by Paige Sleuth
“Tell them about your cherry blossom tree,” Veronica said to Audrey.
Audrey groaned. “That darn tree. I should have chopped it down when Lenora first complained about it. That would have saved us all a lot of angst.”
Melburn came to an abrupt stop. “I love that tree. No way were we cutting it down because of that whiny she-devil.”
The white cat took advantage of Melburn’s momentary stillness to wriggle his way to freedom. With a meow of relief, he raced down the hallway to take refuge with the other cats.
“The Duncans have this gorgeous cherry blossom tree in their backyard,” Veronica told Imogene and Kat. “But it’s rather high-maintenance. Come autumn, it sheds leaves. Come spring, it sheds blossoms. Come summer, it sheds cherries.”
“Let me guess,” Imogene said. “Some of these leaves, blossoms, and cherries ended up on Lenora’s property.”
Melburn’s eyes flashed. “I volunteered to clean up that harpy’s yard, but did she thank me? No, she was too busy going off about how she shouldn’t have to look at the mess at all. And she most certainly doesn’t want me hanging around her backyard, peeping through the cracks in the curtains while she’s changing clothes.” He huffed. “As if I have any interest in seeing that harridan naked!”
Imogene shook her head. “Ridiculous.”
Melburn flopped onto the loveseat. “I had half a mind to circulate a petition after that run-in.”
“Melburn had it in his head to collect signatures to have Lenora forcibly removed from Cherry Hills,” Audrey told them. “But I talked him out of it.”
“Don’t know why,” Melburn grumbled. “Everybody on this side of the country would have signed.”
“I doubt a petition would have made a difference,” Veronica said. “Lenora owns—owned—her home outright. As much as we all wanted to, I don’t think any one of us could have forced her out of there against her will.”
Unless they were willing to resort to murder, Kat thought. But could a dispute over a cherry blossom tree really foster so much hatred between two neighbors that one would kill the other? It seemed ludicrous, but she supposed people had been killed over less.
Imogene slapped her thighs and stood up. “Well, I suppose we should get going, huh, Kat?”
Veronica leaped to her feet. “I’ll walk you out.”
Audrey gave them a little wave. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Likewise,” Kat replied.
She hoped Audrey couldn’t detect the waver in her voice. As friendly as the woman seemed, that didn’t mean she wasn’t a murderess.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Looks like the forensics crew is here,” Imogene said as she and Kat left Veronica’s house.
The sight of the crime scene van parked in the cul-de-sac made Kat’s chest hurt. Lenora might not have been very nice, but that didn’t mean she had deserved to die in the manner she had.
“I’m going to go talk to Kenny,” Imogene said. “I need to tell him about Lenora’s sister being her next of kin. With any luck he’ll have an update to share on the case, too.”
“Okay.”
“You want to come with me?”
Kat shook her head. “I think I’ll take off. Let me know if you find out anything new, okay?”
“I will. You have a good night, Kat.”
“You too.”
Kat waited until Imogene had slipped around the side of Veronica’s house before starting toward her car. She had only made it a few steps when a series of giggles drew her attention down the road. Making their way around the cul-de-sac was an attractive couple in their mid- to late twenties. They had a small dog with them. He kept darting forward and backward, stopping every now and then to look at the humans. But the couple didn’t pay him any mind. They seemed to have eyes only for each other.
The dog caught sight of Kat and dashed over to greet her. When he came close enough, Kat bent down and held out her hand for him to sniff.
“Cute dog,” she said to the duo.
The young woman wrenched her eyes away from her beau’s and offered Kat a smile. “Thanks. His name’s Duke.”
The dog danced over to his human and barked.
The woman’s brown hair fell over her face as she reached down to pick him up. “He’s a typical terrier mix in that his energy is boundless.”
The man grinned. “I’d say spirited and reckless is more accurate.”
“Tomato, tomahto.” The young woman gave Duke a kiss, eyeing Kat over the dog’s head. “Do you live around here?”
