Blackberry Crumble (39 page)

She turned and left the restaurant, her whole body tingling in fear that he would follow her, demanding an altercation, but she made it to her car unscathed. The breeze had turned to a wind, blowing her hair into pure chaos in the process.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, she finger-combed her hair into place and thought back to the last thing she’d said about Jim having died a generous man. Had he died because his generosity had run out? Sadie hoped not, but there was too much for her to ignore. She was glad she’d had a few bites of her blackberry crumble to help her through the next half hour.

How would she tell May that her brother and sister had the strongest reasons to want their father dead?

Blackberry Crumble

6 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (or any kind of frozen berry)

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1⁄2 cup butter

1⁄2 cup flour

1⁄2 cup rolled oats

1⁄2 cup brown sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg

1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix berries, 2 tablespoons flour, and 3 tablespoons sugar together in large bowl. Spread in an 8x8 pan. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients; adjust spices to taste. Use a pastry cutter to cut ingredients together until pea-sized crumbles form. Sprinkle over the top of the berry mixture. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until crumb topping is browned. Let cool slightly. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6.

Note: Karri recommends adding a little lemon zest to the topping. Sounds delicious!

Chapter 43

Sadie had driven about half a mile when her phone rang. Scanning for cops as she waited for a light, she pulled her phone out of her purse, her entire chest tight with anticipation. When she saw it was Jack calling, she put on her right blinker and answered it. “Hang on just a minute,” she said. “I need to pull over.”

She set the phone down, glad no members of law enforcement had seen her breaking the law again, and turned right when the light changed. She pulled into the parking lot of a pharmacy and shifted into park.

“Sorry about that,” Sadie said. “It’s against the law to talk on your cell phone while driving.”

“Is everything okay?” Jack asked.

“Well,” Sadie started, trying to decide what she should or could say. “Everything is . . . complicated.” She looked at the clock and felt anxiety rush through her—she needed to talk to May. “Did you find him?”

“Believe it or not, I did—well, we did.”

“We?” Sadie asked.

“You’re not dating this guy, are you?”

Sadie let out a breath. “No, Jack, I’m not dating him.” She was dating Pete—well, maybe.

“So who is he?”

“Just tell me what you found out, please. I’m in a hurry.”

“Okay, okay,” Jack said. “In a nutshell, the guy’s a crook. He’s got at least seven judgments against him. Most of them have to do with leases he didn’t pay and things like that, but he sure knows how to play the system. He’s used about six different names—Tracey Gary; G. Tracey; TG Gary—they’re all versions of his name but have allowed him to get away with an awful lot of stuff. He served nine months in jail a few years ago for fraud.”

“I knew it,” Sadie said.

“So, will you tell me who he is now?”

“Oh, he’s just some guy who wants me to mortgage my house and invest it in one of his schemes.”

Jack was silent. “If you’re not happy with the investments I’ve—”

“No, no,” Sadie said. “I also think he might have been involved in the death of his father-in-law. Knowing he has a history of being a deadbeat shores up that theory.”

“You’re investigating another murder?” Jack asked. “That’s why you’re in Oregon?”

“Well, kind of,” Sadie said, squirming. “Anyway, I better go.”

“Does Pete know you’re up there?”

“Yes,” Sadie said, feeling the mood drop. “He knows.”

“And he’s not happy about it, is he?”

“Not particularly.” Sadie shifted into reverse. “Can we talk later? I really do need to go.”

“Are you in trouble?”

Sadie groaned. She was the older sibling and hated it when he played big brother. “Thank you for your help,” she said. “I’ll call you later.” She turned off the phone in the middle of his protest and dropped it in her purse as she pulled out of the parking space. Gary was an ex-con who hadn’t learned his lesson and obviously didn’t care who he hurt with his scams. It fit perfectly with what she’d deduced at the restaurant: if Jolene had died before Jim Sanderson, Gary would have inherited nothing. Jolene’s portion would have gone directly to his son—Jim’s only living grandchild.

Sadie pulled back into traffic but continued reviewing things in her mind and playing devil’s advocate with the details. Hugh was up to his ears in debts he couldn’t pay. That could be a motive for murder, except that Jim was trying to sell the company to pay off those debts. But Hugh didn’t know that. With Jim gone, his estate was caught up in being settled according to the terms of the trust. The children had already received some money: May could afford to pay Sadie, Hugh hadn’t been beaten by thugs, and Jolene and Gary had booked that long-awaited cruise. But Keith made it sound like Hugh’s debts were immense. The first disbursement maxed out at $10,000. That wasn’t enough to get Hugh out of trouble?

The rock in her stomach was getting heavier, and she took a breath, hoping it would help her find the strength to do what she had to do. She wished she had all the answers, that she had access to the personal files so she could look for proof of whatever investment Jim had made with Gary. She was all but certain that was why he’d been cut out of the will. Maybe that was why Gary went to jail? If only all the information were wrapped up with a bow and complete.

Her phone rang as she was driving, and she picked it up long enough to see that it was Richard, making her wonder why Keith had come to the restaurant instead of Richard. As much as she wanted to talk to him, there was no time; May deserved to know what she’d learned before anyone else did.

Ten minutes later, Sadie pulled up to Jim Sanderson’s house and immediately noted that May’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Apparently she’d beaten May home.

