Dead Man's Hand

by Lorraine Bartlett

  When Katie arrived at Sassy Sally’s, Nick met her at the door, grabbed her hand, and hauled her inside.

  “Wait until you see the nursery I’m setting up for Ru,” he said.

  Katie looked from Nick to Don who was shaking his head and giving his husband a loving, indulgent smile. “Nursery?”

  “It’s actually a small section of our room,” Don said.

  “Come and look!” Nick led Katie to their suite behind the inn’s kitchen. “Are you ready?” He flung open the bedroom door with a flourish.

  A credenza-style crate with a bed inside, plus a tufted bed with crystal tacks stood outside the crate; and an assortment of toys was carefully arranged in a white wicker basket next to the king-sized bed. Food and water bowls stood on a white wrought-iron stand.

  “What do you think?” Nick asked eagerly.

  “I’m wondering how you managed to pull all this stuff together in one afternoon,” she said.

  He shrugged and grinned. “I know people who know people.”

  “Katie, we’re going to be late!” Margo called.

  Smiling at Nick, Katie said, “Ru is a very lucky girl.” As she started for the parlor, she thought about starting a betting pool with Seth, Brad, and Margo on how long it would take Ru to destroy that fancy bed.

  Once on their way to the Victorian house, Margo said, “You’ve caused quite a stir with those puppies.”

  “You don’t know the half of it.” She told Margo about her adventure to the vet and the pet store with the Davenport sisters and her encounter with Carol Rigby. “First, she wants to get me as far away from her investigation as possible, and now she’s threatened by my friendship with Ray—which is kind of non-existent at the moment anyway.”

  “She has good reason to feel envious,” Margo pointed out. “From what I can see, you’ve made much more progress in sussing out Jamie’s killer than she has. And any fool can see Ray Davenport is in love with you—who wouldn’t despise being the second choice?” She patted Katie’s arm. “I understand your needing to put some distance between yourself and Ray, but don’t entirely throw your friendship away. You’ll regret it if you do.”

  “I know.” As much as Katie hated to admit it, Margo was right. She didn’t want to lose Ray’s friendship.

  “Back to the puppies,” Margo said. “I’m glad Nick and Don are happy with their imminent pitter-patter of little paws, but I’m afraid Sassy Sally’s patrons won’t be so thrilled when they’re kept awake nights.”

  “I’m sure Nick and Don will come up with a way to minimize any inconvenience to their guests. As glad as I am for them, I’m especially pleased for Seth.”

  Margo smiled. “Me, too. And from what Nick and Don have told me, the Davenport girls are delighted with the addition to their family as well.”

  “They are.” Katie glanced at the map on her phone. “Is this our turn?”

  “That’s it.” Margo clasped her hands together. “I see Brenda’s car in the driveway.”

  Yep, Brenda Furnham had her mark all over the property. Not only was her Brenda Furnham car parked in the driveway, her Brenda Furnham sign was on the front lawn. And Brenda Furnham herself was standing on the porch smiling and waving to them as though she were the newly crowned Ms. Real Estate New York.

  “Hi, ladies!” Brenda called, as Margo and Katie got out of the car.

  Katie immediately saw that in the light of day, the house was more dilapidated than it had appeared to be in the photographs she and Margo had seen online. A glance at Margo told Katie she was thinking the same thing. Still, Margo plastered a smile on her face and soldiered on.

  “Have Gomez and Morticia mentioned why they’re selling?” Katie had intended to ask the question softly enough to reach Margo’s ears only, but her words were caught by Brenda.

  “Oh, you!” Brenda gave a boisterous laugh. “You’re a comedienne, you are! Come on in, gals, and fall in love with this beauty.”

  Katie was already finding Brenda to be a bit much, but she dutifully followed Margo into the house.

  “Now, granted, it needs some love,” Brenda said. “But that’s okay—you can make it more your own with the appropriate upgrades, right?”

  As they stood in the foyer, Katie noticed the disappointment settling on Margo’s face. She wanted to tell her there were other places—for instance, the mock Tudor house that Katie had preferred to this one all along—but she didn’t want to insult Brenda, who was taking her time to be here and show the house.

  “This parquet flooring is exquisite,” Brenda said, “and look at this cherry woodwork. Isn’t it lovely?”

  “It is,” Margo said.

  It was lovely, but it was dark. Maybe it would be better with the lights on. Katie looked behind her, saw a light switch, and flipped it on. Nothing happened.

  “Sorry! The owners have the electricity turned off right now.” Brenda rubbed her arms. “That’s why it’s a little chilly in here. Wait until you see the kitchen.”

  They walked through the empty house, their footfalls echoing and the floor beneath them creaking with every step.

  The women walked through the arched doorway into the kitchen where they were greeted by white appliances, cherry cabinets, and a horrific floral wallpaper from the 1970s.

  “What do you think?” Brenda looked at Margo and Katie as expectantly as though she’d built and decorated the home herself.

  “I’m surprised the appliances are so modern,” Katie said.

