Murder on Sugar Hill Read online

  "You seemed agitated, so here I am," Trixie said as she placed a tray on the wicker table in front of the sofa. "Now, tell me what put a bee under your bonnet."

  "Charley left the Horse and Hound to Buggy!"

  Trixie arched her eyebrows. "I didn't see that coming," Trixie said as she sat down beside Matilda.

  "Yes, and I think that changes the equation!"

  "Are you thinking it’s a double murder?" Trixie asked.

  "Yes. Someone found out that Charley was leaving the inn to Buggy. They overdosed Charley. Then when he went into a coma, they killed Buggy."

  "That someone could only be Carl!" Trixie said. "Oh, my God, he killed his uncle when he learned that he wasn't going to inherit the inn! Wow!"

  "That's what the evidence would suggest. But he swears that he didn't know what was in Charley's will."

  "Do you believe him?"

  Matilda took a sip of her coffee before she answered.

  "At this point I don't know what to believe. I dislike Carl, but I never saw the toughness in him until he needed to do something like this," Matilda said.

  "How are you going to get evidence that Carl killed Buggy?"

  "He was here the night Buggy died. And he certainly had an opportunity to overdose Charley."

  "But he had no motive unless you can prove he knew what was in the will," Trixie said.

  "Yes, I have to talk to Attorney Casey. Maybe Carl is lying, and he did give Charley a copy of the will. Carl could have searched his uncle’s room and found it," Matilda said. "I'll know more when I talk to Attorney Casey." Matilda paused. "Did Sheriff Dudley come for breakfast?"

  "I saw him entering the lobby as I brought the coffee," Trixie said.

  Matilda sprung off the wicker sofa. "I need to talk to him," she said.

  "Your coffee!" Trixie called after her.

  "Not important," Matilda said as she used her walking stick to hurry her steps.

  "John Paul has a toy! John Paul has a toy!" Tara screamed the moment Matilda stepped into the lobby.

  "Smiley, I swear I'm going to bust up your other arm if you don't find out why Tara is saying that! She's driving me crazy," Matilda said.

  "I don't have a clue," Smiley said shaking his head.

  "Is Sheriff Dudley still in the dining room?"

  "Yes, ma'am unless he slipped out the back...Jack."

  "I hate Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover!" Matilda called over her shoulder.

  As she approached the dining room, Matilda heard Smiley singing off key about shooting the sheriff but not the deputy.

  "Can't a man enjoy his breakfast in peace?" Matilda heard Sheriff Dudley mumble as she approached his table. She ignored the remark as she pulled out a chair and sat across from him.

  Sheriff Dudley forked the last bite of French toast into his mouth and chewed slowly as he stared across the table.

  "I guess Trudy will be making French toast for breakfast in your house soon," Matilda said.

  "I seriously doubt that. She'll be up before dawn baking pies and cakes for the bakery. She won’t have time to cook my breakfast," Sheriff Dudley said as he placed his fork and knife on his plate. "Now to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

  "Have you talked to Carl Lovett recently?"

  "No, why should I? We aren't buds. I hardly know him," Sheriff Dudley said as he pulled a toothpick out of his shirt pock and stuck it in his mouth. "Why do you ask?"

  "Attorney Casey read him Charley's will yesterday."

  "There was no drama there I'm sure, since he is Charley's only living relative. I hear the rest of Charley's family died in an avalanche in the French Alps while on a ski vacation."

  "That’s the story he told me also." Matilda paused. "But there was drama when the will was read," Matilda added.

  "Yeah, what?" Sheriff Dudley said as he leaned forward eagerly.

  "Charley left the Horse and Hound to Buggy!"

  Matilda smiled when she saw the sheriff's mouth drop open and the toothpick fall out.

  "You're joking?"

  "No, Carl told me this morning. He seemed upset that his uncle skipped him and named Buggy as his heir."

  "What a fool. Why would he go and do that?" Sheriff Dudley said shaking his head? "He never got over what happened to Buggy. Wouldn't have anything to do with me after the accident."

  "I don't blame him. You blackmailed him into accepting responsibility," Matilda said.

  "Who told you that I... My uncle of course. That old man just can’t keep his mouth shut."

