Pumpkins in Paradise (Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Book 1) (4 page)

Tj had first met the elusive Zachary Collins on Halloween night almost fourteen years earlier. The kids in town made up all kinds of rumors about the man who never left his estate. Most thought he was a vampire, others created some gruesome monster in their imagination, while a few thought he was nothing but a ghost.

On the Halloween night in question, Tj and her friends were out egging houses when they got bored and decided to check out the haunted house everyone told stories about
. Since Tj was the only one small enough to slip through the narrow opening where the tall wrought-iron gate met the ten-foot wall, her friends had dared her to sneak inside, knock on the door, then run away. Never one to turn down a dare, she had, Zachary had caught her, and they’d been friends ever since.

“Zachary,” Tj called as she entered the dark, windowless room through the cellar door
. “It’s Tj. Are you down here?”

Tj knew Zachary often preferred the complete lack of sunlight in the cellar, which he used as a sort of workroom. It wasn’t a bad room, as cellars went. A worn rug covered the stone floor and old but once expensive furniture was arranged comfortably around a long workbench he used to build the various inventions he was always coming up with. The only truly personal touch was a photo of a handsome young man standing proudly next to a new Model T. Tj suspected that the man in the photo might be Zachary’s father. She’d once asked him about it. He’d given her a vague answer about the man but had gone into explicit detail about the car, the first of its kind, hot off the assembly line in 1908.

“Zachary?
” Tj stopped and looked around. The old wood stove, which usually heated the underground room, was cold. She called his name again as she turned on the overhead light. To this day Tj didn’t know the entire story, but something had happened when Zachary was a young man. An accident had left ugly scars on the right side of his once handsome face. Tj knew Zachary was sensitive about the scars, but she suspected it was the emotional scars rather than the physical that had left him a lonely, bitter, recluse of a man.

Tj glanced toward the chessboard
. The pieces were set up in such a way as to indicate that a game had been interrupted in midplay. Odd; as far as she knew, she was the only visitor Zachary ever had. Tj tried the handle connecting the cellar to the main part of the house. It was locked. She knocked and waited several minutes. When no one came, she set her takeout bag on the worktable, went back out through the cellar door, and walked around the outside of the house to the front. She knocked on the front door, but it too was locked. She debated what to do. Maybe Zachary had slept in. Then again, maybe he was sick, or he might have fallen and injured himself.

Deciding to risk embarrassing Zachary if she happened to catch him still in bed, she went back around the house and retrieved the key she knew he kept hidden under a rock
. She once again began calling Zachary’s name as she opened the door to the stairway connecting the cellar to the main part of the house and climbed the stairs.

As she inched her way t
hrough the kitchen, Tj noticed two of Jenna’s takeout containers sitting on the otherwise empty counter. Could Zachary have had another guest to lunch? There were two teacups in the sink. Picking up one of the white Styrofoam containers from The Antiquery, Tj peeked inside. Clam chowder, Jenna’s traditional Friday special, and by the smell of it, the soup had been sitting out since the previous day.

Tj set aside the container and walked toward the large living area at the front of the house
. She often wondered about Zachary’s life before the accident. Although he’d been nothing more than an eccentric recluse in the fourteen years she’d known him, she’d heard whispers of stories of a young man with movie-star good looks and money to burn who caroused around the countryside looking for short-term relationships with beautiful young girls. Somehow Tj couldn’t quite meld that man with the one she knew, but deep in her heart she realized the stories were probably true.

“Zachary?” Tj paused as she entered the large, open living room. Zachary was sitting in his favorite armchair, lifeless eyes staring at nothing in particular. “Oh, God.” Tears sprang to her eyes as she ran across the room to Zachary’s side. “Zachary?” she cried as she fell to her knees, almost knocking over the table next to the chair. Fighting the nausea that suddenly gripped her, she reached for her cell phone and dialed 911.

“Tj Jensen?” a tall man with eyes even bluer than her own greeted her several minutes later. Must be the new deputy everyone was talking about.

“Yes.”

“I’m Deputy Dylan Caine, and this is Deputy Long.”

“You call in the death?” Deputy Long, a middle-aged man asked.

