by Lyndsey Cole
“My gut tells me that Randy isn’t the killer,” Annie said.
“But what about Wade? He gave that necklace to Liz.”
“I was standing right there at the booth when he gave her his gift and Liz unwrapped the necklace. Wade couldn’t have been happier when Liz saw what was in the box and got all choked up. I don’t know where he got it, or found it, or possibly even stole it, but I’m having trouble believing that he killed Heather for it.”
Jason stopped behind Randy’s truck. “I hope you’re right with your gut feelings, Annie. My gut is screaming at me to put this vehicle in reverse and get out of here as fast as possible.”
Lights shone into Jason’s SUV from behind as another vehicle stopped, leaving barely enough room for Jason to squeeze by.
“Too late for an escape. I have a really bad feeling.” Jason held Annie’s arm. “Let’s wait and see who just got here before we get out. We have a little bit of protection inside the vehicle. And, if I have to, I think I can maneuver around Randy’s truck to turn around.”
The lights behind Jason’s SUV went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
A door slammed closed.
Annie held her breath.
Someone walked by, his head down, as he moved toward the front door.
“What do we do now?” Annie asked.
“Call Randy and ask him if we can come in.”
Annie called and put her phone on speakerphone. “Randy? It’s Annie. Is Wade home?”
“He just walked in.”
“We’re coming in, too, Randy. Get some coffee started,” Jason said.
Randy didn’t answer and his phone went dead but the outside light came on, which Annie took as an invitation to enter.
28
Annie looked at Jason when they got to Randy’s front door. She gripped his arm as he knocked.
Randy pulled the door open immediately. Annie was glad to see he had more than his union suit on. “Come on in. Wade hasn’t said a word to me yet.” He turned around. “Maybe he’ll talk to one of you.”
Jason closed the door and they followed Randy into the kitchen. It was clean, at least. And bright from an overhead light.
Wade sat at the table, his elbows bent and his head resting in the palms of his hands. He didn’t look up when Annie sat next to him.
“How are you doing, Wade?” she asked.
He leaned against the back of the kitchen chair and let his hands fall on the table.
“I couldn’t do it. No wonder Liz doesn’t want anything to do with me. I couldn’t get her beaded clutch back. It’s all she asked me to do and Olive just laughed in my face.”
“Liz asked you to get the clutch back?” This bit of information shocked Annie.
“Well, maybe not in so many words, but it’s all she’s been talking about. I thought if I could do that, she’d be happy and, well, you know …”
“She’d be your girlfriend, Wade?” Annie gently asked.
“Well, yeah. I guess that’s what I was thinking.” He shrugged. “I’ll be fine. She hasn’t had any luck finding a job and said she’s leaving town. She wants to start over somewhere else.”
“There’s something else I need to ask you,” Annie said.
Randy plunked four mugs of coffee on the table along with a jug of milk and a bag of sugar. He yanked a drawer open and got four spoons.
“Were did you buy that necklace you gave Liz? It sure was nice.”
Wade smiled. “It was, wasn’t it? Liz loved it. I knew she would. She loves all those fancy stones. You should see her collection.”
“It’s important, Wade. Where did you get it?”
He looked down at the floor and mumbled, “It’s really none of your business.”
Annie looked at Jason as her heart skipped a couple of beats. “You’re wrong, Wade. That necklace belonged to Heather Davis.”
Wade blinked several times as the words sank in.
“So, how did you get it?” Annie asked for the third time.
He looked away and rubbed his chin. “I found it,” he finally blurted out.
“Listen, Wade.” Annie put her hand on his arm. “We want to help but you need to tell us everything before Detective Crank starts asking you these same questions. Danny recognized the necklace. His parents’ initials are on the back. Heather was at Olive’s store. Did you find it there?”
He shook his head. His eyes settled on his father’s face. “I found it here; in her overnight bag. What did you do to her, Dad?”
Now, it was Randy’s turn for a shock.
