by Cindy Bell
“Ally?”
“Colin, I have a couple of quick questions. Do you know someone who works on your farm that might have gone to the market yesterday?”
“I don’t think any of them would risk being seen on Tyler’s land. Oh wait, except for Zac of course.”
“Zac?”
“Yes. He and Nigel were close friends. Even though Nigel left the farm I think Zac’s been to see him a few times. I can’t think of anyone else who would have been out there.”
“Was there any bad blood between Zac and Nigel?”
“No, they were good friends. Nigel even made me make sure that my father let Zac take over his position when he left. Better pay than what Zac would have been making.”
“Okay, thanks for the information, Colin,” Ally said. “I also wanted to check if you know whether Nigel had a girlfriend. Was there anyone special that he was seeing?”
“Actually yes, I think he did,” he said. “I heard on the grapevine that he recently started seeing a girl that works in town.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Tracy I think. Tracy Flowers. Yes, that’s it. I remember because she works in a flower shop. What are the chances of that?”
“Pretty slim,” Ally said. “Thanks for the information, Colin.”
“Thank you, Ally.”
He hung up the phone. Ally looked across the table at her grandmother.
“Apparently Colin heard that Nigel had been seeing Tracy Flowers, a girl that works at the flower shop.”
“Wow, what a name.” Charlotte smiled.
“Do you think you could open up the shop today?” Ally asked.
“Of course I can.” Charlotte chuckled.
“Great. Then I’m going to head out to meet with Zac.”
“Who is Zac?”
“He’s a farmhand that works on Bob’s farm. Colin said that Zac and Nigel had gotten quite close when they worked together.”
“Let’s get going, I don’t want to open the shop late,” Charlotte said.
“Thanks for opening the shop for me.” The feet of Ally’s chair scraped across the floor as she stood up. “I’ll drop you at the shop and let you know if I find out anything from Zac or Tracy.”
“Perfect.” Charlotte picked up her coffee cup and followed Ally out to the car.
Chapter Five
After Ally dropped her grandmother off at the shop she drove back in the direction of Bob’s farm. A part of her hoped she’d catch Bob alone so she could casually mention that the coffee shop was closed on the day he claimed to be there and see what his response was. However, her first interest was Zac.
As she pieced together the events of the day she recalled the person who she now thought was Zac purchasing a bag of cookies. She wondered if it was possible that he had an argument with Nigel that ended up in murder. That would explain why he was in such a hurry to avoid the police that he almost tripped over Arnold. However, if Nigel had been kind enough to ensure that Zac got a raise and a promotion when he left why would Zac have killed him?
Instead of turning down the main drive that led to the Dean house Ally turned down the next side road that led to the barn. Before she parked she noticed the man who had bought cookies, who she presumed was Zac, near the barn. As she parked he disappeared into the barn. She stepped out of the car and glanced around. Colin might be okay with her being there, but he was not the one who owned the farm. His father was. She doubted that Bob would be too pleased to find her there. She lingered a few moments beside her car in the hopes that Zac would make his way back out of the barn.
When that time had passed Ally knew she had to make a move. She walked up to the barn and peeked inside. Zac wasn’t hard to spot as he tossed bales of hay from one section of the barn to another. It was an act that Ally could see no real purpose for, but she wasn’t too familiar with good farming practices and Zac was focused on it. She cleared her throat. Zac turned around to face her with a half-open mouth.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hi there. Zac right?” Ally leaned against the open door of the barn. “Sorry to bother you in the middle of work.” Zac brushed his gloves against the dirty legs of his jeans.
“What is it that you want?”
“We met yesterday, didn’t we? Oh right, I wouldn’t exactly say we met. My name is Ally.”
“Okay Ally, but what do you want?”
“I know that you and Nigel were very good friends. At least that’s what I’ve heard. Is that true?”
“Yes.” Zac gazed off for a moment and then looked back at Ally. “Since he left the family farm we hadn’t seen each other as much. But we got together now and then.”
