Deadly Row to Hoe

by Cricket McRae

  languished in a wok on the two-burner stove.

  I sat in the papasan chair, feet curled underneath me. The lovebirds sat side-by-side on the futon.

  And Nate told me about Darla.

  “We grew up together on Camano Island. Under sort of strange circumstances, actually. See, our parents were throwbacks, hippies into the back-to-the-land movement, only a few years late.”

  “She was your sister?” I interrupted, stunned.

  “Oh! No. Different sets of parents. We were neighbors, if you could call the other people in your commune your neighbors. It was more like a huge extended family, all working together. There was a central kitchen, and everyone shared in the gardens and taking care of the animals. There was a one-room school, and all us kids went there. The parents took turns teaching us. Kind of like home schooling, but centralized.”

  “Doesn’t it sound wonderful?” Daphne breathed.

  Ah, the romance of youth. “I bet it was a lot of hard work,” I said.

  Nate nodded. “Oh, sure. But it was fun, too, at least the way I remember it.” He took a deep breath. “Darla was my very best friend for nine years.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  He didn’t seem to hear me. “When I was eighteen and Darla was seventeen, the man who owned the land sold it to a big corporation.”

  “And you all had to leave?” I asked.

  “There’s a resort there now,” he said.

  “How many families were involved in this commune?”

  “About a dozen, give or take. People would come and go. And you didn’t have to be a family to join us. A lot of single people were interested in belonging to a big community.” He paused, looking into a distance that wasn’t there.

  Was he remembering the past, or thinking of the future?

  Daphne nudged him. “Tell her about Darla.”

  “Right.” I reined my imagination back in. “You stayed in contact with her?”

  “For a while. But soon we lost touch, and I didn’t see her for years and years. It turned out part of that time she was working in Alaska on some grant project.”

  “She was into birds, right, honey?” Daphne said.

  “How do you know so much about her?” I asked her.

  She scowled. “Hallie tracked me down one day about a week ago. I was out hoeing around the pumpkins. She just had to tell me about this ‘other woman’ Nate was seeing.”

  I looked at Nate.

  He sighed. “Hallie likes to keep tabs on me, which isn’t hard to do since this trailer is in her backyard. So she saw Darla come to see me. Darla was between assignments, and living with her parents in Arlington. She tracked me down through some mutual friends and gave me a call. I invited her to come see the farm. I opened the door, and there was my old friend after all those years. She’d lost weight and was in great shape—I’d never seen her look so hot.”

  Now I looked at Daphne.

  Other than a slight flare of her nostrils, she ignored his commentary. “By the time Hallie saw fit to tell me about this new woman Nate was seeing, he’d already filled me in about Darla. About what good friends they were and how happy he was to see her again.” She twisted to meet his eyes. “And about their … past. What a sad, sad story.”

  Nate offered a grimace. “I wish you could have met her, Daffy. You would have really liked each other.”

  “So you never actually saw her?” How had Daphne recognized the photos then?

  “I did see her, but she was in the parking lot. She and Nate had been catching up and she was leaving. Nate pointed her out to me and said what he did just now. That we would really like each other. So when I saw the pictures, I was pretty sure they were of Darla. I knew Nate could tell you for certain.”

  “I think Darla lived in Cadyville for a time, maybe four or five years ago,” I said.

  His forehead creased. “I was in Oregon then. I moved around a lot after the commune folded. I was under the radar much of that time, working for cash on ranches and farms all over the West. It wasn’t until I learned Tom was starting a CSA farm that I realized how much I missed this little corner of the world. When he offered me a job, I jumped at the chance.”

  We all fell silent, thinking about how Nate and Darla had finally managed to cross paths. When I eventually spoke, it was almost to myself. “So why did someone kill her?”

  Nate passed his hand over his face and shook his head.

  Daphne gave him a peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry. Sophie Mae will find out what happened to her.”

