by Tonya Kappes
“You mean this one?” Hank Sharp asked, holding an evidence bag with a bloody knife in it.
Now I knew where I recognized that knife from.
TEN
In no way would Hank be talked out of letting Gert answer his questions at Trails Coffee. He pretty much told her she’d be there a while and that it was probably a good idea to call an attorney.
Fortunately for her, I had Ava Cox dialed and ready to come to Normal. She told me to tell Gert not to answer any questions until she got there.
“Thanks,” Hank said in a flat voice after he’d put Gert into his big black car. “I told you not to do anything.”
“When has that ever stopped me?” I asked him and stood outside on the sidewalk, where people were starting to rubberneck to see what was going on. Another police car had arrived, and they were going to search the shop. “Gert didn’t do this. She was framed.”
Hank’s chest ballooned up after he sucked in a big breath like he was trying to calm himself down. Or maybe he was trying to do that thing where they tell you to breathe if you need some time.
“We will see what we can get out of her. In the meantime, go be with the family. They sent some officers there to tell them what happened.” He walked around the front of his car.
“What about Lewis?” I asked. “He just took over half the company. They were arguing last night.”
“Mae, stop.” He put his hands upon the top of his car and looked across at me. “Please, let us do our job, and if Gert is innocent, we will find that out.”
He gave me one last hard look, but I could see he knew better and there was no stopping me. After all, Gert Hobson was my friend, and I believed in the law of the innocent until proven guilty.
I saw no sense in going back to the coffee shop now that the police were there and had closed it for business. Bobby Ray Bond, my foster brother, was working as a mechanic at Grassel’s Gas Station. It was just a short walk away, and I knew he’d give me a ride home.
“Hey there.” I greeted Bobby Ray and Joel Grassel, the owner, when I walked into the gas station.
They were eating a couple of sandwiches from the vending machines. The plastic was peeled off the triangle container, and a bag of cheese puffs was opened.
“Hey, Mayyyybelline.” Bobby Ray’s hillbilly accent always drew out my name, and it didn’t help that he always called me by that name instead of just shortening it like I preferred. “Want a bite?” He held up the sandwich with his fingernails, filthy with black grease from where he’d been working on cars.
“No.” I shook my head. “But I do need a ride back to the campground if you have a few.”
He swung his long blond hair, which had some nice loose curls, and looked at Joel.
“Yeah. We are at a stopping point until the part gets delivered.” Joel must’ve been talking about the car they were working on. “You’ve got about an hour before they drop it off.”
“Can you take your food with you?” I asked—almost demanded—when I noticed Bobby Ray hardly budged when Joel told him he could take me.
“Right this minute?” He looked up at me.
“Yes. It’s very important.” That caught both men’s attention.
“Don’t tell me somethin’ bad happened.” Joel sat up a little straighter and put his sandwich down.
“Tom Moon of Moonbucks Coffee. His daughter is the one with the wedding party at the campground, and, well. . .” I swallowed hard. It wasn’t too long ago Joel had lost his brother, and it was hard to talk about death. “He was found dead at the Old Train Station Motel.”
“Motel?” Joel asked. “I thought you just said he was staying at the campground."
"He was murdered in the groom’s room.” I rocked back on my heels and clasped my hands in front of me. “I found him…”
“You what?” they said in unison.
Yeah… this was certainly becoming something I was good at. Finding dead bodies.
“Awwww, Mayeeebeline,” Bobby Ray groaned and ran that dirty hand over his jaw while shaking his head. “Not again,” he continued to holler.
“Bobby Ray, I don’t want to hear it. I just want to go home. I’ve got guests who will need me. Can you take me or not?” Bobby Ray had always taken good care of me. In fact, he was the one who gave me the money I needed to hightail it to the city on my eighteenth birthday.
“I’ll be back,” Bobby Ray said with an exhausted sigh. “You need anything?”
“Nope, all good.” Joel pushed back his food. I’d obviously ruined his appetite with my news. “Do they know what happened?”
