by Ellen Riggs
“But what do I say about what happened with Lloyd? It sounds like I was the last to see him alive.”
“Not the last,” I said. “I just have to figure out who the last person really was.”
“You? I hope you mean the police, Ivy. You shouldn’t be putting yourself in harm’s way.” Now my older sister was back. I could see it in the way she rose to her full height again. The gloves came off and slapped onto the counter and she put her bare hands on her hips. “On that note, how did you happen to be in Lloyd’s bedroom to find this photo?”
“I was there to feed his reptile collection, at Nadine’s request,” I said. “Long story. And a good one, when we have more time.”
“His reptile collection? How many are there?”
“Lots. Three exotic constrictors, one of them huge. I bet the boys would love to get their hands on that inheritance.”
It wasn’t often that my sister’s ruddy complexion paled, but it did now. “You must never ever mention those illegal snakes to the boys. They’ve always had a fascination for reptiles beyond what’s normal. Now I know why.”
“Trust me, I have no desire to see them again.”
She pulled an elastic out of her pocket and put her hair in a smooth ponytail. “Whatever happens next, I know I made the right decision in keeping the boys away from Lloyd.”
I nodded. “Nurture over nature. You and Roger are going to make good men of them yet.”
“All I have to do is put the murder accusations behind me and I can go back to being the perfect mom.”
“That’s the spirit,” I said, smiling.
She reached out and gripped my hand tightly. “But if anything goes wrong, Ivy, please promise you’ll help Roger raise the boys. You have more common sense than the rest of the family put together.”
My heart filled with a mixture of pride and fear. “Daisy, don’t you dare leave me to raise those hooligans. Get yourself together and fight this like the mama bear you are.”
“It gets so tiring, you know,” she said, straightening as the doorbell rang. “Maybe prison would be a nice vacation.”
Chapter Thirteen
My scream startled Florence so much that she reared in her stall and echoed the sound.
“For pity’s sake, would you ladies keep it down?” Charlie asked.
I ran to his side and fell to my knees. “I thought you were dead, Charlie.”
“I’m still on the right side of the grass, though a little worse for wear.” He was lying flat on his back inside the pen with the goats. We never left them out overnight, even with their fierce donkey guardians.
“Keats, keep them back,” I said, gesturing to the livestock. The dog slipped past me and pinned the goats in the corner. “Is it your heart, Charlie?”
He shook his head. “My knee. Nothing serious, so don’t worry your pretty head. Still, I’m going to need a hand to get to my truck.”
“What happened?” I pulled him into a sitting position and stared around.
“Twine across the doorway into the pen. Oldest trick in the book. And I fell for it.” He forced a grin. “Literally. I cut it so you didn’t trip, too.”
“You’re saying someone rigged up a trap for you?”
“Or you. But yeah, someone wanted one of us out of commission.”
“But why?”
“Can we debate this when I’m on my feet? There’s nothing more humiliating for an old farmhand than being flat out in manure.”
I looked around for something to help him up. He was a tall, sturdy man and I risked injuring him further by doing the job wrong. I thought about getting Jilly out of bed to help but that was only going to damage Charlie’s pride further. Besides, problem solving was part of a farm-owner’s skill set.
My sheep hook! That was just the thing. I stood and turned so quickly my head spun… and what I saw didn’t help. The place on the wall where my red and white sheep hook normally hung was bare. I hadn’t used it since before I’d decided to move to Runaway Farm. One day I might join herding trials again because Keats had loved our hobby. But it wouldn’t be till the inn was up and running smoothly.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked, blue eyes squinting up at me.
“Nothing. Just looking for the pig poker. I think it’s out near Wilma.” I ran to the back door. “Hang tight.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he called after me.
The heavy wood poker did the trick, and he was soon up and going, using the pole as a cane. “Are you sure you’re good to drive?” I asked as he maneuvered himself into his truck. “I’d rather take you to the clinic myself.”
“God gave me two legs for a reason,” he said, smiling down from the driver’s seat. “I’d have to be pushing up daisies before I let you bunny-hop me into town.”
“Very funny.” It did make me smile, though. “Charlie, why is someone sabotaging us? First they let Wilma out and now they rigged a trap that could have given one of us a concussion. Banging up my brain again would not bode well for Runaway Farm.”
Turning the key, he raised his voice over the motor. “Honestly, Ivy, I think it’s time you involved the police. Not your brother. Real police.”
“They are involved. And Asher is real police.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “I’ve known that boy since he was knee-high and he’ll never be a real cop. Too soft.”
“Well, I did tell Chief Harper about someone vandalizing the pig pen.”
“Yeah, but you’re not telling him everything. I can tell. And I can tell you don’t trust him.” I started to protest and Charlie pressed on. “If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say you two had a thing once and someone isn’t over it yet.”
My face twitched as if I’d been hit by a cattle prod and frustration followed. I used to have the blandest face in every room. A blank slate. That gave me a certain power. Of all the harm my accident caused, losing complete emotional mastery was probably the worst.
“That was a long time ago,” I said, closing the driver’s door. “So long ago it doesn’t matter.”
