A Puzzling Plot in Hillbilly Hollow Read online

  “You scared me half to death, Molly,” I said.

  Molly, the white thing that had come at my head, retreated back toward the loft and perched on one of the wooden ceiling rafters. She was a beautiful white owl that had recently taken to nesting in our barn. She had found a hole in the roof of the wooden frame, right at the top, just large enough for her to squeeze in.

  Grandpa had once mentioned that he was going to ask Daniel to wait until Molly was out on one of her nightly hunts and then block up the hole. But Grandma and I had protested so much that he eventually relented and agreed Molly could stay as long as she didn’t become a nuisance.

  I hoped she never greeted him the way she’d just greeted me. Grandpa would definitely class that as being a nuisance.

  Molly watched me with her large, wise eyes as I prepared a tray of chickenfeed. She didn’t seem to fear me. She kept a distance between us, but she wasn’t in the least bit fazed by my banging around getting the feed sorted out. I ducked outside of the barn and went to the tap, where I rinsed out the swill bucket. I left it beside the tap so I could collect it on the way back into the house.

  I went back to the shed and collected the chickenfeed, and then Snowball and I made our way over to the chicken coop. As I opened the gate, the chickens went into a blind frenzy, running from me, their feathers flying. They were making a terrible racket.

  There was something comical about watching the chickens dart around. Smiling to myself, I scattered the chickenfeed and left the coop. Suddenly brave now that they were alone, the chickens began to gather in the center of the coop, pecking at the seeds and grains I had scattered.

  I went back to the barn. This time, I was prepared for Molly coming at me as I entered, but she remained on her perch watching me from a safe distance.

  “No attack this time, Molly?” I asked her.

  Her only response was a long blink. I put the tray away, collected the swill bucket and Snowball and I returned to the house. I left the bucket outside of the back door so we could easily fill it with scraps throughout the day.

  Grandma was in the kitchen, baking. The whole kitchen smelled like chocolate and Grandma and I both laughed out loud when my stomach rumbled audibly at the smell.

  “These cookies won’t be too much longer if you want to wait and take some over to the store with you,” Grandma said.

  I nodded my head.

  “That would be great, thanks,” I said. “Your cookies are the best and Suzy will be delighted.”

  I was going to Suzy’s clothing shop now that my chores were done, to try once more to convince her to go home and put her feet up. She was due to have her baby soon, but she didn’t let that stop her from working full time.

  I sat down at the table to wait for the cookies to finish up.

  “Daniel and Evelyn were fighting again,” I said. “I could hear them as I passed the trailer on my way to the pigpen.”

  Grandma shook her head. “Those two can fight over anything and everything.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “They were fighting over how best to grow tomatoes, earlier.”

  Grandma snorted out a laugh. “As much as I won’t take sides in anyone’s squabbles, I have to say my money’s on Daniel being right on that one. Evelyn wouldn’t know the first thing about doing anything useful. I don’t suppose her hands have ever even touched soil.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. It sure seemed that way. My grandma suddenly made a squeaking sound and darted to the right. I burst into laughter as I saw her tugging at a tea towel that Snowball had managed to grab.

  “Let go of it, you little devil,” Grandma scolded.

  Snowball did no such thing. Grandma gave the tea towel another tug and it eventually came free from Snowball’s grip.

  “She’s getting worse. Every time I turn my back, she’s got something in her mouth,” Grandma said, shaking her head at Snowball who blinked up at her, the picture of innocence.

  Grandma opened up the fridge and peered inside. She grabbed a handful of greens from the shelf and put them on the floor for Snowball.

  “You do realize every time you feed her after she’s done something you don’t like, you’re rewarding her behaviour and she’ll do it all the more,” I said.

  “Ah, but she gives me those eyes.” Grandma sighed.

  I rolled my own eyes. No wonder Snowball was getting worse about trying to eat Grandma’s stuff. The oven timer beeped and Grandma went to the oven. She put on her oven mitts and pulled a tray of hot, chocolate chip cookies out. She set them down on a wire rack to cool.

