A Grid For Murder

by Casey Mayes

  “I’m so sorry about Joanne, for your sake,” I said. “I had no idea about the two of you.”

  He nodded sadly. “She didn’t want anyone around here to know about us. Joanne was afraid of the gossip mill in town, so we had to keep it quiet. There was something there, though, you know? I don’t know if it was really love, but it might have developed into it, if we’d just had enough time.”

  I didn’t know how to begin to answer that. “You have my deepest sympathies.”

  “If you don’t mind, I need some time to be alone.” He got up and walked us out of the barbershop. As we left, I watched him through the glass door as he snapped the locks shut and flipped the “open” sign to “closed.” An instant later, the red-and-white-striped electric barber pole went dark, and the sign stopped turning. It was clear that Greg was done, at least for the moment.

  “At least we cleared one thing up,” Rob said. “Greg didn’t know about what happened to Joanne.”

  “It appears that way,” I answered.

  He looked at me with surprise. “Do you honestly think that he was acting just now?”

  I thought about it, and wasn’t sure how to answer truthfully. “I don’t know. There was something about that entire conversation that seemed, well, rehearsed is the best word I can come up with.”

  Rob clearly didn’t buy it for a second. “Don’t forget, the travel time between here and Asheville alone would be enough to clear him.”

  I shrugged. “I considered that, but it’s all predicated on him leaving exactly at eleven, and getting back here at noon on the dot. If he left ten minutes early and got back ten minutes late, he could have poisoned her and no one would know he’d ever left town.”

  “So he stays on our list until we can prove otherwise,” Rob said.

  “I think so. At least for now.” Another name had popped up that intrigued me. “Can we tackle Hannah Reed now?”

  “I guess so,” he said a little reluctantly. “Are you sure there isn’t someplace else you need to be?”

  “Zach’s probably still in Asheville,” I said. “And even if he’s back in town, he’s not going to want me tagging along as he helps interview suspects.”

  Rob grinned. “Then it’s a good thing he doesn’t know about Hannah yet, isn’t it?”

  “That’s another reason we should speak with her now. If we interview her before Zach hears her name in connection with the case, he can’t complain about me interfering.” As I said it, I knew how ridiculous that statement was on the face of it. Even though Zach and I were on the same side, it didn’t mean we always saw eye to eye on the right way to investigate a crime. He liked the slow and methodical approach, weighing and analyzing clues, and moving toward an inescapable conclusion. I, on the other hand, loved stirring the pot every chance I got to see who boiled over first. It was a little more dangerous than my husband’s approach, especially when I wasn’t armed with much more than the pepper spray in my purse, but it was tough to argue with the results when I made things happen.

  WE GOT TO HANNAH REED’S CRAFT CORNER JUST AS she was closing the register in her shop for the night. Hannah ran a small business that specialized in all kinds of crafting supplies. Between the yarn, colored thread, candle molds, cardmaking supplies, and soapmaking kits, she had something for just about anyone who wanted to work with their hands. I loved to give homemade soap to some of my friends at Christmas, and Hannah’s shop was the only place I trusted to buy my supplies. The woman was amazing, mastering every craft her store represented, until she could do just about anything there was to do in the crafting world. I couldn’t imagine under any circumstances that she could be a murderer, but if living with Zach all these years had taught me anything, it was that you can’t tell a killer by looking at them.

  “It’s not Christmas, Savannah,” she said as Rob and I walked in. “Have you finally decided to branch out into candles?”

  “Not yet,” I said, “but soon.”

  She nodded, and then turned to Rob. “Robert, I don’t believe that you’ve set foot in this store since I opened it. I have a feeling you two aren’t here for supplies or tips, are you?”

  “Hannah, I was wondering if we could have a word with you,” Rob said. As long as I’d lived in Parson’s Valley, I’d never heard Rob called “Robert” by anyone, and I wondered what their connection was, and how far back it went.

  “I thought that was what we were doing.” She frowned at her register tape. “I may be a fine craftswoman, but I am a dreadful accountant. One day I’m seven dollars short, and the next I’m ten over. I have no idea what happens, but things seem to get away from me over the course of the day.”

  After hearing that particular confession, I promised myself that I’d pay closer attention to my change the next time I came into her shop. “Have you heard the news about Joanne Clayton?”

  “Yes, sadly, I have. How dreadful.”

  “Did you happen to hear it from the police?” Rob asked her. “Or did someone else tell you?”

  She looked surprised by the question. “Why on earth would the police have any reason to share that information with me? Sandra Oliver was here picking up a book she had me order for her, and she told me then.”

  “Mind if I ask what the title was?” I asked gently.

  She looked at me for a moment before she answered. “Actually, I do. I like to offer my clients some sense of privacy when they deal with me. I may not be protected by the Constitution, or maybe I am, but either way, it’s something the people who shop here expect from me, and I don’t aim to disappoint them if I can help it.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Rob said. “I have to ask you something about Joanne. It’s about what happened between the two of you last month.”

  Hannah’s face whitened. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Robert.”

