by Kathi Daley
“So Helen really didn’t realize that Harriet was the author of Sinful Secrets until the October blog published?” Kyle asked with a look of doubt on his face.
“Not according to what she told me. She said that Harriet never said or did anything to indicate she was behind the blogs, and it wasn’t until Helen realized that Harriet was one of the few people who knew about the secret behind Haley Baldwin’s birth that she began to suspect that Harriet was involved.”
By the time Kyle and I had made our primary list, Roy arrived with the computer. It was password protected, so Kyle got to work breaking the passcode while Roy and I chatted.
“I managed to track down the four blogs which had already been published,” Roy said.
“I read the first one, and I know the content of the second one, which featured Bookman, Bree, and Jenna. I had the most recent blog in my spam folder, but we still need to take a look at September.”
Roy used his tablet to pull up the missing blog. By the time the September issue of Sinful Secrets was published, Harriet had definitely passed over to the dark side. The September blog had the information about Jimmy cheating on Nancy, as well as proof that Adam Levine had likewise been cheating on his wife, Veronica. A statement was also made about Wilma Fisher embezzling funds from her boss, which resulted in her being fired and criminal charges being brought against her. After deleting victims such as Kyle and me, Jenna and Dennis, Bookman, and Bree and Pastor Dan, we ended up with ten suspects: Nancy and Jimmy Johnson, Walter and Brandy Baldwin, Margie and Carl Holden, Adam and Veronica Levine, Mark Riverton and Wilma Fisher.
“I’ll talk to all of them, and we’ll see where we end up,” Roy said. He looked at Kyle. “You should still try to get into her computer. It has occurred to me that Harriet might have other victims lined up to rat out. She has presented just three victims per month at this point. I can see how she might have other revelations just waiting for an opening. I can also see that someone might have figured out what she was doing and killed her to keep her quiet. I know Helen said Harriet promised to stop publishing the blog, but that doesn’t mean she would have. And even if she wasn’t going to publish it, potential victims who may have found out what she planned to reveal may not have known she planned to retire.”
“I’ll get in,” Kyle promised. “I’ll call you when I do.”
After Roy left, it occurred to me that perhaps it might be worth our while to search Harriet’s home. I was sure that Roy and/or his partner, Kate, had already done so, but I knew I would feel better if I took a peek myself. Kyle wasn’t a fan of breaking into her home since it was right smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood with a bunch of close neighbors, but I knew Helen had a key, so I asked if we could use it, and when she agreed, Kyle and I picked it up and then headed toward Harriet’s.
“I’ve been inside this home dozens of times,” I said to Kyle after we arrived, “but now that I know Harriet is dead, the place feels somewhat creepy and haunted.”
“I doubt the house is haunted, but I do understand what you mean. Let’s start with her home office and see what we can find. I’m hoping my software will have broken the password on Harriet’s computer by the time we get home. Between what we find here and what we find on the computer, I’m hoping we will have an idea as to the identity of our killer by the end of the day.”
“That would be nice.”
I followed Kyle through the living room and down the hallway to Harriet’s office. The first thing I noticed was that the room had been tossed. The file cabinet drawers were open, and every file that had been stored within was on the floor.
“I think someone beat us to it,” Kyle said.
“You don’t think the cops did this?”
Kyle shook his head. “No. If they searched the place, they would have been a lot more deliberate in their effort. If I had to guess, the person who killed Harriet was most likely the one to come by looking for something. Don’t touch anything. We should call Roy. He might be able to find some prints or other physical evidence.”
After calling Roy, Kyle and I headed back to his place. This investigation seemed to be getting increasingly frustrating with every clue we uncovered.
“Grandpa planned to head over to Doc’s to work on the investigation into the explosion. Doc is a pretty smart cookie, perhaps we should call them and see what, if anything, they might have figured out,” I suggested.
“Sounds fine with me. Ask them to come over if you want.”
I called Grandpa, and he informed me that they did have news to share and would be right over. I made yet another pot of coffee and set out some snacks. All this running around was exhausting, in spite of the fact it was only mid-afternoon.
By the time Doc’s car pulled up in the driveway, the coffee had brewed. “So you said you had news?” I asked Grandpa after he and Doc had settled around the dining table with Kyle and me.
Grandpa looked at Doc. “Doc knows a guy who knows a guy who was owed a favor by one of the men who works at the crime lab.” Doc used to be a coroner, so more often than not, he had connections when we needed them the most. “According to the contact working the case, the bomb that was used to blow up the town hall was military grade stuff and not something an amateur might throw together.”
“So are you saying that someone in the military is behind this?”
“Not at all,” Doc answered my query. “The bomb was military grade, but it is also a munition that is readily available on the black market for the right price.”
“So our killer has money,” Kyle said.
Doc nodded. “Money and influence. This made me think about James Kingston.”
