by Cindy Bell
“Oh, not too scared to get your dinner, hm?” She smiled and reached down to stroke along the cat’s back. “Thanks for taking care of Arnold for me, Peaches. I’m sorry that I was so late. I got a little lost in looking into this murder.” She sighed and went to look for Arnold’s leash. When she clipped it onto his collar he waddled his way towards the door.
Outside in the crisp air Ally was reminded of the break-in. It was nice to breathe fresh air. If the guard didn’t fall for her charm and her chocolate, she might be stuck in a cell right that second. The thought made her shiver despite it not being very cold outside. She closed her eyes for a moment while Arnold sniffed a tree and thought about what she could have done differently. She had the picture, sure, but what good would that do? As Mee-Maw pointed out all it really was to the police at the moment, was evidence of her breaking into a government office. She didn’t want to risk turning it over, especially with Luke away. As if he sensed her thoughts, her phone rang.
She looked at the phone and saw it was Luke. She thought about not answering.
The issue was not that she didn’t want to talk to him. The issue was that she would likely say too much. Luke had a way of drawing the truth out of her that she couldn’t quite understand. Just before it went to voicemail she picked up.
“Hi Luke!” Ally answered cheerfully.
“Ally.” His tone was hard.
“Is something wrong?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I just had an interesting conversation with your grandmother.”
Ally’s heart sunk. A sharp anger rose in its place as she took a long slow breath. “Oh, she’s just overreacting.”
“Is she? Maybe you can let me know which thing she told me was untrue. Was it the thing about you breaking into the mayor’s office? Or was it the thing about you being determined to break into his home?”
Ally looked up at the stars that littered the sky. Even at a distance Luke had a way of cutting right through all of her defenses.
“It’s all for the sake of solving a murder, Luke. I’m being careful.”
“Ally, I can understand why you want to solve it, but you need to realize that the police are going to be all over this. They’re not going to let this go easily.”
“Maybe not, but I have to find out the truth. One minute she was smiling, the next…”
“Ally, I do understand why you want to find her murderer, but I also know that you are being reckless. Your grandmother is worried about you, worried enough to call me, so that tells me she’s not getting through to you and Charlotte isn’t exactly averse to taking risks.”
“All the evidence is pointing to Mayor Malcolm, I’m not sure that the police are going to be willing to investigate him properly.”
“Don’t sell them short. Remember, people don’t join the police force to turn a blind eye to murder.”
“I know, I know.” She sighed. “But I can’t shake this feeling that everything is going to be swept under the rug.”
“It won’t be, you have to have some faith.”
“Luke, I’m close to figuring this out. I just want to get to the bottom of this. I’ll be careful.”
“What can I say that will make you realize just how much danger you’re putting yourself in? Not only is the mayor a powerful and influential person, he also may not be the killer. By investigating you may be exposing yourself to the killer.”
“I know, I know. I’ve thought all of that through, Luke, but it doesn’t change anything. Someone has to get to the bottom of this, and right now that someone has to be me.”
“Please, just take a minute and think about this, Ally. Even if you do find the evidence that you need, it’ll be tainted. A judge has to order a search warrant and…”
“Okay, okay, I hear you,” Ally said.
“Do you?”
“Yes, I won’t break into the mayor’s home.”
“Good. I’ll look into it when I get back. But hopefully it will be solved before then. Just be patient.”
“What if someone else gets killed?”
“I’m sure they won’t, but that’s not your problem. The police will get to the bottom of this. Just slow down, and think about what you’re doing.”
“I can’t believe Mee-Maw called you.”
“She’s worried, and obviously didn’t think that you were going to listen to her. Please just relax and leave this to the police.”
“All right.” Ally nodded and glanced back up at the sky. “I will.”
“Good. I’m sure this will be solved in no time.”
As soon as the line disconnected Ally felt her heart slow down. So Luke knew. What difference did that make? She thought about being angry with her grandmother, but she couldn’t be. Luke was right. She had only called him out of concern. Still, it did make her a little uneasy that the two of them were talking behind her back, but also happy that they got along so well. Now that breaking into the mayor’s home was off the table, she had to come up with a new plan.
Chapter Thirteen
When Ally returned to the house she settled Arnold into his bed which she had put at the foot of her bed. Then she took a quick shower to calm her nerves. No matter what she did she knew that she was going to be faced with some hard choices. Not the least of which was whether to simply leave the case in the hands of the police. Maybe if Luke was there she would be more inclined to do just that, but probably not.
Once she was in her pajamas she stretched out on her bed and curled a pillow under her head. Peaches jumped up onto the bed beside her. Her purr soothed Ally’s nerves more than the shower did. She stroked her hand through the cat’s silky fur and began to relax. Ally closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but the ability to do so was washed away by the memory of Luke’s voice. She appreciated that he cared enough to call, but it bothered her that he thought she couldn’t make a wise decision. She hadn’t broken into the mayor’s home yet. That had to count for something. She flipped over in her bed and sighed. Peaches meowed and paced back and forth across her back. Ally relaxed a little.
