Gluten for Punishment

by Nancy J. Parra

“Happened to?” Emry looked up and raised a skinny eyebrow.

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake, ask Mrs. Becher next door. He told me that she’d hired him to finish the store bath.”

  “Right, I will. So this Sam Greenbaum was there when Ed Bruner threatened you. Did he get physical with Ed?”

  “What? No!” I shook my head and put my palm out. “No, Sam asked Ed to stay away, and Ed left. It was that simple.”

  “Did you see either man get into an altercation?”

  “No,” I answered quickly.

  “We took off after Mr. Bruner left,” Meghan added. “Ms. Holmes drove me home.”

  “Probably not a bad idea with killers on the loose,” Officer Emry muttered.

  “Killers?” I tilted my head at his slip. “As in more than one?”

  Officer Emry flipped closed his tiny notebook and slipped it into his vest pocket. He sniffed, and studied us both. “There’s no evidence to connect the two murders.” He adjusted his belt and narrowed his eyes. “Seems like the only thing those two have in common is you, Ms. Holmes.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  “I ain’t saying you’re a person of interest in Ed Bruner’s murder. At least, not yet, but I’d keep on my toes if I were you.”

  “I’ll take that under advisement,” I mumbled and swung my arm toward the front door. “Thanks for coming out. Please let me know if you or Chief Blaylock have any idea who keeps threatening me.”

  “Will do.” Officer Emry gave me a two-fingered salute. “In the meantime, don’t go out the back alone. Not even in daytime.”

  “Right.” For once, I completely agreed with him. I walked him to the door, then headed back to my office and dialed the security company. “Is this Advent Security? Yes, I called earlier about an appointment for placing a camera at the back door of my business. Is there any way I can get that done today?”

  CHAPTER 25

  I arrived home to find Grandma Ruth sitting on the swing which hung from the ceiling of my wide Victorian porch. Not surprisingly, a cloud of cigarette smoke enveloped her. She wore a skirt today made from a wild butterfly pattern. The skirt was hitched up across her wide-spread knees to expose the tops of her knee-high hose and her worn Nike tennis shoes. She wore a dark navy pea coat and a dark blue stocking cap on top of her orange curls. The tall, sand-filled pot she used for butts sat conveniently in front of her.

  I parked the van and trudged up the side steps, buzzed a kiss on her rough cheek, and sat down next to her. My eyes watered from the smoke. “Hey, Grandma, how are you?”

  The fall darkness showed a myriad of stars in the night sky. The two parties had been evening affairs and I was lucky enough to lay out the food and be done by nine.

  “The real question is, how are you, kiddo?” Grandma Ruth asked and blew out a wreath of smoke.

  “I suppose you heard Ed Bruner was found dead this morning.”

  “Yep. For the first time in a week, you’re not on the front page of the newspaper.”

  “I’d say yay, but not at the expense of another man’s life.”

  “I agree.” Grandma took a long drag. “I heard his head had been smashed in by some sort of heavy instrument, like a pipe. He was left crumpled in a pile in the drive-thru.” Grandma squinted her blue eyes at me. “Right by the night-deposit bin.”

  I winced. “Another crime of passion?”

  “No, this one was premeditated,” Grandma stated. “It wasn’t the same weapon, that’s for sure. I understand it left a completely different mark. Plus, there was some sort of metal flakes. The cops sent them to the lab in Wichita for analysis.”

  My stomach lurched. Premeditated . . . which meant whoever killed Ed had planned the act and could be out there right now planning my demise. I hoped Meghan was onto something and the murderer was only targeting men.

  “I understand you got a threatening letter today.” Grandma broke into my self-pitying thoughts.

  I made a face to express my frustration. “Yes. It said I was responsible for Ed’s death. And that I needed to leave well enough alone.”

  “Interesting.” Grandma stared out at the nearly bald elm tree. Its dark branches threw scary shadows on the street. Perfect for Halloween.

  I pushed my bangs out of my face. “What do you think it means?”

  “I heard you told the chief about your bank deposit bag theory . . .”

