A Misty Morning Murder (Myrtle Grove Garden Club Mystery Book 4)

by Loulou Harrington

  “When was the last time you talked to her?”

  “Last night.”

  Jesse stifled the urge to scream. “When last night?” she asked with forced calm.

  “Around eight o’clock, maybe?”

  “And then she drove off? Was Ronnie’s car still here?”

  “She drove off, yeah. And I had no idea that Bennett was staying here until today. You think I would have stayed in the same hotel as him on purpose?” Stanton suppressed what looked like a shudder.

  Jesse shrugged. She was close to giving up on figuring out what any of these people might do, on purpose or otherwise. How was she supposed to solve a crime when everyone seemed to be careening around like bumper cars, randomly bouncing off of everyone else?

  “What was her mood?” Jesse asked.

  “Mad. At me. At him. At Oscar. Just mad. And mean. I’ve seen her like that before, and it’s best to stay out of her way until she calms down.”

  “Did she sound like she might go looking for Ronnie?”

  “She sounded like she might go looking for the cashier’s check Oscar Champion supposedly gave him. She said it was the least he owed her for selling her out and dumping her like that. So long as Bennett owned that percentage, the two of them had controlling interest. With that chunk going to Champion, Cyndi’s percentage was less than a third.”

  “Is that why she was poking around my house in the middle of the night?”

  “Who knows? I haven’t talked to her, remember?”

  “So who would have followed her to my house and knocked her unconscious? Was somebody else looking for that cashier’s check?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is, it wasn’t me. Could have been Oscar Champion maybe. If he’d gotten his hands on that check, he’d have controlling interest back without it costing him a cent.”

  The thought was disturbing. Without a doubt, Cynthia had entered the house while they all slept. And unless she knocked herself unconscious, someone else had entered behind her, assaulted her and possibly been waiting in the shadows when Misty had come down the stairs for a bowl of cereal.

  And if that call hadn’t awakened Jesse, what else might have happened? Who else might have been injured or even killed? In that instant, she realized that she had what everyone else had been looking for. And no one knew it but Jesse, her mother, and the waitress/notary who had held it in safekeeping overnight.

  Without another word, Jesse whirled, grabbed Sophia’s wrist on the way out and left the inn at a jog. Hurrying to keep up, a breathless Sophia demanded all the way to the car, “What? What did he say? I didn’t hear anything that good. Why are we in such a hurry? Jesse? Jesse!”

  Once they were in the car and headed toward town, Jesse explained, “We need to get Misty out of that house, and you need to take them some place safe.” Turning toward Peg, who was still seated in front across from her mother, Jesse continued, “And tomorrow you and Misty need to do something about the cashier’s check that Ronnie had just been given. I’m afraid someone may be trying to get their hands on it.”

  “That’s all well and good,” Sophia said, “But after we leave, what do you plan to do? Because you certainly don’t sound as if you’re coming with us. You’re not planning to stay there by yourself, are you?”

  “Of course I’m not, Mother. I just need to let Joe know what’s going on so he can release anyone he’s still holding.”

  “And then what? Do you intend to be the sacrificial goat staked out to draw the wolves?”

  “It’ll be okay, Mom,” Jesse began.

  “It will not be okay,” Sophia interrupted, twisting in her seat to stare at her daughter. “I simply won’t allow it, Jesselyn Camden. I raised you better than that!”

  “Mom!” Jesse pointed to the road as the car swerved into the oncoming lane, which was luckily clear of traffic at the moment.

  Irate, Sophia demanded, “Have you lost every bit of good sense you ever had?”

  As the vehicle continued on toward the opposite shoulder, Peg reached over, gripped the steering wheel with her left hand, and carefully guided the car back into its proper lane.

  “Thank you, Peg, dear,” Sophia said with a quick glance to the side.

  “You’re welcome,” Peg replied, all her attention focused forward.

  “Besides,” Jesse argued, “Joe will be there. Or Marla. Or somebody. Somebody will be there.”

