Framed to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Book 4) (14 page)

SIXTEEN

The doorbell rang, sending my nerves into a frazzle worthy of a naughty child going to speak to Santa Claus. I knew I didn’t do anything wrong. Okay, not really wrong, but I still feared that on the other side of the door was an officer ready to haul my butt to jail.

I peered through the peephole. It was an officer. I just wasn’t sure if he was here to lecture me or arrest me. I cracked the door open and peeked at Ted. “Can I help you?”

“Let me in, Faith.” He waved a takeout bag. “Hamburgers and fries from your favorite fast food place. I know you skip meals when you’re upset. I want to know what Mitchell said to you.”

Since he was here on a truce mission, and had food, I let Ted inside. “Mitchell thinks I’m the real murderer, even though the woman who confessed is behind bars.”

Ted shut the door with his foot. “Kitchen or living room?”

“Living room.” I cleared coloring books and pens from the coffee table. I collapsed onto the couch and waited for Ted to serve me.

He handed me a wrapped burger and a medium container of fries.

“Thanks.” I tucked my feet under me and nibbled at my food.

“What else did he say? Bobbi-Annie said you hightailed out of the station like there was a crime you needed to solve.”

I narrowed my eyes. His joke wasn’t funny. “He had a whole bunch of scenarios on my motive for killing Chad, and he also knows who I’ve been talking to.”

Ted wiped his mouth with a napkin. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“What doesn’t? That he’s made a list of reasons why I’d want Chad dead? Or that he’s been spying on me? He’s certain Felicity’s innocent. Said that she couldn’t have done it and Karen will prove it.”

Ted choked on his food. I whacked his back a few times to get everything unclogged from his windpipe.

“I’ll be damned,” Ted said, once he regained the ability to speak. “It’s not Jasper.”

“What isn’t?” I was growing frustrated at becoming the “what” girl. I bet it was how Ted felt about me. Usually our conversations were Ted asking me what was going on.

“Jasper isn’t the one leaking details of the case to Karen England. It’s Mitchell. Considering Jasper is in love with Karen, we didn’t probe too hard as we were certain it was him, and since he’s out on medical leave, the chief thought it was best to let it be a bygone.”

“He’s going to be all right?”

Ted nodded. “Though he’s going to be a little brokenhearted when he finds out Karen is taking up with Mitchell. Jasper could’ve been seriously hurt.”

“Or killed.” The words trembled out of me.

“I don’t think they would’ve killed him.”

“I haven’t heard that the people responsible have been arrested.”

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of tight lips in this community, and no one wants to admit which adults took part in the assault. Rutherford swears he was helping, and while the other parents acknowledge it, they won’t tell us how he was involved. Jasper was attacked from behind, so he didn’t see.”

“Andrew Taylor was there. Rutherford blamed him for it.”

“Rutherford meant Andrew was the one who posted on the team’s Facebook page that Karen England and an officer were having a private chat with the kids at the high school.”

“How did Andrew know?”

“Rutherford swears Andrew told him. Andrew swears that Rutherford texted him about it.”

“Easy enough. Check his texts.”

Ted rolled his eyes. “Thank you for sharing that brilliant idea. I’d never have thought about it. Andrew deleted the text. He never keeps any of them.”

Since Ted was in a sharing mood, I decided to ask another question, hoping he’d go with the flow. “Why is Officer Mitchell certain Felicity is innocent even though the woman confessed? He has to have a reason, besides having a thing for Karen.”

“I can’t tell you, Faith.”

“It’s not like you’re revealing something top secret. Mitchell already hinted at it. He said it wasn’t possible that Felicity killed Chad. I don’t know why he’d say that, since she did start a fire previously.”

The look passing across Ted’s face said it all. Chad hadn’t been killed by the fire.

“Was Chad shot?”

“It’s best you not know.” Ted gathered up the trash. “I don’t want you revealing it to anyone.”

I clutched a decorated pillow against my stomach. “You don’t trust me. You’re afraid I’m going to tell someone and then the murderer will know.”

Ted started to reply, growing quiet when the front door began opening. He motioned for me to hide behind the corner of the couch, placing a hand near the holster at his hip.

