A Dead End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 1) (9 page)

“You are dead serious about gardens,” Kit said and winced when she realized she’d used the word ‘dead.’

“The Westdale garden competition is once a year.” She held up her index finger in Kit’s face. “Once. I won every year until…”

“Until?” Kit prompted. “Ernie’s motor home?”

Thora nodded and adjusted the hem of her shirt. “Now I’m back in business, thank goodness.” She rubbed her hands together excitedly. “I’m sure to win this year.”

“When do they judge?”

“September. You’ll see how gorgeous my garden looks by then.”

“Unless I buy that motor home I had my eye on,” Kit joked. The steely look in Thora’s eye made Kit nervous. “Just kidding,” she said feebly. Kit decided to hold off on asking about Chris the mechanic. Somehow, it didn’t seem like the right moment anymore.

After Thora returned to her house for a nap, Kit carried on attacking her garden in light of Thora’s helpful tips. Murderer or not, the older woman knew her way around a flowerbed.

An unfamiliar black car pulled into the driveway next door and Kit recognized Romeo’s profile at the wheel. Quickly, she smoothed her hair and wiped the dirt from her face with the bottom of her shirt. She looked like a hot mess, but there was nowhere to hide.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Romeo said, sauntering over to where she kneeled.

“I could say the same to you.” She flashed him a megawatt smile, hoping her Julia Roberts-style mouth distracted him from the rest of her grungy self.

“I’m interviewing Peregrine Monroe.”

“By yourself?” Kit asked.

“I’m a pretty big boy,” Romeo replied with amusement.

“It isn’t that,” she said, dusting off her knees as she stood. “Let me come with you. It’ll give you an air of legitimacy.”

“I think the badge and gun help with legitimacy,” he said, showing her his concealed weapon.

Kit rolled her eyes. “You really don’t get it. You’re an outsider.”

“Some think you are, too,” he commented.

“Fair enough, but I’m better than no one.”

“Older women love me.”

“Not this one. Peregrine Monroe is not going to take a shine to you. Trust me.”

Romeo studied her for a moment. “Kit, seriously…”

“How’d you do with Cecilia Musgrove?” she inquired. His dark eyes shifted to the flowers and Kit had her answer. “Big surprise there. My mother would eat you for lunch so you’d at least be an appetizer for Cecilia.”

Romeo pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it to Kit. “Okay, fine, but clean yourself up first. You can’t go dripping sweat in the lady’s house. Your DNA will be everywhere.”

“Are you expecting another crime to be committed?” She swiped the handkerchief and wiped her face and the back of her neck. When she finished, she noticed that Romeo was staring at her.

“What?” she asked, touching her face. “Did I squish a mosquito or something?”

“No,” Romeo said. “That was just much sexier than I thought it would be.”

Kit blushed and tucked the handkerchief in her back pocket. “I’ll wash it before I give it back.”

He glanced appreciatively at her backside where the handkerchief protruded from her pocket. “First time in my life I ever wanted to be a handkerchief.”

Kit yanked out the handkerchief and swatted his arm with it as they strode up to Peregrine’s door. His knock was loud and firm. Kit wouldn’t have been surprised if the entire block heard it.

The door opened and Peregrine eyed them warily. “Yes?”

“Ms. Monroe, we met before. I’d asked you a few questions about the last time you saw Ernie Ludwig.”

“Do you need something, Detective? I’m afraid I’m rather busy.”

“Packing for Sedona?” Romeo asked casually. “I think it’ll be hotter than hell there now.”

Kit tried to disguise her shock. Romeo knew about Sedona?

Peregrine opened the door stiffly. “Do come in. I suppose I can spare a few moments.”

They stepped inside and she immediately offered them iced tea. Kit gratefully accepted. She was beyond parched from her gardening work.

“I’m glad to see you’re sprucing up the front yard,” Peregrine said, a note of approval in her voice. “It was in dire need of a green thumb.”

“I don’t know how green my thumb is,” Kit confessed, “but Thora seems to have adopted me as her protégé.”

“If that’s true, then consider yourself lucky,” Peregrine said. “The woman is a gardening marvel.”

“Not like Ernie Ludwig, huh?” Romeo asked, turning the conversation toward the real reason for his visit.

“No, not at all like him,” Peregrine said bitterly.