  "I'm not here to bash you or judge you, Sheriff. I'm here to ask you if you knew that Charley was leaving the inn to Buggy?" Matilda said.

  "I think I already made it clear that I didn't know. If I had, I would have told him he was crazy to leave the inn to a drunk."

  "Do you think he told Sheriff Wilson? He told him you were driving the car. Maybe he confided in him that he was leaving the inn to Buggy."

  "I doubt that he told my uncle. Anyway, why are you so interested in knowing?"

  "I'm trying to find out if Carl knew that his uncle was leaving the inn to Buggy," Matilda explained.

  "Why? Oh, wait you think that Carl found out what was in the will and overdosed his uncle and then killed Buggy so he would inherit the Horse and Hound?"

  "It the best motive that I've run across for killing Buggy," Matilda said. "Would you mind calling Sheriff Wilson and asking him if he knew what was in Charley's will?"

  "I'll do it. I’d like this murder case solved before I leave office." He glanced sharply at Matilda. "Hey, don't think this makes us friends."

  "God forbid," Matilda said. "I'll go into the kitchen and say hello to Trudy to give you some privacy making that call. I was in a hurry before and didn't greet her properly."

  Sheriff Dudley nodded as Matilda stood.

  Matilda smiled as she walked by a couple of young men in Cannon Mountain Ski School jackets. "How's your breakfast? Matt is your name, right?" she asked the one with the full beard.

  "Yes, Miss Matilda. I’m surprised you remember me."

  "I gave you some ski lessons back before my hip got so bad that I had to stop skiing. It's good to see that you earned your certification as a ski instructor."

  "Thank you."

  Seeing their checks on the table, Matilda reached down and scooped both up. "Breakfast is on me," she said and walked away as both men said thank you.

  "Trudy," Matilda called out as she entered the kitchen. "Sorry, I barged in a little while ago without even a hello. I had some urgent business to discuss with Trixie. She'll be back shortly. I think she was going to run upstairs and check on Bozo before she returned to work."

  "Funny, but I'm going to miss Bozo running through the kitchen wearing a towel around his neck," Trudy said. "And the greeting I get from your parrots every morning. But I think the new bird is a bit of a handful."

  "That he is. But I'm still glad I adopted him. He keeps Tara from getting bored and Smiley too, if truth be told," Matilda paused. "Ah, how is Trixie coming along?"

  "Great, she’s very creative, which is essential for a chef. In fact, she’s already made a couple of suggestions that I’ve incorporated into a couple of recipes."

  "That's nice to hear. Well, I better go. Just wanted to say hello," Matilda said as she thought that she’d given Sheriff Dudley enough time to make his call.

  "So how did it go with Sheriff Wilson?" Matilda said as she approached Sheriff Dudley's table.

  "He was shocked when I told him that Charley had left the inn to Buggy. I grilled him pretty hard, but he said that Charley never revealed a word to him that he was leaving the inn to Buggy."

  "I think Charley told Buggy," Matilda said. "The day he asked Jack if he could marry Nicole he told Jack that he would have the means to support Nicole in the future," she added.

  "Why are you just telling me all this?"

  "Until recently you and Jack McGurin were the only suspects I had."

  "Jack. You suspecte
d Jack?"

  "You and he were both at Charley’s house the day he overdosed and here at the inn when Buggy was killed," Matilda said. "And so was Carl. He was here alone. His date didn't arrive until after Trixie discovered Buggy's body."

  "Yes, Miss Matilda, but there is no evidence that suggests that Charley was given an overdose by Carl or anyone else. And must I point out that if Carl didn't know that Charley was leaving the inn to Buggy, then he had no motive to kill him."

  "Yes, yes, I know."

  "Why don't you stop playing sleuth and let me handle the investigation from here on out? I’ll take the information you gave me and run with it," Sheriff Dudley said.

  "Yeah, and where will you run with it? The state police?"

  "Well..."

  "Right, and they will do nothing since you don't have any evidence," Matilda said.

  "I'll call Carl to the station and question him. Shake the tree and see what falls," Sheriff Dudley said.

