I shivered.
“Why are you shivering?” he asked.
“I’m outside and it’s snowing. Oh, and finding a dead body will make you shiver too.”
“Who is it?”
“I thought the dispatcher would have told you. I told her who it was, or at least I think I did. I can’t really remember. I might have not remembered to share that detail.”
He touched my arm. “Bailey, who has died?”
I shook my head as if to dislodge cobwebs from my mind. “It’s Rocky Rivers. It’s just awful. I didn’t know her long, but I could tell she was a force. I’m sure she had to be to become so successful in her chosen field.”
Aiden’s gaze darted over to Eric, who was tapping on his phone. “And what does he have to do with it?”
“He . . . he . . .”
“What do you want me to do, Deputy Brody?” Deputy Little asked. He stood at attention, ready to follow orders and eager to please. In the few months that he had been a rookie in the sheriff’s department, he had always seemed to look to Aiden for guidance.
Little was a few years younger than I and was several inches shorter as well. He was a compact man, whom I imagined had spent a lot of time perfecting the precise part in the middle of his hair. The style made him look old-fashioned and vaguely Amish. Not for the first time, I wondered if Little had been born an Amish man and had left plain life behind for the English world. If he had, he hadn’t traveled very far, since he still lived in Holmes County.
Eric stopped messing with his phone. “Are you going to ask me if I am all right, Deputy, or is that only for Bailey?”
Aiden narrowed his eyes. “If it weren’t for you, Bailey wouldn’t be in this mess. So excuse me if I don’t care how you are.”
I placed a hand on Aiden’s arm. “Aiden, please.”
“Yes, Aiden, don’t make a scene.” Eric sneered. “There are Amish watching.”
I dropped my hand from Aiden’s arm. “Don’t you make a scene either, Eric. You’re in enough trouble as it is.”
Eric opened and closed his mouth as if he was going to argue with me but then thought better of it.
Aiden shifted his focus to me. “Where is the body?”
“In the gazebo,” I said, nodding behind me.
Aiden turned to Little. “Secure the scene.”
The young deputy nodded and climbed the steps into the gazebo with crime scene tape in hand.
“And it’s Rocky?” he asked when his deputy was out of sight. “You’re sure.”
I swallowed as I remembered the cord that had been wrapped twice around her thin neck. “I’m sure. It’s Rocky.” The image of those unseeing gray eyes came back to me.
A second sheriff’s department vehicle rolled up alongside the square. It wasn’t the standard-issue cruiser like Aiden’s but a fully loaded SUV. I inwardly groaned. There was only one man in the county who drove such an obnoxious departmental car.
Sheriff Marshall climbed out of the SUV, and if his steely glare meant anything at all, he was as happy to see me as I was to see him.
Chapter 6
Aiden murmured a curse under his breath. The sheriff and Aiden, who was the department’s second-in-command, had a strained relationship, but according to Margot Rawlings it had only become worse since I’d moved to the village.
Aiden had the utmost respect for the Amish in the county, while the sheriff viewed the Amish community as a nuisance and thought the only value they brought to Holmes County was the number of visitors they attracted. If it had not been for tourism, I had a feeling it would have been the sheriff’s personal mission to run the Amish out of the county altogether. Even if he’d wanted to chase the Amish away, it would be a nearly impossible task. Holmes County had the largest Amish population in the world, even bigger than Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which was more widely recognized by many Englischers.
Little wound crime scene tape around the gazebo with abandon.
“Little,” Aiden said. “Come over here.”
The younger deputy tore off his crime scene tape and set the roll on the frozen ground.
“Stay with Bailey and Mr. Sharp. I need to meet with the sheriff.”
Little’s eyes went wide. “Yes, sir.”
“The two of you stay here. I’ll be right back,” Aiden said to Eric and me before he walked over to the sheriff, who leaned again his car and waited.
Little shifted from foot to foot and shot furtive glances at the sheriff. From his demeanor, I suspected he was terrified of Sheriff Marshall. I was a little afraid of the big, burly sheriff too, but I would never admit that to anyone other than myself.
Eric glowered at the young deputy. “Are you going to do any investigating, or just make us stand out here in the cold while poor Rocky is inside the gazebo?”
“I . . . I can’t do anything until I know what Deputy Brody wants to do. I mean, I can’t do anything until I know what the sheriff wants to do.” Little glanced at the sheriff and Aiden, who were in the middle of a tense conversation with what seemed to me to be an excessive number of hand gestures. Huh, apparently Ohioans talked with their hands too. I wished I could hear what they were saying.
“You’re a cop too. Can’t you do something? I can’t wait here all day. Someone has to tell the network what happened.” Eric ran his hand through his spiky hair. “This is going to be such a nightmare. What do I do? Tell the crew to go home?”
“Eric, chill out,” I said. “Not everything can work on your personal timetable, especially an investigation into a woman’s murder.” I turned away from him. It was as if Eric hadn’t even absorbed the fact that Rocky was dead. Maybe he was in shock. Maybe he really was so self-centered that he couldn’t see beyond his own ambitions. Or—I gulped—maybe he was guilty.
“I know that a woman is dead,” he said softly.
