by Jessica Beck
Were there tears in her eyes? I couldn’t tell as she asked, “Even Pat?”
“He’s coming around,” I assured her.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that. Maybe with Davis bowing out, we’ll have enough food, at any rate.”
“Do you think he’s not really coming back?” I asked her.
“Who knows? I’ve long given up any hope of figuring out what goes on in a man’s mind.”
I laughed, and then I said, “If it’s any consolation, Pat feels the same way about us. Now, what can I do to help you in here?”
“Shouldn’t you be out tending your food?” she asked.
“Pat’s more than capable of handling things out there,” I replied. “Besides, I wanted to spend a little time alone with you.”
“That would be delightful,” she said. “Grab some plates and cutlery and set the big table, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s why I’m here,” I said. As I did as I was told, I thought about the mayor’s urgent pleadings that we leave town. Had that really come from the police chief, or did the mayor want us gone for his own reasons? Either way, it wasn’t going to happen. I’d close the Iron’s grill for good if I had to, but I’d meant what I’d said.
Pat could go back if he wanted to, but I was staying put until this mess was over, one way or the other.
“Yoo-hoo. Is anyone home?” a woman’s voice called out from the front parlor. “Your front door was unlocked, so I let myself in.”
“No worries, Henrietta,” Della said, rolling her eyes a little so I could see it, but not her friend. “We’re back here.”
The older woman came in carrying a casserole dish covered in foil. “I brought my famous green bean surprise,” she said.
“Wonderful,” Della said. “Should we reheat it for you now?”
“Just put it in the warming oven, and it will be fine. I find that it’s better once it’s cooled and been reheated,” she said. “Della, may I use the powder room? I meant to go before I left the house, but then I forgot all about it.”
“You know where it is,” my aunt told her. After Henrietta was gone, Della said, “I don’t know why she keeps making this dish. The only surprise about it is that no one eats it, and yet she insists on showing up with it at the slightest provocation. The woman must buy green beans in fifty-gallon drums.”
“Is it really that bad?” I asked with a conspiratorial smile. It was nice to have another woman in the family to share inside jokes with besides my older sister.
“Try some for yourself, but don’t take more than a spoonful if you value your life,” Della said.
“Maybe that’s what really poisoned you at the dinner,” I said, realizing immediately that I’d gone too far. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s fine,” Della said, but evidently the impact of what I’d just said went beyond offending my aunt.
“You were poisoned?” Henrietta asked from the doorway. “What happened, and why didn’t you tell me about it?”
I shot a look of apology at my aunt as she explained, “It wasn’t anything quite so dramatic. I must have gotten something a little off at the town supper that didn’t agree with me.”
“I thought you looked a little green around the gills,” Henrietta said. “That’s why I don’t like to eat anything that I don’t prepare myself.” She frowned for a moment before adding, “Not that I’m sure your food won’t be delightful.”
“I won’t be offended if you eat just your casserole,” I said, doing my best not to smile.
“If I did that, then I’d be depriving the others,” Henrietta said with a perfectly straight face. “I’ll make you a deal. You try my specialty, and I’ll try yours.”
“It’s a deal,” I said, trying not to show my reluctance at making the promise. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I’d better go check on Pat.”
Della just shook her head and smiled as I walked out the door.
“What happened in there?” Pat asked as he finished turning the lid on the Dutch oven a quarter turn. “I didn’t think you were ever coming back.”
“I thought you had this all handled,” I said, fighting the temptation to lift the lid and check on the progress of the ribs and veggies. Steam was an important part of the cooking process, which was why I’d added water in the first place, though broth, beer, or wine would have done nicely as well. Every time I lifted the lid, I slowed that progression, so it was important to let it go and trust the process.
“I do,” he said. “But I still want to know what took you so long.”
“Well, before I could walk in and announce myself, I heard the mayor trying to coax our aunt into throwing us out as soon as possible.”
“You’re kidding,” Pat said, and then he studied my expression for a moment. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
“No, sir. Evidently the police chief is putting pressure on him to make it happen.”
“So, it’s Chief Cameron who wants us gone, not the mayor.”
“If we can believe Davis,” I said. “What if he’s the one who wants us to leave town, but he’s using the police chief as an excuse? If what he said was true, the two of them are thick as thieves. Apparently they have big plans for this place, and now they’re working together.”
“That’s interesting,” Pat said. “Ultimately, that might mean that the police chief is innocent.”
“How’s that?”
“If he’s got big plans with the mayor, why would he plant evidence there that makes the man look guilty of murder?”
“Do we think that branch was planted there now?” I asked him.
“I’ve had some time to think about it, Annie. What I’m beginning to realize is that the killer could have thrown that stick anywhere, or even drop it on the ground right where he hit Cheryl with it. The only thing gained by stashing it under the deck is to frame the mayor for murder. I have a feeling that there’s going to be an anonymous phone call to the police tipping them off about the weapon any minute.”
