The Body in the Attic

by Judi Lynn

  Jazzi leaned forward. “Why did you provide an alibi for your husband and Will, but none for Wade?”

  Katherine sighed. “Our younger son’s proved somewhat of a disappointment to us. I couldn’t include him because, for all I know, he might have spent that evening in a lockup somewhere, something I’m sure that’s quite easy for a detective to check on.”

  “Do you love your second son?”

  Katherine grimaced. “I love him every bit as much as I loved Cal. They both disappointed me, and they both owe me apologies.” She looked at her watch. “I must leave now. I’ll walk you to the door.”

  The interview was over. Jazzi and Gaff climbed in his unmarked car and drove away. Neither of them spoke until Gaff turned onto Highway 69, Then he let out a long breath and said, “Wow.”

  That pretty much summed it up. Katherine Draper was unlike anyone Jazzi had met before. And she’d count her blessings for that for a long time.

  On the drive home, Jazzi tried to unjumble her thoughts. Way back, when they’d first found Lynda’s body, she’d thought that Maury, Thomas Sorrell, or Cal might have killed her aunt. Then they’d found Noah’s body, and she’d tried to connect the two deaths. Gaff hinted that maybe one of Maury’s sons could have killed Noah to protect his share of their family deli. For a while, she’d even worried that Isabelle might be the killer to ensure she’d inherit Cal’s businesses without any interference from Lynda or Noah, but she gratefully ruled Isabelle out when Gaff confirmed she’d been at the company to meet Cal when he rushed to fix an emergency that had never happened. And then Isabelle had told her that Cal meant to change his will to leave all of his money to Noah, cutting out Will and Wade. And today, she’d met Katherine. That woman was cold enough to kill someone, but had she? Or maybe her husband, Tim, had killed Noah. He’d been counting on Cal’s money, too.

  Gaff glanced at her. “We’ve come up with some suspects. That’s a good thing. Now we just need to narrow everything down to the killer.”

  “Do you still think there was only one?”

  “It often works that way, but this time, I’m not sure. We’ll just follow the leads and see where they take us.”

  We? Jazzi would be more than happy to leave the rest to him. On Monday, Ansel would finish work on the pond. She and Jerod would go to the new house on Lake Avenue and start knocking down walls and rearranging rooms. That was more her speed.

  She felt guilty when she realized she hadn’t thought about her Aunt Lynda’s murder for a while. She’d been more preoccupied with Noah’s death. “It’s sad, but I sort of forgot about my aunt once we found Noah’s body.”

  “You were only one when Lynda died. You don’t even remember her, and it was so long ago, it’s part of the past. Everyone’s more focused on Noah. Maury called to ask me if we had any new leads. He’s leaving on vacation soon and wanted to make sure I’d call his cell if we found anything new.”

  “I feel sorry for him. He didn’t find out he had a son until after Noah was dead.”

  They crossed the state line and were back in Indiana. Gaff gave her a quick glance. “That’s the thing about murder. There are a lot more victims than the dead person. He’s gone and won’t feel any more pain, but families and friends live with the aftermath a long time.”

  Jazzi always thought about that when she read about a new shooting or stabbing in the newspaper. This time, though, she had a new thought. “The killers have to live with what they’ve done, too. You’d think that would eat at them.”

  Gaff grimaced. “Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. You’d be surprised how much a killer can rationalize away what he did.”

  “But whoever killed Lynda cared about her. He put a pillow under her head and folded her hands in her lap.”

  “And didn’t take two expensive rings.” Gaff shook his head. “That doesn’t happen all that often.”

  “So her death must have mattered to whoever put her there.” It felt a lot different than tossing Noah’s body in a shallow hole.

  They were getting close to a town an hour away from River Bluffs, and traffic picked up. Gaff concentrated on his driving. Jazzi pushed thoughts of murder out of her mind and enjoyed the scenery. By the time Gaff pulled into her drive, she was ready to shift gears and enjoy her Friday night. She and Ansel were going out to eat.

