Corpses & Conmen (Rosewood Place Mysteries Book 2) (4 page)

Annie felt bad about leaving her guests in the dark out by the pond, but fortunately, she’d discovered her lighting problem before anyone fell and injured themselves. She’d only noticed the problem while clearing up the last of the dishes from the veranda, and once she’d rectified the situation, and made sure that Kizzy didn’t break her neck trying to liberate the last bottle of wine, she sent her mother off to bed and joined Devon and Rory on the front porch.

“All good out there?” Rory asked, grinning as he took one of Devon’s chess pieces from the giant board they were playing on.

“All good,” she replied, dropping into an oversized rocking chair with a sigh. She was pleased that none of her guests had decided to hang out here on the front porch. At least for now it still felt like a refuge for her and her family. She watched as her son struggled to choose a move that wouldn’t put his queen in check.

“You are not beating me again, old man,” Devon cried, moving his knight with a flourish to put Rory’s own queen in jeopardy. “So, Mom, I hear we’re going to be famous,” Devon said, pushing himself back from the table. Annie gave him a puzzled look. “You know, that news guy? I bet we get tons of business after he puts that video on the air.”

Annie shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we’ll see,” she replied. “I’m not too worried about it, though. The internet ad seems to be working really well. Now I just need to make sure my guests don’t break a leg and sue me before the business really takes off.” She explained about the lights and how she’d had to play superhero by going down to the deck and plugging them back in.

Rory, listened, then shook Devon’s hand, ending the game in a gentlemanly spirit. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his neck. “I’ll try and rig up something a little more permanent for the deck,” he said thoughtfully. “Though, to be fair, I don’t see how those lights came unplugged. Once you plug them in, they’re pretty secure.”

Devon cleared his throat. “Uh, well, that might be my fault,” he replied sheepishly. “I sort of charged my phone down on the deck while I was helping Rory paint the chairs. I guess I forgot to plug the lights back in.”

“Well, there you go,” offered Rory. “No harm done, and I’m sure Devon will remember to plug them in next time.”

Annie felt a little better about the whole situation, but there was another problem that gnawed at her. “One of the guests didn’t turn up,” she said suddenly. “Mr. Ross. I tried to call him a couple of times but it went straight to his voicemail.”

“Maybe he just got delayed, stuck in traffic or something,” Devon suggested. “Mom, seriously, you worry way too much.”

Rory nodded in agreement. “I wouldn’t worry. Give it until tomorrow, then if he doesn’t show up, you can try again. Did he book for more than a few days?”

“He booked an entire week. I took down his credit card information but he said he’d prefer to pay cash. He sounded like a nice enough guy when I spoke to him on the telephone,” she added. “There was this one weird thing, though. He asked if he could have a package delivered here. He said it was a gift for his mother in Mobile and since he wouldn’t be home to accept it, he asked if he could have it sent here.”

Rory thought about this for a moment. “You’re right, that is weird. Devon’s probably right, though. He probably just got held up somewhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns up in the middle of the night, banging on the door, crying about car trouble or something like that.”

“Maybe you’re right. Besides, it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it. If he doesn’t show up I’ve still got his deposit. And if a package arrives, well, I guess I’ll deal with that if it actually happens.”

“See, problem solved,” replied Rory.

“I guess I’m just a little stressed having all these people here at once,” Annie confessed. “I know I’ll get used to it, but right now I’m just thinking of all the things that could go wrong.”

“Mom, you’ve got this. We’ve got this,” he added. “It’s going to be totally cool, as long as that crazy fortune-teller lady doesn’t try to read my palm,” he added. “She seems like a real nutcase.”

Annie grinned. “Well, I did promise that you’d meet some unusual characters living in a country inn. Just think--you’ll be able to write an essay all about it when you head back to school in a few weeks.”

Devon groaned. “Way to ruin my good mood, Mother. On that note, I think I’ll go upstairs to my
private
room and watch some Netflix.” He stood, stretched, and stooped to give his mother a peck on the cheek before he headed into the house, pausing long enough to say goodnight to his mother and Rory.

“He’s a good kid, Annie.” Rory began packing the chess pieces away in their storage box. “He’s going to be fine. The high school is probably a lot smaller than he’s used to, but it’s bigger than this place,” he grinned. “And at least the people there are his age. I would have gone crazy spending so much time with my parents when I was his age.”

“I know, I know. It’s just--I worry that he won’t make friends. I worry that he’ll get singled out because he’s not from around here.”

“I’d worry about the girls following him home,” Rory teased. “That boy’s a born charmer and he’s from the Big City. The girls will love that. I think we might have to get that barn fixed up pretty quick just in case there’s a wedding in your near future,” he teased.

“Oh, no. He’s not getting married until he’s at least thirty,” she joked. “And I think I have a better project for you to focus on than the barn, at least for now.”

