Barbara Graham - Quilted 04 - Murder by Vegetable Read online

  He was almost back to town when he saw the game warden's vehicle, lights flashing, parked behind a small van with a giant plastic insect on the top. Tony slowed. Although he thoroughly detested Officer Harrison Ragsdale and was one of many who shortened the name to Hairy Rags, it was Tony's sworn duty to lend assistance to anyone if needed. More so, because, whether he liked it or not, Ragsdale was another sworn officer. Luckily, Ragsdale glanced up from his study of something in the bed of the pickup and waved Tony on. Ragsdale's face bore its normal expression of anger and disapproval. The two men standing with him appeared unhappy but noncombative.

  As Tony expected when he reached the law enforcement center, Blossom sat in his office, and a fresh pie rested on his desk on the top of a stack of files. She sniffled. “I don't like Rex none. He always looks at me like I'm carrying plates of poisoned apples in here.”

  Irritated, Tony shook his head. “Rex is just doing his job. You answer his questions, and he'll leave you alone.” He studied his guest. Since Blossom's social life had developed into the county's favorite spectator sport, she hadn't been baking for him as much as she used to. Kenny Baines and DuWayne Cozzens were both hotly pursuing the plain but incredibly sweet woman with thinning orange hair, bulbous blue eyes, and more-than-slight weight problem. The men often had to settle for a group date. Blossom's increased social life had caused her a bit of weight loss for a while, but she had come to terms with dating, and although she was a good forty pounds lighter than she'd been a year ago, there was still enough of her to please both men. “Maybe you could offer Rex a dessert.”

  In response to his reprimand, Blossom's face turned pink and she pouted, her lower lip protruding like a three-year-old's. “I don't trust him with your pie.”

  “Blossom, as much as I enjoy your pies, I'll have you barred from my office if you don't stop sulking.” He gave her a stern look. “Rex lets you into this wing of the building because I've told him to. I can change that right now.”

  Tears rose in her great protruding eyes and rolled down her face. She brushed them away with her forearm. “Sorry.”

  “So, what's really bothering you?” Tony wasn't sure why he knew pie was not what Blossom wanted to discuss, but he did.

  “I've been gettin' notes.” Blossom twisted a strand of her thin hair around a chubby finger and stared toward the quilt hanging on the wall behind him. “Lots of nasty notes about my likin' two men.” She blinked. “You said it was only bad if I was to marry both of them.” Her frown held a hint of accusation, as if he'd misled her intentionally.

  Now he understood the problem. There weren't a lot of single men in Park County, and Blossom was probably dating two of the best ones. Tony skipped over the legality question, hoping to satisfy his curiosity. “Do you like one more than the other?”

  Blossom touched the center of the dip just below her lower lip with a finger and made a “hum” sound. She glanced down. She glanced up. Finally, she shook her head. “Well, DuWayne's a better dancer, and Kenny's got great kids. I know I ought to choose, but they've both been good to me.”

  As she went on to detail the pros and cons of her beaux, Tony had to leave his office for a moment so he wouldn't burst out laughing. She was taking this issue very seriously, not just giving in to emotion. Who would have ever guessed Blossom would be the center of a love triangle or a gossip firestorm like this one?

  Ruth Ann stared at him and slipped the brush back into the bottle of fingernail polish. “Is there a problem?” Her dark eyes sparkled brighter than the glitter in her tangerine polish.

  Tony thought for a millisecond. “What she really needs is a woman's advice. I'll send Blossom out to talk to you.” He turned and vanished into his office before Ruth Ann could voice a protest.

  Convincing Blossom to talk to Ruth Ann was harder. Finally though, she grudgingly waddled out to share her problem with Ruth Ann, sniffling the whole way, and Tony slipped past her and out of the building. He'd be lucky if Ruth Ann didn't add a little something extra to the pie on his desk. Something like drain cleaner.

  On her way home for the day, Theo descended upon Nina. Her best friend was such a sweetheart. She hated mystery quilts. She didn't like not knowing what the finished project should look like, mostly, Theo believed, because Nina loved to make changes to patterns. When she tested for Theo, it was critical for her to hold firm to the instructions. She was perfect. Even though Nina had plenty to occupy herself, what with teaching high school French and raising her own children, she accepted the task.

