by Sharon Pape
“Now that you mention it,” Merlin piped up in the background, “I could do with some carrot muffins.”
“He’s the only one I know whose hearing has improved with age,” Tilly said dryly. She was pulling out her baking trays, muffin tins and mixing bowls. I could barely hear her over the clatter, so I left her to the baking.
As far as I knew, word of Ava’s death hadn’t yet reached the local media. The one reporter who covered New Camel was always running between high school sports and Four H events. If he spent his time shadowing Duggan, he’d have nothing to show for most of his days. No matter—after Travis arrived, news of the latest murder would be everywhere.
He was at my door, before I could decide whether to order Chinese or Italian. He hadn’t bothered to change out of his newscaster suit, but he was no longer wearing the tie or jacket and his dress shirt was open at the neck, the sleeves rolled up. He had a brown shopping bag that smelled like a trattoria. He set it down on the kitchen counter and gave me a hello kiss that went on long enough for me to forget I was hungry. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in my ear, the rich timbre of his voice plucking at all the right nerve endings.
“I can’t believe you stopped to pick up dinner on the way. When we talked, you were determined to get here before dark.”
“I called the restaurant, and they met me at the curb with it.” Travis unpacked the bag, which held two foil-covered heroes and two salads in clear plastic boxes, dressing on the side, and a stack of napkins. I grabbed paper plates, forks, and the iced tea from the fridge, while he unwrapped the sandwiches. “There’s meatball for me and chicken Parm for you. If I got it wrong we can switch or split them.”
“I’m good with the chicken, but I can’t eat more than half of this—it’s huge.” We took our plates to the table and dug in. “Was it still light enough to get some decent footage of Lolly’s place?”
Travis washed down a mouthful of hero with iced tea. “Yeah, but the cops didn’t make it easy.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not their job.”
“Whoever put up the crime-scene tape went overboard. The place looked like it was toilet-papered for Halloween.”
The image that came to mind made me chuckle. “That would be Paul giving Duggan what he asked for—in spades.”
“There was no way to get near the backyard without moving it.”
I put my hand to my heart and feigned shock. “Don’t tell me that stopped you!”
He grinned. “I hopped the fence at the ceramic shop next door and got some decent shots of the yard—if you could call it a yard.”
“It’s utilitarian—a place to stow garbage cans.”
“And apparently, a petite murder victim. Did you know the woman?” He took a hefty bite to finish off the first half of his hero.
“She came into my shop a few times over the last couple of years. The first time, she mentioned that she moved here for a job, but she never elaborated. Aside from that, our conversations were confined to what kind of products she needed.”
“Was she a customer of Lolly’s too? Or did they have more of a relationship than that?”
“A customer. I didn’t get the sense there was more to it, and under the circumstances I didn’t want to start questioning Lolly. She was not in good shape and she still had to sit through the interview with Duggan.” I put down my sandwich for a sip of iced tea, then ate a few more bites before giving up.
Travis was well into his second half. “Not crazy about it?”
“It’s delicious, it’s just me—I guess I’m filled up on worry. My mother always warned me about that.” I intended the words to come out with humor, but they dropped like stones. Travis reached across the table for my hand and held on to it while he polished off his dinner and drained the iced tea. The turmoil inside me slowly quieted. He was better than Tilly’s best tea, but I had no intention of sharing his particular formula with anyone else. He was looking at me with his head tilted to one side as if he was trying to assess my state of mind.
I managed a smile that felt lopsided. It was the best I could do. “How would you like a full report from the time Lolly ran into my shop, until I left her with her family?”
He popped the last bit of hero into his mouth. “I wouldn’t turn it down.” He squeezed my hand before letting it go. We adjourned to the living room, where Sashkatu had already claimed his spot on the top ridge of the couch. When we sat down, he opened one eye to see who dared disturb his snooze. We received a look that said one needn’t rock the entire couch when one sits on it. A little more finesse would be appreciated in future.
