Vintage Whispers (A Cozy Retirement Mystery Book 1)

by riley blake

  “He wasn’t arrested,” Mary Louise said. “He was taken in for questioning. They didn’t have enough to hold him.”

  “You’re right,” Johnny said. “And I’m guessin’ without a body and without evidence, it will be tough to pin this one on anyone. Plus, I didn’t have a problem with Oscar.”

  “I don’t like this.” Pearl faced off with Mary Louise as soon as Johnny was out of earshot.

  “Never would’ve guessed.”

  “Don’t patronize me, Mary Louise. I know what he is.”

  “Owner of the local bar and grill? Opal’s neighbor? The town’s favorite vendor at the Bristol Street Festivals? And our friend?”

  “Well besides that.” She put her hands on her hips. “He is a criminal!”

  Afraid Johnny might hear bits of their conversation, Mary Louise dragged Pearl off to the left. Between the stoneware and stainless steel cookware, she hurriedly said, “If this is too much for you, we can stop prowling around and go back to the community right this minute. I thought you liked Johnny and wanted to help him. He is the reason we’re here.”

  Pearl’s furrowed brows proved she couldn’t reach a decision. “I was surprised he was arrested—questioned—but I never said I wanted to help him. That would make me an accomplice and it would be mighty embarrassing if Sheriff Littleton and his deputies arrested us at our new residence.” She hesitated. “That’s something you might consider before you start helping the town’s favorite criminal.”

  “Okay look. We don’t know if Johnny had anything to do with this or not, but don’t you think he deserves the benefit of the doubt?”

  “Well do you?”

  “Obviously or I wouldn’t have asked you.”

  “My Aunt Martha always said to answer a question with a question when suspicion clouded the details.”

  “And fifty-five years later, you finally decided to listen?” Opal asked, creeping up behind them. “We need you both in the back. It’s important.”

  “Uh-huh. Don’t even think about it. You’re not dragging me into this. I told you before you ever opened the door. We cannot and will not—”

  “For once, will you just zip it? The kid needs us.”

  “He isn’t a kid.”

  “Then that should be motivation enough for you to pull on your big girl panties, pick up your granny slipper, and join the adults in the backroom. But first, do try and pull yourself together.” Opal narrowed her eyes. “If you say one thing out of character, so help me—”

  “Why would I wanna pretend to be someone else?” Pearl scoffed. “All the world is not a stage, Opal Marie Pain.” She turned then and marched to the back.

  Mary Louise shrugged. “Don’t look at me. She hasn’t taken her meds.”

  “She only takes Vitamin C!”

  ****

  “Johnny.” Pearl timidly nodded at their guest as if she were frightened of him.

  “Pearl.” Johnny returned the favor.

  “Are you feeling okay tonight?” Pearl grabbed a few cushions and hugged them against her chest. “Do you feel like you may hurt yourself or someone else? Are you ready to tell us what you did with the body or where you hid the weapon? Have you ever had suicidal thoughts, considered harming a small animal or another helpless creature? Me, as an example.”

  “Pearl!” Mary Louise sat down beside her and grabbed her protection. Pearl may have been a jittery little thing but she wasn’t fond of the cushions thanks to the hummingbird pattern.

  Mary Louise refused to let her use them as a shield.

  “Give those back.”

  “No,” Mary Louise deadpanned.

  Opal pointed at her. “You…Apologize this instant. Johnny didn’t do anything wrong.” She swung her gaze to their guest. “Tell her Johnny.”

  “Technically, I did,” Johnny admitted.

  “What?” Mary Louise turned to Opal. “What’s he talking about?”

  “I knew it!” Pearl grabbed the pillows from Mary Louise once more. This time, she clutched them in front of her face.

  Opal snatched them and threw them across the room. “Let him finish.”

  Johnny leaned forward and Pearl leaned as far back as possible. “Pearl, you know me. I wouldn’t kill anyone.”

  “No? Then why did you say you’re guilty?”

  “I know what happened to Oscar and Clarence’s wife.”

  “Clarence’s wife died of cancer.”

