“What do you need?” Monica asked, pulling her purse up from the floor by my feet.
“Something to make into a bow.”
“I should have a ribbon in there. It was tied around a bunch of flowers that Quinn brought to Dog Diggity last week.”
“Flowers, what a gentleman.”
Ben used to bring me flowers when we were first dating, too. The romance wore off around the time I started washing his socks.
I found the magenta ribbon in Monica’s bag and wrapped it around my hand, fidgeting. “I hope this works. He’s not exactly friendly.”
“I’ll be there this time. He won’t try doing anything to you.”
“I don’t think he would, but I need to get inside.”
“What are you snooping for?” she asked, glancing over at me.
“Pills, mainly. Blood pressure pills.” I told her what the toxicology report said. “So you see why I have to get inside.”
“I’ll help.”
When we pulled in the driveway I noted Jason’s car was there along with a couple others. “Hurry and help me get the dog treats tied with this ribbon,” I said, darting around to the back of her car.
Monica opened the hatchback and grabbed a box of treats. “They aren’t even in the Dog Diggity packaging yet.”
“This is no time to be picky about it.” I watched her tie the ribbon around the box and slam the hatchback closed. “Let’s do this.”
“You look like a duck with a wounded wing in that puffy coat with your arm in a sling.” She snickered behind me. “I found Mike!”
“Watch the slippery sidewalk and those Barberry bushes, or you won’t be laughing any longer.” I should know since I’d become a pro at falling on icy sidewalks.
We stepped up onto the cement slab porch and I rang the doorbell. I heard Ginger barking, and heeled shoes coming toward the door. A second later, the knob turned and a woman I’d never seen before stood in the doorway.
“Come in,” she said. “It was nice of you to come. Are you a neighbor of Clayton’s? I’m his sister-in-law, Robin.”
She shook our hands. “Yes, we’re from town,” I said, a little bewildered at being let inside so easily.
“Let me take your coats,” she said. “We have refreshments in the dining room. Jason said he was keeping the burial private. I’m glad to see he invited someone to the wake.”
Good gravy, a wake? Was Clayton’s body here? On display? Was this the viewing for family? “Actually,” I said, “we didn’t know. We only stopped by to see how Jason was getting along.”
“Oh, I see,” she said. “Well, come in anyway and have a seat. I’ll get him.” She led us to the living room where an urn stood on a coffee table in the middle of the room surrounded by flowers. Ginger stood beside it as if she was on guard duty.
“Thank the Lord,” Monica whispered behind me.
I couldn’t agree more. I didn’t want to see Clayton Banks laid out in his finest when I wasn’t invited to do so. At least this was a little less intrusive.
“What are you doing here?” Jason asked, sweeping into the room. Ginger barked and let out a low growl, hearing his agitation.
“Jason,” his aunt said, taking a hold of his arm, “these are your father’s neighbors.”
“They’re nobody,” he said. “And they’re leaving.”
“We brought a gift for Ginger,” Monica said, taking the box from me and holding it out to Jason. He hesitated to take it at first, but finally grabbed it. “We have six dogs in our house and know how hard it must be for her to not have Clayton around. If you need help finding her a home, please let us know. We’ve placed several dogs with new owners.”
Jason’s expression went from anger to confusion to acceptance. He nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Who’s this then?” a man asked, breezing into the room carrying the strong scent of alcohol with him. He wore a gray suit and what
I was certain was a hairpiece on his head.
“Dear,” Robin said, “these are Clayton’s neighbors.” She turned to us. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your names.”
“Cameron,” I said, “and this is Monica, my sister.”
“Nice to meet you,” Monica said.
“Richard,” the man said, shaking our hands. “Clayton’s brother.”
“We’re sorry for your loss,” I said.
“Thank you,” he said, but waved the sentiment away. “Unfortunately, we hadn’t spent much time together over the past few years. Decades, really.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, not sure how to respond to that statement.
“Funny thing,” Richard continued, “we’d had this trip planned for a few weeks now. I figured it was time to bury the hatchet with my brother. We were both getting on in years. I didn’t want to lose the chance to make things right with him.”
It was the saddest thing I’d ever heard. “That’s … ” I shook my head. “I can’t imagine. I’m very sorry this happened.”
“Please,” Robin said, gesturing toward the sofa, “have a seat.” Her pale face was blotched with red. I had a feeling her husband had a lot to say after he got some drinks down.
“Would it be too much trouble if I used your bathroom?” Monica asked, lowering her head, like she was embarrassed to ask.
“Of course not,” Richard said. “Right down this hall here. Second door on your right.”
“Thank you.”
Jason watched her walk down the hallway, glowering after her. I had to talk to him and find out if his hostility toward us was all because of Ben and the skiing event I went ahead with, or if there was something more to it. I’d never get answers out of him about his dad’s death unless I got past this barrier between us.
I sat down and tried to not look awkward and uncomfortable, but sitting there with the three of them watching me expectantly was a little off-putting.
