by CeeCee James
She laughed. “I was only shaking a little. I’m sure it helped me. But there are no scribbles. The test is on the computer, silly. Anyway, here I am, a licensed real estate agent!”
That tickle was starting to come back. This time it had started in my throat. I cleared it and said, “All right girl, we need to go out and party.” I’d barely gotten out the word party when the sneeze exploded. And then another. Then three. Four. My head jerked hard with each one, my hair flying in my face.
After the last one, I froze, hardly daring to move. When it seemed it was safe, I grabbed the tissue and mopped up.
There was no response on the other end.
“Kari?” I croaked.
“Girl, we will not be doing anything until you are germ-free and I have sprayed you down with Lysol. You go eat some vitamin C and get some sleep, you hear?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. My immune system fights this kind of stuff off fast.” I was lying, but I could practically hear her retreating over the phone.
“If you say so. Anyway, get this. The best part is that Sunnyside Estates Realty offered me five houses in the new Ridgeline Hill development!”
I gasped. That was a development that was being built in old town Gainesville. It had caused quite a bit of controversy because the construction company had plowed down dozens of old houses to make the room. In their place, there was a new family neighborhood of four to five bedroom houses, with a park attached. The park was alongside Dunning Creek, which traveled from a culvert the kids liked to play in during the summer.
“The development over in old town, right? Wow, that’s crazy. It seems like Sunnyside Estates Realty is really catering to you,” I said.
“Well, maybe. See, they know that Joe is building them. They’re assuming I have a real investment because they asked that I take a cut on my commission.” She sighed. “Little do they know I have to pay off my department store card.”
“It’s that high, huh?”
“Well, I needed a wardrobe as a businesswoman. And new shoes! Anyway, I said yes. But only to get my foot in the door. When they see how I sell the heck out of those, they’ll realize how valuable I am.”
Joe was Kari’s husband. They were married shortly after high school and had two kids, Colby and Christina, both still in elementary school. Thinking about the kids made me ask the next question.
“I'm so happy for you, Kari. But I’m a little worried, are you going to be okay? You’re already so busy, and I know how Joe and you’ve been struggling a little.”
“Honestly, I’ve needed a break from the PTA and the other things for a long, long time. You know I love having my kids and family. Heck, I adore it. But the truth is, it’s been a little overwhelming and I feel like I’ve practically lost myself in some ways. But getting this job kind of feels like I’m finding me once again! I think I really needed this, Georgie. I’m positive it will even be good for Joe and me. It’s all going to work out. I know it is. Of course, Joe’s gonna have to help out more. But once his big job is done, he’ll be spending more time at home. I think things are finally going in the right direction!”
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. “That sounds great. So when are we going to celebrate?”
She paused. “It sounds like you’re about to sneeze.”
“No,” I said, rapidly shaking my head in denial while grabbing for a tissue.
“You sure? Because it really sounds like—”
My explosive sneezes cut her off.
When I finally finished, she said, “My gosh, Georgie. I counted seven that time. That’s way past ‘God bless you’ and into ‘get that woman some holy water and an exorcism’ territory.”
“I’m getting better, I swear,” I sniffled.
“Mmhmm,” she hummed skeptically. “Like I said, eat that vitamin C like it’s going out of style. And for heaven sakes, gargle!”
I agreed to shut her up. We said goodbye, and I flopped against the bed. Slowly, I twisted a tissue and stuffed it up my nose. I was just about to doze off when the phone rang again.
“Hello?” I mumbled, not even bothering to check who it was.
It was Kari again. “I found another reason why they might have pawned Ridgeline Hill off on me.”
“Okay, why?”
“Turn on the TV to channel four. They’re talking about it now.”
“Can you just tell me?” My muscles protested at the thought of getting up.
“A body was discovered in one of the houses. Apparently, some homeless person broke in there searching for shelter.” She sighed. “And then he died. Probably of a drug overdose.”
“How horrible.” It was terrible news, but at the same time, it seemed odd that a homeless person would break into a new house. Especially since it was June and the weather had been beautiful out. “Was there any damage done to the house?”
“Mmm, no. Not that I know of. I mean, I’ll have to check a little further, but the news didn’t mention it.”
“Who found the poor guy?”
“One of the finish construction workers. They’ve been planning to finish spot painting today. They found the guy in the laundry room.”
“Really! The laundry room?” I thought for a second. Gainesville didn’t have the homeless population like there was in some of the bigger cities, and our town was blessed with several different outreaches to help them. But I did know of one person. The homeless man’s name was Cooper. He was often seen riding around town on his bike with his dog jogging alongside of him. He was a veteran and had lived on the streets for a long time now. He always had a friendly grin and a wave whenever I saw him. My heart froze.
“It wasn't Cooper, was it?” I whispered.
“They didn’t give a name,” she said sadly. “They’re still trying to identify him.”
“That must've been shocking for the poor construction guy.”
“The guy’s name who found him is James. He’s not Joe’s favorite finisher, but with the union, you take who you can get. From what I gather about James, I think he was more upset that he had to go make a report at the police station than anything else.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The guys been in trouble with the law before, but he’s always managed to wiggle his way out.”
