I groaned. “I’m glad I don’t have to have another cup of coffee, but I wanted to see how Suzie was doing. Losing someone is tough no matter what the circumstances.”
“He was abusing her, but I guess she hadn’t gotten divorced.”
“I wonder what the cause of death was.”
“I’ll call Jay later to find out. I don’t think he’d welcome another call so soon after the last one. What do you want to do now?”
“Let’s go over to Patrick and Patty’s. I want to see how Jenny is. I really miss her.”
We strolled for another two blocks. I smiled up at Rob. “I like walking in the rain. Thank goodness it’s not too cold out.”
Rob pulled me closer under our shared umbrella.
I opened the back door while Rob shook out the umbrella. Patty was reading the paper at her counter. I pushed it aside. “We have news for you!”
As I told her everything that had happened, she looked as astonished as I felt. Once I finished, she said, “I think we need to bring comfort food to Suzie.”
“It’ll be weird cooking for a chef. What if she doesn’t like our food?”
Patty rolled her eyes. “The point is to show we care for her, and if we get more information, even better.”
“Shouldn’t I come too?” Rob asked. “I’m a newsman, and this story is happening in our town.”
I rubbed his shoulder. “It is, but she may clam up if you’re there. I’ll tell you everything we find out.”
“I guess that’ll have to work.”
“Why don’t you stay here with Patrick? That way you can catch up on your football.”
He smiled. “Now, that’s an idea.” He left to join Patrick in the den.
“What should we make?” I asked Patty.
She stuck her head in the refrigerator. “I have some chicken breasts, mushrooms, and sour cream. How about making a casserole using that and some penne?”
“Sounds great. You direct; I’ll assemble.” I took a casserole pan and the penne out of her pantry.
We worked together smoothly, benefitted by the fact that we cooked together as a team on many occasions. After putting the casserole in the oven, she poured us both a cup of coffee. “So what’s going on with you and Rob? The looks you give each other scream couple.”
I smiled. “We have grown close. I’m enjoying being with him. He makes me feel safe.”
“Just safe?”
“Safe, warm, and hot.”
“Hot?”
“Yes, hot, really hot, not that we’re doing anything about it.”
“You’re in the same house alone, you think he’s hot, and you’re both over twenty-one. Why haven’t you done anything about it?”
I rubbed my forehead. “What if the relationship doesn’t last? My history of picking losers precedes me. I feel deeply for Rob, but I’m scared to commit further. What if he has skeletons I don’t know about? What if his character is flawed?”
“Those are all great questions.” Patty pierced me with her warm brown eyes. “You and I are old enough to know that there are no guarantees in this life. So we need to choose if we are going to live it or if we are going to sit on the sidelines. I think if you decide the latter, your life will be boring and you’ll give up on any chance of happiness. I don’t know if Rob is ‘the guy’ or not; only you can decide that. And if he isn’t, a girl can have fun while she figures it out.” She winked.
I hugged her. “You are one smart lady. What would I do without you?”
“Hopefully you won’t have to find out. Now, let’s get this casserole over to Suzie.”
We poked our heads into football central and told everyone where we were going. Jenny was curled up against Rob, watching the game.
Patty and I left, and she said, “Looks like Jenny approves.”
“He’s been so nice to her. He invited her over for breakfast the other morning and was one of her biggest fans at the ballet recital.”
She grinned. “He may be a keeper.”
We drove up to Suzie’s condo. Since Patty carried the casserole, I rang the doorbell.
Gloria, Suzie’s mother, answered. I asked, “Suzie lives here, right?”
“Yes.”
Patty moved up next to me on the stoop. “We brought her a casserole.” She held it in front of her. “We wanted to give her our condolences in this difficult time.”
“He was a jerk. I’m glad he’s dead. Come in. Suzie’s upstairs. I’ll let her know you’re here.”
