Old Bones: a Hetty Fox Cozy Mystery (Hetty Fox Cozy Mysteries Book 2) (8 page)

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ndrew was hovering near the couch when I returned home that day. Blackie was nowhere in sight. The grandfather clock was just striking five. “It’s about time you got home,” Andrew groused.

“I think you must be bored again,” I replied

“Can you blame me? I dIslike babysitting a cat.”

“Blackie doesn’t need tending. He’s more than capable of taking care of himself.”

“That’s a laugh. You know as well as I do that he needs toughening up. But you also know my feelings on the issue.”

“He’s a pet. He’s supposed to be cared for. And as I’ve told you... and him... I’m not shoving him out the door.”

Andrew grunted, then asked, “So how did your friend like her soup?”

I did an internal shrug. That was Andrew all over. Whenever the conversation wasn’t heading the direction he wanted, he changed the subject. I strode off for the kitchen. Once there, I filled a kettle and set it on the stove.

“You’re having more tea?” he asked.

I walked to the cupboard and grabbed a bag of kitty treats. “Blackie?” I called out.

He came running. I pulled some from the bag and placed them on the floor. Then I thought about the task I faced to negotiate a settlement over the knitting issue, and I pulled a packet of peanut butter cookies from the shelf. It felt like a five-cookie session to me.

Returning my attention to my resident ghost, I asked. “How would you like to take a little trip?”

“Where to?”

“I think we need to know more about Eden Lawry.”

Andrew blinked. “You want me to go to California?”

“Exactly.”

“Wow.” He floated nearer. “I’m beginning to think you trust me. First the pub crawl, then Oberton’s office, and now this?”

“You’ve been helpful,” I agreed. Plus, I knew how much he longed to feel useful. He’d said it was the one thing that made his unending life bearable. It hadn’t been his fault he’d died young and become whatever he was. That is, I thought uncomfortably, if he were real. If he wasn’t, I was obviously playing with a less than a full deck of cards.

“So how do I find him?” he asked.

“I’ll see if I can locate any information on him on the Web. Someone who played a role in the aerospace industry should have some data out there someplace.” I tracked down my laptop and settled onto the couch. A short time later, I found it. “He lives in Pismo Beach. There’s even an address.” I rattled it off.

“Got it,” Andrew said. And with that he disappeared.

That settled, I made my way back to the kitchen, turning over in my mind the people and points I’d discovered in my hunt for Eva’s killer. None of what I’d gathered seem to lead me in any specific direction yet. Eva was either crazy about Sam or not. Willa was a lying stinker or a noble truth teller. Sam was either a stand up guy or a jerk. Take your pick.

As I said. Nothing added up.

I freed a potato from its bag and grabbed the food grater. Tonight’s supper called for a batch of hash browns, because, sometimes, cookies and tea are simply not enough.

***

The next morning, I puttered about a strangely quiet kitchen. With Andrew in California, Blackie and I were enjoying a relaxed morning. I fed two slices of bread into the toaster and pulled the margarine and a jar of strawberry jam from the fridge. Blackie circled between my ankles as I made my way to the table. The radio played a lively tune, and all felt well with my world.

At the top of the hour, the station switched from music to local news. And suddenly my day shifted from relaxed to unreal.

“Our top story today is the murder of Willa Hillman,” the newsman reported. “Police say the body of the sixty-five year old woman was found in a stand of woods behind her house sometime around six last night. No cause of death has yet been given. And an estimated time of death is still to come.”

I dropped into the nearest chair. Willa had  just been to my home. She’d just told me her side of Eva’s story. How could she be dead? My thoughts  instantly turned to Sam. Suddenly he looked a very likely suspect for her murder… and Eva’s too. The way I saw it, the two deaths had to be related, and who had more of a direct connection to the two murdered women than Sam?

The phone rang. It was Megan. “Mom, did you hear the news?”

“About Willa?”

“Yes.”

“I have.”

“Doesn’t her death clear Damon?”

“I certainly think it makes him appear less likely to be the killer, yes.”

“I’m sorry that poor woman had to die, but if this helps get Damon off the hook for something I know he couldn’t do, I can’t help but be relieved.”

“Damon’s not home free, yet,”  I cautioned her.

“I know. But he’s not looking quite so guilty, either. Do you have any thoughts on who might have killed Willa?” Megan asked.

“Off the top of my head, I do. But I’m not willing to share anything just yet. I wouldn’t feel comfortable passing on what I’ve heard. The information is little more than rumors for now.”

“All right, but you will fill me in when you can?”

“Of course.”

“Mom, I’m not really part of the local rumor mill. Your secret would be safe with me.”

“Honey, I haven’t told Oberton this stuff yet.”

“With this latest murder, maybe he will be able to get to the bottom of all this soon.”

“I hope so. How are the boys?”

“They’re fine. They’re looking forward to your visit.”

Megan had a dental appointment after lunch. I had agreed to babysit for her. Getting to spend time with my grandsons was one of the big benefits of my moving here.

“See you later, then,” she said.

I hung up the phone and thought about poor Andrew out in California. It now seemed quite possible to me that I’d sent him off on a wild goose chase. Still, I expected he’d enjoy the mission. He loved feeling useful, and I hadn’t known Willa was going to be killed when I gave him the assignment. It was almost enough of a rationale to brush away the guilt I was feeling.

Blackie, on the other hand, was striding about the room like the king of the walk.

“You’re evil,” I told him.

He lifted his chin,  raised his tail skyward, and pranced over to the cupboard.

“Okay, okay. A few extra treats coming right up.”

