by Jessica Beck
I wanted to assure her that he might have, but Grace stepped forward again. “They were hard to find, so maybe nobody else will see them. How long had you two been having an affair?”
“Just a month, but I broke it off two days ago.”
“Is there anyone else who can confirm that?” Grace asked.
“I didn’t exactly tell anyone when it started, so why would I tell them when I ended it?” Lisa said. “And keep your voice down, would you? My husband’s in the living room taking a nap.”
“We’ll do our best,” I said. “Lisa, did Frank have any idea about what you were up to?” I asked softly.
She looked shocked by the very idea of it. “Are you crazy? If he even suspected, things would have gone horribly wrong for Jude and me both.” The realization that something had indeed happened to Jude hit her at that moment. “No. No. I don’t believe it. Frank would never do it.”
“Never do what?” a sleepy gruff man’s voice asked from the house.
Lisa was at a loss for an explanation, but Grace stepped right up. “We thought you ordered three dozen donuts. They’re back in Suzanne’s Jeep. Should we go on and bring them in?”
I hoped he didn’t say yes, since we didn’t even have a donut hole on us at the time.
“I never ordered any donuts,” he said roughly. “What are you trying to pull here?”
“Nothing at all,” I said. “My mistake.” How were we going to get out of this in one piece?
Grace tapped my shoulder, and as I turned toward her, she pulled a small pad from her purse as she said, “Look, these are for an address in Union Square. It was just a mix-up all along.”
I pretended to study her grocery list for a moment before I said, “You’re right. Sorry to bother you both.”
“Hang on a second,” Frank said ominously, and I waited for one of his meaty paws to descend on my shoulder.
“Yes?” I asked.
“What kind of donuts are we talking about here?”
This one I could answer myself. “They’re special order, so I’m afraid they aren’t for sale. Sorry again to trouble you both.”
“Whatever,” he said as he went back into the house.
“Thank you,” Lisa said softly.
“Frank’s going to find out sooner or later,” I said. “You really should tell us everything you can about who might have wanted to kill Jude.”
“Do you mean besides his crazy old aunt, Gabby Williams?”
“Besides her,” I said. I doubted that Gabby had done it, but even if she had, I wasn’t going to leave it at that. “Who else might have wanted to harm him, Lisa?”
“You really should talk to Reggie Nance. He’s been gunning for Jude since I’ve known him.”
That was the second time I’d heard Reggie’s name mentioned that day linked to Jude. “You mean about his daughter?” I asked.
“You’d better believe it. That man was crazy. He even threatened to kill Jude right in front of me,” she said.
“I already had his name on my list,” I said. “Surely there has to be someone else.”
Lisa seemed to think about it for a moment. “The only other person I can think of is Peter Hickman.”
Hearing her say the name of Max’s best man really threw me. He’d been the last name I’d expected to hear from Lisa as a possible suspect. “What does Peter have to do with it?” I asked.
“He’s the one who beat Jude up yesterday. He wasn’t the only one to score a few punches, though. Peter got messed up himself. You know what? You should really talk to—”
From the other room, we all heard Frank call out, “Lisa? What are you still doing out there?”
“I’ve got to go,” she said breathlessly, but before she left, she hesitated for a moment. “Poor Jude. What a sad waste. How big was the bar that killed him?”
That was an unusual question, one I didn’t have the answer to. “I’m not sure, but I doubt that it was light. Why do you ask?”
“No reason,” she said quickly, and then Lisa darted back inside, closing the door hard behind her.
“That was interesting,” Grace said.
“What made you lie about his cellphone?” I asked her as we walked back to my Jeep. “Saying we had a donut delivery was really clever of you, but talking about pictures that we couldn’t have seen was something else entirely.”
“I’m sorry, Suzanne. I could tell that she was holding something back, and that she was afraid of something. It seemed like the next logical step to me.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “I wouldn’t have thought about bluffing like that in a million years.”
“I can’t tell,” Grace said with a slight smile. “Are you congratulating me on using initiative, or are you scolding me for stepping over the line?”
“Why can’t it be a little bit of both?” I asked.
“I suppose that it can,” Grace said. “You’re right, though. I probably shouldn’t have said that last bit.”
“I just worry that if Lisa is innocent, you’ve given her some sleepless nights ahead of her. You might have struck gold this time, but I really don’t like lying to the people we question, at least not about something as serious as that. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said somberly. “I’ll watch my step in the future.”
“Just don’t give anybody nightmares if you can help it,” I said with a smile.
“Except the killer, of course,” she added.
“You can do whatever you’d like to the murderer. I’ll even help if I get the chance.”
“Fair enough. Where should we go now?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. “I’ve never been a big fan of Peter Hickman’s, but we need to go to Max’s to see him next. I suspected that he got into a fight with someone after what Emily told me yesterday, and after what Lisa just said, it was clearly Jude. What I want to know is who started it, who finished it, and what was it all about in the first place?”
“Those are all good questions,” Grace said. “Should I ask him myself?”
