Part 21 (2/2)

”Judging from your description of Weston yesterday morning, I'd say it didn't.”

”Nope. I tell ya, of all the times in my life to pick to be right-Allen Weston turned out to be a weasel, just like everyone said. I was just too stupid to see it.”

”What happened?”

”We were okay for the first little while. Like I said at the bakery, Allen could be a charming man. Wasn't bad-looking either; most men his age are losing their hair or have a beer gut. Not Allen. He looked great for his age.”

Nick opened his mouth to comment on the minoxidil they had found in Weston's medicine cabinet.

Stella shot him a warning glance. ”Not to interrupt you, Alma, but would you say that Weston-er, Allen-was a sharp dresser?”

”Oh, absolutely. Everything he wore was just so. Even his casual pants had a sharp crease to them.”

”So he wasn't a flannel-and-jeans sort of guy?”

”I don't think he even owned a pair of jeans. And flannel, to him, was for rednecks.”

”Thanks. Go ahead with your story. You and Allen began seeing each other ...”

”Yes, and everything was good until about a month or so into the relations.h.i.+p. That's when he started talking about how successful my Sweet Shop was and asking if there was a way he could buy a partners.h.i.+p in it. I told him no. I didn't need a business partner, and if I did, it sure wouldn't be someone I was dating.

”Well, Allen wouldn't take no for an answer. Every time we got together he'd propose another deal. At first it didn't bother me. He was a businessman; he enjoyed wheeling and dealing. But after a while, I started to think that the only reason he started seeing me was so that he could get hold of my business.”

”Did you confront him about it?”

”Oh yeah, he'd deny it and go out and do something to make me feel foolish for even mentioning it, like send me roses or surprise me with dinner. Then I'd drop the subject. It wasn't like I had any proof that he was trying to scam me. He was always doting on me when we were together, and the s.e.x was great”-again Nick opened his mouth, only to have Stella glare at him-”but it seemed fake. It felt fake. It felt like it was all a big front. Like he was acting that way to get close to me and then act out his true intentions. Things went on like that for a few months until, a week ago, my neighbor, Bunny, came over for coffee. She got to gossiping, as she usually does, and mentioned that she saw Weston outside of town with a woman in his car.”

Nick spoke up. ”So? It could have been a client.”

”Normally I'd agree with you, but Allen was supposed to be out of town on vacation at the time. When he 'got back,' I asked him how his vacation had gone. He said it was fine and that he had missed me, but he mentioned nothing about being in town.”

”Bunny could have been mistaken,” Stella suggested. ”Lots of men around here have beards.”

”No. Bunny's a snoop, but she's a reliable snoop. Eyes like an eagle and ears like a bat. If she said she saw Allen, then she saw Allen.”

”Might she have said what she did to be vindictive?”

”She had no idea I was seeing Weston. I always arranged to meet him at his house, and it was never on the same day or at the same time.”

”You're positive she had no clue of your relations.h.i.+p? Because she told us that she had seen you and Weston flirting with each other.”

”You spoke to her, then? Ha, she wastes no time, does she? I'm positive she had no clue about the relations.h.i.+p. Flirting, sure, but as far as she was aware, that was the extent of it. If she thought otherwise, she would have said something. She can't keep a lid on that mouth of hers to save her soul.”

”Did she tell you who the woman in the car was?” Stella asked.

”She didn't get a good look at her. Allen was driving in the opposite direction as Bunny. When they pa.s.sed each other on the road, Allen looked right at her, but the woman hunched down in her seat.”

”Did you confront Allen about it?”

”No, I figured it was time to move on.”

”So you broke up with Weston over a woman whose ident.i.ty you don't know,” Nick summarized.

”No, there was the business thing too. But if you're asking if the woman was the straw that broke the camel's back, absolutely. I realize it sounds strange, but I've known Bunny a lot longer than I'd known Allen. And, to be honest, I hadn't trusted him in months. I guess I was looking for something to put the nail in the coffin. Bunny's story did the trick.”

”When did you break up with him?”

”Earlier this week. I went to his office pretending to want an estimate on a new well.”

”How did Allen take it?”

Alma's eyes welled with tears. ”He shrugged and said 'That's too bad.' Then he said he had to get back to work. That's it ... nothing else-no stop, I love you. Just a shrug and a get lost.”

”You poor thing,” Stella said sympathetically. ”To think you wasted your time on such a jerk.”

”Yeah, that's too bad,” Nick spoke up. ”But why are you telling us all this?”

”I'm not a stupid woman. Allen's reaction gives me a reason for wanting him dead. But I also know it's better that I tell you everything now than to have you find out on your own.”

”Yeah, I get that. What I mean is, why us? Why not go to the police? Why not tell Sheriff Mills?”

Alma looked up in fear. ”He already knows.”

”He does?”

”Well, I'm not sure he knows the details, but it was the morning after I broke up with Allen. I had been up all night crying, so you could imagine what a mess I was. Mills showed up at his usual time, but it was raining, so I let him in before opening. I tried to be strong, I really did, but I eventually broke down and told him what had happened. Before I could even finish the story, he was off his stool and out of the shop.”

”What day was this?”

”The day before you arrived. The day before Allen was killed.”

Stella felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest. Was it possible that the sheriff had killed Weston-not out of jealousy but out of vengeance for the woman he loved?

”Did you see Mills the next morning?” Nick continued.

”Yes, he showed up at his usual time. Like always.”

”How was he?”

”Things were a bit awkward at first. I apologized for my outburst, and he excused me, like I knew he would. He said he understood what I was going through, a.s.sured me that everything would be okay, and then offered to listen if I needed to talk. I thanked him, and breakfast went on as usual.”

”Do you think he killed Allen Weston?”

”I honestly don't know. The way he rea.s.sured me everything would be okay didn't strike me as strange at the time, but now ... I'm not sure if I actually suspect him or if I'm just in shock over the way he ran out of the shop that morning. It was so ... so unlike him.”

”Why would you be in shock? He might not react that way often-okay, never-but you've gotta know by now that Mills has a thing for you.”

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