The Farmer's Daughter: The Dragon Dream: Book One

by Robin Janney

  “There’s blueberry cobbler for dessert,” said Sherry, leaving her seat. “Craig said blueberries are your favorite.”

  “They are.” Angela ate the last bite of country fried steak on her plate. “All of us like blueberries. I’d say it was genetic, but…Randy hated them.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “Randy?” asked Kevin, his voice soft. He gave his wife a smile as she placed a bowl of dessert in front of him.

  “I said his name.” Angela’s voice was a whisper.

  “You did.” Craig reached out to touch her hand, but she raised it to point her fork at Kevin before he could.

  “I know Craig talks to you, so you don’t need to play me. You know full well I’m talking about my older brother.”

  Sherry laughed lightly as she continued to pass out dessert.

  Kevin smiled, laughing in embarrassment at being caught. “I will remember that, Angela. And I apologize.”

  And yet, Craig noticed she didn’t say her brother’s name again. In fact, he could see tears forming in her eyes.

  “I think we’ll take our desserts into the living room,” said Sherry, placing the last bowl in front of Angela. She patted the younger woman’s shoulder. “And don’t feel like you’re driving us away, Angela. Far from it. We just think you need some privacy.”

  “I hate codeine,” Angela muttered as the two took their desserts and left. She looked angrily at the dessert before her, and one hand still caressed Princess. “Knocks me out, gives me bad dreams, messes with my emotions.”

  “It’s just us now, Angel. What did you want to talk about?” he asked, pushing his spoon into the blueberry dessert. It sounded silly, even to his own thoughts, but he was glad he liked blueberries too.

  “I talked to my dad,” she said.

  “I remember you saying so. Good news?”

  “He told me about what you’ve done. Enough for me to know you’ve saved our farm.” Her eyelids fluttered, and he passed her a napkin. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve already decided how I’m going to answer you; you must know that.”

  “I know, I just…” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want you saying ‘yes’ for the wrong reasons. And even your dad wasn’t sure how you’d take the news. You didn’t ask me to help, and you don’t always like accepting help from me. Even though I did it out of love, out of a desire to give you some peace, you could be angry I stepped in. I know it doesn’t fix anything, but I will do anything for your happiness, Angela.”

  Angela nodded. “I know. And I’m grateful. It’s just that people will talk.”

  “They will,” he agreed. “I’ve heard some of it already. Apparently, it came up at your dad’s meeting with the Elders.”

  She muttered something, and he heard enough to just let her vent.

  “As long as we know the truth, does it matter what they say?” he asked.

  “No, it just pisses me off.” She brushed at her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “When I come back to work, will you let me help you pay back your loan for the farm?”

  “Your dad didn’t tell you?” he asked. He sent a prayer heavenward.

  “Tell me what?”

  “There is no loan. I bought the farm outright.”

  “Bullshit.” Her eyes turned to him again. Fear played in her eyes before she finally asked, her voice hesitant, “Craig, are you rich?”

  Hoping she didn’t misinterpret his amusement, he answered, “I’ve never really thought of myself in those terms, but the answer would have to be yes. My dad’s law firm aside, my Grandma Annie left the bulk of her estate to me when she died…and it was considerable.”

  He could see she had trouble processing this, and he reached out to take the hand resting on the table in his. “Talk to me,” he requested softly.

  “Why?” she asked. Both hands were trembling now, and Princess gave a soft whine. “Why are you here, Craig? If you can live anywhere you want, do whatever you want, be whatever you want, have whatever woman you want…why are you here, in this god-forsaken town, running a country store and holding the hand of a poor farmer’s daughter?”

  He let his breath out and pulled her hand to his chest. “I chose the country, because I couldn’t stand the rush and noise of the city. I prefer a simple life. Tyler’s Grove isn’t perfect, but it’s quiet and despite the gossip is a close-knit community. You know most of them are rooting for us right now.” She nodded. “We’ve talked about the store before. It may have started out as an act of rebellion, but it turned out to be something I enjoy. As for the poor farmer’s daughter, I’m holding her hand because I love her.”

