Killer Campaign (Lisa Chance Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

by Estelle Richards

“Of course. Want to join me and Mo? He’s saving our place in line up there somewhere,” Lisa said, waving a hand at the line.

  “Better get up there while we can,” Carly said.

  Lisa turned to look and met Mo’s worried eyes as he stood at the head of the line just before the food tables. He seemed ready to back away and lose their place.

  “Come on,” Lisa said, gently tugging Carly’s sleeve.

  “How about Liam and I get a table and you get me a plate,” Carly said.

  “Teamwork. Divide and conquer. Love it,” Lisa said.

  She darted through the crowd to relieve Mo’s anxiety, scooping up two plates and sliding up to the table of food.

  “Carly is joining us,” Lisa chirped. “She’s getting the table.”

  Mo sighed and got a plate.

  At the end of the line of tables, Lisa paused.

  “I think we have a problem,” she said. “I can carry two plates, but I don’t have enough hands for the drinks.”

  “Hmm, I could probably manage an extra drink,” Mo said, “but not two extras.”

  “I guess I’ll just be thirsty,” Lisa said, “or drink a sip of yours.”

  “I’ve got you, babe,” Mo said. “I brought my funeral flask.”

  Lisa’s mouth dropped open. “Your funeral flask?” she repeated. “What is that?”

  “Just a little ginger ale. Mourning can be thirsty business,” Mo said.

  “Well, aren’t you the resourceful one?” Lisa said.

  They made their way to Carly’s table. Lisa set the more heavily laden plate in front of her friend.

  “Is that two different kinds of funeral potatoes?” Carly said.

  “Why, yes, it is. And I expect you to declare one recipe the winner,” Lisa said.

  “Good woman.” Carly shifted the baby to her other arm and picked up the fork.

  Liam made a little squawk. Carly put the fork down and rocked the baby back and forth. She picked up the fork again. Liam made another squawk. Carly put the fork down again.

  “You want me to hold him so you can eat?” Lisa said.

  “Yes,” Carly said. “Yes. That would be amazing.”

  Lisa took the month-old baby carefully in her arms. His eyes locked onto her face. She puffed out her cheeks and waggled her eyebrows, then stuck out her tongue. Baby Liam watched the show, rapt.

  “Isn’t he the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your life?” Lisa said, nudging Mo.

  “Uh,” Mo stammered. “I mean, I’ve seen a lot of cute kittens and puppies in my career.”

  “Blasphemy,” Carly said through a mouthful of cheese and potato. “This baby has them all beat by a country mile.”

  “Agree to disagree?” Mo teased.

  Lisa leaned forward to boop her nose against the baby’s nose. His eyes widened in surprise.

  “You should think about getting one of these,” Carly teased back.

  Lisa flicked a glance at Mo and saw that his face was burning as red as her own. In lieu of answering, he shoveled bites of enchilada in his mouth faster.

  “Want to hold him?” Lisa said when Mo’s plate neared empty.

  “Uh,” he said, looking to Carly.

  Carly grinned. “Go for it. Just make sure to support his head.”

  Mo accepted the baby handoff, looking as awkward as any single man holding an infant. Lisa’s heart beat a little faster at the sight of her sweet, handsome man with an adorable baby.

  Carly finished the last of her food. Mo moved to give the baby back, but Carly pretended not to notice. Lisa laughed.

  “Did you ever do this to Gideon when you were dating?” she said.

  “Stick a baby in his arms in public? Yeah, at a birthday party when we were newly engaged,” Carly said, laughing at the memory. She reached out to Mo. “Ok, you can hand him over now.”

  Once the baby was back with Carly, Mo pulled the flask out of his inner jacket pocket. He took a quick swig before offering it to Lisa. She shook her head. The powdered lemonade had been enough.

  “I can’t stay long,” Carly said, “but I want to say hello to Taylor.”

  Lisa gathered up their plates to bus the table. Mo took the cups and napkins.

  “Mind if I tag along?” Lisa said.

  “Sounds good,” Carly said.

  “I think I’ll get a breath of fresh air,” Mo said. “Crowded in here.” He tugged at the collar of his shirt.

