Chapter 19
“HEY, LUCKY,” SAGE called through the hatch. “There’s a strange man here asking for you.”
Lucky turned and peeked into the kitchen. Sage had a grin from ear to ear, and next to him, also smiling widely, was his brother Remy.
“Remy! Where have you been?” Lucky cried. She slipped from behind the counter and pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen. Sage’s younger brother seemed to have grown taller and sturdier. Remy had always depended on Sage for security after surviving a tough childhood. Months before when Sage had been arrested, Remy had had an emotional meltdown. In an effort to keep him busy and grounded, Jack had put him to work at the Spoonful, and both Lucky and Jack had done their best to offer him moral support. Once Sage was free and the dust had settled, they hadn’t seen very much of Remy.
Lucky was thrilled to see him again. “Sage said you were working on a farm. I meant to get your phone number from him. We miss you!”
Remy, slender as he was, was strong. He threw his arms around Lucky, picking her up off the floor, and spun her around.
“I miss all of you too. But I have a real job now. I figured it was about time I settled down. I’m not getting any younger.”
Lucky’s eyebrows raised. “How old are you now?”
“Twenty-two.”
Lucky struggled to keep a straight face. “Almost a senior citizen.” Sage winked at her behind Remy’s back.
“Well, I can’t mooch off my brother forever.” He turned and grinned at Sage. “But it’s not exactly a farm. I’m working with horses.”
“Really? That’s great. Taking care of them?”
“Training them.”
“No kidding.”
“Can you believe that, Lucky? Me! I’d never even come close to a horse before, but for some reason—and it was just luck I showed up at the right time ’cause they needed somebody—for some reason, horses really like me. And I like them too—sometimes better than humans. There’s an older guy at this place that’s been doing this all his life, but he wants to retire, and he’s teaching me. He says I have a knack.”
“Oh, Remy. That is really wonderful. What a great thing to be doing.” Lucky gave him a hug in return. “You’ve got to visit a bit and tell Jack all about it too.”
“I plan to. I’ll be based over at the festival for a few days. The owners have rented some of their ponies to the festival people for the kids to ride. So I’ll be keeping an eye on them and taking care of them at night.”
“That sounds like a dream job!” Lucky said.
“Well,” Remy shrugged. “It would be if it weren’t for all the tension over there. Not a happy place.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, nothing serious, really. Just that guy Ernie. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him. Never does what he says he’s gonna do. I had a run-in with him just the other day. I overheard him talking to this big guy that works for him—Rory—about pulling off the panels. I told him he couldn’t touch anything in the barn. It was all modified for the horses. The owners were very specific about how the stalls should be set up, and I don’t want my horses to get upset.”
“Ernie bugs us too when he comes in. I just hope the rest of the week goes better for you. You know, Sophie’s stopping by any minute. We were planning to go over there for an hour or so this afternoon, just to see what’s going on.” She turned to Sage. “We might take Janie with us, just to cheer her up. Jack and Meg’ll be here though. Is there anything I can pick up for you at the farmers’ market?”
Sage’s brow furrowed. “Uh, yes, actually, there is. See if they have any late-season blueberries and blackberries. There’s a soup recipe I’ve been thinking about. And would you mind picking up one of those fairy-tale pumpkins? I promised Tommy I’d get him one for his project. He thinks it’ll make a real spooky jack-o’-lantern.”
“Sure. How many berries do you need?”
“Not a lot. Maybe just a pound each. That’ll give me plenty in case anything goes wrong with my experiment.”
The bell over the door jingled. Lucky peeked out to the restaurant. “Sophie’s here now,” she said, slipping off her apron.
Sophie waved to Jack on her way through the restaurant and rushed into the kitchen. She kissed Sage and reached over to pinch Remy on the cheek. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us while you’re in town?”
“You’ll be seeing me, but I’m gonna sleep in the trailer out at the field. I need to be close to keep an eye on the horses. I’m not crazy about the guys Ernie hired to run the pony rides for the kids. They know less about horses than I do about nuclear physics.”
“Well, if you change your mind, we have a very warm sofa and an extra pillow and blanket. But come to dinner every night at least, okay?”
“Thanks.” Remy grinned. “I plan on that.” He turned to Lucky, “I have to head back now, but I’ll come by to visit with you and Jack again.”
“You better.”
“See ya.” Remy slipped out to the corridor and left by the back door.
Sophie turned to Lucky. “Want to go now? While things are quiet? Where’s Janie?”
“She’s stacking cans in the storage closet. I’ll go get her.”
Lucky walked down the corridor and hung her apron on a hook in the closet. She tapped on the storeroom door and pushed it open. “Hey, Janie. Still want to come with us? Sophie’s here.”
Janie was squatting near the lower shelf, counting cans of corn. Just about all the ingredients in Sage’s soups were fresh, but occasionally, if some item was out of season or hard to come by, Lucky always made sure there were plenty of supplies on hand.
Janie placed her clipboard on the shelf and slipped off her apron. “That sounds like fun.”
“Let’s escape for a bit. Sophie’s got her car. We can drive over with her.” Lucky was hoping a break in the routine would be good for the girl’s spirits.
