Murder Ink

by Lorraine Bartlett

  “Are you sure this isn’t because you’re still angry about the situation with Erikka?” he interrupted.

  “I’m positive.” It might have started out that way, but now the move was all about asserting her independence.

  Andy blew out a breath, apparently unconvinced but not wanting to ruin the evening by discussing the matter. “So, why do you think Nona has a bug up her butt about Ray Davenport?”

  “I’m sure she’s been carrying a grudge against him since that whole ordeal with her nephew last December,” Katie said. “She’s probably still angry with me about that mess, too, come to think of it.”

  “I don’t think that’s it. I believe she’s honestly afraid that Ray killed Ken Fenton.”

  “But that’s ridiculous.” Katie sipped her beer. “There are a lot of people who had a much better motive than Ray.”

  “Like who?”

  “Paul Fenton, for one.” She sat her glass down and rubbed her bare arms. “That guy creeps me out—I don’t care how great Regan thinks he is.”

  Andy leaned closer. “Between you and me, Roger isn’t a member of his sister’s Paul Fenton admiration society, either. He confided to me that he feels there’s something off about Paul. Roger doesn’t trust the guy and wishes Regan would get a job somewhere else.”

  “I wonder what kind of shady business Ken—and probably Paul—were involved in. Do you think it could be drugs?”

  “Finding out about shady businesses and tracking down killers are the responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Office—not you. I’d appreciate it very much if you’d leave the detective work to them and stick around for more romantic dinners.”

  “Of course I will. But it’s scary knowing there’s a murderer running around McKinlay Mill.”

  “It is scary,” Andy agreed. “It’s also unnerving to contemplate the number of wolves running around Victoria Square in sheep’s clothing.”

  Katie was well aware that Andy was warning her about Ray, but she believed the adage was far more applicable to Erikka.

  * * *

  —

  Andy parked his truck near the front of Artisans Alley and killed the engine. He turned to Katie, reached for her, and kissed her thoroughly. “I enjoyed dinner.”

  “So did I.”

  They got out of the truck and walked hand in hand to the pizzeria, kissed again, and Andy went inside while Katie climbed the stairs to her apartment. She was so happy to be home. It felt like she’d been away for a week.

  She was still greeting the cats, giving them some much-appreciated attention, when a knock sounded on her door.

  “Who is it?” she called.

  “It’s Ray. I need to talk to you.”

  Katie set Mason down on the floor and opened the door, letting Ray inside. “Is everything all right?”

  He raised his bushy eyebrows in consternation. “Really?”

  “Okay. Sorry. That was a dumb question.”

  Ray shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “I saw the murder board.”

  “It was Sasha’s idea.” Katie turned for the counter and opened a can of cat food, putting it into a bowl and setting it on the floor. As Mason and Della huddled around their dinner, Katie invited Ray into the living room. “I went along with the murder board because it made them—and me—feel more productive. I left it up after the girls went to bed because I thought it might trigger something.”

  Ray sat on the armchair. “It was pretty good, as far as murder boards go. I was surprised to see you on there as a suspect.”

  “Yeah . . . that wasn’t at my suggestion.”

  He smirked. “I didn’t think it was.”

  “Did our murder board jog your memory about anything?”

  “No . . . but I know you wouldn’t brainstorm with the girls the way you would with me,” Ray said. “I want the two of us to put our heads together and see what we can come up with.”

  “Then let’s go back into the kitchen, get a legal pad and some markers, and see what we can accomplish.”

  Ray crossed the floor and was standing in front of her before Katie had time to turn. He put his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. “I do appreciate everything you do,” he said against her hair.

  “You’re welcome.” She stepped back, feeling apprehensive. “We should get to work.”

  “Yeah.”

  Katie took a legal pad and a handful of markers of various colors from a drawer in the kitchen. She placed the items on the table and then put on a pot of coffee before sitting down to Ray’s right.

  “Let’s start with the victim,” Ray said.

  “All right.” Katie wrote Ken Fenton across the top of the pad in red ink.

  “What do we know about him?”

  “We know he’s Harper Jones’s brother-in-law and that his siblings are Mary Jones and Paul Fenton.”

  Ray nodded. “Write that down. Also, make note of the fact that he was working on the building for Harper Jones.”

  “And that he was involved in something shady.”

  “Don’t write that,” Ray said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because we don’t know that Ken Fenton was involved in anything shady. We never saw him engaging in any sort of suspicious behavior.”

  Katie got up to get their coffee. “But other people did.”

  “It’s still speculation. Besides, ‘shady’ is too vague. Nobody can say with any certainty whatsoever that Ken was involved with, say, planning a heist or dealing drugs.”

  Katie set the mugs of coffee on the table, along with sugar and creamer. “Still, the man’s brother is a threatening jerk, and both siblings acted strangely about Ken’s death. Fiona Lancaster said someone set her apartment building ablaze while Ken was working for her, and even Regan Mitchell overheard the brothers arguing about some kind of delivery.”

