Berry The Dead

by Nancy McGovern

Nora’s eyes lit up. “Wow. Just wow. How have I never thought of this before?”

  “She’s grown up helping out at the diner, so she should fit right in,” Harvey said. “Does that sound good?”

  “It sounds great!” Nora said, feeling the tension go out of her shoulders. “I mean, I’ve always wanted it, you know. Down the line, I always pictured Hazel taking over the diner, and maybe Grace running your real estate business. Or vice versa. It would just be so great to keep them in the family.”

  “Really?” Harvey laughed. “I always imagined selling my business off at sixty-five and spending the rest of my life by a pool with a margarita in hand.”

  Nora laughed. “Sixty-five is just five years from now. Are you really prepared to sell so soon?”

  Harvey paused and a curious look passed over his face. Nora was instantly alert. What was this? There was something he wasn’t telling her.

  “About that,” he said.

  “What is it?”

  “The truth is…I might not have a choice.” Pain flashed across his face for a second. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but—”

  The timer on the oven went off, but Nora stood right where she was, ignoring the incessant beeps. “Harvey, is something happening with the business?”

  She wondered how she’d missed his stress. Real estate had always been a risky game and, in their years of marriage, she and Harvey had seen good times and bad. Thanks to the income from her diner, and their tendency to be frugal, they’d always managed to tide over the bad times and enjoy the good ones without losing their heads either way. Surely, this would be the same.

  “You remember the big deal we were closing in Jackson Hole?” Harvey asked. “The long and short of it is that it fell through. We had a lot riding on it, and my company has a lot of debt accumulated now.” Harvey paused and raised an eyebrow toward the oven. “That thing’s been beeping for ages now. You sure you want to burn whatever it is you’ve made?”

  With a yelp, Nora rushed to take out the brownies and placed them on a rack to cool. Harvey looked over her shoulder. “Yum. For Hazel?”

  She nodded. “Never mind that now. What about your company?”

  “Well, I got an offer, a really good offer, from a rival of ours,” Harvey said. “I don’t know…it’s not the first time things have been tight, but I feel like I’m tired of it all. I’m seriously considering taking the money. If we invested it well, I think it’d be enough for us to retire on comfortably.”

  “But?” Nora prodded.

  “But it’d mean letting go of Nathaniel Real Estate,” Harvey said, suddenly unsure. “I don’t know. I feel healthy and fit and I don’t know if I could retire so early.”

  Nora nodded. Real estate development wasn’t just a job for Harvey. He’d always been a bit of a gambler and for him the real fun was in the how the game was played. He’d spent nearly forty years in the field now and, if he quit…what was he going to do?

  Six months ago, Nora herself had gone through a similar crisis when her carpal tunnel had finally grown too painful. She’d realized that for her own health, she’d need to stop being a full-time chef. Ever since, she’d been at a bit of a loose end. Tina’s job had always been to manage the diner, and she did that wonderfully well. She didn’t really need Nora’s help with that. And Angela, Nora’s assistant, had taken over duties as head chef just as easily. So, even though Nora was a partner at the diner, she felt superfluous now. Plus, she missed the action.

  Harvey seemed to read her mind, because he nodded. “Yes. Exactly. I’ve been watching you these last months. Everyone says that retirement should be fun. But I don’t think it’s making you happy. You were already happy, doing your job and raising the kids.”

  “And now, both have slipped away from me somehow.” Nora gave him a bittersweet smile. “True. Plus, you were always more of a workaholic, Harvey. I really don’t know what you’ll do with your time.”

  Harvey grinned. “Yeah. Work’s always been a big part of my life.”

  “When did you get the offer? Don’t make up your mind too quickly,” Nora said.

  “I got the offer yesterday, but I didn’t want to ruin the mood on your birthday,” Harvey said. “You’re right. There’s no hurry, really. I’ll think about it.”

  “Who made the offer?” Nora asked.

  “Percy Morris,” Harvey said.

  “Oh. Oh, no.” Nora paused. “Harvey, are you really planning to sell your darling company to your biggest rival?”

  Harvey sighed. “I don’t know. There’s just so much to think about. For now…” he plucked one of the still-warm brownies from the rack and took a bite. “For now, I’ll let my stomach do the thinking. These are amazing.”

