Barbecue and a Murder

by Kathleen Suzette

  “Denver omelet coming right up,” I said as I jotted down her order. “Coffee?”

  She nodded. “Rainey,” she whispered, leaning toward me. “What have you heard about that poor beauty queen’s death? I can’t believe I’m saying ‘poor beauty queen’. One would think they never have any troubles, but I guess one couldn’t be more wrong.”

  “That’s the truth,” I agreed. Poor Pamela must have had a lot of troubles to end up dead out in the woods. “It seems like everyone I talk to says someone did it out of jealousy. I can see people being jealous of her, especially other beauty pageant competitors, but murder is so extreme. I know someone has to know something more concrete than what I’ve been able to find out.”

  She nodded. “You know they do. And I bet it’s not just the killer that knows what happened. This is such a small town and people always talk. I bet there are several someones that know something.”

  “I can’t disagree with that. Have you heard anything?” I asked her, tucking my pencil back into my apron pocket.

  “Just that her step-mother was more of a step-monster. They also say the beauty queen was spoiled, and she was a mean girl in school. I’m appalled at the lack of concern some people around here have for her. The girl died a horrible death. That should be more than enough reason to feel bad for her.”

  I nodded. “I’m running into the same thing. I guess when you aren’t very nice in life, you don’t merit much sympathy in death, either.”

  “That’s the truth,” she said with a chuckle. “Still, I hate to hear something like that happened to anyone. Even a mean girl.”

  “I’m with you on that,” I said. “Let me get your omelet and I’ll be right out.”

  “Thank you, dear.”

  I headed to the kitchen and hung the ticket on the order holder for Sam. “Sam, have you heard anything about the beauty queen’s murder?”

  He looked over his shoulder at me and paused. “You mean the wicked witch of East Sparrow? I’ve never heard anything good about her.”

  “I know, I know,” I said. “I was just wondering if anyone mentioned anything specific about what happened.”

  “Nope, haven’t heard a thing. How’s it looking out there on the floor?” he asked without turning around again.

  “Slow. Kind of weird, actually. I’m sure people will stop in at lunchtime,” I said and went to take a look at my cinnamon rolls. They were still fairly hot, but I was having trouble waiting for them to cool off. I had already made the icing and tucked it into the fridge. It would melt quickly when I frosted the hot rolls, so I got the bowl out of the industrial-sized stainless steel refrigerator and got to work on them.

  “Now you’re talking,” Ron said, looking over his shoulder. “I’m starving.”

  “Me too,” I said and watched as the wonderfully thick icing softened and melted, dripping down the sides of the cinnamon rolls. These were going to be tasty. I decided to cut one for Agatha. She would appreciate one for her sweet tooth.

  “You know, I heard something,” Ron said, turning toward me again. “I heard that rich girl was speeding down the highway the night she died, headed in the direction where you found her car. I have to wonder if alcohol or drugs were involved. My friend’s daughter said she saw her car, and she was swerving on the road. There was someone else in the car with her.”

  “Wait. She saw someone else in the car? Did she get a look at them? Was it a man or a woman?” I asked, stepping closer to him.

  “No, the car flew around a curve and nearly ran into her. It scared her so bad, she barely got a look at the car to know whose it was, and she only saw that there were two people in it.”

  “Hmm,” I said thoughtfully. “That’s something the police need to know. I’ll pass it on. They might need to know your friend’s daughter’s name.” Cade already knew there was a second person involved, but it was good to know there was a witness, even if they couldn’t describe the other person. Maybe she had an impression whether it was a male or female.

  “I’ll let him know she might get a visit from the police. She said the rich girl was an awful person, and she wasn’t surprised she was murdered. People get tired of being treated badly.”

  “I’m hearing that a lot lately,” I said, cutting a cinnamon roll for Agatha. “If you get me some plates and forks, I’ll cut a cinnamon roll for everyone.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” he said, heading to a cupboard.

