Cozy Mysteries Women Sleuths Series: Box Set III: Books 9-12

by Hope Callaghan

  “It’s a long story.” Loretta sloshed across the carpeted floor and headed down the hall to shower and change.

  When she emerged, she found Uncle Ichabod in the kitchen making dinner. “Lacy said you came home looking like a drowned rat.”

  Loretta pulled out a kitchen chair. “I managed to tip Alex…Pastor Jessup’s jon boat over and we ended up falling in the lake.”

  Uncle Ichabod burst out laughing and Loretta frowned at him. “My phone got wet. I need a bowl of rice to try to dry it out.”

  She set the phone on the table, hopped out of the chair and headed to the cupboard.

  “It doesn’t work.” Lacy strolled into the kitchen. “I already tried it. You’ll have to get a new phone.”

  Despite Lacy’s statement, Loretta figured it was worth a try. She filled a large bowl with uncooked rice and wiggled her phone back and forth until it was completely covered.

  “Suit yourself.” Lacy rolled her eyes and turned to Uncle Ichabod. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Chicken fried rice, egg rolls and vegetable lo Mein.”

  Lacy wrinkled her nose. “That sounds fattening.”

  Her uncle placed the egg rolls on a cookie sheet and eased the cookie sheet into the oven before shutting the door. “You don’t have to eat the food.”

  He knew the statement would quiet Lacy down. She hated cooking and whined all the way through cleaning. In Lacy’s mind, the sole purpose of a kitchen was to microwave frozen dinners and fix sandwiches.

  Loretta…and he…had offered to teach Lacy how to cook but she wasn’t at all interested.

  “I wonder if Savannah would like to eat with us. Is there enough to go around?” Loretta asked her uncle.

  Uncle Ichabod frowned, but nodded. “Yeah. There’s plenty.”

  Now that Loretta knew the story behind Uncle Ichabod and Savannah’s chilly demeanor toward one another, she was determined to smooth things over, to pave the path for a more civilized relationship, which was where Betty Sue Graybill came in. Loretta could swear there was a spark between Uncle Ichabod and Betty Sue.

  Same thing with Savannah and Bobby Tackett, one of Breezy Point’s residents. If nothing else, perhaps there were friendships in the works and Loretta was willing to nudge those friendships along.

  “I’ll be right back.” Loretta made her way out of the house and down the sidewalk. She wandered across the backyard toward Savannah’s cottage when Ted Tuttle pulled his car behind Loretta’s van and climbed out.

  Loretta waited for him to make his way over. “Police were here again. They put up even more police tape, if that’s possible.”

  The thought of the back of the clubhouse still covered with yellow crime scene tape caused Loretta to groan inwardly. Ernie’s demise was turning into a disaster. She tried to focus on poor Ernie, but the thought of the pool being closed off was a nightmare in itself.

  Ted wasn’t done. “Not only that, you got some grumpy old residents raising a ruckus about not being able to use the pool.” He shook his head. “Never mind someone was found dead in it.”

  “You mean they wanted to go swimming after finding out a body had just been pulled out?” Loretta asked incredulously.

  “Well, that’s the funny part. A guy came up asking if he could use the pool but wasn’t wearing swim trunks or carrying a towel or anything which struck me as odd.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Bout yay tall.” Ted flattened his hand and lifted it a couple inches above his own head. “Nice lookin’ fella. Dressed sharp. Salt and pepper colored hair.”

  Ted had described Bobby Tackett. Bobby was attracted to Savannah. Ernie Sapp had been sending flowers to Savannah and, in a roundabout way, was harassing her. Perhaps Bobby had had enough and taken Ernie out. Maybe it had been an accident…

  Ted continued, pulling Loretta from her musings. “Then there was this older lady. Whew! She was dead set on gettin’ into the pool area. I kept telling her no but she refused to listen.”

  He continued. “I waited til she finally left and then went around front. I discovered I forgot my rake. When I went round back to get it, I caught her ducking underneath the police tape and trying to climb the fence.”

  Chapter 6

  Loretta’s eye widened and her jaw dropped. “What…what did she look like?”

