by Amy M. Reade
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m having breakfast with Nick.”
“Nick who?”
“Nick from school. Is that all you wanted, Mom?”
“Yes. Just checking on you, that’s all.”
“Why wouldn’t I be all right?”
“No reason. I’m just a little jumpy, that’s all. Who’s this Nick?”
“Not now, Mom.” Nick must have been sitting nearby where he could hear the conversation.
“All right. I’ll see you later. Be careful and don’t do anything stupid.”
“Mom.” Laurel was getting frustrated.
“Bye.”
Lilly hung up and dialed Bill again. “Laurel’s fine,” she said as soon as he answered. “What do you think happened? This is the last thing I need after Eden’s murder.” Lilly had a sudden thought. “Bill, you don’t think these two things are related, do you?”
“I doubt it. It’s probably just really bad luck. Besides, you didn’t kill Eden, so why would anyone break into the house because of that?”
“I don’t know. I’m scared to death.”
“I’ll be right over.”
Lilly was too spooked to wait in the house. Instead, she and Barney went out to her car and waited for Bill and Noley there. Barney seemed to sense that something was amiss and he sat whimpering in the passenger seat. Lilly reached over to rub his fluffy head. She pulled out her phone and did a search for nearby locksmiths. She chose the one at the top of the list and called him to make an appointment to have the doorknob replaced and the lock changed, just in case.
“Don’t worry, Barn. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Barney snuffled happily in return. Lilly leaned her head back, yearning to close her eyes but too afraid to let them close for even a moment.
Noley pulled her car into the driveway behind Lilly several minutes later. The sound of Noley’s tires crunching on the snow sent Barney into a frenzy of barking. Lilly opened her door and cringed while Barney bounded across her lap and over to Noley’s car. When Lilly got out, she scanned the street in front of the house to make sure no one else was around.
“What’s going on? Why are you out in the car?” Noley asked. She was carrying a large shopping bag.
“It’s been a horrible couple of days,” Lilly began, leading the way into the house. Barney jumped around Noley’s legs the whole way. Noley laughed.
“Barney, leave me alone and I’ll give you a treat.” She had said the magic word and Barney bounded back and forth across the kitchen floor, his nails sliding on the smooth tile.
“He is the greatest dog,” Noley said, reaching into the shopping bag. “Here, Barney. Come get it.” She held out a bone-shaped treat that Lilly could smell from where she stood.
“What is that? It smells terrible,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s a liver treat. I made them this morning.”
“What’s wrong with peanut butter?”
“Nothing. I just thought my good friend Barney might like to try liver.” And indeed, Barney was gobbling the treat at an astonishing pace. Noley laughed again. “See? I knew he would love it.” Barney came to her side and looked up at Noley, clearly expecting more. Noley obliged and held out another one. Barney pranced happily to his little corner of the kitchen and munched away happily while Lilly poured tea for herself and Noley.
“So what’s been happening?” Noley asked, sitting down at the table. Her long dark hair, normally in a ponytail, fell down around her shoulders, making her look even prettier than usual.
“Did you read the paper this morning?” Lilly asked.
“No. I got in from my parents’ house late last night and I haven’t turned on the news or looked at a paper or anything. It’s been quite nice, actually.”
“Then you haven’t heard about Eden Barclay.”
“No. What happened?” Noley knew Eden Barclay through past business dealings.
“Eden was strangled with a strand of pearls in my store. I found her when I went in early yesterday morning.”
Noley gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “I don’t believe it. Who did it? And why in your store?”
“I don’t have any answers. The police are still over there. I couldn’t open yesterday and I’ve been told they’re still going to be working in there today.”
There was a knock at the front door and it creaked open. Lilly gave a start but heard her brother’s voice almost immediately.
“Lilly? It’s me.”
“We’re out here, Bill,” she called.
“Hi. Hey, Noley. How’ve you been?” He didn’t meet Noley’s eyes, but looked away quickly.
“Good, Bill.” She smiled, even though he wasn’t looking at her.
“I’ll be right back. I’m just going to make sure there’s no one in the house,” Bill said. Lilly could feel her heart constrict. Why hadn’t she thought to do that? It didn’t take him long to search the house; Lilly could hear him opening closet doors upstairs, so she knew he was doing a thorough job.
“Doesn’t look like anyone’s been in the house,” he said when he came back to the kitchen. “Are you sure the doorknob isn’t just broken?”
Lilly shook her head. “I don’t think so. It worked fine when I left earlier this morning.”
“Maybe it broke when one of the kids closed it.” Lilly doubted that. Bill pulled on a pair of gloves and went straight to the back door. He bent down to examine the broken doorknob, gently turning it this way and that. He took out his cell phone and snapped some pictures, then opened the door and looked down at the landing and the back steps.
“Did you notice any unusual footprints in the snow when you came in?” he asked Lilly.
“No, but I wasn’t looking. I had the dog and I was mad because I thought one of the kids had left the door open.”
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever footprints may have been there are obliterated now,” he said with a sigh. “I’m going to call someone who can bring a fingerprint kit over. We’ll see if the person who was in here left any prints. Have you touched anything?”
