Murder and Salutations (Book 3 in the Cardmaking Mysteries) (17 page)

“
I wouldn’t try it,” he
said. “I sleep with a gun now.”

Lillian said, “It appears that you two are
settled, so I’m off.”

“
Should you be going home by
yourself?” I asked.

What if those shots really were for me? Do I
need o remind you that you’ve been snooping into this lore than I
have?”

Lillian said, “And what makes you think I’ll
be alone?”

“
What are you talking about?
I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”

“
Jennifer, I have more
friends than Ben and Jerry. Sometimes Smith and Wesson come by,
too, and with the five of us there to look out for one other, I’m
sure we’ll all be fine.”

I looked at Bradford for help, and he said,
“Lillian, I’ll give you the couch if you let me have the sleeping
bag.”

She looked at the bag as if it were a large
and hairy pig. “I’d rather take my chances with the mysterious
marksman.”

“
If you won’t stay here,” I
said, “at least go to Sara Lynn’s house.”

“
I’m fine,” my aunt said
with a snap in her voice hat I knew all too well.

“
I’m not as worried about
you as I am about my aster,” I barked back at her. “She’s alone,
her estranged husband is in trouble and on the run, and he’s
rattling around in that big house all by herself. I don’t care what
excuse you make up, but you need to go over there right now. Think
about somebody else, will you? She needs you.”

Lillian studied me for a few seconds, then
said, “Of course, you’re right. I’ll go there now. Good night.”

I wanted to say something to lessen the blow
of nay harsh words, but all I could manage was my own good
night.

After I dead-bolted the apartment door, I
turned jack to find Bradford appraising me with a steady look.

“
What?” I asked.

“
Sis, I’ve never seen
anybody cow her like that in my life. Do me a favor, okay? Take it
easy on me. I’m not sure at the moment that I’m on the right side
of that deadbolt.”

I picked up a pillow from the chair and
threw it at him. “Oh, grow up.”

He plucked it out of the air and hurled it
back at me. “Now, what fun would that be?”

The next morning, I awoke
to the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes. My brother was famous
throughout the family for his flapjacks, and I felt my stomach I
grumble. I’d missed dinner last night, and then I’d been too
exhausted to eat anything before bed. As I stood up, I felt a
little stiffness in my wrist, but it really wasn’t bad at all. I
wouldn’t be able to do hand-stands in the next few days, but I
hadn’t been able to do them all that well before I’d tumbled off
the loading dock, so that was no great loss. I just hoped I
didn’t have to fight off anything tougher than a
stuffed animal until my wrist healed completely.

I threw on a robe, and
found my brother already
dressed and
dishing out a fresh pancake. “I hope you’re hungry,” he said as he
slid it onto a plate, which he set beside a glass of orange
juice.

“
Is that freshly squeezed?”
I asked as I sat down.

“
It sure is,” he said. “It
says so right on the box.”

I took a sip, then poured a little warmed
syrup on the pancake and devoured it in record time.

He smiled at me as I looked up. “There’s
nothing wrong with your appetite, anyway.”

“
Just keep them coming,” I
said as he put another one onto my plate. “I missed dinner last
night. I don’t I know what I’m going to tell Greg.”

“
You don’t have to worry
about him,” Bradford said. “We talked a bit last night when you
were with the doctor.”

“
He came by the hospital to
see me?” I asked, the bite on my fork temporarily
forgotten.

“
You can eat and listen at
the same time,” he said as he gestured to my food.

“
Bradford, I’m
serious.”

“
Okay, okay. I told him you
were all right, and he said if that was true, he wanted to see you.
For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to lock him up
for disturbing the peace, but he finally listened to me. What is it
with you two, anyway?”

“
I wish I knew,” I said. I
wasn’t looking forward to the conversation with Greg later. Knowing
him, he’d want to reschedule our last supper together, but I’d had
enough. I could barely manage to say no to him when I was at my
strongest, and I wasn’t anywhere close to that at the moment. Being
shot at had that effect on me. No, it was time to end it with him
once and for all.

