Murder and Salutations (Book 3 in the Cardmaking Mysteries) (3 page)

I heard the sharp blast of a whistle cut
through the chaos, and then another, and yet another. Bradford must
have been close by to respond as quickly as he did. He cut through
the crowd—coming from the kitchen where the scream had
emanated—handsome and imposing in his sheriff’s uniform, and as he
took the stage, he said in a loud voice, “I need everyone to be
quiet and sit back down.”

There were a few people muttering in
conversation before everyone finally did as they were told. My
brother was well respected in Rebel Forge, and he wielded his
influence in that room like a club.

After everyone was seated, Bradford said,
“Now I need you all to cooperate. We’re going to find out what’s
going on, but it’s going to take a little time, so I’m asking for
your patience.”

“
Who was stabbed?” a voice
asked from the audience.

“
Is she dead?” someone else
asked.

Bradford held up his hands, then said, “When
it’s time to answer your questions, I will. For the moment, I need
you all to cooperate and let me and my people do our jobs.”

He went back into the kitchen, but I noticed
not every cop followed him. There was a new man in uniform I didn’t
recognize guarding the door. Bradford had been forced to fire one
of the men on his force. I’d been lobbying him to hire a woman to
replace him, but my brother had told me he’d hire the best
available candidate, and then he’d made a crack about me sticking
to greeting cards and leaving the law enforcement to him. My
brother wasn’t a chauvinist, not by any means, but I still thought
he could use a nudge in the right direction now and then. He’d
thought otherwise.

I started back to my seat when the new
deputy called out, “Ma’am, you need to sit down.”

“
I’m trying to,” I said. “My
table is back there.”

“
Just find an empty chair,”
he snapped.

I ignored him and headed back to my group
anyway. If he thought that snarling tone of voice was going to work
on me, he was mistaken. I couldn’t believe it when he started
toward me, and without meaning to, I scampered back to my original
seat and sat down, as if we were playing musical chairs and it was
the last one available.

He kept coming, and loomed over me. “Am I
going to have trouble from you?”

Lillian butted in, as was her nature. “If
you don’t, you’ll be the first man in her life to make that claim.”
She stuck out her hand. “I’m Lillian. You must be new.”

He wanted to scold me more, I could see it
in his eyes, but Lillian had defused the tension. “I’m Hank,” he
admitted as he took her hand.

“
How delightful to meet you.
These are my nieces Jennifer and Sara Lynn, and these are my dear
friends, Savannah and Peter Jones.”

He tipped his chin down for a moment. “Nice
to meet you folks. Now I’d better get back to the door.” Hank
stared at me a second longer before he left, as if challenging me
to say anything or move an inch off my chair, and for a moment I
was tempted to do both. Then I remembered that Bradford was back in
the kitchen investigating a murder, and it was no time to have a
tantrum.

When he saw that I was going to behave
myself, Hank turned his back to me and walked to his former station
by the door.

He was barely out of earshot when Lillian
said, “My, he’s awfully cute, isn’t he?”

I stared openly at my aunt. “You’re kidding,
right? I thought he was going to handcuff me for a minute there.
What a jerk.”

“
Jennifer, you’ve got to be
a little more relaxed with your standards if you’re ever going to
meet anyone new.”

I couldn’t believe Lillian was trying to
discuss my love life after what had just happened. “Can we put my
personal life on hold for the moment? I wonder who was stabbed.
What an awful scream.”

Savannah nodded. “It was terrible, all
right. Who would do such a thing right here with everyone
around?”

Sara Lynn was strangely quiet.

I looked at her a second, then asked, “Are
you all right?”

“
No, but I will
be.”

I was still trying to figure out exactly
what she meant by that when Bradford came back out of the kitchen.
He was pelted with questions as he made his way to the stage, but
he didn’t answer any of them until he was at the microphone.

My brother said, “I’m going to ask you all a
few questions, then I need you to file out one at a time and give
my deputies your names, addresses and telephone numbers. Please
cooperate with us and do as I ask.”

“
So who was stabbed?” the
same voice from before called out, and there were several mutters
from the crowd.