“No. There’s a lot of speculation but nothing solid.” I really didn’t have time to go into all the details, but I knew Joel was a good source of information because he pumped everyone’s gas in town and loved to ask them questions. “They did take Gert Hobson in for questioning because she’s accused Tom Moon of stealing her coffee recipe from years ago.”
“Gert? Sweet Gert?” He glanced over at the cardboard coffee cup with the Trails logo on it. “I was there this morning.”
“I bet she had a smile on her face but not now.” I shook my head.
“I didn’t see her. Said she’d gone out to make her rounds for the local shops.” He was talking about how shops like mine used her coffee for guests and customers.
“What time was that?” I asked, knowing it was around ten thirty a.m. when I found Tom.
“Maybe around nine or so.” Joel couldn’t give an exact time because we really didn’t keep track of time around here. It was that kind of life. “Yeah. Near ‘round that time.”
The times started to calculate in my head. I must’ve just missed Joel. We left the campground a little before eight, giving us plenty of time to get to Cute-icles. Then I took Shay over to the Trails, where the little bomb about her not doing Shay’s wedding was dropped, around eight thirty. From there it was only about a fifteen-minute conversation Christine, Gert, and I had, so she was definitely gone by nine. Christine, Violet, and I didn’t get to the Old Train Motel until around ten thirty, after Christine had made all her stops along the way.
If I could retrace Gert’s footsteps, I could prove she wasn’t there at ten fifteen a.m., the time of death Colonel had said was when Tom appeared to have taken his last breath.
It still fascinated me how Colonel could tell those things, but that was what schooling was for, and apparently there was some sort of scientific way of telling.
That was way beyond anything I wanted to learn how to figure out. I would just have to take his word for it.
“I’ll have to keep my ears open.” Joel said exactly what I wanted to hear.
On our drive over to the campground, Bobby Ray must’ve known Hank was out of town because he did his best to get me to stay out of this investigation.
“I know you like to help out your friends, but Maybelline, this is some serious stuff. A man is dead, and Gert has good reason to have killed him.” Bobby Ray drove with one hand on the wheel and the other in his lap. His hand gripped the wheel as he took the windy road leading to Happy Trails.
“Bobby Ray, do you think I’m stupid?” I asked him with all seriousness.
“Why I think you’re purty near the smartest gal I know.” He looked at me with furrowed brows.
“Then let me decide what is good and not good for me,” I told him, happy to see the gravel drive up to the campground come into sight. I was tired of being lectured. “Besides, Hank is back in town, and I’m positive he’s going to do his best to keep me more than an arm’s length away.”
Bobby Ray grumbled a little under his breath.
“Let me off right here.” I had him stop at the big campfire pit behind the office next to the lake, where it appeared that the wedding party had gathered. “Thank you. I’ll see you later.”
I didn’t bother waiting for Bobby Ray to respond. I jumped out of the car and headed over to the group gathered around Shay.
“Oh, Mae, isn’t it awful?” Shay h
ad a big blanket wrapped around her with her legs pulled up in the Adirondack chair. Lewis sat on the edge of a similar chair next to her with his hand on her back, rubbing it ever so slowly.
“I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?” I asked, hoping I could help in any way.
“We’ve got it under control. Carl is meeting with the coroner around five. We will make arrangements to leave town then, and I’ll let you know what time you can expect us to leave.” Amy had her phone out and read from it.
I wondered why she didn’t have her handy-dandy calendar with her.
“We’d still like to get married.” Lewis looked up at me. “I know it’s awful and all, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are in love and really want to do this while we are here.”
“Lewis, that is not going to happen, so you just get that out of your head.” Amy was quick to shut him up.
“If Lewis and I want to get married, Amy, we will get married. My daddy would’ve wanted that.” Shay threw the cover off her body. Lewis took his hand away, and she stood up. “Besides, we will no longer need your services.”
“You can’t fire me.” Amy pushed her glasses up on her nose. “I’ve got to see through my duties, and you don’t need to worry about any of the details. There’s no sense in rushing into a wedding when your emotions are going one hundred miles an hour.”
