A VENEER OF MURDER (Mrs. Fix It Mysteries Book 3)

by Belle Knudson

  “Okay. It should give me time,” she said.

  She was at her truck already. She hopped in then drove it to Grayson’s. Thankfully Larry had one piece of sheetrock that would work. He’d get more in the morning.

  She put it in her truck with a can of spackle. Hopefully Kendall had whatever paint had been used on ceiling the last time it had been painted. Otherwise, Kate would have to repaint the whole area. She wished for it to be a small room, but she wasn’t sure that Kendall had any of those in her house.

  ***

  Kendall opened the door before Kate could even ring the doorbell. Today she wore floral bell-bottomed pants with a bright green tank top. Once again she was spilling out of the shirt. Kate wondered where the woman bought her clothes. She’d never seen anything like that in her nearest Walmart store.

  “What took you so long?”

  “I had to pick up the sheetrock, Kendall. I told you that. I’m still here in under an hour.”

  She shouldn’t have to explain to the woman. She was doing her a favor coming here in an emergency. Kate tried to let it roll off of her back as Kendall showed her the damage. She’d been right about the size of the hole. She’d already cleaned up the floor and moved the furniture.

  Kate eyed it.

  “Can you fix it?”

  “You fixed the leak?”

  “Yes, the plumber took care of it,” Kendall said.

  “Good. Then I can fix it.”

  Kate figured she could snoop a little if Kendall stayed around. She brought in the sheetrock and the spackle. “Saw you at the dedication ceremony.”

  “I couldn’t miss it. The life of a politician’s wife. I have to show up and smile at all sorts of events.”

  She hadn’t looked like she was smiling. She didn’t look like she was having a good time at all. Kate couldn’t do it. Smile and pretend that she liked people she didn’t really want to be around. She’d had to do a little of that as a professor’s wife, but that had only been at Christmas. Other than that, Greg had never socialized much with his peers.

  “I was surprised to see Clem Tully there. You know, with his sister having just been murdered.”

  Kate wished she’d been looking at Kendall when she’d mentioned it. She might have caught something in her body language. When she spoke, Kendall was calm. “I guess he needed to get out of the house.”

  If Kate lived where Clem did, she’d want to be out of the house also.

  “Did you speak with him? You were back that way.”

  She cut out the old sheetrock then measured and cut the new stuff. It fit perfectly. Her eye was getting better at this. She opened the spackle can. She liked spackle. It looked like icing.

  “I was wandering around the back. Was I near him? I would have given him my condolences. I was paying attention to Harvy. He likes me to gauge how the crowd reacts to his speeches.”

  “I guess from my angle, it looked like you were talking to him.”

  Kendall shrugged, not making eye contact. “No. I hang out at the back also because I don’t want to upstage Harvy. I’m a pretty strong personality and all.”

  That she was.

  “What do you have next?” Kendall said.

  Was she actually making conversation that wasn’t about her?

  “Uh, this is the last stop of the day.”

  “You want to go to dinner? Harvy has a meeting tonight, and I don’t like to eat by myself.”

  Probably the last thing she’d want to do is hang out with Kendall. “No, I’ve had a long day, and I’d like to get home.”

  Kendall’s smile dimmed a little. “Sure. I understand. You have family to get home to.”

  She didn’t bother correcting Kendall. Her house was empty, but she preferred that to partying or going out to dinner with a person she barely liked. Or didn’t like at all. Besides, Kendall was a customer. She shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. That only happened with people she already knew.

  “Thanks for the invite, anyway.”

  “Sure thing. Another day.”

  “Another day.” Kate finished her spackling. “I will have to come back and sand. After that I’ll see if it needs another coat of spackling. If not, I can paint. I’ll be in touch about when I can do it.”

  “Okay. It looks much better than it did.”

  Was that almost a compliment from Kendall? Maybe she was softening. Kate said her good-byes. She was exhausted when she climbed into the truck. She had to figure out when she was going to fix those bleachers for Founder’s Day. Maybe this Sunday.

  The idea of it made Kate even more exhausted. She turned on the truck then let the air conditioning blast her. She’d turned on the air at her house this morning so it would be cool when she arrived back home.

  Before she could put her truck in gear, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Scott.

  I have food. You hungry?

  She was starving. If she didn’t have to cook or stop for anything, that was wonderful. The way to her heart was with food. Scott must be figuring that out.

  I am starving, she texted back.

  Good. I’ll be on your doorstep in ten minutes.

  I’ll be there in fifteen. Wait. The outside motion detectors are on.

  He sent her a smiley face because he was always bugging her about turning on her security system.

  Scott’s car was in the driveway when she arrived. She used the remote to turn off the outside system. He parked in front of her house. She pulled in next to him.

  “I still think you have a tracker on me. With vital signs so you know when I’m hungry,” she said.

  He grinned. “Maybe I can just anticipate your needs.”

  She looked at him. In another time and place she’d ask him to stay the night. Too bad she wasn’t ready for that yet. “Maybe.”

  She unlocked the door then sighed at the cool air in her house, glad she had turned it on.

