Turkey Trot Terror

by Kate Bell

  It took everything I had not to give Alec a look. “You know, I never experienced that with Todd, but I sure have heard the same thing. Did Rudy give any reason why he thought it was funny that Todd was murdered?”

  “He told Bill that Todd had refused to give him a home loan. Laughed at his credit score, he did,” she said. “I guess he’s still bitter.”

  “Wow. Yeah, I can see where that would make a person mad. But mad enough to murder someone?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Who knows with people these days. Not that I actually think he did it, mind you.”

  “That’s true,” I agreed. “It’s going to take some time for the police to sort this thing out.”

  She smiled at me. “Well, I’ve got to go. I think my order should be ready. I’m beat from all this shopping and I’m going to take an order to go. Bill’s at home and he has got to be starving by now.”

  “I’ll see you around Rebecca. You too, Sarah,” I said as they left.

  I turned my head back to look at Alec so fast you’d have thought I’d have gotten whiplash. “Small town!” I whispered.

  A small smile played on Alec’s lips. “Small towns are very different from larger ones, aren’t they?”

  I nodded. “I don’t know how I missed the fact that Todd was hated by so many people. He always seemed so nice.”

  “Some people are masters at making you think what they want you to think about them. Who is Rudy Gallo and do you have any idea why he wouldn’t like Todd Spellman?” he asked. “Besides being laughed at for having a low credit score? That sounds kind of flimsy.”

  “Rudy owns the plumbing supply store on Main Street. You have to take small town gossip with a grain of salt sometimes. Are we going to go talk to him?”

  Alec had that pen and notebook out again. I swear it was attached to him somewhere and appeared the second he thought about making a note. He wrote Rudy’s name in the book and closed it.

  “I would imagine I will at some point,” he said. He looked across the room and narrowed his eyes.

  I turned in the direction he was looking and saw Sam Bailey had just entered the restaurant. Alec hadn’t mentioned having any issues with Sam, but if I had to guess by the look on his face, he did.

  Sam looked in our direction and waved and made his way over. He was still in uniform, his belly hanging over his belt, and maneuvered around the people waiting to pick up takeout meals at the register. Sam had been the chief of police for fifteen years, but he still wore a uniform like the rest of the officers in patrol cars. I wasn’t sure why, as the uniforms didn’t look terribly comfortable, but I couldn’t remember him ever wearing anything else.

  “Alec,” he said nodding at him, then turning to me. “Hello Allie, how are you doing?”

  I smiled at him. Sam had always been pleasant to me. Jennifer and his daughter had been best friends in Junior High, but had drifted apart in High School. “I’m fine Sam, how are you?”

  “Very good. The weather has changed and is a little warmer than it should be for this time of year,” he said. He glanced at Alec, but kept speaking to me. “How’s that blog you’re writing? It’s a blog, isn’t it? I seem to forget what all people are doing these days.”

  “Yes, it’s a blog on grief,” I said. “It’s doing well. I’ve enjoyed writing it.”

  He nodded. “You know, I’ve had some reports that I’ve had a woman police officer accompanying my detective on interviews, but I haven’t had a woman police officer since Michelle Smith retired last year. I’m not sure who they could be talking about.”

  I sensed Alec stiffen, more than saw it happen. I smiled at Sam again. “That is odd, isn’t it?” My heart pounded in my chest, but I wasn’t going to give Alec away.

  He smiled back at me. “I’ll have to check into that.”

  “How did you like the popcorn balls I dropped by the station last month Sam?” I asked. Sam had a sweet tooth as big as his head and maybe a reminder of my wares would smooth things over. It was always at the back of my mind that Alec might get into trouble by allowing me to ride along with him, and it looked like this might be it.

  “They were the best popcorn balls I’ve ever tasted,” he said with a smile.

  “You know, I’ve had you on my mind Sam. I was thinking about making you a batch of persimmon cookies. No one makes persimmon cookies like I do. I’ll have to bring you a batch,” I said. The way to a man’s heart is his stomach and if I could get him to feel favorably toward me, maybe it would keep Alec out of trouble.

