The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “You fought with him yesterday. Several witnesses, including Deputy Jamie and the mayor overheard you threatening to stomp him.”

  “That’s the man?” Michelle stared at Sheriff Ellerton. “Sheriff, I didn’t do it! I have no idea what’s going on!”

  “Come on. Let’s go.” Sheriff Ellerton got out his handcuffs and Michelle burst into tears.

  “I didn’t do it!” She caught Nora’s hand, begging her to believe. “Please, Nora, do something! Help me! They’re framing me! I didn’t do it!”

  *****

  Chapter 9

  The Neighbor

  With Michelle, once again, locked in an interrogation room with the sheriff, Nora decided that the best way to help her would be to investigate independently. She began by driving over to Jake’s house, which was only a block away from the bookstore. As expected, Jake’s house was now crawling with cop cars. Yellow tape was plastered all over the perimeter and two deputies drinking coffee kept an eye out for any trespassers. Deciding that it would be futile to try and sneak in with the sheriff keeping such a close eye on things, Nora’s next move was to go to the bookstore.

  She felt a deep sadness for Michelle as she parked her car opposite the store and got out. Michelle had tried so hard to do up the place and make it fancy. Yet, in the space of one night, the bookstore had, once again, adopted the formerly shabby look to which it had grown accustomed during the fifteen years since Larry’s retirement. Poor Michelle. There were dark, sooty stains on the walls, a window was cracked and yellow police tape crossing the basement entrance.

  Nora rubbed her chin, wondering what her next move should be. With Jake dead, Flint was once again Nora’s biggest suspect. And yet, what had really changed about Flint’s story? Flint had said that Jake’s bedroom door had been closed last night when he broke in to steal the laptop. Funnily enough, now, more than ever, Nora believed Flint’s story. If he’d been lying, if he’d been the one to kill Jake and commit arson, the last thing he would have done was admit that Betty was being blackmailed by Jake. No, Flint really had believed that Jake was fast asleep in his bedroom when he broke in to steal the laptop.

  Yet Jake had actually been in Michelle’s basement. Why? What could Jake Tipper possibly have wanted in Michelle’s basement? Nora frowned as she remembered the unpleasant scene between Jake and Michelle. Sheriff Ellerton had considered it enough of a motive to arrest Michelle. Nora believed this was absolute nonsense. It made no sense for Michelle to kill Jake Tipper in her own basement, set fire to it and then call the firemen herself. Hopefully, Sheriff Ellerton would see the light soon.

  There was one question in Nora’s mind now. Who was Kenny Muir? Why had Michelle been reluctant to talk about him?

  “Nora?” It was Garth Green, stepping out from Flint’s art gallery with a painting tucked under his arm. He paused at the curbside beside her and gazed up at the bookstore. Sighing, he said, “Such a pity, isn’t it?”

  “I didn’t see you the night of the fire,” Nora said. “You live right next door, right?”

  “Right.” Garth pointed to a Victorian-style house with gargoyles above its front door. “That house has been in the Green family for decades, and it’s always looked the same. Meanwhile, poor Michelle will have to bust her hump to get the bookstore spic and span all over again.”

  “Poor Michelle, indeed,” Nora said.

  “She’ll manage just fine, though. She’s a brave woman,” Garth said. “Bravest woman I know.”

  “You like Michelle, don’t you?” Nora asked.

  Garth grinned, a trace of a blush on his cheeks. “I’m too much of a flirt for her, I guess. She probably likes steady, solid sort of guys.”

  “Do you know Sheriff Ellerton has arrested her?” Nora asked.

  “What?!” Garth nearly dropped the painting. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! Why would Michelle burn down her own store?”

  “That’s what I thought, too,” Nora said.

  “I thought the sheriff suspected burglars,” Garth said. “At least, that’s what Michelle told me on the way over to your house.”

  “He changed his theory,” Nora said. “Once they found out that the victim was Jake Tipper.”

  “Jake…“ Garth looked stunned and he stood silently for a minute, blinking rapidly. “My goodness. It doesn’t look good for Michelle, does it? She had that fight with him last night. Utterly stupid, of course. There’s no way she murdered him over that silly dispute.”

  “I’m glad you think so, too.”

