Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
“ S kunk spray, Pepper? Really?” my dad asked, waving away the stink that drifted off the three bikers who stood a good distance away.
“Pepper spray is illegal,” I reminded him with a smile and was glad Amy, Mo, and I had hurried away from the three bikers after spraying them, though one of my fingers had a stench to it.
“What happened here?” my dad asked, having responded quickly to Amy’s phone call.
I explained it all to him.
He called for backup, then yelled out to the bikers, not wanting to be anywhere near them, “Put what weapons you have on you on the ground now! That goes for all of you.”
Several knives began to litter the ground.
“What brings you to the cemetery?” my dad called out.
“Looking for a family grave,” the good-looking guy shouted.
“Your name, the one you were born with, not your club name?”
“Damian Stone.”
Amy tugged at my sleeve. “That name sounds like it came straight out of a romance novel.”
“He smells of skunk,” I reminded her.
“All of you, get your IDs out,” my dad ordered.
“It’s not illegal to carry knives in Pennsylvania,” Stone shouted.
“True, but there is such a thing known as proportional response,” my dad shouted back.
“The dog was ready to attack us,” one of the guys shouted.
“Did he attack?” my dad yelled.
“The skinny one didn’t give him a chance. She skunked us,” the other guy said.
I had to give it to my dad. He turned his head away so they wouldn’t see him laugh. Then once he got control, he turned back around. “Thus, proportional response.”
Two squad cars pulled up and two officers got out, Josh being one of them.
“Your brother is never going to forgive you for this, especially if he has a date with Kate tonight,” Amy warned.
“Gather their IDs, Josh, and run them,” my dad called out.
Josh gagged as he collected IDs. “What the hell happened to you guys?”
“That skinny broad skunked us,” one guy said, pointing to Pepper.
“When I am done here, Pepper,” Josh shouted, “I’m going to come give you a big hug.”
“If you do that, I won’t tell you how to get the skunk smell off you,” I called out.
“How?” the three skunk-smelling men shouted.
My dad shook his head and turned to me. “Unless one of them is carrying a butterfly knife or a paratrooper knife, I can’t hold them unless something comes back on the background check. They can carry knives and you both can protect yourself proportionally. So, it’s a wash. Though I do want to know if they intend to remain in Willow Lake and for how long.”
It didn’t take long to run the names and find out there were no warrants out for any of the bikers. A few had been arrested and fined for misdemeanors but nothing major.
With a snap of my dad’s hand, he waved Stone forward. “Mr. Stone, I’d like a word with you.” He held up his hand to stop him when he got close enough to hear without shouting. “Passing through or are you planning on staying in Willow Lake for a while?”
“Haven’t decided yet,” Stone said, his glance settling on me.
“We have a quiet town here, Mr. Stone. See to your business and be on your way,” my dad said.
“We’ll mind our business, Sheriff, and cause no trouble unless given a reason to,” Stone said, and sent me a smile that would melt most women.
“Then let me give you a good reason to mind your business when it comes to that woman you keep looking at, the one who skunked you. She’s my daughter and you’ll be wise to stay away from her.”
Stone grinned. “No wonder she can take care of herself. And just so you know, Sheriff, we had no intentions of hurting anyone.”
Mo disagreed, growling at him.
“Easy, buddy, I’m not going to hurt you or your owner,” Stone said in a way of an apology. “Now, gorgeous, how about telling me how to get rid of this disgusting sink?”
“Google it,” my dad said. “Now gather your knives and be on your way.”
“Stone nodded. “I will be returning to the cemetery to visit my relative’s grave.
“The name?” my dad asked.
Stone’s smile turned smug as he pointed to the top of the mausoleum where the name had been carved. “Willow.”
“How do we take his word for it?” I asked Amy as I parked the truck in front of Yesterday’s Treasures. Amy and I discussed the situation on the short ride here and the question haunted me. “That Stone fellow could have spotted the name Willow on the mausoleum and used it to his advantage. When his real reason for being there might have something to do with the motorcycle boot wearing guy that Ian and I found. And you said yourself that you thought it was strange that he just happened to show up the day after the body vanished.”
“Good points all of them,” Amy agreed. “But he’s not exactly someone you should be talking to. MCs are not known for their kindness or their good looks for that matter.”
“Then why do you read MC romances?”
“The thrill of a pure fantasy,” Amy said with a dramatic sigh.
“I bet you’re living that fantasy now with Beau tattooed up for the biker photo shoot Ian’s been commissioned to do.”
Amy pressed her hand to her heart as she and I, along with Mo, walked up the steps to the shop located in an old Victorian-style house. “Be still my heart. Beau has brought my fantasy to life, wearing the MC outfit when he visits me after a photo shoot.”
“Visits?” I laughed. “He spends more time at your house than the lodge.”
I was glad Amy was enjoying her relationship with Beau. She had carried an unrequited and unspoken love for my middle brother Thomas since she was young. I was glad she was finally allowing herself to look past it and see it was nothing more than a bit of hero worship for being a good friend when she needed one. And Beau was helping her do just that.