  "You do that. I have a few trees of my own that need shaking. Call me if you come across anything that points to Carl knowing what was in the will," Matilda said as she turned to leave.

  "I surely will."

  Liar, liar pants on fire! Matilda though as she walked out of the dining room.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  "Good afternoon," Trixie called out as she entered Matilda's office.

  "Afternoon? It's only 11 A.M."

  "Yeah, well I've been in the kitchen so long it seems like afternoon to me," Trixie said with a deep sigh. "I didn't know how much work is involved in being a chef. Anyway, how did your meeting with Sheriff Dudley go yesterday? I got so busy in the kitchen that I forgot to ask?" Trixie said.

  Matilda looked up from her computer screen.

  "I convinced him to question Carl. He was supposed to question him this morning at his office. I'm waiting for him to call and let me know how it went."

  "So, you think Carl gave his uncle an overdose of insulin and then killed Buggy?"

  "I think you’ve asked me that before, Trixie."

  "And I'm not remembering a good answer."

  "The sheriff can question Carl until doomsday. But if he can't prove Carl knew what was in the will, there's no motive," Matilda said with a deep sigh.

  "Do you think he knew?"

  "He seemed very upset about Charley leaving the inn to Buggy when I talked to him yesterday. I got the impression it blindsided him. But, he might just be a good actor," Matilda said.

  "I'm surprised to see you on the computer."

  "Smiley talked me into getting new front desk software that automatically assigns rooms as they’re cleaned. I think it's time we modernized. With you in the kitchen I don't have a gofer anymore. Using this program, the chambermaids use cell phones to punch the number of the room they clean, and it sends the information to the front desk software," Matilda said.

  "Wow, I never thought you would embrace such automation," Trixie said.

  "Times, they are changing. Ah, I'm also thinking about changing the name of the inn. Buggy's murder has spoiled our brand," Matilda said.

  "What name are you considering?"

  Matilda shook her head. "I haven't gotten that far yet. Did you come looking for me for a reason?"

  "Just checking in on Sherlock. Thought you might have had another breakthrough on the case."

  "Nope. My attention is on Carl. However, my wheels are spinning, and I'm getting nowhere. I'm hoping that Sheriff Dudley uncovered something during his interview with Carl this morning," Matilda said.

  "I spilled gravy on my chef's jacket and was on my way to my room. Thought I would check in with you. Bye," Trixie said as she left.

  Matilda glanced at the computer screen for a moment. "God, I hate computers,” she mumbled.

  "How’s the software looking, Miss Matilda?" Smiley said as he stuck his head into her office.

  "It's coming," Matilda said.

  "Sheriff Dudley is here. He wants a word with you. He's in the dining room having coffee," Smiley said as Matilda followed him into the lobby.

  "Tickle, tickle," Tara called out.

  "Later Tara. Mommy is busy."

  "Mommy is a bad bird," John Paul screamed.

  "Smiley, did you teach him to say that?" Matilda asked.

  "No, ma'am. He puts words together on his own."

  "That better be the case," Matilda said as she opened the door to the dining room. Sheriff Dudley was the only one there.

  "Enjoying your free coffee, Sheriff?"

  "Law enforcement does have its privileges," Sheriff Dudley said.

  "So, what happened with Carl? Did he confess to both crimes?"

  "I don't understand how you can ask me that with a straight face," Sheriff Dudley said.

  "Okay, tell me how the interview went," Matilda said.

  Sheriff Dudley shook his head. "I can't believe that I let you talk me into bringing Carl in for questioning. He denied everything, overdosing Charley, killing Buggy, and even knowing what was in the will. He made me feel stupid for even suggesting that he committed those crimes."

  "Did you speak to Attorney Casey?"

  "Yes, and he swore that Charley didn't have a copy of the will. He made a copy, but Charley told him to keep it with the original. I guess Charley was afraid that Carl might find it. It's obvious that he didn't want his nephew to know that he was leaving the Horse and Hound to Buggy."

  "Yeah, I wouldn't have wanted him to know either if I were Charley," Matilda said.

  "Carl asked me if you suggested that I question him."

  "What pray tell did you tell him?" Matilda asked.

  "I lied, of course. I told him that it was routine. That I didn't think he had done anything wrong, but I needed to question him anyway."

