Between a Book and a Hard Place

by Denise Swanson

  I ignored her advice and asked, “Have you been in touch with Jett’s family?” I was ashamed to admit that I hadn’t even thought about them. “Did he have children?”

  “No.” Yvette shook her head. “He’s the last of the Benedict line.”

  “So you inherit it all?” I asked. Had she killed her husband?

  “I don’t know.” Yvette wrinkled her nose. “Jett would never let me see his will.”

  Evidently, my stepfather hadn’t completely trusted his wife. Wise man.

  Changing the subject, I said, “You told the chief that Jett encouraged you to talk about Shadow Bend’s past and was interested in the town’s history. And that’s why he funded the library.” When she nodded, I asked, “So what exactly was he researching?”

  “I haven’t a clue.” Yvette shrugged. “I usually stopped listening when he started talking about boring stuff like that. Why does it matter?”

  Up until this point, Jake had been allowing me to steer the conversation, but now he leaned forward and said, “It’s hard to know what’s important in a murder investigation. Do you have any idea the time period that your late husband was the most interested in?”

  “The Civil War.” Yvette rolled her eyes. “Why he cared about some stupid stuff that happened a hundred and fifty years ago is beyond me. But lots of people around here are the same way.”

  I refrained from reminding Mom of her own interest in the Confederate Daughters of Missouri because I knew that her wanting me to join the organization had been a purely social move.

  Jake asked a few more questions, but it was clear that Yvette didn’t know anything more and was anxious for us to leave.

  When she hustled us into the foyer, I said, “You do recall that Chief Kincaid has an officer watching this building?”

  “Your point?” Yvette smoothed her hands over her slim hips.

  “Any gentleman callers will look bad.” I raised an eyebrow, daring her to protest her innocence.

  “Eldridge may have a cop on the entrance, but I doubt he can spare two officers, which means the back door isn’t under surveillance.”

  “I imagine it’s kept locked,” Jake said.

  “It was, but it isn’t now.” Yvette’s smile was coy.

  “What if the chief does have someone in the rear, too?” I couldn’t believe my mother was being so rash.

  “Look.” Yvette nearly pushed us across the threshold. “There are twenty condos in this building. Who’s to say which resident anyone is visiting?”

  With that I gave up, said good-bye to my mother, and headed toward the parking lot. As much as I wanted to stick around and see whom she was expecting, I realized that the policeman watching her condo would surely notice if we sat in the truck for very long.

  Besides, I was pretty damn sure Chief Kincaid wasn’t dumb enough to have surveillance only on the front. Maybe he’d be willing to tell me who had used the back door. I just had to figure out how to ask him without admitting that that person was visiting my mother.

  As we drove out of the parking lot, my stomach growled, and Jake sent me an amused smile. I shrugged. Hey, my lunch had been a day-old pastry that I had scarfed down in between customers.

  “Maybe we should eat dinner before we stop by Nadine’s,” Jake suggested.

  “I am hungry.” That Danish had been a whole lot of empty calories, but I’d forgotten my yogurt. “Still, I think we should tackle Nadine first. It’s already six thirty, and if she’s like a lot of the women around here, she’ll be glued to the TV tonight.”

  “Why?” Jake kept his eyes on the road. We were on the stretch between town and the country club subdivision, a spot where deer were notorious for darting across the asphalt. “What’s so fascinating on TV?”

  “The Dancing with the Stars reunion episode is tonight, followed by a sneak peek of the next Bachelor.” I watched his baffled expression as I answered. Obviously, his uncle Tony was not among those shows’ devotees.

  “You’re kidding me.” Jake’s brows disappeared into his hairline. “They do know all those reality programs are faked, right?”

  “I wouldn’t mention that to Gran if I were you.” I smirked. “Those would be fighting words to her. She gets so involved that she actually flings things at the TV screen when her favorites go home.”

  “Then I guess we better go to Nadine’s now.” Jake shook his head. “If Birdie gets that violent, I’d hate to see what Underwood’s mother is like watching those shows.”

