Fat hen farm 01- Killer tracks

by Sandy Vale

  Tina’s phone rang. It was the insurance company cal ing back about the life insurance policy she and David had purchased on Roger. “Hi, this is Tina Wilson, I want to inform you that my brother Roger Wilson died yesterday. My brother, David, and I are the beneficiaries of a policy in Roger’s name.”

  “Hel o Ms. Wilson. This is Nora Johnson. I’m looking up the records and there was a change made about six months ago. It looks like the policy is in just your brother David’s name now. You signed off as a beneficiary at that time. I see another change was made at the same time. It looks like the amount was increased to $500,000. That’s al the information I can give you.”

  “Thank you Ms. Johnson. I’m confused though. I never signed off on that policy. Are you sure it’s my signature?”

  “The signature says Tina Wilson.”

  “Um . . . thanks. Bye.”

  Tina hung up and looked at Kitty and Sam. “Something strange is going on. Someone forged my name on the insurance policy, taking me off as a beneficiary. And, David increased the policy amount to $500,000 six months ago. I’m going to stop by his office later today and find out what’s going on with this.”

  “That sure makes David look like a suspect. You better be careful when you let him know you have this information. Do you want me to come with you?” Kitty asked.

  Tina considered the offer. “I don’t think so. I’l let you know after I have my hair appointment and find out what Candy knows. I’m sure she knows something and I’l get it out of her one way or another.”

  Kitty picked up the egg carton. “Have some breakfast before you leave. I gave Sam the first omelet but it’s quick to make another one. Michael should be here soon too.”

  “Thanks for breakfast Miss Kitty. That was even better than your grannie’s.” Sam winked at Kitty and carried his dish to the sink. “So long, I’l see you later.”

  Tina licked her lips. “Kitty, this omelet is delicious! They seem to get better every time you make them. What’s your secret?”

  “Ha. Wouldn’t you like to know? Maybe it’s just that I love cooking and some of the love comes through in the food.” Kitty smiled with pure happiness.

  “I’l keep that in mind. I’m heading over to the Stop and Style for my hair appointment with Candy. See you later.”

  “I’l make dinner for you if you want to stay over again.”

  “Sure. You know the way to my heart is through my stomach.” Tina hugged Kitty and headed to her car.

  ***

  Tina drove into Wil ow Fal s to the Stop and Style. The business had been on Main Street for as long as Tina could remember, between the bakery and the florist. Main Street was stil thriving even after the mal was built on the outskirt of town. Al of the smal independently owned businesses had a lot of character and were owned by people who had been raised in Wil ow Fal s.

  Tina had an interesting relationship with Candy. Candy was a couple of years younger than Tina and had always had a crush on Roger. When Roger married Kitty, Candy was devastated. She hated Kitty for that. Eventual y, she settled for being David’s girlfriend but had refused to marry him. Candy pretended to have a friendship with Tina to have an in with the brothers, not that it helped at al . Tina could read Candy like a cheap novel and used that to her advantage. Suffice it to say, Candy was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

  Walking into the Stop and Style, Tina was super friendly. “Hi Candy. How’s everything going?” Candy whispered, “Tina, I’m heartbroken. I can’t believe Roger is dead. Who would do that? Do you think it was Kitty?” Tina sat in Candy’s chair thinking, what is she heartbroken about? “I don’t think Kitty had anything to do with it. What is David saying?” Candy looked around the shop to make sure no one was listening. She leaned in close to Tina. “Of course he thinks it’s Kitty. He hates her. He says it was her gun that was the murder weapon. She kept the gun in the glove compartment of her car.”

  “How does he know that?” Tina asked in shock.

  “I don’t know. Maybe he saw it there? The only good coming out of this is that David told me he’s coming into a lot of money.”

  “Real y? He told you that? Where is it coming from?” Tina prodded for more detail.

  “Something about money Roger owed him and a life insurance policy. He didn’t tel me the details. But he did say he was taking me on a vacation. I can’t wait!” Candy said with enthusiasm.