I turned back to face him, and much to my surprise I saw tears in his eyes. “I knew her. She was my producer, my friend, she once was . . .” He didn’t finish the sentence.
“Once was what?” I asked.
He closed his eyes as if willing the tears back. Eric shook his head.
“Who were you texting a minute ago?” I asked.
“When?”
“Just now before Aiden arrived. I saw you messing with your phone.”
“I wasn’t texting. I was on the Internet,” he said, but in such a way that it made me believe he was lying.
I let it drop for the moment as a crime scene van and the coroner’s car pulled up to the square along with another sheriff’s department car. It seemed as if all the law enforcement vehicles in the county had descended on the center of Harvest. Two Amish buggies slowed as they rolled down the street to take in all of the commotion, and the Amish men who were there to finish the market setup stared at us. It wouldn’t be long before the entire county knew something was amiss in Harvest . . . again.
The crime scene techs and the coroner got out of their vehicles and consulted with Aiden and the sheriff for a few minutes. Then Aiden, the sheriff, the coroner, and the techs all went inside the gazebo after removing the two layers of crime scene tape that Little had put there to block the entrance. I winced as I remembered what I had found inside and what they were seeing.
I walked to the edge of the gazebo, but Little stepped in front of me. I frowned at him.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Bailey, but Aiden is not going to want you to listen in.”
Aiden wouldn’t, or the sheriff wouldn’t?
Minutes ticked by as we waited for the sheriff and Aiden to reappear. The Amish men who had been working on the square went back to their tasks. I knew that they must be curious, but being Amish they didn’t pry, especially when police were involved. With each minute that went by, Eric became increasingly more agitated. He paced and ran his hand through his hair and over his eyes. “I can’t take this anymore. I’m going to text Linc. He needs to be here. I shouldn’t be dealing with this alone.”
“Who’
s Linc?” I asked.
He ignored my question.
I was just about to ask him again when Aiden and the sheriff stepped down from the gazebo. I wrapped my arms around my waist and steeled myself for the sheriff’s approach. However, much to my surprise, the sheriff walked by me on his way to his SUV without so much as a sneer in my direction. He revved the SUV’s engine before he drove away.
Aiden waited a few feet away from us in silence until the sheriff’s car disappeared around the corner onto Apple Street; then he approached us. “I need to speak to you both privately and one-on-one,” Aiden said. “I have a number of questions for each of you, and it would be best to ask them separately.”
Eric laughed. “You want to make sure we’re telling the same story. Is that right, Deputy?”
Aiden pursed his lips.
Eric folded his arms across his chest. “No way. I’m not letting you question me alone. I’m not answering any questions until I have an attorney present. I know my rights.”
I inwardly groaned. Was Eric trying to make himself appear guilty?
“That is your choice,” Aiden said evenly. “Is there a reason you feel you need an attorney?”
“You’re right it’s my choice. I can have one here within the hour. I’m not going to get railroaded by a bunch of country cops. You forget that you aren’t dealing with some unschooled country bumpkin. I know what I’m doing.”
Aiden scowled at Eric. “I know exactly who I am dealing with. It would do you well to show a little more respect for the community here. You’re not doing yourself any favors by calling us country and unschooled.”
“Even if you are?” Eric challenged.
“This conversation is going nowhere,” I interjected. “Aiden, if you have questions to ask me, I will answer them. Eric can call his attorney while we talk.”
Aiden glared at Eric for a long moment. “Stay here with Deputy Little,” he ordered Eric.
“I know you have been waiting to be alone with her,” Eric said, clearly baiting Aiden. “Now is your chance.”
“Watch your mouth,” Aiden snapped.
Eric held up his hands in mock surrender. “I can see Bailey is a touchy subject. Maybe one we have in common.”
“Eric,” I said. “For goodness’ sake, would you shut your mouth before your get yourself thrown into jail?”
Eric opened and closed his mouth.
I walked away from Eric to the other side of the gazebo. The high bushes blocked any view of the crime scene, and I was just fine with that. I sat on a park bench a few feet away and watched as the Amish men put together the large white tent for the Christmas Market. Would the market go on with the police there? The case wouldn’t be solved by noon when the market opened.
The gazebo was decked out in its Christmas finery of white and blue twinkle lights, greenery, and red bows. Rocky had been right. Harvest was like a Normal Rockwell painting but not nearly as innocent. Murder had been committed here in this beautiful place. And even though I had known her only briefly, I had liked Rocky. I liked her determination and dedication to her work. Under different circumstances, we might have even been friends.
The sound of Aiden’s footsteps crunching through the frozen grass and snow shook me from my dark thoughts. I couldn’t dwell on how murder had once again disturbed Harvest’s tranquil setting. There was no time for that. Someone had done this to Rocky, and we had to find out who was responsible.
Aiden stopped about a foot away from me. It was close enough for me to reach out and touch him if I wanted to. I would admit, if only to myself, that I wanted to feel his warm hand in mine. But Aiden and I didn’t have that kind of relationship, no matter what his mother might wish, and with Eric and so many other deputies running around, now was not the time to bridge the gap.
