He’d been leaving her alone. Maybe he was just busy with the store, but she’d missed his friendship. They used to have lunch once a week and catch up. She knew his feelings for her, so the lunches were bittersweet. She didn’t want to encourage him, but in her mind he was safely ensconced in the friend zone.
The store smelled like fertilizer today. Guess Larry was stocking it for the avid gardeners. Kate liked the idea of a garden, but not the execution. She worked with her hands all week. She would rather spend her free time relaxing with a book.
If she wanted fresh vegetables, she could go to the local farmer’s market.
Larry was behind the counter looking at paperwork. Hunched over the counter, he hadn’t heard her come in. She didn’t want to startle him, so she cleared her throat. Larry looked up.
He was a tall, lanky man with brown hair and brown eyes. His eyes held you as if you were the only woman in the room. Others had said that about him, so Kate knew it wasn’t just her.
He smiled at Kate. “Hello, there.”
She smiled back. He was a good guy in a bad situation with his father. “Hi, Larry. Haven’t seen you around.”
He glanced around the shop. “I have less free time since I’m running the hardware store. We’ll have to grab lunch someday soon.”
“I guess it is more time-consuming than being the fire chief.”
He put down the pencil in his hand, and then leaned against the counter. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal sinewy muscles on his forearms. “Yes, it is. I miss the school visits, but other than that I’ve settled into this.”
“Are you happy?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I actually am. This is more of a challenge, and I was due to retire from the fire service two years ago. I didn’t because I didn’t know what I was going to do. This opportunity fell in my lap.”
“The place looks good. I see you’ve rearranged.”
“Yes, I’ve also stocked some items that Dad wasn’t willing to. He was running this shop for several years, but you’d have thought he’d been doing it forever. He was stubborn.”
“Nice to see some changes. You should give me a tour, so I know where things are.”
“You are one of my best customers.”
“I’ll be here even more since I’m fixing a number of things at Jessica’s house.”
“Sad about Dudley.”
“Yes, it is. I don’t think the cops have any idea who did it. It would be nice to have closure about it,” Kate said.
“You found him?”
“Seems to be my lot in life lately.”
He gave her a sardonic smile. “I walked past his office not long before the power went out.”
“Oh?”
This news definitely got her attention. She stepped closer to him, eager to hear what he had to say. “Did you hear anything?”
“I heard arguing. He had a woman in his office. I didn’t think much of it until he turned up dead.”
“A woman?”
“Yes, but I didn’t stop to listen. I thought it odd that he was there so late.”
“What were you doing there so late?”
“I was cleaning out my locker at the fire house. I didn’t want to see anyone so I went when I knew they’d be asleep, so I could get it done without talking to anyone. I’d already given my key back, so I didn’t have a way in the front door. I had to go through the police department on my second trip out. That’s why I went past Dudley’s office.”
“So you heard a female. Were they arguing?”
“It sounded contentious, yes, but I didn’t see any reason to stop or look in. I was minding my own business.”
“Right. I understand. Did you talk to the cops?”
“Yes, and that’s why they thought it was Jessica.”
“Did you see any strange cars around?”
Jessica’s car was a bright red Mercedes with a vanity plate. Hard to miss. Dean didn’t have the same kind of money that Dudley had. Kate wondered if Jessica would be able to keep her car.
“I wasn’t paying attention. I’m not a car person, so I wouldn’t have noticed,” Larry said.
He frowned, clearly having wanted to do more. Kate patted his hand. “Not your fault. Not your problem either.”
“Shouldn’t be yours.”
“I know, but Jessica wanted me to snoop. Since the police were so quick to arrest her, she thinks that they won’t do a good job. You know how people are in a small town. We are judged on what we did in the past, not who we actually are.”
“That’s true. And sometimes we’re judged on who we’re related to.”
Kate saw the pain in his eyes. “Has business gone down since your father left?”
“At first it did, but I still had my core. The ones who didn’t want to drive to the big-box store,” Larry said.
“I’m so sorry. What your father did is not your fault.”
He looked up at her with widened eyes. “You aren’t mad at me?”
“You had no control over your father’s behavior. You were just as surprised as the rest of us when he confessed. You can’t be held responsible for what he did.”
“You don’t think I could be a murderer?”
“No, Larry, never.”
Then again, she’d never have thought his father could be one.
“Good. I’m glad. It would be too much to bear if you thought badly of me, Kate. Now what can I get you?”
“I don’t have an actual purchase today. I have to create an estimate for Jessica first, so I need to know the cost of materials. You’ll benefit from this, I promise.”
“Eventually. That’s good enough, Kate. I’m just happy that you don’t hold a grudge.”
He was a sweet man, one that any woman would be lucky to have. “I couldn’t think that way of you, Larry. You’ve been a good friend.”
He grimaced. “A friend. I had hoped for more, but I see that with Scott back in town, I don’t have a chance.”
What could she say to him? She wasn’t one to kick a man when he was down, but in reality, Larry never had a chance.