Mo parked himself on the porch to enjoy the spring day and no doubt to receive adulations from friends and strangers alike before they ventured into the shop.
“Behave,” I warned him, opening the door to the shop.
Kate welcomed us with a smile, her long reddish blonde hair falling loose from whatever antique combs she had used to secure the stubborn strands that fell and framed her attractive face perfectly.
“So glad to see you both. Amy, I scooped up a box of romance novels from a garage sale the other day if you’d like to go through them. I haven’t had a chance to open the box yet, so I have no idea what books it contains.”
“I’d love to,” Amy said with the glee of a child on Christmas morning.
“Could you divide them into piles for me, contemporary, historical—” Kate laughed. “You know the various romance sub-genres better than I do.”
“No worries. I’ll get it done for you.”
“And I’d like to purchase one of those books on the history of Willow Lake,” I said, reminding Amy of why we were there.
“You can skim it while I see to the romances,” Amy said.
Kate gave a nod to a small table near the staircase. “Grab one. The box of romance books is in the romance room. Relax and take your time. I appreciate the help. If you find any keepers, they’re on the house.”
That got Amy even more excited to dig into the box of romances.
Amy and I headed up to the second floor. The romance room contained old romance novels and a spattering of new romances, romance DVDs, and Kate had recently added old perfume bottles and evening bags from a bygone era.
“I love how Kate keeps adding to the rooms to give them their own style,” Amy said and nearly screeched with delight when she spotted a sizeable box.
“We can’t be here all day,” I warned.
“You can go when you want to. I’ll find a ride home,” Amy said and rushed to the box that you would think was loaded with gold.
I shook my head, reminding her of our plans, “Lunch.”
She turned a pleading grin on me. “An hour, no more.”
What the heck? It would give me time to see what the history of Willow Lake had to tell me.
I nodded and walked to one of the big comfy chairs, the chintz faded with time but no less comfy. I barely sat when my cell rang. It was Ian.
“Josh called you, didn’t he?” I said in lieu of a greeting and laughter told me I was right.
“He’s mad, Pep, so I’d watch out. Your dad wouldn’t let Josh or the other officer in the police station. He sent them home to get rid of the stench.”
“That’s on my dad since he made them collect their information, smart sheriff that he is,” I said with a chuckle.
“I can just see the grin on your face. But beware, your brother is not a happy person. However, I was thrilled to hear how Mo protected you and Amy.”
“He didn’t waste a minute. He kept the bikers at bay with vicious snarls and snaps,” I said with pride.
“What provoked him?” Ian asked.
She knew he wasn’t going to like what she told him, but they were honest with each other, and she wanted to keep it that way.
“The leader’s approach was a bit overzealous, and I don’t think Mo liked when he called me gorgeous.”
He snarled almost as bad as Mo. “I dinnae like that either.”
His Scottish accent got a bit thicker when he got annoyed, which he didn’t do easily.
“I didn’t care for it myself,” I said.
“So, you sprayed him with skunk spray?”
“No, I skunked them because the other two bikers who approached with the leader pulled knives on Mo when he started snarling.”
“Knives? Josh dinnae mention anything about knives.”
“No worries, Ian, all turned out well,” I assured him though I did understand his concern since it could have turned out differently. And so that he didn’t linger on the incident, I told him where Amy and I were and why we were there. “I was just about to sit and look through the book when you called. Amy and I intend to grab some lunch when we finish here, then I’ll head home.”
I wasn’t prone to making Ian aware of my every move, but I didn’t want him to worry needlessly.
“Thanks for letting me know, Pep, I appreciate it. I’ll see you later. Love you.”
“Back at you,” I said and darn if my heart didn’t flutter.
“It feels good being in love, doesn’t it,” Amy said, staring at me as she clutched two paperback books to her chest.
“It shows that much?” I asked, but I actually didn’t mind.
“It does and I am so happy for you.”
“Okay, enough sloppy romance stuff, back to work,” I ordered, smiling. “An hour is all I can do before my stomach starts protesting.”
“Perfect, I’m dying for one of Zelda’s thick, gooey grilled three-cheese sandwiches.”
“With coleslaw and lots of pickles on the side,” I said, my mouth already watering.
“I’ll hurry,” Amy said and returned to sorting through the box of romances and stacking several to keep.
I found myself more interested in the book than I expected. “Did you ever wonder what happened to Verbena Willow?” I asked.
“She died young of an illness,” Amy said, setting another book aside for herself before taking another handful of books out of the box.
“That’s the answer everyone gives but nothing has actually been written about the illness. Had she been ill long? Were there other illnesses in the town at the time? What was it that claimed her life at only ten years old?”
“Oh no, another mystery you are going to want to solve.” Amy shook her head as another book was added to her personal pile of books. “I would forget about this one, Pepper. The odds of solving such an old mystery are not good.”
“I suppose, but it’s got me curious as to why her cause of death was never mentioned. It couldn’t have been any type of contagious disease or there would be a record of it. If it was an accident that left her ill, it would have been talked about it, but nothing is written that leads to that possibility.”
“It could have been any number of diseases that are curable today,” Amy suggested.
“True enough,” I agreed, my eyes glued to the pages of the book.
