"A Murder In Milburn", Book 4: Death By Ice Cream (7 page)

Deputy Ellerton took Nora back upstairs to the office, and had her sign the log book. Trying to dig a little deeper, Nora started a conversation with him.

“How’s Betty and little Jeff?” she asked.

“Oh, Jeff’s as happy as ever.” Deputy Ellerton smiled. “He’s recently started playing soccer, and he’s been chosen in his school team. I’m pretty proud, to be honest. The kid’s a natural athlete. Must have got it from Betty’s side.”

“Oh, come on, surely it’s his father’s genes that carried some weight.” Nora smiled and nudged him. “I know you were quite the star in our high school football team.”

“Oh, I was all right.” Deputy Ellerton smiled. “Sean was the real star. I was always best at being his right-hand man. Still am, come to think of it.”

“Sean…” A shadow crossed Nora’s face. “Do you think Sean’s being, you know, totally fair here? I mean, everyone knows that he and Harvey hate each other.”

“That they do.” Ellerton nodded. “I just don’t understand why. After all, they’re brothers.”

“Half-brothers. Both equally stubborn too. But that’s why Sean hates him,” Nora said. “I’m sure you know all about it.”

“Oh, I was around when Harvey first came into town. Did you know he and Sean once had a no-holds barred fistfight down at
The Silver Light?
” Ellerton laughed. “They both had to be pulled apart by six men!”

Nora sighed. “If you’re trying to make me lose confidence in Sean, that’s a good story. How can he possibly be unbiased about Harvey?”

“Well, Sean might think Harvey is a scumbag, but does he think Harvey is a
murdering
scumbag? That I don’t have the answer to,” Ellerton said. “Sorry,” he added, when he saw the look on Nora’s face.

“I don’t understand how Sean doesn’t just assume the obvious,” Nora said. “Clearly, it was Sergio who did it. He hated Tiffany, and he came looking for revenge. He killed her, and then he tried to kill Harvey too. He escaped from prison and broke into Harvey’s house. Surely
that’s
the kind of man who’s a murderer!”

“Well, Sean was a witness when Sergio attacked you,” Ellerton said. “He says Sergio was pretty clear - he had seen Tiffany leave Harvey’s house, but he wasn’t able to follow her.”

“Just the sort of thing a man who murdered her would say,” Nora said. “His actions were desperate. He was trying to pin it on Harvey.”

“Maybe he was.” Ellerton shrugged. “But there’s that pesky DNA evidence Harvey just told you about. That’s a lot stronger than anything else. Besides, Sergio hitchhiked to town as far as we can tell - he had no car. Tiffany was murdered far away from Harvey’s house. Plus, forensics isn’t back yet, but we’re sure that the murder occurred after Sergio was already dead. Which is about the same time frame that Harvey has no alibi for.”

“Who found Tiffany’s body?” Nora asked.

“An employee at the ice-cream factory,” Ellerton said. “A cleaning lady. Poor thing was terrified. She reported it to her boss, who contacted us.”

“Tiffany’s body was found at the
ice-cream factory?
” Nora exclaimed.
 

“Yep. There’s another thing. Simone and Bernard reported that the keys to the factory gates were missing from their house last night, and you and Harvey both had dinner at their place, didn’t you?”

Nora took a sharp breath. “It’s not possible!”

“It is.” Ellerton nodded. “I asked them myself. They showed me the peg on which they hung it. You and Harvey both used the restroom, and passed it on your way. We found the keys inside the factory premises. Someone used them to sneak in.”

“But that makes no sense to me,” Nora said. “If it was Harvey who had done it, why go to all the extra trouble? Why try and kill her inside a factory that he has never visited? A factory that probably has guards and cameras? Why wouldn’t he just kill her in the woods instead?”

Ellerton shrugged. “Who knows?”

“It just doesn’t make sense. Isn’t it far more likely that someone at the factory is connected somehow?”

“Maybe we’ll uncover that in the coming days. But so far, it seems to me that the case is stacked pretty heavily against Harvey,” Ellerton said with a grimace. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this, but to be honest, I feel this office owes you. You helped us crack cases that would have stayed cold otherwise.” He gave her an understanding look. “I know you’ll want to help crack this one too.”

