Drizzled With Death (12 page)

“I heard Alanza’s decision to stop use on her land impacted the trail system. He’s not going to be disappointed, is he?”

“Now that she’s dead, I don’t expect that to continue to be an issue, do you?” Tansey leaned in a little closer and looked me straight in the eye like a human lie detector. I could tell she thought there was something fishy about my interest but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. I needed to tread carefully or Tansey would stick her lips together like the blades on some pruning shears left outside to rust all winter.

“I hadn’t heard how any of that would play out. I was just worried maybe Loden would get all excited about tearing around with all of you across the frozen wilderness and then have to come to a screeching halt with nowhere to go. That sounds awfully disappointing to me. Not the sort of gift I’d want to give him at all.” I shook my head with it hanging down a little, hoping the gloom was contagious.

“Nope. She hadn’t finalized anything before her fortunate face plant. I couldn’t be happier your syrup did her in. I’m tempted to give you a hefty discount on the membership for a job well done.” Tansey nodded up and down, her gray hair waggling as much as it could considering how short she wore it.

“We didn’t poison her. Someone else used our syrup as a vehicle for the poison.”

“I don’t give a half-rotted cow flap who helped her into permanent hibernation. But I’d love for them to know how happy we all are at the snowmobile club.”

“So it really was a big deal?” But was it big enough to kill over?

“It was. Alanza’s parcel separated two major trails a lot of people used to get to their camps. The main trails lead to smaller trails and even serve as the main roads into other towns during the winter. There are people who would have had to add at least a couple of hours’ driving time to their camps if she’d had time to implement this. And then there were the people who couldn’t have gotten to their properties at all.”

“I didn’t know snowmobiles were that important as transportation.” This time I wasn’t lying. I really had no idea since my family didn’t go in for snowmobiling at all.

“They are indeed. There are plenty of people with camps in places where there are no actual roads. If you go to them in summer, you hike in or ride an ATV. But in the winter you can enjoy skimming over the snow, not a care in the world.”

“Like who?” I was curious not only for the case but also because I wondered which of my neighbors had a camp somewhere so remote. After all, Sugar Grove is already pretty far into the sticks and I wondered who would want to go even deeper into undeveloped territory.

“Hanley Wilson is one. My own Knowlton is another.”

“Knowlton owns a property up north?” I was stunned. I had never thought of Knowlton as being able to detach from his mother long enough to go away overnight.

“Sure. He inherited it from my brother when he passed away a few years ago. Knowlton loves it up there. He spends some time each fall up there as a base for his business ventures.” By that I could only assume she meant he went up to the cabin by himself and located creatures to stuff.

“So Hanley and Knowlton both must be pretty glad she’s out of the way then.” I tried to sound casual but held my breath.

“Well, you can say that again. I heard Hanley went directly to the Stack Shack after the police finished questioning him at the breakfast and bought everyone there a round of coffee. Piper had to start several new pots just to keep up with the demand.”

“Sounds like a pretty enthusiastic reaction to her death.”

“It certainly was, considering what all has been going on between those two.” Tansey gave me an exaggerated wink that took so long on the recoil I wondered if she’d managed to glue her eyelid shut.

“Are you implying he was up to no good with Alanza in the way I think you mean?” I was shocked from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. Granted this was not as big a deal as it would have been for someone of a more normal height, but it was all I could do. Tansey nodded.

“Where did you hear that?”

“From Myra, of course. Who else says such things?” Tansey winked again and I wondered if she had always done it and I had never been old enough to be a recipient of her winks or if this was a new thing for her.

Myra was known for flapping her lips whenever a tasty tidbit landed in her ears. As outrageous as the things she passed on generally were, she wasn’t often wrong even if she was known for exaggerating. The trick with Myra was sifting out the reality from the embroidery of any situation. Time for a bit of digging.

