1 Murder on Sugar Creek (9 page)

“Conway? Twitty?”

Sylvie nodded. “Now, that was a
good-looking man. And he could sing, too. But Mac? I never seen it.”

Maggie recalled that, when she
stopped at his store for a water or a tea, Mac always seemed to be wearing a gray
or blue T-shirt stained with food, so she had to agree with Sylvie.

“You know, his
first wife never remarried. They say she never got over him.” Sylvie eyed
Maggie. “Can you believe that?”

That evening, Maggie popped into the
home improvement store. As she roamed the aisles, she ran into Kevin’s dad,
Randy.

“Hey, how’s Kevin?” she asked.

“As good as can be expected.
Listen, he told me about coming to the newspaper office, and I told him he
shouldn’t have done that. You can only do so much.”

“Thank you. But, well, I don’t want
to get Kevin’s hopes up and maybe you shouldn’t mention this to him, but after
the columns ran, a reader contacted me. It looks like somebody else might have
had a motive to murder Mac.”

As Maggie spoke, she had no idea
someone in the next aisle was eavesdropping on her conversation.

Chapter Twelve

When Maggie mentioned that the
local theater troupe planned to put on a murder mystery dinner show, she hadn’t
expected Luke to express interest in attending. In fact, she had talked the
theater’s manager into comping one ticket for her on opening night and she had
purchased another ticket for her mom. That way, she could review the show for
the paper and enjoy a night out with fellow mystery fan, Lena, without
violating Joe’s ethics policy. When Luke asked her to go to the dinner and show
with him, she didn’t know what to say.

“Wow, this is unexpected,” she
finally said.

After she explained the situation
to Luke, he offered to return the tickets.

“Don’t be silly,” Maggie reasoned.
“It’s an audience participation show, so the culprit will be different each
night. I think it will be fun to see two different endings.”

The evening she attended the show
with Lena, Maggie enjoyed potato soup, chicken, green beans, bread, and
strawberry cheesecake and witnessed the handyman confess to the murder of the
gardener. During her viewing with Luke, Maggie opted for cheesy broccoli soup,
pork loin, potatoes, bread, and chocolate cheesecake and watched the maid own
up to offing the gardener. During the drive from the theater to her house,
Maggie detailed the differences for Luke.

“The acting was better tonight than
on opening night, but the actors were probably more relaxed. Overall, I think
it ran more smoothly tonight, but that could be because I knew what to expect.
Anyway, I’m glad I got the opportunity to see two versions of the show. Thank
you so much, Luke.”

“You don’t have to thank me,
Maggie. I enjoy spending time with you,” Luke said as he pulled the car into
Maggie’s driveway.

“I feel the same way.”

“Good. Because I think we should
make this official.”

“Official?” his comment caught
Maggie by surprise.

“Yeah, you know, we should
officially start dating. If that’s something you want to do.”

“Oh, yeah.” Maggie giggled. “You
threw me with that ‘official’ line. I thought you were proposing.”

Luke laughed. “I can see why that
would throw you, but as much as I like you, I don’t think we’re ready for that
step.”

Maggie fished her keys from her
purse. “Hey, you want to come in for a while?”

“Sure.”

As they walked to her front door,
Maggie cautioned Luke. “Barnaby tries to jump on me as soon as I open the door,
so you have to be quick.”

But when Maggie opened her door,
Barnaby did not greet them. Shaking, she immediately closed the door and said,
“Something’s wrong. He’s always here.”

“Maybe he’s asleep,” Luke
suggested. “Let’s open the door and call for him.”

Maggie followed his advice, but
Barnaby did not respond to her command.

She closed the door and said,
“Either there’s something wrong with him or somebody is in there.”

“Let’s not overreact,” Luke said.
“I’ll go in there and have a look around.”

“No,” Maggie blocked him from
entering the house. “If he’s hurt or sick, I need to be the one who finds him.”

Luke squeezed Maggie’s shoulder and
said, “We’ll go together.”

