by Emmie Lyn
“What’s cooking?” Hitch asked. His stomach made a loud, low rumble and both Tilly and I snorted.
“I knew it. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Don’t forget that Sunny,” Tilly said with a quick nudge in my side.
Hitch wasn’t so subtle. “Excellent advice.”
I knew better than to respond when both Hitch and Tilly ganged up on me. I knew it was all in fun, but they enjoyed watching me squirm just a little too much.
“Since you two are so interested in food,” I said, knowing this subject was Hitch’s favorite. “What is it that smells so amazing?”
Tilly tossed her hat Frisbee-like and we watched it whiz across the room, landing on a chair. “Ha!” she gloated. “I haven’t lost my technique. As to your aroma inquiry, Sunny, Stacy whipped together her signature thick savory beef stew. And, as we speak, she’s taking her crusty bread out of the oven. And… ta-da,” she said with a flourish. “Dessert will be my one and only, drool-worthy, brain-freezing specialty.”
“That’s easy to figure out with only one dessert you ever bother to make.”
“Are you complaining?” she asked, arching her brow as we headed toward the living room.
“Nope. Your mint chocolate chip ice cream cake is to die for, right Hitch?”
“I wouldn’t use that exact imagery, but it does have the perfect blend of mint and chocolate,” he said.
“That is what you brought, right?” I had a moment where I gave Tilly the benefit of the doubt that she’d discovered a new favorite dessert she wanted to spring on a crowd.
“Bingo,” Tilly pointed her finger at me. “You win the prize and everyone is in for a treat of epic proportions because I used fresh mint and an extra helping of chocolate chips,” she dramatically announced like she was a fine food connoisseur at a famous restaurant.
“Hello there,” Ron said, coming down the hallway. He greeted us with his easy- going manner. “Is everything all set, Tilly?”
“Yup. The flamingoes are in place. Stacy shooed me out of the kitchen, but the food is almost ready, and now we just need the guests to arrive. I think they’ll all be suitably distracted and curious. There’s just enough time for you to take Sunny and Hitch to your bird room and show them the centerpiece of tonight’s gathering.”
Okay, she had me distracted and curious so maybe her plan had some merit. I looked at Hitch and he shrugged. His expression showed as much confusion as I felt. We followed Ron while Tilly disappeared into what I assumed was the kitchen based on the delicious aromas wafting our way.
Ron unlocked a solid door and gestured for us to enter the quiet room. So quiet, I heard the fibers in the plush carpet squish under my feet. Windows filled one wall from floor to ceiling letting in the early evening light. Bookshelves lined the two adjacent walls, filling the room with that unique sweet musty aroma that I loved. Ron displayed his comprehensive collection about birds—books on the birds of Maine to birds of Alaska and everything in between. They included migration patterns, mating behaviors, and what looked to be beautiful books of bird photographs. We stood opposite a wall covered with bird-related art work, a stunning collection to my untrained eye and any bird lovers dream.
But then, another object caught my eye in this stately room. A large ornate bird cage with an elegant blue bird perched on a rod. It nibbled on a seed covered ball. This was, by far, the most impressive feature in the room. I looked at Ron, puzzled. Why would a nature lover, a rescuer of animals, have such a gorgeous bird caged here?
I didn’t want to insult my host, but honestly, I was shocked. And disappointed.
“What do you think?” Ron asked.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” I said, trying to hide my real feeling about the captive bird. For the moment at least.
“No. Very few people have. She’s rare. A Spix’s Macaw also known as the Little Blue Macaw. I call her Little Blue.”
“Why do you have her?” As hard as I tried, irritation bubbled into my voice. I really wanted to grab Hitch’s arm and storm out. The heck with Tilly’s plan. This beautiful bird should be in a jungle somewhere, enjoying its natural habitat, not stuck here so people could gawk at her. It was just plain wrong.
