Small Town Murder: Midwest Cozy Mystery Series

by Dianne Harman

  “So even though it seems a lot of money now,” she said, “it’s not really. It won’t be, soon. Your lives are about to change forever. Soon, $50,000 will be simple piggy bank money to you.” She laughed. “Isn’t that exciting?”

  “Sure,” Benjamin said.

  Kallie was blushing red. “I just do it for the joy of singing,” she said, but they all knew she wasn’t quite telling the truth.

  Their eyes were both lit up. She went in for the kill.

  “You need to make sure you win.”

  Kallie nodded, and reached out for Benjamin’s hand.

  He sighed. “How much are we looking at?”

  Monique looked straight at them. “$30,000.”

  They both gasped.

  “Now, I know that seems like a lot of money,” Monique said. “I’m really sorry about that. But I know what it will take for these judges to be swayed. Otherwise it just won’t happen.”

  Benjamin stared at her. “That’s ridiculous. Who can get that amount of money together within a week?”

  “Hmm, yes,” Monique said. “What about going to the bank? You could say it’s for a car loan?”

  “No, I’ve already maxed out my credit,” Benjamin said. “I think I can get together… $15,000 just about. I think that’s about it.”

  Monique had absolutely no intention of getting Kallie to win. She would keep all that money for herself. If the judges happened to choose Kallie, then it would look like she fixed it for real. If they didn’t, what could Kallie and Benjamin do? They’d engaged in a bribe… they couldn’t expose her without exposing themselves.

  Monique smiled. “Okay. We’ll work with $15,000. I’ll put $5,000 of my own money in, and you can pay me back. I really like you kids, and I want you to succeed, Kallie.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Kallie said with a gasp. “You’re so kind, Monique! Thank you!” She got up from her seat and wrapped Monique up in a big hug.

  “Don’t mention it,” Monique said. She was already wondering what she’d do with her $15,000.

  CHAPTER 4

  It wasn’t long before the day of the big event rolled around.

  Kat woke up early, as soon as the sun rose. It was almost summer, so that was fairly early. She sat up in bed, watching the world outside as it began to light up, veiled by the voile curtains covering the window.

  The first thing she felt that morning was a clenching in her gut accompanied by the thought, Why on earth did I agree to do this?

  She looked over at Blaine Evans, her district attorney husband, who was still asleep next to her, and was so grateful for him. He’d listened to her speech at least thirty times now. She was so nervous about it that the only way she could calm her nerves was to recite it as many times as possible. When she was in the car driving anywhere, she’d turn off the radio and mutter her speech under her breath. When she was walking Jazz and Rudy, she did the same.

  The words of her soon-to-be-given speech seemed to be embedded in a permanent loop in her head. This actually worked pretty well, because it meant she had most of it nailed. She could switch off her brain and let the whole speech flow out of her mouth. That comforted her, because she had every suspicion that her brain indeed would switch off when she was on the stage in front of the audience attending the conference.

  Blaine must have sensed she was awake as he woke up, blinking. Kat wondered if her nervous energy had broken his peaceful sleep. “Morning,” she said softly.

  “Morning,” he said, rubbing his eyes. Then he grinned. “Today’s your big day, Kat! You’re going to do great.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me,” Kat said, looking out the window. “I’ve never spoken in public before. How am I going to do this?”

  Blaine cuddled her close to him. “With your normal style, grace, and ease. Kat, when I was a new lawyer, I was quite shy about speaking in public.”

  Kat looked at him in surprise. “Really? You?” She couldn’t imagine such a thing. He was a very competent and diligent District Attorney, and easily gave interviews on TV and made public appearances. He seemed completely at ease with himself.

  “Yes,” he said. “Totally and utterly freaked out, to be honest.”

  “How did you overcome it?” Kat asked.

  “I thought about the people who needed me. About the innocent victims who needed justice,” he said. “Now, in your talk, you’re helping people. You’re encouraging aspiring writers and telling them how they can hone their abilities to become successful.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Kat said.

