by Rose Pressey
I nodded. “Oh, I guess that makes sense. It’s odd how that was the same time as the murder.”
She frowned. “Yes, I guess it is a coincidence.”
Nicole continued to stare at me. I thought she’d made the connection I was trying to make in my mind.
“Are you suspicious of Connie?” she asked.
I tried to act nonchalant. “I have no idea. Do you think she did it?”
She paused and then said, “Connie? No. She wouldn’t do something like that.”
The waitress grew silent again and I figured I wouldn’t get any more details from her. After saying goodbye, I went inside the café and ordered pimento cheese with pita wedges and a side of sweet potato fries. Instead of taking the food home like I’d planned I decided to just eat there. I was one of only two customers, so it was relaxing and quiet. When I exited the restaurant, the waitress was gone.
As I neared my Mustang, I spotted Connie coming my way. Unfortunately, our eyes met and there was nowhere for me to get away from her. She knew that I’d seen her. I refused to talk with someone who thought that I was a killer. She marched in my direction. I turned toward my car and acted as if I hadn’t seen her making her way toward me. I moved around to the car door and jumped in.
“Raelynn, I want to talk with you,” she called out.
I pulled away from the curb and punched the gas pedal. I didn’t look over at her. I knew that probably made her furious.
What would I do now? I hadn’t gotten any closer to finding out who had murdered Luke or Darcy. All I’d discovered was that I was the one under suspicion. I knew some people had looked at me because Doreen had told them I was guilty, but I had no idea Connie was doing it too. That made me furious. How dare she talk about me like that? I had to calm down because being upset wasn’t going to help me at all.
Claire Ann was still working so I decided to pop back in and see her for a moment. It was a good excuse to pick up a few items. My muffin baking supplies were diminishing and I never knew when a guest might show up at the inn. Muffins were now my breakfast specialty. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I still felt I could make Honeysuckle Hotel a success.
I parked the Mustang in the lot and headed for the entrance. As I approached the supermarket, I spotted two people who I didn’t want to see again. Shouldn’t they be getting ready for their wedding? I thought about turning around or finding a place to hide, but it was too late. They’d already seen me. Ross threw his hand up in a wave and Charity offered a half-hearted smile. She didn’t seem as friendly as before.
I forced myself to smile and wave back. Why was I even being nice to this man? He’d threatened to blackmail me and label me as a murder suspect. I should tell him to take a jump off the nearest bridge.
The happy couple stood beside Charity’s car, watching me. It looked as if there was no way I could get past without talking to them.
“How’s it going, Rae?” Ross asked with his smooth Southern drawl when I approached.
Charity tossed her hand up in a little wave.
“You all are shopping, huh?” I had no idea what else to say.
“Charity’s going to make breakfast for all of us in the morning.” Ross showed off his cheesy grin.
I assumed that meant Ross and his parents.
I quirked an eyebrow. “That’s good. Sounds like fun.”
I hoped that I didn’t sound too sarcastic. I couldn’t imagine cooking for Doreen. She would complain about the way someone boiled water. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t hold my question in any longer. I just had to ask about the driver’s license. Sure Charity could lie, but I’d like to think I would be able to see through her fibs.
“Charity, I found something of yours. It’s at my house.”
Her eyes widened. “Did I leave something behind?”
“You could say that. I found your driver’s license in the bushes outside under my bedroom window.” I watched her face for a reaction.
Her mouth dropped. “How did it end up there?”
“You tell me?” I placed my hands on my hips.
“It sounds like you are accusing me of something.” A line formed between her pretty blue eyes.
“Maybe it sounds like I am accusing you because I am accusing you of something.” I stared at her, not about to back down. “You were at my house last night. I heard you and when I went outside I saw you. You were messing around the bushes. When I looked I found your driver’s license. Actually, the sheriff found it because I had no choice but call him.”
She huffed. “And I thought you were a nice person, Raelynn.”
Ross stepped in front of Charity. “Please don’t fight over me, ladies.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please don’t be a jackass, Ross. Fighting over you is the last thing I’d do. Besides, I’m not fighting. I just want answers.”
Charity crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Ross rubbed Charity’s arm. “You’ve hurt Charity’s feelings, Raelynn. You should apologize.”
I scowled. “No way am I apologizing for something I didn’t do. You tried to frame me for murder and she lied to me about being your attorney. If anyone needs to apologize it’s the two of you.”
Ross and Charity remained silent. I wasn’t going to let this go until I got an answer. “So if you did nothing wrong, Charity, then you can tell me why you were outside my house.” I stared, waiting for an answer.
Ross and Charity exchanged a look. “I’m sure Charity has a perfectly reasonable explanation for why she was there. Tell her, baby.” Ross motioned with a tilt of his head.
Charity looked as if she was ready to run. She opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t utter a word.
“Go on, baby, tell her.” Ross urged again.
