Invitation to Murder (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) (13 page)

“
And that worked? You were
lucky, Jennifer.” I swear, my brother never would learn, but I
decided to let that one slide. After all, he was probably right.
“So what are you going to do about him?”

“
Well, I guess I should
hear what he has to say for himself. You’re right, I can’t fire
him. But I can surely make him wish he was working for somebody
else.”

“
I’m not talking about
Wayne, you nitwit. I’m talking about Frank.”

I could hear the weight in Bradford’s voice.
“He threatened you, so I’ve got to take action. I was kind of
hoping he’d move along, but I’ve got to step in now.”

“
What are you going to do
to him?” As frightened as I’d been in the middle of the
confrontation, I wasn’t sure I wanted some stranger locked up
because of me, even if he was delusional.

“
I’ve got to arrest him.
Then I’ll let the courts decide what to do with him.” “What if I
don’t press charges?” Bradford snapped, “You’re willing to take
that kind of chance with the next woman he goes after? Do you
really want that on your head? Besides, if he’s in the system
again, maybe they’ll be able to do him some good this
time.”

“
Do what you have to, but
I don’t necessarily have to like it,” I said.

“
Little Sister, you’d be
amazed at how many times I don’t like parts of my job description.
Listen, I’ve got to take care of this right now. Are you going to
be okay?”

“
I’m fine. Sorry to have
bothered you, Bradford.”

“
Hey, I’m here to protect
everybody I can, including my baby sister.”

I drove home, unsettled by what had
happened. I hated the idea of anybody being locked up in a cell,
but I knew in my heart that that was exactly where some people
belonged. I wouldn’t hesitate to throw Tina Mast’s murderer in
prison, so why should I draw the line there? The world was a
strangely complex place, and the more time I spent in it, the more
confusing it became. It amazed me how the black-and-white
distinctions of my teens and early twenties were getting grayer by
the minute. Maybe it was a good thing that it wasn’t all left up to
me.

By the time I got home, I found Wayne
sitting on the staircase outside my apartment.

“
Listen,” he said before I
could say a word, “I dropped the ball tonight, and I’m sorry. It
won’t happen again. I promise.”

“
You don’t owe me any
explanations,” I said.

“
According to my boss, I
do. I was gone maybe three minutes, but when I got back the lights
were off and you weren’t around. I didn’t know what else to do, so
I drove over here to wait for you.”

I felt sorry for him, knowing how my brother
must have chewed him out. “Don’t sweat it. I’m fine.”

He grinned slightly. “From the way I heard
it, you did more than fine. I wouldn’t be eager to tackle Frank
with a stun gun and a net.”

Suddenly I was tired, of Wayne and the rest
of the world. “Good night.”

Without even looking back, I stepped inside
my apartment and locked the door behind me. I hated that my
entrance to my apartment was outside. Oggie was waiting for me by
the door—at least it looked that way—but the second I put my keys
on the table, he turned his tail up and stalked off. It was almost
as if it were his birthday and I’d shown up without a gift. That
cat was nuts—there was no doubt about it—but that didn’t stop me
from loving him. Nash came in and rubbed against my legs. I picked
him up, and a few minutes of stroking his fur did more for my
nerves than two drinks and a hot bath. I released my grip on him
and he dropped to the floor like he was on strings. Oggie popped
his head around the corner and mewed, I announcing that he was
ready to eat, no doubt.

After I fed my roommates, I tried to decide
what to do next. There were a thousand things on my mind, but I
couldn’t come up with a single action I could take to help with any
of them, so I popped in While You Were Sleeping—my all-time
favorite movies, made some popcorn and settled in for the
night.

At least that had been my plan.

Chapter 9

I almost didn’t answer my door when I heard
the pounding knock a few hours later. My movie had just ended, and
what I wanted more than anything in the world was to put the day
behind me and just relax before I went to bed. I knew if it was my
brother out there and I didn’t answer his summons in about twenty
seconds, he’d have the SWAT team there before I could say “Boo.” I
turned the outside light on and looked through my peephole out onto
the landing. When I saw who was standing there, I decided the full
police force of Rebel Forge would have been more welcome than this
particular guest.

