Raining Men and Corpses: A Fun Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1) (21 page)

BOOK: Raining Men and Corpses: A Fun Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1)
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25
ANOTHER VICTIM

W
hen Raina got home
, she called her insurance company and the lady she spoke to politely insisted the cash settlement to total her car was the best they could do.

“It’ll cost more to fix your car than it’s worth,” the lady said. “You’ll need to replace the hood, the passenger side panel, and driver side mirror. There might be even more damage in the undercarriage. And then the paint job to blend it with the rest of the body. Too expensive.”

Raina asked a few more questions and hung up. Her hands were shaking. Totaled her dad’s car? No way. People didn’t get rid of their pets when they were too old and expensive to fix up.

When she called Bob, he was more than happy to store her car out back until she decided what to do in exchange for a homemade meal later in the week. Taking those culinary classes in her early twenties had gotten her further in life than her looks ever did.

“All your tires have dangerously low pressure. Around twenty-six psi. You’re lucky you weren’t driving on the freeway,” Bob said over the phone.

“I haven’t touched the tires since you installed them last week. Are they defective?” Raina couldn’t remember whether or not the ride felt strange during the drive back from the casino. But then she had other things on her mind at the time.

“I tested them. There didn’t appear to be any leaks. Strangest thing.”

Someone had let the air out of her tires while she talked to Natalie and ate lunch. Olivia had plenty of time to do it, but she didn’t drive a white car. The Rollingers owned two white vehicles. Could one of them be a SUV?

She wasn’t sure if that person meant to scare her or hoped she’d get into a serious car accident on the freeway. For the first time, she was thankful she’d chosen to take the back roads. Things could have turned out less rosy otherwise.

“I don’t want to total my car,” Raina said. “But new parts are going to be more than I can afford.”

“It’s going to take me a while to find used parts.”

“Can I just make you more meals?”

He chuckled. “All right, but if I can’t fit under a car anymore, then I’m blaming you.”

“Don’t worry. You’re still eye candy even if you look like Humpy Dumpy.”

For his time and her storage fee, she agreed to delivering three meals a week until he could locate the replacement parts. The insurance check wouldn’t cover his labor when he got around to fixing her car. It was time to look for another part-time gig.

Later that evening, Raina curled up on her sofa streaming
Murder She Wrote
to her TV. Her grandma squinted at the TV, dropping several stitches on her afghan. It was the first quiet evening Raina had in a while.

Po Po yanked out a knitting needle and pointed it at the TV. “I told you it was the best friend. Those closest to you often have the best motive for murder.”

Raina gave the knitting needle a pointed look. “Want me to put that back into the loops for you?”

“What?” Po Po looked at her afghan and grinned. “That would be a great help. I don’t have my reading glasses on.”

“When was the last time you had your eyes checked? You’re squinting like you’re some kind of peeping Tom.”

Po Po rolled her eyes. “Your cookies were a big hit. We need more cookies tomorrow. We’re rolling out Phase One of Operation Code Red.”

Raina pulled the stitches back on the needle. “What is Code Red?”

Po Po shrugged. “Don’t know, but it sounds cool. Frank said we need to have a name for the operation.”

Raina shook her head in confusion. “Who’s having an operation? Eden’s grandfather?”

“No, silly. The plan to get even with Officer Hopper.”

“Whoa.” Raina held up her hands to indicate time-out. “What plan?”

Po Po straightened like a proud kindergartener about to give her parent the rundown on a surprise. “Phase One: Identify the mark’s routine. We have four teams of two set up to follow Officer Hopper around the clock for the next two days.” Her hands balled into fists and she shook them excitedly. “We even got walkie talkies.”

Raina covered her smile by rubbing her nose with her opened palm. Phase One seemed harmless enough. “But isn’t there a curfew for your friends in the nursing home?”

“They have the day shift.” Po Po waved away her concern. “Phase Two: Disrupt the routine. That kind of depends on what we find out in the next two days. Frank thinks he can intercept the radio and we can pretend to be dispatch.”

“What kind of disruption are we talking about here?”

Po Po leaned forward. “We can radio in an emergency every time she has to use the can.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Imagine how disruptive that would be.”

Raina coughed and got up to hide her bubbling laughter. When the urge to laugh disappeared, she returned from the kitchen with a glass of water. “Just don’t put a stink bomb in her patrol car.”

Po Po cocked her head. “That sounds like a good idea. I bet we can improvise something from Janice’s great granddaughter’s diapers.”

“Stop—”

Rat-a-tat!

Raina dragged herself to the front door as her heart rate sped up. A knock like that meant trouble.

Eden stood in the doorway, hastily stuffing her precious hair into a baseball cap. “Let’s go. A source just texted me. Andrew Rollinger got admitted in the ER for food poisoning.”

