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  “Yep. Those chickens need food and water.” Kate grabbed a basket from the counter. “Besides, if you don’t collect the eggs, they’ll actually stop laying.”

  “Really? You learn something new every day.” Holly chuckled as she opened the door and stepped out on the porch, Kate right behind her.

  Lucky, Winston and Amy who’d been lying on the porch, got up.

  “No, no.” Kate said. “You stay. I’ll be right back.”

  Amy let out a frustrated whine, but all three dogs remained on the porch and watched as Kate headed to the back of the yard and Holly got in her car and drove off.

  Crossing into Chuck’s yard behind the barn, Kate entered the “coop complex”, as Chuck used to call it. She carefully latched the pen gate behind her. First, she collected eggs in her basket. “Not bad, girls,” she said aloud after she counted ten eggs. Finally, she spread chicken feed and refilled the water tins.

  Kate gave one last look around, then opened the gate and re-latched it behind her. Midway across the lawn, she heard Lucky’s bark. She looked to the driveway and saw Boyd Leggett out in the road. When he spotted her, he started up the drive, but Lucky jumped off the porch and charged at the scruffy-looking man.

  “Lucky,” Kate shouted, running after her, Amy and Winston bringing up the rear. Boyd stopped and stood still as Lucky circled around him, sniffing.

  “New dog?” he asked.

  “No. She’s my friend’s,” Kate replied as she reached Boyd and grabbed hold of Lucky’s collar.

  Amy and Winston approached Boyd who bent and extended a downturned hand. “Yeah, you guys know me. Tell your friend I’m a good guy.”

  Kate grimaced slightly. As Boyd returned to an upright position, she said, “Let me get this dog inside. I’ll be right back. C’mon, Lucky.”

  Reluctantly, the dog accompanied Kate, struggling to look over her shoulder at Boyd, apparently unwilling to turn her back on him. Kate put the egg basket down at the bottom of the steps and tugged on Lucky’s collar to get her up the steps. Once the dog was inside, she quickly closed the door and turned back to see Boyd standing at the bottom of the stairs eyeing the eggs. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a week and his black hair, though combed, hadn’t been washed in some time.

  “How’s your mother?” Kate asked.

  “Not real good,” he replied. “We’re prob’ly gonna have to put the house up for sale. That’s why I stopped by. Got to start getting the place ready. I packed a few things in my truck just now.” He raised his chin in the direction of the driveway next door.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Please give your mother my regards.”

  “I will. I know she always liked you,” Boyd said looking from her to the egg basket.

  “Do you have a phone number where I can reach you?” Kate asked. “If I hear of anyone who’s looking for a place, I’ll let you know.”

  “Oh -- well -- I just lost my cellphone,” Boyd replied, not making eye contact. “And, anyway, we’re nowheres near ready to show the place.”

  Kate started down the steps. “You going to use a realtor?”

  Boyd backed up a few steps. Rubbing the bristly stubble on his chin, his eyes remained fixed on the eggs. “I don’t know. I guess so.” His eyes darted quickly to Kate, then back to the basket. “Hey, could you spare me a couple a those eggs?”

  Kate’s eyes widened just a bit. “Sure,” she said. “Let me get a bag from the kitchen.” Lifting the basket, she went up the steps. She had to hold Lucky back as she opened the door. Grabbing a paper bag from the counter, she placed five eggs inside.

  Boyd was standing staring at Chuck’s house when she came back outside.

  “Shame about Chuck, isn’t it?” he said, turning back towards her.

  “Yes. Yes, it is,” she replied, handing him the bag.

  “Sheriff Bascom says he thinks Tommy Cranston did it.” Boyd’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Kate.

  Kate simply stared back at him. He quickly averted his eyes. “Says he’s convinced it’s Tommy ‘cuz he hasn’t been able to find him since it happened.”

  Kate crossed her arms in front of her. “Well, I hadn’t seen Tommy for a several days before Chuck was killed, and I live on this street, so my guess would be Tommy wasn’t even in town the night of the murder.”

  Looking at his feet, Boyd nodded. “Yeah, you’re prob’ly right. Well, thanks for the eggs.” He turned toward the driveway, then stopped. Still avoiding eye contact, he said, “I won’t be back for another week or so. Can’t stay over ‘cause -- well, you know -- the gas and electric’s shut off. Water, too.”

