“Well, obviously it has something to do with the dead guy in the old Johnson place.”
“Mmhmm.”
But that was about all Jill could drag out of her mother. Gloria quickly changed the subject and began talking about her date that night.
So distracted by the slip of paper in her purse and who that number might belong to, Gloria nearly drove right past her own driveway.
“Mom, we’re here!”
Gloria snapped back to reality. She jerked the wheel in a hard right and careened into the driveway.
Jill didn’t bother coming inside. Instead she gave her mom a quick hug, told her to have a good time on her date and stay out of trouble. In other words, stop snooping around where she shouldn’t be.
It was too late for that. Gloria was knee deep in her investigation. She just had to know who killed that poor man in the shed. Even if the victim himself was a criminal.
Gloria hung her jacket on the kitchen hook and made her way over to the computer. Puddles was sound asleep on the chair. She picked him up and settled him back on her lap as she carefully typed in the telephone number. She hit enter and held her breath. Whoever Arthur Blackstone called that day had something to do with his murder.
An address popped up on the screen within seconds. It was at that exact moment Gloria’s heart sunk. A wave of nausea swept over her. Gloria couldn’t believe her eyes. This had to be wrong. There was no way this could be the right number. She glanced at the scrap of paper in her hand and then back at the screen as she checked again. But it was right. The business that popped up on the screen was Malone Insurance Agency in Green Springs, Michigan.
She abruptly set Puddles on the floor and wandered aimlessly into the kitchen. She went back to the computer and stared at the screen again. How was this possible? Why did Arthur Blackstone call Andrea Malone’s insurance office just days before he died?
A swirl of questions twirled ‘round in her head. Was Andrea his killer? Did she hire a hit man? Was it really a coincidence that Andrea had the keys to the Johnson house only days before Arthur Blackstone was killed and that she just happened to be the one to find the body?
Gloria pulled out a kitchen chair and dropped down with a thud. She laid her head in her hands. Her brain was spinning out of control. She just couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea that sweet Andrea might be a killer after all!
She glanced up at the clock. Three hours and Paul would be here to pick her up for their date. Should she tell him what she found out? If she did, he would have to question Andrea and then she would find out it was Gloria who turned her in.
Her heart told her it wasn’t Andrea but her brain had to consider all the facts that were now pointing in that direction. Maybe the gambling debt Walking Stan was talking about was one that was owed to Andrea’s husband, Daniel, before his death and now she was trying to collect on it so she could buy the Johnson mansion.
The rest of the afternoon dragged by. When 6 o’clock rolled around, Gloria was fit to be tied. She wasn’t sure if her nerves were shot because of the fact she was going out on a date for the first time in decades or if it was because her own dear friend might be a killer!
Paul quickly put her at ease. The quaint restaurant he picked out was in a nearby small town. The cozy inn sat on the edge of a beautiful lake. The sun had already gone down by the time they were seated by the large window facing the lake. The nearby lights shimmered off the water as it sparkled and danced, filling their view with a romantic glow.
Paul ordered a bottle of white wine to start the evening. Gloria picked up the menu. The restaurant specialty was fish and everything sounded tempting. Paul poured two glasses and handed one to Gloria. “Having trouble deciding?”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “Everything sounds good.”
He suggested the Mahi Mahi which Gloria was leaning towards in the first place. “That’s what I’ll have.”
The waitress returned a few minutes later. With their orders placed, Paul turned to Gloria and raised his glass a wine. “A toast to your reward.”
She took a sip and suddenly stopped. “Reward?”
He smiled. “Ten thousand dollars for returning the money.”
She hadn’t considered a reward but quickly recovered. “Next dinner’s on me.”
Paul chuckled softly. “I’ll have to take you up on that.”
The ride back to her farm was quiet. Paul chalked it up to her being nervous but couldn’t have been farther from the truth. He walked her to the door and waited silently as she unlocked it. His face grew serious as he gazed down at Gloria. “Thank you for joining me for dinner.” He softly kissed her on the lips. “Good night.”
With that, he was gone. Gloria watched his retreating back as he made his way back to the car, the investigation completely forgotten in that moment.
Gloria tossed and turned all night. Visions of Andrea handing Gloria a cup of coffee laced with cyanide crowded her thoughts. When she woke the next morning, she was completely exhausted and filled with guilt. How could she possibly believe her friend was a murderer?
She promptly called Lucy, her unofficial crime-solving partner. After all, she had been involved every step of the way, however reluctantly it might have been.
Gloria got right to the point. “Can I come over?”
“Okie-Dokie. What’s going on?”
“Everything.” Gloria was miserable.
“Let me guess. It has something to do with the murder.”
“I’m turning you into detective-material after all.” Gloria retorted wryly.
Half an hour later, Lucy was sitting across the table from a gloomy Gloria.
Lucy crossed her arms and studied her best friend. “The date didn’t go well?”
Gloria had almost forgot about the date. “No. The date was great!”
Lucy sawed a chunk of cherry Danish from the box and popped it in her mouth. “So what’s with the long face and the emergency coffee meeting?”
