Cozy Suburbs Mystery Box Set

by Lisa B. Thomas

  “Not yet. A few days ago, she quit her job at the church. It seems she’s...missing.”

  “That’s suspicious, wouldn’t you agree, or do you think she’s innocent as well?”

  Deena rolled her eyes. “Actually, I’ve known Darlene a long time, and she doesn’t seem like the killer type to me. But I don’t trust O’Malley and Dunbar, so if she’s involved with them, who knows what she’s up to.”

  Guttman rubbed his forehead. “Well, it looks like we’re going to have to wait until Tuesday when this election is over and in the books. Then I can get back to work and get this case solved. In the meantime, don’t do anything else. Hopefully, the charge against Wendy Fairmont will be dropped by the end of next week. She should be able to get the whole thing expunged from her record with no real harm done.”

  Deena diverted her eyes. “Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens sooner than that.”

  Guttman gave her a sideways glance. “Why? Is there something I don’t know?”

  There’s a lot you don’t know, Deena thought, but I can’t tell you. “Let’s just say that the defense has not rested.”

  When she got in her car to drive away, she felt a little guilty for not telling him about Stephanie. After all, they were all on the same side. The side of justice.

  At least that’s what she thought.

  Chapter 26

  When Deena pulled up to the house, she realized she hadn’t yet switched out her Halloween door wreath for a new one. Making wreaths was one of the few crafts Deena enjoyed and was really good at. It was hard to believe it had not yet been a week since she’d baked a cake and taken it to the church carnival.

  “Hello. I’m home,” she called out as she came through the door from the garage.

  “Shhh. Larry is about to tell Renee that he’s a homosexual,” Sylvia yelled from the den.

  Deena walked in to find Sylvia and Edwin sitting much too close to each other on the sofa. Not nearly enough room for Jesus, she thought. She tiptoed past and went into the bedroom, expecting Hurley to be right on her heels. She looked back to see the dog sleeping comfortably in Edwin’s lap. Traitor.

  What to do now? She debated cleaning house, shopping for groceries, and preparing dinner. She opted for a nap.

  When the ringing of her cell phone woke her up, she had no idea how long she had been asleep. Barely opening her eyes, she answered. The person on the other end of the line spoke quickly, and at first she didn’t recognize the voice. Then it came to her. “Darlene?”

  The woman barely spoke above a whisper but her instructions were clear. Deena was supposed to meet her in one hour at the Pine Tree Motel on the outskirts of town. She had no choice but to agree.

  She shook the cobwebs out of her head and brushed her tangled hair. Unlike the women in movies who always got up with fresh lipstick and perfect mascara, Deena looked like a Fright Night TV star. She walked out of the bedroom to find Edwin and Sylvia now enthralled with some game show.

  “I’ve got an errand to run,” Deena said.

  “Don’t worry about supper for me,” Sylvia said. “Edwin is taking me out on the town.”

  “Okay, but I’m—”

  “Shhh,” Sylvia repeated.

  Deena left without another word. Oh well, at least she’s not criticizing me. Just to be on the safe side, Deena texted Gary to tell him where she was going. When he didn’t respond right away, she knew he must be with a client. Just as well, she didn’t want to have to answer a lot of questions anyway.

  THE PINE TREE MOTEL was run down and stuck in the seventies. It looked worse in daytime than she remembered. Some of the “guests” actually lived there and called the place home sweet home. Deena parked in front of room seven. Luckily it was on the first floor, so she could get in and out of there as quickly as possible. She had no desire to hang around any longer than she had to.

  Before she even knocked on the door, she saw the curtain pull back and someone peeking out.

  Darlene opened the door and pulled Deena in by the arm. “Do you think you were followed?”

  “I don’t think so, but I really wasn’t paying attention. Who do you think would’ve followed me?”

  “This man from Dallas. His name is Julius Dunbar.”

