Honey Homicide

by Vikki Walton

  “Is the Bennett place structurally un-sound?”

  “Oh, no. It’s a front. The back of the event center was to be a large grow operation. Recently it was learned that a large insurance policy had been taken out on the place. We figured Everett felt things were getting too close to home, so he’d burn it down, collect the insurance money and get rid of Carson in one go.”

  Carson squeezed her hand. “You saved me, ND.”

  “I did?”

  Mary answered, “I followed you out to the Bennetts. When I saw you go in, I called in Ruiz and back-up. Carson’s right. We needed proof, and you gave it to us.”

  “But what about Officer Dale? He should have his name cleared and justice.”

  Ruiz stood up. “We got word that Dale had left all his suspicions and evidence he’d gathered in a safety deposit box. His lawyer had been out of town and only came back recently. He turned it over to the DA’s office. I think there’s enough evidence that Everett will go away for a long time.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.” Anne rose as Mary stood to leave. “Does this mean goodbye?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve come to enjoy this little town.” Mary smiled.

  Anne quipped, “I would have at least thought that you would have picked a better undercover name than Mary Smith.”

  The woman threw back her head and laughed. “That’s my real name. You can’t beat it for undercover assignments.”

  After saying their goodbyes, Anne sat on the couch with Carson.

  “What now?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Take some time off, I think.”

  His phone rang. “Carson.” Anne watched as he listened.

  He frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “That time off will have to wait. Everett escaped.”

  “Where could he have gone?” Anne watched as Carson prepared to leave.

  “I don’t know. He knows there will be an APB out on him, so he’d need to have a place to hide until he can get out of town.”

  “Will you let me know if you find out anything?”

  He smiled down at her, placing his hands on her arms.

  She rolled her eyes. “I get it. But please, be careful.”

  “I will.” He took her hands and kissed each one.

  After Carson had left, Anne walked over to the Brandywine Inn. Kandi was chopping up veggies for a crudité tray while Hope hunched over paperwork. Hope looked up as Anne entered. “Hey, lady. I thought you were taking off today.”

  “I wanted to come over and check in with you all. Everett escaped custody.”

  Kandi set down the knife. “Oh no. How?”

  “Good question. I figure he must have known his capture was a possibility, so he had someone ready to help him. It happened as the van was leaving the Springs.” Anne sat down and grabbed a carrot stick.

  “Wow. That’s crazy.”

  “Yes. No telling where he is or how desperate he’ll become if he’s found.”

  “I wonder if it was that woman.” Kandi picked up peppers draining on the sink.

  Anne swung around to Kandi. “I’d forgotten all about that. We—or at least, I had always thought the woman was Mary. But since it wasn’t, who is it?”

  Kandi cut a piece of pepper and pointed it at Anne. “I told ya, Thelma.” She laughed and then took a bite of the pepper.

  “Oh, my gosh. Of course. Kandi, you’re so right.”

  Kandi bobbed her head. “Huh? I really don’t think Thelma…”

  “No. Not Thelma. I remember when you said it the first time—we had said something about it being someone you’d never suspect.”

  Hope raised her hands in mock protest. “I swear. I didn’t do it.” She grinned.

  “Ha Ha. But think about it. Who is the one person who’s connected to all this?” She ticked statements off with her fingers. “Ray, pot, teens…”

  Kandi’s mouth dropped open. “Whoa.”

  “Yes, whoa.”

  “I guess I’m missing something.” Hope looked from one to the other. “Who?”

  “Mrs. Lawrence!” Anne and Kandi squealed at the same time.

  Hope covered her mouth, now open in surprise.

  Anne grabbed her phone and called Carson. “I know who helped Everett. Mrs. Lawrence.” She put the phone on speaker.

  Carson’s voice came over the cell. “That actually makes sense. I should have heeded what Spencer said.”

  “What Spencer said?”

  “Yes. Don’t you remember? He said she was just in it for the money. If she could tell Everett who the bad seeds were, he could easily get them to work for him.”

  “But I thought no one knew who he was?”

  “That was the beauty of it. He could go through so many channels that no one ever knew it was him. He also used Dale to give some of the kids grief. Dale probably never knew he was being used to present a message that even the police were in on it.”

  “What now?” Anne hunched over the phone.

  “I’ll get people over to Lawrence’s house. Hopefully, we can catch him and put an end to this quickly before anyone else gets hurt.”

  “Okay. Well, bye.”

  “Good work, ND.” He canceled the call.

  Anne looked to see Kandi and Hope grinning from ear to ear. “What?”

  Unfortunately, by the time that the police made it to Mrs. Lawrence’s, Everett was not there. They did search the house and found enough evidence and testimony from some kids to arrest Mrs. Lawrence.