“Thanks Peaches. I needed a kitty massage.” She buried her face in her pillow and tried to force any chaotic thoughts out of her mind. Instead, she envisioned confronting the mayor. What could the consequences of that be? He might have connections in Blue River and be able to get the license for the shop rescinded, maybe he could even influence the health inspector if he wanted to. She tightened her eyes as she wondered if she’d made an enemy out of the wrong man. If she had, there wasn’t much chance of repairing that relationship. Not that she would want to if what she suspected was true. Was he Julia’s killer?
Her mind retreated to the party, to the way that Julia coughed. It was so out of the blue. Ally thought perhaps she still had a bit of food in her mouth when she began the speech. She had some water. Her husband had handed it to her. Then Mayor Malcolm gave her his glass of champagne. Who would be stupid enough to openly hand someone a poisoned glass of champagne in front of a room full of people? Certainly not the mayor. Maybe he was framed. Maybe he orchestrated the whole thing. Maybe he made it his own glass to create a sense of disbelief. She tossed and turned again. She stretched her body as far as it could go. Peaches stretched out beside her and offered a sleepy yawn.
“I know, I know. I’m keeping you awake.” Ally sighed and pet the cat as her thoughts calmed. Finally, she closed her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep her mind wandered to the thought of Luke returning home and the subtle pang of just how much she missed him.
She was jolted awake hours later by her alarm. Dazed, she reached for her clock and almost knocked it off the table. All at once it struck her that it was the day of the memorial. The day that Julia would be buried in a small ceremony with her family and close friends, while simultaneously being remembered at a public memorial in the middle of town. It was a day to honor her memory.
Ally quickly jumped into the shower to wake herself up. She dressed and then headed for the kitchen. As the
coffee brewed she tried to focus on the good that could come from the day. A woman who had a great influence on the town would be honored by those that loved her. Maybe a truth would be revealed at some point. Maybe Ally would get a step closer to figuring out what really happened. But before any of that could happen, she had to have a conversation with her grandmother. She prepared breakfast for Arnold and Peaches. The scream of the teapot drowned out the meows and squeals. Ally moved the teapot off the burner in time to hear a knock on the door.
“Come on in, Mee-Maw!” Ally poured a cup of tea and carried it to the table. Arnold squealed with joy as Charlotte made her way into the kitchen. Peaches even tore herself away from her food to offer Charlotte a warm greeting. She wound her way around Charlotte’s legs and purred. Charlotte reached down and pet the cat. Then she crouched down and made kissing noises at Arnold. Arnold slowly spun around in happy circles.
“Good morning.” Charlotte smiled at Ally. “Thank you for the tea.” She sat down at the table, but didn’t touch the hot drink. She also avoided her granddaughter’s gaze.
Ally leaned back against the counter and raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms across her stomach. “We need to talk, Mee-Maw.”
“Oh? About the murder?”
“Not exactly.” Ally sat down across from her with her own cup of tea. “How could you call Luke?”
Charlotte frowned and offered a quick glance up at her. “I’m sorry, Ally, I didn’t know what else to do. You weren’t listening to me, and I was worried.”
“Mee-Maw, I can handle myself. You know me well enough to know that.”
“Normally, yes I would agree. But you’re making choices that concern me.”
“I’m making choices that are getting us information about solving a murder.”
“Like you did with that guard last night? What if he didn’t like chocolate? I’d be at the police station right now trying to bail you out.”
“I know.” Ally looked down into her own cup of tea. “I was more than a little reckless. I’m sorry about that.”
“You are?” Charlotte looked up at her. “I didn’t expect that reaction.”
“I just wanted to find out the truth so badly. In the end I put us both in a very risky position. At the time it seemed like a good idea. Looking back, I’m just relieved that nothing bad happened.”
“I guess that Luke got through to you.”
“No, Mee-Maw, you did. What you said last night sank in. Plus, the fact that you would go to Luke even though you knew it would upset me, shows me just how worried you are. I wish I hadn’t made you that worried.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. All that matters is that you stay safe. That’s all I want for you.”
“I know that, I just don’t know how I can let this go. If the mayor is the murderer he shouldn’t get away with it just because he is powerful and people are afraid of him.”
“No, he shouldn’t, but it’s been happening for generations, Ally. One thing about the world is that it changes very, very, slowly. You can’t fight something that is so ingrained.”
“Maybe. Or maybe there’s another way to come at it.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe there’s something we’re missing here. I can tell you that I will be more careful though.”
“So, you’re not going to break into the mayor’s home?”
“No, I’m not.” She smiled. “That is too big of a risk. There are other ways to get to the bottom of things.”
“Ally, I’m sorry that I called Luke behind your back, I hope you understand I only did it out of love.”
“Don’t be sorry, Mee-Maw, it’s good to know that you have my back even when I don’t know I need it. Bonus, I got to have a conversation with Luke. I just hope I can find out who the murderer is.”
“Oh you can, sweetheart. I have no doubt in my mind.”
Ally reached across the table and gave her hand a light squeeze. “Together we can, Mee-Maw.”
“I believe that, Ally. But remember, today is not about the investigation. It’s about honoring the life that was lost.”