They eased into the house and
Maggie turned on the overhead living room light. She saw nothing amiss and
called Barnaby’s name again before moving on to the kitchen with Luke in tow. When
they found nothing out of the ordinary, they checked the laundry room before
heading down the hallway toward the bedrooms. They turned on the lights and
inspected each room, including the closets and under the beds. With their
search complete, a still-shaking Maggie slid down her bedroom wall, brought her
knees to her chest, clasped her hands around her shins, and sobbed. “Where is
he?”

“Hey, he’s got to be around here
somewhere,” Luke squatted beside Maggie. “I’ll bet he’s in the back yard.”

“How did he get there? He can’t
open the door,” she pleaded.

“Maybe your dad came over here for
something and let him out.”

Maggie’s heart raced as she considered
the possibility. “You think so?”

“I’ll bet that’s what happened.”
Luke stood and held out his hand to Maggie. “Let’s go check.”

Maggie ran to the back door, turned
on the outdoor light, stepped outside, and called Barnaby’s name. The only
noise she heard was the hum of her heat pump.

“He’s gone.”

“Look,” Luke pointed to the fence.
“The gate is open.”

“I never leave that gate open.
Never. And Daddy wouldn’t open it and leave him out here alone.”

With that, Maggie made way for her
parents’ house. As soon as she opened the door for her, Lena said, “You’re as
pale as a ghost. What’s wrong?”

“Barnaby’s gone. Have you or Daddy
seen him?”

“Come inside. Hello, Luke, how are
you?” Once Lena dispensed with the pleasantries, she said, “You mean to tell me
that dog is gone?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell
you. We came home and he’s not in the house. He’s not in the back yard, either,
and the gate is open.” Robert had joined them in the kitchen. “Did you go over
there tonight, Daddy? Did you let him out?”

“Why, no. Are you sure he ain’t there?”

“Yes, Daddy. We would have noticed
a dog.”

“We looked everywhere, Mr. Morgan.”

“Well, I just don’t know how a dog
could have opened the door –”

“And the gate,” Maggie added.

“– and walked out of the house and
yard,” Robert continued

“You had a horse once that opened
the door to the barn,” Lena reminded Robert.

“But he opened the door by pulling
a chain with his enormous teeth.” Maggie clenched her fists and rocked on her
heels as she spoke.

“Now, Maggie, you need to calm
down,” Robert advised.

“My dog is gone and, like you said,
he couldn’t have walked out without help.”

“Well, let me get my shoes on and
we’ll go back over there and have a look around.”

“No, Daddy. I’m calling the
police.”

Robert held up his hand. “Just
wait. It’s dark. Maybe you all missed something that I’ll see. I have more
experience tracking animals than you do.”

After Robert pulled on his boots,
he accompanied Maggie and Luke to Maggie’s back yard where they found Barnaby
scratching at the back door.

“I told you he’d be here,” Robert
said as Maggie ran to her dog.

Luke nodded
toward the fence. “The gate is closed. It was open before.”

Maggie was grateful Luke had been
with her when she came home to an empty house. Not only had he provided the
emotional support she needed when she realized Barnaby was missing, he had also
backed up her claims.

“I think you all just imagined that
the gate to the fence was open,” Robert declared.

“How did we imagine that we didn’t
see Barnaby, Daddy?” Maggie petted the dog as he lay in her lap.

“He could have been asleep.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Morgan,
Maggie called for the dog repeatedly. We checked every inch of every room and he
was not in the house or the yard and the gate was open.”

“That would mean somebody had to
let him out of the house. How would they get in without knocking down a door or
breaking a window?” Lena asked.

“Sometimes I forget to lock the
back door,” Maggie admitted.

Lena lifted her head and looked to
the ceiling. “With the crime rate as high as it is, you go off and leave the
door unlocked? And, just the other day, a gray Jeep came out here and turned.
And I don’t know anybody up here that drives a gray Jeep.”

“Mom, the crime rate is not high at
all. The TV news and the newspapers would have you believe that because they,
well we, accentuate the negative because it sells papers and grabs ratings. But
we actually live in a safe community.”

