Death is Long Overdue (Phee Jefferson Book 1)

by Amy Lilly

  "So, it turns out that Reverend Taylor was at Shady Acres the night Duane was killed," Juliet whispered. "I assume that puts him in the clear. I guess we are back at square one on our investigation."

  "I know. He told me he was with Mrs. Jasper almost all that evening. I didn't really see him as a murderer, but I had to eliminate him." I sat down next to Mom. "So, Mom, how is Mrs. Grimes?"

  "Fine. Still deaf as a post, but her cat, Samson, is recovering from a urinary tract infection. I heard all about it in loud, excruciating detail," Mom said. "I wish she would get a hearing aid, but I think she likes making people yell to be heard."

  "Mind if we join you?" Grant was standing with his mom, Shari. I once again noticed how strained Shari looked. In fact, she looked slightly unkempt. The change in her appearance was particularly shocking since she was always neat and polished when I was younger. I thought having Grant back would bring back her joy for life, but it appeared to be having the opposite effect.

  "Certainly," Dad motioned to the empty seat next to him. "Grant. It's good to see you, son."

  "Good to see you, too, sir," Grant responded as he sat down next to Dad. "Mom wanted to come out tonight when she heard from your wife that the whole Jefferson clan was going to be here."

  "Always glad to see Shari," Dad smiled warmly at her.

  "And always good to see you, too," Shari nodded her head at him. "And, of course, I am thrilled to see Phee."

  "I guess I must be chopped liver," Juliet whispered under her breath to me.

  "If the liver fits...." I stifled a giggle and picked up my fork to eat.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  “When you are mad, mad like this, you don't know it. Reality is what you see. When what you see shifts, departing from anyone else's reality, it's still reality to you.” - Marya Hornbacher, Madness: A Bipolar Life

  Reverend Taylor began the evening's homily shortly after that and we all listened in respectful silence. Juliet even listened without falling asleep. After the sermon, I managed to eat one of Mom's brownies and a slice of pecan pie. I leaned back in my seat and groaned. "Juliet, you may have to roll me home. I am stuffed!"

  "We'll roll together. I ate coconut cake and Mom's brownies, but it was worth it!" Juliet yawned, "Are you about ready to head back home? I have a six a.m. yoga class to teach and need to catch some shut eye."

  "I should stay and help clean up. You go ahead on home. I'll catch a ride." I stood up to help clear everyone's paper plates.

  "If you're sure. Make sure you don't walk home. It is definitely not safe," Juliet warned.

  "Grant can give you a ride home, Phee," Shari offered. "Your mom and dad offered me a ride home. You and Grant take your time. He misses spending time with you. I miss you, too. I always imagined one day, you would be a wonderful addition to the family."

  "Thanks," I responded uncomfortably. "Grant is definitely my best friend. Movies just weren't the same when he was gone at law school." I walked over to the large trash can and dumped our plates. When I walked back to our table, everyone was gathering up their jackets preparing to leave.

  "Mom, I'll call you tomorrow to finish up plans for the baby shower for Carrie. You and dad be careful driving home.” I hugged them goodbye. "Shari, I'll stop by and visit you tomorrow. I haven't been by to see you in forever. I feel guilty!"

  "I'll be waiting. I might even make you your favorite root beer float!" Shari smiled at me. Her face had relaxed as the evening had passed, and she no longer had the haunted look of earlier.

  "See you later, Mom," Grant gave his mom a hug. "I'll call you tomorrow. I have a feeling Phee is going to have me on dish duty tonight!"

  "And you should be!" I said lightly. I waved goodbye to everyone and went to finish packing up the leftover food in disposable containers. Reverend Taylor would deliver the food to our local shut-ins tomorrow. I started to prepare the various plates and Grant took the dirty pans and emptied containers into the kitchen to wash. Once I had prepared all the deliveries, I carried them into the church kitchen and placed them in the refrigerator.

