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  Farther down the lane, Scott saw Ava Fitzpatrick and her two children walking up the snowy, rutted road toward the farm, dragging a large tractor tire inner tube by a rope. Scott slowed down and rolled down his window.

  “Why aren’t you in school?” he asked Charlotte, who was twelve.

  A police officer, especially one that came to dinner at her house a couple times a month, did not intimidate the poised Charlotte. A mirror image of her beautiful mother at that age, she flipped her long dark hair over her shoulders and said, “It’s an administrative day for teachers. You know we would never skip school.”

  Ava laughed at her daughter and winked at Scott, which made him feel a little dizzy. He loved Maggie, but her sister-in-law Ava was the most beautiful woman in Rose Hill, maybe in the world, as far as Scott was concerned. She owned the local bed and breakfast, was a good neighbor, a good mother, and seemed amazingly normal despite the dramatic effect she had on every man she met. Her husband, Maggie’s oldest brother Brian, had abandoned the family just after young Timothy was born, not long after Maggie’s house burned down. Scott had recently discovered Brian was living in Bimini, reportedly with no intention of ever returning.

  Six-year-old Timmy pulled on his mother’s arm until she bent down, and then whispered something in her ear. He was a blue-eyed, freckled redhead just like his father and Aunt Maggie.

  “Timmy wants to know if you’ve ever arrested any pirates,” Ava asked Scott with a straight face.

  Timmy half hid behind his mother but peered up at Scott with keen interest.

  “I’ve never seen any pirates around here,” Scott told Timmy, “but as long as they were nice, well behaved pirates, I guess they could visit for a spell. But let me tell you I won’t tolerate any shenanigans on the river, like firing off cannons, or making people walk the plank.”

  That answer seemed to satisfy Timmy. Ava thanked Scott, and he went on his way.

  When Theo Eldridge was murdered, most of his estate went to his two sisters, the snobby Gwyneth from Manhattan, and the humanitarian hobbyist Caroline, who was currently in South America. He also left a large amount of money in a trust for Ava Fitzpatrick, and that surprise bequest had set the town buzzing with speculation as to why.

  There had never been any love lost between the Fitzpatrick family and Theo Eldridge. As a teenager Maggie’s brother Patrick had once beaten Theo within an inch of his life for trying to drown their brother Sean. After Theo’s own brother drowned in similar circumstances Theo blackmailed Sean so that he would not implicate him in the crime. Theo also loaned Maggie’s brother Brian a huge amount of money right around the time he disappeared, using Brian’s home and life insurance on his wife Ava and their children as collateral. Add to all that the belief that Theo burned down Maggie’s house and it was not surprising when a Fitzpatrick brother was a suspect in Theo’s murder.

  Back in town, Scott stopped in the Rose Hill Sentinel newspaper office to see if his buddy Ed, the owner and editor-in-chief, had any insight into Margie Estep’s disappearance. Hank, Ed’s big black Labrador retriever, was snoring on a red cushion in front of the gas stove. Ed was staring dolefully at a dozen cinnamon- and sugar-covered doughnuts that were sitting on a plate in front of him.

  “What’s up?” Scott asked him.

  Ed shook his head sorrowfully.

  “She keeps bringing me pastries. I can hardly button my pants as it is, but she just brings me more.”

  “We’re talking about Mandy, I guess.”

  “She won’t listen to me. I keep telling her I’m too old for her, but she just smiles at me like I said the cutest thing.”

  Mandy’s son was Tommy, Rose Hill’s only paper-carrier, whom Ed had rescued a few weeks earlier when a car almost ran over him. During the emotional 24 hours that followed the accident Tommy’s mother had fallen hard for Ed. Mandy worked at the Fitzpatrick’s bakery during the day and the Rose and Thorn bar at night, and if her constant tokens of appreciation were any indication, she seemed intent on making Ed her fat, drunk boyfriend. Scott found it hard to feel sorry for Ed, who hadn’t had a date that Scott knew of since his wife left him several years ago.