He rolled down the window. “Not so long that it isn’t obvious to anyone with horse sense. Normally my advice is to just let things unfold naturally. In this case, however, I think you’re going to need to suck it up and apologize to the man so that you can get the protection you need.”
I crossed my arms. “What makes you think I’m the one who needs to apologize?”
He pressed his good foot to the pedal, making the motor roar. “I know a man who’s been hurt when I see one.” Before I could respond, he put the truck in gear and started rolling slowly. “Because I see the same look in my own mirror every day.”
“Charlie!” I called after him.
His hand came out in a wave and then he gunned the truck down the curving driveway.
Sneaking into Lloyd’s house in broad daylight was terrifying in a whole different way. Now I was worried about being spotted by someone who’d call the police. But at least I’d be able to see the snakes coming.
“I’m not going down there. Don’t worry,” I told Keats as we pushed through the bushes to the side door. “They can live on what I gave them until Nadine takes care of it or Kellan takes over. Today, we’re going to focus, Keats. No distractions like family secrets or exotic reptiles. We’re here to find out what that key opens. If I’m right, it’ll take us to the murderer.”
Keats gave an anxious whine as I pulled on rubber gloves before opening the back door. It wasn’t a warning, just a complaint. He wasn’t one to back down from adventure. Far from it. More likely he was picking up on my worries.
“It’s okay, buddy. I’m not scared. Or at least, not any more scared than someone heading into a snake pit would normally feel.” I hurried up the stairs and down the hall to Lloyd’s bedroom with a quick glance around to make sure I was alone. “I’m just thinking about what Charlie said, and I’m afraid he’s right. I can’t go all maverick on this just because I’m uncomfortable with Kellan. Now that
Charlie’s been hurt, I need to share everything.”
Keats turned his brown eye in my direction—the benevolent eye that offered canine approval.
There was no time to muse on high school heartbreak, however. Lloyd’s room was dark because his heavy curtains were still closed. I flipped on my phone light and pulled the key I snatched from the snake tank out of my pocket. It looked too big to fit in the lock of the big wooden trunk, and I was right. That left the closet. The key slipped easily into the lock and I looked down at Keats. “I lied before,” I said. “I am scared.”
He might as well have nodded. I knew he knew. There was never any point in trying to hide my feelings from this dog.
“Anything could be behind this door. Another secret room. Dangerous animals.” I took a deep breath. “Even a body. Do you smell anything?”
Keats gave a single swish of his tail that reassured me. No way would he swish if there were dangerous animals or bodies inside.
I twisted the knob and opened, expecting the worst. But one flash of my light made me laugh out loud.
“Toys, Keats. Toys!”
Neatly arranged on shelves were boxed collectibles and comic books in plastic sleeves. I took a closer look and recognized more than a few of the superhero faces.
“These are worth a bundle,” I said, snapping photos. “And maybe they’re even worth killing someone over, to another crazed collector.”
Locking the door again, I led Keats back through the house to the side door. The dog made little squeaking noises that seemed to be urging me on. I locked the exterior door, too, and then turned and bent over the Buddha statue to replace the key. I didn’t intend to come back again.
“Say a prayer while you’re down there,” someone said.
I froze, my butt directed at the speaker. Luckily, he’d admired that butt once. Hopefully it was still a pleasant distraction.
“Oh, hi Kellan,” I said, standing. “How are you?”
He tipped his head to one side. “How about we save the pleasantries till after you tell me why you broke into Lloyd Boyce’s house. I’m too curious to wait.”
I gave him a good smile—one that was not quite genuine but not super fake either. Did other people have a smile ranking system like mine?
“It’s not breaking in if you have a key,” I said, peeling off the rubber gloves.
“Yeah, Ivy, it is,” he said. “And it’s mighty suspicious behavior when the owner in question happened to die on your property a few days ago.”
“The previous co-owner gave me permission. In fact, Nadine asked me to come by and feed Lloyd’s pets.”
“What pets?”
I came down the stairs to join him. Keats sat by my feet and wrapped his tail neatly around his paws. “Assorted reptiles, if you call them pets. I don’t. Oh, and the tarantula, too.”
Kellan stared at me, possibly wondering if I was joking. “I’ve been through the house twice and all I’ve seen is a cage of mice in the living room.”
“Food for the serpents. Luckily they’ll eat frozen too, because there was no way I would offer live mice.”
“Where are they?”
“There are two albino Burmese pythons and another snake downstairs in a secret room. Plus a big lizard and the aforementioned tarantula, among other things. I’ll leave their care and feeding to you after this, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, that explains the mice in the freezer,” he said. “I assumed he was taking them in to animal services.”
“More like he was bringing confiscated reptiles home from animal services. I’m sure Nadine will tell you about how that helped to drive them apart.”
He stared at me. “She hasn’t mentioned that in either of our conversations.”
“She wanted to take care of this herself. It would make her look bad for turning a blind eye to this, she said, and damage her business. Not to mention lowering the value of the house.” I sighed. “I felt bad for her, because she was even more terrified of the snakes than I was.”
He rubbed his face with both hands. “I can’t believe you, Ivy. You went into a secret snake room without telling the police. Who knows what could have happened?”
