The Case Of The Cupid Caper

Chapter 4

Tuesday

As I frequently did, I woke while it was still dark and headed toward the attic. During the summer when the sun rose early, I would watch as it climbed its way over the distant mountain, but more often than not during the short days of winter, the sky would still be dark when I climbed into the window seat with a hand knitted blanket and Aunt Gracie’s cat, Alastair. There was something so peaceful about the moon shining down on the frozen white landscape, or the stars, too numerous to count, twinkling brightly overhead. I loved these quiet mornings with just my thoughts and the cat. I knew daybreak would arrive soon enough, and with my busy schedule, I’d really have to scramble to keep up with what would come with the arrival of the sun.

Alastair curled up in my lap as I went over my plan for the day in my mind. I usually liked to spend a few minutes catching up with Tom and Aunt Gracie, whether I stopped to eat breakfast or not. Most days, I’d head into the newspaper first thing, but today I planned to head directly to Cass’s office. I knew he’d spoken to Dale’s abuse patient, and I was more than just a little interested in what he’d found out. I supposed that if I had time, I could stop by the newspaper after I chatted with Cass. I still needed to pop in on Lettie Harper to discuss the plans for the Sweetheart Dance, and there was the town council meeting at noon. After the council meeting was concluded, I had two Ms. Cupid interviews set up, followed by my volunteer shifts at the animal shelter. Yep, I thought to myself as I snuggled up with the cat, today was going to be a busy one.

“Callie you in there?” Aunt Gracie knocked twice on the attic door and then came inside.

“You’re up early,” I greeted as she turned on the desk lamp to provide something other than moonlight in the otherwise dark room.

“Ned just called. Nora has taken a turn for the worse, and he is going to take her to the specialist in Denver. He asked if I would go in and open the store.” Ned and Nora Nottaway owned the general store.

“Oh, no. I hope Nora will be okay. She’s been doing so well.”

“Ned thinks that the cold she got a few weeks ago turned into something more. She’s been responding well to the cancer treatments, but after everything she’s been through, her immune system has been compromised. I’m going to jump in the shower and then head over there. Tom will be by around eight for breakfast. Do you mind letting him know what’s going on?”

“I’m happy to pass on the message, but doesn’t he have text?”

“Tom doesn’t have a phone of any kind. He tried a cell but didn’t like it, so when it broke, he never replaced it. And his little cottage never has had a landline. I could just tape a note to his door, but if you’ll be here…”

“I’ll be here until around nine, and I’m happy to pass the message along. Please let me know if I can do anything. Anything at all.”

“Ned assured me that he has staff coming in, so I should only have to stay a few hours. He asked if I could stop by to lock up if they admitted Nora, and they have to stay over. He’s going to call me later. I guess we’ll just have to see how it all plays out.”

My heart ached for this very sweet couple. I hated that their lives seemed to revolve almost entirely around doctor visits. I hoped with my whole being that Nora would fully recover, and both Ned and Nora could return to their normal lives.

After Gracie headed toward the shower, I headed downstairs with Alastair. I made coffee and then gave the cat food and water. His cat box was in good shape, so Gracie must have cleaned it late in the day yesterday. Once the coffee finished brewing, I poured a mug and then headed upstairs to take a shower and get dressed. By the time I came back down, Gracie was gone. I figured that Tom could make his own breakfast since Gracie was away, but I was hungry, so I made a breakfast casserole and stuck it in the oven.

After pouring a second cup of coffee, I looked out the window at the frozen landscape. It had been a hard winter this year. Living in the Rocky Mountains, residents expected a good amount of snow, but this year, the snow gods had really outdone themselves. Generally, I liked the snow, and I could remember the feeling of excitement that would fill the air when the first flakes of the season fell, but I wasn’t a fan of the bitter cold. I was ready for the warmer and longer days of summer to arrive. I’d enjoyed ice skating with Paisley, but it would be just as fun to swim in the lake or to take Gracie’s old rowboat out.

The timer dinged on the oven just as Tom came through the kitchen door.

“Something smells good,” he said.

“Egg and spinach casserole. I’m afraid Gracie had to go into town early, so I made it, but it looks edible.”

Tom hung up his jacket. “I’m sure it will taste as good as it smells. So, why did Gracie head out so early?”

I explained about Ned’s early morning call to Gracie.

Tom’s lips tightened. “That poor thing. She’s been through so much. She really could use a break. If the cancer isn’t enough, now she has to deal with the common flu.”