Bradford glanced at the clock. “Is that time
right?”

“
Actually, it’s five minutes
slow. I keep resetting it, but somehow it keeps slowing down the
exact same amount every time.” I had a theory about my bumbling
poltergeist messing with the clock, but I wasn’t about to share it
with my levelheaded brother.

He took the last pancake off the griddle and
turned off the stove. “I’ve got to roll. Are you going to be all
right?”

“
I always have been,” I
said. “You’re the one who insisted on giving me police protection.
By the way, how did you sleep?”

“
You tell me. Did my snoring
keep you awake?”

“
To be honest with you, last
night you could have practiced bagpipes in the living room and I
don’t think it would have kept me up.”

He laughed. “I’m glad to see you’re in good
spirits.”

“
I just hope Bailey’s okay,”
I said.

“
You still care about what
happens to him after last night?”

“
Bradford, he didn’t mean to
put me in jeopardy, I just know it. Has anyone seen him
yet?”

He shook his head. “I checked in ten minutes
before you got up. There’s no sign of him anywhere.”

There was something my brother was keeping
to himself. I could see it in his eyes.

“
What is it?” I asked. “What
are you not telling me?”

“
Jennifer, an arrest
warrant’s been issued for him.”

I dropped my fork. “You actually think he
killed Eliza Glade?”

“
I need to talk to him, and
it looks like this is the only way I’m going to be able to get his
attention.”

“
That wasn’t the question,”
I said.

“
Blast it all, woman, you do
your job and let me do mine, okay?”

“
Okay,” I said as I stood
and walked gingerly to him. I kissed his cheek, a move that clearly
confused him.

“
What was that
for?”‘

“
Watch duty, a wonderful
breakfast, looking out for your little sister. Take your
pick.”

He shook his head and laughed. “If I live to
be a hundred, I’ll never be able to figure you out.”

“
Call it my feminine
mystique,” I said.

“
I’d rather call you nuts.”
As he walked to the door, Bradford said, “Lock this behind me, then
keep your eyes open, okay? And don’t push that wrist. You need to
give it time to heal.”

“
Yes, sir,” I said. It was
all I could do not to salute, but I doubted he’d appreciate my
humor.

After he was gone, I finished the last
pancake, justifying it on the grounds that I’d missed dinner the
night before, then I took a long, hot shower. I wished the
apartment had a tub—a steaming soak would do me good—but I didn’t
have one here, or at my new address, either. Maybe I could talk
Lillian into letting me borrow her Jacuzzi sometime. I took a quick
shower, then after I dressed, I called Sara Lynn’s place to see how
the ladies had managed the night before.

To my surprise, Lillian answered the
telephone.

“
I’m really glad you stayed
there last night,” I said, wondering how my aunt’s manner would be
toward me this morning after our harsh exchange last
night.

“
Jennifer, how lovely to
hear from you. How is your wrist?”

“
It’s good,” I said,
relieved my aunt had chosen to ignore what had happened. I’d been
out of line with my comment, but then she’d made a few herself over
the years, so I figured I was just catching up. Still, I’d have to
watch what I said around her until the sting wore off. “Listen, I
wanted to let you know that you can come in late if you want to.
I’d be happy to open the shop by myself.”

I knew that morning wasn’t my aunt’s
favorite time of day, and I wanted to make the offer in recompense
for the night before.

“
Nonsense. Sara Lynn and I
are commuting to work together this morning. I’m going to drop her
off at the scrapbooking store, and then I’ll be at the card
shop.”

“
That’s wonderful,” I said.
I wasn’t sure how Lillian had managed to convince Sara Lynn to
carpool, but I was glad she had.

“
I’ll see you soon,
then.”

