Kari Lee Townsend - Sunny Meadows 04 - Perish in the Palm (5 page)

I just sat there too numb for words.

As if reading my thoughts, she responded. “Don’t worry about me, darling. I have your father.”
And that’s all I need
was left unsaid, but we both knew it had been implied. She didn’t need me, didn’t appreciate me, and probably never would.

I snapped my jaw closed and stood. “You know what? You’re right. I think I’ll go where I can actually do some good. Good luck, Mother. I hope you like orange. I hear it’s the new black and all the rage behind bars.” Waving my fingers at her eye-roll and head-shake, I turned my back and walked out the door, but I wasn’t going to Jo. And I wasn’t going home. I was on a mission.

Mother wasn’t the only one who could stir things up.

I
t was Saturday evening, but not too late. I was hoping Mitch thought I was still settling my parents in at the Divinity Hotel. He had been busy securing the crime scene and questioning the guests at Jo and Cole’s wedding reception, but everyone had dispersed, and he was probably home by now. Leaving him alone with Morty was risky, but I needed answers. This was my mother we were talking about. As much as she drove me nuts, I still loved her and didn’t want to see her go to jail for something she didn’t do.

There had been something in the reading I had given to Peirce that made me want to question Linda Theodore more. She had definitely seemed like a wife who wasn’t happy. She had rolled her eyes at Peirce not wanting to travel and didn’t seem entirely content in their marriage. It was late when I arrived back at Divine Inspiration. The wedding and reception had long since been over, the crime scene was secured, the detectives were gone, and my parents were settled. I only had minutes to play with.

I rang the doorbell without hesitation. The door swung open and Linda Theodore stood there, her eyes wary and calculating but not red-rimmed like you would expect from someone who had just become a widow.

“I’m Sunny Meadows, consultant for the Divinity Police Department.” I stuck out my hand.

“I know who you are.” She didn’t shake my hand. Instead, she tightened her long, satin robe around her.

“I see.” I dropped my empty palm to my side.

“What are you doing here so late, Miss Meadows? The police have already questioned me thoroughly and shut down my place of operation, I might add. Do you have any idea the amount of money I will lose by closing my doors until this investigation is solved? I can’t afford that. We were fully booked for the fall leaf peeping season. This will ruin us.”

“I do understand, and I’m so sorry. I get it, believe me. It wasn’t long ago that I had to close my doors until a murder investigation I was involved with was solved.” I tried to play on her sympathies. “I understand first-hand what you’re going through. I’m just here to try to help you if you’ll let me.”

“I’m not a fool, Miss Meadows. You’re here because you want to save your mother.” I could tell she didn’t trust me. She tucked her brown bob behind her ears.

“True, I do,” I chose my words carefully, “but not at your expense. I can promise you that. I really do want to get to the bottom of whomever the real killer is.”

She stared at me for a long minute, and then finally stood back and pushed the door open wider. No words were necessary to know that she believed me or was at least curious enough to hear me out.

I stepped through the threshold and followed her into the living room. The same living room where I had given Peirce his reading.

“Normally this room would be filled with guests right now.” A note of wistful longing filled her voice as she sat on the very same couch.

I sat down on a chair adjacent to her.

“I’d offer you refreshments, but since I’m not allowed to entertain any guests, I can’t exactly afford any staff at the moment.”

“But I thought I saw a few of your regulars just minutes ago.”

“I have a few diehards who refuse to leave whether I can pay them or not.”

“That’s sweet. You hold onto that. And don’t worry about me, I don’t need any refreshments.”

“I plan to hold onto that.” She appeared stronger than I had originally thought. “Now, what can I do for you, Miss Meadows?”

“Listen, I just want to help you. Sincerely, I do.” I studied her, taking in her appearance. She was a petite brunette with a cute, sassy, wavy brown bob and pretty amber eyes. She could have any man, but she’d remained true to her husband, who obviously hadn’t treated her as nicely as he should have, according to the vibe I’d received from his reading.

“And how can you do that?” she asked with a surprisingly calculating gleam in her eyes. “You’re reading was a joke. Where’s all the money Peirce was supposed to come into? I certainly haven’t seen any of it.”

“These things take time before they reveal themselves fully.”

