Honeysuckle Homicide (Trash-to-Treasure Crafting Mystery) (7 page)

I was working on my new table project outside on the front porch. I’d been sanding off the old paint and was ready to start with the new color. The soft shade of rose would be perfect for the feminine bedroom I had planned. I wanted to use mostly white in the room with pink accents. The table would be ideal for that. It wasn’t big, so it should be a fast and easy project. Plus, I could write about it in next week’s newspaper article. Claire Ann would be happy to know I wasn’t waiting until the last minute this time.

I d
ipped the brush into the pink paint and started stroking the bristles across the wood. The strong sensation of being watched came over me. I tried to ignore it, but the longer I painted the more it stayed with me. I placed the brush onto the newspaper I’d set out and looked over my shoulder. My feeling had been right. Someone was watching me.

Connie Dayton stood at the gate. When she realized I was looking back at her, she waved. Why was she just standing out there? Today she wore a lavender dress and had her hair twisted up in the back. As far as I knew she didn’t live close by, so I had no idea why she would be here.

“Hello, Raelynn,” Connie said. “Do you mind if I come in?”

I stepped off the porch. “Please come in.”

Sure, I thought she was strange, but I still wasn’t going to be rude. Her behavior was different from when I’d last seen her at the yard sale. Maybe she wasn’t angry with me anymore.

Connie
opened the gate and stepped through. “I was just walking by and saw you on the porch. This house is beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I peek
ed up at my grand Victorian.

“So you’re thinking of selling it?” she asked.

“Like I said, I haven’t made that decision.”

She seemed awfully interested in the sale of my house. Maybe she wanted to buy it.

She narrowed her eyes. “I thought I saw Darcy Parish leaving your house.”

I frowned. “Do you live in the area?”

A slight smile curved her lips. “I’m visiting a dear friend who lives down the street.”

“Oh, okay.
Well, I guess I’d better get back to my painting before the brush dries.”

Connie eyed my project. “Do you like crafts?”

I suppose she was just being friendly and I had been too suspicious of her. “I do enjoy them.” I smiled.

“
Have you heard any details about the murder?” Connie had moved right on to the next topic.

“No, I haven’t,” I said.

“I thought maybe you had inside information since you’re dating the sheriff.”

Okay, now I was back to being suspicious of her. She really was kind of nosy.
How did she know so much about me? “He doesn’t share that kind of information with me.”

Wait until she found out that Ross’ lawyer was staying at my place.

I motioned over my shoulder. “I really need to get back to work. It was nice seeing you again.”

Connie
nodded. “Of course. It was nice seeing you too.”

Connie turned and hurried away as if I’d upset her again. I needed to ask around about her. Why was she so interested in the murder
and whether I was selling my house?

After watching Connie for a few more seconds, I went back to paint the table. I’d barely picked up the brush when I heard movement behind me. If that was Connie again I was going to have to ask her what was wrong with her. I’d tell her to stop being so weird.

When I looked over my shoulder I was pleasantly surprised. It was Kent. A grin tipped the corners of his mouth when our eyes met. He wore a gray t-shirt and blue shorts as if he was either starting or finishing a workout.

“What’s the latest project?” he asked, motioning toward the table.

“Just revamping an old table.” I pointed with the paintbrush.

“It’s looking good.”

“What brings you by so early?” I asked.

He looked at his watch. “I have some news.”
His expression turned serious. It looked as if I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

I set the brush down. “Okay, just let me have it. Tell me the news like pulling off a bandage.”

He nodded. “Nothing at the crime scene matched with Ross. No blood, fingerprints, or anything that we found.”

It seemed as if he was ready to finish that sentence with more bad news.
“What does that mean for the investigation?”

Kent sat on the porch step. “It means that we’re l
etting him go.”

I couldn’t believe that Ross was getting out. But then again, I couldn’t believe that they had arrested him in the first place. I figured Doreen would find a way to get him out of jail. This was just a reminder that the killer was out there somewhere. In spite of everything Ross had put me through
, I’d never believed that he was a murderer.

I sat on the step next to Kent. He
wrapped his hand around mine. Even my toes tingled.

“
What happens now?” I asked.

He stared out at the street. “
We start over. We’ll track down a new suspect.”

“That doesn’t sound easy,” I said.

He touched my chin. “Don’t worry. We’ll find who did this.”

