Euphoria Lane (28 page)

He returned a moment later. “He says it was wrapped around a necklace hanging from her body. He yanked it off by accident when he pulled Tess toward shore.”

“Does it have a cross at one end?”

Luke lifted a brow. “How did you know?”

“Reverend Nichols was holding on to a bookmark just like it the day I interviewed him.”

More proof of his guilt.

The sound of more commotion caught her attention. The crowd parted and Jessie marched over the grass. The two uniformed officers following her set about securing the crime scene.

Luke nodded at Jessie. “I’m glad to see you’re here to take over, Officer Stevenson.”

Jessie’s eyes widened.

“
Officer
Stevenson?” Roxie repeated. Surprise lit up her face.

Andi recoiled as if slapped. This wasn’t happening.

Jessie grabbed onto Luke’s forearm and leaned close. “I’m not with the police. They just happened to show up when I did.”

Andi caught Valerie rushing away. She glanced back at them with a grin before running off. “You think she heard him?”

Jessie looked at her like she was slime floating on the pond. “She heard all right, and she’s running straight to Harry.”

Andi wanted to crawl in a hole. She should have told Jessie that Luke remembered her attending the police academy. She had avoided the conversation because she didn’t want to explain how he had figured out that Jessie was Lenny. He had promised he wouldn’t say anything.

Luke’s jaw fell open, and he blinked before speaking. “I’m sorry, Jessie. You walked over here with the other officers. I thought your undercover assignment was over and you were back to regular duty.”

“My undercover assignment?” Jessie turned to Andi. “I trusted you. Now I have to call my boss and tell him my little sister blew my cover. Excuse me.”

Andi’s heart sank. “Jessie, I . . .” She watched her sister walk away, feeling like her world had ended.

Family comes first
.
I betrayed my sister for a man.

“It was a mistake, Andi,” Luke said. “I didn’t mean to say anything that would compromise her work.”

Andi thought back to college and the times she had kept her sisters’ secrets from him. It had been the right thing to do. She should have continued to keep her mouth shut. Her sister would never forgive her. She would never forgive herself.

“I have to leave.”

“Andi,” Luke called after her. “Talk to me, please.”

She couldn’t even look at him. “I can’t. I have to fix this.”

Roxie planted her hands on her bony hips and laughed. “Who would have thought the hooker was a cop?”

Andi found her sister storming out of her bedroom, buttoning up her police uniform.

“Jessie, I’m sorry. Luke remembered you were a police officer.”

“You told him I was working undercover.”

She nodded. “He guessed that you owned Lenny’s agency. I didn’t want him to tell anyone.”

“You told a secret to force him to keep a secret? That doesn’t even make sense.” She rushed back into her bedroom, where she grabbed her gun belt from the queen-size bed.

“I realize that now.” Andi sat on a corner of the bed, watching her getting ready for work. “Now what?”

“The rest of my team is making the arrest as we speak.”

Andi remembered Jessie telling her they were hoping the owner of the diner would reveal his drug source. “Do you have enough evidence to get the owner to talk?”

“I don’t know.” Jessie pulled her hair back in front of the dresser mirror. “I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”

“You mean you don’t want to talk to
me
.” Andi ran her hands over her face.

“I can’t deal with this right now, Andi. For your own safety, I need you to stay out of everything that involves me and my job.” Jessie marched out the door.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I let you down.” Andi flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling for more than half an hour.

Emotionally spent, she ambled into the living room and turned on the television. A mystery movie played on her favorite channel. Settling into the sofa, her mind wandered back to hearing the woman scream at the pond.

Tess is dead.

The police would look for evidence linking Doctor Owens to his wife’s death. The husband was almost always the primary suspect until proven innocent. She doubted there was any evidence linking him to either death or the attempted murders. He had no motive.

Who killed their wife during an argument over a golf membership at the country club? And why would he cut Harry’s brakes?
The doctor made good money; he could pay the HOA fines. He also had no reason to plant peanuts in Helen’s creamer and frame the reverend.

