by Vikki Walton
“You’re up early.”
He mumbled something unrecognizable. Anne held up the coffeepot with a questioning expression, but he shook his head and reached into the fridge for the container of orange juice. He’d opened it and prepared to guzzle it when he noticed her raised eyebrows and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. He sat down at the table and took a swig before stretching his hands and arms out across it.
“Ugh, why are mornings so soon?”
“I think it’s probably because of someone staying up too late playing games on the computer with friends.” She took a seat next to him. “So why are you up so early today?”
Because Spencer had proven himself to be diligent in his studies, he’d begun homeschooling along with some in-person accelerated classes that would see him having sophomore credit by the time he went to college.
“We wanted to get working on the sprinkler systems while it’s still cooler in the mornings. Those greenhouses can get hot and humid.”
“That’s smart. I don’t blame you.”
She swiveled as Mouser came into the room. “On the other hand, you, mister, weren’t so smart. You shouldn’t eat so much food.” Mouser meowed back at Anne before disappearing through the kitty door without a backward glance. “Ah, boys.”
She smiled as she took another sip of coffee.
“I think it may be time to get you some new clothes. I think you’ve grown three inches in the last few months.”
Spencer rubbed his face with his hands. “Carson’s going to take me when he gets back. We’re going to go into Park Meadows mall.”
It made sense that the two guys would go together. “Oh, that sounds nice. Well, I need to get ready, too. I’m going to go check on Billie’s garden and swing by and visit Kim.”
He pushed his hair off his face once again. “Kim Leake?”
“Yes. Why? Also I think a haircut may be in order as well as clothes.”
He harrumphed. “Anyway, we were going to do a system for her when she got her greenhouse complete, but we were riding our bikes yesterday and saw her taking boxes out of her house. I don’t think she lives there anymore.”
“Really? That seems odd. I don’t recall her saying she was moving anywhere or buying another property.”
Anne picked up her phone and texted Kandi, who had always been an early riser.
Hey, did you know Kim was moving?
No. Why?
S said there was some moving going on there yesterday. Heading over in a bit.
Want company?
Sure.
Anne left Spencer nursing his orange juice and chomping on some cereal so she could get ready for the day. By the time she’d finished and was downstairs, a bright-eyed Kandi was waiting in the kitchen. A plate of cinnamon rolls was sitting on the table, and Spencer had one in his hand, which had a big bite missing from it.
“I thought you just ate cereal.”
He mumbled, “Hot, cinn…” He shrugged as he chewed and held a thumbs-up to Kandi, who showed off a line of bright pearly whites.
“Glad you like them. I added malt. I’ve heard they make pancakes lighter so thought I’d try it in these cinnamon rolls. You’re my guinea pig.” She held the plate toward Anne. “Want one?”
“Thanks but no. You are a danger to my health and my hips.”
She grabbed her purse off the hook. “Are you driving, or should I?”
“I’ll drive. Let me go get my truck, and I’ll be back in a jiff. Should I leave these here?” She pointed to the pastries while Spencer nodded. Anne shook her head. “It’s unfair that you can eat that entire plate and stay so thin.”
“Can’t help it. Just lucky that way.”
He grinned before popping the last bite of roll in his mouth. Anne came around and gave him a side hug before heading out the front to where Kandi sat in her truck waiting on Anne The drive was quiet, and they pulled up to Kim’s house. Kandi came around the vehicle to meet Anne before they moved onto the porch. The house looked no different from the last time she’d been here. She rang the doorbell, but the sound was different. Standing on her toes, she looked into the glass of the front door and, cocking her head, observed that the living room now devoid of furniture. The only thing remaining was the large clock attached over the mantel.
“Hello, there!” The voice came from behind them. Anne turned and spied a woman on the sidewalk walking her dog. “I think she moved out.”
Anne took the steps down to where the woman waited, and Kandi bent down to pet the happy pup, who wiggled with excitement.
