Cozy Suburbs Mystery Box Set

by Lisa B. Thomas

  “I need to call Russell,” Deena said, grabbing her phone out of her purse. With each unanswered ring, her breathing quickened. When the call went to voicemail, she ended it and dialed Estelle. “Come on!” she said when there was no answer.

  “What’s the matter?” Marie asked, grabbing Deena’s arm.

  “Something’s wrong.” She dialed Estelle’s house phone. No answer. She ran to the front door. “Janet! Call the police. Tell them to go to Carolyn Fitzhugh’s house.”

  Ignoring the rain, she flung open the car door so hard that it came back and hit her in the head. She squinted against the pain. Her hands shook so badly she could barely get the key in the ignition. She jerked the car into reverse and then sped off toward the far side of town. She swerved back and forth on the wet road trying to find Trey’s number on her phone. She finally dialed 9-1-1 instead and told the operator who she was. “I need you to call Deputy Trey Simms at the Perry County Sheriff’s office. Tell him it’s an emergency. He needs to get to his aunt’s house immediately!”

  Chapter 24

  Blake and Estelle did not speak on the way home from the restaurant. Blake’s cell phone rang twice, and both times he ignored it. As he pulled into the driveway, Estelle finally spoke. “You can drop me at the front.”

  “It’s raining,” was all he said and pulled around to the back door.

  He got out and walked around the car to open her door. Still a gentleman, Estelle thought. They ducked their heads and hurried to the back door. He opened it and they both stepped inside. Estelle turned to say goodbye. Blake pulled the door closed behind him and locked it.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s not what I’m doing. It’s what you’re doing.” He pulled a pair of leather gloves out of his pocket and put them on. “You’re making a big mistake. You chose the wrong man. And you know, if it weren’t for all that money, he could have you.”

  Estelle started to back away, but Blake grabbed her by the arm.

  “You’re hurting me!”

  “You don’t get it, do you?” He laughed when he saw the confusion on her face. “I did it. I came after your mother with a knife. Who knew that stupid cat was hiding in her chair?” He used his other gloved hand to pull at the scarf wrapped around his neck. “Nearly took my face off. I’ll probably have scars.”

  Estelle stood motionless, unable to fully grasp what was happening.

  A voice came from the top of the stairs. “We have a problem.”

  “Irene?” Estelle asked.

  “What’s the matter?” Blake jerked Estelle’s arm as he moved closer to the stairs. “Is there a problem with the safe?”

  “No, I cleaned it out. It’s all in that bag.” She motioned toward a brown duffle on the floor next to the door. “Just get up here.”

  Blake pulled Estelle behind him as he hurried up the steps. When he reached the top of the landing, he watched Irene hurry into the sitting room. Turning to Estelle, he said, “Your mother figured it out. It was all about the money.”

  She tried to pull free but he grabbed her and held her arms behind her back.

  He leaned his face against her head. “When I smelled your hair, it had the scent of freshly-minted cash. When I stared into your eyes, I saw dollar signs.”

  He pushed her down the hall. “There’s something I thought you should know about that night. I didn’t show up here to kill your mother. I was going to kill you.” He pushed her up against the wall. “She came out of her bedroom and saw me just as I was about to open your door. She didn’t scream. Probably didn’t want you to come out. She kept rolling farther and farther away from your room. Taunting me. I knew what she was doing. I’d probably have taken care of you both if that cat hadn’t attacked me. I guess your mother and that cat saved your life.” He shook his head. “Not this time, though.”

  Estelle cried and tried to fight, but Blake’s hold was too strong.

  “Too late for tears.” He pushed her to the door of the sitting room. “You’ll be leaving this room the same way I did that night—and all those nights you teased me with that Romeo and Juliet crap.”

  “Russell!” Estelle tried to break free and run to him, but Blake held her tight.

  “What the—” He looked at the desk to see Russell passed out, Maggie sitting by his side, baring her teeth. Blake froze. “What’s going on?”