I shoved his hand away. “It’s my grandmothers. I called in to work annoyed, and they’re coming to make sure I’m not doing something lame-brained.”

Instead of my grandmother walking in, it was Steve. My face flamed. Anger wormed through my entire body. I had forgotten to ask Steve for my key back, but after our talk on Saturday, he should’ve known popping in to surprise me was no longer appropriate.

Ted gathered up the garbage, turning toward the kitchen. “I trust you. Others not so much.”

Did he mean Steve? I looked from one man to the other. Steve gave Ted a hard stare, which he returned.

“I’ll just throw this out at my place.” Ted changed direction. “It’ll get me out of your way quicker so you can carry on with your night.”

“Ted, wait.” I placed a hand on his arm. He jerked away from my touch and walked out the door.

I slammed it shut and thrust my hand out. “Give me my key. You have no right to just walk in here.”

“I saw Roget’s car and figured the threat to arrest you was no longer just a threat.” Steve dropped the key onto my palm. “I came to help you.”

“There’s no reason for them to arrest me.”

“Chad Carr’s murder.”

“Felicity did it. Remember? She’s in jail. Admitted to it.”

“She lied,” Steve said.

“She’s recanting her statement?”

“She hasn’t.”

“Then I’m safe. There’s no reason for you to barge into my home.”

“Karen brought the police her cousin’s medical records proving Felicity couldn’t have bludgeoned Chad Carr to death. She has rheumatoid arthritis and wouldn’t have been able to lift up an object heavy enough to crush in Chad’s head.”

My eyes widened. “Why would she lie?”

“According to Karen, it’s so her son could go to college.”

Felicity had been working at Polished on Saturday. She saw all the business coming Charlotte’s way because they believed she killed Carr. “She thinks the only way her son can go to college is by confessing to a murder? That makes no sense.”

Felicity overheard my conversation with Charlotte at Polished. Did Felicity really believe Allan would pick up extra insurance clients if she went to jail? Some people hadn’t been very nice to Dawn at church, but that didn’t mean the town was going to support Chad’s murderer.

My mind clamped onto the image of the business cards, swirling them through my mind. I had wanted to tell Ted about them but got sidetracked, and then Steve crashed in on us. What if it wasn’t just because of her son—but to save her husband?

Allan insured all three of the businesses that caught fire: Lake’s florist, Clive’s pawnshop, and Made With Love. What if the business card wasn’t a front for Chad but Allan? Had Chad been killed because he was going to tell the police about Allan and Vulcan Catering? Chad might’ve had all those extra business cards as evidence.

I prodded Steve out the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Not your concern.”

Ted had to know. Tonight. Even if I was the last person he wanted to talk to.

A car glided down the street, slowing down, then jerking forward. Ugh. It was probably Mitchell spying on me. I’d have to convince Ted to meet me somewhere, or I could call him. If he didn’t want to speak to me, I’d leave a voicemail.

Steve was almost to his house two doors down when the car screeched to a halt.
Whap! Whap!
Objects thumped near my window. Something slimy smeared down the wall. A hard object struck my arm, causing me to drop my cell. I heard the screen shatter.

“Hater!” Items were launched in my direction.

I hunched down, using my car for cover.

Teens leaned out of the passenger-side car windows. “Coach Rutherford rules.”

Eggs and paint were heaved in my direction. They splattered on the roof of my car. The gooey concoction coated my hair, running down my face and back. Paint cans clattered to the ground. The car tore off down the road with the smell of rubber filling the air.

Steve ran across my grandmother’s front yard. “Are you okay?”

Eggs dripped from my hair into my face. I wiped blobs of yolk from my eyes. “Yes.”

Another glop of egg slithered from my head into my eyes. I lifted up the hem of my shirt. Nope. Half of my shirt was yellow, the other black, and neither of those were the original color. At least it was just a shirt. I wasn’t looking forward to receiving the estimate to repaint my car blue.

“I’ll call the police.” Steve picked up my cell and tapped the screen. It remained dark. “I’ll use your phone.”

“I don’t have a landline anymore.” Maybe I should work it back into my budget. I had thought there was no need for it when I had my cell. Now I knew I was wrong.

“I’ll call from my house, then stay with you until they get here.”

