The Root of All Evil (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 4) (23 page)

With an armload of supplies, she headed to the register, at every step expecting to see one of the men in her dream. Thankfully, neither had a good reason to visit the craft store on a Saturday afternoon. As she stood in the checkout line, however, and glanced over at the open manager’s office, she did see something that piqued her interest. A digital copier.

In the drama and emotion of yesterday, she’d completely forgotten about the copier and the images on its hard drive, images she had on the work computer in her truck, the computer she’d forgotten to return.

Cooper hurried home from the craft store, paint supplies and work computer in her arms, and went straight to her apartment. The birdhouse would have to wait.

She turned on her work laptop and started the recovery software Make It Work! used to retrieve encrypted information from copier hard drives. Nearly two hundred files—receipts, checks, reports, choir music, school tests, and so on—filled her screen. She scrolled down through the files to the last image copied, opened the file and stared. It was a sketch of a young woman.

So you’re worth killing for,
Cooper muttered.
Who are you?

• • •

When Sunday finally rolled around, Cooper arrived early and sat in the Hope Street parking lot. She had a copy of the sketch in her bag, but it wasn’t the sketch that kept her sitting in her truck.

Should she talk to Nathan about Will? And if she did, what should she say? The only other time during their relationship that she’d been tempted by another man, it was Edward, and the problem was temporary. She’d realized quickly that Edward was a fleeting infatuation. Nathan was the one she wanted. This time, however, it was different. This time, Cooper wasn’t torn between two men, really. She was torn between two ideas. One man was obviously attracted to her, and the other . . . well, she didn’t know, and that was the problem. She wasn’t sure if she was the one Nathan wanted.

And Cooper wanted to be wanted.

She rehearsed a few lines of conversation in her head, but nothing sounded right. Finally, she muttered, “Nathan, I want you to look at me like he did.” However, without Officer Brayden here to demonstrate “the look,” that was an impossible request.

As she walked into the school and back to the science room, Cooper continued to think about it, and even while she greeted Savannah, Jake, Bryant and Quinton, her mind was elsewhere. A hundred different conversations coursed through her mind. In some of them, she came across as needy and a little whiney. In others, she was strong and confident. But none captured the spirit of what she wanted—or needed—to say to Nathan. Worst of all, she worried that he’d know something was wrong the moment he saw her, before she was ready to discuss it.

But it wasn’t Nathan’s appearance that ultimately made her uneasy. It was Ms. Donna.

The con artist/thief hobbled into the room, as if all were right with the world, as if nothing were strange or awkward. “Good morning, all!” she greeted the room, eyeing Cooper. The woman was all smiles. “Sweetie, could I have a word with you?”

Cooper nodded, set down her snack and hurried into the hallway. “I’m surprised to see you again.”

“Well, I’m surprised I came back. I got to thinking about what you said, though. I realized there’s some merit in it. If you could be so rude as to accuse an innocent woman of theft, then the police will likely do the same at some point. It would be better to be accused of robbery than robbery and murder.”

“So you’re not admitting to anything.”

“Of course not.” Ms. Donna had a mischievous glint in her eye. “But, for the fun of it, let’s pretend for a moment.”

“All right. I’m game.”

“Let’s pretend that I did try to rob the church.”

“You say
try
. Why didn’t you succeed?”

“In this hypothetical situation, let’s pretend that I was interrupted. We’ll get back to that.
If
I had tried to rob the church and
if
I were interested in not being caught, I might be inclined to help you in exchange for you not giving the police a heads-up about whatever video footage you have.”

“I see,” Cooper replied. “However, I’m not sure I understand how you could help, unless you saw something that night, something that would help find the killer.”

Ms. Donna reached into her massive purse and retrieved a thick file folder. “People always underestimate me, sweetie.” She winked. “That’s how I do what I do.”

“Was that an admission?”

“Not in the slightest.” Ms. Donna handed her the folder. “Think of this as a gift from me to you.”

Cooper opened it up to find it was the police file on Sylvia Cassel’s murder. “How did you get this?” Then she remembered the old woman at the station Friday morning. “That
was
you I saw at the police station!”

