by Lyndsey Cole
Melinda’s dad pulled the door open with a scowl on his face. “What do you want?”
Melinda hollered from the living room. “Come in. Dad, where are your manners?”
Tyrone barely stepped aside for Lily to enter. He was a big man. Big and intimidating in Lily’s assessment. She certainly wouldn’t want to be on his bad side.
Lily brushed past Tyrone and found Melinda sitting on her couch. “How are you doing, Melinda? I brought you some flowers.”
“Pink tulips? They’re lovely. Do you have time to sit? Company helps me take my mind off what happened.”
Lily sat across from Melinda on a soft white chair. The whole room was white. Melinda just about disappeared in her white dress on the white couch. Lily focused on the pink tulips in Melinda’s hand.
“You must be in shock. This is so tragic about Clifton.”
Tyrone harrumphed. “No loss in my opinion.”
“Daddy. How can you say that?”
Tyrone paced around the room. “I don’t have to hide my thoughts anymore. He was a conniving, lying, cheat. I’m glad I don’t have to make him a partner in my firm. I’ll have to thank whoever did this.”
Melinda almost shouted. “Daddy, that’s enough of that talk. And you will still pay everyone for the wedding arrangements. It’s not their fault that this happened.”
Lily sat on the edge of her seat looking for a way to escape. “Did you know that your mother is donating the flowers to the hospital charity event? She said that Clifton would have wanted that.”
“Clifton didn’t have one generous bone in his body. He would have sold his own mother to make a buck if she was still alive,” Tyrone fumed.
Melinda started to sob again. “Daddy, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t want to listen to any more of this.”
“Fine.” Tyrone walked out, slamming the door behind him. His Mercedes roared out of the driveway.
Melinda focused on Lily. “I’m sorry you had to witness that. Daddy is really a pussycat, but he comes across a little angry at times.”
A little angry? I would say more like a psycho tiger than a cute pussycat. “I got the impression that he wasn’t overly fond of Clifton.”
Melinda choked. “Probably because Mommy is the one who groomed him for me.”
Lily almost fell off the chair. “Groomed him?”
“Made sure he was good enough for me.”
“How did you feel about that?” Lily was trying to wrap her head around having someone else control her life. She knew that would never work for her.
Melinda nervously jiggled her white slipper dangling from her delicate foot. “I guess I never thought about it. Jack never liked Clifton either.”
“Jack Weaver?”
Melinda looked up and smiled. “My high school sweetheart. Mommy doesn’t like Jack.”
“Jack told me that Clifton recommended him for the manager job at the country club.”
“I asked Cliffy to do that. Mommy was furious.”
“She knew?” Lily was shocked.
“Of course. Mommy knows everything.” Melinda waved her hand to emphasize her point.
The doorbell startled both of them.
Melinda said in a dreamy voice. “I wonder who that could be. Would you check for me? I just can’t bear to get up.”
This family. Daisy thinks Geoffrey is normal. I hope so for her sake.
Lily opened the door and felt her face blush.
A deep voice asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Steele.”
Ryan cocked one eyebrow. “Mr. Steele? I thought we were on a first name basis.”
“Melinda, Mr. Steele is here. Shall I invite him in?”
“Who is Mr. Steele?”
Lily smirked. “He’s the new acting police chief.”
“He can come in. Will you stay too, Lily?”
Now Ryan smirked as he walked past Lily.
“Hello, Ms. Biotchi. I’m very sorry about your fiancé. Could I sit down for a minute?”
“I guess so.” Melinda handed the tulips to Lily. “Could you find something in the kitchen for these tulips? I’m just too tired to do anything.”
Lily rolled her eyes as she walked past Ryan. I’m not her freaking maid. I need to get out of here.
Ryan gently asked Melinda about Clifton. “Do you know what his schedule was for today?”
“He left some beautiful tulips on my kitchen table early this morning. Before I got up. He said he had a meeting and would be back tonight. That’s all I know.”
Lily eavesdropped from the kitchen and heard Ryan ask. “You didn’t see him when he left the tulips?”
