Small Town Murder: Midwest Cozy Mystery Series

by Dianne Harman

  The day before, she sent Lennon a quick text to ask.

  Whatever you like, Lennon texted back. They always say whatever you’re comfortable in.

  Kat loved her jeans, tee, and sneakers combo, but she just couldn’t bring herself to go to church dressed like that, so she compromised by wearing her nicest jeans with a collared shirt tucked into them. She left the top buttons undone so it looked less formal, and then put wedge shoes on. Chunky silver jewelry completed the look.

  Blaine was invited along, too, but one of the deputy DAs had a serious family emergency and needed Blaine to give him a ride to the hospital. Blaine wanted to support him and stay there the whole afternoon to make sure everything was okay. Kat thought this was the best idea. She loved how much care Blaine took with his work and colleagues.

  He’d already left by the time Lennon pulled up in her big blue Chevy. She grinned as she swung into the driveway. Kat smiled back, locked up the house, and jumped in the front seat. “Hi, Lennon,” she said, then turned to see all the girls - Candace, Susannah, Esther, and Abigail - in the back. “Hey, guys!”

  “Good morning, Ms. Denham!” they said cheerfully.

  Kat was astounded by their manners. “Wow, I’m impressed.”

  Lennon pulled the car out of the driveway. “I hope you’re well, Kat. You’re certainly looking lovely.”

  “Thank you,” Kat said. “You’re looking wonderful, too.” It was true. She was in a gray and silver sundress with detailed beading on the bodice. Her soft blonde hair flowed over her shoulders in loose waves.

  “Thank you,” Lennon said. She exuded joy. “You might be wondering where Rhett is. He went ahead to help with the welcome committee. We offer people cake and coffee and soda and chips and things like that, you know, before they go in. He likes to help with that. The boys, Jethro and Gideon, went with him.”

  Kat got the benefit of the cake and coffee when they arrived. They were a little early, so Lennon and Kat each grabbed a latte and a small piece of chocolate cake. The kids grabbed cupcakes, and Candace had a coffee, too.

  “So,” Lennon asked, “how’s the investigation going, Kat?”

  Kat twisted her mouth. “Not too well, Lennon. So far I’ve talked to Reiss Talbot and EJ Lewis.”

  “Wow, you work quickly. Did you get any helpful information from either of them?”

  “Unfortunately, no,” Kat said. “They both have quite plausible motives for wanting to kill Jay, I think. Obviously with Reiss, we know why. EJ and his colleagues were quite… strange. I don’t know. Very ambitious. They’ve landed an exclusive magazine deal to tell the story of what happened on the night of the murder, and they seem very happy about how that’s going to boost their book sales. Something about it just doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “I agree. It does sound a little callous,” Lennon said.

  “Yes,” Kat replied. “They were saying that they were sad about the tragedy, but they make lemons into lemonade and wanted to turn tragedy into victory. It’s strange… because although that sounds good, it feels wrong.”

  “I know why,” Lennon said, sipping at her latte. “It’s because they’re turning someone else’s tragedy into their own victory.”

  Kat gasped. “That’s it. Yes, you’re absolutely right! That’s the perfect way to describe it!”

  Lennon grimaced.

  “I don’t know if they’re just horrible opportunists,” Kat said, “or if they orchestrated the whole thing for business purposes. That sounds farfetched but…”

  “But people have killed for less,” Lennon finished for her.

  “Exactly.”

  “What about Reiss?” Lennon asked. “What do you think about him?”

  “I don’t know,” Kat said. “Of course, he’s the most likely to be the killer, I think, but there’s no actual proof. Also, we don’t even know if he was there that night. He said he was entertaining a woman, but when I asked if I could speak to her to confirm it, he got mad. Other than that, he doesn’t really have an alibi.”

  “Hmm, that seems a little suspicious to me.”

  Kat sipped her latte. “It is. I just had a thought. I could go and see Monique, the theater manager. She might have some good surveillance footage. I could track through it and see if Reiss was there at all.”

