Murder to Spare

by Tamara Woods

  She said as much to Clairebele, who replied, "Not to play devil's advocate but, then anything we find they won't be able to use. Because we got it illegally. So what's really the point?"

  "My dear friend the point is that we will know. And we can act accordingly from there," she said with a glimmer of impatience. "So hush it up."

  She felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She covered it, so the bright screen wouldn't bring unwanted attention. It was Jules.

  Jules: Not a good idea for me to be seen with you.

  Isa: I thought the plan was not to be seen?

  Jules: Not coming there. Left the bottom floor bathroom window unlocked. It's on the ground floor. You can shimmy thru there.

  Isa: Shimmy through...are you sure about that?

  Jules: It's the best I could do.

  Isa: Ok. Thanks.

  "Your best ain't too great," Isa muttered. She whispered to Clare, catching her up.

  "Not to be a broken record, but are you sure we should do this?" Clare asked, her tone dripping with doubt. "Doesn't this feel off to you? And why didn't she tell you all that earlier, instead of making us stand out here shivering?"

  Internally, Isa agreed, but what were her options? She'd tried to have a conversation with Spencer Hammill, but he hadn't gotten back to them. That letter was hanging around like a threat. Her aunt was getting progressively worried. She needed to find out what was going on behind the scenes. And if she didn't do something, then who would?

  "I don't think I have much of a choice at this point," Isa finally said. "But you don't have to do this."

  Clare scoffed, "We're in this together. Ride or die, remember? Let's do this."

  "Let's concentrate more on the riding part than dying," Isa murmured, a shiver running down her spine. Her stomach wasn't bothering her, so things should proceed okay. Probably.

  They crouched down with Isa in the front. They pressed against the wall, moving low and quickly as possible. She kept looking around, but couldn't see anything.

  Hopefully, if anybody is out tonight, they can't see us either, she thought.

  Even though Jussy had promised to take care of everything, Isa had memorized the blueprints for the building that she'd found online. Now she was glad for that forethought. They hadn't depicted security cameras, but everything else seemed identifiable. Hopefully, if they did have cameras, Whisper Valley Security would be as lax as they were rumored being.

  The two would-be break-in artists were in the back of the building that faced the small parking lot. On the right side of the building was the bathroom on the first floor. That also was right beside Main Street. They'd planted some foliage there, but how could they get in without being seen?

  "Let's just try the backdoor," Isa said, her voice low. It was hidden behind the large trash bin. Sometimes people were careless with things like that. It's not like places were often broken around here. She felt a pang of guilt that she ruthlessly pushed aside.

  The bin smelled particularly ripe and her nostrils flared in disgust. Clare made a muffled gagging sound while Isa tried the door. The nob turned without any problems.

  "Huh, didn't expect that," she said under her breath.

  "This is all wrong." Clare's voice was just as quiet. Isa agreed, but they were here now. Might as well carry it out to its end.

  It was much stranger to be in there when there was no one around. There were a few yellow emergency lights on, but the majority of the floor was dark. She tried to remember the layout. They were at the backend of the building. The hall branched off to the left and to the right. To the left should be Hammill's corner office. She tapped Clare on the shoulder and started moving quickly down the hall. It felt a million miles long, but it was just her imagination. And anxiety.

  When they reached the end, she gently pushed the door open, puling it quietly behind Clare with a soft click. They each had a small pen light that wouldn't attract attention from the outside. By mutual agreement, they started going through the files looking for names that were familiar. Isa try to open in the large desk, but they were locked.

  "Let me try," Claire Bell said, pulling a long thin piece of metal out of her Fanny pack. Isa's mouth dropped open as her bestie expertly jimmied the lock.

  "Got it," Claire Bell gave a cocky grin.

  "You know how to pick locks?" Isa asked.

  "We probably shouldn't get into this right now," Clare looked around pointedly.

  "Right. We're going to circle back to this though. Don't you worry."

  "Great. Exactly what I wanted." Clare's tone was drier than the Sahara.

  The door swung open. Everything in the office was precise and pristine. He was a man who needed structure in his life. Isa wanted to make sure that they left no trace of their presence. Glad for her gloves, she carefully looked through the tabs on the files for her aunt's name, the bookstore, or anything of interest.

  "Should we look in his computer?" Claire Bell asked.

  "Definitely," Isa said. "He probably has a password, but we can at least try."

  She turned on the computer and it opened to a password protection screen. She tried some of the common ones ABCD 1234, password, and then she started using more personal names. Like the name of his business, son, wife, and then she hit on it when she used his favorite coffee order, the flat white. Bullseye!

  She looked for the files that he accessed the most. She assumed those would be the most important files. Claire Bell handed her a USB card. She inserted it into the port and began downloading the most used files. And she saw file with her auntie's name on it and she downloaded that one as well. She glanced through to see if there were anything else that rang a bell, but nothing hit the mark. Until she ran across the one that was named after Chad. After adding that to her collection, she deleted her activity from his computer and logged off. She pocketed the card, and gestured to Claire Bell to make their way to the door. As they stood up to go, the unmistakable sound of footsteps sounded in the hallway. They exchanged a panic look and turned to looking around for a hiding spot, flashing their penlight flash lights all around. The metal on the closet caught Isa's eye. They made their way over and extinguished their lights. She pushed the door open a little bit more and they crawled in, just as they heard a rattling at the door. It was all over in a manner of seconds.

