Killer Campaign (Lisa Chance Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

by Estelle Richards

  “I’m not in a rush,” Lisa protested. “I just think that if he’s going to send that kind of signal, he should have something to back it up.”

  Toby took a drink of water and gave Lisa the cop eyes for a minute.

  “That’s messed up, cuz. You’re saying it’s his fault that you misread his intentions, and that somehow makes him the obtuse one.” Toby shook his head.

  “You’re taking his side?” Lisa said.

  “When you’re being whiny and irrational, yes.”

  Lisa pressed her lips together and marched over to the sink to fill the mop bucket. She swabbed the floor, not wanting to admit that he had a point.

  Toby watched her a minute.

  “Remember when we used to pretend the mop was a member of our heavy metal band?” he said.

  A smile tugged at Lisa’s mouth as she pictured herself and Toby and Carly with the mop, shaking it back and forth to make it a headbanger.

  Toby stood up and played air guitar, singing a couple of lines from Europe’s hit song, “The Final Countdown.”

  Lisa laughed and joined him for some air keyboards and a line or two of the chorus.

  Mama Cat peeked into the kitchen and flicked an ear at the headbanging cousins before disappearing again.

  “That’s the Lisa I know,” Toby said after a final riff on the air guitar. “Don’t worry about that stuff. You and Mo will be fine.”

  Lisa sighed. “I guess so.”

  “How’s Aunt Penny doing?”

  “Mom is still pretty freaked out. I don’t think anything can prepare you for your first time seeing something like that.”

  Toby nodded. “I’m not surprised. It still bothers me, and I’ve seen a few bodies now,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone.”

  “Breaking news: cop not jaded.” Lisa smiled. “The good news is, I have a lead for you.”

  “What? No wonder your boyfriend told you to stay out of it. You need to leave the police work to the police.”

  “Don’t you want to hear it?” Lisa said. She bit her lip.

  “Fine.” Toby picked up a stay bit of cheese that had fallen off his sandwich onto the plate. “What’s your lead?”

  “Gary Barlow. He’s got a temper. He kept saying weird things about the town and the mayor. And today I heard him threaten the cashier at Lola’s over the change from his burger. What if Dan Weston owed him money?”

  Toby shook his head. “It’s not Gary Barlow.”

  “What? After the way he acted right here in my own house? The man’s a drunk,” Lisa said.

  “That’s right. He’s a drunk,” Toby agreed.

  “Then why aren’t you investigating him?” Lisa said.

  “Gary Barlow was pulled over for drunk-driving Friday night. He was in jail when Weston was killed. He’s not our guy.”

  “Oh.” Lisa sighed. “I guess the actual police make a pretty decent alibi.”

  “The actual police make pretty decent investigators, too,” Toby said. “But you did good, cuz.”

  “How?”

  “You came to me with your lead instead of going after a violent drunk by yourself.”

  “Great,” Lisa sighed. “I did good by doing nothing.”

  Toby shrugged.

  “But if you know for sure that he didn’t do it, do you have any other suspects?” she said.

  “You’re like a dog with a bone.”

  Lisa waited.

  “We still have a lot of people to interview,” Toby said.

  “That’s no answer. Who’s been sketchy in their interviews?” Lisa said.

  “You’re a nosy little thing, cuz.”

  “Come on, Toby, give me something. A scrap. Anything.”

  “We haven’t been able to talk to his girlfriend yet. I know how you love the theory of how it’s always the spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend.”

  Lisa rubbed her hands together. “Very interesting. Did she lawyer up? Refuse to come in?”

  “No. We just can’t reach her. She isn’t answering her phone.”

  “Oh. That’s all? Lots of people hate talking on the phone. I hardly answer mine unless I know who’s calling.” Lisa considered it. “Wait, he was dating Taylor Hall.”

  “How did you know that? I didn’t think you even knew Weston,” Toby said.

  “I didn’t, not really. Carly told me about Taylor. She’s Carly’s long-term sub while Carly’s on maternity leave. I hope she’s ok.”

