Jewels in the Juniper (Lovely Lethal Gardens Book 10)

by Dale Mayer

  Together, standing at the kitchen table with the back door wide open, the two marked off everything they had collected today and reassessed the list. Mack looked at it, nodded, and said, “You’re down to only needing about four or five hundred dollars now.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “There’s a good chance, yes. Next week’s a long weekend for me with my schedule. You may want to consider getting a start on it then.”

  Doreen looked at the grass and sod she had moved. “And here I thought we already had started.”

  Mack chuckled. “It’s too big of a job to start leveling off the foundation blocks now. Considering it’s late Sunday evening and all. But maybe Friday we can start getting those in.”

  “You’ll need some help though, won’t you?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “If there isn’t any help, there isn’t any help. That just means it’ll take a bit longer.”

  She nodded. “It would be nice to have help. I don’t know if I can help carry much of this heavier stuff.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I might see if anybody is available.”

  “I doubt if too many people will want to come help me,” she said in a dry tone. “I’m pretty sure I’ve used up all my goodwill at the police force.”

  “Nope, not at all,” he said. “They might not like all the extra work, but they like closing cases and bringing whatever closure we can to the families. So that’s not an issue.”

  Doreen smiled. “That would be great,” she said. “And who knows? Maybe this week I’ll solve another case.”

  Mack rolled his eyes at her and groaned. “How about this week you just stay out of trouble?”

  “I’m never in trouble,” she protested.

  “And don’t contact this Zachary guy,” he said. “I want to see who he is first.”

  “As soon as you leave tonight,” she said cheerfully, “I’ll research him myself.”

  “Send me whatever you find. Obviously the jewels are worth a lot of money, maybe even more than you expected.”

  “Maybe. But a part of me feels like the mystery surrounding them is the bigger part of this.”

  “I don’t think any deaths were associated with the crimes back then,” he said. “And white-collar crimes on a case so cold as this? It will be really hard to find enough evidence to bring charges.”

  “Unless somebody confesses,” she said.

  “True enough.” Mack tilted his head. “And, for whatever reason, people tend to open their mouths and tell you all kinds of stuff.”

  “Too bad I couldn’t get Aretha to talk to me.” Doreen brightened. “But tomorrow is a new day, and I’ll go talk to Mangus.”

  “Keep me informed,” he said, then walked his cup to the sink. “I’m gonna head home.” Looking at the mess, he frowned. “But I should help you with these dishes first.”

  She shook her head. “Go on home. You did enough work today.”

  When he glanced at her suspiciously, she gave him a bland smile.

  “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing.” Inside she was itching to figure out who Zachary Winters was. “Besides, there are hardly any dishes to wash.” Doreen carried their plates in from outside, while Mack hesitated. “Go on,” she said gently. “I’m more than grateful that you cooked, not to mention all the outside work.”

  “Fine,” he said. “Have a good night.”

  “Yes, I will.” She walked with him to the front door. As he stepped out, she said, “What about your two old lady deaths? Are you about to find out any more about them?”

  “Waiting on the autopsy reports,” he said. “So far we can’t tell if they’re suspicious. Remember? We get called in for any unusual death.”

  “Makes sense, particularly if they’re older,” she said.

  “We all die sometime,” he said, and, with a small wave, he walked to his truck and hopped in. With all the animals at her feet, Doreen watched as he drove down the cul-de-sac and took off.

  Chapter 15

  Monday Morning …

  Monday morning Doreen hopped out of bed and had her shower, happy to ignore the aches and pains from the heavy gardening yesterday, as she realized how much closer they were to getting the deck started. And, with the added contributions yesterday, she was seriously thrilled.

  As she headed downstairs, thinking about breakfast, her mind immediately went to her dinner leftovers. She winced. “I certainly can’t have dinner right now,” she muttered to herself. She put on her coffee, opened her fridge, and saw the pasta. Determinedly she shut the fridge, put several pieces of bread in the toaster, and had peanut butter and jam with a chunk of cheese on the side. If nothing else, she would have this for breakfast and save the pasta for lunch. As soon as it was nine o’clock, she dialed Nan.

