Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece Read online

  “Good luck with your booth today,” Carly said with a fake smile.

  “We’ll see you around.” Shar waved.

  They turned and walked away. As they passed Ruth’s booth, they exchanged a look with her. What were they up to?

  I knew that Shar, Carly, and Ruth didn’t like Evan, but what about others? Max Stone had worked closely with Evan, so what did he think of him? I’d have to ask some questions. Maybe later, when the fair had stopped for the evening, I’d track him down. Oh, no—what if I found him with a knife sticking from his neck too? The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

  In my mind, I had a suspects list already. Maybe I was being too suspicious of everyone. Caleb Ward happened to be right there when I found the body. Why had he been there? Maybe because he was the killer. He might be handsome and charming, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be the killer. There were the vendors . . . Ruth, Shar, and Carly. They’d seemed mad enough for murder. Maybe not so much Ruth, but definitely Shar and Carly. Then again, I’d seen Ruth coming back to her trailer last night. She had acted awfully strange.

  Something else was on my mind too. Something I had to get to the bottom of before I officially labeled myself bonkers. Where had the woman’s voice come from? I didn’t want to admit it, but it seemed as if it had come from the painting. Which still seemed as if she was watching me. What if I asked the painting a question? Would it answer me? I wouldn’t want anyone to see me talking to a painting.

  Movement caught my attention and I spotted Caleb and his beautiful German shepherd. The muscular dog marched along beside him. His black-and-tan coat gleamed, and his perky ears stood at attention as they drew near.

  Caleb approached me. “Celeste, I’d like you to meet Gum Shoe.”

  The dog sat next to Caleb with his dark, almond-shaped, expressive eyes focused on me.

  “Gum Shoe? That’s quite an interesting name. Why Gum Shoe?”

  Caleb rubbed his furry friend’s head. “I just thought it sounded good.”

  “Nice to meet you, Gum Shoe,” I said. “He’s about a hundred of Van.”

  Caleb laughed. “Yeah, I bet they would be good friends, though. Gum Shoe gets along well with all dogs and most cats.”

  “Well, we should introduce them so they can play together.” I reached down and rubbed Gum Shoe’s head.

  A good thing in Caleb’s favor was that he was an animal lover like me. So that meant he couldn’t be a murderer, right? He wouldn’t be so nice to animals and mean to humans. However, what if Evan had made Caleb so furious he just lost control? I couldn’t wrap my mind around that thought.

  “Wait here and I’ll get Van. He’s taking a nap.”

  I hurried inside and retrieved Van. He opened his eyes, blinking several times. No doubt he wondered why I was waking him. He squinted as I took him into the bright sunshine.

  “He’s a bit sleepy right now.”

  “He’s adorable,” Caleb said.

  Gum Shoe perked up when he spotted Van. I moved closer so they could sniff each other. Gum Shoe’s ears stood up even taller. Van turned his attention away.

  “He’s still sleepy,” I said.

  “Maybe another time, when he’s fully awake,” Caleb said.

  A customer walked up and was checking out my art.

  “I’ll let you go. Just let us know when Van wants a playdate.” Caleb motioned for Gum Shoe to stand.

  “Certainly.” I waved.

  Van barked as Gum Shoe walked away. Gum Shoe looked back at Van.

  “Oh, now you want to play, when he has to leave?” I asked. “You’ll have to wait until later.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Travel trailer tip 7: Keep extra flashlights and lanterns for times when you need to check out the things that go bump in the night.

  The rest of the day was busy, so when evening came around, all I wanted to do was retire to my trailer and relax with Van. He had a dinner of his favorite chicken-flavored dog food. I had veggies and tofu that I’d bought from a food stall at the fair.

  The woman’s painting was with the others in the storage container on the rack my brothers had installed on the back of the Shasta. I hadn’t brought the painting into the trailer tonight. Just in case anything strange happened. I was in bed, trying to fall asleep, when Van sat up. I opened one eyelid and spotted his oversize ears perked even more than usual. Voices carried from outside my trailer. It sounded as if they were close.