“We will see about that.” Lewis glared at Amy and stood up. He took Shay by the hand and darted off towards the bungalows with her in tow.
Some chatter emerged among the wedding party about Lewis and Shay’s plans to still get married. Some agreed with Amy about Shay’s emotions not being where they needed to be, while others said it wouldn’t make a difference whether they got married now or waited.
“Amy,” I called her over. “Why do you think they shouldn’t get married?”
“I think we need to give Mr. Moon time to have his moment of death. She needs to be respectful of her father, but she’s never been, so I’m not sure why I think she would be now.” Amy probably knew a lot of secrets about that family that could give some clue to who else besides Gert would want to kill him.
“That also goes true for how we can help the police find the killer. After all, Mr. Moon really can’t be at rest in death until whoever did this is brought to justice.” I frowned and shrugged. “Do you think Lewis Malone killed him?”
“I think Dan might’ve.” She looked up at me after I said “Dan.” “From what I understand, Dan had been talking to the people at Awakenings Coffee. I also understand there’s a meeting set up with them in a couple of days before Lewis was to leave for their honeymoon.” She shook her head. “Now with Tom gone, Shay stands to own the company.”
“Are you saying that Dan Malone already knew Lewis was going to get some shares of Moonbucks and maybe try to get Lewis to do something with Awakenings?” If this was the case, Lewis or Dan Malone had a really big motive to have killed Tom Moon.
“It’s a well-known fact that Wes Millord has been trying to buy Moonbucks for years.” She looked left and then right before she leaned in. “As Mr. Moon’s assistant, I know for a fact that Wes Millford and Tom Moon can’t be in the same room together. Kinda like Gert Hobson and Mr. Moon.”
I said his name in my head a few times so I could remember to look him up. I should’ve done that when Gert first told me she heard his name.
“Did Tom ever say anything about Gert?” Now that I had a couple of leads to look into, I wanted to see what Amy knew about the recipe.
“I had no idea about her or the recipe until yesterday. There is truly no evidence to her claim. We have documentation going all the way to the beginning of Mr. Moon’s discovery of the beans and flavors. He did a lot of extensive traveling around the world to get the perfect combinations to start the original blend. Carl and he met in Italy during this time, so Carl has been there the entire way. Thank goodness too.” She sighed.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because Carl is a business lawyer and he was smart enough to have everything documented. Including the patent.” She didn’t make me feel any better about Gert’s case. “Mr. Moon doesn’t deny how he knew Gert Hobson. Nor does he deny she had a great business idea. But it was just that. An idea that he brought to life.”
A little shuffling from the wedding party made us stop talking. Misty Moon was walking up to the group with Carl by her side.
“If you’ll excuse me.” Amy hurried over to her. They had a brief moment to converse while the others waited to see what Misty had to say, including me.
“I want to thank everyone for coming.” She took a hard swallow after her voice cracked. She drew back her shoulders and lifted her chin ever so slightly. “I’ve had a brief moment to talk to Shay and Lewis. Though Shay had mentioned she’d like to go ahead with the wedding, I just can’t let that happen. We need to get my dear husband home and in his final resting place before we can move forward. I’m terribly sorry you’ve come all this way in order to make Shay’s dreams come true, but as you can see, this dream has turned into a nightmare that I only wish to wake up from.”
Misty blinked a few times before turning around to retreat to the bungalow.
“Over the next hour or so, I’ll be making arrangements for all of us to fly back to New York after I meet with the coroner.” Carl started to tell us of the arrangements that the Moon family had made, but the sound of tires spitting up gravel made us all turn to look at the entrance of Happy Trails. Even Misty Moon had turned around. In the distance, I could see Shay and Lewis making their way back to the group.
Hank was driving up along with a police car. I turned back to the group and noticed Misty was walking back toward us and probably wondering what information Hank or the officer had or why they were there. Hank got out of his car, and Jerry exited the police car. They headed our way.
