Juniper frowned. Love was so messed up—thank god she didn’t have to deal with it. “I can’t imagine…” She started her reply but stopped when she realized she was being disingenuous. “So why did you want to come here? How can I help you, Helen?”
“I just thought maybe if I looked around where Kaitlyn was killed I could find a clue that would tell me whether it was Peter or Lulu who did it.” Helen said. “But I was wrong.” She looked directly at Juniper. “It was a mistake to come here. Please forget everything I told you.” Helen wiped her eyes and nose and sniffed for a minute more. “I’m sorry,” she said once she regained a semblance of control. “I thought I could handle this.”
“Please don’t apologize. I think you should go to the police.”
Helen gave her a small smile. “Maybe I will. Please don’t say or do anything.”
“As long as you’re not in danger,” Juniper’s response was immediate, and more importantly, the truth. “I’ll be there if you need someone to go with you.”
Helen nodded. “Thank you. Deep down, I knew I could trust you.”
Helen rose from the couch and pulled her purse over her shoulder. Juniper followed her to the front door. As Helen stepped outside, Juniper put a hand on her shoulder. “Helen, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“Do you really want to go ahead with the Halloween Ball?”
Helen smiled. “The show must go on, my dear.”
Juniper frowned. That was the saddest thing she’d heard her say.
“Anyway, I really do have to go. I have a lot to do before tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“A charity board meeting. I have meetings twice a week.”
Again, Juniper didn’t want to judge, but how strange that this woman would go to board meetings when her daughter had just died. Oh well, everyone grieved differently—or so Eve had said. “Which charity? We occasionally donate on behalf of the business.”
“You know I’m on a few different ones. Tonight is… I’m sorry my phone is vibrating and I know I have to take this call.” Helen was already walking away as she spoke.
Juniper headed into the parlor where a box of props—skulls and fake bones —were waiting for her on the wine-colored brocade settee. She placed the skulls atop some old books on the mantle. It worked well with the gothic carving on the stone fireplace. She hated decorating but the show must go on, according to Helen, and she somehow doubted the decorating committee would be willing to come back to the house after Kaitlyn’s death. Not that she blamed them.
Chapter Ten
_____________
J uniper stood on a ladder, edging the seams of the dining room. Their usual painters were all booked up this week, so it was up to her. Jack was hopeless when it came to detail work.
“Detective,” Juniper said, glancing down at the fine looking man walking into the foyer. “What are you doing back?”
“Can’t a police officer randomly tour a crime scene?”
Juniper chuckled, hoping that he had intended that as a joke.
A half smile played around his lips as he looked at her questioningly. “I had a few questions for you. I see you’re busy. You are very hands on. It’s not often you see a woman willing to get so dirty.”
“My, my, aren’t you quite the sexist?” Juniper said with a laugh. “I like painting and it’s better than twiddling my thumbs.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s probably too early for me to do that yet. I just meant that you’re a rare find and your boyfriend is very lucky to have you.”
Juniper climbed down the ladder stairs and looked at him curiously. “I don’t have a boyfriend. Jack is my business partner, remember, and he’s engaged.”
He offered up a toothy grin. “That’s right. To your frenemy from the party. I just assumed there was someone else in the picture,” he said, reaching out and touching her forehead.
“What are you doing?”
“Paint,” he said with a laugh, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cross any lines there. You have paint on your face.”
Juniper swiped her forehead with a towel and smiled. “Hazards of the job. So… you wanted to ask me something?”
“I did. I heard you spent the night here—the night of the murder. I don’t mean to sound accusatory but Helen can be rather difficult at times and I’m ruling out people with alibis. Were you with someone?”
“No.”
He laughed. “You sure are the bravest lady I know,” he said with a grin. “Not afraid the ghost will get you?”
“Don’t start,” Juniper said with a smirk.
He laughed. “Can’t help myself.”
“Pike and I worked till almost seven then I went to her place for dinner. We made pasta and had some wine and she walked me back home around 9:30p.m. I attempted to finish up the tiling but a combination of the red wine and the hard work hit me and I went to bed after Pike left.”
He jotted down some notes. “Good to know. You didn’t see anyone hanging around?”
“Nope.”
“What about any unusual vehicles as you were leaving?”
“Just the red sports car earlier that morning. Actually, I guess I may have heard car doors and voices when I was locking up but nothing out of the ordinary. People come and go all the time on the street. It’s a main street.”
“And your business partner, did he have dinner with the two of you?”
“No, Jack was still here when we left but I don’t think he stayed long. His girlfriend is rather,” she paused, searching for the right word, “high maintenance and she was waiting on him at home.”
“Understood. The place looks beautiful by the way. You guys are doing a great job renovating it. I can see you are a force to be reckoned with. I hope that ghost realizes it’s going to have to find a new place to live.” He glanced toward the door. “Well, I guess there’s not much more I can do tonight. Please call me if you think of anything else. I’m pretty handy with a hammer.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a business card and a pen. He flipped it over in his hand and wrote down a number. “This is my home number. If anything happens, call me, okay? I don’t want to find you in a trunk next.”
