Strung Out to Die

by Tonya Kappes

  I called her anyway. If I woke her, I didn’t care. She’d offended my slumber plenty of times. I wanted to give her a quick rundown of what was going on.

  Besides, it was in the Divas creed that we could call anytime of the day, and it didn’t matter what we were doing.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t answer, so I was going to have to leave a message.

  “Hey, Bernadine. I know you are coming to the bead class today, and I’ll see you there, but I wanted to give you a heads-up on what I think has really happened to Sean. Marlene is the one who planted Sean’s cell under my futon.”

  I went on to explain how Willow was ass-end up in The Under of the futon with a hot pink fiberglass nail teasing her. And reminded her that Marlene was the only one in Swanee that wore hot pink fiberglass nails on a daily basis.

  Coincidence?

  I think not.

  “Anyway, I’ve got more digging to do, but I’ll fill you in on those details later.” I said my goodbyes and hung up.

  If she had trouble following me, I’m sure she’d call my new ePhone.

  Willow danced around the floor under where her leash was hanging and twirled her tail. There was no way I could leave her here again. Plus, I didn’t want to come home to roast pork like the bunny that Glenn Close’s character boiled in Fatal Attraction.

  With a click of the leash, and another quick glance over at Bernadine’s dark house, Willow and I were on our way to our first stop–the Swanee Police station.

  Since Noah Druck was true to his word, he’d already be in South Burrow. I bet he’d already impounded Sean’s truck if it hadn’t been sold to someone else yet.

  Willow and I walked right in like we always did and the officers fed her pieces of their leftover doughnuts.

  “What can we do for you, miss?” One of the new deputies asked from behind the counter.

  Noah’s desk was empty like I’d hoped it would be.

  “Is Noah around?” I pretended to look around to throw him off.

  “He’s gone for the day to a neighboring town.” The officer tugged on his belt. “I’m in charge today.”

  I bet you are. I smiled, knowing this new guy probably had no clue how close-knit Swanee was.

  “Is that right?” I batted my eyelashes, but they got caught on the edges of my bangs. “I’m here to get my police report about the break-in at my shop. I need to turn it into my insurance company.”

  “What’s the name?” He picked up a cardboard box with a bunch of papers in it.

  “Holly Harper from The Beaded Dragonfly.” I folded my hands and Willow sat down next to my feet.

  “Wow. You’re the Holly Harper that all the talk is about around here?” His eyes grew wide as I nodded. “Well, I’ll be. Yep, lots of talk about you.”

  “I bet there is.” I noticed his badge said Gilley. I tapped my watch and said, “Officer Gilley, I’ve got to get back to the shop, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing that report so I can get out of your hair.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He scurried to the back and through a door.

  “Stay.” I held my hand out to Willow and hurried over to Noah’s desk.

  Sean’s cell had to be there somewhere. I had to check his call log. Someone, probably Marlene, knew that Noah was going to be at my house that night, and she wanted him to find the phone, so she called it.

  Luck was on my side, because the cell was in the second drawer I checked, as if it had been waiting on me.

  “Hello, old friend.” I scrolled through it like I had so many times before when I was looking for other women’s numbers.

  The time stamp gave me the exact number that I needed. I grabbed a pen and scrap paper off Noah’s desk and scribbled the number on it. I put the cell back in the drawer, grabbed Willow, and bolted out the door.

  There was no time to wait for the police report. I had to get to my next stop before the shop opened. Sloan’s Hardware.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I drove around the lot a couple of times to see if Jim’s truck was there. I didn’t see it, so I thought I’d take my chance to find Joni.

  If he was there, I could hire him to change the locks at the bead shop.

  It was early in the morning, so there was barely anyone in the store. I found my way to customer service where Joni was sitting underneath a sign that read, “Rush Protection Service.”

  “Hi, Holly. You here to see Jim?” Joni folded her hands in front of her and sat them on the counter.

