Adam had always maintained his innocence. And even though I'd left him and filed for divorce, I'd always believed deep down that he was innocent. I had to. I couldn't let myself believe that I had really, once upon a time, married a murderer.
But now, I wasn't so sure.
Chapter 3
Jasper whimpered at the bottom of the hill and pulled on his lead, trying to pull me back toward home. "I know, boy, I want to go back too." Though I wasn't too eager to go home. I just didn't want to be at the foot of the Pottsville hills, with their eerie shapes that seemed to move and blend in with the clouds, and the shadows that seemed to dart around, only visible out of the corner of my eye. Maybe there really were ghosts up that way.
But Jasper had never been scared of ghosts before. Whatever was up that hill must have been really scary to make Jasper want to turn back.
"Come on now, boy," I said gently. I wanted him with me for safety reasons, if nothing else, even though I'd made a vow not to let Brenda's prejudices about Gem and his family influence me. It was a little hard, now that I was there and I realized how stranded I was. The hills lay to the east of the town, far away from the center, and the few properties that lined the road that led me there lay abandoned. I felt totally removed from society even though I'd only walked for fifteen minutes from my craft shop to here.
There was something spooky about the hills and the way the small tin houses and cottages seemed to jut out at strange angles, like they were in danger of falling right off. And the strong winds and whirling grey clouds didn't help to put me at ease.
I only had Brenda's directions to go off, given that I had no personal experience with the area. She'd told me that Gem lived in the second house on the right, in a small cottage that had once been his mother’s. She was now deceased and Gem lived there alone while his brother was 'out of town.' I wasn't quite sure what that was code for and I hadn't pressed Brenda on the point.
The path up the hill would have been steep, winding, and difficult to climb on a regular day. With the high winds, I felt in danger of toppling off the side and was grateful I'd actually worn flats. Usually I hate being without my heels, but now and again, I can be a little practical.
As we approached the house, we got some wind cover and I finally relaxed a little. Jasper even started wagging his tail as I knocked on the door—quickly, before I had a chance to second guess myself. I didn't want to turn back after I'd come so far.
But part of me really hoped no one would answer the door. I took a step back from the tin cottage, ready to take off again if there was no answer.
Jasper started barking wildly when the door was pulled open, as though it were our home and Gem was the intruder.
"Gem?" I asked. "Gem Dawes?"
Brenda was right. Gem was in his mid-twenties now, and looked even younger than that. He could have been mistaken for a teenager with his young looking skin and still very boyish features. Maybe he didn't get much sun up these ways. He wasn't an unattractive young man, with dark hair and features, but he did look a little disheveled. But maybe that was just the way young people looked these days. They probably thought it looked good.
Gem took a step out and glanced around the front of the property, as though he was checking if it was just us or whether he was surrounded by an entire tag team. "What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.
"Don't worry, it's just us," I said with a smile. "This is Jasper."
I let Jasper off his leash and he ran over to Gem, jumping up for pats and attention. Gem immediately knelt down and petted him. "Good boy," he said with a laugh when Jasper licked his cheek. Jasper looked back at me excitedly, wanting me to join in the fun as well. I hung back for a moment.
I still had to wonder if Jasper really was the best judge of character. First Adam, now Gem Dawes. But he was just a dog after all, wasn't he? They tended not to judge, but to love everyone, no matter what they might have done.
"We were just wandering through the...neighborhood," I stated. Though 'neighborhood' didn't seem the right way to describe the enclave of haphazardly built houses and cottages and the old shells of cars and trucks that lay abandoned in the fields.
"No one just wanders up this way," Gem said, straightening up. He immediately looked a little less boyish and a little more intimidating. "People tend to stay away from these parts. Smart people, anyhow."
"Well, maybe I'm not so smart." I grinned at him. "And I don't mind walking where others don’t dare to tread."
Gem shrugged. "I still think you've got to be brave to come up this way so late in the afternoon, right before the sun sets..."
