The Body in the Attic

by Judi Lynn

  “She bought those in New York.” Mom’s tone had a bitter tinge. “Probably used the money from selling her baby.”

  Jazzi winced. “Is it going to bother you to look at these?”

  “No.” Her mom’s words were clipped. “I’ve come to terms with my sister. I’m glad she gave the baby away. She was too young, not ready to settle down. But all we ever showed her was love and respect. I wish she’d have trusted us more.” She turned the page.

  There were pictures of Mom in her cap and gown. On the next page, there were photos of her mom standing in front of a cosmetology school.

  Mom smiled. “Your dad was in his third year of college when I started hairdressing. That’s when we started dating. Lots of good times.”

  “What did Lynda do then? Did she have a job?”

  “She was the receptionist for the Chamber of Commerce, met lots of important business men there.” She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m still a little angry at her for writing me a fake letter once a week, and then when she came home and started dating, she dropped me out of her life . . . again.”

  Jazzi could see how that would rankle. The next page showed her mom and dad when they were young, at different spots around town. In one of the pictures, they were at a New Year’s Eve party with streamers and balloons overhead. A laughing man with dark, curly hair had his arm over Dad’s shoulders.

  Jazzi pointed. “Who is that? He looks familiar.”

  Smiling, her mom pressed a finger to the picture. “It’s Maury before he went gray and cut his hair short to try to tame it a little.”

  “Maury Lebovitch?” The Maury who was Lynda’s high school sweetheart? The Maury who was upset when Lynda broke up with him and took off for New York? Noah had his father’s hair. Jazzi stared at the picture. Did Maury know Lynda was pregnant when she ran away from him? Did he hate her for giving up their son?

  Olivia looked at her. “Are you all right?”

  Jazzi couldn’t say anything. Yet. “Mom and Dad have sure aged better than Maury has. It’s sort of sad how gray he is now.”

  Mom sighed. “Maury went through a rough patch for a while. It takes its toll. He was really upset when Lynda left him, and then he met Gina. Talk about being in love! They were so happy, and then Gina had two stillbirths before she finally had two healthy babies. Maury told everyone he was being punished, but that was silly. Maury’s a great guy.”

  Stillbirths? Maury had told her Gina had miscarriages. Those were sad enough, but to carry a baby for nine months who died at birth? Could Maury’s story get any more depressing? No wonder Maury was so interested in Cal finding Lynda’s son. Noah had Maury’s wild, unruly hair. Noah was his. And now Noah was dead. She needed some excuse to get out of here. She couldn’t stand much more. She pressed a hand to her stomach.

  “I’m sorry, guys, but I did heavy work all day, and I only ate a nibble of your nachos. I’m starving. I’ve got to go get something to eat.”

  Olivia turned to study her. She wasn’t buying it.

  Mom closed the photo album and slid it onto the coffee table. “I’m glad you asked to look at these. It brought back lots of good memories of your dad and me. If you want to see more, come back again.”

  Olivia knew something was bothering Jazzi, but she put on a smile. “Nice seeing you, sis! Let’s keep up the momentum and go someplace fun tomorrow night.”

  It wouldn’t matter. Jazzi would have answers tomorrow, and she’d share them with her sister. That would be enough to ruin any good times. Maybe they should find a restaurant that served gruel for supper.

  With a wave, Jazzi left them. She really was starving, so on her way home, she stopped to buy a box of chicken tenders and fries. Not healthy, but she didn’t care at the moment. Then she called Detective Gaff.

  Once she explained about Maury’s visit to her and the pictures in Mom’s album, Gaff sighed. “Noah’s dad identified the picture of his toolbox. He’s flying in tomorrow to ID the body. Once that’s done, would you come with me to talk to Maury? It doesn’t make sense to me that he’d kill his son, and I have a feeling he’d be more honest with you than me. Sometimes, cops tie people’s tongues.”

  “Sure, I like Maury.” But she wasn’t looking forward to the visit. It was going to be just plain depressing.