  Visiting Nina was also an excuse to take a beautiful drive. Nina's home was built on the farthest lot in the subdivision created by her father on the family farm. Poor for farming but rich in beauty. It had the best view in the county. The road formed an oval, and the homes were on the outside of it. The center was an undeveloped park, filled with animals and ancient trees. The view across the valley was of the taller mountains of the Smokies. Like most of the new homes, Nina's was built to take advantage of the view. Her nearest neighbor was five hundred yards away and hidden by the trees. Expensive lots. Nina's dad was no dummy.

  As Theo carried the twins and her bag containing the pattern and a variety of fabrics into Nina's house, she couldn't help but notice a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates, still wrapped in cellophane, sitting on the entry table. Valentine's day was long past. The box was covered with dust. “If you're not going to eat the chocolates or throw them away, you ought to at least dust them.”

  Nina only laughed.

  “Seriously.” Theo knew they were a gift from Nina's ex-husband. “What's going on? Does he want you back? Do you want him back?”

  “The kids want him back.” Nina led the way into her spacious great room. The panorama of the Smoky Mountains made a majestic backdrop to her comfortable furniture. “I am willing to let them spend more time with him but dread the moment when he disappoints them again. I know him too well to believe otherwise.” Her expression was pensive. “I hate to see them get hurt again.”

  Theo, being Nina's friend, understood. She had never been one of her ex's fans. “But why keep the chocolate out there?”

  “As long as I don't open it, the kids can see I'm giving it proper consideration, and the answer is still no.” Nina did smile then. “I imagine the dust will be a foot deep when they figure it out.” She took Lizzie from Theo and gave the baby a big kiss on her neck.

  “I've brought you something else to play with besides the girls.” Theo handed Nina a few sheets of paper and a paper bag containing a variety of fabrics. “Have fun.”

  “Anything special you want me to watch for?” Nina stared at the first page. When Theo didn't say anything, she glared. “You know I hate to do mystery quilts.”

  “Yes, and thank you anyway. It makes you the perfect pattern tester.” Theo made herself comfortable on an old rocking chair. “Speaking of knowing things, have you heard about Ruby being pregnant?”

  “Yes, it's so exciting! She'll be the most gorgeous pregnant woman ever. Her ankles probably won't even swell.” Nina peeked into the bag. “I don't suppose you packed baby fabrics for me to play with?”

  Theo had, the moment she'd heard Ruby's news.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Remembering his promise to Theo, Tony thought he'd put his escape from the office to good use and deal with the noise of Quentin's cannon. The last time Tony had an employment update on Quentin, he was still working for Gus. Tony's oldest brother had been working on the folk museum project for their mother and aunt for over half a year. Tony decided to drive out and talk to Quentin and see what was happening on the site of a former dreadful—what was it called? Not a motel. It finally came to him: an old fashioned tourist court. That was the name for it. Until Gus tore the remains of it down, a series of individual cabins dotted the acreage. Rotting and falling down, nothing could look worse than they had. Gus's crew, including Quentin, had leveled them and cleared out not only the buildings but truckloads of kudzu and dead trees.

&
nbsp; Of the original buildings, only the cinder block one used as the former office remained. It had been gutted inside and painted and now served as the private museum office. On the rest of the grounds, Gus's crew had moved and rebuilt, on site, an antique barn, built a new museum building with climate control to protect the more delicate items on display, like the antique quilts and clothes, and separated the parking area from the recently planted grass with new split-rail fences. A few sheep and a goat inhabited a large undeveloped pasture filled with wild grasses, shrubs and weeds. Besides adding a bucolic touch, the animals helped keep the rampaging vegetation in check.

  The old barn and the new museum building looked splendid in the morning sun. A cabin recently moved onto the property now filled a space near the far end of the barn. Across the parking area from the complex of buildings, he spotted his brother and two helpers busy setting up a stage facing a neatly mown field. Tony climbed from the Blazer and headed in that direction.

  “Hail, Caesar!” Although Tony was the youngest of the Abernathy siblings, he thought he most resembled Gus, named Caesar Augustus Abernathy at birth. Like Tony, he was tall, muscular, and short on hair.

