by Sandy Vale
“Why did your husband get you a gun?”
“I used to work at night and had a creepy guy bothering me. Roger thought I should have something to protect myself.” He scribbled some notes in his pad. Looking back up at Kitty, he asked, “Did Roger and David get along with each other?”
“Yes and no. Roger was always asking David for money for as long as I knew them. David hated it but didn’t seem to be able to say no. David had a life insurance policy on Roger as a safety net to get his money back if anything happened to Roger.” Frank stood up, walked around the room and looked out the window. Max never took his eyes off of Frank, but stayed glued to Kitty’s side.
“A life insurance policy? Do you know any details?” Before waiting for an answer, he turned back to look at Kitty and Michael and said, “There’s more here than meets the eye. A member of your community has been murdered which is what everyone focuses on. It’s what isn’t obvious that provides the key to solving the mystery. Is there anything else that is unusual or strange?” Kitty looked up at Frank. “Tina has some information about the life insurance policy that is a little strange.”
“Who’s Tina?”
“Tina is Roger and David’s sister and my best friend. She should be here soon. You can ask her yourself when she gets here. I’m going to make some pizza if you would like to stay? Or do you have other plans?”
“Thanks for the invitation. I would love to stay. My only other plan is sleeping at the Cozy Corner Motel. Someone must have had a sense of humor when they named that place, it’s about as un-cozy as you could imagine.” Frank made himself comfortable at the kitchen table while Kitty got her dough out of the bread machine and gathered ingredients for her pesto pizza from the refrigerator. She wondered to herself, who is this guy? He was very good looking, very relaxed, but what was she missing? She didn’t dare let her guard down. He was probably waiting for her to relax and incriminate herself. She busied herself with stretching the dough on the pan, spreading the pesto on the dough—rather than the standard red sauce—and adding mozzarel a, broccoli, onions and garlic.
Michael asked the detective, “Where are you from? Why are you involved in this? We thought the police chief was handling the investigation.” She was thankful for his forthrightness and breaking the awkward silence.
“I’m from upstate. The chief is handling the investigation. I was cal ed in to assist, that’s al .” Michael looked at Kitty. “Would you like me to make a fire in the living room? It’s supposed to get pretty cold tonight.”
“That would be great, Michael. Thanks.”
Kitty couldn’t help but notice that Frank was a very fit and handsome guy. She guessed he was a little older than herself, but that’s always tricky to figure out.
“I was hoping to get you alone to ask some more questions,” Frank said after Michael had left the room.
“Oh?” Kitty asked with a puzzled look.
“It’s better if fewer people know details. I’m hoping I can trust you to keep this between us.”
“Since you’re staying for dinner, would you like a beer or glass of wine?”
“A beer would be great, thanks.”
Kitty set a beer and glass in front of Frank as she settled into the chair across from him with her glass of wine, waiting for him to continue.
“I’m here to investigate the murder, but I’ve also been on a case dealing with stolen cars. Roger might have been involved in that but we aren’t sure yet. The fact that you bought your car from Jimmie’s Auto, and that seems to be when your gun disappeared, has me concerned about your safety. We checked the gun for fingerprints and found yours, Roger’s, David’s and another set we haven’t identified yet. Who else might have known about the gun being in your car?”
“You think I’m in danger? You don’t think I’m the murderer?” This was her biggest surprise al day.
Frank relaxed a little, smiled at Kitty and covered her hand with his warm hand. “No, I don’t think you are the murderer. It doesn’t hurt for others to think you are, though. It might make the real kil er feel safe and do something dumb. Back to my question. Who else knew about your gun?”
“Wel , Tina and Michael knew, but I trust them with my life. David’s girlfriend Candy might have known. When I got the loaner, Jimmie said he would have my stuff moved from my car to the loaner. I don’t know who did that. It could have been anyone who works for him. When I was talking to Glenda today about my car repairs, she said something interesting. She told me that Jimmie was worried that the investigation might come to his business so they cleaned up David’s files and emails. I’m not exactly sure what she meant by that, but it seemed odd. Like maybe tampering with evidence?”