  I hauled my behind out of the chair, awkward as all get-out. Now I remembered why papasans had gone out of style. “No promises. But knowing her identity is the first step in finding out more.” I slipped on my shoes. “I’ll pass on what you told me to the police. I’m sure they’ll want to talk to you.”

  Nate stood. “Of course. Tell Barr I’ll be available whenever he needs me. I want to find out who killed Darla as much as anyone.”

  As I stepped outside the door, I asked, “So how do you know Tom?”

  “From the commune. He and Allie were one of the last couples to join before we had to leave the island.”

  I stared. “He knew Darla?”

  Slowly, Nate nodded. “He and Allie both did.”

  Now I felt my own nostrils flare. “They both out and out lied to me.”

  Daphne’s eyes widened, and she gripped the edge of the futon where she still sat. “Why would they do that?”

  Wariness crept onto Nate’s face. “Oh, no.”

  “Oh, no, what?” My patience was worn paper thin.

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t jump to conclusions, Sophie Mae. They’re just trying to protect the farm.”

  _____

  Well, now I not only knew who the murder victim was, but had a whole pile of possible suspects, too.

  If Hallie “loved” Nate so much she was willing to stalk him and Daphne on a movie date, was she capable of doing worse? After all, she’d thought Nate was seeing Darla on the side. But in that case, wouldn’t she have gone after Daphne first?

  And what about Daphne? She seemed understandably irked by Hallie’s histrionics and interference with her relationship, but not overly concerned. It sounded like she’d stood up for herself, and apparently for Nate as well, in the movie theater parking lot. She didn’t seem concerned about Darla, or Hallie’s allegations that Nate was cheating, either. Daphne was even more Zen than Meghan in some ways.

  I tried to put myself in her position. If Barr came home and said he’d run into his best childhood friend and that friend happened to be female, would I be jealous? I liked to think not, especially as his ex-wife had already surfaced in a very unpleasant way early in our relationship. Nothing could top that. Besides, I trusted Barr. I couldn’t fault Daphne for trusting Nate as well.

  But what if she didn’t? What if that was an act? After all, Nate had sat right in front of both of us and described his old friend as “hot.” It was a stretch, but while Hallie might go after Daphne as a rival, Daphne might see Nate’s old friend as a rival. I had a hard time wrapping my brain around all of it, however, mostly because Nate himself didn’t seem like the type to elicit such strong emotion.

  Yet I’d witnessed exactly that from Hallie.

  Sheesh.

  All this flew through my mind as I walked around to the front of the farmhouse. Before going home, I wanted to brace the Turners about Darla Klick.

  Allie answered the door, took one look at my face and said, “Oh …” She sighed and stepped back. “You’d better come in.”

  I remembered my promise to be careful. “I’d rather stay out here, if you don’t mind.”

  Her forehead creased in puzzlement. “Dinner’s on the stove. I take it you found out about Darla?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I couldn’t keep the irritation out of my voice. I’d worked all day trying to figure out who the dead woman was, and the Turners had known all along. “More impo
rtantly, why didn’t you tell Barr?”

  She glanced inside. “Clarissa? Clarissa! Turn off the stove, okay?” She came out to the small porch and closed the door behind her. We sat down on the top step.

  Allie turned to me with apprehension. “I’m sorry, really I am. She looked so different in the picture Barr showed us, and it had been so long. I couldn’t be positive.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t believe you. You knew her better than that.”

  “Not that well.” She licked her lips. “And yet too well. What did Nate tell you?”

  “That you and Tom were part of the commune where he and Darla grew up.”

  “Right. But only for six months before it all disbanded. By then Darla was falling apart, and she was gone a lot.”

  “College?”

  “Rehab.”

  I felt my eyebrows climb my forehead. Nate hadn’t said anything about substance abuse.

  “Poor thing was a real mess,” Allie went on. “Problems with drugs and alcohol … and promiscuity. At least that’s what I heard. And one time I caught her …” She swallowed convulsively. “… I caught her with Tom.”

  Oooohhh. I struggled to keep my face expressionless. It didn’t work.