  Letting Peg continue to steer the car, Sophia turned to the back again. “I don’t think so. I sincerely do not think so,” she said sternly.

  “And anyway,” Jesse said, “nothing may happen. I could be completely wrong.”

  “I forbid you,” Sophia ordered.

  “Thirty years ago, that might have worked, Mom.” Jesse patted her mother’s shoulder. “Now, not so much. But I promise you it will be okay.”

  “I’m too old for this.” With a huff Sophia faced forward again and placed both hands on the steering wheel. “When this is over, Jesselyn, we’re going to have a long talk.”

  “Over wine,” Jesse promised. “I really enjoy our middle-of-the-night talks over a good bottle of wine. And cheese”

  “That’s sound wonderful,” Peg agreed wistfully as she relaxed into her seat again.

  “When Mom’s done scolding me, we’ll have another talk with just the three of us,” Jesse said.

  “Oh, thank you, dear. You’re too kind. I would love that.”

  “If she hasn’t gotten her stupid self killed,” Sophia snapped.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jesse met Joe at the door of the screened porch, touched her finger to her lips and led him inside without a word. Moonlight shone dimly through the kitchen windows. Once they were in the dining room where all the curtains were drawn, she closed the door behind them, turned and whispered, “Did anyone see you?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, I’m serious. It’s not going to work if anyone knows you’re here.”

  “One more time, Jesse, I am law enforcement. You own a restaurant. I’m trained in running surveillance. And you still own a restaurant.”

  “But did anyone see you?” Jesse insisted.

  “No. No one saw me, and you have serious control issues. Has anyone ever mentioned that?”

  “All the time,” Sophia offered as she entered the dining room with an overnight bag in her hand.

  “You tell her, Sheriff,” SueAnn chimed in, following on Sophia’s heels.

  “But why do we have to go somewhere else tonight?” Misty protested as she came into the room behind SueAnn. Her backpack dangled from her hand, banging against her calf with each step.

  Misty’s grandmother Peg rolled her own small overnight bag into the room.

  “It’s just for tonight,” Jesse answered, not for the first time.

  “I got that part,” Misty said. “But why?”

  “I want you to be safe, hon. With all that’s going on, you and your grandmother need a good night’s rest. And you need some time together. I think you would do better at a hotel.”

  “Right. Sure.” Misty looked from Jesse to Joe and back. “You think someone’s going to break into the house again tonight, don’t you? And he’s here to catch them.”

  Someone laughed. Jesse was pretty sure it was SueAnn, and felt a momentary surge of empathy for her own mother’s frustration.

  “And in case it turns out like last night,” Misty went on, “you want us out of the way. But what if I want to be here?”

  “I wouldn’t mind staying, too,” SueAnn volunteered.

  “I know you all want to stay,” Jesse said. “But nobody’s gonna sneak in here if we’re having a giant slumber party. And I defy you all to sit quietly upstairs for the entire night.”

  “I’ll take that challenge,” Misty said.

  “No, you won’t. You’ll go to a hotel where I know you’re safe.” Jesse turned a pleading gaze to her mother. “Mom, please. Help me here.”

  Peg stepped fo
rward and smoothed a strand of hot pink hair away from Misty’s cheek. “Dear, I think we need to listen to Jesse. None of this is easy for any of us, but the important thing right now is that we catch whoever did this to your father.” Her voice caught on the last word and died away with a choked sound.

  Misty made eye contact with Jesse and the defiance in her gaze melted slowly to resignation. Not for the first time, Jesse realized the little girl she once knew was becoming a woman.

  “Just for tonight, sweetie,” Jesse promised. “Please.”

  “Okay. For tonight,” Misty agreed. “But tomorrow we’re going to have a long talk.”

  “If it’s any consolation,” SueAnn said, “my aunt’s out of town and I have an open invitation to use her lake house. It’s got three bedrooms, a pool and a killer view of the lake. That ought to be more fun than any hotel.”

  “Okay, I’m sold.” At the offer of a lake house, Misty sounded suddenly eager. “Now we just have to sneak out of here without anyone noticing.”

