by Cindy Stark
Some shop owners would set up booths and sell their wares during the festival, but Hazel had decided to take the night off to enjoy herself instead. She’d invited Katelyn to join her, hoping to give the poor woman something to think about besides the loss of her friend.
When she’d offered, Hazel had been certain Katelyn would decline like she had with previous dinner invites, and she’d been happily surprised when Katelyn had accepted instead. Apparently, Katelyn had listened to the advice that the worst thing she could do would be to shut herself off from society, and Hazel had promised they could leave at any point if it became too much.
She straightened the clearance section that included the last of her summer teas. Movement outside drew her gaze, and she watched a family walk into the hardware store. Farther down the street, another man walked away from downtown. He must have passed her store moments before. A cute little chihuahua pranced along at his side.
The realization that the man was Karl Donahue and that he walked the dog that had lived with Valerie up until her death caused Hazel to drop the cloth and cleaner she’d used to dust. She raced toward the front door of her shop and out onto the late morning street.
“Mr. Donahue,” she called out. “Mr. Donahue!”
Karl slowed his steps and turned his gaze toward her.
She tried to keep her wave from appearing frantic as she strode forward.
Hazel filled her lungs with air, working to slow her breathing. She hadn’t overexerted in walking toward him. Instead, her breathlessness came from the fact that he’d walked right past her shop. The Blessed Mother had gifted her with the perfect opportunity. Proof right there that the spell had changed her luck.
“Hi. Good morning,” she said, taking in his well-worn t-shirt and torn jeans. She knew the fifty-something man hadn’t had an easy life, but his hair was clean, and he’d shaved. Though his aura left something to be desired.
He stared at her with shifty eyes, and she thought that might describe his soul as well. Shifty. “Morning.”
She glanced down at the dog and smiled, remembering how sneaky the pupper had been the day she’d tried to catch him. “I wondered if you had a second.”
“What for?”
She crouched down to the dog and ruffled his ears. “I just wanted to say hello to this little fellow. I tried to catch him the day he escaped from Valerie’s after she’d been murdered, but he got away.”
Hazel stood and met his gaze. “I’m glad to see someone is taking care of him.”
Karl inhaled, puffing out his chest. “He’s not Valerie’s dog, just so you know. He’s mine. Always has been. Valerie is…was a liar and a thief.”
She widened her eyes in pretend innocence. “She stole your dog?”
Anger flitted across his face. “She sure did. She was watching him for me while I was out of town. When I returned, she refused to give him back.”
Hazel twisted her features into an outraged expression. “What kind of person would do such a thing? I hope you reported her to the police.”
He shifted his gaze to the side. “They wouldn’t do nothing for me. She told them I’d given Scooter to her. It was my word against hers, and since I hadn’t paid for the doggie daycare, they took her side.”
She formed her mouth into an oval, portending disgust.
“Of course, I wasn’t going to pay her. Not until I got my dog back. My wife wasn’t around to back me up, so I got screwed.”
“I bet that made you angry. Livid, in fact. It would me.”
He scrunched his features and shook his reddened face. “It did. I just wanted to…”
“Well, not murder her, I hope.”
His face turned ashen, and he glared at her. “I didn’t kill the woman, if that’s what you’re asking.”
She waved her palms in front of him. “No. No, no. I was just thinking about what I’d do if I was that mad. Valerie obviously made someone angry enough to kill her.”
He pointed a finger at her. “You bet she did. I’m sure she got exactly what she deserved.”
Hazel pinned him with a pointed look. “And you got your dog.”
He took a step back. “I didn’t take him from anyone. Once he was free, he came looking for me. He knows where his home is.”
She cast another smile at the dog, hoping to put the man at ease and maintain an open relationship in case she needed to ask more questions later. “Well, you take good care of him. He seems like a really sweet boy.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Maybe I’ll see you at the Harvest Moon Festival tonight.”
Karl gave her a wary look and nodded. “Sure.
With that he turned and strode away. Halfway down the block, he glanced back, and she wondered if he’d realized he’d just been questioned.
Either way, she was certain she wouldn’t see him that night. Maybe not for a while. If he was smart, he’d lay low. Out of sight, out of mind.
Except, she already had him in her sights.
Thirteen
Hazel changed into a turquoise cotton shirt and snagged a light sweater for when the weather turned cooler after sundown. She hoped Katelyn would want to stay for the outdoor movie afterward, so she’d grabbed a quilt for them to sit on if she did.
Excitement buzzed in her veins as she got in her car and drove to Katelyn’s place only a couple of blocks from her teashop, and not all that far from where Hazel had lived when she’d first moved to town.
Katelyn stood from her seat on the porch when Hazel pulled into the driveway. Hazel hoped that meant she was at least somewhat happy to get out.
Hazel waved as Katelyn approached her car and then got inside. Her clothes looked like she’d slept in them, but her hair was brushed. Maybe that was all she could manage that day.
Hazel sent her a welcoming smile. “Hey, there. I’m really glad you decided to join me.”
Katelyn shrugged, but a heaviness that reminded Hazel of a foggy mist still dimmed her aura. “I’m trying to take your advice and get out of the house.”
