Pushed to the Limit (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 2) (24 page)

There was no sound this time, not even from
Pepper. Alarm congealed in the pit of her stomach. Too anxious to think it
through, she hurried around the side of the house, dodged through the peach
trees, and took the stairs of the rear deck two at a time. The back door stood
ajar. She dashed into an empty kitchen.

“Faye, where are you?”

She stopped dead in her tracks, the hairs
on her nape rising as a sense of dread took hold of her. Shoving a hand in her
bag, she groped for her cell phone, mercifully locating it on the third
attempt. She pulled it out, ready to dial 911, and slowly advanced into the
hallway.

Something hard and metallic sliced through
the air. Jerking back, she dropped the phone as the blade flashed past her,
missing her hand by a whisker. A scream died in her throat as she stared at the
woman in front of her.

Jackie, her eyes enraged. With a large
knife in her hands.

Emma jumped back
out of the knife’s reach. Black dots danced in her vision. “Jackie? What’s
going on?” Somehow she managed to fake a calmness she was far from feeling.
“Where’s Faye?”

“You!” Frustration burned in Jackie’s eyes.
Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks were pink, and perspiration gleamed on her
upper lip. She glared at Emma, barely recognizable as the meek, downtrodden
woman who always had her head down. “I should’ve known you’d come poking your
nose in.”

Emma swallowed, pushing down the sudden
heave of nausea. “What—what have you done with Faye?”

“Oh, she’s in there.” With a nonchalant
wave of the knife, Jackie gestured toward the living room. “What a windbag. She
was driving me crazy. I had to shut her up.”

Horror drenched Emma in a cold sweat. Had Jackie
killed Faye? There was no discernible blood on Jackie’s blade or her shapeless
gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants, though she could have cleaned the knife
afterward.

“Go on.” Jackie jerked her chin toward the
hallway. “Since you’re here, you may as well join her.”

On legs that felt like cotton wool, Emma
staggered into the living room. She gasped in relief when she saw Faye sitting
on the couch, hands and feet bound, mouth muzzled with a cloth, but very much
alive, her eyes above the gag expressing a mixture of fury and trepidation.

“Oh, Faye! Are you hurt?”

The older woman shook her head vigorously. Then
Emma noticed that the room had been trashed. Books and magazines lay tossed on
the floor. The glass doors of the display cabinets hung open, the contents
strewn across the carpet, several ornaments broken. Cushions had been slashed,
indicating Jackie’s anger, leaving bits of feather floating in the air.

“Mommy’s home!” Pepper squawked his
disapproval from his perch on the central light fitting.

“Shut up, you idiot bird!” Jackie grabbed a
book and hurled it at him. Faye let out a muffled cry. Wings flapping, Pepper
swooped to the top of the bookcase where he bobbed his head up and down,
cackling raucously.

Jackie whirled back to Emma and pointed the
knife at her. “Where is it?”

Emma faltered back. “Where is what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I’ve turned this
house upside down, and it’s not here. Which means you must have it.”

“I don’t—I don’t know what you’re talking
about.” Emma tried to moisten her lips with a tongue that felt dry and thick.
“What are you looking for?”

Jackie let out a growl of exasperation.
“The lipstick holder that Faye bought from the yard sale!” she yelled, her face
pulling into an ugly mask. “It’s not here anymore. You’ve been in and out of
her house all week. You must have it.” She advanced on Emma, the knife aimed
squarely at her throat. “Where is it?”

It felt like the cogs in her brain were
creaking as Emma strove to make sense. Lipstick holder. Was it part of the
missing jewelry? Emma couldn’t remember ever seeing a lipstick holder in Faye’s
house, but with Jackie waving that knife she had to improvise.

“It—it might be in the shopping bag that
Faye was using, a green-and-yellow plastic bag.”

Jackie curled her upper lip in a sneer.
“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid. It’s not in the fricking bag. Now stop wasting
my time. You saw what I did to that crazy old coot next door. If you don’t tell
me where it is, I’ll do the same to you.”

“You killed Tom? Because he saw you pushing
Faye down the stairs?” Emma shivered with revulsion. There must be something
special about that lipstick holder, but she had no idea where it was. All she
could do was stall for time in the hopes of an opportunity to disarm Jackie.
“Uh, yeah, okay. I admit I liked that lipstick holder and I took it. It’s, uh,
it’s right here in my bag.”

She went to slide a hand into her bag,
planning to whip out her can of Mace and spray some in Jackie’s eyes. But Jackie
was too fast for her. She grabbed the bag. Emma instinctively hung onto the
straps.

“Give it to me!” Jackie jabbed the knife at
her.