  Kissing the back of her fingers, he didn’t stop explaining. “I didn’t want what we have now, what we will have someday, before I met you. Your courage, your boldness, your kindness…you didn’t try to be anything other than my friend, and I found myself wanting more. I want this, Angela. I want you because I love you.”

  She wiped tears off her cheeks. “I didn’t even know this kind love was even possible, Craig. It’s a little scary, but I’m not running anymore.”

  “I know, Angel. Neither am I.”

  “We’re not really alone right now. Can I ask you to hold me?”

  “For the rest of my life, Angela.” He nodded, and they stood. She threw her arms around him and buried her face against him. His arms were firm around her, his hand rubbing against her back.

  “I’m still going to make you ask me,” she said. “Even though you already know my answer.”

  He chuckled. “I expect nothing less.” He kissed her temple, not surprised when she turned her face to him wanting more. The kiss was gentle, meant to comfort rather than fan desire.

  With a sigh, Angela pulled away when they were done. “Thank you.”

  “For?”

  “Everything.”

  He kissed his girlfriend’s forehead. “Finish your dessert, Angel. Then I’ll take you home.”

  “Alright.”

  Over an hour later, they were walking up the steps to her apartment.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll kiss you goodnight at the door.” Craig was saying.

  “It’s not like we’re really alone, even here,” she said, her voice teasing.

  He laughed with her. “I’m surprised you can joke about it.”

  “Still, even you laughed.” Angela’s smile was pleased. “If I joke about it, I’m not as afraid.”

  “I understand.” He stopped short of her door. “Didn’t you say you locked your door?”

  “Yes…oh my God…” Her hand reached out to touch the door which was open by an inch. He stopped her.

  “No,” he said softly, his voice lowering. He pulled his hand into his coat sleeve and pushed the door open with his covered knuckles. “It doesn’t look like it was forced.”

  “Craig, I know I locked it. I’ve been checking everything twice. And I’m pretty sure I left the light over the sink on. I hate coming home to a dark apartment. It looks like things on the table have been moved around.”

  “You are an immaculate person,” he said, mostly to himself.

  “What is that smell?” his girlfriend asked, her hand rubbing at her nose.

  “Come on. Back down to my place to call the cops.” He led her back to his truck.

  As the sounds of Craig’s truck faded, a light blossomed deep in the darkness of Angela’s apartment as a cigarette was lit. Feminine eyes flashed.

  “I told you he’d be bringing her home,” the male next to her growled. She no longer thought of him as her father.

  “So, we just go to Plan B,” she replied. She blew smoke into the air. Had that been what Angela had smelled? Or perhaps the foul rankness of the man with her?

  “There’s a Plan B?”

  “Always. Come on, let’s give something for the police to find when they get here.”

  The man nodded. “She must have something valuable to steal.”

  “Start in the bedroom,” she suggested. She took another d
rag of her cigarette as he scurried away. Some things never changed, the woman thought cynically. Crossing into the kitchen to Angela’s knife drawer, the woman pulled out a butcher knife.

  She hoped it was dull. Oh, how she wanted this to hurt for him. Watching him from the doorway of the bedroom, her heart began to race in anticipation. The man who’d fathered her then thrown her under the bus twelve years ago rifled through the jewelry he had dumped on precious Angela Carman’s bed. His flashlight was shining as he held it over the glittering pieces.

  “Cheap dollar store junk,” he muttered, disgustedly. He picked a piece up, what looked like a pearl brooch of some kind. “Where’s the bracelet he gave her?”

  “Hey Dad, there’s something I forgot to tell you about Plan A.”

  “What’s that?”

  She stepped into the room and turned the bedside lamp on. His eyes widened at the sight of the knife in her hand. “You don’t survive to see Plan B.”

