The Name of the Game is Murder (A Clarissa Spencer Cozy Mystery Book 6)

by Alaine Allister

  Constance shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know what Betty saw in him,” she murmured.

  “Betty can do so much better!” Jack declared. “Oh, and don’t get me started on Bobby’s bonfires! He’d sit out in his backyard roasting marshmallows over the flames at all hours. The smoke would get so thick I’d have to retreat inside and shut my windows! Bobby was so inconsiderate!”

  “I feel for you,” Constance said sympathetically.

  “But Bobby is gone now,” Jack said brightly. “Hopefully my next neighbor will be better. Because let me tell you, I’ve had it! I’m not going to be a doormat anymore. This is my home and I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect it!”

  After a bit more chitchat, Clarissa and her mother said goodbye and left. The entire walk back to her parents’ house, the wheels in Clarissa’s head were turning. Jack Walter had certainly been at odds with Bobby Bates. And he didn’t seem the least bit upset that Bobby was dead.

  Had Jack despised his inconsiderate neighbor enough to murder him?

  Chapter 07

  When Clarissa and her mother arrived back at the house, they found Ed sitting on the front porch. Betty Clark was with him, wearing more glitter than a Vegas showgirl. They were drinking tea and chatting as they looked out at the lush garden.

  Well, Betty was chatting. She appeared to be rambling on and on.

  Ed was sitting there stoically sipping tea and nodding every once in a while.

  Clarissa cracked a smile. That was pretty par for the course. Her mother always joked that her dad had to be quiet because there couldn’t be two talkers in a marriage. Maybe she had a point.

  The cat was curled up by Ed’s feet, snoozing up a storm.

  “Ah it’s about time you two got home. Look who stopped by to visit,” Ed said, immediately standing up. It seemed he couldn’t wait to make his escape. Perhaps Betty had been talking his ear off a bit too much.

  Ed’s abrupt movement made the cat awake with a start. It jumped to its feet, pranced around in a circle and then plunked back down in the exact same spot it had been in. Cats were so weird. And considering it could talk, Clarissa’s cat was exceptionally weird.

  “Hello!” Betty trilled cheerfully.

  She was wearing just as much blue eyeliner as she’d had on the previous night. In fact, it was so caked on that it was settling into the creases of her skin. Thankfully her clothes were so gaudy and covered in sequins that they helped distract from her makeup faux pas.

  “Hi! Where’s Parker?” Clarissa asked.

  “He’s inside fiddling around with the TV remote,” her father replied. Then he puffed up his chest and proudly announced, “I’m going to go inside and see if he needs any help!” With that, he grabbed his teacup and fled into the house.

  “Please,” Constance scoffed after her husband had gone inside. “The only thing Ed knows how to do is turn the TV on and off…and I had to teach him how to do that!”

  Betty threw her head back and laughed. Then she eyed Clarissa. “You have lovely hair, dear. It’s so long and shiny! And oh my, it’s so dark! Have you ever lightened it? I think you would look striking as a blonde!”

  “I…don’t know if I could pull that off,” Clarissa said doubtfully. “I’m too pale for blonde hair!”

  “Nonsense – you’re beautiful, dear. Oh, it must be so good to have your daughter here!” Betty told Constance. “I know how much you miss your girls. One is in Minnesota and the other is…where is your younger daughter, anyway?”

  “Jasmine has been traveling,” Constance replied. “She spent some time teaching English overseas, and now she’s in Montreal working as a barista. She said the poutine up there in Canada is so good that she might never come home! She’d better be joking.”

  “Is poutine a type of coffee?” Betty asked.

  “Poutine is French fries and gravy and cheese curds,” Clarissa explained. “It’s delicious.”

  “I do wish Jasmine was here though,” Constance sighed. “And sometimes I wish Ed and I hadn’t left Sugarcomb Lake. Don’t get me wrong – we love the climate here in Florida, not to mention all our great neighbors. But this feels like an extended vacation. I miss home.”

  “Do you think you’ll move back?” Betty asked. Then she pouted. “I would miss you!”

