Wicked Harvest

by Karen MacInerney

  6

  My stomach clenched. "Murder? Why?"

  "Someone had to release that bag," he said. "It didn't fall by itself."

  "Oh, no. That's horrible news."

  "Rooster told Simon not to leave town."

  I glanced around at all the festive bunting, the flowers, and the rows of food and beer stalls. "This Oktoberfest didn't exactly work out as planned, did it?"

  "No," he said. As he spoke, I saw Max Pfeiffer, walking with a bratwurst in one hand and what looked like a Coke in the other. He was a short, thick man with a combover that barely covered his shiny scalp; in fact, as he took a bite of bratwurst, a stray breeze lifted it a few inches above his head. He didn't seem to notice.

  "I still can't figure out what Max is doing here," I said. "I thought he swore never to set foot in the brewery."

  "Checking out the competition?" Tobias asked.

  "Or fouling that beer barrel and then taking out the head brewer?" I suggested.

  "He does look rather pleased with himself," Tobias said.

  "I hope Rooster looks into what's going on with him," I said.

  "I don't think that's at the top of his list right now," Tobias said, tilting his head toward a large oak tree about twenty yards away. Rooster and Lacey stood beneath it. His arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes on the ground. Lacey was gesticulating; I couldn't hear what she was saying, but she didn't sound happy. Their kids were watching them wide-eyed, the funnel cakes in their hands forgotten.

  "No, probably not," I said. Then my eyes strayed back to Max. He was talking with someone next to the elotes booth; it was the neatly dressed woman who'd been conferring with Simon earlier.

  "Let's go get some corn," I suggested.

  "I thought you wanted funnel cakes..." Tobias began, then he saw what I meant. "But roasted corn sounds great."

  Together we headed to the elotes booth, which was being womanned by a server I recognized from Rosita's, the local Mexican restaurant.

  "...after what's happened today, maybe we'd be willing to take a second look," the woman was saying as we drew close.

  "That would be great," Max said. "I just did a major upgrade, and I'm about to hire..."

  "What can I get you?" asked the woman behind the booth brightly. Max and the mystery woman glanced at us and moved further away.

  "Um... one elote, please," I said, my mouth watering at the sight of the roasted corn. It wasn't exactly German—roasted corn was Mexican street food—but I didn't care.

  "Coming right up," she said. "You want some crema on that?"

  "Sure," I said, watching as she squirted some Mexican sour cream over the ear of corn, which had been coated in salt, chile powder, lime and butter, and handed it to me. Tobias had moved closer to Max and his conversational partner, pretending to be interested in an oak gall hanging from one of the outer branches of the tree. They drifted on, though, and mingled with the people still milling around the stalls, talking animatedly about the events of the day.

  "Catch anything else?" I asked Tobias as I walked up to him, corn in hand.

  "No," he said, "but it looks like Max may be profiting from what went on here today."

  "That's definitely a motive," I said, sinking my teeth into the corn. "Oh. Oh, my."

  "That good?" Tobias asked.

  I nodded and handed him the corn, still chewing. He took a bite and moaned. We stood in culinary bliss for a few minutes, handing the corn back and forth and taking bites until both of our faces were coated in chile powder and crema. "Napkin," I muttered, and hurried back to the booth to grab a handful. We finished the corn and wiped off the worst of the damage—I'd gotten my T-shirt with a dollop of crema, and Tobias was sprinkled with chile powder—before we resumed our conversation.

  "I think we should find out who she is," I said.

  "I saw her business card," he said. "She handed it to him. I don't know her title, but she works for Brewlific Distributors."

  I remembered the argument between Felix and Simon earlier that day. "That was who Simon was talking to, if I remember correctly. After what happened today, I'm guessing the deal with Sweetwater Brewery might be in jeopardy."

  "Actually, it may be easier with Felix gone. I asked around and found out the brothers owned the business fifty-fifty; they both had to sign on the dotted line to move forward with anything, and more and more, Felix was vetoing all of Simon's ideas. So if they can get past the bad press…"

  "So Felix really was standing in the way of the business growing."

