Paige wiped her hands on her apron. “Has he learned anything about poor ole skeletor?”
Stormi laid her purse on the counter and pulled out a sheet of paper. “I made sure to write it all down because you know how scatterbrained I am. Anyway, a man went missing around 40 years ago by the name of Clifford Ewing. From what forensics can tell, the height and build match this Clifford dude. So now they have to do DNA testing to make sure.”
I placed my finished ice cream cake into the freezer. “How will they do that?”
Stormi continued. “The man never married or had any children, but he had a sister who is still alive. Supposedly they can take a DNA sample from her, test it, and see if it’s enough of a match to his DNA.”
“Then the next question is; why was he in the wall?” I asked. “I’m guessing he was murdered and then hid there.”
“Oh yes,” Stormi replied. “He was murdered. They examined his skull and it was cracked open so he was likely struck from behind. I’m guessing it was right there in the building and the murderer decided it better to hide him there than to try and sneak a dead body out and dispose of it somewhere else.”
Paige sat down on a stool. “Yeah, but wouldn’t you think someone would come in and smell it? A dead body is going to stink up the place.”
Stormi became increasingly excited. “Okay, here’s the thing. This Clifford Ewing had an office there. His father was a lawyer and he followed in his footsteps. So when he up and disappeared, Mr. Ewing’s sister closed the building and it was like that until she sold it 10 years later. By that time the smell would have dissipated.”
Paige shook her head. “So nobody went in and looked around his office for clues?”
“As I understand it, his office was on the first floor, and the second floor was empty,” Stormi explained. “And back then I doubt the police did much investigating into his files and such. In such a small town they likely didn’t have the man power to do so.”
I walked over and sat beside Paige. “So, let me see if I have this straight. Mr. Clifford Ewing Esquire goes missing one day. A period of time goes by and his sister closes the building. She eventually sells it, I assume because she doesn’t think he’s coming back.”
Stormi nodded.
“Forty years later we discover the skeletal remains of Mr. Ewing who was actually murdered and left to rot in the wall of his own building and office. Evidently, Mr. Ewing had some enemies. But it will be difficult to scare them up, don’t you think, with the amount of time that’s gone by?”
Stormi put on her Frozen Scoop apron. “Greg said they want to interview Clifford’s sister to see if she might be able to shed any light on the case, but she’s in a nursing home.”
Paige twirled her stool towards Stormi. “She must be in her 60’s by now?”
“She’s 74,” Stormi answered. “She’s at the Lighthouse Nursing Home in town.”
“And she probably won’t be able to tell the police much either.”
We all turned around to see Miss Trixie in the doorway with Sam. “Miss Trixie’s been looking for you all and I told her you were back here.”
There were hugs all around as it had been a few weeks since we’d seen Miss T. She and Mr. Florez, her husband, had been visiting with his daughter, Gracie, in Atlanta.
“How is Gracie?” I asked.
Trixie laughed. “She’s doing fine. In fact, we’re all doing much better.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” And I was.
“I hear we’ve had quite the excitement since Ben and I’ve been gone to the big city.”
“You heard right,” Stormi said as she pulled up a chair for Trixie to sit down.
“Well girls, I don’t know how much I can add to this conundrum, but I do remember when Mr. Ewing went missing. Greta and I were young lasses at the time, around 22 or so…I know we were out of high school. Anyway, Greta worked for Mr. Ewing as a secretary.”
That got our interest. We all pulled closer to Trixie.
“I was working down the street at the courthouse as a secretary for the mayor. Greta and I would meet and have lunch every day. Some days we’d eat at the little cafeteria place in town and other times we’d bring a bag lunch and eat in the town park. One day we decided to have lunch on the bench in front of her place of work. Just as we were munching down on our ham salad sandwiches, we heard a big commotion erupting from Mr. Ewing‘s office.”
Stormi pointed next door.
Trixie nodded. “Yep, right there. We sat and listened to the rising voices and what sounded like items being thrown about. Then this man comes marching out the door and yells back in, ‘You’ll be sorry for this Ewing!’ So I look at Greta and ask her who that was. She said it was Mr. Ewing’s best friend, Mr. Lincoln. I said, ‘doesn’t look like they’re best friends now.’ She said that I couldn’t breathe a word of this and up to now I never did, but Mr. Ewing was having an affair with Mr. Lincoln’s wife.”
The three of us sat back. “Sounds like motive to me,” Paige replied.
“He wasn’t the only one,” Trixie continued. “It seems Mr. Ewing wasn’t well liked around town. He was a defense attorney and a good one. The townspeople felt he got quite a few guilty people off with plea deals. And I guess he was paid handsomely for it. But he was like Scrooge. Even when his sister fell on rough times, he wouldn’t help her. Greta said one day she came by to plead with him to give her some money so she could buy food for her baby. He tossed a few coins at her and told her to leave. Greta said it was pitiful.”
