Dead 'N Breakfast

by Paulette Brewster

  “If I did, I’d cancel it right now.” He glanced at the counter. “And pie too?”

  “Yep. I hope you like apple.” She wiped her hands on a towel, smiling at his obvious delight. “I made some fresh whipped cream to go with it.”

  His smile widened.

  “I just have to grab my jacket then I’m ready to go,” she said as she reached into the pantry to slip into her barn coat.

  As usual, there was no coaxing needed when she led Myrtie and Pearl down the road with Brian walking at her side. They talked comfortably about the weather which was much cooler now and she asked about the progress that Brian had been making on his sugarhouse. Liz was pleased to hear that he felt confident he’d be up and running in time for gathering sap in the spring. She was happy for him and knew it would also be an added interest for her future guests.

  “Come on in where it’s warm,” Polly said to them while she held the gate open. “Thank goodness for animal heat,” she said with a laugh. “My critters do their share but Myrtie here sure brings it up a few degrees. And Pearl is a bonus.”

  “It is warmer in here,” Liz agreed.

  “Well, having a small barn is a big help and I like stacking bales along the inside walls wherever it’s possible during the winter. Adds a little insulation, you know.”

  Liz settled onto the small stool, placing the bucket beneath Myrtie’s extended udder. She admitted that she enjoyed the companionship at Polly’s, including all of the smaller critters. Their squawks, oinks, and barks added dimension to the daily chores. She hoped she wouldn’t be lonely in her own barn when this was all over, but then she considered the heavy snows that typically blanketed their community. No, she decided, staying home would be very nice even if she only had the two cows and Bess.

  After the chores were done, she and Brian walked back to her house as the chill that settled around them added a little pep to their step. The moon peeked in and out of the clouds, affording enough light that they didn’t need their flashlights. Liz kept her hands buried in her pockets for warmth, reminding herself to keep a pair of gloves in them in the future.

  In no time they were at the back door where she unlocked it with the extra key that she kept in her jeans. When she opened the door, the aroma of roasting beef mingled with celery and onions surrounded her.

  “Mmmm! That does smell good,” she said. “I guess when I’m here all day I don’t notice it so much.” She shrugged out of her coat and hung it up then placed her barn boots inside the doorway.

  Brian hung his coat on the back of a chair then stood, waiting.

  “I can help,” he said. “What would you like me to do?”

  “Okay, why don’t take the roast out of the oven. The hot pads are on the counter. And I’ll set the dishes.”

  “I think I’m hungrier than I realized,” he said as he opened the oven door and lifted out the covered roaster. He raised the lid carefully as the steam filled the air.

  She looked around him to study how nicely the meat had browned along with the potatoes and carrots that were tucked along the edges.

  “Perfect,” she declared, then indicated where he should set it. She searched through the drawers for a carving knife then gave up and chose a smaller one that would do just fine and handed it to him. Without a second glance, he accepted it along with the large fork she offered. After cutting it up he dished it onto a serving platter which he placed on the table. Liz already had the table set with plates and utensils as they sat across from each other.

  “Help yourself,” she told him, although he seemed not to need any urging. “Oh, I almost forgot the biscuits.” And she retrieved the plastic container from the back of the counter and put it on the table.

  “I haven’t eaten this good in quite a while,” he said as he scooped up a potato and deposited it on his plate.

  “I’ll send some home with you. It’s certainly more than I’ll eat by myself.”

  “This will make some great sandwiches,” he replied, then stuffed a bite into his mouth.

  They enjoyed the meal, making small talk during most of it. Liz planned to share her discovery about Jenny at some point but was reluctant to put a damper on things for the moment. Having Brian’s company added so much to her day, which was surprising considering how she’d felt about him a month ago. Sometime over the last week, she’d undergone a change of attitude and she felt sure it wasn’t just Polly’s influence that brought it about. Lately, she’d begun to look forward to the evenings and their discussions even though they didn’t see eye to eye on everything. And yet, it was more than that because when he was around, she felt an added sense of security.

