Cold Case Conundrum

by Sharon Mierke

  “Well, she couldn’t disappear into thin air. Where did she go when she left the farm? Did anyone check the buses? She obviously didn’t have a car.”

  “I don’t think Reg knows about this. Apparently, Mr. Patterson said he drove his wife to the bus depot in Parson’s Cove and she left on the bus. He told the police he dropped her off; she didn’t say where she was going and he didn’t care. He was glad to get rid of her.”

  “Were there any witnesses to that?”

  He nodded. “Amos Grimm.”

  I stared at him. “Amos? He’s the town drunk. He’s not a reliable witness.”

  “That’s now, Mabel. Don’t forget that was over thirty years ago. Amos wasn’t a drunk then. He swore he saw Mrs. Patterson getting on the bus, heading for the city.”

  He was right. I remembered when Amos was a well-respected member of society. It was a long time ago. Strange what would set a man off to start drinking like that. Someone said there was a woman involved but I never heard whom it was.

  “That’s it then, Jim? We really don’t have any sort of case against anyone?”

  He shrugged and grinned. “Are you finding it hard to settle into a normal life without having a murder to solve, Mabel?”

  Was that it? Was I so bored that I had to delve into a forgotten past to dig up a murder to solve? That’s being desperate.

  Chapter Twenty

  Have you ever had that niggling when you can’t shake a feeling? No? Well, you’re probably more normal than I am. I realize that trying to dig up the past is sometimes not pleasant but I also realize that sometimes it’s necessary. Was it this time? I didn’t know, but I knew I had to get rid of that niggling because it was driving me crazy.

  Sunday morning before Parson’s Cove began to stir I slowly backed my car out of the garage and crept through the back lanes. It would be my luck that every woman was in her kitchen making breakfast and I’d be caught. It was a chance I’d have to take. Once I hit the narrow paved road leading to the north side of the lake, I stepped on it.

  It wasn’t even an hour and I was at the turn-off to the Patterson and Campbell farms. Now, it was a narrow gravel road and my car wasn’t too fussy about it. Sammy, who insisted on coming again, didn’t mind being jostled about, and slept through it all. There was a reason for my madness. I was hoping Sammy would melt Brady’s heart again and it would be easier to talk to him. The bag of muffins on the seat beside me might be a help too. If that didn’t work out with Brady, I thought I might drop in at the Campbell farm to see if there was something I could take back for their mother. I didn’t want the trip to be entirely in vain.

  I pulled into Patterson’s driveway as I had the time before. This time, however, I stopped and waited before I even came to the gate. My idea was that if someone other than Brady showed up, I could back up very quickly.

  Time went by. Did the Patterson moonshine operation close down on Sundays? Perhaps, Mr. Patterson and his sons went to church? There was no way I was going to open the gate and drive through. I’m smarter than that. It was disappointing to say the least. I could see the video camera watching me from up in a tree. As I looked around, I counted three more. Well, they knew they had company.

  I was ready to leave and head over to Campbell’s when I saw Brady lumbering down the trail. He didn’t look especially pleased to see me but it was hard to tell. He led a miserable life, so how could he look happy all of the time?

  He came up to the gate and, instead of opening it, he yelled, “What do you want, Mabel? Pa says to tell you he ain’t makin’ no wine and for you to go home.”

  I opened the door and walked toward him. This time, he wasn’t pointing a rifle at my head so he wasn’t as intimidating.

  “Hey, Brady. I was heading over to the Campbell’s so thought I’d stop and say hello to you first. How’s your week been?”

  For a few seconds it looked like he must have spoken a different language. “My week? Same as ever. Why?”

  “Oh, no reason. I just wondered how you were, that’s all.”

  He shrugged. “Okay. How was your week?”

  I smiled. “Actually, pretty good. Oh, I almost forgot, I brought something for you and your family.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll see in a minute.” I turned and walked back to the car. Before I opened the door, I looked back and Brady was still watching me but he was holding a rifle and pointing it right at me. How did I miss that?