“Have you been to see your mom?” Lucky watched Janie’s face carefully.
Janie averted her eyes and mumbled, “No.”
“You’re gonna have to sooner or later. Don’t you think sooner would be better?”
Janie looked up, tears in her eyes. “I will, Lucky. I just can’t right now.”
“But you will?”
Janie sighed. “I will. I will.”
Janie couldn’t go on being angry at her mother forever. Sooner or later she’d have to return home. She was sure time would heal the wound and Janie would eventually get over the shock.
“Okay, let’s go, then.”
Chapter 20
THE PARKING LOT was almost completely full when they arrived. Sophie drove up and down the rows and finally found an empty spot. A lush Indian summer had lasted well into the month, and the afternoon sun filtered through brilliant red and gold leaves. Nature’s sensuous treat, one last tantalizing kiss before the bitterness of winter swept in. Inside the gate, the tables of the vendors were laid out in two long rows. Their overhead canvases flapped in the gentle wind. Behind the vendor stalls an area was carved out for a small carousel painted in brilliant colors. Young children filled every seat and calliope music played as the carousel turned round and round. Another gate straight ahead led the way to the pumpkin patch and farther on the corn maze. Inside a fenced corral two handlers watched over the children riding ponies. Lucky saw Remy leaning on the fence, watching the men and the horses carefully. Doting parents stood on the periphery taking snapshots. Another sound, a haunting note from a stringed instrument, reached the women’s ears.
“Do you think I could pass for six years old?” Sophie asked. “I’d love to ride one of those ponies, except I wouldn’t want to stay inside the corral.”
“That’s why they don’t want you on their horses, and no, I doubt you could pass,” Lucky replied.
“I’m with Sophie. Maybe the horses would like to escape.” Janie giggled. “I know if I were a horse, I would.”
“I see Remy’s keep
ing a close watch.” Lucky turned to Sophie. “It’s great that you and Sage are staying close. I’m sure it means an awful lot to him.”
“And to Sage too. That’s his baby brother. He’s struggled his whole life to get to a place where he could keep Remy safe. It took a while, but I think Remy’s turned it around. He’s standing on his own two feet now.”
“Listen,” Lucky said. “I’ll be right back. I have to find the fruit sellers. I want to pick up Sage’s order before I forget. I’ll meet you back here?”
“Okay. We’ll be around. Maybe Janie and I will do the corn maze. What do you say, Janie?”
“I’d like that. It’d be fun. Let’s go.”
Lucky was relieved to see Janie smile and forget her troubles for a moment. “Don’t get lost,” she called out as Sophie and Janie headed for the entrance to the maze. “I’ll meet you after.”
Lucky heard a stringed instrument playing again. She looked to the far end of the field and saw musicians setting up on a stage under the trees. A small audience had started to gather. She turned away and wandered in the other direction toward the stalls, glancing over each table piled with the harvest of the season—squash, corn, artichokes, and the last of the strawberries, thanks to a longer than usual summer. Handmade wares—candles, crocheted coverlets, knitted scarves and pottery—covered many of the tables. She browsed past several vendors and finally decided to purchase a trio of large handmade candles for Sophie and Sage—a small early engagement present.
She continued down the main pathway and spotted a table with oddly shaped, fantastical pumpkins. Tommy would need a good-sized one for carving. She studied each one carefully and finally purchased one with the best carving possibilities. It was heavy and too big to fit into her carryall. She’d have to lug it around, but it was all for a good cause, she thought. At the end of the row of stands she found a fruit stall with luscious-looking berries. Just what Sage needed.
“Could I have a pound of those and those?” she asked, pointing at the bins of fruit. “They look delicious.”
“They are,” the woman behind the table said. “You’ll love them.” She scooped the blueberries and blackberries into paper bags. Her arms were heavy and tanned. She had probably farmed the berries herself. Lucky paid for the fruit and tucked the bags into her carryall with the candles. She slung the straps over her shoulder and, holding the heavy pumpkin, headed back toward the pony corral, wondering if Sophie and Janie would be done with the corn maze. As she left the shelter of the tents, she spotted Nate’s cruiser pulling into the parking lot. Was this just a casual stop to pick up vegetables? Or to make sure no one was breaking any laws? She watched as Nate and Bradley climbed out and headed toward the corral. Sophie and Janie were nowhere in sight.
Nate gestured to one of the men at the corral. The man glared at Nate and reluctantly approached. Lucky recognized the big man she had seen with Ernie White at the Spoonful. She moved closer, close enough to hear the conversation but not so close it was obvious she was eavesdropping.
“Anyone else working with you here?”
The man shook his head negatively. “No. Just me and my guy over there.” He indicated a young man who stood in the center of the corral watching over the children, making sure no child was having trouble staying on his or her pony.
“And how ’bout the ride over there? Anyone who was here and hasn’t shown up lately?”
“Nah,” the man said. “Just the three of us and a mechanic from Lincoln Falls who checks the ride occasionally. And the farmers who come every day, but I don’t know any of them.”
“Who hired you then?”
