Turkey Trot Terror Read online

  Turkey

  Trot

  Terror

  A Cozy Baked Murder

  by

  Kate Bell

  Copyright © 2016 by Kate Bell. All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination, or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

  Other books by Kate Bell

  Apple Pie A La Murder,

  A Cozy Baked Murder, Book 1

  Trick or Treat and Murder,

  A Cozy Baked Murder, Book 2

  --1--

  “Exactly how many pies did you bake?” Alec asked as I handed him two more pies. I was glad Alec had an SUV for times when I had large numbers of pies to transport. My Toyota just wasn’t cutting it.

  “Just two more,” I assured him. Some people were such worrywarts.

  It was thanksgiving morning, and we were headed to the annual Turkey Trot where we would run a 5K in the frigid cold morning air and then indulge in pie as a reward. Over the past few years as running had become more and more important to me, the Turkey Trot had turned into a tradition. I was thrilled that this year I would have someone else to run with me.

  “Okay, are you sure we’ve got them all?” he asked, when I handed him the last of them.

  “Yes, that’s it,” I said. I grabbed my running jacket off the hanger in the hall closet and followed after him. I had baked ten pies for the Turkey Trot and five for our Thanksgiving dinner.

  “Hey, mom, I’m going to come with you,” my son Thad mumbled from behind me.

  I turned around, surprised to see him up and about. He was dressed in running clothes, with a tuft of blond hair sticking up in back from sleeping on it. He and his girlfriend had come in late the night before and I hadn’t expected to see him up so early. I smiled at him.

  “Okay, honey, come out and I’ll introduce you to Alec.”

  Introductions went around and we got into Alec’s SUV, with Thad in the back. I was so excited to have Thad home for the holiday that it took all the self-control I had not to nag him about transferring to the University of Maine so I could see him regularly.

  “Wow, it’s chilly out here,” I said, buckling my seatbelt. It had been getting increasingly colder in the early mornings, but today was the coldest by far. A light powder snow had fallen in the night, but it would melt as soon as the sun came up.

  “It feels colder here for some reason,” Thad mumbled, still trying to shake the sleep off.

  “It’s all that coastal air,” Alec said.

  “Yeah, I guess I miss that. Or I maybe I don’t,” Thad said. “I don’t mind drier air.”

  Alec pulled up to the Rec Center ten minutes later, and we got out to unload the pies.

  “How are you doing Allie?” Todd Spellman asked as I got out of the car. Todd was the manager of the local branch of the Bank of Maine. He was pushing his father in a wheelchair, and he pushed him toward us. The elder Mr. Spellman wore a wool cap with earflaps, a heavy jacket and a blanket draped over his legs.

  “Good morning Todd, Mr. Spellman,” I said, nodding at them.

  “It’s a fine morning for a run, isn’t it?” Todd asked and then glanced at Thad. “Is this your son?”

  “Yes, this is Thad,” I said. “It’s a bit cold for my tastes. I was hoping the weather would turn mild like last year.”

  Alec came around and stood by me and I introduced everyone. Mr. Spellman briefly looked in my direction and then stared off into space. I wasn’t quite sure what was ailing him, but he rarely engaged in conversation anymore.

  “Are you going to run, Alec? Thad?” Todd asked. Todd had an all American charm to him and I didn’t think he had ever met a stranger. It was sweet that he took care of his father in his failing health. He was a young thirty-something, and I didn’t think there were many people that age that would devote so much time to an ailing parent.

  “Yes, we are. I expect to work up an appetite for that turkey dinner Allie’s making later this evening,” Alec answered.

  “That’s an excellent plan,” Todd said and flashed a perfect movie star smile.

  “Well, we’ve got to get the pies inside,” I said. I knew Lucy would need help getting set up. “We’ll see you out on the course. Mr. Spellman, you save your appetite for some of my pecan pie, you hear? It’s the best in the state.”

  Mr. Spellman looked at me, his eyes glazed over, but didn’t respond. “He certainly will,” Todd said, patting his father on the shoulder. “I need to get him out of the cold,” he said, and turned the wheelchair around and pushed him into the Rec Center building.

  “They seem like nice people,” Alec said as he reached for two pies.

  “Some of the best in town,” I said, and did the same. I handed them off to Thad and sent him inside with them and got two more to take inside myself.

  “Oh Allie, I’m not sure about all of this,” Lucy said as I entered the building.

  “About what?” I asked, heading for a table to set my pies down. There were already six other pies there. From the looks of it, three pumpkin and two store bought apple pies, and someone’s attempt at pecan. I didn’t want to criticize, but there weren’t nearly enough pecans in it.

  “This whole thing!” Lucy wailed, motioning toward the empty tables and chairs. A few people milled about with coffee cups in hand, visiting with one another.

  “You’ve got tables and chairs set up, coffee and tea made and all the forks, spoons, plates and napkins set out. You even put fall themed tablecloths on the tables and have a fire started in the fireplace,” I pointed out. “What’s upsetting you?”