  “What will happen to the kids there?” Anne asked Carson once he’d returned to the Inn.

  “I guess they’ll go to another foster placement in Denver. Carolan Springs is too small for them here.”

  Anne rubbed her hands together. “But what about Spencer? He’s never going to leave Bear.”

  “I’ve thought of that. I even wondered if they would let him stay in my care, but with my house gone, I don’t have the means.” He shook his head. “I really like the kid, but my hands are tied.”

  “What if he could stay with me?” Anne pushed her hair off her face.

  “You’d do that?”

  Anne nodded. “That kid’s grown on me and I can’t stand the idea of him being taken away from us.”

  “I agree. He’s a good kid. Just had some bad things in the past. He’s turned himself around. Let me see what I can do.” Carson reached over and grasped Anne’s hand. “Are you sure about this? Taking on a teenager, much less a hormonal male, is a job in itself.”

  “As long as you promise to help me.”

  “I do.”

  “Then it’s settled. See what I need to do to get temporary custody until all the paperwork gets straightened out.”

  “You know I love you.” He gazed down at her.

  “I love you too.” Anne was surprised at how quickly she’d responded.

  “Ahh, that’s, like, so sweet.” Kandi clapped her hands in delight.

  “When did you come in, you little sneak?”

  “Just now. I’m so happy. I didn’t want to see Spencer leave.” She rushed up and caught Anne in a hug. “Now I’ll have another brother.”

  Anne shrugged out of her grasp. “Now hold on there, I never said—”

  “Whatever.” Kandi winked.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  A while later, Spencer arrived carrying all his belongings in a black plastic trash-bag. Anne showed him to a room at the end of the hallway that had an adjoining bathroom.

  “Make yourself at home, Spence. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

  He nodded, but Anne’s heart hurt at the forlorn look on his face.

  Kandi came over soon after and invited Spencer to go with her and Stewart to see a new superhero movie at the local theater. After he’d left, Carson came over and said there was no sign of Everett. They didn’t think he’d made it out of town, but the searches were coming up empty.

  “I think I know where he is.”

  “Ok
ay, why don’t you let me in on it, ND?”

  “Bill and Lori’s.”

  Carson motioned for her to continue. “What makes you say that?”

  “Think about it. It’s out of the way. He knows Bill will do whatever he says if he threatens to harm Lori.”

  “Certainly a thought.”

  Anne grabbed her keys. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “Not so fast there. If he is there, we don’t want Lori or Bill to get hurt. Or even Everett for that matter.”

  “Look. At this point, it’s just a hunch. How about we go and scope out the place?”

  Carson stood still, and Anne waited as he thought through her suggestion. “Let me bring Ruiz into the loop first.” He unhooked the phone from his belt and talked into it. When done, he said, “Let’s go.”

  Anne could feel the tension as the pair drove out to the Connor’s property. As they came up the long drive, Carson kept looking left and right. Anne pulled up into the driveway and parked the car.

  “I need you to do what I say when I say. Deal?” He looked pointedly at her.

  “Deal.”

  They got out of the car and walked to the front door. Bill opened it. His demeanor let them know something was off. “Hey, you two. I wish you would have called. Lori’s not feeling too well right now. Maybe you should come back at another time.”

  “No worries.” Carson clapped his hand on Bill’s shoulder. “We’re here to see you, buddy.”

  “Well, I…”

  “Aren’t you going to invite us in Bill?” Anne smiled sweetly.

  “Um. Sure. Come in,” he said loudly.

  They followed him to the back living area where Lori sat in her usual chair. The air was fragrant with the scent of lemongrass.

  “Yikes. That’s a lot of lemongrass oil. Though I love it,” Anne quipped.

  “Yes. I spilled some.” Lori answered.

  “I’m sorry to hear you’re not feeling well.” Anne moved over to the chair placed next to Lori.

  Lori started. “Do you mind? Would you sit on the sofa?”

  Strange request. “Um. Sure.” Anne moved to the sofa.

  “Sorry, but I’ve been ill and so I’m trying to avoid people as much as possible to keep my immunity up, so I’m keeping space around me.”

  “Yes, Bill said you weren’t feeling well.”

  Lori looked at Bill and Anne caught a quick glimpse of fear. Did Carson see it too?

  If he did, he hid it as he sat down next to Anne and pulled her up next to him.

  What the…?

  “We wanted to stop by and let you know Everett escaped from custody.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. Isn’t it Bill?”

  Bill shook his head. “Yes. Too bad.”

  Carson’s voice changed though he kept his posture with his arm around Anne. “Look here. Neither of you even knew he was in custody, am I right? You didn’t even ask what he was in custody for, so that leads me to believe you’re hiding something.”

  Lori’s voice caught with a sob while Bill remained standing without speaking.

