by Tonya Kappes
Ellis Sharp stood a little taller than me. Just enough so that certain clothes looked frumpy on me, but anything she wore looked as though it was tailored especially for her.
She had one arm positioned across herself with a cocktail dangling from her hand. Her rosy complexion, which was perfect for her job as a model. Today she wore a scowl on it that fit her attitude. Her thin shape was accentuated under the short-sleeved white eyelet dress that grazed her ankles. The strappy heeled sandals weren’t fit for a hoedown, but neither was Ellis. Her blond hair was straight and loose. It was a great style for tossing, which she did with every gesture she made.
I weaved in and out of the crowd, making my way over to them. There was a man standing up next to the band with a microphone pressed to his lips. He was belting out things like "swing your partner" and other instructions on how the dance was supposed to go. He sounded like he was an auctioneer instead of a caller, the actual name title for the job.
I’d been to many barn dances when I was young, and it didn’t appear as though anything had changed. There were still knee hoop dresses, handkerchiefs tied around necks, and men sporting rhinestone button-down shirts tucked into skin-tight jeans with a huge belt buckle. They all wore cowboy boots and did a little jig as they swung their partners around.
“Hey there, Mae.” Trudy greeted me along with a hug, followed up by one from Christine. Ellis greeted me with a forced smile, which made her eyes squint.
“Hi, Ellis.” I tried to be as nice as I could to the woman, but no matter what I did, she still never treated me like I was good enough for her brother.
“It looks good.” I glanced along the food table and back to Trudy, a waitress for the Normal Diner.
“Ty has you working tonight?” I asked.
“Yeah. I wonder where he is?” She looked across the barn over our heads.
“He’s parking the car,” I told them. “I rode with him.”
“You rode with your ex-boyfriend?” Ellis’s eyes lit up. “Does Hanky Panky know?”
“Yes. Hank is meeting me here.” I sucked in a deep breath to help keep my composure. Her nickname for Hank was annoying, and he hated it, but she was the type that didn’t care.
“Toodles,” Ellis said and waved her fingers in the air.
Ellis Sharp did whatever she wanted and didn’t care about the repercussions of it. Including trying to set Hank up with the assistant coroner, Natalie Willowby, who I didn’t see here.
I really did want Hank’s family to like me. But they were more interested in Ellis and her famous modeling slash acting career, which seemed to be stalled as of late.
Hank had lived on his parents' property while they were traipsing all over the country, paying for Ellis’s career. Recently they all moved back, making it more challenging for Hank to have any sort of boundaries with them even though he lived in a trailer instead of their house.
After a few run-ins with them, he’d decided it was time to move out and temporarily live in a camper at Happy Trails.
“Don’t mind her.” Trudy swung her fuller hips to the side, tossing her blond ponytail with her hand and doing a catwalk twirl that would have made Ellis gag. “Darling, I’ve got to get these meatballs circulated,” she said in her best fake actress voice, picking up the tray.
Christine and I laughed as Trudy did her best to mock Ellis. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jay and Lee enjoying what looked to be a bourbon near the front of the band. It looked like they’d made up since I’d seen them having some sort of tiff this morning.
Coke was talking to some of the gals I recognized from Cute-icles, and the dance floor was filled with line-dancing lovers in big hats, boots, and in the mood for a few well-timed yee-haws.
“Say, I heard about the break-in. Are you and Mallory okay?” I asked Christine about her and her sister. I grabbed a couple of meatballs off Trudy’s tray as she passed us.
Christine always worked the bakery while Mallory did all the business and ordering. Mallory was rarely there like Christine.
“I’m fine. Thank goodness for my alarm clock not going off, or I’d have been there when they broke in.” She gulped and put a hand up to her chest.
“What time was the break-in?” I asked.
“Around six a.m.” She let out a long sigh. “I had a delivery scheduled for five thirty from the Milkery. Dawn Gentry told me no one was there, and she did try to call my cell phone. I didn’t hear it. I guess I was exhausted and needed that rest.”
“Dawn didn’t see anything?” I asked about one of my good friends and my adoptive mom’s business partner.
“No. That’s how Hank put the timeline together. I literally probably missed the burglar by fifteen minutes.” Christine’s frown made her freckles widen across her nose. “Hank said it looked as though they were trying to gather items they could live off of for some time. It doesn’t make me feel better that someone is around here trying to live.”
“Do you know if they think it’s the same person who broke into Deter's?” I asked.
“Why? Do you think so? I mean, you do have the keen sense and all.” Her eyes grew big.
“I call it woman’s intuition that had a jerk as a husband.” It was my way of explaining how I’d gotten good at being an amateur sleuth and solving crimes that’d taken place in Normal since I’d lived here. In reality, it was a lot of dumb luck and being really good at sticking my nose in situations that it had no place to be.
“Smile!” Violet Rhinehammer brought her camera up to her face and pointed it at me and Christine.
We put our heads together and showed off our pearly whites.
“It’ll be in tomorrow’s paper, so be sure to grab your copy.” Violet sidled up to Christine. “So, do you want to give me the scoop on what happened this morning at the Cookie Crumble?”
