Dark Side of the Moo (Bought-the-Farm Mystery 2)

by Ellen Riggs

  “Ivy has plenty of spirit,” Daisy said, wiping the counter in front of Mom. “Too much spirit.”

  “She’ll need it with her farm under investigation again,” Mom said, flicking the damp rag away. “How can we help her?”

  “By getting your story straight,” Daisy said. “You went home at eight thirty and then what? Did you stay home? Can anyone attest to that?”

  Now Daisy and Mom had a stare-down, both unflinching. “Who’s the matriarch here, Daisy?”

  Asher came around and rested a big hand on Mom’s shoulder. It was hard to imagine she delivered six of us, particularly this giant. “Like I said, we know you didn’t do this. But you’re going to need a rock-solid alibi. Help us help you. Please.”

  “I don’t need my children to script my interview with Kellan Harper. I’ve known him since he played in little league.” Mom crossed her legs the other way and pouted. “I never thought much of his mother, by the way. There’s no nice way to say this: she was frumpy. Kellan was wise to choose a job that requires a uniform, because his style sense is probably challenged too.”

  I had sat in silence watching Mom play my siblings like fish on a line. It was truly remarkable how she could handle them all with such ease. But I had more at stake than anyone here and plenty of experience interviewing difficult people. I’d have to step up to get around her shields.

  Standing, I walked around the counter, nudged Daisy out of the way and faced Mom. Her smile expanded a little, confident she could handle me most easily of all. As the youngest, I’d always aimed to please, perhaps in hopes of being noticed at the end of the line.

  “Mom, I really appreciate that you see how important this is to me,” I began. “Obviously another death at the farm will send my reputation into the gutter. But you know what would completely decimate it? If you got pinned for the murder. So that’s why we need to know your alibi. Did you stay in your apartment after Poppy dropped you off?”

  Her smile contracted slightly. “I don’t care to be interrogated by my children. I’m a grown woman.”

  “An evasive woman,” I said. “Please answer the question.”

  “I’d just gotten home after a lengthy trip,” she said. “Obviously I was exhausted, Ivy.” She fluffed her meticulously colored hair with one hand. “Still am. I barely slept for worrying about you dealing with those… vipers, I think Jilly called them. She’s delightful by the way. You found yourself a good friend there.”

  “Interesting digression,” I said. “My question needed a simple yes or no, but I’ll rephrase it. Did you leave your apartment after Poppy dropped you off?”

  “As I said, I was exhausted and—”

  “Mom, stop.” I shook my head in exasperation. “Kellan Harper isn’t going to fall for these games. Let me read between the lines here. You left your apartment. So we’ll move on to where you went and what you did.”

  She let out an exasperated breath herself. “I needed a few things. The fridge was empty and Poppy was in too much of a rush to take me to the store. She seemed to have pressing matters of her own to—”

  “I offered,” Poppy said, adding her exasperation to the mix.

  I raised my palm to Poppy. “Red herring alert,” I said. “Mom doesn’t want to tell us where she went for some reason. But Kellan Harper will find out, Mom, and it’ll look worse for you than if you cough it up yourself. What are you hiding?”

  “You were always my sweetest child.” Mom looked genuinely perplexed. “The big city stole my little girl and sent back this—”

  “Mom!” Daisy’s voice took on the sharp note normally reserved for her younger twins, a rowdy pair of kind-hearted ruffians. “Do not add to Ivy’s stress. She’s still getting over her concussion, remember? You could set her back with your silly games.”

  “Silly games?” Mom swelled like a puffer fish and her eyes turned to dark buttons. Stinging words would follow if I didn’t intervene.

  “Mother. Please.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my aching head, preparing for the next round. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to tell us the truth or every single one of us is going to walk out of this house right now and leave you to your own devices. Think about what that means.”

  Her mouth worked as she considered the support that could dry up. I didn’t know exactly how much my siblings tossed in for Mom’s maintenance, but I was pretty generous. And then there were all the drives, not to mention the recent trip to Disneyland. If she had to think that hard about it, what she didn’t want to share right now must be significant.

