Home Sweet Murder

by Eliza Brookes

  “I’m sorry this happened to you,” Jason said sympathetically, “I know how much you loved her.” Allegra’s shoulders dropped, and she felt a lump form in her throat. She had been so busy lately that she hadn’t allowed herself to grieve. She also knew that if she did that, she probably wouldn’t be able to stop herself from leaving again.

  “She made me feel at home,” Allegra admitted sadly. “You have no idea how much that meant to me.” Jason gave her a comforting smile and laid his hand on her shoulder.

  “Then let’s find out who did this.”

  “You don’t think I’m crazy?” she asked hopefully. He let out a loud laugh, causing her to smile.

  “No. I think you’re crazy, but I still want to help.” She laughed with him and together they turned to the whiteboard to figure out what to do next.

  “Oh,” he said, looking at her from the corner of his eye, “don’t let a few people stop you from thinking this can’t be your home again.”

  Chapter Eight

  It is a strange thing knowing that people are talking about you. Greta and Allegra walked through the aisles of the local grocery store, an unremarkable building named “Old Joe’s” after the grocer’s grandfather who started the business. The grocer himself stood glaring at Allegra with his arms folded across his chest. It was possible that he thought she was shoplifting. Or he was hoping that she would so that he would have an excuse to kick her out of the store. As a result, Allegra kept her hands firmly at her side.

  “None of the clubs would talk about anything,” Greta complained, scrutinizing the label on a pack of rice. Eric held on to the rim of her basket, glancing around him curiously. Greta had promised to take him for waffles if he kept his hand on the basket all throughout the shopping trip and he was taking the challenge very seriously.

  “They know that you give me all the information anyway,” Allegra explained, eyeing the grocer warily. Behind them, a pair of old ladies tittered nervously, watching the trio as if they expected Allegra to start stabbing them. Allegra tensed up and tried to make herself look busy.

  “Yeah, well, it is annoying,” Greta grumbled.

  “My mom feels like Sherlock Holmes,” Eric supplied helpfully, growing restless. Greta squeaked a little and gave him a glare, her cheeks turning a blotchy shade of red.

  “We could really use Sherlock right about now,” Allegra replied glumly as the two old ladies walked past, deliberately ignoring Allegra and Greta. Eric smiled at the older one, recognizing her, but she averted her eyes in embarrassment. The younger, but no less decrepit looking lady, eyed her friend judgmentally, nodding in approval when she looked away from the little boy.

  “Hold my basket,” Greta seethed, passing the basket to Allegra causing Eric to stumble slightly. Greta laid her hand on his head for a second to make sure that he was unhurt before storming after the duo.

  “Uh-oh” Eric muttered softly. Allegra stared ahead, her eyes wide. She knew she should be saying something, but it was better to stay out of Greta’s way when she lost her temper.

  “Excuse me,” Greta said primly, her voice going up an octave, “Miss Templeton,” she tapped on the older lady’s shoulder. Miss Templeton froze in her tracks, but her younger friend turned slightly to see what was happening. “I don’t think you saw Eric greeting you.” Miss Templeton turned uncomfortably toward Greta and looked past her to where Allegra and Eric were standing. She pursed her lips at the sight and looked back at Greta.

  “Hello, Eric,” Miss Templeton greeted primly. Greta glared at her for a second longer before turning to walk back to her son and friend. She was stopped, however, by the younger woman.

  “How are you doing, Greta dearie?”

  “I’m just fine, thank you,” Greta answered politely, watching the woman warily.

  “Hey,” Allegra turned to a frightened looking Eric, “do you want a candy bar?” Eric looked up at her, his expressive brown eyes filled with confusion. He clutched at her hand, not fully understanding why everyone was acting so strangely.

  “I’m so glad to hear that, but you must know that we are very worried about you.”

  “And why is that, Mrs. Palgrave?” Greta asked, her voice was deceptively calm. Eric nodded his head at Allegra, and she gave him a soft smile. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before turning to take him to the candy aisle.

  “You are such a sweet woman, Greta, always seeing the best in people. Heaven knows we need to see more of that in the world.”