  “He came over to wait for her. Said she was going to break it off with you. I took care of it.”

  “How?”

  “I laced his coffee with sleeping pills.” She pointed to the side of the desk where the empty bottle sat. “They will think he killed himself when he found out his dearly beloved accidentally fell to her death. But now this dog...”

  “Get it out of here!” Blake held tight to Estelle.

  “Easier said than done.” Irene said.

  “She’s probably scared of that stupid red wig. Why are you wearing it anyway?”

  “It’s my disguise, you idiot.”

  “Then just get a knife and kill the dog.”

  “No!” Estelle yelled. “You can’t. Clover! Come here, Clover.” The cat sauntered around the corner.

  One look at the cat, and Maggie ran out into the hall. Irene slammed the door behind them. She pulled back the curtains and opened the balcony door. Cold wind filled the room as the curtains blew against her.

  “No one is going to believe he killed himself for the likes of this one,” Blake said. “We’ll have to take him with us. We’ll dump him on some back road. Get the bags and make room for him in the trunk.”

  “Make room in the trunk? There’s barely enough room for the two of us in that stupid sports car of yours!”

  “Just do it! We can’t be here when they find the body.”

  Irene spat at Estelle. “Just like your mother.” She turned and left.

  “Blake, no, please!” Estelle struggled to break free of his grip.

  “Shut up! If you had just married me, you wouldn’t be in this position. Not yet, at least.”

  “The money. I can give you whatever you want. You can have it all!”

  “Too late.” He snickered. “All that cash and jewelry in the safe will have to do. You see, Plan A was to kill you, then have your mother change her will, leaving everything to her closest friend—my cousin Irene—right before her untimely death. Of course she doesn’t know that. You were going over the balcony that time, too.” He pushed her toward the door.

  “Russell!” She saw his head move slightly.

  “Sorry. Prince Charming isn’t going to rescue you.”

  He stopped abruptly as he heard someone yelling outside along with the dogs furious barking below the window. No time to waste. He used that moment to shove Estelle over the edge of the balcony. He watched her hands grip the wet railing as her shrill scream pierced the air. At last, her fingers slipped.

  “Let’s move!” he called downstairs to Irene after he heard the thud below. He grabbed the empty sleeping pill bottle and jammed it into his pocket. He pushed the picture back in its place over the wall safe. Russell was heavier than he would have thought, but he managed to get him down the stairs. Irene held the back door open as Blake hurried out and dumped the body into the trunk followed. She slipped on a patch of ice, but caught herself on the side of the car before falling.

  Irene breathed hard as she slammed the car door. She pulled at the sides of the wig.

  “Seriously, why are you wearing that get-up?” He started the engine and steam blew out of the tail pipe.

  “Everyone around here knows me. It worked when I broke into the thrift store.” She pulled on it again. “I’ll take it off when we get out of this stupid town.”

  “Suit yourself,” he snarled.

  “What about Deena Sharpe? I heard her yelling and knocking at the front door.” She slumped low in her seat as Blake turned the car around, barely missing Russell’s truck. He pulled along the side of the house heading for the stre
et.

  “Don’t worry,” he said with a sadistic grin. “Looks like we got two for the price of one.”

  The two women lay motionless in a heap below the balcony. Maggie barked as the car passed. He slowly drove past them, seeing a pool of blood by Estelle’s head. He muttered under his breath, saying goodbye for the last time. Hitting the gas, he sped around the tree-lined curve, heading for the main highway.

  Chapter 25

  Whether it was the sound or the feeling that caught Deena’s attention first, she couldn’t be sure. She pictured herself inside a clothes dryer. Everything was spinning. Around and around. She listened as the steady swishing sound grew louder. A faint bright spot spun in circles as she tried to steady her dizzy head. She heard beeping. Is the cycle over? Is Gary inside here, too?

  “Deena? Deena,” Gary said. “I think she’s waking up.”