Melinda sighed. “No. He knows I like to sleep in.”
“Could someone else have left the flowers?”
She looked at Ryan. “I never thought of that. Maybe. I don’t lock my door. Sometimes mother comes and leaves breakfast for me.”
Ryan was sounding frustrated. “Do you know where he was going for his meeting?”
Melinda sighed again. “No. He didn’t bore me with his business details.”
A loud crash came from the kitchen. Ryan turned to hear Lily shout. “Darn. I’m okay. I’ll clean up the mess.”
Ryan got up and told Melinda, “Excuse me for a minute. I’ll see if she needs any help.” He found Lily bleeding in the kitchen. “Are you okay? There’s blood on the floor.”
Lily held up her hand. “It’s just a small cut. Grab me a paper towel.”
Ryan pressed the towel on her hand and whispered. “These people are nuts.”
Lily whispered back. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Fill me in over coffee? Or are you still mad at me?” Ryan gave a heart melting smile.
Lily couldn’t help but grin. “Coffee sounds good. We need an escape plan to get out of here.”
Ryan cleaned up the broken vase and mopped up the water. He looked at Lily. “Everything back the way it was.”
Lily carried the vase of tulips out to the living room and overheard Melinda talking quietly on her phone.
“I have to go. You have to wait a few minutes.” Melinda quickly closed her phone. “I’m feeling tired. I think I need to lie down now. Thanks for bringing the flowers. Can you let yourselves out?”
Lily glanced at Ryan. “Yes. No problem.” Lily and Ryan made a beeline for the door.
Ryan closed the front door. “That was easier than I expected.”
“She was talking to someone on the phone. Let’s park down the street and see who stops by next. I think it’s someone she doesn’t want us to know about.”
“I have my mountain bike. I’ll follow you and just push it into the bushes.”
Ryan slid into the passenger seat of Lily’s minivan and quietly closed the door, his bike hidden beside the road. “First, why were you so mad at me?”
Lily pouted. “You think my mom is a suspect.”
“No I don’t. I just wondered if she owns a gun. You jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
“Oh.”
Ryan pointed back toward Melinda’s house. “There’s a car turning into Melinda’s driveway. Do you know who it is?”
Lily waited for the person to get out. He looked around quickly, then ran to the door. Melinda had it opened before he even got there.
She whispered. “It’s Jack Weaver. The manager of the country club. Remember? We talked to him this morning.”
“Why is he sneaking in?”
“He was Melinda’s high school sweetheart. Tamara broke it up.”
“So he’s happy that the fiancé is out of the picture?”
“Probably.”
Lily’s phone buzzed. “Daisy sent me a text message.” Where r u? Need help at shop. HURRY UP! “I’ve got to get back to the shop. Daisy is having a fit.”
Ryan opened the door to get out.
Lily grabbed his arm. “Wait. When can I go back to my house?”
He turn
ed and looked at her hand on his arm. “Tomorrow. What are you doing for dinner tonight?”
She dropped here hand. “No plans.”
Ryan smiled. “Come over. I’ll grill something. Does Rosie like burgers?”
Lily laughed out loud. “She’s a dog. I don’t think she’ll complain about that. See you around seven.”
Another text popped up on Lily’s screen from Iris. HURRY!
Lily rushed into her shop, breathless, wondering what new drama was happening. Daisy was busy taking orders from an elderly couple. Iris motioned Lily to follow her to the back.
She whispered conspiratorially. “You’ll never guess who I saw at the shooting range.”
“What were you doing there?” Lily asked angrily.
“Target practice of course, you ninny. You should come with me next time. It wouldn’t hurt for you to freshen up your skills with a killer in town.”
Lily stared at her mother. “You know I don’t like guns. That’s why I have Rosie.”
Iris snorted. “That dog loves everyone. She won’t protect you.”
Lily held her ground. “When push comes to shove, she’ll protect me.”
“Whatever. Anyway, the old police chief, Mike Keller, was shooting next to me.”
