softly to see Sarah Wolfe standing there. She looked as smashed down and weary as Val. She started to say something, but he put a finger to his lips as he stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him.
“Sarah…how’s Terry?”
She offered him a brave smile. “The same. Stable, if that really means anything.”
“You know Val and I are praying for the big guy.”
A quick nod, then, “Crow, I need to speak to you about something and I don’t want you to hate me for it.”
“Wow, that’s a hell of an opening.”
“It’s about the Halloween Festival.” When he looked blank, she said, “The party, the movie marathons, the whole—”
“Sarah, sweetie…don’t get me wrong but…who the hell
“Terry wanted you to run things if he couldn’t. He’s been telling me that over and over again these last few weeks as he’s gotten…well, sicker.”
Crow just looked at her. “Sarah, do you know what’s been happening lately? Mark and Connie are dead.”
“I know, and I heard that some creeps from the college broke in and stole the body of that horrible man —”
“Sarah…with all that’s happened to Val and her family I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Halloween right now.”
She took his hand and held it in both of hers. “Crow, this is hard for me to ask because I know how stupid and trivial it sounds, but please hear me out. Okay? You know how bad this crop blight is for the farmers in town. They’re on the verge of losing everything—their farms, their homes. Terry loaned out some money to those that were hardest hit. He’s mortgaged our house, his businesses, and even the Hayride up to the hilt. And there have been a lot of deals made between the farmers and the businesses in town, a lot of loans swapped back and forth, and what the banks couldn’t guarantee, Terry did.”
“Christ, Sarah…why the hell did he do that?”
“Because he loves this town, Crow. He loves it so much that he feels responsible for it, that if he lets it fail, then it’ll be a personal failure. I think that’s why he’s been seeing his sister. You know he nearly died trying to save Mandy when they were attacked. I think on some damaged level Terry is trying to save her all over again by trying so hard to save the town.”
“Maybe,” Crow said cautiously. He had other thoughts on Terry and Mandy.
“If the Halloween Festival fails, then Terry won’t be able to make good on the loans. He’ll be ruined, and it will destroy the economy of Pine Deep. Completely. A few people will survive, but the town as we know it will become a wasteland of foreclosures and bankruptcies.” Her eyes were bloodshot and when she had reapplied her lipstick she’d done a shaky job of it. “Crow, we need that Festival to happen. This isn’t just a money thing, and it’s not just about Terry’s—and my—financial future. This is really about the survival of Pine Deep.”
“I get that, Sarah, I really do…but what the hell can I do? No way I’m going to leave Val here and go off to play spooks and specters with the tourists.”
She shook her head. “Terry has plenty of staff to run the day-to-day operations, but you were the one who set up most of the events, you’ve been the liaison for all of the celebrities, you’re the one who has the contacts and knows how every part of this festival runs. If I had another month I might be able to train a couple of people to handle this, but we don’t. Halloween is two weeks away.”
“I get it, I get it…but—”
“If you’re going to be here at the hospital, then I can have Terry’s laptop and files brought here. You could send some e-mails, make some phone calls…basically keep things on track. The Festival this year promises to be the biggest ever, which means that money is going to pour into Pine Deep. If we can just keep everything running smoothly, then we can accomplish what Terry staked everything he has to achieve.” Her eyes searched his face, and she still held his right hand.
Crow gently disentangled his hand and walked a couple of paces away, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. “Geez, Sarah…I don’t know. So much of this depends on what’s happening here in town. We’re going to be arranging funerals and all.”
She managed a weak smile. “Well I did start this off by asking you not to hate me.” She came over and gave him a hug. “Just think about it, okay? I’m going to have Terry’s computer and files brought in anyway…just in case.”
He grinned, too. “But no pressure.”
“Oh, heavens no. Pressure? Here in bucolic Pine Deep, where the nights are quiet and sleepy and nothing ever happens and everyone’s just happy as clams.”
“Yep, that’s us, that’s Pine Deep.” He sighed. “Whoever coined that phrase ‘America’s Haunted Holidayland’ should be stood against a wall and shot.”
She patted him on the cheek. “That was you, sweetie. Ten years ago when you were interviewed by Don Polec for
“Yeah, well,” he said, remembering, “it sounded good at the time.”
“And now?”
“Now it just sounds too much like truth in advertising.” Down the hall he saw Saul Weinstock and Gus Bernhardt coming out of the elevator. “Okay, Sarah, let me think about it, and when Val wakes up, I’ll run it by her. No promises, though, so if you have another backup plan you should start looking into it.”
“There’s no other—” she started to say, then stopped, nodded, and said thanks.
Crow watched her head down the hall, saw Weinstock give her a reassuring smile, and then she was gone. Crow saw that the smile lingered on Weinstock’s face and that made a frown form on his own.
“Hey, Crow!” Weinstock said as they came to stop in front of him.
“Any word on—” Crow began, but Gus cut him off.
“No,” Weinstock said, “Gus thinks that it really was those jackasses from the college.”
“Little Halloween is bigger than Mischief Night around here,” Gus observed. The Pine Deep police chief was a big, sloppy fat man with a perpetually sweaty face and boiled-red complexion. “This whole morgue break-in is turning out to be a Little Halloween stunt. We were dealing with crap like this all night. Trash can fires, webcams hidden in the girl’s bathroom at the dorms, the doors to the school bus arc-welded shut.”
“But, Boyd…” Crow began.
“We’ll find him eventually.” Gus shook his head. “These college jocks love their friggin’ jokes.”
“Glad they think it’s funny. Personally I’d like to kick their asses. Better yet, wait until Val’s on her feet and then lock them in a room with her. That’d teach them.”
“Speaking of which,” Gus said awkwardly, “tell her that I’m, you know, sorry for her loss and all. Mark was pretty okay. Connie, too.”
“Sure, Gus, I’ll tell her. Your guys learn anything more from the crime scene? Like…how they got in?”
“Yeah, well we’re working on that. Got a few things locked down, though, like the security camera. Someone poured a cup of coffee into the switching box that runs all the cameras on the basement level. That doesn’t require any kind of special access except getting into the electrical room, and since Ruger broke in a couple of weeks ago and shut all the power down, that door’s been left open more often than not because of all the work they’re doing to reinforce the locks and frame.”
Crow smiled. “Let me get this straight…while working on improving security to a sensitive area of the hospital physical plant they left the door open…for convenience?”
Weinstock’s face went red. “Yes,” he said slowly, “and when I say heads will roll, I mean actual heads will be on the floor.”
“Christ on a stick.” Crow shook his head.
“The hospital morgue is still a crime scene,” Gus said. “I posted a guard, and the doc here has authorized installation of a new video security system. There’s a guy coming up from Lower Makefield to install it today.”
“Screw the budget committee,” Weinstock growled. “I’m tired of this place being a laughingstock.”
“A little late for that. Well, see you guys. I’ll keep you posted.” Gus gave them a cheery wave and headed off.
“Jackass,” Weinstock muttered under his breath. He and Crow headed down the hall to the solarium and bought Cokes from the machine. The room was empty, and Weinstock closed the door.
