by Farrell, Lia
“I’ll be here for the rest of the day. I have a lot of work to do. Don’t worry. I’m not working on the case. I’m trying to stay out of it.”
“I appreciate that, Mae. Did you know Ruby’s funeral is tomorrow? Dory put it on my calendar.”
Mae said she planned to attend and asked him to have Terry call her after the service.
“Goodbye, Ben Bradley.” Mae hung up the phone. She sat thinking for a long time about what she should do about Terry Lerner.
Chapter Seventeen
March 24
Mae December
The morning of Ruby’s funeral a gray mist lay on the grass in shredded veils. Mae hadn’t slept well, despite the officer watching her house. An idea about the case was hovering just out of reach, but she didn’t have time to lie in bed and think. She put on some sweats and went downstairs to take care of the dogs.
As Mae went from one dog run to another, she thought of the dogs in her care that would be leaving soon. Two of them were going home tomorrow, which would mean less work. Still, Mae knew she’d miss her boarders. There were many wonderful breeds of dogs and caring for them gave her the chance to observe all their characteristics.
She was having a problem with Tallulah, who seemed to be losing interest in nursing her puppies. This was a perfectly normal reaction once the babies started to get their needle sharp teeth, but it was happening way too soon. Tallulah needed to hang in there for at least another two weeks. Puppies did best if their mothers nursed them for four to five weeks, but they could survive and thrive on only three weeks of nursing, as long as they were fed carefully from then on.
Mae cleaned the dog runs and fed her dogs, all the while thinking about the funeral. Silas would be there. She dreaded seeing Silas’ partner, Terry, and hoped Silas would have the sense not to bring him. David Allison, Steven Fanning, and Steven’s wife, Robin, would all attend. Joe and Neesy Dennis would also be there. James Connolly would probably attend, as his duties involved the handling of the will. Ben was going, too. Mae envisioned him taking a very low profile. He’d most likely stand at the back of the church and not even come to the cemetery.
The service was scheduled for eleven a.m. Mae dressed with care in a slightly longer than usual black dress, black heels and an off-white A-line coat. After twisting her dark blonde hair up, she put on a pair of pearl earrings. Finally she grabbed her favorite umbrella, black on the outside and blue with white clouds on the inside. The rain came down in sheets of solid gray as she drove to Rosedale.
Rolling into the parking lot of First Presbyterian, she saw her parents, her sister with her husband and several neighbors standing nearby. They all greeted one another pleasantly, though the mood was somber.
Silas and his grandmother, Henriette, were in the vestibule of the church welcoming everyone. They were the only people left from the great Mead family. Ruby and Silas’ parents had both died in their early fifties. Their mother had succumbed to breast cancer after a long battle. Three months later, a heart attack took their father.
Mae waited in line to say hello to Henriette, whose husband raised racehorses and farmed tobacco. People said the family fortune originated from moonshine, back in the twenties and thirties.
Mae had known Ruby’s grandmother since the sixth grade, when Henriette was her Junior Cotillion instructor. Although she hadn’t liked the class, especially the ballroom dancing, she had always loved Miss Hen.
“I’m terribly sorry for your loss.” Mae clasped her small hand.
“Thank you, Mae, and thank you for coming.” Henriette Mead had a warm resonant voice. Everyone knew that she had opposed her son’s decision to give the Little Chapel Road property to Ruby. She loved both her grandchildren and wanted the property split between them. Today she appeared so small in her dark gray dress with white gloves. After all the losses Henriette had already endured, Ruby’s funeral was going to be an awful ordeal for her.
The service was simple and quiet. After the conventional remarks, the minister asked if anyone would like to talk about Ruby. Her brother rose and went to the front of the sanctuary.
“Ruby was my sister.” Silas gazed out at the congregation with a half-smile. “My big sister. I looked up to her and followed her around like a puppy. I adored her. I remember her well as a kid. She was always getting into trouble. Once, when she was only fourteen, she took Dad’s car out for a drive. She got into a fender bender with his new Caddie and Dad was so mad I thought he’d kill her. She always got the beer for the high school parties, often from Dad’s private stash. My sister had a vibrant and fierce personality. I will always miss her. My family is much diminished without her spirit.” His voice broke; he appeared close to tears.