  "Sounds like it. The good news for Simon—not that it's saying much—is that with Max Pfeiffer in the mix, at least Simon's not the only one with a motive for killing Felix."

  "Speaking of other suspects, what was in the bag that fell on top of Felix?" I asked.

  "Barley," Tobias told me.

  "That's what I thought," I said. "Did you happen to see Adriana here today?"

  "I did," Tobias confirmed. "She was sitting at a table under a tree with a mug of beer and a barbecue sandwich. Why?"

  "She had a bone to pick with the Gustafson brothers. They contracted to buy her barley crop—it was the first time she tried growing it—but they rejected it. She's saying he might be bankrupted."

  "How fitting to kill Felix with someone else's barley then," Tobias said.

  "I don't know if that's what happened, of course, but it's worth thinking about. Plus, if she was so angry at the Gustafsons, why was she here at a promotional event?"

  "The whole town was here," Tobias pointed out.

  "Still."

  "I see your point. But will Rooster think about it?"

  "That's why we've got Deputy Shames," I said.

  "Let's just hope she can talk sense into him." Tobias paused. "Although we don't know that Simon wasn't responsible."

  "No," I said. "We don't. But I'd like to make sure the wrong person doesn't end up in jail."

  "Again," Tobias said.

  "Exactly."

  * * *

  We saw Teena as we were leaving; she was at the front gate again, her braided hair coming out of its plaits, her dirndl smudged with dirt, and a bit of mascara streaked under her big eyes. "Why are you still here?" I asked. "Shouldn't you go home and rest?"

  "I had to help out," she said, attempting to tuck a loose tuft of hair back into its braid. "The paramedics said I was fine, so I figured I'd get back to work."

  "I'm so relieved you're okay; when you went down, I was really worried."

  "I think it was just... well, the shock of it. It's been a pretty awful day." She took a deep, shaky breath and swiped at her eyes. "I just don't know how things are going to go on without him."

  I reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry; you've worked so hard to make this event a success, and with what's happened, everything's gone sideways."

  "I... I just can't believe Felix is gone!" she moaned. I held out my arms instinctively, and she moved toward me. I hugged her, stroking her hair as she sobbed into my shoulder. It was at least a minute before she let me go and stepped away. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed.

  "No need to be sorry," I reassured her. "I'm here for you. We all are."

  "We are," Tobias repeated.

  "Not everyone is, I'm afraid," she said with a weak smile.

  "What do you mean?" Tobias asked.

  "It's just... you know," she shrugged. "Tensions at work and all. Normal stuff."

  I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't. "I meant to ask... you said something just as you fainted, but I didn't catch it. Do you remember what it was?"

  Teena shook her head, and her eyes grew misty, as if she was seeing something in the distance. The hairs prickled on the back of my neck. Was this another one of what Teena called her magical foresight moments? "No," she said, finally. "But I had a flash of... of foreboding. Something about the past coming back again."

  As she spoke, Tobias's phone rang. "I should take this; hang on a moment," he said, and excused himself to
take the call.

  "Are you sure you're doing okay?" I asked as Tobias stepped away.

  "Not really," she said, and her eyes filled up with tears. "I just... he was just such a wonderful man," she said.

  "I'm so sorry," I said. "I got the impression you and he might be... well, more than just friends."

  "How did you know?" Her face flamed. "Promise you won't tell anyone," she whispered, glancing around furtively as if someone might be listening.

  "I promise," I said. "Let's go over under that tree for a moment," I said, thinking she'd be more comfortable sharing away from the crowd. She nodded, then followed me. "Were you seeing him, then?" I asked once we were away from the main gate.

  "We'd been dating for about two months," she said. "We had to keep it quiet, though. Felix said he shouldn't, but he just liked me so much... and that his brother would have a fit if he found out." She reached out and grabbed my arm. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

  "I'm not going to. Not unless I get asked by law enforcement," I amended.

  Her eyes widened. "Why would they ask you that?"

  I shrugged. "If it turns out to be foul play, they're going to be asking all kinds of questions," I said gently. "You might have to tell them the truth."