  Finally she pushed her mug away and let Daisy seize it. “Fine, if you nosy parkers must know, I met up with a friend last night.”

  “What friend?” I asked. “Chief Harper will need to know.”

  “A gentleman friend. I have a social life that I don’t feel the need to share with all of you. If I need to share a name with Kellan Harper, I will.”

  I leaned my elbows on the counter, risking Daisy’s spray. “I have news for you. Keats and I are pretty good sleuths. You might as well give me the name of your big date so that I can focus on other suspects.”

  “You promised Kellan you’d stay out of this,” Asher said. “He told me.”

  I raised my hand to silence him. I was winning and I wasn’t slowing down. “Mom, who was your hot date?”

  She squirmed on the stool, looking as uncomfortable as I’d ever seen her. “I really hate to tell you this, Ivy, but since you insist… I went to The Tipsy Grape for a drink with Charlie. Your farm manager.”

  “Charlie! Mom, really?”

  “What? Charlie’s a lovely man.”

  I pushed myself upright and crossed my arms. “Oh, I know Charlie’s wonderful in every way. But he’s also a confirmed bachelor. I hope you know that. I don’t want any trouble if he breaks your heart. I will never fire the best manager a farm owner could have just because my mom got in the way.”

  “Well, I guess I know where I stand,” she said. “Behind the farm staff and probably the swine, too.”

  I sighed. “On the bright side, Charlie will give you an alibi and you’ll have witnesses at The Tipsy Grape, too. What time did you go home? I’m guessing the murder took place around two or three in the morning.” I looked at Asher and he nodded. “Did Charlie see you home?”

  She pressed her lips together. “He did, yes. Around midnight. I think it’s fair to say that a woman of my age would retire for a good night’s sleep at that point. Particularly after a tiresome trip.”

  “Tiresome? What part of a free ride to Disneyland is tiresome?” Poppy asked.

  My hand shot up again. “Another red herring. Don’t take the bait.” I never took my eyes off Mom, noting her eyes darted to Asher again and again, perhaps seeking rescue. “Yes, that is totally fair to say, Mom. But is it true? Did you stay home after Charlie dropped you off?”

  Again she squirmed on the stool, and this time she almost slid off. Violet jumped up from her seat at the kitchen table and braced her. Six kids meant someone was always ready to prop you up.

  “Yes,” she said at last. “I stayed home after that. Chief Harper will need to settle for my word on that.”

  I continued to stare at her. “What else aren’t you telling us? Did Charlie stay over?”

  She blinked rapidly. “No. Charles and I are just dating. He’s a godsend, really. So many men want to get serious right away. At my age, they’re looking for a caretaker.”

  “Good luck with that,” Poppy said, with a snort of laughter. Mom had never been much of a caretaker. That job had fallen on Daisy.

  Mom spun on the stool and faced Poppy. “Poppy, you should try dating. You’d be surprised how many lovely men there are in Clover Grove. I’ve been having such fun lately.”

  “There are others?” Iris asked. Like Poppy, and even Violet, she’d had trouble finding good men in Clover Grove. Or maybe our upbringing just made relationships difficult.

  “It’s called a rotation,” Mom said. �
��I learned about it online. You find several prospects and enjoy dating them all. No one gets serious, no one gets hurt. Honestly, I’ve wanted to tell you about this, girls, because I think it would be wonderful for all of you. You’re not spring chickens anymore, so marriage is probably off the table. Why not just have fun?”

  A silence fell over the kitchen like a black drop cloth. None of us wanted to think marriage and family were off the table and Mom had hit too close to home. She’d trumped me in her game and she knew it. Hopping off the stool, she headed for the door. Swaggered, actually.

  Asher’s eyes rose from the floor and he shook his head. “I did not want to know about this.”

  I shrugged. “We’d have heard about Mom’s rotational dating eventually. I’m surprised we haven’t already.”

  “Asher,” Mom called from the front door. “I’ll take a ride home please. You need to go back to the farm and keep an eye on Kellan Harper. I think he’s out to get Ivy.”

