*****
Chapter 7
Mrs Strathclyde’s Theories
“How delicious!” Mrs. Strathclyde raved. She nibbled along the edge of a small sandwich, rather like a goldfish at its feed. “I know that we only have bad memories of that Bingo night but, I must say, the one good memory I have is of your sandwiches. I tried to recreate them myself, but I’m not so sure I’ve done a good job.”
Mrs. Strathclyde lived in a large three-story tudor house right next to Claudia James’ house. Unlike Claudia’s sleek modern interiors, Mrs. Strathclyde’s house was filled to the brim with antiques and knick-knacks. Nora sat on one such antique now, feeling awkward.
“I’m sure they’re delicious,” Nora said, picking up a sandwich from the tray. She nibbled one, which was quite tasty, although Mrs. Strathclyde sighed and shook her head.
“I can’t quite get the taste right for the ham and cheese,” she said. “What was your magical secret ingredient?”
“Fig jam,” Nora whispered with a smile. “This is quite tasty, too, but if you add a thin layer of fig jam, it transforms the whole sandwich. I’ve found the sweetness melds with the tartness of the brie and the saltiness of the ham to create a unique flavor combination.”
“Fantastic!” Mrs. Strathclyde exclaimed.
They were both seated in plush armchairs in Mrs Strathclyde’s parlour, with a silver tray full of finger sandwiches between them. Mrs. Strathclyde had so far peppered Nora with questions about her past exploit, seeming almost excited to be sitting with her. When the conversation turned to Mrs. Hanes, Mrs. Strathclyde spoke sorrowfully.
“I feel like it has to be a dream, or a horrible prank of some kind,” she said. “Poor Anna! She was the nicest woman I’d ever met.”
“Was she?” That went against what the others had told Nora. Even in her own opinion, Anna Hanes could hardly be described as “nice”. Efficient, capable, a natural leader- perhaps. But nice?
“She was a friend to me as soon as I came back to town,” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “Milburn isn’t very friendly to outsiders, you know? And I’m an outsider, alright. It doesn’t matter that I grew up here. I was gone for forty years! The town had changed so much when I came back.”
“I can appreciate that,” Nora smiled. “I had some difficulties integrating after moving back from New York. Milburn doesn’t invite you in with open arms but, when it accepts you, there’s no town more friendly.”
“Well, I agree about the open arms bit, at least,” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “I don’t even know why I came back, really. Except that I had nowhere else to go. My children are both settled in London. My four husbands all left me an increasingly hefty bank account and an increasingly aching heart. I thought I’d live a peaceful life here with friends here in Milburn and now Anna is dead! I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. I’m even considering moving away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nora said.
“Well, you’re not here to listen to an old woman moan,” Mrs. Strathclyde sighed. “I suppose you want to know more about Anna Hanes.”
“I do,” Nora said. “Claudia James said that you went on a road-trip to Colorado with her last month? I figured you must be close.”
“Oh, well, not exactly,” Mrs. Strathclyde sighed. “I had to collect some papers from my lawyer in Boulder and Anna insisted on tagging along. She wanted to visit a niece who’d just given birth.”
“I see,” Nora said. “Did she say anything to you? Did she maybe mention being afraid of someone?”
Mrs. Strathclyde shook her head. “That was before the collection box was looted. No, Anna was gabbing about all sorts of things. Let’s see...” Mrs. Strathclyde frowned, trying to remember. “Anna was tending to a new batch of indoor plants and she was afraid Claudia would over-water them while she was gone. I’m not much of a gardener, but she loved it. She also spoke of her niece a lot. She seemed quite fond of her and was excited to see her. She spoke of Lucy Dobbs, too.”
“What did she say about her?”
“Well, she was complaining to me that Lucy had no idea how to properly run the club,” Mrs. Strathclyde explained. “I agreed with her. I felt the club needed a rather more efficient president. Anna said, ‘It does, but the only way Lucy will step down from the job is if she’s forced to!’”
Nora’s eyes widened. Thoughtfully, she said, “Mrs. Strathclyde, was Anna with you that whole weekend?”
“Oh, heavens no. I dropped her off at her niece’s house on Friday night and met her next on Sunday evening. We returned back home late that night.”