  I cut into the cinnamon rolls, thinking over what he had said. Pamela was swerving on the highway. Was she behind the wheel, or was it the killer? And everyone seemed to dislike her and not be a bit sorry she was gone. It was a sad ending to what should have been an idyllic life.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I don’t know why I’m the one that has to do this,” Sharon North said as she flipped through the pages of the catalog of flower arrangements for funeral services. “It’s not like her father couldn’t do this.”

  I was filling in for the day at my mother’s flower shop because her part-time help hadn’t shown up for work. Mom had a doctor’s appointment, and I had the day off from the diner, so I stepped in to help.

  “When is the funeral?” I asked as all the things that I’d heard about Sharon North crossed my mind.

  “It’s tomorrow. We had to wait for Pamela’s mother to fly in from France,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Can you believe that? She had little to nothing to do with her daughter for the past fifteen years and now suddenly she wants to attend her funeral? I swear, if she plays the mommy card in a bid for sympathy, I’ll give her a piece of my mind.” She snorted and continued quickly turning the pages, barely glancing at any of the arrangements.

  “I’m sure it must have been a terrible shock to her,” I said. It didn’t seem like Sharon was being fair about the situation. “Sometimes people make mistakes, and they don’t realize how big the mistake is until it’s too late to do anything about it.”

  Her eyes darted toward me. “Let’s not be sympathetic, okay?”

  “Why not?” I asked leaning on the front counter. “Sometimes it’s easy to look at someone and decide they aren’t living their lives right without really understanding what’s going on.” I was goading her in the hopes she’d make an incriminating remark.

  She stopped looking at the catalog and narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you saying? Are you saying it’s okay for a mother to abandon her child for fifteen years and then suddenly feel sorry about it once she’s dead? It’s kind of late for that, don’t you think?”

  I was pushing things, but it wasn’t like Sharon had been an actual mother figure to Pamela. Through her own admission, she could hardly stand her.

  “No, that’s never okay. I’m not trying to justify anything she’s done, but her daughter died. And she might need just a bit of compassion.”

  Sharon stared at me. “I really don’t think I deserve to be talked to this way. It wasn’t me who abandoned Pamela.”

  “All you’ve talked about since Pamela’s death has been what a burden she was to you and to your marriage. Did you have any affection for Pamela? Don’t you have any compassion for her now, knowing how she died?”

  Sharon gasped. “You have no right to judge me,” she said gritting her teeth. “I was the one that was there for her when she was sick. I held her hand when she had the stomach flu. When she came home crying because she lost a pageant, it was me who was there. Her father was always away on business, and I was the only one she had. So don’t judge me and tell me that you understand more about my life than I do.”

  I looked at her for a few moments without saying anything. “Okay, that’s fair enough. I’m sorry if I’m coming off as harsh or judgmental, but it seems like her death is an inconvenience to you and I guess I just don’t quite understand that.”

  “Is it really any of your business?” she asked, gripping one of the catalog pages between her fingers. “I mean, what do you have to do with this? My stepdaughter is dead,
and that detective keeps coming around and asking questions. What I want to know is, why are you asking questions?”

  I shrugged. “I guess you could call me a concerned citizen. I don’t want Sparrow’s name tarnished by an unsolved murder. You also worked for my mom years ago, and I always considered you to be a family friend. I’m just puzzled that a friend seems more inconvenienced by her stepdaughter’s death than angry at the person who committed the murder.”

  She relaxed her hold on the arrangement catalog page and stood up straight. “I assure you, Rainey, I am angry at the person that committed this terrible murder. I hope the detective is able to find the perpetrator and put them away for life. Honestly, I’m sorry Pamela is gone. It’s a terrible thing when a young life is snuffed out.”

  I wasn’t fooled by her sudden change of heart. She had been anything but sympathetic the other times I had spoken to her. “Sharon, there are rumors going around town that maybe you had something to do with Pamela’s death. And to be honest, a lot of people are saying that not only did you have something to do with it, but you actually murdered her.” I reached into my front jeans pocket slowly and pulled out my cell phone, just in case I needed some backup.

