by Sandy Vale
“It is nice that Mr. Rockwel hired Suzy to do the arrangements and Lisa is catering the food. He knows how to satisfy the locals.” Kitty sipped her drink as she looked around to see who had come. Frank quietly stood next to Kitty. “You look lovely tonight. That dark red dress is amazing. It’s a nice change from your normal jeans and t shirt outfit.” He pul ed her close.
“Thanks for asking Corey to watch Maddie. I think Sheila is planning to be here. I hope I don’t bump into her.” Frank told Kitty. “I’m afraid she’l say the wrong thing to me and I’l lose my temper. Now that I know she’s trying to get custody of Maddie, I have to be extra careful. You’l have to help keep me out of trouble.”
Kitty enjoyed being embraced by Frank. “I saw Sheila walk in with Harry. They seem to be spending a lot of time together but they’re always arguing.”
Frank replied. “Let’s not spoil the night with talk of Sheila.”
John returned with a smal plate of food for Mia. “I’l push you over to that table so you can put your food and drink down. I’d hate for you to spil it on your lovely blouse. I have to mingle but I’l check on you often.”
John left Mia in a great spot for watching the crowd and listening to conversations.
Her ears perked up when she heard a couple angrily talking. It was the same people she saw the day she crashed her car. Their voices were low but they were obviously having a heated conversation.
“Harry, don’t threaten me. You know I can ruin your career with that information Blake dug up.”
“You need to find out what she knows or you’l be the one that’s ruined, Sheila. Get Nicole to snoop around. Isn’t that the whole reason you brought her into this scheme? Use her and get rid of her.” Harry hissed in Sheila’s ear.
“Shhhh. This isn’t the place for this conversation Harry. I thought we were coming to show we are friends not bitter enemies.” Sheila stormed away.
Mia knocked her glass over. It was al she could think to do to get Kitty’s attention.
“Oh dear. I’m such a klutz, Kitty.”
“Don’t worry about it Mia. Do you want me to get you a refil ?”
“Kitty. It’s a little too hot for me here. Can you move me over near that window?” Mia grabbed Kitty’s arm, pul ing her close and whispering as Kitty bent over to clean up the spil ed drink. “I need to talk to you. Now. Get me to a quiet corner away from everyone.” Kitty saw the excitement in Mia’s eyes and didn’t question her until they were away from the others.
Kitty sat close to Mia. “What’s going on? You look like John Rockwel just proposed to you.”
“Don’t joke Kitty. I overheard Sheila and that guy, Harry, talking, or rather fighting. It sounds like they both have some evidence on each other that neither wants exposed. They didn’t mention your name but I think they meant you when they said something like, find out what she knows. They’re using Nicole to snoop on you.”
“Do you think they know you heard them?”
“I doubt it. I was off to the side, sipping my drink. For crying out loud, I’m in a wheelchair. Who’s going to feel threatened by me?” June looked annoyed that she had missed something. “What are you chatting about over here?”
“We’re only discussing how nice this open house is.” Mia lied.
“Yeah, right. You can fil us in later. I’m about ready to go anyway. How about we al go to your house Kitty?”
“I have to say good bye to John before we leave.” Mia looked around and tried to push her wheel chair toward John.
He hurried over. “I hope you aren’t leaving already Mia. I barely got time to spend with you.”
“It’s been lovely but I am a little tired. Why don’t you visit me at Kitty’s house tomorrow?” Mia glanced at Kitty to see if it was okay to invite John over. Kitty nodded.
“Wel , thank you al for coming. I’m finding everyone in Wil ow Fal s to be extremely friendly. I couldn’t have found a nicer town to have my business. I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow Mia.”
Chapter 11
Kitty’s phone was ringing when she stepped out of her shower.
“Hel o Nicole . . . what’s wrong? . . . okay, I’l meet you at the coffee shop.” Kitty had just enough time to throw on some clothes and rush downstairs to see who was banging on the door.
“Harry? What are you doing here?”
“I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day. I want to start over. Maybe I can help you and you help me?”
“I’m listening.”
