Raining Men and Corpses: A Fun Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1) (6 page)

R
aina stared
at the two eggs in her refrigerator. Her stomach rumbled in disappointment. She’d secretly hoped to come home from campus to find it fully stocked by Po Po. Irrational? Yes, but they said hope sprang eternal even if her grandma hadn’t stepped inside a grocery store in two decades, not since after her granddad’s shipping business took off.

Someone knocked on her front door. Raina straightened and closed the refrigerator with a thwack. A visitor during lunch could mean free food. And a sane person didn’t turn down free food. She hurried to her living room and squinted at the peephole on her door.

Matthew, clean-shaven and hair still wet from a recent shower, leaned into the peephole. His clear eyes had a twinkle she didn’t trust. “I know you’re in there, Rainy.”

Raina stepped back, tugging at the collar of her shirt. The apartment suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. She wasn’t ready to have a tete-a-tete with him.

“I guess you want me to tell your neighbors about our business!” he said.

She flung open the door, blocking the doorway with her body. The hot air curled around her and made the back of her neck instantly sticky. “We don’t have any more business. You made that crystal clear in Vegas.”

“In case you’d forgotten, you were the one who wanted our marriage annulled.” Matthew smiled and his brown eyes crinkled in the corners. “I saw your car pull in. I can’t believe you’re still driving the old thing.” He shifted his weight. “Had lunch yet?”

Raina crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. She hadn’t forgotten, but it was much easier to blame him for the failure of their relationship.

“I’m not going to bite. And you always liked your food,” he said, hooking his thumbs on his jeans pocket.

“What can I do for you, detective?”

“How about a quick lunch where you tell me what happened on the night Holden Merritt died?”

“I gave my statement already.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I want to hear it for myself. Either we go over the statement here or we go over it while eating lunch. And you know how cranky we both get when we’re hungry.”

“I had lunch already.” Raina flushed as her traitorous stomach growled. She swatted at the hair clinging to her chin in an attempt to hide her burning cheeks. “What happened last night?” What a stupid question! Now it sounded like she’d obsessed over his no show.

“I’m sorry. I should have explained myself better.” His eyes clouded. “There was a five-car pileup outside of County Road Twenty-seven. A car reeking of marijuana and a baby in the ditch.” His smile disappeared. “I just had to hold you for a second.”

Raina swallowed the lump forming in her throat. No good would come from this. He’d leave her again. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.” She closed the door, leaning against it to take a deep breath.

Death and mayhem must have been regular bedfellows to Matthew all these years, and he wore it well outwardly. Raina wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and offer him comfort in the only way she knew how, just like she’d done for most of her life. He’d been the kid who hung around her family to escape his own, her friend, and later her first lover. This Matthew should be a stranger, but he wasn’t. Not where it counted.

She should let him in so he didn’t have to wait in the heat. Her gaze flicked around the piles in her apartment. She’d always been a piler: mail, books, or clothes. As long as it was stackable, she made little molehills around her living space. Matthew shouldn’t see this. His eyes would twitch and his fingers would curl from his desire to straightened things out. It was more torture than mercy to let him see her one trait that drove him crazy was still full sail ahead.

Raina stripped off her clothes and hurled herself into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she was dressed in a linen purple top and tan shorts. Her hair was somewhat tamed by her French braid and she had on a smear of lipstick. The faded fingernail marks left by Gail on her forearms were covered with concealer. As long as there was no licking involved, he wouldn’t know whether she rinsed cleanly or not.

She stepped out the front door to find Matthew with his cell phone wedged between his shoulder and ear and his back to her. Should she make a noise to alert him of her presence?

“What does the toxicology report say?” he whispered.

The fact that he could be talking about Holden made Raina’s decision for her. She put her finger over the latch and closed the door. The lock slid home with a soft click.

“Poisoned?” He grabbed a small notebook from his back pocket and flipped it open. “Have IT look through his computer. Check his office or home for a planner for his private appointments. And get me his phone records.”

Raina gasped. Eden was right about Holden.

