by Rose Pressey
I pulled up in front and shut off the engine. Carolyn’s car was nowhere in sight. Maybe no one was home, nevertheless, I’d check anyway. After all…I was already there. Leaves ruffled, the only noise cutting through the still air. I sprinted up onto the wooden porch. It creaked under my feet. Fall décor of pumpkins and bright-colored mums edged the entrance. Cornstalks leaned on the sides of the doorway and a sign peeked up displaying the words: Happy Fall Y’all. An overstuffed scarecrow leaned against the side.
I rapped on the door and tapped my foot as I waited for an answer. After a few seconds, I knocked again. Shifting my feet, I touched the pumpkin, then looked around for any signs of movement. Still no answer. I listened to the rustle of the tall oaks. It was possible that she had gone to town.
When no one answered, I moved over to the window, cupped my hands over my eyes, and pressed my face close to the glass. The house was silent and no one moved about. On my last visit, Carolyn’s home had been meticulously clean—nothing out of place, but this time, papers were scattered about the floor. A few dishes were knocked off from the table. A strange vibe washed over me as I surveyed the scene. Something seemed off, but I couldn’t figure out what that something was.
Without knocking again, I decided to head back into civilization. While I picked up a few things, I’d see if I spotted Carolyn in the area. I turned around on the porch, then paused before stepping off. A few birds chirped and the trees still rustled, but other than that, I was surrounded by silence. A wooded area sat to my right with a walking path cut down the middle. The idea Carolyn might be hiking through her property crossed my mind, so I decided to walk a bit and look for her.
I bounced down the steps, brushed past the azalea bushes, and hiked about twenty feet to a line of trees where the path started. I stepped onto the trail. The path appeared to stretch on indefinitely, cutting through the dark trees like. Only a few beams of sunlight trickled through the branches, making the area eerily dark. The trees hovered above, their dark branches reaching out to grab me.
Careful of where I stepped, I glanced down every few seconds. I continued deeper into the wooded area, and with my next stride, a fallen branch crackled as I stepped across it. My heart beat a little faster, the realization that I could easy step on a snake made me rethink walking any further. I knew I shouldn’t go too far because I had no idea where the path led. If I got lost out here, I doubted the police would send a huge search party for me. When I turned around to head back, leaves crunched from behind and I knew the noise hadn’t come from me because it had continued when I stopped.
A trickle of terror sprouted in my stomach. The fear of being murdered and buried out there where no one would ever find me caused me to panic. I ran and the crackle of dried foliage and twigs breaking continued in my wake. I looked down, as much as I could, and watched each step.
When I attempted to glance over my shoulder, I stumbled and fell to the ground, landing face first into the leaves. At least they cushioned my fall. Now fear consumed me and I panted for air. Why had I come down the path alone? A thorn snagged my sweater and I struggled to break free. I hurried to my feet, then, a voice rang out nearby. What was said, I couldn’t make out. The sound was only a mumble. The oaks and pines draping over me no longer felt protective, but now they seemed to scrutinize my every move from high above.
I scampered toward the entrance of the path as fast as I could. When I reached the end, the footfalls stopped. Breaking free into the sunlight, I leaned over, placed my hands on my knees, and tried to catch my breath. I looked around and no movement caught my eye. As if a light bulb went off, a realization hit me, maybe the noise had been Carolyn coming back from a hike. Sure, that had to be it. My panting slowed as I stood for a couple of minutes and waited, looking down the long path. She never materialized and I now had the heebie-jeebies. I took a deep breath, then dashed over to my car.
Leaning against the hood, I scanned the area one last time, then hurried over and jumped in. Instead of enjoying the scenery this time, I punched the gas and sped down the winding ribbon of dirt lane. Once on the paved road again, I pointed the Volvo in the direction of town and punched the accelerator. The more I thought about the farmhouse sink Reed suggested, the more I thought it would look good and sounded like a good idea. And not because Reed said so, either. I needed something to get my mind off all my worries and searching for something for the house seemed like my best bet. Picking one out would keep my mind off everything. Of course, I made another stop first.
