“So you weren’t fighting the day of the murder?” Nora asked.
“No. We made up almost immediately. We came to a decision - we’d use some of the money to buy May new camera equipment and enroll in an online course, and give the rest to Jess as a loan,” Tyler said. “She was her normal, loving self by the time she came to my office the next day. We walked out of my office holding hands. How could I have known that in just a few hours...” Tears welled up in his eyes again.
Nora bit her lip and looked away, letting him have his moment. So, Tyler was claiming that May had been loving and cheerful when she visited him at the office. That was what Austin had said, too. The story lined up so far.
“Anyway.” Tyler sniffed. “May and I left for home. We were going to relax a bit, get ready and then head to Natalie’s for dinner. May was talking about how James was invited, too, and that it should be fun. James is quite the ladies man, but May was determined to set him up with Jess. I kept telling her not to get over-excited but…that was May. James and I are good friends, and she was good friends with him, too. She was excited about him and Jess getting together.”
“May was trying to set Coach James and Jess up?” Nora frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. May tried to set them up before, too, I think. She was always a bit of a matchmaker, and James and Jess have a history together. They dated in high school, until James decided commitment wasn’t for him. Anyway, May was cheerful and happy, and so was I. Then we got home. May decided she’d do some yoga, but I was too tired to work out so I went up to take a shower. I left her alone. I didn’t even dream that…that...”
“You didn’t hear anything?” Harvey asked.
Tyler shook his head. “Of course not. The shower is pretty loud, and the doors were shut. I didn’t hear a thing. All I know is the sheriff said there was no sign of a break-in so May clearly knew the person who killed her. It might even be a friend. Imagine that. Someone she trusted. Someone I trusted, too, probably. She invited her own killer inside.” Tyler clenched his fists. “I wouldn’t mind going to jail for murder - if I could just figure out who the killer was. I’m telling you, I’ll kill them. For what he or she did to my May…I’d kill them in a second.”
“Tyler…relax. You can’t think like that. You’ve got a lot to live for still,” Harvey said.
“No, I don’t.” Tyler grumbled. “May was everything. You know? I’m an old-fashioned man when it comes to marriage. I believe it’s one shot only. She was my soulmate, man.”
“Did she ever tell you about someone who might hate her? Or have it out for her?” Harvey asked.
“Did she have any enemies at all?” Nora chimed in.
Tyler shook his head. “No. Everyone loved her. She was a bit of a prankster, but she was herself, you know? Full of life and energy and fun. She never had an enemy…and yet…someone must have hated her.”
“Maybe it wasn’t someone who hated her,” Nora said. “Maybe she just knew a secret about someone.”
“A secret?” Tyler frowned. “A secret…maybe.”
“Did she ever tell you anything about Brooke?” Nora asked. “Or Natalie? Or Jess? Any secrets?”
“Well, it’s an open secret that Jess’s business is bombing and she needs money.” Tyler frowned. “As for Natalie, well, there’s one secret, but it’s rather silly.”
“What’s that?”
“Natalie pretends to be a career woman but she secretly wants a football field’s worth of babies.” Tyler gave a wan smile. “I think she envies Brooke, in a way. That’s the life she secretly would have wanted to lead, even if she’ll say otherwise.”
“Hardly a deadly secret.” Harvey smiled. “And Brooke?”
“What about Brooke?” Tyler looked confused. “Oh, wait, she did have something.”
“What?” Nora asked.
“I don’t know,” Tyler said. “I just remember May telling me once that it was a shame Brooke wasn’t being honest.”
“Honest? Honest about what?”
“I don’t know. Look, May used to talk a lot - a whole lot. Sometimes I’d tune out and just hear fragments of what she was saying, you know? Especially when it came to those Stitchin’ Witches of hers. She was always talking about them, to the point that it sometimes bored me to tears.”
“But May knew something about Brooke?” Nora asked. “You’re sure of it?”
“Reasonably so.” Tyler frowned. “Why? What do you know?”
