Beware the Orchids (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 1) (10 page)

18

“G
et rid of her,” Heath hissed, his hand on the doorknob of the room next door to Alice’s office.

I held out my hands. I was trying! There. I reached over and yanked the fire alarm. Shrill blasts rang through the building.

Heath gave me an exasperated look and ducked into the room next door.

“Fire.” I pushed open Alice’s door. “I don’t smell smoke, but it’s best you come check.”

“Where’s Heath? That’s his job.”

I did my best to play dumb, which lately, wasn’t too hard of a task. “He took off…that way.” I pointed in the opposite direction. “He said something about sending you to cottage number…thirty when I saw you.” I thought that might be the farthest from where we were.

She gave a heavy sigh. “So far. Maybe I will buy him that Gator thing. I’ll buy two. One for me.” She shooed me from her office and pulled the door closed, locking it behind us. “Come with me.”

“Shouldn’t I make sure the residents get out safely?”

“Really?” She rolled her eyes. “None of them are infirm or in wheelchairs. I think they know what a fire alarm means by now. Oh, that infernal racket!”

We headed outside amidst the residents flocking to the parking lot. I prayed I wouldn’t get arrested for falsely pulling the alarm, but I’d reacted in the spur of the moment. Obviously, I couldn’t be trusted to make snap decisions in a moment of crisis.

I practically had to jog to keep up with Alice, which meant her fast pace might prevent me from keeping her occupied for the required thirty minutes. Think, Shelby! “Do you smell smoke?”

Alice stopped and sniffed the air. “No.”

“I think it’s coming from the pool area.”

“Use your cell phone and call Heath. Get him here now. I’m not equipped to deal with this.”

“Should I call the fire department?”

“Not until we verify we have a fire.” She unlocked the gate to the pool. “Go check the changing rooms. I’ll check the pump. And, hurry up.” She glanced at the sky. “Not a speck of smoke. Call Heath.”

I pretended to check the changing room, taking my time, horrified that we’d managed to waste less than ten minutes. While out of Alice’s sight, I called Heath. “I can’t keep her occupied for thirty minutes. She’s starting to figure out there isn’t a fire.”

“That was a dumb idea.”

“She told me to call you and have you meet us.”

“I have what we need. I’ll call Alice and tell her it’s a false alarm. Bye.” Click.

I breathed a sigh of relief and rejoined Alice outside. She answered her phone, her lips stretching into a thin line. “Antiquated alarm system. Not a nice thing to deal with on the day of a resident’s funeral.” She marched away, leaving me to my own devices.

Consumed with guilt over pulling the alarm, I headed back to my cottage. I opened the door and froze. On my sofa, sagged Marvin and William, both clearly under the effects of a drug. I glared at Cheryl. “What did you do?”

“What I said I was going to do. I couldn’t find anything incriminating on the internet. Nothing that we didn’t already know, anyway.”

Mercy, we were both going to jail. Me for the false alarm, her for drugging two men. “Please tell me they aren’t going to die.”

“Of course, they aren’t. But, I’m pretty sure neither of them killed Maybelle.”

“How do you know?” I peeled one of Marvin’s eyes open.

“Because I asked them. Why would they lie under the influence?”

“Because they might be a murderer.”

“That’s why I don’t feel any remorse about my method of questioning them. All we have to do now, is put them somewhere until they wake up.”

“How do you propose to do that?” Both men most likely weighed over two hundred pounds each.

“I’ll take a head, you take the feet. We’ll put them by the pool with a beer in their hands. They were drinking when I invited them. They’ll think they drank too much.”

I didn’t like it a bit. Still, what choice did we have? “You know, God must really be shaking His head right about now.” I grabbed William’s ankles.

“He’s too heavy to lift and talk. Thank goodness you live close to the pool.” Cheryl opened the front door, then hooked her hands under the man’s arms.

With her walking backward and me forward, we managed to get him poolside with me only dropping his feet once. With him safely spread out on a lounge chair, we headed back for Marvin and ran into Heath.