“Yes.” Tj felt disassociated from the sound of her own voice. As if she was watching the scene before her unfold from a perspective somehow removed from the earthly plane. Could it possibly be true? Was Zachary really dead? It had probably only been fifteen minutes since she’d called in the death, but in those fifteen minutes, she’d replayed the scene in her mind time and time again. By the time the deputies had arrived she’d settled into a state of almost catatonic numbness.

“And the reason for your visit?”
Deputy Long asked.

Tj stared at the man for several seconds before answering
. She wondered where Tim Matthews and Roy Fisher, Serenity’s usual deputies, were, and why this strange man was here in their place.

“Ma’am,” the man nudged her impatiently.

“Zachary and I are—
were
friends,” she corrected herself because somehow it seemed important.

“What time would you say you got here?
” Deputy Long continued.

“About an hour ago
. Maybe more.” She stared off into the distance. “Actually, probably a little less. Probably thirty minutes,” she stammered. “I’m really not sure.”

“Maybe it would be best if you sat down,” Deputy Caine suggested
. “Perhaps on the bench near the front door.”

“Yes, I think that would be best.
” Tj allowed the handsome deputy to take her by the arm and lead her to the bench. He sat down beside her. There was something about him to which she immediately felt drawn. He wasn’t drop-dead, supermodel gorgeous the way her new guest Kyle was. He was tall and muscular, with blond hair a bit too long to be regulation, a rugged jaw, and a small scar zigzagging across his forehead. Still, Tj decided, it wasn’t his smile or adorable dimple that held her attention but the depth of knowing and compassion in his eyes as he offered her comfort.

“Can I get you anything?” the man asked
. “Some water? I think I have an unopened bottle in the car.”

“No, thanks, I’m fine
. It’s just so—” Tj’s voice was choked with emotion— “surprising. So very, very surprising. He seemed fine the last time I saw him. Is he? Did he?” Dylan placed his hand over hers as Tj tried to gather her thoughts. “How did he die?”

“We’re not sure yet
. Most likely a heart attack, or some other age-related occurrence. These things can come on quite suddenly.” Deputy Caine looked at her with kind eyes, his voice sympathetic.

“It looks like the coroner is here,” Deputy Long interrupted
. “Why don’t you head inside and see to the removal of the body while I finish the interview?”

Dylan hesitated, as if reluctant to leave his fragile witness, but in the end he released her hand.

Deputy Long asked her a few questions, made some notes, then closed his notebook. “Do you happen to know if there are next of kin who should be notified?” he finally asked.

“Zachary lived alone.
” Tj stifled a sob. “He didn’t have anyone.”

“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you arrived?”

“Out of the ordinary?” Tj glanced up at the man. “Do you suspect foul play?”

“Actually, no.”
He looked up from his notepad, meeting Tj’s gaze for the first time. “Standard question.”

Tj thought about it
. “Not really,” she replied.

Deputy Long jotted down a few more notes
. “Guess we’re done. We may need to get back to you with follow-up questions, but in the meantime you can call this number if you think of anything else.” The deputy handed her a business card.

“Thank you.
” Tj took the card. She stared at it as she tried to get her brain to function well enough to let her know what she was supposed to do now. Finally she stood up and slipped the card into her pocket.

“Zachary has a cat
. Crissy. Can I get her?”

He hesitated as he considered her request
. “Sure, I guess so. But don’t touch anything else.”

Tj returned to the house and began calling for the cat, who was nowhere in sight. She paused as she neared the chair where Zachary had sat
. Tj felt nauseous. Zachary was an old man in ill health. She shouldn’t be surprised by his passing, yet somehow she was. Tj supposed one could never really be prepared for such an abrupt departure. Somehow she’d known something wasn’t quite right. She should have come by yesterday, instead of waiting until today. Maybe her presence would have made a difference. Maybe Zachary would still be alive.

Tj looked toward the table again and frowned
. A beautifully wrapped gift with her name on it sat next to an empty glass. Ignoring the deputy’s instructions not to touch anything, she picked up the glass and took a closer look. It smelled of alcohol. Zachary never drank alcohol. Tj suspected that whatever had occurred in his life to turn him into a bitter recluse had to do with alcohol. Scotch, to be specific. Although in all the years she’d known him, she’d never seen him take a drink, Zachary kept a bottle of scotch in a glass case in his dining room. Tj wasn’t certain what the significance of that particular bottle was, but he’d once told her he kept it as a daily reminder of past sins.