  "My dad will kill me," she said.

  "I'm sure you'll be fine," I reassured her. "He's just looking after you. I know you're legally an adult, but you're still his little girl."

  "He's just so... overprotective," she said. "I'm not a kid anymore."

  "I know, but parents have a hard time letting go," I told her. "I know it's annoying, but he's just trying to take care of you." Personally, I thought she was too young to be dating Felix, too. Plus, she was still living at home, which made it harder to change the parent-child relationship to one of two adults. Maybe at some less-charged time, I might be able to bring that up, but now was not the time.

  "Did anyone else know you and Felix were seeing each other?"

  She bit her lip, but didn't say anything.

  "Teena?"

  "Well," she said slowly, "one person found out today."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I was back in the warehouse with Felix; I was helping him pick out the barrel he wanted brought to the tasting. We were about to go our separate ways, and he gave me a kiss. When I turned to go, I saw Nick standing in the doorway."

  "So Nick saw the kiss," I said.

  "I don't know for sure," she said, "but probably. He looked pretty torqued. He wouldn't say anything to me; he just turned and stalked away."

  "What was he doing in the warehouse?" I asked.

  "That's a good question," she said. "He doesn't work here. Maybe he followed me? Or was looking for me?"

  "Why would he do that?" I asked, as if I didn't know that Nick was head-over-heels for young Teena.

  She shrugged. "He asked me out a few times. I think he likes me."

  I thought about the fouled barrel of beer. "While you were there, did you mark the beer you planned to open at the tasting?"

  She nodded. "I wrote FOR TASTING on a piece of paper and taped it to the barrel."

  "When did this happen?"

  "Right after the gates opened," she said. "Probably around ten this morning."

  "Is the warehouse usually locked?" I asked.

  "Usually, but not today, I don't think," she said. "We've been in and out all the time, restocking."

  "So anyone could have figured out which barrel was being used for the tasting and done something to it."

  She blinked. "I guess you're right; I didn't think about that. You think that's what happened?"

  "I have no idea what happened," I said, "but it sure means that just about anyone could have done it."

  "Why would someone do something like that?"

  I shrugged. "A bone to pick with the brewery? Or with Felix?"

  "But he was so nice!" Teena protested, with the innocence of youth. "Why would anyone want to do something bad to him?"

  "People do bad things sometimes," I told her. "We've both seen it."

  "I know," she said. And then she blinked. "Oh."

  "What?"

  "I remember the word now. It was revenge."

  "Revenge?" I asked.

  She shrugged. "It must have something to do with what happened today. The problem is, I have no idea what it is."

  And neither did I.

  Tobias walked back over to us as we pondered the word. "I've got to run out to a case," he told me. "Want to come with me?"

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "The Froehlichs' cattle started having trouble. It all started at once; he wants me to take a look."

  I turned to Teena. "Are you going to be okay?"

  She nodded and lifted her chin. "I'll be fine."

  "It'll take a while, likely," I told her. "I'm around, though, if you need to talk."

  She gave me a small, forlorn smile. "Thanks, Lucy."

  * * *

  "What was up with that?" Tobias asked as we headed out to the field where we'd parked our trucks.

  "Just between you and me," I told him, "Teena was dating Felix."

  "Wasn't he kind of old for her?" he asked.

  "That's what I thought, too, but she seems drawn to older guys. Which isn't good news for Nick."

  "I saw him watching her. He looks smitten."

  "He is. And here's some news: apparently he saw her kissing Felix in the warehouse earlier today. Teena said he looked angry and wouldn't talk to her. Plus, she marked the barrel for the tasting ahead of time, so anyone could have gone in, found it, and fouled it."

  "Presuming they were able to open it," Tobias pointed out. "I'm not sure exactly how that works."

  "We'll have to find out," I said.

  "This does give us another person with a motive for Felix's death, though, doesn't it?"

  "Do you really think Nick would kill Felix because he kissed Teena? He's such a nice kid!" I protested.