  Ted shrugged. “Like every other little old lady in town. Vaguely familiar though, like I may have seen her before. She was short and walked with a slight limp. Gray hair and pursed lips, like she was gonna let loose a string of cuss words.”

  Ted was describing Grace Woodyard, another Breezy Point resident, to a “T.” Grace had gotten herself into a sticky situation when investigators discovered years ago, she had helped her nephew cover up a murder. Charged as an accessory, the judge, for whatever reason, had gone easy on her and she was on probation.

  Loretta had almost kicked her out of the trailer park but after she begged Loretta and hit her with a sob story, saying she had nowhere to go and would end up living on the streets, Loretta had caved and told her she could stay, as long as she didn’t cause any more trouble.

  Grace had been good as gold…until now. She remembered how Grace had been grumbling about the lot rent. Perhaps Grace had done something to poor Ernie, making it seem Breezy Point was an unfit place to live and then planned to ask for a reduced lot rent…

  “I’ll go have a talk with her,” Loretta said.

  Ted told her there were a few unfinished projects on his list and he would be back in the morning before he climbed in his car and drove off.

  Loretta watched the back of his car until it disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

  She glanced at Savannah’s house. Loretta impulsively decided to take a stroll around the trailer park before inviting her friend to dinner.

  She walked past Savannah’s cottage and passed Jimmy Clay’s place. Bobby Tackett’s trailer wasn’t far from Jimmy’s place, and Bobby had a bird’s-eye view of the clubhouse. Was Bobby somehow involved in Ernie’s death?

  Ernie had been harassing Savannah. Bobby liked Savannah and, in fact, the two had recently gone to Glimmer to an afternoon matinee, although Savannah insisted it was nothing. Had he decided to get rid of Ernie?

  At the end of the street was Graham Steele’s doublewide. Graham and Savannah had been married years ago. Surely, he wasn’t still carrying a torch for Savannah and decided to take Ernie out.

  She rounded the bend and passed by Grace Woodyard’s tidy trailer. Not long ago, Ernie had admitted to giving Grace a ride home from the bar after she had a few too many. Had they met up again, Grace became jealous of Ernie’s interest in Savannah and in a rage, killed him?

  The clubhouse was the last thing she walked past. Loretta stopped abruptly when she spotted Ted Tuttle’s car parked out front, the engine running. I thought he left. In fact, I watched him leave.

  Curious to find out what Ted was up to, Loretta tiptoed to the front door and peeked in. Ted was in the lobby, pacing the floor and talking on his cell phone.

  When he turned around, Loretta ducked out of sight so he wouldn’t see her. She watched as he made his way outside and locked the door behind him. He climbed in his car and sped off. “I wonder what that was all about,” she muttered under her breath.

  ***

  Loretta’s keys to the clubhouse were at the house. She vowed to come back after dinner to try to figure out why Ted had left and then returned to the clubhouse.

  She pondered the suspects as she headed home. Bobby Tackett, Grace Woodyard, perhaps even Graham Steele.

  Then there was Ted Tuttle. Was Ted still harboring anger and resentment over the death of his girlfriend, Jan?

  Four suspects. One killer. All possibly had motive. All had opportunity…but how could she figure out who had taken poor Ernie out?

  Loretta stopped at Savannah’s place before heading home. Unfortunately, by the time she invited Savannah for dinner, her friend had already eaten by herself, whic
h made Loretta feel bad she hadn’t asked her first and then walked to the clubhouse.

  She asked Savannah if she wanted to take a walk after dinner, hoping to glean a little information about her current relationships with Bobby Tackett, her ex, Graham Steele, and the deceased, Ernie Sapp.

  Loretta wandered up the steps and in the back door. The smell of sesame oil and soy sauce filled the air and her stomach grumbled. Chinese food was Uncle Ichabod’s specialty. Loretta had no idea what he added to his chicken fried rice, but it was delicious.

  He once claimed it was a secret family recipe and someday he would share it with her. Whatever it was, she wasn’t complaining…and neither was Lacy, who was seated at the kitchen table.

