The Bigfoot Blunder (A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery Book 1) Read online

Bay nodded without hesitation. “Yes.”

  “We’re happily married!”

  “That’s not what all of the workers say,” Bay countered. “They say your husband sleeps with everyone, you know it, and that Penny was only his latest conquest.”

  “I … you … I … you can’t say things like that to me,” Phyllis spat, her temper flaring. “My husband is a good and loyal man. He’s a great father.”

  “He also can’t keep it in his pants,” Bay said calmly. “Where were you three nights ago, Mrs. Grimes?”

  Phyllis narrowed her eyes to dangerous slits, lowering her voice as she leaned forward. “You are not a police officer. I don’t have to answer your questions.”

  “That’s fine.” Bay was airy, seemingly unbothered, even though Jim Green, the head of security, was back and watching us from a few feet away. “The police and FBI will be here to talk to you in a few hours about some new evidence they have. I thought you might want to get your statement on record with the public before that happens.”

  Phyllis jerked her eyes to the door, fearful. “They wouldn’t dare question me here.”

  “They don’t care where they question you, just that they get answers,” Bay countered. “Well, if you don’t want to talk to me, I’ll take what everyone else said and move on from there.”

  “Don’t you dare!” Phyllis grabbed Bay’s arm, digging her fingernails in as she locked gazes with the reporter. “That slut got what she deserved. Everyone knows it. That doesn’t mean I did anything to her. You stay away from my husband and me. Don’t even think of asking him questions. We’re innocent.”

  “Phyllis, don’t let her get to you,” Green ordered, stepping closer to the hysterical woman and keeping his eyes on her rather than us. “You’re playing right into her hands.”

  Bay remained unnaturally calm as she stared into the woman’s eyes. “Where were you three nights ago?” she repeated finally, catching me off guard with the question. I thought for sure she would apologize for upsetting the woman. I was convinced she’d back off. Instead she drilled deeper. “Were you with Penny?”

  “Don’t answer that,” Green snapped, moving behind the desk and grabbing Phyllis’ arm. “Don’t even think about answering that.”

  Phyllis stared into Green’s eyes and then stiffly nodded. “Right. Right.”

  “It’s going to be okay, Phyllis,” Green soothed. “I’ll get rid of them.”

  “You stay away from us,” Phyllis seethed, spittle forming at the corners of her mouth as she fought to regroup. “You’ll be sorry if you don’t.”

  “Like Penny was sorry?”

  “Like … mind your own business!” Phyllis pulled away from Green and turned on her heel, disappearing into the office on the other side of the desk.

  I risked a glance at Bay and didn’t miss the small smile playing at the corners of her mouth or the defiant stare she bored in Green’s direction. “Why did you do that?” I asked, genuinely curious. “She would’ve been more prone to answer if you were nicer to her.”

  “I’ve heard some disturbing things about her,” Bay explained. “One of the young women who is at the diner now worked here for a few months. She said Phyllis attacked her for putting in a drink order with Bob Grimes … even though he’s the bartender and you’re supposed to put your drinks in with him. The woman said Phyllis accused her of sleeping with her husband and threatened her. She said she was crazy.”

  “So you wanted to make her crazier?” That made absolutely no sense to me.

  Bay shrugged. “I want to see what she’ll do. She won’t answer questions and I don’t have the authority to ask the ones I really want to ask. That will be up to Landon and Chief Terry.”

  “So now what do we do?” I asked, confused.

  Bay pointed toward the couch that faced the concierge desk. “We watch and see how she melts down.”

  “You’re kind of mean,” I said, the words escaping even though I was mildly impressed.

  Bay wasn’t bothered. “I learned that from Aunt Tillie, too.”

  15

  Fifteen

  True to her word, Tillie met us at Bay’s car later that afternoon.

  “The chocolate in that place sucks a wizard’s nut,” Tillie announced, tossing a bag of candy in Bay’s direction. “Only give that to someone you hate. It will give you the runs.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as Bay calmly nodded.

