Pumpkins in Paradise (Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Book 1) (14 page)

“That would be helpful
. Do you have access to the property?”

“I know where Zachary kept the spare key.
” Tj looked at her watch. “I really have to go. If my friend Jenna can watch the girls, I’ll do it this afternoon. I’d planned to start carving pumpkins, but I guess I can put it off until tonight, after we get home from the haunted house.”

“Pumpkins?”

“For the community jack-o’-lantern stroll on Saturday night. In a moment of insanity, I volunteered to carve twenty-five of them.”

“I’ve been known to carve a mean jack-o’-lantern
. Drop a few by and I’ll see what I can do.”

“
Wow, that would be so great. Can you do five?”

“When do you need them?”

“They have to be turned into jack-o’-lantern headquarters by three o’clock on Friday.”

“Jack-o’-lantern headquarters?”

“Big white tent in the parking lot behind Grainger’s General Store.”

“I’m working security for the pumpkin festival tonight, but five should be doable
. Drop them by when you have a chance. If I’m not here just leave them in my office.”

After Tj picked up both her sisters and Jenna’s daughters she dropped off all four girls at The Antiquery. Jenna agreed to let the girls work on their homework in one of the booths while Tj went to Zachary’s to look for the family history before the group headed over to the opening night of the festival. Driving through the wrought-iron gates and heading toward the house for the first time since she had discovered Zachary’s body left her with a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She paused and looked at the house
. Every window was shuttered, which gave visitors the deliberate impression they were not welcome at the once stately manor. Tj parked her car around back, then let herself in through the cellar door. The house was as it always was, dark and musty, with a penetrating silence that seemed to pull you into its hollowness. Tj understood that hollowness, the cavern that remains when the very light of your life has been taken away. Tj had been a child when her mom deserted her, old enough to feel the void of her absence but not to understand the why and the how. At least she’d had her dad. Poor Zachary hadn’t had anyone.

Tj stopped to listen as the old grandfather clock ticked away the minutes
. It seemed so odd to be standing alone in the very room where she’d found Zachary’s body just days before. She wondered what had gone through his mind during those final moments. Had he known he was going to die? Had he been afraid, or had he been relieved not to go on living?

Tj knew the key to the cabinet that held the family history was in Zachary’s bedside table
. She slowly climbed the stairs, placing one foot in front of the other as she made her way up the dark passage. The house felt menacing, with an eerie silence that was heavy with Zachary’s passing. Every creak and groan seemed to have an ominous tone to it. She opened the door and peeked inside. The sun had begun to set, but the large window overlooking the lake provided enough light so that Tj easily made out the various pieces of furniture in the room. A four-poster bed, a large hand-carved chest, twin bedside tables, a tall dresser, and an old rocking chair furnished the main part of the room, while a long sofa and two wing-backed chairs were arranged in front of a ceiling-high stone fireplace.

She opened the drawer of the bedside table and searched for the key
. She couldn’t remember how she even knew it was there. Zachary must have told her at some point. Sorting through the contents of such a personal space felt like more of an invasion than Tj was comfortable with. At the bottom of the deep drawer was a box, which she opened to find a stack of black-and-white photos, including one of a young woman Tj realized must be Mary. She stood in front of the Model T, her belly full with child. She was laughing, most likely at something the photographer had said or done. It seemed strange to imagine a younger, more carefree version of the man she had known.

Tj gasped
. The woman was wearing the necklace Zachary had kept in a glass cabinet in the living room. The very necklace that looked exactly like the one Maude and Mille had been wearing. Had Zachary’s Mary belonged to the same religious group in which the sisters had been raised? It seemed that everywhere Tj turned the coincidences kept getting stranger and stranger.

Alongside the photographs were two gold keys
. One was most likely for the cabinet, while the other must be for—Tj looked around the room—the chest? She knew she should take the keys and go, but an overwhelming compulsion found her walking across the room to the chest. Slowly inserting the second key, Tj lifted the lid, placing a hand to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

The chest was full of things that had been bought for a baby
. His baby. A stack of blankets, tiny newborn clothes, and a hand-quilted comforter. “ʻFrom Life A Gift,’” Tj whispered.

