A Dastardly Death in Hillbilly Hollow (Ozark Ghost Hunter Mysteries Book 3) Read online

  “Oh, don't flatter him too much. He always did let things go to his head. If you had said decent, or even good, I might have believed you, but great? That’s a stretch.” She let out a laugh that didn't even sound halfway real.

  I said, “Well, to a couple of kids who were always given lemonade and cookies, I’d say he was pretty great.”

  She smiled and grabbed my hand gently. “You bunch have grown up so quickly. Enjoy it. Sometimes life passes you by so fast you don’t have time to notice it.” She pulled me a little closer and leaned in to add, “I better get an invitation to the next wedding as well.’ She tapped my shoulder and laughed. “Don't worry, I’m only joking.”

  As the guests were filing in, one in particular caught my attention: Peter Snipes. He was wearing a nice button up shirt, and despite his sad expression, he actually looked quite nice.

  I approached him cautiously. “Peter,” I said as I gently tapped his shoulder.

  He turned and smiled vaguely once he saw me, a stark contrast to the brusque man whom I had just spoken to last night.

  “Emma Hooper, right?” he asked, pointing at me.

  As he pointed, I noticed small flecks that looked like ashes falling from his coat. He must have noticed me staring, because he wiped the rest of the ashes away quickly. “Sorry about that. I was burning some old papers earlier and I guess I didn’t do a very good job cleaning up.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it,” I said dismissively.

  Peter put his hands by his sides, fingers grasping at his pant legs nervously. “I want to apologize if I was curt with you the other night. I realize now that you were only trying to help. As I’m sure you can imagine, I’ve been pretty torn up over Prudence’s, um, situation. It hasn’t been easy. I have reached out to her mother, sent her flowers, but nothing really eases the ache, I’m afraid sometimes I get a bit –”

  “You sent flowers?” I questioned, already knowing the answer.

  “Yes, I sent the best arrangement I could find.” Then he muttered more quietly under his breath, “And certainly the most expensive.”

  I smiled reassuringly. “No reason to apologize. Especially not on a wonderful day like this. I’ll see you around, Peter.”

  I began to walk away, then glanced back over my shoulder to see him still watching me.

  Peter was wealthy, that much I knew, and it was his wealth that had deceived him in the end. I had seen the beautiful arrangement he had sent Prudence, but what Peter did not know, was that I had also seen the note that came with the flowers. Just two short words, ‘I’m Sorry’, but with more context now those two words had told me everything I needed to know.

  Chapter 22

  I had no doubt Peter had tried to murder Prudence, but one question was shouting loudly in my head: why? My thoughts were interrupted as Billy grabbed my arm.

  “Emma, the ceremony is starting in twenty minutes. You have to go get in your spot–” He stopped short when he saw the look on my face. “Is everything okay?”

  I feigned a smile. “Of course. Just nerves, I guess.”

  I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t buying it, but we didn’t have time to discuss it. He nodded quickly, then made his way to his position.

  I rushed inside and found Suzy. She locked eyes with me and she looked as though she might vomit.

  “Here we go,” I said softly.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” Suzy said with a sigh.

  “You’ve got this. Once you see Brian all your fears will melt away.”

  Suzy nodded her head. “Gosh, I sure hope so.”

  I stood in my spot twirling both of my thumbs nervously, although admittedly, I didn’t know what I was more nervous about, my part in the wedding ceremony, or the fact that Peter Snipes was in the crowd of guests.

  I jumped when I heard the processional music begin. It was a mixture of a piano and a beautiful violin. I smiled as I realized it was a gorgeous rendition of Amazing Grace. Such a timeless piece. Only Suzy would be able to choose a song that kept things modern, while adding a touch of class to her ceremony.

  The line seemed to move so slowly, as though the family members and groomsmen were taking their precious time. I knew it was probably only a matter of minutes, but the nervous anxiety that was tugging at my stomach made me feel impatient. All too soon, the bridesmaids began to make their way out and I wished for a moment that the line would have taken only a bit longer.

  I fought back my nervousness and reminded myself I had to be strong. Not only for Suzy, but for Prudence. As my turn to walk came, I held my head high out of respect for the two women I was walking for.

  The guests were smiling brightly, and I caught my grandma giving me a small wave. I smiled cheerfully in her direction, then looked around the crowd once more. Billy was taking pictures, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed that his focus seemed to have shifted towards me. Snap after snap he kept the camera aimed on me. I felt myself blushing as I made eye contact with him.

  I widened my eyes and looked around me as if to say, “There are other people here too, you know.” Now it was his turn to blush, and he swiftly turned the camera towards the groom, snapping a few uninspired pictures. Only then did I catch sight of Peter Snipes, looking thoughtfully in my direction. Was he wondering what I might know? What I might guess?

  Our eyes met across the distance and it was at that moment that we both somehow gained a mutual understanding. A shiver passed through me, under his cold gaze. I knew what he had done, and more importantly, he knew that I knew. Any doubt I may have had vanished, and it was all suddenly clear. The fake tears, the flowers, everything. All signs of a guilty conscience.