Ms. Donna shrugged. “I may or may not have paid a neighborly visit to the station. I don’t rightly remember; sometimes my memory isn’t what it used to be. Although if I did go, I might have been worried you were there to turn me in.”

“I didn’t.”

“Well, if I had anything to hide, I’d surely appreciate that. One thing I’ll say for sure is that I’d like to help you find whoever murdered that poor woman. Everything you need to get started ought to be in that file.”

Cooper flipped through the pages. “How on earth did you get this?”

“Oh, like I said. My memory isn’t what it used to be. But if I were an intelligent person, I’d have made sure to leave the original file with your inspector, so they wouldn’t miss the copy.”

Cooper tucked the file under her arm. “Well, thanks . . . I think. Now, you’d better come on in with me. They’ll get suspicious if you leave so quickly.”

Ms. Donna nodded. “Good thinking. I have a feeling they’re already suspicious, though.”

“Of you, yes. I meant they’d worry about me.”

“Ah. They think I’m a killer.”

“Not really, but if I disappear after talking with you, I’m pretty sure they’ll change their minds.”

They reentered the room, and Cooper immediately tucked the file under her purse. As she sat, Nathan arrived with Edward by his side, talking computers and cyber-crime. At least if Nathan noticed something was wrong now, Cooper could blame it on Ms. Donna, and it wouldn’t be entirely untrue. Besides, seeing him, she didn’t feel as uneasy as she thought she would.

Nathan made a beeline for Cooper, and she rose, hugging him tightly before turning her attention back to her snack. If he noticed anything odd in her demeanor, he didn’t give any indication.

Maybe Angela was wrong. Maybe Cooper was a good liar. Or maybe Nathan just wasn’t seeing it.

Everyone was, however, seeing Ms. Donna. Throughout their Bible study, the group members exchanged glances with one another and sidelong looks at the con artist. Cooper saw the odd mix of curiosity and apprehension in their faces. They all wanted to know what was going on. But nobody was sure how to act or what to say, so no one said much of anything . . . until Savannah ended the study in prayer.

“Cooper, is lunch still on at your house?” Bryant asked.

Cooper had completely forgotten. She wished everyone else had forgotten, too, but by now her mama was busy in the kitchen. “Oh, right. Lunch is still on.” With a pause, Cooper turned to Ms. Donna. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding at all. My mama’s making enough food to feed the entire church, and it’ll give us all a chance to talk.”

Ms. Donna smiled, as if all were normal. “All right, then. I’d love to come and break bread with you all! But somebody’ll have to give me directions.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Jake said. “I don’t suppose you have a GPS, do you?”

Ms. Donna laughed. “I don’t hold to that new technology. Just draw me a little map.”

The first strains of worship music drifted in from the chapel. “I’ll get you a map before church is out,” Cooper said. “Not to worry.”

Savannah, in a true act of grace, pulled Ms. Donna along with her and walked arm in arm with the con artist to the chapel. Trish, Quinton, Jake and Bryant followed them, exchanging glances and whispers. Cooper, Edward and Nathan stayed behind.

“What’s she doing back?” Edward demanded as soon as the last person was out the door. “I thought she ran off.”

“She thought better of it,” Cooper replied. “She wants to help us find the killer.”

Nathan crossed his arms. “Do you think she really wants to help?”

“Pretty sure. If she runs and we go to the police with our suspicions, she may very well be blamed for theft
and
murder.” Cooper picked up her purse and the file and handed the folder to Nathan. “She
borrowed
this from the station. It’s everything the police have on Sylvia.”

Nathan shook his head. “It won’t be good if McNamara finds out you have that.”

“I know. I’m planning on returning it . . . after we get a good look. After lunch, we can have a meeting. And since Ms. Donna’s coming, we can get everything out in the open.”

Edward snorted. “She’s not coming to lunch! She gave you the file. She made nice so you won’t turn her in. Now she’ll run off again, and she’ll be out of the state before the police can catch her.”

Cooper wondered at what he said. Was it true Ms. Donna would run, now that she’d “helped”? She had an idea. “So maybe I don’t give her a map to my house. Maybe I insist on giving her a ride, instead. That way we can put our cards on the table before she has a chance to bolt.”

Edward nodded approvingly, and Nathan handed the folder back to her. Both of them seemed to be on her side, but Cooper found herself wondering what Officer Brayden would think if he knew what was going on.