  Chapter 17

  Jazzi, Jerod, and Ansel finished the downstairs floors Thursday morning and she took back the rented sander. Yellow police tape still circled the hole in their backyard, so Jerod couldn’t jump on the backhoe and get rid of roots. Jazzi expected Gaff to call, but when he didn’t, she decided Noah’s father had caught an earlier flight and Gaff was doing detective things. She might hear from him tomorrow, but there were no guarantees. Part of her was relieved; part of her wanted to get the whole thing over with. She hated knowing secrets she couldn’t tell. She was always afraid she’d accidentally open her mouth and out they’d come.

  When they broke for lunch and sat in the kitchen to eat sandwiches, Ansel was quieter than usual. There’d been no friendly chatter while they worked. George had to put a paw on his thigh to get his attention before Ansel tore off small pieces of ham for him.

  “Does Emily work tonight?” Jazzi asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want to come out with Olivia and me for supper?” She’d never invited him before, but he seemed so moody, she thought he might like company.

  “No.”

  Okay, then. He didn’t want to talk about it. She let it drop. She glanced at Jerod, and he rolled his eyes. Luckily, none of his usual oddball humor popped out of his mouth.

  After lunch, the three of them went upstairs to work on the bathrooms. They’d chosen to install porcelain floor tiles that looked like wood in the smaller bath and an old-fashioned black-and-white floor tile in the master bath. Cal had a claw-foot bathtub in perfect shape that Jazzi had saved in the garage. After a long, hard day—when her muscles felt tired—a good, hot soak made everything better. She’d chosen polished subway tiles for the shower enclosure. She’d bought a long antique chest of drawers that Franny refinished to hold two sinks.

  “This is going to turn out nice,” Ansel said.

  She knew he’d like it. They’d worked together long enough that she knew his tastes, similar to hers. “Thanks. I haven’t picked a sink for the small bathroom yet. Any ideas?”

  He pulled out his smartphone and showed her a picture he liked. Hmm, the man had gotten serious about finding a place of his own. Too bad for him. If he loved that sink, Emily would veto it.

  “How much?” she asked.

  He looked it up, and it was reasonable. “I’ll order it,” she told him.

  “It’s just a suggestion. This isn’t my house.” He sounded put out. He really had meant to bid on it until Emily nixed it.

  “You’ll visit a lot.” When his expression turned moody, she bit her bottom lip. Maybe he’d visit—if Emily didn’t move to California.

  He scowled and turned back to his work. It took them the rest of the day to lay the floor tiles.

  “Thank God the central air gets installed tomorrow,” Jerod said, peeling his T-shirt a few inches from his chest and stomach. “A window unit doesn’t cut it.”

  Ansel was the first to leave, scooping up George and stalking to his truck. Jerod blew out a breath of relief. “I hope he’s in a better mood tomorrow.”

  “He doesn’t want to move.”

  “Then he should give Emily an ultimatum. If she stays, they’re a couple. If she goes, she goes alone.”

  “Do you think he’d let her?”

  Jerod frowned, considering his answer. “This time, he might. He’s given up a lot of things to be with her, but he likes River Bluffs. He likes his job, his friends. She might be asking too much.”

  “He’s always done whatever she wants.”

  “And that’s just made her worse.
” Jerod wasn’t a fan.

  Neither was she. “I’m just saying, he’ll cave this time, too.”

  The only thing that might make him unhappy enough to take a stand was if Emily told him he had to get rid of George. Someday, she might. Jazzi shook her head. “We might have to start looking for a new contractor soon.”

  Jerod’s frown turned thunderous.

  It was a good time to get out of there. “I’m off. It’s Thursday, my night with Olivia.” Jazzi was glad she was going out with her sister tonight. Olivia always made her laugh.

  Jerod locked the door and headed to his truck. “Lucky me, I got to work with a moody Ansel today, and I get to go home to a moody wife tonight.”

  “Franny’s still out of sorts?”

  “I can’t do anything right. Neither can the kids. We all try to stay out of her way.”

  “Is something going on? Bothering her?”

  “Beats me. I try not to be in the same room with her.”

  “Jerod . . .”

  “I know, but honestly, I’ve tried to talk to her. It doesn’t go well. I love her, though. We’ll ride this out.”

