Murder in Ashville

by Jane T O'Brien

  “Mr. Krause, how did you get my mother to leave the house?

  “We've made some slow progress. My Helga and your mama were good friends before Helga passed. She made me promise to encourage Martha to get out of the house occasionally. Until today, she has only been as far as the backyard.”

  He gently guided Mrs. Jennings to the chair next to Bella's bed.

  “My beautiful Bella, I was so worried something terrible had happened to you,” Martha Jennings said, her shaking hand grasping her granddaughter's fingers.

  “I'm all right Grandma, I bumped my head. I've never seen you anyplace but inside our house. You look different to me.”

  “Mr. Krause said you were hurt, I had to see you for myself. I'm ready to leave now, Frederick, please take me home.”

  Allison was afraid her mother was going to have a panic attack right there in the room. She walked toward the older woman, but Mr. Krause had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and was already calming her down.

  “It's all right Martha, you are safe here with Allison and Bella, I'm right by your side.”

  Martha sat quietly for another minute or so and then looked pleadingly into Frederick Krause's eyes. “May we leave now Frederick?”

  “Yes, Martha, we will leave now. You have been very brave today. Tomorrow we will walk around the block; you will be able to see all the beautiful flowers we drove by on the way here.”

  Martha kissed Bella's hand and smiled at Allison. “I'm going home now,” she said with relief.

  “We'll see you tomorrow, Mother. I'll be staying with Bella tonight.”

  After her grandmother left the room, Bella glared at her mother.

  “I thought Grandma was afraid to leave the house. Did you lie about that too?”

  “Bella, what are you talking about. You know Grandma hasn't been outside in years. I was as surprised to see her as you were. Why would you think I'd lie about that?”

  “Because you lie about everything. You don't have to stay with me tonight; I know you'd rather be with your girlfriends.”

  “Bella, what has gotten into you? I want to be with you tonight. Why do you think I'm lying to you? Maybe that conk on the head made you cuckoo.”

  “You lied about my mom, Trudy and you lied about adopting me.”

  “I don't understand what you're talking about, Bella,” Allison said with the sinking feeling that she knew very well what Bella was saying.

  “You were my mother when I was a baby and you didn't want me, so you gave me away. I heard you and Grandma talking and you told her I should never have been born.”

  Bella began to sob; the crying made her head hurt and she cried even more.

  “Oh baby, that's not true, I always wanted you, I loved you even before you were born.”

  Bella fell asleep in Allison's arms. She needed the rest now but when she woke up, Allison would tell her the truth. She prayed she hadn't lost her daughter forever.

  Chapter Nine

  Patsy Burke sat on her sofa reminiscing about her time with Ryan Hartman that afternoon. He had driven her to the car rental place in town and they drove off in different directions.

  She thought they clicked earlier but he never asked for her phone number or talked about getting together again. Oh well, I'm doing fine on my own, I have nobody to answer to or worry about. I have my work and a few friends to laugh with, who needs a man?

  The doorbell rang, startling her, and abruptly ending her reverie. She opened the door to Ryan and smiled.

  “I probably shouldn't just show up on your doorstep like this, but I was driving by and thought I'd see how your car is running.”

  “You happened to be driving by,” she smiled, “how did you know where I lived.”

  “Okay, you've got me. I saw your address when you were filling out the rental agreement. Did I tell you I have a photographic memory?”

  “That's a nice trait to have, especially when you go to the grocery store and forget your list. Please come in, I'm having a glass of wine, would you like to join me?”

  “Sure, it's no fun to drink alone. I take that back, I've had some of the best conversations with myself and a six pack on cold, lonely nights.”

  Patsy's house was cozy and furnished comfortably. The overstuffed sofa was her favorite place to sit and unwind after a busy day at work. The Ashville Tribune was a small-town paper with less staff than most. Along with the Dear Patsy column, her job consisted of editing other columnists work and re-writing some articles.

