Kate nodded. In this business, reputation meant everything. She took a lot of pride in her work. Dean did, too. That’s why they often recommended each other.
“I understand. What benefit would there be to substandard materials?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I don’t understand. Unless someone is getting a kickback for using the crappy stuff.”
“Someone could be paying them the difference between the two prices. Still, what’s the point in failing to get an inspection? That’s going to make them look harder.”
“For sure. I want everything done correctly. This really pisses me off. Especially right now with the wedding.”
“Maybe whoever did it thought you’d be distracted by the wedding.”
“Possibly.” He let out an exasperated breath. “This puts me behind schedule. I was ahead and on track for a bonus.”
“Well, my father always said to follow the money. There might be two trails in this case.”
“Why?”
“Maybe your investors don’t want you to finish early. Maybe they’ve run out of money.”
“I hope not. It’s a coalition of some of the bigwigs in town. Most of them are business owners. They should know how to manage their money.”
“One would hope.”
What is the world coming to? “I’m so sorry this happened, Dean.”
“Can you not tell anyone? I hate the situation enough, and I’d hate to have anyone find out. Even if it isn’t my fault. We can’t defame anyone until I know what’s going on.”
“Sure enough.”
She left him at the site, muttering. Poor Dean. At least Jessica would cheer him up at some point tonight. Unlike Kate, who was going home to an empty house with supermarket chicken. That was pathetic. She could probably be having a lovely dinner with Scott, if she wanted.
Best not to go there. No need to encourage him. Maybe she shouldn’t even be his friend, but she had begun to rely on him and his opinions.
As she drove down her long, winding driveway, she half expected to see Scott. He often showed up unannounced. She really should break him of that habit, but her life was that boring. No social life other than a girls’ night once in a while with Carly.
That thought reminded her of Meghan. Dean had given her Clem’s address. Kate would have to give her condolences in person—tomorrow. Now she wanted to get into shorts and a T-shirt and devour her chicken.
Before she reached the house, she turned off the perimeter security system. Scott had found it by accident. He’d said it was put there by a very paranoid person: Greg. Of course, she had no idea what Greg had been into that he felt they needed this type of security.
Parking her truck, she gazed at the house that had once been a home. She’d accepted that her boys would leave, but she was supposed to grow old here with Greg.
That clearly was not happening.
Chapter Three
Kate mulled over who might have wanted to kill Meghan as she drove to Clem’s house. She had to give her condolences to the man. He must be broken up. His sister had been brutally murdered.
His house was a ranch-style home on a little spit of land. More weeds grew than grass, and Kate figured Clem lived by himself. There were no womanly touches. No flower boxes. No wreath on the door.
Kate knocked. She didn’t hear any movement inside. She waited a minute then knocked again. A disheveled man opened the door. He looked as if he’d just woken up…under a truck. His bleary eyes blinked at her.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I was Meghan’s friend. I wanted to offer my condolences.”
He stared at her for a moment, and she wondered if he’d heard what she said.
“Are you Clem Tully?”
“Yes. I am. Sorry. I was napping.”
This early in the morning? She kept that question to herself. Then he yawned. The smell of alcohol wafted to her. That explained the nap in the morning. She’d never have suspected if he’d said he’d just been awakened.
“Sorry to wake you. Do you have the details of the viewing and funeral?”
She’d have to send flowers. And attend both the viewing and the funeral. Meghan had been her friend, even if it had only been for a short time. She missed the woman.
“Uh, my sis, uh, no, we don’t have the details yet.”
Sister? Meghan hadn’t talked about a sister, but then she hadn’t talked about Clem either. Being an only child, Kate didn’t know if that was normal or not. Scott mentioned his siblings sometimes. They had moved out of Rock Ridge. One was a lawyer. His sister designed wedding dresses.
Maybe it was odd that Meghan hadn’t talked about her family. Kate hadn’t known her long enough or well enough to have asked such personal questions. That said, Meghan probably knew everything about Kate’s boys, but a mother often talked about her kids. She was proud of them.
Seeing that Clem wasn’t going to volunteer anything else, Kate said her good-byes. She’d just look at the funeral home’s website for the times and dates.
She climbed back into her truck, puzzling over Clem. Maybe it was just grief. She wondered how close they were as siblings. Her phone buzzed. She started the truck to get the air conditioning going. The summer heat was hanging on.
She received a text from Scott. Hey, are you free for lunch?
Uh, yeah.
Good. Stop by my house, he wrote back.
She bit her lip. Should I? She was in her truck. It was a weekend. Everyone would be home to see her parked there. Then again, some people thought she was already dating Scott. At least Meghan had told her what people had been saying. No one thought badly of her. Everyone wanted her to be happy.
She texted him back. I can be there at noon. I have a small job before then.
Okay.
He then texted her a smiley face. She couldn’t help but grin. He did brighten her day.
