Mabel, Murder, & Muffins

by Sharon Mierke

  “Like I said, she was on the trip with me. She was one of the prizewinners. I didn’t talk to her much. She was friends with Andrea.”

  “Who’s Andrea?”

  “Andrea Williams. Or, Andy. She told us that some people called her Andy. No one on the trip called her that though, not even Grace. They didn’t know each other before the trip but they were both from the same city. Some place in Texas. Not a big city. Yellow Rose. That was it. They were both from Yellow Rose, Texas.”

  “You’re sure of this, Mabel? You’re sure this is the same woman that you were with in Las Vegas?”

  “Reg, I just looked at a woman with a bullet hole through her forehead. I’m not sure of much but this I’m sure of: A few days ago, Grace Hobbs was alive. You know, talking and laughing.” I paused. “Well, maybe not laughing so much the last time I saw her.”

  Reg’s eyes popped. “She wasn’t laughing? Why wasn’t she laughing?”

  “She and Andrea lost money, gambling. At least, that’s what we all thought. You don’t really ask something like that, do you?”

  “Lots of money, do you think?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea, Reg. They didn’t say. All I know is, they looked pretty gloomy all the way to the airport. Of course, Betty and Ralph were miserable too. Actually, I was the only happy one and that was because I was on my way home. Now, I’m not so sure; maybe now, I wish I were still there. Do you think someone is out to get me too, Reg?”

  “Of course, not, Mabel.”

  “You don’t sound all that confident.”

  There was a worried look in Reg's eyes. He sighed. “So far, there really isn’t a connection, is there?”

  “What do you mean, ‘no connection?’ I’m from Parson’s Cove; her body was dumped in Parson’s Cove. We have the Las Vegas connection. Besides that, are you forgetting the message I got on my answering machine?”

  He was silent for a moment. “Maybe you’d better bring that in for me. I’ll play that for Maxymowich and the city cops.”

  I nodded. “I’ll have to bring my whole phone in. It’s all one piece. Flori bought it for me, you know.”

  “That’s okay.” He smiled.

  “When is the Captain getting here?”

  “He should be here soon.” He touched my arm. "Sorry if I'm a bit short with you, Mabel. It's been awhile since we've had a murder in Parson's Cove."

  I nodded. “I understand, Reg, and I'm sure Jim is happy to have you back with him. Is it okay if I leave? Flori will be worried. Besides, I don’t want to be here when all those cops from the city take over.”

  He nodded; his mind on something else already. I escaped out the front door and headed for the shop. It was almost eleven and my stomach was aching for food. An hour ago, I couldn’t have even thought about it without gagging.

  As I walked, I was wondering whatever possessed me to go over to the morgue and check out that body. I mean, in hindsight, it was a good thing that I did but it still doesn’t explain why I do such things. Flori says it’s because I have an overactive imagination; Reg says I can’t mind my own business, and Jake thinks I have some sort of mental disorder. I suppose it’s a bit of all three combined. Sometimes, that’s good; sometimes, that’s not so good.

  “Mabel,” Flori screamed, when I walked in the door. She rushed over and hugged me. “I was sick with worry. I don’t know if I felt any better after Scully phoned. Are you okay? I saved some breakfast for you. Are you hungry? Is it true that you had to go over to the morgue? I can’t believe you could do that. I told Jake and he said he believed it. He said you were capable of anything.” She proceeded to touch my hair and feel my arms.

  “I’m fine, Flori. You don’t need to touch me all over. All I did was faint.”

  Her eyes widened. “You fainted? Nobody told me that you fainted!”

  “Well, what did Scully tell you anyway?”

  “He said that you identified the body and that you were at the police station.”

  “That’s it? I identified the body? Flori, I went over to the morgue while I was waiting for you. It’s a good thing I did too because if I hadn’t, Reg and the boys still wouldn’t know who the victim was. I ran over as soon as you left to get breakfast. I’m sorry, I thought I’d be back before you. Anyway, when I saw that it was Grace, I couldn’t believe it. I had to rush over and tell Reg.” My legs started feeling weak again so I decided I’d better sit down before I fell down. “Flori,” I said, “she was one of the women on the trip with me.”