I could see Bradford considering the
possibilities, but he knew Rebel Forge better than anybody else in
town, and I had to believe he realized it would be impossible to
keep the lid on the name of the murder victim past midnight.

Bradford stared at the crowd, then finally
said, “The victim was Eliza Glade, but I’d appreciate it if you’d
wait to spread the word until we can get in touch with her mother
over in Louisa.”

That started another wave of discussion, but
Bradford managed to kill it pretty fast. “The only reason I told
you this right now is that I need to see everyone who talked with
her or saw her this evening to come forward to the stage so I can
interview you.”

Everybody started to get up when Bradford
added, “Okay, let’s try this a different way. Keep standing until I
eliminate you. Was there anybody who saw Eliza after the meal?”

Nobody admitted as much, and Bradford went
on. “Okay, did anyone actually talk to her this evening?”

In a loud, clear voice, Lillian said, “I
did.”

Bradford bit his lip, no doubt expecting
something just like that from our aunt. The two of them hadn’t
gotten along for twenty years, and I could tell my brother wasn’t
surprised by her admission. “Come on up and I’ll talk to you in a
minute. Is there anyone else?”

A few people raised their hands, and
Bradford motioned for them to join him. I was waiting for him to
dismiss us when Beth Anderson, a waitress at Hurley’s who sported
multi-tinted hair, pointed at Sara Lynn and said, “You talked to
her. I saw it.”

“
She did not,” I said. “I
was standing right beside her, and Lillian cut Eliza off before she
could get to us.”

Beth shook her head. “I’m not talking about
that. I saw her arguing with that woman in the kitchen.”

There were shocked murmurs throughout the
crowd, and Sara Lynn said, “We had a few words, but it was
nothing.”

It was pretty obvious Bradford didn’t want
to call Sara Lynn to the front, but he had no choice. I started
forward, when he added, “Don’t tell me you talked to her, too,
Jennifer.”

“
I didn’t, but I’m coming
anyway.”

Bradford shook his head. “If I need you,
you’ll be the first to know. Does anyone else have anything to
say?”

Nobody volunteered anything, so Bradford
said, “Then I’ll ask you all to leave. Be patient with us, folks,
we’re doing the best we can. And thanks for cooperating.”

As everyone else started to get in line at
the rear door, I followed Sara Lynn up to the front. Hank stepped
in and said, “You heard the sheriff. You need to go.”

I gave him my hardest look, then said, “If
you think you can stop me, you’d better get your gun, because
you’ll have to shoot me to get me to leave my sister’s side.”

Sara Lynn said numbly, “It’s all right,
Jennifer. I’ll be fine.”

“
I know you will. I’m going
to be right by your side,” I said.

We were at a stalemate when Bradford
approached. “What’s the problem here?”

Hank turned to him and said, “She won’t
leave.”

“
Why am I not surprised?
Hank, have you met my family?”

He nodded, but didn’t say a word.

Bradford shook his head as he looked at me,
then finally said, “Come on, I don’t have the energy to fight with
you tonight.” He turned to his deputy. “Help Jody at the door, will
you?”

Hank nodded, then said, “Listen, I’m sorry
if I stepped over the line, but you said—”

Bradford patted his shoulder. “You did
exactly the right thing.”

After he was gone, Bradford looked at Sara
Lynn and me and said, “You might as well come up front. Let’s get
this over with.”

As we followed Bradford, I whispered to my
sister, “Did you really see her in the kitchen? What happened?” I
couldn’t imagine Sara Lynn and Eliza together in the close confines
of the kitchen. An unwelcome thought came as I fought not to add,
without blood being shed.

Bradford stopped and looked at me before
Sara Lynn could answer. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to interview
the witnesses myself without your assistance.”

“
Fine,” I said. “I was just
asking.”

There were seven people standing in front of
the room, including Beth. She approached Sara Lynn before Bradford
could say anything. “I’m so sorry I told on you.”

She looked like she was going to start
crying, and my sister patted her hand. “You did the right thing,
dear. I have nothing to hide.”

That obviously made Beth feel better, and
she started back toward the kitchen.