Aiden and I had been toying with the idea of dating for weeks, but as of yet neither of us had made the first move. I know it was mostly because he was trying to be sensitive to my feelings as I recovered from my breakup with Eric. The funny thing was, now that I was with Eric and could really see what he was like without the rose-colored glasses of infatuation over my eyes, the reliable and kind sheriff’s deputy was that much more appealing. I don’t know what had attracted me to Eric in the first place. I was ashamed that his money and personality had wooed me into ignoring so much that was wrong with our relationship. I was also ashamed that it had taken the media holding a mirror to my face for me to finally make the decision to end it.
Aiden studied me in the reflection of the gazebo’s lights for a moment. “Are you really all right?”
“Yes,” I murmured. “I’m shaken up, of course, but I’m all right. I just keep thinking about Rocky. I know I knew her for only a day, if that, but she was such a strong, vibrant woman. You could see that the moment you met her. She had accomplished so much in her career, and to die like this in a place that someone from New York would assume was safe. . . .”
Aiden sat beside me on the bench, leaving a foot of space between us and bracing his large hands over his knees. “I can’t believe I am having another conversation with you about murder. It seems to be all we ever talk about.”
“We talk about candy, too,” I said, forcing a smile. “Since you make a point of dropping by the shop every day to get your sweets allotment.”
“I don’t just stop by for the candy, Bailey, you know that.”
I watched the Amish men for a moment. Truth be told, his daily visit to Swissmen Sweets was the highlight of my day even when he was busy and could stay for only a few minutes. I couldn’t seem to tell him that though.
“Would you prefer to go back to the station to answer my questions? It would be warmer there,” he suggested.
“Not really. I don’t feel all that comfortable there.”
“I understand. Not that this particular location is much better.”
I couldn’t argue when I knew Rocky’s body wasn’t more than twenty feet from me.
“It’s better if I take your statement now,” he said, and removed a notebook from the pocket of his department-issued winter coat. “While the details are fresh. You may recall something that will be significant to our investigation.” He crossed his legs and said, “Tell me what happened from the beginning.”
So, I did. I told him that Rocky had asked me to meet her at the production van before the other members of her team arrived. “So I came to the square this morning to hear her out.” I swallowed. “I found Eric standing over her dead body. Before you ask, I don’t believe that he killed her. He said he arrived a minute before I did.”
“You said that you were meeting her at the van. Why then did you go into the gazebo?”
“It was the lights. I could tell some of the twinkle lights had fallen off the gazebo. I assumed it was the wind. I went to the gazebo to fix them, and that’s when I saw her. Eric claimed that he went into the gazebo for the very same reason.”
Aiden pressed his lips together as if he was holding back something he wanted to say. He leaned back on the bench. “Did you know Eric would be on the square this morning?”
“No. Rocky wanted me to meet with her alone. It was supposed to be just Rocky and me without Eric. I think she believed she would have more success talking me into being part of the show if Eric wasn’t there. She was probably right, but as you know, we never were able to have that conversation.”
Aiden looked up from his notes. “Then why was Eric there?”
“He’d found out about my meeting with Rocky, and he was upset she’d excluded him. He wanted to be there for the meeting. He said that when he stepped into the gazebo, he found Rocky and she was already dead.”
“How did he find out about your meeting?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe he overhead something or asked Rocky what her plans were. You will have to ask him.”
“I will,” Aiden said. “Why do you believe he’s innocent?”
I peered around the side of the gazebo to where Eric and D
eputy Little stood. The young deputy kept taking off and putting on his gloves as if he didn’t know whether his hands were too hot or too cold. Eric crossed his arms over his chest and stood as still as a statue. His face was an indecipherable mask.
“Bailey?” Aiden asked in a gentle voice.
I turned back to him. “I know Eric.”
The deputy winced ever so slightly but enough that I noticed.
I took a breath and started again. “Eric cares about his career and his image more than anything else. More than he ever cared about anyone else, including me.”
Aiden moved his hand as if he was about to reach out and comfort me but then changed his mind. At this moment, I wasn’t his friend or potential anything, I was a witness to a crime giving my statement. A professional distance needed to be maintained. Though I knew that, I still wanted him to reach across the invisible divide and comfort me.
He made another note in his book.
“I can’t believe,” I went on, “he would do anything that would jeopardize his career. For all his faults, Eric is a very hard worker. He came from nothing. He earned everything that he has. He wouldn’t risk losing it all by killing anyone. He especially would not kill the television producer who had the power to catapult his career to the next level, whatever the next level for Eric might be.”
“Do you have anything else to add?”
“Did you see the candy wrappers near the body?”
He nodded. “I did.”
“Those are from my shop.” I held up my hand before he could ask the expected question. “No, I don’t know how they might have gotten there, but they made me think of Pike.”
“The kid doing sound for the show?”
I nodded. “He was eating those wrapped meltaways by the handful in the shop yesterday after Eric first arrived. He said peppermint was his favorite candy, and Maami gave him a bag.”
Aiden made another note and then asked, “Why did you agree to meet with Rocky about the show? Before you left the square yesterday, you said you weren’t interested.”
Premeditated Peppermint Page 5
