Lia Farrell - Mae December 02 - Two Dogs Lie Sleeping Page 2

  The opening of the mansion was tomorrow. Mae thought July’s project was finished, so she wondered what July had been doing there. And why the police had been called.

  “Ben, do we even know what happened? Did somebody die?”

  “Yes, the duty officer said his name was Tom Ferris.”

  “Tommy? Oh, no!” Mae’s throat tightened. She sniffed, wiping her nose.

  “Do you know him?” Ben’s brows drew together.

  “He was July’s boyfriend in high school and college. He grew up in that house. I can’t believe he was even in town. It’s been at least fifteen years since he’s set foot around here.”

  “You never mentioned you knew the owner when you were helping July with ideas or when we went to the Patrons’ Party.”

  “Tommy disappeared right after Christmas break of his sophomore year. She’s never wanted to talk about him.”

  Mae pulled into the service drive behind the mansion. The parking area was deserted, except for one silver rental car parked next to her sister’s Suburban and a dark blue sedan.

  “Unmarked police car.” Ben pointed at the sedan.

  Mae parked and Ben got out.

  “I’ll see you at your folks.”

  In the rearview mirror, she watched him walk to the driver’s side of the unmarked car. He bent down with an enquiring tilt to his head, engaging whoever sat inside in conversation.

  Mae’s cellphone rang before she was halfway to her parents’ house.

  “Mae, it’s me,” Ben said. “Whatever happened over here is being kept real quiet. That’s why the unmarked car. They’ve closed the house to all designers, but they aren’t telling anyone why. July actually found Tom Ferris dying.”

  “The poor thing! Finding Tommy after all these years. How horrible for her. No wonder she wasn’t saying much.”

  “For a woman in your family, it’s out of character for sure. I don’t have Matthew tonight, so I’ll see you at your Mom and Dad’s in a few minutes.”

  Matthew was Ben’s four-year-old son. He hadn’t known that the boy existed until several months ago, when he was in the middle of the murder case that brought Mae and him together. He had been engaged to Matthew’s mother, Katie Hudson, at one time, but she had eloped with someone else. She had neglected to tell Ben he had a son until after her divorce. Katie had recently returned to Rosedale and they shared custody. Ben usually had Matthew for a mid-week sleepover one week and then for the weekend the following week.

  “Mae, are you still there?”

  Ben’s voice startled her out of thinking about Matthew and his mother, the disloyal Katie.

  “I’m here. Wait, how did Tommy die? Why did July think it was murder?”

  Ben took a deep breath before he spoke.

  “It sounds like someone shot him, although I guess it could have been a suicide. We don’t know yet. Drive carefully, babe, okay? We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  Mae said good-bye and set her phone on the seat.

  Chapter Four

  Mae December

  Driving to her parents’ place from the station, Mae recalled the day last spring when July told them she’d landed the Showhouse project for the Booth Mansion. It had been Mae’s thirtieth birthday in May. Mama didn’t try to name both her girls after their birth months; it just happened. Mae’s given name was Maeve Malone December. July couldn’t pronounce it and called her baby sister Mae. July was christened Julia Grace, but her parents began calling her July after she renamed her baby sister, and it just stuck.

  Sunday, May 20th had been so warm, it felt like high summer. Mae looked out her kitchen window and even the air glowed green. She and Ben had been invited to her parents’ for dinner. She called the dogs and went outside with her garden scissors to cut a bouquet of irises for Mama’s table. She had been mentally reviewing her wardrobe options when she saw Ben’s car coming up the driveway.

  He parked and walked across the lawn. The rolled up sleeves of his blue dress shirt revealed the muscles in his forearms. He was a handsome man with blue eyes that could be intense. She dropped the flowers and ran to kiss him.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” he greeted her. “Happy birthday!”

  Mae went back to pick up her scattered flowers and closed her eyes for a minute. Despite all the obstacles in their way, they had gotten together; she could hardly believe her luck.

