Home Sweet Homicide: A Cozy Mystery (A Gemma Stone Murder Mystery Book 5) (8 page)

“I do like chicken pot pie. Mom made the best...”

The black cat sauntered toward Gemma, made a figure eight around her ankles and then settled on the rug in front of the sink to wash his paws.

“Well, all I can do is try to compete with my sister’s cooking,” Maisy laughed.

Gemma had a million questions, but her aunt was talking a mile a minute while she set the table, ending with a colorful salad and a tall glass of tea. The thought ran through her mind that her aunt was spending a fortune on groceries.

“Did that young lady find you?” Aunt Maisy asked.

“Yes, ma’am, she did,” Gemma said, taking a bite of the salad. The crust of the pot pie beckoned and she was tempted to break off a piece.

“I wasn’t sure what to do but I figured it was okay to send her to where you were.”

“Yes, it was fine. Her name is Natalie Sparrow and she’s going to come to work for us, actually,” Gemma explained. “So it worked out great.”

“Good. She seems like such a nice young lady, so soft spoken and kind. And I loved her hair.”

“She’s very sweet.”

“I got the feeling she wasn’t from the area,” Maisy said, munching thoughtfully on her salad.

Gemma shook her head. “She’s actually from Louisa, closer to Richmond. Her sister was murdered a while back.”

“Oh, no,” Maisy said.

“I found the body in the trunk of a used car I’d bought and that led us to Richmond where we... Anyway, we got in contact with the family after that. It’s a long story,” Gemma finished.

“Do you often find dead people?” Maisy asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Well, technically I didn’t find Katie Mack. Holly did,” Gemma said in her own defense.

“That’s true,” Aunt Maisy agreed. “Any word on who may have killed her yet?”

Gemma shook her head. “Not yet. I spoke with Nick Leonard today. He’s the newspaper reporter I used to...um...date. It seems that detective that was here the other night, Gilmore, has blinders on. He thinks that Katie’s current boyfriend is the killer. I’m just afraid that will keep him from looking at anyone else closely.”

“Do you think he did it?” Aunt Maisy asked.

Gemma shook her head. “Ross...Detective Ferguson would not have done that.”

“So, he’s a police officer as well?” Aunt Maisy asked.

“Yes.”

“And you know him well?”

Gemma hesitated. “Yes.” She swallowed hard. The breakup with Ross had been quick and clean and she thought she was over it. From the way her heart was pounding at the mention of his name, she realized she had a long way to go before she was over Ross Ferguson. “He and I dated for a while until he decided we need to see other people.”

“Well, if he dumped you for that real estate lady, then he’s a fool,” Maisy said, eyes flashing.

Gemma laughed aloud and Aunt Maisy joined in, her laughter pure and clear like a bell. Gemma had the feeling her aunt had laughed a great deal in her lifetime. They cleaned up together after dinner while Aunt Maisy told her stories about her own childhood, growing up with Gemma’s mom. She told her about her grandparents who she could just barely remember.

By the time they were finished, Maisy was telling Gemma about the day her parents met. Maisy was attracted to her dad as well, but Gemma’s mom didn’t know that. She told Maisy she was going to marry him before they’d even gone out on a date.

“What did you do?” Gemma asked.

“Once I saw the way he looked at your mama, there was nothing I could do. Within a month after their first date he proposed and they were married within the year.”

Gemma had seen him look at her mother that way her entire life.

“So the attraction was instant,” Gemma said, as they settled in the living room. “I’ve always thought that when you meet the right one, you’ll know instantly.”

Aunt Maisy took her usual spot on the end of the sofa while the black cat stretched out behind her head, appearing to listen very closely to everything she said. Every once in a while he would glance at Gemma, his big green eyes questioning.

“Not necessarily,” Aunt Maisy said. “Sometimes you grow to love someone over the years.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Gemma asked, giving her aunt a teasing smile.

Aunt Maisy suddenly became very interested in the design on the blanket covering her legs. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Gemma had meant to ask her aunt about the whole witch getup, and if she had been anywhere near that house the morning of Katie Mack’s murder. But she was afraid that one innocent question about the experience would ruin the whole evening, so she changed the subject.

