by Rose Pressey
“This doesn’t sound good. Why do I have to say ‘no comment’? I had nothing to do with this,” I said.
“Nevertheless, they’ll ask questions.” Pierce projected an air of confidence that I hoped I could emulate.
“You don’t want to give them information that might jeopardize your case, right?” Caleb asked with a wink.
I scoffed. “Now you’re just mocking me.”
He chuckled. “Just trying to help.”
“I’m glad you’re getting amusement out of this, both of you,” I said.
They could poke fun all they wanted. I’d show them. I stood tall and pushed my shoulders back as we marched toward the crime scene tape. I couldn’t let this rattle me.
“Are you the one who found the body?” a dark-haired woman yelled as we crossed the tape.
How did she know? They found this stuff out so quickly. Someone must have blabbed. At least she hadn’t asked if I’d killed the woman. I didn’t even reply with a “no comment.” Instead, I didn’t utter a word. I kept my focus straight ahead. Smooth and confident, just like Pierce.
A couple other newspeople pushed microphones in my face. Caleb and Pierce shooed them away. I was proud of how calm I remained. I just wanted to escape the scene and get back to the safe haven of my trailer. I wanted to see Van. Perhaps I needed to leave the area for a while until all of this settled down. Chocolate cake was definitely called for. How would I tell my family about this? Could I keep it from them forever? Probably not. They had a way of finding things out. I had no idea how they did it.
“Great job back there,” Pierce said.
Really? He’d noticed? I pushed my shoulders back. I knew I’d handled that well.
“Thank you,” I said. “I thought I did pretty good.”
“No matter what they do or how much they sneak around, don’t give in to them. Don’t tell them anything,” Pierce warned.
This sounded serious. Would I be able to stand strong? What if I slipped up? The reporters watched us as if plotting their next move.
I gave a salute. “Yes, sir.”
I tried to act nonchalant, as if I had everything under control. Now I had to keep it up, though, and not show a crack in my armor.
“Just don’t get involved,” Pierce and Caleb said in unison.
Had they been practicing?
“You got it,” I said, giving a thumbs-up.
CHAPTER 3
Travel Trailer Tip 3:
It’s nice to have visitors, but try to keep
guests to a minimum. There’s just not enough
room for a party in a travel trailer.
Back at my trailer, I sat inside on the sofa/bed with Van on my lap. He dozed while I replayed the morning’s events in my head. The craft fair had been postponed for a day, but not canceled. Therefore, I had extra time on my hands.
At least I had the cozy surroundings of my safe haven. I loved my pink-and-white retro trailer, but the space was small. Cramming my paints, brushes, canvases, and easel into the corner meant that I’d brought only the essentials. Luckily, at the back of the trailer, the benches and table fit tightly into the space and converted into a bed. A pink-and-white quilt, along with several toss pillows my grandmother made me, covered the top of the bed. One pillow had pink hearts, and the others were pink gingham.
The storage area installed to the back of my trailer allowed me to haul more paintings for the craft fair. Showing their sweet side, my brothers had installed the storage area and painted it in the exact shade of pink to match my trailer.
My thoughts turned back to the crime. Who was the woman who had been murdered? Of course, from her uniform, I knew she was a tour guide for the estate, but I wanted to know her name. I wanted to know all about her. How would I figure out who had murdered her unless I knew about her life?
My theory was that this wasn’t a random act. Plus, it probably wasn’t premeditated, considering there were so many people around. The murderer wouldn’t want to take a chance on being caught unless they hadn’t planned this out.
That meant the killer had decided to carry out this act at the spur of the moment. I had to figure out who to ask about this woman. Obviously, other employees of the estate would know her, so I would probably start there. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get information from the police. Considering neither Caleb nor Pierce would be investigating this crime, I wouldn’t have an inside source. Not that they would share anything with me, anyway.
In my opinion, the likely cause of death had been strangulation, since she had the velvet rope wrapped around her neck. That meant that the murderer hadn’t brought a weapon with them to the scene. Which further verified my theory that she had been murdered by someone in a crime of passion. Perhaps a boyfriend or jealous friend?
Since the craft fair had been delayed for a few hours, I had some extra time to perhaps start my investigation. However, there was something else on my mind. I groaned when I saw the number pop up on my phone. Not that I didn’t love talking to my grandmother, but I knew she’d sense something in my voice. I’d have to confess the day’s events. My secret wouldn’t last long.
“Hello, Grammy,” I said when I answered.
My voice wavered. I knew it. She hesitated, and I knew she sensed the problem already. Nothing got past her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Why was I even trying with this act? It was pointless.
“How many years have I known you now?” Grammy asked.
“All of them that I’ve been alive,” I said.
“Which is exactly why you should know that I’m not falling for your innocent act. Now, I can tell by the tone of your voice that something is wrong, so you might as well tell me now and save me the hassle of having to figure it out on my own.”
I released a lungful of air. “Have you watched the local news?”
“Are you injured?” she asked in a panic. “What happened? Did someone harm you? I know it can’t be your brothers, because they’re here at the hotel with me.”