  Kate struggled to conceal the glee she felt hearing she would have at least seven Boyd-free days to look forward to. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll keep an eye on the place.”

  Boyd’s head shot up and a look of alarm crossed his swarthy face. “Oh, no need for that. Really nothin’ a value in there.” His concerned expression transformed to a smirk. “Thieves’d actually do me a favor if they emptied the place. Save me the trouble, huh?” He turned and walked to the driveway, tossing a wave over his shoulder. “See ya round.”

  Kate watched as Boyd reached the end of the driveway and turned up the hill to his mother’s house. Shaking her head, she mounted the steps and went inside heading straight upstairs. The bathroom door was closed. Quickly, she scurried to her bedroom, opened the closet door and grabbed a pair of binoculars from the top shelf. When she stepped back into the hall, the bathroom door opened.

  “Good morning,” Ivy said smiling.

  “Good morning,” Kate replied, brushing past her. “Sorry, but I’m in a hurry.”

  Kate ran into the room Holly was using and went straight to the window.

  “What’s wrong?” Ivy asked. “Where’s Holly?”

  Kate raised the binoculars to her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. Holly just went to the store.”

  “What are you looking at?” Ivy peered over Kate’s shoulder into the neighbor’s yard. “Is that the guy you told us about? The one you called the police on?”

  “Yes.” Suddenly Kate gasped as Boyd Leggett got in his truck and backed out of the driveway.

  “What is it?” Ivy asked.

  Kate lowered the binoculars. “That tarp he covered the truck bed with--that’s Chuck’s tarp.”

  8 FLO RETURNS

  Holly slid her last piece of pancake through a pool of maple syrup. “But how can you be sure it was Chuck’s tarp?” she asked.

  Kate pounded the table with her fist. “Because it had paint spatters on it that match the paint in my laundry room. That’s the tarp Chuck used when he patched a wall crack for me.”

  Holly leaned back in her chair and sighed. “So what do you want to do?”

  “Call the State Police,” Kate replied.

  “Not Bascom?” Ivy asked.

  Kate jumped up. “How could you ask me that? I just told you what Boyd said about Bascom. I will not talk to that lying sack of…”

  “Calm down, Kate,” Holly soothed.

  “I won’t calm down.” Kate started pacing. “I can’t calm down. How can I calm down when I now know Boyd Leggett killed Chuck?”

  Ivy bit her lower lip as she glanced at Holly, a beleaguered expression on her face. After a moment, Holly patted Kate’s chair. “Please sit down. Remember how you were the voice of reason during the Lyla Powell case? Let’s talk this through before you do something that could make matters worse. Please.”

  Kate stopped pacing, closed her eyes, and dropped her shoulders. After a moment she returned to the table and sank into her chair.

  “Nobody knows how you feel better than I do,” Holly began. “But let’s just discuss what could happen if you call the State Police instead of Bascom.”

  “Yes,” Ivy nodded. “A man like Bascom won’t like your going around him.”

  “So?” Kate asked, a flash of belligerence in her eyes.

  “Well, my late husband, Dave, used to say, ‘Don’t make enemies you
don’t need to’.”

  Kate huffed. “Bascom’s already my enemy.”

  Ivy tossed an exasperated glance at Holly.

  “Okay,” Holly intervened. “Let’s say you’re right. What are you going to tell the State Police? That Boyd has Chuck’s tarp? Even if you could prove it’s Chuck’s tarp, it’s not exactly evidence Boyd killed him.”

  “I hate to say this.” Ivy put her hand on Kate’s. “It’s not even proof Boyd stole the tarp. He could say Chuck gave it to him.”

  “And you know that’s exactly what Bascom will say,” Holly added.

  Kate dropped her head. “Dammit. You’re right.” When she raised her face, her eyes glistened. “What am I going to do?”

  Ivy sighed. “I have a suggestion Holly won’t like.” Sitting back she locked eyes with her sister. “Let’s call Nick and ask him for advice.”

  Wearily, Holly shook her head. “Not gonna happen in this life.”

  “Then what?” Kate squeezed her hands into fists.

