Treachery on Tap Read online

  “Good point, Bones. Glad you’re paying attention. Living single has freed your brain to focus on other things.”

  Dad had come back with Dixie and was sitting next to Bones. He smacked the teenager on the back of the head. Either Dad was jealous of Bones love life, or he was trying to knock some sense into the young man. Bones rubbed the back of his head as he gently poked Dad in the arm to respond. It warmed my heart to see Bones knew that my father had taken him under his wing, almost like a son.

  Bones repeated. “So how do you know it wasn’t an accident?”

  I answered. “The receipt. It backs up Denise’s story. And the state labs found seltzer residue in the vial. Again, consistent with Denise’s story”

  Digger threw his hands in the air. “So! You still need this solved quick. How do you do that?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “We need that one piece of indisputable evidence. Simple as that. But I don’t know if it even exists. And if it does, how do we find it?”

  Piper leaned back in her chair. “Some questions are so easy to ask, but impossible to answer.”

  Ida was drinking something with an umbrella in it. I didn’t even know we had any of those frilly things left to garnish our drinks with. She said, “The best thing to prove something today is with video. Cameras are everywhere today and more and more people get caught doing illegal stuff on camera.”

  Dog replied, “Too bad we don’t have cameras all over the pub like they do in London. We might have recorded the ole switcheroo with the powder and who did it.”

  Ida popped up and leaned on the table. “Dog, I can’t believe I am going to say this, but you’re a genius. Why didn’t I think of this before. We have one camera recording events in here. The pickled egg jar camera. I haven’t looked at it for a couple days.”

  I gasped, “Can we be that lucky?”

  Edith prompted, “Well, what are we waiting for.”

  The gang abandoned the TV shoot in the dining room and headed to the office to view the pickled egg jar video with Ida. After cramming the entire gang into my office, Ida set up her laptop with the largest screen so we could all see it. Then she played the webcam video from the night of Zach’s death.

  Lily asked, “Why are things fluttering?”

  Ida answered, “I have it on fast forward so we can watch the whole day’s video more quickly. Sometimes it just flickers when played with fast forward.”

  After about five minutes, the jar seemed to move. Just a little. Ida pounced on the keyboard. “That was more than just flickering of the video.” She stopped the video and backed it up. Then she replayed it slower and we all saw the jar moved slightly to one side and spun just a little.

  I asked, “What could make a large jar move like that?”

  Dog answered, “A blue blob chicken ghost!”

  No one else spoke. Ida replayed it and there was no doubt. The jar moved on its own. We scanned the rest of that day’s video, but found nothing else.

  Ida finally spoke. “I’ll scan the rest of the other day videos. But it appears the webcam didn’t catch anyone messing with the vial. Not surprising, the camera was pointed at the bar, not the table where Denise was working.”

  I muttered, “So that was a bust. I knew we weren't that lucky.”

  Guardrail put his arm around me. “It was a long shot. We’ll find another way to figure this out. We’re the Grumpy Gumshoes!”

  Piper crumbled a piece of paper and threw it at the big guy. “That’s not helping! No one likes that name.”

  I said, “He’s right. We checked the jar video and it was a long shot. But nothing is there so now it’s time to move on. What do we do next?”

  Ida jumped in. “Well, we have one suspect left – Cecil. I think we need to find everything there is to know about him. If he did it, there must be some clues we can find.”

  I added, “We haven’t really looked hard at Scooter yet. Maybe it’s time.”

  Ida replied, “He has arms bigger than Guardrail. That’s not a man to get upset. You better be careful if you plan on talking to him. I’m not sure he did it either. He’s a real nice guy and I have found nothing after his divorce was finalized that makes him a suspect.”

  I thought for a few seconds. “I think we need to do our due diligence and check him out to make sure we can focus on Cecil. And I’m not sure I’m the right person to talk to him. If Guardrail were to talk to him and see what he could learn, we would have a chance to sneak into his room over at The Fluffy Pillow. Maybe we can find some of the slush powder left in his room, or something like that.”