  “Good morning, dear. How are you?” Nan said in her gentle voice, a reminder of all Doreen had missed during those years when she had been so unhappily married.

  She smiled. “I’m good. I had a good night’s sleep. I was wondering if it would be a good time to come and talk to Mangus.”

  “Most likely,” Nan said. “We’ll be leaving for lawn bowling practice in an hour, so he’ll be eating and then getting ready.”

  “Could you contact him?” Doreen asked cautiously. “Just to see if he’d even be willing to talk to me?”

  “I can do that. Let me call you back.” Nan hung up. By then the coffee had dripped. Doreen had had one cup when Nan called back. “He’s just about to sit outside for tea in the garden and wants to know if you’ll join him.”

  Doreen glanced down at her coffee. “Yes, of course I will.”

  “Good,” Nan said. “Come to my place, and we’ll both head out.”

  “Perfect,” Doreen said with a laugh. She hopped to her feet, added a dash of cold water to the little bit of space in her coffee cup, then guzzled down the coffee. The last thing she wanted was a caffeine headache. She had no intention of examining why she continued to drink something guaranteed to give her a headache if she didn’t have enough.

  Juggling the refilled cup and a bottle of water in one hand and the toast in her other hand, she walked to the creek, still eating. The animals were happy to be out and about, with Goliath racing ahead and then stopping until they passed him, then racing ahead again. Mugs just seemed to trot along quite happily. Thaddeus even kept up a rambling conversation the whole time. Basically he had been telling her how he was there for at least two minutes solid. When he finally ran out of steam, she reached up, gently caressed his forehead, the back of his head, and whispered to him, “Thaddeus is gorgeous.”

  He burst into his lovely little trill, calling out, repeating it over and over.

  Doreen was still laughing as she stepped around the corner and headed toward Rosemoor Manor. Nan was waiting, watching Thaddeus in astonishment as he continued to trill, “Thaddeus is gorgeous,” all the way toward Nan. She reached out a hand, and he hopped on, then made his way up to her shoulder. There he crooned against her cheek and rubbed his head gently back and forth.

  Nan looked at Doreen in surprise.

  Doreen laughed. “I don’t know when he started that. I heard it the first time yesterday. And now, of course, he loves to say it.”

  “And, of course, he does it so well.” Nan laughed. She gently hugged the little guy as she reached to pet Mugs and Goliath. “I hope you’re hungry. Mangus has apparently chosen to have breakfast out there too.”

  Doreen’s stomach growled, even though she’d already eaten.

  Smiling at the sound, Nan said, “Good. Let’s go have a feast.”

  Doreen groaned. “What if I’ve already eaten?”

  “You’ll eat again then,” she said. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” Chuckling, Nan led the way. Out in the back garden, they stopped to make sure all the animals were following, and Doreen suddenly worried that she hadn’t asked Nan about bringing them. She stepped behind Nan as they went around the building to the bac
k, where a series of gardens and large tables with umbrellas were set up.

  Doreen gasped. “Nan, what a beautiful backyard.”

  “It is, indeed,” Nan said. “We often sit out here for tea and treats.” She led the way past a small patio to where trees shaded the far corner. An older man sat there, his hand on his cane as he surveyed the table of goodies.

  Doreen was astonished. “There’s food here for six, if not more.”

  “I told him that you’re hungry,” Nan said in a whisper. “And remember. We don’t have to pay extra for it here.”

  Doreen nodded. She watched as Nan called out to Mangus.

  He lifted his head, then looked at her and smiled. “There you two are. Pardon, if I don’t stand.”

  Doreen rushed over, reaching out to shake his hand. “Please don’t get up. How kind of you to invite me for tea.”

