by Misty Simon
“No, you’re right,” she said. “The last thing I need is to be a suspect, on top of everything else.” She sighed long and deep, then turned to me. “I guess I owe you another apology, huh?”
What was the correct response here? I mean, on the one hand I wanted to say I told you so, but on the other hand this was hard enough for Bella without adding to it. “No,” I finally said. “It’s enough that you believe me.”
“So what do we do from here?” she asked. “We have a killer on the loose again, and I’m no longer blind. Who is in our pool of possible suspects?”
Ben and I shared a look about how little we knew, then imparted that little tidbit to Bella. She sat back and fingered the silver choker at her throat. “We better get busy, if we want to figure out what happened. I want to go back to my house knowing Tarrin’s spirit is at rest, even if I do wish her to a slightly warmer place.”
Chapter Fourteen
Driving home that night in a freshly washed car—it had to be done when some yahoo decided to use soap to write cheeky phrases about sucking (leaves) on my car—I stopped by Mad Martha’s for the slice of the pie I’d promised my dad. I got quite a shock for my time and care.
I’d pulled into the parking lot and was wrenching myself from the comforting warmth of the interior of the car when I looked into the diner. There sat my dad, holding Martha’s hand and practically drooling over the counter to get close to her. I would not entertain the idea he was trying to kiss her because eww! But it looked pretty intimate. Most of the lights were turned down and only the counter was illuminated.
Apparently he had already had a piece of the pie. Ack!
Decisions, decisions. I could go into the diner and scare him like he’d scared Ben and me while we were tussling on the floor of the Masked Shoppe. I could also go home and wait up for him as he had for me, then grill him. Or I could do the mature thing and simply let things go.
Yeah, maturity is so overrated, and when would I ever get an opportunity like this again? I liked Martha, but this was too good to pass up. I walked to the door and banged my fist against it as hard as I could. They jumped apart like two teenagers caught necking. Ha-ha!
Martha scurried over to unlock the door even though I could see Dad tugging her arm to keep her from me. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I could see Dad shaking his head and pleading with her. He was in for it now.
“Thanks, Martha,” I said, breezing in with a following wind. “Fancy meeting you here, Dad.”
His ears turned red—a sure sign of embarrassment—and he wouldn’t look me in the eye. “Ivy.”
“So, did you enjoy any pie while you were here?”
His eyes snapped up to mine, and I saw I had gone too far. Mustn’t lose my edge while I had it. “I meant, did you get a piece of the key lime you had asked about.” Sheesh.
“Yes, and it was lovely.”
Lovely? I didn’t think I’d ever heard him use that word before. Was he smitten? Would he and Martha start dating? Oh, my God, would he never go home? I nearly choked on that last one but managed to calm myself before I had a full-on hissy fit.
“Good. So when are you coming home tonight?” Nothing like a little pressure. He hadn’t made my life with Ben miserable lately, but there could be future episodes.
“I’ll be home later,” he said through gritted teeth. It gave me a particularly perverse sense of satisfaction to note his hair was neatly combed over to the side and…was that a whiff of Old Spice I smelled?
“Like much later or shortly after me?” My sharky smile didn’t get past him, and he fumed some more.
“Just later.”
Martha had busied herself in the back of the diner while we had our little match of wits. Now she came out of the back with a snowy white cardigan buttoned over a purple blouse. She was a lovely woman and one of the first people to be really nice to me besides Ben and Bella. I didn’t want to embarrass her, only my dad. I let it go and took the mature route with her, removing myself from the stool and wishing them a good night. As I scooted out the door, I wondered if I’d have time to boogie over to Ben’s house while Dad was otherwise occupied. My cell phone rang, interrupting my lascivious (oh, nice) thoughts. I really needed to change that damn James Brown wail for a normal ringer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ivy.”