She blew out a deep breath. “Fine. If you must know I’ll tell you. The other day when I was staying at your place I went out to the back to look at the pretty flowers.” Ross rubbed her arm as if she was experiencing the most traumatic event of her life. “Anyway, after I left your place I realized I lost a special bracelet. I remembered having it on last when I was in your backyard. As it turns out, I found it last night in your yard. When I was going around the house I dropped it again. I suppose it just so happened to be right there by your window and it looked as if I was messing around in the bushes.”
Ross tossed his hands up. “See, a logical explanation.”
I stared at Charity and she didn’t blink as she looked back at me. It didn’t sound all that believable to me. I still smelled a rat. The fact that she had Ross standing beside her was even more reason for me not to believe anything she said.
“Are you sure you didn’t just make that up? That doesn’t sound real, sorry,” I said.
She smirked. “Well it is. That’s exactly the way it happened. I can’t help it if you don’t trust anyone.”
Ross looked away. He knew why I had issues with trusting people. No one could blame me after being married to him. I had no choice but to accept Charity’s story though. I had no way to prove otherwise.
“Fine, if you say that’s what happened.”
A cheesy smile spread across Ross’ face. “Good. I’m glad you ladies made up. I hope we can all be friends.”
“Don’t count on it,” I said.
Charity waved her hand to get my attention. “And by the way, tell that friend of yours to leave me alone. I don’t know anything about the murders.”
“Who are you talking about? Claire Ann?”
Charity shook her head. “No, I believe she said her name is Connie Dayton.”
So that was why Connie had been talking to Charity. “She’s not my friend.”
Charity shrugged. “Whatever.”
“Is she bothering you, Ross?”
I recognized Doreen’s voice right away. I didn’t bother to turn around because I sensed her walking up behind me. She stepped beside Ross and glared at me. At least she wasn’t wearing her sunglasses and hat this time.
She pursed her lips together and then finally said. “Are you harassing my son and his bride to be?”
I rolled my eyes. “I think it’s more likely that you are harassing me.”
Why was I even having this conversation with them?
Doreen huffed. “I am not harassing you.”
“You know, I am glad you are here, Doreen.”
Her eyes widened. “You are?”
“Yes, I am. I have a question for you.”
She exchanged a look with Ross. “What is it?” she asked.
“The other day when you were in the store a card fell out of your purse.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “You took something from my purse?”
“It fell out and I found it later.”
“So what?” she said.
“It was Darcy Parish’s card. Why did she have her card?”
“You don’t have to answer her questions, Doreen,” Charity said.
Doreen waved her hands. “If you must know we were thinking of selling our house but decided against it.
I eyed her up and down. I supposed her excuse could be legitimate. But with Doreen I was never sure. The woman had followed me many times, for heaven’s sake.
Doreen waved her index finger at me. “Why are you harassing them?”
“I am not harassing them, Doreen. We were merely having a pleasant conversation,” I said with a fake smile.
She smirked.
“We were discussing Charity making breakfast for you.”
Doreen grimaced, but I didn’t think Charity noticed.
“I’m sure Doreen will love the breakfast you make for her, Charity. Anyway it’s been a pleasure seeing you again, Doreen.”
“Save the act,” Doreen snapped.
I waved over my shoulder as I walked toward the store. There was no way I would argue with her any more. I’d probably find her following me again later.
“Come on, Ross. Don’t even talk to Raelynn any more. She’s crazy. She talks to a drunkard and her best friend is a floozy,” Doreen said as I walked away.
Doreen’s answer for everything was that the person who disagreed with her was just crazy. I thought about turning around and telling her not to talk about my best friend that way, but I didn’t want to engage her any longer.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I marched into the store and hoped that the trio didn’t come in after me. Claire Ann was behind the counter filing her nails when she spotted me headed her way.
“Whoa. You don’t look happy. What happened?”
I shook my head.
“I guess you ran into Ross and his new fiancé?” she asked.
“It’s much worse than that. I ran into Doreen as well. She thought I was harassing Ross and Charity and I guess she came to save the day.”
Claire Ann chuckled. “Oh great. What did you say?”
“I asked her about Darcy’s card in her purse.”
“Oh my gosh, did you really? What did she say?”
“Actually she had a pretty good explanation. She said they had planned on selling their house and then changed their mind,” I said.
Claire Ann put her nail file back into her purse. “Yeah, I guess that is a good excuse.”
“I also asked Charity about finding her drivers’ license.”
Claire Ann’s eyes widened. “What did she say?”
“She said something about losing a bracelet when she was looking at flowers in my back yard.”
Claire Ann snorted. “Yeah, right. Sorry you got stuck talking to them. I should have called to warn you they were here.”
“You can’t warn me about every move they make,” I said.
“Who do you think did it?” Claire Ann asked.
I leaned against the counter. “I’m so confused. I just don’t know. It could be anyone, but of course I have a few suspects in mind.”
She tapped her fingers against the counter. “So why do you think each of the suspects are possibly guilty? Maybe you could narrow down their reasons for killing Luke and Darcy.”
