It was the first time that I noticed the way he got a bit of a crinkle around his eyes when he grinned. My heart beat harder in my chest when I saw the bouquet of flowers in his hand.
“Are those for me?” I asked.
“They are, and you better take them in before any of your neighbors see me holding them,” he said with a chuckle.
“Brody O’Malley, did you pick the neighbors’ flowers on your walk here?” I teased.
“I did, but I only took one flower from each yard. They won’t even miss them as long as you take them inside now.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I went inside and pulled a lead crystal vase from under the kitchen sink. I filled it halfway with water, and then trimmed the bottoms of the flowers.
When I got back outside, it looked like Brody was eyeing Nora’s hydrangeas. “Don’t even think about it, mister.”
He laughed and offered me his arm. We walked arm in arm to the diner as the sun gently set. It was like something out of a movie, and for just a brief moment, I got to forget my troubles.
We went inside and ordered pancakes. He got blueberry and I got pecan. We drenched them in syrup and made small talk. I kept looking up, and I’d catch Brody looking at me with a silly smile on his face.
Eventually we couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room anymore. The magic had to end, and we had to face Ellie’s death and Frankie’s estate.
“You look like you’re about to break the bubble,” Brody said. “It’s okay. We can talk.”
He seemed a great deal more relaxed about the prospect of a conversation here. I wondered if it was that he trusted me more now that I trusted him or if there was something about the records hall that kept him from speaking his mind.
“If I’d known that all I had to do was get you away from work, I’d have suggested pancakes a long time ago,” I said.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m so tied in knots about all of this. I’ve known for some time that I need to open up to you, but you have no idea what it will cost,” Brody said and then looked around the diner to see who was in the vicinity.
“You can tell me. I will do whatever I can to help you,” I said. “No matter what. If you’re hiding something, please tell me. I’ll hear you out,” I said.
Over the next thirty minutes, and three cups of coffee, Brody opened up to me. He first told me about his beloved younger sister who was “put away” in a home in New York State. He said that she’d been committed for paranoid schizophrenia, but Brody stated that he didn’t believe for a second that she was mentally ill.
“The more she denied it, the crazier they said she was,” Brody snarled. “I’ve tried to get her re-evaluated by another doctor. My father and his family physician block me at every turn.”
“But, why?” I asked cautiously.
Brody went on to tell me how he thought that Madeline had discovered something about their father that the mayor couldn’t let get out to the town. He had no idea what it was. The men in white orderly uniforms came and took his sister at dawn one day. He’d had no chance to talk to her. His visits were denied at the hospital.
“I think that my father is involved in the disappearance of Frankie Horowitz’s records, but he’s made veiled threats about my sister. She’s in a beautiful facility where they treat her with dignity and respect even if they don’t believe that she’s not mentally ill.”
“How do you know that if you can’t visit her?” I asked.
“Because I’ve bribed orderlies to get her letters. I’ve been able to write her twice, and I’ve gotten two letters back. She said she’s okay. It’s as good as it’s going to get considering she’s basically been imprisoned against her will. The letters were in her handwriting, so I know she wrote them.”
“How do you know they weren’t written under duress?” I hated to ask the question. I didn’t want to fill Brody with doubt that his sister was okay.
“The hospital has an exceptional reputation. I’ve even toured the grounds, seen her room, and introduced myself to her doctor. I wouldn’t go away so they convinced my father and the doctor to allow that much. I just wasn’t allowed contact with Madeline. It really is a top-of-the-line mental health facility, but that’s what makes all of this so hard.”
“Your father won’t keep paying for her care if you step out of line,” I said.
“It’s worse than that. He’s hinted that he’ll cut her off completely. She’d be thrown in a state-run facility, and he’d probably pay them to neglect her. I wouldn’t put that past him.” Brody’s voice shook with anger. “On another occasion, he threatened to have her thrown in a third world facility in the corner of the world where I could never find her. I’ve tried twice to get the courts to let me be her guardian but my father is too well-connected politically. He let me know that if I tried again, both Madeline and I would regret it.”
“Do you think he’s behind Ellie’s murder?” I asked.
“I do, but I didn’t know how to tell you. I couldn’t talk to you at the records hall. I’m almost certain he has the place bugged. How else did he know that Ellie found something?”
“Is there anything else?” I asked gently.
“I think Sylvie is up to no good but I can’t put my finger on how she is involved. I do think I saw her leave my father’s house one morning when I jogged by early in the morning.”
“That reminds me. What was the thing in the Hyvee about? Why were you there?”
“I’m sure that looked suspicious. I’ve been trying to figure that whole situation out since it happened. I’m sorry I didn’t discuss it with you,” he said. “What happened was that she asked me to take her grocery shopping. Sylvie likes to shop there, but she stated that someone that worked there had been harassing her. She said that one of the clerks is the wife of a man who goes to the strip club regularly. Since Sylvie dances there, she gives her a hard time.” Brody took a deep breath. “She said she just wanted to shop in peace, but when she was grabbing her ice cream, Sylvie brought up my sister out of the blue. She started talking about how lucky it was that Madeline had such a beautiful place to live and how it would be terrible if she were poor.”