Well, I for one hadn’t been in trouble with the law, but I knew first hand that it wasn’t too fun to go to the police station. I've been there a few times myself. Still, I wondered at the callousness of a person to not care about a person you found dead.
“Do you know if they are gonna hold off putting the house on the market?”
I could sense Kari giving one of her skinny-shouldered shrugs on the other end. “I think they're expecting this case to be buttoned up pretty quick. Unfortunately, a murder case like this doesn't take high-priority. I think Sunnyside Estates is more worried how it’s going to be hard to sell a tainted house. Tainted with death.”
Chapter 3
I don’t remember too much more after I hung up the phone. The medicine or the virus ended up knocking me out. I slept for sixteen hours straight, making that a new record for me, minus the weekend of my twenty-first birthday.
I do know that I woke up with a grunt, my face buried into my pillow and the blankets pulled up over my head to block out the sunlight that spilled through cheap curtains, to the ringing of my cell phone. I didn’t one-hundred percent know where I was because the last vestiges of the dream where I was singing on stage with Ed Sheeran still spun in my mind. But the third or fourth ring finally broke through. I glared at the phone. It was a new phone, a birthday gift to myself really, an upgrade from my old, broken screen, slower than mud phone, and I loved it. But right now I hated it with the fieriness of a thousand suns.
I stretched for it on the side table, the phone’s slick surface making it slip out from my sleep-clumsy hand. Finally, I grabbed it and brought it under the warm covers.
I answered with a muffled, “Hello?”
“Georgie?” Kari�
��s high voice knifed through the speaker with sharp urgency, banishing every last wisp of the adoring concert fans.
I sat up and spat my hair out of my mouth. “What’s the matter? Everything okay?”
Kari started to babble. “Georgie, I'm not like you. I don't know what to do. I can’t believe this is happening!”
“Kari, what’s going on? What are you’re talking about? Is it the kids? Joe?”
“Yes! It’s Joe. Officer Jefferson just came by the house to arrest him.”
My mouth dropped open. I swear my heart stuttered in surprise as well. Surely, I didn't hear what I just thought I did. “Are you serious?” I asked.
Now Kari was indignant. “Georgie Tanner, do you think I would honestly call to tell you this if I wasn’t serious?”
“Of course. Of course. I know. I’m just so shocked.” Shocked was putting it lightly. I was stuck in the surreal realm of a decongestant hangover and an adrenaline rush.
“You’re shocked? You should see how I feel.” Kari’s voice broke, and it was then that I realized she was crying.
“Oh, sweetie,” I said my heart squeezing. “What on earth happened?”
“You know that dead body they found at the house site? The homeless guy in the laundry room. They say that my Joe did it!”
“Who says? Officer Jefferson?” I was really dumb-founded. Jefferson and Joe had gone to school together. They’d been a few grades ahead of me, so not really on my radar. I don't recollect that they were ever very chummy, with Joe being the football captain, and Jefferson the president of the math club, but I'd like to think that Joe’s character through the years was enough to make this whole idea crazy to Jefferson. How could this happen?
While I was ruminating, Kari continued. “Georgie, I'm just so glad the kids weren’t here. What will I tell them?”
I glanced at the time, ten o’clock, and was glad myself that Kari’s kids were at school too.
“You want me to come over when they get home? I’ll help you,” I said.
“That would be nice,” Kari sniffled.
“Did they say why they suspected him?” I asked.
“Yes.” Kari’s voice wavered. “Jefferson said that the man had been killed with one of Joe's tools. Specifically, Joe’s knife that his father had given him for his thirteenth birthday. It’s engraved with his name and even was marked with blue tape. Joe marks all his tools with blue tape because the other workers are constantly walking off with them.”
“Did Joe lose the knife recently?”
“He hasn’t seen it for a while, but he leaves it in the cup holder of his truck.”
“Was his truck broken into? Any signs of someone rifling through it?” I asked.
“I don’t know if he could tell. He never locks his door. And even worse, Joe doesn’t have an alibi. He was driving around town at the time of death.”
“Just driving around?” I repeated, trying to piece it together.
“Yeah. Joe says he was trying to figure out if he wanted to get a burger or just a drink from the coffee stand.”
I took a deep breath. “Kari, there is obviously a rational explanation for this. Have you called your lawyer yet?”
“I called you first. Right after my mom,” she whimpered. “I had to ask her if we could borrow some money to post bail. It was so embarrassing. She’s never liked Joe, even after all these years. Said he was a hothead.”
“I’m sorry, Kari. You know that’s not true. Did your mom agree to lend you the money?”
“She said yes, but that she hoped this would open my eyes. Oh, Georgie, she’s going to be insufferable now! What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to hang in there until we prove he’s innocent. Then your mom will have to back down. Call your lawyer. When do you want me to come? I can be there in an hour.”
We set a time, and then I hung up. I felt horrible hearing Kari cry. But I knew she’d buck up. She was strong. She could do it. We’d figure this out.
