“Five years.”
“Did you even know she was in Rock Ridge?”
“No. We haven’t really communicated since we signed the papers. I had no reason to talk to her. We no longer had a connection: no kids to quibble over; the property she had brought to the marriage.”
“So you lived on your own the past five years?”
He smiled. “Yes, on my own. It was refreshing after life with Jackie. She was high-powered and successful. Always on the phone. Always looking for the next big deal.”
“Which leads me to the fact that several people in town made a deal with her that went south. It was around the time of your divorce it would seem. Do you think that deal might have led to her death.”
Scott’s smile dimmed. “Here I thought you were asking me about Jackie because you were making sure I had no feelings for her. Instead, you’re investigating this murder even though I warned you to stay away.”
“I can’t. I have it in my brain that I need to do this. It gives me something to occupy my mind.”
“I’ve offered to be what occupies you, and your brain,” Scott said. He looked her over. “And your body.”
She pointed to the white line where her wedding ring usually sat. “I don’t wear it when I’m working for safety reasons, but I’m still married, Scott.”
“To a man who left you with no note? Fell off the face of the earth one day?”
So he had read the report. She wasn’t surprised. She leaned her head on the back of the chair. “I’ve received no divorce papers. No sightings of him anywhere. No body either. Until one of those things happens, I am still married.”
“You can declare him legally dead.”
“That takes seven years. It’s only been five.”
“So you’re going to wait for the seven years and live your life as if you’re married, instead of petitioning the court to do it sooner?” Scott said.
She waved a hand. “You have made it clear you have a personal interest in this case. You don’t have any credibility in this matter.”
“Then let me look for him.”
She glanced over at him. He was so cocky. “Why do you think that you can find him when everyone else has failed thus far?”
And she did mean everyone. She’d looked. The cops had looked. The FBI had looked. She’d even hired a professional investigator who found nothing. Greg Flaherty might as well have never existed. He no longer had a footprint on this planet.
“Because I have that personal interest.”
“I don’t get it, Scott. We were together years ago. Why am I so important?”
He glanced down at his beer, the first sign of insecurity he’d shown her. “You just are. Let me look for him.”
“Fine. Do what you want. I won’t stand in your way. What will you do if you find him alive?”
“I think the bigger question is: what will you do?”
She snorted. “You won’t find him.”
“We’ll see about that. What will I do? Make him give you a proper divorce so you can move on.”
“Doesn’t guarantee that I’ll move on with you,” she said.
He sipped his beer, and then said, “I’ll take my chances.”
Not to be distracted, she went back to the topic she wanted to discuss. “Back to Jackie. Do you know who went in on that deal with her?”
He sighed. “You really aren’t going to let this go.”
“Nope, so you might as well help me.”
“I can’t as long as I am chief. But you should tell me about anything you find out.”
“Of course, I will.”
She might tell Scott but she probably wouldn’t tell Ken. He had his mind set already.
“I can probably find out who was in on that deal, but I wasn’t part of it. She did that deal when we were in the midst of the divorce.”
“Did she lose a lot of money?” Kate asked.
Kate was sure that the key to Jackie’s murder was a bad business deal. If someone had lost their savings, they’d be livid. That might have been the first opportunity the murderer had to be with her alone. And they could have been taking advantage of a small town police force that had little experience with investigating a murder.
In the big city, they would have a greater risk of being discovered, but not in Rock Ridge—a town that usually brought in the state police for the bigger crimes, and by the time they arrived, the scene could be compromised. This led Kate to the matter of why Ken hadn’t brought them in. Or maybe he had, and he just hadn’t told her.
“Probably, but Jackie was like a cat. She always landed on her feet,” Scott answered.
Kate mulled that over. Maybe Jackie had in the past, but she’d pissed someone off enough to kill her.
Her nine lives had run out.
Chapter Seven
Kate’s first job of the day was to return to the mayor’s house. She had to put a second coat on the new addition. She also wanted to snoop in his office to see if she could find out who had lost money in that bad deal with Jackie.
She was convinced that was the reason for Jackie’s murder. Since she was having no luck figuring out who could have had opportunity, she chose to focus on who had motive and then work backwards.
Jessica was dressed in slacks and a blouse when Kate arrived. The mayor’s wife was visible and involved in many things, so Kate assumed she had to look good. Her appearance and behavior reflected on the mayor.
It seemed to be working as he kept getting reelected. Jessica had the perfect temperament for a politician’s wife. She was lovely, but not enticing, congenial, but not a pushover. She could make anyone feel at ease.
“Oh, you’re here today?” Jessica said, letting her in. “I have a meeting for my charity association in half an hour. If I gave you the key, would you lock the door when you go out? You can leave the key in the mailbox.”
Not safe, but whatever Jessica wanted. “Sure, I’ll just need payment before I go.”
“Do you take credit cards?”
That was next on her business agenda. “Not yet. I’m working on that swiping thing for my phone, but it hasn’t come through yet.”
