Borrowed Time

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

  The park was perfect, with wide sidewalks, views of the mountains, and a pond, complete with ducks, right in the middle with bridges to cross over the pond. It was busy there, but not too crazy. Several joggers, mothers with children who were feeding the ducks (the town had installed a bird feeding station to keep the public feedings safe for the ducks), and some kids playing in the playground.

  I realized I was going to have to stretch since I’d hadn’t exercised for a while. Once I started stretching, I realized I was going to have to stretch quite a bit more. I hadn’t realized how tight my muscles were until I started. It couldn’t all be from disuse—I was sure the stress from the past week was also taking its toll.

  I was still working to get some more flexibility into my legs when I heard a voice behind me.

  “Ann?”

  I stopped stretching and turned to see Felicity there. She smiled at me. “So you do leave the library.”

  I chuckled. “Only occasionally and never successfully. I was planning on a run but then realized how tight all my muscles are. It looks like you’re about to jog.”

  Felicity was decked out in what was likely very expensive athletic wear and not gear from Target, like I was. She smiled at me. “I am. I try to run every day.”

  “That’s awesome,” I said. “I need to do the same thing.” I paused. “Actually, maybe a better goal would be once a week. Or once a month. If I say I’m going to run every day, it’ll never happen.”

  “Well, with all the craziness lately, I’m really doing a lot of jogging. It’s great stress relief. Want to jog with me?”

  “Right now?” I asked weakly.

  Felicity chuckled. “Why not?”

  I quickly said, “I don’t think you know what you’re getting into. I’ll never be able to keep up with your pace if you run every day.”

  “I’m not training for a marathon, just trying to move. Besides, it’s supposed to be safer to jog with a buddy. Not that I’d ordinarily think of Whitby as a dangerous place, but . . .” She shrugged.

  I reluctantly acquiesced and Felicity joined me in stretching. Then we took off at an easy pace. I could feel Felicity deliberately slowing down so we could run together.

  Felicity glanced over at me. “Speaking of Whitby being unsafe, I heard about Roz. That’s one reason I’m jogging right now . . . I’d already jogged this morning, but the news really stressed me out.”

  I said, slightly breathlessly, “Yes, it was a real shock. I didn’t know Roz as well as the rest of you did of course, but I really liked her. And I felt terrible for Luna.”

  Felicity added, “And Kelly. Whenever I think of Kelly, I think of Roz. They’re like peanut butter and jelly.” She sighed. “Anyway, I don’t know what to make of it. Have you heard any details about what happened from Luna? I tried to reach Kelly today, but her phone went right to voicemail.”

  I slowed my pace just a little so I would be able to jog and talk at the same time. “I don’t know much. I know it looks like someone waited for Roz to leave for her shift and then pushed her down the stairs.”

  “It wasn’t an accident then?” asked Felicity. Her eyes narrowed. “Part of me was hoping poor Roz was in a hurry, took a wrong step and landed in a bad way on the staircase.”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t appear so.”

  “And it wasn’t a mugging gone wrong? A robbery?”

  I shook my head again. “Nothing was stolen.”

  Felicity said roughly, “What a mess. This whole thing is like a nightmare that won’t stop. First the odd weekend party ending with Scott’s death. Now Roz? I mean, what’s going on?”

  I didn’t respond, partly because I hoped Felicity would go on talking and partly because I was more out of breath than I should be.

  Felicity continued, “I’m sure everybody is thinking the same thing, but who would kill Roz? She was always a peacemaker. Always a supportive friend. I just can’t believe someone I know would do something like this.”

  “What do you think might have happened?” I asked, gasping a little.

  Felicity sighed. “I just don’t know.” She paused for a few moments, which I was grateful for as I tried to regulate my breathing. “The only thing I can think of is that Roz knew something about what happened to Scott. The morning we found Scott in the pool, I was talking with Roz and felt like she wasn’t being completely forthcoming. When I pushed her on it, she just shook her head and said she wasn’t going to ruin somebody’s life over something she wasn’t sure even happened. Now she’s dead.”