  When Van barked, I scooped him up and went over to the door. I eased it open just a bit. About half a dozen people were standing around. Most wore their pajamas. Obviously, something else had happened. I hoped it wasn’t another murder. Dressed in gray sleep shorts and a pink sleep tank, I stepped out into the warm night air. Ruth, wearing a light blue robe, stood nearby with a tall, gray-haired man, and I headed over to ask what had happened. I recognized him as the food vendor who sold kettle corn.

  “Ruth, is everything okay?” I asked.

  She turned around to face me. “No, everything isn’t okay.”

  “I’ll talk to you later, Ruth,” the man said as he walked away.

  Once he’d gone, Ruth said, “Someone had money taken again.”

  “Oh, no. Who was it this time?” I asked.

  “It was Carly.”

  “That’s terrible,” I said. “Did she call the police?”

  “Yes, I believe she’s speaking with them now,” Ruth said.

  Had Detective Meyer returned to investigate? Yes, I thought he was handsome, but I definitely didn’t want to speak with him. Raised voices sounded from a number of booths around us. Tempers were mounting at the craft fair. People were saying they wanted to leave before they became a robbery victim or even worse . . . murder. The police had asked us to remain until they had spoken to everyone. That could take a while.

  “You’d better watch your money,” I said.

  Maybe I’d said that wrong. My tone had sounded more like a threat than a well-meaning warning.

  Ruth eyed me up and down. “I’d better go now.”

  “I just meant . . .”

  She turned and walked away. However, she passed by her trailer and kept going down the path. Her behavior had certainly changed since the first time we’d spoken. Undoubtedly, she suspected me as the criminal. I supposed there was nothing more to do, so I’d just go back to my trailer.

  Now I was on edge even more. I’d love to hear the details of the latest crime from Carly. Though I assumed she was busy talking with the police. I supposed a quick stroll down to her booth wouldn’t hurt. Or would it? Was it safe to walk around here at night? Maybe I should think better of doing something like that. I knew everyone would want answers about why there had been so much crime plaguing the craft fair.

  I decided to take a walk toward Carly’s booth. It wasn’t as if I was going to an isolated area. Other people would be around. I was surprised law enforcement didn’t have officers stationed around the fairgrounds.

  “Let’s take a little walk, Van,” I said while cradling him in my arms.

  The area became more congested as I neared Carly’s booth. Just a few more steps and I spotted her. She wasn’t alone. Detective Meyer stood in front of her. They were involved in what looked like a serious conversation. Coming over here was probably a bad idea. I didn’t want him to see me. He’d wonder what I was doing. Plus, it would remind him that I was at the scene of the murder too.

  The detective looked up. When we made eye contact, I felt a rush of adrenaline. Where could I hide? I needed to get out of there right now.

  I turned around and hurried back down the path toward my trailer. I didn’t want to look back for fear of making eye contact with the detective again. After a few seconds, I sensed someone walking behind me. With the recent murder this made me a bit nervous. When I peered over my shoulder, the detective was right behind me. Oh no. There was no way I could act as if I hadn’t seen him.

  “Ms. Cabot, how are you?” he asked as he grew closer.

/>   I stopped and faced him.

  “Fine.” I tried to sound confident, but I knew there was nervousness in my voice.

  “I guess you heard what happened tonight.” He gestured over his shoulder.

  “I heard that money was taken again. Do you think this is connected to the murder?” I asked.

  He studied my face. “I’m not sure if there’s a connection, but we’re looking into everything.”

  “That’s good to know.” I rubbed Van’s head so he wouldn’t become restless.

  “I’ve been thinking about that night . . .” He didn’t finish the sentence.

  He peered over my shoulder and I turned, spotting Caleb. He looked as if he’d been walking in our direction but thought better of it. Caleb turned and headed in the opposite direction.

  The detective said, “If you’ll please excuse me, Ms. Cabot, I need to speak with someone.”

