“Let’s stop being cute, Bradley. Where did you get it?”
Bradley’s expression drew long and his face hardened with anger. “I’ll tell you where. From Dean’s crappy girlfriend, that’s where. And I wasn’t going to do anything with it. I was only trying to make a point.”
“Girlfriend?” Kate asked, alarmed. Dean and Jessica had been happily married for a number of years. “Dean has a mistress?”
“Don’t make it sound classy, it’s not and she’s not, no matter how hard she tries.”
She shifted in her seat, speechless.
“Do you know what this feels like for me? Knowing that jerk has been messing around and wanting to tell my mom, but knowing if I tell her it’ll destroy her? I was so pissed off about it, I wanted to scare the crap out of Dean, so I took the box of drugs from that woman, you know, to prove to Dean she was the absolute worst. But of course, I didn’t get the chance because Mom had to go clean my room.” He interrupted himself with a snorted laugh. “Yeah, like she was cleaning. Then once she’s done flipping out at me and sends me to my room, Dean comes in like he’s going to be the cool stepdad and talk to me. I confronted him then about his girlfriend, but he didn’t even let me get to the part where I tell him she’s the one who has these drugs, not me, because Dean frigging cuts me off to tell me he stopped seeing her, anyhow.”
“What’s the woman’s name?” Kate said finally when she regained her faculties.
“Donna,” he said as if her name disgusted him. “Some hotshot from out of town.”
“Donna Kramer?”
“I guess. Frigging Dean,” he went on. “He was all bent out of shape because his secret girlfriend had a secret boyfriend, that poor bastard who got killed. What’s his name? Tommy Barkow?”
Suddenly, Kate’s mind started reeling.
“Donna Kramer and Tommy Barkow,” she murmured to herself. The drug chemist and the dealer.
Bradley continued to stew from the passenger’s seat. “I’m telling you right now,” he stated. “If Dean takes Tommy’s death as his clean slate to start back up with Donna, there’s going to be another murder in Rock Ridge, and it’ll be because I frigging killed Dean.”
“All right, don’t talk like that,” she said in a small voice even she didn’t believe.
Could Donna Kramer have been in room 5 that day with Tommy? Had she killed him? Or had Dean killed him in a jealous rage or as a means to get Tommy out of the way of his secret love affair with Donna?
“You still didn’t tell me where exactly you got that box of drugs,” she reminded him.
“From Donna’s stash,” he replied vaguely.
“Where?”
He snorted a laugh and said “where” in a mimicking voice. “Where do you think? At the amusement park! I’m telling you, that park is going to bring in a ton of cash, but not because the rides are fun. Donna Kramer, with Dean’s help, is going to be selling a different kind of trip entirely.”
Was that why Dean had thrown a bomb at the amusement park that night? Because the police were way too close to drugs being stashed there?
“Kate, are you okay?”
She glanced at Bradley, who looked suddenly concerned for her. “This is huge. This is a conspiracy. It’s going to be the biggest scandal this town has ever seen if it gets out. Dean is going to get in a lot of trouble. This could ruin Rock Ridge.”
Bradley screwed his face up. “Are you worried about them not getting caught or about them getting caught? Right now it sounds like both.”
She had never been more conflicted in her entire life. And she didn’t have an answer. “I have to get going.”
“Yeah, nice talking to you,” he said, popping the door open.
“Bradley?”
“Yeah?”
“Stay out of trouble, would you?”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he told her with a smile. “I’m good at never getting caught.”
He shut the door and she yelled, “That isn’t funny!” Bradley yanked the restaurant door open and slipped inside.