“Luke Lexington deserves for us to find his killer.”

Kent quirked a brow. “Us?”

We listened to the rustle of the oak tree branches in silence.
I studied my flips flops and avoided his stare. Whether Kent liked it or not I was a part of this investigation. I’d been on the scene before the police had shown up. In my mind that gave me reason to be a part of the investigation. But once again, maybe I’d read too many mystery novels.

Kent squeezed my hand softly. “Just don’t get
hurt in any of those trash bins.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I’ll try my best.”

“How about dinner tonight?” he asked.

“I’d like that.”

Kent pushed to his feet and headed down the sidewalk. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

I spent the next hour finishing up my painting project thinking about my dinner with Kent. What would I wear? I had a cute strapless dress that was white with a multicolored floral print. Since the evening was forecast to be hot and humid, the dress should be perfect.

I’d just finished cleaning my brush and putting away the supplies when I heard the front door open. I assumed it was my guest, but at this point I couldn’t be sure. For all I knew it could be Connie actually sneaking into the house this time. Or maybe Darcy Parish had come back for more measurements of square footage.

When I stepped into the living room I came face
to face with Ross Perkins. My least favorite person. Charity was behind him. She frowned as if silently apologizing for bringing him here. Apology not accepted.

“
I guess you heard the news,” Ross said with a sly smile.

“
What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Just stopping by
to say I am sorry.”

“
Apology not accepted. Now how about you leave?”

He held his hands up in surrender.

“Come on, Mr. Perkins, how about we talk out on the front porch?” Charity motioned for Ross to join her.

He glanced back and offered another sheepish grin.

“I expect that you won’t show up any more,” I said through gritted teeth.

He winked and walked out. That just made me even angrier
.

After a few minutes in the kitchen, I decided to see what they were doing.
When I peeked out the door window, they were both gone. I’d lost my chance to tell Charity that she’d have to find another place to stay. Having her at my house just wasn’t going to work.

I’d have to ask Charity to leave in the morning. Right now I was going to get ready for my date.

After a long relaxing soak in the tub, I took my time applying makeup and fixing my hair. I needed the peaceful me time.

Two hours of pampering and I was ready for my date. Since there was some shade
, I decided to wait on the front porch. If it got too hot I’d have to go back inside. I didn’t want my makeup to melt off. I sat on the step where Kent and I had sat earlier in the day. As I daydreamed about the day’s events, something caught my eye.

There was something in the front bushes by the steps. It was rather large and shiny gold. I knew it hadn’t been there earlier in the day because Kent or I would have noticed it. I stepped over and reached down for the object.
The shiny golden plaque was a realtor award and it had Luke Lexington’s name on the front. How had it gotten to the bushes of my front yard? Charity and Ross had been outside not long ago. Then the thought hit me: could this be the murder weapon? It was possible.

As I stared at the thing, turning it over in my hands, I spotted Kent’s car pulling up in front. Of course panic set in. I didn’t want him to see this yet. I needed time to wrap my head around what I’d found. Not knowing what else to do with it, I shoved it in my purse. Was I seriously taking an award from the murdered Luke Lexington with me on a date with the sheriff? A voice in the back of my head was screaming that this wouldn’t end well.
I would have guilt written all over my face.

“You look beautiful. Are you ready for din
ner?” Kent gestured over his shoulder.

I clutched my purse close to my body. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

There was one Italian restaurant in town. Lucky for us, the food was pretty good. They had the best garlic bread and salad with a secret blend of dressing. In reality, they probably bought it at the supermarket and pretended it was made in their restaurant.

Traffic was heavy, but for Honeysuckle that meant a few cars waited at the red light instead of none. Once we reached The Pasta Pot,
Kent parked the car and came over to open my door. My purse was still clutched close to my body with a death grip. If Kent noticed the way I was holding my bag, he didn’t mention it. Maybe he thought it was another one of my eccentricities.

We’d just reached the door when his cell phone rang. He frowned.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” I asked.

“Everyone knows I’m off duty tonight.”

“That means it must be important or they wouldn’t call.”

He stopped. “You could be right.”

I often was right, but I didn’t share that with him. If he was around a woman long enough he’d figure that out.

He picked up the phone. “Sheriff Klein.”

Again since it was a one-sided conversation, I didn’t know what was being said on the other end of the line. But by Kent’s expression and body movements it didn’t look like it was good news.