  “No, it’s not like that,” Allie said, rushing her words now. “She was kissing him, yes, and pawing at his clothes, but he was trying to stop her. It was awful, caused a big stink. We were newcomers while her parents were part of the group who originally founded the whole place. Something had happened, some kind of accident, and they knew all about it and blamed her behavior on that. I wasn’t sorry when the owner sold the property we were all on. There was even talk of trying to find another piece of land together, but by then I didn’t want any part of it.”

  A weariness settled around her slumped shoulders, but I could tell some of the anxiousness had lifted. Lying was a stressful business.

  “Did you really think we wouldn’t find out eventually?” I was still peeved.

  She took a deep breath. “Tom and I just … we thought there might be a way to save the farm.”

  I leaned forward. “Allie, did you kill Darla Klick?”

  “Of course not!”

  “Did Tom?”

  “No! But once the police found out about that old connection we knew everyone would turn suspicious eyes on us. We thought if we could only stay under the radar, Barr would find who killed her, and people would still want to be part of the farm.”

  I just looked at her.

  She held up a hand. “I know. Stupid.”

  More like desperate.

  “Did you see her here?” I asked.

  “Never. I didn’t have the faintest clue she was anywhere near Cadyville.”

  “She sought out Nate,” I said.

  Allie nodded. “I’m not surprised. Apparently they were awfully close as kids.”

  And yet they’d fallen out of touch.

  The door opened behind us, and we craned around to see Clarissa standing in the doorway. She looked right at me, then turned to her mother as if I didn’t exist. “Hallie’s crying. And something’s burning in the kitchen. It smells really bad.”

  Allie launched to her feet. “Didn’t you turn off the stove like I asked?”

  “My nails are wet.” She twiddled her fingers at her mother, who rushed past her into the house.

  I stood. Clarissa leaned a hip against the doorframe and considered me. She wore a mini-skirt with high heels and a skimpy top that would have suited a street walker but merely looked sad on her scrawny, little-girl torso. Bright pink lipstick gleamed on her lips, and her light brown hair was gathered into a high ponytail on top of her head.

  “I have to be going,” I said. “Will you tell your mom?”

  “Sure.”

  Unless her wet nails got in the way.

  Fourteen

  At home everyone was seated around the big butcher block table, chatting over the remnants of falling-apart baby-back ribs, baked beans, and tomato salad. A flaky apple strudel sat cooling on the counter. Brodie didn’t even spare me a glance, all his attention devoted to willing a tasty morsel to drop right in front of him. Conversation ebbed and all heads turned to me when I walked into the kitchen and sat down beside Erin.

  Barr opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

  “Darla Klick.”

  He closed his mouth and raised one eyebrow then smiled slow like he does when he’s impressed. Kelly looked confused and then got it and began to grin. Erin said, “Who?”

  But Meghan’s head jerked up in recognition. “That name’s on my short list.”

  “Well, your list is even shorter now. Nate Snow identified her.” I added a scoop of beans to my plate. Bless her heart, Meghan had included plenty of bacon.

  Barr pushed the salad bowl toward me. “Nice job, darlin’. How does he know her?”

  “Apparently they grew up together, out on Camano Island. Some kind of a commune.” I snagged a piece of tomato drowning in vinaigrette.

  Kelly looked skeptical. “Really?”

  I licked barbecue sauce off my fingers. “Yep. Sounds like kind of a weird upbringing. Bunch of families, home schooling, living off the land—at least that’s the way Nate described it. And guess who else was part of the commune?”

  “Who?” Meghan asked dutifully.

  “Tom and Allie Turner.”

  Barr sat back and whistled. “So they lied to me last night.”

  “Well, I talked to Allie about that.”

  “Sophie Mae!” Meghan protested.

  My husband pressed his lips together but didn’t say anything.

  “I was careful—didn’t even go into the house. But I’d spent hours bracing the other members, not to mention the whole business of making Bette fuss with that photo this morning, all because those two were too afraid to admit that they knew Ms. Klick.” I took a bite of molasses-laced beans and nearly moaned.

