Trunk Show Murder (A Seagrove Cozy Mystery Book 2) (7 page)

“You seem very certain of that,” she said.

“I am,” he said. “I’ve had long discussions with the Dean and my lawyer about it.”

“Your lawyer?” she asked.

“Let me tell you,” he said. “When the mayor of the town starts harassing you, you get a lawyer pretty darn quick. Because that’s some scary shit.”

“And the lawyer was able to keep you out of trouble?” She said.

“The lawyer didn’t have to, Britt’s mom never approached the Dean. She focused her harassment on me. But I was covered in case she did.”

Sadie’s phone rang and she excused herself and walked into the hall to take the call. It was the chief.

“Thought you’d like to know,” he said. “Ryan Pallone has a rock solid alibi for the break-in last night.”

“How can that be?” She asked. “No one else has motive to trash the mayor’s office.”

“No one we know of,” the chief said. “Ryan’s alibi is not going to shake. I tried.”

“Well, Hell’s bells,” Sadie said. “That totally ruins my hypothesis.”

“Time to get a new hypothesis,” the Chief said. “What are you up to?”

“I’ve been talking to Justin Ives about Britt’s mom. I don’t think Justin has a motive for murder. Not that he was high on my suspect list, but it pays to be thorough,” she said.

“So what’s next for you?” He asked.

“Not sure. I think I need to go home and rethink my facts,” she said. “And possibly go next-door and eat a donut. I find donuts very helpful.”

“Got to go,” The Chief said. “I’ll come by later.”

Sadie walked back into Justin’s office to find him scratching Mr. B. behind the ears. Mr. B.’s tail was high in the air and quivering and Sadie wondered what that should be telling her. Justin and Mr. B. seemed like an unlikely friendship.

On the way back home, Sadie decided to make a few perimeter sweeps around City Hall, just in case. The first and second blocks out yielded nothing, but on the third block Sadie discovered Shannon Sinkwater’s car parked between two dumpsters in an alley. She followed the alley back towards the hall and found it ran right past Town Hall’s back door. Sadie and Mr. B. sat in Sadie’s air-conditioned car with the engine running before Sadie came to her senses. She called Chief Woodstone and reported what she found.

Then she drove home, slowly, wondering if Shannon had trashed Marjorie’s office or if she’d been framed. It was hard to know. Shannon had been so vocal about her pleasure when Marjorie hadn’t shown up to Lucy’s trunk party, could she have killed Marjorie?

After a quick walk with Mr. Bradshaw in the park, Sadie called Lucy to see if she could come over. She didn’t even pretend it was to plan the trip to Spain. She needed Lucy’s insight into the facts around this case.

Lucy arrived and they grabbed a coffee and donuts from the bakery before heading upstairs to sit on the balcony overlooking the street. Sadie laid out the facts as she knew them.

“The thing is this,” Sadie said, “The only person with a motive to trash Marjorie’s office is Ryan, and he has a rock solid alibi. Shannon’s car is down there, but what would she gain by trashing the office?”

“I have a hard time believing that Shannon would kill Marjorie over a few pieces of jewelry,” Lucy said. “She loves to complain, and she loved crowing over how she’d beat Marjorie to all those pieces of jewelry, but to kill? It just doesn’t seem like her nature.”

“I know,” Sadie said. “I kept thinking she was being framed. But by who? She’s an easy target, but Ryan wouldn’t know that. It would have to be someone in that social circle. Someone who knew they could focus the attention on Shannon.”

“I know this is crazy,” Lucy said. “But at the party, Lois kept pointing out to me how much Shannon was bragging.”

“That’s true,” Sadie said. “She told me I should make her stop. As if I could. And she wasn’t really doing any harm by it. But Lois made a point of bringing it to my attention at least twice.”

“I wonder if the Chief has asked Shannon what her car is doing down by Town Hall,” Sadie said.

“You only just told him,” Lucy said. “Give the poor guy a chance.”

“I could call Shannon and ask her,” Sadie said.

