“In and of itself, it isn’t, but I’ve been investigating James ever since the body of his wife was discovered, and there were more and more things that didn’t add up,” Chas said grimly.
“So you knew that he killed her all along? You never thought that Sarah did it?” Missy was shocked.
“I thought that it was a possibility that she had done it, but a remote one at best. She was buying herself time by remaining silent for the psych evals. She knew that she didn’t do it, and figured that her safest bet was to chill in the hospital until the actual killer was found.”
“How on earth did you know that?” Missy breathed.
“I saw the intelligence and cunning in her eyes. They weren’t the eyes of a killer, they were the eyes of a survivor.”
“So what did you find out about her father?” Missy was on the edge of her seat.
“James Jones went missing a few days before his wife’s murder. He’d purchased a life insurance policy on her behalf the day that he went missing. There were reports of him drinking at local bars for several nights before the murder, and he admitted that he’d been staying at a local motel. He couldn’t account for his whereabouts on the night of the murder, and claimed that he’d gotten drunk and gone to bed, when the security cameras at the motel showed that he didn’t arrive back in his room until well after the murder had taken place, and was wearing different clothing than when he’d left,” Chas explained.
“His fingerprints were on the murder weapon, even though he had placed the rather large kitchen knife in his wife’s hands, attempting to make it look like she’d slit her own throat. When I visited him in his room after his house had burned down, there was a distinct odor of fire and smoke in there, and a pile of clothing in the corner that reeked of gasoline, which was the substance that had been used to start the fire.”
“When we searched his room after the arrest, we also found traces of Ruth’s blood in the shower, on the sink and on clothing that he hadn’t gotten around to washing yet. It’s a pretty clear cut case. The fact that he confessed in order to clear his daughter’s name just made the process faster and cleaner,” the detective finished. “He had planned to use the life insurance money to take Sarah and move to another state, but when he found out how much the trip and making a new start would cost, he realized that the insurance money wasn’t enough, so he burned the house down for a couple of reasons: one – he would receive insurance money on the home, and two – if there was any evidence of his crime that still remained in the house, it would be burned up in the fire.”
“Wow,” Missy shook her head. “Do you have any idea where Sarah is?”
“Her fingerprints were all over the house that Echo looked at, but she was nowhere to be found. The interesting thing is that we found pay stubs and other evidence to show that she’s been living another life outside of the oppressive environment at home.”
“Really? Do you think she had any part in what happened to her mother or the house?” Missy asked.
“No. I think what she was trying to do was to establish a solid foundation that would allow her to flee from a more-than-dysfunctional family home and seek out a life of her own,” Chas shrugged.
“But…she was of age…why didn’t she just leave?” Missy wondered.
“Sometimes, when a child has been controlled and abused for so long, they don’t actually believe that having a normal life is possible. The circumstances under which they live are horrible, but it’s all they’ve ever known, so leaving is difficult.”
“Where do you think she is now? Do you think she left the state?”
“I have a few ideas about that, I’m going to go have a chat with Spencer,” the detective raised an eyebrow.
Missy’s face fell.
“I knew it,” Chas nodded. “I figured after rescuing her, that the Marine would have a soft spot for the girl and would track her down. Your face just confirmed it,” he smiled affectionately. “Don’t worry, the only trouble that young Sarah will be in involves fraudulently using the social security number of a dead woman in order to get a job, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll be able to get any charges dismissed, considering the circumstances. Now that she’s an adult, she can apply for a social security number on her own and legitimately make her own way in life.”
“What’s going to happen to her dad?” Missy asked softly.
“Well, murder is murder, and arson is arson. Despite the extenuating circumstances, I think that it’ll be a long time before James Jones gets out of prison, but his daughter will finally be free to live the life that she deserves, rather than being stifled by abuse.”
“Can I send some cupcakes with you when you go to talk to Spencer?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” the detective kissed his tender-hearted wife.
Chapter 20
Sarah Jones stood on the porch with her new roommate, smiling and ready for a brand new start.
“You ready for this?” Echo asked, putting the key in the lock.
The young woman nodded eagerly. “More than ready!”
“Welcome home,” the redheaded Californian exclaimed, opening the door. “Your old room is now my room, but you’re welcome to use the guest room for as long as you’d like until you get on your feet,” she offered, hugging the shy young woman beside her. “And feel free to stash thousands of dollars in my closet if you’d like,” she joked.
“No need – I have a legitimate bank account now,” Sarah announced proudly. All charges against her had been dismissed, and the court had put her together with a social worker who was helping her to get all of her affairs in order now that her mother was deceased and her father was in jail.