Cold hard metal pierced Emma’s skin. Startled,
she let go of the bag, which made Jackie stumble backward into the bookcase.
Pepper, still perched on top of the bookcase, let out an ear-splitting screech.
A stream of bird poop fell on Jackie, the thick yellow goop hitting her eyes. Howling
in fury, she tried to wipe her face with her sleeve, hampered by the knife and the
bag.

Emma seized the opportunity to snatch her tote
back and, acting on reflex, swung it at Jackie. To her surprise, the bag
connected with Jackie’s head, and the woman buckled to her knees, still trying
to wipe the bird poop from her face while the knife hung limply from her
fingers. Emma kicked at the blade and sent it skittering across the room. Jackie
shrieked. Pepper squawked. Only then did Emma become aware of the urgent hammering
on the front door.

Oh, thank God
. Help was here. She dashed to fling open the door. Owen barged in,
tight-lipped and tense, his gaze zeroing in on her. Unable to speak, she waved
him toward the living room. He slipped past her into the room, silent and
intent. Seconds later came another cry from Jackie and sounds of a scuffle.
When Emma limped back into the living room, Jackie was sitting on the floor,
hands cuffed behind her back, while Owen was busy freeing Faye from her bonds.

Stacey rushed into the house.

“Emma, oh God. Emma!” Stacey exclaimed,
white-faced and shaking. “Oh God! You’re bleeding!”

Owen immediately hurried over. Dazed, Emma
lifted a hand and saw a thin trickle of blood from a cut on her palm. She’d
barely felt the sharp blade when Jackie had slashed at her. Without a word Owen
disappeared and returned seconds later with a clean towel which he wrapped
firmly around her hand.

“Hold this,” he said gruffly to Stacey
before turning away. His shoulders heaved a couple of times as if he was trying
to pull himself together. Then he yanked out his phone and started making
calls.

Stacey was shaking as much as Emma.
Together, they sank onto the couch, Stacey holding the towel around Emma’s
hand. Faye, having managed to coax Pepper onto her arm, sat hunched in an
armchair, for once lost for words as she petted her bird.

“I was working at the women’s refuge when Owen
called,” Stacey said eventually. “I met him at the sheriff’s station, and he
told me that he knew about me and Trevor—”

“I’m sorry,” Emma broke in. “I know I
betrayed your confidence.”

Stacey shook her head. “I’m glad you did. I
told Owen about the flowers on my doorstep, and he did more digging around my
ex-husband. He discovered that Trevor had been seeing someone while he was in
prison. Owen found a photo of this girlfriend. It was Jackie.”

They both glanced across the room where Jackie
sat with her back to them, slumped and silent.

Stacey drew in a quivering breath. “She
fooled me completely. She played the part of the abused woman so convincingly I
didn’t hesitate to offer her shelter. Which was exactly as she’d planned.
Trevor must have told her that he’d hidden the stolen diamonds with me. She was
the one who went through all my things the other night.”

“She was screaming at me about a lipstick
holder,” Emma said. “Do you know what she was talking about?”

“A lipstick holder? I had one from my
grandma. It wasn’t anything special. When I ran away from Trevor, I kept it as
a reminder of who I was, but recently I decided that I wasn’t that girl
anymore, so I gave it to you with all the other things I donated for the yard
sale.”

“And Faye must have bought it along with
some other stuff.”

For the first time Faye turned toward them.
“Yes, I remember buying a lipstick holder. Nothing special, just rhinestones. Jackie
came around here after the yard sale asking if I’d bought it. I said yes, and
she asked to see it. When I refused, she got mad and shoved me down the deck
stairs. I didn’t remember what had happened until she showed up again today.
I’d forgotten all about the lipstick holder. It should’ve been in the shopping
bag with everything else, but it isn’t.”

Mystified, Emma shook her head. “It might
have fallen out when the shopping bag was at the stall, or…” She glanced at
Faye and the parrot she was holding. “The first time I came here to feed Pepper,
he got loose, and when I found him, he was going through your shopping bag. It
was right next to mine.”

All eyes swung toward Emma’s capacious tote
bag which, following her scuffle with Jackie, was lying on the floor near the
bookcase. Owen, who had been standing guard over Jackie, picked up the bag and
opened it. He shook his head as he hunted through its contents.

“You sure got a lot of stuff in here,” he
muttered. “Is this it?” He held up a small, non descript lipstick holder
studded with rhinestones.

“Yes, that’s the one,” Stacey said.

Owen peered at the lipstick holder more
closely. “I’m no expert, but these look like real diamonds, not rhinestones.”