  He motioned to the chair beside him. “It’s always nice to have two lovely ladies join me for a meal,” he said. “Of course, it might not be the healthiest of meals, but it’s definitely my first choice when it comes to food nowadays.”

  Doreen looked at the selection of doughnuts and cinnamon buns with some nut breads and croissants. “Looks wonderful,” she admitted. “I’m sure the Rosemoor dietitians won’t agree with us though.”

  He chuckled. “At my age, I don’t care what I eat anymore. Most things have shut down already anyway. Pretty soon they’ll be putting this stuff in a blender and feeding it directly into my stomach.” He shook his head. “And I won’t have any of this.” He looked at Nan. “And how are you doing, my dear?”

  Nan blushed and smiled, almost coquettishly. Doreen watched in amazement as the two flirted. Apparently age had nothing to do with the confusing interactions between man and woman.

  When they were done, Mangus turned to Doreen and pointed at the plates. “Please, help yourself and take several.”

  Doreen smiled; he was waiting for her to serve herself before he got something. She picked up a croissant and put it on her plate and then a cinnamon bun.

  “A girl after my own heart,” Mangus said, as he took a cinnamon bun and croissant as well. Then he frowned. “Oh, no cheese is here.” Pulling out his phone, he sent a text.

  Doreen watched in amazement as very quickly somebody from inside the manor came out, carrying a large plate.

  The attendant smiled at the three of them. “You should have asked for the cheese in the first place.”

  “I know,” Mangus said with a shrug. “You know what my memory is like.”

  The plate of cheese was put down in front of them, and a second plate with assorted jams, peanut butters, and honeys was added.

  Doreen smiled. “This is just lovely. Thank you,” she said warmly to the young woman.

  Her name tag was on her shoulder, but Doreen couldn’t read what it said. The woman just gave a small wave and walked away.

  Doreen looked at Mangus. “You’re lucky to be able to do this.”

  “I don’t know how much luck has to do with it,” he said. “We pay enough, don’t we, Nan?”

  Nan nodded. “Don’t we ever,” she said.

  Doreen immediately wondered if Nan was still okay financially. She tossed her grandmother a worried frown.

  But Nan just reached across the table and patted her hand. “My granddaughter is always concerned I’ll run out of money,” Nan said to Mangus.

  He smiled and said, “Then you’re very blessed.”

  The conversation died down as everybody dug in. And even though Doreen had already had two pieces of toast, she was no fool. She wouldn’t need lunch after this, and she had lots of leftovers for dinner tonight. These were treats, too expensive to spend money on for herself, and she only ever got them when she came to see Nan.

  With the croissant and cheese done, she cut the cinnamon bun into smaller pieces, as Nan lifted the teapot and poured tea for everyone.

  “It’s beautiful out here,” Doreen said again, as a gentle breeze wafted through the backyard, letting the branches above them sway gently.

  “It really is,” Mangus said. “I prefer to sit out here when I have to sit anywhere.”

  She nodded. “I understand completely.”

  Mangus finished the cinnamon bun on his plate and reached for a doughnut and what looked like a slice of banana bread. Doreen smiled as he had no problem with taking two more of the treats. He motioned at her plate. “Eat up. Eat up.”

  She still had a bit of cinnamon bun left on her plate but reached for a piece of banana bread, setting it on her plate also.

  With a note of satisfaction, Mangus nodded and sat back. “Now, why were you asking about Aretha?”

  “Well, I don’t want to spread this around, as I’m already getting suspicious phone calls, but I’m trying to find the owners of some jewels.”

  “Loose gems?” And he leaned forward and looked at her intently. “Now I have some questions for you.”

  Chapter 16

  Monday Midmorning …

  And when Mangus asked Doreen questions, she knew his mind was just as sharp as it had ever been. He wanted to know what kind of cuts, how many carats, what kind of stones, how many there were, where she’d found them, and why she was asking about his sister-in-law. When she had answered all she could, he nodded.

  “Aretha is a bit of a sad case,” he said. “She’s still clinging to the glory days of old, but, in truth, she’s living off her small pension and the little bit left from her husband, but she’s not doing very well at all.”