  “How’s Carly doing? I haven’t seen her lately,” Toby said.

  “Better. Hopefully.”

  “Good. Tell her hi for me.”

  “Tell her hi yourself. You live in this town, too.”

  Toby nodded and dropped the last bit of food into his mouth. “Ok. Thanks for the snack, cuz.”

  He strode toward the door, Lisa trailing behind.

  “Any time,” Lisa said.

  Toby waved and got in his cruiser. Lisa locked up behind him and double checked the downstairs before heading up to change into pajamas and watch some TV before bed.

  Climbing the stairs, she wondered about Dan Weston. What kind of man had he been? Her own run-in with him had been less than stellar, but they were on opposite sides of a political campaign. Not a situation known for forming easy friendships. What kind of boyfriend had he been? Was Taylor Hall not answering because she didn’t like talking on the phone? Or did she have something to hide?

  Chapter 14

  The next morning was as busy as it was every Monday morning. Plenty of people counted on an extra jolt of caffeine or sugar to get the week started. Lisa’s list of Monday regulars was at least ten percent longer than the list of rest-of-the-week regulars.

  Olivia swept into the café mid-morning in a whirl of fringe and beads.

  “Is your mother here?” she demanded when Lisa approached to greet her.

  “No,” Lisa said. “I think she had an early showing.”

  Olivia waved her hands as if to ward off a bad smell. “Oh, that real estate nonsense. She’s in politics now. Or she could be if only she would show a little more backbone.”

  Lisa blinked. “I think that may be the first time I’ve heard someone even suggest that Mom lacked backbone.”

  Olivia made a rude noise. “If she had any, she wouldn’t have done this.”

  Lisa raised her eyebrows.

  Olivia slapped the local paper down on the table and stabbed the headline with a finger. “Challenger in Mayor’s Race Petitions Court on Behalf of Valentine Campaign,” the headline read.

  “First I’ve heard of this,” Lisa said. “Mind if I read that?”

  “Hmph. Some campaign manager you are if you’re not up on the breaking political news,” Olivia said. “Read it and tell me Penny hasn’t just given away everything we’ve worked for.”

  Lisa took the newspaper and scanned the story. Penny Baldwin-Chance, mayoral candidate, had entered a petition to the court to allow extra time for the Valentine campaign to turn in their signature sheets after the tragic death of Valentine campaign manager Dan Weston. Weston was said to have had signature sheets in his possession when he died, but police stated no such sheets were found on the scene.

  “Hmm,” Lisa said. “It sounds like Mom’s just being decent.”

  “Decent?” Olivia yelled. “There’s no room for decent in politics! There’s a reason they use the word campaign in both politics and war, you know.”

  “Well, I think she did the right thing,” Lisa said.

  Olivia threw her hands in the air. “No fighting spirit,” she grumbled. “If that snake Valentine gets back in office because of this, I will never forgive either of you.”

  “I didn’t even know she was going to do that,” Lisa protested.

  “But you would have supported it if you did know, and that’s just as bad.”

  The front door opened, and Jake Peterman walked in. When he saw Olivia, a knowing smile spread across his face.

  “Looks like you saw the news already,” he said.


  Olivia glared at him. “Did you have something to do with this?”

  Peterman laughed. “Penny Baldwin-Chance is hardly about to consult me on her political campaign. Especially now she’s back with Lou. Besides, I’m more of a Valentine guy. He’s pro-business, pro-development.”

  “He’s pro-gutting our town’s natural beauty to put up that awful Bargain Box,” Olivia snapped.

  “Potay-to, potah-to,” Peterman said. “Natural beauty is fine, but people need to eat. What about jobs?”

  “What about local businesses?” Olivia countered. “Bargain Box is known to drive local mom-and-pop shops out of business when they open in a small town. They can price things as loss leaders for years at a time while they starve out the local businesses.”

  “Competition is healthy,” Peterman said.

  “It’s hardly a competition if one side cheats,” Olivia said.

  “Are they doing anything illegal?” Peterman said.

