by Judi Lynn
“We need to celebrate,” Ansel said. “Let’s order Chinese.”
A wonderful idea. She wouldn’t cook tomorrow night either, because it was girls’ night out. Two nights of avoiding the kitchen. “And another glass of wine,” she said.
Ansel grinned. “I’ll call it in, and you can take your shower and change into your PJs while I go to pick up the food. I can shower after supper.”
It sounded like a great trade-off to her, so after he called in what they wanted, she trudged up to their bedroom and he drove to their favorite Chinese takeout place.
The rest of the night, they avoided anything serious and just enjoyed themselves. When they went to bed, though, Ansel almost vibrated with excitement. Like a kid on the night before Christmas, he couldn’t wait for the deliveries tomorrow.
He took so long to fall asleep, she thought he’d mutter at the alarm when it went off in the morning, but she should have known better. His hand patted her fanny at six fifteen.
She gave him the one-eyed glare. “You couldn’t wait another fifteen minutes?”
He laughed. “Sorry, but I was thinking about where you wanted to put the sofa in the playroom. Do you think it would be better to put the two easy chairs across from the TV instead?”
It was illegal to maim or kill your husband, and it was a good thing. She took a deep breath. “We were going to put the couch there because you like to lie down when you watch TV. If you’d rather sit, then put the chairs there instead.”
“Maybe we should have bought recliners.”
Another long inhale. Patience was a virtue. She was growing virtuous. “I suggested that. You said that when we opened them up, they’d take up too much space and we’d have to put the coffee table too far from them.”
“There are wall recliners, aren’t there?”
Would she be arrested for hurting him? Bashing him over the head with a pain-in-the-fanny stick? “We looked at some. You didn’t like the looks of any of them.”
“Oh, yeah.”
She swung her legs out of bed. She might as well get moving. He popped to his feet, too, too freaking cheerful for this early in the morning. “If we get an early start in Merlot, maybe we can head home early,” he said.
The sooner to see his toys. But if that made him happy and helped him settle down, why not? After a quick breakfast, she packed sandwiches for lunch. If Jerod said one word, he’d be wearing his. But when they got to the job site, Jerod looked at her face. With sneaky strategy, he smiled instead. Her cousin had learned long ago to read women’s moods.
In the magazine picture of the study, the room had a swirled-plaster ceiling. They climbed ladders to give the flat surface that kind of finish. Then they started building bookcases. They broke for lunch and then built more. It was after four when they nailed the last one together.
“We’ll install them tomorrow,” Jerod said, “and then I don’t want to see another bookshelf for a long time.”
She agreed. When they were up, they’d look great, but she’d never expected them to take this much time. They hurried to get ready to leave. Ansel scooped up George and she grabbed the cooler to carry to the van.
Ruth Goggins stalked to the stone wall and called to them on the way. “Are you happy now?” she asked with a sneer. “Another nice young girl is dead because you couldn’t leave things alone.”
Jazzi wasn’t in the mood. She’d made her peace with that, and Ruth annoyed her. “If you hadn’t lied and spread untrue gossip all over town when Jessica died, the case might have been solved. So I’d say there’s more blame on you.”
Ruth’s jaw dropped. “How rude!”
“Tell me about it.” Jazzi walked away from her and got in the van.
Ansel grinned. “Well done! That woman is a menace.”
“I try not to be like that. I lost my temper.”
“She asked for it.” Ansel pulled out of the drive and headed for home.
It was a good thing they got there earlier than usual. They’d left the garage unlocked and spent a good half hour oohing and aahing over the deliveries that were left in it. Jazzi had parked her pickup on the turnoff so the heavy trucks that brought the furniture, pool table, and pinball machine could back into the drive and deliver them.