I was surprised by the offer. “Thanks, but I can handle him just fine.”
“I wasn’t trying to overstep,” Grace said. “I just know that you two have a long history of disliking each other, so if I can make it go smoother, I’m happy to step in.”
“Let me lead off, and if I need you, feel free to jump in,” I said.
“I’d be delighted.”
“Only try not to go so far off script this time, okay?”
“I promise,” she said.
I knew that Grace had meant well, and this time she’d actually struck gold with her assumptions, but I didn’t like running an investigation that way. We were on the hunt for a killer, and I knew that I couldn’t afford to be squeamish about the tactics we used, but I also had to live with most of these folks long after the murder had been solved, and I didn’t want to make any enemies that I didn’t have to in the process of tracking down the killer. Besides, I wanted to be able to sleep at night myself, and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to do it if I started accusing folks of all kinds of unacceptable behavior without a lick of proof to back any of it up. I might not be as successful operating that way, but if that was the biggest consequence of my actions, I could live with it.
Chapter 9
The only problem was that Peter was nowhere to be found.
To make matters worse, Max was gone as well. Peter had to be staying with my ex-husband, so I was disappointed when no one answered the door when we knocked.
I turned to say something to Grace when I spotted a car starting up and driving away from the way that we’d just come. “Who was that?” I asked her.
“I don’t know. Should we follow them?”
“Come on. Jump into the Jeep.”
We started after the car, and I caught one glimpse of the man driving before he lost me.
It was Reggie Nance.
Why would he be staking out Max’s house? Was he after my ex,
or Peter? Why would he want to have words with either one of them? After all, the man he’d threatened to kill was already dead. Was Reggie taking care of all of his old grudges, and did that mean that he’d started with Jude and was about to move on to the next name on his list?
“We lost him,” Grace said.
“That’s okay,” I said as I stopped and turned around in someone’s driveway.
“Why are you taking this so calmly?” she asked me.
“Because I saw who it was,” I said as I drove at easier pace.
“Don’t keep it a secret from me. Who was it?”
“Reggie Nance,” I said.
“What would Reggie want with Max or Peter?”
“I can’t figure that, either, but wouldn’t you like to ask him for yourself?”
“So, that’s where we’re going now,” Grace said.
“Unless you have any objections,” I answered.
“No, ma’am. You’re in the driver’s seat for this thing, and I mean that literally.”
We pulled up in front of Reggie Nance’s house, and I was surprised to see that his car was pulled up in front. If I hadn’t seen him myself, I might have believed that he’d been there all along.
“Suzanne, how sure are you that it was Reggie that you saw?”
“I’m pretty sure,” I said as I parked the Jeep behind his car and got out. I put a hand on his car hood, and it was hot to the touch. “Feel that,” I said to Grace.
She did as I asked then pulled her hand quickly away. “Wow, he must have raced straight over here. Let’s go see where the fire was.”
“Let’s take this one easy, okay?” I asked her.
“Okay by me. You lead, and I’ll follow.” Grace paused, looked around the overgrown lawn and the house with its chipped paint, and then she added, “He’s really let this place go downhill, hasn’t he?”
“You should have seen it when Debbie was alive. She made it into a showplace for her father, but I guess he just lost the heart to keep it up.”
“It’s tragic all the way around, isn’t it?” Grace asked sadly.
“It is.” I knocked on the door, and Reggie answered, toweling off his hair. It was clear that he was trying to make it look as though he’d just gotten out of the shower, but I knew better. There was no way he would have time to do that since we’d seen him racing away in his car.
“What can I do for you, Suzanne?”
“First, you can drop the act,” I said.
“What are you talking about?”
“We saw you in front of Max’s place three minutes ago. You barely had time to wash your hands, let alone take a shower.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been here all afternoon,” he said as he finished drying his hair and threw the towel over his shoulder. I would have liked to wrap it around his neck. I hated being lied to.
“Then why is the hood of your car hot enough to fry eggs on?” Grace asked.
“The sun must be warmer than it feels,” Reggie insisted.
“Are you really going to try to play it that way?” I asked. Grace had just asked the question I’d been about to ask myself, so I couldn’t exactly get mad at her for jumping on it.
“Like I said, you lost me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got things to do.”
He closed the door on us, not quite slamming it in our faces, but it was close enough.
“He’s lying to us,” Grace said.
“I’m just glad that you believe me. If I hadn’t felt his car hood, I’d be having doubts myself.”
“Suzanne, I trust your word over anyone I know. If you say it was Reggie at Max’s place, then it was Reggie. Besides, that hood was hot!”
“Thanks for believing me,” I said. I decided that there was nothing that we could do now, so I turned and started back to my Jeep.
“Are we just going to give up and go away?” Grace asked as she stood firmly on the porch.
“No, but this angle of attack clearly didn’t work. We’re going to have to be a little craftier if we’re going to learn anything from Reggie Nance.”
“Ooh, I love crafty,” she said. “Just as long as you mean sneaky by it.”
