by Jessica Beck
The mayor sat back down with a broad smile on his face. “All I can say is that it’s about time. Now tell me, who are we going to go after?”
“There are three of them, as a matter of fact,” I said.
“It’s going to be a trap, is it?” George asked. “I’m happy to be the bait.”
“Actually, we were hoping that you could be our enforcer. Once the trap is sprung, we need you to be there to keep us from ending up like Jude Williams.”
“I can do that,” George said with a frown.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked.
“I’d rather be the one in danger, truth be told,” he said.
I patted his arm. “We appreciate that, but it won’t work that way. The killer has to think that Grace and I have information about him or her that we’re going to turn over to the police. Since you haven’t been involved in the case all along, they won’t buy that you’ve got it.” I paused, and then I added, “If you’re not comfortable doing it, we can ask someone else. We just thought you’d like to be involved.” He was honestly our last option, but I didn’t want to let him know that.
“No, that’s fine. I’ll do it. When are we going to spring this trap?” he asked eagerly.
“We haven’t decided yet,” I said.
“Well, if you want my opinion, the sooner the better,” George said. “If we wait too long, we could end up missing out altogether.”
“My, you’re eager to get started, aren’t you?” Grace asked him lightly.
“Yes, but I’ve got another motivation as well,” the mayor said. “Polly’s coming back home tomorrow, and I’m not sure that she’d approve of me being your muscle. If we could manage it tonight, that would be great.”
“It’s short notice, but I think we can do it,” I said. “What do you say, Grace?”
“It’s not a bad idea. How exactly are we going to set the trap?”
After a few moments of thought, I said, “How about this? We tell all three suspects that a witness is coming by the donut shop at five AM with some critical new information, and then we wait. I’ll send Emma home early on some pretext after we finish the donuts. Grace, George, if you both want to be in this, I’m afraid that you’re going to have to get up pretty early.”
“It’s not a problem for me,” the mayor said. “I’m usually up around four anyway.”
“Really?” Grace asked him incredulously.
“The older I get, the less sleep I seem to need,” George said.
“Well, it’s going to be a sacrifice for me, but I’ll manage somehow,” Grace said.
“Good. Now all that’s left is contacting our suspects,” I said, just as Momma came out onto the porch.
“Contacting them about what?” she asked.
“It’s not important,” I said, hoping that Momma would let it slide.
To my delight, she did. As she extended a hand to George, she said, “So lovely to have you, Mr. Mayor.”
“Thank you,” George said. “Sorry to be sprung on you at the last second.”
“Nonsense. I should have thought of it myself. If you are all ready, dinner is served.”
After a lovely meal, Momma said, “I hate to dash off, but I promised Phillip a plate tonight.”
“Go. We’d be delighted to do the dishes,” Grace said.
“It’s the least we can do,” I added.
“And I’ll supervise to make sure the job’s done right,” George finished as he winked at my mother. The mayor was certainly in a good mood, no doubt because he was back on our investigative team, albeit briefly.
“I trust that you’ll watch out for my girls,” Momma said to him in a serious manner.
“I’ll guard them with my life,” he said in all earnestness.
“I know you will,” she said as she patted his cheek. “I’m sure you know that if anything were to happen to them, there is no describing the level of my wrath.”
“I’m well aware of it,” George said.
Momma smiled brightly. “Then I’m off.”
After she was gone, I told George, “She knows what we’re up to.”
“She called me one of her girls,” Grace said proudly.
“Of course you are,” George said. “And Suzanne, your mother is a brilliant woman. I’m sure it wasn’t that tough figuring out what we were up to.”
“Then let’s get these dishes done and get started,” I said. “We have a busy night ahead of us.”
As we washed and dried the dishes, we finalized our plans.
“Okay, here’s the finished plan,” I said. “Tell me if either one of you spot any flaws in it. Grace, you and I are going to visit each suspect—in one case, two in one house—and we’re going to apologize for the trouble we’ve caused in our investigation. Then we’re going to drop the bomb that there is an eyewitness who won’t talk to the police without us. We don’t even know who it is yet; they left me a note at the donut shop. They will be meeting us at the diner at five, and the police are coming at six. We don’t know the details yet, but we’re in it up to our eyebrows.”
“What am I supposed to do while all of this is going on?” George asked.
“You’re going to be tailing us to make sure none of our suspects decide to jump the gun. Are you armed right now?”
“I don’t usually carry a weapon to dinner,” George said.
“Then we’ll wait until you can go home and get one,” I said. Honestly, I felt better knowing that George would be watching us from the shadows. He’d been a good cop before he’d retired, and I knew that he was a man we could count on. “What do you think? Have I missed anything?”
“It’s a simple plan, but it should be effective,” George said.
“It sounds good to me, except for the part about us being the cheese in the trap,” Grace said.
I took her soapy hands in mine. “Grace, this will work just as well if I’m the only bait we use.”