  “Certainly,” I said.

  As he hurried around me, I sniffed the scent of a spicy aftershave.

  “You can call me Celeste,” I called out in his wake.

  He offered no response. Van barked.

  “Well, what do you think of that, Van?”

  He tilted his head at me.

  “Yes, it is interesting,” I said.

  I often answered for Van based on what I thought he was thinking. Okay, it was more like what I wanted his answers to be, but if Van could talk, we’d probably agree on a lot. The detective disappeared around the same corner where Caleb had gone just seconds before. Caleb had looked as if he’d been trying to get away from the detective. If only I could be a fly on the wall and overhear their conversation.

  Light glowed from the window on the side of my trailer. I’d left the light on when I rushed out. As I drew near the trailer, I thought I saw a shadow move inside. Panic raced through me. Someone was in my trailer. I bet this was the person who was stealing money from the vendors. Little did they know I had my cash on me. After what had happened, I wasn’t going to leave money inside. I wondered if I should get the police right away. I wanted to make sure this wasn’t just my imagination.

  My heart thumped in my ears as I moved closer to the trailer. Van shivered in my arms as I held him tight. What would I do if the intruder came out and caught me? What if this was the killer? It could be the same scenario that had played out for Evan. Perhaps the killer had been in Evan’s trailer trying to steal money when Evan caught him. This was too dangerous. I needed to get the police right away.

  Just as I turned around, I saw the ghost through the window. She looked as solid as any living person I’d ever seen. It was the woman from the portrait again. The one I’d seen last night. Maybe I was losing my mind. If it hadn’t been for the customer who’d told me the painting was haunted, I certainly would’ve thought that by now. However, someone else had seen this as well. I didn’t know what to do. Should I go ask her what she was up to? Hello, Ghost, why are you haunting me?

  That sounded ridiculous, but maybe it was a good idea. Van barked as he watched the woman too. She paced inside the trailer, as if maybe she was waiting for me. I should just open the door and see what happened.

  I didn’t want Van to be scared, but I couldn’t let him down either. As I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and twisted with one hand, I clutched Van close to my body with the other. When I inched the door open, the ghost was right there. I had no other explanation than to say she truly was a ghost. I couldn’t call her a figment of my imagination. That just wasn’t possible because the customer had seen her too. Plus, Van watched her as he would any living person. She stopped and looked directly at me. Our eyes met. Van didn’t make a peep. Usually he barked at strangers, but not this time. He was probably stunned too.

  “Hello,” I said cautiously.

  “Finally you’re going to speak to me,” she said around a sigh.

  “I didn’t know I was supposed to talk to you.” I said as I inched closer.

  “Well, when someone speaks to you, don’t you think you should talk back?” She lifted her head in a regal manner.

  “Yes, I suppose I should. Who are you?” I asked.

  “My name is Elizabeth Mallory. And you are?”

  I’d assumed she already knew my name.

  “Celeste Cabot.” The words came out as more of a question than a fact.

  “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Celeste.” She smiled, showing lovely white teeth with a slight gap in the front.

  “Likewise. Um, how did you get in my trailer?” I asked.

  “You painted me, of course. And now here I am,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  I painted her to life? How was that possible? Van and I exchanged a look. We were both wondering how she’d gotten here.

  “How do you know I painted you?” I pressed my back against the trailer’s wall. It was the farthest I could stand from her without actually leaving the trailer.

  “I don’t know how you do it, but you do it,” she said.

  I closed my eyes, wondering if she’d disappear. Nope. She remained right there in front of me when I opened my eyes again.

  “Are you a figment of my imagination?” I asked.

  “I’m completely real. I was one hundred percent a living person. Now I suppose I’m just a spirit.” Elizabeth sat primly on the stool, clasping her hands together and resting them on her lap.

  There had to be a reason for her sudden appearance in my life.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” I asked.

  “That’s a difficult question. I’m not sure why I am here.” She remained stoic, with her posture at attention.

