by Judi Lynn
“Sure. What time?”
“The funeral’s at two thirty. What if I pick you up at two?”
“I’ll be ready, but I won’t look very good.”
“See you then.”
She rejoined the guys upstairs and told them she’d have to leave. They both nodded. “Mrs. Reynolds took a liking to you,” Jerod said. “She’d want you there.”
Jazzi wasn’t so sure. Ronnie’s grandma had lots of close church friends, but she’d put in an appearance anyway. The woman deserved all the support she could get.
They worked even harder after the call and waited to have lunch late so that they could frame in the bathrooms, too, before Gaff came. Then they hurried down for sandwiches and had just finished when Gaff pulled to the curb in front of the house.
Jazzi grabbed her hoodie and ran to his car. On the drive to Creighton Street, Jazzi shook her head at her dirty jeans and work boots.
“You’re fine,” Gaff told her. “Mrs. Reynolds will know you came straight from work.”
But when they walked into the towering old brick church where the funeral was being held, Jazzi felt her spirits plunge. The black women in the pews all wore dresses, heels, and hats. The men wore suits. “I want to sit in the back pew,” she said.
When Mrs. Reynolds saw her, though, she waved for her to come forward for a hug. Jazzi felt eyes following her progress as she went to the front of the church. If she could shrink and become invisible, she would. She blurted, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t have time to change into something better.”
“No matter, baby.” Mrs. Reynolds wrapped her thin arms around her and pulled her close. Then she looked at her friends in the pews and said, “This is the pretty white girl I told ya ‘bout, come straight from her job, the one who’s been so nice to me.”
A woman jumped out of her pew and came to pump Jazzi’s hand. “Heard all about you. I’m Pudding. We got plenty of food in the basement. Why don’t you and the detective fill a plate with us after the service?”
Jazzi started to say she had to get back to work, but Gaff talked right over her.
“We’d love to. Thank you.”
Yup, this was a setup. Gaff was fishing for new information.
The preacher walked up to the microphone, and everyone took their seats. Mrs. Reynolds gripped Jazzi’s hand and didn’t let go, so she and Gaff sat in the front pew with her. There was lots of preaching and lots of music before the service was over and everyone wandered to the basement to eat.
Mrs. Reynolds leaned against Jazzi’s arm and whispered, “Thank ya for comin’, girl. I know ya probably didn’t want to, but it sure made me feel good.”
She looked so small, so fragile. Jazzi wanted to wrap her in bubble wrap and tuck her somewhere safe. “Are you going to be okay by yourself in your house?”
Ronnie’s grandma waved that off. “Oh, honey, Ronnie spent more time in jail than at home. I’m used ta takin’ care of myself.”
“If there’s anything you need…” Jazzi reached into her purse and pressed one of her business cards into the old woman’s hand.
“I ‘preciate that, I do, but I got friends that’ll help me out, lots o’ them. Good people.” She tucked the card in her purse, though. Shaking her head, she said, “Ronnie told me he’d found God this last time in prison, but I guess not even God could keep ‘im outta trouble. The boy liked his pot and beer.” She wrinkled her face in thought. “There are worse things a boy can do. I thought he’d still be okay, ‘specially when them cooks tried to get ‘im hired to work with them. Made the boy mighty proud.”
Gaff cleared his throat. “Any idea why Ronnie tried to find guys to do a job with an old friend?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t want to do it. Told me so. Tried to find someone else. Maybe that’s what got him dead.”
The preacher came upstairs to look for her, and Mrs. Reynolds got to her feet. “Time to show you folks what good cooks we are. You ain’t gonna eat this good for a long time.”
Smiling, Jazzi and Gaff went downstairs to join in the funeral dinner. And Mrs. Reynolds didn’t exaggerate. The food was delicious, the people fun and friendly. By the time they had to leave, Jazzi had quit worrying about the old woman. Her church took care of its own. She’d be fine.
