Murder Served Cold

Copyright

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Murder Served Cold

Elizabeth Holly

Copyright © 2015 Elizabeth Holly

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

All rights reserved.

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The ocean waves sparkled in the bright sunlight in my rearview mirror. I pulled into a parking spot in front of A Scoop of Sunshine, my best friend’s ice cream shop. Jade wasn’t expecting me. No one was expecting me today. Not here, in the relaxed small town of Red Palm.

People back home expected things from me. Kevin had thought I would marry him. My parents had assumed I wouldn’t quit my job in marketing on a whim. All those college years and internships were now wasted, according to them. My friends told me I was crazy for dropping everything and starting over. They said I was running away from my “imagined” problems.

I disagreed. I needed to start over. I had lived my life according to a set plan for years. I wanted to try something new.

I got out of the car and breathed in the salty air. The ice cream shop’s door jingled as I entered. The walls were a tasteful yellow and the menu was simple, with a few flavors that changed every day. I ordered a chocolate peppermint waffle cone and asked for Jade Perry. A tall and athletic twenty-four-year-old with chin-length black hair strode out of the back a few minutes later.

“Ruby!” she exclaimed, wiping a speck of vanilla ice cream off her arm.

We embraced and she grabbed my left hand. “Where is it?”

“The proposal was magical,” I said. Kevin McLean had gotten down on one knee under the tree where he’d first asked me out. His hands had trembled, but he’d flashed me that dimpled smile of his. A soft breeze had rippled through my shoulder-length hair and the stars were just beginning to show. No one else was in the park. It was me and him, as it would be for forever.

Or so I’d thought.

“At dinner, I said, ‘Could you be any happier?’ as an expression, you know? He answered it rather seriously with an ‘I suppose,’ and the waiter arrived with our drinks. After that, the conversation changed direction.” I wrapped a napkin around the bottom of my cone and shrugged. “I realized he wasn’t the one for me.”

Jade looked at me in sympathy. “I am so sorry.”

I finished my cone and absentmindedly crushed the napkin in my hand. “I’m glad I figured it out now, rather than twenty years down the line.”

“Absolutely. You need to take some time for yourself and —”

One of the employees, a teenage guy with chlorine-bleached hair, came to tell Jade she had a phone call. Jade turned to me. “I have to take this, but when I get back, I want to hear the whole story.”

I smiled. “Will do.”

I checked my phone for texts and skimmed over Kevin’s pleas to talk it out. My mind was made up on that matter. I got to one that said,
I’ll be there tomorrow.
I racked my brain and realized that I had told him I was coming to Red Palm to get away for a while. Oh, well. I’d tell him — again — in person that this wasn’t something we could work through. I didn’t want to be with someone who could see himself with another woman.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jade on the phone with her back to the counter. Her sharp gestures and tensed back concerned me. It looked like I wasn’t the only one with problems.

When Jade returned, I put a finger to my chin. “What’s up?”

She sighed. “I’ve got a week left in this place.”

“You’re moving A Scoop of Sunshine?”

“Shh!” Jade nervously glanced around the room. The few people inside hadn’t heard. “The money’s dried up. Not enough people come in to make a profit.”

“How much do you need?”

“Next month’s rent right away. I’m leased until the end of the year, so really I need seven months. I was trying to get an extension, but Rodger Becker won’t take it. Oh, great, there he is.”

I followed her gaze and saw a muscular man with a dark goatee walk in. He carried himself with self-appointed importance. I could tell he noted every head turn when he came into a room — as well as noting the ones who didn’t.

Like the swimmer employee. He kept scooping mint ice cream into a bowl without acknowledging the newcomer.

“I was in the area,” stated Rodger Becker without preamble. “I want the rent Monday morning for the next two months or you’re out of here.”

“Deal.” Jade and Rodger shook hands. I was taken aback by the abrupt nature of the exchange, but I could tell Jade was used to it.

Rodger took a cursory look around the shop and his eyes narrowed when he saw the swimmer. Rodger strode out a minute later.

“Charming man,” I said lightly.

Jade rolled her eyes. “I feel bad for Tim. It must be frustrating to work in a building your father owns.”

“Especially with someone like that. How are you going to get enough for two months’ rent?”

“No clue. I can’t think about it any more.” Jade rubbed her creased forehead. “How long are you visiting? Do you need a place to stay?”

“No clue,” I said. “I’d love one.”

“Let me grab my stuff and I’ll meet you outside,” said Jade, standing up.

I tossed my napkin in the trash on my way out. I shielded my eyes from the sun and wished I had my sunglasses on my head instead of in the car. As I turned the key in my car door, I heard raised voices. I saw two people arguing in the alleyway next to the shop. Rodger’s back faced me, obscuring the other person.

