“I know, I know. It’s just--I worry that he won’t make friends. I worry that he’ll get singled out because he’s not from around here.”
“I’d worry about the girls following him home,” Rory teased. “That boy’s a born charmer and he’s from the Big City. The girls will love that. I think we might have to get that barn fixed up pretty quick just in case there’s a wedding in your near future,” he teased.
“Oh, no. He’s not getting married until he’s at least thirty,” she joked. “And I think I have a better project for you to focus on than the barn, at least for now.”
Rory cocked his head to one side. “Oh, yeah? What’s that? Does your mama want a bigger chicken coop?”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” she laughed. “She’s got all the chickens that she’s allowed to have. I’m not turning this place into a poultry farm.”
“Hey, they keep the bug population down,” he argued. “But, yeah, they can stink a little,” he relented.
“I think you should build a cabin.”
“Like a log cabin?” Rory scratched the back of his head. “I’m not sure that I know how.”
“It doesn’t have to be a log cabin, just a small bungalow or something.”
“You know, I’d thought about that. I saw an inn up in the mountains that offered bungalows as well as rooms. I think that would be perfect for families, especially if we put in a little kitchenette in each one.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Annie clarified. “I mean a place for you. It would be like a handyman’s cabin. Or bungalow--whatever you want to call it.”
“But, I’m fine in my camper,” Rory replied.
“Yeah, but Rory, it’s a camper. I mean, it can’t be as comfortable as your own little house, can it?” She struggled to find a way to put her next sentence that wouldn’t sound offensive. “And besides, I’m not sure the camper really fits the overall look of the place.” Rory’s face tensed. “Oh, god, that came out wrong. I’m not saying that your camper is ugly. It’s an awesome camper, but I’d like a more permanent place for you to stay.”
“Are you asking me to live here forever?” Rory’s eyebrow shot up, and his lips twitched. “Is that your way of tying me down after all these years?”
Annie’s cheeks blushed in the glow of the porch light. “No, Rory Jenkins, I am not trying to tie you down. I just thought that our live-in handyman ought to have a place to live in.”
Rory laughed. “I know what you meant, woman. And I appreciate the idea. I’d be happy to build it for you and I’ll even live in it, if you want me to. I can store the camper at my parents’ place. My mother won’t mind,” he added.
Annie felt relieved that Rory hadn’t taken offense at her suggestion. She’d been so relieved to find that their relationship had somehow managed to slip into a familiar rhythm despite their romantic history. They had developed an easy friendship that felt natural and good. Occasionally a memory from their past would catch her off-guard, and the thought of what might have been tried to sneak its way into her mind, but she was careful to cut those thoughts out before they had a chance to take root.
She was often surprised by how little she missed her late husband, David. His death had ultimately seemed anticlimactic to her, as though she’d already mourned his loss throughout their marriage. She supposed that she’d actually mourned the marriage itself long before she found out that her husband had been cheating on her, which no doubt lessened the blow of his death.
Rory wasn’t a substitute for David, but he was many of the things that David wasn’t for her. He was a good friend, he was reliable, and he made her laugh. He loved her mother and her son and he seemed to fit well with her little family. While a tiny part of her wondered whether they would stand a chance if they tried to pick up where their romantic relationship had ended all those years ago, a larger part of her was scared that it would disrupt this perfect, delicate balance that they’d struck as friends.
“I’m really glad that you’re here, Rory,” Annie said quietly. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for us more than you could ever know.”
Rory smiled back at her. “I appreciate you, too, Annie Purdy.” She’d become used to him using her maiden name. After all, it’s what he’d called her all those years ago. “I reckon it’s time for me to hit the sack. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, and by the look of a few of your guests, I’m guessing you will, too.”
They rose from their chairs and said their goodnights. Annie watched as Rory made his way down the steps of the front porch and out into the darkness towards his camper. Then she pulled the front door closed behind her, locked it out of habit, and headed upstairs to her own room, hoping that a peaceful night’s sleep would lead to a busy, but otherwise uneventful week. Unfortunately for Annie, things wouldn’t work out quite that way.
