Beeline to Trouble (6 page)

Seven

We formed a tight circle around Nova, staring as if
her eyes might flutter and she would sit up any second. While we waited for the emergency response I’d called in, Max and Gil continued to take turns trying to spark life. It must have been all of five minutes but it felt like five hours before sirens wailed. My numb brain realized I probably should have called Hunter to inform him of the dead body in his new backyard, but I still couldn’t believe it was really happening.

Camilla and I weren’t doing dagger eyes anymore. More important things had cropped up.

At some point Patti Dwyre appeared, and I noticed that the bottom half of her black sweatpants were soaking wet and her black sneakers squished with water, but I promptly put that information out of my mind, storing it for later.

“Who drowns in two feet of water?” Camilla wanted to know.

Who
does
drown in two feet of water?

“Suicide?” Patti suggested. “Was she unhappy enough to do this?”

Everybody shrugged, although that wasn’t much of a possibility. I mean come on, would Nova really take her own life while all her colleagues were inside my honey house? While I hadn’t liked her, she hadn’t seemed either depressed or unbalanced enough for that to make sense.

Max had another idea, one that seemed more likely. “Maybe she had a brain aneurism and stroked out, falling face-first.”

Everybody considered that.

The sirens were loud now, right out front.

“Or a heart attack,” Gil added. “Those health nuts drop like flies.”

Just then, Officer Sally Maylor pulled into the driveway and got out of her squad car. Sally is a good cop and a regular customer at the store. For a second or two, I expected Chief Johnny Jay to drive in right behind her. Then I remembered about his vacation. Thank God for small miracles. He would have ripped me up and down over what had just happened. This situation was definitely beyond my control, but he wouldn’t have cared. He’d have been in my face so close I’d have been able to count his nose hairs.

“Back off, everybody,” Sally said, and we cleared out to give her room.

An ambulance arrived right behind her. The emergency professionals took over, and the rest of us moved up to the house and watched the proceedings with heavy hearts and stilled voices.

Other cops started cordoning off the front yard to keep the gawkers under control.

Jackson Davis, the medical examiner, showed up in a white van. We’re friendly, so he nodded to me in acknowledgment as he headed toward the ambulance crew.

Pretty soon, we saw a stretcher and empty body bag going past us toward the river. A few minutes later, it went the other way. The body bag wasn’t empty this time. I felt sick to my stomach. It still seemed surreal.

Sally came over to us to get our statements, but first she pulled me aside and in a low voice asked, “Who are these people with Max?”

“Houseguests.” I explained about the apiary tour. There wasn’t much to tell.

“Looks like she drowned in water only up to her knees.” Sally shook her head, as confused as the rest of us. “We’ll know more after Jackson does an autopsy.”

“How long will that take?”

“He’s going to work on it immediately. We should have a preliminary report soon.”

“She obviously must’ve had some sort of a serious medical condition and unfortunately had an attack of some kind at the river. Then she fell in and drowned.”

“A medical explanation would make everything nice and clean,” Sally said optimistically, before heading over to the others to do her job.

If only Nova had called out, I thought. If only we hadn’t all been inside the honey house. If only . . .

At least my mother hadn’t been standing right next door when it happened. Mom has a habit of showing up at the most inopportune moments, times that make me appear to be part of the problem, so it was a relief to have her out of the picture. Although she’d hear about it soon enough.

For once, Holly was going to be part of this particular equation, and she just might soften the blow. Then I realized that my sister hadn’t actually been here when it happened. Like always, she was off the hook, leaving me to dangle alone.

Eight

I went over to The Wild Clover and found Holly in the
back room finishing up a phone conversation with Max. She hung up.

“What a shock,” she said, actually sounding sincere. “I mean, I didn’t like her—I knew what Nova was up to, you know? She was making a run for my husband—but this is still terrible.”

“It looked that way to me, too.”

“I trust Max. Our relationship has been based on honesty and faith. It’s especially important since he travels so much. Still, it bothered me.”

“Well, she’s gone now,” I said, pretty shocked myself at what had happened right under my nose, at how quickly a living breathing human being can come to an end. But I barely knew the woman and what little I’d seen hadn’t endeared her to me.

“I just wish this had happened someplace else,” Holly said. “Another time, a place far away.”

“I’m with you on that one. Max has to be major upset.”

My sister nodded. “He took the others out for a late lunch,” she told me. “He said I should stay here with you.”

“I thought Grams was making lunch for them.”

“Miscommunication. She thought Mom had taken the casserole out of the oven, and Mom thought Grams had. It burned up while they were out and about.”

