Path to Nowhere (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 2)

by Cynthia Hickey

  “Tonight. We’ll decorate around them to the best of our ability,” Alice said. “They both seem to be in a hurry. Oh, Lauren is having a delivery of paint delivered any minute. Could you go to the front entrance and wait?”

  “Sure.” I only had like a million things to do. Dismissed, I left without speaking a word to Lauren or her to me. Strange, since I tended to speak with everyone I came across.

  Making my way around the main building, I took a seat on a cement bench out front and waited for the delivery. I glanced at my watch. I should have asked when the delivery was scheduled, I suppose. It wasn’t like I had time to waste.

  There were decorations to hang, paper pieces to cut and mark one with an X, the background info for the killer to be printed…my to-do list seemed never ending.

  Finally. A white van pulled into the parking lot. I got to my feet as a young man with a sad expression climbed out. He loaded can after can of paint onto a dolly, then rolled it toward me.

  “Where would you like these?”

  Oh, Alice hadn’t said. “Just inside the door, I guess.” Since we had yet to hire a new receptionist, all calls being forwarded to Alice, it should be all right to clutter the foyer temporarily.

  He nodded and rolled the paint inside. I followed to find him staring at Teresa’s name plate.

  “Did you know her?” I asked.

  “We’ve been dating for six months.” He swiped the back of his hand across his face. “Do you mind if I take the nameplate.”

  “Go ahead. What’s your name?”

  “Scott Cline. I’d make my deliveries and take her to lunch.” His words caught on a hiccup. “I sure will miss her.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Yeah, it’s going to be especially hard since I’ve been hired on to help while the renovations are going on.”

  Really? Huh. I wondered whether Heath knew. “Well, welcome aboard.” I thrust a flier at him. “I hope you can come. I’ve work to do, so I’ll leave you to the unloading. Is there something I need to sign?” If he was going to be working there, I didn’t think I needed to supervise him.

  I signed the clipboard and set off to my cottage at a fast clip. I opened my door to see Mom and Grandma enjoying tea without me. “Gee, it’s nice to know y’all feel comfortable enough to make yourselves at home.”

  “Guess what?” Mom grinned.

  “I’m too busy to guess.” I moved my laptop from the coffee table and the danger of spilled tea to the safety of the kitchen table.

  “I’m going to work as receptionist until they hire someone.”

  “That’s great. I just signed for a delivery for you.” I booted up my laptop.

  Mom bolted to her feet. “He’s early!” She dashed outside, to her new job presumably.

  “You should be more happy for her,” Grandma said. “She needs something to fill her days.”

  “I am happy for her. I’m sorry I didn’t have any balloons to release.” I printed off the background info for the killer, then realized I had no way of getting the pages to the pretend murderer without everyone seeing. Darn. I would have to cheat and make Heath the bad guy. “I’m headed out again. Lock up when you leave.”

  “Would you like me to start on the decorations? I can help, you know.”

  “That would be wonderful. The supplies are already in the dining hall.” I handed her a drawing of where I wanted everything. “The theme is twenties gangster.”

  “Wonderful! I’ll wear my flapper dress again. I have one for you, too.”

  “I’ll be dead and wearing all black.”

  “Oh, pooh, how melodramatic.” She flitted from the cottage, leaving me to lock the door.

  I located Heath replacing a lock on one of the vacant cottages. “I need you to be the killer tonight.” I handed him his instructions.

  “Okay. I thought you were going to have a drawing.”

  I explained my reasoning, then smiled. “You get to kill me. Well, not really, and off screen, but you know…”

  He chuckled and, folding the paper, stuck it in his back pocket. “You’ll be the prettiest victim there.” He planted a quick kiss on my cheek. “See you tonight.”

  “Did you know you had a helper hired? He’s, was, Teresa’s boyfriend.”

  “I heard I had someone starting in the morning, but didn’t know it was Scott.”

  “You know him?”

  “Yeah, he seems like a good kid. A hard worker, at least.”