  “Tasha told him,” I muttered and crossed my arms. “I admitted there wasn’t any evidence to support it.”

  “Still, Chief Blaylock went to Ed and asked to examine the bank deposit bags.” Grandma was like a hound on a scent.

  “Even if they found evidence on the bags, there’s no way they could trace it to a killer. Could they? It’s not like the bags have serial numbers.”

  “Ed must have figured out who did it.” Grandma puffed on her cigarette. “Or he must have been close enough to make the killer feel threatened.”

  I shook my head and jammed my hands in my jacket pocket. “I still don’t know how that’s my fault. I’d never even spoken to Ed until he pounded on the van window last night.”

  Grandma snapped her head in my direction. “Did he threaten you?”

  “Scared me, sure. Threatened me? Maybe a little, but Sam Greenbaum showed up and chased him away.” I leaned my head back against the swing and blew out a long breath. “Now Officer Emry thinks I’m involved in both murders, and I just got my computer back.”

  “Officer Emry is a bumbling fool. Chief Blaylock knows that.” Grandma patted me on the knee. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out. Now don’t ’cha want to hear about my sewer adventures?”

  “Sure.” I lowered my eyebrows. “Did you actually find anything while you were down there?”

  “Bill found some bones he thought were interesting. He took them back to his shop.”

  “Bones?”

  “Nothing to worry about; some kind of animal, he said. I teased it was an alligator.”

  I chuckled. Grandma did have a great sense of humor.

  “What I found, however, was more than a little interesting.”

  “Really?”

  “I didn’t find a murder weapon.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment made my shoulders droop.

  “But I think I found an old speakeasy.”

  “What?”

  “There was a door a few feet from the bank entrance. It wasn’t on the official sewer system map. Bill and I managed to pry it open. Inside was a ten-by-ten room lit by two old chandeliers, nothing fancy. There were a couple of tables and a few chairs in there.”

  “A speakeasy, that’s crazy cool.” Grandma had been a flapper in her youth. She could tell some stories.

  “I know, I’m researching now and trying to figure out who ran it. Who attended the parties, etc. It’ll make for a great human-interest story. For my blog, of course. . . .”

  “Of course.” Admiration warmed my heart. “Thank goodness you didn’t find a murder weapon. The way Officer Emry thinks, he might accuse us both of being involved.”

  “Like I said,” Grandma puffed on her smoke, “the man’s a bumbling fool. I have no idea how he passed the test to get on the police force.”

  We sat silently for a while, staring out onto the quiet street. Unlike the busy cruising streets of Central and Main, no one but homeowners rambled down the brick-covered roads in the old neighborhoods.

  “There weren’t a whole lot of people at the memorial,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence. “How’s your suspect list coming along?”

  “Ed was there,” Grandma said. “I thought maybe you were right. He made a really good suspect. But now that’s out.”

  “I agree; I don’t think his death was suicide.”

  “Hard to bludgeon yourself in the head. Ed was talented but not that talented.” Grandma chuckled low until she coughed. I laughed with her.

  “That doesn’t leave many suspects,” I mused. “Well, there’s still Todd but I have no idea why he would kill
George now after nearly two years. There’s no way Sherry or Alisa were up and dressed and walking down Main Street at 5:30 A.M.”

  “Right. It takes those two at least two hours of prep before they are decent enough to leave their homes.”

  I laughed at the thought that Sherry would be mad enough to storm down Main Street in a housecoat and curlers with night cream on her face to whack George upside the head for spray painting the buildings. I sobered. “Who else besides Todd wanted George dead? Wait, is there a neighborhood watch for the downtown area?”

  Grandma Ruth frowned and stroked her chin. “Not that I’m aware of. I know there’re a few apartments over stores but those are mostly rented to folks who travel around picking up temp jobs. Migrants wouldn’t care who was coming or going or stalking around. They have no stake in keeping the downtown nice.”

  “Huh. Do you think the killer lives above one of the stores?”

  “And what, came into town to kill randomly then move on?”

  “Kind of creepy to think about, isn’t it? But yes. Do you think that’s possible?”