Paint and egg dribbled down my forehead, causing me to slit my eyes closed as I Frankenstein-walked into my house. “I’m going to get cleaned up.”

In record time, I de-egged myself and ran over to Steve’s house. I didn’t want him coming back over. Once Ted heard about this incident, he’d head over, and I had to talk with him.

Since Steve had no problem coming inside my house, I burst into his. When I saw his living room, breath whooshed from my lungs. The area was filled with boxes, packing material, and tape. Some boxes were sealed and labeled, while others were open and ready for filling. Steve was moving.

The fact stunned and angered me, flooding tears into my eyes. “You weren’t going to tell me. My grandmothers.”

Steve gaped at me, slowly putting the phone onto a charger.

I wanted to kick myself. It was apparent Steve planned on moving on from me, not just by ending our friendship, but removing himself completely from my life. That betrayal hurt deeper than finding out that all along he’d known about my past.

“I was going to tell you. Delaying the inevitable.”

“Were you afraid I’d try talking you out of it?”

His shoulders heaved up and down, head lowering as he stared into the box. “I was afraid you wouldn’t.”

“I wanted to stay friends, Steve. You didn’t.” From the corner of my eyes, I saw a piece of eggshell in my hair. I picked it out. Patting the top of my head, I searched for more shells.

“Let me help.” Steve gently took hold of a piece of shell, sliding it from the top of my scalp to the end of the strand resting just beyond my collarbone. His hand lingered, twirling the strand onto his index finger. Steve scooped the hair back from my face. Love and desire shone in his deep brown eyes.

Uncertainty tugged at my heart. Was saying no to Steve freeing myself from Adam, or giving him back control? Why had I decided Steve was off-limits? The past? Adam? Myself? Thoughts warred in my head and heart.

No. In a rational moment I had decided it was the best decision, and now I wasn’t going to let longing change it. The last thing I wanted was to reconsider my decision, especially since Steve was leaving. “When are you moving?”

“The end of the week.”

“That soon? How long have you been planning this?”

“Since Saturday. The furniture came with the townhouse, so it’s only my personal items.”

“But my grandmothers…the rent. What will they do?” My grandmothers were his landlords. They were getting by financially, but Steve’s moving out might tip their finances into the red. “I know Cheryl’s been standoffish. She’ll come around.”

“I have a month-to-month lease. I’m sure they can find someone else who’d like to rent the place.” Steve went to stroke my cheek, only to pull his hand back when his fingertips were centimeters from grazing my skin. “It has nothing to do with Cheryl. It’s too hard living so close to you.”

“Where are you moving to?” I had broken up with Steve. It wasn’t fair to expect him to stick around.

“You should go over and tell your grandmothers you’re okay.” Steve tipped his chin toward his living room window.

Two police cars with lights flashing stopped out front. Neighbors came out of their homes and stood on the sidewalks.

“That’s a good idea.” I inched by Steve, my body brushing his, and desirous feelings sprang to life.

I hurried out the door, not wanting Steve to know he still affected me. It was hard to get my brain and heart on the same page. Love wasn’t so easy to turn off, even when you knew a man wasn’t the right one for you.

SEVENTEEN

Keys? Check. Business card? Check. Broken cell? Check. Patience? Working on it. Last night, I had been torn between furious and sad when Ted hadn’t shown up at my house. I knew he was irritated at Steve treating my home like his own, but Ted still should’ve been concerned about me.

My to-do list for the day started with buying a new phone and switching over my contacts. I had teenagers redecorating my house, a cop out to prove I was guilty of murder, and people to question about that murder, so a new cell was my highest priority. After that I was giving Ted the business card and telling him my theory.

Whether he liked it or not.

Stepping outside my house, I hit the automatic lock button. An engine hummed from down the street. Shielding my eyes I checked out the street, trying not to cater to the instinct of fleeing. Last night’s dousing had me a little paranoid. A cruiser drove down the block. The lone occupant had red hair.

Ted was coming to check on me. Hours later.

He parked at the curb. I planted my hands on my hips and raised my chin, demonstrating my unhappiness. Unless he was bringing coffee. I’d change my attitude quick-like if he had caffeine.