Kate had to clear her head before she sat down with the Langleys, Scott, and her boys. It would make things tight, but she drove home for a quick shower. As she stood in the stall, letting the hot stream of water wash over her and lathering her hair with shampoo, she was struck by the fact of how thoroughly overwhelmed she felt. The mayor was tangled up with a siren, drug lord. He may or may not have thrown a bomb at Lance Langley. He certainly knew about Donna’s operation of moving drugs from the Langleys’ mustard factory to the shed at the inn, and to the very amusement park he was building. Everyone even remotely associated to the conspiracy was terrified, and worse, clueless about who was behind it all. Was that person Donna? Or did the chain of command go up much higher? Becky’s abduction was an extension of the drug ring, as well, and yet Dean’s decision to blow up the ransom exchange seemed to muddy the motivations behind Becky’s disappearance in the first place. Tommy Barkow had clearly died for his involvement, but Kate was no closer to understanding who had done it, though her prime suspects were either Dean or Donna. And Amelia Langley’s arrest had thrown a superficial wrench into the entire picture of what might’ve truly happened.
As Kate stepped out of the shower, she told herself that if this family meeting didn’t answer the many burning questions she had, she was going to have a bonafide nervous breakdown.
After dressing in a pair of nice, black jeans and a loose-fitting tee shirt, and making the drive to the Langleys’ house, Kate parked along the curb and walked up to the front door. She knocked and glanced over her shoulder. Scott’s truck was parked up the street. She saw Jared’s vehicle, as well, but Jason’s car was nowhere in sight. She hoped Jared had driven Jason. It was important for everyone to be here tonight.
Amelia looked gaunt when she opened the door. She had only spent the better part of the day in jail, but clearly she hadn’t touched the meals that were offered.
“My attorney is here,” she stated, and Kate sank into her hip, disappointed.
“Amelia, that’s not going to help us talk as a family.”
“Well, I have to be smart about this,” she said. “Scott doesn’t get to take off the chief hat for a night and then go back to playing bad cop the next day. This is my freedom we’re talking about.”
What could Kate say? She sighed and told Amelia “fine,” which seemed to be the prerequisite of being invited inside. She followed the woman into the living room where a prudish-looking man in his forties occupied the better portion of the couch. The attorney was wearing a starched white shirt and tailored suit, and by the looks of it, had been enjoying more than a few cocktails, courtesy of Scott York, who sat in the adjacent sofa couch, refilling the man’s glass with more whiskey.
Seeing Kate, Scott set down the glass and approached. The kiss he gave her was on the cheek and brief, and came with a word of caution. “I’m going to get him drunk, and then we’ll really have a talk.”
“Oh boy,” she said, smiling at the attorney from across the room. The man was already glassy-eyed.
Jared entered from the kitchen with a plate of olives and cheese, and gave Kate a nod before setting down the hors d’oeuvres. When he straightened up and met her gaze again, she knew he hadn’t been able to get in touch with Jason.
“Now that everyone’s here,” said Amelia, clapping her hands. “I’ll go get Lance and we can get started.”
“I’m not an invalid!” he called out from down the hallway. In a few moments he entered the room, making slow work of balancing each step with the cane in his right hand. “I’m feeling quite all right, in fact. These painkillers are a Godsend.”
Amelia assisted Lance as he settled into another sofa chair, and Jared squeezed down onto the couch beside the attorney who hadn’t left him much room. Kate was about to take a seat on the piano bench at the far side of the room, but she heard a knock at the front door.
Immediately, she looked at Jared. They were thinking t
he same thing, so she let everyone know she would get it and padded off to the foyer where she saw Jason through the glass window in the door.
“You made it,” she said with a smile as soon as she opened the door. “I was worried you didn’t get my messages.”
“I’m here,” he said dryly, following her through the house.
Seating was limited, but Scott was already on it, carrying a kitchen chair into the living room.
Amelia glanced from one face to the next, as everyone waited awkwardly for someone to speak. Finally, she did. “I already told Kate everything Lance and I know.”
Without warning, the attorney’s head fell back onto the couch and he began snoring.
“William,” hissed Amelia. “William! Wake up!”
Scott made a weak effort of rousting the man, gently tapping his shoulder. “Looks like he’s out. Some people just can’t handle their whiskey,” he said with a chuckle that Amelia scowled at.