“Can I come in?”
Kitty stepped aside to let Harry in. Max stayed next to Kitty, watching this new comer. “I was on my way out but I have a few minutes. We can sit in the living room with my friend Mia”.
“Mia, this is Harry.”
Harry looked at the cast on Mia’s leg. “What happened to you?”
“Oh, I had a little disagreement with an SUV. I’l be up and about soon enough.” Harry settled into the chair across from Mia with a view of the fields behind Kitty’s house.
“Nice place you’ve got. I can see why you don’t want to share it with Nicole.”
“Listen Harry. What are you up to? What do you know about Nicole’s claims?”
“I can help you out of that mess but I want something in return Kitty. I want to see those papers you took from Blake’s house.”
“Frank took boxes of his stuff.”
“I’l level with you. Blake was skimming money out of our business. I want to see if there’s any information that wil help me get my money back.”
“Sounds like a win win for you. I don’t think I need you to take care of that phony claim Nicole is making for my farm. You’ve got to give me something more Harry. I want to clear Frank from any suspicion for Blake’s murder too.” Harry looked around. Chewing on his fingernail. “Okay. Sheila took the tire iron from Frank’s car. I’m not saying she kil ed Blake.”
“You were at the fair too. Maybe you had a good motive to get Blake out of your life.” Harry’s face went white. “I didn’t kil Blake.”
“Yeah, that’s your story. You need to leave now. I’l cal you later when I decide about the papers.” Harry looked miserable as he walked outside.
“What do you think of al that Mia?”
“That’s definitely the guy I saw at the fair. He was talking to Nicole. And he’s the guy that was arguing with Sheila when I rear ended that SUV.
He’s up to something Kitty. You need to be careful.”
“I’m going to the coffee shop now to see Nicole. Do you need anything before I leave? Max can keep you company.” Mia’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Thanks. I’l be fine. John Rockwel is stopping by. Do I look presentable?”
“Definitely. Better than presentable. Way better. Corey is around too and wil probably pop in to check on you. See you later.” The coffee shop was busy. Kitty ordered a smal mocha and managed to find a seat in the corner. Kitty watch Nicole interact with the customers.
She was cheerful and animated. Customers warmed up to her. Did Nicole have the key to the murder?
Nicole final y sat down next to Kitty and leaned as close as possible to her. “You need to hear this. Sheila is getting a big life insurance payment.”
“She shared this information with you?”
“Yeah. She said it was a good thing she and Blake had gotten married or she wouldn’t have gotten anything.”
“How is Sheila doing with this sudden change in her life?”
“She’s doing pretty good. I thought she’d be a lot more shook up.” Nicole surveyed the room as if she was expecting someone. “There’s something else. That guy Harry? Blake’s partner? He was having an affair and Sheila was threatening to tel his wife about it.”
“With who?”
“Not sure.”
Kitty sat back in her chair watching Nicole careful y. Harry didn’t share that spicy detail with me. Was Nicole helping Harry put suspicion on Sheila? Who could be trusted in this triangle?”
“How
do Harry and Sheila get along?”
“They hate each other. Harry thinks Sheila is hiding money from him. Money that Blake stole from the business.”
“Have you known Harry for very long?”
“Um. A few years. Why?”
“No reason. Why are you tel ing me this stuff?”
“I feel bad about trying to steal part of your farm. It was al Sheila’s idea. I shouldn’t have listened to her. I want to help you.” Nicole sobbed and said she had to get back to work.
Watching her walk back to the counter, Kitty thought, what an actress.
After Kitty left, she sat in her car watching the coffee shop. Sure enough, Harry arrived. Were Nicole and Harry working together to incriminate Sheila?
Kitty’s phone beeped with a text from Corey, startling her. Come home ASAP.
***
Racing back to her farm, Kitty jumped from her car wondering what the crisis was. She saw Corey bent over something.
“Corey. What’s wrong?”
A tear streaked face turned at the sound of Kitty’s voice. “Cleo got into a porcupine. I don’t know what to do.”
