Murder Fir Christmas

by Joyce Lavene

  “I know what you mean.” Bonnie laughed and held the door open.

  The woman suddenly turned back to her. “Is that you, Bonnie Tuttle? I thought it was you. I haven’t seen you in years. Not since you left town after your baby died. Are you married now? Do you have other children?”

  Keeping her head down, Bonnie just wanted to get past her. She thought the best way was to ignore her, but the other woman followed her past Sandie Selvie’s desk.

  “It’s me, Lindsey Blake. You remember me. We used to hang out afterschool. I was the first person who knew you were dating Davis Leon. Remember?”

  Bonnie stopped walking. She could see Lindsey’s youthful face in the features of the woman before her. She was thinner now and looked tired. “Sure. I remember you. How have you been?”

  “As good as someone can be who made the mistake of having two sets of twins right after each other.” Lindsey rolled her expressive, brown eyes. “We should have lunch and catch up. Are you back in town to stay?”

  Sandie and a few police officers were listening to their conversation. Bonnie reminded herself that this was bound to happen. She’d told her mother she was over it, the shame and anger of the past. But she’d lied. She was only over it if no one brought it up.

  “That would be great.” Bonnie was happy to see Chief Rogers come out of his office. “I’ll call you. It was good to see you.”

  “But there’s something else I should tell you,” Lindsey continued. “And you don’t have my number. Let me get my cell phone out.”

  “Mrs. Leon.” Chief Rogers nodded to her. “I guess you and our new Wildlife Agent know each other, huh? I’m glad she has some friends here still. I hope she’ll stick around for a while.”

  Bonnie hoped the shock from learning that Lindsey had married Davis didn’t show on her face. She smiled woodenly. “So you married Davis. Congratulations. I remember him saying that twins ran in his family.”

  “Right this way, Bonnie,” Chief Rogers said. “The coroner is here waiting.”

  “Wait a minute.” Lindsey called out. “Let me get your phone number.”

  “Maybe later.” Bonnie managed to say in a pleasant tone. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

  “I would’ve told you if I knew how to get in touch with you,” Lindsey’s voice trailed off as Bonnie went into the conference room. “But we can still be friends.”

  Chief Rogers closed the door behind them. Bonnie wished she had more than a moment to gain some composure after meeting up with Lindsey again. But Judd Streeter was finishing a full breakfast at the conference table and sliding reports to her and the chief across the table.

  “You two should order some breakfast from the cafe,” the coroner said. “You both look like you could use some protein.”

  Bonnie took a deep breath, sat at the table, and began trying to make sense of the coroner’s report. She’d have time to deal with her emotions later.

  Chapter Sixteen

  But her mind kept whispering—Lindsey was going to spread this all over town. She was married to Davis, who thought he couldn’t possibly want a child ten years ago and now had two sets of twins. So it wasn’t kids he didn’t want. It was her.

  “Any questions, Agent Tuttle?” the coroner asked. “Hello?” he snapped his fingers. “I told you that you needed some protein.”

  “Sorry.” Bonnie cleared her mind and stared at the report. “So nothing we didn’t already suspect.”

  “That about sums it up.” Chief Rogers closed the file on his copy of the report. “I don’t see any ideas about Harvey being moved around God knows where.”

  “There were two buttons missing on his shirt, which could be accounted for by moving him. I didn’t see him at the crime scene as I should have. I’m doing the best I can.”

  “If he’d burned up on the island, there wouldn’t be anything to see,” the chief reminded Judd and then glanced at Bonnie.

  “I noticed that his buttons had been redone when he fell out of the Hummer,” Bonnie told him. “I think I would have noticed his clothes being messed up that way at the island if it had happened there. He looked fine before he was shot.”

  Judd took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, clearly still irritated about the crime scene. He was dedicated to his job and didn’t like things to be questionable. Too much could go wrong with his work.

  “I haven’t completed the work on Ray Hoy as yet, but he was definitely shot with a high-powered rifle from a distance of at least a hundred yards. Completely different from the up close and personal shooting with a .38 revolver that killed Harvey.”