  “I’ll send Deputy Murphy along to stay with you tonight,” Joe said. “Just in case.”

  “If you’ll all go out the side door to the alley,” SueAnn suggested, directing her comments to Sophia, “I’ll go out the front and drive off like I’m going home. You go down the alley until you get to Vernon Street. That’s a block over. I’ll pull into the alley at Vernon and pick you up.”

  “And no talking,” Jesse reminded them. “We’re all in serious stealth mode here.”

  Misty looked from Jesse to SueAnn to Sophia and shook her head. “I’m not even going to ask how many times you all have done this before. I’m just going to say you’ve got some explaining to do when this is all over.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Joe said. “Why do I get the feeling that if Vivian Windsor was here, the whole garden club group would be in this up to their eyebrows?”

  “I’ve been wondering that myself,” Sophia said. “Where’s Vivian? Didn’t she come back with you?”

  Jesse shook her head. “She’s staying on for a while at Amanda Carmichael’s estate in Washington. They needed someone to help them get organized, and Vivian couldn’t resist the chance to put her executive skills to work.”

  “Ah,” Sophia said with a nod. “There’s nothing Vivian loves more than whipping people into shape. I’m sure she’s enjoying herself immensely.”

  Joe put his phone back into his pocket and turned to SueAnn. “Deputy Murphy will be waiting for you at the EZ Stop on the way out of town. If you’ll pull in and give her directions, she’ll follow you to your aunt’s and stay with you until I send someone to relieve her tomorrow.”

  Realizing she had heard no conversation, Jesse asked. “Did you text her? Official police texting?”

  “It’s effective, and it doesn’t make noise. Well then, ladies,” he said, moving his attention to the small group who were about to depart, “would you like an escort to the end of the alley? I’ve been combat trained in sneaking. I can promise you I’m practically invisible.”

  The four women looked at each other. Then with a shake of her head, Sophia decided for all of them. “I think the fewer people we have tiptoeing around in the dark, the less likely we are to be noticed. We’ll keep to the shadows, and if anything jumps out at us, we’ll scream for help.”

  With that they set off into the night, hugging the shadows and walking silently in single file. At the same time, SueAnn left by the front door, accompanied onto the brightly lit porch by Jesse, who waved and bid her good night. As the girl drove off, Jesse went back into the house, closed the door and turned off the porch light.

  Joe stepped out of the dark recesses of the hallway and whispered, “And now we wait.”

  “Want some coffee?”

  “Might as well. It’s probably a good idea to turn some lights off and on upstairs anyway. Make the place looked lived in for a while. Then turn everything off like everyone’s gone to bed.”

  “Sounds like you’ve done this a few times,” Jesse said as they made their way up the staircase.

  “A few,” he agreed. Midway up the stairs he stopped. “Tell you what, why don’t you go on up and turn on a few lights, maybe a TV. Then turn on some more lights and turn off the first ones. Make it look like the lights are moving from the living room to the bathroom, then the bedroom, and then off. Like people are going to bed.”

  At the top of the staircase, Jesse looked down at him. “And what are you going to do?”

  “I’ll hang out downstairs and listen for sounds that might be someone moving around outside. As long as I’m your watchdog, I guess I’d better watch.”

  “What if no one shows up?”

  “Then they either found what they were looking for or they’ve decided it’s not worth the risk.”

  “I want this to be over.”

  “It’s hardly ever that easy, Jesse. Most murders are committed for stupid reasons by inept people. It’s never clever or complicated like it is on TV. If people were clever or put any thought into it, they’d never kill anyone in the first place. Eventually they all get caught and go to jail, and whatever they hoped to accomplish never happens.”

  “Surely some people get away with it.”

  He shook his head. “It’s never a happily ever after. It never turns out the way they thought it would. And it’s seldom worth it in the end.”

  “That’s how it seems to me, too. I was sort of hoping I was wrong and maybe Ronnie’s death was more than just a blunder.”

  “Don’t let me depress you. Maybe a brilliant person did it for a very complicated reason that was worth ruining countless lives for, including their own.”

