Deadly Greetings (Book 2 in the Cardmaking Mysteries) (5 page)

“
No, thank you. I want to
deliver this myself. You’ve done a remarkable job on
it.”

I gave him my best smile. “That’s why we’re
here.”

Ten seconds after he was gone, Lillian and I
burst out laughing. “Can you believe that man?” I asked.

“
You’re the one I can’t
believe. Jennifer, that bill was atrocious. You should be ashamed
of yourself.”

“
Lillian, I just gave the
man what he wanted. Think how proud he’ll be when his mother gets
her present.”

My aunt shook her head in amazement. “Right
now all I can think about is how he’ll react when his credit card
statement comes.”

“
Are you kidding me? It’s
for his dear precious mother; he’ll pay it without batting an
eyelash. Suddenly I’m feeling better about the world.”

Lillian scowled as she looked over my
shoulder. “Sorry, but I have a feeling it’s not going to last very
long. Sara Lynn’s almost at the door, and from the sour look on her
face, she’s about to ruin that smile. Quick, duck out the back way
and I’ll stall her.”

“
Thanks, but I can handle
Sara Lynn.” While that wasn’t even remotely the truth, I knew it
was better to deal with her than to run away. Well, maybe just a
little better.

Before she could say a word, I said, “Sara
Lynn, I’m sorry I hung up on you, I’m sorry I didn’t consult with
you about my new apartment, and I’m sorry you can’t seem to lose
those last five pounds you’ve been battling.” That final shot was
complete farce, since my older sister was barely as big as a
hummingbird. I grinned as I said it, and though I could tell she
was fighting it, she matched my smile with one of her own.

Finally, she said, “I don’t know how you
manage to do it, but I can’t stay angry with you.”

“
Hey, when you get into as
much trouble as I seem to, it’s a skill worth cultivating. I really
am sorry.”

Sara Lynn spied the credit card receipt
still on the counter. I’d meant to put it in the drawer, but I kind
of enjoyed seeing it out there. “My, I don’t need to ask how
business is, do I?”

I nonchalantly opened the register and put
it inside. “We’re managing. How’s business on your end of
Oakmont?”

“
Fine, adequate,
tolerable—take your pick. Jennifer, I’m not here to discuss the
status of our enterprises. Are you really moving into Whispering
Oak?”

“
I am. Would you like to
help? I could use an extra hand. Bailey’s invited, too. He can
bring his pickup.” While I wasn’t crazy about the running
commentary from Sara Lynn that I was sure to get, I could use her
husband’s strong back and especially his Ford truck.

Sara Lynn bit her lower lip before she
spoke. “I’m afraid Bailey’s gone.”

“
Sis, what happened? I
didn’t know you two were having problems.” Of all the married
couples in the world, my sister and her husband were the most
married I knew. I couldn’t imagine the circumstances that would
split them up.

“
We’re not divorcing, you
nit. He’s out of town on business. As a matter of fact, I’ve been
looking for something to keep me occupied. I’d be delighted to help
you move.”

The last thing I wanted on earth was to be
one of my sister’s projects. “You know, I don’t have that much
stuff after all. I’m sure I can handle it by myself.”

“
Nonsense. When are you
moving?”

I’ve long known that my sister has been a
thorough planner since kindergarten, so if I was going to dodge her
assistance, I knew just what I had to do. The best way to throw her
off was to accelerate the time frame right on the spot. “I’m going
to move right after work tonight. It’s probably going to run pretty
late, so I understand completely if you want to pass on it.”

I thought I had her, but it just proved I
didn’t know my sister as well as I thought I did. “Tonight would be
perfect. We’ll make a party out of it.” Lillian had been hovering
in the background, no doubt afraid I was going to rat her out
again. Sara Lynn turned to her and said, “You’re helping too,
aren’t you?”

“
Sorry, I’d love to, but I
can’t. I’m busy.”

If my aunt was seeing anyone, she’d failed
to mention it to me. I didn’t doubt it was a date with Ben &
Jerry, but I wasn’t about to push it. I said, “That’s fine.”

She frowned, then said, “Jennifer, I’ll be
there to help, you know that.”

