The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “Grace, dear,” Nora nearly stamped her foot in impatience, “you don’t understand—”

  “I do understand. Nothing’s so urgent that you can’t spend ten minutes with your daughter and granddaughter.”

  Nora hesitated, then gave in. Besides, she could smell bacon and pancakes from the kitchen and her stomach had started protesting.

  “Scrambled?” Grace asked, moving to the stove.

  Kaylee was already at the table, a piece of bacon poised in the air. At her feet sat Bubbles, rubbing his head against her ankles and mewing occasionally. When she thought nobody was looking, Kaylee slipped him some bacon.

  Nora sat down gratefully and smiled at the three flowery, yellow plates around the dining table. These days, Nora generally used the blue china Harvey had given her, but Grace seemed to prefer using the same plastic plates from when she was a kid. Nora looked at Kaylee and thought back to a time when Grace was the same age.

  “Your mom was exactly like you when she was ten,” Nora said to Kaylee. “She loved animals, too.”

  “Did she love dancing?” Kaylee asked.

  Nora wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Afraid not. I tried hard to get her to go to ballet classes, but she insisted she wanted to do sports instead. Your mom was a big fan of lacrosse and hockey and basketball.”

  “Still am.” Grace laughed. “I just don’t get to play very often anymore.”

  “Dad says Mom’s always coaching the hockey team when they’re on TV,” Kaylee said.

  “She should have been a sports commentator,” Nora said. “You were a natural, Grace.”

  “Yeah, well, you should have been a policewoman,” Grace countered. “The way you go digging into mysteries, it’s no joke.” She shook the pan hard, then slid the scrambled eggs onto a plate and garnished it with some chives. The toaster dinged and two slices popped out.

  “No pancakes for Grandma?” Kaylee asked.

  “I know she prefers toast.” Grace smiled and paused a moment to kiss Nora on top of her head. “Enjoy, Mom. You need a full stomach for a sharp brain — that’s what you told me throughout high school when I rushed out the door without eating breakfast.”

  “And I was quite right, wasn’t I? You graduated as valedictorian,” Nora smiled. She chewed her food appreciatively. “Why does the simplest food always taste better when someone makes it for you? It’s a real mystery,” she said. “This is delicious, Grace.”

  “Let’s test that.” Grace sat down next to Nora and took a bite herself. “Hmm. Not bad. Speaking of real mysteries, what happened yesterday?”

  Nora filled Grace in, trying to gloss over the danger she’d been in. Kaylee had already gotten distracted by Bubbles and was leaning down to talk to him, leaving her plate half-full. Grace listened to everything Nora said with wide eyes.

  “You faced down a man with a gun, then didn’t even wake me up when you came home?”

  “Well, it was rather late...”

  “Mom…you’re so…so…”

  Nora waited, knowing what would be next. Grace was Harvey’s daughter, after all. And, like Harvey, she tended to be a protective mother hen to everyone she loved. Nora knew she was going to get scolded for acting rashly and putting herself in danger.

  To her surprise, Grace said, “You’re so brave!”

  “Me?” Nora blinked. “I wasn’t really thinking, dear. I was just doing what needed to be done.”

  “Nonsense. I think it’s brilliant. You saved Michelle’s life! To think I doubted you… Could you apologize to Michelle for how I behaved last night when you see her today? Obviously, Michelle isn’t the murderer. I should have trusted you more. So Kenny was the killer after all?”

  “I...” Nora sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “Don’t know? What do you mean you don’t know? He shot at you!”

  Nora took a sip of orange juice, then pressed her lips together. “Well...”

  “Mom? Seriously? You think there’s more to this?”

  “It just doesn’t add up.” Nora sighed. “I’ve been running it round and round in my mind. Then Kaylee said something to me…”

  “Like what?”

  “She said I could use a bandaid,” Nora said, touching her cheek. “Which reminded me that Kenny put gauze on Michelle’s head wound yesterday.”

  “So?” Grace blinked.

  “Look, at first, when we caught Kenny with Michelle, the whole thing seemed simple to me. Kenny had kidnapped Michelle somehow. He’d knocked her on the head and brought her to his trailer. I could see her there myself, right? She was passed out, with Bubbles sitting on top of her and Kenny sitting next to her, rifle in hand.”

