Schooled in Deceit: A Lacamas Village Cozy Mystery, Book 1, page 12
Yolanda shook her head as she dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Not much. Daniel Wiggins showed up just after I got your call. They let him in to see her.”
“How did he seem?” I asked.
Yolanda thought a moment before speaking. “Like he was upset. It seemed an appropriate amount.”
“Did he seem like he had just hit his stepmother over the head with a candlestick?” Perla asked.
Yolanda chuckled ruefully and dipped her head. “I’m not sure what that would look like.”
There was silence for a few moments. Perla seemed like she was trying to catch my eye. She kept doing a chin nod toward Yolanda. Then she made a little movement like she was hitting something. I frowned at her. No idea what she was trying to tell me.
Finally, Yolanda spoke. “Oh, for goodness’ sake, Misty, she wants you to ask me where Lindell was when Lisa was attacked.”
I stared at Perla, then I turned to Yolanda. “I never would have got that. Do you know where he was?”
She shook her head. A tear left her eyes and started down her cheek.
“We haven’t been spending much time together lately. I have no idea where my husband was when Lisa Wiggins was attacked.”
Chapter 30
Yolanda’s tears effectively ended Perla’s “strategy” meeting. Awkwardly, we cleaned up and put the leftovers back in the boxes for Yolanda. She, however, insisted that Jonathan take them home, a sentiment he greeted with a happy fist pump.
The next day, I couldn’t get Lisa’s attack out of my head. No one seemed to have an alibi for both her attack and mine.
I peeked through the blinds toward the Wiggins’ house. The police cars were gone. Police tape crisscrossed the front patio. A pickup pulled up to the garage, and Daniel Wiggins got out. He punched in the garage code, then strode inside, leaving the garage door up.
Without thinking, I ran out the back door, pausing to pull the porch slider closed, and hurried across the lawn, slipping through the hedges to the front of their house. I stepped quietly through the door that led from the garage, then tiptoed up the stairs to the landing, holding my breath as I listened.
The rustling of papers and the slamming of drawers came from the story above. I quickly stepped up the stairs, following the sounds to what appeared to be the Wigginses’ bedroom. I peeked in. Daniel sat on the bed, bent over a nightstand. He stood suddenly, startling me and not giving me enough time to hide.
We both jumped.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
“What are you doing here?” I responded.
He held up a pair of glasses from the nightstand. “I’m picking up some clothes for Lisa for when she wakes up.” He waved the glasses around awkwardly. “She likes to read at night.”
I raised an eyebrow skeptically. He would know that how exactly?
His face pruned in disgust at my face and he tossed the glasses on the bed on top of a small stack of clothes. “My dad used to complain about it because she kept a little light on. It kept him up.”
My eyes strayed to the small pile on the bed. “You’re getting clothes for her.”
“Yes, I just told you that. I’m not sure what to take them to her in, though. A shopping bag?” He gestured around the room.
I shrugged. “That would work, but does she have any small suitcases?”
The two of us rummaged in the closets and found a small overnight bag. Daniel flipped it open and gently placed the clothes and the glasses inside.
“Don’t forget the e-reader.” I had noticed it on the nightstand.
Daniel reached for it and tucked it into the bag.
“Did you get underwear and socks?”
Daniel’s eyes flew to mine and he shook his head.
“Show me where.”
He pointed to a dresser, so I went and gathered the clothing for him. I tucked it into the bag, then turned to Daniel.
“I hope Lisa gets better soon.”
“Me, too.” Tears welled up in Daniel’s eyes and he turned away. “I know it didn’t always look like it, but she’s been part of our family for twenty-some years now. I don’t want to lose her, too.”
“I’d better get home.” I squeezed Daniel’s arm, then turned to leave the room.
“Uh, Misty, is it?”
I turned back with a nod.
“You never did mention why you were here.” He zipped up the bag, then fixed me with a gaze.
