Delta nodded. “I understand. Wait a sec.”
She looked around and found a pair of thin gardening gloves. She put them on and removed the pen knife from the envelope. Putting the blade on a small wicker table on the porch, she turned the envelope over. It wasn’t glued shut. She could just lift the flap and pull out the note.
It was a sheet of simple, white, letter-size paper, on which someone had pasted letters cut out of a newspaper or magazine. They danced across the page, almost taunting Delta with their careless assembly.
Stop poking your nose where it doesn’t belong or you’ll join Vera White.
“It must have been put up there by someone who knows that the police were going to release me,” Hazel said in a small voice. “Someone who is close to the investigation somehow.” She stifled a sob. “I just wish I could…really leave. Leave town, forget about the murder until it is all over. The killer apprehended and Finn set free.”
“I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.” Delta put the paper back in the envelope. “I’ll take this to the police station. I’ll pretend I found it. And I about did, right? I won’t say anything about you.”
Hazel stood with her head down, her shoulders slumped. She looked smaller, thinner, and totally dejected. Remembering her happy friend when they had met up a few days ago to start their adventure, Delta felt a terrible anger rush through her veins. The killer, whoever he or she may be, wanted to solve their problem by dragging other people into this big mess.
“The Taylors are determined to protect each other,” she explained. “I talked to both Ray and Isabel and I couldn’t get much from them. Vera White’s brother-in-law Ralph is certain Ray is behind it, because he knew the victim much better than he pretends and also borrowed money from her, which he never paid back. Ray denied this to me, but of course he would do so if he is trying to cover up something. And what about the fight I overheard? Oh, you don’t even know about that yet. I have so much to tell you.”
Hazel didn’t look like she was up for a long talk about murder, and Delta put an arm around her shoulders. “Tell you what. I’m taking this to the police station. You don’t have to come. Just go inside and make us a nice pot of tea. When I return, I’ll cook us dinner. Then we can talk it over.”
Hazel looked at her. “The person who pinned this to the door came to the house while no one was here. Is it even safe to…be here alone?”
“The door was locked. He or she hasn’t been inside.” Delta went over to check as she spoke. “See. Not a trace of an attempt to enter. I’ll also check the front door and the windows before I leave. Please don’t be afraid.”
Hazel wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “But I am afraid. I don’t understand why…” She licked her lips. “Finn knew about the dead woman in the bar. That’s why he sent us in to look. He didn’t want to be the one discovering the body. But how did he know she was there?”
Delta sighed. “I don’t know. The sheriff showed me a photo taken at the party where Vera and Finn are talking. Maybe he was supposed to meet her in the bar so they could discuss something in private, and when he came in, she was already dead. The killer could have used the appointment of the victim with Finn to ensure that someone else would be blamed for the murder right off the bat. I don’t want to say the police won’t be looking at all the information they get, but West started to suspect Finn right away, and then everything just seemed to support that. It’s only human, I suppose, to believe that what you assume to be the truth is actually the truth, without asking yourself what real facts you have to support it. Anyway, I’ll take this to the station, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
* * *
At the police station, Sheriff West didn’t seem eager to check into the threat, eyeing Delta as if suspecting her of cutting out those letters and pasting them on the paper. Delta didn’t press the point, as she wanted to get back to Hazel and put together a hot dinner for her, creating a relaxed atmosphere where they could forget about the murder for a bit and spend some quality time together.
Once Delta returned from the station and popped two pizzas into the oven, they kicked off their shoes and curled up on the sofa side by side to leaf through some catalogs and find stock for Wanted.
Having no previous retail experience, Delta was surprised to find the most recent catalogs full of heart stamps for Valentine’s Day, notebooks decorated with daisies and blue tits, washi tape with swallows, and glitter pens advertised as perfect for making Mother’s Day cards.
“This is all spring material. I thought we’d do Christmas first,” she sheepishly said to Hazel, who burst out laughing.