“Good evening, folks,” Hank said to the group. He held my eyes for a moment. He was in complete detective mode, and his stern voice echoed off the trees. “I’m sorry to have to do this today, but I wanted to make sure I came by before anyone made plans to leave Normal.”
“What are you trying to say, Detective?” Carl put his hand out when Misty stepped forward to say something. He was doing his good lawyer duty and making sure she didn’t say a word.
“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to ask all of you to stay in town while we continue to interview people associated with Mr. Moon.” Hank’s jaw tensed.
“I’m sorry, Detective, but don’t you have a suspect in custody?” Carl asked.
“We have someone at the station answering questions, and we are checking those out those answers, but there’s been no arrest.” Hank stated the facts.
“But I heard you had the weapon and it belonged to the person you have in custody.” Carl was testing Hank’s limits.
Hank’s hands were at his side. He opened and closed them several times. I knew this was a way for him to keep his cool.
“Mr. Rippin, no one is going to leave Normal until we say so. If you or anyone here does, you will be arrested. Do you all understand?” Hank took his time to look at every single person, including me. “Jerry is going to take your name and cell phone number as well as give you a time to come to the recreational area of the campground.” He pointed to the building a few feet away. “Having the interviews here is going to help you so you don’t have to find a ride to the station. Jerry.”
While Jerry talked to the group, Hank motioned for me to have a sidebar conversation with him. Carl Rippin decided to join us, uninvited.
“Detective, you are making a big mistake.” Carl gave Hank a dead stare. “This man needs to be put to rest. Not only for this family but for the world of coffee. As his lawyer and representative of the family, I insist you get these interviews conducted today.”
“Thank you for your opinion. Unfortunately, there is little time left in today, and Jerry over there—well, today is him and his wife’s thirty-five-year anniversary, an
d he’s taking her to the Red Barn to celebrate.” Hank put his arm around me. “In fact, they invited me and Mae to join them. So you see, we just don’t have enough time in the day.”
Hank was displaying some very odd behavior, and boy, did my uh-oh meter go off.
“This is unacceptable.” Carl face scrunched up. “I’ve never seen an investigation run this way.”
“Have you ever been to Normal, Mr. Rippin?” Hank asked him.
“Why, no, I haven’t. And I don’t seem to think I like it.” He swung his head around to look at me. “I bet Paul West is rolling around in his grave with you dating this man. Paul West might’ve been a criminal in the end, but he never lacked for good taste. Or so I thought.”
Carl pointed a finger at Hank. Hank’s chest filled with air as he tried to compose himself and not smack Carl’s finger right out of its socket.
“If you think any one of these people behind me did such a thing to a very beloved man, you are sorely mistaken, and I’m more than happy to represent them to further prove my point.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Rippin. I’ll be in touch.” Hank was done with Carl Rippin, and so was I.
Hank and I took what I’d call a stroll down and around the lake so he could get away from the group and probably walk off a little of the steam that I was sure was building up inside of him.
“Is Gert off the hook?” I asked.
“No, but she’s given us all the details of her schedule. Nice move on Ava Cox.” He glanced down at me, his hands behind his back.
“I really don’t think she did it.” I wanted to give him the information I had on Wes Millford, but sometimes I kept little secrets close to the vest if Hank wouldn’t budge.
“Mae, she truly does believe he stole this secret recipe. She swears by it. She even gave me the name of a lawyer who helped her, and we contacted the lawyer who said she’s never heard of Gertrude Hobson. We are looking into that.” We made it to the far end of the lake, where the bungalows were located. I looked across the water. The orange glow of the last bits of the sun began to set, so I knew it was around six p.m. “The knife is clearly from the set of new knives she just got from the coffee convention where the victim had gone too. It would make sense for her to have seen him there, spark whatever feelings she had for him, and when she came home, she probably didn’t think she’d see him again. According to his secretary, Gert was really taken aback when she saw him at the Chicken Fest. Dropped a mug when she saw him.”