The mere sound of Ben’s voice in my ear was enough to puddle my knees, and other regions a little farther north. Oh, the things I wanted to do to him. “Hey, what’s going on? Are you available right now?” Step one of my plan would go into effect if he were.
“Oh, babe, I’m sorry. I was actually calling to tell you I have to work tonight—some kind of robbery the paper needs covered.”
This was big. Since he’d received his PI license over the Internet, Ben had only been called on a very few assignments that weren’t directly related to his position as food critic. If he was covering a robbery, it could finally mean they were taking him and his license seriously. I couldn’t ask him to give that up even if it were for a night of debauchery.
“It’s okay. I think I’ll go over to the shop, then, and get some more inventory done. If you get finished early, give me a call.”
“Will do. I, um, lo...look forward to seeing you later.”
“Yeah, talk to you later. Have a good night,” I said before snapping the phone closed. It appeared I now had a whole night free in front of me. What to do? I could do inventory, like I’d promised Ben. Or I could go hang with Bella some more and then go to the store. That sounded like a better idea, so I jumped into my car and headed over her way.
****
An hour later, I knew this had been a great idea. Bella and I hung out, which took my mind off what Ben was doing, and my dad, too. It felt normal, and good. She and I chatted about everything and nothing, finding our rhythm again after our tiff.
“So then I saw my dad angling in for a kiss from Martha at Mad Martha’s, and I almost fainted.”
“But wouldn’t it be great if your dad had something, or someone, else to focus his attention on?” She took another chip from the bag and dipped it in ranch dressing.
I curled my legs up underneath me, settling into the couch cushions and propping my elbows on a pillow. “You’re right, or you would be if not for one small thing.”
“And what is the one thing you have managed to conjure up to ruin this great opportunity to spend more time with Ben?”
“I didn’t conjure anything up.”
“Oh, puh-lease. You come up with the craziest things to stop your own happiness. Take the whole no sex until you figure out this murder thing. Why are you putting it off?”
“I don’t conjure things up.” Brilliant way to change the subject back to the direction I wanted.
Bella didn’t fall for it, but I cut her off. “Let’s not go to Ben-land tonight, okay? I want a fun night without lots of serious thinking. And the problem with my dad being interested in Martha is that Martha lives here. If Martha is here, then my dad might stay here, indefinitely.” I shuddered.
“Why can’t it be a vacation fling? Surely your dad has been interested in someone before and he hasn’t moved in with them.”
That was the scary part, and I told her so. “Actually, Dad hasn’t seriously looked at another woman after my mom died fourteen years ago. He looked really smitten tonight, though. What will I do if he moves here permanently? Gah!”
Bella had no answer, and I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t know what to do either. It was something I would have to think about later. I added it to my list—my very long list.
Speaking of my list. “Do you know anything about Tarrin’s sister?”
“Where did that come from?” Bella pulled a purple throw pillow into her lap.
“Ben mentioned her the other day, and we’re going to try to see her. I wanted to get a feel for her before we do. Did you know her?”
“Sure, in a pesky-little-sister way when we were in school. I didn’t see
much of Melissa during the divorce, but I’ve cut her hair a couple times.” Fluffing another pillow behind her, she settled in.
“Any idea how she felt about Tarrin? Will we be going into hostile territory?” I grabbed another handful of chips. We’d devoured an entire bag, a bowl of salsa, and a box of my new favorite treat: Tastykakes. Oh, my. Bella’s uncle in Pennsylvania had sent down a box of the yummy little cakes, and I was in love. All that peanut butter and fluffy cake, completely covered in chocolate. Move over Chunky Monkey ice cream, I had a new love.
But back from my food fantasies.
“I don’t really know. The last time I saw her she didn’t want to talk about Tarrin at all. So there might be some hostility. Although, now Tarrin’s gone, Melissa might feel softer toward her.” A frown pulled her perfectly arched brows down. “Now that I’m thinking about it, I do remember something about a fight when Tarrin first showed up in town.” She looked off into the distance for a few seconds.