She went upstairs. I mouthed, “Wow.” Standing there awkwardly, Patty still held the casserole. Suzie came slowly down the stairs with her mother trailing her.
In a monotone, Suzie said, “Oh, hi, Patty, Merry.”
Patty pushed the casserole forward. “We brought you a casserole. We were so sorry to learn of your husband’s death.”
“Thanks. It’s been hard. Mom, could you put this in the fridge?”
Her mother complied. We stood there silently until Suzie waved us toward the living room. “Sit, please sit. Would you like some coffee or tea?”
“No, we’re good,” I replied.
We sat, and Suzie joined us. “It was all such a shock.”
Patty asked, “Were you married long?”
“Five years, but then I left town. I hadn’t heard from him since I moved here. I thought it was strange, but I figured he got over me. He was a good man, unless he drank. And he drank a lot.” She rubbed the arm Rob told me her husband broke.
I shivered. “Sounds like you were well rid of him.”
She looked up, her eyes wide. “Maybe, maybe not. I miss the good times.”
Her mother came back into the room. “What good times? The man was a schmuck! He treated you badly. All the times he beat you! I could just cry. Good riddance to him.” She sat next to Suzie and put her arm around her.
“He was a human being, and he was the man I was married to.”
Patty asked, “You never thought of divorcing him?”
“One time, when it got real bad. But when I took counseling with our priest, he told me I should stay and try to work it out. He said if I was a better wife, Paul wouldn’t drink.”
“That priest sounds like he shouldn’t be counseling anyone.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes at Patty. “What made you decide to leave?”
“It had been a really bad week. Paul was having trouble at work, and money was tight. Then a man was killed at my restaurant. I couldn’t prove it, but I always thought Paul had something to do with it. The customer was one of my regulars, and Paul didn’t like the way he looked at me. Paul called him out on it once, and the customer told him he was crazy.”
I gasped. “Did you tell the police that?”
“Yes, but again, they had no proof. That’s when I knew I had to leave. It was bad enough he was beating me but then to kill someone else? I knew I had to get out of there.” She sobbed.
“Thank God you did.” Her mother held her tighter and rocked her gently back and forth.
Patty frowned. “Didn’t you think it was strange he let you go?”
“No. I was just so thankful he was out of my life!”
Suzie’s mother glared at us. “Why are you asking all of these questions? Can’t you see what it’s doing to her?”
I grimaced. “We’re just trying to understand. Suzie, we’ll go now, but if you need to talk, please call us. We’ll let ourselves out.”
Patty and I made a hasty retreat and shut the door quietly behind us. “What do you make of that?” she asked.
“If she killed him, she’s a heck of an actress!”
“Maybe she is. I find it hard to believe she’d be concerned about someone who beat her on a regular basis.”
“It takes all kinds of people in this world.”
“Luckily one of the bad ones is gone.”
We spent the rest of the day at Patty’s watching football and enjoying tasty things. Jenny and I claimed one of the couches and snuggled up to watch the ga
me. It was nice to have a normal Sunday. Sated and sluggish, Rob and I bid the Twilligers and Jenny farewell for the evening. The brisk air revived us as we strolled home.
Rob asked, “Are you going to tell me what happened at Suzie’s?”
“She appears to be mourning Paul’s death. However, her mother was quite vocal about being glad he was dead.”
“He beat her daughter.”
I shuddered. “I get it. If someone hurt Jenny, I don’t know what I’d do, but I do know it wouldn’t be pretty.”
Opening the front door, I turned back to ask Rob if he wanted coffee. Drambuie sailed past, and Rob caught her just as she was making her escape.
“Good catch.”
“Does she do this a lot?”
“Not that often. It usually only happens after she has a disagreement with her sister.” He put the cat down, and I shut the door. “Speaking of Courvoisier.” I pointed to the top shelf of the bookcase. “You know you’re not allowed up there.”