  Sam gave me a genuine smile. “Well that’s real thoughtful of you Allie. I would appreciate that.”

  “Well you be expecting to see me stop by real soon with those, then,” I said cheerfully.

  “I will. I’ve got to be going now,” he said, and straightened up. He glanced at Alec. “Alec,” he said, and then sauntered off.

  We both watched him go. I turned to Alec once he was at the cash register giving his order, and out of earshot.

  I sighed loudly. “I’m sorry. I knew there was a chance you would get in trouble for letting me tag along.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have allowed it.”

  “Maybe persimmon cookies will get you off the hook,” I said, and gave him a cheesy grin. But he wasn’t cheering up. Something told me he was having trouble at work and didn’t want to talk about it.

  We finished our meal, keeping conversation to lighter topics.

  --13--

  The next morning, I baked persimmon cookies after my run on the treadmill. It was time to call it winter and call it quits for running outside. The previous three days, my nose had frozen so solidly, I had been sure it would snap off if I touched it. I had finally settled on running a marathon in Sanford in May. It would be a little bit of a drive, but Alec and I could make a weekend of it.

  I had frozen persimmon pulp two months ago and had thawed it in the fridge overnight. I was going to outdo myself and make twelve dozen cookies. Sam Bailey was going to get three dozen. Hopefully that would keep him happy for a while and he wouldn’t interfere with me going along with Alec to talk to people. I had visions of having to bribe Sam with baked goods every time I wanted to ride along with Alec, but that was a small price to pay.

  I was giving Alec a dozen cookies, plus a couple dozen for the other officers, and I was going to take some to Connie and Terrence and Mr. Spellman. I wanted to check up on Mr. Spellman anyhow and see how he was doing.

  Persimmon cookies were some of my all time fall favorites. I added chopped walnuts and raisins as well as a hefty helping of spices. The cookies were so soft, and moist, they were almost like cake.

  I had an assembly line going with the cookie sheets. My husband Thaddeus had put in a double oven for me when we remodeled our kitchen ten years ago, so with the cookie sheets turned long ways, I had eight dozen cookies baking at once. Don’t mess with me, I’m a professional.

  I texted Alec while the cookies baked.

  Hey, I’ll be over around 10:30 with persimmon cookies

  Maybe you shouldn’t come?

  Why? I told Sam I was bringing him some cookies

  I don’t want to get him started up

  It will be fine. See you at 10:30

  Alec needed to relax. I would butter Sam up and all would be fine. He just needed to trust my Southern charm.

  ***

  I pulled into the police station parking lot at 10:32. Perfect. I had packed the cookies in wax paper lined Christmas gift boxes and got them out of the trunk of my car and headed in.

  “Early Christmas present, fellas,” I said to Yancey Tucker and George Feeney. Their desks sat behind a counter that separated the lobby from the rest of the police station.

  “Wow, thanks Allie!” George said, jumping up and taking the box from me. “I can smell it through the box.”

  “Persimmon Cookies,” I said. “Okay if I go back to see Alec?”

  “Sure,” Yancey said, not looking at me. He
had joined George, and each already had a cookie in each of their hands.

  I hummed jingle bells as I headed down the hall toward Alec’s office. I couldn’t wait to put my Christmas tree up and put the lights on the house.

  Before I could make it to the end of the hall, Sam Bailey stepped out from a doorway and looked at me. He didn’t say a word.

  “Hi Sam, Persimmon cookies, as promised. I baked a batch special, just for you,” I said and held one of the boxes out to him. I cranked up the Southern accent and charm and gave him my best smile.

  He reluctantly gave me a tightlipped smile in return. He couldn’t resist my cookies. No one could.

  “Thanks Allie. I bet these are great,” he said, looking at the box.

  “They are. I put extra spices in them. That’s what makes them special.” I slipped past him, hoping he wouldn’t say anything about me riding along with Alec.

