Down Home and Deadly Read online

  “I’m okay, John. I needed to get out of the house, and your mom volunteered to babysit.” Denise’s words floated to us, her exasperation clear in her tone. “I can walk by myself. Why don’t you get my chair out of the car?”

  Tiffany had opened the trunk, and she stepped back to let John take the red lawn chair. Ricky waved her over to be on his team, and she jogged toward him.

  I’d never have thought of her as athletic, but then again she was the opposite of her mother, and I sure couldn’t imagine Amelia enjoying a pick-up basketball game or hanging out at the Stafford Cabins play area on a Sunday afternoon, for that matter.

  We all stood there gawking at the John and Denise show as they reached us and he got her settled into her chair. By the time he had her situated to suit him, she almost needed binoculars to keep up with the action. He handed her his phone and his portable radio and turned toward us.

  As soon as he finished, Dad said, “Denise, you can be on my team. We need a good guard.” He winked at me.

  Sure enough, John rose to the bait. “She can’t play!” As we burst out laughing, he grinned weakly. “Oh, I guess you knew that.”

  “Go on, honey, you play and uphold the family honor,” Denise said, edging her chair closer to where Carly, Mama, and the twins were sitting. “I’ll just watch safely from the sidelines and cheer you on.”

  After the kayaker from cabin seven joined us, we had twelve players, just enough for three teams of four. We flipped a coin to see who would play the first round. Seth, Ricky, Tiffany, and John drew the first game against Alex, Elliot, Zac, and me. That left Dad, the honeymooners, and the kayaker for the third team.

  During a water break, Tiffany and I joined Carly, Mama, and Denise on the sidelines.

  “Nice shooting there, Tex,” I drawled to Tiffany.

  She smiled. “Two years of dating a basketball coach. He was obsessed with the game, and if I wanted to see him, it had to be on the court.”

  When we went back onto the court, the game moved fast and furiously. We were up by six points when Seth went up for a shot. He missed, but as he came down, he yelled, “Foul!” at Alex.

  Alex frowned. “I don’t think so.”

  Ricky walked up to stand beside Seth. “Think so or not, you did,” he said to Alex.

  “We’ll replay.” Alex offered a compromise.

  Seth shrugged. “Fine by me.”

  Before we could resume play, though, Denise hollered for John. He gasped and sprinted toward her, no doubt expecting to have to deliver the baby right there on the sidelines. But she waggled his cell phone at him.

  We all sat down on the concrete for a short break while he took the call. Zac, Elliott, Alex, and I sat together.

  “You didn’t foul him,” Zac murmured.

  Alex shrugged. “It’s just a game.”

  Elliott smiled. “Easy to say when we’re ahead.”

  Zac’s face brightened. “We are smoking them, aren’t we?”

  Elliott nodded. “Nice three-pointer, buddy.”

  “Thanks. I’ve been practicing.”

  I had a flash of realization. Carly was incredibly blessed that Zac and Elliott had such an easy relationship. Amelia and Tiffany were proof that even a blood bond didn’t guarantee that kind of camaraderie.

  John clicked his phone shut and walked back over to the court. “Seth, Ricky, I need you to come with me. Something’s come up. Good game, y’all.” The last was aimed at us as the men headed purposefully to John’s car. I dashed after them and tried to casually stroll along beside John. Kind of hard since he took one step to my two.

  “John, are you going to the station?”

  He kept walking.

  “Did someone have a wreck? Is anyone hurt?”

  Still walking.

  But my gut wouldn’t let me be quiet. “This has something to do with the murder case, hasn’t it?”

  No answer.

  “John Connor, you make me so mad. All you have to do is tell me what’s going on.”

  Finally, he whipped his head around to look at me. “You’re wrong there, Jenna. I don’t have to tell you anything. This is official police business. Go play ball.”

  After the third game, which, by the way, we won handily, the guests went back to their own cabins and the rest of us scattered. Carly and Elliott headed out to the glider under the elm tree. Alex had some work to catch up on, so Mama and I walked over to the porch swing.

