“Hey, you! Stop!” I yelled.
The gnome turned in my direction, spotted me, and took off running. I juiced the engine and went into pursuit as he turned down a side street.
Dang! I had to stop him!
It wasn’t hard to follow his path because he left destruction in his wake. Broken lawn flamingos, smashed wind chimes, ripped up landscaping. I tried to keep up on the road as he cut through backyards and alongside houses.
I spotted him ripping a path between the Langmoore and Dudly houses and tried to slow him with a quicksand spell. The earth turned to mush, and I saw his feet sink in, but he hopped in the air—who knew a gnome could hop up more than ten feet?—and grabbed a branch, swinging from tree to tree.
Two can play at this game! I cast a branch impotency spell, and the branch in his hand went limp, spilling him to the ground. He took a few seconds to get back up, allowing me time to catch up before he zoomed around the back of the house.
Aha! I knew exactly where he was going. I sped up, breaking the speed limit as I careened around the corner and …
Pedestrian!
I jerked the scooter to the right to avoid the person who had come out of nowhere. My front wheel caught in a ditch, and the bike pitched forward, throwing me onto the grass. Clover chortled from the basket. Good thing I’d strapped her in.
I’m not hurt, I thought.
Warmth surrounded me, along with a pair of very sturdy, very muscular arms.
Tommy.
Regardless of my situation, my knees tingled.
Stupid knees.
I looked up into his warm brown eyes, and my breath caught. He looked as startled as I felt. He blinked down at me for several seconds, his gaze darting from my eyes to my lips before he released me.
Tommy stepped back, clearing his throat.
“What in the world are you doing racing around out here?” He frowned. “Are you following me?”
“What?” I waved off his assistance as I righted my scooter, inspecting Clover for injury. She was fine. “Of course not. Why would I follow you?”
He didn’t look convinced. Who the heck was he to question me? He was the one running around town interrogating people who might be able to link him with Amelia. And he was the one who had acted wonky when Lilly had been arrested. And he was the one who had given Amelia a gift. “Maybe it’s you who’s following me.”
“Me?” Tommy sounded genuinely confused by that idea. Good actor. He raked a hand through his thick dark hair and looked away. “Iona Littlefield said you asked her to lunch and quizzed her about something going on over at the mud baths. Bonnie at the tiki bar said you were in there asking questions right after I was. I don’t know why you’re asking about the Pendleton case, but it seems mighty suspicious you end up questioning people right after I do.”
“What?” Did he seriously think that I was following him around? As if I was stealing his leads on the case. “I can ask questions of anyone I like. And for your information, I was talking to Bonnie and Iona because I’m trying to save your poor aunt from sitting in jail any longer than she has to.”
“Really?” His contrite expression did little to ease my tension.
His suspicions about me stung, plain and simple, so I lashed back. “Which I’d think you’d want to be doing yourself. But the funny thing is, Bonnie said you were in there asking if Amelia had been seen with anyone the night she was killed. And Amelia’s good friend Franny seems to think she might’ve been having a fling with a handsome young islander. Know anyone who might fit that description?”
“What exactly are you implying?” Tommy moved close to me again, his nearness allowing me to catch his woodsy musk aftershave and the tiny glints of gold in his eyes. His gaze narrowed. “You can’t possibly think that I had anything to do with Amelia Pendleton or her death. You’re the one who’s been going all over the island asking all kinds of weird questions about what happened.”
The breeze carried the faraway sounds of a laughing gnome. Guess I’d let him get away this time.
“And you’ve all but taken over my aunt’s store.”
“I’ve been doing that as a favor to her. She asked me to do it. Check with her yourself!” The heels of my sandals teetered on the edge of the gravel road where the grass started. “And what’s this with you delivering free pies to everyone everywhere and all these gifts? Especially the one you gave Amelia!” Fury made me bold. I stepped forward, my index finger poking into the center of his sculpted chest. “Were you fooling around with Amelia Pendleton?”
We stood staring at each other across the span of about a foot. In reality, it couldn’t have been more than a minute, but it seemed much longer. The breeze died down, and quiet surrounded us.
