Murder so sinful
A Merry March Mystery
Eileen Curley Hammond
Twody Press
Murder So Sinful Copyright © 2018 by Eileen Hammond. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Eileen Curley Hammond
Visit my website at www.eileencurleyhammond.com
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: Aug 2018
Twody Press
ISBN-978-1-7325460-0-4
Author’s note
Writing is a solitary pursuit. Luckily so many people in the writing community are willing to give of their time. In particular, I would like to thank young adult writer Jenna Grinstead, Eric Henderson, and the Columbus, Ohio, Sisters in Crime chapter.
Jenna, I appreciated your insightful comments and gentle nudges when I needed to take it up a notch. I also appreciated your willingness to answer my endless questions. Eric, your time and keen gift of logical flow was always welcome. And, to my friends in Sisters in Crime, I appreciated the experiences you created to make us better writers.
Miranda, of Editing Realm, was an amazing resource with her encyclopedic knowledge of punctuation and grammar, as well as her ability to spot superfluous text. The story became crisper and far more readable because of her.
My family pitched in as well. Thank you to my sister, Carol, sisters-in-law, Debbie and Linda, and brothers, Pat and Mark. I was also blessed to have uncles for whom writing is their stock in trade, specifically Kevin (a playwright) and Jim (an industry newsletter editor). All of you provided valuable guidance, feedback, and hugs—virtual and otherwise—when I needed it most.
And last, but most important, thank you to my spouse. I appreciated your willingness to listen to my endless stream of non sequiturs and your sense of humor.
For Mom.
CONTENTS
Author’s note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
About the Author
Chapter 1
“I’ll be right there.” I hung up the phone, grabbed my purse, and ran out the door.
When I shut the garden gate, Nancy Piedmont waved from her front porch next door. “Hi, Merry. Some to-do at the church, huh?”
I paused in mid-stride, my eyes widening. In our small town, news traveled almost before it was made. Continuing my half trot, I tossed over my shoulder, “Yes. I’m on my way there now to pick up Jenny. And she better have a darn good explanation.”
Hurrying toward the church, I practiced my deep breathing. That not working, I counted my blessings, like in that Christmas song. Neither lowered my increasing blood pressure. It spiked when I ran past a small clutch of people near the graveyard. They were cleaning off the coffin and loading it back into the hearse. Thank heavens Frank hadn’t fallen out. I needed to send flowers, some baked goods, and definitely a nice card for Edna.
Racing up the rectory steps, I yanked open the door and stormed into Father Tom’s office. “Jenny, how could you?”
She jumped.
Father Tom waved me into the seat next to him and put his hand on my shoulder, motioning for me to be silent. “Jenny?”
Jenny stared at her feet, as if wishing they would dance her far away. She looked up. Father Tom continued to stare at her with his kind brown eyes and waited.
“It wasn’t my fault,” she said.
He sighed. “It never is.”
“It seemed like such a good idea at the time. We were cold and late. The hearse was running. Who knew that Old Man Schaffer was ready for his final resting place? We were totally shocked when we peeled out and realized the back doors were open.” Her eyes widened. “I’ve never seen a casket bounce like that.”
Father Tom shook his head. “It was even more surprising for Mrs. Schaffer and her family. Luckily the casket’s landing was cushioned by the wet grass and only slid ten feet.”
Unable to control myself any longer, I yelled, “How could you do that? What were you thinking?”
Jenny flinched and moved closer to Father Tom. “Cindy and I had ballet this afternoon, and afterward, Mrs. Twilliger was supposed to pick us up.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well, she didn’t. We texted her twice, and she never answered. So we started home. Cindy needed to get ready for her date with Michael and didn’t want to be late. Plus, it was really cold. When we saw the hearse, we decided it would solve both our problems. We thought since Cindy’s Uncle Jim let her borrow it for Halloween, he wouldn’t mind if we borrowed it again.” She shrugged. “How were we supposed to know it was already occupied?”
“It was parked in front of the church! Why else would it have been there? And just because someone is generous enough to let you borrow something once doesn’t mean you have free access forever. You know better than that.” I frowned. “Where’s Cindy?”
“Her dad picked her up. And, boy, was he mad.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not a surprise.”
“He was finalizing a sale on one of the cars when he got the call. He had to turn it over to another salesman and won’t get the commission. He wasn’t happy.”
Clenching my teeth, I stood. “Father Tom, thank you for your help, and thanks for intervening for me with Edna and her family.”
Father Tom’s eyes shone. “Let me know if there is anything else I can do. I’ll see you at Mass on Sunday. I expect I’ll see you as well, Jenny.”
“You can count on that. Plus, I’d appreciate it if you would think of a list of tasks Jenny could complete as penance. I’m sure she would be only too happy to volunteer.” With that, I grabbed Jenny’s hand and pulled her toward the door.