Kat shook her head. “I was here visiting Veronica.” She paused, wondering if they had heard the news. “One of your neighbors died tonight.”
The brunette’s eyes widened. “Who?”
“Lenora. I don’t know her last name.”
The young woman didn’t say anything, but her gaze drifted toward Lenora’s house.
“I take it you knew her,” Kat said.
“I did.”
The brunette set Duke back on the ground, and Kat got the distinct impression she was avoiding eye contact.
“Did you get along?” Kat asked. She figured she already knew the answer, but it wouldn’t hurt to hear it directly.
“Nobody got along with Lenora,” the young man piped up.
The brunette patted her hair. “She was kind of . . .” She glanced at the man as she trailed off.
“Hateful, bitter, vindictive, take your pick of adjectives.” He crooked his thumb toward his companion. “She called the cops on Kylie more than once.”
“Sometimes I like to have friends over,” Kylie said, facing Kat again. “And sometimes we play music. But Lenora didn’t like it when we made any type of noise.”
“I heard she wasn’t shy about calling in noise violations,” Kat said.
The guy snorted. “She moaned about anything and everything. Every time Kylie here so much as sneezed she was on the phone with the cops.”
Kylie made a face. “He’s exaggerating, of course.”
He hooked his arm around her waist. “Not by much.”
“This is my boyfriend, Shaun, by the way,” Kylie said.
“I’m Kat.” Kat considered offering her hand for a shake, but between Kylie’s hold on Duke’s leash and Shaun’s hold on Kylie’s waist, neither one had a hand to spare.
Kylie looked up at Shaun, an adoring expression on her face. “Shaun and I met at one of my parties, actually. It was my best friend’s birthday, and she asked if she could bring her coworker along since he didn’t know many people in the area yet. I said yes, of course.”
Shaun grinned. “Coming to that party was the best decision I ever made.”
Kylie leaned her head against his chest. “We just celebrated one year together.”
“Congratulations,” Kat said.
“Thanks.”
Duke jumped up and down, letting out a series of yaps.
Kylie pet him. “If Lenora were around she would be running out here to yell at me right about now. As much as she didn’t like my parties, Lenora disliked Duke even more.”
Duke ran over to the strip of grass between the road and the sidewalk in front of Lenora’s house. After a moment of careful sniffing he squatted near the edge of Lenora’s driveway.
The humans all watched while Duke did his business. Kat had to wonder if the dog’s chosen relief spot was part commentary on how he felt about the woman who lived here. Kat could only imagine what Lenora would have to say about this scene if she were alive to witness it.
Once he was finished, Duke stood up and kicked up some grass using his hind feet. He looked at Lenora’s house the whole time, as if to say ‘Take that!’ Then he ran over to Kylie and peered up at her with an expectant look.
If he was seeking praise for a job well done, he didn’t have to wait long to receive it. Kylie crouched down and cradled his head in her hands.
“How could anyone hate you?” she cooed. “You’re such a good boy.”
Duke barked
his agreement, his tail wagging with dizzying speed.
Kylie stood back up. “I’ll admit he does bark at the most inane things. But he’s a dog. That’s what they do.”
“Some people just aren’t fond of animals,” Kat said.
Shaun pulled a plastic baggie out of his jeans pocket and went over to pick up Duke’s mess.
“Lenora wasn’t much of a people person either,” Kylie said. “I don’t think I ever saw her with friends.” She glanced over at Shaun. “Did you, honey?”
He didn’t look up from his task. “Nope.”
As horrible as Lenora sounded, Kylie’s comment made Kat’s heart ache a little for her. Could all of Lenora’s complaints have really been the product of loneliness? Perhaps the only way she knew how to relate to others was to engage them in some sort of conflict. Maybe having her neighbors hate her was preferable to being ignored completely.
“How sad would it be not to have any friends?” Kylie said. “I don’t think she even had a boyfriend the whole year she’d lived here.”
“I heard she was widowed,” Kat said.