She guessed it would take time. “Yes, I think it’s good to do normal things. But, like I said on the phone, if it gets to be too much, we can leave at any time.”
If it was super early, Hazel would likely return to the festival anyway. She was eager to see if Bob, Karl, or Liesl would be there.
Hazel parked, and they walked the short distance to the church. She cast a quick glance in the direction of the library and looked forward to her upcoming volunteer shift with excitement and a bit of trepidation. She wanted to know what Timothy had hidden, but she realized that could come with consequences, too, if she found things she didn’t like.
The church grounds and adjacent park had been turned into a lively festival with multicolored shade tents in rows where the vendors sold their wares. Hazel didn’t recognize many of the attendees who must have come from neighboring towns. Happy adults and excited kids left the air buzzing with good energy. Scents of grilled meat and onions hovered in the air, and her stomach grumbled in response.
Hazel turned to Katelyn. “Feel like eating first? I’m kind of hungry.”
She nodded though she didn’t seem too enthused. “Sure.”
Katelyn glanced around. “If the Bavarian hot dog guy is here this year, his food is amazing.”
Hazel’s tummy rumbled again. “Sounds good to me.”
They wandered the two double-sided rows of vendor tents, and Hazel spied some pottery and candles that she wanted to admire further and possibly purchase. She hoped Katelyn wouldn’t mind a little shopping after they ate.
They procured what Katelyn called the best brats in Massachusetts and found an open spot at one of the picnic tables that had been brought in for the event. Hazel dodged two small boys running through the crowd and sat before anyone else could bumped her and dump her food on the grass.
Hazel glanced around at the groups of chattering people with smiles on their faces. “This is a lot bigger than the Chowder Chowdown fest
ival.”
Katelyn widened her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a locals-only event. For this one, they advertise in neighboring cities. The more, the merrier kind of thing. That way the town can pay for entertainment and such.”
Hazel couldn’t help but see a lot of potential clients and a missed opportunity. “Next year, I should probably have a booth.”
“I’m sure you would sell tons.”
Katelyn seemed to be okay on the outside, but Hazel could sense the heavy weight of loss churning underneath. She cast Katelyn a warm but concerned smile. “Doing okay?”
Katelyn lifted her brat and nodded. “I’m all right. It’s hard, but…” She bit into the oversized hot dog.
Hazel spotted a brown-haired Liesl sauntering in their direction and focused on the potential suspect. When Liesl caught sight of her, she turned in a different direction and disappeared.
She shifted her gaze to Katelyn. “How well do you know Liesl Goodman?”
Katelyn paused and then shrugged and shook her head. “I guess you could say I know her. We say hi in the grocery store. I’m not sure I would say we’re close enough to be called friends, though. Why?”
“I saw her that morning, the day of Valerie’s death. She was riding away from the area where Valerie lived, and she acted odd.”
Katelyn leaned closer. “Do you think it could be her?”
“Not sure. That’s why I wondered what you thought.”
Katelyn took a sip from her can of soda. “I wouldn’t think so. She seems like a nice, quiet person. Loves animals. I’ve never seen her be mean or yell at anyone.”
Hazel nodded as she sifted through what she’d learned about Liesl.
“Then again,” Katelyn said. “I guess you never really know a person, do you?”
Hazel wanted to say that she hoped she knew Peter well because she intended to spend the rest of her life with him, but then she remembered Katelyn had recently called off her wedding and probably didn’t want to hear about a couple in love. “It’s hard to know sometimes. I don’t think that means you should give up on trust, though. Some people are worth it.”
Katelyn nodded but wouldn’t meet her gaze, and Hazel guessed Katelyn wasn’t ready to hear even that quite yet.
Hazel caught sight of Cora and Lachlan walking toward her and waved. Cora returned the gesture with a big smile on her face. A blond beauty and devilishly handsome man. They were quite the pair.
Hazel stood to hug her. “You look good together,” she whispered.
Cora shot her an embarrassed look and pulled away.
Hazel extended her hand to Lachlan. “Good to see you both. I hope you’re having a good time.”
He grinned. “Great time. I see you’ve discovered Bart’s Brats.”
Hazel turned to include Katelyn. “Hard to go wrong with an experienced festival attendee. You both know Katelyn, right?”
A cacophony of excited yells interrupted them, and Hazel shifted her gaze in the direction of the noise. People jostled and bumped to move out of the way as an excited German Shepherd bullied its way through the crowd, barking at some and jumping to lick the faces of others.
Hazel was certain he was one of the last remaining dogs-at-large who had once belonged to Valerie. Cannon, the German Shepherd. He was likely the very canine who’d been causing a ruckus all over town.
“Grab him,” one man hollered.
Hazel watched with fascination as Cannon made his way directly toward her, and she vowed she wouldn’t let another dog escape. When he neared, she clapped her hands and called him.
“Come here, boy. Come here.”
She knelt and patted her thighs. “Come here.”
He seemed to smile and headed straight to her. She opened her arms, and he barreled into her, knocking her back.
Before she could grip his collar, he lunged at the table, stole her brat, and raced off into the crowd.