  I wanted to stop the wedding, to tell everyone the truth, but I had no proof. I had no evidence, not even as much as a motive. Besides that, this was the day Suzy had dreamed about since she was a little girl. I could never forgive myself if I ruined this for her. So instead, I bit my tongue and clenched my shaking hands around the flowers I carried.

  As I finally made my way to the front of the church and stood in my spot, the music faded out and was replaced with a new song. The ultimate classic, Here Comes the Bride, and how suiting it was. As everyone stood to watch Suzy enter, I thought every heart surely stopped for a moment.

  She was so gorgeous. I had expected tears, but not so early on. Still, I found myself wiping my eyes every few seconds. It was useless as the tears just kept flooding my face. Suzy’s eyes were locked on Brian’s, and as I glanced over at him, I noticed he was in the same predicament I was in.

  Suzy seemed to move in slow motion. Every step was beautiful. She was full of grace, and I was so proud of the woman she had become. As she reached the front the music slowly ended, and she shot me a quick smile.

  From where I was standing I heard the officiant clear his throat, then speak. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Brian and Suzy. They have chosen to spend their lives together, and they have invited you, friends and family, to join them on the greatest day of their lives.

  Love is something we all search for, and they have found it in each other. Marriage is a commitment to choose to continue to grow that love every single day. It is a small sapling that with enough sunlight and water, will grow into a beautiful Oak tree one day. So long as they nurture and care for their marriage, they will see the fruits of their labor.

  Their love will be as strong and unyielding as the tall Oak. This will not be an easy journey, but it is the greatest journey you will take in both of your lives.”

  As the officiant shuffled his papers around, I noticed everyone was a bit teary eyed. Everyone except Peter Snipes.

  P.S - check state records. History? License? CANNOT BE TRUE!

  The entry from Prudence’s diary was repeating itself in my head. She knew something. Whatever ‘unethical practices’ Peter had been terminated for, he hadn’t stopped in Kansas City. He’d continued them here. Prudence found out, and with a business a
s well off as his I was sure he would have done anything to save it. Even if that meant killing his fiancé.

  “These vows you are about to make are an eternal promise to one another. They are the guide by which you must base your marriage on.” The speaker turned towards the groom.

  “Brian, do you take Suzy to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”

  Brian smiled as Suzy wiped a tear from her eye. “I do,” he said confidently.

  The officiant turned towards Suzy. “Suzy, do you take Brian to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”

  “Yes! I mean, I do.” Suzy giggled as Brian tried to hold in his laughter. The officiant grinned and it wasn’t long before the whole crowd was laughing. Suzy was almost in tears from laughing so hard. I had never seen her as happy as she was in this moment.

  As the laughter quieted down the officiant cleared his throat once more. “Do you have the rings?”

  I stepped forward, along with the best man, and we provided the rings we’d been carrying. Suzy reached for hers and flashed me a huge grin.

  “Let these rings be a statement of your never ending love for one another. Just as this ring has no end, neither shall your love for each other end.”

  They slipped the rings on one another’s fingers softly and then turned back to the officiant.

  “It is my great honor to pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”

  Brian leaned in gently, but it was Suzy who stole the show. She grabbed his face with both of her hands and planted a passionate kiss on his lips.

  The guests “ooed” and clapped. Soon the whole church broke out in a roar of cheering as the bride and groom hurried off down the aisle.

  As the crowd began to rush out after them, eager to get to the reception, I desperately wanted to go with them all, but from the corner of my eye I saw Peter sneaking out of the church.

  Chapter 23

  I made my exit quietly and followed Peter Snipes. I wondered where he could be going. Surely he knew by now that I was following him. Wasn’t that why he had slipped out, after all? He wanted to speak to me. Alone, no doubt.

  It didn’t take me long to realize he was going towards the oldest part of the church, the bell house. I grew worried, but still I followed. I entered the shadowed, lonely space to see a spiraling staircase up ahead. Peter was already nearly halfway up the steps.

  I breathed in deeply and gathered my courage. As I climbed each step, a sense of dread was finding its way deep within me. It took everything I had not to just turn back. But I couldn’t leave without forcing answers from him. Prudence was counting on me. Prudence, who was barely clinging to life and might not have much time left. In the face of that horrible ticking clock, doing the sensible thing and going looking for Billy or someone else to back me up wasn’t an option. Besides, Peter surely wouldn’t talk in front of anyone else. Something told me he would talk to me, though.

  As I finally reached the top of the stairs, I saw Peter standing there, waiting, with his back to me.

  “How did you find out?” His voice was completely blank, devoid of any and all feeling. If he held any emotion he didn’t show it, and somehow that made everything more sinister.

  Cautiously, I kept my distance. “I think the more pressing question is why did you do it?”

  He shrugged, and I felt chills run up and down my spine at the casual response. Or maybe the chills were from the wind, which seemed strong up here in the top of the tower, where the open sides gave sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.

  Peter Snipes spoke, distracting me from the sight of the emptying parking lot far below. He said, “Why does the lion hunt? Why does a cornered dog attack? It’s called survival, and it’s pure instinct.”