  “She might have, but she wasn’t given that option.” Johnny frowned. “She was murdered, Pearl.”

  “What? No. She had cancer. She suffered for years. Everybody said so. I say so and I knew the woman!”

  “You did. I did.” Johnny nodded slowly. “And the cancer would’ve taken her out of here in another few months but someone must’ve wanted to speed along the process.”

  “Her death wasn’t ruled a murder,” Pearl said.

  “No and if Sheriff Littleton doesn’t believe my story, it won’t be.”

  “You told Sheriff Littleton about this?” Mary Louise asked.

  “Yes and –”

  “And he probably didn’t believe it. You were arrested for one murder and you made up another one?” Pearl shook her finger at him. “Johnny, I’ve been one of your biggest supporters since you opened the bar and grill, but based on what you’re saying now? You’re really not that bright. With that said, you still make the best grilled cheese sandwiches in town and—”

  “Start at the beginning, Johnny.” Opal placed her hand on Pearl’s shoulder. “Just listen.” She took a deep breath. “We may have a double homicide here. Since Sheriff Littleton has his hands full, we’ll help Johnny and make Littleton’s job easier.”

  “Do you want to hear this or not?” Johnny asked, watching Pearl.

  Pearl gnawed on her thumbnail. After a minute or more, she finally relented. “Well, you do make the best sandwiches in town.”

  “Local bakery’s toaster bread, melted butter, and American cheese.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s the recipe. Medium-high heat. Three minutes on each side.”

  “Well then,” Pearl said, sighing. “If a man is willing to give a woman his recipes, he can’t be all bad.”

  “I’ll take that as permission to continue.”

  Opal served a round of coffee. Mary Louise checked her phone, a security measure to ensure no one was looking for them. So far, so good, but it was approaching one-thirty. Given Johnny’s expression, they were in for more than a good bedtime story.

  “Pay attention, ladies. This is Johnny’s version of a woman standing between two men in two separate cities. And my guess is, someone is about to get away with murder.”

  Chapter Eight

  A loud hammering racket vibrated against the backdoor right before Johnny B’s monologue began. Pearl quickly rose to her feet. “He wanted to be here.”

  Opal frowned in disbelief. “You called Sheriff Littleton?”

  “We can trust him,” Pearl said, rushing to the rear exit.

  “Are you all right with this?” Opal asked.

  “If you are,” Johnny said. “If you want me to lie and say I stopped in to help, I can do that.”

  “We can’t support a lie, Johnny,” Mary Louise said. “Around here, we’re too old to remember what we did yesterday. If we have to start remembering who said what to whom then you’ll end up in a heap of trouble and we’ll end up in witness protection.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Mary Louise. Sounds a bit drastic.” Sheriff Littleton entered, ducked under the small chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, and nodded at Johnny. “I’m only here to help.”

  “Which is what we’re doing,” Opal said. “We’re helping a friend.”

  “Let me assure you that I’m Johnny’s friend as well. Maybe we can help him remember something. Pearl tells me you have some incriminating evidence.”

  Opal snorted. She looked mad enough to throw a tantrum. At the very least, she was mad enoug
h to toss something at Pearl. “You couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”

  “He’s the boss in this county.”

  “And we don’t even know if a crime has occurred and you’re offering to hand over our records? Those are private.”

  “I can get a court-ordered search warrant,” Littleton said. “In fact, I thought about it. What do you know about selling cinderblocks?”

  Mary Louise picked up the stack of receipts and thrust them at Sheriff Littleton. “We keep very detailed records.”

  “What was the story behind them?”

  “A construction company donated them to a daycare center and someone had the wise idea to let the kids decorate them with spray paint. They then sold them to local merchants to raise money for their annual tuition drive.”

  “So it was for a good cause?”

  “I’m guessing that’s a matter of opinion,” Opal said, looking at Johnny. “Did you tell Sheriff Littleton everything you know?”

  “Yes,” he replied.

  “Wait a second,” Pearl said. “Are you saying our cinderblocks were used in a murder?”

  “I don’t think they were used to kill anyone,” Sheriff Littleton said. “But they may have been used to keep a body buried.”

