The Battered Body

THIRTEEN

The sound of his alarm, which could easily rival a nuclear-fallout siren, harshly forced James into wakefulness. Glancing at the clock numbers, he was certain there must be some mistake. He had just gone to sleep, hadn’t he? Noting that his wool blanket was in a heap on the floor and that his pillow protruded halfway out of its wrinkled case, he realized that the little sleep he had captured had been very restless.

And no wonder, he thought as he wearily sat up and ran his hands through his hair, which was sticking straight out like a porcupine’s quills. All that excitement with Bennett and Gillian and Jane. Oh my Lord, JANE! My ex-wife was in Quincy’s Gap. I looked for her everywhere in that firehouse, but she was gone! Was she a hallucination? He considered the possibility. Brought on by eating too many brownies?

Sifting through his closet, James wondered what one was supposed to wear to an ash scattering ceremony. Except that it wasn’t a ceremony. Chase clearly planned to toss out the ashes with no fanfare and had already forewarned his relatives that no words would be spoken.

“Paulette’s memorial should take all of five minutes,” James muttered as he selected a pair of espresso-brown corduroy pants and a forest green sweater and laid them across the foot of his bed.

Downstairs, Milla was standing behind Jackson’s chair with a hot griddle. She piled pancakes directly onto his plate until she had formed a small tower of golden brown dough.

“I whipped up these pancakes just for you, James!” Milla handed Jackson a jug of pure maple syrup and kissed him on the top of the head. “Whole wheat banana pancakes. Marvelously tasty and low calorie. Dr. Ruth would approve. I even substituted apple sauce for the vegetable oil, so eat up, my dear!”

Jackson, who was just about to shovel a forkful of pancake into his mouth, dropped his eating utensil with a clank. “Whole wheat? Wheat’s got no place in a man’s pancake.”

“Take a bite. I dare you,” Milla taunted as she gazed at her future husband tenderly. “If you don’t like them, I promise to put them right in the garbage disposal. Go on now.”

Grudgingly, Jackson plunged his fork into his mouth and chewed without meeting Milla’s eager eyes. When he merely grunted in response, she reached out to take his plate, but he lightly smacked her hand away. “I’d rather eat them than fix that damned disposal again. Bananas in pancakes. Hrmph!”

Milla exchanged a conspiratorial grin with James and the three of them quickly consumed the delicious breakfast.

James could hardly believe that such savory pancakes were low calorie. As he loaded the dishwasher, he begged Milla to come up with a few more recipes he could make for himself.

“Don’t remind me that you’re leaving us soon!” She wailed and hid her face behind the dishtowel. “But don’t you worry about food. I’m going to stock your freezer with dinners and when you’re tired of defrosting those, you can drive right over here for a hot, home-cooked meal.” She wiped her hands on her apron. “All right, men. Let’s get a move on. James, you need your truck to get back to work, so Jackson and I will meet you at the overlook. It’s not the ending I wanted for my sister, but it’s an ending.”

Milla glanced at the tidy kitchen and began to wrap a scarf around her neck. Jackson gulped down the rest of his coffee and pulled on his warmest parka. “If Paulette’s boy sasses you once, I’m tossin’ him off the cliff.”

“With both of my men by my side, Chase wouldn’t dare say a thing,” Milla replied proudly and buttoned up her long wool coat. After adding gloves and hats to their ensemble, the couple left the house, confident that James wouldn’t be far behind them.

The phone rang as James was in the middle of brushing his teeth. He quickly rinsed out his mouth and grabbed the portable phone. He said hello as he hurried down the stairs, preparing to tell the caller that he had no time to talk.

“Are you on your way to the overlook?” Lucy asked without preamble.

“Yes, and I’ve got to leave now. Jackson and Milla headed out five minutes ago.”

Lucy sighed in what sounded like relief. “So you three have been in the house all morning?”

“Where else would we be?” James was puzzled. “It’s seven thirty, Lucy.” He immediately grew concerned. “What’s going on?”

