by Lyndsey Cole
Wade pushed the plate of cake closer to Liz. “Let’s eat the cake and try not to worry about the clutch for now. If I have to, I’ll talk to Olive.”
Great, Annie thought, that sounded like the worst idea ever. Wade confronting Olive? Who knew what that could lead to? She suspected that Wade was prepared to do anything to help Liz get what she wanted. Annie thought it was best that Olive and Wade never met without plenty of witnesses around.
The rest of the busy stretch in the café went by in a blur of faces, smiles, pastries, and holiday greetings.
Finally, the crowd dwindled to a trickle, giving Annie and Leona a chance to leave the café in the capable hands of Greta and Mia. Annie grabbed a piece of broccoli quiche to eat on the way to Randy’s farm. It was high time to find out if Heather left anything behind with him.
As they headed out the door, Annie stopped. “Wait. I’m going to bring along a box of Christmas goodies.”
Leona grinned. “Bribe material?”
Annie returned the smile. “Well, you never know.”
Leona waited at the door while Annie boxed up a variety of cookies. It usually did the trick to warm up a stand-offish person.
As they finally walked out of the Black Cat Café, Leona asked, “Straight to Randy’s?”
“No. The Gently Used Boutique is on the way. Let’s have a little chat with our good friend Olive Morgan before we visit Randy. I want to know her side of what happened with Liz.”
23
Annie left the box of cookies in her car. She didn’t plan on wasting them on Olive. She’d already given her cookies and the trick was never effective more than once. She slammed her door closed. “Let’s walk. The exercise and fresh air will do us good.”
“What did you find out from Liz?” Leona asked.
“Only that she quit because she thinks Olive lied to her about the beaded clutch. Liz thinks that Olive sold it.”
“Really? Shouldn’t we tell Liz the truth?”
“Not yet. It’s a good way to push Olive a little more.” They walked in silence for a bit. Annie waved to Wade and Liz as he drove the Clydesdale team up Main Street, pulling a wagon full of people.
“So she quit her job over that?”
“That, and she said she doesn’t feel safe around Olive after what happened to Heather.”
“Olive does give off some pretty creepy vibes.” Leona stopped in front of Gently Used Boutique. “Here we are. What’s the plan?”
“Let’s see if we can push her a little, get her worked up enough to say something she shouldn’t,” Annie said.
“So, there is no plan,” Leona said.
“Let’s call it a plan in progress.” Annie gripped the door and pulled it open.
The bell jingled their presence and stopped a conversation in mid-sentence. “—be careful.” Olive’s voice faded to nothing when she looked up and saw who entered the store.
Brian Black turned his head to see who Olive was glaring at. “Time for me to go, Olive. We can talk more later.”
“Oh, don’t leave on our account, Brian,” Annie said. “We’d love to chat with both of you.”
“What? Are you planning to call the Board of Health on Olive, too? Maybe you think her clothes are full of bugs or something,” Brian sneered.
Leona ignored Brian’s comment. “Where’s the third friend in your trio?” she asked. “Randy couldn’t make it to your little party? I would have brought coffee and sweets if I knew about your gathering.”
“Randy? Why would you think we’d be chatting with Randy?” Olive’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Leona, then Annie.
“Oh,” Leona waved her hand through the air, “just a hunch. It doesn’t matter. It’s the two of you who probably have more interesting information, anyway.”
Annie wandered around the store, letting Leona needle Olive and Brian. She’d jump in when the time was right.
“What kind of interesting information do you think we have?”
“Well, for one, who did you sell that gorgeous beaded clutch to?”
Olive snorted. “That sleazy Liz must have given you a sob story about that clutch; lots of sentimental value or some nonsense like that. Well, let me tell you, that beaded clutch was worth practically nothing and, if you want my opinion—”
“That’s exactly why we’re here, Olive,” Leona said.
“If you’d let me finish, in my opinion, Liz took it and tried to blame me and, more or less, tried to blackmail me into paying her for it.”