“Oh, biscuits,” Sadie said, letting herself out of the car anyway. The wind had picked up even more, and she noted that the clouds were dark. The coming storm was taking the edge off the summer heat instead of trapping it, but the wind required Sadie to continually brush her hair from her face. She nearly put her keys in her purse before catching herself and slipping them in her pocket instead. It hadn’t done her any favors to keep them on her person, but it made her feel better to know she was following proper etiquette. She’d determined that a lot of police and investigative technique was based in paranoia. The collar of her shirt blew up against her cheek as she climbed the steps to the side door, and she smoothed it down, trying to turn into the wind so that it didn’t wreak so much havoc with her toilette.

At the top of the steps, she tried the door handle; it was locked. Her pick set was in her purse, and she reached for it but then paused. Was she really going to break into Jim’s house? It was illegal, unethical, and . . . wrong. Pete had made a point of telling her not to do this very thing. Sadie had assured him she wouldn’t, and she’d already picked the filing cabinet. Sadie clenched her teeth and made a fist with the hand inside her purse.

Reviewing the trust document would help her gain confidence in the conclusions rushing through her head. She wanted to know more about Jolene and more about the lunch date with Keith. What if Jim had some notes about his plan to sell the company that she could use to help prove what she had learned from Keith? She wanted to call Providence and ask about Jolene’s treatments to verify her prognosis.

Sadie’s stomach sank when she thought about Jolene. What if Jolene was part of this? What if it wasn’t just Gary who was after the money? Jolene had stuck by him through his jail time and judgments. She’d given her father the silent treatment like a petulant teenager because he couldn’t finance a final vacation. Would she have been a part of her father’s death in order to secure her inheritance for her husband? The thought made Sadie ill, but also increased her desire to try to get inside the house.

On top of everything else demanding her attention, Sadie wondered about Jim. He had done what he thought was best for his children. Did he somehow know what was happening now? What would he say if he did? What would he want Sadie to do about it?

Surely all the missing pieces were just beyond that door, and now that she knew more about what she was looking for, she would know better where to look. But she couldn’t break in. She couldn’t. She took her hand out of her purse and let out a breath, both proud and disappointed in herself for lacking the determination to do whatever it took to get the answers she wanted. Who’d have thought a moral compass could be so aggravating?

“Hello there.”

Sadie turned, tucking her hair behind her ear again as she looked across the street. Lois waved at her, then looked both ways and crossed the street, heading toward her. Sadie moved down the steps, grateful she hadn’t gone in with Lois watching. Maybe having a moral compass wasn’t so bad. She met Lois at the end of the driveway.

“How are you, Lois?” Sadie said politely, wondering if May had told her about their confrontation at the hotel. Lois’s face was kind and open, however, and Sadie tried to make herself relax. Unfortunately, she was so tightly wound that it was nearly impossible to let go of the tension.

“May’s out,” Lois said. A gust of wind pushed her hair flat on the side, showing her pink scalp beneath her fluffy black hair. Lois raised a hand and attempted to coax her hair back to its former shape.

Sadie looked at the door again, her anxiety rising. “She texted me to come and meet her.”

“She’s been gone for some time,” Lois said.

“She did say I might beat her here.” Sadie let out a breath. “I just hoped I wouldn’t.”

“Tell you what—why don’t you come over,” Lois said, nodding toward her house as the wind gusted past them again. Sadie squinted against the dust that came with it. “My living room gives me a bird’s-eye view of the house. It’s unusual for us to get a storm like this in August, but all the more reason to hide indoors for a few minutes.”

Sadie wasn’t in the mood for small talk. Then again, Lois had given her some good information last night, and Sadie did need to talk to May as soon as she arrived. The wind blew up some dirt, hitting Sadie’s legs with dozens of painful pings. “Actually, that would be really nice.”

Chapter 44

Make yourself comfortable,” Lois said as they entered through the front door of her meticulous home. She waved Sadie toward the living room while she crossed to the entryway of the kitchen situated toward the back of the white-and-peach decorated house. Sadie could see into the doorway enough to make out some cabinets and a microwave. “I’ll be but a minute. Do you like lemon tea?”

“Lemon sounds wonderful,” Sadie said, taking inventory of the room. Everything was micro-coordinated, down to the tiniest detail. There was a velvety-looking sofa made of a darker orange upholstery, and a floral arrangement on the coffee table with a glass top that must be murder to keep clean.

“So, what was it May wanted to talk to you about?” Lois asked, pulling open a cupboard.

“I’m not sure,” Sadie said, nervous about that very thing. “How long has she been gone?”

“She left about an hour ago,” Lois said, opening and shutting another cupboard somewhere in the kitchen. “I expect she’ll be home any minute, especially if she told you to meet her. May’s a very reliable person that way.”

Sadie nodded. “I’m sure she is.”

She walked to the picture window, verifying that she did indeed have a full view of Jim Sanderson’s house. She’d make sure to keep it in her line of vision for the duration of her visit. The first few raindrops streaked against the glass. They’d come inside just in time.

As she turned away from the window, a flash of red outside caught her eye, and she turned back to get a better look. A red car was parked a few houses down the street. She squinted, but it was too far away for her to see anything but the color, which stood out against the gray sky behind it. Something about that car bothered her, but she didn’t know why. Yes, it was the only car other than Sadie’s parked on the street, but was that enough reason for Sadie to be so interested? She looked at the car again before realizing that her anxiety was transitioning into paranoia. She forced her attention away.

“Do you have grandchildren, Lois?” Sadie asked, moving toward a wall of pictures and trying to keep her nerves in check.

“Seventeen, if you can believe it,” Lois called back from the kitchen. “Three of them live in Astoria; the rest are out of state. I’ve got eight great-grandchildren as well. Thank goodness for webcams and Skype.”