“No one injured me,” I said.
“I’m listening,” she continued.
“Well, there was a murder at the estate a short time ago.”
“Oh, land’s sake,” she said.
“I don’t know for sure that it was a murder yet, but it seemed like a murder to me,” I said.
“What makes you think it was a murder? Exactly how close were you to the murdered person?” Grammy asked.
“I discovered her body,” I blurted out.
“Oh, for land’s sake,” Grammy said again.
“And the police may have handcuffed me for a short time. But they let me go because of Pierce and Caleb. The police thought I actually did it, Grammy.”
“Well, the very idea,” she said. “They better never put my grandbaby in handcuffs again. I’ll tell them a thing or two.”
I pictured her shaking her fist.
“Okay, calm down, Grammy. Everything is fine now.”
This was part of the reason why I didn’t want to tell her. It would get her blood pressure up too much. I didn’t want to be responsible for causing Grammy to have a stroke.
“I’m on my way there right now, as soon as I get my pocketbook,” she said.
“Grammy, no, wait, it’s not necessary for you to come over here. Everything is fine.”
“How can you say everything is fine when they almost took you to the slammer?”
“See, that’s the thing, they didn’t take me. That’s why everything is fine.” I checked out the trailer window to see if any reporters lurked around.
“You should thank your lucky stars for Caleb and Pierce. Those are two fine men. And I mean that in more ways than one.”
“Grammy!” I said.
She laughed. “We’re still coming over there to get you.”
“Not until the designated time, remember? You know I don’t want chaos here. It’s like bringing a tornado with you.”
&n
bsp; “I understand. Your brothers and father can be a handful, but they really are only trying to help.”
“It’s like asking a bull to help display the china in the cabinet.”
She giggled. “I see your point, dear, but you know I have to tell your mother, and she’ll want to come over right away, too.”
“Why do you have to tell her?”
“You know I don’t keep anything from her.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “You didn’t tell her when you didn’t eat that cake she baked for you. In fact, you told her that it was delicious.”
“Well, bless her heart, that one didn’t turn out so well. It was as dry as a pack of saltines.”
“Nevertheless, I think you should just wait, okay?” I asked.
Silence filled the line.
“Hello? Grammy?”
Pulling the phone away from my ear and checking the screen, I saw that the call had ended. Oh no. Grammy had already set the wheels of that crazy family train in motion.
I dialed her number again. No answer. Grammy had me on ignore. Grandmothers always answered calls. Grammy would have maneuvered an obstacle course like a ninja warrior to answer my call. Before I had a chance to hit redial, my phone rang. Oh no. My mother’s number. Apparently I was losing this battle. What made me think I’d win against a competitor like Grammy? I might as well take the call and get this over with. Maybe there was still a way to stop them from coming over.
“I assume Grammy is standing right next to you with her pocketbook?” I asked when I answered.
“She’s motioning for us to get in the Buick.”
It was too far gone.
“Can I convince you to let me come there? I’m leaving right now,” I said.
My mother hesitated. “Are you being honest?”
“You’d find out soon enough if I was lying, and I’d be in even bigger trouble with you all, so what’s the point of not telling the truth now?”
“All right, Celeste. How long will it take you to get here? Is it safe for you to leave your trailer?” she asked.
“This is not a hostage situation, Mom,” I said. “The killer isn’t lurking outside my trailer waiting for me.”
“How do you know that?” she asked.
My mother had a way of making everyone paranoid. Better safe than sorry, she’d say.
“It wasn’t a random attack. Listen, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be watching the clock,” she said.
I knew she meant that. How would I get my painting done before going to see them? I knew I couldn’t waste any time. I needed to get out of there right away. I dressed Van in his little blue sport shirt and gathered a few of his toys and dishes into my bag. Peeking out the door, I checked to see if anyone was around. After the warning from Pierce and Caleb, I had to be on guard for the reporters, I supposed. The coast seemed clear, so I stepped out of the trailer and locked the door behind me.
No one seemed to pay any attention to me as they busied themselves getting ready for the show. I was proud of myself that I was already prepared. All I had to do was set out my paintings. With Van in my arms, I hurried over to my truck parked just around the way.
After unloading the trailer, I’d moved my truck out to the parking lot, because it would have taken up too much room. Space between each booth was limited so that they could fit in as many vendors as possible. I’d just turned the ignition when I received a text message. Caleb asked if I was all right. That was sweet.
Everything is good. I added a smiley-face emoji.
My phone dinged again. This time, it was a text from Pierce, asking exactly the same thing. They were so competitive. I wasn’t sure how they knew, but they each had sent the exact message. I responded with the same answer, even adding the smiley face.
“Remember, don’t talk to reporters,” Caleb had said.
That reminded me to check around again. Reporters could be hiding behind trees, lurking in a nearby car. I glanced through the back window to make sure no one was in the bed of my truck. All seemed clear. I tossed my phone back into my bag. Pulling out of the parking lot, I headed away from the estate to meet my family. The drive to the hotel was a short distance away.