  Jazzi thought about that on her drive home. Maybe that’s what love was. Sticking in there and riding out the bad times together, because you care.

  When she got home, she had to hustle to be ready in time. Her sister never left the house without doing her hair and makeup. Jazzi swore she wore a new outfit every other week. She felt like a slacker if she didn’t at least look decent. Tonight, she let her hair fall in thick waves past her shoulders. She even put on eyeliner.

  When Olivia pulled to the curb and Jazzi hopped into the car next to her, Olivia nodded approval. “Good, you went to a little bother. Sometimes on Sundays, you skimp.”

  Jazzi grimaced. “If the kitchen gets hot while I’m cooking, my makeup just melts.”

  “Then don’t cook. Make us a big salad.”

  Yeah, like that would go over well. “Where are we off to tonight?”

  “I’m in the mood for something special. I was thinking about Paula’s Seafood on Main Street.”

  “I’m flush enough. Let’s do it.”

  When the hostess started to lead them to a table, Reuben stood up on the other side of the room and called, “Hey, why don’t you join us? Our friends had to cancel. We have plenty of space.”

  Jazzi looked at Olivia. It was their girls’ night out, but her sister grinned. “I love meeting new people!”

  Jazzi didn’t share that sentiment, but she liked spending time with Reuben. He was with a female friend tonight. She looked intimidating—thin, sophisticated, and poised.

  Once they were seated, Reuben made the introductions. “Jazzi, this is my friend Isabelle. She knew Cal Juniper. Isabelle, this is my downstairs neighbor and friend, Jazzi, and her sister . . .”

  “Olivia,” Jazzi supplied. “Nice to meet you.” She’d meant to call Isabelle and had never gotten around to it.

  “You’re the person who bought Cal’s house and is fixing it up, aren’t you?” Isabelle glanced at Reuben. “Thanks for calling her over.”

  Reuben grinned. “Isabelle’s more private than I am. She doesn’t like to meet new people.”

  Jazzi could relate. “I understand. It always takes me a while to get comfortable with someone I don’t know.”

  “You’re funny about that,” Olivia agreed. “But every stranger is just a potential friend you haven’t met yet.”

  Jazzi didn’t make new friends easily. It took a while before she let a person in. “Is that some kind of new age slogan?”

  Olivia laughed. “Nope, just my perspective.”

  Isabelle took a sip of her wine, then shook her head. “I don’t want many friends. I’d rather have a select few. A friend is an emotional commitment. I have only so much energy.”

  Reuben picked up his menu to study it. “I’m glad you made room for me.”

  “So am I.” Isabelle sent him a look that could curl toes.

  The waitress came to take their orders. Jazzi chose the breaded fried scallops—her favorite—and hard to find. They weren’t on the menu, so she was excited they were one of tonight’s specials. After the others ordered and the waitress left, she turned to Isabelle again. “Reuben said that you were a close friend to Cal.”

  “He was my best friend for years. Hard on my ego, though. I always hoped someday he’d want more, but he never really got over Lynda.”

  It must suck to compete with a dead woman. “You heard about the trunk?”

  She nodded. “Reuben told me. I wish he’d have opened it a long time ago. Then he’d have known she was gone, and maybe he would have moved on.”

  Reuben put his hand over hers. “In that case, I’m glad he didn’t.”

  She gave a soft laugh. Everything about Isabelle felt contained, restrained.

  Jazzi took a swallow of beer. “And you know Cal found Lynda’s son?”

  “He hired a detective. He wanted to find someone to connect with other than his sister and her family.”

  “Can’t blame him for that.” Olivia’s willowy figure belied her appetite. The girl could put food away. She reached for a slice of bread when the waitress placed the bread basket on the table. A minute later, the waitress brought their salads, and there was a slight pause in the conversation while they took a few bites.

  Isabelle pushed her plate away with half of her salad untouched.

  “She’s like that,” Reuben said. “Never finishes her meal.”

  “Mom does that, too.” Olivia buttered another slice of bread. Jazzi had to admit it was delicious, but she made herself abstain.