  The three women sat silently, each lost in her own thoughts. Their contemplating was interrupted after a few minutes when the dogs began barking. Holly walked to the door. “Looks like the mountain’s come to Mohammed.”

  Kate and Ivy followed Holly to the window in time to see a boxy gray Kia Soul pull into Chuck’s driveway followed by a police cruiser. Flo Dwyer slowly got out of the Kia and Sheriff Bascom and the young deputy who’d accompanied him on Friday got out of the cruiser. The deputy started to remove the yellow police tape.

  Kate backed away from the window and started to the door. “Excuse me.”

  The two sisters turned to face her, blocking her exit.

  “Are you serious?” Kate asked. “You’re not going to let me out?”

  “We’ll let you out,” Holly said. “Just promise you’ll stay calm.”

  Kate inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly and smiled. “I’m calm.”

  Holly opened the door and Ivy put her hand on Kate’s shoulder. The three women stepped out onto the porch where the dogs sat, all eyes focused on the neighboring driveway.

  “Ready?” Holly asked, glancing sideways at Kate.

  “Ready,” Kate replied.

  The trio of women descended the steps, the dogs bounding past them as they walked across the yard.

  “Good morning,” Kate said.

  “Morning,” Sheriff Bascom replied, touching the tip of his hat.

  Flo frowned and gave a half-hearted wave. “I see you have Chuck’s mutt.”

  “Oh,” Kate said, looking down at Winston. “Yeah. We’ve been looking after him. I guess you’ll want him home with you now.”

  “Hell, no,” the big woman sneered. “You want him? He’s yours.”

  As if he understood the words, Winston looked up at Kate, awaiting her reply. “Of course, I’ll keep him if you don’t want him.” Seeming reassured, the dog sat down, his butt partially on Kate’s foot.

  “Good,” Flo said, looking up at the roof of the house. “One less thing I need to get rid of.”

  Kate grimaced. “Uh, Sheriff. Something happened this morning that I-- um -- I’d just like to let you know.”

  “What’s that, Ms. Farmer?” the sheriff asked squinting

  “Boyd Leggett stopped by. He said they were going to be putting his mother’s house up for sale and he was packing up some things.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me. I’d heard Milly wasn’t doing so well.” A smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, Bascom said, “Well, it looks like your problems with Boyd and his friends will be over then, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Kate said. “It’s just that as Boyd was driving away, I noticed the tarp he covered his truck bed with was a tarp that, I’m sure, belonged to Chuck.”

  Sheriff Bascom sighed. “Now, how could you be sure of that?”

  Kate bit the corner of her mouth and Holly moved closer. “Well, you see, Chuck did some work for me last month and he used that tarp and spilled some paint on it. I recognize the splatter.”

  The lawman let out a soft chuckle. “Recognize the splatter, huh? So what are you saying? Now you accusing Boyd of murdering Chuck?” His expression turned menacing.

  Before Kate could reply, Flo turned around and faced Bascom. “Maybe he did and maybe Tommy did. I don’t care who killed Chuck. What I care about is my property. If I know Boyd, he stole that tarp and who knows what else from this place.”

  Holly, Ivy and Kate watched in silence as the sheriff’s menacing glare softened a bit. “Flo, you don’t know Boyd stole that tarp. Maybe Chuck gave it to him.”

  “Boyd?” Flo scoffed. “Not likely. Chuck couldn’t stand him. Said he was a worthless piece a…”

  “Now, Flo…”

  “Don’t you ‘now Flo’ me, Cyrus. If that bum thinks he can come around here and steal stuff just because Chuck’s gone, he’s got another think coming. You better track him down and warn him, I’ll put a hole in him just as soon as look at him. And you know I will.”

  The sheriff nodded, licked his lips and looked over in the direction of his deputy. “You done there, Jason?” he shouted.

  “I mean it, Cyrus.” Flo glared. “No jury’s going to convict a widow who shoots a trespasser -- especially after her husband was murdered in his own kitchen.”

  The sheriff nodded. “I’ll talk to him.” He walked to his car, got in and turned on the ignition. The deputy, his hand full of yellow tape, jogged from the back yard and got in the passenger side.

  As they drove off, Kate smiled. “So, Flo, are you moving back in?”