5
A Missing Guest Is Found
Annie had learned long ago that she had to get up very early to beat Bessie Purdy at rising. Bessie was literally up with the chickens, often waking at five in the morning to prepare coffee, feed her birds, and sneak Devon’s cat, TigerLily, a few extra treats before the rest of the house woke.
Annie’s mother was one of those lucky souls who seemed to require less sleep than most other human beings. She wandered off to bed after ten on most nights, sometimes reading in bed for hours before giving in to sleep. Annie needed more sleep than she ever seemed to get, but on the first morning of her fully-booked inn’s grand opening, she was up right behind her mother, her nerves still jangling in anticipation of the house’s first full day as a guest house.
Annie dressed quickly and headed straight to the kitchen, following her nose to find her mother patiently tending to the coffeemaker. She grinned as her mother tried to hide the fact that she was feeding the young orange cat cream straight from the fridge. “You’ll give that cat an upset stomach,” she teased before pouring cream into her own mug of coffee.
“Nonsense. Farm cats drink milk straight from the cow,” she added. “TigerLily could be a proper farm cat if we had a proper cow,” Bessie sniffed.
“It is too early to argue with you about cows, Mother.” Annie stirred her coffee and looked out the window. The sun was beginning to rise and her guests would be looking for their own cups of coffee soon. “Why don’t we go sit on the deck and drink these?” she asked. “It’s going to be a beautiful, hot day soon--let’s go sit out by the water before it gets too hot.”
Bessie grinned. “That’s the best part about living here,” she sighed. “It’s like having our own little bit of paradise this early in the morning.” They left the house through the door in the kitchen rather than cutting through the rest of the house. It would be quieter this way and mean that they’d be less likely to wake the sleeping guests.
Annie was happy to see that the lights were still on around the deck. She realized that leaving them on all day would be impractical, but since they were LED lights, she wasn’t overly worried about how much energy they used. She made a mental note to have Rory look online for some solar-powered ones later, debated with herself over whether their cost would be worth it, then resigned herself to the fact that worry-free lights were less expensive than a lawsuit from someone tripping on a darkened deck.
Bessie and Annie sat at one of the tables near the back of the deck and sipped their coffee in silence for a few minutes. Annie stared out across the pond, watching the tiny ripples where water bugs landed bravely, wary of the fish, turtles, and other creatures that lurked beneath the murky water. The sunlight glistened along one edge of the pond, sending shimmers of gold and rose out across the surface of the water.
Living in New York, Annie had missed being so close to nature. She’d spent many hours in Central Park, but it wasn’t the same. Even on a quiet day in the Park she could still feel the presence of the City looming over her. Here, there was nothing. Her closest neighbor was several miles away. She could barely see the road from her driveway, and there was no roar of traffic or chatter of peop
le, just the sound of insects and birds waking up around her.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Bessie said quietly. “I used to love drinking coffee outside with your dad before he passed. He’d probably be fishing right now if he was still alive,” she added, blinking back an errant tear.
Annie nodded. She missed her father more on days like this, when the world felt brand new and sleepy all at the same time. She liked to think that he was watching her sometimes, approving of how much she’d overcome and how hard she’d worked to help bring the plantation and its house back to life.
As she stared out across the pond, a redbird fluttered into sight and landed on one of the deck posts. “Oh,” Bessie whispered. “Would you look at that!”
Annie didn’t know much about birds but she thought that it might be a cardinal. It was a deep shade of red that stood out against the green and brown of the treeline behind it. It seemed to Annie that the bird was watching her and her mother, waiting for an invitation.
“You know what they say about red birds visiting you, don’t you?” Bessie smiled.
“No, what do they say?”
“That it’s the spirit of a loved one, come to visit you.” Bessie sighed. “That’s your father, I’m sure of it.”
