Real Murder (Lovers in Crime Mystery Book 2) (9 page)

Joshua and Curt exchanged glances.

Curt scratched his head. “Now you’re making me wonder just how far over his head Mike could have gotten.”

“And over what?” Joshua asked.

Chapter Ten

“I’m stuffed.” Joshua groaned while turning the  steering wheel to pull the SUV onto their cobblestone driveway. “Did we really have to order the extra-large platter of Buffalo wings?”

“It isn’t like you had to eat the very last one.” Donny said with a moan from the back seat. The teenager’s stomach was usually a bottomless pit. This evening, though, Cameron  suspected they had reached the bottom when they were forced to bring home the last two slices of pizza in a takeout box.

Joshua’s SUV came to a halt behind a metallic blue sedan with New York tags resting in front of the porch steps.

“Oh, no.” Cameron sucked in a deep breath with the  realization of who was the owner of the car. “When did Tracy  decide to come home?”

“She told me that she was coming home last night,”  Joshua reminded her while throwing open the door. “I told you …”

The vague memory was coming back to her when Tracy came running out the front door with Admiral galloping next to her. Irving was close behind them. While Joshua gave his older daughter a bear hug, Irving raced across the  yard, through the hedges, and out onto Rock Springs Boulevard.

At twenty-two, Tracy Thornton was every father’s dream. The slightly built young woman had a flawless figure, lush auburn hair, and her father’s striking blue eyes. With  culinary talent, and a compassion for the family that she had taken care of after her mother’s sudden death when she was only a teenager, Tracy was every bit Daddy’s little  girl.

Joshua did have another daughter, Sarah, who was in her first year at the Naval Academy. Strong-willed and  independent, Sarah lacked the feminine vulnerability that endeared Tracy to her father’s heart. The fact that Tracy  strongly resembled her mother, Joshua’s first wife, didn’t hurt either.

While Cameron waited for what seemed like an hour for Joshua to release Tracy, who was hanging onto him with her arms wrapped around his neck, she felt the pang of hurt that comes from being displaced.

The hug was broken up by Donny, who tapped his sister’s shoulder for her to notice him standing there and the fact that he was now a head taller than her. “Hey, short-stuff,” he said. “Remember me?”

Tracy released her arms from Joshua’s neck to gawk up at Donny. “When are you going to stop growing?” She had to reach up to hug him and give him a kiss on the cheek while he wrapped his arms around her.

Cameron saw Joshua waving his arm for her to step around to the front of the SUV to join them. When she hesitated, he rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. Stepping behind Tracy, who was still hugging Donny, he reached over to grasp her wrist and pull her over to his side. “Tracy, you remember Cameron?”

In whirling around from where she was greeting Donny, Tracy whipped a lock of long hair across Cameron’s face. Grimacing, Cameron rubbed her nose to stop the impending sneeze.

“Cameron!” Even though her tone was filled with enthusiasm, Tracy’s body language, which caused distance between the two women, betrayed less affection for her father’s new wife. “It is so good to see you. Should I be calling you Mom?”

“No,” Cameron said more forcibly than she intended. Swallowing hard, she was aware of Joshua watching the two women with apprehension. It was as if he expected them to break into a catfight. “Call me Cameron. That’s what Donny calls me.” With a nervous giggle, she added, “I answer to anything.”

“I wish I could have made it out to be here when you two decided to get married so quickly,” Tracy said.

“It was nothing fancy,” Cameron said. “We just went to the church. Tad and Jan stood up for us.”

“I was there, too,” Donny said. “We went to Cricksters afterwards and they made this giant wedding sundae with a bride and groom on top.” He whipped out his cell phone. “I sent you guys the picture. Did you get it?” He held out the phone to show her.

“No.” Tracy slapped it away.

“I’ll resend it then.”

“I mean I don’t care to see their wedding sundae,” she replied. “Who has wedding sundaes instead of cake anyway?”

“We did.” Cameron saw the same smoldering look in Tracy’s eyes that Joshua would get when holding back rising fury.

She had seen it only the week before when Irving got even with him for throwing away his latest prize, a dead mouse that he had brought in to show Joshua while he was   drinking his first cup of coffee in the morning. Irving’s  revenge was to pee in Joshua’s bedroom slippers.

Tracy’s blue eyes turned dark like the sky right before a thunderstorm bursts to take its wrath on anyone unlucky enough to be in the vicinity. “I hope y’all are hungry,” she said with a forced smile. “I made dinner.”

