Killer Instincts and Savory Pie

by Angela C. Blackmoore

  “I can’t blame him, really,” Abby said. “If one of my friends were killed, I probably wouldn’t want to talk to anyone either.”

  “At least he told us something,” Gabe said, bending down and ruffling Cheerio’s fluffy ears. “He said someone’s been sending them threatening letters, but I doubt we’ll get a look at them. John was the most likely one to talk to us, and he doesn’t seem very forthcoming.”

  “Maybe there is someone else we could talk to that was at the meeting,” Abby said. “Do we know of anyone else that usually attended the meetings?”

  “No clue, but I bet I know who might,” Becky said. “Diane and Doreen Calem usually have their fingers in everyone’s pies. If they don’t know, no one does.”

  Reggie grimaced. “I think I’ll beg off from that trip. Those two old ladies scare me.”

  “You? Scared of anyone?” Becky asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Heck yes,” Reggie answered. “You have no idea how uncomfortable those two make me with their flirting. I’ve been in some pretty bad places, but I’ve never felt like such a piece of meat as when I’m around them.”

  I think I’ll join him and take Cheerio with me,” Gabe said, eying the bookstore down the street warily. “They do get pretty frisky.”

  “I’ll cook us up some bacon and eggs or something,” Reggie offered. “We’ll open in about an hour for the afternoon crowd, but I can warm up the grill earlier. Besides, Cheerio looks starved.” Reggie turned to the two women. “When you’re done at the bookstore, come on back. I’ll make enough for everyone.”

  “He is the last dog in the world that looks starved!” Abby said, batting playfully at Reggie’s broad shoulders. Just for saying that, you should come with us.” Abby said with feigned outrage. Becky chuckled, imagining what it would be like to see both men squirm. Still, they didn’t want their friends to be uncomfortable, so they walked with them down to the entrance of McGradys and said goodbye at the door. The bacon and eggs sounded good, too, even though Abby had a bowl of oatmeal before she’d left home.

  As they crossed the street, they saw Ben Martinez, the owner of Butters Ice-cream, walking the other way. The man was staring down at his feet as he walked and almost ran into them. Abby raised her hand to say hello, but Ben just kept walking with only a mumbled apology. She raised her eyebrows but shrugged at Becky before continuing on their way.

  Calamities Bookstore was on the other side of Main street and down a block. It was a new and used bookstore, part of a dying breed that was almost impossible to find in large cities anymore, but still hung on by its fingernails in a few scattered small towns. Diana and Doreen were twins and had kept their store afloat by going partially online with their sales. Abby wasn’t even sure exactly what else they sold besides books, but it was rumored they were big on hard-to-find texts and other things.

  Still, it didn’t look like anything but a small, dusty bookstore that one could lose themselves in for a few hours. Diane and Doreen just added to the charm of the place. They were noted gossips and always had a ready smile for anyone that came through their door.

  Their old, wizened faces turned when the door opened setting the bell above the door to ringing. When Becky and Abby entered, they also noticed Gini Moore standing at the counter with her two dogs, Putter and Driver, bouncing around at her feet.

  The eccentric artist was also on the city council but had backed the mayor during the town meeting several months ago. She ran an upscale art gallery down the street, but Abby and Becky both noted the lack of smiles. In fact, all three of them seemed worried.

  “Oh, thank goodness! Hurricane Abby is here,” Diana said, popping the counter lightly with the flat of her hand. “She’ll be able to help you, Gini.”

  Gini gave a strained look to the two bookstore owners before finally meeting Abby’s gaze. “Thank goodness,” she said, reaching down and picking up one of the dogs and giving it a nervous hug. “Francine Carthridge died last night, and I think I’m next.”

  Abby glanced at Becky before stepping forward. “Really? Why?”

  Chapter 7

  Instead of answering, Gini pushed a piece of paper into Abby’s hands. It was typed with no signature, but she didn’t think anything of it until she started reading. As she did, her eyes became wider and wider until she finally looked up into Gini’s fear-stricken face.

