by Emmie Lyn
Her smile radiated happiness. “I do, dear.”
“Look what I brought over from my house?” I held up the wiggling kitten, too adorable for words. “This is Stash. I found four more kittens and the mama cat. Would you like to visit them after we finish eating?”
Charlotte held out her arms. “She looks so soft. Could I cuddle with her?”
“Of course.” I carried her to Charlotte. Pinky, unhappy about sharing, hissed and jumped off Charlotte’s lap. She sat on the floor and licked her paw before rubbing her ear pretending she couldn’t care less about the little intruder.
“Oh dear. Did I upset the orange monster?”
“Pinky has a bit of an attitude, but don’t worry about it, Charlotte.” Tilly patted her lap and Pinky slowly walked over, jumped up, and circled several times before she curled up there instead. “I can’t say I blame her. Sometimes, all this young, unbridled energy is just too much for me, too.”
Who was Tilly trying to fool? She thrived on energy and excitement.
Charlotte held the kitten between her neck and shoulder. Stash’s purring filled Tilly’s room. “You have more? Can I see them, too?”
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll just clean up these dirty dishes. It’ll only take a sec.” I carried everything to Tilly’s sink. When I turned around, I practically knocked Gina over.
“What are you doing?” Gina stood eye level with me, with her arms crossed. “She’ll want to keep one of those kittens, you know. Harry never let her have a pet. He said her plants were enough bother.” Her eyes blazed angrily.
I gave the dishes a quick rinse and loaded them in the dishwasher. “It’s not your problem now, is it Gina? You’re leaving.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what I told Conrad so he’d get off my back.”
Ah, and the truth came out. I forced myself not to smile at this little admission. “What’s Conrad’s plan then if he thinks you’ll be out of the way?”
She shook her head. “I wish I knew. I can’t figure it out, Sunny. He took the bonsai tree from Maxine’s house and put it in my car. Why’d he do that? I thought he was going to call the police, so I dumped it with you.”
I wiped the counter, hoping she’d keep up this chatter and reveal something important.
“And then I forced the nursing home to let me take Charlotte to my house. They weren’t happy, but I told them I’d be managing her finances so what choice did they have? I think they were glad to get rid of her when I said I’d sort out her bills as soon as possible. In order to do that, I needed to get the bonsai tree back from you. Dumb hiding spot, by the way. No one was fooled by that flock of pink birds in your rock garden.”
“Really? I thought it was very clever.” Where was she going with this?
“Driving around with it in the trunk of my car was a recipe for disaster with Conrad stalking my every move. I’m really glad Hitch put it in my bedroom, otherwise Conrad would have it now, and he’d probably be long gone. The only reason he’s sticking around is to get the tree back from me. What am I going to do?”
I crossed my arms. “Gina,” I said feeling a bit frustrated. “You just spent ten minutes bashing Conrad after you told me he’ll take care of Charlotte. You dragged Charlotte out of the nursing home, and now you say she’s too much for you to deal with. You can’t have it both ways. You expect me to tell you what to do? Well, I don’t have the answer.”
I’d like to tell her to grow up and take responsibility for her actions instead of whining and playing the victim for all of her twenty-something years.
She didn’t say a word.
“I’m taking Charlotte to see the kittens. You should come, too. A little more time spent with your grandmother before you leave town? Do you think Conrad will come?”
She let out a bitter laugh. “He won’t let me out of his sight until he has that tree back. I don’t think he plans to help Charlotte at all. All that talk about saving it for her? He’s just throwing shade to cover his own intentions.”
I couldn’t agree more, but I didn’t tell Gina what I was thinking because I suspected she was throwing a fair amount of her own shade around.
I wasn’t quite ready to leave. “You know, Gina, Charlotte didn’t eat much of her sandwich. I’d hate for her to have another fainting spell.”
“I know. She fed more to the kitten than she ate.”
I’d noticed that too. “I bet she has a sweet tooth. I tucked some cookies in the basket. How about you pass them around and see if we can get her to eat one or two.”