“Thanks, Father Tom,” Jenny called out as I shut the door behind us.
I dragged Jenny the four blocks to the house, nodding as I went to friends who waved as we went by. As I came in the door, my phone rang. It was Patty Twilliger, my best friend and mother of my daughter’s partner-in-crime. I held up my forefinger as a signal to Jenny that we weren’t finished and answered. “Hi, Patty. What happened?”
“Had a flat and my phone was out of juice. Who knew the dynamic duo would go all Grand Theft Auto with a hearse on us?”
“I know. It’s amazing. Luckily the Schaffers are not pressing charges. It’s a good thing the girls have an otherwise excellent reputation.”
“It’s unbelievable all right. Standard punishment?”
“Definitely. I’ll talk t
o you later.” I hung up the phone and faced my daughter.
I shook my finger. “And now, young lady, you are grounded for two weeks. You know the drill. No phone, TV, or games while you’re in the house and you only leave the house for school. Upstairs, please.”
“Fine.”
Jenny trudged up the steps, her shoulders slumping as if the weight of the unfair world pressed down on her. A tall, willowy blonde just coming into her own, she took after that rat, Drew. Damn, she had his blue eyes too. I was a sucker for blue eyes. I sighed. She was a good kid who had grown up fast since Drew went to jail four years ago. I normally thought of her as a very old seventeen, but sometimes, like today, she showed she had some real growing up to do.
When I walked into the kitchen, my stomach growled. I really needed to think about dinner. Opening the refrigerator, I saw we had some leftover lamb that could be paired with some frozen stir-fry vegetables. And I had a scant half cup of rice left in the pantry. Combined with some salad, it was dinner.
I stumbled over my two rescue cats, Drambuie and Courvoisier, as they weaved around my feet. Since they already had food, I let them out into the fenced garden while I prepared dinner. A glass of Pinot Noir was in order after this afternoon’s exploits. I had just pulled out the cork when a text arrived.
“Forgot to tell you. New single man in town, and he is hot!” texted Patty.
“Who?”
“John Gordan, new superintendent of schools. They’re introducing him tomorrow at back-to-school night.”
“Not interested.”
“You will be.” She added some flame emojis for emphasis.
Chapter 2
The next morning, I rose early to stretch and lift some light weights. Exercising was not one of my favorite things to do, but osteoporosis would be worse. After a light breakfast with my grumpy daughter, she and I parted ways, me to work and her to school.
Jenny paused at the front door. “Don’t forget, we have the school open house this evening.”
“Mrs. Twilliger reminded me last night, but thanks.” I hugged her as she twisted away. “I love you.”
She glared but then relented. “Love you too.”
A soft smile on my face, I strolled the three blocks to my office. I owned the company: the Meredith March Insurance Agency. As I entered, I asked my assistant, Cheryl, to give me a summary of what was going on. She told me about late payments, clients with recent life events I might want to recognize, and anyone who had submitted a claim that needed special handling. After that was my weekly staff meeting with sales associates to see who was on track and who needed assistance. That finished, I retired to my office to google John Gordan.
He had a sterling reputation, attended good schools, and was highly rated in his last school district. I’m not interested. But it’s always good to be prepared when meeting someone for the first time. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a clear photo of him online, despite my checking several sites.
Deciding I should get back to work, I made phone calls to existing clients and some prospective customers. Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, I needed to go home and dress for back-to-school night.
As I walked, I mentally paged through my wardrobe. Even though I wasn’t interested in Mr. Gordan, I still wanted to make a good impression. My normal work clothes were too formal, and my few cocktail dresses seemed way over the top. Opting for a pair of twill slacks, a soft gray turtleneck, and a more casual jacket, I ran into Jenny on the stairs. She did not criticize my outfit, so I figured I was good.
At the school, I first spoke with Jenny’s math teacher, Dawn Peterson. “Is Jenny working up to her potential?”
“She’s doing quite well, but I still believe she may not be applying herself as much as she could. I think she has a real shot at some of the “A” schools if she would just bring it home. This is her last year to make a splash.”
“What would you like me to do?”
“Encourage her to spend more time working and a bit less time socializing.”
“You got it.”
I chatted with a few more of Jenny’s teachers. Spying her biology teacher across the way, I started to walk over but stopped in mid-stride.
A tall, well-built man with his back to me said, “Yes, I heard about the hearse incident from several people. Now that I’m here, I can assure you there will be tighter controls on students. That and the school’s partnership with involved, caring parents will make this type of hooliganism a thing of the past. Obviously, those kids had a very lax upbringing.”