“What did she say exactly? Coffee together at the Stack? Sharing a hymnal at church?” Any bit of anything could be read into especially as the winter was starting to gather around the town. Winter sports included snowmobiling, skiing, ice fishing, local politics, and dissecting the rumors passed on by Myra.

“Coffee isn’t drunk on your back. And whatever they were sharing wasn’t sanctified by the church. But it’s nice to meet a girl in this day and age still so innocent. No wonder my Knowlton is smitten.” Tansey looked my small frame up and down and I suddenly felt the need for a shower. With borax.

“An affair between Hanley and Alanza? Do you think Connie knew about it?” I wasn’t sure whether or not to believe it. Before Jill told me she was having an affair with him, I wouldn’t have thought Hanley could have seduced even one woman, let alone caught two in addition to his wife.

“If Myra knew, then most everybody else in town did, too. She isn’t exactly known for her discretion, now is she?” That was an understatement. Every embarrassing love affair, case of venereal disease, or arrest for DWI was something Myra shared with everyone in earshot.

“And what about Knowlton? He must have told you how he felt.”

“Well, you know Knowlton, never a bad word to say about anybody. He did say he wasn’t looking forward to coming back with a load of animals for stuffing an extra two hours out of his way. Even in the cold air, some of them can give off a powerful stink.” Tansey spat again like she was punctuating her thoughts.

“I can only imagine. So he can’t be mourning her loss, can he?”

“Well, of course not. No one is.”

“So why would Alanza want to shut down the access through her property for the snowmobile trails? Did someone do something to tick her off?”

“That’s no secret. Alanza wanted to be elected president of the club.”

“She didn’t seem like the outdoorsy type.” I’d never seen Alanza wearing anything that looked like it was built for the cold weather. She favored clingy silky tops and bottoms that wouldn’t be allowed in most public high schools even today, despite the fact her figure wasn’t up for such indignities.

“Everyone was shocked when she showed up at our first meeting of the season last year but we welcomed her, of course. She had a huge parcel of land and we wanted her to keep the status quo.”

“But no one wanted to curry favor enough to vote for her at the election?”

“There were some. I know I don’t have the easiest temperament.” That was news to me. Not the temperament part, the self-awareness. Tansey always seemed oblivious to how her actions and statements were affecting others. It never occurred to me she recognized what was happening and simply went on as she pleased anyway. “I argue for what I believe in no matter who says otherwise, and I’ve made my share of enemies over the years.” Tansey nodded to herself like she was thinking over a specific incident or two. “In the end, more people voted for me than they did Alanza. I’d like to think it was because they believed I’m a good president, but it may have been because she’d only been riding since she moved here and wasn’t what anyone would call an expert.”

“What I don’t understand is why Alanza was interested in the presidency in the first place.”

“Alanza started in joining things before she finished unpacking her moving van. She hadn’t been here a month before she had joined the Sap Bucket Brigade, the friends of the library, and the women’s club. She was the recording secretary for two boards and volunteered in the church thrift shop.”

“So you think she was just one of those people who love to volunteer?”

“Good Lord, no; she was solidifying a power base. I think she wanted to be elected to a lot more than the snowmobile club. My guess is she had designs on the select board.”

“Are you sure?”

“As sure as I am cows give milk, not mayonnaise. She had already been recommended for appointment to the spot on the planning board Connie was vacating and said she was planning to run for the zoning board of adjustment.” Both of those boards were powerful and pertained to land. Alanza had a lot of it and had planned to change the way she was handling the land she owned. Could those things be connected? Did she have plans for her land she wanted to get through that might require power in town to make happen? It wouldn’t be the first time someone had set themselves up as a public servant for some private gain. A good dietary recommendation for Alanza would have included increasing her daily intake of moral fiber.

“But now what? Does Alanza’s death stop the closure of the trails just in time for an uninterrupted snowmobiling season?” How convenient the breakfast had taken place a few weeks before snow could reasonably be expected to start stacking up in the area. About fifty percent of the time, Sugar Grove experienced a white Christmas.

