Murder Is Where the Heart Is

by Maddie Cochere

  After fifteen minutes, I hadn’t even begun to break a sweat. Maybe riding a bike at a snail’s pace wasn’t the smartest move. I set the tension tighter and pedaled faster.

  Ten minutes later, I still hadn’t worked up a sweat, but my legs were beginning to feel rubbery. I slid off and decided to look around. After seeing the facility nearly empty on Monday, it felt odd to see it bustling with activity today. Every room was packed with patrons.

  I stopped at the pool to look for Pepper and Jackie. I might as well have been at the zoo. There was more than one swimmer in each lane, and the common area left little room around each person. It didn’t look like fun and reminded me of one of those comic jigsaw puzzles with tiny people in every piece of the puzzle. I was glad I hadn’t brought my suit.

  A loud voice at one end of the pool caught my attention. It was Pepper treading water in the deep end while yelling up at Keith on the diving board.

  “Get down from there,” she shrieked. “You’re going to hurt someone.”

  I couldn’t believe the diving board was available to use. It looked impossible to dive into the water without landing on someone. I looked around for a lifeguard or at least someone who was supervising the pool activity, but there didn’t appear to be anyone.

  Keith pretended not to hear and yelled, “Look out below!”

  He jumped off the end of the board, pulled his knees up to his chest, and landed his cannonball within a foot of Pepper. Water sprayed high into the air and fanned out over the patrons sitting at the edge of the pool.

  Keith came up with a huge grin on his face. Pepper had smoke coming out her ears. I knew she was already planning a punishment for him that would include rubbing Grandmama’s feet.

  I hadn’t seen Jackie or Buck amidst the sea of people, but Buck was next to Keith in a flash. His behavior was reminiscent of the mother at the wedding reception when he grabbed Keith by the arm and whisked him to the edge of the pool.

  “He may be your nephew and a good kid, but sometimes he makes me glad Matt and I don’t have kids.”

  Jackie had come to stand at my shoulder. Her comment made me laugh. “I know. My biological clock should be keeping me awake at night, but I sleep like a baby. I don’t know how Pepper manages so well. That boy is a ball of energy from morning ‘til night.”

  I noticed Jackie’s hair was dry, and she hadn’t yet changed into shorts. “You didn’t go swimming?”

  “No. There’s too much of a crowd for me. I’ve been watching the ladies in the spinning class. Talk about a hard workout. That’s one serious instructor. I think we should sign up for her classes.”

  There was no way I could take a spinning class. My legs were rubbery and weak from pedaling at little more than a snail’s pace.

  “I’ll think about it,” I told her without conviction.

  “Want to try the rock wall?” she asked.

  The rock wall actually looked pretty easy. “Sure. I’ll give it a try.”

  We walked into the large exercise room. The wall had considerably fewer people than when I was in here earlier.

  Jackie wasted no time picking a spot and jumping right in. She was halfway up the wall before I had even considered where to start and how to get a grip.

  Upon closer inspection, it was understandable why the wall was so easy for everyone to climb. The footholds were wide, and most of the rocks had holes that doubled as handle grips. The wall had also been built to lean back at a slight angle rather than perpendicular to the floor. It was more like climbing a ladder than a standard rock wall.

  I did great until I neared the top and had to stop. Jackie had already made the top, climbed down, and was on her way up again. My rubber legs were back, and now my arms felt weak as well. I couldn’t believe how out of breath I was. This was worse than climbing stairs. A boy who looked to be no more than six years old whizzed past me and crowed like a champion when he slapped the top of the wall.

  Jackie was soon beside me again.

  “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you climbing?”

  I didn’t want to admit to how out of shape I was, so I said lamely, “I’m taking a moment.”

  “Just be careful you don’t fall. That mat won’t do much to break a fall from up here, and you could break an arm or a leg.”

  “Or my head,” I muttered.

