Tie Died

by Carol Dean Jones

  Sarah ate her own breakfast and decided to talk with Sophie about yesterday’s visit with Millie. She had come to several conclusions and wanted Sophie’s thoughts. For one thing, she wasn’t sure they could completely trust Millie’s version of Ralph’s encounter with Andy. It seemed a bit convenient in that it took away something the police thought they had—a motive. And she said Ralph came home early the night Andy was killed, which took the second thing away—opportunity. Without motive and opportunity, the prosecutor would have difficulty making his case. Ralph had been to Andy’s house, so perhaps there were fingerprints, but since they were friends, that could have happened at any time.

  Sarah called Sophie. When Sophie answered, Sarah didn’t even identify herself but simply said, “Did he do it, or not?”

  “I see you’re thinking along the same lines I am. I have no idea. But I know she loves him enough to lie for him.”

  “But maybe he’s innocent,” Sarah said.

  “Maybe he is.”

  “Maybe she did it,” Sarah added reluctantly.

  “Maybe she did.”

  They remained quiet for awhile, and then Sophie said, “Come on over here, girl. This needs collaboration.”

  Sarah snapped the leash on Barney and took him with her. “Why did you bring that ugly beast?” Sophie asked, attempting to look annoyed.

  “I brought him because I know you love him and he misses his Aunty Sophie.”

  “Humph.”

  They sat down to their usual coffee and cookies, but neither had much to say. Barney laid his head on Sophie’s lap, and she casually scratched his ear. He curled up by her feet, rested his head on his outstretched paws, and closed his eyes. Finally Sarah spoke. “I don’t know what to think. But if Ralph is innocent, then someone else is guilty.”

  “Brilliant deduction, inspector,” Sophie said in as serious a voice as she could muster.

  “Okay, Sophie. I know that may sound silly, but it tells us what we need to do. We need to find the person who did it. The police are finished because they have Ralph. They won’t be looking anymore.”

  “And you think we can do that?” Sophie asked.

  “I think we need to do it if there’s any possibility Millie is telling the truth and Ralph is innocent.”

  “Where would we start?” Sophie asked, hoping Sarah had an idea because she sure had none.

  “Let’s start with a list of who we think could have done it. First of all, I think Frank’s friend knows something, and we should talk to him. Amanda Holmes was going to do that, but I’m sure she won’t be pursuing that clue now since they think they have their man, right?”

  “I think you’re probably right,” Sophie responded. Then she added, “No one ever talks about that scruffy looking man who came to the funeral. Who was that guy anyway? No one seemed to know him. Maybe he did it.”

  “We could send out the word again and see if anyone knows who he was,” Sarah suggested. “And there’s always the possibility of a random robbery gone bad, even though security says there’s no way anyone could get past them. The white car got past them.”

  “Yes,” Sophie shouted. “The white car. I had forgotten about that. Didn’t we originally think the killer was driving the white car? Whatever happened to that theory?”

  “Detective Shields was supposedly following up on that. By the way, what do you suppose happened to Shields?”

  “Don’t ask,” Sophie groaned. “It was good riddance as far as I’m concerned,”

  The two women went over all the possibilities and decided to start with Frank’s friend. “I’ll need to get back to Frank to get the guy’s name. Amanda knows, but I don’t want to alert the police that we’re looking around.”

  “I agree,” Sophie said. “You talk to Frank, and we’ll go see his friend together. In the meantime, I’m going to call a few of my contacts and put some feelers out about the ‘scruffy guy,’ as you call him. I just had a thought ... maybe he left in the white car.”

  “Well, that’s speculation that can’t be proven. Let’s try to stick with what we can confirm.”

  “Always the logical one.” Sophie sputtered. “Let’s get on it, kiddo.”