My car sputtered as I came to a halt in front of Sweet Suzie’s—my first stop. Maybe Suzie had seen or heard from Carolyn? Two large topiaries framed the entrance and a Halloween wreath with ghosts and pumpkins hung from the door. The air was tinged with the smell of pies and other baked goodies from the shop across the street, which made me yearn for a cup of hot apple cider to go along with a calorie-laden treat. The wind carried the delicious scent for at least a block.
When I walked in, I halfway expected to see Carolyn—ring-covered fingers clutching a trinket and chatting away, but she wasn’t there. Amongst the display of fall goodies, Suzie sat, unpacking a box of Christmas ornaments. Homemade Halloween signs, faux pumpkins and gourds and one happy looking scarecrow surrounded her.
“Have you seen Carolyn?” I asked.
She glanced up, her reading glasses tipped down on her nose. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t. She hasn’t been in since the other day. But I do think I saw her in town this morning.” She held up a snowman covered in glitter. “Isn’t this pretty? Gotta get the Christmas merchandise out early for the shoppers.”
I nodded, preoccupied by my worry and skated over her questions about the holiday decor. “I went by her farm, but there was no sign of her.” I didn’t mention the lack of housekeeping. Maybe Carolyn was a bit sloppy sometimes. “I tried to call but she didn’t answer.”
Suzie reached beside her and grabbed a truffle from a golden box. After popping it in her mouth, she held out the container and offered me one. I couldn’t resist, so I selected one and popped it in my mouth. “I’m sure she’ll be around soon.”
She didn’t seem worried. Maybe I was overreacting.
“Ron Spencer and Payne Cooper had a fight the day of Payne’s murder.” She nibbled on another piece of chocolate. Her voice was calm as if reading a grocery list. “Apparently, Payne didn’t want him as a business partner anymore. I guess he made enough money that he felt he didn’t need Ron.”
“You amaze me with your gossiping abilities.”
She smiled. “I amaze myself sometimes.”
I laughed.
“So, he definitely had a motive for murder? Perhaps I should confront Ron, too, like I did Julia,” I said.
Okay, so maybe what I did with Julia wasn’t a confrontation, but still…I went to her house. Being alone with Ron Spencer was probably not wise, though. I sighed. At the rate I was going, I’d never find the killer. I hadn’t even ruled anyone out as a suspect.
“I knew that’s why you took that job,” she said.
I smiled sheepishly. “What can you tell me about Nick Patterson?”
“Not much really.” She paused. “I do know where he lives though.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” I chuckled.
“He lives in an apartment on the edge of town. I could go with you later today if you wanted to do some probing.” She pulled out another ornament.
It half-way sounded as if she wanted to snoop.
“Don’t tell my husband though,” she said, “I wouldn’t want him to know I went to spy on a potential murderer.”
“I may take you up on that. Where did you say he lives?” I fumbled in my purse for a pen and paper to write down the info.
“Go down Main Street to Oak and hang a right. A half mile down on the right is an old apartment building. There are only five units in there, so it’s pretty small. You can’t miss it. I’m not sure which one is his, but like I said, it’s tiny and I’m sure you w
ouldn’t have any trouble finding him. Oh…” She popped another truffle and chewed. “And you may want to check the Java Joint for Carolyn.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“The new coffee shop?” I asked.
“Yeah, the one around the corner.”
“I haven’t been in there yet,” I said.
“I have. Quaint place, but terrible coffee.”
“Bad, huh?”
She nodded. “Carolyn goes there a lot. I think all the locals are hanging out there now. They all sit around and gossip about one another.”
And Suzie didn’t love the place? I was shocked.
“I had no idea. I need to get out more, although it sounds kind of like my high school days. And I try to forget those.”
“It’s exactly like high school. If you go in there, heed my warning: Don’t drink the coffee.”
