by C A Phipps
“How do you know that?”
“We talked several times—in the café. Sometimes, when I worked all day in the café, I’d take her the end of day leftover food before I’d read with the children in the park.”
Scarlett was continually amazed by Ruby’s good deeds. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“Betty might be open about her life, but she’s also proud. I did it quietly, so nobody had to know she was taking a handout. The food would have gone to the chickens or other needy people, so there’s no harm, right?”
“No harm at all. I’d just like to know about things that concern the café.”
Ruby gave her an old-fashioned look that spoke volumes.
“Alright. I guess we don’t have to tell each other everything.”
Ruby nodded agreeably. “I’m glad to hear it.”
They drove past the diner, and both shivered. This was where the showdown had been when the book was discovered, and Daisy Archer admitted her role in everything.
“There’s Arthur.” Ruby pointed across the street.
Arthur Tully was the mayor and had been their sworn enemy until recently. He’d organized for them to borrow the van for an undetermined amount of time. Without it, they would have struggled even more. He waved at the girls, and Scarlett pulled over. He trotted across the quiet road.
“Hello, ladies. How are you doing, Scarlett?”
There was no mistaking his keen interest.
“You’ve heard about this morning and the appraiser?”
He merely smiled.
Scarlett was still getting used to seeing him do that. Medication and therapy had done wonders for his PTSD.
“I’m fine, thanks. It was nerve-wracking having the book around, so nothing much has changed, except Violet’s gone with the man.”
“I heard she’d done that. Do you really think it was wise?”
“Nate checked him out, and he seems nice,” she said awkwardly.
“Then I’m sure you’ve done the right thing.”
It was also taking some time to accept he didn’t argue over every little thing she said or did. She smiled and changed the subject. “I was wondering, do you think the diner will open again?”
His eyes rounded. “Funny you should ask that today, of all days. Harvey has someone coming to look at it tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, they’re driving down from Portland.”
“It will be so good to have it open again,” Ruby stated.
“Shops closed aren’t a good look for the town—especially if it’s for too long. Plus, tourists need a choice of places to eat,” he said this apologetically. “Say, have you given any thought to coming on the committee, Scarlett?”
Scarlett shook her head. “Now’s not good. With Violet away, I couldn’t make time for the meetings.”
“It’s only one night a month and a couple of extra ones around the festivals.”
“Those extra days are what I’m afraid of,” Scarlett scoffed.
“As long as it’s not me,” he teased.
She laughed. “Not anymore, Mr. Mayor.”
Arthur grinned. “Good. Well, I’m sure you need to get home after such a long day—both of you. I’m hearing great things about our new librarian.” He winked and walked back to the council building.
Ruby giggled. “He’s turned into such a sweetie.”
Scarlett laughed and checked the rear vision mirror before pulling out. A large black car pulled up, waiting for the space she’d occupied. “I wonder if that’s the prospective owners now.”
Ruby craned her neck. “Harvey’s arrived too. He must have come to show them around the diner.”
Harvey Evans ran the real estate company, and it was rumored that he owned a great deal of Main Street, including the land the diner sat on. He kept things pretty close to his chest about his personal wealth, so most rumors were second or third hand.
Still, Daisy, the previous tenant, leased the diner all these years before she went to jail. No doubt, Harvey canceled the lease and was desperate to recoup some of the money he’d lost in the interim.
Scarlett turned the corner and slammed on the brakes, narrowly missing a large brown dog.
“Ouch!” Ruby squealed.
They hit their seatbelts hard and would no doubt have lovely bruises tomorrow.
“Is the dog okay?” Scarlett lost sight of it and was scared in case it had gone under the van. She opened the door, about to jump out, and found the chocolate Labrador sitting on the road with a paw up.
She snorted and got out to take the proffered paw. “Well, how do you do?”
The dog gave a friendly woof and licked her hand.
“Will you look at him, Ruby? He’s adorable.”
George hissed from behind her.
“Stop that. The dog’s just being friendly.” Ruby was already beside Scarlett and she crouched, putting her hand out which he also licked before she rubbed the top of his head. “I haven’t seen him around town. Where so you suppose he came from?”
Scarlett checked his collar, but it was blank. They looked up and down the street. Luckily, traffic was scarce, since their van would block anyone coming this way.
“I better move it before we get in trouble.”
“I’m sure Nate would let us off,” Ruby said cheekily.
“Whatever happens between Violet and Nate, we won’t be asking for favors.”
Ruby groaned. “I was joking.”
“Hmmm. What shall we do with this handsome boy? Let’s take a walk along Main Street and see if we can find anyone.” Scarlett parked the van properly while Ruby held the dog’s collar.
“I don’t have any rope. Do you think he’ll follow us?”
The dog looked very comfortable with Ruby, as did all animals.
“Are you okay to hold onto his collar, just in case he darts across the road?”
Ruby nodded, and they turned right first. By the time they walked to the café and back up to the intersection, the street was empty.
“Should we take him home?” Ruby asked, trying and failing to hide her excitement.
“All the shops are closed apart from the supermarket. Scarlett sighed. “And since I don’t care to walk the street anymore tonight, I guess we have no choice.”