After he stepped down, two others spoke about Ruby. One was a teacher who remembered her skipping school but always getting decent grades. Joe Dennis talked about what fun he and Ruby had as teenagers. He spoke quietly and was obviously struggling with his grief. David Allison didn’t speak, which was a little surprising.
After the closing prayer, the organist played a familiar tune. As the mourners passed down the receiving line, Mae tried not to look at the man who stood next to Silas. She assumed it was Terry Lerner. She was still furious with him, but this wasn’t the time or place for a confrontation.
When Mae got to Henriette Mead, Ruby’s grandmother thanked her again. “I know you found Ruby. I’m glad she’ll be laid to rest now.” She then turned to Annie and Jason Van Atta, who were behind Mae in line, to thank them for coming.
Almost everyone at the church service followed the hearse out to the cemetery. The wind rose and Mae’s hair curled into tendrils around her face. They stood by the open grave as the funeral attendants lowered Ruby’s coffin into the dark red earth. David Allison walked slowly up to the grave, picked up a spade and threw a handful of dirt on Ruby’s coffin. Others came and dropped single flowers. Then Ruby’s grandmother, with the help of Silas, lowered a large bouquet of red roses on top of Ruby’s coffin. Tears poured down Henriette’s face. “May you find peace at last, Ruby girl.”
To Mae’s immense surprise, Ben stepped up to the graveside. He wore a charcoal gray suit and a white shirt with a gray and black striped tie. His hair was combed back from his forehead, and his expression was serious.
“Hello. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ben Bradley, Sheriff of Rose County. I don’t suppose many of you thought I’d speak at this event, or even attend. I wanted each and every one of you to know that my whole staff is working very hard to find the person who did this to Ruby. We’re getting closer to making an arrest every day. This will not be an unsolved case.” Ben’s voice resonated with quiet passion.
People whispered in shocked tones. Everyone was surprised to see the sheriff speaking out at her funeral. It was a controversial act, probably intentionally so. If the perpetrator was nearby, the sheriff clearly wanted him, or her, to be worried.
Mae’s neighbor, Robin Fanning, stood next to James Connolly and whispered in her brother-in-law’s ear. He looked down and shook his head. As people began leaving, Mae moved closer to them and heard him say, “Of course I know it was wrong, Robin. I regret the whole thing.”
As Mae turned to leave, Henriette touched her sleeve. “I’m glad our young sheriff spoke out. Many people think no progress is being made. I’m not of that opinion. Ruby was my granddaughter and I loved her dearly. I’m glad to hear Sheriff Bradley isn’t giving up.” She gave a little grin. “He reminds me of an old hunting dog we had many years ago. That dog would track a fox or coon for ten, twelve hours. He always got the game in the end.”
Mae gave her a hug. She had little bones, like those of a sparrow. Tears welled up in Mae’s eyes, more for Henriette than for Ruby.
The rain had increased in intensity during the service and Mae was forced to pull over several times on her way home. The trees along the road whipped back and forth in the wind. Once home, Mae changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and fixed herself a sandwich
. Standing at the counter, she ate quickly, without really tasting the food. Putting on boots and a barn jacket, she took her three dogs outside. She had them trained to go to the bathroom on command. The magic words “hurry up” always did the trick. As soon as they were finished, she took them back inside and toweled them off. Titan and Thoreau went back to their beds and Tallulah went back to her puppies. Mae walked out to the barn to check on her boarders.
Mae made sure that all the dogs took a potty break, since some of them would go inside their runs when it rained. Then she checked their water dishes. After settling them back in their runs, she was about to lock the barn door when a thought struck her. Something she’d been trying to remember all morning had finally come to light. There was a shovel hanging on a hook to the left of the door. Mae turned on the overhead light to take a closer look. It was definitely not her old shovel. This one appeared to be new. The handle was shiny and reflected the light from the ceiling.