  “I think you do,” he said.

  She decided to shift the focus from herself onto me. “Savannah, have you seen the new book on soapmaking with all-natural ingredients that I just got in? It’s got lots of plants native to our area that you can use in your concoctions. You should go look at it.”

  It was clear that I was being treated like a small child by being sent to the other side of the store, but there wasn’t a great deal I could do about it. If I fought them on it, I was certain neither one of them would say anything incriminating in front of me. On the other hand, there was the question of whether or not I was going to allow myself to be dismissed so easily.

  I decided for the moment to stay right where I was. “Thanks. It sounds tempting, and maybe I’ll look at it later, but right now, I’d love to hear exactly what Rob was talking about.”

  She looked at Rob, who frowned at me. “Savannah, this is private. Do you mind giving us a minute?”

  “I do,” I said.

  The three of us stood there for what felt like an hour, but I was certain it was only a few seconds. I saw something ease in Hannah’s face, a tension that was there before that suddenly vanished. “She’s a member of our community, Robert; I can’t see keeping it from her. But if you don’t mind, I’ll tell her myself.”

  “Go ahead,” he said. “After all, it’s your story.”

  Hannah looked at me, took a deep breath, and then said, “Savannah, not many folks outside of Parson’s Valley know this, but I had a reason to despise Joanne Clayton with all my might, though I can assure you that I wasn’t the one who killed her.”

  “Why did you hate her?” I couldn’t believe how calm Hannah was being as she talked. A thousand possible reasons danced through my mind, but I wasn’t expecting the one she finally gave me.

  “She was the reason my son left Parson’s Valley ten years ago, and because of her, he’ll never come back. I’ve lost him just as surely as if she’d plunged a knife into his chest and stopped his heart.”

  “NOW, HANNAH, THAT’S NOT EXACTLY THE TRUTH,” ROB said softly.

  She gave him a quick look of contempt. “Robert, are
you questioning my word and my honor?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said quickly, “but I’ve kept in touch with Wes over the years, and he denies wholeheartedly that Joanne was behind his leaving.” Rob turned to me and explained, “Wes and I were in school together.”

  “I didn’t know that you kept in touch,” Hannah said with a snap in her voice.

  “There was no need to mention it to you,” Rob said, clearly trying to placate her. “He calls you, too. I know it, because he tells me about it.”

  “My son telephones me twice a year, on my birthday and on Christmas Eve,” Hannah said. “How often does he contact you?”

  “We email back and forth every now and then,” Rob admitted. “He’s told you that he’ll email you, too.”

  “I can’t even work a cash drawer,” Hannah said in exasperation. “How am I supposed to learn to work a computer?”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, but it’s just about the only way he communicates these days,” Rob said.

  Hannah looked puzzled by Rob’s earlier statement. “If my son didn’t leave because of Joanne, then why did he go so far away?”

  I didn’t want to be in the middle of that conversation, but there was no way to bow out of it without being obvious.

  I could tell that Rob was choosing his words carefully. “Hannah, he just got tired of living in a small town.”

  She didn’t like that answer. “Nonsense. He hasn’t found happiness in New York City, has he?”

  “I couldn’t say anything about that,” Rob answered, though I had a suspicion that he might know. “From what I gather, he’s happy enough, and how much more can any of us hope for these days?”

  Hannah frowned, and I could swear she wanted to cry. “I don’t want to discuss this anymore. It distresses me too much.”

  “There’s just one more thing,” Rob said. I saw him draw in a deep breath before he asked her for an alibi, and a part of me wanted to stop him, but unfortunately, I needed to hear the answer myself. “Hannah, have you been in your shop all day?”

  “No, I ran some errands this morning. I didn’t open until one today.”

  “Would you mind telling me where you were earlier, then?”

  “Of course I mind. Robert, I’ll ask you to leave now.” She turned to me and said in a softer voice, “You should go as well, Savannah. I believe this conversation is over.”

  “If you tell me,” Rob said, not budging one inch, “then I can promise that I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Here’s a surprise for you. You’re going to do that regardless,” the older woman said, showing a hint of the spunk that was just beneath the surface. “Leave my store, Robert.”

  They locked stares for nearly a minute, and then Rob finally turned and left without saying another word.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said to Hannah as soon as he was gone. “I didn’t mean to be a part of bringing up bad memories for you,” but it was as though I hadn’t spoken. Hannah went back to her register tape, and I left her shop in silence.

  Once I was outside, I said, “That was chillier than I ever thought Hannah could muster.”

  “To be honest with you,” Rob said, “it was no more than I expected from her. She’s got a mean streak very few folks around here know about, and that woman can hold on to a grudge like nobody I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  It was certainly news to me. “Before we went in there, I would have said that Hannah wasn’t capable of committing murder.”

  “And now?” Rob asked.

  “I’m not so sure. Tell me something. Why did her son really leave town, if it wasn’t because of Joanne?”

  “If you want to know the answer to that, you’re going to have to ask him yourself,” Rob said with a ring of finality to his statement that wouldn’t bear further questioning.

