by Renee George
“Anyone she was getting serious about?”
Melinda shook her head again. “She said one guy was texting her a lot, but she wasn’t interested in seeing him more.”
Phone records. That would be a job for Nadine.
I nodded. “Is there anything else you can think of that might offer some insight?”
As if she had an a-ha moment, Melinda’s eyes widened. “I think she was having trouble with someone here at the nursing home. She complained one night about something not being right, but when I pressed her, she said she couldn’t talk about it. I just assumed it was normal work drama. It’s probably nothing, but…I don’t know.”
“I’ll look into it,” I said. I smiled sympathetically. “Thank you for talking to us, Melinda. I know it can’t be easy.”
“Abby trusted Opal. Opal trusts you.” She said it like it was an absolute.
The woman who’d been sitting across the way had been quiet the whole time we’d been talking. She raised up to her feet and said, “I really liked Abby. She was a good one.”
I’d completely forgotten about her. I remembered Pearl saying how she was over seventy, so invisible was easy, and I flushed with guilt. “Can we help you get back to your room?”
“I’m old, sweetie, but I can still move these old bones.” She dusted her blue polyester pants at the butt. “That was fast work with Jane. She usually naps out here after lunch, so I wouldn’t have thought a thing about her.” She walked toward the door. “Name’s Mabel. Stop in and see me next time you’re here. I’m always around somewhere.”
Melinda stood up. “I better get going.” She addressed Reggie. “Do you know when I can have the funeral home pick up Abby?” Her eyes watered with tears again.
“I’ll call you as soon as I know. It shouldn’t be more than a day or two,” Reggie offered.
“We better get going, too,” Nadine said. She looked at the time on her phone.
“Do you have to be somewhere?”
She gave me a pointed stare. “As a matter of fact, I do.” She knew about my lie detector abilities, and the look warned me not to test her.
I gave a little toss up of my hands. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me.” I knew she would eventually tell me what was going on with her when she was ready. Now probably wasn’t the best time.”
Smooshie, who must have felt it was time to go, stood up, her tail whacking between my leg and Reggie’s.
Reggie smiled down at her. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.”
Smooshie pressed her nose into Reggie’s hand for a quick pet, for which Reggie obliged, laughing when Smooshie licked her palm. My girl could charm a unicorn out of her horn.
“I’m going to stay with Opal,” Pearl said. “You girls go ahead.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Won’t you need a ride home?”
“I’ll find my own ride.”
I raised my brow. “I’m sure you will.”
The conversation with Abby’s mom had given me more questions than answers. Was she still on antidepressants? Was she still seeing the married doctor? Or was she being stalked by a new guy? And what about her ex-husband? The ex always seemed like a good place to start in a case like this. Also, she was having trouble at work. With whom? Why? And was the drama enough trouble that someone would want her out of the way?
Chapter 9
Reggie dropped Nadine and me back at the diner. We all said our goodbyes before Smooshie and I headed to Parker’s place. I’d called him to let him know we were on the way, but still, I was surprised when I saw him waiting in his driveway for me, Elvis already in his truck.
I rolled down the window. “What’s up?”
He walked up to the driver’s side and leaned in. “Dad called. His truck broke down just out past your place at the Winslows.”
“A mechanic with a mechanical problem, huh? That’s ironic.” Greer owned The Rusty Wrench and, as it happened, had been the first person in town that I met after my truck sputtered to a halt in his parking lot. “Doesn’t he have tools on him?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but not the right part. I’m going to swing by his shop before I head out.”
“Do you want me to go with you to get him?”
Parker smiled. “Nah.” He dipped his head inside the cab and kissed me. “You go on home. You and Smooshie have a good run, and I’ll swing by after I get Dad sorted.”
“All right,” I said. “I’ll see you after a while.”
“Crocodile,” Parker finished. He reached over and tapped my nose with his finger.
“You booped me,” I said.
