HAMMERED (Mrs. Fix It Mysteries Book 1) (7 page)

He stepped back, letting her in.

She eyed her handiwork. She couldn’t even tell where she’d done the patch. “No second coat needed.”

“You want to stay for dinner?”

She looked up at him, his soft brown eyes pleading with her. This was a softer side of him. As a teen he’d been in command. Not that she’d let him roll over her, but if she didn’t care, then he could choose. He’d been in charge in bed, but he was good at it so she let him be.

She sighed. “Only because I know my cupboard is bare will I agree.”

The twinkle returned to his eyes as another grin broke out on his face. “Not my sparkling personality?”

“Sorry, it’s your full refrigerator. And I have some questions.”

“I’ll take it. Follow me.”

He led her back to the kitchen where she’d found the body. For a moment, she hesitated on the threshold. She could still see the woman’s dead eyes staring up at her.

“Why don’t you go out on the deck? I’ll bring you a beer.”

She nodded. When she was settled into a lawn chair, Scott brought her a beer. He touched his bottle to hers. She sipped the amber liquid. It cut the dust in her throat.

Scott sat on a chair next to her. His yard was wild, with random shrubs growing and weeds in all of the beds.

“I haven’t figured out what I want to do with the yard. Didn’t think I’d have time once I started the job,” he said.

“It takes time to get a new house in order. I bet your office is in order, because that was more important,” she said.

He nodded, taking a swig of his beer. She watched him swallow then looked away. No mooning over Scott. This was business.

“How long were you and Jackie divorced?”

“Five years.”

Seemed to be a recurring theme. Dudley had been the mayor for five years. The deal that Ken had done with Jackie had been done that long ago.

“Did you even know she was in Rock Ridge?”

“No. We haven’t really communicated since we signed the papers. I had no reason to talk to her. We no longer had a connection. No kids to quibble over. The property she had brought to the marriage.”

“So you lived on your own the past three years?”

He smiled. “Yes, on my own. It was refreshing after life with Jackie. She was high-powered and successful. Always on the phone. Always looking for the next big deal.”

“Which leads me to the fact that several people in town made a deal with her that went south. It was a few years ago from what I understand. I think that might have led to her death.”

Scott’s smile dimmed. “Here I thought you were asking me about Jackie because you were making sure I had no feelings for her. You’re investigating this murder even though I warned you to stay away.”

“I can’t. I have it in my brain that I need to do this. Gives my mind something to occupy it.”

“I’ve offered to be what occupies you and your brain,” Scott said. He looked her over. “And your body.”

She pointed to the white line where her wedding ring usually sat. “I don’t wear it when I’m working for safety reasons, but I’m still married, Scott.”

“To a man who left you with no note? Fell off the face of the earth one day.”

So he had read the report. She wasn’t surprised. She leaned her head on the back of the chair. “I’ve received no divorce papers. No sightings of him anywhere. No body either. Until one of those things happens, I am still married.”

“You can declare him legally dead.”

“That takes seven years. It’s only been five.”

“So you’re going to wait for the seven years, live your life as if you’re married, instead of petitioning the court to do it sooner?” Scott said.

She waved a hand. “You have made it clear you have a personal interest in this case. You don’t have any credibility in this matter.”

“Then let me look for him.”

She glanced over at him. He was so cocky. “Why do you think that you can find him when everyone else has failed thus far?”

Everyone. She’d looked. The cops had looked. The FBI had looked. She’d even hired someone who found nothing. Greg Flaherty might as well have never existed. He no longer had a footprint on this planet.

“Because I have that personal interest.”

“I don’t get it, Scott. We were together years ago. Why am I so important?”

He glanced down at his beer, the first sign of insecurity he’d shown her. “You just are. Let me look for him.”

“Fine. Do what you want. I won’t stand in your way. What will you do if you find him alive?”

“I think the bigger question is what will you do?”

She snorted. “You won’t find him.”

“We’ll see about that. What will I do? Make him give you a proper divorce so you can move on.”