Jackie made an audible gasp. She was
sitting up, staring avidly at the lipstick holder, and there was something
almost maniacal in her transfixed gaze. “So he
was
telling the truth,”
she breathed. “The dumb idiot.” She glanced across at Stacey. “Your husband was
so easy to fool. All I had to do was act like he had control over me, and he
told me everything. He went into a rage when you ran away and took his stash
with you. He tracked you down to this dump of a town. He was going to make you
pay twice over as soon as he could. Lucky he had that stroke. I was never going
to share the diamonds with him, the stupid fool.”

Stacey had gone sheet white. “You’re a
cold-hearted murderer. You killed an innocent man.”

“The hobo next door? He shouldn’t have been
such a snoop.”

The image of Tom’s body flashed through
Emma’s mind. She swallowed down her bile. “You used Stacey to give yourself a
false alibi.”

Jackie laughed. “Yeah, that was a stroke of
genius.”

“And the knife? How did you get hold of
that?”

“Stole it from your stall while that friend
of yours was in charge. Easy as.”

Stacey was breathing hard, struggling to
hold herself together. “I can’t believe I was so stupid about you,” she burst
out.

Jackie, the woman she’d believed needed her
protection, merely smirked at her. “You
were
stupid, Stacey. Especially
getting scared over a bunch of flowers.”

“
You
left me those zinnias? Why?”

“I don’t know. Call me weird, but it was
kinda fun watching you get all jumpy.” Jackie’s eyes were cold and hard.

Emma wrapped an arm around Stacey and
hugged her tight. “It’s over now. You’re safe.”

Flashing lights signaled that backup had
arrived, and seconds later the house was swarming with police and EMTs. Jackie
was swiftly led away, while Faye happily submitted to a paramedic’s
examination.

Stacey had disappeared, and Owen took her
place next to Emma. “You should go to hospital and have that checked out.” He
nodded at her wounded hand, his face still tense though the threat of danger
was well over.

“It’s stopped bleeding, and it doesn’t hurt
that much.” She was exhausted, and the prospect of a trip to ER right now seemed
too daunting.

“Better have it checked out just to be
sure. I’ll take you there and stay with you and bring you home.” He clasped her
uninjured hand, and the callused warmth spread through her, unraveling her
cobbled together defenses.

Her chin quivered. “Okay,” she said, her
voice inexplicably husky.

He stared at her for a few more seconds.
Then, in the middle of a room crowded with people, he wrapped his arms around
her and kissed her long and hard.

“Fifty thousand
dollars.” Stacey shook her head. “And it was lying in my dresser all these
years. Can you believe it?”

Emma forked up a piece of apple pie.
Several days had passed since the dramatic denouement at Faye’s house, and
everyone was still talking about it. She had met Stacey for lunch at Becky’s diner,
and they’d been forced to fend off the friendly curiosity until Becky had
shooed the others away.

“Should I be calling you Amanda now?” Becky
asked as she refilled their coffee mugs.

Stacey shook her head. “Amanda Roche
doesn’t exist anymore. I’m officially changing my name to Stacey Shulman. From
now on I’m free to be whoever I want.”

Despite her upbeat tone, Emma knew her
friend was still adjusting to a life without fear. Stacey hadn’t yet contacted
her family back in Pennsylvania; she was still coming to terms with what had
happened, still figuring out a way to tell them why she’d disappeared from
their lives for so long. Baby steps; that was the way to go. Jackie was now in
the county jail awaiting her fate. Her willing confession meant there would be
no need for a trial, a relief for all involved.

Becky leaned against the counter and tilted
her head at Emma. “How’s that hand of yours, honey?”

Emma flexed her right hand where a large
plaster covered the cut. “Healing well. I only needed a few stitches.”

A stricken look came over Stacey. “I still
feel so sick about your hand. I’m responsible for that.”

“No, you weren’t,” Emma said firmly. “Stop
blaming yourself.” She decided to change the subject. “How’s Greg?”

“Oh, he’s good.” A shy smile lit up Stacey’s
face. “I still can’t get over how he knew who I was all these years and never
said anything.”

“So you don’t find him too over-protective
now?” Emma asked, anxious that her friend not fall into another unhealthy
relationship.

“Not at all. He knows not to pressure me.
We’re taking things nice and slowly.” A dreamy look came over Stacey. Since
she’d learned that her ex-husband was no longer a threat, she seemed to have
shed five years. Her face was softer, her laugh freer, her smile more frequent.
She’d even started wearing younger clothes and brighter colors.

Emma concentrated on her pie. Stacey’s
moony expression only reminded her of Owen, and she was trying not to think of
him too much.