  “Help yourself.” Nora sighed. “I’m not sure when Hazel will be back, or if she’ll even want to eat them. I’m really worried, Harvey. She was so upset earlier today that she was shaking.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Harvey said. “Once the shock wears off, she’ll be our sweet, little Hazel again. Okay? Nothing bad’s going to happen.”

  But Nora wasn’t so sure of that. Her skin was tight and her nerves on alert. A storm was brewing in her little corner of existence. Every instinct told her so.

  *****

  Chapter 6

  Behind The Door

  Nora had baked a lot more brownies than she’d expected and the next morning, before heading to the diner, she decided to go see Mrs. Mullally first. She drove up the familiar street, feeling a tinge of nostalgia, as always, on seeing the sunny yellow house she’d spent quite a few years in. Mrs. Mullally had been more than a landlady. She’d ended up becoming like family to Nora.

  She was sitting on the porch when Nora drove up, her wrinkled hands looking strangely out of place as they clutched a brand new tablet.

  “Hello there.” She waved at Nora cheerfully. “Look at the little geegaw my grand-nephew bought me!”

  Nora leaned down and pecked both her cheeks, then admired the smooth, metallic body of the tablet. “Nice! Latest model, I see. Welcome to the digital world, Mrs. M. Finally.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I still think there’s nothing wrong with paper and a pen,” Mrs. Mullally said. “But, look, this thing can hold a thousand books at once! And movies!”

  “You’ll be an addict in no time, I’m sure.” A woman stepped out onto the porch, smiling. Ronnie Shepherd was in her early thirties but already there were lines on her face and deep, dark circles under her eyes. Nora sympathized, remembering what having a four-year-old and a two-year-old had been like.

  “I baked some brownies and thought maybe you guys would like them.” Nora handed the tray over to Ronnie, whose eyes immediately lit up. “Oh, thank you. I’d invite you in but, honestly, the house is a real mess right now. I was in the middle of mopping up. It’s better if you just stay out here on the porch with Mrs. M.”

  “Zoey used to work for you, too, right?” Nora asked.

  Ronnie sighed and nodded. “So sad, what happened. A heart attack at only sixty.”

  “Police haven’t confirmed that yet,” Mrs. Mullally said, her voice sharp. “We don’t know what happened.”

  “But of course it was a heart attack, Aunt,” Ronnie said. “Tom said so, and he’d know. Deputy James is one of his best friends.”

  “Deputy James still has a big mouth, I see.” Mrs. M. sighed. “When I was a teacher, he was one of those kids who just couldn’t sit still or stay quiet for a single second. Hyperactive.”

  “He’s still the same, that’s for sure.” Nora smiled. “When did you last see Zoey, Ronnie?”

  “Oh, yesterday,” Ronnie said. “She used to come on Tuesdays and Fridays as a rule, but she was sick on Friday and came a day later instead.” She clapped a mouth over her hand. “Oh, she was sick on Friday! Maybe that was a sign. If only we’d spotted it...”

  “What time did she come over?” Nora asked.

  “Around four, I think. Right after she finished at the Morrises,” Ron
nie replied. “She worked for an hour, then took off. The usual.”

  “Did she seem...” Nora let her words trail off deliberately.

  “I didn’t think she looked sick at all, if that’s what you mean,” Ronnie said, “In fact, she seemed to be the picture of health to me. Isn’t that right, Aunt?”

  “Oh, I was sleeping then, dear,” Mrs. Mullally said. “I didn’t even hear her come in. You know how deeply I sleep these days.”

  “Oh, that’s right, your afternoon nap.” Ronnie looked almost envious at the prospect of sleep. “Well, like I said, she didn’t seem sick at all. If I’d only known, maybe...” Ronnie shook her head. “Then again, death doesn’t always send you warnings, I suppose. It just happens.” Her eyes teared up a little. “Strange, isn’t it? I would never have guessed that it would be the last I’d see her. Poor Zoey.”

  “But that wasn’t the last time you saw her,” Mrs. M. chimed in. “You were talking to her at the party. Nora’s party. She left really quickly, but she was there initially, remember?”

  “Oh, right.” Ronnie looked irritated. “I suppose that’s right.”

