Picture Perfect Murder (Ryli Sinclair 1)

by Jenna St James

  He drew me up next to him and we proceeded down the hall to my bedroom. The minute the door opened, Miss Molly ran out screeching her outrage at having been confined to one space.

  I watched in silence as Garrett started going through the motions of removing his gun belt. He laid it carefully on top of my dresser before removing the rest of his clothes. Taking a deep breath I shimmied out of my black jeans and kicked them aside. I then pulled the turtleneck over my head and let it drop to the floor. Feeling totally exposed in my sensible purple cotton panties and matching cotton bra, I caught Garrett’s eyes in the mirror. He had stripped down to his boxer briefs. I should have known he’d be a boxer briefs kind of guy.

  Garrett pulled back my white down comforter and I slipped in on my side of the bed, happy that I had the foresight to put on my set of winter flannel sheets a couple days ago. That meant we were actually going to sleep on semi-clean sheets.

  He didn’t say a word as he pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. I laid my head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me. I was out in seconds.

  Chapter 7

  I opened my eyes and looked over to see if Garrett was still sleeping. He wasn’t. Not only was his half of the bed empty, he’d even managed to make his side without waking me. That was impressive. I picked a note up off the pillow.

  Unfortunately I can’t keep you locked up in your house. Please be careful today. Hopefully last night’s stunt will help narrow my suspects, and this will be over soon. I’ll call you later.

  G.

  He was narrowing suspects down! I needed to get a move on if I was going to solve this case. It was after nine o’clock, and I still hadn’t even gotten out of bed. I couldn’t believe how long I had slept. Or better yet, how well I had slept.

  Don’t think about that now!

  Throwing back the covers I ran over to my closet and yanked on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. In less than fifteen minutes I had completed my morning ritual of bathroom break, teeth brushed, hair pulled into a ponytail, and Miss Molly fed.

  I called Paige and told her to be ready. I was coming over and had major news to tell her. I also asked her to call Aunt Shirley and tell her we’d be there shortly, I had a lead. I didn’t wait for her reply as I hung up.

  A few minutes later I walked into Paige’s house. I never knock. Best friends don’t have to. Unfortunately, when you don’t knock you have to be prepared for anything. Today it was Matt, standing half-naked and barefoot in Paige’s kitchen cooking breakfast.

  “Put some clothes on you heathen,” I joked.

  Laughing, Matt did a little dance move that totally creeped me out as he started putting food on plates. I grabbed one of the plates and started shoving food in my mouth. I realized I was starving after having lost everything in my stomach the night before.

  “Paige, let’s go," I yelled out. "I have news.”

  “You aren’t the only one,” Matt said as he finished putting the breakfast on the plates.

  I was going to ask him what he meant when Paige walked into the kitchen. She looked like her normal million-dollar self, but I could sense something was different. She smiled at me and kissed me on the cheek.

  Whoa…okay, something was really up!

  “You know, it’s rude to call someone without saying hello or goodbye, just barking orders and hanging up,” she said as she picked up the plate of food and began eating.

  I was going to tell her to get over herself when I saw it. I mean, how could I not, it practically blinded me! A whopping two-and-a-half carat, white gold, princess-cut diamond engagement ring. At least that’s what it looked like at a quick glance.

  I screamed, threw the plate of food down on the counter, and sprinted over to where she was casually standing. I yanked the food out of her hands and shoved it at Matt. “Oh, my God! When did this happen?”

  “Last night, after you dropped me off from Iris’s house. Matt came by after he heard what happened.”

  Had that only been last night? So much had happened in between Iris’s house and right now. Namely, I’d had a human tongue put in my Halloween pumpkin and Garrett had spent the night.

  “The minute I heard about what happened at Iris’s place,” Matt said, “I realized I was being stupid carrying around this ring, waiting for what I thought needed to be the right time. This was the right time. I don't know how I’d live if something happened to Paige before I had a chance to tell her how I felt. How I’ve felt for a long time now,” Matt said as he leaned over and kissed Paige’s cheek.

