Death of the Couch Potato's Wife: Cozy Christian Mysteries (Women Sleuth, Female Detective Suspense) (14 page)

The pastor talked about gossip, which I thought was appropriate. I couldn’t help but feel he was speaking directly to me. In fact, it even seemed his eyes kept focusing on me. I shifted in the pew and looked down at my sermon outline.

I knew gossip was wrong. I knew I shouldn’t be speculating so much lately about my neighbors. But how would I crack this case if I didn’t ask questions? Why was gossip such a struggle? Why was it so easy to justify?

“You okay?” Kent whispered.

I nodded. But was I? Maybe God was disappointed with me. Maybe He was more than disappointed—maybe He was angry.

God didn’t like gossip. I’d learned that from the moment I started going to church.

So I guess I just had to learn to keep my mouth shut—all the while trying to find a killer.

Tiara and her husband, Darius, came over for a cookout after church. Kent had invited them, mostly because Darius also rooted for the Chicago Bears, and Kent wanted to talk football with someone.

It wasn’t that I minded the couple coming over. Tiara was pleasant enough, even if her best friend was a killer.

Possibly.

Or was it Harry? Or Jerry?

I needed to let the suspects percolate in my mind for a while longer. I felt sure I could figure things out, if just given the right amount of time. The problem was, time wasn’t on my side. Not when a killer wanted my neck on the chopping block.

Kent and Darius, along with the twins, were outside on the deck overlooking the lake, grilling chicken and steak while Tiara and I prepared pasta salad inside. Maybe this would be a good time to ask Tiara some questions about Donna—strictly on a factual level. No gossip.

“How’s Donna been doing lately? She’s seemed a little stressed.” I licked my lips, hoping I didn’t sound too eager.

Tiara shrugged and continued to chop celery. “She’s just been busy, I guess.”

“I’m sure it’s stressful running for president of the Homeowner’s Association.”

Her head jerked toward me. “You know about that?”

I nodded. “Hillary’s a pretty fierce opponent.”

“She’s controlling, that’s what she is. Someone needs to put her in her place.”

“I never knew that Donna had an interest in running for office.” I tried to sound casual as I cut up a couple tomatoes and added EVOO—extra virgin olive oil.

“Someone’s gotta step up and take a stand against Hillary.” Tiara looked at me. “I mean, you think so, too, right? Or has Hillary cast her spell over you?”

I found myself at a loss for words. “Hillary is a bit overbearing.”

“You should join Donna’s campaign then.”

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

Thankfully, Kent stuck his head in the back door. “How much longer, ladies?”

“About ten minutes!” I called back. I quickly mixed the rest of the ingredients, hoping the subject of Donna’s campaign would be forgotten. No such luck.

We decided to eat on the deck since the day was unseasonably warm. We settled at the table and adjusted the umbrella to block the sun from our eyes. The charred remains of our shed stood in the distance, a visible reminder of the threat my little family was under. Kent and Darius seemed oblivious to it as they chatted about how to get rid of crabgrass.

If only that was my biggest worry.

A moment of silence fell as we all dug into our food.

“So, who do you think did it?” Darius sliced his steak and put a hefty bite in his mouth. As he chewed, he looked each of us in the eye.

“He’s so obsessed with the whole mess!” Tiara said, throwing her hand in the air and laughing. “I think he wants to be Columbo or something.”

“There’s a killer on the loose in Boring. Everyone should be obsessed with it.”

I nodded. “He’s right.”

His dark eyes connected with mine. “So, what’s your theory?”

Donna, Harry, Yvonne? Who did I start with?

I remembered that sermon about gossip. I should start with no one, I realized, with a slight slump to my shoulders. “I have no idea. I wish the police would arrest someone and soon. Or I wish Jerry would just confess.”

I was willing to let the subject drop. Sure, I wanted to ask for more opinions, but I would be the good girl.

“Well, I think it’s Harry.” Darius raised his eyebrows as if waiting for a reaction.

I nearly choked on my water, which then turned into a cough attack. Kent pounded my back, looking at me with scrunched eyebrows.

Tiara stared at her husband with wide eyes. “Darius! That’s not very nice.”

