Death among the Roses: a Melanie Hart Mystery (Melanie Hart Cozy Mysteries Book 1) (21 page)

Jimmy chuckled. Confident of himself and his place. “Oh, Melanie. I like you. I really do. I’ve read all of your stories over the years. You’re a good little writer. And you’re clever. Do you know you’re the only person who’s figured out my little secret?”

That’s not true, I thought. Ginger had a good idea of what’s been happening. But I didn’t say a word about my pal and what she knew.

I cleared my throat, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Really? Then why did you pull that little session of yours with my mother, huh? Mom hasn’t looked at me the same way since then. I think you told her something about me she oughtn’t to have heard.”

“You’re mother adores you. I’ve told her nothing that puts you in a bad light.”

“Dear old Mother,” he returned. “She loved me for most of her life. But in her own way. You know her worst fault? She absolutely insisted on being captain of the ship. I didn’t even come up to the rank of first officer in her book. But that’s all changed now.”

I recalled Bella’s absence at the restaurant tonight. He’s killed her, I thought.

I bile rose into the back of my throat.

“I’ve told your mother nothing. I know nothing.”

He grinned. “You’re writing fiction now, Melanie. Come on. Fess up.”

Jimmy moved closer. He withdrew a cord from the his jacket pocket.

I sucked in a huge breath as realization struck. Jimmy Gravits intended to kill me. He would strangle me the same way he had Gary. And probably Bella as well. It was too late to pretend innocence now. “What about Candy?” I demanded. “Did you murder her, too?”

“Of course,” Jimmy said, taking another step nearer. “She was helpful. She lured Gary out of the church for me. Then, she got greedy. Demanded money. Stupid cow.”

My heart banged against my chest. Instinctively, I tried again to back up a step. And failed
—
again,

Jimmy shuffled forward, slowly, like a cat toying with a mouse. “I’m sorry about having to kill you. I always thought you were cute.”

Oh, thank you so much.

Suddenly, Jimmy lunged for me, covering the remaining distance between us in nearly an instant. His hands were extended. I could read his murderous intentions on his face. He planned to wrap that piece of  cord around my neck and tighten it until he’d strangled the life out of me.

Adrenalin rushed through my body. Panic forced me into action. I twisted my upper body. Slapped my hands either side of the hot metal coffee pot. Felt the heat sear them. Screaming, I hurled the coffee maker at my attacker. The lid flew off. Hot, burning liquid poured forth, catching Jimmy full face.

He screamed. Fell to his knees. His hands pawed at his eyes.

I sidestepped him. Legs pumping, I bolted toward the door and the safety of the street beyond it.

Only I never made it to the door. Instead, before I got there, the door banged open. A large man thrust himself inside.

“Stop right where you are,” he yelled. “Jimmy, I have a gun trained on you. I won’t hesitate to shoot if you make one more move.”

I threw my hands into the air. “Please, I’m unarmed,” I said, panting. “I was trying to save myself.”

“I know,” Larkin said. He reached out with his free arm and pulled me to him. His head lowered, his breath brushed against my temple. “You’re safe now,” he whispered. “You’re with me now.”

T
he next hour was a blur. Gossford showed up, demanded answers. I gave him the best that I could. Gravits was driven off to the hospital for treatment of burns. I hadn’t aimed for his eyes. But that’s where the hot liquid had landed. The inside of my hands were treated with a cream and bandaged. I declined the offer to be whisked off to the hospital.

Eventually, Larkin and I settled ourselves on the curb outside the newspaper offices. He again wrapped his long arm around me.

“How did you know I was in danger?” I asked.

“You probably aren’t going to like this, but I’ve been following you for the past three days.”

“You haven’t? I would have spotted you.”

“Not likely. I’m pretty good at what I do.”

“Modesty will get you no where.”

He chuckled.

“What about your job?”

He smiled. “The sheriff gave me permission. He said you were too good a reporter to let die. Plus, if you promise not to tell him, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Whenever your name comes up, he goes on about what he’d do if he was twenty years younger.”

“That’s sexism,” I said.

“Probably, but it earned you my protection.”

A part of me wished Larkin shared a little of his boss’s opinion of me. But deep down, I knew the deputy was a man for a weekend. Josh was the kind of man an intelligent woman married.

“What about Gossford?” I asked. “Gary’s death was his business, not the sheriff’s.”

“We didn’t really know if following you would lead us to Gary’s killer. Plus, my boss has never let a little thing like where a crime happens get in the way of a good collar.” Larkin shared a wicked smile. “I told Gossford I just happened to be passing by when I noticed your car in the parking lot and decided to check on you at such a late hour.”

