At midnight, Clark walked Yummy and me to my car. I promised to call him when I arrived home safe. I didn’t want to get home too late in case Laci was already home. Until she and Clark met and I knew if their relationship developed beyond tolerance, I didn’t want to upset Laci. I hated to give her any more reasons to disapprove of the wedding. Since we seemed to settle our differences on the ride home from college, I worried about adding a new one.
Goodness gracious, Annie I thought on the way home. Breathe and take one day at a time. Finding a body and dealing with Laci and smoothing things over with her is enough for this weekend. Don’t fret over tomorrow.
Chapter Three
The sun peeked through my bedroom blinds, and Yummy licked my face. He’s better than an alarm clock.
“Okay, boy, I bet you want to go out, and I need a shower and coffee.” I pulled my robe on and walked to the patio door. I spotted Aunt Irene and Uncle Lyle in their yard. Since they live in the refurbished fishing cottage on the edge of my property, we share a yard. It doesn’t matter where her front yard ends and my backyard starts. She’s lived there as long as I can remember. She’s my dad’s only sibling, and he fixed up the place for her years ago. When my grandma passed away and left me her house, I also inherited Aunt Irene. I love her more than words can say, so it’s an ideal situation.
“Good morning,” I said and placed Yummy in the puppy run that sits in my backyard, but both Yummy and Aunt Irene’s Norwich Terrier Mini-Dachshund mix, Peanut, share it. Yummy and Peanut have been the best pals since Aunt Irene adopted her from our local no-kill shelter.
“Good morning, Annie,” Aunt Irene said. Uncle Lyle waved while he cleaned the grill.
“Do you mind if I leave Yummy out here while I shower or do you have to get ready for church, too,” I asked.
“No, we just got home from the early service. Lyle wanted enough time to prepare his world-famous ribs,” she smiled at me glancing at her new husband busy at the grill.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll wake Laci, and we’ll get ready for church. I’ll get Yummy in a little while.”
“Leave him here with Peanut. We’ll be home, and they’re having fun.”
“All right,” I answered and hurried back into the house. I raced up the stairs and pounded on Laci’s door just like old times. “Up and at ‘em,” I called. “Don’t want to be late for church.”
Something hit the door. It was most likely a shoe. Laci isn’t much of a morning person which is why I wake her from the hallway.
~ * ~
Laci was awake and smiling by the time we walked out of the church. I met Georgie and Beth Ann at the bottom of the stairs.
“Where’s Paul? Isn’t he coming to our barbecue?” I asked Georgie while watching Laci and Beth Ann walk away deep in conversation.
“Yeah, he’ll stop by later. He’s worried about leaving the Grille entirely in the hands of our manager on Sunday.”
Paul and Georgie own the Heavenly Grille and make the best chili burgers in the county among other delicious things.
I laughed. “He worries too much. He needs an afternoon off with friends.”
“Agreed,” Georgie answered. “Looks like the lot is emptying out. Come on Beth Ann. You can talk to Laci all afternoon.” Georgie shook her head and walked to her car.
While waiting for Laci, I pulled my phone out to see if Aunt Irene texted me with any last minute food I needed to pick up. I saw a text from Clark.
I’ll be late. Sorry. Something came up.
I’ll be there as soon as I’m done.
Can’t be avoided. Love you.
“That’s the life of a police detective, I guess,” I murmured as I walked to meet Laci at the car. I hope he isn’t too late.
“What’s wrong, Mom? You look unhappy.”
“Nothing really, Clark will be a little late. Something came up at work.”
“Well,” she said fisting her hands at her hips. “You’d think he’d manage to take a day off for something important. Are you sure he’ll even show up for your wedding?”
Fire flashed in her brown eyes, and I saw a bit of her dad in her. Steve had a quick temper, but it died just as quickly. Laci seems to hold onto her anger longer. I’m sure she inherited my stubbornness. I sighed and climbed in the car. It was going to be an interesting afternoon.
