by Kay Finch
“Oh.” My hopes of tracking down next of kin quickly deflated.
“I didn’t buy it,” she added.
I perked up. “You didn’t believe her?”
“Not really.”
“Why not?” I was surprised this woman was so forthcoming since she knew nothing about me. I’d keep asking, though, as long as she was willing to talk.
“Jane had an angle I couldn’t quite figure out,” she said. “She was very much of a goody-two-shoes. Too good to be real.”
“Sometimes good is good.” The woman’s attitude irked me.
“You’re right, but with Jane something was off.”
“You thought she was lying?”
“Holding back,” she said. “I never had the feeling that Jane was totally aboveboard.”
“Did something happen to cause your, um, distrust?”
“Nothing I can put a finger on,” she said.
“I’m guessing you weren’t sorry when she left to go work in Lavender.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t sorry, but she didn’t deserve to get that position.”
“Did you hope to get the job yourself?”
She waved a hand. “Not me. I’ve no interest in leaving Emerald Springs.”
“Was there another person in line for the job at the Lavender library?”
“I’ve said too much already.” She clamped her mouth shut, and I doubted another word would pass her lips.
A door behind the counter opened. A cheery man with rosy cheeks and a dark goatee walked into the space and said, “Ice cream for everyone.” He pointed at me, the only library patron in sight.
“Hi, I’m Mickey.”
“Sabrina,” I said.
“You want an ice cream sandwich? I have extras.”
“Me? No, thanks.”
“Who doesn’t want ice cream?” He stood still and studied me. “Did Grace help you with whatever you need?”
She glared at him. The other two employees scurried through the door to the back room, eager for their treat.
“Yes, Grace and I had a nice conversation,” I said. “My visit today isn’t about the books, though. I’m here to learn more about Jane Alcott.”
He had started to follow the others, but at the sound of Jane’s name he stopped in mid-stride. “You’re the second person I’ve seen in the past five minutes asking about poor Jane. Too bad I don’t have many answers.”
“Who was the first person?” I said.
“Some guy I ran into out in the parking lot.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “He already took off.”
“What did he look like?” I said.
“I don’t know. Like some slick dude. Suit. Dark hair. Big car.”
My heart rate had kicked up. “What did he want?”
“He asked me where Jane lived here in Emerald Springs, and that’s one thing I do know, so I told him.”
Chapter 11
I hurried through the door leading to the parking area in the event Mickey was wrong and the man who asked about Jane was still out there. I scanned the dozen or so cars in the lot before I realized Mickey had followed me from the building.
“Told you, he’s gone,” he said. “Dude didn’t look like he planned to hang around.”
“Had you ever seen him before?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“So you gave the address of Jane’s house to a complete stranger?”
“He said he had a delivery. Not a big deal.”
“Did he look like a deliveryman?”
“I don’t know.” Mickey frowned. “I didn’t have a reason to question the guy.”
“Did he say the delivery was for Jane?”
Mickey stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I assumed it was something for the family who lives in her house. I think you’re making too much of this.”
He might be right. Still, a delivery person usually had the address on the envelope or package to be delivered. Why come to a library for the information?
“The man had a question, and I answered,” he said. “Librarians are helpful people. So sue me.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s wise to give out personal information to random strangers.”
“Then we should cut this conversation short since I don’t know you from Adam.” He raised his brows.
“You got me there.” I told him my name. “I didn’t know Jane well, only long enough to get a taste of her contagious enthusiasm.”
“That was Jane,” he said. “And you came here to—”
“I’m trying to help the authorities sort things out, track down her next of kin. And if I learn anything that leads to getting a bead on the killer, all the better.”
“Sounds ambitious,” he said.
“More like nosy. I can’t rest when there’s an unsolved mystery in my head.”
The back door of the building opened, and Grace stuck her head out. “Mickey, get back to work or I’ll dock your pay.”
Mickey rolled his eyes before he turned to face her. “Yes, Grace, right away.”
He looked over his shoulder at me. “Sorry I can’t be of more help.”
“You could give me the address of Jane’s house.”
“I’ll need to see your ID first, get your thumbprint,” he said with a smirk. But he gave me the information before going inside.
I took out my phone and input the address before I forgot it. As I pulled out my car keys, I heard a woman’s voice behind me.
“Man, he is such a dork.”
I turned to see the young woman who’d been working inside leaning against a column that supported the walkway cover. She was rail thin and could easily disappear behind the column if she didn’t want to be spotted. She took a deep drag on a cigarette and turned her head to exhale in the direction opposite me.
I didn’t see anyone else, so she had to be talking to me. I approached her. “You mean Mickey?”
“Who else? Mr. Talk-Before-You-Think.”
“A lot of people do that,” I said, not knowing why I was sticking up for the guy all of a sudden.
“He barely knew Jane if he thinks it’s okay to spout off personal details like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was freaky about keeping to herself. Wouldn’t tell anybody anything, like she probably wouldn’t share her favorite brand of popcorn if you asked. If she had family, she wasn’t tellin’ us. Everything was top secret.”