Okay, that kind of creeped me out a bit. I tried to shrug it off. Maybe it was just a compliment, not a warning.
"Can we chat a few moments?" I asked with another smile. "I'm kind of an outsider in this town as well."
Gem thought about it for a second but shrugged. "Sure," he said. "Why don't you come inside for a cup of tea?"
I hadn't really expected to be invited inside and the question caught me off guard for a moment. I wasn't entirely sure I should be alone in his house with him, even with Jasper there to protect me. I wasn't sure how much protecting Jasper would even be doing. He was still jumping all over Gem and ignoring me. If anything went down between the two of us, Jasper would probably be on Gem's side.
"You're not scared to be alone inside with me, are you?" Gem asked.
I shook my head. "No, of course not." I smiled and followed him inside, clipping Jasper's leash back on to his collar and pulling him closer to me as we walked through the front door.
For some reason it surprised me to see that Gem had modern appliances and a brand new electric kettle that he used to boil the water with. I was surprised the cottage even had electricity. That was probably terribly judgmental of me, and I gave myself a silent lecture. I was there to find out the truth, not to judge Gem and his family the way everyone else in the town had.
I sat a little nervously while Gem made the tea. "Is English Breakfast okay by you?" he asked. "It's my favorite."
I replied that it was fine and tightened my grip on Jasper's leash.
"I've only been in town such a short while," I said, wrapping my hands around my tea cup, trying to steady myself. "And I've already seen so many remarkable things."
"Have you?" Gem asked, sitting down with me. I was hoping he'd ask me, 'such as what?' but he wasn't going to make this easy for me. Was there going to be any easy way to ask him if he'd killed Julie, though?
"How's the tea?" Gem asked.
"Perfect," I said and took another sip.
Well, there was no point in making any more small talk about tea. "Did you hear about what happened in town yesterday?" I asked Gem.
He stared back at me with a dark look. "I didn't just hear about it," he said in a flat tone that made me uneasy.
I took a sip and then put my cup back down. "Some people are saying that they saw you at the scene of the crime."
"I was at the shop, so what?" Gem asked. He turned away and stirred two full spoonfuls of sugar into his tea. "I like to go there sometimes. Is it that hard to believe that I am into crafting?"
I tried not to look too surprised. "I've never seen you inside my shop," I said. "I own a craft shop too, a bigger one than Julie's in fact."
Gem didn’t look impressed at all. "If it's one of those fancy places in the center of town I usually stay away," he said drolly.
I never would have referred to my shop as a 'fancy place,' but I tried not to look too amused at his description.
I glanced around his small tin house. "You're not the usual demographic for a crafter," I answered carefully, trying to look for any clues that he was telling the truth. I didn't see any scrap books, or yarn, or carving tools anywhere. The house was sparsely decorated in fact, even though I'd expected it to be cluttered with junk. But it was neat and tidy and there were few items on a bookshelf that I noticed was full of well-thumbed fantasy novels.
"Yeah, well, pe
ople tend to judge."
"They do," I mused and stared into my tea cup. "Especially in a small community like Pottsville. Don't worry, Gem, I can relate..."
I spotted a brand new sewing machine, still in its box, in the corner of the room and quickly averted my eyes. Too late. Gem caught me. "I bought that," he said defensively. "I paid for it and everything. Do you want to see the receipt? I think I've still got it around here somewhere."
I shook my head quickly. "No, it's okay..."
"You think I stole it, don't you?" Gem asked, shaking his head. "I just told you, I am into crafts. I like sewing and making leather-wear."
He stood up and grabbed my half-finished tea cup and took it over to the sink, pouring the rest of it out. "I think you'd better leave."
It looked like I couldn't even make friends with a suspected criminal in this town.
I stood up and spoke gently, wanting to reassure him.
"It's okay, Gem. I believe you."
