by Judi Lynn
She’d half expected Gaff to drop by today and had made two extra sandwiches in case, but when he didn’t show up, she told Jerod to take them home.
“Have I told you that you’re my favorite cousin?” he joked. “If I open a can of soup, we can each have half a ham and cheese sandwich to go with it for supper.”
“You’d better never let Olivia hear you say that, but whatever makes your life easier.” She cleaned up their things, then they started digging again. They were trying to be as careful as possible so they didn’t ruin any of the house’s landscaping.
By the end of the day, they were exhausted. The clay soil was dry and rock solid, making the trench hard work. But they’d finished one side of the house and most of the back. Another day and a half and they could lay the drainage tile.
They didn’t even put their shovels away, just leaned them against the back wall before they left. Jazzi promised herself a hot bath when they got home. They’d kept the claw-foot tub in their master bath, and it was perfect to soak in. Gaff didn’t call until they were a few minutes from home. “I’m close to your place. Can I stop by in half an hour?”
Her bath would have to wait. “Sure, we’ll be home by then.”
“Should I give you a little longer to take your showers? Every time I stop by the Merlot place, you’re both a mess.”
Jazzi snorted. “We’re even worse tonight. We’ve been digging all day.”
“Then I’ll give you an extra fifteen minutes.” And he hung up. Detectives must do that. Once their business was done, the phone went dead.
She sighed. So much for a long, hot soak. The first thing they did when they walked in the house was feed and play with the animals, or there’d be no peace. Inky expected attention after being left alone all day. Marmalade, her orange cat with a sweet disposition, was happy whenever they took time to pet her.
Ansel showered first, then Jazzi. Her hair was still wrapped in a towel when Gaff arrived. He shook his head. “You’re not the turban type.” He took a stool at the kitchen island, and Ansel brought them all drinks.
“Beer okay?” he asked Gaff.
“Yup, I’m off duty. I got Jazzi’s text message last night about Jessica’s dad. Guess it looks like he and his son are both in the running as top suspects, but Ruth Goggins has inched up the ladder, too.”
“How’s that?” Jazzi went to the refrigerator and took out what was left of the cheese ball from the party and a sleeve of crackers to munch on while they drank.
“Your friendly neighbor was on a trip, too, when Lila died.”
Jazzi didn’t miss the sarcasm. “Really? Where did she go?”
“To visit her sister in Virginia, not that far from North Carolina. The sister confirms the visit, but Ruth left in plenty of time to lie in wait for Lila in Carolina.”
Ansel rubbed his head. “Would Ruth have the nerve to play chicken on a highway?”
“If she thought her reputation was at stake?” Jazzi nodded. “She’s really single-minded.”
Gaff smeared cheese on a cracker. “I think we have three top contenders. Unfortunately, we don’t have any proof.” He popped the snack in his mouth and smiled. Jazzi would bet he’d eaten a quick lunch and was hungry by now.
Jazzi pursed her lips, thinking about proof. “I don’t suppose the tire marks can identify a certain model of car.”
“Sometimes that works,” Gaff said, making himself a few more crackers. “If the tires are different sizes or have some distinguishing flaw. We didn’t get that lucky.”
Of course not. That would have been too easy. “Jessica’s dad couldn’t have killed Darcie, though, right? He spent the night with the young woman.”
“You’re right. He had a solid alibi that night. Unless…” He paused, thinking. “What if he pushed Jessica, but Alwin killed Darcie to protect him? The detective working the Carolina end says those two have a weird bond of some kind.”
“Maybe it started when they shared the peephole to watch Jessica.”
Gaff grimaced. So did Ansel. Finally, Gaff stood to leave. “Eventually, we’re going to find the one thing that gives us an answer. We’re getting there.”
Jazzi watched him drive away, then sighed.
“Is it that bad?” Ansel asked.
“Every time I think we’re narrowing things down, something new comes up that confuses me.”
He patted her arm. “Gaff has faith in you. So do I.”
That was a good thing. They had more faith in her than she did.
Chapter 41
On Wednesday, the young couple came and walked through the Merlot house with Jerod. In less than an hour, they bought it. Jerod was ecstatic. They got full price.
On Thursday, the three of them finished digging the trench. Another reason to celebrate. And after work that night, the trundle daybeds Ansel had ordered were delivered. They looked perfect against the walls of the kids’ space in their basement. That made him ecstatic. He had a place for his family if they came to visit.
Jazzi should have been happy, too, but when she left to drive to Olivia’s favorite Mexican restaurant on Jefferson for girls’ night out, she didn’t feel up to it. Gaff had called to tell her that Lila Mattock’s funeral was at two on Friday afternoon and asked her to go with him. She wasn’t looking forward to it. She especially didn’t want to see Ruth Goggins, who would undoubtedly be there, or Nadia Ashton. But Gaff wanted her there. He hadn’t met any of the suspects, only knew them by name, so she’d go. The one redeeming factor was that she, Jerod, and Ansel would still have plenty of time to look at the house in Kirkwood Park before she had to be in Merlot. Fingers crossed it would be a good candidate for their next fixer-upper.