  He finally turned to face me, and I realized rather quickly why his voice held no emotion. The emotion was written all across his features and it was ugly. Harsh.

  “It’s instinct to try and kill someone who loved you as much as Prudence did?” I demanded.

  “I loved her too,” he spat back.

  He must have seen my disbelief.

  “I did,” he said through clenched teeth. “I loved her more than anyone I’ve ever known. I wanted to marry her, to spend our lives together. When she first got suspicious, I begged her to just let it go, but she wouldn’t stop. She kept digging, kept investigating. She was always so smart…”

  His voice trailed off as if he were talking about just anyone and not some woman he had attempted to murder. Then he went on, “She figured out the truth, and it still wasn’t enough. She wanted to tell everyone, and I couldn’t let that happen. She threw away our future and all for what? A few bodies that were dumped into shallow, shared graves instead of a proper burial or cremation? Who cares?”

  So that was what his ‘unethical practices’ had been. He’d been cutting corners in a gruesome way to keep down his business’s costs. I thought back to the other night when I had confronted him. He had been holding a shovel. He had just finished dumping a body! No wonder he acted so strangely then.

  He started to step towards me now and I cautiously took a step back.

  Stalling for time, I said, “Yesterday you buried Todd Bostic in one of your secret mass graves, didn’t you? But Mrs. Bostic was supposed to pick up the ashes today. What did you give her instead?”

  He continued to move towards me, and I continued to edge away, just barely aware of the fact that we were circling each other.

  He answered, “The usual. I give them burnt scraps of paper or whatever I have around at the moment.”

  He took another step forward. I stepped back again.

  “Cutting corners at the funeral home? That’s what this was all about? You were willing to kill someone you claim to love over a career?” I asked.

  He laughed, a sudden, wild sound that seemed out of place in the silence of the bell tower. “A career? This is my family’s legacy! I couldn’t let her ruin it, and she knew that.”

  He took another step towards me. I went to take a step back and noticed the dwindling space between me and the open drop off from the bell tower. Only a very low and flimsy railing stood between me and a fall of nearly thirty feet.

  Even in my precarious position, I couldn’t hide my disgust at what he had done to Prudence. “You talk about your family’s legacy?” I asked. “I think you ruined that all on your own the moment you started lying to your grieving patients!”

  “My patients are always satisfied. It’s not the body they seek, it’s the comfort. Who cares what’s in the urn so long as it provides them with some peace?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Anyway, now that you know the truth I can’t afford to let you spill it.”

  He reached out towards me, grabbing my wrist. I pulled back but his grip was too tight. He jerked me around and I stumbled, only to land on the floor. I felt the breath whoosh from my lungs at the impact. His other hand reached towards my throat, but before it had time to connect, I bit the hand that was still clutching my wrist. He screamed and released his grip on me.

  I glanced behind me to see that I was just inches away from the edge of the bell platform, and Peter was already approaching me again. His eyes were wild and I knew he had every intention of killing me.

  “Peter, you don’t have to do this,” I pleaded.

  “You see that’s where you’re wrong. If I let you live, you’ll tell everyone what I did to Prudence, the same way she was going to tell everyone about the funeral home.”

  As he stepped closer, I looked down at the fall below me, my palms growing sweaty. Surviving a fall like that didn’t seem likely.

  Chapter 24

  As I was weighing my options I saw a small movement out of the corner of my eye.

  I could
n't believe it. Standing at the top of the staircase behind Peter, eyes bulging at the surprising scene before him, was Tucker. He looked confused, but more than anything concerned. Even Tucker could surely see that if I made one wrong move, my life could be over in a matter of seconds. I saw his hand move as if reaching for his gun, but then stop as he undoubtedly realized that he wasn’t carrying a weapon, not at a wedding.

  Peter seemed unaware of Tucker’s presence, and I subtly shook my head, warning the sheriff to keep back.

  “Peter, I won’t tell anyone,” I said, trying to distract my attacker. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  Peter sighed. “That’s exactly what Prudence said that last night we had dinner together, but I couldn’t take the chance of trusting her. It was almost too easy, really, once I accepted what had to be done. I ordered strong pills from an online pharmacy. Then I invited myself over for dinner that night and insisted on preparing the food alone. I crushed the pills – a deadly amount of them – and slipped them into Prudence’s food. After she collapsed, unconscious, I dressed her in her pajamas and tucked her into bed, as if she’d had an ordinary night. I left the pills, ordered in her name and with her information on them, on her bedside table, so it would look as if she had bought them and taken them herself. But I was wrong in guessing how much would amount to a deadly dosage.”

  He had been looking past me, remembering, but now his gaze became focused once more. Glaring at me, he said, “I made the mistake of not finishing the job that night. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

  He dove towards me suddenly, as if he meant to throw me over the roof. In one swift motion I rolled out of his way, allowing him to lunge past into empty air.

  I whirled around just in time to catch a glimpse of Peter sailing over the edge of the bell tower, his desperately flailing hands breaking off a portion of the low railing and dragging it over the side with him.