Matthew swung around and glowered at her. “Give me a call back when they’re done processing his home.” He slipped the cell phone and notebook back into his pockets. “You shouldn’t be listening to police business.”

“Then don’t conduct it in front of a private citizen.”

He sighed and mumbled something unflattering about women.

“Excuse me?” Raina said, hands on her hips.

“See what I mean about hunger crankiness?”

She scowled. “How was Holden poisoned?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Then I’m not going with you. Just ask your questions.”

Matthew lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. She leaned back against her door. She’d learned patience since he’d last seen her. He glared at her and took a step forward.

Raina lifted her chin. A mere four inches separated them. A curl on the side of her face moved each time Matthew exhaled. She flushed. The heady scent of his skin, a combination of sage and clean water, clogged the back of her throat.

His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened. He took a step back and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Whatever I tell you stays between us.”

She licked her lips. “Yes.” She blinked at the low husky voice. Stop it! This was not the time for a teenage infatuation.

“The initial toxicology tests came back positive. The lab has to run more tests to identify the substance. The location of the toxin in his stomach and liver strongly suggests he was poisoned.”

“He looked fine when I saw him in the morning. Gail mentioned he asked her for Pepto around two o’clock. Maybe the upset stomach he complained about was the first sign of the poison.” Raina froze. What if Holden had already ingested the poison when he cornered her by the vending machine?

“She didn’t mention Pepto in her statement. When did she tell you this?”

“The morning after Holden died.”

“What else did she tell you?”

“Are we planning to share?”

Matthew grabbed her chin and tilted her head until she could count the gold flecks in his eyes. “Don’t. Get. Involved.”

Raina jerked her head loose. “Why would I get involved?”

“You tell me.”

About Holden? Or Sol? Like it or not, she was up to her armpits in muck. Once Matthew heard about the fake pregnancy, she could kiss any affection he might still have good-bye. Not that she still wanted him. She just didn’t want him to think badly of her. “I’m going to stay off your radar.”

“Your curiosity has gotten you in trouble before.”

“I was trying to help you out.”

“And I appreciated it. Just don’t do it again.” His eyes softened. “You know how much I hate playing Superman with you.”

Raina rolled her eyes. “So are you going to buy me lunch or what?”

The corner of his lips curled into a half smile. “Let’s go.”

A few minutes later, he parked in front of the Venus Café on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue. The olive green bungalow with white trim had been converted into a commercial space more than a decade ago. The cafe featured a large front room with half a dozen small tables and a large fireplace surrounded by cracked leather reading chairs.

Unlike your typical mom-and-pop cafes, Venus Café’s interior walls had floor to ceiling murals of handsome men frolicking with naked nymphs with strategically placed flowing hair or bits of leaves. The town’s elders hated this place, but a thrill ran through Raina each time she stepped inside the cafe. It felt good to be a little naughty, even if it was vicariously through painted women.

They placed their orders at the counter, grabbed their coffees, and found a table in a quiet corner. Sitting a foot from Matthew at a small square table, Raina’s knees kept bumping into his each time one of them shifted. His eyes kept straying to the painted women and they grew wider at each encounter. Every time she brought someone new to the place, they’d had a similar reaction.

“I take it you haven’t been here before,” said Raina with a smirk.

“I’ve been here before the murals. I wasn’t impressed with the coffee then.” He held up his iced coffee. “But this is good.”

So Matthew had moved to Gold Springs before Raina did. Strange her grandma didn’t see fit to mention this tidbit of information before her application to the college. This shed new light on their phone conversations this past year where Po Po regularly asked if she had met anyone interesting.

“New ownership. Brenda and Joe bought the place nine months ago,” Raina said.

Matthew tapped his fingers against his glass. No wedding ring. “I never imagined I would run into you again at a crime scene.” He tore his eyes from the painted walls to study her.

Raina met his eyes and a jolt ran down her spine. A sense of déjà vu settled on her. She averted her gaze, hoping he didn’t notice her reaction. The clink of forks hitting plates and low buzz of conversation faded into a mute din. No, she couldn’t let this happen again.