  “I’ll drop it in front of Mrs. Little’s store or something,” Bay offered, distracted.

  “That’s a great idea.” Tillie brightened considerably until she took a moment to absorb Bay’s countenance. “What’s wrong, pouty?”

  “How well do you know Phyllis Grimes?” Bay asked, rolling her neck until it cracked. I thought she would keep what happened inside to herself – perhaps embarrassed because she chased off Phyllis – but she appeared to be focused on something else.

  “Phyllis Grimes?” Tillie wrinkled her nose. “That name doesn’t mean a heck of a lot to me. Why?”

  “She’s Bob Grimes’ wife.”

  “Who is Bob Grimes?” Tillie asked, confused.

  “He’s the bartender,” Bay replied. “He was having an affair with Penny Schilling.”

  “And she’s the woman eaten by Bigfoot?” Tillie didn’t look impressed. “Well, was she sleeping around with everyone or just someone else’s someone?”

  “Everyone,” I answered automatically. “She was sleeping with the head of purchasing, the head of security and the chief bartender. The guys we partied with last night also told me that she would sleep with anyone if she was bored.”

  Tillie’s expression turned appraising. “You partied with the manual laborers and got some good information. I couldn’t be more proud if you were one of my own.”

  The compliment caught me off guard. “I … well … thank you.”

  “She’s not done yet,” Bay said dryly.

  “You should’ve asked about the wife,” Tillie added. “She’s obviously the key. How did you approach her, Bay?”

  “Like you would’ve done.”

  “You accused her and she ran and hid?” Tillie tapped her chin. “Hmm. Why did you think I would know this woman?”

  “Because she’s Anna Stewart’s daughter,” Bay replied, her eyes traveling back to the resort’s main door. “She was ahead of us in school by quite a bit. I don’t know much about her. I’m not sure she recognized me before I introduced myself.”

  “She doesn’t live in Hemlock Cove, right?” I was still trying to follow all of the small town familial trails.

  Bay shook her head. “She lives here. I see her in town from time to time – her mother still lives in Hemlock Cove – but I don’t think she spends much time hanging around at town festivals.”

  “Oh, Phyllis Stewart?” Tillie bobbed her head. “I know who you’re talking about. Fat girl? Wears her hair so short that she kind of looks like a pig?”

  Bay heaved a sigh. “You can’t say things like that. She’s not fat. She’s very … pretty.”

  Tillie made a face that would’ve made me laugh under different circumstances. Much like Bay, though, I wasn’t keen on making fun of people’s looks. “Oh, please. You’re such a whiner. I didn’t raise you to be politically correct, Bay.”

  “You raised me to torture my enemies with yellow snow and curses,” Bay countered. “This woman isn’t my enemy, though. From everything I heard about her yesterday, she’s not exactly pleasant. But that doesn’t mean she’s a terrible person. If your husband cheated on you with everything that moved, you’d probably be unpleasant too.”

  “No one would ever cheat on me,” Tillie countered. “I’m a dynamo in the sack. Men have written sonnets about it. I could totally do it professionally if I was so inclined.”

  Tillie Winchester was in her eighties. I didn’t have an exact age, but I was sure of that. To hear her say those words was enough to cause me to double over with laughter.

  “
What is she carrying on about?” Tillie asked, annoyed.

  “She thinks it’s funny that you called yourself a ‘dynamo in the sack,’” Bay explained. “She’s trying to picture you doing just that.”

  “Oh, gross.” Tillie smacked my arm. “I didn’t realize you were a pervert. Knock that off or I’ll put you on my list.”

  I had the strength to silence myself and straighten, although just barely. I took a few moments to collect myself and then shifted my gaze to the huge windows at the front of the lobby. I could clearly make out Phyllis Grimes standing in one. She watched us with outright hatred.

  “What do you think we should do?” I asked, once my laughter was contained. “Do you think she’s guilty?”