“Why did Greta keep working for him?” I asked.
“Greta could hold her own,” Trixie explained. “If there was anyone who could do that it was her. She was probably the only person he wouldn’t get fresh with. She’d have clobbered him if he did.”
We all nodded remembering how mighty Greta could be.
“Besides, when he came up missing, Greta simply moved on to another job. I asked her if she knew what happened to him, but she figured he either up and left or one of his old defendants didn’t like a plea deal and took him out. It really didn’t matter to her either way.”
“So was there not much of an investigation into his disappearance then?” Paige asked.
Trixie stood up. “No, there really wasn’t. No one liked him and the police department didn’t have the manpower. Since no one cared, it went on the back burner to eventually out with the dish water so to speak.”
We all nodded. Suddenly Trixie squealed. “Oh my goodness, who do we have here?”
She walked over to Winchester and stooped down to pet his head. I explained how Winchester came to be with our little group.
“Aren’t you the lucky one,” she told him. “You’ve got a great gig here buster. Don’t mess it up by chewing on your master’s favorite heels.” Winchester smiled up at her and Trixie chuckled.
“Well, I must be on my way. I stopped by to pick up a pint of our favorite, mocha almond. I’ll have Sammy get me some on the way out.”
“It’s so good to have you back in town Miss Trixie.” We gave her a hug goodbye and she bounced out to the front of the shoppe to get her ice cream.
“Wow, so what do we think now?” I asked the girls.
Paige shrugged. “It’s a lot to process, but it sounds like Mr. Ewing had several people who might have wanted him dead. So when is Greg questioning the sister?”
“Tomorrow,” Stormi answered. “In fact he wants me to go with. He’s reasoning is she might feel more comfortable with a woman there.”
“How about three women and a cute puppy?” I ask as I looked over at Winchester.
Stormi grinned. “I don’t see why not.”
*****
We could tell Officer Greg Manning wasn’t quite prepared for all us as we advanced into the police station, including Winchester who was probably the most composed out of all of us. Greg pulled Stormi aside while Paige, Winchester and I waited.
“I don’t think she told him, do you?” Paige asked.
/>
“Of course she didn’t,” I replied. “It’s harder for him to say no if we’re standing three feet away.”
Stormi walked over to us as Officer Manning left to get his police car keys out of his desk. “He said it’s fine if we all go, including Winnie.” As if on queue, Winchester took a squat. “They also received the results of the DNA testing. The nursing home sent over her toothbrush and the lab said it’s enough of a match to be her brother, Clifford Ewing.”
“It didn’t look like he was all that happy to see us,” Paige replied. “You didn’t tell him did you?”
Stormi shrugged. “It skipped my mind. Anyhoo, he said we’re only there to make Miss Ewing feel more comfortable, not to ask any questions…he’ll be handling that part.”
I picked Winchester up and headed towards the door of the police department. “So Miss Ewing never married? I thought she had a daughter.”
“She does, and yes she never married. She had the girl out of wedlock,” Stormi answered.
“Hmmm, that might have been quite the scandal in a small town back then, especially when related to a prominent lawyer,” Paige replied.
“I wonder if Trixie knew about that.” I asked. Surely, she did, but maybe she didn’t have time to tell us everything last evening.
Paige, Winchester and I followed Stormi and Officer Manning in the police car to the Lighthouse nursing home. Once inside we were directed to a little lady sitting in a wheelchair outside in the courtyard. We walked out and introduced ourselves. A picnic table was nearby and Officer Manning wheeled Miss Ewing over to the table so we could sit and talk with her.
She was small, and a handmade afghan lay across her lap. Her short hair was grey and her skin milky white. Her blue eyes twinkled when she smiled.
“I don’t get many visitors,” she said as we all sat down at the picnic table. “So this is a treat.”
She looked over at Winchester as I held him in my lap. “Could I hold him?”
“Of course.” I carried him over and laid him gently on top of the afghan. As if he knew, Winchester curled up on her lap, allowing her to stroke his head.
We girls chatted with her about women type things like recipes and cooking just to get her to feel relaxed. We probably didn’t need to as she seemed very willing to talk. After about five minutes, Officer Manning told her the reason for our visit. That her brother had been found and where.
“Really? Oh my!” Miss Ewing exclaimed. “I always wondered what happened to him. I just thought he left town.”
“Can you think of anyone who would want to do him harm?” Officer Manning asked.
Miss Ewing’s face turned serious and she looked to be in deep thought as she continued to scratch Winchester’s head. “He had a partner at one time, but they had a falling out. I can’t remember what it was about or his name. But I seem to remember an awful lot of yelling.”