  Constance shook her head. “Ed is so happy here,” she confided. “Now that he’s retired, he has all the time in the world to pursue hobbies. He fishes and goes golfing all the time. He’s so busy that sometimes I get lonely! He loves our life here in Florida. I can’t ask him to give it up.”

  “Does Dad know you’re unhappy here?” Clarissa asked.

  “I’ll be fine,” Constance insisted. “And I’m much happier now that you’re here visiting! I just wish your sister could be here too. It would be so good to have the whole family together again under one roof, even if only for a few days. It’s been too long.”

  “What’s Jasmine doing for Thanksgiving?”

  “I think she’s going on a ski trip with friends,” Constance replied.

  “Oh. Well what about Christmas?”

  “What about Christmas?” Constance asked.

  “Why don’t you and Dad come to Sugarcomb Lake for Christmas?” Clarissa blurted out before she’d had a chance to think it through. “I’ll invite Jasmine too and we can celebrate the holidays in the old house, just like we used to.”

  Constance lit up like a Christmas tree at that. “Yes!” she exclaimed without hesitation. “Oh Clarissa, that would be just wonderful! I’m so excited! I have to go inside and tell your father the fantastic news!”

  “I’ll come too!” Betty announced, plunking her teacup down on the table next to her chair.

  “Crap,” Clarissa muttered once the other two women had gone into the house.

  Cat opened one eye. “What’s the matter?”

  “I offered to host Christmas,” Clarissa moaned.

  “So? As long as your family doesn’t eat all my turkey, what’s the big deal?” Cat asked.

  Clarissa pursed her lips. “You’ve never spent an extended period of time with my entire family,” she pointed out. “It’s going to be a total gong show, just like it is every year. Oh, crap!” she exclaimed again.

  “Will they bring me presents?” Cat asked, ever the opportunist.

  “Probably,” Clarissa replied.

  “And will I be expected to give them presents in return?”

  “No. You’re a cat.”

  “Excellent,” Cat replied. “I think I’m going to like this family Christmas thing!”

  Chapter 08

  When Clarissa went inside, she heard the unmistakable sound of spoons clinking against coffee mugs. And she smelled something delicious. Her mouth immediately began to water as she followed her nose.

  She walked into the kitchen and found her mother, Betty and Parker seated at the table. They were stirring cream and sugar into their freshly brewed coffee. A plate of gooey homemade cinnamon buns sat out on the table.

  Clarissa’s father, meanwhile, was in the living room. The TV was turned up blaringly loud. He was sitting in a white armchair munching away on a cinnamon bun as he watched his favorite TV show. He looked as happy as a clam.

  “Pull up a chair,” Constance said. “I already poured you a cup of coffee.”

  “Thanks,” Clarissa replied, taking a seat. Then she promptly helped herself to a cinnamon bun. After all, it would be rude not to. Besides, they were absolutely delicious. It was a shame she couldn’t bake the way her mother could.

  Clarissa quickly deduced that she had walked in on a juicy conversation in progress.

  “So as I was saying, I don’t know what Sue Neilson is going to do now that Bobby is dead,” Betty said. “That woman has serious problems. She’s racked up so much debt I doubt she or that poor husband of hers will ever be able to retire!”

  “Can they declare bankruptcy?” Constance asked. “Maybe they could get a fresh start.”

  “I
don’t know. But I do know that Sue owes money to pretty much everyone who was stupid enough to give her a loan,” Betty said. “I doubt she’ll ever be able to pay anybody back. These past few years Bobby was the only person who was still willing to help her out.”

  “It’s a little disappointing that Sue is still allowed in the bingo hall at all,” Constance remarked. “I mean, if everyone knows she has a problem, why don’t they just ban her? She should be kicked out of the bingo hall for her own good!”

  “A few folks have suggested that over the years,” Betty confided. “Bobby always shot them down. And since he was the bingo caller, he was the guy in charge. It was his way or the highway. So Sue was allowed in, and her debts just kept piling up.”

  “That poor woman,” Constance murmured.

  “It’s sort of her own fault,” Betty shrugged. “She should have gotten help for her gambling addiction years ago! I suppose Bobby is to blame, really.” It was evident that Sue really, really had a vendetta against the dead man.

