Shivers of Murder

by Gretchen Allen

  “We’ve got it. Thanks for stopping by, Heath. We appreciate your concern and thank you for all of your help. I’m sorry if this caused any trouble, I just felt so bad for Kelly and Barry having to deal with all of this,” Abigail said, getting more and more upset.

  “You’ve got a good heart. We’ll get this taken care of, but in the meantime, be cautious,” Heath warned the women before he left them sitting alone on the porch.

  Chapter Eight

  When does your dad come home?” Nate asked.

  “Now that he knows my mom opened up the house to a bunch of potential killers, I’m thinking sooner rather than later,” Yvette responded, shaking her head.

  “I suppose it’s fair that he’s upset about it, and I can’t really blame him. I know your mom was just trying to be nice but inviting those people into her home wasn’t a very smart idea. What if something happens?” Nate asked, sitting across from Yvette on her front porch.

  “Ugh. You’re right. I know that, and so does she, but she refuses to make them leave. Your dad tried getting them a hotel but said that everything was packed full until tomorrow because of all the people that came to town for the tour but he’s getting something set up in Merryville. Honestly, I think my mom’s afraid that if she says or does anything wrong that it may make them upset, so she’s just trying to be as accommodating as possible until they get another place to stay.”

  “I guess,” Nate said, rubbing his hands back and forth along the edge of the table.

  “Is everything okay? You seem to be a little fidgety and distracted this morning,” Yvette asked, tilting her head to the side.

  “I’ve never been very good at hiding things, have I?” Nate chuckled, looking even more uncomfortable than before.

  “Not really.” Yvette smirked. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s my dad. I was talking to him earlier this morning, and he kept mentioning how I should stay away from you.” Nate looked up at Yvette and back down at his feet again rather quickly, clearly embarrassed about his statement.

  “Stay away from me? What’s that supposed to mean?” Yvette balked.

  “He knows that you have a habit of getting involved in things…. well, that you shouldn’t get involved in, and he wants to make sure that I don’t get in the middle of it.”

  “Seriously? He doesn’t want me getting involved, but here he is, getting involved by telling his adult son what to do?”

  Nate sighed. “I don’t think he was saying anything bad. Like you said, I’m his son and he wants to make sure I’m safe. And, you have to admit that you really have gotten involved in a few dangerous things recently.”

  “Yeah, I guess…” Yvette trailed off.

  “He’s positive that you are going to try to make up some excuse about why you need to go to your mom’s house so you can snoop around, and he doesn’t want me to get dragged in again.”

  “How would I do that? He’s got patrol cars swarming the place all day, every day,” Yvette defended herself.

  “He told me he has one that drives by every hour or so and he’s got an officer on standby in case your mother calls in,” Nate replied.

  “I was being sarcastic. I know who he has there because my mom calls me constantly. She keeps asking what I think she could do to help entertain them. I’m half surprised she hasn’t put on a dinner and a show for them yet.” Yvette rolled her eyes.

  Yvette felt a little bothered about what Nate had just told her, but she didn’t want people to think that she would put others in danger just because she had a desire to put herself in the middle of things. She had a great time with Nate a few weeks back when they had gotten together to help solve the murder of Janet Moran, the chairperson of one of the branches of the Neighborhood Association, right there in Heritage. As great of a time as one could when they were secretly investigating murder, of course. She hadn’t realized that anyone had felt as though she was dragging people in the middle of anything, and especially didn’t want to cause trouble between Nate and Heath. Both of them had been a part of Yvette’s life for just as long as she could remember, and nothing would make her want to ruin that. However, Heath was right. She was going to snoop, and she was going to get in the middle of things. Now, she just had to worry about hiding it not only from Heath, but from Nate as well.

  “I’m sorry I said anything. I didn’t mean to make you upset,” Nate said.

  “No. You didn’t do anything wrong. Your dad is right. I shouldn’t get you involved. So, let’s just have a nice breakfast and move on with our day. Sound good?” Yvette asked, a bright smile coming to her face. She may feel a little bad about her tiny white lie, but truly, she was eager to enjoy a good meal in the company of her friend.

  “Whatever you say,” Nate agreed, looking at her skeptically.

  “Great.” Yvette laughed. “Now, what’s for breakfast? I’m supposed to meet Amelia at the hardware store in a few hours to pick out paint.”

  “Tell me you aren’t still painting doors? I bet Gavin loves that.”

  “I am, and it’s time to do them again. As it is, I’m already a few weeks later than I’d hoped. I can’t very well have teal doors this late in the fall, now can I?”

  “Heaven forbid,” Nate gasped, mocking her.

  “Gavin isn’t even in town, so he’s not gonna be around to paint anyway,” Yvette told him.

  “Awww, what a shame.”

