Jessie nodded. They’d been caught out in a similar way in a past case. The thought reminded her of something. “I saw somebody when I was on the back of the truck during the parade.”
Chief Daly looked at her blankly and she realized she was being very vague.
“I mean somebody strange. Everyone else was relaxing and having a good time and most people were dressed for the occasion. This guy was dressed all in black with a cap pulled down over his ears.”
“That’s not a crime, Jessie. I can recall seeing a few people who hadn’t made an effort to get into the party atmosphere. If anything, I’m surprised by the number of people who got into the swing of things and dressed in orange.”
“No.” She shook her head, struggling to think of the best way to describe what it was about the man that had seemed suspicious. She sighed. Everything she came up with sounded sort of off-the-wall. She reminded herself that she’d been bone tired and there was a good possibility that she had imagined him, or that he was somebody she knew who her tired brain had failed to recognize.
“What was it? You seem hesitant to dismiss it and I trust your instincts, Jessie.”
“It could have been nothing. These days I’m not sure what’s real and what I’ve dreamed. It was… there was a guy. A man in black toward the end of the parade route. He was on the left-hand side of the street—on my left as we moved toward the old bus depot. Everybody else was just standing around, but he was hurrying.”
“Do you think, Jessie,” Chief Daly said thoughtfully. “That he might have been in the vicinity of Groom Street at the time of the murder?”
The coroner had already estimated time of death, though as usual the timeframe wasn’t as specific as the chief would have liked. She shook her head. “It’s so hard to know. I wasn’t wearing a watch and I didn’t have my cellphone. The first I heard of the murder was back at the depot when you told me, which must have been ten minutes after I passed Groom Street.” She shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. Who’s to know what happened. With the crowd in the way, he might have already been dead for some time.”
“I know what the coroner told us, but we’ve got to cross-reference that with what we know. I think he was murdered shortly before Officer Kendall came on the scene. Otherwise somebody would have seen him.”
“Would they? What if they thought he was a drunken reveler?”
Chief Daly shook his head. “This is Springdale we’re talking about. Not some big city. People recognize each other around here.”
“I don’t know,” she said slowly, not feeling comfortable. None of this made any sense. “Why on earth did the murderer choose to kill him there if it was such a public place?”
“I don’t know,” Chief Daly said. “My gut feeling is our killer moved the body, but even then it strikes me as a bold move. Anybody could have seen that happen. The other possibility is we’ve got somebody who relished the danger of it. It’s impossible to say at this stage. All I can say is I’m not looking forward to this investigation. We’ve got a pumpkin and a business card. That’s all we’ve got to go off. Luckily Officer Kendall was thinking on his feet. He went back out to the street to note down the names of everybody nearby. That way he could get a good idea of the scene without raising suspicion. We’ve got the first of them coming in now.”
Jessie nodded. “Great. I’ll go see how things are at Lindemann’s: the staff will be arriving soon for lunch prep and I’m concerned that I’ve been a relatively invisible boss.”
Chief Daly tutted. “You have enough to do without taking care of that place. Freddie got his payout from the insurance company and I can’t see people returning there in their droves after what happened.”
Jessie sighed. “It’s not that simple. If it was just a case of taking advantage of something that had been signed over to me, then I might have sold it for anything I could get a long time ago. But it’s not. He had staff members. I’ve already had to give the functions staff the bad news that there’s no work. I can’t let down the restaurant staff as well. Not in a place like Springdale when there’s no other job for them to go to.”
“It’s not your responsibility.”
“It’s not, but if I don’t fix this, who will? If there’s no Lindemann’s function space, people will stop holding their corporate events here. That money flows out to some other town or city and those jobs go with it. Permanently. I won’t let it happen.”
“You’ll ruin yourself in the process. Jessie, I’ve never seen you look so tired. You’ve got bags under your eyes the size of moving boxes.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Chief—you sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself. But I’m keeping on top of things. I promise.”
He looked doubtful.
“Please, don’t worry,” she pleaded, forcing herself to smile even though she truly was exhausted. “I’ll be back as soon as I can get away. Good luck with the interviews. I hope they turn up something.”
10
Jessie got a similar lecture when she turned up at Lindemann’s. She had worn regular clothing since she was entering the restaurant. Even though it was before twelve, she was aware that some early customers might wander in for lunch and she didn’t want them to see her in her work boots. She changed in the staff area after she’d gone to say hi to everybody in the kitchen.
She smiled when her friend Stacey entered the room. The woman never stopped ribbing her about working too much, but Jessie didn’t mind. Stacey was so funny you’d forgive her almost anything.
“Are you ever out of those work boots? No, don’t answer. I know you are. I’ve seen you working in the café. Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what you’re doing. But you’re going to be no help to anyone if you’re dead.”
Jessie shuddered. It wasn’t a great conversation to have after the one she’d just had with the chief down at the station. “You’re not threatening to kill me now, are you?”
Stacey threw her head back and laughed. “Jessie Henderson, you’re even more delirious than the last time I told you that you need to take it easy! No, of course not! I won’t need to: you’ll kill yourself if you keep going at the pace you’re going. From exhaustion. When’s the last time you sat in bed and read a book?”