  Grandma shrugged and lit another cigarette. “Possible, but not very probable. It would mean the murders are random, and those are the hardest to solve.”

  My shoulders fell in defeat. If this were a random serial killer, the murder would never be solved and I’d spend the rest of my life living under a cloud of suspicion. Even the possibility of never solving these murders made me want to cry.

  “Don’t worry.” Grandma patted my knee again. “Those threats you’ve been getting mean that someone in town knows something. I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this soon.” She snuffed her cigarette out in the sand. “Let’s go in.” Grandma stood, rocking the swing wildly. “You can make me dinner while we figure out what to do next.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Twice a month, Tasha and I met for Sunday afternoon coffee. Kip spent the day with his grandma and we were free to have girl time.

  My den was cozy with a crackling fire in the fireplace. The coffee table was laden with a tray holding two carafes—one with coffee and one with chai tea. There would have been wine and margaritas if I weren’t certain I’d fall asleep after the first drink. Instead there were plates of cookies and cakes and assorted coffee flavors, creams, and sugars.

  I had my bare feet up on the edge of the coffee table, exposing my toenails, which I was painting Zombie Black to celebrate the season.

  Tasha had foils in her hair for new white streaks in her long blonde locks. I had tried to talk her into pink but she was concerned they would come out too red. Not that there was anything wrong with red hair. “How’s the investigation going?”

  I cringed. “It’s stalled ever since Ed was killed.”

  “I know he was your number one suspect.” Tasha sipped her tea. “So, let’s think about this . . . who would benefit from George’s death?”

  “The only one I’ve known who’s benefited is Mike Smith. Ever since the flour bombing, people in the surrounding counties have been buying newspapers. Grandma Ruth tells me they’re thinking of adding extra reporters. She might even get her column back.”

  Tasha’s eyes widened. “That’s it! Of course, why didn’t I see it before? With every incident, Rocky gets new photos in the paper, Candy gets more readers, and Mike sells more papers.”

  I frowned. “Are you saying that one of them is killing people?”

  She shrugged. “Why not? Did George pick on Rocky at school?”

  “Gosh, I don’t know. It seems like everyone picked on Rocky during school. It’s his parents’ fault. They gave him that name.”

  “Well, Candy could have done it. She wants nothing more than to get one of her articles picked up by the New York Times.”

  I shook my head. “That isn’t going to happen.”

  “Unless the murders continue and she gives this serial killer a name.”

  An inelegant snort came out of my mouth. “You’re reaching.”

  “Am I? Did you know that Todd Woles once waited four years to seek revenge on a guy?”

  I leaned in toward her. “Really?”

  “Yes. I asked Phyllis, who talked to Sue, and she said that it’s a known fact that in high school Jon Ramsey and a bunch of his thugs grabbed Todd, stripped him, and tied him to the flagpole by the stadium. Coach Hillard found him hours later. The boys were suspended and Todd’s parents hired him a bodyguard.”

  “Oh my God, that’s terrible.” I swallowed in horror. Poor Todd.

  “He waited four years, like I said, but he got his revenge.”

  “He did?”

  “Yes, Todd was driving down Kellogg in Wichita when he saw Jon waiting at a bus stop. Todd drove his car up on the curb and ran Jon down.”

  “He hit him?”

  “No just chased him for like a mile.” Tasha leaned back. “Not that I blame him. Jon was so embarrassed to be seen running screaming from a Smart car that he refused to press charges.”

  “Wow.”

  “So, see, it might have been two years since Todd filed that restraining order, but he might have been watching and waiting for his opportunity to exact his revenge.” She wagged a newly polished nail at me. Her polish color was Vixen Red.

  I studied my toenails as I contemplated Todd’s ability to wait to take revenge. “Grandma does think George’s murder was one of opportunity.”

  “See, I just gave you four solid suspects.” She sat there in the velvet wing chair with foils in her hair, a mug of tea in her hand, and a superior attitude on her face. “Now, tell me about your love life.”

