The Lake House Secret, A Romantic Suspense Novel (A Jenessa Jones Mystery)

by Debra Burroughs

  Jenessa massaged her temples. “But apparently Logan doesn’t share her feelings.” This could make things very difficult between her and her sister.

  “Exactly. That’s why whenever you’ve been in town, it just reminds her of why they couldn’t be together, because he still has a thing for you.”

  “I had no idea, Ramey.”

  In retrospect, though, how could she not have known? She recalled having told her sister after the funeral reception that she was meeting Logan for dinner. Sara had stomped off in a huff with no explanation. Now Jenessa knew why.

  ~*~

  Jenessa went home and picked at her sandwich as she sat down to work on the computer. Pushing her thoughts of Sara and Logan aside, she spread her interview notes out on the desk. She wrote her article on the Garden Club’s Flower Show and emailed it off to make the Sunday paper.

  Before she could switch gears and move onto something else, Aunt Renee phoned and invited Jenessa over for brunch the next morning.

  “Will Ramey be there?”

  “Of course, dear. Have you told her about her father yet?”

  “Not yet. I was hoping for confirmation of the remains from the crime lab.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.”

  Jenessa bit her lip, considering if she should ask the next question. “Will Sara be at brunch tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  Great, another chance for Sara to pick a fight. She was all-in now, so she might as well continue. “Aunt Renee, did you know Sara used to date Logan?”

  “Who told you?”

  “It doesn’t matter, the secret is out. From your reaction, I’d say it’s obviously true. I only wish someone had told me sooner.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have.”

  “No wonder Sara can’t stand to be in the same room with me.”

  “Now that you know, dear, I hope you girls can work it out.”

  “I don’t see how. Logan keeps pursuing me.”

  “Oh my, that just makes things worse now, doesn’t it? How do you feel about him?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “What do you mean?” Aunt Renee asked.

  “Michael Baxter and I have been spending some time together and things seem to be moving along nicely, but then Logan keeps inserting himself at the most inopportune times and I go all weak in the knees and my insides turn to mush like I’m a silly teenage girl again.”

  “Sounds like maybe you’ve never gotten over him.”

  “I thought I had. There was a time that the very mention of his name made my blood boil.”

  “But not now?”

  “Yes, still, but in a different way.”

  “Well, you’d better figure it out soon, young lady, because if you choose Logan Alexander, that sweet Michael Baxter might get his heart broken, not to mention that your sister will likely never speak to you again.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Jenessa let out a sigh of exasperation. “I want to do the smart thing, Aunt Renee. Choosing Logan would only mean trouble, I’m afraid.”

  “But then again…” Aunt Renee said, her voice resonating with experience, “the heart wants what the heart wants.”

  ~*~

  Later that evening, Ramey phoned Jenessa with some news. “I found a box full of my mother’s old bank statements.”

  “Bank statements? Your mom never struck me as the type to balance her checkbook and keep records.” As long as Jenessa could remember, Lucy had been a falling-down drunk.

  “No, she wasn’t the type,” Ramey replied. “She was never good with money, so it made me wonder why she would keep these things.”

  “Did you look at any of them?”

  “Yeah, I opened up a few. The weird thing is they all showed a monthly deposit of five thousand dollars. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”

  “Any idea where the money came from?”

  “Haven’t a clue. Mom never had a job, as far as I can remember. You don’t think my mom was into anything illegal, do you?” Ramey asked.

  “I hope not, but you know your mom. With her drinking and her revolving door of men, she easily could have—”

  “Hey, don’t say that! She wasn’t terrific, but she was still my mother.”

  “Sorry.” Jenessa wished she hadn’t started down that road, but it was what everyone thought—Juicy Lucy is what they called her. During Jenessa’s teenage years she knew Lucy to drink like a fish, use drugs on occasion, and sleep with any man who wanted her. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think she might have gotten herself into something illegal.