Kate put a new faucet in a customer’s kitchen sink. Then she fixed the garbage disposal. Thankfully the house had been air-conditioned, so she wasn’t sweaty by the time she arrived at Scott’s house. His house was cool, and he had the shades drawn in his living room.
“Hi,” he said, moving aside to let her in.
“Hi. This is the best offer you have on a Saturday? To make lunch for me?”
He laughed. “I think it’s the only offer I want.”
Her mouth went dry. He was charming and sweet and…damn. He was chipping away at her defenses. This was probably a mistake, but one she was going to enjoy.
Scott led her to his kitchen where he’d put out placemats and silverware. She smelled something that had come off the barbecue.
“You didn’t have to go all out,” she said.
“I didn’t. Sit. I was itching to grill, so I did. You gave me an excuse to do something that I really wanted to do.”
She sat at the Formica table. He poured lemonade for her and opened a beer for himself. He put a plate with a cheeseburger in front of her. The condiments were laid out on the table already. She chose mustard and pickles. Scott went with ketchup and onions.
“I feel as if this is a last meal. What do you have to show me?”
“You in a hurry?”
“No, I’m done for the day.”
“Then enjoy your food. What I have to say can wait.”
They chatted about many things as they ate, including Meghan’s murder. Finally, Scott cleared the plates.
“I have Greg’s library record.”
“Okay.”
“This might be what Meghan had wanted to show you.”
“Do you think that this had something to do with why she was killed?”
Scott frowned. “It’s possible, but I don’t see how.”
Relief washed over Kate. She didn’t want that on her conscience. “Okay.”
He handed her a piece of paper. A screenshot, she assumed.
“This was the last book your husband took out of the library. It hasn’t been returned.”
“That’s wha
t Meghan wanted to show me.” She read the title of the book. “A Doomsday Prepper Guide. Greg didn’t even like camping.”
“You don’t know why he would have it or want it?”
“No. It’s not a subject we talked about.”
“Do you think he led a double life?”
“I’ve been wondering that since you found the security system. There seems to be a lot about Greg that I didn’t know.”
She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to scream at him. Why had he married her? Why had he left her?
“You seem to be taking this well.”
“Nothing is going to surprise me anymore about Greg.”
She hadn’t given up trying to figure him out, but she doubted that she ever would. Greg’s leading a double life was as good an explanation as anything for the things Scott had found.
Scott reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, Kate. I don’t know if this brings me any closer to finding him or not.”
“I appreciate your help in any case. I do.”
***
Kate woke up Monday morning with nothing on her plate. Meghan’s viewing was that night, so Kate’s heart was heavy. She was looking forward to lazing around for the morning. Her first appointment wasn’t until after lunchtime. She would clean the house, not that she made much of a mess, and maybe do some laundry also.
With one load in and her shower done, Kate’s phone rang. So much for a lazy morning.
“Kate Flaherty? It’s Kendall Stuart.”
Kate wanted to groan. Frankly, she’d rather do chores than talk to the woman. “Hello, Kendall. Have you got a list for me?”
“Well, I’d rather you stop by and I’ll show you what I need done on the house. That way you can give me an estimate on the spot.”
“I can give you a better idea of the cost if I see the jobs, but I can’t give an estimate on the spot.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t know the price of everything at the hardware store. I’ll have to do some research, but I’ll get you the estimate within twenty-four hours.”
Silence. “I guess that will have to do. Can you come by this morning?”
Kate had hoped she could put the woman off for a few days. She wasn’t in any position to deal with her. Thinking about Meghan, Kate’s emotions were a little raw. She might not be as diplomatic as she should be.
Having Kendall Stuart running around saying she’d been rude would not help her business. “If you give me the address, I’m sure I can be there in about a half an hour.”
Kendall told her where she lived. It was on the outskirts of the next town over. Too bad Kate would have to drive through Rock Ridge to get there. Hopefully she would make it back in time for her job at one.
She drove her truck out to Kendall’s address. It sat down a driveway not unlike her own—windy and dirty. The house itself was impressive. It wasn’t as big as Jessica’s, but still not bad at all. Kate was surprised that Kendall had agreed to live here. No one could see her wealth back here in the woods.
Kendall answered the door right away, as if she’d been standing and waiting for Kate to arrive. She had a bad feeling about this. Kendall had the capacity, certainly, to be the customer that would make her wish she didn’t have her own business.
“Come in.”
Today, Kendall was dressed in sparkly stiletto heels, real Daisy Dukes and a tank top that showed off her midriff. She had a ring in her belly button. Kate tried not to stare at it.
“Hello, Kendall.”
Kate brought a pad of paper and a pen into the house with her. She was ready to talk about repairs.
“You want some coffee?”
She did, but she didn’t want to linger in Kendall’s house. In the end, the lure of the coffee was too great. Kendall sat across from her at her expansive kitchen table.
“How much sway do you have with Jessica?”
“Jessica? Not much. We’re friendly, but we’re not friends.”
“You were at her wedding.”
“Yes, I was.” She wasn’t going to explain anything to Kendall. “How about you show me what you need fixed.”