Ron sighed with a deep display of sadness. “She belonged to my father. He was a life-long bird lover. He spent his life collecting whatever he could that related to birds.” With a grand sweep of his arm around the room, Ron said, “These books, the art on the walls—all inherited from my father. Don’t get me wrong, Sunny. I love birds but they don’t belong in cages. I’ll be shipping her, not back to the wild because she probably wouldn’t survive, but to the next best place I could find. She’ll be part of a breeding program, living in an environment as close to natural as possible. She’ll spend the rest of her life there and hopefully contribute to another generation of these birds.”
Ron’s plan stunned me. My irritation disappeared as I realized he was trying to do right for this bird. “Tilly wasn’t exaggerating about an exotic bird here in Pineville. I thought she was talking about herself,” I muttered.
Both Hitch and Ron laughed out loud.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Maybe there are two exotic birds, but only one is priceless,” Hitch said, sending me a conspiratorial glance.
“That’s right. And, the other one is worth a couple hundred thousand dollars,” Ron said. “And you’re looking at her—Little Blue.”
Both Hitch and I gasped at that revelation.
“Who else knows she lives here?” I asked, my mind reeling with the risk involved surrounding safely housing this bird.
“Oh, everyone in the bird group,” Ron said. “They’ve all seen her. But now I wonder if I misjudged their integrity. Especially Peter. He’s been obsessed with Little Blue. He even had Andy take a lot of photographs of her. I gave my okay because he said he planned to make a calendar, cards, and t-shirts to raise money for the breeding program but…” Ron left the rest unsaid.
“You think he might have a different plan?” I asked.
“I wish I knew,” he said, his face crestfallen.
Was this rare bird at the heart of Andy’s murder?
15
Hitch walked around the room. I sensed his security training had kicked in as he studied all the details.
“What’s your security in here, Ron? I’m assuming you have all the latest equipment to protect Little Blue?”
Ron came up beside him, his eyes alight as he talked about his favorite possession. “I do. Motion sensors and alarms in the reinforced windows. And this door,” Ron pointed to the only door into the room, “is reinforced with steel. And look here. A state of the art locking system.”
Hitch nodded, but I wasn’t sure the arrangements satisfied him.
“I see that you understand the problem,” Ron said. “Tilly brought the possibility that Little Blue might be the motivation behind Andy’s murder. She’s convinced that one of the bird group members is plotting a theft.”
I moved closer to the cage to admire the beautiful bird. “You know everyone. What do you think?” I asked.
Ron wandered to the wall of windows that faced his fields. Even in the fading light, it was a stunning view, but I suspected he wasn’t really looking at the horses in the distance.
“I don’t know what to think, Sunny. These are my friends. I know some better than others, but they all love birds. It goes completely against everything I believe to think one of them would undermine my plan. To a person, they’ve supported the effort to return Little Blue to her natural habitat and help save the blue macaw species from extinction. I shared my dream with them because I thought they’d understand the importance of sending her to the breeding program.”
Hitch scowled and said, “Some people value dollars over anything else. Including what’s right.” He had an unaccustomed hard tone in his words. “But why kill Andy? He was basically homeless. How does he fit in?”
I began thinking out
loud. “If Andy was planning to steal Little Blue, maybe someone killed him to protect her,” I said. It was a stretch but certainly a possibility.
“I’m afraid it’s more sinister than that,” Ron said. “Andy didn’t have the means to transport Little Blue safely or even know where to find a buyer. Anything is possible though. At any rate, Tilly is hoping to flush out the killer. She thinks that with all her distractions, someone will slip up and make a mistake.”
Relief flowed off my shoulders like sand through an hourglass. “It all makes sense now. So, Tilly hasn’t fallen off the deep end like I’d been worrying about. She’s just being Tilly.” I gave a little laugh to break the tension in the room. “That can be off the deep end, but in her usual quirky way. There’s a method to her madness, after all.”