  “Yeah and?”

  “So, obviously, I assumed Kenny was the killer. I assumed he’d killed Jake because he was obsessed with Michelle, and then tried to burn the bookstore down to cover any evidence. Then he kidnapped Michelle because he had some half-baked fantasy about them being soulmates,” Nora said. She tapped her chin with a finger. “Right?”

  “Sounds right to me.” Grace nodded.

  “Only, a lot of things don’t make sense to me. Like why would he bandage her head after he’d attacked her himself?”

  “Easy,” Grace said. “He attacked her because he had to, but he wanted her to be alive and well. He probably thought he could run away with her and force her to marry him or something.”

  “Ok. That might make sense,” Nora said. “If it weren’t for Bubbles.”

  “Bubbles?”

  “Bubbles,” Nora repeated. “See, the cat was just sitting there when we arrived. He was calm.”

  “So?”

  “So, as soon as Sheriff Ellerton tried to get near Michelle, Bubbles went wild. He’s a very protective cat. He’s a very smart cat, too,” Nora said. “Do you see now?”

  “Not really.”

  “Why wasn’t Bubbles attacking Kenny?” Nora asked. “If Kenny knocked Michelle out, surely Bubbles would have, at least, left a scratch or two on him. But Kenny didn’t have any scratches on him, and Bubbles was perfectly calm, as though he knew Kenny wouldn’t harm Michelle.”

  “Well…that’s just conjecture, really,” Grace said. But she looked uneasy. “What does the sheriff think?”

  “I haven’t talked to him yet,” Nora said. “Because I can’t figure it out myself. There’s something else, too.”

  “What?”

  “If Kenny knocked Michelle out and then took her home, when did he get the time to set fire to Jake’s house?” Nora asked.

  “Well...”

  “Finally, the boys I talked to yesterday after Jake’s house caught fire said they saw a man with a gas can walking to his car,” Nora said. “They said he was an average man, nondescript.”

  “And?”

  “Kenny is anything but nondescript. He walks with a limp, has a scar on his face and is taller and broader than most men. The boys would have noticed him.”

  “But it doesn’t make sense,” Grace said. “I mean, you caught Kenny. Red handed. With a rifle in his hands. You can’t tell me he wasn’t up to no good.”

  “I can’t tell you anything,” Nora said. “Because I don’t know myself!”

  Grace sighed. “I’ve got work to finish up, unfortunately, or I’d drive you to the hospital myself.”

  “Can I come along?” Kaylee asked. “Bubbles will want to see his mom.”

  “Sorry, Kaylee, no pets allowed,” Nora said.

  “Actually,” Grace said, “If your grandma is ok with it, I’ve got a task for you.”

  “Me?” Kaylee blinked.

  “Yeah. You’ve been wanting a pet for a while now, right?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Here’s your chance to prove you can take care of one.” Grace grinned. “Bubbles is your responsibility today. Cool? You oversee how much he eats, you make sure he gets enough exercise and you make sure he doesn’t make any messes in the house.”

  “Oh, Mom!” Kaylee jumped up. “If I do it right, can I
get a kitten?”

  “Well...” Grace shrugged. “I’m not making any promises, but—”

  Kaylee rushed over and gave her a tight hug. “You’ll see, Mom! I can totally do this. I’m going to take awesome care of Bubbles!”

  “Perfect. Meanwhile, I’ve got some work to do. And, your grandma, she’s got business to take care of.” Grace grinned. “Looks like we all have a busy day ahead of us!”

  *****

  Chapter 16

  Muffins and Memories

  Hospitals always felt so dreary to Nora. Sterile, cold and uninviting — that’s how she thought of them. The few times in her life that Nora had to stay overnight, she’d never slept well on the creaky hospital beds. So, she wondered how Michelle was feeling and how she was recovering from her head wound. After breakfast with Grace and Kaylee, Nora had swung by the diner and picked up a few goodies for Michelle — hopefully they’d cheer her up.

  Deputy Jamie was sitting on a stool outside Michelle’s room, his head dipping slightly as he napped. He got up with a start as Nora walked up to him and blinked blearily.