  Now she had Deena’s attention. They sat down at a small wooden table with two vinyl chairs. Darlene offered Deena the “good chair”—the one without the foam coming out of its avocado-green covering. The place reeked of stale cigarettes.

  “Start at the beginning. I want to know everything that’s going on,” Deena said.

  “Before I do, I want you to promise that you’ll help me get a lawyer. That Ian Davis you work for would be perfect. Even though he’s married, he’s awfully easy on the eyes.”

  “Why do you need a lawyer? What’s going on?”

  “Well,” Darlene said, twisting a strand of frizzy auburn hair, “I think I killed Ray Brewster.”

  “You what?”

  “Everyone knows I hated Ray Brewster, no one more than Ray himself. He was lazy and rude and couldn’t keep his hands to himself. When he wasn’t trying to grab me, he was trying to steal from me. On Saturday, I had had about enough. From what I could tell, he had gotten himself a big ol’ bottle of whiskey and was gulping it down every time I took my eyes off of him. He was supposed to be helping Wendy and those kids get things set up for the carnival. When I came back from the ladies’ room, I caught him with his hand stuck right down in my pocketbook. I told him to get away from there, and he just laughed like it was the funniest thing on earth.”

  “What did you do?”

  “That’s when I opened my desk drawer and pulled out one of those needles and jabbed it in his hand. It was the closest thing I had to a weapon besides my good scissors, and I didn’t want to get blood all over them.”

  “So you did stick him with one of those shots,” Deena said, feeling a bit of vindication.

  “Yes, ma’am, I did. The old coot barely felt it and went stumbling on his way.”

  Deena didn’t know what to do. Should she call Ian? Should she call the police?

  Darlene continued. “To be honest, I didn’t think anything of it. When they found him dead, I just assumed the horse’s ass just drank himself to death.”

  “You never told the police about the encounter?”

  “No. They didn’t ask me anything like that. But then you came along asking questions about those needles and that got me to wondering. Did I kill him? Then I heard the rumors that the police thought he had been poisoned. That’s when I figured I must’ve done it.”

  “So what’s this got to do with Julius Dunbar?”

  “He had come by the church to see me. He asked me questions about Wendy and if I had seen her with Ray on Saturday. I told him yes, and he said he would be in touch. After that, I quit my job. I needed time to figure out what I was going to do with my cats once I went to prison. The day after I quit the church, he called me and said he wanted to see me. Maybe he isn’t the best-looking man around, but he sure was tall. Anyway, he comes over to my apartment and tells me he could make it worth my while to say I heard Wendy threaten Ray. Now, I may be a killer, but I’m not a liar. I told him to keep his money and go back to where he came from. Then I told him that there was no way Wendy killed Ray because I knew who had done it and it was me! I said I was working up my nerve to tell the police. Well, that’s when he went all psycho on me. He said I better keep my mouth shut or else. I asked him, ‘Or else what?’ but he didn’t say.”

  Deena leaned in and whispered, “Do you think he’s trying to find you and hurt you?”

  “I’ve seen movies. I know how these things work. I start talking and the next thing you know I’m on the six o’clock news with a picture of me floating face down in the Trinity River. That’s why I grabbed some stuff and hid out here.”

  “So what are you going to do now?”

  “I was hoping to get a good night’s sleep and then come see your boss. I’m re
ady to turn myself in and face the consequences for being the sinner that I am.”

  Deena couldn’t believe that she had cracked the case.

  Darlene got up and walked over to the closet and pulled out a dress. It was dark blue with loud pink and yellow roses. “What do you think about this number? Would this be all right for wearing to the police station?”

  Of all the questions Darlene could’ve asked, that had to be the last one Deena expected to hear at a time like this. “I’m—I’m sure that will be just fine. So, do you want to meet at Mr. Davis’s office tomorrow morning?”

  “Sure. How about eight thirty?”

  “That’ll be fine,” Deena said. “In the meantime, can I get you anything? Do you need some supper?”

