Gracie's Game: Sudden Anger, Accidentally on Purpose (15 page)

"Thank you, Gracie," Ken said. "That must've been difficult to admit. I want to take another look at the house tomorrow, so I'll check that out."

"
Please
don't tell him I told you!" Gracie begged.

"Don't worry, I won't. In fact, I'm not even interested in the marijuana. But if it's as easy to find as you say, it seems odd that the burglar would search the room and either not find it or not take it," Ken said.

"What do you want to see the house again for?" Gracie asked with keen interest.

"I was leading up to that," Ken replied. "It's the den. Why would a burglar tear up a den?" He turned to Clarissa. "Did Mr. Greene keep anything valuable there that you know of?"

Both Clarissa and Gracie shook their heads. "I can't think of a thing, Lieutenant," Clarissa said. "The books were all there for show, no first editions or anything. There was the TV, stereo, and computer – but of course they wouldn't have been easy to carry out without someone seeing. Charles always kept the bar very well-stocked, but the liquor was still there."

"That's pretty much what I thought," Ken said. "It doesn't make sense. I think the burglary was faked, but I don't know who would've done it, or why. It
must
be tied in with the attempt at the garage and the murder later."

"
Attempt
?" Gracie said in a shocked voice. "What are you talking about?"

Ken slapped his forehead with his palm. "I'm sorry, I got so busy thinking about the burglary that I forgot to tell you!"

He told them about finding Greene's car in the parking garage with two bullet holes in it, and that ballistics had matched them to the fatal bullet. Over coffee and dessert he went over the facts he'd uncovered during the day, discussed alibis and possible motives. Clarissa tried once again to reach Jennifer, but she still wasn't answering her phone. Ken said he'd start a search for her tomorrow if she didn't show up. Had she done a bunk?

CHAPTER 12

Shawna and Cheryl had shown up after dinner wanting to cheer up their friend. They'd offered to take Gracie out for ice cream, but she hadn't felt like it. She appreciated their company, but didn't feel like she should be out having fun. She knew she wasn't exactly acting like she was grieving, but inside she was.

Instead they went to Gracie's room, put on some music, and plopped down in bean-bags pulled into a rough circle in the middle of the room. The bedroom walls were painted Builder's Beige and the carpet was a light brown. White furniture would have made it look bland, except that the frilly curtains and geometric-patterned bedding – and nearly everything else – was some shade of purple, from lavender to a deep amethyst.

For awhile Gracie tried to explain to her friends how she felt, which was mostly confused. She hadn't been close to her father, hadn't liked how he'd treated most people, but she still found it hard to believe he was dead. He'd tried to be kind to her, in his own way.

"I know it sounds silly," Gracie said. "But I feel like I can't get past all the bad stuff about him until I know what really happened. Then maybe once I know I can see that there was good stuff, too. If that makes any sense."

"Like once you know the worst, then you can see he had a good side, too," Shawna offered. Shawna was a slender girl with long honey blonde hair and green eyes. They all teased her about being a shop-a-holic, as she always seemed to be wearing the latest styles.

"Yeah," Gracie said. "I mean, if he owed someone money, well...that's not such a horrible thing. Except it would be more likely that someone owed Dad the money."

"The cops will figure it out, you gotta give them time. It's only been 24 hours!" Shawna told her.

"I know, I just wish I knew
now
. I want to help them so it'll go quicker. And so I don't feel so helpless, just waiting," Gracie declared. "It's all so confusing, so many things happened and none of it makes any sense."

Cheryl said, "First the burglary and then the shooting. They have to tie together some way." Cheryl was several inches taller than either of her friends, and extremely thin. Her
café au lait
complexion and short curly black hair were set off to perfection by a plain white French tee and simple gold chain necklace.

Gracie suddenly realized she hadn't yet told them about Dad's car being found, or that the lieutenant thought the break-in was faked. They were properly shocked at the details.

"I just can't imagine who would do a thing like that!" she told them in exasperation.

"Maybe it was the wicked step-mother?" Cheryl suggested. "She wanted all his money and killed him to get it." She said it in an overly-dramatic tone, like it was an advertisement for some horror movie.

"That would certainly be a good motive, and I wouldn't put it past her for a second," Gracie said. "Trouble is, she was talking to the cops when Dad was shot."

"Where was she in the morning?" asked Shawna meaningfully.

"She
said
she and Cindy were out shopping," Gracie replied. "Ooh, I forgot! I always thought there was something weird about her and Cindy, I think I figured it out – they're a couple!"

"They're
gay
?" Cheryl asked, aghast.

"It's 'lesbian'," said Shawna. "And anyway Jennifer must be bi if she was doing it with your dad."

"I think she was just using Dad to get his money," Gracie told them. "They were friends when he met Jennifer, I think she figured it was a good way to get a lot of money and then they could live together." She told them how she'd come to that conclusion the night before.

"Makes sense to me," Cheryl said. "So did Cindy do the dirty deed for her lover?"