“Roy said he spoke to James, and he didn’t think he was behind this,” I responded. “Besides, we have new information to share about Harriet’s role in the whole thing.”
I filled Grandpa and Doc in on everything we had learned from Roy, as well as from Frannie and Helen. To say that both Doc and Grandpa were shocked would be putting it mildly.
“I just can’t imagine Harriet doing such a thing,” Grandpa said, shaking his head. “I’ve known Harriet since before you were born. She did tend to gossip, and she occasionally took a rigid stance when it came to what she considered to be appropriate versus inappropriate behavior, but I’ve never known her to be intentionally hurtful.”
I offered Grandpa a look of compassion. “I was surprised as well, but after everything that Helen told me, it sort of fits.”
“Did any of the victims of her blog have the connections or financial resources to buy a bomb on the black market?” Doc asked.
Kyle and I went through each of the suspects we had identified one at a time. After discussing possible means of obtaining the cash they’d need to buy a military grade bomb, we came to the conclusion that it was highly unlikely that any of the ten were the killer we were after.
“Harriet’s home office was tossed,” I said. “This leads me to believe that someone was after something that hasn’t been made public yet.”
“Maybe one of the subjects of the November blog had reason to suspect that Helen was the one behind the blog, and decided to stop her,” Grandpa suggested.
I nodded. “That makes as much sense as anything.”
“Has anyone been able to get a peek at the November blog?” Doc asked. “It seems that Harriet might have started to work on it.”
“Kyle is working on it, but so far, we haven’t come across any files associated with the blog,” I answered.
“I’ll find them,” Kyle promised. “If the files exist, and I suspect they do, I’ll find them.”
Doc frowned as he sat back in his chair. “If the theory is that someone gave something to Harriet, such as a wrapped gift to open later or to pass on to someone else, they must have been by the town offices on the day of the bombing. Harriet wouldn’t put the gift in her purse and then carry it
around for days, but I can see her putting the gift in her purse and then taking it home or dropping it off with the person for whom it was intended.”
“So the killer had to have been in Harriet’s office on the day of the bombing,” I said.
Doc nodded. “That does make sense. I know the town office, like the council chambers, was destroyed in the blast, but the town hall did have video surveillance. The video from that day must be saved in the cloud somewhere.”
Kyle jumped up. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” He hurried across the room and picked up his laptop. He brought it back to the table and logged on. It took him a few minutes to find what he was looking for. He frowned.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The security video from that day has been deleted. The system was turned off once the file was deleted. The last video in the cloud is of the day prior to the bombing.”
“Deleted? Who has access?” I asked.
“Bookman, Harriet, myself, as well as the security company the town contracts with.” Kyle looked up from his screen. “It is much more likely that the site was hacked than it is that someone with access deleted the video feed.”
“So our killer is someone with both the connections and financial wherewithal to buy a military grade explosive, and the skill to hack into the town’s security system and delete an entire file?” I asked.
Kyle nodded. “It looks like that might be the case.”
Well, that can’t be good.
Kyle and I chatted with Doc and Grandpa for a while longer. We discussed possible suspects who might be connected, wealthy, and have computer skills that would allow them to hack into the town’s security system, but in the end, we didn’t come up with anyone. We all agreed that we would continue to ponder the question in the hope that something would eventually come to one of us. After Doc and Grandpa left, I turned to Kyle. “I told Jenna I would meet her for a drink this afternoon, and then I thought I’d talk to the girls about our engagement. Is that okay?”
Kyle looked surprised by my question. “Of course. You don’t have to ask me for permission to spend time with your best friend or chat with your sisters.”
“I know. I just feel like I am deserting you.”
“I’m fine. Really. I think I am going to work on the files I’ve been able to download from the town’s server. Finding the person who killed Lloyd and Harriet is important, but putting a band-aid on the town is important as well. At some point, I feel like everything is going to come crashing down if we don’t start to put things back together sooner than later.”
I began gathering my belongings. It had been such a long day. Was it really just this morning that I had told Jenna about Kyle and me? It seemed so long ago. I had meant to tell Kyle right away that I had shared our news with Jenna, but I guess with everything that was going on, I hadn’t gotten around to it. “I told Jenna about us getting married. I know we decided to wait to tell anyone, but she picked up on something I said, and it sort of slipped out.”
Kyle smiled softly. “I’m fine with you telling anyone you want, whenever you want.”
“I’ve been thinking about things, and I think I should tell Ashley and Gracie before I tell anyone else.”
“Sure. I understand that.”
“After I tell them, I think I should tell my dad and grandpa. They deserve to know before we tell people in general. Oh and your mother too, of course.”
Kyle stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I agree with all of that, especially that Ashley and Gracie should be told first. Our marrying affects them almost as much as it affects us. Should we tell them together?”