  "I'm sorry my mom put you on the spot earlier, Phee,” Grant apologized. "She's been driving me crazy since I got home about asking you out on a date. I think she has this idea in her head that if you and I are together like when we were teenagers, that it will give her back a little of what she had before dad died. I'll be honest. I'm a little worried about her."

  "She has been looking very....I don't know....strained I guess is the best way to say it. Almost like she is on edge all the time," I said. "I know she means well when she brings up you and me dating, but I hope you've let her know that we are just friends."

  "Believe me. I've tried. She just doesn't want to hear it. She is almost obsessive about it. I came tonight so I could talk to Reverend Taylor about trying to counsel her. She’s just really been behaving oddly since Dad died. I was hoping me moving back would help, but I think she needs more than just me." Grant shook his head sadly.

  "I'm sure Reverend Taylor can help her. Grief can do strange things to people." I consoled him. I grabbed a towel and began drying the dishes that he placed in the drainer. "I received a threatening letter at the library today."

  "What? Why didn't you call me?" Grant asked with a hurt tone. "My office is right down the street. You know I would have come right over."

  "I called the sheriff's office. Jaime came over and took it to dust for prints. It was really a strange note." I dried the last dish in the strainer and hung the towel up to dry. "It said that I chose wrong and now I must pay. But I'm not sure what I chose wrong. The only thing I can think of is that I am dating Clint now and somebody doesn't like it. I thought it might be Valerie since she and Clint were a hot item back in the day. After talking to her today, I just don't see it."

  Grant had a strange expression on his face. "Phee, could it be that someone wanted you to choose me and not Clint?"

  "I don't see how. I mean, everyone in town knows we’ve always been best friends. I've been racking my brain all day and I just can't figure it out." I sighed. "Well, we're done here. You ready to go?"

  "Sure," Grant turned the lights off in the kitchen and we headed out of the church. He locked the basement door behind him, and we went to his car.

  "I do like this car of yours," I said as I slipped in and sniffed the leather interior appreciatively. "Don't get me wrong. I love Velma and couldn't see myself driving anything but her; however, I do feel quite sophisticated riding in this car with you."

  "Well, if you ever change your mind and decide that I am the guy for you...." Grant trailed off. "Just kidding. Kind of."

  "So you're trying to buy my love with a car? What kind of girl do you think I am?" I joked to relieve the tension. Grant pulled up to my house. I started to get out of the car.

  "Wait for me. I want to make sure there is no one hanging around in the bushes and no threats waiting on your doorstep." Grant walked around to the passenger side and helped me out of the low seat. "Let me go first."

  "I'm not going to argue," I glanced around a little fearfully. "Dang it! I hate feeling scared in my own home." I saw headlights coming down the street and a moment later, Clint's truck pulled up behind Grant's car. He climbed out and gave me a long searching look when he saw Grant was with me.

  "Grant offered me a ride home after church this evening. He was just doing a little safety check before I went into the house," I said hurriedly.

  "I guess now that you're here, Clint, I can head on home. Thanks for listening, Phee. I'm sure Mom's going to like seeing you tomorrow. Just be prepared that she might get a little pushy about us." Grant turned and went down the steps of my porch and headed back to his car.

  "You want to tell me what that's all about?" Clint said gruffly. He made a point of pulling me to him and kissing me as Grant pulled out.

  "Grant's mom is just being really weird lately. He is really worried about her. Plus, she's been obsessing over Grant and me getting together. He says he tried
to tell her that we’re just friends, but his mom isn't listening." I unlocked my door and we went inside.

  "Shari's having a hard time dealing with Ed's death. Even though I don't like him hanging out with you, I am glad he's back to keep an eye on her,” Clint said. He walked into the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap.

  "Reverend Taylor is in the clear." Clint raised his eyebrow at my non sequitur. "He attended Duane's talk, but I found out this evening that he was at Shady Acres with Mrs. Jasper. She passed away that night."

  "Good to know, but I thought I told you to leave the investigating to me." He gave me an exasperated look. "I really don't like you poking around when someone has clearly targeted you."

