by Judi Lynn
“It had better. I don’t think I can find anything else this close to Halloween.” But he slipped on his black-and-white outfit, and as always, he looked great. He raised his eyebrows at the fake handcuffs included with the costume.
“Are you thinking about handcuffing me?” She was sliding one of his favorite dresses over her head.
“I’ve heard you’ve been naughty. I might have to frisk you.”
There could be an upside to being on the lam.
He laughed at her expression. “You have no shame. But right now, I’m hungry. And you look great in that dress.” It was dark green, with a deep plunge. “How does the Outback sound?”
“They have my favorite salad and burgers in the world.”
“Then let’s go.” He pulled on a pair of Dockers and a deep-blue, button-down shirt that accentuated his sky-blue eyes.
George pouted when they left him behind, but he’d had enough snacks; he wouldn’t suffer too much. The cats jumped in the window to watch the pickup back away, then Jazzi was sure they’d return to their naps.
She was glad she’d worn her lightweight leather jacket when they walked from the parking lot into the restaurant. Ansel wore his black leather, too. He looked scrumptious in it. A small breeze had blown up, and it made the cool temperatures even chillier. They were seated in the bar, enjoying their suppers, when Jazzi looked up and tried to hide a gasp. Ansel frowned and turned to see who’d walked in.
A man, six foot with dark hair and a year-round tan, spotted her and left his two buddies to stalk toward her. When he reached their table, he glared at Ansel. “Who’s this?”
Jazzi raised her eyebrows. “Chad, this is my husband, Ansel Herstad. Ansel, this is my ex-fiancé, Chad.”
Chad’s frown deepened. “When did you get married? I didn’t see it in the paper.”
“We had a small ceremony at home. The reception, too.”
He pressed his lips together. “You could have at least told me you were tying the knot.”
“Why? You got married without telling me. You probably have kids by now.”
“No such luck.” His voice was brittle. “All I wanted was a family. Ginger can’t have any. Found out she got an abortion when she was fifteen and now she’s sterile.”
Jazzi winced at his tone. “You can always adopt.”
“And get some loser’s cast-off? I don’t think so.”
She stared. When had he grown so bitter?
Narrowing his eyes, he studied her. “I thought maybe you’d worked long enough that you were starting to think about having a family.”
“Not ready yet. I’ll probably work even after I have kids.”
“You wouldn’t!” Chad looked at Ansel. “Are you okay with that?”
“That’s her choice. Lots of women manage it these days.”
Chad snorted. “You look like you’d have a backbone. She’s got you cowered, hasn’t she?”
Ansel’s expression turned dangerous. He started to push out of his chair when one of Chad’s friends called, “Hey, bud, we’re holding a stool for you at the bar. The place is filling up. Get on over here.”
Chad turned on his heel. “See you, Jaz.”
Jazzi reached across the table to pat Ansel’s hand. “Don’t let him ruin our evening. Things haven’t worked out for him like he planned.”
Ansel slowly sank back onto his chair. He glowered in Chad’s direction. “Your ex is a real douche.”
Jazzi laughed. “What was your first clue?”
That made his lips turn up. He shook his head at her. “How did you end up with a jerk like that?”
“We met when he came to landscape a few houses that Jerod and I were flipping. I didn’t know squat about yards and plants back then. I learned a lot from him. He was fun while we worked together and hung out, but the minute I moved in with him, his priorities switched. He constantly nagged me to give up flipping houses to stay home and have his babies.” She bit her bottom lip, feeling pensive. “It’s sad. He was obsessive about it. He’s gotten worse with time.”
“That’s why you were so reluctant to get serious when we moved in together.”
“Chad made me pretty wary, that’s for sure.”
Ansel nodded understanding. “I get it, and I can’t say much. I lived with Emily, and she made my life miserable.”
She reached for her wineglass and finished what was left. “Neither of us chose too well our first time out.”
“That’s for sure.” He chuckled. “At least we learned from our mistakes. You ready? I don’t want to share a bar with your ex.”