Lily was shocked. “What? I thought he was in jail.”
“He’s out on bail. He was laughing and joking, saying he expects to get his job back now that the prosecutor’s star witness is out of the picture.”
Lily whispered. “Who was the star witness?”
“Clifton Harris.”
Chapter 7
Lily and Rosie pulled into her driveway at seven o’clock on the dot. She carefully got out of her minivan, checking that her sundress wasn’t anywhere near the door when she shut it. Rosie bounded to Lily’s back yard, happy to check out any new smells that arrived while she was gone. The tasty scent of grilling roasted vegetables drifted to Lily’s nose. Her stomach rumbled.
Ryan peeked around the corner of his deck in the back of his house. “Come on up. I started grilling already. Are you hungry?”
Lily climbed the three steps to the deck. “Ravenous, actually. I don’t think I ate since this morning with the craziness of today.”
“Make yourself comfortable. I’m having a beer. Would you like something?”
Lily settled into a wrought iron chair. “Do you have seltzer?”
“One seltzer coming right up. Where’s Rosie?”
Lily pointed to her back yard. “It looks like she’s patrolling her space. I see the yellow tape is still around my house. Did you find anything interesting inside? Besides the body?”
“We did. We should be finished in the morning.”
“Suspects?”
Ryan handed a glass of seltzer to Lily. “Many.”
“I guess you aren’t going to give me any details?”
Ryan smiled. “Let’s talk about anything else. Tell me about Misty Valley.”
“How about you tell me about you? Where are you from?”
“A small town in the southern part of the state. Not too unlike Misty Valley, I guess.”
Lily took a long sip of her drink. “How long will you be here?”
“I’d like to stay but it depends on what happens with Mike Keller. He’s on unpaid leave now until his case is resolved.”
Lily put her drink down, stood up too quickly and spilled her seltzer. All over her dress. “I can’t believe I just did this.” I’m such a klutz around this guy. She flapped the wet spot. “It will dry.”
“I could get you something dry to put on.” He asked hopefully.
Looking down at the wet spot the size of a plate, she said, “I have my own clothes right next door …”
Ryan shook his head. “Sorry. You can’t go in there.”
“I’ll be fine.” I’m not putting on Ryan’s clothes. He’d probably give me a long t-shirt or something. That’s what I would wear after spending the night. What am I thinking? I’m not spending the night.
Rosie sat next to Lily on the deck. Lily pulled a soggy manila envelope from Rosie’s mouth. “What did you find?” She looked up at Ryan. “Look at this. Some kind of official papers. It looks like something to do with the casino deal. Here’s a list of signatures.” Lily looked at the papers again. “Signatures against the casino. Do you think Clifton dropped it before he was killed?” Lily handed the papers to Ryan.
“Rosie is doing a better job finding evidence than my crew did. I’ll have to take this.”
She didn’t let go of the papers. “You owe me some information about what you found in my house then.”
“All I can tell you is that it looked like he was killed in your kitchen. Someone did a clean-up and moved him to the bathtub. Why was he at your house?”
Lily released her hold on the papers. “I have no idea. Maybe he wanted my signature too. He probably knew I was against the plan.”
The burgers sizzled on the grill and Lily’s mouth watered. She was finally relaxing and enjoying sitting with her new handsome neighbor. She looked at Ryan and thought she would like to get to know him better.
Ryan put the burgers on a platter. “Food’s about ready.”
“Finally. I’m about to faint from hunger.” Lily laughed. “It smells delicious. Nothing like grilling on a nice spring evening. Thank you for feeding me.”
Ryan warned, “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t tasted my cooking. It’s not my best talent.”
“And what would your best talent be?” Lily asked with curiosity.
“Sorry, I can’t divulge all my secrets at once.” Ryan handed Lily a plate. “Here you go. One cheeseburger, with sharp cheddar cheese, a toasted sesame bun and the condiments are on the table. I’ll bring the roasted veggies over on a platter.”
