by Krista Davis
Five minutes later, Wolf bounded into the yard and came to an abrupt halt beside me. “Did they find something? What’s everyone doing here?”
I handed him his car keys. “I don’t think you’ll be needing my car anymore.”
“No?” He seemed reluctant to swap keys, but he did it anyway.
The cluster of people around Anne parted, leaving her to face Wolf alone. It seemed like it was happening in slow motion. They gazed at each other, then ran into each other’s arms and didn’t let go.
Next to me, Nina sniffed. “It’s so romantic! Just like a movie.”
That was my cue to take off. They certainly didn’t need Wolf’s old girlfriend hanging around. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Already?” asked Nina.
“I have a delivery to make.”
Nina and I transferred our belongings from Wolf’s car to mine.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’ll be fine.” I meant it.
We pulled into Roscoe’s driveway a few minutes later. Unless I missed my guess, Violet would be in the kitchen. I opened the back hatch and slid the mallard print out. Nina accompanied me as I stepped up to the porch and around to the side where the kitchen was.
Violet worked at the stove. I rapped lightly on the window.
She opened the door, stormy as always. She didn’t greet us or say a word.
“I have something for you.” I handed the print to her.
“You stole it?” The dark eyes blazed.
“No, I didn’t steal it. But I happened to find it! All that matters is that you have it back.”
She slammed the door.
Nina and I cracked up. We laughed hysterically until tears ran down our faces. We couldn’t stop.
Roscoe must have heard us. He and Audie appeared on the porch.
“What’s going on?”
I shouldn’t have looked at Nina. Bad idea! We broke up again. We couldn’t very well tell him it was Violet who’d set us into spasms of laughter. “We found Anne Fleishman.”
I wiped my cheeks with my fingers and realized that I had probably just made life worse for Anne because the embezzlement scheme would surface again. I tried to comfort myself with the thought that Olive knew about her return. She would share that information with Roscoe in a matter of hours.
“No kidding! Where’s she been?” asked Roscoe.
“A cute little place out in West Virginia. In the mountains.”
“Mountains, eh?” The corner of Roscoe’s mouth twitched. “Sounds like my kind of gal.”
Had I heard him wrong?
“I owe Anne a big apology. Wolf, too, I guess. Audie, be sure we send her a big basket of gardening things from Planter’s Punch. And flowers. Ask your mom, she’ll know what to send.”
“Apology?” said Nina.
Roscoe sat down on the porch step. “One of our employees caught an unusual transaction yesterday.”
Audie groaned and looked off in the distance as though he didn’t want to hear about it.
“My death yesterday set off an unexpected consequence. Cricket authorized the transfer of funds from our accounts into an offshore bank. Seems Cricket was as greedy as Mindy,” he snorted. “Like father, like son, I guess. Kenner and the cops caught her at Dulles Airport this morning, headed for Belize. When I died, Cricket thought Mindy would get everything, so she emptied out as many accounts as she could. Now she’s singing like a canary, hoping cooperation will lead to a plea bargain, I’d guess.”
“Oh no!” Nina was no longer amused. “Did you lose money?”
Roscoe grinned. “That Kenner fellow is on the ball. He thought my dying might trigger financial shenanigans and notified my banks to put a hold on large transactions. Cricket was a two-time loser.”
“So Anne never embezzled from you?” I asked hopefully.
Roscoe smiled. “Not a penny. It was Cricket and Heath all along, but she did a bang-up job of pinning it on Anne and Heath. Seems when that didn’t work out, she set her sights on becoming a Greene and went after Audie. The irony of it all is that Audie would have gotten everything. If Cricket had waited a day or two and married him, she would have been a Greene. How do you like that? There was Cricket trying to kill Mindy so Audie would inherit, and at the same time, Mindy was trying to kill Audie so she would inherit.”
“So Cricket put the foxglove into Mindy’s scotch,” I said.
Roscoe sighed, shaking his head. “It nearly backfired on her. If I had been taking the digitalis like my doctor ordered and had some of the scotch on top of it—I’d have been a dead duck.”
