Can't Judge a Book by Its Murder

by Amy Lillard

  Inna tossed her dark curtain of hair over to one side, then pushed her way out of Books & More.

  This really wasn’t happening, Arlo thought. But it was. Her best friend was in jail and the woman responsible was leaving town that evening. The more she had thought about it that morning, the more she knew in her heart of hearts that Daisy was responsible for Wally’s death. She had all the motives—cheating husband, finding out about his high school love child, missing earrings. Well, that wasn’t motive, but it was a damn good clue. And Mads just couldn’t see it.

  That left her no choice but to do something. What? She had no idea. She glanced around the store to check on the customers and the book club.

  Only Fern was seated in the reading nook.

  “I thought y’all were still meeting every day.”

  Fern looked up from Missing Girl. “We are. Camille went down to pay her electric bill, then she was going to take Chloe something to eat. Helen wanted to talk to Dan the grocer about something or another. I think bad tomatoes. Or was it potatoes? They’ll be back.”

  “How’s the book?” Arlo asked.

  “Strange. You know, I knew Wally his whole life. I didn’t teach him like Camille did, but we lived across the street and two doors down.”

  Arlo made her way to the back of the couch and leaned one hip against it. “I had forgotten that.”

  Fern nodded. “He was an imaginative child, but this?” She stuck one finger between the pages to hold her place and lifted the book for emphasis. “This is just weird. It doesn’t sound like him at all.”

  Arlo gave a small shrug. “Just because they think it doesn’t mean the writers believe it all. It’s just a story.”

  Fern sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Readers do get caught up and think of authors by their books.”

  She shifted, maybe even exhaled a little too loudly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just can’t believe Daisy James-Harrison gets to come to town, wreak havoc on Chloe’s life, then leave again, like nothing happened.”

  “She is a widow now.”

  “By her own hand most likely.” Arlo straightened. “I can’t stand by and do nothing.”

  “Then go do something.”

  It was that simple.

  “All right then, you’ve got Books & More. Think you can handle it?”

  Fern smiled. “In my sleep.”

  * * *

  “Hey, Frances. Where’s Mads?” Arlo asked as she walked into the police station. She had no time to waste.

  “Office.”

  “Thanks.”

  Frances never once looked up from her crossword puzzle.

  “Mads?” She gave a courtesy knock, then stepped through the partially open door.

  “Damn it.”

  Arlo jumped as a golf ball rolled toward her. It wasn’t going fast; it was merely unexpected, and it startled her. “What the—”

  “If you want to storm in here and ruin my short game, then I suggest you make it important.”

  “You have to let Chloe out of there.”

  He propped one hand on top of his putter and waited for her to continue.

  “Did you see her this morning? She’s about to lose it, and I can’t say I blame her.”

  Mads tucked the club under one arm. Then he rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s not up to me.”

  “You’re the chief of police.”

  “And as such it’s my job—my duty—to arrest anyone I need to. I can’t make exceptions because I like a person, or I went to school with them. Or because I loved their best friend once upon a time.”

  Arlo took a step back. He had never mentioned their shared past, and frankly she preferred it that way. The best plan was to pretend it never happened because when she let the memories in, they had a tendency to stick around. She didn’t need that kind of distraction right now.

  “You can’t—” she started.

  “Evidence,” he said. “And I can. I have to.”

  “I’m not going to let this rest. I can’t—we can’t—let two strangers come to town and allow our own take the blame for a murder one of them committed.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Daisy is about as guilty as a person can be. You may have some evidence against Chloe, but she doesn’t have the motive that Daisy does.”

  “Before they read the will, I might have agreed with you, but now that Chloe gets the bulk of his estate…” Mads shook his head. “Don’t go poke a bear, Arlo. They can be really dangerous.”

  She stared at him for a heartbeat more. When he said nothing else, she growled in frustration and stalked from his office, out of the police station without even bothering to say bye to Frances.

  If Mads wouldn’t help, someone would. Someone had to. Maybe someone with a little more stroke. Who was the most powerful person in Sugar Springs? The mayor.

  With a triumphant smile starting on her lips, Arlo turned and made her way from the police station the courthouse.

  The courthouse was the oldest building in town except for Lillyfield mansion and the old Cathouse over on Fourth. It smelled old, like dust and floor wax, and the scent made Arlo anxious. Somehow, when she was younger, she had associated that smell with power, or maybe the fact that she had none. She and her parents had come here in order to sign the papers that would give Helen guardianship of Arlo until she turned eighteen. Until her parents had actually signed, she had worried they would change their minds. They could be flighty like that, just one of the many reasons that she wanted a stable home. She had felt small and insignificant as she waited with her fate balanced in the hands of the people who made her and the one person she could depend on. She had breathed in that odor and had never forgotten.

  “I need to see Mayor England,” she told Joanne, the woman behind the reception desk. Joanne had been a couple of years ahead of her in school. And if Arlo was remembering correctly, she had dated Mads’s older brother until he joined the army and left her behind. She had never married.