“That’s ridiculous. The bottom line is that the clutch is valuable to Liz and you need to reimburse her for it.” Leona let her comment settle. “So, where is it, Olive? Did you sell it?”
Olive and Brian exchanged a quick glance. “Liz can’t prove a thing,” Olive said.
“Maybe she can and maybe she can’t, but do you really want to take that risk?” Leona let her hand run over a soft wool coat with some kind of dead animal around the collar. “With your cash scheme at stake?”
Olive’s mouth fell open so far it almost hit the floor. Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Get out of my store and don’t come back.” She pointed to the door with an outstretched arm. “Both of you.”
“Before we leave,” Annie said, “how about you fill us in on your argument with Heather. My guess is that she threatened to expose you, just like she threatened Brian.”
Olive’s nose flared, then she smirked. “You have nothing to pin her murder on me because I didn’t murder her.”
“But you did meet her on the Lake Trail. You wanted to get back all that stuff she stole from you. You have a motive and the means, Olive.” Annie held Olive’s stare without flinching. “Don’t forget that you told me that you saw Danny talking to her which puts you right at the scene of the murder.”
“I don’t own a gun.”
Annie grinned. Olive didn’t deny the meeting. “You didn’t need one, Olive. Heather had the murder weapon with her all along.” Annie gave them a minute to process that bombshell of information. “And you used her own weapon against her.” Annie shifted her stare to Brian. “Are the two of you scheming up an alibi for each other?” Annie linked her arm around Leona’s “Let’s go. I know when we aren’t wanted.”
Annie let the door slam behind them, hoping the loud bang put the exclamation point on her accusations.
“Wow. How did you come up with all that?” Leona asked as they headed back toward the Black Cat Café parking lot.
“It just seemed to fall into place while you heckled them. Unfortunately, I can’t prove any of it.”
“Maybe not, but they don’t know that.” Leona laughed. “Where to next?”
“I think it’s finally time to make our visit to Randy Berry. I thought he was part of this sneaky trio, but maybe Olive and Brian are teaming up to throw him under the bus.”
“Or, maybe they know something about Randy. Don’t forget that he did warn us to quit asking questions. I wonder what he didn’t want us to find out.”
“Whatever it is, I’ve got a feeling that if we keep digging we’ll eventually turn over the right rock.”
“Well said.” Leona held her hand up for a high-five from Annie. “I hope you’re right. Follow me to the Blackbird so I can check on Danny and you can leave your car there,” Leona suggested.
“Okay.”
As they drove through Main Street, Annie noticed Wade again, driving the team with Liz at his side. They made a cute couple, she thought. Liz would find another job and, whatever it was, it had to be better than working for Olive.
Annie pulled her car in next to Leona’s and walked into the Blackbird. She smelled wood smoke mixed with a fresh evergreen scent that made the perfect holiday combination. Soft Christmas music even filtered into the main entryway from the living room. This atmosphere made her assume that Danny was doing much better.
Danny was sitting on the couch with a tall glass of milk and a plate with a blueberry muffin. Leona walked into the living room from the kitchen,
wiping her hands on a towel.
“Have you eaten anything besides blueberry muffins today, Danny?” Annie asked.
Danny grinned like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “They’re delicious. Why would I eat anything else?”
Annie shrugged. “Good point.”
“We’re going to visit Randy. There could still be some of Heather’s stuff at his house. Want to come?” Leona asked Danny.
He picked up the blueberry muffin. “I don’t think so. This muffin makes for a better companion than Randy Berry ever will. You two better go without me. I might not be able to control my temper around him.”
Leona kissed the top of Danny’s head. “Enjoy your muffin. I don’t think we’ll be gone very long.”
Leona drove up the road to Randy’s farm. It was only about a mile away but the road beyond the Blackbird Bed and Breakfast turned into a bumpy, dirt, pothole ridden mess. Leona slowed to a snail’s pace.
