Kari Lee Townsend - Sunny Meadows 04 - Perish in the Palm (22 page)

“Not so fast, Captain Jack,” Jo ground out and cocked his gun. She’d snuck up behind him while he was in an emotionally enraged state and distracted.

He had face-planted into a rock, then rolled over, looking startled. He reached for the back of his pants. “My gun.”

“That’s right, Coco Loco,” Zoe said, holding the shovel like a weapon. “Now someone’s finally starting to make some sense. I’m thinking you were right all along. You’re not crazy, you’re just stupid.”

I joined the girls, standing three strong over him while he lay flat on his back, looking floored. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shepard, but you’re the one who is wrong. You have been living a lie your entire life. Your ancestor risked everything to stop the next generation from throwing their lives away in wanting something more. And you, my friend, sadly did exactly that. You’re no better than his brother.”

“Women or not, I will kill you all,” Jack ground out.

“Like you did Peirce Theodore?” Zoe stated.

“I have hated the Theodores my entire life, but I didn’t kill Peirce.”

“Save it for the judge,” Jo said. “If you’re still alive that is. If I miss happy hour, I’ll kill you myself.”

“
T
hank you,” my mother said with rare emotion lacing her voice as she hugged me—actually wrapped her arms around me and hugged me hard—the next morning at the Divinity Hotel.

“You’re welcome.” I hugged her back tightly, trying to show her what I never seemed to be able to say. After a moment of just standing there in an embrace and slowly rocking back and forth, we broke apart. “I didn’t do it alone, of course.”

“Well, of course not, darling. Everyone knows that. You couldn’t have done anything without Joanne and Zoe’s help. Those two are such gems. You’d do well to hang onto them.” My mother brushed imaginary lint off her perfect suit coat, looking more like the mother I knew and admittedly loved.

I let out a little chuckle and just shook my head. I knew the truth about how she really felt, and that was enough. “Oh, don’t you worry. They aren’t going anywhere. Not to mention I have Mitch in my corner.”

“Ah, yes, Detective Stone.” My father stepped forward and shook his hand. “I’m counting on you to take care of our girl. We owe you a debt of gratitude for arresting that scoundrel. To think the groundskeeper almost got away with murder and sent my lovely Vivian to prison.” He shuddered. “I fear this old heart wouldn’t have been able to handle that.”

“All I did was arrest him. Your daughter and her friends are the ones who brought him out of the woods, proving they are more than capable of taking care of themselves.” Mitch squeezed my hand. “I’m very proud of her. In fact, I couldn’t have solved this case without her help.”

And this is why I love him
, I thought. He always had my back. I smiled up at him, trying to show my gratitude, and he winked.

“What happens now?” Granny Gert asked, passing around a tray of celebratory cookies in red, white and blue, in the name of truth and justice for all. Or at least that is what she’d said with a
boys oh day
thrown in to boot.

“Now we head into the station and finish the paperwork to clear your daughter’s name.” Mitch looked at Vivian. “You, Mrs. Meadows, are a free woman.”

My mother inhaled a discreet but noticeably deep breath, and my father slipped his arm around her, giving her a gentle squeeze of support. My father smiled at Chuck Webb in thanks for putting up with them. Chuck nodded to my father, ignored my mother, and crossed their name out of his register with obvious glee.

“There you two are,” Mitch said as Wendy Statham and Jason Shank brought their things to the front desk to check out. “I just wanted to let you both know you’re all set. I cleared it with the captain. You can leave town any time now, and I thank you both for your patience and cooperation during this investigation.”

“No problem, dude,” Jason said. “It wasn’t so bad. I made some new contacts, and that’s always a good thing.” He nodded at Wendy. “Keep in touch.” He picked up his suitcase, waved to the rest of us, and headed out the door.

“Are you sure we can’t convince you to stay,” Granny Gert said to Wendy. “Between your cakes and my cookies, we could rule this pop stand.”

Wendy smiled fondly at Granny. “As tempting as that is, I need to get back to my life. I still have so much to do. But if I find out I don’t have a job left back in the city, I just might take you up on your offer. Thank you so much for all your help in finding me a place to work while I was here.” She hugged her.

“Don’t you worry about your job,” my mother said. “I know your boss well. And I will definitely be recommending you and Mr. Shank to everyone I know.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Wendy said, emotion clogging her throat. “How will I ever pay you back?”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way.” My mother winked.

“I’ll certainly try.” Wendy nodded, waved to us all, and then left the hotel.