  With all the might she could muster, Deena opened her eyes.

  “Well, hello, sleepy pie.” Gary smiled down at her.

  She blinked against the bright light. “Where am I?”

  “You’re in the hospital.” Gary stepped back as a nurse rushed to her side and checked the monitor that had been making all that noise. Deena looked down to see Sandra standing at the foot of the bed, grinning like a silly child.

  “I’ll let the doctor know,” the nurse said, and hurried out of the room.

  “What happened?” She tried to sit up but her body would not cooperate. Looking around, she saw a large cast on her arm.

  “Don’t try to sit up,” Sandra said. “I’ll adjust the bed.” She pushed the button on the remote.

  Deena gasped. “That’s enough.” Her chest felt like an elephant were sitting on it. Doctor Roberts came in the room.

  “Well, look who’s awake.” He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and looked in Deena’s eyes. He had her move her fingers, toes, and head. “Everything looks pretty good. I want you to stay at least a few more days so we can monitor your breathing. I’ll check on you again later.”

  “Thanks, doc,” Gary said. He held a glass of water with a straw up to her lips. “You have a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm, broken wrist, and several cracked ribs. You’ve been in the hospital for two days. Do you remember what happened?”

  Deena took several sips of water, and her head began to clear. “Estelle. I went to her house. Maggie was under the window barking. Estelle fell off the balcony.”

  “And you tried to catch her,” Gary said.

  Deena remembered Gary’s words when he would have her hold a ladder. “If I’m coming down, I’m taking you with me,” she whispered.

  “That’s just exactly what happened,” he said. “You saved her life by breaking her fall.”

  “And you broke some bones in the process,” Sandra added.

  Deena moaned, trying to find a comfortable position. “Where’s Russell?”

  Gary and Sandra exchanged glances. Gary started to answer.

  “Sis! You’re awake!” Russell rushed into the room and leaned over to kiss Deena’s cheek. “They just told me. They are about to take Estelle into surgery.”

  “How is she and what’s wrong with your voice?”

  “I had my stomach pumped. Gary can tell you all about it. Estelle broke her leg, among other things. That’s what they’re fixing today.”

  Deena tried to smile at her brother. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Thanks to you, yes.”

  “And Maggie.” Deena took a sip of water.

  “What do you mean?”

  “She was under the window barking when I drove up. If she hadn’t alerted me to the balcony, I might not have made it in time.” Deena thought she saw a tear in her brother’s eye.

  He put his hand over his heart. “Remind me to give her an extra big treat when I get home.”

  “You’d better get back down to Estelle, buddy,” Gary said. “We’ll check on you later.”

  Russell blew Deena a kiss and headed out the door.

  “So, what happened to Russell?”

  “You better tell it quick,” Sandra said. “I have a feeling some of the Bluebonnets will be up here before long.”

  Gary pulled up a chair. “So you know that Blake Whitman turned out to be a con man, right? Did you know he and Irene were cousins? Last summer when she went home for vacation in New Orleans, she told Blake about the rich woman and her daughter she worked for. Blake hatched a scheme to swoop in on Estelle and marry her for her money. Carolyn hired a private eye and found out who he really was. She paid him off to leave town.”

  Deena remembered talking to Russell. “He called me and told me about the report.”

  “Apparently, Blake got greedy. His new plan was to get rid of Estelle, and then Irene would trick Carolyn into leaving her all her fortune. I’m sure she would have had an ‘accident’ after that.”

  Deena was thinking more clearly. “So he meant to kill Estelle? Did he use the knife?”

  “Yes. Carolyn rolled all the way back down the hall to protect Estelle.”

  “Bless her heart.” Tears welled in Deena’s eyes as she thought about Carolyn’s sacrificing her life for her daughter.

  “Apparently, he hid the knife in the box when he climbed down the balcony.”

  Sandra moved to the side of the bed. “Irene was the one who broke into the store trying to find the knife.”

