by Dale Mayer
“So very true.”
“It is true, and it’s very insensitive of you to be digging into this,” Heidi said, suddenly walking through the kitchen into the living room. Mugs jumped to his feet. She looked down at him and sneered. “What kind of watchdog are you? I came in through the open kitchen door without you even knowing.”
Aretha looked at her in surprise. “Why didn’t you come with me?” she asked. “And why didn’t you tell me that you were coming here?”
“I came to hear if there was any conversation to help us find those jewels,” Heidi said. “Because you realize Doreen has found some.”
Aretha looked at Heidi in shock and then turned her gaze to Doreen. “Is that true?”
“Heidi seems to have heard some rumors in town,” Doreen said. She had her phone in her hand and looked down at it, then smiled and swiped to the right, as if checking for email or something, and brought up Mack’s text. She looked up at Heidi and said, “But rumors are just that, rumors.”
“Do you think the jewels are still here in town?” Aretha leaned forward and placed her hand on Doreen’s knee. “Is it possible?”
Doreen looked at her gently. “What difference would it make if they were?”
“Well, they would belong to me,” she said, hope in her gaze. “The insurance company never paid on the claim for coverage, and the files have been closed. It would make a huge difference in my life if any jewels were found.”
“How much of a difference did it make in the beginning?” Doreen asked. “Did you have anything to do with the death of your husband?”
Tears came to Aretha’s eyes. “No. He was a screwup, and I knew that. But I loved him. And just like I was saying about my second husband loving his first wife, my heart died with my first. I wanted the divorce because I couldn’t live with him and all his chaos, but I didn’t want to let him go,” she whispered.
“And what about you, Heidi?” Doreen asked. “Did you ever wonder how your uncle died?”
“He overdosed on drugs,” she said. “I’m sure it was a suicide. I told you that.”
“Maybe,” Doreen said. “But what did his sister, your mother, die of?”
“Cancer.”
“And what do you want to bet the same drugs his sister was on are what killed your husband?” Doreen asked Aretha.
Aretha shook her head. “So he went for a visit and took all her drugs. That just makes her a victim too.”
A glance at Heidi revealed her glaring at Doreen. “But Heidi knows the truth. Don’t you, Heidi?”
“So my mother’s drugs were used. Big deal,” she said. “Do you have any idea how many people die from drug overdoses every day?”
But the question hadn’t fazed Heidi. “Did you kill your mother?” Doreen asked Heidi out of the blue.
Heidi shook her head. “The cancer took her.”
“And then you found her diaries, I presume?”
“Actually she told me on her deathbed, but I was too young. I didn’t really understand everything. But I taped it all and wrote it down, determined to come and look for it when I could.”
“Look for what?” Aretha asked. “Are you saying my husband was murdered?”
Heidi nodded. “My mother killed him. She knew about the jewels he had kept from the insurance fraud. He stole the jewels and hoped to get the insurance payout too. But he wasn’t the brightest light on the string.”
Aretha cried out again, her hand going to her mouth. “So he did cause all that? I wondered but had hoped not …”
“My mother was involved in the break-in too,” Heidi said. “She came up one night and helped him out, then disappeared with a bunch of the jewels afterward. But she made some bad decisions herself and couldn’t get much for the jewels. Uncle Reginald had a bunch he hid around the city. You’re right, Aretha. He was a screwup. And he left Lena notes about where they all were. She found one pile, and that kept her going for her cancer treatments, and she gave me some. That’s how I managed to buy the big estate I’ve got. And, of course, through my marriage we lived here, but when Jorgensen died, it was already paid off because I’d made sure it was.”
“Did your husband know of your ill-gotten gains?” Doreen asked.
Heidi shrugged. “No. He didn’t ask too many questions. It’s not like I wanted anybody in my life who would be smarter than me.”
“Of course not,” Doreen said softly. “And what about the last bag of jewels?”