  “I did see her at the home where she is staying,” Doreen let him know.

  “She’s a boarder there,” he clarified. “She wanted to stay here, but she doesn’t have the funds.” He hesitated, then continued, “I have to admit a part of me said I should help her out, but honestly I don’t have that much more either. Particularly since they keep raising the rates here.” He looked over at Nan, who agreed. “It is a problem. If I was dead already, then it wouldn’t be such an issue, and she could have some of the money I have left, but I also have a family I’m trying to help out.”

  “Of course.” Doreen thought about the woman who had stood so proudly, actively mocking others. “She does appear to be stuck in a time warp.”

  “She can’t possibly lose face and have everybody know she’s as broke as she is, and she’s not anywhere close to death’s door,” Mangus said. “She was married to my younger brother for many years. Selling that business was the best thing he could have done. At least that gave them some money.”

  “It should have given them a lot of money,” Doreen said, wondering out loud. “Wouldn’t it?”

  “Maybe, but, when my brother died, he gave my nephews a big chunk of it. Aretha got some, but she had come into his life later, and he already had two sons, so both the boys needed an inheritance too.”

  “Had he done something with his money after the sale?” Doreen asked.

  Mangus snorted. “You mean, besides bad investments? They had a custom motor home to travel in, and then they had an accident with that. Although there was some insurance, it didn’t fix the problems they needed it to, so they lost money when they tried to sell it.” He shook his head. “But that was my brother. Hobart was never the smartest or the brightest.”

  “Were they happy at least?” Doreen asked. It was terrible to think this woman had gone through such a series of setbacks.

  “No, I don’t think they were. My brother had married his childhood sweetheart, and, when she died of breast cancer, leaving him with two kids, I think he was desperate to have companionship, even if it wasn’t the same as what he’d had before. It seemed to me that she was looking for someone to look after her. My brother probably looked like a great deal, perhaps because of the insurance company. You might assume there would be bad blood between them because of the prior coverage problems, but instead the incident appears to have given them something to bond around. But the fact of the matter is, when my brother died, not a whole lot of money was
left. It’s been quite a few years now, so I’m sure she’s got very little left.”

  “Heidi appeared to be a lovely lady,” Doreen said, and Mangus nodded.

  “Oh, yes, she definitely is. She and I spoke about moving Aretha in there with her because, at the time, Heidi wasn’t sure she wanted a live-in companion, so to speak. But she finally came around, realizing it was something she could do. Her father had been a minister and had helped out an awful lot of the community at various times, so Heidi felt maybe this was something she could do to help out too.”

  Aretha was a charity case, and that bothered Doreen tremendously. “I’m sorry for Aretha. That must have been a very hard change of circumstances.”

  “The burglary got them in trouble,” Mangus said. “Her first husband was just a waste. He was terrible. I was good friends with her parents, and they were beside themselves as they tried to straighten out one mess after another, thanks to him. But that burglary?” He shook his head.

  “And nobody ever figured out who did it, did they?”

  “No,” he said. “It was pretty darn sad, if you ask me.”

  “What I don’t understand,” Nan interjected, “is why the insurance didn’t cover it all.”

  “Because, according to the jewelry store, they had just taken receipt of a large number of gems, and the cost of those gems wasn’t covered under the insurance.”

  “But surely if they had receipts for it—”

  “That was the problem. What most people don’t know is …” He took a deep breath, as if warming up for a good story. “If my memory serves me correctly, there was an order for gems, and it was paid for, but then Reginald, Aretha’s first husband, had called and added on to the order in a big way. He said he paid but couldn’t prove it as he had no receipts. Remember. It wasn’t the digital age back then, and nothing happened quickly. He said he’d paid. The seller said he hadn’t. Against the seller’s policy, I might add, the order was shipped out, but there was no paperwork with it. Or the paperwork disappeared.” Mangus shook his head.