Rock Around the Corpse

by Lizbeth Lipperman

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  About the Author

  Other Books by Author

  Rock Around the Corpse

  A Garcia Girls Mystery

  Lizbeth Lipperman

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For more information, please direct your correspondence to:

  The Story Vault

  c/o Marketing Department

  364 Patteson Drive, #228

  Morgantown, WV 26505-3202

  ROCK AROUND THE CORPSE

  A Garcia Girls Mystery

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2016 by Elizabeth Lipperman

  http://www.lizlipperman.com

  ISBN-13: 978-1540812629

  ISBN-10: 1540812626

  Cover Design by Kelly Crimi

  Interior Book Design by Bob Houston eBook Formatting

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

  Published by The Story Vault

  Website: www.thestoryvault.com

  Dedication

  To my sisters, Lill Magistro, Mary Ann Nedved, Dorothy Bennett, and Theresa Pollack, who died way too young. Without you, I couldn’t have written this book centered around the loving relationships between the Garcia Sisters. I love you all so much.

  Acknowledgements

  To Dan, my children, Nicole and Brody, Dennis and Abby, and my grandchildren, Grayson and Caden and Ellie and Alice, who never cease to brighten every day for me.

  To my amazing agent, Christine Witthohn, who is my biggest cheerleader and task master, but more importantly, my adopted sister. I couldn’t do this without her.

  To my critique partner, Joni Sauer-Folger, and to my beta readers, Sylvia Rochester and Chris Keniston, all talented authors themselves, for making me a better writer.

  To Versel Rush, an awesome attorney who has guided me through the legal system of a small town in Texas through all my Garcia Girls books and who has become more than a loyal reader to me. I so appreciate the friendship and the coaching.

  To the rest of my amazing family—numbering in the 200s—who epitomize a fun-loving family. You are the reason I know so much about unconditional love and can write about it.

  And lastly, to the Bunko Babes who are just as much my sisters as my biological ones. Thanks for always having my back.

  Chapter One

  “Here’s to the Garcia girls, too much food, alcohol, and sleep deprivation for three whole days. What could possibly go wrong?” Lainey Winslow clinked her champagne glass with her three sisters and then held it out for a refill. “I’m so up for this weekend. Trying to keep the new grapevines healthy this winter has nearly killed me.”

  Deena Rodriguez smiled as she shifted on the limo seat and leaned forward to pour the bubbly first into Lainey’s glass, then her own. “You’ll definitely get a break from the vineyard. I was told there’ll be a full staff at the spa all weekend with nothing else to do but pamper us.” She stopped to take a sip. “And the best thing is, it’s all free.”

  Madelyn Castillo leaned forward for more champagne. “And I for one can use something free for a change. The old Krieger house should be renamed the Money Pit after all the cash I’ve sunk into it.” The oldest of the Garcia sisters frowned. “Buying that fifty-year-old house at the end of my street seemed like such a great idea at the time.”

  Oh, quit bellyaching, Maddy. You’re about to get fed, relaxed, massaged, and with a little luck, you may even get laid. Tessa plopped down on the leather seat between Maddy and Deena.

  “Oh my God!” Deena exclaimed.

  “What?” her sisters all asked in unison.

  Deena blinked a few times, drained what was left of her champagne, and then closed her eyes completely. When she reopened them, she screamed.

  “What?” they all repeated.

  “You’re scaring us, Deena,” Kate Garcia said, scowling at her sister.

  “Do any of you see her?”

  “Oh Lord! Don’t tell me our dead sister’s back.” Kate glanced around the back of the limo. “Where is she?”

  Deena raised her hand to her face and discreetly pointed to her left where the ghost of her younger sister was now grinning like a Cheshire cat. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  Tessa arched her eyebrows. You know the drill, Deena. I’m sent back when one of my sisters is in trouble. Since you’re the only one who can see me, that must be you, girlfriend.

  “Me?” Deena shot a pleading look for Tessa to laugh and say she was only kidding. When the ghost didn’t, she shook her head. “No way! For the first time in a very long while, everything’s going right.” She tried to sound convincing, but even as she protested, she couldn’t stop the fear creeping up her back, threatening to cut off her breath.

  Tessa Moretti, the middle sister of the five Garcia girls, was three years younger than her and had been murdered several years back. At her funeral, she’d appeared to Lainey, demanding that her siblings find her killer. At first none of them believed Lainey was actually talking to a ghost, especially since the two sisters had been estranged for over nine years. But when she repeated things that only Tessa was privy to, they all knew that somehow, their sister had managed to come back from the dead.

  The following year, the ghost had made an appearance to Maddy, a rookie cop at the time in Vineyard, Texas. That was right before a prisoner was killed on her watch with her gun, and she was framed for the murder. Less than a year later, Kate was the lucky one graced with an exclusive Tessa appearance. After nearly going to jail herself, the youngest of the Garcia clan was lucky to be alive today.