My temper rose, and I unconsciously edged closer to the discussion. When he finished his statement, he turned abruptly and knocked me over. Flat on my back, looking up at him, I was able to appreciate his good looks.
“I’m so sorry.” He extended his hand.
I grabbed it, and he helped me to my feet. I brushed off my slacks with my other hand, my face burning.
He smiled down at me. “Forgive me. I didn’t know you were standing there. Are you okay? Let me introduce myself: I’m the new school superintendent, John Gordan.”
“That’s quite all right.” Heat rushed through my body. “I’m the lax parent, Meredith March.” As I turned on my heel, I realized Patty was right. He was hot. Six foot one, obviously worked out, wavy brown hair, and, of course, deep-blue eyes. Too bad this is ending before it began. I stalked out of the school.
Patty caught up with me just as I was about to get into my car. “What’s up? I was looking for you all evening, and just as I caught sight of you with John, you took off.”
“That jerk! Does he think this is the Dark Ages? Does he think waterboarding students is an idea with merit? Does he have any idea how tough it is to be a parent today?”
“Hold on, girlfriend. Don’t get yourself so riled up. What happened?”
“He said Jenny and Cindy had a lax upbringing.”
“What? Seriously?” Patty’s mouth gaped open. “How on earth could he know what kind of upbringing they had? He’s only been here since breakfast!”
“He was talking about the hearse incident.”
She looked at her shoes. “Oh. Well, that was bad.”
“Are we bad parents?”
“No. We are good parents with kids who occasionally go haywire. And we are parents who need a drink.”
I nodded. “My place?”
“Definitely. Patrick is still not talking to me after missing out on that sale yesterday. I figure I’ll let him cool off a bit more before I go home.”
We settled in on the sectional in my living room with glasses of Pinot Noir. It wasn’t long before each cat found a lap and begged for attention, which we were only too happy to give.
Patty petted Courvoisier. “Good wine.”
“From the Willamette Valley near Portland. Are we going to talk about the wine?”
“No, that’s it on the wine conversation,”
“Thank God. How are the other kids?”
Patty had three other children, all boys. When I looked at her, I was amazed. She still fit into her skinny jeans but didn’t deny herself the occasional donut. She had kind brown eyes that seemed to look deeper than most, long brown hair with a tendency to curl, and, most importantly, was fun and a great friend.
She looked at me impatiently. “They’re crazy, but are we really going to talk about the kids?”
I shrugged. “No, we don’t have to. What do you want to talk about?”
“You.” She pointed at me. “I know your marriage to Drew was a disaster, but not all men are like that. At some point, you have to start trusting them again.”
“Which part was the disaster? The fact that he ran a bogus money management firm and bilked most of our friends and neighbors out of their hard-earned cash? Or the fact that I was spectacularly unaware of it and his offshore bank account? Thank goodness there was still enough left in his account to repay everyone, or I would have had to move. I’m done. I’m never going to trust one of the male trib
e again.” Gulping my wine and then taking a deep breath, I continued in a calmer voice. “Let’s talk about the kids instead.”
“No. Let’s continue this conversation. Other than the fact that John is a male and was wrong about our parenting skills, what did you think of him?”
“It doesn’t matter because I’m not going to date anyone. However, if you insist on knowing my opinion, I thought he was kind of cute. But his views concern me. Plus, I don’t think he was impressed with me either.”
“Okay, John is out for now,” Patty said in a conciliatory tone. “Who else piques your interest?”
“No man in this town, country, or world!”
Patty rolled her eyes. “It was four years ago. You need to get over it, Ms. Drama Queen. But, since I am your best friend with your best interests in mind, I will disregard your outburst.” She paused to take a ladylike sip of her wine. “I may have someone for you. Not your usual type, but in view of your past that may be a good thing. Would you be open to a blind date? Patrick and I would come with you so in case you’re bored we can talk.”
“Why is me getting together with someone so important to you? Jenny and I are just fine.”
“Jenny’s going to leave for school in another year. I don’t want you to be lonely.”
“I won’t be. I have the cats.” Cuddling Drambuie, I kissed her on the head.
“So your plan is to be the crazy cat lady?”
“I don’t think you can be a crazy cat lady with just two.” Petting Drambuie, I cooed to her, “Don’t listen to the mean lady. She’ll be leaving soon.”
Patty gave me one of her death stares.
“Okay, fine. If you want to fix me up, I’ll come.”
“Great!”
“And now you have to leave because I need to be up early for work tomorrow. You okay to go home on your own?”
“Yes, Mom, I only had one glass of wine.”
After escorting her to the door, I went upstairs to get ready for bed. A light peeked from under Jenny’s door. When I carefully opened it, a soft snore emerged. Picking up the book on the floor by her bed, I tucked the covers around her, turned off the light, and backed out quietly.
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