Signed, Sealed and Dead

by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

  When Bo barked, I assumed it was because he woke up and noticed I wasn’t there. “Hold on Bo, I’ll be there in a minute.”

  He barked again, and I finished up my stuff, then headed back up front. Bo stood alert, his body tense, his tail straight and pointed, and he bared his teeth.

  All at Clarissa Mooney standing inside my office. “Now puppy, be nice,” she said.

  Bo hadn’t acted like that around Clarissa Mooney in the past. She’d obviously scared him out of a deep sleep. “Bo, it’s okay. Come.”

  He came and sat by my side, but he didn’t let his defenses down. Something was up. “It’s late, Clarissa. What are you doing here?”

  Her eyes went to Bo and then back to me. She kept her body rigid, and held her chin up. “I’m done with this, Lily. It’s time we end it.”

  “End what? Your immature handling of…of what is this even? I don’t have any idea what I’ve even done to you, Clarissa. I barely even know you.”

  “You know what you’re doing, and I’m here to stop it.”

  My posture stiffened along with Bo’s. “Actually, Clarissa, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

  She took a step forward, and Bo growled. I put my hand on his head, and I stepped slowly behind my swivel office chair. “I’d like you to leave now, or I’ll call the police.”

  Clarissa was standing on the opposite side of our big conference table, the side my things were on. “You mean you’ll call your boyfriend?” She glanced down and picked up my cell phone. “With what? This?” She wiggled the phone at me. “Oh darling, I don’t think so. How about I keep this instead?” She stuffed it into her open purse and pulled out something else. “But I do have something for you, and I think it’ll look familiar.”

  Bo growled again, and I grabbed a hold of his collar. “Bo. Stay.”

  I focused on her hand and saw the syringe. Dear God. It wasn’t Ginnie. It was Clarissa.

  I struggled to hold onto Bo. That needle would kill him, and I’d rather die before I let her kill him, but I knew she would. I could feel it in my bones. “You won’t get away with this. You’ve got the syringe in your hands. They’ll get your fingerprints from it.”

  “Oh, bless your heart. Sweetie, you’re talking to a woman with a higher IQ than yours. You think I don’t know what I’m doing? Ask Bobby Yancy. You think they found other fingerprints on the one that killed your buddy Carter Trammell? Tell me, how close were you two anyway? Closer than you and the sheriff?” She moved to the side of the table, closer to me.

  I tightened my grip on Bo’s collar.

  “Come on. You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone what we discuss here tonight. I promise.”

  I felt ill. Everything I’d eaten earlier that day wanted to come back up my throat, but I refused to let that happen. I wouldn’t show weakness, not to Clarissa Mooney.

  “I hear he was close like that to Ginnie Slappey, and that’s why her husband up and left her. Now she’s got nothing, and she’s working on her next victim, but he’s just as broke as she is. Girl just doesn’t know what to do. I told her stealing money from the booster club wasn’t the way to go about, it but she didn’t listen.”

  “Ginnie Slappey is stealing money from the booster club?”

  She laughed. “’Course she is, and when her little boyfriend, Carter Trammell, found out, he insisted she stop, but she couldn’t.”

  I kept my grip tight on Bo’s collar, and my eyes focused on Clarissa Mooney. I wanted her to keep talking. I knew I didn’t have plans with Dylan, but I hoped he’d at least decide to take one of his little breaks and say goodnight or something.

  A girl could hope, right?

  “What do you mean, she couldn’t?”

  “She couldn’t stop stealing money, because I’d already found out, and I made her steal money for me, silly.”

  “You made her steal money for you?”

  “I sure did. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Why would you? Everyone knows you’re rich. You don’t need the money.”

  “’Course I don’t need the money.” She laughed, but it wasn’t a joyful kind of laugh. It was evil and snarky, and it sent chills down my spine.

  Bo felt it too, because his neck tensed, and I had to tighten my grip on his collar even more. Poor pup, but at least the sweat on my hand kept my grip from being too tight, not that it would matter. Bo was all kinds of stronger than me. If he wanted, he could break loose any second, and we both knew it. He was waiting, waiting for the right moment, or for my release, and we both knew that, too.

  “Sweetie, I made her take money for me because I could. You see, weak women will do anything, and Ginnie Slappey like you, she’s weak. Now, unfortunately, poor Bobby Yancey, he’s a victim of circumstance, and I feel a little bad about him, but that’s just the way it is.”

  I shook my head a little. “I don’t…I don’t understand.”

  “Of course you don’t, because you’re of a certain social class, and you wouldn’t. Let me explain. I feel I owe you that. You see, Bobby is a janitor, and well, I’m rich. I’ve spent many years and a lot of money on lessons for my son—you know my son, Tanner, right?”

  “I saw him on my home video.” I made sure she saw the displeasure and disgust on my face.

  “Oh, that yes. Well, that wasn’t my idea. I just went along because it was funny, and I have a good attorney. We won’t have a mark on our records, you’ll see.” She laughed. “Well, actually, you won’t, but that’s okay.” She waved her hand.

