by Lyndsey Cole
Mia carried three steaming cups to the coffee table. “I made some peppermint tea for all of us. Annie do you still want to make that new recipe? We should try to eat something, try to get back to normal, even if it’s only going through the motions.”
Annie had leftover grilled chicken for the Crazy Curried Chicken Salad. She took it out of her fridge, along with celery, lemon and plain yogurt. She chopped and diced wondering what secret her mother and aunt were discussing when she’d come inside. She was sick of secrets. Secrets were what made her flee from Catfish Cove three years earlier when she found out she had been adopted. Who keeps that information from their child for twenty six years? She knew her mother was only trying to protect her, but protect her from what? Secrets made her leave her boyfriend, Max, and in the end, it got him killed.
She felt a comforting arm on her shoulder. “Are you all right, Annie? You’re chopping as if you’re trying to rid yourself of an angry thought,” Mia asked.
Annie’s eyes searched her mother’s face. “No, I’m not all right.” She opened the kitchen drawer and pulled out a paper that she handed to her mother. “Who is Warren Hunter?”
Before Mia could answer there was a loud knock on Annie’s door, making the three women jump.
“Annie, it’s me, Tyler Johnson, can I come in?”
“Yes, the door’s unlocked.”
Tyler wiped his feet on the doormat and patted Roxy who was the only one to greet him at the door. He held his hat in his hand and nervously rubbed the stubble on his face.
“Have a seat. Do you want some tea?” Annie had no idea what the proper etiquette was when a policeman was investigating a murder. It didn’t help that Annie and Tyler had a bit of a history when, three years earlier, Annie left town, running away from her problems and her engagement to Tyler.
“No thanks, I need to get your statements.” He held a notebook and pen in his hand as he approached Leona. “Tell me what happened, Leona, starting from when you left the cafe. I’m assuming you were working there today?”
“Yes. We finished up around two thirty and I left to stop at the market for a few items I had run out of. I told Mia and Annie that I would let Roxy out and wait in Annie’s apartment for them. They stayed at the café to finish cleaning and organizing for tomorrow. Annie was going to make a new recipe for us to try.”
Tyler scribbled some notes and nodded for Leona to continue.
“After I pulled into the driveway and got out of my car, I heard a door slam at Jason’s house so I went in to see what was going on. I knew he wasn’t home yet, or, at least, that was my understanding. The only car in the driveway was Lacy’s red sports car. Jason likes Annie to check the house every day, and since I was there first, I decided to do it instead.”
“Okay. So, you heard a door slam. Did you see anyone or hear anything else?”
“No. It sounded like a door slammed on the lake side of the house, which would make sense since I was on this side and didn’t see anyone. Until I got inside.” Leona’s eyes got wide and her face fell into her hands.
“Leona, can you tell me what you saw when you went inside?”
Her eyes focused on Tyler’s face. “The same thing you saw. Lacy McGuire’s body face down in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. I didn’t wait around to find clues or anything; it was obvious to me that she wasn’t going to be going to the Valentine’s Day dance tomorrow. I ran outside and that’s when Annie and Mia pulled in.”
Tyler kept his eyes on Leona. “Did you touch anything?”
“No.”
Tyler turned his attention to Annie. “Did you see or hear anything?”
“Just Leona screaming.”
Tyler’s walkie talkie interrupted the conversation. “I’ll be right out,” he told his deputy on the other end. “Don’t any of you leave. Lacy’s brother is outside, and when I’m done with him I have a few more questions.”
Annie scooped her Crazy Curried Chicken Salad onto thick slices of homemade bread and carried them to the table. “Anyone actually in the mood to eat something?”
Mia and Leona moved to the table. “Smelling this is making my stomach rumble,” Mia said as she pulled her chair closer and took a big bite.
Leona picked up her sandwich and sampled a small corner. As she chewed, the taste helped to distract her from the memory of seeing Lacy’s body. “Delicious. Another hit, Annie. Keep coming up with ideas. If we ever have too many, we can start rotating recipes in for daily specials.”