  Lennon blew out a stream of air which made her bangs dance off her forehead for a moment. “That sure sounds like a lot of work, Kat. Thank you so much for doing this. I wouldn’t feel right if I wasn’t doing something. How can I repay you?”

  “You don’t need to,” Kat said. “Jay deserves justice. She and I had a long chat, you know, just before you found us on the terrace outside. She was telling me everything about her life, and I really felt sorry for her. I’m happy to do this. It’s the least I can do.”

  Lennon reached out and touched Kat on the arm. She looked into her eyes. “Kat, you are truly a gift from God. Thank you for everything you are and everything you do.”

  Kat felt a little uncomfortable, but also warmed by the compliment. She smiled. “Thank you, Lennon, that’s very kind of you.”

  Lennon smiled. “Society has trained us to be very comfortable saying negative things to and about each other, but real and genuine compliments we find hard to give. Thankfully, I’ve learned that we need to build each other up instead of tear each other down. But sometimes it’s easier said than done. Society has really done a number on our relationships.”

  Kat nodded. “I hadn’t really thought about that in much depth, but it is true,” she said. “We’re much better at complaining and putting each other down than we are at speaking encouragingly to each other.”

  “Yep,” Lennon said. “That’s the sad reality.”

  Just then a loudspeaker announced that the service was about to begin and would everyone please make their way into the auditorium.

  It was somewhat dark inside, and it was absolutely huge. Kat couldn’t begin to get her head around how big it was. There were seats on all four sides of the auditorium, and the stage, in the shape of a cross, was in the middle.

  “What’s the capacity here?” Kat asked Lennon.

  Lennon grinned. “Four thousand. And nearly always full. People come in from all over.”

  Kat shook her head in wonderment. She’d never seen anything quite like it.

  They sat close to the front. Kat guessed this was because they were very involved with the church, and that’s where the very core membership sat. They talked idly as they waited for the service to begin.

  In a few moments, Rhett walked up to where they were sitting. He was a short man with dark hair and a cheerful face. He shook Kat’s hand, smiled at her, and said, “I’ve heard so much about you,” as he took a seat next to Lennon.

  A little while later, Lennon leaned over to Kat and pointed at the stage. “Look,” she said. Kat saw Georgina Moncherry, manicured and blow dried and looking absolutely perfect, take a seat on the stage. Two teenage boys followed her, climbing the steps after her, and going toward the area of the stage where the music equipment was located.

  “That’s Conner and Hayden,” Lennon said proudly. “The Moncherry boys. Jethro’s great friends with Conner. I try to surround my family with good influences, and there could be no better influences than the Moncherry family!”

  Just after that, the service began. It was a truly incredible spectacle. There was music and even dancing. And the preaching was great. Hunter Moncherry was up on the stage wearing an outfit similar to Kat’s – a shirt with sleeves rolled up and jeans – and he was unbelievably active, jumping about, gesticulating, and talking with real passion. Kat glanced over at Lennon, and saw that she was totally transfixed. Kat could see why Lennon was so excited about the church. It really was a fun atmosphere. It was moving in parts, as when they slowed the music and Hunter talked about God’s love.

  When the service was over, Lennon grabbed Kat by the hand. “Let’s go up and talk to Hunter and Georgina,” she said.

  Kat
was more than glad to. They quickly walked to the stage and climbed up on it. Kat looked around for a moment, taking in the whole auditorium. It must be totally nerve racking to stand up on that stage and preach. She said as much to Hunter after they made their introductions.

  He smiled. “Yes, at first it was, but once you’ve been doing this for twenty years, you get used to it. I just pray and God gives me the strength. He’s never let me down.”

  Georgina gave both Lennon and Kat a hug. “I’m glad we’re meeting in better circumstances today.”

  Kat looked at her with kindness. “How are you holding up?”