  “Now you’re just being sarcastic.”

  He grinned. “If you made some coffee, I’d take a cup.”

  “It won’t be as good as Lindsey’s,” Jesse warned.

  “Got any cake?”

  “Pineapple upside down cake.”

  “Sounds like heaven. Give me fifteen minutes to make a circuit of the house. I’ll make sure the lights are off and the drapes are open. Then I’ll be up.”

  Two hours later Jesse turned off the light in her mother’s bedroom and closed and locked the door to Sophia’s apartment. Joe was downstairs somewhere in the shadows. They had agreed not to speak or acknowledge each other in case someone unseen was listening. She resisted the urge to seek out his reassuring presence in the dark and silent house.

  Everyone else was gone, and she was left with a sense of waiting like she hadn’t felt since the last days of her grandfather’s life. Then she and her mother had tiptoed through the darkness, listening for the slightest sound he made, waiting for the end and dreading each passing minute that brought it closer. This night wasn’t as bad those days, but it carried its own uncomfortable sense of foreboding.

  “Don’t be silly,” Jesse said under her breath. “There’s nobody here but us chickens. No menace. No evil. It’s just a house. A silent, empty house.”

  As she talked, she descended the staircase and entered the dining room of the Gilded Lily. Unlike the previous night, moonlight shone through the windows and into the room, casting a glow over the pale tablecloths with their rolled napkins and silverware already set and waiting for Tuesday morning.

  Then a shadow moved. Separating from the background, it stepped forward. Jesse did a mental inventory and decided it was far too small a shadow to belong to Joe.

  “Talking to yourself, Jesse?”

  A woman’s voice delivered the question with a slight sneer. And an ever-so-subtle Tennessee accent.

  “Cynthia?” Jesse felt no relief to have the waiting over. Instead, she wished to goodness she’d never had this harebrained idea. And she really wished she knew where exactly in the silent house Joe Tyler was standing guard.

  “How did you ever guess?” The answer conveyed even more sneering and not a little sarcasm, as if the other woman had expected to be recognized.

  “You could have just knocked,” J
esse suggested, turning to face the direction of the voice.

  “You wouldn’t let me in the last time I knocked. So I thought I’d invite myself inside.”

  “Like you did last night?” Jesse felt silly standing in the middle of her tearoom making casual conversation with someone she couldn’t see. “Would you like some coffee?” she offered. “Maybe a cup of tea?”

  “How terribly civilized of you.” There was the barest pause, then, “Come now, don’t you want to know why I’m here? Aren’t you just the tiniest bit curious?”

  “Of course I am. Perhaps you’d prefer wine?”

  “Someone shows up in your house unannounced and uninvited, and you go into your Suzy Homemaker routine? Who are you kidding? Stop offering me beverages and ask me what the hell I want!”

  “What do you want, Cynthia?”

  “I want to know if you saw Ronnie before he died.”

  That wasn’t a question Jesse had been expecting, but the answer was a simple one. “No.”

  “I don’t believe you,” the disembodied voice challenged.

  “I don’t much care what you believe.”

  “You might want to reconsider that.” Cynthia stepped out of the corner she was hiding in to reveal a gun in her hand, and it was pointed straight toward Jesse’s midsection. “He called you,” she announced. “You made arrangements to meet.”

  “Arrangements to pick up his daughter,” Jesse corrected. “But he let me believe he was still in Austin. I know that the two of you met, though.”

  Cynthia snorted. “I wouldn’t consider that a meeting.”

  “So you do remember seeing him.”

  “Pretty hard to forget being dumped by the man you’d given up everything for.”

  “Everything as in your husband Tommy?”

  “Hardly,” Cynthia said with another snort. “How about everything, as in my business partner? Oscar wasn’t exactly thrilled when I replaced him with Ronnie.”

  “Replaced him?” Jesse felt a spark of genuine surprise. Surely Cynthia wasn’t hinting at what it sounded like. “You make it sound as if you and Oscar Champion were more than just co-owners in your gallery.”