Raina felt her legs grow roots. Like Holden? “Did the source tell you anything else?”

“No. She could lose her job for giving me details.”

“Then, isn’t the text incriminating?”

“We have a secret code. No one else knows what it means.” Eden glanced at the koi clock above the TV. “Will you hurry up? I don’t have gas in my car.”

Raina glanced at her grandma, but Po Po dismissed her with a wave. “Go. I need to call my posse about the diaper idea.”

Eden alternated between tapping her fingers on her phone and on the passenger door while Raina drove to the hospital. Maybe Po Po was the smart one for opting to stay home. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but since neither of them were family, the best she hoped for was news that Andrew was stable.

The dim interior of Matthew’s jeep mirrored her dark thoughts. If Andrew was another victim, then he couldn’t be a suspect. Unless he poisoned himself to throw them off his track.

Raina took several rattled breaths. Could Lori poison her husband? But why? Her faith in marriages was already badly shaken enough with her grandparents’ example that she didn’t need to follow this train of thought.

They were such a loving couple. And then there was the baby. No, she couldn’t.

Raina got them to the hospital in record time. Eden shot out of the car and raced around the side of the building. Raina limped after her and rounded the corner in time to see her friend slap a key card against the reader. She held the door and gestured wildly for Raina to hurry.

“Is that an employee key card?” Raina asked when she caught up.

Eden let the door slam behind her. “I’m going ahead. He’s in room 2117.” She left without waiting for a response, taking the stairs two steps at a time.

Geez, what was the rush? Andrew must be stable if they moved him into a room.

Raina strolled along the corridor, glancing at the room numbers. When she got to the nurse station at the intersection of the two wings, Eden was already conversing with a pleasant heavyset woman with mousy brown hair in purple scrubs. Her friend was scribbling on her notepad.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Matthew got out and scanned the corridor. He held Raina’s gaze for several heartbeats.

Time stood still as tightness spread across her chest. His eyes spoke of regrets and apologies. She gave her head one slow shake and closed her eyes. It was too late for regrets.

She opened them to see Matthew yanking the notebook from Eden’s hands. He tore off the top page, and stuffed it into his jean’s pocket. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Eden snatched her notebook from his hands. “Is that your only comment? Are there any similarities between this poisoning and the poisoning of Holden Merritt?”

If her friend had been a cat, her fur would have poofed to twice her size. Her eyes widened until Raina could see more white than brown. Yep, Po Po was the smart one.

The nurse shrank back into her seat and flipped open a chart. Her eyes flickered between the folder and the two people facing off in front of her desk. Raina ducked her head and turned away. She hunched her shoulders and tried to fade into the background as she tiptoed to the elevator.

He wore one of those exasperated expressions like he was dealing with a belligerent drunk pissing in a fountain. “Raina, get your friend out of here.”

Raina pasted on a weak smile and turned to see both Eden and Matthew looking at her expectantly. Like she was going to get in the middle of this. The elevator dinged.

“Duke it out. I’ll be waiting in the car.” She threw herself through the opened doors and slapped the button for the lobby.

A few minutes later, Eden jerked open the passenger door. “Your boyfriend is impossible! Let’s go. I want to swing by the Rollinger’s house.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Raina started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. “I feel like an ambulance chaser.”

“You have to follow the lead while it’s hot.”

“Great. We’ll see Matthew again later when the neighbors call the cops.”

Eden winked. “Just doing my part to make sure you lovebirds spend more time together. I’m going to win the bet.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Po Po thinks you’re finally done with him.” Eden smirked. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Raina gripped the steering wheel. “I’m done.”

“But I don’t think he’s done with you.”

“That’s his problem.”

“Have you created a spreadsheet yet?”

“I can make decisions without listing all the pros and cons.”

Eden sat back. “Uh-huh.”

“You’re being offensive. How many times do I have to tell you? It’s a flow chart.”

Her friend rolled her eyes. “He’s going to try to win you back.”

Raina shrugged. She pulled into the small side street. Diffused light spilled out from the curtained windows onto the front lawns of the neighboring homes. The Rollingers’ house looked empty, blending into the night sky. Even the raised solar lights lining the walkway from the sidewalk to the front door looked ashamed to be on when the family was experiencing a crisis.

“Lori drove Andrew to the hospital and then left saying she had to get the baby from her neighbor. Isn’t it strange she would leave him alone at a time like this?” Eden asked.

“Someone has to take care of the baby. Maybe she didn’t think it was serious.”

“If it was Matthew in there, would have you stayed?”

“Feral dogs wouldn’t be able to drag me away.”

“My point exactly.”