  She waved Gaff off, and when she stepped into the house, George ran to the door to greet her. Was Ansel still working? She glanced at her watch. Almost six. Jerod was already gone. She heard movement upstairs. Had Ansel left George down here while he got ready? She bent to pet George, and a few minutes later, Ansel hurried down the steps. His white-blond hair was still damp. “I just took a quick shower. George was sleeping in the kitchen, so I left him there. How was your trip?”

  “Fine. If I ever see Katherine Draper again, though, it’ll be too soon.”

  “Want to have a glass of wine to relax before we go out for supper? You can tell me all about her.”

  They went to the sitting area of the kitchen and caught up on each other’s day before hunger motivated them to find food. They decided on the TGIF in the mall on the north side of town. Nothing fancy, but fun. They had to wait to get a table. When they finished eating, they went to a pet shop and bought another dog bed for George. This one was for the kitchen. And then they went to the bookstore and each grabbed a couple of books to read.

  Once they returned home, they were ready to call it a day. They crawled between the sheets and an hour later, Ansel went to get George. Jazzi had intended to read for a while to relax, but the words swam before her eyes. She turned off the light on her nightstand and let sleep claim her.

  Close to two in the morning, George went to the window and barked. Ansel sat up to check on him.

  “What is it, boy?”

  George snuffled, pushing his head under the blind to stare outside. Ansel went to look, too. “It’s too dark, no light. I don’t see anything, but everything’s fine or the alarm would go off. Let’s go back to bed.”

  A howl sounded from one of the fields. “A coyote. It’s a good thing you’re inside.” He petted George and got him settled again, and then Ansel slid back under the sheet, and they all fell back asleep.

  Chapter 37

  Jazzi liked to sleep in a little on Saturdays, but not this morning. Ansel bounced out of bed earlier than usual to start work on the pond. She’d love it when it was finished, but she wasn’t so fond of it at the moment. She dragged herself downstairs and tried to overdose on caffeine to find energy.

  Ansel raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have to get gung ho just because I am. If you want to be lazy today, go for it.”

  She glanced out the window. Had the coyote come into their yard last night? Was it that brave? The yard looked ragged. She’d mowed it once since they’d started work on the house, but it had been so overgrown, once wasn’t enough. She decided to mow it again. Her family was coming for the Sunday meal tomorrow, and she wanted it to look its best. She was making easy food since it was so hot. Ansel loved fish, so she decided on grilled salmon, pasta salad, sautéed summer squash, sliced tomatoes, and peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. She’d make two pans of cobbler later tonight.

  When Ansel went to climb on the bulldozer, she went to the garage for the riding mower. The yard was big enough, it took her most of the morning to finish it. By the time Ansel came in for lunch at noon, though, she’d made tuna salad sandwiches, one of his favorites. She’d put out potato chips and carrot sticks, too. He grinned.

  “I’m going to get spoiled living with you.”

  “Good.” Maybe he’d never want to leave.

  He ate three sandwiches and washed them down with iced tea. She wondered if he’d be hungry by suppertime, then remembered she’d thawed a flat-iron steak. Ansel could always eat red meat.

  They walked outside together, and he followed her to the shed where all of
the outside tools were stored. “What’s your next project?”

  “I’m going to tidy up under the hedge with the weed whacker and then water all of the new plants again.” She reached for the last section of hose. She’d strung three together, but it was still hard to reach the herbs growing at the back of the garage. The hose coils were caught in the wheelbarrow’s tire, so she pushed it aside. And there, sitting halfway behind a watering can, was an empty can of Modelo.

  Jazzi frowned. “I never buy cans. You and Jerod like bottles better.”

  “Did your renter ever do any yard work?” Ansel asked.

  “Are you kidding? He couldn’t get up to throw away his garbage.” Then a horrible thought struck her. “Gaff said that Wade Draper is a Modelo fan.”

  Ansel glanced at the shovel resting against the wall a few inches away. “If he came in here and put his beer on the wheelbarrow to reach for the shovel . . .”