  "So where do we go from here?" Matilda asked.

  Sheriff Dudley shook his head. "There is no we. You are not part of the murder investigation. You've made me look foolish questioning Carl. I told you there was no evidence suggesting that he killed Buggy. I should have listened to my gut feeling."

  "Hmm, if you did that, you’d be eating sugar cookies all day," Matilda said as she stood.

  "Please, Miss Matilda, stop pushing your way into my murder investigation!"

  "Enjoy your coffee and sugar cookies," Matilda called over her shoulder as she left.

  "Is Trixie upstairs?" Matilda asked Smiley when he looked up from his comic book.

  "Were you reading to Tara and John Paul from your comic book?"

  "Yeah, they like me to read to them and show them the pictures," Smiley said. "Trixie is in the laundry room," he added.

  Matilda shook her head as she went down the hall. When she passed the solarium, she sighed and mumbled. "Buggy I'm getting close."

  The smell of detergent assaulted her nose as he opened the door to the laundry room.

  "What are you doing laundry too?"

  "No, just putting my chef jacket in the washer. Two is not enough. Trudy says I'm the messiest person she’s ever seen in the kitchen. And it seems my clothes are a food magnet. So, is your briefing over? What did the Sheriff Dudley learn?"

  "Nothing," Matilda said. "He said he believes Carl didn't know what was in Charley's will. Attorney Casey swore Charley didn't have a copy of the will."

  "What do you think, Miss Matilda? Are we barking up the wrong tree?"

  "Trixie do you have a book of trite sayings that you memorized?"

  "My God, no. I just regulate the colloquial sayings you use," Trixie answered as she closed the lid to the washing machine and pressed the start button."

  "Hmm, I don't think so," Matilda replied as they walked out of the laundry room.

  "What do we do next, Sherlock?" Trixie asked as they entered the lobby.

  Matilda started to answer but stopped as she looked at Tara. "What do you have in your mouth, Tara?"

  The macaw turned her back to Matilda.

  "Now come on don't be like that. Show Mommy what you have in your beak," Matilda s
aid. "I'll give you a tickle, tickle."

  Tara turned to face Matilda.

  "Now give it to me," Matilda said reaching for an object dangling from Tara's beak. Tara opened her beak. "It's an earring. A pearl earring," Matilda said.

  "John Paul's toy, John Paul's toy," Tara said.

  "Get in your cage!" John Paul screamed at Tara.

  "I think she must have gone inside John Paul's cage and found where he's been hiding the earring. I swear I have looked inside his cage several times and didn't see it," Smiley said.

  "I'm glad one of them didn't swallow it," Matilda said as she tickled Tara under her wing.

  "It looks expensive," Smiley said.

  "Hmm, and you know a lot about women's earrings?"

  "No, ma'am but I know a real pearl and gold when I see it..."

  "Pearl, gold?" Trixie said "Let me take a look at it.

  "Matilda held up the earring.

  Trixie walked over and glared at the earring for a moment. "This is Ann Bixby's earring! She'd been hounding everyone to be on the lookout for it. She said she thought she lost it in the parking lot. She said Carl gave it to her a month ago."

  "John Paul, where did you find your toy?" she asked the cockatoo.

  "Sunroom. Sunroom!" the cockatoo said in a loud, almost screaming voice.

  "Well, Ann will be happy that we found it," Trixie said.

  "Hmm, if I remember correctly she was wearing only one earring when I saw her and Carl in the lobby during the chaos after you found Buggy's body," Matilda said. "She must have lost it the night of the banquet."

  "Then how did it wind up in the solarium?" Trixie said.

  "Tara where did John Paul find his toy?" Matilda turned and asked the macaw.

  "Sunroom. Sunroom," she answered in a shrill voice.

  "Wow, you two sound like real detectives. You even make the birds help," Smiley said.

  "Trixie, come into the office for a moment," Matilda said.

  "What did you want to discuss?" Trixie asked as she closed the office door.

  "This," Matilda said holding up the earring.

  "And."

  "You already asked the question. How did it wind up in the solarium when she lost it the night Buggy was murdered?" Matilda asked.