“Oh, we already ate,” Donny said.

Cameron felt Joshua’s grip on her arm tighten when Tracy turned her glare to her brother.

“What did you make?” Donny asked.

“Homemade chicken cordon bleu,” Tracy replied. “Garlic mashed potatoes. All of Dad’s favorites. Plus, I picked up a bottle of pinot grigio for him to have with it.” She turned to Cameron. “I got root beer for you since you can’t drink.”

Cameron ignored the cutting tone in the reminder that she did not drink alcohol. The words between the lines were clear. “ … Since you’re a drunk.” Or rather, recovering drunk. Forget that she hadn’t had a drink for several years. It was still a worthy weapon for inflicting a wound—if Cameron allowed it to do so, which she refused to let happen. “Root beer float for dessert,” she smiled broadly to show all of her teeth. “My favorite.”

“Great! Let’s get started.” Donny raced inside. Admiral galloped next to him.

“I guess we’re having a second dinner,” Joshua said.

“If I knew—” Tracy said.

“You didn’t tell me what time you’d be here,” Joshua said.

“Did you check your voice mails?” she asked.

“Yes,” Joshua said while taking his cell phone from its case. His groan told both Cameron and Tracy that he had left his cell phone in airplane mode, which he put it in when he had a court appearance. Since he had not switched it back, Tracy’s calls had gone straight to voice mail. He didn’t notice it earlier because Cameron had called Donny when they left the sheriff’s office. “Sorry, hon.” He slipped the cell phone back into its case.

“That’s okay, Daddy.” Tracy slipped back into his embrace. “I’m just glad to be home again. Let’s go inside and have a cocktail and you can tell me all about where you are on the case. Do you know who killed Hunter’s dad yet?”

“Cameron and I have made some headway.” With his arm around her waist, Joshua led her up the steps.

Tracy turned around to where Cameron had opened up the back of the SUV to take out one of the case boxes. “Cameron and you?”

“Yes,” Joshua said. “Cameron and I are working together. We make a good team.”

When she carried the box up to the porch, Cameron saw that the smile on Tracy’s lips did not reach her eyes.

Tearing her glare from Cameron, Tracy told her father, “That’s good. I’m glad you two get along so well.” She hurried inside. “I need to check the chicken.”

“Is she upset about us eating dinner without her?” Joshua asked Cameron while taking the folder box from her.

“Gee,” Cameron replied with sarcasm, “I don’t know.”

Joshua had started up the steps when she muttered under her breath, “But I do know this. When she gives me that root beer float, I’m not drinking it before she tastes it first.”

Hearing her, Joshua turned around so fast that his elbow bumped her nose. “What did you say?”

Holding her aching nose, Cameron blinked away the stars shooting in front of her eyes. “I said I love root beer floats. Can’t wait.”

Sometimes, Cameron thought there was something wrong with her. Most women, she assumed, fantasized  about the day when they would have daughters old enough to talk to like sisters while cooking together in the kitchen.

Cameron had never had that fantasy. As a matter of fact, she never pictured herself with children—period. Being an only child, she had no siblings or nieces or nephews to  babysit. When she approached the age of forty, she felt no urgency to beat the biological clock by having a child. That was one reason why she believed Joshua Thornton was perfect for her. His children were grown so that she could relate to them as adults. She spoke to Donny as a friend, and he related to her likewise. They had an understanding.

With Tracy Thornton, it proved to be a different matter altogether.

The huge country kitchen in the Thornton home had been renovated upon Joshua’s return to Chester with his  children. Then sixteen years old, Tracy had had a hand in  renovating the kitchen to bring it up to modern standards.

It was Tracy’s kitchen—where she used to cook for her family. It was her territory.

Cameron was the outsider … or so she sensed when she came into the kitchen to find Tracy searching through the drawers. “What are you looking for?”

“The whisk.” Tracy extracted the tool from the drawer and slammed it shut. “It belongs in this basket with the frequently used utensils.” With the end of the whisk, she tapped the wire container holding spatulas and other kitchen tools next to the stove before proceeding to use it to stir the sauce on the stove.

“I’m sorry,” Cameron said, “I guess I don’t use the whisk frequently enough to consider it a frequently used utensil.”

Tracy shot a quick glance in her direction.