I parked in my garage leaving room in the drive for other vehicles. Laci was in the house before I made it out of the car. I heard Georgie’s car pull up. I told Beth Ann that Laci was inside and asked Georgie what was going on. From the look on her face, it was something important.
“You left the church before I could stop you,” Georgie said as she hurried closer to me. “When I checked my phone, there was a text from Dot. They found a dead body out at the Wylie place.”
Dot is our unofficial police source, and she’s invaluable when we need help getting information.
I whispered, “Clark sent me a text saying he’d be late. Said he couldn’t help it. He was going to interview Willy Wylie right after the first service. Do you think Willy’s dead?”
Georgie shrugged and tapped her fingertips together rapidly. “I wouldn’t be surprised. What I’m wondering is why?”
I quickly explained about the connection between Willy and the body at the mansion.
Georgie whistled. “A skeleton, bootleg booze, and now a body. We have a mystery to solve.”
I grabbed her arm. “I think we do, but first, we need to know who died and how. I hope it was natural causes. What if it’s murder? After all, the skeleton had a bullet hole in its skull. Another murder would make sense, but who’s our killer?”
Georgie raised her eyebrows, “Good question. We need to make a list of possible suspects.”
“First, we need to be sure it’s murder. How can we solve this? I have a wedding to plan. Tomorrow morning we’re meeting the wedding planner at the mansion. You remember, right?”
“Of course, I do,” Georgie insisted, but her mind was off solving a mystery.
“Let’s go in the backyard. I smell the barbecue. Uncle Lyle is making ribs. Maybe we’ll learn more when Clark gets here.” I pulled her arm, and she followed me.
Aunt Irene smiled at us when we walked into the yard. “Hi, I spoke to the Cavanaughs after church. They’ll be here shortly. You did invite Steve’s folks didn’t you, Annie?”
“Of course, Mom and Dad Ryan are important to me. I know they want me to be happy and accept my marriage to Clark, but it’ll still be nice to have them here especially for Laci. I’m worried if she’ll accept Clark. I told her he won’t try to take her father’s place, but she’s still reeling over not being able to visit Claudine. I hope she can visit with her before the end of summer. Even if Claudine did try to kill me, one thing I know is that she loves Laci like her own.”
Aunt Irene bit the side of her lip and watched a bird flit from tree to tree. “Claudine is grieving Barbara. She never approved of you marrying Steve, but you’re right she loves Laci. Just give it some time.” She turned and walked away leaving me with my thoughts.
I watched her walk up and hug Uncle Lyle. Georgie snuck up next to me and whispered, “They’re so cute together. I hope I have her energy when I’m in my seventies. Oh, I saw the Ryans pull up out front.”
At that moment, I heard Laci’s voice shout, “Grandma, Grandpa, I missed you so much.” She ran across the grass and hugged her Grandma Ryan.
It made me miss my parents. I can’t wait for them to come back from Arizona for the wedding.
Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh arrived a few minutes later. Mr. Cavanaugh carried a large platter of sliced, fresh fruit. I hurried up to Mrs. Cavanaugh and told her she didn’t need to bring anything.
“I’m sorry we’re late, and I wanted to bring something. I ordered this from Jimmy’s Market, and that’s why we’re late. Everyone was talking about seeing the coroner’s van heading toward the edge of town. Jimmy said there’s a rumor Willy Wiley is dead. Where’s Clark? I bet he knows,
” Mrs. Cavanaugh explained.
“He’s not here yet. He texted saying he’ll be late,” I answered.
“Hmm,” she replied. “I think that gives us our answer. It's a shame. Willy used to come into the store a lot before his brother died. He was quiet but pleasant. Once his brother passed and he moved into that cabin on the property, he stopped coming into the store.”
“I wonder why.”
She shrugged. “I’m going to say hello to Irene.” I watched her cross the yard thinking she was most likely right about the death. Rumors always seemed to hold a bit of truth.
