COZY MYSTERY: Murder At The Festival: A Cozy Mystery in the Mountains (Book 4) (2 page)

The festival kicked off on Friday night with a dance hosted by and for the locals. A little canopy had been put up by the town hall, and hot wine was served out of large barrels. Victoria, glad to be off work for once, thoroughly enjoyed eating the garlic cheese toast and roasted potatoes and exchanging pleasant small talk with other shop owners. The dance didn’t break up until about midnight when a slightly tipsy Victoria was led home by her sister and the charming Corporal Jager.

Saturday morning was demanding. Victoria had agreed to act as tour guide for the small “museum of locks” that Karen had created on the second floor of their house, and dedicated to their father’s memory. She spent the day greeting tourists, feeling unreasonably pleased as they oohed and aahed over her house.

“What I love most,” said one, “Is that I see how real people are living now. My wife and I always see museums, but to be able to see the inside of so many local houses is great. It feels like I’m really learning about the culture of the place.”

“Where do you come from, originally?” Victoria asked.

“Oh, Japan.” He said. “Though I’ve lived in France all my life. My wife here is from Portugal.”

It was a treat to Victoria too that she was able to meet so many people who from so many diverse places. Not all were as enthusiastic. She could always spy when people were determined to be unimpressed or were just accompanying their spouses reluctantly. Still, she always enjoyed being a host.

At about 2 pm, the Mayor came over.

“Mayor Calum,” Victoria said coolly. She was no great fan of the Mayor. He was a little too money minded for her tastes. She was surprised to see him here; she’d assumed he had a lot of work to do today. Still, she had to play nice.

“What can I do for you?” She asked with a smile.

“Do you have any tourists in the house right now?” Calum asked in a whisper.

“The last batch just left,” Victoria said. “What happened?”

Calum showed her his phone. There was a photo of a girl on it. She was a pretty teenager, with long, smooth brown hair, a smattering of freckles, and large bunny teeth. She looked vaguely familiar.

“This is Margie Thompson,” Calum said. “Have you seen her?”

Victoria squinted at the photo, considered, and said, “No. Definitely not. Why?”

Calum puffed out his cheek, then took a deep breath. “Is your son here?”

A little alarmed now, Victoria said, “Byron’s not home right now. He’s with his friends. What’s the matter, Calum? Tell me everything.”

“No cause for alarm,” Calum said. “Nothing’s happened.”

There was an unspoken “yet” that had all Victoria’s alarm bells ringing.

“Well, I’ll tell you what, I’m going to go ask a few more people on Main street, and if you see her, call me immediately, will you?”

“Whoa. You can’t just barge in here, ask me about Byron, and then run off without an explanation.” Victoria blocked him as he tried to walk out. “What is happening, Calum?”

“Well…” Calum sighed. “We think a girl might be missing.”

“You think?” Victoria said.

“Margie’s parents are a little hyper,” Calum said. “They wanted to go to the police, but I told them to calm down. I said I’d do my part.”

“What was all that about Byron?”

“She’s in Byron’s class,” Calum said. “I just thought he might have seen her, and he’d remember more clearly since he knows her.”

Still suspicious, Victoria asked, “So why do they think she’s missing?”

“Margie was supposed to take part in a play today,” Calum said. “You know the school’s doing plays all day today at the park? She was the lead in one of them.”

“Anne’s in one of them too,” Victoria said. “She should be on at about 4. I promised her I’d be there.”

“Well, Margie’s parents went to see her perform, only she didn’t show. When they asked the teacher, they were told she never turned up. Turns out, her parents haven’t seen her all morning. They just assumed she’d gotten up early and left for school so that she could rehearse. So here we are, and I don’t want to panic any tourists, so I’m canvassing the houses trying to find her. She’s probably just dodging her responsibilities and playing hooky with a boy.”

But Victoria could tell from Calum’s voice that he really didn’t believe what he was saying.

Corporal Randolf Jager sipped a hot cup of coffee and hoped that his eyes would stay open. He’d been working hard on digitizing old case files, pulling all-nighters regularly at the office. Even after the fest last night, he’d decided to work a few hours at his office instead of going home. He straightened up as Victoria walked in, and gave her a broad smile. All the sleep in his body seemed to be replaced by alertness instantly.

“Hey, Victoria.” He put down his cup. “No thanks needed, it was a pleasure to drop you home.”

“That’s not what I’ve come to see you about,” Victoria said.

“Oh.” Randolf put out his lower lip. “I thought maybe you bought a pie as thank you?” He gave her a boyish grin, and despite herself, Victoria laughed. “You’ll get your pie and eat it too, Corporal. But I’m here about something a little more serious.”

“What is it?” The levity went out of his voice.

“Calum came to see me,” Victoria said.