  “In other words, it’s none of my business.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly go that far,” Rob said with a grin, “but I’m not saying anything else about it, either. That takes care of our list, at least the ones who aren’t currently being questioned by the police. What did you have in mind next?”

  I glanced at my watch and saw that it was getting late. “I’m not sure there’s much more we can do tonight.”

  “I can believe that. Savannah, if you need me tomorrow, I’ll be at the hardware store first thing,” Rob said.

  “Thanks, but I should be fine on my own for a while.”

  When he realized that I meant business, Rob said, “I’m not joking around here. If you need someone to watch your back and Zach isn’t available, call me day or night.”

  “I will,” I promised.

  I watched Rob walk down the street back to his store before I headed for my own car. Why was he being so helpful, where Barbara had stonewalled me? Was it because of some sense of loyalty he felt to me from our friendship, or did he have his own reasons to want to know what had really happened to Joanne Clayton? He’d admitted himself that they’d been close once, and I had to wonder if he was looking for a little justice on her behalf.

  Either way, I’d use his help if I could, but only if I had to; I wasn’t comfortable risking anyone else’s life in my informal investigation.

  As I walked to my car, I decided it was time to head back to the cottage. With any luck, Zach would be there waiting for me, and we could compare notes about what we’d learned so far today.

  Chapter 7

  “THERE YOU ARE,” ZACH SAID AS I PARKED MY CAR AND walked up the path to our front door. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to get home.” He was out front admiring the mix of annuals I’d planted in our raised beds along the walkway, filled with flowering plants that hummingbirds were supposed to love. We’d already lost the race against time between when the flowers would bloom and when the delightful little birds started their migration south. Zach had been right to bet that the tiny birds would be long gone before the blossoms could do them any good, but I still held out hope for a bright floral display. Even if they hadn’t been ready in time for the birds, I’d been watching the frost warnings and covering the beds with spun fiber cloth as protection. I was determined to enjoy at least a few blossoms before a heavy frost killed the delicate plants.

  “I’m surprised you beat me home,” I said.

  “Is it a good surprise, or a bad one?” he asked as he wrapped me up in his arms. There was a chill in the air; though nowhere near freezing, I was still glad to have him hold me.

  “It’s always a good thing,” I said as I buried my head into his chest.

  “Always?” he asked as he stroked my head.

  “Well, almost,” I admitted. “There’s no chance you cooked something for dinner, is there?”

  “Sorry, I haven’t been here long myself. We could always have chili,” Zach said. One of the few things my husband could cook was chili, and whenever he was stuck at home without anything to work on, he’d make batches and batches of the stuff. I’d freeze it, and we’d pull some out whenever neither of us felt like cooking that night. I wished he’d learn to make something else, but he claimed that his chili had special powers to intensify his thought process, and I was in no position to dispute it.

  In all honesty, I wasn’t all that thrilled about having chili tonight, but then again, I was also too tired to cook anything myself.

  “Chili sounds great,” I said.

  “Excellent. While it’s defrosting, you can tell me about what you’ve been doing since we split up.”

  I nodded, but I wasn’t going to give up my hard-won information without a little equal exchange. “Only if you promise to bring me up to date on what you’ve been doing, too.”

  He frowned for a second. “Savannah, I can tell you most of it, but there are a few things I’m not in any position to reveal. I’m truly sorry about it, but I owe that much to Captain North.”

  “But you’ll tell me everything the second you can, right?” I asked as I pulled out a container of chili and popped it into the microwave.
<
br />   He nodded and put his hand over his heart. “I promise.”

  My husband was, above all else, a man of his word. “That’s good enough for me. Where should I start?”

  “How about the second you left me in Asheville?”

  “Hey, you told me not to be that specific anymore.”

  “I know,” he said with a laugh. “Can I help it if I missed you?”

  “I missed you, too, though sometimes I wonder why,” I answered with a smile.

  As he set the table, I started sharing with him everything I’d learned since we’d been apart.

  He stopped me when I told him about Barbara. “You could make her that promise, you know.”

  “Zach, how am I going to keep anything from you? She should have known better than to ask me.” The microwave stopped, so I stirred the chili a little before resetting it. After it was busy doing its job again, I looked at my husband and asked, “Should I have told her, and then kept what I found out to myself?”

  “It seems fair to me. After all, I’m going to have to hold a few things back from you,” Zach said as he put a glass of milk in the freezer while the chili finished warming through. He loved his milk nearly frozen, though it hurt my teeth when I tried to drink it that cold.

  “That’s different,” I said.

  “Why? Because I’m working with the police?”

  “No, that’s not it.” I thought about it for a minute, and then said, “I suppose I could have agreed, but what it boils down to is that I don’t like someone else dictating my behavior to me.”

  “I know that more than anyone else would,” he said with a smile. “Still, if your investigation stalls, you might have to make that promise after all.”

  “Why don’t I burn that bridge when I get to it,” I said. “Besides, I don’t think I’m going to need her help.”

  He looked surprised by that response. “You’re certainly not going to do this by yourself.”