Give Murder A Hand: Lizzie. Book 2 (The Westport Mysteries) (6 page)

“So Riley, did you ever marry?” she whispered.

I noted Riley shake his head.

“I tried it once,” she continued. “Didn’t go for it much really. He
just wasn’t the right man. I think the right man got away from me years ago.”

What?
I looked
up from the paperwork I was meant to be filling out. Allison ran her fingers
through her hair and I watched as it fell back into place perfectly, her white
smile locked onto Riley.

“Oh sorry, Lizzie. Please keep writing,” she said. “Maybe we should
step outside Riley and let Lizzie concentrate. That questionnaire is very
important to her treatment.”

Riley looked at me, worried.

“Sure.” He stood and took my hand. “I’ll be right outside. Yell out
if you need me, okay?”

“No, you don’t have to go. I can concentrate just fine,” I said,
holding his hand tightly.

“Really, Lizzie,” interrupted Allison. “You shouldn’t have any
distractions.” With that, Riley squeezed my hand and she ushered him out the
door, closing it behind her.

Damn. I’d already decided I didn’t like Allison and that I probably
didn’t want to tell her my darkest fears, so what was the point of filling out
this stupid questionnaire? I stood and opened the door. Allison had her back to
me, standing right between Riley and myself.

“Are you okay?” asked Riley, realizing I was staring at them.

“Yes, but I just remembered I was supposed to do that thing for Mum.
Maybe I could rebook this appointment and come back another day?” I had every
intention of cancelling the rebooking.

“What thing?” asked Riley.

“Oh, you know ... I told you about it last night.”

Shit
. Why did men have to be so slow on the uptake some days? Surely
Riley could tell I was trying my hardest to make something up just to get out
of here. He looked at me, his eyes soft. He knew.

Allison moved towards me. “Lizzie, it’s really important you put
your health before anything else. I’m sure your mum won’t mind waiting a little
longer for you to do whatever it is that needs doing.” She moved to close the
door again. “The quicker you answer those questions, the quicker it will be
finished and you can go and do whatever you need to.” She walked close to me,
forcing me backwards into the room. When I was in far enough, she smiled and
closed the door.

I sighed and sat back down. Maybe I should send Riley a text message
asking him to help me out of here. I then quickly pulled out my phone and sent
a text to Riley.
Get me out of here
, I typed and pressed send. I jiggled my leg as I waited for the
door to open. Instead my phone vibrated, indicating I had received a message. I
swiped it open.

No xoxo.

Bloody hell. Now what? I sighed again and looked at the paper still
in my hands. As much as I hated to admit it, maybe Allison was right—the sooner
I completed it, the sooner I could go home.

All right ... here goes. It had a rating scale, zero meaning it
didn’t apply to me at all and three meaning that it applied to me very much. Okay,
this didn’t seem too hard. I started to read the questions but I could hear
Allison’s voice from outside the room.

I tried to shake off the jealousy and concentrate, my breathing
getting shallow and rapid.

She laughed, the sound resembling a tinkling bell. My heart missed
a beat.

Concentrate Lizzie.

Okay. Question one - I find myself getting upset by trivial things.
That’s definitely a zero. Not me at all.

Riley’s laugh echoed through the walls. The palpitation caused my
breath to hitch.

This questionnaire was really stupid. No I didn’t have a dry mouth.
I reached for my glass of water. Well, not usually anyway. I circled a few more
zeros.

The outer room had gone silent and I wondered what they were doing.
It was so obvious they had a history, and I imagined Allison’s long legs
wrapped around Riley as the thought of her kissing him made my stomach flutter.

I stood, moved to the door and pressed my ear against it. I could
hear Riley’s voice, low and sexy and my imagination went into over-drive. I
knew what it felt like to have that voice whisper in my ear, I knew how it felt
for him to look at me with that intimate smile he has. Yes, his mega-watt smile
was enough to stop me in my tracks, but the small intimate smile stops the
world turning. Had he ever given her that smile?

My heart was palpitating at an alarming rate as my breathing became
ragged.
Stop, Lizzie and concentrate
on the questions
.

I sat back down and looked at the paper. Okay. Question six – I
tended to over react to situations ... zero.

I hurriedly circle answers, not really caring about what I was
doing.

Question twenty – I felt scared without any good reason. Nope.