Nora looked at Harvey, hesitantly. He nodded firmly. After talking to Tyler, Nora was quite sure he hadn’t killed May. You could tell from his anguish that he’d really loved her. Maybe he deserved to know the truth.
“We overheard Natalie and James talking,” Nora said. Briefly, she told him exactly what they’d heard, especially the part about Brooke wanting Natalie and Jess to keep quiet and not talk to Nora. Tyler’s eyes widened and his whole body grew stiff as Nora talked. A wild sort of look appeared on his face, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.
“That’s why I thought that it’s a possibility Maybelle was killed, not because someone hated her, but because she knew something,” Nora concluded. “A secret of some sort.”
Tyler got up in a rush, nearly knocking the coffee table over. “You’re right,” he said. “One of them killed her. It has to be one of them. There’s something here. Something-”
“What is it?” Nora asked. Tyler was looking almost deranged. “Tyler, you’re scaring me.”
“But, of course. They knew…the three of them knew May would be at home at that time,” Tyler said. “They, all three, live around a five-minute jog from our house. There’s a shortcut through the woods that’s easy to take for any of them. But who? Which one? Loyal Natalie, Broke Jess, Secretive Brooke...”
“Tyler-” Nora was genuinely concerned about the look in his eye. She’d seen this crazed look before - but it was in the eyes of a murderer who was about to kill again. At the time, it had terrified her because she’d been gazing right into those eyes. Tyler, however, was staring off into space, his teeth gritted.
“Tyler, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath,” Nora said.
Tyler stared at her. “What?” he asked.
“Take a deep breath, calm your mind. You look…very disturbed.”
To Nora’s surprise, Tyler started laughing. He threw back his head and howled with laughter. “Deep breath! Yes! That’s it. That’s what I missed!” he exclaimed. He took Nora by the shoulders and shook her. “Do you see?”
Nora didn’t see. She thought he’d gone mad.
“It’s not about what she knew. It’s about what she didn’t know,” he said suddenly, triumphantly. “What an idiot I’ve been! We’ve all been!”
“What?” Nora looked at him, still confused.
“Thank you, Nora.” Tyler took one of her hands, then bent his head to kiss it. “You’ll never know how much you’ve helped. I need to go.”
“Wait…Tyler. What-”
“I need to go. Now.” Ignoring her, Tyler ran out of the house, forgetting even to grab his coat from the rack.
“Harvey! Go after him! We can’t let him leave!” Nora said urgently. “He’s going to do something stupid. I could see it in his eyes.”
“So could I.” Harvey jumped up and gave chase, but it was too late. Tyler’s car was already speeding down the road by the time Harvey and Nora made it to their door. They watched him go, and Nora felt unease bloom inside her again.
“It’s not about what she knew, it’s about what she didn’t know,” she repeated out loud. “What on earth did Tyler mean by that?”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Harvey said. “I’m calling Sheriff Ellerton and telling him the whole story.”
*****
Chapter 12
Run Away With Me
The sheriff dropped in early the next morning, a mask of worry on his face.
Nora was in the kitchen, busy preparing for Hazel’s party. She’d already don
e some of the work the day before and Tina had promised to handle some of the appetizers but, like usual before a party, Nora felt like a hundred different things were crowding her mind. And, even though she didn’t want it to be, Maybelle’s death was one of them.
Sheriff Ellerton sat at the kitchen table sipping coffee and watching Nora rush between the kitchen counter, the table and the fridge. She’d planned a Spanish tapas-style dinner and so a large, glass bowl filled with wine, cut fruits and ice sat on the table - the beginnings of a delicious peach sangria. Next to the bowl were tray after tray of as-yet-unbaked empanadas stuffed with cheese and caramelized onions. Beside them was a large loaf of bread that would soon be used to make pan con tomate - a deceptively simple and delicious Spanish bruschetta.
“Wow, you’re really going all out.” The sheriff whistled.
“Would you like a slice of the tortilla de patatas, Sheriff? It’s great for breakfast and I know you tend to rush out of the house without any.”
