by Kathi Daley
Tony and I had uncovered a lot of dirty linen, but we still didn’t know who killed Pike.
“Where does this leave us?” I asked as Tony started the car.
“I was about to ask you the same question.”
“I wonder why Rita would lie about seeing Austin’s car at Pike’s on the day he died.”
“Maybe she didn’t lie. Maybe she was just confused.” Tony turned onto Main Street so I could retrieve my Jeep. “I need to be home for a conference call in a little over an hour. Do you want to come over? I have a new video game.”
******
I fed the animals, then changed into jeans and a T-shirt. It was a cold evening, but I’d be inside, so I chose a sweatshirt rather than my heavy jacket. As soon as Tang and Tilly had finished their dinner, I loaded them into the Jeep and headed toward town. Although neither Tony nor I lived in the incorporated area known as White Eagle, I lived on the south side of town and he lived on the mountain to the north, so it was necessary to pass through town when traveling from one residence to the other. As I passed Pike’s Place, I found myself pulling into the parking lot. The bar was crowded this evening and I wasn’t in the mood for a drink, but I had an urge to return to Pike’s cabin one final time.
When I got out of my Jeep I found the front door unlocked. I turned the knob and quietly went inside. The cabin was dark except for a thin strip of light showing beneath the bedroom door. I walked slowly to the door and opened it. “Fantasia. What are you doing here?”
“I suppose I could ask you the same thing.”
I looked around the room, noticing the furniture had been moved since the last time I was here. “I stopped by to check on things,” I eventually answered. “But it seems you’re looking for something.”
“Whatever would I be looking for?” Fantasia laughed as she made her way to the doorway, where I was standing.
I could see she expected me to step aside to allow her to pass, but I held my ground. Suddenly everything was beginning to come together. “You killed Pike.”
“What?” Fantasia tried to look shocked, but her acting left a lot to be desired. “Why on earth would I kill Pike?”
“Pike came to your home to speak to Austin about the secret of his birth. Amberley told me that you liked to snoop, so I imagine you overheard the conversation. You’re a young, beautiful woman who’s married to an old but rich man. It seems obvious Austin’s money was the main attraction.”
“Of course Austin’s money was behind my interest in him. It’s not against the law to marry for money.”
“No, it’s not. But when you found out Austin wasn’t the child of Dillinger and Alberta Wade, you panicked. The only other person, as far as you knew, who knew the truth was Pike, so you borrowed Austin’s car when he was out of town and killed him.”
Fantasia’s face hardened, but she didn’t reply right away. When she spoke, she said bitterly, “What would you do if you married a man with one foot in the grave to secure your own financial security, only to find out he wasn’t who you thought he was, that he might, after all was said and done, end up penniless?”
‘I certainly wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“Pike knew Austin’s secret, which made him a liability. If Austin’s brothers found out he wasn’t a Wade they’d probably disinherit him.”
“They do know and they didn’t.”
Fantasia looked confused. “They know?”
“I spoke to Austin today and he told me that he’d shared his secret with his brothers when he returned from his trip.”
Fantasia narrowed her gaze. “I saw you at the house earlier and figured you were there to discuss Austin’s situation. I hoped you didn’t know the truth, but I suppose if he let the cat out of the bag it really doesn’t matter. I can’t believe Austin would be foolish enough to take such a risk with my money.”
“You mean his money,” I countered.
“His, mine; they’re one and the same now that we’re married.”
“I’m sure the Wade family trust is written in such a way as to ensure that gold diggers don’t get much once their wealthy husbands die.”
Fantasia raised a brow. “You think so?”
“I do. But I suppose it doesn’t really matter because you’re going to have a hard time spending Austin’s money from prison.”
Fantasia pulled a small handgun out of her jacket pocket. “I’m not going to prison. I found the button I realized had popped off my jacket when I was here, so once I kill you there won’t be any evidence to show I was ever here.”
“There are other people who saw Austin’s car here the day Pike died.”
“Austin’s car, not mine.”
“Someone will figure it out.”
“Doubtful.”
Fantasia lifted the gun and aimed it at my chest. I couldn’t believe the crazy woman was actually going to shoot me. I did the only thing I could and ran toward her to tackle the gun from her hand. The gun went off and I felt a sharp stab of pain as I fell to the floor. Luckily, I landed on top of Fantasia, who hit her head on the way down. I rolled off her and checked for a pulse. She was alive but unconscious. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed 911.
Chapter 10
Saturday, December 23
“I’m telling you, Star Wars figurines aren’t considered to be acceptable tree ornaments,” Bree argued as she tried to convince Shaggy to make room for the beautiful glass ornaments she’d brought. Bree, Shaggy, Tony, and I were having a friends’ Christmas dinner tonight because we had plans with family over the holiday. Shaggy and Bree had called a truce and agreed to get along, at least for the moment, which made me deliriously happy.
It had been a rough few days. While the bullet had just grazed my side, it had still required an overnight stay at the hospital and leave from work until the stitches came out. I wasn’t thrilled with all the sitting around, but Tony had been going out of his way to keep me occupied.
