It seemed like the most productive course of action considering she was ready to drop, so she climbed out of her truck and rang the doorbell, but Meredith didn’t seem to be home.
Where the heck did she go when she disappeared like this?
Kate sighed then searched around the flowerpots, hoping Meredith had left the spare key in the one on the left. She had.
Kate let herself in and was going to round through the foyer and into the garage to open it from the inside when she remembered she still had a few tiles to secure down on the patio.
Decisions. Decisions.
She reasoned she might as well finish the patio now. That way if Meredith got home, she could get formal permission to stow Corey’s furniture in the garage.
But the thought of working for even twenty minutes on the patio made her legs feel like rubber. She took a detour into the kitchen and put on a fresh pot of coffee. As it percolated, the aroma revived her almost as well as her first sip, which she took padding out to the living room.
As she opened the sliding glass door and flipped on the floodlight outside, she immediately noticed one of the tiles was cracked. Letting herself out, she realized it was the tile that she had laid over that strange patch of loose soil. It shouldn’t have cracked, she thought, since I had covered the soil with a thick layer of putty.
She set her mug of coffee down and counted the remaining tiles she had. Luckily, she would still have more than enough to replace the damaged tile and lay down the last three, so she muscled a can of putty open, kneeled in front of the cracked tile, and began prying it up off the ground.
“Hey!”
Kate turned to find Meredith rushing through the darkened living room towards the open door. Startled, she froze, wondering why Meredith looked suddenly furious.
“I didn’t think you were home,” she explained. “I can have this finished in a half hour tops.”
“Leave it!” she ordered, her gaze locked on the cracked tile, which Kate had nearly pried off.
“Meredith, it’s got a crack down its center. I can easily replace it.”
“Just leave it,” she snapped. “It’s fine.”
“Well, it isn’t. Like I said, it’s cracked.”
“I don’t have time for this, Kate.”
Meredith was dressed up, she realized, as she glanced her up and down.
“You really should have called ahead.”
She didn’t appreciate the tone Meredith had taken. Rising to her feet, she asserted, “I’m not interested in dragging out this project. We both want it done, and I’m here now. Can I finish?”
Meredith drew in a deep breath and held it as a measure to calm herself then said, “Fine. Finish it. But leave that tile as it is.”
It was beyond her why Meredith would want her brand new patio to be so imperfect, but she didn’t argue. Rather, she asked, “My truck is full of furniture. I was hoping to leave it in your garage and come back tomorrow to stage the house.”
“I’m flying out tomorrow.”
“When?”
“In the evening, but I can’t have you bumbling about distracting me.”
“Meredith, what is wrong? You seem agitated, and you aren’t acting like yourself.”
“I’m fine except that I found someone on my back patio,” she stated, accusingly. “Just do what you have to do and lock up. I’m late as it is. And leave that tile! It’s fine!”
In mock response, Kate lifted her hands in surrender as if to say, ‘I won’t touch it, sheesh.’
As soon as Meredith left and Kate heard the click of the front door shutting, she grumbled to herself about Meredith’s volatile attitude and went right ahead with fixing the cracked tile anyway. This patio was an example of her work, after all, and residents from all over Rock Ridge and the surrounding counties could very well pass through those doors, interested in buying the place. Kate wasn’t going to allow her reputation to be tarnished, just because Meredith’s blood sugar had dropped too low.
Was that it? Had she sunk into a foul mood because she hadn’t eaten? Hadn’t had her coffee? Was she generally stressed about picking up and moving her entire life to Florida?
Whatever the reason, Kate wasted no time replacing the tile and laying down the rest. She was so rattled by Meredith that she finished in record time, locked the sliding glass door, and padded through the house into the garage where she opened the door.
Carrying each piece of furniture into the garage was no easy task. Often she longed for a fresh cup of coffee, but pausing to drink would only drag this endeavor out further, and she would rather be home with Scott. She was dying to find out what had possibly led him to arrest Daisy.
Soon the furniture pieces were tucked into the garage and Kate drew the door down. She was quick to lock the front door and hide the spare key where she had found it in the flowerpot.
As she approached her truck, she thought about giving Scott a call. Considering Jason had landed a great position at Wentworth Construction, it might be nice to get together for dinner, all four of them. Daisy’s Luncheonette came to mind, as she hopped into her truck. But then she cringed at the thought. Would Daisy’s even be open? Who was running the place now that she was in jail?
Deciding to simply get home as soon as possible, she thought she could give Jason and Jared a call after getting the scoop on Daisy from Scott. She put her truck in reverse and began backing out, but her tires were making a strange thumping sound.
She slammed on the brakes, knowing the problem.
After jumping out and rushing to the rear tires where the terrible sound had come from, she saw that her back left tire was flat.
Circling the rear, she discovered the right tire was also flat, and when she kneeled to closely inspect the rubber, she saw it had been slashed.
Popping up to her feet, she gasped.
The woman who had argued with Clifford and then slashed his tires, the woman who had donated to the mayor’s office, who Dean and Jessica were unwilling to name, had to be Meredith Joste.
