Corpses & Conmen (Rosewood Place Mysteries Book 2) (5 page)

Emmett Barnes loved visiting Rosewood Place. He enjoyed fishing in its quiet pond on lazy Sundays. Food served at Bessie Purdy’s dinner table always seemed to taste better, and he’d taken a shine to the little family that had transformed the rundown farmhouse into a spectacular bed-and-breakfast. Emmett would have been happy to come out to the old farm for a visit at any time, but the reason for today’s visit was definitely one that he could do without.

He watched as Alan Sherman from the fire department hauled the soggy body out of his beloved fishing hole. “Oh, yeah, he’s dead.” The fireman’s statement was blunt and unnecessary. Unless blue skin was an indicator of perfect health, it was pretty clear that the person who had just been floating in the pond was a goner.

Emmett watched the paramedics load the strange man’s body onto a stretcher and prepare to take it to the county morgue. He sighed at the thought of all the paperwork his visit would elicit, and he groaned as he realized that he’d have to spend the morning supervising the inquiry into the man’s death. For some reason, Delbert Plemmons had insisted on coming out to help with the inquiry. Delbert had been a police officer for almost three years but he seemed to approach every investigation as though it was his first. Delbert loved being a police officer, but Emmett couldn’t help but think that the job didn’t quite love Delbert the same way.

“Chief,” Delbert called out, averting his eyes from the body as it was carried past him. “Would you like me to start interviewing the guests that are staying here?”

Emmett twisted one side of his bushy mustache. “How many are there?”

Delbert pulled a small notebook out of his breast pocket. “Uh, lemme see--there’s six guests checked in and then there’s Annie--Mrs. Richards,” he corrected himself, “and her mama and son. And the handyman,” he added, curling his lips around the word like as if it tasted of something bitter.

Emmett knew that Delbert was mildly infatuated with Annie Richards. Though Delbert was much younger than Annie, he seemed smitten with her all the same, blushing frequently when he spoke to her, finding excuses to accompany Emmett to the old plantation when he visited. Emmett knew that the infatuation was strictly one-way, Annie had no interest in Delbert whatsoever, but he saw no reason to say anything to the young officer. His fascination was likely to fade soon enough, and as long as it didn’t cloud his investigative skills, Delbert could continue to worship Annie from afar.

Emmett glanced at Delbert’s list of guests. “Why don’t you go talk to Miss Fitzsimmons, Miss Robichaud, and Mr. George. I’ll talk to Mr. Reynolds and the Martins, then I’ll chat with Annie and see what she and her mama can tell me.”

If Delbert was disappointed in not being asked to speak to Annie he hid it well, blushing as he interviewed Kizzy. Delbert’s pale cheeks were remarkably pink as he wrote down her movements the previous night.

“So you were the last person out here on the deck,” Delbert asked after hearing Kizzy explain how she’d taken a private phone call after Rob had gone back inside the house.

“Yes, but I swear I didn’t see anybody else out here. I mean, I would have heard somebody falling in the water, I wasn’t that drunk.” It was Kizzy’s turn to blush. “What I meant to say was that even though I had a few drinks, I was not out of my mind. My phone call sort of sobered me up,” she added.

“Who were you talking to?”

“My ex. We were actually arguing, sort of. Well, he was yelling at me, and I was doing my best not to listen. You see, back when we were dating, I bought him a car so he could drive to work. He was supposed to make payments on it, but he lost his job. We broke up a few weeks ago, but he refused to pay me for the car and he wouldn’t just give it back, so I sort of liberated it from his place and hit the road.” She waited for Delbert to say something, but he just nodded. “But the loan was in my name, too. I’ve been making the payments so my credit wouldn’t get wrecked, so it’s mine, right?”

“Uh, I reckon--I uh, yeah.” He made a few more notes in his notepad. “We’re probably going to need to see your phone to corroborate your story,” he replied almost apologetically.

Kizzy’s face fell. “Oh, that’s going to be a problem. I can’t find it. I was so sure that I put it on the table beside my bed, but when I woke up, I couldn’t find it.”

“Exactly how much did you drink last night?” Kizzy’s glare shrunk Delbert just a little. “Do you think the phone was stolen?” Delbert asked, changing the subject quickly.

“I don’t see how,” Kizzy admitted. “I mean, my bedroom door was shut and locked all night.”

Delbert suddenly had an idea. “What does your phone look like?”

Kizzy described her phone, and Delbert nodded his head. “I think I know where it is.” He asked Kizzy to wait while he approached the Chief, who had finished interviewing the Martins and was now talking to the news anchor.