  “I brought Chinese tonight. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Whatever I don’t have to cook is okay,” Kate said.

  She put her keys in a bowl by the door. She led Scott into her kitchen. He knew where everything was, so he pulled out plates. She watched him for a moment in her kitchen, thinking he fit there well. No, Kate. Don’t think that.

  “I’m going to pull on a pair of shorts,” she said then left him to his tasks.

  She returned in shorts and a tank. Scott looked her over, clearly enjoying the amount of skin she was showing. He’d put the food into serving bowls. She didn’t mind, since she knew he’d probably do the dishes when they were done.

  What a great guy.

  “How was your day?” he said.

  “Okay. Had to finish up by doing an emergency repair at Kendall’s house.”

  “You two are like BFFs.”

  Kate laughed. “How was your day?”

  “It didn’t get any better after you left.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  She sat then dug into some pork lo mein. This scene was so domestic. Two people, eating dinner, talking about their day. She’d missed this since Greg was gone. She hadn’t had another adult to talk to like this in five years.

  “Not your fault. Just the nature of the job.”

  He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look unhappy. “Do you regret taking it?”

  He eyed her. “Never. I like it in Rock Ridge. It’s the politics that make the job hard, but it was true in Philly. I like my house and living out here better than the city,” he said.

  She was glad he was here, but she wasn’t going to share that.

  “Any more revelations about Greg?” she asked.

  “I haven’t had time to do anything more. Sorry.”

  She waved her fork. “No need to apologize. Your job comes first. And frankly I don’t think he’s going to be discovered any sooner just because you looked for him. I guess I better resign myself that he isn’t coming back.”

  He put down his fork then squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, Kat
e. I know that’s a tough place to be.”

  She looked down at her food, not wanting to break down, but a lump formed in her throat. “I’ve been thinking about filing for divorce.”

  Scott’s eyebrows went up. “Oh?”

  “I think I’m almost ready to get on with my life.”

  “Almost?”

  “Almost.”

  Chapter Seven

  Scott left Kate with the rest of the food. And a kiss on her cheek. What did it mean that she wanted to turn her face and meet his lips? She remembered that he’d been a good kisser. Not that she’d had that much experience at that age, but anyone she’d kissed since had been measured against his abilities.

  Many had come up short, but not Greg.

  Kate had wandered around the empty house once Scott had left. She stared into what had been Greg’s office. If he were here, it still would be.

  She was restless—not ready for bed. Probably not ready to tackle a big project like her husband’s office, but she might lose the feeling of wandering through life if she accomplished something, if she put something behind her.

  She sighed. Greg had insisted on an old metal desk used by large corporations in the 1970s. He’d moved it from his apartment to hers when they’d married. He then moved it from that apartment to this house despite Kate’s protests that they could afford a nicer one. He loved that desk.

  Kate hadn’t done much but neaten this room since Greg had left. Maybe it was time. Greg wasn’t coming back. She didn’t know if that was because he couldn’t or he wouldn’t, but maybe that didn’t matter. She had to accept that he was gone.

  Her first step could be to clean out his office. For a moment she wondered if she should talk to her boys about it. No, she was the adult. She wouldn’t throw out any personal items. She’d keep them in a box for the boys to go through the next time they were home. In reality, their lives were becoming less about Kate and more about themselves, as it should be at nineteen. Eventually they were going to graduate college, get jobs, and marry.

  She had to make a life for herself instead of meandering in limbo created by her husband’s absence. She needed to get a life beyond her work.

  She pulled out her phone, dialing Carly. Hopefully her friend would be home. If she wasn’t, then Kate would have to tackle it by herself. She kept her fingers crossed.

  “Hey, Kate.”

  Kate did a fist pump. She might have company for this task. If Meghan were still alive she might have asked her. She would have been free. Her social life was as exciting as Kate’s. “You busy?”

  “No, I’m not, actually. What do you need?”

  Kate was now happy dancing. She didn’t want to face the office alone. “I’m thinking about cleaning out Greg’s office. I need a little help.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  Maybe Meghan’s death was showing her that life was too short. Kate didn’t have time to wait around, and Scott probably wouldn’t be around forever. Not that she was ready to pursue anything with him. That might be a few steps down the road.

  Carly pulled in, as promised, ten minutes later. She was in denim shorts and a T-shirt. Ready to work. She hugged Kate. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “For what?”

  “This is a huge step to getting over Greg.”

  Kate bit her lip as she stood on the porch with her best friend. “Now I’m not so sure.”

  Carly took her hand, led her inside. “Come on. It was a good impulse. Let’s go with it.”

  Kate stood in the doorway, watching Carly walk around the place that had been so Greg. Everything was secondhand. Upcycled, he would call it, even though he didn’t do anything new with it. He just reused it.

  “He was a pack rat.”

  “He didn’t throw away anything. I had to sneak stuff out of the house to get the basement cleaned once a year,” Kate said. The whole idea had annoyed her, but she knew he wouldn’t let anything go if he saw it. He never missed the things she’d gotten rid of, so that assuaged her guilt over not telling him.