I’d adopted a black, longhaired kitten as a companion for Tang. She was a sweet little thing I’d named Tinder. I guess having some time at home to get the kittens used to each other was a good thing. Hopefully, once Tilly and I went back to work, Tang and Tinder would be perfectly happy to stay home and destroy my cabin.
Tang and Tinder were chasing each other around the room while Tilly and my Christmas present to Tony got to know each other. Brady had learned that the dog with the wounded paws had been on his own since his owner had died, so I decided a sweet and very intelligent German shepherd, whose name, I learned, was Titan, was exactly the sort of Christmas present Tony needed. I supposed I was taking a risk when I just showed up with the dog, but Tony seemed both shocked and delighted by my gift.
As for Pike’s murder, Fantasia was in jail. I felt bad for Austin, but I was pretty sure he was better off without that gold-digging bimbo. While Tony and I hadn’t answered all the questions we’d uncovered along our journey, we’d resolved a few. We still didn’t know what Pike had been looking for when he’d visited the library, but Adam Weston had verified that his father had stolen Bloomfield’s gold, and we now knew Bloomfield had been killed by a man whose wife he’d been sleeping with. White Eagle had been born of the sweat of men and women who’d dared to pit their wiliness against the elements, and after discovering some of the hardships our founding fathers had endured, I suspected there were more secrets buried with them.
“Considering Shaggy and Bree are playing nicely now, this should be a good time for me to give you your Christmas present,” Tony said.
I smiled. “You got me something?”
“I did, but we’ll need to go downstairs.”
“Sounds mysterious, but I’m game.”
Tony took my hand and led me down to the cellar. He closed the door and motioned for me to sit on the sofa. Once I was comfy he handed me a folder.
“What’s this?”
“A clue.”
My eyes got big. “A clue in the case we decided to abandon and never speak of
again?”
Tony nodded. “Even though we agreed to put this mystery behind us, I’ll admit I’ve been spending some of my free time on the puzzle we uncovered when we looked in to your father’s death. I can’t say I’ve found anything that would constitute an answer, but I might be getting somewhere after all these years.”
“I thought you said I’d be better off leaving it alone.”
“I did say that. And if you think that’s best you don’t need to open the folder.”
I looked at it with uncertainty. I’d tried to put it all behind me, but I suppose I still wanted to know. I opened the folder to find a photo of my dad. He was standing near a wall with water behind it. I didn’t recognize it, so I glanced at Tony.
“The photo was taken in Los Angeles. See this building here?” Tony pointed to a building in the background. “It was constructed ten years ago, after the building that had originally stood there was destroyed in a fire.”
“Ten years ago? But my dad died thirteen years ago.”
“You’ve said from the beginning there was something suspicious about not only your dad’s death but his life before that. Unless your father had a twin, I’d say you were on to something.”
To say I was shocked would be putting it mildly. From as far back as I could remember, my dad had been a long-haul trucker who was away from home most of the time, leaving me feeling unloved and deserted. At some point I’d begun to imagine that he hadn’t abandoned me to deliver canned goods from one coast to the other, but rather was away from his family because of some superimportant role he played to ensure the safety of all humankind. Pretending my dad was a spy or superhero gave me comfort, so when I’d found the letter I was sure was a secret message, I’d taken it to Tony. To learn the letter had been nothing of the kind was disappointing, but I’d found I was still obsessed with finding out who my father was and whether he was really dead. The remains that had been delivered to my mother had consisted of little more than ash, so as far as I was concerned, unless I could prove otherwise, my dad was alive and dead. Tony had been drawn in by my story and agreed to help me. As time passed and every clue led to a dead end, Tony had encouraged me to let it go, to get on with my life. I’d tried to do that, but it appeared Tony hadn’t given up on the project after all.
A tear slid down my cheek. Tony pulled me to my feet, gathered me into his arms, and hugged me. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“No. It’s okay. I want—no, I need to know the truth. But after so many years of chasing clues that ended up not being clues at all, I guess I’d mostly given up.” I pulled back slightly so Tony and I were face-to-face, his nose less than an inch from mine. “We need to find him. If he’s alive, I need to know where he’s been and why he deserted his family.”
Tony used a finger to move a strand of my long hair from my cheek and tuck it behind my ear. “If your dad is alive I’ll find him. If he’s died in the years since this photo was taken, I’ll find that out as well. But before I continue, I want you to be sure you’re prepared to know the truth. Finding out what happened to your dad might not provide you with the comfort or closure you’re looking for.”
“You think he might not be the good guy I remember?”
“I think there are a lot of reasons a man may choose to disappear. Not all of them will be noble. Are you sure you want the truth, knowing it may not be what you want to hear?”
I nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Okay. Then I’ll keep looking. It only took me twelve years to find this photo; just imagine what I can do with another twelve,” Tony said in a light voice that was meant to sound joking, though I knew he was quite serious.
“I know the answers I’m looking for are buried deep and I’m not expecting you to find my answers in a day, but it comforts me to know you’re looking.” I wasn’t sure if my dad had left because he had an important role to play or if he’d simply grown bored and decided to carve out a new life, but whatever the reason for his departure from my life, I knew finding my answers was the only way I was going to be able to really move on from the mystery that had consumed my life for more than thirteen years.
