by Judi Lynn
Jazzi couldn’t help but feel the dog’s vote was prejudiced, but she felt sorry for Ansel. “When does Emily have to make a decision?”
“Our lease is up August fifteenth. We have to renew it or move, but Emily found a hospital in Berkley she’s interested in. If she doesn’t snatch up the position, someone else will.”
Jazzi remained quiet a second. “So, Emily wants to say yes now.”
Ansel nodded.
“What happens if you don’t move with her?”
“We’re through. She won’t even talk about staying in River Bluffs.”
“I’m sorry, Ansel. It sounds like a lose-lose situation.”
“That’s how I feel. If I go, I’ll feel bullied into it. If I stay, Emily goes without me.”
He sounded so frustrated, Jazzi asked, “Is there someplace else you two could agree on? What if she found a hospital in Wisconsin, close to your family? Would you like that?”
“She says she’s tired of winters.”
“What about the East Coast? You have friends in Florida, don’t you?”
“She doesn’t like anything out East, says there’s too much humidity.”
That narrowed things down quite a bit. “Good luck, whatever you two decide.”
He grunted. Thankfully, just then, Jerod walked in. He clapped his hands and rubbed his palms together. “The trucks are here. Let’s make ourselves a kitchen.”
Jazzi held the door while men carried in kitchen cupboards and appliances. Later in the afternoon, another crew would deliver the stainless-steel counter. Jazzi had considered buying the tops ready-made instead of making the plywood base, but Jerod and Ansel were sure they could make them work, and they were lots cheaper this way.
When the men left, the three of them started putting cupboards in place. They stopped for a quick lunch and worked solid until after three in the afternoon. Then Jerod made the call and the countertops came. Jazzi held her breath, but the guys were right. The plywood and stainless steel were a perfect fit. By five, the kitchen was put together. They still had finishing details to complete, but Jazzi couldn’t stop looking at the room.
Robin’s-egg-blue Shaker cupboards spanned the entire back wall except for the windows over the sink. More cupboards and a matching pantry lined the outside wall with the kitchen door and the side-by-side refrigerator freezer. The inside wall held the six-burner stove centered between more cupboards. An island stretched in the middle of the room. Jazzi had more work space than she’d ever imagined.
“Lord, it’s beautiful.”
Jerod laughed at her. “Did you ever doubt it?”
“I always worry everything will come together. I love this.”
Her cousin nodded. “Makes me want to change the countertops at my place. I was all about saving money back then. Went with Formica.”
“We’d help you,” Ansel said.
“Thanks, man.” Jerod slapped him on the back.
Ansel studied the large space for dining. “You have enough room for a sitting area on the far end.”
Jazzi didn’t own enough furniture to fill this house. She sighed with relief, glad she’d gotten a loan that was large enough to include that.
Jerod gave a knowing grin. “You’re still coming in under budget, cuz. This place is going to be worth top dollar when we’re done, and you got it on a shoestring budget.”
“Not exactly shoestring.” She shrugged. “But way under price.”
When they’d worked on Jerod’s house and finished it, he’d gotten a bargain, too. A huge, four-bedroom farmhouse, it felt spacious when he’d moved in. With a third kid on the way, it was filling up fast.
Ansel walked to the back wall and held up a subway tile. “This is going to look great.” He glanced at the long, stainless-steel hood for the stove. “You have a nice balance of old and new.”
Jerod glanced at his watch. “We got a lot done today. I might show up an hour later than usual tomorrow.”
Jazzi smiled. “Why not? You and Franny can have a little extra cuddle time.”
“With a one-and-a-half-year old? You’ve got to be kidding.”
Ansel went to get George. “Emily’s home. She’s hungry for Italian tonight.”
“I’m stopping to see Mom.” On Sunday, everyone kept the meal as carefree as possible, but Jazzi suspected Mom was still struggling. She took one backward glance at the room, then grabbed her purse and followed them out, locking up as she left.