Ruby wasted no time once the van was unlocked. Opening the sliding side door, she patted the floor. “Come on, gorgeous. Hop in, and we’ll get you fed.”
The dog tilted his head, eyeing George, who looked decidedly put out at being shut in the van.
“George is okay. You’ll see,” Ruby assured the dog who took her at her word and jumped in. Ruby also climbed in the back.
“What are you doing?” Scarlett asked.
“I’m keeping him company. He’s probably scared, and George could get grumpier having to share the van with a stranger.”
Scarlett studied them in the rear mirror. Ruby always wanted a dog, so she was in her element. “You do appreciate that this is for one night only?”
“Sure. As long as we can find his loving owner.”
Scarlett had a bad feeling. This was precisely how they’d ended up with George—Ruby’s soft heart. Although, George’s owner had died, and the Labrador crossed with who knew what was probably just lost. That being the sensible answer, why did the feeling not go away?
Before she could do more, her phone rang with a particular ringtone.
“Violet!” Ruby squealed, snatching the phone and putting it onto speaker. “Are you there already?”
“No. We got a flat tire and the spare was useless. We’re staying over in Destiny and will leave after the local garage opens and fixes them first thing tomorrow.”
Scarlett’s stomach sank. Phin had struck her as trustworthy and now, this. “Are you safe? Where will you sleep?”
Violet laughed. “Don’t panic, Sis. I’m in no danger. We’re having dinner at a nice diner, and we’ve already got a room at the local hotel, which seems perfectly clean and safe
. I’ll call you tomorrow night after we arrive in Portland and I’m settled. Okay?”
Scarlett took a great gulp of air. “I suppose it has to be.”
“If it’s any consolation, Phin is mortified. I have to go, he’s coming back to the table and supper is on it’s way. Talk tomorrow.” Violet smacked a kiss and was gone.
“Is it a consolation,” Ruby asked carefully.
“A small one.”
“We didn’t tell her about the dog.” Ruby hugged the stray.
Scarlett sighed at the lack of control she felt lately. It made her terribly anxious but was a small price to pay if everyone was safe.
“Tomorrow will be soon enough,” she assured her sister.
Chapter Four
The Finch women lived several roads away. Two of those roads were country lanes. The first road intersected Main Street. One way led to the nearest large town called Destiny, the other led to home and Harmony Beach.
During the relatively short drive, Scarlett thought again of Violet and Phin, wondering if she’d done the right thing in agreeing to Violet accompanying him. Scarlett had always tried to protect her sisters, and even though he seemed nice, Phin was a stranger.
“Stop!”
For the second time that day, Scarlett slammed on the brakes. Luckily she hadn’t been going too fast, and the back of the van only slid a little before they came to a complete stop. Righting the skid was almost as scary as Ruby’s scream, and that added to the dog howling, and the cat hissing, Scarlett’s heart was leaping from her chest.
“What now?” She yelled.
Ruby, as white as a sheet, could only point to the verge. An unmistakable lump lay in the long grass, and if it were any longer would have hidden the body entirely.
The first to get out and go over there, Scarlett saw it was a man, and gingerly she felt for a pulse. Middle-aged, dressed in faded jeans and a plaid shirt, he was cold and very dead.
A sense of deja vu surrounded her. Not just because this was the second body to turn up in Cozy Hollow recently, it was due more to scrambling across this very verge not that long ago when Daisy Archer tried to run Scarlett down.
She took a deep breath. That could be an exaggeration as Daisy said she only wanted to frighten Scarlett. She’d certainly succeeded. However, Daisy was in jail. If this man was rundown, it wasn’t by the previous owner of the Diner.
Ruby hung back, looking like she might faint. Scarlett gave her instructions to keep her busy. “Call Nate and Sam. Tell them a man is dead and give them directions. And please get that dog to quiet down.”
“He’s agitated. Do you think he knows the man?”
“I’ve no idea. Make the calls, Ruby.”
The harshness of her voice made Ruby blink, but then she went into action. Poor, Ruby. She didn’t handle illness well, because she wanted everyone to be well and happy, but Scarlett knew that once she got into action, her sister would be fine.
Already in the middle of the crime scene—assuming that’s what it was—with no way of knowing if she’d disturbed anything important, being extra careful, Scarlett checked around her.
Only the grass between the body and the road had been disturbed. The man must have been dragged here, then rolled onto his face. He wasn’t from around Cozy Hollow, that much she was sure.
The dog still howled, while George now sat on the front of the dash, tail swishing. As if today hadn’t been bad enough, Scarlett’s head began to thump. Not liking to leave the man, she waited where she stood until Nate and Sam arrived simultaneously.
Ruby stayed by the van, attempting to calm the dog as they carefully picked their way over to her.
“Do you know him?” Nate asked as Sam checked for vitals.
“I’ve never seen him before.”
“How did you find him?”
“Ruby spotted something in the grass, which was lucky because I didn’t notice him at all since I was concentrating on getting home.”
Nate nodded, then waited for Sam to agree that there was nothing to be done. Next, Nate took several pictures. “Did you touch anything?”
“Just his wrist and neck to check for a pulse.”