Annie didn’t like this turn of events with all the guns that Randy owned. It all made sense as the possibilities swirled in her head—Heather stayed here, Randy stole her gun from her bag, he stole her necklace, and Wade found it.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything to Heather. I told you both already how I felt about her. What I don’t understand is why that overnight bag was here in the first place. She told me she was leaving for good. She wouldn’t leave it behind.”
“Maybe someone brought it back here after she was dead?” Jason suggested. “If it wasn’t either of you, who could it have been?”
“I suppose someone could have stopped by when no one was here, dropped off the bag, and left,” Randy said. “Maybe Brian or Olive? Those two couldn’t stand Heather.”
Annie sipped the coffee. It wasn’t too bad. “Somehow, Heather’s bag was here. Either Heather left it behind or someone brought it back. When did you find the necklace, Wade?”
“I was in the barn most of Thursday night with the horses,” Wade said. “Bess was restless and I wanted to be sure there wasn’t a problem and she didn’t take a turn for the worse. I never left until I drove the horses to the Blackbird for the open house on Friday. After Dad arrived and said he’d bring the horses home, I came home and Liz met me here. That must have been around six or six thirty on Friday.”
“And that’s when you found the overnight bag?”
“Let’s see. Liz noticed the bag next to the couch. I thought it was an odd place for it to be but my attention was more on Liz.” His cheeks turned a little pinkish. “Liz couldn’t stay but she told me I should take a look and see what was inside. It didn’t feel right to go through someone’s stuff, especially seeing as Heather was dead and all. But after Liz left, the bag was there and my curiosity got the better of me. I decided, what difference would it make to take a peek.” He lifted his head and looked at Annie. “Is that so bad?”
Annie couldn’t blame Wade for looking. “And you found the necklace?”
Wade nodded. He gazed around the kitchen at everything except Annie. “It was in a silver case. As soon as I saw that necklace, I knew Liz would love it.” His shoulders slumped. “I never expected anyone to know that it had belonged to Heather.”
“And you wanted to make Liz’s birthday special,” Annie added, trying to pry more information from him.
“Yeah, I guess so.” He twisted his fingers together.
Annie turned her attention to Randy. “You said maybe Olive or Brian could have brought Heather’s bag here. Don’t you lock your house?”
“Only the front door. They’ve known me forever so they’d know to walk around to the kitchen door if they wanted to come in.” Randy shrugged. “It’s never been an issue before.”
“It could have been anyone who knew Heather was staying here,” Annie said more to herself. “But why return the bag? Especially without stealing that valuable necklace.”
Annie stood. “Thanks for the coffee, Randy. And, Wade, I’m glad you explained about the necklace. Oh, one more question before we leave. Did you know Heather had a gun with her?” Annie looked first at Randy then at Wade.
Wade shook his head. Randy looked away.
“Randy?” Annie walked closer to him. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“Of course I knew. Heather loved to boast about the gun that Danny bought for her all those years ago. I think she
liked it because it was still a link to him. A strange link, but, well, Heather was a bit odd.”
“Did you steal it from her?”
“What?” Randy jumped to his feet. “What would I want with that old thing? I have more guns than I know what to do with.” His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“It was the murder weapon.”
“I’ll be darned. She got killed with her own gun. That’s not very good advertising for having a gun for protection, now is it?”
“Where did she keep it?”
Randy shrugged. “In that overnight bag. She had a well-padded pocket on the outside, just the right size and shape for her little gun.”
Annie and Jason walked to the door and let themselves out.
“What do you make of all that, Annie?” Jason asked as he started his SUV and turned the heater to high.
“If what they said is all true, this is the picture that seems to make sense at the moment: Danny talked to Heather on the Lake Trail and left with her hobo bag that had five hundred dollars and the beaded clutch. At some point, Heather went to her car either with the murderer or the murderer found her there. Something went wrong, Heather pulled her gun out of her overnight bag, they struggled, Heather was shot, and the murderer left with her overnight bag.”