  More than one argument had ensued when he’d discovered something missing. Usually it was years after she’d gotten rid of it. Those fights were the only ones they had had, which made Kate think that maybe if he’d loved her more, he would have fought with her. Kate didn’t know. His possessions had been something to fight over, but never her.

  “Where you do you want to start?” Carly said.

  Kate looked around the room. There were piles everywhere. The task seemed more daunting now that she was jumping into it. At least she had Carly to keep her on track. She’d probably have given up before she started without her friend here. “Let’s start geographically. Otherwise I’ll never start. I feel like this is an episode of Hoarders.”

  Carly laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  They began in the far corner. The bookshelves there were stuffed with books and papers. The books dealt with studies of the Middle East, the field that he had specialized in.

  “Maybe the library could use them,” Carly said then covered her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’ll put them in a box and give them to whomever takes over for Meghan.”

  Kate found some empty boxes in the basement and they were filled almost instantly. The papers didn’t seem important, so they would go out with the recycling. An hour later the bookshelves were cleared.

  “Wow, that felt good,” Kate said. “Even if we have most of the room left.”

  She yawned. This was taking a toll on her physically. Emotionally, she was energized.

  “Let’s do one more thing then call it a night,” Carly said.

  “The top of his desk?”

  “Yes.”

  Papers were stacked in various piles on that ugly, metal desk. Kate had no idea how Greg could work among all of this clutter. He’d graded papers and tests here, not liking to do that at school. He had had a ritual. He used the same brand of red pen for every paper. He’d bought a huge box online. Kate wondered if he’d run out or if she’d find that box somewhere.

  Had he taken them with him? In the five years he’d been gone, she hadn’t found anything missing. It was as if he’d been taken by aliens as is. Well, him and his car.

  “I haven’t seen a desk like this since I was a kid,” Carly said.

  “I know. Greg would not get rid of it. He didn’t see anything wrong with it.”

  “Well there isn’t except that it is decades out of style.”

  “You saw how my husband dressed. He wasn’t worried about style,” Kate said.

  Carly laughed. “Let’s divide this up into piles of bills, academia and other.”

  “Good idea.”

  Kate took one half of the desk. Carly took the other. How could one person have so much paper? Kate didn’t have near this much and she ran a business, complete with collecting sales tax. While going through a pile, Kate found a credit card bill for a credit card that she didn’t know existed. She stared at it for a moment.

  “What’s that?”

  “A credit card bill.”

  “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “I don’t recognize this number.”

  “Was it one he had for work?” Carly asked. She neatened a pile as she spoke.

  Kate shook her head. “No. That one was a VISA. This is MasterCard.”

  Carly looked over her shoulder at it. “Huh. What does it have on it?”

  “Camping equipment.”

  Kate didn’t know what to make of this. Why was her husband buying camping equipment when he had no intentions of camping? At least not that she knew of. He hated it. Didn’t like to get dirty. He was a bit prissy for a guy.

  “Holy shit, Kate.”

  “I know.”

  “What did he buy?”

  “A tent. Sleeping bag.”

  “Only one?”

  “Only one. Guess he wasn’t running away with anyone,” Kate said, even though it was
a small consolation. As far as she knew, her husband hadn’t left her for anyone.

  “Oh, Kate. I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s better that I learn the truth. It will be easier to get past this.”

  Carly put a hand on her arm. Kate appreciated the support. Carly had been there for her time and time again. She patted her friend’s hand.

  “What’s that charge?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll bring it to Scott to see if he can figure it out.”

  “Has he made much progress in finding Greg’s trail?”

  “No and every time he finds something, I feel that I was married to a stranger. He wasn’t who I thought he was.”

  “Oh, Kate.”

  “I’ll be okay, Carly. I will.”

  “You are stronger than this.”

  Kate folded up the bill, then tucked it back in its envelope. “You want a drink? I need one.”

  “I hate to see anyone drink alone,” Carly said.

  Kate found an opened bottle of chardonnay in the refrigerator. She poured a glass for both of them. Carly held hers to Kate’s. “To new beginnings.”

  “To new beginnings,” Kate said.

  ***

  Kate woke the next day with a new sense of purpose. She felt a shift in herself. She was willing to entertain the idea that there would be life after Greg. A good life that she’d enjoy. That she should enjoy, guilt free.

  She wasn’t ready to embrace every aspect of that, but she was taking steps in that direction. Part of her wanted to finish Greg’s office that morning, but the task was too large. She could do the rest herself. She had the strength.

  First, she had to show Scott the credit card statement. He would be able to figure out that charge. She’d grown to rely on him, and he hadn’t let her down. Ever.

  She hadn’t been this bitter about him until Scott came to town. Had she just been delusional before, or was she seeing Greg from a distance now? She was probably comparing him to Scott and that wasn’t fair. Scott was here and present. Or maybe it was fair. If Greg had been here all of this time, she wouldn’t be looking at Scott.

  With her first cup of coffee in hand, she drove to the police station. Meghan’s funeral was the next day. Kate glanced at the library. It was still closed as no one had stepped up to take it over. She didn’t know who would. Maybe someone who had just graduated from college would be interested in the job.