  Mae remembered she had worn her rose patterned sundress and black sandals. She and Ben arrived at her parents’ after July and her family. July and Fred had three children, nine-year-old twin boys and a six-year-old daughter, Olivia. July’s sons Parker and Nathan, who were lanky like their father but with July’s dark hair and eyes, brought their puppies with them. Mae hadn’t seen the pups since they went to her sister’s house. July had purchased Mae’s porgis, Eric the Red and Soot, for her boys’ birthdays. The little dogs had grown so much.

  “The puppies have been so much fun for the boys, Mae. I’m proud of the kids. They’re being so responsible, feeding them, making sure they have water and sleeping with them at night. Although they are a little less interested in the cleaning up after them than I hoped.”

  “What a surprise.” Mae laughed at her sister’s naïveté. It was not that difficult to potty train a puppy, but it did require consistency, firmness, and constant supervision. “Have you tried keeping them with you in the kitchen? You can keep a long lead on them and tie it to your waist. That might be sort of tricky with two of them, though.”

  “I’ll try that, but one at a time.” July smiled.

  They had piled into the house, puppies and all. Mama took charge of getting the puppies into the laundry room. The boys got the dog gear out of the car and brought in their water dishes. Both puppies settled into one dog bed together and Mae smiled to herself, remembering how July’s twins used to sleep in one crib. July’s husband Fred helped Daddy put the food on the table and everyone sat down.

  The December family had a tradition of the youngest person saying grace, assuming they were old enough to talk. July’s daughter Olivia did the honors, finishing with, “God bless Aunt Mae on her birthday. And we need some new children in this family so someone else can say grace. Amen.” Fred ruffled his daughter’s blonde curls.

  “Thank you Livi, that was very nice,” Daddy said, after they all quit laughing. “I have some good news. My publisher says my book will be out by Christmas. It’s the one that honors songwriters and other behind-the-scenes people in the music industry. It’s dedicated to you, Mae.”

  Ben squeezed her hand under the table. Mae’s former fiancé, Noah, was one of the songwriters featured in her father’s book. During his career, he wrote several hits, including the Arlen Hunter song “Miss December.” Ben knew Mae had mixed feelings about the song and her father’s latest book. It brought back painful memories of the night, over a year ago, that the police had arrived at Mae’s to tell her Noah was dead.

  “I have an announcement, too,” July had told them. “I wanted to tell y’all I got selected to design one of the rooms in the Booth Mansion, for this year’s Junior League fundraiser.”

  “Congratulations, July. How did you manage it?” her mother asked. July had tried twice before, but hadn’t been selected. Third time’s the charm, Mae thought, happy for her sister.

  “The way the process works is that first you have to be invited to participate. Then you have to submit plans, drawings and finishes for three rooms in the house to the Junior League committee.”

  Mama’s dark eyes sparkled. “I remember when you went through the house last month with the rest of the designers,” she said, “before you started your sketches and presentations. I’ve always loved the old Booth place.”

  “I submitted for the nursery, a powder room, and the back mud room,” July said. “I was hoping to get the nursery, but it went to another designer. Mae, I’m going to need your advice. I’d like to do the mud room with dogs in mind.”

  “Wonderful. I’d love to help you. So many
people have dogs and don’t have the right spaces for them.” Mae asked for the overall dimensions for the room and offered to do some research on dog washing systems.

  Then her father looked at his wife and said, “Suzanne, wasn’t it Irene Booth that went skinny-dipping with you on that Fourth of July weekend when you two were in college?”

  Olivia’s eyes widened. She turned to her grandmother. “Does that mean you were naked, Zana?”

  The entire family enjoyed the rare sight of Suzanne December at a loss for words.

  Fred Powell nodded at his youngest child. “That’s right, Livi, skinny-dipping is naked swimming.”

  “I think it’s time we changed the subject,” Mae’s mother said with a blush.

  Mae recalled herself to the present as she drove into her parents’ driveway. The crickets chirped loudly in the summer twilight. When she walked in, July was sitting next to Mama on the living room couch. Mae sat down beside her sister.