  “You think she might have been covering up for somebody,” I said.

  Felicity shrugged. “I don’t know what else to think. But I know Roz said she had a lot to drink that night and she was worried her memory wasn’t all that reliable. Or that maybe she got the events out of order.”

  I said, “I’m sure everybody feels that way. There was a lot of alcohol and lots of sun that day.”

  “Yeah.”

  I said carefully, “I think both the drinks and the sun made everybody act out more than they usually would. Kyle seemed upset at Scott’s flirtatious behavior over the weekend, too.”

  Felicity snorted. “Scott was just trying to get under Kelly’s skin.”

  “You weren’t upset about Scott’s advances? I think I might have been.” I tried to keep my voice light.

  “Oh no. No, I knew exactly what Scott was doing and I gave him a piece of my mind about it. He backed off after that.”

  I said slowly, “Do you think Scott was also trying to get a rise out of Kyle?”

  Felicity flushed and I didn’t think it was from the jogging. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s just that Kyle seemed like he might be interested in you, that’s all.”

  Felicity was quiet for a couple of moments. “I don’t know. Although I find that hard to believe. Kyle and I have known each other for so long that we’re almost like brother and sister.”

  It hadn’t looked that way to me, but I kept quiet. I wasn’t even entirely sure I could summon enough breath to speak.

  Felicity finally added, “Actually, I wouldn’t mind going out with Kyle, although it would be a little weird at first. Like I said, we’ve known each other since we were kids. But I can’t do it with a murder investigation hanging over us. I want Scott’s and Roz’s deaths to be cleared up and then maybe we can see where we stand.”

  I glanced over at her. “I have the feeling he’s going to try and attend that next book club meeting.”

  Felicity said, “I’ll be sure to be prepared to tell him the same thing I told you—we need to hold off until this investigation is finished.”

  “Speaking of finished,” I said in a gasping voice. “I think I’m done for today. I’m going to drop off and let you get a real run in.”

  Felicity grinned at me. “Want to meet up with me tomorrow? Same time, same place?”

  I shook my head as I realized with relief that I was scheduled late at the library. “Think I’m working then.”

  “Too bad. See you at the library.” And Felicity, increasing her pace, jogged away.

  I knew I needed to cool down and not just abruptly sit on a bench, which was what I really wanted to do. So I slowed my pace to a slow walk in an attempt to get my heart rate down. I spotted a large dog and an elderly man heading in my direction, then took a second look as I realized it was Linus. Smiling, I headed toward him.

  He stopped and, amazingly, so did the dog. Linus looked pleased.

  “Wow, she’s really responsive to you,” I said. “And well-behaved. I’d have thought she’d try jumping on me or get excited and start pulling on the leash. Her name is Ivy, isn’t it?”

  Linus looked proud as he looked down at the dog. “Ivy, yes. She’s been really good. Maybe she knows I’m older and she’s being careful not to run.”

  “Or maybe you two already have a close connection. It sure seems that way.” And it did. Ivy was looking up at Linus as if she were waiting on a cue from
him.

  Then he gave her one. “Sit,” he said quietly and Ivy plopped right down. He gave her a treat and the dog grinned up at him.

  I blinked at the dog in surprise. “Wow. So . . . do you think she learned that from a previous owner?”

  He smiled at Ivy. “I’d have thought that too, except she didn’t know the command at all about two hours ago. We’ve been working on it. She seems really bright.”

  Usually two hours ago would have been a time when Linus would still have been ensconced in the library, reading fiction. I thought back over the day and realized I hadn’t noticed him in there at all.

  He must have somehow read my mind because he said shyly, “It felt a little odd not being in the library today.”

  I chuckled. “Believe me, I know the feeling. I’m so rarely not at the library that when I have a day off, I keep thinking the whole day that I’ve forgotten something. But I’m being paid to be there. It’s probably good for you to shake things up every now and then.”

