“Charles?” the detective asked.
“Collierville prosecutor,” Liam said. “He told us at the repast that he called and left a message with Cynthia, saying that he’d missed Big Willie’s phone call, and he was calling back. Charles told Cynthia that Big Willie’s message had said it was urgent.”
“Oh,” the detective slowly nodded his head. “You thought Big Willie had called the prosecutor and was filing charges against you?”
“Why else would Big Willie have wanted to talk to a prosecutor? And why say it was urgent?” She lowered her head. “I didn’t want to go back to jail.”
“Go back?” the boys said it almost in unison.
Epilogue
“We wanted to give you this,” Liam said. He, Dale, and Grant were standing in front of a tiny orange house in the inventory barn. It had been there, just a few days earlier that we’d found the clue that pinned Big Willie’s death on his wife, Cynthia.
“Give it to me?” I said and covered my mouth with my hand. “You have got to be kidding!”
“Big Willie said you were going to have this house,” Grant said. “And by golly you are!”
“How do you know that Big Willie said that?” I asked Grant. I knew he’d said it to me in front of Liam, but I hadn’t heard him say that to Grant.
“I know he’d want you to have it for one thing,” Grant said. “But he told me that the day he died.”
“And he told us, too, remember?” Liam said.
“I remember, but I think he meant for me to buy it,” I said. I couldn’t believe I was acting reluctant about taking it. I should have been trying to pick it up and run away with it.
“Well, I know you can’t afford to buy it,” Liam said, “and keep yourself clad in designer wear.”
I furrowed my brow. “Have you been talking to my grandfather?”
He chuckled. “No. But I would like to sometime. I think we’d have a good conversation,” he said. “And without you,” a humble smile passed over his face, “I don’t think – no, I know we wouldn’t have solved this murder. We owe you.”
Cynthia had been pretty sneaky. And all the time I thought that was Agnes’ persona. Cindy Lou had had numerous charges filed against her for forgery, and fraud all over Tennessee, and had even done six months in a county jail. This time though, it was a state prison for her.
She had started using the name Cynthia when she moved to Memphis, and decided to turn over a new leaf – get a job, walk the straight and narrow – but it looked like she only got that side of the leaf dirty too.
It had been in the heat of the moment, her killing Big Willie. She got that phone call from Charles, amid all the other calls she’d taken that busy afternoon and had panicked. She grabbed Big Willie’s gun, and as she tells the story, rushed down to plead with him not to turn her in, the gun was only meant to scare him. After she shot him, she hid the gun in the woodchip pile, only to retrieve it later, wipe off her fingerprints and put it back in its case.
But how do you not mean to shoot someone and shoot them twice?
“You like it?” Liam said breaking into my wandering thoughts.
“I love it!” I said then bit down on my lip. “So you said ‘we’ are giving you the house.” I looked at Grant. “Did you buy the Carter business?”
“Buy it?” He shook his head. “Heck no! These boys are taking over my business. Liam, Jacob and Dale. That had always been me and Big Willie’s retirement plan. Without Big Willie here, I figured I’d just retire early. Give it to them now.”
I looked over at the house. “So is it really mine?” I asked. They all nodded. “I can’t believe it’s mine.”
“Well it is.” Liam’s smile was as big as mine. “Don’t just stand there, go inside.”
I let out a squeal.
“You didn’t tell her the other part,” Dale said.
“Oh, yeah,” Liam said. “One more thing before you go in. I spoke to Ava Dewey over at the Harrington House and Pet Sitters. They fired your stalker guy.”
“Yay!” I said.
“So that meant they had an opening,” Grant said.
“An opening?” I looked at them, a hint of pride in their eyes.
“Yep,” Liam said. “If you want, you can continue your travels, in your tiny house,” he gestured to my new abode, “and pay for your expenses by house and pet sitting as the newest employee of Harrington’s.”
I let out another squeal.
Oh, I couldn’t wait to tell my Dedek that I wouldn’t be back in Connors Grove for a while, and let him in on all of my new tiny house adventures!
The End
Thank you for taking time to read A Tiny Collierville Murder. Look for more books in A Tiny House Cozy Mystery series coming soon. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends about it. And don’t forget to
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A Note from the Author
I’ve got a new series. It’s another cozy mystery with a twist. The amateur sleuth is on the go! She’s a house and pet sitter and no matter where she is, murder seems to follow her. But the fun part is that she travels the country with a tiny house in tow!
I’m very excited about this series. I got the idea from HGTV and thought it would be something new and different to write a series about.
So meet Nixie Culpepper, her Yugoslavian grandfather Luka Kovac, and her Japanese paternal grandmother Miori Culpepper. Be sure to stay tuned and join her on her adventures across the country.
Thanks to my beta reader and friend, Kathryn Dionne. You never fail me, and as always, the book is better because of you.
More good news – I’ve got a publishing contract! Henery Press read a sample of my Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery series and contacted me! Isn’t that awesome? They said they “love, love, love my voice and humor,” and asked what they could do to entice me to join them. How nice not to seek out validation, and have it dropped in my lap! It is the dream of almost every author to get a publishing contract. So look for my books with them coming in 2018.
And of course, Miss Vivee and Logan, from my Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery series hasn’t finished up yet, still a few more installments to come.
I appreciate all my reviews and look forward to reading what you thought about my book. Grammatical errors are of course unintended, so if you find any, just email me and let me know what you’ve found.
I love connecting with my readers and look forward to chatting with you soon.
Read My Other Books
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A Tiny Collierville Murder Page 16
