Of murder and men, p.6
Of Murder and Men, page 6
“So now if something happens to me, you have to hire her.” Shauna laughed as she shook out the final towel. “Smart way to interview.”
“All I know is you better not ever leave. I think I’d have to close the retreat if I worked with Mrs. Rice day in and day out.” Cat finished the cookies, watching while her friend smoothed the stack of the clean laundry. She’d loved hearing her laugh, even if it was just for a minute. “Nothing from Uncle Pete yet?”
“No. And after the lecture I got the last time I called, I don’t think I’ll be dialing his number any time soon.” Shauna worried the fabric from the top towel with her fingers. “Good news is all the guest rooms are made up and cleaned. And we have lunch ready anytime you want to eat.”
“Where’s Seth? I saw his truck still in the driveway.” Cat’s stomach growled. She wanted to eat, but she could wait if Seth was busy for a few minutes.
“He took the SUV to Denver to pick up Sasha.” She set the basket of towels on the floor. “They’ll eat when they get back. I’m really happy she’s taking the time to visit. I’m looking forward to hearing about her new life in the city.”
“Well, her talk is scheduled for Wednesday, so you’ll have a lot of time to talk before she flies back to California on Thursday.” Cat hoped that having Sasha here as a distraction could help Shauna get through whatever this was. “Let’s eat. I’m sure you haven’t eaten anything all morning.”
“You’d be right on that. I didn’t even taste test the cookie dough. And you know I love cookie dough.”
Cat went to the cupboard and grabbed two soup bowls. Shauna went to the built-in oven and took out a foil-wrapped packet. She set it on the table, then went to the fridge to get butter and grabbed silverware, two small plates, and a couple of napkins. Cat brought the filled bowls to the table and watched while Shauna opened the foil. The scent of fresh bread filled the room.
“This is heaven.” Cat sighed. As they ate, she watched her friend to make sure she was eating, knowing she was still worried. The soup did its magic. After a slow start, Shauna finished her bowl and two slices of the bread. The color in her face seemed to perk up as she ate. The body needed fuel, but during times of stress, many people tended to forget that.
They cleaned up the dinner dishes, and Shauna left the kitchen to return the now freshly laundered towels to the guest rooms upstairs. Cat saw her uncle’s Jeep pull into the driveway and her heart sank. If it had been good news, he would have called so that Shauna wouldn’t have to worry unnecessarily.
Even from this distance, Cat could tell her uncle’s face was set in stone, and he made his way slowly up the driveway.
Cat met him at the door, helping him out of his coat. He slipped off his boots and put on the house slippers that Cat kept for his frequent visits. Finally, when he was done, she looked him in the face and sighed. “What happened?”
“Where is she? I think she deserves to hear this first.” He started toward the kitchen door, but when he had only made it halfway across the floor, the door flew open. Shauna stood in the opening. “Shauna …”
She crossed the room before he could finish and fell sobbing into his arms. “No, please, no.”
Chapter 6
After he’d gotten Shauna into a chair, he joined her at the table and Cat put a hot mug of tea in her hands. She turned to her uncle. “Coffee?”
“Please.” He waited until they were all sitting with hot drinks in front of them. Cat had put a box of tissues on the table. Pete put his hand over Shauna’s. “We found him out in the horse barn. Before I go on, I need to ask you a question. How much do you want to know?”
“As much as you can tell me.” Shauna sat taller, squaring her shoulders for the blow. “Did he freeze to death?”
“No.” Uncle Pete looked at Cat, who nodded. As bad as it might be, Shauna needed to know the whole story. He sighed. “We think someone lured him out there about three this morning. There was a text on his phone just before that time. There appears to have been a scuffle.”
“He couldn’t make it back to the house or even the barn phone to call for help?” Shauna shook her head. “Kevin knew better than that. He’d been in one of the Gulf Wars. He’d been shot and lived through it. He would have lived through a simple altercation.”
