by Linnea West
"I do think you should move the body," Max said. He was starting to talk faster and faster, trying to make sure he could finish our conversation before the phone dropped our call. "I wouldn't normally say that, but I am for two reasons. First of all, if you can put it somewhere cold it will slow down any decomposition and will maintain any evidence there might be. Second of all, since this is basically a poisoning, there isn't any other physical damage that you may destroy by moving him."
Thank goodness Tank was here because he could help me with that. Hopefully he was old enough to not be scarred for life by moving a dead body with his big sister.
"One last thing," Max said as the phone call started to crackle. We were losing what little connection we had. "You need to keep yourself safe, Tessa."
"I will, you know that."
"I just don't want to lose you," Max said. He knew full well that I managed to get myself into trouble more frequently than any normal adult does. "I love..."
And with that, the phone call died. Just my luck. The first time we were going to tell each other that we loved each other since we got back together and we were thwarted. I stared at the phone in my hand, wondering if that was some sort of omen from the universe.
"I love you too," I whispered.
"What?" Mandy asked from her perch next to Jake's dead body. "Never mind, just tell me the game plan."
I ran her through what needed to be done and we moved on to the first course of action, which was to help Tank finish looking through the food so that we could check that off of our list. As we cleared out the fridge and pantry, I told Tank the plan also.
As the oldest of five kids, I'm used to being the biggest and the one in charge. I also am used to each of my siblings being stuck at a certain age in my mind. In my mind, Tank is perpetually four years old. Obviously he is well over six feet tall and weighs about three times as much as me, but I still always think of him as being so young.
But after I told him the plan, there was a moment where it dawned on me that he was seventeen and practically an adult. His eyes were serious as he looked at me, ready to be a partner in my crazy investigative plan and not just some little brother who follows me around.
"So I'm assuming I'm the one who has to carry the corpse?" he said. "Where do you want him?"
"Well I can help you," I said, knowing full well that having Tank do it by himself would be much easier than having me pretend to help him. The height difference alone meant Tank would have to practically crawl on his knees for me to be of any help. "But I was thinking we could put him on a tarp out on the back porch."
"You and Mandy get the tarp and some blankets and I will get the body," he said.
Tank knelt down and gently put his arms underneath Jake's rapidly cooling body. He stood up slowly, being careful to give the dead body the respect it deserved. I walked to the door to the entryway hall and peeked out. The last thing we needed was someone to see us moving the body and go to pieces. It was empty and I could still hear voices up in the living room.
"Mandy, go stand in the doorway to the living room and make sure no one comes out while we are moving him," I said.
Mandy casually walked up the hallway and leaned against the door frame, careful not to make it look like she was guarding them even though she definitely was. Seeing her calm demeanor made me wish she would help me with these investigations more often. Not that I necessarily loved getting roped into these situations all the time, but I did enjoy true crime podcasts and books so it was kind of exciting to put my skills to good use every once in a while.
Mandy, on the other hand, got too freaked out by true crime stuff. I had recommended her my favorite podcast once but the first time they mentioned something that wasn't even that gory, she deleted it off of her phone and swore never to listen again. So her usefulness was extremely limited. In fact, the only reason she was being this helpful now was surely because she was stuck here for an undetermined amount of time.
I nodded my head back to Tank and held the door open. He slowly lumbered up to the door, turning to make extra sure that he wouldn't slam Jake's head into the door frame. After he passed me, I quietly pushed the door shut so that no one would hear and get suspicious.
Tank's large frame walked slowly and steadily down the hallway with Jake's head and feet the only things visible, dangling over his arms on either side. I already knew there would be a tarp on the back porch, so I wasn't worried about running ahead to find one.
"What are you doing?"
A voice from the staircase startled me and I turned to see Lyle coming down from his room. His eyes were wide and he was grasping the handrail of the staircase so hard that I could see his knuckles turning white.
Tank turned and looked at me. His face that had been so serious and sure had now softened to look more like the childlike face I was used to. He was worried and looking to me for some help. I waved my hand, shooing him towards the back porch as I bounded up the stairs just in time to grab Lyle's arm as he sat down hard on one of the stairs.
"It's okay Mr. Roberts," I said. "We were told by the emergency dispatchers to put Jake's body somewhere cold to help slow any decomposition. We are moving him to the back porch until someone can get through the storm to help us with him."
I cringed at the words I had picked, but I plowed on with my polite, but somewhat stern, customer service voice. From his perch on the stairs, Lyle's face crumpled. This must be the first time he had been so close to a dead body and it seemed to really be throwing him for a loop.
"Maybe you could go wait in the living room with the others, Mr. Roberts?"
I made it more of a command than a suggestion, and as he showed signs of starting to stand up, I grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet. Tank was almost to the porch door; I needed to help him.
"Mr. Roberts, I'll be in to talk to everyone in a moment," I said. "Please make your way to the front room."
I walked backwards, making sure that he was on his way. As soon as he rounded the corner into the living room, I grabbed the door knob to the porch and pushed it open.