Jessica bit her lip. “Okay, I’ll write you a check before I go.”
Kate unloaded her truck and set to work painting. With Jessica out of the house, she could snoop in Dudley’s office. It went against her ethics as a tradesperson entering a home, but she considered these desperate times. Ken probably hadn’t even interviewed the mayor since they were buddies from way back.
Kate poured the lime-green paint into a tray with a liner. It meant easier cleanup at the end. The color still made her cringe, but this wasn’t her house. She used a small roller around the edges then the big roller to fill in. She’d opened a window and a breeze blew in, meaning the paint would dry quickly.
She never liked painting in the summer unless the client had air conditioning. Otherwise, the humidity in the outside air slowed down the drying process.
Jessica showed up when Kate was halfway through the first wall. She had a pen and a check in her hand. “How much do I owe you?”
Kate rested the roller in the pan, wiped her hands, and then fished into her toolbox for the invoice she’d written up. She handed it to Jessica and the woman studied it then wrote the check, leaning against one of the unpainted walls.
Kate jammed the check into her back pocket, mentally calculating how the check would be divided to meet her growing expenses. Some would go to repair her truck. She’d get one thing done on it and hopefully that would help her poor vehicle limp along for another few months.
“I’m going out. The key is on the table by the front door. Thanks for locking up after yourself.”
Kate nodded then went back to work. She heard the garage door open, then close. She finished the rest of the walls. She expected they wouldn’t need a third coat.
The painting done, she left her stuff in the room in case there was any question of why she was still in the house.
The craziest thing she’d done in her life was have sex in Scott’s car when they were teens. Even then she’d felt a little remorse about it.
Standing in that office, Kate knew she was crossing a line, but this was important. She’d taught her sons that the end didn’t justify the means, and she was now glad they couldn’t see where she was.
Enough remorse. She could beat herself up later. She opened all the drawers in the mayor’s desk and didn’t find anything. She then turned to the file cabinet behind her. Most of the files were for his business, but one, way in the back, had a familiar name on it.
She tugged out the folder marked” Jackie York.” Before she could open it, however, she heard the garage door again. “Crap.”
She closed up the folder and only debated for a second. She left the office with it, closing the door behind her. She tucked it into her toolbox, and then began her clean-up procedures. She was pouring paint back into the can when Jessica swung by.
“Forgot something,” she said, breezing past the room.
Kate hoped Jessica would be gone before she had to leave, so she could peruse the file and put it back. No such luck.
Kate left the mayor’s house with the folder in her toolbox. Her gaze darted around as she drove to her next job. She was becoming paranoid that someone knew she had stolen something. She drove slower than usual, careful not to break any laws.
All she wanted to do was read the file and then return it. She bit her lip as she drove down Main Street, worrying about how she was going to return it. She had no reason to get back into the mayor’s house.
She parked her truck at her next job, a shutter repair. It had fallen off the house in a recent storm. Kate would go around and make sure all of the shutters were secure before she left.
The homeowner, Hazel Millhouse, knocked on her window. She was a sweet older lady whose husband had passed away a year before. He’d been handy, but had been getting up in years when he died.
Kate figured Hazel had her on speed dial. It seemed as if she fixed something at Hazel’s house once a week. The woman was probably her best customer.
“You okay?” Hazel said.
Kate opened her door as Hazel’s little dog yipped at their feet. She bent down to scratch the dog under the chin. “I’m okay. Just a lot on my mind.”
“Right, what with Scott being accused of murder and all.”
Kate resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why is everyone so sure Scott and I are an item?
“Something like that.”
The folder called to her, but this woman was a priority. She might even have Kate change a light bulb or two while she was here. A visit to Hazel’s house was never a quick one.
“Let me get to that shutter.”
“It’s around front.”
The shutters were painted a dark green and probably could use a fresh coat or two of paint. Hazel had a fixed income, so Kate didn’t suggest it. She wasn’t going to gouge the sweet old woman.
This was a good karma job. She never charged her much, and in fact, Kate would lose money on this transaction, but she gained good karma points for helping out an old lady. It all balanced out in the end.
The shutter only needed some new screws. Kate had just bought some that wouldn’t rust, so she replaced the screws on all of the shutters as Hazel talked about her hip that needed to be replaced.
“What is wrong with Rock Ridge that we have a murder? I locked my house last night. Haven’t done that in years. Not since there had been a string of burglaries on the street. Ended up being kids.”
“I remember that. Yes, Greg had put another lock on our door, too.”
Well, actually she’d done it, but Greg had insisted that it be done.
“Oh. I’m so sorry about your husband, Kate. Any news?”
Most of the town skirted around the issue with her. Hazel wasn’t that way. “Nothing. No trace of him.”
“You need to move on with your life, Kate. You deserve to be happy.”
“That’s sweet, Hazel. Thank you.”