“
What is that?” I said to
Sara Lynn as I opened the door.

“
It’s my suitcase,” she
said as she brushed past me and walked into my apartment
uninvited.

“
I hope that means you’re
collecting old clothes for the Salvation Army.”

Sara Lynn sniffed the air. “If you won’t
come stay with me, I’m going to move in here with you.”

“
You’ve been sniffing too
much spray adhesive at your shop. There is no way I need another
roommate.” Another thought occurred to me. “What’s your husband
think about all of this?”

“
Bailey didn’t get a voice
in the matter,” Sara Lynn said as she moved toward my smaller
second bedroom. I knew I should have gotten a studio apartment. The
best way to be sure I didn’t have houseguests, welcome or not, was
to make sure there was nowhere for them to sleep.

“
He might not get a say,
but I do,” I said, grabbing the edge of her suitcase before she
could unpack. Sara Lynn tried to tug it out of my grip, but I was
holding on for all I was worth. I added, “Listen, Sis, it’s not
that I don’t appreciate the gesture, but this I place is kind of
small for one person. Throw in two cats and with one more body
here, we’ll be stepping all over each other.”

“
Nonsense,” Sara Lynn
said. “I think it will be cozy.” She tugged her suitcase again and
it slipped out of my hands. With a look of smug satisfaction she
went into the spare bedroom and laid it on the dresser. Oggie and
Nash were both on the guest bed, staking out their territory. At
least they were on my side. Sara Lynn looked at them, raised one
eyebrow and scowled. The cowards both leaped off the bed and
scampered out the door, no doubt taking up residence on my bed in
the other room. Sara Lynn smoothed the comforter with her hand,
then sat on the edge of the bed. “This will be perfect.”

“
Come on, I’m a grown
woman. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“
Bradford and I disagree.”
Her features softened for a moment. “Jennifer, you shouldn’t be
alone until our brother catches this killer. There’s strength in
numbers.”

“
What are you going to do
if somebody breaks in? I’m bigger than you are,” I said flatly. It
was ludicrous that my sister, nearly a foot shorter and sixty
pounds; lighter, would be able to spring to my defense.

“
Size isn’t everything,
Jennifer.” She unzipped her bag, and I wondered if there was any
room left for her clothes after I spied the arsenal inside. Sara
Lynn rummaged through her collection and handed me a canister on a
key chain. “That’s Mace. You should keep that with you at all
times.”

“
Is that a stun gun?” I
asked, peering into her bag. “It is,” she said proudly. “I make the
bank deposits for my store every night. You’d better believe that
I’m fully prepared for anything that might come my way. I’ve got
passive defenses in here, and some more aggressive ones, too.” She
pulled out a doorstop and something the size of a tennis ball on a
looped wire.

“
I’m not even sure I want
to know what you’re going to do with those.”

Sara Lynn walked out past me, and I was
tempted to stay behind to check out the rest of her arsenal, but I
had to see what she was up to. As she nudged the wedge under the
front door, she said, “This is the cheapest and easiest way to keep
someone from coming in through the door.” She hung the ball on the
inside doorknob and explained, “If they happen to get through it,
though, this ball senses vibrations, and if the door moves a
fraction of an inch, it lets off the most awful shrieking you’ve
ever heard in your life. Now let’s have a look at your
windows.”

After Sara Lynn made her security sweep of
my apartment, she said, “There, now don’t you feel better?”

I wasn’t about to admit that it would be
nice having her there with me. “I feel like I’m in jail,” I
said.

“
Better there than in the
ground. Do you need the bathroom, or can I grab a quick
shower?”

“
Be my guest,” I said.
After I got her a fresh towel and washcloth, she started for the
bathroom, then hesitated at the door. “Oh, and don’t, go snooping
into ay bag while I’m gone. There are things in there that
bite.”