Jessie shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve been kind of falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. To tell you the truth, I couldn’t even tell you the name of the book on my nightstand.”
“Oh Jessie,” Stacey said. “And now I hear there’s been a murder. No doubt you’ll get involved in the investigation too. What are you gonna do when you run out of hours in the day? There are only twenty-four, you know.”
“I know,” Jessie said with a smile. There was something about Stacey’s refusal to take no for an answer that always put her in a good mood. She imagined it might be a lot different if Stacey wasn’t on her side. As it was, the two women had become fast friends. Which was why it was time to change the subject rather than get into another debate about working hours. “So you’ve heard about the murder, huh?”
She wasn’t surprised. The chief wasn’t delusional: he had known that word would soon get out. His attempt at shielding the town had been more to do with protecting the magic of the Pumpkin Parade than trying to keep the murder under wraps.
“I sure have. It’s all over the Chronicle website.”
“That was quick.”
“Well, I can understand why. It’s not as if it’s a regular old murder. A pumpkin? What on earth was going on there? It sounds shady to me.”
Jessie nodded thoughtfully. “Poor guy. I know he wasn’t well liked, but still. At least it was Officer Kendall who found him and not some little kid.”
“Oh, Jessie! I forgot to ask you. How did it go, Miss Pumpkin?”
Jessie groaned. What, you mean you didn’t see my finest moment?”
“I was here working my butt off, remember?”
“I’d sort of forgotten that drinks reception for the council what with all t
he drama of getting ready for the parade.”
“Yeah well, you didn’t miss much. I would have loved to have been at the parade.”
Jessie laughed. “It wasn’t so exciting.”
“Apart from the murder, hon,” Stacey said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re getting desensitized to this sort of thing.”
“Of course not.”
“Good.”
“So,” Stacey said conspiratorially. “Who do you think did it?”
“Stacey!”
“What? I lead a very boring life.”
“You’re not the only one.”
“Oh come on, you’ve got the lovely Mike.”
Jessie felt a shiver of guilt. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen him that I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t recognize him.” She laughed sheepishly. “Sorry. Listen to me whining. You know what, I don’t know who’s responsible for it. It’s all so strange. All I know is Albie Parker sure had a lot of enemies.”
“I’ve heard that around town. I’ve never had any dealings with him myself.”
“Me neither.” Jessie bit her lip as a flash of memory came back to her. “Do you know it’s the oddest thing. Part of me thinks I imagined this, but I’m certain I saw a man all dressed in black hurrying through the crowd. It’s just that I remember thinking it was strange even before I heard about the murder. Crazy, huh?”
But Stacey wasn’t laughing; nor was she calling Jessie crazy. In fact, she looked as if she had just seen a ghost.
“What’s wrong?” Jessie asked, gripping her friend’s arm.
Stacey shook her head, struggling to speak. “That’s the weirdest thing. My brother was watching the parade from that new bar. He told me he saw a man rush past all dressed in black.”
“My goodness, Stacey. Do you know what this means?”
Her friend nodded tersely. “To think I told poor Bobby he was crazy. I said his imagination was running wild and that he’d probably just had too much to drink. Anyway, hon, I’d better get downstairs so the guys aren’t setting up without me.”
“Of course,” Jessie said, waving absently at her friend’s retreating back.
She returned to the functions area and set about hammering down the section of drywall she had earmarked for that day. It wasn’t easy. Her mind couldn’t focus on the task at hand; not when she had such important news to focus on.
Less than an hour later, Jessie was forced to give up. She hurried out of the building, not even noticing that she was still wearing her heavy work boots and overalls.
11
Chief Daly shook his head as Jessie came hurrying into the police station.
“I can’t stop now. I’ve got Cassie Baker in the interview room and she’s eager to get out. I can’t say I particularly want to keep her in for longer than I need to.”
Jessie nodded. “Go on then. I’ll wait in your office.”
He paused, holding the door open. “Aren’t you coming? Why don’t you sit in the observation room and let me know what you think?” His eyes narrowed. “Try not to get any construction debris on my furniture.”
Jessie nodded even though she didn’t trust her eyes to stay open for longer than a few minutes if she sat down. This was unlikely to be a very long interview, she felt sure. Cassie was only being interviewed because she had been running a stall near Groom Street and might have seen something. “Sure,” she managed.
Jessie’s instinct was proven correct. Cassie seemed to be the only person in town who wasn’t aware of the details of the case. She had had some conflict with Albie Parker, but it would have been hard to find someone in the town who hadn’t.
“You don’t read the Chronicle,” Chief Daly summarized.
She shook her head. “No. I don’t have time for it.”
“But you have had some difficulties with Albie Parker.”
She flushed. “I’ve built my little store up over the past ten years, but lately it’s been hard to make ends meet. Mr. Parker didn’t exactly help matters.”