“You can decorate your room any way that you’d like – just let me know what you want and I’ll pick it up for you,” Echo encouraged. “We can paint, make curtains, hang art…the sky is the limit. You’re welcome to dine with me whenever it’s convenient for you, but I’ll warn you…I’m vegan, so if you want to eat creatures, you’ll have to buy and prepare them yourself,” she cautioned, making Sarah giggle.
“I really appreciate you letting me stay here for a while Miss Willis,” she said, her dark eyes growing a bit moist.
“No worries. I’ll enjoy the company,” Echo assured her. “And no more of the Miss Willis stuff, makes me sound like an old maid. Call me Echo – everyone else does.”
“Okay, Echo. Thanks.”
“Anytime kiddo,” the free-spirited Californian slung an arm around the thin girl’s shoulders. “Remind me to bring home some of Missy’s cupcakes. We need to put some meat on those lovely bones,” she teased.
“Sign me up – I’m ready,” Sarah agreed.
“Yup, I believe you are,” Echo replied, giving her a squeeze.
**
“So, what are you going to do now?” Spencer asked, as he and Sarah walked down the beach near the inn.
“Well, I still have my job at the coffee shop. They were kind enough to let me stay on, even after I let them know that I had lied on my application.”
“There were extenuating circumstances,” he interrupted, pointing out that she shouldn’t feel guilty in the least for having done what she did in order to survive.
“Right, and that’s why they kept me, but I also took some tests at the community college, and am going to start classes there in a few weeks too,” she announced proudly. “I love my job, but I don’t want to make coffee for the rest of my life.”
“Understandable,” Spencer nodded. “What are you going to study?”
Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know – haven’t figured that out yet, but I can take my required classes and talk to a counselor who’ll help me decide.”
“Very smart,” the Marine complimented her, enjoying the blush that rose in her cheeks as she kept her eyes on the sand. “I’m proud of you.”
“Oh, thanks Dad,” she retorted, giving him a playful push.
“Sweet thing, my thoughts toward you aren’t even the sligh
test bit fatherly,” he half-teased, making her turn even redder.
“Race you to the boardwalk!” she called out, taking off.
“What do I get when I win?” Spencer taunted.
Chapter 21
Missy was more than glad that things had finally gotten back to normal between Echo and Kel, she’d missed their morning “gossip” sessions, despite the fact that she’d had more than enough drama to keep her busy. Such was the life of a detective’s wife.
“Okay, you two…I want to make Thanksgiving at the inn spectacular. Believe it or not, we have a full house scheduled, and the guests paid extra for an all-out southern Thanksgiving feast, so of course, you both are invited and will be expected to help me get ready for it,” she announced.
“Kel, I’m going to have afternoon tea and brunch catered that morning, so I’d like you to make recommendations as to whom I should use. Echo, I’m doing the dinner with your help and Maggie’s. One of the guests is vegan, so I’ll really need your expertise.”
“Yay!” her friend responded, clapping her hands with glee. “I won’t be the only Thanksgiving outcast,” she grinned.
“That remains to be seen, dear one,” Kel teased.
“Of course I’ll be experimenting with all kinds of cupcake flavors to find just the right combinations, and Kel, you can be one of my taste testers,” Missy continued.
“It would be an honor, gracious lady,” he inclined his head and raised his coffee mug.
“Good. Now that we have that out of the way…let’s indulge in some of my Purple People Pleaser cupcakes and catch up on what’s happening in this crazy town,” she grinned, setting down the tray of cakes.
“Purple People Pleaser?” Kel looked curiously at the tray of deep lavender-colored cupcakes.
“They’re made with berries,” Echo explained. “Try it, you’ll like them. Everyone in the Louisiana shop loved them,” she assured him.
He took a tentative bite and a grin spread across his face. “Oh my. Purple People Pleasers indeed,” he nodded, taking a larger bite.
“So what’s new in town, Kel?” Missy asked, biting into her own PPP.
“Well,” he leaned forward confidentially, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “I do believe that Miss Carla Mayhew is on the warpath after an encounter with my lovely yet formidable Gallery Manager,” he winked at Echo.
“Do tell!” the redhead encouraged, as Missy washed down a bite of cupcake with fresh hot coffee.
“She has been texting, calling and emailing nonstop,” he sighed. “It’s gotten so that I’ve been avoiding various types of media. It seems that Twitter is currently my only viable form of safe communication, and I fear that it’s only a matter of time before she hunts me down there as well,” he explained, looking slightly exasperated.