“Let’s hope it’s the common flu. I’m afraid that these things have a way of getting real serious real fast when someone has been as sick as Nora for as long as she’s been ill.” I sliced the casserole and set a large piece on a plate. “Would you like toast?”

“I would, but I’ll get it. Do you want a piece as well?”

I slid the second piece of the casserole onto a second plate. “Sure, I guess.” After setting both plates on the table, I refilled my coffee and poured a mug for Tom.

“So, what are you up to today?” Tom asked.

I went through the schedule I’d already outlined in my mind.

“So has Cass settled in on some suspects?” he asked after I’d mentioned that I planned to meet with Cass to discuss his progress.

“A few. I’m not sure they can even be referred to as suspects. Maybe people of interest would be better. As far as I know, Cass has no reason to suspect anyone specifically, but he is looking into some of the victim’s relationships. As a psychologist, Dale dealt with all sorts of people.”

Tom took a bite of his egg dish. “I guess that’s true. The guys and I were chatting about it when I stopped by the lodge last night. The popular opinion amongst those who knew Dale was that the killer was more likely to be someone from his past than from his present.”

I frowned. “From his past? What do you mean by that?”

“I guess the guy was responsible for sending Clay Barrow to prison.”

“Clay Barrow?”

“He’s a crime boss based in Chicago. Before moving to Foxtail Lake and opening a small practice in his home, I guess Dale worked for a large firm in Chicago. Somehow he found out that one of his patients had inside information that he realized could be used to send Barrow to prison for a good long time, so he asked around a bit until he found someone in law enforcement he trusted, and then he shared what he knew. Of course, the whole thing wasn’t as simple as that. The guy is, after all, a crime boss. But I guess the information supplied by Dale led the Fed’s down a road of inquiry that eventually led to his arrest and conviction.”

I frowned. “Why do you know this and Cass doesn’t? Or at least he didn’t the last time I saw him.”

“He knows now. I used the phone at the lodge and called and told him. Apparently, Smitty is, or I guess I should say was, somehow related to the late Doctor Conover, which by the way, is not his real name.”

“It’s not?” I asked.

Tom shook his head. “He changed it after the thing in Chicago was over. I think Smitty said his real name is Glen Breeland.”

“I guess it makes sense that he’d not only change his residence but change his name if he did end up on the hit list of some really bad people. I wonder why he chose Foxtail Lake.”

“Smitty said the reason he moved to Foxtail Lake was because he’d been here before. I guess he used to visit Smitty’s family sometimes when they were kids.”

I supposed that made sense as well. “So if the killer doesn’t turn out to be a patient, then it could be someone associated with this crime boss. Maybe a family member or gang member who is out for some payback.”

Tom shrugged. “It’s a story that works for me.” He got up and refilled his coffee. “More?” He held up the pot.

“No. I think I’ve had enough. I should clean this up and head into town.”

“I’ll clean up the kitchen; you go ahead and do what you need to do.”

“Thanks.” I decided to take him up on his offer since I really did have a lot to do. “Gracie didn’t think she’d be long. In fact, she indicated she’d be home before lunch.”

“That works for me. Once I clean up in here, I’ll continue with my painting.”

“It’s nice of Gracie to go to so much effort for Paisley.”

Tom nodded. “Yeah, I guess, but I think that Gracie is getting more out of this sewing idea than anyone. I know the reasons she chose not to settle down and have children, but I don’t think those reasons have made it any easier for her to live with the emptiness left by what she could and should have had if she’d just let herself.”

“I guess she was protecting not only herself but any man she might fall in love with.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Maybe. But Gracie lived her whole life governed by a curse that, in my opinion, is nothing but a bunch of hogwash.”

“Maybe you’re right, but maybe you’re wrong. I know that believing in a curse seems pretty out there, but both Gracie’s sister and her niece chose not to believe in the curse, and both married and then died at a young age. I know that the concept of a curse is hard for most folks to wrap their head around, but Gracie believes in its power with all her heart, and quite frankly, so do I.”

With that, I headed upstairs to gather my belongings. Believing in something as abstract as a curse wasn’t an easy road to travel. Most folks thought I’d plum lost my mind if I dared to bring it up, so mostly I didn’t. And I will admit that there had been times in my life when I actually did stop to wonder if I wasn’t crazy for believing in such a thing, but my parents had died as the curse predicted they would, and in my mind, if something couldn’t be definitively proven one way or another, then it was best to come down on the side of playing it safe.