“They were gone,” she said. “The bag with the big emerald was gone. That’s the one we’ve been looking for. I figured, when Aretha died, I’d go through all her stuff better and find it. But I haven’t seen anything of it yet.”
“You’ve been through my things?” Aretha asked.
“Of course. Isn’t that the reason you moved into the house too?” Heidi asked cynically. “To see if I had any of them?”
“It crossed my mind that maybe you did,” Aretha said, “because you seemed to have done so well for yourself.”
“I did. I had quite a few of them, and you’re right, I did do well for myself. But I didn’t kill anybody,” Heidi said. “Although Doreen might be my first.”
“What? If I don’t hand over the jewels, you’ll kill me?”
“Of course,” Heidi said. “Because I’m running out of money and I have no intention of being poor, like Aretha.”
“You can always sell your house,” Doreen said drily.
“Not happening,” she said. “When you’re accustomed to a certain lifestyle, you’ll do anything to maintain it.”
“I don’t think so,” Doreen said, standing up. “I don’t have any jewels, ladies, so you’ll have to excuse me. I’m feeling tired. I think a nap may be in order.”
“I don’t think so,” Heidi said, and, within an instant, she had a gun in her hand.
Doreen looked at it and sighed. “You know what? I’m really tired of getting knocked around, beaten up, and shot at,” she said.
Aretha stood and whispered, “Heidi, what are you doing?”
“What I should have done when I first heard about them, and that was a couple days ago.” She motioned the gun at Doreen. “Go get them.”
Doreen shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Heidi stepped closer, into the living room, and it was all Doreen could do to keep the smile off her face as she watched Goliath slink under the pot chairs, going in behind Heidi. Doreen knew what would happen next, even if Heidi didn’t. Thaddeus had been on the kitchen table, but he suddenly appeared on the round newel post of the staircase.
Heidi looked at him in disgust. “All these animals,” she said. “They’re just nasty.”
Thaddeus started to sing, “Thaddeus is gorgeous.”
Heidi looked at him. “He’s not for real, is he?”
“Oh, yeah, he is,” Doreen said with a sigh. “What are you doing with that gun? Either shoot me, and then, of course, shoot Aretha as well, or put it away and forget about the jewels.”
“That’s not happening,” Heidi said. She cocked the gun and pointed it at Doreen.
“So you’ll kill your aunt too?”
“She won’t say anything,” Heidi said. “Otherwise she’ll end up in some government-run old-age home with nothing to redeem her lifestyle.”
Aretha’s eyes widened, and she looked from one to the other.
Doreen worried it just might be possible, and she didn’t want to put it to the test.
Just then, Thaddeus asked, “Are you done?”
Heidi spun around and glared at him. Taking advantage of the distraction, Doreen stepped forward and tried to wrench the gun free. But Heidi turned it back on her and pressed it hard against her shoulder. “Back off,” Heidi said.
Thaddeus hopped onto her shoulder and dug his claws in.
The only problem with that was, it was the arm holding the gun. And Heidi’s trigger finger would flex in response to a claw to that shoulder. Doreen managed to knock her arm to the
side, just as Thaddeus dug in hard.
Heidi shrieked and shot off the gun, a bullet slamming into the wall above the door.
Doreen tried to grab her hand, but Heidi was strong and fit.
Mugs jumped up in front of her, and Goliath had apparently chosen the back of Heidi for his target this time. He stretched up and caught her in the back of the knees with his claws.
Heidi buckled and landed on her knees; then Mugs sent her flying backward yet again.
With that accomplished, Doreen managed to pull the gun free and held it on Heidi.
In the background, she could hear vehicles tearing up the cul-de-sac into the driveway.
“You guys are awesome,” she said warmly to her furry and feathered family. “And it sounds like the cavalry has arrived.”
The door opened, and Mack stepped in. When he saw Doreen with a gun on Heidi, he groaned. “Couldn’t you have just gotten out of trouble instead of into trouble just this one time?”
