Minnie Crockwell - Will Travel for Trouble 01 - Trouble at Happy Trails (11 page)

Ben laughed.

My phone rang again, and I answered it.

“Hello?”

“Minnie, this is Nick over in the office.”

“Oh, hi, Nick!” Hopefully, he wasn’t pursuing his job offer of the previous day.

“Can you come over here when you get a chance? I wanted to talk to you about something, and I don’t want to do it near your RV.”

“If this is about the job offer, I haven’t changed my mind.”

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just…” He let the words trail off. “Just come by when you get a chance.”

“Okay.”

The handsome Mr. Granger bids your attendance upon him.
 

“Ben, you do have a way with words, don’t you?” I smiled and got up to get dressed.

Twenty minutes later, dressed and washed with a bit of makeup applied, I sauntered over to the office. I couldn’t help but look at the spot where Sally had been parked in the beige sedan. Before entering, I turned to look down the road toward Sally’s trailer. Last night, she had said she was coming to the park to spread Carl’s ashes. Had she already come by?

I stepped in, and Nick rose from the desk. This morning, he wore a black polo shirt with white stripes and black shorts. Very attractive! I took a deep breath.

“What’s up?” I asked, forcing a nonchalance that I didn’t quite feel in his presence.

“Did you know that Sally and Jim Brothers were having an affair?”

I reared back. “How did you find out?”

“I heard them last night. With all that’s been going on, I decided to bed down here in the office instead of going back to my place—there’s a cot in the back room—and I heard them outside of the laundry room. I called the police to let them know this morning.”

And the mystery is solved. One of them at any rate.

“So,
you’re
the one!” He opened his mouth to ask me a question, but I rushed on. “The police called me this morning and asked if I knew they were involved. As it happens, I heard the conversation last night too. I was out on a walk and heard them as I passed by the office. I have to admit I stopped and listened to their conversation. Not very nice, but I did it.”

Nick grinned and shook his head. “I can’t believe we both heard it. I wish I had known you were there. I would have invited you inside.”

I blushed. “Well, I was walking.”

“The next time you walk, let me know. I’ll join you.”
 

More blushing.

“Anyway, they sure sounded suspicious. I hated to sell Sally out, but if she killed Carl, the police need to know.”

“I can’t tell who killed Carl,” I said. “If he was killed, it sounds like it could have been anyone.”

“Except me,” he said. He jabbed a thumb toward his chest. “Not me.”

“Or me,” I said with a smile.

And not I,
Ben added.
The handsome Mr. Granger appears to be attracted to you, Minerva.

Ben!

“Has Sally come by yet?” I asked. “She said something about tossing his ashes in the park, or in the trailer. She sounded so cold about it.” I resisted an urge to shudder.

“She did, didn’t she? She’s been through a lot with my uncle though. I’m not sure I blame her.”

“No,” I murmured. “Did you know he had a 100 thousand dollar life insurance policy? That might not be much to some, but I would think it would be to them.”

Nick nodded.

“Actually, I did know. I was hoping you wouldn’t. Did Sally tell you?”

I nodded.

“I didn’t mention that to the police though,” Nick said. “Did you?”

I shook my head. “No, that’s their business to find out stuff like that if they want to.”

“She hasn’t come by since I got up this morning. I’d be anxious to see what she’s going to do with his ashes,” Nick said.

“Frankly, I’m surprised the police released his body if they think there’s a hint of a crime.”

“I asked Officer Martinez about that. She said the body had already been released to the funeral home when they thought it was a suicide. She didn’t say anything else.”

“Maybe they have everything they need…except the person who did it.” I cracked a lopsided smile. I avoided the word “killer.” It sounded awful, and far beyond my experience.

“So, what are your plans for today?”

“Well, I was going to go down to Lewiston to the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center, but I might just wait to see if Sally shows up and what happens.”

Nick nodded. “You have an interest in history?”

“I do, but I’m actually going down because a friend of mine is interested in the Lewis and Clark trail. I’ll take pictures for him.”

“Oh, he’s not going with you?”

“No,” I said briefly.

“Is this friend a boyfriend?” Nick quirked an attractive dark eyebrow.

“Oh, no. Just a friend.”

Ben sighed but said nothing. I felt as if I had betrayed him somehow.

“Well, I wish I could go with you when you do go, but I have to stick around here most days until I can find someone to run the place. This is cutting into my golf game.”

“Yes,” I said with a broad smile. I wasn’t at all sure I wanted him to go down to Lewiston with me, and I imagined Ben didn’t want him around at all.

That is correct. You know me so well, Minerva.

The trip is supposed to be our thing, Ben. I’ll make sure we go alone.

I hoped Ben smiled.

I am smiling.

Good!

Just then, I saw Bob’s beige sedan pulled into the RV park. Bob was driving, and Sally sat in the passenger seat. Bob drove slowly down the lane, stopping not as expected at her RV, but at mine.

“Oh, shoot! That’s my rig. Sally must be stopping by. I’d better run. I’ll keep you posted!”

I trotted out of the office and down to my RV where Sally was tapping on the door. Dressed in a bright orange flowered tunic and black capri pants, she turned to me. Bob waited inside the car.

“Good morning!” She sounded calmer this morning.

“Good morning, Sally! How are you?”

“I’m better, thank you. I stopped by the park with Carl’s ashes. I was going to spread them around somewhere.”

A shiver went up my spine. Me? I would have preferred a nice flowered meadow near a stream or a mountain forest or a lovely inlet on the Pacific Northwest coast.
 

I nodded but could think of nothing to say.

