Haunted Fixer-Upper, The (22 page)

This
discovery hit me full force. It was not the news I’d wanted to hear on our walk, or anytime for that matter. “Bludgeoned to death? That’s terrible. What happened to the man?”

“
He moved away and they never charged him with the murder.” She nervously twisted the hem of her T-shirt in her hand.

“
They didn’t charge him?” I looked at her. “Why would they not charge him?”

As casually as she could manage, she said,
“They had no way to prove that he did it. He had an alibi.”

This seemed to be a common thread in this town. Did everyone commit a crime and then just go free? Everyone accept for Reed.

“I’m surprised they didn’t tell you about this when you bought the home,” she said.

“
I guess that’s not something that’s listed as a selling feature, huh? I guess you know about my boyfriend Reed?” I caught myself glancing over my shoulder far too often.

She was quiet for a moment,
then said, “I know Reed. I remember when he lived here. He’s a nice guy. And yes, I heard about what happened.”

“
It’s ridiculous that they are even questioning him.”

“
I don’t understand it either,” she said.

I let out a deep breath
as I pondered the situation.

Carrie had moved from playing with the hem of her shirt to twirling her ponytail. She had a lot of nervous habits.
“You know, I know a lot of police. I could see what I can find out about the case for you. They all come in to the diner. I talk to them when things are slow.”

I hesitated,
then said, “I don’t think they’re supposed to share information about investigations with you.”

She chuckled.
“Yeah, they’re not supposed to, but they do. I bet for a slice of pie I could get all the details.”

I quirked a brow.
“Hmm. That is tempting.”

“The pie or the police info?”
She chuckled.

“Both.” I smiled.

I didn’t have any other options, so I knew I had to take her up on her offer.

“If you find out anything and can share the details with me I’d really appreciate it,” I said.

“
Consider it done,” she said with a click of her tongue.

At the end of the street sat a church with a tall steeple that could probably be seen from miles around.
We turned around at the end of the sidewalk and headed back toward the diner.

“I can’t believe they didn’t tell you
about the house,” she said.

“
Well, I guess I didn’t ask. I seemed to be a little obsessed with this house when I first saw it. I don’t think this news would have even stopped me from buying the house. I had to have it.” I shrugged.

“I can understand that.”
She gave a polite smile.

“
Do you know anything else about the house?” I asked.

She scrunched her brow together.
“I can’t think of anything. But if I do, I’ll be sure to let you know. I work at the diner every day and go to classes at night. I’m going to be a veterinarian.”

“
Sounds like you are very busy,” I said.

“
Well, after my divorce I knew I had to do something with my life. I wasted several years with that asshole I was married to, and I didn’t want to waste another minute of my life.”

I smiled.
“I admire that. Thank you for the information.”

“
I’m just sorry I was the one who had to break the bad news about your house.”

I shrugged.
“Someone had to tell me eventually. Don’t worry about it.”

“
Yeah, just the same, I feel bad,” she said in a gentle tone.

I gave a half-hearted smile.
Birds chirped as they skipped from one tree branch to the other and in the distance someone mowed their lawn. The smell of freshly cut grass floated across the morning air.

“One other thing.
This woman who was murdered. Do you remember her name?”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid that I don’t. I didn’t live here at the time. I’m just going by what I’ve heard since I got here.”

I nodded. “Okay. One more question. Do you know Amanda Porter? She used to date Reed.”

“Oh, I know who she is all right. She’s the reason for my divorce. She was cheating with my husband.”

“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry to hear this. Can I ask what happened?” I asked softly.

I tried to hide my doubt, but my self-confidence wavered. Would Reed do the same thing?
Did I really have anything to worry about with Amanda? What if Reed had run to her last night when we’d argued? No, he wasn’t like that and I was letting my mind run wild with crazy thoughts.

“They worked together. She is an evil woman. I’d watch out for her if I were you.”

“I’ll make sure to do that.”

“
Stop by the diner anytime if you have any more questions or need to talk. I work every morning except on Wednesdays. I know how it is to be the outsider. I moved here with my parents when I was eighteen.”

“Well, it’s not as if I’m from a different planet,” I said.

She shrugged.
“You might as well be. I’m just now fitting in.”

When we reached the parking lot, I spotted Stan.
He was talking with Evelyn. I stopped in my tracks and pulled Carrie’s arm to get her to stop too. Evelyn and Stan seemed to have a lot to talk about. Carrie’s posture tensed and she hurried her steps.

“There’s that woman from the historical society. She is unpleasant.”

“Yeah, I saw her earlier today with Reed,” Carrie said.

I froze. “What? You saw Reed?” I asked.

She shook her head.
“Yeah, he left with that woman.”

Why hadn’t she mentioned this earlier? I guessed she didn’t find it important.

I quirked an eyebrow. “He left with Evelyn?”

She gave a quick, disgusted snort.
“Yes, the old bat. She was flirting with him too.”

We watched as Evelyn walked over to her car and drove away. Stan stood for a moment watching the car. What was on his mind?

I almost choked. “The woman is eighty years old.”

She
shrugged. “Well, like my grandmother says, just because there’s snow on the roof doesn’t mean there’s not a fire in the furnace.”

“That’s a popular saying, huh?”

Carrie looked confused.

I waved off the comment. “Never mind. Anyway, did they say where they were going?”