  “I didn’t bring you here on purpose,” I said.

  “You’re the one who drew me and that’s why I am here.”

  “So this is essentially my problem?”

  This was crazy. The craziest thing I’d ever experienced. And with my family, I’d experienced a lot of wacky stuff. We were silent, both fixated on each other. I was at a loss for words.

  “You don’t have any clues that I could use to figure out why you’re here?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Not a clue.”

  “Can you give me more information about who you are?” I asked.

  “I was born in 1852. And I was married at the age of eighteen. I had six children. A very good life.” The bottom of her ivory-colored dress swooshed as she shifted on the stool.

  “That doesn’t give me much to go on,” I said.

  “Are you talking to your dog?” a male voice called out.

  I rushed over to the window to find Caleb standing right outside. He’d heard me through the open window. Thank goodness I had Van to use as an excuse for the talking. After picking him up, I opened the door and stepped outside the trailer.

  “Yes, I was talking to my dog. I do that often. He doesn’t talk back, of course,” I said with a nervous laugh. “Well, only if I make up the words for him.” I was rambling. A sure sign of nervousness.

  Thank goodness Caleb laughed. If I sounded nervous, my explanation would be the recent events around the craft fair. Technically, that was true.

  I looked over my shoulder. The ghost was gone. That was more unsettling than if she’d still been there. Where had she gone to now? Back into the painting? I concentrated on Caleb again. “So what brings you by?” I asked.

  Van wiggled in my arms as if he wanted to get down.

  “I just stopped by to see if you’re okay after everything that happened. I know it’s a pretty stressful situation.”

  “That’s nice of you to think of me. Thank you,” I said.

  I placed Van on the ground and held on to his leash. He went over to Caleb and sniffed his leg.

  “Is it all right if I pet him?” Caleb asked. “Gum Shoe was sleeping, so I left him in our trailer.”

  “Absolutely. Just make sure you stretch out your hand first to let him know that you’re friendly. It’s a little scary for him when people just kind of lunge at him.”


  “That’s understandable. Especially with his size. I wouldn’t like a giant reaching down for me either.”

  I laughed. “Yes, it is scary.”

  Van sniffed Caleb’s hand and allowed Caleb to scratch his ears. Within seconds, Van rolled over onto his back for a belly rub. As Caleb rubbed Van, I noticed his hands. He had cuts on his fingers. That stood out to me because the detective had asked me about my cut. Had the detective noticed the cuts on Caleb’s hands?

  As a woodsmith, Caleb worked with knives, so that would be an excuse. However, at what stage was he in his career? If he’d been doing this a while, I’d figure he’d be cut free. I’d have to ask an expert in that kind of thing. I suppose accidents happened. Though now the discovery made me a little uneasy. After all, I’d seen Caleb at Evan’s right after the murder. Now he had an injury? Those two things would possibly make him a suspect.

  When I realized Caleb had caught me checking out his hands, my anxiety spiked. I picked up Van and held him close to me. I didn’t want a murderer around my dog. Was I was jumping to conclusions? Caleb seemed like a nice guy. Not to mention he was handsome. I tried to ignore his good looks, but it was hard not to notice the tiny dimple that appeared when he unleashed his lopsided smile. The small scar above his right eyebrow drew attention to his big, sapphire-colored eyes.

  “I got the cuts from working with wood,” he said.

  “I assumed,” I said.

  Did I sound natural when I answered him? Did I sound nervous? My voice was probably shaky. Caleb shoved his hands into his jean pockets. Probably so I would stop looking at them. It was too late now. I’d already seen them.

  “There is one other reason I stopped by this evening,” Caleb said.

  Now my anxiety spiked all over again. “Oh yeah? What other reason?” I asked with a shaky voice.

  “I thought maybe you’d like to have dinner with me.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I thought he was nice, and if he wasn’t a murderer, I would probably be interested in him. I suppose if I went to dinner with him I could question him more about Evan.