“Did you know Kim?”
“Not really. I live in that house over there.”
She pointed to a butter yellow home with climbing Joseph’s coat roses accenting a front wall. It was situated almost in the middle, between Kim and Billie’s houses.
“Your home is lovely. I’ve often admired it, and the roses are beautiful against that yellow color.”
The woman beamed. “Thank you. Are you friends of Kim?”
“Not really. We stopped by to speak to her because we had some questions about something Billie had said.” Anne decided not to go any further, but a thought came to mind. “Were you home the day Billie died? Did you notice anyone go into or leave Billie’s house?”
The woman shook her head. “Such a tragedy. Billie was such a sweet lady. I can’t imagine who would do such a thing to a sick, defenseless woman.”
“So, you didn’t see anyone?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “No. Other than Ben leaving and some other neighbors. I try to get out and water my roses early before it gets really hot. He waved to me, and later, Billie came out and clipped off some peony buds. I believe Kim was outside then too.”
That corroborated with Kim’s earlier story of seeing Billie after Ben left. Certainly, Kim may have gone through the neighbor’s backyard to Billie’s and with the neighbors away from home for work no one would have seen her. What would cause Kim to consider Billie a threat?
A thought niggled at her mind. Money. Who was in charge of the money for the group? She realized that the woman was still chatting with Kandi and concentrated on her words. “So, other than Mercy doing her rounds and the guy next door leaving, I don’t remember anyone else.”
“Do you recall what time it was?”
“Oh, about eight-ish I think. Anything else? I have an appointment in town, so I need to get moving.”
“No. That’s all. Thanks. Um, do you think the house is available to get into? My friend may be moving here, and it may be a good fit for her.”
“There’s a white rock in the back. Kim told me about it before in case something happened while she was away. To be honest, I’ve never used it so not even sure if it’s still there.”
“Great, that’s very helpful. Thanks a lot.”
Anne waved to the woman who tugged at the dog’s leash. The pup reluctantly decided to give up time with Kandi and follow his human.
Kandi cocked her head and looked at Anne. “Pants. On. Fire. You ought to be ashamed.”
“Hey. I could have someone who becomes a friend want to move here, so—”
“Nope. Not buying it. Liar. Liar. So, what’s your, like, plan now?” Kandi whispered, as if the neighbors might overhear their conversation.
“Let’s see if the key is back there and nose around a bit. For Kim to leave right after Billie’s funeral and no hint of it is very suspicious, wouldn’t you say? Plus, something about what this lady said about the timeline is off. I think Kim told us a different time than when Mercy really stopped by. She was covering the time by saying she was with Mercy, so she couldn’t have been the one to sneak over and bop Billie over the head with the pot.”
“Come on. Let’s find out.”
Kandi sprinted toward the back while Anne took her time, but as she rounded the corner, the young woman wasn’t by the back door. Instead, she stood in front of a large outdoor fireplace. She pulled some charred papers from inside. “Look here.�
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Anne leaned over Kandi’s shoulder. “What is it?”
“It looks like RFP items. You know, request for proposals. Why would she burn nonprofit stuff? Wait.” She pulled a fire poker from a hook attached to the rock wall and poked around at the papers. Some were mere fragments, while others appeared to be fuller sheets. “These are damp. I think the sprinklers must have come on and put out the fire. Let’s see what else is here. Looks like some spreadsheets. Wait a minute. Why is there one column of figures and a totally different number over here?”
“Simple. I think Kim was stealing money from the group. These are missing so much info I doubt we’ll be able to figure it out.”
“Thank heavens for the cloud,” Kandi replied.
“The cloud? What are you talking about?”
“Simple. Some months back, the board said we should keep everything on a cloud server in case of the ‘proverbial bus.’ So, all this is saved in the cloud. Now maybe not the things she did on her own, but it will give us a better indication of what’s the truth.”