  Sharon stared at me, her mouth making a hard line. “Who said that? Who would say such a terrible thing about me? Because I can tell you right now Rainey, I am not capable of murdering anyone. Not even a rich spoiled brat that made my life a living hell for the past fifteen years. Yes, I said it. She made my life a living hell. Edward expected me to jump every time she said jump. I was expected to wait on her hand and foot and make sure she had everything her little black heart desired. If you want to know the truth, that the girl was evil. I saw the things she said and did to other girls at school and in the pageants. The reason she won so many pageants wasn’t because she was so pretty or so talented. It was because she sabotaged other contestants. And if you’re my friend like you say you are, then you know I couldn’t kill her.”

  “Do you know for sure she was sabotaging other contestants?” Chrissy had already told me Pamela had sabotaged girls at pageants, but I wanted to see what Sharon knew.

  “I know she was sabotaging other contestants. But she wouldn’t stoop to getting those pretty little manicured fingers of hers dirty. Oh, no, she had other people do her dirty work for her,” she said through clenched teeth.

  The venom Sharon was spewing was a bit frightening, and I unlocked my phone under the counter. She was a tall woman, and I thought I might have some trouble with her should she decide to become violent. “How do you know this? I mean, do you just think these things happened? Or do you know for a fact that they happened?”

  She nodded her head, her face turning red. I took half a step back from the counter, ready to run if I needed to.

  “I know she sabotaged the other contestants because she blackmailed me into doing some of it. Those poor girls got on stage to do their song or dance routine, and suddenly the CD with their music disappeared. Or maybe their props for talent disappeared or, or parts of their costumes. All sorts of things might have happened when Pamela was in a pageant.”

  My eyes widened. “So not only were you jumping when she said jump, but you were sabotaging pageant contestants? How could you live with yourself? How did she blackmail you? Did your husband know?” I hadn’t expected to hear this from her and I wasn’t sure I believed it. It just didn’t seem like one teenaged girl could wield so much power.

  She laughed bitterly. “Of course I told Edward what she was doing. But do you think he cared? No, all he cared about was that his little princess had whatever her little shriveled heart desired. Rainey, I can’t believe you’re asking me these questions. If there was another flower shop in Sparrow, I’d be there right now.”

  I didn’t miss the fact that she hadn’t answered my question about how Pamela blackmailed her. I realized I didn’t know Sharon at all. “Since your husband was out of town the night Pamela died, Sharon,” I said, deciding I may as well go in for the kill, no pun intended, “where were you the night she died? You don’t have an alibi, do you?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I was at a movie with my friend, Sandy Owens. Anything else you want to know? Anything else you want to spread around town? Because I have a feeling that all those so-called rumors that you’re talking about aren’t really rumors, but lies you made up. Aren’t they?” she said leaning over the counter toward me.

  I took another step back from the counter. “My heart suddenly dropped in my chest. If she had an ironclad alibi, which I didn’t know for certain that she did at this point, then I had made a stupid mistake. I shook my head. “I’m sorry Sharon, but no, I haven’t spread anything around. But there are other people who are talking. Will Sandy vouch for you and tell the police you were at the movies?”

  “Who?” she asked, glaring at me. “Who is spreading rumors?”

  “Let’s just say it's Pamela’s friends and other beauty pageant contestants,” I said. I didn’t want to get anybody into trouble. Because one thing I didn’t know about Sharon North before today, was that she had a wicked temper. Besides that, I didn’t know for sure if she did have a good alibi. Why hadn’t Cade tell me she had an alibi? And then my heart sunk again. Why hadn’t I asked him? Had I made a terrible mistake?

  “Well, I know who it was. It was Ryan Sparks, Pamela’s ex-boyfriend. Yes, that’s right, ex-boyfriend. I bet he didn’t tell you that did he? They split up a couple of weeks before Pamela died. I heard her on the phone with him, begging him to leave her alone. She sounded scared and when I asked her about it, she refused to tell me what he said. So, you just think about that one for a while.”