  “I think that’s something to be really proud of,” Blaine said. “These are people who were like you were once… having a burning desire inside them to write books, but not sure how they can make them good. You’re helping them to achieve their lifelong dreams.”

  Kat smiled. “I guess I am.”

  “They need the benefit of your expertise,” he said. “You’ll really make a difference to them. Keep all of that in your mind, and you’ll sail through your speech. Remember, they’re not there to judge you on how you do things. They’re coming to the conference for solutions, for inspiration. They’re thinking about themselves and their own journey. And you’ve come to help them with it.”

  After Blaine finished his little “pep talk,” Kat got out of bed, feeling energized. “You know what, you’re so right. Looking at it like that makes me feel much more confident. Thank you.” She put on her slippers and padded to the bathroom. “Let’s get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast.”

  Blaine smiled. “Let’s.”

  A few minutes later, they were in the kitchen. Kat threw open the large double doors of the kitchen that led out onto the deck area. She and Blaine often had lazy Sunday brunches on the deck during the summer. She also liked to sit on the deck, weather permitting, with her laptop and cup of coffee, creating new worlds as she wrote her books.

  Kat knelt down to give her dogs, Jazz and Rudy, a hug. They were like part of the family. She fed them while Blaine fixed coffee.

  “What shall we have for breakfast?” Kat asked.

  “What do you feel like?” Blaine replied. “You should have something that will give you plenty of energy. Tell you what, I’ll make it. That will give you time to recite your speech one more time. Pretend I’m a worker in a boring office job that I hate, and I’m super pumped up to build a new career as an author. I desperately need your advice.”

  Kat took in a deep breath. “Okay. I can totally do this.”

  Blaine opened the fridge and looked in. “Aha! What about my special twist on a Monte Cristo sandwich?”

  “Yes, perfect!” Kat said.

  Blaine made a mean Monte Cristo sandwich. He used the standard approach of stacking the mayonnaise-spread bread with slices of ham and cheese into a sandwich, then dipping it in an egg and milk mixture before frying it. But what made his so special was the mix with French toast! It wasn’t just egg and milk – it was egg, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup. The combination of the sweet and the savory was absolutely addictive!

  Kat recited her speech one more time as Blaine prepared breakfast, and was feeling excited rather than nervous by the time she’d finished eating.

  “They’re doing my hair and makeup at the theater,” Kat said. “I just have to go get my outfit from upstairs.” The dress code was smart-casual, so she’d decided to pair some nice jeans with a dark gray tailored jacket. She planned to wear a rose-colored top for a pop of color, and some dark gray high heeled shoes to complete the outfit. She was looking forward to getting her hair and makeup professionally done, a real treat for her.

  It wasn’t a long drive to the theater. Kat arrived a few minutes past nine. She wondered what she would be doing all day. She knew, because of her nervousness and excitement, the hours would drag out and start to feel like days. The event didn’t start until 7:00 that evening.

  Her thoughts of having nothing to do were quickly shoved to the background, because Lennon had p
lenty for her to do. Kat had been having visions of Lennon’s brood running around after her like a line of little ducklings, but it wasn’t quite like that.

  Abigail and Esther were with Lennon’s mom for the day. Jethro and Candace, the sixteen-year-old twins, and Susannah the fourteen-year-old, were plenty old enough to help. Gideon, who was nine, didn’t want to stay at Grandma’s with ‘the babies,’ and Lennon told Kat he was there under strict instruction that he had to be helpful and not mess around, not even a little bit. Lennon said Kat was perfectly welcome to give him a stern word and pull him into line if she saw him goofing off or making a nuisance of himself.

  The manager of the theater, Monique, met them as soon as they walked into the lobby. Kat noticed how incredibly glamorous she was for someone in that kind of position. She was quite large, but exquisitely dressed in a navy-blue pantsuit, with gold jewelry gracing her neck. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, and large gold earrings dazzled, catching the light as she moved her head when she spoke. Kat also noticed… was that a Bulgari Serpenti watch? She knew how much they cost. A lot!

