Cozy Suburbs Mystery Box Set

by Lisa B. Thomas

  “No. You don’t have to apologize. But you have to know that David is nothing like his father. He’s so sweet and kind. We met at a wedding where I was working with the ultimate Bridezilla. David was a guest. He was standing near me when the bride started chewing my head off because the lights in the ballroom were too dim and people couldn’t see her gown sparkling.” Wendy’s eyes grew misty as she spoke.

  “David walked up and told her that she was the most brilliant star he’d ever seen and that if the lights were any brighter, the guests would be blinded by her beauty. Then he winked at me and whisked her off to the dance floor. The rest of the night he pestered me until I agreed to go out with him.”

  Deena sighed. Oh to be young and in love. Or young-ish, as was the case for Wendy.

  “Just goes to show you,” Ian said. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  “Ian!” If she could have reached him, Deena would have smacked him on the arm like she did with Gary when he would say something insensitive.

  “What?” he asked defensively. “I mean, how can a guy who acts like that then turn around and dump her? It must be in his genes. You know, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

  “How about, ‘You want something done wrong? Hire a lawyer.’” Deena crossed her arms. “Any more clichés, counselor?”

  “Okay, you two. That’s enough.” A grin had returned to Wendy’s face. “Let’s get back to proving my innocence.”

  “We don’t have to prove your innocence. The prosecutor has to prove you are guilty.”

  Deena shot him a look. “Not helpful.”

  “Look, we have truth on our side,” Ian said, “not to be too cliché. They have nothing but a flimsy motive. Did you get those bank records that show where you withdrew money to pay Ray? We will argue that you had paid him off already, and that he couldn’t do much more to you or else you were going to the police.”

  Deena shook her head. “But won’t the prosecution argue that he was threatening to tell her fiancé and that she needed to kill Ray before he did that? The fact that David dumped her won’t help her case any.”

  “That’s true, which is why we have to tighten up the timeline and her alibi. Also, we can raise reasonable doubt by advancing other suspects.”

  “What other suspects?” Wendy asked. “Who do you think could have done it?”

  “We can’t really say,” Ian said. “It’s for your own protection at this point.”

  Wendy nodded slowly, as though not quite satisfied with the answer.

  “Speaking of protection, I still need to tell you about Julius Dunbar.”

  Deena laid out the entire incident at the café, including the not-so-veiled threat he made.

  Wendy kept shaking her head while Ian scribbled notes.

  She finished the story, standing up and demonstrating Dunbar’s cocky gesture with the hundred-dollar bill.

  “I hope you went straight to Detective Guttman with this,” Ian said. “He may need to bring Dunbar in for questioning.”

  “Actually,” she said sheepishly, “I went to tell Gary. I was scared. But he said he’d call Guttman for me. Then I came straight here.”

  Wendy let out an exasperated sigh. “You know, that doesn’t surprise me at all. I got a similar kind of threat when David’s father tried to pay me off to break up with David.”

  Deena gasped.

  “That’s right. He offered me half a million dollars to take off and leave David behind. When I refused, he mentioned my family. That was over a year ago, and I’m still alive and kicking.”

  Deena could hardly believe it. “Did you tell David?”

  “No. I thought about it, but David loves his father. His mother died when he was just five and his father never remarried. I couldn’t come between them like that.”

  “That confirms it. Ian, I have a hunch that Guttman’s chief witness against us may have been bribed also. I think I need to get to her before the O’Malleys can do any more damage.”

  “Good,” Ian said, following Deena out the door. They stood in the hallway outside his office while he helped her on with her jacket. “Call me when you’re done.”

  “Yes, sir. Oh, and sorry about the wisecracks in there. Gary says that sometimes my filter gets broken.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just go help our client. And Deena, watch your back out there.”

  GARY WOULD BE WORRIED sick about her. Deena called to tell him she was fine and that she’d be home as soon as she talked to another witness. She also told him that after talking to Wendy, it sounded like the threat was just a bluff. She could tell Gary was trying to put up a brave front but was still anxious to get her back home safe and sound. He told her he was on his way home and would have dinner waiting when she got there.

  When she hung up, she noticed a new text message. She didn’t dare check it while driving. She and Gary had both pinky-sworn never to text and drive. When she pulled up behind the Mustang, she looked at her phone. The text read: “New info. Two hour gap between Helen Abbott’s hospital shifts on Saturday. Find out where she was during that time.” It was from Guttman.

  Could it be that Helen had time to kill Ray before getting to her second shift at the hospital? Was she even at the hospital that evening? Deena hated the idea of following that lead, but at this point, there was nowhere else to go. But for now she couldn’t think about it. She had to talk to Stephanie and get her to tell the truth about Wendy.

  She climbed the steps of the small house and banged on the front door. The curtain moved slightly, signaling that someone was home. “Stephanie. I need to talk to you. Come out here.”

  The door latch clicked and the door opened a crack. “What do you want now?” Stephanie asked. “I told you everything I know.”

  “I have a question about Julius Dunbar.”

  “Who?”

  “The man who gave you money. The man who bought that car.”

  Stephanie flung open the door and stepped out onto the porch. She stared wide-eyed, confirming Deena’s suspicions.