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” I said.
“It’s better than nothing,” Claire Ann said.
“I guess I can start with Charity and Ross. Of course Ross was there at the scene of the crime first,” I said.
Claire Ann pointed. “But Charity wasn’t there.”
“But she could be helping Ross. Like I said though, I don’t think Ross could ever kill anyone. I don’t know why he would kill Luke or Darcy. There was really no motive.”
Claire Ann nodded. “I suppose you’re right about that.”
“Then there was Darcy. I thought it may have been her until she was killed.”
“She was his competition,” Claire Ann said.
I nodded. “Right. He could have stolen some of her clients or something. People can kill for reasons that seem trivial sometimes.”
Claire Ann frowned. “Unfortunately, that’s true.”
“But then there was Julian Montgomery. She was dating Luke and he broke up with her.”
“Because she was cheating,” Claire Ann added.
“Yes, but turns out he was cheating too. I just don’t know if that’s enough of a reason for Julian to kill Luke and Darcy.”
“Jealousy can make people crazy,” Claire Ann said.
“Speaking of crazy. That leads me to Connie Dayton.”
Claire Ann shook her head. “That woman is strange. But that doesn’t mean she had anything to do with it.”
“She was at the scene when Luke was killed and Darcy too. They say the murderer might show up at the scene.”
“Who says that?” Claire Ann asked.
I shrugged. “The mystery novels that I read.”
Claire Ann giggled. “That’s a good source.”
“And then there is Doreen. What can I say about Doreen? She just doesn’t like me. In her eyes, I got her son arrested and I’m still a threat to him. She thinks I’m in cahoots with Kent to arrest Ross again. She did have Darcy’s card in her purse.”
Claire Ann tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “There may be another reason for the murders that you aren’t even aware of.”
I nodded. “It could be a random person. What if they kill again?”
The thought sent a shiver down my spine. Claire Ann and I contemplated this terrible thought in silence.
After a minute, I said, “I should grab a few things and then get home.”
Claire Ann looked at her watch. “It’s almost time for me to get off anyway.”
I grabbed a few items, paid for them, and headed back to my car. When I didn’t see Ross, Doreen, or Charity, I let out a sigh of relief. I’d seen enough of them to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, I would probably run in to them again at some point. Lucky me.
I parked the car and gathered my bags. When I reached the porch I spotted something by the front door. I placed the bags on the ground and picked up the magazine. It was one of those real estate advertisements that listed houses currently on the market. What was it doing by my door? When I realized what was written on the front, my knees went weak.
“You don’t have to sell houses to get killed.”
I looked behind me to see if anyone was around. From what I could tell no one was there. Someone was trying to send me a message. I got it loud and clear. After putting the groceries away and trying to call Kent with no luck, I decided to go for another ride. I just didn’t want to be home alone right now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Since I was unsure of what to do next, I drove around the block. I wanted to talk with Kent about the information I’d discovered. But first I would call Claire Ann. I pulled over into a parking lot and dialed her number. Unfortunately, she didn’t answer. I knew she would be angry when she found out what Connie had been saying and about the real estate magazine. I hung up the phone and tapped my fingers against the steering wheel trying to think of my ne
xt move. There had to be something that I was missing. What would be Connie’s motive for committing the murders? I knew she wasn’t happy with Luke. She’d said that much on the first day I’d met her. But it hardly seemed like a motive for murder.
As I sat in my car, I looked out over the parking lot. That was when I noticed Connie’s car. Hmm. Perhaps I should take a closer look. I hoped that she didn’t see me messing around her car.
I hopped out of my car and scanned the area to see if anyone was watching me. As far as I could tell, no one was around. I would have a hard time explaining myself if Connie caught me. I reached the gold-colored Ford and paused, looking to my left and right one last time. Taking in a deep breath, I inched closer. I peeked in the front seat, but didn’t see anything. Her car was spotless.
When I peered into the backseat, I noticed something on the floorboard. Too bad I couldn’t retrieve the item. I knew what it was right away. It had Luke Lexington’s name on it and it also had the award information written below his name. It was a piece from the award that I’d discovered in my yard. It had to be.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I knew that the piece had come from the award in my yard, so what did I do now? How would I prove it? And how had it gotten in Connie’s car? I could confront her about it, but she would just deny it. How had she gotten the award from Luke’s office? When had Connie been to Luke’s office? She’d said he had helped her with real estate. I didn’t know Connie’s address, but I needed to find out. It was time that I paid her a visit at her home. She wouldn’t be happy about that.
I hopped back in my car and took off. After pacing my living room floor for an hour I decided to try Claire Ann again. I needed backup.
“What’s up?” Claire Ann asked breathlessly.
“The better question is what’s up with you? You sound like you were running a marathon.”
“I was doing that new Zumba workout.”
“Well, stop your workout and come get me.”
“Uh-oh. This doesn’t sound good. We’re not going to the distillery again, are we? That place gives me the creeps.”