  After giving Jake directions and promising to explain my mother’s remark about her and Dad’s “little deception” over dinner, I grabbed the few minutes it took us to get there to check for missed messages. There wasn’t anything from Noah. Was he still at the hospital? It had been several hours since our canceled lunch. What else would keep him too busy to look at his cell phone?

  There was a text from my dad asking how Yvette was, so I sent him a short reply reassuring him that she was fine. It saddened me that he still cared so much when I suspected she was already sinking her hooks into another rich guy and only amusing herself with my father.

  Nadine’s place was more of a manor house than a home, and when we arrived, the outside was lit up like a movie set. Lights outlined the driveway, emphasizing the meticulously trimmed shrubs, sweeping steps, and massive double doors intending to impress and intimidate. The Underwoods were old money who sneered at the nouveau riche who had moved to town and built their shiny new McMansions around the country club.

  Enormous white columns and a wide porch made for quite the curb appeal, and as we exited the truck, I could see that Jake’s shoulders were stiff. I wondered if the setting reminded him of his parents’ property.

  He didn’t like to talk about his folks, but I had managed to wheedle a little information from him. His father was a plastic surgeon who had grown rich promising vain men and women eternal youth, and his mother was a trust-fund baby who had inherited a fortune.

  Both images were hard to reconcile with what I knew of Jake, and I wondered what Yvette’s attitude would be if she realized that he stood to inherit just as much as Noah. Maybe more if you threw in his uncle’s ranch.

  We rang the bell, and as the seconds ticked by, I realized that Nadine might decide not to come to the door. Noah had mentioned that his mother’s longtime housekeeper had recently retired and that she hadn’t been able to find anyone else she found suitable. If it was her health aide’s night off, she might ignore the doorbell.

  After another couple punches of the bell, the queen of Shadow Bend swung open the huge oak portals. Shockingly, she didn’t seem pleased to see me and didn’t extend her sympathy for the loss of my stepfather.

  “Devereaux, Mr. Del Vecchio, what a surprise.” She wore tailored khaki slacks and a blue oxford shirt with a tan cardigan flung over her shoulders. “I certainly wasn’t expecting you.”

  Pasting a neutral smile on my lips, I said, “Sorry to just drop in on you, Nadine. But we have something to discuss with you that is better said privately.” Knowing that she loved to gossip but not be the subject of the rumor mill, I emphasized the last word.

  “Well . . .” She clutched her sweater. “I’m not really prepared for company.”

  “This will only take a few minutes.” I stepped over the threshold, forcing her to either bodily block me or move out of the way.

  Nadine prudently chose the latter. I had a good thirty pounds on her. Maybe more, since she appeared skinnier than ever. She truly adhered to the obnoxious saying, “You can never be too rich or too thin.”

  “I can’t imagine what’s so important that you couldn’t call before coming over.” Nadine may have been a beauty at one time, but years of sun and spitefulness had taken their toll, and the furrows around her mouth became even more noticeable when she scowled.

  “We were running other errands in the area.”
I motioned Jake to follow me inside. “It seemed easier to clear things up right away.”

  Nadine allowed me to edge us farther into the impressive foyer. Then she glanced at her diamond-encrusted watch and said, “I have an important engagement at seven. I can only give you fifteen minutes.”

  “That’s fine.” I shot Jake a knowing look. Dancing with the Stars came on at seven. “Perhaps you’d be more comfortable seated.”

  “You mean you would be.” Nadine sighed and said, “This way.”

  She led us into a formal parlor. The graceful lines and perfect proportions of the impeccably preserved antique furniture were spectacular. Nadine seated herself on a cross-stitched Victorian floral upholstered Sheraton chair, then motioned for Jake and me to take the divan facing her across the marble-topped mahogany coffee table.

  “What’s so vital that you had to interrupt my evening?” The pleats of skin on her face rearranged themselves as she talked.

  Jake leaned forward and said, “You were overheard remarking that Jett Benedict was poking his nose in places that it didn’t belong.”

