Murder, Money, and Moving On

by Stacey Alabaster

  I had to laugh as well. “Really? It doesn’t seem that way to me.”

  “Ah, but that’s just because you only see me when something more exciting has happened,” he said. “Like a murder. But that’s only because that’s usually where you are as well. You don’t see all the day-to-day mundane parts of the job.”

  “You’re making it sound like your job is boring.” I turned and looked at him, surprised.

  “Not boring, as such. It’s just that sometimes I wish I lived in a larger city. Or something.” He looked away and shrugged. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter.” He laughed again. “Just forget that I said anything, okay?”

  “Oh, where is it?” I asked, turning the house upside-down looking for the erstwhile item. Adam was about to arrive and I couldn’t face him like this—looking so good and healthy and in such good spirits. I glanced at my face in the mirror. Darn. Too much color in my cheeks. I should have used a more ghostly shade of foundation.

  “Casper!” I called out, hoping that she might help me locate my sling. She came running up to me on her little fluffy legs, but she wasn’t quite as good a fetcher as Jasper was.

  “I’m sorry, girl,” I said, scooping her up and carrying her back to her bed. “You miss your brother, don’t you?” I sat her down. “So do I. But you don’t have to worry, okay?” I said, patting her reassuringly. “I am going to get him back.”

  Adam honked the horn just as I found what I was looking for. “Aha!”

  I made sure my arm was firmly in my sling as I walked outside, a lot more slowly than I technically needed to go, and climbed into the truck, rubbing my head a little for good measure. “Got a little bit of a headache today,” I said as I clipped my seatbelt in.

  “That’s no good.” Adam looked a little skeptical.

  He told me he didn’t need the directions. He already knew the way.

  We were already a quarter of a way there, headed toward the mountains.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea, George?” Adam asked.

  “Of course it is.” I adjusted my sling. “There is no way that Jasper is truly happy with that woman.”

  “Are you talking about that nice woman who raised Jasper since he was a pup?”

  Adam didn’t know what he was talking about. He’d only met Alice when he’d helped out Brenda and driven Jasper and his belongings up to her house in the mountains. Even if my arm and head had been okay, I would never have had the heart to do it. I’d never been to Alice’s property, but I knew that it was coming up around the bend. I didn’t want to get too close yet.

  “Park the truck here.”

  “George,” Adam said sternly, like he was going to disobey me, but he did slow the truck down. “You told me we were just here for a visit.”

  “We are.”

  “Then why do I have to hide the truck out of the way then? Why can’t Alice see us approaching if we’re only here for a visit?”

  “It’s just better this way, okay?” I made sure that he wasn’t watching before I slid out of the truck—I needed to use my right arm to help me and I didn’t want him seeing how capable it was. I walked ahead of him and slowed down when I saw Alice’s little farmhouse. It was a dewy morning still, and the long grass still held the drops, but the sun would be breaking free soon. She had a few rows of plum trees to the side of the house that provided shelter. I ran toward them. The perfect cover for spying under. Adam ran after me.

  “George!” he hissed. “I never would have agreed to drive you up here if I knew we were here to snoop.”

  “A little snooping never got anyone into trouble.” I kept my voice down.

  “It’s against the law. We need to get off this woman’s property.”

  I couldn’t see Jasper anywhere. “Where is he?” I asked, searching the yard. I tried to see through the window of the house, but there was no sign of life inside.

  “I don’t know,” Adam said in exasperation. “She’s probably taken him for a walk somewhere.”

  “I hope that she doesn’t keep him locked up somewhere in this cold weather,” I said, peering through the branches of a tree. “He needs to be inside, somewhere comfortable.”

  Then I saw. Through the window. Jasper, snuggled up on the sofa, sleeping.

  “See?” Adam said. “He is safe and happy. Just like you, Alice keeps Jasper inside.”

  But I didn’t want to see. Maybe she kept Jasper inside, but there was more to being a good dog owner than just doing that.