  “I know what happened, Stephanie. Now it’s time to tell the truth.”

  She would’ve expected tears, but not the flood of words and emotion that poured out of the pitiful girl. “I’m sorry. I know it was wrong. I never would have done it except my parents have worked so hard to get me to college, and there’s just no money. I didn’t know what to do. I never thought they would really arrest her.”

  Deena felt a twinge of sympathy. “So what did you think would happen?”

  “The man—the man who gave me the money said the truth would come out. He said I would just be helping to see that Ray got justice. I know it doesn’t make any sense. I thought if she was innocent, they’d let her go.”

  “This man who gave you the money, did he say why he wanted you to lie?”

  “I asked, but he said it didn’t matter. Then he waved a bunch of cash in my face. I’d never seen so much money.”

  “And he didn’t give you his name?”

  “No, he said he was a friend of Ray’s, and I believed him.”

  “What did he look like? Describe him to me.”

  “He was really tall and had a goatee. He was kind of scary-looking.”

  Deena patted her on the shoulder. “You know what you have to do now, right? You have to go to the police and tell them what happened. You have to tell them about the man and the money and the lies. All of it.”

  “I know. I’ve been thinking about it ever since you left. I’ll be glad when this whole thing is over.”

  “Of course you will. You couldn’t possibly live the rest of your life carrying around that lie. No car and no amount of money could ever erase the kind of guilt it would cause you.”

  “You’re right,” she whispered.

  “I have one more question for you. It’s a tough one, I know. But you have to be honest with me, okay?”

  Stephanie nodded and looked Deena straight in the eyes for the first time since she’d bee
n there.

  “Did you see Mrs. Abbott at the church that morning when you all were there?”

  “I—I don’t think so. She was probably at work. Charlie’s father had gone fishing. Yes, I’m sure Charlie told me she was at the hospital. Why?”

  “You’re positive? You never saw her at the church? Not even when you came back for the carnival?”

  “Mrs. Sharpe! You don’t think Charlie’s mother killed Ray, do you? That’s crazy! She would never do that!” Stephanie took two steps back and stared at Deena as if she had two heads.

  “Settle down, I didn’t say that. I’m just trying to find out who was around when Ray was killed. That’s all. If somebody saw something, anything, it might help the investigation.”

  Deena wasn’t sure her explanation calmed Stephanie’s fear, so she changed the subject back to the matter at hand. “If you want, I can go with you to the police station right now, and you can make your statement.”

  Beside them, an older model sedan with much of its blue paint rusted off pulled into the driveway. The brakes squeaked as it came to a stop.

  Stephanie sucked in a deep breath. “That’s my mom. I have to tell her first before I talk to the police. You should go. I promise, I’ll go as soon as I talk to my mother.”

  Deena’s heart sank as she looked at the worn-out woman getting out of her car, totally unsuspecting of what was about to happen. Her precious daughter—her pride and joy—was about to break her heart.

  “Okay, but I’m going to call Detective Guttman and tell him what you told me.” Deena smiled and gave a brief wave to Stephanie’s mother.

  As she drove toward home, she could only imagine the conversation Stephanie was having with her mother. She wondered how Stephanie had explained the new car in the first place. Sometimes, when things are too good to be true, you’d rather not ask too many questions rather than have the dream explode in your face. Maybe that’s what happened to Stephanie’s parents.

  Deena made the turn off the small road toward downtown. Her phone rang. She grabbed it from her purse, thinking it was probably Gary wondering where she was. To her surprise, it was Charlie Abbott. He asked her to come to the house. He said it was urgent and from the sound of his voice she could tell he was desperate.

  Before she could ask too many questions, he hung up, and she was left to wonder what she was getting herself into now.

  Chapter 23

  The minister lived in an old Victorian that the church had remodeled for their last minister. It rested on a quiet, tree-lined street in one of the areas of town where Deena and Gary always drove around in December to look at the Christmas lights.

  Although the houses were stately and well maintained, you could never be sure what was going on behind those closed doors. Charlie’s truck, the one he drove away from Stephanie’s house earlier, was parked in the driveway. Before she got out of the car, Deena texted Gary to let him know where she was and that she’d be a little late for dinner. She didn’t want him to worry. She was worried enough for the both of them.

  The front door opened as she got out of her car. Charlie stood there waiting for her. What could have happened that made him call her to come over? She sucked in a deep breath. I’ll find out soon enough.

  “Come in,” he said. “May I take your coat?” The teenager sounded like an English butler. Charlie always did have the nicest manners. He took her jacket and showed her into the living room. To her surprise, Helen Abbott was sitting on the sofa wearing her nurse’s uniform and looking quite uncomfortable. Had she been crying?

  “Thank you for coming, Deena,” Helen said. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  Deena hadn’t expected this to be a social call. “No, I’m fine,” she said, taking a seat in the burgundy wing chair across from Helen. She wished someone would tell her what was going on.

  Charlie paced in front of the carved fireplace. The old mantel clock ticked loudly, increasing the tension in the room. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  “Are we waiting for someone?” Deena asked at last, getting more anxious by the second.