  “Gini, you need to go to the police right away,” Abby said, handing the letter to Becky. “Whoever this is, clearly is the one that killed Francine. We just came back from Mr. Tillsdale’s antique shop, and he also mentioned that he had received threatening letters.”

  “But why me!?” Gini half-wailed. She would probably be wringing her hands if they weren’t full of a dog. “I voted against the initiative! We tried to do everything we could to head off the Association!”

  “I doubt whoever wrote this letter is in their right mind. They may not even know who voted for what, except for the Mayor,” Becky said, still reading through the frightening words. A moment later, she began saying part of it out loud. “You’ve ruined my life, and now I’m going to ruin yours. Don Buckshire won’t be the only one that dies.” She looked up wide-eyed after she’d finished reading.

  The twins, Gini, and Abby all looked at her without saying a word as they felt the weight of what had been said. Hearing it out-loud somehow seemed even more menacing than seeing it typed on a piece of paper. “When did you get this letter?” Abby finally asked.

  “This morning,” Gini said, peeking over Abby’s shoulder toward the window as if someone with a knife might be outside. “Oh, my goodness! What am I going to do? Terry is out of town on a golf trip!”

  Abby immediately reached over, consoling the stricken woman. “No, that’s not going to happen. How did you find the letter?”

  “It was in the mailbox,” Gini said, sniffing softly after she answered. “I can’t believe the post office allowed this to be delivered! Don’t they check these things?”

  “No, dear,” Doreen said, petting the dog in Gini’s arms. “It’s against the law to check someone’s mail.”

  “But what about explosives, or anthrax, or whatever?” Gini pleaded. “They can find those, can’t they?”

  “They can’t find what’s written in a letter,” Abby said. “Besides, it’s Sunday. The post office doesn’t deliver on Sunday.”

  Gini stared at Abby for a moment before looking down, blinking her eyes. She was usually much more alert but clearly was in shock from having her life threatened. Finally, she nodded. “But what do I do?”

  Abby opened her mouth to answer but suddenly realized she wasn’t sure. What should Gini do? Her eyes drifted over to the window as she thought about what their next step should be. There was obviously a panicked woman standing in front of her that was terrified and with good reason. She watched as Al Green from the hardware store walked by across the street, and suddenly it hit her that if someone did put a letter in her mailbox, maybe someone saw it happen.

  Snapping her fingers, she turned back toward Gini. “I’ve got it!” she said. “Maybe someone saw whoever it was put the letter in your mailbox. It might just be unusual enough for someone to remember!”

  Gini’s eyes brightened as she began to nod along.

  “But first, we need to call the police,” Abby said, pulling out her phone. “They need to know about these letters so they can protect you and all the others from this maniac.”

  “But won’t that just make the killer angry?” Gini asked, putting her hand on Abby’s arm.

  Abby stared at Gini, not believing what she’d just heard. “Gini, whoever this is threatened to kill you. I don’t think they can get any angrier. Besides, who else would be able to protect you?”

  “I don’t know,” Gini said, putting one of her hands over her mouth as she struggled with the thought. “Maybe I should just leave town?”

  “That might not be a bad idea,” Doreen offered. “But you really do need to tell the police, Gini. The last
thing you need is to go on a vacation, and then the killer is still on the loose when you get back.”

  “I didn’t think of that,” Gini said, taking her hand off of Abby’s arm and nodding at her. “Go ahead.”

  Abby gave Gini one last look, still not certain what the older woman was thinking, but finally turned and dialed the correct number. She closed her eyes, hoping Lanie would pick up, but there was no such luck.

  “Hello? Police department,” said the deep voice of Sheriff Pearson.

  Abby cursed silently to herself but plowed on, knowing she couldn’t back out now. “Hello, sheriff? It’s Abby. I think I found something you need to look at.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line for a long moment, and Abby could almost feel the sheriff’s eyes rolling. “You found out something about the killing, didn’t you? Are you with Ruby or John Tillsdale?”

  “Neither,” Abby answered, watching Becky grin at her. “I’m at Calamities bookstore with Gini Moore. She received a letter this morning threatening her life. I think John Tillsdale also received one, but I’m not sure. He mentioned something about a letter this morning but wouldn’t talk to me.”