  “Concerning?” Joanne eyed her carefully.

  “Chloe Carter, and it’s important.”

  “It always is. Do you have an appointment?”

  “Joanne,” Arlo sighed. “Please.” Why was it that people in positions of small power wielded it like a sword?

  The woman heaved an exasperated sigh, then motioned her back. “Oh, whatever. It’s people like you who jam up the system.”

  “Thank you.” Arlo walked past without another word. She wasn’t to blame. That was on the Daisy James-Harrisons of the world.

  Arlo marched to his office and tried to figure out what she was going to say to him. She figured demanding that Mads release Chloe would be a lost cause. No, she had to be smart about this.

  She entered the half-glass door to find another reception area. At least that’s what she thought it was. Cardboard boxes, the kind that were used for paper storage and had lids, were stacked higher than her chin in crooked rows that looked like a dangerous game of Jenga. Some had lids, but still more seemed to be missing them. But they could be quickly found in a stack by the overflowing trash can. A wooden statue of an Indian, the kind that used to be in smoke shops, guarded the spot between two doors. A large desk with papers scattered across its top dominated the space. The chair behind the desk was empty and the door behind, the third door in the room, was open. Arlo wasn’t sure if she should check the room or call the police. Maybe both.

  “Mayor England?”

  “Come on back. My secretary had an emergency.”

  It appeared so. Arlo stepped around the desk and entered a room that was as pristine as the room before had been junky. Not a paper seemed out of place. No boxes, just tall oak filing cabinets, a matching oak desk, and a leather chair that creaked as its occupant moved.
r />   “Arlo Stanley. How are you doing today?”

  “Not good.” She shook her head and realized she was being overdramatic. It was one thing to stop and talk to the mayor in The Diner and quite another to go into his office with an official request. “Do you know Chloe Carter?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then I’m sure you also know that she’s been arrested for the murder of Wally Harrison.”

  “Go on.”

  “I have good reason to believe that Chloe is innocent, and Daisy James-Harrison, Wally’s wife, is the actual murderer.” Or Travis Coleman. He still hadn’t been one hundred percent cleared. At any rate, it wasn’t Chloe.

  The mayor smoothed a hand down his tie and leaned back in his seat. The chair creaked as he shifted. “You do.”

  “Mads won’t listen to me. I know he’s just doing his job, but he’s wrong this time and I need your help.”

  “My help? What can I do?”

  “Something. Anything. We can’t let Daisy just leave tonight and go back to her life. Not if her leaving is going to destroy Chloe’s life. And Jayden’s too.”

  “That’s her son?”

  “He’s nine.”

  Russ England paused for a moment, and she knew he was thinking about her request. He was taking her seriously and that was definitely a step in the right direction.

  “I wish I could help you.”

  “W-what? You won’t do anything?”

  “How can I? I don’t have the authority to detain someone. Not when regular law enforcement already has someone else in custody.”

  “He’s wrong. And he doesn’t believe she’s guilty either. Chloe wouldn’t hurt a fly. We share a business together. I know this firsthand. She…she won’t even kill spiders.” But they all knew that Wally was worse than a spider.

  “I really wish there was something I could do.”

  “You pretended it was your birthday at the inn.”

  “A favor for an old friend.” He smiled in remembrance and Arlo vaguely recalled a little something between Helen and Russ during her senior year. At the time she had been too caught up in Mads to pay much mind. It seemed now like she ought to have been paying attention. Ah, the selfishness of a teenager.

  “So what am I supposed to do?” She really wasn’t expecting him to answer.

  “If you need her to stay in town longer, then find some excuse to make her want to stay.”

  As far as advice went, she couldn’t say it was the best. But it certainly wasn’t the worst.

  Arlo thanked the mayor and made her way out of the office, then down the large stone steps and onto the open concrete plaza with its statue of General Lee on horseback. She looked up at the bearded face etched in bronze. “All right, Robbie, old pal. What’s my next move?”

  Find an excuse to make her stay.

  Arlo really wanted Daisy, but she had a feeling if one of them stayed, the other would too. And she remembered the attention that Inna received at the wake. She adored being adored. And people like that loved nothing more than a party.

  “What are you doing out here?” Camille walked by carrying a paper sack from The Diner.

  “Thinking. Is that Chloe’s dinner?”

  “Yes, poor love. She was feeling so down. I went to The Diner and got her a chicken-fried pork steak.”

  Nothing like breaded and fried pork to lift the spirits. “We have to do something,” Arlo said. “I went to talk to the mayor, but he couldn’t help. Mads says he can’t do anything. And a killer is about to get away!” She blew out a frustrated breath. “A killer is about to leave town and the only thing I can think of is a party. A going away party. Inna would want to come, and Daisy seems to do whatever she says.”

  “A party is a lovely idea. A big party, even bigger than the wake.”

  “We only have a couple of hours.” To plan the party of the year? “Didn’t we already try this?”

  Camille waved a dismissive hand. “Amateur hour. This time we get the whole town involved.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll get Helen and Fern.”

