4 Cupids Curse (4 page)

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I relaxed into the emotional comfort.

“
I overheard a couple of guys in the restaurant mention that the dead man lived in the area, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never met him,” Ellie said after I took a step back.

“His name was Trent Everett. He was working for Kevin Michae
ls, which is how I met him. He seemed like a nice guy, although he sort of kept to himself. I’m pretty sure he only moved here a short while ago.”

“Did the sheriff me
ntion any suspects?” Levi asked as he poured me a glass of wine.

“Not to me. He did theorize that Trent
might simply have gotten caught in a robbery gone bad.”

“Poor guy,” Ellie sympathized
as we all settled onto the sofa in front of the fireplace. “I guess this puts the kibosh on your opening.”

“Looks like
it, unless Zak can pull some strings.”

“So when is Zak supposed to be back?” Ellie asked.

“Late tomorrow evening or early on Wednesday. I figure I’ll leave the door open in case he does make it tomorrow and decides to stop by.”

“He doesn’t have a key?” Ellie asked.

“No. I guess I never thought to give him one.”

“Do you have a key to his place?” Levi asked.

“Yeah, but I sometimes water his plants when he’s out of town.”

“Girl, you need to give the man
a key,” Levi advised. “The balance of power is skewed otherwise.”

“
The balance of power?”

“Relationships are built on a very fragile
balance of power,” Levi explained. “If he gave you a key and you don’t return the gesture, things are off balance, and your relationship is headed for problems.”

“Yo
u’re making that up,” I challenged.

“Come on
, Ellie, back me up.”

“As much as I hate to admit it
, I think Levi has a point. You should definitely give Zak a key. It will show him that you’re as invested in the relationship as he is, which we all know is untrue, but at least you can put up a good front.”

“What do you mean it’s untrue?
” I asked. “I’m invested in the relationship as much as Zak is.”

Levi and Ellie looked at each other and shook their heads.

“I am,” I insisted.

“Whatever you say
, sweetie.” I could tell Ellie was coddling me. “How about we get some food to go with this wine and tequila before we all end up with hangovers in the morning?”

“Pizza
,” Levi suggested.

“Pi
zza sounds good,” Ellie agreed.

As we
demolished two large pizzas, Levi, Ellie, and I discussed the murder and possible suspects. None of us knew Trent well enough to figure out who might want him dead, but we all agreed that a conversation with Kevin would be the best place to start. We momentarily discussed the idea of staying out of it and letting Salinger do his job, but I really wanted to get the Zoo open as soon as possible, and Salinger wasn’t known for his speedy approach to solving crime.

“You realize that if Trent’s death was actually
the result of a robbery gone bad, it could have just as easily been you or Jeremy killed last night?” Ellie pointed out.

“Yeah, I thought of that. I
have to admit the idea gives me the chills, but I honestly don’t think Trent’s death is the result of a robbery. We don’t have anything stored at the facility worth killing for.”

“So other than talking to Kevin
, any idea how you’re going to investigate a murder when there are no apparent clues and you didn’t really know the victim all that well?” Levi wondered.

“Not really,” I admitted. “Maybe the sheriff’s guys will find some clues when they do their investigation.
It’s frustrating that I can’t get in the Zoo to look around. I keep trying to remember whether I noticed anything out of place when Jeremy and I first got there this morning. The panel was fixed, but Trent’s tools were still on the floor. I assume whomever came in did so just as Trent was finishing up. I did find it a little odd that his body was found down the hall, in the bear cage. I’ve been trying to figure out why the killer didn’t just shoot him in the hall, where he was working.”

“Maybe Trent heard someone come in and went down the hall to try to hide,” Ellie speculated.

“Maybe, but it seems like if Trent heard footsteps or the door slam, he would just have assumed it was Jeremy or me. Why hide?”

“Maybe
he saw whomever it was that came in and was afraid of them.”