  “If you say so.” Her voice oozed condescension. “I don’t recall.”

  “Then the rumors that your memory is becoming problematic are true?” I raised my right eyebrow, a trick I had mastered in graduate school and had put to good use in my prior career, but which I hadn’t felt compelled to employ as much lately as the proprietor of a dime store.

  “That is completely false,” Nadine snapped. “My mind is as sharp as ever.”

  “Then you do remember saying that about my stepfather.” I gave her my most maddening grin. “So what exactly did you mean by it?”

  Nadine ignored me and pouted at Jake. “Young women nowadays are so disrespectful.”

  “I’ve heard many ladies of a certain age feel that way. My mother would undoubtedly agree.” His contrite smile was insincere. “But we do need to know what you were referring to when you mentioned Mr. Benedict. As I’m sure you’re aware, the man’s been murdered.”

  “Of course I heard about his unfortunate demise. Poor Yvette doesn’t seem to be very lucky with her choice of husbands.” Nadine’s expression brightened, clearly cheered at the thought.

  “My father was proven innocent of the embezzlement charge, and he certainly can’t be blamed for the car accident, since he was roofied,” I reminded her. “I’m certain you would agree that having her husband murdered isn’t something my mother could have predicted.”

  “And yet he’s dead.” Nadine’s tone oozed condescension. “Surely you can’t ignore that, since I understand you were with Yvette when she found the body.”

  “Which is why Jake and I are trying to figure out who could have wanted Jett gone.” I clenched my jaw but managed to keep my tone civil.

  “Perhaps his wife found out that he was a fraud and wanted to be free to pursue greener pastures.” Nadine’s eyes sparkled with malice. “Yvette was always looking for a way up the social ladder.”

  “What do you mean by ‘fraud’?” I put a steel edge in my voice, daring her not to answer. “How would you know something like that?”

  “Observation.” Nadine crossed her legs and stretched her arm along the back of the chair. “No matter how expensive his clothes were or what kind of car he drove, he was nothing but an upstart.”

  “What makes you think that?” I was beginning to think the same thing myself, but I was curious how Nadine had come to that conclusion.

  “Because unlike the rest of this town”—Nadine gave an elegant snort—“I am able to tell the genuine article from the imitations.” Her voice was thick with disgust. “Benedict claimed to be from old oil money, but he was too eager to flaunt his wealth. He asked too many questions and had no respect for privacy.”

  I winced at hearing the dead man being maligned. I hadn’t known Jett very well, and even if, as I suspected, he wasn’t who he’d alleged to be, he had been my stepfather. For Nadine to dismiss him with a wave of her perfectly manicured fingers was annoying.

  Nadine must have taken my silence as a sign of weakness, one she was quick to exploit. “On the other hand”—her smile was like an ice pick—“the new physician who’s joined Noah in his practice is the genuine article. Dear Elexus’s ancestors were Spanish royalty and she’s exquisite. A dead ringer for Vanessa Lorenzo.”

  I hadn’t met Dr. Rodriquez yet, and no one had mentioned that she looked like a supermodel.

  Refusing to take Nadine’s bait, I thrust away the flicker of jealousy and drawled, “Any other reason you were suspicious of Jett?” I saw her countenance darken when I didn’t fall apart at her innuendo that Noah had hired Elexus for her beauty and used Nadine’s displeasure to my advantage. “Like perhaps what you were referring to when you said my stepfather was sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.”

  “I don’t owe you any explanation.” Her eyes flashed in outrage.

  “Then I suppose I’ll have to tell Noah you’ve been stirring up trouble for my family.” I played my ace in the hole. Noah had informed his mother that if she caused me any problems, he’d cut her out of his life. After she’d maneuvered to break us up when we were in high school, he’d felt he had no other choice but to issue the ultimatum.

  “But that’s a lie,” Nadine yelped, gasping and clutching her chest.

  “Is it?” I enjoyed how astonished she seemed that someone would fib about her. She did it to others frequently enough that she should expect it.