He laughed and patted the window ledge. “I’ll follow you out.” As he went to his truck, he had an extra spring in his step that on several levels concerned me. Parker was the one person, as my mate, who didn’t set off my tingles when he lied. But his oddly good mood and the nose boop made me wonder what in the world he was up to.
My suspicion kicked up several notches when Parker didn’t stop into his dad’s garage. He followed me out of town and down the rural gravel road I lived on. I couldn’t stop glancing back at him in the rearview mirror. He was smiling and talking to Elvis the whole time.
When I got close to my driveway, I could see several vehicles up near the house and the trailer. “What’s happening?” I asked Smooshie, so she shoved her head out the top of the partially opened passenger window and sniffed.
“That’s no answer,” I told her as I turned in. Parker turned in after me.
I recognized Greer’s truck, the one that had supposedly broken down. Why was he at my place? Ryan Petry’s fancy sports car was over by the trailer. There was another car that surprised me. It belonged to Theresa Simmons.
Why was everyone at my place? I actually felt a little panicked as I got out of the truck.
Then I saw them. Two large pallets loaded with rectangular boxes.
My mood instantly brightened. “My floors have arrived!” Smooshie bailed out of the truck after me. “We have floors, Smoosh!” I said, scratching her neck.
Parker, who’d parked right behind me, grinned as he and Elvis piled out of his truck. “Let’s go take a look at them.”
“Surprise!” came a chorus of voices from inside the house as my friends poured out onto the porch. Greer, Reggie, Nadine, Buzz, Theresa, Keith, Ryan and, surprisingly, Paul Simmons. He and Ryan were seeing each other, but as far as I knew, it was still on the hush-hush. Mostly, anyhow.
“What are you all doing here?” I asked.
“What does it look like?” Ryan said. “We’re having a floor-laying party?”
Parker slid a box from the top and popped it open. “Come take a look at your new floors.”
The laminated tiles mimicked weathered hickory, almost gray color, like old barn wood. My chest squeezed with joy.
“I love them.” The floors were the last thing I needed to get done before I could finally move out of the trailer and into the house.
Paul, who was the manager of Hayes Home Improvement Center, had given me a sweetheart deal on the tiles, since the manufacturer was no longer making this particular pattern, and a month earlier he’d found several remnants at a great price that I used for the upstairs bedrooms. The only big expense had been the underlayment, but Parker had helped me put that down last weekend.
“How did you all arrange this? I mean to be here, right when the floors came?”
“For a smart girl…” Nadine said. She looked over at Paul. “He told Ryan, and Ryan told us, and we all agreed that it was time you got to live in this house of yours. You shouldn’t have to spend one more night in that tin can.” She pointed at the trailer.
“It’s not that bad.” Besides, these days I’d spent as much time in Parker’s bed as my own. But still, I was excited about the prospect of having a real home of my own. To both Reggie and Nadine, I asked, “How did you guys beat me over here?” Reggie was wearing jeans and a plain blue T-shirt. “And when did you find the time to change clothes?”
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“I had this in my car,” she said. “And we basically raced over.” Both my best friends laughed.
I glanced at Greer. I knew about the engagement, and I could tell by the look on his face that Reggie had let him know that I knew. His brow furrowed, but I smiled and gave him a nod. His secret was safe with me. For now. The tension in his forehead eased.
I gave all of my friends a once-over. “You all can’t want to spend your day off messing with my house,” I said.
“We certainly can,” Buzz replied for the group. He traipsed down the steps and put his arm around my shoulder. “I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday. How about you guys?”
A lot of nods and mutters of agreement went around.
I met Theresa’s gaze. “It’s so nice to have you here.”
“Of course.” She glanced away and back, as if shy. “I wanted to help.”
“Don’t overdo it,” Parker warned her. “Don’t want you going into labor.”
Keith chuckled. “I’ve put her on strict water duty. She’s not allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk.”