Tj walked into the dining room
. The bottle was missing. She looked around the room, but it was nowhere in sight. Something was definitely going on, something that caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. Why after all these years would Zachary break his vow and take a drink? And even more curious, where was the bottle?

The sound of someone returning to the room prompted her to call out again to Crissy, who she found cowering under the dining-room table
. Picking up the frightened feline, she slipped the gift Zachary had left for her into her bag, took one last look around, then went out to her car. She fought the barrage of tears that were threatening as she put the car into drive and slowly pulled away from the house. Zachary was a strange friend, and their relationship had been unconventional by anyone’s standards, but Tj would miss him.

She wondered who’d arrange for the funeral
. Maybe Pastor Dan Kensington of Serenity Community Church? When Whinny Newsome died without any family to see to her final arrangements, Dan had organized volunteers from the church to provide a beautiful service and graveside burial.

Tj pulled over to the side of the road as she approached the far-western border of the grounds
. She wiped a tear from her eye as she looked back at the roof of the house, which could barely be seen beyond the trees. She picked up Crissy and cried into her soft fur, grieving for the man who had no heirs to leave the home his grandfather had built. She cried for the man whose funeral would most likely be arranged by well-meaning strangers who didn’t even know him. But most of all she mourned the loss of a friend who had meant so much to her for so many years.

After leaving Zachary’s, Tj called The Antiquery and spoke to Helen, who promised to pick up the girls and wait with them at the community center until Jenna arrived
. She took Crissy home and got her settled into the laundry room with a bowl of kibble and a clean cat box. After letting Echo out for a quick run, she took a hot shower, then changed into a well-worn pair of jeans and a warm cinnamon-colored sweater.

On one hand the last thing she felt like doing was going to the decorating party, where she’d have to pretend everything was okay when it clearly wasn’t
. On the other, sitting home alone with nothing but the memory of Zachary’s lifeless eyes to keep her occupied was more than her fragile emotions could take.

Realizing that she wasn’t ready to deal with the loss of her friend in a public forum quite yet, she decided to attend the party but not mention his death
. She glanced in the mirror to find red, puffy eyes staring back at her: a dead giveaway that something was wrong. She took out her seldom-used makeup bag and tried as best she could to repair the damage brought on by her grief. A little mascara, a light dusting of a dark-colored shadow, and no one would ever know. Pulling her curly hair into a serviceable ponytail, she plastered on a happy face, grabbed her backpack, and headed into town.

The community center was alive with a happy energy as volunteers worked together to paint backdrops, hang rubber spiders, and string cobwebs
. A large scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head and a scythe in his hand greeted guests as they entered the roped-off lawn area. Tj waved to Frannie Edison, the town librarian, who was supervising a group of children that included Ashley and Gracie as they played tag near a grove of maples brilliant with color. The Pumpkin Festival was an annual event that promised both fun and much-needed revenue. Last year the event had brought in over eight thousand dollars for the school. This year they hoped to do even better.

“Jen around?
” Tj forced a smile as she greeted the school principal, Greg Remington, who was busy rigging up some sort of mechanical arm.

“In the graveyard making tombstones.”
Greg nodded toward the realistic-looking graveyard set up at the entrance to the building. “Things are really coming together. I think this might be our best haunted house yet. Listen, did you get the schedule of this winter’s cross-country meets I left in your box?”

“Yeah, thanks
. I’ll make copies and hand it out to the girls on Monday.”

“Brittany Baxter came in to talk to Sheila yesterday,” Greg said, referring to his wife, who was the high-school counselor
. “Seems Brittany may have to drop off the ski team this year. Her parents are going through a tough divorce and she might have to go stay with her aunt while they work things out.”

“Yeah, she mentioned it
. Poor thing. This breakup has been really hard on her. I thought I’d talk to her next week to see if there’s anything I can do to help her get through this. I understand her parents might need their space right now, but I’m not sure sending her away and disrupting her whole life is the best solution. She needs a stable routine and the support of her friends.”

“I agree
. Sheila is going to talk to her parents about letting her stay with a friend instead of going to her aunt’s. I’ll let you know what happens.”

“Please do.
” Tj forced a smile. “I guess I’ll go find Jen and help make tombstones.”

“Everything okay?
” Greg looked up from the arm he was working on for the first time.