“I need to ask you a question, Shauna.” He looked at Cat again, but when she didn’t stop him, he sighed. “The coroner thinks maybe Kevin was poisoned. Was he feeling ill during the evening?”
She looked at him, any color in her face gone. A hand flew to her mouth. “I’m going to be sick.”
Shauna ran out of the room and Uncle Pete leaned back into his chair. “I thought about how I was going to tell her the entire drive over here. She was so worried about him.”
“Apparently for good reason.” Cat sipped on her coffee. “She told me he wasn’t feeling well, but they thought it was the flu. Who would poison him?”
“That’s for me to find out. Thanks—that helps with the time frame. I don’t want to bother her any more today. Once I get a final ruling on time and cause of death, I’ll be back to ask her more about last night.” Uncle Pete drained his coffee and then stood. “Tell Shauna I’m so sorry for her loss. I need to get to the station and start working this investigation.”
Cat watched him leave. Then, as Shauna hadn’t returned to the kitchen, Cat went looking for her. She found her in the downstairs bathroom, sitting on the floor, her head in her arms. “Hey, let’s get you upstairs to your room. I’ll bring up some videos and some drinks and you can take the day.”
“I’m not sick.” The muffled answer came from under her hair.
Cat kneeled next to her. “I know. But you might be in shock. You need to rest somewhere besides this hard bathroom floor.”
“I want to argue, but I think you’re right. I need some time.” She held her hand out. “Help me up. I’m taking a day to mourn Kevin, then I’m back on the clock until this retreat is over. Are you going to be okay setting up the treat room?”
“With all the food you made? I think I’d be fine for most of the week, if not the next retreat after this as well.” Cat pulled Shauna up and then grabbed her for a hug. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“I loved him. As big a jerk as he could be, I loved him.” Shauna squeezed her. “I’m going upstairs. I’ll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast.”
“Do you want me to bring you up dinner?” Cat followed her out of the bathroom.
Shauna didn’t look up. “Right now, I don’t know if I’ll ever eat again.”
At one-thirty, the SUV pulled into the driveway, and Seth and Sasha poured into the kitchen. They were laughing about something, but the laughter died when Seth saw Cat’s face. “What happened?”
She ran to him and fell into his outstretched arms. “They found Kevin. He’s dead.”
A gasp came from Sasha and Cat lifted her head. “I’m so sorry, I should have been more sensitive with that announcement.”
“I’m just surprised. I mean, it’s not like we don’t have people die in South Cove. I don’t know why I should be surprised that the same thing happens here.” Sasha shook her head, her tight black curls shimmering in the kitchen lights. “Maybe I should go home?”
“No, we still have a retreat to get through. And those people did pay for a writer’s experience. Having you here will help make it feel more normal.” Cat went over and gave Sasha a hug. “I’m so happy to see you. Let’s get you settled in your room, then you can come down and have some lunch. I’m anxious to hear about what’s been going on with you.”
Seth followed them upstairs to the third floor. They’d just finished remodeling this guest bedroom so invited speakers didn’t have to be on the same floor as the retreat guests. Cat liked the distinction between guest and staff, even if it was only in their sleeping arrangements. Everyone needed a little down time and privacy.
When Cat swung open the door, Sasha’s quick intake of breath made Cat turn in concern. “Are you all right?”
Sasha walked into the room and sat on the bed, running a hand up the wrought-iron bedpost. Cat had decorated the bedroom in early medieval, kind of an homage to her Game of Thrones addiction. “Are you sure this is my room? I don’t need something this fancy.”
“It’s your room until Thursday.” Cat smiled as she looked around the room with its dark oak and marble furniture. “I guess I went a little crazy with the decorating.”
“It’s perfect.” Sasha bounced on the bed and let out a squeal. “I’m FaceTiming Olivia tonight and showing her this. She’s going to be so jealous. She loves playing princess.”
Seth took the luggage rack out of the closet and set Sasha’s case on it. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
He left the room, leaving the two women alone. Sasha stood and put her hand on Cat’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for your friend’s pain. Losing someone you love is hard.”
