by Judi Lynn
A loud buzzer rang, and Wade said, “That’s quitting time. Let’s go.”
They crossed the parking lot to Headwaters Park and found a picnic table overlooking the river. Once they’d settled, Gaff turned to Jazzi and said, “Tell the men what you found in the house.”
She understood why he’d invited her along. She had two ties to Cal’s nephews: her aunt Lynda and finding two dead bodies. “We opened a cedar chest in the attic and found my Aunt Lynda’s skeleton.”
Wade’s eyes went wide in shock, but Will had obviously heard that on the news. He nodded. “We never even went to the attic,” he told them. “We didn’t even climb the steps to the second floor.”
“That’s what Jerod and I guessed,” Jazzi said. “You left lots of expensive antiques that the renter sold off.”
Wade gaped. “He sold them? They weren’t his to sell.”
“He had no respect for the house or anything in it. When Jerod and I bought it, the place looked like a dump. Trash covered the living room and kitchen, and all the good furniture was gone.”
Will’s eyes narrowed. “How valuable were the antiques?”
“Worth thousands, each and every one of them.” Think about that, idiots. Anger still simmered over how careless the nephews had been with Cal’s belongings.
“Tell them the rest,” Gaff prompted.
Jazzi inhaled a deep breath. “Things weren’t draining like they should, so Jerod brought our backhoe to check on field tiles. He found another body buried near the septic tank.”
“The renter’s?” Will asked. “We thought he skipped out since he was two months behind on payments.”
Jazzi shook her head. “No, the son my Aunt Lynda gave up when she went to New York.”
Wade and Will exchanged glances.
“Mom told us Cal found Lynda’s son,” Will said. “She wasn’t too happy about it. She didn’t like anything about Lynda. She said it only proved she was right about Cal all along. He cared more about Lynda than his own family.”
“His family snubbed him and wouldn’t have anything to do with him.” Jazzi could hear the bite in her voice and tried to tone it down. “He invited you boys to visit him over and over again.”
Wade bent his head, as if ashamed. “Mom would have disowned us, too. She had a thing about Cal and Lynda. There was no changing her mind.”
Gaff intruded. “Did you know that Cal was going to change his will and leave his stocks and bonds to Noah?”
“What?” Wade stared.
Will’s expression turned hard and angry. “So Mom was right. Cal didn’t care about us.”
“Who could blame him?” Wade shook his head. “If Noah came to River Bluffs to see him, he did more than we ever did.”
“But we’re family. Noah was what? Someone else’s son.”
“I talked to Cal’s lawyer,” Gaff said. “Cal had already signed the papers. But then Noah disappeared.”
Wade leaned forward on the picnic table. “What do you mean, disappeared? He must have been at Cal’s house, right?”
Gaff explained. “Cal wasn’t home when Noah got there. He’d left a note on the door and a key in the lock. When Cal got back, he didn’t even realize Noah had been there.”
“Wasn’t his car in the drive?” Will asked.
“We found Noah’s car in Cleveland, Ohio, abandoned.”
Wade ran a hand through his hair. “But you found his body on Cal’s property?”
Gaff gave another nod. “Somebody buried him in a shallow grave behind the hedge, near the septic tank.”
Wade stopped fidgeting and stared. “Wait a minute. You’re saying that someone killed him. At Cal’s house?”
Gaff spelled it out. “Someone killed Lynda and laid her in a trunk in the attic. And someone killed Noah and buried him in Cal’s backyard.”
Wade turned to Will. “Was Cal a murderer?”
“No.” Jazzi explained about finding Cal’s papers in the basement. “He hired a detective to find Lynda. He thought she’d met someone else and took off with him, but he never understood why she didn’t write or contact anyone in River Bluffs. He was devastated when he thought Noah had changed his mind and decided not to visit him.”
“If not Cal, then who?” Will asked.
Gaff shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t know. That’s what we’re investigating.”