“So you were there?” Officer Manning asked.
“Oh yes. There was yelling and screaming. Such an ugly scene. I hate to even think about it.” Her eyes lost their twinkle. “I can’t recall his name.”
“That’s alright Miss Ewing,” Officer Manning said. “We’ll be able to find out. Don’t you worry about that. I believe we’ve taken up enough of your time.”
“Oh no, please don’t leave yet,” she pleaded.
Stormi looked at Greg. “Why don’t you go on and we’ll stay a little longer.” Greg nodded, offered his condolences to Miss Ewing on her brother and bid us all goodbye.
Miss Ewing wanted to chat about her television shows, her stories as she put it. We went along with her, enjoying the warm sunshine on a fall day. She seemed to forget all about the reason for a visit, her dead brother, which was probably just as well. After 30 minutes, it was time for us to get to the shoppe and open for business. As we stood up, a woman a little older than us walked over.
“Mother, who are your visitors?” The lady had shoulder length brown hair and the same blue eyes as Miss Ewing. She seemed nice but also a bit protective. I didn’t blame her at all. I would want to know who these strangers were surrounding my mother as well.
“These are my new friends,” Miss Ewing exclaimed. “Oh forgive me; I’ve forgotten your names.”
We introduced ourselves to Miss Ewing’s daughter, Serena Ewing and the reason for our visit.
Serena put her hand on her mother‘s shoulder. “So you found Uncle Clifford?”
“Yes, the police have his remains at the morgue,” Paige explained.
Serena nodded her head. “I will be in touch with the police. I should take mother to her room; she’s had enough morning sun.”
“Of course,” we all answered. We bid Miss Ewing and her daughter goodbye, but that wasn’t the last we’d see of Serena.
*****
That day passed by uneventfully until the evening. Winchester greeted the customers and everyone was delighted with the new member of the Frozen Scoop staff. With all that transpired since the day we’d found Mr. Ewing, Stormi and I never finished our conversation regarding Brandon. I thought about bringing it up, but would chicken out. Maybe she didn’t want to talk about it or she may have forgotten with all the hubbub going on. But that evening as the night crowd disbursed, she brought it up.
“Did you ever ask Brandon to dinner?”
I was shocked. “Ummm…no.”
“Why not?” Stormi looked at me quizzically.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I wanted to make sure it was alright with you first.”
“You’re kidding right? Why wouldn’t it be fine with me?”
“I don’t know…I guess I thought you might think it weird. Heck, I think its weird myself.”
Stormi filled the mop bucket with water from the sink. “I have to admit, I was taken aback at first, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense.”
I looked at her questioningly. “What do you mean?”
“My brother has had a crush on you since high school. Yes you’re older and back then it would seem out of place, but now that we’re older, who cares about numbers.”
I grabbed the mop out of the back closet. “So he’s had a crush on me all these years?”
Stormi nodded. “Yeah…I mean, I see how he looks at you.” Trixie said the same thing. Why hadn’t I noticed it? Maybe I just wasn’t looking.
I followed Stormi out to the front of the shop, her carrying the bucket of soapy water and me with the mop. She commenced putting the chairs on top of the tables while I mopped.
“Honestly, I think that’s why he never settles with one girl. He keeps looking for someone and can’t find her.” Stormi stopped what she was doing and looked at me. “Maybe that someone is you.”
I waved my hand at her as I mopped the floor. “You’re getting way ahead of the situation. We’ve never even been on a date.”
“I think it’s high time that changed don’t you?”
Perhaps so. Now that I had Stormi’s blessing, maybe I should ask Brandon to dinner. Stormi moved to the front of the store to turn off the open neon sign I installed a few weeks prior. “I can always give him a nudge in your directi…Aaaaaack!”
I dropped my mop and swirled around. Stormi had grabbed her chest. “Oh good grief! Why do people like to peer into this window like ghouls?”
At that moment the door opened and Serena Ewing walked in. “I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Stormi regained her composure. “It’s okay. Halloween always brings out the worst in me.”
Finding skeletons in a wall next door doesn’t help either.
“How is your mother Serena?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”
“She’s the reason I stopped by,” Serena said as she placed her handbag on the ice cream case counter. Stormi stopped our cleaning and walked over to where she was standing.
“I’m not sure what my mother told you today.”
I looked at Stormi. “It wasn’t much, but she did say that your uncle had a partner in h
is law firm and that they had a falling out. She couldn’t remember his name though.”
Serena looked thoughtful. “I see.”
“Do you know who she was talking about?” Stormi asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Serena answered. “I was only seven at the time my uncle disappeared.”
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