Ted strode toward me, adjusting all the paraphernalia attached to his belt. No coffee. Considering he was wearing every police device manageable, this wasn’t a check-on-me visit, it was business. The dark aviator sunglasses he wore hid his eyes from me, giving me no clue of his mood.

Well, here went nothing…or everything. I tugged the business card I found at the stadium from my back pocket. “I think Eden has an arsonist.”

“What?” Ted lifted his sunglasses, resting them on top of his head.

“Lucy told me Chad had planned on burning down his business.”

“Did she now?” Ted didn’t look happy or like he believed me.

“In her own way. And since Chad couldn’t have set his building on fire when he was dead, it means someone else did it. I found this card in the alleyway at the football stadium.” I handed it over. “Chad was talking to someone and dropped it. Lucy had some in her night table. Chad had given it to her for safekeeping.”

“Where is that card? And when did you speak with Lucy?”

“Dawn tore one up and took the rest. I talked with Dawn and her mom yesterday afternoon.”

Ted tapped the card against his fingers. “Lucy Cooper died last night.”

Oh no! “I’m so sorry to hear that.” My heart twisted. Poor Dawn. First her husband, now her mom.

“How did Dawn Carr appear yesterday?” Ted asked.

“Normal. Well, as normal as a person could look when she knows her mother is dying, her husband was just murdered, and no one cares.”

“Was Dawn Carr anxious?”

The use of Dawn’s full name with every question settled into my mind, making me draw a horrible conclusion. “Lucy didn’t die of natural causes.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Your style of questioning. You’re very predictable, Detective Roget.”

A small smile flashed onto Ted’s face, then quickly melted. “I’ll remember that. Lucy Cooper overdosed on pain medications yesterday.”

“And you think Dawn gave them to her mother?” I shook my head. “Didn’t happen.”

“Were you there last night?”

“No.” I fiddled with the keys, accidentally setting off the car alarm. The Malibu blared and the headlights flashed on and off. I silenced the car and shoved the keys into my front pocket. “Sorry.”

“Then how do you know that?”

“Because—”

I never finished my reason, as a car squealed to a halt just inches behind Ted’s cruiser. Ted pivoted, shielding me with his body, hand resting on the butt of his revolver. I stayed behind him, not wanting to make Ted nervous, or have him feel he needed to unholster the gun to protect me.

Karen jumped out of the pale blue, almost silver Chevy Cruze. “When are you going to release my cousin? I gave you and the prosecutor’s office proof she is innocent. I want her out now.”

“Felicity couldn’t have bludgeoned anyone.” I rested my chin on Ted’s shoulder to whisper in his ear.

“I swear I’m going to harm Davis. Severely.” Ted stepped away from me, shoving the card into a small pocket in his vest. “It might be proof to you. But it’s not to us.”

“She couldn’t have done it. You know it. Lucy’s death proves it.” Karen grabbed Ted’s arm, forcibly herding him toward the cruiser. “You let her out right now.”

“Control yourself, Miss England, or you’ll find yourself in a cell next to your cousin.”

“That woman killed her mother. Her own mother! If that doesn’t prove the type of person she is, nothing will.”

“Your cousin confessed to Chad Carr’s murder.”

“She couldn’t have possibly done it.”

“Then how did she know Carr died from a crushed skull?” Ted asked. “Did you tell her about that detail Mitchell passed on to you?”

Karen turned a deep red.

A door opened and Mrs. Barlow stepped outside in her faded flowered housecoat, videotaping Ted and Karen’s battle of wills and words.

“That’s what I thought,” Ted said. “Adrenaline can give people a lot of strength.”

Why would Dawn kill her mother? I replayed our conversation in my mind, bringing her image into focus. No. She didn’t kill her mom. Dawn was devastated by her mother’s illness and wanted her mom to fight. It was her mom who was ready to leave the Earth. The thought tumbled in my mind, latching onto the questions I had about Felicity’s behavior. A mother would do anything for their child. Her love had no statute of limitations; it wouldn’t lessen because their child was in their forties. Dawn stayed in Eden for her mom, and with Lucy gone, Dawn was guilt-free to flee and start a new life.

“She didn’t kill her,” I said.

“See, even Faith agrees with me.” Karen sent a triumphant smile at Ted. “Now free my cousin.”