At the top of the hill, the trees fell away to reveal a beautiful view. Randy’s farmhouse, which had seen better days, sat beneath a majestic oak tree. A barn with peeling red paint was set farther back with fenced fields surrounding the open space.
“What’s our plan?” Leona asked.
“Same as when we had our interesting chat with Olive and Brian. Why change a successful recipe?” Annie grinned. “Oh, and I remembered to grab the box of cookies. We might need some type of opening to get inside.”
“One tasty bribe, a pinch of needling, and a heaping tablespoon of accusation—is that the recipe?” Leona asked as she put her Mustang in park after she turned it around facing down the hill.
“Close enough. It’s always important to leave some room for minor adjustments with the ingredients, don’t you think?”
“It can’t hurt.” Leona opened her door.
“It looks like you’re ready for a fast get-away,” Annie said as she let herself out of her side of the car.
“That can’t hurt either. Be prepared for anything out here where no one will be able to hear us call for help.”
Annie laughed. “Do you really think Randy might try to overpower us?”
“I do think it’s possible, Annie. Someone killed Heather. In cold blood. Whoever did that isn’t going to roll over and play dead because we came calling with some Christmas cookies and questions.”
“Okay, I see your point. It’s just that he has an alibi. According to Wade, Randy was asleep when Heather was murdered.”
“Wade could be wrong. That’s all I’m saying. We have to stay focused and be smart. Ready?”
They walked up the shoveled path toward the front door. It was quiet . . . and cold. Once Annie listened to the quiet, it felt like it was too quiet. No birds, no wind, no restless animals.
Suddenly, with a loud whoosh, the front door opened. Randy, dressed in a one-piece, gray union suit, and boots, held a rifle aimed right at Annie’s chest.
Annie screamed.
Leona moved in front of Annie and put her hands up. “What do you think you’re doing, Randy Berry? Put that gun down right now. And, how about you cover up that dingy long underwear, too.”
“Oh, it’s you, Leona. It’s my house and this union suit is comfy.” He lowered his gun. “I’ve been a little jumpy lately. Ever since, you know, Heather and all. The police and reporters and people I’ve never seen before have been coming by harassing me and I’ve had about enough of them.”
Annie peeked around Leona’s shoulder. “We brought you cookies.” Her voice sounded squeaky to her own ears but she held up her box and hoped it did its magic.
“Cookies, huh, all right. Come on in.” Randy stepped to one side and made room for the two women to pass by.
What were they walking into? Annie wondered.
24
At first glance, the farmhouse appeared to be tidy but well lived in. Several pairs of boots were lined up next to the door. A coat rack, overflowing with winter wear, hung above the boots. Annie and Leona added their coats to the mix.
Randy led the way into a living room with plenty of comfortable chairs, threadbare but clean.
Annie opened the box of cookies. She carefully placed it on a messy stack of books on a table next to the chair Randy claimed. As she moved away, the pile teetered precariously. Nothing fell.
Annie sat next to Leona on the couch. A calico cat was curled up on the exact middle of the end cushion. She opened one eye, flicked her tail, but didn’t budge.
Annie looked everywhere, trying to avoid Randy’s union suit clad body as he lounged comfortably as if this was his normal attire. Maybe it was.
Randy helped himself to a cookie.
Leona looked at Annie and raised her eyebrows. What now? she asked silently.
“Randy? You said the police stopped by. What did they want?” Annie asked.
Randy crossed one leg over the other and propped his elbow on the arm of the chair. “They wanted to know if Heather left anything here.”
“Did she?”
“Yup.” He devoured a second cookie.
“The police took her things?”
“Nope.” A third cookie went into his mouth.
Was he playing with them while he ate his cookies or was he just a man of few words?
“They looked through her things but didn’t take them?” Leona tried a more direct approach.
“Nope.”
Leona leaned forward on the edge of the cushion. Her voice lacked any friendliness. “What the heck happened with her belongings?”
“Oh, is that what you want to know?” Crumbs sprayed out of Randy’s mouth. The edge of his lips twitched. “These are some mighty tasty cookies, Leona. What do you call them?”
