by C A Phipps
“These are your best yet.”
“Thanks, Jed.”
While it was good to hear, everything he tried of hers was apparently better than the last, so perhaps he wasn’t the best person to ask for an honest review.
As they ate, the group branched out from discussing the food and their latest malaise, to what was happening around Maple Falls.
“Irene Fitzgibbons is handling the mayor’s position quite well, isn’t she?” Mavis threw out into the group.
“She is indeed. The poor woman. I heard she hadn’t actually intended to become mayor, but when Mickey Findlay was apprehended, that left her to hold the fort as it were.” Jed added.
It was well known that the Country Club and the Community Center group were often at loggerheads. Yet, since the last disaster over yet another election campaign mired in controversy, the town was less inclined to be as separate as they once were.
Maddie couldn’t have been happier by this outcome. According to Gran there had never been such separatism when she was young, but the Country Club had only been around for thirty years or so.
Now that Maple Falls was known as the perfect place to retire, since it wasn’t too far from Destiny, and therefore, Portland, many wealthy people had arrived to call it home.
“Are all the animals doing okay after their petnapping ordeal?” Mavis asked Jed.
“I’ve been in touch with some of the owners and they seem as right as rain. My Sissy has a new lease on life. It took her days to go out by the gate, but I’m not unhappy about that.”
Most of the pets had gone missing in broad daylight and owners and pets alike were still wary of it happening again, despite the perpetrator languishing in jail. Jed had kept in touch with some of the owners who had all been traumatized over losing their pets and being powerless for some time to find out what had happened or how to get them back.
“I hope that Owen managed to get his van fixed.”
Maddie looked up from her tea at the sudden shift in conversation. “What do you mean?”
“His van has been parked in the back of the retirement community carpark all day. I popped out to ask if he needed assistance, but he said he was waiting for a part.”
“That must have been the reason for his delayed delivery this morning. I sure hope he can get it here tomorrow.”
She said this as an aside to Gran, but Mavis had the hearing of a moth with its inability to sit still.
“Would you like me to check on that for you when I get home?” she offered.
“No, thanks. I spoke to him earlier and I’m sure it will be fine. You could help with something else, if you don’t mind?”
“Certainly, dear.” Mavis began to quiver again.
“I believe all the committee is here? I wonder if I could have a word with them about having another afternoon tea, but on Saturday afternoon’s? Just for a few weeks?”
Mavis clapped her hands to silence the group. “Maddie has a request for the committee, but I’m sure we can deal with it here. We’re all friends, after all.”
There was a mixed reaction that Mavis was oblivious to. It wasn’t usual to have requests made so openly and some were sticklers for protocol. Maddie hadn’t had a chance to brief Gran either. Fortunately their shorthand came into play in moments like this.
“Is it for a special fund-raising event?” Gran asked, innocently.
“Very special. Layla Dixon’s boys need new bikes and they have to find the money themselves. If they could sell cookies every week, on Saturdays, I’m sure they could achieve it.”
“We only do the teas for charity. I don’t see how kids bikes qualify.” Nora Beatty, the Debbie Downer of this lively group spoke up.
As Gran replenished her cup, she spoke gently. “Now, Nora, isn’t it true that charity begins at home? These two boys are without a father. Layla works hard, but it must be financially difficult to bring up two growing lads on her own.”
“Think about all the lessons they could learn from this. Working hard gets you what you want. Math - with the money side of things, and learning how to bake wouldn’t be a bad thing for a boy. Look at poor Jed. He’s a hopeless cook and he’s not the only man I know who can’t fend for themselves and could have benefited from a few lessons.” Mavis added.
Jed’s mouth opened and closed a few times but in the end he remained silent.
“Little boys are always dirty.” Nora intoned.
Unfortunately, this received several nods from the group.
Maddie sniffed. “I can assure you, since they’ll be making their cookies at Maple Lane Bakery, all standards of hygiene will be addressed.”
“You’ll be making the cookies with them?” Mavis asked, excited as a hummingbird.
Maddie got the feeling that the project might stand a better chance if she was the one teaching the twins, but she wouldn’t lie about it. “No. The boys will make them, overseen by Luke, my intern. He’s an exceptional student and I have complete faith in him.”
Nora tutted. “Wasn’t it his brother that was involved in the pet stealing?”
Gran intervened before Maddie could react.
“Yes, but Luke helped to solve the mystery and return the animals. We can’t pick our families, can we?”
Some of the residents from the retirement community, including Nora, had family, yet hardly had a visitor between them. Nora understood the reference and was quiet. The others reflected on this while Gran smiled sweetly at Nora to take the sting out of her words.
“But we can pick our friends, and here we all are having such a grand time. Wouldn’t it be great to have another opportunity to do so every week for a while? Plus, it would be a great community gesture to help the boys. Who knows? It may benefit the whole town if they have some constructive way to release all that energy.” Gran laughed at her own joke.
“If they don’t run us over on faster, bigger, bikes than they already have.” Nora added.
