Murder on Sugar Hill

by Claire Sweeney

  Was Charley's insulin overdose an accident? Or a deliberate act of murder? If murder, then who did it? The list of suspects was short. Carl and Sheriff Dudley were the only two people that she knew of with a motive to murder Charley. But did they have a strong enough motive? Matilda wasn't sure.

  With Charley’s health declining, Carl was on a quick track to become the owner of the Horse and Hound Inn. Matilda didn't see why he would risk killing his uncle when all he had to do was wait a little longer and the inn would be handed to him.

  And was Sheriff Dudley really a suspect? The cat was out of the bag as far as knowing that he’d been driving Charley's car the night of Buggy's accident. Killing Charley wouldn't undo the fact that his uncle, former Sheriff Wilson, knew the truth.

  Maybe the overdose was an accident! Matilda thought as she shook her head in frustration.

  "Check-in time!" she heard John Paul squawk.

  "Maybe I should go and help Trixie," Matilda said as he picked up her empty cup.

  When she entered the lobby, Trixie looked relieved. "Miss Matilda, can you watch the front desk while I show the gentlemen a room?" Trixie asked.

  "You mean the parrots can't check guests in?" the middle-aged man asked as he glanced from the birds to Matilda.

  "They could, but I fear they would only charge a sugar cookie per person," Matilda replied.

  The man laughed as he turned to follow Trixie upstairs.

  Chapter Twenty

  I hate funerals. Matilda thought as she stood in the front row of mourners in front of the gravesite. And despite what Trixie claims, I can't be a witch because I hate wearing black.

  The minister was speaking, but Matilda was eyeing her fellow mourners. She couldn't help but think that one of them might have given Charley too much insulin.

  Sheriff Dudley, in full uniform, looked sad. He and Charley had hunted deer in the national forest together and downed lots of beer afterward at the Rivergale Inn and the Village House.

  The look on Carl Lovett's face was... It wasn't grief nor happiness. It was something in between.

  The only flicker of happiness was on Ann Bixby's creamy white face. And well she should feel a bit of pleasure knowing that her boyfriend would inherit the inn and thus pull her up a couple of rungs of the Sugar Hill social ladder. Cleaning toilets and offices were no longer the dismal future for the cute red-head.

  "Amen!"

  The final words from the minister brought Mathilda’s’ focus back to the teak coffin and the red roses piled on top.

  A nod from the minister and the men on each side of the coffin picked up the ropes and started to lower the coffin into the hole. Once it came to rest on the bottom of the grave, Carl stepped forward, picked up a handful of dirt, and tossed it on top of the grave. "See you in heaven, Uncle Charley," he said as he and Ann walked away. The other mourners slowly followed him to the line of waiting cars.

  Matilda lingered.

  "What are you thinking?" Trixie whispered.

  "I think that someone hastened his departure from this world," Matilda said.

  "The state police didn't seem to agree with you. They did question Carl and examined the insulin pen. They concluded that Charley had misread the indicator and injected too much insulin," Trixie reminded Matilda.

  "Yes, they didn't take kindly to my suggestion that foul play was involved," Matilda said. "The sergeant's comment was 'the over stimulated imagination of a nosey neighbor.’"

  "So, he knows you personally?"

  "No, and he didn't know Charley personally either, or he would have known that Charley was meticulous. He would never have given himself an injection if he had even the slightest doubt that the dosage was incorrect."

  "You can't prove someone else gave him the injection. You can't even come up with a logical motive."

  "There’s got to be a motive. I just haven't found it yet," Matilda said.

  "Come on. We’re the only ones still here. The men are waiting to cover the grave."

  "I'm not going to the reception at the Horse and Hound," Matilda said as they walked back to Trixie's SUV.

  "Why not?"

  "I’m not in the mood. I want to have a cup of coffee and some sugar cookies in the solarium."

  "You see the solarium as a shrine to Buggy, don't you?"

  "I guess so."

  "Was Buggy like the son you never had?" Trixie asked.

  "Maybe. Let's not talk about him or Charley for a while."

  "I wonder how Smiley is getting along on his first day back at work? I bet if the doctor had prescribed something stronger than Tylenol, he would still be in bed."

