by Tonya Kappes
“I continued to ask my father about it. I quit after I felt terrible about it because I knew these people had second mortgages on their houses, and they didn’t know it. Then, the contractors started coming by to get their money because my father hadn’t paid them. They even threatened my father.” She snarled and hiccupped.
“Mr. Canter at the bank knew too?” This scheme was far-reaching and beyond more than just Hillary’s demise.
“Oh yeah. My father’s bank account was overdrawn by about three million dollars, and they ended up giving him another loan without telling the trustees. They knew my father was going to pay it back, only it caught up to him and all the companies involved.” She blazed tightly, with her hands still wrapped around the cord of the steamer. “Hillary came to me about it and told me her father was going to the FBI. I told her I knew nothing, but she knew I did. Then she said she was going to expose me and send me to jail for my hand in it. The night of the coat, the FBI came by our house. My father had the nerve to ask me to take the fall. Hillary was texting me and telling me that she was going to contact the newspaper if I didn’t get that coat for her.”
“How did you get the coat?” I asked, trying to think of a way to shove her out of my way to get out.
“Haven’t you been listening?” she spat. She hiccupped. “My father’s company rebuilt All About the Details, and we still have a set of keys to the back door. We put in the security cameras. I know exactly how they’re positioned. I slipped in the back door, out of the views of the cameras, and got the coat.”
“You met her in the middle of the night because you didn’t want anyone to see you give it to her?” It didn’t make sense.
“You’re not a very good lawyer. No wonder you brew coffee.” Her anger was bubbling, and I could tell she was coming to a head. “I was just going to give her the coat until I realized she was going to continue blackmailing me even after my father was arrested. It had to end with her.”
This Southern showdown was about to be over. She took one more step closer to me with that cord, but I knew that if I could get one of her arms, I’d be able to take her down.
“I’m sorry. I kinda liked your coffee.” She took another step, but I did too.
I raised my arms in the air and focused on grabbing her left forearm and bringing it down squarely down on my knee. The cracking sound and her screaming out in pain intense enough to send her to her knees told me that I’d broken her arm. She rolled over onto her back, cradling the limp limb.
“I think you broke my arm!” she yelled while she hiccupped.
“You know what?” My shoe slammed into her chest and cut off her breath. “You were right. For a lawyer, I wasn’t good. I was great!” I put a little more weight on her chest to make sure she felt my wrath. “That damn hiccup problem you’ve got is what gave it away. You hiccupped when you killed her, and a couple of people reported that they heard someone hiccup.”
The sound of shattering glass made me jump around. The ten hair-raising, heart-pounding minutes of terror were over when I saw Sheriff Shepard Spencer kick in the rest of the glass on the front door and run in with his gun drawn.
The hours that followed were pretty much a blur.
EIGHTEEN
“Then you said what?” Crissy asked.
This time, instead of Bunny Bowowski holding court with all the gossiping citizens who had come into the Bean Hive, folks were there to hear my story about how I took down Hillary Canter’s killer.
“I told her I was a damn great lawyer.” I dragged the steaming cup of coffee up to my lips and took a sip. I looked over at Pam Horton, Truman Philips, Emily Rich, Big Bib, and Babette Cliff.
Bentley and Pepper had curled up in Pepper’s bed. It was good to see that Pepper had finally accepted the Pet Palace adoptee, though it could have been that Bentley seemed a lot calmer.
“And that’s not all.” Mama nodded. “They arrested Hillary Canter’s uncle and Jana’s father. All the assets from JJ Builders are going to pay off the second mortgages, along with the contractors that need to be paid, including Patrick Cane and the Bee’s Knees Bakery.”
“Thank you, Mama.” I gave her a big hug.
“Don’t thank me.” She pointed at the door when the bell overhead dinged. “Thank your Aunt Maxi. She’s the one who blew up the internet and phones with her sleuthing, not to mention endlessly going down to the sheriff’s department and bugging them about it.”
“Aw, it was nothin’.” Aunt Maxi winked. She had on a fedora with a big purple feather sticking out of it, along with a light-purple caftan and a pair of purple ballet slippers. “It was the money that wasn’t accounted for that had me thrown for a loop.”
“What money was that?” I asked because I knew the checks left a paper trail right into JJ Builder’s account.