  49

  T rooper Erica Stevens stood in Angela’s spartan bedroom, illuminated by the bedside light. It had already been shining when they’d entered the apartment. The girl’s full-sized bed was against the far wall, sitting on the floor with no bedframe. There was a small bedside table next to the head of the bed, and her long oak dresser hugged the inside wall. Glass from the broken window lay scattered on the carpet, and the window has been pushed as far open as it could go. No wonder the room was cold. It would make it hard for the coroner to determine the exact time of death of the bloody body sprawled on the bed.

  “Crane is not going to be happy.”

  Erica gave her partner a glance; Dan Mills was new but every bit one of Crane’s as she was. She didn’t know the reason he was loyal to Crane, any more than he knew hers.

  “Is he ever?” she asked him. “We never thought to look at this guy for harassing Miss Carman. How much more have we overlooked?”

  Dan shrugged. “Is it possible the Carman woman’s the one who killed him? Maybe she found out he was the one responsible for her brother’s death and when he came here to make good on his promise, she offed him?”

  Erica surveyed the blood spatter in the room. The girl’s bed was soaked, with enough arterial spray on the walls around the bed to know the attack had been vicious and rage-filled.

  “No,” she said. “She’s weak right now from being ill, but even if she was going to kill someone…she’d snap his neck after kicking his ass with her karate skills. Ever see her on the mat?”

  “Once. In a competition my brother was in, and that was enough. I’ve seen her boyfriend in competitions before too.” Dan shook his head at the room again.

  “Besides, no one outside the organization knows about the switch that happened back then. Hell, Harry never revealed it until a few months ago. I think it’s what got him banned.”

  Dan nodded. “You’re higher up than me. Do you have any idea Crane’s interest in the Carman woman?”

  “Not a clue,” Erica admitted. She gave the skinny man a wry smile. “You feel brave enough to ask him?”

  “Fuck no. Not even on my dumbest day.”

  “Me neither. Go call this in, get the CSI’s and coroner out here. I’ll call Crane just to double-check to make sure it’s not one of his hits.”

  “I doubt it,” her partner said as he turned to leave the room.

  “Yeah, me too. But better he hears about it from one of us. When the crime labs get here, I’ll go down to Moore’s and start asking questions. You start canvassing the neighbors. A death this messy had to be noisy.”

  Soon enough, she was down to Craig Moore’s and knocking on his front door. She was not surprised to hear locks being undone. The man opened the door, looking grim. He was almost as tall as she. “Craig Moore.”

  He nodded, his eyes sharp as he looked at her, and she felt weighed and measured. “You might remember me,” she continued. “Trooper Erica Stevens. I was told Angela Carman was down here.”

  “Yes, I remember you. Angela’s in the kitchen. Come in.”

  As soon as Erica was in the door, he shut it and redid all the locks. She watched him. “You afraid of something, Mr. Moore?”

  “Cautiously paranoid,” he answered, meeting her gaze with a level one of his own. “More so since someone’s been harassing my girlfriend.”

  “Good idea,” she decided to say. “The kitchen?”

  “This way.”

  Following him through the living room into the kitchen, her police eyes took in the scene quickly. Playing cards lay spread around the table. Moore’s friends were sitting across the table from Angela. Who jumped at the sight of her, the dog at her side greeting the newcomer with somber eyes.

  “Erica?” The young woman’s hands wrapped around her large mug. “What’s happened? It’s something bad, isn’t it?”

  “It is. I need to ask you some hard questions, Miss Carman.” She took the seat Moore waved at and turned it to face Angela. She noticed he didn’t sit, instead leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed. “Where were you today? With times.” Pulling her pad and pen out, she waited.

  Worry was clear on all the others’ faces, but Angela’s had an eerily calm expression. No doubt because she wasn’t worried about her alibi.

  “Craig picked me up a little before nine-thirty and took me to my doctor’s appointment. Dr. Evans, in the St. Joseph’s clinic. We had lunch out afterward at the Scenic Overlook. I fell asleep on the way home, so I don’t know what time Craig left me there. I woke up just after three, made phone calls…one to my school regarding my enrollment, and another one to my father. When I walked down here, it was after four. I’ve been here since, except when Craig took me home about seven-thirty and we noticed the door was open.”

