A Slice of Murder (23 page)

“I just told you, I have no idea.”

“Then how can you even be sure about the car?”

He laughed. “Come on, it was pretty funny seeing that truck of his being chased by a VW Bug.” He added, “But I don’t think Mr. Olsen found it funny. I caught a glimpse of his face, and he didn’t seem too amused about it. I could swear he looked scared half to death.”

“Let me get this straight,” I said. “You saw Richard Olsen’s face enough to know that he was frightened, but you couldn’t even tell if the driver of the car chasing him was a man or a woman?”

“That’s what Dad said!” Josh yelled as he slammed the drink down onto the counter. “He didn’t believe me, either.”

“I never said that,” I replied, careful to keep my voice calm and even. “I was just curious.”

“The Bug’s windows were tinted, okay? And I mean dark, too.”

“That makes sense,” I said, and he settled back onto the stool.

He nodded. “Of course it does, when you take the time to let me finish. Dad didn’t believe me, and I didn’t know who else to tell. The next night, I was out running again, and I spotted the VW. It was almost like it was out prowling around looking for me.” He finished his Coke and offered me the glass. “Could I get some more?”

“When your pizza’s done,” I said. “Tell me more about what happened.”

“I ran my usual route, but when I spotted the car, I got a little creeped out by it. When it got too close, I made a quick cut into Mrs. Abernathy’s yard, and the funny thing was, I could swear it veered over to come after me.”

“What did you do then?”

“I couldn’t go home, could I? I ran to the first place I could think of, and that was Greg Hatcher’s apartment. That’s why I’ve been hiding, Eleanor. It had nothing to do with me acting childish, and I wish people would understand that.”

“You’ve got to tell your father,” I said, reaching for the telephone.

“He won’t listen to me,” Josh said. “I can’t believe you want me to call him.”

“He’s not just your dad,” I said. “He’s the chief of police.”

“Why should I tell him anything? He won’t believe me.”

I shook my head. “I’ll stay right beside you when you tell him,” I said, knowing that I was getting myself into more grief with Kevin than I wanted, but not caring enough to stop myself. Josh had come to me for help, and I wasn’t about to turn him away.

“You’d do that for me?” He seemed sincerely touched by my gesture.

“Hey, I back all my employees up,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. Josh’s dark temper was just below the surface, but he hadn’t succeeded in burying it like his father had yet.

“That’s just it,” he said. “I’m not exactly an employee anymore, am I?”

“I never said that,” I replied. “You were on leave; you weren’t fired.”

“Funny, it feels the same way to me.”

“That’s your problem,” I said as I stared intently at him. “I can’t do anything about that. Now call him.”

He finally took the phone, but it was pretty clear he was reluctant to use it. “He’s not going to believe me, I can tell you that now.”

“Then it’s on him, and not you. You still have to make the call.”

Josh nodded reluctantly, then he took the portable phone into my office so he could have some privacy.

After twenty seconds, he came back in and said, “He’s on his way.”

“Did you tell him what happened?”

“Are you kidding? As soon as he found out I was here, he hung up on me. That’s typical for my dad—patient with the world, but short-tempered with me.”

“It’s a family thing. Don’t take it so personally,” I said.

“It’s kind of hard not to, you know?”

Josh’s pizza came out of the oven, and I cut it and put it on a tray. “There you go. You might as well eat something while we’re waiting. I’ll get you a refill.”

I’d waited to get him more Coke on purpose. I wanted a word with his father before he confronted Josh, and if he didn’t like my parenting tips, it was just too bad.

I refilled Josh’s glass as Maddy joined me.

“Having any luck with him?”

“He’s eating now,” I said, and before my sister could jump on me, I added, “He took off because of the Barons’ black VW.”

“Why? What did he see?”

“It’s the car that was chasing Richard Olsen on the night he was murdered,” I said.

Maddy frowned. “I didn’t see anybody after him.”

“They must have dropped the chase at some point,” I said.

“Then why was Richard still speeding when I saw him?”

“Maddy, I believe Josh.”

“And you don’t believe me?”

“Of course I believe you,” I said. “But there’s no doubt in his mind that at least one of the Barons was in that car.”

“But he couldn’t see which one it was,” Maddy said.

“No, he couldn’t. How did you know that?”