Theresa patted her stomach. “Do you hear that, baby? Your dad is already telling me how to do my job.”
I grinned. “You’re going to be a great mom.”
She smiled and didn’t look away this time when her gaze met mine. “Thank you, Lily.”
“And,” Buzz said dramatically as he pointed to some red coolers near the porch I hadn’t noticed. “I brought burgers and dogs to burn on the grill and all the fixings that go with them.”
Ryan grinned and ran a hand through his thick, perfect hair. He pointed out a large blue cooler near his car. “And I brought beer.”
“It’s perfect.” My heart thumped in my chest until I thought it would burst through my rib cage.
Buzz still had his arm around my shoulders. “This is all because of you, kiddo. I never thought I could have this kind of life, you know, where I could have a real home. Family. But you make me feel like it’s really possible.”
“It is,” I said. I prayed I was right, because all these people were my family now. Cougars in the wild tended to be solitary creatures, preferring to be on their own, but that wasn’t how I wanted to live my life. I’d been alone long enough in Paradise Falls.
Buzz walked back over to Nadine, and they began to move the boxes of flooring into the house with the others.
Parker came up behind me. “Surprise,” he said softly.
“I knew you were up to something,” I said.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, his hands settling on my belly. He kissed my neck. “I thought your mojo didn’t work on me.”
“It doesn’t. You’re just a really bad liar.” I turned in his arms and slid my palms up his chest and crossed them behind his neck. “So, you agree with Buzz,” I said quietly. “You couldn’t think of any better way to spend a Sunday?”
“If that’s on the table,” he replied, his smile sly.
“How about after we get the floor laid first?” I told him.
“Then I get laid,” he said.
I giggled because I couldn’t help myself. “If you’re not too worn out.”
“Challenge accepted,” he said, rewarding me with a kiss full of heat and promise. “We best get started.”
“Uh huh,” I agreed a little breathlessly.
“You two either get a room or grab some boxes,” Buzz said.
I blushed as it dawned on me that, with his shifter hearing, he had probably heard every part of our flirty conversation. Living in a human town was dulling my wits. I’d have never been that indiscreet back in Paradise Falls.
As a group, we hauled about thirty boxes of tiles inside the dining room, since it would be the last room to get a new floor, before the group stopped to take a breather.
Thanks to my second nature, I was stronger than most human women and men, but Parker could definitely carry his own weight. He leaned against the arch leading into the living room, watching me as I ripped into the open box.
“You’re kind of amazing,” he said. “Just in case I haven’t told you lately.”
“Just kind of?”
“Maybe a little more than that.”
We let Paul take the lead as the expert, since he talked to people all day about this kind of DIY home improvement. Before long, the afternoon dragged into the evening, and by the time it was dark around seven o’clock, we’d finished all the living room, the hallway, and the kitchen. Buzz went to cook, while the rest of us grabbed beers and started on clean-up duty. By the time we were done, the burgers and hot dogs were ready to be consumed.
Luckily, Greer had the foresight to bring lawn chairs, and while there wasn’t enough for everyone, between the porch steps, my kitchen chairs, and the lawn chairs, we all had a place to sit.
“All we’re missing is a campfire,” Ryan said.
Paul nudged his shoulder. “You want some marshmallows to roast as well?” He laughed.
“I’d love some marshmallows,” I said, then took a big bite of my juicy burger. After putting in several long hours of hard work, and with my metabolism, I worried I would need a dozen to replace the calories I’d burned. Smooshie put her head on my knee and I pinched her off a generous portion. She wolfed it down, then put her head on my knee for another bite.
“You are spoiling her rotten,” Buzz said. He held two plates, both with big patties, medium rare. He handed one to Parker and one to me. “I didn’t put any seasoning on these for Elvis and Smoosh.”
“Ah, lookie,” I told my girl. “Uncle Buzz wuvs you.”