After a brief chat with Delbert, Emmett left Rob and approached Kizzy. “Miss Fitzsimmons, I’m Emmett Barnes, the Chief of Police. I believe that we have found your phone,” he said, holding up an evidence bag that held the phone that Annie found. “But I’m afraid we’re going to have to hold onto it for a little bit. Once the fellas down at the lab look it over and can corroborate your statement, we’ll get it right back to you.”

Kizzy nodded slowly and sat down on the steps of the veranda. Rob joined her while Delbert and Emmett finished interviewing the guests. After statements were taken and questions answered, the guests were allowed to return to their rooms. Annie, Bessie, Rory, and Emmett stood on the deck overlooking the pond. Emmett had promised them answers, at least as much as he knew already. It would be a few days before some of their questions could be answered, but he filled them in on what he knew.

“According to the man’s driver’s license, his name is Lou Ross. I believe he’s your missing guest, Annie.”

“He was supposed to check in yesterday,” Annie confirmed.

“We found his car parked out back with the others. I’m guessing that he pulled up through the grass and not the gravel,” he added, “or you might have heard him come in.”

“But why would he come sneaking in here in the middle of the night? It doesn’t make any sense,” Bessie lamented.

“I’m not sure, Bessie. Maybe he was drunk, maybe he was trying to be polite and not wake everyone up--whatever the reason, we’ll figure it out.” He paused for a moment. “Are you sure none of the other guests knew Mr. Ross? Nobody was expecting him?”

Annie shook her head. “No, just Mama, Rory, and myself.” She explained about the man’s request to have a package delivered to the farmhouse, and Emmett frowned.

“Have you received any packages yet?”

“No, but do you think that could have something to do with his death?” There was something sad and disturbing about a package being delivered to someone after their death that sent a shiver down Annie’s spine.

“I’m not sure,” Emmett replied, “but I do know that somebody ransacked Mr. Ross’ car pretty thoroughly last night. He had a couple of suitcases in there that had been emptied out everywhere. One of the windows was smashed in, too.”

Annie felt sick to her stomach. Someone had driven onto her property, vandalized a guest’s car, and a guest had drowned in her pond, all while she slept soundly in her bed. “Oh, Emmett, do you think I should close the house and send all the guests away? I mean, is there a chance that my guests are in danger?”

“Hold on, Annie,” Rory interjected. “First of all, we don’t know if the guy in the pond was murdered or if he just had too much to drink and fell into the water. For all we know he could have vandalized his own car. You’re blaming yourself for something you had no control over, so don’t punish your business or your guests by jumping to conclusions.”

Emmett nodded. “Rory’s right. If your guests want to stay, I see no reason why they shouldn’t. It’s sad, but accidents do happen,” he added. “You might want to have some sort of security system put in place out here, though. Maybe get some of those motion-activated lights or some security cameras to point out over your guests’ cars. That way if anything else does happen you’ll be able to see it.”

“Excuse me, Chief.” No one heard Rob approach. Annie actually jumped at the sound of his voice. For a moment she’d forgotten that she had a house full of confused people waiting for her to make some sort of statement about their safety. “Could I ask you a few questions?”

Emmett eyed Rob warily. “Off the record?” Emmett had known Rob for a long time, and he trusted the news reporter’s ethics. However, the circumstances around the drowned man in Annie’s pond weren’t sitting right with the seasoned police officer, and he didn’t want to get reporters involved until he knew more about the whole situation.

“Well, no, actually.” Rob stepped onto the deck. “Look, I know that the last thing you want is the press to come swooping in here and causing a scene. I believe you when you said that the death was likely an accident, but I don’t think the guy was alone. I don’t want Annie being overrun with insensitive newshounds,” he said, nodding in her direction. “What if you give me an exclusive interview about the man’s tragic death and then keep me posted if things develop. I’ll be staying here all week anyway, regardless of how your investigation turns out.”

It sounded to Annie like Rob had rehearsed his speech before approaching Emmett. She was relieved that at least one guest wanted to stay, although the fact that said guest was a news reporter left her feeling a little antsy.

“Look,” he added, his confident tone slipping into more of a plea. “This could be the perfect opportunity for me to cover something more hard-hitting than the local bake sales and business openings, no offense intended. This is real news, and I want to show my bosses that I can be a real news reporter.” He seemed to Annie a bit like a puppy that was begging for a bone, all earnest eyes and careful anticipation of her reply.

“Rob, I’m happy that you want to stay, but I’m not sure if you should even be covering this--event.” She frowned. “Though, I suppose that the newspaper or news station will just send someone else anyway.”