  Georgina gave them a smile, but it didn’t light up her eyes. “I’m doing okay. The Lord is keeping me strong. I keep telling myself Jacqueline was too young to go, but… God has perfect timing.” Her voice quavered a little, and her brow twitched like she was going to start crying. But then she pulled herself together and said. “We’ll get through this. God will pull us through. He always does.”

  She continued talking about their faith, and ministering to Kat. But Kat noticed Hunter was watching Georgina, and not in the most charitable way. That wasn’t a face filled with warm love and devotion. Kat tried to place the look. She wondered what kind of emotion was filling him on the inside?

  Kat wasn’t sure, but it looked like Hunter didn’t trust Georgina in some way. There was definitely something unspoken going on.

  When they were back outside, walking to the car in the parking lot, Kat broached this with Lennon. The kids had run ahead, so Kat felt comfortable doing so.

  “I don’t mean to pry,” she said, “but I noticed Hunter was looking at Georgina in a strange way. Is their marriage okay?”

  “Of course!” Lennon said, as if scandalized that anyone would think otherwise. “They run couple’s prayer groups, Bible studies, retreats… everything. They’re huge on having happy marriages. They’ve helped Rhett and me to get real close together and function as a team. Of course, their marriage is wonderful. Probably as close to perfection as humans can manage, I’d guess.” She laughed. “They’re really wonderful people.”

  “Uh huh,” Kat said. In truth, she thought Lennon was being a little naïve, though she wasn’t going to say so.

  Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. It was apparent she wasn’t going to get any insight from Lennon on that, though. She put it out of her mind and decided to enjoy herself.

  They went back to the Forbes family home and sat around the table for Sunday dinner. They had a wonderful meal of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn, followed by apple pie and vanilla ice cream. It was so homey and comfortable, and the kids chattered away with the adults. Kat got into a conversation with Susannah about her trampolining, and then spoke to Jethro about his dreams of being a pastor someday, or at the very least a worship leader.

  By the time Lennon drove Kat home, Kat felt warm and safe and cozy.

  “You have such a lovely family, Lennon,” she said, as Lennon pulled into Kat’s driveway.

  Lennon smiled. “What can I say? I’ve been blessed.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Kat knew she had to go see Monique at the theater to find out if there was any surveillance camera footage that could help with the investigation. She gave her a call. Monique asked her if she could come the following day, because she was busy at the moment organizing a talent show. Kat agreed.

  Kat spent most of Monday feeling content. She got up early, and even before breakfast or getting dressed, went straight to her laptop. Sometimes she was just bursting with energy as soon as she woke up, and wanted to write as many words as possible for her new book. She worked on both her mystery book and her Sexy Cissy manuscript, and had written five thousand words before breakfast. Now, that felt good, she thought, pleased with her morning’s work.

  Blaine had already gone to work, leaving while she was writing, so she ate her breakfast alone. Orange juice and a pain au chocolat went down very nicely indeed. It was a beautiful warm day, with cotton candy clouds drifting through the sky at a leisurely pace, so she decided an extra long walk with the dogs was in order.

  She changed into her comfy turquoise blue linen pants (it was the first day of the year it had been warm enough to wear them), a white tank top and a white linen jacket. They were so comfortable, and it felt really good to be dressing in loose fitting warm weather clothes. Then she slipped on some Birkenstocks which hugged her feet, and set off with Jazz and Rudy. She decided to do the field and woodland walk she so enjoyed in the summertime. There was a well-maintained public trail that looped through the area where she wanted to go.

  She and the dogs had a wonderful time. All three of them thoroughly enjoyed their first ‘romp’ of spring. She threw sticks for them to fetch and bring back to her.

  When she got back home, she fixed a light lunch of chicken salad with grapes and pecans and settled down on the couch. As usual, each time she made it she wondered why she didn’t prepare it more often. Coupled with a sourdough roll, it was heaven.

  The afternoon stretched before her, with nothing to do. She’d already hit her writing target for the day. She considered asking Lacie out for lunch, even though she’d already eaten, but Lacie was often working through lunch these days, as enthusiastic as she was about her new profession. So Kat ended up cleaning the house and thinking about Jay’s murder and who else she could go see to complete her investigation.

