by Lilly York
Willow was thinking about the whole situation. “I wonder why he waited so long to go after Clancy. Something isn’t right.”
“Unless something else comes up to say otherwise, I’m guessing there is going to be an arrest tomorrow.”
Willow shook her head. “He just doesn’t seem the type. I mean, what changes a person? For the first 70 years of his life, he sits back and lets someone else take the credit for a heroic act he performed then all of a sudden, he murders someone. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I agree with you. But all the evidence is pointing right at him. Who else is there?”
“We haven’t spoken with Jason yet.”
“No, that’s true. But the police have and they haven’t found anything to tie him to the murder.”
“Well, what about Birdie and Garth? What are they hiding?”
“I haven’t a clue. Although I’m sure they’re up to something.” He considered what he was going to say. “Want to go to the funeral with me tomorrow? Maybe we’ll come up with something we haven’t thought of before.”
“No. I think I’ve done enough. Embry is just getting over that nonsense at the cabin. If I cancel her dinner she’s never going to forgive me. Besides, the fair is this weekend and I need the practice. If you want to come over after the funeral and fill me in, I’ll gladly save you some chicken. Who knows, you might even make it back in time to have dinner with us. We’re not eating until 6.”
He kissed her nose. “I’m proud of you. I never thought I’d see the day you would turn down attending the funeral of a murder victim.”
“Let’s just say I’m getting my priorities in order. It’s not every day your daughter gets engaged.”
“True. Especially if you don’t count…”
Willow interrupted. “No, that doesn’t count. That was my doing, not hers.” She was referring to Embry losing her engagement ring a few months back to distract the murder suspects who had gathered at Willow’s house to re-do the chili cook-off. “She wasn’t even engaged and there was no ring.”
Steve laughed. “I suppose. But you did have a few of our locals going. They were all set for a wedding. I wonder if they’ll believe you this time.”
She guffawed. “If they look at the rock on her finger they’ll know it’s for real.”
“True.” He cozied up to her. “Let’s not talk about the case.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
He drew close. Just as he was going in for a real kiss, Clover hopped up between them and starting giving kisses of her own. “Ah, come on, Girl. Can’t you share?”
Willow laughed. “She’s jealous.”
Steve stood and stretched. “I really should be going. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow. My sister needs help out at the ranch, then I’ll head to the funeral then back here.”
Willow walked him to the door and smiled when he wrapped his arms around her. Clover jumped up trying to get between them. Steve pushed her away and snuck a quick kiss. “All right, Girl. I’m leaving. You can have her all to yourself.” He stepped out on the porch. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter 14
Everyone loved Willow’s chicken. The praise was continual all through dinner. Embry seemed to have forgiven her and was all smiles. Willow was thankful. The next morning she was headed to the fair grounds for the Southern Fried Chicken Cook-Off. She had a winner. She was sure of it.
Molly and Janie helped clean up the dishes while Embry was given a pass. The dinner was in her honor. Willow did all the cooking so she was shooed into the living room area with Steve. Finally, they had a moment to discuss the funeral.
“Who all was there? What did I miss?” Willow looked at Steve expectantly.
“It was a full military funeral. He was a hero. The place was packed. All the suspects were there. And you were right about Birdie and Garth. Something is definitely going on there. He came in late and when he finally did arrive he made eye contact with her and nodded. I’m not sure what that was all about. Later I heard someone had broken into the cabin. Your young officer chased them on foot but didn’t catch whoever it was. I have my guesses.”
“What do you think they were after?” Willow paused. “Garth knows about electrical work. He fixed Birdie’s stove.”
“It doesn’t seem likely it’s these two. What could be their motive? Besides, Abel confessed.”
She grasped his arm. “What? When?” She stood up. “Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“I thought we’d already come to that conclusion last night.”
“That he would be arrested, yes, but not his confession.” She paced. “He’s covering for Jordina. He has to be. He thinks she did it.”