My mother had wanted to know why I wouldn’t just stay at the hotel with them. I told her why spend the money when I had a perfectly good trailer to stay in? Though I had to admit, part of the reason why was that I knew there would be much chaos with them. I loved my family more than anything, but I could only be around them in small doses.
As I sat at a red light, I noticed a cute little bakery to the left. A pink-and-white-striped awning hung over the door, with a big sign above bearing the name SWEET TOOTH. Too bad I didn’t have time to stop now. The drawing of the giant cupcake on the window made me crave a chocolate cupcake. I liked my cupcakes the best, though. I used my grandmother’s recipe, and they always came out moist and rich. I’d have to remember this bakery for later.
The light turned green, and I headed down the street. After traveling a short distance, I noticed a black car behind me. It was trailing me awfully close. I couldn’t see exactly who was behind the wheel, because the person wore big black sunglasses. Based on the long blond hair spilling out from under the baseball cap and the large gold hoop earrings, I guessed this was a woman. Maybe she was just a bad driver.
With the car so near, my anxiety grew, and a gnawing dread pulled at my stomach. I pushed on the gas pedal just a touch. Unfortunately, so did the woman behind the wheel. Now I was panicking for sure. I had to get away from her. What did she want? Could this be a reporter? Well, if she thought she was going to get a scoop from me, she was sadly mistaken.
I swung an immediate left and pushed on the gas more. A traffic light was up ahead. I hoped it didn’t catch me.
“Stay green, stay green,” I said.
She had turned onto the street, as well. Now I was certain she was following me. What made it even worse was that I had no idea where I was headed. I didn’t know this town’s streets, and I could easily get lost. That could turn into a dangerous situation quickly.
Perhaps I should stop and confront this woman. I’d tell her to leave me alone. She would probably get that on video, and this would become even worse. No, I should just try to get away from her. For all I knew, the press would say that I was running from them and unwilling to talk about what happened. I was getting ahead of myself.
These were all worst-case scenarios and probably nothing close to what would actually happen. Nevertheless, I wanted to get away from her. The more I pushed the accelerator, the more she did, too. Lucky for me, I zoomed right through the green light. That brought little relief, though. Now I was nearing a congested area. There would be no way I would get away from her now.
I noticed an upcoming street and knew I had to make that turn so I wouldn’t be stuck in traffic. It came up so soon that I had little warning. Whipping the steering wheel to the right, I made the quick turn, squealing my tires as my pink truck maneuvered the street.
I thought about trying to hide my truck somewhere, but it was kind of tough to conceal a pink truck. I might as well have a big neon flashing sign on the back of the truck that read FOLLOW ME. There were a few restaurants and stores up ahead, so possibly I could whip into a parking lot and hide. However, I was sure the pursuer was focused on me like a laser, and it wouldn’t be that easy to get away from her.
I wished there were more traffic so that I could maneuver between cars and possibly lose her. One good thing about having my father teach me to drive was now I had skills like a NASCAR driver. Although the other drivers probably didn’t appreciate it much. The good part of my skills was that as I drove, I was conscientious of other drivers, something that the person following me was lacking. It seemed as if she didn’t care if she ran other cars off the road or caused an accident. Someone might call the police and report her soon.
Out of nowhere, a siren blared, and twirling blue lights appeared behind
me. Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse. Someone had called the cops, all right, but they apparently had reported me instead of her. That hardly seemed fair. Now I was being pulled over by the police. Two encounters with the cops in one day. What would Caleb and Pierce say? No doubt they would disapprove.
My family would probably send out a search party for me, considering it shouldn’t take me this long to arrive at the hotel. The text messages and phone calls would start soon. I had hoped that the police officer wasn’t trying to pull me over, but as he trailed along right behind me, I knew that wasn’t the case.
After merging to the side of the street, I pulled out my driver’s license and vehicle registration. Wait. What if this wasn’t a stop for reckless driving? What if this was when the police arrested me for murder? My chest tightened as I struggled to breathe, as if someone had placed a plastic bag over my head. Even my arms and hands tingled. Hyperventilating. Yes, that was happening. They’d have to call an ambulance for me soon. Obviously, I didn’t handle stress well.
Should I put my hands up or keep them on the wheel? The decision had to be made in a split second. Keeping them on the wheel seemed like the best option. I didn’t want the officer to think that I automatically assumed I was being arrested for murder. That would mean I thought I was guilty. I rolled the window down and waited for him to approach. He still hadn’t gotten out of his car. What was he waiting for? This was torture. I had to know why I was being stopped.
CHAPTER 4
Travel Trailer Tip 4:
Alert family or friends about where you’re
traveling or staying in your trailer . . . in
case you need to be rescued.
In reality, it was probably only thirty seconds before the officer climbed out from behind the wheel. Slowly, he approached my truck. It was like watching a snail crawl up a leaf. One slow step at a time. I thought for sure I’d seen the black car pull over, too, after making the turn behind the police officer. I thought the woman had parked behind a few cars at the end of the street behind me.
