Invitation to Murder (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries)

by Tim Myers

  After I fed my roommates, I tried to decide what to do next. There were a thousand things on my mind, but I couldn’t come up with a single action I could take to help with any of them, so I popped in While You Were Sleeping—my all-time favorite movies, made some popcorn and settled in for the night.

  At least that had been my plan.

  Chapter 9

  I almost didn’t answer my door when I heard the pounding knock a few hours later. My movie had just ended, and what I wanted more than anything in the world was to put the day behind me and just relax before I went to bed. I knew if it was my brother out there and I didn’t answer his summons in about twenty seconds, he’d have the SWAT team there before I could say “Boo.” I turned the outside light on and looked through my peephole out onto the landing. When I saw who was standing there, I decided the full police force of Rebel Forge would have been more welcome than this particular guest.

  “What is that?” I said to Sara Lynn as I opened the door.

  “It’s my suitcase,” she said as she brushed past me and walked into my apartment uninvited.

  “I hope that means you’re collecting old clothes for the Salvation Army.”

  Sara Lynn sniffed the air. “If you won’t come stay with me, I’m going to move in here with you.”

  “You’ve been sniffing too much spray adhesive at your shop. There is no way I need another roommate.” Another thought occurred to me. “What’s your husband think about all of this?”

  “Bailey didn’t get a voice in the matter,” Sara Lynn said as she moved toward my smaller second bedroom. I knew I should have gotten a studio apartment. The best way to be sure I didn’t have houseguests, welcome or not, was to make sure there was nowhere for them to sleep.

  “He might not get a say, but I do,” I said, grabbing the edge of her suitcase before she could unpack. Sara Lynn tried to tug it out of my grip, but I was holding on for all I was worth. I added, “Listen, Sis, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, but this I place is kind of small for one person. Throw in two cats and with one more body here, we’ll be stepping all over each other.”

  “Nonsense,” Sara Lynn said. “I think it will be cozy.” She tugged her suitcase again and it slipped out of my hands. With a look of smug satisfaction she went into the spare bedroom and laid it on the dresser. Oggie and Nash were both on the guest bed, staking out their territory. At least they were on my side. Sara Lynn looked at them, raised one eyebrow and scowled. The cowards both leaped off the bed and scampered out the door, no doubt taking up residence on my bed in the other room. Sara Lynn smoothed the comforter with her hand, then sat on the edge of the bed. “This will be perfect.”

  “Come on, I’m a grown woman. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “Bradford and I disagree.” Her features softened for a moment. “Jennifer, you shouldn’t be alone until our brother catches this killer. There’s strength in numbers.”

  “What are you going to do if somebody breaks in? I’m bigger than you are,” I said flatly. It was ludicrous that my sister, nearly a foot shorter and sixty pounds; lighter, would be able to spring to my defense.

  “Size isn’t everything, Jennifer.” She unzipped her bag, and I wondered if there was any room left for her clothes after I spied the arsenal inside. Sara Lynn rummaged through her collection and handed me a canister on a key chain. “That’s Mace. You should keep that with you at all times.”

  “Is that a stun gun?” I asked, peering into her bag. “It is,” she said proudly. “I make the bank deposits for my store every night. You’d better believe that I’m fully prepared for anything that might come my way. I’ve got passive defenses in here, and some more aggressive ones, too.” She pulled out a doorstop and something the size of a tennis ball on a looped wire.

  “I’m not even sure I want to know what you’re going to do with those.”

  Sara Lynn walked out past me, and I was tempted to stay behind to check out the rest of her arsenal, but I had to see what she was up to. As she nudged the wedge under the front door, she said, “This is the cheapest and easiest way to keep someone from coming in through the door.” She hung the ball on the inside doorknob and explained, “If they happen to get through it, though, this ball senses vibrations, and if the door moves a fraction of an inch, it lets off the most awful shrieking you’ve ever heard in your life. Now let’s have a look at your windows.”

  After Sara Lynn made her security sweep of my apartment, she said, “There, now don’t you feel better?”

  I wasn’t about to admit that it would be nice having her there with me. “I feel like I’m in jail,” I said.

  “Better there than in the ground. Do you need the bathroom, or can I grab a quick shower?”

  “Be my guest,” I said. After I got her a fresh towel and washcloth, she started for the bathroom, then hesitated at the door. “Oh, and don’t, go snooping into ay bag while I’m gone. There are things in there that bite.”

  “Please, that thought never crossed my mind.” Blast it, she’d known exactly what I was going to do before I did. That was the trouble with being around someone who had known me my entire life. I walked back into my bedroom and saw both cats curled up on my pillows. “A fat lot of help you two were. You caved the second she looked at you.”