Scarlett stayed very still as the two men quietly discussed the body. What she could hear of the conversation was interesting, especially the fact that the man had been dead a while.
Nate frowned when he saw her watching them. “Did you notice any strangers in town? Other than the book guy?”
Scarlett’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t been expecting that question. Violet was with the appraiser, so there was no way she would entertain the idea. “Phin? He couldn’t have done this.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “You hardly know the man.”
“True, but he’s pretty small, remember.” Fear for her sister put her mind into overdrive. The man in front of them was muscular and tall, and she could only imagine how strong the person was that moved him. “It would take a strong person to shift this man.”
Sam nodded. “She’s right, he’s a big unit.”
“We can’t assume that it was just one person,” Nate pointed out.
Relieved that Sam agreed with her, Scarlett shook her head. “Look at the grass. One set of prints in and one out—not counting ours.”
Nate’s eyes widened, and he crouched beside her. “I’ saw that, but should I be scared that you know this?”
“It scares me a little,” Sam added.
Scarlett pulled a face. “I’ve been in the café all day. Ask my hoard of customers.”
“I’m sure Nate wasn’t accusing you or Ruby of killing the man,” Sam assured her.
“Ruby?” Scarlett snorted, even though she knew she was over-reacting. “She can hardly lift a box of books, despite baking for years.”
Ruby’s head shot up. “I can hear you, Scarlett Finch.”
Sam frowned at the noise coming from the van. “Whose dog is that?”
Scarlett sighed. “It’s a stray. We found him in town and were taking him home until morning when we could ask around better.”
“I imagine that was Ruby’s idea?” Sam guessed.
“It was a joint decision. One I admit to regretting.” The noise got louder. “He didn’t carry on like that until we pulled over here.”
Nate looked up from a notebook that he was writing in, and their eyes met. Scarlett felt gears turn and drop into place. A stray dog. A stranger. Coincidence?
“Do you think the dog is his?” she asked.
Nate shrugged. “It could be. Let me do a little more checking around the scene, and then we’ll let the dog out. You should retrace your steps and wait by the van.”
Scarlett did as he asked and stood with Ruby, who wrung her hands.
“Maybe he just died,” Scarlett suggested.
“I hope so. I’ve only just started sleeping properly after the last death in Cozy Hollow.”
Scarlett put an arm around the small shoulders and pulled her close. While Violet and Scarlett were tall and auburn-haired, Ruby was petite and blonde like their mother. She was also incredibly sensitive.
Scarlett mostly hid her issues as did Violet, but they knew they had them. You couldn’t lose a father to a freak accident and then a mother to cancer without having irrational fears in the darker recesses of your mind.
Forced by their mom to stay in college and finish her degree, Ruby was only sent for when their mom’s illness worsened. Not being there to help still played on Ruby’s mind, and wracked her with guilt, but Scarlett fervently believed it was the right decision at the time.
She shook her head to clear it. As horrible as this was, Ruby was tougher than she knew. Tiredness, the drama of the book, and not knowing how Violet was faring, simply compounded things for all of them.
It took some time until Nate came for them. By then, he’d searched the deceased’s pockets, coming up empty.
He nodded at the van. “Open the door, please.”
Ruby hesitated. “He has a collar but no lead.”
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“Does he bite?”
“Not yet,” Scarlett told him.
Nate raised an eyebrow but wrapped his jacket over a forearm. As soon as he could reach in, he grabbed the collar while Ruby made soothing noises. The dog jumped down to the road and pulled against Nate.
“Easy boy. We’re just taking a short walk.”
It was unclear who was leading whom as they walked along the verge. The dog whined and lunged at the body. Nate held him firmly while the poor animal tried to lick what he couldn’t reach.
“I think he does know this guy, but I can’t let him go any closer. Let’s take him back to the van.”
This was easier said than done. The dog didn’t want to budge, and eventually, Nate had to lift him and carry him back. Ruby ran ahead and held the door ready to slide it shut as soon as the dog was inside. He flung his body at the door over and over.
“He’ll hurt himself,” Ruby agonized.
“Why don’t you get in with him?” Scarlett suggested.
Ruby didn’t need to be asked twice. Speaking softly she managed to squeeze inside without letting the dog escape and soon the noise dropped significantly.
“What should we do with him?” Scarlett asked worriedly.
Nate slipped his jacket back on. “Can you still take him home? It looks like he could do with some comfort tonight. I’ll come to the café tomorrow to take your statement, and we can decide then what to do for the best.”
Scarlett nodded, watching Sam place a sheet over the deceased. Her body was rapidly tiring from sheer exhaustion, and she couldn’t imagine doing more than going home and lying down.
No longer hungry, her sister would have to make do with left-overs.
And what about the poor dog?
Chapter Five
Arriving at the café promptly at 5 am, Scarlett was pleased to see Betty already waiting at the back door.
“I’m so nervous, but I won’t let it affect me,” her new assistant promised.
George ran between them, waited until the door was unlocked, poked his head inside for a quick look around, then darted away towards Main Street.
“Where’s he off to?”
“The library. George likes to watch over Ruby, but he can’t resist checking that everything’s okay here first.”