Why would a new shovel already have rust stains on it? She bent down to take a closer look. The stain was gel-like. She reached out and then froze when she saw a tiny piece of hair embedded in the stain. Ben’s angry voice the day of the staff meeting echoed in her mind when he said Ruby had died of blunt force trauma. She was certain she had found the missing murder weapon. She turned off the light, walked out and locked the door. What on earth was that shovel doing in her barn?
Remembering that Deputy Phelps was watching the house, she ran down to the car parked in her driveway and banged on the window. The rain was still pouring down.
“I need you to call the sheriff. I think I just found the murder weapon.”
While Mae waited for Ben to call, Beth Jensen rang to let Mae know about the neighborhood meeting, which would be held the next night at her house.
“Do you need me to bring anything?”
“No thanks. Glad you’re coming. See you tomorrow.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, it rang again.
“Hello, is this Miss December?” She didn’t recognize the man’s voice.
“This is she. Who’s calling please?”
“This is Terry Lerner, Miss December. The sheriff told me to call you this afternoon.”
Standing there, wet and cold, a wave of heat flew through her. She was furious. “Mr. Lerner, what do you have to say for yourself? What kind of person threatens innocent animals and a woman who lives alone?”
He was quiet for a minute and then he heaved a deep sigh. “The kind of person who thinks they’re protecting someone they love, I guess. I’m very sorry about what I did. I was afraid you’d draw attention to Silas with your investigation.”
“I know all about feeling protective,” her words spilled out. “When you threaten my dogs, you’re threatening my livelihood, as well as the pets I love. I can’t make money in this business if people think their dogs aren’t safe here.”
“Are you going to press charges? I really am sorry.”
“I’m not sure yet.” The doorbell rang and the dogs started barking. “Look, I need to go. I’ll let the sheriff know my decision.” She hung up and went to answer the door.
It was CSI Tech Johns. He asked Mae to show him the shovel. She led him to the barn and unlocked it. The rain came down with such intensity that every step she took made water splash up past her ankles. They stepped inside, and she flicked on the light.
“It’s right here. Don’t worry, I didn’t touch it.”
“Good,” He pulled a camera out of his pocket. He left the shovel hanging there, took several pictures and then pulled on his latex gloves. “Sheriff Bradley will be here soon. You can go wait in the house if you want.”
“Is it the murder weapon?”
“We won’t know for a while. We’ll need to analyze the blood at the lab. Why don’t you go dry off and change clothes? You look really cold.”
Mae nodded and went back to the house. Her teeth were chattering. Leaving her wet clothes on the bathroom floor, she put on a robe and dried her hair. She was carrying her wet things down to the laundry room when Ben walked in through the front door. Seeing him there just did her in. Mae dropped the bundle of laundry and threw herself at his chest. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there for a minute without saying a word.
“You’re shaking,” Ben finally murmured. “Are you that cold?”
“No. Freaked out. I saw that shovel in Ruby’s garage the day I was over there looking for her cellphone. I think that’s what bothered me when I first woke up. I guess I noticed the shovel subconsciously but didn’t make the connection until today.”
“You look like you might be in shock.” Ben pulled back and observed her carefully. “Do you have any liquor in the house?”
“There’s some Jack Daniels in the liquor cabinet. In the living room.”
Ben pulled her into the living room and sat her down on the couch. He took the blanket off the arm of the couch and wrapped it around her.
“Stay here. I’m going to fix you a hot toddy.”
He went to the liquor cabinet and took the bottle of bourbon into the kitchen. She heard cabinets opening and closing and Ben talking to the dogs. He hummed the tune the organist had played at Ruby’s service. After a few minutes, the teapot started its shrill whistle. Ben walked back into the living room and handed her a steaming mug.
“Drink it. It’ll make you feel better.”
“What song were you humming?”
“‘Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday.’”
“That was a good choice.”
She leaned her head back on the couch for a second and then sat up with a jerk. “Do you think someone is trying to frame me?”