Quickly, she sent a call through to Scott, and the second he picked up, she blurted out, “You’re not going to believe this.”
Chapter Seven
Scott stared down at the flattened tire.
“It was Meredith,” said Kate with conviction. “I know it was Meredith.”
“You know?”
“It had to have been.”
“Why would she slash your tires?” he challenged in a way that told her he had undergone a day as rough as hers.
She tried not to take it personally.
“She flipped out on me earlier, just before she left the house, all because I wanted to fix a cracked tile on her patio.”
Scott blinked then raised his brow, as if she had yet to make her point.
“Between the time I parked to the time I realized the tires were slashed, no one else was around. It was only an hour.”
“But you were in the house. Anyone could’ve come by.”
“To slash my tires? Who would want to do such a thing? Everyone likes me.”
His silence spoke volumes.
“I’m well liked,” she stammered. “Look, I did some asking around at the construction site, spoke with a contractor who is working on the amusement park. He knew Clifford, and he told me he got into a fight with a woman—”
“A fight?”
“An argument. And then he found his tires had been slashed. The rear ones, just like mine.”
“Did he tell you it was Meredith Joste?”
She didn’t want to have to say no.
“So all we really have here is a connection that the person who slashed Clifford’s tires, who may or may not have killed him, also slashed yours.”
“I think we have a little more than that,” she countered.
“Like what?”
“Like, why is Meredith in a sudden rush to leave Rock Ridge? If you ask me, she’s skipping town because she just killed someone.”
“Kate, this isn’t even ci
rcumstantial. It’s gossip, and the Kate I know and love wouldn’t get sucked into it.”
“Yeah, well, that was before someone ruined my tires,” she said, shaking her head at the sight and then checking her watch. “Where is triple-A?”
“They’ll be here.” After considering her far-fetched point for a moment, he asked, “What makes you think Meredith and Clifford even knew each other?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll find out.”
He smirked, but it wasn’t a good thing, as he said, “I’m sure you will.”
“What makes you think it was Daisy?”
“That’s a whole other story.”
“I have time.”
“As it turned out, Daisy was renting him a room at her house.”
“I thought he was staying at Over the Moon,” she said, bringing up Amelia Langley’s inn. “And then moved in with Clara.”
“Never moved in with Clara. Apparently, Clifford stole cash from her bedroom. She confronted him and kicked him out. Then she went to the diner, and he approached her in the parking lot.”
“And?”
“One of the hostesses saw them in a heated argument. She overheard Daisy threatening to go to the police, then she walked into the diner minding her own business. She said maybe five minutes later she heard a gunshot.”
“A lot can happen in five minutes,” she argued.
“Not that much. Afterwards, she saw Daisy driving like a bat out of hell out of the parking lot. It was enough to arrest her, but we’re still pushing for a confession.”
Kate couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t think Daisy was the killer, but a tow truck pulled up the street then began backing towards her truck.
“Damn, they’re going to tow me?” She didn’t wait for his response, but hurried towards the tow driver. “I thought you were going to bring tires?”
“You thought wrong, lady.”
“Come on, I have to get up early tomorrow to get to work.”
“I can give you a few donuts, but that’s all I have. You’ll have to bring your truck into the shop to get tires.”
“Fine,” she said. She padded back to Scott. “Next time I’m calling Donnie’s Auto and that’s final.”
“Look, Donnie is fine, but he’s not triple-A.”
“Yeah, well, Donnie would’ve brought tires. What is this, amateur hour at the nation’s best-known roadside service?”
She wasn’t sure what she was more annoyed at, Scott having arrested the wrong person, or the fact she wouldn’t be getting a new set of tires as she’d expected, but the safest course of action would be directing her annoyance at the tow guy. Anything to save her and Scott from a sudden blow-up.
“What did Daisy have to say for herself when you arrested her?”
“She did what all guilty people do…she refused to say and word and waited for her lawyer.”
Kate snorted a laugh. “Where’s the gun?”
“That’s the missing link. We can’t locate it. And if she doesn’t start talking, it won’t matter how strong a case we build. She’ll get off as soon as she sees the inside of a courtroom.”
Soon, the tow guy had patched Kate’s tires and filled them with air.
“I’ll drive behind you in case you get into trouble,” said Scott.
She thanked the tow guy and waited for him to pull out of the driveway. As soon as he cleared the curb, she backed out and waited for Scott to ease up behind her in his truck. Then she drove slowly and carefully back to their house.
As if he had devised his plan during the ride home, Scott made a beeline for the kitchen as soon as they stepped inside and was quick to open a chilled bottle of white wine. He poured her a glass and handed it to her where she sat at the kitchen table.
If there was one thing that curbed her constant craving for coffee, it was a cool glass of wine.
Scott poured himself a glass and said, “It was nice of Dean to hire Jason.”
“That reminds me. I wanted to have the boys over for dinner to celebrate Jason’s new position.”
“Do you have the energy to cook?”
“Barely.”
“Let’s order in. You call them, and I’ll put in an order for delivery with Gino’s.”
She took another sip of wine, nodding at the same time, then pulled Jason’s number up on her cell phone.