“No, thanks. I’m going to be right there with you, Suzanne. If anything happens to you, it’s going to happen to me, too.”
George said, “Ladies, while you’re under my protection, nothing is going to happen to either one of you. I promise you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Grace said.
“You don’t doubt me, do you?” George asked with a hint of hurt in his voice.
She put a hand on his shoulder. “George, I trust you with my life.”
“Good. Then let’s finish these dishes so that we can get started,” he said.
Chapter 21
Before I rang the doorbell at Lisa and Frank’s house, I looked around behind me. There was no sign of our escort. “George, are you there?” I whispered.
“I’m here,” he said so softly that I almost missed him.
“Shh. Someone’s already coming to the door,” Grace said as she tugged on my arm.
I knocked before they could open it, so when they did, it wouldn’t appear as though they’d caught us doing something that we shouldn’t have been doing.
So I hoped.
Lisa opened the door slightly as she said, “Go away.”
“Is your husband at home?” I asked her.
Suspicion quickly crossed her face. “What do you want with Frank?”
“Who’s there?” I heard him ask from inside.
“It’s nobody,” Lisa said.
“It’s Suzanne and Grace,” I said loud enough to be sure that he heard.
“Now you’ve done it,” Lisa hissed at me.
I wasn’t going to let that deter me. “I’m sorry, but I need to speak with both of you.”
She was still frowning at us when Frank came into view. The look of anger and disgust on his face was palpable, and I was suddenly glad that we’d brought George with us. “I don’t know what it’s going to take to get my message across, but words obviously aren’t enough.” He started to roll up his sleeves as he came toward us, and I heard movement behind us. I had to end this before George was e
xposed and our plans were blown.
“There’s no need to be upset. We came to apologize,” I said quickly.
The movement behind us stopped as Frank halted his forward progress. “Go on. We’re listening,” he said.
“We never should have bothered you in the first place, and we’re very sorry about it. Grace and I just wanted to come say that in person.”
“We accept your apology,” Lisa said quickly as she tried to pull her husband back inside, no doubt so they could slam the door in our faces.
“Not so fast,” he said as he jerked his arm free. Turning back to me, he asked, “Why the sudden change of heart, Suzanne?”
That was the question I’d been hoping for. “We actually just got a break in the case.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“Someone spotted the killer right after they hit Jude Williams with that iron bar,” I said. “They’ve been afraid to come forward up until now, but they’re coming by the donut shop at five tomorrow morning to tell the police everything.”
“How does this involve you?”
“Whoever witnessed the murder won’t say a word unless we’re right there with them,” I said.
“So you don’t even know who it is?” he asked.
“Not yet, but that’s going to be resolved soon enough,” Grace replied. “We truly are sorry for inconveniencing you with all of our questions.”
“You’ve made your apologies,” Lisa said. Was she that afraid? If it wasn’t her husband who had spooked her, someone else had done a pretty good job of it. “Thanks for stopping by.”
This time Frank allowed himself to be pulled back inside. There was an odd look on his face, as though he was still mulling over what we’d just told him. Neither one of them had done anything overt to make them look guilty, but neither did they act innocent.
Once we were back in the Jeep, I drove down the street and then pulled into a parking space. George soon parked right behind me, and he got out and approached the Jeep.
“That was close,” he said. “I thought he was going to come after you, and I wasn’t sure that I could get there in time.”
“It worked out fine, though, didn’t it? That’s really all that counts.”
“You handled him like a pro, Suzanne,” George said. “You didn’t even really need me there watching your back.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” Grace said, the relief clear in her voice. “If you hadn’t been there, I would have jumped off that porch the second Frank came out.”
“I’m just glad that I could finally help,” the mayor said, clearly pleased that he’d been able to back us up.
“Two down, and one to go,” I said. “Are we ready to tackle Reggie now?”
“Give me a minute to get there ahead of you,” George said.
“You’ve got it.”
Before George left to return to his own car, he looked at us and said, “I know I shouldn’t say this, but this is kind of fun, isn’t it?”
“It’s actually pretty dangerous,” I said, reminding him that we weren’t playing around. We were baiting a killer, and things could still go horribly wrong for us if our plan didn’t work.
“I know, but I miss the excitement. It’s just not the same presiding over a city council meeting, or sitting in on the zoning board.”
“We’ll try not to stimulate your level of excitement too much,” I said as I fought back a yawn. “If I’m going to get any sleep at all tonight, we need to make this quick.”
“Got it, boss,” he said, and then he actually trotted back to his car. George had suffered a pretty severe leg injury once upon a time helping me, and it was nice to see that he’d fully recovered from it.
I just hoped no one else got hurt because of one of my investigations. It had nearly made me swear off any amateur sleuthing in the future, but circumstances kept dragging me back in. It appeared that for me, there was no getting away from it.
