Mrs. Fix It Mysteries: The Complete 15-Books Cozy Mystery Series

by Belle Knudson

  “I don’t care what she said before she died. Jackie York was a liar.”

  Kate stopped in her tracks. She glanced out the door of the new room, but didn’t see Jessica anywhere. Maybe Kate could listen for a minute undetected.

  “I know. I know, but she is no longer a complication now that she’s dead. We can go ahead with things.”

  What things? Kate stood very still so the mayor wouldn’t know she was just outside his office door.

  “It’s a bonus that Ken thinks the new chief did it. I want Ken in that job. He could be useful to us.”

  Useful? In what way? Ken was a good guy. She didn’t see him doing anything but the best job he could for the town. What plans would the mayor have for him?

  “Anyway, she’s gone. We might even be getting rid of the new chief and his straight-up ways. Two birds, one stone, you know? Sometimes things work out, and then we’ll all be rich.”

  Kate needed to sneeze. Damn. She gripped her nose and the feeling passed, but it was only a matter of time before it came back. She couldn’t listen anymore without being discovered. She strode out of the room as if she hadn’t been standing by the door.

  She waved at the mayor as she went by. If she hadn’t heard his conversation, she wouldn’t have noticed that he’d gone a little pale. Not pausing, she kept going. He’d think nothing of it when she came back in with paint cans.

  His door was closed when she returned and his voice had quieted. It looked like she wouldn’t get any more information out of him. She couldn’t deny that he’d piqued her curiosity. Mayor Stuart had known Jackie York. In what capacity? Perhaps she had invested money for him.

  Maybe Kate needed to do some research on Jackie York and her connections to Rock Ridge. Kate didn’t remember ever meeting her, but if she’d gone to the private school outside of town, they probably never would have crossed paths.

  St. Pius was a boarding school for wayward girls. The sign didn’t mention it, but Kate knew it to be that way. Some were pregnant, some had just gone afoul of the law. Though if Jackie had gone to St. Pius, Kate couldn’t imagine what had a cop like Scott would have seen in such a woman.

  Kate shrugged.

  Truthfully, Scott and his past lovers had nothing to do with her future. She had to stick to the case at hand and leave those thoughts behind. They only served to distract her.

  Back to painting, Kate had time to mull over what the mayor had said. Whom had he been talking to? He hadn’t said a name. He’d referred to them all making money. How many people were involved? she wondered.

  The conversation brought up more questions than it answered. Finally, Kate finished for the morning. She would let the paint dry overnight. Maybe she’d get to snoop in the mayor’s office if he wasn’t working from home tomorrow.

  If Jessica left her alone, she’d get the painting done, and then see if she could find something that revealed the mayor’s relationship to Jackie.

  That was a task for tomorrow.

  ***

  Before Kate could leave, Jessica appeared out of nowhere. Even when the woman was at home, she dressed well. Kate always looked like a slob next to her, even with her best dress on.

  “I just made a pot of coffee. You want some?”

  Maybe Jessica could shine some light on how the mayor knew Jackie. Besides, she had a few minutes before her next job. “Sure, sounds good.”

  They sat in a bright kitchen at the back of Jessica’s house. Kate looked around and estimated that they’d easily spent six-figures on their renovations. Granite countertops sat on custom cherry cabinets. It was the only tastefully decorated room she’d seen, and Kate suspected that Jessica had good taste, but her husband did not. He must make the choices since he made the money.

  Kate sat at an eight-foot duel-level island. One side was a preparation area. The other side was for eating. The Stuarts didn’t have any kids, and she guessed they rarely ate in the formal dining room.

  The coffee smelled almost as good as the cup she’d had at Carly’s shop. This one had come from one of those coffee makers that made only one cup at a time. She sipped from a stoneware mug as Jessica put out a plate of muffins.

  “I baked them this morning.”

  “They smell delicious.”

  Breakfast had been hours ago, and she still had to complete another job before lunch, so Kate dug into it. Moist and fruity. Jessica had a real talent for baking.

  “You like?”

  “I do. You should go into business.”

  Jessica frowned then shook her head. “I don’t think that would work.” She didn’t say anything more on that subject. “So sad about Scott’s wife. Do you think he did it?”

  “No, I don’t. Scott’s always been an honest person.”

  Despite his bad-boy persona in high school, he never actually broke any rules that she knew of. He’d gone to class and graduated before going off to a state university.

  “Of course you wouldn’t think that. You and Scott had a thing in high school.”

  If Jessica knew about it, the town must have been talking about it since Scott had returned. Nice to know she’d been part of the gossip. Didn’t anyone realize that had been decades ago? Old news.

  “I forget sometimes how small this town is, and that everyone remembers everything you’ve ever done.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was a sore subject. I’m not from here, remember?”

  “It isn’t a sore subject. I just don’t understand everyone’s fascination with Scott and me. That was high school. We’ve both been married, so I would think people would know we’ve moved on.”

  “Right. Still, Jackie did kind of bring trouble onto herself.”

  Here was her opening. “Did you know her?”

  Jessica blinked and then looked away. “Uh, yeah. I did.”

