Gluten for Punishment (24 page)

CHAPTER
33

M
y cell phone rang as the chief checked the house and the CSU guys hung around on the
front porch answering Grandma Ruth’s questions.

“Hello?”

“Toni, are you all right?” It was Brad. I stepped off to a more quiet part of the
porch. Grandma had started arguing science with one of the techs.

I put a finger in one ear and listened carefully. “Hi Brad, yes, I’m fine. You said
to call if anything else happened. Last night, someone slashed two tires on my van,
and this evening I came home and found my kitchen vandalized and a threatening note
painted across my cabinets.”

He muttered something dark. “Did you call Chief Blaylock?”

“Yes.” I glanced over to see the chief open my storm door and usher the techs inside.
“He’s here right now. There’s also a CSU unit. I’m out on the porch with Grandma Ruth.”

“I can be there in five minutes.”

“No.” I held my palm out as if he could see me trying to stop him. “Really, you don’t
have to come. You said I should call and I did.”

“Things are getting serious, Toni.” His low voice rumbled through me, at once comforting
and compelling. “Maybe you should think about staying with someone else for a while.”

I glanced at my house. A tech was using fingerprint dust on the storm door. I winced.
It had taken forever to clean up my bakery, I could only imagine what kind of work
it would take to clean up the house.

“Toni?”

“Yes.” I blew out a breath and turned away from the house. “You’re right. I’ll call
Tasha.”

“You said there was a threatening note. What did it say?”

I looked out at the old elms and jiggled to stay warm. “Something about minding my
own business.”

“Have you been investigating on your own again?”

I rolled my eyes. He sounded like Tim. “No. I’ve been too busy cleaning up my bakery,
catching up on orders, and getting my van towed, buying new tires—”

“Okay, okay, calm down.”

Nothing triggered my ire faster than a man telling me to calm down as if I were being
a crazy woman. “Brad, someone is stalking me and ruining my business, my van, and
now my house. Being calm doesn’t seem possible at this moment.” My hands waved around
like a crazy woman’s, but it wasn’t my fault. He should have never used that tone
with me.

“I’m coming down there.”

“Look, do what you want. But I’m not paying for you to come here. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.” Oh boy, he sounded mad now. Good. Fine. That’s what he got for treating
me like an idiot.

“Good,” I said. “Do you need to know anything else?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Are you seeing Sam Greenbaum? Because I heard he was at your house last night. . . .”

I hung up. Lawyer or not, he needed to get a grip. I shoved my phone in my pocket.
It rang a few times but I ignored it.

Grandma Ruth stood in the doorway, leaned on the door frame, and shouted orders to
the techs while waving her cane. I went over and put my arm around her shoulder. At
one time Grandma used to be five-foot-eight. Now, she was hunched a bit and only came
up to my armpit.

“We all shrink,” she’d said with a shrug. “You will, too. Enjoy your height while
you have it.”

“Hey, Grandma,” I said calmly. “How are you doing? Do you need to sit?”

“I’m fine,” she belted out in her best back-of-the-opera-house projection. “Those
people, on the other hand, are idiots.”

“I have a doctorate in forensic science,” Charlie McGee shouted back from his inspection
of the foyer floor.

“Yes, well, I’ve lived twice as long as you, and I’m a lifetime Mensa member. I happen
to know a thing or two about science.”

“Grandma.” I pulled her away from the door. “Let the man work so I can get my house
back.”

Grandma huffed and worked her way back to the swing. “Ask them to give you a coat.
You’re freezing.”

I stuck my head into the door and Charlie stood there with my puffy coat in his hand.
I guess he could still hear Grandma. I took the coat and pulled it on then went to
sit on the porch. Grandma and I stared out at the road. The police lights flickered
red and blue across the front of the house. The neighbors all had their lights on
but were afraid to come out. Instead, they watched us from behind their curtains.

“Mrs. Dorsky is going to have a field day tomorrow.” Grandma Ruth lit a cigarette
and pointed at the house across the street. The living room curtain fell.

