by Judi Lynn
Jerod applauded from his perch on the roof. “Good job, cuz! I’m glad I never met that girl in high school.”
“She hasn’t improved with age, has she?” Ansel finished the last of the shingles, and the guys climbed down and headed into the house. They’d finished half the roof with twenty minutes to spare.
“Let’s call it,” Jerod said.
Music to her ears. It was Thursday. She could take a little more time getting ready to go out. They locked the house and drove away.
While Jazzi showered and got ready, Ansel took her pickup to the lumber yard and came home with all the materials he needed for framing. There was no reason for him to clean up when he was going to work in the basement and get dirty again.
He returned home when she was walking out the door to meet her friends. He stopped to look her up and down. “You look great in dresses and heels. Flash your wedding ring a lot, so everyone knows you’re taken.”
She rolled her eyes. If she were any more married, she’d need a big red M tattooed on her forehead. The pets looked surprised when she walked toward the van and Ansel stayed home on a Thursday night. The dog and cats knew the house’s usual rhythms, and they knew something had changed.
When Jazzi parked behind the 07Pub and entered through its back door, she saw Elspeth waiting at a table. The four of them used to cram into a booth, but Didi was eight months pregnant with Walker’s baby, so a booth was too crowded these days.
Jazzi smiled and slid onto the chair next to hers. “Hi. You got here early.”
“I was hoping I’d get to talk to you before all the gossip starts.” Elspeth smiled. She loved gossip as much as the rest of them.
“What’s up?”
“I’m asking for a favor.” Elspeth hesitated. She didn’t feel comfortable with this, Jazzi could tell. She took a deep breath and forged on. “The lease for my apartment is up soon, and Radley’s asked me to move in with him.”
“I’m so happy for you!” Ansel’s brother had found the perfect girl for him. They made such a sweet couple. She and Ansel got a kick out of watching them together.
Elspeth’s smile lit up her face. “Thanks.”
“His apartment’s a lot smaller than yours. You realize how crowded you’re going to be, right?”
Elspeth nodded. “But he only has four more months on his lease, too. And then we want to find a house together.”
“Even better!” Jazzi would have clapped her hands, but people would stare.
A blush crept up Elspeth’s cheeks to her hairline. “The thing is, I have a lot more stuff than I thought I did. We could use help moving this Saturday. We were wondering…”
“We’d love to help,” Jazzi interrupted.
“Thank you!” Elspeth squirmed. “And since you and Ansel flip houses, we thought maybe we could talk you into looking at any we like to see if they’re okay.”
“No problem.” The waitress came, and they ordered their drinks. Just then, Olivia and Didi walked in. Olivia laughed when Didi had to push her chair farther from the table to make room for her baby bump.
Once everyone had settled and the waitress left, Elspeth reached for a plastic bag near her chair. “I made you all something.” She passed out aprons with frilly ruffles. Jazzi loved hers. Elspeth handed her another one—cobalt blue and plain. “For Ansel, because he likes to cook, too.”
Didi’s apron had extra-long strings, and she grinned. “It might fit. I hope I don’t get much bigger by my due date.”
The baby was due in the middle of December, and Jazzi was throwing her a shower the second Sunday in November. When it was closer to her friend Leesa’s due date, she was throwing a baby shower for her, too. It seemed like all of a sudden, their world was going to be filled with diapers and bottles. Jazzi wondered if Leesa and Brett could go out to meet them at restaurants on the occasional Friday like they did now, or if that would change with a baby.
Jazzi smiled when Didi rested a hand on the top of her stomach. Leesa rubbed her stomach a lot these days, too. “My friend Leesa’s going to have a little girl, and she’s as happy about it as you are.”
“Walker’s so excited, he’s going to need someone to hold his hand when I go into labor. River’s glad I’m having a girl, too.”