“There’s only one problem with that.” A booming voice said from behind them. Ellerton and Nora jumped, and turned around. Sean stood there, twirling his hat in his hands. “Nora isn’t an unbiased investigator this time around. This time around, she doesn’t care who really did it. She only cares that Harvey goes free.”
 

“You’re wrong there,” Nora said. “I care about the truth. I care about it more than anything else. I just know in my heart that it isn’t Harvey. It can’t be.”

“You know in your heart?” Sean mocked. “Come on, Nora, who do you think you are? Do you think what you feel matters more than cold hard proof? Harvey’s most likely done it. I know you’ve always thought of him as this saint, but the truth is he’s just a slick business man ready to do anything to turn a profit, even murder someone.”

“I’ll prove you wrong, Sean. I know I will.”

“No you won’t,” Sean said. “You’re already too biased, and a biased investigator doesn’t have the kind of blank-state of readiness a true detective must have. Not to mention, I won’t allow it. I’ll take it very badly if I find out you’re snooping around, Nora. I’m warning you to stay out of this. In fact, I’m ordering you.”

“I don’t know where you or Harvey get the idea that you can order me to do anything I don’t want to,” Nora said. “I’ll be snooping around, Sean, and I’m going to prove Harvey’s innocent. That’s a promise!”

*****

Chapter 8

Upset and confused after her meeting with Sean, Nora headed back to the diner. As soon as she stepped in, she saw that the lunch rush had just started. Tina and Nora had hired a junior chef, a local teen named Lincoln. They hadn’t yet worked up enough money to also hire waitstaff, which meant that normally Tina worked the tables while Nora kept orders flowing.
 

Right now, Tina looked like she was up to her eyebrows with orders. Immediately, Nora sprung to her rescue. She quickly and efficiently washed her hands, did up her apron and manned the stove. “All right Linc,” She said. “What’s the score? What am I supposed to be cooking up?”

“A storm,” Linc said. “We’ve got three hamburgers need grilling, a side order of salad with no breadcrumbs, no tomatoes and dressing on the side. We’ve got five roast beef lunches and one gentleman who Tina promised could have a sandwich that wasn’t on the menu - ham with apple slices. Oh, and there’s two new orders of our pan-seared chicken with mushrooms and lemon herb sauce. The lunch rush is just getting started.”

“Consider it all done.” Nora smiled. She took a deep breath. Thoughts of Harvey and his troubles still swirled in her mind, but right now, she knew that she’d help him better by centering herself. Sean was right about one thing, a good detective had to be calm and rational. She was anything but after that emotional meeting with Harvey.

“Let’s do this,” she said. Closing her eyes and taking three deep breaths, she prepared herself, mentally sorting through the ingredients, calculating the timings and the method.

Once she had started, she moved as gracefully as a dancer. Each movement had meaning, and there was never a second when she was not busy. Lincoln helped greatly by prepping her vegetables and sweeping away the orders once they’d been plated.

While she was grilling the monster-burgers, as they were called at the diner, Nora simultaneously began pan-frying the chicken, adding shallots and mushrooms. She’d marinated them the night before, which meant they’d be nice and juicy. The roast beef lunch consisted of blanched green beans, carrots, roast potatoes and roast beef under a creamy gravy. She quickly boiled up a pot of water, and moved them swiftly, from the boiling water to a big pot of ice water next to it.

“Never seen it done that way before,” Linc commented. “I just take em out of the boiling water and eat em right up.”

“This way, they keep that bright green just off the farm look.” Nora smiled. “Helps them stay a little crunchier too. Have you sliced up the apple for the apple-and-ham sandwich?”

“Yep.”

“All right, drizzle a little honey on the apples and let’s stick them on the grill.” Nora smiled. “It’ll taste much better in the sandwich that way, and we don’t need to add any other sauce. Just some creamy butter will do.”

“Smells heavenly. I’ll eat it myself.”

“Don’t you dare.” Nora laughed.