I patted Grandma’s denim-covered knee. “Look at it this way. If you Play your cards
right, you can have an exclusive for tomorrow’s paper. If Rocky shows up, your story
can be front page.”

“No, things this small go into the blotter, kiddo, not the front page,” Grandma grumbled
and blew a perfect smoke wreath around her head. “After murder, vandalism is too small
to sell papers.” She leveled her stare at the Dorskys’ windows. When the curtains
twitched again and the light went out, Grandma chuckled then coughed. I patted her
on the back.

My phone rang. It was my brother. “Hey, Tim,” I said low into the phone. “Are you
on break?”

“What’s so urgent you called me at work?”

“Someone broke into the house and trashed the kitchen.”

“Holy shit, are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Grandma Ruth was with me when we found it. We’re outside now while
the cops and CSU go through the house. Listen, did you happen to see anyone drive
by more than once?”

“No.”

“Anyone who looked suspicious or knew you would be working a double shift?”

“No one suspicious,” Tim said. “My boss and Harold knew about the double shift.” Harold
had been Tim’s best friend since kindergarten. He wasn’t very bright, but he was loyal
and Tim kept him around.

“I called Brad. He said we should probably stay somewhere else for a while.”

“That’s a good idea, Toni,” Tim said. “I don’t think they’ll bother the place during
the day while I’m there, but I don’t like the idea of you home alone at night.”

“I know. That’s what everyone says, but it’s Mom’s house. It’s the place where we
grew up. I can’t see why it wouldn’t be safe.”

“The mess in the kitchen should have shown you enough,” Grandma Ruth said, loud enough
for Tim to hear her.

“Is there anything missing?”

“Not that I could tell, right off, but we didn’t stay inside long enough.”

“Fine.” I could hear Tim rub his hand through his hair. “Are you going to go home
with Grandma?”

“I’m going to call Tasha,” I said, then paused when a car pulled along the curb. “Or
not. She just showed up. Listen I have to go. I wanted you to know since you have
stuff here and all.”

“Take care of you, sis.”

“I will.” I hung up and stood. Tasha parked across the street and ran to the house.

“Holy crap.” Tasha grabbed me and hugged me hard. “Are you all right?” She checked
me all over.

“I’m fine. Grandma Ruth, tell her I’m fine.”

“She’s fine,” Grandma said without looking. “Bill’s here. I guess that means I’m going
home.” Grandma stood and the porch swing hit the back of my knees as it swung with
her movement. Bill came tearing up the walk. I swear I’ve never seen a man that old
and big move so fast.

“Ruth, are you all right?” He took her by the arm.

“I’m fine. My scooter is in the driveway.” She let him help her down the stairs. She
turned back to me. “Tell the chief I can come down to the station in the morning and
give a statement.”

“I will.” I blew Grandma a kiss and watched Bill walk her to the car. She looked a
little more hunched than usual, a little more tired. “Darn it. This thing is worrying
her far too much.”

Tasha hadn’t let go. She squeezed me around the waist and watched as Bill helped Grandma
into the passenger side of his Lincoln and then opened the trunk and stuffed the scooter
inside. There was no way he’d get the trunk closed, but Bill knew that. He put up
Grandma’s orange triangle flag to alert other motorists of the hazard.

“It’s worrying me, too,” Tasha said. “And Kip.”

“Kip knows?”

“Honey.” She stroked my hair. “The whole town is talking about you. Kip is no dummy.”

“I called Brad.”

“Good.” She hugged me.

“He told me to stay somewhere else for a while.”

“Which is exactly why I’m here. You’re going to spend the night with me. I was going
to hog-tie you and stuff you in my car if you didn’t come on your own.”

I laughed. “Right. You and whose army?”

“I’m sure she could have a lot of help.” Sam’s voice came up from the side porch.
“What the hell happened?”

“Someone broke into her house and trashed the place,” Tasha informed him.

I looked at her with a huge questioning expression. “Wait! How did you know?”

