The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  Nora had a burst of inspiration. “I’m actually here for Sparky,” she said. “Mrs. Dobbs asked me to thank you for keeping him. But she can take him back now.”

  Claudia gave a little ‘tsk’ of irritation. “That dog! He’s been driving me up the wall. I don’t know why I offered to keep him! I had a terrible night.”

  “I can imagine,” Nora said. “You’re the most important witness in the case, as of now. Isn’t that right?”

  Claudia straightened her shoulders. “Well… I’ll do what I must, of course.” She was trying her best to act modest, though Nora could sense that she was pleased at being flattered.

  “Everyone said you were such a brilliant host, too,” Nora said. “How terrible that the evening ended so… brutally. Your nerves must be shot.”

  “They are, as a matter of fact.” Claudia smiled at Nora. She looked down at her watch. “You know, maybe we have some time for a cup of coffee. Nobody ever comes to these meetings on time. Fifteen minutes only- is that ok?”

  “More than ok.” Nora followed her inside.

  If Lucy Dobbs’ house had been cozy and warm, Claudia’s house was sleek and modern. From the retro-futuristic furniture of the 1960s, to the shiny white surfaces, new electronics and the abstract art on the wall, everything in the house looked as though it were out of a magazine. Yet it felt cold and empty, somehow too modern to suit Nora’s taste. The various framed photos of Claudia with her husband and two teenage sons seemed posed, instead of natural, as did the various trophies and certificates adorning one wall.

  As if she could read Nora’s mind, Claudia said, “It’s different now that the boys have gone off to college. My house was never so clean before. Never so empty either.”

  “You must miss them,” Nora said.

  “I do. It doesn’t help that my husband is almost always away on business,” Claudia sighed. “Still, it wasn’t so hard to let them go. The boys were always independent.”

  “So you were alone last night?” Nora asked.

  Claudia nodded. “I was. Scared me half to death when Lucy Dobbs started screaming. I ran out with my gun-”

  “You have a gun?” Nora raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh, yes. Scott was insistent that I get trained. He’s big on self-defense. Last year he even gifted me karate classes for my birthday!” Claudia threw back her head and laughed. “Karate classes! I chewed his head off for that! He got me a nice diamond bracelet soon after. Men have no brains sometimes. Karate classes as a birthday gift, I tell you!”

  Nora smiled politely. “So, you ran out with your gun?”

  “That’s right,” Claudia nodded. “I’m the one who called 911, and I’m the one who saw Lucy.” She sighed, as she poured Nora a cup of coffee. “I’m not sure, Nora… I mean, I know I’m the main witness. If they sentence Lucy, my testimony will have a big hand in it. But…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. It feels really weird to have someone’s life in your hands that way. I don’t want to hurt Lucy… but maybe it’s my duty to.” She took a dramatic breath and looked at Nora through lowered eyelashes. “Do you know what I mean?”

  Nora knew- at least, she thought she did. Despite Claudia’s protests about not wanting to hurt Lucy, Nora could detect a thin thread of excitement underneath it all. Claudia, Nora thought, was bored. And this was an exciting new development in her life that she couldn’t have predicted before.

  “Did you run out immediately last night?” Nora asked. “In your PJs, I mean? It must have been cold and rainy...”

  “Oh, I hardly even noticed!” Claudia said. “I just grabbed my raincoat on the way out and swung it over me. I was out for a good hour after, shivering so hard.” She sipped her coffee, savoring it as though the cold had slid under her skin again. “I hope nothing like that ever happens to me. I always felt so safe in Milburn. Now that illusion is shattered. Apparently Milburn’s a place like any other. Evil can find it’s way here, too.”

  “Well, I guess it’s our job to root it out,” Nora said. “The way your club rooted out Lucy’s theft.”

  “Yes.” Claudia shifted uncomfortably. “Lucy’s theft. Of course.”

  “That had to be her motive, right?” Nora asked. “That and being denied the car.”

  “Uh-huh,” Claudia nodded. She seemed uncertain.

  “Do you really believe that Lucy was the one who stole that money?” Nora asked.

  “Well… Anna Hanes believed it,” Claudia said. “She made us all boot Lucy out of the club.”