  Constance looked surprised. “Bobby was to blame for Sue’s addiction? Why do you say that?”

  “He enabled her,” Betty explained. “He shouldn’t have kept lending Sue money. Maybe he thought he was helping her, but he was only hurting her. Maybe she would have hit rock bottom and gotten help years ago, if not for Bobby.”

  “How much money had she borrowed from him?” Constance asked.

  Betty shrugged. “Beats me…I’m not sure Bobby himself even knew. He just wanted to be the drunken jolly guy who gave free handouts. I guess it was his way of trying to atone for being a horrible person! But I heard he was in dire straits thanks to his poor financial decisions.”

  Constance wrinkled her nose. “Why did you want to date him, again?”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me!” Betty groaned. “I guess at one time I thought he was sweet. I saw him helping Sue and thought to myself hmm, what a good guy! And let’s be honest: Bobby was a darn good bingo caller!”

  “He was a good bingo caller,” Constance agreed.

  “But he was also a drunken fool! I don’t know why I didn’t recognize it sooner. You know, he did me a favor by turning me down when I asked him out.” It was clear from her angry tone of voice that Betty was still miffed by the rejection.

  “Who is Sue Neilson?” Clarissa chimed in, her curiosity piqued.

  “Oh, you’d know her if you saw her,” Betty assured her.

  Constance nodded in agreement. “I swear that woman has no shame.”

  “Apparently she sneaks out of the house after her husband goes to sleep,” Betty announced. “He doesn’t approve of her gambling, you see. But hubby likes to go to bed right after dinner, which works well for Sue. As soon as he nods off, she slips out to the bingo hall.”

  “I still can’t believe she dresses the way she does!” Constance remarked.

  “How does she dress?” Clarissa demanded.

  “She goes to bingo with her curlers in! Sometimes she even wears her bathrobe!” Betty tittered. “What would her patients at the hospital think if she dressed like that for work? It’s a good thing nurses are required to wear scrubs – otherwise she might wear that ratty old bathrobe to work!”

  Clarissa’s jaw dropped. “I know exactly who you’re talking about!” she exclaimed. “I saw her at the bingo hall last night – she was wearing a bathrobe and had curlers in her hair like a bad stereotype. Sue Neilson is woman who discovered Bobby’s body!”

  She and Parker exchanged a look.

  “Would you like to go for a drive?” Parker asked Clarissa knowingly.

  That was why she loved the man. Well, one of the many reasons!

  “Yes please!” she said without hesitation.

  Clarissa was dying to talk to Sue Neilson. Hopefully the bingo-obsessed gambling addict was working a shift at the hospital. And hopefully she had a spare moment to chat. Clarissa had more than a few questions for her!

  Chapter 09

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  By the time Clarissa and Parker reached the local hospital, she was sweating up a storm. Her forehead was dripping with perspiration and her legs felt like they were made of rubber. In fact, she was a little worried she might collapse.

  “I don’t know what’s come over me,” Clarissa said, breathing heavily. The long, narrow hallways of the hospital seemed endless, and the smell of cleaning products was making her stomach churn. She leaned against the wall, afraid she might slump to the floor at any second.

  “Maybe the heat got to you,” Parker suggested. He looked around. “Hang on.”

  He rushed off around a corner.

  A moment later, he returned pushing a wheelchair.

  “Are you serious?” Clarissa asked, embarrassed.

  Parker gave her a no-nonsense look and nodded.

  She wasn’t in any position to argue. It was either sit in the wheelchair or fall to the floor. The former was definitely less embarrassing than the latter. Clarissa sat down heavily, relishing the feeling of being off her feet.

  “The emergency room didn’t look very busy when I grabbed the wheelchair,” Parker said. “Maybe we should see if we can get a doctor to look at you. Something isn’t right.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Clarissa protested.

  Now that she thought about it, she was fairly sure she was suffering from Side Effects of Magic. That wasn’t exactly a medical condition. It certainly wasn’t something doctors could help her with. Waiting for her symptoms to wear off was her only option.