“Hi, Reggie,” I said when he answered the door ten minutes later.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked as he looked at Grace and me. It was pretty clear that he wasn’t all that happy about seeing either one of us. It seemed to be the night for it, but I decided not to take it personally.
“We came to apologize,” Grace said, beating me to it.
“About?” he asked.
“Everything,” I answered. After I repeated our story, I concluded by saying, “We meant no disrespect to you or your daughter. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive us.”
“We’re okay,” Reggie said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m watching a movie.”
“That’s all we wanted to say,” I said, and Grace and I left the porch.
George followed us again, and we stopped by the clock near city hall. “That was all relatively painless, wasn’t it?” the mayor said. It was clear that he was actually a little disappointed by the lack of action. “What do we do now?”
I didn’t even try to hide my yawn this time. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m going home to get as much sleep as I can. No matter how this plays out in the end, I still have donuts to make tomorrow.”
“How can you do that, knowing that you’re going to confront a killer tomorrow?” George asked me.
“How could you put on your uniform and strap your gun on every day when you were a cop, knowing that something very bad could happen to you at any time?” I asked him.
“That was different. It was just all part of the job.”
“Well, that’s the way it is with me. Rain or shine, snow or sun, I make donuts. It’s what I do, but it’s more than that. It’s a part of me.”
“Can you ever envision yourself doing anything else?” Grace asked me softly.
“I don’t honestly know,” I said. “Given the right circumstances, I might be able to find another passion in my life.”
“Like for someone currently in Alaska?” George asked.
I just laughed. “Good night, George.”
“Night, ladies. I’ll see you both bright and early.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said, and then I drove Grace home.
As I pulled up in front of her house, she hesitated before getting out. “Suzanne, do you regret your decision not to go to Alaska with Jake?”
“Do you want to know the truth?” I asked her.
“I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.”
“I still might end up there,” I said after a long moment of silence.
“Are you thinking about joining him?” she asked, clearly surprised by my answer.
“I’m considering it,” I said. “Would you ever be able to forgive me if I did?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Suzanne, I would never hold following your heart against you. Just make sure to get a place with enough room for me to visit. I’ve got vacation saved up, so be warned. If you end up going, I’ll be coming your way soon.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said, “but I haven’t made any decisions one way or the other yet.”
“In the end, you’ll make the right one. I’m sure of it.”
“I wish I could be that sure myself. Good night, Grace.”
“Good night, Suzanne. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “If there had been any other way, I would have made the time closer to your liking, say noon.”
“Yes, we need to work on that in the future,” she said with a smile as she got out.
“Will do,” I said, and then I drove the short distance down the road home.
Momma was back already; at least her car was in its spot, and from the way the cottage was lit up, I expected to walk in and see her sitting on her usual spot on the sofa reading her latest mystery.
What I found inside, though, was something entirely, and frighteningly, different.
Chapter 22
“Put the knife down, Lisa,” I said in horror as I saw that she held a long blade to my mother’s throat. “You don’t wa
nt to do something that you’re going to regret.” It appeared that our trap had indeed caught a rat, just too soon for us to react in time.
“I’ll put it down when you tell me who your source is, and don’t try to feed me that bull that you don’t know who it is. You made it pretty clear that you knew, or at least that you thought you did. I’ll take whatever name you’ve got.”
“It was all just a ruse,” I said, trying to be as transparently truthful as I could be. “We wanted to trap the killer, so we made up that story. We didn’t think that you’d react before you found out who the eyewitness really was.”
“Why would I do that, when you made it so easy for me to take you out first? By we, I’m assuming you mean you and Grace.”
“Who knows? There could be more,” I said, hoping to change her mind from killing my mother and me. I turned to look at my mother and I asked, “Are you okay, Momma?”
“I’m fine, dear,” she said.
Lisa dug the knife in a little, and a line of blood trickled down Momma’s skin. “I told you not to say a word when Suzanne got home,” Lisa said angrily.
“My daughter asked me a question,” she said.
“I don’t care if the Queen of Hearts asks you to tea; the next word you say will be your last, and when I’m finished with you, I’ll kill your daughter, too.”
Momma didn’t respond, but I did see her eyes dart over to the closet where we kept a baseball bat on hand for protection. It wouldn’t have done us much good if Lisa had brought a gun, but in a knife fight, it could come in pretty handy.
But I had to get to it without Momma dying first, and that I could not imagine doing.
“Why did you kill Jude?” I asked. “Was it because of the fake gold he sold your husband, or because he was done with you?”
Lisa shook her head. “Don’t try to be clever, Suzanne; it doesn’t suit you. Who do you think gave Jude that gold-plated junk in the first place? I knew that it was worthless, but I also realized that my husband wouldn’t be able to tell. It was supposed to be our seed money.”
I nodded as though I understood. “So, no to the gold, but yes on the rejection.”
