Murder Close to Home (6 page)

“Murders every day?” I raised my eyebrows and tried to make light of the situation. “The victims aren’t getting their security deposits back. Although I suppose the rent would be cheaper when you don’t have to pay the rest of the month because you’re dead.”

“You know what I mean. Ahhh, that’s why you were asking about visitors. I should have paid more attention to things like that. I could have helped. Maybe I could have prevented this.”

“Maybe not,” I said. “Killers can be tricky to catch.”

“To catch!” Tyler leaned back. “Now there’s more to be done. The person has to be found so it won’t happen again. Poison, though. Maybe Amelia was the only target.”

“It seems like that so far,” I said. I couldn’t see another person being found dead, but then, I hadn’t imagined Amelia being killed either. That was a good thing, I realized. It was a good thing that I didn’t imagine people being killed. That would be a sign of something deeper that I would have to work out.

Thank goodness that I didn’t have to worry about killing someone myself. That would be one problem I wouldn’t want. I wasn’t one of those serial killer mystery solvers who brought the bad guys to justice on my own terms. I liked handing them off the police.

Tyler had those lost puppy dog eyes going on. Clearly he didn’t know how to handle his neighbor’s death.

Speaking of someone else who was at a loss in regards to Amelia’s death — and, really, who wasn’t? — Taryn knocked on my door. She was wearing dark sunglasses to cover eyes that I guessed were red from crying.

“I’m off to the salon to get my hair done for my party,” she said.

She joined Tyler and me at my kitchen table, though, instead of leaving for the salon. I poured her some orange juice and we clinked our glasses in Amelia’s honor.

Taryn downed her glass like it contained something stronger. “I’ve got news. I talked to the people at the hospital and it’s been confirmed. Snake venom was found in Amelia’s system and that’s how she died.”

I almost choked on my juice. “Snake venom?”

“That’s what they said. Black mamba.”

“She doesn’t own any snakes,” Tyler said, scratching his head. “That I know of, anyway.”

“She was probably fed the venom through something she drank,” I explained.

Taryn grimaced. “I hate to think that that’s how she went.”

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” I promised.

A flicker of hope blossomed on Taryn’s face. “You were the one to find the stabber. Yes, you have to. You’ll find Amelia’s killer, then Amelia can rest in peace.”

I was putting the finishing touches on Taryn’s birthday party at Ruby’s Gem when Logan arrived. He held up his gear. “Where do you want me to set up?”

I gestured to an area at the front. “Over there.”

Seeing him felt like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. It was a refreshing change from the gloom of the day. Outside, it was foggy and the sun was refusing to make an appearance. On top of that, Amelia’s sudden passing was putting everyone on edge.

“Last night was...something else. Man, I can’t believe Amelia won’t be walking in that door and handing out flowers she just plucked from her garden,” he said. “Were you close?”

“I just moved here about a month ago,” I said. “But she always treated me like someone who’s lived in Red Palm all their life.”

“Yeah, me too. Except I
have
lived in Red Palm all my life,” said Logan. “She moved here ten years ago, I believe, but it’s like she was here her whole life. She and Taryn are like everyone’s aunts. Now half of the dynamic duo is gone. Man. Everyone’s starting over. I’m switching careers, you’re doing the same. Reed Palm’s favorite aunt is gone. It’s crazy.”

The caterer came in and I showed her where to go. I replayed Logan’s sentiments in my head as I finished setting up the party. Everyone had liked Amelia Lamb. Whoever had had something against her — something important enough to commit murder over — had concealed their feelings well.

Did Amelia have any actor friends? I bemusedly thought of Allen. Even though he was an aspiring actor, he wore his heart on his sleeve in everyday life.

The first guest to arrive was Ellen Parks. She was back to her calm demeanor after her slightly frantic panic of the night before. “I came early because you said you wanted to talk.”

“Yeah, I did.” We sat on a couple of chairs I had placed outside. “What’s the deal with Marty? Why does he keep following you around?”

“I’ve known Amelia for a long time. When she first moved to Red Palm, we met at the grocery store and became fast friends. There was one thing that was strange, though. Whenever we hung out, it was at my house or a restaurant or cafe. Somewhere like that — never at her house. No, scratch that. I did go to her place a couple of times, but it was during working hours and she was fidgety the whole time.

“I didn’t meet her husband until after she’d left him. I had never seen him until one time when I was driving home from the hospital and noticed a car tailing me. I drove straight to the police station and the other car got the hint and left, but I could see what kind of car it was. When I told people about it, they said it was Marty. And he kept trying.” Ellen took a couple of deep breaths. I could tell she was telling me this because she had to get it off her chest. It was something that she didn’t talk about much, and certainly not a normal topic to discuss with someone new in town, like I was.

“Why would he do that?” I asked.

“I look like Amelia. We’ve got similar facial features.”

I looked at Ellen and recognized Amelia’s nose and the splatter of freckles on her cheeks.

“Marty’s not right in his head, and he’s mixed us up,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong; he knows the difference between us. I think when he sees me, he sees what he could have had. He sees me and my kids and thinks he could fit into our lives like a puzzle piece.” Ellen crossed her legs, jiggling one foot nervously. The fog in the air crossed over her like a ghost. “My husband bailed years ago. It was one of the things that brought Amelia and me together. We both had deadbeat husbands.