Why, Jessie wondered all of a sudden, had Cassie chosen to run a cookie stall at the parade? Her artisan cookies were about as far from family-friendly food as it was possible to get.
To her astonishment, it seemed that the chief had read her mind. He blurted out the same question not a moment later, though in a far subtler way.
Nonetheless, Cassie did not take kindly to that line of questioning.
“I’ve got to make ends meet, don’t I, Chief?” she said, shaking her head and wringing her hands. “I live alone and that store is my sole responsibility. Things have taken a downturn lately. It’s a shame you didn’t think to tell me how poorly suited my cookies would be for that crowd. I’ve never been to the parade before. And I won’t be attending again.”
“Forgive me if I sounded confrontational,” Chief Daly murmured. “That wasn’t my intention. I’m simply trying to get to the bottom of what happened. Now.” He glanced down at the page in front of him and Jessie thought of something. She pulled out her cell and typed a text message, having to go back and revise it several times. She knew what she wanted to write but her fingertips weren’t cooperating.
The chief paused and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. He stared at the screen for a moment before returning his attention to Cassie.
“Can you describe the day of the parade?”
She cleared her throat and nodded. “I was up very early doing all my final prep, of course. I had to get over there before eleven to unload the car because the street was being cordoned off after that point. It wasn’t like I had anyone to help so I would have had to carry boxes from Main Street if I didn’t make it in time. It would have taken me five trips. I’d have been just setting up by the time the parade started!”
Chief Daly smiled kindly and Jessie fought against her tiredness. Already her head had jerked back a number of times in a rather alarming way. She sucked in a deep breath in the hope that it might revive her.
It didn’t. The little observation room was dark, quiet and warm. Perfect conditions for sleeping, but not so much for forcing yourself awake.
Still, it didn’t particularly bother her. The way Cassie was talking, it seemed a long-shot that she had paid enough attention to the crowd to see the black-clad man go past.
Sure enough, after she talked at length about her poor takings and the unreasonable demands of the people of Springdale, Chief Daly asked her outright if she had seen a man in black clothing and a black cap who looked as if he’d been trying to get someplace in a hurry.
Cassie shook her head. She’d seen nobody like that and she reassured the chief that she would have remembered something as suspicious as that. Jessie couldn’t help but notice her cheeks flushed bright pink as she said it.
12
The next parade attendee to be interviewed was about as forthcoming with useful information as Cassie had been. Tony Young had operated the ice-cream stall and he too claimed to have seen nothing.
As he spoke, Tony mentioned that he had returned to his store on Groom Street to get supplies during the parade.
“What time was this at?” Chief Daly asked, trying and failing to feign indifference.
Tony shrugged. “I couldn’t say. I wasn’t wearing a watch.”
“Do you usually wear one?”
He nodded and Jessie felt a jolt of excitement that the chief was on to something.
Moments later, she felt the all-too-familiar stab of disappointment.
“Only when I’m off the clock,” Tony clarified. “I never wear it at the ice-cream store. Hygiene reasons.”
Tony’s next statement jolted Jessie out of her thoughts.
“I suppose it was after the parade had already begun. Yes, that’s right. I remember seeing the college band pass.”
Jessie stared in disbelief. If she had been searching for a way to get rid of her tiredness, she had certainly found it now.
Judging from Chief Daly’s sharp intake of breath, he saw the same
significance in Tony’s words.
“You’re sure about that?”
Tony nodded. “I wasn’t getting much business. I don’t know; it’s usually not so cold at this time of year. I guess people were chilly enough already without adding ice-cream to the mix.”
Jessie’s mind raced. If what Tony was saying was true, then the murder must have happened after he returned to his stall and before the parade ended.
“So you were watching the parade closely. You’re sure you saw that band pass before you went to your store?”
“Fairly sure.”
Chief Daly frowned. “You said you didn’t do much business that day. If that was the case, why did you have to go back to the store? Wouldn’t you have enough materials there to cater for a reasonable amount of demand?”
Tony colored.
“Well?”
He sighed. “Am I being interrogated here? I’m just telling you what I know.”
Chief Daly seemed about to dwell on it, but he sighed and shook his head. “And did you happen to see a man wearing black?”
Tony shook his head. “I don’t know. Possibly. There were thousands of people hanging around.”
“Okay,” Chief Daly said, biting the top of his pen in that way he had of making himself appear disorganized. It was a tactic he used all the time to make his interviewees feel at ease. “Let’s put it this way. This man was walking with a real purpose. The kind of thing that might have stood out in a crowd of people standing around and enjoying themselves at the parade.”
Tony considered it for a moment and Jessie held her breath as she waited. But he shook his head a moment later. “Nope, sorry. I didn’t see anybody like that. I’m sure I’d have noticed, like you said.”
“You must have been back at your store?”
Tony nodded absently.
“Did you have anyone looking after your stall when you went back there?”
Tony shook his head. “Nope. I only had to go back once and that was unexpected. I just had to take my cash box with me and hope that nobody would touch the stock at the stall. They didn’t as it happened. That’s Springdale for you, of course. Good people.”
Pumpkins are Murder Page 4