  Linus nodded. “It was just such a beautiful day. Then the vet called me this morning and said Ivy was ready to go home with me. I went to the store to buy her a pet bed and toys and a few other things and then picked her up.”

  “I bet she was glad to see you,” I said.

  His eyes twinkled. “Her whole body wagged. But she didn’t jump on me. She’s very polite.”

  Ivy flopped on her back for a tummy rub and Linus and I complied. “This is what I should have done,” I said with a chuckle. “Walked. You have the right idea, Linus.”

  “Did you run?” he asked in the kind of tone that indicated running was something far out of his sphere of experience.

  I nodded. “I did. I’ve only just gotten my breath back, too. In the future, I’ll have to remind myself there’s nothing wrong with a brisk walk instead.” I always tried to be cognizant of the amount of time Linus felt comfortable in conversation so I gave Ivy a final pat and said, “I’ll leave you two to it. Time for me to head back home. Fitz is probably ready for a little supper.”

  Linus smiled at me and said, “If you ran, you’re probably ready for a little supper, too.”

  As I drove home, I realized it was true. Not only was I starving, though, I knew from earlier there was nothing very appetizing in my house. I had things to snack on like carrot sticks and stuff for making sandwiches, but I knew I’d have a sandwich and carrot sticks for lunch tomorrow at the library and I didn’t much want them two meals in a row. I remembered I didn’t even have eggs in the house and at that point decided to make a run to the store.

  One thing about living in a small town—there wasn’t a lot of choice when it came to grocery stores. In fact, there was only one store that was convenient to most of the town. Consequently, there also wasn’t a lot of choice when it came to food items. Most of the time I didn’t really need a bunch of options, but I would have killed that night for a full-service deli section with some pre-prepared food ready to pop into the oven to heat up. There were a few offerings in the small deli section and I stood there for a few minutes deliberating the pros and cons of spaghetti (which didn’t seem to have much sauce) and chicken and broccoli (which likewise didn’t appear to have sauce. Or, perhaps, even seasoning).

  A voice came from behind me and I started a little. “Go with the spaghetti. Trust me.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I turned around to see Kyle standing there with an apologetic grin. “Sorry for making you jump. It’s just that I happen to have experience with both of those meals and the spaghetti is far superior in every way. Even better if you have extra red sauce and grated parmesan cheese at home.”

  “Thanks. Sounds like the best choice tonight, anyhow. I’m too beat to try to think of something to put together myself. And you didn’t really scare me—I’ve just been jumpy lately.”

  Kyle’s expression darkened. “I’d imagine so. I have been, too.” He paused and then said, “I guess you’ve heard about Roz. I mean, working with Luna and everything. Is Luna doing okay? And her mom?”

  I nodded. “I think they’re okay. Luna wanted to come right back into work, though, to stay busy and not have as much time to think.”

  “I bet she did. I’ve been trying to stay busy the last few days, myself. I helped out Scott’s mother and brother in Scott’s house today.” His expression darkened. “It was tough on them.”

  “I can imagine,” I said softly.

  He added slowly, “They seemed to be getting a different picture of Scott the longer we cleared his things out. Finally, they took a break and I kept going for another hour or so.”

  “A different picture of him? Like how?”

  He quickly said, “Oh, I don’t know. Just that Scott has always created this image of himself as being so successful. And they were realizing what bad shape his finances were in. Stuff like that.” He changed the subject. “I keep running everything through my head, trying to figure out what must have happened. But I don’t ever seem to get anywhere with it because I know everyone and I hit a wall every time. I mean, Kelly was mad at Scott. Really mad. But would she have killed him? And then murdered her best friend to cover everything up?”

  I didn’t say anything and Kyle continued, “I can’t see it. I can kind of see her killing Scott in the heat of the moment. But from what I heard, the attack on Roz was planned out.”