“Was the service today?” I asked, eyeing the urn. “Those are beautiful flowers.”
“We had the reverend from the church in town say a prayer at the funeral home. It was just us,” Robin said.
“Dad didn’t believe in church,” Jason said.
“Well, we do,” Richard said, putting a large hand on Jason’s shoulder, almost like he was trying to keep his thirty-something nephew in line. “How did you know my brother, Cameron?”
I steered clear of festival talk and explained about how I’d first met Clayton in town trying to trade an arrowhead he’d found on his property for a new tractor seat.
“That was my brother!” Richard exclaimed, and laughed. “Always wheeling and dealing!”
“Yes, he was,” I said, laughing along with him. “Did you grow up in Metamora as well?”
“I did, yes,” Richard said. “I’m a handful of years older than Clayton. When I went away to college I ended up getting a job in Kentucky after graduation and that was that. Robin and I got married and we’ve lived near Lexington for too many years to count now.”
“Did you go to high school with Soapy?” I asked. “Oh, I guess he wouldn’t have been called that back then.”
“I know he’s called Soapy these days,” Richard said, grinning. “I did go to school with him. I’m not surprised he became mayor. He was always the most popular kid in school.”
I kept trying to make small talk while Monica searched the bathroom.
“Jason, will you be staying in town now? Living here?” I asked.
“Haven’t decided yet,” he said, not even looking at me as he replied. It was as if he was disgusted by my presence. I’d never experienced anything like it before. People liked me. This guy was making me feel self-conscious.
I wanted to bring up David Dixon, ask what they thought about Clayton’s buddy being killed one day after he was. But I didn’t want to rile up Jason by prying into his
father’s business. If only I could get him alone and tell him the Action Agency was trying to help find out what happened to his father. Maybe he wouldn’t hate me then.
“Can I get you some coffee, or tea maybe?” Robin asked. “It’s cold out there today.”
“Please, don’t go to any trouble. I’m fine, thank you.”
There was a knock at the front door. We all turned to look at it. “Well,” Robin said, “this is nice. More visitors!”
She strode across the carpet toward the front door and swung it open. Lana Buntley stood on the porch. “Lana,” Richard said, his mouth open and eyes going wide for a split second. “Hello.” He plastered a smile on his face and went to stand with his wife, welcoming their new, unexpected guest.
Jason strode away, disappearing through the dining room into what I assumed was the kitchen. He came back a moment later with a beer in his hand. He plopped down in the armchair beside the sofa and took a deep drink, eyeing his father’s urn. Ginger padded over and put her head on his knee.
“She likes you,” I said.
He nodded, stroking her fur. “Why are you really here?”
“I’m trying to find out what happened to your dad. Ben doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Is that why your sister is poking around in the bathroom drawers?”
“What? Is she?” I blinked, innocently.
Jason shook his head. “You have a terrible poker face.”
Lana came in the room with Richard and Robin. She took a seat beside me on the sofa. “Cameron, it’s nice to see you again.”
“You too,” I said. “How’s Starnes holding up?”
She looked down at her hands in her lap. “This has been such a terrible weekend. Filled with tragedy.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, and please pass along my condolences to Starnes.”
“Thank you.”
Her hands shook like leaves, and I noticed a quiver in her head as well. It made me wonder if it was something more than grief that was affecting her.
Monica came down the hall and hesitated for a second at seeing another woman in the room. “Hello,” she said, finally striding forward with a smile on her face.
“Monica,” I said, “this is Lana Buntley, I don’t believe you’ve met before.”
“No, we haven’t.” Monica shook Lana’s shaky hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Lana said, not making eye contact with Monica, or anyone in the room.
“Well,” I said, starting to get up to make our departure just as another knock sounded at the door.
“This is exactly what I didn’t want,” Jason said, bolting out of his chair. “It’s like Grand Central now.”
Ginger began barking and followed him to the door. Jason yanked it open and sneered. “Come to get your wife?”
Ben stood in the doorway. He glanced my way, but the stern expression on his face didn’t flicker. “I have a warrant to search the premises,” he said.
“Search the premises? For what? My father was murdered, you moron!”
“Please, Officer,” Richard said, rushing to Jason’s side. “We’re having a wake for my brother. Can’t this wait?”
“I’m sorry for the timing,” Ben said. “I won’t disturb your guests. What I need won’t take long to find. If you could lead me to Clayton’s medications and any alcohol he has in the house—specifically moonshine—then I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Richard said. “Jason, sit down, son. I’ll help the officer. You relax.”
“Relax when the cops are searching the house,” Jason scoffed, glaring at Ben. “I’ll get you what you need. You’re not welcome inside.”
“This warrant says otherwise,” Ben said.
Monica elbowed me, and covertly shoved a pill bottle into my hand. “Shove it in the cushions,” she whispered.
I got her drift. We didn’t need to be in possession of criminal evidence, if that’s what these pills ended up being.
I stretched and turned my body a little, away from the door where Ben stood. Beside me, Lana was fussing with her handbag that sat on the floor.