“You don’t have to,” Lucy pointed down the street. “Isn’t that her? It looks like she’s coming this way.”

Sadie waited until Shannon was in front of the bakery before she called out to her to grab a coffee and a pastry and join them on the balcony. Five minutes later, Shannon settled herself into one of Sadie’s folding chairs. She was wearing a necklace and earring set and two rings she bought from the party.

“You look like you are still happy with your jewelry,” Lucy said. “It looks good on you.”

“Thank you. I am happy with it.” Shannon waved her hand in front of herself so the ring sparkled. “So pretty.” She looked between Lucy and Sadie. “What are you guys up to?” she asked.

“Just hanging out,” Sadie said. “Did you know your car is parked in an alley near town hall?”

“Nothing like just jumping in feet first,” Lucy said.

“Oh, it’s okay,” Shannon said. “Lois called me and told me about this great dance party that was going on in the town square, I got down there and parked, but then I couldn’t find the dance party. And I called Lois on her cell but she didn’t answer. I guess she was at the party and the music was too loud for her to hear.”

“So did you just go home?” Sadie asked wondering why Shannon’s car was still parked downtown.

“No. I went into The Hole for a drink. And then I danced for a while. I drank a little too much so one of the guys drove me home, I just haven’t gotten around to picking up my car.” She shrugged and little “what does it matter?”

And it probably didn’t matter, Sadie thought. Shannon could just about walk anywhere she needed to be.

“So Lois told you about the dance?” Lucy said. “And then you couldn’t find her?”

“It’s no big deal,” Shannon said. “She tends to be a bit flaky that way. Once she told me to meet her on Seventh Street when she really meant Seventeenth. I’m used to it. Only this time she told me the square and we only have one square. I’ll run into her in a day or two and she’ll tell me she meant the square in Haverford or Portsmouth.”

Sadie exchanged a glance with Lucy. That was a mistake neither of them would ever make with the other.

“You and Lois are good friends?” Lucy asked.

“I know what you are saying,” Shannon said. “Most people don’t make mistakes like that, but Lois gets mixed up about things. She doesn’t mean anything by it.”

Sadie had her doubts. Lois didn’t seem like the kind to get confused. She wondered what Lucy was making of this.

“I mean,” continued Shannon, “she didn’t have to call and tell me about the dance if she didn’t want me to be there.”

“Of course she wanted you there,” Lucy said. “You are the life of the party.”

“I am!” Shannon laughed. “I love a good party. My momma used to call me a social butterfly. I love to have a good time.”

“What about your car?” Sadie asked. “You going to pick that baby up?”

“Lois asked me to leave it for a couple of days. She thought she might need to borrow it. I’ll go in a couple of days. I don’t really need it to get around town.” Shannon shrugged. “I don’t mind.” She stood up. “I’m headed home. I’ve got plans for this evening.”

“Are you getting dolled up in more pieces of your new bling and going dancing?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, I am,” Shannon said. “I can’t wait. You should come. It’s going to be a rocking party.”

“I’m the exact opposite of a social butterfly,” Sadie said. “I’m uncomfortable at parties with people I don’t know well.”

“What about you, Lucy?” Shannon asked. “Do you want to come?”

“Nah, I think I’ll keep Sadie company,” Lucy said. “I wouldn’t want her to be lonely.”

“You’re a good friend,” Shannon said, “like Lois.” She grabbed her trash and said goodbye.

“You are a good friend,” Sadie said to Lucy, “but you don’t have to keep me company.”

“I know,” Lucy said. “But it seemed nicer to lie than to tell her I thought she was a little old for partying, or at least I’m a little old for partying.”

“You’re right, considering she’s older than you…” Sadie said. “She might take it the wrong way.”

“So what will you be doing this evening?” Lucy asked.

“Tracking down Lois,” Sadie said. “I think she’s trying to frame both Shannon and Ryan Pallone.”

“Both at once? That’s ambitious.”