“It was a close call,” said Audie. “Though I’m not convinced that Cricket wouldn’t have murdered me eventually if we had tied the knot. Hey, Nina, where’s Cupcake? I miss my little snuggle muffin.”
“You can have her any time,” said Nina. “Should I bring her to your house?”
“I’ll come by and pick her up. She’s going to live out here with me. I talked to my vet, and he thinks I should give an underground fence a try. I can include the pond and move the bird feeders to the side yard. That way Cupcake can roam the territory she loves”—he raised his voice—“and the birds will be safe, too.” In a whisper he said, “I’m sure Violet is listening.”
A muffled voice inside the house said, “I am not!”
This time, we all broke out laughing. Nina and I left in giggles.
On the way home, Nina dug in her purse and handed me a little remote control.
“What’s this?”
“Your garage door opener.” She made a quick phone call to tell Troy we were on our way. “They want you to drive into the garage.”
“Are you serious? It’s over? They’re finished?”
The peak of the garage roof was visible from the street but looked cute. I turned the car into the alley behind my house. A new fence had been installed. The red brick garage matched the style of my house, and the garage doors had faux hinges on them, as if they belonged to a carriage house.
They rose smoothly when I clicked the remote. Troy waited inside. I drove in, wondering why I hadn’t built a garage sooner. No more hunting for a place to park!
We stepped out of the car, exclaiming over everything—the painted floor that would be easy to clean, the workbench along the back, the clever storage hooks.
Troy opened a windowed door on the far end. Nina and I ventured into my backyard. Except we didn’t step on grass. Troy and his crew had installed a brick walkway that ran from the garage all the way to my living room. Wide enough for two people to walk comfortably, it grew to room width in the middle. The entire thing was covered with a pitched roof. In the midsection, the roof soared. A stone fireplace with an arched opening served as the focal point. A four-foot wreath of dried flowers hung above a rustic cedar mantel.
Troy ran his hand over a wooden table. “We custom built this for you. Your friends kept dropping by to check on us, so I knew you needed a super long table to accommodate everyone. There are two extension pieces in the middle. You can make it smaller for a more intimate dinner.”
I couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. My backyard had been transformed from a nice garden to party central. “Friends?”
He ticked them off on his fingers. “Mars, Wolf, Bernie, Leon, Francie, a couple of people who live on the block, Kenner, a woman cop—I don’t even remember them all. Did you notice what we did to your living room?”
“My living room!” I looked toward my house and hurried along the brick walk. They had installed French doors with an arched top that matched the curve of the fireplace. It was stunning. I turned to hug Troy.
The vegetable garden that Wolf and I had planted was gone, as were many of the shrubs that I looked forward to seeing in bloom every spring. The rose that Wolf had liked so much had been ripped out, too, but in its place was a gate to Francie’s yard.
I opened it and peeked.
“Now Francie and Duke can come over easily,” he explained.
<
br /> Someone let Daisy out, and she romped toward me. I petted her. “Is that an outdoor dog bed by the fire?”
“We couldn’t forget Daisy!” Troy slid an arm around my shoulders. “We’re losing light. We invited a few of your friends to come over tomorrow night for barbecue. Hope that’s okay.”
It was better than okay.
I finally got a chance to sleep in. Some vacation! I was more worn out afterward than I was before. Still wrapped in my bathrobe, I wandered out back carrying a mug of steaming Nordic Blend coffee. Hints of cherry and chocolate wafted to me.
Daisy dashed to our new outdoor room, busily sniffing every corner. I settled into a comfy chair and stretched out my legs, marveling over Troy’s incredible vision. He’d pulled off a backyard beyond my wildest dreams.
The gate behind me creaked open and Duke shot through. Francie followed at a slower pace, wearing a housedress and carrying a mug.
She eased into the chair next to me, yawning. “What a week this has been.”
Troy’s troops arrived to set up their barbecue around three in the afternoon. Even though Natasha and Troy had taken care of the menu, I’d baked lemon meringue pies because nothing else said summer like sweetly tart lemon with meringue.