I opened my mouth a couple of times, trying to come up with a believable story. Finally, I settled on the truth.
“I thought you attacked your stepmom and were coming back to steal from her.”
Daniel pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. “Pretty big risk you’d be taking if that were true.”
My heart stopped for a moment. I nervously wiped my hands together. “Yeah,” was all I could muster.
“Thank you for caring enough about Lisa to put yourself in danger,” he said quietly.
I let out a relieved laugh. “Don’t thank me. I don’t always think clearly.”
He chuckled and nodded.
I gave a little wave and hurried back down the hallway and out the garage door, not stopping until I was on the back porch at Audra’s house. I reached for the slider, which was open about a half a foot. I stopped.
I was sure I had closed it when I raced over to Lisa’s.
Someone had gone into my house. Or was still there.
I peeked through the glass door. I didn’t see any shadowy figures lying in wait, but I did see my phone sitting on the charger on the counter by the refrigerator.
No way was I going in that house just yet. I turned and ran back to the Wigginses’ house. Daniel was just getting into the pickup.
“Wait!” I screamed, thrashing through the bushes and hurtling myself toward him. As the words tumbled out of my mouth, Daniel’s eyes went toward Audra’s house and he stepped back out of the truck.
He whipped out his phone and called the police, keeping one arm around me while he explained the situation. Then he left me at his truck and slipped back through the hedges.
Sirens sounded in the distance. A couple of patrol cars pulled up in front of Audra’s house, followed by another car. Detective Crandall emerged from the car and strode toward me. Daniel came back out of the hedges, brushing off his jeans jacket.
He hooked a thumb over his shoulder as he spoke to the detective. “I figured someone should watch the back in case the guy ran out that way when the cops showed up.”
“Did he?” Crandall asked skeptically.
“I would have led with that, Jonas. No, no one ran out.” Daniel shook his head. Clearly, he and the detective had crossed paths before.
Crandall turned to me. “The officers are checking your house.” He leaned closer. “Don’t worry. They will explore every nook and cranny to make sure no one is there.”
I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself and eying the activity at Audra’s.
“Now tell me what happened.”
I was nearly done with my report when we were interrupted by a uniformed officer.
“Detective, we found something.”
Crandall and I exchanged a look, then we both turned toward the hedge and followed the officer into Audra’s kitchen, Daniel on our heels.
Sitting on the table, just out of sight of the back door, was a large rock with a note wrapped in string: “YOU’RE NEXT.”
Chapter 31
I sat at the table, alternately covering my face with my hands and then staring at the note with its ominous message.
“You okay, Ms. Michaels?” Detective Crandall sat across from me, tapping his pen on the table top.
I uncovered my face and stared at him.
“I mean, under the circumstances,” he added.
I gestured toward the rock. “What do you intend to do about this, Detective? Someone has threatened me.”
He nodded, still tapping that infernal pen.
“Here’s the thing, Ms. Michaels.”
I covered my face again. Whenever someone starts with “here’s the thing,” it never ends well.
“We will dust the note and the door for fingerprints, but beyond that, we don’t have much to go on.”
“So nothing really. You’ll do nothing.”
My heart sank. My head dropped to the tabletop.
Tears seeped from my eyes. “All I wanted was a quiet place for the summer to figure out what I needed to do next,” I muttered. I lifted my head and fixed the detective with an accusatory gaze. “This is the opposite of that.”
He nodded, lips pursed as he looked at me. “I don’t mean to add to your troubles, Ms. Michaels, but the thing is I only have your word that someone else left the rock on your table. There’s no sign of breaking and entering. No sign that anyone else has been here.”
“All clear, Detective.” A uniformed police officer entered the kitchen. “We checked every room, closet, under every bed. Whoever was here is gone.”
The detective threw the officer a glance, then stood. “We’ll be in touch, Ms. Michaels.”
Another officer picked up the bagged rock and gingerly carried it out the door.