  I hoped the poor guy didn’t follow the same fate as Heath’s previous helper. “See you tonight.” I quick walked to the dining hall.

  “Grandma, that is not what I told you to do.” She had strung silver glittery streamers everywhere.

  “I thought it would be nice to have a nighttime fantasy type of thing. I have sparkly stars to hang, too.”

  I shoved a streamer out of my face. “You can’t walk in here if you hang all of those up. Take them down. The stars are okay.”

  “You ruin all my creativity.” She started yanking down streamers, leaving swatches of tape on the ceiling tiles.

  “How did you get them up there?”

  She pointed to a ladder leaning against the wall. “How do you think?”

  “You’re too old to use a ladder.”

  She gave me a go-to-Hades look and stomped away.

  “This is tacky.” Lauren entered the room.

  “I’m sorry we don’t all have a degree in decorating.” I wadded up dropped streamers and shoved them in the nearest garbage can.

  “Oh, I don’t have a degree. I’m just good at what I do.” She gave a coy smile and sashayed, yes sashayed, away.

  I wanted to slap the smug look from her face. Instead, I started putting navy tablecloths on the tables, a record player with old tyme band music records stacked close by, and set a list of guidelines at each place setting. Finished, I stepped back to survey my work. Grandma’s stars did lend a festive air to the room. With candles the only lighting for the evening, there would also be an air of mystery surrounding everything.

  “This looks wonderful.” Alice clasped her hands in front of her.

  I gasped. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry.” She fell into a chair. “I’m exhausted. That woman wears me out with her demands.”

  “Lauren?”

  She nodded. “What does Heath see in her?”

  “Uh, nothing?”

  “We’d like to think that, wouldn’t we? But…she’s simpering and batting her eyelashes at him as we speak. The man is eating it up.”

  I glanced at the door, wanting nothing more than to go interrupt them. “He said it’s over between them.”

  “Someone needs to tell her that.” She exhaled sharply. “I’d better go get ready for the party. Maybe I’ll set my hat for one of the new residents. They may be twenty years older, but they’re both loaded. I have no idea why they’ve chosen such a simple place as Shady Acres to live.”

  “It will rival any retire community once we’re finished updating.” I took offense at her statement. I worked hard to get the grounds in order. “If I had help—”

  “You do fine on your own. See you later.” She wobbled, er, uh, marched, on wobbly stilettos. Some people were not meant to wear heels.

  A quick glance at the wall clock had me sprinting for my cottage and the shower. Hanging on my bedroom door was a black flapper dress and a headband with a black feather. Grandma was determined to have her way somehow. Still, it beat the black leggings and baggy tee shirt I had planned on wearing.

  Since I refused to cut my hair, I tried taming it with a straightener to no avail. I’d be a flapper with frizzy curls around my head. Sighing, I slipped my feet into strappy sandals and left the cottage.

  On the flagstone pathway, I glanced in one direction, then in another as the dinner gong sounded. As if they were one body, cottage doors opened and residents filed out in 1920s splendor.

  Heath came my way and slid his arms around my waist. “It
looks as if you’ve come up with a winner idea again.”

  I stepped free of his hold. “From Lauren’s arms to mine?”

  He frowned. “I’m confused.”

  “Alice saw you all lovey-dovey with Lauren earlier.”

  “I told you it’s all her.” He reached for me again.

  I took a step back. “I can’t…not until you put her in her place.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, making the strands stand on end like stalks of wheat. “I need you to trust me, Shelby.”

  “I’m trying. You know how my past relationship ended. It’s hard to believe the best when I’m confronted with the worst.”

  “I’ll prove it to you. There is nothing between me and Lauren.” He glanced over my shoulder and stiffened.

  I turned and stared into the icy glare of Lauren. Heath’s reaction to her hearing his words looked guilty to me.

  5

  Heart heavy, I pasted a smile on my face, put a Halloween makeup of a bullet hole on my forehead, and stepped into the dining hall. All heads looked up from their tables in anticipation. In the spirit of the masquerade, Heath slipped into the room from the opposite door.