  “Mama, did you know the guy that was murdered was from here?” I sat down in the swing.

  She sat down beside me. “Yes.”

  “Did you and Daddy know him?” I pushed off the swing with my toe.

  “We knew who he was. He left here a long time ago.”

  “Tell me about him. Where did he go?”

  “I don’t know all that much about him, honey. And I have no idea where he went.”

  “I just want to know why he was killed. And who murdered him.”

  “Honey. . .” Mama pushed the swing with her foot. “I know you. The more you learn, the more you want to find out. And before you know it, you’re right in the middle of a murder investigation.”

  There was definitely truth in what she was saying, but it still stung. “C’mon, it happened right there behind the diner. Plus I found the body.” I shivered involuntarily. “It’s not like I chose this.”

  “No, but you choose whether or not to get involved. You know I’ve always said your curiosity would be your downfall.” She turned to look at me. “And so far you’ve managed to survive, but I pray every day that you’ll be safe.”

  “I appreciate it.” I pushed the swing gently. “That’s probably what’s kept me alive this long.” I grinned in an effort to lighten things up a little.

  She answered my grin with a frown. “Just wait until you have kids of your own. You’ve never worried until you’ve worried about your children.” She stopped the swing with her foot and turned toward me. “Your daddy and I want you to promise to stay out of it this time.”

  “I understand.” I wasn’t making any promises, except one to myself to keep my mama and daddy from worrying about me.

  She reached over and patted my hand. “We’re just tired of visiting you in the hospital.”

  Across the yard, a motion caught our attention. Carly jumped up out of the glider and stomped toward the back of the house. Elliott got up and followed her. She turned and said something that we couldn’t hear and waved him away. He walked slowly with his head down toward his car.

  I looked back at Mama. “Do you think we should go after her?”

  “No. What did I tell you about minding your own business? If she wants to tell us she will.”

  But I couldn’t help noticing the worried expression on Mama’s face.

  *****

  *****

  Chapter Five

  Wouldn’t that kill corn hip high?

  “I don’t know why it’s so hard for John to share any information with me,” I complained to Alex as I handed him a piece of cake later that night.

  He took the plate. “Maybe you should bribe him with cake.”

  I plopped down on my couch beside him. “I mean it. He’s infuriating.”

  He took a big bite of cake and made an mmm sound low in his throat. “Who said you can’t cook?”

  Very funny. He knew I’d gotten the coconut cake in the freezer section at Wal-Mart. All I’d had to do was thaw it out. My kind of cooking.

  “While you’re changing the subject with flattery, let’s not forget my basketball-playing ability,” I said.

  He grinned. “Oh, c’mon, Miss-Used-to-Be-a-Coach, you can play circles around me on the court, and you know it.”

  “Are you fishing for compliments?” I asked, laughing. “You’re as good as you were in high school. And if I remember correctly, you lettered in every sport at Lake View High.”

  Neuro jumped up on the couch beside him, and Alex stroked her fur. Her purring vibrated the whole room.

&nb
sp; “She’s complimenting you,” I said.

  “She’s just hoping to get a cake crumb.” He ruffled her head, which she usually hated, but she pushed against his hand instead of walking away.

  I took his empty plate and put it in the sink.

  “Want to go sit out on the porch with a letterman?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  I laughed at his silliness and pushed open the back door. We had just settled into the lawn chairs to watch Mr. Persi, my golden retriever, bounding around the fenced-in yard when the cell phone in my pocket rang.

  “I’ll call them back, whoever it is.” I slid it out and glanced at the caller ID. “Weird. It’s Bob.”

  Alex raised an eyebrow. “You’d better take it. If you don’t, your curiosity will drive us both crazy.”

  Even when I was working at the club, Bob rarely called me after work hours. And since the day I quit, he hadn’t called at all.

  “Hey, Bob. What’s up?” Mr. Persi came over and plopped down on the porch between us.