“That all makes sense, except if the murderer was after the precious stones, why leave the diamond necklace behind?”
“The murderer didn’t see it?”
Jason shook his head. “No. That can’t be it. Danny said Heather never took it off and he saw that she was wearing it when he talked to her.”
Annie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “Someone must have ripped it right off her neck, grabbed her overnight bag, and stuffed it inside.”
Jason started to drive. “And forgot to keep the necklace when the murderer planted it back in Randy’s house?”
“The murderer panicked and it was an oversight. Camilla’s precious stones are still missing so the murderer did get something.”
“Where to now?” Jason asked.
“Home. I need to sleep on all this and see if anything is clearer in the morning.”
Annie stared into the darkness as Jason drove. She knew she was missing something, something important.
29
When the alarm buzzed at six thirty, Annie rolled over and hit the snooze button. She felt like she’d only just fallen asleep and dreaded leaving the comfort of her warm covers.
But Roxy whined and jumped off the bed.
A strong coffee aroma drifted to her brain.
She sighed. “Another day, another what?” she asked herself. “Another clue?” At least the Black Cat Café was closed for Christmas Eve so she could help Leona with the wedding preparations.
With her slippers scuffing on the hardwood floors, Annie followed Roxy downstairs.
“No problem, Leona. I’ll tell Annie.” Jason put his phone on the counter.
“What does Leona want this early?” Annie sat on the stool.
Jason filled a cup with coffee for her. “I think the jitters have set in and she only wanted to be sure you’d be over as soon as possible to help with everything.”
Annie laughed. “Everything is all done. I think she just wants company.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. Thelma left a message yesterday. She’s a little sore but she’ll be home this morning. She’d love for you to stop by if you have time.”
“I need to check on Moby this morning anyway. I’ll do that when I take Roxy for her walk and make sure the house is toasty warm for Thelma. Then I have to get Leona’s wedding present wrapped before I go to the Blackbird,” Annie said.
“No visiting with suspects today?” Jason raised his eyebrows while he stared at Annie.
“It’s not in my plans. At this point, I feel like I’m just running in circles. Randy and Wade both seem to have solid alibis which leaves Olive and Brian scrambling for cover. I don’t want to step into that hornet’s nest today and risk messing up anything on Leona’s wedding day.”
“What about Danny? Is he completely off Christy’s radar?”
Annie shrugged. “Probably not, but if she had any solid evidence she would have arrested him already, don’t you think?”
“We’re talking about Christy, so who knows what she’s ever thinking?” Jason opened a container and slid it in front of Annie. “I still have some of the delicious open house food that Leona packed up for me on Friday. Are you hungry?”
Annie grinned. “I can always find room for one of these fruit tarts.”
“Only one?” Jason’s eye held a glint of mischief.
Annie chose the biggest tart and studied what else was in the container. “If you insist.” She took a strawberry dipped in chocolate, too.
Jason laughed.
“What? It’s fruit … it’s healthy.”
“Oh, good point.” He covered the container, topped her coffee, and sat next to her. “I have some errands to run so if I’m gone when you get back from your walk, don’t worry.”
“I’ll wait for you. But don’t forget, we don’t want to be late and add any stress to Leona’s day.”
Jason kissed Annie on her cheek. “Got it … no stress Monday.”
Annie slowly nibbled her chocolate covered strawberry and savored her fruit tart while she finished her coffee.
Roxy whined.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get dressed and we’ll take our walk. You certainly keep me in a routine, don’t you, Roxy?”
Roxy wagged her tail.
With warm layers on, Annie braved the cold morning. The Lake Trail crunched under her boots and mist formed with every breath. If nothing else, the cold air woke her up completely.
A few blue jays screeched at her and gray squirrels teased Roxy before darting up the nearest tree to safety. The point that jutted out in the lake was deserted. The mountains across the way were white capped from snow and low clouds. Annie savored the view and let the peacefulness soak in.
“Come on, Roxy. Let’s check Thelma’s house and feed Moby so we can mark that chore off our list.”