  “What did you talk about?” Nora asked.

  “Just...” Ronnie shrugged, “small talk. I don’t really remember.”

  “You seemed agitated,” Mrs. Mullally said. “I remember wondering if everything was ok.”

  Ronnie looked at her watch. “Oh, look at the time. It’s time for your medicines, Auntie M. Let’s go in, shall we? Nora, thank you so much for the brownies. I’m sure we’ll love them.”

  “Oh, it was no problem,” Nora said, suspicious. Then, stalling for time, she asked, “Do you think I could get a glass of water?”

  “Well…” Ronnie hesitated, “sure. I’ll bring it out here for you.”

  “I could just get it myself if you’re busy,” Nora said. “I know my way around the house, you know. Mrs. Mullally and I had a lot of good times in that kitchen.”

  “Ah, the wonderful cakes you used to bake.” Mrs. Mullally sniffed the air. “I can almost smell them now.”

  “I’ll bring the water out to you,” Ronnie snipped, and turned away. She slammed the door behind her a little roughly and Mrs. Mullally looked startled. She gave Nora a sharp look. “Do you think I said something that upset our Ronnie?” she asked.

  “Did she really look agitated while talking to Zoey?” Nora asked.

  Mrs. Mullally nodded. “I can’t see that well anymore, but I was close enough that I could tell. Ronnie wasn’t very happy and, for that matter, Zoey didn’t exactly look pleased, either.”

  Interesting. Nora wondered why. “How is Ronnie? And how is her husband?” she asked Mrs. Mullally. “They take good care of you, right?”

  “They do, dear. Don’t you worry about me,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Tom’s a good boy. He cares for his old aunt. Can’t say that about everyone these days. It was really good of him to move in here with me, and he’s really good about taking me to the doctors regularly.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Nora felt a sudden fondness for Tom, even though she hadn’t seen him too often. Anyone who took good care of Mrs. M. was alright in her book.

  “But…as for him and Ronnie…” Mrs. Mullally frowned, then shook her head. “All I know is, they should be careful.”

  “Careful? Why?”

  “Marriage isn’t easy, you know. Kids these days think happiness should be delivered faster than a pizza. It doesn’t work like that.”

  “They have issues?” Nora asked.

  “Tom works too hard, I think.” Mrs. Mullally sighed. “And Ronnie’s just getting used to the stresses of being a mother to two little monkeys. Plus, I don’t think she’s made too many friends in Milburn yet.”

  Nora nodded. “I see.”

  “Still, nothing they can’t work through if they talk to each other properly,” Mrs. Mullally said.

  Nora remembered what Harvey had told her — the rumors of Tom having an affair. Even if it were true, she certainly didn’t want to bring it up around Mrs. Mullally and risk upsetting her favorite nonagenarian.

  “But what was Ronnie talking to Zoey about?” Nora asked.

  Mrs. Mullally shrugged. “Who knows? They were good friends, the two of them. I think Ronnie always looked forward to Zoey’s visits because then she had someone friendly to talk to. I’m not much use to her at my age, you know. Too much of a gap. But Zoey got along well with Ronnie. Until recently, at least...”

  “What happened?” Nora asked.

  “The last few weeks, Zoey seemed much colder.” Mrs. Mullally frowned. “I suspect—”

  The door opened and Ronnie came back with a glass of water. Mrs. Mullally fell silent immediately.

  “Here you go.” Ronnie was careful to shut the door behind her so that Nora couldn’t peek inside the house. Was she hiding something? Nora drank the water and handed the glass back. Ronnie tucked it under one arm, then moved to Mrs. Mullally’s wheelchair and began to wheel her in. Nora went to the door, planning to hold it open, but Ronnie gave a panicked little yelp and said, “Thanks, Nora. We can manage ourselves. Goodbye now.”

  “Oh, it’s no problem—” Nora said But Ronnie shook her head fervently and maneuvered so that Nora couldn’t open the door herself.

  As Ronnie wheeled Mrs. Mullally inside, Nora peeked into the house.

  It looked normal to her, if a little messy with toys, clothes and plates strewn all about. What was Ronnie so afraid of Nora seeing behind that door? Had Zoey seen something? Could it be that she had left Nora’s party so quickly because she’d met Ronnie there?

