Summer Walsh Mystery Collection (Boxed Set) (Omnibus): Murder Under the Mistletoe, Gun in the Garden, and Offed at the office (Summer Walsh Mysteries)

by Deborah Tisdale

  "No. She got the keys to her car and went out the back. It was late in the day, and all but one of her kids had gone home. When we got down to just a few children, they all went into one of the classrooms where we took turns waiting for their parents."

  "Can you remember anything else?"

  "I left the office to see if I was needed. Darla told me to go on home, and she'd stick around until all of the kids were picked up."

  "Did Mr. Van Houghton say anything to you?" I had a feeling that I had all the information I would get from Angela, but I wanted to make sure.

  "No, he just thanked me and told me how much he appreciated me." She laughed. "That's probably the most he ever said to me after I was hired."

  I stood up. "Thanks for talking to me, Angela. You have a lovely home and a very nice husband."

  "If there's anything else I can do, feel free to come by."

  I got out of the house as quickly as I could without being rude. As soon as I got in my car, I called Vince.

  "I heard you stopped by the police station to see me," he said, his tone jovial and chatty.

  "Sorry, Vince, but I don't have time to chitchat. I just got some information that you need to know about." I told him about Angela's and my conversation.

  "Interesting," he said. "What are your thoughts?"

  "I think you need to check the inside of Julie's car. See if you can find any traces of rope on the floor or seat."

  "Good thinking, Summer. I have a feeling you might be on to something."

  "Yeah, me too. I'll be there in about an hour."

  Before he had a chance to say another word, I clicked the OFF button. I didn't want him to argue and tell me to stay away.

  By the time I arrived back at the station, Vince said someone had gone looking for Julie to check out her car. "I just hope it hasn't been detailed yet," I said. "Blake probably knows we're doing a thorough investigation, so there's no telling what he'll have her do."

  He nodded. "Yeah, but even if the car has been detailed, there will still be traces. Our forensics team is good."

  "Have you spoken to Esther?" I asked.

  "We've asked her a lot of questions, if that's what you're saying. I actually thought she might have hired someone to help her murder her husband after I found out about all the abuse she endured."

  "You know about that?" I asked.

  "Yes, she said she figured you'd already told me." I couldn't help but see the hurt look on his face. "Summer, why didn't you tell me?"

  "I didn't have time. I was busy trying to find out who killed Mr. Van Houghton."

  "Ouch." He grimaced and then gave me a half-smile. "I suppose I deserved that. Anyway, I'm thinking we need to bring Julie in for questioning."

  "Wait a minute," I said. "Are you saying you think Julie murdered Mr. Van Houghton?"

  "Well, yeah. Julie and her stepfather." He gave me a questioning look. "Isn't that what you think happened?"

  "No. I'm saying it might have been her stepfather, but not Julie. I don't think she has it in her, and if she was even the slightest bit involved, we would have already figured it out."

  "So what do you think happened?" he asked as he grabbed his keys. "Come on, Summer. Tell me in the car. We can't waste another second. With forensics checking out Julie's car, I suspect Blake will try to bolt."

  Vince was right. Forensics had already gone to the Van Houghton mansion, and right as we pulled into the driveway, Blake was in his car and trying to leave. We blocked him.

  I saw the flicker of metal as Blake got out of his car. "He's got a gun, Vince. Don’t—"

  Chapter 9

  Before I could finish my sentence, Blake pulled the trigger. Fortunately, Vince had fast reflexes, and he'd ducked right when I said the word gun.

  Blake continued to fire until there were no more bullets, and Vince stayed crouched behind his door, while I got down low in the car. By then, the officers who were already on the property had heard the gunshots, and they were right behind Blake, guns drawn.

  As Vince slowly rose, he turned to me. "Looks like your hunch was right." He managed a feeble smile, but I could tell he was still quaking inside. We both knew how close he'd come to being shot, and I was a little bit shaky too.

  The front door of the mansion opened, and I spotted Julie walking outside looking unkempt and frightened. I wasn't sure, but I doubted she had even a clue of what her stepfather had done.

  She stood by the door and watched as Blake was read his rights and shoved into the back of the police cruiser that arrived shortly after he was apprehended. Vince joined the forensics team and went to the area where Julie's car was parked at the edge of the driveway, while I walked over to her.

  "I-I don't know what to say." She gave me a helpless look.

  "Where's your mom?" I asked.

  A tear trickled down her cheek. "She went out of town a couple of weeks ago, and she's not due back for another several days." She looked at me. "I don't know what to do or where to go. I can't stay here by myself."

  I understood. "Let me see what I can do, okay? But first, we need to see what forensics found."

  We walked over to Vince and the forensics team. Vince glanced up. "We have to take this to the lab, but it's obvious someone had a rope in here." He held up some long fibers. "Now all we have to do is see if it matches the rope used in the murder."

  Julie shook her head. "I've never had a rope in my car." She looked at me with her eyes still glistening. "Never, ever."

