“But O’Brien has no way of knowing about your theory that Willy was Edward Henderson’s son and that Jenny could have as much right as him to claim the Hendersons’ estate.”
“Jenny might even have a stronger claim,” Em said.
“So what are you going to do about Steve?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. There’s a part of me that wants to let it go and keep an eye on him. I really like him and Jenny, and it’s not like Steve would follow through with the threats.”
“I don’t think he would either. But the swatting thing could’ve been dangerous, Em.”
“I talked to him about what could’ve happened. I didn’t accuse him of swatting HFPD—which I doubt we could prove anyway—but I made sure he knew that I suspected he was behind it without coming out and saying it.”
“I guess… Hang on a sec, Em.”
She heard someone talking to him in the background and felt bad for calling him at work. “Don’t worry about it, Josh. You sound busy. I’ll let you go.”
“Yeah, thanks. It’s been one of those days.”
“I’ll see you at your…” She trailed off at the sound of dead air. He’d just hung up on her! She didn’t understand what was going on with him. Had she completely misread his feelings for her? She rested her head against the seat, replaying their conversation in her head. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Maybe he…
Her cell phone ringing cut her off mid-thought. Her heart leaped thinking it was Josh calling to apologize for hanging up on her without saying goodbye. But it was Todd. His meeting with the chief had been postponed so he’d moved up his meeting with the farmhand’s cousin.
“Sure. I’ll meet you at the seniors’ residence in fifteen minutes.”
She arrived at the residence at the same time as Todd. It took almost twenty minutes for them to find the farmhand’s cousin. He was taking part in a pumpkin-carving contest in the arts and crafts room. They waited for him to finish up.
“Great looking pumpkin,” Em said, offering to carry it to his room. The older man looked like a strong wind would blow him over, but he was spry and could easily pass for someone twenty years his junior.
“I could’ve done better but I didn’t want to put Addie to shame.” He winked. “I’m hoping she’ll go to the Halloween costume party with me.” He opened the door to his room and offered them something to drink.
“We’re fine, thank you,” Em said, following him inside. She set the pumpkin on the table. “We wanted to ask you a couple questions about your cousin. He was a farmhand for the Henderson family and disappeared right around the time of Clara Seaton’s death.”
The older man nodded, gesturing for them to have a seat as he put on the kettle. “I was born five years after my cousin disappeared but my family talked about the events of that spring all the time. I suppose it’s not surprising given the upset it caused in the family. My mother was the youngest of six girls. They were a close family, and my cousin leaving like that devastated everyone.”
“So he’d never told anyone he planned on moving away?” Todd asked.
“No. Never said a word. By all accounts, it was completely out of character for him. As out of character as him stealing money from the Hendersons.”
“LeRoy accused him of stealing money?” Em asked.
“Yep, said it right to my uncle’s face when he went looking for his son.”
“You don’t believe your cousin would’ve stolen the money?” Todd asked.
“No. He was raised better than that, but even if he hadn’t been, he never would’ve stolen from the Hendersons. Edward was his best friend.” He unplugged the whistling kettle and walked into a small sitting room. He rummaged around in a drawer and returned with a photo album. He set it on the table, flipping to a page in the middle of the album. He tapped a gnarled finger on a black-and-white photo that had yellowed with age. “There he is with Edward.” He tapped another photo. “Here too. My aunt used to say he was closer to Edward than his own brother. Edward’s death hit my cousin hard. They said he wasn’t the same after. If anything, the family thought he was getting worse, and then he disappeared.”
“And no one ever heard from him?” Em asked.
“Not a word.”
“So what do you think?” Todd asked Em ten minutes later as they walked across the parking lot. “Did his cousin avenge Edward’s death by killing Clara and then disappear because he couldn’t live with his guilt or face his family?”
“It’s possible he could’ve blamed Clara for Edward’s death. The town believed that Clara and May were both witches, after all. But why would he wait for more than a year to seek his revenge?” She shook her head. “No, I don’t think he had anything to do with Clara’s murder, but I also don’t think it’s a coincidence he disappeared around the same time as Clara died.”
“Agreed,” Todd said, opening his car door. “Are you heading back to the station or are you off to football practice?”
She glanced at the time on her phone. Her shift was technically over and there was a practice today. She opened her mouth, thinking she’d get Todd’s opinion on her conversation with Josh before she decided whether or not to go to the practice. And that’s when she knew how bad she had it for Josh.
“I’m heading home. I have ten dozen dog biscuits to make.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Em parked in Bri and Cal’s driveway on Marigold Lane on Saturday night. They lived across the street from Josh. His front yard looked like the gates of hell had opened, spilling its demons onto his lawn. Em shuddered at the sight of a seven-foot-tall, two-headed animatronic clown monster near the front door. She hated clowns, which Josh knew from when they watched the It miniseries as kids and she’d run screaming from the living room.
But she was one hundred percent positive Josh’s two-headed clown monster had nothing to do with her. She couldn’t say the same about his display though. She should’ve known he’d compete with her for Best Decorated Halloween House. He was one of the most competitive men she knew, she thought with a smile. But her smile faded when she remembered their last conversation. All she’d been able to think about for the past two days was how to repair their relationship.
She glanced at the bags on the passenger seat. If she didn’t chicken out, she was hoping he’d know when she gave him his birthday gift that she was ready to move on, start fresh with him, and date for real this time.
The door opened, and Bri stepped onto the front porch.
Em grabbed the gift bags off the passenger seat. “Let me guess, you and Cal are going as Barbie and Ken.”
“Blame Izzy. It was her idea. And you’re going as… you?”
“I just got off work, and I didn’t have time to change. Hey, buddy,” she said when Gus scampered down the porch steps to greet her.
“Izzy, Auntie Em and I are heading to Josh’s,” Bri called into the house. “Text if you need us.”
“We’ll be fine,” Izzy said, coming to stand in the doorway. She frowned at Em. “You can’t go in your uniform.”