by Lynn Cahoon
I held up my hands, trying to calm her. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”
She frowned and leaned forward, trying to hear what I was saying. Finally, she realized she still had the ear buds in. She ripped them out and sank into the chair she’d been using as a ladder. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m Jill Gardner from Coffee, Books, and More?” When I got a barely perceptible nod, I continued. “I wanted to stop by and pay my condolences to Walter’s friends and family. He’ll be missed on the business council.”
“Bah. No one there liked him. They all worshiped that other guy, Bill Sullivan. Walter was lucky to get half the funding that the other place got approved for. Now that man is totally self-serving. Someone should look into that crook.”
“You mean Bill?” I knew they had problems, but it seemed like Walter was more upset than Bill had presented. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
“I am Mr. Knicely’s housekeeper. Alice Woolford. And I don’t believe you should be here in the house. The estate hasn’t been settled yet.” She glared at me.
“Were Bill and Walter fighting?” I decided to ignore her unspoken invitation to leave.
The woman stared at me like I was the dumbest person alive. “Fighting? I guess that’s what you call it when someone comes in and steals all your customers. What are you really doing here? You should go. The place is closed. Soon, even I will leave and have to get a new job.”
“Won’t his family keep the place open?” I took in the kitchen. It was filled with 1970s avocado green appliances except for the fridge. That was stainless steel and had been replaced recently.
“Walter had no family.” She waved her hand, indicating I should leave. “Go, stop asking questions. The evil eye landed on Walter. You don’t want to attract its attention.”
I handed her my business card. “If you ever just want to talk, call me. We can talk about Walter, or the costs of running a business, or just shoot the breeze.”
“Maybe.” She stared suspiciously at the card. “I don’t think I want to talk about Walter.”
“Because of the evil eye?” This got me a glare from the older woman.
“You need to leave. You’re probably here spying for that other guy. I know he wants the house. But Walter said it would be mine, so he can go pound sand.” This time she waved the hammer at me, indicating I should leave.
“Okay, I’m leaving.” I backed away from the woman. Apparently, she grieved with anger and a lot of hammering. I wonder if Greg had interviewed her yet. I hoped to have better luck with the lawyer.
When I reached Killing Time, it looked deserted. Of course, it always looked that way. Maybe I should bring in a speaker to a committee meeting on how to make your shops more inviting to potential customers. I tried the doorknob. Locked. According to the sign in the window for open-close times, the shop should be open. I knocked loudly. “Ian? It’s Jill Gardner. My aunt said you wanted to talk to me? Ian?” I kept knocking for a while. A couple of tourists paused to watch me and I flushed.
“Maybe they’re closed, dear,” the elderly woman said in a tone that made it clear she thought I should have been able to figure that out several minutes ago.
I walked home, let Emma out, and packed my school tote bag. I still had time to visit the lawyer and have lunch in Bakerstown before I needed to be at class. The good thing about taking classes twice a week was it got me near many great places to eat. That was also the bad thing. So in addition to finding time to study, I had to run most days, just to keep the freshman fifteen from being a graduate school issue as well.
As I waited for Emma to do her business, I called Greg. Getting his voice mail, I left a brief message including my discussion with the woman at Beal Street. I’d started thinking about it as I walked back. She could have been a squatter. A homeless woman who realized Walter wasn’t coming back. As Greg had pointed out, I had just walked into possible danger. Either way, he needed to talk to the crazy old bat so I ratted myself out. I’d figure out a good reason to be at Beal Street before we talked face to face.
I didn’t, however, mention the trip to see the lawyer. A girl’s gotta have some secrets.
With Emma back in the house, I headed toward Bakerstown. I’d looked up the address for this lawyer and found it was in the office building near the courthouse. I could pop in, ask him my Walter questions, and be at lunch before one. Even if traffic was slower during the lunch hour.
