Beware the Orchids (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 1)

by Cynthia Hickey

  “You don’t want to know.”

  He gripped my elbow and pulled me behind a plastic fichus tree. “I don’t know how you came by this information, Miss Hart, but meddling in an active police investigation is dangerous. I must ask you to stop.”

  “But Birdie asked me to solve her friend’s murder.”

  “There is more going on here than you know. Stop snooping.” He released me. “Thank you for the paper, and yes, the watch belongs to Mr. Satchett. We’ll be returning the stolen items soon.”

  I crossed my arms. “You had a question for me?”

  “Not really a question.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Your friend, the tall gal? She’s been hit over the head. She’s in your cottage refusing to go to the hospital.”

  “Define hit over the head.”

  “Someone hit her on her way back from breakfast.” He narrowed his eyes. “This is what happens when two clueless young women meddle where they have no business. Walk with me.”

  We headed toward the cottage, me walking as fast as my short legs would go.

  “Your Grandmother is with her,” Officer Lawrence said. “I have one more thing to ask.”

  “Shoot.” I reached for the doorknob of my cottage.

  “Do you happen to know where Dave Mason is? No one has seen him since before daylight.”

  11

  “Find him and send him to me, Miss Hart. I’ll be around.” Officer Lawrence turned and headed out the back door of the main building.

  I’d been ordered by two people to find Dave Mason. I had a strong urge to bop him upside the head once I did. First, I wanted to check on Cheryl.

  She laid on my sofa and held an ice pack to the back of her head. “I guess you heard,” she said, keeping her eyes closed.

  “Officer Lawrence told me. Why don’t you tell me what happened?” I sat on the coffee table while Grandma handed me a glass of tea.

  “I dropped our breakfast.” She opened one eye. “I had my hands full and was headed out to find you when I rounded the corner of the building and found myself face down in the petunias.”

  “Better than face up under the daisies,” Grandma cackled.

  “I am not in a humorous mood.” Cheryl closed her eye again. “When Shelby finds out who hit me, I’m going to clobber them.”

  “Aren’t you still going to help me solve this mystery?” I glanced between the two of them. “I also have a job to do.”

  “I thought it would be a lark,” Cheryl said. “A misunderstanding. I didn’t expect to get hurt.”

  I wisely left out the thought that snooping might very well get us killed. “Fine. You can ramble around here bored for the rest of your vacation.” I got to my feet. “There’s ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet in the master bath.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to help.” She opened an eye again. “I just didn’t expect to get whacked.”

  “Don’t be such a big cry baby.” I took a sip of my tea, grimaced at the over amount of sugar, and headed for the door. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’ve been ordered to find Dave Mason.”

  “Be careful,” Cheryl called. “Grandma, maybe you should go with her.”

  “Good idea. We’ll lock the door behind us.” Grandma grabbed the large sparkly bag she called a purse and followed me. “Don’t be cross with her. I gave her a pain pill. They affect her in a weird way. She’ll be excited to be singled out by morning.”

  “I should never have told Birdie I’d look into things. I’m getting nowhere, anyway.” I led Grandma to Heath’s cottage. We might as well look in the obvious place first.

  We knocked and got no answer. Either he and Heath were off working, my guess was only Heath was working, or Dave was wandering the grounds in an attempt not to be found. “Let’s walk the perimeter, then check the hiking path. I’d finally finished going through all the papers Alice had given me and studied the map included there. We had a fishing lake on the premises, a bike and hiking trail, you name it, Shady Acres had it, and the residents paid the high price of living there.

  “I don’t think he wants to be found.” Grandma pulled out a few pieces of hard butterscotch candy from her purse and offered me one.

  I shook my head. “He’s a lazy one, for sure. Heath!” I spotted him limping toward the pool area.

  He stopped and waited for us. “What’s up?”

  “I’m looking for Dave.”

  “Aren’t we all?” He scowled. “I asked him to clean the pool filter. He carried the tools here, but there’s no sign of him and the filter is still clogged. What’s weird is his hat is here. He never goes anywhere without that ratty thing.”

