I pulled a chair out for him at the far end of the table. “Wow, your medical gear matches your persona. Impressive.”
He laughed dryly. “I always aim for impressive.”
I took in a breath and smelled his cologne. It was deep and dark and made my heart skip a beat. Why did a good-smelling man do that?
Kodiak cleared his throat. “I see you got the hay out of your hair.”
Casius looked at me, confused, then back up at Kodiak. I could tell his mind was going somewhere it didn’t need to go.
“It’s not what you think,” I whispered as I sat down next to Casius. I was surprised when he looked relieved.
Kodiak sat down on the other side of Casius but leaned across him to talk to me. “I have cameras on my property,” he said, his voice low and angry.
“I realize that now,” I answered, trying to stay as calm as possible.
“What were you doing snooping around? And you looked ridiculous in that leopard outfit!”
That was a low blow.
“Leopard outfit? What are you guys talking about?” Casius asked.
“Oh yeah?” I angrily whispered back. “And what were you and Madison Paige doing in your barn that she had to come back later and retrieve some of her clothing?!”
“What?” Casius practically yelled. The whole table turned to look at us, and Grandma gave me a death stare from across the table.
Kodiak got up and walked over to Greta’s purse, which was slung over the back of the chair. “I want to know why you have this!” He reached into Greta’s purse and pulled out a sandwich bag. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t the bag of pony hair.
“My underpants!” Greta shrieked. She snatched the bag from him, and Willie got up, knocking over his chair behind him.
“How dare you expose her bloomers!” he yelled at Kodiak. “I’ll give you a real reason to wear that eyepatch!” He swung wildly and punched Kodiak in the face, sending him sideways into a nearby table.
When Kodiak steadied himself, I was sure he was going to slug Willie back, but instead, he straightened out his shirt and wiped the blood from his nose. He looked at me, frustration in his eyes, and stormed out, grabbing a stack of napkins on his way.
I got up to follow him, and Casius stood up too. “You’re not leaving me behind. Not with this group.”
I helped him up, and we went as fast as we could to the door, which wasn’t nearly fast enough for me, but pretty fast for a guy on crutches. Thankfully, Kodiak was still sitting in his truck by the time we made it. I opened the door and climbed in.
“Kodiak, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
He pulled down the mirror and looked at his nose. “I don’t think it’s broken.”
I could tell that the non-patched eye was already swelling and bruising.
I helped Casius into the truck, and then I explained the whole thing to both of them.
“So, you think I’m the killer?” Kodiak asked. “You think I would be capable of doing that to another human being? Me, who rescues animals and takes care of them for a living? Have I not proven that I value life?”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think that anymore. The pony hair didn’t match the horsehair found at the scene of the crime.”
“Of course it didn’t,” he said angrily. “Because I’m not a murderer. And what about him?” He pointed to Casius.
Casius looked shocked. “What about me?!”
Kodiak narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re the one who swindled Lou out of a bunch of money. That’s why Billie can’t stand you. You got the title ‘liar and a thief’ for a reason!”
It was Casius’ turn to get angry now. “I’m a lot of things, but a liar and a thief aren’t among them!”
“Well, then tell us what happened.” I said to him. “Why does everyone think you are?”
Casius leaned back in the seat and exhaled. “Fine.” He took another slow breath, then continued. “Six or seven years ago someone was selling a bunch of property on the outskirts of Branson. They were selling lots for a hundred thousand dollars apiece. I heard from a realtor buddy of mine that we could buy these lots and make a huge profit. Branson was expanding, and not only were more and more people visiting the area each year, but more and more people were moving here. It looked like a huge investment opportunity. The only thing was, I didn’t have a lot of cash. I had saved up enough to buy one of these lots, but I wanted to buy the whole block. I talked to Willie, and he was in. We would put our money together, and I planned to use my connections with my realtor buddy to get us a good price when we sold it.”
“So, what happened?” I asked. “Did you sell it?”
“Ha!” Kodiak scoffed. “He pulled the old magician act and made all of Lou’s money disappear!”
Casius scowled at him. “I didn’t do that. The lots never sold. They sat there for years, and we kept dropping the price. They’re still for sale.”
“How much are they now?” I asked.
Casius rubbed his temples. “Fifteen grand apiece.”
“Ouch,” I said, cringing. “That’s rough.”
“So maybe you killed Lou so you could sell the land and at least make your money back by the time all the lots sold,” Kodiak pointed out.
I looked at Casius, waiting for an answer. That seemed plausible to me.
He looked up at us, and there was a sadness in his eyes. “I felt so bad that things went south. Lou had a lot more to lose than I did. That was his retirement. It took me until earlier this year, but I bought him out. I gave him back every dime he put into it. I’m basically broke now, but at least I’m guilt-free.”
“Oh man,” Kodiak said, leaning toward him. “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell the guys?”
Casius huffed. “Billie hated me long before that. I’m never going to convince him I’m not the guy he thinks I am.”
We sat there quietly for a moment, then Casius leaned forward again. “So, what’s going on with you and Madison Paige?”
“Yeah,” I said, looking at Kodiak. “And why weren’t you doing your show tonight?”