  “Well, at least someone’s got some sense,” the sheriff’s sonorous voice said, dripping with sarcasm. “All right, hold your horses. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  Chapter 8

  When the sheriff pulled up in his old, dusty police car, Abby took a deep breath and steeled herself from the look she knew he was going to give her. Sure enough, when the tall man got out of his car, his bushy mustache bunched up on his face as his eyes narrowed. He didn’t say anything except to shake his head and move up to the small group that waited for him.

  Gini herself was quite distraught, but Abby couldn’t blame her. The woman had just had her life threatened by a proven killer. Coupled with the fact that someone she’d worked with on the council was dead, and that her eyes kept scanning the area as if expecting someone was going to jump out from the corner and race at her with a knife, she had a hard time standing still. She only stopped once the sheriff walked up to their group.

  “Ladies,” he said in his low, sonorous voice while tipping his hat. “Can I see the letter?”

  Gini blinked for a moment, still clutching the letter before realizing she was the one that had it, then handed it over. “Sheriff! I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t believe someone would do this! I’ve never had anything like this happen to me in my life.” She turned to Abby while her two dogs, Putter and Driver yipped around her ankles and sniffed at the sheriff. “How do you handle this type of thing, Abby?”

  For a moment, Abby was confused before realizing that Gini had a point. Of all of them, she had the most experience with dealing with life or death situations. Since coming to Red Pine Falls, she’d been chased, stalked, had a shotgun go off in her face, been kidnapped, and had more guns pointed at her than she cared to admit. As she thought about it, she realized she still didn’t really have a solid answer to give Gini, but she knew she had to say something.

  “I… really don’t have a good answer for you, Gini,” Abby said, her voice hesitant as she looked at Becky for support. “Being in danger has never been something I’d planned on, but I think I got through it by relying on my friends and the people of this town.” She reached out, taking Becky’s hand and squeezing it before looking back at Gini. “You can do that too. The sheriff and his deputies are good people, and they care about your safety.”

  The sheriff stopped reading, a look of concern on his face but nodded confidently. “That’s right, Gini. I know Terry is out of town, but I’ll have a deputy stay with you until he gets home. Will that be all right?”

  Gini, with tears in her eyes, nodded emphatically. “Yes! Yes, please! I don’t want to die!”

  “Don’t worry,” Sheriff Pearson said. “You’re not going to die. We’ll do everything we can to catch the killer. In the meantime-” he said, turning back to Abby. “You mentioned that John Tillsdale also received a letter?”

  Becky nodded. “Yes. We were just there, and he said he’d gotten some sort of letter. We didn’t know what it was, but I bet you a crock of butter that it’s the same kind of thing that Gini received.”

  “I’ll have to check with the other councilors, as well as the mayor. That’s going to stretch my manpower thin,” the sheriff said, glancing at Abby. “Do you think Gabe and his crew would mind helping us out?”

  “You’d have to ask him, Sheriff, but I bet he would,” Abby answered.

  “All right, I’ll talk to him after I get with John Tillsdale. Did you say John was over at his antique shop or at home?”

  “We visited him at his antique store,” Abby said. “If you’re curious, Gabe is over at McGradys this morning getting some breakfast. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a visit. We’re planning on heading over there after this.”

  The sheriff raised one of his bushy eyebrows at her. “And what are you going to do after that? Something I should be aware of?”

  Abby and Becky exchanged glances while the Calem twins both chuckled, obviously picking up on the interchange. “They’ll be snooping, of course, sheriff,” Doreen said with mirth in her voice. “And don’t even try to convince us you don’t love it!”

  The sheriff snarled at the two old women, his usual fierce look making the two older women just cackle more energetically. After shaking his head, he gave Abby and Becky a hairy eyeball. “Do I have to deputize you two?”

  The twins just laughed louder while Abby and Becky both looked wide-eyed at the sheriff. Neither women could tell if the sheriff was serious. He wasn’t the type to joke, but after a few tense moments, he just snorted. “Just stay safe and let me or Lanie know what you find out. I’m going to put you down as volunteers, but don’t let that go to your head. I swear, if Fred Strakes over at county ever catches wind of this, I won’t hear the end of it.”