  I paused, the glass bottle in one hand and the tiny brush full of polish in the other. “I don’t have a love life. Remember? I’m too busy being a murder suspect. But I’m really glad you and Craig are working out. You deserve some happiness in your life.”

  “So do you.” Tasha lasered in on me. “Are you interested in Sam? I get the impression he’s interested in you. Have you checked out his muscles? And his backside?” She fell back against her chair, all drama. If it were me, I’d have spilled tea all down the front of me, but Tasha could be dramatic with not even a drop of liquid leaving its container.

  “You have a boyfriend,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Why are you checking out Sam?”

  She batted her eyes at me. “Why, I’m checking him out for you, of course. It’s my BFF duty to make sure you have a prime specimen interested in you.”

  I laughed at her. “What about my BFF duty, hmm? Weren’t you the one to keep your new boyfriend a secret from me for nearly a month?”

  She wrinkled her nose and sipped her coffee. “That was different.”

  “How?”

  “I needed to trust my judgment. You know how bad things have been for me with men. I needed to know I could choose a good one on my own.” She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair and flung her hand. “I needed to learn to trust my own instincts.”

  I raised one eyebrow. “How’s that working out for you?”

  Her eyes grew big and a secret smile flirted across her face. “Wonderfully. You saw him at the dinner party the other night. Isn’t he great with people?”

  I nodded and raised my eyebrows in agreement.

  “Best of all, he’s great with Kip. He knows just how to handle him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sad his little nephew is autistic. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. But I’m happy to find a wonderful guy who doesn’t freak out when Kip doesn’t act the way he thinks he should.”

  I leaned back against the brocade of the settee. “Besides how Craig treats Kip, how’s he treating you?”

  “He’s been such a gentleman. It’s nice to be treated right for once.” Tasha’s eyes sparkled.

  “Good, I’m glad. You deserve the best, and I appreciate you asking him to keep an eye on me. It’s nice to know my friends have my back.”

  Her face went blank and there was a long awkward pause. “I’m sorry?” Her eyebrows formed a V shape and her mouth went a little flat.


  “Oh, you know.” I waved away her confusion as part of her stress-filled life. “When you asked him to follow me in the car that one time to make sure I got to the bakery safely.”

  “Oh, right.” Relief filled her expression. “I did that because I love you. Plus, Craig is a big guy. He’ll scare away the bad guys. It’s part of his appeal.”

  “Right? A girl has to appreciate big guys who scare away bad guys.” I made a final stroke on my pinkie toe and shoved the nail polish brush back into the container and twisted it tight. “If Sam hadn’t been there the other night, there’d be no telling what Ed would have done.” I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying not to think about what might have happened. “I mean, Ed was hopping mad about Chief Blaylock wanting to take all the deposit bags for testing.” I opened my eyes and sat up straight, leaning toward her. “If you had been there, you would have thought Ed was hiding something. He scared poor Meghan near to death.”

  Tasha rested her head against the velvet. “The whole incident sounds scary.”

  “It was. You should have seen Ed. He was crazy upset. I’m glad I didn’t lower the window all the way like he asked. I swear the man would have reached into the car and shaken me.”

  “If a man does that to a woman, then if you ask me, he deserves to die.” Tasha nodded and put her coffee cup down on the table and got up. “Time for me to rinse.”

  CHAPTER 27

  Sherry Williams came into the store early Monday morning. “I put a hold on the ghost walk tour brochure.” She was breathless. Her stilettos tapped hurriedly across the black-and-white tiles of the shop.

  “Why?”

  “To add the bank drive-thru where Ed died, of course.” She reached the counter, dressed in an aqua sheath dress with matching coat. A scarf was artfully tied around her neck, its complementary colors creating a Miss America feel. “I’ll take a large Sumatra,” she ordered. I handed her a wide coffee cup and saucer.

  “Anything to eat with that?”

  “Dear me, no, we still have goodies at the chamber from the memorial on Friday.” She clicked her way over to the coffee bar and poured coffee into her cup, added a splash of nonfat milk, stirred, and took a long sip. “Oh, my, that’s good.”