Lilly looked sheepish. “I’ve touched a bunch of things in the kitchen, plus the bathroom doorknob upstairs and the doorknob to Laurel’s room. Probably the railing going upstairs, too, but I don’t remember for sure.”
“Lilly, how long do you have to be the sister of a cop before you learn not to touch anything when someone has broken into your house?”
“How long do you have to be a cop before you learn that I didn’t realize the second I came inside that someone may have broken in?” she retorted.
“All right, all right. There’s no sense arguing about it. Please don’t touch anything else until the fingerprint guys get here. I’ve got to go over to the station, but I’ll make sure someone gets here soon.”
He kissed her on the cheek, said goodbye to Noley, and left through the front door.
“What do we do now?” Lilly wondered. “We can’t touch anything, so we can’t cook anything. We can’t leave because I want to be here when they come to look for fingerprints. All I want to do is get out of here.”
Noley smiled and pointed to the bag on the floor. “You’re lucky we’re friends. I brought biscuits and jam. And winter fruit salad with a honey lime dressing. I knew you were planning to make breakfast, but I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
Lilly grinned. “I should have known you’d bring goodies. I’m starved.”
Noley hauled her creations out of the bag and placed them on the table. “I’m testing out some new recipes for the magazine. These biscuits have orange zest in them and I’d like your opinion on whether I should use more or less zest or keep it just the way it is. I also want to know how they taste with the jam, which has pears and cranberries.”
Noley was a recipe developer for a national cooking magazine and Lilly was the happy guinea pig for many of Noley’s innovations. As far as Lilly was concerned, Noley never had an unsuccessful attempt at cooking, though Noley found plenty to criticize abou
t her own abilities. Her palate was very discerning and for something to impress her it had to be utterly spectacular.
“I don’t think the police will mind if we get a couple plates from the cupboard,” Lilly said. “I’m sure whoever was in here wasn’t looking for crockery.”
Noley smiled. “Maybe you should use a towel or something around your hand to open the cupboard, just in case.”
“You’re probably right.” Lilly grabbed a kitchen towel from where it hung next to the sink and wrapped it around her hand. She opened the cupboard and took two plates down. She took the butter plate down, too. “Want butter on your biscuit?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll try them without butter first, then with butter. I need to know if they’re good enough without butter.”
The biscuits were still warm and they practically melted in Lilly’s mouth. “These are so good,” she told her friend.
Noley was looking at her biscuit with a critical eye. “I don’t know. Maybe a little more zest?”
“No way. They’re perfect. I can taste the zest.”
“All right. Try it with butter and see what you think.”
Lilly was happy to oblige. “Even better.”
“That’s the problem,” Noley answered, slowly chewing her unbuttered biscuit. “They should taste just as good without butter.”
“Not true. Everything tastes better with butter,” Lilly said between bites. “Can I try some of the jam now?”
“You don’t take enough time to enjoy the experience,” Noley scolded her.
“Bah. I’m starving. All I want is breakfast and this is delicious.”
Noley smiled and passed the jam. They were just taking the first bites of the fruit salad when there was another knock at the front door. Lilly froze, but then recovered herself and went to answer the door. There were two police officers standing on the front porch; one was carrying a silver case.
Chapter 7
“Have you come to get fingerprints?” Lilly asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Bill sent us over. May we come in?” Lilly stood aside so both officers could enter. Lilly pointed toward the kitchen, but the officer with the case set it down on the floor and opened it. The two men busied themselves getting equipment out of the case and then went to work immediately. One stayed at the front door and the other went through the kitchen to the back door. Lilly and Noley watched him work as they sat at the kitchen table in silence.
The officers went through the house methodically and efficiently, gathering fingerprint impressions from surfaces such as doorknobs, railings, light switches, and drawer handles. By the time they left Lilly and Noley had polished off the fruit salad and the biscuits, along with half the jam in the small jar. They limited their conversation to small talk while the officers were there.
When the officers left Lilly saw them to the door and asked if they knew how the scene was progressing at her shop. They radioed for information and told her she could open up again the next day.
Lilly closed the door behind them, then sighed and leaned against the door. Noley came into the foyer. “Did they have any answers for you?”
“I didn’t ask. I’m sure there won’t be any answers for a while. They’re not even done processing the crime scene in my store yet. What am I going to do about two lost days of business?”
“Let’s think about it. There’s got to be some catchy phrase we can use to get people in there.” She thought for a minute then snapped her fingers. “I know! How about ‘We’re killing the competition’?”
Lilly shot her friend an incredulous look and then burst out laughing when she realized Noley was kidding.
“You’re good for my soul,” she said. She couldn’t help laughing so hard at such a dismal joke—it was how all her stress was coming out. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve after several long moments and heaved a long sigh of relief. Noley had watched the spectacle with a smug smile on her face. She knew just how to cheer up her best friend.
“Do you have Christmas shopping to do?” Noley asked.
Lilly rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. I haven’t even started mine yet.”