  "I believe you," I said. "Come on. Let's go pack a few of your things and find you a place to stay." I glanced over at Vince. "Any ideas?"

  I heard a car pulling into the driveway behind me, so I turned around and spotted Esther behind the wheel. She pulled up to a stop, got out, and walked over to Julie. "One of my neighbors told me the cops were here. What happened?"

  Julie told her about her stepfather, while Esther patiently listened. "You poor child. You can come and stay with me. I don't have a lot of room, but we can make do until your mother returns."

  At least that was settled, although I winced at her comment about the humongous townhouse not having much room. Since Julie's car was clearly going to be impounded for a while, she got into Esther's car and left with her after Vince told them they could go but not to leave town.

  Esther made a face. "Are you kidding me? I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't want to miss this for the world. This is getting exciting."

  I glanced at Vince and saw the amusement on his face. But since Julie was still so rattled, I refrained from saying a word.

  Over the next several hours, the police were able to piece everything together. The fibers in Julie's car matched the rope used to strangle Claude Van Houghton. The police had already found a receipt for the rope in the trashcan beside the desk in the Tiddly Winks office.

  A trip to the hardware store where he'd purchased it confirmed that Blake had been there the morning of the murder and bought quite a bit of rope and the sharpest knife they had. The fact that Blake had shot at us when we blocked him from leaving the mansion was enough to indicate that he was a flight risk, so the judge put off setting a bail amount.

  Vince and I went to the police station break room for a cup of coffee. "So tell me what you plan to do next," he said.

  "What?" I feigned surprise. "You're not going to remind me that you always have openings here?"

  He shrugged. "What's the point? I know what you're going to say. I'm starting to sound like a broken record."

  "I'm not sure what to do next. I guess I'll just go back to Nashville and call the temp agency to let them know I'm available."

  Vince chuckled. "I have a hard time seeing you in a temp job, sitting at a desk, taking orders from some office manager who doesn't have half—"

  I held up my hands to stop him. "Everyone has a job to do, and from what I've seen, most of the people I've worked for are serious about their work."

  "Yeah, you're right." He looked at me with a sheepish grin. "B
ut don't forget about us if you ever do decide to … you know … go back into law enforcement."

  "You couldn't help yourself, could you?" I asked.

  He didn't reply. He just gave me an impish smile.

  "If I'm not needed here, I think I'll head back to Nashville first thing in the morning."

  "Any way I can talk you into staying a few more days … you know, to hang out and have dinner … maybe see a movie or something?"

  I was touched by the sweetness of how shy Vince was when talk turned personal between us. As long as we were on the subject of the law, he was comfortable and in his element. But the moment the discussion became more intimate he got all flustered.

  "My parents area already worried about me, and I really need to get back."

  He studied my face before nodding. "I understand. Maybe some other time?"

  "Sure, that sounds good." I stood. "If you don't mind, I think I'll just stop off for a burger and go back to your sister's house. I need to turn in early so I can leave before rush hour traffic starts in the morning."

  Vince walked me to my car. "Drive safely, Summer. And call me when you get home tomorrow."

  Epilogue

  The next morning, I peeked my head in the back door and saw my mother standing at the counter, staring out the back window. "Hey, Mom."

  She jumped but smiled when our gazes met. "Summer! I didn't see you." She leaned over and looked out the other window toward the driveway. "When did you get in?"

  "Just now. I left early, before the sun came up."

  "Come sit down. I'll fix you some breakfast, and you can tell me all about what happened." Mom didn't wait for me to respond before going to the refrigerator and pulling out eggs, bacon, and all the ingredients for a hearty meal.

  "You don't have to—"

  "Don't be silly. Get some coffee and sit down."

  A few minutes later, I had a plate of steaming hot food in front of me. As I nibbled on bacon, I told her as much as I could without worrying her too much. She knew I thrived on danger, but I didn't need to rub it in her face.

  "I'm glad y'all caught the bad guy," she said. "But seriously, sweetheart, can't you calm down a bit and try to settle in here?"

  "That's what I hope to do eventually."

  Mom's face softened a bit. "I hope it's soon. I'm not sure how much more worry I can take."

  I stopped eating and took a good look at my mother. The worry lines on her face had deepened, and her eyes appeared slightly bloodshot. She probably hadn't gotten a full night of sleep since I left.

  "As soon as I get unpacked, I'm going to call the temp agency and let them know I'll be available in a couple of days."

  "Until someone else calls you." The sarcasm in Mom's voice was loud and clear.

  "Maybe I'll say no."

  She laughed as she stood and carried her mug over to the coffee pot to pour some more. "You and I both know that won't happen."

  Mom was right. If someone needed me for anything related to law enforcement, I wasn't able to say no. I cared deeply about justice, and I would do whatever I could to make sure innocent people stayed safe.

  I hope you enjoyed reading this collection, and I would appreciate it if you would leave a review. Thank you!

  If you liked this book, you might like my other Summer Walsh mystery:

  Corpse on the Court