He stomped over to the door and opened it for me. "Take my advice," he said. "You really want to get away from these hills before it gets dark."
I looked at my prized possession in the shop—a pricey spinning wheel that sat in the corner. I spun the spinning wheel around and watched the spokes whirl until they became invisible.
Brenda's voice broke through the daze I'd fallen into in the back of the shop.
"So, you came back alive?" she called out.
I spun around and nodded.
If I wasn't imagining things, Brenda actually seemed relieved to see that I'd arrived back from the hills unharmed.
"It wasn't as scary as you made it out to be. I wasn't even worried," I lied, tidying up the shop for the night, ready to close up. The sun had already started to set and I was eager to get home before it was entirely dark. Gem's words had unsettled me and now it wasn't just the hills that seemed scary, but the entire town.
"So what did you find?" Brenda asked. She usually insisted on being out the door right on the dot, not wanting to work for a second longer than I was paying her for. But tonight she was lingering, wanting to know every detail.
"Nothing..." I said unconvincingly as I turned the sign around to 'closed.'
Brenda raised her eyebrows. "You did find something," she whispered excitedly. "Come on, I'm the one who told you where to go. You have to tell me what you found. It's only fair."
I told her about the sewing machine, brand new and still in the box, that I had spotted in the corner.
I hesitated a moment before I asked her. "Do you know if that was one of the items that was stolen from Julie's store?"
Brenda shook her head slowly. "I might know a lot of things, but I'm afraid I don't know those details. You might have to speak to that boyfriend of yours." I was confused for a second, thinking that she was talking about Adam.
Right, she meant Ryan. "I doubt he's talking to me after I let my dog destroy a crime scene," I muttered.
Brenda tutted and shook her head. "I've told you before, you need to leave that dog at home."
"Brenda, can you focus on the important details? When he offered to show me the receipt, I refused, but now part of me wishes I had..." Should I go back and check? If just to put my mind at ease?
"I'm one hundred percent sure he stole it," Brenda said, setting her lips in a firm line.
Okay, now I suddenly wanted to give Gem nothing but the benefit of the doubt—and nothing but faith. Maybe Brenda was the kind of person who demanded to see a receipt, but I didn't want to be that sort of person.
"He'd have to be pretty stupid to steal something from the crime scene and display it in his home, wouldn't he?" I asked.
"Those Dawes boys are not exactly known for their high intellect," Brenda answered. "He's probably stupid, and arrogant enough to display it."
"I didn't get that impression of him," I mused quietly. "He didn't seem arrogant at all. He just seemed like a shy young boy, lost almost."
Brenda shook her head. "You are being taken for a fool, Georgina."
"No, I am just using my gut," I said, hoping that Brenda was wrong and that I wasn't being taken for a ride, acting like the idiot I'd been once upon a time, when I was younger. When I'd first been married...
"I don't believe he did it," I said firmly. "There's a killer loose in this town, Brenda, and no one benefits if we are chasing the wrong guy."
"Believe what you want," Brenda said. "But that doesn't change the truth. And the truth is that Gem Dawes was at the shop yesterday. And he wasn't alone when he left either."
I stopped at the door, my coat in my hands. "He wasn't?"
Brenda shook her head. "No. He was with a man I didn't recognize. Looked much older than him though, about your age, Georgina. With curly, dark, greying hair. Sound like anyone you know?"
Chapter 4
I ran down the road, having overslept by three hours, hoping that Brenda wouldn't lord it over for me for the entire day. The still violent wind didn't work in my favor either, pushing me back as I struggled against it.
"Careful there," a voice called out. "You'll blow away."
I straightened up and pushed the hair out of my face. "Ryan," I said with a bright smile. "Gosh, I am terribly sorry about that inconvenience the other day." I waved down at the empty space at my ankles. "As you can see I am trying to let Jasper be more independent these days." I frowned. "Or maybe it's me that needs to learn how to be more independent."