“He won’t have to share his Tonka trucks,” Olivia teased. River was six, the same age as Jerod’s Gunther. The two boys loved seeing each other on Sundays, and Lizzie was happy to tag along after them.
The waitress came with their drinks, and the talk turned to gossip. Jazzi told them about the house they were working on, and about finding Jessica’s hope chest. Olivia went on about a new hair product she’d started using at the salon.
“Does Mom like it, too?” Jazzi asked. Olivia worked with her mother at her salon, and Mom had finally made her a partner. She’d worried that Jazzi would feel left out, but she waved that concern away. “I have no interest in hair or manicures. You two do your thing.”
The next hour and a half flew by, and soon, Jazzi was on her way home again. Tonight had been more fun than usual. When she walked into the house, all the other guys were gone, and Ansel grabbed her hand to pull her into the basement.
“What do you think?”
She blinked. “You need to spend more Thursdays at home.” The entire frame was up. But she should have guessed that. When you had four big men going full steam at a job, a lot got done.
“Do you like it?” Her Viking sounded nervous.
“I love it. It’s going to be perfect.”
His smile dazzled, but then, everything about him did. Who knew a playroom would make him so happy? And then she remembered how few extras he had growing up. Everything on the dairy farm revolved around work. But he was making his own little piece of heaven here. They’d refinished the house to make it exactly what they wanted. And then he’d dug his pond. And now, the basement. She could only think of one more thing to make his happiness complete. And she loved making Ansel happy. Frowning, she scanned the size of the room.
“What is it?” The nerves were back.
“I don’t think a regular TV is going to look right down here. I think we’re going to have to go for something really big.”
He picked her off her feet and whirled her in a circle. The cats ran beneath her, ready to play a new game. George lifted his head, then dropped it back on his doggy bed. He’d had enough excitement for one day.
When Ansel finally calmed down, they went upstairs to the kitchen, grabbed drinks, and sank onto their favorite couches in the living room. “Tell me about your night,” he said.
“We volunteered to help Elspeth move her things into Radley’s apartment on Saturday.”
“Good for them!”
“And they’re going to start looking for a house to fix up. They want us to look it over when they find one.”
“We can do that.”
She tried to look alluring. “It’s been a nice night. I think we should end it on a high note.”
His blue eyes sparkled. “I can do that, too.” He walked to her couch to scoop her up. As he carried her up the stairs, George started to follow him, but he said, “Later.”
The dog and cats settled at the base of the steps. They knew the routine.
Chapter 8
They finished the roof on Friday with enough time left over to start making a list of the projects they wanted to do inside the house, and the order in which they wanted to do them. They decided to finish the entire first floor before moving upstairs.
“That way, if anyone’s interested in it and wants to see it, the first floor will look good,” Jerod said.
Jazzi nodded in agreement. “But I’d like to wait to gut the kitchen until we refinish the wood floors and paint down here. That way, I can use the refrigerator and sink while we work.”
The kitchen had a worn linoleum floor and the wood under it was in
such bad shape, they couldn’t save it. They planned on installing old-fashioned white ceramic tiles with cobalt-blue diamonds at each corner. They’d ordered white cabinets and butcher-block countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The island would have a midnight-blue base and a granite top.
“All of the rooms are big enough as is,” Ansel said.
The kitchen was twenty by twenty, more than enough space for an eating area, and the dining room was a good size, too. The living room was twenty by thirty with a massive fireplace.
“I’d like to make the study into a library/reading room/office. It’s doable, because it’s twelve by sixteen. I brought a picture.” He dug it out of his back jeans pocket.
Ansel smoothed out the folded paper for them to study. Three walls were lined with dark, wooden bookcases. A green-velvet love seat, a huge ottoman, and two easy chairs were arranged in its center, with a desk at the far end.
Jerod was reaching for it to see it better when Jazzi’s cell phone buzzed. Gaff.
“Hello?”
Gaff, as usual, skipped the small talk. “Another girl died around the same time Jessica did, still in high school, too.”