So it was possible that Mrs. Hanes had taken a bus back to Milburn, stolen the money, and then gone back to Boulder. She could even have stolen the money on Sunday night after returning to Milburn. All in an effort to frame Lucy Dobbs.
Nora sighed. Well, how did that matter? Even if this was true, even if Anna had stolen money in an attempt to frame Lucy Dobbs, that didn’t give any clues as to who would want to murder her. Well, if anything, it only made the case against Mrs. Dobbs stronger. If Anna Hanes had framed her, perhaps Mrs. Dobbs killed her in revenge. There seemed to be a mountain of piled up evidence against Mrs. Dobbs on the one hand and seemingly no other suspects who would want to kill Mrs. Hanes.
“It has to be her, doesn’t it?” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “Lucy Dobbs must have killed Anna Hanes. I just can’t imagine the depths to which people can sink. And over what, a silly club presidency? A car?” Mrs. Strathclyde shook her head.
“Your car,” Nora said. “It was a really nice gesture of you, giving it up as first prize for Bingo night.”
“Oh, I was sick of that old thing. It broke down constantly! My last husband loved it, but I simply can’t see the charm in vintage cars. I prefer modern and luxurious to old and rickety,” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “I’m glad to be rid of that jalopy. I’m going to buy a nice Mercedes or BMW now. In the meantime, I’m cycling about more than I have in the last fifty years! Good for my health.” Mrs. Strathclyde sobered suddenly, as she remembered where Anna Hanes had been murdered. “My goodness, it’s so horrible to think that she died in the car. My old car!” A shudder racked her body and she crossed herself in quick motions. “God bless her soul, poor Anna.”
*****
Chapter 8
Cookie Crumbs
Sean was waiting outside the diner’s doors when Nora parked her car the next day. Dressed in his uniform and freshly shaved, he looked as though he meant business. As soon as she approached him, he gently took her by the elbow, and drew her aside.
“Well?” He asked.
“Well?” Nora smiled.
“Don’t answer my question with a question, Nora,” Sean said. “How did you know exactly what I’d find in those cookie crumbs? Where did you get them?”
“What did you find?” Nora asked.
“Marijuana, just as you suspected,” Sean said. “The question is, how did you know and where did you get them?”
“I got them out of Claudia James’ trash can,” Nora said. “Claudia’s been looking after Lucy’s dog, Sparky. When I visited her, she mentioned that Sparky had raided her pantry and eaten some cookies. She took me to Sparky and I could immediately tell that he was intoxicated by something. When I mentioned taking him to the vet, Claudia started to insist on taking him herself instead. She seemed nervous.”
“So you raided her garbage?” Sean shook his head in disbelief. “Remind me never to look nervous around you!”
“Speak to Dr. Kent if you want confirmation,” Nora said. “I’m sure he can tell you if Sparky ingested marijuana that day.”
Sean nodded. “I’ll do that. But what’s your game, Nora? Do you think Claudia is the one who killed Mrs. Hanes?”
Nora hesitated. “I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “I only know that there’s a chance she did it.”
“Why?” Sean asked. “What’s her motive?”
“The stolen collection money,” Nora said.
“From the l
adies’ club?” Sean asked. “I thought Lucy stole that. She’s the only one who had a key.”
“Not quite,” Nora said. “Anna Hanes could have stolen it, as well. Or perhaps Claudia James.”
“How?” Sean asked. “The key...”
“Well, Anna and Mrs. Strathclyde were back from Colorado on Sunday night and the money wasn’t counted until monday morning,” Nora explained. So Anna’s alibi isn’t perfect. She might have stolen that money to frame Lucy and get the presidency of the club. That’s one scenario.”
“What’s the other scenario?”
“Claudia James had the keys to Anna’s house that weekend. Mrs. Strathclyde mentioned that Claudia was going to water Anna’s plants while they were away on the road trip. If Anna left the key to the collection box in her house, Claudia might have “borrowed” it,and stolen that money.”
“Wow,” Sean said.
“Exactly. Perhaps Anna initially thought Lucy did it, but then later guessed that it was, in fact, Claudia who stole that money,” Nora said. “Perhaps Claudia killed her for it.”