  I didn’t even bother climbing the next few rocks to finish the wall. I made my way down and took a seat in one of the chairs along the wall. I was sweaty, out of breath, and miserable. Maybe I should take the spinning class with Jackie. I had to start somewhere. I couldn’t stay this out of shape and expect to do my job well or keep what good health I had.

  Pepper plopped down beside me. Keith was already shouting from the top of the wall. Buck and Kelly stood watching him.

  Pepper looked at me with eyes that showed exhaustion. “I need a vacation.”

  I laughed. “He might wear you out now, but that boy is going to be famous one day. He’ll find a way to put all that energy into something worthwhile.”

  She managed a half-hearted smile. “I certainly hope so.”

  Buck and Kelly worked their way up the wall side by side. Everyone made it look so easy. Pepper and I were content to sit and watch.

  It wasn’t long before the wall was as crowded as the pool, and a loud cry came from the edge of the wall. It was Keith howling after a man stepped on his hand. I was shocked to see the man reach over and give Keith a shove. I was more shocked to realize it was Burt Chester.

  Keith didn’t respond, but quickly made his way down the wall and to his mother’s side.

  “Mr. Chester tried to knock me off the wall.”

  “What did you do to him?” Pepper asked.

  Keith folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “I didn’t do anything to him. He said he knew I was the one who told on him about the pumpkin. Is that true, Aunt Jo?”

  I had no idea. I’d have to ask Arnie how the insurance company handled telling Burt that they found his claim fraudulent.

  “I don’t know,” I told him.

  “He deliberately stepped on my hand and tried to knock me off. What if he’s a murderer, and he comes over to our house and kills me in the middle of the night because I snitched on him.”

  Snitched. The boy sounded like Arnie, but I was more than a little concerned that someone at Crumwell Insurance might have pointed the finger at an eight-year-old boy as a source.

  Pepper’s frustration level was high. “No one is going to murder you. Go climb with your dad and stay away from Mr. Chester.”

  Keith stomped off with his arms still folded across his chest.

  “I’ll look into it, Pepper. I don’t like it that Burt knows anything at all about Keith telling what he saw.”

  I scanned the room for Jackie. She must have moved on to another part of the Y. I wanted to talk with her before I headed for home.

  “I’m leaving,” I told Pepper. “Make sure you stay by your phone after nine o’clock. I don’t know if this will happen tonight, but I think it will. Jackie or I will call you when we’re on the move.”

  Pepper’s tired eyes became bright again. “Ok. I’m not so sure you should use yourself for bait, Jo, but it’s a good plan. Make sure you call me if it works or not. I don’t want to be up all night waiting for your call only to find out you were in bed by midnight.”

  I smiled. “We won’t leave you hanging.”

  More commotion on the wall caught our attention. This time it was two teenagers racing up the wall side by side. They were near the top when one boy pushed the other. They were laughing, and it appeared to be all in good fun. The other boy pushed back, knocked the first into Keith, and Keith promptly lost his grip and slid down a couple of rocks before he could grab hold again.

  Pepper gasped, but I almost laughed when I realized Keith’s foot landed firmly on Burt Chester’s hand. Burt had just reached out to grab another rock when Keith tromped on his secure hand, causing Burt to instinctively jerk it out w
ith a loud swear word. With nothing to hold onto, and from pulling back so quickly, Burt fell off the wall and landed on his back.

  It was apparent he either couldn’t move, or he had the wind knocked out of him. A crowd gathered around. It looked like more than one person was calling 911.

  Pepper rushed over to corral Keith. She and Buck stood with him off to the side of the mat and waited for emergency personnel to arrive. I could tell Keith was pleading his case to his parents. He looked scared.

  Jackie came back into the room with an overly concerned look on her face.

  “Keith just knocked Burt Chester off the wall,” I told her. “He landed on his back. This is going to be interesting.”