Nina arrived first. We carried dishes outside, but someone on the production crew snatched them away from us, saying we didn’t have to do anything. Another guy tested little lights along the roofline.
Francie and Duke arrived via the gate between our houses. I had a feeling it would get a lot of use. Francie had dressed in a pink sweat suit with rhinestones on the shoulders, completely out of character for her. “I hope you don’t mind this gate. I said it was okay because I like to keep an eye on you.”
“I think it’s a great idea. Is Olive coming?”
“You bet! She and Roscoe are back together again. Can you believe it? She took him back in a flash. They’re finally heading out to that bed-and-breakfast Roscoe bought in the mountains. Audie’s planning to move into their house.”
“What about Violet?” I asked.
“She doesn’t have to worry about being abandoned. Roscoe and Olive will need her more than ever at the bed-and-breakfast,” said Francie.
Nina cackled. “Just the kind of place everyone wants to relax—with Mrs. Danvers glaring at them. They can call it Manderley.”
Natasha showed up carrying a coffeecake under a glass cover. She wore a white silk dress, five-inch heels, and heavy TV makeup.
“This is for Troy. I want the cameramen to get a good shot.” She breezed past me.
Other neighbors joined us. I couldn’t help noticing that the women wore outrageously high heels, short dresses, and low-cut necklines. It took a while for me to understand what was going on. They flocked around Troy, who flashed his toothy smile and made each of them feel special.
Bernie came without Dana.
“Where’s your new flame?” I asked.
“She’s busy tonight. But I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. I’m very impressed with the results. Are you pleased?”
“I love it! By the way, thanks for putting up Wolf at your place. That was very kind of you, Mars, and Natasha.”
“Mars and Natasha didn’t even know he was there. Wolf’s a decent chap. Are you devastated about losing him?”
I suspected that I would have some tough moments ahead of me, but I had done the right thing for everyone. That would teach me for dating a man with a wife—even if she was an absentee wife. What could I have been thinking? “I didn’t lose Wolf. I never had him.”
Natasha wedged between us. “Have you seen my repurps?” She propelled us to a cabinet near the fireplace. “Troy is featuring this one on his show!” Her sentence ended on an excited pitch.
Bernie and I agreed that it was very clever. She’d attached the stained-glass window to the little bookshelf as a door. It worked perfectly and dressed up two discarded pieces.
“Where’s the bed?” I hoped she would say Troy had declined it.
“Follow me.” Natasha struggled to walk across the grass to the far corner of my yard in her heels. With great pomp, she showed us an adorable bench. I’d seen it earlier in the day but hadn’t made the connection. She’d used the headboard as the back. The lower footboard had been cut into two parts and used as matching arms. The slats had been screwed on to form a seat.
Leon, Natasha’s assistant, showed up and wrapped an arm around me. “Isn’t it gorgeous? Cutting the footboard correctly was a little bit tough, but I’m so proud if it. Did you notice that I painted it foxglove pink?”
I thanked him profusely.
“Troy turned down my trash cans and the hanging sculpture I planned. I pounded on that thing for days!” she pouted. “But he loved this bench. And you got it all for free, Sophie. Thanks to me.”
“I am actually very grateful, Natasha. But don’t forget that it’s not completely free. I still have to pay taxes on it.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“That’s the way it works,” I insisted.
Natasha turned to Leon. “Why didn’t you tell me this? It can’t be. Mars will know. Maaaars!” She toddled off.
Leon waved his hands in the air. “I know what you’re thinking, but she pays well.”
I was surprised to see Mona and Anne’s friend Shelby. “I’m so glad you came!”
Mona patted my shoulder. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I’ve been by every day to watch the progress. I had to see the finished product.” She took my hands into hers. “And I have to thank you for returning the one thing on this earth that I love with all my heart. I can’t ever thank you enough.”
“No thanks necessary, Mona.” I wanted to ask how Anne and Wolf were doing, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. Maybe it was better if I didn’t know. “Just one question. What were you doing in the woods, spying on Roscoe’s party?”