  So no, having Tessa show up and speak to her was definitely not a good thing, especially now that she was finally beginning to have fun again.

  Deena took a deep breath and addressed the ghost. “This is going to be a fantastic weekend away from families and hectic lives. Why on earth would they send you here for me? It’s my weekend to shine.”

  “Yeah, Tessa,” Kate added, looking around for a trace of her dead sister. “Deena spent the last six months decorating this place for the owner. This is her reward for doing such a good job. Hope you’re not here to spoil it for her, like you’re so famous for doing.”

  Always the smart mouth, Kate. Tessa focused on Deena, her eyes softening. I don’t know yet why I’m here, but we both know I’ve never been sent back just for the hell of it. Something’s up. She gave her sister the onceover. You look fabulous, by the way. I love what you’ve done with your hair.

  Deena, touched the soft black curls and grinned. She and Tess
a had never really been close, and truth be told, her sister scared her a little, even from the grave. She could still cut you down with one look and slice you open with only a few words. “The hair is Antonio’s idea. After Mike was killed and I lost twenty pounds, he thought I needed a younger look to…” She stopped, thinking how ridiculous it was that she was making small talk with a ghost. “Everything’s fine, Tessa. Go back to your peaceful life and live out eternity, wherever that is.”

  Peaceful life? Ha! If I wasn’t already dead, I would say my new living arrangement was boring me to death. I can’t get anyone up there—she pointed upward—to break the rules with me. Even Mary Magdalene is a fuddy-duddy now.

  “What she’s saying, Deena?” Maddy asked. “Does she think you’re in trouble?”

  Deena shrugged. “She has no idea why she was sent. Neither do I, for that matter. But I can’t focus on all that right now. I promise this is going to be a great weekend for all of us, even with Tessa hanging around.” She looked up, but the ghost was no longer there. She blew out a relieved breath. “She’s gone.”

  “Sheesh! I love my sister, but I wish she wouldn’t pop out of nowhere and scare us like that.” Maddy gulped down the last of her champagne and held out her glass for more. “Now the whole time I’m supposed to be having fun I’ll be worried that something bad is about to happen.”

  “Like Lainey said—what could possibly go wrong? We need to chill.” Deena pulled another bottle from the ice bucket. “Speaking of chilling…” She popped the cork, causing them all to scream. Looking up, she gave the hot limo driver a thumbs up when he glanced into the rearview mirror. The Tessa sighting had definitely unnerved them all. “No more negative thoughts. This is going to be so awesome for us.”

  “Hope so,” Kate said, leaning back in the seat with a full glass. “This month’s been a bear with sometimes delivering three and four babies a day. What’s up with that? Was there a full moon nine months ago?”

  “Let me remind you, Doctor Kate, that when it came time to choose a career path after med school, you could have taken a much easier road than obstetrics. Bet the plastic surgeons don't get called in the middle of the night. Just sayin’.” Lainey laughed. “That said—I read somewhere that Valentine’s Day is the most popular day for weddings. Lots of honeymoon babies, maybe?”

  Maddy tsked. “That might be true if we were in the fifties, but today’s couples have been sleeping together long before they say I do. I’ll bet some of them are so exhausted after the wedding celebration they don’t even have sex the first night.”

  “That reminds me of something Tessa once said.” Kate paused to giggle. “God, she could make me laugh even when I was so mad I wanted to kill her.”

  Maddy leaned forward, a mischievous grin on her face. “I know what you’re about to say, Katie. We were all sitting at Janie Delgado’s wedding, watching her stroll down the aisle grinning like she had a secret, and—”

  “Yes! That’s it,” Kate interrupted. “Tessa leaned over and whispered—loud enough for the priest to give her the stink eye, I might add—that the reason Janie was smiling was because she knew she’d given her last blow job.”

  “Oh dear God!” Lainey exclaimed. “How does she come up with stuff like that?”

  After the laughter died down, Maddy turned to Deena. “We need to forget about Tessa for now and get in the eating and drinking mood. Tell us again who’s all going to be there this weekend?”

  “I’m not one-hundred percent sure, but Haley’s invited a few of the possible investors and a couple of others. There’s even a journalist coming to write about the place. She sent limos for all of them.”

  “Haley?”

  “The owner,” Deena explained. “She hired me after seeing my work at the Vineyard courthouse last year. She’s also the one who graciously said yes when I asked if I could bring you all with me, gratis. So let’s quit talking about something bad happening and concentrate on all the drinking games we’re going to play in our jammies. We haven’t done that in years.”

  “Good idea,” Lainey said. “It will be nice to be way out there in the boonies in the middle of Oklahoma with nothing to do all day but soak in the ‘healing waters’ and let trained professionals run their fingers up and down our bodies.” She closed her eyes and moaned. “I can feel the tension leaving my muscles already.”

  “According to Haley the head masseuse trained in Europe with a master. She was lucky to snag the woman,” Deena said just as the limo turned off Interstate 35 and headed west.