  “I’ll see you in a minute,” Lisa said, planting a light kiss on his cheek. She watched him move through the mass of people, his motions stiff and jumpy, the exact opposite of how he was in nature or among animals.

  “Excuse me, baby coming through.” The crowd parted easily for Carly and Liam. Lisa followed in their wake.

  They found Taylor in the middle of a knot of the grandmotherly women who kept the church running. One woman was elaborating on the recipe for funeral potatoes as they approached. On Taylor’s other side, another woman was patting Taylor’s arm and assuring her that she was young and could still find someone. Taylor appeared frozen.

  When Taylor saw Carly, a smile lit her face.

  “Mrs. Johnson, it’s so nice of you to come! Please excuse me, ladies,” Taylor said.

  “You can call me Carly. And this is my friend, Lisa Chance.”

  Taylor glanced at Lisa but didn’t offer her hand.

  “And here,” Carly said, presenting the baby, “is the reason I’ve been out of school. Liam Gideon Johnson.”

  Taylor cooed at the baby, her face losing the stiffness Lisa had seen as they approached.

  “How are you holding up?” Carly said.

  Taylor sighed and shook her head. “It’s hard to believe it’s real.”

  “I hate to bring business into things at a time like this, but I have to ask. Are you going to be able to keep teaching?” Carly said, looking guilty. “I don’t like to pressure you but if I need to find a new long-term sub, I have to get on that immediately.”

  “No, I’m not going anywhere. I took today off for this,” she waved a hand to indicate the funeral gathering, “but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  Carly let out a big sigh. “I’m so glad to hear you say that.”

  “Thanks for coming today,” Taylor said.

  “I should get going. This little guy needs his morning nap.”

  “It was nice meeting you,” Lisa said, getting half a nod in response.

  Lisa and Carly drifted through the crowd to the exit, nodding to people they recognized. In the parking lot, Lisa walked Carly and Liam to Carly’s SUV.

  “Let’s get together again soon, ok?” Lisa said.

  “Absolutely.”

  Carly drove off, leaving Lisa to wander back through the parking lot to the church hall to find Mo. She was ready to leave, too, and she had no doubt that Mo had been ready to leave before they had even arrived.

  Lisa scanned the area. She hadn’t seen Mo as she was walking Carly out. Maybe he’d gone around to the other side of the hall, where the church maintained a little garden. Its mix of evergreen shrubs, medium-sized shade and ornamental trees, and dozens of rose bushes made it a lovely spot year round, though the roses wouldn’t bloom for another couple of months.

  Lisa rounded the corner of the church hall and nearly bumped into Taylor, who was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

  “Oh, sorry about that,” Lisa said. “And, um, sorry for your loss.”

  Taylor blew a smoke ring and nodded. “What’s it to you?” she said.

  “Um, I heard he was a good guy,” Lisa stuttered.

  After another puff on the cigarette, Taylor tossed it on the ground and turned to go back inside.

  Chapter 18

  Lisa waited until Taylor was gone, then picked up the discarded cigarette butt and deposited it in the nearby ashtray atop the trash can.

  “Can you believe her?” a voice said behind Lisa.

  “Excuse me?” Lisa turned to find Fern Valentine standing with her arms folded, l
ooking in the direction Taylor had gone.

  “That trashy girl, treating our beautiful garden like that.” Fern sniffed. “It’s almost enough to make you understand why Dan would run around on her.”

  Fern pulled out a long slim cigarette and a gold lighter. She flicked the lighter and inhaled, the skin around her mouth tightening into smoker’s wrinkles.

  Lisa leaned in and lowered her voice. “Dan was cheating on her? Did she know?”

  Fern’s mouth twitched with amusement.

  “I imagine that’s why they were always fighting,” Fern said. “Though I was never what you might call that woman’s confidante.”

  Lisa murmured an assent.

  “It would be nice if Ethan were to surround himself with a better class of help.” She put a manicured hand over her mouth. “Sorry, I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”

  “Taylor’s still with us,” Lisa said.

  “So she is,” Fern said with a wicked smile. “We can speak as ill of her as we like, can’t we? Actually, I do have one good thing I can say for that girl. She had the good sense never to throw herself at my husband.”