“I’m sorry, Larry. You would treat me like a queen, I know, but I’m not sure I want to be treated like a queen.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t see myself that way. I’m just Kate. I don’t dress like a queen.”
“There’s nothing wrong with how you dress, Kate.”
She sighed. He didn’t get it. “That’s not the point. You have to love someone the way they want to be loved. And I don’t want to be a queen.”
“Oh, I think I understand. I’m sorry, too, Kate.”
“There’s someone out there for you. You need to forget about me and look for someone who will appreciate you.”
Carly came to Kate’s mind. She’d love to be treated like a queen, but Kate didn’t think that Larry was ready for that suggestion.
Chapter Eight
Kate’s next stop was the accountant for the trucking company. With the late lunch, she didn’t need dinner for a while, so she had time. It wasn’t five yet. She figured she had at least a half an hour before the guy would want to go home.
His office was in the only office complex in Rock Ridge. Three buildings made up the sides of a triangle. In the middle of them was a courtyard with plants and benches. Parking was behind one of the buildings. On a snowy day, some of the employees would have a long walk.
Kate appreciated that today was a good day to have that walk. The buildings were made out of stone and had been built a decade ago. Someone was keeping them up because they didn’t look that old.
She looked at the directory in Building A and found Eric Swan’s office number. His office occupied a little spot on the third floor, just outside the elevator. She strode through the door with his name on it only to find an empty office.
“Hello?”
“Hello.”
A round man with jet-black hair and bushy eyebrows looked at her from the door to an inner off
ice.
“I’m looking for Mr. Swan.”
“You’ve found him.”
He smiled and held out a beefy hand to her. He reminded her of a gummy bear.
“I’m Kate Flaherty. Jessica Stuart might have mentioned I would come by.”
“She did. Come in.”
He waddled back behind his desk as she sat on a buttery leather chair she never would have expected to find in this office. He must spend his money on certain things and not others. Right in the middle of his desk was a jar of gummy bears.
He must have seen her eyeing it. “You want some?”
“No, thanks. I’m still full from lunch.”
He folded his hands on his desk. “What can I do for you?”
“Did Jessica tell you what I wanted?”
“All she said was to give you what you asked for.”
“I just wanted to see the audit you did of Stuart Trucking Company.”
“I’m not done yet, but from my preliminary perusal, nothing is wrong. Nothing is out of place.”
“Do you do these types of audits often?”
“Yes. I am a forensic accountant. I’m trained to look at books to see if there are any problems. Nothing jumped out at me my first time through. No one is that good at hiding wrongdoing, trust me. I don’t expect to find anything out of order.”
Kate frowned. She would have to rethink the motive for Dudley’s murder. She wondered if Jessica would let her look at their personal finances. Maybe she and Dudley had separate accounts. He didn’t have a lot of power as mayor, so she doubted that he could have made enemies that way.
Unless the rumors of his playing favorites was true.
“Well, thank you for your time,” Kate said.
“No other questions?”
“Not unless you can shed any light on who might have wanted him dead.”
“No, sorry. I just work with numbers,” he said. “I didn’t get involved in what Dudley did day to day.”
She received a call as she arrived at her truck. It was Celia.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Kate. Just wanted to let you know that you can fix those shelves in the mayor’s office. It has been cleared,” Celia said.
“Oh, thanks. Who do I bill?”
“Jessica said she’d pick up the tab. Guess she has money to throw around.”
“Can I come over now?”
“Yes, but I’ll be leaving for the day. I think there will be someone here.”
She still had the supplies for that job in her truck, so she could get this job done then call it a day. A long day.
Celia wasn’t there when Kate arrived, but Joe Swenson was. He was the town’s auditor.
“Hi, Kate. Let me move to Celia’s desk then you can fix these shelves. You going to the viewing tonight?”
“I’m going to try. If not, I’ll get there tomorrow while I’m out and about,” Kate said.
He left her alone to fix the shelves. He had books in his hands and a laptop. The computer from Dudley’s desk had already been removed. Not that Kate had planned to snoop, but she might have.
She didn’t know what to look for anyway. She fixed the shelves and was about to leave when she heard Joe on the phone.
“I have bad news. I’ve only pulled the last three contracts awarded and their bids.”
Silence.
“Yes, Dudley kept it all. Doesn’t seem smart in light of what he did.”
Kate eased closer.
“No, he didn’t award the contracts to the lowest bidder. I can’t tell why he awarded the contracts as he did. Maybe we need to look into who financed his mayoral campaign.”
Campaign? He ran unopposed. Kate didn’t think that was the avenue to follow. Maybe they would subpoena his personal financial records. Kate would love to get a look at them before the cops did.
She also wished she could see who didn’t get the last contracts. Dudley’s murderer might be among those people.
“I don’t know if we can get a warrant or not,” Joe said. “Still, I’m going to turn these over to the cops. They need to know he was doing this.”
Joe was thinking the way she was. Maybe Scott would take care of it. Maybe Dudley’s killer would be exposed without her intervention.