  “He’s not happy, Adam… I…I can tell.”

  He placed a hand on my shoulder. “He is, George. It’s just that you don’t want to see that.”

  Adam was right. Part of me hadn’t wanted to see Jasper happy…because I’d wanted an excuse to barge in there and take him back home with me. But now, seeing him curled up on a couch in front of a fire, with a bowl of food and a bowl of water in front of him, I could think of no excuse to do so. All the air had gone out of my lungs.

  “Come on, George. Let’s go home.”

  When Adam had said “home,” he had literally meant home; his home. I groaned at the thought of going inside, but he insisted I at least come in and say hello, considering the favor he had done for me.

  “Oh, George,” Fiona said, looking surprised—displeased?—to see me. She was carrying what looked like a casserole dish, her long blonde hair perfectly straightened. To her credit, she quickly forced a smile. “What are you doing here?”

  Adam took off his coat. “She could do with a little company, I think…”

  “Don’t go feeling too sorry for me…”

  “I know it must be tough,” Fiona said to me as she sat down the casserole dish and began to serve it up for an early lunch while Adam went to change into his work clothes. He had a shift at the grocery store starting in an hour. She told me we could start lunch without him and passed me a plate. There was the hint of pine in the room, though I couldn’t figure out where the scent was coming from. I sniffed and looked around and saw an oil burner.

  “It really is. I miss him so much. Every day.”

  When Fiona didn’t say anything, I quickly looked up and saw that her face had drained of all its color and she looked quite lost for words. She tried to nibble on her casserole, but she had to return it to the plate.

  “Wow. George.” The words could barely come out of her throat. “I—I must say I am a little lost for words. I didn’t expect you to say something like that.”

  Geez, she really must have thought I was coldhearted if my words had shocked her that much. “You’re surprised that I miss him?” I let out a light scoff. “He was with me for years, Fiona. I miss him every day. And every night. The nights are probably the worst.”

  “You miss him every day? And every night?” Fiona was turning more and more white. She had clearly lost her appetite.

  “Of course I do.”

  “Well, you must know, George…” Fiona sat up straight and got quite firm with me. “That he is never coming back to you. It’s time that you moved on after all this time!” Why was she getting so angry with me?

  “After all this time? It’s only been…” I stopped talking. Something suddenly occurred to me. “Hang on… Are we talking about the same ‘he’ here?”

  Fiona slammed her plate down. “Of course we are! I am talking about Adam, and how difficult it must be for you to see him remarrying. But, George, you’ve got to know that it’s time to move on.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, holding my hands up. I was trying not to laugh but it was difficult, now that I understood the confusion. “Fiona. I was talking about Jasper. I miss Jasper every day. He is who I want back.”

  I watched the color slowly return to Fiona’s face and her muscles relaxed as she took in what I was saying. She even reached for her plate of food again. “Oh,” she said, taking in a deep breath. “Well, that’s a relief. Though now I feel rather silly.”

  I felt embarrassed too. To think that all that time, she had assumed I was
saying I wanted Adam back, and that I missed him every night. I cleared my throat and reached for a glass of water. I didn’t stop drinking until the glass was completely empty.

  Fiona stood up. “So, the wedding then. Are you sure you still want to attend? It won’t be too difficult? For a moment there, I was worried.”

  I shook my head. “No. Trust me. I have no issues with the two of you getting married at all. I’m looking forward to Sunday very much.”

  “It’s just that Adam told me that you were a little hesitant to give the speech now. I wondered if maybe that meant something.”

  I smiled at her. “Well, then he would have also told you that my arm has not healed quite the way the doctor expected, and that I am still suffering from a slight concussion. My reflexes and motor skills are just all over the place right now. I can barely even read text, let alone memorize it…”

  She watched as I picked up my empty plate and took it over to the sink. It slipped out of my hands at the last moment. “Whoops!” I said, and instinctively reached out to catch it, pulling my arm out of its sling as I caught the plate, easily, before it hit the ground.

