by None
“At least we did one thing—we established that she has a temper,” I said as we made our way back to Maddy’s car.
“You almost had proof of that up close,” she said. “Her story doesn’t give her much of an alibi, does it? With that convenient ‘cold’ she had, no one can say when, or even if, she was home. Where does that leave us?”
“I’d say she’s a genuine suspect, so that’s progress.” I glanced at my watch. “I’m afraid that’s all we’re going to be able to do right now. We need to get back to Timber Ridge and open the restaurant.”
“We might as well,” Maddy said. “I hate to admit it, but Art Young came through for you today.”
“He’s not all bad,” I answered.
“I’ll withhold judgment on that,” she said.
As we started back to Timber Ridge, Maddy’s cell phone rang. I wasn’t crazy about her talking and driving, and she knew it.
After a moment, she said, “Tell Eleanor.”
Maddy handed me the telephone, and I heard Bob Lemon on the other end.
“Where are you?” Bob demanded.
“We’re in Maddy’s car. Is this a new game we’re playing? I just love games. Now it’s my turn. Where are you?”
“I’m in front of the Slice with two very worried young men,” he said, finding no humor in what I’d said at all. “You’ve got to tell someone when you’re not going to be here. We were all worried about you.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, “but it’s misplaced. Maddy and I have been getting into trouble for years together, and I don’t see any indication of it stopping anytime soon. Besides, we left a sign on the door.”
“It must have fallen off, because I don’t see it. There’s someone dangerous out there, Eleanor. You can’t take it too lightly.”
I’d had enough of that. I felt like David Quinton had finally learned his lesson, but Bob Lemon clearly hadn’t. “Trust me, we’re not,” I said with an edge in my voice. “That’s why we’re investigating Judson’s murder. So, unless you have important information for us about that, I suggest you hang up before you say anything else you might very well live to regret.”
“I’ll tell you the rest when you get here,” he said.
“Fine,” I replied, and then hung up.
I put the telephone back in Maddy’s purse, and she glanced over at me for a second. “Wow, you missed your calling, Eleanor. You should have been in the diplomatic corps.”
“He was trying to protect us,” I said.
“We both know he has a reason,” Maddy said calmly. “You need to take it easy on him.”
“That’s funny. I never thought you’d put up with that kind of behavior.”
Maddy bit her lip, and I knew she wanted to say something, although it was clear that she wasn’t certain she should. I decided to help her with it. “Go on, say what’s on your mind.”
“What are you afraid of, Sis?”
That wasn’t what I’d been expecting. “I’m sorry?”
“You reacted the same way when David Quinton started caring too much about you, and when Bob shows the least concern for our welfare, you bite his head off. Can’t you let any man get close to you again? Do you think that’s what Joe would have wanted?”
I was so stunned by her words that for one of the few times in my life, I was literally speechless. Maddy looked over at me, but I couldn’t meet her gaze. My thoughts were going a thousand miles a second. Is that how I was acting? Had I reacted that way every time David had expressed concern over my well-being? My sister had held a mirror up to my behavior, and I didn’t like what I saw.
We drove the rest of the way in silence, and when Maddy parked in back of the pizzeria, she said softly, “I didn’t mean to be so hard on you. I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said. “I needed to hear it.”
“Then you agree with me?” she asked with a grin.
“Let’s just say you’ve given me food for thought.”
We got out and moved to the shortcut. “Let me give you one more piece of advice. When you see Bob, you need to apologize.”
“Funny, I gave him that exact advice last night concerning you.”
Her smile broadened. “And see how well that worked out?”
We walked around to the front to find the three of them waiting for us.
Ignoring Greg and Josh for the moment, I hugged Bob as I said, “I’m sorry for my behavior. It’s sweet of you to care about us, and I appreciate your concern.”
He nodded and pulled back away from me. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“We’re fine,” I said.
I turned to Greg and Josh and added, “We should have warned you we were skipping out, but we got a hot lead, and we decided to follow up on it while we had the chance. If it makes you feel any better, there’s a note on the floor on the other side of this door that says we’ll be back at four-thirty.”
“It’s all good,” Greg said. “Did you have any luck?”
“We added someone to our list of suspects,” Maddy said.
“Then it was worth it.” He slapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Now, I don’t know about you ladies, but I say we start making some pizza.”
“That sounds like a plan,” I said. I hesitated after unlocking the door. “Bob, would you like something? It’s on the house. You can think of it as a peace offering.”
“Thanks, but I’m waiting for a telephone call back at my office. I might stop by later, if that’s all right with you.”
“You’re welcome here anytime,” I said.
After he left, I walked into the Slice and flipped the CLOSED sign to OPEN as I picked the handwritten sign up off the floor. As I suspected, the tape hadn’t held on the cold, moist glass. Maddy and I might have missed out on a little business while we’d been gone, and if we had, I was sorry for that, but what we’d confirmed was much more valuable than the money we’d lost. It felt good having at least one viable suspect—besides the two of us—make the list.