“Well, I’m not quite sure what happens. I am sure the new owner will be delayed in making any decisions that will affect us this year. When my parents died, the whole probate thing took quite some time. I imagine with the circumstances of her death being what they are, the property won’t be released to the inheritor anytime too soon.”

“That’s a lucky break for all of you snowmobile enthusiasts then, isn’t it?”

“And for you.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Because that Christmas gift you wanted to give your brother is much more valuable with all the miles of uninterrupted trails. Or was your interest just a cover to ask me questions that weren’t any of your business?” She had me there.

“How much do I owe you?”

After my chat with Tansey, I decided to talk with cabin
owners. Since I am always interested in putting off talking to Knowlton, I decided to start with Hanley. I drove over to his place of business and found him just turning down the driveway. In order to avoid arguments with his wife, Hanley had rented a place off Tinkham Road to house his business just as soon as they could afford to do so. Connie complained about the noisy equipment bothering her goats and the crews of day laborers showing up in her dooryard. Since the Wilsons had no children, her goats took on an importance the average couple might not assign them.

I bumped to a stop as his truck threw gravel up on my windshield. Hanley hitched himself out a few inches at a time and hopped to the ground. Over time he’d gotten a bit shorter as well as wider and I think it contributed to his surly attitude with most people. Unlike the other night over at Jill’s and the other day at the farm, he was usually pretty decent with me, and it may have been on account of my height. Even so, I did my best to leave interactions with him to someone else in the family. Grampa was his usual point of contact, which suited the rest of us just fine. Grampa could charm the horns off the devil if he took a notion to do so. Hanley was a bit of a devil himself, but he must have left his horns at home because all I could see was a bit of a bald spot glowing through his wavy, sandy hair.

Hanley wore the same red-and-black hunter’s plaid wool jacket he always wore whenever the temperature dipped below sixty. It matched his florid face and I imagined he thought it enhanced his image as a traditional forester. What he probably didn’t imagine was how much it emphasized his beer gut when he strained the buttons closing it on the coldest days. Hanley had been wearing that jacket the day he lost his footing while up in a tree and had gotten snagged by the fabric. The fabric held without a tear and he was able to wrap his arms around a thick limb on his way down. He’s worn it as a good luck charm, despite the thirty pounds and six inches he’s added to his waistline, since the incident.

Connie’s way around a stove accounted for the weight gain. Piper has been telling Connie for years she’d love to have her come on at the Stack if she ever gets tired of her bookkeeping business. For the longest time Connie refused, insisting she needed to devote her time to a number of local businesses she serviced, including Hanley’s. Recently, however, she agreed to help out for a special event and ended up enjoying herself so much she decided to join the staff part-time.

“I never get over pretty young things following me back to my place.” Hanley leaned against his truck, one leg propped up on his running board like he needed to air something out.

“What would Connie say if she heard something like that?” That was another reason I preferred for Grampa to deal with Hanley. He had the nickname
Handsey Hanley
around town for a reason. Despite my close call back at Greener Pastures, he never had got his hands on me and I intended to keep it that way.

“Connie’s a good sport. She knows not to take my sense of humor to heart. Sounds like you didn’t intend this to be a social call, though.”

“I stopped by to ask you about checking some trees for me as soon as you can. Yesterday, I noticed a few trees that could use some attention before they get covered in snow load.” I wanted to ask him about his property but easing into it in a friendly fashion seemed more comfortable than acting like a terrier at a woodchuck hole.

“Sure. I’ll check my calendar and let you know. Or we could go into the office right now and set something up.” He grinned at me, his too full, too red lips stretching away from teeth scaled for the big bad wolf. No way was I going into a dark office alone with Handsey Hanley.

“So you wouldn’t have time this evening to stop by?”

“Nope. I’m already booked for tonight.” He widened his grin to car salesman proportions. Now was the time to get to the subject and head for home before things dragged on or dragged me into unpleasant territory.

“Oh, are you having a boys’ night out up at your camp or something?”