“Well time is something I don’t have. Let’s just say my husband had more enemies than friends, I’m discovering. And more debt than I was aware of.”

“What kind of enemies? Are you in danger?” I pulled out a notepad and pen. For the first time, I realized there might be more danger involved than I had first thought and more people might be in jeopardy of losing their lives.

She shrugged. “I was never afraid for myself, but he seemed terrified. Whenever I asked him about it, he told me I was imagining things, but I wasn’t. I was married to him for long enough to know when he was stressed out.”

“I’m listening.”

“At first I thought he was seeing another woman with all his late night hushed phone calls and secret meetings, so I followed him. Turns out he had been meeting with his accountant. Then when we kept getting prank phone calls, I knew his problems were much bigger than a simple affair.” She finally sniffed, pulling out a hankie and dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “I just don’t know how I’m going to get through all of this. I sometimes worry that his thugs are now after me.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way,” I said because I didn’t know what else to say.

Her calculating gaze cut to my eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do.” I narrowed my own gaze. “I do my homework, Mrs. Theodore,” I added, deciding to cut to the chase.

She arched a brow. “And what exactly does
that
mean?”

“That I know you took out a big life insurance policy on your husband recently.” Okay, so I didn’t do my homework, but I’d overheard Mitch and Captain Walker talking earlier, but she didn’t have to know that.

She stiffened and a flash of concern crossed her features, then she sat up straighter, donning an unreadable expression. “So what? That doesn’t prove anything.”

“I’m not trying to prove anything, Mrs. Theodore. I’m trying to point out what any prosecuting attorney is going to jump on in a court of law. Do I think you’re guilty?” I studied her carefully and answered as honestly as I could. “No, I don’t. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re hiding something.”

Her eyes shot to the floor, her body language saying it all even if she hadn’t uttered a word of guilt. “There’s nothing wrong with planning ahead.”

“No, especially not if you think your husband’s life is in danger. Is that what happened?” I watched her eyes closely to gauge her reaction.

She sighed and the first unguarded, honest expression of worry crossed her features. Her shoulders slumped as though she had the world resting upon them. “Look, Miss Meadows, I actually loved my husband. Did I make mistakes in our marriage? Of course. I’m only human. But I didn’t kill him or have him killed, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Then why the policy?” I asked in a quiet voice.

“Because he wasn’t himself at the end. He wouldn’t talk to me, but I could tell something was bothering him. He was never big on travel, but at the end, he was adamant we not go anywhere. And he was constantly on his phone, whispering in a heated voice and looking more stressed than I’d ever seen him. It was after I received those few threatening phone calls in his absence that I finally took out the life insurance policy. I knew we had a lot of debt, and the last thing I wanted was to go bankrupt for whatever he was involved in. That doesn’t make me a murderer, Miss Meadows.”

“I never said that it did, Mrs. Theodore. I am truly sorry for your loss. Here is my card if you can think of anything else. I really do just want to help you. I owe that to your husband. Thank you so much for your time.” I stood and let myself out. Peirce was obviously involved in something much bigger than anything to do with Joanne’s wedding. The question of how much his wife knew about it remained. Maybe it was time I paid his accountant a visit.

I stepped outside and shivered as I walked to my car. The temperature had dropped considerably, as was the case in upstate NY in the fall. Fishing out my keys, I unlocked my bug and reached for the door handle. A body pushed me up against the door, my cheek pressed to the roof, my arms trapped at my sides. The hard confines of the much bigger form pressed snugly against my backside. My heart began to race and my stomach jumped into my throat. Had someone been watching and waiting to attack Linda, only to wind up attacking me instead? Why hadn’t I paid more attention in self-defense class?

I could hear my pulse beat in my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. “Wh-what do you want,” I asked. I tried to think about what to do, but my mind went blank.

The form didn’t say anything, it just pushed into me harder, letting me know I was vulnerable and he was in control. Finally, he spoke. “Have you had enough? Are you ready to listen to me now?”

I gasped. “Mitch?” I squeaked out, nearly wilting in relief.

“Dammit, Tink, this could have been anyone!” Anger vibrated through his pores. “Now do you see why I’m so worried?”