Emmett nodded. “Annie, if you’re going to talk to a reporter, you might as well talk to Rob here. But I wouldn’t talk to anyone else. You don’t need any more negative publicity surrounding this place.” He glanced up towards the house. “Don’t make any statements, official or otherwise, until I get the coroner’s report. And don’t talk to the other guests about the whole thing,” he said, directing the last command at both Annie and Rob. “I don’t know those other folks. I don’t know what their motives are or if they’re telling me the truth.”

Rob nodded immediately. “You have my word, Emmett. I won’t say a thing until you give me the go-ahead, and I’ll try to make sure that what I report doesn’t have any negative impact on Annie’s business.”

“If it had been anybody else but you, Rob…” he trailed off. “And I meant what I said about being cautious. Don’t speak to anyone that isn’t directly involved in this investigation, Annie. Even an accidental drowning can ruin a business. I really don’t want to see this place fail before it’s even had a chance to get off the ground.”

Annie let out a long sigh. Neither did she, but as long as she kept finding dead bodies on her property, Annie wasn’t too sure that her business could possibly stay alive.

After Emmett and his crew had finally cleared up and left, Annie marched herself back up to the house feeling defeated but not quite broken.

“Maybe people will still want to stay,” Rob suggested, trying to lift her spirits. “I mean, it’s like Emmett said, accidents happen all the time. It’s no reason for the other guests to cut short a whole vacation, right?”

Annie appreciated Rob’s efforts to make her feel better, but she really couldn’t blame her guests if they wanted to leave. She supposed that she should be glad that no one had actually known the dead man. If the others had actually met him and spoken with him they would likely be much more distraught than they were now.

As Annie entered the sitting room, she realized that her guests were much less distressed than she’d expected them to be. Raucous laughter filled the room and she could see Frank, Doris, and Kizzy crowded around her iPad. Devon grinned at her from across the room.

“Mom, Grandma Bessie, you’ve got to come see this video. It’s hilarious!”

The room went silent for a moment as the others realized that Annie had returned. Annie glimpsed the screen of the iPad in time to see the last few seconds of a compilation video featuring clips of babies and cats. “I thought it might lighten the mood a little,” Devon explained sheepishly.

Annie smiled at him. “That’s a wonderful idea. It’s been a tough morning,” she added. “I’m so sorry about everything,” she continued, addressing her guests. Her stomach rumbled. The iPad’s clock showed that it was nearly noon. “Oh, I’m so sorry--you all are probably starving!” They’d missed breakfast while the police had been questioning everyone. “Give me a few minutes and we’ll whip up something for lunch.” She turned to her mother, eyes wide with panic.

“Oh, no, dear. Doris and I took care of that already, didn’t we, Doris?” Bessie smiled brightly as Doris nodded.

“When did you have time to come in here and cook?” Annie was relieved and confused all at once, and she was a little jealous that everyone else had eaten. Her stomach growled again, much to her embarrassment.

“Oh, it was just instant oatmeal,” Bessie explained. “Doris and I had a lovely time, didn’t we?”

Doris grinned. “Your mother is such a hoot! Oh, and that kitchen--I told Frank he’d better make sure our house has one just like it when we retire down here,” she laughed.

“Well, thank goodness for you, Mama,” Annie sighed. “I’m sorry everyone. I feel like I’ve let you all down somehow.”

“What do you mean?” Kizzy slouched into the corner of the sofa and rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands. “It’s not your fault some dummy decided to go drown himself in your pond.”

Everyone stared at Kizzy. She blushed. “I mean, it was a horrible accident, but it’s definitely not your fault. And I never eat breakfast anyway,” she added.

Annie forced a weak smile. “Thank you, Kizzy, but I completely understand if the events this morning have made any of you want to rethink your stay here.” She made herself look up and into the eyes of everyone in the room. “I’m prepared to refund your deposits, if you want to leave.”

The response from the room wasn’t what she expected. Kizzy looked like she might cry, Doris laughed, and Marie Robichaud simply snorted. Mr. George was the only person who reacted the way Annie had expected him to. He simply blew his nose and shrugged his shoulders, an offering of quiet indifference that told her absolutely nothing about what he was thinking.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Frank said quickly. “That drive down here almost killed me,” he complained. “Try spending over ten hours in a car listening to chick novels on audiobook, see how you like it. No, thank you. We’ll just take our chances here, Mrs. Richards.” He glanced at his wife and leaned towards Annie. “At least if I drown, I won’t have to listen to those darned audio books anymore,” he joked.