  “Good evening! Welcome to our first murder mystery party. I’m your coordinator, Shelby Jenkins, and I will play the victim. Since I’m dead, I cannot answer any of your questions. Your job is to find out how I died, where I was killed, and who killed me. Think of the game Clue.” I glanced around the room, hoping Teresa’s killer was there and that they wouldn’t make the game I played a permanent one.

  “Mingle, enjoy dinner and the atmosphere, and find justice for my death!”

  The room rang with applause.

  “It’s quite easy to see how you were killed, darling.” Grandma pointed at the bullet hole in my head.

  I wiped at a smear of white powder at the corner of my mouth. “Is it?” I couldn’t make things too easy for them. “I’m dead, remember? No talking to me.”

  Grandma huffed and stalked away, headed for the group of men she hung around with when Detective Ted was absent. I shook my head and decided to mingle silently so the participants could get a good look at me.

  Across the room, Lauren, in a flapper dress of scarlet, caressed Heath’s cheek. He drew back as if she’d burned him. Good. Maybe he was telling the truth about their relationship.

  “Hold up, girlie!” Bob, Marvin, Harold, and William swarmed me. “The Poker Boys need a good look. We aim to win this game.”

  “Poker boys?”

  “We now hold a weekly poker game. If you’re good, we’ll invite you to play.” Bob turned my face from side-to-side, then scribbled something on the paper in his hand.

  William swiped my lip, then stuck his finger in his mouth. “Oh, you’re a tricky one!”

  Gross. I stuck my hand in my sparkly clutch, and reapplied the “powder” to the corner of my lip. With a smile, I gave a jaunty wave and continued around the room. So far, I’d heard nothing about Teresa.

  Mom tapped me on the shoulder. “Shot in the kitchen by the chef because you criticized his cooking.”

  I cocked my head. “You have to write your guess on a slip of paper and wait until the end of the party.” I leaned close to her ear. “Keep trying.”

  “But I really want to win that wooden box. You know I’ve admired it for months.”

  “Keep trying.” I stepped away.

  “Very funny.” Heath waved his background papers in my face, and whispered, “Killed by a jilted lover? I’ve never been jealous in my life.”

  “Then act as if you were.” I grinned.

  He huffed. “You could give me some lessons.” He stormed away.

  There was a lot of talking for me being dead. Alice waved to me from the other side of the room. I squeezed through people questioning each other, pleased that everyone was having so much fun.

  “No one is talking to our new residents,” she said.

  “Well, I can’t. I’m dead.”

  She looked at me as if I had turned green. “Fine. I’ll lead them around the room and introduce them.” She teetered on heels too high for the era we were supposed to dress in and hooked an arm through each of the new men’s arms. Good. I couldn’t eavesdrop as well if I were playing babysitter.

  “The maid killed you in the sauna.”

  “Mom! Stop asking me. And, no, wrong again.”

  She groaned and left to join Grandma. If I’d known she liked the box so much, I would have given it to her a long time ago.

  Once the buffet was filled, everyone took a break from the questions and piled their plates. I nibbled as I wandered the room, knowing most interesting conversations took place over food.

  “What do you make about the killing of our receptionist?” Bob asked the other Poker Boys.

  “It has to be one of us,” William said. “The girl hardly left the grounds. It was almost as if she had no life.”

  “That delivery boy was her beau,” Marvin said, popping a deviled egg into his mouth. “Maybe he killed her.”

  The others looked at him with wide eyes. “How do you know that?” Bob asked.

  Marvin shrugged. “I’ve seen the lad leaving her cottage in the early hours of the morning a time or two.”

  They all glanced to where Scott sat, alone, at a table for two.

  “Nonsense,” Harold said. “The boyfriend is too obvious.”

  I agreed, but in real life it was often the one closest to the victim who did the deed. When talk moved to their next poker game, I continued on.

  “What do you do, Damon?” Alice sat with the two newest members.

  “I’m retired now. Made a fortune designing jewelry, then sold out.”