“She was threatening you for your father,” I said, and it wasn’t a question.
“That’s what I thought too. I realized too late that I’d been tricked. It occurred to me later that it was strange she even asked me to drive her to the store. If she said jump, Jimbo would ask her how high.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked.
“I know it was stupid to keep things from you, but I wasn’t sure if I’d put you in danger. I knew that if you had more information, you’d probably have a target on your back. I’ve been trying to keep an eye on you, but I can’t be everywhere you are,” he said, and I saw Brody’s cheeks blush with embarrassment.
“You’ve followed me?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. Those times I got the feeling I was being watched, it was Brody.
“Yeah. Again, I’m sorry. I wasn’t prepared to deal with any of this and I just did what I thought was best.”
“I guess that makes it less creepy,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“I didn’t really think of it as creepy. I wasn’t stalking you because I’m obsessed with you. I was more of a volunteer bodyguard.”
“I can see that,” I said. “So, you’re not obsessed with me?” I teased.
“Obsessed, no. Enamored, yes,” Brody said, and it was my turn to blush. “I kissed you, didn’t I? I don’t just kiss anyone.”
I felt the butterflies in my stomach kick up at the mention of his kiss. Then reality came crashing down. I still had a mystery to solve, a job to do, and then I’d be moving on.
“Brody, I like you too but this won’t work. Once I’m done working on the Horowitz estate, I’ll probably never be back to Ash Road again.” I hated the words as I said them.
Something strange had happened in the short time I’d stayed in Ash Road. It had begun to
feel like home. I was a kid the last time any place had felt that way.
“There are lots of ways to make long-distance relationships work,” Brody said.
“That’s true.” I felt my spirits lift a little. I couldn’t fathom just erasing Brody and Ash Road from my life. It was a weird feeling. “Can we talk about it again once Ellie’s murder is solved and Frankie’s estate is ironed out? I need some time.”
“That’s better than flat out rejection,” Brody said with a smile.
After that, I decided to call it a night and go home. I had a lot of thinking to do. Brody offered to walk me home but I needed the alone time.
He was reluctant at first, but it was a pleasant evening and there were plenty of people out walking or enjoying their front porches. He had to relent that I would be okay.
“Don’t follow me this time, please. I need some space to work this out. I’ll be safe,” I said and kissed him on the cheek.
Chapter Eighteen
Lara
As I turned the corner to Nora’s street, I saw none other than Sylvie walking up the front sidewalk in front of the house. She was looking from left to right repeatedly, and I wondered what that was about.
Before she got to the steps, Sylvie hunched down and began to sneak around the side of the house. Unsure what she was up to or what I should do, I called out to her.
“Hey, Sylvie! Hi! What are you doing?” I asked and picked up the pace.
“Oh, hi, Lara,” Sylvie said as she stood up straight and walked back to the front sidewalk to meet me.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I was coming to see you. I figured I’d knock on the back door in case you were in the kitchen.” I could almost feel the lie ebbing off of her like poison gas.
“Oh yeah? Why would I be in the kitchen?” I asked.
“From what I remembered, Nora didn’t use the living room much. Plastic on the sofa and everything.” Sylvie was right about that, but it was nothing more than a convenient excuse. I could feel it.
“That’s cool,” I said. “So what can I do for you? I already ate dinner, but I supposed we could go grab a drink or something.”
“No, that’s okay. I just wanted to see how the cat was doing.” Sylvie said, and as if on cue, Jinx jumped up in the window and watched our exchange.
“He’s okay,” I said. “By the way, where did you say you found him?”
“Oh, I was walking to the diner from the ice cream parlor and I practically tripped over him. Poor thing was so hungry,” she said with that sweet smile.
“Right. I thought Stan called you into work after you found the cat. Remember? You were meeting me for lunch because you figured you had the day off.”
“Something wrong?” Sylvie asked, but she took a step back from me. I could swear she looked like someone who was about to run.
“No. I’m just tired,” I said and walked past her to the front porch.
“I guess I’m up for a cocktail. Let’s go get a drink. Just one. We can walk to the tavern.”
“No thanks, Sylvie. I think I’m too bushed after all. I’m going to turn in for tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll get together soon, I swear,” I said and went inside without another word.
Once I got inside, I locked the door. Jinx meowed at me so I picked him up and carried him with me while I made sure that the rest of the doors and windows were locked.
Sylvie was behaving very strangely, and given that she didn’t have an alibi other than the cat for the time that Ellie was murdered, I had grave concerns about her. She’d lied to me about where she was when we were supposed to meet for lunch, and I’d just caught her sneaking around the house.
Unfortunately, none of what I had was anything I could take to the police. Instead, I called Brody and gave him a rundown of all of the current information. He insisted on spending the night on Nora’s couch because he didn’t want the two of us alone in the house knowing that Sylvie had been skulking around outside.
I woke Nora up briefly to make sure that she didn’t mind Brody couch-surfing. “Fine, dear. Go ahead and take the plastic off too. Lord knows that young man is rich enough to buy me a new Davenport if he ruins that one.”
