The Four Sisters

Chapter 6

    Spencer tried to avoid Henry for a while after their last encounter. It wasn't hard to do as she was so busy at the coffee shop, and she was also helping Parker and Rose plan their big Halloween party.

   Although Spencer and Parker were doing most of the work as Rose was so busy with a new story which was an expose about a small town murder in the 70's. She was going to write about William's case. Rose asked Parker first if she wanted the story, but Parker had lost interest by then so Rose was taking it on herself with the other sister's blessings. Rose was busy trying to track down retired detectives and any witnesses who might still be alive.

  "It's so interesting," Rose said after she talked to one of the detectives who was now in a nursing home. "Like it's one of the few murders to happen in this town, and you'd think it would stir up more than a few things for these small city cops who probably never saw much action, but he acted like he barely remembered."

  "It was over forty years ago," Spencer said. "It was a long time ago. You might have trouble finding many people who remember."

   This frustrated the pretty blond Rose as she sat at her laptop on the antique desk that Parker had found in the storage unit, painted and put new knobs on it as a surprise for Rose. Parker even had a name plate made up. Rose was using one of the spare bedrooms in the back of the house on the first floor as her office. Victoria claimed the one next door although she was rarely there as she liked to stay on campus and work in her actual office as Parker and her friends were often over and so loud that they echoed through the entire house.

   "I mean, a kid was found murdered! You would think people would remember something like that!" Rose said as she tapped her fingers on the desk. "You'd think it was a big moment in their lives. You know, you see them on TV where they talk about it's the worst thing to ever happen to them, and they were thinking of their own kids at home. This guy had a son about William's age, but nada. He acted like it was just another case."

  It seemed kind of a dead end story to Spencer, but she kept her mouth shut. Rose was certain there was more to it. She was even thinking about calling up their Aunt Martha and asking her about it, but she hadn't gathered up the courage. Rose said it was one thing to ask cops, but asking William's actual sister seemed almost cruel. She probably didn't want to be reminded of her brother's unsolved murder.

  Rose also couldn't find any of the witnesses that were there the day that Henry was snatched right off his bike down the street from the Victorian. Most of the witnesses were dead, and the others had long moved away. Spencer thought it looked like a frustrating endeavor, but Rose was confident.

  "Investigations like these take time," Rose said with a shrug. "These kind of things can take decades, but then you got an awesome book under your belt, and you help put away a murderer. I've always had a secret dream of breaking something major, you know? Either that or getting someone out of prison after a long time."

  Spencer didn't have a lot of time to focus on Rose's investigation though. She was focusing on the party, and she was spending more and more time at work as her scones started to be a hit. Business had picked up since she started doing the baking.  She made all sorts of different flavors. She was enjoying her new job, and the release of tension that baking gave her.

  "I don't get it," Parker said. "Baking just makes me sweat. A hot kitchen and all sorts of measuring. No thanks!"

  "I say the same thing about playing music on a stage full of people," Spencer said as Parker was playing with Henry's band later that night. 

  "Oh, that's nothing," Parker said. "That is what people call fun."

  "And baking is that for me," Spencer said.