Jason still hadn’t taken a seat, and when Kate indicated he could fit on the other side of the attorney, he declined and folded his arms.
“Let’s start with the facts,” Scott said, taking the floor. “Amelia, your prints were on the mallard—”
“If I’m going to be accused all over again—”
“You’re not,” he interrupted. “I’m sure Kate told you this meeting is in the spirit of us finding a way through this as a family.”
“We’re not a family, yet,” Lance grumbled.
Jason spoke up in an exasperated tone. “Have we all forgotten about Becky? It seems like every day that passes, another crime is committed and it distracts us more from the real issue at hand. She’s gone. And we aren’t going to get her back if we spend our time discussing Tommy Barkow’s murder or the explosion at the amusement park or God knows what else.”
“But we are,” said Kate, “because they’re all connected.”
Jumping back to the original question, Amelia stated, “I work at the inn. I own it, for Christ’s sake. I touch everything, and that’s why my prints were on that bookend. Lance and I are victims in more ways than one.”
Kate drew in a deep breath and prepared herself for the fallout that would surely come with opening a giant can of worms. “I think we need to talk about Dean Wentworth.”
As soon as she declared it, she studied Jason. His face went slack, and unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, he looked suddenly pale, as well.
“The mayor?” asked Amelia. “Why?”
“Kate?” Scott said, prodding her when she hesitated to elaborate, immediately regretting launching into what could very well amount to wild, teenaged speculation.
“I don’t know if he’s another victim or if he’s playing a calculated role, but your warehouse and inn aren’t the only places in this town where those drugs are being stashed. I heard they’re also at the construction site.”
Scott snapped his eyes to Jason. “Have you heard anything? Seen anything? Have either of you?”
Jason was mum, and all Kate could say was what Bradley had told her. Soon the entire room went into an uproar of shock, skepticism, and hysterics, until Scott yelled in a booming tone to end the chaos.
“The police are removing the drugs from the warehouse and the inn, and in terms of those offenses, the Langleys are not going to be charged or even questioned.” He made a point to make eye contact with both Amelia and Lance. “I’ll get a search warrant for the amusement park and we’ll bring Dean in for questioning. What we need to figure out here is who killed Tommy.”
“Dean or Donna Kramer,” Kate stated frankly.
“Who the hell is Donna Kramer?” he asked.
Jason was the one to answer, and what he said was both shocking and completely logical. “She’s the executive overseeing the construction of the park.”
“Jesus,” said Kate before turning to Scott. “Tommy was having an affair with her. Tommy was making the drugs. He’s a chemist.”
“How do you know?”
“A woman named Gillian O’Reilly told me. She was at the amusement park that night. She was supposed to get the bag of money. She didn’t know there would be a bomb. When I looked into it, I learned from Drake at the Firing Line that Dean was the one to buy the gunpowder.”
Scott jumped to his feet. “I’ve got to talk to Dean right now.”
Jason sidestepped, blocking his path. “You don’t want to do that.”
Scott’s eyes widened with astonishment, as he said, “Why’s that?”
“Because!” Jason protested. “Because it detracts from Amelia’s predicament! It distracts us from finding Becky! Why is it so hard for everyone in this family to focus on what matters?”
Jared rose to his feet. “Jason, you got to let him go, man.”
“What about Becky?” he countered.
Amelia cut right in with, “What about your disappearances, hmmm?” She glared at Jason from her chair. “You think I don’t know about that? I’ve got my ear to the ground!”
“Meaning what?” he challenged.
Kate jumped to her feet. “Everybody calm down. This isn’t getting us anywhere.”
Two seconds after she stated as much, everyone started yelling and pointing their fingers at each other.
This was a complete disaster. Amidst the chaos, Jason shoved Scott then bolted from the fray, tearing out of the living room, throwing the front door open, and running.
Kate took off after him, but when she reached the front walk, his car was already peeling out, burning rubber, as it veered off down the street.