“I call them you’d-better-quit-jerking-us-around-and-tell-us-what-happened-with-Heather’s-things cookies.”
“Well, since you put it that way, I told that detective, what’s her name?”
“Detective Crank,” Annie answered. She intervened before Leona grabbed Randy by his neck and shook the answers out of him.
“Yeah, Detective Crank. She’s not too friendly, is she?” Randy helped himself to another cookie. By now, there was probably a cookie’s worth of crumbs decorating his union suit.
Annie felt the couch shift as Leona stood. “Randy Berry. I’m gonna ask you one more time: What happened to Heather’s belongings? They should go to Danny.”
Randy rubbed the stubble on his chin. “You’ve got a good point there. Good thing I didn’t let that detective take her stuff away.”
The calico cat fled. Annie wished she could follow the cat.
Leona plopped back on the cushion. “How’d you manage that?”
“Easy. I told her Heather didn’t leave anything here.”
Leona laughed. The tension in the room dissolved. “You know, it would have been a lot quicker if you told me that right from the get-go, Randy. That was kind of nervy of you, talking to the detective that way.”
Randy shrugged. “I didn’t think it was proper for someone Heather didn’t know to be pawing through her personal things.”
“I’m sure you didn’t take a peek, did you?” Leona asked.
“Of course I did. I’ve known Heather since we were kids. It’s not the same.” Randy ate the last cookie. “Actually, after the argument Heather and I had Thursday night, I was surprised she left anything here when she skedaddled Friday morning. She told me she’d be out of my life, once and for all. Why would she leave something behind?”
“Maybe she just forgot it?” Annie wondered.
“Another thing that’s strange is her bag wasn’t in the room where she was staying. It was kind of hidden next to the couch.” He pointed to the space between the couch where Leona and Annie were sitting and the wall. “I didn’t even find it until I got home late Saturday afternoon. I sort of tripped over the tattered thing when I tried to catch that dang cat to put her outside.” He shrugged. “So, the way I see it, I didn’t lie to that detective because when sh
e stopped by, I didn’t know the bag was even here.”
“It sounds like Heather left in a hurry and set the bag on the arm of the couch, it fell off, and she forgot it. That part doesn’t really matter, what’s inside is what I want to know,” Leona said.
Randy waved his hand. “Oh, some under-thingies, a comb, and toothbrush, that sort of stuff.”
“Randy!” Leona obviously was fed up with Randy’s attempt at diverting the conversation and she lost her temper. “Where? Is? The? Bag? I want to look at it myself and not just hear what you want me to hear. Understand?”
Randy pointed his finger at Leona. “I’m the one with the gun, don’t forget.”
“Are you threatening us?” Annie stood and towered over Randy. She held her phone in her left hand and she had her right hand ready to punch in 911. “Because, if you are, that detective will be here in five minutes and she’ll examine every speck of dust on this farm.”
Randy leaned back as far as possible into the cushion of his chair. He held both hands up in front of his chest. “Geesh. I’ll get Heather’s ratty bag but there’s nothin’ of interest in it.”
“We’ll be the judge of that,” Annie said. She remained on her feet and kept her eyes on Randy as he slunk from the room. She followed him as far as the door leading into his kitchen. Randy opened a cupboard, pushed something aside, and pulled out a small brown leather bag. He was right, it was more than well used.
“Here it is.” He held up the bag as if he’d just discovered a huge prize.
Annie took it from him and brought it back to the living room. She dropped it in Leona’s lap. “I’ll let you do the honors.”
Leona unzipped the bag and carefully took one item out at a time. The pile grew into a mish mash of Heather’s apparel and some personal cosmetics. Nothing particularly interesting.
Leona patted the inside of the bag. “Huh, I feel something hard here.” She flipped the bag inside out.
Randy leaned forward.
A pocket that had been added to the inside of the bag was cleverly camouflaged to look like part of the fabric design.