  Despite her obvious discomfort, Kate couldn’t let it go. “How?”

  Jessica looked down at her mug, a finger running along the rim. “I went to St. Pius at the same time she did.”

  “I thought you weren’t from here?”

  “I’m not. My parents sent me to St. Pius when I got pregnant. It was far enough away that no one would know.”

  Kate reached out and put a hand on hers. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

  She’d forgotten how easily people talked to her. Jessica might open up more if she prompted her.

  “Thank you.” She glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen door. “Greg was helping me look for the son I gave up for adoption.”

  “Greg? As in my Greg?”

  What expertise did her husband, a professor at the local community college, have to help her find her son?

  “Uh, yes. I guess he didn’t mention it. Never mind… I haven’t found him yet, but I’m afraid that Dudley doesn’t want me to look.”

  “My husband was helping?”

  Greg hadn’t mentioned it, but he might have been sparing Jessica’s feelings. She thought that they’d shared everything. Why would Greg have taken on that task? What did teaching Middle Eastern Studies have to do with finding children given up for adoption?

  “Yes, Kate. I happened to run into him at the college’s library. He just pointed me in the right direction. He gave me pointers on doing research.”

  Hmm. There was something that Jessica wasn’t telling her, but she chose not to press it. None of it would bring Greg back. Instead, she needed to focus on Jackie.

  “So you knew Jackie from St. Pius. You stayed here after high school?” Kate asked.

  “Yes, I liked this area and I attend the community college. I met Dudley not long after. We fell in love and the rest is history.”

  She smiled then, but it didn’t reach her eyes. How sad it must be not to know where her child was. Kate had been having a hard enough time adjusting to her twins being away from home. She couldn’t imagine…

  Back to Jackie. Stay focused.

  “Did your husband know Jackie?”

  “Yes, he did. Not well, I do
n’t think. Some business deal of his.”

  “What did she do for a living?”

  That might be key to her murder.

  “She was a real estate developer, I think. She’d made a good living, and from what I heard, Scott didn’t pay her alimony. She refused it.”

  How interesting. Yet another reason why Scott would not have killed her. Each time Kate talked to someone, she had more questions than answers.

  “That rich?”

  “Yes, that rich,” Jessica said. “She was pretty high-powered in the Philadelphia circles. We didn’t hear about her out in the sticks. I haven’t really kept in touch with her other than maybe a political gathering with Dudley. We crossed paths at those.”

  Kate wondered if politics might have been involved. After all, this was Pennsylvania. The corruption and lawlessness in the state made the Sopranos of New Jersey look like a glee club. Or so she’d been led to believe.

  “I didn’t know Dudley was that connected.”

  “He’s trying to be, but I’m not sure why. He doesn’t always share everything with me.”

  She put a hand over her mouth as if she said too much. Kate chose to ignore it and put her out of her discomfort.

  If Dudley was connected to the state political machine, Kate reckoned, perhaps he had higher aspirations than being a small-town mayor. On the other hand, maybe those connections were just useful for his business. Not that she knew how those connections would benefit a trucking company.

  “Was that how he met Jackie?”

  “Yes. When he found out that I had known her, he had me introduce them at a party. I wasn’t privy to their conversation, but he had begun arranging deals with her lately. I guess real estate deals. I let Dudley handle the financials.”

  Hopefully, for Jessica’s sake, Dudley wasn’t involved in anything shady. The wife was the last to know.

  Kate thought that might explain Greg’s disappearance. And she’d be the last to know the truth about his life. She hadn’t thought anything sinister at the time, but the more years that passed the more she assumed he’d met a bad end at the hands of someone else.

  “Several people in town have done deals with Jackie. Ken, from the police department, did also.” Jessica added.

  Interesting, thought Kate.

  Chapter Six

  Kate had to stop by the Rock Ridge Municipal Complex to check on a permit to do some work. She didn’t expect it to be done, but she could hope. Rock Ridge was notoriously slow with issuing permits in a failed attempt to slow down growth of the town.

  Maybe someone needed to rein in the planning and zoning boards. They kept approving developments and the building department did their best to stall the actual building of them. Several developers had brought lawsuits again the town.

  Knowing what her tax bill was, Kate didn’t think that the town was spending its money wisely.

  The building bustled with kids coming out of the library. They were all fresh-faced and eager to run around outside. The town had built a playground outside for that purpose.

  Once past the library, Kate took a right down the hallway for the building department. She would get her permit, and then talk to Ken about Jackie. He wouldn’t be happy, but she wanted him to know that he wasn’t going to just accuse Scott and get away with it.

  Kate waited for one customer in front of her who was trying to build a deck on her property. A job someone else had gotten. Oh well, I can’t fix the whole town. Besides, she had plenty of work to keep her busy without running herself ragged.

  She began planning her lunch break to kill time. Finally, it was Kate’s turn.

  She smiled because a little good will went a long way. Bobbie Hamden gave her a harried smile in return. Bobbie had been two grades ahead of her boys. She’d attended the community college then snagged a job working for the city. It was a coveted position with good benefits and paid holidays.

  “Your permit still isn’t ready. Not sure what the holdup is,” Bobbie said.