The tension eased out of my every cell immediately, my pulse returning to normal and my breathing finally regulating. No matter how angry he got, he would never hurt me. “Mitch, oh my God, you scared the heck out of me.”

He turned me around to face him and nailed me with an icy gray glare. “My point exactly. When are you going to learn to use common sense and leave the police work to me? Jesus Tink, you are going to be the death of me yet.”

I sucked in a breath as he leaned into me, trapping me against the car. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“Making a point.”

“Oh, I got the point. Felt it with every ounce of my being.” My grin came slow and sweet.

“This isn’t funny, Sunny,” he said in a soft but deadly tone. I could feel all of his hard body pressed intimately against mine. As much as I wanted him, I knew he was serious. “Someone could have done a whole lot more to you than kill you. In the end, death might have been preferred.”

My smile faded. “I’m not laughing, Mitch. You caught me off guard, but it won’t happen again. I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” he ground out. “I could have been someone else. You aren’t supposed to be anywhere near this case. Not to mention, we made a commitment to each other.”

“Did we?” I asked, dying to know why he hadn’t said he loved me since that fateful day so long ago. The day I’d asked him to take it slow. The day I’d said no to marrying him. The day I’d regretted ever since.

“Yes, Miss Meadows, we did. When I moved in, I assumed that meant you would do me the common courtesy of letting me now when you wouldn’t be coming home. Do you know how worried I’ve been? I called the hotel an hour ago, and your mother said you’d already left. Yet you didn’t bother to call me and tell me where you were going. Why is that? I don’t ask for much, Sunny.”

“I know, and I didn’t call you because I knew you would stop me,” I said honestly. I blew out a breath. “I knew you would be worried and you would come after me and you would make me go home. It’s my mother, Mitch. I can’t help but want to be involved in this case. I need to know she’s going to be okay. I need to know I’m doing all that I can. I need to clear her name before it’s too late.”

“And I need you to trust me to do my job.”

I reached up and cupped his face with my hands. “I do trust you.” I pressed my lips softly against his. “I just need you to trust me, too. I can be a help to you. Please let me.”

He dropped his forehead to mine and tried to control his breathing. “Goddamn this is hard.”

I bit my lip, afraid to ask, then finally said, “What? Working with me or living with me or just being with me?”

He raised his head and answered point blank. “All of the above.”

“Oh, I see,” I said in a quiet voice and dropped my hands.

“You don’t see anything,” he ground out, stepping back from me and pacing the driveway.

“Then tell me. I might be psychic but I can’t read your mind, Mitch, or haven’t you figured that out yet. You’re grumpier than ever these days.”

He stopped pacing and nailed me to my car with just a look from his stormy gray eyes. “You want to know why I’m so grumpy?”

“Y-Yes?” I asked, suddenly second guessing if I really did or not. He looked like he was on the warpath and I was his target.

“I—I—oh, hell,” he said, then picked me up to straddle his pent-up frustration as he pushed me back against my car and his lips slammed down on to mine and his body pressed tightly against me.

He kissed me with all his emotions flying raw and at the surface. I tasted Morty driving him crazy, Granny Gert underfoot, my obsession with Jo and Cole’s wedding, my insistence on clearing my mother’s name, and just exactly how much he had missed me. By the time he tore his lips from mine, I felt ravaged and raw and oh-so-wanted.

“Awww, honey, why didn’t you say so,” I said, stroking his cheeks and pressing tender kisses all over his face.

He closed his eyes and his lips tipped up a hair. He turned his face into my palm and kissed it softly. “You’re going to be the death of me yet, Tink.”

“Nonsense,” I said in a breathy voice. “I’m going to be the thing that makes you finally start living. Now take me to the nearest hotel room and love me forever, baby.”

He blinked. “Seriously?”

“Yes, detective. I
seriously
need some alone time with my boyfriend, and something tells me you need alone time with me as well. I say it’s time we put each other before everything else for a change.”

“You’re boyfriend, huh?”

“Um, hello, we
are
living together.”

“And taking it slow.” He eyed me carefully.

“Slow, yes. A step backward, no. I miss you, Detective Grumpy Pants.”

“I miss you, too, Tink. And I say making love to my
girlfriend
has never sounded better.”