  "I don't know," Tobias said as we reached his truck. He unlocked my door and opened it for me, then went around to his side. He waited until he'd closed the driver's side door to answer. "Young men and women are pretty passionate creatures. I don't like to think he could have done something like that, but maybe the opportunity presented itself and he took it..."

  "Maybe," I said, doubtfully. "But what happened doesn't exactly seem like a crime of passion. Whoever dropped that bag on Felix had to think about it. Had to have it in position and have some reason to be in the brewery, in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time."

  Tobias turned the key in the ignition. "And whoever dropped the bag had to have enough knowledge of how the machinery worked to move it into place. Nick does work in construction," he pointed out.

  "Yes, but that's different from working in a brewery."

  "Still. He has at least some mechanical knowledge. How hard would it be to figure out?"

  "I can't imagine that Nick would do something like that."

  Tobias put the truck in reverse and began backing out of the space. "Two minutes ago you were telling me you couldn't imagine Simon killing Felix. Now you're coming up with lots of reasons why he was the perfect candidate."

  "How I feel about it emotionally is one thing," I said. "I would hate for someone so young to screw up the rest of his life because he felt rejected."

  "Not to mention screwing up the rest of Felix's life," Tobias pointed out.

  "True," I said, and sighed. "Not quite the Oktoberfest opener I was hoping for."

  "No," he said. "Let's just hope the rest of the week doesn't follow suit."

  7

  Tobias and I drove up the bumpy driveway to the farm just as dusk was falling. He kept me company while I did my chores, checking over everyone as I milked the cows and goats.

  "They look okay?" I asked, somewhat fretfully. We'd stopped by the Froehlichs' to check on their cattle on the way back to Dewberry Farm; several of them were a little bit lame. Tobias wasn't sure what was wrong, b
ut he had taken blood samples to send to a lab, and I was worried that whatever it was might be catching.

  "They do," he said. "None of the symptoms the Froehlichs' stock have."

  "Thank heavens," I said, relieved. After the failure of all of my cucurbit plants and the news of the rash of sick livestock in the area, I was feeling particularly anxious.

  "So far, so good," he said, stroking Blossom's ear as Gidget nibbled at his jeans. "Hey," he said. "Stop that!"

  "She took the tea bag right out of my mug yesterday morning," I said as I finished milking Hot Lips. The goat licked the last bit of feed out of the feeder I'd put up for her at the end of the milking stall and then bolted out to grab hold of Tobias's other jeans leg. "They're certainly not low-energy," Tobias said, chuckling as he pried his jeans away from the two goats.

  "Either that or you're just delicious," I said, grinning. He gave Hot Lips a quick check, and then we walked out of the barn toward the gate, trailing goats and cows.

  "And there's what used to be my pumpkin crop," I said, pointing out the rows of ravaged plants as we squeezed through the gate and latched it behind us. With everything that had happened today, I'd forgotten to tell him.

  "Oh, Lucy... I'm so sorry. They were looking so good!"

  "I know," I said. "It's melon worm, apparently... due to the weather. I have to destroy all the plant matter and spray bT to keep the infestation down going forward. I hope it's not a permanent thing; cucumbers, summer squash and melons are in the same family. I always get a great cucumber crop, and make lots of pickles."

  "I'm sure you'll get it under control," he said, then surveyed the wasteland that had been my pumpkin patch. "Next season, anyway."

  I sighed.

  "Ever think about raising pigs?" he asked, changing the subject.

  "No," I said. "I love bacon, but I just can't bring myself to raise animals to slaughter. I'd have a farm full of happy pigs, go completely bankrupt, and never eat breakfast sausage again."

  He laughed. "I totally understand. Why do you think I became a vet? I'm a softie, too." The breeze ruffled the grass as we walked over to the chicken coop, where the hens were already starting to roost. My new Brahma rooster, Russell Crow, was still on the small side, but before long he would be two feet tall and very capable of keeping the ladies safe. He was now proudly strutting among a few of the hens, including my favorites, Niblet and Bready, both of whom had a habit of hunkering down to be picked up. Until this year, I hadn't had a rooster, but Tobias had convinced me it might be a good idea, so I'd decided to give it a shot.