Dead Before The Wedding: A Carly Keene Cozy Mystery (Carly Keene Cozy Mysteries Book 1) (10 page)

It had taken Carly all of twenty minutes to come up with Tina’s bail money, but it had taken her twice as long to convince the pretty redhead to commit to Carly’s plan. After she had explained to Tina why she’d bailed her out of jail, and convinced her to help, Carly had gone back to Sweets & Eats for a little ‘come to Jesus’ meeting with Tucker.

“Tucker, Brandon told me that he has proof that Tina was at Larry’s the night he was killed. Did you know this?”

Tucker seemed blindsided by Carly’s question, and it took him a second to reply. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything to you, because I thought you’d get mad. And I didn’t want to say anything to the police, because I was afraid that Tina would get into trouble.”

“She’s already in trouble, a whole lot of it,” offered Shell, who was coloring the pages of a coloring book with little Tyler curled up in her lap.

Carly continued her questioning. “How do you know she was there? Just what exactly is going on between you and Tina? And, you are aware that not telling the police that Tina was there makes you and her look as guilty as sin, not to mention the fact that it’s illegal to leave stuff like that out of your conversation with a policeman?” The look on Carly’s face told Tucker that anything other than the complete truth might just be bad for his health.

“She was walking up Main Street when I was putting Larry in my car. I tried to tell her that he was too drunk to talk to her, but she wouldn’t listen. She insisted I give her a lift to his place so she could talk about him paying child support for Tyler.” Tucker sighed. “I really tried to make her wait and talk to him later, but she got in my car and wouldn’t get out. There’s not many things that will rile Tina up, but when it comes to Tyler, she’d probably kill someone to keep him happy and safe.”

Carly felt a sudden twinge of panic. If Tina really was the mama bear-type that Tucker was describing, could she be certain that her plan would even work? She began to have doubts about Tina’s innocence, and Tucker continued. “I dropped Larry off, and she followed me into the house. She pulled out her wallet and started showing him all these pictures of Tyler.”

Carly guessed that had been how Tina’s license had ended up on the floor of Larry’s house. It probably fell out when she took out the photographs.

“But, I took her home. She realized pretty quickly that Larry was in no shape to talk to her that night. She said she’d just come back the next day, but I guess she didn’t get the chance. I left my brother alone that night, and he was alive. I put him into bed fully dressed, took Tina home, and that was it.” Tucker waited for Carly to respond, then he added, “There’s nothing going on between Tina and me, if that’s what you’re asking. I was just trying to help keep the peace and maybe do the right thing by my nephew.”

Carly believed Tucker. It all sounded very plausible, but when had Mona come by Larry’s house? And why would she murder her fiance just days before they were due to be married?

This is where Carly’s plan would reveal everything, if it worked. “Okay, Tucker, I’m sorry I had to give you the third degree, but I need to be one-hundred percent sure that Tina is innocent before I go through with what I’m about to do.”

“Well, if she’s one-hundred percent guilty, you owe me a big chunk of change.” Shell gave Carly a look that was meant to be threatening, but that came across as mildly annoyed. She had put up half of Tina’s bail money using money from the bakery, and Carly and Tucker had split the rest between them. Carly was well aware that all three of them stood to lose a lot of money if she was wrong.

Carly was relieved that Tucker and Tina’s relationship was strictly platonic, and she believed him when he said that he felt that she was innocent. Her plan hinged on that one small detail, because if Tina was guilty, Carly would be helping her to get away with murder.

“Okay, here’s what I plan to do. But, I’ll need your help, both of you, and it may not work, so we have to be prepared for that, too.” Carly couldn’t believe that she was about tell her best friend and the guy that she kinda-sorta had a crush on all about how she was going to set up a sting operation on the woman who had just yelled at them all a little earlier.

“I’m going to bring Tina here, to Sweets & Eats, and then I’m going to call Mona and have her pick up her deposit.” Carly waited to see what kind of reaction she’d get from her friends, and she wasn’t surprised when Shell was the first to respond.

“She will flip her lid! Oh, my gosh...you do realize that Mona
hates
Tina? I mean, she hates everybody, but she really hates Tina. Shell paused, then continued. “ I don’t want any fighting going on in here. My mama would kill me if I get the placed all smashed up in some white trash cat fight.”