“So what kinds of things did you guys do for fun?” Gemma asked.

An hour later, Gemma was laughing so hard at her Aunt Maisy’s stories that tears streamed down her face. It was hard to picture her mom as the wild and crazy girl Maisy knew. But her dad, oh, yeah, she could picture him pulling some of the daredevil stunts Aunt Maisy described.

Soon, both Gemma and her aunt were yawning. So was the cat. It wasn’t until then that Gemma noticed it was dark outside.

“Lord, when did it get so late?” Aunt Maisy asked.

“We’ve been down memory lane and lost track of the time,” Gemma said, helping her aunt to her feet.

Suddenly, Maisy froze, clutched Gemma’s hands in hers and locked her gaze on Gemma’s eyes. “Don’t move,” she whispered. “Don’t look behind you.”

The cat stood on the back of the sofa, back arched, eyes glued to the window behind Gemma.

“What is it?” Gemma asked, heart pounding.

“I just saw someone. It looked like the shadow of a man passing the window,” Aunt Maisy said quietly, her grip on Gemma’s fingers like steel.

“I’m not expecting any company,” Gemma told her.

“Welcome company wouldn’t slink around in your back yard.” The grip tightened.

“The sliding glass doors in the dining room,” Gemma said. “Are they locked?”

Aunt Maisy shook her head, her eyes filling with worry. “I don’t remember if I locked them or not.”

“Okay, I’ll go check, just in case. You stay right here,” Gemma told her aunt, her heart so loud she could barely hear herself talk.

“What if...?” Aunt Maisy began.

Gemma shook her head and put her finger to her lips. “I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t need Aunt Maisy putting any ideas in her head. There was enough going on in there already. What if whoever killed Katie Mack really was after her? What if they had still been there in that house when they found Katie? But why? And who? Better to get to that door and make sure it was locked before she became paralyzed with fear.

Acting much braver than she felt, Gemma left her aunt behind. The only light in the rarely used dining room was filtering through the sheer curtains from the street light on the corner. Gemma felt she had the advantage. She knew the room intimately and was able to maneuver around the shadow of chairs without turning on a light. Gemma saw movement out of the corner of her eye and almost screamed before she realized it was her own reflection in the mirror over the buffet.

Just as she reached for the door with shaking fingers, a face loomed before her in the darkness. She gasped in surprise, stepped back, and almost screamed again.

“Gemma, it’s me. Ross.”

The voice was muffled and hushed but she could see that indeed it was Ross. Heart hammering in her chest, Gemma’s knees grew so weak with relief, she almost fell down. Her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely get the door open.

Ross pushed it open just wide enough to get through and stepped inside.

“You scared me half to death,” Gemma gasped. “What are you doing skulking around in my back yard?”

“Sorry. I’m so sorry,” he breathed, reaching for her. “I need your help.”

G
emma let him pull her close, felt his arms tighten around her and inhaled his wonderful scent. She rested her head against the hard wall of his chest. How she’d missed feeling his arms around her, feeling safe and secure and ...

Wait a minute.

He’d dumped her for Katie Mack and here she was falling back into his arms at the drop of a hat. She wanted an explanation and she wanted it now. She took a step backwards and pulled out of his arms.

“Gemma?” Aunt Maisy stood in the doorway between the two rooms, her form silhouetted by light coming from the kitchen.

Gemma realized she hadn’t been as invisible as she imagined.

Both Ross and Gemma turned to face the older woman.

“Aunt Maisy this is Ross, um, Ross Ferguson,” Gemma said.

Her aunt came toward them in the darkness, resting her hands on the back of a chair. “Detective Ferguson? The one you told me about earlier?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ross said. “Can we please get away from this door?”

Gemma turned to check the door to make sure it was locked this time and the three of them went into the living room. A single lamp cast a warm glow throughout the room. The black cat remained on the back of the sofa, watching the newcomer closely with those big green eyes.

“Ross, this is my aunt. My mother’s sister, Maisy,” Gemma explained. “She’s staying with me for a while.”

Ross nodded. Even in the low lamp light, Gemma could see that his thick, dark hair was longer than usual. It looked like he’d been raking his hands through it, which told her right away he was worried about something. His eyes looked haunted and stubble darkened his chin.