  “Yes. I need some of the video footage of my shop.” Oh, how I prayed Jim wasn’t in the back.

  “I’m sorry. He isn’t here, but I’d be more than happy to help.” Joni jumped off the stool in excitement. “They promoted me.”

  Her five-foot frame padded around the Customer Service counter, and she motioned for me to follow her.

  “I heard.” I boasted, trying to inflate her ego. “Ginger said that you’ve been working really hard.”

  Joni jumped up and clapped her hands in delight. “Really? I have been working hard. I really want to make them proud.”

  “Oh, you do.” I nodded.

  Joni unlocked the door just before her name was called over the loud speaker.

  “I’ll be right back. Go in and help yourself. I have alphabetized all the tapes.” Joni flung the door open, and walked up to the front of the hardware shop.

  I stood in awe, looking at rows and rows of VCR tapes on steel shelves. Who still uses VCR tapes? I started at the A’s and ran my finger along the videos until I reached the B’s.

  Ginger wasn’t kidding when she said that everyone and their brother in Swanee wanted a security camera.

  We might not know who the killer was, but I did know that this had to be filling Ginger’s pockets, which were pretty well padded before.

  “Beaded Dragonfly, The.” I said, touching each ‘The’ tape there was. “Tan Your Hide, The; End of the Line Liquor, The; Livin’ End, The.”

  But nothing labeled The Beaded Dragonfly. There definitely wasn’t one for the shop. On second thought, Jim did say that it would take a few days to fill a tape since we were only taping during the hours the shop was closed. Maybe there wasn’t a full tape yet since it only had been a couple of days since he’d installed them.

  I just needed to find out which recording device the camera feed was sent to. That’s what I get for opting for the cheaper package. Jim did try to talk me into having the monitors located at the shop, but I refused.

  Hindsight, I sighed.

  Before I left, I did one more check through the “The’s.” Gently, I pulled out the cassettes for The Livin’ End. I tried to recall where the cameras were in the smoky and dimly-lit bar. I couldn’t remember seeing any.

  What if there were some clues on these tapes? I was desperate for anything.

  I tucked them under my arm and walked out of the store. Joni was too busy helping a customer to even notice me. I slipped out unseen.

  Willow was asleep in the passenger seat like a good little piggy. I put the cassettes on the floorboard.

  “One quick drive by The Livin’ End, and then on to the shop.” I scratched Willow’s ears and got a satisfied snort in return.

  The gravel parking lot was empty. Slowly, I pulled in to see if I could find any outside cameras. I scanned the outside of the building twice and came up empty handed. I drove around the light post and happened to look up.

  There it was. There was a sphere that sure did look like a Rush Protection Service outdoor camera.

  “We’ve got something,” I said to Willow and put the pedal to the metal.

  I picked up my phone to call Sean and tell him I knew something was wrong, but put the phone down. His phone was in Noah’s desk and did me no good.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  It was already after ten when we pulled up in front of the shop. Some of the class members were standing next to the door, including Flora.

  “I’m sorry I’m late.” I profusely apologized and unlocked the door.


  “Where is everyone?” Flora twirled a strand of her wavy brown hair with one hand and held the phone against her ear with the other.

  “I have no idea where the Divas are,” I said, and quickly got the bead boards and a few supplies out for the class. “I left Bernadine a message on her machine, but I haven’t heard from her.”

  In this class, I was going to teach the group how to start a simple beaded bracelet. Crimping was first on the list, since it was how the toggle stayed on.

  “Of course you haven’t. You don’t have a cell for anyone to get in touch with you.” Flora held her cell out for me to see.

  If only she knew. I couldn’t tell her I had the new ePhone. The fewer people that knew, the better.

  Before class, I went into my office and called Donovan.

  “Hi, Holly.” He answered more cheerfully than I thought he would.

  “Hi. I was hoping to collect on that rain check tonight.” I held my breath for an answer.

  “Absolutely. What time should I pick you up?” He asked.