The two-car garage was nearly full. She admired the red, fake-suede couch with two matching easy chairs, chosen because they were durable and easy to clean. She even liked the poker table, which could easily be covered to serve as a dining table, too. When she offered to help Ansel carry some of the lightweight items to the basement, he shook his head. “Thane, Walker, and Radley will help me with all of it. Don’t worry about it. You can see what you think when you get back later tonight.”
Worked for her. She went in the house to get ready. She didn’t bother to dress as glam as her sister this time. They were meeting at Trubble Brewing on Broadway, and it was a low-key, funky kind of place. She pulled on her favorite jeans and a V-necked red sweater with ankle boots. She’d still need her jacket when she left the house. The temperatures had dipped below sweater weather. She decided on a fitted, lightweight leather jacket. Ansel loved it. It showed off her curves.
When she came downstairs and Ansel saw her, he stopped and stared. “Do you have to wear that when I’m not with you?”
She crinkled her brow, surprised. “I thought you liked it.”
“I do. So will every guy in River Bluffs.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be with Olivia, Didi, and Elspeth. No one will pay attention to me.”
“Babe, you’re the best-looking woman in the bunch, but thank heavens you don’t believe that. If you flirted, I’d have to fight duels to kill off the competition.”
She laughed. The man was prejudiced, and that was nice. She gave him a quick kiss goodbye and set off for the south side of the city.
When she and the others all got settled and their drinks came, Olivia reached in her purse and handed each of them an envelope. “This saves me some postage. I knew you’d all be here. Invitations for Didi’s baby shower.”
Elspeth ripped hers open. “I’m curious what Didi has on register. My little sister Hillary has been married a year and just told us that she’s three months pregnant. I hope Radley and I find a house by then. I’d love to have my family here to give her a shower.”
“Are you having any luck with the house search?” Jazzi asked.
“We’ve driven by a few, and they looked a lot better in the real estate book than they did in real life.”
Olivia laughed. “Yeah, Thane and I noticed that, too. Where are you looking?”
“We’d like to stay close to downtown, and we both love old houses.”
Olivia nodded. “I’ll spread the word at the hair salon. We meet a lot of people. Maybe someone will know somebody who wants to sell. We found our house because a guy Thane works with told him it would be on the market soon.”
“Thanks! We’d appreciate that.”
Their food came, and they switched to small talk and catching up while they ate. No one lingered after they finished like they sometimes did. Everyone was in the mood to get home.
“I’m still working on the Halloween costumes for Radley and me,” Elspeth said.
That made Jazzi remember she and Ansel hadn’t bothered with costumes yet. Olivia raised an eyebrow at her. “Have you found anything?”
“Not yet. We will. But we did get the basement finished and ready to go.”
Olivia grinned. “Thane’s so excited about the new pool table, he might not be home when I get back. He might sleep over at your place.”
“The daybeds haven’t arrived yet,” Jazzi told her, “but we can make do.”
They left in high spirits, and Jazzi was still in a good mood when she got home. Ansel was even happier. He grabbed her hand and dragged her down to the basement.
She blinked. She had to admit, the room had turned out better than she’d ever expected. The TV on the far, side wall centered the sitting area with the couch and chairs. The big Oriental rug they’d bought made the sitting area cozier. The poker table was near the end of the room closest to the stairs, and the pool table and pinball machine were across from it. There was still room for two daybeds near the kids’ play area.
“Walker suggested putting the kids’ stuff on the far back so that people won’t have to trip over toys to get to everything else. What do you think?” Ansel asked. “He said even with all the storage, the floor wouldn’t be clear.”
Walker would know. River loved his LEGOs and toy cars. “You done good. What did the guys think of it?”
He beamed. “It’s everything any of us ever wanted. River loved it, too.”
“We’ll have to buy some toys and games for down here.” They already had Yahtzee and a few card games for kids for when Gunther and Lizzie spent the night, and they’d set up Jazzi’s old Atari with Donkey Kong, Frogger, and Yoshi’s Island. Jerod’s kids got a kick out of the old-school system.