“The short version is that I looked up the regulations on scattering human remains at a Shenandoah National Park site. Without obtaining a special permit from the director of the National Park Service, it’s an illegal act.”

James put on his coat as they talked. “Why did you research that?”

“Because last night, at the firehouse, Milla told me how much she had wanted a place to visit Paulette and how Chase so rudely denied her request,” Lucy quickly explained. “I figured if I showed up at the hotel this morning in uniform and threatened him with arrest, he might reconsider his plans.”

“That was really kind of you, Lucy!” James gushed.

“Well, Chase had already left the hotel when I got there, which I thought was odd. Stranger still, he didn’t take Chloe or Wheezie with him.”

James suddenly felt anxious. “I don’t like the sound of this. Has Chase run off with the ashes? Is he trying to torture poor Milla?”

“Um, I know exactly where he is.” She hesitated. “I’m calling you from the overlook, James. I had to call for backup first, but I wanted to stop all three of you from coming out here. Guess I’m too late.”

“Would you please tell me what happened?” James’s anxiety level had grown exponentially as he pictured Lucy sitting in her brown cruiser, frantically radioing for help.

“Chase is dead, James. His car is at the bottom of the ravine, and it’s been crushed like a tin can. I can’t get to him, but I’ve got binoculars in my car and I was able to see enough to know that he isn’t going to be revived by the paramedics I called.” She expelled a deep breath. “He was actually thrown free of the car, but his body-well, his arms and legs are at impossible angles.”

His thoughts whirling, James asked, “Was it an accident? Do you think he was drunk or something?”

“No,” Lucy answered. “This was murder, plain and simple.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. I’ll explain the details later.”

James spluttered, “But if Chase was murdered-”

“Then maybe Paulette was too?” Lucy finished his thought. “I’ll do my best to send your folks back home, but you might want to come out here in case they don’t feel like listening to me. Milla’s a sweet woman, but she’s got a stubborn streak, just like the rest of the folks living under your roof, and I don’t want her to see Chase like this. After all, he was her nephew.”

“I’ll be right there, Lucy,” James promised and ran out to his truck. Slapping his dashboard, he revved the engine into life. “Come on, old friend. Time for one of our shortcuts.”

The old Bronco didn’t fail him. As though sensing its owner’s need, the truck climbed the steep, curving mountain roads and dove into the valleys. James had never driven so recklessly over the winding roads. Normally, he followed the forty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit with care, because thick patches of fog could obscure the road at any time of the day. And even though there were fewer sightseers on the Parkway during the winter, one could never tell when an RV driver would suddenly decide to pull off at one of the scenic lookouts or when someone unaccustomed to the highway’s sharp bends would slam on the brakes.

When James arrived at the overlook, Lucy was speaking to Milla through the driver’s side window of her minivan. Steering well clear of the ambulance, park ranger vehicles, and Sheriff’s Department cars, James parked his truck and then jogged toward the van.

“Tell them to go on home, James.” Lucy’s voice held both a command and a plea.

“It’s not that I want to see anything,” Milla assured Lucy. “I’m honestly just trying to get a grip on myself before I put this clunker into reverse. First Patty. And now Chase. I can’t believe this. The size of my family is shrinking fast.” She removed her trembling hands from the steering wheel and put them in her lap.

Reaching over to clasp her wrinkled hands in his, Jackson peered at Lucy. “That boy didn’t drive himself over that cliff, did he?”

Lucy shook her head. “No sir. The ground is too hard to allow for defined footprints, but you can see where somebody helped Chase’s rental car over the side. A nice little push, but it was enough.” Behind her, the park rangers were setting up climbing gear and unwinding lengths of cable. Lucy turned, looked at the action occurring among the officials, and seemed impatient to join them. “I’ve got to get back there, but as soon as you’re able, I’d like y’all to clear on out, go home, and sit by the fire with a hot cup of coffee. I promise to call you when I know more about this mess.”