I shoved the pill bottle between the couch cushions, and Lana shoved a mason jar full of clear liquid farther down inside her bag.
Good gravy, I’d just hidden the pills Ben was after, and did Lana just hide the moonshine?
• Nine •
It had been two hours since I’d gotten home from Clayton’s house. Monica and I bolted as soon as Ben got inside and started his search in the kitchen. He hadn’t even glanced our direction.
I paced from room to room, picking up clutter, dusting, and munching at least half a dozen of Betty’s Apple Pie cookies with white chocolate chips. White chocolate wasn’t my favorite, but I wouldn’t refuse it in desperate times.
And I was desperate.
Who was I kidding? I was on the verge of being charged with tampering with evidence by my own husband. I was more than desperate.
Monica had escaped to Dog Diggity. Mia was still with Steph, and I was left to deal with Ben on my own when he came home.
What if he didn’t find the pill bottle I hid in the couch cushions? It didn’t seem like he was planning on tearing the house apart, especially not during Clayton’s wake. And what about Lana’s moonshine?
I had to tell him where to look. But I really, really, really didn’t want that information coming from me. There was only one thing to do.
I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Andy’s number. “I need a huge favor,” I said when he answered.
“I take it it’s not snow removal,” he said. “Were you going to tell me I’m fired?”
My stomach sank. “I’m so sorry. Ben came back home last night. The situation happened kind of suddenly. The gate house is being used to hold Old Dan and Frank. I meant to call you.”
“But you didn’t need a favor until now.”
“Andy, please don’t be mad. I’m truly sorry. My mind has been all over the place.”
He sighed. “I knew Ben would move back eventually. I should’ve been looking for something permanent all along.”
“You weren’t planning on staying in Metamora.”
“I know. I don’t know what I’m doing now. My documentary isn’t finished. There’s Cass … ” he trailed off.
“It’s just a suggestion,” I said, hit with a brainstorm, “but nobody’s running the mill while Old Dan and Frank are under lock and key at the gate house. Maybe you could pay them a visit and see what needs to be done?”
“I could do that,” he said, sounding encouraged. “That would buy me some time to figure out what I’m going to do next.”
“We take care of each other here,” I told him. “You’ll be okay.”
After a pause, he said, “So what’s the favor?”
I filled him in on my inadvertent attendance at Clayton’s wake and the resulting hidden evidence. “Do you think you could make an anonymous call to the police department for me?”
“How do you get yourself into these things?”
“It seems to be a talent of mine. The thing is that Roy and Johnna’s voices are too distinct. They have a recognizable something—an accent or cadence, and it’s a small town. I can’t ask one of them to call. Logan would pass out before he got the phone number dialed. You’re my only hope.”
“Okay. I’ll call right now. But, Cam? You have to do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Let me walk the dogs every now and then. I’m going to miss hanging out with those guys.”
I glanced around at my pack. Colby and Jack were playing tug-of-war with a rope, Isobel was warning off Gus by showing her teeth while he teased her by getting too close to her spot by the fridge. Little Liam was snuggled up in Brutus’s blanket that Ben had situated in the corner of the family
room the night before.
They were more than one person, or even two, could handle, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. “You’re welcome to them anytime,” I told Andy, who’d done his share of filling in holes the boys had dug in the backyard.
When we hung up, I felt better. Relieved. I hadn’t told him about Lana’s moonshine, because Ben didn’t have a warrant for Lana’s personal property. And who knew if it was even related to Clayton and the moonshine Ben was searching for. Lana could’ve just tucked it down farther in her bag as a reaction to hearing he was looking for moonshine. I couldn’t go jumping to conclusions.
My phone rang before I set it back down on the table. I didn’t recognize the number calling. “Hello?”
“Hello, Mrs. Hayman, this is Bob from Bob’s Sled Dogs. How are you today?”
“Good, thanks,” I said, hoping that Soapy had called and canceled his teams for the race that was scrapped after Dixon’s murder.
“I’m very sorry for the tragedy causing your festival to be canceled. I hope the town is recovering from the shock.”
“We’re a strong community,” I said. “We’ll pull through.”
“I’m sure you will. Um, when exactly do you think that might be? We need to reschedule.”
“Reschedule? Oh, I don’t think we’re going to pick up the festival where we left off. Maybe next year.”
“Well, see, that causes a problem with our contract. I don’t mean to sound callous, considering what transpired, but we’ll need to be paid in full whether our teams race or not. We reserved that day for your festival and weren’t able to book another event with the short notice. Maybe you want to discuss it with Soapy and get back to me?”
“I didn’t realize,” I said, trying to recall the contract I’d signed. “I’ll have to call you back.”
Bob apologized one last time and we hung up. On one hand, I’d budgeted for his teams to come out and race, but on the other hand, it wasn’t like we canceled on account of rain. A man was murdered at the ice sculpting event. The town Olympian, for goodness sake. There was no way the festival could go on after that.
Fatal Festival Days Page 9