We grabbed our things and followed Mitch to the police station. The sooner my hunky detective cleared my mother’s name, the sooner they would leave, the sooner we could get on with our lives…

The sooner I could propose.

***

Later that day I sat on the back enclosed sun porch with Mitch, watching the sun sink lower in the sky, reflecting various shades of red, gold, orange, and yellow. He’d built this addition soon after moving in, and it had become a favorite spot of ours. Morty refused to enter this area of the house, probably because he knew it belonged to Mitch, which was fine by me. I was just glad Mitch had begun to put his stamp on this place so he could start to feel like it was home. Soon the sun would set and night would be upon us. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. I knew the stars would be sparkling bright in an inky sky.

The perfect setting to propose.

“What’s on your mind?” Mitch slipped his arm around me as we rocked in the porch swing.

“Listen.”

“I don’t hear anything.”

“That’s the point. The sound of silence.” I sighed dreamily. “It has never sounded so good.”

“No Morty, no Granny, no drama … I have to say I agree with you.” He chuckled, and I snuggled into him.

“I know it hasn’t been easy for you, giving up everything and moving in with me.” I looked up at him and stared deeply into his dark, stormy eyes. “I hope you know how much it means to me. How much
you
mean to me.”

“I do,” he said.

It was a sign.

If I didn’t jump in with both feet and propose now, I probably wouldn’t get up the courage again. “You know I love you, right?”

He drew his brows together curiously, his lips tipping up slightly. “Yes.” He lowered his head and kissed me softly. “I hope you know I love you, too.”

“I do,” I said.

“Good.” He pulled me onto his lap and started tipping me back into the cushions. “Now that we’ve settled that, how about I show you just how much.”

I rested my hands on his chest to halt him. “As much as I would love to take you up on that, there’s something I want to ask you.”

He groaned, pressing his forehead against mine. “You’re killing me, Tink.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and then sat back up. “Shoot,” he said.

And just like that, with one simple word as the trigger, I was hit with a vision.

My parents had said their goodbyes and insisted on taking a cab to the airport. It had been easier to agree than to try to change their minds. I could see them sitting in the back seat of a cab, but I couldn’t see the driver through the divider. They were talking to each other about their plans for the future, when my father paused and looked out the window.

He told the driver this was the wrong way to the airport. The driver ignored him and kept driving. My mother insisted the driver stop at once, but the driver refused. I could feel their fear as the driver kept going on an unknown route with an obvious agenda. Finally the cab pulled off onto an old dirt road into the woods. I recognized the area. It was out beyond the inn. The cab finally stopped, the driver got out, and pulled out a gun.

“No!” I yelled.

“Sunny.” Mitch shook me gently, snapping me back to the present. He looked in my eyes with alarm. “What’s wrong?”

“We have to go now.” I stared at him with a haunted gaze.

“Where?”

“Back to the woods behind the inn,” I said with certainty, jumping up and racing to the foyer and grabbing my coat.

“Why?” he asked, following my lead while grabbing his coat and badge and gun along the way.

I stopped at the door, took a shaky breath, and turned to him. “Because the killer’s still out there. My parents are about to die, and I know who’s going to pull the trigger.”

***

I crept through the woods, trying not to make any noise, with Mitch hot on my heels. He’d only agreed to let me lead the way because I knew where I was going. The girls and I had come this way when we walked out of the woods, holding Jack at gunpoint. He’d led us to the old dirt road which was a direct path back to the inn.

We’d already passed the cab. The sun had nearly set, the amber glow of daylight still lighting the way, but soon it would be cold and dark. We needed to hurry to keep the advantage. A gut feeling made me veer off the path near the rapids. I swallowed, my throat going dry, thinking about my parents being executed and their bodies being dumped into the raging river. With the ragged rocks, there would be nothing left of them by the time they were found.

We heard voices.

I motioned for Mitch to keep quiet and I led the way to a group of trees. We hid behind them and peeked through the branches. Wendy Statham looked like a wild woman. Her blond hair hanging loose and tangled, her makeup streaked as if she’d been crying, and her eyes tinged with a wildness she couldn’t hide. She held a handgun pointed directly at my mother. My parents were on their knees with their hands in the air. 

“I don’t understand.” My mother sounded weak and vulnerable, which broke my heart. “I was going to recommend you. I thought we were friends.”

“We’re not friends,” Wendy hissed. “I’ve hated you for so long now.”

“You don’t have to do this.” My father used a rational tone, but I could see the fear in his eyes. “There’s still time to change your mind. We’ll get on our plane and leave town and not say anything about this to anyone. You have my word.”