  “Hi there,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to this event.”

  “So nice to meet you,” Kat said.

  “I have to get some stuff from the car. Come on kids,” Lennon said. “Be back in a flash.”

  “Sure,” Monique said. “I’ll just take Ms. Denham backstage, and show her to her dressing room.”

  Lennon flashed them a smile as she hurried away. “Perfect.”

  Kat walked behind Monique who wore tippy tappy high heels so delicate Kat thought it was a wonder she didn’t fall over and twist her ankle. Monique also had a kind of presence that was rather awe-inspiring. And one thing made Kat curious. “How do you know my name?”

  Monique smiled. “You’re a USA Today bestselling author, and you live right here in Kansas! In fact, just a half hour away, in Lindsay. You expect me not to know you? Some people don’t know anything that’s going on around them, but not me. I like to know everything about everybody!” She laughed. “My husband calls me a Gossip Queen, but I call myself well informed!”

  Kat laughed along with her.

  Monique swiped a card from around her neck against a little black box mounted on a doorframe, and pulled the heavy door open. “After you, Ms. Denham,” she said with a smile, then began to walk down the corridor with Kat. “Look, we’ve got signs on each door with people’s names on them.” She winked. “People often get a kick out of that. Here’s Jay Talbot’s. She’s a real superstar, isn’t she?”

  “I’ll say,” Kat said. “Did you know she was on Oprah’s show?”

  “Of course I know!” Monique said. “That interview has over 27 million views on YouTube. I don’t usually like Super Soul Sunday, but I had to watch it, given that Jay is local.” They reached a door and Monique opened it. “Now, here’s your dressing room.”

  The room was huge, like it could have fitted a whole dance troupe in there. There were pictures of ballerinas on the walls, too, so Kat guessed that many a dance troupe had used the room on previous occasions. There were six mirrors along the back wall, all lit up with bulbs all around them.

  “Goodness,” Kat said, chuckling with surprise. “Do you think it’s big enough?”

  Monique laughed. “You could be like a real diva and have a whole entourage in here.”

  Kat put one hand on her hip, the other under her hair, pretending to fluff it up. “I could, couldn’t I?”

  “You’re really something, Kat Denham,” Monique said.

  “Have you had any real divas here before? Anyone with crazy requests?”

  Monique’s eyes widened with glee. “What a great question! Yes, we have. We had one celebrity here a while ago, to sing, before she really took off and wound up at the top of the charts. She’s so, so, so, so famous now, but I can’t tell you who it is, unfortunately. She requested – I kid you not – an animal print plush rug on the floor, and eight, precisely eight, tall, leafy plants to be placed at regular points around the room.” Her eyes lit up, delighting in the absurdity of it.

  “Seriously?” Kat said. “No way.”

  “Way, I promise. She also wanted brand new towels in a specific shade of sage green, and a bottle of… what was it? 1995 Château Lafite Rothschild, which cost upwards of seven hundred dollars, paid for by the promoter, of course.”

  “Wow,” said Kat. She couldn’t imagine people living in such a way. It seemed like a totally different world from hers. “Well, as long as I can get to a coffee machine and a bathroom, I’m fine!”

  “Oh, yes, let me show you where those are,” Monique said. She walked over to another door and opened it, to reveal a bathroom with several shower and toilet stalls and a row of sinks. It wasn’t all that glamorous, but it was clean and functional, and that was all that mattered. “That’s just for you.”

  Kat smiled. “I can take five showers at once, in that case!”

  Monique was a little snippy with her reply. “Sorry about that. We’re accustomed to accommodating large casts.”

  Kat felt a little embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to say anything bad with her comment. “Oh yes, I’m sure. I was just kidding around.”

  “Sure, yes,” Monique said, not quite warming back up. “Come with me.” She led Kat down the hall to the kitchen. There was a kettle, a stove, a toaster, and a refrigerator among the kitchen appliances. Again, it was basic but clean. “You can use anything in here. It’s all stocked up with what you’ll need. If you prefer a coffee from the machine, such as a latte or a cappuccino, you can do that out front in the lobby.”