“Oh, I don’t think it will come to that. And, I’ll have Brandon waiting across the street, so if there’s trouble, he can be here lickety split. I just think we need a catalyst, something to set Mona off so she’ll confess to killing Larry.” Carly just hoped her plan would work, because if it didn’t, it could make it harder for her cousin to get to the bottom of who actually killed Larry.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea.” Shell seemed genuinely worried about the whole situation, and Carly couldn’t blame her. After all, they would be inviting a whole lot of trouble in here, and pouring gasoline on an open flame when Mona saw Tina in the bakery.

“Okay, well what if you just take little Tyler down the street to see Pete? I bet he’s getting hungry, and you can’t just keep stuffing him full of cookies. Tucker, would that be okay with you?”

Tucker nodded, then said, “Yeah, I think that would work. It looks like he’s attached himself to Shell pretty good, so I think he’d like that.”

“And take your time,” Carly suggested. “Maybe head over to the park or up to the toy store over on Dixon Street. I want to make sure Tyler is nowhere near here when Mona gets here.”

The petite blonde nodded in agreement, and then scooped Tyler up in her arms. “How about we go get us some chicken nuggets? You like those?” Shell grabbed her purse from behind the counter and automatically asked, “Y’all want me to bring you something back?”

Carly couldn’t eat if her life depended on it right now. She shook her head, and smiled at her best friend. “No, thanks...I think my stomach is too tied in knots. You go enjoy talking to Pete.” Carly watched Shell blush, then head out the door.

“Now what?” Tucker leaned against the wall looking about as tired as Carly had ever seen him look. She realized that his brother’s funeral would probably take place within a couple of days, but his killer was still on the loose. She was determined to fix that.

“Now, you go over to the jail and pick up Tina. I’ve already explained everything to her, and Brandon’s keeping her there until you pick her up. Then you guys will come back here, and Brandon will get into position across the street.” Carly realized that she’d been spending too much time around her cousin, and she was starting to talk like a police officer. “I’ll call Mona and tell her to come here and get her money.”

“What if she says she can’t come? What if she thinks something’s up?”

“Why should she suspect a thing? I’ll just tell her that Shell had to go run an errand and I can’t leave the bakery, but that I have her cash. That’s all true, isn’t it?” Carly had stopped by the bank and taken out the cash to give Mona for her photography package, and Shell was on an errand to feed one hungry three-year-old, so she wasn’t lying.

“Alright, then. I guess I’ll go get Tina and meet you back here.” Tucker glanced over his shoulder as he walked out the front door.

“I’ll be waiting,” Carly replied, hoping that this didn’t just blow up in all of their faces.

Mona arrived sooner than Carly had expected her to arrive. Tina and Tucker weren’t back yet, and the first words out of Mona’s mouth didn’t make Carly think she could stall her with small talk.

“You got my money, Carly?” Mona wasn’t looking too pleased when she asked, and Carly knew that she had to do something to keep her in here long enough for the others to arrive if she ever hoped for a chance of a confession. Beneath the counter, Carly quietly clicked the record button on a digital recorder that Brandon had given her.

“Hey, Mona,” Carly said in a sympathetic tone, “I’m sorry things got so out of control earlier. I had no idea Tucker would bring the little boy in here. I know I was probably rude to you earlier…”

“Darn right, you were rude! I mean, I’ve just lost my fiance, and here you go waving that kid in my face. Who says he’s even really Larry’s son? I bet that Tina Nicholls is just sniffing around for some money. She probably heard that Larry was doing well with his business, and thought she’d just take that right out of my pocket and put it into hers.” Mona scowled.

Carly thought it was odd that Mona had considered Larry’s money to be hers, especially since they weren’t even married. “I guess when you put it that way, yeah, it seems awfully rude of me.” Carly reached for her purse and glanced at the recorder to make sure the little green light was all lit up. Certain that the conversation was being recorded, she continued. “I’ve got the money that I owe you, but Shell didn’t have hers just yet. In fact, she’s gone to run some errands, and she’s probably getting it for you right now.” Carly hated telling that little lie, but she knew it could buy her some time.

“Here, Mona, why don’t you sit down and have a piece of cake, on the house. It’s real good…” Carly drawled. “Chocolate and cream, one of Shell’s best yet.” Carly brought the cake from the display case before Mona could reply. It was a good-looking cake, and Carly could see that Mona was tempted. Slicing into it, Carly watched Mona’s eyes sparkle greedily. She cut a thick wedge of the gooey dessert and placed it on a paper plate, handing it to Mona with a smile.