  Delighted to have something positive to build on, Brenda said, “Yes, aren’t they great? The owners upgraded their kitchen two years ago.”

  “Did they say why they’re selling?” Margo asked.

  Katie thought the place was likely haunted, but she waited for Brenda’s answer.

  “They’re moving to be closer to their daughter who lives in Illinois now,” Brenda said. “This home was built in the late 1800s, and as you can see, it’s built to last.”

  “When the kitchen was upgraded, was the wiring replaced as well?” Katie asked.

  “Oh, that was done long before the kitchen upgrade.” A buzzing sound came from Brenda’s right jacket pocket. She retrieved her phone and looked at the screen impatiently. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take this.”

  “That’s okay,” Margo said. “We’ll go ahead and take a look upstairs.”

  “What do you think?” Katie asked as she and Margo mounted the cherry staircase.

  “It’s not for me. The photographs posted on Brenda’s site are a bit misleading.”

  “I agree.” Testing the railing, which seemed a bit wobbly, Katie said, “This place would need a lot of work.”

  “More than I’m willing to put into a new home,” Margo said. “I believe this house could be stunning, but I’ll leave it to someone else—I want a house that’s in move-in condition.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  They heard a crash downstairs.

  Katie’s eyes flew to Margo before she called, “Brenda? Are you all right?”

  “Fine!”

  That faint, high-pitched fine didn’t sound right.

  “That wasn’t Brenda.” Katie pressed her phone into Margo’s hand. “Call nine-one-one.”

  “But—”

  Ignoring Margo’s protest, Katie turned and started back down the stairs. She was on the third stair from the top when Connor Davis stepped into view. He was holding a pistol equipped with a silencer.

  Since he was staring right at her, Katie froze. “Connor, what are you doing?”

  “Tying up loose ends,” he said. “You know what I did, or you wouldn’t have been checking up on me with Luther and Phyllis.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Spare me,” Connor interrupted.

  “All I know is that you helped Jamie cheat at cards,” Katie said. “I’m guessing it was to help you with your business?”

  “I helped Jamie because I was in love with him.” His expression was a caricature of anger and
disgust. “I adored that man, and he did nothing but use me.” He looked up at Margo. “Drop that phone and get over here with her.”

  Katie winced at the sound of the phone hitting the floor. Was there any way Margo had been able to dial 9-1-1 before Connor caught them? She didn’t hear anyone talking on the other end.

  “If you need money, I’ll give you what I won,” Katie said. “I don’t think Jamie would have intentionally cut you out of your part of—”

  “Then you didn’t know him very well,” Connor said, ascending the stairs and closing the distance between them.

  “But you had to realize that by killing Jamie, you’d never get what was coming to you,” Margo said, as she moved closer to Katie and gripped the railing.

  Eyes filling with tears, Connor said, “I never meant to kill him. I only wanted to punish him. I knew the crushed berries would make him suffer, but I thought that as long as he went to the doctor, he’d be fine. And now I’ve got nothing. Nothing!” he nearly screamed. “Not Jamie, not the money to save my business, nothing.”

  “You’ve got your sister,” Katie said.

  “She doesn’t need me. I’m only an aggravation and an embarrassment to her,” he said.

  “That isn’t true. She adores you—I saw it all over her face when you walked into her kitchen the evening I was there.”

  Her proclamation made Connor sob even harder. “I’ve been such a fool.” He placed the barrel of the gun beneath his chin.

  “No!” Katie lunged for Connor, grasping his arm and trying to pull the gun away from his body.

  “Katie!” Margo screamed.

  Connor fought to regain control. He still held the gun but used his left hand to grab Katie and try to push her away.

  As they fought, the railing cracked and they teetered before they both fell to the floor below, with Katie landing on top of Connor. A knife-like pain ripped through her chest, the agony increasing with every breath she took. So that’s what a broken rib felt like. Not fun.

  Connor had dropped the gun when they fell. It had skittered away and lay near the front door where neither of them could reach it.

  Connor’s eyes fluttered open. His breaths sounded just as painful as Katie’s. “Damn,” he grated. “This is not how I wanted to leave this world.”

  “I don’t think either of us is going anywhere just yet.” Katie heard sirens in the distance before she felt Margo’s trembling hand on her shoulder.

  “Are you able to move?” the older woman asked.

  “I don’t know,” Katie admitted with a grimace. “I’d rather wait for the police or the EMTs to get here before I try.”

  “You know what this means?” Margo asked.

  “Another visit to the ER?” Katie asked.

  Margo nodded and looked down at her daughter-in-law, shaking her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Keep me, I hope.”

  “Darling, girl. Of course I will.”

  Chapter 40

  On Thursday, Katie was lounging on her love seat with both cats trying to occupy her lap while Margo regaled Brad, who’d brought up a lunch tray, with the story of how she’d saved the day.

  “We heard that crash, and I knew something was wrong,” Margo said. “And when Katie asked if she was all right, it was obvious that it wasn’t Brenda’s voice that answered. Now, I had my phone in my purse, but Katie handed me hers, so I used it to call nine-one-one. They asked what our emergency was, but before I could answer, there stood Connor at the bottom of the stairs!”