  “Thank you,” Greta answered, feeling the trap begin to close around her.

  “But,” Mrs. Palgrave continued, patting Greta’s arm, “some people are just bad eggs.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean,” Greta interjected, her eyebrows raised slightly as if to warn the older woman.

  “You know we care about you,” Miss Templeton said gently, switching her basket from one hand to another, “you have always been such a sweet girl.”

  “But you are a mother now, and you need to think of what is best for your child,” Mrs. Palgrave interjected.

  “I always do,” Greta interrupted, giving Miss Templeton a pointed glare. Miss Templeton shrunk back, looking slightly ashamed. She ignored Greta’s gaze and looked to her friend for support.

  “We know, dear, but you have to think about the effect your…” Mrs. Palgrave paused for a moment to look for the right word, “association, will have on his development.”

  “Oh, I understand,” Greta said suddenly, smiling at the pair. The two older women relaxed slightly, smiling proudly at her. “I’ve stopped taking him with me to the hairdresser. That Jackie swears like a sailor.”

  “My daughter does not…” Mrs. Palgrave sputtered indignantly. Miss Templeton laid a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder.

  “We meant the criminal, dear.”

  “Yes,” Mrs. Palgrave continued, taking deep breaths, “that Allegra girl has always been trouble. We always knew she would end up in prison.”

  “I mean, it is one thing to be a vagrant, but murder cannot be forgiven.”

  “Murder?” Greta echoed, her voice holding a dangerous note.

  “Why yes, Ashlee told us all about how Dot had to fight with that girl.”

  “Tried her best, but there was no changing the delinquent.”

  “Eventually poor old Dot had to give up and send her away.”

  “To a mental asylum,” Mrs. Palgrave’s voice lowered on the last two notes, as if the words were blasphemy.

  “After she attacked poor old Dot.”

  “Dot had to give up on her, poor thing, it broke her heart.”

  “What is a mental asylum?” Eric asked curiously, holding his extra-large candy bar. Greta turned to see Allegra looking like a deer caught in the headlights. The older pair also turned and blushed slightly. Allegra felt horrified, the blood rushing to her cheeks as she watched her friend look at her questioningly. In that second, Greta’s gaze went from questioning to threatening. She turned her face back to the older pair.

  “You know what else is unforgivable?” The older pair turned their gaze back from Allegra to Greta, they did not have the decency to look ashamed.

  “We were just telling the truth,” Mrs. Palgrave said hurriedly, looking away.

  “We were just concerned,” Miss Templeton interjected.

  “No,” Greta snapped, “you were enjoying the gossip. That’s what is unforgivable, Mrs. Palgrave and Miss Templeton, slander.” With that, Greta pushed past the two gaping ladies and grabbed Eric and Allegra’s hands, abandoning her shopping basket.

  “What is slander?” Eric asked with wide eyes.

  “When someone spreads bad stories about someone to make other people think bad things about that person.” Greta explained as they walked toward the car.

  “Is that what Miss Templeton was doing?”

  Greta hesitated and looked up at Allegra who looked pale. “Yes, darling.”

  The drive back to the newspaper building was filled
with Greta’s nervous chattering. Allegra sat there, in the passenger seat, her mind filled with memories.

  “You will never guess what happened at the store,” Greta exploded as they got out of the car. Bud was sitting on the steps of the building, enjoying the sun.

  “Someone said something vile,” he answered, stretching his legs out in front of him contentedly.

  “Yes!” Greta exclaimed indignantly, “about Allegra!”

  “Mom, I’m hungry,” Eric whined, tugging on Greta’s pants leg. The two of them moved into the building, with Greta mumbling all the way. Allegra smiled at the two of them before taking a seat on the bottom of the stairs. The newspaper building had the distinction of facing the town square. On this beautiful day, a last breath of summer, the square looked like a pleasant little paradise. It was a shame that every person who walked past seemed to think that their paradise had been invaded by a devil.

  “Rough day?” Bud asked sympathetically, surprising Allegra. Bud was a quiet man, who only spoke when he had something important to say. He and Greta complemented each other nicely.