“And stupid, because it points the finger right back at herself. She would have done better to choose one or the other. Because Shannon doesn’t have a motive to ransack the Mayor’s office, but it’s her car that’s parked nearby.”

“You aren’t going to track Lois down by yourself, are you?” Lucy asked. “Promise me you’ll take Zack with you.”

“You don’t think Lois would kill me, do you?” Sadie asked.

“I think she’d kill anyone who got in her way,” Lucy said. “So make sure you’ve got backup.”

“Do you want to come and keep an eye on me?” Sadie asked.

“No. Even Zack can’t keep you in line, I’d be useless. But don’t go out there alone, Sadie. Okay. If she murdered once, she could murder again. You know that.”

“Look,” Sadie said, holding up her cell phone. “I’m calling him right now. I’m being safe.”

But the Chief didn’t answer his phone so Sadie decided to head downtown in the direction of the station house. She was bound to find him down there somewhere. She put Mr. Bradshaw on his leash and walked into the twilight.

Mr. Bradshaw liked walking downtown. There were all kinds of different smells around the square, and while the park would always be his favorite place, the town square was good for a change of pace. He stuck his nose in the air and sniffed, his tail straight in the air and quivering.

When she got to town hall, Sadie took a right and walked down to the station. She was buzzed in, they locked the door after five and went straight to the chief’s office. He wasn’t there.

Sadie sat in his chair for a few moments, thinking of a course of action, and left the chief a note. Then she called and left a message on his cell. If she was going to be accused of anything, it would be oversharing. She tried Lois’s number on the off chance that she was at home and not out framing someone else for the crime she’d committed. That done, she grabbed Mr. B.’s leash and headed back out into the evening.

Chapter Six

She didn’t know where to look for Lois. She thought the Chief might know, but as he was MIA she was going to have to figure this one out by herself. She headed back up to town hall to see if anything was happening there. The big front doors were locked so Sadie and Mr. B. took a left and walked down the access ramp. There was a door at the bottom and that was locked too.

They were all the way around the back of the building when they found a door with a rock holding it cracked open. Sadie assumed that it was cracked open so that whoever had gone in could come back out without tripping the alarm. She pulled out her cell and left another message for the Chief. Where in the world was he?

She slid through the door first, Mr. Bradshaw following a step behind. She looked around. This was a hallway she’d never been in before. The best bet would be to make her way to the front lobby and proceed from there. Her plan, as far as she had a plan, was to find out what was going on without being seen and get the hell out.

The back of town hall was a rabbit’s warren and she kept ending up in corridors that either led to stairwells or outside exits. She didn’t want either of those. She came across the elevators but didn’t dare use them. But where there was an elevator there had to be a stair that led to the lobby. At least it seemed logical.

Finally, she found a stairway marked with a sign that said Lobby and an arrow pointing up. They went up as quietly as they could, Mr. Bradshaw’s nails making the faintest of clicking noises on the tile. The door to the lobby was closed. Sadie held her breath and pushed as gently as she could. Unfortunately, the door was heavy and gently wasn’t going to cut it. She pushed in the bar as quietly as she could and then put her weight into it. The door opened and she ushered Mr. B. through before sliding through herself.

The door swung back into place with a loud click. They stood absolutely still, barely breathing, but no one came. Sadie let her breath out and looked around the lobby. There was no point in going up to the Mayor’s office. That had already been trashed. The clerk’s office? She headed across the lobby but when she reached the door to the clerk’s office, she heard a noise further down the hall, past the conference room where she’d studied the meeting agendas.

Her heart was beating so hard it was roaring in her ears. Mr. Bradshaw pressed up against her leg and she took a breath. Before heading down that tiger trap of a hall, she stepped back out of sight and dialed the Chief. She whispered her location and what she was planning to do next.

She mutters several choice swear words under her breath and started down the hall. She glanced in and then entered the conference room. The file drawers were open and binders and papers were littered across the room. It would take someone a lot of time to clean that up. She wondered if they would just print new agendas and recycle the mess or if they would try and reconstruct the binders with the existing paper.