“Can you think of anyplace I can spread them? I thought about leaving them in the RV, but I can’t force myself to go in there.”

I hoped she wasn’t asking me to going inside the RV because I wasn’t going to.

“Maybe under that oak tree there?” I pointed to the oak tree at the entrance. “Are you sure you want to spread them here? Was Carl particularly attached to Happy Trails RV Park?”

“Actually, he was. He was as happy here as anywhere. His nephew gave him the job here.”

I looked around the nondescript park. There was no stream, no lake, nothing particularly to recommend it except as an inexpensive place to stay. I had been going for the budget RV park, and avoiding the high cost parks which featured waterfront vistas.

“Truthfully, Sally, that oak tree by the entrance is the only attractive thing I see around here…other than those super duper expensive RVs down there.” I nodded toward two quarter to half-million dollar motorhomes in the park.

“It doesn’t really matter to me where I spread his ashes. He’s dead.” Her voice was flat. “Come with me, will you?”

This was a new one for me. I had never spread anyone’s ashes before.

“Okay,” I said docilely.

We returned to the car where she withdrew a sturdy black plastic box from the back seat. I had expected an ornate urn, but perhaps I shouldn’t have. Bob said nothing but sat grimly behind the wheel. He did not volunteer to help.

Sally and I marched over to the oak tree, and she withdrew a fairly large clear plastic bag from the box. My eyes widened. So many ashes! We couldn’t just dump them right under the tree. It would look like someone had emptied a container of charcoal ash at the foot of the tree.
 

Nick hurried over.

“What are you doing?”

Sally looked up. I had never seen the two of them together. They seemed to be on friendly terms.

“I was going to scatter your uncle’s ashes here,” she said.

“All that?” I saw Nick’s Adam’s apple bob as he surveyed the size of the bag.

“Well, I don’t know where else to put him. The park isn’t very big, and I don’t want some dog walking through his ashes.”

This is particularly repugnant,
Ben grumbled.

I agree wholeheartedly.

“How about I take half of the ashes and take them somewhere else?” Nick asked.

“Sure, that would be great,” Sally said. “I’ll just put some here, and you can have the rest.”

She poured out half of the bag, still a large amount of ash, and gave the bag and box to Nick who eyed them doubtfully.

She wiped her hands on her tunic and turned to me.
 

“Well, that’s that! Bob and I are leaving in the morning. He’ll have someone move the trailer from here. I’m going to junk it.”

She reached to hug me. “Thank you, Minnie, for everything and for being such a good friend to me.”

I swallowed hard.

She hugged Nick. “Take care, Nick. I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch like this.”

“I understand, Sally. Please keep in touch.” He held the box in one hand and hugged her with the other arm.

“I will.”
 

She turned and walked back to Bob’s car, and I accompanied her.

“Safe travels, Sally,” I said as she climbed into the car. Again, Bob said nothing. He looked generally impatient to be away from the park.

“And happy trails?” she said with a smile. Her eyes flickered toward Jim’s RV. Then Bob pulled away, and Sally waved. They drove down the one-way lane to round the bend and headed for the park exit.

Nick came over, still holding the box.

“And there goes one possible suspect,” he said. “Maybe two.”

“So you still think she could have killed Carl?” I said in a low voice, aware of our proximity to Jim’s motorhome. “And her brother? I’ll admit…I’ve wondered about him.”

“I’ve never met him. He seems unpleasant.” Nick shrugged. “It’s anyone’s guess. I wouldn’t have thought Sally could kill anyone before, but I don’t know what to think now.”

“Well, I think it was Colonel Mustard in the parlor.”

“And it could have been,” Nick said with a smile.

I turned to see Bob’s car approach the exit.

Three police cruisers pulled up, blocking Bob’s car.

“Oh, look!” I gasped.

Officers Martinez and Wilson hopped out of one vehicle, and four other officers stepped out from the other two cruisers.

A reckoning at last, Minerva! Who committed the crime?

What’s happening, Ben?

I am not certain. I hear no speech from the authorities.

“Uh oh,” Nick said. We turned to watch.
 

Officers Martinez, Wilson and two of the other police ran past Bob’s car while the two remaining officers trained their guns on the vehicle. Weapons drawn, the four officers approached Jim’s RV.
 

I didn’t dare creep around the back of Jim’s motorhome at that moment to see what was going on. I fully expected to hear bullets flying at any moment. Nick remained by my side.

I heard a commotion and some shouting from the other side of the RV.

“Come on. Let’s go see what’s happening!” I said as I trotted across the street to view the activity at the front of Jim’s rig.

Officer Wilson was bringing a handcuffed Jim down the steps. Officer Martinez followed with Karen, although she was not handcuffed. Karen was screaming and crying—I couldn’t tell whether it was at Jim or the police or life in general.
 

The other officers were bringing Sally and Bob over toward Jim’s rig. I hoped that in the free-for-all, no one would notice if I moved near to hear what was going on. Nick followed, still holding onto Carl’s ashes.

“I didn’t kill him,” Jim bellowed. For a slender older man, he managed to put up a good struggle in the cuffs.
 

“Calm down, Mr. Brothers. You’re going to hurt yourself,” Officer Martinez said.

Karen continued to sob.

Sally, tears streaming down her face, was asked to sit at the picnic table, and Bob’s arm was in the tight grip of one of the other officers.

I studied the group and looked up at Nick. He shrugged and threw Sally a sympathetic glance.

Karen saw me and stopped crying. Her expression hardened, growing colder than anything I had seen before. Cold enough to kill?