  “He means Oscar’s,” Pearl explained, clearly proud to be in the know.

  “Would someone please tell us what’s going on here?” Mary Louise was frustrated by the lack of information.

  “When Pearl knows more than anyone, it’s kind of scary for those of us who have known her for more than a minute,” Opal added.

  Johnny turned his trucker-style cap around and instantly transformed into the boy-next-door. “I already told Opal everything, but I was about to share information with Pearl and Mary.”

  “By all means.” Littleton probably wanted to test Johnny to see if his story now matched the one he likely gave down at the sheriff’s office. Sure enough, he pulled out a handheld tape recorder and placed it on the coffee table. “Go ahead.”

  “I saw the pillow over Samantha’s face. It was one of those half-body cushions.” Johnny’s tale seemingly started in the middle. “Still had that crinkled look like someone had just released it and darted away, maybe even when they heard me pull up.” He glanced around the room, clearly gauging expressions before he added, “I was only there because Clarence had asked me to drop off some potato soup. Samantha always loved soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.”

  “She was already dead?” Pearl asked.

  “I don’t know,” Johnny said honestly. “Clarence’s truck wasn’t there. I was scared that someone might have still been in the house so I left. A few hours later, Clarence stopped by to see if everything was all right. Told him I’d been real busy and didn’t have a chance to drive out to their farm.

  “I gave him a pint of soup and told him to tell Samantha I was thinking about her. He left without correcting me so I assumed she was all right.” He looked ashamed of himself. “Truth is, I tied one on the night before so I started thinking that maybe I’d imagined the whole thing, ya know?”

  “No, I don’t,” Pearl said.

  “What if she had needed assistance?” Mary Louise asked.

  “She didn’t,” Pearl reminded her. “She died.”

  “Yes, Pearl. She died. I think she died that morning.” His eyes watered. “I think she was dead and someone wanted to set me up for murder. Clarence told everyone she died that night.”

  Pearl inched closer. “But you think she was killed earlier on the same day?”

  “I do, yes.”

  “And did you do it?”

  “Pearl!”

  “I have to know,” she said, leaning forward and ignoring Opal.

  “No, Pearl. I wouldn’t have hurt that woman.” He glanced at Littleton. “Clarence and Samantha were good to me when I was a boy. It was no secret that Dad and Mom used to keep the bar open late and they were their best customers.

  “Thanks to Samantha, I always had a place to stay. I slept on their couch more times than I can count. Samantha made sure I had a hot breakfast every morning and took me to school when it was too cold to walk.” He swallowed once before he gathered his wits and added, “She was like a second mother to me. I loved her.”

  The room fell quiet. Finally, Sheriff Littleton said, “Might as well tell ‘em the rest.”

  Johnny cleared his throat. “A lot of people don’t know this but Oscar Leonardo and Clarence were best friends at one time.”

  “So?” Pearl asked. “What does that have to do with—”

  “Apparently they were buddies until Clarence found out that Samantha and Oscar were also best friends, for lack of a better explanation.”

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Mary Louise asked.

  “I don’t believe it,” Opal said.

  Johnny bowed his head. “I’m just tellin’ you what I know. Samantha is dead. I think she was killed. Clarence and Oscar were friends. Then they weren’t. Samantha and Oscar were also friends and then they weren’t. Oscar’s wife Kelly hasn’t lived with Oscar in well over a year. Samantha died on a Monday. Oscar supposedly met his demise the very next day but no one has seen a body.”

  “Wait a minute,” Mary Louise said, turning to Sheriff Littleton. “You never saw the body?”

  “No,” Sheriff Littleton said. “But we know he’s dead. The coroner did an autopsy and took pictures. We just don’t know what happened to Oscar’s corpse.”

  “What did the coroner tell you?” Opal asked.

  “He said, ‘Sheriff, I need to see you. I believe you may have a homicide on your hands. Can you come over right away?’ And that was the gist of it.”

  “So you went…”

  “So I went.”

  “And?” Mary Louise was as impatient as a toddler waiting for candy.

  “He disappeared.”