“Yeah, and she still seemed to be in love with her husband, too. Every time we ran into her she would bring him up.”
“What did she say about him?”
“Just how great he was. And how grateful she was that he left her with a lot of money.”
Kat’s skin tingled. “Lenora had a lot of money?”
“Oh, yeah. She was loaded.” Kylie let out a soft laugh. “She never went anywhere that I could tell, but half the time I ran into her she had on all these nice gold bracelets and necklaces. It looked a little tacky, if you ask me, almost like she thought she was Mr. T or something, but wearing all that stuff must have made her happy.”
Kat considered that. She hadn’t noticed Lenora wearing anything flashy that afternoon. Nor did she remember seeing any jewelry on her person during her cursory look at the woman after her death. Then again, Chief Kenny hadn’t let her get too close to the body.
But if Kylie was right and Lenora had flaunted her wealth, who was to say she hadn’t attracted the attention of the wrong person? Someone could have spotted her decked out and alone earlier that evening and decided to rob her. Perhaps murder hadn’t even been on the agenda, only becoming necessary when Lenora put up a fight.
Kat made a mental note to bring up the possibility with Andrew. If the killer had attacked her for the sole purpose of making a quick buck, the police would want to be on the lookout for someone trying to hawk his stolen wares.
“Kylie,” Shaun said, tying a knot at the top of the dog waste bag. “Let’s get going.”
“Okay.” Kylie gave Kat a wave. “Enjoy your night.”
“You, too.”
Kat watched Kylie and Shaun walk off, Duke bouncing between them. As nice as they seemed, Kat reminded herself that they weren’t necessarily innocent in Lenora’s death. Perhaps Lenora had ended up calling the cops on them one too many times. Still, Kat had a hard time picturing Kylie delivering a fatal blow to someone’s head.
Shaun struck her as a much more viable suspect. He certainly looked physically capable of the deed. And besides a few cursory comments, he had let Kylie carry the conversation just now. Why? Because he feared he would incriminate himself if he said too much?
Imogene emerged from the back of Veronica’s house. “Kat,” she said, coming to a halt. “You’re still here.”
“I ran into a couple of the neighbors. Did you find out anything from Andrew and Chief Kenny?”
“Nothing new. They’re scouring Ronnie’s yard for clues right now, but—” Imogene broke off with a sharp intake of breath.
Kat’s brow furrowed. “What is it?”
Imogene aimed a finger at her car. “My passenger door is open.”
“I must not have closed it completely after you dropped me back home this afternoon.” But even as Kat said the words she knew that wasn’t what had happened. Imogene’s car emitted a persistent beep when a door was left open. There was no way she wouldn’t have heard it.
But Imogene apparently wanted to believe the innocent explanation as much as Kat did. “You’re probably right,” she said.
They stood there, neither one daring to move. If there wasn’t a killer on the loose Kat was pretty sure they wouldn’t think anything of the open door. But there was a killer on the loose. And Kat knew Imogene rarely locked her car. Her carelessness seemed foolish now, but habits developed from a lifetime of small-town living were hard to break.
After a minute Kat decided one of them had to see what was up. Steeling herself, she strode over to Imogene’s car and yanked the passenger door open.
No one lunged at her. She looked around, relieved when she didn’t see anyone hiding behind the seats either.
“There.”
Kat jumped. She hadn’t realized Imogene had followed her until she’d spoken.
Imogene pointed inside the car. “On the floorboard.”
Kat pulled out her cell phone and used it for light. “It looks like some sort of miniature shovel.”
“It’s a gardening trowel. But what is it doing there? It’s not mine.”
Kat started to lean forward, but before she could get too close her gaze snagged on something staining the edges of the trowel.
She froze, her veins turning to ice.
Imogene sucked air through her teeth. “Is that . . .”
Kat finished her thought. “Blood.” Dread pooled in her stomach as she and Imogene locked eyes. “I think we might have found the murder weapon.”