The elevator was closed for repair, so I walked the three flights up. When I got to the office, a woman was locking the door. “Hey, I was wondering if I could talk to…” I pulled the card out that Bill had given me. “Thomas Burke?”
“He’s out of town for the week. I’m his assistant, but the office is open in the mornings. Call tomorrow and I’ll see if I can get you in when he gets back.” She dropped the keys and then started to the elevators. “Darn, I forgot. Stupid building anyway. These things are always being shut down.”
I followed her back to the stairwell. “Do you know if the bed and breakfast Walter Knicely owned is available for sale?”
She threw a sideways glace at me, but didn’t stop walking. “Who’s Walter Knicely?”
“One of your clients. He was murdered last week? I’m trying to find out who might be taking over the bed and breakfast he owned.” She stopped so fast I almost ran into her.
“Wait, that nice man from South Cove? Beal Street B&B, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “I don’t get it, murdered? Was it a robbery?”
“Actually, no. Well, I don’t think so.” I thought about Walter’s wallet. According to Mandy, it had a stack of twenties and credit cards still inside when she found it. “So do you know if the place is available for purchase?”
She shook her head. “I don’t. Of course, I don’t pay attention to all those will documents I prepare. They’re always the same, but sometimes, you get a nice surprise.”
“Can you look and see? I can call you tomorrow.”
She peered at me. “Look, even if I could, I wouldn’t. Walter was a nice man and very private. You’ll have to wait until Mr. Burke returns to talk business.”
“I’m not…” Then she bolted through the open stairwell and disappeared. I didn’t have the energy or the desire to chase her. Walter was a good guy. Maybe this was totally random. I thought about the way he was killed. Hanging someone on a tree steeped in family tragedy. Maybe this was more about the Jensen’s than Walter. Could this have been a warning?
My stomach growled and I headed toward the Korean/Mexican fusion restaurant down the street. Neither Greg or Aunt Jackie were big fans, but Amy and I loved the place. I found a small table in the back, made my order, and opened my book to study for tonight’s test.
By the time I got to campus and made my way to the classroom, I was out of breath. The room was quiet with everyone was going over their notes, one more time. Deek waved at me when I walked in and came over as I was getting settled. I tucked my tote under the chair. “Good luck today.”
“Thanks. I really loved taking this class.” He squatted next to me. “Hey, my mom is picking me up tonight so I don’t have to ride the bus. She said she wanted to talk to you.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I told her you were interested in that dead dude.” The professor walked into the room. “Wait for me if you get done early. My mom was really insistent.”
I watched Deek make his way back to his chair and then turned back to get a copy of the exam that was being passed back from the guy in front of me. My search for Walter information had turned up nothing all day. Now, when I wasn’t looking, something was coming to me? Maybe my luck was changing.
I grabbed one of the two pens I’d taken out of my purse and focused on the test. An hour later, my brain was drained of all the marketing knowledge I’d gained the last three months. Maybe it might come back, but for today, I’d left it all out on the exam. My eyes adjusted to the bright light and I saw Deek waving me over to the smokin
g area.
He stood near a dark-haired woman in a long skirt and flowered tank. With sandals on her feet and her long wavy hair wild and loose over her shoulders, she could have been Esmeralda’s sister. Or a fellow fortuneteller. Deek hadn’t told me what his mom did for a living.
She watched as I walked up; then she put a hand on my arm. “I know why Walter was killed.”
CHAPTER 19
I sank down on the bench beside her. The woman may be stark raving mad, but there were enough people around me that Greg couldn’t say I was putting myself in danger. Besides, her son seemed cool, so I decided to hear her out. “Why?”
“I think it goes back to high school. To the scholarship.” Deek’s mother looked at me. “You’ve heard the story, right?”
“A little.” Although I had heard a version of it from Doc Ames, I didn’t want to slant what she was about to tell me. Besides, if it matched, I had two sources for Greg to investigate later.