  Lucy Gray was my best friend. She was one of the first people I had met when I moved to Maine over twenty years ago, after marrying my husband, Thaddeus. A drunk driver had killed Thaddeus eight years earlier and if it hadn’t been for Lucy, I don’t know how I would have survived it. But she could be a little high strung under pressure. Her blond hair was showing it this morning, and was sticking out at the sides.

  “Oh, Ed started the fire.” She leaned against a table and crossed her arms. “Diana would have done it so much better. She would have had all sorts of decorations for this event. Look at the bare walls!”

  “We’ll get the rest of the pies,” Alec said, heading out the door with Thad. The guys were not particularly brave around wailing women.

  “Now, look. Everyone knows this was short notice. Everything looks very nice. We are going to have a nice run, and then eat some pie and visit for a bit, then go home and make Thanksgiving dinner. It will be a fun day, you watch and see.”

  “Do you think so?” she asked.

  Lucy had never hosted a community event and she never would have if her former boss and friend hadn’t been murdered last month. Diana Bowen had been the community queen when it came to any kind of event. She lived for them. But Mary Payne had poisoned her with a candy apple the day of the Halloween bazaar and had left the community without an organizer. Lucy had done a great job stepping up with so little notice.

  “Of course!” I said and gave her a quick hug as Alec and Thad brought more pies in.

  “I’m so glad you brought so many pies. I don’t know what I’d do if I had been expected to make pies, too,” she said.

  The annual Turkey Trot brought out a large gathering each year. Many people walked the course, and some just came to visit and eat free pie. It was a fun event that brought the community together.

  Ellen Allen came through the door and
I saw Lucy stiffen. “Just take it easy,” I told her. Ellen was Lucy’s former co-worker who had been fired for stealing from the cash register and the two weren’t fond of each other.

  It was still dark out as more people began arriving. I grabbed a cup and poured the last of the coffee from the huge, event-sized coffee pot. “I’ll make some more,” I said to Lucy.

  “Hi Lucy, the place looks great,” Todd Spellman said. “You did a great job pulling this thing together on such short notice.”

  “Do you think so?” Lucy asked, turning toward him.

  “Absolutely! Community involvement is important. If it weren’t for people like you and Diana Bowen, God rest her soul, we’d be lost,” he said. I glanced up and saw that Mr. Spellman had been parked near the fireplace. I fixed up the cup of coffee I had poured for myself for him, instead. I didn’t know how he took it, but I decided at this point, he probably didn’t either. I put cream and sugar in it and took it to him.

  “Here you go Mr. Spellman,” I said loudly in case his hearing wasn’t very good. “I brought you some coffee. It’s hot, so you need to be careful.”

  Mr. Spellman looked at me. I mean, really looked at me. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He looked at me so intently, it felt odd. Maybe he had moments of clarity and he wanted to communicate something with me.

  “How are you doing Mr. Spellman?” I asked and put the coffee in his hands, placing both of them around the cup.

  Mr. Spellman suddenly grabbed my hand with one of his. It startled me and I jumped a little, but I let him hold my hand. He still held the coffee cup in his other hand.

  “How are you Mr. Spellman?” I asked again, looking into his eyes. Was he okay?

  He opened his mouth again, but no sound came out.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” Todd said, coming up behind me.

  I turned to look at him, and felt something pass between him and his father, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.

  “Oh, I see you brought Dad some coffee. Thank you! That’s very nice of you,” he said. “Are you warm enough Dad?” He bent and rearranged the blanket on his father’s legs.

  Mr. Spellman gazed off into the distance.

  I stood up. Maybe I was just tired and was imagining things. I had gotten up early to get the pies ready to bring down here, and I still had a race ahead of me. Not that it mattered if I ran fast or whether I ran at all today. The point was to have fun.

  I looked around the room. Thad was in the middle of a group of college aged kids, laughing. A couple of them looked familiar and I thought they must have gone to High School with him. Possibly in a lower grade.

  I glanced back at Mr. Spellman. “Enjoy your coffee, Mr. Spellman,” I said. “I’ll see you out on the course, Todd.”

  “Indeed you will!” he said brightly.

  I headed back over to Alec and Lucy.

  “I’ve got all the pies in,” Alec announced as I approached them.

  “That’s awesome, thanks,” I said, and glanced back at Mr. Spellman.

  More people were streaming through the doors. Some brought more pies, and some brought carafes of flavored coffees. The room felt and smelled warm and cozy from the coffee and the fire. It was Fall in Maine and we were going to have a race!

  --2--

  “On your mark, get set, go!” Came the command from the loudspeaker.

  And we were off. Alec started us off at a nice easy pace, but when I saw Todd, Thad, and the group of college kids take off at lightening speed, I was chomping at the bit. Something about seeing people running out in front of me, made me competitive.

  “What are you doing?” Alec asked, increasing his pace to keep up with me.

  “Come on Alec, it’s a race! Let’s run!” I said and pushed myself to go faster.

  “You need to pace yourself,” he said, still keeping up with me.

  “It’s only a 5K. What’s to pace?” I said. Actually, I was beginning to feel that pace in my lungs, but I wasn’t going to let on. “I can do a 5K in my sleep.”