Rob lifted her up and deposited her on the floor. I shook my head. “Would you do me a favor and feel around to see if there is a fake mouse?” He moved his hand around and grabbed something. “I knew it. That’s Drambuie’s toy. Bad girl.” I shook my finger at Courvoisier and tossed the toy to Drambuie. “Thanks for the assist, Rob.”
“Life as a cat owner sure is interesting.”
“You have no idea. Coffee?”
“No, I think I’ve had enough caffeine for the day.”
“I have decaf.”
“No, I’m good.” He sat on the couch and patted the seat next to him. I sat, and he put his arm around me. “Fun day.”
“Yes, it was good to just relax like real people.”
He nuzzled my hair. “You know something else real people do?”
“No, what do they do?”
“This.” He nibbled my ear. “And this.” He turned my face toward his for a long, slow kiss.
“I’ll be a real person any day,” I told him as we came up for air.
“Be quiet.” He kissed me again.
“Let’s go upstairs and be more comfortable.”
Rob’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I’m going to be.”
He lifted me off the couch and started carrying me up the stairs. A sharp knock echoed from the back door. I groaned. “Not now.”
He put me down and kissed my nose. “I’ll get it. Just give me a minute. I’ll get rid of whoever it is.” He opened the door. “What?”
Jay said, “You need to work on your etiquette. Can I come in?”
“I guess.”
Disappointed, I trudged back down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Evening, Jay. Coffee?”
“Would love some. You wouldn’t happen to have any of those cookies from the other day, would you? I didn’t get dinner yet tonight.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like something more substantial? I could cook you an omelet.” Over Jay’s shoulder, Rob shook his head no and motioned toward the door. I ignored him.
Jay smiled. “If you’re sure it’s not any trouble.”
“No trouble at all.” I retrieved the ingredients and poured Jay some coffee. Taking the cookies out for Rob, I put them in front of him. Frowning, he sank onto one of the chairs and took one.
Rob glared at Jay. “What’s up?”
Jay held his hands up to Rob as if to stop him. “Someone’s in a mood.”
“Ignore him. What’s going on?”
“I received some additional information from the autopsy on Paul Devlin. It looks like he was in the ground around three years, and the cause of death was a blow to the head. From the indentations on the skull, it looks like someone swung at him with a baseball bat.”
Grimacing, I put Jay’s omelet in front of him.
He dug in. “The grave wasn’t that deep; that’s why the hikers found him. Some critters had gotten at him too.” He looked up. “Good omelet, Merry.”
The blood drained from my face. “Glad you like it.”
“Three years? Rob said. “That would put him in the ground right around the time Suzie left.”
“The timing’s certainly interesting. I’m going to have another chat with her tomorrow.” He grabbed a cookie and his jacket. “Thanks again for the omelet, Merry. I appreciate it. Oh, I nearly forgot, Paula Sanders did file an insurance claim, and the company paid out on the necklace. We’ve alerted them that the necklace was recovered in her ex-husband’s possession. I’m sure charges will be filed shortly.”
The door closed. Rob pulled me to him. “Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted.”
I gently untangled myself. “I hate to say it, but all this talk of death and duplicity has ruined the mood. I’ll see you in the morning.” I gave him a kiss and headed for the stairs.
“Crap,” Rob said.
The next morning, I felt much better. Running down the stairs, I turned the corner into the kitchen and gave Rob a big kiss. “I’m so sorry about last night. I’m also sorry I left everything a mess.” My eyes widened. The kitchen was spotless. “I guess I also owe you thanks for cleaning up.”
“I know how you can make it up to me.” He winked.
“Let’s talk about that later.” I grabbed a yogurt from the refrigerator. “Dinner out tonight?” I picked up my briefcase.
“Sounds good.” He waved. “I’ll come get you at five thirty.”
Blowing him a kiss, I left. The day started peacefully enough, but at four, I received a text from my daughter: “Can’t take it here anymore! I’m coming home!”
I hit Patty’s speed dial. “What’s up?”