  Olivia glared at him for a second before turning to jab a finger in Lisa’s face.

  “And this is why your mother’s noble gesture was a bad idea. People like him will do anything to win, and it’s up to people like us to stop them,” Olivia said.

  Lisa opened her mouth to mention that Olivia had just said their own side should do anything to win, but decided against it.

  “Can I get either of you a coffee or something to eat?” she said instead.

  “I lost my appetite,” Olivia said, wrinkling her nose in Peterman’s direction. “If you see your mother, tell her to call me.”

  Peterman smirked at Olivia as she flounced out the door.

  “What can I get for you today, Mr. Peterman?” Lisa said, pasting a professional smile on her face.

  “I suppose I should order something, being a supporter of local small business,” he said. “A small coffee.”

  “Would you care to try a Sunshine Muffin? New recipe this spring,” Lisa said.

  “Just the coffee,” Peterman said.

  When Lisa returned from the kitchen with his coffee, Peterman said, “I guess you’re disappointed about missing out on the automatic win.”

  “Excuse me?” Lisa said.

  “With your mother making the petition like that, it looks like she wasn’t the one willing to do anything to win,” Peterman mused.

  “My mother wants to win fair and square,” Lisa said.

  “But if she didn’t know about it… Where were you when Dan Weston was killed?” Peterman said.

  “Me?” Lisa sputtered.

  “His death could have been a total victory for your side. Especially if Penny had left the signature sheet issue alone. She would have been running unopposed.” Peterman spread his hands. “An easy win. I notice you didn’t answer the question.”

  Lisa recoiled from Peterman’s smug smile.

  “What question?” she said.

  “Where were you when Weston was killed?” he repeated.

  “I was here. Serving customers.”

  Peterman narrowed his eyes at her. “Doesn’t feel so good to have someone questioning you for an alibi for a murder, does it?”

  Lisa let her eyes search the room for other customers who might require her attention. Everyone seemed irritatingly content.

  “Still,” Peterman went on, “it’s at least a half-win for you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Weston knew how to run a campaign. I can only assume your political skills are even less impressive than your business skills. With him out of the picture, you might look a little less incompetent than usual.”

  “Would you like to pay for your coffee with cash or card?” Lisa said.

  Peterman laughed. “Kicking me out?”

  “Remembering my business skills.”

  He dug his wallet out and pulled out a pair of dollar bills. When Lisa reached for them, he let them fall out of his hand and drift to the floor.

  He took a step toward the door.

  “You can keep the change,” he said, sneering.

  Lisa stooped to pick up the cash. Peterman laughed and went out the door.

  “Have a nice day,” Lisa muttered, “you pompous jerk.”

  Lisa went to the kitchen for a wet cloth to scrub down some tables and vent her frustrated energy.

  She was working on a stubborn bit of sticky honey on a tabletop when a flash of sunlight reflected off a car window outside, blinding her. She stepped back and rubbed her eyes.

  A moment later Ethan Valentine walked in. He took in the room before focusing on Lisa.

  “You must be Lisa Chance,” he said. He stretched out a hand to shake, and when she took it he covered her hand with his other hand for a warm, personal handshake, his eyes taking in her face in a way that made her feel like they’d known each other for years.

  “Yes, I am,” she stuttered. Her hand still felt warm.

  “I’m Ethan Valentine,” he said.

  “I know who you are, Mr. Valentine, everyone does.”

  “Please, call me Ethan.”

  “Ethan,” she repeated. Lisa was starting to understand why Ethan Valentine was such a successful politician.

  “Is Penny here?” he asked.

  “No, she’s not.”

  “This is her campaign headquarters, though.”

  Lisa wiped at the clean table, the nearly forgotten cloth in her hand giving her something to do.

  “This is the address she listed in the campaign papers she filed,” Ethan went on, smoothing over Lisa’s discomfort. “I wanted to stop in and thank her for her kind gesture in petitioning the court.”