“Indicating that he knew his killer,” I realized.

“It’s a theory.” Ellie shrugged.

“So if Trent was trying to hide, or possibly escape through one of the rear exits, then he must have known the killer and realized he was in danger. If that
’s true, Salinger’s robbery theory goes out of the window.”

“Okay, so who would want Trent dead?” Levi asked.

“I don’t have a clue.”

By the time Charlie and I unwrapped ourselves from our heavy down comforter the next morning, it was snowing a bit harder than it had been the previous day. I pulled on my heavy slippers and we made our way downstairs to start the coffee and light the fire. I stood at the back window, which overlooks the lake, enjoying the view as I sipped my first cup of liquid adrenaline. Large snowflakes drifted from dark clouds, dancing on air currents, until they landed softly on the dark lake, melting on impact and merging with the large body of water. I loved the solitude and the sound of silence on dark and stormy days. The snow had begun to accumulate on the beach, and I knew the deck and walkway wouldn’t be far behind.

I
finished my coffee and headed upstairs to shower and dress. Heavy jeans, thick wool socks, a heavy wool sweater layered over a cotton turtleneck, knee-high boots, and a down jacket should keep me warm in the subfreezing temperatures predicted for the day. After we took a quick shovel to the deck and walkway, we planned to stop off at Rosie’s for some much-deserved nourishment, but Ellie called and asked me to meet her at a little shop on the pier. She’d been trying to buy it since the previous fall.

“You got it?” I guessed as Charlie and I walked into the run
-down little shop where Ellie was waiting for us.

“I got it,”
she confirmed.

“Congratulations,” I
said, hugging my best friend.

“I’m so excited,” Ellie shared. “With all the hoops Blakely made us jump through
, I didn’t think we’d ever get this far.”

Blakely
is the bank president and keeper of the funds Ellie and her mom, Rosie, needed to make their dream come true.

“I’m so happy for you. So have you figured out a name? Rosie’s on the
Pier, or maybe the more mundane Rosie’s Two?”

“Actually,” Ellie beamed, “Mom suggested we call it Ellie’s.”

“Really?” I smiled. “That’s wonderful.”

“We talked about
it, and she thinks I’m ready to run my own place, so she’s going to let me run Ellie’s while she continues to run Rosie’s. She’s even going to let me decorate it any way I like.”

I looked around the little shop. It had one of the best locations in town
, but the interior needed a major facelift if it was going to provide the quintessential small-town feel that Rosie’s did. The facility wasn’t large enough to house an industrial kitchen, so Ellie’s idea was to sell sandwiches, salads, and soup premade in Rosie’s main kitchen to the crowd who gathered at the lake during the warm summer months. There was a large deck area where they planned to set up an outdoor patio, as well as several BBQs where they could grill ribs, chicken, and hamburgers made to order. During the winter, when the beach crowd had migrated indoors and the cross- country ski mob overran the beach, they planned to convert the sandwich and BBQ shop into a warming hut specializing in hot beverages, both with and without alcohol, as well as homemade soup, bread, muffins, and other sweet treats.

“
Have you decided how you’re going to decorate?” I asked.

“Not totally,” Ellie admitted. “The
place is too small to pull off all the props built into Rosie’s.” Rosie’s is decorated with an eclectic assortment of skis, sleds, snowshoes, fishing poles, climbing ropes, and other antiques that define the area. “I was thinking I’d paint the walls a light color, perhaps a creamy white or pale yellow. Something to make the space feel larger.”

“Once you decide
, I’m in on helping with the painting,” I offered. Both Levi and Ellie had put in tons of hours during the remodel of the Zoo. Helping Ellie with her project was the least I could do.

I wandered over to the wall of windows at the back of the building. The shop
had been built on the edge of the pier, so when you looked out of the back windows, you looked directly out at the water.