Annie watched the bird hop from foot to foot, peering down at the water below it. It was a lovely superstition, and part of her wanted it to be true, but it was a little disconcerting to think of her father flying around and watching her from a bird’s body. Before she could reply to her mother’s cryptic comment, the bird flew away, disappearing into the woods on the other side of the pond.
A glint of metal caught Annie’s eye as the bird departed. She looked down at the deck below where the bird had been perched and saw a cell phone lying on the edge of the deck.
“Well, now, that’s lucky,” she mumbled, rising from her seat. She walked over and picked up the phone. “Someone left their phone out here,” she called to her mother. “They’re lucky it didn’t go in the pond during the night.”
Annie noticed that the phone’s screen was locked and required a password to unlock it. “I guess I’ll just take this inside and ask around. Someone will be missing it, I imagine.” As she turned to walk back to her mother, something in the water caught her eye. She leaned over the edge of the deck, trying to get a better look.
“What is it?” Bessie asked, already making her own way to where Annie stood.
Annie didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Bessie’s gasp matched her own, and both women stepped back from the edge of the deck as though the thing in the water might just rise up and bite them.
“Is that--is he--”
“Dead? I think so,” Annie finished her mother’s question.
“Who is it?” Bessie asked, putting a hand to her mouth.
“I can’t tell,” Annie replied, peering over the edge once more. “Do you think it’s one of the guests?”
Bessie shook her head. “I don’t know, but I know how we can find out.” She knelt down by the edge of the deck.
“Mother! You are not touching that body!” Annie’s voice was louder than she’d intended.
“You’re right--I might contaminate the crime scene,” Bessie conceded, rising to her feet.
“How do you know it’s a crime scene? He could have just fallen in and drowned,” Annie said, hoping that this was the case, yet praying that it wasn’t. An accidental drowning could mean the kiss of death for her business, but a murder could be even worse.
“Let’s go inside and give Emmett a call,” Bessie suggested. “He’ll know what to do. And we can do a headcount to see if anyone is missing,” she added.
Annie didn’t like the idea of leaving the body unattended in the pond, but she knew her mother’s plan was the best one. She glared at the cell phone in her hand, hoping that she hadn’t just contaminated a piece of evidence, like her mother suggested. Grabbing her coffee cup from the table, Annie squared her shoulders and headed for the house. It was going to be a long day, and she was definitely going to need another cup of coffee.
6
Questions, Alibis, and Answers
Emmett Barnes loved visiting Rosewood Place. He enjoyed fishing in its quiet pond on lazy Sundays. Food served at Bessie Purdy’s dinner table always seemed to taste better, and he’d taken a shine to the little family that had transformed the rundown farmhouse into a spectacular bed-and-breakfast. Emmett would have been happy to come out to the old farm for a visit at any time, but the reason for today’s visit was definitely one that he could do without.
He watched as Alan Sherman from the fire department hauled the soggy body out of his beloved fishing hole. “Oh, yeah, he’s dead.” The fireman’s statement was blunt and unnecessary. Unless blue skin was an indicator of perfect health, it was pretty clear that the person who had just been floating in the pond was a goner.
Emmett watched the paramedics load the strange man’s body onto a stretcher and prepare to take it to the county morgue. He sighed at the thought of all the paperwork his visit would elicit, and he groaned as he realized that he’d have to spend the morning supervising the inquiry into the man’s death. For some reason, Delbert Plemmons had insisted on coming out to help with the inquiry. Delbert had been a police officer for almost three years but he seemed to approach every investigation as though it was his first. Delbert loved being a police officer, but Emmett couldn’t help but think that the job didn’t quite love Delbert the same way.
“Chief,” Delbert called out, averting his eyes from the body as it was carried past him. “Would you like me to start interviewing the guests that are staying here?”
Emmett twisted one side of his bushy mustache. “How many are there?”
