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Cassidy tossed and turned all night. Not able to sleep, she crawled out of bed fifteen minutes before her alarm blared. She hoped a double espresso would ward off the groggies. She would need to be the hostess with the mostest today, despite the horrific events of yesterday.
She filled Oliver’s bowl and freshened his water. “There. You should be good to go. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit. Wish me luck.”
He raised his black and brown head and gave her a slight woof.
Filling a to-go cup with coffee, she headed out the door. Popping back inside, she grabbed a jacket to ward off the autumn chill. “Now, I’m ready.”
Guests had already assembled in the front parking lot. She rounded the corner near the concession shacks, where she found Dee Saunders setting up the information table with flyers of future events and raceway information.
“Good morning, or is it? I saw some rumors on Facebook this morning.” Dee raised her eyebrows.
Cassidy offered a cynical smile. “Oliver found one of our sellers in his booth last night. It looked like he had been crushed by some heavy furniture.”
“What a terrible accident. Or do you think it was, uh, intentional?”
“Not sure. The police didn’t offer any theories. I’m thankful they let us continue with our sale today.”
“It is the hot topic on social media this morning. You know how it is around here. No matter how bad the person was in life, death seems to give them a halo. Everyone was sending thoughts and prayers to his sweet widow. She must balance out her husband’s prickly personality. Hey, looks like the crowd is gathering out there.” Dee stared at the lot on the other side of the wooden fence near the main gates and shaded her eyes with her hand. “You doin’ okay?”
Cassidy nodded. “I need to get you a walkie talkie, and then I’m going to check on Brian and Jason. They’re manning the vendor’s entrance at the back gate.” Hopefully, the crowd is here for the sale and not to get a look at a death scene.
A few minutes later, Cassidy returned and set a walkie talkie on the table. “You need anything?”
“Nope. I’m good. Your uncle’s around here somewhere. He said he’d open the gates to guests promptly at eight-thirty.”
“Holler if you need anything.”
“Will do. When Joyce gets here, she and I will cover this table, and I’ll check on the food and the souvenirs. Rita should have breakfast burritos ready in a few.” Dee straightened stacks of papers about upcoming track events and laid out souvenir pencils and keychains.
Cassidy got another whiff of bacon and hash browns. Her stomach rumbled as she walked around the wooden buildings that served as snack bars and souvenir stands during the races. Rita had faithfully staffed the grill at the track since Cassidy was little, and her chili dogs were famous across the tri-county area.
At the booths, sellers made last-minute adjustments. Cassidy waved to several on her way to the back gate. Brian Thornton, handyman extraordinaire, leaned against the fence with a small group of people as Jason Mills approached Cassidy.
“Hey, everything okay?” Jason was the announcer at Amelia Speedway. His velvet voice had narrated the races for the last fifteen years.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Yep. We’ve had a steady stream since we opened the gates,” he said. “It looks like we’re ready for the crowds, though. We’re in for a good day. You lucked out with the weather.”
Cassidy nodded, handing him a walkie talkie. “Let me know if y’all need anything. Rita has the breakfast burritos going, and rumor has it there may be some apple cider doughnuts, too.”
“That’s my next stop.” Jason offered a boyish grin that highlighted his dimples.
Cassidy spotted Marti in another pink exercise suit. This time she arranged jewelry and Christmas decorations behind a table in her space next to the Silvers.
As she neared the tables, Cassidy stopped in her tracks. Mrs. Silver and one of the young guys from yesterday pulled tarps off the furniture.
“Move that table to the front,” Mrs. Silver said, pointing to a walnut dining table. “I want it to look like an attractive vignette.”
When Cassidy recovered from the surprise, she approached the booth. “Mrs. Silver. I didn’t think I would see you today. I am sorry for your loss.”
“I know. It was so sudden and unexpected.” She sniffed. “But Ron would have wanted us to carry on and not waste the money he spent on the booth. He believed in our business, so Zac and I will do our best today. This is my grandson Zac. He’s been helping Ron with our business for a few months now. We’ll marshal on for Ron and make him proud.” The woman plucked at her blue cat sweater and wiped away a single tear.
“If there’s anything I can do, please let me know,” Cassidy said.
“Just send the buyers this way,” Mrs. Silver said, moving the matching chairs around the large table.
She recovered quickly. I guess we all grieve in our own way. Cassidy waved and continued her walk around the track.
Not spotting any issues, Cassidy made a beeline for the stand with the apple cider doughnuts and a refill on coffee.
Todd stood at the condiment station, stirring his coffee.
“You’re back early,” Cassidy said.
“Working on the Silver matter,” he said.
“Have you been around the back of the track yet?”
“No, why?” he asked.
“Mrs. Silver and her grandson are setting up their furniture booth.”
“Huh? I was going to chat with the lady he had an altercation with first, but change of plans. Mrs. Silver seemed terribly grief-stricken last night with a lot of wailing and crying. I had to call her sister and her grandson to come and stay with her.”
“I was quite surprised she’s here, but she claims it’s what Ron would have wanted. She was pretty much all business.”
He shrugged his shoulders and took a couple of bites of his doughnut.
