Fly by Night (A Gracie Andersen Mystery Book 3) (9 page)

The school band blared a boisterous rendition of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” followed by “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The sidewalks were lined with spectators, some standing and some sitting comfortably in lawn chairs. The Memorial Day weather was cooperating at the moment, although thunderstorms were predicted for the afternoon. The American Legion, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and a few small floats straggled behind the band. One of the floats promoted Renew Earth and another New Energy Strategies Team. Renew Earth members tossed granola bars from the wagon pulled by an electric pickup. She could see that Ben Richter was the driver. He smiled and waved at the crowds, looking slightly uncomfortable. She caught sight of one of the signs around the large revolving globe in the center of the wagon that stated “Keep Our Earth Beautiful.” N.E.S.T., whose wagon was clearly a professional creation, was covered with flowers, grass, and miniature wind turbines. Two teenage boys held ropes for a calf and a couple of baby goats. Several younger kids on the float tossed small chocolate bars, which were scooped up by kids and adults.

Gracie had to smile at the obvious competition, and then frowned, hoping that it wasn’t a precursor to another brawl. She stood in line at the fire hall, waiting to buy a cup of coffee and a doughnut to help support the volunteer fire department. Her parents were already settled in with Aunt Marlene, her father’s sister, and Uncle Beau on the walk across the street. Isabelle and her boyfriend were nowhere to be seen at the moment.

Her hands full, Gracie carefully maneuvered through the crowd crossing the street, finally making her way to the line of lawn chairs on the grass. She’d forgotten to bring a chair on purpose. Standing or sitting on the ground afforded an easy escape should the family conversation get too difficult to handle. Her mother and Aunt Marlene were talking nonstop, so no additional conversation was needed from Gracie. Her father and Uncle Beau sat next to each other in their green nylon web chairs, waiting for the whole affair to be over. Haley lay sleeping by her father’s feet. Bob held the leash out to Gracie when he caught sight of his daughter. Stuffing the rest of the doughnut in her mouth, she took it and settled herself on the grass.

The end of the parade came quickly. The commander of the American Legion, Congressman Streeker, Reverend Minders, and a bagpiper, jammed into someone’s classic convertible, brought up the rear.

After the welcome, Reverend Minders prayed his annual invocation over the proceedings. The Legion commander, Mike O’Connor, introduced the congressman, who droned on about the economy and his innovative solutions to fix the whole mess, with a brief statement about Deer Creek’s fallen heroes tacked onto the closing. Light applause segued to the school band playing “America the Beautiful.” Mike regained control of the microphone, inviting everyone to join the honor guard and band in the cemetery. When the congressman’s attractive aide caught his attention, he nodded, adding that everyone should enjoy the carnival in the park afterward. Rides for the kids were free, which produced a much more enthusiastic response from the crowd. Reverend Minders took the microphone again, closing the whole affair with a gentle benediction for peace. The bagpiper wheezed the pipes into action and played “Amazing Grace.” Shouldering their weapons, the honor guard turned toward the cemetery, marching in place, awaiting a “forward march” from the sergeant. The band followed the small group of men, with the Girls Scouts trailing behind, their hands full of lilacs to place at the graves of veterans long departed.

Before her mother and Aunt Marlene could corner her about the cemetery, Gracie had melted into the crowd headed for the park. She didn’t dare turn back to look for them. She thought she could feel their laser gazes burning a hole in her back already. She gave the leash a quick tug to get Haley’s flagging attention. The three blocks to the park would do them both good. She was anxious to see what this carnival was all about.

A merry-go-round, two jumping castles, and a couple of other kiddie attractions were just gearing up for the crowd taking advantage of the free rides. Food vendors were already set up. The smell of fried dough, hotdogs, and cotton candy made Gracie’s mouth water. Haley strained at the leash, pulling Gracie toward a stand that was serving Italian sausages, hamburgers, and onion rings. The Masonic Lodge was happily serving up instant heart attacks today. It would sure be a wonderful way to go, she decided, inhaling the enticing aroma of good grease.

“No way, Haley. Come on now.” Gracie firmly steered the stubborn dog down the row of promotional booths near the small midway.