  “Is that what Allie told you?” Barr asked. “That they were afraid?”

  “More or less.” I glanced at Erin. “I’ll fill you in on the rest after dinner.”

  She scowled at me. “I’m twelve years old, Sophie Mae. I think I can handle it.”

  “A fact you seem to be bringing up a lot,” Meghan said.

  Erin pushed back from the table. “Fine. I’m going in my room and shutting the door and turning on my music so you can talk all you want without having to worry about offending my tender ears.” She stomped out of the room. We heard the music come on, and then the door closed.

  “Stop gritting your teeth,” I said to Meghan.

  Kelly held up a finger and quietly stood. Our eyes met, and I nodded.

  “So then Allie said after the commune broke up they all ran away and joined the circus.” I spoke a little louder than necessary.

  Meghan’s forehead creased, and then understanding dawned. Barr looked amused as Kelly sidled to the doorway and peeked around the edge.

  “Gotcha.”

  “Kellleeeeee! Geesh, what a sneak.” Erin’s voice came from the other side of the wall.

  “Takes one to know one,” I called.

  This time when her bedroom door closed, she was on the inside.

  Barr laughed, and Meghan shook her head. As long as Erin had been so kind as to absent herself, I quickly filled them in on Hallie’s behavior in Nate’s trailer and Allie’s tale of Darla at the commune, finishing with, “So Allie says she didn’t really know her that well, and couldn’t be sure that was her in the picture. But she sure remembered Darla accosting her husband.”

  My dear husband looked unconvinced. “You didn’t talk to Tom?”

  I shook my head. “Left that for you to do.” I gnawed on a tender pork rib.

  Barr sighed and looked at his watch. “Yeah. I guess I should. Nate, too. Save me a piece of strudel, ’K?” Within seconds he was dialing his phone. “Sergeant? Looks like the Jane Doe is named Darla Klick … Yeah … Sophie Mae did. I’m going out to talk to Nate Snow. He lives out
at the Turner farm, and that’s who identified her … right … next of kin. Let me know what you find out.”

  He grabbed his jacket, kissed me, and hurried out.

  “Bug, come get some dessert,” Meghan called. Miraculously, Erin responded, almost as if she was waiting for the summons. Maybe it was the strudel, or maybe she felt a little sheepish about trying to pull one over on us.

  But I sat stunned. Next of kin. Darla hadn’t just been Nate Snow’s childhood friend and an ornithologist who took the time to talk to Erin about merlins. She was any number of other things: daughter, sister, maybe even wife and mother, though Nate hadn’t said anything about her being married.

  Which made me think about my parents and how they’d lost a son, how it had devastated them for years. How I’d lost a brother.

  How I couldn’t imagine losing a child. The thought bolted through my overtired brain before I could marshal any defense. What was I thinking? Maybe Barr and I were just fine without progeny.

  Together, mother and daughter began clearing dishes. I watched as they stood hip-to-hip at the sink. Meghan leaned down and murmured something into Erin’s hair, and Erin giggled.

  I turned my head to find Kelly looking at me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. A slow smile spread across his face. That was why Barr and I were trying to get pregnant. There is always the threat of sorrow in life, but there is also real joy to be gleaned from our short years on earth if we’re brave enough to go after it.

  _____

  I helped with the cleanup before leaving Meghan and Erin and Kelly to what was becoming more and more like regular family time. Down in my workroom, I worked on the books for a while, but my mind wasn’t all that interested in invoicing and accounts. I did manage to order bulk ingredients for the new line of body oils before I hit the Internet.

  Searching for “Darla Klick” netted me a professional page on a social network that I didn’t belong to (who had the time for such things?) and a five-year-old reference in a research paper from the University of Alaska. I was just considering joining the social network despite my tendency to shy away from such things when I heard the door shut upstairs, voices, and soon after footsteps on the stairs from the kitchen.