“I almost feel sorry for Gossford. He’d put a lot of time into Gary’s murder.”

Larkin shrugged and stood up. “That’s my boss’s problem, not mine. Gotta go,” he said. “The boss is going to want a complete update on this one.”

I gazed up at the tall lawman. “I thought after our last exchange, I might never see you again.”

“Shows you how much you know,” he said over his shoulder as he walked away.

Dang. That man was so aggravating.
I never knew how to take him.

***

Josh and I spent the following Saturday night as a date night. We dined at an out-of-town restaurant. I’d heard great reports about the place. The scents wafting around us were heady. The atmosphere pleasant. Diners were engaged in muted conversations. Waiters rushed through the spacious room carrying heavy platters of tempting-looking food.

Josh leaned across the table toward me. “I wanted to come down the minute I heard about the attack on you. I was that worried. But I had a report to work out for the boss before the shareholder’s meeting. The entire session would have crashed if I hadn’t stayed to work up those numbers. I hope you understand.”

“Of course, I do.” Dependable, that’s what Josh was. You could take what he said to the bank. And unlike another man I knew, Josh would never call me spoiled.

He passed me a basket of warm rolls. “And so you and Ginger figured the case out all on your own?”

“Yes, but we only had our suspicions. We hadn’t found any proof yet. So Jimmy coming at me was in some ways a blessing.”

“One I don’t want you to ever experience again.”

“Don’t worry about that happening again anytime soon. As far as I’m concerned, this was a one-time event.”

“How is Ginger?”

“Ticked. She blames me for Jimmy coming after me while I was alone. Claims I cut her out of the most exciting part of our investigation.”

Josh laughed. “That sounds like Ginger.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “It’s too bad about the waitress. She left a young daughter behind?”

“The grandmother’s taken her in. And Dad’s established a college fund for her. The newspaper has pledged a healthy sum. Ginger also stepped in with a tidy amount.”

Josh lifted his water glass. “How did you father take all of this?”

“Better than I thought he would. At least, I’m not grounded.”

“Like your Dad would ground you at your age,” Josh scoffed.

“Mm. You don’t know my father.”

“Not well, maybe. But I’d like to get to know him better.”

I ducked my head. Josh had a look in his eyes that I didn’t know what to do with.

“Cordelia’s improving,” I said, attempting to change the subject. “She grows stronger every day. She’s won her old job back. She’s looking to move back by the end of the month. She’d given it up, or course, to be married. Now, that she’s back on her own, she’s looking forward to returning to work. It’s something to help her move forward anyway.”

“And Treadway? Is he still pursuing her?”

“I doubt he’ll ever give that dream up.”

“Does he stand a chance?”

I grimaced. “He might. He’s determined. And he is being helpful. I know Cordelia’s grateful to him. Whether gratitude will turn to love, I don’t know.”

Josh leaned closer to me and lowered his voice. “Do I stand a chance?”

My eyes flew wide. “With me?”

“No with the salt shaker.” His dear, familiar face softened. “Of course, with you.”

I struggled to contain a smile. “You might,” I said.

“You know, if this works out between us,” Josh responded, “I want us to have the biggest and best wedding this town has ever seen.
”

My heart thumped inside my chest. My breath froze on my lips.

A wedding?
A big one. As in bridesmaids, a white gown, a large reception?
I gulped down a mouthful of water and broke into a sweat.

Carefully, I replaced my tumbler on the table, I thought about telling Josh about my favorite little justice of the peace. His name was Harry. He was a nice man. He worked out of his front parlor and came cheap.

Then, I sank back in my chair and relaxed. Josh and I weren’t even engaged yet. And if we were meant to be together
—
as I truly hoped we were
—
we had plenty of time to hammer out a wedding both of us could enjoy. There wasn’t that much difference between a grand affair in a church stuffed full of people and a quiet ceremony conducted in a small house on Frontage Street.

Piece of cake.

The End

Thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to know when I release another book, sign up for my newsletter. I only send out newsletters when a new book comes out. 
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Other books available by this author:

The Case of the Missing Elf,
a Melanie Hart Mystery

Murderous Relations
, a Tale of Mystery and Suspense

Murderous Decisions
, a Tale of Mystery and Suspense

The Baying Witness
, a Sheriff Delton Ross Short Story

The Capture
, a Sheriff Delton Ross Short Story

A Long Way Home
, an Angela and Mickey Tale of Suspense, a short story

A New Beginning
, an Angela and Mickey Tale of Suspense, a short story

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