  “We can’t know that until we know exactly what happened,” Bay answered, resting her hand on top of her car. “We need to talk to Landon.”

  “What is he going to do?” I was honestly curious.

  “Other than kiss her and leave her breathless? He eats a lot of bacon and yells like a bossy cow,” Tillie replied.

  Bay shot her great-aunt a dark look. “Don’t say things like that about him.”

  “I was merely testing to see if you were listening,” Tillie countered. “You know I love Landon dearly.”

  Bay narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to tell him you said that.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll deny it.”

  “He’ll believe me because I don’t have a history of lying,” Bay countered.

  “He’ll believe me because I’m mean to him and that will never change.” Tillie threw open the car door and stared inside for a moment. “I want to drive.”

  “Over my dead body,” Bay countered, opening the driver’s side door. “You can drive your own truck when we get back to town.”

  “You’re such a kvetch when you want to be,” Tillie grumbled.

  “I still don’t know what a kvetch is,” I admitted.

  “It’s Bay right now,” Tillie offered. “A whiner and complainer.”

  “Doesn’t that make you the queen of kvetches?” I asked, the words escaping a second before I realized how dumb it was to say something like that.

  Bay’s eyes widened to comical proportions as she risked a glance at Tillie. I realized I was holding my breath and let out a long gasp as Tillie glared at me.

  “I … um … .”

  “Don’t say anything to ruin it,” Tillie said after a beat, turning to face forward. “I’m starting to like you.”

  “That’s high praise indeed,” I teased.

  “I said starting,” Tillie stressed. “That doesn’t mean I won’t put you on my list.”

  “Duly noted.”

  Tillie grabbed the offensive candy and rested it on her knee. “Drop me off in town. I have an errand to run.”

  Bay eyed her, suspicious. “Mrs. Little?”

  “I have other enemies.”

  “Fine. If you get arrested, though, don’t call me.”

  “Do I ever?”

  “At least three times since I moved back to town.”

  “So you’re due.”

  BAY PARKED in front of the newspaper office, barely spared a glance for Tillie as she scampered across the parking lot, and then pointed herself in the direction of the diner. I followed her for lack of something better to do but I had no idea what we were doing.

  “What now?”

  “I need lunch,” Bay replied. “Landon is at the diner.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because his Explorer is at the police station and it’s noon,” Bay replied. “He and Chief Terry like to eat lunch and talk about the case at noon whenever possible. They’re creatures of habit.”

  “Do you think they’re alike?”

  Bay nodded. “In a lot of ways they are. Why do you ask?”

  “Because they say that girls marry their fathers, and Mrs. Gunderson said the chief was essentially your father.”

  Bay’s shoulders were stiff as she swiveled and my heart sank at the expression on her face.

  “I’m sorry,” I offered lamely. “I didn’t mean it.”

  “I think you did mean it, and that’s the problem.” Bay wet her lips. “I think you’re nice … and smart … and funny. I need you to know that.”

  My stomach twisted but I managed to nod. “Thank you.”

  “I also think you’re young and impulsive,” Bay added. “You need to think before you speak. I know it’s hard. I’m a Winchester so … trust me. I know it’s freaking hard. You still need to do it. You won’t make it far in this line of work if you don’t take other people’s feelings into consideration.”

  “Did you take Phyllis Grimes’ feelings into consideration when you went after her today?”

  Bay’s expression was unreadable as she tilted her head to the side. “I’m looking for a killer. What are you doing?”

  “I … um … .”

  “That’s what I thought.” Bay ran her hands through her hair as we approached the diner. “Take it from someone who does and says stupid things every single day, there’s going to come a time when you want to take something back. You won’t be able to, and it will eat at you.”

  “That happens on a regular basis with me,” I admitted. “You, too?”

  Bay nodded. “Because I’m related to Aunt Tillie and Thistle, people rarely notice when I say stupid things. That doesn’t mean I don’t say them. It also doesn’t mean I don’t regret them.”