  Paige and I erupted into shouts and screams. This is exactly what we’d always planned when we were younger…becoming sisters. “How did mom take it?”

  “We went over early this morning to tell her,” Matt said.

  “She was so excited! She even cried a little when I showed her the ring,” Paige gushed.

  I was kicking myself for oversleeping and not getting to mom’s like I do most mornings. I totally missed the celebration for something I’d been looking forward to for a long time. Well, there was plenty of time to plan. We still had a murder to solve.

  “Did you still want to go with me today, or did you have to go see your parents to tell them the news?”

  “Oh, no, we already told them this morning, too,” Paige assured me.

  Had they been up since before dawn?

  “Did you call Shirley and tell her we were on our way?” I asked.

  “I’d really like it if you didn’t get my future bride killed today,” Matt said with a pointed look at me.

  “Geez, what is it with everyone thinking I’m going to get them or me killed today?” I asked.

  Paige laughed at my question. “Did you already get a lecture from Garrett about being on your best behavior today?”

  “Yes,” I pouted. “Look, I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize your future wife, who also happens to be my best friend, and hopefully the mother of my nieces and nephews someday…so give it a rest!” I could see the last part had Matt fretting.

  So I’d hit a nerve with the baby remark. Good, let him stew a while thinking about screaming babies and dirty diapers and sleepless nights. Wasn’t anything he didn’t deserve for leaving me out of his wedding plans.

  Paige swatted Matt on the arm as she gathered up her things. “Stop nagging your sister. We’ll be careful, promise,” she said as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be home in time for dinner. How about we celebrate with some steaks tonight?”

  That perked Matt right up. “Sounds good, babe. I don’t get off until around eight o’clock, but I’m all for a late dinner.”

  “I may even whip up a chocolate surprise for dessert.”

  That really perked Matt up.

  “And maybe some champagne to celebrate,” I said. “Might as well get that in now, because once she’s knocked up, no more boozy celebrations.”

  Matt scowled at me as I laughed. Oh, this was going to be so much fun…endless hours of torture!

  “How about I get married before you get me knocked up?” Paige reprimanded.

  Saying nothing, I just grinned at the two of them.

  We jumped in the Falcon and headed out to Oak Grove Manor to get Aunt Shirley. We called to let her know we were on our way so she’d be waiting for us outside. I figured I’d just let them both know at the same time what had happened last night, since Paige’s announcement was more important. And I will admit I was afraid Matt might flip his lid if he knew about the tongue, especially since I was taking Paige with me to investigate. Once Aunt Shirley was in the Falcon, I headed for Dairy Queen. The place was only slightly busy, so we were able to find a parking spot close to the front door.

  The girl behind the counter greeted us as we walked in from the parking lot. Her red Dairy Queen apron clashed hideously with her red-orange hair from a bottle. The five earrings she had in each ear and the purple nose ring stud didn’t help soften her features any, either.

  “Go grab us a booth and I’ll
get drinks,” I told Aunt Shirley and Paige. I placed the order, got the empty cups, then started filling them one at a time. This Dairy Queen has one of those “squirt” machines where you can make any kind of soda drink you want, which is totally cool. I put a couple squirts of cherry and vanilla in all of them, then carefully carried the drinks to the booth.

  As Paige started taking a drink, Aunt Shirley reached out and grabbed her hand, “Oh, my gosh! What’s this? The boy finally decided to buy the cow?” She cackled at her own crash joke. I squinted my eyes at her, ready to kick her ass for hurting Paige’s feelings, when I heard Paige laughing.

  “Yep, said after what happened to me yesterday at Iris’s house, he couldn’t imagine living without me.”

  “Well, good for him for coming around finally,” Aunt Shirley said.

  Wait, Aunt Shirley was happy with this? I always figured for some reason she didn’t like Paige and that’s why she gave her such a hard time about “giving it away” to my brother. Who knew she was more upset over Matt’s actions than Paige’s. Did the old woman actually have a heart?