“That was done in early summer. Some of this stuff comes from the Far East or Australia, and I always order well in advance to make sure I have it on time. Christmas sales really start in October, so all that stock is already in. You don’t want to disappoint people and have them go elsewhere when they start their shopping early.”
Hazel pushed a velvet pillow behind her lower back. “I’ve rented a booth at the upcoming Tundish Harvest Craft Fair, where we’ll present Christmas stock and run a design contest. People can hand in their personal design for a notebook, and the grand winner will have his or her design put on actual notebooks that we will sell in the store and online. Limited edition.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun. Have you already thought about decorations for the booth? Mrs. Cassidy was in Wanted with pumpkins this morning, and she had hollowed out one to make it into a holder for pens. It looks amazing.”
“That’s a great idea. We could also use a hay bale, and then we can put items against and on it.”
The oven dinged, and Delta went to get the pizzas, plates, cutlery, and napkins. She even snatched a few scented candles off the mantelpiece and lit them, while Hazel cut the pizzas. The invigorating scent of rosemary and pineapple from the pizza mixed with the sweet cinnamon and cranberry of the candles.
“Here.” Delta put a blanket over Hazel, tucking it in around her knees.
“Thanks. This is just like college.” Hazel dug into her slice. “You won’t be looking for your own place right away, will you? I kind of like having you here.”
“I’m in no rush if you’re not. It’s also better money-wise to stay with you for the first few months so we can split the rent. I’ve never had a business before, so I need to see how everything is going to pan out. You have to explain bookkeeping to me so I can understand all the financial details. I know what we made today, but I have no idea if that figure means it was a good or a bad day. There’s still a lot you have to teach me.”
Delta reached out and squeezed Hazel’s arm. “And I do intend to pull my weight.”
Hazel smiled at her. “You already are. You took care of everything while I was at the station. You…didn’t even say you were angry at me.”
“Angry?” Delta echoed, puzzled. “Of course I’m not angry. It’s not your fault. You had no idea that Finn even knew this woman, right?”
Hazel’s pale features and reluctance to confirm made Delta’s heartbeat stagger. She hadn’t forgotten LeDuc’s suggestion that Hazel had wanted a partner because the shop was in financial trouble. He had even mentioned an extra mortgage. Simply rumors, going around in a small town? Or the truth? She hesitated a moment, unsure how to breach the subject without making Hazel squirm. She had been through enough already, having been held by West. “You did say before that Finn was rebuilding his life. I’m not quite sure what you mean by that.” She fell silent, scrambling for what to say next. Outright ask about the mortgage? Or give Hazel time to bring it up herself? Delta decided to let the silence linger and picked up a slice of pizza like she wasn’t tense at all about this conversation.
Hazel looked down and plucked at the blanket. “It won’t look good when the police find out about it,” she said in a small voice.
“About what?” Delta lowered the pizza she was ab
out to bite into. Suddenly her stomach squeezed.
“A while back, some friends invited Finn on a luxury vacation. He couldn’t afford it, but he didn’t want to say so. He went online, to one of those sites where you can play poker, and to his surprise he won a lot of money. He just thought it was a one-time thing. For the vacation. Then once he was back—”
“He figured it was an easy way to make money,” Delta supplied.
“Yes. He meant well. He wanted to give me a vacation too. Do something special for Mom and Dad, for their anniversary. But unfortunately, he started to lose. And lose. Once he had lost over twenty thousand dollars, he came to me. At first, he claimed he needed money for a new car because the old one had broken down. But when I asked more questions, he told me the entire story. I promised to help him if he quit playing. He said he might never be able to as long as he stayed where he was. He was living in an apartment complex in Los Angeles where he hardly knew a soul; he had lost touch with his friends from college. He worked fifty hours a week at the insurance agency, which he had never really liked but chose only because Dad had pushed him into it. I had already let Dad down, you know, not choosing to major in something he thought sensible, like English lit. He’d never wanted a daughter with a stationery shop.”