26
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

R
aina parked
in the shadow of the tree across from the house like she did earlier in the afternoon. The scent of the overpowering flowers did little to improve her mood. Her eyes became grainy and itchy before she even got out the car. By the time she stood in front of the door, her nose ran.

A block of concrete settled in her stomach. Lori couldn’t have anything to do with the murder or the poisoning of Andrew. She’d seemed happy at the mall, talking about how she met her husband. But people didn’t survive on love alone.

She’d sounded bitter when she spoke of being cut off from her parents’ money. Was the bitterness from her parents’ lack of acceptance in her choice of husband or was it from their lack of financial support? Did everything circle back to money?

Eden pressed the doorbell and the musical peal of bells filled the air.

Raina shifted her weight from one foot to another and wiped her hands on her shorts. “What are we going to say when she answers the door?”

Eden shrugged. “I’ll think of something.” She waited several seconds and pressed the doorbell again.

No answer.

Eden tilted her head, indicating she wanted to go around the side of the house. She tiptoed to the side windows, crabwalking below each sill and popping up for a quick peek.

Raina’s pulse raced as she followed her friend around the corner. She prayed the neighbors were busy watching TV. There was nothing unusual inside any of the windows.

She glanced back at the sidewalk in time to see a police cruiser pull up. A neighbor must have seen them skulking around the house. Matthew and Officer Hopper walked up the driveway.

As blood rushed into her head, Raina grew dizzy. Her hand trembled when she tugged on Eden’s shirt and pointed behind them.

Faint peals of bells floated out from inside the house. A loud knock followed and “Police!” Hurried footsteps from inside and the front door clicked open. Lori was home after all.

Eden disappeared behind the house. The dark lumps littering the ground were an effective booby trap. Raina’s ability to trip over her own feet made dashing after her friend undetected impossible in daylight. At night, she would make more noise than a Mariachi band. What she needed was a hiding spot.

Raina squeezed herself into the space between two bushes, hugging her knees to her chest, and closed her eyes. Maybe Matthew wouldn’t recognize his Jeep. Her nose leaked, but she didn’t have a tissue. She swiped at her nose and smeared the moisture on her shorts. He needed night vision goggles to see the make and model of the car under the shadows. As long as he didn’t catch her skulking in the yard, he wouldn’t even know she was here.

She couldn’t make out what was being said, but as long as they were talking, nobody was looking for her. Her fingers itched to slap at the mosquitoes drawn to her moist flesh. She took long breaths like she was in a Lamaze class. They sounded loud in her ears, but if she stopped, she’d start hyperventilating. Her muscles trembled with tension, but she couldn’t risk moving even an inch.

The front door clicked shut and an engine started. She sagged against the bush in relief. A slow smile spread across her face. Matthew had no idea she had been hiding here the entire time. She must be a better sleuth than she gave herself credit.

When a hand touched her knee, she jumped and bit back a yelp.

“Shush!” Eden whispered.

Raina blew out a rattled sigh. She tiptoed back to the sidewalk and peered out into the night. The street was cleared and there weren’t faces pressed against the neighboring window. The Jeep was hidden from this angle.

Once on the sidewalk, Raina scanned the quiet street and hustled to the Jeep. The hair on the back of her neck stiffened as if someone was watching her progress. She threw a glance behind her, but didn’t see anyone.

Eden gasped.

Raina’s nose detected the familiar scent of sage and clean water before her mind processed what it meant. A hand snaked out of the darkness and clasped her on the arm and tugged her into the shadow under the overhanging tree branches.

“Why am I not surprise to find you here?” Matthew whispered into her ear. His warm breath tickled her, sending tingles of delight down her back. “You can never stay away from me, can you?”

Eden turned her back and pretended to watch the house. By the way she held her head, her friend was listening in on their conversation.

Raina shook him off, irritated at her body’s response to his nearness. “I’m surprised your swollen head hasn’t floated off.”

“I want you to go home right now, Rainy. This is no time to pretend you’re helping me,” Matthew said.

She sucked in a breath and crossed her arms. “Pretend? I’m—”

He pushed her further into the shadow until her back was pressed against the tree trunk.

“What—” Raina whispered.

The Rollinger’s garage door squealed open. A white SUV nosed out the driveway. The dim streetlight spotlighted the damage on the passenger side of the car. Raina gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. It was the same car that knocked off her side mirror. It took off before the garage door finished rolling shut.

Eden shoved her. “Come on.”

Matthew held out his hands as if expecting Raina to toss him the keys. She unlocked the doors for the Jeep and hopped in. Her hands trembled as she pretended not to notice both Matthew and Eden reaching for the passenger door. Not only was she trailing Holden’s murderer, but also two of the most important people in her life were having a pissing contest on who should ride shotgun. She started the engine and turned on the headlights.