Annie smiled. It always made her a little nervous to offer something new, but when her creation was well received she felt like a million bucks. “I noticed something when I went into Jason’s house,” Annie said tentatively after sampling her first bite.
Leona’s eyebrows raised in question as her open mouth paused before biting into the sandwich.
“Lacy bought a dozen chocolate covered strawberries this morning and they were set out on a square plate, but two were gone.”
Mia shrugged. “Maybe she ate some on the drive over. They are almost impossible to resist.”
Annie shook her head. “She told me she doesn’t like chocolate. Someone else ate them. And you know how the chocolate cracks and falls off in chucks sometimes when you bite into the strawberry? There were pieces of chocolate on the table like someone was eating and moving toward the door.”
Leona walked to the window of the apartment facing Jason’s house. “There’s plenty of cops walking around, searching in all the bushes. I wish we could see what’s happening at the front and far side of the house; that’s where there might be footsteps in the snow or other clues. I hope this police department knows what they’re doing.” She sighed and returned to the table. Plopping onto the chair, ignoring her sandwich, she pushed her plate away. “My stomach is tied in knots, I can’t eat anything now.”
Annie cleared the plates, returning with the paper she showed her mother earlier. “So, let’s get back to this. I want answers. Who is Warren Hunter?” She let the paper flutter to the table between her aunt and mother.
Mia and Leona’s eyes roamed everywhere but to Annie’s face. Finally, Leona pulled the paper closer. She clamped her lips together. “Warren was Jason’s father.”
“Was?” Annie asked.
“Was. He died last year.”
Chapter 3
Annie’s face sagged and her hand slapped the table. “I hoped he would be able to tell me something about my birth papers since he signed this court document sealing them. Why is this so hard? I should have the right to know my background.” Roxy whined at the door. “I’m taking Roxy out to pee. Any objections?” Annie didn’t wait for a reply from Mia or Leona before she slipped into her coat and fastened Roxy’s leash to her collar, grabbing her camera as an afterthought. “Come on, some fresh air will do us both good,” she said, more to herself than to her mother and aunt.
Annie climbed down the stairs from her apartment above Jason’s detached three car garage. The main house loomed about two hundred feet away with an eerie atmosphere instead of its usual inviting, cozy appeal. Annie pulled her jacket tighter around her body, stuffed her hands in her pockets and headed down the path toward the lake. Roxy pranced at her side, stopping to sniff every bush along the way until she found the right spot to squat and pee near the water’s edge.
“Hey, is that you, Annie?” she heard a loud voice call from a few houses away.
Peering through the dimming light, Annie made out the large figure of Johnny Robbins walking quickly, but unsteadily, toward her. “What’s all the commotion over there?” He pointed toward Cobblestones Cottage.
“There was an accident in Jason’s house.”
“Oh yeah? What happened?”
As Johnny got closer to Annie, a strong whiff of alcohol met her nose. “Johnny, do you walk along here often?”
“I sure do. I’m heading home now. I try to take a walk when I get home, a mile one way and then back to my house. It’s a nice break for me before I head
back to my store for the evening rush.”
“You must have walked by here in the last hour then?”
“That sounds about right. What’s going on?”
“Lacy McGuire—”
“I can’t stand that woman. Just because her husband was a popular senator, she thinks she’s better than the rest of us. She comes into my liquor store with her nose up in the air like her you-know-what doesn’t even smell. It always kills me to have to be friendly and polite to the likes of her. So, what were you saying about her highness?”
“You might want to keep those opinions to yourself, Johnny. Lacy was found dead in Jason’s house about an hour ago.”
Annie watched as the ruddy color of Johnny’s cheeks faded to a pale, sickly white and his mouth fell open. “I have to go.” She followed his progress as he wobbled his way to his house which was only three houses away from Jason’s. He kept looking back after every few steps and almost slipped and lost his balance.