Doreen smiled and said, “How about next time?” Then she handed him the gun. “We have here a classic case of Heidi’s mother having killed her brother, Reginald Abelman, and Heidi was only helping out Aretha to find the missing jewels herself.”
“The jewels that my mother found?” Mack asked for clarity.
Doreen nodded. “Absolutely. Those jewels. And we already have a buyer, if we can ever figure out who the heck is the rightful owner.” She looked at Aretha, who sat there, her hand clasped over her mouth, with tears in her eyes as she stared at her niece.
“I suspect it might be Aretha,” Doreen muttered to Mack, “but I’m not sure.”
He looked from one to the other, then shook his head. “It’s not your problem now,” he said.
She turned to see Chester and Arnold and grinned. “Hi, guys.”
“What kind of trouble are you in now?” Chester muttered.
“I just solved the burglary from a long time ago and a murder too,” she said. “But unfortunately nobody’s left to prosecute.”
“Why is that?” Chester asked, narrowing his gaze.
“Because Heidi’s mother killed her brother, which is currently an accidental overdose on your books,” she said. “And the two of them were involved in the burglary and the insurance fraud attempt by the jewelry store.”
“And my uncle also burned the business to the ground,” Heidi spat from her position on the ground.
“Interesting,” Doreen said. “Did they have anything to do with the death of Aretha’s parents?”
“My mother said she cut the brake lines,” Heidi said, as the men pulled her to her feet.
Aretha gasped, her hands dropping from her face to her heart.
“Wow,” Chester said. “All from so long ago.”
“Yep,” Doreen said. “But just think, guys. No bodies this time. Just paperwork.”
At that, Chester groaned. “Paperwork? More paperwork?”
“More paperwork,” she said with a big chuckle. “But that’s all right. You guys are up for it.”
“If you say so,” Arnold snapped. “Any chance you could just stay out of trouble for once?”
Doreen made a dusting off motion with her hands and said, “Absolutely. You take this lovely lady out of my life, and I’ll be more than happy to.”
“But do we have anything to charge her with?”
“Aside from trying to shoot me just now? That bullet hole she put in my wall is proof. Also I highly suggest you look into her husband’s death,” Doreen said. “She’s a little too happy he’s gone.”
Heidi glared at her. “You don’t know anything about it.”
“No, I don’t,” she said, “but I’m sure the police will get to the bottom of it.”
Mack just smiled, and, before Doreen knew it, Heidi was handcuffed and stood on her feet. She looked back at Doreen. “You’re just nothing but an interfering busybody.”
“And you’re selfish and greedy and conniving. You only moved here to find all those jewels, and you manipulated your aunt into your house, just so you could keep an eye on her, in case more jewels were found.”
“She needed a place to live.”
“She still needs a place to live,” Doreen said with a smile. “You’ll let her live there while you’re in jail?”
“I’m not going to jail for anything more than a misdemeanor. I’ll be out in no time,” Heidi said.
“Until they dig up your husband’s body and take another look at that. How did he die?”
Heidi glared at her. “None of your business.”
But Doreen answered for her. “He committed suicide, right?” she said. “He ingested a whole pile of antibiotics and other medications.”
“Oh, my God. How did you get him to take them?” Aretha asked.
Heidi didn’t answer.
Yet Doreen looked at her and knew. “The same way her mom got your uncle to take his medication,” she said. “She pointed a gun at him and insisted.” She glared at Heidi. “Right?”
Heidi stiffened her back. “None of your business.”
But everybody nodded.
“Exactly,” Chester said. “Wow. You could have just shot him. It would have been easier.”
“Not necessarily. It would have left a lot more forensic evidence,” Heidi snapped.
“So,” Doreen said, “now that you’ll be in prison for murdering your husband, does Aretha get to stay at the house?”
Heidi’s shoulders sagged. “I’ll think about it.”
Doreen turned to Aretha, who stared at her niece with a hopeful expression. “You might as well put her out of her misery now. She needs a place to live.”
