The temperature was still pleasant for an early fall evening. The last bits of light from the sun peeked over the horizon. As they crossed the grass to the back side of the track, Cassidy flipped on her flashlight. Not wanting to turn in any time soon, Oliver tugged on his leash and led her to the asphalt roadway encircling the track.
“Okay, one lap, and then it’s bedtime.” Cassidy patted his blocky head. Oliver trotted off around the track, stopping occasionally to sniff things that caught his attention.
“Come on, buddy. We need to walk back soon.” Cassidy tugged on his lead.
As they rounded the turn to head behind the leader board, Cassidy thought she saw movement. She swished her flashlight around, hoping to catch whatever it was.
Oliver let out a guttural growl and darted toward the seller booths near the fence. Cassidy had to catch her balance and jog to keep up with the mighty dog. He ran to Ron Silver’s booth and started sniffing around the tarped items.
“Oliver, no. Let’s go.” Before she could get him to heel, he started digging at the corner of one of the tarps.
Cassidy swung her light around Ron’s booth. Oliver growled louder and started digging furiously at the base of some piece of furniture.
Cassidy moved closer for a better view, her light landing on something shiny. It didn’t look like a table leg or dusty carpet. She inched forward and drew in a breath. A single silver shoe with a silver strip jutted out from under the tarp.
CHAPTER TWO
Cassidy shrieked and yanked on Oliver’s leash to pull him back to the asphalt as she fumbled for her phone. She punched in 911 and took a deep breath.
The dispatcher asked, “What’s the emergency?”
“Hi, yes. This is Cassidy Green at the Amelia Speedway. I was walking my dog, and he found something near the back gate. I need you to send police and rescue. We’re setting up for a rummage sale tomorrow, and my dog found what looks to be a body in one of the stalls.”
“Is the person breathing?”
“I don’t think so. It looks like a heavy piece of furniture fell on him. I didn’t move anything.”
“Stay there. Rescue will be there in a few minutes. Are you in any danger?”
“No. I’m fine. Tell them to drive around to the back exit. I’ll make sure the gate is open,” Cassidy said.
“Will do. Do you need me to stay on the line?”
“I’m going to hang up and open the gate now.” Cassidy disconnected the call.
She tapped Uncle Henry’s number. After several rings and his quirky voicemail, she left her own message that she hoped was coherent. Dragging Oliver to the back gate, she unlocked it and pushed the metal grate open. Oliver continued to tug on his leash, eager to return to Ron’s furniture. “Oliver. Stay.”
He let out a whiny sound and sat on her foot.
“I know. You don’t want to just sit here either. Let’s go put on some lights.” Oliver hopped up, ready for something more exciting.
By the time Cassidy and Oliver returned from turning on the track lights, a county police cruiser with blue and red lights flashing slowed at the gate. Continuing on to the stalls, the cruiser kicked up a small dust storm. Deputy Charles Smith stepped out and adjusted his gun belt.
Cassidy smiled. He would always be Chuckie from Mrs. Harris’s fourth grade class to her. “Hey, Charles, thanks for responding so quickly.”
“I was in the area when the call came through,” he said. “What’s going on tonight?”
“We’re having a rummage sale tomorrow, and as Oliver and I were taking our evening walk, he became interested in that tarp over there.” She pointed to the tarps draped over Ron’s furniture.
Charles moved closer, waving the beam of his flashlight around. He lifted the tarp and stepped back. He cleared his throat. “Has anyone else been back here?”
“Not to my knowledge. The track was cleared of guests when I locked the gates. I didn’t notice this then, but I wasn’t exactly looking for it either.”
More flashing lights appeared at the gate. An ambulance and a state police cruiser drove slowly in and parked near Charles’s vehicle. The EMTs climbed out and started moving tarps. Trooper Todd Hendricks followed at a slower pace.
“Hey, Cassidy,” the tall trooper said as she approached. He leaned over and patted Oliver’s head.