I ran my hand down my low curly ponytails, secretly hoping mine looked as good as Violet’s long blond ones. Straight blonde ones making me have hair envy.
I tugged on the knot I’d made with the hem of my plaid shirt, but there was no way my jeans were going to compare to her cutoff pair. She looked like she had stepped right off the Dukes of Hazard set. I just gave up and clasped my hands in front of me.
“I don’t think I can say too much since it’s on ongoing investigation.” The words out of Christine’s mouth sounded exactly like a scripted version of what Hank would tell her to tell anyone who asked, other than me, since she knew Hank was my boyfriend.
Plus, Christine and I were friends. She provided cookies and treats for some of the baskets I sold at the campground. She even donated cookies along with cupcakes and donuts to my guests for the morning continental breakfast I offered, which was served in the recreational building behind the office.
“You know where to find me.” Violet flipped a card out of the back pocket of her cutoffs and held it between her two fingers for Christine to take. “Toodles.” She finger waved and made her way over to another group to get some photos for her big write-up in the paper.
“Back to our conversation,” Christine turned back to me. “I do think it’s the same guy. I mean, what are the odds that someone steals all the camping equipment to camp for a while and isn’t the same person who stole food to last him a while?”
“Good point.” I grabbed one of the draft beers from the person walking around handing them out.
Ethel belted out a new song, which was apparently a town favorite. Every last person but me stopped everything they were doing and headed straight to the dance floor. Christine abandoned me. I glanced around for Hank. He’d yet to show up. I noticed Abby Fawn sitting on one of the stools looking at the dancing crowd. With a big smile on her face, she did a little wiggle dance in her seat. She had on the same outfit as all the other girls, but her brown hair was pushed up under a cowboy hat.
“Hey!” She greeted me with a big smile. “You look so great.”
She grabbed her phone off the table and poked at the screen. She pointed it t
oward me.
“Let me get a photo.”
I stood up and did the girl pose of one hand on hip with one leg cocked at the knee, giving the best smile I had.
“Perfect.” She flashed the phone at me to make sure I approved. “Hashtag Mae West hashtag Happy Trails is having a great time at the hashtag hoedown in Hashtag Normal, Kentucky.” Proud of herself, she said, “Now off to social media world to get more tourists.”
Blue Ethel and the Adolescent Farm Boys had started their set with all sorts of instruments to back up Ethel’s singing. There was a standup bass, banjo, jug blower, fiddler, guitar, and harmonica all harmonizing, bringing more of the younger crowd to the dance floor. No one seemed to see the flashes of lightning as it traveled across the black sky followed up by thunder.
One, two, three, four, I started to count between the flash of lightning and sound of thunder. However many seconds between thunder was the total miles it’d be until it was right over us. Sounded like a crazy way to predict weather, but it was true. Just like we followed the Farmers' Almanac to plant our gardens and local crops.
“I hope they find the person who broke into Deter’s and the bakery.” I made small talk with her and noticed Dottie Swaggert on the dance floor. Henry twirled her around before putting his hand on her waist to complete the steps in the line dance to the song before they started the dance pattern again. “When did Dottie get here?”
“Long time ago. She and Henry were here before me.” Abby brought her drink to her lips.
“Are you sure?” I asked, knowing I’d seen Dottie through her window when Ty and I drove past.
“Yeah. They were talking to Ethel and Henry and even helped set up their instruments. I hope they catch the burglar too.”
The lights flickered, and there were a few glances around. They went right back to focusing on their dance moves when the lights didn’t go out completely.
“Were you at the Laundry Club when the police were at Deter’s?” I asked. For some reason I just couldn’t let it go that the guy in the stables and at Happy Trails last night was the same person breaking in.
“Of course, we were all there except you. It was odd because, according to Alvin, there was no forced entry, and he claimed he put the alarm on before he left the night before.” She shrugged. “I told the gals that I bet some poor college kids came down here to hike, decided to stay, and took enough things to live on for a week or so.”
“You’re probably right.” I looked around again when the lights flickered, wondering if Coke had gotten a generator backup for the motel and if it extended to the barn.
“It’s gonna be a gulley washer out there soon.” Abby looked out at the rain.
A big crack of lightning followed by a loud boom of thunder ripped through the barn. The lights went out and the band’s speakers went silent as darkness fell upon us.
“Well, heck,” I heard a voice that sounded a lot like Dottie’s break the quiet before a flick of her lighter gave off a little gleam of light. “Lighters up!” she hollered.
Within seconds, the entire barn was lit up in butane lighters like it was a rock concert. If a party goer didn’t have a lighter, the flashlights on cell phones were held up.
“I guess we are leaving.” Ty had made his way over to me and Abby.
“Abby.” He nodded and then turned back to me. “Mae, you ready?”
“Yeah.” I gave one look around to see if Hank had gotten there, but I didn’t see him though I definitely could’ve missed him in the dark.
I gave Abby a quick hug.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” I got off the stool and headed toward the front of the barn with Ty before a clap and a fork of ligtning shattered the darkness. The storm was getting closer.