He nodded, satisfied, and walked to the refrigerator they used to keep in the garage. When he returned, he had two flute glasses and a bottle of champagne.
She laughed. Time to celebrate! He popped the cork, and they enjoyed the entire rest of their night, carrying the champagne up to their room to finish it there. She set the mystery and worry of the murders away for tomorrow.
Chapter 26
On Friday morning, Jazzi spent more time in the kitchen than usual, making wraps for lunch. She spread tortillas with Boursin cheese before adding slices of deli turkey and ham, cucumber and red pepper strips, and shredded lettuce. She put some plain deli meat in a small baggie for George. Then they drove to Merlot to install the bookshelves on three walls of the study. Each unit had a wooden back so that none of the cream-colored walls showed through. Only the narrow end wall was left plain. That was where the oversize desk would sit. Once the shelves were attached, they worked on the crown molding, stained a shade darker than the shelves. They worked longer than usual, agreeing to eat a late lunch.
When noon rolled around, George came to stand beside Ansel and whine.
Jerod laughed at him. “Your pug’s hungry. He might starve if we wait too long to eat.”
They all looked at George. Starvation was a long, long way away, but Ansel bent to pet him and reassure him. “Later, bud.”
Head drooping, he wandered back to his dog bed. He understood the word “later.”
When they finished the room, Jerod shook his head. “I liked the magazine picture, but this looks even better. I feel like I should smoke a pipe and sip a glass of brandy.”
Ansel chuckled. “It works, doesn’t it?”
Jazzi loved it. “Now all we have to do is make the hallway off the back patio into a mudroom, and this floor is done. We can start work upstairs.”
“Upstairs will be quick,” Jerod said. “The floors are done. All we need to do is paint and gut the bathrooms.”
Right. Working on five bedrooms and three baths was never quick. Just gutting bathrooms wasn’t exactly a breeze, but she knew what he meant. If they were lucky, they could finish the second floor by the end of next week—maybe. After that, all that was left was the basement. With its crumbling cement, it would take longer.
They decided to stop for lunch, and when Jazzi pulled baggies out of the cooler, Jerod tried to hide his disappointment. Though when she passed him one, and he saw the tortilla, he grinned. “You went to a lot of bother. Thanks.”
“Anything for you, cuz. Within reason,” she added.
Ansel’s cell phone buzzed while they were eating. “Radley.” He put him on Speaker.
“Hey, Ansel.” His brother sounded excited. “Olivia called, and one of her clients told her about a house on Wilt Street. Elspeth drove past it on her lunch break and really liked it. Would you mind going through it with us? The Realtor said he could show it tonight.”
Ansel glanced her way, and Jazzi nodded. She’d meant to stop at Molly Kroft’s shop for interior designs to ask her about memories of Jessica and the party, but that would have to wait. He quirked a brow at her. “You sure?” When she gave another nod, he said, “Works for us. Text me the address and we’ll meet you there after work.” They all got off at five, so it would be convenient for all four of them.
After they cleared their lunch things, they started work on the mudroom. They built a bench along one wall with room for boots and shoes underneath. Then they installed a long board with hooks above it for coats and jackets. It took the rest of the day to finish, but when they did, it was the perfect spot to come inside, sit down, and slip out of shoes and hang up a coat.
That night, when they locked up and left the Merlot house, the first floor was done. If anyone came to view it, it was ready. In high spirits, Ansel and Jazzi drove to meet Radley and Elspeth. Even George was perkier. He’d seen the bag of deli meat Jazzi had packed for his lunch and knew he’d gotten special treatment. When they reached the brick, two-story house on Wilt Street, the pug hopped out of the van and followed them up the shallow steps to the front porch.
Jazzi stared. “Do you think your dog’s all right?”
Ansel laughed and knocked on the door. Radley and Elspeth were already there. A shiny car was parked behind theirs. It must be the Realtor’s. “George knows our workload has eased up. There’ll be more couch time to share. It’s put him in a good mood.”