Jed rolled his eyes and Gran offered him another cookie, as she tried not to laugh. “They’ll be well prepared for riding around town and obeying the rules, if their uncle has anything to do with it. Shall we vote on it? All those who agree to Jesse and James Dixon selling cookies here on Saturday afternoons for a few weeks, say ‘aye’.”
It was a narrow margin, but the vote was carried and, Maddie, feeling her own laughter bubbling up inside her, thought she should quit while she was ahead. She took the plate to Nora, smiling as big as she knew how.
“Thank you all so much. I’ll let Layla know.”
Mavis gave her an innocent look. “And the Sheriff. He is the boy’s uncle and you two are such lovely friends.”
There was a world of innuendo in that remark and it was reflected in the faces of the rest of the group. It seemed that she and Ethan were already an item no matter what the parties involved thought. Maddie resisted the urge to sigh.
“Thank you. I’ll let him know too.”
Chapter Four
With the kitchen finally clean at the center, Gran was happy to stay a little longer with her friends and get a ride home with Jed, so Maddie took her plates and went home. As luck would have it, she didn’t have to look far to find Ethan. He was at the park just across the road from her bakery. She parked Honey in her small garage and went to tell him the good news.
He was crouched low, hat in his hand, studying tire tracks that definitely weren’t from the riding mower that Bernard Davis, the local taxi driver, used. Keeping the town looking neat as a pin was his major love, after chatting with his fares.
“Bernie won’t be too happy about that.”
Unsurprised by her appearance, he glanced over his shoulder, stood and replaced his hat giving her his dimpled smile. The sheriff towered over her 5’6” form, and she blocked what he didn’t of the fall sun with her hand to look up at him.
“He was the one who told me about it, and no he’s not amused. Looks like a van has taken a joy ride.”
She bent over the marks to
see what he saw. “How can you tell it what type of vehicle it was?”
He pointed at the marks. “The width of the tires, and how deep they’ve sunk into the grass. It must have had a considerable load in it.”
He spoke to her as he would one of his deputies and a trickle of pleasure ran through her. Was that weird?
“They’ve driven over the path there and come back the same way but on a slightly different trajectory.” He pointed.
“Then they’ve headed across the park. Why would they want to do that?” she asked.
He shrugged. “That’s the second question.”
She tapped her thigh. “The first is where were they going?”
He gave her an appraising look. “Exactly. If we can figure out the where, we’ll eventually get to the why.”
She stood up, unable to hide her excited and hopeful tone. “We?”
“I meant the department ‘we’.” He gave her a wry grin.
She screwed up her nose. “Sure, you did.”
“Maddie.” Ethan warned, in his growly voice, which resembled more of a teddy bear than anything scary.
“What? It’s not a murder, is it?” she asked, innocently.
“Definitely not,” he said, without conviction.
Having known the Sheriff since they were children, she knew when he was worried. “Did something else happen?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
She ignored his terrible attempt at outrage. “What was it? More tire tracks? Another vehicle? Maybe a crash?”
“Calm down.” He sighed, looking around them, then pulled her close. “Since there won’t be any peace any other way, I’ll tell you what I know.”
She tapped her fingers on her thigh again, which made him raise an eyebrow, and he released her when she clasped her hands together.
“That complaint I told you about, the one where a van has been driving over the country club golf course? I haven’t been there yet, so I don’t know what damage has been done but I wonder if the two are related.”
“Why would they be?”
He grinned at her feigned casualness, which may have been a little over the top, bearing in mind she had other things to worry about than cars tearing up the grass around town. She tried for a less is better approach.
“I mean, it might have been the grounds man there, or one of the crowd who frequent it. Who told you about it?”
He nodded. “I thought about the grounds man. He’s new I believe. But Irene Fitzgibbons called me. She’s on the committee and the grounds man knows nothing about it.”
“We were just talking about her at the community center. Everyone thinks she’s doing well, considering she never wanted the job of mayor.”
He gave her a rueful smile. “You know, I feel like she’s been given a chance to make a difference and she’s grabbed it with both hands. Determined to do so, despite her earlier protestations.”
Maddie smiled. Sometimes he might need to be staunch and cool, but he loved Maple Falls as much as she did. He proved it in the way he was always fair to everyone. Even those that had, at some stage, been very hard work.
He was also very lenient with her when it came to his job which she was grateful for. She hoped it was more to do with her different approach to things, but it may have something to do with them flirting with the idea of dating. Flirting, at nearly thirty years old, was proving to be more fun than she would have imagined.
“It does look that way. It must have given her a boost to have a unanimous vote, and her fears of not being able to cope are proving unfounded. Is she still vice president of the Country Club?”
He grinned. “Acting President for now. She’s waiting to see if she can do both jobs without compromising anything.”
He was walking along the tire marks, and unasked, Maddie walked beside him. It was nice to be out in the colors of fall. Deep reds, burnt orange and browns of every hue, surrounded them. Hardy leaves clung to trees, while others had made their escape and created a carpet that crunched under their shoes.