Shouts erupted from the front porch, prompting me to follow the officers into the entryway.
“You stop harassing that woman, Jonas Crandall!” Perla’s voice carried into the house. “You are barking up the wrong dang tree! Misty!”
Perla shouted even as she turned into the house, nearly running into me. “There you are. Are you okay? Daniel said someone broke in.”
I waved Perla into the kitchen and set the tea kettle on the stove as I told her what had happened.
She hopped up onto a stool. Her eyes scanned the kitchen.
“By the way, did I leave my hat here? I can’t find it.” She selected a tea bag from the selection I set before her. She glanced at me as I shook my head.
“Well, then who do you think left you the rock?”
Finally, I shrugged and focused on stirring my tea. “I was gone close to twenty minutes. It could be anybody.” I forced a laugh. “It could be you.”
Perla laughed, then stopped when she realized I wasn’t laughing with her. “Wait, you think I threatened you? And, what, that I killed Samuel, too?”
I pulled my spoon out of the tea and waved it around. “I don’t know, Perla. You said yourself that you and Wiggins didn’t get along. And you don’t have an alibi for Lisa’s attack.” The words came rushing out, even though I knew it wasn’t smart to accuse a potential killer alone in my kitchen.
“Plus, you always seem to show up right after something happens.”
Perla calmly set down her tea, her lips draw tightly together. “I can’t believe you think I would do something like this.” She lifted her chin and started to leave the kitchen, then turned back. “And I show up because I care about my neighbors.”
Her voice was biting. As the front door slammed shut behind her, I leaned on the kitchen island, my face in my hands and a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had just made a terrible mistake.
Chapter 32
I didn’t work the next day, for which I was grateful. I couldn’t face Perla after practically accusing her of murder.
By afternoon, I was ready to move. I laced up my tennis shoes and headed down the hill toward Bigleaf Lake. Elijah walked along the street, snipping bush branches that hung over the sidewalk.
“Hey, don’t forget my shopping bags. I might need them today,” he called as I started toward the park gate.
I gave him a thumbs-up and kept going.
After my hike, a nap was in order. As I awoke, I stretched and glanced at the clock. I grabbed my shoes and headed down to the trailhead to return the shopping bags to Elijah. He usually worked around the boat shed all afternoon.
I glanced at the fading light and hoped I wasn’t too late.
Pushing through the gate, I didn’t see his trademark blue hoodie. The shed door was closed. I might have missed him.
“Elijah! Elijah!” I called. “You still around? Elijah?”
Elijah pushed open the door, smiling and pulling earbuds from his ears. “I wasn’t sure if I’d see you today or not. I hung around a little bit longer, just in case. I didn’t want to miss you.”
I stared at the earbuds around his neck. “You heard me?” I asked.
Puzzlement and something else flew through me. “I thought you couldn’t hear anything when you had those in.”
The expression on his face changed and I realized what the “something else” was. Suspicion. He lied to the police.
I hurried on. “You probably didn’t have it turned up as loud today, though, right? I mean, as loud as you did when Samuel Wiggins was killed.”
Relief settled on his face and his smiled relaxed. “That’s right. I was rocking out that night.” He held out his hand. “Did you want to return those?”
I looked at the grocery bags in my hands and nodded slowly. I gulped. My feet didn’t want to move anywhere near him. My heart started to beat faster as I glanced behind me to see if anyone – please, anyone – was on the trail.
The trail was empty.
Elijah walked toward me, the smile on his face hardening. Just before he reached me, I made a decision and threw the grocery bags toward him. As I turned to run, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me with a strength belied by his slender frame.
“Come on inside, Misty. Let’s have a talk.”
He shoved his arm around my waist and pulled me to him, nearly lifting me off my feet and dragging me into the shed. I pushed my feet against the door jamb to try to prevent him from getting me through the door. It worked for a minute as we pushed against each other, my feet starting to climb partway up the door and my body nearly going parallel with the ground.