“What’s a tortilla de whatever?” the sheriff asked suspiciously. “I’m an eggs and bacon man, myself.”
“It’s a Spanish-style stuffed omelet,” Nora explained. “Try some. I’ve put in potatoes, peppers, broccoli and zucchini.”
The sheriff made a face. “No, thanks. I’ve got a strict policy never to touch vegetables before noon.”
Nora laughed. “What is it about you sheriffs? Sean used to have awful eating habits, too.” She cut a slice from the large tortilla she’d just made and plated it.
“Huh. Looks like a piece of cake…almost.” The sheriff grinned.
“I insist. Eat some.”
“Ah, well, if you insist.” With a sigh, the sheriff forked a piece of the golden omelet, chewed it hesitantly and then eagerly went in for more. “Not bad,” he said between mouthfuls. “I guess I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“How come?” Nora asked.
“Well…this is confidential, right?”
“Of course.”
“Tyler left town.”
“What?!”
He nodded. “He was driving a red Chevy last night, wasn’t he? After Harvey called me, I sent out an APB. A cop in a neighboring county reported seeing a car of that description with an identical license plate cross the state border sometime around 3am last night.”
“Oh no!”
“My reaction exactly. Pity, too. I really did believe that he was innocent.” Sheriff Ellerton shook his head. “I guess you can call off your unofficial investigation now.”
“You think he ran away because he’s guilty?” Nora asked.
“Of course. What possible other reason could it be?” He shrugged. “What an idiot. Where does he think he can go? We’re going to catch him, one way or another.”
“Do you think he’s planning to flee the country?” Nora asked.
Sheriff Ellerton grinned. “Well if he is, he hasn’t taken his passport with him.”
“Still...”
“Running’s gonna get him in even bigger trouble than he can imagine. I’m talking jail for forever and a day. If he’d just pleaded guilty and begged for mercy, maybe he’d have gotten off in twenty years or so, still young enough to live his life at fifty. Now he’s lost any chance of ever being a free man. I’m making it my mission to see him grow old and die behind bars.”
Nora winced at the restrained fury in Ellerton’s voice. It surprised her. She hadn’t known the sheriff was capable of being so emotional. As if he understood, Sheriff Ellerton smiled.
“You thought that the only reason I asked you to help me was because I was angling for the re-election, didn’t you?” Sheriff Ellerton asked.
Nora hesitated, then nodded. “I still do.”
“Well, you’d be right - partially at least. I’ll admit it. I’m an ambitious man and I like being sheriff. I’m determined to hold on to the badge for as long as I can. But the truth is, Maybelle wasn’t a nobody to me. See, her parents were my neighbors. I saw that little girl grow up from when she was eight til about sixteen. I never really spoke to her beyond a ‘hello’ or maybe I tossed a ball back to her when it went over the fence, but I knew that little girl. I saw her grow up. I saw the exuberance and energy with which she tried to conquer the world. She was a sweet, special little girl. She didn’t deserve this.” Sheriff Ellerton’s voice was low with fury. “I saw Tyler grow up, too. His father had business dealings with mine and so they often came over for dinners at my house. Tyler was so different from May, but I remember him as a child, too. I remember how quiet and shy he was. He always had his face buried in a book. Sometimes he’d stutter and get flustered if you so much as greeted him. He always seemed like a good and sensible kid. I was much older, of course, so I mostly just ignored him.” He paused, took a deep breath. “But, you see, I knew him, too. So I got emotional. And, like an idiot, I thought that Tyler couldn’t have done it. I can’t explain why I felt that way…” He paused again and laughed out loud. “Who am I kidding? Of course, I can explain why. I didn’t want to believe that a sweet kid like that, the American dream who married his childhood sweetheart and ran his dad’s local business…I didn’t want to believe that he was a killer.”
“It happens, Sheriff,” Nora said.
“But it shouldn’t have happened,” the sheriff said. “I shouldn’t have gotten emotional, I shouldn’t have been such an idiot. I probably don’t even deserve my badge. Thanks to me, Tyler might escape with no punishment. But he was so convincing.”