Mr. Bradshaw whined. It was the tiniest of noises, but it brought Sadie back to the task at hand. She stuck her head out of the room and glanced down the hall. A drawer slammed. Whoever was down there was still at it. She wondered who it was.

She and Mr. B. crept toward the last door in the hall. It was open while the other doors between the conference room and it were closed. She was having trouble hearing again. Her blood rushing through her veins was so loud. Breathe, Sadie, she told herself. Breathe. Later, when Zack asked her if she even considered going back, she could honestly say it never occurred to her. She needed to do what must be done if justice was going to be served.

She flattened herself against the wall outside the open door. She motioned to Mr. Bradshaw to stay, kneeled on all fours and stuck her head around the doorjamb. It was a file storage room, lined with file cabinets. And it was as she thought, Lois was in the room rifling through files. She seemed to be looking for something specific because every so often she’d come across a file that made her grin and she would toss it in the air scattering the papers across the floor.

Sadie ducked back into the hall. She pulled out her cell phone and loaded the camera. All she needed to do was to snap a quick picture for evidence and she could get out of there. She was summoning up her nerve to put her head in the doorway again and take the picture when Lois stepped into the doorway and pointed a gun at Sadie.

“You know, Sadie,” she said. “You’d make a terrible spy. Get up.”

Sadie got up but didn’t pick up Mr. Bradshaw’s leash. She stood between Lois and Mr. B., her blood rushing in her ears again. Damn cardiovascular system kept interfering with her stone cold criminal catcher persona.

Lois jabbed at her with the gun. “Did you hear me? I said pick up his leash.”

Sadie knelt down and unclipped the leash from his collar keeping the clip in her hand. “Go find the Chief. Run!” she said to him and then she stood between him and the gun wielding crazy again.

“You expect me to believe that mutt is going to find Chief Woodstone?” Lois asked. “That’s laughable. Let him run, I’m sure he’ll end up at the nearest butcher’s shop. Get in here.” Lois motioned her into the file room.

Sadie backed in keeping Lois firmly in her sights. She didn’t think Lois would shoot her, but she wasn’t taking any chances on getting shot in the back. She kept the hand with the leash close to her side. Surprise was her only real advantage at the moment.

That was when she saw Mr. Bradshaw in the hall behind Lois and her heart sank. Lois saw her look and glanced over her shoulder unconsciously lowering the gun several inches. That was all the lead time Sadie needed. She lunged for Lois knocking the gun from her hand.

“Mr. Bradshaw, Run!” Sadie wrestled with Lois pushing her backward into the hall away from the gun.

Lois was shrieking and swearing, but Sadie ignored the words to concentrate on keeping Lois’s nails from raking her face. She heard Mr. Bradshaw growling but couldn’t risk a look to see where he was, but then Lois started kicking backward and she thought he must have a hold of Lois’s pant leg.

“Go Mr. Bradshaw! Run!” Sadie yelled again, wanting him to get to safety. He didn’t let go of Lois’s pants.

Then two things happened at once, Mr. Bradshaw jerked Lois’s leg backward and Sadie pulled Lois’s hand forward and down catching Lois off balance. She fell forward onto her face and Sadie dropped onto her knees in the middle of Lois’s back. The air whooshed out of Lois and Sadie got first one hand and then the other hand up behind Lois’s back.

Fifteen minutes later, when Chief Woodstone came skidding around the corner, weapon drawn, Lois was still in the middle of the hall, lying flat out on her face. Her hands were tied with a dog leash and Sadie was straddling her back and Mr. Bradshaw was in her lap. The look on Chief Woodstone’s face made Sadie laugh out loud.

Five days later the hubbub and outrage had diminished and Sadie agreed to go out on another date with the Chief. This time he promised to leave his cell phone home. He picked her up just before dusk on a lovely warm day and drove her to the town beach. It was almost deserted and he jumped the curb and drove down onto the beach and along the waterline to the far end where no one was likely to disturb them.

