by J A Whiting
The group bought tickets to the maze, but they had an hour before their entry time so they wandered around. A bonfire blazed off to one side, a band played on the stage, food trucks lined up along a field selling everything from tacos, wings, barbecue, soft serve ice cream, burgers, and corn dogs. A beer garden was on another side of the field with long tables set under strings of tiny white lights. There was an enormous pyramid made of hay bales that could be climbed on, a huge trampoline, and lots of games like corn hole, badminton, and croquet.
“This is great,” Josh looked around. “It’s even better than last year.”
“We don’t even need to do the maze,” Tom said. “We can have a fun night wandering around out here.”
Everyone got a cup of warm cider, Courtney bought some cotton candy, Angie and Jenna purchased containers of popcorn to share with the others, and Mr. Finch got a candy apple. Even though they’d all had dinner, Jack, Tom, Rufus, and Josh ate chicken wings and hot dogs.
Ellie and Jack walked hand in hand in front of the group, talking and gazing into one another’s eyes.
“When are those two going to get engaged?” Courtney asked. “They’ve been making goo-goo eyes at each other for the past two years.”
Angie looked at her youngest sister. “We could ask the same of you and Rufus.”
“We’re too young, but Ellie and Jack aren’t getting any younger,” Courtney responded.
Finch chuckled. “I’m sure Miss Ellie and Jack would love to hear that.”
“And what about you, Mr. Finch?” Courtney asked. “Betty’s been mooning over you for quite a while. Are you going to ask her to marry you one of these days?”
“I think Miss Betty and I are happy the way things are.” Finch held his cane in one hand and his candy apple in the other.
“Really? You aren’t going to tie the knot someday?” Jenna asked.
“Not unless we decide to have children,” Finch joked, making the sisters laugh.
“We like having you live in the Victorian with us,” Angie told him. “It wouldn’t be the same if you moved into Betty’s house.”
“I like the way things are,” Finch told them. “In all my life, I have never been happier.”
Courtney leaned over and kissed the man on the cheek. “If Rufus and I do get married, I want you to walk me down the aisle.”
“It would be an honor to do so,” Finch beamed.
“Our time for the maze is coming up,” Josh announced after he, Tom, and Rufus returned from climbing the pyramid. “We should go over to the entrance.”
The group moved through the field to wait until their time was called.
“Come on, guys,” Tom roused the men. “We need to put our game faces on.”
“Right,” Rufus said. “We can’t let the women beat us again this year.”
“Ellie, come on over here with us,” Jenna called to her sister. “Try to tear yourself away from Jack for the next hour. No fraternizing with the enemy.”
Jack placed a sweet kiss on Ellie’s lips and they separated to join their teams.
“You can blow him kisses from over here,” Courtney teased.
Ellie smiled at her sisters and playfully told them, “You can make fun of us all you want. Our love for one another is a shield that will defend us from your silly comments.”
Angie, Jenna, and Courtney broke out in laughter.
“Next group,” the ticket taker called. “Come forward.”
When they stepped forward, a sudden rush of dread and doom washed over Angie like a cold ocean wave, but in a moment, it faded away as she listened to Courtney whisper their game plan so the men couldn’t hear it.
The ticket taker went over the rules of the maze and wished them a fun time. “There are workers throughout the maze wearing yellow vests. If you can’t find your way out, just ask one of them for help and they’ll be happy to assist you. Okay, ready, set, go.”
The family and friends darted into the maze with one team heading in one direction and the other team rushing the opposite way.
There were three elevated wooden bridges in the maze where maze-goers could go up and get an overview of where they were in relation to the exit. It often didn’t help at all, but once in a while, it gave a puzzler a clue.
The women stood atop one of the bridges and could see the men walking along the path down below. The teams trash-talked and jeered good-naturedly at each other before continuing on their ways.
Back down in the maze, the women got confused and ended up going in the same circle three times when Ellie suddenly had a revelation. She pointed out that they’d missed a turn they were looking for, thinking it was on the left side when it was really on the right. They quickly headed off again, found the turn they wanted, and hurried down the new pathway. In less than five minutes, they spotted the exit and began to jog.
Coming from the opposite pathway, they heard Jack yell, “Here it is. This is the way out.”
With Ellie in the lead, Courtney, Angie and Jenna sprinted the final yards and emerged from the maze just before the men.
With joyful whoops, they celebrated their win, and then applauded and clapped the men on their backs as they completed the labyrinth.
“We were so close,” Tom said.
“I thought we had them this time,” Jack agreed.
“It was nearly a tie this year,” Ellie said. “We all did a great job.”
“And we all finished ten minutes faster than last year, too,” Courtney smiled.
“Success all around,” Mr. Finch told them. “It was truly energizing.”
As they headed for their cars, Angie suggested, “Let’s all meet at the Victorian. We can have some hot cocoa before we say goodnight.”
Back at the house, the cats and Violet greeted the family and friends and everyone went to the kitchen to make the cocoa and rehash the successes and errors made while in the maze.