“
Don’t cancel your plans on
my account.”

“
Please,” she said. “You
know that my family always comes first.”

“
If you’re sure.” Lillian
might have had something going on, but then again, she might not
have. Either way, I knew I could count on her.

I hadn’t packed a thing yet, hadn’t even
planned to move until the weekend in fact, so I was going to have
to hustle to get ready on the new schedule. I hadn’t given notice
yet at my old apartment, but it was the kind of place where it
wasn’t really required, since folks had a tendency to move out in
the middle of the night there. After my sister left, it suddenly
hit me. Whether I was ready for it or not, I was moving into a
haunted apartment in Whispering Oak.

Moving a residence is a real wake-up call. I
must have thrown out more than I packed, shedding the remnants of
an old life along with the apartment. My cats were taking the
changes with their normal reactions. Nash was perched on the TV,
watching with disdain as Sara Lynn and I worked, while Oggie had to
investigate every box as we packed it. I was going through a stack
of old bills, letters and cards when something caught my attention.
It was a Hallmark greeting card, something as rare in my place as
snow in Miami, and I wondered who’d sent it. I opened it and saw
that it was from Greg Langston during one of our “on again”
periods. “My Dearest Jen,” it said in his clear and firm hand.
“Being with you is all I ever want. I love you more than I can say,
Greg.” Evidently he wrote it a little prematurely, but the
sentiment had been sincere at the time. What happened to us, Greg?
I thought. Any rational person would think that two broken
engagements would be enough to close that door forever, but there
was something about that man, something magical when we were
together. Maybe that was why I was so abrupt with him all the time.
I knew that if I gave him the slightest sign of encouragement, he’d
wedge himself back into my heart, and I doubted I could take
another breakup with him.

Lillian’s voice brought me abruptly back to
reality. “Child, why ever are you crying?”

“
I’m not crying,” I said as
I wiped the tears off my cheeks.

“
Okay,” Lillian said in an
even tone, “then what’s so mesmerizing about that card? You’ve been
staring at it for the last five minutes.”

“
It’s nothing,” I said as I
resolutely chucked the card into the growing pile of discards from
my life now littering my living room floor. That was best, getting
rid of all those old reminders, so maybe they’d stop haunting
me.

Five minutes later, I scrambled through the
pile, retrieved the card and tucked it safely inside one of my
books. Maybe that made me a sentimental slob, but it comforted me
knowing that at one time in my life, for however long it lasted,
somebody had loved me that much. Sara Lynn had packed up my kitchen
while I’d been sorting through my personal items. There was no
doubt in my mind she was better at that particular salvage
operation than I would have been.

“
My goodness, you travel
light in this world, don’t you?” Lillian said as she surveyed the
stack of boxes by the door.

“
I’m not a big fan of
knickknacks,” I said. “I’ve got everything I need.” She was right,
though. I had a habit of discarding things the moment they lost
their usefulness to me. It was more out of necessity than
philosophy, as my apartments tended to be on the tiny side. One
large box held my favorite books, and it was going to kill me
getting it down the stairs into Sara Lynn’s car. Studying the pile
of boxes, I thought it didn’t look like much to have accumulated in
a lifetime, but it was still going to be a pain to move it all.
Bailey had taken his truck out of town with him, and I wasn’t sure
how we were going to get what we needed to move without making
several trips.

“
The next question is, how
are we going to get this all downstairs?”

At that moment, Bradford walked into my
apartment through the unlocked door. Instead of his uniform, he
wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt I loved. He grinned at me and
said, “You really should keep this dead bolted, you know.”

“
Why, when there’s a cop
right around every corner? What are you doing here?”

He smiled, a gentle reminder of Bradford as
a boy. He’d had the best disposition of any kid on the block. No
doubt he’d needed it, growing up with Sara Lynn and me. “I’m here
to help you move. Cindy took the kids to her mother’s house for
dinner, but I told her I needed to help you.”

I laughed. “Now I know you’d do anything to
avoid Clara. Bradford, I don’t have anything to feed you. Sara Lynn
and I ate before we got started.”