Anne picked up the poker and was carefully pulling out any pages that hadn’t been destroyed by the flames when the poker caught on something. It was a large stack of papers that covered a book. Anne picked up the book and blew off some of the ash. It was a book on gardening pests. “What in the world?”
“Why would she, like, want to burn that book?”
Anne opened it up and inhaled sharply. The book’s interior had been cut out and stuffed inside the cavity was a plastic baggie. But what was inside the plastic baggie had caused her reaction.
Kandi peered over into the book and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! It’s Billie’s headscarf.”
It was the headscarf that Billie had been wearing the day of their meeting. Dark stains let Anne know it had been the one she’d been wearing the day she died.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
After Anne called the police, she and Kandi sat on the steps leading to the porch.
Kandi shivered. “I am, like, really surprised. Kim seemed so, like, nice but to kill somebody…”
Anne stared at the fire pit where they’d left everything they’d found. “That’s what is so interesting about the human psyche. I guess, if pushed enough, we could all kill. But why Billie?” Anne clutched her hands together around her bent knees. “You know, now that I think about it, she kept hounding Mercy not to hold new elections. She must have known she’d be discovered and that everyone would find out she’d been stealing money from the group.”
“I guess. But that, like, happened after Billie died. If she didn’t want to be discovered, then she would want her to get better, not die. It makes no sense.”
Anne twisted to gaze at Kandi. “Good point. However, maybe the gloves made her realize that Billie was on to her, and she couldn’t let it come out. She needed to buy some time, and she thought she had but Mercy wouldn’t go along with her plans to wait and hold the election in the fall.” She stood and paced in front of Kandi. “What do we know thus far? Billie hired me to do the work in her yard, but I’ve since learned that she wanted to ask me about a mystery. We don’t know what it was, but at first, we thought it might have to do with Ben having an affair, which as we now know, was most likely his meetings with Aly.”
“But Billie didn’t know Aly was his daughter. She may have thought he was having an affair.”
“True, but a few people told me it was something to do with the gloves. There’s those gloves again!” She spoke to herself.
Kandi watched Anne pace back and forth. “Huh? What are you talking about?”
She stopped. “Oh, sorry. Supposedly, the invoice that was in the box of gloves for the garden club wasn’t the same as what Kim had told Billie. But not only that, when I was at Billie’s, I found two different size gloves. That means that someone may have picked up a wrong pair of two different sizes. Crud. We should have gone inside and looked around before we called the police.”
Kandi wiped her pants off as she stood and retrieved the key. “Let’s go now. I’ll stay out here and wait for the police. You go inside and see what you can find. But you’ll need to hurry.”
Anne rushed into the house, which already had a musty smell of disuse. Where to check first? She rushed through the kitchen and up the stairs. On the landing, she found a large bedroom and an adjoining bedroom that had been converted into a dressing area. Some clothes and shoes lay scattered on the floor, a sure sign that Kim had left quickly. Furniture was still in place, and there were no personal mementos everywhere.
Anne pulled her own gardening gloves from her garden belt and used them as she opened drawers. Nothing. She looked under the bed. Empty. Whatever evidence was to be had, it looked like Kim had tried to burn it. She stood up, and a thought came to her mind. Why put the scarf in a baggie before burning it? Something about it made no sense. If you were the killer, why would you keep the evidence that convicts you? Yes, horrible serial killers and murderers often kept trophies, but this seemed more like a murder of convenience.
A noise out front caught her attention. The police had arrived. Shoot. No chance to look any more right now. She rushed down the stairs and ducked into a half-bathroom, where she flushed the toilet and washed her hands. Exiting the room, she came face-to-face with a detective.
“You shouldn’t be in here.”
“I know. I’m sorry. When we found that headscarf, I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach, so I came in here. I apologize.” At least part of her story was true—her stomach had been queasy upon finding the scarf.
He eyed her, and Anne clenched her teeth. The more she said, the deeper the hole she’d be digging.
