A Box Full of Trouble

by Carolyn Haines

  "I just don't need this," she finished, and went upstairs.

  Noah watched after her. She'd been so callous. Could she just not hide her dislike for Julie Berry, or was she somehow involved?

  Chapter Seven

  “I know you’ll be wanting to get on to work, so let's get these questions out of the way, son." Sheriff Bowen indicated the big striped sofa in front of the window to Noah, and sat himself down in a nearby leather chair.

  The sunny library smelled pleasantly of coffee and books, putting Noah slightly off his guard. It was the kind of room he could spend hours in, reading or sketching or just daydreaming. But he was there to be questioned about finding Julie Berry's body, and he again felt conspicuous with his stained fingers and plain white T-shirt. Erin had said little to him, and she’d looked away when the sheriff told him to wait in the library for him.

  "So your old man's back in town. How's he getting along?" The sheriff wasted no time. He took a sip of his coffee.

  Noah bristled. No one could look at him without seeing his father. "How would I know?"

  "He's living with you, isn't he? You and your mama? Zach tells me there was a crowd at your house last night. Probably your mama's friends welcoming him home."

  Noah stayed silent.

  The sheriff leaned forward, forcing Noah to look into his sharp brown eyes. "Zach tells me you're a good kid. I trust his opinion. Did you see your father leave the house last night, and was he there when you left this morning?"

  Noah wanted to sigh with relief, but he stayed composed. At least he wouldn't have to lie. "Yeah, he was there last night. People stayed pretty late, but I went to bed." He wasn't going to volunteer the information that the living room had been filled with convicted felons and possible drug dealers. It seemed the sheriff already knew anyway. "I didn't see him this morning. My mom said he was crashed on the couch, but after breakfast I went out the back door. What does this have to do with the dead lady, anyway?"

  The sheriff sat back in his chair. "Did you know Ms. Berry?"

  Noah shook his head. "Not really. I saw her at the party on Sunday, but we didn't exactly chat."

  As they talked, the sheriff occasionally scribbled in a small, leather-bound notebook. Noah was silent until the sheriff spoke to him again, one of the habits he learned from being his father's son. Never answer a question a cop doesn't ask you.

  "She not friendly to you?"

  Noah shrugged. "I don't know. We didn't really talk."

  "What about Erin? You seemed very friendly with her on Sunday. She's a sweet girl."

  "Sir, is this the part where the law tells me to stay away from her for my own good?"

  The sheriff laughed out loud and slapped his thigh. "You obviously got your mama's brains, son. No, that's not really any of my business. That's between you and her and her daddy. But just between you and me, I gather Ms. Berry thought a lot of what goes on here was her business. She can't have been too happy if she figured out Jeb Daly's son was sweet on her little princess."

  It was Noah's turn to laugh, and he tried not to let it sound forced. "I don't think she or Mr. Walsh have anything to worry about in that department. Erin and I are barely friends." From the way she was treating him, it felt like the truth.

  "So what's this bullshit about the cat showing you where the body was?"

  Noah was taken aback by the sudden turn. "It happened the way I told you. He got me to come up on the dock, and I looked down and there she was."

  "Did you get down there to see if she needed help?"

  "Should I have? I mean, her eyes were open and she wasn't moving at all. She looked pretty dead. Should I have?" Does that make me look guilty, or like a bad person? he wanted to ask.

  The sheriff made a note.

  "You come fishing out here often?"

  Noah nodded. "Mostly after work."

  "You ever see anyone else out here? Mr. Walsh, or maybe strangers?"

  "That's why I like to come out here. There's never anyone around. And the fishing's pretty good."

  "What time did you get here this morning?"

  "I don't know. A little before seven. The cat showed up right after."

  "And started right in to show you where she was?"

  "Maybe. I don't remember."

  "How did you get to the dock? Did you come down from the house?"

  Noah wondered if the sheriff was trying to figure out if he'd been with Erin.

  "My bike is parked up at the trail's head, in the field where everyone parked for the party. Didn't you see it when you got here?"