Cooper, Nathan and Edward went to the chapel and sat in a row with Jake, Savannah and Ms. Donna. Cooper took a seat right next to the latter.

“Change of plans,” Cooper whispered to her. “I’ll drive you to my house after church.”

Ms. Donna stared back innocently. “What? Don’t you trust me to get there on my own?”

“No.”

Ms. Donna patted her on the cheek condescendingly. “You’re a very smart girl.”

• • •

Alone with Ms. Donna in the truck, Cooper thought of a thousand questions to ask her travel companion, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, something inside stopped her. She couldn’t form the words, and Ms. Donna wasn’t doing any talking. She was probably thinking up stories that would make her look more innocent than she was, which made Cooper more anxious to ask questions.

Still, nothing came out. Cooper chalked it up to nerves and contented herself listening to the radio on their otherwise silent drive. She and Ms. Donna were the first to arrive at the Lee house.

“I haven’t told my folks about . . . you know,” Cooper said quietly as they neared the front door. “All they know is that you’re part of the Sunrise Bible Study.”

Ms. Donna straightened and plastered a smile on her face. “Then I won’t tell them either. I’ll let you decide on the best way to handle your folks.”

Cooper opened the door to a smorgasbord of scents—meat, bread, vegetables and sauces. “They’re coming!” she announced.

From the kitchen, Grammy replied, “We’ll be ready for ’em!”

Maggie’s laugh carried. “What she means is, the food is about ready.”

As Ms. Donna set her things down on the table by the front door, Popeye ran to meet her. The pug sat on its hind legs, pawing the air, his floppy tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Ms. Donna knelt to pet him, and the dog immediately took to her. “And who’s this?”

“Popeye. One of Grammy’s rescues. Do you like animals?”

“I
love
them! Given my line of work, I can’t really keep one, but as a child I always had a dog.”

“Well, Grammy’s got a fat tomcat and a hawk, too, if you’re interested.” Odd how easy it was to fall into a normal conversation with a con artist. “I’m sure she’d love to show you her animals.”

“Until she finds out about me.”

“There’s no reason for her to, not today, at least.” Cooper didn’t relish the idea of keeping secrets from her family. On the other hand, she needed Ms. Donna’s trust if they were going to work together to find Sylvia’s killer. “Just enjoy lunch, and we’ll deal with the particulars afterward. Now, come on in and meet everybody.”

Cooper led her back to the kitchen to find the food already in serving dishes on the counters and the place settings stacked and ready to be laid out on the table. Maggie was just taking rolls out of the oven, while Grammy, like a vulture poised over its prey, waited to snatch one. The smell in the kitchen was intoxicating.

With a deep breath, Cooper smiled. “This is amazing, Mama! You outdid yourself.”

“Oh, it isn’t much,” Maggie replied, blushing at the compliment. “I thought it’d be nice to go all out for your friends.”

“Speaking of which . . .” Cooper stepped aside so Maggie and Grammy had a clear view of the first guest. “This is Ms. Donna Linley. Ms. Donna, this is my mama, Maggie, and my grammy.”

Maggie bypassed the traditional handshake and went straight for the hug, taking Ms. Donna by surprise. “I’m so glad to meet you.”

After the initial shock, Ms. Donna’s face softened, and she smiled. But, Cooper noted, there was something different in this smile. Something Cooper couldn’t quite identify. What was going on in Ms. Donna’s mind?

When Maggie finally let her go, Ms. Donna took a step back. “And I’m glad to meet you both. You raised yourself a fine daughter.”

“I’m proud of how she came out,” Maggie replied, smiling at Cooper. “I hope you’ll make yourself at home, Ms. Donna. You and Cooper are welcome to have a seat in the living room and wait.”

“I’d be glad to help,” Ms. Donna offered. “I’m no stranger to housework!”

Cooper’s phone rang, and when she looked at the ID, it read, “Do Not Answer.” Harry again. She ignored the call and grabbed the stack of plates. “Mama, we’ll get the table set while you finish with the food.”

Maggie nodded approvingly before turning back to the rolls . . . and just in time. Grammy had already downed one and was reaching for a second.