  “Jake Tipper.” Garth shook his head. “He probably blackmailed the wrong person this time.”

  Nora stared at Garth. “What do you mean?”

  “Jake was a snoop, and he loved nothing more than to get hold of secrets,” Garth said. “Then he’d try and hold those secrets over your head. He tried with me a year ago. Told me I had to pay him $5,000 or he’d publish every crooked thing my grandfather did on the way to building his fortune.”

  “Did you pay him?”

  Garth threw his head back and laughed. “Not a chance. I hired a writer and thanked Jake for his idea. My family’s biography will be published next year and I’ll voluntarily be spilling every family secret I know. I’ve got nothing to hide and nobody to fear. I would have given Jake a black eye for his troubles, but he wiggled out of it. Anyway, something tells me I’m not his only victim. And, if I’m correct, then it has to be one of those others who bumped him off, right?”

  “Maybe.” Nora stole a glance at the art gallery behind them. Flint was at the window now, glaring at Nora. Betty was nowhere to be seen.

  “Garth, do you know…for sure…anyone else Jake was blackmailing?” Nora asked

  Garth shook his head. “Afraid not. But I’m sure the sheriff will find out and follow up on it. Right? Then he’ll let Michelle go.”

  “I don’t know,” Nora said. “It still doesn’t answer the question of why Jake was in Michelle’s basement, of all places.”

  “Maybe he wasn’t. At least…not…voluntarily,” Garth considered aloud. “Maybe the murderer wanted to frame Michelle. Maybe he wanted to get payback for something.”

  “That’s interesting,” Nora said. “After all, he — or she — set the place on fire. It seems the coward was trying to kill Michelle, too. There was one murder last night, yes, but there was also an attempted murder.”

  Garth whistled. “Boy, you’re a smart one.”

  “Garth, how long have you known Michelle?”

  “Quite some time,” Garth said. “I’m good friends with Flint, you see. I always thought he was a smart man to marry Michelle. She was always good to him. Then Flint decided to be a twit and chase after Betty.”

  “Do you think he’s happy with Betty?”

  “Well, yes. I think he is,” Garth admitted. “But he was an absolute jerk to Michelle, wasn’t he? No denying that.” He took a breath. “Look, don’t tell anyone else but, the truth is, I’ve always admired Michelle. I’d date her in a heartbeat. I even tried to hint as much at the party last night to see how Flint would react.”

  “And?”

  “And I don’t think he would care,” Garth said. “Flint got over her a long time ago. Still, he is my friend, so I want to go about it the right way. You know?”

  “So you don’t think Flint killed Jake then?” Nora asked.

  “Flint?” Garth chuckled. “Not a chance. He’s a sweet guy. Not the kind to go around bashing people on the head. Besides, he barely knew Jake.”

  “How about revenge? He hated Michelle for inheriting the bookstore.”

  “Well…” Garth shrugged. “I can see why you’d think that. Flint was sore about it. But Flint’s a logical guy. He wouldn’t risk his entire life to get revenge over something like the bookstore.”

  “And do you know a man named Kenny? Kenny Muir?”

  “Kenny? Kenny? No never heard of him,” Garth said. Then he paused. “Wait…Muir? Kenny Muir…I do know that name. How?” He scratch
ed his head then snapped his fingers. “Got it.”

  “Who is he?”

  “He’s an ex-army man. Right, Kenny Muir,” Garth explained. “He beat Flint up a while back. I couldn’t remember the name but I definitely remember what happened. Poor Flint was walking around with his arm in a cast for some time after.”

  “Beat up Flint? Why?”

  Garth looked thoughtful. “I’m not 100% sure, but it had something to do with Michelle. I don’t know any details, so I can’t really help.”

  “Had something to do with Michelle?” Nora was more excited now.

  “I heard he’s not right in the head,” Garth said. “Of course, that’s coming from Flint, so I would take it with a grain of salt. A man isn’t exactly going to sing praises of the guy who beat him up.”

  Nora knew that she had to find this Kenny and talk to him. Flint had been so sure that he was the arsonist. And if he was mentally unstable…

  “I remember now!” Garth exclaimed. “It was right after Flint cheated on Michelle with Betty. Kenny marched right into the art gallery, dragged Flint outside and gave him a trouncing. Flint would call it a fight, but it was a rout. Flint never stood a chance.”