Tommy eventually exhaled and lowered his head, his wide shoulders relaxing. “No. I wasn’t fooling around with Amelia Pendleton. I delivered a box of chocolates to her at the resort because Aunt Lilly asked me to. That’s it. Honestly, I hardly knew Amelia Pendleton.” He sighed. “And you’re right. I should be doing more to get my poor aunt out of jail. That’s why I’ve been asking questions. I’m trying to find the real killer so Aunt Lilly doesn’t go to prison.”
“You gave Amelia chocolates from your aunt? Was it a small box?”
He nodded.
That explained what Franny had seen. Maybe I’d been a bit too hasty in my assumptions. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said all that. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, trying to run the two businesses and get Lilly out of trouble. I shouldn’t have accused you of those things.”
“It’s okay.” He leaned over the basket and started petting Clover. “You okay, buddy?”
Clover chortled happily.
“What were you chasing after back there?” Tommy asked.
“Oh, well …” I couldn’t let him know there was a demon gnome on the loose. “I thought I saw a raccoon making off with some of my vegetables from the garden.”
“Right. You’re pretty crazy for plants aren’t you, Zola?”
He flashed me one of those lethal smiles that nearly made me stumble over my own feet. I frowned down at the ground. Wouldn’t do to go tumbling into his arms again, no matter how nice they had felt. I tucked a stray curl behind my ear and cleared my throat. “It’s my job. Anyway, so since we’re both working toward the same goal, maybe we should compare notes and go from there, eh?”
“Okay, you go first.”
“Okay.” Now that Tommy had explained things, I felt silly for thinking he’d killed Amelia Pendleton. Of course, if he really was the killer, he’d try to explain it away just as he had, but deep down inside, I didn’t think he was the killer. He really didn’t have much of a motive. I took a deep breath. “To tell you the truth, I’m worried about some inconsistencies in your aunt’s story.”
“So is Buddy. That’s why he still has her in custody. He knows about the chocolates she asked me to deliver.”
I stroked Clover’s soft fur with my free hand. “I’m pretty sure she lied about where she was the night of the murder too. She told me she was at the knitting circle. But there was no knitting circle the night Amelia died. And someone swears they saw her frequenting the Fountain of Youth.”
“Really?” Tommy had squatted down to brush dirt off my scooter. He squinted up at me. “She never goes there.”
“I know.” I shook my head. “This whole thing is so weird.”
“Well.” He stood and brushed off his hands. “I think it’s pretty clear that my aunt knows more than she’s telling. But I’m sorry, I just can’t believe she’s the killer. Something else has to be going on here.”
“Agreed. I went to the mud pits tonight to find out about that rumor of someone wanting to build a strip mall there.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “Did Iona mention that to you?”
“Yeah, she did. What’d you find out?”
“Well, sounds like the rumor was true, but more importantly, we can rule out Amelia’s husband as a
suspect.”
“Why’s that?”
Now that we were clearing the air, things between us seemed to be getting easier by the minute. I usually felt a bit tongue-tied around Tommy, but now the words flowed. “Seems Amelia’s husband was having an affair with a younger woman. Not surprising because Corinne, the daughter, told me her parents hadn’t been close in a long time.”
“Go on.” Tommy reached in to pet Clover again. Clover nuzzled up against his hand and sighed.
“There are witnesses, employees, who saw Mr. Pendleton at the mud baths during the time Amelia’s murder occurred. Margo said he was there with his girlfriend for the Moonlight Mud Bath Special, which runs from midnight to four a.m. They stayed the whole time, so he couldn’t have killed Amelia. From Abigail’s report, she’d been killed around two in the morning.”
“Guess that explains why he never reported Amelia missing. Too busy with his girlfriend. Jerk.”
“Yeah. He won’t be winning Husband of the Year anytime soon.”
“Nope. Of course, everyone working at the resort knew about his extramarital activities. And Amelia always just looked the other way. Maybe she finally snapped and confronted him. Honestly, I’m surprised she didn’t kill him after all his affairs. She would’ve been justified, at least in my opinion. I’d never, ever treat my wife like that.”