  Patsy pulled two steaks out of the freezer that she was saving for a special occasion. She defrosted them in the microwave while Ryan fired up the grill on her patio. She sliced tomatoes and cucumbers to add to a package of ready-made salad and popped frozen corn on the cob into a pan of boiling water.

  After dinner, they sipped more wine. Ryan was wondering how to maneuver her into the living room and onto the sofa. Patsy was about to ask if he'd like to go inside when they heard a crash.

  They both jumped from their chairs and ran into the house. It was dusk, but they could see the shattered window the minute they walked into the living room. A large rock had landed on the floor, just missing the television. Glass covered her beautiful sofa, she wondered if she would ever be comfortable sitting on it again. Ryan ran out the front door but saw nothing. He came back inside and put his arm around Patsy to comfort her.

  “We'll have to call the police, Patsy, this was definitely not an accident. There's a note wrapped around the rock, but we'd better not touch it.”

  Patsy walked over to the rock. “I can read it from here. It says GET OUT OF ASH.... The rest is hidden, but it doesn't take a genius to know it says get out of Ashville.”

  Officer Decker arrived in less than ten minutes.

  “Ms. Burke, I don't think you could have staged this by yourself. I know Officer Jennings questioned your accident, but this should convince her someone is trying to harm you. Do you have any idea who it could be?”

  “I know who, it's the person who killed C J Sinclair or someone who is protecting the murderer.”

  “I can write up a report to send to your insurance company,” said Officer Decker, “that's all I can do for you.”

  “That's all you can do?” cried Patsy. “Can't you take fingerprints or something?”

  “We can do that, but I don't think we will find any. It's a certainty that the rock was wiped clean before it was thrown through the window. We will keep it and the note as evidence in case they try something else. In the meantime, you might want to keep a low profile.”

  “Thank you for your advice, Officer,” Patsy grinned.

  “You're welcome, although I know you won't take it.”

  Patsy's neighbor, Jim Harding, came over when he saw the police car lights flashing. He was standing in the open doorway.

  “Patsy, what's happened, are you all right?”

  “I'm fine Jim, but my window isn't.” She introduced him to Ryan.

  “I don't suppose you have any plywood in your basement?” asked Ryan.

  “If she doesn't, I do,” said Jim. “I'll get it and some strong nails.”

  “You can't put nail holes in my window casings, I just painted them.”

  “After the window is replaced, I'll help you patch up the holes and repaint. You don't have a choice.”

  Patsy agreed but didn't like it. She was more determined than ever to find the underlying cause of the mystery. Ryan insisted she pack a bag and come home with him. He told her he had a guest bedroom with a lock on the door. She agreed, but not because she was afraid to sleep in her own bed.

  Ryan lived in a newer apartment building not too far from the high school. Patsy thought it looked like a real home and not a typical bachelor pad.

  Ryan could tell she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

  “Were you expecting to see a futon and lava lamp on an old TV table? Maybe beer bottles strewn around on the floor?”

  “Not the beer bottles, but yes, you did surp
rise me. You have very good taste, Mr. Hartman.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Burke, I'm just your typical homebody, I'm either here or at school. You must be exhausted, let me show you the guest bedroom. You will be comfortable there.”

  Patsy was pleasantly surprised; the room was painted a soft blue. There was a queen-sized bed with a blue and gray billowy comforter on top. A small chest of drawers and a matching dressing table were on either side of the bed. The pictures were of lakes and mountains. It would be a comfortable room for either a man or a woman.

  “This is lovely, Ryan, to be honest, I don't think I could sleep a wink. If you want to go to bed, feel free. I've brought along a novel I'm reading, and I'll be fine. I won't make a peep.”

  “I'm not tired either. Would you like to watch some television? Maybe it will make both of us sleepy.”

  They sat on the sofa with the television on. Ryan turned the sound low, but it didn't matter, they weren't paying any attention to the show.

  “Would you like to talk about what happened tonight?” Ryan asked. “I understand if you'd rather not.”

