot of financial trouble, so that may be why he is pushing for the sale of the farm as soon as possible.” Charlotte tensed in her seat as she thought about the possibilities. “Of course, that could also be a motive for him to kill his mother-in-law. She wasn’t going anywhere any time soon, and he needed the money right then.”
“Good point.” Ally frowned. “I wonder if she ever considered selling it. I’m sure they’re offering a big sum.”
“Probably not. The farm was probably not so much about money to her, but more about family, history, and all of the hard work she put into it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned down a very lucrative offer for the place. It would be like me selling the cottage. I mean I know one day it will have to be put on the market, when it’s too small for you, but I’m just glad it won’t be me that has to do it.”
“No way. I don’t ever want to sell the cottage. It’s full of good memories for me.”
“It is?” Charlotte looked over at her as Ally finally turned into the farm.
“Yes, of course.” Ally smiled at her. “Did you think otherwise?”
“Well, I wondered, since it was such a hard time for both of us.”
“Wonder no more, Mee-Maw, you were amazing to me, and I always felt so loved and welcomed in the cottage. It’s still my favorite place to be.”
“Good, that makes me feel better.” She patted her knee.
As they parked in the long driveway that led up to the farm, Ally noticed that there were a few other cars gathered near the farmhouse. She hadn’t intended to meet with anyone other than Marlo, and she wondered who the cars might belong to. They’d just left Bernice’s house and as far as she knew she was the only family that Gladys had. She quickly turned off the headlights and hoped that they hadn’t been spotted.
“I wonder who else is here?” Charlotte peered through the last of the evening light in the direction of the cars. “I didn’t expect anyone to be here.”
“Me either. I think we should be careful as we walk up. Who knows who might be out here trying to get a look at the crime scene.”
“Like us?” Charlotte cast a grin in her direction.
“Not exactly. We’re here for a reason. Other people are just checking things out for thrills.”
“Okay, good point.” Charlotte stepped out of the car as Ally stepped out of the other side. They met in front of the car and began walking up the driveway towards the parked cars. As they approached, Ally could hear voices. She looked over at her grandmother with wide eyes.
Charlotte nodded. They needed to get closer to hear better. She led the way to a few bushes that lined the walkway to the farmhouse. As they crouched down behind them, they could hear the voices more clearly.
> “I did the job, and now you owe me the money,” a short man said. He had a bushy black mustache, and a light blue suit jacket that did not match his black pants.
“I’ll get you the money, just relax,” the man across from him spoke in a soothing tone. He wore a much nicer suit. “Just give me a few days to get things straightened out.”
“I don’t work for air,” the first man snarled. “You were supposed to pay me this morning. What’s the hold up?”
“Well, things took an interesting turn, don’t you think? I just need a few days. All right?”
“Fine.” The short man huffed. Then he turned and stalked back to his car. The other man stared after him. Something about the way he stood, and the fierceness of his gaze, made Ally’s muscles tense. He held himself as if he was important, a president, or a king, as if he shouldn’t be questioned. Men like that, who believed they were powerful, could be very dangerous.
“What was that about?” Charlotte looked over at Ally. “Did that man look familiar to you?”
“Neither of them did.” Ally frowned as she stared after the man who got into his car. “I don’t think they’re from around here at all. If they are, I’ve never seen them.”
“Interesting.” Charlotte watched as the car drove by. She managed to snap a quick picture of the car, but missed the license plate. “Ally, try to get the license plate on that car.” She pointed to the car that belonged to the man in the fine suit. He had already turned on the engine. Ally did her best to get a picture of his license plate, but it was a little blurry.
“That’s the best I could do.” She showed the picture to her grandmother.
“That’s pretty good. Luke should be able to get enough of the numbers to run the plates.” She met Ally’s eyes. “Do you think he will?”
“I don’t know. All I can do is ask, right?” She smiled, then sent the picture off to Luke in a text. “I’m sure when he gets a free moment he’ll let me know one way or the other.” She turned her attention back to the farm.
“It’s pretty clear that they had some kind of deal going. I hate to think it, but what if it has to do with Gladys’ death?” Charlotte turned to look at Ally.
“It’s possible, well, probable really. But, why would they be so bold as to meet out here on the farm? That seems pretty risky to me.” She sighed. “I keep thinking about Parker being a mechanic. He would easily know how to cut the brake lines, and that it would result in a crash.”
“That’s true, but I think that’s also pretty common knowledge. I can see that he would have motive to inherit the farm, to solve his financial trouble, but this is his wife’s mother we’re talking about. I don’t know, he’d have to be pretty heartless to do it.”
“People can be pretty heartless.” Ally stood up behind the bushes and stared out over the farm. The farm was quiet and still. In the distance she knew that the cows were lined up in barns and probably not silent, but their sounds didn’t reach the house. To her, in that moment, the farm looked like a ghost town, abandoned by its occupants. Gladys had loved the property as if it were the love of her life, and Ally guessed she would try to hang on to it. The soil, the buildings, even the sky, was full of Gladys’ presence. She closed her eyes and just listened. She imagined she could hear Gladys’ voice on the light breeze. Not her voice, but a soft whistling. Her body jolted as she realized the whistling wasn’t in her imagination, but truly carried on the breeze, and headed in their direction.