  “Thanks, honey, but I’ll be fine. Some of the boys here are planning to sneak me out to the soup kitchen. They’re a fun bunch.” She stood up and walked over to the door. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Words failed Deena as she got in her car to head back home. Did Darlene realize what she was saying? Did she understand she had just confessed to homicide? She didn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation. Deena couldn’t wait to get home to call Ian to tell him what she had just witnessed.

  Now, there was only one thing left to do. Cross her fingers that Darlene would show up at the office in the morning.

  Chapter 27

  Ian paced behind his desk. He hadn’t bothered even tying his necktie. “Tell me again what this Darlene Watson said to you last night when she first called you. And be precise. I want to take notes.”

  “Are you all right?” Deena asked. She stifled a yawn. “How’s Sandra?”

  “She’s fine. Well, actually, she said she was feeling a little under the weather today. Anyway, what did Darlene say?”

  “She started out asking me if I was still working for a lawyer in town, and I said yes. She asked if he was good at keeping people out of prison. That’s when I asked her why she wanted to know. Then she said, ‘What if I know someone who tried to scare someone, and he accidently ended up dead?’ That’s when I knew she must be talking about Ray.”

  Ian narrowed his eyes. “Did you mention Ray first or did she?”

  “She didn’t mention him at all on the phone. She just asked me to meet her at the motel.”

  “Accidently,” he repeated and made a note. “That’s good. Did you ask her what she had done with the needle?”

  “No, I didn’t think to ask. She said she would be here at eight thirty to turn herself in. I wasn’t sure what to do, which is why I called you.”

  “You did the right thing. However, we can’t take her on as a client considering the fact that we are already defending Wendy Fairmont for the same crime.”

  “But if Darlene confesses, won’t they automatically drop the charges against Wendy?”

  “Not necessarily. They could see it as a false confession. To save face, they could decide to hold off dropping charges against Wendy until after the election.” He let out a deep sigh. “This is going to be complicated. I’m going to send her to another attorney.”

  “The fact that she called me would seem to indicate she trusts me, which means she trusts you. I’m sure that whatever you tell her to do, she’ll do.”

  “I hope so. Before we ask her any questions, I’m going to suggest she goes to see Jacob Marlin. I’ll call his office now and see if he’s available this morning.”

  “Okay,” Deena said. “I’ll be in my office if you need anything else.”

  On her way back down the hall, Deena grabbed a stack of file folders from the supply room to get caught up on paperwork. As she read through notes and created files, she kept one eye on the clock. Eight thirty came and went with no sign of Darlene. At eight forty-five, she went out to find Rob. “Any calls for me?”

  “Nope. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “Just waiting.” She walked over to one of the tall front windows and stared out onto the parking lot. Several cars drove by, but no one pulled in. Surely, Darlene had not forgotten their appointment. It was time to give her a call. Deena went back to her office and used her cell phone to call Darlene. When it went to voicemail, she began to panic. She grabbed a tissue, reached under her blouse, and dabbed at her armpits. She hadn’t been this nervous since she had to testify against her friend in court.

  She leaped onto her desk phone when it rang. It was Ian wanting to know where Darlene was. “I don’t know. I just tried to call her and it went to voicemail. Let’s give her a little more time. I’m sure this isn’t easy for her.” Although she seemed to satisfy Ian with her response, something told Deena that Darlene Watson would not be walking through the front door anytime soon.

  Another hour passed and still no Darlene. Deena stood in Ian’s doorway. “What do you think we should do?”

  “There’s not much we can do but wait.”

  “Should we call the police? Should we tell them she confessed to killing Ray?”

  “Absolutely not—not yet anyway. What she told you would be hearsay. Let’s give her a chance to do the right thing. For all we know, she made the whole thing up or was covering up for someone else.”

  Could Ian be right? Surely Darlene hadn’t played her. She didn’t seem savvy enough for that. But then again, you can’t judge a book...

  Ugh.