  “That’s good sense indeed,” Lisa agreed.

  “Ethan is such a man of the people, he hardly seemed to notice the difference between people like them and people like us.” Fern appeared to include Lisa in the definition of ‘us’.

  “Oh,” Lisa said, feeling herself on uncertain footing, but hoping Fern Valentine would continue gossiping.

  “Your mother, at least, is a worthy opponent.” Fern gave Lisa a faint smile. “Good luck in the upcoming election.”

  Fern followed the path around the building, leaving Lisa alone on the edge of the church garden. A rustle in the leaves drew Lisa’s attention.

  “Mo!”

  His handsome, honest face was a welcome sight after the discomfort of talking with the snobbish Fern Valentine.

  “There you are,” he said. “I had to get out of there, be somewhere a bit more natural.”

  Lisa hugged him.

  “Find anything noteworthy?” she said.

  “The roses are looking good, ready to leaf out as soon as it warms up. And I found a pair of robins working on a nest already,” Mo said.

  “I found something interesting myself,” Lisa said.

  “Oh?”

  “Apparently Dan Weston was cheating on his fiancée.”

  “Cheaters never win,” Mo said.

  Mo took Lisa’s hand and started walking toward the parking lot.

  “Can I take off this tie now?”

  “Sure,” Lisa laughed.

  Lisa thought back to how it felt when her ex had cheated on her. The anger at a betrayal like that could definitely provide motive enough for murder. What if Taylor found out about an affair and killed him for it? A knife in the back for betrayal?

  *

  Lisa and Mo drove straight from St. Mary’s Church to Lola’s Burgers and More. Even after funeral potatoes, Lisa’s stomach asked for more.

  Lisa bit into a deliciously crispy onion ring and let out a little moan of pleasure. Mo smiled across the table at her.

  “These are heavenly,” she said.

  “They are, but I’m still a French fries guy,” Mo said, dipping a fry in ketchup and popping it in his mouth.

  “Do we have to choose?” Lisa said. “That would be like choosing between kittens and puppies.”

  Mo’s face lost its smile.

  “What’s wrong?” Lisa said.

  “It’s the free spay and neuter clinic. If Valentine wins, there’s no way he’ll support anything I bring before the council now. And if your mom wins, it could be months before she’s ready to talk about an appropriation for the clinic. I saw the season’s first litter in progress today, a basset hound that had gotten out of the house while she was in heat. Her owners brought her in today worried about the way she was walking. They had no idea she was expecting puppies.” Mo sighed. “I wish people would just think a little more about their animals.”

  Lisa nodded, taking a drink of chocolate milkshake.

  “Even if the money were approved quickly, we’re already looking down the barrel of another kitten season, another puppy season.”

  Lisa put her hand on his. “I know you wanted to do it this year, but there’s a need every year. If the money comes in late, we’ll do a clinic in time for next year’s potential litters.”

  Mo looked at the table. “Every extra litter means that many more kittens and puppies to find homes for, or to put down if I fail.”

  “You’re not the one failing,” Lisa said. “You’re not. You’re trying to save every animal in the world.”

  “I’d settle for every animal in Moss Creek. But I can’t even do that. It’s like I’m trying to stop the wind by blowing in the opposite direction.”

  Lisa wiped her fingers on her napkin and put her hands on either side of Mo’s face. “If my mother wins this election, I promise you, you’ll get the money for the clinic. And not after several months. Right away.”

  Mo put his hands over Lisa’s, bringing her fingertips to his lips and kissing each one. “Ok,” he said. “Then we just have to make sure she wins.”

  They ate some more French fries and onion rings, gazing into each other’s eyes like teenagers.

  “I keep thinking about that note you got,” Lisa said a few minutes later.

  “For the game? Yeah, that was weird,” Mo said. “I still wonder who gave it to me.”

  “I think it had to be someone who was there that day, didn’t it? Valentine, Weston, Peterman, Barlow, or Regent,” Lisa ticked the names off on her fingers.

  “If it was Dan Weston, we may never know.”

  “Unless the mayor put him up to it,” Lisa suggested.

