Summer Reading is Killing Me

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

“ Stone Street Gallery. Nicolette Simonton speaking.”

“ Nic, it’s Phee Jefferson over at the library,” I said. Nic and I knew each other from volunteering with the kids at the Miller Cove’s Parks and Recreation Department Summer Camp. I did story hour and crafts with the younger children while Nic taught beginning art to the tweens and teens. “I wanted to ask you a quick question.”

“ Phee! It’s good to hear from you. What’s up?”

“ I had the misfortune of discovering a murder this morning down at the park. You might have heard about it through the rumor mill.”

“ It was all anyone could talk about when I grabbed my cup of coffee today.”

“ I hoped that you might know who the victim was,” I said.

“ Me?” Nic sounded surprised. “I don’t see how in the world I can help.”

“ She was in her early twenties with long blond hair. Very attractive. She was painting a landscape. She could be here for the artist’s retreat.”

“ Petite with long blonde hair past her shoulders? Sounds like Elody Campbell. She brought me a few pieces to sell in the gallery. I was thrilled to take her art on commission because she has talent. Her paintings are amazing.”

“ Do you know anything about her? Was she attending the artist’s retreat?”

“ Aren’t these questions for the police to ask? I don’t mean to sound rude, but aren’t you sticking your nose into something that isn’t your business?” Nic’s voice tightened.

“ You’re right,” I said. “I’ll pass Elody’s name on to the police. I was curious about who she was since I found the body. I appreciate your help.” Nic wouldn’t understand my urge to investigate the murder myself. She probably thought my interest was a little ghoulish.

“ Not a problem. I wish I could tell you more, Phee, but go ahead and pass Elody’s information to the sheriff. I’ll be happy to help them however I can. Take care of yourself.” Nic disconnected the phone. Perhaps I just imagined it, but her voice seemed to have lost its earlier warmth.

I felt bad for upsetting Nic, but then gave myself a small mental kick. The one thing I learned from my near-death experience last year was that I wasn’t responsible for everyone else’s feelings. I picked the phone back up and dialed the number for the sheriff’s office.

When Tina answered, I asked to speak to Mark. “You haven’t found another body, have you? I swear Miller’s Cove is turning into a veritable hotbed of crime.”

“ What? No, I wanted to tell Mark the victim’s name is Elody Campbell.”

“ Thanks, but we’ve already identified the victim.” Tina lowered her voice, “Mark’s down at the lake. Turns out somebody broke into one of the cabins and turned it upside down. He’s trying to investigate the break-in and the murder. Sheriff Dawes is on damage control calming everybody down before people say a serial killer is on the loose!” I heard the nervous snapping of gum through the phone.

“ That’s odd. Two crimes in one day? Did someone local know the victim?”

“ You don’t keep up with the celebrity gossip do you? Elody Campbell is Senator Campbell’s daughter. They had a huge falling out when she dropped out of college and went on the party circuit with her grungy artist boyfriend a little over a year ago. His name is Jay something or another. Anyway, he’s a petty criminal who got lucky when he hooked up with Elody. An article about his artwork appeared in a big spread in a magazine. He went from drinking cheap beer at the local bar to sipping champagne with the jet setters. It was on the cover of People Peepers a few months ago. The Senator cut her off without a dime, but she kept on partying. It almost lost him the last election. I can’t believe you didn’t hear about this. You should read more than just those dusty old books in the library,” Tina admonished.

Feeling chastised, I said, “You’re right. I tend not to keep up with the news or gossip rags.”

“ The sheriff already notified the family. As soon as I saw the crime scene photos, I recognized her,” Tina bragged. “At first I wasn’t sure because in all the magazines she had her hair and makeup done to the max. I follow her on Twitter though, and she posted a no makeup picture of herself supporting a celebrity cause. I’m positive it was her. Her daddy may have cut her off from the family trust, but she was still living a trust fund baby’s life. She went on vacations on tropical islands and dinner in Paris with that Jay guy. She tweeted about everything she did until about a month ago, then no one saw hide nor hair of her. The rumor is that she dumped him and was trying to get back in good with the family. Who knew she’d been hiding out here in Miller’s Cove the whole time!”

“ Thanks, Tina. I guess you didn’t need my information. Between you and Nellie, the sheriff knows everything that everyone is doing. Could you let Mark know that I talked to Nicolette Simonton? Elody gave Stone Street Gallery her paintings to sell on commission. It might be nothing, but I am sure he’ll want to speak to Nic. I’ll chat with you later.” I hung up and contemplated Tina’s celebrity gossip. It was odd that a famous for being famous social butterfly would be murdered in remote Miller’s Cove. We were as far removed from the nightlife of the city as you could get. My next step would be to find out as much as I could about Elody outside of the gossip pages. The only problem was how did a small town librarian with the fashion sense of a gnome learn about the hip and chic crowd of the big city?