“You can still come and see me once in a while,” she told Jazzi. “And I sure don’t mind a bit o’ chocolate now and then.”
“I’ll remember that. You take care now.” With a hug, Jazzi left her.
On the drive back to New Haven, Gaff said, “I don’t see why someone killed Ronnie. It keeps bringing me up short. It seems like he really did plan to go straight, don’t you think?”
Jazzi nodded. “He turned down the job someone offered him, that’s for sure.”
“That shouldn’t have gotten him killed, though.” Gaff sounded as though he was talking to himself as much as to her. He grimaced. “When I talked to Jarrett, he couldn’t figure things out either. I’m missing something. We’ll have to keep at it.”
He reached the old Victorian and parked at the curb. She reached over and patted his shoulder. “You’ll find the answers. You always do.”
“Not always.” He sounded frustrated.
Jazzi understood, but she had nothing new to tell him, so she climbed out of the car and waved him away.
When she went in the house, she heard the sound of nail guns upstairs. She went to see how Jerod and Ansel were doing. They’d framed the office. She studied the layout and smiled. “Looking good.” They’d have to patch and match a few floorboards, but they could manage that.
Jerod stopped working and wiped sweat from his forehead. “We’ll start drywall tomorrow.”
Ansel stopped, too. “How was the funeral?”
Jazzi filled them in while she helped with clean up. That done, they started down the stairs to grab their hoodies and go home.
“I haven’t gotten to spend much time with you lately. Alone.” Ansel picked up George. “And tonight’s girls’ night out. I’m starting to get lonely.”
She snorted. “Right. Where are you, Thane, Radley, and Walker going?”
Jerod sniffed, starting to his pickup. “I’m grabbing a box of fried chicken, stuffing my face, and hitting the couch. I’m going to bed when Gunther and Lizzie do.”
Her poor cousin was dragging. Little or no sleep will do that to you. She hoped Peter slept through the night tonight.
While Ansel loaded George in the van, Jazzi asked again, “Where are the four of you off to tonight?”
“Five Guys for burgers and fries.”
She shook her head. “Bulk. You get lots of food there, right?”
“We can handle it, and it’s all good.”
All four men were big. Half pound burgers were just the right size for them.
On the drive home, Ansel asked, “Where are you and Olivia going?”
“Our standby—Henry’s.”
When they pulled in the drive, they hurried more than usual to get ready. They’d worked a little longer at the fixer-upper than they’d meant to. George lowered his head onto his paws with a sigh when they both walked to the door. He knew the Thursday night drill. They climbed into their vehicles and drove their separate ways.
When Jazzi walked through Henry’s doors, she saw Olivia waiting for her at a booth. She’d already ordered wine for each of them. Jazzi took a sip and asked, “How’s it going?”
Olivia raised a blond eyebrow. “Do you want to know what my stupid boyfriend wants to do for our wedding?”
Uh-oh. Olivia’s brown eyes sparkled with temper. Her sister was more spontaneous than she was, probably more fun, but her temper was quicker to surface, too. Jazzi grimaced. “Do I want to know?”
“He doesn’t want to rent tuxes for our wedding. He wants to wear suits. He needs a new one anyway, so this is his brill
iant solution.”
“Ansel wore a suit for our wedding and looked yummy.”
“You got married at home. It’s different.”
The waitress came and Olivia glared at her.
“I can come back.” They usually had the same waitress, and she was used to them.
“No, I’m hungry now.” Olivia pointed to the shrimp wrap-up. “I’m watching my weight for my wedding, so I’ll have coleslaw with it instead of fries.”
“And you?” The waitress looked at Jazzi.
“The filet sandwich, medium. And fries.” Henry’s made some of the best fries in town.
With a nod, she left and Olivia returned to venting. “Have you seen my wedding dress?” She pulled the picture from her purse and stuck it in front of Jazzi. “It’s gorgeous. Thane’s going to look like a poor relative if he stands next to me in a suit.”