  I wasn’t about to tell her that I had video cameras in my office, too. If she was so rich, she’d probably equated that richness to smarts, but sadly, she was obviously mistaken. Whatever she’d planned to do to me would be on video, and she’d spend the rest of her life in jail for it. I would be dead, but justice would prevail, that I was sure of.

  “Anyhoo, we invested a lot in training Tanner to be an excellent lacrosse player so he could get a scholarship and go to a Division One school, and then this janitor’s son comes along and without an ounce of training, he just steps in and takes over the number one spot on the team like he owns it, and I’m supposed to be okay with that?” She huffed as if that was totally unacceptable. “I think not. Y’all may be okay with that kind of thing, but not me. I do not live like that.”

  “So, what, you ruin his chances by framing his father for murder?”

  “A momma’s got to do what a momma’s got to do.”

  “And you used Ginnie Slappey to do this how?”

  “Oh sweetie, she was just a means to an end, kind of like you. She was doing the nasty with your buddy, and I found out, and I told her husband, and I also told your buddy she was stealing the cash, which, by the way, she was stealing so she could have a little nest egg for when she left her husband for your friend, and well, that just set the whole thing a flame, and the fire just went from there.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “Of course you don’t get it. You’re too young to understand.”

  “Humor me.”

  “One thing led to another, and your friend got upset, told her he was going to report her, after dumping her, of course, and she told him she couldn’t stop because I’d found out, but he didn’t seem to care. He threatened to call us both out, so well then, I just had to kill him.”

  I nodded.

  She chuckled. “Now you’re getting it. I told Ginnie to get a hold of the potassium chloride, which of course she did, and I have to admit, a desperate woman will do what she needs to, and I got it done. I’ll spare you the details, but she looks adorable in a nurse’s uniform, let me tell you. And you can find anything online these days. Did you know it’s easy to transfer fingerprints? Why, you can do it to just about anything if you take your time.”

  “Lovely. That’s just lovely.”

  She walked closer toward me. Bo bowed up on his hind legs, and I couldn’t control him. “Bo, no. Sit. Heel.” I pulled and yanked, but he wouldn’t listen, and he charged at
Clarissa. I screamed. “Bo, sit.” He didn’t.

  I ran toward her as Bo jumped her, her hand drawing back, the syringe ready to plunge into my sweet puppy’s side. “No, no, no. Bo, heel. Off. Bo, no.” I screamed and yelled, and I don’t know what came out of my mouth, but the next thing I knew, I grabbed my laptop off the table and whacked Clarissa Mooney on the side of the head with it. She stopped moving for just a second, turned slightly toward me, stared at me, and then dropped down onto the ground in one loud thump. The syringe rolled out of her hand, and I kicked it away, not wanting it near her. I yanked my phone from inside her bag while Bo stood over the unconscious woman, growling and snarling, his teeth showing and only an inch away from her face.

  I sobbed as I hit Dylan’s contact on my phone, and made no sense as I tried to tell him to hurry.

  “My office. Clarissa. Unconscious. Hurry. Ambulance. Trammell.”

  I thought he said he was on his way and though I was sure he was, it would be months before I knew for certain that’s what he’d said.

  Chapter 12

  Three weeks later it was like nothing had happened—at least to everyone in town, everyone except me.

  The Georgia State Athletic Association had reinstated the entire sports program—after fining the program several thousand dollars that was paid by the parents, of course. Michael Longley was fired for inappropriate sexual behavior. Word around town was that he’d had numerous affairs with lacrosse moms, and taken advantage of their desires to have their boys play on the team.

  I thought about the posters in his classroom and how gross I felt inside knowing he had been able to influence the youth of Bramblett County. I hoped his influence was more along the lines of inappropriate behaviors for men, not the other way around.

  All charges were dropped against Bobby Yancy, and his son received free tutoring from several students who’d wanted him to get a scholarship, which he did, and to Duke University, just as he’d hoped. His dad had a party and invited me, but I graciously declined. Though Bobby Yancy Sr. was a man with rough edges, he was a decent man. I just needed to distance myself from the program entirely, and he understood.

  The school hired a new lacrosse coach from Maryland, and he used Bramblett County Realty to purchase a home, and while that was incredibly ironic, I tried hard not to think of it as some weird omen.

  Ginnie Slappey was arrested for stealing the money from the booster club. Her husband filed for divorce, and she asked us to list her house. We graciously declined. Another agent from Forsyth has the contract and is in the process of holding an estate sale. Belle is planning to attend.

  “You sure you don’t want to come? You know she’ll have some great stuff for your second home.”

  “You cannot possibly think we’ll use any of Ginnie Slappey’s things in our house.”

  “I sure can use some of Ginnie Slappey’s stuff in our second house, and I’ll be happier than a pig in mud to do it.”

  “Belle Pyott, you are a terrible person.”

  “No, I am vengeful when people mess with my bestie.”

  I gave her a hug. “If she’s got anything close to our style, grab it, but I’m not going. I refuse.”

  “You know I will.”

  And she did. She got a perfect coffee station set up, and it was to die for. I thanked Ginnie when I saw her a few days later, when one of our new clients made an offer on her home.