Ron stood next to me at Little Blue’s cage. “Don’t worry about Tilly. Believe me, she’s miles away from losing it. That cagey bird, no pun intended, and I say that affectionately, is still as sharp as a tack. Tilly’s determined to save Little Blue along with Jess. But she needs your help, Sunny. You have to be the straight guy to her, let’s say, off the wall personality. She wants you and Hitch to watch everyone with eagle eyes while she spins her flamingo fantasy.”
Watching Tilly put on her show would be the easy part. Figuring out who might be plotting an evil bird theft on top of a cold-blooded murder would be tricky.
“What about the police?” Hitch asked. “Are they investigating anyone besides Jess?”
I saw Ron’s face darken briefly. I don’t think he could stand the idea of Jess in trouble for this. He recovered quickly, though and said, “I don’t know the answer to that, Hitch. I have to assume they are, but I can’t risk Jess’s life in case they’ve already made up their mind. She’s special to me. As is Izzy, as I think you both know. I invited them to come tonight, too, which might ruffle a few feathers.”
Ron hit a button and curtains silently slid closed over his wall of windows. Several wall sconces flickered on, sending a warm glow around the room.
Yeah, now that Andy was dead, Ron could pursue Jess and try to lure her back into his life. I watched as he covered his valuable blue macaw. “Where is this breeding program, Ron?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I might make a donation.” I felt Hitch’s eyes on me. He knew I was full of baloney. All my donations went to animal shelters right here in the state of Maine, and he knew that.
“I’ll send you the link to their website. There’s more information there than I can possibly relate to you.”
“And, when is she scheduled to leave?” I asked, hating myself for being suspicious of Ron. But could I help it if I saw a motive for him wanting Andy out of his life?
He walked to the door and pulled it closed, enclosing us in a tomb-like silence and eeriness.
Why did he do that? I didn’t know his intention and was glad that Hitch was beside me as sparks of fear climbed up my spine.
“I don’t want anyone to hear our conversation,” he said as if he’d read my mind. “Little Blue’s schedule is still up in the air. I’m keeping the details secret to minimize any risk. Just in case. I’m sure you understand,” he said. “This probably sounds a little wishy washy, but everything depends on getting each piece of the transportation lined up perfectly. I can’t leave anything up to chance. I can’t risk the trip stressing Little Blue, so it has to be comfortable and fast and as smooth as possible. The plan is almost finalized for some time this coming week.”
I felt claustrophobic as I tried to get enough oxygen in the small room. I looked at the closed door and saw a knapsack that had been tossed carelessly to one side. I needed to escape.
“Are you okay?” Hitch looked at me full of concern.
I nodded. “I need fresh air,” I managed to utter.
Ron yanked the door open, and I stumbled out into the hall, feeling better immediately with more open space around me. But questions swirled in my brain. Did I overreact to Ron’s secrecy about the breeding program? Was he really planning to give this bird away or did he want us to think that? Did Andy discover something Ron didn’t want him to know? I didn’t have answers to those questions. Yet. But what was clear, was that Ron did have a motive to get Andy out of his life so he could get Jess back into his world. Was that enough to kill him?
Ron pulled the door closed to his bird room. A loud click made it clear the room was off limits to everyone.
“There’s the doorbell,” he said. “The guests are arriving.” He headed toward the front door, leaving Hitch and me in front of the locked door.
“That was interesting,” I said. In more ways than one, but I didn’t dare talk about my concerns here where the walls might have ears. I had to keep them to myself for now.
Hitch gently took my arm and led me toward the sound of Tilly chattering and the unknown to come.
16
“Jess. I’m so glad you came,” I heard Ron gush as Hitch and I left the bird room behind and joined the small group at the front entry.
Jess’s dark hair and alabaster skin framed a tentative smile, but I noticed she didn’t rush in to embrace him as he approached with arms spread wide. “Thanks for inviting us, Ron. It was Izzy who insisted on coming. I think Tilly’s mint chocolate chip ice cream cake is the real draw.”
Her eyes darted around the room, almost like she expected danger lurking in the corners.