  After he’d cleaned up his plate, she dished up two pieces of pie and topped them with fresh whipped cream.

  “Thanks,” he replied, smiling at her as she placed one in front of him.

  She gave him a quick smile in return as she took her seat. Now was as good a time as any, she thought.

  “I talked with Jenny this morning.”

  “About?” He took his eyes off his plate long enough to glance at her.

  “About something I saw on the drone video.” She put her fork down. The pie could wait.

  “Drone video?” he repeated, looking puzzled.

  “Well, I haven’t told you about that yet. Jenny’s assistant took a video of the Market Day festivities and I asked him if he’d share it with me, and he said sure. I was hoping to find Kevin and discover if there was someone he knew in Maple Ridge. After watching most of it, I knew I had to talk with Jenny this morning so I went to her office. She told me that Kevin confronted her inside the newspaper office on Market Day and when she tried to run away through the back door, he followed her. Judging by what I saw on the video, they had a heck of a fight in the parking lot behind the building. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing so that’s why I had to go talk to her.”

  “I take it that it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.” He frowned at her with disapproval all over his face. If she’d wanted his honest opinion, she was already getting it.

  “Right,” she said unperturbed. “But our conversation was productive despite a few fireworks, not that she directed them at me. She didn’t. It was more like a replay of her experiences with Kevin, up to a point, and she had no regrets concerning his death which got my attention. But then she told me he’d threatened her, with a knife. That was during the trial in Boston. He cornered her in an alley, held a knife to her throat and told her that she’d better stop writing those editorials or they’d find her dead in her bed. So, I guess she wouldn’t have much compassion about him being the one who turned up dead.”

  “Are you saying she admitted to killing him?” He pushed his plate aside, giving her all his attention and frowning deeply.

  “No, she said she didn’t kill him, not that I specifically asked her. But talk about explosive… she certainly is that.”

  “Leave the investigating to the investigators, Liz.” Now he crossed his arms and leaned on the table toward her. “I mean it.”

  Forging ahead, Liz went on, “I did ask her if she might be the tipster that Detective Morris told me about. She said she wasn’t.”

  “And was she convincing?”

  “I believed her at the time, but I’m not so sure now. I was hoping you might have some thoughts about all of this.”

  “My thoughts are… stay out of it. There is a killer on the loose and we don’t know who it is. Don’t get involved. This is too dangerous to play detective.”

  She sat up straight in her chair feeling more than a little irked.

  “Easy for you to say,” she shot back at him.

  His shoulders relaxed and he leaned forward. “It’s not easy for me to say that, but I need to. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way.”

  “I’m already there and it feels like nobody is doing anything about it.” She barely restrained herself from speaking through gritted teeth. And yet, having spoken her true feelings, the relief valve of mounting pressure
was released, like a balloon that had been stuck with a pin.

  “I didn’t mean that,” she said softly. “I appreciate you being here, letting me talk it out and I appreciate you walking with me every night.” She was more than grateful.

  “I wish I could do more.” He reached across the table and covered her hand with his own, then inhaled deeply with a sense of exasperation. “They won’t give me any information either, but I get it. Everyone is a suspect because no one is a suspect. Their leads are nonexistent. It has to be frustrating for them too.” He gave her hand a squeeze and her heart did a surprising flip. “Listen, I want you to agree that you’ll let them handle this, and if you have any information at all then you need to tell them everything you know.”

  She studied his face and saw only concern. He was wiser than she was when it came to things like this, she told herself. She should listen to him.

  “I’ll think about it,” she told him. Then she saw the worried frown on his face and added, “I promise.”

  “Good,” he said, as he pulled his hand away slowly, almost reluctantly she thought.

  “Now, I’m going to help you clean up before I leave,” he said, rising to his feet.