“That is interesting. I’m planning to talk to Jimmie tomorrow and have a look around. I want to keep it casual, just get a read on him and get a sense if anything seems unusual. This information wil certainly help me ask some better questions.” The front door opened. “Hi. Wel , wel , look what the cat dragged in! Who’s your guest Kitty?”
“Come on in Tina. This is Detective Frank Hughes. He’s helping Herb investigate Roger’s murder.”
“Oh, wel , I’d better mind my p’s and q’s around this handsome guy! I just got my hair done with Candy. Do you think she did a good job?” Tina laughed as she shook her short blond hair with a very sexy look on her face.
“It looks great, Tina. I don’t think I could sit and listen to Candy’s nonstop chatter though,” Kitty said. “Besides the fact that she hates my guts and would probably just shave my head. Tina, here’s a glass of wine. The pizza wil be ready soon. Tel Detective Hughes about the insurance policy David has on Roger.”
Frank looked at Tina with an eyebrow raised. “I’m al ears.”
“David and I loaned money to Roger over the years and we had a life insurance policy, just to get our money back if anything happened. I cal ed this morning, and was informed that someone signed my name to get me off the policy and David increased the policy to $500,000 about six months ago.”
“That is interesting. It certainly adds another possible motive. David had knowledge of the gun and a life insurance payout if his brother was dead.”
The timer on the oven buzzed. “Pizza is ready. Michael, how’s the fire? Come on in here if you’re hungry.”
“Tina, you’re David’s sister, do you think he would murder Roger? Maybe for the insurance money?” Frank asked.
“I had a conversation with him today and insinuated that. Of course he denied it. I don’t want to think he did it, but I’m real y not sure. Roger was not a nice person and David isn’t much better. But murder? Not unless there’s more going on that I don’t know about.” Kitty looked at Frank and they both were wondering if the stolen cars could be that something else.
“Enough of this talk.” Kitty announced. “Grab some pizza and let’s al sit down and enjoy it.”
“Kitty this is the best pizza I’ve ever had. And I eat a lot of pizza when I’m traveling around,” Frank said. “I’m going to head back to the motel.
Thanks for the hospitality and the information. I’l probably stop by again tomorrow if that’s okay.” He had practical y licked his plate clean.
The fact that Frank cal ed her Kitty instead of Ms. Wilson wasn’t lost on anyone in the room.
Touching Kitty’s arm on his way to the door, Frank said, “I think there’s something bigger going on around Roger’s murder. Please be careful.
Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t put yourself in any danger. Here’s my cel number if you need me for anything.” The door closed quietly. Kitty was already wishing it was tomorrow when she would see him again.
Michael got up too. “Kitty your food is always amazing. I’m heading home too. See you tomorrow.”
“Kitty, what was that al about? I leave you alone for a few hours and you’ve got some guy in the kitchen feeding him beer and pizza and looking like a teenager in love? Not that he’s hard to look at! I hope you didn’t go al weak an
d spil our secrets. For crying out loud, your husband was just murdered.”
“He just showed up when I got home. He had some questions. I couldn’t turn him away.” Whispering, she added, “He gave me his cel number.
He thinks I might be in danger.”
“What are you talking about Kitty? What kind of danger? Someone wants to murder you, too?”
“You know how you said you didn’t think David was a murderer unless something else was going on? Wel , there is something else. Frank told me he’s been investigating a stolen car ring and he’s been watching Jimmie’s Autos. The reason he’s here helping Herb with the investigation is because he thinks they’re connected.”
Tina slumped into a chair. “Maybe that’s the money Candy was talking about. I thought she was talking about the life insurance money.”
“I need to go to Roger’s office and clean it out. Maybe I’l find some papers linking him to this car ring. I want to do it tomorrow before anyone else has a chance to beat me to it, if they haven’t already.”