  “Why are you pointing that thing at me?” I asked. “Don’t you know that I come in peace?”

  He looked embarrassed and said, “You ain’t seen the cameras? If I don’t do this, I’ll be in trouble.”

  “Oh, okay. Should I look really scared?”

  To my amazement, Brady started to laugh. I guess he knew the cameras only caught his back because I’m quite sure he would be in real trouble if he were caught laughing - especially if he was holding a gun in his hand.

  “You did look scared, Mabel. Kind of shocked. Sorry.” He'd stopped laughing but the twinkle was still in his eyes.

  “I’ll very carefully open my car door,” I said, “and I’ll get the bag out. You can open the gate and come here if you want.”

  “Okay, you stand far back from the car. Make out like I’m tellin’ you. You can put your hands in the air.”

  “All right.” I stuck my hands up in the air and backed away from the door.

  Brady opened the gate and slipped out. Sammy must have heard his voice, saw the open door, and saw his chance to escape. Brady and I both stood gaping as we watched the blur of white head for the woods.

  “Aw, Miss Mabel, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have made you back away. It’s all my fault.”

  “Brady, it’s not your fault at all. That is a stupid cat. Let’s hope he can outrun those dogs of yours.”

  He stood shaking his head. “Ma’am, I feel awful. That was about the purtiest cat I ever seen.” For a moment, I thought he might burst into tears.

  “Brady, if he doesn’t come back in the next ten minutes and you find him, could you keep him?”

  “Keep him? Are you sure? I’d look after him until you could come out again.”

  “You know, Brady, he’s not happy in town. I think he’s really a country cat. Look how he loves to race in the woods. He’d be happy out here but I worry about those dogs. Could you keep him safe?”

  “Oh, sure. Those dogs are tied up all the time. Even when they’re at the still. If anyone comes who we don’t know, that’s when the dogs get loose.”

  “Have you ever let them loose?”

  He nodded. “A few times. Pa protects his investment. That’s what he calls it.”

  I reached inside, took the bag of muffins out, and handed them to him.

  “Here are some fresh baked muffins for you. If you want to share them, you can but you don’t have to.”

  He gazed at the bag. “Well, it will depend. If nobody saw them on the camera, I can keep them, but I guess if Pa wants to know what’s in the bag, I’ll have to share.”

  “Since I should wait a few minutes for Sammy, why don’t you have one now?”

  Brady grinned. “Hot dog! That sounds good, Miss Mabel.”

  I never thought anyone could make a muffin disappear like Scully but Brady raised the bar.

  “That’s the best muffin I ever ate.” He took his time wiping away a few stray crumbs and popping them into his mouth.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  (I really don’t bake muffins for myself. They’re okay but I’d rather eat Flori’s cinnamon buns. Flori has spent hours trying to teach me but I don’t have the patience. I figure why go to all that work when Flori can do it so well. I sound like one of her kids. If I’m famous for my coffee and muffins, that’s enough adulation for one person.)

  We were now sitting on the back bumper of the car. Brady thought we were out of camera sight but I doubted it. I couldn’t help glancing back through the car windows to see if anyone was coming - l
ike Old Man Patterson with his shotgun.

  “Did your mother ever make muffins like this?” I asked.

  Brady smiled. “No, I don’t think she baked muffins but sometimes she’d make cookies or a cake. She didn’t always have all the stuff you need to make fancy things. We were sure happy when she baked.”

  “I guess you’ll always remember the last time you saw her, won’t you? Things like that stick in a child’s mind.”

  “Yes, ma’am. It was a sad night because I knew they were fighting. They always started in the house and then moved out by the well.”

  “They went to the well?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, the old well that was dried up. It’s been filled in for years now. Ma made Pa go outside when he was in a fightin’ mood because she didn’t want to scare us. We were sort of used to it though and we could still hear them anyway.”

  “Did you hear any gunshots that night?”

  He nodded. “Pa shot a fox. That critter was getting into the chicken pen and killin’ our chickens.”

  “Did you see the fox?”