Tony hugged me again, squeezing me so tightly I could barely breathe. I wasn’t sure what he said, but it sounded like he was whispering to me in Italian. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Tony’s family was from Italy, but somehow, I’d never thought of him as being Italian.
“I guess we should go back up to make sure the kids are behaving themselves,” Tony said before kissing me on the forehead and taking a step back.
“Are you talking about the four-legged kids or the human ones?”
“Both. I’ve prepared a delicious meal and I’d hate for it to end up on someone’s head.”
I felt a warmth in my heart as Tony and I returned upstairs to find Shaggy and Bree laughing as they looked through an old photo album, while both dogs and cats were watching from their pillows in front of the fire. For a brief moment I felt like we were almost a family, but knowing Bree and Shaggy, when the magic of Christmas passed they’d be back at each other’s throats.
“I think your dogs are in love with each other,” Shaggy commented.
“Yeah, I don’t think Tilly is going to be happy when we leave,” Bree seconded.
“They do look pretty content,” Tony agreed.
“I guess we’ll just have to get together more often so the dogs can visit,” I said.
Tony smiled as he took my hand in his and led me to the kitchen, where the feast he’d prepared for us was waiting to be served. As I spooned green beans into a bowl, I gave a silent prayer of thanks for the magic of the holiday and the good friends I was blessed to share it with.
Coming 12/15/2017 from Kathi Daley Books
http://amzn.to/2Abbrzr
Preview Reindeer Roundup
Out Now From Dianne Harman
You may be familiar with my friend Dianne Harman’s cozy mysteries, but if not you are in for a treat. Check out her newest release. Here is the link: http://amzn.to/2AqsZYy
Michelle D’Amato’s pregnant with San Francisco millionaire octogenarian Bernie Snow’s baby, but he’s dead, and a lot of people would like to see her dead as well, so her baby can’t lay claim to his vast estate. Was that why he was murdered? And if so, who killed him? Was it for his money or revenge?
Bernie had threatened to disinherit his ne’er-do-well son, Larry, and his estranged daughter, Toni, so maybe they murdered him before he could carry out his threat. Then there’s Toni’s husband, Rocco, who has ties to the mob and is desperate for money. What about Jim, who’s still angry with Bernie after he was forced out of the electronics company he and Bernie founded? Or even Dr. T, who operates a sperm bank and facilitated Michelle’s pregnancy. He knew her future born child would have a legitimate claim to Bernie’s estate, even if she didn’t, and that was a lot of money.
Join Liz, Roger, and their dog, Winston, in a race against time as they search for the killer before Michelle either suffers a miscarriage caused by stress or is the next murder victim.
This is book number eight in the popular Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series by USA Today Bestselling Author and seven time Amazon All-Star, Dianne Harman.
Sneak Peek – Reindeer Roundup
Friday, December 15
I wasn’t sure exactly when the fog had rolled in, but I was having the darnedest time trying to figure out where I was and what it was I was supposed to be doing. Even though the fog was so thick I couldn’t clearly define the images surrounding me, I could see red and green blinking lights overhead. I closed my eyes as nausea gripped me. I tried to focus and figure out what was going on, but the sound of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” blaring through loudspeakers was so jolting it caused my head to pulsate in time to the music. I had pretty much convinced myself I was trapped in some sort of Christmas nightmare when I heard the voice of my best friend, Ellie Denton.
“Zoe, are you okay?”
I tried to focu
s on her voice, but it seemed so far away.
“Come on, sweetie. Wake up. The ambulance is on the way.”
Ambulance? Maybe I really was trapped in a nightmare.
“I think she’s coming to,” Ellie assured someone as the fog began to lift. I realized I was lying on my back on a hard object. Maybe the floor. I didn’t have a clear sense of where I was or how I’d come to be there, but I could feel Ellie’s hands stroking my hair as I made my way through the murky landscape toward the voice that was pleading with me to open my eyes.
“She’s opening her eyes,” Ellie screeched.
I cringed. My head felt like I’d partied way too hard and Ellie’s happy chirps of relief weren’t helping.
“Are you okay?” Ellie’s brown eyes looked directly into my blue ones. “Do you feel any pain?”
“I’m fine. What happened?”
“You tripped over the elf with the candy canes and fell face first into Santa’s lap. You have a huge bump on your head, but I think the baby is okay.”
Baby? I reached down and touched my swollen stomach. Oh God, Catherine. “Are you sure Catherine’s okay?” I croaked, barely able to find my voice.
“I think so. You tripped and fell to your knees. When you fell forward your face hit Santa’s chair, but he caught you by the shoulders. You didn’t hit your stomach. There’s an ambulance on the way. Just lie still until it gets here.
As it turned out, lying still was all I felt up to, so I happily complied. I could hear people moving around, but it seemed like too much of an effort to open my eyes, so I simply allowed myself to drift into the space that exists between sleep and wakefulness. As I waited for whatever would come next, I let my mind wander wherever it chose in an attempt to block out the chaos around me.