They were both startled when they heard a knock on the door. Max was wagging his tail so it had to be a friend.
“Boy, we sure are jumpy!” Kitty said to Tina with a laugh. “It’s only Sam.” Sam walked inside looking around. “Saw you had company again. Everything alright here?”
“It was a detective. He’s helping Herb with the investigation.”
“He’s wasting his time here.”
“What do you mean?”
“You aren’t the murderer. Hope he has some other ideas. That’s al . It’s late. Better get some sleep.” Sam turned and went back outside.
Tina looked at Kitty, her eyes as big as saucers. “Did you see that?”
“What?”
“The rip in his jacket?”
“Yeah. What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know. But it’s a little creepy how he just shows up and seems to know everything. Are you scared of him, Kitty?”
“No. I think he just wants to protect me. He had promised Grannie he would keep an eye on me. Let’s get the sleeping bags out again. Michael made a fire in the living room so it wil be real y cozy.”
Kitty, Tina, Max and Licorice snuggled together in front of the fire. The warmth made them drowsy. They were asleep quickly.
None of them, not even Max, noticed the figure looking in the window.
Chapter 5
Kitty tossed and turned in her sleep. Someone was watching her. Someone was trying to kil her. She couldn’t get away. Final y, she woke up and everything looked the same. She relaxed when she saw Tina sleeping so peaceful y. Max looked at her and the tip of his tail wagged. “What are you thinking Max? Are you happy here with me?” His tail wagged harder. “I’l take that for a yes. Do you want to go out while I get the coffee going?” Kitty put some more wood in the woodstove. Looking out the window toward the river, she could see a figure walking away, but like the day before, she couldn’t make out any details. Whoever it was must have come in from the river side. So much for a relaxing morning. She had a lot to get done and she refused to let fear slow her down.
Tina shuffled into the kitchen. Stil half asleep. “That wonderful coffee smel woke me up. How did you sleep?”
“Okay,” Kitty lied. “I have to pick up my baby chicks at the post office this morning. I’m very excited. The first producers for my farm! How did it go with Candy yesterday?”
“She went on and on about how heartbroken she is about Roger and how much she loves David and blah blah blah. It almost made me puke.
Wel , she told me in the strictest of confidence that David told her that he’s coming into a lot of money soon and he would take her on an exciting vacation. I asked her if she knew where the money was coming from and she was very casual about saying it’s from the life insurance policy. I hate to say it, but I think my brother had quite the motive to kil Roger. Candy also said she wasn’t too upset since David had been giving Roger money once or twice a week and David and Roger were always arguing. She’s convinced that you kil ed Roger so I don’t think she has a clue how bad this al looks for David. Kitty, did David have an opportunity to steal your gun out of your truck?” Kitty leaned on the counter waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. “He knew where I kept it. He could have taken it the day I left it for repairs. Do you think David shot Roger?”
Tina got mugs from the cupboard. “I have no idea what to think. I don’t know how much money he loaned Roger. Maybe he was fed up. Are you going to clean out his office today?”
“Yes. After I get the chicks and check if my truck is ready. Do you think Candy was tel ing you al that to make you suspect David? Could Candy be the murderer?”
“That’s an interesting twist. I wondered that too. I never thought Candy was al that sharp but maybe there’s more there than we give her credit for. I don’t know what her motive would be, though, except get access to the money David would be getting. If she final y agrees to marry him in the next few days, I’l be extremely suspicious.”
Kitty sat down at the table across from Tina. “What happened when you went to see Roger about the funeral arrangements?”