My heart melted a little more at his words, but I forced myself not to dissolve into a puddle of goo at his feet. We were working to save Lilly, and I had to remember that. This was too important to mess up because of my stupid crush. I took a deep breath and charged onward. “What about Corinne? She seemed kind of mousy to me before her mother died, but earlier today I ran into her at Cloaked, and she was charging up a storm in there, buying a whole new wardrobe.”
“Hmm. Yeah, she’s been spending like crazy around the resort too. Ordering room service like mad. And the spa says she’s in there having facials and massages almost every day since her mom died. Doesn’t exactly sound like a gal in mourning.”
“No, it doesn’t. Corinne told me she saw Lilly at the Fountain of Youth. Said she went there with Amelia, which still doesn’t make any sense because I’ve never once heard your aunt express an interest in getting younger.”
“No, she’s never said anything like that to me either.” He walked around the scooter, apparently inspecting it for damage, then stopped right next to me. “Do you think Corinne’s lying because she’s trying to set up my aunt?”
“Maybe. At least you’re off the hook now.”
“C’mon, Zola. You didn’t really think it was me, did you? I thought you liked me better than that.”
He leaned closer. So close that I could feel his warm breath ghost over my face, the trace of mint drifting around me and coaxing me closer still. Was he going to kiss me?
Then his hand came up, and he picked something out of my hair.
“You’ve got some dried grass from the scooter spill.” He held it out. Yep, dried grass.
Suddenly the sound of a siren split the air, and Buddy’s cop cart careened around the corner, skidding to a stop beside us.
“What exactly is going on here, Zola Meadows?” he demanded, his eyes locking on Tommy. “I got calls about a ruckus nearby.”
“Evening, Buddy,” Tommy said. “No ruckus here, sir. Zola was just driving past and stopped to chat.”
“Hmm.” Buddy did not look convinced. I was pretty sure the calls were about the gnome, but I couldn’t say that.
“Well, it’s a good thing I ran into you, Zola. Now, I can tell you that all your concerns about Amelia Pendleton’s husband were hogwash.”
“I guess so,” I said.
“And you’ll be glad to know we have a new witness,” Buddy continued.
Tommy and I exchanged hopeful looks. This was good news. A new witness could clear Lilly.
“Great,” I said.
“Yeah.” Buddy looked quite pleased with himself. “And this will finally put the case to rest.”
“Finally! I’m sure Aunt Lilly will be glad to hear that.” Tommy looked relieved.
“Uh … I don’t think so.” Buddy started the cop cart back up. “The witness I have said that the person Amelia Pendleton was meeting for dinner the night she was killed was Lilly, so you see we now have even more evidence against your aunt.”
Eighteen
Tommy and I followed Buddy back to the police station, eager to speak to Lilly and get to the bottom of the inconsistencies in her story. She was sitting in the chair in her granny pod, knitting away, when we got there. The deputy let us in and then gave us some privacy, thank goodness.
I pulled a chair next to Lilly’s while Tommy crouched beside her, taking her hand and stopping her from knitting. “Aunt Lilly, it’s Tommy. What’s this about you meeting Amelia Pendleton for dinner the night she was killed?”
Lilly gave her nephew an annoyed stare, trying to wrest her knitting needles from him, to no avail. “Fine. It’s true. I did meet with Amelia for dinner that night, but as I told Buddy, I didn’t kill her. When I left her at the restaurant, she was very much alive. In fact, she told me she was heading for the tiki bar.”
“But why didn’t you mention this before?” I asked.
“I forgot.” Lilly avoided my gaze. She was lying.
“What time did you part ways?” Tommy asked.
“About seven that night.”
I remembered the timeline. Penuche said Lilly had collected him after she’d gone out and they’d gone home. He claimed he couldn’t tell time, but I bet he would have known if she was out until two in the morning. Too bad the only being I had to corroborate those events was a talking cat that only I could hear.