  "I was perfectly safe. I had Juliet, Mom and Dad with me, as well as the entire congregation,” I reassured him.

  "Well, I think that you need to be debriefed after this evening's investigation," Clint said suggestively. He pulled me closer to him and kissed me.

  "I definitely think a debriefing is in order," I whispered as I reached behind him and turned off the light.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” - Coco Chanel, The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman

  The next morning, I woke up smiling. Clint had left late the night before since he had an early morning shift and a puppy at home to feed. I puttered around the kitchen fixing myself some toast and eggs and coffee. I even gave Ferdie an extra spoonful of his favorite moist cat food. I wrapped myself in a blanket and settled onto the back porch to watch the early morning sun rise above the trees and listen to the birds. This was my favorite time of the day. The neighborhood was quiet and the world seemed to be at peace.

  My peace was short-lived. It was shattered by the jangling of my telephone in the kitchen. I got up and hurried inside to answer it. "Hello?" I said a little fearfully. It was seven o'clock in the morning and a little too early for a casual caller.

  "Ms. Jefferson? This is Deputy Matt Thompson. We had an incident at the library in the early morning hours. Can you get down here?"

  "What happened?" I asked. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach.

  "Well, it sounds worse than it is. Someone tried to set fire to the building last night, but they failed to take into account that this building is primarily stone. Damage is minimal, but I need you to come down," Deputy Thompson said.

  "I'll be there in twenty minutes." I hung up the phone and hurried inside to get dressed. I quickly tugged on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and yanked my curls up into a messy ponytail on top of my head. I brushed my teeth and less than five minutes later, I was steering Velma towards the library.

  As I neared the library, I could see the fire truck with its lights blazing. The firemen were busy rolling up the water hose. I spotted Deputy Thompson talking to Chief Shaw near the fire truck. I walked over to the two men. "Well, I would say good morning, but I don't think that's the case right now. What's the damage, Chief?" I could see scorch marks around the frame of the broken front window.

  "No damage on the inside, aside from the broken glass from that window there. To be honest, the main damage is that it is going to reek of smoke for the next day or two," Chief Shaw said. "I don't know why I anyone would try to burn the library. It's a crying shame."

  "They threw some gasoline all around the bottom of the front of the library and set it on fire. They must not have stayed around to watch because it died out shortly after it started because once it burned the bottom trim wood, the fire hit pure New England granite and we all know that won't burn," Deputy Thompson informed me. "The window broke from the heat, but other than that, the building is fine. Actually, the arsonist kind of did you a favor. That ugly wooden trim was added over the granite back in the seventies. I never did like it."

  "Is it safe to go inside? I need to make sure the books are okay," I asked. I felt sick to my stomach. Someone targeted the library because of me. My beloved books had been put at risk because of me. Tears threatened to well up, but I wiped them away. This was my responsibility and I needed to make sure that the building and the collection were okay.

  "You sure can. You'll have to stay closed for a day or two while the building airs out. The mayor has already contacted a company that specializes in fire damage. They should be here within the hour to set up fans to help air out the building and wipe everything down Mayor James even called in a glass repair company," Deputy Thompson said. We walked into the building. I was relieved to see no damage. The smell of smoke lingered heavily in the air.

  "I'll need to post signs to let the public know that we won't be opening up for the next two days. I need to call Mayor James and touch base with him regarding the damage and let Wade and Clare know they don't need to come to work today. I'm just glad that no books were damaged." I really wanted to cry right then. Tears of relief. Tears of anger. Tears of sadness. I just couldn't believe that someone would do something this drastic. I shook my head. "Any idea who might have set the fire?"

  "I'll be honest with you, Phee, unless someone comes in to confess or someone was driving by and spotted something, then probably not. Arson by strangers is always hard to investigate. We'll do our best and send out an appeal to public, but I'm not hopeful." Deputy Thompson escorted me back out of the building. A Soot Doctors van was pulling up as we walked down the steps. "I'll let you go touch base with them to get the clean-up started. I'll let you know if I find anything else."