“That’s what I mean. I’m just not sure I know how to go about it.”
“Don’t worry,” Grace said. “I’m sure that your devious mind will come up with something.”
“Thanks, I think,” I said as we got in and I started the engine.
“Oh, it was a compliment,” Grace said. “We still have a little bit of time before dinner. Do you have any other ideas about where we can go now?”
I was about to answer when my cellphone rang. “Hang on one second,” I said as I turned the engine back off. Was Jake finally getting back to me?
It was Emily instead. “Hi, Emily,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“Suzanne, did I catch you at a bad time?” she asked.
I had to cheer up, and fast. My friend was getting married, and she was counting on me. “No, not at all. How are things going?”
“Mother has things moving like clockwork. It’s as though she’s spent her entire life planning for this wedding, and there’s no stopping her. I’m beginning to wonder who’s more excited about this wedding, her or me.”
“She’s just happy for you,” I said. “Would you like me to say something to her?”
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t ask you to do that. She’ll be fine.”
“Then what can I do to make your life easier?”
“You can tell me your plans for the wedding donuts,” she said. “It’s just about the only thing on the list that Mom is letting someone else handle, and she keeps asking me what you’ve got in mind.”
Honestly, I hadn’t had much time to think about it, let alone come up with any ideas I thought might work. I couldn’t exactly tell her that, though. “I’m kicking around a few overall concepts at the moment. I know that you like your donuts loaded with toppings, and Max will eat anything, but do you have any special requests for your guests?” Maybe she’d give me something to go on.
“No, I trust your judgment,” she said. “Can you at least give me a hint about what you’re considering?”
“I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you until I get all of the details worked out,” I said.
“I understand that,” she said, though she sounded a little disappointed. “I know there’s not much time, Suzanne, but if anybody can do it, you can.”
“I appreciate the show of faith in me,” I said.
“Emma told me that you were a genius with donuts, so who am I to contradict her?” Emily asked with a laugh, and then she hung up.
“Remind me to thank my assistant for raising the bride’s expectations beyond belief,” I muttered to myself.
I must have said it louder than I’d planned, because Grace asked, “What did Emma say?”
“That wasn’t Emma; it was Emily,” I said. “Evidently the bride is expecting a donut extravaganza for her wedding reception.”
“It’s kind of a quirky idea, isn’t it?” Grace asked me.
“Quirky is the nicest thing you can say about it,” I replied. “Change of plans. I need to start planning this donut display, and I mean right now.”
“Would you like some help? I’m not sure how much actual aid I can deliver, but I’m great at providing moral support.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” I said. “Let me call Momma and see what’s for dinner.”
“You know me. I’ll eat anything your mother makes,” Grace answered with a smile.
“I would to, but I have to make sure that she’s going to be there.”
I called Momma’s number, and she picked up on the fourth ring. “Suzanne, are you coming home soon? Dinner is nearly ready.”
“That sounds great. Is there room enough for one more?”
“Is Jake coming?” she asked hopefully.
“No, it’s just Grace,” I said as I glanced over at my best friend.
Grace looked more amused by the comment than anything else, and I mouthed, “Sorry” to her. She just shrugged, but she was smiling all the same.
“Grace would be lovely,” Momma said. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve got plenty of food.”
“See you soon, then.”
“I’ll be here,” Momma said.
After I hung up, Grace asked, “Just Grace?”
“She thought that Jake might be coming,” I explained.
My friend’s smile softened. “I wonder why you haven’t heard from him yet?”
“No doubt he’s extremely busy,” I answered quickly. This was definitely not a subject I wanted to discuss, with Grace or anyone else. “By the way, you’re welcome to join us for dinner,” I said.
“I appreciate that. Should we start planning the wedding donuts now, or should we wait until we’ve got full stomachs?”
“I don’t think that there’s a second to lose,” I said as I headed back home. “I’ll get Momma’s advice, too, but we need to start brainstorming about this right now on the drive home.”
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to come up with anything that didn’t sound ridiculous by the time we pulled into the drive at the cottage. I parked my Jeep, and Grace and I walked up the steps together. Jake was constantly on my mind, but I knew that it would be foolish to try to get in touch with him now. Most likely he was too busy to talk to me.
At least that’s what I hoped was the reason that he hadn’t gotten back in touch with me yet.
The second I walked through the door, the aromas of barbequed chicken hit me full on. “Momma, you’ve outdone yourself.”
“I hope you like it,” she said. “The chicken was on sale at the supermarket, so I added some veggies, too. I know how much you love sizzling yams, tiny potatoes, and baby carrots.”
“Thanks for including me,” Grace said as she hugged my mother and kissed her cheek.
“Goodness, you should know that you are always welcome here. Wash up, ladies, and I’ll get a few last-minute things settled here.”
Grace went to wash her hands, and I called out to her, “I’ll be right there.”
I hugged my mother, and as I did, I whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”
“Of course,” she said as she hugged me tightly. “Why exactly are you thanking me, Suzanne? Not that I’m not appreciative.”
