He sighed and then slumped in his chair.
“Yes. I was so horrified when I found them out by the lake that I threw her out that very day. I probably would have thrown her out, even if I hadn’t thought that man was her brother. But seeing her with him…. Nothing has ever sickened me more. I just couldn’t think. I was so ashamed and….”
“We understand. Anyone would be disgusted. And David Cooper, the big-mouthed moron—” Alex shook his head at me, warning me not to get personal, even if what I said was nothing but the truth. “Um— he told Rochelle that she hadn’t a prayer at getting any money without a DNA test, and that Thaddeus was planning to change his will right after Easter so she would no longer be his beneficiary. Thus giving her a time frame in which she had to commit murder. After that, someone else would inherit, so she needed to hurry.”
I didn’t say how much they would inherit. I looked at Thaddeus, asking with my gaze who was going to be his heir now. It wasn’t any of my business, but Hope Falls needed its Easter Bunny and the food bank needed a patron.
“Brutus has a son. Nunnelly is my heir now. We were never real close, but he’s a nice boy and he’s coming out to Hope Falls. He’s been working as a produce manager at a market but he’s gonna help me with the farm instead. He’ll take over when I’m gone.”
I nodded. It was a relief that some good would come of this horrible tragedy.
“Until David spilled the beans, Rochelle hadn’t considered the possibility that she was still a beneficiary in Thaddeus’s will. I don’t know if she thought of the scheme, or if it was Robert’s idea, but as I said after that conversation with David was when they decided to kill Thaddeus. Thanks to Dave Cooper, they knew that they had until Monday to do it. Actually, they had longer, because David is anything but diligent, and a few questions around town would reveal that David never comes into work on Monday. There was time for one more effort. The brakes on the car,” I said to Thaddeus and took another swallow of wine.
“Fortune favors the bold and there was no time to waste. Rochelle knew about our Easter tradition and how Thaddeus was likely to be out in the meadow during the hunt, near the woods that offered such great cover for an archer. Since both Rochelle and Robert have had numerous plastic surgeries and were sure they wouldn’t be identified by anyone in town, they booked themselves into the Morningside Inn and got ready to commit murder.”
“Why the bow and arrows?” Dad asked.
“There is a waiting period for guns and I doubt that either Rochelle or Robert would pass a background check anyway. And buying one of the street would mean putting themselves into a potential blackmailer’s hands. Fortunately, they didn’t need a gun. They had a better, quieter and more familiar weapon at hand. Robert went with what he knew.”
I reached back for the folder on the counter behind me and took out the printout from the casino in Reno where Robert worked. They held medieval jousts and Robert was one of their archers.
“Alex found this online. Robert also has a hunting license. He uses a bow for that too. The only thing they got wrong, was killing Brutus instead of Thaddeus.”
“No,” Thaddeus said. “The other thing they got wrong was committing their crime in a town where they would be found out by you.”
Embarrassed, I ducked my head.
Chapter 11
“It’s nice to be alone. Just us,” I said to Alex, handing him the last wine glass for drying. “And Blue,” I added when Blue opened her eyes and thumped her tail. “And the cats.”
“You’re getting good at throwing parties. Even this one, that could have been kind of depressing.”
I nodded.
“I wonder if Thaddeus will end up with Rochelle’s daughter. That would be a little weird, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, but I’m betting that the poor kid’s life is already pretty weird. And there are worse places than Hope Falls to grow up. I don’t know Thaddeus well, but I think he would make a good parent.”
“I guess. There are so many ways to screw up a kid. Alex?” I asked abruptly. “We’ve never really talked about it, but do you even want kids?”
“Maybe. Not now though. I’m still learning how to parent a dog and the cats. For now, I am content being a husband.” He put the wine glass back up on the shelf and hung up the dish towel. “What about you?”
“I don’t know either. I think I need to be a more normal person before I try to be a mom.”
Alex smiled.
“I don’t think you’ll ever be normal. Nor do you need to be normal to be a good mom. And if our kids were as special as I think they might be, you would be a way better mom than most.”
“Hm. Maybe. But I still want to think about it for a while. There’s no rush.”
“Okay then.”
I turned off the kitchen light, noticing that our feathered pen was missing again. Tomorrow I would get Apollo some new toys. How could I be a mom to a human child when I forgot stuff like toys for the cats?
Oh well. We would think about it. No harm in thinking. In fact, lots of good came from thinking.
“Let’s go to bed.”
“Those are my favorite words,” Alex said, taking my hand.
About the Author
Melanie Jackson is the author of 23 novels. If you enjoyed this story, please visit Melanie’s author web site at www.melaniejackson.com.
eBooks by Melanie Jackson:
The Chloe Boston Mystery Series:
Moving Violation
The Pumpkin Thief
Death in a Turkey Town
Murder on Parade
Cupid’s Revenge
Viva Lost Vegas
Death of a Dumb Bunny
Red, White and a Dog Named Blue (Summer of 2011)
The Book of Dreams Series:
The First Book of Dreams: Metropolis
The Second Book of Dreams: Meridian
The Third Book of Dreams: Destiny
Club Valhalla
Devil of Bodmin Moor
Devil in a Red Coat
Halloween
Knave of Hearts
The Curiosity Shoppe (Sequel to A Curious Affair)
Nevermore: The Last Divine Book (Coming Soon)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
eBooks by Melanie Jackson:
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
eBooks by Melanie Jackson:
Death of a Dumb Bunny Page 8