Rory cocked his head to one side. “Oh, yeah? What’s that? Does your mama want a bigger chicken coop?”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she laughed. “She’s got all the chickens that she’s allowed to have. I’m not turning this place into a poultry farm.”

“Hey, they keep the bug population down,” he argued. “But, yeah, they can stink a little,” he relented.

“I think you should build a cabin.”

“Like a log cabin?” Rory scratched the back of his head. “I’m not sure that I know how.”

“It doesn’t have to be a log cabin, just a small bungalow or something.”

“You know, I’d thought about that. I saw an inn up in the mountains that offered bungalows as well as rooms. I think that would be perfect for families, especially if we put in a little kitchenette in each one.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Annie clarified. “I mean a place for you. It would be like a handyman’s cabin. Or bungalow--whatever you want to call it.”

“But, I’m fine in my camper,” Rory replied.

“Yeah, but Rory, it’s a camper. I mean, it can’t be as comfortable as your own little house, can it?” She struggled to find a way to put her next sentence that wouldn’t sound offensive. “And besides, I’m not sure the camper really fits the overall look of the place.” Rory’s face tensed. “Oh, god, that came out wrong. I’m not saying that your camper is ugly. It’s an awesome camper, but I’d like a more permanent place for you to stay.”

“Are you asking me to live here forever?” Rory’s eyebrow shot up, and his lips twitched. “Is that your way of tying me down after all these years?”

Annie’s cheeks blushed in the glow of the porch light. “No, Rory Jenkins, I am not trying to tie you down. I just thought that our live-in handyman ought to have a place to live in.”

Rory laughed. “I know what you meant, woman. And I appreciate the idea. I’d be happy to build it for you and I’ll even live in it, if you want me to. I can store the camper at my parents’ place. My mother won’t mind,” he added.

Annie felt relieved that Rory hadn’t taken offense at her suggestion. She’d been so relieved to find that their relationship had somehow managed to slip into a familiar rhythm despite their romantic history. They had developed an easy friendship that felt natural and
good
. Occasionally a memory from their past would catch her off-guard, and the thought of what might have been tried to sneak its way into her mind, but she was careful to cut those thoughts out before they had a chance to take root.

She was often surprised by how little she missed her late husband, David. His death had ultimately seemed anticlimactic to her, as though she’d already mourned his loss throughout their marriage. She supposed that she’d actually mourned the marriage itself long before she found out that her husband had been cheating on her, which no doubt lessened the blow of his death.

Rory wasn’t a substitute for David, but he was many of the things that David wasn’t for her. He was a good friend, he was reliable, and he made her laugh. He loved her mother and her son and he seemed to fit well with her little family. While a tiny part of her wondered whether they would stand a chance if they tried to pick up where their romantic relationship had ended all those years ago, a larger part of her was scared that it would disrupt this perfect, delicate balance that they’d struck as friends.

“I’m really glad that you’re here, Rory,” Annie said quietly. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for us more than you could ever know.”

Rory smiled back at her. “I appreciate you, too, Annie Purdy.” She’d become used to him using her maiden name. After all, it’s what he’d called her all those years ago. “I reckon it’s time for me to hit the sack. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, and by the look of a few of your guests, I’m guessing you will, too.”

They rose from their chairs and said their goodnights. Annie watched as Rory made his way down the steps of the front porch and out into the darkness towards his camper. Then she pulled the front door closed behind her, locked it out of habit, and headed upstairs to her own room, hoping that a peaceful night’s sleep would lead to a busy, but otherwise uneventful week. Unfortunately for Annie, things wouldn’t work out quite that way.

Annie had learned long ago that she had to get up very early to beat Bessie Purdy at rising. Bessie was literally up with the chickens, often waking at five in the morning to prepare coffee, feed her birds, and sneak Devon’s cat, TigerLily, a few extra treats before the rest of the house woke.

Annie’s mother was one of those lucky souls who seemed to require less sleep than most other human beings. She wandered off to bed after ten on most nights, sometimes reading in bed for hours before giving in to sleep. Annie needed more sleep than she ever seemed to get, but on the first morning of her fully-booked inn’s grand opening, she was up right behind her mother, her nerves still jangling in anticipation of the house’s first full day as a guest house.

Annie dressed quickly and headed straight to the kitchen, following her nose to find her mother patiently tending to the coffeemaker. She grinned as her mother tried to hide the fact that she was feeding the young orange cat cream straight from the fridge. “You’ll give that cat an upset stomach,” she teased before pouring cream into her own mug of coffee.

“Nonsense. Farm cats drink milk straight from the cow,” she added. “TigerLily could be a proper farm cat if we had a proper cow,” Bessie sniffed.

“It is too early to argue with you about cows, Mother.” Annie stirred her coffee and looked out the window. The sun was beginning to rise and her guests would be looking for their own cups of coffee soon. “Why don’t we go sit on the deck and drink these?” she asked. “It’s going to be a beautiful, hot day soon--let’s go sit out by the water before it gets too hot.”