“Here’s my phone. Cal the vet, Dr. Suzanne Mil er. Tel her we’re on our way. Cleo wil be fine.” Kitty lifted the pup and gently placed her on the seat of the truck. Corey climbed in next to Cleo, cradling her head.
“Corey. Cleo wil be fine. The vet is awesome. She’l have to sedate Cleo and then she’l be able to pul out the quil s. Here we are.” Corey picked up Cleo and carried her into the waiting room.
Kitty was startled to see Sheila and Maddie sitting there with a bedraggled little kitten.
Maddie excitedly held up the scrawny little guy. “Kitty. Look what I found. My very own kitty.” Sheila scolded Maddy. “Maddie. We can’t keep the kitten. I told you that already.” Tears streamed down Maddie’s face. “What happened to Cleo?” She asked between sobs.
“Cleo and a porcupine had a disagreement. She’l be fine as soon as the quil s are out.”
“Hi Kitty. We’re al ready for Cleo. Put her up on this table and I’l give her something to relax her and the quil s wil be out in no time.” Corey watched the steady hands of the vet careful y and quickly remove the quil s.
“Al done. Keep her quiet until the anesthesia wears off.”
Kitty held the vets arm. “Suzanne, if that little girl can’t keep the kitten, I’l take it. But don’t tel the mom.”
“Okay. You can fil me in on that story another time.”
Kitty and Nicole carried Cleo back to the truck.
Corey sat with Cleo curled in her lap. “I want to learn how to do that.”
“Do what? Pul out quil s?”
“Al of it. Work at a veterinarian’s office. Does Suzanne ever hire technicians? Are there programs where I can learn to be an assistant?”
“I’m sure there are. We’l have to do some research. You could volunteer and see what else is involved and ask Suzanne about schools.” Corey relaxed back into the truck seat with Cleo on her lap and a big smile on her face.
“How was Mia doing this morning before the drama with the porcupine?”
“Some old guy stopped by to visit her. I didn’t real y like him but Mia got al flustered when he came in. He reminded me of my ex-husband, Brad.
Al sweet and charming. I don’t trust men like that anymore. Once they get what they want, they change.”
“Mia does seem to be quite taken with John Rockwel . Hopeful y, he’s harmless. We’l have to keep an eye on him since Mia sees him through rose colored glasses.”
“Rose colored glasses?”
“Yeah, she only sees good. She likes him.”
Pul ing up to her house, Kitty was surprised to see several cars. “It looks like Mia has lots of company at the moment. Let’s see what they’re up to.”
“No thanks. I’m going to stay with Cleo until she’s back to normal.”
Kitty walked into her house, curious to see what was going on with Mia, John, June and Dottie. “Hey everyone. Oh, Sam, you’re here too. Don’t mean to be interrupting the party.”
“Don’t be ridiculous Kitty. Come one in. John brought a delicious pie from the bakery and he made coffee for everyone. Come in and join us.” Mia happily explained.
John got up and offered Kitty the chair he had been sitting in. “You have a lovely home and some beautiful antiques.”
“This was my grandparents’ home. They left al this to me.”
“If you ever want to sel anything, let me know.”
“No chance of that. There’s too many priceless memories for me to part with anything.”
“I need to get back to my store. It was fun visiting Mia. I’l give you a cal . Good bye, I’l let myself out.” June picked up her bag. “I brought the cards Mia. I’l deal?”
Sam stood up. “I’m skipping this game. Kitty what happened to Cleo?”
“She got into a porcupine. Corey has her in the apartment. Want to visit? I’m sure Corey would like that.” Walking out the kitchen door to the barn, Sam quietly told Kitty, “I don’t like that John guy. There’s something too slick about him. And what’s that about him asking to buy your antiques?”
“Corey didn’t like him either. I’l keep an eye on him. By the way, I think Corey has found her cal ing. She wants to be a vet technician.”
“I think that would be perfect for her.”
Kitty’s phone rang. “You go ahead to Corey’s apartment. Frank is cal ing.”
“Frank? . . . I can come over . . . Is everything al right? . . . Be right there.” Chapter 12
Kitty was surprised to see Sheila’s car at Frank’s house. What is she doing here?
