A VENEER OF MURDER (Mrs. Fix It Mysteries Book 3) (9 page)

“Not your fault. Just the nature of the job.”

He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look unhappy. “Do you regret taking it?”

He eyed her. “Never. I like it in Rock Ridge. It’s the politics that make the job hard, but it was true in Philly. I like my house and living out here better than the city,” he said.

She was glad he was here, but she wasn’t going to share that.

“Any more revelations about Greg?” she asked.

“I haven’t had time to do anything more. Sorry.”

She waved her fork. “No need to apologize. Your job comes first. And frankly I don’t think he’s going to be discovered any sooner just because you looked for him. I guess I better resign myself that he isn’t coming back.”

He put down his fork then squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, Kate. I know that’s a tough place to be.”

She looked down at her food, not wanting to break down, but a lump formed in her throat. “I’ve been thinking about filing for divorce.”

Scott’s eyebrows went up. “Oh?”

“I think I’m almost ready to get on with my life.”

“Almost?”

“Almost.”

Chapter Seven

Scott left Kate with the rest of the food. And a kiss on her cheek. What did it mean that she wanted to turn her face and meet his lips? She remembered that he’d been a good kisser. Not that she’d had that much experience at that age, but anyone she’d kissed since had been measured against his abilities.

Many had come up short, but not Greg.

Kate had wandered around the empty house once Scott had left. She stared into what had been Greg’s office. If he were here, it still would be.

She was restless—not ready for bed. Probably not ready to tackle a big project like her husband’s office, but she might lose the feeling of wandering through life if she accomplished something, if she put something behind her.

She sighed. Greg had insisted on an old metal desk used by large corporations in the 1970s. He’d moved it from his apartment to hers when they’d married. He then moved it from that apartment to this house despite Kate’s protests that they could afford a nicer one. He loved that desk.

Kate hadn’t done much but neaten this room since Greg had left. Maybe it was time. Greg wasn’t coming back. She didn’t know if that was because he couldn’t or he wouldn’t, but maybe that didn’t matter. She had to accept that he was gone.

Her first step could be to clean out his office. For a moment she wondered if she should talk to her boys about it. No, she was the adult. She wouldn’t throw out any personal items. She’d keep them in a box for the boys to go through the next time they were home. In reality, their lives were becoming less about Kate and more about themselves, as it should be at nineteen. Eventually they were going to graduate college, get jobs, and marry.

She had to make a life for herself instead of meandering in limbo created by her husband’s absence. She needed to get a life beyond her work.

She pulled out her phone, dialing Carly. Hopefully her friend would be home. If she wasn’t, then Kate would have to tackle it by herself. She kept her fingers crossed.

“Hey, Kate.”

Kate did a fist pump. She might have company for this task. If Meghan were still alive she might have asked her. She would have been free. Her social life was as exciting as Kate’s. “You busy?”

“No, I’m not, actually. What do you need?”

Kate was now happy dancing. She didn’t want to face the office alone. “I’m thinking about cleaning out Greg’s office. I need a little help.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Maybe Meghan’s death was showing her that life was too short. Kate didn’t have time to wait around, and Scott probably wouldn’t be around forever. Not that she was ready to pursue anything with him. That might be a few steps down the road.

Carly pulled in, as promised, ten minutes later. She was in denim shorts and a T-shirt. Ready to work. She hugged Kate. “I’m so proud of you.”

“For what?”

“This is a huge step to getting over Greg.”

Kate bit her lip as she stood on the porch with her best friend. “Now I’m not so sure.”

Carly took her hand, led her inside. “Come on. It was a good impulse. Let’s go with it.”

Kate stood in the doorway, watching Carly walk around the place that had been so Greg. Everything was secondhand. Upcycled, he would call it, even though he didn’t do anything new with it. He just reused it.

“He was a pack rat.”

“He didn’t throw away anything. I had to sneak stuff out of the house to get the basement cleaned once a year,” Kate said. The whole idea had annoyed her, but she knew he wouldn’t let anything go if he saw it. He never missed the things she’d gotten rid of, so that assuaged her guilt over not telling him.