“You don’t think it’s odd that the minute we discover Ernie’s body, you decide to move across the country?” Romeo asked.

“I can’t help where my sister lives,” Peregrine replied. Although her body was rigid, Kit knew she couldn’t read anything into it. Rigid was Peregrine’s natural state.

“But you can help when you decide to join her there,” Romeo countered.

Peregrine set down her glass and met Romeo’s assessing gaze. “What is your real question, Detective? Shall I call my lawyer?”

“No, no. No need to spend five hundred bucks. Save it for your new place. I’m just here to have a conversation,” Romeo assured her. “That’s all.”

“All right then. Can I offer you any macaroons?”

“Ooh, from Biscuits?” Kit asked hopefully.

“Have you been there since you moved home?” Peregrine asked, standing to retrieve the signature duck egg blue box.

“No, thank you for reminding me they exist.” Kit accepted a macaroon. Turned out that gardening was thirsty
and
hungry work.

Romeo waved off the macaroons. “I know it was a long time ago, but can you recall anything unusual around the time Ernie disappeared?” he asked.

“We’ve had this conversation already,” Peregrine pointed out.

“I asked you to think about it,” Romeo retorted. “Were there any strangers prowling around? Was Ernie behaving oddly?”

Peregrine looked thoughtful, although Kit doubted very much that Peregrine knew Ernie well enough to judge whether his actions had been out of character. Peregrine had more likely given her neighbor a wide berth.

“There was an unfamiliar car one day,” she remarked. “Not long before Ernie went missing.”

Romeo flipped open his notepad. “Can you describe the car?”

“White with an orange stripe on the side.” She pursed her lips. “It wasn’t a Westdale car.”

“That you recognized,” Romeo clarified.

“No, I mean it was not a Westdale car,” she insisted. “No one here would dream of owning a car like that.” Her lips curled and Romeo got the message. No muscle cars in Westdale.

“Any chance you caught the license plate number?” he asked.

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“Did you get a look at the driver?”

“A man,” she said. “He didn’t even stop, that I noticed. He just drove slowly down the street and idled for a moment in front of Ernie’s house.”

“Are you a member of the Pilgrim Society?” Romeo asked, shifting gears.

Kit wasn’t sure why society membership was relevant to the investigation.

“I was, once upon a time,” Peregrine said.

“Not now?” Romeo prodded.

She gave a crisp shake of her head. “They seem to let in anyone these days.”

Kit wasn’t sure who ‘anyone’ was. It seemed to her that the restrictive membership policy was still firmly in place.

“How so?” Romeo asked.

“Well, they’re not even requiring background checks on members. They may as well include descendants of the springer spaniel,” she complained bitterly.

“There was a springer spaniel on board the ship,” Kit explained softly.

“Ms. Monroe, when do you intend to join your sister in Sedona?” Romeo asked.

“I was planning to leave tomorrow,” she said. “I’m waiting to list the house until the investigation is over.”

“Well, I’d like to ask you to stick around,” Romeo said. “Maybe reschedule your flight until the investigation is over, too.”

Peregrine inhaled sharply. Clearly, she was not expecting this news. “But my sister’s expecting me.”

“I think it’s best if you postpone,” Romeo said. “In case we have more questions.”

“But I’ve told you everything I know,” Peregrine complained.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Monroe,” Romeo said and Kit was impressed that he truly did look sorry. “It’s standard procedure.”

“For criminals,” she objected. “I’m not a criminal.”

Romeo offered her a sympathetic smile. “Even so, we’d like you to follow the procedure.”

Peregrine raised her chin a fraction. “Fine, I’ll show you out.”

“I am sorry for the inconvenience,” Romeo said in the doorway.

Peregrine managed a smile. “I do understand. And you’re welcome any time, although I would prefer that you call ahead.”

Once they were deposited on the front step, Kit turned to her companion. “Yeah, she really doesn’t like you.”

“What are you talking about?” he said. “I was a big hit. She offered me macaroons.”

“If she liked you, she would have offered you Scotch and a cigar.”

“But she just said I was welcome any time. You heard her. She even smiled.”

“She was baring her teeth. Sheesh, don’t they teach you anything in cop school?” Kit spoke quietly as she accompanied him back to his car. “I need to share new information with you.”

Romeo leaned against the car door. “I’m listening.”