  Jazzi didn’t like where this was going. Ansel was right, though. It would have been easy for the beer can to drop back behind everything where they couldn’t see it. If Wade had meant to retrieve it after he dug the hole for Noah’s body, he must have forgotten. But that was a guess, a long shot. “Do you think I should call Gaff and see if there are any fingerprints on it?”

  Ansel glanced at the padlock on the shed. “It was locked when you bought the house, wasn’t it?”

  She nodded. “I changed the locks on Cal’s house, but I didn’t bother with this. There’s nothing of value in here.”

  “Then who else would have a key?” Ansel asked.

  “Cal’s nephews. They owned the property.”

  Ansel nodded. “Then I’d call Gaff.”

  She made the call, but Gaff was in Indianapolis with his wife, enjoying a day off. He sent an officer to bag the can and take it back to the station, so Ansel returned to his bulldozer and she got busy on the hedges. By the time the officer came and went, she was ready to duck into the house and give it a quick dust. She even ran the dust mop over the floors. She was showered and changed and had run to the grocery store by the time Ansel called it quits for the day.

  “Want some help with supper?” he asked when he dragged his dusty self into the house.

  “Nope, you look like Pig-Pen in the Charlie Brown comics. Go, get cleaned up. I’m throwing a flat-iron on the grill. Nothing fancy.”

  They both loved that cut of steak. So did George, and she’d bought a bag of salad to go with it. She’d thought about eating outside on the picnic table, but it was too hot. She and Ansel ate at the kitchen island instead, and after they cleaned up, she threw together the cobbler and put it in the oven. That was the end of her ambition for the day.

  “Is it my pick?” Ansel asked, sinking onto the couch.

  “Only if you pick a movie I like.”

  He laughed. “We’ll only rent one that gets two thumbs-up.”

  Jazzi made it through the first half, and it was a good movie, but when the buzzer on the oven rang for her to take the cobbler out of the oven, she was done for the day. She bent over Ansel on the couch, gave him a kiss, and took herself to bed. She didn’t hear it when he slid under the blankets next to her.

  Chapter 38

  When Jazzi woke up Sunday morning, Ansel was already gone. It was the first time that had happened since they’d moved in together. She looked at the dog bed, and George had left with Ansel. She got up, pulled on a pair of short-shorts, and padded downstairs. A note greeted her on the kitchen island.

  Ate some peanut butter toast and I’m working on the pond. Love ya, Ansel.

  Love ya? A rush of heat spread through her body. The kitchen door was open so that George could look out the screen. The pug was sprawled on the floor, eyes closed, keeping guard over them.

  She nibbled on toast as she started to heat water to cook the pasta. While it boiled, she made the salad dressing with tahini, Dijon mustard, honey, and diced Kalamata olives, among other things. She’d found it on the Food Network, a Geoffrey Zakarian recipe, perfect for hot weather. She chopped celery, onions, and peppers to start a mound of vegetables to add to the pasta, then sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella to layer on a platter. Once both salads were ready, she sautéed the summer squash, then turned off the heat under them once they were tender. All she had left to do was the salmon, and she’d wait until closer to two to grill those.

  The food was ready. Time to spruce herself up. She changed into a pair of capris and a sleeveless T-shirt. Her family didn’t dress up to come here, so even Mom and Olivia would be in shorts or jeans. She did take extra time with her hair and makeup, though, or Olivia would comment on it.

  Nothing else had to be done, so she sank onto the couch cushions to read the morning paper. She’d made it to the living section when a car parked in the drive. It was only a little after noon. Did someone come early? She opened the door to greet her guest and groaned when she saw Katherine and a man who must be her husband walking toward the house.

  Her smile slipped and she stepped outside to greet them.

  Katherine raised an eyebrow. “May we come in?”

  She didn’t want them to, but Katherine had let her and Gaff inside, so she motioned them into the sitting area in the kitchen. She took a seat across from them. “How can I help you?”

  The aromas from her cooking lingered in the air, tantalizing them.