  “I’m sorry. I … that wasn’t a smart thing to say.”

  Bay snorted, the inelegant display causing my discomfort to ratchet up a notch. “I notice that you said it wasn’t a smart thing to say, but you’re not exactly taking it back.”

  “Should I take it back?” The question came out as something of a challenge even though I wasn’t looking for a fight. I have tone issues sometimes that I can’t explain. People think I’m trying to goad them when in reality I only want to learn.

  “You’re not wrong,” Bay said. “Chief Terry is my father in all the ways that count. That doesn’t change the fact that I do have a father. It also doesn’t change the fact that my relationship with Chief Terry and my father is none of your business.”

  “I … I really am sorry.”

  “I know you are.” Bay’s lips curved and she turned back to the diner. “That doesn’t mean you don’t need to think before you speak. You don’t want to grow up to be Aunt Tillie. I can pretty much guarantee that.”

  Bay didn’t wait to see if I had a response, instead disappearing inside of the diner. Perhaps she realized that I couldn’t stop talking until someone else ended the conversation and was doing me a favor. It’s one of my weaknesses.

  She was right about Landon being inside, of course. He brightened when she breezed in, accepting her proffered kiss and making room for her between himself and the chief. I didn’t immediately notice that they weren’t alone. Jack and Bernard sat with them, and they seemed to be involved in a serious conversation. I didn’t have many options, so I joined them.

  “You should order something to eat,” Jack said, moving so I could sit between him and Bernard. “I was starting to get worried, you were gone so long. What did you find out at the resort?”

  “Well, Bay approached the wife of the bartender right away and basically accused her of knowing about her husband’s affair. We didn’t get much further than that,” I answered.

  “You did what?” Landon rarely raised his voice to Bay, but he looked furious now.

  “This would be another instance where you should think before you speak,” Bay said, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead and avoiding Landon’s accusatory eyes. “I have a headache.”

  “You do not have a headache,” Landon countered. “What did you say to the Grimes woman? I told you that we were going to question her. Why did you take it upon yourself to do it first?”

  “I spent the entire day with Aunt Tillie and another woman who has no filter,” Bay countered. “I have a huge headache. I
think my head might even fall off it hurts so much.”

  “Don’t yell at her,” Chief Davenport ordered. “We need to give her some aspirin.”

  “Oh, you’re playing to your audience,” Landon muttered. “You know Terry won’t yell at you and you’re counting on that. Just because he’s a softie doesn’t mean I won’t yell at you. Now that woman knows we’re coming, Bay. She’ll have time to think of a story.”

  “Did you honestly think she wouldn’t have time to think of one?” Bay challenged. “I wanted to see her face when I mentioned Penny. Sue me.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She melted down, threatened me and then hid in the back office for two hours,” Bay replied, unruffled. “She clearly knows something.”

  “Does she really know something or is this like when you were convinced Clove was keeping something from you and you got thrown from a horse because you were distracted?” Landon challenged.

  Bay scalded him with a dark look. “Clove was hiding something. And you know darned well that’s not why I fell off the horse.”

  “Why did you fall off the horse?” I asked.

  “Never mind,” Bay and Landon answered in unison, their eyes zeroed in on each other.

  “I think that they want you to mind your own business,” Jack cautioned, his voice low. “I’m guessing that you don’t want to get into the middle of whatever they’re about to fight about.”

  “They’re not going to fight,” the chief said, handing Bay one of his onion rings and grinning when he saw Landon’s scowl. “This is just how they interact occasionally. When two dominant personalities share space in the same relationship things like this happen.”

  “Don’t eat that onion ring,” Landon ordered. “I won’t be able to kiss you when it’s time to make up if you do.”

  “You could eat half of it and then we’d both smell,” Bay suggested.

  Landon took his half of the onion ring and wordlessly popped it into his mouth. He muttered something, which sounded suspiciously like “you’re still in trouble,” but I couldn’t be sure because he turned back to his burger and fries, the argument seemingly forgotten.