For the rest of the conversation, Kate murmured at the appropriate times, but her mind was on that file. Of all the people the mayor dealt with in his jobs, why would he have a specific file only for her?
It would probably make sense when she read it.
***
Kate had just pulled into her driveway when Scott called. Her house sat at the end of a winding driveway in a clearing among trees. Since she didn’t like to talk as she drove, she stopped the truck at the foot of the drive.
Kate had wanted to live closer to town so the boys had playmates in the neighborhood. Greg had insisted he liked being out in the country. He wanted the boys to be able to hike and fish with no one to bother them. Greg had won that argument in the end.
As it turned out, her boys never cared for hiking or fishing, but they’d never moved out of this house. Kate wasn’t ready to move from the home she had made for them. She didn’t want Greg to come back and find them gone.
“Hello.”
What flirting will he try tonight? Kate worried that fatigue might cause her to fall for his charms even though she’d made it clear the other night that they were friends and nothing more.
“Kate, good news.”
“You’ve found the love of your life and you’re going to stop flirting with me?”
He chuckled. Any other man would be insulted. Not Scott. He was too sure of himself. “Funny. No, the autopsy came back. I have an alibi for the time of death. Not only do I have an alibi, but those who saw me were cops.”
“It doesn’t get any better than that. So you go back to work tomorrow?”
“Yep, and I can stop climbing the walls. You want to come by and help me celebrate?”
“No can do. I have a date with a bathtub and a glass of wine.”
“I could join you in both of those things,” he said.
She sighed. He was incorrigible. “We talked about this, Scott. We agreed.”
“You talked. I listened. I never agreed.”
Now that she thought about the conversation, he hadn’t agreed. Damn him. He’d made it sound like he was agreeing, but he wasn’t.
Then she had a thought. Carly was probably the last person to see Jackie alive. She might have information that she had no idea was important.
“I have to go, Scott.”
“You can’t avoid me forever.”
“I can try.”
He was chuckling as she hung up. She drove her truck the rest of the way down her driveway, getting that warm, safe feeling once her house came into view. It wasn’t a big house. It had two stories and four bedrooms. The first floor had a kitchen that she and Greg had renovated not long before he disappeared. They both liked to cook so they’d splurged.
Still sitting in the truck, Kate called Carly.
“Hey, girl,” Carly said. “I was just thinking about you.”
“How would you like to come over for dinner?”
If she plied Carly with wine, she might remember something.
“That sounds great. I’m ready to get out of this apartment. I’d love to come over. I’ll bring dessert.”
“Sounds good. I need an hour.”
An hour later, Kate had showered and had a salad made when Carly knocked and then entered. They had that kind of friendship. They each knew the layout of the other’s kitchen and could just walk into each other’s places.
Kate pulled a chilled bottle of chardonnay out of the refrigerator and poured two glasses.
“I heard Scott’s off the hook,” Carly said.
“The grapevine in this town never ceases to amaze me.”
Carly laughed as she took a sip of some wine. “I’m surprised you aren’t cele
brating with Scott.”
“He asked.”
She leaned on her granite countertop. All she had to do was grill some chicken to top the salad and they’d have dinner. She’d picked up some fresh vegetables the day before from the farmer’s market.
“Then why are you here with me? That man wants you so badly.”
“How do you know?”
Carly sighed. “When he sees you on the street, he stares at you as if the sun rose and set with you.”
“When?”
“Oh, Kate. He is usually on his way to work when you’re coming out of the hardware store. I have a great view of that part of Main Street.”
“He hasn’t been in town that long.”
“Still.”
Kate waved a hand. “I’m still a married woman.”
“You know my theory on where Greg is, and he’s not keeping his wedding vows.”
Kate didn’t want to go down that road. She’d invited Carly over to talk about Jackie, not Scott.
“So since Scott is cleared and I’m cleared, you were the last person to see her alive. Have you remembered anything else about that day?”
“I’m not a suspect, am I?”
“Did you have a reason to kill someone who is a perfect stranger to you?”
“Not perfect. I hadn’t met her, but my dad had some dealings with her. He wasn’t a fan, but you know my dad. He doesn’t really get mad. He probably had more reason to kill her than I did. What he lost in her deal had no effect on me. I turned down the opportunity. Glad I did.”
“In hindsight, it was a good decision.”
“The shop wasn’t doing well at that moment, so I didn’t have any cash to spare,” Carly said.
“You said you saw Larry’s chief’s truck there?”
“Yes.”
Celia had said the same thing. Kate couldn’t figure out if that was significant, but she’d ask Larry next time she saw him. He’d been absent from her life for a few days. Odd for him, but with Scott badgering her, she welcomed the relief of not fending off two men.
First world problems, for sure.
“I don’t remember any houses for sale near Scott’s.”
“Maybe he was just checking something for someone. You know Larry. He’s a good guy. Takes his work as fire chief seriously.”
Mrs. Fix It Mysteries (5 Cozy Mystery Books Collection) Page 6