“That’s the car Steve Baron was scraping the windshield on when we talked to him. The windows were tinted to nearly black. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

“I was focusing on the mayor,” I said, “not the car he was deicing.”

“They had a busy night, didn’t they? Eating at Dusty’s, then getting back in town in time to chase Richard Olsen around in their Beetle before stabbing him.”

“It all makes sense, don’t you think?”

My sister frowned instead of answering.

“Come on, Maddy,” I said. “It’s possible.”

“I’m not denying it.” She looked up and asked, “Did you know he was coming?”

I looked over my shoulder and saw Kevin Hurley heading toward us. “You might want to make yourself scarce,” I said.

“Are you kidding me? I adore fireworks.”

“Then you’re going to absolutely love this.”

K
evin got within a foot of me before he snapped, “Where’s my son?”

“We need to talk first,” I said.

“I’m not in the mood, Eleanor,” he said.

I put a hand on his chest. “Oh, do you think I’m playing around here? You’re not going back there until I talk to you.”

He paused then and studied me for a few long seconds. “Do you really think you can stop me?”

“If you have a tenth as much brains as you think you do, you’ll do as I ask.”

He didn’t like it, but he didn’t push my hand away, either.

“You’ve got thirty seconds,” he said.

I started talking before he could begin his countdown.

“Your son doesn’t think you believe him about the black VW.”

“He told you that? The kid’s got too much imagination.”

“Or maybe he really saw one of the Barons chasing Richard Olsen. Did you even talk to the mayor and his wife, or have you been afraid to because of their pull around here?”

A glimpse of his temper came to the surface, and he didn’t even bother fighting it back this time. “I know how to do my job, Eleanor. I checked their alibi. They were at Dusty’s the night of the murder.”

If he expected me to cower from that onslaught, he didn’t know me at all. “They were there until just after seven. Check the credit card receipt. That gave them plenty of time to get back here and commit the murder.”

“Are you poking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”

“Somebody has to,” I said. Though the dining room was sparsely populated, there wasn’t a sound in the room as the chief and I argued. I couldn’t do anything about that, though.

“You’re interfering in official police business,” he said as he glanced at his watch. “And your time’s up.”

He hurried through the kitchen door and was back out almost as quickly. “Where’s my son?”

It was my turn to be surprised. “Do you mean he’s not there?”

Kevin shook his head as he took off. “This isn’t over,” he said as he neared the front door.

After he was gone, I noticed that everyone was still looking at me. I looked at them all, then said, “Sorry about the interruption. To make it up to you all, we’ll be delivering orders of cinnamon swirlies as soon as they’re out of the oven, and they’ll be on the house.”

I hurried back into the kitchen and started pulling out dough from the fridge.

Maddy followed quickly behind me. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I wasn’t about to let him steamroll his own child,” I said as I rolled out pieces of dough and twisted them into braids.

“I’m talking about giving away food,” she said.

“Can we really afford to lose the last few customers we have?” I asked.

“I guess not,” Maddy said.

“Then melt some butter and get out the cinnamon sugar,” I said. “We have some desserts to make.”

After the dough was twisted, buttered, and dusted with cinnamon sugar, I started sending sheets through the oven.

“Why did he just take off like that?” Maddy asked.

“I thought you expected him to do just that.”

She frowned. “I didn’t think he’d leave you to deal with his own father. That’s just not right.”

“Take it easy on him, Maddy. I’m sure he was listening to every word we said. Would you have been able to stand there and take it yourself?”

“I guess you’re right,” she said. “I’m pretty proud of you.”

“For giving away desserts?” I asked as I mixed the icing for the swirlies.

“Don’t be a nit,” she said. “You stood up to Kevin for Josh’s sake.”

“What can I say? I feel like the people who work here are family to me.”

“I’ve always thought of you as a sister, myself,” Maddy said as she put an arm around me.

We both laughed, and the tension was broken. I had no idea where Josh had headed, but I doubted it would be back to Greg Hatcher’s place. Wherever he went, I hoped he was safe. He’d risked something coming to see me, and I was going to make sure it hadn’t been in vain.

The next free second I had, I was going to pay a visit to the mayor and his wife, no matter how many wicked and evil threats he’d made.

After Maddy and I finished distributing the dessert confections, we were back in the kitchen washing up.