“If someone tries to kill me, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Any time of night, Juniper, it doesn’t matter,” he said persistently. “If you need me, just call and I’ll rush right over, even if you just want company for dinner.”
Juniper smiled, thinking she just might give him a call.
“Can I make a suggestion?”
Normally, Juniper would never break a friend’s trust, but Detective Lumos wasn’t just anyone, and given what Helen had told her, he needed to be pointed in the right direction.
“I think you should take a closer look at Peter.”
“Because of the red sports car?”
“Yes but also because of other things. Look, Detective Lumos—”
“Call me Cody.”
“Okay, Cody, I can’t tell you everything because I promised a friend that I wouldn’t and it’s not my place, but I can tell you that Peter freaked out at Kaitlyn’s funeral. I then saw him arguing with Kaitlyn’s mother Helen in the backyard. Helen Patone is a nice woman, and she looked scared to death of him.”
The Detective nodded. “In my job, I’m not allowed to speculate but let’s just say I’m already headed down that road so you needn’t worry.”
Juniper set her paint brush down and rubbed her temples. “Good, but maybe if you could watch him a little more carefully just to make sure he’s not following anyone, if you catch my drift.”
Lumos nodded. “You think Peter is harassing the Patones? Why haven’t they come forward?”
Juniper changed up her stance. “Let’s just say there could be more to the story there. Families are never perfect but they do tend to stick together.”
Lumos tapped one finger on the wall. Luckily she hadn’t painted over there yet. �
��Can you tell me anything that’s not vague and confusing?”
Juniper sighed and shook her head just as Jack came in the door with their realtor—his father, Jack Sr., and Juniper realized all three men were staring at her. She suddenly felt horribly self-conscious. Her dust-and-grime-encrusted coveralls hung on her like a baggy, dirty jumpsuit and she didn’t even want to think about what her hair looked like.
“Hey there, daughter-in-law, what are you doing covered in dirt. Is my son making you do all the work again,” Jack Sr., smiled as he marched in through the front door and swept Juniper up into a big bear hug.
“Daughter-in-law?” Cody asked.
Juniper blushed.
“He just calls her that. An old nickname.” Jack clarified.
“Detective Lumos, this is Jack Sr. He’s Jack’s dad and the best realtor in the world.”
“Actually we’ve met. He sold me my house and I agree he is the best.”
“Nice to see you again, Cody. How are you enjoying our fine little town?” Jack Sr., shook Cody’s hand with the verve normally reserved for a professional wrestling match. To his credit, Cody appeared to give as well as he got. “You’ve met Juniper, here? Lucky man! She is a treat!”
“That she is,” Cody said.
Jack Sr., guffawed, clapped him on the back, and then nodded at his son.
“Come on, Cody, I’ll take you up to the attic so you can have a look around. I assume that’s why you’re here.” Jack said.
No sooner were the two men headed up the stairs then Jack Sr., turned on Juniper. He stood back and looked her over. “So, what’s new, beautiful? Have you stolen Jack away yet?”
Juniper shook her head playfully. “Jack is engaged to someone else, remember,” Juniper said.
“This is true,” Jack Sr. said, puffing out his chest. “But he will only ever love you.”
“Yeah, yeah, what are you doing here?”
“I want to take some pictures. I have lots of potential buyers for this place.”
“But it’s not completely staged yet.”
“No problem. We’ll update the pictures later.”
Jack picked up the camera that hung around his neck and began shooting the Parlour first with its fireplace and old stained glass window. There were several paintings in gold-gilt mirrors, and a lovely antique crystal chandelier that decorated the space.
After Jack Sr., left, Juniper stared out the kitchen window as she cleaned her paint brushes. Every so often, she’d catch sight of Jack in the distance. It was well after six, and he was packing up his tools for the day. A voice in her head told her to go talk to him. Ask him to stay the night so she wouldn’t have to be alone here, but that wouldn’t be fair. Besides, she wasn’t some helpless princess who needed protecting, she argued back. That was the other woman in his life.
He was probably already gone, anyway. She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. Seven missed calls from Pike. She shoved the phone back in her purse and zipped it up. What did she want so badly? She’d head over there for dinner and see.
She looked around, realizing all the volunteers were gone, and shrugged the straps down on her painter’s overalls. The paint-splattered pants hit the floor before she could pull her tights from her bag. She was standing in nothing but a white crop top and black lace underwear when Jack strolled into the front entranceway.
“Did you see all that excitement across the road?” he asked.
She grabbed her pants and shoved one leg inside them, stifling a small surprised yelp. Tripping forward she tried to get the other leg on. He reached out and gripped her elbows to steady her. “Wow, Juniper, have you been working out? You’ve got some abs popping there.”
Smiling shyly, She took a step back.
His smile fell and a worried look crossed his face. “Sorry about that. I just came in to check on you.”
He drummed his fingers on the wall and stepped into the dining room to change the subject, “The blue looks good, huh?”