Cat nodded, not trusting her voice, but seeing the pain in Sasha’s eyes too. There was something more the young woman wasn’t saying, but it really wasn’t Cat’s place to ask. “Thank you. The desk is filled with pen and paper, including a few notebooks. There’s fresh towels in the bath, and the television has a good selection of channels. You get all settled and come down when you’re ready. Shauna made soup for lunch, but if you want something else …”
“Soup will be lovely.” Sasha sat back down on the bed. “Although I really don’t want to leave this room ever.”
“Your talk is scheduled for Wednesday. The rest of the time is yours to do with as you wish.” Cat moved to the hallway. She started closing the door, then paused. “We really are glad to see you, Sasha.”
As she walked past Shauna’s room, she considered stopping, but as she paused, she heard the music flowing through the door. Carole King. Shauna liked her music sad and soulful. She decided to let her friend mourn in private. At least for a while. Besides, she’d told Shauna she would set up the dining room and the guests were due back from the library soon.
Cat brushed her hand on the door and said a quiet prayer for Shauna before heading downstairs to work. One more retreat that would be marred by murder. Cat shook her head at the coincidence. Maybe the house—or, more likely, either she or Shauna—was cursed. Even Uncle Pete said Aspen Hills had been quieter, and probably safer, before she’d moved back. The stress must have shown on her face because, when she entered the kitchen, Seth stopped setting places at the table and walked over to her.
“Are you okay?” He pulled her into his arms and she laid her head on his chest.
Trying to match his breathing helped her keep away the tears she’d been building up to all the way down the stairs. She mumbled into his flannel shirt, “I don’t want to be cursed.”
He pushed her away so he could see her face. Wiping away the tears that had fallen, he shook his head. “Stop talking nonsense. Neither you nor Shauna, or even this house, is cursed. You’ve just had a run of bad luck, that’s all. Nothing supernatural about that, not at all.”
She shook her head, and, honestly, she almost agreed with him. “Even if we are, I don’t have time for a pity party. I need to fill Shauna’s shoes for at least today. Can you help me set up the dining room for afternoon treats?”
“Of course. We’re a team, right?” He turned back to the countertops filled with baked goods. “What do you want to serve?”
They carried out several plates of treats, refilled the hot water and the coffee carafes, and restocked the fridge with the sodas and juices. After they were done, Cat stood back, nodding at the room. “Looks almost as good as if Shauna had done it herself.”
“High praise. Now, can I eat?” He held the door open for her and they went into the kitchen, trying to keep the conversation light.
Sasha joined them a few minutes later. As she got settled, Cat put the focus on the new arrival. “I hope I’m not prying, but Shauna said you left Coffee, Books, and More. Tell me why you’re not at the bookstore anymore. I thought you loved working there. What was your boss’s name again? Jill?”
“Jill Gardner. And, I did love it. But even Jill will tell you that I did the right thing by accepting the marketing internship last summer. They are paying for all costs at school this year, and the money Jill gave me as a grant covers Olivia’s preschool and daycare. And in June, when I graduate, I have a full-time position with the company. It’s a win-win.”
“It sounds like it. I’m still paying off my student loans,” Cat said.
“I should be debt free in two years with what they’re paying me including my housing. It’s a great job.” She spun her spoon around in her soup. “It’s just not as fun as running the youth book clubs and dealing with the bookstore. I guess if I have to work for a living, I might as well make good money. Besides, Jill still lets me read and review for their newsletter and the staff picks column on their website.”
“Best of both worlds, then.” Seth smiled. “Sometimes you don’t get to do exactly what you want in life, at least not at the beginning. We all have starter jobs. Mine was in the army. I like working for myself much better.”
“I know I’m lucky, and believe me, I’m not complaining. Coffee, Books, and More was just a sweet spot to learn the ropes of working an adult job.”
After the meal, Sasha excused herself to go call her daughter. Seth and Cat cleaned up the dishes from lunch. Cat didn’t look at him as she washed the dishes to go into the dishwasher. “So I always expected you to go career in the military. That’s what you talked about when you joined.”