“So, how are you handling that?” Missy asked. “Are you responding to her?”
“Absolutely,” he nodded, well aware that Echo was beginning to bristle. “I answer her quite promptly and refer her to my Gallery Manager,” he grinned wickedly.
“As it should be,” Echo arched an eyebrow at him.
“Aww…be charitable, darlin,” Missy reproved her friend with a smile. “She’s a lonely widow.”
“Who can find someone other than a very busy artist to assuage her loneliness,” Echo shot back, holding firm.
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” the mischievous cupcake baker grinned.
“Methinks I’m quite alright with that,” Kel supplied, defusing the situation. Echo beamed triumphantly.
“Good morning all,” Chas greeted the trio as he came in the front door.
“Well, this is a lovely surprise,” Missy smiled as her dashing husband kissed her on the cheek and grabbed a cupcake.
“I couldn’t wait a moment longer to see the love of my life,” he teased, enjoying Echo’s gagging reaction.
“Uh-huh, and Purple People Pleasers had nothing to do with it, right?” his wife challenged.
“Well, perhaps a bit,” he replied, taking a gargantuan bite.
“Coffee?” Echo asked, holding up a cup and the pot.
“I’ll take one to go, but I’ve gotta run, thanks,” the detective flashed his dimples at her. “Hey, sweetie,” he turned his attention back to his wife. “Can you make room for three more at Thanksgiving?”
Missy paled. “Oh dear, I don’t know. I haven’t ordered the food yet, so I suppose I can, why?” she asked, trying not to panic.
“Relax, sister, I’ve got your back,” Echo patted Missy’s arm. “What’s three more? You’re a strong, southern woman – hospitality is your world, right?” she reminded her friend.
“Yes, yes I am. You’re absolutely right, Echo,” she said, a glint in her eye. “Chas, you tell those three folks that we will welcome them with open arms,” she directed.
“Yes ma’am,” the detective kissed his wife one more time, grabbed another cupcake, along with his to-go cup of coffee and headed for the door.
“I have an idea…” Echo said, after the door closed behind Chas.
“That sounds positively dangerous,” Kel commented dryly.
“Oh you just hush,” Missy reprimanded him with a smile. “Whatcha thinkin, sugar?” she asked her best friend.
“Well…I know someone who will be very much alone on Thanksgiving, and I was thinking that…” she began.
“Yes! Absolutely,” Missy nodded. “You must invite Sarah, of course,” she was adamant. “We’ll involve her in the preparations and surround her with the love of family and friends.”
“Do you two always read each other’s minds?” Kel asked, witnessing the exchange.
“Yeah, pretty much,” the friends answered in unison, dissolving into laughter at his expression.
“What about inviting Carla?” Kel asked in all seriousness.
“I’m sorry, what?” Echo asked, hoping she hadn’t heard correctly.
“Carla is going to be alone on Thanksgiving too. Her husband and son are dead, I refuse to indulge her with the pleasure of my company, you hate her,” he stared at Echo. “And you’ve been too busy to give her the time of day,” he said to Missy. “How do you suppose she feels about facing the upcoming holidays?” he asked. One could have heard a pin drop in the cupcake shop, and a few minutes went by before he drove his point home.
“If we’re trying to be good people, and think of others, wouldn’t it be entirely appropriate to invite a lonely widow to spend her holiday among the joy and laughter of others?” he asked, looking from one to the other, eyebrows raised. Missy looked at Echo.
The Californian sighed. “Yes, that would be the right thing to do,” she admitted grudgingly.
“Are you going to play nicely?” Missy asked her friend.
“For one day, I can put up with anything,” Echo made a face. “I’ll just hang out with the other vegan and serve people and avoid her altogether.”
“Or…” Kel said. “You can be the bigger person and reach out to the woman. She could probably use a friend these days,” he commented, staring down his Gallery Manager.
“There will be wine at the feast, right?” Echo asked Missy. All three of them cracked up.
“Darlin, this is one holiday where I will be well stocked with wine,” she promised, giving her friend a hug.
“Then let’s do this,” the fiery redhead nodded.
Copyright 2015 Summer Prescott Books
All Rights Reserved.
A letter from the Author
To each and every one of my Amazing readers: I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think by leaving a review!
I’ll be releasing another installment in two weeks so to stay in the loop (and to get free books and other fancy stuff) Join my Book club.
Stay Curious,
Summer Prescott
Love Cozy Mysteries)
S'more Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 19 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) Page 6