“Well I’m done, so I can help you. Grab your coat and let’s get out of here.” Lilly texted both kids to tell them to let her know when they were ready to go home. She didn’t want them being in the house without her.
“You want to take Barney over to my house?” Noley asked before they left.
“No, I think he’s fine here. I hope he at least made an attempt to scare the bejeepers out of the person who came into the house. Hopefully it won’t happen again.”
They got into Noley’s car for the short drive to Main Street. Both women were quiet, pensive, on the way. Finally Noley spoke as they pulled into a parking spot, one of the only ones on the block.
“Who do you think was in the house?”
“I’ve been wracking my brains trying to figure it out, but I don’t know. It could have been anyone, I suppose. Maybe even someone who didn’t mean any harm—someone who was hungry or cold.”
Noley’s “hmm” made it obvious she didn’t agree.
The first place they went was Dolly’s Vintage Clothes. Lilly had tried to think of a way to avoid seeing Dolly, since she was well-known as one of the town’s most ardent busybodies, but since her store was Laurel’s favorite place to shop, Lilly didn’t have much choice. Noley tried on a few dresses while Lilly chose what she thought Laurel would like best. Dolly came over during a lull in the crowd of customers.
“I’m so sorry about what happened in your store,” she said in a low voice.
“Thanks, Dolly.”
“Do they have any idea who did it?”
Lilly shook her head ruefully. “Not yet. I hope they have an answer soon.”
Dolly lowered her voice another notch. “I’m not going to miss Eden.”
“I won’t either, but I would keep that to myself if I were you. You don’t want to end up a suspect,” Lilly warned.
“She was just so miserable,” Dolly continued. “I don’t think there’s anyone who’s going to miss her.”
“It’s sad when you think about it,” Lilly said pensively. “Can you imagine not having anyone to miss you when you’re gone?”
Dolly shook her head. “What’s going on with her store now?”
“I haven’t heard. I suppose it’ll be sold.”
“Did she have a husband or kids?”
“My son told me her son goes to his school, and I know she had a husband because he reported her missing on Thanksgiving Day.”
“I suppose her husband will be the new owner of the general store.”
Lilly shrugged. She had enough to worry about with the jewelry store without worrying about who was going to be the new owner of the general store. She changed the subject.
“I’m going to take this dress,” she said, holding up a maxi-length dress on a hanger. “Laurel will love it. And I’ll take this sweater, too.” She placed a folded sweater on the counter.
Dolly rang up the sale and put the clothes in a bag. “Let me know if you hear anything,” she called as Lilly walked toward the front door of the shop.
“I will. Talk to you soon.” Lilly looked around at the other shoppers, hoping she didn’t know any of them.
Lilly found Noley next door at the Love to Cook shop. Whenever they went shopping together Noley always spent an obscene amount of time in the cooking store.
“You have to see this pottery,” Noley said as soon as she saw Lilly.
It was beautiful pottery, hand-thrown and fired locally. Lilly browsed through the collection as Noley flitted from one display to another throughout the tiny, cramped shop. “Ooh, look at this!” she squealed, pointing to a cheese-making kit. “I need to try something like this.”
Lilly smiled at her friend. She picked out a tray she knew Noley would love and put it aside at the counter, winking at the saleslady and nodding her head slightly toward Noley. The lady understood and grinned. Whil
e Noley was engrossed in a conversation in the back of the store about the relative merits of immersion blenders, Lilly paid for the gift and tucked it into the bag from the vintage clothing store.
Next they went to the sporting goods store to pick out something for Tighe. Lilly always had a hard time picking out gifts for Tighe. He was a tough one to buy for. She hated giving gift cards, so she spent a crazy amount of time looking for the perfect gift. After going around and around through the camping and hiking section of the store, she finally decided on a lantern for Tighe’s tent, a headlamp, and a doohickey that allowed him to carry a pouch of water on his back and drink from it while he was hiking, using a long tube like a straw.
Noley suggested they eat lunch at the Main Street Diner after their shopping was done. They sat down in one of the red vinyl booths and opened menus. The diner wasn’t fancy, but it had great food. Noley wouldn’t allow them to eat lunch at a place that didn’t have great food. The place was packed with locals and tourists alike. A server was at their table in no time and offered coffee. They both accepted, glad to have something warm to drink.
As usual, Lilly ordered first and sat back to listen as Noley placed her order. She could only chuckle and roll her eyes when Noley started to speak.
“I’ll have the club sandwich with bacon—make sure it’s crispy bacon—and please bring a pot of stone-ground mustard on the side. None of that plain yellow mustard. I’ll have the fries, but I’d like them fried twice.” She turned to Lilly. “That makes them crispier. You’ll love them.” She turned back to our server. “I’d also like an iced tea, unsweetened, but please put one and a half squirts of raspberry syrup in it. You know, the stuff they use for the fancy coffees.”
After the server left with a knowing smile on her face, Lilly spoke to her friend. “Aren’t you afraid they’re going to spit in your food or something because you’re so demanding?”
Noley leaned forward. “Everyone here knows me, so they know what to expect when I come through the door. And they’re good about it because I’m a big tipper.” She grinned and leaned back.