  After a sip of wine, Isabelle sighed. “Cal flew to New York to meet Noah. It was a wonderful experience for him. He said Noah looked exactly like Lynda except for his hair. It was dark and curly, completely unruly.”

  Olivia frowned and turned to Jazzi. “That’s why the pictures upset you yesterday.”

  “I can’t talk about it. Not until Detective Gaff gives me permission.”

  Reuben’s expression lit up. “A secret! How wonderful!” And that’s why Jazzi hated secrets. They could bite you in the ass.

  Isabelle shook her head. “I don’t like secrets. They’re a burden.”

  Lord, she and Isabelle had a lot in common. Except that Isabelle oozed high fashion, dressed all in black with her dark hair scraped back into a tight bun. And she had poise out her yin-yang. And . . . Jazzi stopped counting.

  Isabelle lowered her eyebrows, turning serious. “We won’t pressure you, but when you’re allowed to share the news, I’d like to be informed.”

  Jazzi nodded.

  Isabelle sat silent while the waitress brought their entrees, then said, “I felt so sorry for Cal. He could hardly wait for Noah to visit him. He’d taken the day off work so that he could greet him, but then he got an emergency call in the early afternoon. He left a note on the door and the key in the lock, but when he got home, no one was there. He waited and waited and tried to call, but no one ever came or answered.”

  “He got an emergency call?” Jazzi leaned forward in her chair. “Did he say what the emergency was?”

  Isabelle’s eyes went wide. “I’d forgotten. It was so odd. When he got to the office, no one knew anything about it. We tried to track it down, but it remained a mystery.”

  Jazzi’s shoulders slumped and she took a deep breath. “It was a setup.”

  Isabelle’s fingers went to her throat. She bit her bottom lip. “Don’t tell us anymore. I didn’t mean to pry information from you.”

  “No, you’ve helped me. Everything makes so much more sense now. Do you happen to know if anyone else, anyone at all, knew about Noah coming?”

  She gave a wan smile. “Noah didn’t tell anyone. He was determined not to hurt the parents who raised him, but I think Cal told th
e world about it. At first, it bothered me that he was so happy to find Lynda’s child, but then he told me about his sister and her family and I understood. And then there was Thomas Sorrell. He wanted to meet Noah, too.”

  “Thomas? Why?”

  “He still blames Cal for ‘taking’ Lynda. He’s part owner of a business in River Bluffs. That’s why he came here in the first place. Lynda’s lucky she left him. He strikes me as a vindictive, controlling person.”

  “Vindictive enough to kill Lynda and stuff her in a trunk?”

  Isabelle pursed her lips, considering her answer. “Yes, I believe he is. He tried really hard to drive one of Cal’s companies out of business. Cal had enough clout and money to buy the shares he needed to fend off Thomas, but it was a personal attack, not based on sound finances.”

  Jazzi had never given much consideration to Thomas. After they broke up, he never came to town that she knew of, except to ask for his ring back. She’d crossed him off her list.

  Olivia frowned. “Why did Thomas want to meet Noah?”

  “It irritated him that Cal had found him. Noah belonged to Lynda, so Thomas thought he had just as much of a claim to him as Cal did. Which, of course, might be true, except that Cal wanted to meet him for all the right reasons, and Thomas wanted to win him away from Cal just to punish Cal.”

  Olivia’s eyes went wide. “But that was twenty-six years ago, at least.”

  “Exactly. Once Cal made an enemy of Thomas, he had an enemy for life. I got the feeling that Thomas never forgives and forgets.”

  Reuben drained his martini glass and picked up the olive to nibble on. “It sounds as though Thomas could benefit from counseling.”

  Isabelle gave a low laugh. “He definitely has issues of some kind.”

  More issues than Jazzi had realized. “Did Thomas know that Cal flew to New York to meet Noah?”

  “He might have. Cal couldn’t keep it to himself. Everyone was happy for him.”

  Jazzi sighed. “Thank you. Unfortunately, you might get a visit from Detective Gaff soon. He’ll answer your questions, but then he’ll want to ask you some of his own.”