  “Can I at least get you something to drink?” Parker offered, searching his pockets for loose change. “Maybe a cold bottle of water will help you feel better.”

  Suddenly Clarissa felt very thirsty. “Okay,” she agreed. “That does sound good.”

  Clarissa watched as Parker descended on a vending machine to get her a bottle of water.

  As she sat there waiting, she couldn’t help but admire him. With his thick blonde hair, broad shoulders and strong jaw, he was very good looking. Sometimes it still caught her off guard. He was gorgeous, clever and extremely kind – talk about hitting the jackpot!

  Suddenly something else caught Clarissa’s attention.

  An older nurse clad in obnoxious happy face patterned scrubs was down at the end of the hallway. She had just emerged from a patient’s hospital room, and she was busy marking something down on a chart.

  But it wasn’t her ugly scrubs that got Clarissa’s attention.

  It was the nurse’s identity.

  “Sue!” Clarissa exclaimed under her breath. How perfect.

  She wiped the sweat from her brow and stood up. She was still feeling shaky, but her symptoms seemed less severe now that she had an opportunity to informally interview a person of interest! Clarissa rushed over before Sue could walk away.

  “Excuse me! Excuse me! Sue, isn’t it?”

  Sue stopped and looked at her. “Are you a patient here?”

  “No, I was at the bingo hall the night Bobby Bates died,” Clarissa explained. “I remember you were there, too. In fact, if I’m not mistaken you’re the one who discovered Bobby’s body. Can I ask you a few questions?”

  “I’m working,” Sue snapped. Then she quickly walked away.

  Parker had been listening from afar. Once Sue had disappeared around the corner, he made his way over to Clarissa. “It sounds like that didn’t go so well,” he said. Then he handed her the bottle of water he had bought for her. “Here. Drink up.”

  Clarissa took a long swig of water.

  “I feel better already,” she declared.

  “How can you possibly feel better so quickly?” Parker asked with a touch of amusement.

  She shrugged.

  “You’re just excited about a possible lead,” Parker teased her. “I know you.”

  “You do,” she grinned.

  “Don’t overdo it,” he cautioned.

  “I won’t.”

  Clarissa’s mind was whirling as she tried to process what had
just happened.

  Sue had been completely unwilling to talk. Clarissa wasn’t sure if it was because the gambling addict was guilty, or if she was simply embarrassed to acknowledge she had been at the bingo hall. Either way, she had hastily retreated.

  Clarissa walked around the corner Sue had disappeared around.

  She found herself in the emergency room.

  Parker was right; it looked like a very slow day indeed. There was one older gentleman sitting off in a corner idly flipping through a magazine. That was it. It was perhaps the most deserted hospital emergency room ever.

  “Hmm,” Clarissa murmured under her breath.

  Then she glanced over at the nurses’ desk.

  There sat Sue. She was half-reclined in her chair with her feet propped up on the desk. She had a half-eaten donut in one hand and a paperback book in the other. Clearly she wasn’t busy with work. That had simply been an excuse.

  Summoning up her courage, Clarissa marched over.

  She stood there with her hands on her hips. Then she cleared her throat loudly.

  Sue glanced up from her book. Her face went white when she saw Clarissa standing there.

  “You’re clearly not too busy to talk to me,” Clarissa informed her matter-of-factly. “I’m trying to investigate Bobby’s death, since the police don’t seem to care. I need to know what happened at the bingo hall, Sue.”

  Sue’s eyes widened. “Keep your voice down!” she hissed.

  “Fine, but I need five minutes of your time,” Clarissa insisted.

  “I’m busy,” Sue said through a mouthful of donut.

  Clarissa said nothing. She didn’t need to. The look she gave Sue spoke volumes.

  “Okay, okay…five minutes,” the older woman relented. “What do you want to know?”

  “How well did you know Bobby?”

  Sue shrugged. “He was an acquaintance.”

  “He was only an acquaintance? You knew him well enough to borrow money from him. And I understand you never did repay him. Isn’t that right, Sue?”

  Sue reddened at that. “Doesn’t anything stay private in this town?” she muttered.