  * * * * *

  Sarah had been careful not to upset Frank by asking about his friend, but now she had to toss care to the wind and just ask him. Perhaps she could explain why she wanted to know and he would understand. It was Friday morning, and she could only hope Frank would be at the quilt meeting that night. He didn’t always come, but Ruth had him excited about a quilt idea, so there was a pretty good chance he would be there.

  She spent the afternoon in her new sewing room, rearranging the few things she had and sewing a few seams on her throw for class. She was beginning to see what it was going to look like finished, and she felt it would be perfect in her living room. She hoped no one would notice the small errors she had made along the way. Perhaps those can be my “humility blocks,” she thought. According to folklore, Ruth had explained, Amish quilters sometimes included an intentional error as a tribute to God and the fact that only He could produce perfection.

  Chapter 39

  Sarah had an early supper and decided to take Barney for a long walk in the park before the quilt club meeting. Barney had been especially excited about the leaves. This was his first autumn living in a home where he didn’t have to worry about searching for his next meal. He had time to play, and the softly blowing leaves were perfect toys. He bounced on them like a cat and ran through piled leaves, scattering them every which way. Sarah looked around, hoping no one was watching. She was feeling guilty about all the time her neighbors had spent neatly piling the leaves. But Barney is smiling, and isn’t that more important than neatly piled leaves? she asked herself.

  They spent so much time in the park that Sarah decided she should just go directly to her meeting at Stitches. Everyone seemed to enjoy having Barney there, and after he greeted each person individually, he usually curled up and went to sleep. They got there early, and Frank was already looking at fabric. Sarah was delighted. She told him right away that she needed to talk with him, and they went into the small break room and she got them sodas.

  Sarah began by telling Frank that she was glad he had talked to Amanda and helped her plan her quilt. Frank scratched Barney’s ears while they sat and talked and seemed very comfortable.

  Sarah decided to go right into talking about Andy’s death and her desire to help find the person who did it. “He was a very good friend of mine and someone I really cared about. I want to find out what happened to him, but I think the police are on the wrong track.” Frank stopped scratching Barney and gave Sarah his full attention. “I know you don’t want to talk about this, Frank, but I think you can help me.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, Frank. Remember when you told me that your friend knows who did it?”

  “Yes.” He said softly, looking down. “But he doesn’t know exactly who it was.”

  “What do you mean, Frank?”

  “This is a secret, but I guess I can tell you since you’re trying to help. My friend’s name is Billie, and he’s still back in the workshop. He can’t work because he just doesn’t understand stuff. Maybe he’ll be able to help me at the grocery store someday. He told me he’s learning how.”

  “That will be good, Frank. I’m sure you would be happy to have him working with you, but can we get back to my friend. His name was Andy, and he was a very kind man. Can you tell me what your friend knows about his death?”

  “He doesn’t really know who did it. He saw someone leaving the house where the man was killed.”

  “He did?” Sarah asked with excitement. “Who did he see?”

  “He doesn’t know her name. He just saw her leave.”

  “Her? It was a woman?” Sarah was astounded. “He saw a woman leave Andy’s house?” She wondered who it could have been, and even if this was reliable information.

  “Does Billie live near Andy’s house?”
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br />   “Right across the street. He lives with his grandma, too.” Sarah wondered if she should talk directly to Billie, but Frank seemed very clear. Sarah was so stunned by what Frank had told her that she didn’t think she could even stay for the meeting. She felt a strong need to talk to Sophie right away. When Ruth came in, Sarah spoke with her briefly, making an excuse for not staying. She said goodbye to Frank and, in a whisper, thanked him for helping her. She told him she would see him the next week.

  Outside the shop, Sarah called Charles and asked him if he could come pick her up. She said she had some very interesting information. Of course, he agreed to come right away. He would never miss an opportunity to spend time with this lovely woman he was growing very close to. It felt incredibly good to have someone to care about again. He hadn’t thought this could happen. He hadn’t shared his feelings with Sarah because he didn’t want to scare her off. Someday, he told himself. Someday.

