Euphoria Lane (3 page)

Andi stepped between them before Jessie could morph into her lady mud wrestler persona and knock Harry into the next condo.

“Did you know the neighbors referred to Bernice as the Wicked Witch?” Andi asked in her calmest teacher voice. “I’m sure you don’t want to be disliked the same way she was.”

“I don’t care what anyone thinks. The rules are the rules.” Harry’s voice took on a sinister tone. “The witch may be dead, but the
wizard
isn’t. Obey the rules, missy, or you’ll wish you never landed here.”

She suspected it wouldn’t matter if she followed the rules or not for as long as Jessie lived with her. Andi tightened her fists until her nails bit into her palms. Summoning her courage, she strode to the door and swung it open with flourish. The wooden panel brushed against her hip, causing her pen to fall from the pocket of her shorts and clatter against the tile floor. Bright-red ink flowed from the tube like an ominous warning.

At that moment, she once again heard the loud whine of the broken bathroom fan. “Andi!” Her father called out. “Got any matches? It’s murder in here.”

Luke pushed open the glass door to the public library located two miles down the street from the Euphoria Condominiums. The large number of disgruntled neighbors attending the monthly meetings made it impossible to gather in the neighborhood clubhouse.

A bright, painted jungle covered the library walls as far as Luke could see. Smirking monkeys swung from one tree to the next over slithering pythons while skulking tigers foraged for prey in the dense underbrush. The mural always reminded him to mentally prepare for the verbal attacks he would endure during the Euphoria Condominiums homeowners’ meetings. Angry homeowners, as well as the HOA board, liked to blame him whenever they didn’t get what they wanted. A sudden sense of relief flowed over him when he realized Bernice wouldn’t be yelling at him that night. And that made him feel guilty. He never wanted to benefit in any way from the death of another.

Luke marched through the lobby. He wished the library would invest in a metal detector. Over a dozen years ago, a man had shot five people at a homeowners’ association meeting not more than ten miles from where he stood. One woman died. Now Bernice. He knew he had to get the board to back down from its agenda of sending out one violation letter after another before another life was claimed.

He located the corridor leading to the meeting rooms and instantly recognized the man sipping water from the fountain. “Harry, we need to talk. I’m sure you’ve heard that the police believe Bernice was murdered because of her work on the board. You might want to rethink your stance on violation letters.”

“No one is going to shove me and a dollhouse off a balcony,” Harry scoffed.

Luke rubbed the back of his neck. Not once had Harry ever made his job easier. “Just hear me out. It’s time for a change. The board doesn’t have to be seen as bad guys. You don’t have to walk the community daily, looking for violations. It’s my job as your property manager to send out violation letters after my weekly visits. Board meetings should become a place where neighbors go for help. Now they see you as the enemy.”

“Now
you
hear
me
out,” Harry said, pointing his finger like a parent scolding a child. “I am not going to let those whiney neighbors run amok. Bernice’s murder does not change anything. The rules are the rules, and I’m here to enforce them.”

“Harry, it would be in your best interest to consider lightening up until the murderer is caught.”

“It would be in
your
best interest to remember we are your company’s biggest account. If you want to take over for the owner when he retires next year, you’d better make me happy,” Harry sneered. “You didn’t think I knew, did you? Mr. Greer told me all about his plans for you on his last visit to the property.”

“My first concern is for the safety of this community—yours included.”

“Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that. One call from me and your fast-track career will shift into reverse.” Harry marched off, insuring he had the last word.

Luke knew he shouldn’t let the bad-tempered man get to him, but he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Harry, and Bernice before him, got under everyone’s skin. That was why the Euphoria account had landed on his desk. Five other managers had refused to work with their board. By staying on, Luke had proved he would be the right man to take over when the company’s owner retired. He needed the promotion and the money that would come with it too much to quit now.

He shifted his briefcase into his other hand and turned to find Andi approaching. Her expression turned wary when she spotted him. He always knew there was a chance he might run into her again. He just never dreamed it would be under these circumstances.

He watched as she stepped closer. She hadn’t changed much over the years. Her silky auburn hair still reflected the light. And she still had a flawless, heart-shaped face. It was the smile that was missing. She used to beam whenever she saw him. Not tonight. Her grimace could not be confused with a smile by any stretch of the imagination.