She sat on the ground, stunned.
Then she started to laugh. Cora, Lachlan, and many others around her joined in. Even Katelyn cracked a smile.
Hazel picked herself up and dusted off her butt. “That didn’t go as planned.”
Lachlan chuckled. “Depends. Did you mean your plans or his?”
She rolled her eyes. “Obviously, the boy knew exactly what he was doing.”
Lachlan tilted his head toward the vendor tents. “Let me get you another. I’m grabbing some for me and Cora, anyway.”
Cora nodded. “We were going to take them and go watch the fiddlers that will be playing soon. Want to join us?”
Hazel looked to Katelyn who gave a slight shake of her head. She turned back to Cora and her date. “I think we’ll hang out here for a while. We might join you later.”
Cora gave her a knowing smile. “Sure, thing. You know where to find us.”
She and Lachlan returned five minutes later with a fresh brat for her and then headed on their way.
By the time Hazel and Katelyn had finished eating and wandered through the vendor booths, the sun had settled, leaving dusk in its place. The temporary overhead lights and strings of bulbs on the booths provided most of the lighting for the festival, giving it an extra sense of exotic fun.
Hazel glanced at the groups of families who’d camped out on the lawn near the church where the town would be showing the latest blockbuster science fiction movie in less than a half hour on the big screen, which wasn’t so big. “I have a quilt in my car that we could sit on if you’re interested in watching the movie.”
Katelyn shrugged. “I’m actually kind of tired. I’ll head—”
She came to a complete halt, and her features tightened. Her reaction caused the hairs on Hazel’s arms to stiffen. She glanced in the same direction as Katelyn. “What is it?”
Katelyn hesitated for several seconds before she spat out her reply. “Bran. The married guy Valerie was seeing.”
Surprise whipped through her, and she scanned each face she saw. “Where? What does he look like?”
Katelyn gripped her forearm as though she might be scared. “Blond guy with the red ball cap at that third booth.”
Hazel located him within a second. “The tall one?” she murmured.
Katelyn nodded.
Bran handed over a dollar bill, took a can of soda, and turned. He must have sensed them watching him because he looked directly at them.
Hazel should have looked away, but she couldn’t. He stared back for several long moments, and Hazel did her best to read his emotions but couldn’t get anything other than that he was on alert.
Finally, he turned away and headed down the row of vendors.
Hazel glanced at Katelyn who seemed very uncomfortable. “Do you think he killed Valerie? A lover’s spat, or maybe she made too many demands on him?”
She shook her head and didn’t look once in the direction where Bran had been. “I don’t know.”
She hated to ask Katelyn to join her in her investigation, but… “I need to know more about him. Maybe he’ll talk to someone that I know or something.”
Katelyn shook her head. “I know you’re into that sort of thing, but as much as I want Valerie’s killer brought to justice, I’m not up to playing detective. You go on, and I’ll walk home.”
Hazel grimaced. This wasn’t how a person should treat a friend. “I can’t let you do that.”
She gave her a sad smile. “Of course, you can. I was going to suggest it anyway before I saw him.”
Hazel glanced in the direction Bran had headed, and she could barely see the top of his ball cap amongst all the people. “I don’t feel good about letting you go.”
Katelyn squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, and I don’t live far.”
As her new friend walked away, Hazel tried to take comfort in that she wouldn’t have been able to dissuade Katelyn, and it was only a couple of blocks to her house. But, it was the idea of catching Valerie’s killer and the peace that might eventually bring to Katelyn that allowed h
er to chase after Bran.
She pushed her way through people until she spied him not far ahead. Then she slowed her steps. He moved at a steady pace until he reached the end of the vendor booths. He slowed and entered a tent that sold essential oils and soaps.
Hazel stepped into the leather goods booth across the way and pretended to study a cute purse while she snuck glances at the man. He stood next to a woman with short, spiky blond hair who held a bath bomb to her nose. She dropped it and picked up another.
His wife? Amanda?
Hazel had to guess that she was, because she doubted Bran would be seen so publicly with anyone else. Though why he’d come to a town where he’d recently had an affair while he was married baffled her.
Unless he was coming back to the scene of the crime, like many criminals did. Or unless he or his wife thought that by showing up, they’d appear more innocent. Hiding in plain sight, just like she’d planned to do for her wedding.
He stayed with his wife for a few minutes and then walked away. Hazel tailed him to a cluster of hay bales near the area where a group of school kids sang, and he sat to watch.
She debated approaching him for a full minute and then decided she had nothing to lose. She strode forward and claimed the hay bale next to his.
Fourteen
Hazel pretended to watch the children skip around the makeshift stage and sing for a few minutes before she turned her attention to Bran. The second she looked at him, his gaze was upon her.
Up close, she could see what might have attracted Valerie to him. In addition to his height, he had some very nice muscles. Blond curly hair peeked from beneath his hat, and the look in his engaging green eyes could make a woman forget her name if she wasn’t careful.
She tipped her head toward the stage. “They’re very cute.”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
“Is one of them yours?”
He kept his gaze on her while he took a drink of his soda. “No. Is one yours?”