There was definitely a tension present that had not been there when Tracy and her brothers and sister had met Cameron at Christmas. Things had been different then. Cameron had been their dad’s girlfriend. While Cameron and Irving spent much of their time in the Thornton home, there was no hint that Cameron and Irving would become a permanent fixture.

But Cameron had not only become a fixture—she was also a full-fledged member of the family.

“Do you know how to use a whisk?” Tracy asked her.

“I believe so,” Cameron replied.

Abandoning the whisk and saucepan, Tracy moved on to where she was mashing the potatoes.

Cameron peered into the saucepan at the thick yellowish sauce. It smelled delicious. “What’s this?” She picked up the whisk and stirred it.

“Light lemon hollandaise sauce,” Tracy replied. “It’s for the chicken. Mom taught me how to make it. She was a great cook.”

“Your dad told me that,” Cameron said. “He says you take after her.”

There was a moment of silence. Cameron noticed Tracy pause while mashing the potatoes to stare into the bowl.

“You look like her.” Cameron peered over her shoulder at her. “Her picture is still in the study on the bookcase.”

“Yours is on his desk now.” Tracy abandoned the mashed potatoes to return to the saucepan. “You’re doing it wrong.” She took the whisk from Cameron’s hand. “You don’t stir  with it. You whip it. Let me show you how to properly use a whisk.” Edging Cameron to the side, she proceeded to make quick whipping motions with the whisk in the sauce to  thicken it. “It’s all in the wrist. Your goal is to incorporate air into the sauce to thicken it and make it creamier.” She turned to her. “See?” Holding up the whisk that was covered in the light yellow sauce, she shook it in Cameron’s face. “That is how you properly use a whisk.”

The two women’s eyes met.

Like two gunfighters, they faced each other eye to eye.

“How’re my two favorite ladies?” Joshua trotted in from the back staircase and stopped when he saw them. “What’s going on?”

Without a word, Cameron grabbed the whisk out of Tracy’s hand and turned back to the saucepan.

Tracy scurried back to the mashed potatoes at the other end of the counter.

“Did I miss something?” Apprehension made his question come out in a stutter.

Forcing a smile across her face, Cameron held up the whisk and shook it menacingly in his direction. “I’m learning how to use a whisk properly.”

As if he feared that she was going to use the whisk as a weapon against him, Joshua backed up a step.

“Hey, Cam …” Donny came in from the back porch.  He was holding Irving’s food dish filled with his dinner.  “Have you seen Irving?”

“Last I saw him, he was running out the driveway,” Cameron said.

“Well, I just saw Mr. Grant drive by,” Donny said. “If he was down at the bar tying one on, and he sees Irving, he’s  going to be calling—”

“I’ll go find him.” Anxious to get out of the line of fire, Joshua hurried to the door.

“Try Ms. Houseman’s house,” Cameron suggested.

“Why Ms. Houseman?” Tracy asked.

“It turns out the two of them have become very good friends,” Cameron said.

Joshua paused at the door.

Seeing his hesitation, Tracy asked, “What’s wrong, Dad?”

“Are you afraid of Dolly?” Cameron asked with a sly grin.

Tracy turned to him. “She’s a sweet little old lady.  Before I went to New York, she gave me a secret family   recipe for a homemade liquor that had been passed down  to her from her father. Why are you afraid of her?”

“I’m not afraid of anything.” Joshua reached into the  cabinet for Irving’s can of cat treats. “I’m going to get Irving before Mr. Grant calls the police again.” He slammed the door on his way out.

Women!
Joshua cursed under his breath while making his way around the house and out the driveway.
Why do women have to make everything so difficult? And don’t tell me it isn’t  a woman thing. Even Cameron says it’s women. She actually  prefers working with men because when women get involved, things get stupid.

Joshua was shaking his head by the time he came out of his circular drive to the sidewalk.
What’s the big deal over a wedding anyway? Tracy and J. J. have it completely wrong. It isn’t like we’re twenty-one and getting married for the first time. Big weddings with parties and white gowns and tuxes? Nah! Been there. Done that. It would have taken months to get all of the kids home at the same time, and Cameron and I wanted to be  together. What kind of example would it have set for Donny to have her move in and for us to live together without being  married? So we did it. We got married in the church and the big guy who counted, God, was there to bless our union. That’s what was important. What is the big deal about us not waiting for all of the kids to get here for a big hoopla? Why can’t Tracy and  J. J. understand?