“Calum?” Randolf frowned. “He causing you any trouble? I know the new Mayor is a bit uptight about..”

“It’s about Margie Thompson,” Victoria said.

Randolf rubbed his eyes and stretched. “So. Calum’s been to see you about her. Well, Margie’s 18, as I’ve already told her parents. There’s not much to do here.”

“So they’ve been here too.”

“Victoria, I’ve had a really long night, and this is really none of your business.” The Corporal said. “Legally, there’s really not much for me to do.” Once again, he yawned and stretched. Putting his arms around her shoulder, he pulled Victoria closer. “So, now, let’s talk about more interesting things, shall we?” He smiled, looking blindingly happy. “Like how beautiful your eyes look. I ever tell you about that?”

“Randolf quit it.” Victoria shook him off, taking a step back.

He looked very hurt. “I thought… I’m sorry if I overstepped…”

“It’s not that,” Victoria said. “It’s just… the backdrop. A young girl is missing. She was still in school, wasn’t she?”

Randolf sighed. “Victoria. Don’t go getting hyper about this, will you?”

“Hyper?” Victoria said. “I think you're rather lazy about it, Randolf?”

“Lazy!” Randolf rolled his chair away from her, turning his back. “You know what, I’m working right now, Victoria. I thought you were a welcome distraction, but all you want to do is call me names.”

“I’m sorry, Randolf. It’s just that a girl is missing, and all you seem to want is… is pie!”

Randolf turned around, his eyes burning. “Is that how little you think of me? Do you think that if I, for one moment, thought this was anything but an adult wanting to make her own space, I wouldn’t go after her more seriously?”

Victoria didn’t answer.

“Margie Thompson is a very disturbed child,” Randolf said. “I’m sorry, but she’s a textbook case of someone who’s had a less than ideal home life.”

“Really?” This was news to Victoria. She didn’t know Margie very well, but she did know Margie’s mother Michelle, owned a boutique on Main street that was doing quite well right now. She’d moved into town five years ago when Margie was only 13, and the Thompson family had fitted in quite well with the rest.

“Alright, so you know next to nothing about it, but you come in here telling me how to do my job,” Randolf said. “I see how that works.”

“I’m sorry, Randolf. Really. I suppose I was a bit nervous because… well, Calum asked for Byron, and I was a bit worried.”

Randolf raised an eyebrow, and it was his turn to stay silent while Victoria continued, “It’s just that… well, Byron’s at that delicate age. He’s going to graduate soon, and he’s been mulling over college. I was scared about him being… well, involved in something.”

“Byron’s a good kid,” Randolf said. “You worry about him too much.”

“I know, I suppose I do,” Victoria said. “I’m an overprotective mother, and I got it from my own mother. But… I expected the office to be in an uproar; I expected to find you doing everything possible to locate Margie. Instead… you acted as cool as an ice cube.”

Randolf laughed. “Ice cubes are no good, they melt pretty fast in the heat. Now if you’ll put your preconceived notions aside, I’ll let you know what’s happening.”

“That works for me.”

“Alright. The thing is, Margie has run away from home before. This is her fourth time, to be exact. Each time, she’s been back within a day or two.”

“Oh,” Victoria said.

“That’s right. Oh.” Randolf smiled. “She’s also legally an adult now, so if she wants to run away permanently, well, she’s got every right to.”

“When you put it like that…”

“I’m not in a hurry to tell you about her messy home life, but believe me, I’ve done my investigations. Keeney and I have searched her room, and we’re fairly sure this is it. She’s just run away forever.”

“But…” Victoria was both saddened and mystified. “She had a beautiful house and a good family. Why would she want to run away?”

Randolf gave her a pitying smile. “Because not everyone has the same definition of “perfect,” Victoria.”

Refusing to answer any more questions, Randolf escorted her to the door, telling her he’d meet her later for dinner.

Dinner that night was a quiet affair. Word had spread through town about Margie running away, and quite a few neighbors had gone over to Michelle’s house to console her.  Mayor Calum Larch was one of them.

He was a large man, topping 6”5, with broad shoulders, a lined forehead, and a mane of curly black hair that he tamed with copious amounts of gel. He was among the first to arrive at the Thompson house and the last to leave.

Eight people in all, sat with Michelle in the dining room, consoling her as she sobbed, her phone always in her hand.

“I saw her at 9 pm yesterday. So it’s been 24 hours since I last saw her.” Michelle said through tears. “I don’t like to think of it. I don’t. But people said… online I read… that chances of finding a missing person drop to half after 24 hours.”

“There now.” Calum patted her on the back. “We’re doing everything we can to find her. I’ve ordered Corporal Randolf...”

