by C A Phipps
"The department is watching Betty, and I'm watching the café." Nate ran his fingers through his hair. I can't keep you safe if you're not going to listen to me, so here it is. Jimmy is dead. Whoever lit the fire probably assumed the walk-in would burn too. There was a lot of petrol, but it was never going to be enough."
"I still don't understand what this has to do with us," Ruby wrapped her arms around her waist. "And I don't believe Betty killed him and lit the fire."
"She could have, but if you've been watching her, then it isn't likely," Scarlett said to Nate.
"So, who do you think, did it?" He asked casually.
"The curvy woman."
"I agree."
Scarlett's eyes widened. "You agree with me?"
He shrugged. "It's not unheard of."
"Hmm. But that's not all. What's the motive?" Scarlett paced the room. Then it occurred to her. "Jealousy! Money! Both those things."
Was that pride she saw in Nate's eyes?
"I just told Ruby how it was weird at Betty's. I saw shadows and heard a noise, like a door closing. Betty had a visitor, and she didn't want me to know. Coincidently, when I was on my way to Betty's, the curvy woman ran down this lane," Scarlett pointed outside, "then disappeared."
Ruby looked at her as if she'd grown two heads. "Betty is not involved with a killer. That's just ridiculous, she's too nice."
"I want to be wrong about this, but there are too many things that point to her. Both victims for a start."
"You're wrong," Ruby was adamant.
"Look, I need to get back to work, and you should both be at home. I assume that's where Violet is?" Nate asked.
"Why?" Ruby asked fearfully. "You don't think she's in danger, do you?"
"I think it's safer for you all to stay together right now."
"But Ruby works alone," Scarlett pointed out.
"The library is being watched because of that. Come on, I'll see you to your van." Nate looked out the door before ushering them outside. "Please, go straight home."
Chapter Twenty-Six
Suspicions over the stranger and a few other things nagged at Scarlett all night. She woke with a plan that might bring the killer out into the open. Her sisters were not going to be happy about it, but she’d thought of something to sweeten her suggestion.
She didn’t mention anything to the others until Ruby stopped by to pick up some lunch. Bob was tied to the rail outside the back door, which stood open. He lunged several times and howled.
“Shush, Bob!” Ruby tried to soothe him. “I don’t know what gets into him when we come by the café.”
Betty laughed. “I bet he’s hoping for a treat or two, and he knows you girls are soft touches.”
“I bet that’s it, but we try not to give him anything too bad.”
Scarlett had been uncomfortable all morning working beside Betty, knowing about Jimmy and harboring the thoughts she did made it very difficult to act normal.
Deciding that now was as good a time as any to tell them her news, she began casually. “By the way, I spoke to Dale earlier. He tells me that he has the perfect car for us. It’s in good condition and a great price, but only if we pay in cash. It belongs to his old Aunty, and she doesn’t trust banks.”
“Is that safe?” Ruby asked.
“I don’t see why not.” Scarlett shrugged. “It’s Dale, after all. He wouldn’t encourage us to buy a dud, and he’ll have all the paperwork done for us. The car could be ready as early as tomorrow morning. If you want it, I’ll get the money out this afternoon, so we have it on hand. If you don’t like it, we can always say no, but someone else is interested, and with Violet potentially setting up interviews, it makes sense to get it while we can.”
Violet frowned. “I don’t like the idea of having that kind of money in the house.”
“I’ll put it in mom’s old safe. No one will think to look in my wardrobe. I won’t get it until nearly closing time, then we can drop it off home on the way to Arthur’s with the food.”
“I guess that should be okay,” Violet reluctantly agreed.
Betty grinned as she iced cupcakes for the party. “I’m so excited for you girls. A new car is a great way to spend some of your money.”
Ruby bounced on her toes. “Now I’m excited too. I can’t wait to see it. I’d better get back to work and try to concentrate. See you later.”