Finally, he pulled himself up and motioned with his head toward where the others were outside. “Go give your statement to Officer Riggs.”
Anne rushed outside and joined Kandi, who took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Everything all right?”
Anne rubbed her stomach. “Yes. Much better. I think the shock was getting to me.”
“Do you need medical help?” Anne turned to spy Sam walking toward her. The man was as attractive as ever, his blue T-shirt highlighting tanned, muscular arms.
Anne and Kandi squealed. “Sam! It’s great to see you.”
Anne threw her arms around him. “It’s been too long. When did you get back into town? Oh, and congratulations on your new position as coroner.”
“Thanks. I had been offered a position in Denver, but I prefer the mountains and life here. So, sounds like you’ve got yourself involved in something bad again.” He rested his hands on her arms. “Plus, I heard congrats are in order for you too. Never thought that old coot would actually—”
“Who are you calling an old coot?”
“Carson!” Anne jogged over to him, and he gathered her up in a hug.
“Hey, old man.” Sam stuck out his hand, and the two shook hands. “Good to see you. I have to say you hooked a good one here.” He nodded toward Anne.
“Yes, I did.”
Anne crossed her arms. “You all make me sound like a fish!”
Carson kissed her temple. “No way would I ever equate you—”
Officer Riggs joined the group, stopping the conversation. “Good to see you, Sheriff Carson. I think we have what we need for now. You’re free to go, ladies.”
Kandi piped up. “Sir, Kim had borrowed my gloves. Can I get those? I think they’re probably in the greenhouse.” She pointed toward the structure.
“Not until we’ve done our assessments. After that, you can come get them.” He tipped his hat and walked off without another word toward the yellow tape and the inspectors.
“Kandi, I think I’ll ride with Carson, if that’s okay. Unless you’re off to your house.”
“No. I was on my way to your house when I heard the call. Why am I not surprised that you’re in the middle of this?”
Anne snuggled up under Carson’s arm. “Not in the middle. Just on the periphery. It happens to me. I don’t go looking
for it.”
Kandi interrupted, “That works for me. I’m going to run by and visit Aly, anyway. You too have fun catching up.”
The pair waved, and Carson opened the car door for Anne. As she waited for him to come around, she realized she was still wearing her garden gloves. She stared at them for a minute before pulling them off and attaching them to the carabiner on her gardener’s tool belt. Billie’s. She’d forgotten all about checking everything. After telling Carson she needed to make a quick stop, she had him pull up to the house. Ben stood on the porch. And he was in an argument with Brian.
“Uh oh.”
Carson moved from the car and up to the porch.
With the window up, she couldn’t make out what the pair were saying, but she wasn’t about to give up the cool air conditioning that filled the car’s interior.
She watched as the men continued to argue back and forth. So much for the air conditioning, she wanted to know what they were saying. She moved the window down but even though she heard their voices, couldn’t make out anything but snippets of words. Finally, Ben swept his hands through his hair and turned away from the other two. He straightened his back, and Anne knew in that moment Ben had confessed to Brian about James and Jennifer.
Anne watched as Brian took a step back before he plopped down into a chair on the porch. He most likely suspected Brian or James but faced with the truth, it had still hit him hard. He set his head in his hands, shaking his head back and forth. Finally, he looked up at the two men. Carson said something to Ben. He nodded, and the pair shook hands before Carson retreated to the car. He was barely inside when Anne began peppering him.
“What happened? Did Ben confess he was having an affair with Jennifer?”
“Whoa there.” He waved and pulled the car away from the curb. Once they’d turned off the street, he spoke. “Ben confessed all right. But it was more about fessing up to being a friend. He’d not said anything for a while, but he was tired of all the secrets. He’d been covering up for James and Jennifer and his affair with Jennifer. But he’d been pressing James to stop the affair as he’d been fed-up with being pulled into lies.”