On the drive to her mom’s house, she tried to shift gears from being happy about her house to thinking about Lynda and Noah. She wasn’t sure if Detective Gaff had kept Mom up to date or not. It felt like plenty had happened lately, but Gaff still didn’t have answers for Mom, and that’s what she wanted.
Chapter 25
Jazzi found Mom and Dad sitting on the back patio, watching Ebby and Lady run to the back fence to bark at a marauding rabbit. A tall maple in the center of the yard provided shade, and Dad kept the grass at a respectable length, but other than that, there was no landscaping. Mom would never be accused of being Little Miss Homemaker. When Olivia had moved out of the house and empty-nest syndrome moved in, Mom had bought the two dogs. Now, Mom looked up, saw Jazzi, and waved for her to join them at the umbrella table.
“What’s up, kiddo?” Dad asked. He wore gym shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops. His brown hair was beginning to thin, but he didn’t comb it over or try to hide the bald spot growing at the top of his head. A small paunch stretched the shorts’ elastic waist, but that didn’t deter him from enjoying the rum and Coke in his hand.
The patio was on the west side of the house, so the sun didn’t blast down on them. The temperature hovered in the high seventies, but in the shade, sitting and sipping, her parents felt comfortable. Jazzi sat across from them. “I came to tell you that the kitchen’s done at Cal’s place, and I’m going to have our next Sunday meal there.”
Mom’s face lit up. “I love that house. I’m so glad you’ve bought it and are taking good care of it.”
Jazzi released an inward sigh of relief. That’s how she felt about the house, too. She’d worried that Mom would be bombarded by bad memories when she thought of it, but there was something about Cal and his home that created warm, fuzzy feelings.
“When do you move in?” Dad asked.
“Soon. Jerod and Ansel will help me move my furniture. Reuben bought the old Victorian in West Central, and he’s going to make it into a single-family home again.”
Mom looked even more excited. “Good! Two homes will be loved and restored.”
Jazzi leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs. “I want to make something special for our Sunday meal, something to celebrate our first get-together there.”
“Like party food?” Mom loved party food. Jazzi usually didn’t have the patience to make small bites, but if it would make Mom happy, why not?
Mom didn’t stop there. “We need something wonderful for dessert, too.”
Jeez, she was pushing it. “Cakes? Pies?”
“Cupcakes and tiny tortes. Irresistible.”
Jazzi hadn’t been thinking about going all out, but she’d obviously thought wrong. “I guess I could do that.”
Mom immediately looked contrite. “I didn’t mean to push you. Everything you make is good. It’s your party.”
It was a party now. Doggone. “I’ll think of something.”
Dad chuckled. “Are we going to drink champagne?”
“Is that safe? I remember your telling me about Grandma and champagne.” Jazzi immediately regretted the comment. The last time Granny drank the bubbly that she knew of was at Lynda and Cal’s engagement party. Grandma loved the stuff so much, she ended up twirling in circles to background music until she collapsed on Grandpa’s lap.
Mom threw back her head and laughed. “Boy, that was a sight! I’ll
never forget it. Mom looked so happy. We’ll bring a few bottles.”
Jazzi felt pleased. Maybe Cal’s house could provide lots of happy memories for her family.
Tired of chasing the rabbit, Ebbie and Lady came to flop down next to Mom’s chair. She leaned to pat each of them, and then her expression grew serious. “Have you heard anything more about Noah?”
Jazzi brought Mom up to speed. “Sorrell was in town when both Lynda and Noah died.”
Mom shook her head. “Thomas is a coward and a bully. He loves to push other people around, enjoys it when he hurts them, but when he gets any serious resistance, he’s a wimp. The man can give it, but he can’t take it.”
“Did he love Lynda?”
“He thought he did. I wouldn’t call it love. He wanted to own her, but that’s not love.”