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that you look sort of—” The principal hesitated, then said, “Never mind. You look great, as always. Guess it’s just the light. Don’t forget, we still need to talk about your adjunct assignment for the year.”

“I know
. I’ll stop by on Monday,” Tj promised as she trotted away with a bounce to her step that she wasn’t quite feeling.

Tj found Jenna in the graveyard, knee-deep in tombstones
. As an additional fund-raiser, members of the community could purchase a tombstone to be painted with a colorful epitaph for a friend or family member. The inscriptions were usually silly in nature, but three years earlier Paul Wright had used his tombstone to propose to Lauren Banks, and a new trend of using the tombstones to relay congratulations and heartfelt messages had been born.

“I talked to Mom earlier.
” Jenna set down the tombstone she’d been painting, stood up, and hugged her best friend. “She told me about Zachary. I’m really sorry. I know you were close. I can’t imagine how it must have felt to find him that way.”

“Thanks, but I’d rather not talk about it right now
. Maybe later,” Tj said as she fought the urge to tear up. “I’d like to focus on nongory stuff like rubber spiders and buckets of fake blood.”

“I guess you’re in the right place for that.”

“I have some of the props Zachary built in my classroom.” Tj’s voice cracked when she mentioned his name. “Guess I’ll head over and get them. Just call my cell when you’re ready to leave.”

“Listen, as long as you’re going over to the school, can you give this list to Harriet?
” Jenna pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. “It’s a list of the cookies I’ve agreed to donate for the snack bar. She said she’d be working in the cafeteria today.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Tj took Jenna’s list and headed toward the school. The wind had picked up, sending showers of yellow aspen leaves cascading to the ground. The combination of cooling air and the dark clouds hanging over the summit indicated that a storm was on the way. Not that Tj really minded. It had been a dry summer and they could use the rain. She just hoped its arrival wouldn’t put a damper on the upcoming festivities.

Entering the cafeteria, she waved at the group of volunteers who were hanging streamers and taping paper ghosts to the walls
. The long tables where the student body gathered for lunch were covered with the various supplies that would turn the room into a fall wonderland. Tj could still remember having school lunches on those very tables. Blue plastic trays divided into three sections and filled with cafeteria delights like hamburger gravy, cheesy pasta, and hot dogs on a stick, had lined the tables on both sides on any given afternoon. Due to budget cuts and worn-out appliances, the trays had been replaced by boxed lunches prepared by a local restaurant, and the ancient kitchen was now used exclusively for community events.

“I have Jenna’s cookie list,” Tj said as she walked into the kitchen and handed the paper to Harriet Kramer, Mayor Wallaby’s secretary, who had pulled her head out of the cupboard she was stocking.

“Fantastic.” Harriet paused to look at the list. “Oh, good, oatmeal butterscotch chews. My favorite. Is Maggie’s Hideaway donating the meat for the BBQ again this year?”

Tj hesitated
. She had no idea. “Probably,” she answered vaguely. “I’ll have to check with my dad. It seems like we donated the patties for the hamburgers and the precooked meat for the BBQ beef and pulled pork sandwiches last year. I’m sure he’s planning to do something similar this year.”

“If you could ask him and give me a
call, that would be great. I’m sure most folks are planning to donate to the snack bar, but so far I only have confirmations from a few of our more organized volunteers. It’s been a real struggle to track everyone down this year. I finally managed to track down Kurt Brown at the bowling alley last night to get Alice’s list for the beverage shack.”

“I heard Alice was out of town.”

“Her sister had back surgery. Alice went to help out and won’t be back till next week. Kurt had been carrying the list around in his wallet ever since Alice asked him to drop it off over a week ago, so at least one crisis has been averted. If I can get confirmation on the meat, we’ll be in business.”

Tj pulled out her cell phone and looked at the display
. “There’s no service in here, but I’ll find a better place to give my dad a call and let you know. I can’t believe the festival is next week already. It seems like we were just building floats for the Patriot’s Day parade.”

“I still have the leftover lumber from the city’s float in my garage,” Harriett confirmed
. “I mentioned it to Kurt when I saw him last night, but he was driving his new car so he couldn’t pick it up.”

“Kurt got a new car?”