  Ben joined her father in the kitchen, where he was preparing drinks.

  “What happened, July? Was it really Tommy?”

  “Oh, Mae,” July looked up. Mama handed her a tissue. “Yes, it was. I heard a noise and walked upstairs to investigate, though I never dreamed it was anything serious. In any case, I had wanted to see the nursery one last time before the opening. It was his old room.” Her voice broke.

  Mae exchanged a worried glance with her mother.

  “I saw something on the floor and realized it was a man,” she shook her head and her eyes went blank.

  “Here.” Daddy handed her a glass of water.

  “I didn’t see the blood at first,” July went on, her face ashen. “He was face down and I was trying to determine if he was injured or had fainted. He was still breathing, but not very well.” She started to shake.

  “You called 911?” Ben interrupted.

  “Yes, I had my cellphone in my pocket. I sat right there by Tommy and called them. I held his hand. I thought he wanted to tell me something.”

  “What happened when the emergency crew arrived?” Ben was now in full-on sheriff mode.

  “I heard them at the door and ran downstairs. They brought up a stretcher and took Tommy down to the ambulance. I wanted to go with him to the hospital, but they wouldn’t let me. The ambulance drove off just before the police arrived. I took the officer up to the room and showed him where Tommy was when I found him. I could hardly look at it. The carpet was soaked in blood,” July shuddered and took a big gulp of water.

  “Then they asked you to come with them to the police station?”

  “Yes, the officer took me there. The police chief talked to me—I think his name was John. I was crying so hard by then, I could hardly tell him what happened. Finally he said I should call someone and I called you, Mae.”

  “What did you think when you heard the noise?”

  Ben seemed to be interrogating her. Although he was being gentle, Mae was not pleased and gave him a sharp look.

  “I thought a heavy picture or mirror must have fallen.”

  “Could it have been a gunshot?”

  “Ben, honestly, will you please stop being sheriff for a moment?” Mama held her hand up. “Let July catch her breath.”

  He nodded, and although he clearly had more questions, he acquiesced to Mama’s request, sat back and sipped his bottle of beer.

  Mama and Mae took July upstairs. Mama gave her a sleeping pill and she went into her old room for a rest. Mae sat on July’s bed for a moment after her mother left the room and patted her sister’s shoulder. “Did Tommy say anything to you, July?”

  “He said he wrote me a letter, but I’m not sure if he meant recently or a long time ago. Please don’t say anything to Ben about it, okay? I really don’t want to be questioned anymore.”

  With some reservations, Mae agreed. She left the room and called her sister’s babysitter, Abby, who told her Fred was flying home that night. Mae asked her to stay with the kids until he arrived. Abby said July was supposed to pick Fred up at the airport. Mae told her July wasn’t feeling well and that she’d pick Fred up. Luckily Abby had Fred’s itinerary and Mae wrote down the time of arrival and his airline. He was due to arrive within the hour, so she said good-bye to everyone and left. Ben walked out to the car with her, and they kissed good-bye.

  “Daddy said he’d run you back to my house so you can get your car. While you’re there could you—”

  “Check on the Tater? Of course I will.”

  He hugged her, and she could smell his shampoo. His cheek was scratchy, but Mae didn’t care. She buried her face in his neck for a minute.

  “This must bring back memories for you.”

  “This is much worse. It’s appalling for July. I knew Tommy, but I wasn’t the one in love with him. I sometimes wonder—even after marriage and three kids—whether July ever really got over Tommy Ferris.”

  Mae was five minutes from the airport when her cellphone rang.

  “Hi, it’s Abby, your sister’s babysitter. Mr. Powell got here about ten minutes ago. I told him you were on the way to get him. He said he caught an earlier flight. He asked me to let you know he was already home.”

  Aaargh … I just drove forty miles for nothing. “Did he say how he got there?”

  “No, he didn’t. He must have taken a cab.”

  Mae took the Briley Parkway exit, so she could turn around to head back home.

