“I’m going to kill you.”
“If you’ve got any brothers or good friends looking for a great gal, you should bring them along.”
She hung up.
“You. Are. A. Dead. Woman.”
Noreen held out her phone. “I didn’t actually call him.”
Missy wanted to strangle her, but then they were both laughing. It felt so good. Yesterday had been a depressing day. Missy had fallen flat on her face in front of Abella Garcia, and she had to face the fact that Karen might not have been murdered.
When they were reasonably calmed down, Noreen asked her about yesterday. Missy filled her in, sparing none of the painful details and concluding with her niggling doubt about her theory.
“With everything I know now, I think it’s more likely she just took the pills herself and got sick,” Missy said.
“But you can’t accept that.”
She shook her head. “It just makes her death so cheap.”
Noreen nodded.
Missy continued. “This all started because I thought I knew her better than anybody else. We’ve been friends for thirty years. I was intent on showing everybody I knew better, it didn’t matter there was no evidence to back my theory up, it didn’t matter that killing somebody by giving them tape worms is one of the least reliable ways to commit murder. None of that mattered.”
Noreen turned around and sat on the desk. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
Missy nodded. “Do we ever really know anybody?”
“I think I know you pretty well.”
Missy smiled. “Likewise.”
“But we’re probably the exceptions.”
“As always.”
Missy wondered what was behind the faraway look in Noreen’s eye.
“How, though?” Missy said. “How could we know somebody inside and out, but also not know them at all?”
Noreen didn’t have an answer for that. Missy usually hated getting all philosophical, because normally the conversation turned gloomy. But this morning she didn’t change the subject or make a joke. She really wanted to know.
“Karen was struggling with her sexuality, and I had no idea. She kept that part of her from me.”
Noreen nodded. “She was also really struggling with her weight from what you told me, and it sounded like she was beginning to hate her job.”
“And her ex-fiance was back in her life to some degree, while she was trying to…she just had a lot of things happening all at the same time.”
“Maybe too many things,” Noreen said. “It’s not a stretch for a person in such a bad place to make uncharacteristic decisions.”
Missy agreed. People weren’t themselves when they had one personal crisis to deal with, let alone several. It was totally plausible that in her delicate state, Karen would have made the bad decision to try the tape worm diet.
“But?” Noreen said.
“But what?” Missy asked innocently.
“I know that look.” Noreen pointed at her. “I saw it when you were investigating Albert Switzer’s death and I saw it when I was in the court room being charged with manslaughter.”
“No look.” Missy held up a hand. “Seriously, no look here.”
“Okay.” Noreen didn’t believe her.
And she shouldn’t have. Because no matter how much Missy tried to talk herself out of this, no matter how much it made sense, she just couldn’t stop thinking about her conversation with Karen that night, when her friend had reacted so strongly to the mention of the tape worm diet.
In the silence, Missy’s cell buzzed, startling both of them. It was from a number she didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Melissa DeMeanor.” It a gruff, male voice.
“Who’s this?”
“Missy, I thought that was you.” The voice grew warmer. “This is Paul Johnson from the Templeton Police Department.”
She frowned. Why on earth was the detective calling her now?
“Detective, how are you?”
“I’m good. Listen, Missy, I wish I didn’t have to make this call but you kind of forced my hand.”
“What are you talking about?” She felt the other shoe about to drop.
“Yesterday evening I got a call from Abella Garcia.”
Her stomach dropped.
“She said you stopped by her office to see her.”
“Yes.” There was no point in playing coy. “I wanted to talk to her.”
“Yeah, about that. You see, Karen’s case has been closed. She died of an infection. I have no evidence—nor do you—that Abella Garcia was in any way involved in her death.”
“I didn’t know that for sure until I talked to her.”
“Yeah, well, she’s filed a restraining order against you and asked me to reach out to you personally. You’re not to harass her anymore.”
“Harass her?” Missy had to bite her tongue. If anything, that woman had enjoyed their verbal sparring match. As an attorney she lived for moments like that. The restraining order was just her way of saying screw you to Missy.
“Yes, harass her. I won’t abide that kind of treatment of one of our better citizens in Templeton. Ms. Garcia is a highly-respected—”
“Okay, I’ll leave the bitch alone.”
Missy ended the call. When she looked up, Noreen’s jaw hung open.
“Who was that?”
Missy shrugged. “That detective in Templeton. I didn’t feel like listening to him.”
Noreen put a hand on Missy’s forehead. “What has come over you? What happened to the Missy I know and love?”
“She’s tired. After yesterday’s embarrassment, I didn’t feel like having my nose rubbed—”
The door to the book shop opened. Ron Moore stuck his shaved head inside.
“Missy?”
Chapter Sixteen
Missy stepped outside into the humidity of late June, while Noreen minded the bookstore. Ron was waiting for her by the bench in front of the shop.
“Hi, Ron.”
He looked more himself today, at least outfit-wise. His eyes were hidden behind thick, dark shades, he wore a t-shirt so Missy could see all the tattoos running up and down his arms, and he had on a pair of work jeans.