I should have gotten in my car and waited for Jade, but I was curious. Plus, it was boiling inside the car. The cloth seats would have been like sitting on a heated blanket — not comfortable in eighty-degree weather.

I casually strolled closer and hid behind a white truck. Peeking over the truck’s bed, I saw Rodger lift his arm dangerously. He held it steady and I held my breath. When he moved to strike the person, I ran towards them. “Stop!” I shouted.

The person managed to escape while Rodger Becker’s attention was diverted by my shout. With the immediate danger over, I wavered. I had no intentions of getting close to an angry man with a penchant for violence. He turned to me and confusion flashed in his eyes. As Rodger began to come after me, he stumbled and fell. I almost left him there, but that was when I noticed the knife he clutched.

It was wedged deep in his stomach.

I called for an ambulance and flagged Jade down when she came out of the ice cream shop. She hurried over with a horrified expression.

“Hold tight, help is coming,” I said to Rodger.

“I didn’t…see…that coming,” Rodger choked out. His hands shook as he held onto the knife and I pressed them steady.

“Don’t take it out,” I said, averting my gaze from the blood stain growing on his shirt. Thankfully his shirt was red. I couldn’t stand the sight of blood.

“How did this happen?” Jade asked frantically.

“Who did this to you?” I asked Rodger.

He rolled his eyes to Jade and blinked. “I didn’t see…”

“It coming. I know. Who was it?”

“It…was… I can’t…believe it.”

The ambulance drove in at that moment, cutting off his words. Rodger seemed to be in no rush to reveal the stabber’s identity. He was in too much shock. The EMTs loaded him onto a stretcher as a couple of police cars arrived. The cops assessed the scene and one of them took me aside. Another questioned Jade.

“Corey Davila,” said a man with a thin white scar under his right eye. He appeared to be about my age and spoke with a Southern drawl.

“Ruby Flynn,” I responded. I told him what had happened and he nodded briskly.

“You didn’t get a good look at the other person?”

“No. Rodger is big enough to hide just about anyone from view.”

“Anything unusual that you noticed?”

“Other than this entire incident? No. Do you need me to describe him more?”

Corey laughed without humor. “We all know who Rodger Becker is. He owns a lot of the buildings in town and he’s developed quite a reputation for himself.” His features softened. “Let me know if you think of anything else that might help. Jade’s got my number.”

“Sure thing.” I joined Jade by my car. Her fists were clenched and she was staring blankly. “Are you all right?”

“Yesterday, if you told me Rodger had fallen in a ditch and couldn’t get up, I would have said, ‘Perfect.’ He didn’t deserve to get up. Someone would find him eventually and get him out of there, but until then, he could think about how much grief he causes people.” She shook her head. “Today, all I can think about is how horrible this is. No one deserves to be stabbed.”

I drove us to her apartment a couple of blocks away and unloaded my stuff: a couple of suitcases of clothes, toiletries, and whatever else I’d happened to jam in there.

Jade lived in a small one-bedroom apartment on the second floor. Her furnishings were gray and her walls were a light blue. I loved visiting her place because it was so serene. One step inside and your troubles melted away. Or outside. The beach brought peace of mind everywhere it touched.

Jade sank onto her couch. “I can’t believe you quit your job. That is so unlike you.”

It
was
unlike me. I’d had a carefully mapped plan for my life since high school. I mean, I’d had it framed. Most people don’t go that far. “I couldn’t do it any more. Every time I checked off a goal, I felt more empty. Like my accomplishments were just check marks, not real achievements.”

Jade laughed. “Look at us. You tore down your achievements and I’m losing mine. We’re quite the team.”

We spent the afternoon catching up and the reality of my sudden move hit me.

“I’ve got no home!” I exclaimed. My apartment lease had conveniently ended yesterday.

“You can do anything,” Jade pointed out. “You’ve got nothing holding you back. You’ll find another job and you can renew your lease. What’s your plan?”

I had no plan. For the first time in my life, my future was wide open. I had nothing scheduled, no goals to meet. I had thrown my framed plan in the trash before I left. “I don’t know,” I said honestly.

Jade stretched. “Maybe you need a break. Try something new.”

I thought of the chef’s knife lodged in Rodger’s stomach. “I want to find the stabber.”

Jade paused mid-stretch. Her jaw dropped. “What?”

“Remember playing those dinner mystery games in high school? I was great at solving the crime.”

“Yeah, I remember
playing
them. That’s completely different from a real-life scenario. Let the police investigate it.”

“Well, one of them already has your number,” I teased. “Corey seems pretty focused. With his focus and your perseverance, I bet you’d work together excellently.”