Something strange had happened in the short time I’d stayed in Ash Road. It had begun to feel like home. I was a kid the last time any place had felt that way.
“There are lots of ways to make long-distance relationships work,” Brody said.
“That’s true.” I felt my spirits lift a little. I couldn’t fathom just erasing Brody and Ash Road from my life. It was a weird feeling. “Can we talk about it again once Ellie’s murder is solved and Frankie’s estate is ironed out? I need some time.”
“That’s better than flat out rejection,” Brody said with a smile.
After that, I decided to call it a night and go home. I had a lot of thinking to do. Brody offered to walk me home but I needed the alone time.
He was reluctant at first, but it was a pleasant evening and there were plenty of people out walking or enjoying their front porches. He had to relent that I would be okay.
“Don’t follow me this time, please. I need some space to work this out. I’ll be safe,” I said and kissed him on the cheek.
Chapter Eighteen
Lara
As I turned the corner to Nora’s street, I saw none other than Sylvie walking up the front sidewalk in front of the house. She was looking from left to right repeatedly, and I wondered what that was about.
Before she got to the steps, Sylvie hunched down and began to sneak around the side of the house. Unsure what she was up to or what I should do, I called out to her.
“Hey, Sylvie! Hi! What are you doing?” I asked and picked up the pace.
“Oh, hi, Lara,” Sylvie said as she stood up straight and walked back to the front sidewalk to meet me.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I was coming to see you. I figured I’d knock on the back door in case you were in the kitchen.” I could almost feel the lie ebbing off of her like poison gas.
“Oh yeah? Why would I be in the kitchen?” I asked.
“From what I remembered, Nora didn’t use the living room much. Plastic on the sofa and everything.” Sylvie was right about that, but it was nothing more than a convenient excuse. I could feel it.
“That’s cool,” I said. “So what can I do for you? I already ate dinner, but I supposed we could go grab a drink or something.”
“No, that’s okay. I just wanted to see how the cat was doing.” Sylvie said, and as if on cue, Jinx jumped up in the window and watched our exchange.
“He’s okay,” I said. “By the way, where did you say you found him?”
“Oh, I was walking to the diner from the ice cream parlor and I practically tripped over him. Poor thing was so hungry,” she said with that sweet smile.
“Right. I thought Stan called you into work after you found the cat. Remember? You were meeting me for lunch because you figured you had the day off.”
“Something wrong?” Sylvie asked, but she took a step back from me. I could swear she looked like someone who was about to run.
“No. I’m just tired,” I said and walked past her to the front porch.
“I guess I’m up for a cocktail. Let’s go get a drink. Just one. We can walk to the tavern.”
“No thanks, Sylvie. I think I’m too bushed after all. I’m going to turn in for tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll get together soon, I swear,” I said and went inside without another word.
Once I got inside, I locked the door. Jinx meowed at me so I picked him up and carried him with me while I made sure that the rest of the doors and windows were locked.
Sylvie was behaving very strangely, and given that she didn’t have an alibi other than the cat for the time that Ellie was murdered, I had grave concerns about her. She’d lied to me about where she was when we were supposed to meet for lunch, and I’d just caught her sneaking around the house.
Unfortunately, none of what I had was anything I could take to the police. Instead, I called Brody and gave him a rundown of all of the current information. He insisted on spending the night on Nora’s couch because he didn’t want the two of us alone in the house knowing that Sylvie had been skulking around outside.
I woke Nora up briefly to make sure that she didn’t mind Brody couch-surfing. “Fine, dear. Go ahead and take the plastic off too. Lord knows that young man is rich enough to buy me a new Davenport if he ruins that one.”
Brody and I stayed up for a couple of hours watching bad television shows and eating salted caramel ice cream we found in the freezer. A couple of times we thought we heard something outside. The noise would even send Jinx running under the dining room table. Both times, Brody and I grabbed flashlights and walked the perimeter of the house, but we never found anything.
I finally got tired enough that I thought I could go to sleep. I kissed him on the forehead and told him goodnight before I went upstairs.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to the funeral home,” Brody called after me.
“Oh, you really think there is something to that?” I asked from halfway up the stairs.
“Yes. I’m almost sure of it. Did you really think I was threatening you?” he asked.
“Yeah, I kinda did. Anyway, good night. I’ll see you in the morning,” I said and blew him a kiss.
He blew one back and let out a kind of goofy laugh. It felt good to let my guard down around him. I had no idea when I went to bed that night how close I would come to losing him.
Chapter Nineteen
Sylvie
Sylvie watched Lara walk away and slam the door on her. She hadn’t been expecting that. Gordon wanted Sylvie to stay close to Lara, but it was apparent that the stubborn genealogist had begun to suspect Sylvie.
“You need to stay close,” Gordon hissed into the phone. “I paid you to become her best friend. What exactly have I gotten for my money? Huh? This was a bigger waste of cash than when I paid you to get close to Brody.”
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” Sylvie whispered into the phone. “I never set out to be a murderer.”