  “No, no. I can handle this. I’ve discovered that cleaning is very cathartic.”

  “Nope. I’m staying and I’m helping.” He gathered up the dirty dishes and took them to counter.

  “All right,” she replied. She wasn’t quite ready for him to leave just yet anyway. “Are you washing or drying?” She raised one brow and smiled.

  “Whichever suits you.” He leaned back against the sink giving her time to think it over.

  “You look like a dryer person to me.”

  He smiled back at her. “Good choice. I’m sloppy in a dishpan so your floor would get wet and I really don’t like to mop.”

  She laughed at that visual.

  “And afterward we’ll have a cup of coffee,” she said.

  “Deal,” he said. “And another piece of pie.”

  “Deal.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  After Brian went home, she considered his warning about doing her own investigations but wasn’t ready to agree with him. There were still a few more things she needed to know. She hadn’t watched the entire drone video and now it was on her mind even if there was nothing of value left to see. The rest of the evening stretched empty before her so why not cuddle with Bess while she viewed the remainder of the video. She flipped on the light in the bedroom expecting to see Bess draped across the bed. She called the cat but got no response. Realizing she hadn’t seen her since Brian arrived, and thinking she’d gone into hiding somewhere, she gave up and sat alone at the computer. Opening the video attachment, she watched with interest as the drone flew over Main Street once more. Soon the shadows lengthened while the drone followed the side streets and parking lots. There seemed to be nothing new although it was certainly well done. Then she saw a small red sports car pull into a parking spot behind the newspaper. Her sense of boredom fled when a car door opened a few cars away from the roadster and a man stepped out wearing a navy shirt and khaki pants. He crossed behind the other cars and opened the passenger door on the red sportscar and got in.

  Liz nearly choked as she gasped with surprise. Claire! Kevin knew Claire well enough to meet her in a parking lot and get into her car. Within a few minutes, the red car backed out and they drove away together while the drone hovered along with them. Then the shadows filled the space and she couldn’t make out anything else. The screen went blank and the video stopped.

  “Holy cow,” she said out loud. Disbelief kept her gaze riveted on the screen. “There has to be an explanation for this,” she told herself. Some unknown connection that she just didn’t understand. A coincidence of some kind. Perhaps she was giving him a lift, that’s all, just as simple as that, except Liz didn’t believe in coincidences. She pulled out her summary sheet of Jenny’s articles and stared at them realizing there wasn’t a single thing she’d written that would include information about Claire. Pushing herself away from the desk, she tried to wrap her mind around what she’d just seen but couldn’t do it. Deciding it wasn’t too late in the evening for a strong cup of coffee, she made her way toward the kitchen, feeling almost dazed, sort of a deer in the headlights moment when her brain wouldn’t function. She glanced at the clock over the sink, nine-thirty. There wasn’t a chance that she was going to fall asleep early anyway, so she brewed a cup and sat at the table and waited while it dripped.

  She fought the urge to call Miles or even the detective. Would they come to the same conclusion that she had? This had to be strong evidence that Claire, Kevin, and Jenny were connected in some way, even if the video didn’t tell the whole story she knew it, felt it in her gut. Of course, something was missing but the key to it all was there somewhere and as soon as she could think clearly, she’d find it. All preconceived ideas were officially out the window. She would spend the next few hours sorting the info, keeping her mind open to whatever presented itself. Then tomorrow she would call Brian or maybe just stop in and see him. She knew he’d be upset with her for not contacting Detective Morris and letting him take it from there, but if she couldn’t present enough information it might get no attention at all. In the meantime, she’d drink the coffee knowing she’d regret it at two o’clock in the morning. Then as she reached for the cup, the front doorbell rang, distracting her from her thoughts. Brian always used the kitchen door and it was too late for Polly to be out and about. Perhaps it was Brian just doing a security check around the house. Perfect timing, she told herself. With her hopes up, she opened the door only to find Claire Dennison standing on the steps while the porch light illuminated her blond hair.

