“You can’t really believe Ethan would kill anyone,” I said. “I know for a fact that he’s risked his life several times to save others. He’s not a murderer.”
“Saving lives in the context of doing his job isn’t any indicator of the capacity to kill in other circumstances.” Brad pulled his hands out of his pockets and wagged a finger at me. “After the many times you’ve helped me with research and informal interviews, you of all people should know that even the least likely person can commit a murder.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Point taken, but still … why is Ethan a top suspect when other people had a grudge against Wendy Blackstone as well?”
“Did I say he was a top suspect?” Mirroring my action, Brad crossed his own arms. “He is being questioned, but so are Jaden Perez and all of the protesters, as well as Ms. Blackstone’s family and business associates.”
A clang of metal against wood rang out over the nearby field. “I guess they found a tree.”
“Seems like it.” Brad dropped his arms, shaking the tension from his hands. “But seriously, Amy, I’m not targeting your brother-in-law in particular. It’s just that he was seen arguing with the victim on the day she was killed and had some semblance of motive.” When I raised my eyebrows, Brad added, “All right, to be perfectly honest, we’ve discovered he’s sent some rather angry emails to Blackstone Properties related to their proposed development’s encroachment on his property. Not to mention the fact that it seems he was one of the last people to leave the Winterfest grounds before Ms. Blackstone was killed.”
I hadn’t known that. “According to whom?”
“Jaden Perez, for one. As well as his partner, Megan Campbell. They apparently hung around until all the visitors and vendors left, gathering up any of their flyers that had been tossed. They say that Ethan was still around while they were clearing up that litter.”
My grip tightened on my upper arms. “Of course, they could simply be saying that to cover their own suspicious actions.”
“I did think of that,” Brad said, his tone sharp as the sound of the axe. “But Ethan confirmed their stories. He said he waited until all the vendors left to double-check that all the propane stoves and grills and so on were completely cool.”
“Which is part of his job.” The ringing blows of the axe faded away. I knew I should wrap up this discussion. Richard, Sunny, and the children would be back soon.
“Yes, but it means he was on the site later than most. Perez and Campbell and a couple of their followers claim he was still there when they left.”
I dropped my arms, shaking them out to relieve the tension. “Which I hope you took with a grain of salt.”
“Of course. Despite what you may think, I’m not an idiot.” Color had risen in Brad’s face again. “Jaden Perez has to be one of our top suspects, if only because I’ve discovered that he’s been involved in a similar altercation before. Apparently, he got in a shoving match with someone during another protest. His opponent injured his knee when he was knocked to the ground by Perez. The only reason it didn’t result in an arrest is that the injured man didn’t press charges, and numerous bystanders claimed both men were equally culpable in the fight. But of course, that means Perez has past history that will compel my team to look at him very closely. Not to mention we plan to interview everyone who could possibly have been involved—even people who weren’t seen in the area that day. It’s certainly possible that someone could’ve entered the picnic area from another direction.”
“Because it’s backed by a pretty significant stand of trees,” I said, more to myself than to Brad.
He nodded. “I’ve had deputies searching the woods for any clues.” Brad’s taut face relaxed into a more genial expression. “You have to realize that I’m only telling you all of this because you’ve helped out the sheriff’s office in the past, Amy. Normally, I wouldn’t share this much information with a civilian.”
Footsteps and the high-pitched voices of excited children filled the air. I glanced over to see Sunny leading the twins, following by Richard dragging a newly cut pine by its trunk. “Thanks, I guess,” I muttered, not quite ready to let go of my grievance.
Brad’s lips twitched. “It’s only natural to be protective of family, but just let us do our job, okay? I promise not to jump to conclusions.”
“All right, it’s a deal,” I said, extending my hand.
Brad’s calloused fingers snagged the thick wool of my gloves as he gave my fingers a reassuring squeeze.
“Making a pact to remain friends?” Sunny asked as she approached us.
