by Maymee Bell
A couple of beeps came from the computer, and a message screen appeared. Did Ray Peel have an iPhone? I couldn’t remember what brand of phone Carter had told me Ray had, but I did remember he’d said that Ray didn’t have any messages on his phone and that there weren’t any unusual numbers on the cell log he’d gotten back from the subpoena.
If he didn’t have text messages, then why were there some here? I looked at the messages and started to scroll through them. “Lizbeth,” I gasped when I saw a text from her and remembered the earring that she’d been wearing the day I’d gone to the Rumford newspaper offices. She had been looking for the match to the exact one I’d just found. But I thought you said you took it out of your ear when you talked on the phone, I thought, recalling her desperately searching for it that day.
I clicked on the message bubble with her name on it.
You owe me the money. The text was from Lizbeth.
Having invited you into my bed was payment enough. Ray Peel’s response made me sick to my stomach.
I’m going to go public with this. Lizbeth’s response to him made me wonder what Ray owed her money for and why he’d responded to her about their obvious intimacy.
You do and I’ll ruin your little newspaper and your career. I think I’ll go ahead and let people know just how you do business. As I read Ray’s comeback to her, I couldn’t help but think Lizbeth had a motive to kill Ray.
Whatever it was that he owed her, could she have she wanted it so badly that she killed him? I kept that question in my head as I read through the rest of the messages.
I’ll destroy you before I let you do that. You made me a promise.
What was the promise? I asked myself.
“Oh, honey. Mighty men have tried to take me down. I dare you. Promises are meant to be broken. I read the text from Ray out loud and could clearly imagine him saying it.
Pay me or else. This was a direct threat from Lizbeth.
Is that a threat? Ha-ha, Ray asked and appeared to be mocking her.
Just see what happens if you don’t pay me. I read the last text from Lizbeth and looked down at the earring. “What on earth were you doing with Ray Peel?” I said aloud, and I held the earring back up to the window to get another look at it.
The cock of a gun caught my attention, and I jerked around.
“I’ve been looking for that.”
I stared at the end of a handgun that was in the grip of Lizbeth Mockby.
“Why don’t you just hand me the earring, and we’ll talk about it,” she said.
“Why don’t you put the gun away?” I stood up with my hands in the air and with the earring dangling from the thumb and finger of my right hand. I glanced over at the table next to the lounger. The gun that’d been there was gone.
“I can’t do that now that you’ve found my earring and read through the text messages.” She held her free hand out in the gimme gesture. I dropped the earring in her palm, and she immediately shoved her hand into her pocket. “I really did like you. And the day you came to the office, I knew you were going to be trouble. I just never figured you’d beat me here.”
I gulped and really wished I’d been able to make the phone call to Carter so he knew where I was. Knowing that Madison and Cat would be here soon didn’t make me feel any better. I’d be dead by then, and Lizbeth would be long gone.
She stuck the gun in my ribs and said through gritted teeth, “Turn around and erase the messages. All of them.”
“I’m not sure I know how,” I lied, but I didn’t really have much to lose. “Carter has Ray’s phone. He probably already has your messages.”
“I took care of the phone. I erased all the messages after I hit Ray. I didn’t figure on this computer. I’ve been searching for my earring and just realized that I was wearing it the last time I was here.” For a split second she looked toward the chaise lounge and frowned. “I truly thought we were going to be a great couple.”
“I didn’t even know you were a couple,” I whispered and winced when she shoved the gun deeper into my ribs.
“Delete the messages,” she insisted.
“Fine.” I did know how to erase them, but if I acted like I didn’t, then maybe it would buy me time. “Since you’re going to kill me anyway, tell me: Why on earth would you kill Ray Peel?”
“He wasn’t very good at keeping his promises.” There was a crack in her voice. I could tell that she was very emotional, and I played on that.
“Just like a man,” I said, agreeing with her just to get more time to think through what was going on. I clicked a few buttons to pretend like I didn’t know what I was doing. “I didn’t even know he lived here.”
“I didn’t either until the other day. He said that he was transitioning his office from the winery to this location for his new franchise adventure.” Lizbeth seemed to know a lot more about Ray than I’d thought.
“Were you and Ray an item?” I asked, taking my time clicking down all the messages.
My eye caught one from Reba. It was exactly what she said she’d asked him about getting Giles to lift the employee dating rule.
“I found out that he was going to sell the property. He’d asked me to do a feature on the grand opening of Café Italia, and I told him I would be more than happy to do it if he put an ad in the paper. Ads are what keep the paper up and running.” She was so dedicated to her job, just like she’d been in high school.
She stood over my shoulder and didn’t jab me when she saw me hitting the “Delete” button.
“I hate computers,” she spat.
“I’m not sure—what does all of this have to do with Ray Peel?” I went ahead and deleted Reba’s message, knowing it’d go into the trash icon for Carter to find, just in case I did make it out of here alive and needed proof that Reba wasn’t lying.