  Sarah started walking slowly up the street, and within minutes, she spotted Charles’s car. Just as the car stopped, Sarah and Barney jumped in, Sarah in the front and Barney, of course, stretching out on the back seat after giving Charles a sloppy lick on his ear. “And you?” Charles said, turning to Sarah.

  “Well, I can give you a little kiss, but I won’t lick your ear.” They both laughed, and Sarah moved closer to him. She felt warm against him, and he took her hand as he drove off.

  “Okay, lady. What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Frank told me his friend saw a woman leave Andy’s house the night he was killed,” Sarah announced incredulously.

  “What?” Charles exclaimed, jerking his head toward her with his eyes wide open in amazement. “A woman?”

  “I’m so shaken by this, I can’t even begin to understand it,” Sarah said. “Can you drive us home so you and I can go talk to Sophie? I really need to sit down and catch my breath.”

  “Well, that’s the silliest thing I’ve heard this year,” Sophie announced when they shared the news with her. “How could a woman do that much damage? They said Andy was severely battered. What woman could do that?” Then she hesitated and added, “... well, I guess I could.” She appeared to be thinking about it for a minute, and then added, “But I didn’t.”

  Ignoring Sophie’s comment, Sarah said, “Well, Sophie, we have to admit that Andy was a slight person. There are women who could do him harm.”

  “Slight.” Sophie bellowed. “If I hugged him, he would probably have broken.” Sophie was putting two glasses on the coffee table and pouring wine for Sarah and Charles. She went back into the kitchen and returned with a platter of cheese and crackers and her own glass, already half empty.

  “You just happened to have wine and cheese ready for us?” Sarah asked.

  “No, I was having a solitary party, but I’m glad you two came. I’m not so glad you brought such troubling information ... and that ugly dog.”

  “Why do you say ‘troubling,’ Sophie?” Charles asked, mostly just to see what she would say. He liked to practice his old skills occasionally.

  “Because the only woman I know of in connection with Andy is Millie. And I don’t even want to go there.”

  “Millie?” Sarah looked surprised that Sophie would consider Millie seriously even though they had offhandedly suggested her the previous day.

  “And who would you suggest, Sarah?” Sophie asked.

  “Hmm. Well ... I don’t know of anyone else really ... but ... Millie?” Sarah repeated skeptically. “Millie?”

  “I think we need to talk to her again,” Sophie announced.

  “Now wait a minute,” Charles interjected. “Wait just a minute. If you think she’s the killer, then you should not be planning to talk to her. You should be talking to the detective assigned to this case.”

  “Spoken like a cop.” Sophie bellowed. “No, we won’t be talking to any detective. Besides, we’ve been told to stay out of it, so we can’t talk to the police.”

  “Hold on,” Charles said. “Staying out of the case means just that. It doesn’t mean ‘get involved, but don’t tell the cops.’ And that’s for your own protection, you know,” he added.

  Sarah could tell Charles was getting agitated, and she signaled for Sophie to let it go. “Let’s just relax tonight and let this information sink in. I don’t think we should be making any decisions right now.” Sophie gave her a slight nod, indicating that she understood. She knew they would pick the discussion up tomorrow morning, but without Charles.

  “More wine, anyone?” Sophie asked innocently.

  Chapter 40

  Sophie and Sarah got up early the next day and took the local shuttle into town to get breakfast at the café. They offered a delicious country breakfast special there on Saturday mornings, and Sophie suggested that they both needed some comfort food. “I know your cute fellow doesn’t approve of us getting involved in the investigation,” Sophie was saying, “but I ...”

  At that moment, Millie walked in and rushed over to their table. “What’s this all about, Sophie? Why was it so important for me to be here at exactly 9:30?”

  Sarah looked at Sophie accusingly. She had clearly set up a meeting without telling Sarah, undoubtedly to avoid Charles’s scrutiny. Sarah felt a bit guilty seeing Millie behind his back when she knew he was adamantly opposed to it. Sophie shrugged her shoulders, turning her palms up as if to say, “I did it. What can I say?”