  "I think you might be right," Matilda said, her voice sounding sad, even to herself.

  "Cheer up."

  "It's hard to be cheerful after burying the love of your life," Matilda said.

  "Yes, I remember how I felt after my parents died in the boating accident. I was lost in grief roaming the country for a year," Trixie said.

  "Did the Iowa farm boys help you cope with your grief?"

  Trixie smiled.

  "Yeah, I thought as much," Matilda said as she entered the inn.

  "I'm glad you’re back. I need a cigarette break," Smiley said.

  Matilda nodded at his arm which was in a sling hanging from his neck. "How's the wing?"

  "I'm not going to be flying anytime soon."

  "Especially since the doctor didn't give him anything to get high on," Trixie said.

  "Yeah, how about that? I bust my shoulder and don't get strong enough pain pills to get a buzz on," Smiley said as he walked from behind the check-in counter. "With this arm, it's all I can do to roll one," he added as he headed to the back door.

  "Just because he didn't get the right meds, doesn't mean he's not getting high," Matilda said. "Please ring the kitchen and have coffee and cookies sent to the solarium, Trixie."

  "Do you need two little birds for company?"

  "Heavens no. Let them stay here and entertain you while you check in the guests," Matilda said as she walked away.

  "Entertainment! Is that what babysitting two dueling parrots is called?"

  "Buggy, Buggy, Buggy" Matilda said entering the solarium. "I've let you down." She shook her head as she sat on a wicker sofa facing the window where the curtains had been set afire. Her thoughts wandered to Charley. I should have visited him more often, she thought with a deep sigh.

  Matilda barely noticed the waitress leaving a tray on the wicker coffee table in front of her. Her thoughts jumped back and forth between who gave Charley an overdose and who killed Buggy. Were the two connected?

  "Enjoying coffee and sugar cookies, Miss Matilda," Smiley asked as he paused at the door on his way back to the lobby.

  "Actually, I think my coffee is almost cold. I got caught up in thinking about Charley and Buggy."

  "You say that like you suspect there’s a connection between Charley's overdose and Buggy's murder."

  "Well, it’s not impossible."

  "I guess you have to ask the question, who was present at both scenes? If you can figure that out, then maybe you can make a legitimate connection between the two," Smiley said before walking away.

  Who had been at both locations? Matilda wondered. Carl of course. And Sheriff Dudley visited Charley the day of his overdose. I wonder who else. Jack McGurin? Matilda asked herself. Maybe I eliminated Jack as a suspect too soon. And I think I should pay a call on Carl tomorrow and ask him a few questions. I really haven't considered Carl as a suspect. He didn't have much of a motive for getting rid of his uncle, and why would he want Buggy dead?

  Matilda racked her brain to come up with a good reason for Carl to kill Buggy but drew a blank.

  "Buggy?"

  Matilda glanced up to find Bozo with a green towel wrapped around his neck standing in the hallway looking into the solarium.

  "What are you doing down here Bozo?" Matilda asked.

  "Looking for Buggy. He said he would play caped crusader with me a few n
ights ago, but I haven't seen him. He promised to play with me."

  "Sorry, Bozo, he’s on a long trip," Matilda said. She had to stop and swallow. "When did you see him?"

  Bozo made like he was turning a key to open a door.

  "The night he got the key to the town?"

  "Does such a big key open a giant door where giants live?" Bozo asked.

  Matilda smiled as she shook her head. "It a toy key."

  "Can I come in and play?"

  "Sure, I’m leaving. But don't knock over any of the flower pots," Matilda cautioned as she took the tray and left Bozo alone in the room.

  It's interesting that Bozo saw Buggy in the solarium the night he died, Matilda thought as she walked back to the lobby. Smiley had an opened bag of potato chips and had one in his hand.

  "I hope you aren't feeding Tara and John Paul junk food," Matilda scolded.

  "Ah, just one each. If I don't, they scream loudly enough to burst my eardrums."

  "I'll be in my office if you need me," Matilda said.