  “Again, those things are circumstantial . . . just like the evidence Schuler has on me.” Ray captured her gaze with his own. “Now, if we’re going to find Ken Fenton’s killer, we need to discover the truth about him. Not hearsay—facts.”

  Katie nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll learn everything we can about Ken Fenton.”

  Ray blew out a breath and scowled. “I only hope we can do it before I’m sent to prison for his murder.”

  Twenty-Three

  Determined to find out all she could about Ken Fenton, Katie called Mary Jones as soon as she arrived at Artisans Alley on Saturday morning.

  “Hello?” Mary asked, sounding cautious.

  Katie didn’t blame her. “Hi, Mary. It’s Katie Bonner. Are you free this afternoon? If so, I’d like to buy you lunch at Tealicious on Victoria Square so we can have a chat.”

  “Actually, I have a busy afternoon ahead of me.” Mary paused. “But I could do brunch.”

  “Terrific. Shall we say eleven o’clock, then?”

  “That’ll be fine. I . . . I’ll look forward to it.”

  Katie ended the call. Wow. She had a lot to think about before she met with Mary. Until then, she decided to concentrate on the needs of Artisans Alley because she knew that if she distracted herself, her mind might come up with the exact ideas and words to convince Mary to share what she knew about what had gone on with her brothers prior to Ken’s death. But there were other things to think about.

  Vance had set the air-conditioning to a cooler temp and the main showroom tended to be just a bit chilly. Katie got up, grabbed her light blue summer cardigan, and walked toward the front of the establishment. She liked the sweater because it was comfy, adequately covered her white tank top, and it had pockets.

  The Alley seemed particularly crowded that morning, and it was obvious her friend needed help. Poor Rose was swamped.

  “I can take the next customer here,” Katie called, going to the register beside Rose.r />
  There was a flurry of activity as customers bought a variety of items: dolls, stained-glass ornaments, leather purses and satchels, jewelry, and embroidered pillowcases. They usually didn’t see this much activity all at once until the holiday season.

  At last, all the customers had paid for their purchases and Katie and Rose were relieved to get a break.

  “Wow.” Katie turned to Rose. “How crazy was that?”

  “I know! I sold a couple of pairs of earrings and a necklace. I’m happy about that.”

  “Me, too. I’m always happy to see this place crowded.” She smiled. “How are your legs holding up?”

  “Much better. I feel confident I’ll be able to participate in the walkathon.”

  “I’m glad.” Katie checked the time on her phone. It was ten thirty. “I’m going to run back to my office for a few minutes, and then I’m going to get something to eat. Call me if you need me.”

  “All right.”

  Katie glanced down and saw a piece of fuzz on her sweater’s hem. As she plucked it off, she noticed a dark blue pill on the floor between the registers. She bent and picked it up. It looked like prescription medication.

  “Rose, is this yours?”

  Rose leaned closer to see what Katie had in her hand. “No. I’ve been taking ibuprofen, but that’s it.”

  Feeling somewhat disconcerted, Katie dropped the pill into her pocket.

  “Call me if you need me,” she said again and headed back to her office. Once there, she went online and searched for a picture of the dark blue elliptical-shaped pill. The photo that came up was an exact match for a high dosage of opioid oxycodone. Katie felt a prickle at the nape of her neck. Had someone simply dropped this pill or had it fallen out of one of the items she or Rose had rung up?

  The idea left her feeling totally discombobulated.

  * * *

  —

  Upon discovering the identity of the pill, Katie felt an urgent need to get the heck out of the office and seek fresh air. It was nearly time to meet Mary Jones, and she wanted to check with Brad before having brunch, so she quickly walked across the Square to Tealicious.

  Brad smiled and waved when Katie walked in. He excused himself as soon as he could and came over to talk with her.

  “How are you today?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, Brad. How about you?”

  “Super.”

  “I wanted to let you know that I’m planning on renovating the upstairs apartment,” Katie said. “I’m hoping it won’t be too disruptive for you or our patrons, but I’m sure we’ll have to close the tea shop for a day or more during the most work-intensive renovations.”

  “Of course.” He inclined his head, his smile ironic. “Whatever will I do with a few days off?”

  “Maybe you could take a short trip. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

  “Not particularly. But I’ll figure something out.”

  “You have plenty of time. The renovations won’t begin until I acquire the property and get on the contractor’s schedule.”

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help.” Brad waved at someone over Katie’s shoulder.

  Katie turned to see Mary Jones wave back at him. “Do you know Mary?”

  “Of course. She’s my friend Paul’s sister.”

  “I didn’t realize you and Paul Fenton were friends. Have you known him long?”

  “Only since coming to work here. I’d like to say hello to her before I head back into the kitchen.”

  “Of course.”

  Katie watched their greeting for a moment before walking over to the display case. How had Brad gotten to know Paul Fenton so quickly?

  Her mind flashed to the little blue pill she’d locked in her desk drawer. She did her best to shake off the thought as she strolled over to Mary and Brad.

  “Hi, Mary. I was looking at the display case, and Brad has really outdone himself today.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “I’m looking forward to sampling several of those treats,” Mary said.