“Faith isn’t the judge and jury in this case. She doesn’t get to decide.” Ted’s voice rose.

“I didn’t mean Felicity,” I mumbled.

“Then how come Dawn has disappeared? She’s not answering her phone. No one has seen her. Where is she?” Karen asked.

If I were Dawn, I’d avoid Karen’s calls too.

“Detective Roget.” Mrs. Barlow shuffled across the road in her house slippers, the housecoat flapping open at her knees.

“Please let her be wearing something underneath.” Ted sent his hope up into the sky.

Mrs. Barlow loved a man in uniform. Any uniform. Any man. One of Mrs. Barlow’s hobbies, besides spying and gossip, was calling 911 in hopes a hot paramedic, fireman, or police officer would show up at her house. One day, after Mrs. Barlow kept sending the paramedics away when it wasn’t the young guy she was crushing on, Bobbi-Annie answered the call to give Mrs. Barlow an official warning, and recorded it on her cell so Mrs. Barlow couldn’t plead ignorance later.

“Detective, there’s a missing person report,” Mrs. Barlow announced.

“Is that so?” Ted lowered his head, tipping his sunglasses forward onto the bridge of his nose. He rubbed at his eyes and emitted a long-suffering sigh.

“I heard it on my scanner. Some guy…”

Another thing about Mrs. Barlow: it was hard to tell what part of what she said was reality and what was from the TV shows she watched. She had a habit of confusing police dramas with the happenings in Eden. And I’m sure living across from me didn’t help her keep television viewing and her real life sorted out.

Ted hooked her arm through his. “How about I take you home and you fill me in?”

Mrs. Barlow beamed.

After making sure Karen wasn’t following me, I drove over to Made With Love. I had a feeling Dawn was there. She wanted to prove her husband innocent, and knew I was no longer squarely in her corner. Had Chad been involved in setting the fires, or had he hired someone to commit arson? How was Felicity’s husband tied into the mess? I had an inkling there was a double-cross somewhere in the scenario.

The only place that might hold the answer Dawn wanted was the store. I worried she’d find the final piece of proof and destroy her own heart and the evidence. With her mom passing, Dawn was probably more determined than ever to demolish the shadow of doubt hovering over her husband’s memory.

And if someone was involved with Chad, they might be watching the store. Fixing my phone first might be the more prudent choice, but I intended to talk to Dawn before Karen arrived at the same conclusion I had.

I parked in the vacant side lot. Dawn wasn’t going to make it easy. I walked toward the remains of the building.

A heavy scent, a cross between decay and fresh grass, hung in the air. The sun baked the ground, leaving the imprints the firefighters had made embedded into it. I hadn’t noticed the footprints on Monday; then again, I spent most of my time trying to figure out why Charlie was interested in the circle the fire had burnt around the building.

A horde of flies buzzed around my face. I swatted at the annoying pests. The town needed to get this mess cleaned up before the bugs got worse.

I squatted down and focused on the circle. It looked like a barrier kept the fire away from the rest of the area. Had someone created a barricade so the fire didn’t spread? There weren’t any houses or businesses in close proximity. The closest neighbors of the Carrs were the tall trees, deer, and other critters living in the nearby woods.

I walked the perimeter of the dead grass, avoiding the lump of dirt right at the edge of the store property and the woods. Had the arsonist hoped to keep the flames down until the whole building, and Chad’s body, were ashes? The other point of origin, bordered by a semicircle of rocks, was a few yards away from the main circle located inside of Made With Love. Counting off the paces, I carefully made my way through the debris, heading to the second point Charlie pointed out. If an ember from the teens’ bonfire started this fire, it would’ve had to fly through an open window and land in the middle of the room

“Why am I not surprised you’re here?” Ted clumped up the hill.

“I was looking for Dawn.”

“At a crime scene?” Ted stepped over debris.

“It’s the only place where she might find something to prove her husband isn’t a drug dealer or a fire starter.”

“Dawn has to face the truth. Her husband was guilty of selling Janie to the kids.”

“You found more proof?”

Ted nodded. “In Lucy’s room.”

The bank book. “Chad was putting the money into an account in his mother-in-law’s name. Right?”