“Do you think the deaths are connected? Maybe Jessica’s murder was just a random victim instead of a personal vendetta. Maybe no one killed her because of some grudge.”
“Oh, Jessica’s death was personal. There’s more…” He stopped, and Jazzi heard a voice in the background. ‘I have to go. I’ll call you some other time.”
She wanted to hear the whole story. She hurried to say, “Why don’t you and Ann come for supper tonight? You can tell us then.”
There was a slight pause. His voice muffled, he said, “Give me a minute and I’ll be there.” Then, he was back. “What are you cooking?”
She knew how to bribe Gaff. “Steaks. Ansel’s grilling them.” She didn’t have any, but they’d stop to buy some on the way home.
“We’ll be there. Ann was going to heat up leftovers. Your offer sounds better.”
“We’ll see you at six.”
“Gotta go.” Gaff clicked off, and she told the guys what she’d learned.
Jerod shook his head. “You’re not thinking there was a serial killer, are you? They don’t push girls off balconies. Besides, everyone would have noticed him.”
“Unless one of the high school kids at the party was a serial killer,” Jazzi said.
He looked skeptical. So did Ansel. But then Jerod passed Ansel’s magazine picture back to him, returning their attention to work. “I like that. It fits the time period of the house’s style. Let’s do it. We can spend a little extra this time to play up what a great place this is.”
They quickly mapped out the rest of their plans. Once they finished the downstairs, they’d move upstairs to the bedrooms, three baths, and the hallway leading to the balcony. They’d spend the majority of their time removing wallpaper. With everything decided, they packed up to head home.
“If you guys want to sleep in a little and come late Monday morning, it’s fine with me,” Jerod told them on their way out. He gestured to Ansel. “But I think you told your brother to plan his wedding for Sunday just so Jazzi didn’t have to bother with the family meal.”
It was the first one she’d canceled in years, but after their friends and family met Ansel’s dad at their wedding, they knew how difficult Dalmar could be. If he could make something inconvenient, he would. Bain hadn’t even told them about the wedding until a month ago. The whole thing was a rushed affair.
Ansel grimaced and shook his head. “Not hardly. It’s going to be a five-hour drive to Wisconsin to watch Bain and Greta say I do before heading to a restaurant for a celebration meal, and then getting in the pickup for a five-hour drive home.”
“Why the rush?” Jerod stopped at his truck to hear the answer. “Why not take the time to plan something special?”
“Because Bain probably didn’t want to hear Dad complain about him getting married and spending money any longer than he had to. This way, it will be a done deal, and Dad will just have to make the best of it.”
“Your dad’s a pain,” Jerod told him.
Ansel huffed his annoyance. “You’re preaching to the choir. Just be glad you didn’t have to live with him.”
“Well, remember, if you’re late on Monday, I won’t storm to your house to knock on your door.”
“Thanks.” Ansel laid George on the back seat while Jazzi loaded their cooler and slow cooker. Then they headed to the butcher shop on West Jefferson and Jazzi chose four thick rib eyes for him to grill. Gaff’s favorite was rib eye. At Fresh Market, they bought everything to make a chopped salad with blue cheese vinaigrette. Jazzi was putting romaine in the cart when she turned to look for Ansel. He’d disappeared. She found him in front of the dessert glass at the back of the store.
She should have known, but she didn’t have time to make anything, so she said, “Pick one.”
They went home with a fruit tart with a cream cheese filling.
The cats came to greet them at the kitchen door before padding to their food bowl. George joined them. Ansel fed the pets while Jazzi zipped upstairs to shower and change. Then he took his turn while she seasoned the steaks and left them out to reach room temperature. They wouldn’t have a full hour, but it would be close enough. She was chopping ingredients for the salad when Ansel came to help. It would have enough different vegetables; it just took some time to make.
