CHAPTER 6

Travel trailer tip 6: When living in a travel trailer with your furry companions, remember to make a space they can call home. Adding a comfy bed and toys will make them less anxious about traveling.

I moved back to my booth to help the customer. When I peeked back at Ruth, our eyes made contact, but she quickly looked away, as if nervousness and anxiety had set in. However, that could be her way of dealing with the stress of the murder.

I tried to push the supposedly haunted portrait of the woman on the man looking at my paintings, but he wasn’t interested. I realized it was bad of me to try to give someone else my problem. I would have to keep the painting.

I hated to destroy a piece of art. What else could I do with it? Once again, I was acting as if I knew for sure the thing was haunted. Luckily, I sold a small painting to the man. He was quite taken with a painting of a fisherman wading in a stream near a covered bridge. I wondered if it had a hidden image. I’d forgotten to check that one. I sat down on the folding lawn chair in front of my trailer. I also had an umbrella to keep the sun away. I took skin care seriously and tried to limit my time in the sun. Something I hadn’t thought about in my younger days.

As I sat there looking out over the crowd, I spotted Shar and Carly walking together. They must have felt someone watching them because they looked my way. They said something to each other and crossed the path heading toward me. I wasn’t sure why, but an uneasy feeling came over me. I tried to act casual as they approached. Maybe they weren’t coming to talk to me at all. After all, I barely knew them. As they neared my booth, I stood from the chair with Van in my arms.

“Good afternoon,” I said when they stepped close to my display table.

“Has the detective talked with you?” Shar asked.

Wow. She got right to the point.

“Yes, I spoke with him last night and again a short time ago,” I said. “You do realize I was the one who found Evan.”

“Yes, that’s what we heard,” Shar said.

“We just wanted to make sure you knew that Shar didn’t mean what she said about Evan,” Carly said.

“I was just angry.” Shar pinched her brows together in a scowl.

Well, murderers were angry—that was why they murdered.

“I understand.” I certainly wasn’t going to argue with them.

“Did you tell the detective what I said?” Shar asked.

There was no way I would admit to that. “I just told him that I found the body and that was all I knew,” I said.

See, I hadn’t technically lied to Shar, I’d just avoided answering her question.

They watched me for a bit longer.

“Well, with any luck the police will stop poking around soon and leave us alone,” Carly said.

That was a strange statement. She could have said, “With any luck they will find the killer soon.” I hoped that was what she meant. The longer they stood in front of me, the more uneasiness settled between us.

“Oh, I wouldn’t trust them if I were you,” a female voice said.

I spun around. No one was behind me. Ruth was at her booth helping a customer. Van was looking in the direction of the paintings. Had he heard it too?

Carly cleared her throat. I turned around, focusing my attention on Shar and her again. They didn’t mention that they’d heard anyone. Was I the only who’d heard the woman? The stress of finding a dead body was really getting to me now.

“Good luck with your booth today,” Carly said with a fake smile.

“We’ll see you around.” Shar waved.

They turned and walked away. As they passed Ruth’s booth, they exchanged a look with her. What were they up to?

I knew that Shar, Carly, and Ruth didn’t like Evan, but what about others? Max Stone had worked closely with Evan, so what did he think of him? I’d have to ask some questions. Maybe later, when the fair had stopped for the evening, I’d track him down. Oh, no—what if I found him with a knife sticking from his neck too? The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

In my mind, I had a suspects list already. Maybe I was being too suspicious of everyone. Caleb Ward happened to be right there when I found the body. Why had he been there? Maybe because he was the killer. He might be handsome and charming, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be the killer. There were the vendors . . . Ruth, Shar, and Carly. They’d seemed mad enough for murder. Maybe not so much Ruth, but definitely Shar and Carly. Then again, I’d seen Ruth coming back to her trailer last night. She had acted awfully strange.

Something else was on my mind too. Something I had to get to the bottom of before I officially labeled myself bonkers. Where had the woman’s voice come from? I didn’t want to admit it, but it seemed as if it had come from the painting. Which still seemed as if she was watching me. What if I asked the painting a question? Would it answer me? I wouldn’t want anyone to see me talking to a painting.

Movement caught my attention and I spotted Caleb and his beautiful German shepherd. The muscular dog marched along beside him. His black-and-tan coat gleamed, and his perky ears stood at attention as they drew near.

Caleb approached me. “Celeste, I’d like you to meet Gum Shoe.”

The dog sat next to Caleb with his dark, almond-shaped, expressive eyes focused on me.

“Gum Shoe? That’s quite an interesting name. Why Gum Shoe?”

Caleb rubbed his furry friend’s head. “I just thought it sounded good.”

“Nice to meet you, Gum Shoe,” I said. “He’s about a hundred of Van.”

Caleb laughed. “Yeah, I bet they would be good friends, though. Gum Shoe gets along well with all dogs and most cats.”

“Well, we should introduce them so they can play together.” I reached down and rubbed Gum Shoe’s head.

A good thing in Caleb’s favor was that he was an animal lover like me. So that meant he couldn’t be a murderer, right? He wouldn’t be so nice to animals and mean to humans. However, what if Evan had made Caleb so furious he just lost control? I couldn’t wrap my mind around that thought.

“Wait here and I’ll get Van. He’s taking a nap.”

I hurried inside and retrieved Van. He opened his eyes, blinking several times. No doubt he wondered why I was waking him. He squinted as I took him into the bright sunshine.

“He’s a bit sleepy right now.”

“He’s adorable,” Caleb said.

Gum Shoe perked up when he spotted Van. I moved closer so they could sniff each other. Gum Shoe’s ears stood up even taller. Van turned his attention away.

“He’s still sleepy,” I said.

“Maybe another time, when he’s fully awake,” Caleb said.

A customer walked up and was checking out my art.

“I’ll let you go. Just let us know when Van wants a playdate.” Caleb motioned for Gum Shoe to stand.

“Certainly.” I waved.

Van barked as Gum Shoe walked away. Gum Shoe looked back at Van.

“Oh, now you want to play, when he has to leave?” I asked. “You’ll have to wait until later.”