After a quick run to the bathroom, where my reflection scared me more than my latest power bill, I grabbed my phone again. I had to get hold of Frank. Jefferson was his partner, I figured Frank would know what to do.
I hit dial, but midway through the second ring a text came through that said—I’ll talk to you later.
I cursed under my breath, remembering that he was gone for two weeks with his training. A headache was building, and I rubbed my temple and considered if I dared to approach Jefferson directly.
Well, what did I have to lose? I bit my lip as I found Jefferson’s number and opened a text. I thought of Frank’s partner—stiff and professional. Overly professional, really. I knew I irritated the tar out of him. I just had to cross my fingers that this text would be received with the intentions that I was sending it.
Quickly, I typed.—I know this is out of the blue, but you've arrested my best friend’s husband, Joe. Can you tell me anything about this?
I hit send and felt my heart thump in my chest. After a few seconds, I saw that the message switched to read. I waited for a response, but there was nothing.
I groaned under my breath. I hated that more than anything when people read my texts but didn't respond.
All right, it’s done. Grimacing, I turned on the shower to warm up the water and then headed for the kitchen for some more flu medicine. I could tell this was going to be a long day.
Chapter 4
Ready to head over to Kari’s house, I started the white catering van, Old Bella, as I called her. Immediately, I frowned. The engine wouldn’t turn over.
“Come on, come on,” I muttered, pumping the gas pedal to the floor with a few thumps.
The van coughed and spit, and the engine ground and groaned. A colossal backfire shook the van and then a black plume of smoke rolled over the vehicle.
Then it died.
“No… don’t do this to me!” I twisted the key one more time. It shuddered for a moment but never started again.
I hit the steering wheel and wanted to cry. I didn’t have the money to fix this, not now. If this could just have waited for another few weeks….
Come on, Georgie. Your backbone’s not made of wet noodles. I could almost hear my Grandma’s voice. I blew out my cheeks. I can get through this. I called Bob’s Mechanics—Cecelia had used them a few times. In fact, she’d had the owner over for dinner to thank him. After a brief phone call, where I dropped Cecelia’s name more than once, the owner said he would send the tow truck out, along with a loaner car. I loved living in a small town.
What I wasn’t expecting was the Kermit the Frog green VW that they brought as the loaner. I chuckled as the car drove up and a giant man climbed out of the driver’s seat.
“Kind of a tight fit, huh?” I said.
The mechanic looked down at my five-foot-two inches. “Not for you, I think.” He grinned and tossed me the keys. I happily traded him mine to Old Bella. Within a few minutes, he had the van hooked up to the tow truck, and I watched him drag her away. I could practically hear the chinging of the coins behind her. This was going to be an expensive fix.
I sighed. I’d deal with that later. Right now I needed to hurry to Kari’s house.
When I got to my friend’s house, she was a crying mess. My decongestant was holding up, but darn, seeing her sad face made me feel all stuffy again.
“It’s okay. It will all work out. You’ll see,” I said, feeling ridiculous since I was comforting her like I was comforting a child who’d just skinned their knee. This was serious, and I really didn’t know how to fix it. Some man was killed with Joe’s personal knife, at Joe’s job site. And Joe didn’t have an alibi. I blew out a huge breath. “We’ll fix this, don’t worry.”
Kari cried some more, and then I grabbed her shoulders and shuffled her into the kitchen where I made her some tea, a home remedy Cecelia always did for me when I was upset. I rummaged through her cupboards searching for cookies when Kari stopped me.
“What are you looking for
?”
“Something sweet,” I said. “Do you have cookies? Cake? Maybe even some bread for toast?”
“No.” She teared up even more. “I’m on a keto diet,” she wailed.
“What does that even mean?” I asked, confused.
“No carbs,” she sniffled.
“No carbs. That could drive anyone over into the deep end. Dear heavens, don’t tell the police that. That might really hook Joe for a motive.”
It was a lame attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Kari’s face puckered, and for a second, I thought I’d really bombed. But then a laugh rang out.
“I won’t tell them,” she said.
“Good. Next time I come, I’ll bring some doughnuts. We have an emergency here, woman.”
She smiled again, and I felt like the crisis was averted.
It turns out her kids did okay with the news, especially after Kari told them they were ordering pizza for dinner. Carbs did a heart good in some situations, I figured, as I left their house and headed out to my van.
Panic hit me. Where was my van? I spun around on the street, fumbling for my phone to call the police. Luckily, before I finished dialing 911, I spotted the green Volkswagen.
I smacked my forehead and thanked my stars I hadn’t made the call. Dumb. I’m so dumb.
I got into the bug. A plastic flower in the flower holder waved. Apparently, it had a motion sensor. I touched it with my finger, sending it bobbing harder.
“You scared me, girl. I better get used to the change, eh?”
I started the car and thought about driving by the Ridgeline Hill development. It had been a while since I’d visited that side of town, maybe since my college years even. It was known as Old Town, and it also had its own post office. The houses had been there forever. Even as a child, I’d known they were old, and their squatty single-story size had reminded me of worn-down teeth. I could picture them now, specifically the way that the mossy roofs, missing shutters, and shingles had softened their crisp edges.