  “Where are you headed?” he asked.

  Dang it. “Oh, just taking some cookies to Alec,” I said, holding up the remaining box. “He loves my cookies.”

  Sam didn’t say anything else, and I continued down the hall and knocked on Alec’s door. I could feel Sam watching me and I had to resist the temptation to turn around and look back at him. Just play it cool, I told myself.

  “Come in,” Alec called from the other side of the door.

  I opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind me. I gave him a big smile. “Hey, I made you some persimmon cookies, as promised.”

  He gave me a half smile. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “Nonsense, I bribed Sam with cookies. It’s fine,” I whispered. The walls in the police station were thin, and I was sure Sam was still out in the hall.

  He shook his head. “You are incorrigible.”

  I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “These are good with coffee.” I opened the box and the smell of cloves wafted up.

  “Wow, those do smell good,” he admitted, and took one.

  “So tell me, did you get the lab reports back?” I asked, sitting in the visitor’s chair and helping myself to a cookie.

  He swallowed and nodded. “The gun was a hunting rifle, which we knew. Whoever the shooter was, they were an ace marksman. Shot him through the heart. He died instantly.”

  “Wow,” I said. “Then why didn’t they hit you or me when they were shooting at us?”

  He shrugged. “That’s a good question. Maybe because they didn’t want to kill us. But then you have to wonder why shoot at us at all? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “And what about fingerprints on anything removed from the scene?” I was starting to sound more and more like a real detective.

  “Nothing. Not one. I was hoping they could come up with something at the lab, but no such luck,” he said and took a sip of his coffee.

  “Anything new on who else hated Todd? Other than everyone at his place of employment?” I asked, sitting back in my chair. I was tempted to open Alec’s office door and see if Sam Bailey was still out there, but then I’d have to explain why I was suspicious. We kept whispering instead.

  “No one new, yet. But the Medical Examiner’s office came back with something interesting,” he said.

  “What?” I asked excitedly. “Tell me.”

  He chuckled. “You must be a lot of fun on Christmas morning,” he said. “There were scratches on his chest, and one on his neck. He also had a feint bruise on his left jawline, and a couple more on his chest.”

  “Scratches? What kind of scratches?”

  “He must have had a scuffle with someone,” he said.

  “I didn’t notice a bruise on Thanksgiving,” I said, trying to remember back.

  “The scratches had nearly healed up, and the bruise was pretty faded. Do you know if he was seeing anyone? No one at the bank had mentioned he had a significant other,” he said.

  I shook my head. “I have no idea. I didn’t know him well at all.”

  “Well, it’s something to look into,” he said, and opened the file folder he had in front of him and flipped through papers in it.

  “Is that the file on Todd?” I asked, and bit into my cookie.

  He nodded. “Yes it is.”

  I leaned forward. “Are there pictures of him in there? You know, dead pictures?”

  He looked up at me. “Yes there are. Were you interested in seeing them?”

  I sat back in my chair. “No. I do not want to see pictures.”

  He smirked at me and went back to the file. “Did you ever figure out who called you from Todd Spellman’s residence?” he asked without looking up.

  “No. I have no idea,” I said. “But I baked them some cookies and I’m going to drop them by. Just to see how things are going.”

  “Allie, I want you to go easy on them. They just had a traumatic death in the family.”

  I gasped. “I do understand about grief,” I said indignantly.

  “I know, I know. Sorry,” he said. “I just don’t want any complaints coming in to Sam Bailey.”

  “Okay, I understand,” I said. Sam Bailey could become a problem. Baked goods bribes, or not. “Are you going to do any investigating today?” I whispered the last part.

  “Some, but I’m going to do it on my own. Let’s play it cool for a while, okay?”

  “Got it.” Sam Bailey couldn’t do anything about Lucy and I investigating on our own.