“I don’t want to leave,” Kizzy offered. “I don’t really have any plans after I leave here. I sort of thought I might use this week to figure some things out.”

Marie looked around. “Well, if everyone else is staying, I may as well stay, too. After all, it is my vacation,” she cooed. “And of course, I don’t mind dead people one bit. In fact, I talk to them all the time.” She said this without a trace of humor, but Devon couldn’t help chuckling. Marie glared at him. “What? You don’t believe me? I make a living with my spiritual abilities, young man. Ghosts and spirits are no laughing matter.”

“Well, I think we’re all agreed that nobody has to go anywhere,” Doris offered, “so if you don’t mind, I’d love a cup of hot tea and some more of those cookies Bessie was handing out yesterday, if you have them.”

Something loosened in Annie’s chest and she felt as though she’d been granted some sort of stay of execution. No one wanted to leave. She wouldn’t be refunding everyone’s money and shutting the doors behind them. Rosewood Place lived to fight again--but only if she kept everyone happy. And safe.

“I’ll bring them right out,” Bessie replied, scurrying off to the kitchen with Annie following right behind. The two women grabbed each other by the arms once they were out of earshot of the guests. “I don’t know how you did that,” Bessie began, “but you just saved our bacon.”

Annie shook her head. “I didn’t do anything,” she insisted. “They just like us. I mean, they really like us.” Annie busied herself with preparing sandwiches while Bessie loaded a tray with cookies, creamer, sugar, and tea bags. Ten minutes later the sitting room was abuzz with the chatter of Annie’s guests.

Devon excused himself, liberating his mother’s iPad from Mr. George and a handful each of cookies and sandwiches from Bessie. Annie noticed that Rory had slipped away while she was in the kitchen. She got the distinct impression that being around so many people was a little taxing on him. Of course, the fact that he’d spent several years in prison didn’t help his social claustrophobia. His unfortunate past behind him, Annie was well aware of how difficult it was for Rory to be in a room filled with strangers.

Rob and Kizzy were deep in conversation, discussing Coopersville and the job prospects. Kizzy seemed to have tamed her flirting considerably since the night before, the lack of alcohol leaving her a slightly restrained, though no less bubbly, version of herself. Annie liked the girl, though she feared that Kizzy might be one of those young women who made terrible choices and who always seemed to find themselves in the middle of a whirlwind of drama.

“You know,” Rob said, loud enough to include Annie in the conversation, “I used to wonder about this place. When I was a kid we’d drive past here and my parents would comment about what a shame it was that this old house was so run-down. It kind of had a reputation, you know.”

“As what?” Annie was delighted to hear someone speak of the house’s past. She was happy to soak up every detail of its history, no matter how small or how recent.

“Oh, all the kids said it was haunted,” he replied. “It sure looked haunted to me. But now--” he looked around the room with admiration, “now it looks amazing. Who did you hire to do the renovations? These antebellum houses can be a nightmare to restore.”

“Oh, there was just the one contractor,” Annie replied. “Rory did it. Well, he did most of it. I picked out paint colors and furniture and got in his way--a lot,” she added with a chuckle. “He’s a huge history buff, so he already knew what it should look like, more or less.”

“It sure is beautiful,” Kizzy agreed. “I used to dream of living in a big old house like this,” she added. “It’s like something out of an old movie, isn’t it?” Annie agreed. “So, are you and Rory like, a couple, or something?”

Annie felt her cheeks flush slightly. No matter how many times she explained her relationship with Rory, it always felt awkward. “We’re just friends,” she said finally. “Very old friends. I knew him in high school, and when I came back into town he was kind enough to take on the renovation work for me when I couldn’t find anyone else to help.”

“That’s a great friend,” Rob noted with a smile. “And he stayed around after the work was done--that’s a great contractor.” He lowered his voice and leaned towards Annie. “You know, the house isn’t the only one with a lot of history. Rory--”

“I’m aware of Rory’s history,” Annie cut him off. “And that’s exactly what it is: ancient history.” She smiled, sensing that Rob’s intentions were good, but nipping that line of conversation in the bud just the same. “Rory had an unfortunate incident in his past, but he paid his debt. Now, can I get you two any more tea?”

Kizzy looked a little confused but thankfully didn’t ask any questions. When she excused herself to visit the restroom, Rob sidled up to Annie. “I apologize if my question came across the wrong way. It’s just, well, you seem like a very nice lady. I don’t really know Rory, but I knew of his history. If you say he’s a decent guy, I believe it.”