Steve shook his head. “He knew exactly how the killer pulled it off.”
“No, he didn’t. He doesn’t smoke, Steve. I found those cigarette butts just inside the woods, in perfect view of the range. Whoever booby trapped the electrical smoked.”
“So we’re looking for a guy who both knows about electrical and smokes. But, Jordina doesn’t know, she couldn’t have done it.”
“What about Jason. We still haven’t talked to him. We could go tomorrow after the fair. You’re still coming with me, right?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He stroked his chin. “I might have to leave for a little while though.” He watched her face fall then added, “I’ll be there to help you set up. After that, I’ve got to run an errand for my sister. But, I’ll be back before the judging starts. I promise.”
Willow nodded, obviously relieved. This was a one man job so she would be fine doing her thing. She just wanted support. Embry was busy with Marshall’s family. Janie would be running the ice cream shop and Molly had her restaurant to take care of. Her chicken was already in its brine and Steve was going to help her load her Jeep before he left. She was in good shape. “OK. You’ll be there most of the time. That works. Thank you.”
The next morning Steve and Willow drove through the still unpopulated fair grounds. The building being used for the cook-off was just past the animal barns and also used for the 4-H competitions. The Southern Fried Chicken Cook-Off was a special show event put on by some local restaurants. They were providing all the sides and anyone wanting to attend and eat dinner could buy a ticket and have fried chicken and all the fixings—once the restaurant owner judges had their fill that is. All the proceeds were going to fund a local food bank.
She had her portable stove top and her cast iron frying pans. Her chicken had been brined the night before, which was allowed for this competition. Nor did recipes have to be turned in ahead of time. This was a completely “dark” competition. No one had any idea what was coming.
She saw Birdie a couple of stations over and in front of her. She noticed she had one of the turkey deep fryers. In fact, quite a few people did. She patted her trusty cast iron skillet. “You and me. We’ve got this.”
It was noon by the time she and Steve had everything set up. He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back by supper time. Promise.” He had parked her Jeep in the side lot and jogged off to go do his errand.
Set up was between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. The cooking didn’t begin until 4 p.m. She had 4 hours to kill. Her stomach rumbled. Of course. Fair food. She smiled and set off to find something good.
She had just polished off an order of chicken and waffles and a bacon cinnamon roll when she spotted them. Jordina and Jason, together, in line at the carousel. They were holding hands and then he kissed her. She tried to remember if she had seen them acknowledge one another at the gun range and the answer she came up with was a big fat no. If they were an item, why would they hide the fact?
She decided to find out. She hurried before their turn came. “Jordina, Jason, I didn’t know you two were seeing each other.”
Jordina’s face turned red and she stammered. Jason tried to ease her discomfort. “With everything going on, we really just started seeing each other. I mean, with Clancy being l
ike a dad to me and her grandfather, and well, what he did, it just seemed natural that we’d turn to one another for comfort. You can’t blame us. We’ve been through the wringer.”
Willow nodded. “I guess I’m surprised to see you both here. Clancy’s funeral was yesterday…” she turned her gaze upon Jordina, “…and your grandfather has been arrested for murder. Yet here you both are eating cotton candy and in line to ride the Ferris wheel. One would think your world is perfectly right side up.”
Jordina was still having trouble speaking, or so it appeared. Jason piped up. “We have both been so stressed out we just needed to step away from it all. We needed a break. The fair seemed the perfect place for that.”
Willow nodded. “Well, you both have fun. Jordina, if you find time to see your grandfather tell him I’ll be in to see him soon.” She turned and walked away before she said something she’d really regret.
Willow re-entered the building where the cook-off was being held just before 3:30. At 4 o’clock she removed her chicken from her cooler and started cutting it apart. For the next hour she battered and fried each piece, letting them cook slowly in the hot oil. Her pieces of chicken had to be on the platter by 6 p.m. She pushed everything else from her mind and worked as quickly as she could. Just before 6 she turned her burners off and removed the hot skillets from the coiled heaters. She would rather have used gas but, electric was as good as it got when the cooking station was mobile.