  “Oh, hell no! I wouldn’t stay another night in this dump,” she said giving a magician’s assistant arm sweep toward the house. “No, I’m just gonna take a look around -- see what’s worth selling. Get Chuck’s bank and insurance information. Tomorrow I’ll come back with a friend a mine whose daughter’s good with computers. We’ll see what we can get rid of on Craig’s List.”

  “That’s smart,” Kate said. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “Uh-huh,” Flo said, opening her car door and grabbing her handbag.

  Holly and Ivy had already started back across the lawn to Kate’s house. Kate began to follow, stopped and turned back to face Chuck’s widow.

  “Flo, I almost forgot. I came over this morning and fed the chickens and collected some eggs. You want me to keep doing that? Shall I save you the eggs.”

  Flo snorted. “Well, I sure as hell don’t plan on tending chickens, and I’m enjoying my eggs cooked sunnyside up courtesy of the Robin Hood Inn. You want to tend those chickens, be my guest. In fact, if you want ‘em, get somebody to move that coop over to your place. Otherwise, those hens are gonna be fricasseed.” Cackling, she went inside and left Kate standing in the driveway, both her eyes and mouth wide open.

  9 A GAME OF CLUE

  Kate entered the kitchen as Holly was pouring another mug of coffee. Shaking her head, she said, “Unbelievable. I don’t understand how Flo can be so -- so…”

  “Heartless?” Ivy offered.

  “Exactly.”

  “What did you go back to tell her?” Holly asked.

  “I wanted to know if I should look after the chickens. I won’t even tell you what she said, but essentially, the coop and the hens are mine for the taking.”

  “I was kind of amazed at how she talked to Bascom,” Ivy said.

  “Me, too.” Kate’s brow furrowed. “I sure didn’t know they were on a first name basis.”

  “And he took her seriously,” Holly added. “When he talked to you he was patronizing, but not with her.”

  “What do you think their relationship is?” Ivy mused, “They’re about the same age. Do you think they had a thing in the past?”

  Kate shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess that’s possible.”

  “Or maybe they just grew up together. In a small town there’s a lot of ways they could be connected.” Holly rinsed out the empty coffee carafe. “You want me to put on ano
ther pot?”

  “No.” Kate shook her head. “More caffeine will just make me want to jump out of my skin.” She stood quietly staring at the floor. After a moment she looked up grinning. “What do you say to a game of clue?”

  Holly groaned.

  “C’mon.” Ivy stood up. “This always helps us.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Holly countered. “It never helps. It didn’t help when we tried to figure out who killed Edna Hagel and it didn’t help when we tried to figure out who murdered Lyla Powell. We just spin our wheels and go nowhere.”

  “Maybe,” Kate said standing up. “But spinning wheels serve a purpose, too.”

  “You mean besides wasting gas and burning rubber?” Holly smirked

  Kate waggled her head at Holly. “Spinning wheels weave yarn.” Smiling smugly, she headed upstairs. “I’ll get pads and pens.”

  Settled in the living room, Kate began. “To start, we need a list of suspects.”

  “Then means, motive and opportunity.” Ivy clicked her ballpoint pen and started writing.

  “This is nuts.” Holly stared at the blank page. “We don’t need these legal pads. There’s only two suspects, Tommy Cranston and Boyd Leggett.”

  “What about the nebulous drug dealers from Monticello?” Kate asked.

  “The dogs would have raised holy hell if strangers had broken in and killed Chuck. Even I have to agree with Bascom on that point,” Holly said.

  “I hate to ask this, but wouldn’t they have done the same thing if Boyd came around at night?” Ivy asked.

  Kate looked up at the ceiling, wrinkling her brow. Sitting forward, she shook her head, “No. No they wouldn’t. This morning only Lucky growled and barked when Boyd started up the driveway. Winston and Amy know Boyd.” A satisfied smile on her face, she jotted on her pad. “Boyd definitely is a suspect.”

  Holly twirled her pen. “So we have two suspects.”

  “Wait a second,” Ivy said. “What about Flo?”

  “Wow!” Kate dropped her pad and stared at Ivy. “You’re right. The dogs wouldn’t have barked at her.”

  “I know she seems rather unfazed by Chuck’s death, but would she actually put a meat cleaver in his chest?” Holly asked.