  Scott helped himself to a doughnut and took a seat at the table. He refused the coffee Ed offered, knowing from experience it would look like tar and have a similar taste. Ed got more coffee for himself, but resisted the sweet siren call of the deep-fried dough.

  “Men have often dated women who were much too young for them,” Scott told him. “Why don’t you just enjoy it?”

  “It’s not just that she’s so young,” Ed said. “I hate to say it, but she’s really not very bright. We have nothing in common and nothing to talk about except Tommy. Don’t get me wrong, she’s sweet as molasses and very pretty, but I can’t get over the feeling that she should be riding around in some young guy’s sports car, listening to America’s top forty.”

  “You could always buy a sports car, you know. Then all you’d need is an earring, a tattoo, and some baggy pants.”

  “Very funny. I won’t lie to you, I’m tempted. I’d have to be dead not to be. But you know as well as I do that this is a very small town, and if I end up the bad guy in all of this there will be a price on my head that any Fitzpatrick would be glad to collect. Plus, I really like her kid, and I don’t want to get him mixed up in a situation that could hurt him as well.”

  “Sounds like you’ve talked yourself out of it.”

  “Now if I could just convince her.”

  “Ah, the life of a Rose Hill playboy,” Scott said, and Ed threw a doughnut at him, which he caught and bit into.

  Between chewing bites of doughnut, Scott told Ed what was going on with Enid and Margie.

  “I’ve been meaning to tell you this,” Ed said. “Tony Delvecchio mentioned to me that Margie asked about getting a life insurance policy on her mother.”

  “When was this?”

  “Last week. Tony told her it would be nearly impossible, given Enid’s age and health, and Margie didn’t follow up on it.”

  “That woman,” Scott said. “I think she’s got an important screw loose.”

  “The one that keeps the conscience securely fastened.”

  “The thing that continues to astonish me is how immune to any consequences she believes she is. Instead of being grateful I didn’t arrest her, she’s now convinced she can do anything she wants and get away with it.”

  “Is that an indication of a sociopath or a psychopath? I’ve forgotten my college psychology.”

  “It’s an indication of a dangerous loon, and that’s my official diagnosis.”

  “At least Enid is safe now.”

  “Yeah, that’s a relief. Ruthie is going to make sure Margie doesn’t get in to see her mother without someone else present.”

  “I’ll ask around about her today and let you know what I find out.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Speaking of victims and their potentially murderous relatives, have Anne Marie and Knox returned from their cruise?” Ed asked.

  “His brother says they’re having such a great time that they’re extending their vacation by two weeks.”

  “Do you think he’s spending all this time persuading her not to press charges?”

  “I don’t know if she even remembers the accident; I haven’t been able to talk to her. As soon as she was released from the hospital he whisked her off on this vacation.”

  “I wouldn’t stand too close to the railing on that cruise ship if I were her.”

  Scott snagged another doughnut and left the office. He turned right and crossed the alley where Theo’s murderer had followed him the night he died, and passed the new antique store that was slated to open later in the spring. The new owners had poured tons of money into renovating the place but had been strangely absent so far. There was a narrow walkway between that building and the next, where newspaper carrier Tommy had hidden the night of Theo’s murder, and had seen almost everything that happened. He had been too
afraid to tell anyone for fear of the killer harming him and his mother. He kept that horrible secret until the day he was almost run over in the alley as the murderer fled town.

  Tony Delvecchio was on the phone when Scott entered the agency, which was on the ground floor. The floors above the office held apartments most often rented to Eldridge College students. Tony was a few years older than Scott, and had been a basketball star at Rose Hill High School. He was one of Sal Delvecchio’s sons, all of whom owned businesses in the town. His oldest brother Sonny owned the hardware store, his older brother Matt owned the IGA grocery, and his younger brother Paul and wife Julie owned PJ’s Pizza. Their father Sal was a very small, unattractive man married to a very tall, Sophia Loren-like beauty named Antonia. All the sons had inherited their mother’s height, but only Tony had been lucky enough to inherit her beautiful features as well. He was the only unmarried brother and still lived at home with his parents.