“It’s my car,” Matthew said.

Eden stuck out her bottom lip, but climbed into the rear.

The light traffic allowed one or two cars to get between them and the SUV. The single-family homes gave way to medium size apartment complexes typically rented by students.

“Rainy, whatever happens, I want you to stay in the car,” Matthew said. “I don’t want to find you bleeding and cut up again. Promise me.”

“I can take care of myself,” Raina said.

His voice softened. “I’m sure you can. Just not tonight, okay?”

“All right. I’ll just be the designated driver.”

Lori pulled into the driveway of Sol’s apartment complex. The vehicle’s headlights disappeared around the back of the building where the residents parked.

A bolt of energy ran through Raina’s body. Were Lori and Sol co-conspirators to Holden’s murder? She glanced at the rearview mirror. Eden’s face was tight and her eyes looked worried. Raina hoped there was an explanation for Lori’s late night visit to Eden’s boyfriend.

Raina slowed the car and parked where the streetlight ended. She turned off the headlights but kept the car running. “Now what?”

“Stay in the car.” Matthew took off for the back of the apartment with Eden hot on his trail.

“Wait!” Raina called out, but the two disappeared into the darkness. She dialed Eden’s phone number and after a second of delay, music played in the backseat. Eden had left her purse behind.

Raina drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Crickets chirped and someone opened a window curtain. What if someone sneaked up to the Jeep? She glanced at the rearview mirror as she clicked the locks.

Movement on the other far driveway caught her eye. The glow of headlights became brighter as a vehicle rounded the opposite side of the apartment complex. The white SUV turned back onto the street. She couldn’t even tell if there was more than one occupant in the car.

Raina dialed Matthew’s cell phone and got his voice mail. “Where are you? Lori just left the complex. I’m following her and heading north.” She kept an eye on the sidewalk for her friends, but after two blocks, she realized she was on her own.

When the SUV hit the main thoroughfare, it zipped through the light traffic and pulled into the hospital parking lot. Lori jogged to the side door and disappeared inside.

Raina parked behind a large van and jumped out. She speed dialed Matthew again while she sprinted after the woman. “I’m at the hospital.”

She hoped she wouldn’t be too late. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know Lori was heading toward her husband’s room. Andrew had become a liability. Either he was a co-conspirator or he’d found out about Lori’s extracurricular activity. Whichever the case, things would get worse for him before the night was over.

The side door opened easily in her hands. Someone had taped the latch on the doorknob. Lori made a left through a set of doors before the empty nurse’s station.

Raina ducked through and lost sight of her. The corridor had floor-to-ceiling windows on one side and a row of doors on the opposite wall leading to patient rooms. She glanced at the ceiling, but there didn’t appear to be any video cameras. Some security. Anyone could walk off with a patient.

Her nose burned from the lemon scented antiseptic cleansers. The dimmed lights and the whirls and clicks of medical machinery made her skin crawl. Even amid these miracle makers, how many people checked into hospitals and never checked out?

Raina removed her pepper spray from her purse and slipped it into her shorts pocket. Tiptoeing down the hall, she placed her ear against door after door. What was Andrew’s room number?

Someone snored in door number one.

The TV chattered in door number two.

Silence in door number three.

At the fourth door, she made out Lori’s faint voice.

“You sure you don’t want any water, honey?”

“Where’s the baby?” Andrew asked between coughs.

“With my mom. Here, take a sip.”

Something dropped on the floor.

“Andrew! Why did you have to knock over my purse?” Something rustled and clattered. “Here’s another cup.”

He coughed. “I don’t want anything from you.”

“You know, things didn’t work out between us as I envisioned it.”

He laughed, harsh and desperate.

“You were supposed to take care of me. Instead, the bank will foreclose on our tiny shoebox of a house. I slept with my godfather to get you a job. I even got rid of the blackmailing jerk. But you still manage to screw things up. How are we supposed to come up with the money to replace the missing grant funds? I just can’t do this anymore.”

Raina’s heart sank. Why did love flip into hate like this?

“Fine. Divorce me,” Andrew said.

“Call the nurse and I’ll make sure you’ll never see the baby again. Now drink the damn water.”

Raina jumped at the ringing and vibrating sound coming from her side. Sweat beaded on the small of her back as she clawed at her purse, her clammy hands squirting the phone onto the floor. It slammed against the tiled floor and echoed in the empty hall. Scrambling on her knees, she lunged at it, hitting the ignore button just as it rang again. The call was from Matthew.

A cloying gardenia scent made her head swim and her eyes water. The fine hair stiffened on the back of her neck and gooseflesh peppered her forearms.

She pasted on a weak smile and turned to stare into the dark barrel of a gun.

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