With my index finger, I crossed my heart. “You got it, no coffee. Why does everyone go there if the coffee is so bad?”
“You got me on that one.” She shrugged. “They just hang out. Anyway, you may want to stop by and see if she’s there. Just remember we have some strange characters in this town, and most of them can now be found at the Java Joint.”
“You’re scaring me a little bit. What does that say about Carolyn if she’s there?” I chuckled.
She waggled her eyebrows. “I’ll leave that for you to decide.”
“Thanks again for keeping me updated. I gotta go.” I grabbed another piece of chocolate for the road.
“Come by if you want me to go with you to Nick’s.”
“I will.” I waved over my shoulder.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she warned.
“Of course not.” I chuckled.
On my way to the car, I looked around for flying bricks and stalkers. The coast was clear, at least, I hoped. I steered my clunker out onto the street. As my car putted through town, I thought about how much I loved the historic section with all of its charm and cozy shops. It had a feel to it that couldn’t be found at any shopping mall. I passed the Java Joint and made a mental note to stop on my way back through. I was sure I’d find Carolyn in there, beguiling locals with her colorful stories.
Within minutes, I spotted Oak Street and hung a quick right. I rolled the window down for a better view of the apartments. Sure enough, on the right was a small building with five units, just as Suzie had said. A non-descript building; it had red brick and sparse landscaping. Quite boring, actually. Several bicycles cluttered the grassy area, but missing the children. One unit had Christmas decorations out, even though it wasn’t even Halloween yet. They probably stayed up year round. I turned into the tiny parking lot and picked a spot in the middle of a few other cars. No one was in sight. A gray cat watched me from one of the windows.
A young guy stepped out from one of the apartments and took position on the sidewalk as I shut the car door. He must have been waiting for a ride. A faint breeze drifted through carrying stray leaves with it as I approached.
“Do you know Nick Patterson?” I asked.
The teenager appeared to be lost in the music streaming from his headphones. He looked to be around nineteen, with blonde shaggy hair covering halfway down his eyes. In spite of the chilly temperature, he wore jeans and a t-shirt that read: Men-No shirt, No service. Women-No shirt, Free Beer.
He pulled the headphones off and looked at me blankly for a second, then said, “Uh?”
“Do you know Nick Patterson? Does he live here?” I asked again.
“Yeah, I know him. He lives there with his girlfriend.” He pointed to the apartment on the end.
“Do you know if he’s home?”
“Nah, he’s not there. I just saw him leave. You some kind of lawyer or something?” he asked.
“No.” I chuckled. “I’m not. Does he need one?” I tried to sound casual. I held my breath for his answer.
“As much as I’ve seen the police around here lately, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Really? Lots of police around, huh?” Now I was getting somewhere.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“So, are you friends with Ron?” I asked.
“Nah, I just live next door. The walls are paper thin around this dump, so I always hear way more than I want to. Makes me angry cause I can’t sleep sometimes. Those two fight an awful lot.”
“About what?” I probed.
“Everything and anything. I did hear them fighting about her cheating on him.” He snorted.
“Really?” My ears perked up.
“Yeah, apparently she was having an affair with that dead dude.”
My mouth flew open. No wonder the police were asking him so many questions.
“Really?” I felt my eyes widen and my pulse quicken.
“He was angry when he found out about it.” The teenager continued without noting my expression. “There was another snotty woman over there, too. Talking about her dead husband.”
My knees went weak and my mouth widened. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah, like I said, paper thin walls. That guy has a terrible temper.”
Crap. The guy had a temper and had been following me. Yet, I stood in front of his apartment building. I must have seriously lost my mind. I was asking for trouble.
Before I witnessed Nick Patterson’s temper first-hand, I decided to get the heck out of there. I had a lot of work to do, anyway. Reed had started on the roof and Uncle Oscar would be there to check out the plumbing—nothing like having the help of family. The farm sink would have to wait.
“Thanks,” I said.