  What she wanted to do was go and talk to Carl Lovett. However, she couldn't. It would be disrespectful for her to barge in the day of Charley's funeral asking questions about his overdose. But God, it galled her to have to wait until tomorrow.

  "Miss Matilda, Sheriff Dudley wants to see you," Smiley said as he opened her door enough to stick his head inside. "He's in the dining room having coffee with Trudy."

  "God, what now?" Matilda said under her breath as she rose from her chair. She grabbed her walking stick and tapped it hard against the floor as she headed for the dining room.

  Smiley glanced up as he heard the loud taps but didn't speak as she walked in front of the desk.

  "Miss Matilda," Sheriff Dudley said plastering on a fake smile as she approached them. "Trudy and I wanted to have a word with you."

  "Doesn't involve you drawing your weapon, does it?" Matilda asked.

  Trudy looked horrified at the comment, but Sheriff Dudley chuckled. "I must say you do have a strange sense of humor."

  "At least I have one."

  "Yeah, well as you know, Trudy is leaving the inn and Trixie asked her if she would leave her recipes for her dinner entrees and her famous sugar cookies."

  "And?"

  "We want to know how much you’ll pay her for all of her recipes including the one for her sugar cookies?"

  "You want me to buy recipes that I can have Trixie download from the internet, is that right?" Matilda asked.

  "Now you know for a fact that Trudy created the recipes. You will not find any of them posted on Facebook or Instagram."

  "Maybe I can find better ones," Matilda said.

  "Miss Matilda!” Trudy seemed to be shocked. “You know people drive up from Boston just to dine at the restaurant," Trudy said.

  "Okay, let’s say I was crazy enough to pay for recipes that should rightfully belong to me already. How much are we talking about?"

  "Fifteen thousand dollars,” Sheriff Dudley said.

  "Have you been smoking some of Smiley’s tobacco?"

  "We have to rent a building and purchase equipment for the bakery. I have some savings but not enough," Trudy said pleadingly. "And you are practically forcing him to resign as sheriff."

  "Oh no, the good sheriff here has only himself to blame for lying about who was driving Charley's car."

  Sheriff Dudley raised his hands. "Okay let’s not rehash that again. Will you give her $10,000 for all the recipes?"

  "On two conditions!"

  "What are they?" Sheriff Dudley asked.

  "That you spend a month training Trixie to take over the kitchen."

  Sheriff Dudley glanced as Trudy. "What do you think?"

  "Trixie is smart. She’ll pick up my methods fast. And I like her. Yes, I'll agree to train Trixie," Trudy said.

  "What's the second condition?" Sheriff Dudley asked.

  "That you don't use your recipe to make sugar cookies or sell sugar cookies at your bakery."

  "I don't know..." Sheriff Dudley said.

  "It's okay. I have a recipe for tea cakes that are delicious," Trudy said.

  "Good, then it’s settled. I'll write you a check at the end of the week. Trixie can start working in the kitchen on Monday," Matilda said and smiled.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Matilda felt strange as she pulled into the driveway of the Horse and Hound. She would never again see Charley. Things flashed through her mind that she wished she had said to him.

  I can't make that mistake with Trixie. I must tell her how dear she is to me, she thought.

  She found it hard to enter the inn. Without Charley being there she sensed an emptiness as she opened the door. The inn misses Charley. What a strange thought.

  The bell on the door rang as she opened it. The lobby was empty. She immediately heard footsteps on the stairs. She glanced up to see Carl.

  "Good morning, Carl."

  "Miss Matilda, what brings you here so early in the morning?" Carl said. His mood sounding sour.

  "If you don't mind I would like to ask you a few questions about the day that Charley went into a coma."

  "Still playing the detective, I see." Carl's tone wasn't friendly.

  "Well, there’s the question of the overdose of insulin. I'm not sure that Charley injected himself."

  "That’s absurd. Of course, he did. He wouldn't let anyone else near him with a needle. Why don't you give it a rest? I know that you don't think him capable of it, but Charley might have overdosed himself knowingly."

  Matilda shook her head. "No, I don't believe that."

  "Well, you weren't seeing him struggle every day knowing that he was losing his eyesight."

  Matilda looked surprised.