Andi watched the bad guy on the television break a vase over his wife’s head.

Assuming Doctor Owens killed his wife—why? What was his motive?

She rubbed her temple as if the action might help her think.

What if Tess came home wanting more money? Doctor Owens could have killed her, knowing everyone would assume Bernice’s killer was responsible. He might have wanted to frame the reverend by stealing his bookmark ribbon to tie to her necklace. The reverend was a natural choice since he was already a suspect.

Her mind turned to hiding the body. The freezer would have been the perfect hiding place. When the coast was clear, he could have dumped her body into the pond. He could have cleaned up any mess back home with the bleach that killed the fish.

She sighed and slumped farther into the couch. She knew there were two problems with her possible scenario. First, it would mean there was still another killer living on Euphoria Lane.

What were the odds?

And second, the fish were already dying the first time Tess asked Owens for money.

The idea of solving mysteries no longer appealed to her. She flipped off the television and sat in silence, allowing feelings of despair to overwhelm her. There were over a dozen nice neighborhoods she could have chosen.

Why did I have to move to Euphoria? HOA hell. And the very same community managed by Luke. Luke . . . We were so close to finding our way back to each other. Why did he have to say anything? Why did I have to say anything?

She fell onto her side, wishing she could sleep for a week. Everything was such a mess. Her sister probably hated her. Andi couldn’t even think of continuing her relationship with Luke when he expected her to share her sisters’ secrets. She had learned her lesson.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

If everything happened for a reason, why did Luke come back in my life just so I could lose him again? Perhaps I needed closure.

Sometimes when she felt lonely, she would reminisce about the past, about the good times they shared. If nothing else, this disaster taught her they were not meant to be together. At least this time she was older and could handle losing him. An unsettling feeling in her heart told her she was lying to herself. She sat up straight.

No. I will not suffer all over again.

Swinging her legs off the couch, she stiffened her resolve. She was much stronger now than she was during college. She was also stronger now than when she first discovered Bernice’s body, thanks to Harry.

She was tough, and it was time to prove it. After slipping into her tennis shoes, she tightened her laces. “I’m going to face danger head-on.”

That meant throwing out the trash—without tossing it on top of the dumpster and power-walking away. She opened the lid to the kitchen trash can and yanked out the bag. A paper plate fell to the floor. Undaunted, she shoved it back inside, tied the bag, and set her course to the dumpster.

Taking long, deliberate steps, she closed the distance to the metal receptacle where she had found Bernice’s dead body. Despite the memories, she felt no need to turn back. She had a mission to accomplish.

Reaching the wooden enclosure, she unlatched the lock and pulled open the gate. There before her stood her nemesis. The dumpster. A huge metal box full of coffee grinds, milk jugs, and pudding containers. The trash Harry had tossed on her porch. A sense of calm spread throughout her body. She no longer felt afraid. Dealing with Harry had made her stronger. She had faced that demon and survived.

Andi casually pushed open the lid and took a long, deliberate look. White trash bags, cardboard boxes, and a broken television set littered the cavern inside the metal bin. She held her own bag high and dropped it inside before gently lowering the lid back down. Triumphantly, she slapped the dust from the lid off her hands and onto her jeans.

The hum of an engine grew closer as she closed the gate. Valerie was driving her way.

Feeling brave, Andi marched to the middle of the street, planted one hand on her hip, and held the other out straight in a “halt” position.

Valerie drove her gold sports car closer and closer, as if she didn’t see her.

Andi stood her ground. She was a new woman. Not afraid of anything or anyone—other than her sister’s wrath.

The car rolled closer, until it was just yards away.

She could see the indecision flicker across Valerie’s face. Andi lifted her hand higher, keeping her legs straight as a board and her feet planted firm.

The car slowed but continued on its course to run her over.

Andi refused to budge. Refused to picture her mangled body in the hospital.

Ten feet separated them. Nine feet, eight feet, seven feet, six, five, four . . . Valerie slammed on the brakes.