She nodded, still feeling slightly embarrassed. Why couldn’t she have been wearing a matching set of bra and underwear today? She slipped her brown cardigan on and followed him into the room. “I forgot how much work it was to paint a room with high ceilings and original trim.”
“I bet. So listen, I know I’m not your… well… you know… I lost the right… what I mean is… I don’t think you should be alone tonight… here at the house.”
“Why not?” She asked, her heart beating fast. “I always stay on the reno site. There isn’t exactly a nice motel around here.”
“I’d just feel better if I knew you were safe at Pike’s.”
“Protecting our investment is part of the job. Since when are you worried about me getting hurt? Besides, you used to stay all the time, too. How come you stopped staying over?”
He looked over at her and slowly smiled. He looked the very picture of the Cheshire Cat with his mischievous green eyes and bright white teeth set in an unnaturally wide smile. “Hmm, I wonder why.”
She realized they were having another one of those conversations again. The kind that set her teeth on edge. Were they flirting or was it just her imagination? She almost wished he would start being a jerk so that she could stop wondering if he was toying with her.
“Well, what do you suggest, Jack? Want me to come sleep at your place instead?” She teased.
“Actually, I would love that… I mean you could if you need a place.” He stumbled.
She looked back at him in irritation. “I’m sure Big Boobs would love that.” She suspected that he really did care about her, but she just didn’t need the confusion at this point in her life. “Don’t worry about me. Detective Lumos asked me to have dinner so I might not be alone.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you going out with him?”
“You were the one who said you didn’t want me to be alone.”
“Well I didn’t mean you needed to sell yourself to the local cop for protection.”
She snatched up her purse and headed for the door. “Shouldn’t you be getting home to the warden?”
Jack raised his eyebrows.
“There’s no need to get personal.” he said in an unpleasant tone.
“Personal,” Juniper said impatiently. “I believe you started this.”
Jack’s scowl disappeared and his face went blank. “You’re right. I have no right to be jealous. Let’s go. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Don’t bother. I’m walking.” She said strolling out the door. Had he said jealous? A smile played at her lips.
Halfway down the lawn, the skin on the back of her neck started to prickle. She stopped short and spun around, scanning the attic windows. No one was there. Nothing looked out of place.
But she could feel eyes on her.
She turned around and continued across the street, chiding herself for being so jumpy. Now she sounded like Helen. It was broad daylight for heaven’s sake.
Chapter Eleven
_____________
C ookies & Corsets was officially closed when Juniper arrived; the cheerful yellow and black painted sign in the window invited her to check back tomorrow. She checked her phone. It was only 6:30. Why were they closed half an hour early? She peeked in the window. Lulu was slumped on the couch, surrounded by balled up used tissues. Pike smiled when she saw Juniper knock and hurried to open the door.
“Sorry about that—people kept coming in to ask about the police visit, nosey parkers.”
“What happened?”
“The police came by looking for Peter, apparently he’s under arrest but they can’t locate him.”
Lulu looked up at Juniper. Her bright green eyes were swollen and red with tears; her usual sleek black hair was wild and messy. “I’m so sorry, Lulu,” Juniper said. She turned back to Pike. “Detective Lumos questioned me again as well, but he never mentioned anything about Peter.”
“He didn’t ask you what you overheard yesterday between Helen and Peter?�
��
“No. Why?”
“The police found a suitcase they say belonged to Kaitlyn in Peter’s trunk—and they’re suggesting that Peter and Kaitlyn were having an affair.”
Lulu started to cry, and then Pike was rubbing her back and offering her tea. “Lulu suspected Peter was cheating, but she never suspected Kaitlyn.”
“We’re family.” Lulu clarified. “Helen is my best-friend, and I always thought of Kaitlyn as a daughter. I feel so disgusted even thinking that any of this is true. They say Peter has run off.”
My heart went out to her. What a pig Peter turned out to be. I couldn’t help but think he’d tried to trade Lulu in for a younger model. After all, Kaitlyn was the spitting image of her aunt. Long dark hair, bright green eyes, and a tall and curvy frame, although, Kaitlyn hid her looks under dowdy clothes and thick glasses. Lulu had a few more wrinkles and her mid-section was a little fuller but she was still very attractive.
“I called the bank and our account is empty. He withdrew all the money yesterday in cash.”
Juniper bit her lip. Peter was looking more and more guilty.
“I don’t mean to sound like a monster,” Lulu hastened to say as she blew her nose once again. “I couldn't care less that that cheating bastard has run off, but he took all of our money. How am I going to support myself?”
“Did he sell the building to Frank after all?” Juniper asked.
Lulu looked up, shocked to see that Juniper knew about that.
“Pike told me she might need a new storefront.”
Lulu nodded. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Well then you still have your business and your house.”
“I guess.” She agreed.
The idea seemed to cheer her up and Juniper took the opportunity to suggest that they drive her home for food and rest.
Chapter Twelve
_____________
Cookies, Corpses & the Deadly Haunt Page 7