“Please, tell me what’s going on,” Gemma said to him, touching his arm lightly to get his attention.

He hesitated.

“Why don’t I go make us some tea?” Aunt Maisy offered.

“Thank you, Aunt Maisy. That would be wonderful,” Gemma said with a thankful smile at her aunt.

Then she turned her attention to Ross. “What in the world is going on?”

“Gilmore is what’s going on. He’s got me dead in his sights and he’s not about to let go any time soon,” Ross said, pacing back and forth. He made the room seem small and Gemma had never seen him this agitated before.

“He thinks you killed Katie Mack?” Gemma asked.

“He is sure I killed Katie Mack. He has officers watching my house, following me everywhere I go. There’s probably a tracking device on my car and I’m not using my cell phone, just in case”

“How did you get here?” Gemma asked.

“I slipped out the back door of my apartment. Lost the officers following me. They need some training when it comes to following a suspect. This was the only place I could think of to go.” He paused and then began pacing again.

“How can I help?”

“Help me find out who killed Katie. Gilmore isn’t even looking at anyone else and I’ve been put on paid leave. If we can get our hands on some of the information Gilmore is keeping to himself...”

Gemma held up both hands. “Whoa, cowboy. You know I love a mystery as much as the next girl, but this is dangerous stuff. Besides, why should I want to help you? I mean you dumped me for Katie Mack, if I remember correctly.”

There, she’d said it, at least hinted at the fact that their breakup had done some damage.

Ross shook his head. “I had to stop seeing you because...because I was getting too close. And there was Nick and...”

“On that very same day, Nick decided he needed some space as well. Valentine’s Day wasn’t a very good day for me,” Gemma told him.

“I’m sorry,” Ross said, his eyes meeting hers. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Gemma’s emotions tumbled around inside of her. “Tell me about Katie,” she said, changing the subject.

“It started out as business. I was interested in buying a house. She was interested in showing me a house. That turned into several houses which ended up always being just around dinner time, which turned into what she was calling a date, which...” he stopped and shrugged.

Gemma kept her thoughts to herself. Yep, that was Katie, manipulative as all get out.

“She read more into it than I did. By the time I realized she was calling us a ‘couple’ and referring to me as her ‘boyfriend’, she had herself and everyone else believing that was the truth. Her mom was already calling me ‘son’.”

“Katie and her mom are...were a lot alike,” Gemma agreed.

“Katie began showing up at the station unexpectedly, like she was checking up on me or something. If I happened to be talking on the phone, she wanted to know who I was talking to. If I was speaking with a female officer, she wanted to know her name,” Ross continued.

“So, you set her straight?” Gemma asked.

Ross sighed and began pacing again. “I tried. A few nights ago, I took her out to dinner, planning to tell her in no uncertain terms I wasn’t interested in her for business or...or anything else. She is...was a bright woman. I was pretty sure that she just misunderstood my intentions, that when I explained myself, that would be the end of it.”

Gemma knew better, but she remained silent. Katie Mack ‘misunderstood’ on purpose.

“That turned into a very, very loud discussion, which ended up in the parking lot of the Chinese restaurant with a rather large audience, I’m afraid.”

“Katie could be pretty loud,” Gemma agreed, thinking about some other interactions she’d witnessed where Katie was involved.

“She thought I was dumping her because of you. Accused me, in no uncertain terms, of still having feelings for you,” Ross finished. “Threatened to kill herself. All sorts of ridiculous nonsense.”

Gemma held her breath.

“The one thing I was sure of was that I didn’t have feelings for Katie Mack and I told her so. Now, I’m fighting for my life here, Gemma. Gilmore...this kid. This college boy from Harrisonburg is going to ruin my career, maybe my life unless we find out who really killed Katie.”

The wail of a siren, low and far away, filled the room. Ross groaned and covered his face with both hands. Instinctively, Gemma reached for him, cradling his lean, tanned face in both hands. His stubble was rough against her palms, sending shivers of desire racing through her body. Their eyes met. He caught her fingers in his and kissed the tips tenderly. She’d never felt so connected to him, so sure he was telling her the truth, and she never wanted this moment to end.

Ross pressed her hands to his chest and opened his mouth to say something.