More than one argument had ensued when he’d discovered something missing. Usually it was years after she’d gotten rid of it. Those fights were the only ones they had had, which made Kate think that maybe if he’d loved her more, he would have fought with her. Kate didn’t know. His possessions had been something to fight over, but never her.

“Where you do you want to start?” Carly said.

Kate looked around the room. There were piles everywhere. The task seemed more daunting now that she was jumping into it. At least she had Carly to keep her on track. She’d probably have given up before she started without her friend here. “Let’s start geographically. Otherwise I’ll never start. I feel like this is an episode of
Hoarders
.”

Carly laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

They began in the far corner. The bookshelves there were stuffed with books and papers. The books dealt with studies of the Middle East, the field that he had specialized in.

“Maybe the library could use them,” Carly said then covered her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll put them in a box and give them to whomever takes over for Meghan.”

Kate found some empty boxes in the basement and they were filled almost instantly. The papers didn’t seem important, so they would go out with the recycling. An hour later the bookshelves were cleared.

“Wow, that felt good,” Kate said. “Even if we have most of the room left.”

She yawned. This was taking a toll on her physically. Emotionally, she was energized.

“Let’s do one more thing then call it a night,” Carly said.

“The top of his desk?”

“Yes.”

Papers were stacked in various piles on that ugly, metal desk. Kate had no idea how Greg could work among all of this clutter. He’d graded papers and tests here, not liking to do that at school. He had had a ritual. He used the same brand of red pen for every paper. He’d bought a huge box online. Kate wondered if he’d run out or if she’d find that box somewhere.

Had he taken them with him? In the five years he’d been gone, she hadn’t found anything missing. It was as if he’d been taken by aliens as is. Well, him and his car.

“I haven’t seen a desk like this since I was a kid,” Carly said.

“I know. Greg would not get rid of it. He didn’t see anything wrong with it.”

“Well there isn’t except that it is decades out of style.”

“You saw how my husband dressed. He wasn’t worried about style,” Kate said.

Carly laughed. “Let’s divide this up into piles of bills, academia and other.”

“Good idea.”

Kate took one half of the desk. Carly took the other. How could one person have so much paper? Kate didn’t have near this much and she ran a business, complete with collecting sales tax. While going through a pile, Kate found a credit card bill for a credit card that she didn’t know existed. She stared at it for a moment.

“What’s that?”

“A credit card bill.”

“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I don’t recognize this number.”

“Was it one he had for work?” Carly asked. She neatened a pile as she spoke.

Kate shook her head. “No. That one was a VISA. This is MasterCard.”

Carly looked over her shoulder at it. “Huh. What does it have on it?”

“Camping equipment.”

Kate didn’t know what to make of this. Why was her husband buying camping equipment when he had no intentions of camping? At least not that she knew of. He hated it. Didn’t like to get dirty. He was a bit prissy for a guy.

“Holy shit, Kate.”

“I know.”

“What did he buy?”

“A tent. Sleeping bag.”

“Only one?”

“Only one. Guess he wasn’t running away with anyone,” Kate said, even though it was a small consolation. As far as she knew, her husband hadn’t left her for anyone.

“Oh, Kate. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s better that I learn the truth. It will be easier to get past this.”

Carly put a hand on her arm. Kate appreciated the support. Carly had been there for her time and time again. She patted her friend’s hand.

“What’s that charge?”

“I don’t know. I’ll bring it to Scott to see if he can figure it out.”

“Has he made much progress in finding Greg’s trail?”

“No and every time he finds something, I feel that I was married to a stranger. He wasn’t who I thought he was.”

“Oh, Kate.”

“I’ll be okay, Carly. I will.”

“You are stronger than this.”

Kate folded up the bill, then tucked it back in its envelope. “You want a drink? I need one.”

“I hate to see anyone drink alone,” Carly said.

Kate found an opened bottle of chardonnay in the refrigerator. She poured a glass for both of them. Carly held hers to Kate’s. “To new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings,” Kate said.