  “Get your stuff,” she said. “We have to leave right now. The ballistics report is back. A warrant’s been issued for your arrest. You’re going to be charged with all three murders.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I sat in the dark in the murder room and waited for Jackie. She had a key, so I knew it wasn’t her banging on the front door numerous times throughout the evening.

  All of the evidence pointed to me. Glenn had made it very clear that jealousy would be the motive for murdering Bailey and her model, but what could possibly be their reasoning for my killing Kate Fuller? Everyone on the police force knew me. I was stunned anyone would think I had committed murder. It was especially hurtful that Glenn might think I had.

  Glenn. I felt bad for how I had been treating him, but I couldn’t help it. Alan had confused me, and until the fog lifted, I couldn’t deal with our relationship. I really liked Glenn, but I was still at that stage where I thought I would be just fine if we stopped dating altogether.

  I simply couldn’t stop thinking of him as little Glenny Wheeler, the boy I babysat years ago. The fact that he had grown into an attractive, sexy man fought with the images in my mind from when he was a child. We would never have a chance at a long-lasting relationship if I didn’t reconcile the images once and for all.

  Would Glenn be the one to arrest me? I had to make sure I wasn’t arrested.

  The sound of banging on the door interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t dare move - not even to peek out of a blind. I had no idea how many officers were watching the house. Jackie said knowledge of the warrant was being treated like national security. She had a source at the police station who provided the information to her right away, but it hadn’t yet been leaked to the newsroom or the gossip mill.

  I was grateful she had used her mastery of pie baking to acquire so many sources around town. If I was arrested before I could expose the murderer, I would be put away for life. All of the evidence I had to prove my innocence was circumstantial and would never put the real killer away. I needed him to make a play for me.

  Arnie had reservations, but he had ultimately approved my plan. I felt emboldened knowing he was aware of what I was doing and that he was on my side. My car was safely out of sight inside my garage. Anyone banging on the door would have no idea if I was here or not. The house was completely dark except for the light above the kitchen sink. It was normal for it to be on all night long.

  The red phone rang. I tiptoed down the hallway and stood at the top of the stairs to listen for a message. The recorded greeting rang out loud and clear. It wasn’t my voice on the tape. It was Alan’s.

  “Hey, you’ve reached the sisters and the writer. These three dames will find your dog, your cat, your husband, your husband’s mistress, or if you are a man, they’ll help you beat a murder rap just like they did for me. Leave your message at the beep.”

  I was so thunderstruck at his words I nearly choked. I definitely didn’t hear the first part of the message being left. When I was able to focus, I realized it was Glenn speaking.

  “…go better for you if you turn yourself in. Don’t forget. No later than noon.”

  I didn’t dare go down to replay the message. The volume on the machine was turned up so loud, anyone outside the door would surely hear it being repeated.

  I slipped back into the murder room and sat down on the love seat again. Alan was killing me with my red phone. I was going to unplug it and kill him. I could smash him over the head with it, or I could wrap the cord around his neck and strangle him.

  My cell phone rang, and my heart jumped into my throat. It was still on the coffee table in the living room. I couldn’t believe it had chosen this minute to start working again. If the police heard the ringing, it would give them reason to believe I was hiding in the house. I had to risk going down and turning it off.

  I tiptoed to the bottom of the stairs and studied the situation. The light over the kitchen sink kept the living room from being in complete darkness. I knew the sofa would be in view from the kitchen window, but I wasn’t certain about the coffee table. It was unlikely someone could actually see anything in the darkened room, but movement might be discernible.

  I eased down on all fours and crept to the table, keeping my eyes on the kitchen until the window came into view. I nearly cried out when banging erupted on the front door again. I backed up just in time to miss a flashlight beam as it shined through the kitchen window. The coffee table could easily be seen. My cell phone was in plain view.

  The beam retracted, the banging stopped, and I heard a voice say, “Let’s go. Collins, check back at midnight.”

  As soon as I felt it was safe to do so, I crawled back to the table and turned off the phone. I replaced it in the same position just in case whoever was searching for me from the window would notice if it was moved or missing.