  I nodded. And I glanced around to make sure no one could overhear Kyle, but the deli section was deserted and the worker wasn’t even behind the counter.

  Kyle said, “And Grace. Why would Grace have killed Scott? For ruining her party weekend?” He shook his head. “It just doesn’t add up.” He looked at me. “You didn’t even know any of the people involved, so you couldn’t have done it unless you’re some sort of psychopath or something.”

  I gave a startled laugh that likely did sound like something a psychopath would utter.

  He absently reached for a spaghetti dinner for himself as he continued his analysis. “Luna had no connection with Scott and she loved Roz. No reason for her to be responsible.”

  “And Felicity?” I asked.

  Kyle snorted as if the possibility was so outrageous it never even occurred to him. “There’s no way Felicity would ever be involved in something like this. She’s very civic-minded and contributes to society. Why on earth would she ever kill Scott Haynsworth?”

  I shrugged and said in a light tone, “If we’re listing possibilities, no matter how farfetched, then surely Scott’s unwelcome attention could be considered a motive.”

  Kyle scowled. “No, because she’s fully capable of handling Scott’s boorish behavior herself. And she did—by avoiding him and then turning in early.” The mention of Scott’s actions seemed to turn his mood much darker.

  “And you?” I asked, still in that light tone.

  “Me?” Kyle stared blankly at me.

  “Well, we considered me as a possible suspect. What about you? What motives would you have had?”

  Kyle shrugged as if this line of questioning was of no consequence. “I wouldn’t have. I’ve known Scott my entire life. I was devastated when I found out he was dead. Losing someone you’ve known since childhood is a terrible blow.”

  I said slowly, “Someone mentioned you might carry some resentment over a long-ago business deal that went badly.”

  Kyle snapped, “Someone should keep their mouth shut, especially since they don’t have the facts straight.” He blew out a sigh. “Sorry. Small towns. I’ll never get used to everyone knowing everything.”

  “What did they get wrong?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “The business deal wasn’t bad. Scott merely bought me out. Could it have been a better deal? Sure. In hindsight, the business ended up doing extremely well and I should have counteroffered for more money. But think about it: the business was in its infancy. How would we have known how successful it would end up? It might have done exactly the opposite and completely failed.”

  “Was the decision to
leave the business your idea or Scott’s?” I asked curiously.

  Kyle rubbed his face. “It was long enough ago that I honestly don’t remember how it came about. But I know I wasn’t cut out for the day-to-day operation of building and running a business.” He gave me a rueful smile. “Believe it or not, Scott was the charming one. He was the frontman for us. Scott spoke with investors and was good at putting together marketing strategies and just making the whole thing work. He was a numbers guy and I was an ideas guy. So, yeah, maybe I wasn’t keen on running a business. Maybe Scott and I came to that same conclusion simultaneously. I don’t know.”

  I asked, “Did you continue dreaming up business ideas? I’d think that would take a lot of ingenuity.”

  Kyle gave a short laugh. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t. Maybe I was a one-trick pony and that was my only trick. The start-up took a good deal of my time to develop. I probably should have spent more of that time trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after the start-up. When Scott bought me out, I was suddenly left without anything. I felt like I was scrambling after that. And it probably didn’t help that Scott’s business was suddenly taking off.” He added quickly, “I was still proud that it was doing so well. I knew I had a real hand in its success. But I was . . . lost.”

  “What did you do after that?” I asked.

  He sighed. “Well, I put off deciding what to do. Although I actually had a fairly good reason for that—my mother was ailing and having a hard time kicking it. I helped her out and got sucked into life there. Different doctor appointments a few days a week, cleaning, helping her with her yard work. In hindsight, it was good for me because I had a place to live and a routine of sorts while I figured out what to do next. But I had one job opportunity I had to turn down because it was in another state. The problem is, my timing has always been lousy.”

  “What happened then?” I asked.

  “I floundered for a while. Scott was aware of it, too. He called me once and offered to take me on at the business.”