  “I’m sorry to bother you when it’s so late,” she said. “But I thought I’d check with you to see if I might have left my ring here. I’ve just been frantic about it.” She waggled the fingers on her right hand that was bare of any jewelry. “Do you mind if I take a look in my room?”

  Liz tamped down her initial panic as curiosity got the best of her. The realization that if she handled it right, she could make the most of this opportunity and pry some information from the person who had to know more than she did.

  “Come in.” Liz stepped aside as she opened the door wider. “Sure, you can take a look, but I’ve already cleaned the room and I didn’t find anything.” She put on her best welcoming smile, no easy task but she had to appear sincere.

  “The ring was my mom’s and it means a lot to me. I haven’t been able to find it anywhere so I wondered if it might have fallen on the floor and gotten kicked under the bed or something.” She pushed the door closed behind her then stood with her hands in the pocket of her jacket. “It’s not that it’s so valuable, but my mom died last year, and I feel close to her when I wear it. I can’t imagine why I even took it off.”

  “I might have to check the vacuum if we don’t find it in the room,” Liz said, willing to go to any lengths to keep Claire long enough to question her. “But let’s check upstairs first.”

  Claire smiled. “Thank you so much.”

  Then, as Liz was about to lead the way, Claire exclaimed, “Oh, wait! I think I found it!” She laughed as though it was a hilarious joke. “Would you believe it? It’s in my pocket! See?”

  But when she pulled her hand out, it wasn’t a ring that she was holding, but a small handgun aimed directly at Liz. The whole episode was so bizarre and unexpected that she just stared at it, dumbfounded. Then as realization sunk in, she backed away.

  “No-no-no,” Claire said in a near sing-song voice and still smiling broadly. “Mustn’t do that. Stand right where you are. That’s right.” She let out a happy sigh. “Finally. I’ve been planning this for a long time. We have so many things to talk about.”

  None of it made any sense to Liz. Had this woman just gone mad? Was she completely out of her mind? She kept telling herself to stay calm and THINK! If she could put some logic into this scene s
he was living in, and find some reason this was happening to her. But she needed a clue or some kind of suggestion about how Claire tied into the whole Kevin situation because there had to be a connection. She had to stay calm and keep thinking.

  “But,” Claire went on, cocking her head to one side looking playful in a sinister way, “we can’t talk here. No, not at all.” Her blond hair swayed slightly as she shook her head. The gun in her hand never wavered but pointed steadily at Liz. “It would be best if we went for a walk, but then we might alert someone’s dog along the way… and that won’t do.”

  Claire took a step closer to her. “Back up and keep backing up, slowly.”

  When Liz reached the kitchen doorway, she instinctively stopped.

  “Good girl! Exactly what I had in mind. Now turn, very slowly, and walk into the kitchen toward the counter. That’s right. Now stop. Right there.” Claire was no more than two feet behind her when Liz heard a drawer open and, in a flash, a tablet and a pen landed on the table in front of her. “Sit.”

  Liz did as she was told, her heart thudding in her chest like a heavy weight.

  “Now, both hands on the table, spread apart, and don’t even think of making any quick moves. I have this gun right at the back of your head.” Claire nudged the barrel against Liz’s skull. “Now take the pen and write exactly what I tell you.”

  Without saying a word, Liz followed the directions, all the while her mind in a whirl trying to think of a way to save herself. So far, she was coming up short, very short, of any ideas.

  “Write.”

  Liz picked up the pen and waited.

  “Whoever finds this please understand that I can no longer deal with this. I have to clear my conscience. I killed Kevin. Don’t look for me.”

  She paused her pen before finishing, and Claire pressed the gun to her head again. She resumed writing. Nobody would believe she wrote this unless she’d been forced. And this wasn’t the time to resist. She hoped and prayed that the right time would present itself to her. Soon.