She only had a few bites of her burger left, and she’d been struggling to finish it. They paid their bill and left. On the way home, she thought about how lucky she was that she and Jerod had found the stone cottage to fix up and that Ansel had come into her life. They both might have had rocky starts, but they’d sure hit the jackpot when they finally teamed up.
Chapter 37
Everyone came a little early. They were as excited about the party as Ansel. He’d spent the morning in the basement, setting up games for the kids while Jazzi finished cooking. He had bobbing for apples, pin the black hat on the witch, a black cat piñata, musical pumpkins—they were big enough to sit on when the music stopped—and wrap your dad as a mummy with toilet paper. He had enough small prizes for everyone. The games were his thing. She was staying out of it.
While people lingered upstairs, admiring one another’s costumes, the kids found the candy corn in the Halloween pumpkin dishes. She had cheese cubes on skeleton toothpicks for them, too, and she’d decorated a cheese ball with black licorice “legs” to look like a spider for the adults. Franny came as Little Orphan Annie. It suited her orange-colored hair and freckles. And Jerod came as Huck Finn, with bib overalls, a flannel shirt, and a straw hat. When Walker walked in, dressed similarly to be a farmer for Didi’s pumpkin, they laughed at each other.
River was so excited to have his two friends with him, he got Gunther and Lizzie excited, too. Ansel, in his prison garb, had to blow a whistle to get them to calm down. The weather was mild enough, he said. “I bought pumpkins and carving kits for each one of you. When you finish your jack-o’-lanterns, you can take them home.” He, Jerod, and Walker led the kids out onto the patio.
Didi grinned at Jazzi’s jumpsuit. “You don’t look much better in that color than I do,” she teased. At least her pumpkin had green leaves on top to soften the neon orange. Gran and Samantha came next, dressed as two old crones. Gran had even applied a wart on her nose. And bat wings stuck out from the sides of Samantha’s pointed hat. Olivia, as always, looked wonderful with her dark blond hair pulled up in a Gibson style and her brown eyes lined with black liner. She’d painted a beauty mark on her cheek. Her barmaid’s outfit made the most of her willowy figure. Thane, big and bulky, had his auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail with a hole for it to fit through in his cowboy hat. His badge read “Sheriff.” But the real stars of the party were Elspeth and Radley when they arrived as aristocrats. Their outfits looked like something off the covers of Jazzi’s favorite Regency romance novels. Elspeth even wore a white pompadour wig.
Jazzi’s mom and dad were overshadowed as a flapper and a gangster, and Eli and Eleanore were even more anticlimactic as stodgy Puritans. All they needed was a pitchfork to look like the somber couple in Grant Wood’s American Gothic painting. They were all eclipsed, though, when George trotted to the kitchen island, dressed as a little devil. The kids came to fuss over him. The adults told him how adorable he looked, and George loved every minute of it. Jazzi had to admit, everyone had gone to the bother to dress up, and it was fun. Next year, she and Ansel would have to try harder.
People snacked until everyone had arrived. Then they gathered around the table to eat. The kids got a kick out of the mummy hot dogs, and Olivia was excited about the wrapped brie with f
ig jam and fancy crackers. There was a lot of food, but it quickly disappeared. Before Jazzi brought out the candy apples and popcorn balls, the men herded the kids into the basement.
The women grabbed wine or mulled cider and relaxed in the living room, but the noise and laughter in the basement eventually drew them to see what was happening. Kids were on their knees, grabbing for the candy that had spilled from the piñata. Then it was time for the mummy contest. Jerod couldn’t work with both Gunther and Lizzie, so Gunther grabbed Ansel to decorate with toilet paper. River claimed Walker, so one of his friends nabbed Radley. The other yanked Thane over. Every man was too tall, so they had to kneel on their knees so the kids could wrap their faces and necks. When Ansel said, “Go!” the kids sprang into action. Inky and Marmalade joined in the fun, attacking toilet paper as the kids threw and draped it. Gran got to call the winner. They all finished at about the same time, but of course, she chose River. Gran had no problem about being partial. But no one cared, because Ansel had a huge candy bar for each of them.