Delbert pulled a small notebook out of his breast pocket. “Uh, lemme see--there’s six guests checked in and then there’s Annie--Mrs. Richards,” he corrected himself, “and her mama and son. And the handyman,” he added, curling his lips around the word like as if it tasted of something bitter.
Emmett knew that Delbert was mildly infatuated with Annie Richards. Though Delbert was much younger than Annie, he seemed smitten with her all the same, blushing frequently when he spoke to her, finding excuses to accompany Emmett to the old plantation when he visited. Emmett knew that the infatuation was strictly one-way, Annie had no interest in Delbert whatsoever, but he saw no reason to say anything to the young officer. His fascination was likely to fade soon enough, and as long as it didn’t cloud his investigative skills, Delbert could continue to worship Annie from afar.
Emmett glanced at Delbert’s list of guests. “Why don’t you go talk to Miss Fitzsimmons, Miss Robichaud, and Mr. George. I’ll talk to Mr. Reynolds and the Martins, then I’ll chat with Annie and see what she and her mama can tell me.”
If Delbert was disappointed in not being asked to speak to Annie he hid it well, blushing as he interviewed Kizzy. Delbert’s pale cheeks were remarkably pink as he wrote down her movements the previous night.
“So you were the last person out here on the deck,” Delbert asked after hearing Kizzy explain how she’d taken a private phone call after Rob had gone back inside the house.
“Yes, but I swear I didn’t see anybody else out here. I mean, I would have heard somebody falling in the water, I wasn’t that drunk.” It was Kizzy’s turn to blush. “What I meant to say was that even though I had a few drinks, I was not out of my mind. My phone call sort of sobered me up,” she added.
“Who were you talking to?”
“My ex. We were actually arguing, sort of. Well, he was yelling at me, and I was doing my best not to listen. You see, back when we were dating, I bought him a car so he could drive to work. He was supposed to make payments on it, but he lost his job. We broke up a few weeks ago, but he refused to pay me for the car and he wouldn’t just give it back, so I sort of liberated it from his place and hit the road.” She waited for Delbert to say something, but he just nodded. “But the loan was in my name, too. I’ve been making the
payments so my credit wouldn’t get wrecked, so it’s mine, right?”
“Uh, I reckon--I uh, yeah.” He made a few more notes in his notepad. “We’re probably going to need to see your phone to corroborate your story,” he replied almost apologetically.
Kizzy’s face fell. “Oh, that’s going to be a problem. I can’t find it. I was so sure that I put it on the table beside my bed, but when I woke up, I couldn’t find it.”
“Exactly how much did you drink last night?” Kizzy’s glare shrunk Delbert just a little. “Do you think the phone was stolen?” Delbert asked, changing the subject quickly.
“I don’t see how,” Kizzy admitted. “I mean, my bedroom door was shut and locked all night.”
Delbert suddenly had an idea. “What does your phone look like?”
Kizzy described her phone, and Delbert nodded his head. “I think I know where it is.” He asked Kizzy to wait while he approached the Chief, who had finished interviewing the Martins and was now talking to the news anchor.
After a brief chat with Delbert, Emmett left Rob and approached Kizzy. “Miss Fitzsimmons, I’m Emmett Barnes, the Chief of Police. I believe that we have found your phone,” he said, holding up an evidence bag that held the phone that Annie found. “But I’m afraid we’re going to have to hold onto it for a little bit. Once the fellas down at the lab look it over and can corroborate your statement, we’ll get it right back to you.”
Kizzy nodded slowly and sat down on the steps of the veranda. Rob joined her while Delbert and Emmett finished interviewing the guests. After statements were taken and questions answered, the guests were allowed to return to their rooms. Annie, Bessie, Rory, and Emmett stood on the deck overlooking the pond. Emmett had promised them answers, at least as much as he knew already. It would be a few days before some of their questions could be answered, but he filled them in on what he knew.
“According to the man’s driver’s license, his name is Lou Ross. I believe he’s your missing guest, Annie.”
Corpses & Conmen (Rosewood Place Mysteries Book 2) Page 4
