The Sweetheart Mystery

by Cheryl Ann Smith

  Harper kept silent. He liked to downplay her abilities when he thought it would help. She knew he not only didn’t believe what he said, but found her more than competent. And he was on her side. So if he could keep Mignon away, she’d let him do his job without fussing.

  The officer returned and shook his head. Mignon sighed. The fun date night the two men planned for arresting and taking the thumb screws to Harper fell apart. The detective wasn’t happy. But he was realistic.

  “Something is happening here and you are in the middle of it,” Mignon said to her. “Don’t leave town.”

  In unison, the officers left. Harper’s legs wobbled. She walked over to Harvey, slammed the hatch down, and leaned on the car.

  “Someone is trying to divert suspicion from themselves,” Noah said, echoing her thoughts. Had he not been with her, the evening could have gone much differently.

  “Thanks for being an excellent sidekick,” she said.

  “The killer has to be the same person who planted the knife, don’t you think?” She should mention the moved bubble bath. But that felt more like brain fog than a prank.

  “I agree. I think you’re being set up.”

  Noah drew her against him when she shivered. “The killer needs a scapegoat and you fell in line. Now he needs you off your feet and out of focus. Or at least build up belief in everyone’s mind that you actually murdered Covington.”

  After considering the idea, his comment had merit. “That makes sense,” she said. “And I was the perfect dupe. I sat in that bar and made threats against Gerald, even though I was just letting off steam.”

  Beside her Noah went still. “What is it?”

  His gaze dropped to her. “How many people were with you in that bar when you made threats?”

  “I’d say more than a dozen were seated and many others came and went. It was a party. The team won a preseason game. The bar was packed with raucous patrons and fans.”

  “Damn. It’s never easy.”

  Confused, she stared. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He rubbed his jaw. “I suspect the killer might have been in the bar that night and heard your drunken rambling. What a perfect chance to off Gerald than the day after you threaten him?”

  Great. “You think I set the murder into motion?” She didn’t like Gerald but she didn’t want the burden of knowing she might have gotten him killed either.

  Noah took her hand. “No, I don’t. I think the killer planned to get rid of him anyway. You just provided the opportunity.”

  Unbelievable. She hoped he was right about her poor timing and that the killer had been plotting Gerald’s demise for who knew how long. The idea that a murderer could be someone she knew, and she may have spent time alone with that person any number of times, left her unsettled.

  Would Gerald be his or her only victim? Was she in danger, too? “Do you think that the killer might do me in? I’ve seen ID shows where killers will set someone up, then make their death look like a suicide to divert suspicion. Add a suicide-confession note, and case closed.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “This conversation has gotten way too dark.” He lowered his head and kissed her, firmly and completely. She kissed him back.

  When his hand drifted to her butt, she broke the embrace. Their eyes met. “Nothing will happen to you,” he said. “I promise.”

  “If only I could take comfort in that guarantee.” If Mignon found enough evidence against her, not even Noah could save her from arrest. “I’m a murder suspect and the actual killer is trying to frame me. This whole thing is crazy.”

  He reached out. “Would you feel better if I grabbed your butt again? I know I would.”

  With a combination smile and eye roll, she gave him the stink-eye. “If I thought you’d be satisfied with that, I’d consider your offer. It’s been awhile since I had a good butt squeezing. However, that would just encourage you into further bad behavior.”

  He put both hands down, palms open, at butt level. All she had to do was back in. “I’m already encouraged.”

  Laughing, she appreciated the lightening of mood. She gently slapped his hands down. “Nice try. My emotions are too jumbled to make reasonable decisions about you. Why don’t we go back to our apartments and get a good night sleep. We can interview Angel tomorrow night.”

  He sent her a hang-dog expression that made her shake her head. Then he made a motion with both hands that looked like he was kneading bread dough. She squeaked, darted out of the way, and ran for the car.

  Chapter 25

  Brash & Brazen Inc. loomed over a parking lot on the edge of Ann Arbor and Harper’s heart skipped a beat. She parked the car in a space and looked forward to seeing her friends for the first time in about a year since the weddings.

  After she and Noah got home last night, and she showered and got into her shorty PJ’s, Taryn had texted that they’d taken a late flight out of Virginia and were back in Michigan. They made a plan to get together, which was why she had a lift in her step. The more eyes on her case the happier she was.

  Harper had texted when they were five minutes away.

  She and Noah pushed through the glass doors shortly before noon and headed up the elevator. When they got to the right floor, they stepped into a foyer that led to a brightly lit lobby manned by a woman wearing an ugly sweater.

  It took a moment to realize the sweater did not, in fact, depict a pair of adult humpback whales making baby humpback whales. Harper was sure they were hugging.

  At least she hoped so.

  Alvin stood nearby and the two were having an intense conversation. At the sight of Harper and Noah, the secretary stepped back and welcomed them warmly. Harper introduced herself and Noah and said that they were meeting with the PI’s.

  “Oh, goodness, Harper! Yes. I’ve heard all about you. It’s so nice to meet you!” She took Harper’s hand and shook it briskly. “I’m Gretchen. Irving’s assistant.”

  “Of course,” Harper said. “We spoke on the phone.”

