Tj Jensen Cozy Mystery Boxed Set 2: Books 6-10

by Kathi Daley

  “Hardly,” Tj countered. “Brett and Jessie don’t have children, and Vicki isn’t married. Jada and Mia aren’t coming to the reunion, but neither of them has children.”

  “I just spoke to Jada a week ago and she told me she’d be here.”

  “She was planning to attend,” Tj said. “I understand she and Mia both changed their minds after speaking to Samantha Colton.”

  “The Second Look lady?”

  “That’s the one. Did she speak to you?”

  “Yeah, she called me and asked if I was planning to be in Serenity this week. She said she was investigating Holly’s murder for the show. I told her I really didn’t know anything, but I agreed to meet with her. I’m seeing her tomorrow afternoon. Why would her interviews with Jada and Mia cause them to cancel their trips?”

  Tj hesitated. Roy probably wanted to keep the woman’s death, accidental or not, quiet until he could track down the next of kin. If Mackenzie was still expecting to meet Colton the next day, it was clear she hadn’t killed her.

  “Colton can be pretty brutal when it comes to digging into your past. It was clear to me that she’d done her homework and already had a list of suspects in mind before she met with any of us. From what I understand, Jada and Mia were offended by some of the accusations she made.”

  “I thought the woman was investigating Holly’s death, not the sordid past of the alumni of Serenity High School,” Teddy commented.

  “She was. I mean is. It’s just that she seems to consider every person who was at Brett’s party that night a suspect, so she’s digging around in everyone’s past, looking for motives.”

  “Yikes. That’s not going to bode so well for me,” Teddy murmured.

  Tj glanced at Mackenzie, who hadn’t said anything but was frowning.

  “Has she arranged to talk to you as well?” Tj asked Teddy.

  “Yeah. Tomorrow morning. I doubt I can be of much help. I was so stoned my entire high school career I can’t remember much. I know I was at the party; there are photos to prove it. But I honestly can’t remember anything that happened after we were all standing around in the parking lot.”

  “How did you ever manage to graduate college, let alone dental school?” Mackenzie asked.

  “I guess I had a few unfried brain cells,” Teddy said. “Once I got clean and sober, they started working again.”

  “You have those pictures?” Tj asked.

  “Yeah. A bunch. A couple of the cheerleaders were running around with disposable cameras at the party.”

  “I remember that. I’m not sure who brought them, but I do remember having my photo snapped more than once. How did you end up with the photos?”

  “The cameras ended up in my backpack. I didn’t notice I had them until I got home. When I saw Brett at school the next week I asked him what I should do with them. He didn’t know who’d brought them, so he said I should just toss them. I had the film developed anyway. The photos were pretty bad. I’m not sure why I kept them.”

  “Would you mind if I take a look at them?” Tj asked.

  “Sure. I’ll need to dig them up, though. I’ll bring them to the reception tomorrow.”

  “Fantastic.” Tj turned to Mackenzie. “I’d love to have a chance to catch up some more. Are you in town through the weekend?”

  “That’s the plan, unless that reporter lady scares me off too.”

  “Don’t worry. Next to Hunter, you were the most serious, responsible student in our class. I doubt she has anything on you.”

  “We all have secrets.”

  Tj wanted to ask Mackenzie what she meant by that, but she realized this wasn’t the best place to get involved in a serious conversation. She said her goodbyes to the pair and headed over to where Brett was chatting with Dalton. Both men had already had their interviews, which moved them higher on the suspect list, at least in regard to Samantha Colton’s death.

  Despite the tension created by Colton and her investigation, it seemed the room was filled with positive energy. Classmates who hadn’t seen one another for years were chatting happily as they strung streamers and hung old yearbook photos someone had blown up. There was a part of Tj that wanted to leave the investigating to Roy so she could join in the fun, but a bigger part wanted this increasingly complex mystery solved.

  “If it isn’t little Tj Jensen,” Brett said as he lifted her into the air in a giant bear hug.