“I’m sure someone is trying to frame you, but it’s a pretty transparent attempt. Try not to worry.”
“This is really good.” Mae sipped some of the hot liquid. “What’s in here?”
“Hot tea, bourbon and sugar. My grandpa used to make these for me when I got sick. Is it helping?”
She drank more deeply and her body started to relax into the couch. Heavy fatigue washed over her.
“Do you want me to build a fire? You’re still shivering.”
“I had gas logs put in. Could you flip the switch?”
He went over to the fireplace and turned on the fire. Coming came back toward her, he took the mug from her hand.
“Why don’t you rest for a while? I need to go to the lab and follow up on the weapon. Someone will be watching your house around the clock. You’ll be safe, Mae. I promise.”
Mae stretched out on the couch and closed her eyes. Ben’s hand lightly touched her cheek and then she sank into sleep.
When Mae opened her eyes, the sky was dark. Ben was gone and the rain had stopped. Tammy and Patrick were talking in the next room. Mae walked into the kitchen, still wrapped in the blanket. They stood close together, but stepped apart when they saw Mae.
“You two look like a couple of biddy hens, clucking over me. What are you doing here?”
“Ben called before he left and asked me to come over tonight. I decided to call Patrick. Ben said somebody was trying to frame you. He told me there would be an officer in the driveway, but he thought you’d feel safer with me in the house. I decided we’d both feel safer with Patrick here.”
Patrick came over and gave Mae a hug. “We’re here for the duration. You still look wiped out. Tammy and I are going to make some dinner.”
“Yes, why don’t you go take a long, hot bath? We’ll call you when dinner’s ready and Patrick will tell you all about his tournament. He’s dying to tell someone besides me.”
“You go relax for a while,” Patrick said. “The epic story of my triumph can wait.”
Tammy winked at her. “He’s right, Mae-Mae. Go take a long relaxing soak in the tub. We know where everything is. We’ll get some food going.”
Her wet clothes were still on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. She took them into the laundry room and put them in the washer. Tallulah l
ooked up from her babies, her face more scrunched than usual. Mae rubbed the wrinkly spot in the middle of her forehead while the little pug gazed up at her unblinkingly.
“Don’t worry, little mama. We’re all going to be just fine.”
Chapter Eighteen
March 24
Detective Wayne Nichols
Detective Wayne Nichols felt every minute of his fifty-eight years. On this particular morning, his alarm sounded at five a.m. He rolled out of bed and into the shower, where he did most of his best thinking. He hadn’t gone to bed until around two and he knew there were many more long days ahead. When he wasn’t working a case, Nichols would get to the office later in the day, but he pulled out all the stops when working a murder.
As the warm water spilled over his scar-riddled body—from bullets, knives, and dog bites—he mulled over what they knew about the Ruby Mead-Allison case. She was killed late on March fifteenth. Earlier that day, she met with Commissioner Stillwell. According to Dory, she emerged from the meeting with a triumphant smile on her face. Stillwell was heard talking on the phone to his secretary, saying Ruby was going to be the death of him.
Ruby had arrived at the Bistro at six forty-five in the evening, having missed an appointment with her doctor. She stopped in to see her attorney and presented him with an expensive cigar. They now knew that David Allison had lied to them about being at a dinner meeting. His credit card purchased the meal at the Bistro. The host at the Bistro identified Allison from a photograph. Ruby was killed approximately five hours later. Did Allison kill her? Did someone else come to her house later on in the evening? Mrs. Ryan thought so; she reported seeing a pick-up truck there at around one in the morning. Lucy Ingram had also mentioned seeing a pickup truck parked in Ruby’s driveway after Allison left.
Apparently, the murder weapon had turned up in Mae December’s barn. Ben’s blind spot about her could be a problem for the investigation. Funny what a murder case brought out in everyone involved. His thoughts bounced back and forth between the past and present as they always did when working murder investigations. He knew all too well how easily he himself could have become a killer, one of the hunted instead of the hunter.