Valerie pounded her hands against the steering wheel. She shoved open the door and practically fell out of the car. “Are you crazy?” Holding on to the door frame, she tugged her stiletto heel out of a crack in the asphalt before continuing. “I could have run your fat butt over and saved us all a lot of trouble. You are so stupid!”

“If you had driven away, I wouldn’t have been able to warn you.”

“Warn me? About what?”

“Harry’s been lying to you. He’s broke. He doesn’t have a million dollars.”

“You’re the one lying. Not that it matters. I love Harry for who he is, not for his money.”

“Of course you do,” Andi tossed back, her words dripping with sarcasm. “He’s still lying.”

“Is not!” Valerie stomped her feet like a toddler.

“His credit cards are maxed. Look for his financial records and you’ll see I’m telling you the truth.”

“I don’t believe anything you say. You are a mean, hateful person.”

Andi almost laughed. The pot was once again calling the kettle black. “I’m warning you because even
you
don’t deserve to be suckered in by that man. If you truly love him, even if he’s poor, then good for you. But if you threw away your marriage because you think he’s going to bankroll your future, he’s played you for a fool.”

“What’s going on?” Harry strode down the street, ready for a fight. “You leave Valerie alone!” He pointed at Andi like a parent scolding a child.

Valerie spun on him. “I want to see your financial records when we get home.”

“What? Why?” He took Valerie’s hand in his own. “Don’t believe anything that witch has to say. She’s just trying to break us up. But she can’t.” He glared at Andi before escorting Valerie back to her car. “Now, don’t you go worrying your pretty head over money. I’ve got it all taken care of.” His voice softened. “I know—let’s go out to dinner. I’ll take you to your favorite place at the mall.”

“He’s going to buy you dinner at the
mall
?” Andi held both hands up in a gesture that said Valerie must be able to clue in. “Sounds like a rich man to me.”

Valerie turned to Harry. “Are you going to show me your financial records or not?”

He shook his head. “I’m not going to do anything
they
want me to do, and neither should you.”

“Show me your financial statements.”

“No.”

“She’s not the one lying. You are!” Valerie yanked her arm away from Harry. Apparently not his girlfriend for long, she wasted no time in climbing back in her car. She slammed the door hard, gunned the engine, and turned the wheels in the direction of the man who had been lying to her.

Not entirely without brains, Harry shuffled backward onto the grassy common area. Valerie gunned the engine once more for show and then spun her wheels. She headed straight for him. Terror-stricken, Harry ran. He ran over the grass, then back onto the street. His toupee tilted, then fell to the road. It looked like a dead rat.

“Stop!” Andi sprinted after them, not sure what to do. “I didn’t mean for you to kill him! Just kick him in the butt with your stilettos. Run over his toupee!” She pumped her arms harder to catch up. “He’s not worth going to jail!”

Valerie continued to chase Harry, gunning her engine and spinning her tires for effect. He flailed his arms about wildly, running for his life. Reaching the mailboxes, he grabbed hold of the top and hauled himself up and over. Before he could reach the other side, she slammed into the side of the mailboxes with the front end of her car. The jolt sent him flying like an old, bald, badly dressed crash-test dummy. He hit the dumpster gate full force and then slumped to the hard asphalt below.

Luke’s meeting with his boss had gone better than expected. He had entered the man’s office positive he would be fired, but Mr. Miller said the Euphoria account wasn’t worth losing a valuable employee over. Unfortunately, Luke did have to promise that he would attend the emergency homeowners’ meeting since no one at the company had time to take the account until the following week.

When he arrived at the library, Meg spent ten minutes telling him about Harry’s “accident.”

“Valerie was so overcome with guilt she volunteered to drive Harry to the hospital. While loading him into her car, she prepped him on what he was allowed to tell the doctors. If he dared tell the truth, she promised to have him tied to a tree before she sold baseball bats to any neighbor who wanted to pulverize him.”

“She would have customers lining up down the street,” Luke said. “I wish I had been there to see the look on his face when Valerie tried to run him over.”