Lexie had called Eva to let her know about the fire and also to insist she stick around the dorms for a while. Eva, bless her heart, wanted to come home and make sure everything was all right, but Lexie convinced her to stay put. At least until all the trouble blew over.
“I’m not sure if someone set the fire or if it was faulty wiring,” Lexie told Lucy. “We’ll have to wait and see what the fire marshal says after his investigation.”
“What about Aunt Gladys and her candles?” Lucy asked.
Lexie shook her head. “Aunt Gladys was upstairs sound asleep. Chief Plowman said the fire started in the kitchen.”
Drained by all the commotion and emotion and befuddled by the bizarre events, Lexie sat on her sister’s couch. Numb. That’s all she felt. Hands wrapped around the thick ceramic mug of coffee, she stared into the steamy brew—not drinking, just thinking.
That’s it, she told herself. I’ve had enough. I will find out who is behind all of this nonsense and make them stop. Otherwise, I have no life left in Moose Creek Junction. In fact, I may have no life at all.
People around her had been hurt or murdered. She’d been stalked by some unknown person and attacked numerous times. Her business had slowly been ruined by innuendo and suspicion, and now the fire had put the final nail in the café’s coffin. She had her family’s safety to think about, not just her own. It was obvious the police weren’t going to solve the situation any time soon, despite their good intentions
To hell with Otis’ warning to stay out of it. And to hell with Gabe’s hints that she’d best not get involved. It was her life, her future. At the rate things were going, either she was going to have to take matters into her own hands or something far worse than the fire could happen.
She refused to wait and see what it might be.
“Hello? Earth calling Lexie.” Lucy swayed back and forth in Grandmother Castleton’s antique rocker. “I asked you a question. Do you think someone set the fire deliberately?”
Lexie set her jaw. “Gut instinct—yes. I think they did. Gabe thinks someone’s trying to kill me.”
“Good heavens, why?”
“Jealousy or spite.”
“For what?”
“Who knows?”
Lucy held her face in her hands and took a deep breath. “This is not good. I think I need to give your name to Reverend Lincolnway for prayer circle. We need a miracle.”
Lexie stood and paced—something she’d been doing a lot of lately. “While you and the sisters bow your heads and rub on your beads, I’m going to take action.”
“Alexandria Kathleen.” Lucy shook her finger and her scolding tone transported Lexie back to when she was a kid and Lucy had gotten upset with her. “Don’t you even think about hunting down the killer. You got yourself clobbered a couple of times already. Lord knows what could happen next time.”
Lexie threw her hands in the air. “I’ve already been targeted, no matter what I do. Remember the rock that smashed my front window and my forehead? And now the fire? I don’t have a choice. I’m damned if I do, and I’m damned if I don’t.”
“Lex—”
“If I don’t find the person who hates me, Lucy, I will have no life left here. I’ll have to move away.”
“No, never again.” Lucy stood, her face a mixture of apprehension and anger. “This is your home and this is where you’ll stay.”
“Then tell me, what choice do I have except to conduct my own investigation? The police aren’t getting anywhere.”
Lucy frowned. “You’re trying to rope me into some sort of new scheme, aren’t you?”
“I need your help.”
“You know I promised Mom and Dad I’d take care of you. That’s not fair. You’re taking advantage.”
Lexie stopped pacing and met Lucy’s gaze. “Look, you don’t have to do it. I’ll take care of it on my own.”
“Over my dead body,” Lucy said. “I’m in this with you, whether I like it or not.”
“Only if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. What about Aunt Gladys? You’d better call Bruce again and see if he’ll come get her.”
“I’ve tried that already: it’s impossible to reach him. Besides, for the next few days, Aunt Gladys is in the hospital.”
“What about after that?”
Lexie snapped her fingers. “I bet Frenchie will babysit her.”
Lucy shook her head. “I can’t believe that at her age she’s got another boyfriend. It’s really disgusting.”
“Comes in handy for us, though,” Lexie said.