“I thought I’d put in a counter along th
e back wall, where people can sit and look out at the lake. I’d love to have a real wood fireplace like Rosie’s, but given the lack of space, I’ve pretty much decided to settle for a small gas unit over there in the corner. I’m going to put sofas and a coffee table surrounding it, where people can warm up and have a drink when they come in from skiing.”

“You might want to put some of those portable fireplaces on the deck,” I suggested. “The bar at the ski resort has outdoor seating in the winter and it’s always packed except for the stormiest of days.”

“That’s a great idea,” Ellie said. “This has taken so long to make happen, but now that I’ve actually been handed the key, I feel like there’s so much to do and so little time. I need to remodel the place, come up with a menu, apply for a liquor license, and get my county permits.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help,” I assured her. “And I’m sure Zak and Levi will as well. It’s going to be fantastic.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Ellie beamed. “At first I wasn’t sure it would work, since the shop doesn’t have a kitchen, but the more I thought about it, the more certain I was that simple food provided in disposable containers was exactly what the customers who hang out at the beach would embrace.”

“I think you’re right. And there’s plenty of room on that back counter for a microwave,
a toaster oven, and slow cookers. You could even do hot sandwiches like meatballs, pulled pork, and shredded BBQ beef. Dang, now I’m hungry.”

“We’ll have to go back to Rosie’s for sustenance. I should get back anyway
, but when Blakely called this morning to tell me the paperwork was complete and the escrow closed, I just had to come over.”

“I don’t blame you. The place is going to be awesome.”

“By the way,” Ellie shared as she began shutting off lights and locking up, “Pack Rat Nelson came by Rosie’s this morning.” Pack Rat, so nicknamed due to his propensity for collecting
everything
, lived in a run-down cabin outside of town, but he spent much of every day in the alley behind the shops on Main Street, collecting treasures from the garbage. “I usually give him old bread and pastries, so he stops by the back door every few days,” Ellie explained. “Anyway, he wanted me to tell you that he was going through the Dumpsters behind the Zoo the other night while Trent was there. He said they spoke for a moment before Trent went inside to work.”

“Did he see who else came by?” I asked excitedly. While the Zoo isn’t on Main Street and therefore
isn’t part of Pack Rat’s normal scavenging territory, I knew he’d been coming by since we’d been discarding materials associated with the remodel.

“Actually
, he did. He said he saw three people come by, but he wouldn’t tell me who they were. He wants you to stop by his cabin.”

I looked at my watch. It was almost noon. “I’ll go now,” I decided
. “If I have a chance, I’ll stop by Rosie’s after I talk to him.”

“Okay, I’ll catch up with you later.”

Pack Rat Nelson lived in a three
-room cabin that was packed with so many
treasures
you could barely get a body in the front door. Personally, I can’t imagine living like that, but I don’t think there’s a single item in his too-cluttered life he would consider parting with. The large yard leading up to the cabin is as cluttered as the interior. I know the county has tried on more than one occasion to persuade Pack Rat to clean up his mess, but he maintains that his treasures are art and therefore not subject to the county’s litter-control policies. I have to admit he does tend to display his wares in a creative way, and as far as I can tell, he doesn’t leave out anything that might attract wildlife or present a fire danger.

“Zoe, I’m so glad you could stop by. Care to come in?”

I glanced at the tight space behind the man with bloodshot eyes and a bulbous nose. The house wasn’t exactly dirty, but it was so cluttered with treasures that I doubted there was a single space big enough for both of us to stand. “Thanks, but it might be better to just talk on the porch. I left Charlie in the truck,” I nodded behind me, “and I’d like to keep an eye on him.”

“Sure makes sense
.” Pack Rat stepped out onto the covered deck, closing the door behind him.

“Ellie tells me that you were at the Zoo the night Trent Everett was killed.”
I decided that due to the cold temps and Pack Rat’s thin shirt and pants, it was best to jump right in.

“I might have been.”

I offered Pack Rat a $20 bill. “It’s really important that you try to remember anything you saw.”

