The Body in the Wetlands

by Judi Lynn

  “I was going to try to catch Jazzi today and tell her what I heard. I met a girl at Seth’s bar last night who knew Meghan.”

  Gaff flipped open his notepad and looked aggravated. “Why would you tell Jazzi instead of calling me?”

  “I like her better.”

  The look on Gaff’s face made Jazzi laugh. She slid in beside him and pushed his coffee toward him. Then she turned her attention to Peyton. “What did you hear?”

  “We were talking about going to college. She’s studying to be a teacher. I deliver pizzas for extra money, and she cleans businesses. One of them is the office for Meghan’s apartment complex. She cleans its laundromat, too, and that’s how she met Meghan. She could see her apartment from the laundry room.”

  Gaff swallowed his coffee. “And she saw something?”

  Peyton nodded. “A navy-blue vehicle left early on Monday mornings. Jo doesn’t give a fig about cars. She thought it might be an SUV or a minivan. She didn’t pay attention.”

  Jazzi rubbed her hands together, excited. “So Meghan did have a boyfriend!”

  “Looks like it.” Peyton grinned, his dimples showing. “Jo even saw the guy leave once. He was too far away to see his features, but he wore a baseball cap and an orange T-shirt.”

  “Could she describe him?”

  “Tallish, dark, and thin.”

  Gaff pressed his lips together. “Not much to work with.”

  Jazzi was hopeful. “We can rule out any guy who’s blond.”

  Gaff rolled his eyes, drained his coffee cup, and then excused himself to head to the bathroom. Too many fluids.

  Peyton glanced at his watch. “Gotta go. I have a class in twenty minutes. Did Gaff want to ask me anything else?”

  “I don’t think so. Thanks for the new information. Can we have Jo’s number? Gaff’s going to want to talk to her.”

  Peyton gave her the number, then hesitated. “Jo was a nice girl. Smart and cute. I’d like to see her again.”

  Jazzi raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “To add to your list?”

  “No, she’s special. I’d like to get to know her better.”

  “Would she say yes? Did she like you back?”

  “I hope so. We hit it off awfully well.” He pulled his keys out of his jeans pocket and nodded good-bye.

  “Good luck!” Jazzi called after him.

  When Gaff returned, he looked at Peyton’s empty seat.

  “His class starts soon. He had to leave. He gave me Jo’s number.”

  Gaff took out his keys, too. “Other than that, I didn’t have anything else for him.”

  “But we have a new clue.” She had a new spring in her step as they walked to Gaff’s car.

  “We’ll go with this for now,” he told her. “I’ll drive you back to Jerod. What if I call this Jo, and if we can, I’ll pick you up to go talk to her when you get off work?”

  Jazzi would love to meet a girl who actually interested Peyton. “Sounds good.”

  They were only five minutes away from the house she and Jerod were working on. Gaff dropped her at the curb, and when she went inside, Jerod hadn’t moved. He was still asleep on the paint cloths. She tried to tiptoe past him into the kitchen to grab a sandwich, but he sat up, blinking. When he saw her, he said, “How did it go?”

  “I’ll tell you over lunch.”

  He followed her into the kitchen. “Breakfast for me.”

  She opened the refrigerator and handed him a ham sandwich, then took one for herself. They’d gutted everything so went outside to sit on a step to eat. It was one of those wonderful days when the temperature was mild, there was a blue sky, and a short-sleeved T-shirt felt good.

  “Peyton gave us a new clue. A girl he met cleans at the apartments where Meghan lived.”

  Jerod shook his head. He was barely hanging in there, too tired to get excited about much. “Small world.”

  She told him what she’d learned while they ate. “Gaff and I are going to talk to her when I leave here tonight.”

  “Good luck. Hope it helps find our killer.” Jerod wasn’t as hungry as usual and passed on a beer. The aftereffects of the flu.

  After lunch, they finished up the tiles and installed toilets before leaving for the day. Tomorrow, the kitchen cabinets came. They’d finish the bathrooms, then start installing those.