Kit peered over his shoulder and noticed Phyllis in the living room window. “Unfortunately, so are the neighbors.” Kit liked Phyllis and she didn’t want the older woman to know she was about to rat out her best friend.

Romeo opened the passenger door and gestured her forward. “Step into my office.”

Kit ducked inside. She knew this move would set neighborly tongues wagging, but it was better than being overheard.

Once Romeo pulled the car onto Keystone Road, Kit told him about Thora and Chris, the mechanic.

“Wait, why were you at the auto repair shop?” he asked. “You don’t have a car.”

“I do have a car. I had it shipped from L.A. and needed to have it inspected.”

“So why wasn’t it in your driveway?” he asked.

Nothing slipped past him. “It’s parked at Greyabbey since that’s where I’m forced to live against my will,” she reminded him. “I like to walk around town as much as possible. I missed that in L.A.”

“What kind of car?” Romeo asked.

Kit tapped his temple. “Turn off the male part of your brain. The type of car isn’t relevant to this conversation. I’m trying to tell you something important about the case.”

Romeo grinned. “There’s plenty of time for that. What kind of car? I’ll bet it’s a flashy sports car. I’m pretty sure it’s against the law to drive a piece of crap in the state of California.”

“We do not have plenty of time,” Kit argued. “It takes three minutes to drive around the block.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Who says we’re driving around the block?”

Kit glanced down at the state of her appearance. “Romeo, I’ve been sweating my keister off in the front yard. This is an unauthorized outing.”

“I’ve seen you look worse. You don’t seem too selective about your Instagram selfies.”

“Gee, thanks.” She smoothed her hair. “So where are we going?”

“To Eastdale. I’d like to have a word with the mechanic.”

Kit hesitated. “You really just want to ask him what kind of car I have, don’t you?”

Romeo shrugged good-naturedly. “It’s a critical part of my investigation.”

“I was wondering if it’s possible…” Kit trailed off, not sure if she wanted to speculate. Chris seemed like a nice enough guy and she’d taken a shine to Thora.

“You’re wondering if it’s possible that a sweet lady like Thora and the helpful mechanic accidentally killed Ernie?”

Kit’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

Romeo chuckled. “I’m a detective, remember?”

“Well, what if Ernie came out when Chris was trying to take the motor home and, in an effort to stop him, Ernie ended up underneath it somehow? Could the weight of a motor home explain the condition of his chest? That would explain why the motor home is missing. It was evidence.”

Romeo appeared to mull it over. “If we ever locate the runaway skeleton, I’ll mention it to the medical examiner, but I would’ve thought we’d have seen broken bones if that had been the case.”

Kit felt a wave of relief. She hated to implicate either one of them.

“It doesn’t mean they weren’t responsible, though,” Romeo added and Kit’s stomach tensed. “It could still have happened when Chris tried to tow the motor home. Just some other way.”

“So they haven’t found the skeleton yet, huh?”

Romeo tightened his grip on the wheel. “Evidence goes missing. That part’s not unusual, but a whole intact skeleton?” He shook his head. “Something’s off.”

“Are you looking into it?” Kit asked.

“Not me personally.” His mouth quirked. “My snitch is keeping me pretty busy running down leads.”

They crossed the bridge into Eastdale and Kit took a moment to admire the picturesque boathouses on Mayflower Row. She’d spent a lot of time there in her youth and the sudden view of it flooded her with nostalgia.

“You missed it here more than you thought,” Romeo observed.

Kit leaned her cheek against the window. “I never intended to come back.”

“So why did you?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” he replied.

After Romeo dropped her off at the front gate, Kit dragged herself up the pathway to Greyabbey and prayed that her mother was at the country club. She didn’t feel like being lectured about her poor choice of majors or her poor choice of houses. Her poor choices in general.

There was no sign of Huntley or the dogs. Kit wondered if they were strolling the property. The estate was five acres in total so there was plenty of space for the dogs to roam freely without scaring the daylights out of any unsuspecting pedestrians.

Kit opened the front door quietly and crept up the stairs to her bedroom. Diane was probably in the kitchen preparing dinner. Kit thought she might pester the cook for a few recipes later. Now that she’d be eating most of her meals at her own house, whenever she was allowed back there, she decided that it would be handy to know how to prepare a few simple dishes. The internet was a good source for recipes, but Diane was a better one.