She mentally ran through the story she’d worked out for her mother and Aunt Marlene. The visit to Michael’s grave had been very personal and not one she intended to share with anyone, except Jim. She was contemplating leaving the Jim part out. It might give Aunt Marlene ideas. Her aunt had very set opinions about mourning periods, and Gracie’s time had expired a year ago. Gracie pressed her lips together, remembering that particularly awkward conversation with her aunt just before the kennel had opened.

Haley tugged at the leash again, sniffing along the ground. It looked like the dog was searching for the right spot, which was not in front of the tents they were walking past.

“Come on, girl. We’re heading for high weeds. Just hold it until we get there.”

Haley trotted eagerly after her mistress toward the hedgerow of small saplings and bushes bordering a field at the edge of the park. She let Haley meander back toward the activity of the fairway. She stopped to tie her dragging shoelace before re-entering the carnival between the tents.

Two shadows were having an animated discussion in the festively colored tent that housed N.E.S.T. information. Haley sat correctly on her left, cocking her head from side to side as if she was listening too. Gracie had already seen the piles of giveaways on several tables. They had all sorts of literature about the safety of wind turbines, along with balloons, key chains, and piles of other promotional junk that everybody took home and threw out.

A female voice rose over the lower-pitched male voice. “I understand your concern, but now that Mr. McQuinn has a valid alibi, it is in our mutual interest to get a bail hearing.”

“It’s a bit of stretch, don’t you think?” the male voice growled. “I can’t even have a hint of anything that’s questionable stopping this project. Getting a murder suspect out on bail might raise some eyebrows.”

“You need him out of jail to get this deal done. He won’t be signing a thing sitting in Warsaw. His lawyer will see to that. We’ll do our part and you do yours.” The woman’s voice could vaporize dry ice.

“Maybe. There’s still the estate angle.”

“That’s not an option. The widow is not cooperating as we thought she would. She …”

A group of people drifted past the tent. The conversation stopped abruptly. Gracie could hear the man explaining the benefits of wind power, while offering balloons to the children. The woman exited the tent, quickly entering the black–and-silver tent next door.

Haley whined expectantly. Gracie released a grateful Haley from sitting. They walked briskly up onto the midway, avoiding the tents and their occupants.

*****

The family was staking out tables for lunch. Isabelle and Kevin made an appearance with Isabelle’s son, Greg, and daughter, Anna. Both teenagers looked pained or embarrassed. Maybe both. Their faces lit up when they caught sight of Gracie and Haley.

“How’s everything?” Gracie asked cheerfully.

“Better now,” Anna said with a hint of a smile. She was a pretty girl, with long, straight blond hair that reached the middle of her back. “I hate holidays. It’s weird and awkward.” She frowned, clutching her iPhone.

“I understand completely,” Gracie agreed. “How’s school?”

Anna shrugged, and her brother spoke up quickly. “Okay. Finals were last week, and I’m home for the summer.”

“How was your first year of college? I know I was homesick for the first semester,” Gracie said.

“It’s been a tough year, and I wish I’d been around to support Anna,” Greg began.

“It’s all right Greg,” Anna replied. “I’m going to private school in Pennsylvania next fall to finish. I can’t stand everybody whispering about what happened with Dad. Mom made me go to counseling with her, which was stupid. Now she has this boyfriend who’s 10 years younger than she is. The counseling didn’t do anything for her.” Anna frowned. Her gaze darted back to her phone.

“I’m really sorry that both of you have had to go through so much,” Gracie said.

“I can’t wait until August,” Anna blurted out. “I’ll finally be able to get out of this dump of a town. It’s suffocating here.”

Before Gracie could respond, the pair hurried toward a coed group that was alternating between texting and talking to each other. She caught sight of Jim’s profile in the crowd moving toward the picnic tables. A wave of her arm managed to catch his attention. The plan was to eat lunch and then go back to work. They wanted to let kennel employees have at least a half-day off. It was also a valid excuse not to stay long. Jim was to initiate the movement from lunch to kennel to let Gracie off the hook with her mother.