“I asked him about the life insurance policy. It made him very uncomfortable and he offered to give me some of the money. Some lame explanation about how he knows I had loaned David money too and he would make sure I got that back. I didn’t tel him I know about the policy increase. I didn’t want to play al my cards at once. Better to keep him a little off balance, wondering what I know or don’t know. He told me again that he’s sure you kil ed Roger. When I asked why he’s so sure, he told me that a woman had been anonymously cal ing Roger and leaving threatening messages. And of course, the gun is real y al the evidence he needs. I told him he’s adding two and two and getting five. He didn’t like me saying that! About the funeral, I was thinking just family and close friends. Just a memorial service here at your house. What do you think Kitty?”
“That’s fine. I just want to get it over with.”
Tina’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation. “Hi Candy. What’s going on?” Tina looked at Kitty with a puzzled look. “Okay. I can meet you later.”
“Candy wants to come over after work. She has something to give us. I wonder what it is.” Kitty raised her eyebrows. She had her shopping list ready. “I’ve got to get going. Can you keep an eye on Max and Licorice for me? I should be back soon.”
Kitty needed to stop at the store before checking on her truck and picking up the chicks. Grabbing her reusable cloth shopping bags, she headed out to her car. Throwing the bags into the back seat, she turned the car around and headed to the co-op grocery store. It was farther away than the store right in town, but she liked that they had fresher, local foods. She thought it was important to support local businesses, especial y the farmers.
The parking lot was packed. This was going to take longer than she had planned. When Kitty got back to her car and loaded al the bags into the back, she saw something odd taped to the steering wheel. What the heck is that, she thought. A chil ran up her spine when she realized it was a cardboard cutout of a gun. Written on one side were the words, bang! bang! The other side said, Watch your step. She looked around the parking lot but didn’t see anything unusual. Somehow, someone had gotten into her car when she was in the store. She thought she had locked it but now she wasn’t sure. It was one of those things she did without thinking about it, so maybe she had forgotten. Frank had warned her to be careful. She put the cardboard on the floor to show him later.
Something felt weird driving back to town. At every turn, she glanced into her rear view mirror and saw the same black car behind her. Was she being fol owed? Shaking her head, Kitty tried to get rid of those paranoid thoughts.
When she pul ed into Jimmie’s Auto to see if her car was ready, the black car continued past. Letting out a sigh, she forced herself to relax her tense muscles. She needed to stay sharp and focused, not distracted and fearful.
Kitt
y walked into the smal show room looking around for Glenda. She was surprised to hear Glenda and David arguing in David’s office just before David kicked the door closed. What was he doing back here after being fired?
Kitty jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she was startled to see the handsome face of Detective Frank. “Are you okay Kitty?
You look pale.”
“You spooked me. I thought someone was fol owing me back from the co-op store. I guess I’m a little on edge.” Frank took Kitty’s arm and led her out of the show room to his car. “Listen, Kitty, there’s something strange going on here. I talked to Jimmie earlier. He acted very nervous. He let me look through David’s office, but he made some excuse about David’s computer being out for repairs. If you hadn’t told me what Glenda said about cleaning up David’s files, I probably wouldn’t have noticed what wasn’t there. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Glenda yet. Apparently, she’s been tied up with a customer.”
“I saw her in David’s office just now. They were arguing but I didn’t hear what they were saying. And there’s something I need to show you. It’s in my car,” she told him nervously.
Walking to Kitty’s car, Frank kept his hand on her arm. It made her feel safe and secure. She had to find out more about Frank, she thought to herself.
“I found this taped to my steering wheel when I came out of the co-op store. I think my car was locked, but I’m not 100% sure of that.” Frank looked at the cardboard gun, read both sides. “I told you to be careful, you might be in danger. This is worse than I thought. Why do you think someone is out to get you? And who? Is there more you should tel me?” His tone was serious. “You know, Kitty, I’m real y worried about you. I could park on the street across from your driveway and keep an eye on comings and goings if you want me to.” Kitty looked away. “Maybe I should talk to the police chief about that. Isn’t that more his area? I know he’s already a little bent out of shape with you around.” Secretly, she would love to have Frank keep an eye on her, but inside her house, not out on the street.
