A View to a Kilt

by Kaitlyn Dunnett

  “When she did try to kill him.”

  “He’d assume she was over it.”

  “And she thought he died in Vietnam. He lived a lie for decades. Why would she believe anything he said to her now?”

  “That’s just it. If she refused to listen and they quarreled—”

  “I seriously doubt they even met,” Sherri argued. “If they had, I’m sure Thea would have heard him out, and then, precisely because she didn’t trust him, she’d have followed up on whatever information he gave her. She’d have discovered he was right about Forestall’s company and squashed the deal.”

  “Are you sure about that, given her relationship with Udall?”

  “Are you accusing her of conspiring with Merveilleuse International?”

  “I can’t help but wonder. Thea’s always been an honest woman, but if Udall—”

  “Oh, please!” Sherri jerked the key out of the ignition with considerably more force than necessary and started to open the cruiser door.

  “I don’t like the man, but even I have to admit he has a kind of smarmy charm about him. He’s decent-looking and Thea’s been a widow for a long time.”

  “Liss, I do not want to hear this. Okay. I’ll give you that she might have been flattered by his attentions, but Thea is neither naïve nor stupid. Even if she was foolish enough to fancy herself in love with a younger man, she’d know any relationship was short-term. Why would she kill to protect his interests, especially if the evidence against his company was given to her by an old friend?”

  “Her relationship with Charlie was pretty volatile.”

  “When they were teenagers. Geez, Liss, get a grip. You’ve come up with some pretty far-fetched theories over the years, but this one takes the cake. Charlie never talked to her. End of story.”

  So saying, Sherri slammed out of the cruiser and strode toward the back door of the municipal building. Liss didn’t try to follow her. She had to get to work.

  She headed for the Emporium, glad that it wouldn’t be Sherri who had to investigate her mother-in-law. That would be Kelly Cussler’s job. In fact, since Cussler already had Charlie’s flash drive, questioning Wade Udall was a given. If anyone could break his alibi, that hard-nosed, by-the-book state police detective was the one to do it.

  * * *

  With less than twenty-four hours to go before the start of Moosetookalook’s annual March Madness Mud Season Sale, Liss’s day was busy from the get-go. There were even a few customers, people who’d arrived early for the festivities and were looking for bargains. What took up most of her time, though, were the concerns posed by members of Moosetookalook’s Small Business Association. A half-dozen of them stopped by at some point during the day. Each had a problem—real, imagined, or potential—to bring to her attention.

  Most of the glitches could be handled fairly easily, with a phone call or a soothing word. A few required Liss to exert tact and diplomacy. That was a real challenge under the circumstances, but she managed it. Only one issue had no solution. An entire shipment of commemorative T-shirts was still sitting in a warehouse in New Jersey. There was no way they could reach Maine in time for Saturday’s celebration.

  In the midst of all the chaos, Jake Murch breezed into the Emporium.

  He was so average-looking that at first glance he could easily pass unnoticed in a crowd. He was Liss’s height, but somehow managed to look shorter. He hid sharp, calculating brown eyes behind glasses and favored nondescript clothing. His age was impossible to guess, thanks in part to a face remarkably free of lines.

  Until he spoke, he did not stand out in any way. Once he opened his mouth, he came across as a caricature of the old-time private eye, just not the same one every time. It had occurred to Liss to wonder if he put on those personas for her benefit, but if it was his usual practice to play roles when he was working, the ploy got results.

  He sauntered up to the sales counter, lowering his voice in deference to the presence of other people in the shop. “How you doin’, sweetheart?”

  The customer browsing at the kilt rack paid him no mind. Dolores Mayfield, who had stopped by to pick up extra copies of the flyers for the Mud Season Sale and had been on her way out, seemed to sense something was afoot. She lingered near the exit, ears stretched to overhear whatever Liss and Murch might say to each other.