  “Well, thank you for letting me know, Abby.” She tried not to sound frustrated. It wasn’t the babysitter’s fault.

  “No problem. Talk to you later.”

  Mae called Ben to see where he was. He said he had already checked on the puppy and headed to his own house, since he had to work tomorrow. She told him Fred was already home. She had wasted an hour driving out to the airport and back.

  “When did Fred get back in town?”

  “I don’t know. I only talked to Abby, the babysitter. She said he’d been home about ten minutes.”

  “I’ll ask him what time his flight arrived.”

  “Why, for heaven’s sake?”

  “Well, his wife’s old boyfriend turned up dead today, and he may have been in town when it happened.”

  “Don’t be silly. Fred would never hurt anyone.”

  “Listen, I need to go. I’m beat, and you should pay attention to the road. Goodnight.”

  He was gone. That was abrupt even for Ben, who didn’t enjoy long phone conversations. Mae drove the rest of the way home in a complete snit. She took the dogs out for a final potty break, and then against all her rules, carried little Tater upstairs and climbed straight into bed with her new puppy.

  Chapter Five

  Sheriff Ben Bradley

  The next day, after his morning shower, Ben dressed in his uniform and left for the office at six a.m. It was now seven-thirty. Although the Ferris murder wouldn’t be his job, he was on edge and kept thinking about July finding Tom Ferris. He watched from his office window as Miss Dory Clarkson, his office administrator, opened the front door and came in. She looked cool and composed in the August heat. A striking African American woman, she ran his office with a velvet tongue and a laser glance. She appeared to be about fifty years old, but Ben thought she had to be older.

  Ben walked into the waiting room and smiled at Dory. The staff secretly referred to her as “Melting Moments.” Ben knew she was anything but sweet and yielding. Dory started the coffee, then sat down at her desk and pulled out a small mirror from her purse. She gave a self-satisfied grin. Apparently, her hair and lipstick met her high standards. Her smile grew wider as she glanced down at her red high heels; the color was a precise match for her red and white top. But when she looked up at Ben, the smile vanished.

  “It’s a good thing I work here,” Dory said, looking at Ben askance.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Without me telling y’all what to do, you men would not have a clue.”

  Ben could tell Dory was in one of her “men are idiots�
� moods. He gave her a stern look, got a coffee and returned to his office. He flipped through a couple of “Return Call” slips and went into the conference room. In the next few minutes his two deputies, Robert Fuller and George Phelps, entered the room. Ben could hear them getting coffee. On the heels of the deputies, Wayne Nichols, Rose County’s Chief Detective, made his appearance, greeted Dory and joined the meeting.

  “Good morning all,” Ben said when everyone was in their accustomed places. He looked at his chubby, redheaded deputy. “Let’s have reports. George, you’re first.”

  George had opened his mouth to speak when they heard a knock on the door.

  “What is it?” Ben called out, frustrated at the interruption. Dory opened the door. He frowned at her. He liked to start staff meetings on time and she knew it.

  “It’s John Granger on the line from Mont Blanc. You’ll want to talk to him.”

  He walked out to Dory’s desk. She had reigned as the undisputed queen of the office for almost thirty years. Sheriffs might come and go, but Dory endured. She took no nonsense from anyone—especially him.

  “Okay, which line?” Dory punched a button and handed him the receiver. “Good Morning, John.”

  “Morning, Ben.”

  “What’s up? I’m about to start a staff meeting.”

  “What’s up is that the death at the Booth Showhouse last night is being turfed to your shop. Turns out it’s in your jurisdiction, not mine.”

  “I was over at your station last night after your deputy brought July Powell in,” Ben said. “She found Tom Ferris dying and called 911. I guess dispatch routed that call to you. Didn’t you interview her?”

  “I did, just briefly. Dispatch assumed that it was in the Mont Blanc jurisdiction, but I checked this morning and the house is outside the city limits, so you get this one. Sorry, buddy,” John sounded anything but sorry.