She patted me. “It’s a small town, honey. Word gets around fast. You’re shaking. We
should get out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere until the CSU guys are done and the chief lets me know what
he thinks.” I glanced from Sam to Tasha. “It could be a long night. Who’s with Kip?”

“My mother came to stay.”

“Oh no, your mom? I didn’t—”

“It’s no bother at all.” Tasha was firm. “She’s the one who called and told me.” I
made a questioning face and Tasha said, “Mrs. Dorsky called her.”

I looked over but there was no movement inside Mrs. Dorsky’s house, not even a flutter
of the front curtain.

“Listen, I can stay with Toni until the cops are done,” Sam volunteered. He looked
real cute in his jeans, jacket, and Stetson.

“As her lawyer, it’s best if I stay with her.” Brad came up the porch steps. He was
four inches taller than Sam and wore his
GQ
coat, dress slacks, and wingtip shoes. Tasha looked from one man to the other, her
jaw slack, her mouth open.

“I’m fine, gentlemen.” I squeezed Tasha’s arm. “Tasha will stay with me. Her mom has
things covered with Kip and the inn. Right, Tasha?” I gave her a look that said she’d
better agree. She batted her eyes at me. I pinched her.

“Ow! I mean, right.”

“See? So thanks but no thanks.” I held on to Tasha as a lifeline and pretended to
smile at the two men.

“You are a stronger woman than me,” Tasha said in a stage whisper. I elbowed her in
the side and kept on baring my teeth.

The front door opened and Chief Blaylock walked out. He put his hat on his head and
studied us. “Whoever did this is long gone.”

His words weren’t as comforting as he thought.

“What’s the damage?” Brad asked.

“They tore up the kitchen right smart.” He turned to me. “And they got into your bedroom.
It looks like they took a butcher knife or maybe an axe to your bed.”

Wow. My knees wanted to buckle a bit, but I mentally ordered them to straighten up
and not show fear. If they buckled and I went down, the entire town would know about
it in less than ten minutes flat. Which meant whoever had done this would know and
possibly get his jollies.

“Toni?” Sam took my hand.

“I’m fine.” The words came out a harsh whisper.

“She’s fine.” Brad gave Sam a look until he let go of my hand.

“Anything else?” I croaked out.

“It appears whoever did this knew what was important to you in the house. Only the
kitchen and your bedroom were harmed.”

“How’d he get in?” Sam asked, his hands in fists at his sides.

“Broke in through a basement window on the side of the house between the carriage
house and the road. This guy knew the house’s blind spots.” Chief Blaylock gave me
a serious look. “Have you been doing more investigating?”

“She hasn’t done anything since the note was pushed under her door at the bakery,”
Tasha said.

“Did anything come of the note?” I asked, trying to find some kind of pony in this
pile of manure.

“The CSU guys found yours and your assistant’s prints on the envelope. The note itself
had your prints and an unknown partial. The partial doesn’t match anything at the
Meister crime scene.”

“Does that mean it wasn’t sent by the killer?” Tasha asked. She rubbed the back of
my coat and I realized I was clinging to her arm.

“As best we can tell, it wasn’t. They’re pulling fingerprints from both the kitchen
and the bedroom. We’ll do a comparison and see what turns up.”

“There was a lot of flour on the floor of the kitchen,” I said. “Were there any shoeprints?”

“Looks like a size ten, man’s shoe. We’ve taken photos. They can trace the tread to
figure out what kind of shoe. It’s a start.”

“Any sign of the knife that shredded my bed?” I asked. I had a small hope that it
had been recovered. I didn’t want to think about waking up and finding someone holding
it, standing over my bed.

“I’m sorry, no.”

“She’s staying with me,” Tasha told him. “Are there any precautions we should take?”

“I can have a patrol car go by every hour.”

“Do it,” Brad ordered.

“What about my brother Tim?” I asked. “He’s staying here. He’ll be home around 4
A.M.
Will it be safe for him to stay?”