  “I'm wondering who sent those letters in the first place. I would guess they wanted someone to investigate C J's death. Did they chicken out and decide to steal the letters back? How did they know the letters were in my purse and I was headed to the police station with them? They only meant to scare me when the brakes failed in my car. The rock tonight was another scare tactic. They haven't scared me, they've just made me more determined to find answers.”

  Chapter Ten

  The sun beamed through the sheer curtains in Samantha's bedroom disturbing the dream taking place in her mind. She walked down a long path in the park holding her father's arm, Fletch waited by the pond for her, his arms opened wide. She buried her head in the pillow, trying to recapture that wonderful dream. It didn't work, she was awake and there was no going back to sleep. She and Fletch had only been apart for a few days but she ached for the feel of his arms around her.

  Right on cue, her cell phone rang. She knew it was Fletch by the ringtone.

  “Good morning husband-to-be, I just woke up from the most wonderful dream about you.”

  “I'm glad you're awake, I waited as long as I could to call you. I miss you, Samantha; I don't think I can wait until the end of the week to see you. Would you mind if I drove to Ashville tomorrow?”

  “Would I mind? I'd love it. Are you sure you can't come today?”

  “I'd better not push it with the captain, he isn't too keen on letting me leave early. Luckily, there isn't much criminal activity in Lancashire this week.”

  Colleen noticed the smile on her daughter's face when she came downstairs for breakfast.

  “Why do I think you have spoken with Fletch already this morning?” she said. “I'd say you're in love with the guy.”

  “You'd be right, Mom, he's driving to Ashville tomorrow. I can't wait to see him again.”

  Looking at her watch, Samantha thought it wasn't too early to call Patsy. She was wondering how lunch with Ryan Hartman went the day before.

  “Hi Patsy, I'm calling for the low-down on Ryan. Did you have a good time yesterday?”

  “Yes, we did. In fact, I'm sitting across from him at the breakfast table in his apartment.”

  “Wow, you two didn't waste any time. I could tell the sparks were flying when I saw you together yesterday. I won't keep you, but I want to hear all about it. Call me later.”

  “It's not what you think,” Patsy laughed, “Mr. Hartman was a perfect gentleman, darn it,” she winked at Ryan. “We did have a nice lunch and dinner too. Unfortunately, our evening was cut short by the jerk who hurled a rock through my window.”

  “Patsy, are you all right? That's terrible, someone wants you to drop the C J matter.”

  “I'm fine but I can't say as much for my window. Ryan and my neighbor, Jim, will be replacing it today. There was a note wrapped around the rock telling me to get out of Ashville.”

  “If this was the first instance of violence against you, I'd say it was a childish prank. That reminds me, your theory about Allison and Bella Jennings is correct. Allison told me the story yesterday. I was with her when Bella fell off her bike and ended up with a concussion. Allison is going to come clean to everyone that she is Bella's birth mother. You were also right about C J being the child's father. I'm wondering about Mr. Jennings. If he found out about the pregnancy, I don't doubt he'd have gone after C J. He had a mean streak in him.”

  “It's obvious Allison doesn't want me to dig into C J's death. She might be hiding her father's involvement, or maybe her own.”

  Erin Shaw received her broker's license and opened her own real estate company. Her schedule was flexible, so when Samantha called to ask her for coffee, she was happy to leave the office.

  Samantha smiled when she saw her friend walk into the coffee shop in her stylish suit and three-inch heels.

  “You look so professional, Erin. I feel like a frump in my capris and flip-flops.”

  “Believe me, I'd rather be dressed like you,” Erin said as she kicked her heels off and slid them under the table. “I'm so glad you called, I wanted to talk to you one-on-one without Jody and Kate monopolizing the conversation.”

  “I'm sorry, I didn't realize they were doing that, I'm afraid I talked about myself a lot too. Tell me how it is going with you, Erin?”