  Gretchen pointed them toward the hallway past her desk and told them the ladies were waiting.

  In fact, just out of sight of the reception desk, Taryn, Summer, and Jess, along with an elderly man she assumed was Irving, were huddled together in the narrow space near an open doorway. They were so engrossed in what seemed like a vigorous debate that they didn’t see Harper and Noah approach.

  “It can’t be Ella from accounting,” Taryn said with a sharp head shake. “She has a girlfriend.”

  Summer piped up, “What about Kerry in billing? She told me that she’d date anyone as long as he was male and breathing.”

  The three women nodded.

  “Alvin is male. I think,” Jess said. She had a baby hanging from a backpack on her chest. “We’ll put her on the list.”

  “Are you sure he’s seeing someone from Brash?” the man said and rubbed his balding head. “He never talks about dating or women. I thought he wasn’t interested.”

  “His brother said he was,” Summer said. She played with a baby foot and made soft kissing sounds. The munchkin smiled and made a spit bubble. “Calvin should know.”

  From the direction of the conversation, it didn’t take a trained PI to put the clues together and for Harper to realize they were speculating on Alvin’s love life. She didn’t know Alvin well, but she could read people. The clues to solve the mystery were all over the place.

  “It’s the woman in the sweater,” Harper piped in. Four sets of eyes spun in her direction. “Gretchen. He’s seeing her.”

  The group seemed genuinely shocked. They regarded Harper like she had two heads.

  “No way,” Taryn said.

  Jess kissed the fuzzy baby head. “Gretchen wouldn’t date him if he was the last Neanderthal on earth.”

  “Gretchen?” Irving said. “My sweet girl? Dating
Alvin?”

  Summer chuckled and lifted a brow. “Weirder things have happened. Don’t count her out.” She walked over and hugged Harper. “It’s so good to see you, sweetie!”

  Taryn and Jess moved in. The women huddled in a group hug. The baby squawked and kicked her feet. Jess pulled back and smiled into the precious little face and presented her daughter.

  “This is Willow. She’s ten months old yesterday.” The little girl blew a few more bubbles and waved her arms. She clearly knew she was adored and made the most of the spotlight.

  “Jess, she’s adorable.” Harper tickled her feet. Willow smiled. She’d been to Jess’s baby shower but hadn’t yet met the little cutie. “I’ll take six of her.”

  Noah cleared his throat.

  “Shoot.” She’d forgotten him. “Everyone, this is Noah Slade. He’s my investigator. Noah, Summer, Taryn, Jess, and?”

  The elderly man stepped forward. He was surprisingly agile for a man Harper suspected was headed toward ninety at warp speed.

  “I’m Irving.” They shook hands. He had a solid grip. “I own this place and employ these young ladies, Lord help me.”

  Irving released Harper’s hand and shook Noah’s as the trio grumbled good-naturedly beside them. After introductions were complete, he met Harper’s eyes and smiled.

  “If you’re correct about Gretchen and Alvin, I’m going to offer you a job, young lady.” He frowned at the three PI’s. “I have the best PI’s in the business and for almost a year they haven’t been able to solve the mystery of Alvin’s romance.”

  The three women looked sheepish, but there was humor in their expressions. They were used to being teased by their boss. Harper saw the affection between the four of them and felt a touch of envy.

  “In all fairness, I got married last year,” Taryn protested. “I’ve been distracted.”

  “Me, too,” Jess said. “And I gave birth on our wedding day. How am I supposed to keep up with Alvin’s love life?”

  Irving tucked Harper’s hand under his arm. “I’ve never heard so many excuses in my life.” He led her down the hallway toward his office. “Now about that job…”

  * * * *

  Noah followed, enjoying the happiness in Harper. From what she’d said on the ride over, her contact with her friends had been limited to online messaging and a rare visit. She’d been traveling with the team and doing team events.

  The three friends had helped to build Brash & Brazen as a successful PI firm. Life got in the way for all of them.

  He suspected that was about to change. She was in her element with her friends, and if the job offer was serious, possibly on her way to a new career.

  The room Irving led them into looked like a NASA setup. There were wall to wall computers, running programs for who knew what, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if the agency had launched a shuttle to the moon.

  What surprised him was finding out that the entire room belonged to Summer, not a team of geeks.

  “This is quite a setup,” he said, impressed.

  “Irving spoils me,” the pretty blonde said and winked at her friends. “He likes me best.”

  Taryn and Jess said, “We know,” in unison.

  From the way they quickly replied, he had a feeling it was a running joke among the PI’s and their boss. Irving laughed and shook his head. “See what I deal with every day?”

  Clearly he was a happy old man.

  “Do you control the international space station from here?” Noah said, letting his curiosity take over. He peered at a screen flashing faces of wanted terrorists.

  Summer chuckled. “I could with the right clearance,” she said and dropped into a chair. “I don’t think NASA would appreciate me having group chats with the astronauts while they’re supposed to be working.”

  “Hey, I’d love to hang out,” Jess interjected. “But Willow has a doctor appointment in thirty.” She hugged Harper again. “I’ll see you soon, okay?” She waved Willow’s little fist and left in a wake of baby coos.