Chapter Ten
After the night she’d had at the Langleys’ with the fights and accusations that ensued, Kate felt overdue for some quality Carly time. She didn’t want to discuss Tommy Barkow, Donna Kramer, the drugs, or the mayor’s supposed involvement. All she needed was to get lost in the trials and tribulations of Carly’s life for a little while, which was why she arranged to meet her best friend at Bean There for breakfast.
Eager for the escape, Kate was five minutes early to the little coffee shop in the heart of Rock Ridge. She ordered a large coffee, and Clara, the barista, smiled with surprise when Kate requested a mug.
“Wow, not rushing off?” Clara asked over her shoulder as she filled a Bean There mug to the brim with piping hot dark roast.
“Rare moment of quietude,” she supplied, handing Clara a bill and dropping the change she received into the tip jar.
The coffee shop had plenty of vacant tables, though a number of customers were scattered throughout. Kate drank in the sight of a cuddling couple, who looked young enough to be in college, and remembered when Jason and Jared were that age. She was certain things were better now that they were home. Instead of missing them because they were off at school, she saw them regularly, but each encounter had become strained and tense. Jason seemed to have more and more secrets, none of which she’d been able to unearth. And Jared was crumbling from the inside out each day, trying to be strong and supportive and give his brother the benefit of the doubt, and yet by doing so, he’d grown exhausted.
Kate chose a table by the windows in the back and saw Carly bounding down the sidewalk outside. She waved, catching her friend’s eye, and settled into a chair.
A moment later, Carly burst through the entrance, met Kate’s gaze from across the room, and shot one finger in the air as if to indicate she’d only be a second.
Kate blew on her coffee and gazed out at the quaint street. At first glance, Rock Ridge passed for the perfect town, picturesque and homey. You would never know just by looking at it that there was a world of corruption just beneath the surface.
Hadn’t she fought this battle already, and won for that matter?
Why was history repeating itself?
It seemed that Rock Ridge had never had a trustworthy mayor. Each had conducted questionable, if not illegal business transactions. Power came at a high cost, she thought, but did it have to? Dean had been doing so well for so many years. She never s
aw this coming. Scott was making arrangements with his detectives to bring Dean in for questioning. He would have to be delicate yet firm if he wanted to make headway without offending the mayor, who was in a position to end Scott’s career. How crazy was that?
Carly kept her eyes on the coffee in her hands as she walked slowly through the coffee shop, careful not to spill her hot drink. When she reached the table, she set her mug down first and then eased into her chair.
“I can’t tell you how good it is to see you,” Kate said.
“You make it sound like it’s been ages.” She laughed. “So, tell me...how’s it going?”
“No, no,” said Kate, wagging her finger at her friend. “I need to hear about you. Keep it light. No drama. I’m all ears.”
“Well,” said Carly, leaning over the table as though all she was about to divulge would be quite juicy. “Larry and I have been talking about renewing our vows and going on a second honeymoon.”
“Really?” Kate was envious, but her happiness for Carly didn’t last.
Gillian O’Reilly burst through the coffee shop entrance and locked eyes with Kate.
“Oh no,” she said, breaking eye contact and prompting Carly to ask her what was wrong. She didn’t respond so much as begin mumbling, “Please don’t be here for me.”
But Gillian was. She barreled towards Kate’s table and blurted out, “Where the heck is your husband?”
Carly was taken aback on Kate’s behalf.
“At the precinct, I would imagine.”
“I can’t do this anymore,” said Gillian, distressed. “I want out and I need witness protection or something.”
Kate hoped that the young woman who looked so much like Becky that it made her head spin was overreacting, but she couldn’t take that chance. Turning to Carly, she apologized. “Can we reschedule?”
Bewildered, Carly agreed and Kate wasted no time ushering Gillian out of the coffee shop. When they reached the sidewalk, she asked, “What’s going on?”
“I got another note, more instructions. I can’t take this anymore,” she cried.
“Okay,” said Kate, thinking on her feet. “What do they want you to do?”
Mrs. Fix It Mysteries, Season 2 (5 Cozy Mystery Books Collection) Page 28