“Red convertible,” Harriet tut-tutted. “Now you know I’m not one to talk”—Harriet was the second-biggest gossip in town next to Helen and everyone knew it—“but from what I’ve heard, Kurt and Alice are months behind on all their local tabs. Not that it’s any of my business, mind you, but it seems a bit irresponsible to buy a new car when you owe so many folks so much money.” Harriet leaned in and lowered her voice. “Between you and me, I think there might be more to Alice’s trip than it would appear.”

“I thought her sister had surgery.”

“That’s the story. I just find it interesting that the very day Alice flies out to care for her poor, injured sister, Kurt makes such a large, totally impractical purchase. Not that I’m accusing Kurt of any wrong doing, mind you.” Harriet paused for emphasis. “I’m just saying.”

Tj decided that removing herself from the conversation was most likely the best idea she’d had all day
. She’d been the topic of the daily tell-all a time or two and knew the experience was less than pleasant. Still, she supposed gossip was as much a part of small-town life as apple pie, community picnics, and Sunday church services. If one chose to live in a small community, it was best to accept the good with the bad. “I really need to get going. I’ll call you as soon as I get hold of my dad about the meat.”

After helping to decorate for a couple of hours, Tj, Jenna, and the girls headed to dinner at Rob’s Pizza, a comfy joint with vinyl booths, red-checkered tablecloths, team pictures on the walls, video games, and the best pizza west of the Rockies. The gang filed into a booth in the corner.

Tj looked around
. The place was packed, as usual. Tj knew almost everyone there, and most nights she would have enjoyed chatting with the Caldwell sisters or the guys from Chamberlain Construction. Tonight she just felt hollow. She didn’t think she was capable of making small talk about the new fabric Emma had gotten in at the general store or the double-paned windows the Johnsons were having installed.

“Can we go play video games?” best friends Ashley and Kristi asked on cue.

“Sure, but stay together and don’t make a lot of noise. There are people in the restaurant who are actually here to eat.” Tj handed each of the girls a couple of dollars. “And keep an eye on Gracie and Kari.”

Tj watched the girls trot away, leaned her head back against the booth, and sighed
. It had been a really long day. Normally Tj loved coming to Rob’s. Besides the fact that he made the best pizza around, Rob provided a cozy atmosphere, with a lived-in, hometown feel. Somewhat off the beaten path, the eatery catered to locals rather than tourists, as many of the restaurants on the main drag were known to do. The walls were covered with photos of citizens going about their daily lives, winning contests, and receiving awards.

As were all the businesses in Serenity, Rob’s was dressed in holiday fare, from jack-o’-lanterns sporting goofy grins and lopsided eyes lining the bar to the life-size Frankenstein-type monster that greeted patrons as they entered the door
.

Tj waved toward a table near the back, where four of the girls from her ski team were sharing several pizzas with four members of the football team
. It had been a tough year for the guys. They were already halfway through the season and so far they’d only won a single game. Her soccer team, on the other hand, had made the district play-offs, and her ski team was favored to win the regional competition. A few of the seniors from the ski team, Brittany included, were contenders for the national team. Inclusion on the national team would earn them sponsors and the ability to pursue a professional career.

“Ready to talk about it?” Jenna asked after Tj had given their order to the waitress.

“I don’t know
. Maybe.”

“I didn’t know Zachary well, bu
t I know you cared about him,” Jenna offered.

“I know he was an ornery cuss, but he got to me in a strange sort of way
. When I first met him, he’d curse and complain about pretty much everything, but he’d set up these games I could tell he’d spent hours and hours coming up with. As time went on, I began to see something different in his eyes—a glimmer of laughter and merriment that I know he tried to hide from the world. I think underneath the gruff exterior he was a good man who’d lived a painful life. I’m really going to miss him.”

“I’m sorry.
” Jenna grabbed her hand across the table. “I know it hurts to lose a friend. Is there anything I can do?”

Tj thought about Jenna’s question
. She didn’t suppose there was anything Jenna could do, but for some reason she felt like
she
should be doing something. One of her dearest friends was dead and she was sitting in a restaurant, eating pizza. Maybe she should call the coroner, or set up an appointment with Pastor Dan to talk about the funeral. Zachary didn’t have any family or close friends to deal with the various details that needed tending to when a loved one passed on. The thought made her sad. He’d lived his life alone and he’d died alone.