  “Fern’s manning Books & More, and Courtney doesn’t get out of school until three.” There was no way this was going to work.

  “Maybe if her grandmother signed her out.” Camille batted her eyes innocently.

  “You’re not her grandmother.”

  “They don’t know that.”

  Betty Sanders who ran the attendance desk at the high school knew everybody and everyone. “Yes, they do.”

  “Don’t worry, love. I got this. Now get back in there and see if Russ can let us have the gym for the night.”

  “He can do that?”

  “He is the mayor, and his brother is the principal, so I would say yes. And if that doesn’t work, tell him we’re sending in Helen.”

  That might have been her best course of action from the start. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I don’t know.” Arlo bit her lip.

  “Well, love. Right now it’s the only plan we have.”

  * * *

  Arlo could hardly believe it. Camille managed to get Courtney out of school so she could work in the store while the four of them planned the party. Lesson learned: Never underestimate the power of little old ladies, no matter how innocent they looked or how sweet and musical their soft Aussie accents made their words.

  Mayor England let them have the gym without a threat. Then Arlo started on the south side of Main Street and went door to door asking for help, inviting people, telling them to tell their friends. Books & More would supply the coffee. Neddie at The Diner promised hors d’oeuvres. Joyce from Blooming Blooms said she would bring flowers, and Delores at Diamonds Galore talked Frank the owner into giving away a diamond tennis bracelet as a door prize. Shelly at Let’s Party said she would bring all the party supplies and decorations they could handle. Courtney knew someone who could play music and the strobe light they had at the class reunion mixer was still in the gym.

  Somehow the four of them, with the help of the entire town, would throw the party to end all parties. Now they just had to convince Inna and Daisy to stay in town long enough to attend. And before that they had to find out who made the pink punch for the reunion mixer. They needed a barrel full of that—stat.

  22

  “It was supposed to be a surprise, but since you’re leaving we have to tell you.”

  Arlo stood on the bottom step at the inn, blocking the way for Inna and Daisy. She hadn’t meant to be so aggressive, but when Helen started talking about the party, neither one seemed interested.

  “You have to tell why?” Inna said.

  “So you won’t leave,” Camille added.

  “It’s the least you can do,” Fern said.

  Daisy set her suitcase down on the step below the one where she stood. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I want to go home. I’m getting a migraine and I left my prescription medication at home.”

  “Our local pharmacist, Doug, will be at the party and I’m sure he’ll float you a couple of pills.” Helen’s expression didn’t change and her mouth barely moved as she lowered her voice and continued. “You did invite Doug, didn’t you?”

  “Can’t remember,” Arlo whispered back.

  “I’m on it,” Fern said.

  “Why do you whisper?” This from Inna.

  “We’re…we’re just trying to think of a way to get you to stay.”

  Inna crossed her arms and harrumphed.

  “Listen,” Arlo started, “You’re celebrities to these people. I know you live in New York and half the people there are stars. But we don’t get a lot of that around here. The town wants to thank you for coming. They want to throw you a send-off. They want to be around celebrities.”

  “We didn’t get
to have Wally’s book signing,” Helen said. “Give them this.”

  Inna looked back to Daisy. They whispered for a moment, then Inna turned back to Helen, Arlo, and Camille.

  “Fine. We will go to this party. You will get Daisy her headache pills and tomorrow we leave.”

  Arlo almost melted with relief. They would come to the party. Now all they had to do was get Daisy to admit to killing Wally. After that, they were home free.

  * * *

  “I can’t believe you did all this in just a few hours.” Chloe turned around in a circle, the strobe light flickering across her chambray sundress. It was her favorite and that was the exact reason why Arlo had snagged it out of the closet for her to wear tonight.

  Talking Inna and Daisy into staying had been a piece of cake compared to trying to convince Mads to let Chloe come to the party without handcuffs. In the end, as always, Mads did the right thing and there they were.

  “Have you seen Sam tonight?” Arlo asked casually. Perhaps too casually.

  “What’s up with the two of you?” Chloe asked. She sipped her punch and twirled from side to side, her skirt brushing around her legs.

  Arlo frowned. “Nothing. Well, he’s our tenant.”

  “That didn’t sound like a landlord voice.”

  “How much of that have you had?” She peered into Chloe’s pink cup.

  The theme for the party was pink. Pink napkins, pink plates, pink streamers, pink tablecloths, pink balloons. Pink everything. Shelly had told them that since pink tended to sell well year-round, especially in the spring and October, she had stocked up with plenty to spare. Arlo liked pink well enough, but the amount in the gymnasium was a tad overwhelming.

  “One. Like it’s any of your beeswax.”

  “I’m pretty sure this is stronger than what we had at the mixer, so proceed with caution.”

  “Yes, Mama.”

  “Have you seen them tonight?”

  Chloe waved a hand toward the dessert table. “Inna was over here a bit ago, but I haven’t seen her since then. I think Daisy is hiding from me. I have kind of ‘the other woman’ vibe with her.”