  “You could say that,” Allegra winced.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, watching as a mother crossed the street with her child to avoid walking past Allegra, “As soon as we find the real murderer, they will move on.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever see that.”

  “Are you thinking of leaving?”

  “Yeah,” Allegra admitted, fiddling with her thumbs. Bud nodded but didn’t say anything. “It’s just,” Allegra started, “I prefer cities. You get to blend in. Here, I stick out like a sore thumb.” She gestured to her outfit.

  “Tie dye and combat boots aren’t a conventional choice,” Bud pointed out.

  “I’m unemployed,” Allegra defended, “I might as well look the part.” Bud chuckled and the two of them fell silent again. The ocean breeze blew past them, carrying the smell of the waves. In the distance, a seagull could be heard screeching.

  “Don’t take their reaction personally,” Bud said suddenly, “you’ve just disrupted the path. They’re panicking.”

  “Path?” Allegra asked in confusion. Bud nodded and gestured for her to come closer. Allegra leaned over to watch what he was doing. When he was sure that he had her attention, he gestured to a row of ants. Each ant was carrying something back to the nest. Suddenly, he swiped his finger across the path. The ants stopped, and the one in front began to look around frantically.

  “Following the path is easy, they don’t have to think,” Bud explained, “but when the path is disrupted, they panic. Some of them forget how to be nice.”

  “Great,” Allegra grumbled, “I’m the disruption.” Bud held up a finger to silence her. She rolled her eyes but continued to watch. The ants tentatively made their way across the invisible line, working together to figure it out.

  “Be patient with them, they just have to figure you out. If you leave too soon, you’ll never give them a chance to work through the disruption.”

  “That’s really nice of you,” Allegra said, feeling touched, “but I think I’m too much of a disruption.”

  “Is that so?” he asked, his eyes twinkling as he nodded at someone behind her. Allegra turned to see a nervous looking Ellie walk up the path toward them. Bud patted Allegra’s shoulder before going inside the building.

  “Hi,” Ellie said softly, nervously swiping her light blonde hair behind her ear.

  “Hi,” Allegra said curiously.

  “I don’t know if you remember me…” Ellie began, swallowing with difficulty. Allegra smiled kindly, and Ellie mirrored the action with relief.

  “Ellie, we were friends for years, of course I remember you.” Ellie looked down at that, playing with the sleeves of her sweater.

  “I’m sorry,” she blurted, her voice muffled by tears.

  “Oh, Ellie,” Allegra said softly, getting up to give her old friend a hug. Ellie hugged her back, sniffing slightly as she tried to hold back her tears.

  “I just wanted to say that I don’t think you’re crazy,” Ellie blurted out, “or a murderer.” Allegra laughed and sat down again.

  “Don’t worry, I know who is behind those stories.” Ellie smiled faintly before sitting down next to Allegra.

  “Is it true that you’re looking for the real murderer?” Ellie asked eagerly, looking down at her hands. Allegra noticed that the other woman was picking at her nail polish, a sure sign of nerves.

  “That’s right,” Allegra said slowly, wondering why everyone in town had such a strange way of talking. All her conversations centered around the murder, which was understandable. But what she didn’t understand was why people around here spoke in such a roundabout way.

  “I want to help,” Ellie blurted out, still not looking up.

  “Are you sure?” Allegra asked, trying not to look very happy, “Ashlee won’t like that.” Ellie nodded enthusiastically.

  “I know it’s the right thing to do, besides Ashlee might offer to help too.”

  “I doubt that,” Allegra scoffed in amusement, “She is probably in charge of my lynch mob committee.”

  “You never know,” Ellie said with a smile, “she might not want to be seen supporting the police too much.”

  “Why not? I’m sure she’s been telling them all about my troubled past.”

  “Everyone already knows about your troubled past,” Ellie pointed out and Allegra sighed but nodded her head, “but they called her in for questioning this morning.”

  “What?” Allegra asked in shock. Could her childhood nemesis be Dot’s killer?

  “Apparently,” Ellie continued breathlessly, “she was one of the last people to see Dot alive.”

