“Don’t you have better things to do than keep track of her? Maybe Dean knows where she is.”
Kate knew it hurt Scott to even mention Dean, but it was a good idea. “I’ll try now.”
She dialed Dean’s number, but it went right to voicemail. She left a message that she was looking for Jessica. “Where does Dean live?”
“You think I know that?” Scott said.
“No, I guess you don’t. Let me see what I can figure out.”
“I think you should leave it alone. Maybe she’s off having a nooner with Dean.”
Kate hadn’t thought of that. How embarrassing would that be if that was the reason Jessica had stood her up. And if she went searching and found them…well, no way. She didn’t want to be involved in that.
“The thought hadn’t entered my mind. I was sure she was missing because of something bad.”
“You do remember those heady days in the beginning of a relationship when you can’t get enough of each other?”
Kate probably blushed. Scott was thinking about the two of them in high school. They had been all over each other that summer before he went to college—young love and lust.
“On that note, I’m leaving. You have a good rest of the day.”
He smiled as if knowing that he’d gotten her thinking about the old days. Those days were gone. They were simpler times, for sure. She didn’t think about them very often. She had too much going on in the present.
Since she unexpectedly had time on her hands, Kate pondered what she was going to do next. While she was here, she could return the book on home repair to the library. It had served her well and she’d learned a lot. Her phone rang and she saw a text from Scott.
I have a job for you to do, but not until tomorrow.
Okay.
Can you come by in the morning?
Yes, can I have a clue?
Just bring your tools.
Okay.
That didn’t narrow it down, but she’d bring her tools.
***
The next day, Kate appeared at Scott’s house first thing in the morning. He smiled when he opened the door. “You are a lovely sight first thing in the morning.”
“What’s broken?”
“My garbage disposal. I don’t know how old it is, so if I need a new one, go ahead.”
She walked into the kitchen and went right to the sink. She smelled coffee. She’d had her first cup at home, but her body was calling for the second cup. Her mouth watered as she examined his disposal. “The house isn’t that old. I can’t imagine you need a new one.”
She eyed the pot.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” he said.
She was about to say she’d kill for a cup of coffee, but she didn’t think that was appropriate on any level. “Yes, I’d love a cup of coffee.”
“You still take it black?”
“Yes.” She turned on the disposal and it made a dying cat noise. “That doesn’t sound good. You don’t have anything stuck in it?”
“Not that I know of.”
He set a cup of coffee on the counter and she immediately reached for it. “I’m going to take it off to look at it. Do you need to get to work?”
“Not yet.”
He poured himself another cup and leaned against the counter next to where she was working.
“Let me get some tools.”
Scott hadn’t moved when she returned. She removed the disposal, changed a few parts and put it back on. It worked.
“You’re a genius,” he said.
“Not really.” She wrote up her bill and handed it to him.
He wrote her a check.
“What else do you have going on today?” he said.
“I’m going to check in with Jessica since I’m here and see if I can start her jobs. See if she has any priorities.”
“Well, then enjoy your day.”
“Go catch some bad guys,” she said as she walked out of his house.
“Not so many in Rock Ridge, but I’m not complaining.”
Kate didn’t bother moving her truck since she’d parked it on the street.
She walked over to Jessica’s house in the humidity, wishing for some relief from it. She’d bet she could get her truck’s air conditioning looked at soon. Two newspapers were on the doorstep. Kate picked them up then rang the doorbell.
Dean had never gotten in touch. Maybe the two had gone away together and were out of cell phone range. No one answered as Kate stood in the heat.
She was beginning to wonder if Jessica was ever going to let her start. Where was the woman who had so desperately needed to see her yesterday? The situation seemed odd to Kate. Certainly by now, Jessica must have remembered that she’d called Kate.
Kate punched the digits for Jessica’s phone. She once again heard it ring inside the house. She considered trying to get in. Jessica could have fallen; maybe she was injured.
Kate jogged back over to Scott’s house. He was just leaving for work.
“I’m concerned. Jessica didn’t pick up her paper this morning. Her cell is still in her house. What if something happened to her?”
“I’ll have patrol do a well-being check this morning.”
“I want to see if I can get in,” Kate said.
She had a bad feeling about all of this. Jessica had never been this flighty. Kate had always found the woman to be responsible. Not that she owed Kate any explanations.
“Don’t break in, Kate. I’ll call dispatch now.” He called as she waited. “They are sending a car over right now.”
“I’ll wait then,” she said.
“I’ll wait with you.”
Her phone rang. “It’s Dean. I called him yesterday.”
“Kate?” Dean said.
“Yes.”
“Sorry, I didn’t call you back. My phone died and I didn’t have my charger with me, so I didn’t see that you called. I can’t get ahold of Jessica. She isn’t answering her phone.”
“Her cell phone is inside her house, but she isn’t answering the door.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“The cops are doing a well-being check. I’ll be here,” Kate said.
They disconnected. “Dean is on his way,” she told Scott, who grimaced. “You can’t keep him away.”
“I know. He has more of a right to Jessica’s house than I do. Maybe he has a key.”