***

Kate woke the next day with a new sense of purpose. She felt a shift in herself. She was willing to entertain the idea that there would be life after Greg.  A good life that she’d enjoy. That she
should
enjoy, guilt free.

She wasn’t ready to embrace every aspect of that, but she was taking steps in that direction. Part of her wanted to finish Greg’s office that morning, but the task was too large. She could do the rest herself. She had the strength.

First, she had to show Scott the credit card statement. He would be able to figure out that charge. She’d grown to rely on him, and he hadn’t let her down. Ever.

She hadn’t been this bitter about him until Scott came to town. Had she just been delusional before, or was she seeing Greg from a distance now? She was probably comparing him to Scott and that wasn’t fair. Scott was here and present. Or maybe it was fair. If Greg had been here all of this time, she wouldn’t be looking at Scott.

With her first cup of coffee in hand, she drove to the police station. Meghan’s funeral was the next day. Kate glanced at the library. It was still closed as no one had stepped up to take it over. She didn’t know who would. Maybe someone who had just graduated from college would be interested in the job.

The place wouldn’t be the same without Meghan, and Kate’s heart hurt at the idea. Life went on, but grieving had to be done. She hadn’t grieved for Greg, and it was probably about time.

She sipped her coffee then walked to Scott’s office. He was once again knee-deep in paperwork. She sat with her coffee, waiting until he finished what he was writing. The bill was tucked into the pocket of her overalls.

He’d nodded at her when she sat. She watched his movements, his forehead wrinkled from thinking. He was a handsome man. Rugged. Not the intellectual that Greg was, but just as smart. Had her marrying Greg been a reaction to having been with Scott? Had she been looking for someone completely different? She couldn’t have picked anyone more different than Scott.

If Greg were here, would Scott turn her head? He would be polite, but he wouldn’t be so blatant about his feelings toward her. There would be no way to do that to another man’s wife. Scott had more class than that. Which meant that he didn’t consider her another man’s wife.

“Hey,” he said, finally looking up. He looked harried. More stressed than she’d seen him since he’d come back to Rock Ridge.

“Hi. Busy morning?”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“Tell me.”

It was about time she at least returned his friendship. He’d been good to her. She needed to be good to him. Even if they were never romantic, they could be friends. She trusted him and he must trust her.

They spent a lot of time together for not dating.

“You sure you want to hear it?”

She nodded. He studied her. “You look different.”

“Oh?”

“Like you made a decision.”

“I did, but tell me about your morning,” she said.

“Okay. We’ve had threats. Actual threats about Founder’s Day. Nothing we can trace to a specific person yet, but we’re working on it. Keep that to yourself.”

“Mum’s the word,” Kate said.

She leaned back in the chair, holding her coffee with two hands. She did want to hear this. Even if it meant that Rock Ridge wasn’t as safe as she wanted to believe. Most of her life didn’t seem to be how she wanted to believe it had been.

“I’m pretty sure it’s that group outside of town, but we can’t find actual evidence that would hold up in a court of law. Anarchist Freedom Network is what they call themselves.”

“That’s sucks. I’m sure you will in time. Don’t you always tell me that criminals are not smart?”

“They aren’t, but sometimes they are. This group has a legitimate branch.”

“What do you mean by legitimate?”

“They have charitable status with the federal government, but when I talk to my FBI contact, he thinks one funnels money to the other. They just haven’t been able to pick up the trail of that money.”

“Wow. So they aren’t just anarchists. They’re businessmen. Why target Founder’s Day?”

“Because they are targeting events like this across the United States. Each event won’t be disruptive on a large scale, but the sum of them will. People won’t feel safe in small towns. Besides, small towns are easier to target.”

“People are more trusting. They don’t think these things can happen in a small town.”

“Exactly.”

“But if people don’t feel safe, won’t they turn to the government for help? Wouldn’t that leave the door open for the government to put stricter controls on things? Wouldn’t that be the opposite of what an anarchist would want?”