“Be ready, and we’ll pick you up after we close the café and load the van.”
“I will.” Ruby grabbed Bob’s lead and ran down the path.
George jumped out from behind the rubbish bin and followed. He was in sulking mode but wasn’t about to let Bob have all the attention and stay away.
Scarlett’s plan burned into her all day, and it was a relief when they were in the van and waiting outside the library. Once Ruby was inside with the pets, Scarlett drove slowly to their house.
“I have something to say, and you’re going to be really annoyed, but I want you to trust me on this.”
Ruby clutched the back of her seat. “If you’re putting yourself in danger, then darn right we’ll be annoyed.”
“Ditto,” Violet added with a glare.
Scarlett sighed. She’d told Violet everything when they got home last night, and both her sisters had disagreed about Betty being in any way guilty. And Scarlett wanted them to be right. “Can I at least tell you about it before you get all antsy?”
Violet waved her hand. “Go ahead.”
“There’s a lot about Betty’s kidnapping that doesn’t add up, right?”
They nodded.
“I think that Betty’s being blackmailed.”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “What?”
Violet tilted her head. “Why? She’s not exactly rolling in money.”
“Money isn’t always the motive. Although, I haven’t ruled it out. When I was at her house last night, I wasn’t imagining that someone was there. Nate obviously knew about it, but he wasn’t ready to apprehend her. Do you agree that could be true, Ruby?”
“Anythings possible and Nate’s been odd for a while.”
Scarlett ignored that, unsure what she meant. “Anyway, Betty was definitely scared, yet she made out like she was alone and had been all night. She also refused to come home with me.”
“Maybe she really is fine?” Violet suggested.
“Violet, you’ve seen her at work. The woman is not fine.”
“Okay, she’s a mess. And you’ve told all this to Nate, right?”
“I have mostly, but not what my intentions are.” Scarlett waited to sink in.
“I know I’m going to regret this, but why can’t you tell him?” Violet asked crossly.
Scarlett twisted her hands. “Because he won’t let me be the bait.”
“Hold the phone! What kind of bait and for whom?”
At least Violet yelled, Ruby was simply gaping as if Scarlett had gone mad.
“I didn’t precisely mean me,” Scarlett spoke slowly, willing them to see that her suggestion wouldn’t be the worst she’d ever thought of. “I’ve said in front of Betty that we’ll have cash in the house for the car.”
“Yes, you went to the bank,” Ruby agreed.
“I did, but I didn’t withdraw a dime.”
“I’m confused. What does us buying a car have to do with Betty?”
“Nothing. It’s the money, Vi. Whoever is behind her troubles is after one thing—money!”
Violet’s eyes widened. “Betty has none. If she’s being blackmailed, then she needs a way of getting it.”
Ruby gasped. “Didn’t she offer to do our books?”
Scarlett nodded. “She’s suggested a few ways she could handle our money, and the takings have been down since the first day she began working for us. I thought it was merely a coincidence and didn’t even consider she was the cause until I started putting everything together.”
Scarlett pulled the van into the drive, leaving the engine on.
Ruby had George clasped to
her chest, the cat was not pleased and struggled to get out of her hold, but she was oblivious. “I can’t believe this.”
Violet’s forehead furrowed. “So, what’s this plan of yours?”
“Tonight is the perfect opportunity to break into our house and get the money. You two will go to the party. I’ll hide in the house with the safe. If I’m wrong—no harm, no foul.”
“But if you’re right, you’ll be in danger as soon as she/they find out there’s no money here,” Ruby protested.
“When you get there, if Betty doesn’t arrive, tell Nate.”
“Everyone will be expecting you.” Violet pointed out.
“Say I had another delivery and borrowed a car to do it. Later, you can tell them that I suddenly didn’t feel well and stayed home.”
Ruby shook her head. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“Let’s hope so.”
“I still don’t like it,” Violet said grumpily. “I should stay with you.”