As she dried off a plate I handed her, she said, “Hey, I just realized you never finished telling me about your big date.”

“I didn’t know I’d even started,” I said.

“Come on, give. I want details.”

“Fine. We both had steak, baked potatoes, and green beans.”

“Is that it?” Maddy asked.

“I was too full for dessert,” I said as I tore off a bit of unclaimed dessert. After I ate it, I said, “That doesn’t mean I’ve sworn off desserts forever, you know.”

“I don’t care about the menu,” she said.

“Then why’d you ask?”

Maddy frowned at me. “Are you really this dense, or is it just an act?”

I shrugged. “I guess we’ll never know.”

“You’re honestly not going to tell me what happened?”

I took my sister’s hands in mine and said, “Nothing happened. We had a nice meal. Then he brought me back here. Sorry to disappoint you, but there were no sparks, no connection, and no good-night kiss.”

She let out a big breath, then asked, “How am I supposed to live vicariously through you when you won’t live?”

“Go out and find another husband,” I said. “That should keep you busy for a year or two.”

“Don’t be so flip about it, or I just might,” Maddy said. As she studied the pile of dishes waiting to be cleaned, she asked, “Do you want to switch off?”

“It’s up to you. Surprise me,” I said.

“That’s us—two single gals who really know how to live.”

We both laughed about it, but I wondered how much either one of us found it funny. Maddy was a natural at falling in love. She just hadn’t mastered the art of staying married. I was a completely different case altogether. I’d been in love only once, but I’d thought it was going to be forever.

Yet here we were, with no one but each other.

At least we had that, though.

After we locked the doors and sent Greg on his way home, I turned to Maddy and said, “See you in the morning.”

“What? No late-night sleuthing tonight?”

“That depends,” I said as I looked around. “What did you have in mind?” The brick promenade was nearly deserted, and fog had moved in to replace the snow we’d had before. A few lampposts lit different areas of the expanse in front of the shops, leaving pockets of fuzzy light that barely extended into the gloom. It felt more like the English moors than our part of North Carolina.

“I think we should go talk to the Barons,” she said.

“I don’t know, Maddy. I’m not sure the mayor was bluffing about coming after my permits.”

“We won’t let him, Eleanor. If he tries it, he’ll have the fight of his life on his hands. Just because he runs things around here doesn’t give him the right to threaten our livelihood. If we let him keep us from investigating, he wins.”

I thought about it a few moments, then said, “Okay, I’m game if you are. We might have more use for Bob Lemon after all. By the way, I haven’t seen him over the past two days. Where’s he been?”

“How should I know?” she asked a little too defensively.

“You do, don’t you?”

“He called me before he left. He had to take a deposition out of town, but he’ll be back tomorrow. The only reason Bob called was so you’d know how to get in touch with him if you needed him.”

“If that’s true,” I said, “then why didn’t he call me directly? He’s got my phone number, too.”

Maddy looked flustered by the line of questioning. “Who knows why any man does anything? Are we going to go talk to the Barons, or should I head home and leave you so you can fantasize another night about my love life?”

“Let’s go see the mayor and his wife,” I said.

“Excellent. I’ll follow you to your house, and then you can ride with me.”

“We could do it the other way around,” I said as we walked through the parklike alley toward our cars. At least there was a light there, though it stopped far short of illuminating the entire pathway. I could easily imagine someone stepping out of the fog and grabbing us, and without realizing it, I quickened my pace.

“I’ll drive,” she said. “I’ve had more experience in the fog.”

“I don’t see how,” I said as I peered all around us. “This is really bad, isn’t it?”

Maddy shrugged. “It’s supposed to be worse tomorrow night.”

“I can’t imagine that.”

“Just wait,” she said. “I went camping with Jared once, or was it Kyle? Sometimes even I have trouble remembering what I did with which husband.”

“Does it really matter who the spouse of the month was? What about your camping trip?”

“It had to be Kyle. Jared’s idea of roughing it was going without room service.” My loud sigh spurred her on. “Anyway, we were camping on the Skyline Drive, and the fog was so thick we nearly lost our way coming back from the shower house. I didn’t think we’d ever make it home the next day.”

“And it was as bad as this?”

“Worse,” she said.

“Then I’m staying home tomorrow.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Because of all our loyal customers?” I asked as we finally made it to our cars.