“With Marty, every time I left the house, it was like I had my own personal paparazzo. He never followed me when I was with Amelia. He had blocked her from his mind. He didn’t care what Amelia did, and didn’t want to be around to watch it happen. I was the replacement Amelia.”

I hung on to her every word. “What did he do when you told him to stop hanging around you?”

Ellen laughed without humor. “He said no. Then he continued doing everything he had been doing, so I got a restraining order. And here we are. I’m sure Marty is around here somewhere, watching us through a telescope. He’s had to be more inventive since he can’t be physically near me and my kids. I think most of the time he looks at old photographs of me instead of actually following me.”

“Wait, you think he’s not actually following you anymore?” I asked. She was saying both that Marty was stalking her and that he wasn’t. Which was it?

“I really don’t know. He could be. The point is that I don’t see him. That doesn’t mean it’s not always in the back of my mind.”

I sympathized with her. What a tough situation for her kids. “How are your children doing?”

“Fortunately, they haven’t noticed too much. They’re getting to the age where they’re starting to ask more questions, though. That makes me concerned. As a parent, I want to do everything I can to protect them from creepy people. They’re too young and innocent for this to happen to them.”

Ellen stopped talking when the next guest arrived.

“Hey, Orla,” I said.

It struck me as odd that Ellen would stop talking when her and Amelia’s other close friend showed up. Was it out of respect for Amelia? Out of respect for Taryn, so she wouldn’t start a new topic of conversation at her party? Surely we could keep it between us.

I moved on. I had no time to dwell on it because everyone else on the guest list showed up within a matter of minutes. Logan played upbeat music that was happy enough for a party, but not so uplifting that it would take away from Amelia’s death. Taryn had been very clear on that. She wanted everyone to have fun, but to also keep in mind the tragedy that had occurred yesterday. She wanted to pay her respects to Amelia in that way.

Taryn climbed on a chair and spoke to everyone soon after the party had started. Her hair was swept into a stylish bun. Two freshly plucked roses were twisted into the bun, as a testament to Amelia. Taryn would never have worn real flowers otherwise.

“Amelia was a dear friend. She and I grew up together, if growing up can start at twenty-seven. She’s with my Francis now, and I want them to know that I miss them every day. To Amelia.” She raised a glass. Everyone else did the same.

The room was silent until a loud, heart-pumping song came on. Logan quickly switched it to a more appropriate slow song and I hid a smile.

The guests mingled while I made sure the refreshments weren’t running out, caught a balloon before it flew out the door, and directed people to the gift table. Instead of bringing a gift, Taryn wanted people to donate to a local charity, so we were taking the donations and keeping them in one place.

Inevitably, conversations turned to Amelia.

“Who would have guessed?” Laura Becker said to her son Tim. “Two murders in such a short amount of time. Maybe we should check the contents of our drinking water.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Tim was much more comfortable in his skin without his father’s influence. Jade had told me that he was doing well in school and in his competitive swimming. He was headed to the state college on a full ride next year.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around. It was Corey. “Hey, Ruby,” he said.

“Hey, Corey,” I replied.

“I’m grabbing some drinks for me and Jade. You want anything?”

“I’m good for right now.” My stomach was too full of butterflies to put anything else in it.

“Good party, huh? You know how to throw them.” Corey headed to the refreshment table, whistling.

I relaxed a little. Everything was running smoothly. I joined Jade, who was sitting at the end of a table. “I’m so glad this is working.”

“You knew it was going to work.” Jade was amused. “You put your all into everything you do.”

“Luck isn’t everything.” I surveyed the busy room. Taryn was laughing with Rita, who was doing impressions of other people at the party.

“This wasn’t luck and you know it. This is the result of excellent planning. Oh, there you are. Thanks, Corey.” Jade accepted some lemonade and a cookie from him.

Corey sat next to her. “I was telling Ruby how great this is.”

“It really is. I mean it when I say that this is exactly what Taryn needed. She needed some time to let loose and have fun before she goes home and remembers yesterday.”

“I completely agree.” Standing up, I said, “I’m going to mingle. Maybe see if anyone knows anything suspicious.”

“Good luck!” Jade seemed to have put last night’s grumpiness behind her, which I was glad about. She had probably just needed a good night’s sleep.

I strolled past a woman deciding between a sugar cookie and a brownie at the refreshment table.

“Why not try both?” I suggested to Vivienne Cho, the local hairdresser.

She scooped both onto a napkin. “I think I will. I like this space, Ruby. You’ve got a good setup.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Taryn’s hair looks amazing, by the way.”

“She came in this morning knowing exactly what she wanted. She must have cut those roses from someone’s garden with kitchen shears. That family bond grows strong and stays there, I’ve got to say. In-law, blood-relative, it doesn’t matter.” Vivienne was wearing an elegant bun herself, along with winged eyeliner and five-inch black heels. She was the most stylish person in Red Palm, as well as the most understanding. She listened to everyone’s stories when they got their hair done and gave them advice and support.

I recalled Amelia’s hair yesterday. There were no roots showing, so she must have gotten her hair dyed recently. “Did Amelia come in yesterday?”

“She did.” Vivienne put a hand on her hip. “That’s when Marty Lamb almost drove his car into the salon.”