by Jessica Beck
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. The only way you’re even going to have a chance is to prove that you didn’t kill Cam.”
“How do you prove a negative?” she asked.
“An alibi would be a nice start,” I said.
“Sorry I don’t have a convenient witness around, but remember, my husband left me, and we never had children, so I live alone. I was here the whole time.”
“Don’t lie to me. That’s not what I heard,” I said, deciding it was time to use the information I’d gotten from Emma.
She looked at me angrily. “Suzanne, you need to back off. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I looked at her steadily as I said, “There’s an eyewitness who places you near Hannah’s just before the mayor was murdered.”
“That’s a lie,” she said harshly. “Who is this supposed witness?”
“I’m not at liberty to reveal that yet,” I said, since I didn’t have a clue who might have tipped off the newspaper about Evelyn’s proximity to the scene of the crime.
“Well, when you are, bring him to me, and I’ll call whoever it is a liar to his face.”
“What makes you think it was a man?” Grace asked.
Evelyn looked at my friend as though she wanted to swat an annoying fly. “It was a generic term. Bring her, then. I don’t care who said it. I was never there.”
“Never?” I asked.
“Not since I worked my last day for Hannah.”
“Then you have to stay on the list,” I said.
We started to leave, and to my surprise, Evelyn called us back. “Listen, I want this thing resolved myself. I want to beat your mother fair and square, and I might be on the suspect list, but from what I’ve heard, she’s at the top of it. Do you think the folks around here will vote for her any more than they will for me, given the circumstances?”
“That’s why I want this settled before the election, too,” I said.
“If you come up with anything useful for me, I’m always here,” she said.
“We’ll keep that in mind,” I said as we got into Grace’s car and drove off.
We got around the block and Grace pulled over. “Do you believe her?”
“About which part? I have to give her credit. She seemed genuinely surprised that one of her bricks was used to break my window.”
“I agree,” Grace said. “But just because she might not have sent that warning doesn’t mean she didn’t kill Cam.”
“Do you really think they might not be related?” I asked.
“It’s a possibility. If our snooping has caught someone else’s attention, there’s a chance they’re afraid of what we might find, and it doesn’t even have to be related to the mayor’s murder.”
“That’s depressing,” I said.
“Why is that?”
“Because I hate the idea that someone else in town has a secret that big to hide.”
“Most everyone I know has a secret or two,” Grace said with a little more gravity than I liked in her voice.
“Maybe so, but I hope they all aren’t worth killing to protect.”
“It would wreck our small-town lives, wouldn’t it?” Grace said.
“I don’t even want to think about it,” I said. My phone rang, and I found myself hoping that it was Jake.
No luck, though.
George said, “Hello,” when I picked it up.
“Hey, George. What’s going on?”
“Where are you right now?” he asked.
“We just left Evelyn’s place,” I said.
“What? I thought we agreed that you’d leave her to me.” It was clear that George wasn’t happy about our actions, but I couldn’t let that stop me.
“When you think about it, it’s better this way,” I said. “If Grace and I question her, you can try to reconnect on your own. I thought you’d be pleased.”
“Grace was with you, too? Did you two gang up on her?”
“George, you should take a deep breath and then think about what you’re saying. I know you’re emotional about this, but you can’t take it out on me.”
He did as I asked, and after a long pause, George said, “Sorry about that. Forgive an old man for his outburst?”
“Not necessary,” I said. “There’s a lot of emotion running through this thing.”
“Where you able to find out anything?”
I explained, “Well, she claims she didn’t throw a brick through my window, and I believe her.”
“Hang on a second. Someone vandalized Donut Hearts?”
“I found it first thing this morning when I got there,” I replied. “If you didn’t know that it happened, how did you guess that it was at the shop?”
“I just assumed it. Why, was it at your house?”
“No, it was at the donut shop, but Evelyn thought it was at the cottage.”
I heard George take a deep breath and then let it out again. “Is that significant?”
“I’m not sure. I just think it’s interesting,” I said.
“What else have you been up to?”
I didn’t really have an answer for that. “That’s it. How about you?”
“I just had a long talk with William, and I’m not all that happy about some of the things he said.”
“Why don’t we meet somewhere and talk about it?” I asked.
“Tell Grace to look in her rearview mirror,” George said.
I heard a car door open behind us, and Grace and I both looked back to see George approaching on foot.
“Did you even see him pull up?” I asked.
“No, I was too busy trying to listen in on your conversation,” Grace admitted.
“Some sleuths we are.”
“Hey, we do what we can,” Grace said as the backseat door opened and George climbed inside.
“Hello, ladies.”
“Hi, George,” we said in unison.
“So, tell us what William said,” I added.
George smiled. “To start with, he has a huge crush on Kelly Davis, did you know that?”
“Yes, but it’s good to hear it confirmed,” I said.
George looked a little deflated. “Who told you?”
“I just found out early this morning,” I said.
“I didn’t ask when,” George reminded me.