“Why would someone as rich as Claudia even need to steal money!” Sean exclaimed.
“Well, what we call “rich” is relative. Claudia has a husband, who would probably notice if a large amount of money went missing. Perhaps she stole from the collection box so that she’d have ready cash with which to buy marijuana. It’s strange, though. I’d never have pegged her for a drug user.”
“You’d be surprised, Nora.”
“What do you mean? Milburn isn’t that sort of place!” Nora exclaimed.
“Drugs are everywhere these days. At least marijuana isn’t a ‘hard’ drug like heroin or cocaine. But it’s still quite illegal here in Wyoming, and sometimes it can be a sign of a bigger problem,” Sean said.
“Are you going to arrest her?” Nora asked.
“Claudia?” Sean scoffed. “With what? Those crumbs weren’t gathered by a policeman. They aren’t near proof enough. Besides, everything you’ve laid out is speculation. But it’s useful information all the same. I’ve known for a while that there’s a drug ring in this town. I’m close to cracking down on the kingpin now. If Claudia can tell me who dealt this weed to her, I’ll be a happy man.”
Nora paled. “A drug ring in our Milburn?!”
“Don’t worry, it won’t last long,” Sean said.
“Could you, at least, tell me who’s running it?” Nora asked.
Sean sighed and said, “Only if you promise not to go near him.”
Nora hesitated, then seeing that Sean was serious, she conceded. “Fine. Tell me.”
“Jerry Anthony,” Sean said. “I don’t think you know him. At least, I hope you don’t. He owns a seedy dive bar near the lake. The Three Sisters, it’s called.”
“I know it,” Nora said with a frown. “I think Harvey interrogated him once. When you’d put me in jail, as a matter of fact.”
Sean rubbed the back of his neck in embarassment. “Well, whatever it is, stay clear of Anthony. He’s a dangerous man, with three unproven murder charges lingering around him.”
Nora nodded. “Understood.”
“Good. Meanwhile, I’ll ask Claudia some tough questions, both about the murder and the drugs. When I took her in for questioning initially, I had a feeling she knew more than she was telling me. She seemed almost excited to be on the witness stand. There was a weird sort of light in her eyes. Yes, Claudia James had better talk now, or I’ll rain down trouble on her.”
“Can I come with you?” Nora asked.
“Not a chance,” Sean said.
“Alright. Sean, is there a chance that the same people who run the drug ring could have killed Mrs. Hanes? I mean… if she got tangled up in something without realizing it...”
Sean’s brows drew together. “It’s a possibility.”
“Have you been able to answer why Anna went to the car at midnight?” Nora asked. “Or why she peeked through Lucy Dobbs’ window first?”
Sean shook his head. “No, but I’ve got a feeling Claudia might know something about it.”
“Do you really think she’ll talk?” Nora asked.
Sean hitched his thumbs through his belt loops and gave her a measuring glance. “Nora, I know I keep telling you to stay out of these things. One of these days, you’re going to start listening to me.”
Nora grinned. “Is that a yes or a no?”
“It’s a ‘no comment’ or a ‘I refuse to divulge police business to a citizen’,” Sean grinned back. “You’ve done your part, now let Milburn’s best handle the rest.”
Nora waved goodbye but she wasn’t very satisfied. The pieces didn’t quite fit right. Why had Anna Hanes acted so strangely that night? Clearing her mind, Nora tried to think of Anna’s behavior on bingo night. First, Anna had refused to give Lucy the car she’d rightfully won. Then, when Norman won it, Anna had refused to give it to him, either. Why? What had she been thinking? Why had she woken in the middle of the night and stared into Lucy’s window? Why had she gone to examine the car late that night?
Nora had no answers.
*****
Chapter 9
The Raincoat
Before she could answer any of those questions, however, there was one thing Nora sorely wanted to know- had Lucy Dobbs imagined the yellow raincoat? She thought not. Claudia had implied she might have seen a flash of it, too. She’d tossed around all night, trying to come up with a suitable theory that tied in all the details of the case together. However, there were too many loose ends, and too few concrete facts. Nora wondered if this would be the one case that she couldn’t crack. She was convinced that Lucy Dobbs was innocent, but what if she couldn’t prove it? Finally, sick of the thoughts crowding her brain, she’d called Lucy Dobbs and asked her to come back to the square where the murder had occurred.