  Tina caught Candy’s hand to stop the hair cut. “He’s not wasting any time making big plans, is he?”

  “What do you mean?” Candy’s eyes widened with a look of surprise and concern.

  “Oh never mind. Just finish the hair cut.” Tina felt disgusted with Candy’s attitude.

  Candy looked closely at Tina. “You don’t seem too upset about Roger.”

  “I’m not. Roger was a jerk. But I’m not benefiting from his death either.”

  “You don’t think David was involved, do you?” Candy actual y looked scared.

  “Candy, I didn’t say that, but it does make you wonder, doesn’t it? What is he going to do now that he lost his job?” Tina thought none of this added up to anything that made sense.

  “He says he’s not worried. He was ready to quit anyway,” Candy said very nonchalantly.

  “Real y? Then why was he so upset with Kitty and blaming her for him getting fired?”

  “Uh . . . I don’t know.”

  Candy finished cutting Tina’s hair. Both women trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

  “Thanks for the hair cut, Candy. What do I owe you today?” Tina just wanted to get away from Candy as fast as possible.

  “Thirty dol ars for a wash and cut. Thanks for your business, Tina.”

  Tina paid and left the Stop and Style. She decided it was time to go to David’s house. She wasn’t sure what to think about David at the moment.

  She had always liked him best, but lately he had been acting kind of strange. He was always driving a different car from the dealership, but never seemed to sel many. He spent money like it grew on trees. Where was it coming from?

  Tina was happy to see that David’s car was in his driveway. As she walked to the front door, it opened and someone Tina had never seen before hurried out to a black car parked on the street. David saw Tina and stayed standing in the doorway.

  “What do you want?” David snarled when he saw Tina.

  “Hel o to you to, David. Who was that?”

  “It’s not real y any of your business. What are we going to do about a service for Roger?”

  “Isn’t that up to Kitty? I’l help her with the arrangements. I think it should be something smal . Just family and close friends. Roger wasn’t too popular and I don’t want to deal with a lot of curious people pretending that they were his friend.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “By the way, what’s the deal with that life insurance policy we had on Roger?” Tina asked with al sincerity.

  “Ah . . . wel . . . you aren’t on that anymore, Tina. Didn’t I tel you when it got changed?” David nervously replied, looking away from Tina.

  “You’re a terrible liar. You know you didn’t tel me. Did you think I would forget about it? Roger owed me money, too. Did you forge my signature?” She asked accusingly.

  “I’l pay you back whatever you loaned to Roger.”

  “David, did you forge my signature? You know, it doesn’t look very good for you to be benefiting from Roger’s death. Does the police chief know about this? He might find this very interesting. You’re awful y quick to accuse Kitty. Maybe you should be looking in the mirror.”

  “What do you mean by that? I didn’t kil Roger. How could you think that?” David asked sounding very worried.

  “Be careful David. Don’t do anything stupid.” Tina turned and walked back to her car, feeling quite pleased with herself. Candy was suspicious of David and David had to be wondering what else she might know. Great. Best to keep them guessing.

  ***

  Michael got
to Kitty’s house that morning in time for a cheese omelet. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he asked, “How’re you doing Kitty? There’s an awful lot going on in your life at the moment. Are you juggling everything okay? Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  “Thanks Michael. I’m okay. Moving, watching Licorice and Max get used to me and their new surroundings, having my friends around, real y, what more could I need? Sure, there’s the little problem of my gun being found next to my dead husband, but, hey, we’l figure it out.” She needed to change the subject. “Are you getting started on the chicken coop today? My chicks are coming in tomorrow. I know it’s not the best time to get chicks, but it takes six months before they start to lay eggs and I want to have eggs to sel to the bakery as soon as possible.

  “I’l get a smal space ready for them with a heat lamp. That won’t take long. They won’t need the whole coop until they’re bigger.”

  “Thanks, Michael. I need to go to Jimmie’s Auto to see if my truck is ready. Here’s your omelet and take Max out with you for company.”