  “What?” Opal leapt to her feet. “Are you saying the coroner disappeared or Oscar?”

  “Both,” Sheriff Littleton said regrettably. “Coroner and corpse vanished. And we have no idea where they are or how to find them.”

  Chapter Nine

  Right before sunrise, they crept along the exterior wall. They slipped inside the service entrance and tiptoed across the main lobby before running for the elevator.

  “Good morning, ladies!” Nurse Waterbury stepped inside the lift. Dressed like a psychiatric nurse from a scary movie, she wore a slenderizing white dress with the cap, tights, and shoes to match. “Fourth floor, right?”

  They nodded in unison. Pearl and Opal swapped their ‘you do it’ looks and Opal finally said, “We meant to thank you.”

  “Thank me? Whatever for?” Nurse Waterbury rapidly blinked as if she were having trouble seeing them. She’d either been there all night or perhaps just arrived.

  “For taking the time to help us yesterday. We appreciate the warm welcome.” Pearl blinked as rapidly as Nurse Waterbury but she didn’t seem to notice.

  The double dings from the elevator announced an approaching floor. A sharp-dressed man in his early to late fifties entered. Wearing a navy suit with a bright red tie, he raked his fingers through his salt and pepper hair before scowling at Nurse Waterbury.

  “Doctor,” she said curtly before turning to Pearl. “Once again, I’m glad to be of assistance.”

  “You were,” Pearl said enthusiastically, a bit overkill given the wee hours of the morning. “And we hope to see more of you. You’re such an asset to Cozy Retirement. They’re lucky to have you.”

  “Thank you,” Nurse Waterbury said, smiling at the doctor as if she were proud to receive praise in his presence.

  The next bell announced their fourth floor arrival. Mary Louise and Opal walked off the elevator. Pearl, always at her finest, exclaimed, “Have a goodnight. See you in the morning!”

  Mary Louise steeled against the possibility of a reprimand. Opal came to an abrupt halt and shot the doctor a semi-sweet grin. “We’ve been outside on the porch most of the
evening.” She brushed off her shoulders, avoiding eye contact. “We’re just so excited to be here.”

  “They are,” Nurse Waterbury agreed. “You should’ve been here when they arrived yesterday, Dr. Smalls.”

  “Dr. Smalls?” Pearl stared up at the rather large man. “Apparently God gave you to the wrong family. Why you’re at least seven feet tall.”

  “Not quite.” He smiled as if it were a chore and then pushed his arm against the jerking door. “Isn’t this your floor?”

  “Oh yes,” she said, prancing down the hall as if the doctor’s attention added an extra spring to her step.

  Mary Louise watched and waited, willing the doors to close. They were almost in the clear when the doctor’s phone rang and he stepped off the lift to take a call.

  “Come on.” Opal kept her voice low. “We have too much to do and we haven’t slept.”

  “I know,” Pearl whispered back. “Hope we’re free to do whatever we want here. I’d like to sleep the day away.”

  “Missing breakfast and lunch might be a problem,” Mary Louise pointed out.

  “Let me call you right back,” Dr. Smalls said, his voice carrying through the corridor.

  “Four doors down,” Mary Louise reminded them. “We’re in 424.”

  As they passed 420, a tremendous screech filled the hallways. It was the most eerie sound Mary Louise had ever heard and she easily guessed who lived in that particular pod. “I take it Miss Layla is still among us.”

  “Don’t be mean,” Pearl said, glancing over her shoulder and waving at Dr. Smalls.

  “Ladies? May I have a word?”

  “Now look what you’ve done,” Opal snapped.

  “Keep walking,” Pearl said, speeding up as Mary Louise and Opal slowed down.

  They couldn’t exactly ignore the house doctor. Could they?

  “It won’t take a minute.”

  “We’re busy,” Pearl said, looking straight ahead. “It isn’t appropriate for a gentleman to see a woman in the middle of the night.”

  “But it’s morning,” Dr. Smalls pointed out. “And there’s something I should tell you about Nurse Waterbury.”

  “Now what?” Pearl said, turning on her heel. “Don’t tell me she’s a murderer, too.”