After I hung up, I gave Oggie and Nash their
morning meal, then headed out the door. My wrist throbbed as I
touched the handrail. At least I didn’t have to carry anything
bigger than my purse. Then I remembered that I had to move soon,
and I wondered how in the world I would manage it with a tender
wrist.

When I got to my Gremlin, I was surprised to
see Bradford sitting beside it in his squad car. “I thought you
already left.”

“
I did,” he said, “but I
decided to come back. I’m taking you to work today.”

“
Bradford, don’t be silly.
I’m perfectly capable of driving myself to work and
back.”

“
I know, but if something
happens to you when I’m not around, Lillian, Sara Lynn and Cindy
are going to take turns killing me. Come on. Get in.”

I wanted to fight him on it. After all, I
cherished my independence. I also realized that I’d feel better
sitting beside Bradford in his squad car than I would all alone in
my Gremlin. “Okay, but you’ll have to pick me up after work,
too.”

“
I’d be delighted,” he said.
Bradford let me off in front of Custom Card Creations, and just as
I opened the front door for business, Lillian came in behind
me.

Before I could say a word, she said,
“Jennifer, we need to talk about what happened last night.”

Oh, no, one of the two conversations I
wanted to avoid more than anything in the world was about to
happen. “I’m so sorry about the way I spoke to you. I was under
stress—not that it’s any excuse.”

“
What on earth are you
talking about?”

I looked at her to see if she was joking,
but she was dead serious. “I called you selfish and ordered you
around last night. Surely you haven’t forgotten that.”

“
Jennifer, you’re much too
sensitive. I don’t recall you being harsh.”

Fine. If that was how she chose to recall
it, I wasn’t about to set her straight. “Then what do we need to
discuss?”

“
Sara Lynn wants to see you
immediately. She’s still sitting in my car, as a matter of
fact.”

“
What’s so
important?”

“
She wants to talk to you
about her husband, of course. It took every ounce of energy I had
last night to convince her that you needed your rest. She kept
demanding to talk to you. Do you mind speaking with
her?”

“
Lillian, I understand
completely. I’ll be right back.”

“
Take your time,” she said.
“I’ll open the shop. In fact, why don’t you two take a drive while
you talk?” She stunned me by handing me the keys to her precious
Mustang.

“
Are you
serious?”

“
Of course I am,” she
said.

“
Thanks.” I left before she
could change her mind. Lillian had been fanatical about keeping her
last car to herself, and I gave up all hope of ever driving one
when she’d had to buy a brand-new one.

As I got into the driver’s seat, Sara Lynn
asked, “What are you doing? I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to
talk.”

“
Lillian gave me the keys.
I’m not about to pass this up. She said you wanted to talk. So
talk.” I started the car and pulled out, just narrowly avoiding a
bread truck. He blared his horn at me, and I saw Lillian’s head pop
up in the front window. I waved at her and drove off, knowing
without a doubt that this was the first and last time I’d ever get
the chance to drive one of her cars. My wrist was tender as I held
the wheel, but I managed fine.

Sara Lynn asked me, “What happened at the
restaurant?”

“
Are you telling me our dear
brother didn’t tell you a thing last night?” It was just like him,
avoiding conflict where he could, when it came to Sara Lynn and
me.

“
I want to hear your
version,” Sara Lynn said. “I’ve heard Bradford’s account, but now I
want it all straight from you.”

She had that right, after all.

After I shared every bit of what I could
remember, Sara Lynn asked, “Who was he talking about? Did you get
any hint of who he had in mind?”

I shook my head. “He wouldn’t say, and I
knew better than to push him on it. Do you want to know the truth?
I honestly think he was more worried about your reaction to him
taking your emergency fund than he was about someone trying to kill
him. He loves you, Sara Lynn.”

“
Of course he does,” she
snapped. “That’s why I don’t understand how foolish he was with
Eliza.”

“
Do you think you’ll ever be
able to forgive him?” I asked softly. I knew how much my sister
believed in loyalty, and Bailey had crossed a line that was hard to
forget or erase.