Olivia took fashion seriously. She and Reuben’s wife, Isabelle, had actually driven to Chicago for a long weekend of shopping a few weeks ago. Jazzi wasn’t quite so style conscious. “Have the bridesmaid dresses come in yet?” Olivia had informed her that she’d be her maid of honor and Isabelle was a bridesmaid. She’d taken both their measurements and was waiting for the dresses she chose to arrive for final tailoring. The cost of the dress almost made Jazzi faint, but Ansel had told her it would be worth it. If it made her sister happy, she should pay the money and shut up, even though she’d never seen what Olivia chose.
“Easy for you to say,” she’d told Ansel. “You get to try on your tux. You won’t have any nasty surprises.”
“You look good in anything, so relax. This is all about your sister.”
And Olivia had taken full advantage of that. “You won’t want to wear anything I pick,” she’d complained. “But you don’t get to vote on this. You and Isabelle will both look gorgeous in the color and style. If you hate it, you can give it to Goodwill once Thane and I are on our honeymoon.”
Lucky ducks. They were taking off an entire week to celebrate.
But now Thane didn’t want to rent a tux. She tried to picture him in a penguin suit and couldn’t. “It doesn’t matter what he wears if he doesn’t do something with that wild auburn hair of his.”
“What’s wrong with his hair?” Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want him to cut it.”
Oh, boy. She’d hit a nerve. “I don’t either, but maybe he could pull it back in a ponytail.”
Olivia relaxed. “That would work.”
The food came and Olivia concentrated on her wrap. She ate like she was starving. Jazzi frowned. “You’re not trying to lose weight for the wedding, are you? Because you look great, as is.”
Between bites, Olivia said, “I’m being more careful than usual, that’s all. But I’m hungry all the time.”
“No wonder you’re grouchy.”
Olivia glared. “I’m not grouchy. I’m ticked at Thane.”
“I’ll side with you on this one.” Jazzi wanted her sister’s wedding to be as wonderful as she dreamed it would be. “I’ve already bought most of the food for the reception.”
“Have you?” She drank the last of her wine and motioned for another glass. “I’m starting to get nervous. There are so many things to think about.”
Jazzi shrugged. “It’s going to be a piece of cake. You’re going to be a beautiful bride and Thane’s going to be a doting husband.”
Olivia smiled. “That’s the main thing, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. Have you heard about Walker and Didi? They want to get married, too, before Didi starts to show too much.”
“They do?” Olivia stared at her, then broke into a huge grin. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a double wedding?”
“What?” Jazzi shook her head. “They didn’t want to announce anything and take away from your big day.”
Olivia dug in her purse for her phone. “That’s silly. A double wedding would be even more fun.” She called Thane and asked him about it. When she squirmed with happiness, Jazzi decided that Thane must have liked the idea, too.
Why had she gone and opened her big mouth? “You’re having the reception at our house. You’ve already invited a lot of people.”
“How many people would Walker and Didi invite? It couldn’t be that bad. Let’s find out!” She dialed Thane again before Jazzi could protest. With her hand over the phone, she whispered, “Thane’s with Walker and Ansel right now. He can ask him.”
It took longer to get an answer this time, but when she did, Olivia looked thrilled. When she hung up, she reached across the table and grabbed Jazzi’s hands. “You’re brilliant, sis! Walker called Didi and they said yes. Thane even agreed to go with Walker to rent a tux. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Wonderful.” Jazzi tried to sound sincere. She’d have to get a new number of guests and buy more food. They had a perfect house for entertaining, but she was beginning to worry that it would be standing room only.
“You okay?” Olivia looked repentant. “I didn’t even ask you if you liked the idea, did I? I just sprang it on you.”
“Things might be crowded.”
Olivia’s grin returned. “The more the merrier, right?”
“We’ll make it work.” And they would. Somehow.