Georgie and I helped Aunt Irene bring out the side dishes while Uncle Lyle cooked and Laci chatted with her grandparents. When Beth Ann walked up, the two girls disappeared into my house. I called after them to stay close since lunch was nearly ready. Laci shot me another disgusted look. I’m seriously reconsidering buying her a car. Her roller coaster attitude is giving me a headache.
I stood off to the edge of the lawn and gazed at my family, friends, and soon to be family. How I wish my parents were here, but I know they’ll arrive next month. Next month seems like a long wait, but if I keep busy working, planning a wedding, and enjoying having Laci home, the time should pass quickly. I miss my mom’s advice and help with wedding ideas, but, as usual, Aunt Irene is invaluable.
Uncle Lyle announced, “Meat’s ready. Everyone want to eat?”
A chorus of happy voices answered yes except for Laci, who scowled and whispered when she passed me, “Everyone’s ready who’s here.”
I drew in a deep breath. I know Clark will arrive as soon as he can. A death investigation can take hours. There is a lot of time for Laci and Clark to get to know each other before the wedding.
Georgie grabbed my arm, “C’mon, let’s eat. Clark will be a while. Dot sent a text. It seems the medical examiner has been called out. It’s Sunday so it must be important. They wouldn’t call him for a heart attack.”
“Something tells me this isn’t good news. If that body at the mansion and this investigation connect, it’ll put a damper on planning the wedding at the mansion.”
“Not so,” Georgie argued. “Clark said the mansion isn’t considered a crime scene any longer. We have access to the place. All we have to do is plan the wedding and solve the murder.”
“Murder, hmm I suppose it could be murder. Well, I just hope they don’t arrest me for it. Somehow I get blamed for all the deaths just because I discover the bodies. Next time I find one, I’m going to walk away and ignore it.”
Georgie giggled. “Yeah, right, as if you can ignore a murder or a body or a mystery.”
I nodded and hurried to the picnic table.
We had a wonderful time. Uncle Lyle cooked more meat than we could eat in two days. He grinned as piece after piece disappeared from the large platter he placed on the picnic table. We ate, talked wedding plans, ate more, gossiped a bit about town events, ate even more. Everyone laughed while we talked. Laci scowled.
I brought out a large plate of chocolate brownies just as Clark’s car pulled up. I handed the plate to Georgie and walked to meet Clark. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me.
“I’m sorry I’m late. It really couldn’t be helped.”
“I understand. It was murder, right?”
He looked at me in silence. When he shook his head, I changed the subject. “C’mon back and meet Laci. We have a lot of food left and your parents are still here.”
I held his hand, and we walked into the back yard. His mom’s smile widened when she saw him, and Laci continued to scowl.
Laci stood, grabbed a brownie, and announced, “I have a headache.” She ran off into the house.
“Something I did?” Clark asked.
“Don’t worry. She’s in a snit over everything. One minute she’s happy and then she’s upset. I’m going to let her work it out. She gets upset when I try to find out what’s wrong. I think even though yesterday we worked things out, this morning her summer has hit her squarely in the face. She doesn’t have a job; she can’t visit her Aunt Claudine, the wedding, and anything else she isn’t sharing. Sit and eat.” I handed him an empty plate.
Clark ate more than two average people while talking with his parents. I suppose working a crime scene can also work up an appetite.
When everyone left, Clark and I took a walk along the lakefront. Laci never came out of her room. Maybe things will be better tomorrow.
Clark held my hand and asked what I was thinking. I’m not usually this quiet.
“I still find it hard to believe I own the entire lake and the land around it except for the three homes built north of mine. Lucas told me I have several options. I’m not sure what to do. When Inga died and left it all to me, it seemed easy. Just turn it over to the city with a few stipulations and be done with it. Now, I’m not so sure.”
He slid his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close. “What options and what’s bothering you, Annie?”
“The first is keeping all the lakefront property, but I don’t want the responsibility of the public beach so regardless of what I do, the beach will go to the city. I don’t need the money and whatever revenue it brings in will help the city.” I looked up at him, and he smiled at me.
“That makes sense. It’s a big responsibility. What about the other options?”