  “As long as Snowball stays away from these,” Grandma commented.

  She got a plastic bag and put four cookies into it.

  “There you go,” she said. “Be careful, they’re hot.”

  I took the bag and kissed her cheek.

  “Thanks, Grandma. See you later,” I said.

  I went out the front of the house to the old truck Grandpa had given me when I first moved back to the farm.

  Looking back, I made sure Snowball hadn’t followed me out the front door. Then I climbed into the truck, put the cookies on the seat beside me, and fired up the engine.

  I drove into town, down Main Street, and found an empty parking space surprisingly easily. After grabbing the cookie bag, I got out of the truck and made my way down to the shop.

  As I went in, Suzy looked up and beamed when she saw me.

  She waddled out from behind the counter and hugged me.

  “You know I’m happy to see you, Emma, but right now, I have to admit I’m happier still to see those cookies.” She laughed.

  “They’re Grandma’s own recipe,” I said.

  Suzy groaned with pleasure. “So why are we still standing here? Come on, let’s go and get some milk from the mini-fridge,” she said.

  She led me towards the back room of the store.

  “Jenny? I’m going out back. Call me if you need anything,” Suzy shouted to her assistant.

  “Will do,” Jenny called back.

  Suzy grabbed us a couple little cartons of milk from the fridge and then we sat down at the battered table in the staff break room and tucked into the cookies. They were delicious, still warm and full of gooey chocolatey goodness.

  “So, you still haven’t started your maternity leave,” I said.

  Suzy shook her head and grinned. “Nope. Thanks for noticing the obvious.”

  I laughed, but then got serious again. “Suzy, you’re almost there. You should be resting,” I said.

  “Resting schmesting,” she said. “I’m pregnant, not sick. Besides, all of the women in my family go over their due dates and I won’t be any exception. The thought of just sitting in the house is enough to make me crazy. It’ll be different once the baby comes of course, but the waiting around would drive me to distraction if I didn’t have work to take my mind off it.”

  I had known before I even started in on the conversation that I was wasting my time trying to persuade her to rest, but at least now I could tell myself I’d tried.

  “At least tell me you’re taking it easy around the store,” I said.

  “I am, Mom.” Suzy grinned. “Now enough about me. Tell me about you and Billy. Have you two set a date yet?” she asked, not so subtly changing the subject.

  “Don’t you think you would have been one of the first to know if we had?” I asked. I sighed. “I’m actually starting to think Billy is regretting proposing to me.”

  “What? Get out of here, Emma. Billy is smitten with you. He has been since we were kids. Why on earth would you even think that?”

  I shrugged. Maybe I was just being paranoid. “We talk about the wedding all of the time. Flowers, location, theme, you name it, we’ve talked about it. But when it comes down to picking a date, I can’t seem to get Billy to commit to any one in particular. He just shrugs and says we’ll pick a date later.”

  “He’s got a lot on his plate, Emma,” Suzy reminded me.

  It was true. Billy was
always busy between his surgery, house calls, and attending emergency scenes where necessary.

  “I know. I get that. But when will he ever not be busy? I don’t want us to have to wait until he retires to actually set a wedding date.”

  “You’re so melodramatic.” Suzy laughed. “I don’t think he’ll make you wait that long. If you’re worried about it, why don’t you pick a date that works for you and ask him to schedule it in his diary?”

  “Because I don’t want him to think I’m some bridezilla,” I said.

  Suzy rolled her eyes. “It’s the most special day of your life, Emma. You deserve to get a little uptight now and again.”

  I knew she was right, but a tiny voice in the back of my mind whispered that if I tried to force Billy to commit to a date, he might tell me he’d changed his mind and break my heart. I realized it was a ridiculous worry. If he did feel reluctant, why would he have proposed to begin with?

  “How’s Brian? Is he excited for the baby coming?” I asked.