  There was a lot of irony in the pleasure of that, I had to admit.

  Clarissa Mooney was charged with murder and for attempted murder for coming after me. Her attorney even cut me a check for a new laptop. The woman had a head of steel. My entire laptop screen was shattered when I’d gone to open it the next day.

  Bo was considered a hero, and Rufus Fulton did a front page feature on his heroic efforts. Millie framed it and hung it in the café for all to see. He didn’t understand his sudden popularity, but loved the extra pats and treats showered upon him on a daily basis.

  After the dust settled during those three weeks, Belle and I closed on our little cabin, and the redo began, as did the bickering. She wanted Magnolia farm house, and while I wanted that to a certain degree, I pushed for a more traditional farm house look, one that wasn’t so much a trend.

  “Lily, it’s the in thing right now. Everyone is doing it.”

  “And that’s exactly why I don’t want it. In two years it’ll be out. Then what’ll we do?”

  “Remodel.”

  “Oh sweetie, we’ll be broke from this place.”

  “No, it’ll be on all those rental sites online, we’ll be rich.”

  “Goodness, you’re a hot mess.”

  We sat on my couch, waiting for the boys to come over and watch college basketball.

  Belle was about to pitch a fit, her voice all kinds of whiny. “When are they going to get here? I want my pizza.”

  “They’re running late. They’re men.”

  “You haven’t found any dead bodies, have you?”

  I poked her on the top of her shoulder. “Do not curse me like that.”

  They walked in just then, and we knew it because no one could possibly be any louder than those two. “We’re here.”

  Belle popped off the couch and ran to the kitchen. “Goodness gracious, I’m starved.”

  She attacked the pizza box.

  We all stared at her.

  “Well then,” Matthew said. “Best get to it before she eats it all.”

  Dylan kissed my forehead. “Can we chat for a minute?”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  We each grabbed a slice of pizza and walked into the family room. “We’re late because I was with my campaign manager, and things ran a bit longer than I’d expected.”

  I scooted closer to him. “And?”

  “And it looks like I have a competitor, but the odds are in my favor.”

  I relaxed my shoulders. “That’s good.”

  “There’s only one thing.” He pulled a small box from his jacket pocket. “I don’t want to commit to this reelection without knowing we’re both in it for the long run.” He opened the tiny box and a single round diamond sparkled at me. “So what do you say, Lily Sprayberry?”

  I bent over and stared at the ring in the box, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t help the tears from falling down into the box and onto the ring. I couldn’t speak. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. We’d never really talked about marriage. I’d thought about it. I’d thought about it since we dated in high school, but it hadn’t exactly come up in conversation.

  He lifted my chin. “Lily? Will you marry me? I kind of need an answer here.”

  I sniffled, and a smile stretched across my face. “Oh my gosh, of course I’ll marry you, Dylan Roberts. Yes.”

  He went for the ring, but I snatched the little box from his hand, grabbed the ring from it, and shoved it onto my finger. It was a bit snug, but it fit.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  He smiled, and we shared a small kiss. It was small only because I screamed, “Belle, I’m engaged.” I placed the box next to the small vase sitting on my coffee table, the one I’d found that first day of the community sale, and tagged with one of Belle’s hold tags. I still didn’t know it’s story, but now it had become part of mine, and my story was just getting good.

  THE END

  Keep Reading for more!

  Doggie Treat Recipe

  Ingredients

  1 cup all-natural peanut butter (or any nut butter that is safe for dogs)

  1 tablespoon unprocessed coconut oil

  1 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (some dogs don’t like the scent of cinnamon and will shy away from the treats if it’s too strong)

  silicon dog bone tray

  Instructions

  If you’re not using a liquid coconut oil, place the solid oil in a small sauce pan over medium to low heat and cook until melted through.

  Add peanut butter and cinnamon.

  Stir until mixture is completely smooth and tho
roughly mixed. (Mixture should be thick, but pourable!)

  Pour mixture into tray and freeze until set.

  Carefully remove from tray and store in air-tight container in freezer (they soften quickly).

  Notes

  Use approximately 1 teaspoon of coconut oil per 10 lb dog. These are for a small, 15 lb dog.

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  Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Mystery

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my wonderful editor, Jen, my favorite proofreader, JC Wing, my favorite beta reader, Lynn Shaw, and my friends and family who’ve supported me as I’ve traveled along this writing journey.

  A big shout out to Teri Fish! She gets credit for picking the name Bo for the Boxer mix puppy in this series! Thank you, Teri!

  About The Author

  Carolyn Ridder Aspenson currently calls the Atlanta suburbs home, but can't rule out her other two homes, Indianapolis and somewhere in the Chicago suburbs.

  She is old enough to share her empty nest with her husband, two dogs and two cats, all of which she strongly obsesses over repeatedly noted on her Facebook and Instagram accounts, and is working on forgiving her kids for growing up and leaving the nest. When she is not writing, editing, playing with her animals or contemplating forgiving her kids, she is sitting at Starbucks listening in on people's conversations and taking notes, because that stuff is great for book ideas.