Question twenty-eight – I felt I was close to panic.
Never.

Question thirty-nine – I found myself getting agitated.
Not until I came here!
I circled the zero so hard I ripped the paper. Damn.

Question forty-one – I experienced trembling (e.g. in the hands). I
noticed the pen shake as I circled zero and had a moment of thinking I really
should go back and answer these questions again. But it didn’t matter anyway. I
wasn’t ever coming back here. As far as I could tell, I felt a lot more stable
before
I
walked in this door so obviously counseling wasn’t for me.

Circling my last zero, I threw the pen on the table and stood. I
pulled the door open in a hurry and braced myself for what I would find, images
of Allison’s blonde hair running through Riley’s fingers as he looked at her intimately.

I stepped into the waiting room to find Allison quietly clicking on
her keyboard and Riley to be noticeably absent. She looked up as I approached.

“Have you finished already?” she asked, her perfectly shaped
eyebrows furrowing.

“Um ... yes. Where’s Riley?” I asked.

“He had to make some calls so he stepped outside. He said to meet
him in the car when you’re ready.”

Oh, so I really had nothing to worry about? “Well, I answered all
the questions,” I said, handing her the paperwork.

“That’s great. I’ll make another appointment for you and we’ll go
over the results then. That gives me time to evaluate this and write a plan of
how your treatment should go.”

“Oh, don’t hurry,” I replied as she flicked through the questions,
a confused expression on her face. “In fact, I’ll call you and make the booking
when I’ve consulted my diary,” I said hurriedly, grabbing and turning the door
handle. “It was lovely meeting you,” I lied as I quickly opened the door and
made a hasty retreat.

Sucking in the fresh air, I took a deep breath and instantly felt
my heart rate decrease.

Chapter Six

Tonight Danny, Andrew and Molly were all coming
to my house for Friday night get-together. I had told them that Riley and I were
sleeping at his house now, but Danny wanted to sit back and watch the groups of
people gathering around my now famous hole.

We were all sitting on the back deck, a large pizza on the table
between us. Thankfully the hordes seemed to have better things to do this
particular Friday night.

“You know,” said Danny, picking a piece of pepperoni off his pizza
and feeding it to Harper, “I can’t believe all the secrets this house holds. I
thought you said the previous owner, Avis, was an old spinster.”

“Yes, she was. I guess it doesn’t mean she was boring,” I replied.

“Danny, stop feeding Harper! He’s on a diet,” chastised Molly.

“He’s fine. Leave the poor little thing alone,” said Danny giving
Harper a pat.

“Have you ever found out any more about Avis?” asked Andrew.

“Not since we found who had given her the engagement ring.”

“Maybe you should do some investigating. Find out some of her
history,” suggested Danny, sneaking Harper another piece of his pizza. “Maybe
you’ll find out why those bones were there. I figured she would have lived here
at the time they were buried.”

“Lizzie needs to leave it all alone,” warned Riley, his body
tensing next to me. “Let the Police do their job.”

“Yeah, but aren’t you curious?” asked Danny.

“I guess so,” I replied thoughtfully. Riley looked at me, his brow
creased.

“Please leave it alone,” he said quietly. “It’s history. It doesn’t
matter to us why they’re there.”

“It probably can’t hurt,” I said.

“You’re still having nightmares about the last time this house
uncovered a secret, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right,” said Molly. “How did the counseling session
go?”

I looked at Riley. He still thought that Allison was going to call
me to book another appointment.

“Oh, you know ... fine,” I replied, not looking him in the eye.
“Does anyone want another drink?” I jumped up and moved towards the door,
hoping to quickly change the subject.

“Yes please,” answered Andrew. “But something non-alcoholic. I’m
the designated driver tonight.”

“Just bring the bottle out here,” called Danny to my retreating
back.

I closed the kitchen door behind me and moved to the refrigerator. I
was about to open it and grab the bottle of wine when something caught my eye.
I moved closer to the table and put my empty glass on it. I looked down at the
floor. Sprayed over an area of about two square feet, was blood. Now I don’t
mean a couple of little droplets like someone had cut their finger, I mean it
was sprayed from one wall to the next. Just like the night I’d had the
nightmare.

I jumped away from it, looking around wildly, wondering where it
had come from.