“No way. Arthur’s birthday should be a good one, regardless of this. Imagine if I am wrong, and we spoil his night?”
Her sisters asked several more questions, and she answered calmly, while inside her stomach was doing gymnastics. There was no point in adding to their worries, and this was the best way to make sure they were out of the line of fire if it all went pear-shaped.
Eventually, she persuaded them to leave so they wouldn’t be late, and she took the pets inside. She fed them, then collected several things she might need, before putting the plan into action.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Scarlett hadn’t thought she was claustrophobic, but the inside of her wardrobe was darker than a night without a moon. Inside her pocket was her phone, which had a flashlight should she begin to panic and need instant reassurance.
She hoped that Violet and Ruby were doing a good job with the catering. And that the trap would bring about the desired result. Otherwise, feigning sickness wouldn’t be worth this confinement.
Naturally, every noise sounded close and ominous. Worst of all was the desperate need to shift around as Bob or George did to get comfortable. Having thought long and hard about this and what was needed to be half-way cozy, she’d put a pillow and a blanket inside. Far from cold, the wardrobe was stuffy, which brought back the claustrophobia or whatever it was, and she began to hyperventilate. This could be a very long evening.
Deep breaths in and out helped. Scarlett read somewhere that it should be to the count of 4 with a hold of 4 in the middle. It made a small difference, so she kept at it until a sudden creak stilled her restlessness. Floorboards? Or merely the house making its usual sounds?
“You hold the flashlight?” Someone hissed as they entered the bedroom.
“Why don’t we switch a light on?”
The second voice was familiar. Scarlett pressed her ear to the door, holding her breath when it moved slightly. She should have remembered that the catch was faulty, but luckily, it didn’t open far and gave her a small view of the bedroom. A sliver of light ran around the room, and she saw two shadows looming in the darkness.
“Are you mad? Anyone could see it from the road.”
“There’s no one around for miles. They’re all at the Mayor’s birthday party.”
“Maybe not all,” the other person argued. “Where’s the safe, then?”
“Scarlett said it was in the wardrobe.”
Scarlett’s blood chilled, and she put her fist to her mouth to stop her from crying out. Of course, it was Betty. She was the only other person, aside from Olivia, who had been given the run of this house. The one person they’d trusted. Suppressing everything that pointed her assistants’ way, she’d wanted so much to believe that Betty would never harm them.
Surmising that Betty was involved wasn’t the same as knowing it for sure, and the betrayal was sickening.
“Funny place for it. I thought people put them behind pictures.”
The other person sounded like a woman too, and their tones suggested that they weren’t close friends.
“Rich people maybe,” Betty scoffed. “These girls have never had this much money in their entire lives.”
Did she sound sad about that, or was Scarlett’s imagination searching for a way to redeem Betty’s actions?
A sudden thump came from across the room. “Oww! Turn the light on before we hurt ourselves,” Betty hissed.
“No. I’m not willing to take the risk. I’m just glad that the dog isn’t here. Talk about an elephant not forgetting, that darn mutt knows whenever I’m near and the cat’s almost as bad, tracking me around town like he knows something.”
The woman cackled, sending shivers down Scarlett’s spine. Was this the woman who’d been hanging around Cozy Hollow?
“I wonder why they took him?” Betty mused. Although, they do cart them around wherever they go.”
“Get up off that bed and open the wardrobe.” The woman demanded.
Footsteps sounded closer.
“I hope they have plenty in there.” The other woman said with real menace.
“I told you not to get too excited,” Betty warned. “Violet said she’d banked most of the money from the book, so it will only be the car money, and they didn’t say how much it was.”
“Anyone picking up one hundred thousand is going to want to spend some on themselves. I know I would.”
“These girls aren’t remotely like you, but they may have already spent a lot of it. They had plenty of bills,” Betty said, sounding sad.
“Don’t be so pessimistic. I’m counting on there being some cash in there. Otherwise, this has been a total waste of time, and I won’t be happy.”