Olivia was already holding a table for them when Jazzi walked inside the restaurant. A miracle. Olivia was never the first person at anything. Her sister took one look at her face and raised her eyebrows. “This would be a good night for your favorite—a strawberry margarita.”
The waiter raised his pen, and Jazzi nodded. “The middle size.” The bar offered small, medium, and large drinks. The large might make her a little too carefree.
Olivia waited until she sat across from her. “Thane called Ansel today. They’re meeting at your house again this Thursday. You might regret buying so many boy toys for your basement.”
Jazzi smiled. “The novelty will wear off. Eventually, they’ll be ready to eat out again.”
Didi and Elspeth walked into the bar area together. Didi was moving a little slower lately. She only had a month and a half until the baby was due.
Once they were settled and gave their drink orders, Olivia leaned forward, bursting to share some news. “Mom and I hired a new girl who’s going to start working in our shop the first week in November.”
Jazzi blinked. That was only a few days away. This coming Sunday was Halloween. Last year, she and Ansel had met Jerod and his kids at Olivia’s house to help with trick-or-treating. This year, Walker and River were going with them, and Didi was staying with Olivia to pass out candy. That meant the new girl would be starting work next Tuesday. “Why so sudden? You and Mom have co-owned the shop ever since you graduated from beauty school. I thought you were happy having the shop to yourselves. Someone new might change the atmosphere, the camaraderie.”
“We thought about that, but we both interviewed Misty, and we both liked her. We have plenty of room for another work station, and Mom and my books are so full, we can’t take on any new clients. This way, we can bring new people into the shop.”
“That’s what you want? New clients?”
“Some of ours are getting up there in years. It might be nice to attract a younger crowd, to be able to do some trendier stuff and stay up-to-date.”
Jazzi shrugged. Who was she to argue with how they ran their shop? Their drinks came, and the conversation stopped while the waiter took their food orde
rs.
Once he left, Olivia made a face. “Dad’s not too happy about it. He gave Mom some grief when she told him. He didn’t change his mind, even after Mom told him the new girl would rent her booth. We’d make more money.”
Jazzi could understand his concerns. “Dad’s hired lots of part-time workers at the hardware store over the years. He knows everything that can go wrong with a new employee.”
“Hair is different,” Olivia argued. “The more, the merrier.”
“Did you check her references and credentials?” Elspeth asked.
Olivia looked put out. “Of course we did. She moved here from New York, worked in a flashy salon there. She gave us the name of its manager, and we called her. She gave Misty high recommendations.”
Didi jerked and pressed a hand to her stomach. The baby must be kicking again. “I’m glad I work from home. All I have to concentrate on is finishing my medical transcriptions every week.”
“I’d get lonely,” Elspeth chimed in. “I like an office atmosphere. Some of the women at the insurance company work from home a few days a week. I wouldn’t like it. Unless I have to drive in bad weather. Then, I work on my laptop in my pajamas.”
Their food came, and the conversation turned to small talk. By the time they walked out of the restaurant together, Jazzi was in a better mood. But the weather had turned grim while they were inside. The wind howled and a drizzle made everything wet enough to be uncomfortable.
On the drive home, streetlamps and headlights disappeared into dark, wet cement. She had to keep her windshield wipers on the entire way. If a car followed her tonight to force her off the road, she’d never notice until it was too late. Shivering, she pushed the thought away. With relief, she pulled into their driveway and parked her pickup in the garage, then raced to the kitchen door. Warmth greeted her when she stepped inside. So did the aroma of chili. The soup pot was upside down on the drying rack.
“It was so crappy out, the guys and I decided to make chili. It sounded better than takeout.”
“Did they help you cook it?” Jazzi hung her leather jacket on the coat tree by the door.
“They even wrote down the ingredients so they can make it at home.” He grinned. “I used your recipe this time. I learned my lesson trying to download one of my own.” It had been so hot and spicy, they couldn’t eat it.
“Did you give George the crumbled hamburger before you added all the spices?”
Ansel glanced at his pug, watching them from his dog bed.
“I forgot, and you might want to wear a gas mask for the rest of the night.”
Jazzi shook her head. The last time Ansel gave the dog chili, he’d passed so much gas, they had to turn on the vent over the stove. That wouldn’t help once they settled in the living room. Oh, well, what was done was done. She couldn’t do anything about it now.
“Did you have a nice night?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Thane’s getting excited about his gazebo. It’s almost done. Radley’s excited about getting the keys to the house they bought. And Walker’s getting excited about the baby.”
They went upstairs to change, and Jazzi told him about Mom and Olivia hiring a new girl for their shop and Dad’s concerns about it. Ansel gave her a look. “Were you and Jerod worried when you hired me on as a contractor?”
“It was for one job. We figured if you didn’t work out, we’d look for someone else at our next house.”
“But I did work out, and look what happened. We made a great team all the way around, and I was so wonderful, you married me.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest. “We wouldn’t have hired you if you weren’t so gorgeous.”
Chuckling, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You didn’t even look at me back then. You were engaged to Chad.”
“See what I knew?” She stepped back to look up at him. “I’m glad we finally figured things out.”
