“And you?” Jonas’s voice was sharp. “Are you going after whoever did it?”
“I have no idea who did it.”
“But I bet you intend to find out.”
“I can’t just let someone terrorize my friends. Or damage what is now also my property.”
Jonas exhaled. “Of course. I tell you what. Remember that my wildlife guide colleagues said the victim had been visiting the birding hut a number of times? Let’s go up there together and see if we can find out why she was so eager to go there.”
Delta hesitated. “That hut is used daily, by groups as well. You even went there after the murder, with a group. Why do you think we can find anything? If there had been traces of some kind, they must have been trampled by now.”
“On site, a bright new thought might strike us. If not, we’ll at least have a good time. How about it?”
Delta figured Jonas wanted to keep her away from potential trouble, or give her some distraction as well, so she could hardly refuse. She did look forward to seeing the birding hut and maybe sketching some birds that came to show themselves off.
“All right. I’m in town without transportation. Can you pick me up?”
“On my way. Wait in front of the library. See you.”
Delta decided there was time to pick up a few croissants and things to take along by way of an early lunch and crossed to the bakery. The delicious smell of freshly baked bread was in the air, and the counter had a plate with brownie samples to try. Delta took a big chunk and popped it into her mouth. Rich chocolate rolled across her tongue, followed by the tang of salted caramel.
Calamity Jane leaned across the counter toward her. Her braid was pinned up around her head like a wreath, and she wore a dark-green dress with a broad leather belt studded with fake gemstones. “It’s so terrible about your smashed window. Must be the same kids who did that before. I wish the police would take them in and lock them up for a few hours just to give them a scare. They’ll never learn otherwise, you know.”
Delta decided not to mention the threat, aware that other customers were present and probably listening in. She asked for two croissants, two Kaiser rolls, a chocolate bun, a cinnamon twist, and a pecan-caramel braid. Jonas might like something to eat, and she could take the rest home for later.
Jane put everything in paper bags, added some napkins with a flowery pattern, and rang up the total on the old-fashioned cash register that gave the otherwise modern bakery a bit of nineteenth-century glory. “I’ll keep an eye out, you know,” she said with a wink, handing Delta the change.
Delta nodded, picked up her purchases, and left.
Jonas was waiting for her in front of the library, leaning against his Jeep. In the back, Delta spotted not only Spud, but also a big black shepherd.
Jonas gestured. “Just looking after him for two days while a friend of mine is visiting his parents. They live in a small apartment with a no-pet policy, so she couldn’t take him along. King is a former K-9 too. Search dog. And that might come in handy now.”
He held up a plastic bag. “This is a shawl that belonged to the victim. She left it in the lobby the day of the murder, and the clerk had meant to give it back to her but never did. He was willing to let me have it when I told him it was important for the murder case. He is upset that it’s affecting the Taylors so much. He worked at the hotel all his life, so he feels like they are family. I’ll let our buddy sniff it and search around the hut.”
“You believe he could still find a trace of her there, even after several days?”
“It’s worth a try.”
Jonas opened the passenger door for her. “Hop in.”
Once they were driving, he asked, “How are you?”
“Not too bad.”
“Don’t you want to run away screaming? I mean, you moved here to build a beautiful business, not face dead bodies and broken windows.”
“I moved here mainly to build that business with Hazel. I wanted to do something that is really my handiwork, together with someone who’s just as passionate about paper crafting as I am. I’ll support her, whatever happens. Besides, I put all the money I got from my grandmother into Wanted. It’s got to turn into a success.”
Jonas threw her a glance from aside. “Your grandmother? Is she, uh… I mean, was it her inheritance you put into the shop?”
“Oh, no. She wanted me to have it while she’s still alive. So she can see what I do and…cheer for me.” Delta bit her lip. “That’s the thing. I want it to become amazing, just to make her happy.”
“I see.” Jonas turned the wheel to round a corner. “I can’t say I’m very close with my grandparents. Not that there is any conflict, just that we don’t see a lot of each other.”
Delta said, “My gran raised me for a couple of years when my parents were on the road a lot with my brother Greg. He’s a gymnast, and even competed for a place on the Olympic team. He didn’t make it, but he did compete at many major events all over the world. My dad coached him, and my mom supported them, planning the trips and making the dietary schedules. I’m a lot younger than him and my other brother, Zach. Zach was already in college, and they decided not to take me along but leave me with Gran. I loved it at her place.”
“Still, it must have been hard that they were away with Greg all of the time. Putting their time and energy into his sports career and not into being there for you.”
Delta shrugged. “I was proud of him when I saw him on TV.”
She could still feel the thrill of the moment when Dad lifted Greg so he could grab the rings and balance his weight properly before the exercise began. How she held her breath when he had to hold a pose for seconds on end and she could see his muscles shaking with the exertion. How she clenched her hands, waiting to see if his landing would be perfect or he was unbalanced and had to make a little hop to avoid falling. That meant a subtraction of points toward his total.