The next hour passed quickly. Cooking was as effective as meditation, really. All thoughts and anxieties were cleared from Nora’s mind as she focussed on the present. Right now, her job, no, her solemn duty, was to fill the stomachs and the hearts of her patrons. After that, as soon as she had time to think, she’d think long and hard about Harvey.
 

She gave a little yelp. She’d gotten distracted, and one of the hamburgers she was grilling was now a little overdone. “Well, looks like that’s my lunch.” She placed it aside with a sigh and put another patty on the grill. “How’s it looking out there, Linc?”
 

“The storm’s abated,” he said. “We’ve got no newbies coming in. Most of the people out there already have their plates, and Tina’s handling the orders for pie just fine.”

“Mmm. pie.” Nora licked her lips. “Remind her to save me a slice, will you? We’ve made cardamom buttermilk pie today, haven’t we? I love those.”

“They’re a big hit with the customers too,” Linc said. “I think they’re selling out fast.”

Half an hour more, and Nora had finished up in the kitchen. Finally, she had space to breathe. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she did, thoughts began crashing through her subconscious and into her mind, overwhelming her.

What if it
was
Harvey who had done it? No, no it couldn’t possibly be. What if Sean managed to convict him anyway? The evidence was pretty strong, wasn’t it? Then again, Harvey would fight hard to get the charges dropped, and he’d be helped by some very good lawyers. Then again, even if the lawyers got Harvey free, what would happen to Harvey’s reputation here in town? Milburn was a small town, and if people suspected that Harvey
had
murdered Tiffany, why they wouldn’t want to do business with him anymore. Harvey could very well find himself in a soup even if he was released. No. He needed his name to be cleared very conclusively. Nora had to help him. But how? Who could she talk to?
 

Simone and Bernard were an obvious first choice, Nora thought. As the owners of the ice-cream factory, they’d be able to tell her more. Who else did she know that worked there? Karen was a bookkeeper at the factory, wasn’t she? Nora nodded. Yes, she’d speak to Karen too. Maybe she could give her a more unbiased view about the factory than Simone and Bernard would.

What next? Nora wondered. The trail seemed to run cold from there. Of course, Tiffany herself would have friends, wouldn’t she? Nora hadn’t seen her about much. Had she lived in town a long time?
 

“Nora, you’ve done enough for today.” Tina came in, interrupting her thoughts. “Linc can handle it for the next hour. Why don’t you sit down and have a quiet lunch?”

Nora nodded. She had to eat and keep her energy up, but part of her wondered what poor Harvey was doing. He was a somewhat picky eater, she knew, and he might decide to be defiant and simply starve himself rather than eating the rather bland food he was sure to be served in jail.

Tina sat her down and pushed a burger and some thick wedge potatoes in front of her, but Nora simply played listlessly with her food. The bell above the door tinkled as someone walked in.

Karen! Nora sprang up in excitement. After the diner had opened, Nora had been far too busy to meet Karen. She hadn’t even realized that she and Sean had broken up until Sean told her. Sure, she had wanted to grill Karen a little about the ice-cream factory, but she was also glad to see her old friend again.

Karen smiled at Nora, and gave her a nod. “I came by to see how you’re doing. I heard about Harvey’s arrest, and figured you’d need a sympathetic ear.”

“Oh,
your
sympathetic ear is exactly what I needed.” Nora smiled. “Come, sit down. Have lunch with me. It’s on the house.”

“I insist on paying.” Karen smiled. “I know you’re just starting out, and every little penny helps!”

Tina waved to Karen, and walked over. “Well hello, stranger, haven’t seen you in a long while.”

“Sorry about that,” Karen said. “I guess… I’ve not wanted much company these last few months.”

“Is it because you and Sean broke up?” Tina asked.

Nora kicked her under the table.

“Um, I mean, not that it’s my business, of course. But you two were really cute together,” Tina said. “I heard you’re planning to leave town, too?”

Karen, who was an intensely private person, gave a little sigh. “I don’t want to think about it right now, Tina.”

“Of course. Of course. Here’s something to think about instead. Wwould you rather have some delicious roast beef, or a pan fried chicken with mushrooms and lemon herb sauce?”