  I looked at her wide-eyed. No one had mentioned that Pamela and Ryan had broken up. Ryan certainly hadn’t volunteered the information and the fact that he didn’t mention it sounded important. Something scratched at the back of my mind, but I couldn’t quite remember what it was. Something I already knew about Ryan.

  “Sharon, I didn’t mean to upset you,” I said, trying to sound concerned. I needed to dial this thing down a notch before she completely lost it. “I’m sorry.”

  “And do you know who else did her bidding at the pageants?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

  I shook my head.

  “Her mousy little friend, Amber. Mouse is a good name for that girl. She shook every time Pamela ordered her to do something to those pageant girls. But it didn’t stop her from doing it. She was terrified of Pamela.”

  I stared at her. Amber was frightened of Pamela. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. A lot of people seemed to have a healthy fear, along with hatred, of Pamela North.

  She backed up two steps from the counter, keeping her eye on me, and laughed bitterly. Then she pointed at the catalog page that was open and said, “order one of those and Edward will call in his credit card number to pay for it. And Rainey, I don’t ever want to see you again. You are no friend of mine. And I know exactly the kind of lies those so-called friends of Pamela’s would spread around town. I don’t intend to sit quietly by while they spread their vicious lies.” With that, she spun around and left the flower shop, letting the door slam behind her.

  I swallowed hard. How would I explain this to Cade?

  My eyes went to the arrangement she had pointed to on the catalog page. It was a tacky U-shaped wreath encrusted with yellow roses. Pamela deserved better, and I decided that since Sharon didn’t care, I would make something nice for her. It was her last sendoff after all, and she probably would have appreciated flowers beautiful enough for a beauty queen.

  Chapter Twenty

  When the flower shop closed, I headed over to the Sparrow garage in search of Ryan Sparks. He had some explaining to do.

  There were cars parked in front of the garage when I got there, but when I entered the garage office, it was empty again. Without stopping, I opened the doors that led out to the garage and walked in, stopping to allow my eyes to adjust to the dim fluorescent lighting in the gar
age.

  I heard the clinking of tools coming from a car on the right, so I headed over there to see if it was Ryan. An older man with black hair popped his head out from beneath the hood and looked at me in surprise, then smiled. “Hello there,” he said pulling a red rag out of his back pocket to wipe his hands. “Can I help you with something?”

  I shook my head. “No thanks. I was looking for Ryan. Is he around?”

  He squinted his eyes at me for a moment. “Yeah, he’s over working on the gold Buick in the corner,” he said and pointed the car out.

  “Thanks,” I said and headed for the Buick. There was another mechanic sitting at a desk, staring at a computer screen on the right side of the garage. He looked up at me for a moment, boredom showing in his eyes, and then went back to his computer screen.

  Boot clad feet stuck out from beneath the gold Buick. “Ryan?” I said when I got to the car.

  Ryan slid himself partway out from beneath the car on a mechanic’s creeper and looked at me. He smiled when he realized who it was. “Hi, it’s Rainey, isn’t it? Can I help you?”

  I nodded my head. I was angry, so I took a deep breath before speaking. “You failed to mention that you and Pamela had broken up when I spoke to you a few days ago. Why would you leave that bit of information out?”

  The smile left his face. “I didn’t think it was important,” he said.

  “You didn’t think it was important? Seriously? It seems like it’s very important when your girlfriend, or should I say, ex-girlfriend, is found murdered.”

  He pushed himself all the way out from under the car and rolled off the creeper, quickly getting to his feet. “I need you to keep your voice down please,” he whispered, glancing at the two men on the other side of the garage. “I loved Pamela, and I didn’t want to break up with her. When you came around asking about her, I was grieving and I was trying to tell myself we were still together. I’m sure she would have come back to me if she hadn’t died. She loved me.”