  “Hey Scott,” Tony said, as soon as he got off the phone. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well, Tony, how about yourself?”

  “I can’t complain,” Tony said, and then gestured to a chair. “Have a seat.”

  Scott sat down and told Tony what was going on with Enid and Margie, and what he had heard from Ed.

  “So, is that pretty much what happened, or is there more?” Scott asked when he was finished.

  “That’s about it,” Tony said. “It’s pretty late in the game for her to be looking for life insurance, and no one would underwrite the policy, considering her mother’s age and medical condition.”

  “Margie is known to do some strange things. I didn’t know until a few weeks ago that she was tampering with the mail.”

  “I had mail go missing, so much so that I got a post office box in Pendleton several years ago. A lot of Rose Hill folks have Pendleton P.O. boxes on account of Margie.”

  “I feel awful about that,” Scott said. “Sarah Albright, from the sheriff’s office, is always telling me I need to listen to gossip if I want to find out what’s really going on in this town. I hate that Margie proved her right.”

  “I think it would be hard to sift the truth from the lies around here,” Tony said. “Margie likes to embellish quite a bit, from what I understand.”

  “How did she seem the day she was in here?”

  “This may sound weird, but I want to say she seemed smug. Like she had a secret and was enjoying it.”

  “Other than the policy business, did she say anything else?”

  Tony hesitated before he spoke.

  “She did make some odd remarks. At the time I didn’t think it meant anything, but since then I’ve heard some of the gossip going ‘round about her, and it makes what she said seem more sinister.”

  Scott listened patiently, which was something he did better than most. He had a high tolerance for the long silences that allowed people to decide to disclose information.

  “She was angry that I wouldn’t write the policy. Even though I told her I just brokered policies, I didn’t personally underwrite them, she seemed to think I would personally put up the money for her mother. She argued with me about it. I thought she just didn’t understand how my business worked, but before she left she said something that, upon reflection, sounded almost like a threat of some sort.”

  Scott just nodded and waited.

  “It was probably nothing,” Tony said. “I feel stupid even repeating it. I may have misunderstood.”

  Scott listened patiently but said nothing.

  “She said I should think about my decision and get back to her. I said there was nothing to think about, it was a business decision. She said I should give it some more thought. Then she said she hoped my mother’s heart wasn’t broken by the kind of life I was leading.”

  Scott’s curiosity was definitely piqued but he let the silence do its work.

  “At the time I thought she meant my mother would be ashamed of me for not helping her out. I told her there was no way I would personally underwrite a policy on her mother and she left in a huff. When I look back on it now, though, I wonder if she wasn’t trying to blackmail me into underwriting a policy and that if I refused she would tell my mother something about me that I wouldn’t want her to know.”

  “And is there something?”

  Tony’s face flushed, and he seemed agitated, but even after a long, uncomfortable silence he wouldn’t say more. Scott realized he was going to have to help him over the next hurdle.

  “I’m a police officer, Tony, but you and I have known each other our whole lives. If it’s just something embarrassing and not criminal I can be counted on to be discreet. If it’s criminal you need to tell a lawyer, a priest, or both.”

  “It’s not criminal and I’m not embarrassed about it, it’s just nobody’s business but my own,” Tony said.

  “Whatever it is, how could Margie know about it? You said you switched mail deliveries so she didn’t have access to your mail.”

  “She walks around late at night. You know that, right?”

  “I’ve heard that, but I’ve never run into her.”

  “She probably hides from you. I think she must do a lot of hiding and watching.”

  “So you think she saw you doing something?”

  “I think she saw me with someone, and speculated about what was going on.”

  “You’re right, that’s nobody else’s business,” Scott said. “Consenting adults and so forth.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, I appreciate your confidence in me, and it will go no further. I’m not a bit surprised, by the way, that she would threaten to blackmail you to get what she wanted. She’s a real piece of work.”

  “This town,” Tony said. “If it isn’t busybodies using police scanners to listen in on your phone calls, it’s nosy parkers roaming the streets after dark looking for ways to blackmail you.”

