by Kate Bell
“Okay, duly noted. I’ll write it down and we’ll see what happens,” he said.
“That’s all I’m asking,” I answered.
“Will it do any good for me to ask you to not go and talk to people without me?” he asked.
I smiled at him. “Probably not. What is all that?” I asked, pointing to a stack of papers on the table next to him.
“That is my application for a PI license with the great state of Maine.”
“Really? All that?” I asked. It would have taken me weeks to assemble all that he had in the stack.
“Ayup,” he said in his best Maine accent. “Apparently they don’t hand these licenses out to just anyone. I still need to take a test once they approve all this,” he said, pulling the stack toward himself. “There are transcripts from the police academy, my high school diploma, birth certificate, oh, and a release to do a psychiatric check. Just to mention a few.”
“Wow, sounds like fun. I hope you pass inspection. Especially that psychiatric check.”
“We can only hope,” he said. “Can I use your scanner to send it all in?”
“Sure you can,” I said.
“And lets go take a look at the place we found the body, shall we?”
“Really?” I asked. “That sounds like fun.”
“We can get some snow for snow cream.”
“No. Way.”
***
Alec and I walked around the area where we had found Iris. We hadn’t had any new snow and what was there had begun to melt, in spite of the cold temperatures. I had worn rugged boots and a double layer of socks, so at least I was warmer this time.
“What do you think we’re going to find?” I asked him.
“I don’t know. I was just wondering if the melting snow would reveal anything new,” he said squatting down to get a better look at the place Iris had lain. He reached out a gloved hand and dug up some of the icy snow.
“Shouldn’t the police have found all there was to find?” I asked.
“Yes, they should have. But it’s hard to see much in a snow storm,” he said. “Something might have been left behind.”
I walked around the area, searching the ground for anything. The top layer of snow was more of an ice crust caused by melting snow and the temperatures dropping and re-freezing the snow at night. I wondered if the crime had been committed by someone that knew what they were doing and had cleaned up after themselves, or if it was an amateur that had left clues behind. My bet was on this being a crime of passion. Done in anger. If I was right, there would be clues somewhere.
Alec had a small hand-held garden shovel used to transplant plants. He was digging with more intention and I went over to him. “Did you find something?”
“Yeah. A set of keys,” he said, wiggling them free of the ice.
“Huh. Maybe they fell out of Iris’s pocket?”
“Maybe,” he said and continued digging in the area he had found the keys.
“What is that?” I asked, squatting down next to him.
“A ring,” he said, holding it up.
“Iris’s wedding ring,” I said. The ring was yellow gold with a heart shaped diamond and three tiny diamonds on each side. It had been soldered to a plain gold wedding band.
“Let’s see if there are any other treasures,” he said, continuing to dig.
The wedding ring made me sad. It was such a personal item. “I thought Iris had a wedding ring on her hand when we found her?”
He looked at me. “Are you sure?”
“I think so,” I said, trying to picture her hands.
“That is another mystery to solve.”
--13--
I wasn’t going to do it, but then I decided I couldn’t not do it. I think funerals should be private affairs with only the closest of loved ones. Death is an intimate thing, something one goes through alone. I’ve always felt the funeral should be an intimate affair as well, with only close loved ones. But they’re not.
My late husband’s funeral was attended by scads of people I didn’t even know. Work colleagues, college friends, old high school buddies and everyone in between. And because funerals are not private, intimate affairs, I decided I could attend Iris’s funeral. After all, she had been my daughter’s second grade teacher and well beloved by said daughter.
So without any further ado, I had put on my funeral dress and black pumps and was headed to the funeral home. I opened my front door and screamed.
“Hey!” Alec exclaimed, wide-eyed.
“Oh!” I said, staring back at him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked with concern in his voice.
“Nothing. You startled me.”
He looked me up and down. “You look very nice. Are you going somewhere?” he asked with one eyebrow cocked.
I gave him a lopsided smile. “You look nice, too. Are you going somewhere?” He was dressed in a casual black suit. One appropriate for small town funerals.
“I asked you first,” he said.
“I’m going to a funeral,” I said and pushed past him, pulling my front door closed behind me.
He sighed loudly. “Now how did I know that? And why didn’t you tell me?” he said to my back.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going?” I asked, unlocking my car door. “How did you get here?”
“My neighbor was headed this direction. I was going to ask to borrow your car. I really need to get one of my own.”
“Well, come on then, before I leave you behind,” I said, getting into my car and shutting the door.
He trotted over to the passenger side and got in. “Going my way?”
“You’re so cute,” I said and started the car and backed out of my driveway. “So who do you think will be at the funeral?”
“Seeing as how it’s Sandy Harbor, I’d say just about everyone,” he said.
“I agree. But it’s mostly because Iris was a well liked schoolteacher. You can’t get any more popular than that in a small town.”
“That’s true,” he said.
***
The parking lot of the funeral home was packed. Cars lined the curb all the way around it and across the street at the medical officeplex. I always thought it was convenient having a funeral home across the street from the doctor’s offices. You never knew when something might go wrong.