“Those two are like a comedy act.” I took a deep breath, feeling weighed down by today’s events. Which reminded me. “Mom’s going to move in with Tom,” I announced. “Can you believe it?”

“That’s nice for Mom.” Holly wasn’t fazed one bit. “I’m happy for her.”

“Am I the only one in the family who finds this disturbing?”

“Mom’s moving forward with her life. You have to accept that.”

“Are you psychoanalyzing me?”

Holly shrugged. “You’re easy to read. Even though Dad’s been gone over five years, you’re still grieving for him, so you’ve created a world where Dad still exists on some level. Seeing Mom with another man is like the final nail in Dad’s coffin.”

“But they’re going to move in right next to me! Lori has them all ready to sign papers. They were over there looking at it this morning. For all I know, they already
are
my neighbors.”

“That,” Holly agreed, “would be a total disaster.”

“Mom’s always been concerned about what the neighbors are going to say about everything. What happened this time?”

“Well, in this case she doesn’t care, since you’re her only neighbor.”

“Very funny. You know what I mean.”

“You’ll adjust to the idea.”

I changed the subject to discussing that night’s dinner.

“How can you even think about food at a time like this?” Holly sighed. “Is anybody going to feel like eating anyway after what happened?”

“Are you kidding?” I said. “Why do you think a big meal is served right after every funeral?” Which was true. There’s nothing like a big meal to ease some of the pain of loss. “Tonight’s gathering will be like a wake. People also need to talk through their feelings.”

“I suppose.”

“Unless you want to do a carry-out or something.”

Holly made a face.

“I have an idea. Max likes to barbecue,” I said. “How about having him grill some steaks? And Milly said she’s going to whip up a nice salad with vegetables from her garden, and popovers.”

My sister glanced at me and frowned. “If Max is doing the entree and Milly’s supplying the sides, then what’s your role? Aren’t you supposed to be handling the meal?”

“I am handling it. I’m the manager. You should try it sometime. Delegating really works.” Suddenly I realized that Holly already knew how to delegate—she’d pawned everything off on me!

Right then someone tapped on the back room door, and after my shout to come in, Sally Maylor appeared in the doorway. She didn’t look happy. “Story, Holly, there you are. I have a few more questions for both of you. Mind if I sit down?” She closed the door behind her.

“Sure,” I said, popping up and unfolding an extra metal chair. “But I can’t add any more to what I already told you.”

“Maybe not, but Holly might be able to clear up a few things.” She sat down and turned her attention to my sister. “Exactly how well did you know the deceased?”

Holly looked surprised at the question. “Not well at all. She worked for my husband, but I met her for the first time last night.”

“And how did you two get along?”

Holly hesitated, then said, “Fine, I guess.”

“Hold it!” I said a little louder than I expected. “Why the twenty questions? What do you care about Holly’s relationship with one of her husband’s employees?”

“It’s standard procedure.”

It certainly was not standard in the case of an accident. Were they thinking . . . murder?

Holly’s cell phone rang. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back,” she said, hurrying out and leaving me alone with Sally.

“You might as well tell me what’s going on,” I said. “Or I’ll call Jackson Davis myself.” The medical examiner and I are good friends. He’s shared details with me in the past, and I hoped he would this time, too.

Sally gave me a hard look.

Neither of us said the obvious, that I was also living with a cop who had inside connections. Between Hunter and Jackson, I’d get to the truth in no time flat.

“I won’t tell a soul,” I promised.

“We’re just following up,” Sally said, still dodging. “Looking at every angle. What was your opinion of Nova Campbell?”

“I didn’t have one,” I sort of fibbed. “I only just met her today. What do you think happened?”

“The ME has his suspicions, that’s all I’m saying. More samples are going to the lab for testing.”

“If she didn’t drown, then what?”

“I really can’t say.”

“So she didn’t drown? No heart condition?” I asked. “How about a brain clot?”

“I really have a few more questions for your sister. If you think of anything to add to your own earlier statement, the smallest detail, let me know.”

Geez, Sally was being difficult. And I’d given her discounts at the store, too.

She stood up, ready to track down Holly, and said, “This should be handled by the police chief. I tried to contact Chief Jay to tell him to turn around and come back, but he’s out of contact range already. That’s why he decided on the Boundary Waters in the first place, so he’d be incommunicado the whole time. Talk about poor timing.”

“That’s too bad,” I lied. As far as I was concerned, Sally was wrong; the timing couldn’t be any better.

“Until we can locate him, I’ve asked the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department for support. They’ll assist with the investigation.”

Suddenly, I grew wary. My premonition kicked in. “Who’s been assigned to the case?” I asked.