“You’re a good girl,” Jackson said, and James could see that Lucy was pleased to receive some of Jackson’s rarely offered praise.

As the older couple drove off, Deputy Keith Donovan strutted over and stood squarely in front of James, invading his personal space in an attempt to be intimidating. Hands on his hips, as though he wore spurs and was about to draw a pair of revolvers and gun down an outlaw, Keith looked James over and made it clear that he was unimpressed by what he saw.

“You’re always sniffing around my crime scenes, librarian,” he growled. “And here I thought you only got turned on by books.”

“Books are more enriching than you’d ever know,” James answered, refusing to be baited by the red-haired deputy. “It’s too bad you don’t give one a try. You might widen your horizons, which are about as narrow as the space between my fingers.” James held up his gloved hand and pressed his fingers together.

Scowling, Donovan turned to Lucy. “While you were having a cozy chitchat session with his folks, the rangers have rappelled down the cliff. In case you’re interested, they’re ready to send the body up. I can take over the lead on this case if you’d rather stand around and run your mouth. Even better, you could go fetch the men coffee and donuts and let us handle everything.” He spat derisively on the ground. “That’s the way things should be anyhow.”

“Piss off, Donovan. You couldn’t solve a Hardy Boys mystery, let alone a real one,” Lucy hissed, and then walked away toward the ambulance.

Recognizing that his presence might compromise Lucy’s authority, James pretended to return to the Bronco, but he made a wide arc as he walked in order to take a glimpse over the edge of the overlook. Glancing down, he saw Chase’s rental car. It had fallen nose-down and the bumper had smashed right into the jagged, rock-strewn bottom. James had no talent for guessing distances, but the car had plummeted at least one hundred feet before impact. The front half had folded into itself like a paper fan, and James couldn’t imagine what a human body would look like compared to this contorted wreckage of metal.

“You were an ass, Chase Martin, but I sure hope you were unconscious before that fall,” James whispered into the frosty air. Having viewed the mangled car, he retreated from the lip of grass, feeling deeply cold both inside and out. Wanting nothing more than to be comforted by the presence of stacks and stacks of books, hushed voices, and the murmur of the library’s ancient furnace, James got in his truck and headed back to Quincy’s Gap.

It wasn’t his intention to stop at the Sweet Tooth, but when he saw Megan Flowers sweeping the bakery’s stoop, his impulses switched to autopilot, and he pulled into a parking space in front of the store.

“Good morning, Professor!” Megan welcomed him. “Staff meeting today?”

James nodded in surprise. “I almost forgot all about that! If I hadn’t seen you, I would have driven right by.”

“Lucky you, then. I’ve made some heavenly cinnamon buns,” she said with a smile. “Fresh from the oven and just dripping warm maple-walnut frosting.”

“Those will definitely work,” James said, trying to retain enough control over his appetite to refrain from asking for an éclair, a Long John, or a jelly-filled donut to cram into his mouth in the privacy of his truck. “But don’t let me order anything for myself,” he begged. “I’m stressed right now and am trying to master my cravings when I feel like this.”

Megan studied James with concern. “Here.” She handed him a thin sliver of raisin bread. “You just need to chew on something, but it doesn’t need to be an entire layer cake. A few plump raisins combined with a crisp, buttery crust should settle you down without ruining your diet.”

She was right. Munching the fresh bread, with its ribbons of cinnamon and fresh, moist raisins, James felt himself relaxing. By the time he finished the snack, his intense desire to rapidly consume a pastry had passed.

“You are a wonderful woman.” He kissed Megan on the cheek. “Can you slice a loaf of that bread for me to take home to Milla and Pop? I believe it has magical healing powers.”

“Everything okay, James? You’re not fretting over that silly book, are you?” Megan shouted over the noise of the bread slicer.

“Ugh,” James groaned. “I’d forgotten all about that.”

“Easy to do, what with everybody talking about Gillian and Bennett.”

“People won’t discuss the two lovebirds for long,” James answered glumly. “Happy endings don’t make for good gossip.”