"I don't see how she could've," Gracie said. "Not without help. Someone answered her phone when Jennifer called just before 3:00. If it was Cindy then she
couldn't
have been the murderer; and even if it was someone else I don't think she'd have had time to drive to Dad's house and get there when she did."

"But they could both have faked the burglary, right?" Shawna asked.

"Yeah, they could've. Jennifer bought that dress just after the stores opened, and didn't use her credit card the rest of the day so she can't prove they were really shopping. Maybe she thought you couldn't tell what time she bought it. But if they had all that time, why did they make such a mess?"

"Maybe the plan was to steal the jewelry and scam the insurance company, then they'd sell the bling," Cheryl offered.

"And it was just their bad luck that someone happened to shoot Dad that very same day?" Gracie asked.

"Could happen," Shawna said, though it didn't sound like she really believed it.

"They don't have an alibi for the shots in the garage, either," Cheryl reminded them.

"Oh, that's too much!" Shawna exclaimed. "They fake a burglary – hey, maybe they did it to get the gun! Then they try to shoot your dad and get scared off and just give up. Except that someone really
does
shoot him a couple hours later. I'm not buying it."

"Neither am I," Gracie said firmly. "Besides, I can't see Jennifer stealing her own Xanax; she wouldn't know how to sell it on the street and she'd probably need it after that!"

"Justin might've swiped the pills," Shawna suggested. "He'd know where to sell them. And you said he claimed his weed wasn't stolen, that makes sense."

"Ooh, and he was stealing money from Dad too!" Gracie told them what she'd overheard about the trap. "I just can't see Justin taking all of it at once. It's more his speed to swipe a few at a time, just enough so he could buy a few more joints."

"And didn't Chris say Zoo Time spent last hour in the principal's office?" Cheryl asked. "Not that I think even your stupid brother would shoot his own father. I think you're right, Gracie. It's just not Justin's style. Not that he
has
any style!"

"So who does that leave?" Shawna asked. "We know it wasn't
you
, and I can't see your mom doing it either. Plus, she's got good alibis for the whole day."

"Clarke was at school out-of-state, that takes care of immediate family," Gracie said. "What about Aunt Jeanine? Dad said she was in his will, maybe she did it all. The lieutenant couldn't find anyone who actually saw her at the bingo hall." She wanted to see if her friends would think of something she hadn't.

"I've met your aunt, Gracie," Cheryl said. "She's lazy. Won't get up off her fat ass to get another drink, not if she can get someone else to do it for her."

"Your dad would've recognized her," Shawna pointed out. "He wouldn't have let her get away with the first shots, he'd have called the cops. And if she'd tried
once
, surely he'd have just driven off the second time he saw her."

"Maybe he didn't actually
see
her the first time," Gracie mused. "She was hiding behind another car or something. Then he'd have stopped to see why she was there at the mansion."

"Didn't you say the cops found bicycle tracks at the scene? I just can
not
see your aunt riding a bike!" Cheryl said.

Gracie laughed loudly. "No, I can't either! But she'd have had to get there somehow; Dad would've recognized her car and I can't see her parking it down the road and walking. Not
her
style."

"Anyone else? Who was at the party?" asked Shawna.

"Clay was there with Mom," Gracie said. "The lieutenant thinks his alibi stinks, too."

"Why? What did he say he was doing?" Cheryl asked.

"Said he spent the afternoon with his daughter, Candy," Gracie replied. "Candy confirmed that. Except that she says she called him and there's no record of it."

"Maybe he just went to see her, and she thought it sounded better if she said she called," Cheryl said.

"The thing is, Clay called
her
–
after
we all met with Lieutenant Freeman," Gracie said meaningfully.

"That does sound suspiciously like he
needed
an alibi, doesn't it?" Shawna asked.

"Yeah, it does. Except what possible motive could Clay have?" Gracie asked.

No one had any bright ideas on that score.

"Bill was there, too," Gracie said. "But he's my Dad's best friend! Why would he want to kill him? He doesn't have any motive, that I can see." Gracie giggled, remembering how Lieutenant Freeman had referred to Bill. "The lieutenant called him 'The Nutty Professor', but Rita told him she heard Bill lock the lab door. And he had classes all morning, so he couldn't have broken in either."

"So, who does that leave?" Cheryl asked.

"Just the neighbors, I guess," Gracie told them. "The Holloways have lots of witnesses, and they're old friends, can't see why either of them would do it. There was George, next door – he didn't like Dad, always complained about the noise and the parties. But
his
style would be to call the cops, he's done it often enough."

"Then there's the 'un-sub', someone we don't know about," Shawna said.

"Right now that's about the only thing that makes any sense!" Gracie declared. "Someone broke into the house in the morning and made it look like a burglary. Who knows if they took something from Dad's office, or maybe just found some info that pissed them off. They lay in wait for him at the garage and took a couple of shots at him, then followed him to Bixby's and killed him there. It
had
to be the same person, they used the same gun. I'm not buying the burglary wasn't part of it."

"The family and friends either don't have a good reason (that we know about, anyway) or if they do they have a great alibi. It
must
be someone we don't know."

"Except maybe for Aunt Jeanine,"
Gracie thought to herself.