“He fooled us all, Sheriff Ellerton. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Nora didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected this.
“I’m sorry.” The sheriff pushed his plate away and smiled down at it. “You know, that really was a tasty tortilla.”
“You do deserve your badge,” Nora said quietly.
“Don’t lie. You’ve thought otherwise more than once.” He laughed. “I know you were always more of a fan of Sean’s.”
“Maybe so,” Nora admitted. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t a very capable sheriff.”
Pushing back his chair, he got up and hitched his pants up over his belly. “You know what, that’s a compliment and I will gracefully accept it. Now, thank you for all your help, but I’ve got a criminal to catch. I’m relieving you from all detecting duties.” Mockingly saluting her and smiling, he walked out.
Nora went back to the cake she was baking for Hazel. She’d debated a lot of the possibilities and finally opted to make a coconut cake with lemon cream cheese frosting. Something about a sunny-yellow cake with the aroma of fresh coconuts and the tang of lemon appealed to her.
“If Hazel was a cake, she’d be a coconut cake with lemon cream cheese frosting,” she’d confidently told Tina over the phone. Tina had nearly bowled over with laughter, then asked Nora what kind of a cake Harvey would be.
“Hmmm. My darling husband?” Nora had considered this, trying to draw a mental picture of him. “Harvey would most definitely be a coffee cake. Rich and dark with really complex flavors.”
“And a tendency to keep you awake at night?” Tina had laughed.
“Oh, hush.” Nora had blushed.
“Well, either way, I know what kind of cake you’d be,” Tina said. “You’re nutty as a fruitcake!”
Smiling at the thought now, Nora concentrated on adding coconut flakes into the batter she was mixing. Instead of regular milk, she always used coconut milk mixed with sour cream when making this cake - the depth of flavor it brought out was incredible. As she mixed the ingredients, her mind kept wandering back to Tyler. Prickles of unease teased her. She shook her head firmly, telling herself not to be silly. But the uneasiness kept coming back.
“No,” Nora told herself out loud. “We focus on the cake. Just the cake. Beat the butter, oil, eggs and sugar together till fluffy. Add in the coconut milk and sour cream. Mix in the flour…and why would Tyler go to all that trouble to convince us he was innocent? Why?”
There. Now
she’d said it out loud and the thoughts came flooding in.
Why had he gone to all that trouble? Why break into their house? Why act like he was innocent and extract information from Nora? What was his game? What was the point if he was only going to run away?
“You’re being silly,” she told herself out loud again. “The sheriff said a policeman saw his car leaving the state. His car, with that exact license plate. So that’s that. Tyler was in that car, and Tyler crossed the state border for some reason. The only possible reason is that he was guilty and he was running away.”
Or was it?
Was there something that Tyler had figured out? Something that somehow required him to go to the next state? If that were so, surely he’d come back. Still, given the seriousness of the charges against him, it was positively foolish of Tyler to take off like that.
Pushing the question aside, Nora focused on mixing her batter once again. The sheriff had said it himself - she was relieved of detecting duties. Her only duty right now was to make sure Hazel had the best birthday ever.
*****
Chapter 13
The Witness
“Grandma!!!” Little Kaylee ran up the driveway and jumped into Nora’s outstretched arms, knocking her back. She rocked on her heels and swung Kaylee around in delight.
“You’re getting too old for that - or maybe I am!” Nora huffed as she gently slid Kaylee to the ground.
“We’re here!” Nora’s oldest daughter, Grace, slammed the car door and smiled brightly at her mother. Nora hugged Kaylee to her side and watched Grace and Jacob as they walked up the drive.
At 6’5, Jacob always towered over everyone around him. Still, there was an almost boyish look of adoration on his face as he smiled at his wife. Grace, looking up at him, was glowing with happiness, too. Nora watched the way her hand unconsciously paused on her stomach and felt a sudden elation - was she imagining it? Could Grace have some good news?!
The Milburn Big Box Set Page 173