“And you have
my
word, you won’t see another sunrise,” Wendy growled.

“What did I ever do to you?” my mother asked.

“You ruined my life.”

“How? I don’t even know you.”

“Ah, but you knew my husband.”

“What are you talking about?” My mother shook her head in confusion. “I don’t know anyone by the name of Statham.”

“That’s because he has a different name than I do.” Wendy’s face hardened. “My husband’s name is Mike Herwood.”

I could see my mother’s skin pale even from this far away. Mitch was trying to get a clear shot of Wendy, but she kept moving and trees kept blocking his view.

“You put him away. Got him locked up for years,” Wendy continued.

“He robbed a bank,” my mother said carefully. “Legally I had no choice. It had nothing to do with you.”

“It had everything to do with me!” Wendy shouted. “I had to raise four children by myself. Do you know what that’s like? I had to change my name to my maiden name just to get a job. No one wanted to hire the wife of a bank robber. You took my identity away from me. You took my husband. You took my future. I have worked myself to the bone in order to make ends meet.”

It suddenly dawned on me. That’s why Morty had jumped on the cake and bit the head off my mother, trying to clue me in that she was in danger from the guy on trial—or rather, his wife, aka Cake Lady. And then later when he’d peeked through the gazebo bars, looking like he was in jail. Once again he’d been trying to tell me something all along, and as usual I had missed the clues.

“Why kill Peirce Theodore?” my father said, drawing me back to the scene unfolding before me. “He didn’t have anything to do with any of this.”

“There are always casualties of war,” Wendy said, looking even crazier in that she truly believed she was justified for doing everything she’d done. “I have waited years for the opportunity to kill your wife. When I heard Cake Masters was going to make the cake for the West wedding and that Vivian would be there, I volunteered to bring the cake myself.”

“You can bet you won’t have a job for sure now,” my mother said while looking down her nose.

She would never learn, I thought, and mentally begged her with my eyes to just stop talking. It had been her mouth that got her into trouble in the first place.

“Wendy laughed. Do you think I care? It was never about the job. I planned on killing you while I was here and then skipping town. But another opportunity presented itself. I saw how much you despised Mr. Theodore. After you threatened him, it dawned on me that killing you would be too easy. You need to suffer like my husband has for the past fifteen years. I knew if I framed you for murder, you would go to prison for life. And you, Mr. Meadows, would know exactly how I feel.”

“That’s just crazy talk. The truth always comes out. You would be caught eventually. Maybe there’s another way. A better way,” my father tried to reason with her once more. “Maybe we can talk to a judge and get your husband out.”

“Someone has to be punished for the years he’s suffered, and I don’t trust the justice system. I have learned over the years that if you want real justice, you have to take it for yourself. So I cut the tent, killed Peirce, and shoved Vivian over him. I didn’t count on so many other people in this town looking guilty. I had to resort to things like when I poisoned Granny Gert and Fiona’s food, hoping to cast even more blame on Vivian, showing more proof of how desperate she gets when jealous.”

My mother gasped and then harrumphed.

“You made it clear you didn’t like being left out, and you always think you can do a better job than others,” Wendy went on. “Crazy Jack Shepard had to go and ruin it all with his obsession for finding the treasure. If it wasn’t for that meddling daughter of yours, everything would have worked out perfectly. But no, she had to go and clear your name. I couldn’t let you get off that easy. What would be the justice in that? So it’s back to plan A: kill Vivian. Killing you, Mr. Meadows, is simply another casualty that can’t be avoided.”

Wendy raised her gun, aiming it at Vivian and cocking it. Her finger was on the trigger, ready to squeeze, when Mitch jumped into action. He finally got a clear shot and pulled the trigger. Wendy’s arm jerked and she fell backwards, but not before her gun went off. My father screamed,
No
, and threw himself in front of my mother.

I ran over to my parents, while Mitch charged Wendy, but not quite fast enough.

“Hold it, Detective. Take another step and I will gladly make you another casualty,” Wendy said, on her feet again with a bloody arm still firmly clutching her gun. “Now, drop your weapon and join the others.”

Mitch’s jaw clenched and unclenched, but he dropped his gun and slowly made his way over to us. My father was unconscious but still alive. The bullet went through his side, but his pulse was still strong, giving me hope. My mother sobbed quietly, stroking his head and telling him how much she loved him. I felt so helpless. In trying to help my mother clear her name, I had probably just gotten us all killed.