“I know where their hide-a-key is. Although, if we have to break in, at least I can fix it.”
Scott chuckled. A patrol car parked in front of Jessica’s house. Scott went to greet them. Kate tagged along. She helped them look into the windows, but no one saw anything.
“We can’t break in, Kate. She’s a grown woman.”
Kate saw Dean’s truck pull into the driveway. “Did you find her?”
“No, we haven’t. Would you have a key?” Kate said.
“No, I don’t. I’ve never met Jessica here. She’s been staying with me since Dudley died.”
Kate didn’t comment. She didn’t blame Jessica. Why not stay with the man who loves you? “The fact that you don’t know where she is concerns me.”
“Still, I don’t think we can legally break in, Kate.”
“I’ll do it,” Dean said. “I doubt she’d press charges against me.”
He wasn’t wrong on that issue. He turned to Kate. “I don’t have any tools with me. You have a hammer?”
“Hold on.” She walked to the hiding spot and breathed a sigh of relief when she found the hide-a-key. She returned with it and handed it to Dean, who then used it to unlock the front door.
“Stay out here, Kate,” Scott said.
Kate glared at him, but waited on the driveway. They came out looking grim about a half an hour later. She’d paced a trail in the driveway while waiting for them.
“She isn’t inside,” Scott said. “There are coffee cups on the counter as if she left in a hurry.” He looked at Dean. “Can you come to the station to fill
out a missing persons report?”
“I can and I will. I’m very worried now.”
“Did she say she was meeting anyone?” Kate asked.
“Kate,” Scott warned.
She glared at him again. “Just asking.”
“I’ll have to think about it,” Dean said. “I know she was meeting someone, but I cannot remember who. It didn’t seem significant to me.”
“I was supposed to meet her yesterday. Could it have been me?” Kate said.
“No, it was someone else. It’ll come to me.”
Kate’s phone rang. It was Carly. “Hello?”
“Hey, Kate. I have a small emergency. Can you come fix something?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“It’s some shelves I had in the storeroom.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in ten,” Kate said. “I have to go, but keep me updated please?”
Dean nodded.
Chapter Twelve
When Kate arrived at Carly’s shop, her mother, Celia, was there. The tension was palpable as Celia chattered away.
“Oh, hello, Kate,” Celia said.
Kate was eager to escape to the storeroom so she could do her repair and then get back to looking for Jessica. She knew the woman had to be in trouble. She had to find her. Someone had to find her. “Hello, everyone. I’ll just get to those shelves.”
“Coffee?” Carly said.
She clearly didn’t want to be alone with her mother any longer. Kate had briefly considered setting Carly up with Larry. Maybe then the older woman would leave her daughter alone.
“Uh, okay, but I’m going to bring it back with me.”
Carly glared at her, but Kate had to get to work. She had to make a living, and looking for Jessica had taken enough of her time today.
Kate took her mug back to the storeroom. Carly appeared in the doorway. “Save me,” she whispered.
“She’s your mother.”
Kate didn’t have much sympathy. She wished her own mother were here. There were so many times when the boys were younger that she could have used her advice.
“Kate?” Celia said behind Carly.
“Yes?” Kate said.
Carly escaped, leaving the two alone, but Celia didn’t bother Kate the way she bothered her own daughter.
“Did you know that Beth from the newspaper and Jessica were friends?”
“I didn’t know that. Why do you ask?”
“I saw them driving out of town yesterday in Jessica’s car,” Celia said.
Kate gave the woman her full attention. “When?”
“Oh, in the morning. Say nine or so.”
That would have been right after Jessica had called her. It occurred to Kate that Beth may have been the female in Dudley’s office.
“I’ve been looking for Jessica. Now I know where she is…or at least who she is with.” Kate walked out to the front of the shop. “Carly, I’ll be back.”
She left them with their mouths open. Kate called Scott.
“Kate?”
“I just talked to Celia. She saw Beth Chance from the Sentinel and Jessica driving out of town yesterday in Jessica’s car.”
“Hold on. Dean’s here. Let me put you on speaker.”
“Celia said she saw them?” Dean asked. “Dudley had a hunting cabin outside of town.”
“That could be where they were going,” Kate said. “Let’s go find them. Beth could be your mystery woman.”
“Kate,” Scott said in a stern voice. “You stay put. I’ll go out there with a patrol car and alert the state troopers.”
“Sure.” Like that is going to happen. “How will you get in? I have tools.”
Dean spoke up. “I have a key. It’s where Jessica and I used to meet.”
Kate didn’t know what to say to that. “Okay. Fine. You don’t need me.”
She disconnected the call. Kate waited until she saw Dean’s truck go by, and she followed him out of town and into a hillier region. Her little truck was no match for his large one, but she kept him in sight. She hoped that Scott wouldn’t catch up before they arrived.
The log cabin was set back from the road by almost a mile. Kate’s truck bounced her around as it went over the rutted, dirt road. She stopped a little before the clearing and pulled her truck off to the side. Scott would see it, but she didn’t care at this point. Jessica’s red Mercedes was parked in front of the cabin.