“Jana’s father had gotten a little too big for his britches.” Aunt Maxi pulled out her little newspaper notebook. “He was depositing the loan checks into his account, with the help of Jana, and that’s when he started to get greedy. There were big trips and lavish gifts. He figured since all the citizens were using his company, he’d be able to pay back what he took without people knowing. He even cashed a couple checks that totaled up to three hundred thousand dollars. And he buried it forty-one paces off the fifth tee of the Honey Springs Country Club golf course.”
“So that’s where Spencer had been spending all his time.” My jaw dropped. “They were looking for the cash.”
Bunny Bowowski meandered around the coffeehouse, refilling the cups with fresh coffee and offering up sweet treats to go with it.
“Jana’s father was coming clean, but Jana’s decision to kill Hillary was a completely separate crime. Her father only confessed to stealing the money because he thought if he could pay back some of the three million he’d embezzled, he’d get a shorter sentence.” Aunt Maxi was good at this stuff, much better than I figured her for. “Spencer had no idea the two crimes were paired until I got that call from Hillary the night she was murdered. He said that he went to see Jana at Queen for a Day to ask about her father, and she started to get the hiccups.”
“Oh, yeah. Dead giveaway,” I said.
“He couldn’t obviously match the hiccups in my voicemail from Hillary to Jana’s, but he decided to see if she’d gone to the doctor. He subpoenaed her medical records.” Aunt Maxi’s voice went down an octave and she got real mysterious. “The doctor said that when Jana gets nervous, she gets a case of the hiccups. It’s been that way since she was a little girl.”
“He put two and two together.” I smiled, thankful I took Jana down before she strangled me.
“Poor Hillary. She never saw it coming. According to the coroner’s report”—Aunt Maxi dug down into her messenger bag then took out the file—“Hillary was strangled from behind.”
The room was met with gasps.
“Now that it’s over, we can enjoy the summer tourists and get back to normal,” I proclaimed, holding my cup up in the air. “To Aunt Maxi.”
There was a round of “hear, hear.”
“I’ve got an announcement,” Babette said as she stood. “I’ve decided that Bentley belongs with me. He rounds out the three Bs.” She pointed at herself, then Bib, then Bentley. “Babette, Bib, and Bentley.”
“That’s wonderful news!” I rushed over and hugged her. “I knew he was a perfect fit. That’s why I asked you to take him for a while.”
“I have even more news.” Pam stood up and rested her hand on Truman’s shoulder. “Truman and I are going through with the wedding. It’s going to be exactly how I’ve always wanted my wedding to be, and Emily Rich is going to make that beautiful white cake with the pink and white flowers I’ve always wanted.”
The news was greeted with everyone giving them well wishes and congratulations. It was my time to slip out of the limelight and let Pam have the attention she so well deserved.
“Good job, baby.” Warm and familiar arms slipped around my waist from behind.
“When did you get here?” I turned around and smiled at Patrick.
“I came in the back door, and I didn’t want to disturb the fun y’all seemed to be having.” He winked. “I’m proud of you.”
“You are?” I asked.
“I am.” He gave me a kiss. “I’m not getting all my money back, but I’ll get at least some.”
“Where’s Timmy?” I asked when I didn’t see him with Patrick, since I knew he was watching him for Debbie.
“Debbie found a new babysitter.” He pulled at my engagement ring finger and looked at the beautiful ring he’d given me. “What about that date?”
“I’ve always loved the fall weather in Kentucky. And the trees are gorgeous around the Cocoon Inn that time of year. Perfect for an outdoor wedding.” I’d given him a date.
He picked me up and swung me around.
“Roxanne Bloom, you’ve just made me the happiest man alive.” He squeezed me tighter, setting my decision in stone.
“Did I hear you right?” Aunt Maxi didn’t miss a beat. I smiled at her. “Now, when am I gonna get a grandniece?”
“Don’t start that,” I warned. But I knew that since we’d set a date, she was going to bug me about a baby.
About the Author
Tonya has written over 40 novels and 4 novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor, and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, two very spoiled schnauzers and grew up in the small southern Kentucky town of Nicholasville. Now that her four boys are grown boys, Tonya writes fulltime.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Tonya Kappes. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Author Tonya Kappes, P.O. Box 176988, Ft. Mitchell, Ky. 41017