“Well, one of them could certainly have squeezed the life out of me.”
“You, as well as other members of the community, if you’d made a mistake. Children. Pets. Did you think about that?”
I sat down hard on the stairs. “Actually, no. But I was super careful, and nothing happened.”
He paced back and forth, obviously trying to hold in his frustration. “I realize how much is riding on this for you, but this isn’t your private mission and you can’t be so reckless.”
Shame kept my eyes on the ground. “You’re right, that was stupid. I think she might have played me.”
“I don’t know about that, but I do know that you should have called me. I’ll get experienced snake handlers to deal with this today.”
“Well, I hope she’s not mad at me for telling you now. Because if she murdered Lloyd, she might come after me.”
“Her alibi checked out,” he said. “Hot yoga class. Another stupid fad that’s come to Clover Grove.”
“Yeah? Well, I still think it might be her. She had a lot to gain.” I gestured to the house. “Once the snakes are gone, this will be worth a ton.”
“They seemed to be on good terms, all things considered. I don’t know yet if she was aware of his affair with your sister, though. Perhaps that added some tension.”
My face practically detonated. Hearing it said out loud and so casually made me furious. This could tatter Daisy’s stellar reputation and hurt the boys.
“That was long before Nadine’s time with Lloyd,” I said. “He was single and Daisy was separated, too. Stupid flings happen all the time.”
“Yeah. I guess they do,” he said.
There was a distinct edge of bitterness in his voice—enough that Keats got to his feet. Maybe the dog was signalling that it was time. Either time to go, or time to confront the demons of our past. I stood up, too, and straightened my shoulders.
“Kellan. If you are in any way comparing this to our relationship in high school, let’s set the record straight. I know what people said. I know they thought I was cheating on you. And it was never true.” My voice quavered and Keats leaned into my leg. “I still can’t believe you actually bought into those rumours. You knew me better than that.”
He turned to face the front of the house. “I don’t want to talk about the old days, Ivy. I’m here to solve a murder, and I know you want that done, too. So you might as well tell me what you know right now. Save me the effort of calling you in daily for questioning.”
I backed up and sat down on the stairs and Keats did the same. Kellan shook his head and nearly smiled.
“Before I tell you, I need to know you’ve ruled Daisy out as a suspect.”
“You don’t get to set conditions. I took your brother off the case to shut down the information pipeline. Asher’s a good man but he can’t keep his lips sealed.”
“He’s the white sheep of the family,” I said. “Obviously Daisy and I know how to keep a secret.” I crossed my arms and smiled. “I suppose you could torture it out of me if you like.”
He shook his head. “We’re not in the business of torture in Clover Grove. But since you’re as stubborn as ever, I will tell you that I don’t believe Daisy killed Lloyd. Unfortunately, I have Edna’s statement and Daisy’s confirmation that she was in the wrong place at the right time. So she’s still on the list of possibilities, unless you have better ideas for me. Sharing them will help me clear your sister’s name.”
Picking up a stick, I started tracing lines in the sandy soil at the base of the steps. “There’s a locked closet full of toys in Lloyd’s bedroom.”
“Toys? What kind of toys?”
“Collectibles. The expensive type, if I’ve learned anything from Asher’s interest over the years.” I reached into my pocket and then offered him
the key. “This was in the tank with the biggest python. I distracted her with a mouse and grabbed it.”
Eyebrows rising, he said, “Seriously? You’re that nosy?”
“That stupid, I guess. But the stakes are high, Kellan. I could lose the farm. It’s not just a saying anymore. I poured all the savings I had into this and no one is going to want to vacation there with an unsolved murder hanging over it.” I scratched a big X into the earth. “Maybe even after it’s solved, since someone is sabotaging me.”
“What else has happened?” His voice was sharp now.
“First someone set Wilma loose, as you know. And today someone set a rope snare in one of the pens and tripped Charlie. He hurt his knee and is off duty till further notice.” I looked up at him. “I assume that was intended for me, and someone wants me out of business.”
The hard look in his eyes softened. “Ivy, you’ve got to be careful.”
“I know. Because that’s not all. I think I know the murder weapon, too.”
I told him about the missing sheep hook and he took notes, frowning the entire time. “It fits with the autopsy report,” he said. “There was bruising around the neck along with ligature marks from something else. Just to add complexity, there was poison in Lloyd’s system.”
“Poison?”
“Rat poison. Not enough to kill him but enough to disable him, perhaps, so that he could be more easily killed.”
Maybe a bellyful of rat poison was the reason Lloyd had looked so haggard when he gave me the ticket the day he died. I thought he’d just aged prematurely from the stress of seizing people’s dogs.
I got to my feet and gestured to Keats. “You checked the baked goods in Lloyd’s fridge? I saw them when I was collecting the mice.”
“Getting them tested, yes.” He followed me to the edge of the bush. “Stay out of this, Ivy. The farm won’t be much good to you if you’re injured.”
“I’ve faced worse before,” I said, resting my hand on Keats’ head. “Some things are worth fighting for and I don’t intend to stop now.”
“If I have to, I’ll—”