“Misty, stop this. You’re just making it harder on yourself,” Elijah grunted.
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “I want to make it harder on you.”
“Wrong choice,” he clipped back.
With that, he yanked me away from the door and threw me into the shed, pulling the door closed behind him. I tumbled to the ground, smashing my arm against a piece of wood on the floor. I grimaced in pain as I rolled over the wood. Then, realizing the wood was a sturdy walking stick, I scrambled to my feet, snatching the stick and holding it in front of me like a sword.
Elijah chuckled. “Put it down, Misty. You’re not going to use it against me.”
“What makes you think so?” I snarled, anger welling up inside.
He jumped at me with a speed I didn’t expect and managed to grab onto the walking stick. He smiled as we struggled over it, which made me even madder.
I lifted my foot and stomped on the edge of his sneaker, aiming for his toes.
He yelped, then released one hand from the stick, reared back and hit me in the cheek with the back of his hand.
I flew backwards, letting loose of the stick and falling in between two kayaks. As I struggled to get up, Elijah stood over me and put a foot on my chest.
“Let’s stop this, Misty. You know you can’t win.”
He pushed into me with his foot. I fell back to the floor.
“You won’t get away with this,” I said, my voice coming out weaker than I would’ve liked.
He gave me one more push, then turned and walked back to the front of the shed, stopping to lock the door. He looked back at me with a smile. I struggled to sit up between the kayaks but remained on the ground so I could stay far away from him.
“I have so far,” he said, raising his hands in a sarcastic clapping motion. Then he pulled a baseball hat out of his pocket.
I stared. “That’s Perla’s hat.”
Elijah nodded and held it up to the light. “I recognized it when I was in your kitchen, well, Audra’s kitchen. Thought it might come in handy. And, look, it has. Now, everyone will think Perla killed you and Samuel Wiggins as well.”
“That’s a lie,” I protested.
“So sue me.” He shrugged then he tapped his chin. “Oh, that won’t do any good either since I have no money for you to get.”
He laughed almost maniacally, sending chills up my back as I realized what he had said.
“Perla was right then that your wife took all your money in the divorce.”
His face turned to a scowl. “Ex-wife.”
“You’ve been stealing from the homeowners association,” I said slowly, looking down at the dirt floor as the realization kicked in. Then I looked up at Elijah. “That’s why you do all the extra work around here. Samuel Wiggins found out. He was going to turn you in. He wasn’t going to let you get away with it.”
Elijah looked at me in silence for a long moment, apparently weighing how much to say.
Finally, he made a face. “Samuel Wiggins never had a hard moment in his life. I, on the other hand, worked for everything I had, and her lawyers took it from me.”
Finally, I pulled myself up onto one of the kayaks. It rocked unsteadily beneath me.
“You’re wrong about Samuel. He did two tours in the Army.”
Elijah turned and shoved me back over the kayak. I fought to catch my breath.
“I don’t understand, Elijah,” I gasped. “You made a fortune before. Why can’t you just do it again?”
He laughed. “Real estate is harder now and the market is more crowded. Besides, how would it look if I went back to work at my age. I’m over fifty. I know I don’t look it.”
He preened ever so slightly. My stomach turned. I was locked in a shed with a madman. A calculating madman. If he had the foresight to save Samuel’s bandana, there was no telling what he would do.
He stood up, slapping his hands against his thighs. “This had been fun, but it’s time for the next act in our little mystery.”
“Wait,” I held up a hand. “What about Lisa? Why did you attack her?”
His shoulders drooped a bit as if he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
“She found out, didn’t she?” I was just guessing, but it seemed like the only option.
He shrugged again. “She suspected, but she didn’t know for sure. After you die, she’ll have an accident in the hospital before she can tell anyone. People think Lisa was just a trophy wife, but she has a brain,” he said, adding. “Not that it did her much good.”