Chapter 30
On Friday, George chose to curl in his dog bed in the kitchen when they reached the Victorian. Probably a smart choice. They headed upstairs to work on drywall, but when Jazzi looked at the office’s ceiling, she frowned. “The ceilings in the other rooms are fine, but moving walls around made cracks where some of these seams join. We can re-tape them, but what if we put up a beadboard ceiling instead? It would make the office feel special.”
Ansel glanced at the square room. “The owners want carpet up here, so a wooden ceiling would look nice. It wouldn’t cost that much since this room’s smaller.”
Jerod cocked his head, trying to picture it. “It would be just as easy to do beadboard as to re-tape the whole room.”
“Then it’s a go?” Jazzi asked.
He nodded. “It will be a nice touch, but first, all of the rooms need drywall.”
They couldn’t finish it in one day, but they’d do as much as they could.
Jerod grabbed a sheet and asked, “How’s Olivia? Is she going nuts trying to get everything ready for the wedding?”
Jazzi’s shoulders sagged. “Olivia and Thane have decided to have a double wedding with Walker and Didi.”
“That’s great!” He looked at her face. “Maybe.”
“That means there’ll be even more people at our house for the reception.”
“Aah, now I get that worried look. When will you know if you’re going to sink or swim cooking enough food for the party?”
“Walker told Ansel he’d call him tonight. If we have to, I can call in Gran and Samantha for backup to help out.”
“Gran would love that.”
Jazzi started to feel better. Gran would. And they’d figure out how to get everything done and make it work. Ansel put an arm around her. “We might want to fix up our basement someday like Jerod’s to have more room.”
She rolled her eyes. “I thought I’d never have to worry about that when I left my apartment. I thought I’d have so much room I wouldn’t know what to do with it all. Who knew?”
Jerod laughed. “When we moved into our farmhouse, we swore we’d never have enough pots and pans and dishes to fill the kitchen cupboards. Look at us now. Filled to the brim. We even ran out of space for the kids to play.”
Jazzi shied away from a mental picture of her entire house filled with folding tables and kids running amok. “Our families are growing bigger.”
“See?” Jerod strapped on his toolbelt. “Everything’s relative, cuz.”
Relative. Right. What would happen when Radley got married and had kids and Olivia and Tha
ne brought theirs? How many people would have to crowd around tables for the Sunday meal? She shut her eyes, blocking the vision. When the inevitable happened, they might have to change things up.
They pushed harder than usual to finish as much as they could, but even taking a short lunch, they still had one bedroom to go. Then they had to tape and plaster, sand and prime. Only then could they install the beadboard ceiling.
Jerod unhooked his toolbelt. “It’s Friday. I’m ready to go home.”
Jazzi wasn’t going to argue with that. They trudged down the steps and she shrugged into her hoodie. Ansel hadn’t even worn a jacket, the weather was so mild—a perfect day for Reuben and Isabelle’s spring fling tonight. And Jazzi would gladly celebrate the equinox. She was ready to say goodbye to winter.
Ansel collected George to carry to the van, and Jerod pulled away when they did. Her cousin wanted to take Franny and the kids out shopping. They always bought new dress clothes for Easter, not that they attended church regularly, but Franny dragged them to it once a month.
Ansel placed George on the backseat and they were pulling out of the Victorian’s driveway when his cell phone buzzed. He pulled to the curb and frowned at the ID. “Brianne.”
Why would Donovan’s ex call Ansel? Jazzi could tell from his expression that the conversation was serious. Near the end of it, he said, “We’ll be there. It will take us about twenty minutes.”
He pulled from the curb and headed south. “Brianne gave me directions to Jarrett’s garage. Jarrett had the day off and they went out. When they got back, his apartment was trashed. The owner and customers were in the garage, but they didn’t see anyone go up the outside stairs to their place. Every piece of furniture is ripped open. They don’t have renters’ insurance. Jarrett’s furious and Brianne’s trying to convince him not to go pound somebody.”
Jazzi gulped. “So we’re going to talk to him?”
“Yeah, she’s worried he’ll get himself in trouble, he’s so mad.”