  Guardrail pouted. “I never interrogated someone. How do you expect me to do it?”

  Ida objected, “Is this really necessary?”

  I shrugged, “Yeah. Scooter has a potential motive and we haven’t ruled him out. So, Guardrail, just talk to him. Ask him some questions about the incident. See if he knows anything about slush powder and the vial. He might tell you something that shows he knew Denise had the vial or that a prank was set up.”

  Guardrail shook his head. “I don’t know. This sounds wrong. Can I take Dog?”

  I nodded. “If you think it will help.”

  Dog waved his hand in the air. “No way. Don’t drag me into this.”

  Ida jumped in. “So if the boys talk to Scooter, who is going to sneak into his room? This is crazy and not needed.”

  I looked at Ida a little confused. Then I turned to Piper. “It should be just the two of us.”

  Piper laughed out loud. “Oh no! I went on a stake out with you once and it did not go well. No way.”

  I replied. “It worked alright in the end. And this will too. I need my kitchen open and those protesters gone.”

  Piper stopped laughing. “If we get caught, I’m telling the police it was all your idea.”

  I held my hand out to shake. “Deal. So when do we do this?”

  Edith piped up. “I know Scooter goes to the waffle place in the morning. After they finish shooting.”

  Lily added, “Seems he likes that new waitress more than the food. All the boys seem to like her.”

  Ida interrupted, “Scooter told me he likes the waffles.”

  Edith continued, “Whatever the reason, you can find him there in the morning.”

  I sighed. “So. Tomorrow morning. Guardrail, you need to keep him there for at least a half hour to give us time.”

  Guardrail shook his head. “I don’t like this. It’s not what I’m good at.”

  Ida wrinkled her nose. “I can’t believe you’re going to do this. It's too dangerous for someone I think is innocent!”

  Piper ignored Ida and went into journalist mode. “So seven a.m.”

  I repeated, “Seven a.m.” Guardrail reluctantly nodded in agreement.

  I WOKE AT SIX IN THE morning to get ready. I called Dottie to confirm the arrangements. She liked having The Fluffy Pillow full and was not keen on getting rid of The Ghost Hound show. However, she knew we had to find the murderer. Eventually she agreed to leave Scooter’s door unlocked after an early cleaning and gave me his room number. After that, she asked to be kept ignorant to anything involving our stake out and investigation.

  So it was on and I met Piper in front of The Fluffy Pillow at seven. My heart was pounding and I struggled to think straight. I knew Piper was nervous too because she kept touching her long brown hair, which she had braided into a pony tail that flowed over one shoulder.

  We made our way into the B&B and found Dottie at the counter. She halfheartedly waved at us and pointed to show the way to Scooter’s room.

  We found the door easily, and as expected, it was unlocked and we went in. Once inside, Piper said, “Well that was better than our last attempt at illegal entry. At least we got in the door this time.”

  “Don’t be so negative, Piper. And get looking for something we can use. We don’t have much time.”

  We checked the dresser, bathroom, nightstands, all the obvious places. The room was not that large and
after a few minutes, Piper gasped and held up a lacy black bra. “The big muscles always lure the girls in. Seems Scooter has been enjoying his stay in Potter’s Mill.”

  I didn’t know what to say. “You jealous?”

  “Don’t be silly. He’s not my type.” She threw the undergarment back on the floor.

  “I’m not sure why we’re acting like we're back in high school. Maybe it’s the nerves from breaking into someone’s room. But he’s exactly your type.”

  Piper scowled at me. “Miss know it all. He’s too old for me. So what is my type...” Suddenly the window shattered with glass flying everywhere and a rock tumbled to a stop on the floor.

  I sprinted to the broken window to see Dog Breath outside waving furiously, combined with sporadic pointing towards the front door of the B&B. I turned to Piper. “We need to get out of here. Now! Someone is coming.”

  “Crimony on a biscuit! Just once, can’t we stay quiet!” Piper ran to the door as she spoke. I followed and we made a hasty exit, using the back door of The Fluffy Pillow to leave.