  “Oh, yoo-hoo, Marc Antony,” Gus called as he ambled toward Tony, tossing a small sledge hammer from hand to hand. “I baked you some cookies.” He batted his eyelashes.

  Tony thought Gus's imitation of Blossom was spot on. “It's better to have a fan than be a slave. What's our mom got you doing now?”

  Gus waved toward the construction area. “After we get the stage set up, we're supposed to start work on the outdoor dining area for this weekend's fun.” His forehead developed deep grooves and his voice dropped. “Mom and Aunt Martha seem to expect hordes of hungry diners. Do you think many people will come out here to eat ramps? Have you ever smelled one?”

  Tony shook his head. He'd heard of the pungent vegetable but had never, at least not knowingly, eaten one.

  Gus stared into the distance. “Think onions with garlic sauce.”

  Tony's stomach flinched. “I think there will be a crowd, but I don't know how many folks will plan to be eating much. There's already been some whining by the cheapskates in town about having to pay admission to hear the music and see the crafts show. The ramp dishes are free, but the rest of the food won't be.”

  “A full day's entertainment costing less than a movie ticket?” Gus looked stunned. “Do they think it should all be free?”

  Nodding, Tony looked past his brother at the parking spaces. “If there's a crowd, where are they supposed to park? There's not more than thirty spaces here.”

  “Mom's worked out a deal with Sam Brown, the owner of the property across the road. He's letting her use a cow pasture as an overflow parking lot.” Gus frowned. “She won't say what he asked for in exchange, but you can bet there's something on his mind.”

  Tony studied the house on the small dairy farm. Not new, not ancient. The house was in reasonable repair, the yard non-descript, the nearer pasture held a herd of milk cows and the farther one showed signs of having been mowed recently. Tony actually felt relieved he knew so little about Mr. Brown. Either Brown stayed on the right side of the law or was extremely clever. His first son had died in an accident at the age of thirteen. Tony and Brown's remaining son had been friends in school, mostly because they played the same sports. The son had been a decent guard in basketball, not exceptionally bright or dull, and Tony guessed he'd moved away after school to get out of milking. “It's been six months since Brown's wife passed away. Maybe he's looking for a replacement.”

  “Do you think our mom would put up with mud and manure being tracked into her house?” Gus squinted toward the farm house. “I think Brown's nice enough, but I can still remember the time I saw him walk into the house wearing his barn boots. I was selling Christmas wreaths with the scouts, and he went in to get the money.”

  Tony whistled. “Mom would have gone ballistic, for sure, but maybe there was a mud room for that kind of thing. I never saw mud on the floor when I visited his son.” Thinking of complaints reminded him why he'd made the trip out here. “I need to talk to Quentin for a minute.”

  “Let me guess,” Gus said. “The potato cannon?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Tony grinned. “I'm sure you've heard it. Everyone's heard it and called to complain. Have you seen it?”

  “Yes. Quentin and Roscoe invited me to drive up the mountain after work the other day. The cannon was quite impressive, but when it comes to the vegetable weapons I prefer Roscoe's trebuchet.” Gus shifted his ball cap and lowered his voice. “I think it actually belongs to Roscoe's lady friend.”

  “A trebuchet? I heard the rumors.” Pausing in mid-step, Tony glanced over his shoulder. “And there's a real live lady friend? A woman? Not a bear or a vending machine?”

  “You haven't met her?” Gus grinned like he'd won the lottery. “Wow! What are the odds of my meeting her before you?”

  Too insanely curious to waste time in a verbal sparring session, Tony raised his hands in mock surrender. “Tell me.”

  “She's a professor at the university. Something to do with European history, and she is wildly enthusiastic about medieval weaponry and armor and our Roscoe.” Gus leaned close. “Do you suppose he's told her about holding the county record for spending the most years in our middle school?”

  The concept of their educational differences rendered Tony speechless. He couldn't wait to meet the woman. Even more thrilling was being able to scoop Theo with yet another bit of information she hadn't gleaned down at gossip central. When he could talk again, he said, “Mom tells me Berry and Callie are both coming.” It was the closest thing he had to a news bulletin.