  “That is one cute baby,” Harper said. She didn’t look at Noah. He wondered if she was thinking about having her own family someday.

  The idea of being a dad, and being responsible for a little person with his DNA, kind of freaked him out. Hell, picking a woman and asking her to spend the rest of her life with him was even more terrifying. His life was not exactly settled right now and ready for a white picket fence.

  Irving also excused himself. “I’ll leave you to your investigation. It was nice meeting you, Harper. Noah.” He shuffled from the room.

  Noah liked Irving. The man was pretty cool.

  Harper turned to Taryn. She lowered her voice in case Irving was loitering in the hallway. “Do you think he was serious about a job?”

  There was a twinge of hope in her face.

  Her friend shrugged. “Who knows? If he makes a serious offer, you’ll know it.”

  The matter dropped, for now. Harper took a chair next to Summer. “I guess we should get to work.” She explained what they needed. “We’d like to get a look at the hotel security tape from the twenty-four hours before and after the murder.”

  Summer reached for her keyboard. Noah thought she was the sexiest computer nerd he’d ever seen. Still, she was no Harper.

  “What’s the name of the hotel?” Summer asked.

  Harper told her. Noah filled in the date and time.

  In seconds, Summer had tapped into the feed. “You know you can’t use any of this without a warrant.”

  “So Noah says.” Harper watched Summer click through the videos, backtracking to last week. “We just want to see who visited Gerald. We need one good lead that doesn’t point to me.”

  Noah leaned down and he felt Harper’s excitement. She had a lot of faith in the PI’s. He hoped they could help.

  They both tensed when Harper being escorted from the room appeared on the screen. Harper had looked terrified between the two officers. A first arrest was the worst.

  “You okay?” he said softly in her ear. She nodded.

  His hands came down on her shoulders. She placed her hands over his. Summer reversed the tape. Room service came and went, Kimmie appeared and stayed for about an hour, and a woman wearing a very tight dress spent some time in the room the evening before the murder. No one appeared suspicious.

  If they expected a visitor clutching a knife to show up on camera, they wouldn’t get that wish. There was nothing unusual about any of Gerald’s visitors and none fit the timeline.

  Summer slowly forwarded the tape, up until Harper arrived. Noah’s stomach soured. What was missing was the killer.

  “I was the only visitor at the time of the murder,” Harper choked out. “I am the killer.”

  Chapter 26

  “Don’t joke about that,” Noah said sharply. His hands dropped away and he scowled down at her when she spun around in the chair. “We’ll figure this out.”

  “How?” Harper stood and frustration rolled over her. She was tired of banging her head on the wall between her and the clues she needed to decipher the puzzle. “You saw what I saw. There was no one else. We know that and the police know that. Unless the killer repelled down the side of the building or from a helicopter, all the police have is me.”

  He took her arms and bent toward her face. “What did I say I’d do if you continue with the defeatist attitude?”

  She hadn’t forgotten. Neither did she feel defeated despite the setback. She had her posse on her side and that meant everything. But that didn’t keep her from grousing about her fate. It stunk to be falsely accused of a crime. It was worse to know someone was out there smirking because he or she was getting away with murder.

  Besides, venting was cathartic.

  “You said you’ll drop me in a swamp to be eaten by rabid alligators?” she offered helpfully. He w
asn’t laughing.

  “Not exactly.”

  She tried again. “That you’ll bury me up to my neck in a fire ant nest and pour honey over my head?”

  Summer snickered. “Michigan doesn’t have fire ants. Or alligators.”

  “You’re getting off track here,” he scolded them both. Taryn wisely said nothing. “From what I understand, Summer is the queen of all things cyber. I know she’ll figure out how the killer got in the room.”

  The cyber geek blushed.

  “Aww, thanks.” Summer’s slight Texas drawl charmed Noah. He grinned. She also sent him a sweet smile and winked at Harper. “I like him.”

  Harper liked him, too. Too much.

  “Besides,” he continued, undeterred by the interruption. “We’re not about to let someone frame you. I know you’re innocent.”

  Harper sighed. “And I do appreciate your support. However, I’m sure Summer has a head full of statistics about the percentage of innocent people rotting in prison because of the misinterpretation of evidence.”

  Noah mimicked her scrunch up face. “Have you always been a pain-in-the-ass, or is this a recent development?”

  “Recent,” Taryn and Summer echoed.

  “Recent,” Harper agreed. “It started about three years ago when I came home early from a game after it was called for an ice storm. I found my musician boyfriend, Eddie, having his flute tuned up by the pair of hookers that peddled their wares on the street corner down from our apartment.” She paused and sucked in a breath. “I dented his head with a flying guitar case I’d tried to pitch out the open window, and moved out. That’s the last time I put up with garbage from anyone.”

  Taryn and Summer nodded. They knew all her secrets.

  Noah stared. “Wow. That’s brutal—the hookers, not the case. He deserved worse.”

  Lacking confidence in general back then, and having been crushed by Noah, she hadn’t made the best choices in her love life. She hadn’t been abused; she’d just overlooked flaws that were deal breakers.

  Eddie had just been the last of a line of mistakes.