I wasn’t sure what message she was sending to her former boyfriend, but it sounded like an insult to me.
“There’s Jasper!” Izzy shouted as she dashed past her mother and wrapped her arms around her new giant friend, burying her face in the thick fur.
I was glad someone was excited to be here. Jess, in contrast, looked as nervous as someone sitting in the glare of an unwanted spotlight.
Ron dropped his arms but didn’t take his eyes off Jess. “Stacy has appetizers for us to graze on before we sit down to eat. Let’s go see what she put together.”
I walked over and put my arm around Jess’s shoulders. “Come on,” I whispered. “It won’t be so bad.”
She looked at me with sorrow and worry weighing down her normally upturned mouth. “Is it that obvious? It feels so awkward to be here. I broke up with Ron, and now everyone thinks I killed Andy. I should just leave before anyone else shows up.” She looked at the door as if it were a drowning man’s life raft.
“No way,” I said. I linked my arm through hers and headed us away from the door. “You aren’t leaving me stranded here, Jess. Besides, I’m hoping you know Ron’s friends better than Tilly and I do. We need you to sit back and listen. Tonight is for information gathering, to find clues to help us find the real killer. At least, if it’s a member of the birding group like Tilly suspects.”
“Okay,” she said without much enthusiasm. “I’ll try, but, Sunny?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t let anyone corner me and, you know… make accusations. I don’t think most of these people were all that fond of Andy, but they certainly won’t want the focus shifted from me and onto one of them.”
I tugged her close. “Try not to worry. Hitch, Tilly, and I all have your back tonight. Hold your head up and remember that you’re here to show everyone that you, Jess Golden, have nothing to hide.”
“I don’t, but it still won’t be easy,” she said. I just nodded my head. I had to give it to her. She had gumption. She was walking into the most difficult job of her life.
We entered the spacious living room and paused for a moment to take in the scene. Izzy and Jasper sat on a colorful woven rug. She talked and bobbed her head in her joyful, little girl way. Izzy’s braids danced around her shoulders while she shared some secret with her new best buddy. I counted my blessings that I’d turned a difficult situation with the box of kittens into a positive experience for her. And, myself for that matter.
An antique pine side table overflowed with a variety of cheese, crackers, fruit, and small filled pastries. B
eautiful bird prints hung on the wall, which reminded me not to lose sight of Little Blue’s situation.
“What would you like to drink?” Ron asked, startling me from my observations. “I have both red and white if you’d like a glass of wine. Or, something else?” He directed his question toward Jess.
“Merlot, please,” Jess said. “I think I’ll need something to calm me down.”
Ron gently put his hand on her arm. “You look great, Jess. I mean it. I’ve missed you.” He sounded charming with his compliments and acted completely smitten with Jess. Her face softened a bit and I wondered if she was giving second thoughts to a possible renewal of their relationship.
The doorbell rang. Ron grimaced as he looked in that direction. “To be honest, I’m not looking forward to seeing all these people either,” he said. “I can’t help but wonder if one of them killed Andy. But why?”
Wasn’t the why always the key? “Ron, I’ll get the door. You stay here,” I said, glad to see that Hitch was keeping an eye on the couple. And maybe an ear, too.
Tilly intercepted me on the way out. “What did you think of Little Blue?”
“How long have you known about her?” I wasn’t thrilled how Ron had blindsided me with this piece of the puzzle.
Tilly leaned on her walking stick like she was doing a vaudeville routine. “I just found out today, but you were always busy, and I couldn’t find the right time to tell you. That’s why I concocted this plan. I’m so curious to know more about the rest of these birders. Does one of them plan to steal her before Ron ships her off.”
“Are you sure that’s his plan, Tilly? I mean, he gave a good sales pitch about doing the right thing and all that, but he wouldn’t give me any details about the actual transfer. I’m not so sure it’s just some smoke and mirror plot to make people think he’ll send Little Blue away. Maybe his plan is to keep her here.”