“Well?” I couldn’t stand the wait.
“They were in the middle of Martha’s on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I think. Melissa was working, and Tarrin breezed in, dressed to the nines. They had some words about living arrangements, an inheritance, boyfriends, and Tarrin coming in like some prodigal daughter.” She paused, looking a little uncomfortable. “I’m afraid I didn’t pay too much attention, since I thought Melissa was jealous.”
“You said ‘boyfriends.’ ” I latched onto the one word because it reminded me of Mr. Hanks’ words. “Are those Melissa and Tarrin’s boyfriends individually? Or Tarrin’s, plural?” I could practically feel the immediate way Bella’s defensiveness rose. I prepared myself for blasting.
Her shoulders lifted and fell twice, and she calmed before opening her mouth. “Why would you ask?”
I shrugged my own shoulders, trying to shake some of the tension out. “Mr. Hanks, of the banana hammocks, came into the Shoppe. You were there, remember? Anyway, he said she’d taken up with an old flame.”
She sat forward all of a sudden, her eyes narrowed. “Did he give a name?”
Were there really so many men she needed help narrowing it down? Better to just answer the question. “He thought the guy’s name might start with a J.”
“No!” Her face personified shock.
“Yes.”
Her hands twisted together. “I really hope she didn’t hook back up with Jared.”
The ringing doorbell interrupted any response or question from me. Bella said she wasn’t expecting anyone, and I wasn’t expecting anyone, either. I hadn’t heard from Ben yet.
Bella peeked out through the sidelight windows framing the door. I was right behind her, which put me in a direct line of assault when she backed up a step, right onto my foot. “Ow!”
“Shhhh,” she hissed. “Now he knows we’re here.”
She was whispering, so I did the same, not knowing why we were being so quiet. “Who knows we’re here?”
“Chad is standing outside.”
Holy crap. This was the last thing I wanted to deal with tonight, especially when Ben wasn’t here to go all manly and take care of things. “Let’s move back slowly and not answer the door.”
Rattling answered my suggestion, followed by bellowing. The words were incomprehensible, but we got the gist—Chad was not a happy camper.
“What should we do?” Bella asked.
I had no idea. Essentially, we were trapped in the house with a complete weirdo on the other side of the door. I didn’t know what his deal was, but I certainly did not want him in the house. I started searching for any weapon in the small foyer. An umbrella stand stood in the corner, and a duck-headed black umbrella looked like our best bet. Everything else in the space was knick-knacky, not heavy enough to be threatening.
“Bella Landry! You open this blasted door. Right now!” We could understand the words this time, but they didn’t make me feel any better.
“I didn’t know your last name was Landry,” I said, baffled. “Why didn’t I know your last name was Landry?”
“Is that really the most important thing happening at this moment?”
“It’s just odd that I didn’t know your last name.” I shrugged and puzzled it over in my mind. One of the most simple things in knowing someone, and I’d never thought to ask. Huh.
“Can we please talk about this another time?” she pleaded. Her cell phone in hand, she started dialing.
“Who are you calling?”
“Let me in!” came through the door, frighteningly close. I hoped the wood would hold and he didn’t decide at some point to test it out with his shoulder.
“The police. Ben. No, the police.” Her fingers shook so badly, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to get all three numbers right.
I took the phone from her and punched them in myself, waiting through six rings before someone picked up.
I was telling the dispatcher where we were and our dilemma when the long glass panels on either side of the door both shattered, one after the other.
Bella and I both let out piercing screams.
Chapter Fifteen
Bella and I both cowered, clinging to each other like burrs on a saddle. We watched as Chad’s arm came through one of the broken windows and his hand fumbled for the latch on the door. “Do something,” I said in a harsh but hushed voice.
“What can I do?” Bella trembled next to me, crouched on the floor almost in a fetal position.