Megan handed him the cinnamon buns and bread. “I’m afraid that’s true. And the ending of Murphy’s book sure isn’t happy, even though it’s already been adding more dollars to my cash register. No complaints here about her writing about that poor boy who died here.”

James wasn’t interested in recalling the supper club’s first murder case. “What happens at the end of the book?”

“It’s too awful to say out loud, so you’ll just have to read it for yourself.” Megan patted him on the arm, wished him a lovely day, and then busied herself arranging a tray of black and white cookies.

James left the shop in a state of puzzlement, but he didn’t have much time to think about Chase Martin or Murphy’s books, because he reached the library within a few minutes. UPS had delivered boxes of books the day before, and Murphy’s book must have been inside one of the boxes because when James reached the circulation desk, the twins were each poring over a copy.

“This is the only chance we’re going to get to look at this book,” Francis explained apologetically. “We’ve got eighty-five requests for our three copies, and I heard Murphy’s going to be on The Today Show next week.”

“Why?” James asked crisply. “It’s a run-of-the-mill thriller. Dozens of books just like hers were released this month, so why is she getting that kind of publicity?”

“The show’s teaser mentioned the book in conjunction with the sudden death of the Diva of Dough,” Scott answered after a moment’s hesitation. “I think they’re going to spin that event so that it looks like Murphy has an insider’s perspective and a possible subject for her next mystery.”

“The mystery angle may prove correct.” James sighed heavily and told the Fitzgerald brothers about Chase’s death.

“Are you sure you should be here, Professor?” Francis eyed his boss carefully. “We can handle things if you need to hang out with Milla.”

The young man’s caring nature touched James. “Thanks, Francis, but we’re just a bit shocked. There’s nothing we can do about what happened, so we might as well put our heads down and get on with our day.”

Scott tapped on Murphy’s book. “I don’t know what the Cellulite Club would do, but when this town’s been in trouble before, we could always look to your supper club to straighten things out.”

“You’re right!” James stared at Scott and then clapped the twin fondly on the back. “I’ll call a meeting for tonight. We can’t allow people to be pushed off our mountains!” he exclaimed. “We need to act!”

Scott and Francis watched their boss hurry into this office where he switched on his computer. “Way to distract him,” he heard Francis whisper. “He’s going to get all kind of grief from that book as it is.”

“I wasn’t trying to distract him,” Scott replied. “I meant what I said. Our boss is like a librarian superhero.”

“Dude, that would make an awesome graphic novel!” Francis remarked enthusiastically and the pair moved off, exchanging character, plot, and costume ideas.

“I hope they don’t make me wear a cape,” James muttered with a grin.

The supper club members didn’t have much time to prepare an elaborate meal for that evening, and since Bennett and James were interested in relatively low-calorie food, the five friends e-mailed one another until they agreed upon a simple, well-balanced meal. James assumed Lucy would be far too busy to cook, so he informed her via e-mail that she was exempt from having to bring anything but information to the Henry table. He then called Milla to forewarn her that she and Jackson should expect the supper club members to appear between six and six thirty.

“Thank the Lord!” she exclaimed happily. “Oh, please let me cook! It’ll give me something to do! I just discovered the perfect recipe for a healthy main dish: artichoke and sun-dried tomato chicken breasts drizzled with a nice pesto sauce. A little garlic, a few onions, and some excellent olive oil…” James could hear her making a mental grocery list.

“Don’t buy too much,” he advised. “Gillian’s making whole wheat spaetzle and Lindy’s bringing steamed zucchini. And I should help with something .”

“You can help me with the chocolate mousse. I know a sumptuous recipe that uses rich, dark chocolate instead of sugar, and brandy and coffee instead of heavy cream. It’s been ages since I made it, but I still remember how good it is.” She lowered her voice. “I have to confess, James, I am thrilled to have an excuse to get your father out of the house. There’s nothing on TV about Chase’s accident and he says he can’t focus on work without knowing more about what happened, but I know he’s really moping because he doesn’t know who to paint next. No one’s hands are inspiring him.”

