The Final Tap (18 page)

thirty

As was typical when
he visited the Farm for special events, Dad had mixed up the centuries. He wore jeans and boots on the bottom and a Union soldier's coat on top, complete with saber. To my relief, I saw it was made out of plastic. He must have picked it up in the stock room at the theater.

He unsheathed his saber and waved it about. “Where's my young soldier, Sir Hayden?”

“Can you put that away?” I asked with a wince. A tourist had crossed the path to walk on the grass to avoid us. “It may be fake, but you're scaring the visitors.”

He
re-sheathed
his sword. “You never let me have any fun.”

“Are you supposed to say that to me? I'm the kid in this situation,” I said.

“You were born responsible. You take after your beloved mother that way. A crusader and a dependable citizen of the world.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled. “That's high praise.” I knew he couldn't give any higher praise.

“So where is Hayden?” he asked again, scanning the faces around us.

I sighed, and the glow I'd received from being compared to my mother faded. “Eddie came and picked him up last night. He started his weekend a little earlier than I expected. But it makes sense,” I added quickly. “I've been so busy with the festival. It would be hard for me to keep a close eye on Hayden if he were here.”

Dad scowled. My jovial father wasn't a scowler, unless it was on stage and required for the part. “He did, did he? I always said that you would have trouble with that one.”

I snorted. “Dad, when did you always say that? You loved Eddie almost as much as I did once upon a time.”

“Well, I thought it,” he grumped in return.

“Hayden will be here later. Krissie promised to bring him to the festival today.”

“Hmpf,” Dad snorted.

“Krissie's nice,” I said defending Eddie's fiancée to my father just as I had to Laura the previous night.

“Hmmm,” Dad mused. “Nice, maybe, but she's not you. It seems like a serious downgrade after being married to you.”

“I need to get back to work,” I said.

Dad grabbed the sleeve of my jacket. “Before you go, I have news from campus.”

I raised my eyebrows at him.

He lowered his voice. “About Beeson.”

“Let's talk over here.” I led Dad away from the crowd, to a picnic table near the employees' entrance to the visitor center. “What did you learn?”

“After you dropped by yesterday, I spoke with one of my acting students who I knew was taking a botany lab from Dr. Beeson. The only reason I knew that was because he went on and on in my class about how much he hated botany. He'd thought it would be an easy A to fulfill his science requirement, but he was wrong.”

“What did he say?” I scanned the area around the picnic table to make sure no one was close enough to overhear.

Dad leaned in. “My student said that another horticulture professor, Dr. Arnold Buckley, was stealing from the college and that Beeson had caught him.”

“What?” I cried.

When visitors stared over at us, I smiled at them and lowered my voice. “What? What do you mean by ‘stealing'?”

“Buckley is the chair of the horticulture department, and he was misappropriating funds in order to take some of the budget money himself. Faking receipts and the like, so that he could pocket the difference.”

“And Beeson knew this.”

Dad nodded. “He figured it out somehow, according to my student.”

I tapped my cheek with my index finger. “That's a pretty good motive for murder. If Beeson went to the college administration, it would ruin Buckley's career. He would never be able to find another teaching job.”

“
If
Beeson was going to go to the college administration, which he wasn't.”

I leaned against the edge of the picnic table. “What do you mean?”

“According to my student, Beeson promised Buckley that he wouldn't tell the college if Buckley put all the money back. Buckley agreed.”

I thought about everything I knew about Beeson. “Beeson didn't go to the administration so that he could use what he knew about Buckley to his advantage later. He might even have planned to blackmail Buckley,” I mused.

Dad beamed at me as if I'd just aced an exam. “Those are my
thoughts exactly.”

“How does the student know all of this?” I asked.

“He heard the two of them arguing about it a few weeks ago.” Dad set his plastic saber on the picnic table.

“And he didn't tell anyone? What about the dean or campus security?”

“He didn't want to get involved,” Dad said. “He's regretting that now, which is why I think he confessed what he knew to me.”

“Detective Brandon will want to talk to your student. You'll have to give me his name.”

Dad sighed. “Dan Jacobs. He's a good kid, and one of the students I have high hopes will go on to earn a BFA at a
four-year
university. I hope Detective Brandon will go easy on him.”

I couldn't promise him that; I didn't think Detective Brandon went easy on anyone. “I'm going to need to talk to Buckley again too.”

“You've met him?” Dad asked.

I nodded. “He was in the greenhouse when I went over there to look for clues. This just might be the break in the case we were looking for.” I couldn't keep my excitement from my voice.

“Mom!” Hayden called from the pebbled path.

“There's my soldier,” Dad bellowed. He grabbed his saber from the table and braced himself for Hayden's
full-speed
approach. “Stop there, you old rogue, or I'll run you through.”

Hayden froze as if he were playing Red Light, Green Light.

A little girl nearby screamed and buried her face into her mother's knees.

“I'm sorry,” I told the young mother as she picked up her wailing child.

She glared at me. I wouldn't count on her being a repeat customer at the Maple Sugar Festival.