“We still better call Bruce and let him know what’s going on. Maybe he’ll feel guilty enough to come home.” Lucy handed her the phone.
“It’s not likely, but here goes.” Lexie fished Bruce’s phone number out of her purse and dialed. After about a million clicks, buzzes and rings, someone finally answered.
“I’m calling for an American guest of yours, a Mr. Bruce Slickman. This is an emergency.” As Lexie waited for the connection to Bruce’s room, she recalled the times when Aunt Gladys brought him to visit in Moose Creek Junction. Even as a boy, he’d been high strung and hard to pin down. He’d get into mischief, like frying snakes on electric fences and tying rubber bands around stray cats’ tails. What a joy he was to have in the family.
A few seconds later, an Oriental woman’s voice came on the line. “Hu-rr-o? Who this?”
Lexie tried not to imagine who she was, though she had a good idea. Probably she was one of Bruce’s comfort girls. “Lexie Lightfoot, Bruce Slickman’s cousin. Is he there?”
“Why you need speak with him?”
Lexie gritted her teeth. “It’s a family emergency.”
The woman must have handed the phone to Bruce because he came on the line. “Lexie? What’s this all about?”
“Sorry to bother you, cuz. There’s been an accident.”
“My mother?”
“She’s fine, but she is in the hospital.”
“My God, what happened?”
“My kitchen caught on fire last night. Your mother has a slight case of smoke inhalation and the doctors want to watch her for a few days. Bruce, you really need to come and get her.” Lexie decided there was no reason to go into all the additional complicated reasons. The phone call was costing enough as it was.
“I can’t,” he said. There’s a big deal going on Tokyo next week. I’ll make a million. I just need you to keep Mom for a while longer.”
Lexie rolled her eyes.
“He’s said no, right?” Lucy said softly.
She nodded. “Bruce, I can’t explain all the details right now. It’s not safe for Aunt Gladys around here.”
“What do you mean? Is she causing trouble?”
“It’s not so much that,” Lexie said. “This is just not a good place for her right at the moment.” Her stomach twisted. She had a bad feeling.
“But I’m flying to Tokyo in a few days and after that I’m off to the Philippines. There’s no possible way I can come home.”
“Bruce,” Lexie squeaked, gripping the phone so hard her fingers hurt. “You are not treating your mother very nicely. Remember, she carried you in her womb for nine months.”
“You don’t understand, Lexie. This is the deal of a lifetime. It’s worth millions and I already have several investors lined up. I’ve got to get offices arranged and staff hired. The good news is when I’m through with this, I’ll have the money to put Mom up in the Taj Mahal for the rest of her life if she’d like.”
“What she’d like is for you to be a caring son. Quit leaving her with relatives or dumping her in assisted living centers. It’s inconsiderate and rude. You’re breaking her heart.”
“Lexie. It sounds like you’re running into some financial difficulty.”
“That is part of the trouble, but not everything. Your mother needs you.”
“I’m going to wire you some money. How does fifty thousand sound? Maybe you can hire an old folks’ sitter to watch h
er.”
“Bruce, I don’t want your money. I want you to come home. Your mother wants you home.”
“I can’t, cuz. Tell you what, though. I’ll make it seventy thousand.”
“This is not an auction, you moron! This is your mother we’re talking about. You can’t just pawn her off like an heirloom watch.”
“OK, eighty thousand, tops. That ought to take care of you and the old girl for a while. You could even do some traveling. Maybe go to Hawaii. I’ll be back to collect her as soon as I can.”
Lexie released an exasperated breath and started to speak again, but Bruce cut her off.
“I’ll wire the money first thing in the morning to the Moose Creek Junction Savings and Trust.”
“But Bruce—”
Click.
Lexie’s entire body tingled with rage at the sound of the phone disconnect and a clawing headache thrummed through her temples. She put the phone down.
“He hung up, didn’t he?”
“Yes. He’s sending more money, which I do need in light of recent happenings, and to pay you back for this call that probably cost an arm and a leg. But he doesn’t give a damn about his mother.”
“That’s Cousin Bruce for you. Don’t count on him changing.”