  "I guess he didn't tell you just how bad a condition he was in. He had a diabetic sore on his ankle that had affected the bone. He was scheduled to have his right foot removed."

  "Oh my God! I didn't know!"

  "The coma was a blessing," Carl stated.

  "Maybe it was," Matilda said softly.

  "Anyway, he gave me the finger in death!"

  "What do you mean? He gave you the Horse and Hound..."

  "No! You’re wrong!"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I went to see Attorney Casey yesterday. He read me the will," Carl paused. "He left the Horse and Hound to Buggy! Can you believe that! Here I’ve been taking care of him for two years and he leaves the inn to a drunken, has-been skier!"

  Matilda stood silently as she digested what Carl had told her.

  "So, you’re as shocked as I am."

  Matilda nodded. She cleared her throat. "But since Buggy is dead, you’ll inherit the inn."

  "That's not the point. The point is that he picked a drunk over his own flesh and blood!"

  "He owed Buggy."

  "No," Carl said, "he didn't owe Buggy anything. He'd been supporting that drunk ever since the accident."

  "He and Sheriff Dudley destroyed Buggy's skiing career when they hit him."

  "What do you mean? What did Sheriff Dudley have to do with the accident?"

  "Charley never told you?"

  "Told me what? You're not making any sense, Miss Matilda."

  "Sheriff Dudley was driving the car and not Charley."

  "You’re joking?"

  Matilda shook her head. "I blamed Charley all these years for destroying Buggy's career. It's one of the things that drove us apart. And only after Charley’s in a coma do I find out that he wasn’t driving, Sheriff Dudley was. And that the sheriff is the one who ran down Buggy."

  "Charley never said a word to me about the accident. He kept his secrets. I'm beginning to think that he didn't even like me."

  Neither do I, Matilda thought.

  "I think he told Buggy he was leaving the inn to him. Buggy mentioned to Jack McGurin that he was going to be able to take care of Nicole in the future," Matilda said.

  "Yeah, it’s like the old goat to tell that drunk and not me," Carl said angr
ily. "God, if someone hadn't murdered Buggy, he would be the owner of the Horse and Hound!" Carl said raising his voice as he spoke. "Christ, you aren't thinking that I murdered Buggy?"

  "You had a motive!" Matilda said.

  "No, I didn't know what was in the will. I had no idea that Uncle Charley was leaving the inn to Buggy!"

  "If you say so."

  "I think it's time for you to leave, Miss Matilda. I'm not answering any more of your ridiculous questions. Ask Attorney Casey if you don't believe me. He'll tell you that Charley didn't have a copy of the will. And he darn sure didn't tell me that he was leaving the Horse and Hound to Buggy."

  "I just have one more question. I know that Sheriff Dudley visited Charley the day of the overdose. Did anyone else visit him?"

  "You just can't stop playing sleuth, can you?" Carl said. "The only other person to visit him was Jack McGurin. Now please leave."

  As Matilda drove back to the Franklin Inn, her mind was racing over what Carl had said. She was so deep in thought that she drove past the inn and had to turn around and drive back.

  "John Paul has a toy," Tara screamed at her.

  "Not now Tara," Matilda said as he nodded at Smiley. "Where's Trixie?"

  "She's in the kitchen helping Trudy with breakfast. Miss Matilda, is Trixie taking over the kitchen when Trudy leaves?"

  "Yes, she is," Matilda said as she headed to the dining room.

  Usually, she would have stopped and chatted with guests having their breakfast, but today she walked past them tapping her walking stick with such determination that no one dared to greet her.

  "Trixie! Bring a couple of cups of coffee to the solarium. It’s time Sherlock and Watson had a conference!"

  Trudy looked puzzled.

  "Trudy, can you take over?" Trixie asked.

  "Sure," Trudy remarked.

  Matilda walked away as Trixie stared at her as though she was trying to figure out what was going on. He mind was whirling so much trying to fit the new pieces of the puzzle together in hopes of solving Buggy's murder that she didn't speak to Smiley as she walked through the lobby. She had barely taken her seat on the wicker sofa when she saw Trixie. "Wow, that was quick."