  Before Jerod left for the day, Jazzi called Gaff. “I’m done here. Have you called Jo?”

  “On my lunch break. She can meet us if we zip to her place now. She has plans for later tonight.”

  “Perfect, I’m ready. Where does she live?”

  “Downtown, on Fairfield, in that old apartment building.” He gave her directions.

  Jazzi had gone through the building on a Christmas walk two years ago. The apartments were interesting and quirky. “I know the place. What if I meet you there?”

  He sounded relieved. “That will save me a trip.”

  “Good, see you in half an hour.” When she finished talking to Jo with Gaff, she’d go to the store and buy a kitty-litter box, litter, and a play area with two cat beds. Then she’d drive straight home. Inky and Marmalade would be waiting for her.

  Chapter 37

  Jazzi pulled next to Gaff’s unmarked car in the parking lot. High, wrought-iron fences surrounded it, but the gates were open. They closed at night for security. This area of town had beautiful, old restored houses and, not far away, houses with boarded-up windows. The two areas had been this way, juxtaposed, for years.

  Gaff got out of his car and motioned for her to join him. They walked into the building’s expansive foyer and took the elevator to Jo’s floor. The hallways were so narrow, they had to walk single-file to her door. When they knocked, she didn’t answer, but the door creaked open.

  Jazzi got goose bumps and stared. “I’ve watched too many creepy movies that start like this.”

  Gaff shrugged. “Maybe she’s puttering around in the kitchen and expects someone.”

  Maybe. Jazzi pushed the door wider and called, “Jo? Are you home?”

  Music blared from the back of the apartment. No answer. Maybe she didn’t hear them. Gaff stepped inside the square living room and called again. “Hello. Is anyone here?”

  Maybe Jo went out and forgot to lock her door?

  Gaff started toward the kitchen and halted in its archway. He was a big enough man that he blocked Jazzi’s way. She peeked around him and gasped. Jo lay crumpled on the floor, the back of her head bloody.

  Gaff turned and led Jazzi back into the living room. Then he called for his crime scene crew. “Don’t touch anything,” he told her.

  Her stomach rolled. She shut her eyes but still saw short brown curls soaked in blood. Why? Why would the killer come for Jo? How would he even know about her?

  Unless...No! It wasn’t Peyton!

  Gaff put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “My stomach’s settling. I’m going to be all right.”

  “You don’t need to stay here for this. If we find anything, I’ll call you. Why don’t you go home?”

  She’d observed enough techs going over a crime scene. “Thanks, I’m out of here.”

  She hurried down the hallway and out of the building. When she got in her pickup and closed the door, she took deep breaths. Had the killer learned that Jo saw him and his vehicle? How?

  She made herself drive to the grocery store to buy cat supplies. When she got home, she carted the bags into the house, and two rowdy kittens came to greet her. They saw the gargantuan cat tree she’d bought and began climbing all over it. She poured herself a glass of wine, plopped on a stool at the kitchen island, and watched them.

  She didn’t want to think. She concentrated on the cats, pushing all other thoughts away. Eventually, Inky came and climbed up her jeans to stretch on her lap. She could hold
him in one hand if he didn’t squirm so much. Instead, she stroked his black fur. Marmalade wasn’t far behind. Where Inky went, so did she. Their antics finally brought a smile to her face, and she felt herself relax a little.

  After a while, Inky mewed, ready for his supper. Jazzi lowered both cats to the ground and opened a can of wet cat food to split between them. She refilled their water bowl and dry cat food dishes. She could watch their tummies expand as they ate. And then they were off again, climbing up and down the cat tree while she got their litter box ready. When they finally tired, they curled up together in one of the beds high up on the tree. They were so cute, Jazzi took a picture with her cell phone and sent it to Ansel.

  She hadn’t eaten yet, but her stomach still felt a little funky. She poured a can of tomato soup in a mug and went with that. She ate it in front of the TV for distraction, purposely turning to the food channel so that she wouldn’t see anything serious. On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Alton Brown was extolling the glories of egg salad. She loved the stuff and decided she’d make it on Saturday. To her, it was like deviled eggs between bread, and she loved those, too.