  Chapter Eleven

  Piper and I ran back to the pub and for once found my office was empty. I sat at my desk to catch my breath and scanned the two laptop screens in front of me. I felt so stupid for not knowing what I was looking at.

  Piper’s breathing returned to normal. “So that was a bust!”

  “I didn’t find anything. You?”

  Piper chuckled. “Yeah. You saw what I found. And I learned someone is buying better underwear than me.”

  I scowled at Piper. “That’s not helpful. We risked a lot and learned nothing.”

  The door to my office opened and Guardrail and Dog Breath entered. I asked, “How did you get into the pub?”

  “You’re not supposed to know, but Dixie gave me a key a while ago. Don’t ask why, but we were looking out for you. Trust me.”

  “I’m going to need to talk to you more about why you have a key to my business and home later. But for now, can you please tell me why Dog had to bust a window at The Fluffy Pillow?”

  Guardrail sighed, then stood straight. “It didn’t go well with Scooter. He seems to like his privacy at the end of his work day. He decided to leave almost immediately after I started talking to him.”

  “So Dog just decided to throw a rock through the window of the room we were in?”

  “Well, yeah. When I saw Scooter was leaving, I spilled my coffee on him and Dog took off to warn you. Of course he was supposed to use a pebble to catch your attention, not a boulder to break the window.”

  Piper broke into laughter. “Let me get this straight. You didn’t talk but spilled hot coffee on him to slow him down? And then Dog ran out so he could head over to warn us?”

  “Yeah. It worked. It took two or three minutes to get him cleaned up. The new waitress helped. Seems she liked helping him and he likes talking to her more than me.”

  I asked, “So Dog, how did you know what room we were in?”

  “I could see the lights were on in only a couple of rooms, so I threw rocks at both of them. But the window in your room broke.”

  Piper laughed again. “Dog, why didn’t you just come inside and ask Dot to help you?”

  Dog shrugged, “I admit, yours was a better plan, but I didn’t think of it.”

  Piper continued. “Well, I know one thing for sure. We stink at stake outs.”

  Guardrail hung his head. “I know. But I told you I didn’t think I could handle an interrogation. Did you find anything?”

  I said, “No, we didn’t have much time. But everything in his room did seem normal.”

  Piper chuckled. “Normal is a relative term. So what do we do now?”

  I looked again at the computer screens. “I want to talk to Ida. Cecil is the only one to accuse the chicken for Zach’s death. I am thinking he is responsible for the protesters. And everything about him is odd. I think we should have looked in his room instead.”

  Piper scoffed. “We should have thought of that last night.”

  I nodded. “I know. But we didn’t.”

  Piper’s phone rang and she answered. “Ida! You’re ready? I’ll meet you out front of the Chicken, let you in.” Piper left to retrieve her.

  They returned a few minutes later, and on entering the office, Ida glared at me sitting behind the desk. “I thought the hack shack was still in business.”

  I said, “It is, but this is still my office.”

  Ida pinched her lips. “Fair enough. But I need to ask you to move if you want me to work.”

  I answered, “Fair enough, me lady!”

  Ida chuckled. “Ouch, you didn’t like that one yesterday?”

  I replied, “No, I did not.”

  The rest of the group looked at the two of us confused. So I offered, “Long story, but let’s just say I know I can be domineering. But I don’t like being called bossy. So I’m working on it.”

  Dog shrugged. “You are the boss. So it goes with the territory.”

  Guardrail jumped in. “No one is the boss! We’re all equal. But you know, Ginger, you can be a little alpha female.”

  I turned to Guardrail. “You’re right. We’re all equals. Can we drop this and get back to what to do next?”

  Dog Breath piped up. “Get breakfast. I’m hungry.”

  We all looked at him and Piper spoke. “You know what, I’m hungry too. Guess breaking windows and illegal entry makes a person hungry.”

  Dog mumbled, “I didn’t mean to break it.”

  Guardrail said, “Won't it look odd if I go back to the waffle place so soon?”