Wade’s hands shook. He looked rattled and upset.
“Did either of you meet Cal at all before he died?” Gaff asked.
They both shook their heads.
“What about the car in Cleveland?” Wade asked. “Can’t you find all kinds of evidence these days? Hair? Fingerprints? Something?”
“We went over it,” Gaff said. “Nothing. Whoever drove it probably wore gloves, didn’t leave any traces behind.”
“But he had to get home somehow.” Wade was flying through ideas faster than Jazzi had.
Gaff nodded. “We checked for that, too. No car rentals for River Bluffs. No connection we could find.”
Jazzi was curious. “When was the last time either of you saw Cal?”
Will glanced at his brother. “The last I remember was when he came to wish us good-bye when Mom and Dad moved to Battle Creek.”
Jazzi couldn’t help asking, “And neither of you thought to see him when you came to River Bluffs to work? He’d have probably put you up in his house instead of making you share a cheap motel room. He’d have wined and dined you.”
Will tried to explain. “I know we must look terrible to you, but you haven’t met our mom. If we’d have gone to see Cal, one of us would have slipped, and she’d have known. Fury and misery would have broken loose. We’d never hear the end of it.”
Gaff handed each of them his card. “If either of you thinks of anything—anything at all—that might help us solve this case, give me a call.”
They both put the cards in their wallets for safe keeping.
Gaff rose and tossed over his shoulder, “By the way, you probably don’t remember where you were on January seventeenth, do you? That’s the day Noah disappeared.”
“Walk with me to my van,” Will said. “I keep a record of everything I do.”
As they followed him to his van, the restaurants down the street cranked up their kitchens and the aromas of sizzling meat drifted toward them. Saliva pooled in Jazzi’s mouth. She’d eaten a quick lunch, and she was hungry.
Will unlocked his van and reached for a notebook on the passenger seat. He flipped through the pages and stopped on January seventeenth. “I was working on the condos near the Landing.”
“Was Wade with you?”
Will frowned. “He drove separately. He had to leave early that day.”
Gaff turned to Wade.
Wade spread his hands. “Give me a break. That was seven months ago. I don’t have a clue.”
Fair enough. Jazzi couldn’t remember what she did in January either.
Gaff shrugged. “It was a long shot. Thought I’d ask.”
But Wade looked worried. She’d feel stressed, too, if she couldn’t come up with an alibi.
Jazzi hesitated. “I heard that you and your dad were going to go into business together, using some of the money you inherited from Cal. Good luck.”
Wade shook his head. “Not me. I owed out too much money. I’m finally clear of debt and have money in the bank. I’m happy with that.”
Will took a minute to respond, obviously choosing his words with care. “I’m going into business with Dad and another investor, but we all get equal votes on every choice we make. I’ll work as an electrician until all the details are settled. Dad gets overly optimistic sometimes. We can help balance him out.”
“Thanks again for your time.” Gaff started back toward his car and Jazzi trailed behind him. Once they’d pulled into traffic, she
said, “You were sort of mean to Wade. How many people can tell you what they did even a few weeks ago?”
“You’d be surprised how much people can remember or try to find out when they’re a little rattled. Every little bit of information might help me solve the case.”
“I still feel sorry for Wade.”
“You’re a civilian. You can afford to. I need to dig for facts, even if it makes people uncomfortable.”
She’d make a lousy cop. It’s a good thing she’d gone into house flipping.
On the drive back to Cal’s, Jazzi frowned. “I haven’t given much thought to Katherine until we talked to her boys. She’s so vindictive and loves money so much, she wouldn’t like it if Cal’s stocks and bonds went to Lynda’s son.”
Gaff gave a smug smile. “I was thinking the same thing. Neither would Tim. I want to divide them up, though. Interview them separately. I’d like to meet Cal’s sister. Want to come with me?”
“To Battle Creek?”
“Unless I can convince her to come to me.”