“Whatever,” Lexie said. “In the meantime, we have a job to do, so we’d better start making plans.”
“What do we do first?” Lucy asked.
“Create a list of everyone in this town we know and what possible reasons they might have to hate me.”
“We’re going to be at this for days.” Lucy pulled a pad of paper and pencil from a magazine rack. “We have a population of 1,200. Actually, 1,201 if you count the Greensboro’s new baby.”
A sudden thought occurred to Lexie. “We also need to make a trip up to the Ice Queen Resort.”
“You’re going to drag me to a gambling den?” Lucy templed her hands in prayer and looked heavenward. “God forgive me—why must we go there?”
Lexie ignored Sister Lucy’s goody-two-shoes repentance speech. “I forgot to tell anyone this. But on the day Jack died, I found a gambling chip from the casino at his feet. I believe the killer dropped it.”
“Maybe the killer’s a gambler.”
“Or maybe they work up there. Either way, it’s a good place to start looking.”
CHAPTER 18
SOMEONE ONCE SAID THAT IF THE WIND ISN’T blowing, you’re probably not in Wyoming. Well, it was blowing and howling like a banshee when Lexie and Lucy went to clean the First Community Church of the Lamb of God later that morning. Good old Wyoming, Lexie thought wryly, combing her fingers through her mussed ginger curls as they walked through the front doors.
Women were fools to try and have decent hair styles around here. Gusts ripped through fashionable styles like nothing, leaving them in a shambles. No one should ever waste money on big hair in Moose Creek Junction. It wasn’t worth it. How amazing Winkie Hightower had done so well as a hair stylist. Lexie figured folks at least liked to maintain the illusion they were getting their tresses dressed.
Lexie looked around the church, half expecting the roof to cave in while she studied the simple lobby furniture and the portraits of Jesus on the walls. It smelled the same as when her father had presided over the congregation—like dust balls and perspiration.
Beyond an arched doorway was the chapel area with a raised dais and the pulpit where her father had given many a sermon. Lexie remembered as a little girl squirming through morning church services every Sunday. Back then, she’d have rather had all her teeth pulled, one by one, than sit through those sessions. She still felt the same way.
“What’s wrong?” Lucy asked. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“I did,” Lexie shot back, hiking up the pants on the too-large green sweat suit she’d borrowed from Lucy. “Me. At eight. What a geek.”
“You did have some bad teeth,” Lucy said. “Thank goodness for braces.”
Lexie rolled her eyes at Lucy. “Not everyone was born perfect like you.”
“You’re just jealous.”
Laughing, the sisters retrieved cleaning supplies from a closet in the deacon’s room and set to work. While they cleaned, they discussed the townspeople and possible murder suspects among them. They bantered ideas back and forth and discussed minor details. Before long, the grilling process was even more tiring than the housework. Their conversation had covered nearly everyone in Moose Creek Junction by the time they’d finished vacuuming, scrubbing, mopping, and dusting.
Lexie wiped the back of her hand across her damp forehead. She and Lucy had gone over everything until the chapel, lobby, the classrooms, and the little kitchen were spic and span. Jesus would have been proud. Hopefully, the hypocrites who came every Sunday to wash away their sins would think it was good enough, too.
“Where do we start?” Lucy rubbed a little harder on one of the wooden chapel pews with her polishing cloth, then stood back to inspect her handiwork.
“Start?” Lexie blew hot hair through her teeth. “Aren’t we about done?”
Lucy met her gaze. “I mean with your investigation. We flubbed it up the last time. How are we going to do it better?”
“We’ve reviewed a whole town of suspects, now we need to focus on the most likely ones.”
“How?”
Lexie sat down and tapped her fingers on the polished wood. She curled her toes in the too-large sneakers she’d also borrowed from Lucy. “First off, someone murders Hugh, then Henry, and finally Jack. Why?”
“You said Henry smelled awful,” Lucy mused.
“I don’t think that’s enough motive for someone to want to murder him.”