“Sure, if that works for you. See you soon. Don’t drive too fast.”

“Right back at you,” I said.

I got into the Subaru, with Maddy following right behind me, and we somehow managed to make it back to my house. By the time we got there, I was just as happy that my sister had insisted on driving. I was a bundle of nerves from our short trek to the house.

When I got in the passenger side, I said, “Let’s go.”

“It’s time to poke the wasp nest with a stick,” she said. Peering at the gloomy road ahead of us, Maddy said, “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if we didn’t talk. I need to focus on the road, at least the parts of it I can see.”

That was a request I had no trouble keeping. As we drove through the shrouded streets, I wondered about the sanity of the trip. Even if we made it to the Barons’ house—which I was beginning to doubt was going to happen—how were we going to question them? We’d both been pretty blunt before, but tonight we were going to push it all of the way. It probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing I’d ever done, and that encompassed quite a few boneheaded moves I’d made in the past.

I kept my thoughts to myself until Maddy neared the house. It had helped our travel that not many other folks were out in the fog.

I touched her arm lightly. “Pull over here, would you?”

She nodded as she did as I’d asked. “Are we going to sneak up on them?”

“We could do that if we parked in their driveway,” I said. “I want to talk to you before we just go barging in there.”

“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?”

“I’m shivering everywhere, including my feet. Maddy, what if we’re right? What if one or both of the Barons killed Richard Olsen? Shouldn’t we have some sort of way to defend ourselves?”

“I’ve still got my stun gun,” she said, “and you’ve got your pepper spray.”

“I’m talking about calling Kevin Hurley,” I said.

“I’m sure the chief of police is going to trot right over to watch our backs, especially after the argument you two had this evening. Eleanor, I hate to break it to you, but I doubt if he’d cross the street to pour water on either one of us if we were on fire. We can handle this.”

“You’re delusional; you know that, don’t you?”

She smiled at me. “I think it’s one of my best features. Don’t worry, we’ll be safe enough.”

I questioned the wisdom of the confrontation, but then I remembered how the couple had come into my kitchen and threatened me. That got my blood boiling again. I wasn’t about to let them get away with it, and the murder investigation almost became secondary in my mind to standing up for myself.

“Let’s go,” I said.

“That’s the spirit.”

We got out of the car and walked the hundred yards to the Barons’ house. They had a porch light on, which served as a glowing beacon for us.

I’d no sooner walked onto the porch when Faith Baron pulled the door open, dressed in a fancy party outfit.

“Come on in, Thompsons,” she said. Then Faith saw that it was us.

“What are you two doing here?” she asked, the pleasant greeting dying on her lips as she spoke. “I thought my husband made it perfectly clear that we were finished talking to you.”

I patted my empty jacket pocket. “We didn’t come to talk. We’ve still got that letter you wrote Richard Olsen, and we wanted to see how you’d tap dance your way out of it when we show it to your husband.”

Faith stepped out onto the porch, pulling the door behind her. “Give it to me.”

“No,” I said. “After we show Steve, I’m saving it for the police.”

She looked surprised by that statement. “How could they possibly care that I was having an affair with Richard Olsen? Just because I slept with him once didn’t mean I murdered him.”

I heard a rustling in the bushes nearby, but when I turned to try to see what it was, I couldn’t spot a thing.

Faith followed my gaze and commanded, “Buttons, get in here. It’s no night for a cat to be out running around in the fog.”

When there was no further movement, I turned back to her and said, “Go get your husband. We’re not leaving until we talk to him.”

“Don’t do this,” Faith said, the commanding tone in her voice becoming all at once compliant. “He doesn’t know, not for sure, at any rate. That letter will kill my marriage.”

“Like you killed Richard?” Maddy asked softly.

“Neither one of us killed him,” she said curtly.

“But you chased him down the road in your car the night he died, didn’t you?” I asked.

I was surprised to see a puzzled expression on her face. “That would have been impossible.”

“How’s that? We’ve got witnesses,” I said.

“They didn’t see us,” she said. “Our car was in the shop that night. Call Bob Pickering and ask him if you don’t believe me. We were supposed to pick it up, but our dinner reservations were too early, so we took my husband’s car. By the time we got back into town, Pickering’s was closed, so I didn’t pick it up until the next morning.”