“Frank?”
“Come on in Kitty. Sheila just told me something interesting.”
Kitty sat in a chair. Heart racing. What was this all about?
“Where’s Maddie?”
“She’s at the library. Story hour.” Frank calmly explained.
Sheila fidgeted. Looking around the room. Avoiding Kitty’s blazing eyes. “I’m embarrassed to tel you this. I had Blake gather information on you and Frank. I loved Blake but I was jealous of you, Kitty. I know it sounds crazy but I didn’t want Frank to be happy without me.” She looked up final y.
Looking for forgiveness from Kitty and Frank.
“And what about you and Nicole scheming to make Frank look bad so you could get custody of Maddie?” Kitty angrily questioned.
“What are you talking about?” Sheila looked from Kitty to Frank.
“The day Nicole took Maddie. She told us the two of you were in on it together.”
“That’s not true. I was beside myself with worry.” Her face drained of color. “You have to believe me. Nicole is a devious person. I never should have let her back into my life after her grandmother died.”
“Sheila. Did you steal the tire iron from my car?” Frank was not going to beat around the bush any longer.
“Yes. I did. But I didn’t kil Blake. Nicole or Harry could have taken it from my car. They both knew I had it.”
“What about my slashed tire the day I got my stuff from the house? You knew I was going there.” Sheila hung her head. “That was me too. I drove Nicole’s car so you wouldn’t recognize it. I just wanted to make your life difficult. I was so upset about Blake’s murder and you two look so happy together. It was a stupid thing to do.”
“Why are you tel ing us this now Sheila? Why should we believe any of this?” Kitty was furious.
“For Maddie’s sake. You have to believe me. I want her life to be happy. To be as normal as possible. This charade has gone on long enough.
And I’m hoping this information wil help you figure out who kil ed Blake.”
“Do you know who kil ed him?” Kitty’s tone softened.
“No. But I have Blake’s cel phone. She took out Blake’s black cel phone. Look at these text messages from the day he was murdered.”
“How did you get it?”
“He slipped it
into my pocket just before he went to have a cigarette. I knew he might be in danger. I got suspicious.” Sheila paused. “Blake doesn’t smoke. When you showed up, Kitty, I knew I could trust Maddie with you and I wanted to find Blake before something terrible happened.” Kitty flipped open the phone to the messages.
“Meet me behind the chicken barn. This message was sent twice. Once to Nicole and once to Harry.” Kitty looked at Sheila. “Do you know why he wanted to meet them?”
“I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure it out. I keep coming back to one thing. Blake had just told me that he discovered Harry had been stealing from the company. I think he was going to confront Harry.”
“Why would he want Nicole there too?”
“Harry was having an affair with Nicole. Maybe Blake was going to use that as leverage to get Harry to come clean about the money. Blake was going to threaten to tel Harry’s wife.” Sheila let out a sigh. “I’ve been holding this in for so long. I should have told you sooner but my pride wouldn’t let me.” She dropped her head into her hands.
Kitty stood up. Walked around the room. “Okay. This is what we’l do. I have some papers we found in your house that Harry wants to look at. He told me that Blake was stealing from the business and he wants to see if there’s any information that wil lead him to the money.” Kitty paused to watch Sheila’s reaction.
“Don’t trust him. I put those papers in the recipe box. Blake told me to put them someplace safe. It’s just background information about al of us.” Kitty nodded slightly. Finally this is adding up.
“I told Harry I would think about letting him see the papers. I’ve decided, after hearing what you’ve told us, that this might be a good time to give him a cal . I’m going to invite Nicole too. I’m guessing there wil be fireworks when they read what’s in those papers.” Kitty sat back. Final y relaxing.
“But there’s nothing in those papers Kitty.”
“How can you be sure? Harry seems to think there’s something there.”
Sheila stood up. “I put those papers in Frank’s box. I know what information is there.” Kitty watched Sheila. “When did you do that?”
“It was a while ago.”
“Maybe Blake added something.”