I took a step back. “I think it might be best if I talk to Ashley and Gracie alone. At least initially. I want them to feel free to express any concerns they may have, and I know that if you are part of the conversation, Gracie might not express what is on her mind. She loves you, and she wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings even if she does have questions or concerns.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah. Okay. I guess that makes sense. I suppose I should have considered the fact that the girls might not be happy about our decision.”
“You know they love you.”
“I know, but our getting married will be a big change for them. You are right to be concerned about how they will take the news.”
No wonder I loved this man. He always put the needs of others before his own. “I’ll talk to them tonight. Once I feel that they have had the chance to speak their minds, we can talk to them together.”
Chapter 12
Drinks with Jenna turned into wine at her kitchen table once we realized that Dennis had a shift and there was no one to watch the girls who’d all congregated at her house once she’d returned from sitting with Bookman that morning. It was nice to spend time with her, but I could see that she was exhausted, so our visit was short, although she did have some good advice for my conversation with Ashley and Gracie: Keep it real, validate their feelings and concerns whatever they might be, but tell the truth, and don’t, at any point, try to downplay my intention to marry Kyle with or without their permission. Jenna was right. Ashley had a tendency to be manipulative, and I had a tendency to get drawn into her manipulation. If I entered the conversation from the position of asking for their permission to marry Kyle, things were bound to disintegrate to the point where I’d find myself promising to put our wedding on the back burner. I needed to let them know I was marrying Kyle but wanted to be sure their questions were answered and their concerns addressed.
“So did you girls have fun today?” I asked after the three of us congregated on Gracie’s bed along with her dog, Pumpkin, and cat, Crissy.
“So much fun,” Ashley said. “Rosalie can sew really well. The purses she helped Kristi and me make are going to make all the girls in our class so jealous. After Jenna picked us up, she took us to the store with her, and everyone was looking at them and commenting on how awesome they were.”
“It is a pretty great purse. It looks like you are really getting into sewing.”
Ashley grinned. “I love it. Kristi does too, although Jenna can sew, so Kristi has help at home. I know you don’t like to sew, but now that Papa is marrying Rosalie and she is living with us full time, I’ll have help any time I want. Rosalie said she’d talk to Papa about turning one of the guest rooms into a sewing room where we can each have our own sewing machine and sewing closet.”
I forced a smile. “That sounds really great.” Dang it. How I was I going to convince Ashley that moving out to Kyle’s was going to be a good idea when Rosalie was dangling a sewing room over her head? Of course, Rosalie didn’t know I planned to move in with Kyle, and she was doing a nice thing for Ashley, so I supposed it would be petty of me to be mad. I looked at Gracie. “How was the movie with Papa?”
“It was fun. I love princess movies, and Papa bought us whatever we wanted from the snack bar instead of making us share like you usually do. Kari ate a whole tub of popcorn and drank a large soda by herself. I think it made her tummy rumbly, but it was fun to be able to each choose our own things.”
“I bet it was. Did you get your costume for the play?”
Gracie nodded. “Kari didn’t want to be a tree, so Papa talked Ms. Woods into letting her be an Indian girl.”
“That’s wonderful. It sounds like you both had an awesome day.”
Gracie picked up Crissy who had crawled into her lap. She gave the soft gray cat a gentle hug. “We did. Did you have a fun day too?”
“I did,” I lied since the day had turned out to be anything but fun.
“How is Kyle feeling?” Gracie asked. “Are his ribs better?”
“They are getting better, but you still can’t jump on him when you see him. I thought that maybe the two of you could come out to dinner with Kyle and me tomorrow.”
Ashley shrugged. “I guess.”<
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“Can we get pizza?” Gracie asked.
“Anything you want.”
“I want lobster,” Ashley said. “Pizza is for babies.”
Trying to stay away from things that were for babies was a big theme with Ashley lately, which only confirmed that she was ready to leave her childhood behind, and move onto the terrible teens.
“The last time I went to Rob’s Pizza, half the place was filled with teenagers, so I don’t think that pizza is for babies, but I wouldn’t mind the four of us having a really nice dinner.” I looked at Gracie. “I think The Beef and Brew is still closed, but there is that new steakhouse on the lake. They have lobster, which Ashley wants, but I think they have a casual dining menu as well. I don’t know if they have pizza, but I’m sure they would have something that you would want. Would that be okay with you?”
Gracie frowned. “Can I wear the new dress Rosalie bought me?”
“Sure. That would be perfect for the restaurant.”
Gracie crossed her legs under her body. “Okay.”
Okay, Tj, time to go in strong and direct. “I do have something sort of important to talk to you about.” I tried to keep the hesitation out of my voice, but I didn’t sound as calm and casual as I’d hoped.
“Something bad?” Ashley asked.
I shook my head and forced a smile. “No. Something good. Very good.”
“Are we getting a new puppy?” Gracie squealed.
“No, we aren’t getting a new puppy. We have plenty of animals. But it does involve an addition to the family.”