  Both of them continued to ignore me, a condition that was more status quo than anything. They’d taken the forced relocation without the slightest protest, and I wondered if Oggie and Nash were trying to tell me something. No, most likely they were just responding to Sara Lynn’s forceful personality. Sometimes I gave my cats too much credit for their behavior. As I sat down on the edge of my bed, both of them came over to me and nestled into my lap. As I stroked them, I heard the dual humming of their purrs, and despite my agitated mood, I had to admit that I did feel better having them there with me. By the time Sara Lynn s got out of the shower, I’d resigned myself to having my sister as a temporary roommate. She was blow-drying her hair when I walked to the bathroom door. I started to say something, but she held up one hand, signaling for me to wait until she was finished. I reached over and pulled the plug out of the outlet, and her dryer died instantly.

  “What’s so urgent?” Sara Lynn said, watching the plug, which was still in my hand.

  “We need to get a few things straight. As much as I love you, you are an uninvited guest, so I expect you to do things my way or you can go home to your husband. I’m not sure how long you can stay, but when I say it’s time for you to go home, you go, no arguments and no fights. Okay?”

  “You won’t even know I’m here,” Sara Lynn said as she pulled the plug out of my hands. I wasn’t sure how it would be having my sister staying with me, but it didn’t look like I was going to have much choice in the matter. Later, with all the lights out and my bedroom door shut, I could still feel her presence with me. If I was being honest with myself, I had to admit that it was a nice feeling. I just hoped she didn’t have to stay long. I valued my privacy above most things in my life, and I’d grown used to living on my own.

  The next morning, I woke up to the smell of waffles wafting into my bedroom from the kitchen. Grabbing a robe, I walked out, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  “Morning,” I mumbled. “That smells great.”

  “Sit down and have one while it’s hot,” Sara Lynn said. She was already dressed for work and was bustling around in my kitchen like it was hers.

  “Was that in your suitcase, too?” I asked as I pointed to the waffle maker.

  “Bailey and I bought it for you as a housewarming present when you first moved in here,” she said. “I found it in your hall closet, still in its box.”

  “So that’s where it was,” I said. Sara Lynn had even heated the syrup on the stove top, just like Mom had always done. I took one bite, then decided that having a roommate might not be such a bad thing after all. “You’re up pretty early,” I said.

  “After we finish breakfast, I’m going by the house before I open the
shop. I have a few more things to get that I didn’t bring with me last night.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” I said, despite the golden treat I was eating. “You’re not moving in to stay.”

  “Jennifer, it hardly makes sense for me to scramble back and forth every time I need something.”

  “Look at it this way,” I said after swallowing another bite. “It will give you and your husband a chance to see each other every morning. I’m sure he misses you already.”

  “You’re kidding, right? If I know Bailey, he’s already been to the doughnut shop, no doubt coming home with a dozen different treats. That man would wallow in sugar and lard if I let him.”

  “So you should be there with him to protect his health,” I said. I took another bite, and my argument for my sister’s eviction was growing weaker by the moment. I’d forgotten what a good cook she’d become, and if Sara Lynn stayed too long, I’d have to start jogging again so I could fit into my clothes.

  “He’ll be fine on his own for a while,” she said. “In fact, it might do him some good to realize how much I do for him.”

  I didn’t want to go there, not for a second. Both my siblings had married spouses that I got along with, but if the positions were reversed and I’d been forced to stay with one of them, I think I would have checked in at the Rebel’s Call Motel downtown.

  Sara Lynn grabbed a plate, popped a freshly made waffle on it, then sat down beside me. “I cooked, so you get to do dishes.”

  “I knew there was a catch,” I said, though honestly I didn’t mind doing them, not if I was going to feast like this.

  “So what would you like tonight?” she asked. “I thought I’d grab something on the way home,” I said. “What do you feel like, Chinese or Italian?”

  “I feel like a home-cooked meal, Jennifer. Don’t concern yourself; I’ll pick up some groceries on the way back here after work. Isn’t it convenient that you already gave me a key to your apartment?”

  I’d done it so she could take care of Oggie and Nash on the few occasions I left town, but I’d never meant for it to be a permanent thing. “Just don’t get too used to it. Like I said, this is just temporary.”

  She waved a hand in the air, dismissing my comment like she was shooing away a gnat. After we finished eating, Sara Lynn said, “I’m going to go, but I’ll see you this evening. If you need anything in the meantime, let me know.”

  “I will,” I said as I watched my sister disarm her apartment defenses.

  Once she was gone, I stretched and decided to do the dishes before I took my shower. It was quick work, and before long I was ready to start my day. Going to my car, I saw a figure standing across the way watching me. My heart stuttered until I recognized Wayne’s pickup truck parked at the end of the lot.

  I wondered if he’d been out there all night doing penance for losing me the night before.

  Bradford was at the shop waiting for me. I pointedly ignored him as I brushed past him on the sidewalk and unlocked my front door. He said, “Hey, why the cold shoulder?”

  “How would you like it if Sara Lynn came to your house to stay, unannounced and uninvited?” I said.

  “If she cooked for me, I could probably learn to live with it.”

  “That’s not funny, Bradford. Between the two of you, I don’t have a minute to myself. Oh, and stop punishing Wayne. He was still outside my door this morning keeping a lookout.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “I saw his truck, and he was in the bushes right across from my apartment. You should teach your deputies how to stake someone out better, Bradford.”