If there are irregularities in what the mayor did, what did that mean for the contracts awarded? It would seem Dudley had left quite a mess.
Kate cleared her throat, and then walked out of the mayor’s inner office with her tools. “I’m done,” she said to Joe.
On her way to her truck, Kate encountered Beth. The girl looked harried.
“Hey.”
Beth looked at her. “Hey.”
“I might have a scoop for you.”
“Yeah?”
“There are rumors that the mayor didn’t award the last few contracts for the town to the lowest bidder. He may have played favorites.”
Kate would have thought that Beth would brighten up, but she still looked glum.
“It doesn’t matter now. He’s dead. He can’t fix it. He can’t change it and neither can the town council.”
“Right, that’s true, but it might lead to his murderer.”
Still, the young woman had no reaction. “I don’t think I can pursue that. I have other assignments.”
Other assignments? Wasn’t the death of the mayor a big story? Kate left Beth to her wallowing and loaded her tools back into her truck.
She sent a text to Scott. Where are you?
Miss me already?
No, I wanted to talk to you about something.
I’m getting ready to go to the viewing. You want to come with me?
I need a half an hour or so to get ready.
I’ll see you then.
She had to hurry home and then hurry through her shower. Scott was on her doorstep early, of course.
“Did you eat?”
“No, I’m still full from lunch.”
“Then let’s catch a bite afterwards,” he said.
“We’ll see.”
She probably shouldn’t be going to the viewing with him, but she hated wakes and didn’t want to go alone.
“At least you didn’t say no.”
***
The Rock Ridge Funeral Home was packed. Scott had to drop Kate off at the front door then find a spot to park. She waited for him in the entryway. He walked in and everyone turned to look at him. He had that type of presence. Not even noticing what had happened, he walked over to her, taking her elbow.
“Shall we get in line?”
“Sure.”
Anyone who was anyone in Rock Ridge was in the funeral home right now. There were people Kate hadn’t seen in years.
“Guess Dudley was well liked,” Scott said.
“He did run unopposed four times,” Kate said.
She looked at all the people. She’d bet the murderer was here.
“Do you have cops watching the place?”
“Yes, I borrowed some state troopers so that visitors wouldn’t know them.”
“What are they looking for?”
“Just any suspicious behavior. It’s more a gut instinct,” Scott said. “We don’t arrest anyone based on that, but it may give us a suspect.”
“I see.” Kate wasn’t sure anymore if she could trust her own gut feelings. “I talked to Larry today.”
“So how is my, ahem, rival for your affections?”
“Don’t be cocky.”
He put on an innocent face, his eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. “Who? Me?”
Kate rolled her eyes. “He said he heard a female talking to Dudley before the power went out.”
“I know. That’s why we initially thought it was Jessica. I’d seen them arguing, so her following him to his office to keep arguing made sense. Clearly she hadn’t.”
“Hmm. Do you think that female is your murderer?”
“At the very least, we have to talk to her because she may have seen something, but we don’t want to let on th
at we know about her in case she is the murderer.”
“So you are only looking at females?”
“No, but mostly.”
“Was Dudley having an affair?” Kate said.
“Not that we know of. Jessica didn’t seem to think so. Think about Dudley. He landed Jessica. Even if he was frumpy and not that attractive, he could fancy himself more attractive and want to get someone hotter than his wife.”
“Not always hotter. Some men cheat with anyone,” Kate said.
“You know from experience?”
“No, sorry. My past dating history isn’t that interesting or depressing,” she said. “I have Carly’s history to go by.”
“Sad. She’s a nice girl.”
“How much time have you spent with her?”
“Jealous?”
“No. Just asking.”
The line snaked out into the hallway and back around. Kate was going to be hungry by the time they left here. She might take Scott up on his offer, after all.
“Did Jessica tell you that she had an audit done on Dudley’s trucking company? She didn’t want him to be able to hide anything when she filed for divorce.”
“Bet that didn’t go over well with Dudley.”
“He did like to keep her in the dark. She was making the right decision to divorce him.”
“Ironic,” Scott said.
“What?”
“That you feel that way, yet you won’t do that to Greg.”
She couldn’t speak for a moment. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Ever. Why hadn’t it? Was she playing the victim?
She didn’t want to be, but until a few months ago, she had still loved her husband. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“I guess I’m not there yet, and Jessica is a stronger woman than I am.”
Kate turned away from him. She wasn’t mad at him. She was questioning her own actions. Maybe she should have done something before now. It might have helped her kids to have closure.
Scott leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry.”
She turned back to him. “I’m not mad. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Still. I upset you.”
“I upset myself.”
Finally, they arrived at the closed casket of Dudley Stuart. Kate had admired the pictures of him along the way. Jessica was acting as the grieving widow, but Kate didn’t judge her. Many people didn’t know that she’d filed for divorce.
Mrs. Fix It Mysteries: The Complete 15-Books Cozy Mystery Series Page 16