HAMMERED (Mrs. Fix It Mysteries Book 1)

by Belle Knudson

  That only lasted a few minutes then she had to go inside. The mosquitos were eating her alive.

  Sitting on her large chair in the living room, she curled her legs under her and set out to read what notes the mayor had taken.

  He’d been doing business with Jackie for some time. He must have mistrusted her, otherwise he wouldn’t have kept this file. If you thought the person you did business with was honest, you had no reason to keep such a detailed file on that person.

  “He has names and dates.”

  He had transaction records, but no account numbers.

  “She’d made him a lot of money over the years.”

  Jackie York was worth more to the mayor alive than she was dead. He was no longer a suspect in her mind. Still, she had the folder. She might as well look at it. Maybe she’d get some tips on investing money if she ever had any extra cash.

  She snorted at that idea. Her profits went either to her sons or back into her business. They’d bought the house for cash. She’d questioned how they had that kind of money, but Greg had explained that he’d saved it up since college.

  A professor didn’t make that much money. Even a single one living frugally. She should have questioned him. Now, everything he did and said to her was suspect. Had he even loved her?

  She shook off the morose thoughts. She had to concentrate on finding a killer. Let Scott try to find her lost husband. Not that she expected the chief to make any more progress than anyone else. Even if he did have a personal reason for wanting to find Greg.

  Her thoughts veered to Scott, but she didn’t want to go there. He was a fly in her ointment. His persistence was unnerving. She was just her. Not some supermodel. Just Kate.

  She sighed. The mayor had noted lots of dollar amounts, but none of them meant much to Kate. Still, she read on.

  Then she discovered that Clark Stadt, owner of Grayson’s hardware, had once been an investment banker. In Philadelphia. “Hm.”

  Kate booted up her laptop, waiting for the cranky machine to start. She needed to replace this, but there were tuition bills to deal with first. And truck repairs.

  Finally, she was able to open a search engine and put in Clark Stadt’s name. He had been a banker. He’d done investments and he’d worked closely with Jackie York. Kate stopped on the picture of Jackie. She was a beauty but didn’t dress conservatively at all.

  What had Scott seen in her? Was she dazzling in person? Did she enjoy sex a lot? What was it? Such an odd combination. A cop and someone as high-powered as Jackie seemed to be.

  “Oh well.”

  She’d never figure out men. Ever. Two men wanted her while she was unavailable, and no one seemed to want Carly who was available and not bitter from her divorce.

  As she read on and found more articles, she realized the Clark’s career had crashed and burned. He’d given advice to many of his clients to invest in something of Jackie’s. Must have been the one that failed.

  Many people invested their life savings. Never a good idea. Nothing was a sure thing. Ever.

  Clark had been barred from the industry.

  “Not only had he lost money, but he lost other people’s money. And he lost his career. That must have made him bitter.”

  In all of her dealings with Clark, he’d never come across as anything but affable and likeable. He had great knowledge of his hardware store and had taught her many things to help her with her business.

  She never would have guessed that he’d had such a spectacular downfall before he came to Rock Ridge. He probably moved here because of Larry, who had settled here with his wife years ago.

  She’d died and he’d stayed.

  Now the two bachelors lived in a townhouse not far from here.

  Clark would have a very good reason to kill Jackie. As revenge, but this had happened a few years ago. Why kill her now? Had he just not had a chance?

  Seemed strange and at odds with the man who had been so good to her when she started her business. He’d been kind and had extended her credit. She couldn’t see him hurting a fly. He was an older version of Larry.

  She pondered this as she brushed her teeth. Was it important enough to tell Scott? She wouldn’t bother him now. Maybe in the morning.

  She stared at her reflection and had her very rare pity party. He knew she wasn’t the beauty she’d once been, but had she not been enough for her husband? So much so that he had to run away?

  Couldn’t he have just divorced her? She’d thought back to those days and weeks before he disappeared. She didn’t see any sign that he was cheating. In fact, he seemed to have a renewed interest in her.

  They’d made love more. He would call her during the day once in a while. He’d been more affectionate than usual. In fact, it might have been one of the best years of their marriage.

  And then he was gone. Without a trace. No note. No phone call. He texted her that he was leaving the campus late. That was the last time he’d gotten in touch with her. His phone had been disconnected later that night.

  She sighed. Maybe she just needed to go to bed and start fresh in the morning.

  ***

  When Kate woke the next morning she was refreshed. Her pity party of last night was gone from her mind. The birds sang as she lay in her queen-sized bed. If only they did housework. She’d never have to do it.

  She didn’t have a job until later in the morning, so she put some laundry in to wash. She wiped down her kitchen then vacuumed what little carpeting she had. Feeling energized, she left the house. She whistled as she walked to her truck.

  Before she climbed in, she saw a piece of paper on her windshield. Odd.

  She took it off and read it.

  Stop investigating or you’ll be sorry.

  She looked around. “Like the person would still be here.”

  She dragged out her phone, calling Scott.