“Well, it can’t be too safe if
somebody’s breaking into your house.” Lena paused. “Did you check to see if
anything was gone?”

“I didn’t notice anything missing,
but I didn’t open every drawer. The fireproof safe is still here. I don’t own
expensive jewelry or keep cash lying around.”

“Why would someone break into your
house just to let your dog out? That don’t make sense.”

Maggie suspected she knew why, but
she didn’t answer Robert.

“All I know is that if somebody was
in this house, you’re not staying here,” Lena commanded. “You’re spending the
night with your daddy and me.”

“Will you let Barnaby stay there,
too?” Maggie asked.

“You know the answer to that
question,” Lena answered.

“You know we don’t allow dogs in
the house,” Robert agreed.

“I’m not leaving him.” Maggie
continued stroking Barnaby’s hair.

“Now, Maggie.”

“I’ll stay here with her,” Luke
offered as he looked to Robert. “I’ll sleep on the couch or in the extra
bedroom.”

“You don’t have to do that, Luke,”
Maggie reasoned.

“I know, but I
want to.”

Maggie found it hard to concentrate
in the days following Barnaby’s brief disappearance. Her parents remained unconvinced
that Barnaby had even gone missing, but Maggie knew the truth. Even if she
hadn’t experienced the fear, Barnaby’s behavior that night and the following
day would have alerted her to a change in his situation. He paced in circles
and clung to her more than normal. When she went to the bathroom, he stood
outside the door and whimpered. She broke with tradition and let him sleep in
her room. When she took him outside to use the bathroom, he refused to go into
the back yard without her.

“Somebody forced him outside and
out of the yard,” Maggie told Luke the morning after the ordeal. “They probably
pulled him by the collar.”

“Wouldn’t his barking have alerted
your parents?” Luke asked as he feasted on the pancake breakfast Maggie had prepared
for him.

“Barnaby never barks.” When Luke
responded with a skeptical look, Maggie continued, “I’ve heard him bark only
two or three times. He’s a good dog.”

Luke downed a glass of orange
juice. “Speaking of good dogs, I need to get home to mine. My neighbor took him
for a walk last night, but it’s about time for another trip outdoors. Will you
be all right?”

“Yeah,” Maggie lied. “Thanks for
staying the night and for supporting me.”

Maggie wasn’t all right. She
couldn’t sleep for fear the perpetrator would return and she worried about
Barnaby when she was away from the house. She called her parents several times
a day and asked them to check on him. Although she tried to expunge all visions
of an unknown intruder sneaking around her house, the images kept returning to
her mind as did the thought that the incident was linked to her inquiries about
Mac Honaker.

Chapter Thirteen

The phone on her desk rang, causing
Maggie to jump. When she recognized the number scrolling across the display,
she relaxed and picked up the receiver.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the
Barnaby kidnapping?” Edie demanded of Maggie as soon as the latter answered the
phone. “Is that why you’ve been skipping out on the gym? Is it because you want
to get home and check on him? Or is it because you’re avoiding me?”

Maggie looked around the office.
Except for her, the newsroom was empty and she didn’t think her voice would
carry loud enough to garner attention from the receptionist or the lone
advertising sales clerk who loitered by the copier.

“Did Luke tell you?”

“No, he told Ben who told me. Ben
said Luke spent one night with you and offered to spend another. Anything you
want to tell me?”

“Nope, there’s nothing to tell. He
slept on the couch, I slept in my bed, and Barnaby slept on the floor beside
the bed.”

“That’s disappointing, but you were
probably upset.”

“That’s why you called me?”

“No, I called to check on you and
to ask why I had to hear it from Ben. Are you okay?”

“It’s getting better. It was really
scary, Edie.”

“I know, Pumpkin. I know how much
you love that dog. To think that somebody was in your house without your
permission. They invaded the sanctity of your home. But I still don’t understand
why you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t want to alarm you.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.
What do you think happened? Why would somebody do this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maggie, it seems like somebody was
trying to send you a message.”

“What kind of message?” Maggie
feigned ignorance, but she understood Edie’s suggestion.