Charlotte heard the noise as well. Without the headlights on it was hard to make out anything at a distance.
“What is that, Ally?” She looked over at her granddaughter, whose eyes were wide. “Do you hear it, too?”
“Yes, I do,” Ally whispered back. “I can’t tell where it’s coming from.” She squinted into the darkness. Then suddenly she saw a flash of light, followed by others. It was eerie at first, because of the way it swung back and forth. Then she realized it was a flashlight.
“Look, there are the farm workers heading back to the barn. It must have been one of them whistling. I want to see if I can spot Marlo.” She walked boldly out from behind the bushes and headed in the direction of the farm workers.
The group of mostly men gathered together close to the barn. She watched as a man who appeared to be in charge began handing out what she assumed were daily wages. She was certain that Marlo would be there. If he was paid each day, then he wouldn’t want to miss his payment for the day. As she scanned through the faces she searched for his familiar face. Finally, towards the back she spotted him. She stepped forward as the crowd began to disperse.
“Marlo?” She called out to him as he started to turn away. “Marlo, wait!” She took a few fast steps towards him. “Please, I just want to talk to you. That’s all.”
He reluctantly turned to face her. She could tell from the tightness of his shoulders that he did not really want to be standing there in front of her. However, she was relieved that he was willing to speak to her.
“Yes, what is it?” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Last night, you wanted to tell me something, didn’t you?” She held his gaze.
“No, nothing.” He lowered his eyes. “Nothing at all.”
“Marlo, you don’t have to keep the truth from me. I’m not going to cause you any trouble. I just want you to know, if you have something you want to say, I’m willing to listen.”
“I can’t.” He closed his eyes tight, then opened them slowly. “I never should have come there. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s all right, Marlo, I’m not afraid.” She took another step towards him. “If there’s anything you know that you think might help solve Gladys’ murder, you have to tell me.”
“It was awful.” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “It wasn’t my fault.”
Those words made Ally shiver on the inside. She heard her grandmother approaching from behind her, but she waved her back. She didn’t want the presence of another person to spook Marlo out of speaking. Why would he think he had to insist it wasn’t his fault? Was it possible that he didn’t just know something about the murder, but was involved in it as well? The thought was more than a little disturbing to her as she stood so close to him.
“I’m sure it wasn’t you, Marlo. Someone cut the brake lines on that quad bike, though. Someone had to have access to it. Who do you think might do that?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t see anything.” He sighed and looked back at her again. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“Who said that it was?” She took another step towards him, so that she could speak in a hushed tone. “Did someone tell you that it was your fault?”
“No!” His eyes grew wide. “It wasn’t my fault! No! No!” He shook his head from side to side, shaking it again and again. Ally was startled by the motions. Charlotte stepped up beside her and drew her back a few steps.
“He’s having a moment,” she murmured. “He’s worked up.”
One of the other workers jogged over to them.
“Marlo, what is it?” The taller man frowned. “What’s wrong? What did you do to him?” The man turned his attention on them.
“Nothing.” Ally still stared at Marlo as he continued to shake his head and kept shouting no over and over again. “I was just talking with him. Is he okay?”
“He has some problems.” The man patted his shoulder. “Marlo, it’s all right. Calm down now. Do your breathing.”
Marlo took a deep breath, then another. He stopped shaking his head. He stared hard at Ally, then he turned and walked away. Ally stared after him, confused.
“Does he often do that?” She looked at the man before her.
“Only when he’s upset. I haven’t seen him do it in a while. Whatever you were talking to him about must have really bothered him.” He eyed them. “What are you doing out here?”
“Nothing.” Charlotte grabbed Ally’s hand and pulled her away
from the man. “We need to get out of here, Ally. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Ally nodded. She was still rattled by Marlo’s wild actions. One moment he seemed perfectly lucid and able to communicate, the next it was like he no longer even saw her. She’d never witnessed anything like it before.
“I didn’t mean to upset him.” Ally swallowed back a rush of guilt as she got back into the car.
“It’s all right. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.” Charlotte buckled her seat belt.
Those words played through Ally’s mind. It wasn’t your fault. Marlo kept repeating the same statement, it wasn’t his fault. But there had to be a reason he thought he needed to make that clear.
“He was so agitated. I wonder what set him off?” Ally rubbed her hands along the steering wheel and tried to focus on what Marlo had said to her.
“Clearly he’s upset about Gladys’ death.” Charlotte glanced over at her. “Maybe he had something to do with it.”
“Maybe.” Ally continued to squeeze the steering wheel without turning on the car. “But it seemed more like he was scared. Like, he thought he was going to be in trouble for something that he didn’t do.”
“Or that he was going to be in trouble for something he did do.” Charlotte shook her head. “Maybe Gladys did something to set him off, and he reacted by killing her. It’s possible. We should find out what we can about him and how he was connected to Gladys on a personal level. Did he act like that at all when you first met him?”
“No, not at all. He seemed nervous, and shy, but nothing like that.” Ally sighed. “I’m sure he knows something about Gladys’ murder. But how can we find out what it is if I can’t talk to him without upsetting him?”
“Maybe Luke will have better luck. I’m sure he will be checking out everyone that works on the farm.”