“It was senior year. The senior class had a mad case of senioritis. We didn’t want to go to school; our teachers knew it and didn’t want to teach. Everyone was busy planning their future, especially the brainiacs. They were jockeying for the best schools and of course, the money to pay tuition. Anyway, there was a full ride scholarship that was awarded to the valedictorian every year. Some guy had made his fortune after leaving Bakerstown High and wanted to pay it forward. I don’t think they still have it, the guy must have died or something.” She took a drag off her cigarette, coughing after expelling the smoke from her lungs.
Deek looked at me apologetically. “Mom doesn’t smoke normally.”
“My nerves have been raw ever since I saw the article in the newspaper. Poor Walter, all he wanted was a future.” She gave the cigarette to Deek. “You finish this. Anyway, where was I?”
“The scholarship?” I prompted. I really didn’t think someone would be killed over a silly scholarship, especially since Walter didn’t even finish his freshman year.
“So, yeah, he beat out Felix. It was fair and square, but Felix went bonkers. He attacked Walter in the courtyard between the main building and the gym. He ambushed him, but neither boy was really built for fighting. A couple of football players pulled them apart and waited for the principal to arrive. When he did, Felix was suspended and Walter had a bloody nose.”
She stopped talking and looked at me. I realized the story was over. “That’s why you think Walter was killed? Because of a fight over a scholarship?”
“It’s the only time I know he got in a fight with anyone. He didn’t like being around people. Now, they probably would have diagnosed him with something, but back then, he was just a geek. That’s why he came home. He couldn’t deal with so many people.” Deek’s mom looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go. I’m working tonight.”
“Well, thanks for telling me what happened.” I stood and watched as Deek put his hands out to help her up. “I’m Jill Gardner, by the way. I don’t think I got your name?”
“Rory Kerr.” She patted my arm. “Thanks for listening to a crazy lady’s theories.”
“I can’t think of anyone else who would want Walter dead, so it’s just as likely as a random killer.” I rolled my shoulders. It had been a long day. “I need to get going too. I’ve got an early start time tomorrow. Hey, do you know Felix’s last name? I can at least give this information to the police detective working the case.”
Rory shook her head. “Sorry, I’ve been trying to think of it for days since I heard the news. It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
“Well, if you think of it, I own the coffee shop, bookstore in South Cove. Come by and I’ll buy you a drink.” I waved at Deek. “Good luck on the exam.”
“I’m feeling lucky tonight. Well, that and I studied my butt off.” He grinned at his mom. “Someone wants to make sure I’m employable.”
As I drove home, I realized I wasn’t any closer to solving Walter’s murder. And the missing kid mystery had been solved by my dog. I rolled the window down and said to the empty car. “Good thing they aren’t paying me for my investigative skills, I would have been fired a long time ago.”
My phone rang and I answered using the car’s Bluetooth app. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” Greg’s voice boomed around the car.
I glanced at the clock. It was earlier than I typically got home on a school night. “Why?”
“Jill, seriously, where are you?” Greg’s voice softened.
I rolled the window back up so I could hear better. “I’m on my way back from Bakerstown. I had my final tonight?”
“I’d forgotten it was Monday. The days are going by too fast.” I heard the pause over the phone. “Before you get here, you might as well know.”
“Know what?” I went through a liturgy of people who needed to be all right, including my aunt, Amy, and even Emma.
“Someone broke into your house. Esmeralda saw Emma sitting outside on the driveway. The front door and gate were wide open.” He chuckled. “Well, I guess I should say someone tried to break into your house. We think Emma chased him or her off before he could do more than jimmy the front lock.”
“Emma’s okay?” My heart was beating in my ears and I could barely hear Greg. I tried to figure out where I was, but the road I’d driven at least three times a week for the last year looked alien and desolate.
“Calm down, Jill. Emma’s fine. She let Esmeralda lead her into the backyard and she got that connecting gate closed while she was on the phone with me.” He said something to someone in the background. “Look, just park on the street when you get here. I’m pretty sure you can stay here tonight, but we’re going through the house first, just to be safe.”