“He said he was going to take out a full-page ad and that would take care of my production cost for a couple of weeks, buying me a little time to help bring in more ads. Just like I got you to take out an ad for the bakery. He said that he wanted to see and approve the photos I’d taken at the grand opening. That’s when I found out about him working out of this office.”
“Did he not like your pictures?” I still didn’t understand.
“Oh, he liked them. All of them. He also said he liked me, and he had this big spread of wine and cheese up here,” she said.
I could see her reflection from the screen of the computer monitor. She turned her head and looked back at the lounge.
“Are you telling me that Ray Peel forced himself on you? Because if he did, then Carter will see this as self-defense.” It was a long shot, but it was an excuse to get me out of here. At this point, I was willing to do just about anything.
“No. He said all the right things, and we did become intimate.” The gun against my ribs started to jiggle around as she tried to steady her shaking hand. “I couldn’t wait to get back to the office the next day to get his ad and the grand opening photos put in. I’d gotten a lot of great feedback, and he said that it brought in a lot of business. It was when I asked him to pay that he scoffed at me. He made fun of me and said that his payment was our intimate night together.”
“I’m so sorry.” It was Ray’s usual song and dance. He was very nice and charming to get what he wanted, and then when it was time to collect, he tore people down.
“I didn’t care about the one-night stand,” she seethed. “It was his lack of respect for the newspaper. He just thought he could throw his words around town to people. When I was at the grand opening, he told this one girl with blonde hair how excited he was that she’d chosen the winery for the location of the convention she was hosting. He also told Reba that he’d take care of the lease issue with Giles Dugan.” Her jaw tensed and her lips quivered. “At the fund-raiser, I was taking photos for Cat Fraxman. I overheard him tell her that he wasn’t going to give her the money. He also told the blonde that he wasn’t going to let her have her wine convention there, and then he t
old Reba that he did take care of the lease issue because he wasn’t going to let them use the winery anymore.”
When I finally got to her messages on the computer, she stopped and leaned over my shoulder. The entire thread was about him not paying for the ad and even a couple of threats about how he wasn’t going to get away with this. She’d written that somehow, some way, she was going to make him pay.
“Erase it,” she demanded.
“At what point did you decide to kill him?” I asked and scrolled down to the bottom of the thread.
“After the blonde slapped him, I knew I had to confront him. The text messages weren’t enough. I followed him through the vineyard. He was nasty and said that I was following him because I wanted him. I told him I didn’t want a liar and that he couldn’t make promises to people and then just throw them away.” She paused. She took a deep breath and looked at the computer.
I dragged the arrow icon on the computer over the trash icon and was ready to hit delete. When that seemed to pacify her, she continued.
“I told him that I was going to put an exposé in the paper and interview all the people he’d made veiled promises to and then gone back on. I told him how he was going to be exposed for how he ruined people’s lives just to get ahead. I even threatened to dig into his background because I heard from the blonde how he’d made promises all his life to her and never held up his end of the deal. He said that he was the wealthiest man in the town and that no one would believe me because my ‘little waste of paper’ would be out of business soon enough. He said that no one read the paper anyways. They were googling and getting information online.” She put her hand to her heart. “I stood there watching his lips move. I heard a few words here and there, but I was calculating a plan to destroy him.”
I hit the “Delete” button and turned around to face her. She took a step back and held the gun out in front of her.
“So how did you kill him?” I had to know.
“I agreed with him. It took everything in my power to act like I believed another lie he was telling me. I said, ‘You know what Ray? You’re right. I’m going to do one last story, and it’s going to be on the closing of the winery and how you’re going off on this big franchise adventure.’ ” She drew a hand in the air like it was a Broadway marquee. “ ‘Small-town Boy Makes Big-Time Moves.’ He liked that. He suggested I get a picture of him by some of the vines we were standing near. He turned around and walked over to pose. When he turned around, I’d already drawn my camera up over my head to hit him as hard as I could. I knew if I got him to the ground, I’d hit him again and again until he was dead.” Her voice faded, and she looked down at the camera hanging around her neck. She gently stroked it. “Little did I realize this fellow could take down Ray Peel in one hit.” She smiled.
“That’s why he had a look of shock on his face,” I whispered.
“Now that there’s truly no evidence in the computer and no one knows you’re here, it’s time I take care of you. I’m not a big fan of blood, so I think I’ll use my weapon of choice.” She slipped the gun in the waistband of her jeans. It was like she was in slow motion as she walked and drew that camera up in the air. “I hope you only have to have one whack too.” There was a sick upbeat tone to her voice.
“You don’t have to do this.” I put my hand up. “I would never tell anyone. I think Ray got what he deserved. I’ll buy a year of ads in the paper,” I begged, squeezing my eyes shut.
When I realized she wasn’t going to listen to me I jumped out of the chair and lunged forward in the hope that I’d be able to either push her out of the way or dodge the bullet to save myself. She gasped and grabbed my arm, and her nails ripped into my skin.
My goal was to stay out of the morgue drawer. My adrenaline took away the pain and any rational thoughts I had. I jerked my leg up, giving her a good swift kick to the knee, sending her to the ground.