  True. I scrunched up my mouth and did my best to figure out where he could have gotten off to. “He was at breakfast, right?”

  “No, he was gone when I woke up this morning.”

  “That’s a couple of hours ago,” Grandma said. “Someone is bound to have seen him unless there is a part of this community closed off to the residents.”

  I glanced at Heath. “Is there?”

  “A couple of private storage sheds, an old koi pond in need of repair, and the dock which is sagging. All on my to-do list.”

  “Let’s check the dock. Maybe he took the day off to go fishing.” I waved Heath ahead of us. “How’s the knee?”

  “Better. It’ll be sore by night, but improving each day. That’s a good thing. There’s a lot to do around here. Alice might like to shuffle her work off on others, but she’s doing a good job getting this place up to snuff after the last manager.”

  “Who was the last manager?”

  “He retired. The owner offered him a place here, but he wanted Florida. The community was in sad shape and losing residents before Alice was hired.”

  My opinion of her improved somewhat. Shady Acres was a lovely place. With a combined effort we could make it a showplace...if I could ever focus on my job and not hunt down killers and lazy employees.

  As we walked, I spotted plants that needed replanting, mulch that needed replacing, some juniper bushes that would make wonderful topiaries, the list went on. Tomorrow, Cheryl could spend more time recuperating. I was going to focus the entire day on the grounds. “Do I have a gardening budget?”

  Heath glanced down at me. “I imagine. You’d have to ask Alice.”

  “Who mows the expansive lawns?”

  “She hired someone to do that and the edging. You’re only responsible for flowers and bushes.”

  And anything else she could think up, but he did relieve a bit of my anxiety. While Shady Acres had thirty cottages strategically placed around the grounds, I felt I could keep up with the work load given the chance.

  As we walked, Heath’s hand kept bumping mine until I finally realized it was a subtle gesture to make physical contact. I narrowed my eyes and mouthed, “No.” After all, the kiss I gave him was to cover up for my being in his apartment snooping through Dave’s things, not because I wanted in a relationship. That’s the last thing I wanted right then, despite Heath’s handsomeness.

  He gave a playful pout and shrugged. “There’s the dock.”

  “Dave?” I stepped next to the rickety dock and glanced up and down the rocky, tree-lined shore. Several small rowboats in need of paint jobs bobbed in the water. There was no sign of Dave. “Is there a building or anything he could be hiding in?”

  “Nothing. If I hadn’t found his hat, I’d think he’d left.”

  “Is his truck here?” Grandma planted fists on her bony hips. “That’s the first thing you should have checked.”

  I hadn’t thought to check. “Heath?”

  “His truck is here.” He looked at Grandma as if offended that she would challenge his intelligence.

  “Then, he’s here somewhere.” She turned and sauntered back the way we’d come.

  “Why do you need to find him so badly?” Heath asked, his hand brushing mine again.

  “To fire him and Officer Lawrence wants to talk to him about stealing the paper
from Bob’s watch.”

  “I’d hide, too.” He chuckled. “We should go on a date sometime.”

  I stopped. “I just got over a bad breakup. I need some time before even thinking about such things. Don’t we see enough of each other at work? We’re both here twenty-four seven.” At least, I was.

  “You need to get away once in a while.”

  Today was Sunday. My day off. Drat. I’d gotten roped into working. “You’re right. I’m supposed to be off work today. Once I find Dave, I’m going to town to visit my mother.” That’s the only way Alice couldn’t infringe on my free time.

  “You get Sunday and Monday,” he told me. “Don’t let Alice rob you of those days.”

  Even better. Cheryl and I would spend the night with Mom, popcorn, chick flicks, and sparkling Moscato. “Let’s hurry up and find this man.”

  We increased our pace as much as Heath’s bum knee would allow and caught up with Grandma. “I thought I was going to have to double back,” she said. “No more dawdling. I have things to do.”

  “Like what?” I grinned.

  “I have a date with Ted.”

  “Who’s that? Another resident? You sure get around.”