Plates of barbecued chicken, sausage, grease-soaked French fries, onion rings, and burgers made it to the tables. Jim and Gracie managed to squeeze through the milling humanity to where Bob and Theresa Clark were already eating. The other Clarks, Marlene and Beau, along with Isabelle and Kevin, were eating at the table next to them. Theresa kept searching the crowd, probably looking for Tom. He was supposed to be there with Kelly Standish, but they hadn’t even turned up at the parade. Kevin plowed through a heaping plate of chicken and potato salad with hardly any effort. Isabelle picked at hers daintily.

No comments were made about Gracie’s absence at the cemetery, although her aunt remarked that the headstone and flower arrangement were “very nice.” With any luck, that would be the end of the conversation on the cemetery.

The hubbub of the crowd grew, and the music blared from the rides, making it hard to carry on a normal conversation. No controversial subjects were broached, much to Gracie’s relief. They all agreed the carnival was a great success. Jim finally mentioned they needed to get back to the kennel to allow their employees to enjoy some of the afternoon, after Gracie’s sneaker had reminded him with a quick tap on his shin. Her dad nodded in agreement with Jim.

“We need to get going too, dear. I’ve got the backyard to mow yet.”

“Okay. I guess Tom and Kelly aren’t coming,” Theresa said.

She began picking up empty plates for the trash when Ben Richter strolled past with his wife. Gracie watched them slip into the shade of the Renew Earth tent located three tents away from the N.E.S.T. display. She couldn’t figure out who else from the area was involved with the organization. The organization wasn’t dairy-friendly, and dairy farms were the main employers around Deer Creek. The only local at the protest had been Toby. Everyone else had been people she didn’t recognize. They couldn’t be from Deer Creek, since she knew just about everyone.

“I think Haley needs a stroll after everyone has slipped her something under the table,” she said, excusing herself.

The dog must have consumed an entire sausage and the skin off two chicken halves. Theresa had peeled the beautiful crispy skin from each of their barbeques, much to her husband’s disappointment. Gracie just knew her father had made sure Haley got most of it.

“That poor dog. She puts up with a lot. I know that for a fact,” her father teased, his hazel eyes twinkling.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be right back.”

She grinned at her father and nudged Haley’s backside with her foot to wake her. The pair moved with the crowd coming from the cotton candy trailer, taking a quick exit next to the Renew Earth display. Gracie stood out of the flow of foot traffic, watching the activity in the Renew Earth tent. A few locals picked up pamphlets and some of the promotional materials, like the tiny solar flashlight with the logo printed in equally tiny proportions. A woman who appeared to be somewhere in her 30s wore a flowing caftan that fell mid-calf. Her earrings were simple large gold hoops, and she had a small rose tattoo embellishing her ankle. She looked very 1960s. Scanning the small crowd in the tent, Gracie determined that the Richters must have already left. They were nowhere to be seen at the moment, anyway. Without Ben Richter’s pushy presence, Gracie decided to chance it and take a peek at what the mysterious organization had to offer.

The caftan woman was friendly enough. She introduced herself as Summer and offered brochures on greenhouse gases and water table contamination. Gracie decided to take all the information as some further research for Kim. She casually asked about the history of Renew Earth as she studied the chart showing how many birds were killed each year by wind turbines. The woman’s expression changed in an instant from friendly to reticent.

“Renew Earth is fairly new, and we’re growing,” she offered with some hesitation.

“Oh,” Gracie said, looking at one of the brochures. She struggled to keep her tone even. “So, what are your membership numbers?”

Summer retreated to a chair behind a card table in the rear of the tent, her eyes wary. A salad in a foam container lay open, a black plastic fork stuck in the middle of the greens. An unopened bottle of water sat next to it.

“I don’t remember right off the top of my head,” she said, taking a drink from the bottle.

A group of teens crowded noisily into the tent, most likely looking for freebies. Summer quickly got up to greet them, leaving Gracie and Haley standing alone. Turning to leave, Gracie saw Kevin across the midway next to Congressman Streeker’s campaign tent. He and the congressman’s aide were engaged in a lively conversation.