  “Oh! Well, I’ll tell her you said that,” Lisa stammered. “Um, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  His face registered a moment of confusion. A flicker of something that could have been irritation passed over him before he assumed a dignified but mournful expression.

  “Dan Weston was a good man. He will be missed,” Ethan said in sonorous tones appropriate for a eulogy or a commercial voiceover.

  Lisa glanced around the room. A handful of customers were staring at Ethan from behind cups and napkins, excited smiles on some faces and scornful smirks on others. Ethan acknowledged them with gracious nods. He was the picture of a political operative in his designer suit, his salt and pepper hair cut in an expensive, camera-ready style.

  “You have a nice café here. Anything you’d recommend?” he said.

  “Um, I have a new muffin for springtime, the Sunshine Muffin. With lemon, poppy seed, pineapple, and ginger,” Lisa said, glad to be talking about something so familiar.

  “Great, I’d love to try one.”

  Lisa gave the former mayor a muffin in a little to-go bag. “On the house,” she said.

  “Thank you.” With another flash of his gleaming white smile at the assorted customers, Ethan left the café.

  Lisa drifted to the front window to watch him go. As he stepped onto the porch and out of the view of the customers, the smile fell off his face like a discarded Halloween mask. A chill ran up Lisa’s spine at the sudden transformation. Who was Ethan Valentine on the inside? Could anyone truly know a man who could turn his charm on and off so instantaneously?

  Chapter 15

  The lunch rush had just cleared out when Penny arrived at Lisa’s Last Chance Café. Her blond hair gleamed in the afternoon light, every strand of the coiffure perfect. She shed her cream-colored wool coat and sat in one of the armchairs by the marble fireplace.

  Lisa brought her a muffin and perched on the armchair across from her.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Thank you, darling. Political campaigns are hungry work,” Penny said.

  “I suppose I should say welcome to your campaign headquarters,” Lisa said.

  Penny cocked her head. “Is there some problem?”

  “Of course there is,” Lisa hissed. “Why didn’t you make your own office the campaign headquarters? And for that matter, why didn’t you tell me about this petition of yours?”


  “I couldn’t very well have people talking to Tess about the campaign, could I? The poor girl can hardly manage to take messages for house showings. Can you imagine her talking to the press on behalf of the campaign?” Penny said, spreading her hands.

  “Well, you still should have told me. Or even asked me—now there’s a novel concept,” Lisa said.

  “Don’t you get snippy with me, young lady.”

  “Sorry.” Lisa felt the same gut-twist of guilt and irritation she’d felt as a teenager when her mother used that tone of voice. Some things never changed.

  “As for the petition, how could I do anything else after finding that poor boy?” Penny’s face clouded over and her voice broke. “Judge Rohrabach called me on my cell and asked me to file the petition.”

  Lisa’s eyebrows rose. “Really? That’s not exactly impartial, is it?”

  “She said that if I ran unopposed and the signature sheets were later found, the town could be forced to run a second election. Do you know what that would cost?”

  Lisa shook her head.

  “Elections aren’t cheap. They’re necessary, and so the expense is worth it. But if I caused the town to spend the extra money for a second election after taking an oath to serve the citizens of Moss Creek, how would that look? What kind of person would do that?”

  Lisa shrugged. “Most politicians would, Mom. But I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “You are?” Penny’s upright posture grew even straighter.

  “I even told Aunt Olivia I was.” Lisa sucked in a breath. “She was furious. Kept talking about winning at any cost.”

  “A winner never cheats, and a cheater never wins,” Penny said.

  Lisa laughed and shook her head. “You are so not cut out for politics, Mom.”

  Penny held up a finger. “Maybe I should be.”

  They sat in silent contemplation of a world filled with honest politicians. Mama Cat wandered in and jumped up on Lisa’s lap. Lisa stroked the cat’s silky fur, drawing out a rumbling purr.

  “I saw Carly yesterday,” Lisa said.

  “Did you make her see a doctor?” Penny said.

  “She already saw her doctor and has a prescription. It sounds like things are already getting a bit better.”