“Next year,” Rufus said, “I think we should get to one of those bridges early on to get an overview of things. Then we can make a plan and go from there.”
“It’s worth a try,” Jack nodded. “That could be a good strategy.”
The hot cocoa was poured into mugs, whipped cream was placed on top, and they all gathered around the kitchen island chatting and sipping the chocolatey sweet liquid.
When the doorbell rang, they all stared at each other.
“One of the B and B guests must have forgotten the door code,” Ellie said.
“I’ll go let them in.” Angie headed out of the kitchen, down the hall, and into the foyer.
Violet stood near the front door looking forlorn.
Oh, no, Angie thought as a rush of adrenaline raced through her veins.
She opened the door to see Chief Martin standing under the porch light.
“I’m sorry to come so late,” the man said, “but I wanted to tell you all in person. Rachel Princeton’s body was found a little while ago. She’s dead.”
12
The chief joined everyone in the kitchen and repeated the sad news he’d told Angie in the foyer. Euclid hissed and Circe let out a long mournful howl.
No one said a word for several seconds as the reality of the announcement hit them.
“I am very sorry to hear this news,” Mr. Finch said with a solemn tone. “I wish the young woman a peaceful passage to the other side.”
“Where was she found?” Courtney’s voice was hoarse when she spoke.
“In the woods about a quarter mile from the farm and corn maze.”
Angie remembered the feeling of dread that had come over her while waiting to enter the maze and knew it must have been from sensing Rachel nearby.
“How did she die?” Ellie asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.
“From stab wounds. It seems she bled out. We won’t know until the coroner completes his report if Rachel died in the woods or died elsewhere and was dumped,” the chief told them.
Violet stood in the corner, her particle
s alternating between fading to almost nothing to becoming so bright it was hard to look at her.
Angie went over to the dog and bent down to hold her. “I’m so sorry about Rachel, Violet. I know it won’t bring her back, but we’ll find out who did this …. and that person will spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“What about the neighbor who had Rachel’s credit card holder?” Jenna asked the chief. “Was there anything to hold him on? Could he be the one who did this?”
“His story seems to hold water,” The chief reported. “He claims to have found it in the area of trees and bushes between his property and Rachel’s. It was found near her garage.”
“That’s where the cats spotted the truck tire print,” Angie pointed out.
Chief Martin nodded. “We don’t know whose truck made the print. We don’t know if Rachel had an appointment with a repair person, if someone she knew stopped by, or if it was some kind of delivery. No one reports seeing a truck going down her driveway. For now, it’s a dead end. And there’s nothing we can charge the neighbor with.”
“Was the murder weapon recovered?” Jack asked.
“No, it hasn’t been, but there is a kitchen knife missing from the holder on the counter near the stove in Rachel’s place.”
“That’s interesting,” Angie said. “Maybe the killer came to the house without intending to murder Rachel, a fight broke out, and the attacker grabbed the knife from the holder.”
“It’s certainly a possibility.” The chief straightened his shoulders. “It’s been a long evening. I’m going home. Lucille says she can’t remember who I am because she never sees me.” The chief’s wife was a friendly, intelligent, and loving woman who patiently understood the demands of her husband’s position. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow afternoon?” he asked Angie and Jenna.
“We’ll be ready,” the sisters told him.
The next afternoon, while riding in Chief Martin’s patrol car to the town of Hollis, New Hampshire, Angie, Jenna, and the chief discussed the twists and turns of the case.
“Jessica Hanson and Rachel grew up together?” Angie asked from the backseat.
“They met in kindergarten and stayed friends all these years.” The chief moved the vehicle onto the highway for the forty-minute drive.
“What do you know about Jessica?” Jenna asked.
“She runs marathons, invests in real estate, owns four rental properties, flips houses. She started small, bought one house, fixed it up and sold it at a profit. She talked to me for quite a while when I spoke on the phone with her. She’s personable, sounds smart. She went to college for business, always wanted to be her own boss. She loves what she does. Jessica thinks the world of Rachel, admires her drive and ambition to be one of the best in her field. She told me she and Rachel have the best time together, no matter if they’re hiking, sitting in the living room watching a movie, or going out dancing with friends.”
“It will be good to get her impressions about what’s going on in the case,” Angie said. “Jessica sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. Does she know that Rachel has been found?”
“I called her early this morning. She didn’t answer the call. I left her a message saying I had some news to share with her and to please call me back.”
“Did she call?” Jenna asked.
“She did not. That tells me she must have heard about Rachel and won’t return my call since we have the meeting this afternoon,” the chief surmised.
“Such horrible news to hear,” Jenna said. “She must be distraught.”
“I was hoping she didn’t cancel our meeting,” the chief said.
“Did Jessica say anything about how Rachel seemed when they got together for the weekend?” Angie questioned.
“She told me Rachel seemed like her usual self. She was happy and optimistic, as always.”
“Could Jessica be Rachel’s killer,” Angie asked. “Did something happen between them that weekend? Did Jessica go down to Sweet Cove to talk to Rachel? Did things go bad and Jessica grabbed the knife?”