“It’s simple. If they had wanted to
hurt you, they would have killed him. Or you. But they didn’t. They wanted to
scare you.”

“Who would do that?”

“Maybe somebody connected to the
Mac Honaker murder. You have been snooping around. Maybe you found out
something that somebody didn’t want you to know.”

“But what do I
know?” Maggie said to herself as much as to Edie.

Tyler slammed the newspaper down on
Maggie’s desk. “This is ridiculous,” he lamented. “I thought you proofed my
story.”

Maggie looked up at Tyler and down at the paper. “I did proof the story.”

“Then why is it full of mistakes?
One sentence contains the wrong form of ‘there’ and the man’s age is
interposed. He’s seventy-five, not fifty-seven like it states in the story.”

“Tyler,” Joe bellowed from his
office door. “Lower your voice and cut the attitude.”

If Tyler’s outburst hadn’t captured
the attention of everyone in the office, Maggie felt sure Joe’s verbal
explosion had, but she didn’t look around and confirm her suspicions.

“Thanks to her,” Tyler pointed at
Maggie, “my story contains two errors. One grammatical, one factual. I think
you should write her up.”

Joe stormed into the newsroom and
stood face-to-face and inches apart from Tyler. “If I wrote up everybody every
time a mistake got through, I could file a worker’s comp claim for carpal
tunnel. Besides, if I write her up, I write you up.”

“There you go again, taking the
side of your favorite,” Tyler countered.

“If it’s between you and Maggie or
you and a rattlesnake or you and a kidney stone, you’ll still come in second.”

The men’s heated exchange was
beginning to make Maggie nervous. She finally looked around the office. A rapt
audience stood motionless and with their eyes fixed on Joe and Tyler.

Joe pointed his forefinger at Tyler. “You made the factual error, Tyler.”

Tyler picked up the paper and tapped
it twice with his hand. “It was a story about a veteran of the Korean War. Any good
proofreader should know a fifty-seven-year-old is not old enough to have fought
in that war. Of course, she has the Jasper County School System to thank for
teaching her history.”

“Enough,” Joe shouted. “In my
office.”

Tyler followed Joe into his office,
slamming the door behind him. Although they spoke in raised voices, Maggie
couldn’t make out what they were saying. In the meantime, several co-workers
stopped by her desk or called and told her not to let Tyler get her down. When Tyler emerged from Joe’s office, he grabbed his jacket and left for the day without
speaking to anyone. Joe then motioned for Maggie to come to his office.

“If I could make him apologize, I
would,” Joe said as he chased two over-the-counter pain relievers with water.

“You shouldn’t let Tyler make you so angry and he has a point. I did let two mistakes slip by.”

“Actually, you let a couple more
slip by. There was a misspelled word in one story and the wrong form of ‘your’
in another. But Tyler had no right to talk to you that way. You’re usually so conscientious
it makes me jealous, but everybody has a bad day. Don’t beat yourself up over
this.”

“Are you going to write me up?”

Joe snorted. “No. We don’t have that
kind of a policy in place and you can’t make up rules as you go along. I am
concerned, though. You haven’t been yourself this week. Is something wrong?”

Maggie sighed. “It’s Barnaby. He’s
okay, but he gave me a scare over the weekend.”

Joe and his family housed a
menagerie that included two cats, a parakeet, a rabbit, and a guinea pig, so
Maggie was not surprised when he said, “Let me know if you need to take off
some time to be with him.” She was surprised when he looked past her and added,
“Hey, what can we do for one of Jasper’s finest today?”

Maggie turned to find Seth entering
Joe’s office. “Oh, my God. Did Tyler press charges against Joe?” she asked.

“Tyler?” Seth asked. “The kid who
covers the crime beat? Press charges against Joe for what?”

“I thought …” Maggie looked from
Seth to Joe. “They had an argument earlier.”

Joe laughed. “It was nothing.
Maggie is being dramatic. So, what business brings you to the
Sentinel
?”

“Actually, I’m here to see Maggie.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Is there some place we could
talk?”