  Sarah responded by rolling her eyes. Then she turned to Millie and said, “Good morning, Millie. How are you today?”

  “Confused,” she responded. “What’s going on?”

  Sarah sat quietly looking at Sophie. This was clearly her meeting, and since they hadn’t discussed it, she had no idea what Sophie had in mind. Sophie took another sip of her coffee and began. “Millie, we need to find out something from you, and we want you to be honest with us.”

  “Of course, Sophie. I’ve been honest with you so far.”

  “Not entirely, Millie. You didn’t tell us you were at Andy’s the night he was killed.”

  Sarah gasped but then coughed into her napkin, hoping to cover her surprise. They didn’t know whether it had been Millie or not. Why was Sophie taking such a chance?

  Millie dropped her eyes, and a tear ran down her left cheek. “No, Millie. No tears. Just talk to us,” Sophie said coolly. Sarah felt bad for Millie. Sophie was taking a hard line with her. Millie wiped the tear away and sat quietly looking down at her hands. Sarah flagged the waitress and ordered a cup of tea for Millie. Millie glanced a ‘thank you’ toward Sarah.

  After the tea arrived, Millie began to talk, but softly—almost too softly for Sarah to hear. She moved in closer. “Okay. I went to Andy’s house earlier that evening. He was packing to go to his friend’s place in Florida, and I was concerned about him. He had several phone calls that afternoon during our water aerobics class, and he seemed very upset. He left the class partway through and never came back. I tried to call him, but he didn’t answer. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. He has seen me through so much turmoil over the years, and he never reached out when he had troubles himself,” Millie explained. “I just wanted to hear from him that he was okay,” she repeated.

  “But why didn’t you tell us that when we talked the other night?” Sophie asked.

  “I’m sorry. I thought it would look bad. You both thought I was having an affair with him, and for me to say I was there would just confirm that in your minds. It was completely innocent.”

  “So, did you find out what was wrong?” Sophie asked.

  “No. He said it was nothing important and that he was going to visit friends in Florida. He said the whole thing would blow over. He seemed to be in a hurry to get out of town, and I wondered about that, but he assured me everything was okay. That’s why I called you that day after he was killed. I wanted someone to see if they could find out what he was so upset about. I tried to tell Detective Shields how upset Andy had been, but he didn’t seem interested.”

  �
��Do the police know you were there?” Sarah asked, despite promising herself she would stay out of it.

  “No. I was afraid to tell them that part because I knew what they would think. I was just hoping they would never find out. I guess I was afraid that if the police knew, Ralph would find out, and he would have been furious with me.”

  The women talked for a while when Millie suddenly stood up. “There’s Ralph now. He dropped me off here and said he would be back for me in a half hour. I have to go.” She looked nervous, excused herself, and left quickly. Ralph remained in the car but looked in at Sophie and Sarah. His eyes were cold.

  As Sophie and Sarah were leaving the café, a police car rolled up. It had been sitting a half block away. Sarah had noticed it but didn’t realize there was a driver inside. It pulled up beside them, and the window rolled down. Officer Holmes was driving, and Detective Gabriel sat in the passenger seat. “Get in,” the detective said.

  “Excuse me,” Sophie said with surprise. “Get in? Why?”

  “We need to talk, and I would prefer we do it at the station.”

  He was wearing dark glasses and had not smiled. Amanda was looking straight ahead.

  Sophie looked at Sarah questioningly, and Sarah answered in a whisper, “We should go.” They got in the back seat. No one talked until they arrived at the police station and were seated in Detective Gabriel’s office.

  “Well,” Detective Gabriel began, “I guess I’m finding out why Detective Shields was upset with you two.”

  Sophie sat tall and said defensively, “And why would that be, Detective Gabriel?”