“How long have you been living in Gold Springs?” Raina asked. “It’s a strange coincidence we both moved to this town. I can’t imagine you being a small town cop after shooting and exploding things for the feds.”

“Almost two years.”

She slumped in her chair. He’d known she was in town and the fact he’d never bothered to look her up pricked at her pride. Not that it would have made a difference.

Matthew smirked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you moved here on purpose.”

“What purpose?”

“Me.”

“Get over yourself.”

“You tracked me down by talking to my grandma and moved to town hoping to run into me. And waving a dead body in front of me?” He winked. “That’s prime. You’re good. Real good.”

Raina burst out laughing and shook her head. She had forgotten he could always make her laugh. “It was the cheesecake.”

Matthew leaned back and smacked his lips. “My grandma always had a sweet spot for you. It’s been a while since I had your cheesecake.”

“It’s been ten years.”

“What about Rome?”

Raina scratched her pinkie. “What about it? You left me tied up and naked in a hotel room.”

“You made me do it. I told you not to follow me.”

“I was trying to help.”

“And I didn’t want to see you covered in blood again. I am trained to take care of myself in dicey situations.” He pointed at her. “Don’t make me drag you pregnant and naked back into the cave.”

The jovial mood vanished. The hissing espresso machine and someone’s laughter filled the silence between them. Raina stared at the painted gyrating nymph on the wall closest to her. She needed to stop. There was no point in rehashing old wounds.

Brenda slid a club salad in front of her and a cheeseburger with fries in front of Matthew. The whiff of grease made Raina’s stomach churn. For the next few minutes, she picked at her salad and watched Matthew devour his food with gusto. His appetite hadn’t changed. Good thing her cooking had improved.

Her fingers curled as she fought the urge to reach across the table and wipe the ketchup off his chin. He’d left her brokenhearted one too many times. Melodramatic? Yes, but she couldn’t let the man in front of her charm his way back into her life again. She stabbed at a piece of spinach, twisting the fork until the leaf shredded.

He wiped his mouth and crumpled the paper napkin in his hands. “How well did you know Holden Merritt?”

“He was my adviser for my graduate studies.”

“What were you doing in the building after hours?”

Raina wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. Matthew would find out when he checked the phone records. She blinked, regretting the third pass with the mascara wand. “Holden texted me. He wanted to talk.”

“About what?”

She licked her lips. Stick to the truth. “He owed me money. I’d asked for it back the day before when we met to go over my coursework.” Good thing no one could verify the amount.

“Why did he owe you money?”

“What do you mean?” She shifted in her seat and bumped into his knees. “He needed cash and didn’t have time to go to the ATM. And I had a twenty.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Matthew stared at her for a long moment. His face became professionally blanked. “How well do you know Gail Drakos?”

“Why would she poison Holden?”

He dipped another soggy fry into his pool of ketchup. “That’s not my question.”

“We’re friends.” She left off the “sometimes.” He didn’t need that information. “What was Natalie’s reaction to her brother’s death?”

“She answered our questions and then closed the door.”

Raina rubbed her hands on her shorts. “Do you think it would have mattered if he didn’t stay late to meet me?”

He studied her expression and his eyes softened. “Rainy, someone was out to get him. Whether he stayed late or went home wouldn’t change the outcome, just the location of the crime.”

She shifted, her bare knee skimming across the rough fabric of his jeans. A strand slipped from the knot in her heart. Not her fault. Her fake pregnancy and Holden’s urgent desire to talk had nothing to do with his untimely death. She should tell Matthew about the lie. “There’s something I want to tell—”

“Let me take those for you.” Brenda’s hand reached for the empty plates. “Dessert? We’re starting our fall menu early this year.”

Matthew glanced behind her and the moment disappeared.

Raina turned to look at the display cases featuring a dozen baked goods next to the coffee bar. She froze as her gaze swept past the fireplace. Eden and Officer Hopper pored over several pages on the large coffee table. How long had they been here?