  “They came and got Lisa for more questioning.” Bob said with no preamble. He sounded so rattled, I wouldn’t have recognized his voice if not for the caller ID. “In the police car.”

  “They took Lisa in? Why?” I glanced over toward Alex who was absently patting Mr. Persi.

  “The gun belongs to her.” Bob’s voice choked up. “It’s her gun. The gun that killed J.D. Her prints were on it. On the gun. They really think she did it.” His words were so jumbled, I wondered if he even realized he was repeating himself.

  I didn’t know what to say. Any platitude I offered would be just that. “Bob, you need to stay calm. I’m sure they’ll realize she’s innocent.” Lisa was self-centered and totally self-absorbed, but that didn’t make her a murderer. Or was she? My mind began to race. Had something happened to make Lisa want to kill J.D? Lisa always seemed to think that if she wanted something, it was hers. Maybe in this case she realized she didn’t want J.D., so she eliminated him. But like I’d told Debbie, surely breaking up would be easier. And less messy.

  “First she married Larry, that abusive—” His voice choked. “Now this. Hasn’t she been through enough?”

  “Her husband abused her?” Okay, I officially felt terrible. I’d have guessed it to be the other way around, if anything. I couldn’t imagine Lisa putting up with being mistreated. But I guess that just showed that anything was possible.

  “Yes. And she’s finally putting it behind her.” He took a shuddering breath. “Jenna, would you come over to the gym and talk to her tomorrow? That is, if they let her come home.” I could hear the tears in his voice. “I need you to help me clear her name.”

  “I’ll be there first thing in the morning, Bob. I don’t go to the diner until noon.”

  “Thanks, Jenna. I’ll make sure she’s there. It means a lot to me to know you’re supporting her. I know you’ve had your differences, but she needs all of her friends around her right now.” He lowered his voice, and after years of working with him, I could easily visualize the sheepish expression on his face. “And, by the way, you know you’re welcome to use the club pool anytime.”

  If I’d been the type to kick a man while he was down, I’d have made a sarcastic comment about selling more T-shirts that way, but I settled for, “Thanks. I’ll do that.”

  To be honest, swimming in the lake was getting a little uncomfortable. The weather could turn nippy without warning. Yes, I’m a wimp. But I wasn’t about to admit to Bob how much I was missing the perks of my old job.

  “I’m glad we cleared that up.” He stopped speaking to me, and I could hear a muted conversation in the background. Then, “Jenna, Wilma said Lisa just called and they’re bringing her home now. I have to go.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” I hit the end key and dropped the phone in my pocket.

  I looked over at Alex. “You heard?”

  He nodded.

  “You know it’ll kill Bob if Lisa is guilty. She’s the light of his and Wilma’s lives.”

  “Not to mention the boss of their lives. They shouldn’t have spoiled her quite so much. At least that’s my opinion.” Alex looked up at the moonlit sky. “We won’t spoil our kids like that, will we?”

  “Not if we have five or six like you want to. Who would have time to spoil them?” I grinned at him. “Who would have time to even take care of them?” He had been teasing me about wanting a big family. A really big family.

  He leaned over and kissed me softly then pulled back and caressed my cheek with his thumb. “You know what?”

  I shook my head mutely as I stared into his sparkling eyes.

  “As long as you’re in my family, whatever size it is will be just perfect.”

  Mr. Persi barked loudly and pushed between us.

  Alex laughed. “At least I have his seal of approval. I’m not so sure about Neuro.”

  My cat had always been a tad neurotic—hence her name. But after Mr. Persi trotted into our lives and stayed, she quit pulling her fur out. And since Alex had been hanging around, she seemed more relaxed than ever. “Neuro loves you.”

  “And. . . ?” he teased.

  “And so do I.”

  “I never get tired of hearing it.”

  Wasn’t that perfect? Because I never got tired of saying it.