“Hi, Todd. Oliver and I were wrapping up the evening. When we rounded the corner on our walk, he zeroed in on what was under that tarp.” Cassidy had met the trooper last summer when a love triangle, involving one of the racers, had gotten out of hand, and Todd had been the investigator. She tried to shake off the eerie memories, but a glance in the direction of another dead body made her shiver.
“Any idea who it is?” he asked.
Cassidy stepped around the furniture as the EMT lifted the tarp for her.
She closed her eyes for a moment. “That’s Ron Silver in his silver sneakers. He rented a space for his furniture business.”
Todd made notes and said, “Thanks, Cassidy. Let me see what the plan is, and I’ll be back in a sec to get your statement.”
Oliver leaned in close, and she hugged him with one arm. “I know. It happened again.” Cassidy had another flashback to the previous summer as she looked over her shoulder at the garage where Oliver had found the body of racer, Donnie Ellis.
“You stirring up trouble?” Uncle Henry asked as he sidled up next to Cassidy and Oliver.
A wry smile crossed her face. “No. Oliver found another body. It’s one of my vendors for tomorrow’s event.” Cassidy sighed. “It looks like a piece of his heavy furniture fell on him.”
“Ewwww. Sorry I missed your call. It was poker night. I’m glad I got your message before arriving home to all the blue and red lights outside my front door. And it’s not even racing season.”
Cassidy looked over her shoulder at the back of the property where Uncle Henry’s farmhouse stood behind the copse of trees.
“I’m sorry about Mr. Silver. I can’t stop thinking about him and his wife. That was a terrible way to go...” Her voice trailed off.
“It’ll be okay. People aren’t going to blame the track for this. You’re doing a good job at bringing in business to the local community. And if we have to postpone tomorrow, we can. People will understand.” He patted his niece on the shoulder.
Todd made his way to the pair. “The medical examiner’s office will be here soon. What do you know about the deceased?”
“His name is Ron Silver,” she said, and she filled the trooper in on what happened earlier with Marti.
“What did you say to him?” Trooper Hendricks asked.
“I told him I was going to charge him for two more booths if he didn’t move his things.”
A slight grin crossed the officer’s face. “Anything else you can tell me?”
“I have a copy of his registration form if you want it?”
He handed her a card. “Can you send me a copy? “
“I don’t want to sound crass, but what should I do about tomorrow?” It was going to be a long night if she had to contact all the sellers and update all the social media posts. She might not have time to get word of the cancellation out to everyone.
Todd looked over his shoulder. “We’ll see what happens with the ME’s office, but they should be able to wrap it up tonight. I’m heading out in a bit to talk to his wife.”
“I’ll get copies of the paperwork for you. Be back soon,” Cassidy said. “Come on, Oliver.”
“I’ll stay here,” Uncle Henry said, “and take care of the lights and the gates.”
Cassidy took Oliver home and then hustled to the office. While waiting for the copier to warm up, she flipped on her laptop and scanned through the camera feeds to see if she picked up anything helpful. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she saved the electronic copies to a thumb drive.
By the time Cassidy returned with a folder and the thumb drive for the police, the medical examiner’s office had removed Ro
n’s body, and the forensic crew photographed and measured everything.
She stood next to Uncle Henry who had a front-row seat for all the activity. “Did I miss anything?”
“Not really. Emergency workers come and go. The person from the medical examiner’s office left a few minutes ago. I saw a news truck pull up by the back gate.”
Cassidy sighed. “Great.”
Todd sauntered over. “I’m leaving to talk to the family. Deputy Smith will stay here until the forensic folks are done. You can go ahead with your event tomorrow. Not sure about this booth. You may want to keep it tarped until the owners can arrange to retrieve their stuff.”
“Thanks,” Cassidy said.
“I’ll talk to you later this week.”
Watching the trooper return to his cruiser, butterflies awakened inside Cassidy. She tried to suppress the charge of excitement. A death scene wasn’t the place to think about the cute trooper.