  “See you later Kitty.” Michael mumbled, enjoying the omelet.

  Kitty pul ed into the lot at Jimmie’s Autos, and saw her truck outside. Great, she thought as she went in to find Glenda and get the paperwork done.

  “Hey, Glenda, Jimmie told me to ask you when my truck wil be ready. I see it’s outside. Does that mean it’s good to go?”

  “Hi Kitty. I don’t think it’s outside. It’s supposed to be in the shop on the lift. Let me check with Joe in the service area. I’l be right back.” Kitty went outside, and sure enough, it looked like her gray truck. She walked over and casual y checked to see if the doors were locked. Nope.

  She opened the passenger door and checked the glove compartment. Empty. Shouldn’t the registration and manual be in there stil ? Maybe they needed that for the repairs, she thought. She saw Glenda walking back to the counter so Kitty hurried back inside.

  “Yup, your truck is on the lift. It won’t be ready for at least one more day. The truck you were looking at outside is just like yours, but it’s one we’re getting ready to sel .” Glenda said dismissively.

  “Oh, that explains my confusion. So what did they find wrong with mine?”

  “I don’t know. When you pick it up, I’m sure Joe, the mechanic, wil explain al that to you.” Kitty leaned in closer to Glenda and whispered, “What was going on with David? I don’t see how my argument with him was al it took to get him fired.”

  Glenda looked around and whispered back, “David had become unstable long before you bought that truck from him. Jimmie has the patience of a saint, but I think David was just becoming too much of a liability with the customers. It was a poor coincidence for you I guess. And how sad about his brother’s death. I heard it was your gun that kil ed him. David is tel ing everyone that you kil ed his brother. Do the police have any suspects? Jimmie is a little worried that somehow the investigation wil come back here, not that he has anything to hide, of course, but it might not look good for business.”

  “I don’t know anything. It seems like I’m the last to hear what’s going on! Why does Jimmie think the investigation might come back here?” Kitty asked nonchalantly.

  “Wel , you know, since Roger did al the insurance for David’s sales, I suppose they might need to look at the files, customers, and computer emails for anything suspicious. Between you and me, that’s al been cleaned up, just in case.”

  “Do you stil see David around?”

  “Oh, I bump into him here and there. He’s a good friend. I’ve gotta go. I’l let you know when your car is ready.” Glenda picked up a folder to let Kitty know the conversation was over.

  “Thanks Glenda.”

  Kitty left the used car lot with a lot to mul over. Was Jimmie hiding something? Someone cleaned up David’s computer? That sounded like tampering with evidence. Anybody working at Jimmie’s might have stolen the gun from her truck. She needed to take a look in Roger’s office to see if there was anything odd there. It was her responsibility to clean it out anyway, and cancel the lease in that shabby office building where he worked.

  First things first. Kitty headed home to see how Michael was making out with her chicken coop. As she neared her driveway, she saw Sam wave to her. She pul ed into his driveway to say hel o.

  “Hi Sam. Anything unusual happen around here today?” She asked as she climbed out of her car.

  “Hi, Miss Kitty, you’re friend Michael is busy building your chicken coop. I don’t know why your grannie never got chickens. They are about as easy as anything as long as you have a good, secure coop to keep the foxes and weasels out. Max wil help you with that too. I have to tel you a little secret. Your grannie was going to sel this whole farm. I convinced her to give it to you. You would have gotten the money but I knew how much you love this place. She sure could be a stubborn old gal and she never liked that Roger Wilson and didn’t want him to be living here. It’s kind of funny how things work out, isn’t it?”

  “What do you mean?” Kitty stared at Sam hoping for a denial.

  “Nothing,” he said innocently.

  Kitty knew that was the end of that conversation. She wondered what Sam wasn’t tel ing her. There had to be more. She saw a tear in his jacket when he turned and headed toward his house. Adrenaline surged through her.

  Shaking when she got back in her car, Kitty realized she had to keep a closer watch on Sam. As she neared her house, Kitty got an excited welcome greeting from Max. Sam was right about that dog. She loved having him around for company and protection.