The twins dashed in front of her. “You missed it, Mommy!” Ella said, flinging her body at my legs. “Daddy did great with the chopping.”
Nicky hung back, waving his hand toward the tree, which, while not overly tall, was certainly full and lush. “We got the best one! Even Sunny said so.”
“It does look nice,” I said, my arm draped around Ella’s shoulders to keep her in step with me as I moved away from Brad.
“Well, now that you got the best tree, what’s left for me?” Brad asked, his tone light.
“Don’t worry, there are plenty more.” Richard paused, dropping the tree for a moment to wipe his brow with his gloved hand, freeing the strands of dark hair plastered to his forehead. “You actually might want to choose one with a slightly smaller trunk—unless you enjoy swinging an axe, that is.”
Brad offered Richard an understanding smile. “I don’t mind it. Although, unlike you, I won’t have any help.”
“Help? Oh, right.” Richard shot me a raised-eyebrow glance over the heads of the twins.
“We saw a spooky building too, didn’t we, Daddy?” Ella looked up at him with a wide-eyed gaze.
“It was some sort of old barn,” Richard said.
“Part of the old Wire family farm,” Sunny said, after I cast her a questioning look. “You remember, Amy—old Mrs. Wire didn’t have any family when she passed, so she deeded the farm over to the Nature Conservancy. They haven’t had time to do anything with the land yet, but at least it’s protected. Anyway, the original barn is right on the edge of our property, so you can see it now that the trees are bare. But no checking it out when you’re running around Vista View.” Sunny gave first Ella and then Nicky a stern look. “That’s a place you want to stay away from. It hasn’t been used in years, and who knows what wild creatures are living inside, not to mention how unstable the ceiling and floors might be.”
“We just thought it looked cool,” Nicky said. “We won’t ever go inside, I promise.”
“Good. Because I kind of like you guys.” Sunny grinned at the twins, who smiled back. “Now, here you go, Brad. Have at it. Anything in the lot just over the hill is fair game,” she added, as Brad took the axe from her hand. “Meanwhile, why don’t the rest of us head to the house for some of that hot chocolate and cookies?”
The twins didn’t have to be asked twice. They took off at a run, turning their dash to the house into a race. “I won!” Ella shouted as they reached the porch.
“No, you didn’t. I got here at the same time,” Nicky said, elbowing his sister.
Carol, who must’ve heard the ruckus, opened the front door. “Come on in,” she said, ushering my children inside. “P.J. and Lydia and Hugh are already in the kitchen. We can watch them while you get the tree secured,” she called out to the rest of us. “And Brad, Lydia’s tree is out back, marked with a red ribbon.”
Brad lifted the axe in a little salute. “I’ll take care of that first,” he said, before heading toward the path that led around the house.
“So let’s get this done,” Sunny said as Richard dragged the tree close to our car. “I could use some of that hot chocolate myself. Honestly, I’m getting awfully tired of working the farm during this cold snap.”
“I bet,” I said, joining them at the car. “It has been a record-breaking span of days. I can’t remember the last time it was so cold in December.”
“Years ago, according to the weather reports.” Sunny stared at the tree. “You brought rope or bungee cords or something, I hope?”
“In the trunk.” Richard fished his keys out of the pocket of his jeans and hit the button that opened the lock. “If you can grab those straps, Amy, I think Sunny and I can lift the tree up onto the roof rack.”
“I can help with that too,” I said, jogging over to the trunk.
Richard hoisted the trunk end of the tree while Sunny lifted the crown. “You’re a little too short, sweetheart,” he said.
I opened my mouth but snapped it shut again when I realized he was right. Grabbing the bungee cords, I draped several over Richard’s bent arm.
“Thanks,” he said, “but it might be better if you took them to Sunny. Tell her to attach the ends on her side and then fling the cords over the tree. I’ll pull them tight on this side.”