  “What happened to you? I thought you were going next door!” Lacy whined. “I’m starving to death.”

  Uncle Ichabod was seated at the table, too.

  “I’m sorry.” Loretta apologized as she eased into the seat next to her uncle and across the table from Lacy. “I got sidetracked.”

  They passed the dishes of food around the table while Loretta explained what Ted had told her. She also told them how she had caught him back inside the clubhouse after watching him leave.

  “I think he’s guilty as sin,” Lacy decided. “Like you always say, motive and opportunity. His motive was revenge and his opportunity was right in the back.”

  Loretta dipped her egg roll in duck sauce and bit the end. Ted had motive and opportunity, but how in the world had he been able to lure Ernie to the clubhouse? Not only that, what was Ernie doing wearing a speedo?

  Loretta was hungrier than she realized and decided it must be all the fresh air from fishing earlier. After they finished eating, she helped her uncle clear the table and wash dishes.

  She placed the last dish in the cupboard and closed the door. “I’m gonna go for another walk before turning in.”

  “Restless?” her uncle guessed.

  “Yeah.” Loretta nodded. “Plus, I have a hunch there’s still some small clue at the clubhouse investigators may have missed.”

  “Don’t go snooping around where you shouldn’t,” Uncle Ichabod warned. “It would be just our luck the police show up unexpectedly and catch you behind the police tape.”

  “I’ll try to behave,” Loretta promised before heading out the back door.

  Savannah and Barkley were waiting for Loretta on their screened-in porch.

  Barkley hopped off Savannah’s lap and darted to the door, pawing at the edge and whining. “He’s been waiting for you,” Savannah said. “Crazy dog knew you were coming.”

  The women strolled down the road and chatted about the upcoming party, the items Loretta still needed to purchase and finally, Ernie’s death. “You don’t think Bobby had anything to do with Ernie’s death?”

  Savannah frowned and shook her head. “Nah. He seemed annoyed by Ernie’s infatuation with me but I never heard him say he was going to confront him.”

  “What about your ex, Graham?”

  “Graham?” Savannah snorted. “He probably hoped Ernie would sweep me off my feet and we would move away…far, far away.”

  “If it wasn’t one of those two, the only other person I can think of as a possible suspect is Ted Tuttle, our maintenance guy. Revenge. That can be a strong motive.”

  The sun had set and the cool evening air was refreshing. Some days the southern heat was tolerable, while other days it was almost unbearable.

  “Looks like the workers are getting ready to pour the cement slabs.” Savannah pointed at the rich, dark soil and the planks of wood carefully arranged on top.

  “Won’t be long and we’ll all have new neighbors.” Loretta was anxious for the project to be finished. They already had a waiting list for the new spots.

  When they reached the clubhouse, Loretta unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Each of the Breezy Point residents had a key to the clubhouse and several had used the clubhouse for small parties…baby showers, retirement parties and such. The only requirement was they make reservations ahead of time and that they clean the place after using it.

  Loretta gazed around the dark lobby and then stepped into the open area where the tables and chairs were located. Nothing looked out of place and she had to wonder what Ted had been doing inside after he supposedly left.

  Savannah and Loretta spread out as they searched for clues but came up empty handed. The girls retraced their steps and exited the clubhouse.

  Loretta locked the door behind them and then headed to the pool area in the back.

  She slowly walked along the side of the building and Savannah followed beside her. When the women reached the back, Loretta studied the pool and then shifted her gaze, her eyes taking in the lake, the open grassy area and the trailers off to the side.

  Her eyes settled on Grace Woodyard’s trailer. Loretta looked back at the pool thoughtfully. “Everyone here in the park knows this place is loaded with surveillance cameras.”

  “Yep,” Savannah agreed. “Reminds me of Fort Knox,” she joked.

  “Which means if you came out to the pool at night, you would suspect you might be caught on tape.”

  “True.” Savannah followed Loretta’s gaze. “Wait a minute. You said Ernie was found face down in the pool wearing a speedo.”

  “Uh-huh. I have a hunch investigators found something near the pool…something a Breezy Point resident was desperate to get back.”