“Can’t you just give me a ride home first? I’ve had about enough of all this. You could tell everyone you need my help with something, and we’ll be right back, that way Conrad won’t know where I am. The more I think about him, the more he makes me nervous.”
She sagged against the counter with a big dramatic huff.
“I suppose that might work.” I pretended to give her suggestion lots of serious contemplation. “The problem is, what if he decides to leave, too? Where do you think he’ll rush off to?”
“Hmm. I hadn’t thought about that. He’d probably go straight to my house to find the tree.”
“Exactly. It’s much better if we all stick together to keep an eye on him. I don’t think he’ll go anywhere as long as you’re here. You’ll be safe as long as you stay with me. Right?”
“Unfortunately,” she said. I didn’t miss the sarcastic undertone.
It was a lot harder to get everyone in one place than I’d expected, but we were almost there.
I shooed her out of the kitchen. “Get the cookies, Gina. And see if you can get Conrad talking about the bonsai tree. You know, I heard that it’s still insured. Do you know anything about that?”
“Who told you that? Who’s the beneficiary?” Gina demanded, suddenly alert.
My goodness, I’d hit a nerve with my comment. A big one.
I drummed my fingers on the counter. “I think it was Officer Mick Walker who told me. I wonder where he got the information.”
“Maxine, I bet. I saw firsthand how she had Harry twisted around her little finger. I’ll bet she convinced him to make her the beneficiary if anything happened to him.” Gina’s eyes widened. “She killed him, got Conrad to steal the tree, and then plant it in my car to frame me. Don’t you see it, Sunny? They’re in on it together, Conrad and Maxine. Now, if Conrad gets the bonsai tree back from me, he can sell it, Maxine gets the insurance money, and I go straight to jail for theft and murder.”
“How do you know Maxine had Harry twisted around her finger?”
“I was working when he showed up with his plants. He was all like, please Maxine keep my plants here and I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Did he talk to you? He must have recognized you as Charlotte’s granddaughter.”
“I was careful to stay out of sight.”
“You didn’t want to give him a piece of your mind about yanking Charlotte out of your life?”
It would seem like the perfect opportunity to confront him. And, dropped right in her lap, no less.
“And get fired? I needed that job, Sunny. It didn’t matter though with Conrad scheming against me. He had Maxine’s ear just as much as Harry did.”
Gina described an interesting theory about Maxine and Conrad.
If I was her, I’d be worried, too.
31
I put the last of the lunch ingredients away with a deep sigh, more than ready to get to the greenhouse and check on my kitty family. Yes, my responsibility, and I was thrilled to have a plan to help them.
“Hey,” Hitch said and held a half-eaten cookie toward me. “I managed to save this for you, Sunshine.”
“Where’d the other half go?” I tried to look upset but laughed instead. It was no secret that these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies were Hitch’s favorite. Although, it was also true that he’d never seen a cookie he didn’t like.
I popped the cookie in my mouth before he changed his mind and snatched it back.
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He gave me a sheepish expression. “Sorry. Conrad helped himself to the last tuna sandwich, and I was still hungry. You know, he’s not so bad now that I’ve stopped blaming him for my injury. He didn’t pull the trigger… doesn’t even own a gun.”
“You might even have more sympathy for him when I tell you what Gina said.”
“Oh?”
“She told me that Conrad thinks Harry was trying to shoot him, not you. What do you think about that? Gina’s been throwing all kinds of theories around, so it’s hard to know what’s true, what she’s made up, or a combo of both.”
“I never considered that angle. Why would Harry shoot him, though? What would be the motive?”
“To make the whole break-in more realistic? Just like you said, but you got hit and not Harry.”
“I suppose it’s possible, but we’ll never know, will we? Harry’s dead, and I don’t think we’re any closer to knowing who the killer is.”