“Teenage angst. Cindy wouldn’t let Jenny borrow one of her favorite sweaters, so the world is at an end.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Not your fault. Jenny stalked out a few minutes ago, so you may want to head home.”
“On my way.” I grabbed some things to work on at home and headed out. I called to Cheryl over my shoulder, “Daughter trouble. Call me if you need me.”
Five minutes later, I was in my house, hugging Jenny as she sobbed. “I only wanted to borrow the sweater tonight. I can’t believe she wouldn’t loan it to me. She’s so selfish.”
I patted her back. “How about I make some hot chocolate?”
“Do you have any cookies?”
“I might be able to manage that.” I smiled as I handed her some tissues. Sliding the cookie jar in front of her, I put the milk on to heat.
“I just want to come home! Nothing’s happened in a while. I don’t understand why I can’t be in my own room.” She paused and looked stricken. “Unless you don’t want me here.”
“Of course I do! I miss you terribly. Things are still up in the air, but I think we’ve narrowed down the players enough that, if we’re careful, you can come home.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.
She smiled. “I think the milk’s done.”
After stirring in the chocolate, I handed her a mug. I raised mine. “To being together again.”
The back door opened, and Rob entered. “Cheryl told me you came home?”
I hugged Jenny. “Jenny was homesick, and I decided it was time for her to come back.”
His face fell, but Jenny’s back was to him. He recovered quickly. “That’s great. I’ll take you both out to dinner to celebrate.”
Jenny asked, “Fiorella’s?”
“Fiorella’s it is. I think there is some garlic bread with your name on it.” He kissed my forehead. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll call and make a reservation.” He disappeared into my office.
Tears forgotten, Jenny said, “I better get changed.” She ran up to her room.
“Be ready by six.”
Rob came back out. “Is the coast clear?”
“For a few minutes.”
He gave me a kiss. “I’m glad she’s home, but it does put a damper on things.”
“Yes, it does, but I’ve missed her so much.�
�
“I know.” He kissed me on my nose. “Before she comes back down, I have something to discuss with you. I spoke with Jay today, and it seems there is some confusion about the necklace. We have our theory, but it could be true that Paula didn’t know John took it. He could have stolen it. Since Paula seems to like me, Jay wanted to know if I would be willing to wear a wire and take her out. I told him I’d have to talk with you first.”
“So you’re going to ply her with alcohol and charm the truth out of her?”
He nodded. “That’s the plan. How do you feel about it?”
“Seems slimy, but it would be good to know what really happened. You’ll be careful?”
“Safety is my middle name.”
I gave him a stern glance. “It better be. I’m going to ask Jay if I can listen with him.”
Jenny thundered down the stairs. “Ready?”
“For a ballerina,” I said, “you’re not very light on your feet.”
She punched my arm playfully and grinned. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 26
Rob and I rendezvoused with Jay at the Pickled Herring. He showed us the tiny back office where he and I would be stationed. The owner had installed hidden cameras in the restaurant so he could make sure his staff performed to his high standards.
I said, “Wow.” There were six different screens. “Remind me to behave myself the next time I’m here.” Rob chuckled. I told him, “Remember, I’ll be able to see everything you do.”
He gave me a quick kiss. “Don’t worry. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Jay handed Rob a tiny listening device. “Stick this onto the side of your phone and leave your phone on the table between you. That way we’ll be able to listen and record your conversation.”
Rob gave him a thumbs-up. “I could think of a few other uses I might have for this.”
“I need to return it once we’re done, so don’t get too attached. It’s almost time for you to meet Paula. You should probably go up front.”
Rob kissed me goodbye. He moved toward the front of the restaurant, his head still bent over the tiny device on his phone.
Jay and I went back into the office and tried to get comfortable on the folding chairs. He pointed toward the screen to a table in clear view of the camera. “I told Rob to sit at that table. That way we’ll have a clear view of the action.”
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