Hazel bit her lip, then continued, “Finn felt like all the pressure to make Dad proud was on him. He worked way too hard and was too tired to do sports or go out and meet new people. Basically, he felt alone and anxious if he’d ever make it the way Dad expected him to. I guess gambling didn’t just bring money but also a thrill, substance to his life.”
Hazel took a deep breath. “It was so hard on Finn to admit to me what had happened. And he was so afraid Dad would find out about it and would never want to see him again. I had to do something to make it better. Yes, Finn leaving LA would have been a blow to Dad, but at least he need not know about the debts.”
“So you asked Finn to come here.”
“Yes. I wanted him to turn his life around, quit the long hours, be active again, hike, jog, forget about what he had done. I took out a mortgage on Wanted to get him the money he needed to pay off his debts. He had borrowed the money from a colleague who had pointed him to the online gambling sites to begin with. I suspect he hoped Finn would fall into it, and he could put the squeeze on him, asking for a ridiculously high interest. The good thing about it was that Finn’s debts weren’t registered with a credit authority, so they wouldn’t show up in a background check. That’s also why Rosalyn and the rest of the Taylors don’t know a thing about it.”
Hazel exhaled slowly before continuing. “I told myself they had no need to know, as Finn’s past was over and done with, but now I realize how odd it will look when it all gets out. West can check Finn’s résumé and see he transferred from insurance to wildlife guide. People do make career changes, but West is the type to immediately smell a rat.”
She hung her head even more. “I’ve been honest with you about the financial situation of the shop, you have to believe that, and when I mentioned the mortgage before you signed on, you just assumed it had been necessary to keep things going, but…I was worried that telling you about Finn would dissuade you from coming here. And I really wanted to work with you. I’ve got the business side down pat: buying stock, doing admin, but I missed someone to bounce ideas off and develop the artistic side of the business. Create workshops, design our own products. There is no way I could ever draw like you can. I need you.”
She fidgeted with the blanket again. “I’m sorry, Delta. I should have told you so you could decide whether—”
“I would have come anyway.” Delta tried to catch Hazel’s eye. “This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing. Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.”
“But West told me as he let me go that Finn was in deep trouble. That there’s proof, tangible proof, that he knew the victim and that he had argued with her. He didn’t give details, but I was suddenly worried when I was in the cab home that Finn had started gambling again and that maybe he had asked this woman for money or…tried to blackmail her.”
“Blackmail?” Delta asked, her head tilted in surprise. Theft had occurred to her, no matter how unpleasant that idea had been, but blackmail?
“Yes,” Hazel insisted. “Finn is out and about all the time. He sees people coming and going, notices who they are with. I thought that maybe the woman was up to something furtive and Finn had found out about it and tried to get money to keep his mouth shut.”
“West showed Jonas and me a photo of Finn speaking with the victim at the party. She seemed to be exasperated and ready to walk off. Blackmail in progress?” Delta pursed her lips. “The expression on Finn’s face was pleading and almost sort of desperate, which doesn’t fit with a blackmailer knowing he has his victim cornered.”
Delta’s phone dinged, and she pulled it out. It was a new message from the Paper Posse. Rattlesnake Rita reported: “Just seen Ralph White meeting someone in town. He got into the car with this person and they drove off. I snapped a pic.”
The picture attached to the message was obviously made in a rush, not completely sharp, and the car was already moving away. Delta could see only that it was a dark-blue station wagon; there was no way to tell the make or read the license plate.
Calamity Jane had already responded to ask what make it had been.
Rattlesnake Rita replied that she had no idea, as she was so bad with cars.
Mrs. Cassidy asked if there had been anything special about it. “Something stuck behind the window? A sticker on the back? Anything?”
Hazel, who looked over Delta’s shoulder, asked in a whisper, “Why would Ralph White meet someone in town? Does he have friends there?”
“No idea. The White brothers do seem to be here on business, so maybe it was to discuss a business opportunity?” Delta stared at the phone’s screen, waiting for the next message to pop up.