“It’s sure possible. We intend to pull her cell phone records,” the chief said. “See if she was where she tells us she was.” He moved the car into the middle lane of the highway. “We haven’t talked much about Rachel’s boyfriend, Jason Field. Any more thoughts about him?”
Angie said, “We don’t have feelings one way or the other about him. It was strange when he blurted out he didn’t kill her, but that could be put down to nervousness and concern about why we were interviewing him a second time. He had a lot of nice things to say about Rachel. The relationship didn’t seem serious. Both Jason and Rachel were wrapped up in their jobs and didn’t have a lot of free time to devote to building a connection. It seems they weren’t yet in places where a relationship was important to them.”
“Where was he the day Rachel was attacked?” Jenna asked.
“He was at the state park working,” the chief said. “Some people saw him there, but no one has told us he was there at the time of the crime. Cell service isn’t great there so that didn’t help pinpoint where he was. It wouldn’t have taken him long to drive to Rachel’s house from the park … fifteen minutes at most.”
“We didn’t ask him where he was since he’d already told you when you interviewed him the other day.” Angie watched the scenery go by. The trees had started turning colors and the leaves were different shades of yellow, green, red, and orange. “It’s hard to believe it’s only been four days since this whole thing started. It feels like forever.”
Chief Martin used the GPS in the car to find Jessica’s house. It was a well-kept two-story place set back a little from the quiet lane with a wide front porch. A two-car garage sat to the left of the home. The landscaping was nicely-done with flowering bushes and flowers planted around the porch and several mature shade trees dotted the front lawn. A few pumpkins lined the steps to the front door.
“It’s a very nice house,” Jenna observed. “It’s big, but looks cozy.”
The chief parked and got out, then headed to the front door where he rang the bell.
“This won’t be an easy interview,” Angie said, “with her just learning that her friend is dead.”
The chief pressed the doorbell again and they waited.
“Maybe she’s out back in the yard,” Jenna suggested.
They walked around the side of the house, but the woman wasn’t there.
“Maybe she went somewhere after hearing about Rachel,” the chief said. “She may have completely forgotten about our meeting. I’ll give her a call.” Chief Martin took out his phone and placed the call. It went to voicemail.
“Why don’t we knock on the backdoor,” Angie said. “Maybe she didn’t hear the front bell ring.” She walked up the steps and pressed the bell. She heard its chime so they knew it was working.
Again, no one came to the door.
“Why don’t you call her one more time,” Jenna told the chief. “She may have been on another call when yours came through.”
The chief tried again and while he waited for the woman to pick up, Angie leaned closer to the backdoor.
“The phone’s ringing inside the house,” she told them. “End the call and then try again. Let’s see if it’s her cell that’s ringing.”
As soon as the chief ended the call, the ringing stopped. When he placed it again, Angie heard it inside.
“She left her phone behind.” A rush of adrenaline pulsed in her veins. “How likely is that?”
“Not very.” The chief quickly mounted the steps and bent to look inside through the window. “Jessica,” he yelled. “Are you inside?”
“You think she’s in there?” Jenna’s voice held a tone of worry.
Chief Martin banged on the window glass and called the woman’s name again. “I can see her purse on the kitchen island.”
“I doubt she left the house without her purse.” Angie tried to peek into the kitchen window, but it was too far from her to see
anything.”
Jenna ran around the back and side of the house trying to see inside.
“Can we break in?” Angie asked.
“I’m out of my jurisdiction. I’m calling the local police.”
The chief made the call for help, and then they waited.
13
The local police arrived and Chief Martin introduced himself and the two sisters and explained that they had arrived for a meeting with Jessica Hanson to discuss the murder of her friend in Sweet Cove.
“When Chief Martin calls Jessica’s phone, we can hear it ringing inside,” Angie told them. “And there’s a purse on the kitchen counter.”
The first officer asked the three people to stay on the patio while they investigated the house so Angie, Jenna, and the chief went down the steps to wait hoping that Jessica had mistakenly left her phone inside.
“Maybe she’s out for a walk,” Jenna said. “She could be trying to clear her head and lost track of the time.”
“Maybe.” The chief’s facial muscles were tight. He didn’t seem to think Jenna’s theory was correct.
After the two officers repeatedly rang the bell, they decided to walk around the house trying to peer in the windows. They soon returned to the backdoor.
“We’re going to break the window in the glass to gain entry to the home,” the first officer alerted the chief.
They used a Billy club to bash in the window, then one of them reached inside to unlock the door and the two officers disappeared into the house.
“I’m a nervous wreck.” Angie moved from foot to foot.
“What’s taking them so long?” Jenna asked.
One of the officers hurried out, dashed down the steps, turned to face the house, bent at the waist, and had dry heaves.
Jenna reached for her sister’s arm. “Oh, no.”
Angie’s heart dropped and when she looked at the chief, he slowly shook his head.
The second officer charged out and hurried to the police car parked by the garage. “I have to call it in. Don’t go in there.”