“Isn’t this against the law?” Sadie asked. “Driving on the beach?”

“Not if you are a cop checking for unlicensed dogs.” He winked at her. “I was sure I saw a loose dog down here.”

He parked and they laid a blanket on the sand. The Chief rooted around in the back and pulled a basket and a couple of bottles of wine out. He buried the wine neck deep in the sand and set the basket on the blanket before sitting down next to Sadie. She’d left Mr. B. to munch on a lovely dog chew in his basket so she could focus all her attention on the Chief.

“I’ve come to a decision,” she said.

“Oh?” He looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

She could tell he was amused, but better than that he seemed relaxed and completely at ease.

“Yes,” she said. “I’ve decided that when we are out casually, and when you are not in uniform, I will call you Zack. When we are discussing business, either yours or mine, I will continue to call you Chief. What do you think of that?”

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” He said. “Now if only I could get you to stop discussing business with me.”

“Which brings me to my first problem with that decision,” she said, resting back on her elbows. She looked at him through her eyelashes.

“And what is that?” He looked as though he wanted to kiss her.

“Well, Chief,” she said holding up a hand to forestall his objection. “I want you to tell me why Lois went off the rails and what she thought she was doing trashing Town Hall?”

“Ah, I see Ms. Barnett. Yes, the strange case of Lois Hall. From what I understand, Marjorie was getting out of her car when Lois arrived at your place. Marjorie was rushing and she told Lois she needed to be there when the party started or she might not get all the jewelry she wanted. Lois lost her shit, picked up your brick doorstop and when Marjorie opened the back door to get her purse Lois bopped her over the head with it.”

“A lot of the ladies were fed up with Marjorie using her position to get the best of everything.” Sadie turned and laid her head in his lap so she wouldn’t have to hold it up. “Go on.”

Zack ran his fingers through her hair. “Well,” he said, “she didn’t know she’d killed Marjorie but she started getting worried when she never showed up. She thought Marjorie would come to and come upstairs to accuse her of assault. Of course by that time she had the costume jewelry she wanted…”

“Just call it bling,” Sadie said. “It’s easier.”

“Okay. Lois had the bling she wanted and she thought she’d be able to talk herself out of assault charges, but Marjorie didn’t show. The more time went on, the more Lois worried that something had gone wrong. So she started talking to people about how Shannon was going on about it being so much better that Marjorie wasn’t there.”

“Yes. She did that. Told me I should tell her to stop. Sowing the seeds of doubt.” Sadie waved a hand in the air. “As if I’d be that rude to one of my guests.”

“Then she realized that Shannon could be executed for killing the mayor and she looked into who else might want Marjorie out of the way. Then she was working on framing both Shannon and Ryan Pallone so that suspicion would fall on them but neither would get convicted.”

“And that’s why she had Shannon park her car down near town hall. So maybe you’d think she’d tossed the mayor’s office. But she didn’t have a motive. And both the mayor’s and clerk’s office could be pinned on Ryan, but he had an alibi for Marjorie’s murder. How long did she think she could keep this up?”

“She knew when she saw you at Town Hall that the gig was up. But she’d kind of lost her equilibrium at that point and couldn’t stop herself from trying to get away with all of it. It’s a good thing you are tough as nails Ms. Barnett.”

“Sadie, call me Sadie now Zack. We are finished with business now and I think you should take me for a walk on the beach while the sun is setting. And then I will allow you to feed me.” She smiled up at him.

He leaned in for a quick kiss and then helped her to her feet. “Come along then, Ms. Barnett,” he said. “Time for our evening constitutional.”

Sadie smacked him on the shoulder. “You rat. You are making me pay for always calling you the Chief.”

“Um – Yep,” he said.

“Well I can think of a much better punishment,” she said. “But you have to catch me first.” She ran laughing down the beach, and what could he do but follow?

~~~

Find out what Sadie discovers in book 3 of The Seagrove Mysteries! Coming Soon!

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