He stood in the open doorway and, without turning around, said, “You didn’t.”

“She did.” I squeezed past him. “Help us get the bigger man to the pool.”

“You aren’t drowning them are you?” Heath cast me a shocked look.

“Don’t be silly.” I grabbed Marvin’s ankles. “Well, come on.”

“Heath and I will carry him.” Cheryl shouldered me out of the way. “You get the beer. It’s in the fridge.”

Why in the world did she need a case of the vile stuff? I grabbed it and hurried after them. “I’m so sorry to involve you, Heath.” I thrust the beer at Cheryl. “My friend is insane and a criminal.”

Cheryl grinned. “You’re an accomplice.”

My blood drained to my feet. “Don’t remind me. Finish your diabolical plan so we can go back to the safety of my cottage.”

“Please.” Heath added.

“What is going on?” Alice entered the gate, her eyes widening. “Are these men drunk?” She glanced at the three of us. “Drinking is not allowed poolside. Especially with glass bottles.”

“Um, these are aluminum cans.” Cheryl handed them to her. “We, uh, found them like this. Yeah.”

Alice stared at her as if she’d sprouted tentacles from her head. “I’ll let them slide this time, seeing as how they’re most likely mourning Maybelle, but if it happens again...” She made a slashing motion across her throat. “Heath, help get them home.”

He groaned.

Poor man.

I felt a measure of relief in knowing that no permanent harm had been done. “I’ll get my car. We’ll drive them home.”

Alice nodded. “I’m heading to my room. This has been the strangest day.” She shook her head and left us with the chore of getting two very heavy, very drugged men into my Volkswagon.

“If you do anything like this again, I’ll kill you myself.” I glared at Cheryl and headed for the employee parking area behind the main building.

By the time we had the two men safely in their own homes, I was disgruntled, starving, and still had no idea what Heath had found in Alice’s office. I parked my car back in its spot as the supper bell rang. I caught up with my conspirators in crime. “Grab a plate to take back to my place. If I have to wait one more—”

“Wait up, Shelby.” Alice called to me the moment I stepped into the dining room.

“Fix me a plate, Cheryl.” I waited for Alice.

“What are the social plans for Saturday?”

Ooops. I hadn’t given them a thought.

“It’s Wednesday. If people need to prepare, then they need time.” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll let you know by morning.”

“Now. Surely you have something rattling around in that head of yours.”

“A pool party. Hawaiian theme.” Great. Now, I’d have to purchase decorations and show up in a bathing suit in public.

“How fun.” She clapped her hands. “I’ll make the announcement while everyone is gathered for dinner.” She moved away from me and to the front of the room.

As she made her announcement, Cheryl, Heath, and I, plates full, snuck out and headed for my cottage. We’d no sooner got inside and set our plates on the table, before I turned to Heath. “Well? The suspense is killing me.”

“The news is there is no news.” Heath leaned his chair back on two legs. “There are no files in Alice’s office on those four men.”

“That’s impossible.” What was going on here?

“Impossible or not, it’s the truth.”

I dropped my fork with a clatter. “We’re missing something. Could Maybelle have already taken them? She did have a master key.”

“Either she took them or the killer did.” Heath let his chair fall forward with a thud. “Where would she have hid them?”

“Her cottage,” Cheryl suggested.

“No.” Heath shook his head. “That’s been cleared out and cleaned. It’s ready for a new tenant.”

“The last place Maybelle was seen was the greenhouse.” I jumped to my feet. “I bet she was there to retrieve the files.” I raced outside and down the path, Heath and Cheryl thudding behind me.

“The police checked it out.” Heath’s key ring provided the music for our mad dash.

“They missed something.” I didn’t stop until I reached our destination. “I didn’t bring my keys.”

Heath unclipped a ring from his belt loop and unlocked the door. “Let’s split up. What was here then and is still here?”

“That bag of fertilizer, the counters,” I put a finger to my lips and studied the place. “There are some other bags of seed missing, but most of it has been left. The police focused on the spot where Maybelle was found.” I headed in that direction and got on my knees.