“I think there was a sticker on the back with a moose in it.” Rattlesnake Rita added almost as an afterthought, “Santa’s sleigh is pulled by moose, right?”
“No, by reindeer, darling,” Calamity Jane retorted at once. “Moose have different antlers.”
“I’m so bad at this.” Rattlesnake Rita underlined the conclusion with several embarrassed and laughing-crying emoji.
Delta lowered the phone. “At least we have a pic of the car. I’ll add this information to my overview. Could be unrelated, but might also come in handy later in the investigation.”
Chapter Nine
Maybe it was too much pizza, or their tiramisu dessert, or the heavy duvet Delta crawled under for comfort, but she had a night of wild dreams in which she was arrested by Mr. LeDuc Sr. and his son, who tied her wrists with pink washi tape and put her on a dappled pony to take her into an abandoned gold mine. Somewhere inside, Hazel was being held captive, and Delta had to look for her through an endless maze of passages.
At last she saw something glittering in the passage wall. It was the notebook with the peacock pattern. It came loose and fell in front of her feet, opening. Scribbled on the page was the name of the killer. It read—
Delta awoke with a start, blinking up at the ceiling. She tried to remember what had been written on the page, then laughed at her frantic efforts. It had been nothing but a dream.
She got out of bed and took her time getting dressed and preparing a full breakfast for Hazel and herself. Scrambled eggs, yogurt, plenty of fruit and nuts, and a large pot of fresh ginger tea. The tea inspired her to draw up an assortment of tea cups and tea glasses with tea bags in them and snacks beside them that she might use for a design for tea lovers.
“Doodling at breakfast is the perfect way to start the day,” she said contentedly to Hazel, who came padding in, her dressing gown with its fluffy collar turned up around her ears. She yawned and immediately reached for the bowl with almonds. Taking a handful of them, she dug up a
bar of chocolate from a drawer and melted the chocolate over the hot ginger tea to dip the almonds into.
Delta grinned at her. “You know how to dress up the healthy stuff.”
“Chocolate is healthy as well,” Hazel mumbled, leaning back against the chair. She seemed to shiver for a moment and ducked deeper into her dressing gown.
Delta studied her friend’s worn features for a few moments and then said reluctantly, “I can’t lounge here with you much longer. Jonas invited me to go boating today. I can cancel if you don’t want to stay here alone. Or you could come with us, I suppose. I don’t know how big his boat is, but…”
“Nonsense. If he asked you to go, he wants to take you. Not me.” Hazel winked at her.
Delta shook her head. “He mentioned information, case-wise. So it’s all business.”
“Of course.”
“How do I get to Deer Point anyway?”
“You can take my mountain bike. I’ll draw you a little map.” Hazel pulled Delta’s notepad toward her. “Don’t worry about me. You set me up perfectly with this breakfast. After I finish it, I’m going to lie on the sofa and start a new book I bought. Victorian paper crafting. They made amazing scenes. I wonder if we can use the techniques for a workshop sometime.”
Delta was glad to see Hazel lively again as soon as she started thinking about paper crafts. “Great. You can tell me all about it once I’m back. I’ll get my things together.”
Five minutes later, carrying a light fleece in case it was chilly on the water, a bag with her sketching material, and a water bottle, Delta waved goodbye to Hazel. Cycling fast, against the wind, drove the lingering dream images from her mind and put new energy into her body. Gold leaves whirled around her as she whooshed down the sloping path that got narrower as it approached her destination.
Deer Point turned out to be nothing more than a wooden platform along the lake’s clear blue water. A few boats lay docked there, bobbing on the waves. The sun warmed the platform’s wood, which radiated upward against Delta’s bare ankles above her sneakers as she walked out to meet Jonas, who was loosening the rope that tied his boat to a pole. He wore a dark-blue tee with gray jeans, giving him a sporty, outdoor look.
Last Pen Standing Page 12