  “You can take his place if you want. I just don’t see how I could possibly reach the top of the doors…” Yvette joked.

  “I think I have a step ladder in my truck?” Nate offered cracking up laughing at the look on Yvette’s face.

  “Maybe that’s a better idea. I wouldn’t want you getting in trouble by hanging out with me!” Yvette grinned.

  “Not cool. You’re acting like I’m five years old.”

  “No. I’m acting like I’m five years old. You’re right… Your dad is right,” Yvette admitted.

  “But, no matter how right we are, you’re still going to try and solve another murder?”

  “Gee. You’d think you being away from home for so long would make you forget how well you know me...” Yvette trailed off, not paying attention to Nate’s response. If she stopped at Sundae Afternoon and picked up some ice cream, she could probably get away with saying it was leftovers from the tour. If anyone questioned her, she would simply tell them that she was concerned that her mother was alone with strangers. Yvette would have to hurry though, because she was certain that Heath was doing everything in his power to get them out of there. Next thing they’d know, he’d have them camping out at the police station.

  “So, what do you think?” Nate asked.

  “Umm, good?” Yvette guessed, not having heard a word he said.

  “Is that a yes, then?”

  Yvette hesitated.

  “Were you even listening?”

  “No,” she confessed.

  “I asked if you’d be interested in being one of my guests at Whittaker’s Steakhouse for family night.”

  “What’s family night?” Yvette asked.

  “Wow. You really weren’t listening. Family night is when the restaurant closes to the public, and all of the staff is allowed to invite a certain number of personal guests. I’m inviting you. Are you interested?”

  “Oh, my gosh, yes! I’m so interested. That’s really kind of you. I’ve never been there before!” Yvette leaned forward in her chair.

  “Great. I’ll let you know the details as soon as I know more. Now, lets get going. I say we go to the bistro for lunch… because breakfast is over,” Nate said, looking at his watch.

  “Even better! I’m pretty sure I saw they were having their maple bacon sweet potato hash this week! Doesn’t that sound amazing?” Yvette gushed.

  “Hash looks like dog food,” Nate said matter-of-factly.

  “Gross.” Yvette swatted her friend on the arm. “I’m ready to go, just let me grab my purse.”

  Chapter Nine

/>   What are you doing here?” Abigail asked, opening the door for her daughter.

  “I’m off work today, and I just got back from lunch with Nate and then I’m meeting Amelia to grab some paint. I thought you could use a little company and maybe some ice cream?” Yvette replied, pointing to her SUV where the trunk sat open and full of frozen treats.

  “That’s sweet of you, but I’m not sure Heath would appreciate you being here,” Abigail stepped onto the porch.

  “You’re probably right, but I’m just not comfortable with you being alone with these people.”

  “They aren’t even here,” Abigail said.

  “What? Did they get a hotel? Isn’t that one of their cars?” Yvette asked, glancing to the little driveway on the side of the house.

  “Yes, but they aren’t here right now is what I meant. They went out for the day.”

  “Are they allowed to do that?” Yvette wondered, following her mom down to the SUV to get the ice cream.

  “They aren’t fugitives, dear. Yes, they are allowed to go places, and that’s fine by me because I don’t need them here all darn day long,” Abigail huffed.

  “What happened to Mrs. Accommodating Abigail?” Yvette giggled.

  “Even if one of them is the killer, that’s not even the part that bothers me. That April is the most self-absorbed, wannabe successful, high-maintenance, hoity-toity twit I’ve ever met in my life. The two that are dating… don’t get me started. They are like an old married couple that never even liked each other to begin with. And, Cyndee, well, she’s sweet but she’s also a doormat, and you know how I feel about that. Never, ever, let someone walk all over you.”

  “Are you finished?” Yvette asked her mother.

  “I know, I know. I’m ranting. But like I said, being a killer has to be better than all that other stuff.”

  “You said April was a wannabe?” Yvette asked, shutting her trunk.

  “That’s what you got from it?” Abigail laughed. “Yes, though. She certainly isn’t capable of very much.”

  “Her brother just died!” Yvette gasped, a little surprised at her mother.

  “I’m aware. She’s been on the phone with her parents almost the entire time she’s been here.”

  “Of course she has. This is a big deal for her family.”

  “Agreed, but I haven’t heard them discuss his death at all. I can only hear a one-sided conversation, but it’s been business related every time. Who cares about that at a time like this? All she ever does is assure them that the business is running properly and that the trolleys are safe and secure.”

  Yvette thought back to the conversation between April and Cyndee that she’d overheard during the tour. She made it sound as though she had no choice but to hire her brother or he’d go running to their parents. What if something happened? April certainly had a harsh personality, and if she felt like she had to act a certain way to impress her parents, anything was possible. Jason could have threatened to tell their parents something, and April stopped him before he had the chance. Yvette’s investigative mind started to work, making her anxious to get in the house to see if she could find anything.