  “Sounds like this Kenny really cares about Michelle,” Nora said.

  “I’m not so sure,” Garth said. “Flint called him an obsessive stalker. Like I said, apparently he’s not right in the head. Do you think he’s the one who killed Jake?”

  “It’s a possibility, isn’t it?” Nora asked.

  Garth nodded. “I guess it is, at that.”

  “You live next door to Michelle,” Nora said. “Did you see anything last night?”

  “Nope,” Garth said. “I wasn’t even home last night. A few of the boys and I decided to play poker after the bookstore launch. It was a good time. Harvey would have enjoyed it, too. We were at Malone’s house. You know him?”

  “Oh, yeah. I do.”

  “So, sadly, I’m pretty useless on that account,” Garth said. “We were up until about 4am, drinking and laughing. Then I went to bed and woke up today to all the gossip.”

  “You’re not useless,” Nora said. “You helped me figure out what I need to do next. I need to speak to Kenny Muir. That’s something.”

  “I sure hope it is.” Garth sighed.

  *****

  Chapter 10

  Madness and Love

  In a town like Milburn, where almost everybody knew each other, tracking Kenny Muir was no difficult task. A few phone calls later, Nora had an address scribbled down on a piece of paper in her purse.

  Kenny’s house sat on a street full of ramshackle houses with weeds in the front yards. A rusty, red car was parked in front, with ice crusting the windshield and gray snow stuck to the top. By comparison, Kenny’s house looked surprisingly neat and, unlike the others on the street, had lace curtains on the windows and a freshly-painted blue front door. The edge of a mobile trailer was just visible from behind the house.

  Taking a deep breath, Nora walked to the front door and knocked confidently. She heard someone cry out, “Coming!” and then the creak of a chair. What seemed like an eternity later, the door swung open.

  An old woman wearing a thick cardigan atop a white nightgown stared at Nora.

  “Oh…” Nora took a step back. “Sorry, ma’am. I seem to have the wrong house. I was looking for Kenny Muir.”

  “Eh?” The woman put a hand to her ear.

  “Kenny Muir?”

  “Anymore what?” the woman asked.

  “Kenny Muir!” Nora shouted.

  “Oh, Kenny. Well, why didn’t you say so right off?” the woman grumbled. She cocked a thumb behind her. “He’s outside. He likes to stay in that trailer of his. I told him he’d freeze to death one day but he won’t listen.”

  “Oh, I’ll just go see him then,” Nora said. “Thank you.”

  The woman nodded and tried to swing the door shut. Catching sight of something inside the house, Nora suddenly blocked the door just as it was about to close. The woman looked up, startled.

  “Er…may I have some water?” Nora asked. She made a drinking motion with her hand.

  “No, not my Kenny. He’s never touched a drop of alcohol in his life,” the woman said. “It don’t mix well with his medicines.”

  “May I have some water, please?” Nora yelled.

  “Oh, well, sure. Come in then.” The woman walked slowly and with some effort towards the kitchen. Nora stepped into the house and stared at the coats hanging beside the door. One of them was a grey trench coat, clearly belonging to a large man.

  She knew that coat. She’d seen it somewhere before. But where? Nora racked her brain, trying to figure it out.

  The door swung open, nearly hitting Nora, and she jumped aside. A broad-shouldered man with silver-blonde hair and dark green eyes stepped inside. He walked with a limp and had a large scar running down one cheek, giving him the air of a man who was not to be messed with.

  “Kenny?” Nora asked.

  “Th-that’s me,” he said, looking surprised. Unlike his appearance, Kenny’s voice was thin and shrill, almost childish. “You are?”

  “I’m Nora.” Nora held out a hand. “I’m a friend of Michelle Reed’s.”

  “Michelle!” Kenny’s face lit up. He closed the door behind him and ushered Nora into the living room. A television set that looked as though it were from the 70’s was playing an old, black and white movie. He switched it off and sat down on a pink floral armchair. Nora sat down across from him on a mismatched plaid armchair with patches where the stuffing was coming out.