  Doubtful.

  “Okay, speaking of what happened yesterday…the reason I called us together today was because I have to tell you what happened after I got home last night from dropping y’all off.”

  “You got laid finally?” Aunt Shirley said.

  Looking around in a panic, hoping no one had heard her, I hissed, “Don’t be silly! I mean, yes, he did come over—”

  “I knew it!” Paige cried, practically jumping up and down in the vinyl seat.

  “Does this mean I’m the only woman at this table not getting any?” Aunt Shirley asked.

  Perish the thought!

  “When I pulled up in the drive last night, I noticed a pumpkin on my front porch stairs. I thought Matt had come over to decorate, since I obviously haven’t gotten around to it yet. When I got closer, I could tell something wasn’t right. It had one of those extra-wide carved mouths with sharp teeth, and something was sticking out of it.”

  Aunt Shirley sucked in her breath. “Tell me it wasn’t…”

  “Wait, what?” Paige said, looking back and forth between the two of us. “What did I miss?”

  “Yep...it was Iris’s tongue,” I said.

  “What!” Paige cried, choking a little on her cherry vanilla Coke. “Are you serious? Why on Earth didn’t you mention this to Matt this morning?”

  I debated on what to say. This was the first time it actually hit me that my best friend was now marrying my brother, so I wasn’t exactly sure where her allegiance would lie. Would it make a difference on what Matt said whether or not she helped me out from now on? Not that I planned on finding more dead bodies, but one never knows.

  “Oh, pooh,” Aunt Shirley said, giving me a knowing look. “I’m sure she didn’t want to ruin your big moment.”

  I mouthed a silent thank you to Aunt Shirley as Paige stared lovingly at her ring. I had to give it to Aunt Shirley, she was amazingly astute on reading people. She probably was an awesome private investigator back in her day. I admit I sometimes just thought she was making herself out to be something bigger than she really was, but now I’m beginning to think I was totally selling her short.

  “So, what happened after you found the tongue?” Aunt Shirley asked.

  “Yes, what happened,” echoed Paige.

  I filled them in on finding the Bible quote, calling Garrett, him and Officer Ryan coming out and processing the scene.

  “So I’m thinking our next lead is with the note. It had a Bible quote on it. I mean, I don’t know who the killer is, but I know someone we can ask about the Bible quote. I was thinking we should go see Pastor Williams and Sister Sharon today. Maybe they can shed some light on this.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Aunt Shirley said as she slid out of the booth.

  * * *

  Walking out to the Falcon, I phoned Pastor Williams and asked him if we could stop by real quick. I told him I had some Bible questions I was hoping he could answer. Pastor Williams assured us we would be more than welcome, and to come by the parsonage at our convenience.

  Our church bought the current parsonage about five years ago. The old parsonage used to be right next to the church, but recent trends have encouraged churches to buy away from the church, giving the pastor and family a little more privacy. So our church raised money and bought a three-bedroom, ranch-style brick house over on Locust Drive. I’d only been in the parsonage one other time in all these years.

  I rang the doorbell and waited for the door to be opened. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. It felt like I was waiting to see the principal. I don’t know why, it just did.

  “I hope this goes fast,” Aunt Shirley said. “These places always give me the willies.”

  Parsonages and churches give her the willies? Oh, boy, I was going straight to hell just by being in her presence. I was about to ask her why they give her the willies when the door opened. Instead of Pastor Williams, it was Sharon that answered the door. She looked like she was in mourning in her black wool skirt and black oversized sweater. Her brown wavy hair was pulled back in a bun so tight that it distorted her features slightly. She looked older than her fifty plus years.

  “Ladies, please come in. Pastor Williams is expecting you.” Was I the only one that thought it weird she referred to her husband as Pastor Williams? I suddenly got a very disturbing image of them having sex and her screaming out, “Oh, yes, Pastor Williams!”