I took back the ties and carried them around the car. “Richard says—”
Sunny took the cords from my hands. “I heard. Maybe step back, Amy. I don’t want one of these things to pop loose and fly off. It could hit you.”
“What about you and Richard?” I asked, moving out of the way.
Sunny cast me a grin. “We have good reflexes.”
“Oh, and I don’t?” I made a face at her but didn’t step any closer. Her statement might sting my pride, but it wasn’t wrong.
The clang of the axe rang out from around the back of the farmhouse, accompanying a few grunts and several strings of swear words as Richard and Sunny wrestled the tree into submission.
When it was finally firmly anchored, Brad appeared, dragging a tall pine tree.
“I suppose we should help him secure that to Lydia’s car,” Richard said, brushing the needles from his coat.
Sunny tossed her braids over her shoulder. “I’ll do that. You go on inside. No, don’t protest,” she added, as Richard made a disapproving noise. “You don’t want to get too worn out before your rehearsal this evening.”
“Well, if you put it that way.” Richard shot her a grateful smile. “I saw that Lydia has some rope. It’s in the back seat. Her car’s unlocked, of course.”
I grinned. We had a running argument with my aunt about her tendency to leave her vehicle unlocked, even in locations more risky than the parking lot at Vista View.
“We’ll take care of it,” Brad said, pulling the tree next to Aunt Lydia’s car. “Like Sunny said, you don’t want to overdo it when you have to direct as well as dance tonight, Richard.”
“Well, since I’m playing Drosselmeyer, the dancing isn’t too overwhelming. But corralling all the other dancers, especially the children …” Richard grinned. “That’s another story.”
“I bet,” Brad said. His six-year-old son, Noah, was participating in the production, so I was sure he’d heard plenty about it.
“Fortunately, I have my stalwart partner by my side, or it truly would be chaos.”
“Is Karla performing too?” Sunny asked. “I know you’re mostly trying to use dancers from your college and studio classes, but I thought maybe, like you, she’d be doing some smaller part.”
“Mother Ginger,” Richard said. “It’s a slightly different take on the role. I think you’ll enjoy it. Of course, the entire production is somewhat different, since we’ve choreographed it for contemporary rather than ballet dancers.”
“Can’t wait to see it,” Sunny said, glancing toward Brad. He nodded but didn’t chime in.
Probably isn’t as thrilled, I thought with a smile. But of course, he’d be in the audience, especially with his son onstage for a few scenes.
“All right, let’s head inside. The twins will be hyped up on sugar by now. We might need to rescue the older folks.”
“A solid plan,” Richard said, lifting one foot and then the other to examine the soles of his shoes. “Thought I’d better check for mud before I headed inside, but I guess one advantage to this frigid weather is that even the dirt is frozen.”
We wished Sunny and Brad good luck with Aunt Lydia’s tree and strolled to the porch. “Funny how well they get along after Sunny basically dumped him,” I said.
“You know Sunny. She never holds a grudge and won’t allow anyone else to do so either.” Richard held the front door open for me. “After you, madame.”
“Thank you, kind sir,” I replied, leaning back into him for a moment after the door closed behind us. I glanced down the entry hall of the farmhouse, the lower half of which was paneled in pale-yellow beadboard. The walls above the wainscoting were painted sky blue and included a long row of hooks hung with coats, hats, and other outdoor clothing, while the staircase that hugged one wall had a white balustrade and worn wooden treads.
A shriek pierced the rumble of low voices rolling out from the kitchen. I knew that had to be either Ella or Nicky.
Richard wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck where my scarf had fallen down and exposed my bare skin. “Maybe we should wait a minute or two? Just to give the kids’ sugar high time to start to fade.”
“Ha-ha, like that will happen until we remove them from the vicinity of cookies.” I turned in his arms and looked up into his face. “But if you wanted to kiss me again before we head into the kitchen, I wouldn’t complain.”