“Now how did you hear about my camp?” His grin slacked off a bit.

“Tansey told me you, Knowlton, and a bunch of other people like to head up to your camps on your snowmobiles. I thought you might be getting ready for hunting season.”

“Tansey’s big mouth was one of the reasons she had to fight Alanza for snowmobile club president.”

“Tansey said the election results were the reasons the club was going to lose access to Alanza’s land. She said people were really upset.”

“Uh-huh.” Hanley crossed his arms across his barrel chest. “She say who was all riled up? She mention any more names while you two hens was yakking away?”

“She said Knowlton was worried it was going to put his camp out of reach for him to be practical about it if she persisted in closing the trail. She didn’t say anything about your thoughts on the matter since I don’t expect you shared them with her.”

“And are you hoping I’ll share them with you?”

“I don’t expect you to do anything but check on the trees at Greener Pastures as soon as possible.” Hanley wasn’t just known for being free with his hands. He ran his mouth like a man runs a brand-new snowblower—loudly and even when it isn’t strictly necessary. If I just waited long enough, he wouldn’t be able to pass up the opportunity to sing about it if he felt Alanza had maligned him.

“Good, ’cause I’m sure not one of those guys who runs around howling about his troubles at the top of his lungs.”

“Never said you were.”

“I wouldn’t go around letting everybody and his brother know that Alanza closed off her property just for spite.”

“Certainly you wouldn’t.” Hanley’s mouth had a little spit building up in the corner like a Shakespearean actor’s.

“I wouldn’t mention to anyone within earshot that a hardworking man who just wants to spend a few precious hours relaxing with friends, hunting down all the animals God sees fit to toss in his path, would be denied the opportunity to do so by the vindictiveness of a high-handed woman.”

“I’d hate to be the sort of person who would have that kind of complaint to share.”

“Darn right you’d hate it.”

“Sounds like a cantankerous lunatic.”

“Spiteful’s more like it. It’s not like she didn’t know about people with the camps using her portion of the trail. When I first went to work for her, I told her all about it.”

“What kind of work did you do for Alanza?”

“Oh, just the regular stuff, checking trees and such, just like I do up at your place.”

“That makes sense. So when was the election?”

“About a month ago. The elections are always held early enough for the president to get a handle on things before snow’s likely. Tansey squeaked in a win in the end, but it was close for quite a while. If she hadn’t busted out gifts of her famous maple bacon fudge for every voting member, I’m not sure she would have kept her seat.” Tansey’s fudge had been known through the years to sway a lot of elections, but I had never known her to use its power on her own behalf. She must have been concerned about the outcome. It made me wonder if she hadn’t been satisfied with just beating Alanza at the election. Perhaps she poisoned her, too, just to be sure she never had to face her at voting time again.

“So when did Alanza announce the trails through her property would be closed?”

“She tacked up some of them signs a couple of days after the election at the heads of the trails. An e-mail went out to everyone in the club within the week.”

“So she was swift in her justice.”

“That’s one way to put it. Women can really mess you up, you know?”

“So I’ve been told.” I decided I’d heard about all the things worth telling that Hanley might have in stock. It was time to take off before he invited me into the office a second time. “So you’ll find time soon to come up to Greener Pastures?”

“I’ll be there. Unless I decide to take advantage of Alanza’s unfortunate demise and take my ATV for a spin up to the camp instead of working.” Hanley patted his gut and flashed me a smile. I put him in the mental column of another one who was glad to see Alanza tucked neatly into a crisper drawer at the state morgue. I wondered if he and Jill were lying when they gave each other an alibi. And if Alanza had decided to close the snowmobile trails to keep Hanley from carrying on at his camp with Jill. I climbed into my car and drove off lost in thought. It made me wonder who else might have felt the same way and whether or not they would be as inclined to admit it.