  “It could still have been the same person,” Bonnie suggested. “Maybe whoever it was shot Harvey and then got in a boat and joined the boats off the island. There were so many out there. I don’t know if anyone would’ve noticed one extra while they were fighting the fire.”

  “Anything in the Hummer that shouldn’t have been there?” the chief asked.

  “No, sir. Agent Tuttle was lucky he wasn’t killed in the vehicle—would’ve been a big mess to clean up out of that fine vehicle.”

  “Anything from Hoy’s friend, Vince?” Bonnie asked.

  “Not much,” Chief Rogers replied. “He claims he was just checking things out at the office because he’d heard Harvey was dead and there might have been something he could pawn. I don’t know yet. We’ve still got him.”

  John Trump came in quickly with a report of his own. “Sorry I’m late. I’ve been running all over town looking for the tires that match the prints we made. So far, too many match it. I don’t know how to narrow it down. We’ve got a lot of vehicles in the area with seventeen-inch tires with that tread pattern. So far, all of them have come from the same tire store down at the county line.”

  “As for the bullet that was removed from the wolf after it passed through Harvey,” Judd peered at them over his glasses, “it doesn’t happen a lot that something surprises me but this did. Definitely Harvey’s blood and tissue on the bullet. I assume that the wolf was kept for further study?”

  “Further study?” Bonnie asked. “Why would you want to study him any further? You just said the bullet is the one that killed Harvey. What more would be gained by studying him?”

  “If we opened him up, I might be able to get other blood and tissue samples from Harvey that were left in the wolf.” Judd smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll have him put down first. He won’t feel a thing.”

  That made Bonnie angry. He wasn’t taking her wolf to dissect.

  Her wolf? What?

  “These wolves are endangered in this area,” she told him. “The pup is lucky to be alive as it is, after being burned and shot. I don’t see any reason to sanction an autopsy on him to prove what you already know. The Wildlife Agency would fight you on that.”

  “You are an animal lover, aren’t you?” Judd laughed. “Harvey wasn’t so strong about that. All right. Let’s not make a big deal of it. I assume you’re letting the wolf back in the wild once he heals.”

  “That’s right,” Bonnie said still bristling.

  “What about the family?” Chief Rogers asked her. “Did you get a sense of whether or not they knew about the ruby and the beach house?”

  She told him about her encounter with them. “The son was angry, but he’s mourning too, so it’s hard to say. None of them really answered my question.”

  “Let’s get on that again,” he said. “I’ll give them a call later and have them come in.”

  “If that’s it, I’ve still got an autopsy to finish.” Judd’s chair scraped across the wood floor as he got to his feet. “Good day.”

  “John, I know you were out there at the fire,” the chief said. “But talk to Stella and everyone else from the fire brigade who were there. See if they noticed a boat that didn’t belong. That could be our killer, at least one of them anyway.”

  “Yes, sir.” John nodded to Bonnie and left the room.

  “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate right now with just
getting settled in,” Chief Rogers said to Bonnie. “I appreciate all your help on this.”

  “Thanks. I don’t feel like I can leave Harvey hanging without figuring out what happened to him.”

  He handed her the keys to the Hummer. “It’s parked in the impound lot over on Fifth Street. Just tell Sparky I sent you. Let me know if you come up with anything else.”

  “I will.” She put the keys in her pocket.

  Bonnie left town hall after saying goodbye to Sandie. She didn’t see Matthew outside as the strong wind whipped loose crystals of snow along the street. People hurried to get indoors, with their faces down and heavy clothes bundled around them.

  A Santa rang a bell outside the cafe. Bonnie tossed some change into his bucket. The sign said the money was going to be used to help send the Sweet Pepper High School marching band to finals. The Santa thanked her and kept ringing his bell.

  Inside the warm cafe, dozens of people huddled over their coffee and breakfast. The smell of biscuits was almost too good to resist. Voices were raised in conversation, and a radio was playing in the kitchen between cries of, “Order up!”