  “Okay, but don’t cry to me when you run out of steam before it’s over,” he warned.

  “Ha ha,” I said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay.”

  “Of course you will be,” he said.

  I noted the sarcasm, but the cold was making it hard to talk so I didn’t reply.

  The trail wound out through the woods and would circle around and come back to the Rec Center.

  Soon enough I was going to have to switch to treadmill running. The snow could be brutal in Maine in the wintertime and only the foolhardy would run in it for long.

  The powder snow was beginning to melt, and I slipped a little on the road, but caught myself in time, using my arms to balance myself.

  “Careful,” Alec warned, reaching out for my arm.

  “Got it,” I answered. A little melting snow wasn’t going to hold me back.

  It was biting cold, but it was exhilarating and a nice change from the regular running path. The pine trees were beautiful with a little snow on their branches.

  Thad and the rest of the college kids were out of sight within a minute or two and Todd was a couple hundred yards ahead, giving it his all to try to catch up with them. Poor Todd wasn’t going to get anywhere near them. Those kids looked like they were serious athletes. Thad had been a track star in High School and he was on his college track team.

  “How are you doing?” Alec huffed after a couple more minutes.

  “Okay, you?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Okay.”

  We were running hard, and the cold wasn’t making it easy. My eyes began to tear up in the cold and I pulled my scarf further up on my face. I should have worn goggles, but completely forgot about them.

  We went around a curve and I heard a low whistling sound, and then I saw Todd fall to the ground, face first. He lay still. Alec and I glanced at each other and then pushed ourselves to get to him. Had he had a heart attack? He appeared to be in good physical shape, but looks could be deceiving.

  When we got to him, we knelt at the same time, one on each side. Alec turned him over and felt for a pulse in his neck. He kept moving his fingers around looking for the right spot.

  “Alec,” I gasped.

  He looked at me questioning.

  I was out of breath and couldn’t speak, so I pointed to a dark wet spot on his red running jacket.

  “Oh,” Alec said and unzipped it. His shirt was white underneath his jacket, but it was turning bright crimson at an alarming pace. “I can’t find a pulse,” Alec said.

  I swallowed, my heart pounding hard, but now it was from adrenaline.

  “What happened?” I gasped.

  Alec shook his head and kept feeling for a pulse.

  I heard that same whistling noise I had heard before Todd fell, and the snow next to me puffed up into the air. Then it happened again and again. Each time, small puffs of snow flew up.

  “Run!” Alec said, getting to his feet and grabbing my hand.

  “What is it?” I screamed as I got to my feet and we ran back in the direction we had come from.

  “Someone’s shooting at us,” he said. “Do you have a phone on you?”

  “No, it’s in the car,” I gasped.

  “Run!” he repeated, pulling on my hand.

  “Shooting?” I questioned. It seemed inconceivable.

  He nodded. “Hurry.”

  I put on some speed and we headed back toward a small crowd of runners. I was too afraid to look behind me. I didn’t want to see someone running after us with a gun.

  “Wait, Thad is in the other direction! We have to get to him!” I cried, coming to a sudden stop.

  Alec grabbed my arm. “We have to get back to the Rec Center. We can’t catch them,” he said.

  I shook my head. “No! That’s my baby!”

  “My gun is in my car. We are not running into the sights of a gunman. Thad and the other kids already passed the spot where Todd fell. They’ll be back at
the Rec Center within a few minutes,” he said breathing hard, and pulled me toward the group of runners coming toward us.

  What he said made sense, but all I could think of was my kids. I wanted to see my kids. I wanted to see Thad right now.

  “Go back!” Alec ordered. “Turn around!” he signaled to the runners with his hand, but they looked at him, confused, and kept running toward us. They didn’t understand why he was telling them to go back.

  “Turn around!” Alec gasped.

  “What?” someone asked.

  “What do you mean, turn around?” someone else asked.

  “Someone’s shooting at us!” I screamed.

  That stopped them in their tracks.

  “Get to shelter at the Rec Center!” Alec commanded.

  With terrified looks on their faces, they turned to run back to the Rec Center building.

  “What happened?” someone asked. “Who’s shooting?”

  “Run!” Alec ordered.

  As we ran into more groups of runners and walkers, we ordered them back to the building. We had been ahead of almost everyone, except for Todd and the small group of five or six college age runners, so we were able to get the rest headed back to the building.

  “What about Thad and the other kids?” I gasped. It was hard for me to keep my wits about me. Would they make it back to the Rec Center unharmed?

  “They’ll be okay Allie. They were in the shooter’s sights and they weren’t shot. They were moving at a fast pace. They’ll be back at the Rec Center shortly.”

  I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t. Not until I actually saw Thad unharmed.

  When we got to the door of the Rec Center, I looked over my shoulder, but there was no one there. The shooter hadn’t followed us, unless they were under cover of the trees.

  “I have a gun in my car,” he reminded me. “You get inside with everyone else.” He gave me a push to get me inside and he slammed the door.

  I stood by a window and watched him unlock the back of his small SUV. He took out his gun holster and slung it on himself and grabbed his phone. Then he headed to the front door.