I wasn’t expecting to see Bob Lemon back so soon, but half an hour after he left us, he came into the kitchen.
“Did you decide to take me up on that free meal?” I asked.
“Maybe later. My phone call came through, so I rushed right over here as soon as it was over.”
“Should we wait for Maddy?” I asked. I knew how my sister hated being scooped, especially when it came to news from her boyfriend.
“She gave me her blessing to go on and tell you,” Bob said.
“Then go on,” I replied.
“Gina Sizemore is in quite a bit of financial trouble,” he said. “She has outstanding debt on her credit cards that you won’t believe.”
“How much are we talking about here?” I asked. It wasn’t hard to see a motive if Nathan had been murdered, but unless her brother, Judson, had an insurance policy that listed her as sole beneficiary, it was tough to blame her for the murder.
“From what I discovered, she’s amassed over a hundred thousand dollars in debt, and she’s just been paying the minimum balance for years. Until this month, that is.”
“What changed?”
“If I were guessing, I’d have to say that Nathan stepped in and started helping her out,” Bob said.
“He paid off that kind of debt, just like that?”
“No, that’s the odd part. There haven’t been any charges on her accounts since the first, and only five percent of the debt has been paid as of today.”
“That’s really strange,” I said as I took a finished pizza from the line and cut it before sliding it into a waiting box. “Why would Nathan pay off such a small percentage of her debt? You’d think it would be either all or nothing.”
“I’m guessing that he’s doing it to teach her a lesson,” Bob said. “Can you imagine how angry she must be that he wouldn’t clear it all off the books as soon as she found out he could handle it without any financial hardship on him at all?”
“It s
till doesn’t explain why she would kill her brother.”
Bob nodded. “You’re going to have to think a little more deviously than you’re used to,” he said. “With Judson out of the way, what do you think becomes of Nathan’s money if something happens to him now?”
“I imagine that Gina would get all of it,” I said, suddenly aware of the positioning Gina might have made by committing the murder. It would take a cold-blooded woman to kill her own brother, much harder than murdering an uncle. “Are you saying that half of Nathan’s estate wouldn’t be enough for her?”
“It’s possible. Greed knows no boundaries with some people.”
“We have to warn Nathan,” I said.
“And tell him what, that his last living relative wants him dead, based on no more proof than information he already has? It’s not time to do that yet.”
“Then what should we do?”
“The best thing I can think to do is to let her know that we’re on to her,” Bob said.
“Hang on. What do you mean, ‘we’?”
“I’ve decided to help you,” he said proudly.
“You just did.”
“I mean, take a more active role in your investigation.”
I wasn’t about to let him risk his law practice, not to mention his life, because of us. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
He studied me carefully. “This isn’t about before, is it?”
“No, I promise that it’s not,” I answered with a sigh. “Maddy and I don’t have nearly as much to lose as you do.”
“That’s not true. Your lives come to mind.”
“I mean besides that,” I said with a grin. “We can both still make pizzas, even if we have criminal records. You have a successful law practice to protect. Don’t worry about the two of us. We’ll be fine.”
“I certainly hope so. There’s one more thing you need to know, and then I have to go. I’m going to be late for a court appearance as it is.”
“Tell me quickly, then.”
“Gina has a rather unsavory boyfriend hanging around somewhere in the shadows,” Bob said. “From what I’ve learned, he’s a bad seed.”
“Do you have a name?” I asked. Art had told me about someone named Jack associated with both Gina and Lacy, but he hadn’t had a last name. I suspected it had been the man with the newspaper who’d been watching Lacy at the clothing boutique, but I had no proof of it.
“Not yet, but I’m still looking,” he said.
“Let me know when you find out. And thanks, Bob. Maddy and I both appreciate what you’re doing for us.”
“It could be more,” he said.
“Or not,” I replied. “I just love these word games, don’t you?”
After he left, I took the pizza I’d boxed out front. As I looked for our customer, I couldn’t help wondering about Gina, and her real feelings toward her uncle. Regardless of what Bob had just said, I still felt that someone should warn Nathan that he might have invited a viper into his home, but with the way she had been blocking our access at every turn, it couldn’t be us. I’d have to think of another way to warn him that keeping her close might be the worst thing he could do, at least if he wanted to survive until Halloween, let alone Christmas.
I walked out to talk to Maddy and found Karen Green sitting at a table with books spread out on top of it.
I detoured over and asked her, “What are you reading?”
She grinned brightly at me. “I had so much fun taking a genealogy course in the adult education program at the college last semester that I decided to take two classes this time.”
“That sounds like fun. What are you taking?”
She held up a book for me to read.
I studied the title and the book’s description, and then said, “Wow. Basic Law looks tough.”