I looked first at the bottom of the counter, knowing the police would have found anything taped there. We should have asked Grandma to quiz Lawrence on anything they might have taken from the building. Next, I crawled under the bench, covering the full length, looking inside every box and crate I came across, being careful not to upset any of the tender plants I wanted to transplant. Not finding anything along the bench, I returned to Maybelle’s death spot.

As unpleasant as the moment had been, I forced myself back to when I’d found her. She’d been digging!

“Cheryl, hand me a hand shovel.”

“Which one?”

“I don’t care. Just pick one!”

She slapped a rusty wooden handled one in my palm and squatted next to me. “What are you doing?”

“Maybelle had been digging for something when she died.”

Heath joined us. “Wouldn’t the police have noticed that?”

“Maybe or maybe they didn’t dig deep enough.” If I was going to hide something, I’d make it difficult for others to get to. When you add in Maybelle’s eccentricity, well…

There! My shovel scraped against something almost a foot deep in the dirt.

“Let me.” Heath took the shovel and finished uncovering a wooden box warped from water running off the above counter. “I hope the files aren’t ruined.”

We got to our feet, and he set the box on the counter. “Here goes nothing.” He opened the box revealing a soggy mess.

While the manila file folders were intact, they were limp from water. When I opened one, the pages underneath stuck to the folder, part of one ripping. Blue and black ink ran in rivulets.

I wanted to cry. “What do we do now?”

“We take these back to your cottage, dry them out, and see if we can make anything out.” Heath carefully closed the box. “It’s worth a try and we’re getting closer to solving this mystery.”

I wished I had his optimism. In my mind, the killer stayed three steps ahead of us.

19

I
woke the next morning to the sight of sheets of ink smeared paper hanging from twine extended across my living room. It might be funny if it weren’t so sad and so important that we find out what Maybelle knew.

I’d just pulled my shirt over my head when someone knocked at the door. Tugging the blouse over my mid-section, checking to make sure all the buttons were lined up properly, I pulled the door open. “Alice.”

“Good morning. May I speak with you?” She glanced over her shoulder. “In private?”

“Of course. Where? Cheryl is still here.” Please don’t say the cabin. The files are fluttering in the breeze from the door.

She thought for a moment. “It’s fine if she hears.”

I stepped aside and let her enter. “Coffee?”

“If you have some made, thank you.” She eyed the papers hanging from the ceiling and plopped onto the sofa. “Those are the very things I want to speak with you about.”

Oh, boy. I measured coffee grounds into the maker and pressed the button. “What about them?”

“Where did you find them?”

I turned. “Buried in the greenhouse under where Maybelle’s body was found.”

She sighed, the sound heavy in the room. “I know that, despite my uncle Ted’s warning not to, that you are looking into Maybelle’s murder. Oh, Shelby, I fear I’m in a terrible spot emotionally.”

The weariness in her voice tugged at my heart. I sat next to her. “What’s wrong?”

“I have feelings for Heath, it’s not a secret, and I fear that I may have vouched for a murderer.”

“Why would you say that?” I shoved down the words telling her that I, too, had feelings for our handsome handyman.

“I discovered those files missing weeks ago, before Maybelle died. Not only that, but I’ve been helping my uncle collect information on several of our tenants, including Heath McLeroy.”

“Why Heath?”

She speared me with a glance. “Our gorgeous handyman has a past, Shelby. He spent time in jail as a teenager.”

I didn’t know what to say. Why hadn’t he come clean with me? Weren’t we close friends? “Time for what?”

“Assault.” She folded her hands in her lap. “He’d gotten into a fight over a girl. That’s all I know, but with a past like that…Maybelle’s death…it makes him a suspect. He’s the only one besides me with a master key.”

“Maybelle had one. Didn’t you lose a key a while back?” I pushed to my feet, the morning soured by her confession. Maybe coffee sweetened with creamer would wash the taste from my mouth. I leaned my back against the counter. “I think Maybelle took those files. She was watching Bob, Marvin, Harry, and William. In none of her things was there any mention of Heath. I think you’re wrong on that regard.” I squared my shoulders.