I parked the car three blocks away and took Alec’s arm as we walked up to the funeral home.
“Catch me if I slip on these sidewalks,” I said to Alec. We had had a freeze overnight and the wet sidewalk had patches of ice.
“I will if you’ll catch me,” he said.
“Uh, I’m not so sure about that. You’re a lot bigger than I am,” I said as my foot slipped out from under me. Alec caught me before disaster struck.
“Like that?” he asked with a smirk.
“Just like that,” I said.
Once inside, we found a seat in the back. If many more people showed up it was going to be standing room only. I nudged Alec when I spotted Josh Stine sitting near the middle. He kept dabbing at his eyes with a tissue. I turned to Alec and he shrugged. Lots of people were going to miss Iris.
I nudged him again when I spotted Janice. He turned toward the other side of the room and nodded slowly. I had to wonder why she was there. Had she and Iris made up after the affair was revealed? Or was she there for moral support for Richard? She sat next to three other women I recognized as elementary school teachers. If they were unaware of the affair, then it made sense that Janice would come if they asked. It would seem odd if she refused.
I leaned over to whisper to Alec. “I hope Hilda doesn’t freak out when she sees Janice here.”
Alec turned to me. “Oh, now that wouldn’t be good.” He sighed. “I wish people would think before attending funerals.”
I stifled a giggle. “You better be on the look out.”
Then I spotted Hilda as she staggered her way up the aisle toward the casket. It looked like Hilda had fallen off the wagon.
We watched as she leaned over the thankfully closed casket and began sobbing.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” she cried.
“Maybe you should do something?” I whispered to Alec. I didn’t want to see her open the casket and cry all over Iris.
“I’m not the funeral bouncer, you know,” he said.
“I know, but someone needs to help her, just in case. You know?”
He sighed with resignation and got to his feet, making his way slowly down the aisle. I saw him whisper something to Hilda and she turned to look at him, her face turning a darker shade of red. I instantly regretted sending him down there. I saw Alec’s lips move and Hilda seemed to take a deep breath. She nodded and then slowly made her way to the front pew to sit.
Alec made his way back to me and sat down. “Satisfied?”
“Very much so,” I said.
Richard sat at one end of the front pew and Hilda sat at the other. There was a woman about Hilda’s age and a man sitting with her. I wondered if they were Iris’s aunt and uncle.
I glanced at my phone for the time, and then turned the volume down in case it went off. We had another ten minutes until the service began and so far everyone was behaving themselves.
A few people went to the casket and laid a hand on it or spoke to it and it looked like things were going according to plan.
Then I saw Josh stand up and make his way to the aisle and up to the casket. His shoulders began to shake and his head bowed. I looked at Alec.
“I’m not going up there,” he said, looking at me.
I shrugged my shoulders. I guess he couldn’t rescue everyone.
A few seconds later and Josh was crying loudly. He slammed a fist into the top of the casket and laid his head down on the top of it.
“Alec,” I hissed.
“Oh, come on, Allie,” he said putting his head down. “I can’t do this.”
“Richard looks really uncomfortable,” I whispered.
He looked to where Richard was squirming in his seat.
“Why can’t people behave at funerals?” he asked.
“Why do you think Josh is that emotional?” I whispered.
Alec shrugged. “He was kind of wired that day we saw him. He’s kind of nerdy. Maybe he’s got some emotional problems.”
“Are you going up there?” I whispered.
Alec put his head back and looked at the ceiling for a few moments. He sighed and stood up and made his way to Josh and whispered to him. Josh quieted down and then looked at Alec and made his way to his seat. Easy as that.
“What did you say to him?” I whispered when Alec sat down beside me.
“I told him she was in a better place now and she would be watching over him,” he said.
I slapped his arm. “You did not,” I hissed.
He shrugged. “I did. What else do you tell someone? He isn’t family and to be reacting that way, he’s got to be a little nutty.”
***
The service had gone off without a hitch and if it hadn’t been for Josh, it would have been completely uneventful.
“What did you think about Josh acting that way?” I asked Alec as I fastened my seatbelt.
“I’m not sure what to think. I suppose he bears watching,” Alec said.
“We need to talk to him. His behavior is highly suspicious, if you ask me,” I said.
“You think everyone’s suspicious,” he said.
“Oh, come on,” I said. “You aren’t at all suspicious of him?”
“Actually, I am. And yes, we should talk to him. Does that make you feel better?” he asked.
“Yes, very much so,” I said and headed toward home. “We also need to get with Sam at the police department and see where the investigation is going.”
“Oh, can’t wait to do that,” he said.
“And I need to get home and get some baking done. I’m thinking a cheesecake of some kind. Maybe I’ll start with two different desserts per day to take to Henry’s. What do you think?”
“I think two a day is a good amount. Not too overwhelming,” he said. “And you’ll make enough for me to sample, right?”
“I think you need to keep an eye on your diet. You have a marathon to run in a few months.”