I knew he’d keep pressing me if I didn’t answer. “No one is supposed to know this, but Ray Blake found out last night, and Emma told me this morning.”
“So the newspaperman got one right,” George said. “You should have seen the look on William’s face when I brought Kelly’s name up. Uncle William wasn’t around at that moment, I can tell you that.”
“Could he have been motivated enough to kill Cam for her attention?” Grace asked.
“I hate to say it,” George said. “But the passions run deeper in that man than I ever would have suspected.”
“So we have a double motive for him,” I said. “Shouldn’t we be focusing more on him?”
“That’s why I called in the first place,” George said. “I just softened him up. Now it’s time for you two to follow up with him before he has a chance to catch his breath.”
“We can do that,” Grace said with a grin.
“Then I’ll leave you to it,” George answered.
“What are you going to do next?” I asked as George started to get out of the car.
“I thought I’d have a talk with Harvey myself. Anybody mind?”
“You’re welcome to him,” I said, remembering my brief conversation with the man.
“How about if we meet up later this evening?” Grace suggested. “We can have dinner at my place and compare notes.”
“My schedule’s pretty flexible at the moment,” George said. “Should I bring a pizza?”
“Are you saying something about my cooking?” Grace asked him.
“No, I was just trying to be nice.” He looked a little worried by Grace’s reaction, and I knew George didn’t want to hurt their frien
dship.
“I’m just teasing. You were,” Grace said. “Actually, pizza sounds great.”
“See you later, then,” George answered as he got quickly out of the car.
“You don’t even like to cook,” I said to Grace after he was gone.
“No, and I’m the first one to admit that it’s not my area of expertise, but I wasn’t sure I liked George saying something about it.”
“So then it’s a win-win.”
“That’s the kind of situation I like,” she said.
As Grace started the car, I asked, “How do you feel about going to the arcade and having a chat with dear old Uncle William?”
“I haven’t been there in years, but I’m game if you are,” she said.
“All puns aside, we have to forget about the sweet man we know and understand that he might just be a murderer. Don’t turn your back on him for one second, Grace.”
“I don’t plan to,” she said, “and I expect you to do the same.”
As we drove to the arcade, I kept wondering if either of William’s motives had driven him to murder, or if a combination of them both had pushed him past the point of being able to stop himself from killing Cam.
CHAPTER 15
The first thing I noticed when we drove up was the lack of cars at the arcade. Every time I’d been by before during William’s business hours, there had been a healthy number of spaces filled in the parking lot, but that wasn’t the case now. We pulled up by the main door, and that’s when I saw a sign that said, SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. WE WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
What happened to William? Was there a legitimate reason he’d shut the place down, or was he planning his escape?
“What’s going on?” Grace asked. “George just left here and he didn’t say a word about William shutting the place down.”
“I don’t know, but I need to call Jake and see if he knows anything about this. William may be on the run, and if he is, Jake needs to hear about it ASAP.” The last thing I wanted was for William to escape if he was the murderer.
My boyfriend’s phone went straight to voice mail, though. I had a feeling he was talking to someone and didn’t want to be disturbed. In the past, that had been the only reason he ever turned his phone off.
As soon as I got the beep, I said, “Jake, call me as soon as you get this. It’s important. William closed the arcade, and I think he might be on the run.”
After I ended the message, Grace said, “You’re not having a very good day, are you?”
I nodded and said with more than a hint of sadness in my voice, “Some days are like that.”
Grace nudged me, clearly trying to cheer me up. “Hey, we’ve hit brick walls before when we’ve been snooping. Don’t let it get you down.”
“That’s not it,” I said. “At least not all of it.” I’d put off telling her the worst news I’d heard that day, but it was time to tell her. “Emma turned in her notice today at the donut shop. She’s finally going off to school to get a taste of the world outside of April Springs,” I said.
“You knew this day was coming,” Grace said softly.
“That doesn’t make it any easier. But I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and start interviewing replacements.”
“Good luck with that,” Grace said, and then she must have realized how it had sounded to me. In a gentle voice, she added, “Suzanne, all I meant was that it might not be easy getting someone willing to work the hours you’re there. You were lucky with Emma, but it could happen again.”
“I hope so,” I said, not wanting to talk about having to hire someone to take Emma’s place.
“Where to now?” she asked.
I was about to answer when my cell phone rang. It was Momma, not Jake. “Hey there,” I said.
“Hello yourself. Suzanne, do I detect a note of disappointment in your voice?”
“I was hoping Jake would call me back,” I admitted.
“Then I understand. Will you be okay on your own this evening? I’ve got a date.”
“With Chief Martin?” I asked.
“Of course it’s with Phillip. Who else might it be?”
I laughed a little. “I don’t know, I’d have to imagine there are dozens of men in the five-county area who might enjoy taking you out for a meal.”
“There may be at that,” she said a little abruptly, “but none of them have stepped forward. I thought you were fine with my relationship with Phillip.”
“I am,” I said, letting out a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Momma. I’ve just had a bad day, and I keep taking it out on the world.”