CHAPTER SIX
“The killer was in my car,” Imogene said, pacing around Kat’s living room. “A murderer was inside my car.”
“Technically, the killer probably wasn’t actually in your car,” Kat said. “He or she likely just opened the door and dropped the trowel there.”
Imogene glowered at her. “Is that supposed to cheer me up?”
From his perch on the cat tree, Tom watched the humans with curious green eyes. Every time Imogene passed the brown-and-black cat during one of her laps, he took a swipe at her ponytail.
But Imogene was too preoccupied to pay any attention to Tom’s antics. Besides the cursory pat she had given him when she and Kat had entered the apartment, she hadn’t acknowledged the feline at all. It wasn’t like Imogene to ignore an animal, but then again, it wasn’t every day the woman found a murder weapon planted in her car.
“Somebody is framing me,” Imogene said.
Kat didn’t reply. She could think of nothing comforting to say. Unfortunately, she was coming to the same conclusion.
Tom chirruped and scrambled down from the cat tree. He caught up with Imogene on one of her laps and sat down directly in her path.
Imogene paused with her foot in midair. “Goodness gracious, I almost stepped on you, Tom.”
Tom meowed and proceeded to rub against Imogene’s shoe, clearly pleased to finally have her attention, even if he had almost been squashed in the process.
Imogene scooped up the cat and planted a kiss on his head. “Oh, to have your life, Tom. I bet you’ve never been accused of murder.”
Kat sat down on the couch next to Matty and fingered the tortoiseshell’s soft fur. Matty was the only one present who didn’t appear troubled by Imogene’s plight. No way was she going to let a silly human problem like the possibility of someone being wrongfully jailed for murder disturb her beauty rest.
“Chief Kenny and Andrew know you didn’t kill anyone, Imogene,” Kat said. “And they have the trowel now. If there are any fingerprints on it, they’ll find them.”
Imogene grumbled something that was unintelligible to Kat but prompted Tom to rub the top of his head against her chin.
“Even Tom knows you’re not a killer,” Kat said. “He wouldn’t be letting you manhandle him otherwise.” That wasn’t entirely true, as Tom had cuddled up to dangerous criminals before, but Imogene looked so forlorn that Kat felt obligated to say something.
Imogene hugged Tom closer. “This one is definitely a love bug. Have you noticed that male cats seem to be more affectionate than females?”
“Really?” Kat had never thought about it before, but it certainly seemed true when comparing Matty and Tom.
“Don’t ask me why. I don’t even know if there’s any scientific basis for it, that just seems to be my experience.” Imogene frowned. “Oh, listen to me blubbering on. I should go home and let you get some rest, but the thought of some hoodlum, some killer, violating my personal space . . .”
“Stay as long as you’d like,” Kat said. “I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight anyway, not after everything that’s happened.”
Imogene offered her a tremulous smile. “You’re a dear, Kat. I’m so glad you moved back to Cherry Hills.”
Tears sprang to Kat’s eyes. It was hard to believe now how adamantly she’d sworn to never return to her childhood hometown after she’d left sixteen years ago. When she had first moved back over the summer, she had been worried her unpleasant memories of growing up in foster care would make it impossible for her to truly enjoy being back. But what she had found instead was a home—and some of the best friends she could ever ask for.
Kat glanced at Imogene, one of the first people to welcome her back to town with open arms. She recalled how her friend had looked when she realized Chief Kenny considered her to be a person of interest, and when she had been the subject of Melburn’s gushing thanks for killing his neighbor, and when she had first spotted that bloody garden trowel in her car. Kat couldn’t just stand idly by now and watch as someone targeted her friend.
She hopped off the couch. “You know what we should do?”
The sudden movement caused Matty to adopt a fighting pose. Her tail cut from right to left until she realized there was no imminent threat present and settled down again.
“What’s that?” Imogene asked.
“We should conduct our own homicide investigation. The sooner we find out who killed Lenora, the sooner our lives can return to normal.”