“Raw-awl!” Irving cried out from across the street.

“My sentiments exactly,” Joshua said in response while peering through the dark to where the black and white cat was perched on the top step of Dolly Houseman’s porch. He pointed at him. “You! Get over here!”

Standing up, Irving screeched at him. With his back arched and fur up on end, he jumped down off the porch and ran around the corner of the house to the backyard.

“Get back here!” Joshua gave chase. “I’m not in the mood for this, Irving!” When he rounded the corner of the house to go into Dolly’s backyard, he found Irving pacing back and forth on the porch. Having played that game more often than he would have liked, Joshua knew that if he immediately ran after him, Irving would run. Better to entice the feline to come to him. Taking the canister of treats out of his pocket, Joshua casually came from around the corner of the house and shook the treats for Irving to hear. The sound of the treats  rattling in the canister never failed to bring Irving running from any corner of the house when they were home.

As soon as he saw Joshua, Irving ran up onto the porch, pried open the screen door with his paw, and slipped into the house.

“No!” Joshua was cursing the embarrassment that would surely come upon knocking on the door and then explaining to Dolly Houseman about how his cat had barged into her home like he owned the place.

Sucking up the nerve to knock on her door, Joshua felt the flush come to his face as he realized that this would be the first time he would face her knowing that she was a retired madam. Surely, she would see the embarrassment on his face when he looked at her and envisioned her running a cathouse.

Maybe that’s why Irving has struck up such a friendship with her.

Joshua lifted his fist. Before his knuckles met the wooden door, he saw that it was not latched. It swung open when he rapped on it.

Irving stuck his head out through the crack and looked up at Joshua. He could see sparks of light in the cat’s  emerald green eyes where they caught the light from the porch lamp. “Rhawl!” the cat meowed before coming back out, rubbing against Joshua’s legs, and then trotting back inside.

Joshua pushed the door open to step into the dark  kitchen. “Ms. Houseman?” he called out in a loud voice. “It’s Josh. I’m sorry to bother you. Your door was open and Irving came in. I’m in your kitchen. Are you home?”

Irving meowed from the middle of the kitchen.

“Irving, come on,” Joshua hissed at him. “Come to Daddy.” He shook the can of treats again.

Irving spun around and bound out of the kitchen into the dining room.

“You’re in big trouble, cat!”

Joshua scurried after him. In the dining room, Irving was waiting on the other side of the table. When Joshua came around the table, he found that the chair at the head of the table was overturned.

What happened here?

Then, he noticed that the centerpiece was knocked over and the plastic flowers were scattered across the table.

Irving hissed before trotting into the next room.

Shoving the can of treats into his pocket, Joshua ran into the living room where Irving was circling a fallen figure in the middle of the floor. In the dark, Joshua was unable to tell for sure who it was, but he had a good guess. He flipped on the wall switch to bathe the living room in light.

At her advanced age, it would have been assumed that Dolly Houseman had collapsed from a heart attack or stroke. But that notion was easily dismissed by the pool of blood forming under her body, which was covered with unmistakable stab wounds.

Blood splatters covered the wall and the furniture.

The room looked like a blood bath.

Irving pawed at the elderly woman’s bloody face.

Joshua started to rush to her when he suddenly thought about who had done it.
Are they still here in the house?

The answer came in an instant when he saw a shadow move on the wall across from him.

Joshua whirled around. The last thing he saw before the lights went out was the bloody knife raised up over his head and coming down toward him.

He threw up his arm to block the blow of the butcher knife that came down on him. At the same time, he threw a fist into the assailant’s midsection.

He heard the knife clatter when it hit the floor.

The assailant tackled Joshua and propelled him backwards. They stumbled together over the coffee table, which collapsed under their weight.

Joshua tried to get a look at his assailant’s face in the glow of the porch light shining in through the window. All he could see was a shadow from the shade of the black hoodie that he had pulled up to cover his head.

The dark figure scrambled to his feet and turned to run, but Joshua sprung up to tackle him by his legs. Desperate, the assailant kicked Joshua in the face to get him to release his grip on him. Then, he jumped to his feet.

Refusing to give up the chase, Joshua climbed up onto his knees when the bookcase that the assailant pulled down from the wall collapsed on top of him.

As he was losing consciousness, Joshua could hear a man screaming while Irving screeched at an ear shattering pitch.