“Har har,” Buzz replied. He finished serving everyone else before bringing his own plate to the circle and taking the seat on the other side of Nadine. “So, Nadine tells me you’re looking into the Rogers girl’s death.”
I had just taken another bite of burger, so I nodded and grunted, “Uh huh.”
“Freda said Lacy lives on the second floor of the same apartment complex. You might want to talk to her about some of the comings and goings from Abby’s place.”
I finished chewing and swallowing. “You’re not going to tell me to keep my nose out of it?”
“Would it do me any good?”
Nadine snorted.
“No,” I said honestly.
“That’s what I thought. Besides, I liked Abby. She came in sometimes to have lunch with Opal and Pearl. They’ve both been good customers and good friends to me over the years. If Opal is asking, then I can’t tell you no.”
I nodded. “I care about them, too.”
“I can’t believe the darn fool woman broke her hip,” Greer said.
“Actually, it was her femur, the long bone in her leg.”
“Those flamingos are a freaking maze,” Nadine said. “I got called out there one night because Pearl had heard something or someone out in the bushes, and I almost broke my neck tripping over one.”
Theresa, who’d just come back from the trailer after her umpteenth bathroom break, said, “Did I hear you guys talking about Abby Rogers?”
“Yes.” I watched Keith get up when she arrived and help her down into her chair. The way he doted on her was sweet and nothing less than she deserved after years of putting up with an abusive husband. “Did you know her?”
“I did. Her ex and my ex used to run in the same circles.” I could hear the bitter in her tone as she thought about Jock Simmons. He’d been murdered because he was an awful human being. I’d actually felt sorry for the girl who’d killed him.
Theresa continued. “Abby and I ended up at the wives’ table more than once at several dinner parties. I had a feeling we were kindred spirits, if you catch my meaning.”
Jock used to hit Theresa. I’d seen the bruises for myself more than once. “Do you think he beat her?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But I do think he was abusive. And I think he cheated. Do you think Dale had anything to do with her death?”
“I know Dale," Ryan said.
"He teaches part-time at the college. He’s got issues, but I don't think he's a killer.”
“Well, sure,” I said. “If he abuses women, he definitely has issues. But I’ve seen plenty of people without so-called issues kill, so I don’t see why it couldn’t have been him.”
All eyes were on me now. I gulped, remembering that only two other people in the group knew Buzz and I were shifters.
I amended my statement. “You know, on those reality crime shows. It’s not like I know a bunch of murderers in real life.”
There were a few uncomfortable chuckles, but happily the conversation moved on.
“I just meant that Dale is, well, he’s a jerk, but I don’t see it. He was angry about the infidelity, but I do think he loved her as much as someone like him can,” Ryan explained.
“Like him?”
“He has a chip on his shoulder. Poor kid made good. A bad childhood can really mess up some adults.” Ryan sighed. “I shouldn’t be sharing this, but he’s been in counseling. I think he’s really trying to fix the way he sees the world.”
Reggie, the voice of reason, said, “No amount of speculation is going to do us any good until I find out the cause of death. She could very well have taken her own life.”
“Sure,” Nadine said. “Play devil’s advocate, if you will. But I trust Lily’s gut if she thinks something’s off about this.”
“My gut is not saying a whole lot right now.” It growled. Loudly. Everyone laughed. “Okay. It’s saying it’s time for another burger.”
When everyone was leaving, Buzz gave me a hug and said, “Talk to Lacy. Freda didn’t say much, but I got the distinct impression that Lacy knows something. Something that she won’t volunteer without a little prompting.”
“Thanks,” I said. Then, “Hey, when are you and Nadine going to tell me about your trip?”
He kissed my cheek. “Soon. I promise.”
After everyone left, Parker and I went into the house and sat down on the floor against the wall near the fireplace to admire all of our handiwork. Elvis and Smooshie followed us in, both sniffing around the new floors, I imagined, taking in all the different scents of the worker bees.