  “Now I believe you know where Everett is. I think he’s watching us right now. If I’m right, smile and nod your head.”

  Bill smiled and nodded.

  Anne gasped and before she could turn to the window, Carson had brought her over into a kiss. He whispered, “Don’t look outside. Keep your focus in here. Smile and laugh.”

  She did, but she hoped that the shaking she was doing wasn’t visible from outside.

  Carson smiled again and turned toward Lori. “Lori, can you move from your chair? If you can’t, nod yes.”

  Lori nodded yes.

  Oh no. That meant that Everett must have her in his sights. Carson was right. Bill would do anything to ensure Lori was safe.

  Carson turned to Bill. “I gather that Everett is in your greenhouse. And he has the gun you just bought.”

  Bill blinked but said nothing.

  “Oh, my gosh.” Anne burst out laughing.

  Carson started and turned to her. “What’s so funny?”

  “Lemongrass.”

  “What?”

  “I smelled it when I came in. Bees love it. Right, Bill?”

  “Yes.”

  “I may have accidentally on purpose spilled lemongrass oil on Everett.” Lori shrugged.

  “Why would you do that?”

  “The bees have been swarming. There’s a swarm in the greenhouse right now. Bill is going to grab them and put in a box to start a nuc.”

  “A nuc?”

  “It’s short for nucleus. Basically, the beginning of another hive. I figured if he was okay with threatening us, then he deserved whatever he got. I know that bees are most docile when swarming but I figured there was always hope he might swat at them and then—watch out.”

  A scream punctured the air. They all turned to see Everett running out of the greenhouse. He was swatting at bees who were following him.

  “Some people get what they deserve,” Bill said as he ran over and pulled Lori away from the window. “Come on honey, let’s get you out of here.”

  Once Carson cornered Everett, Bill used smoke and a box with the queen in it to draw the bees away. After being injected with an EpiPen Bill kept at the house, Everett was transferred to the hospital. He wouldn’t be escaping this time.

  Back at Anne’s house, Stewart, Kandi, and Spencer sat around the dining table drinking tea and playing cards. Kandi jumped up and hugged Anne. “Well?”

  “They got him.”

  “We got him,” Carson added.

  “Good riddance to, like, bad garbage.”

  “It’s rubbish.” Anne sat down, exhaustion overtaking her.

  “Like I said. Garbage, rubbish, trash.” Kandi grinned.

  Anne shook her head.

  “Want to go sit out on the front swing?”

  “Sure.” She followed Carson outside, covering a yawn with her mouth. The day’s events had caught up to her.

  They rocked back and forth on the swing. It’s movement lulled Anne and she grew drowsy with its lullaby.

  Carson spoke quietly, “You know, I’ve been thinking. Spencer’s going to need a male influence. Probably on a regular basis would be my guess. He needs someone that’s there consistently. Today, with all that talk about bees and honey, it made me think that maybe planning a honeymoon would be something to think about. What do you say?”

  He turned and faced Anne who was sound asleep on his shoulder.

  He smiled. “Well, that wasn’t the proper way to ask you to marry me anyway.” He kissed the top of her head and hugged Anne to his side.

  From the Author

  I hope you enjoyed reading Honey Homicide, the third book in the backyard farming mystery series. I’ve come to love the residents of Carolan Springs, and I hope that you have too. If you want to learn more about the residents of Carolan Springs, find out about new releases in this series and others, and be able to partake in fun giveaways then go to www.vikkiwalton.com and sign up to receive my newsletter.

  You can also connect with me at:

  www.facebook.com/vikkiwaltonauthor. I also have a suburban homesteading Facebook page:

  www.havenesteader.com. I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me directly at vikki@vikkiwalton.com.

  Like Anne, I used to be afraid of bees but now as a beekeeper I have learned more about them and understand their importance in our environment. Plus, they make the most wonderful honey! I hope that you’ll consider taking a class to learn more about bees, consider becoming a bee guardian through keeping bees, fostering a hive or planting lots of great bee and pollinator friendly plants.

  I want to acknowledge my daughter, Jori, who helped me in getting things completed for the book’s cover and interior. Her technical experience, along with her artistic talent, is greatly appreciated. I’d also like to think Crystal of Anima Editing for helping provide me that extra set of eyes that all authors require. Her red pen is appreciated. Should you
find any errors, they are all mine. Like any author, many others help me along my writing journey and while their names are not listed here, they are greatly appreciated, as are you my dear reader. Thank you for taking your precious time and spending it with the residents of Carolan Springs.

  Finally, I hope that if you enjoyed this story you will share it with your friends and on social media as well supply a review.

  Thank you.

  Thank you for buying this book. You Rock!

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  What’s Next for Vikki Walton?

  Vikki is working on a fun new mystery series set in Comfort, Texas.

  Coming Summer 2019!