“Alright folks, thank you for your input. We are going to finish up here, and I will be getting back to you. Then we will have to question all the guests who were at the party tonight. It will take a while. No one leaves town. Ashley can fill you in on the drill if you have any other questions,” Thompson said.
Ashley smiled weakly at Thompson. “Yeah, unfortunately, I can.”
April sighed out loud and grabbed her husband’s arm.
“Let’s go everyone,” April said to them.
They started to walk out, but just then, Detective Thompson walked over to Will.
“I’m sorry to say this. Will Longley, I have to take you to the station for more questioning.”
Lara gasped. “He’s just a kid. He was working with us all night!”
“I’m sorry,” Thompson said. “But he’s twenty-one. He’s not a kid anymore. He admitted he had left the room for a while with Noel White. I think he knows something that he’s not telling us. Something that could concern the murder.”
A cop walked over to Will to escort him to the squad car. Will started to sob and shouted to his sister.
“Lara, please help me!”
“Sorry son, but we have to take you in for more questioning,” Thompson said. He motioned to one of the cops.
“Put him in the car.”
Lara looked absolutely traumatized and started to cry. Ashley put her arms around her friend and tried to comfort her.
Thompson cleared his throat. He looked very upset. His eyes were moist.
“Sorry ladies. I know you didn’t expect this. I’m just doing my job. I have to find out if he knows anything. It’s for his protection too.”
Ashley knew he was just doing his job, and he was right to do it. Will could be under duress. Maybe he had seen or heard something. Maybe he had been threatened by someone. Noel, possibly? Mark? Hartman’s son, Brad? Or maybe Jason Steppe, the big rival?
At the moment, all she could think about was poor Lara. Her friend was in bad shape.
“I want to go with him,” Lara cried.
“Can we go Nate?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah, sure. But we have to question him in private.”
“Of course,” Ashley said.
Ashley noticed Thompson’s broad shoulders were noticeably slumped as he walked away.
***
They walked to Lara’s van as the rest of the cops finished up at the dealership.
“I’m going with you,” Sean said.
“No,” Ashley started to say. “That’s not nece…..”
“I’m going,” he repeated, firmly. “I’ll leave my car here and pick it up tomorrow.”
They both put Lara in the car. She seemed like she was in shock and just stared straight ahead.
“Night mom, night dad, sorry the party ended up this way,” Ashley said.
“Oh honey, it’s not your fault. It’s just terribly sad, though. I hope Will is alright. What could’ve possessed someone to do this awful thing?” April sighed.
Burt swallowed hard. “Hartman was an unlikeable guy, but he didn’t deserve to go like this. At first I thought it was a heart attack when I saw him lying there.”
Ashley gave her dad a big hug. It must’ve been terrible for him to find Bob Hartman. She worried about her own dad’s heart at that moment.
“Dad, go home and lie down, okay? You need to take it easy,” she said.
“I’m going to make sure he does,” April said. “Time to go dear.”
“Why did that fool kid have a breakdown like that? He never did have much smarts. Made himself look really suspicious in front of the police,” Burt said.
“I don’t know; maybe he was just scared,” Ashley reasoned.
“Scared? We were all scared. You didn’t see me acting like a crazy man,” Burt grumbled
“Ashley? Time to go,” Sean said, gesturing to Lara, who was still sitting catatonic in the car.
“Oh yeah, coming now,” she said. She waved to her parents as they got into the taxi.
The three friends drove in silence to the police station. Sean took both Ashley and Lara’s hands as they walked in. Ashley checked in at the desk, and they sat on a long bench and waited. Every now and then she’d glance at Lara out of the corner of her eye. Lara just sat there, staring ahead. No more tears. That was good at least. Or was it?
***
After a long time, Will walked out of the back room with Thompson. He looked like a wet rag. As soon as he saw his sister, he bolted over to her and began sobbing in her arms.
“It’s ok Will, it’s ok,” Lara soothed.
“He’s free to go now,” Thompson told her. “But we will probably need to talk to him again before too long. Thanks for your understanding.”
Was it Ashley’s imagination or had Detective Thompson dropped the Mr. Smooth act that she had always known him to have? He seemed to have changed in the nicest of ways since she had last seen him on the previous case. Ashley liked this new Nate.
Sean walked over to her and took her hand. “Come on Ash, it’s late. Let’s all get back home.” He shook Thompson’s hand. “Thanks for all your help.”
“Of course,” Thompson said.
Ashley sighed. “Well, let’s go then. Good night Nate.”
Lara started to get in the driver’s side, but Sean insisted on taking the wheel. She sat in the back seat with Will.
“Can you drop me off at my place first?” Will asked.
“No, you’re coming home with me tonight,” Lara said.
“Awww, come on sis, please--”
“Will, that’s enough,” Lara said. Her jaw was set tight.
Will groaned and slumped in the back seat. Lara patted his shoulder. They all rode silently on the road. Everything was so still after the crazy, upturned night. The moon was high in the sky, and the headlights bounced off the dark trees. Pretty soon Lara and Will started to doze off, their heads lolling on the back seat.