“
Don’t worry about me,”
Bradford said as he patted his stomach. “I grabbed a bite at The
Lunch Box on the way over.”

“
And you didn’t bring me
anything? I can’t believe Savannah let you out of there without at
least a piece of pie for me.”

Bradford wiped a phantom crumb off his chin.
“That’s right; I was supposed to give that to you, wasn’t I? If
it’s any consolation, it was delicious.”

Sara Lynn came out of the bedroom. “Glad you
could finally make it. Did you bring your truck?”

“
You’d better believe it. It
would take forever to move with those dinky cars you two have.
Where should I get started?”

Sara Lynn instantly pointed to the box of
books. “Why don’t you take that one?”

Bradford started to pick the box up, and I
could see the strain on his face.

“
I’m sorry,” I said. “Should
I break that up into two or three boxes?”

“
No, I’ll manage it, but
dinner with Clara is looking better by the second.”

Sara Lynn said, “Pooh, you need a little
more real exercise, Bradford; sitting at that desk is making you
pudgy.”

If Bradford had gained three pounds since
he’d become sheriff, you couldn’t prove it by me. He protested, “I
work out at the gym three days a week.”

“
And you eat all seven,” she
said.

Bradford raised his eyes to the ceiling.
“I’ve got a question for you. Did I really need two sisters?”

I laughed. “You love us both. Admit it.”

He shrugged. “True, but my favorite changes
by the minute.” He grabbed the box and took it downstairs as Sara
Lynn and I started stuffing my castoffs into trash bags. “Are you
certain you wouldn’t like to go through this again?” Sara Lynn
asked.

“
I’m sure. I’ve got
everything I need.” As I walked through the apartment one last
time, I felt the emptiness, though there was still furniture and
appliances there. It was suddenly generic, devoid of my touch and
ready for its next occupant.

Sara Lynn said, “After we unpack, we should
come back here and clean this place from top to bottom.” Sara Lynn
was a clean freak, whereas I put things off until I was forced to
straighten up so I could clear a path to walk.

“
We’ll see how long it takes
to set up my new place,” I said.

“
Are you having second
thoughts?” Sara Lynn asked me.

“
I’m probably up to fifth
thoughts by now, but I’m moving anyway. Maybe we will come back
tonight.” Suddenly I wanted to put this address behind me once and
for all. If Sara Lynn was still up for it, I was going to take her
up on her offer.

Oggie and Nash were sitting quietly on the
couch, side by side and as still as statues. “How about you two?
Are you ready to see your new place?”

I swear it had to be coincidence, but Oggie
shook his head, as if denying it.

I looked over at Sara Lynn, who had the most
quizzical expression on her face. I asked her, “Did you just see
that?”

She said, “When it comes to your cats, I’ll
believe just about anything.”

I waited until the last possible second to
put them into the cat carriers. Bradford’s truck was loaded, and
the kitchen items were in Sara Lynn’s car. All I had to contend
with was moving my roommates. I clucked softly to them as I put
them in their carriers, and as we walked out, I spoke to them both,
trying to ease some of their anxiety about moving. Okay, maybe I
was the one with the anxiety, but it seemed to help all three of
us.

A light glared from the front porch as we
drove up. Was that a courtesy for me, or was it on a timer? I
grabbed the carriers and told Bradford and Sara Lynn, “Give me a
few minutes to get the cats settled, okay?”

Bradford said, “Fine by me. I never say no
to a break.”

Sara Lynn ignored his comment. “We’ll be up
in three minutes, Jennifer. After all, we don’t have all night, and
there’s still a great deal of cleaning to do back at your old
apartment if you have any hope of getting your security deposit
back.”

I refrained from reminding her that she’d
volunteered for tonight’s duty, and grabbed Oggie and Nash. I was
at the top landing before I realized that I didn’t have a key to
the place. Had Lillian put it back under the mat? Yes, there it
was. I opened the door and slid the key into my purse. The second I
carried the cats inside, Oggie was eager to get out and explore.
After I freed him, I opened Nash’s carrier, but instead of leaping
out like his roommate had, he stared at me as if I’d lost my
mind.