Owen’s kiss had left her in turmoil. When
he had embraced her, her heart had soared, a part of her acknowledging that,
despite their rocky past, there was an enduring bond between them. But then
he’d released her and driven her to the hospital and back without saying
another word, and he hadn’t spoken with her since.

The thing was, she knew why he was avoiding
her. He was supposed to be dating Sherilee, and Owen was not a man who lied to
or cheated on women. She knew how awful he must be feeling. And worse, she felt
bad for Sherilee, too. She’d seen how happy Sherilee was at the music festival
with Owen at her side, and she could imagine the hurt she must have felt upon learning
that Owen had kissed an ex-girlfriend. And with Faye witnessing the deed, the
whole of Greenville knew what had happened.

Emma gave herself a mental shake. No use
dwelling on Owen. She had to get on with life. “Hey, did you guys know I’ve
just been hired by Faye?” she said to Stacey and Becky. “She wants me to throw
a birthday party for Pepper.”

“A birthday party for a parrot?” Becky
chuckled. “Now I’ve heard everything.”

“He did help us to disarm Jackie,” Emma
said.

Stacey laughed. “Yes, I owe Pepper one.
I’ll be the first to get him a birthday gift. Who knew bird poop could be so
lethal?”

Who, indeed?

Hopefully the birthday party would cheer
Faye up after the news that Lorraine had enjoyed such a wonderful reunion with
her ex-husband that the couple had decided to give their relationship another
go. Faye was up in arms over what she considered a very poor decision, and her
sister was definitely off the guest list, but somehow Emma didn’t think
Lorraine would care about that. Not when she’d found her first love for the
second time.

***

A week later Tom
Kovacs was farewelled with a simple ceremony at the funeral home. Surprisingly,
Tom had left a will bequeathing all his worldly possessions to a niece, who
came out from Denver to settle his affairs. Emma attended the service, together
with Faye, Stacey, Greg, and others from town, including several officers from
the Greenville police department.

Afterward, Emma was chatting with Stacey
outside the funeral home when she noticed Sherilee walking past, eyes averted, her
expression as stiff as her starched uniform. Emma’s heart sank. She and
Sherilee had never been friends, but in a small town like Greenville they
couldn’t go on avoiding each other. After muttering a hasty goodbye to Stacey,
she hurried after the police officer.

“Uh, can we talk?” She wasn’t sure what to
say, but surely anything was better than this horrible awkwardness.

Sherilee halted abruptly. “There’s nothing
to talk about. Owen and I aren’t dating anymore.” Her face was stony and
unflinching.

Emma shook her head in confusion. “I
don’t—”

“We only went on a couple of dates, so it
wasn’t serious.”

But Emma could tell that for Sherilee it
had been serious. She bit her lip, unable to say anything.

“He told me what happened as soon as he
could. Owen didn’t do anything wrong. He’s all yours now.” Eyes fierce,
Sherilee stepped right up into Emma’s face. “Just don’t hurt him again.”

“But I…”

Before she could finish her sentence,
Sherilee stalked away. Emma frowned after her. She hated the situation, but
there was nothing much she could do about it. If Owen wanted to talk, then he
knew where to find her. In the meantime, she would try her best to be nice to
Sherilee, which the woman would hate in any case.

She turned to go, only to bump into Nick
Stavros, the vet, coming out of the funeral home.

“Hi, Nick.” She’d been surprised to see him
at the service.

The vet returned her greeting. “Thought I
should put in an appearance,” he said. “Tom brought in his dog a few times. He
might not have cared about his own health, but he cared about Lucky.”

“What’s going to happen to Lucky now?” Emma
asked.

“Well, the niece can’t take him back to
Denver, so I thought I’d keep him.”

“Don’t you already have two dogs?”

“Sure, but he’ll fit in. He’s a nice
fella.” Nick smiled at her. “How about you? Looking for a dog or maybe a parrot
as a pet?”

Emma laughed. “I need to get my own home
before I can think about a pet.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something soon.”

“So you’re happy you made the move here?”

“You bet.” Nick stretched a hand out to
encompass the view of the lake and the mountains in the distance. “Greenville’s
a great place to live.”

Yes, it was, Emma mused, and she was lucky
to be here. She had good friends, a growing business, and loving family. What
else could a person need?

~ THE END ~

Dear Reader

Thank you for
reading
Pushed to the Limit
. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving
a review. I’d really appreciate it.

For a preview of
the first book in the Emma Cassidy Mystery series,
Throw a Monkey Wrench
,
please turn to the next page.

The third book in
the series,
Murder Most Likely
, will be available later in 2016.

If you would like
to receive notifications of new releases, please sign up for my newsletter at
my website
www.karenchester.wordpress.com
.

Thank you!

Karen Chester