Bessie grinned. “That’s the best part about living here,” she sighed. “It’s like having our own little bit of paradise this early in the morning.” They left the house through the door in the kitchen rather than cutting through the rest of the house. It would be quieter this way and mean that they’d be less likely to wake the sleeping guests.

Annie was happy to see that the lights were still on around the deck. She realized that leaving them on all day would be impractical, but since they were LED lights, she wasn’t overly worried about how much energy they used. She made a mental note to have Rory look online for some solar-powered ones later, debated with herself over whether their cost would be worth it, then resigned herself to the fact that worry-free lights were less expensive than a lawsuit from someone tripping on a darkened deck.

Bessie and Annie sat at one of the tables near the back of the deck and sipped their coffee in silence for a few minutes. Annie stared out across the pond, watching the tiny ripples where water bugs landed bravely, wary of the fish, turtles, and other creatures that lurked beneath the murky water. The sunlight glistened along one edge of the pond, sending shimmers of gold and rose out across the surface of the water.

Living in New York, Annie had missed being so close to nature. She’d spent many hours in Central Park, but it wasn’t the same. Even on a quiet day in the Park she could still feel the presence of the City looming over her. Here, there was nothing. Her closest neighbor was several miles away. She could barely see the road from her driveway, and there was no roar of traffic or chatter of people, just the sound of insects and birds waking up around her.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Bessie said quietly. “I used to love drinking coffee outside with your dad before he passed. He’d probably be fishing right now if he was still alive,” she added, blinking back an errant tear.

Annie nodded. She missed her father more on days like this, when the world felt brand new and sleepy all at the same time. She liked to think that he was watching her sometimes, approving of how much she’d overcome and how hard she’d worked to help bring the plantation and its house back to life.

As she stared out across the pond, a redbird fluttered into sight and landed on one of the deck posts. “Oh,” Bessie whispered. “Would you look at that!”

Annie didn’t know much about birds but she thought that it might be a cardinal. It was a deep shade of red that stood out against the green and brown of the treeline behind it. It seemed to Annie that the bird was watching her and her mother, waiting for an invitation.

“You know what they say about red birds visiting you, don’t you?” Bessie smiled.

“No, what do they say?”

“That it’s the spirit of a loved one, come to visit you.” Bessie sighed. “That’s your father, I’m sure of it.”

Annie watched the bird hop from foot to foot, peering down at the water below it. It was a lovely superstition, and part of her wanted it to be true, but it was a little disconcerting to think of her father flying around and watching her from a bird’s body. Before she could reply to her mother’s cryptic comment, the bird flew away, disappearing into the woods on the other side of the pond.

A glint of metal caught Annie’s eye as the bird departed. She looked down at the deck below where the bird had been perched and saw a cell phone lying on the edge of the deck.

“Well, now, that’s lucky,” she mumbled, rising from her seat. She walked over and picked up the phone. “Someone left their phone out here,” she called to her mother. “They’re lucky it didn’t go in the pond during the night.”

Annie noticed that the phone’s screen was locked and required a password to unlock it. “I guess I’ll just take this inside and ask around. Someone will be missing it, I imagine.” As she turned to walk back to her mother, something in the water caught her eye. She leaned over the edge of the deck, trying to get a better look.

“What is it?” Bessie asked, already making her own way to where Annie stood.

Annie didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Bessie’s gasp matched her own, and both women stepped back from the edge of the deck as though the thing in the water might just rise up and bite them.

“Is that--is he--”

“Dead? I think so,” Annie finished her mother’s question.

“Who is it?” Bessie asked, putting a hand to her mouth.

“I can’t tell,” Annie replied, peering over the edge once more. “Do you think it’s one of the guests?”

Bessie shook her head. “I don’t know, but I know how we can find out.” She knelt down by the edge of the deck.

“Mother! You are not touching that body!” Annie’s voice was louder than she’d intended.

“You’re right--I might contaminate the crime scene,” Bessie conceded, rising to her feet.

“How do you know it’s a crime scene? He could have just fallen in and drowned,” Annie said, hoping that this was the case, yet praying that it wasn’t. An accidental drowning could mean the kiss of death for her business, but a murder could be even worse.

“Let’s go inside and give Emmett a call,” Bessie suggested. “He’ll know what to do. And we can do a headcount to see if anyone is missing,” she added.

Annie didn’t like the idea of leaving the body unattended in the pond, but she knew her mother’s plan was the best one. She glared at the cell phone in her hand, hoping that she hadn’t just contaminated a piece of evidence, like her mother suggested. Grabbing her coffee cup from the table, Annie squared her shoulders and headed for the house. It was going to be a long day, and she was definitely going to need another cup of coffee.