“You don’t think he’d lose his temper and kill someone.”
Mom frowned, thinking about that. “I suppose anyone can be pushed too far, but when Thomas felt threatened, he usually gave some kind of scathing comment, tucked his tail, and ran home.”
Dad nodded. “Most bullies are like that. They pick on people they think can’t fight back.”
A car pulled into the driveway with waiter on the way printed on its side. Dad went to pay the delivery man. “Want to stay for supper?”
Jazzi knew her parents ordered only enough for the two of them. If she stayed, someone wouldn’t get enough to eat. She smiled and stood. “No, I only stopped to tell you to come to Cal’s house for Sunday meal. If you spread the word, that would be great.”
“We’ll bring champagne,” Mom promised
Jazzi didn’t tarry. She went out the front gate to reach her pickup. On the way home, she turned on the radio and listened to music. Mom had looked better than she’d expected. After listening to her parents, though, she’d almost discounted Sorrell as Lynda or Noah’s killer. Who would kill Noah? And why?
The home phone was ringing when she walked into her apartment. The same woman’s voice she’d heard before stated, “I warned you once. Do what you do best and flip houses. Stay out of other people’s business.”
Her temper flared. “If you know something about Lynda or Noah’s deaths, you should share your information with Detective Gaff. If you choose not to, shut up and quit calling my number.”
“Two people died in Cal’s house. You could be next.” And then the phone went dead.
That was freaking enough! Jazzi called Gaff and explained what had happened.
“I’ll be right there,” he said.
True to his word, he pulled in front of her apartment half an hour later. He called someone, gave them the information he had, and then listened to the message again. In ten minutes, that someone called his cell. After a brief conversation, he flipped his phone shut and looked at Jazzi. “The calls came from a phone at the Country Club. Members use it occasionally.”
She frowned. “Do you know, does Beth belong to it?”
“Yes. So does Isabelle. She and Cal often met business associates there.”
He’d already checked into it. That didn’t surprise her. A shiver made Jazzi rub her arms to warm them. “Would Isabelle threaten me?”
Gaff turned serious. “I didn’t think so, but I’m going to take a closer look at her now. You might want to start being a little careful.”
“I haven’t done anything. I’ve mostly stumbled onto things accidentally.”
Gaff looked worried. “It doesn’t matter. You’ve helped advance the case, on purpose or not. You’re the middle person who’s sort of glued information together.”
Jazzi took a deep breath. “Should I buy a security system? I’m going to move soon.”
Gaff nodded. “I would, and I’d make sure you can move it to your new address when you go there. It never hurts to have extra protection.”
She’d never worried about being safe before.
“Do you have someone you can stay with?” Gaff asked.
She did, but if she called Mom and Dad, they’d worry about her. So would everyone else in her family. “I’m going to stay at a hotel tonight.”
He nodded. “Not a bad idea. I’ll start digging harder.”
He was already doing everything he could. She didn’t blame Gaff. But she didn’t want to stay here alone tonight. She packed a bag, locked her door, and walked out with him.
She found a room downtown and spent the night there. It felt odd, when her house was such a short distance away, but no one would look for her here. In the morning, she’d call about getting her apartment secured and she’d buy a baseball bat to keep under her bed.
Chapter 26
Jazzi told Jerod and Ansel about the phone calls, and Jerod snapped, “That’s it. You’re sleeping at our house until this is over.”
“No need to. I’m having a security system put in today. For a little extra money, they’ll move it here when I make this my home.”
“I’m sleeping on your couch,” Ansel said. “George is a great watchdog.”
Yeah, right. “Emily doesn’t work tonight, does she?”
“No.” She could watch Ansel struggle with his choices.
“You and Emily have enough problems right now. I’m not adding to them. I’m sleeping in my apartment, and the system will go off if anyone tries anything. Reuben’s upstairs, and I can call him. I’ll be all right.”