When he hung up the phone, he looked at me and said, “There’s been another murder.”

This was unbelievable. The latest crime had taken place at Darcy Parish’s office. Did this mean that another realtor had been murdered? Two murders in one week? What had happened to Honeysuckle? I no longer felt safe to even walk down the street by myself. At least tonight I was with Kent. But what would I do when it was time for him to leave?

We jumped in his car and raced toward the scene of the crime.
Within minutes we arrived at the scene. I’d never driven that fast in my life. It was a good thing we hadn’t eaten dinner because I was feeling a little queasy now. Police cars were parked all around and Kent pulled up as close as he could get to the building. I wondered what was going on in Kent’s mind. This had to be a lot of pressure on him to solve not only one but now two murders. He was quiet and focused on the scene in front of us. I prayed that this was a false alarm, but with this much action, it looked as if the call had been accurate.

Kent shoved the car into park. “You want to wait here?” he asked.

Well, I didn’t want to walk in on another murder scene, but I didn’t think he’d let me do that anyway.

I nodded. “Sure. Be safe,” I said.

I tapped the seat with my fingers, trying to release my nervous energy. Law enforcement moved in and out of Darcy’s office. It had to be either Darcy or her assistant Julian. Perhaps it was a client. This was just too much of a coincidence. There had to be a connection with Luke Lexington’s death. The only thing they had in common as far as I knew was real estate.

The c
rowd gathered behind the crime scene tape. It felt strange to be on the other side of that tape and I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted. I’d much prefer to put some distance between me and the scene.

Kent stood at the doorway talking with another officer and I wondered how long it would be before he had a chance to confirm who had been murdered. I glanced around and spotted a few people looking my way. They probably thought I’d been arrested for the crime since I was sitting in the police cruiser. How would Ross blame this murder on me?

I turned my attention away from the people who watched me. If I ignored them then maybe they would ignore me. But I still felt as if I was being watched. Didn’t these people have enough to look at without watching me? Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling and it was giving me the creeps. When I finally glanced over I noticed Connie Dayton was standing next to a black car. What was she doing here? I supposed I knew the answer to that. She was a busybody and had to be in the center of the action. Nonetheless, I wanted to know what she was doing.

If I left the crime scene tape I probably wouldn’t be able to get back over. She would have to come up to the tape. Once she spotted that I was close to the scene, I wouldn’t have to worry. She wouldn’t be able to resist find
ing out what I knew. I climbed out of the car and ignored the people standing around. I’d gotten halfway to Connie when she spotted me. Her eyes widened and for a split second she frowned. I supposed she really was jealous that I was at the scene. As far as I was concerned I had no desire to be here.

Just as I
’d thought she would, when I got close to the tape, she walked over to me. A police officer nearby watched me for a moment. He probably wondered what I was doing behind the tape. He didn’t say anything though.

Connie shook her head. “
Can’t believe this happened again. What have you heard?”

She had
n’t wasted any time asking. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Nothing yet. Just that there was a murder. Sheriff Klein is inside.” She looked me up and down. I knew she was dying to ask. I saved her the time. “We were on our way to dinner when he got the call.”

“
So I guess you’ll get all the inside info?” She seemed a little too excited about this prospect.

“
I don’t think so. He can’t really share information about active investigations. It would jeopardize the case.”

The corners of her mouth tipped downward.
“Oh, that’s too bad. Darcy was just like Luke, you know. Always wanted to list the houses and then not getting top dollar.”

Connie seemed a little obsessed with getting top dollar. When I glanced over my shoulder I noticed Kent had stepped out of the house. “I suppose I’d better get back over there. See you later,” I said.

She stared for a moment. “Yeah, we’ll talk later.”

It sounded as if she was confident that we would. I really hoped she didn’t pop up for another visit.

I hurried back across the sidewalk, still avoiding looking at the crowd that I knew would be watching me. When I reached the car, Kent stepped over. I hoped he didn’t mind that I’d gotten out of the car. I mean, the police didn’t want just anyone traipsing around a crime scene.

He leaned close to me. “
Darcy has been murdered.” His words sounded so final.

“That is awful. Just terrible. It has to be related to Luke’s death, right?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes, I think so.”

The thought was terrifying.
And to think she’d just been at my house. Who would want the realtors dead?