“Corporal Randolf is home asleep.” Someone sneered. “I’m a fan of his, normally, but he’s handling this a little too casually for my comfort.”

Michelle burst into fresh tears at this, and the swarm around her cooed and petted.

Victoria stood at the open door with a freshly baked casserole, feeling very uncomfortable. Karen, a pie in hand, looked equally mortified.

“Should we leave?” Karen whispered to her sister.

“We’re staying at least an hour,” Victoria said.

“We’re so sorry, Michelle,” Karen said as they offered her the food. “I knew Margie, of course. She’s a good kid. I hope she comes home soon.” Margie had worked at the grocery store Karen owned, though Karen hoped her mother would not remember all the details.

“Thank you,” Michelle said with a sniff. “Margie’s never … I don’t know what to do. She’ll be back. She has to be back soon. I just keep thinking… it’s a big bad world out there. Margie’s so little.”

Calum nodded. “We at Larch Springs are horrified, of course. The entire town supports you, Michelle.” He was trying to sound supportive, Victoria knew, but he ended up sounding fake. Almost like a newscaster that expressed sympathy for a tragedy one second, and then switched instantly into a cheerful tone as they talked about some video of a kitten. It didn’t help that of all the people dressed in T-shirts and jeans, Calum was the only one in a fresh pressed blue silk suit.

“I don’t know what to do, other than pray,” Michelle said with a sob.

“How about being quiet?” From the other room, Jonas shuffled over his hair in disarray. He was dressed in gray sweatpants and a tattered old navy T-shirt. In his hand, he held a bottle of beer, from which he took a swig.

“Jonas!”

“I’m telling you, you’re making too much fuss about this,” Jonas said. “It’s downright silly. We both know that.”

From the room he’d just come from, Victoria could hear the TV give out shouts and cheers as some unknown team scored a goal.

“There,” Jonas said. “I step away from the TV one second, and the Tigers score. I’m not a superstitious man, but this is the third time it’s happened.” 

“Maybe you should care about hockey a little less and your wife a bit more,” Calum said coldly.

Jonas swayed a little. “So you’re going to come into my house, and tell me how I should treat my wife, is it?” He slurred. “I’ll tell you what, Mayor Fancypants, come back and talk to me once you have a woman. I’m betting you’ll need a lot more advice than I do.” He gave out a bark of laughter.

“Jonas stop it.” Michelle hissed. “These are guests! They’re our friends.”

“They’re giving you sympathy, and you’re lapping it up,” Jonas said coldly. “What do you care about Margie anyway? We both know she’s a deadbeat.”

“I’ve told you before, don’t talk about her that way!”

“Oh come on, Michelle, it’s not like you don’t secretly agree. This is not the first time she’s...”

“Mrs. Thompson?” A voice called.

Michelle looked up.

A tall boy stood at the door, dressed in baggy shorts and a Ramones T-shirt. His hair hung over his eyes, and his shoulders seemed to droop inside his shirt.

“I heard about Margie. I came over to ask if there was any news.” He said.

“You! You’re the one we should be asking.” Jonas said, clearly enjoying himself. “She was your girlfriend wasn’t she?”

The boy nodded, clearly frightened. He must love her, Victoria thought, to brave coming over here like this.

“Margie and I have been seeing each other two years.” He said.

“But she didn’t bring you over even once.” Jonas laughed. “Was she ashamed of being seen with you? I should think so. I figured she had better taste.”

The boy’s pimply face went red, and his eyes registered real hurt.

Calum, fed up, stepped forward and put a hand on Jonas’ shoulder. “I think you should get back to watching TV.” He said, his voice a warning.

“Oh, now you care about the Tigers scoring.” Jonas laughed. “Well, I’ll tell you what Mr. Holier than thou...”

“I’ll tell you what Mr. Thompson,” Calum said. “I’m not sure what manner of man you are, but any person who can act this way when his daughter is missing isn’t much of a man in my book.”

“Daughter?” Jonas laughed. “What gave you the idea she’s my daughter? No, buddy. I’m her uncle.”

Everyone present gasped, and Michelle’s sobs increased, as Jonas was led off, smiling triumphantly.

Victoria and Karen led Michelle outside, hoping the fresh air would do some good. After half an hour, it seemed to work.

“He’s right, you know,” Michelle said. “Jonas is Margie’s uncle, not her father. I moved here to Banff to get away from all the rumors in our old town, and now everyone will know.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Karen said, rubbing Michelle’s arm. “We’re here for you either way.”

“I’d like to,” Michelle said. “I have to, I guess. Now that Jonas has blurted it out.”

“Well, we’re listening,” Victoria said, sitting next to Michelle.