“Why did you call me back to this horrible place?” Lucy Dobbs asked as they stood in front of the hall. The police cordon was still up, although the car and Mrs. Hanes’ body had both been removed.
“I’m sure Nora has her reasons,” May Almand said. “Isn’t that right, Nora?”
“More of an intuition,” Nora said with a sigh.
“I heard Sean took Claudia James in for questioning,” May said. “Did you have something to do with that?”
Nora didn’t answer. Changing the topic, she said, “So, could you show us exactly where you were standing that night, Mrs. Dobbs? When you saw the person in the raincoat?”
“Sure,” Lucy Dobbs nodded. She moved to a spot in front of the cordon, and said, “Well, I was two or three steps within the lines, but this is the right place.”
Nora nodded and moved beside her. She looked outwards, scanning the roads. From the large square where they stood, there were six different roads visible. Behind them was Claudia James’ house, and to their left was the catholic church. The hall was straight ahead, but the road next to it was a dead end.
“Where did he or she run off to?” Nora asked.
Lucy Dobbs pointed to the church. “The lane next to the church,” she said. “I’m very sure that’s where they went.”
Nora nodded. That particular lane, she knew, led directly to the cemetery. A shiver went up her spine. “Alright, let’s go” she said, heading towards it.
“Do you think we’ll find a clue?” May jogged forward a little to keep up with Nora’s brisk pace. “Perhaps the murderer dropped something, or… I don’t know… left the raincoat behind?”
“I doubt it,” Nora said. “Then again, we might get lucky.”
But there was nothing in the cemetery, although all three women looked very carefully. Nora even rooted about in the dumpster at the end of the road, to no avail.
“It’s no use,” Lucy said, sounding sad. “Even if they’d left something behind, the murderer had enough time to come get it.”
“Wait!” Nora cried out. Bending down, she pointed to a flowerbed near the entrance of the cemetery that had been trampled on.
<
br /> “What does that prove?” May asked, a little disappointed.
“Imagine this, I’m on the run from a murder I’ve just committed, I instinctively dive into a lane. That lane leads to this cemetery,” Nora proposed. “Now remember, this happened near midnight. The cemetery was clearly locked!”
“So, whoever ran in here, had to have climbed the wall to get in!” May exclaimed. “You’re a genius, Nora!”
“Not just that,” Nora said. She looked around outside the cemetery. “This is the most convenient spot from which to climb. If you use this nearby tree as a foothold, you can easily scale the wall. And you’d land right here in the flowerbed.”
“We have to tell Sean!” May exclaimed. “This is brilliant, Nora!”
“I’ll call him,” Nora said. “But… I’m not completely sure of my own theory. After all, it could just be teenage boys having fun or some other person who accidentally trampled the flowerbed.”
“Nonsense. It’s a perfectly valid theory,” May said.
“No. She’s right.” Lucy Dobbs was pessimistic. “It’s just a shoeprint in a flowerbed. It proves nothing. It isn’t even fresh anymore.”
Nora squatted down and took a photo of the print. It was large and probably belonged to a sneaker of some kind. “Not what I expected,” she mumbled.
“What do you mean?” May asked.
“It’s just that…” She shook her head. “Look, Anna Hanes was murdered, there’s no doubt about that. But there are three things that strike me as odd.”
“Go on.”
“First of all, if - and it’s a big if - whoever made this bootprint was her killer, then all my theories are wrong. This bootprint belongs to a man, and probably a young one at that, because scaling that wall wouldn’t be easy for most women.”
“What’s the second thing?”
“A clear suspect,” Nora said. “Anna Hanes was mean, but she lived a fairly clean life centered around the ladies’ club. I still cannot find a motive for someone wanting to kill her. Especially now, when there are signs a young man might have done it.” Nora shook her head, trying to clear it. “This bootprint might just be a red herring. I’m just not sure.”
Death On Bingo Night Page 4