“I suppose you have no clue who did this.” I leaned against the car door.

He shook his head. “We are working on it.”

“I feel terrible for her family. What about Julian
, her assistant?” I asked.

“She isn’t here and I don’t think she knows yet. We’re trying to find her to notify her of what happened.”

“You can’t find Julian?”

“We have someone at her home now, but I don’t think she’s there. Maybe she’ll show up soon. We need to ask her a few questions to see if she saw anything or has any clue what happened.” He waved at an officer who’d just arrived on the scene.
He touched my arm gently. “I should drive you home.”

“Can you leave the scene?” I asked.

I didn’t want him to stop his work just because of me. I could walk home, although with a killer on the loose maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Which reminded me, I needed to make sure that all my doors were secure. To think I’d left the door open earlier and Darcy had come inside.

“I can come back. They don’t need me for a few minutes. I don’t want you to walk home alone. Plus
, I want to make sure your doors and windows are locked.”

It sounded as if he was more worried than ever. Kent opened the
car door for me and I slid in. When I looked to my right, Connie was focused on me. She didn’t wave or smile. Kent turned the ignition and pulled away from the scene.

I was glad to be away from there. There was something I had to do now though. I had
to tell him about the award that was still in my purse. I was worried about what he would say. My stomach turned at the thought.

It was a short drive to my house, so I had to hurry. My mouth felt as if it was stuffed with cotton. I clutched my purse close to my chest.

Finally, I cleared my throat and said, “There’s something I need to tell you.” I was sure my voice quivered.

He glanced over and then focused on the road again. “What’s wrong? You look a little sick. I know this can be tough. You should get some rest when you get home.”

I waved off his comment. “It’s not that. I found something at my house earlier.”

He frowned.
We pulled up to my house and he shoved the car into park. “What did you find?”

After releasing a deep breath, I opened my purse. “There was an award hidden in the bushes in front of my house.”

He quirked a brow and leaned over for a look in my bag. “What kind of award?”

I pulled the award from my purse. “It has Luke Lexington’s name on it. I have no idea how it got there. Heck, for all I know it could be the murder weapon.”

His frown deepened. “Can I see it?”

I handed him the award. I
’d thought I’d feel relief when I told him about it, but now I wondered if I’d done the right thing.

“We’ll have to test it for DNA. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? When did you find it?” he asked.

“I meant to, but then the other murder happened. I found it right before you arrived. That’s why it was in my purse. Not because I carry around dead realtors’ awards.” The more I talked the worse it sounded.

He grabbed a bag from the back seat and placed the award in it. “You don’t know how it got there?”

“No, I don’t. Charity and Ross were talking in the front yard right before it happened. I think maybe Ross left it.”

The anger on
Kent’s face was evident. “Why were they in your front yard?”

“Charity is staying at the inn. But I’m going to ask her to leave. I can’t have Ross hanging around.”

Kent looked confused. “She’s staying there?”

“Well, it is the only place in town.”

He placed the bag in the back seat. “I’d better get back. I want to make sure your windows are locked. Where are Charity and Ross now?”

“I don’t know. They left earlier before I had a chance to tell her she’d have to find a new place to stay,” I said.

Kent climbed out from behind the wheel and over to my door. When he opened it, he said, “Sorry about the date.”

“You had no control over what happened. We can have dinner another time when things are better.”

We walked up the front path to my door. I couldn’t help but glance over at where I’d found the award.

“Is that where you found it?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes, it was right there. I don’t think it was there earlier because we would have seen it when we were sitting on the step.”

He reached down and moved the bra
nches back, checking under each bush. “There’s nothing else there. You will let me know if you find anything else?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said as I unlocked the door.

Kent stepped in front of me. “I just want to check things out.”

He went from room to room, checking each window and making sure the back door was locked. When he walked back into the living room, he said, “Call me if anything strange happens.”

He was making me even more nervous now. Did he know something that I didn’t know?

I studied his strong jaw and bedroom eyes. “Should I be more concerned than ever? You’re freaking me out.”

“I don’t want to worry you, but yes, there is a killer out there.”

Kent leaned down and kissed me
softly on the lips. When I opened my eyes he stepped out onto the porch.

“Don’t forget to lock the door behind me,” he said.

I secured the lock and watched as he drove away. Where was the killer now? I prayed there wouldn’t be any more victims.