“Roxy, what do you make of that guy? He’s a loud, obnoxious drunk and he lives close enough to have seen Lacy go into Jason’s house if he was walking by. He could have followed her inside and killed her. And, he doesn’t like her. Interesting, right?”
Roxy sat staring up at Annie, wagging her white tail.
“Okay.” Annie laughed. “Less talking and more walking, right?”
“Woof.”
Annie headed to the right which would take her in front of Jason’s house. She scanned the snow carefully for footprints or anything else that might be out of the ordinary. She crossed a packed path leading from the house to the Lake Trail but it was well worn without any obvious new footprints. The view into Jason’s house let her see that Lacy’s body was being carried out of the kitchen. Annie watched from the darkness as Lacy’s brother, Brad, pointed and jabbed his finger at Tyler. She could only imagine how she would feel if she was Brad in this situation, losing a loved one.
Annie pulled out her phone and dialed Jason’s number. She was responsible for keeping an eye on his house when he was gone and this was a significant event that she should inform him about. Her spine tingled when she heard his voice answer with a friendly hello.
“Jason? Have you heard the news?”
“No. You sound upset, what’s going on?”
“I hate to be the one to tell you, but Lacy McGuire was found dead in your house. Someone shot her.”
Silence met Annie’s ear. “Are you still there?”
“I’m here. I should be home in less than an hour, you can fill me in then. Are you all right?”
“Yes. Come to my apartment. I don’t think you can go into your house.”
As Annie continued along the trail, one well defined footprint off the trail caught her attention. Someone in a hurry stepped off the trail. By accident?
Bending closer to examine it, a light reflected off of something shiny. With her cell phone flashlight she searched around the footprint and found a half buried small bottle of strawberry liqueur. “This might be nothing but I’m sticking it in my pocket just in case.”
Annie and Roxy walked farther along the Lake Trail, checking which houses were empty for the season and which ones were occupied. Lacy’s lovely lakeside house was nestled among a stand of tall pines with lights on in every room. Annie estimated the distance to be about a quarter mile from Jason’s house. An easy walk along the Lake Trail. Maybe Brad was there when this tragedy occurred since he was living with Lacy off and on during his problems with his wife, Sherry. Annie saw someone walk in front of the big front window, then disappear from view.
“Let’s head back home, Roxy. I’d like to take a longer walk but Tyler might have more questions and I want to be home when Jason gets there.”
Annie headed up the packed path to her apartment as Brad slammed his car door and raced from the driveway. She dashed to catch up with Tyler as he started to climb the stairs to her apartment.
“Any idea who killed Lacy?” Annie asked, not expecting Tyler to share much.
“Not yet. It will take some time to gather all the evidence, get it analyzed and interview all the people that may have been in contact with Lacy.” Tyler waited for Annie to catch up to him. “How did Leona and Lacy get along?”
Annie’s senses jumped to high alert. She knew Tyler well enough to know there was more behind this question than simple curiosity. “Why?”
Tyler stopped and gently placed his hand on Annie’s arm. “Listen. I know you’ll defend your aunt about anything, but if you cover something up, you could be in trouble too. Did she follow Lacy inside after an argument? At this point, Leona appears to have been the only one around at the time of death. I shouldn’t say this, but Leona could be in serious trouble.”
“What about the slamming door she heard?”
Tyler shrugged. “That’s what she says. It’s an easy excuse to divert attention from herself.”
“Leona is not a killer! You know that, Tyler Johnson.”
“What if Lacy knew a secret about Leona? Your family has secrets. You know that. I have to consider every angle, Annie.”
Tyler continued up the stairs leaving Annie and Roxy at the bottom. Annie felt rage and fear build inside. Secrets again. It was always a secret that fueled bad choices. Could Tyler be right?
Annie stormed into her apartment minutes behind Tyler. She crashed into him as he was reaching to open the door to leave. His eyes held a softness which she knew meant he was worried about her.