  “Michael, is the coop al set for the chicks tomorrow?” she asked, trying not to startle him.

  “This area is done. How many are you getting?

  “Twenty-five. I have to pick them up in the morning. I’m real y excited. I always wanted Grannie to have chickens but she never would. I don’t know why. It was just cows, cows and more cows.” They both laughed.

  Michael stopped on his way back to the barn. “I almost forgot. A detective stopped by earlier looking for you. He said he would come by later. I guess he could be here any time. What’s that about?”

  “I don’t know but I guess I’l find out. Here comes a car now.”

  Chapter 4

  “I’m detective Frank Hughes. I’m looking for Kitty Wilson,” the man driving the unknown car said.

  His rugged, casual look shook Kitty a little. He didn’t look like what she thought a detective should look like, whatever that was. He looked more like he stepped out of an advertisement for men’s hiking clothes.

  Max stood protectively next to Kitty as she eyed the detective. Not barking, or even growling, but he was tensed and ready for action if necessary. “Do you have some identification?”

  Detective Hughes smiled and pul ed out his badge to show Kitty.

  “You must be Ms. Wilson? The police chief showed me your photo and I have to say, it doesn’t do you justice at al .” Kitty felt her cheeks burn. She didn’t want him to see her embarrassment, or to be distracted by his good looks and say something stupid.

  “Ms. Wilson, is there some place we could talk? Away from prying eyes?” He glanced at the cracked barn door, nodding toward Michael.

  “We can talk inside. This is my friend Michael. I’d like him to come in too, if that’s alright with you.”

  “Okay. This is just an informal meeting.”

  Kitty opened the door and led Detective Hughes and Michael inside.

  “Would you like some coffee? Something to eat? I just moved in yesterday, but I’m sure I can find something.”

  “Coffee would be great if it’s no trouble.” He said as he made himself comfortable at the kitchen island.

  Kitty took her time finding a mug, giving herself time to pul herself together. Why was a detective here? She already told Herb everything she knew at the police station. She put a coffee mug in front of the detective. “Michael, would you like some coffee too?”

  “That would b
e great Kitty.” Michael hovered off to the side observing the detective.

  “Detective Hughes, what is the purpose of your visit? I just moved in and I’m kind of busy.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. And please, cal me Frank. I didn’t mean to interrupt your project. I just have a few questions. And remember, this is not on the record, just between you and me, wel , and your friend too, I guess.” He slowly reached into his jacket pocket and took out a crumpled paper. “Here it is. The police chief told me that your gun was found near the body of your husband, Roger Wilson. I listened to your interrogation but was wondering if you might have anything to add?” The boyish twinkle in his eye real y unhinged Kitty.

  “No, not real y. I don’t know how my gun got there. I’m trying to figure out who might have taken it from the glove compartment of my truck.”

  “Do you mind if I take a look at your truck? Maybe I’l see something you missed.”

  “I don’t mind at al , but it isn’t here.”

  That got his attention. Putting his coffee down he asked, “Where is it?”

  “The truck never ran right and I brought it back to Jimmie’s Auto, where I bought it two weeks ago. They are trying to figure out what’s wrong. I bought the car from David, but he wasn’t very helpful when I came back with problems. Jimmie, the owner, gave me a loaner and has had my truck for the last few days. The weird thing is that I thought my truck was sitting in the lot earlier today but Glenda said it was on the lift. I wish I had never decided to buy from David.”

  “Why did you go there?”

  “David is my brother-in-law and Roger said I had to give him my business.”

  “So when did your gun disappear?” Frank was sitting up straight, leaning toward Kitty. His dark eyes focused on her face, completely absorbed with her words. The rest of his coffee was forgotten, cold by now.

  “I have no idea. After I bought the truck, I moved it from my old car to the new, wel , new for me, it was a used truck. I never gave it another thought. Ever since my husband got it for me several years ago, it was always in the glove compartment of my car. I never used it. Never took it out except to move it to my new truck.”