  Loretta crossed her arms and tapped her index finger against the side of her face. “I think I know what happened to Ernie Sapp. It’s too late now, but I think it’s time to pay a visit to a Breezy Point resident first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Savannah offered. “You might need a witness to the conversation.”

  Chapter 7

  “I…don’t know what you’re talking about.” Grace Woodyard swallowed hard and stared at Loretta.

  “We have camera surveillance video which shows Ernie Sapp in the pool area the other night. He was with another person, who was much smaller than Ernie was. Ernie wouldn’t make a spur-of-the-moment decision to take a dip in our pool. He went to the pool with a Breezy Point resident and I think that resident was you,” Loretta said.

  Grace’s expression morphed into a sullen mask. “Prove it.”

  Loretta shrugged. “I probably won’t have to. Ted Tuttle stopped by earlier to tell me you were very anxious to get into the pool area.”

  Loretta went in for the kill. “Did you leave something behind the night Ernie died? Something that would lead investigators right to you?”

  Grace’s face crumpled and she blinked back tears. “I panicked. When Ernie and I got to the pool area, I took our towels and shirts and set them on a table nearby. When I turned around, Ernie was clutching his chest. He said he wasn’t feeling well. Next thing I know, he fell into the pool, face down.”

  She went on. “I tried to reach in and help him but he wasn’t moving. I pulled him over to the edge of the pool and tried to flip him over but he was too heavy. There was nothing I could do so I grabbed our stuff and left.”

  Grace walked over to the edge of her porch and gazed at the clubhouse. “I wanted to call the police, I really did, but what if they thought I had something to do with it? I’m still on probation.” She lowered her head in her hands and began sobbing.

  Loretta stepped over and put an arm around her shoulders. “Grace. The autopsy will reveal what killed Ernie and you’ll be cleared.”

  “What will people think of me when they find out I was with Ernie late at night out there?”

  Loretta thought about Ernie’s speedo and shuddered. “I won’t say a word,” she promised.

  “Me either,” Savannah said. “Your secret is safe with us but you’ll have to admit to police you were there when Ernie died.”

  “What were you looking for?” Loretta asked.

  “I’m missing a small bracelet I took off after I set the towels on the table. I didn’t notice until the next mornin
g.”

  Loretta had taken a quick look around before police arrived and hadn’t noticed a bracelet. “I didn’t see anything.”

  “I probably knocked it onto the pool deck when I grabbed the towels and shirts.”

  That made sense.

  “Police won’t know who it belongs to,” Savannah said.

  “Oh, they will,” Grace said. “It was a charm bracelet I got from the kids and grandkids. Etched on one of the charms was ‘grandma’ and another charm was a heart with the letter ‘G’ on it.”

  “The ‘G’ could stand for grandma, but it could also stand for ‘Grace’,” Loretta replied.

  Loretta and Savannah tried to reassure Grace that police would clear her of any wrongdoing once the autopsy had been completed.

  When they finally left Grace’s place, Loretta still wasn’t convinced Grace would confess.

  Late that evening, police and investigators returned to Breezy Point and searched the clubhouse one final time before removing the police tape from the pool area.

  After the police removed the tape, Loretta watched as they walked to Grace’s place. Loretta prayed she would come clean. If what Grace had told them were true, she would be in the clear.

  Savannah stopped by later to tell Loretta and the others that Grace had confessed to being with Ernie the night he died and the next day, the coroner’s report was released. Ernest D. Sapp had suffered a fatal heart attack.

  A small funeral was held the following day at the First Baptist Church of Misery with Pastor Jessup presiding. Most of the mourners were locals and bar patrons. Uncle Ichabod, Savannah, Loretta and a reluctant Lacy, along with Grace Woodyard, also attended.

  The family pew was almost empty except for an elderly couple Loretta had never seen before and a thirty something man who looked a lot like Ernie. She made a mental note to ask Uncle Ichabod about Ernie’s family later.

  The service ended. They decided to skip the graveside service and walked home. Lacy headed in the opposite direction, claiming she wanted to stop by the fire station to say “hello” to Colton.