  I walked over to the van. The two men were pulling out large fans and buckets from the back. They explained that they would set up fans throughout the building to air it out and used a special cleaner to wipe down the walls and surfaces. They pulled on disposable suits and placed masks on as they prepared to go in. I needed to stay out of the building for at least the next twenty-four hours until the smoke was cleared out. The cleaner was strong and the smell could be overwhelming for the first several hours. Since there was nothing further I could do, I let Deputy Thompson know that I was heading home to make a few phone calls and would call the sheriff's office later.

  I drove Velma home slowly. My hands were shaking and I felt exhausted. I knew that whoever had set the fire was the same person who had sent me the threats. I realized that all my mystery novels had ill-prepared me for the level of malevolence I was facing. I decided right then that I wasn't going to investigate further and would just leave it to the sheriff's office. As my grandma always said, it was better to be safe than sorry.

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  That afternoon my mother had brought me the roses. "Save them for my funeral," I'd said. - Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

  I spent the remainder of the morning making phone calls. I spoke briefly to Mayor James and thanked him for his quick response. I tracked down the head of the Miller's Cove Garden Club and cancelled their weekly meeting. I left messages for Clare and Wade to let them know what had happened and that they didn't need to come into work. Hanging up after leaving a message for Wade, I sank into the kitchen chair and buried my face in my hands and burst into tears. Now that I had taken care of everything, I knew I could let myself cry.

  I sat there sobbing for ten minutes. I had cried more these past two weeks than I had in years. Ferdinand, sensing something wasn't right with his human, jumped up on my lap and began to purr while kneading his large paws on my thighs. "Ouch! Alright, Ferdie. I get it. There's nothing I can do about any of this stuff right now, but you still want attention." I petted his leonine head and he nudged my hand with his nose. Once I had stroked his fur long enough to satisfy his need for affection, he hopped down and with his tail high in the air, pranced off to his favorite sunny spot in the living room.

  My kitchen phone trilled loudly and I quickly answered it expecting more bad news. "Phee, are you alright?" Juliet asked urgently. "Wade and I had the early morning yoga class and then I drove him to the VA for his physical therapy session. I drove by the libr
ary and saw the damage. What happened?'

  "Someone tried to burn down the library," I stifled the urge to cry again. I needed to toughen up. "Luckily, there really wasn't any damage. The library filled with smoke and it’s going to take a few days to clear out the smell. I just don't know what to do. Someone really hates me!"

  "Whoever did this is clearly deeply troubled or as Wade says, a "whack job." I think you should lay off investigating anything and stay close to home until they catch whoever is behind all of this," Juliet warned.

  "I plan on keeping my nose out of all investigating from here on out. I think I'll retire my Super Librarian disguise and stick to my boring old regular librarian self," I declared. "Hey, I promised that I would go visit Grant's mom today. I thought I would swing by there in about an hour. Do you want to meet me at one o'clock at the Quickie Cow for a late lunch? I could really use the company and a peach shake would go a long way to calming my nerves."

  "Sure. I have a private yoga lesson to give to Mayor James' wife at noon, but I should be there by quarter after one at the latest. I'll see you then. Tell Shari I said hello," Juliet instructed.

  "Will do. I'll see you around 1:15 then." I hung up and headed to the shower to clean the stench of smoke out of my hair and skin. I pulled on my favorite jeans and an emerald green ribbed turtleneck. I pulled on my favorite pair of vintage brown cowboy boots and headed out the door and to Shari's house. I pulled Velma into the driveway and knocked on Shari's door. I waited a few minutes, but she didn't come to the door. I heard a noise from the rear of the house, so I headed around back. Shari had a large greenhouse where she grew flowers that she sold at the farmer's market on Saturdays. She also did flowers for local weddings. I wish I had her green thumb, but no matter how hard I tried, the only thing I could grow was a cactus.