“Oh, I see.” Alice paled. “You like him.”

“He’s a great guy.” Or at least I thought so until finding out he kept such a big secret from me.

“Having a crush on a man clouds a woman’s judgment.”

“I don’t think so in this case. Heath has been nothing but helpful in trying to find Maybelle’s killer. All he wants to do is clear his name. Are you willing to help us do that or would you prefer to put the handcuffs on him right now?”

“My. My. You’re like a mother lion defending her young.” She hung her head. “If I help you, we can’t let my uncle know.”

“No problem.” I poured us each a cup of coffee and without asking added vanilla flavored creamer to both, before rejoining her on the sofa. “Tell me what you know about the men in those files.”

“Bob is innocent. He would never raise a hand to a woman no matter how angry he became. The man loves women.” She grinned and reached for her mug. “Too much if you ask me. I think we can take him off the suspect list.”

“All right.” I caught Cheryl watching from the corner of my eye and motioned for her to be quiet and join us. “The others?”

“Marvin spent jail time for assault. William was fired for handing out free prescriptions, but I don’t think that necessarily makes him a killer. Harry, well, Harry is an enigma. According to him, he’s had more jobs than all of us combined.”

“He lied about being a teacher.”

She shrugged. “Harry has lied about a lot of things, but he pays his rent on time and doesn’t bother anyone.”

“What about the vampire?”

“Leroy Manning? He has a skin condition and can’t be in the sun. He’s harmless.”

I swirled a spoon in my mug. “Surely you know more than that about these men. We know as much as you do.” The glint in her eye told me she withheld information. Well, I wouldn’t help her if she didn’t plan on repaying the favor.

For several seconds we sat there and stared at each other. “Oh, very well. Alice set her mug on the coffee table hard enough to splash some of the liquid out. “Uncle Ted is trying to pin the murders on either Heath or Harry. Heath had the ease of getting close to Maybelle, and Harry is pretending to be something he isn’t.”

“Explain.” I met Cheryl’s excited gaze. It looked as if we’d been on the right track in our amateur investigations.

“You cannot tell
anyone
I told you this. Oh, Uncle Ted is going to kill me. Look to him first if I turn up dead.”

“I promise.” A glance at the clock told me we were going to be late for breakfast.

“No, I can’t tell you.” She jumped to her feet. “Pretend we never had this conversation.” She bolted out the door as if her heels were on fire.

“That was interesting,” Cheryl said. “Who do you think she was going to spill the beans on?”

“I wish I knew. Let’s head to breakfast. I have a bone to pick with Heath.”

“I heard, but why say anything? It happened a long time ago, Shelby. Maybe he wants a clean start.”

True. “I’ll think on it.”

“The bigger problem seems to be the fact that you and Alice both have eyes for the same man.” She grinned and bumped me with her shoulder.

I laughed. “You’re right. I’m making the proverbial mountain out of a mole hill.” I slipped my arm through hers as we made our way to the dining room.

It took some effort to act with Heath as if I didn’t know his secret. I still felt betrayed. Friends were open with each other, weren’t they? Or was it that my close friendship with Cheryl gave me an unrealistic expectation of other friendships?

I headed for the buffet, choosing pancakes with butter and powdered sugar, then chose my customary chair next to Heath. “We don’t need the files anymore.” I told him of most of my conversation with Alice, leaving out the fact we both liked him.

“They still suspect me?” His hand paused halfway to his mouth, a slice of bacon wiggling from his fingers.

“Unfortunately.”

He groaned and tossed his bacon to his plate. “After all the hard work I’ve done to get my life straight.” He shoved to his feet and marched out of the building.

“Nice going.” Cheryl sat down.

“Yeah, this day isn’t starting off well.” I needed to find something to do that allowed me to do my job and snoop at the same time. Preferably something with Harry.

“What’s going on in that dark head of yours?” Cheryl tossed a strawberry onto my plate.