“Don’t let Toby or Tim into my bedroom. I don’t want them pawing through my under things.” I recognized the bend where I’d picked up Esmeralda several times last week. “I’m almost there.”
“Honey, I’ll search your bedroom all by myself. Anything kinky I should know about?” Greg lowered his voice.
“Just don’t throw out my boyfriend’s clothes. He hates it when that happens.” I turned onto Main Street. “I’m here.”
“I’ll meet you out front. Don’t come into the yard.” Greg clicked off.
Both of South Cove’s police cruisers were parked in my driveway along with Greg and Toby’s trucks. The lights from the cruisers were still on, casting a blue and red glow over the area. Since I’d inherited the house, I tried to make it a happy place. Even though Miss Emily had been killed in it, I thought I could turn it from being a place of sadness to a home. To make it happy by living a happy life. Now, someone had tried to break in. For what? Junkies just looking for a quick few things to pawn? Or was there something else going on? I’d been around town all day asking about Walter. Maybe I’d asked the wrong person.
Greg came out of the gate and held his arms out. “Come here you.” He held me tight as I fell into his arms. Tears I hadn’t expected flowed out of my eyes and I tried to name the emotion I was feeling. Then I got it. I felt scared. And angry. And totally ticked off. And when I felt these feelings, I cried.
I stepped away and wiped my eyes. “Stupid tears.”
“Normal tears. Look Jill, this is a shock to anyone. But you need to realize that it’s all okay. Well, except for your lock. I’ve already called a locksmith I know that works twenty-four hours. We’ll have the house locked down tight before you even go to bed.”
“Can I go sit with Emma while you finish up here?” I yearned for my dog who sat patiently staring at me through the gate.
“Just don’t go into the house until I come for you.” Greg led me toward the gate and Emma.
I knelt down to give her a hug. “What a good girl you are. Did you chase away the bad guy?” I got wiggles in return along with a big wet kiss on my arm. I looked her over and noticed a swatch of cloth tangled in her collar. Solid black, it looked like it had been torn from something. I held it up to Greg. “Did you see this?”
&nb
sp; He took the piece in a two-fingered pinch, shone a light on it, and then put it in an evidence bag he pulled out of the top left pocket of his shirt. “Leave it to you to find a clue.”
“You should have interviewed Emma first.” I patted her on the back as I stood. “She’s the real hero here.”
We went to sit on the back porch while the entire South Cove police department walked through my house, just to make sure nothing was out of place. Or worse, there wasn’t a boogey man hiding in my closet. Emma sat close to me, leaning her head on my knee. “Scared you, didn’t he?”
She nuzzled my leg in an answer. The reason Greg had gotten Emma for me was for a companion, but also just for this situation. “We’ll have to dig out the puppy treats for this one.”
Emma looked up, her eyes widening at the word treat.
I loved my dog.
Thirty minutes later, I’d been allowed back into the house, Toby and Tim were gone, and Greg was talking to the locksmith.
I’d made cocoa. And Emma had a nice, new puppy chew that would last her all of an hour if I was lucky. The girl knew how to tear up a chew faster than I could eat a piece of cheesecake. Which I was regretting not having in the house.
I put my notebook and textbook away in my office on the college shelf and then grabbed the book and notes for Thursday’s exam. No way would I sleep for a while, even if I did have to open tomorrow morning. I was at the kitchen table, reviewing notes when Greg walked in.
“You look calm.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I get a cup of that?”
“Of course.” I went to stand, but he put a hand on my shoulder.
“Hold on slugger, I can get it myself.” He turned on the heat under the teakettle and set up a cup for cocoa. Leaning against the counter, he waited for the water to heat. “You know I have a much nicer teakettle. Just a perk if you’re thinking about us moving in together. So you don’t see anything that would indicate the guy was in the house?”