  I replied, “Guardrail, what has been normal since that TV crew showed up in town? I think it will be fine.” And with that, we left to get a hot breakfast at Johnnie Gilbert’s waffle place.

  I realized the warm breakfast was the first time in days I sat and ate a proper meal. And the company of Dog Breath, Guardrail, Piper, and Ida made me feel better. I had serious money problems with losing a couple of days worth of sales, but they made me laugh and feel more optimistic.

  We were done and enjoying one last cup of coffee when Piper asked, “So, you going to pay Dot for the broken window?”

  I replied, “Sure, when I have some cash coming in again. It’s the least I can do. Wait a minute, Dog broke the window. Dog you should pay.”

  Dog shook his head no. “Why? I did my job and warned you.”

  Piper added, “Because you broke it and you didn’t have to.”

  I intervened, “I’ll talk to Dottie, let her know we’ll pay for it. I think we should all chip in.” The group nodded in agreement.

  That is when we heard it. The police siren was wailing at full volume and it appeared to head away from the Main Street strip.

  I noted, “For a small town, there is a lot happening this week.”

  Ida added, “That’s for sure...can’t remember ever seeing this much happening in Potter’s Mill. And I told you Scooter is not our man and that you would find nothing. So, I need to go back and check more on Cecil. See if we can confirm he arranged the protests.”

  I added, “I need to go, too. Talk with Dottie.”

  Piper asked, “So should we all plan on meeting at the Chicken later today?”

  I replied, “Yeah, lets say four o’clock. Gives us enough time to take care of personal business but it’s early enough to avoid the happy hour crowd in the pub.” I snickered. “Well it used to be a crowd.”

  I left the waffle place and headed over to The Fluffy Pillow. I talked with Dottie about the broken window and she was upset. But she eventually understood and thanked us for offering to pay for it. When I was almost done, Kenny the boom operator came over and said, “Scooter is a good guy. What were you doing in his room?” I stared at him in disbelief and he could see it. So he continued, “I like the laid back breakfast here and was reading my book in peace and quiet over there.” He pointed to an arm chair nearby. “It was hard not to hear.”

  I must have blushed. “I’m sorr
y. I need my business back and the only way to make that happen is to find out what happened to Zach.”

  “Well, I’m sure this is hard on you. But sneaking into someone’s room is illegal. You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. We won't do it again.”

  He grinned. “I’m not sure you need to apologize to me. And Scooter was the wrong guy. Cecil is the one acting odd. But you didn’t hear it from me.”

  I looked at him a moment and tilted my head to one side. “Thanks. I think I understand.”

  He chuckled. “Good. Then you know we didn’t talk this morning, right?”

  “I talked to Dottie. No one else.” I winked to confirm I knew he was trying to help.

  Kenny left and Dottie whispered, “What am I supposed to do now?”

  I replied, “Simple. Fix your window. The one a protester broke in anger. And you never saw or talked to Kenny this morning.”

  She giggled a little. “I get it! It’s always so quiet and boring in here. I thought it was exhilarating when The Ghost Hounds booked here. But things just keep getting more interesting.”

  “Well, please use your discretion for now. We still have no idea who we can trust. I need your help to get this solved and my business back. Tell no one.”

  “I understand. You can count on me.” Dottie was talking faster than usual, in a whisper. “And you didn’t hear this from me.” She winked, imitating how I had with Kenny. “Cecil just left a while ago, acting odd. Then I heard the police siren. It may be connected.”

  I chuckled at this version of Dottie. “Thanks. I appreciate it. See ya soon. Come over to the Chicken and have drink with us if you can get away for few minutes.”

  Dottie winked again. “I might just do that. See ya later.”

  Chapter Twelve

  It had been three days since Zach’s death and time seemed to be uncontrollably slipping away. Now three thirty in the afternoon, I expected some of my friends to start showing up to regroup at four o’clock as we agreed earlier in the day. I was partially right, Aunt Mae came through the front door unexpectedly.