  “No, you’re right,” Ramey admitted. “But she was my mom, you know.”

  “I know,” Jenessa said softly. She paused a moment before getting back to the matter at hand. “If she was getting regular payments, it could be an important clue, Ramey. Do you mind going through all the statements and seeing if she received a deposit every month and if it was for the same amount?”

  “I’d hate to think she was doing something bad, but if it’ll help find her killer, I guess I don’t mind.”

  “No promises, but it might help.”

  “Well, I’ve got nothing better to do tonight anyway.” Ramey sounded disappointed at her boring life.

  “Maybe not tonight, but don’t you have a date with Charles McAllister tomorrow night?”

  “Ooh, yes I do!” Ramey squealed. “I’m so nervous about it, though. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date. Can you come over tomorrow and help me with my hair and makeup?”

  “I’d love to.” Jenessa was excited for her. Charles was a good guy—solid, kind, hardworking. After all Ramey had been through, she deserved a wonderful man like that in her life. “What time?”

  “Five?”

  “You can count on it.”

  “I’d better go and get busy on those bank statements,” Ramey said.

  “I’ve got nothing special going on tonight either. Why don’t I come over and help?”

  “Sara’s on her way over. We’ll have a girls’ night. We can put on some music and eat cookies while we’re rummaging through the boxes, hunting for clues. It’ll be fun.”

  “Um, on second thought, maybe I’d better not.” An evening bickering with Sara didn’t sound inviting at all. Maybe it’d be best to steer clear of her sister until she figured out what she was going to do about Logan.

  “Sure, I understand. See you at Aunt Renee’s for brunch tomorrow?”

  ~*~

  Jenessa spent a quiet evening reading and went to bed early, but she tossed and turned much of the night. Her mind was a tangle of dreams—visions of when she and Logan were high school sweethearts, her and Logan now, her and Michael now, Sara and Logan dating, and, of course, the growing mess she was finding herself in presently. She couldn’t avoid her sister for long, and in this small town there was no way she could avoid Logan either.

  In her half-awake dream-fogged state, Grey Alexander’s scowling image popped into her mind. If she ever got back together with Logan, she would have to deal with his father too. Her stomach turned at the thought. Family dinners and holidays would be excruciating.

  Stop! There were not going to be any Alexander family dinners. How could there be after what had happened between her family and his? It was too late for that.

  And how could she do that to her sister? How could Sara ever move on and find love again if Jenessa brought Logan into their family?

  Finally, her mind settled down and she drifted back to sleep, waking to find the digital clock on her nightstand reading nine o’clock. She flipped the covers back and slid out of bed. It was time to get ready for brunch—and going another round with Sara.

  ~*~

  “Look what the cat dragged in,” Sara quipped as Jenessa joined her and Ramey in her aunt’s kitchen.

  “Sara, be nice,” Aunt Renee admonished, following close behind Jenessa.

  “Hi, there,” Ramey greeted as she checked on a dish in the oven. �
�Would you like something to drink?”

  “She could have come earlier and helped,” Sara mumbled as she went back to noisily chopping fruit on the counter.

  Aunt Renee draped an arm around Jenessa’s waist and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “We’re happy to have you, dear.”

  “Thank you.” Jenessa cast a smile at her aunt before turning her attention to Ramey. “I’d love some iced tea, but I can get it myself.”

  “Why don’t you pour drinks all around then?” Ramey suggested, pulling a frittata out of the oven. “Dishes and glasses are already on the table.”

  Jenessa went to the enormous stainless steel refrigerator and grabbed a pitcher of iced tea and one of orange juice. “Did you get through all those bank statements last night?”

  “Most of them,” Ramey replied, cutting the frittata into wedges. “Funny, they all had the five thousand dollar deposit, all on the first day of the month.”

  Sara took the platter of cut fruit to the table. “We could have gotten through all of them, Jenessa, if you’d have come by and helped.”