“I hope that we find out something about her murder though.”
“Just be patient. The truth has a way of always coming out. I was thinking since parking is going to be crazy in the Freely town center, why don’t we just walk there?”
“Good idea.” Ally nodded. Freely was in walking distance even though it was a bit of a hike. “I could use a nice walk. I have a couple of muffins from the shop, would you like one?”
“Sure.”
Ally got two muffins and handed her grandmother one. When she put it down in front of her, Charlotte looked up and met her eyes.
“Are you sure that you’re not mad at me?”
“I’m honestly not, Mee-Maw.” Ally sat back down and took a bite of her muffin. “Actually, I’m impressed that you trusted Luke enough to go to him. I guess that’s an official seal of approval.”
“He does seem to be a good man.” Charlotte took a bite of her muffin and chewed it thoughtfully. “He certainly cares about you.”
“How lucky am I?” Ally grinned. She stood up to clear the dishes and nearly tripped over a pig. The plates flew out of her hand as she caught herself on the edge of the counter. Arnold squealed as the plates shattered when they struck the sink.
“Oh no.” Charlotte jumped up. “Are you okay, Ally?”
“I’m okay.” Ally laughed. “I guess I shouldn’t call myself lucky.”
“Or maybe this pig needs to learn some manners.” Charlotte put her hands on her hips and looked down at Arnold. “I don’t know how many times I’ve had to tell you this, Arnold. You are a pig, not a cat.”
Arnold snorted and looked from Charlotte to Ally.
“Aw, he’s okay.” Ally patted his back. “He just wants to go for a walk. Let me take him for a quick stroll then we’ll head out.”
“Okay.” Charlotte stepped up to the sink. “I’ll take care of these plates for you.”
“Thanks.” Ally snapped on Arnold’s leash and led him outside. Not far from the cottage she noticed most of her neighbors getting into cars and driving off towards Freely. There was no doubt in her mind that it would be a very crowded event. Arnold seemed to sense this, too. He was distracted by every car that pulled out of the driveway. Ally glanced at her watch. It was later than she had planned to leave.
“Let’s go, Arnold, I don’t want to be late.”
Ally turned back towards the cottage with Arnold. When she did she caught a glimpse of what she thought was a camera flash just beyond the driveway behind a group of trees. Her heart stopped for a second. Did she see what she thought she saw? Was it just the headlights of a car pulling out of a driveway? Or maybe a floodlight left on and just switched off? Her heart began to pound. She held tight to Arnold’s leash and made her way towards the trees. By the time she reached them whoever might have been there before was gone. She didn’t see any evidence that anyone had been there. Ally frowned and hurried Arnold back inside. Charlotte met her at the door.
“We have to get going if we want to walk.”
“Yes, I know.” Ally grabbed her purse and made sure that Arnold had some water. Then they rushed out the door together.
“Is something wrong?” Charlotte took a moment to look at her.
“Maybe.” Ally frowned. “I don’t know. I thought I saw someone take a picture of me.”
“Hm. What made you think that?”
“I saw the flash through the trees over there.” She pointed at the clump of trees near the house.
“Are you sure that someone was there?”
“I’m really not. I’m starting to think that I’m just getting a little paranoid.”
“It’s all right, this kind of situation will do that to you. Let’s not worry about it now. I want to try to focus on Julia.”
Ally slipped her hand into her grandmother’s. “You’re right, today isn’t about that. Today is
about honoring Julia. Although I didn’t know her, I feel like I know her a little better now. I feel like she would have been at the front of this group to honor anyone else.”
“She would have been.” Charlotte smiled fondly. “She was the type of woman that took up for any cause that she thought had value. She didn’t just stand behind one belief, she stood behind anyone who needed help. That’s why she was so supportive of the initiative to have all services provided by local businesses. She agreed with the mayor, that if people worked where they lived, then the pride within the city would only go up. She loved Freely. Many politicians don’t love the town they govern the way she did. She was born in Blue River you know, but she had spent most of her life in Freely.”
“No, I didn’t know that. I’m surprised that I didn’t know her.”
“You two missed each other. Her family moved to Freely when she was very young, before you were born. I’m sure you saw her here and there.”
Once they reached Freely they joined the flood of people that headed towards the main square either on foot or in their cars.
“I guess that there are many people that admired her.” Ally nodded her head towards the crowd that gathered around the main square. It was at least ten people deep and spanned most of the main street. Ally hoped that like her they were gathered there to celebrate a life well lived.
“Yes. It’s okay, Ally.” Charlotte let go of her hand and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “Justice will come soon enough.”
Chapter Fourteen
Once Ally and Charlotte were in the main square Ally searched through the crowd of faces. Maybe the murderer was there. The main person she searched for was Mayor Malcolm. But she knew he wouldn’t be there. He would be at the actual funeral. His presence there would have been expected. Still she looked for him, just in case. A man stood behind a microphone at the front of the crowd.
“That’s Julia’s replacement. Ted Housers. He seems like a pretty nice guy. It’s a bit bold of him to take the lead at the memorial though,” Charlotte said.
