Read Online COZY MYSTERY: Murder At The Festival: A Cozy Mystery in the Mountains (Book 4) by Liz Turner - Free Book Online
Authors: Liz Turner
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have too. If her body’s buried anywhere in a fifty-mile radius, we would have found her. Believe me, we would.”
“Oh,” Calum said. “But then… where is she? She can’t have gone up in smoke, man.”
“As far as I’m concerned, she escaped from a family she didn’t like,” Randolf said. “A year or two in the big bad world might convince her to come back, or it might propel her into a new orbit of friends and a happier life. Either way, to me, the case is closed.”
But to Victoria, it felt as if the case had just been opened.
Chapter 10
One of the first people Victoria spoke to was Margie’s teacher Mrs. Crankleshott. An old lady with a rather significant mole on her nose, Mrs. Crankleshott was a beloved teacher who had been teaching nearly 40 years at Everdeen High School. Victoria herself had once been taught by her. She remembered Tenth Grade English class, where she’d often ignore lessons and write her own stories under the desk. She laughed to herself; Mrs. Crankleshott had never known.
“So.” Mrs. Crankleshott offered Victoria a biscuit as she sat down in front of her. Despite herself, Victoria felt nervous, like a schoolgirl who’d just been caught cheating on a test. “This is about Byron, I presume?”
It was easier to let her think that, so Victoria nodded.
“If it’s about that fight he had with Jay Cutler, I’d say ignore it. I’m a little old-fashioned, maybe, but I think this new-fangled method of zero tolerance to violence is ridiculous. Boys have been scrapping with each other forever. It’s part of their biology. Look at Rams and stallions in the wild. It’s their path to growing up, really. Don’t worry about it too much, and don’t try to lasso him. That’s my advice. Though it’s not Principal Sherman approved.”
“I’m only worried because it’s about that girl,” Victoria said. “Byron had a thing for Margie Thompson, I think.”
“Well, he had good taste. Margie was a fine girl.” Mrs. Crankleshott said. She looked a little sad. “I just don’t understand why she did it. Why run away?”
“Colonel Jager said she’d been reported thrice before for running away.”
“Teenage hijinks.” Mrs. Crankleshott waved it off. “Her mother is one to over-react, I guess. But then again, a lot of mothers are like that.”
So Jay Cutler wasn’t the only one to think that this time was different than before, Victoria noted.
“Did you see her behavior change in any way?” Victoria asked. “Was she moodier lately?”
Mrs. Crankleshott tapped her nose with a long, slim finger. “To be honest with you, she was always moody. I thought it’s because she was sleep deprived. She always had dark circles under her eyes. I believe she was addicted to her phone and her computer. Youngsters these days, ah well, I suppose if she’d been born ten years earlier, she’d have been addicted to books instead.”
“I’ve been told she was quite loud and cheerful,” Victoria said.
“She was, sometimes.” Mrs. Crankleshott said. “She had a lively sense of humor, that girl. It endeared her to a lot of people. She told me she got it from her father. Her real father, not that Jonas fellow.”
“You don’t like Jonas much then?”
Mrs. Crankleshott wrinkled her nose. “I think he’s a parasite and an opportunist.” She said heatedly. “He married her mother when she was most vulnerable, just a year after his brother’s death. Poaching, I call it.”
Victoria nodded.
“But still, my opinion is probably influenced by Margie’s.” Mrs. Crankleshott pointed out. “She absolutely detested Jonas. I think she saw him as the reason her mother paid her less attention. She wanted either him or herself out of the house. Unfortunately, Michelle is very much in love with Jonas, so I suppose Margie decided to get herself out. Still, there wasn’t that much wrong with the family that she had to leave the way she did. No note, no goodbyes… it makes me
“Oh,” Calum said. “But then… where is she? She can’t have gone up in smoke, man.”
“As far as I’m concerned, she escaped from a family she didn’t like,” Randolf said. “A year or two in the big bad world might convince her to come back, or it might propel her into a new orbit of friends and a happier life. Either way, to me, the case is closed.”
But to Victoria, it felt as if the case had just been opened.
Chapter 10
One of the first people Victoria spoke to was Margie’s teacher Mrs. Crankleshott. An old lady with a rather significant mole on her nose, Mrs. Crankleshott was a beloved teacher who had been teaching nearly 40 years at Everdeen High School. Victoria herself had once been taught by her. She remembered Tenth Grade English class, where she’d often ignore lessons and write her own stories under the desk. She laughed to herself; Mrs. Crankleshott had never known.
“So.” Mrs. Crankleshott offered Victoria a biscuit as she sat down in front of her. Despite herself, Victoria felt nervous, like a schoolgirl who’d just been caught cheating on a test. “This is about Byron, I presume?”
It was easier to let her think that, so Victoria nodded.
“If it’s about that fight he had with Jay Cutler, I’d say ignore it. I’m a little old-fashioned, maybe, but I think this new-fangled method of zero tolerance to violence is ridiculous. Boys have been scrapping with each other forever. It’s part of their biology. Look at Rams and stallions in the wild. It’s their path to growing up, really. Don’t worry about it too much, and don’t try to lasso him. That’s my advice. Though it’s not Principal Sherman approved.”
“I’m only worried because it’s about that girl,” Victoria said. “Byron had a thing for Margie Thompson, I think.”
“Well, he had good taste. Margie was a fine girl.” Mrs. Crankleshott said. She looked a little sad. “I just don’t understand why she did it. Why run away?”
“Colonel Jager said she’d been reported thrice before for running away.”
“Teenage hijinks.” Mrs. Crankleshott waved it off. “Her mother is one to over-react, I guess. But then again, a lot of mothers are like that.”
So Jay Cutler wasn’t the only one to think that this time was different than before, Victoria noted.
“Did you see her behavior change in any way?” Victoria asked. “Was she moodier lately?”
Mrs. Crankleshott tapped her nose with a long, slim finger. “To be honest with you, she was always moody. I thought it’s because she was sleep deprived. She always had dark circles under her eyes. I believe she was addicted to her phone and her computer. Youngsters these days, ah well, I suppose if she’d been born ten years earlier, she’d have been addicted to books instead.”
“I’ve been told she was quite loud and cheerful,” Victoria said.
“She was, sometimes.” Mrs. Crankleshott said. “She had a lively sense of humor, that girl. It endeared her to a lot of people. She told me she got it from her father. Her real father, not that Jonas fellow.”
“You don’t like Jonas much then?”
Mrs. Crankleshott wrinkled her nose. “I think he’s a parasite and an opportunist.” She said heatedly. “He married her mother when she was most vulnerable, just a year after his brother’s death. Poaching, I call it.”
Victoria nodded.
“But still, my opinion is probably influenced by Margie’s.” Mrs. Crankleshott pointed out. “She absolutely detested Jonas. I think she saw him as the reason her mother paid her less attention. She wanted either him or herself out of the house. Unfortunately, Michelle is very much in love with Jonas, so I suppose Margie decided to get herself out. Still, there wasn’t that much wrong with the family that she had to leave the way she did. No note, no goodbyes… it makes me
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