He settled back onto his haunches and mewed.

***

When I arrived at Megan’s house that day, it stood tall and proud with its colorful turquoise and pink color scheme glowing warmly beneath the noonday sun. The windows glistened. The grass was mown. Flowers graced its foundation. I climbed from the car and headed for the front porch.

Finding the front door unlocked, I let myself in.

“Hello?” I called out.

“Hi, we’re in the kitchen,” Megan answered. I followed the sound of her voice and found my grandsons finishing up a lunch of mac and cheese. Jeremy had the orangey goodness smeared all over his cheeks. I assumed he’d been shoveling his food into his mouth  by the fistsful. Hugh caught the drift of my gaze and rolled his eyes. “He’s such a baby.”

I laughed. “Of course he is. And you’re such a big boy.” I ran a hand through his hair.

He grinned.

“The coffee freshly brewed,” Megan said. “Help yourself.”

“How’s your tooth?”

She slapped a hand to cheek. “I’m hoping it will feel better after Gorman’s dealt with it. I’ll just put the boys down for their naps, and then I’m off.”

“Don’t bother with the boys. I can see to that.”

“Thanks, Mom, but I’d rather leave knowing they’re in their beds.”

I shrugged and poured myself some coffee. Megan was as dedicated to overseeing their lives as she was to Damon’s and mine. And, I suspected, she failed to believe she could be suitably replaced by any of us.

I could also tell from the set of her jaw that she longed to pump me for information about my hunt for a killer, but I knew she’d never do so in front of the boys.

“So what have you been up to?” she asked instead.

“Not much. I can fill you in on my current project later.”

“You’ve made some progress then?”

“Nothing final, but at least I’ve been exploring a few possibilities.”

“That’s good, Mom. I appreciate that.” She pulled Jeremy from his high chair and carried him to the sink.

“I wish you’d let me do that.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine.”

Hugh slipped out of his seat and came over and gave me a hug.

“How’s your gerbil?” I asked.

“Chaos. His name is Chaos,” he told me somberly.

“Yes, thank you, I don’t know how I could have forgotten that. I’ll be sure to use his name in the future.”

Hugh nodded. “That’s good.”

“Come on, young man,” Megan said. “ Off to bed with you.” Still carrying Jeremy in her arms, she grabbed Hugh by the hand.

He gazed up at her. “Aw Mom, do I have to? I’m not tired. Honest.”

“If you want to watch that baseball game tonight with your dad, you’ll  nap this afternoon.”

He sighed and yielded to his fate.

Megan had no sooner left the room than the back door opened and Damon stepped into the kitchen.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “If you want Megan, she’s about to leave for the dentist’s office.”

“No, that’s fine. I knew that. I came home for lunch. I just wanted to catch up with you. See how you were doing, and what more you needed from me, if anything?”

I must say, I had to admire his efficiency. I was here The children were headed to bed, and Megan  would soon step out the door. He’d obviously timed everything perfectly.

“Can I fix you a sandwich?” I asked, rising from my stool.

He gave me half a smile. “That’s kind of you, but no thanks. I know how to look after myself. I thought, perhaps, with Willa Hillman’s death, my future had brightened.”

“Yes, I’d say it has improved, but you’re still a long way from cleared.”

He frowned, nodded and turned toward the fridge.

I let him assemble a lunch for himself while I quietly drank coffee. As I watched him work,  I noticed again what a handsome man he was. Tall, with blond wavy hair, his coloring made an excellent contrast to his pale blue eyes. Megan had said he’d started working in his father’s grain operation at an early age. I suspected that was part of the explanation for his excellent physical condition.

Eventually, carrying a plate loaded down with two sandwiches and a handful or two of chips, he joined  me at the breakfast bar. Megan came wandering in just then. “Well, look at you two. Aren’t you the cozy pair?”

Damon laughed and kissed her cheek. “You take care. I’m still willing to drive you to the dentist, you know.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m perfectly all right, or at least I will be by the time I’m out of the chair.”

“Call me if you feel differently at the end of the session. Promise?”

She leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead. “I promise. But as they say, don’t wait up.”

With that she grabbed her purse and exited through the back door.

“You raised a wonderful daughter,” Damon said once she was out of the house.

I was so surprised that I barely managed to choke down my coffee. “Thank you, but I didn’t do it alone, you know.” I carefully put my mug back down on the countertop.

He nodded. “I know. But I’ve watched you. You’re good with each other. Warm. Loving. Just the opposite of what my parents were with me. You two give me hope my sons will have an easier time relating to the important people in their lives.”

“We all have our issues. Relationships are never easy.”

He smiled. “Ain’t that the truth?” He picked up his sandwich and stared at it for a minute. “So how’s the hunt for Eva’s background going?”

“Much of what I’ve turned up supports your story. She was reported by many to be standoffish.”

“It’s a family thing,” Damon said, nodding. “I don’t remember ever being hugged and nuzzled the way you and Megan do with the boys.”

“It was a different era,” I said.

“That might be part of it, but I doubt it. We were a staid and unemotional people.”

I laughed. “I had a friend once, who was Norwegian. She claimed her emotions had been frozen deep inside her because of the cold weather her ancestors had endured. Maybe somewhere in your parents’ backgrounds you have a Norwegian or two.”

Damon turned to me. “Do I look like a Von Hoven to you?”

“Absolutely. Blond hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones.”

He sighed. “Right. What else do you need from me?” He bit off a healthy portion of his sandwich and chewed.

“When Eva was here for your parent’ funerals, did she attend your parents’ visitation?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember if anyone spent an unusual time with her?”