The teenager nodded, slipped his headphones back on, and strummed a few notes on his air guitar. On the way from the apartments, as I headed back through town, I spotted the antique shop on the corner. It had more useless items than usual displayed in front. Except for one. Outside, an old door leaned up against the old building next to a couple of broken down chairs. Something about it spoke to me and I steered into the parking lot. I needed something to distract me and help clear my mind and since there wasn’t time to look for the farm sink, this would have to do. The news I’d just discovered had thrown me for a loop. The teenager had confirmed that Nick and Julia knew each other.
My wheels crunched across the gravel as I came to a stop in front of my treasure. I climbed out and walked over to the old door. It looked as if it were from a Victorian house. Glass panels were on top and carved flowers in the two ornate raised panels at the bottom. My guess was it was made of pine, but what did I know? What I would do with it, I had no idea, but I wanted it. Wait ‘til Reed saw my find.
“How much for the old door outside?” I asked.
“Twenty dollars. But I don’t deliver.” Her skin was a pattern of numberless wrinkles and her hair styled into a perfect gray helmet.
“I’ll take it.” I pulled out a twenty from my wallet and paid the woman. “I’ll be back to get it soon.”
“Don’t wait longer than thirty days or I’ll resell it.” She scowled.
“I’ll be back within a couple of days. Do you want me to move it inside?”
She shooed me away. “Nah. My son’ll do it later.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, but didn’t get one in return.
Somewhere in my rehab house, that door would find a new home.
As I pulled back onto the road, I tapped my finger against the steering wheel in time to All Shook Up. In many ways, the title was appropriate. My life was chaotic. It eased my nerves, though, as I headed toward the Java Joint. I contemplated the news about Nick Patterson and Julia Cooper—interesting tidbits, to say the least. Now if I could chat with Ron Spencer, maybe I’d discover they were all in it together. My bravery flew out the window with that idea, though. Something about him gave me a bad vibe.
How could one man accumulate so many enemies? I shook my head at the thought. I had kind of felt sorry for Julia Cooper for being married to a scoundrel. But with her shady behavior, now I wasn’t so sure.
My instincts made me think Ron Spencer or Nick Patterson was the guilty party and Julia the mastermind of the plot. With the details I had discovered, it certainly seemed as if they all had equal amounts of motive. All of them teaming up and scheming to off Payne wasn’t out of the question. But the fact of the matter was, I had no proof any of them did it. I’d add my new findings to my short list of suspect details.
I had more particulars of why everyone might hate Payne and want him dead, but no real clues to lead me to the murderer. The only darn evidence I’d collected was the pad of paper I’d snatched with Call M. scribbled on top. So, basically, I had nothing. My stomach quivered and a sudden rush fell over me as I realized my attempts at solving the crime, in all likelihood, were beyond my reach. Sleuth—I was not. But I needed answers—I craved them.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rosewood was full of colorful characters and, apparently, most of them frequented the Java Joint—Carolyn being one of those interesting folks. If Carolyn weren’t at the coffee shop, maybe they’d have seen her recently? If they confirmed they’d seen her, it would put my mind at ease. But an odd feeling that Carolyn might not be all right hit me. Once the idea took hold, I couldn’t shake it.
Traffic was heavy on Main Street—heavy by Rosewood standards. An old half blue, half rusted Chevy sputtered along in front of me and I longed to give it a nudge. Cars seemed to pause and purr with curiosity through the main thoroughfare. A spot right in front of Java Joint waited, calling to me like a box of chocolates does after a week of dieting. The large coffee cup as a sign dangled above the door. I eyed the empty parking spot, speeding up before competition for the prime spot took it away. People milled around—inside and out.
Suzie said it was popular, but I had no idea so many people frequented the place. It must be the most popular joint in town. I parked the Volvo, smiling inside at getting such a great parking space. I hurried to the door and strolled in but stopped in my tracks as all eyes descended on me. Everything came to a standstill—coffee cups frozen in mid air and conversations stopped. The crowd stared and as I walked toward the counter.