Sean let out a big sigh. “Thank God it’s all over for now. Hopefully no more trouble.”
“Copy that,” Ashley said.
“Hey, that’s your dad’s phrase,” Sean said.
“Yeah, you know what they say about the apple not falling far from the tree,” she said.
Sean’s voice sounded strange all of sudden. “Uh Ash, what do you say about that?”
“About what?”
“About the car that just turned out of that side road and is now speeding up behind us?”
“What car?” Ashley asked.
“The one coming up on our rear bumper fast!” Sean yelled.
Before Ashley could turn around, the mystery car smashed into the back of them.
Lara and Will had their seatbelts on but were still jerked forward from the impact.
“Whaaa...?” Will exclaimed. Just then, the car behind them hit their bumper again.
“Call 911!” Ashley yelled. “And hit the gas,” she shouted at Sean.
Lara called 911 and started shouting into the phone about what was happening. She kept the line open.
“Hear that? We’re being pursued by a car and hit from behind!” she yelled.
Sean sped up and started to barrel down the road. Ashley was gripped with fear. She called Nate Thompson’s cell.
“Nate, we’re being followed by a car that keeps ramming into us. We’re right near Willow Road. Please help!” she pleaded.
“I’m on it, keep driving! Don’t stop,” he barked.
Sean kept his hands tight on the wheel and drove as fast as he could without going off the road. Several minutes went by as they all yelled each time the car behind got closer and tried to ram them. Finally, they heard the faint siren of a police car in the distance. It got louder as it got closer. Then there seemed to be more cop cars coming as there were multiple sirens now. The car behind them suddenly sped up and flew on by. Ashley tried to get a look at it, but it was too dark, and the car was too fast. It swerved off the road to the side of them and turned left i
nto a side lane and turned off its lights, then disappeared.
“Slow down and pull over,” Ashley shouted.
They came to a stop, and Sean jumped out to flag down the police car. As soon as it stopped, the other cop cars could be heard getting really close now.
“The car turned down that lane to the left and took off,” Sean explained to the cops.
One officer radioed to the others, and two cars followed up the side lane in pursuit.
“We have orders from Detective Thompson to escort you all back,” a cop said.
Ashley sighed in relief. “Thank you, oh thank you so much.”
They all looked they were ready to have a meltdown after everything that had transpired tonight.
***
They drove home with the cop car following them all the way. Everyone was talking about what happened and theorizing who it could be. Was it the murderer? Had they known Burt had found the body? And that Ashley and Sean had seen it too? Were they hiding when the police arrived?
Will was strangely silent. He sat frozen in the back seat. Ashley kept glancing at him in the rearview mirror, but he kept his head down and looked to the side.
Sean stopped at Ashley’s apartment and looked at Lara.
“Are you ok to drive to your place from here? We’ll tell the cop to follow you.”
“Yeah, I’m ok. Night,” Lara said. She sounded robotic.
“Do you want us to come and stay with you?” Ashley asked.
“No thanks. Will and I have to have a talk. I’ll call you tomorrow,” Lara said.
Ashley gulped. “Ok. Night Will,” she said.
Will looked at Sean and Ashley and nodded. He looked nervously at Lara. It was going to be a long night for them. The cop car followed Lara as she drove off.
Sean watched as they drove away, then turned to Ashley.
“I’m staying with you tonight after what happened,”
Ashley felt awkward for a moment.
“I’ll sleep on your couch,” he added.
Even after the events of tonight, Sean was thoughtful of her feelings and wanted to let her know he wasn’t pushing it.
“Ok,” she answered, meekly.
Ashley climbed the stairs to her unit with a weariness she hadn’t felt in her bones since last year after the murder of her old boss, Darren. She could hear Sean let out a big sigh as he walked behind her. Her worst fears had been realized. Crime had returned to Comfortville, and she and her friends were already in the middle of it.
***
When she opened the door, Charlie was sitting right in front of it on the inside looking wide-eyed. He had his mouse toys near him. Whenever she was gone for a longer time than usual, he would drag his toys out for comfort. Susie Q sat on the couch, blinking. They both had a look that seemed to say, ‘if you were going to be out this late, you should have left us an extra snack,’ then they both started to meow in unison.
Ashley immediately went to the kitchen and gave them some treats to calm them down. Then she went to get Sean a blanket and pillow for the couch. There was an awkward silence as she made up the couch for him.
“Uh, let me get you a towel for your shower,” she said and walked into the other room.
She was acutely aware that although they had been seeing each other for a little while, they weren’t quite “there” yet. Even thought they were in their thirties, Ashley had wanted to take it really slowly with Sean. It was because she cared so much about him. She didn’t want to rush and spoil it. As comfortable as being with him was most of the time, she was grappling with her emotions right now. Apparently so was Sean. He gazed long and hard at her when she came back in with towels.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, softly.
Charlie bounded over to Sean and jumped on the couch. He started to purr.
“Guess he’s sleeping with you tonight,” Ashley said.
“Yeah, we’re buds, right Charlie?” Sean scratched him behind his ears.
“Well, good night. I’ll make us breakfast in the morning,” Ashley said.