  For now, there was no way to know. But Nora was determined to find out, one way or another.

  Another car pulled up as Nora was about to leave and Tom Shepherd got out. He was scratching at his wrist and so lost in thought that he nearly bumped into her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry!” he exclaimed.

  “That’s alright,” Nora said. “You’ve got a nasty scratch on your wrist there, Tom.”

  “Caught it on a bush while gardening this morning.” He sighed. “What are you doing here, Nora?”

  “I was delivering some brownies. But I could ask you the same question — aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  “I forgot my phone at home.” Tom smiled uncomfortably. “Well, I’ll see you some other time, when I’m not so rushed!”

  *****

  Chapter 7

  At The Diner

  As Nora left Mrs. Mullally’s house, the first thing she did was try to call Hazel. But, to her irritation, her phone was dead. She must have forgotten to charge the battery overnight. Grumbling to herself, she drove to the diner, hoping that Tina would have a spare charger there.

  The diner hadn’t opened yet and, in the kitchen, Angela was still doing the prep work for the coming day. Tina was writing on a chalkboard in beautiful cursive writing — Today’s Specials: Pork Roast & Gravy, Fit n’ Healthy Broccoli Soup With Homemade Sourdough Rolls, Pecan Pie.

  “Anything I can do to help?” Nora asked, as she stepped in.

  “There you are!” Tina exclaimed, dropping the board. “You’ve been up to some mischief, haven’t you? And you didn’t take your partner-in-crime along for the fun! For shame, Nora!”

  Nora bit back a grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, yes you do. Deputy James called me. Your phone’s dead, apparently. He seemed really eager to talk to you.”

  “He did?”

  “He did. You know why, don’t you?”

  Nora nodded. “I think so.”

  “Deputy James said you went to meet him yesterday and handed him a glove in a plastic bag. A single glove.” Tina put her hands on her hips. “Explain yourself.”

  “Wait. First, what else did the Deputy say?”

  “You’ll have to call him yourself, I guess,” Tina said. “He’s such a bigmouth normally, but he wouldn’t say a word to me!”

  “He wouldn’t?” Nora felt rising excitement in
her belly. Something was up. Maybe the glove had been a useful clue! Could it be that Matt had killed Zoey? Poisoned her somehow? The glove had probably helped tie it all together.

  “Did he…did he say anything at all?” Nora asked.

  “Only that you’re to call him back as soon as you can,” Tina said. “But I swear, Nora, I will have your head if you don’t tell me exactly what you were up to yesterday. Where did you find that glove?”

  “It’s a long story,” Nora said, before launching into a shortened version of it when Tina continued to wait impatiently.

  When Tina was satisfied, Nora borrowed her phone and stepped outside to call Deputy James.

  The man who picked up, however, was Sheriff Ellerton. He did not sound pleased.

  “So!” David Ellerton exclaimed as soon as he picked up the phone. “Nora Nathaniel. I specifically told you to keep your nose out of this and you try to go behind my back and give my deputy a so-called ‘clue’. Did you think I’d give you a pat on the back and a medal? Or did you think James wouldn’t tell me?”

  “I didn’t go behind your back, Sheriff. You just weren’t at the station when I came in,” Nora explained.

  “Oh, I’ll bet.” Sheriff Ellerton snorted. “As for this ‘clue’ of yours, it’s useless. For one thing, we didn’t find anything on it. For another, even if we had found ‘I killed Zoey’ written in blood, it would be inadmissible in court since we, the police, weren’t the ones to find it.”

  “Well…”

  “Yes, that’s right. If this had been a clue, your meddling would have ruined it for us.”

  “Well, since you never would have found it anyway, I don’t see how that matters,” Nora shot back, her temper rising a little. “Sheriff, are you sure there was nothing on it? No toxic substances, for instance?”

  “Just regular, old garden dirt,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “Want me to go arrest Matt Whitman over it? Oh hey, Matt. Remember your girlfriend who died of a heart attack? Someone found a harmless glove in your house and decided to be a busybody, so now we’re arresting you.”

  “Ok, that’s enough,” Nora said. “I’m sorry it was of no use to you, Sheriff. I just found it really funny that Matthew would have a single glove, and under his sofa at that.”