  I made my way back to the loveseat in the murder room and leaned my head back. My thoughts drifted to Glenn again. He was a cute kid who always wanted me to play video games with him. We had fun when I babysat him, and he made me laugh.

  Now he was a grown-up Glenn with a sense of humor that still made me laugh. I wondered if he was still playing video games. I allowed my mind to drift to the games Glenn and I should be playing.

  Not surprisingly, a noise and a vibration at the back of my throat woke me. I sat motionless while I waited for sleep cobwebs to clear. A dread washed over me as I realized why I was sitting in the dark in the murder room. I was mad at myself for not staying awake.

  A small amount of light filtered in through the blinds from the security light next door, and my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkened room. A cold wave of terror washed over me when I realized someone was standing in the doorway. He wasn’t the tall figure I was expecting. It never occurred to me that Brick Brack might show up to finish what he started in the alley.

  It was times like this when I needed a gun. I already knew Brick had one. I had to think of something fast, or I might be dead in a few minutes.

  Neither of us moved. My mind raced. It was now or never.

  I threw myself off the loveseat and executed a barrel roll to the side of my desk. I let out a loud groan when my hip crashed into the edge. I reached up and grabbed my stapler. It was the only thing I could use as a weapon.

  “What are you doing?”

  I almost cried with relief. Instead, a nervous laugh erupted. “Jackie, you scared the snot out of me. I thought you were Brick Brack.” I pulled myself up by the corner of the desk and rubbed my bruised hip.

  Jackie was dressed in jeans and a hoodie. Her hair was tied back and tucked up under the hood. No wonder she looked like Brick when I first saw her. There was nothing voluptuous about her at the moment.

  “I wasn’t sure how to wake you. I heard you snoring when I came up the stairs.”

  “I don’t snore,” I told her.

  She ignored my comment. “He could be here any minute. It’s already ten o’clock. I had to park in the construction site. The police are cruising past your house every hour.”

  “They’ll be back to bang on the door at midnight,” I told her.

  “As soon as they find you, Jo, it’s over.” She reached out and put her hand on my arm. “I hope this works.”

  “I do, too,” I said. “Come
on.”

  We went down the hallway to my bedroom where Jackie helped to punch and plump pillows to look like a body under the covers. I couldn’t help laughing when she pulled out a long brown wig and positioned the hair on the pillow. It finished the illusion perfectly.

  I had already thrown the pillows from the guest bedroom onto the floor of the closet. We slipped in, sat down, and slid the closet door nearly shut. I couldn’t see anything, but Jackie had a clear view of the bed. If this went down like I thought it would, Jackie would be a witness to the true killer and his reaction. She would be able to help clear me.

  “Jackie, no matter what happens, don’t make a sound. No matter how mad he gets or how much stuff he breaks, he can’t know we’re in the house. Everything depends on it. Got it?”

  “Yes,” she said softly.

  We sat silent for a long time. I had no idea if time was passing quickly or not, but I knew my butt had fallen asleep, and no amount of shifting on the pillow relieved the feeling.

  “I’d give my right arm for a drink,” Jackie whispered.

  I stifled a laugh and gave her a nudge with my arm.

  We remained silent after that. It was too risky to talk.

  I felt Jackie stiffen beside me. I couldn’t see exactly what was causing the dull light, but someone had entered the room and was carrying a diffused light. A moment later, a dull report and a flash of light let me know a gun had been fired.

  I was shocked. I had expected him to realize there were only pillows in the bed. He would then leave angry, and we would follow. I never expected a shot in the dark that was intended to kill me.

  A shudder ran down my spine and caused a full-body twitch. Jackie grabbed my arm and held tight.

  The light left the room. A few seconds later, Jackie whispered, “Let’s go.”

  She ran into the spare bedroom to peek out onto the cul-de-sac. I watched out the bedroom window to see if he went out the back.