  “That’s not good. I’d like to get started on that project. It’ll bring in some good money.”

  “I know. I promise I’ll put it at the top of the pile, today.”

  “Thanks, Bobbie.”

  Kate walked away, hoping the permit would be there tomorrow. She didn’t want to begin work until she had it in her hands. It was difficult to say what was causing the snag. Sometimes they wanted different plans than she sketched up. Other times she’d planned on replacing a structure that was there with the same thing, but in the interval between when the item had first been installed and the upgrade, the code had changed.

  Most of the services she performed didn’t require a permit, thankfully. It made her job easier.

  The police station connected to the Municipal Building via a glass corridor. The sun was out now and the clouds had gone away. Coincidentally, Ken walked out of the police station into the hallway as she entered. She figured he had parked his car out this way, and she was thankful to run into him.

  “Ken.”

  “Kate.”

  He eyed her suspiciously. Perhaps someone told him that she was asking around about the murder. He might be mad, but she hadn’t done anything illegal.

  “Just the man I wanted to talk to.”

  “I have no news. The coroner’s office is backed up and won’t get to the autopsy until tomorrow. Not that this is any of your business.”

  He looked harried and his hair was out of place. He didn’t hold his usual casual posture. Maybe the investigation was a strain on him already. Or perhaps he was feeling guilty for arresting Scott.

  Either way, he didn’t look good.

  That wasn’t going to stop Kate from asking questions. She wasn’t going to let anything stand between her and the truth.

  “I heard, Ken, that you knew the deceased.”

  He flinched. If she hadn’t been watching him, she wouldn’t have noticed.

  “I fail to see what that has to do with anything. I also fail to see what business it is of yours.”

  He was angry now. For some reason, Jackie York was a sore spot. For not living in Rock Ridge, she’d known a lot of people here. Maybe her deals with the mayor had connected her to the rest of the town.

  “I heard something about a deal gone bad?”

  His eyes fell closed momentarily. He sighed. “It’s none of your business, Kate. I can arrest you for obstructing justice.”

  “How am I obstructing justice? I’m asking you some questions.”

  He frowned at her. “I don’t like your tone.”

  “Tough. You may be following a path that will put the wrong person in jail. And I have to say, I don’t like that.”

  He stood a little straighter. “First off, I’m following all of the leads. Secondly, I don’t have any reason to falsely accuse the chief.”

  “No? Didn’t he get the job you wanted?”

  Ken frowned. She’d held her breath thinking she might have pushed him too far.

  His tone didn’t have any anger in it. “I’m acting chief and I’ll be glad to give it up. I should be retiring anyway.”

  “Why aren’t you?”

  “Because my 401K says I can’t yet.”

  It made sense, but he should have a police pension. His financial matters were not her concern, it was true. Except if they impacted this case.

  “How did you know Jackie?”

  Ken frowned and crossed his arms. “You aren’t going to let this go?”

  “Nope.”

  “You were always that way. Sometimes Carly complained about it.”

  Kate had no doubt that Carly had complained about her tenacity. She’d been jealous, and Carly didn’t like to be badgered any more than her father did. Kate could be like a Chihuahua that hung on to something out of pure stubbornness.

  “So just tell me. You know I have other ways of finding out. I know your whole family.”

  “If I tell you, will you leave me alone? Stop playing Nancy Drew?”

&n
bsp; “I prefer to think of myself as Stephanie Plum, but no, I won’t stop.”

  He sighed. “A couple of us invested in some property with Jackie. It turned out to be a bad investment as the economy tanked. I lost a lot of my retirement money.”

  “That would make you want to kill her, wouldn’t it?”

  “I was pissed, and so was Celia, but I wouldn’t kill anyone over it.”

  “Who else was involved?”

  “That is none of your business, Kate. I’ve told you enough already.”

  She crossed her arms. “I’m not going to let this go.”

  “You still have a thing for Scott? Didn’t he break your heart?”

  “Holy moly. That was high school. We were kids. No, I don’t have a thing for Scott. I just don’t want to see anyone falsely accused.”

  Ken snorted as if he didn’t believe her. Whatever. She wasn’t going to explain her relationship with Scott to anyone because there wasn’t one. She worked on his house, and that’s where it ended since he paid her today.

  “The deal with Jackie was a few years ago. It didn’t set me back too many years. I’ll just have to work longer until retirement.”

  “You aren’t upset about that?”

  “No, and I have an alibi. None of which is your business. Now, I need to go, Kate. Is the interrogation done?”

  “Done for now.”

  He gave her a stern, fatherly look. Once upon a time she’d have been scared of that look. No longer. She was an adult now. Not a teenager who had done something wrong.

  “Make it done for good. You need to keep out of this. It is a police investigation.”

  “People talk to me, Ken. I’m like a bartender.”

  “If they say something about the case, you need to tell me.”

  She pondered that. “Yes, I guess I do. You are the lead investigating officer, correct?”

  “Yes, I am. We’re overextended because there hasn’t been a murder in Rock Ridge in decades.”

  “You calling in help?”

  How ironic that the one person that could help them is the person that stands accused. Homicide had been Scott’s department in Philadelphia.