  “I was thinking that after work I could pick up a pizza and we could watch some old videos.” I was technically using him.

  I did enjoy his company, and I was sure it would have been different if it weren’t under these circumstances.

  He mentioned he was an old equipment guy, and how much older could you get than VCR tapes?

  “Okay. What movies?” He questioned me.

  “Do you have a VCR?” I felt my check flush with embarrassment for asking him that.

  “Yes, but that’s an odd question.”

  “Good. I know you’re going to like what I have to show you.” My voice escalated with excitement.

  I had to put on a good act in order to get what I needed.

  “Sounds good.” He gave me his address, and we were all set.

  “One more thing.” I interrupted him. “Can I bring Willow?”

  I never took her to anyone’s house without asking first. Some people think pigs are…well, pigs. But not Willow. She’s cleaner than any house pet I’ve ever seen.

  “Of course, she’s welcome here.” He said, and then we hung up.

  Halfway through class, Cheri burst through the door with a huge smile on her face.

  I was bent over one of the students, who was sitting next to Flora, showing her how to hide the snipped piece of wire in a bead.

  “Donovan told me you two have a dinner date tonight,” Cheri whispered between me and Flora.

  “Big deal. What’s dinner?” I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Defense Donovan? Dinner?” Flora hung up her cell and put it on her bead board next to the all-sterling silver 8mm bracelet she was finishing. “A very big deal.”

  “Yes, Defense Donovan,” I said. Leave it up to the Divas to give him a nickname.

  Willow must’ve heard Cheri. She high-tailed it as fast as her hooves could carry her to Cheri’s side.

  “Hey, girl.” Cheri was the only Diva brave enough to actually ever pick Willow up and let her give her kisses. “You want to go for a walk?”

  Willow fought her way out of Cheri’s arms. She knew what ‘walk’ meant.

  “We’re just having a pizza and watching some old movies.” I clicked Willow’s leash on and handed it to Cheri.

  “Wait until I tell the other Divas.” Flora’s nails were clicking away on the screen of her phone.

  Yep, there were no secrets between us. Or so we thought.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The class was a huge success, but Flora was not doing well on her goal to tell the Divas about my dinner date with Defense Donovan. None of the Divas answered their phones, including Bernadine.

  She even tried Marlene, and never once questioned why she wasn’t at the shop. If Flora had questioned me, I’m not sure I’d have been able to keep my little investigation a secret.

  Before I closed up for the night, I called the local pizzeria to order our pie and have it delivered to Donovan’s house. It should be delivered by the time I got there and finished explaining my situation.

  I typed Donovan’s address into my fancy new ePhone. With the shop all locked up, Willow and I headed over there.

  I tried calling Bernadine, but got her machine again. This didn’t worry me, because it wasn’t unusual for Bernadine to get a wild hair up her butt and drive to a big city just to get some shopping in. The Divas could go days without hearing from her.

  I did think she would at least call me in light of everything that had transpired.

  Oh, well. I shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind when we pulled up to Donovan’s house. It was similar to the house Sean and I had shared, but Donovan’s landscape was immaculate.

  The hedges were neatly trimmed, and the edging along the sidewalk was perfect. Even the colors in the flowerbed were coordinated.

  He waved from the front door before I even turned the car off. He was wearing a black tracksuit. Most of the time, I didn’t like the look of a man in a sweat suit, but with his tall slender frame, he actually looked pretty good.

  I grabbed the videos off the passenger floor and Willow’s leash off the seat.

  “Hey, you two.” Donovan took the VHS tapes out of my hand, and read the label. “The Livin’ End.”

  “Uh-huh.” I followed Willow into his house.

  Of course, her snout took us straight to the kitchen.

  “Is it okay to let her off her leash?” I wanted to make sure he hadn’t left anything out he didn’t want a pig to get into. “She can be nosy.”

  “She’s fine. Nothing here to bother.” Donovan put the VHS tapes on top of his TV cabinet.