“What exactly did you talk about during this dinner, Aunty?” Tommy asked, still holding her hand and keeping control of her knitting needles. “Anything important?”
“No. It was just a dinner, Tommy.” She tugged on the needles again, and this time he relented. Soon the air filled with the sounds of her needles clacking again. “I honestly don’t remember what we talked about, dear. Nothing important, I’m sure.”
Lilly had claimed she didn’t know Amelia very well, but now she admitted they’d had dinner. Something didn’t add up.
“What are you knitting, Lilly?” I asked.
“An Angora sweater. Like the one Amelia was wearing.” Her fingers moved fast, the needles a blur. “I liked hers so much I thought I’d try my hand at making one. It was just lovely.”
I watched her work, noting the fuzzy white yarn similar to the fiber Abigail had found on Amelia’s body. But that fuzzy white fluff was similar to something else too. Gnome hair. Someone had mentioned seeing a small man throwing salt around that night. I assumed it was the gnome, and he did, indeed, have white hair. Was it possible the gnome had something to do with Amelia’s murder, or was that just wishful thinking?
I kind of hoped he didn’t, because if he did have something to do with the murder, no one would ever be able to prove he was the real killer, and that wouldn’t be good for Lilly. At this point she had so many things stacked against her we had to be able to prove it was someone else.
I looked up and met Tommy’s concerned gaze. This had to be incredibly hard on him. I wanted to reach over and place my hand on his arm, comfort him, but I wasn’t sure that would be welcome at this point. Instead I focused on trying to find out who might have committed the murder. “It was nice of you to have Tommy deliver chocolates to Amelia.”
“Oh, yes, dear,” Lilly said, not looking up from her knitting. “She did love the candy, and my Tommy’s such a sweetheart to do it for me, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” I said, feeling heat prickling my cheeks anew as I looked away. “He’s quite a sweetheart.”
“Five more minutes, folks,” Buddy said, interrupting our moment. “I’d suggest you get in all the visiting time you can now.”
“Why’s that?” Tommy asked, straightening.
“Now that we’ve built a solid c
ase against your aunt, we’ll be transferring her to the mainland tomorrow. She’s a murder suspect, and we don’t have the means to deal with that type of threat on Eternal Springs.”
“Seriously?” I stood by Tommy’s side. “Lilly’s hardly a threat to anyone. And I don’t see how you have a solid case against her. Just because she had dinner with the victim seven hours before she died doesn’t mean she killed Amelia Pendleton.”
Lilly just kept knitting as though we weren’t there.
“That’s right!” Tommy added. “In fact, there are witnesses who saw Amelia at the tiki bar after she had dinner with my aunt, and she was alone. So that blows your theory right out of the water.”
Buddy scoffed. “Your aunt could’ve easily doubled back and killed Amelia Pendleton later. Happens all the time on TV. Now hurry up and say your goodbyes. Your five minutes is almost up.”
I swallowed hard and gave Lilly a hug before retreating outside to give Tommy some privacy with his beloved aunt. Lilly was lying about something, but she couldn’t possibly have killed Amelia. There had to be a way to find out what was really going on and who the real killer was, and we needed to find it fast, especially if they were moving Lilly to the mainland tomorrow.
Nineteen
After Tommy and I left the jail, we went our separate ways. It was late, and I had a lot to do. I still needed to set the trap for the gnome, and I was dying to get the spell stink off me. It was only by sheer luck I hadn’t blurted out any embarrassing thoughts around Tommy.
Back in Cackleberries, I gathered the slug slime, spider web, lily stamens, and wind chimes for the gnome trap. I pulled a Yeti cooler from my storage room. That should be sturdy enough to contain a feisty gnome overnight. Then I grabbed Penuche and Clover and headed to Lilly’s. I knew the gnome was getting in through that hole in the kitchen. Hopefully, he’d get a craving for chocolate-covered sea-salted caramels tonight.
I was trying to figure out the best way to assemble the trap when a knock on the front door startled me. I peered out into the sales room and was surprised to see Franny standing outside.
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