“Neither is murder.”

Tiara held her palm to the sky and shook her head. “It’s so ridiculous. He thinks Harry did it because he used to date Candace.”

I coughed again. “Harry and Candace used to date?”

Tiara wrinkled her nose. “I thought everyone knew that. We all thought they’d get married one day.”

“What happened?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

“They went away to college, and Candace dumped him for Jerry.”

“Jerry went to college?”

“Laura!” It was Kent’s turn to reprimand me this time.

“I didn’t mean that he doesn’t seem educated. It’s just that–” Okay, so that was exactly what I’d meant.

“They didn’t meet in class. Jerry delivered pizzas to her college dorm. That’s how they met,” Tiara offered.

I wanted to look at Kent and say, “See! I was right.” I restrained myself.

“Were you around when they opened the store? What’s it been? Ten years now?” I wiped my mouth with a napkin.

Darius nodded. “Candace was working in finance up in Indianapolis. Jerry convinced her to give up her job to support his dream of opening a furniture store. I don’t think she ever forgave him.”

“I wonder why he wanted to open a couch store, of all things.”

“He certainly knew all about couches—that’s where he spent most of his time.” Tiara laughed and I found myself giggling, too. I knew I shouldn’t. But what she said was true: If anyone knew about couches, it was Jerry.

“I guess the store never really took off?” Kent asked, wiping his mouth. I raised my eyebrows, surprised he had any interest.

“The store probably could have done okay, but the right leadership just wasn’t in place,” Darius said. “Candace tried to manage the business side of things, but Jerry just kept spending money on those stupid commercials. He wanted his fifteen minutes of fame.”

I remembered his commercials and winced. I sure wouldn’t want to be known as the man who wore tights and a cape. But that was just me.

Darius shrugged, and speared a piece of pasta. “Who knows? Maybe he did kill Candace. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Chapter 16

A couple of hours later, we all relaxed on the deck with ice cream sundaes. The sun crept toward the horizon, and the unusually warm weather was a welcome relief from the frigid days we’d had lately.

One thing I did like about Boring was this deck. I liked the view of the lake and the sounds of the geese honking. I even liked being able to catch a glimpse of the luscious green golf course in the distance.

I never had this in Chicago. I had a balcony overlooking an alley instead.

“Toby! Get back here. Jack, those geese will bite you!”

Tiara abandoned her ice cream to chase her three-year-old twins. As she grabbed them both in a hug, Darius leaned close to us. “I could just look at her all day. She’s even more beautiful now than on the day we met.”

I looked over at Tiara. She was beautiful, no one could deny that. And when I looked at Darius looking at her, my heart lurched. Kent used to look at me that way.

And I used to not feel sorry for myself like I had lately.

Still, I couldn’t help but think that other couples had something that Kent and I didn’t. Or something that Kent and I had lost.

I glanced at Kent. He and Darius were already talking about the Bears.

My heart sagged even further.

I looked at the sky. Lord, can’t I be successful in at least one area of my life? You stripped me of my career and ambitions. Now I’m feeling like a failure in my marriage. And even something simple like investigating a murder—okay, maybe it’s not really that simple, but it still leaves me coming up short. I just need a small touch of hope, a sign that things will get better.

“Are you okay?” Kent whispered. I looked over and saw both men staring at me.

I nodded. “Just looking for rainbows.”

That evening, I asked Babe if she’d like to take a walk. Maybe talking with my friend would help clear my mind. Everything seemed out of focus lately: my marriage, my relationship with God, my relationships in general. I knew from the uneasiness in my gut that I needed to change something in my life. I just wasn’t sure what.

The sun had already set when Babe and I began strolling the neighborhood. The whole subdivision was lined with sidewalks, which made it ideal for long jaunts. Some of the houses circled the lake and others were flush up against the golf course. There were no noisy sounds of highways or construction or people partying too late.

Maybe I was beginning to like it here in Boring after all. I didn’t miss those old aspects of my life in the least.

I kicked a rock out of my way on the sidewalk, in no hurry to get anywhere. I tried to think of small talk to start with, before jumping into the deeper issues. Babe must have sensed my anxiety because, for once, she remained quiet. She almost had a faraway look in her eyes.