  Tj laughed. “It’s wonderful to see you. How’ve you been?”

  He set her back down but didn’t answer.

  “Brett and I are both recovering from the brutal interviews we had to deal with yesterday,” Dalton shared. “Has the witch from the cold case show talked to you yet?”

  “Yes, I’ve had the pleasure of her company,” Tj answered. “She definitely isn’t shy about tossing around allegations.”

  “Here’s what I don’t get,” Dalton said. “The woman is supposed to be here to investigate Holly’s murder, but what she’s really doing is running around digging up dirt on everyone who was even remotely connected to Holly. She seems to have found a plausible motive for everyone at the party to have killed her. Even you.”

  Tj was less than thrilled that Samantha had been going around accusing her of murder but she supposed that was what she was doing with everyone.

  “Don’t worry. I told her she was totally off base,” Dalton added. “If anyone had a motive to kill that tease it was me, but I didn’t do it.”

  Tj gave Dalton a shocked look.

  “Everyone knows I had it bad for Holly when we were in high school. I was in love with her, but she treated me like a toy. The bitch used to get all sorts of pleasure out of leading me on and then shutting me down at the last minute. Did you know she even came to my house on occasion in skimpy outfits to study when my parents weren’t home? I should have told her to get lost. But even though she teased me to within an inch of sanity, I followed her around like a little puppy. God, I was pathetic.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Brett said, patting him on the shoulder. “Holly liked to control people, and she was great at figuring out your weak spot. Once she did, she’d use it to manipulate you. She did it to Jessie all the time. I tried to tell Jessie what Holly was doing, but she wouldn’t hear it. I’m not sure who killed the witch, but I honestly think whoever it was did us all a favor.”

  “That seems kind of harsh,” Tj said.

  Brett shrugged. “I’m just saying what everyone is thinking. That girl was a user who didn’t care who she hurt. Jessie and I probably wouldn’t be together if Holly hadn’t died.”

  Tj had thought the same thing, but she was surprised to hear Brett admit it himself. Him openly sharing his hatred of Holly, knowing it would throw suspicion on him, made it likely he hadn’t killed either Holly or Samantha Colton. On the other hand, openly stating something you know everyone else is thinking could be a clever tactic to divert suspicion if you really are guilty.

  “Jessie is waving me over,” Brett said. “We’ll catch up later.” He walked away.

  Tj looked at Dalton. “If you had to make a guess, who do you think killed Holly?”

  Dalton furrowed his brow. “We’re talking theoretically?” he finally asked.

  “Yeah. Unless you do know who did it.”

  “I don’t, but if I had to guess, I’d say Jada Jenkins.”

  Tj frowned. “Why Jada?”

  “Because she was dating fellow nerd Rodney Stone senior year, and Holly was sleeping with him at the same time.”

  “Really? How do you know?”

  “I used to follow Holly around, if you remember. I probably knew more about what she did than anyone.”

  Dalton had a point. He had stalked her for most of the year prior to her death.

  “You were both still at Brett’s party when I left,” Tj said. “Do you remembe
r if Holly was too?”

  “I was pretty wasted, but I’m pretty sure she went upstairs with Jessie at some point. She definitely wasn’t still downstairs when I decided to stumble home.”

  Jada had been involved in a serious relationship with Rodney when they were in high school. She had thrown herself into the software she developed and never married, and Tj at times wondered if Jada had really ever gotten over her messy breakup with the person she’d told everyone was the love of her life.

  Chapter 11

  After the decorating party, Tj and Hunter met Kyle and her sisters at Rob’s Pizza. Dennis, Jenna, and their girls joined them shortly after. Kyle had informed Tj that they’d dropped Echo and Pumpkin off at the resort on their way to eat so she wouldn’t have to worry about picking them up later.