Bradford stopped her dead in her tracks.
“Where are you going?”

“
I have to help clean up,”
Beth explained.

Bradford shook his head. “I’m afraid they’ll
have to get along without you for now. I need you here.”

“
I already told you what I
saw,” Beth said.

“
Have a seat,” he said,
pointing to an empty table in front. “I’m not finished with you
yet.”

Beth didn’t look happy about the command,
but she followed it nonetheless. My brother was a hard man for most
folks to say no to, though I hadn’t had much trouble over the
years. Still, I could see how he could be intimidating with that
cold stare and booming voice.

I could see him glance between Sara Lynn and
Lillian, so I wasn’t really surprised when he tapped my sister
first. “Come on, Sis.”

Sara Lynn followed him, and I started after
him when Lillian touched my arm. “Let your brother do his job,” she
said to me.

Bradford looked startled by the defense as
he nodded his thanks. “It will go faster if you wait right here,
Jennifer.”

I reluctantly agreed as I watched my brother
escort my sister off for questioning in a murder case. It was not a
scene I’d ever imagined I’d witness.

I turned to Lillian after they were gone.
“What exactly did you say to Eliza when she started toward us
before dinner?”

Lillian shook her head, refusing to
answer.

“
Come on,” I said. “You’re
not going to tell me?”

“
Jennifer, I don’t want to
get you into trouble with your brother. Besides, it was
nothing.”

I knew better than that. Lillian had scored
a direct hit with Eliza; the stricken look on the woman’s face
testified to that.

“
You’re going to have to
tell Bradford. Why not tell me?”

Lillian frowned. “Do you think I’m all that
proud of the fact that one of the last things that woman heard in
her life was my snippy remark about her low morals? Jennifer, I was
wrong to confront her. It wasn’t my fight, but I had to step in and
be clever, and now I couldn’t take it back even if I wanted
to.”

I knew Lillian had a certain sensitivity
about her, but her brash nature usually made it hard to remember
that all the time. “Listen, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you on
it.”

When Lillian looked at me, I could see a
tear tracking down her left cheek. “Jennifer, it’s fine, but I
really don’t want to talk about it right now, all right?”

“
Certainly,” I said, looking
at the other witnesses gathered around the front of the room. Addie
Mason, a tall, reedy woman with flaming red hair, was there. As
Eliza’s partner at Heaven Scent, it was understandable why she’d
talked to the woman that evening. It kind of surprised me to see
Luke Penwright there, though. Luke and Eliza had been married ten
years before, but it had lasted less than six months before they’d
split up. From what I’d heard around town, Luke had been trying
unsuccessfully for years to get her back. He was good-looking
enough in his own way, but there was something about his heavy
eyebrows and constant scowl that always gave me the creeps. Polly
Blackburn was waiting to speak with Bradford as well. I knew some
folks in town called her Jolly Polly, but it wasn’t from her
disposition. The woman was nearly as wide as she was tall, and she
had a tongue that could scorch the paint off the side of a barn
from thirty feet. The only one left was Kaye Jansen. I didn’t have
a clue she’d even known Eliza.

I touched my aunt’s arm, and whispered, “Did
Kaye know Eliza very well?”

Lillian frowned, then said, “She knew her
well enough to sue her for slander. Nothing ever came of it, but
they weren’t big fans of one another. I heard that it didn’t help
matters when Kaye’s father-in-law hired Eliza to do their books. I
can’t imagine what they had to talk about tonight.”

“
Eliza and Polly didn’t get
along either, did they?”

Lillian said, “No, Polly always complained
bitterly that she should be the chamber’s president, but Eliza kept
getting reelected year after year. From what I’ve heard, there were
accusations of stuffed ballot boxes during more than one
election.”

I was about to ask about the others, since
my aunt knew most of the skeletons hanging in Rebel Forge’s
closets, but Bradford broke up our conversation when he returned
with Sara Lynn. “Lillian, I’ll see you now.” He turned to me and
added, “Jennifer, do you mind taking Sis home with you? Sara Lynn
doesn’t need to be alone tonight.”