  Suddenly everything was seeming very real. A man walked past holding electrical equipment, a head mic secured with the main piece next to his mouth. Kat knew one of those would be secured to her very soon, and she’d have to step out in front of a huge audience. Her stomach started knotting.

  “Well, that’s all,” said Monique. Then she frowned. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh yes, fine,” Kat said, trying to put on her best brave face.

  Monique smiled knowingly and patted her on the shoulder. “First time on stage? Everyone gets nervous. But you’ll be totally fine, I just know it.”

  Kat gave her a brave smile. “I sure hope so!”

  CHAPTER 5

  Jay, your eyes sparkle like a thousand stars in the dark night sky.

  Of all the millions of views on your TED talk, I think at least five hundred of them must be mine.

  The way you so elegantly walk across the stage, like a gazelle running across the open African plain… It touches me on the deepest level of my soul.

  Did you know that we were lovers in a past life?

  I was a King. You were the wife of a King of a rival land. He treated you poorly, because he was afraid your grace and beauty would make another man steal you away from him. So he instructed you to cut off all your hair, and you were only allowed to wear sackcloth. He put your beautiful face behind a veil. He insisted that you stay locked in your room in the palace, which was akin to a gilded cage.

  It was not only you to whom he was cruel. The man was nothing short of a tyrant. He mistreated everyone in his kingdom, especially the vulnerable women and children.

  I, being of noble heart, decided to save his people from their own leader. I rode into his land with my cavalry, and travelled directly to the palace. We captured the king, and he killed himself because of the shame of being defeated. You and I fell in love, true love, and lived out the rest of our lives as celebrated, generous King and Queen of both lands.

  So now, my dear one, we meet again, only this time, it is in our current lifetime. Are you yet aware of what transpired in that last lifetime of ours?

  Or will I have to educate you when we meet?

  These questions swim around in my mind, making me somewhat afraid.

  But I needn’t be. I needn’t be at all.

  I look up at the picture of you that graces the wall above my bed. Your kind green ey
es stare down at me, filled with an ethereal kind of pathos.

  Soon, we will be wrapped in each other’s arms, crying away the pain and torment of the first half of our lives together.

  My dear, do not worry.

  My dear, it is over.

  My dear, your knight in shining armor has come to rescue you.

  Reiss can no longer hurt you.

  No one can.

  For I will protect you, with my whole heart and soul.

  You do not know me yet in this lifetime, but you are my everything. Let me worship at your throne, and soon, you will also worship at mine.

  Julian Perkins wrote his phone number and address at the bottom of the poem, then put his pen down on the paper and smiled a broad smile. He wiped a tear away from his eye.

  “Beautiful, just beautiful,” he complimented himself. “I know this will be the key to unlocking her heart. I just know it.” He read the letter through three or four times, basking in the unimaginable beauty he found in its lines, then folded it very carefully. He slipped it into an envelope, and took his time to lick along the flap. He stuck it down, running his fingers over the smooth surface again and again.

  Then he picked up his fountain pen and wrote ‘Jay Reynolds’ in an admittedly lovely calligraphy-style penmanship on the front of the envelope. He refused to write Talbot. How could he bring himself to write the name of that false claimant to Jay’s wondrousness? Julian could gladly wring Reiss Talbot’s neck, for all that he had put Jay through just for having the audacity to think he could ever be good enough for a goddess like Jay, was reason enough to strangle him.

  Julian had considered writing ‘Jay Perkins’, since that is what she would, of course, become once they were married, but had – not without a pang of regret – decided that it might be a little too intense. She might not realize that the letter was for her and might neglect to open it. That would surely be the end of his life.

  Julian had often contemplated what would happen if Jay could not remember anything about their past life together. He hated to think about it, and was sure it wouldn’t happen, but he made himself consider it nonetheless. Finally he decided to simply wait and see, in the hopes it wouldn’t be a problem. Surely, she’d remember him. He’d imagined the moment they’d first meet so many times, and what he’d say.