• • •

Village Hardware’s display of fencing choices involved snippets of
wire mesh, and an assortment of dusty pickets overlaid with old minutes of town meetings and flyers for long past bake sales and tractor shows. I wanted to pick up a couple of samples to take home to show Grampa, but I wasn’t convinced either would keep out a ravenous mountain lion. After seeing what happened at Connie’s, it seemed like we would be well served to get hold of a zoo designer. The mountain lion wasn’t likely to get any less hungry as the winter drew on.

Up at the counter, Piper’s latest squeeze, Dean Hayes, leaned his gangly frame near the register looking like he didn’t have a thing to do except wait for Piper to get off work. He looked up from a sudoku book he was filling in with a carpenter pencil when I approached, and he gave me a smile. I didn’t think he was right for Piper but he wasn’t a bad guy. Or maybe I was just a little envious of the way my friend picked up new men the way I pick up a cold.

“Hi there, Dani, that sure was some time over at Piper’s on Saturday, wasn’t it?”

“It was. Even without the kangaroo, it was turning into a night worth talking about. Your band sounded great. You guys must practice every available minute.” I felt a little embarrassed at how much I sounded like a small-town groupie.

“No, we usually practice on Friday nights, but we didn’t even get a chance to this week.”

“You could have fooled me. I would have been certain you’d been practicing all week. I know Piper was impressed.” If I was going to pull the groupie card, it might as well be the right groupie.

“Well, normally that would have been the case, but the percussion player, Byron, is off at his wife’s folks’ house, and then Roland called to let me know he couldn’t make it either so we decided to cancel. Not much sense holding the practice with only two of us there to do any practicing.” Dean tucked the pencil behind his ear along with a stray lock of dark curly hair. Piper always was a sucker for curls. The color never much mattered; it was just the wiggle of them that got to her.

“I thought Roland was totally committed to his music when he wasn’t working on the inn. I hope he wasn’t sick or something.”

“Well, the stress with Alanza was taking a toll on him, but he didn’t say he was sick, just that something had come up and he couldn’t make it.” But that wasn’t what he told Felicia. What could have been so important it made him miss his practice? Could he have been at the grange hall sticking something toxic into my syrup? “But you didn’t come in here to talk about Roland, so what can I do you for?” he asked, which is exactly why he isn’t good enough for Piper.

“I was hoping you could cut me off a couple of samples of fencing and give me an estimate of what it will cost to run it round the pasture and up near the barn.”

“That’s gonna cost you a whole lot of money. How come you’re feeling like such a big spender if your business is tanking?”

“Aren’t you in the business of selling stuff? Why do you care why I want it as long as the checks clear?”

“Okay, you don’t need to get huffy about it. I really just meant the job must be awful important to make such a big effort.” Dean rummaged around under the counter and brought up a few small squares of fencing.

“I expect she thinks it is a matter of life and death.” Mitch stepped out from behind a display of rakes, a new steel one clutched in his hand.

“That’s right, I do. So the price is irrelevant.”

“Life and death for whom?” Dean shut the sudoku over his finger and gave me his full attention.

“Livestock, of course,” I said.

“What is it you think they are in danger from?” Dean asked.

“Chupacabras? Was it? Jersey Devils? UFOs?” Mitch asked. I wanted to bash him over the head with the rake.

“Ask Connie about the fencing she wished she’d bought.” I wanted to deflect attention from my own mountain lion in the vain hope the rumor of it might at least stay away from Celadon.

“Hanley’s wife Connie?” Dean asked.

“Yes. And her goats. She lost a goat to something on Friday night.”

“Lost one?”

“Airlifted right out of the enclosure and another one clawed all up along its haunches. So yes, I am interested in fixing up the fencing so I don’t have to experience the same thing at Greener Pastures.”

“What kind of thing could grab up a goat and take it away?” Dean leaned forward across the counter like he was afraid he’d miss something.

“I’ve heard a mountain lion could do something like that,” Mitch said.

“But everyone knows there aren’t any mountain lions in New Hampshire,” Dean said, rolling his eyes.