by Vikki Walton
“All set?” He spied the cooler and looked inside. “Yum. Looks like we’ll have plenty to eat. What’s this one here?” He picked up the smaller container.
“For our hike before the concert if we have time. I thought we could sit and enjoy the view with a bit of a snack.”
Anne set her foot down and admired the nail polish on her toes. After getting off the phone with Hope, she’d found a nail place that could squeeze her in for a mani-pedi, and she’d applied a tinted sunscreen, mascara, and lip and cheek color. She’d pulled her wavy hair up into a messy bun.
Carson leaned over and kissed her. “Did I tell you I love you, gorgeous?”
“No. Tell me again.” He kissed her again, and electricity zoomed through her. “I think that’s enough for now. By the way, you’re looking pretty handsome yourself tonight.”
Carson had shaved, and his dark hair with a bit of gray peppered on the sideburns still showed signs of dampness from his shower. He wore a navy T-shirt and navy cargo pants. On his wrist, he wore a titanium watch with a sizeable square face.
Anne grabbed her bag in the chair. “New watch?”
“Nope. I just usually wear my regular one as it can get battered and I don’t care. I wear this when I don’t have to worry about a criminal puking on me.”
She chuckled. “Um, that’s gross. Your watch is unique-looking.”
“It was given to me by my dad on my sixteenth birthday. He told me then that time waits for no man so to make the most of the time I had and to make him proud. I think I was able to do that for him.”
“That’s wonderful, Carson. What a great memory.”
He glanced at it. “Oops, we’re late. Better get moving.” He shut the cooler.
Anne looked over at her clock on the stove. “It looks like the time we’d said?”
“No. Oh wait, my watch…oh, last time I wore this was on the other time.” He stopped and set his watch to the correct time. “I hate daylight savings. Pick a time and stick with it.” He stated.
“Agreed!”
She opened the door and held it while Carson took the cooler out to his vehicle. They made good time on I70 which gave them ample time to enjoy a longer hike and see and appreciate the view toward Denver. As cars started rolling in, they made their way back to the vehicle and ate before tramping with the others up the ramp to the entrance. The night turned out to be beautiful with the sparkling lights of the city in the background and the band putting on a great performance.
It was late when Carson dropped Anne at home. As she turned to Carson, she could see that he was wanting a conversation she wasn’t ready to have but one that would require an answer from her soon. Diverting the subject before he could start, Anne pointed to the house. Spencer’s light glowed from upstairs. “Teens. I don’t know how they manage staying up so late.”
“Anne—” Carson took her hand. “Let’s set a date. Why wait? We don’t need a long engagement, and it’s already been months.”
“Please. Let’s talk about this when it’s not so late. Okay?”
He nodded. “What about the cooler?”
“I think it’s fine for now. Take anything left, and you can bring it by tomorrow or the next day.” She kissed him on the cheek and rushed to open the passenger door before he could exit. She knew she was weakening, and she’d respond in a way she might regret tomorrow.
Opening the door, she berated her actions. “You act like you’re a kid.”
She had to acknowledge she loved Carson and that love made her fearful and not in control. Locking the door behind her, she went up to her room and texted Spencer that she was home. He responded with K and an emoji face of someone sleeping.
Anne drifted off to sleep but kept tossing and turning. Finally, she knew she might as well get up. She grabbed the robe from the end of the bed and stuck her feet in some slippers before heading downstairs. She made a cup of chamomile tea even though she doubted she would be able to get back to sleep. Sitting down in front of the computer, she fired it up and clicked on the recording for the day of Billie’s death. While watching it, she sipped at the tea and tried to home in on what Kim had noted. Nothing stood out. She sighed and glanced at the time on her computer. She groaned as she saw the time of two in the morning. She would pay the price tomorrow.
Wait. Tea sloshed over her cup as she recalled the earlier discussion with Carson about daylight savings time. Anne grabbed napkins from the kitchen and wiped up the spill. Taking a notebook, she drew a line down the page. On the left side, she wrote down what had been said about the day and the times things occurred from what others had said as well as Kim’s statement.
Anne started the video. After every instance, she wrote down the time on the notepad. She was squinting at the computer when she heard footsteps come up behind her.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Anne screamed as she bolted from her chair.
Spencer rubbed his ear. “Whoa, that was loud.”
She placed a hand over her pounding heart and let out a deep breath. “You nearly scared me to death. Why’d you sneak up on me like that?”
“Sorry. I was coming down for a snack—”
Anne crossed her arms and glared at him. “At two in the morning?”
“Um, I’m not the only one up at two.”
“Oh, sorry. You just scared me. Let me know you’re coming up behind me.”
“I did. I put my hand on your shoulder.” He shrugged.
Anne went to the kitchen to collect some towels to mop up the tea she’d knocked over when she’d jumped up from her seat. “Give me a shout out first.”
He looked at the screen with the video frozen on it. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to compile the times when people were coming and going on the day of Billie’s death. Kim says there’s evidence on the video, but I don’t see much of anything I can use yet.”