  “Yep,” Alan added. “Made mine with youtube videos. It’s time to sit back and enjoy life.”

  “There are some here who wonder what brings such affluent gentlemen to our humble surroundings.” Alice glanced from one to the other.

  “Why not?” Alan shrugged. “The cottages are comfortable, there’s fishing in the creek, and easy access to town.”

  Alice beamed. “We do try to satisfy.”

  “You’re doing a good job.” Damon toasted her with a glass of red wine. “Do you do these type of activities often?”

  “We try to have a social get-together every weekend. Shelby does a fine job, doesn’t she?”

  “The gardener? She’s a really pretty gal,” Alan said. “Is she single?”

  “Very.”

  I wanted to throttle her! She knew darn well Heath and I were seeing each other, sort of. Of course, if I were in the market for an older man, which I wasn’t, I could do worse than two handsome rich men.

  I spotted Heath talking to Grandma. From the amused expression on his face, she was trying to determine whether he was the one who had killed me. I hoped she wouldn’t win. People would think the game was fixed.

  “I’ve got it.” Lauren sauntered toward me. “You were poisoned by the handyman in the garden.” She grinned.

  “You have to write your guess on a piece of paper and put it in that box over there.” Did no one read the instructions?

  “Oh, I’m not playing for real. It’s just so obvious.”

  I really disliked her. “I suppose since you aren’t a permanent resident, you can’t play anyway. Too bad.” I gave her a simpering smile and strolled away.

  It was time for me to disappear and stay at the spot where I was killed. I motioned to Alice to send the residents looking in ten minutes.

  Kicking off my shoes, I raced for the patch of lush grass I’d chosen as my final place. No hard pavement or packed dirt for me.

  I lay on my back, shoes next to me, and stared at the stars. Rather romantic if I hadn’t been alone. Alone. In the dark. With a killer on the loose. I really hadn’t thought this through.

  A rustling in the bushes sent imaginary bugs tracking up my arms and legs. I was fine. The area would be swarming with people in a few minutes.

  Footsteps alerted me to get into
character. I kept my eyes wide and stared heavenward.

  “Just the little lady I was looking for.” Alan Barker peered down at me. “Since you’re pretending to be dead, would you slap me if I stole a kiss? You lying there like Sleeping Beauty is more temptation than I can resist.”

  Seriously? Gag. “I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

  “The dead damsel speaks and ruins the façade.” He ran his hand up and down my arm.

  “You do realize I’m not really dead, right?” I slapped his hand away.

  “Of course, but fantasy is fun, don’t you think?”

  I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore him. I had my Tazor in my clutch. If he tried anything, he’d be twitching on the grass beside me.

  “I found her!” Birdie knelt next to me and wrote on her paper. “I’m going to win!” She placed a hand on Alan’s shoulder and pushed to her feet before racing back to the main building.

  Fifteen minutes later, I rejoined everyone in the dining room and removed the sticky bullet hole from my forehead. Opening the box, I said, “If you followed directions, wrote your deductions, and signed your name, then I will award the prize. In the case of a tie, I have a bonus question.”

  I scanned the answers. Three people had the answer correct. “Birdie, Damon, and…Leroy, (our resident vampire who only came out at night) have the correct answers. I was poisoned in the garden by the handyman. The gunshot was overkill. Now, for the tie breaker. Why was I killed?”

  “You caught him in a murder,” Damon said. “I’d kill for that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Not on your life,” Leroy said. “She cheated on him, not that Shelby is that type of girl.”

  “She broke up with him,” Birdie said, shooting to her feet. “Does no one watch what goes on around here? It’s quite clear Heath is now keeping company with the interior decorator.”

  “All very good answers.” I avoided looking at Heath. “The winner is…Birdie!” I handed her the box. “This was fun. Enjoy your dessert everyone.”

  Applause filled the room. I’d come up with a winning event for sure. Not that I’d garnered much information on Teresa’s death, but hopefully, once I relaxed alone in my cottage, something would come to mind that had seemed insignificant when I first heard it. With my part finished, I left and headed home.