Brody and I stayed up for a couple of hours watching bad television shows and eating salted caramel ice cream we found in the freezer. A couple of times we thought we heard something outside. The noise would even send Jinx running under the dining room table. Both times, Brody and I grabbed flashlights and walked the perimeter of the house, but we never found anything.
I finally got tired enough that I thought I could go to sleep. I kissed him on the forehead and told him goodnight before I went upstairs.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to the funeral home,” Brody called after me.
“Oh, you really think there is something to that?” I asked from halfway up the stairs.
“Yes. I’m almost sure of it. Did you really think I was threatening you?” he asked.
“Yeah, I kinda did. Anyway, good night. I’ll see you in the morning,” I said and blew him a kiss.
He blew one back and let out a kind of goofy laugh. It felt good to let my guard down around him. I had no idea when I went to bed that night how close I would come to losing him.
Chapter Nineteen
Sylvie
Sylvie watched Lara walk away and slam the door on her. She hadn’t been expecting that. Gordon wanted Sylvie to stay close to Lara, but it was apparent that the stubborn genealogist had begun to suspect Sylvie.
“You need to stay close,” Gordon hissed into the phone. “I paid you to become her best friend. What exactly have I gotten for my money? Huh? This was a bigger waste of cash than when I paid you to get close to Brody.”
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” Sylvie whispered into the phone. “I never set out to be a murderer.”
“Sylvie, baby. You’re my sugar bear. You know that. I promise that this is the last thing I’m going to ask you to do. After that, I’m going to give you the life that you deserve. You won’t have to work anymore. I swear,” Gordon said in a voice that dripped saccharine sweetness.
“Okay, Gordo. I’ll try again tomorrow,” she said reluctantly.
“That’s my girl,” he cooed. “Hey, can you do one other favor for me? Keep an eye on the house tonight. Just for a while. You can let me know tomorrow if there are any interesting developments. Night, beautiful,” Gordon said and hung up before Sylvie could respond further.
She wasn’t looking forward to spending the rest of the night watching Nora’s house. Sylvie knew that Jimbo would start calling her soon, wondering where she was. She was really looking forward to when the whole ordeal was over and she could stop pretending to like the big buffoon.
Sure, Jimbo was cute and lovable, but he wasn’t a real man like Gordon. Jimbo couldn’t buy her expensive gifts and take her on fancy vacations like Gordon promised he would, and that was the kind of thing that impressed a girl like Sylvie.
Just a little more, she promised herself, and Gordon would be hers. She might even be able to get him to marry her. She practically drooled at the thought of the huge rock he could give her.
She only wished she could have done it all without killing someone. Sylvie was a lot of things, but she’d never been a murderer.
What if Gordon asked her to kill someone else? What could she do? If she told him no now, Sylvie knew she’d lose everything she’d worked so hard for over the last few months.
She watched in the shadows as Brody arrived at Nora’s house. Something inside of her pulled hard at her stomach. She had to fight the urge to run to him and confess everything.
Not tonight. She was so close to having everything she’d ever wanted.
Chapter Twenty
Lara
The next morning, I awoke to the scent of frying bacon. I heard singing coming from the kitchen, but it wasn’t Nora.
Brody had gotten up before us and was in the kitchen making breakfast while s
inging 90s boy band tunes. It made me smile so hard that my cheeks began to hurt.
After a breakfast of bacon and waffles, I went upstairs to get ready for work. Brody had brought an overnight bag with him so he used the downstairs bathroom while Nora sat on the front porch and read the newspaper.
“Should we go into the office or just head over to the funeral home?” Brody asked when I came downstairs.
“I think we should just go straight to the funeral home. We’re onto something. I can feel it. I don’t want to give your father or Sylvie a chance to interfere,” I said. “Brody, before we go, is there anything else you need to tell me?”
His face blanched.
“Brody, what is it?”
“There’s a will,” he said and sunk down to the couch. Brody put his head in his hands and let out an exhausted sigh. “Frankie had a will. The evidence of its existence is at the funeral home. It’s the one place my dad couldn’t get his greasy fingers. I was going to let you track it down and protect you along the way, but that’s wrong. I’m sorry, Lara. I should have told you sooner.”
“What?” I was shocked. “You’ve known all along that there is a will and you didn’t tell me? Where is it? Do you have it?” I seethed.
My good friend had died. Amelia Booth could have died. All this time there had been a will, and he’d kept it from me.
“I’m done with you,” I snarled. “I don’t need your help anymore.” My voice dripped with sarcasm and contempt.
I drove to the funeral home on the outskirts of town. It was within walking distance but I figured it would be safer to drive. No one could jump out from behind a bush and grab me if I was in a vehicle.
The Moody Funeral Home sat at the end of a long, winding driveway flanked by magnolia trees. It looked to be an old plantation house that had been restored to its former glory.
I rang the bell and waited for someone to answer. It occurred to me as I stood there in the quiet countryside that I probably should have called ahead. In a town as small as Ash Road, there might not be a reason for someone to be at the funeral home every day.
The Rake and the Researcher Page 9