  It was my turn for a not so subtle change of subject.

  Suzy nodded, letting me switch the topic of conversation. “Brian can’t wait. He’s managed to score a couple of weeks’ paternity leave, you know. He’s looking forward to being a dad and he’s going to be great at it. But I think he’s especially excited to have the baby here so I can’t keep redecorating the nursery anymore.”

  I snickered. “What color is it these days?”

  “It’s still white, but now it has peach trims,” Suzy announced. She laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve only changed it three times. And I want it to be just right. I want everything to be perfect for the baby.”

  She rubbed her bump as she talked and I smiled at her. Suzy was going to be a great mother. Maybe a little too attentive, but I didn’t think that would be a huge problem before her baby reached his teens. Or her teens. We still weren’t sure of the gender, because Suzy and Brian had opted to be surprised.

  My cell phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out and checked my text message.

  BILLY: Hey Gorgeous. Sorry I’ve been distracted these last few weeks. Been so busy at the clinic, but things R going 2 settle down now. Want dinner tonight? My place?”

  ME: I’d love to.

  “Billy?” Suzy asked, nodding towards my cell phone.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “See? I knew it because you got that gooey loved up look on your face,” Suzy teased me.

  “Shut up.” I laughed. “I don’t have a loved up face.”

  “Whatever,” Suzy said. “Did he mention anything about the wedding date just now?”

  “No,” I replied. “But he did apologize for being distracted lately and asked me over for dinner tonight. Oh, and he called me gorgeous.”

  I knew I was grinning like a lovesick teenager this time, but I couldn’t help it.

  “Wow,” Suzy said. “Calling you gorgeous, wanting to see you tonight. Yeah, you’re right. He’s clearly losing interest in you.”

  “Alright, there’s no need to be sarcastic,” I said.

  “Emma, what you and Billy have is the real thing. He’s loved you forever and that’s not about to change,” Suzy said, serious now.

  I looked down into my coffee cup. “I guess I’m just worried that he’s built up this idea of me in his head, and that the real me can’t live up to it,” I admitted.

  “Are you really going there?” she asked. “You’re really going to make a heavily pregnant woman heave herself up to beat some sense into you?”

  I shook my head and held my hands up for mercy. “No,” I said, laughing. “I would never.”

  Suzy could always make me see sense; she had been able to ever since we were kids. I knew I could rely on her to be blunt and tell me the truth. Sometimes she was a little too blunt and honest, if there was such a thing. If Billy was losing interest in me, Suzy would have seen it and had an opinion on it, and she wouldn’t have been sitting here telling me it would be okay. She would have been telling me to dump him before he dumped me. And she never failed to make me laugh, which was always nice when I needed a little cheering.

  “Well, I’d better be going if I’m going to stand any chance of getting changed and still being at Billy’s in time for dinner,” I said after we’d chatted for another few minutes.

  “Oh? It’s like that, is it? Go to Billy’s house and get all dolled up. Come here just as you are.” Suzy raised a playful eyebrow.

  “That’s exactly how it is, Suzy,” I teased back.

  3

  Last night’s dinner with Billy had gone well, I thought the next morning, as I sat down to breakfast with my grandparents. Billy and I hadn’t talked much about the wedding, and we still hadn’t set a date, but by the time I’d left, I felt a whole lot more relaxed about why not.

  Billy had explained that over the last few months, he’d had a super heavy workload because one of the doctors in a neighbouring town had been out sick. The other doctor was due back any time soon, and Billy assured me everything would calm down then and we would actually be able to start planning the wedding properly.

  And I saw by the way Billy couldn’t take his eyes off me all night that he’d certainly not grown tired of me. Coming home and slipping into my yellow sundress before dinner had evidently been the right move.

  Billy and I had waited so long to even go on a real date. Maybe casual timing was our thing. And a long engagement wouldn’t be so bad. It would give me more time to work and save some money while I was living pretty cheaply with my grandparents, neither of whom would hear of taking money from me. They said I paid more than my fair share in labor around the farm.

