Meat Lovers and Murder

by Patti Benning

  Ellie felt her chest tighten. She hadn't thought of it like that. She knew that Russell was very protective of his town and took his job seriously.

  “Don't blame yourself for this,” she said. “Neither of us heard anything before the gunshot. There wasn't any way we could have known it was going to happen.”

  “Ellie is right,” Bethany said. “Neither of you should blame yourselves.”

  “Well, whether I blame myself or not, I've got a job to do,” Russell said, pushing back from the table and standing up. “Ellie, I want to get a head start on this case, and that means helping Bethany go over the crime scene and packing up evidence to take back to the sheriff's department. Will you be okay here by yourself tonight? If you don't want to stay alone, I could probably put everything off for a couple of hours and wait until morning, but I'd rather get it done as soon as possible.”

  “I'll be fine here,” Ellie said. “You go do your job. Catch whoever did this to Holden. That's what's most important right now.”

  She stood up and kissed Russell goodbye, then said a quick farewell to Bethany. She watched as the two law-enforcement officers walked out of the house, then shut the door and turned the deadbolt behind them. Despite her brave words, she wasn't at all sure that she was comfortable staying in the house by herself.

  Nonetheless, she wasn't one to let fear get in the way of doing what was right. She knew that it was better if Russell was able to go over the evidence while it was still fresh, and she didn't want her own worries to get in the way of that. One of the things that she loved about her husband was how passionate he was about his job, and the last thing that she ever wanted to do was to distract from that.

  After she made sure that the house was locked up, she pulled the curtains shut and went upstairs. The dogs were still locked in the master bedroom and greeted her eagerly at the door.

  “The two of you have no idea what's going on, do you?” she said, sitting down on the bed and petting them. “It's been a crazy night, hasn't it?”

  She turned on the lamp on her nightstand, then turned off the overhead light and slipped beneath the covers. She kept the lamp on as she settled into the pillow, her thoughts wandering.

  Everything had happened so quickly. The police had arrived only a few minutes after she made the call, and she had had very little time to process what had happened. Her neighbor was dead, and whoever had killed him was out there somewhere, possibly still in the forest behind her house. She didn't know whether she and Russell would be in danger here, or whether the killer might go back to the crime scene for some reason. What if the killer returned tonight, while Russell and Bethany were there?

  Feeling uncomfortable, she patted the bed next to her and snuggled with Sawyer when he crawled closer. She had been looking forward to spending the weekend getting back on track and spending the next few days focusing on her and Russell's new life together, but now she didn't even know if they were safe.

  Maybe we should have stayed in St. Lucia, she thought. I would much rather be lying on a sunny beach right now, than lying here and thinking about a murder.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * * *

  Russell stopped in late the next morning to shower and grab a change of clothes. Ellie, who had spent the morning in her grandfather’s study answering emails and chatting with Linda, was glad to see him, but was disappointed that he couldn't stay longer.

  “Will you be back for dinner?” she asked as he put on his jacket.

  “I'll try,” he said. “I'm not sure. This case is our top priority right now. I'm sorry, Ellie. I really wanted to spend the weekend with you.”

  “I know,” she assured him. “It's not your fault that this happened. Have you found anything so far?”

  “Well, the house showed no signs of being broken into. It's possible that Holden left his door unlocked, or it might indicate that he knew the killer. Only one shot was fired, and he died almost instantly. My gut tells me that whoever killed him went there for that purpose. Nothing else in the house seems to have been touched. Nothing obvious is missing. I doubt this was a burglary; I think it was premeditated murder.”

  Ellie shivered. “I can't believe it,” she said. “Who would want to kill Holden? I mean, I didn't know him that well, but he always seemed perfectly nice.”

  “There's a lot that we don't know,” Russell said, shaking his head. “I've got to head out again now. Will you be okay today? Are you planning on going into the pizzeria?”

  “I might stop in,” Ellie said. “I've still got a few things to take care of here, though. Let me know when you’re on your way home. If I'm out in town, I'll grab a pizza for dinner. Otherwise, I'll find something to make here.”

  “Be safe,” he said, pausing for a quick kiss. “I'll see you later.”

  With that, she was alone again. She returned to the study but found that she couldn't concentrate on her work. Deciding that it was time to take a break, she took the dogs outside and watched while they played in the yard, keeping her eyes on the line of trees that marked the entrance to the forest. If the killer was hiding in there, the search dogs would have found him, she thought. It should have been a comforting thought, but she half expected to see the killer pop out from between the trees anyway.

  Suddenly, Bunny froze. Sawyer was caught by surprise and almost tripped over her but managed to leap over the tiny dog at the last minute. The papillon’s ears were perked, and she was looking toward the side of the house.