  The women settled at a table near the window. In no time the waitress arrived, and Katie and Mary ordered their food.

  “Thanks for meeting with me,” Katie said. “I wanted to see how you’re doing. I’m sure that with everything that’s happened, this is a horrible time for you and your family.”

  Mary blinked in response. “I appreciate that. Most people forget about the bereaved the day after the funeral, but for so many of us, it’s after that initial flurry of activity surrounding the death that the pain truly starts to sink in.”

  “I only met your brother Ken once.” She lowered her eyes. “You must have many fond memories of him.”

  Mary heaved a sigh. “He was always protective of us, even though I was the oldest. I was still the only girl, and his sister, so he thought he needed to look after me.” She smiled wryly. “Once, when I was a freshman, I was on my way to school with some friends. The car broke down, and we were stranded on the side of the road. When Ken saw us from the bus, he had a fit until the school bus driver stopped to pick us up.”

  Katie smiled. “That’s so sweet.”

  “It was. At the time I was mortified because my little brother had made such a scene, but looking back, I appreciate his thoughtfulness.”

  “Did Ken ever marry?” Katie asked.

  “Yes. His wife died a few years ago. His son, Avery, is a freshman at RIT. He’s studying computer programming and doing well in it. That boy is absolutely brilliant.”

  “I had no idea. Poor Avery must be devastated.”

  “He is. Harper and I encouraged him to stay with us for a while, but Avery didn’t want to. He wanted to be at home.” She shrugged. “I suppose I can’t blame him. Plus, he has to return to school in the fall. I believe that will be good for him—getting back to his friends and his studies. It’ll help get his mind off . . . well, everything.” Mary looked away.

  “What did Ken do for a living? I know he was doing some construction work for your husband—was that what he did full-time?” Katie asked.

  “Yes. Ken was a self-employed handyman,” Mary said. “He made a good living at it. He liked to call himself a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, but the truth is he could do just about anything he put his mind to. I was so very proud of him.”

  Katie reached out to pat Mary’s hand.

  Mary dabbed at her eyes with a napkin and gave a half-hearted smile. “Let’s talk about you. What’s it like to be a successful businesswoman? I imagine it must be incredibly empowering.”

  “It is. I’ve had some lucky breaks.”

  “And I’d wager you’ve done a lot of hard work.”

  “I have . . . and I’m happy that it’s starting to pay off.” She smiled. “I’m also happy to get to know you better, Mary. We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

  And maybe they would. Mary was nicer than she’d appeared to be at first. Or was it possible that Mary was being so amiable because she still had something to hide?

  * * *

  —

  After leaving Tealicious, Katie wanted to go straight to Wood U to talk to Ray. But she didn’t want Mary to see her heading in that direction and guess her true motive behind the brunch invitation. Actually, even though she’d asked Mary to the tea shop to talk to see what she could learn about the woman’s brother, Katie was glad she’d had the opportunity to talk with Mary a bit more.

  She withdrew her phone from her pocket and called Ray. “It’s me, Katie. I just had brunch with Mary Jones and learned more about Ken Fenton.”

  “Did she confess to killing him?” Ray asked.

  Katie huffed. “No. She seems to have loved him a lot. But that’s not why I called. Earlier, I found a dark blue elliptical-shaped pill on the floor at Artisans Alley. I—”

  “
That sounds like oxycodone.”

  “I looked it up and it is. Now I’m concerned that it might’ve fallen out of something leaving Artisans Alley.”

  “Don’t jump to conclusions,” Ray said. “It could just as easily have dropped out of someone’s purse.”

  “It was behind one of the cash desks.”

  “It could’ve rolled. Have you mentioned the pill to anyone else?”

  “Only to Rose. She was there when I found it, and I thought it might be hers.”

  “Did you tell Rose what the pill was?”

  “Not yet. I haven’t—”

  “Don’t. Don’t say anything about it to anyone. I’ll take lunch as soon as I can get one of the girls to cover for me and head over to Artisans Alley.” With that, he ended the call.

  Katie frowned and wondered what had Ray behaving extra grumpy on that day.

  She spotted Regan walking from the parking lot to the sidewalk ahead of her and called out to the girl. “Regan! Hi!”

  Regan turned, shading her eyes against the afternoon sun. “Hey, Katie!”

  Katie noted that Regan held a large, flat envelope. When they met on the sidewalk, Regan casually clasped her hands behind her back, effectively hiding said envelope.

  “I’m on my way to Tealicious,” Regan said. “It looks like maybe you’ve already been there.”

  “I have. And I ate way too much,” Katie said and laughed.

  “I’m hoping to find some cookies Roger might like. He’s been working awfully hard lately, and I want to take him a treat.”

  “How nice! Why don’t I go back with you and get the cookies? After all, Roger was so helpful in getting me in touch with John Healy.”

  “No, I’ll get them. How did it go with Mr. Healy anyway?”

  “It went well,” Katie said. “He’s been to see the building and said he’ll get a couple of different plans with estimates drawn up right away.”

  “He will, too. He’s known for being prompt.”