  “But you still haven’t told me what happened to Russell? He called me when he was at the house waiting for Estelle to come back from her lunch with Blake.”

  Gary’s voice cracked with emotion. “Irene found out Russell was onto Blake and drugged him with sleeping pills. Blake and Irene cleaned out Carolyn’s safe and were planning on leaving the country. They put Russell in the trunk. He might have died if they had gotten away.”

  There was a knock. They looked up to see Officer Nelson standing in the doorway. “Hi. Mind if I come in? I heard you were awake.”

  “Gotta love a small town,” Sandra said.

  Gary walked over to shake the officer’s hand. “Here’s our other hero,” he said. Deena thought she saw tears in her husband’s eyes. “Tell her about the call you got.”

  “I was headed to the Fitzhugh house along with another squad car when a call came over the radio. Someone reported a vehicle speeding through a stop light. It almost hit their car. I had a hunch it might be related. I let the desk know I was after that driver since the other officer and Deputy Simms were almost to the residence. The caller gave a detailed description of the car, license plate number, and occupants. I pulled them over just as they were heading for the interstate.”

  “Was it Blake and Irene?” Deena asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. I noticed Mr. Whitman sweating even though it was starting to sleet. There were suitcases in the back seat, so I told them I needed to see in the trunk. That’s when I found Mr. Sinclair.”

  Deena let out a cry and covered her mouth with her good hand.

  “If you hadn’t called when you did, it might have been too late,” she said.

  Deena couldn’t hold back her tears.

  Gary took her hand gently. “He’s fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry.”

  The flood of emotion made her dizzy again. She felt both relief and despair.

  “Deena,” Sandra asked, “what tipped you off in the first place?”

  “Marie,” she said, wiping her eyes with the bedsheet. “She told me she saw Blake at the party that night. That’s when it all came together.”

  “We’ll be contacting you in a few days to get a full statement. Luckily, Irene rolled over on Blake as soon as we mentioned ‘accessory to murder.’ That’s how we know everything that happened.”

  “Thank you so much, Officer Nelson,” Gary said. “Before you go, do you want to tell Deena who called in the report about the speeding car?”

  “Sure. It was one of your neighbors, actually. Christy Ann Maples.”

  Deena’s mouth dropped open, and Gary let out a laugh—his firs
t in days. “So now we are indebted to the Queen of the Suburbs for the rest of our lives!”

  “I’m surprised she wasn’t too busy to make the call.” Deena chuckled then put her hand on her sore chest. “Don’t make me laugh.”

  “Inside joke?” Sandra asked, smiling at her friend.

  Officer Nelson left, telling Deena to get some rest.

  A few minutes later, Russell came back into the room. “What did I miss?”

  “Just a good laugh,” Gary said, and stepped back out of his way.

  “Estelle’s in surgery. I just thought I’d run back down here to tell you something.” He stood close to Deena and took her hand. She felt him trembling. “It looks like you’re gonna need to set an extra place at Christmas dinner after all.”

  “For your girlfriend?” Deena asked with a grin.

  “No, for your future sister-in-law. I just proposed and she said yes.”

  THE END

  SHARPE MIND: HANGING BY A THREAD

  Copyright © 2016

  Lisa B. Thomas

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Prologue

  Usually the last gulp of hot coffee would chase away all of Tonya Webber’s worries. Not today. In all her twenty-seven years on earth, this was the worst mess she had ever gotten herself into. And she had been in plenty of messes.

  Pushing aside the dirty plate and chipped coffee mug, she cleared a space on the diner’s red vinyl tablecloth. It was hard to find a spot that was neither sticky with a week’s worth of maple syrup nor torn from a lifetime’s worth of wear. She pulled a manila folder out of her tote bag and laid it open. Thumbing through the glossy photos, she found the one she wanted. Tears threatened to well in her bottom lids, but she willed them back the same way she had learned to keep back fear and anxiety and regret.