Didi shook her head. “Those kids are going to have so much candy between today’s party and actual trick-or-treating, their teeth are going to rot.”
Ansel had planned bobbing for apples next to let the kids calm down a little before the last game—musical pumpkins. While each kid took a turn bobbing, the others sat on the large throw rug, sorting through their winnings. They’d all received yoyos, and Walker was patiently trying to teach River and his friends how to use theirs. Gunther was trying to hit the small rubber ball attached to his paddle, and when he connected, smacked Jerod in the face with it. He looked horrified, but Jerod only laughed. Thane was busy helping Lizzie color a picture with the colored pencils she’d won.
Watching them, Jazzi swallowed a lump in her throat. All good guys. Keepers. Then Ansel called River and his friends to bob for apples, and when River was having trouble bending over the tub far enough to reach one, his buddy, dressed as a pirate, reached forward. Jazzi held her breath. In her mind, she saw Jessica’s brother plunge her head under water and hold it there, but the little boy grabbed River’s shoulders to steady him so he could lean farther.
That’s what good kids did. They helped one another. And that was how good fathers acted. They paid attention and encouraged. Jazzi let out a breath and shook her head. Jessica had been cheated.
Once the games were over, everyone headed back upstairs for caramel apples and popcorn balls. After that, energy lagging, people started to leave. When Gran and Samantha, the last to go, finally started toward the door, Gran stopped to wrap Jazzi in a hug.
“What a fun day, Sarah! Your cooking was as wonderful as always.”
Samantha gave Jazzi a secret smile. Gran only reverted to the past, where Jazzi became her dead sister Sarah, when she was too tired or too stressed. This time, it was probably because she’d had too much fun. Jazzi hugged her a little more closely than usual. Gran was a treasure. She hoped she’d stick around a long time.
Finally alone, Jazzi and Ansel looked at the aftermath of the party. Not as bad as it could have been. They’d designed this house for entertaining. They’d installed two dishwashers, so it was easy to rinse and load all the dirty dishes and silverware. They’d bought a vacuum to keep in the basement, so Jazzi dragged a black trash can back and forth to toss all the scraps of paper and toilet paper in, and Ansel swept the area rugs.
In forty-five minutes, the house was put back together. They changed into their pajamas and stretched on their couches to relax. Tomorrow, she’d call Gaff to see if Lila Mattock had returned home. She was looking forward to paying her a visit.
Chapter 38
She and Ansel dragged a little on Monday morning. It had rained sometime during the night. When they looked outside, the yard and driveway were wet. They’d gotten lucky that the weather had stayed dry for their party. The gray sky encouraged second cups of coffee, so that they had to hustle to make it to the Merlot house on time. When they got there, Jerod was sitting at the card table, waiting for the coffee urn to finish brewing.
“I need some black magic this morning,” he told them.
They could use more. Even George was tired. He went straight to his dog bed, flopped down, and closed his eyes. Being a devil was hard work.
Once they’d drained their mugs, Jerod pushed to his feet. “I’d like to give the upstairs one more look before we start work on the basement. I liked the colors in the rooms and hallway, but they always look different when they dry.”
She was curious, too, so they climbed the elegant staircase to the second floor and walked from room to room. The master bedroom, painted Martha Stewart’s sharkey gray, was so big that the color worked well in it. They walked down the hallway, stopping in each doorway, and agreed the honeysuckle off-yellow was the perfect airy feel, and neutral enough to go with anything. The next room was Alwin’s, and then, lastly, they’d check Jessica’s. Jazzi frowned at the wall that adjoined them.
“There’s a spot that dried funny,” she said, walking closer to inspect it. At first, she thought maybe it was just the way the light spilled in from the window, but when she studied the quarter-size circle, it looked flatter than the paint on the rest of the wall. She reached out to touch it, and the surface felt funny, too.