  She gave me ‘that look’. “It’s Officer Lawrence, I’ll have you know. I do not date around. I date a lot, but only one man at a time.” She tossed her hair back and marched ahead of us.

  “Feisty.” Heath laughed. “That’s how you’ll be at her age.”

  “Please.” I rolled my eyes. “She’s way more fun than me, and I would not be caught dead in animal print leggings.”

  “No, just frilly dresses, short shorts, and rain boots in every color of the rainbow.”

  He noticed what I wore? “A girl likes to look pretty.”

  “You’d be pretty in a flour sack.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, then clamped it shut. For once, I was at a loss for words.

  “The koi pond is right ahead. See the non-working fountain of Venus? Getting it working again is a top priority of mine. Maybe you could help by procuring some water plants.”

  I nodded and rushed to where Grandma waved frantically for us to hurry. “I found him!”

  “Where?” I couldn’t see anyone.

  “There. Peering up at me from the algae.” She pointed into the pond.

  Eyes wide open, a red film skimming the water around him, was Dave. Someone had slit his throat and dumped him. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Officer Lawrence. “He’s in the koi pond.”

  “What do you mean he’s in the pond? Is he drunk and taking a swim?”

  “No, sir. He’s dead.”

  “Stay there. I’ll be there in a second.” Click.

  “The calvary is on its way.” My stomach heaved and I sagged against the goddess Venus. So much…blood. I turned and threw up.

  Heath put an arm around my waist and led me to a nearby bench. “Way to hold it together until you phoned the police.”

  “Yeah, I’m good during the emergency and fall apart afterwards.” I bent over and put my head between my knees.

  “Here.” Grandma thrust a bottle of water at me. “I’m always prepared.”

  “Thank you.” Her bag must weigh a ton. I’ve never needed anything when with her that she couldn’t provide.

  “I guess you won’t have to fire him now, bless his heart.” She unwrapped a piece of candy and handed it to me. “Take it this time. It will help with your sour mouth.”

  I popped the candy in my mouth and kept my gaze averted from the pond. Not that I could see any part of Dave. No, he was covered with water and slime, and…stop it! I switched my mind to thinking of flowers and butterflies.

  “Who do you think would want to kill him?” Grandma moved back to the fountain. Nothing ever seemed to bother her. “Bob, I suppose, but he would be the first suspect so it doesn’t make sense. Do you think the same person killed him is the one who killed Maybelle?”

  “It’s a good assumption. Both of them seemed to have a talent for being where they shouldn’t.” Of course, Dave was supposed to be cleaning out Maybelle’s cottage, but he wasn’t supposed to take anything.

  “I hope they don’t try and pin his death on me, too. After all, I was the last one to see him alive.” Heath sat next to me, his shoulders sagging.

  “That’s a very good assumption, Mr. McLeroy.” Office Lawrence marched to our side. “I will definitely have some questions for you.”

  “See?” Heath sighed.

  I actually felt sorry for him. “I don’t think Heath would have hit Cheryl, Officer Lawrence. It’s quite possible that the person who hit her, killed Dave, don’t you think?”

  “A good possibility.” He pulled a small notepad from his pocket. “Now, Mr. McLeroy, when was the last time you laid eyes on the victim?”

  12

  After making sure Heath wasn’t going to be hauled to the local jail on suspicion of murder, I packed an overnight bag, gathered up Cheryl, and headed to Mom’s house. Grandma promised to meet us there later after her date. The most important thing was…I would be away from Shady Acres for a night.

  “Girls.” Mom greeted us with open arms. “I’ve movies, popcorn, pizza, you name it.”

  I gave her a hug. “Sounds like just what I need.”

  She immediately ushered us inside and ordered Cheryl to spread out on the sofa. “We’ll have your head as good as new in no time.”

  “Impossible,” I said, reaching for a slice of mega-meat pizza. “It’s been damaged for years.”

  “Very funny.” Cheryl did as ordered, claiming the entire sofa, leaving the two easy chairs to me and Mom. Grandma would have to fend for herself when she arrived.