  Bonnie looked around for Matthew. Despite herself, she was nervous standing there, hoping that no one else would ask about her past. She was about to turn and leave when Lucille Hutchins scooted toward her.

  “Good morning. Say!” Lucille’s blue eyes widened under her red hair. “You’re the new Wildlife Agent, aren’t you? Ricky Jr. told me all about you. He said you were pretty.” She smiled. “I’ll bet you’re looking for Matthew and Stella, aren’t you? They’re right over there at that table.” She pointed. “What can I get you to drink?”

  “Coffee would be nice. Thanks.” Bonnie was still cringing inside, feeling eyes on her from around the cafe after Lucille’s loud welcome.

  There was another man at the table with Matthew and Stella—Bonnie remembered him from yesterday—Walt Fenway. No doubt he and Matthew would want to talk about her special abilities with animals. She almost didn’t join them.

  But then Lucille saw her standing there again and guided her to the spot, putting a cup of coffee in a plain mug before her. “There you go. What about some breakfast?”

  “No thanks. I already ate.”

  Eggs, bacon, and toast were piled on Matthew’s plate. How could he eat again so soon?

  “Oh, honey,” Lucille said. “You aren’t gonna want to sit here with nothing while all your friends are eating. I’ll bring you a biscuit—on the house, since you’re new to Sweet Pepper.”

  What else could she say but thanks?

  “Don’t fight it.” Stella picked up a biscuit from her plate. “Just plan on working out longer. That’s what I do now. It got so bad I could hardly wear my jeans.”

  Bonnie smiled and sipped her coffee. Did they all know about the baby, Davis Leon, and why she left home ten years ago? Gossip travelled faster than the smell of fried chicken in Sweet Pepper and Christmas Tree Valley. It made her want to withdraw and get away again. It had been wonderful in Alabama, where no one knew anything about her.

  “Hello,” Walt said with a steady grin on his lined face. “We meet again. Small town, huh? Talk to any foxes today?”

  “Not today,” Matthew muttered. “It was hawks.”

  “What are the two of you talking about?” Stella glanced at Bonnie. “Do you know?”

  Matthew opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Bonnie’s forbidding stare. “I better not say anything else. She carries a gun, you know.”

  “I’ve been shot before. I’m not afraid of it.” Walt related his story about the fox to Stella and Matthew. “Isn’t there a Cherokee name for someone who can talk to animals?”

  “There is.” Matthew nodded. “But I’m rather fond of my skin. I’m not saying anything else unless she says it’s okay.”

  “So you speak with animals?” Stella smiled. “I speak with ghosts. I wonder if there’s a name for that.”

  Bonnie took a deep breath. At least they weren’t talking about her past. These stories about animals wanting her help and doing what she asked them to do were nothing.

  “Speaking of which, I’m surprised you’re sitting here with us since Eric is here,” Stella changed the subject. “I thought you didn’t like being around him.”

  “He’s not here at the table,” Matthew said. “I don’t care if he’s nearby.”

  “Can you see him?” Walt asked. “I’d give anything to see him and hear him again.”

  “It’s more that I can feel him,” Matthew replied. “It’s uncomfortable but not so bad when he isn’t up close in my face. I wish I could talk you out of having him around, Stella. Nothing good can come from being with a ghost.”

  Stella ignored him and washed down another bite of her biscuit with a sip of Coke.

  “Anything you can gossip about from the meeting with the coroner and Chief Rogers this morning?” Walt asked Bonnie.

  “There really wasn’t much that he told us that we didn’t already know.” Lucille put down a small plate with a biscuit on it for her. “Thanks.”

  “So we still don’t know why Harvey was killed or who did it.” Walt sipped his coffee and shook his head. “In my day, we’d have some answers by now. I trained Don Rogers to do a better job than this. What’s that man thinking?”

  Bonnie didn’t volunteer any other information about the case. Like her past, everyone would be talking about it by the afternoon if she did. It would be better if everyone didn’t know about Harvey’s nest egg.