“Did you try enhancing it to make it larger?”
When Anne shook her head, he sat in front of the computer, and with a few clicks, the video was larger, though somewhat less clear.
“Go back to the start. I’ll read off the times, and can you freeze those frames?”
“Okay. Sure.”
He glanced to the kitchen with a forlorn look.
She grinned at him. “If you do this for me, I’ll make you an omelet.”
“Fine. First one.” He clicked the video as a car drove by.
Anne looked down at the notes. “Okay, next one is a blue car at—” She gave the time.
He clicked to it and enhanced it. Nothing.
Anne looked at the next one and read out the vehicle and time.
“That’s not the right time.” He pointed to her notepad. “See, you’ve got different times here and here.”
“What?” Anne hadn’t put everything directly across from each other, so the times hadn’t lined up. She ripped the paper out of the book and folded the center of the page. Then she tore it in half and placed them across from each other. One stood out.
“Look for this time.”
Spencer stopped the video and waited for Anne.
“Can you enhance the frame?”
He did, and Anne gasped when she spied what was in the vehicle. Peonies.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Her mind was spinning with the information. Yes, the peonies were there, but that didn’t prove anything. She needed more proof. For now, she needed to think.
“Let’s get you that omelet.”
Anne decided to make herself an omelet too, though she ate a two-egg veggie omelet while Spencer wolfed down a six-egg bacon and cheese omelet and three biscuits.
As Spencer wolfed down his meal, Anne thought of what to do. Tomorrow was Saturday. She needed to figure out a plan and set it in motion. After watching Spencer empty his orange juice in four gulps, she had her plan.
Later, she’d rinsed off the dishes and stuck them in the dishwasher. As she trudged
upstairs, she doubted her ability to fall sleep. Yet, it was her phone chiming that woke her at nine. She clamored to turn on the phone.
“Hello?” she mumbled. No reply. “Hello.”
She glanced at the phone, but it wasn’t a number she recognized. Moaning, she flipped over and buried her head in her pillow. Stumbling to the shower, she allowed the water to cascade over her and was thankful her mind wasn’t jumbled with thoughts as it had been last night.
Means, motive, opportunity. It made no sense. The flowers she’d seen in the video also proved nothing. Dressing, she went down and brewed a strong pot of coffee. In the light of day, what had seemed so clear now made no sense.
“Shoot, and here I thought I’d figured it out.” But the pieces weren’t fitting together.
Anne took her coffee and went out to the front porch. Sitting on the glider, she waved at a neighbor across the street, leaving for her work. The man was dressed in casual clothing and worked as a pastor at a local church.
“He probably did it. He’s as good a suspect as anyone else.”
Anne jumped when Spencer yelled, “Shout out!”
She snorted so that she almost spit out her coffee.
“Hope’s on the phone for you. Here’s your phone. Did you spill your coffee?”
“Never mind. You’re up early after the late night.”
“Trying to finish up a few jobs today so we can get paid. There’re some headphones going on sale, so I need to collect money.”
“Okay, have a good day. Thanks for bringing my phone and the ‘shout out’ too.”
He grinned broadly. “I thought you’d get a kick out of that.” A horn honked and Spencer’s friend waved.
“Tell him no horn honking.”
“Will do. Later.” He bounded down the stairs to the older model Dodge.
She waved at them before looking at her phone. “Oh, Hope, I apologize. I forgot he’d handed me the phone.”
“No worries. I was typing in some patient info, so not a problem. Hold on and let me save this. Okay, there. Got a minute?”
“For you—two.” Anne moved her cup to the other hand.
“You know where my mom is, right?”
“Sure. I think it sounds like a lovely place. Is anything wrong?” Anne set her cup on the glider armrest. “Hope, is everything okay?”
“Yes, only it’s so far away for me to visit. I’m thinking—again, I’m just thinking about it, anyway, possibly moving there. I have quite a few patients who would still come there, and I’d be closer to my mom.”
“I’m sure Faith would love that but—” A lump formed in Anne’s throat and tears threatened. “I, um, you have so many people who need you here.”
“I’m just considering it. I’d love to get your input. Think it over and let me know your thoughts on it, okay?”
“Okay,” Anne replied.
“Great. I know I can count on you to help me. Aly’s arrived. Let’s chat later.”
The line went dead, and Anne stared at the phone as tears sprang to her eyes. Hope had been the first one to help her when she’d moved to Carolan Springs. She’d been quick to recognize Anne’s moody behavior, attributed it to hormones, and help her to navigate that crazy time in her life. She’d always been the one who could be depended on, and her friendship was a treasure. Anne lost her battle with tears as they spilled onto her face.
“Hope’s not leaving yet. Get it together.”
She took a swig of coffee, and the final block fell into place. All along, it had been staring her in the face. Anne grabbed up her cup. She knew exactly what she needed to find and where to look.