This sounded like a threat, but instead of scared, Betty sounded wistful.
“Yeah, I could have gone to the party.”
“Don’t be stupid. How would that have looked, with your brother and ex-husband dead? Besides, this was our only chance to get a little more for our troubles.”
“No one knows about Jimmy,” Betty protested.
“Really? The sheriff sure as heck knows, you simpleton,” the woman taunted. “Didn’t he pull Jimmy’s body out of the walk-in?”
“But I still don’t understand why he hasn’t told anyone?”
There was a groan. “I’ve told you enough times—the sheriff obviously wants to trap us. Luckily, dear Harvey didn’t have a clue the fire was connected to me and doesn’t know my real name.”
“For someone who’d supposed to be keeping a low profile, you’ve managed to infiltrate the whole town,” Betty said snidely.
“Don’t exaggerate. I simply used my spare time to look around and decide if there were others we could target. Unfortunately, Harvey is very secretive about his funds, and there was nothing in his office worth stealing, but your ploy to get him away by saying you wanted to move at least gave me time to make sure.” The woman cackled again.
They were at the door, and Scarlett could see the other woman’s face more clearly now that the pencil flashlight was facing away from the wardrobe. She was putting on plastic gloves and snapped them angrily when Betty spoke through clenched teeth.
“How many times do I have to say that there is no we. Once the insurance comes through, you and I are done.”
There was a drawn-out pause before the other woman hissed, “I can’t wait! Now, shut up and open this bag.”
“It’s a big bag, considering we don’t know how much is in the safe.” Betty scoffed.
“I bought it for the insurance money and any extra like what’s in this safe. At least this will tide me over until the insurance company pays out. With the sheriff not making Jimmy’s death official, it’s going to take much longer than I anticipated.”
“Us,” Betty said firmly as her hand reached for the door.
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you mean that this money will get ‘us’ a new start? Because I won’t be able to stay in Cozy Hollow after this.”
“Hah! It’s only ‘
us’ when it suits you.”
With all the banter and animosity, Scarlett had lost her fear to a wave of burning anger.
When they finally opened the door, she stood in one fluid movement, phone in hand, and snapped a picture with flash. The light blinded Betty for a second, but Scarlett still had the other woman to contend with.
“What the . . ?” the woman screeched. “I told you we should have gotten rid of her.”
Betty’s eyes were as wide as they could possibly be as she backed across the room. “What are we going to do now?”
“Get the phone, you idiot!”
Scarlett tried to slip passed, but the frantic thief was deceptively strong and grabbed her wrist like a vice.
“Let me go and get out of my house!” Scarlett yelled loudly.
The woman merely laughed. “You really believe it’s as simple as that. I’m not going to do time for burglary.”
“Maybe not, because there’s nothing here to steal, but you’ll do it for murder.” Maybe antagonizing her wasn’t smart, but Scarlett felt powerless as she yanked her arm over and over, trying to free it.
Long fingers bit into Scarlett’s flesh. “That was self-defense. Jimmy was attacking Betty, and I saved her.”
This was interesting but didn’t help Scarlett in any way. “Maybe so, but I’m talking about Betty’s brother.”
The woman shot a telling look at Betty. “I don’t know what she’s talking about. He was run down, and I don’t have a car.”
Scarlett took a wild stab in the dark. “Jimmy had a car, and I bet you can drive.”
“You can.” Betty nodded slowly. “You drove us here in Jimmy’s car.”
“Don’t listen to her. She’s trying to get us to fight.”
This was precisely Scarlett’s intention, and since it appeared to be working, she continued. “You killed Saul somewhere else. Then you chucked him on the verge like a piece of garbage.”
Girlfriend snorted. “Me? I’m hardly capable of lifting him, even if he was skinny.”
Scarlett glanced at her wrist, which was now bright red. “I think you’re more than capable, and I dare say Jimmy helped.”