  Daisy looked up from scouring lipstick off the white mug and smiled for the first time. “I hope so,” she said. “He’s a good man. But no match for Dahlia Galloway, I’m afraid.”

  Asher shook his head and turned to go. “Don’t underestimate the chief. He likes a challenge and her sordid love life won’t repulse him like it does us.”

  Poppy was the first to laugh but we all joined in.

  “That noise is at my expense, I’m sure.” Mom’s voice faded as she stepped outside. “But I’ll have the last laugh. Count on that.”

  Chapter Ten

  The long white Flordale van carried us all into town that afternoon. Ben Miller took the wheel and it was a relief not to be jolting around in my truck for a change. Keats perched on my lap, after outright refusing to get in the back with the others. He was blocking my view but I didn’t really need to see my hometown to navigate around. Much had changed but the layout was the same.

  Once we’d parked, I jumped out and rolled open the side panel to release my guests. “Listen up,” I said. “We need to stick together today. I practically had to beg the police chief to let us off the property at all. He finally accepted my assurance you’d act like ducklings and follow me closely.”

  The description was apt, because they hopped out of the truck one by one and gathered around me looking a little dazed. That was no doubt partly due to the lingering impact of Jilly’s mimosas and a high starch lunch that included several desserts from Mandy McCain, the superb baker who now ran the Clover Grove Country Store. Mandy delivered to the inn now, which saved me a trip I didn’t want or need.

  Pulling me aside, Jilly leaned in and whispered, “You owe me for babysitting, my friend.”

  “I owe you for so much more than that,” I whispered back. “I hope I can get you on the payroll soon. Not that I could ever afford what you’re worth.”

  She grinned at me. “Especially when you factor in the murders. I want danger pay.”

  I looked from her to Keats and back. “Speaking of murder, I want to circulate and ask a few questions. Can I count on you two to keep everyone together while I take a moment to chat to the guests?”

  Jilly nodded and Keats offered a swish of his tail. “Work fast,” Jilly said. “Because the carbs will wear off and they’ll get harder to herd.”

  “Understood.” Turning back to the crowd, I said, “Welcome to Clover Grove. I used to be embarrassed by this town, but after ten years in Boston it was a relief to come home. Right now, it’s in transition from average and boring to quaint and charming.” I pointed from an old gas station that hadn’t changed in decades, to the cutest little knitting store called Needles in a Haystack. “It’ll take a few more years to transform fully, but in the meantime, there’s plenty to see.”

  “I can’t wait,” Paulette said. “I’m hoping to find a few gifts for my family.”

  “Have I got stores for you,” I said, letting Keats gently separate her from the rest of the flock as we started walking along the sidewalk on Main Street. When we were far enough ahead, he circled back and blocked the others from catching up, giving me a moment of privacy with Paulette.

  “How are you doing?” I asked her. “I know what happened to Wilf hit you hard. You’ve been his assistant for three years.”

  “Yes, but just between us, Ivy, he was the most difficult boss I ever had.” She shook her head slowly. “Not that I wished him ill, but I suppose a change in the office won’t go amiss. After you left, there was no buffer. Things were tense.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but glad I was missed by someone,” I said. “After ten years, it hurt when the door hit me on the way out.”

  “I definitely missed you,” she said, smiling. “Honestly, I think Wilf did, too. Things seemed to unravel fast and he got… erratic. It felt like the senior VPs were breathing down our necks. They kept asking for briefings and showing up unexpectedly.”

  “Huh. That’s odd. They never paid that much attention to the HR department before. What changed?”

  “I hate to speak ill of the dead, but I think Wilf lost their trust after you left. People really respected you.”

  “That’s kind of you to say, Paulette. I honestly felt no one noticed me.”

  “If they didn’t notice you before, they noticed after you left,” she said. “Because work didn’t go smoothly anymore. It became very clear who’d kept that department running. I don’t think Wilf had a clue how much you covered his butt until it was hanging out in the breeze.”

  I couldn’t help laughing at the image. Paulette had always been the soul of professional discretion. Jilly’s mimosas must still be lingering in her bloodstream, which meant I should push on. “He did seem more extreme,” I said. “I wasn’t sure what to make of it.”