  “Made you?” Nora raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t want to, then?”

  “Anna was very persuasive,” Claudia sighed. “I was all for letting it get swept under the rug. I didn’t want Lucy to suffer. After all, she started the club. But Anna, well, Anna wanted to be president really badly. She has for a while. Lucy always got the post because of seniority. After the money was stolen, Anna was the obvious choice for president.”

  “How was the money stolen?”

  “We collect dues every year- the total was nearly 3000 dollars. A hefty sum. This year, it was kept in a collection box stored in our club’s office. Lucy Dobbs and Anna Hanes each had one key to the box,” Claudia explained.

  “How long ago was this?”

  “About a month ago. And it was quite the scandal,” Claudia said. “It caused a wide split in the club, with a lot of people believing Lucy had done it and some, like me… who wondered if Anna hadn’t framed her in order to become our president.”

  “Anna frame Lucy?”

  “Lucy never named names, but she kept saying that she was innocent, and that she’d been framed,” Claudia confirmed. “I don’t know… I’m sorry to say I voted against her in the end. Anna kept saying it had to be Lucy. The evidence was all against Lucy, too. We collected the dues on a Friday. The money got stolen on the weekend, and Anna was out of town then. She was on a road trip to Colorado with Jane Strathclyde. So the only person who had the keys and the chance to do it, was Lucy. When we opened the box on Monday to count out the money, it was gone.”

  “I see,” Nora sighed. “So it probably was Lucy, then.”

  “Maybe.” Claudia looked sad. “It’s just… Lucy always seemed so honest to me. I wish I didn’t have to testify against her.”

  “When you ran out on the night of the murder, did you see anyone else on the street?” Nora asked.

  Claudia shook her head. “Sean asked me this already. No- well…” she hesitated. “It all happened so fast, you know?”

  “You saw something?”

  “I can’t be sure… but I might have seen a yellow streak of some sort disappear behind the hall,” Claudia said. “Lucy claims she saw a man in a raincoat too, right?”

  “She says she saw a person in a yellow raincoat,” Nora agreed. “Man or woman, she couldn’t tell.”

  “Well, maybe that’s the murderer.” Claudia rose. “Hey, I’d love to chat more but our fifteen minutes are done. Thanks for coming, Nora. I promise I’ll bring up your payment with the club. Maybe we can even figure it out as early as this week.”

  “Take your time,” Nora said. She put down her cup and was about to leave when Claudia stopped her.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked.

  Nora raised an eyebrow.

  “The dog,” Claudia said. “Sparky. You’re supposed to take him back to Lucy Dobbs.”

  Sparky the dog was a tan and black beagle with ears that seemed to nearly brush the floor as he walked. Claudia had locked him in an upstairs room filled with cardboard boxes and piles of “to-be-discarded” clothes.

  “Sorry about the mess,” Claudia said non-chalantly. “He raided my pantry this morning and made a huge mess. Ate some cookies and the sugar probably overexcited him. I spent an hour cleaning up. I locked him in here so he could sleep off his sins.”

  “Ah,” Nora smiled. Sparky was lying on his side, his big brown eyes staring off into the distance.

  “Sparky! Come here, boy. You’re going home!” Cl
audia called. The dog blinked at her,and gave an oddly slurred bark.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Nora frowned.

  “He’s being lazy, that’s all.” Claudia squatted down, whistled, and clapped her hands. “Come on Sparky. Come.”

  Reluctantly, Sparky got up. He lurched as he did and then crashed back down. With another bark, he attempted to hoist himself on his feet, tilting precariously as though he were on a moving floor.

  “Whatever’s the matter!” Claudia exclaimed. “He wasn’t acting like this before.” Her brows furrowed. “He’s an old dog… I hope… maybe we should take him to the vet.”

  “He looks drunk, actually,” Nora commented. “You said he got into your pantry?”

  Claudia’s face paled a little. “Yes… it’s possible something he ate disagreed with him. Well, I’ll take him to the vet immediately, then.”

  “You have your meeting,” Nora said. “I’ll take him down to Dr. Kent’s place.”

  “Oh, no. I’ll take him myself. I feel responsible,” Claudia said.

  “It’s no problem,” Nora assured her.