“Riley!”
I
screamed. “Riley, come here quick!” Thankfully Riley was quick on his feet and
was next to me within seconds, followed by Danny, Andrew and Molly.

“What the ... ?” he asked.

“Is that blood?” asked Molly.

“It looks like blood,” said Danny, his face screwing up as he
spoke.

“But where did it come from?” asked Andrew.

“It’s your mystery dead body,” said Danny seriously. “It’s not
happy you dug it up.”

“I didn’t dig it up!” I yelled. “Harper did.”

“Doesn’t matter, it’s not happy.”

“It is not from the dead body,” answered Andrew, exasperated.

“Well, how else would you explain it?” replied Danny.

Molly remained very quiet, but she did pick Harper up and cradle
him under her arm.

“I’m sure there is a very reasonable explanation,” said Andrew.

I really hoped so.

“Go ahead then, tell us what it is,” challenged Danny, his hand on
his hip.

Andrew was stumped. He honestly had no idea what it was from.

“It looks like someone has put it in an aerosol container and
sprayed it,” commented Riley, crouched down, looking at it closer.

“Well that’s a stupid thing to say,” said Danny. “Who would have
done that?” He looked around our group, his eyes stopping on Molly.

“Don’t look at me!” said Molly. “I didn’t do it.”

“Is it definitely blood?” I asked, hoping this was some sort of
practical joke.

“I think so. I mean, I’m not positive, but I think it is,” said
Riley.

“I told you it’s the ghost of the dead body,” said Danny.

I stood and looked at him silently. Of course, I knew it wasn’t a
ghost that had done this, but that didn’t stop the hair on my arms rising to
the occasion.

* * *

Later that night, tucked up next to Riley on
his couch, I thought over the events of the last few days, and about all the
secrets my house held.

“Lizzie, sit still please,” said Riley, placing his hand on my knee
to stop it jiggling.

“Sorry.”

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, muting the ads on the
television and turning to face me.

“Oh, you know, just how much I want to sell that house.” I smiled
weakly as Riley took my hand and squeezed it.

“It’s nearly finished. I reckon another month and I’ll have the
kitchen out and the new cabinets in. Once we tidy up the garden, it’ll be
finished then.”

“But who’ll want to buy it with a ream of police tape strung across
the yard?”

“That won’t be there forever.”

“The fact that the body has now been removed, does that mean that
it’s no longer someone’s grave?”

“It’s no longer a grave,” Riley reassured me.

“How long do you think it will take until they find out who it
belonged to?”

Riley shrugged. “No idea, but it doesn’t really matter does it?” he
said, turning his attention back to the television and pressing the remote as
Spiderman shot webs across the screen.

“Of course it matters,” I said. “How can you think it doesn’t
matter?”

“The body’s gone and as soon as the police have finished, the tape
will be gone as well. Then we’ll fill in the hole and plant some trees.” This
all seemed so easy for Riley.

“Riley, someone was murdered and buried in my back garden. Of
course it’s a big deal.”

“Lizzie, it happened years before we were even born.”

“Yes, I know that, but it matters. Whoever it was, they were still
human and deserved to be buried appropriately.”

Riley turned and looked at me, his eyes softening. He put his hand
on my knee and squeezed. “I’m sure the police will find out who it belonged to
and contact any family that may be around today. They’ll see to it that it’s
buried appropriately. If it makes you feel better we’ll go to the funeral.
Anyway, when’s your next appointment with Allison? Maybe you could talk to her
about it.”

I shrugged and chewed on my thumb nail.

“Lizzie, you are going back aren’t you?” Riley looked at me, his
eyebrow raised.

“You know, you’re really cute when you do that,” I said, smiling.

“Don’t change the subject.”

Hmm, I needed another tactic. “I’m not. It’s just that you look
kinda sexy when you do that eyebrow thing.” I moved closer and nibbled on his
ear. If all else fails, you know what they say?

Thankfully, it worked a treat. Riley shivered and moved his mouth
to mine. All thoughts of Allison forgotten.

* * *

It took until Monday, but Allison did start
calling me. If only I’d known about her and Riley when I’d filled in my
personal details, I would have given her someone else’s number. Also I should
have saved her number to my contact list, as when she rang all my caller ID
showed was a phone number. So I stupidly answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Lizzie,” said a voice I didn’t recognize.

“Who’s calling please?”