“Thanks. And what about Rosie? I believe you promised her a burger too.” Lily’s eyes twinkled.
Ryan looked at Rosie and asked with all seriousness, “Of course. Do you want to sit at the table? Or would you prefer floor seating?”
Rosie woofed and wagged her tail.
“Okay. Floor seating it is. I like a female who knows her mind.” Ryan put a plate on the deck for Rosie and patted her head. “Enjoy your dinner. Try not to inhale it in one piece.”
Rosie looked at Ryan, than gulped down the burger.
Lily snorted. “She likes it. I think I’ll eat a little slower to savor the flavor and avoid needing the Heimlich maneuver.”
Ryan placed the roasted veggies in the center of the small round table and slid into the chair opposite Lily. His knees bumped into her. She glanced at him, smiled and grabbed a burger.
Lily sat back and sighed. “It’s nice to sit down and enjoy the sound of the birds. I was dreading spending all night with my mother.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Don’t get me wrong. She’s great. But she’s high maintenance and she drains my energy if I’m around her for too long.”
“I did get the impression that she’s a curious woman.”
“Curious? That’s an interesting way to put it.” Lily scooped roasted sweet potato, onion, peppers and broccoli onto her plate. Juice dripped down her arm as she bit into the hamburger. “Woops. Any napkins?”
Ryan reached across the table and cleaned up Lily’s arm. Her gaze met his for a moment before she had to look away.
“Oh. I almost forgot. My mom saw Mike Keller at the shooting range today.”
Ryan paused before taking a bite. “What was she doing at the shooting range?”
Lily answered with a scowl. “Target practice. Does that put her back on the suspect list?”
“Calm down. I just don’t see too many older women at the shooting range. But your mom is not a typical female, is she?”
Lily relaxed again. “No. Definitely not.”
“Was he by himself?”
“Nope. Hanging around with his town buddies. Laughing and joking that he expects to get his old job back. Your job, now that the st
ar witness is out of the picture.”
Ryan put his burger down. “Star witness?”
“I thought you might find that interesting. Guess who he was talking about?”
“Clifton Harris?”
Lily answered with a self-satisfied grin. “Yup.”
“What’s the story about Mike Keller?”
“I don’t know too much. It has something to do with land for that casino plan. It’s pretty controversial in town. Clifton was working on it too and Tamara’s ex-husband, Tyrone. Have you met him yet?”
“No. I haven’t had that pleasure. Is he as bad as Tamara Biotchi?”
Lily nodded. “In a much more sinister way. Tamara just acts like she thinks she’s better than everyone else.”
“Why?”
“In my opinion? I think she feels inferior. She married into money about three husbands ago. I think it’s the new money syndrome. She wants everyone to know she’s loaded. Flaunts it whenever possible. Like this wedding. It had to be bigger and better than anyone else in town. She thinks she can buy happiness. People suck up to her because she has money, not because they like her.”
“What about Tyrone Biotchi?” Ryan sipped his beer.
Lily scooped more veggies onto her plate. “I saw him this morning at Melinda’s house before you got there. He made no bones about the fact that he didn’t care at all that Clifton is dead. Called him a lying cheat, or something to that effect. And said he’s glad he doesn’t have to make Clifton a partner in his firm.”
“He told you all this?”
“He was talking to Melinda. He didn’t even want to let me in the house. Very cold man in my opinion.”
“Ruthless?”
“Probably.”
“A killer?”
“Possibly. And he didn’t like Clifton.” Lily swallowed the last bite of her burger. “Good cooking. It always tastes better when someone else does the cooking. I’ll do the clean-up.”
“Don’t worry about that. We can let Rosie lick the plates and they’ll be ready to put away.”
Lily looked at Ryan. “You’re joking right?”
He laughed out loud. “I thought it sounded like a pretty good idea.”
Lily stacked the plates and carried everything into the kitchen. His house was set up almost the same as hers. She put the dishes in the dishwasher before Ryan got any more crazy ideas. She looked around quickly. Everything was neat and tidy. That’s a plus.