“Doesn’t guarantee that I’ll move on with you,” she said.

He sipped his beer then said, “I’ll take my chances.”

Not to be distracted, she went back to the topic she wanted to discuss. “Back to Jackie. Do you know who went in on that deal with her?”

He sighed. “You really aren’t going to let this go.”

“Nope, so you might as well help me.”

“I can’t as long as I am chief. But you should tell me about anything you find out.”

“Of course. I will.”

She might tell Scott. She probably wouldn’t tell Ken. He had his mind set already.

“I can probably find out who was in on that deal, but I wasn’t part of it. She did that deal when we were in the midst of the divorce.”

“Did she lose a lot of money?” Kate asked.

Kate was sure that the key to her murder was a bad business deal. If someone had lost their savings, they’d be pretty mad. This might have been the first time that person had gotten her alone. The murderer could have been taking advantage of a small town police force not knowing how to investigate a murder.

In the big city, they would have been discovered, but not in Rock Ridge—a town that usually brought in the state police for the bigger crimes. Which led Kate to the question of why Ken hadn’t brought them in. Or maybe he had, just hadn’t told her.

“Probably, but Jackie was like a cat. She always landed on her feet.”

Kate mulled that over. Maybe Jackie had in the past, but she’d pissed someone off enough to kill her.

Her nine lives had run out.

Chapter Seven

Kate’s first job of the day was to return to the mayor’s house. She had to put a second coat on the new addition. She also wanted to snoop in his office to see if she could find out who had lost money in that bad deal with Jackie.

She was convinced that was the key to Jackie’s murder. Since she was having no luck figuring out who could have had opportunity, she chose to focus on who had motive and then work backwards.

Jessica was dressed in slacks and a blouse when Kate arrived. The mayor’s wife was visible and involved in many things, so Kate assumed she had to look good. Her appearance and behavior reflected on the mayor.

Seemed to be working as he kept getting reelected. Jessica had the perfect temperament for a politician’s wife. She was lovely, but not too hot. Congenial, but not a pushover. She could make anyone feel at ease.

“Oh, you’re here today?” Jessica said, letting her in. “I have a meeting for my charity association in half an hour. If I gave you the key, would you lock the door when you go out? You can leave the key in the mailbox.”

Not safe, but whatever Jessica wanted. “Sure, I’ll just need payment before I go.”

“Do you take credit cards?”

That was next on her business agenda. “Not yet. I’m working on that swiping thing for my phone, but it hasn’t come through yet.”

Jessica bit her lip. “Okay, I’ll write you a check before I go.”

Kate unloaded her truck then set to work painting. With Jessica out of the house, she could snoop in Dudley’s office. It went against her ethics as a tradesperson entering a home, but she considered these desperate times. Ken probably hadn’t even interviewed the mayor. They were buddies from way back.

Kate poured the lime green paint into a tray with a liner. It meant easier cleanup at the end if she used the liner. The color still made her cringe, but this wasn’t her house. She used a small roller around the edges then the big roller to fill in. She’d opened a window and a breeze blew in, meaning the paint would dry quickly.

She never liked painting in the summer unless the person had air conditioning. Otherwise, the humidity in the outside air slowed down the drying process.

Jessica showed up when Kate was halfway through the first wall. She had a pen and a check in her hand. “How much do I owe you?”

Kate rested the roller in the pan, wiped her hands, and then fished into her tool box for the bill she’d written up. She handed it to Jessica. The woman studied it then wrote the check, leaning against one of the unpainted walls.

Kate jammed the check into her back pocket, calculating what exactly she would use the money for. Some would go to repair her truck. She’d get one thing done on it and hopefully that would help her poor vehicle limp along for another few months.

“I’m going out. The key is on the table by the front door. Thanks for locking up after yourself.”

Kate nodded then went back to work. She heard the garage door open, then close. She finished the rest of the walls. She expected she wouldn’t need another coat.

The painting done, she left her stuff in the room in case there was any question of why she was still in the house.