  But Claudia was insistent. “I’ll take him.”

  “I’ll accompany you, then.”

  “It’s very kind of you, but there’s no need.” Claudia stood up, and picked up Sparky, cuddling him. “Thanks for everything, Nora. I’ll see you soon. Tell Mrs. Dobbs I’ll drop Sparky off myself.” She led Nora outside, locking the door behind her. Nora waved as Claudia’s car sped off.

  “Cookies, hmmm?” Nora muttered to herself. She watched Claudia’s car melt into the horizon and, hesitating only for a second, she opened the gate and walked back into the yard. Hoping that nobody would see her, she went to the back of the house and gave a happy exclamation as she saw a large garbage can with a tilted lid and a plastic bag stuffed into it.

  She dug out the bag and went through the contents carefully. Half the bag was coated with flour, the other half filled with damp paper towels. It was a rather smelly mess, and Nora had to force herself to keep looking. She gave a happy little grunt and drew out a few dark bits that looked as though they had been swept in along with the flour. Cookie crumbs.

  *****

  Chapter 7

  Mrs Strathclyde’s Theories

  “How delicious!” Mrs. Strathclyde raved. She nibbled along the edge of a small sandwich, rather like a goldfish at its feed. “I know that we only have bad memories of that Bingo night but, I must say, the one good memory I have is of your sandwiches. I tried to recreate them myself, but I’m not so sure I’ve done a good job.”

  Mrs. Strathclyde lived in a large three-story tudor house right next to Claudia James’ house. Unlike Claudia’s sleek modern interiors, Mrs. Strathclyde’s house was filled to the brim with antiques and knick-knacks. Nora sat on one such antique now, feeling awkward.

  “I’m sure they’re delicious,” Nora said, picking up a sandwich from the tray. She nibbled one, which was quite tasty, although Mrs. Strathclyde sighed and shook her head.

  “I can’t quite get the taste right for the ham and cheese,” she said. “What was your magical secret ingredient?”

  “Fig jam,” Nora whispered with a smile. “This is quite tasty, too, but if you add a thin layer of fig jam, it transforms the whole sandwich. I’ve found the sweetness melds with the tartness of the brie and the saltiness of the ham to create a unique flavor combination.”

  “Fantastic!” Mrs. Strathclyde exclaimed.

  They were both seated in plush armchairs in Mrs Strathclyde’s parlour, with a silver tray full of finger sandwiches between them. Mrs. Strathclyde had so far peppered Nora with questions about her past exploit, seeming almost excited to be sitting with her. When the conversation turned to Mrs. Hanes, Mrs. Strathclyde spoke sorrowfully.

  “I feel like it has to be a dream, or a horrible prank of some kind,” she said. “Poor Anna! She was the nicest woman I’d ever met.”

  “Was she?” That went against what the others had told Nora. Even in her own opinion, Anna Hanes could hardly be described as “nice”. Efficient, capable, a natural leader- perhaps. But nice?

  “She was a friend to me as soon as I came back to town,” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “Milburn isn’t very friendly to outsiders, you know? And I’m an outsider, alright. It doesn’t matter that I grew up here. I was gone for forty years! The town had changed so much when I came back.”

  “I can appreciate that,” Nora smiled. “I had some difficulties integrating after moving back from New York. Milburn doesn’t invite you in with open arms but, when it accepts you, there’s no town more friendly.”

  “Well, I agree about the open arms bit, at least,” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “I don’t even know why I came back, really. Except that I had nowhere else to go. My children are both settled in London. My four husbands all left me an increasingly hefty bank account and an increasingly aching heart. I thought I’d live a peaceful life here with friends here in Milburn and now Anna is dead! I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. I’m even considering moving away.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Nora said.

  “Well, you’re not here to listen to an old woman moan,” Mrs. Strathclyde sighed. “I suppose you want to know more about Anna Hanes.”

  “I do,” Nora said. “Claudia James said that you went on a road-trip to Colorado with her last month? I figured you must be close.”

  “Oh, well, not exactly,” Mrs. Strathclyde sighed. “I had to collect some papers from my lawyer in Boulder and Anna insisted on tagging along. She wanted to visit a niece who’d just given birth.”