  DEENA WAS AS NERVOUS as an expectant father. She fidgeted and fiddled. A pretty good pile of fingernail polish chips were piled up on the desk in front of her when Rob finally called to say she had a visitor.

  She glanced at the clock. Ten thirty-seven. Had it really only been two hours? Deena hurried to the reception area to find Darlene chatting congenially with Rob.

  Her bright red lipstick competed with her freshly dyed, bright red hair. “I’m so sorry, Deena. My hairdresser just couldn’t seem to get my color right, but then, you probably know all about that.”

  “You’ve been at the salon?”

  “Yes. Do you like it?” She pushed up her curls and struck a pose. “I couldn’t hardly go in there and get my picture taken looking like I did. You know how they put those mug shots on TV and in the newspaper. I wanted to look my best.”

  Deena rolled her eyes. Darlene was one of those books that exactly matched the cover. “Come with me.” She led her back to Ian’s office.

  “Here she is,” Deena said.

  Ian stood up and shook Darlene’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Watson.”

  “Charmed, I’m sure. But you should call me Darlene since we’re going to be working so closely together.” She batted her lashes shamelessly.

  Ian sat down behind his desk and cleared his throat. “That’s something we need to discuss. You see, I will not be able to represent you in this matter.”

  “What?” Darlene spun around to face Deena. “But you promised!”

  “I know,” Deena said. “But it would be a conflict of interest. Ian has found you another very good lawyer, and I’ll even go with you.”

  “Is he single?” Darlene reached in her purse and pulled out her compact to check her face in the mirror.

  “Actually, he’s married and has three kids,” Ian said, and shot an inquiring look at Deena.

  Darlene snapped the compact shut and jammed it back into her handbag. “Well, I don’t have time to start over with another lawyer. I need to get to the police station now before my hair falls.”

  “You don’t want to go to the police without a lawyer, believe me.”

  Darlene stood up. “I’m tired of men trying to tell me what to do. Come on, Deena. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  Deena looked back at Ian helplessly as Darlene brushed past her out the door.

  Ian shrugged. “I’ll call Jacob Marlin and see if he can meet you there. Try not to let her do or say anything stupid.”

  “Yeah, right. I’m an investigator, not a miracle worker.”

  THERE WAS NO TALKING sense into Darlene. No matter how much Deena tried
, she couldn’t convince the woman to wait to speak to a lawyer before charging into the police station and confessing to killing Ray.

  Darlene walked up to the front counter where the officer on duty asked what she needed.

  Deena literally pushed Darlene to the side and said, “We need to speak to Detective Guttman. Tell him Deena Sharpe is here.”

  “Y’all have a seat over there, and I’ll let him know you’re here,” the officer said.

  Deena led a protesting Darlene to the waiting area. Anything she could do to stall might help. “At least let me soften up Detective Guttman for you before you start spilling your guts about Ray.”

  “If that makes you happy, fine. But it doesn’t change what I did.”

  Where was that other lawyer? Maybe he could talk some sense into Darlene. Was it a case of self-defense? Probably not, but at least a lawyer would protect her right to a fair trial.

  Detective Guttman came out to the waiting area. “Mrs. Sharpe. You wanted to see me?”

  “Actually, it was I who wanted to see you,” Darlene said. “Remember me from the church?”

  “Why yes. Darlene Watson, am I right?”

  Darlene seemed flattered that Guttman had remembered her name. “I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, but I’m afraid I have bad news.”

  “Now hold on, Darlene,” Deena said. “Let’s take this one step at a time. Can we go back to your office, Detective?”

  “Certainly,” Guttman said.

  Darlene rushed up and took his arm as though she were Cinderella entering the ball. “That sounds fine to me,” she said. “Then I can tell you all about how I killed Ray Brewster.”

  Guttman stopped in his tracks. “What?”

  “That’s right. I did it. Will you take my picture now, or do we have to wait until after you get my fingerprints? I hope that ink doesn’t mess up my new polish.”