The porch was freezing cold and the wind was still whipping snow everywhere outside. The porch was a three season porch, so it had no insulation from the winter temperatures. I shivered as I grabbed a tarp off of a ramshackle shelf that stood on one side of the door. It held all sorts of random outdoor things and I was glad that the tarp I assumed would be there was still there.
It was so cold that I started to shiver uncontrollably as I spread the tarp on the wooden floor of the porch. Once it was down, Tank knelt down and together we spread Jake out on the tarp. The porch was pretty weather tight, but I didn't want to take any chances.
"Tank, go grab a blanket to cover him with," I said.
Tank ducked out the door and for a moment, I was alone with the body. I took Jake's cold hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. His face was still a bit swollen and red. It was odd to be with someone who had just died because he looked like he could wake up at any moment and be upset that he was on the cold back porch.
"I promise that I will find who did this to you," I whispered.
There had been a few times now that I had found a dead body and felt compelled to investigate, but this was the first time that I had seen someone actually die. That fact was weighing heavy on my mind and I was not going to take that for granted. I was going to solve this and figure out who would do this to Jake Crawford.
Chapter Eight
After Tank and I covered Jake with a blanket, we joined Mandy in the doorway to the living room. Everyone looked just like I had left them, except Lyle had come down to the living room. We were only missing two people now and I wanted everyone together so I could get them up to speed on what was happening.
"Mandy, can you run upstairs and get Candy and Claudia down here?" I asked.
With a nod, Mandy dashed up the stairs and I could hear her knocking on the door one of the doors at the top of the stairs. I glanced around the living room, w
ondering who had been the one to poison Lyle. It was eerie to know that someone here was a killer. Someone had taken advantage of Jake's allergy and used it against him.
I felt someone grab my elbow and turned to see Mandy was back with Candy and Claudia following close behind. I moved aside and let them into the living room. No one was paying much attention to us or the people we had just brought down.
"Mandy, Tank, I need you to do something important," I whispered. "When I tell them that Jake's death was not an accident, I need you to help me see how everyone reacts. That will be a major clue for us. Mandy, you watch the table where they are playing a game and Tank, you watch Lyle and Claudia."
They both nodded at me, ready to help the investigation. Tank cleared his throat loudly and everyone looked towards us. There was a startled look that seemed to be shared by almost everyone here. I don't think anyone was suspecting that Jake's allergy attack was anything but an accident. I felt bad that I was about to rip their feeling of peace away from them.
"If I could please have everyone's attention, I have a few things to say," I said.
The wind was howling outside, blowing so much snow past the window that we could hardly see the bird feeders that were placed in the yard just a few feet away. It was going to take a while for any help to be here, so I needed to make sure not to scare anyone or freak out whoever did this to Jake.
"First of all, everyone should know that I have been in contact with the police," I said. "They are sending an ambulance and police officer, but we should be prepared to not see them for a while. Obviously this storm is extremely bad and we are low on the priority list."
"A dead body is low on the priority list?" Lyle yelled. "That is incredibly rude and demeaning to the memory of Jake."
A sob erupted from Anna, who until then had been quietly crying. Dawn scooted down the couch to put her arm tentatively around Anna's shoulders.
"What they mean is that there are people stuck in their cars literally freezing to death," I said, glaring at Lyle. "Rescuing them is higher on the priority list than taking care of someone who is already dead and cannot come back to life."
Lyle shrank back towards the wall, sheepishly pretending like he was looking through the books on the bookshelf. His wife, Claudia, was giving him a look, obviously confused about his outburst.
"Either way, we were advised to move Jake's body to somewhere cold to slow down any decomposition," I said, looking anywhere but at Anna as she let out another sob. I understood, I really did. But I had to relay the news. "We have moved his body to the back porch and we ask that no one bother the body until the ambulance arrives to take him away."
This was met with nods and some murmurs of agreement. I don't think anyone would bother Jake's body. He was dead and he hadn't died in some sort of way that left evidence, so I wouldn't have to worry about the killer disturbing the body. At least, I don't think I would have to worry about it.
"I have one other important thing to say," I said. "Jake obviously died because of an allergic reaction to fish, but I'm going to go ahead and tell you that it was not an accident."
The small amount of noise in the room dropped off immediately and everyone's eyes were on me. Dawn still had her arm around Anna and they both had tears in their eyes, but they both were staring at me with their mouths open and their eyes wide. My parents were both turned around in the chair and I could see exactly what they were doing. They were searching my face, trying to see if I was lying or playing some sort of sick joke.
Annoyingly, Candy was standing next to Clark and when I revealed that this incident was not an accident, she clutched onto him like she was about to fall over. I tried not to scowl as I looked away. Candy hated that Clark and I went out because she wanted him all to herself.
"One person here decided to put fish in Jake's dinner, knowing full well that he was allergic," I said. "I don't know why, but I do know that it was not an accident."
I paused, trying to decide what to say next. Whoever killed Jake did so for some totally unknown reason. If I knew the reason, I would know how to address the situation. But I didn't want to anger whoever did it. We were all stuck here during this winter storm for an undetermined amount of time and I didn't need to anger someone who had already killed one person.