  “Your reflexes seem quite fine to me, George.”

  Oh, great. I looked over at her in horror. “Fiona…”

  “It’s okay,” she said quietly. “We can keep this between you and I.”

  10

  “Please, Brenda, just pick up, just pick up…”

  I looked over at the empty dog bed in the corner. I still hadn’t been able to move it or put it in storage. I kept thinking that Jasper would just walk back in through the front door. Maybe he was just waiting for his chance to escape from Alice’s place, and once he did, I was sure that he would find his way back home. To his real home.

  But in the meantime, I was going to have to deal with a matter slightly closer to home. There was one other being who had left me, and I was confident I could at least get her back. I was going to bring Brenda back to the shop.

  When she finally picked up, she had news for me. “You’ve just caught me heading out the door.” I could hear what sounded like a very heavy engine behind her.

  “Well, when will you be back?”

  “Here?” Brenda asked curiously. “Oh, never. I am moving. To bigger and brighter pastures.”

  “Oh, you have got to be kidding me…” Brenda didn’t even like taking mini-vacations. Now she was moving away? “But your home is Pottsville! You and Tom have lived here for twenty years.”

  “Pottsville is just not big enough to hold me now,” Brenda said.

  I tried not to roll my eyes. I wasn’t very successful. “Oh, is that so? It was good enough for you until now.”

  “It’s time for me to spread my wings.”

  “And where do you think you are moving to?” I asked.

  “The ocean,” she said, and there was a stab of envy in my stomach.

  “Brenda, you hate the ocean. You hate the water.”

  Part of me just wondered if she was only doing what she thought lotto winners were “supposed” to do when they hit it rich. Quit their job, move to the beach, update their wardrobe, and leave everything they knew behind. But what about what she actually wanted? Something had come over her, like she was possessed. But I knew, deep down, that what she wanted was to stay in Pottsville and work at the craft shop. “At least wait until I get to your house to leave. Let’s at least say good-bye in person.”

  “Fine,” she huffed.

  She was waiting in her half-empty hallway when I got to her house. “Brenda, don’t you remember telling me once that your dream was to own my very shop?” I asked her, trying the best tactic I could think of.

  I noticed the bag at her feet was stuffed with turtlenecks and cardigans. I was surprised she was taking those with her to the beach. Perhaps fur coats were too hot, though.

  Or perhaps the old Brenda still lived on. She was just packed away for now.

  She stared up at me. “That’s right,” she said. “Own it.” She zipped up the bag and got the wrist of her fur coat caught in it. “Not to work there like some glorified servant.” She told me that the moving van was waiting and that she needed to leave. “Good-bye, Georgina.”

  I chased after her. “Brenda, if you just hear me out…”

  “No, Georgina. Me staying in Pottsville is what you want for me. What I want is to move to the beach.” She waved good-bye and then got into the van. “Good luck with everything.”

  “You don’t think this is a little strange?” Ryan asked. He was pulling at the corner of his dress shirt. His rented suit was a teeny bit tight, but he still looked good in it. Older, too. Before we’d left the house, I had joked that we only looked five years apart in age instead of twelve.

  “What is strange about it?” I murmured as I watched Fiona’s bridesmaids stick a bouquet of flowers into her dog Felicity’s mouth. Felicity, it seemed, was a part of the bridal party. I gulped a little, thinking about how Adam had always intended for Jasper to be a part of the ceremony as well. In the end, neither of us had even asked Alice about it. I thought we agreed—it would just be too painful.

  “Me being here at your ex-husband’s wedding.”

  “I suppose it’s weird that I’m here then, if you put it like that,” I said, watching Felicity wait patiently for her owner to appear. It was only a few months earlier that we had been standing in this very same spot in the park, watching Felicity herself get married. Yes, really. Well, kind of really. In the end, her wedding had never gone ahead. She’d been supposed to marry Jasper. Only things had gone rather not-to-plan when someone had ended up dead in the woods.