  My brother shook his head. “Maybe I did come down on him a little harder than I should have. I told him to go home last night at midnight.”

  “Great, so now he’s stalking me.”

  Bradford said, “I sincerely doubt that. Don’t worry; I’ll have a talk with him.”

  “I think you’ve done entirely too much talking, big brother. Did you arrest Frank last night?”

  Bradford scratched his chin. “I would have if I could have found him. He wasn’t in any of his normal hangouts, and they hadn’t seen him at the shelter, either.”

  I remembered the icy steel grip of his hand on my arm. “Do you think he’s after me, too?”

  “No, chances are, he hitched a ride and left town before I could get him. Frank’s a little off, but he’s not stupid. I bet the second he realized what he’d done, he hit the road. I’m pretty sure you won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  I wasn’t at all certain my brother was right, but I didn’t want to give him the slightest reason to increase his security around me any more than he already had. “Was there a particular reason you came by this morning?” I asked him as I got ready for my day.

  “Can’t I come by to say hi to my little sister without having a reason?” he asked.

  “No, sorry, that’s not one of your choices today. So why are you here?”

  Bradford shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay this morning. That’s it, I swear.”

  He could be sweet when he wanted to. I kissed my brother on the cheek, then said, “I’m fine, I promise. Now get out there and make Rebel Forge safe for the world.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said as he offered me a two-fingered salute.

  Lillian came in two minutes before it was time to open. Though she was skilled at applying her make-up, I could see the bags under both eyes.

  “How much sleep did you get last night?” I asked as I watched her drain a cup of coffee.

  She laughed. “There will be plenty of time for sleep once I’m older. You missed a delightful time last night.”

  “I can’t imagine having more fun than I had. Sara Lynn moved in with me.”

  I searched my aunt’s face for a clue as to whether she knew about the new arrangement or not, but if she did, she was too good at hiding it. “Is that so?” she said. “Are she and Bailey having trouble?”

  “She’s there watching out for me,” I said. “Was that your idea, or Bradford’s?”

  “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about Now, are we going to make some cards and invitations today, or are we going to just stand around and chat all morning?”

  If there was anything that would make me feel better, it would have to be creating some new cards. “Let’s get started,” I said, suddenly very glad I had a shop of my very own, even though everything I owned in the world was committed to its success.

  I played with the scripted-type font Lillian had found until I had a design and layout I was happy with. Lillian, watching over my shoulder the entire time, said, “You’re not going to print that out and paste it to the card, are you?”

  “Actually, I have a couple of ideas.” I ran one copy on gold paper using my color printer, then trimmed it with some specialty scissors and laid it inside the prototype card I’d made. Before my aunt could say a word, I said, “I’m not finished yet.” I grabbed a sheet of transparency with adhesive on one side and ran it through the printer; then I cut around the announcement and laid it in place of the other one.

  “So which one do you like better?” I asked.

  “Let’s make another prototype so we can see them side by side.”

  I grabbed my pliers and wire. Lillian asked, “Do you mind if I try it myself?”

  “Be my guest.” After carefully folding one of her blanks into thirds, she snipped the wire and attached it to the front parts of the card. “There, how is that?”

  I didn’t say a word, but I handed her the two brass fittings we were using to represent rings. She’d forgotten to thread them before she’d attached the wires to the stock.

  Lillian frowned, took the fittings from me, then made another card. It was a much better job, all the way from the fold to the wire attachment. She handed it to me, and I said, “That’s quite good.”

  “You mean with the rings?”

  “I mean all of it. You’re going to be a pro at t
his in no time.”

  Lillian took the card back, careful not to show that she was so pleased with the effort. “I’ll get better,” she said. “Now let’s see that insert.”

  She took the transparency and removed its back, placing it inside the card. While she did that, I grabbed a glue stick and fastened the other one in place. We put both cards on the counter, standing up so that their sides made them stable, then stood back and examined the results.

  “So what do you think now?” Lillian asked when the front door opened.

  “I think they’re both atrocious,” a voice I knew said behind me.

  Evidently Anne Albright had decided to take a more active role in the wedding invitations after all.

  Chapter 10

  “Excuse me,” I said. “I thought you were leaving the invitations up to me.”

  Mrs. Albright snorted. “I had second thoughts. obviously it was a good thing I trusted my instincts.” She was back to her old self, and I wondered where the sweet, concerned woman had gone.

  “I think they’re just what you need,” I said. I was in a stronger bargaining position than I’d been in before. After all, I’d already deposited her check. If she thought she could bully me now, she was mistaken. “I’ve already bought supplies to make the announcements this way,” I said. “It would be awfully expensive to change the design at this stage, since I can’t return my purchases.” That was true, at any rate. It took an act of Congress to get Grady to take anything back once it was purchased. Maybe I stretched things on the claim that the supplies had been expensive, but I was counting more than the five-dollar bill Grady had charged me. I’d also put in quite a bit of my time designing the cards and finding just the right tone.