Sean smiled back. “Now, that’s something to dream about.”
Ashley scooped up Susie Q on her way to bed.
“It’s you and me tonight,” she said to Susie. Susie purred her approval.
Ashley lay in bed looking at the ceiling. She had to call Thompson and report in. She got his voice mail. He must know that they were okay as she was sure the cop had told him they got home safely. Still, she needed to talk to him and try to figure out why they had been followed. Why were they targeted? So many questions. She would call him again in the morning.
“Confusion now hath made his masterpiece.’ That’s from Macbeth, Susie.”
Susie looked at her as if to say ‘whatever you say mom,' then curled up in a ball.
Everyone dropped quickly off to sleep. It had been a tough night. Soon the apartment was still. Charlie licked his paws and purred as he lay curled up next to Sean.
***
Deep in the night, down in the courtyard there was a single bark. Then a muffled curse. Charlie jumped up on the windowsill and hissed. Then he let out a shriek and jumped on Sean’s head.
“Charlie, what the…?” Sean grumbled.
He rubbed his head where the cat had landed on him full force. Charlie jumped back up on the windowsill and stared down at the courtyard. Sean sat up and looked out the window. It was pitch black except for the courtyard lights in the plants, and he couldn’t see or hear anything unusual. He reached out and petted Charlie.
“Hey boy, it’s okay. Nothing down there. Let’s go back to sleep,” Sean said.
Sean fell back into a deep slumber. Charlie stayed on high alert, his tail lashing as he gazed at the courtyard below. It was some time before he climbed down and curled up again next to Sean.
Chapter Seven
Sean was up early and had already showered by the time Ashley got out of bed. She padded out of the bedroom into the kitchen to make coffee and saw him getting ready to take Charlie for a walk.
“Oh, you don’t have to take him,” she said. “You relax, I’ll walk him.”
“No way,” Sean said. “This is our ‘bro bonding time.”
Charlie looked at her and yowled as if to say “too late mom, we’re on a roll,” and out the door they went. She smiled to herself. How many guys would walk your cat? Or even your dog for that matter?
She went into the kitchen and started getting things ready for breakfast. She had just gotten some farm fresh eggs and the yolks were a dark gold. She pulled out a baguette from two days ago. Its crust was already a bit stale, but it would be perfect for toasting. There was just enough fresh boysenberry jam from the farmer’s market left.
She cut up some fresh potatoes and chopped some fresh parsley. Then she grated some parmesan cheese for the eggs. Lastly, she squeezed some fresh oranges from a farmer’s market batch for juice and got the hot water ready to make some nice strong espresso.
Ashley smiled to herself. “Sean deserves a great breakfast for all he’s done for me.” She was absorbed in thought when she suddenly heard loud talking in the courtyard. She walked over to the living room window and peeked down. Mrs. Norris was talking to Sean and gesturing wildly.
“Oh no, Mrs. Norris cornered Sean,” she thought. She had to help him out before he got his head talked off. She opened her window and called out casually.
“Hey Sean, breakfast is ready,” Ashley said.
“Coming!” he said. Of course, it took him another ten minutes before he was able to break away and escape upstairs.
When he came in the door with Charlie, he looked out of breath.
“Hey, Charlie doesn’t walk that fast,” she said.
Charlie gave her a look as if to say, ‘don’t blow my cover mom,’ and walked over to the kitchen to beg for some bits of breakfast. Susie Q was already there looking cute in hopes that she would get a nibble or two.
“Your landlady asked me a million questions. I could barely keep
up,” Sean said.
“I bet she did. You’ll have to tell me over breakfast,” Ashley replied.
“Look what Charlie found,” Sean said.
He held up a brass key ring with an “H” on it and a silver plated whistle.
“It’s the same one that was handed out at the party last night.”
“What the--?” Ashley asked. How did that get in her apartment courtyard? She looked at Charlie. “Where did he find it?”
“Near the potted palm off to the left on the way out to the street. He just started sniffing around there and pulled it out from behind the pot with his paw,” Sean explained.
“Was it yours and maybe you dropped it last night?” she asked him.
“I was too busy working; I never got one,” he said.
“Me neither,” she mused.
“You know, Charlie was hissing at the window and jumped on my head late last night,” Sean said.
That meant someone who had gotten the key ring had dropped it in her courtyard. Who could that be? Ashley stood there racking her brains.
Time to call Nate Thompson.
Just then, her cell phone rang.
“Ashley? Detective Thompson here.”
“Oh, hi Nate. I was just going to call you again.”
“I got your voicemail. Cops told me you got home ok,” he replied.
“But the guys lost that car last night. It had too much of a head start up that back road. But they’re on their way over to your friends to look at the rear bumper damage and see if they can find any paint scrapes from another car. They’re also on the lookout for a car with front bumper damage. They’ll find it.”
“Good. Do you know who it might have been? Do you think it’s still related to the old drug ring? Or could it be related to the murder last night?” Ashley asked.
“I don’t know yet. Don’t want to speculate. But we will get answers soon. Someone will see something, or we will see it first. That’s the one advantage of a small town.”
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Collection Page 24