Jerod stood beside her, scowling. He pressed his finger on it and shook his head. “It’s not drywall.” He pressed harder, and the circle moved. As they watched, a plug fell into the space between the walls. He stared. “Wasn’t this where we figured a picture had been hanging?”
Ansel nodded. “The paint around it had faded. You could see the shape of the frame.”
“Someone cut a hole here. This is way too big for a nail.” Jerod walked out, and his voice came from Jessica’s room. “The same thing happened over here.” He made a scraping noise, and a round hole opened up on her side, too. Then they heard his footsteps returning to them.
He held out his pocketknife with a gummy substance jammed on the tip. “Someone plugged the holes with toothpaste and let it dry before they painted over it.”
They would have missed that. Madeline had owned the house long enough after the Hodgkills left that the entire walls were mottled, with faded areas where pictures, mirrors, or posters had hung. Jazzi blinked, confused about the hole, and then her jaw dropped. “Alwin could peek through the hole and watch his sister.”
Ansel looked stunned. “You mean…”
Jerod knocked the plug of toothpaste into the trash and slid his pocketknife back into his jeans. “Alwin was a dirty Peeping Tom. He could watch anything and everything Jessica did. Probably watched her get undressed when he needed a little boost.”
Jazzi pressed a hand to her stomach. For a brother to watch his own sister…Goose bumps covered her arms.
“He really was a pervert.” Ansel scraped his hand through his hair, clearly upset, making it stand up in spikes.
“I think you should call Gaff.” Jerod went to look out the window. She could hear him count to ten under his breath. Ansel looked like someone had knocked the air out of him, too. She was still trying to process it.
When she called Gaff and told him what they’d found, silence greeted her. “Are you there?” she asked.
“I’m here.” There was a short hesitation, then he said, “Wendy looked like Jessica, remember?”
“Same coloring and build,” she replied.
“Makes me wonder.” His sigh carried over the phone. “I need to start digging again, but I have to tell you, things are starting to look bad for Alwin.”
“I thought you were asking around about Lila.” She was sure Lila had seen something the day Jessica died.
“I have been, and that’s interesting, too. Lila lives large for the salary she makes as a paralegal. She got married right after she got her degree and had two sons. When she and her husband divorced, the dad got both kids. Now, Lila works part-time for a law
yer in Merlot, but she can afford a house near the golf course and she belongs to its clubhouse. She’s not getting alimony. She has to pay it, and her family didn’t leave her any money, so where’s the money coming from?”
“An affair?”
Gaff snorted. “Or blackmail.”
Jazzi would never have thought of that. But what if Gaff was right? “You could trace that somehow, couldn’t you?”
“If a judge gave my friend permission to look into her finances. That might be tricky.”
Jazzi hesitated. “Who do you think she’s blackmailing?”
“Someone who has enough money to keep her in the lifestyle she likes. But Merlot has a decent number of well-off people. It doesn’t have to be Alwin.”
Maybe it was time for Jazzi to start asking about more people who’d been at the party. Jessica’s entire class had been invited. “Would Ruth Goggins be rich enough?”
“She lived next door to the Hodgkills, didn’t she?”
“And she loves status. Takes it seriously.”
“Thanks for the info, Jazzi. I’m going to call my detective friend and pass it on.”
She knew a dismissal when she heard one. When she hung up, the guys were staring at her.
“Blackmail?” Ansel asked.
Jazzi repeated what Gaff had told her. Jerod stared for a minute, then shook his head. “Let’s get to work. I’d rather think about crumbling cement than Jessica’s friends and family. We’ll fix the bedroom walls later and repaint them.”
By mutual agreement, they all started to the basement. Once there, they stopped and stared. Water had seeped in from the sides and corners, staining that cement darker than the rest, and there hadn’t even been a downpour during the night. Hands on hips, Jerod shook his head. “I thought it was dry.”
“It has been,” Ansel said. “But this must be the first time it rained enough to leak in.”