“We beg your majesty’s pardon.” Travis had developed an affinity for Sashki, and I was convinced it was mutual. A few weeks earlier, I’d caught the two of them snuggled together in bed. The moment Sashki realized he’d been made, he jumped up and yowled bitterly at Travis as if he’d been held there against his will.
Travis put his arm around my shoulder and drew me tightly to his side. We stayed like that while I gave Travis as complete a synopsis of my hours with Lolly as I could recall. No detail was too small to mention. But when I reached the end, I hesitated, not sure it was right to betray Lolly’s confidence in one respect. On the other hand, Travis was my partner. We’d be investigating the murder together, so he needed to know everything I knew. Why was I reluctant to repeat what she had whispered to me? Didn’t I trust him implicitly? The answer was immediate. He wouldn’t be in my bed or anywhere else in my life if I didn’t. And yet betraying a confidence was difficult for me. I needed Lolly’s permission.
Travis caught the hesitation. “Was there something else you were going to say?” I explained about wanting Lolly’s okay before sharing any more information. He nodded. “I would expect no less from you.” I could name a couple of ex-boyfriends who would have handled the matter with a lot less understanding.
“She said she’d call me. My guess is she’s waiting until she has a few minutes alone. We didn’t have much time to talk at the shop. Paul showed up less than five minutes after my call, then forensics arrived, and eventually Duggan. As soon as he let Lolly go, her family closed ranks around her like a Viking shield wall. Any thoughts based on what I’ve told you?”
“Given the information we have at this point, I’d rule Lolly out as a suspect, if for no other reason than she’s too smart to kill someone at her own shop.”
“Plus she’s Lolly!” I refused to entertain the possibility that she was guilty. “There isn’t a single hateful bone in her body.” And I couldn’t imagine changing my mind, regardless of what she’d lied about. “The killer was definitely trying to frame her, otherwise why steal her knife to use as the murder weapon?”
“Are you certain it wasn’t just a generic knife you can buy anywhere?”
“It was definitely Lolly’s. Her daughter bought her a set of candy-making utensils engraved with her initials for Christmas a few years ago. They’re Lolly’s pride and joy. It was the first thing I checked for when I saw the knife. But who would want to frame her? Everyone around here knows she isn’t capable of murder.”
“That’s it then,” Travis said as though he’d had a light bulb moment. “All we have to do is find the one person who doesn’t know Lolly very well and we’ll have our killer.” His delivery was so deadpan and the suggestion so absurd that I dissolved into laughter. It felt good to let go, but wrong to be laughing at such an awful time. I shook my head, annoyed with myself.
“Cut yourself some slack—you needed that. Laughter is great at lowering stress levels.”
“It feels so disrespectful. I keep thinking about poor Lolly being caught up in this mess. When she woke up today, she had no idea what was in store for her.”
“You need to put the worrying and empathy on the back burner for now and focus on how we can find the real killer.” He was right of course. “There’s one unimpeachable fact
,” he continued, “Ava was murdered. Now who had a motive to kill her?”
“I know almost nothing about her, but I’ll reach out to the other shopkeepers and my friends.”
“Okay, we have the beginning of a plan. I’ll check with my contacts and search social media for information about Ava.” I was about to ask Travis if he had to head back to Watkins Glen, when my phone rang. We both sat up straight like teenagers caught breaking the rules. Lorelei popped up on Caller ID. “Lolly,” I said, after juggling the phone and nearly dropping it, “how are you doing?”
“Well, as my ten-year-old granddaughter likes to say, ‘I’m lower than a pregnant ant.’” She was trying hard to sound upbeat.
“You don’t have to pretend with me.” If I knew Lolly, she’d spent the last few hours assuring her family that she was coping just fine. She probably wouldn’t have agreed to move in with one of them if she’d been able to stay in her own home. I hoped the police would let her back in quickly.
“Thank you for reminding me.” She issued a long wobbly sigh. “I’ve known tired in my life, times when I felt beaten into the ground, but murder adds another dimension that makes it hard to breathe.”