  “Takes all kinds,” Yvette told her mom, nearly pushing her through the door.

  “I suppose,” Abigail mused, making her way to the freezer in the garage. “This is a ridiculous amount of ice cream. What were you thinking?”

  “People like ice cream and whatever doesn’t get eaten you can save for dessert. I’m sure Dad won’t complain.” Yvette grinned, knowing how big of a sweet tooth her father had.

  “Oh, hush. You just wanted to come over and be nosy. You can’t lie to your mother.”

  “Maybe a little,” Yvette admitted. “But, since no one is here, I guess I’m out of luck.”

  “Fine. Twist my arm,” Abigail laughed. “All I’ve been thinking about is which one of them could have done it. I feel like you.”

  “You know something? Spill it!”

  “I didn’t say that. If I knew something, I’d have alerted the police because that’s what normal people do. However, as I said, I’ve been thinking about it.” Abigail closed the deep-freezer and led her daughter to the living room. “So, I already told you about how odd April has been acting, but I suppose she could just be that type of person. Something else that has been bothering me though is the vibe I get from Shannon and Patrick. Shannon clearly wears the pants in that relationship, but it’s only ever about money with them.”

  Yvette told her mother about how Shannon dictated what Patrick was allowed to order and how he was nervous to pick up a float during the tour. Between his boss and his girlfriend, that poor guy didn’t stand a chance.

  “So, what you’re saying is, they are all miserable people that seem to entirely dislike each other?”

  “For lack of better words, yes. None of them seem like bad people, just bitter and resentful. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all innocent and this was all just a big misunderstanding.” Abigail sighed, settling into her favorite recliner.

  “Really? A misunderstanding? I’m no professional, but I don’t think finding someone dead at the local Bed and Breakfast is a misunderstanding,” Yvette stated, a little more sarcastically than she’d planned.

  “I don’t mean that. Just, what if it wasn’t one of them that did it?” Abigail mused.

  “What do you mean? Who else could have done it? Being strangled with a rope isn’t accidental, and there’s no way to claim it was natural causes either. From what I heard, the only people staying at the Bed and Breakfast besides the tour company people were Kelly and Brad, and you can’t think they had anything to do with it.” Yvette sat down on the couch, across from her mom.

  “Definitely not!” Abigail exclaimed. “We don’t know when that poor boy was even killed. It could have been anyone, at any time. Everyone was so busy with the tour that day, that it wasn’t until late at night when Barry found him. Anything is possible, and since we don’t know any details, it seems we won’t know anything until Heath does. I’m not sure what to think anymore. I suppose I’m just trying to avoid the thought of having a killer in my house.”

  “Coulda solved that by not inviting one in.” Yvette shrugged, unable to help chuckling at her mother. She knew that it wasn’t a good idea to have brought them into their lives, but they were all just banking on the fact that if one of them really was the killer, they wouldn’t risk doing it again. It was reasonable to assume that it wasn’t a serial killer who came to Heritage to kill their coworkers during a tour to look at pretty trees.

  “It’s the small town, take care of your fellow neighbors mentality that did me in,” Abigail admitted. “I know I shouldn’t have offered them a place to stay, and I’m not sure why Heath hasn’t removed them himself yet, but here we are.”

  “Well, Cyndee seems nice enough,” Yvette began.

  “So, she’s probably the murderer…” Abigail said, interrupting.

  Yvette laughed. “That’s not quite what I meant. Cyndee seems nice, and after everything I heard, she’s the only one that doesn’t seem to have a motive.”

  “What about Shannon, what motive does she have? April killed her brother to save face… or, Patrick is the killer because he was angry that Jason got the maintenance job over him.”

  “Wait. Patrick wanted the maintenance job?” Yvette asked, sitting up straight.

  “I’m assuming. I heard Patrick and Cyndee talking about it. I guess Patrick was the one that fixed the broken trolley and the reason Jason took off to begin with was because he’d spent a while on the problem and Patrick came right over and took care of it in just a few minutes. So, what if that’s it? What if Patrick wanted the job so badly that he’d kill for it?”

  “Anything is possible I guess. It makes sense too that a maintenance position may pay more than a driver one would. We know how badly Shannon wanted Patrick to be more cautious with money. He could have been after more money, so he could stop fighting with his girlfriend.”
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  “I’m just not sure,” Abigail said. “I have to admit though, no matter how exciting this is for you. I’m starting to feel a little icky talking about murder. I’m going to head out and run some errands while everyone is gone. I’d say you are more than welcome to stay here, but I’d be lying.”

  “Mom!”

  “Tell me you wouldn’t try putting your nose where it doesn’t belong?”