  I shook my head and reached out to straighten Ryan’s tie. “It’s not awkward. Well, maybe it is a little. But it’s not like you’ll have to talk to Adam much. He’ll be rather distracted with getting married.”

  Truth be told, though, I wouldn’t have wanted to even attend the event without Ryan by my side. The invitation that Adam had sent me had just said “George Plus One.” He hadn’t told me who I could and couldn’t invite. Adam and Ryan were friendly. I just wondered if after everything that had happened between Adam and I, all the water under the bridge, whether he would want to see me bringing a date to his wedding.

  We took a seat in the back where we wouldn’t be in the direct line of sight for Fiona and Adam when they said their vows.

  Adam was standing at the end of the aisle looking nervous, next to Fiona’s bridal party, including a confused-looking Felicity, who dropped her flowers and started to run off until the maid of honor grabbed her. Fiona had yet to turn up.

  “I just don’t know why Brenda was in such a hurry to leave town,” I murmured, half to myself. I still couldn’t get over her sudden departure. It was so unlike her. I turned and looked at Ryan. “You know she hasn’t even waited for her husband to move. He still wants to give his two weeks’ notice at his job and do the right thing. Tom tells me he’ll just catch up and meet her later.”

  Ryan shrugged and crossed his arms while we waited for the ceremony to finally begin. “Maybe she thinks time is running out for her,” he suggested. “She might not have long left in this life, so she wants to make the most of it.”

  My jaw was hanging open. Was he serious? “Brenda is the same age I am. Well. Six months older.”

  “No way…” he said, laughing uncomfortably. “You’re pulling my leg, right?”

  “No.” I didn’t find the comment quite so funny.

  “Well, if anything, you should take it as a compliment. I thought she was well older than you.”

  I wasn’t sure how that was supposed to be a compliment.

  “I just meant that you look good for your age.”

  “Quit while you are ahead, Ryan.”

  Maybe Fiona had gotten cold feet. It was more likely, however, that she’d just needed some extra time in the makeup chair. I heard the music start up and a hush came over the guests as we all stood up for the bride’s arrival.

  “Hey. So how com
e your arm is still in that sling, anyway?” Ryan asked me. “You weren’t wearing it yesterday, were you?”

  “Er, it’s gotten sore again. Perhaps it’s the weather. I am getting old, you know. I start to feel these things in my bones.”

  “All right, all right,” Ryan said. “You made your point.”

  The “I dos” were about to be exchanged, then there would be nothing to do but wait for the wedding party to get their photos taken before we moved on to the reception. A waiter was hanging at the back, ready to pass around flutes of champagne as soon as the final vows had been said. I was starving, though. There was something black and white that raced past me and I turned my head so quickly that I hurt my neck. A blur of fur. Four legs.

  “Oh my goodness, is that—” I stood up and tried to chase after it, but Ryan grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.

  “George,” he said nervously through gritted teeth as he looked around. “You are drawing a lot of unwanted attention.”

  I caught the look on Adam’s face at the end of the aisle. It had kind of looked like I was trying to stop the wedding.

  “I thought I saw Jasper,” I whispered to Ryan.

  “Well, you didn’t. It was just wishful thinking.”

  “I did,” I insisted, craning my neck to see where the blur of fur had gone to. At the front of the aisle, I heard Fiona say, “I do.”

  “There are a lot of Border Collies around,” Ryan whispered. I didn’t think that was true, though. That email I’d gotten from the breeder had told me that they’d been having trouble finding Border Collies in the area.

  I saw the fur again. The dog was on the loose. And this time, I knew wasn’t mistaken. That was him—one hundred percent. Only Jasper could be naughty enough to run riot at a wedding. And only Jasper could get away with it.

  “Jasper!” I cried, jumping out of my seat as Adam and Fiona were pronounced husband and wife.