“Try not to torment yourself. Travis and I will track down the killer and get answers to all the questions.” She thanked me again, and I waited for her to broach the subject of lying to Duggan. When she didn’t, I thought she might be waiting for me to ask about it. “Lolly?”
“Oh there you are. I thought maybe I didn’t hear you say goodbye.”
“No, I’m here. Did you want to tell me something about your interview with Duggan?”
“My good Lord, that’s why I called. I think I’m losing my marbles.”
“Your marbles are a little scattered for the moment, but whose wouldn’t be?”
“Is it terribly pushy of me to ask you to come by tomorrow? According to my son the lawyer, one should never talk about sensitive matters over the phone.”
“No problem. Where will you be?”
“Officer Curtis called a little while ago to tell me I can go home. I intend to be back there first thing in the morning.” I heard Bonnie in the background telling her she shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. “I’ll be home in the morning,” she repeated firmly, as much for her daughter’s benefit as for mine.
Chapter 4
I opened my eyes to the soft light of early morning. Merlin was staring at me from the foot of the bed. He didn’t seem to care that five of the cats were climbing on him and knocking each other off to bounce on the bed and try again. Sashkatu was perched on my dresser regarding the youngsters of his clowder with the resigned forbearance of an elder statesman. Travis was already up. I heard water running in the kitchen.
“Are you awake, Mistress?” Merlin asked. “Tilly told me that it’s not polite to wake someone unless it’s an emergency.”
“Is there an emergency?” I sat up, one leg over the side of the bed, poised to take off. “Is it my aunt?”
“No no, she’s fine, which is why I didn’t rouse you sooner.” He looked like he was expecting praise for his patience, but he wasn’t going to receive any from me. I fell back onto my pillow. “How was I supposed to stay asleep with the cat gymnastics on my bed?”
“Tilly never said I couldn’t wait nearby until you awoke. As for the cats, I can’t be responsible for their activities.”
I groaned. “Okay, Merlin, I’m awake. Why are you here?”
“I want breakfast, and Tilly is still sleeping.”
I threw back the covers and reached for my bathrobe on the chair near the closet. It sailed into my hand. Magick was lovely when it worked properly. I pulled it on as I climbed out of bed. “Then why didn’t you sit on her bed to wait?”
“Although I love the lady dearly, she can be upset by the strangest of things.”
“Imagine that.” I shoved my feet into my slippers and led the parade of the furred and bearded down the stairs. Travis was at the sink rinsing out his coffee cup. He was wearing the same pants and shirt he’d had on yesterday. After learning about Ava’s murder, he had to choose between going back to his apartment to pack a change of clothes and trying to make it here before sunset. The journalist in him had chosen the latter course. A smile lit his face when he turned and saw me—a neat new power I’d acquired, more special because it owed nothing to magick.
“I told Merlin to help himself to cereal or yogurt,” Travis said, “but he was determined to wait for you. I made coffee—there should be enough for a few more cups.”
“Thanks. You’re heading back to the Glen?”
He set his cup in the sink. “Duty calls, though I’d rather go with you to Lolly’s.” He caught me around the waist and gave me a goodbye kiss with a side of longing that proved contagious. For a minute, we both forgot we had an audience.
“I thought we came down here for breakfast,” the wizard grumbled. The cats backed him up with a chorus of plaintive meows.
Travis laughed. “You’d better feed them before they mutiny. Let me know how it goes with Lolly.”
I fed the cats, made Merlin eggs and cheese on an English muffin and took a quick shower. Tilly called to find out if I had our foster-wizard. She’d been up late baking for Lolly and overslept. Since I was going to Lolly’s, I offered to take the baked goods along. Tilly insisted she wanted to comfort her in person. I checked with Lolly, who welcomed the idea.
When I was ready to go, Sashkatu was waiting at the door. He’d grown accustomed to spending the day in the shop with my mother, and after she died I’d kept up the tradition. I promised him I’d be back for him soon. He skewered me with a look that said that remains to be seen and stalked off, nursing one of his famous snits.