  “Sit.” Mom waved her hand. “Tell me all about your job and these deaths. Yes, I know about the second one. Grandma texted me.”

  “She spreads news faster than a twister.” I plopped into a chair and toed off my shoes. “There isn’t a lot to tell. I’m no longer a suspect, but the handyman seems to be the primary person of interest. One of the residents has asked that I help find out who killed her friend, but I’ve come up against dead ends so far.”

  “Poor choice of words, dear.” Mom shook her head. “I’m not sure I like you getting involved.”

  I shrugged. “Until Cheryl got hit, there hadn’t been any danger. I’ve thought about pulling back.”

  “No!” Cheryl sat up. “We can’t stop now. Whoever hit me thinks we know something. We need to find out what that something is before they come after us again.”

  “Fine. Let’s spend our eating time trying to figure out just what in the world is going on?” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Maybelle was killed by rat poison with someone else’s teeth in her mouth. Dave Mason had his throat slit after stealing Bob’s bank information, then tossed in the algae-filled koi pond.” I grabbed another slice of pizza. “Other than Maybelle being a snoop, and Dave a lazy thief, we have no motive.”

  “Two different methods of death,” Mom said. “Are you sure it’s the same killer?”

  “I don’t want to contemplate two killers at Shady Acres.” I shuddered. One was one too many.

  “You can’t discount the possibility.”

  “Your Mom’s right.” Cheryl sat up and reached for a slice. “What if?”

  “We still need motives.” Whether one killer or two, people didn’t tend to kill without reason, unless they were a serial killer or something. Holy Cow! Shady Acres didn’t have a serial killer, did they? The pizza sat like a congealed lump in my stomach. I reached for a glass of Moscato.

  “What if…” Mom put a finger to her lips. “You have an unsavory character living there and Maybelle in her snooping, and Dave in his stealing, came across information best kept hidden.”

  “Makes sense, I suppose. Dave could have found out whatever Maybelle knew while he was stealing. Funny thing is, Maybelle was a thief, too. Petty things like jewelry, prescription meds, and watches. Mom, I think you hit it on the head.” I winked at Ch
eryl.

  “You’re a regular standup comedian today,” Cheryl said. “Now, we need to figure out just what our thieving little friends saw that they shouldn’t have.”

  “I know the answer to that question.” Grandma sailed through the front door and smacked Cheryl’s legs until she moved them. “Someone at Shady Acres is not who they say they are.”

  The rest of us stared at her as if she’d turned blue. “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “Lawrence let it slip during a rather heated make-out session.”

  Eew. Too much information, as usual. “I don’t suppose he told you who the person is?”

  “No. Once he realized what he’d said, he clammed up and left. That’s why I’m here early.” She poured herself a glass of wine. “I hope you have another bottle, Sue Ellen. This won’t last long with four of us.”

  “Of course, I do, Mother.” Mom sighed and moved to the kitchen, returning a moment later with an ice bucket and sparkling almond champagne.

  “I said wine, not that sissy stuff.” Grandma frowned.

  “Then you should have brought your own.”

  “I have some in the car. Now, where were we?”

  “An imposter at Shady Acres.” I said. “Do we know whether it’s a man or a woman? There are thirty cottages and I haven’t met everyone yet.”

  “Then, you’d best get busy, girlie.” Grandma grinned. “Meet them all and weed out the least likely suspects.”

  How in the world was I supposed to do that short of knocking on thirty doors? I’d tried mingling at a social event, but not everyone attended. The koi pond! I could go door-to-door for donations to fix the beautiful structure. I explained my idea.

  “I’m sure there’s money in the budget, maybe, but this would get the citizens involved and give me a reason to knock on doors. The only problem is, I’ll have to use my off time to do it.”

  “What else are you going to do in your evenings?” Grandma asked. “It isn’t as if you have a gentleman friend.”

  “Thanks for pointing that out.” I narrowed my eyes. “Am I not allowed time to grieve over my canceled wedding?”

  “Pshaw! That’s the best thing that could have happened to you. Marrying that pompous donkey would have made you miserable.”