“Wait!” Coke stopped me at the door after I’d gotten my rain coat off the hook. “You own a campground, and you’ve got to have some knowledge on these sorts of storms.”
She was right. I’d had plenty of outages where the electrical box had tripped.
“I’m in no way an electrician, but I can take a look and see if a breaker has tripped.” I tugged on the tie of my raincoat a little snugger, now wishing I’d taken an umbrella like Ty had suggested.
“Thank you.” Coke put her hands together and let out a long sigh. “Folks! Just stay right here. If Mae can get the electricity back on, we’ll continue the hoedown!”
There were clapping and yee-haws along with whistles that echoed out of the darkness that put a little giddy-up in my step.
With all the confidence in the world, I headed outside with Coke leading the way.
Thank goodness she was in front. After another clap of thunder, the dark sky opened up and rain poured down on us. A horse ran past us so fast it almost clipped Coke.
A scream came from deep in my gut when the Appaloosa horse scared me half to death.
“Rosa.” Coke twisted around. Rain droplets fell down her face. The black from her mascara ran in long lines down her cheek. “I think that was Rosa!” she screamed over the thunder.
“Who’s Rosa?” I asked loudly to be heard over the rain.
“Jay’s prize horse.” Coke put her hand over her brows to shield the pelting rain from going into her eyes. “He’d never let her out in this.”
The horse galloped off into the distance into the dark abyss. It was too dark for me to see if it was the horse Jay had been petting yesterday morning.
“We have to go to the stables first.” She motioned for me to follow her. “I’ve got to check on the other horses.”
My steps were heavy from getting stuck in the mud and me trying to pull them out with each step. It was such a heavy rain. It was hard to see a foot in front of me. A few more steps ahead, the big light overtop the stable door was visible. I made my way toward it and really humped it when another clap of thunder sent my heart racing.
“Don’t you think Jay should be doing this?” I asked and turned back to look at the barn where the hoedown where the guests waited on my electrical skills. “I can go back and get him.”
Coke didn’t respond. She heaved as she tried to slide the barn door open. When I noticed she was having trouble, I put my hands on hers.
“1,2,3,” she counted. “Pull!”
We tugged the door open, tripping over ourselves, landing on our hineys in a big mud puddle. It would’ve been a laughable moment under different circumstances, but we were cold and wet. Not a good combination for me.
Crackling music poured out of the stable.
“Jay plays music for Rosa when it’s storming! He must’ve been in here to turn on the transistor!” She screamed over the screeching music.
A flash of lightning lit up the stables. The radio was sitting on the ledge of one of the wooden fences. Coke walked over and twisted the switch off.
“He uses the old battery radio in times like this.” Coke was referring to the electricity being out. “Jay!” she called out and walked down the center aisle.
I stood there, enjoying the cover and trying to forget the mud clumped all over my clothes and in my curly hair, while Coke hurried down the barn.
“Rosa’s stall door is open.” Coke pointed to a stall in the far back.
“There’s light in here.” I noticed a few of the interior fixtures were lit up.
“There’s a generator for the animals.” As she talked and walked down the center aisle, the other horses poked their heads out of the bars to see what was going on.
I walked over to the one closest to me and patted it on the nose. The horse danced around as though it was uneasy.
“It’s just a storm. It’s okay,” I spoke softly to try and calm down the creature.
“Mae! Someone opened the stall and opened the back barn door,” Coke hollered over the sound of the rain beating down on the roof. “Help me get Rosa!”
My first instinct was to protest. I’d never been around horses before, and the bars between me and the one I was petting was as close as I wanted to get to the
intimidating creatures.
“Come on!” she yelled. “I’ll call Jay.”
I nodded. Maybe she didn’t hear me over the rain earlier.
“He’s not answering.” She put her phone away before she gestured for me to help shut the back door where Rosa had apparently escaped from. “Why don’t you go back to the hoedown, find him, and tell him. Rosa will come to him.”
I nodded instead of trying to yell in the rain.
“Go out this door and just go around.” She gestured me out the barn door.
What on earth had I gotten myself into was all I could think of when I headed back out into the stormy weather. No one in her right mind would be doing this, I thought to myself and noticed my foot had stepped on something round. I bent down and brought it up to my face.
“What on earth?” My heart sank when I realized it was a compass, like the one from the backpack of the guy hiding out in the stables. The same compass I’d seen bouncing on the man's backpack from last night at the campground.
I stuck it in my back pocket and turned to head back toward the barn when I tripped and fell. Only it wasn’t in another mud puddle. I fell right on top of Jay Russel’s lifeless body.
SEVEN
After I’d tripped over Jay’s feet, all the details were a little cloudy up until Hank showed up. His attention to making sure I was okay was exactly what I needed to wrap my head around the fact that Jay Russel was dead.
One of the officers stood next to me and Coke with an umbrella over my head. Hank had draped one of those quilted blankets he’d found in the horse stables over my shoulders to help prevent me from shaking from the cold. In reality I was shaking from my nerves. Coke had waved off the blanket as she stood there with her eyes focused on Jay.