“I should hope not,” Richard said, before complying, quite thoroughly, with my request.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Excuse me,” said a voice from the stairs.
Richard and I broke apart. We turned in unison to look up at the young woman standing on a middle step.
I immediately recognized her. Her fluffy mane of rose-gold hair and blue glasses were unmistakable. “Hello, Ms. Campbell,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m staying here for a little while.” Megan descended the stairs slowly, her gloved hand gripping the rail. She was dressed to go outside in a down coat and winter boots. “Didn’t Sunny tell you? She said you’re close friends.”
“No, she hadn’t shared that news yet.” I cast Richard a swift glance. “I’m Amy Muir, as you probably already know. This is my husband, Richard.”
Megan reached the bottom of the stairs. “Nice to meet you,” she said in a tone that made me question the truthfulness of her statement. She pressed her palm against the rounded newel post. “You’re the dancer,” she added, looking Richard over. “I’ve seen you on YouTube and TV. But you seem a little older than I expected.”
Richard slipped his arm around my waist. “You saw earlier productions, I expect. I don’t do a lot of professional performing these days, unless it’s for charity. I’m focused on choreography and teaching now.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Megan pressed her fingers to her lips for a second. “Sometimes I just blurt out what I’m thinking. It’s a bad habit.”
“No harm done. We all get older,” Richard said, his tone bright.
Glancing up at his face, I noticed that his lips were thinned. While Richard wasn’t overly concerned about being over forty, I knew he still mourned the loss of his peak performance ability—not from vanity, but because he enjoyed dancing so much.
“So you’re staying here as a guest?” I asked Megan.
“Yeah. Sunny told the out-of-town protesters that she’d be willing to house a few of us at her family farm. I was the only one to take her up on it.” Megan shoved her glasses up to the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t see the point in paying for a motel room when I had another option.”
“Smart,” Richard said, just as another squeal of laughter rolled out of the kitchen. “But if you’ll excuse us, we need to go and wrangle a couple of overexcited children.” He dropped his arm from my waist and motioned toward the end of the hall.
“Those are your kids?” Megan asked, meeting my gaze. “They’re cute.”
“And now hyped up on sugar,” I said, giving her a smile. “Nice to officially meet you, Megan. I saw you the other day at Winterfest, but of course we weren’t introduced.”
Megan stared down at her feet. “I was working. Environmental Advocates is my job, not just a side gig.”
“Yes, I know. Anyway, good luck with everything,” I said, before following Richard down the hall.
As we entered the warm, sunny room, I was struck by two things—the fact that Aunt Lydia and Hugh were seated at the yellow Formica-topped table next to the twins, and that each of my children was gripping a large sugar cookie.
“And just how many cookies have you eaten?” I asked them, my lips quirking at the sight of the smears of chocolate and marshmallow streaking their upper lips.
“First one,” Ella said, waving the cookie through the air.
“Uh-huh, why don’t I believe that?” Richard asked. He turned his gaze onto Aunt Lydia and Hugh. “How many?”
“Three since I’ve been sitting here,” my aunt said. “I don’t know how many before that.”
“Oh, pishposh, who keeps count? Especially during the holidays.” Carol bustled over from the stove, gripping a steaming mug of cocoa in each hand. “Now sit down and warm yourselves up.” She set the mugs down on the table across from my aunt, Hugh, and the twins. “P.J., pull up some more chairs.”
P.J. muttered something under his breath but dragged a couple of folding metal chairs over to the table. Richard and I thanked him as we sat down.
I shrugged off my coat, hanging it on the back of the chair, and slipped off my gloves before taking a seat. “Now what’s this I hear about Vista View being turned into a B and B for a few weeks?” Wrapping my hands around the mug, I enjoyed the warmth seeping into my fingers. “We met Ms. Campbell out in the hall,” I added when Aunt Lydia raised her eyebrows at me.
“Oh, Sunny’s just trying to do her bit to help keep that horrible company from building a subdivision on the mountain,” Carol said, laying a fresh platter of cookies on the table.