I smirked. “I think we are. Just wait until Gina and Conrad and Maxine are all together at the scene of the crime. I’ll bet there will be plenty of finger pointing and accusations. Conrad thinks Gina has the bonsai tree. She still thinks it’s hidden in her bedroom. Both Gina and Conrad suspect Maxine to have a strong motive to kill Harry. And Conrad just seems to be way too involved in all the shenanigans. You know, all three of them were at the auction. It’s just a question of who had the strongest motive to lure Harry to the edge of the woods and stab him.”
Fear filled his eyes, an elusive emotion Hitch rarely showed. “Is that what this is about, Sunny? I hope you know what you’re doing because, as far as Officer Walker is concerned, I had opportunity and motive. This plan could completely backfire.”
I hadn’t considered that. And, since Hitch took the bonsai tree out of Gina’s bedroom, he was the only one who knew where it was now. She didn’t even know it was gone. What can of worms had I opened with this ill-thought-out plan?
“Sunny?” Tilly joined us in the kitchen. “Charlotte’s ready to see those kittens you promised to show her. Are you ready?”
“You take her and Gina, Tilly. I’ll drive over to the greenhouse with Hitch and Conrad. Okay?”
“Sure. That works. Hey, you know I’m not one to pry, but what’s going on? You two look like you just swallowed a fishing hook instead of those delicious cookies. And, by the way, Sunny, you need to make more of them. Just sayin’.” She winked and waited with her hands on her hips. “Well?”
“Well, nothing, Tilly.” I said. I didn’t see any point in rehashing everything Hitch and I had just talked about. “How were Gina and Conrad acting when they first showed up here? I can’t figure out if they hate each other or are in cahoots against the rest of us.”
Tilly moved closer and put her finger to her lips, glancing back toward the living room.
“Shhh.” She whispered, “I’m glad you asked because there’s something fishier than the chowder at the Little Dog Diner going on with those two. They’ve completely ignored Charlotte, letting me take care of all her needs. And this is the kicker. They’re both on the phone tap, tap, tapping away constantly. I think they’re sending messages to each other so they can communicate and keep us in the dark.”
“Interesting,” I said. “Gina tried to convince me that Maxine and Conrad are working together. I’d sure love to get a look at her phone.”
A grin spread across Tilly’s face. “Leave that task to me. If there’s an opportunity, I’ll snag her phone so fast she won’t know what happened.”
“We’d better get going, Sunny.” Hitch said. “Maxine won’t wait there forever. I told her a half hour, and it’s well past that, now.”
Tilly’s ears perked up. “Maxine? What’s that about?”
Hitch rolled his eyes. I wished he wouldn’t do that. At least not when I was looking, but maybe that was his plan so I’d know exactly what he thought about my plan. He didn’t like it.
“Sunny wants all the people that had any contact with Harry at our new property at the same time—Gina, Conrad, and Maxine. And, by default, I’m in that group too, which doesn’t make me comfortable.”
Tilly held onto Hitch’s arm. “I almost forgot to ask. Where is the bonsai tree?”
“Safely hidden,” Hitch answered and walked past Tilly.
“Uh-oh,” Tilly said. “Trouble in paradise.”
“Not exactly trouble. Yet. And, definitely not paradise. I think Hitch is overreacting,” I said, but deep down? I was worried, too.
32
Hitch’s prediction was right.
Trouble waited in the parking lot when we arrived to meet Maxine.
In the form of Officer Mick Walker.
But it wasn’t all bad news because Tilly had arrived before us and in true Tilly form, she was putting on some kind of show.
Conrad studied her from the front seat. “She’s quite entertaining, isn’t she?”
“The thing about Tilly is that you never know what she’ll do or say next. But nine times out of ten there’s a purpose to her madness,” Hitch said as we watched the activity through the windshield of my car. He opened his door, “Showtime.”
Conrad turned around to look at me in the back seat. “What’s he mean by that?”
“I’m not sure, but maybe we’ll find out what Tilly’s up to. Let’s go and find out. Oh,” I put my hand on his shoulder, stopping him from leaving. “You knew the details about Harry’s insurance policy on the bonsai tree, right?”
He nodded.
“Was there anybody named as a beneficiary if he died?”