Ryan raised his eyebrows in surprise and laughed. "I never thought you had any problems being independent. I would have said the opposite was true. I always thought you needed to learn to be less independent."
Oh, Ryan. He was so young. Probably too young for me. I wondered if this 'independence' he was talking about was really just because he was only twenty-six and women his own age knew their own minds less and were probably a little more clingy.
"Anyway," I said, trying to sound breezy and casual, even though I was feeling anything but, being pushed around by a terrifying wind and wondering, in the back of my mind, if I was living with a killer. I'd barely seen Adam the night before. Nor the morning. He'd been out, taking Jasper for a walk when I'd slipped away, three hours late to work. "How’s the investigation going?"
Ryan took a sip from the paper coffee cup he was holding. He laughed. "You always try your luck, don't you?" He lowered his voice a little. "To tell you the truth, not so well," he said, looking a little troubled. "We're dealing with a witness who can't stop sticking her nose in and telling us what we are doing wrong."
I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, let me guess who that is." I shook my head. "Sorry about that," I said as I started walking again. "I'll try to keep her busy today so she doesn't have time to bother you."
Ryan waved at me as I left. "I'd appreciate that."
"Woah," I said, walking into the shop. The two aisles were so full with customers I had to squeeze past them to even hang my coat up. Looks like I wasn't going to have any problem keeping Brenda busy for the day.
I heard the cash register ding as Brenda rang up yet another item.
"Are we having a sale that I forgot about?" I asked Brenda, spinning around, confused. I couldn't see any red or yellow dots on anything, and there were no signs up in the window. Unless Brenda was running a secret sale she hadn't told me about, I was at a loss to explain this sudden rise in popularity.
"I guess now that our competition has closed down, we're the place that people are flocking to."
I froze. Was Brenda right? Were we suddenly benefiting from Julie's craft store being closed?
Were we benefiting from her death?
The idea made my stomach churn. I wanted to be a success, but not at the expense of someone’s life.
But I didn't get much of a chance to let the guilt overtake me. All day, I was busy running backward and forward, tending to customers and getting stock out of the back to refill shelves. By the time the clock hit five o'clock, I was exhausted and my feet were aching. But it was a good kind of
exhaustion. I realized I was also grateful to have had my mind taken off all the things spinning around in my head.
But now that the shop was empty, those thoughts had started to creep back in.
"Huh," Brenda said, counting the money after we had finally closed for the day.
"What?" I asked, sitting on the floor. I leaned against the counter, too exhausted to stand.
"It's just funny, isn't it?" Brenda replied.
I rolled my eyes since she couldn't see my face. "What is?" I asked.
"It's just funny that Julie dies, and you are the beneficiary of her misfortune."
I suddenly jumped back up to my feet and confronted her.
"So what are you suggesting now? You think that Adam killed Julie just so that my craft store could do better business? That's insane, Brenda."
She opened her mouth so say something, but I had had enough of her nonsense. I wasn't ready to let her have her say until I had had mine. "Do you really think, after sixteen years, my ex-husband turned up out of the blue, like some crazed knight in shining armor, to kill off my crafting competition? I know there have been some insane motives for murder in this world, Brenda, but that would really take the cake."
Brenda just stared at me in bemusement, and the more angry I got the more bemused she looked. When I finally stopped to take a breath, she had the last word.
"No, Georgina. I'm suggesting that you are the one that killed Julie."
"That's it!" I said, pacing across the tiles of my living room, while near by, Adam lay splayed causally on the sofa with Jasper curled up on him, both acting like they didn't have a care in the world. Well, they'd just been chilling out all day, playing in the park and eating food from my fridge, not dealing with a barrage of customers and a co-worker accusing them of murder. "I have had it. First thing in the morning, I am firing Brenda!" I stopped for a breath and to take a long gulp of the red wine I'd been holding so fiercely it was a wonder the stem hadn't snapped in my grip.
Craft Circle Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 20