She shook her head
. “No, I didn’t talk with them. I figured it had something to do with your house, why?”

“No reason, I guess,” I said quietly.

A strange feeling settled in my stomach. Something wasn’t right. Where could they possibly have gone?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“
It was nice meeting you, Alabama. I’ll see you soon.” Carrie waved over her shoulder and hurried away.

“
You too. And thanks again,” I called in her wake.

She moved swiftly across the parking lot and jumped into
her rust-covered Toyota before I could say another word. Now I was stuck trying to get away from Stan. I knew he saw me because he was looking right at me. It looked as if this was going to be a confrontation. That was the last thing I wanted right now. I just wanted to get away from him. I didn’t want any trouble, but I did need to ask about Amber. I might as well get it over with. It looked like Stan was always looking for trouble. I couldn’t believe Reed would actually like the guy. Didn’t he know about his past?

“
I see you made a new friend,” he said as I neared my car. “I wouldn’t believe anything she has to say. She’s a trouble maker.”

That made me angry. I didn’t know her, but she didn’t seem like a trouble maker to me.

“Listen, I don’t think you should be talking about people. She was nice to me and that’s all I need to know.” I unlocked my car door.

“You seem to have a lot to talk about with Evelyn.”
I flashed him a look of disdain.

“She’s a family friend and that’s none of your business.”
A fiery, angry look flickered in his eyes.

“What about Amber
Gaines? Was she a family friend?” I countered icily.

His face blanched. “You like to stick your nose into things that don’t concern you. I don’t know anyone by that name.
”

I knew that was a lie.
“You know what, Stan, I don’t think your services are needed at my home any longer.”

That was a bold statement considering he could be the killer and now want me dead, but I had to tell him to get lost.
I opened the car door, but he shoved it, and then held it down with his hand. He glared at me and it sent a chill down my spine.

“
I think Reed might have something to say about that.”

My blood was boi
ling. He was trying to scare me. Why, I didn’t know. Sure, it was working, but I wouldn’t let him know that.

I stared him straight in the eyes.
“Reed and I are partners on this project. He is happy with whatever decision I make and my decision is to terminate our working agreement. Now if you’ll kindly take your hand off my car I’d appreciate it.”

He glared at me for a second an
d I wondered what his next move would be, but finally he moved his hand, then turned around and walked away. I looked around the parking lot to see if anyone was watching us. No one seemed to be paying attention. It figured. When I wanted someone to see what a jackass he was, no one looked. The rest of the time they couldn’t stop gawking.

I hoped in my car and
pulled out of the parking lot in a hurry. The wheels on my car squealed a little when whipped out onto the road. That had been the strangest breakfast I’d ever had. Or what little of the breakfast I’d actually gotten to eat. Right now I needed to call Reed and tell him about Stan and what Carrie had told me. I’d apologize for what I’d said and hope that we could move forward, although I was still doing what he didn’t want me to do by being involved in investigating Gordon’s murder. Then there was the little matter of finding out what was holding up my mother and Lacey.

After driv
ing a mile down the road, I pulled into a grocery store parking lot so that I could call Reed. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed his number. After multiple rings, Reed didn’t answer so I left a voice mail instructing him to call me as soon as he got the message.

“Reed, I discovered some interesting information about the house today. There was a murder in the house. I know it’s an old house and you can expect that people may have died there, but another murder? It’s like we’re attracted to this stuff. I think the universe is trying to tell us something.” Okay, I was rambling and the phone would cut me off soon if I didn’t wrap it up. “Anyway, call me when you get this message.” I paused. “I’m really sorry about what I said last night. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Next I placed calls to Mama and Lacey. They didn’t answer either. Was cell phone service knocked out in the area? This was weird. Since I couldn’t get in touch with them I decided to head to the library.

I zipped the car out onto the street from the parking lot. After turning down the wrong street and then doubling back, I spotted the small concrete building that housed the town’s library. I circled the parking lot until I finally found a spot and whizzed my old Volvo in, squeezing between a mini-van and a large truck. A large sign welcoming readers was right in the front of the building and it made me smile. My moment of happiness was short-lived thought when the reason I was at the library rushed back into my thoughts. As I hurried toward the entrance, I glanced over my shoulder. I was worried that Stan had possibly followed me… or maybe Evelyn or Amanda. Why did I have to worry about anyone following me? I was a magnet for crazy people. I paused with my hand on the door, checking to make sure that the car that had just pulled up wasn’t one of them. I released a sigh of relief when I realized it wasn’t.

The
glass doors made a loud suction noise when I pushed one open. A middle-aged woman looked up from her book and frowned at the noise I’d made. Hey, I wasn’t the one who installed the doors—not my fault.

A blast of
cold air hit me in the face as I entered. It was a refreshing relief from the warm summer sun. The space wasn’t large, but there were still plenty of shelves, stretching out across every wall.

Where would I even begin to start? There was so much information to go throug
h. I’d have to check the newspapers for any information about the house or the former occupants. Plus I wanted to find out more about Evelyn and Stan. I’d have to be careful though. I was a stranger and people might not like talking about their fellow residents. I’d rather be in the library checking out books for pleasure.

What made me think I could find any information that would lead to the killer anyway?
Just because I’d solved one murder? I was far from Jessica Fletcher and this wasn’t an episode of Murder She Wrote. Solving a murder involved an ounce of organization and well thought-out plans, I had neither of those.