“
Please, that thought
never crossed my mind.” Blast it, she’d known exactly what I was
going to do before I did. That was the trouble with being around
someone who had known me my entire life. I walked back into my
bedroom and saw both cats curled up on my pillows. “A fat lot of
help you two were. You caved the second she looked at
you.”

Both of them continued to ignore me, a
condition that was more status quo than anything. They’d taken the
forced relocation without the slightest protest, and I wondered if
Oggie and Nash were trying to tell me something. No, most likely
they were just responding to Sara Lynn’s forceful personality.
Sometimes I gave my cats too much credit for their behavior. As I
sat down on the edge of my bed, both of them came over to me and
nestled into my lap. As I stroked them, I heard the dual humming of
their purrs, and despite my agitated mood, I had to admit that I
did feel better having them there with me. By the time Sara Lynn s
got out of the shower, I’d resigned myself to having my sister as a
temporary roommate. She was blow-drying her hair when I walked to
the bathroom door. I started to say something, but she held up one
hand, signaling for me to wait until she was finished. I reached
over and pulled the plug out of the outlet, and her dryer died
instantly.

“
What’s so urgent?” Sara
Lynn said, watching the plug, which was still in my
hand.

“
We need to get a few
things straight. As much as I love you, you are an uninvited guest,
so I expect you to do things my way or you can go home to your
husband. I’m not sure how long you can stay, but when I say it’s
time for you to go home, you go, no arguments and no fights.
Okay?”

“
You won’t even know I’m
here,” Sara Lynn said as she pulled the plug out of my hands. I
wasn’t sure how it would be having my sister staying with me, but
it didn’t look like I was going to have much choice in the matter.
Later, with all the lights out and my bedroom door shut, I could
still feel her presence with me. If I was being honest with myself,
I had to admit that it was a nice feeling. I just hoped she didn’t
have to stay long. I valued my privacy above most things in my
life, and I’d grown used to living on my own.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of
waffles wafting into my bedroom from the kitchen. Grabbing a robe,
I walked out, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“
Morning,” I mumbled.
“That smells great.”

“
Sit down and have one
while it’s hot,” Sara Lynn said. She was already dressed for work
and was bustling around in my kitchen like it was hers.

“
Was that in your
suitcase, too?” I asked as I pointed to the waffle
maker.

“
Bailey and I bought it
for you as a housewarming present when you first moved in here,”
she said. “I found it in your hall closet, still in its
box.”

“
So that’s where it was,”
I said. Sara Lynn had even heated the syrup on the stove top, just
like Mom had always done. I took one bite, then decided that having
a roommate might not be such a bad thing after all. “You’re up
pretty early,” I said.

“
After we finish
breakfast, I’m going by the house before I open the shop. I have a
few more things to get that I didn’t bring with me last
night.”

“
That doesn’t sound good,”
I said, despite the golden treat I was eating. “You’re not moving
in to stay.”

“
Jennifer, it hardly makes
sense for me to scramble back and forth every time I need
something.”

“
Look at it this way,” I
said after swallowing another bite. “It will give you and your
husband a chance to see each other every morning. I’m sure he
misses you already.”

“
You’re kidding, right? If
I know Bailey, he’s already been to the doughnut shop, no doubt
coming home with a dozen different treats. That man would wallow in
sugar and lard if I let him.”

“
So you should be there
with him to protect his health,” I said. I took another bite, and
my argument for my sister’s eviction was growing weaker by the
moment. I’d forgotten what a good cook she’d become, and if Sara
Lynn stayed too long, I’d have to start jogging again so I could
fit into my clothes.

“
He’ll be fine on his own
for a while,” she said. “In fact, it might do him some good to
realize how much I do for him.”

I didn’t want to go there, not for a second.
Both my siblings had married spouses that I got along with, but if
the positions were reversed and I’d been forced to stay with one of
them, I think I would have checked in at the Rebel’s Call Motel
downtown.