After a brief pause she said, “I could always cancel if you’d like me to stay home so we could talk.”
The idea of my mother breaking a date because I was having a rough day was out of the question. “No, I’m fine, truly. Go and have fun.”
“If you’re certain,” she said.
“I’m dead sure,” I said, regretting my choice of words.
“Well, I’m here if you need me, any time, day or night. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do. Thanks, Momma. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Suzanne, forever and ever.”
After we hung up, Grace said, “This really has thrown you for a loop, hasn’t it?”
“More than I want to admit,” I said. “Listen, I think I’m going to just go home. I’m lousy company today.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. “We can wallow in our pity together.”
“Thanks for the offer, but actually I’m in a solo kind of mood. I think the best thing I can do is go home, make a sandwich, watch a little television, and then call it an early night.”
“I’ll tell George, if you’re sure,” Grace said as we got back to the donut shop.
“I’m positive,” I said.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Call me if you change your mind.”
“I will, but I won’t,” I said, and then chuckled a little. “You know what I mean.”
Grace laughed. “Don’t worry, I speak Suzanne, and I’ve been fluent in it for years.”
I was driving up to my cottage when my phone rang. I pulled over to the side of the road and dug it out of my pocket.
It was my boyfriend, at last. “Jake! Thanks for calling me back.”
“It sounded urgent,” he said. “Suzanne, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m in the middle of something. What’s going on?”
“William wasn’t at the arcade today, and he’s got a sign up that says he’s going to be closed until further notice. I just thought you’d like to know.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
I heard someone calling Jake in the background, and Jake said hurriedly, “Sorry. Gotta go.”
He hung up before I had a chance to say good-bye myself, but I knew that my boyfriend wasn’t like everyone else. When he was on a case, he was the most single-minded and narrow-focused person I knew, and that was saying a lot. Whether my hot tip helped or not, I couldn’t say, but I’d tried.
He had to give me credit for that.
* * *
Momma was still at home, getting ready for her date. I walked into her room and watched as she brushed her hair, and a thought suddenly occurred to me. “Momma, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you have a date, but isn’t the chief worried about being seen out in public with a murder suspect?”
I hadn’t told Momma about her boyfriend’s argument with the murder victim just before he died. I had to have more than Max’s word before I brought that subject up. Even if I did, I wasn’t entirely sure that my mother would believe me, given my tumultuous history with the police chief.
Momma shook her head and frowned. “I tried to tell him the same thing, but he wouldn’t listen to me. The man is determined to save my reputation, even though, in my opinion, he’s just jeopardizing his own. He has to run for office, after all.”
“Hey, don’t forget, you’re running, too,” I said with a smile.
“Honestly,
if it were anyone but Evelyn I was running against, I’d pull my name from contention in a heartbeat. All in all, I’m not sure either one of us should be mayor.”
“There really isn’t any other choice, is there?”
She got a sudden gleam in her eye, something I’d seen before. An idea had just occurred to her, but I had no idea what it might be. As she tried to choose earrings, she didn’t seem to be satisfied with any of her options. “How’s George, by the way? Is his leg fully healed? How are his spirits?”
“If you didn’t know what to look for, you’d never know he’d been through such an ordeal. I still feel responsible for what happened to him.”
“He forgave you long ago. It’s time you let yourself off the hook,” Momma said. “Suzanne, I hate to ask, but may I borrow a pair of your hoop earrings? I feel a little festive tonight.”
“Absolutely. Gold or silver? Small, medium, large, or outrageously big?” While I rarely wore anything but simple studs, I liked to shop for earrings, and had accumulated quite a collection over the years.
She frowned again. “Just bring me a few choices in gold,” she said.
“Can do.”
I went up to my room, grabbed five pairs, and headed back downstairs. When I got to her door, Momma was just hanging up the phone.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said as I handed her my choices.
As she took them, Momma said, “You didn’t. I just finished.”
“The chief didn’t have a change of heart, did he?”
“What, the telephone call? No, that was William Benson.”
I couldn’t believe that. “William just called you? Why? I thought he skipped town,” I said.
“Whatever gave you that idea?” Momma asked, clearly perplexed.
“I saw a sign on his door that the arcade has been closed until further notice.”
Momma shook her head. “Suzanne, what did I tell you about jumping to conclusions? William’s gout flared up and he’s taking a week off. The poor man can’t even walk, his foot’s bothering him so much. Gout is nothing to take lightly, and I’ve had friends who have been nearly crippled temporarily by it.”
I felt a little deflated that my tip to Jake had turned out to be such a dud. “Why did he call you with the news?”
“He didn’t. William insisted I let him donate to my campaign when I was running against Cam, but since the mayor’s out of the race, he tried to delicately withdraw his financial support. I told him that wasn’t necessary, since I had no plans to campaign in the first place. Honestly, the poor man sounded relieved.” Her telephone rang again, and I offered to step out of the bedroom. She waved a hand at me to stay right where I was, so I sat in the chair near her bed.