“Let them search all they want to,” I said. “We both know where that branch is. Going on that reasoning, it actually narrows our field of suspects more than that.”
“How so?”
“Do you honestly think that Serena would set up the man she’s clearly in love with, no matter how much she denies it? If we’d found that branch here near Della’s backyard, it would make sense that she could have done it, but finding it under Davis’s deck means that whoever did it isn’t afraid to set him up for a fall, and that eliminates Serena.”
“It makes sense when you look at it that way,” he said. “If we’re right, then that takes Davis off our list, and Cameron and Serena, too. I like it.”
“I do, too. We might be wrong about it, but our reasoning makes sense to me. So, where does that leave us?”
“We still have Gary White’s name on our list, by the process of elimination. Funny thing is, he’s the only one not coming to our little dinner this evening,” Pat said with a smile.
“Our basic premise is still a mighty big stretch,” I told him. “We have to keep our eyes on the rest of them just in case, but I think we should focus on Gary for the time being. I never even considered the possibility that Davis was being set up. You have a devious mind, little brother.”
“What can I say? It comes from hanging out with bad company,” Pat said with a grin. “If we’re right, then we can go after Gary, but if we’re wrong, we still need to watch the rest of them like hawks. Where is the mayor, by the way? Is he still inside with Della? I’m still not completely convinced that it’s safe to leave her alone with him.”
I was touched by my brother’s concern for our aunt’s well-being. “No, he left fifteen minutes ago. Did you not see him come by?”
“No one’s been through here since you went inside,” Pat said.
“He must have gone around the front. Anyway, Aunt Della isn’t alone. Henrietta Long is in there with her.” I told him about m
aking an ill-timed joke about being poisoned, since Henrietta had brought some rather suspect food with her. “It serves me right. Now I have to taste it.”
Pat grinned. “I’ll try some, too.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I’m not going to let you experience that without going through it myself. After all, we have each other’s backs, no matter what.”
“Maybe you’d better let me eat my bite first,” I said. “I might need you to drive me to the emergency room.”
“Can it really be all that bad?” my brother asked me.
“According to Aunt Della, it’s worse. Isn’t it about time to rotate that again?” I asked as I pointed to the lid.
“I have another two and a half minutes left,” Pat said.
“That’s oddly precise.”
“Not really. I set the alarm on my cellphone,” he said. “Now it’s two minutes and eleven seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven.”
I interrupted him before he could get to six. “I don’t need a second-by-second update; I know how to count down to zero.”
“I don’t doubt it for one second,” Pat said, and smiled gently at me. A moment later he looked over my shoulder and waved. “It appears our next guest is arriving for the festivities, Annie.”
I looked back to where he’d just waved and saw Serena Jefferson approaching.
“Where’s Davis? Is he inside?” she asked us breathlessly as she joined us.
“He was, but then he had to leave at the last second,” I said.
Her disappointment couldn’t have been more evident. “Did he say where he was going?”
“No, just that he forgot to do something back at the office,” I said.
“I’ll bet he didn’t sign the extension for the water permit with the county,” she said. “I’d better go help him find it.”
“He seemed perfectly capable of handling it himself,” I said, but it was in vain.
Serena was already gone.
“Man, she really does have it bad for that man, no matter how hard she protests the fact,” I said.
“Which means that we’re right. If it’s true, it means that she’d never set him up,” Pat replied.
“Unless she’s playing us all,” I answered as the police chief came up the path, this time carrying a bottle of wine in one hand.
As Chief Cameron tried to hand it to me, he said, “I don’t know if this is any good or not. It was ten bucks, so there you go.”
I glanced at the label and saw that it was a decent wine. “You should take that inside.”
“Is Della alone in there?” he asked.
“No, Henrietta’s in there.”
“Then I’d better go save her. Once that woman starts talking, she never shuts up.” As he walked past, he lingered for a moment at the Dutch oven. “Smells good.”
“I’m glad you approve,” I said.
He didn’t get the irony as he headed for the house. Or maybe he did. He paused and then turned back to us. “Listen, I want to apologize to you.”
“For what?” Pat asked.
“I’ve been tough on you, but it’s been more out of frustration than anything else. I happened to like Cheryl Simmons, and someone killing her right under my nose is driving me crazy. Anyway, I didn’t mean anything personal with anything I might have said or done. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said but then added quickly, “Are you taking the threats against my aunt’s life seriously?”
“I take everything that happens in my town seriously,” he said, and then he made his way up to the house.
“Fancy that,” I said after he was gone.
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been standing right here myself,” Pat answered. “We’re going to have a crowd, aren’t we?”
“That’s what I was originally hoping for, but now I’m not so sure,” I said. “In case we’re wrong about Gary White, I need you to be an extra set of eyes for me tonight.”
“Happy to do it,” Pat said. “What exactly am I watching for?”
“Anything that looks suspicious to you. If we’re wrong about Gary, then we might have the killer amongst us, so we still have to be vigilant.”