  Yep, I was definitely going to burn in hell next to Aunt Shirley.

  She led us through the sparse living room and into Pastor Williams’ study. Compared to the drab living room, this room was actually quite lovely. It had boxed, wooden paneling on all four walls, and three built-in bookshelves located around the room. There was a large, oak desk along one wall, with two beige wingback chairs in front of the desk. Along another wall sat a beige two-person loveseat with two white pillows placed on either end of the loveseat. Pastor Williams sat behind the desk in a large, throne-like leather chair.

  “Ladies, welcome,” Pastor Williams said as he gestured around the room. “Please sit wherever you like.” He continued sitting while we volleyed for places to sit. Aunt Shirley and I sat in the chairs in front of his desk, while Paige elected to sit on the loveseat to my right.

  Pastor Williams was a large man. I don’t mean fat…I mean he stood over six feet tall and probably weighed over two hundred and fifty pounds if I had to guess. I’d also guess he played football at some point in his life. But now in his fifties, you could see the lines in his face, the gray scattered throughout his hair.

  Sharon waited until we were seated before asking if we’d like something to drink. Since we’d just come from Dairy Queen, we all said no. “Do you mind if I sit in, or is this private?” she asked.

  I didn’t see the big deal in having her sit in. “Of course, we really just had some Bible questions.”

  “Well, that’s what I’m here for.” Spreading his arms open widely, Pastor Williams said, “Ask away.”

  I looked over at Aunt Shirley. I wasn’t sure if she wanted me to start or if she wanted to start, seeing as how she had years of P.I. training. She nodded for me to go ahead and take the lead.

  “I’m not sure how much you know about what’s been going on with the murders, but—”

  “Oh, such a tragic thing. We’ve been beside ourselves here,” Pastor Williams said, looking over to where Sharon sat demurely on the couch next to Paige. “You know Dr. Garver was not only a personal friend, but also on our church board. We were devastated when we heard the news. As you know, we are holding Dr. Garver’s memorial service on Thursday.” He sounded as though hosting her memorial service was some kind of great honor.

  “What about Iris’s death? What do you know about it?”

  I saw his quick frown when I mentioned Iris’s name.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know anything relevant as far as that woman is concerned,” Pasto
r Williams said. I could hear the condemnation in his voice as clear as a bell. I surreptitiously glanced at Aunt Shirley to see if she caught it. I could tell by her one raised eyebrow she had.

  “Do you know how she was murdered?” I asked.

  “No, and I’m not sure how her murder would have anything to do with Dr. Garver’s murder. I mean those women couldn’t be more different. One was an educated, pillar of the community and her church…the other a gossiping whoremonger.”

  My mouth dropped. I knew the word whoremonger was in the Bible...I’d just never heard anyone use it before!

  If that didn’t sound judgmental, I don’t know what did. Of course, I’d pretty much said the same thing, but I thought it sounded worse coming from my preacher.

  “Well, I’m assuming since Dr. Garver’s murder was the first murder we’ve had in this town in I don’t know how many years, then immediately afterward we have Iris’s murder, they must be related somehow, don’t you think?”

  “What does all this have to do with the Bible reference you were needing?” Pastor Williams asked, as though he was tiring of our presence.

  “I’m not sure if you know, but we are the ones that found Iris’s body.”

  “Oh, you poor girls!” Sister Williams moaned from the loveseat.

  Pastor Williams looked shaken. “No, I wasn’t aware.”

  “Were you aware how Iris died?” I asked again.

  “No. No one has said anything to me. She wasn’t a church goer, so the other preachers in town haven’t said anything to me about what they know.”

  Interesting comment. So it’s okay for preachers to gossip, just not their flock.

  “Well, her tongue was cut out,” I said.

  I heard Sister Williams gasp. I turned my head and saw her wringing her hands together in distress. “After this is all over, please come and talk with us about this. We can help you,” she said softly.

  Help me with what exactly?

  “Yes, any time you want to talk, I’m here for you.”