  As I spoke, Flori’s face had changed from pinkish to chalk-ish; then, back to pink again. Her auburn eyebrows stood out like two neon arches.

  “What are you saying?” Her hand clutched her chest. “Are you telling me that you went into Grappley’s morgue by yourself?” Tears sprang up into her eyes. “Are you crazy?” She reached over and grabbed the front of my sweater. “Why did you do that?” Before I could even think of something that made any sense, she said, “You wanted to go and look at a dead body? Why? Why would you want to see a dead body?”

  I pried her fingers from my sweater.

  “Flori, it’s okay. I’m all right. Please, don’t ask me why I had to go and look; it’s just a good thing that I did. Maybe it was Divine Providence that sent me over there.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, it was no such thing. You don’t think, that’s all. You don’t think of the consequences of anything.” She reached over, grabbed a couple of tissues, and proceeded to weep. I sat and waited, feeling dreadfully guilt-ridden.

  “Are you finished now?” I asked when she finally stopped sniffling.

  She nodded.

  “All right, you might as well tell me now,” she said.

  “Tell you what?”

  “What the dead woman looked like. Was there blood all over the place? How did she die? They say people who are murdered have terror etched right into their face. Did she, Mabel? Did she have terror etched into her face?”

  I stared at her tear-stained face. “You’re worse than me, Flori. Of course, there was no terror etched in her face. At least, not much. She looked exactly like she looked the last time I saw her. Well, she didn’t have quite as much color in her face. And, of course, there wasn’t the bullet hole…”

  “There was a bullet hole?” Her hand went to her chest again. “Oh Mabel, I don’t want to hear any more.” She shuddered. “Was it a big one? Where was it?”

  “No, it was really small. So small, in fact, I almost couldn’t see it.” I pointed to the spot between my eyes. “It was right here.”

  “Do you think she suffered?”

  “I don’t think she even knew what hit her.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s a blessing. Did you print some of the pictures of her from the trip? I think I’d like to see what she looked like when she was alive.”

  “Actually, I have several pictures of her. I’ll have to show them to Reg. Then, he’ll know for sure I’m telling the truth.”

  Flori collapsed in the other chair.

  “What’s happening, Mabel? Why would a woman from your trip end up being murdered in our little town?”

  “I don’t know but I think it might have something to do with the threatening phone call I got.”

  “Threatening phone call? You got a threatening phone call? What are you talking about, Mabel Wickles?”

  Well, I tried to explain in ten words or less, but it wasn’t that easy; Flori tends to gasp and interrupt often.

  “Which reminds me,” I said, during a gasp break, “I have to take my phone over to Reg. He wants Captain Maxymowich to listen to it.” I stood up. “Would you mind staying here and keeping shop a bit longer, Flori?”

  Flori’s eyes glistened with tears. “Of course, I don’t mind. Please, be careful. Maybe I should see if Jake would walk home with you. I could phone him right away.”

  “No, Flori, Jake doesn’t have to walk home with me. No one’s going to shoot me in broad daylight. I’ll be fine. Just try to keep my breakfas
t warm somehow. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”

  Poor Flori. That ten minutes turned into something much longer.

  “You know Captain Maxymowich has been waiting for you, Mabel,” Reg said, with a frown, as soon as I walked in the door as if I were telepathic or something. I knew he’d arrived because two strange patrol cars sat in the parking lot. Reg had been a good small-town cop but whenever there was something serious, like a murder, he was relieved of his duties. Not that they ever told him he was, that’s just what always happened. They swarmed into his station and suddenly, there was no room for Reg and his two boys. It was no different now that Jim was sheriff. In fact, I think Reg was trying to shield the new Parson's Cove sheriff as best he could.

  “Hello, Mabel.” The Captain stood in the doorway to Jim’s office. His voice wasn’t loud and booming but somehow, it filled the room. It certainly got my attention. Captain Maxymowich hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d seen him and that had been several years ago. In fact, I could swear he was wearing the same wrinkled navy suit. I might never have met him except it seemed so many people used the house behind mine for nefarious purposes that I could hardly not get involved.