“Hey, Missy.”
For a moment they just looked at each other, neither sure what to say.
“So, uh, what brings you out here?” Missy asked.
“Connie called me last night.”
Missy said nothing. She’d only been outside for a moment, but already she was beginning to sweat. And not just from the humidity.
Ron hooked his thumbs through the belt loops on his jeans. Missy was pretty tall for a woman, but Ron dwarfed her. The guy must have been six-four or six-five.
“She said you stopped by to talk to her the other night.”
“Yeah.”
Ron just looked at her. She wished she could see his eyes, but the wraparound sunglasses were hiding them from view.
“What did you two talk about?” Ron asked.
“Karen.” Missy shrugged. “As it turns out, I didn’t know her that well.”
Ron nodded and chewed on his bottom lip. “What did she tell you?”
“A lot,” Missy said, hoping that would be enough to get him off her back. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her.
“Whatever she told you, it was probably half the truth.”
“Half?” Missy couldn’t help herself.
“Yeah.” Ron nodded. “The best lies are half-truths, and that woman is a good liar. You have to be, to manipulate people the way she does.”
“So you don’t think too highly of her.”
Ron shook his head. “Alright, enough of the shit. I know who you are, and what you did with the two murders in Grove City. I know you’re going around asking questions now. I gotta buddy on the force so I know about that bitch attorney filing a restraining order against you.”
Missy folded her arms. She wanted to
get away from this man. He was filled with anger, probably his warped way of grieving.
“I just came to warn you,” he said.
“Warn me?” Missy instinctively stepped backward.
He smirked. “Take it easy. I’m not threatening you. I’m here to warn you about Connie. You can’t trust that woman. Now, I don’t think anybody killed poor Karen, I think she did that to herself, but if anybody did kill her, then it was Connie. And it’s just the sort of way she’d do it.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. She’s manipulative and she was madly in love with Karen.” He circled his finger around his ear. “Sick in the head, that one.”
“You were in love with Karen too,” Missy said, then instantly regretted it.
“Not madly. Truly. I loved Karen with all my heart. I’d never felt like that about a woman before, and maybe I never will again. I would have done anything for her. But her weight was this noose around her neck, it kept dragging her down, deeper and deeper. When I last spoke to her, she’d all but given up on trying to lose any weight ever again. She had just accepted she was going to be obese forever.”
“And when did you last talk to her?” Missy really needed to end the conversation. This guy was on edge and she didn’t want to be in the vicinity when he flipped out. But she kept thinking about her friend, Karen.
“About a month ago.” Ron looked away and brought a finger up under his shades. When he pulled his hand away, his fingertip was wet with tears. “I wanted to help her. I tried to help her. Her weight was holding her back in every single way. She wanted to look for another job but feared that nobody would hire her because she was short and heavyset. She didn’t think anybody could ever love her, so she ended up self-destructing every serious relationship she was in…that was what happened to us. I would have done anything to help her lose that weight. If she had just done that, then she could have started tackling her other problems.”
“Right.” Missy looked over her shoulder at the store, hoping to see Noreen’s face in one of the windows. No such luck. “Connie told me they dated off and on for almost two years.”
“Yeah, sure. That was probably more like six months. And Karen dumped her. That was why me and her got together a month ago. Karen told me everything. She felt like Connie had approached her as a friend and then taken advantage of her, knowing Karen wasn’t right in the head and highly susceptible to influence. Karen was seeing a shrink, did Connie tell you that? Yeah, she was seeing a shrink and taking some medication for depression. Eventually she realized she wasn’t gay and that she’d gotten together with Connie because she needed someone and Connie had seen that need in her. Karen felt betrayed. So she reached out to me for help. I told her to steer clear of that woman. I told her everything was going to be okay and that I’d help her because…I still loved her. This all happened a month ago, when we got together over drinks. Karen was just a wreck. She was distraught over her weight but also thinking of quitting the Diet Club. I told her I’d go with her, but that was verboten because I was a guy. So I recommended she give you a call.”
Missy was having a hard time following the story. Ron was rambling, his comments going off in a million directions. But she got the gist. Karen had been lost, sought him out for help, broken up with Connie, and then had called Missy for support at the Diet Club, knowing she’d have to face her ex-girlfriend there.
“I see,” Missy said. She didn’t know whether to trust Ron. Or whether to trust Connie. Maybe both of them were lying. But she’d have to sort through the facts later. She couldn’t think it through with this guy looming over her.
Ron put his hand on her shoulder. “Missy, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry about that. I came here because I know you and Karen were close. She talked about you all the time. When we were engaged, she told me you were going to be her maid of honor.”
Missy got a little choked up. Karen had never told her that.
Ron nodded. “She was such a great woman. I did everything I could for her, but ultimately I…”
The man bowed his head and started crying. Despite her earlier misgivings about him, Missy found herself rubbing his shoulder. It was knotted with muscle.
“I’m sorry, Ron. I really am. She was wonderful.”