Jazzi would like to see what kind of woman could cut off her brother and never forgive him because he fell in love with someone she didn’t approve of. “Count me in.”
Gaff smiled. “I’ll call you when I set things up. Then we can try for Tim.”
Ten minutes later, he pulled into her drive. Dust billowed behind the hedge, and he asked, “What are you guys doing now?”
“Jerod and Ansel are building a pond.”
“To swim in?”
“Once it’s ready to go, bring your swimsuit, and we’ll supply a towel. You can cool off.”
“Can I bring my wife?”
“Why not?”
He grinned. “I love water. I just might take you up on that.”
If he did, she’d invite him and his wife for supper. She never wanted to have Gaff grill her. She liked him, but he was too good at his job. She watched him pull away and then went in search of Ansel.
Chapter 34
Gaff called later that night. “What about Friday? Does that work for you? It’s a little under a two-hour drive. I thought I’d pick you up at ten, grab take-out somewhere, and then visit Katherine.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“I’ll call and make sure Katherine will see us, but if you don’t hear back from me, the trip’s on.”
She didn’t hear back, so they must be going. She and Ansel had taken quick showers before throwing hamburgers on the grill. She went braless and pulled on short-shorts. He walked around in his pajama bottoms. After supper, they settled on sofas across from each other. They flipped through channels until nine, and then watched Property Brothers together. You’d think after doing remodels all day, they’d be tired of it, but it was fun to see what other people did and how they decorated.
At ten, Ansel pointed to the clock and they headed upstairs.
“I thought you’d be too tired tonight.” Jazzi pulled down the comforter on their bed. “You did a lot of heavy work today.”
“So did you. Landscaping takes it out of you. Are your muscles sore?”
“It hurts right here.” She rubbed the small of her back.
“Maybe I can kiss it better.”
If hospitals offered this service, people would flood them.
Tonight, they turned in opposite directions, with only their fannies touching, to sleep. In the morning, they sat next to each other at the kitchen island for breakfast.
“Remember, I go out with my sister every Thursday.” Jazzi buttered her toast while it was still hot so the butter would melt. Ansel spread peanut butter on his two pieces of rye.
“Where are you going to eat?” He got up to pour himself some orange juice.
“Henry’s Bar & Grill. We haven’t been there for a while. We miss it. What are you going to do?”
“I’m picking up Thane when your sister leaves him, and we’re going to a sports bar to eat wings and drink beer.”
“Fun!” She was glad the guys had decided to have a good time, too.
They were rinsing coffee cups to load in the dishwasher when Jerod gave a quick knock and walked in. He clapped his hands at Ansel. “Time’s a wasting. Let’s do this!”
“I won’t be here tomorrow,” she said. “Gaff wants me to go to Battle Creek with him to interview Katherine.”
Jerod grimaced. “I’d rather be eating dust here than spend time with her. You can finish everything today anyway, can’t you? You picked the perfect time to leave us.”
That settled, the men took off and she went outside to plant the herbs along the side of the garage. She swept the patio and watered all of the new plants and she still finished everything before three. There was nothing else for her to do, so she took a shower and decided to bake pies. There was a farm stand a few miles from their house. She drove there and bought six pints of berries, then returned home and got busy.
By the time Jerod and Ansel quit for the day, she had two berry pies cooling on the kitchen island and two cream pies in the refrigerator. Jerod walked through the back door and sniffed appreciatively. His gaze went straight to the pies.
Jazzi smiled. “I got done early. I have one berry pie and one cream pie for you to take home.”
“Chocolate cream?”
“With whipped cream on top. That’s your favorite, isn’t it?”
He smiled. She loaded the pies in carriers and packed them in a cooler to send home with him. He was gone five minutes later.
Ansel peeked in the refrigerator. “I don’t suppose I could have a piece before I pick up Thane?”
“Why not?” She took it out and cut him a slice.
“You’re not having one?”