  His house might resemble Sean’s from the outside, but the inside had been completely remodeled to an open floor plan. He definitely didn’t have the bachelor pad look with empty pizza boxes and beer bottles lying around.

  The black leather motif worked with the open feel of the modern combined kitchen and family room. Granite counter tops and black cabinets added to the elegance.

  “I love your house.” I walked around, looking at the people in all the picture frames.

  “Thanks.” He handed me a cocktail. “Those are my family members.”

  He took a stroll down memory lane, giving me a glimpse into how each of them was related to him.

  Most of his family lived two hours away. Besides being a defense instructor, he was a professor at the local community college Cheri attended. He was in the computer department.

  No wonder he loved fooling around with old equipment.

  Too bad my mind wasn’t focused on getting a boyfriend. He would have been perfect.

  “The pizza should be here any minute.” I checked my watch, and then took a sip of my drink.

  Not long after I said that, the doorbell rang and it was time to eat. We chatted about Swanee, my shop, and then it came time for the video portion of the evening.

  “So, The Livin’ End?” He picked up the tape and opened one of the doors on the TV cabinet, exposing an old VHS player. “Isn’t that the name of the bar on the outskirts of town?”

  “Yes.” I sat down on the edge of the couch. “We are going to watch surveillance tapes of the parking lot.”

  There really wasn’t a reason to keep the truth from him at this point. Cheri had already told him about the break-ins, and everyone knew Doug Sloan was murdered in my shop.

  This was the last piece of the evidence I would collect before going to Noah. The grace period he had given me was up, and this was my Hail Mary pass. I had nothing to lose letting Donovan in on it.

  He was silent as I told him about Marlene, her precious diamond, and the lack of details about her past. There was no change in his expression when I clued him in on Sean, his truck, cell phone, and the outgoing message.

  “So, let me get this straight.” He sat on the edge of the couch next to me. “You think that Marlene killed Doug and set Sean up. When something went wrong, she kidnapped him only to frame you. And these tapes are go
ing to prove it?”

  “Something like that.” I really hoped the tapes had something on them that would prove Sean’s innocence.

  He circled his forefinger in the air, and said, “So, this little dinner is really about using my video equipment, not a real date.”

  “Something like that,” I whispered, hoping that if I said it low enough that it wouldn’t hurt his feelings.

  “What if all this murder stuff wasn’t going on? Would you go out on a date with me?” He asked. He took his finger and tilted my chin up, so he could look into my eyes.

  “Yes, definitely.” I nodded and smiled.

  I was sure that if circumstances were different, I would definitely go out with Donovan. He might not have been my type at first sight, but he was really growing on me.

  He stood up and rubbed his hands together. “Good. Let’s solve this murder and exonerate you of any part of it.”

  We watched the tapes, pausing and rewinding often, but it wasn’t until the very last tape that I saw what I needed to see.

  “Wait!” I jumped up and pointed at the screen. “Rewind it.”

  Donovan rewound the tape and we watched it in slow motion. As plain as day, Doug followed Sean out of the bar, just like I had seen that night. I wasn’t going to follow him out of The Livin’ End. Ginger and I were enjoying a drink, and we weren’t going to let them ruin our night.

  The tape showed exactly what had transpired outside of the bar. Doug and Sean had exchanged a couple words between them, and then they did the most amazing thing. They shook hands. They were smiling the entire time.

  Sean got into his truck and drove off. Doug turned around, as though he was going back into the bar, and Marlene came out of nowhere swinging. She hit Doug a couple times with her fist. He shoved her and she fell to the ground, but she got up with a vengeance. Then the tape stopped.

  “What happened?” I ran over and looked at the machine.

  Donovan checked a couple different things, even rewinding the last hit delivered by Marlene.

  “The tape ran out.” Donovan clicked a couple more buttons. The tape popped out, and it was at the end. “Is this the last video you have from there?”