Mrs. Fix It Mysteries (5 Cozy Mystery Books Collection)

by Belle Knudson

  “That might be.”

  That explanation didn’t sit right with Kate. She didn’t know why, though. She couldn’t imagine Larry hurting a fly. He’d been sweet and patient with her. He wasn’t pushy and demanding like Scott. He was nothing like Scott.

  Where Scott was all ego and charm, Larry was gentle and loving. If she had to make a choice, it should be Larry. He’d treat her like a queen, no doubt.

  Sadly, Larry didn’t get her motor running.

  But it didn’t matter. She was still married. She couldn’t forget that. She had two sons to be a role model for. Sons that she’d raised to do the right thing, which was what she was doing.

  “So, Jackie looked okay when you saw her?”

  “She wasn’t staggering, just walking on those impossibly high heels that some women can maneuver on.”

  “I’m not one of them,” Kate said. A kitten heel was enough for her.

  Carly sipped her wine. “Why don’t you let the cops figure all of this out?”

  “Spoken like a cop’s daughter,” Kate said.

  “Well, if my dad said it to you, then he had a point.”

  “Did he bring in the state cops?”

  “He did. I wonder if Scott is going to send them away since he was a homicide detective in Philly.”

  I really couldn’t say; I’m doing my best to avoid Scott,” Kate said.

  Carly laughed. “How is that working for you?”

  “Not so well, I’m afraid.”

  Chapter Eight

  Kate and Carly had eaten in silence for a few minutes—the silence of a long friendship.

  “Do you have feelings for Scott?” Carly said finally.

  “I don’t. I still love Greg.”

  Or do I? She didn’t really know. She’d gone through the stages of grief since he’d left, but she wasn’t sure she’d completely gotten over him.

  “Even though he left you? Even though you have no idea where he is? Aren’t you mad at him? He should have been here to raise your boys with you.”

  They’d had this conversation more than once, and Kate was too tired for it tonight. “Carly, he’s my husband. I vowed to love and honor him.”

  “He isn’t loving and honoring you.”

  “Maybe he died somewhere, and his body hasn’t been found.”

  “This part of Pennsylvania isn’t that remote.”

  That was a good point, and as far as Kate knew, Greg had been on his way home from work when he disappeared. He had to pass through town and not on any country roads until right before the house. His car had not been found.

  On the other hand, there were game lands on the edge of town. Someone could die out there and never be found. How would she feel if she found out that Greg had been nearby all this time? She didn’t know.

  “I’m really not up for this conversation tonight, Carls”—a nickname she’d used for her friend when they were kids.

  Carly sighed. “Fine, but I think you have two fine men after you, and you should take advantage of the opportunities. I can’t get one man to look at me and I’m single.”

  Carly left, and Kate was finally able to look at the folder she’d taken from the mayor’s file cabinet. No one had shown up on her doorstep demanding it back, so Dudley wasn’t aware it was gone yet.

  Or he was, but he wasn’t willing to admit that he had such a file.

  She poured herself some more wine and sat out on her back deck. The light was waning; she lit a candle so she could see the folder. It worked, sort of.

  That only lasted a few minutes before 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.

  It appeared that 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 had names and dates. And 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 explained that he’d been saving 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. She began to wonder if he’d even loved her.

  She shook off those morose thoughts. She had to concentrate on finding a killer. Let Scott try to find her lost husband. Not that she expected the police 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. There was nothing special about her, she wasn’t some supermodel—she was 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. Hmm.

  Kate booted up her laptop, waiting for the cranky machine to start. She needed to replace that, too, 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 as Dudley’s file had indicated. He worked with investors, and he had worked closely with Jackie York. Kate stopped on the picture of Jackie. She was very attractive and didn’t dress conservatively at all.

  What had Scott seen in her? Perhaps he was attracted by her beauty, or maybe her business success. Such an odd combination they must have been. A cop and someone as high-powered as Jackie seemed to be.

  Oh well.

  She’d never figure out men. Ever. Two men were pursuing her and she was unavailable, while 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 that Clark’s career had crashed and burned. He’d given advice to many of his clients to invest in a project of Jackie’s. It must have been the one that failed.

  Many people invested their life savings and that was never a good idea. Nothing was a sure thing.

  Clark had been forced out of his position with the bank as a result.

  “Not only had he lost money, but he lost other people’s money. And he lost his career as well. 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.

  Larry’s wife had died and his father stayed.

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

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

  It 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 in the bathroom mirror and had a ver
y rare pity party. She knew she wasn’t the beauty she’d once been, but had she not been enough for her husband? Had she changed so much that he had to run away?

  If that were the case, he could have just divorced her. She thought back to those days and weeks before he disappeared. She hadn’t seen 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’d 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 the night prior was gone from her mind. The birds sang as she lay in her queen-sized bed. If only they did housework.

  She didn’t have a job until later in the morning, so she put some laundry in to wash. She wiped down her kitchen and 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 and called 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 any such thing. 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 and 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 the door behind him. “Show me the note.”

  She did as he asked. “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’d 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 because of 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.”

  “It didn’t work last night.”

  She looked away before she said, “It 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 here. 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 was significant shouldn’t be used as someone could figure it out.

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

  How does 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.

  “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. “Okay, okay, there’s no need for a warrant? Please just send the information 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.” He murmured a few more times then hung up. “Go look in your e-mail. Can you print me out the specs?”

  God, he is demanding. Overbearing even. This was Scott in cop mode and he wasn’t charming at all. She’d 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 that.”

  She sat in her big chair, and he sat on the arm. Her computer was balanced on her lap.

  He looked over her shoulder. “I don’t need any coffee, thanks,” he said.

  She could smell his masculine scent. 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 in her inbox. 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? I 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 with the boys.”

  “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 they got it. Just in case Greg had anything important on it. The only reason it was home was that he’d forgotten to take 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.

  “Seems 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 shone a light in her face.

  He was more intense than usual. She had to acknowledge that she was turned on a little. But 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 was doing.

  She swallowed and pushed away those days. “We didn’t date until after I graduated with my associate’s degree. 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.”