He looked at me and rolled his eyes. “I do a matinee on Sundays, but I take the evening off. And Madison and I have kind of been seeing each other a little here and there. It’s hard to find someone when you’re an entertainer. Women have a hard time seeing me as something other than the Kodiak King.”
“I hear you,” Casius sighed. “Good for you, man. I hope it works out. She seems like a nice girl.”
Kodiak smiled. “She is. She’s a lot of fun too.”
I nudged him in the arm. “But does she dress up in a leopard outfit and hide out with your pony?”
He pulled a piece of hay out of my hair. “Thankfully, no.”
“Well,” I sighed, “I guess I should get back in there. You guys coming?”
Kodiak shook his head. “I don’t feel like dealing with Willie. I’ll give him a call tomorrow and straighten out this whole mess. But for now, I’ll let him cool down.”
I looked at Casius. “What about you?”
“He’s my ride,” he nodded toward Kodiak. “Besides, I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
He climbed out of the truck so I could get out, and as I helped him back in, I took in another deep breath of his cologne. I was sure I had just breathed in a thousand cancer-causing chemicals, but I didn’t care—it was intoxicating.
Casius caught me and smiled. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “Remember, I aim to be impressive.” He leaned back in the truck, and I closed the door.
I stared at him for a moment, taking in his perfectly chiseled features and his five o’clock shadow that seemed to add to his darkness, and I didn’t doubt him one bit.
17
The next morning, I woke up to the noise of Grandma’s hairdryer. Even with the bathroom door closed, it still sounded like she was standing right next to me. I looked over at the alarm – seven o’clock. Too early
to be awake, in my opinion.
She opened the bathroom door, and a burst of light filled the room. “Good! You’re up!” she said cheerfully. “Virginia and Greta are meeting us in the lobby in thirty minutes. We’re going out for breakfast.” She tossed me some clothes. “I already picked out your outfit for the day.”
Well, that was that. Apparently, I was joining them for breakfast. Maybe we’d go to that restaurant Hattie and Irene told us about—the one with the pancakes. Did she ever tell us what restaurant that was?
Grandma was back in the bathroom getting ready, and I joined her at the counter. We put on our makeup side by side, and I was completely finished before she had even started on her eyes.
She handed me a bottle and told me to spritz my hair. “Honestly, Nikki, what are you going to do when you move out, and I’m not there to guide you each morning?”
Move out? I hadn’t thought of leaving in months.
Soon we were ready and headed to the lobby. We walked in and were surprised to see that not only were Greta and Virginia there, but Hattie and Irene as well.
“What are you two doing here?” Grandma asked them.
Irene shrugged. “We thought we’d join you for breakfast today.” She looked over at Virginia, and it looked like they shared some kind of secret signal back and forth.
“And maybe,” Virginia said, “we’ll stop by and see Thomas after.”
“Oh no.” Grandma said. “I can’t even think about that right now. I have too much on my mind with Lou’s death. Maybe once we get all that straightened out, I can think about visiting Thomas.”
Greta put her hand on Grandma’s arm. “Geraldine, we know you’re afraid . . .”
Grandma was offended. “I’m not afraid, Greta. We are neck deep in this mess, and until we get it figured out, I’m not going to walk into another mess. Now, who’s coming to breakfast with me?"
She turned and walked out of the lobby, leaving the rest of us standing there watching her go.
Greta sighed. “I don’t blame her for being afraid. Coming face-to-face with your past isn’t an easy thing.”
“Well,” Irene said, “we better head out there before she leaves without us.”
Virginia dangled her keys. “She won’t get too far without these.”
Minutes later, we were all buckled in and headed to the restaurant where Hattie and Irene had met their Mennonite friends. It was on the edge of town in a cute, country-style building. I could smell the sweet smell of sausage and syrup as soon as I got out. I inhaled the scent. It was heavenly.
Once we were seated, Hattie and Irene asked about the pony hair from the night before.
“It didn’t match,” Greta said. I could tell she was disappointed. “We haven’t had one thing pan out for us in this investigation. It seems like everything leads to a dead end.”
Virginia stirred creamer into her coffee. “Nikki, tell Hattie and Irene what you told us last night on the way home from the diner.”
I filled them in on the reason why Billie didn’t like Casius and also what little I knew about Madison and Kodiak. “So, I think we can safely scratch both of them off our list.”
Virginia pulled the suspect list out of her purse and put a line through their names. “So, that leaves Archer and Billie.” Grandma and Virginia looked at each other, silently daring the other one to say something about their guys. Neither one spoke.
I decided to try to change the subject a little. “Virginia, Greta, did you two ever learn anything about a family dispute?”
“Not much,” Greta answered. “Just that Billie and Lou were usually at odds with each other. Apparently, they argued quite a bit.”
Virginia got defensive. “But brothers fight. That doesn’t mean they go off and kill each other.”
The waitress came over smiling, carrying a large tray loaded up with our food. I was so thankful pancakes had come to our rescue. Once everyone got some sugar and carbs into their system, the mood lightened at the table.
“We passed the Butterfly Museum on the way here,” Greta said. “I would love to go there.”