“Ernie White,” the man answered in a surly tone. “You got any questions, you should talk to him.”
“I plan to. What about the band, the musicians?”
The man shrugged. “You’d have to talk to Ernie. I don’t know where they come from. He hired ’em.”
Nate nodded his head in the direction of the younger man who stood in the center of the corral. He had studiously avoided looking in Nate’s direction. “And that guy? Did you hire him? Or Ernie?”
“He’s with the bunch playing music. I give him a few bucks to help me out.” The man turned and called out. “Hey, Danny Boy, get over here.”
The young man looked over quickly and stood stock-still. For a split second, Nate was sure he would approach the white-railed fence. Instead, he bolted in the other direction, climbed over the fence and took off across the farmer’s field.
“Damn,” Nate muttered under his breath. “Go get him, Bradley.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Get a move on.”
Bradley shot a frustrated look at Nate but ran around the corral and took off after the runaway.
“What the hell’s goin’ on? Why’d he run?” Nate barked at the big man.
“Can’t tell ya. Maybe he’s got unpaid parking tickets. Look, I gotta keep watch over those kids.”
Nate waved him away and, peering across the distance, watched Bradley as he closed in on the fugitive.
Lucky had watched the scene play out and finally approached Nate. “What’s happening?”
Nate turned suddenly. “Lucky! Didn’t see you there.” He glanced back to make sure Bradley was hot on the trail of the runaway and smiled. “He’ll catch him. Bradley’s fast. I’m just trying to make the rounds and talk to everyone around town. I need to get some kind of a solid ID on this guy we found. So far, nobody’s claiming him.”
“What about that driver’s license from Maine?”
“No luck there. That man died ten years ago. Can you believe it? Who the hell is this guy? And I’m still waiting for the results of those paint scrapings and any fingerprints or anything else that turns up.”
“Sorry you’re having such a tough time.”
Remy stepped down from the railing and walked toward them.
“Tough ain’t the word. Somebody shot this guy. He died of blood loss and shock. How the hell can I find who did that if I can’t even identify the victim?” He nodded toward the musicians setting up on stage. “That’s my next stop. But I doubt I’ll get very far there.”
“Why do you say that?”
Nate shrugged. “Look at ’em.” Nate indicated the other end of the festival area where the stage sat under a stand of trees. “They’re travelers, I’m sure. Even if they know who the dead guy is, they probably wouldn’t tell me anyway.” He grumbled.
Remy had remained silent, listening to their exchange. Four people moved around the wooden stage, three men and a woman, preparing to begin their set. The woman moved to center stage. She wore a long flowing skirt and balanced a stand-up bass against her shoulder. She played long slow notes with her bow as she deftly adjusted the tension in the strings. One man sat on a stool behind a keyboard, another picked up a banjo, and the third took his place at the side with a violin.
Nate watched the activity on stage. “Looks like I missed my opening. I’ll have to wait for a break,” Nate said.
Lucky spotted Sophie and Janie exiting from the gate to the corn maze and waved to them to catch their attention. Sophie waved back. She and Janie walked toward them.
“Janie’s here?” Remy asked. He stood straighter and ran a hand through his hair.
Lucky nodded, aware that Remy had done his best to attract Janie’s attention months before.
The woman on stage coaxed long, slow notes from her instrument. She began to sing. The keyboardist and the violinist played quietly in the background, supporting her plaintive song. The words were unrecognizable. Lucky listened carefully. She was sure she was listening to Gaelic. Something about the music tugged at her heart. Without understanding the words she knew it was a song of yearning, perhaps of love lost. Sophie and Janie stood quietly next to her. The rhythm of the song picked up, and the man playing the violin moved downstage, out of the shadow of the trees. Janie gasped and grabbed Lucky’s arm.
Sophie was instantly aware of Janie’s reaction. “What is i
t?” she whispered to Lucky.
Janie’s face was pale. “It’s him,” she breathed. “Lucky, that’s the man I’ve seen.”
“Are you sure it’s the same man?”
Janie nodded.
Lucky sensed someone behind them. She turned and saw Ernie White tap on Nate’s shoulder.
“Trouble, Nate?”
Nate’s face was a closed book. “No trouble, Ernie. Just talking to a few of your people here.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d talk to me first or let me know you’re coming.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” Nate asked. Beneath his casual reply Lucky heard an undertone of Nate’s official voice.
Ernie laughed suddenly. An effort to make light that came off as an angry bark. “People get nervous when they see cops around. Especially cops asking questions. I don’t think a police presence is good for business, Nate.”
Nate was silent, showing no reaction. “You better rethink that, Ernie, because you wouldn’t have these concessions without a license, and that license can be easily revoked. My job is to make sure this town is safe, and if I think you’re harboring any undesirables, then I’m gonna start asking questions. Do you get my drift?”
Ernie’s face flushed a deep red. “Now don’t go accusing me of anything. Everything here is open and aboveboard.”
“Then you shouldn’t mind my sniffing around.” Nate glanced down at Ernie’s feet. Lucky noticed his eyes harden.
A Roux of Revenge Page 10