He was shaking his head. “It’s my fault this happened. She came to me for help and I should have…I should have done more, should have done something else…now she’s dead.”
“That’s not your fault,” Missy said. “Like you said, this wasn’t murder.”
He nodded. “Thanks for listening, Missy. I appreciate it. Karen was right. She always went on and on about how good a person you were.”
“Thanks, Ron.” She looked over her shoulder and saw a few people going into the store, which gave her the perfect excuse. “Now I have to get back to work, unfortunately.”
Ron offered his hand, and she shook it. His firm, callused hand reminded her of Aaron’s.
“I’ll see you around.” He started walking away, but turned before he got to his car. “And be careful around her, Miss. If anybody did this to Karen, it was Connie.”
Chapter Seventeen
Missy couldn’t get Ron’s words out of her head.
If anybody did this to her, it was Connie.
If.
Big if.
As she checked out one of their regulars, Missy tried to puzzle out why Ron had come to see her. If she believed his story, Connie called him to talk about Missy and her investigation. From what she could tell, there was no love lost between Connie and Ron which meant it was odd of her to call him.
“Thanks, Miss. Sorry about your friend.”
She smiled absently and said goodbye as the man left the store, ten paperbacks in his usual plastic grocery bag.
Connie didn’t like Ron. Ron didn’t like Connie. So why would Connie call him? Missy was inclined to think the phone call never happened, that Ron had made it up, except how would he have known she’d been to see Connie?
So Connie had called Ron, whom she didn’t like, to talk about Missy, whom she knew was looking into Karen’s death.
Missy’s heart skipped a beat.
The only reason Connie would call Ron was because she was nervous about Missy asking questions. And if she was nervous about Missy asking questions…
“Missy, you okay?” Noreen’s voice snapped her out of her mental gymnastics.
“Yeah…hey, can you cover for a few minutes? I have to make a call.”
Noreen looked around at the empty store. “Gee, I don’t know.”
Missy smiled. “Thanks.”
Outside it was hot and humid, not a cloud in the sky. Missy scrolled through her contacts to find the one she was looking for. Mrs. Wise had given Missy her number the other night after the two women had agreed to get together.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Wise? It’s Missy.”
“Oh, Missy.” The woman’s voice softened. “It’s nice to hear from you.”
“Yes, I wanted to call right away but then I figured you’d want a little time, but then…there just didn’t seem to be a right time to call.”
“I’m glad you called. Would you like to get together?”
“I would.” Missy was thinking about blowing Noreen off tonight. She had to talk to Mrs. Wise. If she knew anything about Connie, it might help Missy figure out once and for all whether Karen was murdered or not.
But she also didn’t want to wait till later tonight. She had to see if Mrs. Wise knew anything now. Of course, this was a delicate conversation. Missy had to be careful. She had no idea if Mrs. Wise knew that Karen was questioning her sexuality. Though it was nothing to be ashamed of, Missy didn’t want to drop that bomb on Mrs. Wise a mere few days after she’d lost her only child.
“Are you okay, Missy?”
Missy took a deep breath. “Yes. Listen, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“I met Connie, Karen’s friend. Did you ever meet her
?”
There was a long silence that told Missy everything she needed to know. “Yes.”
“They argued that night,” Missy said. “I couldn’t hear what they were fighting about, but—”
“Missy, I’m sorry but I was right in the middle of something.”
“Oh?” Missy hadn’t gotten that impression when the woman answered.
“Yes, I…I’ll have to call you back later.”
“Oh. Okay.” Mrs. Wise had grown suddenly distant and sounded distracted. Maybe Missy had misread her earlier silence? Maybe Mrs. Wise didn’t know about Karen and Connie.
“I’ll call you la—”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Wise. I didn’t mean to bring anything up that upset you.”
Mrs. Wise fake-laughed. “Oh no, dear. I’m really just in the middle of something. Can I talk to you later?”
The last thing Missy wanted to do now was hang-up. At the mention of Connie, Mrs. Wise had gone cold on her.
“Sure. You can call me on this number any—”
Mrs. Wise hung up.
***
Missy spent the rest of the workday going through the motions, while Noreen brought up their planned evening at Hank’s every fifteen minutes on the dot. Missy was happy for her friend. Noreen sounded like she was head-over-heels even though she hardly knew the guy.
Since Missy had opened, she got to quit at six, leaving Noreen to close up shop. She promised to meet her friend at Hank’s in a couple hours. Noreen also tried to get her promise to wear her low-rider jeans, the ones that tended to slide down her hips way too far when she sat down. Missy didn’t make that promise.
When she got in her truck, Missy’s cell phone rang. It was somebody calling from the Grove City Police Department, had to be Tyler.
“Hey, Tyler.”
“Hello, Melissa.” He hesitated for a beat. “I didn’t expect you to leave last night.”
“Well, you were on the phone with your wife.”
As much as it pained her to use the phrase your wife, she still said it anyway.
Diet Club Death: Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mystery #3 (Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mysteries) Page 11