  The sheriff shrugged. "I was a little busy coming in. Dead folks draw a crowd pretty fast." He paused a moment, as though thinking. "Your old man teach you to fish?"

  "Probably the one useful thing he taught me besides how to use a credit card to open a locked door."

  This time the sheriff gave a hint of a smile but didn't laugh. "He ever come out here with you?"

  "He's only been out of prison a few days. He's been, you know, busy. And I didn't invite him, if that's what you’re asking. We never talked about where I was fishing. If he knows anything, he got it from my mom."

  "That's what I figured. If it was me, I'd be out there on the lake an hour after I got out. But people are different." He looked down at the notebook. "Guess that's all for right now. Might have some more questions later, but we've got your address." He asked for Noah's cell phone number and wrote it down as Noah told it to him.

  When the sheriff stood, Noah stood also, unconsciously wiping his sweating palms on his thighs.

  "So, you think it was an accident? Did she fall off the dock or have a heart attack or something?" Noah asked.

  Shaking his head, the sheriff held up one large fist. "Nope. She's got a hole this big in her back. Shot at least once, maybe more."

  "Really?" Noah was shocked. "I couldn't tell."

  "No reason you would have if you didn't get close. There's not much blood visible with all the water. Exit wound is bigger than the entry." He put his hand on the library door's handle and looked closely at Noah. "You stay away from your old man. Get out of there if you can. He's bad news and he'll take you down with him, son."

  Not knowing what to say, Noah quickly nodded and left the room. The sheriff followed him back to the kitchen. Erin stood when they entered but ignored Noah.

  "Am I next, Sheriff?"

  The sheriff asked for a refill on his coffee, and said he needed ten minutes to get a quick update from the deputies at the scene. Then he turned to Noah.

  "You can go on to work, son. You're done here. We'll be in touch."

  Noah said he'd be available for anything they needed. He almost mentioned wanting to help find who killed Julie Berry, but realized Erin and her father might not even have been told she was definitely murdered. Bruce Walsh told him not to worry about going into work, that he'd cover the day's wages.

  "They'd just pester you all day, wanting to know what's going on. And it's a hell of a thing that happened this morning."

  Surprised and grateful, Noah thanked him. Stopping in the kitchen doorway, he turned back to say goodbye to Erin, but she avoided his gaze, busying herself with the sheriff's coffee.

  Why won't she look at me? What did I do?

  He closed the door behind him without saying anything wondering if he would even see her again.

  * * *

  The shock of learning about Julie had pushed Erin's suspicions about Noah to the back of her mind, but as they'd walked back to the house, she remembered how he hadn't told her about his father being released from prison. And how she'd seen him with Bryn Owens. Now that Noah was gone, the pounding of her heart slowed, and she handed the sheriff his mug of coffee with a slight smile.

  She didn't want to suspect Noah of anything. She didn't want to be angry with him. In fact, she felt like she'd give pretty much anything to be able to go after him, and ask him to tell her the truth.

  "Bruce, Erin." Abel Bowen leaned against the big island, a
nd set the mug down. "It's not good news. Looks like Julie Berry was shot, and I don't believe it was self-inflicted."

  "Oh, God." Erin put a hand over her mouth, her thoughts about Noah evaporating. She sank into a chair. "Who would do that? Why here?"

  Her father was silent but put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

  "It's a shock, I know," Abel said. "Take a minute. I told the Daly boy about it."

  Erin could hardly believe what she'd just heard. Julie. Murdered. People didn't just get murdered in New Belford. Her mother's death had been a horrible accident, and was hardly murder. Now Julie Berry had been shot, too. It was a strange and disturbing coincidence. Just then, Trouble glided into the kitchen and rubbed against her leg. After a moment, he jumped up onto the table. She didn't have the heart to send him back to the floor, and he lay down near her, purring.

  "Julie didn't deserve this," her father said. "She always meant well." He swallowed hard and looked out the window.

  "Listen, I'm going to head down to the dock. The boys have been texting me like mad. We'll talk some more when I get back. You up to it, Erin?” the sheriff asked.