“I think you’ll love this. And here’s a little milk to wash it down.”

Mona eyed Carly suspiciously, but took the cake and sat at the little bistro table. “I guess I can stay for a few minutes,” she said. “But Shell needs to hurry back, because I have to go out of town to take care of some business.”

“I know you said something about that earlier. Something for Larry’s business, wasn’t it?” Carly knew she had to tread carefully, or Mona could just blow up again and leave without giving anything away at all.

“I helped him run things before,” Mona replied. “I have to keep them going now, and there’s insurance stuff to deal with. I can’t bury him without making sure I have enough money to cover the expenses,” she explained.

“It was such a shock, finding him that way.” Carly looked Mona in the eyes as she spoke. “Have you ever seen a dead body before? It’s not like it looks on TV.”

Mona stared back. “I have seen one or two, back when I used to work in an assisted living facility.” Carly cringed at the thought of Mona taking care of defenseless elderly people. Mona forked a chunk of cake into her mouth, and washed it down with milk. “You get used to it after a while, I guess.”

“Did you and Larry date for a long time before he proposed?” Carly changed the subject, hoping to probe Mona a little more about her relationship with Larry, and his relationship with Tina.

“I met him a little over three years ago. He was such a charmer, he swept me off my feet.” Carly doubted that she meant that literally, as Mona was definitely of a sturdier build than Larry had been.

“You know, I went out with him once in high school, but we just didn’t click.” Carly watched for signs of jealousy, and Mona’s suddenly tense face told her that she was pretty jealous of even his past flames.

“Well, that was before I met him. He never mentioned it to me.” Mona wiped her mouth with a paper napkin.

“And I guess he dated Tina just before you,” Carly pushed, watching Mona’s jaw clench.

“Don’t even speak her name. She was nothing to him, just some good time girl that didn’t have the sense to use birth control. I don’t even believe that her kid really is Larry’s. And, talk about stupid! I mean, who asks somebody to pay child support and then fries him in the bathtub?” Mona pushed her chair back and stood up. “Well, she’ll get what she deserves. That floozy is going to rot in jail for the rest of her life.” The smug look on Mona’s face made Carly feel sick.

“I don’t have time to wait on Shell. Just give me the money you owe me, and have her stick hers in my bank account.” Carly felt herself start to panic. She had to keep Mona here just a little longer if she wanted a chance to clear Tina’s name.

Just then, the bell over the door jingled. Carly glanced over at the door, and saw the cavalry coming.

“I don’t believe it!” Mona yelled. “Who let you out of jail, you little floozy?”

Tina squared her shoulders and stared Mona dead in the eyes. “They don’t keep innocent people locked up, or haven’t you heard?” Tina seemed more confident than Carly had ever remembered seeing her. “By the way, Mona, I hear you’ve changed your lipstick recently. You might want to reconsider, because blushing burgundy really isn’t your color.”

Carly watched the color drain from Mona’s face. Mona glared at Tina, then at Carly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, just give me my money and let me get out of here.”

Carly crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. “What I can’t figure out,” she said to the trio standing in front of her, “is why Larry had a space heater in his bathroom in the middle of summer. I mean, I’ve heard of cold-blooded people, but that seems a little odd to me.”

Carly could see a vein beginning to bulge on Mona’s right temple.

“And why he was in the bath, fully clothed, well, that seems most peculiar.” She watched Mona’s fists clench. Changing tactics, she continued, “It must have been such a blow for you when you found out about little Tyler. I mean, if he really is Larry’s son, he’ll be the one who inherits any money Larry left behind.”

Mona growled, “That little turd ain’t getting a penny of Larry’s money! I know that little Miss floozy over there thinks she’s gonna be rich just because she got knocked up, but she’s dead wrong.” Mona turned to Tina and got right up in her face. “You won’t see a penny of that insurance money, I’ll make sure of that.”

Everyone but Mona looked shocked at her mention of an insurance policy. Finally, Tina lost it. “Why would you kill him?! He gave you everything you ever wanted, and all I wanted was for him to give a little bit to take care of his son. Now my boy will never know his father.”

Mona stepped backwards. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, a slightly confused look on her face. “I’m leaving, Carly, give me my money.”