She thought of the riddle Zachary had left in the puzzle box
. Of course. “From life a gift.” Zachary must have been referring to his baby. Taking the unsolved riddle of the box out of her purse, she reread the words.

From the ashes of the past

springs
new Life as truths reveal

the
penance of A sinner

and
the Gift put forth to heal

Zachary must have been planning to use the game as a way of sharing his past with her. If the clue in the box led to the next clue in the game, as was the way the treasure hunt usually worked, the answer would be something contained within the house relating to his child.

Tj frowned
. Other than the stuff in the chest, she couldn’t think of a single thing in the entire house that would relate to a child. Looking around the room, she noticed a small brown teddy bear sitting in one of the chairs facing the old stone fireplace. Odd. Tj had never explored Zachary’s bedroom before, but he didn’t seem the type to have a teddy bear as a decoration. Picking it up, she noticed a small piece of paper tucked under the ribbon tied around its neck. The next clue in the puzzle? The paper read:

The end of past

I’m the first of my kind

And am frozen in time

Of which I am the beginning

Under the phrase were three numbers, 8-18-49.

Tucking the new riddle into her pocket, TJ returned to the living room and the locked cabinet that held the family history, as well as other items from Zachary’s past
. She inserted the key, then opened the glass door and pulled out the large book with a leather binding and yellowed pages. Deciding to take it with her, Tj carefully picked it up. A piece of paper fell out of the back as she settled the book into the crook of her arm. Setting the book back down, she unfolded the paper and gasped. It looked like there was a new suspect.

The haunted house, which was well attended on its opening night, kicked off the five-day-long Pumpkin Festival, which climaxed with the jack-o’-lantern stroll through downtown the night of the 30th and ended with the Black and Black Ball on Halloween night
. As was tradition, school let out early on Thursday and the district didn’t hold classes on Friday so the entire student body could enjoy the event. Miss Marcia had decided, thanks to pressure from the parents, to cancel dance practice for the entire weekend so all the little ballerinas could likewise enjoy the festivities.

On the agenda for Thursday afternoon was the annual chili cook-off, a hotly contested event
. Doc had taken home the blue ribbon three out the past five years, though last year’s winner, Hank Hammond, owner of the Beef and Brew, a popular lakeside restaurant, had promised a repeat performance that would bring his win total to three, tying Doc for the most first-place finishes.

“Can we go to the pumpkin patch and haunted maze with Kristi?
” Ashley asked the moment she entered the high school attendance office, where Tj had arranged to meet the girls after school.

“I promised Jen I’d help out with the chili cook-off,” Tj reminded her
. Jenna was both event coordinator and head judge for this year’s competition.

“But Kristi said her dad said it was okay if we went with them,” Ashley argued.

“Pleeeese?” Gracie added.

Tj hesitated
. The girls would have a lot more fun at the pumpkin patch. “I’ll have to talk to Dennis and then we’ll see.”

“He’s out front, talking to Mr. Remington,” Ashley supplied
.

“Okay, give me a couple of minutes and I’ll see what Dennis has in mind.”

Tj turned to sort her paperwork and file each report in the appropriate folder. With the advent of the complex computer systems they had these days, one would think they could find a way to dispense with all this paperwork. Of course, Serenity schools hadn’t been able to afford to upgrade their computers for years; still, there had to be an easier way to do things.

“Oh, good, I caught you.
” Nikki jogged up behind Tj just as she was filing the final sheet of paper. “Can you give me a ride over to Warren Automotive? My car totally died just as I was getting to school this morning. I thought it might be something major, but Jeff towed it over to his place and said it was just a loose wire.”

“Sure, I’d be happy to,” Tj said
. “I just need to talk to Dennis for a minute and then we can go. Are you going to the chili cook-off?”

“Wouldn’t miss it
. I’m helping Carl with his entry this year.” A dreamy look came over Nikki’s round face.

“Carl entered the contest?”

“Yeah, his grandpa’s recipe. It’s really pretty bad. So hot you can’t taste anything for the burning, but I’m enjoying hanging out and dicing peppers for him. I’ll meet you at your car.”

“Okay, see you in a few.
” Tj watched her love struck friend trot away.