  She found herself wondering if there were any other significant people in Jay’s life. Perhaps a new boyfriend, or a jealous former friend, or someone in a business relationship which had gone sour? She wondered if Reiss had a girlfriend who was so insanely jealous, she’d kill Jay. There were endless possibilities.

  Google was quickly becoming Kat’s best friend when it came to working on a murder investigation. She decided to do some digging way back into the search results. She got out her laptop and sat at the table on the deck that overlooked the backyard.

  Of course, the first few pages about Jay were filled with her video talks, various magazines complimenting her, the interview with Oprah for Super Soul Sunday… All positive.

  It seemed that most of it was video content, so Kat hopped on YouTube. She scrolled down all the search results. Many of the videos were little clips of the longer talk on Oprah, and there was a lot of content by personal development influencers raving about how great her work was.

  But near the bottom of the third page, with just forty-seven views, she found a very interesting video.

  It was titled…

  Jay Talbot (Jay Reynolds), please watch this

  The thumbnail photo was of a middle-aged man.

  Kat clicked on it.

  This message is for Jay Talbot, the man said. Really your name is Jay Reynolds, because we all know that Reiss Talbot guy is no good. He is a false lover. He is an illusion sent by the universe to pull you away from your true path.

  Kat’s heart started beating faster. What on earth was this?

  I am here to rescue you, the man continued. We have been waiting for each other across lifetimes. Come and meet me, Jay. You know me by another name, but my name in this lifetime is Julian Perkins. I’ve put my address in the comments bar below, so you can find me. Now, let me read you some of my poetry…

  But Kat didn’t stick around for the poetry. She was already rushing to the kitchen to get a notepad and pen. She quickly scribbled down Julian Perkins’ address. She shut down her laptop at lightning speed, locked the door leading to the deck, and headed for the front door.

  She paused. This guy seemed very, very strange. Totally unpredictable, in all likelihood, too. She went out to the yard and petted Jazz on the head. “That’s a good dog. You stay here. We’ll be back soon,” then she gestured to Rudy, “Come on, pal. We’re going to make a little visit.” Her 120-pound Rottweiler might just be handy to have around on this little excursion.

  Once Rudy was in the car, Kat punched Julian Perkins’ address int
o the dash-mounted GPS in her car and set off. It was a forty-five-minute drive. Although it wasn’t that long, it was long enough for Kat to start doubting her decision. She kept looking in the rear-view mirror at Rudy and hoping everything would be all right. He’d saved her in the past, but there was always the chance that Julian Perkins could be even more dangerous than anyone she’d ever met.

  After all, the things he was talking about seemed very very strange. From the video, it appeared that Jay didn’t know him. Kat wondered if she had known of him or about him.

  Then she wondered if she should call the police instead of going over to where he lived. Although she really didn’t want to call Detective Randson Butler, she thought she might have to. It seemed quite likely that someone as unhinged as Julian Perkins could easily be capable of murder. Perhaps he’d gotten in contact with Jay and she’d rejected him. It was definitely a possibility.

  Or maybe she should call Chief Moore, the Lindsay Chief of Police? She trusted him much more than Detective Butler. But then, he’d probably say it wasn’t in his jurisdiction. In all likelihood, all he’d do was pass on the information.

  Kat decided she’d go and check him out first. She’d be careful. She’d take Rudy with her, and she knew he would defend her if push came to shove.

  She also decided to make a call to Blaine, just to let him know what she was doing.

  “Be careful, Kat,” he said with a sigh. “I know I can’t stop you. Just make sure Rudy’s right next to you at all times, and don’t get yourself cornered, whatever you do. Try to have the conversation outside, if you can.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Kat said. She couldn’t deny there were major butterflies in her stomach. “Somewhere with people around, preferably.”

  “Right,” Blaine said. “You’ve got it.”

  “Thanks,” Kat said. “Love you, bye.”

  “Love you, too. See you later.”