“Honey,” she said, wandering into the living room so she would be able to talk without being distracted by Scott’s call to Gino’s. “Congratulations again.”
“Thanks,” he said through the earpiece. “I’m feeling a lot better.”
Kate thought she heard Amelia in the background.
“I wanted to see if you’d like to come over for dinner? I’ll give Jared a call as well. Scott and I were hoping to celebrate.”
“Ah, I’m at the Langleys.”
“Have you eaten?”
“No, could we all come?”
“Sure,” she said then shouted to Scott, “get enough for the Langleys, as well!” To Jason she added, “We’ll eat outside. It’s cooled off a bit. It’ll be nice.” As soon as she got off the phone, she padded back into the kitchen, asking, “Do I have time to shower?”
“You tell me.”
“I just need ten minutes.”
Scott looked momentarily ill; it was the way he tended to look whenever he was faced with the prospect of entertaining the Langleys alone.
“I’ll be two seconds.”
“You said ten minutes.”
“Split the difference,” she called out.
“That’s a big difference.”
But she was quick. Before she knew it, she tore herself from the hot, relaxing stream and made her way into the bedroom where she threw on a nicer pair of jeans and a fresh t-shirt.
By the time she stepped out of the bedroom, Jason and Jared’s deeply booming laughter billowed into the hallway. It was good to hear them laughing, Jason especially, since she hadn’t seen him crack so much as a smile in the past few weeks other than when he was hired at Wentworth.
“Hi guys,” she said, joining them at the dining table. “Amelia, how are you? Lance?”
The Langleys offered her a solemn nod. Lance was nursing a beer, and Amelia gulped her white wine as if something about the evening was already making her uncomfortable. Kate wondered if Scott had made a pessimistic comment, which called to mind why the kidnapper hadn’t contacted them yet.
“What’s so funny?” she asked the twins, who were nestled at the corner of the table.
Jared spoke up, riding through a fresh wave of laughter. “Just reminiscing something stupid Jason did in college.”
“Ah, should’ve known,” she said just as the doorbell chimed.
Scott excused himself, noting it was Gino’s, and answered the door, while Kate busied herself to set plates around the table.
As soon as everyone settled around the table, Kate caught a curious glare Amelia was shooting at Jason—though he wasn’t aware of it.
She wanted to write it off as stress. Perhaps Amelia couldn’t allow herself to relax for one meal. However, Kate was getting a very different impression. Amelia was looking at Jason with suspicion, and Kate didn’t like it.
Angling to say something to lighten the tension she was sensing, Kate opened her mouth, but at the same time, Lance jolted, drawing his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.
She hadn’t even heard it ring or buzz.
He looked suddenly ill, staring at it, then his eyes snapped to Scott across the table.
“I don’t recognize the number,” he said, and in an instant, everyone was thinking the same thing.
Taking charge, Scott said, “Stay calm. Everything’s in place. Go ahead and answer it.”
Swallowing hard, Lance swiped the screen and lifted the phone to his ear.
“Yes?”
As he listened, his eyes widened, and Scott rose calmly from the table then rushed into the kitchen to place a call, presumably to his surveillance te
am who were listening in on the wiretap.
“Tell me she’s safe,” Lance demanded in a strained tone. But then he immediately fell silent, having overstepped his bounds with the kidnapper. “Tomorrow night? Yes, fine.”
When he snapped his fingers, Amelia was quick with a pen and scrap of paper, but as soon as Lance had it, he didn’t write anything down. He only said, “The amusement park? Where specifically?” Then he listened. After a long moment, he lowered the phone and Scott returned. “He wants me to bring half a million dollars out to the construction site at midnight tomorrow. He said if I don’t come alone, he'd kill her.”
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Kate woke with a headache that she hoped coffee would cure. If it was a tension headache, she wasn’t sure how she would get through her day. Slogging through the next fourteen hours until Lance’s arranged swap with the kidnapper—Becky in exchange for cash—would not be easy. She wanted it to be over already. She needed her peaceful life back. But even if getting her soon-to-be daughter-in-law back home went smoothly, would her life return to peace? How could it when in her gut she knew the wrong person had been arrested for Clifford Green’s murder?
She dragged herself out of bed, all too aware that Scott had already left for the precinct. In the kitchen, she groaned, discovering there was no more coffee in the canister. The carafe was dark with the dregs of luke-warm coffee. She would have to stop off at Bean There, but the prospect of driving over without already having drunk a cup was daunting. Complicating matters were her truck tires. She was lucky she had driven home last night without incident. If anything, she should drive to Donnie’s Auto and get her rear tires replaced, but before having a fresh cup of coffee?
She didn’t see that happening.
After taking a quick shower and dressing, she started for her truck. It was going to be another hot one. By her estimation, it was already in the low nineties and come noon the heat would be sweltering. At least she had finished Meredith’s patio and wouldn’t have to work outside. The art deco house would be cool and so would Jared’s office, which would be her first stop this morning.
Driving to Bean There, she kept the odometer below thirty and tried not to get frustrated as other cars pulled up alongside hers, the drivers rolling their windows down and shouting to ask if she needed any help.
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