  “You’re right. I should have.” Jenessa set the pitchers on the table. “I’m sorry, Sara.”

  Sara’s gaze met Jenessa’s, as if she were surprised by her sister’s apology. Silence hung uncomfortably in the air for a moment, broken by Ramey’s next question.

  “So how do we find out where those payments came from?”

  Chapter 24

  Five thousand dollars deposited every single month. Where they came from? That was a very good question.

  Jenessa turned to Ramey at the kitchen counter. “I’ll let Detective Provenza know what we’ve discovered and see what he can do. The police have resources to find that sort of information. Now, whether or not they’ll share it with me is another story.”

  “Can’t Michael help?” Ramey asked.

  Jenessa picked up a small piece of cantaloupe from the platter and popped it in her mouth. “Maybe. Did I tell you he took his detective’s test and went before the review board?”

  “Hmm,” Aunt Renee interjected, “Detective Michael Baxter. I like the sound of that.”

  Jenessa grinned. “Me too.”

  Conversation during the meal went better than it had in a long time. Perhaps Jenessa’s simple apology had softened Sara’s attitude toward her, at least for the short term.

  “I can’t stay long,” Jenessa said once the food was gone. “I need to track down Detective Provenza and tell him about the bank deposits. Hopefully he’ll think they’re as important as we do. You didn’t happen to bring them this morning, did you, Ramey?”

  “They’re in my car. The box is pretty heavy. Let me go and help you with it.”

  Jenessa said her good-byes and followed Ramey out to her car.

  Ramey lugged the box from her trunk to the Sportster’s. “Sara was sure quiet during brunch.”

  “Guess my apology threw her off her game.”

  “Seriously though, Jenessa, I hate to see you two at odds. I hope you can make things right.”

  Jenessa gave Ramey a forced smile. “I’ll try.”

  ~*~

  It being Sunday, Jenessa phoned Detective Provenza on his cell phone. It wasn’t likely he was in the office today unless he’d gotten a hot lead to follow up on.

  “Hello, Miss Jones.”

  “How did you know it was me?”

  “This new-fangled thing called Caller ID. What can I do for you?”

  She hadn’t expected him to have saved her number in his phone. “I’m impressed, Detective.”

  “Never mind the sarcasm. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to find out if you have a definite identification of the remains yet.”

  “Are you asking if it’s Lucy St. John?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Not yet. Hopefully tomorrow they’ll be able to tell me for sure. Wanting to blab it in your story?”

  “Of course, I want to be the first to report on it.” That was a no brainer. “I’m doing everything I can to help you, Detective, so I hope you’ll give me the heads-up first.”

  “I can’t promise anything.”

  “Well, George…can I call you George?”

  The detective grunted.

  “George, I’m sure a man of your caliber can be counted on to do the right thing.”

  “Sweet talking me isn’t going to help, Miss Jones.”

  “Can’t blame a girl for trying.” Jenessa chuckled. “But seriously, Detective, the reason I’m calling is I have another bit of information for you. In return, I’d like you to do something for me.”

  “If you have information, you’d better hand it over. I could charge you with interfering with this investigation if you don’t.”

  “Oh, hold on to your britches there, Detective,” Jenessa joked. If she could whittle her way into a more friendly relationship with him, perhaps he would be more forthcoming with information. “Lucy’s daughter found some of her old bank statements that show a regular monthly deposit made to her account going back years—always five thousand dollars, always on the first day of the month.”

  “It could be nothing. Maybe she had been in a car accident and was getting a monthly pay out or something like that.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that, but wouldn’t Ramey know?”

  “Did you know everything about your parents’ finances when you were a little kid?”

  “No, I guess not.” Perhaps Aunt Renee would know if Lucy had been in an accident of some sort. “But it could be something totally different, couldn’t it?”

  “What do you think it means?” he asked.

  “Blackmail, maybe.” Or child support, but she wasn’t ready to put that suspicion out there just yet. “We won’t know until we find out who was putting that money in her account each month. Can you find that out?”