“Not Hunter Wallace, if that’s what you think,” she said, reading my mind. “But he’s looking for you, and he isn’t happy.”

Uh-oh. The honeymoon was definitely over.

Nine

“What the hell happened here?” Hunter demanded
over the phone. He sounded just like Johnny Jay. As if this were my fault.

“She just keeled over dead while the rest of us were in the honey house,” I said.

“Shouldn’t I have been one of the first to know?”

“I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Please don’t tell me you gave her anything to eat or drink.”

Okay, that was totally uncalled for! “What is that supposed to mean? Like my cooking is deadly?”

“Did you or did you not feed her anything?”

“I’m not even answering that.” I was so mad at Hunter, I almost missed the implication of what he was saying. “Wait a sec, does this mean Nova was poisoned?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. The ME suggested the possibility, but that’s between you and me, okay?” A slight pause then he said, “Say, ‘Okay, Hunter, I promise.’”

“Okay, okay, I promise.”

“So, did Nova Campbell eat anything?”

I could have mentioned the breakfast I’d taken over, but I wasn’t even sure she ate any of that, and I didn’t appreciate Hunter right this minute, so I said instead, “And I still resent that. Geez. You eat my food. Are you dead?”

Hunter had on his professional work voice and an attitude I didn’t care for one bit. “Did anybody act suspicious?” he asked.

I could have answered that Nova herself had been the only one acting suspicious, but I figured that didn’t count. “Her death doesn’t have to be murder, you know,” I said. “She was a health nut, probably ate something she found outside, thinking she was Euell Gibbons. You remember, that outdoor guy who said a pine tree was edible and actually gnawed on the bark to prove it?”

Hunter sighed as though he had a massive headache. “Homicide can’t be ruled out until the department has more information and determines otherwise. That’s standard procedure. I want to get over to Holly’s house, and offer my assistance. They have a team going through there right now. Nobody can go back inside until they’re satisfied.”

“Where are Holly and her guests supposed to go?”

“That’s their problem. I have my own.”

“What are they looking for over at Holly’s house anyway? It’s not like Nova died there.”

“When they’re done, they’re going to comb the riverbank,” he said, dodging my question. “They probably won’t find anything after all the tromping around. Sally should have been more careful. She just assumed it was natural causes and didn’t take precautions. Like I said, I have my own problems.”

“What exactly
are
your problems?” I was starting to get even more testy.
I’m
the one who’d had to deal with finding a dead body.

“It happened right in my backyard,” he said. “That makes me involved on a personal level. I should be heading up this investigation, but how can I when the death occurred right where I live?”

“So you excused yourself from the case?” I didn’t know if cops did that, but attorneys did when they had conflicts of interest. I knew that much.

“I had to, and I had to tell the captain why. This is a huge conflict of interest.” I could sense Hunter was squirming a little. I also sensed he wasn’t telling me something. “What?” I said.

“The captain didn’t know that I . . . eh . . . we . . . lived together until this happened.”

“So now was when you got around to telling her?” I heard the anger in my voice. “When you had to?”

I’d met Hunter’s superior once. She was a formidable human being, tough as nails, probably chewed them for breakfast, but still . . . I was beyond testy now, just thinking about Hunter’s commitment issues.

“You were hiding me,” I said, “like a dog in a no-pets-allowed apartment building.” He didn’t have to say it, because I’m good at filling in the blanks. He hadn’t planned to publically announce our arrangement in case it didn’t work out! In which case, he thought he’d just slip out the back door and nobody would be the wiser. I fumed, letting some of my divorce damage influence my thinking.

“That’s not true,” Hunter insisted. “It’s just that I don’t like mixing my personal life with my professional life, that’s all. Not that I’ve ever had one to share before. Story, I’m learning as I go, and I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

I sniffed.

Hunter sighed again and said, “The best answer, the most logical, is to find Johnny Jay and get him back here to do his job. But until the chopper he took to the Boundary Waters gets back to civilization, nobody even knows where he went.”

I really wanted my man back, the earlier version who had eyed me up with a promising smirk and a twinkle in his eye. This new guy wasn’t nearly as likeable. For a very brief second or two I actually toyed with going into the Boundary Waters myself and dragging the police chief home.

Even if it meant my butt on the hot seat. Which it would, knowing Johnny Jay. He would suspect me of wrongdoing just for being in the vicinity of a dead person, and this time it had happened right in my yard. Handcuffs and jail, for sure.

I cursed the day that man had become our police chief. I’ve had a target on my back ever since.

I sent a silent message to the police chief, threw it up in the air, and wished it Godspeed.

Run, Johnny. Run!