“Huh. Maybe she had a good reason.”
The woman nodded. “Could be. Like her trouble with those creepy construction guys.”
My interest perked up. “Is this something Jane shared with you?”
“Not exactly. I witnessed one of them bothering her. Here in town.”
“When was this?”
“A couple weeks ago. She came back for the weekend. I heard them arguing. Gathered that he made a pass, she told him to get lost, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Who was the guy?”
“Somebody working on the new building in Lavender. She couldn’t shake him loose. Had to call the cops.”
“Do you know his name?”
She thought for a moment. “I think it was Flores.”
I’d had a little taste of Cody Flores myself, but it sounded like he was much more aggressive with Jane.
“You said construction guys, plural. Did she have trouble with more than one of them?”
“I think so. She talked about a man she called the big boss. Said he was threatening. I told her to stay away from the place. I mean, she didn’t have to start work there until the building was ready.”
“I’ll make sure the sheriff checks those men out,” I said. “Thanks. Sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“Ali,” the woman said.
“I’m Sabrina.”
“I know who you are. Sabrina Tate. You have a new book coming out soon. I pre-ordered it.”
I smiled, thanked her for the
pre-order and the information, and went to my car. I punched the address of the house owned by Jane into an app and checked the directions. I should head back to Lavender now, but somehow I couldn’t force myself to turn the car in that direction. Maybe the alleged deliveryman had already been to the house and completed his mission. Or maybe he wasn’t making a delivery at all. I couldn’t go home without following up.
Ten minutes later I turned onto Bluebird Lane and coasted down the street until I came to Jane’s house number. There was only one car parked in the short driveway of the single-story brick house. The dinged-up Toyota Camry had to be more than ten years old. I looked up and down the tree-lined street and didn’t spot any suspicious cars or men hanging around the area. Maybe the guy had already come and gone.
One way to find out.
I walked up to the front door and rang the bell.
I waited for what seemed like two full minutes and lifted my hand to ring it a second time.
The door flew open and a very pregnant woman with a big Afro got in my face.
“Can’t you read?” she whispered loudly. “Don’t ring the damn bell.” She pointed at the wall beside the door. I must have looked confused because she stuck her head out to look at the wall herself, then at the concrete by my feet.
I saw a three-by-five piece of cardboard on the ground and bent to retrieve it. I turned it over and saw the words DO NOT RING BELL printed in black marker.
“Kids are asleep,” she said, “and I need them to stay that way as long as possible.”
“Sorry for the intrusion,” I said.
“I hope to high heaven you’re not sellin’ anything. There is nothing in this world that I’m in the market to buy.” She paused as if to reconsider the statement. “Unless you can give me more hours in the day. More patience. Or make this baby come sooner than later.” She rubbed her belly like someone would rub a genie’s bottle when making a wish.
“Sorry, I can’t help with any of those things.”
“What do you want?” she said. “Make it fast. I’m busy.”
I told her my name, and she introduced herself as Kylie Renfrow.
“I’m a friend of Jane Alcott’s,” I began.
That brought a smile. “Oh, Jane. How’s she doing?”
Uh-oh. I skirted the question. “I just came from the library. A man was there asking for this address. Said he had a delivery to make, and I wondered if he’s been here.”
Her brows drew together. “When?”
“In the past thirty minutes.”
“No one came here,” she said. “Only person delivers stuff for me is my boss’s secretary, Stacy. I don’t want anybody else showin’ up.”
“He didn’t say who the delivery was for.”
“It’s not here, whatever it is. That all you wanted?”
“I guess so.” I began to turn away, then paused. “No, I hoped to get a look at the man.”
“Why? That seems like an odd request.” She paused for a beat. “How do you know Jane anyway?”
“We’re both book people.” I felt awful for speaking of Jane in present tense, but I didn’t want to be the one to deliver the bad news. I should leave.
“Same here,” Kylie said. “Jane and I met in a bookstore, started chatting, and learned we had a lot in common when it came to reading.”
In the distance, a child began to wail.
“Oh, shoot,” Kylie said. “Come on in. I’ll be back in a sec.” She waddled down a side hallway toward what I assumed were the bedrooms.
Leave, Sabrina. You should go right now.
My legs wouldn’t obey my brain’s commonsense warning. I scanned my surroundings, taking in the open-concept kitchen, dining, living space. The place was nicely updated, and I wondered why Jane still had this house in Emerald Springs as well as her apartment in Lavender. Maybe she meant to keep it as a rental property. What would happen to the place now?
I wandered over to the dining table, where stacks of mail sat in the corner near an open laptop and printed spreadsheets. Lots of what appeared to be junk mail and magazines of the wine-lover’s variety. Jane’s mail, based on the labels I could see without touching anything.
Kylie came back in two minutes with a sniveling toddler on her hip. A girl, judging by the mermaid on the front of her shirt.