“I’m getting the filet sandwich and fries at Henry’s. I need to save room.”
She stood across from him while he ate. “How’s the pond coming?”
“We’re going to work on it all day tomorrow. I’ll dig on Saturday. Your family’s coming on Sunday, but I might bulldoze in the morning before they get here. And then I’m going to try to finish it on Monday while you and Jerod start work on the house on Lake.”
“Do you think you can finish it on your own?”
“The digging. I might have to move dirt farther away from it with the backhoe for a few evenings, but we’ll get there.”
“Don’t kill yourself. If it takes another day or two, we’ll be all right.”
“I want to get it finished, so we can hire a well driller. I’d like to get it filled so we can use it as soon as possible.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him. Instead she glanced at the clock. “You’d better get cleaned up or no one’s going to sit next to you at the bar.”
He grinned and bent to kiss her. “You’d still love me.”
“Love you, yes. Touch you? No.”
He laughed and started upstairs. A half hour later, he drove to get Thane, and Jazzi drove to meet Olivia at Henry’s. When Jazzi lived in West Central, she was right on Olivia’s way to the bar, but now it was inconvenient for either of them to pick up the other.
When Jazzi parked in the side lot, she was surprised at how many cars were there on a weeknight. Usually, in the summer, people were downtown at outdoor festivals. This must be a dull night without much going on. When she walked inside the old brick building, she was wrapped in its dim lighting and air conditioning. The interior hugged her with its old paneling and aged wooden floors. This is what a bar should feel like. The waitress led her to a booth and five minutes later, Olivia came to join her.
“Hey, sis!” Olivia slid into the booth across from her. She wore an off-the-shoulder red top that clung to her and a white flirty skirt with red and black splotches. Her blond hair was pulled into a loose knot. She looked fun and saucy.
“Darn it.” Jazzi glanced down at her Docker’s and turquoise top. “I did
n’t know you were dressing up.”
“Dressing up?” Olivia gave her a look. “I wore this to work.”
And that’s why Olivia and her mom did such a great business. They were savvy and chic. “You look great. How’s Mom doing? She’s getting over Lynda and her letters, isn’t she?”
Olivia nodded. “She’s moved on to Noah’s family. I know this sounds odd, but your living in Cal’s house helped her somehow. Now when she talks about Lynda, she talks about the parties she and Cal threw there.”
Jazzi felt the same way. Somehow, Cal’s house offered more happiness than unpleasant memories. Donna, their usual waitress, came to bring their drinks and take their orders. They settled in, ready to yak and gossip, when Will and Wade walked through the doors.
Please don’t notice us. Jazzi lowered her head, trying to hide her face, but Will tapped Wade on the arm, pointed, and headed toward them. How lucky could she get? Wade slid into the booth next to Jazzi and Will sat next to Olivia.
Olivia scowled, ready to give them a piece of her mind, when Jazzi said, “Olivia, this is Will and Wade Draper, Cal’s nephews. This is my sister, Olivia.”
Will looked Olivia up and down and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Her sister didn’t mince words. “Just so you know, I’m taken. So is Jazzi. But it’s nice to meet you, too.”
Will’s eyes narrowed when he looked at Jazzi. “Our mom told us that you and your detective are driving to Battle Creek to interview her tomorrow.”
“Gaff isn’t my detective. He’s the person who came to take Lynda and Noah’s bodies out of Cal’s house.”
Wade grimaced. “I haven’t had any good experiences with cops, but that had to be horrible, the stuff of nightmares.”
“We’d have rather found buried gold,” she agreed. “It started a whole sequence of digging into stuff we’d gladly left behind. It was hard for our mom. Lynda was her sister.”
“And you still like Gaff?” Wade asked.
“Why wouldn’t we? Once we calmed down, we all wanted him to find out who put Lynda in Cal’s attic. Noah was more of a shock. He’s so recent, Gaff might have better luck finding his killer.”