  “Hey there, beautiful,” he answered.

  “I walked outside this morning to find a note on my truck.”

  “A love letter from another man?”

  Of course he’d think that. Not that he would be jealous or worried or anything like that. He was too confident in his abilities. “No, one telling me to drop my investigation.”

  “Get back in the house. Lock the doors. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “I have a job to go to.”

  “Postpone it. I don’t want you to do anything until I get there,” he said.

  He disconnected. Great. A knight in shining armor. She glanced around one more time, feeling more creeped out after Scott’s reaction. She raced into the house then locked all of her doors. Something she rarely did.

  Scott arrived a few minutes later. He must have been on his way to work and not at home. He knocked on her door and she opened it. He wore a suit jacket, but his tie was untied and resting around his neck.

  He came in and locked it behind him. “Show me the note.”

  She did. He read it. “Do you have a paper bag?”

  She retrieved one from the kitchen. He slid the note into it.

  “You didn’t hear anything last night? Nothing unusual?”

  “No. I sleep soundly. I don’t often have trouble sleeping. I work pretty hard during the day.”

  “Did you notice anything strange when you were out and about yesterday?”

  She went through her day, but she couldn’t recall anything. It was as routine a day as she ever had. “No, I didn’t, but I’ve never had the need to be that observant.”

  He sighed. “I think you’re in danger from your snooping, Katydid. This might be nothing or it might be something real. I don’t want you to be out here by yourself.”

  She crossed her arms. “You volunteering to move in? How convenient.”

  He held her arms. “Kate, this is serious. Jackie was murdered. You might be getting close. Too close for someone’s comfort.”

  “I have a security system.”

  “Didn’t work last night.”

  She looked aw
ay before she said, “Wasn’t on.”

  He stared at her for a moment. He was going to scold her. Then he sighed. “You have a security system and you don’t use it?

  She waved her hand. “I forget to turn it on. Greg had it put in when we moved it. Seemed like overkill. We live in Central PA.”

  He looked at her as if he had to explain something to a child. “There are gangs in York. There are gangs in Hazelton. There are drugs throughout the state. And that doesn’t even include our corrupt politicians. This place isn’t as safe as you think. Show me the system.”

  She led him to the panel in the kitchen. It was just inside the door to the garage. She searched her brain to see if she remembered the code. Greg had made it something obscure so she’d taken some time to memorize it. He’d insisted that any date that were significant shouldn’t be used as someone could figure it out.

  “Why here? You don’t park your truck in the garage.”

  How did he know that? A question for later. “When the system was installed, I used a car only. My kids were little. The truck is a recent addition to my vehicle lineup.”

  He pulled out his phone. He dialed the number on the side of the panel that connected him to the company that monitored her security system. Had she paid the bill recently?

  “This is Chief Scott York of the Rock Ridge Police Department. I need the specs of the security system with this serial number.” He gave the man the number on the panel. “You won’t send it to me? Then please send a copy to the e-mail of the homeowner that you have on file.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I don’t have it. You should have it in her file. It might be under Greg Flaherty.” He murmured a few more times then hung up. “Go look in your e-mail. Can you print me out the specs?”

  God, he was demanding. Overbearing even. This was Scott in cop mode and he wasn’t charming at all. She just wanted him to take the note and let her get to work.

  She had her computer off, so they had to wait until it booted up. “Coffee while we wait?”

  “You need a new computer.”

  “I need a new truck, too. But tuition has to happen before then.”

  He sat on the arm of her big chair, her computer on her lap. He looked over her shoulder.

  “I don’t need any coffee, thanks,” he said.

  She could smell his masculine scent from here. It unnerved her how good he smelled. Finally, the computer was ready. She checked her e-mail and, sure enough, she had one from the security company. She had three e-mails. Two of them pertained to work.

  “Can you print that out?”

  “No. My printer is out of ink.”

  “You’re killing me here, Katydid. At least open the PDF so I can look at it.”

  She did and he took the computer from her. His eyes went back and forth scanning the words. He grunted a few times.

  “Does it meet with your approval?”

  “Well, Kate, I don’t know what your husband was into, but you have a state of the art security system. One that the average homeowner wouldn’t need or use. No, this one shows that your husband was pretty paranoid.”

  She hadn’t paid attention when it was being installed. In fact, Greg had taken the day off to supervise. She’d thought it odd at the time. Now it seemed even odder than she originally thought. “Really? It thought we just had the windows and doors wired.”

  What had Greg done? What had Greg been involved with?

  “You have that part. On top of that, you have motion sensors and webcams. I wonder where the feed goes to. Did Greg have his own laptop?”

  “He did, but that went off to college.”

  “Damn. I bet he had the feed to his laptop. Can you ask your sons if they found anything odd?”

  “I had the laptop wiped before he got it. Just in case Greg had anything important on it. The only reason it was home was that he’d forgotten to bring it that day.”

  Looking back, Kate wondered if that had been on purpose.