“I changed my mind.” He put the leftover soup from the pot into a storage container. “Look, I need to tell you something.”
“About us?” Cat turned off the water, busying herself so she didn’t have to look at him. Standing next to him in the kitchen was powerful enough. She didn’t think she could deal with the emotions that would swamp her if she had to look at him.
“No, not about us.” He moved closer. “I don’t know why you always go there first.”
“Sorry. So what do you want to tell me?” She turned toward him, folding the dishtowel over the sink.
“Shauna had a bottle of cyanide in her stuff when she left to go to the ranch yesterday.”
The implication hung in the air. Cat felt like someone had hit her in the gut. “What are you saying? You think Shauna poisoned Kevin? Why would she do such a thing? She’d said yes. They were going to get married.”
“I didn’t say she poisoned him.” He shook his head. “Look, let’s just forget I mentioned it. Maybe there was a good reason she had poison in her basket next to the Irish stew she fed him for dinner and avoided eating herself.”
“That’s cold.” Cat was furious. “There is no way she’d do something like that.”
Seth shrugged. “You know her better than I do. I mean, people do stupid things sometimes in the name of love.”
“Let’s just change the subject. Shauna couldn’t have done something cruel like that.” Cat sank into a kitchen chair. No matter what Seth said, she trusted Shauna. But the question rolled around in her brain, haunting her. Why did she have cyanide in her box? “What were we talking about?”
“Why I chose not to continue a career in the military.”
Cat nodded. At least this subject didn’t have any land mines. Not like Shauna and who had killed Kevin. “Why did you leave the service?”
“I was done.” He shrugged. “It didn’t make sense in my life plan anymore.”
“Just like that?” She snuck a look in his direction. He was staring right at her. This conversation was almost as weird as the Shauna one had been.
“You really don’t know why I didn’t reenlist?” He leaned against the stove, waiting for an answer.
“No.” Cat didn’t know if she wanted to know. Not now. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited.
He closed the lid on the soup and took it over to the fridge, setting it inside before he answered. “I went into the service to build a life for us. When you married Michael, I didn’t want that life anymore.”
“Seth, I’m sorry.” Memories of him standing in the back of the church as she’d taken her vows with another man seared her heart. She’d been so in love with Michael, she’d thought the choice she’d made had been the right one. Now, she didn’t know.
“Water under the bridge.” He nodded to the window. “I better get out there and scrape the ice off the sidewalk. Your guests should be getting back anytime.”
He didn’t say another word, just shrugged into his coat and left through the kitchen door. A cold wind whipped through the room as he left. Cat felt the chill all the way to her bones.
*
The group arrived back at the house promptly at two-thirty. Milling around the dining room, they all filled plates with sweets and sat at the table with warm drinks. “You guys are on your own for dinner. But before you leave, I’d like to introduce you to Sasha Smith. She’ll be doing a bookstore relations discussion on Wednesday. I’m sure she’d love to tag along.”
“We were going to The Diner. Collin says it’s a must-do in Aspen Hills.” Shirley spoke for the group. “We’ll be glad to add one more to our group. Are you sure you and your crew don’t want to join us?”
Cat shook her head as she debated how much to tell the guests about Kevin’s murder. They’d find out sooner or later. Aspen Hills was too small not to talk about one of its wealthiest citizens being killed. “Actually, one of Shauna’s close friends just died, so I think I should stay close to the house.”
“I’m so sorry.” Shirley’s eyes gleamed in that cop way that said she wasn’t as sorry as she was curious. “Anything I—I mean, we—can do?”
“No, I just didn’t want you to be surprised if you hear any gossip around town. Shauna’s pretty torn up about it so giving her some space would be appreciated.” Cat checked her watch. “I’ll be in the kitchen if anyone needs anything. And tomorrow, Professor Turner will be here around ten for his lecture on Hemingway. He’s a nationally known scholar on the subject and curates the library’s Hemingway collection.”