After parking down the street from the quaint house with its simple, structured garden, Anne put on a hat and sunglasses before getting out of her car. She walked down the block in front of the house and saw no vehicle in the driveway. There was a garage toward the back, but that wasn’t an issue. She made her way down to the end of the block before crossing the street. Now headed toward the house, she saw a hedge of mock orange next to the driveway. She stopped and acted like she was tying her shoe and looked toward the back yard. Empty. She walked with purpose toward the newly constructed greenhouse. Some boards and other materials lay in a pile. Anne opened the door and entered the humid building. Where to look?
She spotted the tomatoes and recalled what Spencer had said about changing out the system. Heading to them, she noted that one tomato looked to be larger than the rest. Anne looked around and noted a spade up by the door. She grabbed it and set to work on removing the tomato plant from the bed. As she did, wilted pink petals attached to the dirt let her know she was on the right path. She pulled the plant and set it to the side and, using the spade, started moving the dirt. It wasn’t long before the tip of a glove was revealed. She moved the dirt and saw more of the blood-stained glove.
“What are you doing?”
Anne straightened. “Mercy. You’re home.”
“I live here.”
Anne moved closer to the raised bed, but there was no hiding what she’d done. Mercy glanced at the tomato plant before looking back at Anne. “I guess you figured it out.”
Anne nodded. “It was a few things that finally led me here.”
The realization hit her that the only way out was through the door she’d entered, and Mercy stood in front of it. Plus, Mercy had a few inches on Anne and another thirty pounds. She also lifted boxes every day. Anne was no match for her physically, but maybe she could appeal to her.
“I should have realized it was there in front of me all the time. Mercy. You were Billie’s friend and would have done anything for her.”
“Yes, I loved her like a sister. When I found out Ben was having an affair, it made me so angry. How could he do that to her when she was fighting for her life?”
“But Ben wasn’t having an affair. Aly was Ben’s daughter.”
“That was a shock. But just because he wasn’t having the affair with Aly didn’t mean he wasn’t having an affair with Jennifer. He cheated on Billie all those years ago. He’s scum.”
An epiphany came to Anne. “You thought he’d be arrested for her death.”
“Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner! I wanted him to pay. Who has the motive for killing someone? Nine times out of ten, it’s the spouse. So, I thought I’d help them along. But unfortunately, that didn’t work out.”
“So, you killed Billie to frame Ben?”
“No! It all just…happened. I stopped by Billie’s because she used to cut me flowers to keep in the van, so I could have a floral arrangement in the truck. When I got there, I went in, and the bookcase had fallen on Billie.”
She perched on one of the taller, raised beds.
“It was horrible. Poor Billie. She was unconscious and barely breathing. I could see that she’d broken some bones and probably had broken ribs, too. She would be in so much pain on top of the horrible pain she was already experiencing.”
Anne watched as the woman retreated into her thoughts, and she began rocking back and forth.
“So, you decided on mercy.”
The woman turned to present her flushed face to Anne. “Yes. I knew it had to be quick, so I saw the pot on the table. I’d left my gloves out in my van, so I grabbed a pair from the box. I didn’t realize at the time that I’d taken two different sizes. I guess some must have gotten mixed up. I didn’t want my fingerprints on the pot, but I knew that Ben’s would be on it, as he always took it down for Billie. I filled up the pot with water. It was quick.”
“And merciful.” Anne knew she had to keep Mercy talking until she could figure a way out of the greenhouse.
The woman stared at Anne. “I know what you’re trying to do. Don’t play games with me.”
“I’m not. My friend, Hope, told me this morning she’s thinking of moving. I understand the bond between friends. Plus, with Kim in jail—”
“Ah, Kim. She messed everything up. She thought she could blackmail me.”
That was a new
discovery.
Anne waited for Mercy to continue. When she didn’t, she remarked, “You changed the time on her clock at her house on the day it happened.”
“I’d been down the street doing deliveries earlier, and I knew if anyone asked, my times would be off. So, I went to Kim’s and asked for water. I knew she had that huge monstrosity of a clock in her living room. So, when she went to the kitchen, I changed the time. When she brought the water back in, I said something about the time, so she’d notice it. Then when she went to get me more water, I turned it back to the right time.”
“But you didn’t know about her camera out front.”
Mercy shifted her weight onto the other leg. “Yes, I found out about it later. I guess after I left, Kim must have gone to see Billie. Of course, once she touched the headscarf, her fingerprints were on it. I’m sure that’s why she took it. Then she must have gone back to her house through the back yard. I guess it was only after she got caught that she started thinking back to the timeline and put two and two together. She wanted to work out a deal.”
“Because she had the scarf.”
Mercy nodded. “I placed it over Billie’s face before… anyway, Kim said I may have been wearing gloves, but that wouldn’t stop DNA. I hadn’t thought of that, but I said as much as I was in Billie’s home, it wouldn’t prove anything.” Mercy cackled. “Can you believe it? No way was I going to do anything with a thief.”
This coming from a woman who killed her best friend, thought Anne.
Mercy faced Anne. “Then she told me she’d contacted you. That her life might be over, but mine was going to be over too. I couldn’t stand for that. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was helping Billie to be free from her pain. I regret that it had to come to that, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”