  At first, he terrified me. He was standoffish; he was insensitive; he slouched. His white hair was combed straight back. White hair on a young man. At least, to me, he was young. I doubt he was over forty-five. And those eyes - pale blue and piercing. All through that horrendous interrogation, he tapped his pen on the table and never once looked up at me. To say it was unnerving, would be putting it mildly. I didn’t see him smile until the case was closed and then I got a glimpse of the ‘other’ Marlow Maxymowich.

  “Hello, Captain,” I said. My heart pounded at the same rate it had when I hit a patch of black ice last winter. He wasn’t smiling and he was still intimidating.

  “Why don’t you come into the office and we can talk there?” He stood aside to let me in and then closed the door before anyone else could follow. I sat in the wooden chair facing him, still clutching my phone to my chest. Maxymowich sat in Jim's new leather chair with the armrests. I’m sure Jim would be cringing at the thought. He bought that chair to replace the one Reg had taken home after he retired and Jim was almost as possessive about that chair as Reg had been about his. Personally, I never understood it so I assumed it was a 'man thing.'

  “So, how have you been, Mabel?” He didn’t smile but there was a hint of one in his eyes. One thing I have to say about the Captain is that when he asks a question like that, he really does want to know the answer. Not, you know, how some people say, ‘how are ya?’ and then move on before you answer.

  “Well, I have the usual aches and pains that everybody my age has, I guess. About a month ago, I had this terrible cold but I ate garlic and drank lots of orange juice. Flori made some chicken soup for me. She makes it for everyone who has the sniffles. Other than that, I’ve been keeping pretty well.”

  “I understand you won a trip to Las Vegas?” He raised his eyebrows.

  I nodded.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Well, I saw this ad in the paper. Not our town paper - the city paper. I had no idea I’d win. I’d never even heard of the cereal they were promoting but I sent the coupon in anyway. Then, about a week later, this man phoned to tell me I’d won. All I had to do was answer a skill-testing question which was really easy and that was it. There were five winners: Sally Goodrich, Andrea Williams, Grace Hobbs, and Ralph Murphy. Flori said she would come with me but pay her own way, of course. Then, as usual, she had to cancel because of someone in her family. This time it was Jakie's wife giving birth. You remember Flori? She’s my oldest and dearest friend.” (No reaction from Mr. Maxymowich) I continued, “Of course, there was Mr. Hatcher. He was with the cereal company. We didn’t see too much of him but he was helpful and polite. Well, I guess everyone seemed very nice. Our hotel was fancy, although, it was a bit too noisy for my taste. The others seemed to like it, especially the two women who spent all their time down in the casino. I don’t know how they could do it; you know, with all the noise. I stood in the doorway for three minutes and my head started to pound. Then there were the other two: Ralph and Sally. They paired off on the second day. It’s a good thing I enjoy doing things on my own. To tell you the truth, I was glad to get home.”

  “I understand the woman who was murdered was on this trip?”

  “Yes. Grace Hobbs.”

  “What can you tell me about her, Mabel? What sort of woman was she? Did she appear worried or apprehensive at all?” There was the touch of a smile on his lips. “I know you’re a very observant person. Tell me anything that might be helpful.”

  “All I know is that she and Andrea were upset that they’d lost quite a bit of money, gambling. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say they did for sure. That’s what the rest of us figured. I mean, if you’d lost a little money, you wouldn’t be that upset, would you? Other than that, I really didn’t notice anything. I’m sure she and Andrea would’ve gone on the tours if they hadn’t been so occupied at the blackjack table. Well, there was the food. She told me to make sure to try the chicken fried steak at the buffet.” A thought suddenly popped into my head. “I wonder if she was afraid to go home after losing so much money so she tried to borrow from a loan shark and couldn’t pay it back so she got killed? Or, maybe her husband murdered her because she lost all their savings. Of course, that wouldn’t answer why someone killed her and dumped her body in Parson’s Cove, would it? Or, does it have something to do with me? Do you think her murder and the threatening message I got are connected?”