“It was late. Already almost dark,” Pack Rat qualified. “But I noticed that young electrician you’ve been working with
arrived just as I was about to pack up and leave, so I stopped by to say hi. I’d spoken to him on other occasions, and he promised to save me any wiring scraps he might have. I wanted to see if he had any to donate that night.”

“And did he?”

“Four green wires and three red.” Pack Rat’s eyes lit up like he’d just won the lottery.

“Was there anyone with him?”
I asked.

“Not while I was talking to him
, but a couple of folks came by while he was working inside.”

“You stayed around after Trent went inside to work?”

“I wanted to dig through the scraps the sheet-rock guys left,” Pack Rat explained.

“Do you remember who
came by?”

Pack Rat gl
anced toward my truck. “My memory has been a little fuzzy this morning.”

“I don’t have any more cash,” I informed him.

“That a flashlight on your dashboard?”

I turned and looked back toward the truck.
The yellow flashlight I kept for emergencies was clearly displayed in the windshield. “Batteries are dead.”

“Don’t need batteries,” Pack Rat informed me.

“Okay, I’ll give you the flashlight if you have any information that can help me find Trent’s killer.”

“First one to stop by was that lady from the county. Th
e one with the short curly hair who usually wears those long dresses with the heavy black shoes.”

“Willa Walton?”

“Yeah, that sounds right.”

“She drives a white Subaru
,” I clarified.

“That’d be her.”

“How long did she stay?”

“
’Bout fifteen minutes.”

I realized that if Willa visited first
, she couldn’t have been the killer, but I supposed it made sense to talk with her to see what, if anything, she might know. “What time did she get there?”

“I guess about six.”

“Did she bring anything with her?”

“She had a brown bag
,” Pack Rat provided. “The kind you’d pack a lunch in.”

“Did you notice or hear anything else?”

“No.” Pack Rat shook his head. “She drove into the lot, parked her car, and took the bag from the backseat. She went inside and came out a while later.”

Most people looked at Pack Rat and the way he lived and assumed he was mentally limited
, but I’d learned a long time ago that in spite of his strange hobby, he was both intelligent and observant.

“Okay, who else came by?”

“That woman with the long blond hair and much too short skirts who runs the child care.”

“Tawny Upton?”

“Sounds right.”

“And she came after Willa left?”

“’Bout twenty minutes after.”

“
How long did she stay?”

Pack Rat thought about it. “Not long. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes.”

“Did she bring anything in with her?”

“She had her purse
, but I didn’t see nothin’ else.”

“And the third visitor?”

“Man I didn’t recognize. Pretty sure he’s from out of the area.”

“Did he have anything with him?”

“Not that I noticed.”

“Did you get a good enough look to describe him
?”

“Tall, broad shoulders. Dark hair, dark shirt and pants
, with a black wool jacket over the top. Would like to find myself a jacket like that. Looked like it would be warm, and might likely hold up for a bit.”

“Did you hear anything?” Trent was shot. If the third visitor was the killer
, it seemed Pack Rat would have heard a gunshot.

“Nope.”

“Were you still there when the man left?”

“No
. He stayed a while, and it was dark. I decided to head home. If I’d known . . .”

“Yeah, I know.” I placed my hand on Pack Rat’s filthy arm. I could tell he felt bad that he hadn’t stuck around. “There probably wasn’t much you could have d
one to help Trent anyway.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Well, thanks for sharing. If you want to follow me to my truck, we can see about that flashlight.”

I figured that Willa would most likely still be at work in the county offices, so I decided to stop by there first. While Bryton Lake is the county seat and houses most of the county officials, Ashton Falls has a small facility that is shared by local officials and law enforcement. Willa works in the finance and records department and normally could be found at a desk behind the reception counter. She not only serves as one of the county’s only full-time employees stationed in Ashton Falls but also as the chairperson for the events committee, on which I serve.