“They made a choice to support Greg when he had a chance to go to the Olympics. It was then and there or not at all. Athletes can’t compete forever. Greg didn’t make the Olympic team because of an injury. After that, he never got back to where he had been. That meant his career was effectively over, and he hadn’t even gotten a college degree. He had to sit down and figure out what he wanted to do with his life. It wasn’t easy.”
Delta looked at Jonas and continued thoughtfully. “I don’t envy him. I did miss my parents every now and then, I won’t lie, but…Greg made so many sacrifices for his sport. He had a dream of competing at the Olympics and maybe even winning a medal, and it fell through. We’re not talking about a few months of training or even a few years. It was his entire life.”
Jonas nodded. “I see. So, what’s he doing now?”
“He really loves traveling, so he became a motivational speaker. One week he’s in Tokyo, the next in Sydney. Large companies ask him to talk to their staff or do a presentation at a company anniversary. His wife takes care of all his bookings, flights, hotels, etc. She writes for a travel blog, so while he’s doing his presentations, she tours the city where they are staying and writes up her entries for the blog. Last year, they had a baby, and Olaf is traveling with them now. That baby has been to more places in the world than I have.”
Delta pulled up her phone and clicked through a few pics until she had the one she wanted. “Here they are cuddling kangaroos. Olaf isn’t afraid of anything. According to Greg, he’d even pick up a snake if they’d let him.”
They were on the quiet road up to the Lodge, and Jonas could throw a quick look at the screen. “Australia is great. I spent a few months there, traveling around, herding cattle, and taking hikes up mountains.”
“I’d love to go there sometime.” Delta lowered her phone. “I guess I could have used Gran’s money to travel. She might have expected that. She knows how I drool when I see Greg’s pics. But I’d wanted to do somet
hing creative for so long and…this money seemed like the perfect opportunity to quit my job and become my own boss. Hazel already had Wanted, so it seemed like a no-brainer to join her here.”
“And now the murder has messed everything up,” Jonas said. “I guess it would have been bad if it had just been Finn getting accused and the town talking about it, about Hazel by association, but these threats against her, against the both of you…”
He shook his head, muttering, “It must mean we’re onto something. I just wish I knew what it was.”
They drove into the parking lot at the Lodge, and Jonas parked the Jeep. Delta got out and balanced the paper bags of pastries in her arms. Then her gaze fell on something, and she walked over quickly. It was a dark-blue station wagon with a moose on a bumper sticker. “Here it is!” she called out to Jonas. “This is the car I asked you about earlier.”
Jonas looked and nodded. “Told you it’s parked here often.”
Delta studied the moose. “It’s not just an animal sticker. It seems to be the logo of something.”
“Maybe a national park the driver has been to?”
“Do you know it?”
“No, but you could look for it online.”
Jonas let the two dogs out of the back of the Jeep and told them to stay. They sat and watched him as he put on his backpack and slipped the strap of his binoculars over his head. “You can use these,” he said to Delta, holding out an extra pair.
Delta looked down at her full arms.
Jonas said, “I’ll carry them for now.”
With his free hand, he collected the dogs’ leashes and they set out from the far edge of the parking lot, following a dirt path wide enough to walk side by side.
The tall pines moved in the breeze coming from the lake. Far away, a predator bird cried, a high, eerie sound that lingered a moment.
Spud didn’t pay attention to it, but the other dog turned his ears in all directions, trying to pick up every sound.
Jonas hummed a tune as he walked with long paces. Delta had difficulty keeping up. Her sneakers were fine for walking, but the soles were so thin that every now and then she could feel a twig or stone underneath. If she wanted to do this more often, it would probably pay to invest in a pair of sturdy hiking boots. Tundish had a large outdoor store on a side street off Mattock Street where she could get some.
“Squirrel,” Jonas said, pointing at a tree.
Delta squinted. “Where?”
“Third branch. Now going up. They’re so quick. I’ve never gotten a good shot of one. Yet.”
“I don’t even see it now.” Delta waited a few more moments, then she hurried after Jonas, who was already moving again. The eager dogs trotted by his side.
“Is it far to the birding hut?” Delta asked.
“Not that far.” Jonas glanced at her. “Am I going too fast?”
“I’m low on energy. This is breakfast.” Delta nodded down at the paper bags in her arms.
Jonas shook his head. Then he frowned. “I guess the news about the broken window reached you before you could have any.”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m hoping Hazel is with Finn now, making up for her lack of calories with a gigantic breakfast to celebrate his release.”
Jonas halted and slipped the backpack off his back. “Give me some of those bags and you eat something.”
Grateful, Delta selected the pecan braid and gave the rest to Jonas, who packed it away. They continued walking. The fresh air made the taste of the nuts and caramel even more intense, and Delta felt instantly better. Her fingers got a bit sticky, but the sun was caressing her face, and her step seemed to fall in with Jonas’s at last, finding a natural rhythm.
As they enjoyed the silence of the forest together, it seemed like they could walk on for hours, just feeling in place.
“There it is.” Jonas pointed. A glimpse of a wooden structure was visible through the trees. A sign warned people that a wildlife observation point was up ahead and it wasn’t permitted to talk loudly or make noise.
Delta accepted the binoculars from Jonas and put them around her neck.