  Mo nodded and sipped his milkshake. “I doubt Ethan Valentine would tell us about it if he did, but it’s possible.”

  “I don’t think it was Gary Barlow,” Lisa said.

  “Me neither. But that Regent guy seemed up to it,” Mo said.

  “Maybe, but somehow I doubt it was an out-of-towner,” Lisa said.

  “What about Peterman?” Mo said.

  “Is underhanded his way? He’s always struck me as more bluster than anything else.”

  “Maybe it was just a prank,” Mo said.

  Lisa considered it. “But what’s the punchline?”

  Mo shrugged. “Beats me. I’m not much of a practical joker.”

  Lisa shook her head. “Very strange,” she murmured before diving back into the onion rings.

  Chapter 19

  Penny showed up at the café just before closing time, still wearing the smart suit she’d had on at the funeral. Lisa had long since changed into jeans and a sweater.

  “Hello, Lisa darling. I hope you’re ready to put on your thinking cap,” Penny said.

  “Why’s that, Mom?” Lisa said, busing the tables in the front parlor.

  “Did you see how Ethan Valentine was using the funeral to connect with potential voters? We need to get the word out about my candidacy or we’ll be embarrassed come election time.”

  “Hmm, ok. Are you sure you can’t find someone with more, um, political experience to run your campaign?” Lisa said.

  Penny stepped in front of her daughter and caught her by the shoulders.

  “You are good enough. You are smart enough. Don’t doubt yourself,” Penny said.

  Lisa sighed. “It’s not that I doubt myself,” she started to explain.

  “Good. Then that’s settled. Now, let’s get to work on this.” Penny picked up a stray plate and followed Lisa to the kitchen to deposit it on the counter.

  Lisa started scraping off plates and loading dishes into the dishwasher. Penny paced the room, her hands behind her back.

  “We don’t have the budget for TV spots. Even the smallest local channel wants to charge our entire publicity budget. Now, if we can get them to do an on-camera interview, that wouldn’t cost us anything.”

  “What
about a candidate debate?” Lisa said.

  Penny stopped, her face aglow.

  “That is perfect,” she said. “I’ll challenge Ethan to a debate. If he refuses, we can make it a big story about how he’s scared, or maybe hiding something. And if he accepts, then the news will have to cover it. You’re a genius. This is why I want you doing this job, darling.”

  Lisa went back to the front room to gather more dishes, with Penny trailing behind her muttering possible campaign slogans.

  “Penny Baldwin-Chance is your chance for the future. A Penny for your thoughts. A Penny saved is a Penny… no, that doesn’t make sense. Penny for Mayor, the choice that makes sense for Moss Creek. Penny Baldwin-Chance, the choice for Moss Creek’s future.”

  In the kitchen, Lisa finished loading the dishes and started the wash cycle, then put the hand dishes in the sink. Penny continued to pace the room, a far-off look in her eye.

  Lisa washed the dishes, then started mixing up the batter for the following day’s muffins. A thought occurred to her as she zested lemons.

  “What kind of budget are we working with?” Lisa said.

  Penny stopped pacing.

  “Budget?”

  “For publicity and yard signs, fliers, photos, you know. What’s the budget?”

  “Hmm,” Penny said, sinking into a chair and tapping her fingers on the table.

  “How many donors are there? And what’s their average donation?” Lisa continued.

  “None,” Penny said.

  “None?”

  “None. There are no donors. There’s just us. It’s a self-financed campaign,” Penny said.

  “But Mom, that’s crazy. Only eccentric billionaires self-finance their campaigns,” Lisa said.

  “Maybe for national office that’s true,” Penny said, “but for local offices it’s not that uncommon. We just have to be frugal. I’ve set aside a certain amount from my real estate income. That’ll have to be enough.”

  Lisa sighed. “Ok.”

  “That’s why your idea of a debate is so good,” Penny said. “Low cost, high publicity.”

  “Right. Um, how about yard signs? Do you have a color scheme you want to use?”

  “Yes. The same as on the Mountain Realty sign.”

  “Green and white. Ok. Do you have a design or a designer?” Lisa said.