“Are the police going to let Jerry come to the funeral tomorrow?” I asked, still chasing the rock with my foot as it scampered ahead of me.

“That’s what I heard through the neighborhood scuttlebutt. The five-Os don’t have enough evidence to charge him.”

“Five-Os?”

“You know, the PoPo.”

“PoPo?”

“The police, Laura. The police. Get with it.” She snapped her fingers.

“Not enough evidence? He lied. He had an affair. That seems like enough evidence to me!”

“Lying doesn’t make you a killer. No, they need proof. Real, hard proof.” She rubbed her arms.

“Are you too cold? The temperature’s probably dropped fifteen degrees since earlier.” I had to remind myself that Babe was in her seventies. Though she had the spirit of a teenager, her body was frailer than she let on.

“I’ll be fine. The fresh air is good for me.”

“Fresh air is nice.”

“Didn’t get much of this in Chicago, did you?”

I laughed, and found a new rock to abuse. “No, I will give Boring, Indiana, that. Everything just feels cleaner here.”

Silence lagged, and the second rock somehow escaped me.

This would be the perfect time to tell Babe about the note. Out here, there were no listening ears. Even though I initially feared that Babe talked too much, I’d come to realize that I could trust Babe when it came down to important issues like this.

“I need to tell you something, Babe. But you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

She gave me a quick glance before nodding. “Of course.”

I checked behind me, just to make sure we were alone. The bright headlights of a souped-up golf cart glared at us from the distance. No doubt just some of the neighbors out being social. It wasn’t unusual to see people cruising around the neighborhood in their golf carts. I assumed that was just something people in small towns did for fun.

I drew in a deep breath. “Somebody’s threatening me, Babe.”

I explained about the note.

Babe stopped in her tracks there on the sidewalk. “You haven’t told Kent yet?”

I shook my head. “How can I? They said they’ll kill him if I do.”

“How will they know?”

“Because someone bugged my house!” Saying it out loud made me feel delusional.

“What are you talking about? Do you think we’re a bunch of spies around here?”

“I’m serious. Someone bugged my house. They recorded a conversation between Kent and me and played it back to me over the phone.”

“That’s terrible. And invasive. You have to tell Kent.” She grabbed my arm. “No wonder you feel distant from him lately, Laura. Secrets can divide couples.”

Our troubles went deeper than that. We’d been divided before I got that letter.

Should I plunge deeper with Babe? Why not? I needed to get some things off my chest. “It’s not only that, Babe. He’s been going somewhere every Friday afternoon while at work. I found out by accident.”

We began walking again. The golf cart still puttered behind us. I wished the driver would just go ahead and pass. Instead, he rambled on the sidewalk at a leisurely pace.

“Woman, you’ve got to ask him about it. No wonder you look so miserable.”

My heart panged. “What if I don’t like his answer?”

“What if it clears up this whole mess? What if there’s a logical explanation, and you’re fretting about it for no reason?”

“I don’t want to face reality if that’s not the case, though.” It may be pathetic, but it was the truth.

“Laura, you’ve got to talk to him. For the sake of your marriage.”

“I hate this, Babe. I hate what’s happened to my marriage. Kent and I used to be so close, so in love. Now we’re—we’re just like friends.”

“Marriage has its phases. Every marriage does.”

“Even yours did?”

“Of course. You just have to remember the happy times. Dwell on those.”

Kent and I did have happy times. Really happy times when I thought I might burst with the joy of finding my soul mate. What had time done to our relationship?

The golf cart was right behind us now, trolling along at a snail’s pace. Its lights were so bright that I couldn’t even see who was driving. I stepped onto the grass to let it pass. Babe followed my lead.

“You should tell the police about the note too. Maybe there’s a fingerprint on it.”

Babe was right. I should give the letter to the police. I wasn’t sure why my stubbornness stopped me.

“Who in the world is driving that golf cart? Why doesn’t it just pass us?” Babe turned and shielded her eyes from the blinding headlights.

The golf cart suddenly sped up. It was about time. I waited for it to zoom past. Instead, it veered from the sidewalk.

Right toward Babe and me.