“Why don’t you head on home? You’ve got an early day tomorrow. I’ll take care of things here,” Uncle Henry said.
She gave him a hug and jogged home. A hot bath and bed were exactly what she needed, but she was too wired to go to sleep. And her phone kept dinging with texts from people asking about what happened and if the sale was still on. And what had happened to Ron? Could his death be more than an accident?
CHAPTER THREE
Cassidy tossed and turned all night. Not able to sleep, she crawled out of bed fifteen minutes before her alarm blared. She hoped a double espresso would ward off the groggies. She would need to be the hostess with the mostest today, despite the horrific events of yesterday.
She filled Oliver’s bowl and freshened his water. “There. You should be good to go. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit. Wish me luck.”
He raised his black and brown head and gave her a slight woof.
Filling a to-go cup with coffee, she headed out the door. Popping back inside, she grabbed a jacket to ward off the autumn chill. “Now, I’m ready.”
Guests had already assembled in the front parking lot. She rounded the corner near the concession shacks, where she found Dee Saunders setting up the information table with flyers of future events and raceway information.
“Good morning, or is it? I saw some rumors on Facebook this morning.” Dee raised her eyebrows.
Cassidy offered a cynical smile. “Oliver found one of our sellers in his booth last night. It looked like he had been crushed by some heavy furniture.”
“What a terrible accident. Or do you think it was, uh, intentional?”
“Not sure. The police didn’t offer any theories. I’m thankful they let us continue with our sale today.”
“It is the hot topic on social media this morning. You know how it is around here. No matter how bad the person was in life, death seems to give them a halo. Everyone was sending thoughts and prayers to his sweet widow. She must balance out her husband’s prickly personality. Hey, looks like the crowd is gathering out there.” Dee stared at the lot on the other side of the wooden fence near the main gates and shaded her eyes with her hand. “You doin’ okay?”
Cassidy nodded. “I need to get you a walkie talkie, and then I’m going to check on Brian and Jason. They’re manning the vendor’s entrance at the back gate.” Hopefully, the crowd is here for the sale and not to get a look at a death scene.
A few minutes later, Cassidy returned and set a walkie talkie on the table. “You need anything?”
“Nope. I’m good. Your uncle’s around here somewhere. He said he’d open the gates to guests promptly at eight-thirty.”
“Holler if you need anything.”
“Will do. When Joyce gets here, she and I will cover this table, and I’ll check on the food and the souvenirs. Rita should have breakfast burritos ready in a few.” Dee straightened stacks of papers about upcoming track events and laid out souvenir pencils and keychains.
Cassidy got another whiff of bacon and hash browns. Her stomach rumbled as she walked around the wooden buildings that served as snack bars and souvenir stands during the races. Rita had faithfully staffed the grill at the track since Cassidy was little, and her chili dogs were famous across the tri-county area.
At the booths, sellers made last-minute adjustments. Cassidy waved to several on her way to the back gate. Brian Thornton, handyman extraordinaire, leaned against the fence with a small group of people as Jason Mills approached Cassidy.
“Hey, everything okay?” Jason was the announcer at Amelia Speedway. His velvet voice had narrated the races for the last fifteen years.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Yep. We’ve had a steady stream since we opened the gates,” he said. “It looks like we’re ready for the crowds, though. We’re in for a good day. You lucked out with the weather.”
Cassidy nodded, handing him a walkie talkie. “Let me know if y’all need anything. Rita has the breakfast burritos going, and rumor has it there may be some apple cider doughnuts, too.”
“That’s my next stop.” Jason offered a boyish grin that highlighted his dimples.
Cassidy spotted Marti in another pink exercise suit. This time she arranged jewelry and Christmas decorations behind a table in her space next to the Silvers.
As she neared the tables, Cassidy stopped in her tracks. Mrs. Silver and one of the young guys from yesterday pulled tarps off the furniture.
“Move that table to the front,” Mrs. Silver said, pointing to a walnut dining table. “I want it to look like an attractive vignette.”