  Scott handed her the laptop back. “I forwarded that e-mail to my address. I want to look at those specs more carefully and map out your system. I also want you to stay put and turn on the system so it does its job.”

  “I can’t afford to stay home, Scott. All my jobs are outside today. I can’t imagine someone is going to try to harm me in broad daylight. How about I work, but let you know my movements. It’s the best I can do.”

  Scott had truly spooked her. Maybe the security system had too. He gazed down at her. “I’ll let you go if you promise me that you’ll check in with me whenever you change location and that you’ll turn on this security system worthy of a spy.”

  “Deal.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Before I leave, tell me more about your husband,” Scott said.

  Kate’s head was reeling from the discovery of the extent of the security system. Maybe she didn’t know her husband very well. “What specifically?”

  “What did he do?”

  “You read the report. He was a professor at the community college.”

  She’d called her first customer and postponed the repair until the afternoon. It meant she’d work in the hot sun, but she needed some time to grasp it all. Her husband had set up a security system worthy of an international spy. Or a doomsday prepper.

  She didn’t know which bothered her more. Either way, she’d been living a lie. She had to reconcile herself with the fact that her loving husband had lied to her. Repeatedly.

  “Seem innocuous. How did you meet?”

  “We met there. I took his class.”

  “Isn’t that against the rules? To date a student?”

  Kate sat curled up in her big chair. Scott sat on her coffee table facing her. He was definitely in cop mode. His posture was rigid and he studied her while she answered. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d shone a light in her face.

  He was more intense than usual. She was turned on a little. How could she be when she was still trying to sort out what she’d learned about her husband? Scott had been her first. Her first boyfriend. Her first kiss. Her first lover. He hadn’t fumbled through the sex. No, he’d known what he’d been doing.

  She swallowed and pushed away those days. “We didn’t date until after I graduated. He tracked me down and asked me out.”

  “You didn’t go on to a four year college.”

  “No, my mother was sick at that point. I stayed here to help take care of her.”

  “And Professor Flaherty looked like a knight in shining armor,” he said.

  She didn’t sense any bitterness. “No, it wasn’t that simple. He was quietly persistent. I fell in love. I’m not going to apologize for my life, Scott.”

  “I’m not asking you to. Did he take trips?”

  “He was asked to lecture all over the world.”

  “You didn’t ever wonder why a man so sought after was teaching at a community college in Pennsylvania.”

  Now that he said it that way, it did seem odd. “I guess I never thought about it. I knew he’d never leave me. He wasn’t interested in fame or fortune and he loved Rock Ridge.”

  “Guess the whole idea that he wouldn’t leave was wrong.”

  She pressed her lips together. “You’re presuming you know what happened to him.”

  “I am, but I have a better knowledge of these things than you do. So much more goes on that the average person doesn’t know. It’s not anyone’s fault. We go through life seeing what we want to see. I did it with Jackie.”

  She couldn’t get mad at him. He was still hurting a little from his divorce. And from her finding his ex in his kitchen. What a strange few days. Her life had been going along pretty well. The worst she had to deal with was Scott’s return.

  Seems a strange thing to worry about now.

  “I was young. Twenty-three when we got married.”

  “Do you have anything left of his? Any personal items you might not have looked at?”

  “I do. I have a box of his effects from his off
ice at the college. I threw things into the box and never looked at them.”

  “Can you get it for me? I’ll drop it off at my house on my way to work.”

  She stood, and their knees bumped. “Sorry.”

  Her leg tingled where they touched. Damn him. Why did he have to come back? Why was she so lonely that just a nudge had her turned on? She retrieved the box of Greg’s stuff from the basement. She was tempted to open it, but it felt like Pandora’s box in her hands.

  She set it on the coffee table by Scott who hadn’t moved. He glanced at it. “Do I have your permission to look into it?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t give it to you otherwise.”

  “No one looked at this?”

  “Some cops searched his office, but I didn’t get this box from the department secretary until months later. They needed the room for the person they’d hired to replace Greg. They couldn’t hold his position forever.”

  “So no one knows you have this?”

  “No, I guess not. I never thought to tell anyone. At that point, most people were ducking my calls. I was pretty persistent in the first six months. I wanted to know where my husband was.”

  “You hire a detective?”

  “Briefly. I couldn’t afford one for too long.”

  “Did he give you a final report?”

  “Yes. I think I jammed it into that box when I decided I needed to get on with my life. I had two teen boys to get to manhood,” Kate said.

  Her only saving grace had been her sons. They’d needed her, and she had to be there for them.

  “Understandable.”

  “Don’t mention this box to anyone. I’ll take it to my house on my way into the office.”

  “Why not take it to work? Isn’t a police department secure?”

  “I want to keep it under wraps that I am working on this. I think your husband was into something and who knows what happened. I don’t want to bring attention to you or that I’m looking into his disappearance.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself. “You’re scaring me. What could Greg have been involved in?”

  Maybe she didn’t want to know, but she had to. She owed it to herself to know the truth.