  They ordered several family-size pizzas, and Tj gave the girls money for video games, with instructions to behave and stay together. It really was too bad the main topic of conversation had to be murder. Rob had gone all out to decorate for Halloween, and it would have been nice to be able to simply enjoy the company of her friends in a warm, inviting setting, without having to worry about the high school students in the next booth overhearing the details of the two deaths Tj was now determined to solve. Thankfully, the kids were almost done with their meal, and given the weather and the late hour, it was unlikely that anyone else would occupy the space after they left.

  “So did you learn any juicy tidbits when you were snooping this afternoon?” Jenna asked.

  “Dalton told me that Holly was sleeping with Jada’s boyfriend Rodney.”

  “First of all why would Holly sleep with Rodney? He was such a nerd. And second of all, how did Dalton know about Rodney and Holly?” Jenna asked.

  “He spent most of his time following Holly around. I should probably talk to him again at some point. The fact that he was stalking Holly could prove to be useful in figuring out who might have killed her.”

  “Assuming Dalton isn’t the killer himself,” Dennis said.

  “Yeah, assuming that,” Tj agreed.

  “Has anyone talked to Rodney?” Dennis wondered. “If he was sleeping with Holly and things went south or if Holly threatened to tell Jada, he could have had a reason to want her dead.”

  “I don’t remember him being at the party on the night that Holly died,” Tj said.

  Dennis shrugged. “Just because he wasn’t at the party doesn’t mean he didn’t kill her. We still don’t have any idea what happened. If you think about it anyone could have done it.”

  “Great.” Tj groaned. “That certainly narrows things down.”

  “If solving Holly’s murder had been easy, it would have been accomplished ten years ago,” Dennis pointed out. “Maybe we should focus on who sent Samantha Colton’s car over the side of the cliff.”

  “Did you find out anything new from the autopsy report?” Tj asked Hunter.

  “Maybe. We don’t have the full labs back, but we do know she didn’t have any drugs or alcohol in her system. We’ve also eliminated death by natural causes such as heart attack or stroke. Based on her injuries, it seems likely she didn’t fall asleep at the wheel. Her injuries indicate she braced herself for impact. My guess is she became disoriented on an unfamiliar road during a downpour.”

  “Roy told me there’s a suspicious dent on the left front fender of her car, but so far they don’t know if it’s connected to the accident,” Tj informed the others. “He said the crime scene guys are looking into it.”

  “Did they find skid marks at the scene?” Dennis asked.

  “Only a single set that belonged to Samantha’s car. If another vehicle intentionally rammed into her, the driver might not have applied the brakes.”

  Dennis frowned. “Maybe. But chances are the car that did the ramming would have skidded out of control on impact unless it was going very slowly.”

  “Maybe we should just drop this whole thing,” Jenna said. “Holly has been dead for ten years. The cops couldn’t figure out who killed her back then, so there’s little chance we can do it all these years later. And if there’s even a remote possibility that Samantha Colton wasn’t murdered and her death really was an accident, do we really want to go digging around and stirring things up?”

  “Jenna makes a good point,” Dennis said. “When I spoke to Brett earlier, he told me things were already tense between him and Jessie, and now they’re downright intolerable.”

  “They seemed to be getting along okay at the decorating party,” Tj said.

  “They were probably putting on a united front for the rest of us.”

  “I agree that dropping it might make for a more enjoyable reunion but I’m having a hard time letting it go at this point,” Tj stated. “My gut is telling me that Samantha’s accident wasn’t an accident. Besides, now that Samantha has been successful in getting everyone talking about Holly’s death I sort of want to figure out what happened.”

  “I need to call Roy about the autopsy results,” Hunter said. “Maybe he’ll have news.”

  “I’ll check on the girls while you make your call,” Jenna said.

  “And I’ll get another pitcher of beer,” Kyle offered.

  Tj was left alone at the table with Dennis.

  “You were friends with Nathan in school,” Tj said.

  “Yeah. We were good friends. Why?”

  “Of all the suspects who have been identified, he’s the only one who hasn’t made an appearance. He didn’t come to the school this afternoon, but I know he’s staying at Bookman’s and has been for several days.”