By the time Gaff and Ann gave a quick knock and entered the kitchen, Ansel had the steaks on the grill and Jazzi had set the table. She brought Gaff a beer and Ann a glass of wine. She’d already poured one for herself, and Ansel rarely manned the grill without a Michelob.
They made small talk over their steaks and salads, but once Ansel sliced and served the dessert, Gaff glanced at his wife.
“I know,” Ann said with a smile. “Time to talk business. Let’s hear about this new case.”
That was what Jazzi liked about Gaff’s Ann. Five three and thirty pounds overweight, with gray hair and laugh lines, she radiated warmth and vitality. And she understood what went with marrying a cop. How Gaff could have found a more perfect partner, she didn’t know.
Gaff swallowed a bite of tart and got started. “As I told you, another girl was killed in the same year Jessica died, so I’m guessing the murders are related. So did my friend who helped with the investigations, but he couldn’t prove anything.”
Jazzi pinched her lips together. Two girls were dead and no one had ever been charged. “You said the second girl was in high school, too?”
Gaff nodded. “She was a cheerleader for a basketball team that Merlot High played that year—Wendy Roeback. It was an out-of-town game, and no one found her body until the bus for Merlot’s team had already left. No one saw anything.”
“Were the basketball players and coaches the only people from Merlot there that night?” Could they get that lucky and narrow down the suspects?
Gaff shook his head. “Two buses of fans and a bunch of parents and relatives drove to see the game.”
Jazzi pursed her lips. “Did Ruth Goggins watch RJ every time he played?”
He grinned, obviously expecting the question. “She attended every school function he was in. Neighbor Ruth made quite an impression on you, didn’t she?”
Jazzi grimaced in reply. “Was Jessica there?”
“No, she went to at-home games but didn’t always drive out of town to see Merlot play. Alwin’s dad was there, though. He supported everything Alwin did.”
“He would.” Jazzi made a face.
“The cops looked into everything,” Gaff said. “The only tips they got were from RJ’s aunt. She kept reporting fake information about Damian Dunlap. They mostly considered her a crank.”
Too bad people in town didn’t take her that way. She was a major reason Damian had had to mo
ve away.
“The killer had to be a guy,” Ansel said. “No jealous girlfriend would kill two girls she thought were competition.”
“Don’t bet on it. But it’s unlikely.” Gaff pushed away his empty plate and reached for the coffeepot. He poured a second cup for himself and for Ann. “One more interesting thing,” he said. “The girl who died had long blond hair, like Jessica’s and was tall and willowy, also like she was.”
A chill ran down Jazzi’s spine. “That’s what serial killers do, isn’t it? They pick a certain look or type.”
Ansel frowned. “Either that, or someone wanted to kill Jessica for a long time and couldn’t, so he killed a surrogate instead.”
“Where did Wendy Roeback die?” Jazzi asked. “In the high school?”
“Outside. She’d pulled on a heavy coat and snuck out behind the building for a cigarette break.”
“Alone?” Jazzi shook her head. But why was she surprised? Kids did all kinds of things at that age. If she remembered right, Jerod had been known to sneak a puff or two between classes. Thankfully, he gave up smoking pretty fast.
“Was the lighting good behind the building?” Ansel asked.
Jazzi looked at him, surprised. “You think someone might have killed her thinking she was Jessica?”
He nodded. “If she had the same build and hair color…”
“She was in the shadows,” Gaff said. “That’s why it took a while before anyone found her.”
“Poor girl.” It was bad enough that she died, but to die for no reason? That made it even worse. “How did she die?”
Gaff sent an apologetic glance to Ann. “Someone picked up a heavy stone that kids used to prop open the door and bashed her in the back of the head.”
Ansel blinked, surprised. “Either a man or a woman would be strong enough to do that, wouldn’t they?”
“All they’d need is a good swing before they connected,” Gaff said.
Ansel nodded. “I bet someone was really surprised when they saw Jessica alive and well the next day.”
Chapter 9