After one more glance around the room, I decided that I needed to take the lead. If no one took the lead, chaos may break out. So I made the split-second decision to step up.
"I want to assure you all, especially whoever did this to Jake, that I will find out who did this," I said. "I will figure it out and I will make sure you are turned over to the police. Mandy and Tank will be assisting me and we will be questioning everyone to see if anyone noticed anything. All we ask is for your cooperation. Thank you."
I walked out into the hallway and as soon as I was out of view of the living room, I took a deep breath and bent down, putting my hands on my knees. At the ripe old age of thirty I felt both like I was technically an adult, but also that I was play-acting as an adult. It didn't help that I was living with my parents.
A hand pressed lightly on my back and I turned to see Mandy standing beside me. She didn't have to say anything. I could see through her expression that she was cheering me on and telling me that she believed in me. She had always been my biggest cheerleader and even though she was chomping on a piece of gum as she did it, I appreciated the gesture.
I thought a cup of coffee was in order. Of course at this point in the evening, I'd have to make decaf. But I just couldn't kick my coffee habit and a decaf cup was better than caffeinated.
"Mandy, will you go into the living room and see if anyone would like a cup of decaf coffee or a cup of tea?" I asked. "I'm going to head to the kitchen and put a pot on."
"Yes, I can do that," she said, giving me a small scowl.
I seemingly lacked that little angel on my shoulder that talks me out of doing things I shouldn't, like eating three donuts in a day or drinking coffee at night. Mandy takes the place of that angel. She doesn't judge but does discourage. And honestly, I like that and I need that.
I headed through the dining room, trying not to think about the fact that someone had died there just over an hour ago, and walked through the swinging door to the kitchen. Unfortunately, I walked right into my worst nightmare.
As the door pushed open, I could see Clark and Candy locked in a passionate embrace. They were holding each other so tightly that they were almost melding into one person. As soon as they realized that they weren't alone anymore, they jumped apart, trying to pretend like they hadn't just been making out in the kitchen of a bed and breakfast.
At first, they didn't realize who had walked in on them, but as soon as they saw it was me, each of their faces flipped immediately to a different emotion. Clark's face automatically blushed itself into a look of shame while Candy's face twisted itself up into an evil sneer.
"Really?" I said, trying not to get too loud. Just what I didn't need was to have everyone think that someone else had died. "In my own house?"
Candy started to giggle and I couldn't tell if it was a giggle of embarrassment or glee, but I had a feeling that it was a bit of both.
"Oops," she said with a smile. Candy briefly put her hand on Clark's arm and when he shrugged it off, she slipped back through the door to the living room.
Clark and I were left staring at each other. I didn't have to tell him how I felt because I could feel that it was written across my face. Judging by his expression, he was feeling really bad about it. But it was a little too late for that. He should have thought about it before he started kissing another girl in my house.
"Please leave the kitchen," I said as flatly as I could manage. "I'm making coffee and I don't want to talk to you right now."
Clark ran his hand through his hair, looking too darn handsome and for a moment making me wonder if I should just forget about what I had just walked in on. But after a beat, I realized that I was not the kind of woman to just sit back and le
t a man disrespect me. Absolutely not. Clark would not be getting off that easy.
Once he realized that I was serious and not going to just laugh it off, he sheepishly walked by me, avoiding my gaze. Clark was a flirt for sure and I was okay with him going out with Candy and other women, just not in my house.
I turned my attention back to the coffeepot, throwing together a pot of decaf before I grabbed a cookie to eat while I watched the coffee brew.
Recently, I had been wondering about my true thoughts about being with Clark. It was fun and exciting, but when I compared him to Max, Clark lost pretty much every time. Maybe I need to think about ending this whole "dating for fun" time of my life and move back into a "dating seriously" time. The only thing that scared me is what would happen if Max wasn't ready to date seriously.
Chapter Nine
Mandy came back in shortly with a list of coffee and tea orders from the living room. Hopefully it isn't weird to call your totally an adult best friend/almost sister cute because Mandy totally was. She came bustling back in with a little pad of paper and a pencil up above her ear like she was playing waitress. It was funny though because everyone said Mandy and I looked a lot a like but while I could agree that Mandy was cute, I would not say the same about myself.
"Okay, what's wrong?" she asked as soon as she saw my face, which I was stuffing with cookie.
I explained what I had walked into and she gave a sympathetic look. Mandy had been sort of living vicariously through me because she has been with her boyfriend for over ten years now. Shortly after I left for college, she started dating Trevor and they had been together ever since. I used to think he was a good for nothing, but he had bucked up and shown he wasn't the same skater boy he had been in high school. He was back in school now besides working his full-time job as an emergency dispatcher.
I waved off the sympathy after a moment and stuck out my hand for the list of drink orders. Together, Mandy and I poured everyone's drinks and arranged a plate of cookies on a tray. Before we brought the refreshments into the living room, I told her I thought we should make a plan.