Ted didn’t confirm or deny. “I’d prefer you annoy me with your Clue guesses rather than poke around the crime scene. You might not realize this, but a real police investigation isn’t a murder mystery dinner show.”

“I know that. Mrs. Barlow had your attention and there was no way I was going to mention Dawn might be here around her. And I was afraid Karen would come here and look for Dawn.”

“Officer Mitchell has a close eye on you. If he was around, he’d arrest you.”

“Doesn’t that man ever sleep? I’m not doing anything wrong. There’s no crime scene tape up. How was I to know it’s still an active crime scene?”

Ted pushed a button on the walkie-talkie clipped to his bullet-resistant vest. “The tape is down at Made With Love. Find out who removed it.” He turned to me. “Time for you to head home. I’ll take a look around for Dawn. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“Not really.”

Ted fixed a chastising stare on me.

I followed after him.

“Okay, I do need to buy a new phone.”

A sharp crack filled the air. Followed by another.

“Get down!” Ted yanked me to the ground, shielding me with his body.

Crack
!

I screamed. We were being shot at!

“Get behind the mound.” Ted gestured toward the small pile of dirt at the edge of the property. “I’ll stay here and draw their attention.”

Tears rushed into my eyes. “No.”

“Go. An engine is coming this way. I need you out of the line of fire.” Ted drew his service revolver.

I couldn’t let Ted get killed because of me. The only choice I had was taking cover. My long-ago Army training came in handy as I expertly low-crawled my way toward the mound. I gagged as a decaying stench wrapped around me. What died over here?

Another shot rang out. Ted returned fire. A large black truck with mounted roll bars and tinted windows sped by, swerving off the grass and onto the road.

“Stay there until I give the all clear,” Ted yelled. “I have backup on the way.”

I had to get away from the horrible smell. I sprang to my feet, catching the toe of my shoe on a root and tripping forward. My hands sank into the soft pile of dirt in front of me. There was something buried here. The dirt was recently turned over. I dug, not caring about the twigs and edges of sharp stones stabbing into my hands. “Ted!”

My hands worked on their own accord. Fingertips protruded from the dirt. I continued digging, revealing an arm. “There’s a body up here.”

Ted cursed.

My fingers exposed an ear. I brushed dirt from the person’s face. Charlie Powell, the insurance investigator, stared vacantly up at the sky.

“Damn.” Ted stood over me. He pressed the button on the walkie-talkie. “Found Powell. Send the coroner.”

Sitting on the hood of Ted’s cruiser, I wrapped my arms around myself.

“You okay?” Jasper handed me a foam cup of Home Brewed coffee, a white bag tucked between his elbow and waist. He had a black eye and a few other purple bruises on his face. “Dianne said raspberry mocha was your favorite.”

“Thank you.”

Jasper leaned against the side of the cruiser and opened the bag.

“Want a blueberry scone?”

“I’m not hungry,” I said. “It’s nice to see you back. Unless you didn’t want to be.”

“The doctor preferred I take a couple more days off, but I wanted to return to duty. Chief Moore needs me. With the fires, Carr’s murder, and now another one, every officer is running on fumes.”

“I’m sorry you were in trouble because of me.”

“You don’t have to apologize. Want to tell me what happened?”

“Detective Roget knows.” I fought back tears. I hadn’t known Charlie long, but he seemed like a nice guy. Why had he come back to the scene? And more importantly, why had someone killed him?

“When did you talk with Charlie Powell?” Jasper asked. “It seems you’re the last person who spoke to him.”

I stared at him.

“Charlie Powell’s boss called the station this morning.” Jasper leaned against the car. “His wife hadn’t heard from him all day yesterday and was worried. He always called home to read their daughter a bedtime story. It’s something he’s done since she was born. His daughter is eight.”

Tears ran down my cheeks. “That poor little girl. When was the last time someone saw him?”

“There were sightings of him going into Scrap This and leaving with you,” Jasper said. “After that, nothing.”

Officer Mitchell would love this. One more reason to label me a murderer.

I watched the coroner van’s pull up. “He was going to talk to the fire chief because there was something he found odd about the scene.”

Jasper jotted down my statement. “Do you know what time he arrived?”

“I don’t know if he even made it. He went to talk to Chief Ridley, and I went to talk to Detective Roget.”