  “It’ll take a while. This is Sunday, so I can’t even begin to dig around until tomorrow.”

  “Oh, and another bit of information—Lucy’s last boyfriend, the one she supposedly ran off to LA with, his name is Tony Hamilton. Do you think you can track him down?”

  “That could be helpful, if the woman turns out to be Lucy St. John. I’ll see what I can dig up on him, once the lab gives me positive ID that it’s her. Otherwise, it’ll just be a wild goose chase.”

  “If you could let me know what you find out—”

  “Depends on what I discover,” George interrupted. “After all, this is an open homicide investigation.”

  “Remember our deal, Detective? I help you, you help me? I scratch your back, you scratch mine?”

  “I never agreed to that.”

  “Okay, how about this? I help you solve this crime and make you the hero of Hidden Valley, and in exchange you give me first shot at the story.”

  “What makes you think I need your help?”

  “For one thing, I’m not law enforcement, George, so I don’t have the constraints you do, and I know how to dig up facts for a story. People are more likely to tell me things they won’t tell the cops.”

  He laughed. “Like I said up at the lake—that Charles McAllister has hired himself a bulldog.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  ~*~

  Jenessa stood in front of her old high school, looking up at the two-story brick building with beige stucco accents. Auction items were set on the walkway, around the circular fountain in the middle of it, and some things, like pieces of furniture and accessories, were scattered on the expansive lawn where Jenessa recalled students dotting the grassy area at lunchtime.

  Elizabeth Alexander stood right outside the main double-door entrance to the building, directing people carrying items inside for the auction. She was still an attractive, elegant brunette, even in the summer heat, dressed in parchment-colored slacks and a navy blue silk tank top, her neck draped with a thick gold necklace.

  Jenessa brought a contribution for the auction, a beautiful antique clock her father had purchased in San Francisco before thei
r move, hoping it would help her garner Elizabeth’s good graces. She approached the woman, holding out her gift in both hands. “Hello, Mrs. Alexander.”

  “Oh my. Jenessa Jones. How have you been? It’s been a few years.”

  “Yes, twelve, but who’s counting?” Jenessa forced a smile, remembering the last time she had seen Elizabeth, the night she and Logan broke the news to their parents. “I brought something for your auction. I adore that old auditorium.”

  “That is so sweet. Take it on inside. My assistant will show you where to put it.”

  Jenessa paused at the door, trying to ignore the line of people building up behind her. “Do you think we can talk later?”

  Elizabeth lowered her voice and leaned in. “About what?”

  “I’m a reporter now, for the Herald. I’d like to do a story on your fabulous auction.”

  “Oh, certainly.” She sounded pleased as her voice returned to full volume and she straightened up. “Give me a few minutes. I need to give these people some direction, and we can sit down and chat.”

  Jenessa nodded, mustered a smile, and stepped inside.

  ~*~

  After unloading the clock on Elizabeth’s assistant, Jenessa stood in the auditorium, her gaze bouncing around at all the beautiful details, badly in need of renovating. Countless plays and musicals had been performed in this massive room, not to mention all the school assemblies and graduations.

  Jenessa and Logan had come to see a few school plays here, but she had also come once with Michael. She had almost forgotten. The drama department was putting on Guys and Dolls, before she had begun dating Logan, and she and Michael attended the musical together to do an article for the school paper.

  “There you are,” Elizabeth said as she approached. “I thought you’d left.”

  “No, I was just admiring this old auditorium.”

  “She is a beauty, isn’t she?” Elizabeth’s gaze scanned the room. “Wait until we return her to her former glory. She’ll knock your socks off.”

  “Shall we sit here?” Jenessa gestured toward the rows of seats.

  Elizabeth filed down the row and sat.

  Jenessa pulled a notepad and pen out of her bag and took a seat beside her. “Now, tell me all about your auction. Don’t leave anything out.”