“Wait. I want to talk about Jessica.”
“I don’t.” She smiled her best fake smile and stood. “Shall we get started?”
Kendall frowned. “I want that house, Kate.”
“It’s not on the market. You can put in an offer as soon as it is.”
“Is it done? Is it ready to go?”
“I have some more work to do when they are on their honeymoon.”
Kate realized after she said it that she’d revealed too much information.
“So you’ll have a key?”
“I will have a way to get into the house,” Kate said. “Did you bring me here for work or to talk about Jessica?”
“Both.”
“I don’t really have anything to do with the sale of Jessica’s house beyond staging it. There’s nothing I can do for you.”
“You can let me in to look around.”
“No. Now, either show me the work to be done, or I’m leaving.”
To emphasize, Kate grabbed her pad of paper and turned toward the door.
“Wait.”
Kate looked back at Kendall. “I just want that house. I really love it.”
“Then put in an offer when it goes on the market.”
Kendall stood. “Okay. Let’s start at the top of the house and work our way down.”
Kate followed her upstairs to the master bathroom.
“I need new fixtures in here. I stopped liking them two months after the bathroom was renovated.”
“I’ll have to get a catalog from the store so you can choose.”
“No, I already have them.”
Kendall produced the boxes from her walk-in closet.
“Oh, okay. What’s next?”
Kendal traipsed through the house, and by the end, Kate had three pages of notes. She shook Kendall’s hand and left. She had just enough time to slip into the hardware store to price the items she’d need. Kendall’s house would take a few days.
Kate wanted to space out the repairs, but Kendall had insisted that she needed it all done at once. That would be two days, at least, of the woman’s company.
Because Kate was an honest person, she couldn’t even charge the woman more than she wanted to. She should get a stipend for the pain and suffering that she was sure would take place. Kendall was not an easy woman, and she wasn’t going to be an easy customer.
Kate couldn’t turn down the work. Not at this early stage of her business. Word of mouth was everything, and Kendall’s was bigger than most. She would probably benefit from Kendall telling people about her work.
At least she hoped she would. All of this work might get her mind off Greg and his disappearance. What the heck was Greg doing looking up doomsday prepping? He’d never said he was interested in it.
She’d gone camping once with the men in her family. Greg had complained the whole time. He didn’t know how to pitch a tent. The weekend had been a disaster that Kate chose never to repeat.
So she was curious as to why Greg would be suddenly interested in the end of the world. He’d never talked about anything like that. Not even remotely.
“You look deep in thought, Kate,” said Larry Stadt, owner of Grayson’s Hardware and Carly’s new paramour.
“Oh, lots of things going on.”
“I’m glad. You have a lot of business?”
He stood, tall and lanky, with brown hair and brown eyes. He wasn’t a remarkable person to look at, but Kate knew the man had the biggest heart in town. He probably got better looking as you fell in love with him.
“I do. Have you met Kendall Stuart?”
Maybe Larry would have something positive to say about her.
He took off his John Deere hat and scratched the top of his head. They’d been good enough friends in the past for her to know that he was choosing his words carefully.
&nbs
p; “Well, I couldn’t say that I know her. I met her once. She isn’t really the type to need a hardware store, so I can’t say much about her.”
“Okay.”
“Is she a customer?”
“Yes, and she has a lot of work for me.”
“Maybe you need to concentrate on the fact that you’re getting paid.”
Kate had to laugh. “I’ll remember that. Thanks, Larry.”
Chapter Four
Next stop was Carly’s Florist Shop. Today the coffee was cinnamon. It was one of Kate’s favorites. She stopped to fill up a mug as Carly helped a customer.
The woman left. Carly turned her smile to Kate. “I hear you’ve got Kendall Stuart as a customer.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just got off the phone with Larry. We were making lunch plans.”
“He mentioned it?” Kate said.
“Just in passing.”
“Did he have an opinion?”
Carly laughed. “You know Larry. He doesn’t want to say anything bad about anyone.”
“Of course not. He was just as reticent when I asked for his opinion.”
“She’s a pain, but harmless.”
“I’m hoping she’s harmless.”
“She is.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Cold. Man, it’s been busy with the viewing tonight. I know you’re going. You want company?”
“It’s a thought.”
“Unless you have a male shoulder to offer you support?”
Of course she meant Scott. “I have no plans to go to the viewing with Scott.”
“Then let’s go together. I know it isn’t going to be easy for you.”
“Thanks.”
So much had happened in the last few months. But even so, Carly was still her friend. It was one constant in her life.
“Are you going to lunch with Larry today?”
“No, tomorrow. I knew I was going to the viewing tonight. Tonight is the night he keeps the store open later, so he won’t be attending.”
Keeping the store open later on Monday was one of the changes that Larry had made at Grayson’s Hardware since he’d taken over for his father. Larry had been chief of the Rock Ridge Fire Department. He retired soon after the trial, focusing instead on running the store.
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