  --14--

  “Hello Connie, I hope I’m not disturbing you,” I said, when the Spellman’s door opened. “I was baking persimmon cookies for a friend and I thought ya’ll might like some, too. They’re my grandmama’s special recipe.”

  I held the box out, smiling brightly.

  Connie may have been a little surprised to see me. She stood looking at me, her eyes wide. “Oh, that’s so sweet of you,” she finally said. “Thank you.”

  She still stood there, looking at me without taking the box or inviting me in.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’ll just put these in the kitchen for you,” I said, and gently pushed past her. “How is Mr. Spellman doing today?” I said over my shoulder as I headed to the kitchen.

  “Oh, he’s doing well,” she said as she hurried to keep up with me. “We weren’t expecting company, please excuse the mess.”

  On the living room floor were open boxes of paperwork and books. Piles of paperwork covered the top of the coffee table and end table and there was a messy stack of books in the middle of the floor.

  “Oh, that’s okay, don’t you worry about a thing. I know when I’m going through things, I tend to spread stuff around, too. I expect it’s a lot, going through things and getting the house packed up,” I said sympathetically. I set the box of cookies on the kitchen counter and opened it up. “Don’t they smell heavenly?” I asked, giving her my best smile.

  “Why, yes, yes they do,” she agreed, and glanced nervously over her shoulder.

  “Is everything okay Connie?” I asked. I hoped she would say something that would give me a clue about the murder. If she knew anything at all.

  She smiled. “Yes, of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Oh, no reason,” I said, shaking my head. I didn’t want to blow it. “Is Mr. Spellman around? I just know he’d love these cookies.”

  “He’s napping,” she said, still standing. It didn’t look like I was going to be asked to have a seat.

  There was an uncomfortable silence with both of us standing there, looking at each other.

  “Connie, why don’t you try one of these cookies? They’re so moist, they’ll make you cry,” I said, holding the box up for her to see from where she stood.

  “No thank you. I’ve just eaten, and I couldn’t eat another bite. But I do appreciate you bringing them by. Perhaps after dinner this evening, we’ll all try one,” she said.

  “Is Terrence around? I bet he’d like one,” I suggested. I knew I was pushing it, but I didn’t care.

  “No, he went out for a paper,” she said, still standing and
looking at me.

  “Connie, I just wanted to express my condolences on the loss of your brother again. I’m sure there are a lot of people mourning him. I didn’t know him personally, but I would imagine a man as caring as he was would have a significant other. I feel terribly for her, whoever she is,” I said.

  Connie’s body language said she wasn’t thrilled to have me paying her another visit.

  “I think he mentioned there was someone he was seeing last time I spoke to him on the phone, but I never met her,” she said, and gave me a tired sigh.

  “Oh, that’s a shame. I’m sure he would have liked to have introduced you both,” I said, nodding sympathetically.

  “Listen Allie, I do appreciate you bringing the cookies by, but we would like our privacy,” she said flatly.

  “Oh, of course,” I said. “I understand completely. Did you ever get a chance to take a look at my blog? The one on grief?”

  She breathed out heavily. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave now Allie. Thank you for all your help.”

  “Oh, I see. Yes, well, you just give me a call if you need anything,” I said, and made a beeline to the front door. I didn’t want to be tossed out on my ear, so I thought it best to go willingly.

  I could hear her footsteps behind me, and when I got to the front door, she reached past me. “Oh,” I said when she brushed up against my back and opened the door for me. If she got any closer, she would bump me out the door and off the front step.

  I took a step down onto the bottom step and turned to say goodbye when the door slammed in my face. Well!

  Having a door slammed in my face was a first for me. I stared at it a few seconds longer, trying to regain my composure, and then went to my car.

  Within seven minutes, I was on Lucy’s doorstep.

  “Hey, let’s go to the Cup and Bean and get a coffee,” I said when she answered the door.

  She gave me a smile. “Why? What’s up?”

  “Why do you say that?” I innocently asked.

  “Because I know you too well. Let me get my coat and I’ll be right out,” she said.