War and Peas

I’m Mrs. Nowack. And I imagine that there still are a lot of professional women who prefer to keep a little bit of formality in their business relationships.“
    “Or she was a cold fish,“ Jane said.
    Shelley smiled. “Right. And keep in mind that Regina was Sharlene’s mentor. Almost her idol. You don’t call idols by their first names. About that gun Mel had—”
    Jane knew what Shelley was thinking and nodded. “Uh-huh. I wouldn’t place a bet on there being two of them.“
    “Which means someone took it from the museum before the reenactment.“
    “Someone associated with the museum,“ Jane finished for her. “Not one of the original reenactors. When we had that lecture about our roles, nobody was supposed to have a gun. We were wives and farmers and wagon-makers and such.”
    A woman with two children who each seemed to have sixteen grabby, grubby little hands had approached the booth. Shelley hopped up to wait on her and try to keep the children from destroying the neatly arranged merchandise. “Oh, you sell pea seeds,“ the woman said. “How would you like to plant some of our own peas?“ she said in a singsong voice to the kids.
    “Peas stink!“ the boy said.
    “I hate peas!“ the girl responded, making an ugly face and snatching a jump rope off the counter.
    “Oh, you’ll love peas if you grow them yourselves,“ the mother cooed. “I promise they’ll taste yummy.“
    “Plant them indoors in paper cups,“ Shelley advised. “They’re cute when they come up. Then plant them out by a fence when the weather cools. You might get a crop in the fall.“ As she spoke, Shelley took the jump rope away from the little girl, who was trying to see how many knots she could tie in it. Shelley held it as if she were considering garroting the child.
    They left with several packets of peas. “That little boy stole a peashooter,“ Jane said.
    “I know. I charged her for it and she didn’t notice,“ Shelley said smugly.
    “How do you know about growing peas?“
    “I had to help the teacher with a fourth-grade science project once. I’m a woman of many parts, Jane. Haven’t you noticed?“
    “And what do your many parts think about Regina Palmer’s death?“
    “I think she was murdered.“
    “Me, too.”

    Mel called that night as Jane was getting ready for bed. “Sorry I abandoned you,“ he said.
    “It was okay. Shelley brought me home.”
    “I figured she would.“
    “I guess you’ll be attending the festival again tomorrow?“ Jane asked.
    “Is that an attempt to ask me subtly about Palmer’s death?“ Mel said with a laugh.
    “Not too subtle, huh? Was it the gun from the museum?“
    “Sure it was. The gun and lead shot for it had been in a display case.“
    “Wasn’t it locked?“
    “It was supposed to be. It was in a remote room on the third floor, in an exhibit of old clothes and hairbrushes and a bunch of dusty, unidentifiable household objects. No telling how long the gun’s been missing. And before you ask, everybody in Greater Chicago had access to the keys to the display case. At least everybody who wandered through the staff area. The keys all hang on a pegboard right inside the door.“
    “And was it the gun she was shot with?“ Jane asked.
    “No confirmation yet. But I’m guessing so until I’m told otherwise.“
    “I thought you weren’t in charge of the investigation.”
    He cleared his throat. “I wasn’t. But the guy who was in charge took a little break during the afternoon and ate something he shouldn’t have. Damned near had to have another ambulance for him.“
    “It wasn’t a hot dog with sauerkraut and awfully yellow cheese, was it?“ Jane asked warily.
    “Nope. A dessert with a cream filling that had ripened nicely in the heat. Somebody else had to bust the dessert booth, thank God!“
    “The weather report said it’s supposed to be a lot cooler by tomorrow. That’s meant as a comforting comment,“ Jane said.
    “Is it? Will you be there again tomorrow?“
    “Shelley and I were supposed to participate in the morning reenactment again. But now—? I guess I’ll turn up and work at whatever somebody wants me to do.”

    Surprisingly, the weatherman had been right. A cold front had moved in during the night, causing just enough rain to freshen the skies and grass and leave behind an achingly blue sky. When Jane and Shelley arrived at the festival grounds, they learned that the reenactment scheduled for the morning was to