  “What is it?” Ellie asked, feeling goosebumps on her skin. She heard a car door slamming shut and relaxed slightly. It was probably just Russell; he must have forgotten something important.

  Before the dogs could run around the side of the house, she urged them inside and locked the back door behind her before walking through to the front. She opened the front door before whoever had just arrived could knock.

  She was surprised to see Joanna, the owner of the small hotdog shop, standing on her front stoop. The other woman had a paper grocery bag in her arms and was wearing a cheerful expression on her face.

  “I brought the stuff for cupcakes,” she said. “I got eggs too; I figured you might not have had a chance to go shopping yet – I know you just got back.”

  Ellie blinked at her, then realized with a jolt that she had completely forgotten that she had promised to host the monthly small business club meeting today. She had been so busy with everything else since returning from her trip that it had slipped her mind.

  “Come on in,” she said, stepping to the side. “Sorry, something came up. I've got a lot to tell you. You can put the supplies on the counter in the kitchen.”

  “Is everything okay?” Joanna asked as she walked through the house, careful not to step on either of the dogs, both of whom were happily vying for her attention.

  “My neighbor got shot last night,” Ellie said. “I was up late talking to the police, and Russell is at work now going over the evidence. It was horrible.”

  “Oh, my goodness,” Joanna said. “Did you know your neighbor well? Is he going to be okay?”

  “He passed away,” Ellie said. “And no, I didn't know him very well, but it's still terrible.”

  “Did you want to cancel the meeting tonight? I should have called to confirm – I wasn't thinking.”

  “No, we can still have the meeting this evening. I'll be grateful for the company. I'm glad you came; I don't like being here alone after what happened.”

  “I don't blame you.” She started taking the ingredients out of the paper bag and putting them on the counter. “So, do you want to talk about it?”

  “I'd rather just do something fun and hopefully distract myself from thinking about what happened,” Ellie said. “I've been thinking about it all day.”

  “I don't blame you,” Joanna said. “Well, let's make the cupcakes. I think everyone is planning on coming. Do you know if Shannon will be here?”

  “I don't know. I would guess that she won't be. She is getting pret
ty far along in her pregnancy. I know James likes her to stay home a lot. He's worried about her driving all over the place.”

  “I know it's been hard for her,” Joanna said. “She loves having her freedom, that's for sure. I bet she can't wait until the baby is born.”

  “She is beyond eager,” Ellie said. She bent down to take a mixing bowl out of one of the cupboards. “I haven't told her about this yet. I know I should, but I don't want to stress her out. She’ll be mad if she finds out something like this happened and I didn't tell her, though.”

  “You should call her,” Joanna said. “I'm sure she’ll find out from James, anyway. The murder will probably be the talk of the town soon enough. I hope they catch the guy quickly.”

  “Me too,” Ellie said. “It's terrifying to think that the killer is still out there. I wish I knew my neighbor better. I have no idea why someone might want to kill him. It could have been anyone.”

  “Well, what does Russell think?”

  “I don't think he has any leads yet,” Ellie said. “I hope by the time he gets back this evening he will have more news to share.”

  The two women continued to chat as they made the cupcakes. As always, the act of cooking helped Ellie calm down. She had yet to discover a better way to relax. By the time they got the cupcakes into the oven, the kitchen was a mess, but she felt a lot better. She knew that it wasn't likely that the killer would still be in the area. She probably wasn't in any danger, but it didn’t hurt to be a little more aware than she usually was. She double checked that the window above the sink was securely locked, figuring that if someone did try to break in, she could at least make it as hard for them as possible.

  The two of them had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when there was another knock on the front door. Ellie checked the time and realized that the small business club meeting was about to start. She felt bad that the house was messy, and that she didn't have the plate of appetizers ready like she usually did, but she knew that her friends would be understanding.

  She ushered the dogs into the study, then went to answer the front door. She greeted all the usual members and was surprised to see someone new.

  “This is my friend, Andrea Cook. She oversees the activity center at the library,” the woman who owned the flower shop said.

  “Call me Andy,” the woman said. She looked to be in her late thirties, with short, spiky hair, and a quick smile. She shook Ellie's hand.

  “It's nice to meet you,” Ellie said.

  “It's nice to meet you too. Your house is beautiful. I know I don't technically run a small business – the library is a nonprofit, after all – but I heard about this little club you have going, and I thought it sounded just wonderful. I hope it's okay that I invited myself along.”

  “Of course,” Ellie said. “My friend, Shannon, attends sometimes, and she doesn't own a business either. While the focus is on our small businesses, it's really just a good excuse for us all to get together, eat snacks, and talk about the town. You're welcome to join us and see what you think. Come on in.”

  The rest of the guests arrived one by one over the next few minutes. Once everyone was standing around in the dining room, Joanna brought out the platter of cupcakes – which she had frosted while Ellie was busy greeting the guests – and they all sat down.