  *****

  After Alex left, I thought about what he said about our children. We had truly come a long way since earlier in the summer when he was too busy even to think about a future with me.

  When Carly called as I was getting ready for bed, I was still smiling. “Hello.”

  “Hi.”

  Her gloomy voice reminded me of the apparent fuss Mama and I had witnessed between her and Elliott earlier. “You doing okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m making a tunnel-of-fudge cake.”

  “For what?”

  She hesitated. “Just because.”

  Uh-oh. Anytime Carly started baking random desserts, I knew we had a problem. “Yeah, right. So you and Elliott had a fight?”

  “No.” Her tone was vehement. “We just disagreed about something,” she said more quietly.

  “Oh,” I said dryly. “Thanks for clearing that up for me.”

  “Enough about us. What about you? Are you getting excited about the wedding? Or has the murder sidetracked your thoughts?”

  “The wedding is a means to an end. But I’m excited about Alex and me becoming a family.” I stroked Neuro’s thickening fur and told Carly what Alex had said earlier.

  “God’s really blessed us, hasn’t He, Jen?” Her words were choked with tears. I just hoped they were happy tears.

  “Yes, He has.”

  We talked for a few more minutes, then I told her about Bob calling.

  “Don’t you know he’s brokenhearted?” she said. “I remember how upset I was when Zac was a suspect in Hank’s murder.”

  “Me, too,” I admitted. “That’s all I can think about. It’s hard for me to feel an overabundance of sympathy for Lisa, but no parent should have to go through that.”

  “And sometimes it’s hard to know where to draw the line at protecting our children from pain.”

  I had a strange feeling my sister wasn’t talking about Bob and Lisa anymore. But I knew from experience that whatever was going on, she’d tell me when she was ready. And not a minute before.

  *****

  Gail was at the desk when I arrived at the gym the next morning.

  Her solemn face lit up when she saw me. “Jenna, what are you doing here?”

  “I just stopped by for a few minutes.” No need to tell her why I was here.

  “Guess you heard about Lisa?”

  I nodded. “Bob called me.”

  “Are you going to be here for a while? I get a break in about thirty minutes, and we could talk.”

  I shook my head. “I wish I could stay. I have some things I need to ask you, but right now I have to talk to Lisa then get on to the diner.” I headed toward the office, but she
followed me down the hall.

  “Did he give you any details?” She looked around to make sure no one could hear us.

  “Not yet. I’ll be back to swim as soon as I get a free minute, and we can hash everything out.”

  She took the hint and went back to her post. As I neared the open door to the office, I could hear Lisa talking to someone.

  “They had to release me. I have an alibi.”

  It wasn’t because I was trying to eavesdrop that I stood outside the slightly open door. It was merely that I thought it would be bad manners to barge in when she was busy with someone else. Really.

  “A genuine alibi or one you conveniently set up?” a man’s voice snarled.

  “I told you just like I told John. Someone stole that gun. I’ve kept it here in the desk drawer for protection, just like you told me to.”

  The man’s voice was low, and I couldn’t hear his words.

  “Larry, I don’t know who else knew it was here or who took it,” Lisa said. “If I did, I’d tell the police.”

  “Because we both know you’re so trustworthy?” the man roared.

  Finally feeling guilty about eavesdropping, especially now that I realized she was talking to her husband, I reached up to tap lightly on the door. It burst open away from my fingers, and I was face-to-face with a furious man I’d never seen before. “Get out!” Lisa screamed, unnecessarily it seemed, because the man nearly bowled me over in his haste to leave. The overpowering scent of Lisa’s perfume followed him out like a cloud.

  I stared after him. I’d always heard that Lisa’s wealthy, older husband, Lawrence Hall, favored Ricardo Montalbán during his Fantasy Island years. Today he looked more like the madman Ricardo played in The Wrath of Khan.

  “Oh, it’s you.”

  I spun around to face Lisa. “Yes, me.” She sounded less than thrilled, but maybe that was more an irritated residue of the argument than it was my presence.