Mary stood in the doorway of the atrium between the library and the civic offices and gasped. The can tree had grown to at least twice the height it had been the last time she saw it but it wasn’t going any higher. It ended at the ceiling with one large can of beans topped with a red velvet bow. There were paper streamers, obviously made by small hands, draped over the tiers of cans, interspersed with lopsided green and red, as well as blue and white, bows. The local grade school children had been busy. Boxes of cans were placed around the perimeter of the tree that could hold nothing more. Mary’s smile beamed satisfaction as she looked at the food they’d collected. It would make the difference between a full belly on Christmas Day and beyond for many families who would otherwise go hungry. Hungry! In this country! In her own county, town! The thought filled her with rage, but the sight of the tree made her smile grow broader. They’d done good work, but it wasn’t finished. The press was scheduled to take pictures of the tree and do a follow-up article on Tuesday, after which it would be dismantled and everything moved to the food bank. Maybe the cases and sacks of cans piled around the tree could be moved now. She needed someone with a pickup. Todd Blankenship had one. Would he help? He never had before. Who else? Bob MacIntosh ran the food bank. He had a van. Maybe he could take some of it, and he must know someone with a truck. The town was full of trucks.
The door to the library opened and Luke walked out. ‘Mrs McGill. I was going to call you. What do you think?’
‘I’m overwhelmed. I hope Toys for Tots is having as much luck. It’s going to be a Merry Christmas for a lot of families.’
Luke grinned, a wide, expansive grin. ‘I know. Half the real estate offices in town have been here, piling up cans. A lot of them got on the phone and called their clients. They collected money too. There’ll be turkeys and a lot of fresh produce this Christmas. Some of the money is going to the Meals on Wheels people to pay the hospital for some special meals for those old folks who can’t get out.’
Mary stood in front of the tree, examining it and the boxes of food in front of it. Luke stood beside her.
‘Are all those cartons all right with you? I don’t want anyone tripping, trying to get into the library.’ There were cartons stacked behind the tree, more behind the library doors and some over by the elevator.
‘Should we get someone to take these over to the food bank right away? It doesn’t look safe.’
‘I thought so too. You want me to ask Bob? He’s been over here almost every day, watching this thing grow. You can almost hear him purring, he’s that pleased. He’ll figure out how to get them over there. I’ll get some pictures before he removes the extras.’
Mary nodded. ‘That would be great. The newspaper will be out Tuesday to take pictures. Then we can start tearing it down. I’ll try to get some of the children who made the decorations in the picture. Let’s see. Harry Waters is head of the committee to get the cans moved. I’d better call him …’
She stopped as Luke’s smile grew. ‘Harry and a bunch of other realtors have already been here, planning the dismantling. I’ll take pictures of it coming down as well, and we’ll post them in the library later.’
She laughed. ‘This committee is the best I’ve ever worked with. I’m going to quit worrying about all of you.’ She stopped, not sure how she should phrase what she wanted to say next. ‘I – well, I wasn’t over here yesterday because I helped pack up Cliff’s things. He had a picture of you at a dog show, holding onto a poodle and a blue ribbon. I thought you might like to know where it is and how to get it back. If you want it back.’
Luke didn’t say anything for so long Mary thought maybe he hadn’t heard her. Or understood.
‘It’s in a box with a lot of other things at St Mark’s. I can ask …’
‘I heard. And thanks. It’s just that … I gave Cliff that picture. It was my last showmanship win before the show where everything fell apart. The Pure Breed Dog Club of Santa Louisa gives a thousand-dollar scholarship every year to the junior handler who wins the most points in showmanship at California dog shows. Cliff was my coach. I needed just a few more points to win. I’d already planned what I’d do with it. I was going to be a vet, just like Cliff, and that money would have helped me pay for it. The poodle, Jester we called him, was a great dog, but a clown. He loved to show, but he sometimes got distracted and blew it for me. We practiced and practiced. If I won that show, the scholarship was mine. Then Cliff gave the dog tranquilizers. I guess he thought he was helping me, but I got blamed and kicked out of the club. Cliff never admitted he’d done it. I haven’t been in a dog show ring since and, as you can see, I didn’t go to vet school. I think I’ll pass on that picture, Mrs McGill. The memories it brings back aren’t exactly pleasant.’
There was no trace of a smile on Luke’s usually cheerful face and the bitterness in his voice was deep and old. Another unsettled score Cliff had left behind.
After all these years, had Luke’s bitterness erupted? Only, in Cliff’s diary, he’d said … she couldn’t remember exactly what he’d said. However, it seemed unlikely it was Luke Cliff had tried to blackmail, and that seemed the most logical motive for his murder. She shifted her purse to her other shoulder and surveyed the tree once more.
‘Let me know if you can get the children over here for photos. What time is the press coming?’
‘Don’t know. I’ll find out. I’ll call you Monday.’
‘Will you call Bob?’
He nodded.
Mary smiled at him. ‘Thank you, Luke. You’ve been invaluable. I’d better run. I need to stop at Evan’s for a minute.’
She could actually feel Luke wondering why she was stopping at Evan’s. She didn’t have a dog or a cat or even a bird, but all he said was, ‘Tell him I’ll be in later for some of the special dog food he carries. He knows what kind. Same as he feeds his little dog.’
Mary came to an abrupt halt, turned and faced Luke once more. ‘Evan has a dog?’
He nodded and a trace of his smile was back. ‘A cocker. Pretty little thing. Not show quality, but a sweet dog. He got her from Alma.’
‘Alma? I thought she sold all of her dogs to Bonnie Blankenship.’ Mary became a little lightheaded. Not only did everyone in this town seem to have a dog, they all seemed to be related.
‘She sold the last two bitches, her best two, to Bonnie. Earlier, she sold one to Evan and the other two bitches to John and Glen.’
John and Glen again. They had two female cockers and they bred cockapoos. The same kind of dogs Evan had for sale. Sampson, whose sire was – might be – the missing winery dog, was also a cockapoo. ‘Do you have one of Alma’s dogs also?’
Luke shook his head. ‘I’m still a poodle man. Actually, I have one of the Blisses’ dogs. He was in the first litter Merlot sired. It was a real tragedy when that dog disappeared.’
Mary didn’t say a word. She stared at Luke for a moment, turned on her heel and headed out the door. She was still shaking her head as she walked down the stairs and started across the park toward Furry Friends. It was time to have a long conversation with Evan.