  Ellie spent the first few minutes of the meeting telling a simplified version of everything that had happened on her honeymoon. The Florida pizzeria was hers, after all, and everything that had happened there had an impact on the business as a whole. Next, Joanna took the floor.

  “As some of you know, my husband, Steve, is a developer.”

  There were grumblings. Everyone liked Joanna, but very few people liked her husband. He was a nice man – Ellie had met him a few times – but he had big plans for the small town. Many of the townspeople didn't want to see their home change. Ellie could understand the sentiment. She didn't want to see Kittiport become something that it wasn't, either.

  “Steve wants to open his new hotel by the end of summer,” Joanna continued, ignoring the complaints. “He loves how closely knit this town is and wants to use as many local sources as possible. He wants to order flowers from local floral shops, he wants to use a local cleaning company, and he wants to have a stand where everyone can set up their business cards and pamphlets about the area. I told him that I would extend his offer to everyone at the meeting. If you're interested in having your business card or a flyer featured in the hotel, just bring it to me. I know a lot of you don't like the idea of a big, fancy hotel opening up in town, but he really does want to help stimulate the local economy.”

  Wanting to keep the meeting positive, Ellie thanked Joanna and the other woman took her seat. She was surprised to see the new woman, Andy, raise her hand next.

  “Can I say something?”

  “Sure,” Ellie said. “Go ahead.”

  Andy stood up and looked around at them. She cleared her throat. “Well, the library is always looking for new activities to offer. We don't really pay for anything that we put on, but it's a great way to get your name out there and get interest in whatever it is that you do. We'd love it if someone could offer a cooking class or maybe a class on knitting or setting up floral arrangements. Just little stuff like that.”

  “A cooking class?” Ellie asked. “Would you be looking for someone to go over all the basics, or for something specific like making pizzas?”

  “Either way,” Andy said. “If you wanted to come out one afternoon and do a class on pizza making, that would be wonderful.”

  “That sounds like it might be fun,” Ellie said. “I will look at my schedule, but I think I'd like to do that sometime soon. I'm sure some of the others would be interested as well.”

  The rest of the meeting went smoothly. Ellie felt much better than she had that morning as she said goodbye to her guests as they left for the evening. It was good for her to be around other people, and she loved how much the town was really drawing together. They were supporting each other, getting to know each other, and reaching out when they needed help.

  Joanna was the last to leave. “Let me know if you hear anything about what happened to your neighbor,” she said on her way out the door. “I really hope they catch the killer soon.”

  “I will,” Ellie said. “I'll see you sometime this week.”

  “See you,” Joanna said, waving as she walked to her car.

  Ellie stepped onto the front stoop to wave at her friend as she drove away. As Joanna's car pulled out of the driveway, something in the neighbor’s yard caught her eye. It was a For Sale sign, and it hadn't been there yesterday.

  CHAPTER SIX

  * * *

  Ellie stared at the sign, her frown deepening with each passing moment. She didn't know much about crime scenes, but she was almost certain that a house that had been the scene of a murder the night before shouldn't be up for sale the very next day. Her first instinct was to call Russell, but then she realized that a car was parked in the driveway. Not only was there a sign up in the yard, but someone was actually at the neighbor’s house.

  Her curiosity getting the better of her, she pulled the front door shut behind her and walked across the lawn. When she reached the neighbor’s property, she made a beeline for the door and rapped on it with her knuckles before putting her hands on her hips.

  It wasn't long before the door was pulled open and an impeccably dressed middle-aged woman was looking out at her.

  “Can I help you?” the woman said.

  “Hi, I'm the neighbor,” Ellie said. “Eleanora Ward. What's going on?”

  “Oh, we're just putting the house up for sale,” she said. “My name is Angela Franklin. I'm with Franklin Real Estate. You’re the one who lives in that big white house next door?”

  “Yes,” Ellie said. “Why are you in the house? How did you get permission to sell it so quickly?”

  “I'm sorry, but I don't think I understand why you’re upset,” the agent said, h
er brow creasing. “The owner has been planning on selling the house for a long time. This has actually been a very slow process.”

  Ellie was beginning to realize that this woman had no idea what had happened. She must have already had a key to the house. Maybe Holden had set this date up weeks ago. She may not have any idea that he was dead.

  “You probably shouldn't be in there,” Ellie said. “It's a crime scene.”

  “A crime scene?” Angela's eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

  “My neighbor was shot and killed last night.”

  Angela's hand flew to her mouth. She looked over her shoulder, as if expecting to find the killer walking down the hall behind her.

  “I didn't… I didn't have any idea. Why isn't there any crime scene tape? Do you think I'll be in trouble? Oh, my. I have to go get my stuff.”