  Liss couldn’t remember if Dolores had met the private detective on a previous occasion, but it wouldn’t be difficult for the librarian to figure out who he was. Murch’s dilapidated red pickup was parked at the curb, visible through the plate glass display window at the front of the shop. He claimed its appearance was a good cover on stakeouts, but his logic failed to impress Liss. The truck sported vanity plates that read MURCH PI.

  She lowered her voice to a whisper to answer his question. “I’ll be doing great if you’re here to tell me that your experts verified the documentation on Charlie’s flash drive.”

  “I am and they did, and to put the cherry on top of the sundae, I’ve already delivered copies of the paperwork to the chief of police, the town clerk, and that overpriced lawyer the selectmen hired to look into things.” He retrieved a dog-eared notebook from a pocket and flipped it open. “Anything else you need me to do? I’m still on the clock.”

  “Excuse me.” Dolores sidled up to Murch and latched onto his forearm. “Don’t I know you? Aren’t you that detective?”

  Murch tipped an imaginary hat in her direction. “Jacob Murch, at your service, Ms. Mayfield. How’s tricks at the library?”

  “What’s going on here, Liss? Did you hire Mr. Murch?”

  Since Liss had made Charlie’s memo about the water company public, half the town knew she was looking for evidence against Merveilleuse International, and it had been at the library that she’d begun researching her uncle’s history. She didn’t suppose there was any point in refusing to satisfy Dolores’s curiosity.

  “Charlie hid a flash drive in Margaret’s apartment. After I took a look at what was on it, I asked Mr. Murch to check into some background for me.”

  Murch nodded agreeably. “What’s on that memory stick will definitely send someone to jail.”

  Her eyes bright and inquisitive, Dolores opened her mouth to ask for details. Before she could utter another word, the door of the Emporium opened to admit Liss’s mother.

  Vi ignored everyone but her daughter. “We have a crisis.”

  “Of course we do,” Liss muttered under her breath. In a normal tone of voice, she asked, “What’s wrong, Mother?”

  “The space set aside for the indoor yard sale isn’t big enough. You’ll have to find us a new venue.”

  “Impossible.”

  “Necessary.”

  “There’s not enough time. You need to be set up by the end of the day.”

  “I know that!” Vi snapped at her. “That’s why you have to work quickly.”

  Liss felt her temper begin to fray. Her mother’s demand was unreasonable. Anyone could see that. She very nearly spat out the rude comeback already on the tip of her tongue, but bit back the incendiary words at the last moment. Not only would they undo months of détente, compromising all the fence-mending she and her mother had done, but Dolores would be sure to repeat their quarrel, word for word, airing their dirty laundry in front of the whole town.

  Hanging on to her self-control by a thread, literally gritting her teeth, Liss choked out a promise. “I’ll see what I can do, but don’t count on my finding somewhere else. See what you can manage using the original space. If worse comes to worst, you may have to leave some of your own things out of the sale.”

  “Liss, I can’t—”

  “You can if you want the event you organized to be a success.” Liss made shooing motions with one hand as she reached for the phone with the other.

  Only then did she realize that Murch had slipped out unnoticed while she was distracted. A glance through the window showed her that his truck was gone, too. Her browsing customer had also vanished, taking
with him the possibility of a sale. Once Vi had departed, only Dolores remained.

  “Sorry, Dolores,” Liss said. “I don’t have time to tell you any more details just now.”

  She turned her full attention to the nearly impossible task of finding a larger venue at the last minute, only peripherally aware of the bell above the door jingling as Dolores left the building.

  * * *

  Dan once again cooked supper that evening. As if she sensed Liss could use a calming influence, Glenora was particularly affectionate, to the point where her insistence on jumping up and nuzzling Liss’s hands, while she was trying to eat, stopped being comforting and became annoying. As gently as she could, she lifted the little black cat off her lap. After the third time Glenora took the hint and stalked off in a huff.

  “Just like my mother,” Liss muttered.