“I was wondering if you might know of anyone that had anything against him.”
“Uh, yeah, his brother, and his dad. Just like I told the detective investigating the case.” He brushed his hair back from his eyes. “I can’t believe they went this far.”
“So, you think that his family was involved in his death?”
“Of course. I saw Nigel and Colin arguing less than half an hour before Nigel was killed. Who else would kill him?” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ve seen some cruel people in my life, but to kill your own brother, now that’s really low.”
Ally cringed. She was sure that if Zac spoke to the detective that way that would only make their suspicions of Colin stronger. Colin was right, he did need all of the help that he could get. Unless she was completely wrong and she was actually helping a murderer.
“What about a girlfriend?” Ally took out her phone. “Was there anyone special that Nigel was seeing?” Ally hoped he would confirm that he had been seeing Tracy or maybe even let her know if there was someone else that Colin didn’t know about.
“No, no one that I know about.” He shrugged. Maybe the rumors Colin had heard about Tracy had been wrong.
“How had Nigel been acting lately? Was he real angry about anything?”
“Not really. I mean, he hated his dad. He talked about that a lot.”
“And Colin?”
Zac shrugged. “That was different. Actually, I think Nigel was more upset about him.”
“Upset how?” Ally looked at him intently.
“He was close to Colin I guess.” Zac balled his hands into fists. “It’s terrible that his brother would turn against him like this.”
“Yes, it is.” Ally sighed as she tried to keep him on her side in case she needed more information from him. “I guess people just don’t understand what real loyalty is anymore.”
“Yeah, I guess not.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Sure. Thanks for your time, Zac.” Zac adjusted his hat and walked away from Ally and the barn. Before he got too far she called out to him. “Zac, are there chickens you tend here?”
“Chickens?” He nodded his head. “Yes, chickens and dairy.”
Ally looked down at his shoes and noticed that they were very clean with only a little bit of dirt on them. Obviously Zac had cleaned off the egg from the day before. She watched as he disappeared into one of the fields. She scanned the fields and noticed that there were several patches of dead crops. As Colin had claimed the farm appeared to be in trouble. Ally glanced at the time on her phone. She hadn’t spent long with Zac. Instead of going straight to the shop she decided to visit the flower store in Mainbry. She might just get lucky and find Tracy Flowers behind the counter.
***
The main street in Mainbry was a lot busier than it had been the day before. It took Ally some time to find a spot, but once she did she noticed that most of the foot traffic was headed for the convenience store at the end of the block. She assumed the owner was having a sale. When she stepped into the flower store she was greeted by an assortment of alluring fragrances. Behind the counter a woman arranged flowers into a small glass vase.
“Tracy?” She paused in front of the counter. Tracy smiled as she looked back at Ally.
“So
says the name tag!” She pointed at the bright yellow flower pinned to her shirt. “Are you interested in an arrangement?”
“Not today actually. I wonder if I could speak to you for a moment.”
Tracy glanced around the shop. Ally was the only other person there. “Sure, we’re not busy.”
“Did you know Nigel Dean?”
“Oh.” Tracy’s smile faded. “Yes, I knew him.”
“I’ve heard that you two were dating.”
“We saw each other a few times. But, he didn’t seem very interested. At least not until a few days ago.”
“A few days ago? What happened then?”
“He started calling me all the time. He was asking me all kinds of questions, like he was interested in my work.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It was in a way, but it was also kind of weird, because you know I just work here for a paycheck, it’s not like I grow the flowers myself. The owner does that.”
“Oh, I see. Did you talk to him the morning he died?”
“No, I didn’t. Actually, the night before I told him I wanted to go out. He gave me this lame excuse about having to do something alone. I’ve dated enough guys to know when I’m getting blown off. But I liked Nigel, so I thought I’d see what he was up to.”
“You followed him?”