  She leaned in and whispered. “Stress. He split from his wife and she was taking him to the cleaners. I really didn’t blame her after— Well, I shouldn’t speculate.”

  Her discretion had kicked back in at the most inconvenient time. “After what? Was Wilf having an affair, Paulette? I admit I had my suspicions.”

  She gave a single, quick nod. “There were expenses that didn’t reconcile. The odd text I happened to see over his shoulder. But he was super secretive about it so I figured it might be someone on the team.” She gave me an apologetic look.

  “Paulette, please don’t say you thought it was me!”

  She laughed. “Just for a little while, and only because he kind of fell apart after you left. I thought you might have been forced to leave because of an affair and that his heart might be broken.”

  “First, I’m not sure he had a heart.” I glanced at her. “Sorry to be so blunt, but I need to be very clear, Paulette: I would have preferred kissing one of my crabby donkeys to Wilf Darby.”

  She laughed even harder, and that was enough for Ben Miller to push past Keats and join us. “The fun’s obviously up here,” he said. “Everyone else is so glum.” He seemed to catch himself and added, “For obvious reasons.”

  I glanced back and saw that Jilly was circling the others with Keats’ help. She was almost as good at herding as he was, and she needed to be because Nellie kept trying to break away.

  “Everyone’s in shock,” I said, staring up at Ben. “Plus I’m sure no one slept well.”

  “I slept like a rock,” he said, scanning the street. The sidewalks were still busy with foot traffic. At this time of year, people started stocking up like squirrels gathering nuts for winter. “I guess the stress of that dinner knocked me right out.”

  “Me too,” Paulette said. “You and Jilly went to such lengths to make us feel comfortable and special and Wilf was so embarrassing.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “You know he’s embarrassed me plenty before. I slept well, too—at least till about four. I’m surprised I didn’t hear a thing after lights out. How about you guys?”

  “Nothing,” Ben said. “Not even the Corvette roaring around and hitting your truck.”

  “That was weird,” I said. “Where do
you think he was trying to go?”

  “Home to Boston?” Paulette suggested.

  “In his pajamas?” I asked. “Without his things? I can’t believe he’d leave his laptop behind.”

  Ben shrugged. “I’ve never seen him so drunk, and I’ve seen him drunk plenty of times. Especially lately.”

  “Why lately?” I asked.

  Ben hesitated and glanced at Paulette. She gave him a nod and he continued. “After you left, the crap hit the fan, Ivy. Senior management was fed up with him, or so I heard. You were next in line to be promoted and all your knowledge was suddenly gone.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I half wondered if Wilf had finally messed up enough to get axed.”

  “Ben,” Paulette said, softly.

  “Not literally.” He looked startled. “Just professionally. I wouldn’t wish what happened to Wilf on anyone, but I won’t pretend that working with him was easy. He was a bully.”

  “That he was,” I said. “Especially to you. I think he was threatened.”

  “Threatened?” Ben’s eyes widened. “I was just a recruiter. So far beneath him.”

  I looked up at him and grinned. “You’re not beneath anyone, Ben Miller. On top of being very good at your job, you’re tall, handsome and well-liked. That’s threatening to a guy like Wilf.”

  A flush crept over Ben’s collar and soon his face was red. I didn’t recall seeing him blush before, but he had never gotten enough positive reinforcement. Wilf watered his professional garden with vinegar so that nothing could grow.

  “Thanks, Ivy,” he said. “You don’t know how much it means to hear you say that. I just wanted to do a good job, and Wilf made it so difficult. He belittled me constantly, even at meetings. I actually started to doubt myself.”

  Anger squatted heavily on my chest. My eyes fell to Keats and I saw his hackles had risen at the same time. He couldn’t know that it wasn’t a real threat—that I was just furious at Wilf for breaking the spirit of so many good people, including mine. Finally I said, “Ben, you, Paulette and Keri were my very best hires. I was so proud of all of you. Don’t you dare let anyone erode your confidence.”