  “Oh, yes, ma’am. Pa let us keep the tail. We still got it.”

  “So when did your mom leave then?”

  “Why are you askin’ all these questions, Mabel?”

  “I’m sorry, Brady. I should explain. I was talking to Carly and afterwards I just thought that I’d like to find your mother. I know she felt she had to leave but now that all of you are grownups, maybe she’d come back. If I find her, would you like to see her?”

  His eyes filled with tears. “Oh, yes, Miss Mabel, if you could find her, I’d be ever so grateful.” He reached over and put his big hand over mine. “You are the kindest person I know.”

  I believe my eyes watered a little too.

  “I think that’s about the kindest thing anyone has said to me, Brady.”

  “What else did you want to know?”

  “I was just wondering if the night your dad shot the fox, if that was the night your parents were fighting and if that’s the night she left. Did it all happen the same night?”

  He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. It wasn’t a good night, that’s for sure.”

  “And your dad took your mom into Parson’s Cove to catch a bus?”

  “That’s what Pa said. She wanted to leave so he took her.”

  “He must have got home very late.”

  Brady shook his head. “I guess I probably went to sleep. I just remember getting up and Pa was there but Ma was gone.”

  “I’m sorry that all happened to you, Brady.”

  He shrugged. “Pa says it happens in lots of families. Now we gotta stick with Pa.” He suddenly stood up. “Miss Mabel, I guess maybe I should head back and you oughta get out of here.”

  “Better not tell your Pa what we were talking about, Brady. He might not want your mother coming back into your lives.”

  “No, ma’am. I don’t tell Pa anything. I ain’t a kid anymore. I’m going to look for that Sammy cat now. I’ll tell Pa you had to stay in case the cat came back.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll keep in touch.”

  I backed out and drove down to the Campbell farm. The last I saw of Brady, he was walking through the brush calling out Sammy’s name.

  For Sammy’s sake, I hoped he would find him.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Ettie was thrilled when I stopped in after dinner and handed her a sack of goodies from the farm. It took about ten minutes to convince her that her sons were managing without her. Yes, they were eating; no, they weren’t sick; yes, the house was tidy (I didn’t go inside but a little white lie to a mother is good); no, the back porch wasn’t covered with machine parts (another little white lie).

  She opened the sack and looked inside again for the fourth time.

  “I can’t believe Tommy thought to send my favorite teacup with you.” Her eyes glistened. “Sometimes you think your family doesn’t care about you anymore and then they do something like this.” She put her arm around me and hugged. “Thank you for being such a good friend, Mabel.”

  It appeared to be my day for becoming a good friend. I knew I couldn’t lose asking Tommy to send the China teacup. My conscience should have been poking me because in both instances, with Ettie and Brady, I had an ulterior motive. However, the end result would exonerate me. Or not. Perhaps the end result would not be good. Perhaps, the story was better left untold.

  “Flori is free tonight and is coming over about eight. We’re delving into the last bottle of Sadie’s homemade chokecherry wine. Why don’t you come and join us?”

  Ettie smiled. “I’d love to, Mabel. I’ve been stuck in the house feeling sorry for myself for too long.” She nodded. “Yes, I’ll come.”

  I raced back home to tidy up and clean the bathroom. My three cats followed me all over the house. I knew they were wondering where Sammy was. I was too. All I could do was hope Brady found him.

  Flori arrived at seven thirty so she fixed up a few snacks for us while I cleaned out the litter boxes and filled up the cats’ dishes. This was my Monday job but I didn’t want any odd smells wafting through the house. Unfortunately, I find I’ve become nose blind to it. Just to make sure, I sprayed some air freshener that promised to remove the smell and not mask it. I’m not sure how that works. If the smell is removed, where did it go?

  “And Mabel,” Flori said. “I promise I won’t talk about Scooter all evening.”

  “Scooter? Who’s Scooter?”

  “Mabel Wickles, I don’t know how many times I’ve told you that Junior insists on calling little Jake, Scooter.” She scowled. “You’re either not listening or you’re going deaf.”