Opening Thelma’s kitchen door, Roxy darted through like usual and Annie almost called out her greeting but caught herself. She felt a twinge of sadness knowing Thelma wasn’t there. It was unsettling. She heard a thunk and Moby strutted into the kitchen with his tail pointed to the ceiling. He sat in front of his bowl and meowed.
“Good morning, Moby. You’ll be glad to know that Thelma will be home today. I suppose you’ve been keeping her chair warm?”
Moby meowed.
Annie laughed. “Here’s some fresh food and water for you.” Annie refilled the bowls.
Annie found Roxy waiting patiently in front of Thelma’s empty chair. “Okay, a dog treat for you and then we’ll have to get home.”
As Moby crunched his kibble and Roxy munched her dog treat, Annie gazed out the window at Thelma’s view. It was a beautiful spot but it gave Annie pause. Was Thelma going to remain in her home after this fall? It would kill her to have to leave, especially now that she had taken Moby in. Thelma’s son had been trying to get her into a retirement community but Thelma called it a step closer to her grave and had refused to budge.
Annie shook the thoughts away. Unfortunately, the decision wasn’t hers and all she could do was offer to help more.
“Ready?” Annie asked Roxy. They returned to the kitchen. Annie picked up Moby and stroked his soft fur. “You’ve got a great spot here.” She brought the big cat to Thelma’s chair. “Keep it warm for Thelma, okay?”
Moby meowed.
Annie and Roxy headed down Thelma’s path to the Lake Trail and walked to Cobblestone Cottage. A trail of smoke rose from the chimney.
Annie stomped her feet on the porch mat before she opened the door.
“Now, to wrap Leona’s present,” she said to Roxy.
Roxy trotted straight to the couch, jumped up, and curled into a tight ball on the far side from Snowball and Smokey. She obviously ha
d more interest in sharing the couch with the two cats than in Annie’s next project.
Annie took the stairs two at a time while she mentally checked off what she needed: the present, wrapping paper, scissors, tape, and ribbon.
Pushing the door to her bedroom open, Annie took one step inside with her eyes on her cedar chest.
A shove in Annie’s back blind-sided her. The impact propelled her hurtling toward the floor. She instinctively tucked and rolled and lashed both hands out, hoping to do some damage to whoever had ambushed her.
Roxy raced barking up the stairs.
By the time Annie got her bearings, Liz was kneeling at her side and Roxy was licking her hand. “I’m so sorry. I thought it was Olive following me up here.”
Annie pushed herself up on her elbows. Everything still worked with only a couple of throbbing aches where she had fallen on the palms of her hands. “Olive? In my house?” Never mind that Liz was there.
Liz held a hand out to help Annie to her feet. “I called her to apologize for accusing her of stealing my beaded clutch. Sometimes I just can’t keep my mouth closed and I told her I was coming here to get it from you.”
“You thought she came to ambush you?”
“I saw her drive by slowly. Your car was here but no one answered. I sort of panicked when you didn’t answer the door so I let myself in to wait for you. When I heard footsteps on the porch, my mind raced with all kinds of possibilities. I freaked out thinking it was Olive, and ran up here to hide.”
“The first possibility wasn’t that it was me entering my own house?” Annie asked. She stared at Liz.
Liz crunched her lips to one side. “It should have been my first thought but I had Olive on my brain. Are you okay?”
Annie sat on her cedar chest, trying to slow her breathing. “I think so. I just need a couple of minutes to let my body slow back down to normal. You really gave me a fright, Liz.” Annie patted Roxy’s head and waited for some strength to return to her legs. She didn’t want to stand too soon and risk another fall.
She sucked in a final deep breath. “I’m going downstairs to make some peppermint tea.” Liz followed her out of the bedroom.
Once downstairs, Annie went through the normal activity of filling the tea kettle with water, carrying the selection of teas to the counter, and getting two mugs out. Liz chattered about her plans. Her words went in one ear and out the other.