Richard grabbed one. “To be polite,” he murmured.
Inhaling the spicy scent of cinnamon and the tang of lemon rising from the plate, I picked up a cookie as well. “Why a horrible company? I mean, I don’t like what they’re doing either, but I don’t think they’re criminals or anything.”
P.J., who was leaning back against the pantry door, his thumbs hooked around the straps of his loose overalls, snorted. “Blackstone Properties? Well, I’ve heard some tales, let me tell you. Horrible is a perfect word.”
“What do you mean?” Aunt Lydia asked, grabbing the back of Nicky’s pants and pulling him into his seat as he leaned his entire torso across the table, reaching for the cookies.
“Yes, spill the dirt,” I said, pulling the platter closer to my edge of the table. “Quick, before Brad shows up.”
“He’s not coming in.” Sunny appeared in the doorway. Stripping off her coat and gloves, she tossed them on top of a small cabinet. “We got your tree secured on your car rack,” she told Aunt Lydia and Hugh as she crossed to the stove. “And then Brad said he was going to cut his own tree and load it up in his truck and just head home. I think he was worried about taking too much time away from the office.”
“I’ll have to call and thank him later, then.” Aunt Lydia turned to Ella. “If you’re done with that cocoa, please wipe your mouth. You too,” she added, speaking to Nicky.
Sunny poured herself a mug of hot chocolate. “Anyway, Granddad already told me all about Blackstone Properties. That’s one reason I was so eager to help Jaden and Megan and their cause.” She turned, leaning back against the edge of the counter, and surveyed us. “The company seems to have no problem overriding the rights of regular people to build their fancy developments, right, Granddad?”
P.J. nodded. “They pay off planning boards and bribe inspectors is what I’ve heard. I don’t have any details, but it’s common knowledge in the farming community. And if someone doesn’t want to sell their property, they don’t hesitate to play hardball.”
“I can see where that could make them enemies.” I set down my mug and straightened in my chair. “Which means there could be plenty more people out there who’d have wanted Wendy dead.”
“Who’s dead?” Ella, lifted her drooping head to stare at me. “Somebody died, Mommy?”
Richard nudged my foot under the table. “Yes, but no one you know,” I told my daughter, hoping to head off any more questions.
“Did they get shot?” Nicky’s brown eyes widened.
“No, they did not. Now, enough talk about people dying,” Richard said, sending me a warning look. “It’s time we headed home anyway. We need to set up the tree before we go to rehearsal this evening.”
“Are we going to decorate it too?” Ella asked, clapping her crumb-covered hands.
At least the topic of dead people had been abandoned. I shook my head. “Not today. We’ll just get it in the stand and make sure it’s ready to decorate another day.”
Ella’s lower lip rolled into a pout.
“All right,” I said, pushing back my chair and rising to my feet. “Let’s get your coats and gloves and all that. And thank Ms. Fields for the goodies.”
“Thank you!” the twins called out in unison.
“You’re quite welcome,” Carol said. “Maybe some cookies to take home?”
I waved my hands. “No, no. They’re delicious, but we have enough sweets at home.”
This time, both my children pouted. Ignoring this with all the haughtiness she could muster, my aunt joined Hugh in collecting the twins’ coats and hats and helped Richard get them ready for the outdoors, while I crossed to Sunny and thanked her for offering up the tree.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “I mean, why wouldn’t I do that for my godchildren? I know I share the honor of godmother with Karla, but I do take it seriously.”
“You spoil them rotten,” I said as I gave her a quick hug.
“Well, she loves them. No one can doubt that.” Carol tapped her finger on her apron, right above her heart. “Sure you don’t want some of your own, Sunny girl?”
“Nope.” Sunny motioned toward the kids, who were fussing about having to wear scarves and hats. She wrinkled her nose. “These two are perfect. I can spoil them and then give them right back.”