After confirming with Dennis that he had indeed invited Ashley and Gracie to go to the pumpkin patch with him and the girls and that he’d bring them home, Tj headed to her car to wait for Nikki
. After finding Zachary’s book the previous afternoon, Tj had been thinking about stopping by to have a chat with Jeff anyway. If Tj had been surprised to learn that Jeff and Zachary were friends, she was even more stunned to learn that they were related.

“All set,” Nikki announced as she opened the passenger door of the Four Runner and slid inside.

“How well do you know Jeff?” Tj asked as she pulled out of the parking lot onto Main Street.

Nikki shrugged
. “As well as one knows her mechanic. Why?”

“Did you know that Jeff and Zachary were friends?”

“Really?” Nikki stopped to consider. “Jeff never mentioned anything. Of course we rarely talked about anything more personal than spark plugs and tire rotations. I guess I’m not entirely surprised, though. Jeff is a nice guy who walks his talk. How long had they known each other?”

“Awhile,” Tj answered vaguely.

Warren Automotive originally had been an old barn at the edge of town that Jeff had converted into a modest garage with two lifts and a tire center
. The large fenced yard behind the garage, which used to hold horses, was now used as a storage facility for those vehicles that were waiting for parts. Tj knew Jeff had earned a solid reputation in the few years he’d been in business. Most folks chose to have Jeff or his assistant Pete repair their vehicles rather than making the trip to the city at the foot of the mountain.

“Hey, Tj.
” Jeff, a tall, slim man with a mop of thick blond hair and a goofy smile greeted her as he wiped his hands on a greasy rag. “Stella giving you trouble again?” he asked, referring to her seven-year-old Four Runner.

“No, she’s still purring like a kitten.
” Tj stepped over a puddle of oil and sat down on one of the stools set out for customers who had to wait for their vehicles. “That new exhaust system you installed really makes a difference.”

“Glad you like it
. I’m trying to get your grandpa to let me put something similar on his truck.” Jeff nodded to her grandpa’s old Ford, which was sitting in the corner of the garage with a tarp draped over it.

“Yeah, he’s attached to the old girl,” Tj acknowledged
. “Real picky about what’s done to her.”

“Tell me about it.
” Jeff smiled. “I tried to get him to let me fix that dent in the bumper as long as I was going to have her here rebuilding the transmission, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Said it had sentimental value. Personally, I don’t see how a dent can have sentimental value.”

“My Grandma Maggie backed into
a tree just days after my grandpa bought the truck,” Tj explained. “I have no idea why she was driving it, since she was a tiny little thing who couldn’t even see out the back window, but for some reason she got it into her head she wanted to drive the shiny new vehicle and decided to give her a spin while my grandpa was chopping wood. Grandpa says that he and Grandma had a huge fight over it.”

“So why didn’t he ever get it fixed?”

“The way Grandpa tells it, the bigger the fight, the better the making up.”

“
Ahhh. I guess I get the sentimental-value part. So what can I do for you today?”

“I gave Nikki a ride over to pick up her car
. Her sister called just as we pulled up and she’s still outside where the reception is better, but she said she’d be in as soon as she found out about the baby. I guess her niece has been really sick.”

“That’s a shame
. I hope she’s going to be okay.”

“Poor thing has been really sick for over a week
. Nikki said Dr. Hanson wasn’t worried, though, so I guess we shouldn’t be either.”

“Dr. Hanson is the best
. He’ll take right good care of the little gal.”

“I guess you heard about Zachary Collins.
” Tj decided to dive right in before Nikki arrived.

“Yeah.
” Jeff bowed his head. “I heard. Old Zach was a good man. Not a lot of people know that, although if anyone does it’d be you. Any word about a funeral? I’d like to pay my respects.”

“Not yet.
” Tj made a mental note to stop by Serenity Community Church later that day to discuss that very subject with Pastor Dan. “ I was talking to Greg Remington and he mentioned that you were friends with Zachary.”

“Yeah, as much as anyone could be friends with the old coot,” Jeff said with affection
. “I guess my grandpa somehow knew him. I lost my job a few years back and my gramps asked if I’d be willing to spend the summer in Serenity to help out an old friend. I had nothing better to do, and the old guy was payin’ really well for simple handyman work, so I agreed. Fell in love with the place and have been here ever since.”

“And the two of you became friends?”