I popped it in my mouth. “How can I get Harry to answer some questions about who he really is?”

“Let me help. As a teacher at Cooper Elementary, where he supposedly worked, I can at least get him to confess to lying about working there.”

“Great idea. We’ll follow him back to his cabin after breakfast. You can say you’re taking a look at his bathroom for possible renovations. Anything that gets him to stop and talk to us.”

I knew there was a reason I wanted her along. “There he goes.” I shoved a last bite of pancake into my mouth and grabbed my plate. The last thing I needed was Alice on my case for not cleaning up after myself.

Outside, Cheryl and I made no pretense about following Harry. Not that it mattered. The man seemed to be on a mission, looking neither to the right or the left. Instead of heading to his cabin, he headed for the thick woods at the property’s border.

We cast a questioning glance at each other and quickened our pace.

“Is it wise to follow?” I stopped at the trees edge. “We don’t have a weapon if he turns rough.”

“How bad can it be with two of us and one of him? I’m twice his size.”

“In height maybe.” I took my bottom lip between my teeth. If Harry did turn out to be the killer and turned on us, he couldn’t take us both down. One of us would be free to run for help.

I gripped her hand and we started down the path. The early morning sunshine cut through the thick foliage overhead, dotting the path with rays of gold. A bird serenaded us. The morning was beautiful. I took a deep breath.

“What in Sam’s Hill are the two of you following me for?” Harry stepped from around a thick tree.

“Oh, hello.” I thought ignorance the wisest course of action. “We thought it a perfect morning for a stroll. Fancy meeting you here, though, since I do need to stop by your cottage in a bit. Shall we go now?”

Cheryl elbowed me in the rib to stop my rambling. “When it’s convenient, she means.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Just out for a stroll, huh?”

“Yes, sir,” we said in unison.

“Seems like you’re following me. What do you need at my cottage? I respect my privacy and make repairs myself.”

“Alice is tossing around the idea of remodeling bathrooms and your’s was chosen.” I plastered a big grin on my face.

“Not interested. She can do it when I move out, which might be any day now with all the meddling you two do.”

Perhaps he should buy a cabin high in the mountains instead of living in a retirement community. “I’ll let Alice know. Thank you for your time.” I grabbed Cheryl’s arm and set off back the way we’d come. Once we were out of earshot, I said, “We have to solve this mystery before he leaves.”

“If we could guarantee he’d be out of his cottage for a bit tonight, we could do a bit of searching.”

“Absolutely.” But how? It was time for Heath to be the one delaying a person.

We found him scooping leaves from the koi pond and explained what we needed.

“Are you crazy?” He tossed the leaves into a bucket. “If he is the killer, I’m a sitting duck.”

“No more so than Cheryl and I. You aren’t going into his cottage.” I crossed my arms and glared. “I occupied Alice during an illegal fire alarm. This is the least you can do.”

His shoulders sagged. “I want all this to be over with.”

“So, you’ll do it? How?”

“I’ll flood his apartment. He’ll have to leave. The two of you can go in with boots on.”

I hadn’t expected anything so drastic. “Are you sure?”

“It’s not like he’ll come out if I knock on his door. I’ll go loosen a pipe now while he’s out for a walk. If he is the killer, and we solve this, no harm done. If we’re wrong, you’re helping me pay for damages.”

I thrust out my hand. “Agreed. Cheryl?”

“Very well.” She placed her hand on top of ours. “We’d better be right or there goes my savings.”

We’d better be right or there goes my job. We pumped our hands before Cheryl went to find Grandma and I went to work replacing the flowers in front of the main building. Alice might be a bit lenient knowing I was trying to solve the murder, but she wouldn’t let me skip work altogether. Not that I wanted to. Each thing I did to improve the looks of Shady Acres filled my heart with joy.

By the end of the day, a lush profusion of blooms provided a riot of color against the white siding of the building. I stretched and popped the kinks from my back. When I gathered my supplies and turned to leave, I came face-to-face with Harry.