Big Red, whose hearing could rival Mavis’s, came scampering across the road and after a reproachful look at Maddie for not telling him she was home, he wrapped himself around Ethan’s legs.
“Looks like I have more company.”
The Sheriff dutifully bent to give him a scratch on his head before setting off again, His entourage following with keen interest.
The woods went away to the left and on the right, the bank sloped down to a small stream. Slightly swollen with recent rain it babbled joyously over the small rocks on its way to the lake. This was one of her favorite walks, which she took most afternoons, usually accompanied by Big Red.
They followed the tracks which cut back to the left and went around the wood and out to the main road via a small service area between the shops.
“Looks like they wanted a scenic tour.”
“Maybe.” Ethan pointed to a slab of concrete between two buildings. “Look at those oil marks. Whoever was driving, parked here for some time.”
When they got closer, Maddie bent to study the smears. “How can you tell?”
“There was no leakage anywhere on the way, was there?” He gave her a side glance.
“I wasn’t taking too much notice, but I don’t recall seeing any. Would it show on the grass?”
“If there was enough of it. I was looking and there was none. It means they had a gradual leak rather than a hole.” He bent down and picked up a cigarette butt with a plastic bag he removed from his shirt pocket. “Hmmm. This is a pretty standard brand.”
He held it out to her and she took a closer look. “Will you ask around who smokes that brand?”
He nodded. “I will, but the likelihood that anyone can remember everyone who smokes would be too much to expect.”
She walked carefully along the wall and crouched low. “Ethan, look at this. Someone stood here for much longer.” There were at least ten cigarette butts in a pile.
“Good spotting. See the way the butts have been ground into the concrete? Whoever did that will have the same black marks on their shoes. Provided they didn’t walk through a puddle, grass, or clean them in some other way.”
He was crouched down beside her, his breath tickling her neck as he pointed to the smears. She gave a little shiver, cold in the shadow of the buildings. Or was it from something else? Why would someone clean their shoes unless they had something to hide?
Ethan stood and walked to the edge of the building, taking a moment to look up and down the street. “Whoever was in the van, they were waiting here for a reason.”
Maddie could see he was thinking aloud, but she had a million questions. “Now we just need to figure out what that was, right?”
He grinned. “You always make it sound so easy.”
She gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sure it’s not. I guess I’m trying to figure out your process.”
“For future investigations that shouldn’t concern you?” he teased.
“It’s fascinating. And I like watching you work.” She blushed a little, but it was the truth.
“Why, thank you. Flattery will get you almost everywhere. Now, back to why we’re here. Feel like a browse?”
On their left was the gallery which showcased local art and crafts. When she had the chance, Maddie loved looking around inside, but most of the paintings or sculptures weren’t cheap. On the right was an appliance and furniture store. Both were open.
“Seriously? I haven’t had one of those for ages, you might never get me out of either one.”
He laughed. “Then we should start with one and see if we can squeeze in the other before closing.”
“Speaking of which, I should get back to the bakery before then. I’ve been gone most of the afternoon.”
“I can do this on my own if you need to go.”
He was sincere, but Maddie thought she heard a little wistfulness in his voice, which could be wishful thinking, but she was happy at the idea.
“I know that, but where’s the fun? I guess Laura and Luke can manage without me.” She sent off a quick text and followed him inside the gallery.
Chapter Five
“Sheriff! And Maddie!” Cora Barnes, the diminutive owner, called out from behind a counter which housed jewelry.
Cora was also the mother of Maddie’s good friend, Suzy. As much as mother and daughter might look alike, they were as different as a scone and a bagel. Sure, Suzy was a dynamic principal and Cora a dynamic Gallery owner, but that was where their similarities ceased.
Cora wore kaftans. Suzy suits. Cora had embraced the art world and some of it’s more eclectic members. Suzy preferred a more linear approach to life.
The place was beautifully laid out, with paintings hung to make full use of the expert lighting which had been recently installed. There were also sculptures and other craft work on display.
Maddie would have loved to purchase some of the wonderful paintings, although, not all were her cup of tea.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Cora dropped a kiss on Maddie’s cheek
“We’re just browsing.” Ethan said.
Cora beamed. “How wonderful. Does this mean that you two are looking at setting up house together?”
Ethan gave her a wry grin. “That might be a little premature, Cora. I’m still waiting on a first date.”
Cora put her hand to her throat in horror. “Goodness, what’s the hold-up?”
She directed the question to Maddie, who coughed.
“We’ve both been exceptionally busy.”
Cora tutted. “Well, that’s no excuse. You two belong together. Everybody knows that.”
“Do they?” Ethan grinned, raising an eyebrow at Maddie.
She pressed her lips together for a moment, trying not to laugh. Gran and the Girlz would agree wholeheartedly with Cora, along with plenty of others, but Maddie wasn’t going to be pressured by anyone. She changed the subject.
“How’s business these days?”
Ethan’s grin disappeared at the rogue question, and he turned to listen to Cora’s answer.