“Oh, it’s all about money with you, isn’t it?” Tucker had been silent this whole time, and Carly had nearly forgotten that he was there. “Was that all my brother was to you, just a paycheck? Are you really that shallow, did you really just kill him for money?”

“No, I…” Mona stammered. “Let me out of here.”

“Mona, I’m still confused. Did you go all the way to Larry’s house in the middle of the night just to kill him, or were you hoping to bring Tina down, too? I mean, it was a cute touch, putting her shade of lipstick on the wine glasses. And you even drank ‘her’ glass, too. But poor, drunk Larry didn’t even get to taste that wine now, did he?” Carly felt a little bit like the lady police officer on Law & Order. She could see Mona breaking down in front of her, but she knew she needed more.

“Why on earth did you go and kill your cash cow, Mona Durham? I mean, you could have milked that poor sucker for years.” Carly just hoped that the digital recorder was getting every word of the conversation.

“You have no idea! You all stand here so high and mighty, but you don’t know what I put up with! That ‘cash cow’ was my fiance, and he cheated on me. And it wasn’t the first time!” Mona spun around to face Tina once again. “That teller from the bank told me...she told me he was seeing some red-headed girl and he was meeting her here nearly every day. It didn’t take much for me to put two and two together. I know you thought you were going to get him back from me, but it’s too late for that now. If I can’t have Larry, no one will.”

Mona seemed to be coming unhinged right in front of them. “I deserved better. I am sick and tired of being someone’s second choice. I might not be a pretty as you, but I’m smarter. I figured out how to get you out of the picture once and for all.”

Carly’s heart leapt. “So, you killed Larry just to keep Tina from having him?” She knew it was a long shot, but if Mona answered, it could be the confession they needed.

Mona turned back to Carly and grinned. “Well, now, Carly, don’t go putting words in my mouth.” She looked a little too crazy for Carly’s liking, and suddenly Carly was glad to know that her cousin was just across the street with a gun and a pair of handcuffs. “I didn’t say that I murdered Larry, but I am going to kill this red-haired little witch.” Mona spun around and dove straight for Tina, arms outstretched and claws bared.

The two women tussled for a moment before Tucker could get them apart. He had just pulled Mona off of Tina when the door opened and Brandon came running in. Without hesitation, he grabbed Mona’s wrists and cuffed them.

“What are you doing?” Mona screamed. “You let me go! You should be arresting her for starting all this!”

“Now, you just calm down, Mona. Ain’t nobody wants to hear your special brand of crazy right now. You just settle down and we’ll get you into a cozy little cell for the evening.” Brandon looked over at Tina. “She did just threaten to kill you, right?”

Tina nodded. “Well, good. We can add attempted murder to her list of charges.” He opened the door and whistled, bringing two deputies into the crowded lobby of Sweets & Eats. “Take her outside for a minute and hold her. I’ve gotta read her her rights, but first I want to talk to my cousin.” As the deputies took Mona outside, Brandon walked over to Carly. “Did you record all that?”

“I think so.” Carly pulled the recorder out and handed it to Brandon. It was still recording.

Switching off the machine, Brandon congratulated her. “You did a good job. I’ll take it from here.”

Carly was heartbroken. “But, I didn’t get a confession. Tina’s still going to jail, and now Mona knows everything we do about the murder. I think I’ve just ruined your chances of ever getting her to confess.” Carly felt sick to her stomach. She looked over at Tina, who was trying to calm down after her near-fight with Mona.

“That’s alright,” Brandon reassured her. “You don’t need her confession. I got a call from the crime lab, they got a whole bunch of fingerprints off of that heater. Most of them were Mona’s mother’s prints. It turns out that heater came from her house. She had no idea that it was even missing.”

Carly’s eyes widened in realization. “Do you have Mona’s prints on there, too?”

“I wouldn’t be arresting her if I didn’t.” Brandon smiled. “I told you, I’m good at my job.”

Carly watched her cousin walk out the front door of the bakery. “I am so glad that you are, cousin.” She breathed a sigh of relief, filling her lungs with air and letting it go again. Then, she pulled out her cell phone and dialled Shell’s number.

“Shell, you can come on back. I’ve got a mama here who really needs to see her little boy right about now.” As Carly ended the call, she realized that it was past time for the bakery to close. She walked over to the front of the store and flipped the sign to ‘CLOSED.’ If anybody needed any baked goods now, they would just have to come back tomorrow.