“Just long enough to see him roll up to his father’s farm in the dark. He was being sneaky, with his headlights off. I knew he must be meeting someone, so that was it. I deleted him from my phone, and I moved on. It’s just a rather unfortunate coincidence that he happened to die the next day.”
“You weren’t angry about him seeing someone else?”
Tracy rolled her eyes. “Like I said, we weren’t serious. I don’t need drama in my life. If a guy wants to be with me, he can show it, otherwise there are plenty of others to choose from.”
“Still, it must have bothered you that he lied.”
“Is this where you say I killed him in a jealous rage?” Tracy laughed. “Sorry to disappoint you, ma’am, but I’m not the jealous type. Sure I followed him, but it was out of curiosity, not out of jealousy. I believe each person is entitled to their freedom.”
“That’s very modern of you.”
She shrugged. “Life is hard enough without complicating it with love, right?”
“Right.” Ally smiled a little at her words. “Still, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. I was pretty bummed to find out he was dead. Plus, my boss was irate that they shut down the farmer’s market. That’s a big day for us.”
“You were there?”
“No, I wasn’t. My boss was. Dan Savoy. He ran the booth at the farmer’s market, while I kept the shop open here. Not that we had any customers.”
“Thanks for your time, Tracy, I appreciate it.”
As Ally walked out of the shop she made a mental note about Tracy not having an alibi. She could have easily left the shop if there were no customers. Maybe she seemed calm and casual when Ally spoke with her, but that didn’t prove anything about her state of mind the day before.
Chapter Six
Ally drove to the chocolate shop. She pulled into the driveway and parked behind the store. With a quick tug she let herself in the back door.
“Mee-Maw, I’m here!”
“I’m out front, Ally.”
Ally made her way through the storage area and past the kitchen where the chocolates and other chocolate delicacies were made. From the delicious scent of chocolate that hung in the air she knew that her grandmother had whipped up a fresh batch of chocolates. She stepped out into the front of the shop just in time to see her grandmother place a tray of chocolates on the shelf behind the counter.
“Oh, those look so good. How did you do all of that already?”
“We didn’t have too many customers so I thought I’d put together a fresh selection. I want to get the sour taste of what happened at the farmer’s market out of people’s minds.”
“Good idea. Do you want me to put them out on display?”
“Sure, that would be great. I think they are just cool enough. Here try one, they’re toffee,” Charlotte said as Ally popped one in her mouth.
“Yum!” Ally said while she chewed. “Not too sweet.”
“Oh good, I thought so, too.” Charlotte clapped her hands. “I’m going to clean up in the kitchen.”
Ally walked over to the small sink beside the shelf and washed her hands. As she did she was reminded of the egg on Zac’s shoes. After she dried her hands and put on gloves she began to place the chocolates on a display tray to put in the refrigerated cabinet. At almost the exact same moment the front door swung open. Mrs. Cale, Mrs. White, and Mrs. Bing filed inside. Ally smiled to herself as the women sniffed the air and hurried towards the counter.
“Oh Ally, these look delicious,” Mrs. Cale said.
“Please, try some.” Ally nudged the tray towards them. “They’re toffee.”
“My favorite!” Mrs. Bing squeaked and snatched up one of the chocolates. The other two women followed suit. “Mmm, very good.” Mrs. Bing nodded and sucked on the chocolate.
“Have you heard the latest about Nigel? It looks like his brother is the one who killed him.” Mrs. White shook her head. “Isn’t it awful?”
“It’s hard to conceive of a brother killing a brother.” Ally frowned.
“Especially Colin and Nigel.” Mrs. Cale held up a finger in the air. “When they were boys I never once saw Colin without his brother. He took that little boy everywhere, especially after their mother died. I guess Bob was just too busy on the farm. But Nigel and Colin were together most of the time. I can’t believe that Colin would ever kill him.”
Ally saw her opportunity to learn more about Nigel’s life and took it. “What I don’t understand is why Nigel was working at Tyler’s farm, instead of his father’s.” Ally decided to try and get more information.