  The lights in the office were clicked on. They blinked in confusion.

  "Yeah, I'm here," he said. His voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.

  Isa carefully pulled out her cell phone and hit record. She wanted to keep a record of whatever this new player was saying. She couldn't see his face but he was wearing black boots.

  "Who am I looking for? I don't see anybody here. You're the boss."

  Isa heard sounds of doors being opened and closed and she knew they would be found soon. It sounded like he was looking for someone specific. How had he found that they were there? Had Jussy called the security? Why would she set them up?

  She pushed Claire Bell gently aside and pressed her face against the crack. The closet door seemed pretty new and in good repair. Hopefully, it wouldn't make a sound when she opened it further. She pushed the door quietly to the left and slid open inches at a time. Her body hidden behind the door she looked to the left to see the person was and inadvertently she gasped out loud. He'd been headed to the door, but her gasp had stopped him in his tracks. He turned, walking deliberately toward the closet door.

  "Is somebody there?"

  Isa tried to hold her breath so it wouldn't attract any attention. The footsteps started receding. And she could almost breathe a sigh of relief. Then Clare Bell sneezed. Isa closed her eyes in frustration. Dang it!

  The door flew open so quickly it almost came off the hinges.

  "What the hell are two doing in there?"

  She gulped when she looked up to see who it was.

  "We could ask you the same question," Isa said, trying to hide the trembling in her voice.

  CHAPTE
R NINETEEN

  BRENDAN STOOD OVER her with a frown.

  "What are you doing here?" he repeated. Isa just eyed him, trying to figure out how to manage this new wrinkle.

  "We're just leaving," Clare said, jumping up from her kneeling position.

  "No, no we're not," Isa said, crossing her arms.

  "Of course not. Why would we do that? It only makes perfect sense." Clare rolled her eyes. Isa ignored her and took in Brendan's clothing. It looked like a convention of goth crooks, she thought.

  "It's all over town that since he bought it, Hammill is trying to get Auntie. I'm just trying to find out what's going on. I'm trying to help my aunt."

  He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You can't break into a business because it suits yours agenda."

  "Wouldn't you do the most for the people you love?" she asked. They stared at each other, at an impasse.

  "This is great and all. But maybe we should get out of here, before the security guard comes by," Clare urged.

  Isa looked closer at Brendan's outfit, the lack of all black, the way he'd turned the lights on so nonchalantly. The walkie talkie. And then it clicked.

  "The security is already here," she said, closing her eyes with a groan. Clare turned toward the door and Brendan moved to the side to block her way.

  "What are you going to do? About us?" Isa asked.

  He grimaced. "What do you think I should do?"

  "Let us go, duh. C'mon Isa, let's go."

  Clare grabbed her arm to pull her, but Isa wouldn't budge. She looked at him, trying to take it all in. She briefly considered just leaving with Clare. She was positive he wouldn't stop them. But that didn't feel right. He had a choice and she wasn't going to sway him either way.

  "You do what you have to, Brendan. I'm not going to make that decision for you," she said.

  He seemed to be looking for something on her face. She fought the urge to squirm, meeting him dead in the eye. "I'm the security for this building. I can't allow you to take the information you got out of here."

  "But I don't want to not help you," he said.

  "Why are you doing security work anyway?" Clare asked. "Your business is booming."

  "It looks like, doesn't it?" He shrugged. "But I'm in debt up to my eyebrows. I've been doing this security stuff for a while. I just kept it going," he said.

  Then he looked at Isa again. "I may have to end this career sooner than later."

  She shook her head. "I don't want you to lose your job because of me. This is not what I wanted at all."

  Clare groaned, "You're terrible at this. Do you want him to turn us in?"

  "Of course not. But I'm not going to tell him what to do."

  He looked them over again. "I need the data you took. I can't allow you to take that out of here."

  She handed him the SD card and Clare threw up her hands in disgust.

  "This whole thing was a waste of time," she said.

  They both ignored her. Isa couldn't read his expression. She knew he liked her, but she didn't want to manipulate him into doing whatever. If she was going to sit beside Travis in that holding cell, so be it.

  He finally spoke. "I'm going to let you two out of the building. I won't say anything about any of this. If I catch you here again, I won't hesitate to have you arrested."

  Clare grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the door. Isa looked over her shoulder at him and nodded. He gave a nod back.

  LATER THAT NIGHT ISA laid in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. It had been a close call. Brendan had given them a break and honestly she wasn't sure why. He didn't know her that well. How could he know whether she was even a trustworthy person ?

  Her mind drifted back to Chad's murderer. Meredith being a scorned lover didn't quite feel right. Just like Mr. Moran being angry about the work in his office. Or anybody else really. There was a ton of people ticked off about Chad's shoddy work, but were any of them angry enough for murder. She needed to check things out with the other have of the construction company- his brother.