“It’s Allison. Allison Greene.”

“Oh, hi Allison.” Shit.

“What can I do for you?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve just checked my diary and you haven’t rebooked your
appointment yet. I have a cancellation tomorrow morning and I was hoping you’d
be free to take it.” She sounded really friendly, and I told myself to calm
down and not over react. “Riley told me you’re still having nightmares and I
wanted to help you. I know that with a bit of time and the right techniques, we
can make them stop.”

“Oh really?” I thought of last night and how I really did want the
nightmares to end. I just didn’t want Allison to be the one to help me.

“The sooner we start the better,” she continued. “So I’ll put you into
that spot tomorrow at 10.30. Try to arrive about five minutes early, that way
you can relax before we start our session. See you then.”

She ended the call before I even had a chance to say bye. But hang
on a second ... did she say Riley had told her? Why was she talking to Riley
about me? And why didn’t I just say no the appointment? Damn she was good.

I threw the phone back into my handbag and sighed. I’d have to have
a chat with Riley later and ask him why he was talking to Allison, and maybe
get some more information as to how involved the two of them really were. That
was not a conversation I was looking forward to. My stomach churned at the
thought of it.

Riley had left early this morning and gone back to the house to get
a head-start on the work that needed to be done today. I’d promised I’d help
him as work-wise, I seemed to have a quiet week. I crossed my fingers and hoped
my bookkeeping business wasn’t suffering from all the publicity I’d been
getting over the body in the backyard. Picking up my bag, I headed to my car,
locking the front door behind me.

Now first thing I noticed as I pulled into my little driveway was
the police car parked at the curb. I cut the engine and really hoped that Riley
had the coffee on. I think I was going to need it.

“Hi,” I called to Riley as I placed my bag on the couch in the
lounge room.

“Hey,” I heard him call back. “We’re in the kitchen.”

Walking into the kitchen, I saw Riley leaning against the counter
and Officer Ed Helms sitting at the table, both with coffee in hand.

“Oh hello, Officer Helms.” I smiled, stretching my neck to try to
alleviate the tension that was already building there.

“Hi, Lizzie,” he replied. “And please remember to call me Ed.” He
smiled a super-white smile, and extended his hand for me to shake. I accepted
it and felt the heat of his skin as he held on for slightly longer than I thought
was necessary.

“Sorry ... Ed.” I smiled back at him and removed my hand as Riley
gave me a cup of coffee. “Thanks.” I looked at Riley to see if he had noticed
the handshake but it appeared he hadn’t. Well, either that or he just didn’t
care enough to be jealous. Then again maybe there was nothing to be jealous of.
“What’s happening?” I asked.

“I’ve just removed the police tape we had out the back. It’s okay
for you to go back into now.”

“Great. Thanks,” I said sarcastically. Ed’s smile got a little bit
bigger.

“It’s okay, Lizzie. We removed all the cooties. There’s nothing to
be worried about anymore.”

“Do you know anything about who it was yet?” I asked, cradling the
coffee and allowing the heat to seep in me, even though there was enough heat
in the kitchen. I couldn’t understand why my hands were so cold.

“Not yet. But I promise I’ll keep you up to date.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re doing a really nice job restoring this old house,” Ed said,
still smiling at me.

“Thanks, but Riley is the one doing all the work.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure you’re the one with all the design ideas.”

I felt the happiness surge as finally someone had given me some
credit for the changes. I mean, I know Riley’s the one doing all the hard stuff,
but I’d put in my fair share too, designing and ... stuff, like shopping. I
mean shopping is a very important part of the process. Without it the house may
not have a new kitchen waiting to go in. Or bench tops (even though I haven’t
quite made the decision on that one yet). Or that really lovely wallpaper Riley
put on that one wall in the lounge.

“Lizzie has a lot of talents,” said Riley, coming in on our
conversation. “Decorating is only one of them.” He gave me a very suggestive
little smile and I had to check to the floor to make sure my toes hadn’t burnt
a hole in it.

“I don’t doubt it.” Ed Helms understood exactly what Riley was
suggesting. I felt the heat rise from my neck and spread its way across my
face, only stopping once a sweat broke out on my forehead.

Thankfully, I was saved from any more embarrassment as the doorbell
rang. Actually, I should say it screeched. I made a note to add
buy new doorbell
to the To Do list.