  “Nathan was always a loner. Besides, he’s famous now and probably busy,” Dennis pointed out. “I’m not surprised he didn’t want to spend his time hanging streamers.”

  “Has he called you or made arrangements to get together?”

  “No, but I’ve been working. I’m sure he’ll be at the welcome reception tomorrow.”

  Tj couldn’t help but wonder why he’d been part of the top ten on Colton’s list. Sure, he’d been seen with Jessie, but Tj didn’t understand what that had to do with Holly or her murder.

  “Did Nathan ever tell you that I caught him making out with Jessie the day before homecoming?” Tj asked.

  Dennis frowned. “Jessie? Really?”

  “Saw them with my own two eyes.”

  “Nathan always told me he loathed girls like Jessie. I remember him being into Mackenzie, not that she gave any guy the time of day. But Jessie? It doesn’t fit.”

  “I know. Whenever he mentioned the cheerleaders in any of his newspaper articles, he tended to put us down.”

  “Are you sure you saw what you think you did?” Dennis asked.

  “Total lip lock.”

  “Who’s locking lips?” Jenna asked as she returned to the table.

  “Nathan and Jessie,” Tj answered. She looked up as Hunter came back into the restaurant and headed in their direction, looking down at his phone as he walked. Tj hoped he didn’t trip. The fact that she had a bruise on her face was bad enough; if they both ended up with bruises it was going to look like they’d had a boxing match.

  “Roy is on his way over,” Hunter told them as he sat down. “He said he has news and wanted to tell us all at the same time.”

  “Let’s grab the booth behind us,” Jenna said. “We can have the girls sit there when the pizza arrives. Hopefully, Roy won’t have anything too gruesome to share. I’m starving, and I don’t want my appetite ruined by tales of blood and guts.”

  “That’d make a fun Halloween special,” Tj said.

  Jenna frowned at her.

  “It’d be easy. The pizza sauce could be the blood and the toppings could be the guts. Sausage comes immediately to mind, but I bet there are other gut-worthy toppings.”

  “You’re a strange woman,” Jenna commented.

  By the
time Roy showed up, the pizza had already arrived. Tj offered him a slice. They each ate their fill, the girls returned to the video arcade, and Roy shared his news.

  “Samantha Colton was Holly Riverton’s half-sister,” Roy announced. “Apparently, Holly’s father had an affair with a black woman when Holly was just a baby. The letter asking Second Look to investigate Holly’s death was a fake. Ms. Colton wrote it herself, and when the program’s producers went in a different direction, she decided to investigate on her own.”

  “But why now? It’s been ten years,” Jenna said.

  “Ms. Colton didn’t know about Holly until after their father passed away six months ago. According to her roommate, she became obsessed with finding Holly’s killer after she found out about their connection. I imagine she came here this week because the reunion provided an opportunity to interview everyone,” Roy said. “I don’t know if Ms. Colton was murdered or if her accident really was an accident, but I do think she gave a whole lot of people reasons to want her out of the way during her short time here.”

  Hunter’s phone rang, and he said he needed to take it. He got up from the table and stepped outside while the others continued the conversation.

  “Timing indicates Ms. Colton made a phone call shortly before she headed out to Old Sawmill Road,” Roy said.

  “Maybe she was going to meet whoever she called,” Tj proposed.

  “That’s my theory.”

  “Do we know who she called?”

  “The number was blocked but I have the guys at the crime lab working on it.”

  “There aren’t that many houses out that there. Maybe we can figure out who lives out that way and track the person who made the phone call by the process of elimination,” Tj suggested.

  “First of all, we don’t know that the person she called lives out there. Second there are more houses than it might seem, and third, a lot of people use Old Sawmill road as a shortcut out to the highway, although it certainly isn’t a shortcut during a storm. Still if Ms. Colton has one of those travel apps that help you find the most efficient route it could have sent her in that direction.”