“You never agree that fast. What’s caught your interest?”
“The distance the mausoleum is from the house. If Ignatius Willow was that devastated over his daughter’s death, why bury her so far from the house?”
“Who wants to live close to a mausoleum?” Amy shuddered.
“Parents who mourn their only child’s death,” I said, “though from what I’m reading he was a practical businessman. He had built Main Street, owned every shop there, not that it was designated as Main Street back then. He established the first bank in Willow. The mercantile was the first building to be built and other buildings followed quickly afterwards.”
“Are there any pictures in there of the inside of the mausoleum that might help you?” Amy asked, her personal pile of books growing.
“Not much—oh, wait a minute,” I said, a section catching my interest. “It says here that a rumor circulated that Ignatius buried a diamond and pearl necklace that had been in his family for generations and that Verbena would receive and wear it on her wedding day. But there is no proof of that. Oh,” I said, reading on and summarizing it for Amy. “The rumor started because Ignatius had his daughter’s tomb permanently sealed, never able to be opened again.”
“That definitely would cause gossip to spread quick enough, though it could be that a wise father continued to protect his daughter even in death.”
“A good point, but it sure makes one wonder what part of the past holds the truth and what is nothing more than gossip,” I said, my stomach gurgling loudly.
Amy chuckled. “I’m starving too.”
I helped Amy carry her stack of six books downstairs to the register.
“Everything is separated into piles and the piles are labeled,” Amy said. “And thank you for giving me dibs on the box.”
“It’s the least I can do since you sorted them for me. It saves me a mountain of time,” Kate said.
I handed Kate the History of Willow Lake book.
Kate glanced over the book before handing it back to me while Amy slipped her pile of books into one of her many foldable cloth bags she carried in her gigantic purse.
“I sell a couple of these every few months, but this is the third one I sold in the last couple of days. Go figure,” Kate said with a shrug.
Hearing that, I was quick to ask, “Who bought them?”
“Besides you, a guy maybe late twenties or early thirties and a big burly, biker type guy, who came in only to purchase the book.”
“Not interested in browsing or buying?” I asked, wondering if the twenty to thirty-year-old guy could be the guy Ian and I found.
“Not the least. Both asked where I kept the History of Willow Lake book, they grabbed a copy, paid, and were gone. Neither of them glanced around at anything else. And the odd thing was that they came in within a couple of hours of each other.
“Did you talk with either of them?” I asked.
“We barely exchanged words. Both appeared in a hurry, and I didn’t get the feeling they’d be returning customers, so I didn’t waste my time.”
“Do you recall what they looked like?” I asked.
“Nothing memorable about either since I barely can recall them, except they both were wearing dark hoodies, and one had some scruff on his face, the other a salt and pepper beard.”
“Could you help me when you get the chance?” a woman asked from behind her and Amy. “There are a few pieces of furniture I am interested in discussing with you.”
“I will be with you in a second,” Kate said, and the woman smiled and returned to whatever furniture had caught her interest.
“Sounds like a sizeable sale. I have to go,” Kate said, handing Amy her change.
“Seeing my brother tonight?” I asked.
“We might grab supper, but we haven’t confirmed it yet.”
“You might want to put it off for another day. He had an encounter with some skunk spray,” I said with a grin.
Kate wrinkled her nose. “Thanks for letting me know. I just might have to work late.”
“Your brother is going to kill you,” Amy warned when we stepped outside.
Mo was enjoying the attention of an elderly woman as her husband waited patiently nearby. Once Mo saw me, he hurried to my side.
“He is a beautiful dog,” the elderly woman said.
“And an attention seeker,” I said with a chuckle.
The woman smiled. “Handsome and sweet, who wouldn’t adore him.”
“Bikers.” Amy and I laughed in unison and Mo barked once the woman and husband entered the shop, then we got in the truck and headed to the diner.
“So, you didn’t find anything in the book that helped?” Amy asked.
“The photos don’t show the spot where Ian and I discovered the body, though it did make me curious about the Willow family. I really need to get back there and see what I may have missed. There must be a secret entrance and exit somewhere in it. How else could the guy have gotten out of there? If I get inside, I may be able to find out where it is.”
“Did you forget what Dan told you… private property. Unless you know a member of the Willow family, you’re not getting back in there.”
I grinned.
Amy poked me in the arm. “Tell me you are not thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
Mo stuck his head between the two front seats from the back and growled low.
“He even knows what you’re thinking and warning you against it,” Amy said. “And what about Ian? He won’t approve.” Amy gasped. “Your dad! He’d have a fit.”
“You are being overly dramatic.”
“I am being sensible, something, at times, you have trouble doing.”
Amy often scolded me when she thought I was doing something foolish, purely out of love of course, and as always, I defended myself. “I didn’t say I was going to do it.”
“I know you, Pepper Euphemia Madison. Once you get an idea in your head, there is no stopping you.”
“It would be a last resort, after I exhausted all other options,” I explained.
“I’d like to see you convince Ian and your dad that you were left with no options but to engage the help of Damian Stone, motorcycle club leader, to get you into his family’s mausoleum.”