  Erin nodded. "I'll be okay."

  "Good girl." Abel took another sip of his coffee and rested the mug back on the counter before he went out the same door Noah had used just minutes before.

  Erin didn't feel okay. Ideas swirled in her mind. Julie was a gossip, and she'd been desperate to stay close to Erin's father. Really, Erin had felt kind of embarrassed for her. But she didn't deserve to be murdered. Her mind went again to Noah. What if his father had killed Julie as some kind of sick revenge for being put in prison? Julie had been her mother's closest friend. He might be that insane.

  "Pumpkin, are you really all right?" Her father's eyes were full of concern.

  "It's just so unbelievable." Erin was overwhelmed with guilt. "She left me a message but I didn't get back to her. I tried to get her attention yesterday, but she didn't see me. What if I'd caught up with her? I was so distracted because of Shelby Rae coming back and...I'm sorry, Daddy. I know she was your friend, too."

  "Honey, I wasn't as straight with Abel as I could've been."

  "What do you mean?"

  Her father stared down at the floor. It wasn't like him. He was always straightforward, even when it meant someone might get hurt. Now, he looked as guilty as she felt. Don't tell me anything, she wanted to say. I don't want to know.

  "I was at Julie's late yesterday afternoon. She asked me to come by for a glass of wine. Said it had something to do with Shelby Rae being in danger. We'd just got Shelby Rae back, but she said it wasn't about the kidnapping. It was something she said I needed to know.

  Erin waited for him to continue, still wishing she didn't have to hear what he was saying. Please don't have killed Julie. Please don't tell me that.

  "I shouldn't have gone. It’s just that Shelby Rae was acting so strangely after she got back. I was worried about her, especially since we didn't know anything about the people who took her. But there was something about Julie's call that made me think she had something to do with it. I don't know why—it was just a gut feeling."

  "You saw her? Talked to her?"

  Her father nodded. "Oh, yes. At her house. I got there and tried to be polite by taking a few sips of wine, but I just wanted her to get to the point."

  Erin knew exactly what he meant. Julie always had an agenda she took a long time to get to.

  "She lied about Shelby Rae being in danger just to get me there. Julie showed me photos, Erin. Photos of Shelby Rae with another man in her car."

  "What?"

  "The camera was far enough away that it was only clear it was a man. He was embracing her in one, but that's all I could tell."

  There was a sound of movement from upstairs, and they were silent a few moments until it was clear Shelby Rae wasn't coming down.

  Erin remembered Julie telling her she knew something about Shelby Rae. Erin hadn't taken her seriously.

  "I didn't believe her. It didn't look like proof of anything to me, and I told her so. I was angry as hell. What did she expect? That I would leave Shelby Rae right then and there on the basis of a photo that was hardly even incriminating? It was ludicrous and I told her so."

  What was in the photos didn't sound innocent to Erin. Maybe that was her dislike of Shelby Rae talking. Still, she didn't trust her.

  "But why would someone kill her, Daddy? What was she doing when you left?"

  "Before I left she threw the wine in her glass at me, and just missed. I'd never seen her like that." He looked hurt. Sad. "She said she knew who the man was, and that their relationship was monstrous. Disgusting. She kept calling Shelby Rae a white trash slut. It was like she'd lost her mind. I begged her to tell me what she knew, but she said I would have to wait because I treated her like a doormat. That I would find out for myself, soon."

  "I don't understand why she'd do that to you. That sounds insane."

  "I don't, either," her father said. "People have expectations of us sometimes that we don't even know about. But here's the thing." Now he looked into her eyes. "She called me, and someone might have seen me at the house. It won't look good. I'll have to admit she believed Shelby Rae was having an affair."

  "And they'll think you didn't want her telling anyone about it."

  "Yes. I went back later last night to talk to her again, and to get the photos, but the house was locked, and she was gone."

  "Where were you in between?"

  He shrugged. "Driving around. I couldn't face Shelby Rae. Or you. I was too upset. I grabbed something to eat and had a beer about halfway to Louisville. Then I turned around. I tried to call Shelby Rae, but I got a text from her that she was going out to see her mother, to tell her about what happened."