Glancing at the alarm clock, he gave her a smirk. “It’s still early. We have plenty of time to celebrate smart business practices.” He closed their bedroom door, then turned off every light except the one on the nightstand.
Her night was going to get lots better. She stepped into his arms again.
Chapter 42
They got to sleep in on Friday. There was no reason to drive to Merlot and then return to River Bluffs to see the house. They’d agreed to meet the owner at ten, so they had time for extra cups of coffee and relaxing before they left. Inky and Marmalade loved it, rubbing against their legs, expecting more attention. Ansel even dragged their string around the kitchen, pulling it over the chairs in the sitting area and on the countertops so they’d have to jump for it.
The weather was worse than last night’s. Gray clouds piled on top of one another, hunkering over the city, and rain fell in a steady rhythm. Jazzi didn’t pack anything to take for lunch today. They’d stop and grab fast food after they looked at the Dutch Colonial.
Ansel bent over George to keep him dry as he carried him to the garage. On their way to Kirkwood Park, he glared at the ominous sky. “A perfect day for a funeral—dismal and gloomy.”
She was wearing her black slacks and a black sweater. Her raincoat was red, not appropriate, but she’d hang that up at the funeral home.
“Did you remember to bring your work clothes?” he asked.
She nodded. “On the back seat.” She hoped the service would go so fast, she’d have plenty of time to change and help the guys on the job. “Did you talk to Thane last night? Is his crew coming to install the new furnace and central air today?”
“Yeah, we’re going to help him with the vents. And Jerod and I thought we’d fix the peephole and repaint those walls today.”
That would keep them out of Thane’s way. It was too wet to work on the drainage tile.
When they pulled to the curb in front of the house, they saw an SUV parked in the drive. Jerod’s truck pulled in behind them. “Stay,” Ansel told George. The pug glanced at the rain and settled more comfortably on the back seat. Then the three of them walked to the front door together.
A young man opened it to invite them in. If he was over twenty-one, Jazzi would be surprised. He pinched his lips together and motioned to the rooms they could see. “No one’s fixed anything here for years. My gran lived at home until I had to put her in hospice. I live in Idaho and asked her to move to a nursing center close to me, but she wouldn’t do it. Always did love her independence.”
Jerod frowned. “What about your parents?”
“Both died before her. Smoked like crazy. Cancer got them. I’m all she had at the end, but I have a family and a job out there. I couldn’t come home very often to see her, but at least I was with her when she passed.”
He sounded like a good kid. Jazzi liked him.
“Gran left everything to me. All she asked was for me to find someone who’d make sure her house got a good family who’d take care of it. That’s all I want, to keep her last wish. I looked up you guys after you called me, and you do that, don’t you? You fix a house so it gets good owners?”
“We do the best we can,” Jerod told him.
The boy nodded. No, not a boy. He had to be older than he looked if he had a family, but Jazzi would bet he got carded at liquor stores all the time. He shook his head at a stain where a window leaked. “I know you have to make money, so I’m keeping the price low enough, this might be worth your time.”
“Can we go through it before we decide?” Jerod asked. Otherwise, they wouldn’t buy it.
“Oh, sure! Sorry. I don’t usually handle things like this.” And he turned to walk them through the place.
It needed a lot of work. No one would know from its exterior. That had been kept in perfect shape—a new roof, new paint, and great landscaping—but the interior had been neglected. Two ceilings sagged. Every
window needed to be replaced. The kitchen might as well be a closet, and the bathrooms were straight out of the fifties. There was no master bathroom at all. No surprise. Those were a more recent must-have. But the foundation was in good shape, the basement dry—even with the rain—and when he told them the asking price, Jerod raised his eyebrows for their opinions. Ansel and Jazzi nodded their heads.
The kid grinned. “Then it’s a deal?”
“It works for us.” Jerod extended a hand, and they shook.
“This is such a relief,” he said. “I can tie things up here pretty fast now and drive home.”
Jerod made arrangements to finalize the details, and they left. She was in charge of providing lunches, but her cousin took care of all the paperwork, so he’d meet with the kid and their lawyers and go from there. It was still early, only eleven fifteen, so they decided to drive through the neighborhood to check it out before driving to a restaurant for lunch.
Jerod crowded into their van, sitting beside George, and Ansel wove his way up and down streets. The neighborhood proved wonderful. Houses were well-kept. There was a park a few blocks away with a baseball diamond. Schools were close by, even grad schools. Ivy Tech was on one corner and the Purdue extension campus on another. Shops, a post office, and restaurants were only a few streets away. The location was convenient to everything while still maintaining a neighborhood charm. Ranches, two-stories, and Cape Cods mingled together.
Happy with their choice, they drove to a coffee shop on South Anthony that served lunch. It was after one before they finally pulled into the drive at the Merlot house. Thane and his crew were already there, working in the basement. When they went down to see him, he grinned.
“I took a peek through the house. Talk about a beauty. Once we get the new heating and cooling system in, it looks like you’re pretty close to done, aren’t you?”
“All we have to do is lay the drainage tile,” Jerod told him.
Thane glanced out a high window and shook his head. “And you’re not doing that today?”