  “You must’ve been terrified,” Brad said.

  “I’ll admit it was frightening, but I kept my head long enough to mute that phone hoping Connor wouldn’t catch onto what I was doing.” Margo mopped her forehead with her fingertips.

  Katie hid a smile behind her hand. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard this story, and she was certain it wouldn’t be the last. Margo had held up well under pressure and she obviously relished the retelling of their frightening encounter with a killer.

  “When he put that gun to his chin and threatened to kill himself, I was thinking Katie should simply let him do it!” Margo shrugged. “I mean, we had Brenda to think about. We didn’t know what he’d done to her.”

  They later learned that she’d suffered a concussion when Connor had pistol-whipped her, although they hoped the injury wouldn’t cause her any long-term harm.

  The fall had given Katie two cracked ribs, but fortunately, she hadn’t suffered a punctured lung. Connor had sustained a concussion and a chipped vertebra. He had a long road of recovery ahead of him—from physical, emotional, and legal standpoints.

  Brad had assembled a wonderful assortment of sandwiches, and he took the time to lunch with Katie and Margo. Rose and Walter had been by earlier and brought Katie a nice flower arrangement, and Vance and Janey also came by to wish her well. Even Andy had called to wish her well. She’d kept that conversation short.

  The only person Katie hadn’t heard from was Ray. She’d gotten an earful from Carol Rigby before the uniformed officers investigating the scene respectfully asked her to wait until they’d processed the scene and taken care of the injured parties to conduct her interrogations. Katie and Margo had driven across the county to the Sheriff’s Office and had given their sworn statements that morning.

  After Brad and Margo left, Katie stretched out as best she could on the love seat and tried to sleep. She hadn’t gotten much rest the night before—partly because of the pain from her cracked ribs and partly because every time she closed her eyes, she relived falling through the stair railing with Connor Davis.

  She was awakened from a doze by a tap on her door. Groggily, and with great effort, she got up and answered it. Ray stood on her landing with Belle in his arms.

  “Do the girls know you’ve absconded with their baby?” she asked.

  “No. They’re back at school today. I have a friend watching the rest of the puppies and the shop while I came to see how you’re doing,” he said. “I heard you got pretty banged up yesterday, and I thought you could maybe use some fluff in your life.”

  She didn’t bother to remind him of her resident cats, who weren’t likely to embrace a canine in their lair. Backing away from the door, she heaved a sigh and said, “Come on in.”

  As expected, at the sight of the puppy, Della ran and hid in the kitchen. Mason stayed in the living room but watched from a respectful distance.

  “Do you wanna hold her?” Ray held out the puppy.

  Shrugging, Katie said, “Sure. When I sit down,” she amended. She returned to the love seat and Ray handed her the dog. Katie snuggled the puppy against her uninjured side. “How did you and the girls handle your first night with a pack of puppies?”

  “It wasn’t bad because the litter was together. Whenever the others go home with their owners, it might be a bit rougher.” He sat on the chair adjacent to the love seat.

  “The friend watching Wood U—I’m guessing it isn’t Carol,” Katie said.

  “No. She’d have a conniption if she knew I was here.”

  “Would you care?” Katie’s gaze issued a challenge.

  “A little,” he admitted. “Carol and I could have a good relationship. We’re close in age, we enjoy a lot of the same things, she thinks I’m…attractive.” He actually blushed.

  Katie noticed he’d said could have. She wondered if the friction between Carol and his daughters was the reason they only could rather than did have a good relationship. Either way, it was none of her business.

  “I only want you to be happy,” she told him.

  “Likewise.” Their fingers brushed when he reached out to take the puppy from her. “I’d better be getting back to the store.”

  “Yeah.”

  At the door, he turned to look at her over his shoulder. “Anytime you need some puppy love, you know where to find us.”

  Yes, she certainly did.

  Brad’s Tealicious Open House Recipes

  Apple Cider
Cake

  Ingredients

  4 cups apple cider

  3¾ cups all-purpose flour

  1½ teaspoons kosher salt

  1½ teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and browned

  1½ cups dark brown sugar

  3 large eggs, at room temperature

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1½ pounds apples, peeled, cored and shredded (about 3 cups)

  ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

  * * *

  In a medium heavy bottom pan, bring the cider to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the reduced cider for the frosting.

  * * *

  Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC, Gas Mark 4). Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice.

  In a separate large bowl, whisk together ½ cup cider reduction, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Pour the cider mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in the shredded apples until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and evenly smooth the top.

  Bake the cake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean—about 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Immediately brush the exposed surface of the cake in the pan with 1 tablespoon of the reserved cider. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Brush the top and sides of the cake with more of the apple cider reduction. Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes before drizzling icing.

  For the icing, combine the confectioner’s sugar with 2 tablespoons of the remaining cider reduction. Drizzle the icing over the cake and let cool completely.

  * * *

  Spiced Cider Punch

  Ingredients

  ½ cup granulated sugar