Steve joined her a few minutes later. “I’m so hungry. When do we eat?”
She smiled at him. “After the judges take their fill. Soon.”
It wasn’t long before the announcement was made that all participating cooks would start the buffet line. Afterward, everyone with a ticket would be next, and if there was anything left, they would accept walkins. Willow put Steve’s lanyard around his neck. “You’re team Willow.”
“Isn’t that cheating?”
“Do you want to take the chance they’ll have enough for walkins?”
“OK boss, whatever you say.” He followed her to the buffet line. All the chicken had been placed in large chaffing dishes along with all the sides. All the chicken had been mixed together so no one knew whose chicken they were getting. It was the luck of the draw. And they would be happy with what they got. All proceeds went to charity so those who set up the event figured it wouldn’t matter, as long as the food bank had food to carry them through.
Willow loved the fair. She only allowed herself one day to wander the grounds. She wished her metabolism could handle more but her hips didn’t lie… and they could not handle more fair food. She glanced at Steve. Perhaps she could talk him into taking a moonlit Ferris wheel ride. She lifted her eyebrows. She’d almost forgot to tell him about Jason and Jordina. “Oklahoma City sure does have some good restaurants.” She said as she added loaded mashed potatoes to her plate.
They found a seat at one of the long tables and began to eat. Willow sampled her salads and potatoes before taking a bite of her chicken breast. She closed her eyes and savored the flavor. She’d tasted this recipe before. It was delicious. All of a sudden it dawned on her: this was Clancy’s chicken. She looked up from her plate and met Birdie eye to eye. Willow’s mouth dropped a little. Birdie looked at the chicken in Willow’s hands and flew from the table. Willow was hot on her heels.
Birdie ran out the door. Willow was thankful the woman wore the brightest clothes known to man. Her bright pink T-shirt and capris could be seen zigging through the crowd. Willow’s chest felt like it was going to explode but she pressed on. She just kept her eyes on the pink T-shirt. It disappeared in one of the animal barns.
Willow carefully entered the barn. She could hear the squeal of pigs. Steve was right behind her. He pointed to the other end of the barn then disappeared back out the door to cover the other exit. The crowd of people gave her good cover in which to slowly proceed forward without being identified. She glimpsed the pink shirt and started moving a little quicker, hiding behind people when Birdie started to turn her head. That worked great until Birdie neared the other end of the barn and saw Steve. She started to back up then turned and saw Willow. She knew she was caught but she gave it one last ditch effort to escape their clutches and she bounded over one of the fences and into the pig pen. Willow anticipated her move and followed her over, grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her down in the mud.
A crowd gathered around the two women within seconds, cat calls and whistles could be heard and even teams had formed for the all new “female mud wrestling” championship going on in the pig barn. By the time Willow had Birdie pinned—she did have at least 30 pounds on the woman—the whole barn wanted to know who won. Pigs were running in every direction and both women were completely covered in mud— at least she hoped it was mud.
“You killed Clancy for a recipe?”
“I didn’t kill Clancy. I just stole the chicken recipe.”
“I don’t believe you. And Garth helped you, didn’t he?”
Birdie managed to get her legs wrapped around Willow then rolled her. The crowd roared. “I did not kill Clancy!”
Willow was trying to spit mud and…whatever else mixed in…out of her mouth. “I saw those trophies on your mantle. You’re obsessed. You killed him for another trophy for your mantle. You knew his chicken was the best you’d ever had and you knew it would take first.” She brought her knees up and flipped her long ways over her head. Again, the crowd went crazy. She quickly sat on her midriff and grabbed her arms. “Admit it. You killed him.”