“Oh dear.” James knew how ill-humored his father could be when he was between projects.

“I hope these awful events revolving around my family members aren’t going to turn him back into a hermit,” she added. “I wish I could think of something I could do to bring some sunshine back into our lives.”

“Me too,” James sympathized.

That evening, Bennett was the first to arrive. He handed James a thermos of hot spiced cider and fell into one of the kitchen chairs in exhaustion.

“My route has never taken as long as it did today. Every man, woman, and dog wanted to hash over my love life.” He shook his head wearily. “Man, what was I thinking doing what I did how I did it? That is so not my style!”

“Too late now,” James replied cheerily. He was enjoying Bennett’s public romance. “Besides, now you’ve given Murphy fodder for her next book.”

“Shoot, that’s the other thing everybody’s yapping about. What’s the big shocker at the end?” Bennett inquired as someone rapped knuckles against the panes of the back window.

“No clue,” James stated as he opened the door, letting in Lindy, Gillian, and a burst of cold air. “I haven’t read it.”

Lindy pulled the book out of her grocery bag, her face dark with anger. “I’m on chapter eleven, and every page I read makes me madder and madder. I spent my entire lunch hour plotting revenge against Murphy Alistair!”

“What’s your opinion?” James asked Gillian nervously.

Gillian removed a hand-knit turquoise beret from her head and fluffed her hair. “I don’t plan on reading it,” she answered calmly. “Ever. I’m certain I wouldn’t be pleased with Murphy’s depiction of my spiritual beliefs, and I would prefer not to have a reason to feel any animosity toward a member of my community. I’d like to continue to treat her with respect and fellowship .”

“You wouldn’t if you read the part about how the scented candles you burn while you’re trying to communicate with a moody parrot actually cause the bird’s death,” Lindy grumbled.

Gillian’s hands fluttered over her heart. “What?”

“Yep,” Lindy pursued ruthlessly. “His feathers catch fire and he burns up while screaming ‘Help me! Help me!’”

“That little witch!” Gillian snarled and ripped the book from Lindy’s hands. “What page is that on?”

Lindy opened to a section she had marked using a paper clip. “You think that’s bad? Read this! Here’s where I strip down to my underwear and lay across the school principal’s desk in hopes of seducing him. Luis, whose name is Carlos in this piece of trash, eventually enters his office and he has one of my art students with him! The boy takes a picture of me with his cell phone, and suddenly I’m all over YouTube!” She reddened. “I’ve never done anything remotely like this, but I’m terrified to show my face at school!” She snapped the book shut and tossed it on the table.

At that moment, Lucy let herself in the back door. Smiling at Lindy, she remarked, “And I thought I had a rough day.” She brandished the six-packs she held in each hand. “I got Miller Lite in case anyone wanted to join me, because after looking at Chase Martin’s battered body, a diet soda is not going to do it.”

Everyone accepted a beverage and moved into the dining room. James took a beer into the den, handed it to Jackson, and then said, “Everyone’s here, Milla. I think we should eat first and then listen to Lucy’s report.”

“Should I bring you a tray?” Milla asked Jackson.

Jackson nodded. “I’d rather watch Deal or No Deal than listen to all that yammering.” As Milla turned to leave the room, he grabbed the sleeve of her sweater. “But I’ll come in and sit with you when they talk about the boy.”

“You’re simply the sweetest man underneath all that huff and puff.” Milla kissed him on the forehead.

Over the next few minutes, James set the table as the supper club members carried in side dishes, a pitcher of water, and Milla’s fragrant entrée. They ate hurriedly, exchanging banal small talk about their days. When the meal first started, James found himself wondering if the tone of their gatherings would change after Bennett and Gillian’s public kiss, but the pair acted as they always had. Everyone laughed over Bennett’s descriptions of being teased and playfully harassed by the individuals on his mail route.