The hut was a structure with a heavily mossed roof, dark and low, just high enough for a person to stand in. When Delta turned left, she discovered an opening in the side. It led into a narrow passage that kept the light out of the main room. There, a few wooden benches allowed a seated person to see through the narrow slits made in the wood. That way, the animals who came to drink from the water in front of the hut couldn’t see the people inside.
Jonas said, “Now that we’re here, you might as well have a look and see if you spot anything. I’ll have King search for Vera White’s scent.”
Delta sat down and looked out, narrowing her eyes as the light outside appeared very bright compared to the dimness inside the hut.
The water seemed abandoned. Delta searched the tree trunk directly opposite them and the brush beside it. But there were no animals in sight.
“There will be birds soon,” Jonas assured her. Plastic rustled as he unwrapped the shawl. “You can also see mice coming to drink.” He leaned over to her. “Sometimes they get into the birding hut as well. I was here with a group when a mouse ran right across a participant’s foot. She screamed loudly enough to have been heard back at the Lodge.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“No. They run across the ledge you’re resting your feet on.” Jonas nodded downward.
Delta pretended she didn’t believe him or care, but after a few more moments, she did lift her feet and tried to keep them away from said ledge. She wasn’t afraid of mice per se, but still…
Jonas pulled out the shawl and offered it to the black shepherd. The dog sniffed it from all sides, his tail starting to wag.
“Search, boy.” Jonas gestured around the hut. “Search.”
The dog put his nose to the floor and started to sniff the boards, covering inch after inch in careful consideration.
Delta watched with a wriggle of excitement in her stomach. What if they found something crucial to the case? Vera White had come up here often, alone. She hadn’t seemed like a woman who enjoyed being alone. Or studying the birds that came by.
The dog made his way to the far end of the hut and then came back, covering the side. He was completely engrossed, ignoring Spud, who barked at him. Jonas touched Spud’s snout to signal silence and then scratched him behind the ears as they both watched King work.
Delta’s excitement faded as the minutes ticked by and nothing happened. She glanced at Jonas and caught the same disappointment in his features. Then suddenly the dog began to bark and dance, pushing his nose to the floor.
Jonas jumped to his feet. “Easy, boy.” He pulled the dog back and let him sit, then knelt over the place where he had shown interest. He studied the floorboards, ran a hand over them. “Hey…”
He leaned down farther, saying to Delta, “Could you dig into my backpack and find a brown leather pouch for me?”
Delta opened the pack, searching quickly between a raincoat, plastic-covered map, apple with bruises, and water bottles. There. That felt like leather. She drew up the pouch and handed it to Jonas, who zipped it open and took out tweezers. He leaned down again and used the tool to grab at something between the floorboards.
Delta held her breath. “What is it?”
The black shepherd moved in again, and Jonas wrestled him back with his shoulder. “Sit. Come on, King, sit. Let me work.”
The dog sank back on his rear, his ears forward in eager attention.
Jonas moved the tweezers up slowly. Caught between them was a small snippet of a something colorful.
Delta got up and closed in to see it better. “Paper.”
Jonas nodded. “Wrapping paper.” He looked up at her. “Isn’t a birding hut a bit of an odd place to unwrap a present?”
&nb
sp; “Unless you’re meeting your secret lover here.” Delta looked more carefully at the paper. A shiver went down her spine. “I recognize it. It’s wrapping paper we use at Wanted to wrap purchases for our customers.”
“You mean, it was around some stationery or something?”
“Yes, around a gift Vera White touched. Otherwise King wouldn’t have detected her scent on it, right?”
“Paper soaks up scent, for instance from a person’s perfume, and can retain it for a long time.”
Delta nodded. “Ray Taylor bought a notebook at Wanted the day I came to town. He admitted to me later that he had bought it for Vera White.” She studied the paper with a frown. “But I think I gave him another pattern. Not this one.”
She closed her eyes a moment to go back to her first- ever customer in her very own shop. She had chosen blue-and-gold wrapping paper because it matched the peacock’s colors. And this paper was pink and purple. The silver streak was probably the leg of the Y in happy. She could picture the paper in her mind. It had the words Happy Day printed across it. “It was a different wrapping paper. Not this. But this does come from Wanted. I recognize it.”
“Maybe Ray bought more notebooks at Wanted for Vera White.”
“Or it wasn’t Ray.” Delta produced her phone. “I’ll give Hazel a call to ask if she can recall someone involved in the murder case getting this wrapping paper around their purchase.”
She waited impatiently as the call connected.
Hazel answered on the fifth ring. “Delta? Is something wrong?”
Before Delta could reply, Hazel added, “I walked away from the table to prevent Finn from… I didn’t tell him about the mess at Wanted yet. He was so happy to be released, I didn’t want to ruin it for him.”
“Fine, just let him sit and eat a nice meal. You can always tell him later. Now listen,” Delta said. “Do you remember wrapping a present at Wanted, somewhere before last Friday, in the bright-pink-and-purple paper with the words Happy Day on it? You told me the other day it was a recent addition, so I assume you can’t have used it very often.”
Last Pen Standing Page 19