“Sylvie, baby. You’re my sugar bear. You know that. I promise that this is the last thing I’m going to ask you to do. After that, I’m going to give you the life that you deserve. You won’t have to work anymore. I swear,” Gordon said in a voice that dripped saccharine sweetness.
“Okay, Gordo. I’ll try again tomorrow,” she said reluctantly.
“That’s my girl,” he cooed. “Hey, can you do one other favor for me? Keep an eye on the house tonight. Just for a while. You can let me know tomorrow if there are any interesting developments. Night, beautiful,” Gordon said and hung up before Sylvie could respond further.
She wasn’t looking forward to spending the rest of the night watching Nora’s house. Sylvie knew that Jimbo would start calling her soon, wondering where she was. She was really looking forward to when the whole ordeal was over and she could stop pretending to like the big buffoon.
Sure, Jimbo was cute and lovable, but he wasn’t a real man like Gordon. Jimbo couldn’t buy her expensive gifts and take her on fancy vacations like Gordon promised he would, and that was the kind of thing that impressed a girl like Sylvie.
Just a little more, she promised herself, and Gordon would be hers. She might even be able to get him to marry her. She practically drooled at the thought of the huge rock he could give her.
She only wished she could have done it all without killing someone. Sylvie was a lot of things, but she’d never been a murderer.
What if Gordon asked her to kill someone else? What could she do? If she told him no now, Sylvie knew she’d lose everything she’d worked so hard for over the last few months.
She watched in the shadows as Brody arrived at Nora’s house. Something inside of her pulled hard at her stomach. She had to fight the urge to run to him and confess everything.
Not tonight. She was so close to having everything she’d ever wanted.
Chapter Twenty
Lara
The next morning, I awoke to the scent of frying bacon. I heard singing coming from the kitchen, but it
wasn’t Nora.
Brody had gotten up before us and was in the kitchen making breakfast while singing 90s boy band tunes. It made me smile so hard that my cheeks began to hurt.
After a breakfast of bacon and waffles, I went upstairs to get ready for work. Brody had brought an overnight bag with him so he used the downstairs bathroom while Nora sat on the front porch and read the newspaper.
“Should we go into the office or just head over to the funeral home?” Brody asked when I came downstairs.
“I think we should just go straight to the funeral home. We’re onto something. I can feel it. I don’t want to give your father or Sylvie a chance to interfere,” I said. “Brody, before we go, is there anything else you need to tell me?”
His face blanched.
“Brody, what is it?”
“There’s a will,” he said and sunk down to the couch. Brody put his head in his hands and let out an exhausted sigh. “Frankie had a will. The evidence of its existence is at the funeral home. It’s the one place my dad couldn’t get his greasy fingers. I was going to let you track it down and protect you along the way, but that’s wrong. I’m sorry, Lara. I should have told you sooner.”
“What?” I was shocked. “You’ve known all along that there is a will and you didn’t tell me? Where is it? Do you have it?” I seethed.
My good friend had died. Amelia Booth could have died. All this time there had been a will, and he’d kept it from me.
“I’m done with you,” I snarled. “I don’t need your help anymore.” My voice dripped with sarcasm and contempt.
I drove to the funeral home on the outskirts of town. It was within walking distance but I figured it would be safer to drive. No one could jump out from behind a bush and grab me if I was in a vehicle.
The Moody Funeral Home sat at the end of a long, winding driveway flanked by magnolia trees. It looked to be an old plantation house that had been restored to its former glory.
I rang the bell and waited for someone to answer. It occurred to me as I stood there in the quiet countryside that I probably should have called ahead. In a town as small as Ash Road, there might not be a reason for someone to be at the funeral home every day.
A kind-looking man with full head of white hair and a big, bushy, white mustache opened the door. “Well, hello dear. I’m Edward Moody. How can I be of service?”
His demeanor and voice were a great deal more cheerful than I expected from someone with the last name Moody who owned a funeral home. I guessed that was his job, though. Putting people at ease was a necessity in his business, and everything about Edward Moody radiated comfort and peace. Quirky comfort and peace, but it was none the less. I liked him right away.
“I’m Lara Tyler. I’m trying to sort out the Frankie Horowitz estate and I’ve received a lead that you might have records I need. Someone told me there was a reference to her will in Frankie’s funeral records.”
He poked his head out the door and looked around quickly. Satisfied that we were alone, he beckoned me in. “Yes, yes. Please come in. You weren’t followed, were you?”
“I don’t think so. Not in a vehicle anyway. If someone were following me on foot, they wouldn’t have caught up yet,” I responded.
“You don’t seem the least bit taken aback that I think you might have been followed. You’re deeper into this than I hoped you’d get. I’m sorry. I should have come forward sooner,” he said sheepishly.
“I’ve heard that a lot lately,” I lamented.
“It’s the small town,” he admitted. “We’re in our own little world out here. We forget how things are supposed to work. We let little boogeymen turn into big boogeymen in our minds.”
“You’re afraid of what Mayor O’Malley will do,” I said matter-of-factly.