“That could be a tall order, given how many people are going to be inside,” Pat answered.
“I have faith in you.”
Pat’s phone alarm suddenly went off, and he turned the lid another quarter turn. “That should do it, shouldn’t it?”
I took a chance and peeked under the lid. “It looks good to me now.”
“Just the same, let’s give it seven more minutes,” he said.
“What’s wrong? Are you concerned about going inside?”
“Actually, I am.”
His confession surprised me. “Pat, are you afraid of one of our dinner guests?”
“As a matter of fact, you’ve got me jumpy about the green bean casserole,” he answered with a grin.
CHAPTER 17: PAT
We ended up having a crowd after all, even though my twin sister and I were beginning to have serious doubts that any of them could be the killer. As Annie and I brought in the main course, I was surprised to see that Davis and Serena had made it back in time to eat after all. There wasn’t going to be enough food based on what Annie had prepared in the Dutch oven, but Della—Aunt Della, I corrected myself—had brought out some of the food she’d served us at lunch, and it looked like it was going to be a real feast.
Before we could all dig in, Annie nudged me to get my attention, and then she said, “Before we eat, I’d like to raise a glass to Cheryl Simmons. I didn’t have the privilege of knowing her, but I’m sure that she will be missed by one and all.”
As Annie spoke, I looked around the room. Davis and the police chief both frowned at the mention of the murder victim’s name, Serena didn’t have the slightest expression at all, while Della and Henrietta both started tearing up. Neither of the older women’s reactions surprised me. After all, they’d both just lost a friend. Had the men’s frowns been brought on by memories of the woman’s death, or were they upset that Annie and I wouldn’t leave it alone? I couldn’t tell, but the night was still young.
“Now, let’s eat,” Della said after a moment’s silence.
“Pat, may I speak with you for a minute?” Annie asked me.
“Of course,” I said as I followed her into the front parlor, a place deserted, at least for the moment.
“Well? Did you see anything?” she asked me.
I recounted my observations, and she nodded in agreement. “That matches what I noticed as well. Any idea of what any of it might mean?”
“Not a clue,” I confessed. “We need to keep digging, just in case our theory about the hardware store owner is wrong.”
“Maybe I should have pushed them all a little harder when I toasted Cheryl’s memory,” Annie said.
“If you’d done that, Aunt Della and Henrietta would have both started bawling.”
“Hey, you just called…never mind.” Annie adjusted quickly.
“I’m trying,” I said, knowing what she’d been about to say.
“Good for you,” Annie said. “What should we do now?”
“There’s only one thing we can do. We need to keep pushing.”
“That sounds like a plan to me.”
I was about to rejoin the crowd with Annie when my phone rang. Was Jenna calling me back already? No, it was Kathleen instead.
“Go on,” I told Annie as I answered the call.
She nodded, and I said, “Hey, stranger. How’s it going?”
“That’s why I’m calling you. Have you been making any progress on the case?”
I brought her up to date on both of our latest theories, one that the hardware store owner was behind all of the mayhem and the other that the rest of our suspects were gathered at Aunt Della’s place for dinner. “Do you have thoughts that might help us?” I asked her as I finished.
“No, it sounds as though you’re doing all th
at you can. I wish I could be there with you.”
“Sure, then you’d get to share the bed with Annie, but I’d still be stuck out on the couch.”
“I’m serious, Pat.”
“So am I. Listen, we’re doing all that we can. If we haven’t made any progress by tomorrow night, I’ll call you back.”
“You’d better. Be careful, little brother.”
“I resent the fact that everybody treats me like I’m the baby in the family, even though it’s only by seven minutes in Annie’s case.”
“Talk to her. You’re both my younger siblings.”
After I hung up, I saw that Annie was lingering nearby. “Who was that?”
“Kathleen was checking up on us,” I said.
“Did she have any good ideas for us?”
“No, she thought we were doing a good job.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Annie asked.
“I suppose, but we’re still not much further than we were when we first got here.”
“Cheer up. At least we get to go eat now,” Annie said with a smile.
We didn’t get our food immediately, though. We got distracted by what we found in the dining room, though it was no real surprise when we found Serena hanging on every word Davis was saying. We joined the group as the mayor held forth on what a success the Winter Wonderland festival had been, praising the two women who had been the driving forces behind it. “Folks came from all over to see our town at its best. Della, you and Henrietta did marvelous work.”
Aunt Della smiled, but all Henrietta would do was blush from the attention. Our aunt said, “Not only was it good PR for Gateway Lake, but we should make a profit from it as well.”
“Let’s not be too hasty saying that,” Henrietta said cautiously. “After all, we still need to go over the books and write the last few checks before we can say how we did one way or the other.”
“When are you going to have a final accounting to present us?” the mayor asked them.
“Tomorrow noon at the latest,” Della promised.
“I’m not sure we can have everything ready by then,” Henrietta said with some reluctance. “You should see my desk at home. It’s covered with invoices, receipts, and all kinds of paperwork.”