  “No,” Charlie said. “I’m just trying to figure out where to start.”

  “Then let me help you out,” Deena said. “This has something to do with my visit to Stephanie. She called and told you about what happened and the questions I was asking, right?”

  Charlie nodded and looked down. “Yeah. You see, we just want to make sure you know that Mom had nothing to do with Mr. Brewster’s death.”

  Helen seemed a mix of exhaustion and fear. “I get it. I’m a nurse and from what I understand, Ray may have been poisoned, injected with something lethal. That would make me suspicious. And then you started asking about where I was on that day. You and Detective Guttman, that is.”

  “I’m sure you understand our need to cover all our bases. Check out everyone who might have had a reason or a chance to get to Ray that day. Also, we need to know who was around in case they witnessed something suspicious.”

  “I know you were asking where I was that afternoon and evening on the day of the carnival. I remember you mentioning it the other day at the hospital. From about one thirty to about four, I was here making dinner. I can even tell you what I made, if you want.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Deena said, waving off the statement. “What about that evening? Were you at the church or the hospital or where?”

  “I was at the hospital...just not the Maycroft hospital. I was at the county hospital in Bingham.” She glanced up at Charlie, then looked down at her hands. “You see, I have been picking up shifts there to make some extra money. You can call and ask them. They’ll verify it.”

  Making extra money at another hospital sounded totally reasonable to Deena. So why the big mystery? “If that was the case, why didn’t you just say so when it came up the other day? Is it against hospital policy or something?”

  “No. I just didn’t want anyone to know. It’s...embarrassing.”

  “Needing extra money is nothing to be ashamed of, believe me. We’ve all been there before.” Then Deena remembered her conversation with Reverend Abbott. “Oh wait. Are you saying that your husband doesn’t know either? Is that why he thought you were at the church for the carnival that night?”

  “Yes.”

  Much ado about nothing, Deena thought. In fact, that’s what made it suspicious. “I feel like there’s something you aren’t telling me. Does it have something to do with Ray?”

  Helen and Charlie exchanged a glance.

  “Charlie, your pacing is making me dizzy,” Deena said. “Come have a seat and tell me what’s going on. Obviously, you would rather tell me than the police, so shoot.”

  Despite her unfortunate choice of words, Charlie sat on the sofa next to his mother. “That’s what I’m worried about. That the police might think my dad had a reason to kill Mr. Brewster.”

  Deena was surprised that the conversation had shifted from Charlie’s mother to his father. She waited for more.

  “Mom? Are you sure you want me to tell her?”

  “Go ahead.” She put her hand gently on her son’s back.

  “You see, Mr. Brewster was blackmailing my father.”

  Deena’s eyes widened but she sat quietly trying to keep her composure and not give away her shock at the revealed secret.

  “Let me tell it, son. You see, when Charles was younger, he had a gambling problem. Basically it was an addiction. He got help and got over it, thank God. He totally turned his life around. That’s when he decided to go into the ministry. He told me all about it when we met and promised me he would never gamble again.”

  A dog barked in the back of the house. Deena’s eyes remained fixed on Helen’s face.

  “You may remember last year when Charlie got appendicitis and had to have surgery. We were up in Seattle visiting my parents when it happened. It was emergency surgery followed by some minor complications
. Unfortunately, our insurance only covered a fraction of the cost. We were up to our eyeballs in medical bills.”

  “I remember that. We were all so relieved when Charlie came home and was better. Why didn’t you ask the church for help? We help out our members all the time.”

  “My husband is a proud man. After years of paying off his gambling debts, he couldn’t bring himself to ask for a handout. That’s when he made the mistake of trying to earn fast money through betting again.”

  “Helen!” Reverend Abbott rushed around the corner from the back of the house. “How did you know? How did you find out?”

  They all jumped at his surprise entrance. Helen stood up. “Oh, honey, a wife knows when something’s wrong. I called the bank, and they told me about the loan.”

  They stood facing each other. Reverend Abbott’s shoulders slumped. “I never wanted you to find out. I’m so ashamed of myself. And now Charlie knows, too.”

  “Dad, I’ve known all along. I was always covering for Mom when she picked up extra shifts in Bingham.”

  For a moment, it looked as though Reverend Abbott’s legs would give out. He moved toward his wife and wrapped her in his arms. “I thought you said they were shorthanded at the hospital here. I had no idea you were working in Bingham.”

  “Well, the good news is, I’ve almost saved up enough to pay off a lot of the loan.”

  Reverend Abbott squeezed his wife and tilted his head toward Deena. “You see, I told you this woman is a saint.” He led her back to the sofa and sat down between his wife and son. “So how were you going to pay off the loan without my finding out?”

  Charlie piped in. “We came up with a story. We were going to say that Mom inherited it from her second cousin. I know it’s a lie, but we thought that you would be upset when you found out we knew about the bets you had been making.”

  “The truth is always the best bet, son. I learned that the hard way by keeping things from you and your mother. Look where it’s gotten me. They think I may have killed Ray, isn’t that right, Deena?”

  “Well, being blackmailed would give you a motive. Let me ask you a few questions, and this time I need the truth. Those papers I showed you the other day, were they yours?”