The mayor’s office wasn’t locked. Kate’s heart fluttered. She’d always been the good girl. She rarely went over the speed limit. She hadn’t cheated on her husband. She didn’t pull the tag off her mattress until it had been paid for.

The craziest thing she’d done in her life was have sex in Scott’s car when they were teens. Even then she’d felt a little bad about it.

Standing in that office, Kate knew she was crossing a line, but this was important. She’d taught her sons that the end didn’t justify the means, and she was now glad they couldn’t see where she was.

Enough remorse. She could beat herself up later. Opening all the drawers in the mayor’s desk, she didn’t find anything. She turned to the file cabinet behind her. Most of the files were for his business, but one, way in the back, had a familiar name on it.

She tugged out the marked folder that said Jackie York. Before she could open it, she heard the garage door again. “Crap.”

She closed up the folder and only debated for a second. She left the office with it, closing the door behind her. She tucked it into her toolbox, then began her clean-up procedures. She was pouring paint back into the can when Jessica swung by.

“Forgot something,” she said, breezing past the room.

Kate hoped Jessica would be gone before she had to leave, so she could peruse the file and put it back. No such luck.

Kate left the mayor’s house with the folder in her toolbox. Her gaze darted around as she drove to her next job. Did everyone know she’d stolen something? She drove slower than usual, careful not to break any laws.

All she wanted to do was read the file then return it. She bit her lip as she drove down Main Street. She wasn’t sure how she was going to return it. She had no reason to get back into the mayor’s house.

She parked her truck at her next job, a shutter repair. It had fallen off the house in a recent storm. Kate would go around and make sure all of the shutters were secure before she left.

The homeowner, Hazel Millhouse, knocked on her window. She was a sweet older lady whose husband had passed away a year before. He’d been handy, but getting up in years when he died.

Kate figured Hazel had her on speed dial. She fixed something at Hazel’s house once a week. The woman was probably her best customer.

“You okay?” Hazel said.

Kate opened her door as Hazel’s little dog yipped at their feet. She bent down to scratch the dog under the chin. “I’m okay. Just a lot on my mind.”

“Right, Scott being accused of murder.”

She resisted rolling her eyes. Why was everyone so sure she and Scott were an item?

“Something like that.”

The folder called to her, but this woman was a priority. She might even have Kate change a light bulb or two while she was here. A visit to Hazel’s house was never a quick one.

“Let me get to that shutter.”

“It’s around front.”

The shutters were painted a dark green and probably could use a coat or two of paint. Hazel probably had a fixed income so Kate didn’t suggest it. She wasn’t going to gouge the sweet old woman.

This was a good karma job. She didn’t charge her much, and in fact, Kate lost money on the transaction, but she gained good karma points for helping out an old lady. It all balanced out in the end.

The shutter only needed some new screws. Kate had just bought ones that wouldn’t rust, so she replaced the screws on all of the shutters as Hazel talked about her hip that needed to be replaced.

“What is wrong with Rock Ridge that we have a murder? I locked my house last night. Haven’t done that in years. Not since there had been a string of burglaries on the street. Ended up being kids.”

“I remember that. Yes, Greg had put another lock on our door.”

Well, she’d done it, but Greg had insisted that it be done.

“Oh. I’m so sorry about your husband, Kate. Any news?”

Most of the town skirted around the issue with her. Hazel wasn’t that way. “Nothing. No trace of him.”

“You need to move on with your life, Kate. You deserve to be happy.”

“That’s sweet, Hazel. Thank you.”

For the rest of the conversation, Kate murmured at the appropriate times, but her mind was on that file. Of all the people the mayor dealt with in his jobs, why would he only have a specific file for her?

It would probably make sense when she read it.

***

Kate had just pulled into her driveway when Scott called. She didn’t like to drive and talk on the phone so she stopped. Her house sat at the end of a windy driveway in a clearing among trees.

Kate had wanted to live closer to town so the boys had playmates in the neighborhood. Greg had insisted he liked being out in the country. The boys would be able to hike and fish with no one to bother them.