Annie laughed. “You don’t have to believe me. Spend an hour with the guy--he’s smart, funny, and extremely kind. He just made a mistake, like I’m sure we all have at some point in time.” Rory had gotten into a bar fight that left his attacker in critical condition. Annie had married a man who largely ignored her and their son while he cheated on her. Sometimes she thought her mistake had been a much larger one than Rory’s, although her prison had been a figurative one only.

“I really admire you, Annie.” Rob’s admission caught Annie by surprise. “I know a little about your history,” he confessed, “about your husband’s death and why you came back to South Carolina. That really took a lot of bravery.”

Well, someone’s done their research
. Annie shook her head. “I wasn’t being brave; I was being practical. My financial situation wasn’t working out for me in New York, so I decided to come back here and take on a big old wreck of a house, turn it into a really classy inn, and invite people to come find dead bodies in my pond,” she quipped. “I’d say it’s working out pretty well, so far.”

By the time Kizzy returned from the restroom, Annie was ready for a break from entertaining her houseguests. She excused herself, leaving Bessie and Doris chatting away in one corner of the room while Frank snoozed in his chair, a crumb of sandwich stuck in his gray beard, and Marie sitting in the other corner of the room, her tarot cards spread out before her.

Rob and Kizzy opted to take a stroll around the property to work up an appetite before dinner. Annie had no idea where Mr. George had wandered off to, but since he complained so often of his allergies, she doubted that she’d find him wandering around outside, at mercy to the pollen and allergens of the Great Outdoors.

Stepping out onto the house’s large front porch, Annie was greeted by the sound of hammering and laughter. She followed her ears to the barn, where Devon and Rory were working on what looked like a piece of railing. Their noise stopped when they noticed her, but she protested. “Don’t stop on my account. You two sounded like you were having a great time,” she added with a grin.

Rory gestured towards the railing. “I just thought maybe I’d add this to the end of the deck. I know you wanted to leave it open so the view of the pond was unobscured, but I sort of thought this would cover you in case anyone else decides to get a little tipsy down by the pond.”

Annie sighed. “You’re right, I know you are. But, could we just hold off on putting it up, just for a little while?” She knew that with the lights on the deck, anyone down by the pond could easily tell where the deck ended. And even if they fell right in the water, it was shallow for a good two or three feet, so she really didn’t see the need to ruin a great view by putting up the extra railing just yet.

Rory just nodded. “It’s pretty much finished,” he added. “Just let me know when you want it up and I’ll take care of it.” He wiped his hammer with a piece of cloth from his pocket and stowed it away carefully in a shiny blue toolbox. Annie recalled thinking that Rory’s careful keeping of his tools had seemed a little odd, perhaps even OCD, when he’d first started working on the house. But she soon realized that Rory was careful with his tools like he was careful with the people around him. He was strongly of the opinion that if you take care of the things you care about, they’ll take care of you, too.

Devon’s voice broke her reverie. “Mom, Rory and I are going to run into town for some stuff from the hardware store. He says I can drive the truck--how cool is that?”

Annie forced a smile that she didn’t feel onto her face. “That’s totally cool,” she lied.
Actually, the thought of my only child learning to drive makes me feel as uncool as humanly possible
, she thought, but kept her true feelings to herself. Devon deserved this. He needed some independence and she sure as heck didn’t have the time or patience to teach him to drive. Rory’s truck was old but reliable. And she was positive that Rory wouldn’t let her son take any unnecessary chances on the road. He took care of his friends like he took care of his tools.

“I thought I’d go on and get a few things for our project,” Rory winked at her. “You know, I kind of like the idea of building something from the ground up again. It’s been a while since I built houses.” Rory had been working with another carpenter for several years before Annie had returned to Coopersville. She wondered what kinds of houses he’d built in those years that she’d been away. She was sure that they must have been beautiful; he had a true gift when it came to carpentry and renovations.

“Would you mind picking up a few things for me, too? From the grocery store, I mean.” Bessie had decided that the morning’s drama called for pie and ice cream for dessert, and while Annie’s mother always had the ingredients on hand for baking a pie, she didn’t have the copious amounts of vanilla ice cream that would make it completely irresistible to the bed-and-breakfast’s guests.

She explained what she needed and Rory made a quick list on his phone. “Where are they all now?” he asked, meaning her houseguests. “All over the place,” she replied. “I’m not too worried about the Martins. They seem to be firmly planted in the sitting room,” she laughed. “Kizzy and Rob can take care of themselves, I’m sure. I’m just not so sure about Mr. George and that Robichaud woman. She’s a little flaky, to say the least, and he seems to be allergic to everything.”