  “You were fine, it's those two. When we get together, Jody raves about her wonderful husband and her two bastard kids. I'm sorry, Samantha, I know I sound like a terrible person. The truth is, I'm jealous of both. They have husbands and I have no one. Did you know I dated Will Logan when he first came to town? I thought we had something special going until he met Jody. She batted those mascara-laden eyelashes at him and that was the end of us. He didn't care that she had two children by another man, he married her anyway. That's the second guy she has stolen from me.”

  “The first was C J Sinclair, said Samantha. I don't know anything about Will, but from what I'm hearing about C J, I don't think he was worthy of you.”

  “C J was wonderful, he was everything I've ever wanted. Even Will didn't measure up. C J was my first, you know, I was only sixteen when we first made love, but he made me feel like a woman.”

  “How did you find out he was with Jody too?” asked Samantha.

  “They were standing outside English class when I came around the corner. I stopped when I recognized their voices. He was telling Jody how much he wanted to make love to her again, he said all the things he'd said to me many times before. Suddenly, his words sounded dirty and not loving at all. I hated him at that moment and I hated Jody even more. I ran down the hallway in the opposite direction, I went into the bathroom and threw up. I didn't speak to Jody for the rest of the day. When she asked me, what was wrong, I told her. She was as surprised as I was that C J was seeing both of us. She and I didn't speak again until the day C J died. Our friendship is a lie. I still don't like her.”

  “Did C J know you and Jody found out about each other?”

  “He knew, and he enjoyed it. Even though I hated him, I still loved him and couldn't stop seeing him. I used to watch him when he hiked on the cliffs. I often thought how easy it would be to push him off the rocks. I couldn't believe it when I found out he had fallen and wondered if I'd cursed him somehow.”

  “Do you think it's possible someone did push him, Erin?”

  “I've often wondered if Jody did, she thought she loved him too.”

  “Does Jody know you were dating Will?” asked Samantha.

  “Of course, she knew, that's the only reason she went after him. She was trying to get back at me for loving C J. I don't think she really loves Will, she just needed a father for those boys.”

  Samantha worried about the bitterness she heard in her friend's voice. Erin admitted she thought of pushing C J off the cliff. It gave her chills to think her friend could be a murderer.

  Erin's assistant called, interrupting them. Something had go
ne wrong with a listing and she had to return to the office immediately. Erin left the coffee shop wondering if she had said too much to Samantha.

  Allison waited for Doctor Remington to arrive and discharge Bella. The nurse said he'd had an emergency and would be delayed for more than an hour. Bella was better but scowling at her mother.

  “Eat your breakfast, Bella and then we will talk about you and me.”

  Although Bella didn't want to obey her mother, she was hungry and the pancakes on the plate smelled too good to pass up. She ate every morsel and even finished the sliced peaches in a dish on her tray.

  “Bella, I don't know what you heard when Grandma and I were talking but I never once wished you hadn't been born.

  “I was fifteen-years-old, I thought I loved a boy in my science class. He was handsome and smart and very popular. My father was very strict and didn't allow me to go to dances at school or any of the things teenagers like to do. I was very shy around boys, but this boy made me feel comfortable. He asked me to go to the movies with him. I had to turn him down because I knew my father would never let me go. Eventually, I began skipping out on the last class of the day to meet him. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but it didn't stop me from giving into him.

  “I suspected I was pregnant and bought a test and took it while I was in school. I didn't take it at home because I was afraid of what my father would do if he found out. The test was positive. I was scared but I knew I wanted the baby. I told the boy and he said he didn't believe me.”

  Allison let the information sink in before she continued. She told Bella about going away to give birth and that she wanted to keep her baby, but it was impossible because of her father. He wouldn't have let her come home if he'd known.

  “Aunt Celia was a wonderful woman, but she couldn't take us in, that was when she introduced me to Trudy and Rich Mason. Trudy promised to take care of you and love you. She said I could see you when I came to visit Aunt Celia.

  “When Trudy became ill and there was no hope that she would live, she asked me to adopt you. I was sorry Trudy died but I was happy to have you in my life again.