“You may approach,” Dad said in his booming voice, and he lowered his saber.

Hayden ran forward and stopped in front of his grandfather. My son widened his stance and held his hands
karate-style
, ready to strike. “Your sword is no match for my ninja moves.”

The pair ran toward the sugar maple grove. I covered my eyes with my hand, hoping they didn't scare any more Farm visitors.

I lowered my hand to find a smiling Krissie standing in front of me. Did she really have to be so pretty? It almost felt insulting. I shook off any animosity and smiled back at the young woman. “Thank you for bringing Hayden today.”

She beamed, probably because I'd greeted her nicely instead of with my usual growl. I growled a lot when Eddie was around, and I rarely saw Krissie without my
ex-husband
. “Kelsey, I'm so glad that I caught you alone. There was something that I wanted to talk to you about
woman-to
-woman.”

“There is?”

She nodded, and her perfect hair bounced on her shoulders. She wore a beret instead of a stocking hat like most visitors did if they wore a hat at all. Grudgingly, I had to admit that she looked adorable in it.

Despite her cuteness, I knew whatever she had to say, I wasn't going to like it.

thirty-one

Krissie smiled brightly at
me. “It's about the wedding.”

It just gets better and better.

“The wedding?” I squeaked.

She nodded and smiled happily. “The many times we've visited the Farm, I've fallen in love with the place. I've seen the events that you've done here, Kelsey. You're able to build something wonderful out of nothing. It's truly impressive.”

I didn't like where this was going. I managed a small “thank you.”

She clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Because of this, I'd like to have my wedding right here on the Farm. Whatever your price, my parents will pay.”

I blinked at her. “You want to get married here? At Barton Farm? You want to marry Eddie at
my
Barton Farm?”

She nodded. “Don't you think it would be just perfect for a wedding?”

Of course I did. Barton Farm had been the location of many weddings over the years. The white New England–style church was the perfect place for the ceremony, and there were any number of wedding photo backgrounds to choose from all over the property. The visitor center would be transformed into the reception hall. It had all the key elements for any wedding. But this was
my
Farm. Krissie and Eddie couldn't get married here. It just seemed like too cruel a twist of fate.

“Are you teasing me?” It was the only explanation that made any sense at all.

Her face fell. “No, never. I really do want to have the wedding here. I've already told my parents. They live in Detroit, but I've sent them pictures. My mother would much rather I get married back home in Detroit, but she agreed that if I insisted on having my wedding in Ohio, Barton Farm is the perfect spot. Eddie and I want to marry here in the community we live in, so that everyone we know can come.”

“B—but …” I couldn't even get the words out. The idea of Krissie and Eddie's wedding on Barton Farm was too ridiculous.

“I was hoping for a June wedding. Eddie and I don't want to put it off any longer. The sooner we marry, the sooner we can have some stability for Hayden.”

“June?” I squeaked. “It's already March.” How could this possibly get any worse? Her comment about stability for Hayden put my teeth on edge.

“I already have my gown and my bridesmaids' dresses picked out. You'll just have to worry about venue, the catering, oh, and the flowers. I know you can do it.” She waved her arms at the many happy visitors walking around the grounds. “Look at all that you've accomplished here. This must be much more complicated than a wedding.” She tilted her head. “Do you think any of the Civil War reenactors would be willing to come to the wedding to be part of the ambiance?”

I was speechless. For the first time in my life, completely speechless. I'd had more to say when I found out about Eddie's affair. Actually, when I learned about the affair, I'd been anything but speechless, and I'd thrown a cooler at Eddie's head. Most of the time, I'm grateful I missed.

When I didn't say anything, she kept going, “I know it must feel strange to you, but it would be little or no work for you. I have a wedding planner all lined up, and she'll work with you to make sure everything runs smoothly. You would only have to worry about coordinating with her on the Farm's schedule and staff that would be needed.”

I knew a lie when I heard one. Krissie might be sweet and nice most of the time, but I was pretty sure there was a bridezilla lurking just below the surface of her skin.

My voice returned. “Wow, Krissie, you really took me by surprise with this.”

“A good surprise, I hope.” She smiled brightly.

Not even close.

I swallowed. “I think under the circumstances that Barton Farm isn't the best place for your wedding. I know you like to think we're one big happy family, and I appreciate that. Don't you think it would be awkward for Eddie to have the wedding here?”

She shook her head. “I've already talked to Eddie, and he's on board with whatever I want to do.”

He says that now.
I kept my thoughts to myself. Krissie would have to learn Eddie's faults in her own time.

“You told him that you wanted to get married here on the Farm? And he was okay with that?” It was hard to believe.

She sniffed. “I admit he wasn't thrilled with the idea when I first suggested it, but I finally got him to come around. He's been so understanding. You and Eddie have a good relationship. He didn't think you would mind. In fact, he thought that it would be good news for you.”

“Good news?” I was incredulous.