  “You were alone at your apartment.”

  There was a slight hesitation. “I thought someone was in my bedroom when I was waking up, but I think it was just my imagination. The medicine I took after lunch had codeine in it, and that always makes my dreams weird.”

  “It’s also possible someone was there, and you thought it was a dream. Could you describe what you thought you saw?”

  “No. Just a tall shape, the light from the window was behind him.”

  “And yet you say him.” Erica felt goosebumps form on her skin. “Can you fill in the missing times for Angela, Mr. Moore?”

  “I dropped Angela off at her apartment just before one. She was asleep, and I had to carry her in to her bedroom. I checked the window locks before I left the bedroom and they were locked. As was the door when I left. I was back down here before one-thirty and have been with my friends the entire time. Kevin Rockwell and his wife Sherry. Angela showed up here about four-forty-five.”

  Erica wished she could take notes faster. “I’m sure your neighbors will confirm all this. The ladies across the street seem to notice everything.”

  “That they do,” Moore agreed, his tone irritated.

  “Does this have something to do with Derek?” Angela asked. Princess whined, and one of the other woman’s hands dropped down to rub the dog’s head. “What did you find in my apartment?”

  Erica hesitated. Official procedure dictated one thing, and Crane another. She decided to go with her instincts. “I found a dead body in your bedroom. Your apartment was rifled through. We’ll take you up later to determine whether anything was taken. It will not be tonight. There was forced entry through your bedroom window. Someone murdered Harry Flynn and left him on your bed.”

  Startled expressions rippled around the room, and she saw Angela’s composure crack. The girl wavered in her seat, causing Moore to come around behind her. He placed his hands on Angela’s shoulders.

  “I’m going to be sick,” whispered Angela.

  The other woman in the room, a cute little blonde, hopped to her feet and drew the kitchen trashcan near. Sure enough, as soon as the lid was lifted, Angela turned and emptied her stomach. Moore’s hands were holding her hair back, murmuring soft words to his girlfriend. The
other man in the room passed Angela a paper napkin once it appeared she was done.

  “Dammit. It tasted better going down,” said Angela, wiping her mouth.

  “Is that an official identification?” Moore asked, his hands still holding Angela’s long auburn hair back from her face.

  “Not official, but Trooper Mills and I have hauled Harry in for drunk and disorderly several times before.” Turning her attention back to Angela, Erica felt the need to clarify. “Angela, I know you had nothing to do with this. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the phone calls or not. But there are more questions I need to ask you. You understand that, right?”

  “I do.” Angela picked up the glass of water Moore’s friend sat in front of her and took a sip.

  “Do you want us to leave?” he asked, speaking for the first time.

  Erica shook her head. “No, I’ll need to get your names and contact information before I leave anyway. How much longer are you two going to be in town?”

  The couple looked at each other, and the short blonde gave her husband a nod.

  “We were going to leave in the morning to go back home. We may change that now.”

  Nodding Erica returned her attention to Moore and Angela again. He’d released his girlfriend’s hair and had his hands back on her shoulders. She doubted he’d leave Angela’s side even if asked. “Angela, when was the last time you saw Harry Flynn?”

  “Harry…” One of Angela’s hands rose up to cover her boyfriend’s. “I don’t really know. I didn’t associate with him much, even though his wife used to come to my church. The few times he came with her, I tried to avoid him because…he was a little creepy.”

  Chuckling, Erica made notes. “I’ve heard him described that way before.”

  “There’s no way I can get anything from my apartment tonight? Clothes, my medicine?”

  “I’m sorry, no. It might be a few days before you can go back there.” Pushing her uniform hat back, her own blonde bangs thanked her for the freedom. “I’m going to suggest you get comfortable here or go out to your farm. I’m not sure what’s going on. I need to figure out how Flynn fits into all this, what his connection to you is.”