  The kittens found her and clawed their way onto the sofa to join her. Before bed, she cut a long piece of kitchen twine and moved it from couch to couch while Inky and Marmalade followed and attacked it. She wondered how George would react when he came home to kittens. Would the pug like them?

  When she felt safe to go to bed without having nightmares, she picked up the kittens and climbed the steps to the spare room. She’d buy a cat tree for up here, too. But for now, she lifted Inky and Marmalade onto the bed and got under the covers.

  When Ansel called, she told him about Jo.

  “I’m sorry, Jaz. I should have been there for you.”

  “Don’t be silly. Who could guess we’d find another dead body?” She’d found her share. She was ready for the trend to end. “How was your day?”

  “We have half the barn roof done to the peak. We start on the other side tomorrow.”

  “I bet you don’t ever want to see another roof again. At least, not for a long time.”

  “You’ve got that right. The only nice thing that’s come out of this is that I’ve gotten closer to Radley.”

  When Ansel talked about him, it sounded like Radley was as bullied by Bain and Ansel’s dad as Ansel and Adda were. “That’s good. Now you can enjoy your brother.”

  “Yeah, I’d like to invite him to visit us sometime. Is that okay?”

  “He’s family. We’ll make him feel welcome.” She’d knock herself out if he came. That meant that Ansel would be home, with her. And he’d feel like it was his home, too.

  “I saw the picture you sent. The kittens are cute.”

  She laughed. “They think your side of the bed is theirs. You’re going to have to tussle for your spot back.”

  “We’ll all fit. Let’s hope George doesn’t get jealous, or he’ll want to be on the bed, too.”

  “He’s out of luck. He snores.”

  He gave a grunt of amusement. “Well, I’d better turn out the light. We start out early tomorrow. I’m ready to get this job done and get out of here.”

  “Good, because I’m ready to have you here with me.”

  “I love you, Jaz.”

  “Love you, too.” And they hung up.

  As she drifted to sleep, Jazzi wondered if Jo had had a boyfriend who lived with her if she’d have been safer. But there hadn’t been any signs of a struggle at her apartment. She’d fallen close to the refrigerator. It made Jazzi think she’d invited someone in and offered them a drink, and when she turned to take it out of the refrigerator, her guest had hit the back of her head and cracked her skull.

  Chapter 38

  Jerod called to cancel work again on Tuesday. “I thought I was getting better. I was wrong.”

  It was probably better, because Gaff had called Jazzi and asked her to visit a few different people with him. Peyton was the first on his list.

  As they drove to the hospital, where he worked, she asked, “Why Peyton? He’s the one who told us about Jo. Why would he tell us if he meant to kill her? And he drives a red SUV, not something blue.”

  “We never got to talk to Jo,” Gaff said. “Peyton could have lied and told us about a blue vehicle to mislead us. Maybe he thought it was safe to tell us about her, that it would make him look good, but then he found out she knew more than he thought, and it was incriminating.”

  More maybes. Jazzi didn’t believe it.

  When they walked into the conference room where he was waiting, Peyton was a mess. “Jo’s dead?” He stared at Jazzi. “Was it my fault? I asked her about Meghan. She took your spot at the bar, but we kept our voices low.”

  “Was Greg working?” Gaff had his notebook out.

  “Greg and Seth. Oh, the EMT and his girlfriend were there, too. I saw them at the hospital, so I recognized them, but I don’t know their names.”

  Gaff’s pen paused in midair. “Mack and Tonya were there? Do they come in often?”

  Peyton spread his hands. “I don’t know. I hardly ever go there. I only went to see Jazzi.”

  Gaff scribbled himself a note. “We’ll ask about them later. It would be interesting if they started hanging out there once they knew it was one of Meghan’s favorite spots.”

  Peyton stared. “I looked out the window and could watch the EMT walk the nurse to his car. It was a blue crossover.” He ran his hands through his dark, wavy hair. “What if they heard Jo tell me that she saw a blue vehicle at Meghan’s apartment on Monday mornings? What if I got Jo killed?”