“I would too!” Virginia said. “Let’s try to fit that in before we leave.”
Grandma’s phone rang, and she quietly answered it while the rest of us talked about places we still wanted to visit while we were in town.
When Grandma put her phone down, I looked over at her and saw that she was nearly white as a ghost.
“Grandma, are you okay?” Who was that?”
Everyone at the table looked at her, alarmed.
“What’s going on?” Greta asked, panic in her voice.
Grandma stared blankly at us for a minute, then collected herself. “It was Archer. Billie has been arrested . . . for murder.”
“What?!” we all gasped.
Virginia was in shock, and Greta and Irene both put their arms around her to comfort her. I didn’t think she was breathing, so I said her name and reminded her to take a breath.
“What evidence do they have?” Irene asked Grandma.
“I don’t know,” Grandma answered. “Archer said to meet him at the theater, and he’d tell us everything he knows.”
She waved the waitress over and told her we needed our bill right away. Thankfully, the waitress had it ready, and she slipped it out of her apron and put it on the table. Grandma didn’t even look at it. She just handed the waitress her debit card and told her we needed to leave right away. The waitress scurried off, and Greta and Irene helped Virginia to her feet. She was in tears now, and the rest of us were still in shock.
Willie met us in front of Archer’s theater and took us inside to Archer’s dressing room. He was just getting off the phone when we walked in.
“What’s going on?” Grandma asked him. “Why was Billie arrested?”
“It’s not looking good for him,” Archer said. “Someone called the police and told them to check Billie’s dressing room. The police showed up early this morning and found a half-empty bottle of antifreeze in a box in the closet.
Poor Willie was wringing his hands. “He had to have been set up. You believe that, right, Archer? You know Billie never would’ve killed Lou.”
Archer rubbed his forehead. “I’m not sure what to think.”
“Billie wouldn’t do that!” Willie cried. “Billie wouldn’t sabotage our own show!”
“Well, who would? Who would gain from taking you guys out?” Grandma asked.
“Anybody who wants to open for the hottest show in Branson!” Willie yelled. “I think someone wants our show!”
We all looked at Archer.
“Could that be true?” Grandma asked. “Is someone trying to steal the show out from under them?”
Archer looked exhausted. “I guess it’s possible. Why else would someone kill Lou?”
“Well,” Greta said slowly, “you know he was making some promises to young women. Maybe one of them retaliated.”
“What kind of promises?” Willie asked.
Greta told them about her conversation with Amy’s drummer, and Willie and Archer looked shocked.
Archer stood up, angry at the news. “I’ve been telling the group they should hire a woman to cater to the men in the audience. But I had no idea that Lou was interviewing women and putting them in that kind of position.” He looked at Willie. “Did you know?”
“Heck no!” Willie answered. “You know we didn’t want a woman in the group. They’d be nothin’ but trouble!” He looked at us and his cheeks flushed. “No offense, ladies.”
“None taken,” Hattie smiled. “Some of us take pride in the trouble we cause.”
“This . . . Amy . . . you talked to,” Archer said. “Do you think she had anything to do with it?”
“We can’t rule her out,” Grandma answered. “But our gut says she didn’t do it.”
“We need to find out who all Lou talked to,” Archer said, heading to the door. Then he stopped and spun around. “What am I going to do tonight? I don’t have a preshow
. Willie, Billie, and Lou are now just Willie.”
“We can do it,” Greta offered. “Geraldine used to be a performer. I’m sure she still has some pizazz in her, and the rest of us can help.”
“Oh no,” Grandma said, shaking her head. “I gave that up a long time ago.”
“I can help you,” Willie said. “It’s just nine in the morning. We have all day to put something together.”
I looked around the room, terrified, expecting to see the same faces on the other grannies. But instead, they were nodding. How could Willie put a show together in less than a day with this group? With me? Surely, they wouldn’t need me. I would just sit on the side and cheer them on.
“Come on, Geraldine. What do you say?” Virginia asked.
Archer looked at Grandma. “Are you up for it?”
In my mind, I pleaded with Grandma Dean. Say no! Say no!
She took a deep breath. “Well, if it will help you out . . .”
Archer nodded to Willie. “Willie, you work with the ladies and come up with a show. I’m going to see if I can figure out who Lou had been talking to.”
Willie snapped into action. “Okay!” he said. “Which one of you ladies can play an instrument?”
Hattie raised her hand. “Fifty years ago, I played the piccolo!”
Oh boy. This was going to be interesting.
18
“Okay . . .” Willie said slowly. “What else can you gals do?”
Irene stepped forward. “Hattie and I have been singing hymns a cappella with a Mennonite family the last few days. Maybe the two of us could sing a few.”
“Great!” Willie said, excited. “Our conservative crowd will love that! Can you two go practice with them, put together a few songs, and then be back here after lunch?”
Hattie and Irene said they would and took off with Virginia’s keys. Willie turned to look at Greta, Virginia, and me. “What about you three. What do you do for a living?”
Greta smiled. “I’m a writer. I write a Christian sex education curriculum for schools. Virginia is a wedding planner, and Nikki is a serial bride.”
Road Trip (Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery Book 6) Page 9