  Thirty minutes later, they were coasting down a country road lined on both sides with acres and acres of unadulterated land, dotted with a welcoming tunnel of trees that must’ve been a hundred years old or more.

  “This is breathtaking,” Kate said. “I may never want to go back to the office again.”

  The sisters were abnormally quiet, enthralled with the scenery, allowing Deena time to think back to when she’d first met Haley Rockford. She remembered that day like it was yesterday.

  She’d just finished redecorating the Vineyard courthouse, a project that had taken over four months. She’d changed the drab gray walls into an eye pleasing array of earth tones and then decorated them with fabulous oils from local artists. When everyone in town talked about the great job she’d done, it had been a big step in getting her self-confidence back after Mike’s death.

  Mike! She could finally think about him without getting angry. Mike, her high school sweetheart, who’d probably started cheating on her as soon as they’d returned from their honeymoon. Maybe even before then, she thought, remembering how he’d flirted with the waitress at the resort and disappeared for hours at a time, saying he was just walking the beach. They say love is blind. If so, she was definitely the poster child. When he’d gotten mixed up in a scheme that eventually got him killed and nearly took both she and Maddy out in the process, it had taken a long time to forgive him.

  The second oldest of the Garcia girls, she’d always been the shy one—the sister who put her own needs at the bottom of any list. She was the one who’d left college to come home and help their mother care for their father before he died. Maddy had been pregnant with Abby and had just lost her husband in the Gulf war, and her younger sisters were only teenagers when she’d given up her dream of becoming a decorator. After marrying Mike, despite repeated warnings from all her sisters, she’d been forced to put a family of her own on hold because he thought a baby would ruin his chance to make it big.

  Six months after his funeral, she’d had a come-to-Jesus moment. She’d quit her job as activities director at the local nursing home and gone back to Texas Tech, where she’d graduated with an interior designing degree. She wasn’t that scared, beaten-down, overweight girl anymore.

  Now here she was, the talk of the town after the courthouse renovation and feeling pretty good about herself. She’d lost weight—something even Tessa had noticed—and was now spending more time on the things that mattered to her. She still hadn’t been brave enough to venture into dating, but she knew she’d have to tackle that one sooner rather than later. She missed watching old movies and cuddling with someone you cared about. Missed cooking meals for more than herself, but mostly, she longed for that feeling you get when you smiled across the room at someone special, and he smiled back with a look that said he couldn’t wait to get you home.

  Yes, it was time for her to get back on that proverbial dating horse, but the thought of getting intimate with another man scared the heck out of her.

  She was jarred from her thoughts when Kate touched her arm and nearly sent her out of her seat. “Earth to Deena.”

  “Just thinking about Tessa,” she lied when her breathing slowed. No sense mentioning that she was contemplating joining the dating game again. Her sisters would all start campaigning to find the best potential suiter for her. As much as she tried to convince herself that it was time, she wasn’t ready to take the plunge just yet.

  Kate’s eyebrows scrunc
hed. “No more thinking about her. We haven’t had a sisters’ day in forever, and nothing is going to keep us from having a blast. Knowing Tessa, she probably pissed someone off up there and decided to pop in on us. She would’ve stayed if she really thought you were in trouble.”

  “She’s right, Deena,” Lainey replied, leaning forward to be heard. “Forget about Tessa and tell us more about the spa.”

  Deena rubbed her forehead. “I got lucky, I guess. When Haley inherited the property from her sister, she had to go to the courthouse to complete the paperwork.” She wiggled her eyebrows in a comical way. “Apparently, she saw how talented I was and asked about me.”

  Maddy slapped her sister’s shoulder. “Now that’s the Deena I love—sassy and full of spunk. Of course she saw how talented you are. That’s why there’s a waiting list of rich, spoiled, trophy wives wanting you to magically change their overpriced houses into warm, welcoming homes.”

  Deena couldn’t help blushing. “I don’t know about all that, but when Haley called and offered me the job, I nearly passed out. I can’t wait for you to see what we’ve done.”

  “Me neither,” Kate said. “And Maddy, you’re being awfully snarky about Deena’s customers,” she admonished her older sister before turning back to Deena. “I’m really looking forward to spending three whole days with all of you without getting a phone call at three in the morning because little Johnny’s decided to make his entrance into the world.”

  Deena laughed. “You won’t have to worry about that. The beauty of this place is that it’s so remote. Since it’s supposed to be a stress-free experience, they take mobile phones, laptops, and tablets away from everyone at check-in—not that they’d do you any good, anyway. The nearest cell tower is fifty miles away.”

  “Oh my God! What if something happens to Abby, and Colt needs to reach me?” Maddy asked. “Or what if Abby just gets lonely and wants to talk to me?”

  “Relax,” Deena said. “The only thing you’ll miss is playing solitaire on your iPad. There’s a satellite phone at the main desk for emergencies. The number was on the welcoming sheet I gave each of you.”