“That leaves the mansion and the lakefront property between the mansion and the homes north of mine. Lucas thought I might want to keep either or both. If the city owns more of the lake than I do, they could try and force my hand to build on the open section. Even if they promise never to build, they could come up with some sort of plan where they needed the land. If the city owns everything except my house and the other three, the city could push us all out. I promised Inga I wouldn’t let that happen.”
“How could you promise her? She passed away before you knew you would inherit all of this.” He hugged me tighter most likely worried about my sanity.
“We spoke a lot before she died about keeping the lake area from development. We were like-minded about it. At her memorial service, I spoke to her in my heart and promised her I would do what we discussed. I can’t break that promise.”
Clark stopped walking and turned me toward him. He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. “I love you, Annie, for a thousand reasons. When I think I can’t love you more, you do something to prove me wrong.” He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me until I thought I’d faint from lack of air.
When he loosened his grip, he asked me what I planned to do.
“I think I want to keep the mansion. I’d like to rent the west side of the lake to a children’s charity for maybe a dollar per summer, and they could use it to give underprivileged children some summer fun. Maybe a nice day camp or even an overnight camp if there are a few cabins or comfy tents. I’m not sure. Lucas said he’d help me work out the details. I know the mayor and Phillips will want my head, but I can’t allow the two of them to plot what to do with the land. They won’t have the city’s best interests at heart.”
He took my hand again, and we walked toward the mansion. “They know you don’t plan on making a decision until after the wedding, so it gives you a bit of time. Don’t tell anyone and maybe the wedding will go off without a hitch. Do you want to live in the mansion?”
I stopped and stared at the beautiful mansion in front of me. “I don’t know. It’s lovely. Would you want to live here?”
“I’ll live wherever you live. It’s better than my apartment above the store. I’d love to see the mayor’s face when you tell him,” Clark laughed. “I know they have plans.”
“Lucas suggested he write them a letter. I think Philipps would strangle me.” I held up my keys. “I have the mansion keys with me. Would you like a little alone time, Mr. Cavanaugh?”
“That I would almost Mrs. Cavanaugh,” He pulled on my hand and I followed him to the front door.
When the door closed behind us, he pulled me again
st his chest and kissed me breathlessly. “What was that for?” I asked gasping to catch my breath.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I arrived at your house, but with my parents and Laci watching, I didn’t think it was a good idea. I’d hate to shock anyone,” he grinned and leaned in to kiss me again.
He didn’t kiss me but asked, “Did I miss anything exciting? I am sorry I was late.”
“Not really,” I shook my head. “We ate a lot and talked about the wedding. Laci scowled through most of it until your mom whispered that we should have tea this week and discuss plans that won’t upset her. I don’t understand Laci.”
“Do you remember being her age? Just give her time. It was my fault. She may think I’m doing this intentionally to annoy her. Kids can be very self-absorbed.”
“But you weren’t. You were investigating a murder.”
Clark lifted his eyebrows and stared at me. “You’re not going to get me to tell you anything that way. I know your tricks, Annie Ryan.”
“It’s all over town. Everyone knows the coroner was at Willy’s place. He’s dead, and it must be murder. He’s connected with the body in the mansion, isn’t he? It’s all too obvious.”
“Annie,” he answered sounding exasperated. “I’ve had a long day, and I missed the barbecue. I want to spend a little time with my favorite person, and you want to talk about a murder. Really?”
I sighed and leaned against his chest. “No, not really.”
“Good.” He kissed me again.
“I can’t stay out late,” I murmured. “Georgie and I are meeting the wedding planner here tomorrow morning. Laci and Beth Ann are supposed to come along. I wonder how the day will go.”
“Just enjoy it,” Clark suggested. “Even if Laci is difficult, it’s still our wedding. Make it the way you want.”
He kissed me again and walked me back home. The house was dark and I did my best not to wake Laci. It was too late for another confrontation. I dropped into bed missing Yummy. He must be in Laci’s room again.
Bones, Booze & Bouquets Page 3