“It’s nice to see you again, Andi.” He meant every word. For years after their breakup, he wondered what had happened to her.
Was she teaching? Was she happy? Did she miss me?

He had missed her more than he had been willing to admit to anyone, but he didn’t regret his decision. Leaving her had been the right choice, no matter how much it hurt.

“
Nice
isn’t the word that just popped into my mind,” she stated with both hands planted on her rounded hips. “I still can’t believe you wrote me those horrible violation letters.”

“You mean letter. I wrote one letter.”

“I received two. I found another one tucked into the screen door this morning, but then you already knew that.”

“No, I didn’t.” Harry must have given her one without his knowledge. Whenever the man followed his own agenda, he would personally send out violation letters and then send Luke a copy for the files.

“Apparently, my father was supposed to move his car out of guest parking and into the driveway when my sister left for work yesterday. Why should he have to park in the driveway? He
is
a guest. Isn’t that what guest parking is for?” Her temper grew with each word.

Luke rubbed his temple, regretting the situation. She had no idea what a mistake she had made by moving to Euphoria. “I understand you’re angry, and I truly wish there was more I could do to help, but our company does not make the rules. We mainly handle the finances and paperwork for Euphoria.”

“I would think your time would be better spent convincing the board that it is unreasonable to expect residents to play musical cars every time someone leaves their condo.”

“As a matter of fact, I did have that discussion with them. As you can see, my advice was ignored.” A hint of irritation invaded his tone. He shifted his briefcase again. The weight of both its contents and their conversation had become a burden he wanted to leave behind. It wasn’t his fault Euphoria was anything but euphoric. “Andi, I can only give you the same advice I give other homeowners: if you don’t like the rules, do something to change them.”

“I might just do that.” Her brow furrowed with thoughts he wished he could read.

Andi watched Luke walk away with long, purposeful strides.

The back view is still almost as good as the front. Too bad. If he had gained three hundred pounds and lost a handful of teeth, maybe then my heart would stop pounding like a jackhammer every time he enters a room.

“Hi there!” The nurse from the murder scene said as she hurried over. She must have come straight from work. Today’s scrubs sported a powder-blue puppy print. “Find any more dead bodies?” Her warm, dimpled smile lightened the mood.

“I’m avoiding dumpsters.”

“I don’t blame you.” The new neighbor smiled and extended her hand. “I never got a chance to welcome you to Euphoria Lane. I’m Meg.” Her pastel pink nails matched her lipstick, and her short blonde curls bounced against her shoulders with each move. Either she drank caffeine nonstop, or she was one of those naturally peppy people who brightened your life or drove you crazy. “I’ve lived here for three years, thirty violation letters, and hundreds of dollars in fines. I’ve put in a lot of overtime to pay those off.”

Andi’s jaw dropped. “Thirty? Have you been breaking rules to prove a point?”

“I don’t break them on purpose, but there are so many restrictions it’s hard to get through the week without breaking at least one rule, especially with a teenage son. Have you seen the twenty-nine pool rules? You can’t play music loud enough for anyone else to hear. I guess you’re supposed to swim with an iPod.”

“You don’t look old enough to have a teenager.” She had to get the nurse’s beauty secret.
I hope it doesn’t involve placenta.

“You and I are going to be great friends.” Meg said, squeezing Andi’s arm to prove her point. “Chad turned eighteen last fall. You met him when Bernice croaked. He’s the good-looking kid with the Mohawk.”

“The one walking the wall near the dumpster?”

Meg nodded in response, then her bubbly face grew serious. “I’m glad the witch is dead,” she whispered. “That woman had the nerve to film my son and his friends at the pool.”

“She
filmed
them?” Andi scowled. “Is that even legal?”

“Bernice wanted to prove a point. At the next homeowners’ meeting she played the film and then ranted about teenagers ruining the property.” Meg rolled her eyes. “They’re not bad boys. There are just too many rules. Stupid ones, too.”

Andi gripped her violation letters tighter. “I’m beginning to see your point. What rules did the boys break?”