  “I have to get back for training,” Stella said. “I’m glad I’m not pulling sixty pounds of hose up a ladder today. Not with that biscuit in me.”

  “I’m coming too,” Walt said, pushing out of the booth on the other side. “I love seeing those new recruits huffing and puffing.”

  “We should be going too.” Bonnie took a last sip of coffee and wrapped the biscuit in a napkin before she put it in her jacket pocket. “You never know when you’re going to run into a hungry animal who needs this more than me.”

  “We, huh?” Walt lifted his brows at the word. “You and Brown Elk travelling together?”

  “I’m helping her bring the Hummer down to the valley today,” Matthew defended. “She can only drive one vehicle at a time. Don’t start with me, Walt. I don’t want to hear that Bonnie and I are dating when I get home.”

  The older man laughed. “Your secret is safe with me, son. Don’t worry about a thing.”

  “That’s what bothers me,” Matthew muttered.

  The cashier rang up Stella’s meal but refused to take any money from Bonnie because she was new to town. Bonnie and Stella ended up waiting at the door by themselves for Walt and Matthew to settle their bills.

  “There’s something I wanted to tell you,” Bonnie said quietly. “But not in front of Walt and Matthew.”

  “What is it?” Stella asked with a concerned look on her pretty freckled face.

  Bonnie told her the story of her brother Eric’s conception. “I don’t know if he’s here with us, but I thought Chief Gamlyn might want to know that he has a son.”

  “Really?” Stella glanced to her left. “If he could do cartwheels right now, he would. Not having a family has hurt him a lot. This is great news for him. He wants to know where your brother is right now.”

  “Unfortunately, he’s just taken a job overseas. But he’ll be home for Christmas. Maybe we could get together then. It didn’t surprise me after seeing Chief Gamlyn’s picture at the firehouse. My brother looks just like him.”

  “He’s very excited.” Stella laughed. “Let’s plan to do that when he gets back. He wants to know who your father is?”

  “Barry Tuttle. My mother remarried after Wendel Harcourt died. My brother and I are almost twenty years apart.”

  “I’m sure you can imagine how sorry Eric is that he didn’t know about his son while he was alive,” Stella told her. “He’s happy he knows the truth now but wonders why your mother didn’t tell him.”


  “That’s something I don’t know for sure. She seemed to be able to see him. Maybe he could ask her next time they see each other.” Bonnie grinned and shook her head. “Is this weird or what?”

  “About as weird as people who can talk to animals. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I can’t say as much about Matthew or Walt.”

  “Too late to put that in the box, I guess.”

  Stella covered Bonnie’s hand with hers and stared into her eyes. “Gossip is stupid, but it’s what people do. It can only hurt you if you let it. I like you. Don’t let it.”

  The way she said it, Bonnie knew that Stella was aware of her past. She swallowed hard and resisted the urge to run out to the truck and drive away. If Stella knew, so did Walt and Matthew. She couldn’t put that back in the box either.

  “Thanks. I’ll do the best I can.”

  A warm feeling like standing in front of a heater blew around her. She could almost hear a whisper in one ear telling her that she would be okay.

  “Eric is a big hugger now.” Stella smiled. “You’d think his hugs would be cold, but they’re warm, aren’t they?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tears stung Bonnie’s eyes and clogged her throat for a moment at the idea that the ghost of the old fire chief had hugged her. Walt was complaining about the price of coffee, and Matthew was putting on his jacket. It gave her time to gain some composure.

  “Hey.” Matthew looked closely at her as they were leaving the cafe. “Are you okay? Did something happen between you and Stella?”

  “Nothing bad. I’m fine. Let’s get out to the lake and see if we can find the pup’s family.”

  “I can’t believe you haven’t named him,” he said as he swung his large body into the passenger seat of the truck. “He’s not going to leave you. He belongs to you now, and you belong to him. Even if you find his family, they won’t matter anymore. He won’t stay with them.”

  “I’ve relocated gators, possums, and every other animal you can imagine,” she told him, starting the truck. “I can relocate this wolf too.”