“I went back to the Green Springs Inn yesterday to ask the clerk if any phone calls came in or went out from Blackstone’s room.” Gloria shook her head sorrowfully. “I almost wish I hadn’t.”
Lucy knew whatever was coming next had Gloria really upset. “And?”
“There was one.”
“By the look on your face, I’d have to make a wild guess that it was your best friend and I know it wasn’t me.”
Gloria nervously fiddled with her coffee cup. “But close.”
Lucy sliced another large piece of Danish. The piece was halfway to her mouth when the light bulb went on in her head. “Oh no.”
Gloria nodded miserably. “Oh yes.”
Lucy reached over and grabbed her friend’s hand. “Who would’ve thought it would be your new beau.” She shook her head sadly. “You hear all the time about good cops gone bad.”
Gloria yanked her hand back. Lucy was never going to make it past amateur sleuth stage. “It’s Andrea! Arthur Blackstone made a call to Malone Insurance Agency just days before he died.”
“You’re kidding.” Lucy raised a horrified hand to her lips. “I don’t know what to say.”
And neither did Gloria.
Lucy tried wrapping her brain around this new piece of information. “Malone was running an illegal gambling ring on the side. So you think Blackstone owed Malone some money and died suddenly - before he could collect. Andrea’s taken over the business now and had a hit on Blackstone?”
“That’s all that keeps running through my mind.” Gloria swallowed hard. “I don’t want to believe it but all the evidence is pointing in that direction.” She went on. “Andrea’s husband runs an illegal gambling ring, he ends up dead.”
“But you tracked down his real killer, his partner. Not Andrea,” Lucy pointed out.
“True… Although she did find the body at the house she had access to and now I find out the dead man called her insurance office just before he died,” Gloria logically pointed out.
Luc
y tossed the empty pastry box in the trash. “Now what?”
“Simple. We have to trap the killer.”
Lucy didn’t like where this was going. “How do you plan on doing that?”
“We let it slip that we found the cash, it’s in a secret location and then try to flush the real killer out.”
Lucy plopped back down in the chair. “Does Paul know?”
“No and I don’t want him to. Not yet.”
Chapter 7
Gloria watched through the window as Andrea’s sleek black Mercedes pull into the restaurant parking lot. The petite blonde hopped out of the car and nearly floated into the restaurant.
Andrea was absolutely beaming by the time she reached the booth. “I got the house.” She sunk down on the hard plastic as she tossed her purse on the seat beside her.
“You did?” Gloria wasn’t really surprised.
“Yep. I’m closing in three weeks. Just in time for Thanksgiving!” She grabbed a menu and scanned the inside but she wasn’t really reading the words.
“What about the place you have now?” It never dawned on Gloria to ask Andrea what she lived in. For all she knew, it was an apartment.
“Daniel and I had a condo. I’m putting that on the market next week,” she explained.
Gloria’s friend Dot walked over to the booth. “Hello there, ladies.”
Andrea smiled brightly. “I bought the house!”
“Congratulations!” Gloria scooted over so Dot could slide in next to her.
D0t stuck a fisted hand on her chin as she gazed at the glowing girl across the table. “So you’re going to live in the big old place all by your little lonesome?”
Andrea shook her head. “Uh-uh. I’m going to get a dog.”
She looked at Gloria hopefully. “Maybe we can find one at the same place Mally came from?”
Gloria patted her hand gently. “Of course we can, dear.” It was at that very instant she knew deep in her heart there was no way this girl was a killer.
Dot jotted down their order and headed back to the kitchen. Andrea studied Dot’s retreating back. “If you have a little extra time, you want to stop by the house? You know, just to take another look around?”
Gloria could see the stars in her eyes. She didn’t have the heart to say no. Plus, she really didn’t have a good excuse and maybe, just maybe, there would be another clue hidden inside. Anything that might lead her to the killer. “Sure, we can do that.”
Andrea practically inhaled her food. Gloria wasn’t sure if it was because she was in such a hurry to see the house again or if it was because she was starving to death. She was mighty thin. It looked like she hardly ever ate.
Gloria slid into the expensive leather seat of Andrea’s luxury car. She’d never been in a Mercedes before. It smelled like old money and Lilacs. “What kind of air freshener do you put in here? It smells heavenly…”
Andrea popped her sunglasses on and waved a hand in the air. “It’s one of those clippy things that you hide in the vents. This one’s Lilac.”
Gloria loved Lilac. It reminded her of her Grandmother’s favorite perfume.
The drive to the house was over too soon. Maybe because the car felt like it was floating. Annabelle certainly didn’t ride this smoothly. I better get my shocks checked. My car rides like a tank compared to this.
The sleek sedan rolled to a stop in front of the old house. Andrea perched the sunglasses on top of her head and jumped out of the car.
Gloria followed her to the gate. She glanced around as Andrea unlocked it. “I hope I’m not being too nosy but how much did you pay for this place?”
Andrea swung the gate open and motioned Gloria in. She closed the gate and headed for the front door.
Despite her firm belief that Andrea was innocent, Gloria glanced nervously back at the gate. Why would she shut the gate while we’re here?