Radley opened the door and motioned them inside. There was a narrow foyer that led to the steps going upstairs in front of them and the living room to the right. “Where do you want to start?”
“We’ll look down here, then move upstairs, and end at the basement,” Ansel decided.
The rooms had high ceilings and beautiful woodwork. The living room was a good size, the dining room, behind it, a little cramped, and the kitchen a disaster—dated and tiny. But there was a large room behind the kitchen that Jazzi had no idea what to make of, and a room off it behind the stairs. A half bath with a washer and dryer separated the two rooms. It was poorly arranged.
“There’s nothing here that can’t be fixed,” Ansel said. “I’d knock out the wall between the dining room, kitchen, and back room and make one huge room for entertaining.”
Elspeth smiled. “And the room off it?”
“Maybe a guest room and study?” Jazzi suggested. “I’d gut the half bath and redo it.”
With a nod, Radley led them upstairs. George opted out of steps. There were three big bedrooms and two baths. Dirty, matted carpets covered the floors, and Jazzi knelt to lift a corner of one to peek under it. “Wood, in bad shape. Not sure we could refinish it.”
“I like carpets in bedrooms,” Elspeth said. “It makes them warmer and quieter.”
“Then an easy fix,” Ansel said.
Radley grimaced as he led them to the basement, but the Realtor smiled. “It’s not as bad as most around here.”
It was solid and dry. Those were the most important features. The furnace was old, with thick arms stretching from it.
“Furnaces can be replaced,” Ansel said. “The basement’s not pretty, but it’s in good shape. The ceiling’s too low to make a room down here.”
Radley shrugged. “We’ll just use it for storage. I like having a basement. I don’t like crawl spaces.”
“Then you’re good to go.” Ansel and Jazzi scanned the walls and ceilings for cracks. “I’d say this is a well-built house.”
Jazzi pointed to the electrical box. “You’ll have to update this. Some of the plumbing, too, I’d guess. Old lead pipes clog with time.”
“All doable,” Ansel repeated.
Radley smiled. He turned to Elspeth. “Well?”
“Let’s make an offer, contingent on it passing a home inspection.” Elspeth gl
anced at Jazzi. “You told me to still ask for that, right?”
“It never hurts. The roof looks good, but the inspector will get up on it to see if there are any dips or soft spots. He’ll check the gutters, too.”
“Okay, then,” Radley said. He turned to the Realtor. “The asking price seems fair to us. What if we offer the full amount? With a home inspection.”
The Realtor smiled. “I’ll call the owners to let them know. You’re getting a good house for a good price. The husband and wife who lived here moved to a retirement community. They priced it to sell. It just went on the market this morning.”
“We know.” Elspeth hugged herself, she was so happy. “Olivia called us the minute she heard about it. We owe her a big thanks.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jazzi and Ansel left them to it and drove home. “I hope they hear back soon,” Ansel said, stopping for a red light. “Or Radley’s going to chew his nails to the quick.”
Jazzi had left out two sirloin steaks to thaw, so when they stepped into their own cozy stone cottage, she patted them off and seasoned them for Ansel to grill later. Then they fed the pets and played with them before taking their showers and changing into PJs.
Radley called two hours later. They got the house. He’d be bursting to tell everyone at the Sunday meal.
Jazzi and Ansel settled in the living room for the evening. This Friday, they planned on taking it easy. No work. No journals. But she was going to draw a map of the Merlot house tomorrow and start putting people in the rooms where they’d been when Jessica fell to her death. And tomorrow night, she was going to read through as many of Jessica’s journals as she could.
Chapter 27
They slept till nine on Saturday morning. There’d be no outdoor work today. Rain pummeled the house and yard. When Jazzi looked out their bedroom window, she could hardly see the woods at the back of their property. Turbulent, charcoal-gray clouds hunkered overhead, threatening a whole day of foul weather.