I brought Merlin home, picked up Tilly and we were off to Lolly’s house with the basket of muffins and scones. Their irresistible smell reminded me of the last baby shower in Lolly’s family, for which Tilly had supplied an enormous basket of goodies. A far happier occasion than this one.
Lolly lived in a cottage that belonged in a fairytale. After her husband passed away and her children left to feather their own nests, she’d downsized. The cottage had all she needed, a kitchen, a family/living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. There was a basement for storage, and an attic that could be dormered if she ever got tired of looking at the same old walls. Large family dinners had been relocated to her children’s houses on a rotating basis. When she finished decorating the cottage, it exuded the same warmth and welcome as its occupant.
Lolly opened the door with a brave but shaky smile that dissolved into tears when Tilly embraced her, and started anew when she saw the basket she’d brought. She seemed to have aged overnight. She’d always looked so robust with her apple-round cheeks and dimpled smile that I’d never given much thought to her age. But that morning she looked every bit a grandmother in her seventies. A grandmother in deep distress. There was a bleakness about her, her eyes wallowed in dark shadows, and her shoulders hunched forward as if to protect vital organs.
“There’s tea as well,” Tilly said, taking charge and leading the way into the kitchen. “I’ll put up water, so the two of you can get started.” We sat at the drop-leaf table in the dinette with room for three.
“What did you mean about lying to detective Duggan?” I asked. Time was of the essence. There was nothing to be gained by beating around the bush.
“I don’t know what possessed me,” she said, her voice quaking with emotion. “I’ve never been a liar. My mother, rest her soul, pounded that out of me at an early age. But, when he asked me if there’d been any problems between Ava and me, the lie spilled out like it had a mind of its own. ‘No of course not, Detective. Ava came to my shop to buy candy. What possible problem could come of that?’”
“But it wasn’t true?” I prompted her when her mind seemed to drift.
She shook her head. “A
va and I did have a falling out, because she was having an affair with my son-in-law Elliot.” Her words hung in the air, while my brain scrambled to remember that Danielle was the daughter married to Elliot. I’d been knocked for a loop. To me Lolly’s family was the big, perfect all-American family who never fought at Thanksgiving, never envied or competed with each other, and certainly never cheated on their spouses.
“Lolly, I’m so sorry. How did you find out?”
“My daughter told me. I’d noticed a lot of tension between her and Elliot, so I sat her down when the kids were in school and asked if she needed my help in any way, or if maybe she wanted to use me as a sounding board.” Behind us the kettle whistled. Tilly poured the water into three cups and Lolly excused herself to get honey, lemon wedges and milk. Tilly served the tea and insisted we each take a scone or a muffin before she settled into the seat we’d left for her.
Lolly added milk and a bit of honey to her cup. “At first Danielle pretended she didn’t know what I was talking about, but then she broke down and told me the whole sordid tale.” Lolly paused to take a bite of her apricot scone before continuing. “Dani found out by pure happenstance. She was meeting a friend for lunch in the Glen and when she walked into the restaurant she saw Elliot and Ava at a table. They were holding hands, drinking wine and leaning over the table as if they couldn’t get close enough.” I’d never heard such bitterness and anger in Lolly’s voice and I realized that perhaps I didn’t know her as well as I thought I did.
“When Elliot looked up and saw Dani, he made a big show of being thrilled to see her,” Lolly continued. “He got up and brought her over to meet Ava, said she was an old friend from college and wasn’t it an amazing coincidence that they bumped into each other on the street. They’d come into the restaurant to spend an hour catching up. Ava played along and between them they almost convinced Danielle. But when she had a chance to think about it, she couldn’t get that first tableau of them out of her head. That night she confronted him. He begged her forgiveness, swore it would never happen again. It was all Ava’s fault, she came on to him, wouldn’t let him be until she wore him down.”