She had the decency to blush. “I was following you. I thought you might meet Wolf somewhere or lead me to something, anything, that might be a clue to Anne’s whereabouts. And you did! You managed to lose me on the day you dug up Anne’s purse—but I found you!”
Shelby sipped a lemon slush. “Boy, that Cricket is a piece of work. She threw away the notes Anne left for Wolf and her parents and then buried Anne’s purse in the backyard so that suspicion would fall on Wolf if they were ever found.”
“What about the knife? Was it rust or blood?” I asked.
“Hey, Kenner! Get over here,” called Shelby.
I’d never seen Kenner in shorts before. Was Shelby ogling his legs? They were fairly muscular.
“Tell Sophie about Cricket. She wants to know about the knife,” demanded Shelby.
Kenner took a deep breath. It had to be hard on him, since he’d been friends with Cricket. He swallowed uncomfortably. “The knife was just rusted. Probably got thrown out by mistake.”
“Tell her about the embezzlement!” insisted Mona.
“Cricket and Heath set up fake companies and paid their invoices from Roscoe’s business accounts. It took them some time to accumulate the money, but the plan worked pretty well. Apparently, Heath didn’t realize that Cricket double-crossed him by using his computer passwords to funnel the money to accounts in the name of Anne Fleishman, leaving a paper trail that led to Heath and Anne.”
Mona shook her finger. “Which Cricket had set up without Anne’s knowledge.”
Kenner continued. “But the plan went south when Anne started to audit Roscoe’s business. Cricket knew Anne would recognize the scheme in a flash, so Cricket had to get her out of town—and quick. Then Cricket ratted on Heath and Anne—”
“And got the credit for getting the money back!” cried Mona.
“So Anne never had an affair with Heath?” I asked.
Kenner sighed. “No. It was Cricket who was involved with Heath. But he knew a lucky break when he saw one. If Roscoe had pressed charges, Heath would have done serious time. He was more than ready to get out o
f town.”
“I wish I’d met this Cricket,” said Shelby. “She must be a master of manipulation. She zeroed in on Anne’s insecurities and guilt. Imagine sending Anne a picture of a stranger’s child so she would think Cricket and Wolf had a happy family and would stay away. What a witch! It’s lucky for Anne that she believed Cricket was her best friend and wouldn’t lie to her. If Anne had come back, she would be as dead as Heath.”
“So it was Cricket who murdered Heath?” I asked.
Kenner looked pained. “When Heath came back to Old Town, he discovered that his old partner in crime, Cricket, was engaged to Audie and about to enter the inner circle of Greene money. He demanded his fair share of money from her, threatening to expose her role in the embezzlement if she didn’t pay. She mollified him with an expensive duck print.”
“I thought Violet hid it in the guest house.”
“Cricket saw her stash it there during Roscoe’s picnic. But she was ready to get rid of blackmailing Heath for good the next night. She met him in the guest house with a bottle of bourbon that contained monkshood tea.”
“Then, when he died, she dragged him across the flower bed, covered him with the mulch, and managed to get poison ivy in the process!” I exclaimed.
“What I don’t understand,” said Shelby, “is why she used that horrible monkshood on Heath but poisoned Mindy with foxglove. Why switch when the monkshood obviously worked so well?”
“Time,” I said. “She had time to let Mindy die, but she didn’t expect Heath to show up. She had to get rid of him in a hurry.”
“The more I know you, the more you frighten me.” Kenner was speaking to me, but busy looking at Shelby, who was making eyes at him.
“Sophie!” called Troy.
I excused myself and dashed over to him. Baby back ribs, chicken, and corn on the cob still wrapped in the husks cooked on the grill.
Troy gathered everyone around the table, made a lovely toast, and dinner was on!
I felt incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful, caring friends.
Daylight waned as we finished our main course. Troy flipped a switch. Small lights shone in the lofted ceiling and along the roofline, producing oohs and aahs of admiration.