“This is a really bad time,” Kylie said. “I have work to get done before five, and now she’s up, and I was going to grocery shop for dinner today, and—” She paused, inhaled visibly, and tried to get her bearings. “I’m sorry, any friend of Jane’s is, or should be, a friend of mine. It’s just I’m so, you know, overwhelmed. With life. If Jane hadn’t helped us out with this place to live, though, things would be a lot worse.” She positioned herself in front of the sofa and carefully lowered herself onto it. “What is it I can do for you?”
There was still time for me to make a getaway, but I chose a chair across from the sofa and sat. I couldn’t help but notice how swollen Kylie’s feet were, puffing out over her flats.
“I’m glad Jane was able to help you,” I said.
“You and me both. I was in a very dark place with an abusive man. Jane convinced me to report him to the cops and hold my ground. So he’s in prison now, for a while at least, and we’re safe and sound here. Jane is a saint.”
Is. Was.
“I’m sure you would notice if a male stranger was hanging around the house—or even one trying to make a delivery.”
“’Course I would,” she said. “Jane and I were cut of the same cloth when it comes to watching out for the bogeyman. I never give out this address. Use a P.O. Box for all my stuff.”
“Who was Jane watching out for?” I said.
Kylie’s eyes got a faraway look for a moment, then she turned her gaze to me. “She wouldn’t say. Why are you askin’ me this?”
I sighed. “I wish more than anything that I didn’t have to answer that question.”
She slid the child off her lap onto the sofa cushion and stood over me. She placed her hands on her hips. “What’s goin’ on?”
I told her about Jane, and Kylie collapsed back onto the sofa. She wailed louder than the little girl had wailed, and then the child joined in and they both cried for a good ten minutes. Then she dried her eyes and stared at me.
“What we goin’ to do now? Where will we live? Is this house goin’ to somebody else?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. The sheriff is looking for next of kin. He hasn’t found any family, and that’s why I came to Emerald Springs. Trying to help. To find someone, you know, to take care of arrangements.”
“I don’t know nothin’ about any family,” she said, “and I don’t have any money to help. I’m fightin’ to make ends meet. That’s why Jane was such a blessing to us.”
“I’m so sorry.” I struggled to hold back tears. “I’ll help however I can, starting with some groceries. Let me go out and pick up some things for you. Make sure you have dinner.”
“That’d be very kind of you,” Kylie said. “I don’t like askin’ for favors, but my kids got to eat and these feet sure don’t want to do any walkin’.”
“I don’t mind helping out one bit.” I checked my watch and calculated I should have time—barely—to get the groceries and make it back to Lavender in time for dinner at Luke’s house. “Can you make me a list of what you need?”
“If you’re sure,” she said.
“I am, totally. I’m thankful we don’t have to worry about that deliveryman. He must have been confused, talking about a different house.”
She nodded as she jotted down a list for me. “Yes, I’m glad the mystery delivery didn’t show up here. I still have to get my project done by five, so I’ll be plenty busy while you’re gone. Let me get some money.”
She went into the other room for a minute and returned with some cash. Then she told me where to find the nearest grocery store, and I headed out.
Make a quick trip, Sabrina. Get in and out. Deliver the food. Go home
.
I could do this.
I jumped in my car and backed into the street, then shifted into Drive and paused.
There was a big car parked on the street, one that I hadn’t seen before. Charcoal gray. Expensive-looking. Very out of place in this neighborhood. I took my foot off the brake and let my car drift forward. Put my visor down to shield my face from the sun’s glare.
The man in the driver’s seat was tall enough for me to see he wore a suit coat and a tie. This had to be the man Mickey saw at the library. Even in the bright afternoon sun I could make out his features. I realized I’d expected to see Fred Costello behind the wheel, but it wasn’t him. This was a different man with similar dark, slicked-back hair, no beard. He might not have attempted any delivery, but seeing him still gave me a sense of dread. Whoever this guy was, he had parked in a perfect position for doing surveillance of Jane’s house.
Chapter 12
On my way back from the grocery store, I concocted possible scenarios involving the mystery man. He could be a real estate agent interested in listing the house now that the owner had passed away. Or a potential buyer. An investor who wanted to buy up the neighborhood, tear down the houses, and build a shopping mall. A cat burglar casing the joint until the perfect opportunity to break in presented itself. Or maybe he simply had a friend who lived on the street and he wasn’t interested in Jane Alcott’s house at all. But then why had he gone to the library asking where he could find her place?
None of my ideas seemed right, not that it mattered at this point. When I got back to the street, Mr. X and the charcoal gray car were gone. I sat out front for a couple minutes, looking around and wondering if Jane had known the man. Say he was a Realtor, and they had discussed putting the house on the market since she was relocating to Lavender. She might have asked him not to alarm her tenant. He wouldn’t have had to ask for Jane’s address at the library, though. Not to mention, I couldn’t imagine she would have sold the house out from under Kylie, especially at this point in her pregnancy.
I headed for the door with armloads of groceries. Before I got that far, Kylie opened the door with her index finger held to her lips. The house was silent, and we took the food to the kitchen and put it away as quietly as possible with her whispering her gratitude to me the whole time.