She knew that Beth hadn’t killed Dudley with a gun. Besides, Kate outweighed her—she could take her.
Dean was already creeping up to the front door when Kate joined him.
“I thought Scott told you to stay out of this,” he whispered.
“Scott isn’t my boss.”
Dean just shook his head. They crept to the front window which was opened. Jessica was tied to a chair.
“You had to meddle,” Beth said. “You couldn’t leave it alone. The cops were going to charge that contractor with murder.”
“Why’d you do it?”
Beth stopped pacing. “I didn’t mean to kill him.”
“Why were you there?”
“I wanted to confront him with the evidence I’d found. He wasn’t giving the contracts to the lowest bidder. He was awarding them to his favorites—his cronies.”
Kate and Dean looked at each other. Behind them, they heard a curse. Kate turned to see Scott pointing at her and motioning her away from the cabin. He was probably right. This wasn’t her place, but Dean was a civilian also.
“Then how did he die?”
“He got angry with me. He threatened me and tried to hurt me. I only defended myself by Tasering him,” Beth said.
Kate gasped. Beth must have heard her because she looked toward the window. Dean and Kate ducked. Scott signaled for the patrolmen that had arrived to go around back. He grabbed Kate and pulled her close to him. “Go back to your truck. Get out of here.”
She nodded, and then she and Dean walked away. She hoped that Beth was no longer looking out the window.
Kate waited by Dean’s truck. He fidgeted and she wondered what was going through his mind. She didn’t think that Beth would have a chance to harm Jessica.
“What will I do if something happens to her?” Dean said.
“She’s going to be fine, Dean. Scott will take care of it.”
“You have a lot of faith in him,” Dean said.
“Yes, I do. I’ve seen him do what he says he will. He’s never let anyone down as far as I can tell.”
Dean tapped the side of the truck. He couldn’t seem to stand still. A few minutes later there was a yell. Dean and Kate crept closer to the house. A patrolman was pulling Beth out of the house. She had handcuffs on.
“I think it’s okay,” Kate said, but Dean was already running toward the house.
Jessica appeared on the porch and Dean took her in his arms. She wasn’t sure that Greg would be that excited to see her if they met again. Before he left she hadn’t had these doubts, but now she did. The longer he was gone, the more she questioned their relationship. Maybe she’d been wearing rose-colored glasses all that time.
Kate walked up to the house after the patrol car left. Scott stood on the porch.
“I’ll need a statement,” Scott said, “but it can wait until later in the day.”
Dean nodded. “I’m going to take her home to my house. We’ll be by later.”
Jessica looked shaken but happy to be with Dean. He walked her to his truck, his arm over her shoulder. Kate was glad that the woman had someone who loved her that much.
“She’ll be okay,” Scott said.
He put a hand on Kate’s shoulder. It felt comforting. She felt safe. Something she hadn’t felt since Greg left. She patted his hand. “She will be and that’s good. Did you hear what Beth said? It was an accident.”
“She should have come forward.”
“It would have been her word only,” Kate said. “She’s young.”
“But now she has the added charge of kidna
pping,” Scott said.
***
Kate met Scott for breakfast the next morning. While they ate muffins and drank coffee at Bean There, Larry walked in with Carly.
Scott looked at Kate. “Is that your doing?”
“I might have made a suggestion to Larry.”
“You insist that you aren’t nosy, but you are,” Scott said.
“I like to take care of people. That’s all.”
“I get that. Maybe I need some taking care of.”
She put up her hand. “You know how I feel. We’re friends for now.”
“And when I find your husband? Will you keep me in the friend zone?”
“We’ll see.”
She wasn’t making any commitments. Before she could change the subject, Dean and Jessica walked in. Jessica made a beeline for Kate.
“Oh, Kate. I have the estimate signed. And I’ve prioritized what I want done.” She dropped a key on the table. “I’m moving into Dean’s place, so I won’t be at the house much. Just tell me when you complete each task and I’ll pay you.”
Kate looked at the key then palmed it. “Okay.”
“Good. Hello, Scott. Didn’t mean to ignore you.”
He smiled. “No offense taken.”
He seemed more amused than anything. Jessica went back to Dean.
“How is your disposal working?”
“Like new. Thanks.”
“Good.”
“So Jessica is going to put her house on the market?”
“Yes, as soon as I’m done. I think she’s ready to be out of that house. Dudley had horrific taste in decorating.”
“I don’t understand men who feel they need to dominate women,” Scott said. “I don’t have the energy to do that. I want a partner.”
Kate sipped her coffee, not sure how to answer that. If Scott was auditioning, he was doing a good job. She wanted a partner also.
“Kate, don’t fret about the passport until we know for sure what his visits were about.”
Sometimes she would swear Scott was able to see inside her mind. She found it uncanny that he could figure out what she was thinking. As if he was on the same wavelength or something. Greg had always treated her as if she were a foreign object. He’d never understood her.
She had to stop comparing the men. It wasn’t fair to either of them.
“We got a confession out of Beth.”
Mrs. Fix It Mysteries: The Complete 15-Books Cozy Mystery Series Page 19