Chapter 46

CHAPTER 46

A ndi stared at the house in front of them. The home of Dan and Jan Price.

This neighborhood was a nice upgrade from Jared’s place, with houses probably four times as large as his and better maintained.

Andi and Duke still had a couple of hours before the next round of snow was supposed to hit, so they might as well make the best of their trip. However, they didn’t want to take too much time either.

Just like at Jared’s, they climbed out and walked to the porch.

But unlike Jared’s house, when they reached it, Andi saw the front door was ajar.

She and Duke exchanged a glance. That wasn’t a good sign.

Duke reached for his gun. Then he pushed the door open and called, “Hello? Anybody here?”

They waited for an answer.

When there was none, a bad feeling lingered in Andi.

Had something happened to these people? Why else would they leave their door open at this time of year with temperatures below zero?

Duke was just about to step inside when a figure appeared down the hallway.

Andi froze as she waited for a better glimpse of the man. Had they stumbled upon the killer? Her nerves were on edge after everything that happened, and she prepared herself for the worst.

A moment later, an older gentleman with white hair, wire-framed glasses, and a large belly came into focus. “Can I help you? What are you doing in my house?”

She released the breath she’d been holding.

This man didn’t appear to be a killer. Praise the Lord!

“Your house?” Duke jammed his gun back into his waistband. “The door was open, so we thought something was wrong.”

The man paced closer and squinted. “Do I know you?”

“No, sir,” Andi said. “We’re investigating the death of Calvin and Mary Burrows, and we came by to talk to you. We saw the door was open and were concerned.”

“The door was open? I don’t know why that door was open.” Then he paused, his lips twisting into a frown. “Or maybe I do. My wife . . . I’m afraid she’s getting a touch of dementia. Sometimes, I find the flour in the oven instead of the pantry. The other day, she accidentally used toothpaste on top of a cake she was decorating instead of icing. I’m going to guess she may not have closed this door when she came in from taking the trash out. I told her I would take it out, but she insisted. She’s a stubborn one.”

At least that explanation made a little more sense.

“I see,” Duke said. “I’m sorry if we frightened you.”

“You should get out of the cold.” Dan ushered them inside.

They stepped inside the living room, which was warm and cozy with its homemade quilts, bearskin rug, and a fire blazing in the fireplace.

Dan paused and turned toward them. “Can I get you some coffee?”

“I wouldn’t turn that down,” Andi said. “But I don’t want to impose either.”

“I don’t mind.” Dan walked to the pot, which had already been brewed.

He poured two cups and handed them each one. As he did, a pleasantly plump woman with a coif of gray hair appeared from upstairs.

Her gaze flickered between Duke and Andi as if trying to figure out who they were.

“Dan?” she finally asked.

“Jan, we have some friends visiting,” Dan said. “They’re here about Calvin and Mary.”

Her eyes lit. “Calvin and Mary? I haven’t talked to them in years. How are they doing? I really need to get together with them again sometime soon.”

Grief clutched Duke’s heart. His grandmother had dementia, and he knew just how hard that could be on loved ones. The mental decline was heartbreaking.

Maybe coming here hadn’t been a good idea after all.

Andi sipped her coffee as she sat on a blue-and-red-plaid couch. A shiny coffee table stretched in front of them, a glass dish with butterscotch candy in the center.

Dan had insisted they sit down in the living room. He’d asked Jan if she would grab some butter cookies from the pantry. She had agreed.

When she disappeared from the room, Dan leaned closer and whispered, “I’m not sure she’ll be much help to you.”

“We can leave if you need us to.” Andi pointed behind her at the front door. “I hate to make things harder for you.”

“No, Calvin and Mary were good people. I’ve been saddened by their passing ever since it happened. The fact that the person who did it hasn’t been tossed in jail with the key thrown away only makes things worse. Whatever you need to ask me, I’ll try to answer. It had been a couple of years since I talked to them before they died.”

“We’re most curious about what happened with them at the Caribou Club,” Andi started. “I had their departure wasn’t an easy one.”

As soon as those words left her lips, Jan appeared again with a plate of cookies and a wide smile. “Please, have one. I would have baked something myself if I’d known you were coming. Maybe you can take some back for Calvin and Mary also?”

Andi’s heart lodged in her throat. “I’m sure they’d love that.”

Jan then sat down in the chair next to her husband. “You mentioned the Caribou Club. I love that place. Such lovely people.”

Dan glanced at his wife, concern and sadness in his gaze. “You always did love our gatherings there.”

“I heard Calvin and Mary had some conflicts with some people in the club.” Andi picked up a butter cookie and nibbled on it. The treat took her back to her childhood visits to grandma’s house.

“Unfortunately, they did.” Dan rubbed his jaw. “But they had every reason to have butt heads with Baylor and Barney.”

“Who are Baylor and Barney?” Duke asked. “We haven’t come across their names yet.”

“Baylor Boykins and Barney Holder.” Dan’s gaze darkened. “They were on the board several years ago, and they liked to call all the shots.”

“Why did Calvin and Mary have a dispute with them?” Andi asked.

“Those men were up to no good,” Dan said. “They wanted to appear altruistic, like they were doing things for the good of the community. But all the while they were actually just watching out for themselves.”

“Is that confirmed?” Duke asked.

“As confirmed as a supreme court justice.” Dan offered a confident nod. “They were misappropriating funds is what I believe the official term is.”

“What about Edwin Standard?” Andi asked. “I thought he was involved in that.”

“He was also,” Dan said. “But since he passed, I didn’t figure I’d bring him up.”

“What did the club do when they found out what was going on?” Duke asked.

“The club never made those facts public,” Dan said. “We thought it would bring too much negative attention to us. Then again, if we don’t tell people, then we don’t have transparency, and that doesn’t make us trustworthy either. Their actions put us in a difficult position, but that was ultimately what the board chose to do.”

“So the Burrows’ suspicions were correct?” Andi asked as she wiped cookie crumbs from her fingers. “Baylor and Barney were skimming money to have their own lavish parties?”

“That’s right,” Dan said. “But since then, we have new leadership, and the club’s not like that anymore.”

“Do you think that Baylor and Barney were upset enough to want to do something to the Burrows?” Andi chose her words carefully, not wanting to set Jan off, especially if she thought they were still alive.

Andi waited to hear Dan’s answer, hoping she and Duke might finally find one of the elusive leads they desperately needed.