  And what about that girlfriend that people have mentioned, but there seems to be no one who knows anything concrete about her? Or pill pushing?

  She had so many questions that needed answers. A ping hit her phone and she looked at the text.

  Jarold: Why won't you answer me?

  She stared at those five words and thought about Jarold and all the times she'd sat by her phone waiting for him to acknowledge her. But he hadn't. He'd left her hanging over and over again.

  But she'd kept coming back. Playing herself over and over again.

  And for what?

  She'd felt like Boo Boo the Fool after dealing with him. All the signs had been staring her in the face. She hadn't been allowed to call him. Only text. They only met up when he said so, usually for lunch dates. But she thought that was because as coworkers, it was just more convenient to meet up then. And she thought it made sense that he wanted to wake up early in the morning, so he went to bed early at almost geriatric times. Or at least, she'd thought he was going to sleep. The only time they spent the night together was when he took her away on a vacation that one weekend. Later she found out his wife was staying the weekend with her mother.

  She'd found out so much.

  For a guy leading a double life, he'd made finding out the truth so easy. He'd left his phone on her nightstand as he'd gone to make breakfast. And it had dinged. It was habit. She picked it up to take it to him and she glanced down at the phone. His wife had sent him a picture of their baby smiling.

  Me and Jr Miss You BB xoxo.

  She'd always know he'd make very cute kids. She'd just thought they would be hers. Theirs. Together. He'd encouraged that dream. And there she was, wishing that she could take back the past five years of her life.

  Isa picked up her phone and looked down at it. She dialed a number by heart and waited for the answer.

  "Hey what's up?" Clare asked.

  "I need to talk. Is that okay?" Isa's voice broke.

  "I'm on my way," Clare said and clicked off.

  There was never a question with her. She was always ready to jump right in, feet first. Shame rolled through Isa. She shouldn't have pushed her best friend away. She shouldn't have pushed her aunt away. Her family. Even her town. She'd chosen a man who wasn't worth a tinker damn, as Aunt Maybel would say. She couldn't blame it all on him either. She had been blinded by him, but also by what she wanted to be true. She had wanted him to be everything she'd ever expected.

  She sat up in bed and grabbed her big fluffy pink robe, a leftover from high school. She'd put on a few elbees since then, but the thing was so big it still worked. She shuffled into the kitchen where her aunt sat sipping a cup of tea with two others waiting on the tray

  "How did you—?" Isa started and then broke off when her aunt raised her eyebrow that was much like Isa's.

  Soon enough, Clare joined them at the counter and Isa told them. Everything. From meeting Jarold at the monthly book sale at the library before she started working there. To learning he'd put in a good word for her after she was hired. And then leaving without actually officially breaking it off with him. For once her aunt didn't chime in and Clare didn't have a funny joke.

  Once she was done, she felt light-headed, like a two ton weight had been lifted from her chest.

  "You better now?" her aunt asked.

  She thought for a moment and then nodded. Things still weren't right, but they would get there.

  "Good," her aunt said and then gave her a light smack on the back of her head.

  "Hey!"

  "For somebody who is smart, you sure is dumb sometimes." Her aunt shook her head. "Don't you know that we're your family? And no matter what we're here."

  "Yeah Isa, you don't have to hide from us, even when you're not doing the right thing," Clare said.

  "But I didn't know..." Isa trailed off.

  She might not have known in words, but she'd had a feeling. And those feelings had simmered for s
o long that she couldn't take it anymore and that's why she'd picked up that phone that morning.

  "I played myself," she admitted.

  Clare nodded. "You did. But we still love you, homie."

  Her aunt stood up and gathered them both close to her. "I love you both. Even with your foolishness. You're special to me. And I don't want either one of you to forget that."

  They leaned into it and then she pulled away, trying to wipe a tear without them seeing it.

  "You're good here? You have everything you need? You work in the morning, Clare? I'm going back to bed," she said in her way, and sashayed out the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  ISA WAS COVERING THE front register for her aunt, who needed to have some "time to herself." She hadn't looked her normal bright and bubbly self, so Isa didn't put up too much of a fight.

  That was fine by niece. She wanted a little time away from the office books. And she needed a chance to think over yesterday. Her mind was boggled over the last 24 hours.

  The last week really. Being a librarian had never been so eventful.

  The store's phone rang and startled Isa out of her thoughts. It was Dena who had asked about bringing in a book club to the store.

  "Would you be interested in doing something a little differently?" Isa asked.

  "I might be, what do you have in mind?"

  Once Isa had described her plan, Dena's reluctant tone had taken one of full-blown enthusiasm. They decided to talk later to finalize the book club get-together.

  After hanging up, Isa felt a spark of worry, but quickly squelched it. If she was going to help her aunt get the store back in black, she needed to strike when opportunities arose. They didn't happen all the time in Whisper Valley.

  The stream of foot traffic into the Mystic Eye had been a trickle that morning. A few people meandered in for coffee or tea. A few old timers grabbed some newspapers as part of their morning constitutionally.