  “Does Michelle want to meet me?” Kenny asked eagerly.

  The old woman emerged from the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand. “Here you go, dear,” she said, handing it to Nora.

  “Thanks.” Nora gulped it down, finding that her throat was surprisingly dry.

  “You shut my TV off!” the woman exclaimed. “Humphrey Bogart’s on!”

  “Go away, Granny,” Kenny growled. “Get our guest something to eat, won’t you?”

  “You’ve got some nerve switching my movie off,” the woman said. “If you want snacks, you can get them yourself.”

  “Granny!” Kenny put a hand to his head. “Go away! I need to talk to Nora. It’s about Michelle. Leave us alone, will ya?”

  Nora started to feel a bit nervous, remembering what Garth had said about Kenny’s mental state.

  “Your grandfather would have given you a whuppin’ for talking to me like that,” his grandmother grumbled. “Kids these days.”

  “Grandpa’s not here, is he? Go away! This is important!” Kenny shouted. His face had turned red and a vein was bulging on his forehead. His fists clenched and his breathing became heavy. Grandma, seemingly unfazed by this tantrum, grumbled to herself as she left the room. Almost immediately, Kenny turned to Nora with a bright smile and eager eyes.

  “Well?” he asked. “When does Michelle want to meet me? I have so much to tell her.”

  “Er…well—“

  “She came back for me.” Kenny sighed, his eyes misty. “I knew she would. We have a connection, you know? We’re meant to be together. I knew it from the moment I first saw her. I opened my eyes and she was standing there like an angel. She saved my life. I love her and she loves me.”

  “If you’re such good friends, how come you weren’t at her bookstore’s opening?” Nora asked.

  Kenny’s brows gathered together. His face darkened. “She’s upset, she won’t listen to me. I keep trying to make her listen.” He brightened again. “But she’s sent you, so clearly she’s ready now.”

  “Umm…she hasn’t exactly sent me,” Nora said.

  “But you said you’re Michelle’s friend!” Kenny suddenly looked suspicious. “That wasn’t a lie, was it?”

  “No,” Nora said. “I am her friend. As a matter of fact, Michelle’s in trouble, and I thought I’d come talk to you about it.”

  “Trouble?” Kenny’s muscles flexed. “Is som
eone harassing her? I can go sort that out in a minute. I’ve done it before.”

  “Look, before we get into all that, can you tell me once more how you know Michelle?” Nora asked. “It wasn’t very clear. When did you first meet?”

  “Years ago,” Kenny said. “I told you, I opened my eyes and she was there.”

  “Where?” Nora asked.

  “In the hospital,” Kenny said. “I was in the army. I had an accident — something hit my head. But that was a long time ago. Years and years. But I knew we were meant to be together. She was my nurse and she saved my life.”

  Nora nodded. “I see. And what did you mean just now when you said you’d sort it out, that you’ve done it before?”

  “That ex of hers,” Kenny explained. His lips parted in a snarl. “I took care of him when he hurt my Michelle. Flint is a little sissy. Can’t even throw a punch.”

  “Flint hurt Michelle? What do you mean?” Nora’s eyes were wide.

  “When they were divorcing. She had a bruise on her cheek,” Kenny clarified. “I saw it. I knew Flint did it. I caught him and taught him a lesson. Grandpa always said a real man would never harm a woman.”

  Nora took this in. Kenny had just shown her a side of Flint she’d never expected to see. So it wasn’t enough that he’d cheated on Michelle. He’d hit her, too?

  Kenny saw the shock spread over Nora’s face and nodded. “Yes, I can see you’re upset, too. Now tell me what happened. Why is Michelle in trouble?”

  “Last night, around 3am, long after the bookstore opening party, there was a fire in Michelle’s basement,” Nora said. “The police found a body of a man inside the basement. The man was Jake Tipper, and the sheriff thinks he was bludgeoned to death before the fire started. The sheriff also thinks Michelle is the one who did it. He arrested her earlier today.”

  “My Michelle? A murderer?” Kenny scoffed. “Impossible. The sheriff’s made a mistake.”

  “I think so, too,” Nora said. “But the sheriff is set in his ways. So, I need your help to figure out what happened last night, Kenny.”