We were stopped at a signal light and he turned to look at me.
“Light’s green,” I said.
--14--
“I completely forgot to ask you, how was the funeral?” Lucy asked me. She was leaning against my kitchen counter sampling my oatmeal raisin cookies. I was still working on the recipe and had added extra nutmeg to them. It made the flavor pop.
“Oh, you know. It was a funeral. Not much to tell,” I said, sitting down at my kitchen table. I’d been on my feet all morning baking and I was pooped.
“You should have told me you were going. I enjoy a good funeral,” she said, picking up another cookie. Her blond hair was escaping the thick knit cap she was still wearing. The kitchen was warm from baking and she was making me sweat just looking at that hat.
“Why don’t you take that hat off? Aren’t you hot with it on?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
“I can’t. I didn’t brush my hair this morning. Were there a lot of people there?” she asked.
“Since when is brushing your hair optional if you’re going out?” I asked. I mean, who did that? As an adult, I mean?
“Since I have a hat to hide it under. Answer me. Was there anyone interesting there?” she asked.
“Alec and I were there. We’re interesting. And yes, there were a lot of people. She was a good teacher and people really liked her. It’s such a shame. Oh, do you know a Josh Stine by chance?”
Her forehead scrunched up in thought. “Oh, you know, I think Melanie Stine is his mom. She works at Walmart. But I don’t think I know him. Why?”
“When we went to the school to talk to Janice Cross, he was there. He brought roses to Iris’s classroom. He was also at the funeral and he got very emotional,” I told her.
“Really? Why would he bring her roses? Did he know she was dead or did he think he was bringing them for her and she would be there to accept them from him?” she asked and came and sat at the table next to me.
“Yeah, he knew she was dead. He was a former student and I guess it made him feel good to bring the roses to her classroom,” I said with a shrug. “It makes some people feel good to bring flowers to the place they associate with the deceased person the most.”
“So you suspect him? That’s it, isn’t it?” she asked, eyeing me.
“Alec says I suspect everyone,” I said and got up to get myself a cookie.
“You do. Do you want to talk to him?”
“I’d like to talk to his mom,” I said. “I bet she could give us some insight into him. Wait. She works at Walmart? He said he left college to take care of her because she was sick.”
“If she’s sick, it must be something recent. I think I saw her about a month ago and she seemed fine,” she said.
“Hmm,” I said.
“Let’s go,” Lucy said, getting to her feet.
***
Walmart wasn’t nearly as busy as I thought it would be when we got there. That was good. We’d have more of a chance to get Melanie alone.
“What department?” I asked Lucy as we walked in.
“She’s a checker,” she said and we walked down the line of cash registers, looking for her. I had no idea what she looked like, but there were only four young, college age girls on the registers so I knew she wasn’t there.
“Maybe it’s her day off,” I said.
Lucy sighed. “Maybe she’s around. Let’s go for a walk.”
We headed toward clothing and went through each section, looking around displays and down each aisle. No Melanie.
“I bet she’s off today,” I said.
“Maybe. Let’s look in another department.”
We wandered around the entire store and all we had to show for it was my feet hurting more than they had when w
e started.
“I guess we better go,” I said. I was tired and ready to put my feet up. “Do you have her number? Maybe you can call her?”
“No, we’re more acquaintances than anything,” she said. “I used to see her at my therapist’s office and we struck up a conversation, and then I saw her working here. She’s a nice person.”
“Wait, you have a therapist?” I asked. It was the first I’d heard of it.
“Not for a few years,” she said looking at me. “What? It takes a lot to keep the crazy in sometimes. Let’s stop off in produce before we leave. I need to make a salad for dinner. Ed’s on a new health kick.”
“All right,” I said and we headed over.
The produce section was nicely taken care of and although it wasn’t as big as Shaw’s Market’s produce section, it was adequate. If I had to work at Walmart, I would want to work in produce. There weren’t nearly as many pesky customers in this section.
“Hi, Melanie!” Lucy called out as we looked through the lettuces.
A woman with a green apron and holding a produce spray hose, turned around. “Hi, Lucy,” she said. “How are you?”
Melanie had red curly hair and wore gold wire rimmed glasses. She looked to be in her early fifties and she had a big smile on her face.
“Are you in produce now?” Lucy asked. We crossed the distance between us to where Melanie was lightly spraying down a display of fresh berries. I made a mental note to get more blueberries.
“Yeah, I got a promotion,” she said. “I love it!”
Lucy introduced us and I let Lucy lead since I didn’t know Melanie.
“So, Melanie, how have things been? I haven’t seen you in here for a while, and I was hoping you weren’t sick or anything,” Lucy said with concern.
“Me? No, I’m healthy as a horse. I never get sick,” she said and chuckled. “I eat a lot of vegetables.”
“Oh, that’s good to hear. I must have come in on your day off,” Lucy said, giving me the eye. “So, how were your holidays? Did your son come to spend Christmas with you? You did tell me you had one son, right?”