“I think of all the people who live in Ash Road, I’m probably the least afraid of him, but he’s leveled more than one serious threat against me. I didn’t think he would kill for the money, though. I’m sorry about your friend.”
“So you think he killed Ellie?”
Edward nodded his head. “If he didn’t do it himself, I’d be willing to bet my right leg that he had a hand in it. Most people don’t know how much debt Gordon and the town of Ash Road are in. He’s been extorting money for a while,” he said.
“How do you know that?”
“I don’t like the man much. Everybody knows that. Our great-grandfathers were rivals too; some family feud nonsense. While I was ready to let all of that go, Gordon would rather have enemies than friends,” he said and led me to a parlor. “Why don’t we sit?”
A young housekeeper came in and Edward asked her to bring us some sweet tea. It was then I realized that he must live in the house as well as conduct business there.
“So, when Gordon came to me the last time with threats of having my funeral home licenses revoked, I had my hacker nephew look into the mayor’s affairs,” he began. “You’d like my nephew, Keith. Though these days he insists we call him Razor. He’s a hacktivist and only uses his talents for good. Have you heard of hacktivists?”
“I have,” I said with a smile. I got the feeling that the Moody family was pretty cool.
“Anyway, if you stick around Ash Road, you’ll get to meet Razor. He likes to spend his winter breaks here. It’s warmer than where he lives the rest of the year. Wait, what was I talking about? Oh right. Razor Keith found a bunch of information about the mayor’s various extortions. I let the mayor know that I knew things about him. It’s been tense between us since then. I expected him to show up here, but I don’t think he knows that I have any record of Frankie’s will.”
“How far were you going to let it go?” I asked, more out of curiosity than accusation. “Were you going to hang onto the information and let Ash Road and Gordon get Frankie’s estate?”
“No, I don’t think I could live with myself. I was going to go to the next court hearing at the very least. I’m sorry.”
“I do have another question,” I said, and Edward nodded to me. “If Frankie didn’t have any family, who planned her funeral?”
“She didn’t have a funeral. Frankie wanted her body donated to science when she died. There was paperwork she had to fill out. The will is referenced in that.”
I didn’t like Edward Moody as much anymore. “The whole time. You knew the whole time. I never even needed to bring Ellie here. You people are all nuts,” I murmured and got up.
I let myself out without saying another word. It dawned on me as I parked in front of the county courthouse that I should have gotten a copy of Frankie’s paperwork from the funeral home so I at least had proof there was a will.
I’d checked with the court clerks before about Frankie’s will and no one had it. But I was determined. At one point, her will had been filed at this courthouse. It had to have been. I didn’t care how far under Gordon’s thumb these people were, someone was going to give me that piece of paper.
I would stage a sit-in if I had to. Bring in the National Guard. Somebody knew something and I was so tired of “I should have come forward sooner.”
I’d had enough.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lara
I was on my way up the courthouse steps when Brody’s car pulled up to the curb. My first thought was that I’d gotten too close and he was there to stop me.
What if he’d been playing me the whole time?
“What do you want, Brody? Don’t think you can stop me. We’re in public in broad daylight,” I called to him, and it stopped him in his tracks.
“What?” he asked. “No, I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to redeem myself.”
“Fat chance,” I said and started back toward the courthouse entrance.
“Wait, Lara. Please. I tried to drop hints. You just thought I was a killer so you didn’t pick up on them. The thing about the funeral home, and there was more.”
I thought about what he said for a moment. Then I remembered what he said about all of Frankie’s records pr
obably being tossed in a box next to some random copy machine.
“What copy machine, Brody?” I asked. “Tell me where the records are and maybe we can talk about forgiveness at some point.”
“It’s too late,” he said with slumped shoulders. “I thought I knew where he’d hidden the records in plain sight. I could never check for sure because he had a camera pointed at them. I knew he’d hurt my sister if I even looked in the box. But that doesn’t matter now. I had to stand up to him. Letting my father get away with crimes wasn’t actually protecting Madeline. If I can get him locked up, I can get her out. I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. I went to go get that box, and it was gone,” he said in defeat.
That was the first time that I noticed that Brody’s hair and clothing were disheveled. His face and neck were red and swollen, like someone had punched him too.
“Brody, what happened?” I walked down the steps to him as quickly as I could.
“I went to my father’s office and demanded the will. I told him that he couldn’t hide any of this anymore and that I knew he was responsible. I said that I’d testify against him in any way that I could, even if it meant I would go to jail too.”
“What happened?” I reached up and touched the angry red blotch on his cheek and he winced.
“He hit me. My father punched me in the face and neck several times, and then he made the call.”
“Made the call?”
“He called the hospital where Madeline is being held and told them to cancel his account and transfer her to the state hospital immediately.” Brody’s voice shook with anger and anxiety. “Now we have to bring him down. It’s the only way to save Madeline, get justice for Ellie, and protect you. Who knows how dangerous he is. He’s like a cornered animal.”
“But you didn’t get the will.”
“I didn’t have to. Frankie had to file her will in any state where she owned property. Most people assume that she only owned the mansion and land here. But that’s not the case.”
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