“It’s nothing compared to my other class. I decided to take an auto repair class in case I get stranded somewhere. So far, I’m not sure if I’ve learned anything.”
“That’s how I’ve spent half my life,” I said. “I admire you for improving yourself. Can I get you anything?”
“Thanks, Maddy just took my order.”
“Then I’ll let you get back to work.”
I approached my sister and told her about Karen’s ambitious schedule. When I finished, I asked her, “Do you have any orders for me? I’m caught up in back.”
She smiled as she handed me two order slips. “I was just coming back there to give you these. How did it go with Bob?”
“He wants to help us,” I said.
“How sweet.”
“No, you don’t understand. He wants to join our little investigation team and start digging.”
She shook her head. “That’s not going to happen for so many reasons. I hope you told him that.”
“In so many words,” I said.
“Then he needs to hear it in those exact words.”
I touched her arm lightly. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Do not use this as an excuse to pick another fight with that man.”
She frowned at me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Madeline, I mean it.” I rarely used my sister’s full name, just as she didn’t call me Ellie, unless it was for something important. “I thought you wanted to get married again someday.”
She shrugged. “I’m not so sure about that anymore. After all, I’ve walked down the aisle so many times, I’m starting to wear a path in the carpet.”
“That’s entirely up to you, but don’t take your reticence out on Bob. He’s only been trying to help.”
“Point taken,” she said. “Now, are you going to make those pizzas, or am I going to have to?”
“You can do it,” I said as I handed the slips back to her.
“I was just kidding,” Maddy said, quickly backpedaling.
“Come on. We could both use a break in our routine. We’ll switch up for the rest of the evening.”
Maddy reluctantly took the slips and headed back into the kitchen, and I grabbed Karen’s drink and refilled everyone else’s glasses. This was going to be a piece of cake.
I hoped.
Ten minutes until closing, everyone was happily eating, and I was doing a bit of spot cleaning up front. Greg had gone home early to study for a major exam, and Josh was watching the clock like it was about to tell the future instead of the time. Staying closed a little longer for lunch had made for a short evening—or was it because I hadn’t been in the kitchen all that time? It did seem to go by quicker interacting with customers instead of just my staff, but I would be ready the next day to recapture my solitude. I could swear I was getting a bit hoarse from all the talking I’d done.
I glanced again at Josh, whose gaze had never left the clock.
“Got a big date tonight?” I asked.
He shrugged. “If I get out of here in time, I do.”
“Never let it be said that I stood in the way of young love,” I said.
“Does that mean I can go?”
“It does,” I said.
I could barely finish before he was out the door.
Things were slow, and I considered closing early, when the chief of police came in, a cloud across his face.
“I know I should have made him stay, but he had big plans, and I didn’t have the heart to keep him here,” I said.
“What are you talking about?”
“I just let Josh go early for a big date. Isn’t that why you look so upset?”
He shook his head. “Believe me, my son’s love life is the least of my problems at the moment.”
I pulled him aside out of earshot of my customers. “Don’t tell me. I’m probably at the top of that list, aren’t I?”
He rubbed his face, looking tired and worried beyond his years. I certainly gave the man my share of grief, but I never really thought about the toll his job must take on him. It was an unusual position to be in, feeling sympathetic for him, but I couldn’t help my
self.
He ran a hand through his hair and then asked me, “Have you been doing something you shouldn’t have?”
“I can’t even begin to answer that question,” I said. “How in the world could I ever know?”
“I don’t have time for these word games of yours, Eleanor, no matter how much fun you find them.”
“You implied that you had big problems. What’s going on? Is it about Judson Sizemore’s murder?”
“No, but it’s kind of related. You heard about what happened with Nathan today, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Are you serious? For once, I actually have the information before you do.”
“Don’t make me wait,” I said as I stared at him. “What happened to him?”
I thought I might choke him, while the chief of police just stood there looking at me. If he thought he was going to get away with jerking me around like that, he was sadly mistaken.
Chapter 9
“You know I’m going to find out sooner or later, so you might as well tell me now,” I said.
“You’ve got me there. Fine, I can’t imagine what it will hurt telling you about it. The only thing that amazes me is that one of your customers hasn’t mentioned it to you already: Nathan had an accident with his lawn mower. He was cleaning up some leaves on his property with it this evening, and apparently it went out of control and nearly drove him into the river in back of his place. That would be bad enough for most folks, but Nathan never learned how to swim, and it’s pretty deep along his property line. He managed to jump off just in time, but his mower isn’t going to make it.”
“Did someone tamper with the brakes?” I asked. The instant I heard what had happened, I began seeing it as an attempted murder.
“What? Your imagination’s running a little too wild even for you, Eleanor. Have you seen that bank he has to mow? It would make a mountain goat nervous.”
“No,” I admitted, “I’ve only seen the front of his garden.”
Kevin looked surprised. “I’m shocked you’ve seen even that much. He’s pretty private about his land.”