“Well, they wanted $350,000 but I was able to talk them down to $275,000.” Gloria didn’t think it was that great of a deal considering the work it needed.
“How much did the contractor say it would cost to fix up?”
Andrea stopped to unlock the front door. “For everything I want done, it’ll be around $100,000. Most of the work will be on the outside of the house. There’s also some mechanical stuff like updating the plumbing and electrical.”
Gloria followed Andrea inside. If she dumped that much cash into this place, it should look like a million bucks when it was done.
Andrea quietly closed the door behind them. “The furniture’s included. In fact, everything in here stays. The sellers don’t want to come back and clean it out so if you see anything you like, let me know.”
Andrea walked into the living room and began pulling the covers from the furniture. After the last piece of furniture was uncovered, the girls stood back and admired each piece. The furniture fit the room to a “T.” Andrea ran a hand over the top of the vintage Victorian sofa. It looked like it had never been sat on.
After a quick glance around the lower level, the girls headed upstairs to check out the guest bedrooms before wandering over to the master suite.
Gloria held her breath as Andrea grabbed the door handle. A frown creased her forehead. “That’s odd. The door is locked.”
Gloria shook her head. “It wasn’t locked when we were here the other day.”
“And it wasn’t locked when I was here with the contractor.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe it’s just a finicky knob and it’s just stuck.” She wiggled the knob, with more force this time, but it didn’t budge. Disappointed, she looked at Gloria. “I really wanted to look around the bedroom.”
Gloria glanced up as if a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Sometimes there’s a spare key hidden on top of the trim.” She pointed up.
“That would be awesome!” Andrea spied the chair in the hall. She dragged it over and centered it in the doorway. She pulled herself up and teetered on the cushion as her hand felt along the top of the frame. “A key!”
Imagine that, Gloria thought wryly.
The key worked like a charm and moments later they were standing inside the spacious master bedroom. Gloria unconsciously glanced down at the rug that covered the loose floorboards.
Andrea made her way over to the massive king size bed. She carefully set the pillows on the floor beside her and folded the covers down.
If one didn’t know better, you’d almost think that someone had made the bed just that morning. The large blue mattress was in almost mint condition. Gloria shuddered at the thought that one of the deceased owners may have died in that very bed. Yeah, it definitely needed to be replaced.
Then Andrea did something odd. She looked under the mattress.
Gloria couldn’t help herself. “Looking for hidden treasures?”
Andrea laughed as she glanced back at Gloria. “I don’t really know what I’m looking for. It certainly wasn’t for another dead body.”
She dropped the mattress and headed for the secret bathroom door. The room was as magnificent as she remembered. She ran a hand across the beautiful granite tops before plopping down on the edge of the tub. She glanced up at the ornate chandelier. “This is definitely a girly-girl bathroom,” she sighed admiringly.
Gloria pulled out the vanity chair and gingerly sat down. No telling how sturdy something this old might be and she didn’t want to break it. “So you’re not at all freaked out about the body in the shed?”
“No. It is a little creepy,” Andrea admitted, “but at least we didn’t find him inside the house. I saw his obituary in the paper.” She tapped the side of her face thoughtfully. “He kinda looked familiar. Like maybe I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
Gloria filled her in on his identity and that the backpack was at one time filled with stolen cash. She studied Andrea’s expression, searching for some kind of reaction but there was nothing. Not even a flicker. She was either one cool killer or really had no clue what was going on.
They admired the or
nate bath for several long moments before Andrea reluctantly stood up. She reached over to switch off the lights. It was at that precise moment the two of them heard a muffled THUMP. She put a finger to her lips. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.
Gloria nodded, her eyes darting in the direction of the bedroom door. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs.
The girls tiptoed out of the room and silently closed the bathroom door before making their way across the room.
When they reached the hall, Gloria suddenly stopped. She heard the sound again. This time a little louder. THUMP.
Someone was definitely downstairs. They stood there nervously waiting for a third thump that never came.
Andrea grabbed Gloria’s arm uncertainly. “We should probably go down there…”
Gloria nodded. She took a cautious step forward before stopping in the hall to listen again. Silence. She studied the long hall as she looked around for some sort of weapon.
A tall brass lamp was sitting on top of the hall table. She wiggled the plug out of the socket and lifted the lamp. It took both hands just to get it off the table. The thing weighed a ton! She shook her head. No way could she smash this over someone’s head. She quietly set it back in place. They’d just have to take their chances.
They quietly crept down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, they paused. The front door was still closed. Just the way Andrea had left it.
Gloria eyes swung quickly from the dining room before focusing on the living room. Nothing appeared to be out of place. By the time they made it into the kitchen, Gloria had almost convinced herself their minds were playing tricks on them. That was, until Andrea walked over to the kitchen door. “It’s open.”
Sure enough, the door was open just a crack. It wasn’t open when they walked through the room earlier. They locked the kitchen door before making their way back to the front door.
Andrea pulled the car out onto the street. “Be right back.” Gloria watched as she swung the rusty gate closed and snapped the padlock firmly in place. She pulled down on the lock, as if reassuring herself it really was shut.
Grandkids Gone Wild (The Garden Girls Book 2) Page 8