“She said Ron wouldn’t want her to waste the money he’d spent on the rental fee. I didn’t talk to Marti, but she’s over there, too.”
“Headed over there now.” He tossed his trash in the nearby bin. “You going to be around later?”
“I’ll be here,” she said. “If you don’t see me, the team at the information desk can call me on the walkie talkie.”
“I’ll find you,” he said over his shoulder.
Cassidy felt that same flutter of excitement and was grateful he’d walked away and missed the flush that rose in her cheeks.
After listening to thirty-three voicemails from friends and the press, she returned the few calls that had questions about track business. Wrapping up her office tasks, she decided to snap some photos of the day’s event, making sure to get her team and the volunteers in action. Still no sign of Uncle Henry.
Cassidy lapped the track again. This time from the opposite direction. She slowed down as she approached Marti’s booth. The woman pointed to items on her table as she talked to a pair of women. The women smiled and backed away slowly.
“Good morning, Marti. How are you?”
“Busy as a little bee this morning. Sales are great. Thanks for hosting this. If you do another one, make sure to let me know.”
“Glad to hear it,” Cassidy said, fingering some of the handmade earrings and beads on the table.
“Those go with your bright blue eyes. You should get them. I have a buy two get one free deal going on today. Think about it before someone else snaps them up.”
“They are lovely.” Cassidy held the turquois earrings up and peeked in the mirror Marti offered. “Okay, I’ll take these. By the way, when did you last see Ron?”
The woman’s brow furrowed. “That’ll be fifteen dollars. Cash or credit card?”
Cassidy pulled out a twenty and handed it to her.
Marti made change. “Yesterday, when you were standing here. You know when he lost his pants and showed his rear to everyone and his brother. At least he got his stuff in his own space. I haven’t seen the old goat all day. Thankfully, his wife’s a lot nicer than he is. I’m perfectly fine if he never shows up again.” She rolled her eyes and turned on the charm when two women approached the table.
Cassidy raised her eyebrows and moseyed over to the furniture booth. Mrs. Silver talked to a couple about the china cabinet and the dining room table. A shiver ran down Cassidy’s spine when she realized this was where Ron had lain last night.
Shaking off the creepy feeling, she approached Zac, who leaned against a dresser. “Hi,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather.”
He shrugged. “Grandma and the guys at the lodge will miss him.”
“And you?” she asked coyly.
“Uh, yeah. Me, too. He gave me my first job,” he said in a low tone.
“What happened? I couldn’t figure out why he was on the property after dark.” Cassidy stepped closer.
He shrugged his shoulders again. “Who knows? He told grandma he was going to the lodge, and he never came home. She called me when the police showed up last night. He’s always paranoid that somebody’s going to mess with this stuff.”
“So, no idea why he would be back here at the track after dark?”
“Like I said. He was always worried about his stuff. Like somebody’s going to cart off this heavy junk?” Zac pulled out an e-cigarette and took several puffs. A fruity smell from the mist permeated the area.
“Thanks. If I can help with anything today, let me know.” Cassidy took several steps back.
He nodded, and she disappeared in the crowd.
Cassidy spent the rest of the morning making sure all was well with guests and staff. Pleased that everything was running smoothly and that she had plenty of pictures, she checked on Oliver and gave him his morning walk.
After Oliver settled in for his pre-afternoon nap, Cassidy’s stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had missed lunch. Not finding anything interesting in her kitchen, she slid on her jacket and walked over to see what Rita had on the menu.
The smells of grilled burgers and hot dogs floated through the air. Her mouth watered as she decided on a chili cheese dog and onion rings. After waving to Rita and her team who buzzed around the snack shack, she picked up her food and wandered over to the wooden picnic tables.
Todd sat by himself at the last table. “Mind if I join you?” she asked.
“No, help yourself. The food’s good. Her cheeseburgers rival those in the big restaurants.” He wiped mustard off his chin with a paper napkin.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
“My golf game needs improving, and I just finished reading a John Grisham novel.” He paused and winked. “Oh, you mean with work. I talked to Pearl Silver and her grandson. You were right about ‘the show must go on’ attitude. That’s all she could talk about.”
Cassidy opened the aluminum wrap around her hot dog. “It’s all been a shock to the system.”
“Marti didn’t know that Ron had died last night. It quieted her for a little while, but not long. She still didn’t have anything nice to say about the furniture dealer.” He dragged a fry through ketchup and popped it in his mouth.
“Was it an accident?” Cassidy asked, hoping that nothing nefarious had gone on at the track.
“Probably,” he said. “We’ll know more when the medical examiner finishes. I’m still not sure what he was doing on your property after everyone had left.”
“Zac, the grandson, said that he was paranoid and probably checking on his stuff. I didn’t catch him or his truck on any of the cameras. He must have climbed over the gate.”
“Yes, he told me that, too. The white truck was at his house when I talked to the wife.” Todd balled up the wrapper and took a swig of his drink. “If you hear anything, let me know. Right now, it’s a death investigation. I’ve got to head out. See ya.”
A tingle surged through Cassidy. Was he being nice or was there more to the handsome trooper?