When Cassidy recovered from the surprise, she approached the booth. “Mrs. Silver. I didn’t think I would see you today. I am sorry for your loss.”
“I know. It was so sudden and unexpected.” She sniffed. “But Ron would have wanted us to carry on and not waste the money he spent on the booth. He believed in our business, so Zac and I will do our best today. This is my grandson Zac. He’s been helping Ron with our business for a few months now. We’ll marshal on for Ron and make him proud.” The woman plucked at her blue cat sweater and wiped away a single tear.
“If there’s anything I can do, please let me know,” Cassidy said.
“Just send the buyers this way,” Mrs. Silver said, moving the matching chairs around the large table.
She recovered quickly. I guess we all grieve in our own way. Cassidy waved and continued her walk around the track.
Not spotting any issues, Cassidy made a beeline for the stand with the apple cider doughnuts and a refill on coffee.
Todd stood at the condiment station, stirring his coffee.
“You’re back early,” Cassidy said.
“Working on the Silver matter,” he said.
“Have you been around the back of the track yet?”
“No, why?” he asked.
“Mrs. Silver and her grandson are setting up their furniture booth.”
“Huh? I was going to chat with the lady he had an altercation with first, but change of plans. Mrs. Silver seemed terribly grief-stricken last night with a lot of wailing and crying. I had to call her sister and her grandson to come and stay with her.”
“I was quite surprised she’s here, but she claims it’s what Ron would have wanted. She was pretty much all business.”
He shrugged his shoulders and took a couple of bites of his doughnut.
“She said Ron wouldn’t want her to waste the money he’d spent on the rental fee. I didn’t talk to Marti, but she’s over there, too.”
“Headed over there now.” He tossed his trash in the nearby bin. “You going to be around later?”
“I’ll be here,” she said. “If you don’t see me, the team at the information desk can call me on the walkie talkie.”
“I’ll find you,” he said over his shoulder.
Cassidy felt that same flutter of excitement and was grateful he’d walked away and missed the flush that rose in her cheeks.
After listening to thirty-three voicemails from friends and the press,
she returned the few calls that had questions about track business. Wrapping up her office tasks, she decided to snap some photos of the day’s event, making sure to get her team and the volunteers in action. Still no sign of Uncle Henry.
Cassidy lapped the track again. This time from the opposite direction. She slowed down as she approached Marti’s booth. The woman pointed to items on her table as she talked to a pair of women. The women smiled and backed away slowly.
“Good morning, Marti. How are you?”
“Busy as a little bee this morning. Sales are great. Thanks for hosting this. If you do another one, make sure to let me know.”
“Glad to hear it,” Cassidy said, fingering some of the handmade earrings and beads on the table.
“Those go with your bright blue eyes. You should get them. I have a buy two get one free deal going on today. Think about it before someone else snaps them up.”
“They are lovely.” Cassidy held the turquois earrings up and peeked in the mirror Marti offered. “Okay, I’ll take these. By the way, when did you last see Ron?”
The woman’s brow furrowed. “That’ll be fifteen dollars. Cash or credit card?”
Cassidy pulled out a twenty and handed it to her.
Marti made change. “Yesterday, when you were standing here. You know when he lost his pants and showed his rear to everyone and his brother. At least he got his stuff in his own space. I haven’t seen the old goat all day. Thankfully, his wife’s a lot nicer than he is. I’m perfectly fine if he never shows up again.” She rolled her eyes and turned on the charm when two women approached the table.
Cassidy raised her eyebrows and moseyed over to the furniture booth. Mrs. Silver talked to a couple about the china cabinet and the dining room table. A shiver ran down Cassidy’s spine when she realized this was where Ron had lain last night.
Shaking off the creepy feeling, she approached Zac, who leaned against a dresser. “Hi,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather.”
He shrugged. “Grandma and the guys at the lodge will miss him.”
“And you?” she asked coyly.
To Fetch a Killer Page 12