  “Tiberius is leaving his patients unattended?” Gus glanced at the sky as if expecting it to fall. “Who is saving the world from cavities and overbites?”

  Tony considered Gus's surprise understandable. Their brother the dentist often used his work as an excuse to let his brothers deal with their mother. Their sister, Calpurnia, on the other hand, was frequently victimized. Callie didn't have enough sense or, more likely, wasn't mean enough to refuse to participate in one of Jane's plans. One woman's dream trip was the other's nightmare. Tony thought he, Gus, and Berry should scrape together enough money to send Callie to a spa, far from any body of water, all expenses paid. After the nightmare cruise several months earlier during which she'd suffered seven days of being seasick, Callie deserved a treat. The only thing they lacked was the money to do it.

  Stepping away from Gus, Tony walked over to Quentin. Tall, twitchy, and skeletally thin, Quentin listened to Tony's concerns about the early morning cannon practice, his head bobbing in agreement.

  Tony said, “I haven't seen it, but look forward to it and I am impressed by the sound it makes. Unfortunately, the loud booms have been disturbing a fair number of people.”

  “I didn't know it were a bother as I live so far out.” Quentin was contrite. “I'll not shoot it before I come down to work.”

  “Thank you, Quentin. Even though you live far from town, I'm sure the mountains make the sound travel oddly, creating the problem. It might be a good idea not to shoot it after eight at night either.” Tony had no authority to request it, but hoped Quentin would agree.

  Quentin nodded vigorously and turned, motioning for Roscoe to join them. Roscoe's homely face paled and he dragged his feet as he came toward Quentin, his friend and the owner of the land where he lived in a battered camper trailer. When Roscoe got near, Tony heard Quentin say, “Don't worry. It ain't about Baby.”

  “Sheriff?” Roscoe's voice was a mere whisper. “Do you know where Baby is?”

  “No.” Tony hadn't heard anything about the bear in months. “Is she still hibernating?”

  “She's gone away from her sleep spot.” Roscoe's eyes began to water and he wiped his dripping nose with the back of hand. “I ain't seen her since last week. She's never been gone like this. Maybe a day, but not more. I filled her bowl with fresh water and put an ap
ple next to it. Baby ain't touched it, ‘n’ she loves apples.” He cleaned his hand on the seat of his jeans. “I thought maybe you heard somethin'.”

  Tony had no information. “Since you can't legally keep the bear and she's not your property, I'm not sure I can send out a search party for her.” Tony couldn't help but sympathize with the man. After game warden Harrison Ragsdale had expressed plans to euthanize the cub, Roscoe had saved it from certain death and raised it mostly in the wild. Having weighed the issues, including the fact keeping the bear was illegal, Tony decided to turn a blind eye. Baby lived outside and came and went at will. She was not caged or tethered. Tony understood Roscoe's concern about the young bear. There were more dangerous things in the woods than bears and wild hogs. People.

  Theo glanced up to see two of her favorite younger quilters, Melissa and Susan, coming through the front door. They were both married to executives at the fertilizer plant and had taken her beginning quilting class soon after moving to town. They were now true quilting and fabric addicts. Good people and good for her business.

  Melissa, a pleasant looking brunette and the older of the two friends, had a couple of boys in middle school. They kept her busy with sports events, class projects and, she claimed, industrial level grocery shopping and cooking. She often laughed about how much food boys that age could eat and encouraged Theo to start making regular deposits into a special account, saving for the day Chris and Jamie turned into eating machines. Theo always joined in the merriment, even though she knew it was not a joke.

  The other one, Susan, was not quite thirty. Exceptionally tall for a woman, she stood over six feet. The California native had gone to college in Virginia on a basketball scholarship and never returned to her home state except for occasional visits. Her features were slightly sharp and marred somewhat by the unevenness of her nose, which had obviously been broken in several places. Her hair was a drab light brown and usually held back from her face with a big clip. Susan was a lot of fun and had a wicked sense of humor, which probably kept her sane because she had three children. The youngest, a little girl, was just over a year old and a very determined child. She wanted to walk wherever her brothers did. The younger of the brothers was four and a half. It was the oldest child who had the most interesting history.