“Not at first,” Jeff admitted. “Dude was a hard nut to crack. There were a couple of times in the beginning when I almost quit outright and headed back home to the Bay. But over time we became friends of a sort. I noticed the photo of that old Model T on the wall in his cellar and we started talking cars. It’s always been my dream to restore old classics to their former glory. Guess we bonded over a common interest.”

“Did you continue to visit after you left his employ?”

“Yeah, every now and again.”

“Had you seen him recently?”

“Yeah. In fact, we shared a game of chess just last Friday. Didn’t get a chance to finish it, though. Zachary was expecting someone to drop by.” Jeff bowed his head again. “Guess we’ll never get to finish that game.” Jeff seemed genuinely sad. “I’m gonna miss the old guy. You know, he gave me the money to open this place.”

“
Wow, that was nice of him. Seems like a lot of money to give to a casual acquaintance.” Tj watched Jeff’s face for a reaction.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought
. I offered to repay him when I got the shop on its feet, but he said he didn’t want the money back. Said he had more money than he was ever going to need and didn’t figure there was any sense it just sitting around getting dusty when the town needed a good repair shop. He told me to use any profits I got to buy that classic car I was always talking about. Bought a ʼ57 Chevy last year. It’s a shame he won’t be around to see it when I get it finished.”

“You said your grandfather and Zachary were friends
. Any idea how they knew each other?” Tj fished.

“Not really
. Gramps said something about knowing Zachary from his youth. I guess they stayed in touch.”

“The baby’s going to be fine,” Nikki said, coming into the shop and interrupting their conversation
. “It’s just some sort of weird virus.”

“That’s good.
” Tj was relieved. “I should get going. I’m supposed to help Jenna out this afternoon. See you there?”

“I’ll be there,” Nikki promised.

Tj had an hour until the cook-off was due to start so she decided to make a quick stop at the church
. Jeff’s comment about the funeral had reminded her that she had been meaning to get over there all week. It was a beautiful day, probably one of the last of the season. Most years they were skiing by mid-November. The earlier the ski resorts opened for the season, the more practice her team would get before the regional competitions that began in January, but the last warm days of autumn, when the air was crisp and the sun high in the sky, had always been Tj’s favorite time of the year.

Serenity Community Church had been built in 1951 with a donation from Hillary Howard, a transplant from New England who thought that worshiping the Lord in an abandoned logging mill just didn’t have the same effect as attending a pretty little white clapboard church with a traditional steeple
. Originally the church had been a single long room with a wide stepped entry leading up to double pine doors. A-frame in shape, with a tall bell tower built to mimic those in the East, the small building became a focal point for what would eventually grow into a charming downtown area. Over the years, as the town had grown, a wing had been added to the building, as well as a detached community center and pretty little park where picnics were held on a regular basis during the summer months.

“I was going to call you,” Dan, a young and strikingly handsome man with longish blond hair and a neatly groomed beard, began as Tj walked toward the front porch, where he was watering flowers
. “The coroner released Zachary Collins’s body for burial, so I wanted to talk to you about the service. Do you have a moment?”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here
. I figured since he didn’t have any family it would be up to me to arrange something.”

“How about we go into my office?
” Dan opened one of the pine doors, which were always left open for anyone who might need refuge. The main room was long and narrow, with solid pine floors and rows of sturdy pews built from the same trees that populated the area. At the front of the long room was an altar of sorts, less ostentatious than some, with a small pedestal from which sermons could be delivered and a large open area for the choir.

Dan led her down the center aisle, then turned to her left toward the added-on wing, which opened into a hallway with a children’s room, complete with small tables and chairs and stacks of toys, and several offices, including Dan’s.

“Please have a seat.” Dan gestured toward a cozy leather sofa and matching chair. “About six weeks ago,” he began, “I received a letter from Zachary Collins. The letter, which was accompanied by a rather large donation for the church, detailed a simple but very specific set of instructions that were to be adhered to upon his death.”

“So he knew he was going to die,” Tj concluded.

Dan pulled the letter from a file on his desk. “I don’t know that he knew the end was going to play out in quite the way it did, but he was an old man in failing health, so, yes, I believe he realized the end was near. In any event, he had a strong-enough inkling to want to put his final affairs in order.”