  Dan, who had already heard a full account of Vi’s crisis and Liss’s eventual success in solving it, snickered. His reaction earned him a fierce glare from Liss.

  “Relax, Liss. By this time tomorrow it will all be over for another year. And here’s a thought—next year you can stick your mother with the chairmanship.”

  “That’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

  She waited until after they’d finished their meal to tell him about the rest of her day, starting with her visit to Thea. Dan almost choked on his after-supper beer when she described Wade Udall’s sudden appearance and threatening manner.

  “I called Sherri. I was never in any danger.”

  “Sometimes, Liss, I despair of you.” He set the beer can on the counter and put his arms around her, holding her so close that she could hear the beat of his heart.

  “Don’t go all alpha male on me,” she warned him.

  “Then don’t do stupid things.”

  Liss rested her head against his broad chest for one more moment, then heaved a deep sigh and stepped back. “I’m trying not to. Truly. But, Dan, do you think it’s possible that Thea killed Charlie?”

  “Anybody can kill, given the right circumstances, but why would she?”

  “Because she has been carrying a grudge all this time, the same way Clementine Hillerman has been carrying a torch? Or maybe just because she has a lot invested in this water deal, both politically and personally. She says Udall was with her all that night, but I’m not sure I believe her.”

  “The state cops know all this, right?”

  She nodded. “Sherri stopped by the Emporium late this afternoon to tell me that Kelly Cussler has interviewed both Wade Udall and Thea. So far, they’re sticking to their story.”

  “Then, at the risk of repeating what everyone and his brother has already told you, let the police handle it.”

  “Correction. Everyone except my mother has told me that.” She offered a tentative smile. “She still wants me to be Nancy Drew to her Miss Marple.”

  “And since when have you ever listened to Vi?”

  “Good point.”

  Despite the seriousness of the subject, her easy banter with Dan lightened Liss’s mood. She set about finishing her evening chores in a much more chipper frame of mind. First among them was opening a fresh can of cat food for Glenora. As if summoned by magic, the cat reappeared and had her face in her bowl before Liss finished filling it.

  “I really do think everyone’s right,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at her husband as she rinsed the empty can and the knife she’d used to scoop out the food.

  Dan, who’d been about to toss his empty beer can in the recycle bin, looked puzzled. “About what?”

  “About letting the police do their thing. They have a much better chance of discovering who killed my uncle than I do. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad Mom and I went to Florida and found that memo, and that Margaret located the flash drive, but I have no idea how to go about proving there’s a connection between the water deal and Charlie’s murder. I’m just happy that we’ll be able to stop Forestall and his cronies from bilking the town.”

  She leaned back against the counter, watching Dan go about his own evening routine of checking to make sure the back door and the kitchen windows were locked for the night.

  “Thanks to Charlie’s information, Murch has come up with plenty of corroborating evidence against Merveilleuse International. He followed up his visit to the shop with an e-mail that had the documentation attached, including details of another case a lot like ours in another state. Merveilleuse International was granted a permit to bottle water from a small town’s spring. It was a long-term deal the locals expected would boost their economy, but the company took shortcuts, some of which proved disastrous to the environment. Forestall got the water, but the town’s wells and two ponds used for recreation dried up. They couldn’t take the company to court because some fine print in the agreement bound them to arbitration by a party selected by Merveilleuse International.”

  Dan let out a low whistle. “Moosetookalook had a close call.”

  “It’s not certain the same thing would have happened here, but if our supply of water wasn’t in danger, then why resort to bribes, seduction, and intimidation?” She hesitated. “Murch told me something else, too. He thinks Charlie would have had a hard time getting hold of that information if he hadn’t had some less-than-reputable connections.”

  “You mean he may have used illegal means to get the goods on the water company? That isn’t exactly a big surprise. Are you going to try to find out more about your uncle’s missing years?” A hint of concern underscored Dan’s question.

  “No way. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know any more of Uncle Charlie’s secrets.”