  “As a law enforcement agent, sworn to uphold truth and justice, you wouldn’t allow her to do that, would you?” Nadine appealed to Jake.

  “Sorry, ma’am. I’m retired.” A smile lurked at the corners of his perfect mouth, as he added, “And I don’t think anyone can stop Dev.”

  Nadine looked at me, and I returned the stare. I wasn’t backing down.

  “Very well.” Nadine clenched her teeth. “What exactly do you want to know?”

  I quickly reiterated my question before she changed her mind.

  “Your stepfather purported to be interested in Shadow Bend’s part in the Civil War, but all he really wanted to do was drag the name of one of the heroes of the Confederacy through the mud.”

  “Who?” Was that what Jett had been researching? If so, there were lots of folks in town who wouldn’t have minded sticking a knife into his heart.

  “He questioned the part my late husband’s great-great-great-grandfather played in the war.” Nadine’s fingers clenched the arms of her chair so hard I was afraid she’d leave gouges in the wooden surface.

  “Questioned how?” I needed to brush up on my Civil War history.

  “He wasn’t specific. But he came here demanding that I give him access to our private records and said that he’d destroy our family’s good name if I refused.”

  Jake and I exchanged a puzzled glance before I said, “Did he speak to others about their ancestors? Threaten them as well?”

  “Not that I’m aware.” Nadine shrugged. “But I warned the members of the Confederate Daughters of Missouri not to allow him in their homes or to talk to him.” She frowned at me as if I had disagreed and stated dramatically, “They had a right to be prepared.”

  Not knowing what else to ask, I looked at Jake, who shook his head, indicating he didn’t have anything, either. “Where were you Monday between twelve thirty and one thirty? And can you prove it?”

  “Are you accusing me of murder?” Nadine’s self-control snapped.

  “Not if you have an alibi.” I smiled sweetly and crossed my legs.

  “If you must know, I was at a luncheon with our esteemed mayor and several other prominent citizens.” Nadine’s words were confident, but I could sense her relief when Jake and I stood. And when we said good-bye, she couldn’t get us out the door fast enough.

  CHAPTER 15

  After saying good-bye to Nadine and ex
iting her palatial estate, Jake and I headed to the Mexican restaurant. It had just opened up by the highway, and neither of us had eaten there yet. A Dos Equis and a basket of tortilla chips with guacamole later, I had finally gotten rid of the sour taste in my mouth from talking to Nadine.

  After ordering the rest of our meal, we discussed the results of the evening’s investigation. Eventually we exhausted that topic, and as we enjoyed combo platters of deliciously spicy food, Jake said, “So what did your mother mean about your parents’ little deception?”

  “Mom was by herself when she discovered Jett’s body. She called my father, who stupidly came running over, and Dad called me,” I reluctantly explained, knowing Jake wasn’t going to be happy with my actions.

  “And you kept all this from the police?” Jake’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, but his voice was deceptively mild. “What else did you do?”

  “I told my father to leave, wiped away his fingerprints, and ditched Mom’s cell phone so the cops couldn’t see that Jett had been texting her for more than an hour to come to the library.”

  “Why in the hell did you do all that?” Jake gritted his teeth. “Tampering with evidence. Leaving the scene of a crime. You all could be arrested.”

  “Dad’s on parole.” I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I couldn’t risk him being sent back to prison.”

  “You could end up in jail.” A muscle ticked in Jake’s jaw, and he took both my hands. “You need to be more careful.”

  “Probably,” I admitted. “But what else could I do?”

  After a long lecture on obeying the law, Jake grudgingly admitted that if Dad had stuck around and we hadn’t gotten rid of my mother’s disposable phone, my parents would be in a lot more trouble than they were.

  Finally, he said, “If the chief finds out about your lies before the real killer is found, all three of you might be in real trouble.”

  I needed another beer to get over that idea. Once I had calmed down, Jake and I moved on to considering our next steps. We both agreed that delving into Jett’s finances and following up on what he had been researching were the two most promising leads.