“As far as I know, the plant was insured for theft as long as Harry had all the security measures in place. Once he moved his collection to Maxine’s house, I assume that policy would be void. It’s possible that Maxine talked Harry into getting a new policy, but they never told me about it.”
Interesting. I wished I could see the expression on his face. “Are you upset about that? I mean, you are Harry’s son, and he kept you in the insurance scam loop but not for these latest decisions? That sure would make me spit a few nails.”
I liked that image, especially imagining Conrad the contractor shooting nails at Maxine.
He squirmed in his seat. His jaw muscles clenched and unclenched. “Harry was a selfish, greedy, manipulator. But if you’re thinking you can pin his murder on me, you’re dead wrong.”
He opened the door, got out, and slammed it behind him.
“Well, that went well, didn’t it, Jasper?” I’d managed to upset Conrad in a big way. “Come on, big girl, let’s see what Tilly’s got up her sleeve.” I was beginning to feel a little better about gathering these people together. If nothing else, she’d flush something out from under a rock.
It didn’t take long to get close enough to the group to hear Tilly’s bluster. “And you know what happened then, Mick?”
Everyone stared at her. Me included.
Officer Walker opened his mouth, probably to tell Tilly to be quiet so he could ask the questions, but she only took a quick breath before she continued. “I saw Maxine push Harry and yell at him.”
Mick looked at Maxine. “Is that true?”
“I didn’t push him, Mick. I only jabbed him with my finger. He was supposed to bid on that property, but he let Sunny buy it.” The dirty look Maxine shot in my direction made me wonder if my name tasted like poison to her.
“We had big plans. Of course, I was upset.” At least the spotlight was off of Hitch.
“Yeah,” Tilly continued. “Mick, ask her about that insurance policy she took out on the very valuable bonsai tree.” She managed to send me a quick smirk when Mick’s attention turned to Maxine.
Maxine’s mouth fell down to her chest. “How do you know about that?” She looked at Mick, his face as red as the sad pot of blooming poppies sitting in the weeds. “You told them?”
Tilly wiped her hands together as if she was gladly getting rid of dirt. “That’s why I asked Hitch to call you to meet us here, Max
ine. I knew you wouldn’t come if I asked. What is the whole story on that insurance policy?”
I caught Hitch’s attention, hoping he heard Tilly’s comment taking responsibility for the phone call. He wiped his brow like he knew he’d dodged a bullet.
“Maxine?” Mick asked, taking her arm and turning her so she was forced to face him. “Did you tell me everything?”
“Yes.” She looked away. In a lower, childlike voice she said, “Sort of. Harry extended the insurance policy, at my request. But that was only because I didn’t want all that responsibility. I have a security system, and, well, I did fudge a little about saying I had a security guard, but I never thought the tree would get stolen to begin with. It was a just in case thing I told Harry. I’m trying desperately to get it back, Mick.”
“Sure, she is.” Tilly snickered. “She probably made Harry put the policy in her name.”
I couldn’t figure out how Tilly knew all this. Unless, she was just winging it like she usually did and happened to be right.
“Maxine?” Mick asked again, but this time there was an undertone of anger simmering in his tone. Apparently, insurance fraud was a line he wasn’t willing to cross.
Maxine stomped her foot. I’d seen her do that before when she’d run out of excuses. She was such a drama queen.
“Yes. It’s in my name but it will turn up. That’s why I rushed over here when Hitch called, and why I wanted you here, too. To keep him honest.”
She shot Hitch a glare. “He said he had information about my bonsai tree. I thought he knew where it was. I didn’t know that Tilly was behind the call.”
Keep Hitch honest? That sounded like projecting to me, and I barely managed to stop myself from strangling her.
“It’s your bonsai tree now?” Conrad said, catching Maxine’s slip of the tongue. “Did Harry give it to you or just name you on the insurance policy?”
“Oh, you know what I meant. Harry didn’t give it to me. I agreed to keep his plants in my conservatory until he bought the old Nine Pine Nursery. That was the deal, and he didn’t do his part.”