  “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t paying attention just now. Why would anyone want to have three Jakes in the family? That’s what I’d like to know. I think you should have stopped with the old man. One is enough.”

  “That’s too funny, Mabel. By the way, since I’ve been out of the loop, what’s happening with the new doctor? Do you see him coming and going at all?”

  I shook my head. “No, can’t say that I do. I think he lives at the hospital. That’s why I wanted to ask Ettie over. She needs to get out. I think ever since she saw Robert driving into Patterson’s, she’s been a bit sad.”

  Flori stared. “What do you mean, Robert drove into Patterson’s? What is that about?”

  “Well, I drove her out to the farm one day and as we were leaving we saw Robert driving into the Patterson farm. That’s about all, Flori.”

  “That’s about all? Do you think he’s going there to see Mr. Patterson so he can court Carly again?”

  “No, he’s not courting Carly. She said they’re only friends.”

  “Carly said that? To you? When were you talking to Carly?”

  “Oh, the other day. She dropped by the shop. It’s nothing, Flori. Really.”

  Flori’s eyes popped. “Nothing? You have to be careful whom you allow into your shop, Mabel. You don’t want to get a bad reputation.”

  “Flori, the people of Parson’s Cove are the ones who have given Carly a bad reputation. She’s not what people say she is.”

  “I know men have gone to her house. Jake knows that for a fact.”

  “Yes, and they came away very disappointed.” I talked as I polished my wine glasses. “Carly is a lovely young woman. She feels that she’s being judged because of her family. She’s been taking courses over the internet and wants to better herself. Do you know what her dream is? To own a store like mine. At the hospital, some of those old bags will leave the room when she walks in. Or, walk as far away from her as they can if she’s walking down a hallway. I think that’s just disgusting.”

  Flori’s face turned pink.

  “Well, all I know is what Janet told me, Mabel, and usually Janet knows what’s going on.”

  “She probably learned it from her husband who heard those dirty old men talking about her and telling lies. If I ever solve this mystery, I’m going to force everyone who’s ever slandered her, t
o apologize.”

  Flori stood with her mouth open. “Mystery? What mystery?”

  Oops, how does my foot find my mouth so quickly?

  “It’s not really a mystery. I don’t know what it is. I thought I’d see if I could find Carly’s mother, that’s all.”

  Flori sat down. Probably because otherwise, she might have fallen down.

  “You’re doing what? Did Carly ask you to?” She picked up the bottle of wine, which was sitting and airing and poured a glass full to the top.

  I reached over and grabbed the bottle. “Flori, what are you doing? You can’t drink all the wine up. Ettie will be here any minute.”

  She tipped the glass and guzzled half of it. She smacked her lips and stared at me.

  “Mabel,” she said. “I let you out of my sight for a couple of weeks and you’re up to your eyebrows in something. You better tell me before you get into trouble and I have to bail you out.”

  “You will not have to bail me out of anything.” A movement in the backyard caught my eye. “Oh, look, here comes Ettie.” This time, I stared at her. “And you don’t have to say anything to Ettie. Okay?”

  The wine worked its wonders, and by the time we’d each finished our third glass and the bottle was empty, our tongues became very loose. Flori was either laughing until she cried or was just crying. Ettie, I discovered, was not a happy drunk. Not that we were drunk; we were merely slightly inebriated.

  When she talked about moving to some brand new house out on the edge of town, both women burst into tears. I had been starting to feel quite relaxed and happy. This wasn’t how I’d planned to empty the last bottle of chokecherry wine.

  I handed a box of tissues to Flori and left her on her own. I’ve handled this side of her for so many years, it really doesn’t bother me when she’s sobbing her eyes out. I pulled out a few extra and gave them to Ettie.

  “Ettie,” I said, with my hand on her arm. “Please, don’t start worrying about it. I know you think you’ll be lonely but we can still get together. There are other houses out there now too and I’m sure you’ll find someone you can talk to. Besides, doesn’t Merlin and his wife have you over once in awhile? I mean, I heard he’s your brother.”