“She’s already there, isn’t she?” Heidi said. “At least for the moment she can stay.”
Aretha’s face burst into a big smile. “I’ll look after it,” she promised.
“Somebody needs to. We’ll figure it out,” Heidi grumped.
Aretha reached out to grasp Doreen’s hands and whispered, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And, if you take care of paying the bills and everything else,” she said, “I think you are due a stipend for looking after the property.”
Heidi stopped and called out, “Enough of that talk.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Doreen continued. “Aretha will have to bring in gardeners now that you won’t be there. She’ll have to pay the bills and handle all kinds of things. I think she needs at least one thousand a month in order to take care of that.”
Heidi just glared at her, then turned to look to her aunt and sighed. “I’ll see,” she said. “No promises.”
Aretha grasped Doreen’s fingers and whispered, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
As she started to go down the front steps, Heidi turned. “What about the jewels?”
Mack shook his head. “I wouldn’t think about them, if I were you.” And he promptly ushered her toward Arnold and Chester.
“Oh, but—” Aretha tried to interject.
“I think Zachary deserves to finally get the emerald he wants for his beloved wife, and that money—plus the money from selling the other jewels—well, I think a charity might be the best answer,” Doreen said gently. “We don’t want anybody thinking you had anything to do with this in order to get those jewels, do we?” she asked Aretha.
Aretha’s eyes lit up with horror. “No,” she said. “If I can get one thousand a month from my niece to look after the place and be able to stay there …” She smiled in delight. “You know what? Maybe after all this, a charity is the right answer.” She looked down at the animals. “How about an animal charity? My vote is for giving all these guys as much care as they need. I’m really glad Heidi didn’t manage to shoot you.”
“Me too,” Doreen said. She waved as Aretha started the walk home. Then she whispered to herself again, “Me too.”
Epilogue
Wednesday Late Afternoon …
Arnold and Chester prepared to leave, each one of them holding onto one of Heidi’s a
rms.
“That was a good thing you did,” Mack said quietly.
She gave him a quiet smile. “Someone needed to help her. Now, of course, I don’t have a case to work on …” She looked at Mack hopefully. He stiffened and glared at her. “None of mine.”
“Don’t you have another case in progress?” Arnold asked.
“No,” Doreen said with a big smile. “I figured I’d look into these old ladies dropping dead.”
“You are the gardener,” Chester said, with that fat smile of his. “If anybody can figure out what kiwis have to do with that damn case, I’d like to know.”
Doreen stared at him. “Kiwis?”
Mack sent a warning look to Chester, but it was already too late. Chester was too far ahead.
“Yep,” he said. “A kiwi in the mouth.”
“But only one of the old women’s mouths?”
He leaned forward and said in that thick heavy whisper, “Yes, but all three had one on their person.”
Doreen grinned. “Killer in the Kiwis. I love it.” That was so her next case.
Mack shot her a hard look. “You stay out of it,” he said. “Cold cases are one thing, but my cases are another.”
She grinned up at him impudently. “No problem,” she said. “You’ve got, let’s see, what? Twenty-four hours?”
Mack jammed his hands on his hips, as Arnold started to chuckle. Whistling, he walked over to Chester and the two of them loaded Heidi into the back seat of their RCMP patrol car, leaving Doreen with Mack.
Doreen turned and looked up at him. “So?”
“So, what?” he growled.
“Twenty-four hours? Forty-eight? How much lead time do you need?” she asked hopefully. He took a hard step toward her, but she no longer felt threatened by Mack. She looked up at him and grinned. “Come on. Forty-eight hours it is then. It’s a deal. I’m on the Killer in the Kiwis case.”
Laughing, she raced into the kitchen. She heard the front door slam as Mack walked out, and she knew he had to leave. He now had even more work to do at the police station. And that was fine.
She’d give him the two days but not a minute more.
This concludes Book 10 of Lovely Lethal Gardens: Jewels in the Juniper.