  Chapter Nine

  Allegra sat in the dingy police station wondering about the sudden turn of events. A few hours ago, her hometown had ostracized her, and she was seriously considering leaving as soon as she could. Now, she was about to be cleared of any suspicion while the person who had been trying to take her down was being interrogated. Life was strange, but she had no complaints.

  Across the room, Matt came out from the interrogation room, wiping his forehead. As the door opened, she could hear shrill screeching emanating from the room. The door closed, and the shrill voice was cut off. Matt shook his head and rubbed his eyes. She smiled at him when he looked up and he nodded in acknowledgement before walking away.

  A few minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom, looking slightly more refreshed. He sauntered over to her, his eyes looking around anxiously.

  “Allegra,” he greeted formally.

  “Matthew,” she responded, looking serious. He looked at her, a spark of amusement lighting up his tired eyes.

  “How can I help you?” he asked primly.

  “Well, my old boss just got back to me. I have some good news,” she said excitedly, shifting in her seat. The long wait had dulled her excitement, but it was rushing back now, and she found that she could barely keep the grin off her face.

  “Oh?” he responded, trying to match her enthusiasm.

  “I have an alibi!” she announced, smiling widely and clapping her hands together. Matty smiled as she did a little shimmy in her seat.

  “That is so great, Gypsy!” he said enthusiastically, looking genuinely relieved. He looked around him before sitting down next to her.

  “I’m sorry, but you can’t tell me what it is,” Matty said apologetically, his face darkening slightly.

  “Why not?” she asked curiously.

  “Crane said that we are not allowed to talk about the case when he isn’t around.”

  “What a great guy,” Allegra commented sarcastically. She was hoping that she would be able to talk to Matty and then leave, but it made sense that Crane would want to stick his nose into everything.

  “I’m sorry, if it were up to me you wouldn’t even be a suspect. You already had an alibi.”

  “I know,” she said, leaning back in her chair, “you’d think that being across the
sea would be enough of an alibi, but apparently not.” Matty’s face darkened and he crossed his arms.

  “Yeah, Crane is a special case.”

  “Word is that he is going to be your new boss,” Allegra mentioned, trying to gauge his reaction. She knew that she was right when Matty scowled darkly. Getting a new boss is never fun but getting a new boss like Crane is psychological torture. And judging from Matty’s tired appearance, it was turning out to be physical torture too. “You seem excited,” Allegra teased. Matty scoffed, but he gave her a small smile.

  “He’s driving us nuts,” Matty explained after a brief lull in the conversation.

  “Well, it is the first murder this town has seen in a while,” Allegra defended. She was not sure why she was defending a man who was probably insane, but she felt that she had to look on the positive side of things.

  “If he had his way, it would not be the last one either,” Matty said darkly, glaring at a spot on the floor.

  “He can’t be that bad,” Allegra tried to comfort him, but she found that she agreed with his words. Crane did seem to be enjoying himself more than he should have.

  “We had to stay here all last night doing a background check on every single person in town,” Matty replied, giving her a pained look. Allegra’s mouth dropped open, she knew she had to say something to cheer her friend up, but it seemed impossible.

  “How does a guy like that even make it into the police force?” Allegra asked in disbelief, “Were you guys short on applicants that year?”

  “No,” Matty sighed, stretching out his legs, “His dad is a local politician. Crane wanted to be sheriff ever since he was a kid and his dad is going to see that he gets what he wants.”

  “Small town politics,” Allegra sighed, shaking her head forlornly.

  “Hey now,” Matty chided playfully, “we can’t all be big city folk.”

  “You could be,” Allegra pointed out, “all you have to do is leave.” Allegra wondered vaguely when she would be able to leave. She had been there for over an hour now, but Crane still hadn’t made an appearance. The sun was getting low and she had promised to meet Greta for dinner. The police station was empty, a clear sign that if it weren’t for the murder, the station would probably have closed early. Nothing ever happened in this town, which explained why Crane was enjoying the case so much. This was his moment of glory, it did not matter to him that someone had been lost.