“Playing Marco Polo,” she guffawed. “All chanting games have been banned. Also, one so-called hellion had the audacity to walk too fast before jumping into the deep end. Bernice considered it running.” Meg spoke faster and her pitch grew higher. “You’d think they mixed bubble bath with red dye in the hot tub by the way that woman acted.”

The more she heard about Bernice, the more Andi wondered why no one had bumped her off years ago. “I guess we should get inside.”

Meg smirked. “Don’t want to miss tonight’s show.”

“I’m not so sure. The way my luck’s running, I’ll sneeze and Harry will write me up for a violation of the noise ordinance.”

“Don’t give him any ideas.” Meg dramatically pushed open the door. “Let’s get inside before the good seats are taken.”

“Good seats? It sounds more like a circus than a meeting.”

A circus Andi could handle. It was a reenactment of the murder she feared. She noticed that both Harry and Luke remained in the corridor, chatting with people she didn’t recognize.

Andi stepped into the spacious meeting room filled with rows of metal folding chairs. Dozens of angry faces turned to see who had joined the group. Their narrowed gazes raked over both women and then darted in other directions.

“They’re waiting for the board to arrive.” Meg gestured toward two empty chairs in the back row. “Let’s grab those seats near the door before someone else does. I always sit near an exit. You never know when a fight might break out.” Her words sounded serious, but she wore a smile.

“Are you worried?”

“Nope. I’m not on the board. They might as well be wearing big, red shooting targets.” The nurse slid onto a metal folding chair. “I just don’t want to get caught in the crossfire if there’s a gunfight. I can dodge fists, but not bullets.”

Andi observed the angry scowls, dramatic gestures, and raised voices of the other homeowners. A long table had been placed in front of the room. It remained empty. She assumed it was for the board, and they apparently were smart enough not to enter the room until the last minute.

Meg grinned and waved to the smoker from the crime scene—the older woman, who thought Bernice’s death was ironic. Tonight she wore a zebra-print spandex jumpsuit at least two sizes too small. She waved back with an unlit cigarette gripped between her fingers. Each exaggerated movement threatened to topple the hive teased on top of her head. A huge, ugly, plastic yellow rose had been clipped to the side of hive.

Andi caught herself gawking at the woman’s outlandish appearance.

“That’s Roxie,” Meg announced. “She sold her beauty shop to buy into Euphoria. Now she wishes she had a time machine to go back and right that wrong. Bernice sent her a fine for driving over the seven-and-a-half-mile-per-hour speed limit, so Roxie drove over the speed limit sign. Every time the board sends her a fine, she sends back a notice announcing when she is going to break that rule again.”

“Brave. I think.” Andi mentally pictured the speed limit sign. “Why seven and a half?”

“Whoever wrote the rules wanted this place safer than a school zone, so he or she took the usual fifteen-mile limit and cut it in half.”

“Interesting community. There should be a warning at the front gate: ‘Overzealous HOA Board. Enter at Your Own Risk.” Andi took in the crowd again. “Do you usually have so many people at these meetings?”

“Depends on how many violation letters go out that month. If the board’s on a roll, it’s standing room only.” Meg waved wildly at a middle-aged woman sitting on the other side of the room and then at a couple strolling down the aisle. Her grin never left her face.

Andi realized her new friend was a Chihuahua on speed.

Meg turned back to Andi. “If you came here to complain about those letters you’re holding, I should tell you it won’t do you any good. Bernice and her flying monkeys never rescinded a violation. Harry won’t be any better.”

“Then why does anyone bother coming?”

“For the chance to hear someone else give the board a piece of their mind. Most neighbors are too afraid to say anything themselves. But tonight’s different.” She raised a brow and leaned close. “Word got around that Bernice was murdered. Someone took one of the yellow bricks from her Wizard of Oz collection and hit her over the head.”

The dead body flashed in Andi’s mind. Goosebumps rose on her arms while the small hairs on her neck stood on end. She scanned the room for anyone who looked like a killer. The air had grown heavy with anger, and her gaze fell on one scowl after another.
Every one
of her new neighbors looked like a killer. “Are they all hoping the murderer will show up?”