  “You’re really backing off?” He sounded skeptical.

  “I am. In fact, I’ve been thinking that we should take a mini-vacation as soon as the Mud Season Sale is over and get away from all the MacCrimmons for a while.” She sent him a flirtatious look.

  The beginning of a grin formed on his face. “Anywhere but Florida and I’m all for it.”

  “Trust me, there’s no way I’ll ever go back there. What about New York City? We could see a Broadway play. Or maybe we should take a trip to a place we’ve never visited before.”

  “Or we could just lock all the doors, shut off all the phones, and stay home.”

  Liss responded favorably to the amorous gleam in his eyes. They were arm in arm, about to leave the kitchen and meander in the general direction of their bedroom, when the sound of breaking glass had them turning to stare in shock at the floor in front of the back door.

  “What the—” Cursing under his breath, Dan let go of his wife and squatted down to take a closer look at the large rock lying just beneath the window it had shattered.

  With a hand over her rapidly beating heart, Liss knelt beside him. “I guess a rock is better than a pipe bomb.” Her attempt to make light of the situation fell flat.

  Grim-faced, Dan used the tip of one finger to flip over the projectile. A slip of paper was attached to it with a rubber band. The message printed on it in large letters in black Magic Marker was simple and to the point: CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It took Liss and Dan ten panic-stricken minutes to find Glenora. She was sound asleep near a heat register in a shadowy corner of the dining room, deaf to their calls, oblivious to their concern, and nearly invisible because of her dark coloring. By the time Sherri arrived, Liss had the little black cat clutched tightly to her chest. She stayed where she was, seated on the living-room sofa, while Dan went to let Sherri in and take her into the kitchen to survey the damage.

  When Sherri came back, carrying the rock in an evidence bag, Glenora squirmed, trying to free herself from Liss’s grip. She was clearly unhappy at being held when she wanted to get down, but Liss couldn’t bring herself to let go, not even when Glenora’s claws came out.

  “Liss, put her down,” Dan said. “You’re bleeding.”

  She shook her head.

  “That threat wasn’t aimed at Gl
enora. No one’s going to harm our cat.”

  “I know that.”

  She did, intellectually. Emotionally, though, the knowledge made no difference. She continued to cling to Glenora, burying her face in soft black fur.

  The sofa gave a little as Sherri sat down beside her. Paper fluttered as Moosetookalook’s chief of police searched her notebook for a blank page. From a little farther away, Liss heard the squeak of chair springs as Dan sank heavily into his recliner, but no thump followed. He hadn’t put up the footrest. She peered his way through half-closed eyes. He sat at the edge of his seat, leaning toward her, his expressive eyes filled with concern.

  Although Sherri sat next to Liss, she directed her first question at Dan. “Did you see anyone after the window shattered? Someone running away?”

  He shook his head. “I was distracted by the rock and the broken glass and what was written on the paper. By the time I thought to turn on the backyard light and look, there was no one in sight. That’s when I called you. I didn’t go outside. I had to help Liss find Glenora. The message said ‘curiosity killed the cat,’ and she’d disappeared on us.” He looked away, then back. “That could have been meant literally.”

  “I don’t blame you for panicking,” Sherri said, “but it’s obvious the threat was aimed at Liss, not Glenora. She’s the one who’s been snooping.”

  With an effort Liss regained control of her emotions. It wasn’t like her to react so irrationally. Did shock make someone go numb all over? Moving slowly and carefully, she leaned forward and put Glenora down on the carpet. Once she was free, the cat sat down and began cleaning herself. She ignored the three humans in the room.

  Sherri cleared her throat as she shifted to face Liss. “I take it you didn’t see anything, either?”

  “No. I wish I had, but it all happened too fast.” Liss tried to put a good face on things. “It’s a prank. It has to be. As a death threat, it’s pretty lame.”

  “The rock broke a window,” Dan reminded her. “In a room we were in at the time.”