“Stop right there, Lizbeth.” The cock of a gun and Carter’s voice sent a sudden surge of relief through me. I opened my eyes. “I know what happened. I got the messages from Ray Peel’s cell phone carrier.”
Lizbeth let go of the camera, and it thudded against her chest. Carter jerked the gun from her waistband.
“I’m not sorry I killed him.” There wasn’t any trace of remorse in her voice. If Carter hadn’t shown up, I’m sure she would have killed me too. She was willing to do what she needed to do to keep the Rumford Journal alive and well.
Carter quickly cuffed her and read her rights. I could hear sirens approaching. It was over.
* * *
“All because of the newspaper.” I stood in the foyer telling Madison, Clarice, and Cat what’d happened.
“If I’d walked in this house ten minutes earlier, I might’ve stopped her.” Clarice looked at me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“After I talked to you on the phone, I got to thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to drive over and look at the place. I saw that your car was here, and I recognized Lizbeth’s because she has done some stories on the bed and breakfast in return for me putting an ad in the paper, so I figured she was here to do a story on the property.” She shook her head. “I decided to go and get a look at that cabin near the lake. When I got back, all this was going on.”
“So, are you thinking about buying the property?” Madison asked Clarice. “I’m representing the seller, and we’d love to entertain an offer.”
Cat readily agreed. “Plus, all of the sale will go toward the loan on the new addition to the library. I’m willing to give you a good deal.”
“I think we can make a deal,” Clarice agreed.
Madison clapped her hands together and smiled widely.
“I guess this is kind of my revenge on Ray after he said I was only good for the less-fortunate clients.” She laughed and put her arm around my shoulder. “Let’s get you home.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” I said, nodding.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The day had finally arrived, and Rumford was buzzing with excitement. The Garden Club had new banners with a photo of the library made for the lampposts along Main Street. The mayor even declared it Library Day and was going to give Cat a key to the city at the ceremony.
The two-story extension made the library the tallest and newest building in our small town. It was the living roof that was the most spectacular.
“Mother Nature was good to us today.” Cat had on a very pretty A-line, flower-print dress and black flats. “Can you believe it’s finally here?”
“I think it’s pretty amazing.” I looked around at the rooftop getaway. There were trees, bluegrass, and even moss that had the most beautiful green tones. The pops of red, yellow, white, purple, and orange flowers made the living, green-space areas of the roof stand out.
“These are amazing.” I’d recreated different book covers on cookies and cupcakes for the occasion.
“I did a whole section for the children’s addition.” I pointed over to another display. “I could’ve done a lot more fancy desserts, but I knew there were going to be so many kids here with their families, and I really wanted the families to feel welcome. This is the heartbeat of the town, and if they ever need a safe place, you’ve created it right here.”
Cat hugged me. Her face beamed with pride, as it should have.
“I can’t thank you enough. When I asked you to cater the desserts, I never imagined how all this was going to come together.” She wiped a tear that’d fallen down her cheek.
“This isn’t a time for tears. It’s a time for smiles and celebrations,” I assured her. “Tell me, how are your parents?”
“After Clarice Covington signed over the check to buy the estate, I could see relief on my dad’s face that he wasn’t going to have to come out of retirement so he could put food on the table again.” She pinched her lips together. “Who knew Ray Peel had a kind heart after all?”
“I still can’t believe that it was Lizbeth Mockby who did it
,” Madison said, walking up to us.
Charlotte, Bitsy, Clarice, and Carter trailed behind her.
“Y’all are a little early.” I looked at them.
“No,” Cat said, “they are right on time.”
A waitress from the food catering company Cat had hired walked up with a tray of champagne, as if right on cue. Carter took the liberty of helping himself to a flute off the tray and handing each of us our own drink.
“I’m not going to lie. When I’d heard you’d come back to town months ago, I was curious how this was all going to play out.” He stared straight into my soul. “I never thought you’d stick your nose into Emile’s death and certainly wouldn’t have thought you’d do it again with Ray Peel.” He sighed. “No matter how much I begged you to stop, you couldn’t do it. Your heart is so big when it comes to your family and friends that sometimes it just takes over your thoughts. And if it weren’t for your curiosity about looking at his computer and finding his text messages, I’m not sure I’d ever have found out that Lizbeth Mockby was the killer.” He held his glass into the air. “To Sophia. We are all glad you found your way home.”
With tears in my eyes, I held my glass up and made eye contact with each one of my friends. They all held a special place in my heart. I was excited to see exactly where my relationship with Carter was headed.
“Sophia!” Sally Ann Ford ran toward me.
If it weren’t for her voice, I’d never have recognized the little girl I’d seen a few days ago. Today her hair was out of the pigtails and hung straight down her back. Instead of the dirty jeans and Converse shoes, she had on a pair of black and red striped leggings and a school T-shirt to match.
“Sally Ann,” I said, smiling and giving her a hug, “I’m beyond thrilled you’re here. I wasn’t sure if you’d come or not.”
“When you called my granny and told her you had a surprise for me, I had to come. I was bursting with excitement. What do you have for me?”