  “And people think I have an easy job,” Scott said.

  “Not me,” Tony said. “I don’t know how you do it. Between the small town politics and the freelance critics we’ve got in this town…”

  “I appreciate your sympathy,” Scott said, and rose to leave.

  “Anytime,” Tony said, and shook Scott’s hand.

  “When did this happen?” Scott asked him, as they walked toward the door. “When was Margie here?”

  “Last week. I’m pretty sure it was Wednesday.”

  “Have you seen her since?”

  “No,” Tony said. “I haven’t been out late at night, though, since I realized she might be following me.”

  “If you do see her give me a call,” Scott said. “I’d like to catch her in the act and give her a good scare.”

  “Will do,” Tony promised, and Scott left with a wave.

  Scott walked back up Pine Mountain Road past the newspaper office to Fitzpatrick’s Bakery, where owner Bonnie Fitzpatrick was waiting on a long line of customers crowding the counter. Ed’s number one fan, Mandy, was ringing up their orders. In the back, Scott could see Alice Fitzpatrick, Bonnie’s sister-in-law, taking multiple trays of flaky golden brown turnovers out of one of the commercial ovens.

  Maggie’s mother Bonnie was a sturdy woman with a no-nonsense demeanor, steely blue eyes, white curly hair, and an accusatory look. She raised an eyebrow at Scott in a greeting that felt more like a warning, as if to say, “don’t you start with me.” Scott stood to the side out of the way and waited.

  “What’ll it be?” she asked him, once the line had dissipated.

  “Have you seen Margie Estep today?” he asked both Bonnie and Mandy. “Enid moved to Mountain View this morning, and she says Margie went out early this morning and didn’t come back.”

  “Maybe she’s done away with herself,” Bonnie said. “You better start dragging the river.”

  “I don’t think we need to jump to any dire conclusions yet,” Scott said.

  “Maybe she had a breakfast date,” Mandy suggested, but Bonnie scoffed at that notion. />
  “If she did, it will be the first date she’s ever had.”

  Bonnie poured Scott a cup of coffee to go and motioned for him to follow her out the front door.

  “I’d like to know what’s going on between you and my daughter,” she said once they were outside.

  “I’m crazy about her, Bonnie, you know that.”

  “You know how I felt about that last one,” she said. “The first time he came in here sniffing around our girl I knew it would end in tears. I saw right through him but Mary Margaret thought he could do no wrong. With those big dark eyes he looked just like a gypsy, and he stole her away from us, just like a gypsy would.”

  “He was a good friend of mine,” Scott said. “He fooled me too.”

  “I thought after he left she’d eventually get married, maybe give me some more grandchildren, but it looks like she’s never going to.”

  “I think she’ll come around, given time. I’m willing to wait.”

  “I hope you aren’t going to tempt her to live in sin as well.”

  “I’ll take her any way she’ll have me. I’m sorry if that offends you.”

  “Well, that’s honest, at least,” she said, crossing her arms. “Stupid, stubborn girl. I don’t know why you bother.”

  “Same reason Fitz bothered when he was chasing you around this town,” Scott teased her. “We both have a weakness for bossy redheads with bad tempers. I bet you’re a good kisser too.”

  “Watch your mouth, sonny Jim,” she warned, but then she winked at him. “I only let Fitz think he was the one doing the chasing. That’s the trick.”

  Scott kissed her on the cheek before she went back inside.

  The whole town was gearing up for the Winter Festival, and Mayor Stuart Machalvie was supervising the raising of two banners above the crossroads of Rose Hill Avenue and Pine Mountain Road. Route 1 brought tourists south from the four-lane highway and then turned into Rose Hill Avenue, and Pine Mountain Road took them east from the Little Bear River up over Pine Mountain on a winding two lane road past the state park to the Glencora Ski Resort. The Winter Festival drew a big crowd, and that crowd brought a lot of money into town. The main goal of the festival was to extract as much of that money as possible before they left.