  Jazzi reached across the table to put her hand over his. “You didn’t kill Jo. It’s not your fault she’s dead.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “We were just talking, you know. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I thought you’d be interested in what she told me. I thought it would be just one more small piece of the puzzle.”

  Gaff leaned forward to make his point. “It is just a small piece. Our killer is ruthless. He’s the one to blame, not you.”

  Peyton nodded, but still looked shaken and miserable.

  Gaff cleared his throat. “Just for the record, where were you between noon and four yesterday?”

  Noon and four? Jazzi took a deep breath. She and Gaff had gone to Jo’s after she got off work at five. Jo’s body was probably still warm. Maybe. Jazzi didn’t know how fast death settled in.

  The color drained from Peyton’s face. “Was that when Jo died?”

  “Looks like it.”

  “And you think I might have killed her?”

  “Have to ask,” Gaff said. “Part of the job. Let’s hope it gives you an alibi.”

  “I was at the hospital on the floor, five a.m. to five p.m. When I left there, I went to deliver pizzas.”

  It was a good thing he was young. A schedule like that would kill Jazzi. She shook her head. Poor word choice.

  Gaff laid down his pen. “That’s all I’ve got for now. Sorry about Jo. Take care, kid. When I find who did this, I’ll let you know.”

  Peyton left, upset, and ten minutes later, Tonya came to join them. She glared at Jazzi but folded her hands on the table and turned to Gaff.

  Jazzi tried to shake it off, but Tonya irritated her. The girl had a chip on her shoulder.

  Gaff studied her. “Have you heard that a young woman who knew Meghan was found murdered in her apartment recently?”

  Tonya looked bored. “Mack didn’t do it.”

  Gaff raised his eyebrows, surprised. “I didn’t say he did.”

  “But you think it. That’s why you brought me here again. Mack was with me that night.”

  “You don’t even know when the girl died.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” she said. “Mack moved in with me. When he’s not working, he’s with me.”

 
Gaff opened his notepad. “I’ve heard that you and Mack were at Seth’s Bar and Grill a few nights ago.”

  She lifted her chin. “What’s wrong with that? Is it against the law for Mack to take me out?”

  “That was Meghan’s favorite bar. Did you and Mack ever go there to spy on her?”

  Tonya snorted. “Mack was over Meghan. He knows who’ll give him what he needs, whatever he needs, whenever he wants it.”

  Pathetic. Jazzi stared, and Tonya glanced at her defiantly. “Men trip over themselves for you, just like they did for Meghan. So don’t give me that look.”

  Darn! The girl sure had a thin skin.

  Jazzi shrugged, not about to argue with her. “I think you sell yourself short, that’s all.”

  “That’s because you were never in the glory of Meghan’s presence. Beauty can make men stupid.”

  Gaff went for the opening. “Was Mack stupid around her?”

  “He practically drooled. It was pitiful. He blubbered to me about her all the time. But who got him in the end?” She squared her shoulders. “I did.”

  Gaff tried to head the conversation in a different direction. “The girl who was murdered saw the killer leave Meghan’s apartment. He drove a blue vehicle.”

  Tonya rolled her eyes. “Do you know how many blue vehicles are on the road? Get a grip.”

  “Mack drives a blue crossover.”

  “My grandmother drives a blue sedan. So?”

  Gaff tried again. “Could you tell me where you were yesterday between noon and four?”

  “At home. By myself. I don’t have another shift until Thursday.”

  “Can anyone vouch that you were there?”

  “No, no one spies on me, but then, you can’t prove that I left my apartment either.”

  “When did Mack get home yesterday?”

  Tonya narrowed her eyes. “He worked a twelve-hour shift yesterday, seven to seven. He was home by seven-thirty. Satisfied?”

  Tonya was so unpleasant. How did she become a nurse? Jazzi hoped that if she ever ended up in the hospital, she wouldn’t be anywhere near her.