  “Nora?”

  “Hello, Deputy. Long night?”

  “You said it.” Deputy Jamie put a hand on his lower back and stretched, then stretched his neck left and right. “I’ll be off duty soon. Change of guard. The sheriff’s being very careful. He doesn’t want any more incidents this week.”

  “It’s a tough job,” Nora said sympathetically. She extended a banana nut muffin to him. “I got these from the diner. Interested?”

  “Am I!” Deputy Jamie grabbed the muffin from her and took a huge bite out of it. “Gosh, I didn’t realize I was starving until now. Thanks, Nora!”

  “Were you the one tailing Michelle when she vanished last night?” Nora asked.

  Deputy Jamie looked a bit ashamed. He paused, his cheeks bulging with the muffin. “Sheriff’s pretty mad at me for letting her slip away.”

  “I’m sure nobody could have predicted that she would,” Nora said.

  “Exactly!” Deputy Jamie looked relieved. He swallowed. “It’s my fault, really. Look, it was 9pm. Michelle was parked out at your place, and I was hungry so I figured I’d just run to the diner and grab a burger or something. But by the time I came back to your house, she was gone.”

  “So, she didn’t technically slip away, you just failed to tail her properly?” Nora asked.

  “I mean, if you put it like that…” Deputy Jamie hesitated. “Can you not put it like that? I’m liable to lose my job. I was really hungry, you know, and she’d been there for so long. I thought she was just going to spend the night. I really didn’t think...”

  “You didn’t think,” Nora agreed. “Sheriff’s right to be mad at you.”

  “I learned my lesson,” the deputy said. “Believe me, I did. Never again.”

  “Well, then, I guess you deserve another muffin.” Nora grinned and held out one more. “I’m going to go in and see Michelle for a bit, okay?”

  Deputy Jamie hesitated. “Actually, Sheriff told me nobody’s supposed to…” He hesitated, looking longingly at the muffin in her hand. It took two seconds for him to cave. “Fine. But only because it’s you and you definitely deserve to see her. You saved her life, after all. Five minutes, alright? No longer.”

  “Right!” Nora gave him an appreciative smile and rushed in.

  Michelle was sitting upright on the bed, staring out the window with a morose expression. A swath of white gauze was wrapped around her head, and the loose hospital gown she wore somehow aged her ten years.

  “Hey there!” Nora said.

  “Nora!” Michelle’s face brightened and a large smile spread across it. “I’m so glad to see you! I can’t even tell you how glad.” She jumped up and hugged Nora tightly. “The sheriff told me what happened yesterday. You saved my life!”

  “I didn’t do anything. It was all Garth,” Nora said. “He was a total hero.”

  “Yeah…Garth.” A blush spread across Michelle’s face. “I really don’t know how I’ll thank him. If you two hadn’t been looking out for me...” She shuddered. “Never mind.”

  “You’ve known Garth a long time now, haven’t you?” Nora asked.

  Michelle shrugged. “Well, he was always Flint’s friend. But I did think he was a sweet guy. I lost touch once I moved out of town.”

  “Well, don’t lose touch again.” Nora smiled. “True friends are few and far between.”

  “You bet,” Michelle agreed. “I intend to thank him profusely when I get the chance.” She sat back down on the bed and clutched her head suddenly, wincing.

  “Are you alright?” Nora asked, alarmed.

  “Ye-yes. Fine.” Clearing her throat, Michelle looked up.

  “You don’t look fine,” Nora said. “You look pale.”

  “Apparently, I lost a lot of blood thanks to my injury.” Michelle sighed. “Lost some of my memories, too.”

  “So you don’t remember anything about what happened?” Nora asked.

  “I remember talking to you,” Michelle explained. “After that it’s all a blank. I see these images…but I’m not sure if they’re dreams or if they really happened.”

  “What kind of images?” Nora was intrigued.

  “Just...” Michelle looked frustrated. “All sorts of images. Weird ones. I see my hands on a steering wheel and I hear Bubbles screeching…then it’s blank.”

  “Do you see Kenny at all?” Nora asked.

  Michelle shook her head. “No. I never even knew he took me to his trailer.” Her face crumbled. “It’s so scary. It’s so scary that I can’t remember. I wish I could. I really wish I could. I want to make some sense of it, but I can’t. I just can’t!”