  Tim couldn’t stop gawking at the house. His sons got their height from him. He was almost as tall as Jerod with the same light brown hair as Will and Wade. He waved at his surroundings. “This was a premier house when Cal lived here, but you’ve made it into a showcase.”

  She didn’t like most showcases. She preferred houses that looked cozy and lived-in. “Thank you.”

  Tim leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You’ve visited everyone else in our family, so Katherine and I assumed I’d be next. I’m a busy man, so I decided I’d come to you instead of waiting for you to come to me.”

  Jazzi shrugged. “I accompany Gaff only when he asks me to, and he hasn’t asked.”

  “Good, then I beat him to it. What would you like to know?”

  He made it sound friendly, but Jazzi suspected Tim was trying to bypass Gaff. “You’re not saving yourself any time. If Gaff wants to talk to you, he will, whether I have or not.”

  “Let’s find out, shall we? Get a pen and paper and ask away. Try to cover whatever you think might please Gaff.”

  “I don’t have much time before my family comes.”

  He smiled. “Then you’d better make it quick.”

  Okay, if that’s what he really wanted. She went to a kitchen drawer and returned with a pen and notepad. It was go time. She wanted to get this over with. “You’ve been visiting the Country Club to talk business, to start a company with Will. Were you the one who saw Cal there with his lawyer and overheard them talking about changing his will?”

  “No, that was me.” Katherine interjected herself into the conversation for the first time. “I still visit the club occasionally for a few of the organizations I belong to. We’d met in one of the small, private rooms, and I was leaving when I noticed Cal. I slowed to get a better view of him. I hadn’t seen him for a long time, and that’s when I heard him discussing details to leave everything to Noah.”

  “And you shared that with your husband and sons?”

  “Since it affected all of us, yes.”

  Jazzi pursed her lips, thinking. “Which one of you did it upset enough that you’d kill Noah?”

  Tim laughed. “Every single one of us, but none of us killed Lynda’s bastard son. We have standards, whereas Cal obviously didn’t.”

  How could he sound so urbane when he was such a piece of garbage? Cal had saved his fanny three times in a row, and that meant nothing to him? Jazzi gave him a hard stare. “You’re not very loyal, are you?”

  “I ass
ume you’re referring to Cal loaning me money, and yes, I appreciated that. But there’s acceptable behavior, and then there’s not. Cal should have known better than to associate with Lynda.”

  “Was that the real problem? I thought it was because she didn’t want him to give you money.”

  Katherine’s expression iced over. “You wouldn’t understand. You have no class either.”

  Jazzi grinned. “Is that what you call it? I thought you were just greedy and mean-spirited.”

  Katherine pushed to her feet. “I’m tired of being insulted by you.”

  “Then maybe you should start being nicer. You can dish it, but you can’t take it.”

  Katherine drew back her hand, and Jazzi thought she was going to slap her, but just then Ansel walked through the back door. He looked at Katherine and narrowed his eyes. Two inches taller than Tim and with muscles bulging beneath his dirty T-shirt, he looked intimidating.

  Jazzi nodded at their visitors. “Ansel, this is Tim and Katherine Draper, Will and Wade’s parents.”

  He went to the sink to wash his hands. “I hope they’re leaving. Your family will be here soon.”

  Jazzi stared. She never suspected he could cut someone so efficiently. She’d never seen him be anything but polite.

  “We needed to talk to Jazzi for a few minutes while we were in town,” Tim said.

  Ansel turned, drying his hands with a paper towel. “You should have called ahead. We’re busy.”

  “I have only a few more things to cover.”

  “I must not have made myself clear. Your minutes are up. We’re expecting guests.”

  Tim smiled, but it was strained. “Of course, we’ll be leaving now.”

  “I’ll show you to the door.” Ansel herded them outside and watched them drive away, then turned to Jazzi. “They’re gone now.”

  Jazzi stared. “My god, you are a Viking.”

  He looked surprised, then grinned. “They pushed themselves on you, didn’t they? If someone bothers you, they have me to deal with.”