Birdie was twisting and turning, trying to get away. Willow’s muddy hands were not effective in keeping her hands pinned so Birdie started flinging mud, anything to distract the woman sitting on her. When she realized it wasn’t working, she finally went still. “I didn’t kill him, I swear.”
Willow stood up and pulled Birdie with her. The crowd cheered and one of her “fans” grabbed Willow’s arm and lifted it. “And the winner is… Porkie!” He leaned in and whispered. “Next time you might want to wrestle someone closer to your own weight. I know about these things, I watch plenty of women’s wrestling.”
Willow grabbed her arm from him and scowled. Willow watched as two police officers led Birdie out of the pig barn. Steve was standing nearly 5 feet away. Each time she moved in closer, he would take a step back. “What is wrong with you?”
He held his handkerchief to his nose. “Nothing,” He said sounding like Fran Drescher on steroids.
“Nothing?”
“Well, you do kind of smell. No kind of about it. You need a shower.”
She inched closer. “And here I thought we could take a romantic, moonlit Ferris wheel ride.”
“Um, maybe later? After you’ve showered?”
She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him. “I really wanted tonight to be romantic. You could win me a teddy bear, we’d take a ride on the Ferris wheel… maybe share a funnel cake.”
I think we need to get you showered up and down to the station. Birdie is threatening to sue and you’ve got to give your statement.
“Sue? For what?”
Steve raised his eyebrows and gave her the ‘are you serious’ look. “You chased her down and tackled her in a pig pen. She’s stating you embarrassed her and the damages alone to her psyche are worth thousands.”
She shook her head. “That woman is crazy. She murdered Clancy. I’d bet my last dime on it.”
“Abel murdered Clancy. He’s confessed, Willow. You can’t get much surer than that.”
Willow stomped off with the smiling couple who volunteered their shower, thankful she’d brought some extra clothes in case she made a mess of herself at the Cook-off. She knew Abel didn’t murder Clancy.. She wasn’t wrong about this and she’d prove it.
Willow towel-dried her hair then thanked the owners of the RV before stepping out into the early evening heat.
Steve was waiting for her. She smiled and waved goodbye to the older couple then walked back toward the park b
efore asking, “Do you know those people?”
“No. But they sure do know you.” He laughed. “They want to know if they can head up your fan club.”
Willow sat across from the police officer and tapped her foot. She didn’t have time for this nonsense. Finally, after agreeing to stay away from Birdie, as in 100 feet at all times due to a restraining order, she was allowed to go. And, she had to come back and answer for her actions in a court of law.
“You know what I don’t get? If she wasn’t guilty, why’d she run? Can anyone answer that? She took off. She dropped her plate and bolted. What was I supposed to do? Let her go?”
Steve grinned. “Well, most people would have thought… ‘what’s wrong with that woman’ then went on eating their chicken.”
“Obviously I’m not most people.”
“Nope, you sure aren’t.” He added, “Do you want to go back to the fair?”
“No, I think I’ll just head home. Another night, maybe.”
Chapter 15
Willow decided to go by the gun range. She’d heard a rumor that Clancy had actually left the business to Jason. The rest of his estate went to Jordina. Apparently he’d felt some guilt over what he’d done to her grandfather and tried to make it up by giving Jordina his earthly possessions. And true, some of what he had was because of the benefits he had received being a hero. Many people do kind things for war heroes. She glanced at her clock. Noon. Steve should be out of church anytime now.
She heard his truck pull in the driveway and ran out to meet him. “Hey. Ready?”
“Can we get something to eat first?”
She pulled a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of her purse. “Here, snack on this. We can stop after. Besides, the restaurants are going to be crazy packed. It’s Sunday.”
He shrugged and devoured the sandwich.
The first thing Willow and Steve noticed was the gun range was open for business and actually busy. Clancy had a pretty faithful following but it was never like this. They had to park in the field next door. Crazy. Steve opened the door for her and the lobby was packed with enlisted men. Jason must have already let his buddies know about the change in ownership.