“You don’t know why?” Mrs. Bing raised an eyebrow. “I think that you missed a lot while you were away.”
“I guess I did.” Ally rested her chin on her hand. “Care to fill me in?”
“Yes, absolutely.” Mrs. White cleared her throat. “So, Bob and Tyler were very close in high school. Everyone knew if they messed with one then they had to deal with the other. They both had plans to run their father’s farms, right next door to one another, and even talked about raising their families together. I mean everyone in town knew they were inseparable. They might as well have been brothers.”
“So, what happened?” Ally frowned.
“Well, Bob fell on some hard times. He was really struggling financially after his wife died. Tyler offered to buy some of Bob’s land so that the taxes wouldn’t be so high for him. Bob agreed. There was a verbal agreement that the land would be returned to Bob once Bob had the money to pay Tyler back,” Mrs. White said. “However, Tyler decided to take actual ownership of the land and keep it, supposedly despite the fact that Bob had the money and wanted to pay him back every penny. Tyler refused to sell the land back to Bob. There was one fight in the middle of town and then Bob never spoke to Tyler again.”
“Wow.” Ally straightened up. “He took advantage of a widow?”
“With two young sons. He always was a cunning businessman, but I think that move shocked the whole town.” Mrs. White shook her head.
“That still doesn’t explain why Nigel was at Tyler’s farm,” Ally said.
“All of that started when Bob got remarried. I guess Nigel expected him to stay single for the rest of his life. Nigel had a big problem with the new wife. He even claimed that she cheated on Bob. But of course, he never had any proof. I just assumed he was trying to break them up, a very jealous son competing for his father’s attention,” Mrs. White said.
“Oh please, Bob never gave that boy any attention. As to liking the new wife, who would? She’s new money, classless, and a gold digger to boot.” Mrs. Cale huffed.
“Now, now, that’s not
nice.” Mrs. White shook her head. “There are much wealthier places to dig for gold than in Bob’s pockets. It’s not like he’s rich. He has lots of property and likes to act rich, but he is up to his ears in debt.”
“He has done well over the past few years.” Mrs. Bing snapped her fingers. “Except this last crop I’ve heard was nearly lost.”
“Wait a minute, ladies, can we go back to why Nigel was working at Tyler’s farm?” Ally asked.
“Oh right, yes.” Mrs. Bing nodded. “Nigel and his father had a falling out over the new wife. Either Nigel quit the farm or Bob fired him, no one’s really sure. Then Nigel disappeared for a week or two. When he turned up he took a job at Tyler’s farm. It was quite the scandal. What kind of son betrays his father like that?”
“Nigel didn’t owe that man anything.” Mrs. White shook her head. “If Bob had been a father to that boy, then he never would have acted that way.”
“Parenting is not as easy as it seems.” Mrs. Cale sighed. “I guess it doesn’t really matter now.”
“You’re right.” Mrs. Bing pursed her lips. “We’re eating candy and gossiping, and a young man is dead.”
All three women fell silent. Then Mrs. Cale snatched a chocolate from the tray. Her two friends turned reproachful looks on her.
“What? I stopped gossiping didn’t I?” She popped the chocolate into her mouth. Soon her friends followed suit.
Charlotte wiped her hands clean as she stepped out from the back room. She smiled at the three women.
“Did you like those?” Charlotte asked.
“Oh yes.” Mrs. White smiled.
“Thank you so much.” Mrs. Cale nodded.
“Do you have any more?” Mrs. Bing peered through the open door that led to the back.
“I promise to have more soon.” Charlotte smiled. “I’m glad you like the new recipe.”
“It’s perfect.” Mrs. White dropped a few dollars on the counter.
“No charge.” Charlotte picked up the money and handed it back to Mrs. White.
“Oh, thank you.” Mrs. White tucked the money back into her purse. As the three women left Ally turned to look at her grandmother.