  If he heard any of my questions, he didn’t acknowledge it.

  “Oh yes, the phone message. Could you leave it with me, Mabel?”

  I handed him the phone.

  He smiled - this time, a real one. There’s one thing about someone who always looks so stern - when they smile, it’s like the whole world lights up. It was only for a moment but it made me feel better. I knew that if anyone could find Grace’s killer, it would be Captain Maxymowich. Well, either he would or I would.

  “Now, what about the other people on this tour? What can you tell me about the man? Ralph?”

  “Oh, well, he was okay. In his fifties, I think. He’s divorced and has a boy in college. He and Sally were real chummy for the first couple of days but that seemed to cool off. One of those Las Vegas romances, you know.” (Sounding as if I knew what I was talking about.)

  He nodded as if he did know.

  “And, the other women? This Sally? What can you tell me about her?”

  I couldn’t help but grin. “Well, she was something else. I think she’s had every face lift and laser treatment there is. Half the time, I couldn’t even make out what she was saying, her lips were pulled back so tight. And, trust me, she made it known to everyone that she was divorced and looking for a man.” I shrugged. “That’s about all I can tell you about Sally.”

  “But you say this Ralph had a thing for her?”

  “Big time.”

  “Now, the other one? What’s her name?”

  “Andrea. Andrea Williams.”

  “What did you think of her?”

  It was hard to make such an assessment because all of a sudden, instead of remembering positive traits, I was wondering if she was a murderer.

  “What did I think of her? I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think anything. She was just kind of there. Know what I mean? Andrea didn’t really stand out in my mind. She was nice enough. Maybe a little quiet compared to the others. That’s about all I can think of.”

  He nodded. “That’s good, Mabel. If you think of anything, write it down and let me know. Write down whatever comes to mind, even if it doesn’t seem relevant.”

  He picked up a file and started to read. I think it meant that he’d dismissed me.

  I stood up and walked to the door.

  “Oh, there’s one other thing, Mabel. Could you spare a couple of minutes right now and come down to
the morgue with me? I’d like you to identify the body.” He looked up. “We want to make sure it’s who you say it is.”

  My stomach tightened and there went any thoughts of eating breakfast.

  Chapter Six

  It ended up that I not only had to part with my phone, Reg said Maxymowich wanted my pictures also. Not the ones of the desert or the dam or my hotel room unless, of course, some of my travelling companions were in it.

  “Don’t worry,” Reg said. “If any of them get ripped or lost, we’ll pay to have another one printed.”

  “Well, that’s a nice offer,” I said. “But, I erased them all from my memory card so this is all that I have.”

  He shook his head. “Now, why would you do that? Didn’t Merlin tell you, you could save them on a CD if you wanted to?”

  “Of course, he did. And, it might be a wonderful idea except why would I want CDs piled up all over the place and still not have pictures that I can't pick up and hold? Besides, it cost enough as it was.”

  He grunted. “Okay, we’ll take good care of them.” He slipped them into his inside jacket pocket and walked out the door. Before he got to the curb, he turned around and stuck his head back in. “Next time, get the CD anyway. Don’t be so cheap.” With that, he slammed the door and left.

  Flori gave me a worried look. She tends to do this if she knows I haven’t eaten in the past couple of hours. Or, if someone like a retired sheriff, is upset with me.

  “Oh, Mabel, your breakfast is ruined. The eggs are gray and dried out; the ham is as hard as rock.” She looked up at the clock. “Besides, it’s lunch time now.” She gathered up all the dishes. “I’m going to run home and bring you some lunch.” She looked at me beseechingly, “Please, try to stay here until I get back.”

  “Are you kidding? I will. No one is going to get me to leave, no matter what. This has been a dreadful morning. I hope I never see another dead body for as long as I live.”

  “Trust me; I hope you never see another one either. Or, go looking for one. This is as stressful on me as it is on you.” Her eyes filled and her bottom lip quivered. “I wish you’d never told me about that phone call, Mabel. I told Jake that you should come and stay with us for a while. At least, until this murdering maniac is caught.”