“And don’t tell me you’ve got some wacko tea that’ll ease my humiliation, woman.” Bennett pointed a finger at Gillian.

She fluffed her hair and replied, “You were able to answer the second Daily Double correctly because of your knowledge of herbal teas. Now, I wonder who told you all about that subject.”

As Milla served the chocolate mousse, to a chorus of appreciative oohs and ahs , Lucy could sense that it was time to turn to a more somber subject. After taking a reserved bite of her mousse, she nodded ever so slightly at James, signaling that he should collect Jackson from the den.

Milla scooted her chair closer to Jackson’s as soon as he was seated and, gripping the handle of her coffee cup, announced that she was ready for Lucy to begin.

“Chase Martin was definitely murdered,” Lucy stated flatly. “It would appear that he was hit on the back of the head with a blunt object-the ME thinks it might have been a shovel-and then positioned in the driver’s seat of his rental car.”

Lindy gasped. “That’s horrible! Do you think he was unconscious before… before the crash?”

“Most likely. It was a hard blow, the kind that would render most of us senseless,” Lucy said.

“That’s a small blessing in the midst of this gargantuan tragedy,” Gillian declared theatrically.

Lucy ignored the comment and continued. “The killer seems pretty confident that he or she won’t get caught. We don’t have the shovel, but this person didn’t bother with subtlety. We found blood evidence on the pavement where the car would have been parked before it went over the cliff, and there was a cinder block duct-taped to the gas pedal.”

“Now all you need is a set of fingerprints,” Bennett stated.

“Unfortunately, this guy wore gloves.” Lucy said. “And I’m going to refer to the murderer as a ‘he’ because this crime feels very male to me, but I’m not ruling out the possibility that the killer is a woman.”

James had listened quietly up to this point, but when the friends suddenly began exchanging ideas concerning motive, he cleared his throat and looked sadly at Milla. “Every suspect I come up with is female.” He quickly repeated the conversation he had overheard between Willow, Chloe, and Aunt Wheezie when they were together in the hotel lobby.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Willow lately.” Milla’s eyes flashed defiantly. “I cannot see that girl hitting Chase with a shovel and pushing him off a cliff over a month’s salary.”

“Do you have alibis for the three ladies?” Lindy asked Lucy.

“Naturally,” Lucy’s tone was scornful. “They were all getting dressed for the ash scattering. Both the hotel maid and the front desk clerk saw Chloe and Wheezie heading out to Chloe’s rental car, but no one in Willow’s apartment complex noticed her or her car, which is a pretty nondescript compact.”

Milla reached over and grabbed Lucy’s hand. “Willow was in the bed-and-breakfast when Paulette died. She knew how much my sister liked eggnog. One of her jobs was to do errands for Paulette, including grocery shopping. And now you’re saying that she can’t prove where she was this morning?” Milla was clearly distraught. “Despite how things look, I just can’t believe she’s capable of violence…”

“There are many layers to a human being,” Gillian replied softly.

“So what’s her motive? Revenge?” Lindy asked. “Paulette dumped on her one time too many, so after murdering her, Willow gets a taste for it and bumps off Chase next?” She waved her hand dismissively. “Why would she risk her fresh start in Quincy’s Gap? She seemed to be really happy lately.” She turned to James. “You saw her at the firehouse the other night. I noticed she and Francis are getting pretty cozy, and the girl’s talked to everyone who’ll listen about Quincy’s Whimsies. Why would she kill Chase?”

“That’s a good point. She’s become very optimistic,” Milla agreed. “Why, just yesterday she found out that one of the lawyer’s offices downtown is coming up for lease. It’s the perfect size and location for our store, and Willow scheduled a meeting with the building owner for a week from now. She’s pretty sure that’s where we’ll open our doors in a month or two. Does that sound like a murderer?”

Bennett frowned. “It could be an example of that arrogant confidence Lucy talked about. She’s planning her future because she doesn’t think she’ll get caught.”