  Abby and Becky both nodded before bidding goodbye to Gini and the twins. The sheriff was going to stay with them to ask Gini more questions, but they knew that at least for now, she was safe.

  “Let’s get us some bacon and eggs,” Becky said, rubbing her hands together as they crossed the street and headed for McGradys.

  Chapter 9

  Reggie and Gabe were laughing at something when the two women entered the bar, and they could already smell the delicious smell of bacon and eggs permeating the room. Cheerio was lying next to the table with a satisfied look on his face after having eaten probably far too much bacon. Instead of leaping up and bouncing over to them, he simply rolled over and harrumphed at their entrance.

  Taking a deep breath, Abby’s stomach growled. Despite working in Becky’s diner where the eggs were good, Reggie had a trick with making scrambled eggs that were almost magical. “You saved some for us, right?”

  Gabe smiled and waved while Reggie stood and moved toward the kitchen. “I sure did. I was keeping it in the warmer so it wouldn’t get cold. I’ll be right back.”

  Becky and Abby nodded and moved toward the table to take a seat. Before she sat, Abby looked down at Cheerio and gave him a look. “Not even a hello? Spoiled brat.”

  Cheerio answered by snuffling at her shoe but otherwise didn’t move making Abby laugh at the dog softly. She quickly gave Gabe a hug and kiss before sitting down next to him. “Well, you missed a bit of excitement,” she said, snatching a piece of bacon off of his plate.

  “Hey! That’s mine!” Gabe said, pulling his plate away from Abby but within reach of Becky, who reached over and took another piece, making him huddle over his plate and glare at both of the women.

  Becky grinned at Abby. “Oh boy, he hasn’t realized that he’ll never have something of his own again, does he?”

  Gabe glared at Becky while Abby just shrugged, using the distraction to steal another small piece of bacon through the openings in his defense. Gabe finally just signed and leaned back, accepting his fate. “Okay, what kind of excitement? Were the twins chasing some p
oor shmuck down the street with a broom?”

  “No,” Abby answered, not reaching for another piece of bacon because Gabe had taken the fun out of it with his surrender. “Gini Moore was there, and she’d received a letter this morning threatening her life.”

  “What?” Gabe exclaimed, sitting straighter in his chair.

  Becky nodded. “Yes. Apparently, someone is targeting all the councilors although we haven’t gotten confirmation on everyone. Still, first John Tillsdale and now Gini Moore. I bet the rest of them have gotten letters, too.”

  At that moment, the door to the kitchen opened, and the beautiful smell of eggs and bacon blossomed once again, making both women turn towards Reggie who held two plates in his hand. He quickly brought them to the table before taking his own seat, watching as the two women dug in. “What’s this about letters?”

  “Apparently Gini Moore was over at the bookstore after receiving a threatening letter. The girls think that all the councilmembers might have received them,” Gabe said while Becky and Abby both nodded, their mouths full of food.

  Surprisingly, Reggie rolled his eyes. “Amateurs.”

  Abby blinked as her worldview righted itself. Sometimes she forgot that Reggie and his boss used to be heavily involved in the criminal world. They’d spent a decade extracting themselves once John Troutdale took over his family business, and it was easy to forget that the man once spent his time in illegal activities.

  Seeing the look in their eyes, Reggie held his hands up. “Not that I ever had to kill someone, but it’s the nature of crime. The amateurs always brag or want someone to feel threatened in some way, which usually gets them caught. Professionals just do the job, so at least that means the senator didn’t hire anyone.”

  Abby nodded slowly, accepting Reggie’s input. He had a past, but he had come to Red Pine Falls to retire, and so far, he had done a good job at it. He and deputy Lanie were even a couple, and Abby was pretty certain Lanie wouldn’t have anything to do with Reggie if he was still involved in crime. She couldn’t fault his logic, either. It was an indicator that the senator wasn’t involved, at least directly, but that just meant it was one of their own townspeople that were the threat.