  “Emma? Are you alright, dear?” my grandma asked.

  I pulled myself out of my thoughts and nodded as I speared a piece of sausage and put it into my mouth. I chewed it slowly, savoring the flavor. With all this country air, I was always starving at breakfast time.

  “I’m fine,” I replied after I swallowed. “I was just thinking about what a fun time Billy and I had last night. After dinner, we went out onto the deck. It was a lovely evening, and Billy was in form, telling me funny stories about the surgery.”

  “He’s a keeper, isn’t he, Ed?” my grandma replied.

  “Sure is,” Grandpa said. “Very responsible too.”

  I nodded and opened my mouth to agree, but my words froze in my throat as a piercing scream went up from outside.

  My grandparents and I exchanged a look.

  My fork fell from my hand and I jumped to my feet and ran outside, closely followed by my grandpa and then my grandma. I was sure Snowball would be somewhere in the mix too, although now wasn’t the time to be looking for her. Whatever that scream meant, it sounded awfully like trouble for someone. Something really bad had happened.

  The scream sounded again, louder this time, full of anguish. It was coming from the barn and I sprinted across the yard and entered.

  Evelyn stood in the shadowy building, silent now, her hands pressed to her face, her eyes open wide in horror. A quick glance at the ground showed me why.

  Daniel lay at her feet, several stab wounds in his chest clear to see. Judging by the large pool of blood around his body, and the grey color of his skin, it seemed certain he was dead.

  Evelyn and I looked at each other. I was frozen. I didn’t know what to say or do. I was glad when my grandpa arrived in the barn. He took a couple of seconds to take in the scene and then took control.

  “Emma, go back to the house. Call for an ambulance and the sherriff,” he said.

  Grandma arrived, even as I made for the door.

  “Dorothy, grab a crate and sit with Evelyn until help arrives,” Grandpa said.

  As I left the barn, I glanced back to see my grandpa getting to his knees beside Daniel Fisher’s motionless body. Grandpa caught my eye and I could see from the look on his face that he knew it was too late for Daniel and this was more of a show for Evelyn, so she would move back and feel like someo
ne was doing something.

  I raced back to the house, ran straight up to my room, and got my cell phone. I called the police station, already moving back downstairs as I heard the ringing sound in my ear.

  Tucker answered quickly. “Sherriff’s department, Sherriff Tucker speaking.”

  “Tucker. It’s Emma Hooper,” I said. “Can you come out to my grandparent’s farm?”

  I paused, awaiting Tucker’s reply, but then I realized he was waiting to find out what had happened.

  “It’s Daniel Fisher, the farmhand. He’s been stabbed. I … I think he’s dead,” I explained. “Please come quickly.”

  “Of course, Emma. Sit tight. An ambulance will be sent over and I’ll be there myself in five minutes,” Tucker said.

  The line went dead. I was pleasantly surprised by Tucker’s efficiency. I knew from experience he’d be less than useful when it came to the investigation, but he was making an effort to get here fast, anyway.

  I scrolled through my call list and found Billy’s number. Tucker would most likely call him, since Billy could usually arrive on an emergency scene faster than an ambulance from the hospital in the next town over. But this wasn’t about needing help. The truth was, I was shaken and I wanted to hear Billy’s voice.

  I quickly explained what had happened and Billy promised to be here as soon as he could.

  That was a relief. I was a little surprised at how much seeing Daniel had affected me. For someone who had solved several murders since arriving back in town, and regularly conversed with the victim’s ghosts, it seemed I was more squeamish than I should have been.

  After getting off the phone with Billy, I made my way back into the yard.

  “Emma,” a voice shouted from behind me.

  I turned and saw Tucker coming towards me at a jog. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said five minutes. I hadn’t even heard his car pull up.

  His handsome face twisted in concern when he saw me. I must have looked worse than I thought.

  “What happened?” he asked, as we headed for the barn together.