Seeing her this scared made me calm for some reason, like when someone starts yelling and it only serves to make you lower your own voice. She was about to crack, and it gave me strength to do what had to be done.
By this time, I could hear sirens coming in the distance, but it appeared Chad was so far gone he couldn’t hear anything. Ignoring the duck head umbrella, I ran into Bella’s living room and got a particularly heavy statue of a nude guy with the requisite grape leaf over his man parts. I hustled my fanny back to the entryway just as Chad grabbed the doorknob inside. Within the space of a heartbeat, I started banging that poor little man against the back of Chad’s hand and screaming my own bellows of rage. How dare he try to break in?
Tires squealed outside and doors slammed. Heavy footsteps raced up Bella’s path, and then Chad was pulled away from the door. I gave him one last good whack with the statue for good measure.
When I opened the door for the police, the poor cop with his washboard stomach and curly brown hair groaned. “Ivy Morris. I should have known.”
“Hi, Jared.”
“Ben’s not going to like this, you know.”
“Are you saying I bring these bouts of trouble down on my own head?”
“No, I would never even think it.” Cheeky, that Jared.
“Well, come on in. I’m sure you all know the layout of Bella’s house at this point and don’t need to be ushered into the living room.” He preceded me to our destination.
Bella popped up from the couch as soon as we walked into the room. She smoothed down her hair and ran a quick hand over her hips—primping, if you asked me, but then she did the same thing whenever any man passed by her.
“Hello, Jared,” she said, her voice a little lower than usual. I gave her a what-the-heck look, and she pointedly ignored me.
“Ms. Landry.” Did everyone in town but me know her last name? Probably, I thought, mentally slapping myself. Duh.
“Are we being so formal, then?” She asked the question, flipping her hair over her shoulder and putting a hand on her hip. This was a little more than the usual flirting she did. Were hormones at a high count in the air? First my dad and Martha, and now Bella was flirting with intent, which she almost never did. She was the one who’d originally told me there were no eligible men in the area.
“Let’s get down to business,” Officer Jared said, taking a pencil and pad out of his pressed shirt pocket.
“Yes, let’s.” She practically purred it.
“Well, I’ll go get some snacks for everyone.” I scoot
ed out of the room when no one even looked my way. They didn’t acknowledge my presence, or lack thereof, until I came back with chips and salsa. I’d left the Tastykakes in the kitchen—no one, but no one, was getting those except me.
“I don’t know what Chad was doing here,” Bella said to Jared. “He wigged and broke the front door inserts, yelling things I didn’t understand.”
Jared eyed her, then wrote something down in his little notebook. “How long was he here?”
“Only about three minutes, but he went from knocking on the door, to banging on the door, to breaking in the windows in that short time.”
“And he didn’t say why he was here or what he wanted?”
“Nope.”
“Can we press charges?” I asked, finally contributing to the conversation.
“You can, but because he didn’t actually get in, I don’t know if breaking and entering will stick. We’ll get the damages out of him, though, I promise you that.”
Bella fluttered her eyes at Jared in a move I hadn’t seen before, and I wondered if I’d missed something while Bella and I hadn’t been talking. Could she have started this flirtation while the police were here cordoning off her house and doing their searches? I’d ask her once I got her alone.
After a few more questions, Jared left. Bella walked him to the door, then leaned against the frame, tossing her hair and cocking her head to the side. I couldn’t tell if Jared was oblivious because he was so focused on his job or if he really was that blind. Bella was giving it all she had.
As soon as the door closed, I was on her like a monkey on a banana. “What’s going on? I didn’t even know you knew Jared.”
“I know everyone in town, Ivy. I may not be on the best terms with all the citizens of Martha’s Point, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on and who’s doing it.”
“But Jared? Don’t get me wrong, he’s yummy, but is he your type?”
Resuming her seat on the couch, she folded her legs under her rear end and perched her chin on her fist. “I’d like to think so. He’s so hunky and was such a great guy when the police were here poking around.”