“I’m all done for now. I told Leona to stay in the area in case I have more questions for her. Same goes for you and your mom.” Tyler was half out the door before he stopped. “I have one more question,” which he directed toward Annie. “Who has been in Jason’s house recently?”
“Just Lacy, me and Leona when she found the body,” Annie said. “I have a key to check the house every day and I guess Jason gave Lacy a key when he hired her to do some organizing for him. If anyone else went inside, I don’t know about it.”
“Right. And you didn’t touch anything, did you, Leona?”
Leona shook her head.
“That’s a no?”
“It’s a no. I didn’t touch anything.”
Annie watched Leona closely during that brief interaction and sensed that Leona was lying. What was she hiding?
Tyler thanked them and left.
As soon as the door was shut behind her and she heard Tyler’s footsteps go down the stairs, Annie fixed her eyes on Leona. “You lied to Tyler. What are you hiding?”
“I can’t tell you Annie. I’ll go to jail if that’s where this leads, but I didn’t kill Lacy. Believe me, I felt like it, but I didn’t. She was a mean and nasty person who would stoop to anything to get what she wanted.”
“What did she want from you?”
A tear slid down Leona’s cheek. “Something I couldn’t give her.”
Annie unclipped Roxy and threw the leash against the wall. “Well, that’s convenient, isn’t it? Now she’s dead and that solves your problem.”
“It doesn’t solve anything. It’s not a problem, it’s a promise that I can’t break.”
Mia put her arm around Leona’s shoulder. “You can break it, Leona. It may be time for that.”
Annie had fire in her eyes when someone knocked softly on the door. “Annie? Are you home?”
She let out a deep sigh and opened the door to see Jason waiting for an invitation to come inside. “I got here as fast as I could after you called. What’s going on?”
Annie stood to the side and Jason bent down to rub Roxy on the soft spot behind her ear. Roxy groaned with delight, leaning into Jason’s strong hand.
“Come on in. We’re in the middle of an argument.”
Jason held up his hands. “If this is a bad time—”
“No. Not at all. This is a hunky dory time, right Leona? Besides, you can’t go to your house anyway. Did Tyler call you, too?”
“Yes. He said I could probably get in tomorrow.” Jason glanced a
t Leona but didn’t budge from his spot. “I’m sensing you three are in the middle of something important. I can head to the motel for the night.”
Annie grabbed his arm. “Sit down. I’m tired of everyone sweeping their secrets under the rug.”
Chapter 4
Annie handed Jason the document with his father’s signature on it. “Do you know anything about this?”
“My father didn’t share any of his judicial decisions with me. I was just a kid when this was signed.” Jason handed it back to Annie. “Sorry, but I can’t help you with that. But I do have an idea.”
Three pairs of eyes were on Jason’s face. He glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly seven thirty and I’m hungry. I’ve been driving since before lunch, so how about I take you three lovely ladies out to the Fitzwilly Tavern for a drink and a bite to eat?”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get something to eat while Leona tells us what she didn’t share with Tyler,” Annie said as she gazed out the window at the house lights twinkling around the lake.
She turned around just in time to see Leona shake her head at Jason, but chose to ignore that she saw anything. “Who’s driving?”
Jason jingled his keys. “I’ll drive so you girls can have a couple of drinks. By the sounds of your day, I think you’ve earned it.”
The Fitzwilly Tavern was on the border of Catfish Cove and the neighboring town of Wolfherst, across the street from the Catfish Cove Country Club. Jason pulled into the parking lot and drove slowly, looking for an open spot. “We should have made reservations. Anyone mind waiting for a table?”
“Not at all. We can get a drink and sit at the bar if we have to,” Leona said as she opened the back door and climbed out. “I’m okay with spending the night at the bar.” She was halfway to the tavern door before the others were out of the car.
“I guess Leona knows what she wants, like usual,” Jason mumbled to Annie. He held Annie’s arm, slowing her down until Mia was out of ear shot. “I’m sorry I can’t help you with that document, but maybe there’s another way to find out who your birth parents are.”