“My mother grew up here in Larch, you know,” Michelle said. “Her parents moved to London when she was 12, but she’d tell me stories about it when I grew up. My mom and dad were engineers, so I’ve grown up in cities, surrounded by gray buildings. Mom told me all the time how lovely it was out here in Larch. She talked about woods; about wandering around in them late at night as a child. She spoke of the two-storey house with the giant windows and the porch where she slept on summer nights. She filled my head with this idea that Larch was paradise and to be honest, I thought it was even after I came to Banff for my first vacation.”

Victoria nodded. “Is that why you moved here?”

“I… it was one of the reasons I moved to Larch 5 years ago,” Michelle said. “The real reason, though, was that I couldn’t bear being in London anymore. Everything reminded me of what had happened.”

“What did happen?” Karen asked. “We’ve never been ones to pry, but the town knew nothing about you other than the fact that you’d been working as a designer in London.”

Michelle sniffed. “I grew up in London, went to school there, met Davis there. Davis was interning as an analyst in my company when we met. I liked him instantly. He was so loud, so confident. He was always the center of a crowd, always trying to please his audience. He wooed me. It’s old-fashioned, but that’s exactly what he did. He’d drop by my desk and leave me chocolates and roses... We began dating. After that… it was a little miracle, I suppose. But I didn’t see it that way. It was all so sudden. When I found out I was expecting… I was terrified of what would happen next. But Davis was a gentleman through and through. He arranged for us to be married the very next week. He was a perfect father too, always doting on Margie. She came out of my womb, but she was far more attached to Davis. She was his little princess, and there was nothing Davis wouldn’t do to keep her happy.” Michelle began sobbing. “I was never her favorite. She just never loved me the way she loved her father. But I loved her. Of course, I did.”

“How did you and Jonas meet?” Karen asked.

“Davis and Jonas are brothers,” Michelle said. “Though Jonas is nothing like him. Davis was cheerful and funny, while Jonas is intense and hates interacting with people. Davis was all about mathematics and logic and routines and building a good life, while Jonas was the kind who never wanted to settle down. Jonas spent his 20s wandering around India and China, meeting other artists. I never met Jonas until the day of my wedding. He was supposed to be best man, and he didn’t land up until an hour before the ceremony.”

“Wow,” Karen said.

“I’m sorry.” Michelle sniffed. “I don’t know what you must think of me… that I’m a freak, I suppose. It’s just… it happens sometimes. We’re complicated creatures, us human beings.”

“I’m not judging you,” Victoria said quietly, but firmly. “At least, not until I’ve heard everything you have to say.”

“I’m glad.” Michelle sniffed. “Well, Davis told me later that Jonas had tried to convince him not to marry me. Davis laughed about it. He said, “I’ve spent my life in tight neckties, envious of Jonas because he gets to travel the world and now, for the very first time, he’s envious of what I have that he doesn’t.” I told Davis not to talk like that, but he never listened to me. There're so many things I wish he’d listened to me about. Like sugar. He insisted on eating chocolates every day. He had such a sweet tooth. The doctor warned him again and again, but Davis was too stubborn to listen. That’s one quality Margie inherited from him, the stubbornness.”

“What happened?”

“Well, for the first ten years, things were good. We lived a healthy, happy life. I didn’t like Jonas much, but then, he didn’t much interfere, except for staying in our house for a week or so each year around Christmas time. Davis and Jonas had no parents, and Davis insisted that Jonas spends Christmas with us. Then, on the 11th Christmas, we found out Davis had diabetes.” Michelle sniffed. “Davis promised to improve things. But he was addicted to sugar, I think… it led to his dying early. Until then, I’d never liked Jonas much.  But once Davis was gone, I believe he thought of Margie and me as the only people he had roots with. He quit his traveling lifestyle and settled near us. He tried to be around all the time for Margie’s sake. Jonas was downright fantastic in those early days when I was falling apart; he held me together. When we married, people talked, but I didn’t care. I knew it was right for us. Margie needed a dad, and I needed Jonas and Jonas needed us. I think Davis would be happy with how it turned out.”

“Then what?”

“Then, I found out an uncle had died and left me his house in Larch Hot Springs.” Michelle laughed. “It’s silly, but I thought it was the perfect chance for a new beginning. I decided to move. Jonas, to his credit, supported me.”

“Margie didn’t like it, though?” Karen asked.

“Margie didn’t like Larch Springs one bit,” Michelle said. “I thought she needed to grow up here, I thought she’d be happy here… but it all backfired on me. Margie hated it. She slowly began to hate Jonas and me too. Now she’s run away… and it’s all my fault!”

“Now, now,” Karen said. “She’ll come back, Michelle. She has to. You can’t run away from your family; even if it is imperfect, it’s still family.”

But Victoria, who had once run away herself, knew just how easy it was to run away and never look back.