Jerod stared at her. “You’re counting on Reuben? What if Isabelle’s the one making the phone calls?”
“He still won’t let her send goons to beat me up. Plus, the system’s really loud. It makes a lot of noise when someone sets it off. My neighbors are close. No one’s going to risk that.”
Jerod settled down a little. “That makes me feel better. If an alarm went off in your neighborhood, and I was the thug trying to break into your place, I’d take off.”
Ansel relaxed, too. “I’ll be happy when you move in here, though.”
Jazzi didn’t disagree with him openly, but she felt more secure surrounded by people. How long would it take the police to check on her out here? The neighbors were far enough away, would they even wake up if an alarm went off in the middle of the night?
She shook her head. “I don’t want to think about it anymore. Let’s get to work.”
The problem was, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Was Isabelle capable of killing someone . . . or hiring someone to do it? She’d never considered that before. Isabelle was rich. She could pay someone to do her dirty work. Only one way to find out. Jazzi called Olivia and asked her about meeting at Cal’s house for their Thursday night out. “The kitchen’s in, and it looks better than I imagined. I was thinking about inviting Reuben and Isabelle, too, if they can make it.”
“If it works for them, let’s do it. I can’t wait to see the place,” Olivia said.
Jazzi called Reuben next, who called Isabelle, and it was a go.
“We’ll bring supper,” Isabelle insisted. “You’re doing us a favor. We’re dying to see the house.”
With three people saying yes, Jazzi was determined to move her dining room table and chairs into Cal’s. Her original idea had been to show Olivia, Reuben, and Isabelle the work they’d done on the house and then go to a restaurant. But they were bringing food. They’d be staying to eat and visit. They could sit around the island to eat, but why not do it right? She’d need the dining table on Sunday anyway. Why not bring it now?
“Can we switch plans and bring my table and chairs here today?” she asked Jerod and Ansel.
They agreed to help her. “If we’re going to move the table and chairs, though, why not move it all?” Jerod asked.
“A complete move?” Was she ready for that? She’d packed everything in her kitchen to take to Cal’s place. She’d even packed most of her clothes, but she’d meant to take them over a little at a time.
“Why not take your sofa and chairs, too?” Jerod asked. “It’s not like you have that much furniture. Your apartment’s small, and we have all day. There’s no better time. Call the security people and see if they’ve started yet. If they haven’t, just have them come here.”
She called and she’d been scheduled for the afternoon. The installers were relieved they had to set things up only once. By five o’clock, Cal’s house would be secure.
Jerod glanced out the window at their three pickups. “I bet we can get everything in two trips, but don’t spread the word you’re going to stay here. Let people think you’re going back to your apartment to sleep.”
“I already invited Reuben and Isabelle for supper, remember?”
“Right.” He didn’t look happy about that. “What’s done is done, but don’t tell anyone else.”
So that’s what they did. They each drove to her apartment, and by lunchtime, they’d completely emptied it. Not a huge chore. She didn’t have much. Reuben would be happy to hear that he could start work on the first floor, but she wouldn’t tell him just yet.
Jerod was right. It took two trips, and everything she owned was at Cal’s. He ran a hand through his brown hair. “Let’s carry everything in, put it in the right rooms, then call it a day. I’ll get home early enough to help Franny with a big buffet she’s refinishing for a client. It’s going to be time consuming.”
George followed Ansel back and forth between the pickups and the house until everything was carted to its proper place, and then he stretched out on the floor in the kitchen, completely drained of energy. Jazzi’s back ached and she raised her arms to stretch and bend to loosen it up. Ansel grinned, appreciating the show. Jerod gave everything a critical look, then nodded.
“Yup, you’re good. You can take it from here. I’m off to my Franny.”
After he left, Ansel and Jazzi went to look at her cherry-red leather sofa and chairs arranged near the living room fireplace. She’d bought them when she moved out of Chad’s place, so they were only a year old. They had the right look for the room.