“You're always concerned about the Farm's finances. This would help.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. As I did, I listened to the sounds of a full Farm: children laughing, the jangle of the horse wagon, the clang of the Civil War reenactors' rifles knocking against their canteens as they walked, and Abraham Lincoln's booming voice. Eddie was right. I worried about the Farm's finances all the time. I fought to keep those sounds from fading away, but I couldn't have his wedding here. Eddie knew that. He'd either lied to Krissie about how I would feel or she was lying to me now about what he'd said. In either case, I didn't like it, not one bit.

She frowned and her lower lip popped out as if she'd just realized that I wasn't doing cartwheels over her offer. “Kelsey, I want to get married in New Hartford, and the Farm is the best option. It's the best place for photographs. I
must
have wonderful photos. They'll last a lifetime.”

Unless you get divorced
, the jaded divorcee said inside my head.

“I understand, Krissie, but …”

“I can convince Eddie to give up his plan to change the terms of Hayden's custody.” She said it so fast I almost thought I heard her wrong.

“What?”

“I can convince Eddie to leave Hayden's custody arrangements as they are.” She said it much slower this time.

I felt like she'd slapped me across the face. “You would use my son as a pawn in your quest for the perfect wedding?”

“He's not a pawn,” she said. “I'm just saying that Eddie will listen to me if I say we should leave the custody arrangements as they are. I was the one who encouraged him to make some changes in the first place.”

My heart hurt for my son. I'd been wrong about Krissie, so terribly wrong. She wasn't all sunshine and unicorns; there was a calculating woman under that pink exterior. Laura had been right. I'd always wondered how Krissie and Eddie had ended up together—she wasn't Eddie's type, at least I hadn't thought so. But now it seemed clear. It appeared Krissie could make things happen when she really wanted something. She'd wanted Eddie, and now she wanted their wedding on Barton Farm.

“Don't you want Eddie to stop making threats about the custody agreement?” She cocked her head.

“That's blackmail,” I said.

“It is?” she asked brightly.

I was beginning to realize that Krissie was a whole lot smarter than anyone gave her credit for, especially me.

She patted my arm. “Why don't you think on it?” She left me on the side of the pebbled path, reeling from her suggestion, and strolled away as if nothing at all happened.

“You look like you've lost your best friend,” a voice I recognized said.

I looked up to see Chase standing in front of me. “Oh, hi.”

He laughed. “I didn't think you were going to throw your arms around me, but I'd hoped that I would get something better than ‘oh, hi.'”

“Sorry. I just got some very unexpected and upsetting news. I'm still processing. I think I'll be for a long time.”

Chase's eyebrows knit together in concern. “About the murder?”

I shook my head.

“About the Hoopers?” He clenched his fists at his side for half a second. “My uncle told me they dropped in on you last night.”

“In this case, sadly, no.” I sighed. “I sort of wish it was.”

“Want to talk about it?”

I shook my head, and to my relief, Chase dropped the subject. As promised, he was wearing his Union medic uniform. He looked quite dashing in it. He held his
period-appropriate
medical bag in his hand. I smiled. “Nice outfit.”

“I wore it just for you. Every time I put it on, it reminds me of our first meeting. It's a very happy memory.” His flirty tone was back.

I was still reeling from Krissie's wedding nuclear blast, so I couldn't think of a witty response.

He noticed. “Are you sure you're okay?”

I forced a smile. “I'll be fine.”

He didn't appear convinced.

“I promise.” I tried to lighten the mood. “You know when Laura told you that I had a thing for reenactors, she was kidding, right?”

He made a mock scandalized face. “Laura would never lie.”

That got a genuine laugh out of me. It was known throughout the Farm that Laura was loose with her historical details when it came to giving visitors information. If she didn't know a fact or story that a Farm visitor asked about, she wasn't above making it up. It was a habit I wanted to break her of. I feared for the day sometime soon when a tourist came back to the Farm and said that we were wrong about one of our historical facts. Laura promised me she hadn't given wrong information to anyone who looked like they might look into it further. I'd told her that was profiling.

Chase nodded to the wagon driver as the wagon trundled by. “This is quite an event. Not as big as the reenactment, of course, but not a bad showing.”

“Nothing will be as big as the reenactment,” I said. That huge event had taken an entire year to plan. I closed my eyes for a moment as I contemplated having to deal with it this summer along with Eddie's wedding. But the wedding wasn't going to be on the Farm grounds. There was absolutely no way I was going to allow that to happen. I would fight Hayden's custody arrangements in court. I would not let Krissie use my son as a weapon against me.

Chase leaned forward and studied my face. “Are you going to pass out?”

I blinked. “No.” Even to my own ears my answer wasn't that convincing.

“You're lying. Still don't want to talk about it?”

“Definitely not,” I said.

“Okay then.” He straightened up. “Find your killer yet?”

“I'm working on it,” I said. “That's something I'm more equipped to handle. I need to talk to Detective Brandon.”

Chase stepped back from me. “Those are words I never expected I'd hear you say.”

“I'm full of surprises,” I said, and I marched back to the visitor center.