Lucy cradled her coffee cup between her palms as the rest of the group fell silent, each of them trying to imagine Willow as a murderer.

“Is Paulette’s case officially being reopened?” James inquired.

“Just by me,” Lucy answered tiredly. “There’s no new evidence regarding her case, and this one will keep us all busy. If Chase hadn’t been thrown from the car, we wouldn’t even know about the head wound, but the killer forgot to put his seatbelt on and that’s the only lucky break we’ve had.”

“Ain’t like that shovel’s gonna be easy to find,” Jackson spoke for the first time. “Every Tom, Dick, and Harry’s got at least one. Snow shovels, garden shovels, shovels to use for cleaning the crap out of animal stalls…”

Lucy nodded in agreement. “The park rangers will search the area surrounding the overlook, but the killer could have tossed it in a lake for all we know. No, finding the shovel won’t be how we crack this case. I think the answer lies in the motive. Chase became an extremely wealthy man because of Paulette’s death, but who stood to gain by his abrupt ending?”

“His wife?” Milla guessed.

“We won’t know until we see his will, but I’ve had the opportunity to view Paulette’s, and hers contained an interesting clause.” Lucy paused dramatically. “If anything were to happen to Chase, then the profits from Paulette’s estate would go to Chloe, not to Chase’s wife and children.”

“And Chloe’s in desperate need of money!” James exclaimed, and then grew thoughtful. “But she has a solid alibi for this morning, so unless she was working with someone all along…”

Lindy’s eyes widened. “Like Willow?”

“It’s possible,” Lucy conceded. “Still, there’s no evidence against either woman. These ideas we’re tossing out,” she gestured around the table, “are all circumstantial.”

James glanced at the grim faces of his friends. Noting the resigned slump of Milla’s shoulders, he sighed. “What can we do?”

“We can outsmart the killer!” Lucy shouted, startling everyone. “Look at us! We’ve brought wicked people to justice before, and we’re not going to back down now!” She lowered her voice. “I know this case is tough, but I will not have this person or persons get the better of us. I won’t stand for it. This is our town.”

Rephrasing his previous question so that it formed a statement, James said, “Tell us what to do.”

“Go back to the days preceding Paulette’s death,” she commanded. “I want a timeline of everything she did, every place she went, every person she insulted.” Lucy gave Milla an imploring look. “Can you do that?”

“Of course, dear,” Milla answered without hesitation.

“The key to this riddle lies with Paulette’s death. I’m sure of it.” Lucy put her palm over her heart. “I feel it. Once James, Jackson, and Milla finish that timeline, the rest of you are going to be my foot soldiers. You’re going to get every ounce of gossip, hearsay, or eyewitness accounts regarding Paulette’s movements before she was poisoned. Are you willing to be relentless in pursuing the truth?”

“Oh, yes! Your passion is absolutely inspiring!” Gillian seized Lucy’s hand.

“This isn’t passion. This is anger,” Lucy answered heatedly. “I missed something the first time, and my mistake has cost Chase Martin his life. I didn’t like him. I doubt that many people did, but did he deserve to have his head bashed in, to be pushed off a cliff?”

“No one deserves such an end,” Milla whispered.

“Exactly!” Lucy raised her voice again. “And we’re running out of time! We can only detain Chloe and Wheezie for so long. I believe Chase knew the person who killed him. I think he was mighty surprised to see a shovel in that person’s hands. But who did he meet on that overlook? Why did he get there early? I need to know what we missed in Paulette’s case that can answer those questions.”

James and Milla exchanged determined looks. “We’ll start right now,” he vowed.

“And we’ll clean up the kitchen!” Gillian offered and pulled on Bennett’s arm. “Let’s go, mister. You’re on wash detail.”

Spluttering, Bennett followed in her wake as Lindy collected dishes from the table.

James fetched a notebook from his work bag, poured himself a large mug of coffee, and prepared for a late night. “I’m ready,” he told Lucy. “Let’s find that piece of the puzzle and end this thing for good.”