“What about Violet? Maybe she was still upset about their divorce.”
“Gabe believes the same person who killed Henry also killed Hugh and Jack. Violet wouldn’t have a reason to murder any of them.”
“Does Detective Stevenson think the same person who killed your dates also ran over Elton? By the way, have you heard how he’s doing?”
“Eva told me Elton’s recovering nicely. Gabe thinks it was the murderer who ran over Elton.”
Lucy lifted a brow. “How come you know so much about what Detective Stevenson thinks? You two seeing each other behind my back?”
“Knock it off, Luce. He mentioned his theory to me when we were in jail.”
“Oh.”
Lexie wanted to take the heat off her love life before Lucy started in again so she said, “Does Otis have any theories?”
“Not really.”
“I bet he’s too busy getting ready for the election this month. Right?”
Lucy shrugged. “I won’t speak ill of my husband. It’s uncharitable.”
“I am right. Oh, well. I guess if I had a decent husband like Otis, even if he was a goober, I’d want to stand up for him, too. But I can’t even keep a steady date …” Lexie snapped her fingers. “That’s it!”
“What?” Lucy’s eyes opened wide.
“The murdered guys were all dating me.”
“What about Elton? You weren’t dating him. He was far too young for you, for Pete’s sake.”
“Gee, thanks, sis.”
“I’m just trying to be practical.”
“I know, I know. But back to Elton … My idea falls apart with him. Regardless, it’s all we’ve got to go on.”
“Someone’s killing your dates. A jealous woman?”
“Or a jealous man,” Lexie added. “Whoever attacked me at the tavern was big and strong. Someone in man’s boots nearly found me hiding in the cellar at Jack’s cabin the day he was killed.”
“What about Dan?”
“Believe me, I’ve considered that,” Lexie said. “I think Dan’s too busy with dizzy Davina and the baby.”
“That’s right. I forgot the current Mrs. Lightfoot is a new mommy. How lucky for Dan. Changing dirty diapers and doing midnight feedings at his age, for Pete’s sake.”
“The Undertaker? Get
his hands dirty or lose sleep?” Lexie chuckled. “No, he’ll have her doing all the hard work.”
Lucy removed her apron and sat down beside Lexie, her housedress with the big splashy orange flowers settling around her. “Did you or Dan have any enemies while you were in California? Someone who would be angry enough to come all the way up here to cause you trouble?”
“Not that I know of.”
“I don’t like this detective business,” Lucy said. “It gives me a headache.”
“Me, too,” Lexie agreed. “I keep thinking about the gambling chip from the Ice Queen Resort I found by Jack’s body. I’m convinced our killer has a gambling problem.”
“Folks around here say Henry spent plenty of money up there. Probably lots of people around town go up there to gamble.”
“Aunt Gladys told me the old gal who got her booted at the Sunrise Center, Alice Leone, is Carma Leone’s aunt. She worked up at the Ice Queen for years as a cocktail waitress. She still lives in a trailer up in Snow Village and only comes to Moose Creek Junction to visit Carma once in a while and go to the grocery store.”
“Hmm, interesting. I seem to remember Carma mentioning at church that she had an aunt. I didn’t realize she lived up there.”
Lexie’s mind was bursting with ideas. “Remember the dark tinted car I told you about that hit my truck the night Whitehead was killed and has been skulking around my house? It’s a fancy sports model, probably way too expensive for anyone around here to afford. A lucky gambler could buy it. Or they might have even won it.”
“Definitely possible,” Lucy said.
“I think we need to take a trip up the mountain. Especially while Aunt Gladys is at the hospital. When she comes back, I won’t be able to get away.”
“If I just take off, Otis will suspect we’re up to something.”
Lexie paced in the oversized sneakers, the gears in her brain spinning. She didn’t have a very high opinion of her brother-in-law, but she didn’t need to start a family feud. “We won’t tell him we’re going to the Ice Queen. We’ll say we’re going to attend the Christian retreat in Burns Valley for the weekend. What’s it called?”
The Saucy Lucy Murders Page 27