  “Don’t worry,” Nora soothed her. “Maybe it’ll come back to you later. Don’t raise your blood pressure worrying about it, okay?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Michelle said. “I was a nurse once, remember? I should be out of here soon. The sheriff’s just keeping me here because it’s easier than jail.”

  “So you think he still suspects you?” Nora raised an eyebrow.

  Michelle shrugged. “I don’t know if he suspects me or if he’s trying to protect me. Either way, I’m stuck here, aren’t I?”

  “Well, at least you’re not stuck with hospital food!” Smiling, Nora dropped her bag of goodies in Michelle’s lap. “I picked up some stuff at the diner. I figured it’s better than whatever you’d get I here.”

  “Thank you!” Michelle’s face brightened again and she stuck her nose into the brown paper bag, inhaling deeply. “It smells gorgeous! What is it?”

  “Chicken parm sandwich, a few muffins, some fruit and a pasta salad,” Nora said. “Enough for the day, I think.”

  “More than,” Michelle said. “It smells delicious. I haven’t felt hungry all day, but I do now.” Her face fell suddenly. “By the way, how’s Bubbles doing? The sheriff told me you took him. Did he eat? He gets really grouchy if I’m not around. Poor thing must miss his routine.”

  “Actually, he’s getting along really well with my granddaughter,” Nora said. “So you don’t need to worry about him at all. Just focus on getting better.”

  “Granddaughter?” Michelle cocked her head. “You don’t look old enough to have a granddaughter.”

  Nora laughed. “I’ll take compliments like that in exchange for food any time.” Hearing footsteps outside, Nora sobered up. “Look, Michelle, I came to ask you about Jake Tipper.”

  “Jake?”

  “Yes. Something struck me last night. Do you remember the night of your bookstore opening?”

  “Yes?” Michelle looked intrigued.

  “Bubbles was supposed to be in the basement, right?”

  “That’s right. He ruined my display window and I personally went and locked him in the basement.” Michelle nodded. “I thought it’d keep him out of trouble.”

  “Well, a little bit after that, Jake Tipper got tripped by Bubbles. Remember? At the time, you said that
you didn’t know how he got out of the basement. But then you and Jake started fighting so I got distracted. Well, do you have any idea how Bubbles got out of the basement when you’d specifically locked him in?”

  Michelle shook her head. “The cat’s an escape artist. That’s the only explanation.”

  “Maybe.” Nora shrugged. “It’s just funny. Not just that he escaped, but that he tripped up Jake afterwards. I’ve seen Bubbles in action for days now. He’s not the kind of cat that goes around tripping people up. He’s very dignified — until he dislikes somebody.”

  “He’s almost human, isn’t he?”Michelle asked. “He’s a really smart cat.”

  “Yeah, so why was he angry at Jake that night?” Nora asked.

  Michelle looked surprised. “I mean…I guess he doesn’t like loud parties? What are you trying to say?”

  “I remember Jake had white dust on his shoes that night,” Nora said. “Your basement is a dusty place, isn’t it?”

  “White dust?” Michelle’s eyes widened. “There’s actually chalk all over my basement floor. I’d meant to sweep it up but…never mind that. Why was Jake Tipper in my basement??”

  “I don’t know. But I think that he was, and that he accidentally let Bubbles out. Bubbles, being the smart cat that he is, tripped him up because he knew Jake was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.”

  “But it makes no sense!” Michelle exclaimed. “Jake had no business in my basement.”

  “Ah, but it wasn’t always yours, was it?” Nora asked. “It was Larry’s basement once upon a time.”

  “You think Jake was after something Larry had stowed away in there?” Michelle scratched her chin. “It’s a possibility. But the police have scoured the basement by now. They haven’t found a thing. Surely they would have.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” Nora said. “Could I borrow your keys? I’d like to go look myself.”

  “Of course!” Michelle exclaimed. She reached over to the side-table and tossed her keys to Nora. The keychain was shaped like a cat reading a book. Nora grinned when she saw it.

  “It’s the copper-colored key,” Michelle said. “Will you call me if you find anything? Anything at all?”