  "Why are you telling me this? You shouldn't be telling me!" Now she was going to have to lie to the sheriff if he asked her anything about her father. The thought of it made her sick to her stomach.

  "Because I love you, and I want you to know the truth. I want you to know that if they say I had some kind of motive, it's bullshit. I didn't kill her."

  "There's no way I would think you killed anyone. Let alone someone we cared about so much." She put a hand on her father's arm. "That's ludicrous."

  When her father's shoulders sagged a bit, she saw how tense he'd been. He looked years older than he had at the weekend party. Behind him, through the window, she saw Abel Bowen ambling back to the house. She would do anything to protect her father. Even kill someone if she absolutely had to. But she hoped—oh, she so hoped—it wouldn't come to that.

  Damn you, Shelby Rae. She settled her gaze on her father's weary face, and put a hand over one of his. "It's going to be okay, Daddy. No one will ever know you were there."

  * * *

  When Abel Bowen returned, he talked to Erin in the kitchen while her father went upstairs to see how Shelby Rae was doing. At first his questions were about what Erin knew about Julie's life in general— who her closest friends were and whether or not Erin knew of anyone who truly disliked her. Erin told him she couldn't think of anyone. Julie was pretty popular at the country club and did a lot of volunteer work in town, including managing Rita's Friends, which focused on providing appropriate work clothes and education for women transitioning back into the workforce from situations of abuse, divorce, or years of child-rearing. She said that sometimes Julie was a little abrasive, but only because she liked to get things done. It was only a small lie.

  "Did you see Julie yesterday?"

  "No. Wait." Erin remembered trying to catch up with her after meeting with MacKenzie. "I tried to flag her down. She'd left a message on my phone to get in touch with her, and I wanted to talk to her about some other stuff."

  Now Abel Bowen seemed interested. "Do you know what she wanted?"

  Erin had to be careful. She'd asked Julie for information about the party, and whether she could remember anything out of the ordinary that could point to who might've ki
dnapped Shelby Rae. No one was supposed to know about the kidnapping. At this point it would only complicate things, when the two couldn't possibly be connected. It was time for a lie, and it felt shocking to tell it. "Sunday she said she was going through old photos and things and had some with my mother in them. She was really sweet like that." Erin felt emotion swell in her throat even with the lie about the photos. "She was really good to me."

  Abel Bowen nodded sympathetically and gave her a moment to gather herself. Finally, he cleared his throat. "I know she worked on the charity with your father. How did they get along?"

  "Oh they got along great!" Do I sound too eager? Am I too loud? "She came by the house yesterday morning for a meeting, but my dad wasn't feeling great because of the party."

  "Does Shelby Rae work on the charity, too?"

  Erin shrugged. "I guess. She helps with hosting fundraisers sometimes. But I wouldn't say she did a lot of regular work, like interviewing the women and stuff. Julie and my dad do most of that."

  "They spend a lot of time together?"

  Erin wasn't sure what he was getting at. "Who? Shelby Rae and Julie?"

  "Your dad and Julie."

  Now she understood. "Are you asking if Julie and my dad were having an affair?" She gave a scoffing laugh. "As if. They were friends, and that's all. Julie was my mom's best friend in the world." She didn't add that she'd noticed over the past couple years how flirtatious Julie tended to be around her father. Or that she'd seemed to be almost ready to move in the minute she learned Shelby Rae was gone.

  The sheriff nodded. "You were home last evening, you said." He looked at his notes. "Was Shelby Rae home?"

  "No. She was gone when I got home." She didn't volunteer that her father wasn't there, either, or that Shelby Rae got home first.

  "How did Shelby Rae get along with Julie? Were they friends?"

  Erin shrugged. "I wouldn't say they were friends." Was it possible Shelby Rae had killed Julie? Is that what he was implying? Julie might have even been blackmailing her. That would give her a motive way beyond the one her father might have had. She certainly got the impression that Abel Bowen thought it was a possibility. Did he know something, or was he just guessing?