  “I see,” Nora said. “Did she say anything to you? Did she maybe mention being afraid of someone?”

  Mrs. Strathclyde shook her head. “That was before the collection box was looted. No, Anna was gabbing about all sorts of things. Let’s see...” Mrs. Strathclyde frowned, trying to remember. “Anna was tending to a new batch of indoor plants and she was afraid Claudia would over-water them while she was gone. I’m not much of a gardener, but she loved it. She also spoke of her niece a lot. She seemed quite fond of her and was excited to see her. She spoke of Lucy Dobbs, too.”

  “What did she say about her?”

  “Well, she was complaining to me that Lucy had no idea how to properly run the club,” Mrs. Strathclyde explained. “I agreed with her. I felt the club needed a rather more efficient president. Anna said, ‘It does, but the only way Lucy will step down from the job is if she’s forced to!’”

  Nora’s eyes widened. Thoughtfully, she said, “Mrs. Strathclyde, was Anna with you that whole weekend?”

  “Oh, heavens no. I dropped her off at her niece’s house on Friday night and met her next on Sunday evening. We returned back home late that night.”

  So it was possible that Mrs. Hanes had taken a bus back to Milburn, stolen the money, and then gone back to Boulder. She could even have stolen the money on Sunday night after returning to Milburn. All in an effort to frame Lucy Dobbs.

  Nora sighed. Well, how did that matter? Even if this was true, even if Anna had stolen money in an attempt to frame Lucy Dobbs, that didn’t give any clues as to who would want to murder her. Well, if anything, it only made the case against Mrs. Dobbs stronger. If Anna Hanes had framed her, perhaps Mrs. Dobbs killed her in revenge. There seemed to be a mountain of piled up evidence against Mrs. Dobbs on the one hand and seemingly no other suspects who would want to kill Mrs. Hanes.

  “It has to be her, doesn’t it?” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “Lucy Dobbs must have killed Anna Hanes. I just can’t imagine the depths to which people can sink. And over what, a silly club presidency? A car?” Mrs. Strathclyde shook her head.

  “Your car,” Nora said. “It was a really nice gesture of you, giving it up as first prize for Bingo night.”

  “Oh, I was sick of that old thing. It broke down constantly! My last husband loved it, but I simply can’t see the charm in vintage cars. I prefer modern and luxurious to old and rickety,” Mrs. Strathclyde said. “I’m
glad to be rid of that jalopy. I’m going to buy a nice Mercedes or BMW now. In the meantime, I’m cycling about more than I have in the last fifty years! Good for my health.” Mrs. Strathclyde sobered suddenly, as she remembered where Anna Hanes had been murdered. “My goodness, it’s so horrible to think that she died in the car. My old car!” A shudder racked her body and she crossed herself in quick motions. “God bless her soul, poor Anna.”

  *****

  Chapter 8

  Cookie Crumbs

  Sean was waiting outside the diner’s doors when Nora parked her car the next day. Dressed in his uniform and freshly shaved, he looked as though he meant business. As soon as she approached him, he gently took her by the elbow, and drew her aside.

  “Well?” He asked.

  “Well?” Nora smiled.

  “Don’t answer my question with a question, Nora,” Sean said. “How did you know exactly what I’d find in those cookie crumbs? Where did you get them?”

  “What did you find?” Nora asked.

  “Marijuana, just as you suspected,” Sean said. “The question is, how did you know and where did you get them?”

  “I got them out of Claudia James’ trash can,” Nora said. “Claudia’s been looking after Lucy’s dog, Sparky. When I visited her, she mentioned that Sparky had raided her pantry and eaten some cookies. She took me to Sparky and I could immediately tell that he was intoxicated by something. When I mentioned taking him to the vet, Claudia started to insist on taking him herself instead. She seemed nervous.”

  “So you raided her garbage?” Sean shook his head in disbelief. “Remind me never to look nervous around you!”

  “Speak to Dr. Kent if you want confirmation,” Nora said. “I’m sure he can tell you if Sparky ingested marijuana that day.”

  Sean nodded. “I’ll do that. But what’s your game, Nora? Do you think Claudia is the one who killed Mrs. Hanes?”