The neighbor is nixed, p.13
The Neighbor is Nixed, page 13
Fear caught in my throat. Although it seemed to be comprised of papier-mâché, the wall did offer some type of protection against the brothers. Sneaking into the office left me open to all sorts of bad things that may happen... if I was caught.
“Come on!” Ruby yelled. What had happened to me staying out of sight? To calling Adam at the first sign of trouble?
“Please don't make me call the police,” the employee insisted, picking up her phone.
“Gosh, she's annoying,” Ruby muttered, but if in her shoes, I'd call the cops as well. My behavior was anything but normal.
Before I could think through Ruby's plan and come up with at least a hundred reasons as to why I should head home instead, I said, “Sorry to have bothered you. That won't be necessary. Have a lovely afternoon.” Then, I hurried out the door and snuck into Darren's office. As I tried to calm my breathing, I searched for a place to hide. Ruby ran ahead—well, fifteen feet ahead—then turned and shot me a glare.
“Come on,” she whispered. “Let's go.”
As I followed her toward Darren's office, sweat broke out on my brow and my hands shook. What in the world would I say if I was caught?
“So, if I sell the house, I'd be completely out of debt,” Cody said. I stopped and leaned against the wall where I had their doorway in my sights, but they wouldn't be able to discover me—unless they came out.
“And you won't start gambling again, right?” Darren asked sternly. “Don't forget, you owe me money as well.”
“I know, man. I know. Things are finally turning around for me, though. But I do miss Sylvia. It hurts.”
“She was toxic, Cody,” Darren said, annoyance dripping from his voice. “Remember all the stuff she put you through. Remember the black eye she gave you, the time she locked you out of the house when it was snowing, and her slashing your tires just a couple of months ago.”
“We had some good times,” Cody said wistfully. “It’s those I miss. Did you know I broke into the house?”
“You broke into her house?” Darren asked, his voice incredulous. “Don't tell me. I don't want to know.”
Well, technically, if Cody was truly one of the owners, it wasn’t illegal entry, but I wouldn’t correct anyone and give away my position.
“Yeah, it's probably best that you don't,” Cody said, chuckling. “But know this, my brother: my life is turning around. I loved Sylvia and when she cheated on me, it destroyed me. All I could think about was getting revenge, and that put me in a bad place.”
“He played us all,” Ruby shouted, throwing her hands in the air.
But had he? Everything I heard cast him in a guilty light. However, the physical evidence deemed him innocent. One couldn't fake fingerprints... could they?
“You also cheated on her first,” Darren said. “Don't forget that. You aren't the victim here. You need to stop with that. Take responsibility for your actions, Cody.”
“All right.”
“Sylvia was a horrible, abusive person during your marriage and cheated on you after you did her wrong. Then, she divorced you because you had a baby with another woman, and you developed a gambling problem. All of that is on you. You should’ve left years ago.”
“Shut up! I get it!”
“Just making sure. Your whole life you've blamed others for your problems. You're forty. It's about time you—”
“Shut up, Darren! You're worse than Dad! I'm out of here. I can't take your lecturing.”
“Wait a minute, Cody. You know I’d do anything to help you, right? I only want to see you happy. That’s it.”
“I know.”
“You’re my brother and I want you to have a good life.”
“And that’s starting right now,” Cody said. “No matter how much it hurts, Sylvia’s death has been a blessing in disguise. It’s the best thing for me.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I love you, little brother.”
“You’re older by two minutes, Darren. Quit being so darn sentimental.” They both chuckled and I imagined them in a brotherly embrace. “I’ve got to go.”
Crud. I hurried toward the front door, sure I was going to be caught.
When I pushed it open and was about to breathe the fresh scent of freedom, Darren called out, “Bernie?”
“Busted,” Ruby said. “But you'll be fine. You've had self-defense classes. You can bounce these two off the walls.”
My ghost had far more confidence in my abilities than I did. I most certainly could not bounce anyone off any wall... maybe a good kick to the groin and elbow to the face, but no one would be bobbing off any walls.
“What are you doing here?” Darren asked.
As I tried to think of an excuse, I carefully studied Cody. Confusion crossed his face, then his gaze widened. He recognized me.
While his features settled, I said, “I thought I left my sunglasses here.”
“They're on top of your head,” Darren replied, chuckling.
“Really?” Ruby muttered. “Your sunglasses?”
It was the best I could do. I smiled and pulled them off. After tucking them into my coat pocket, I made some sound that I hoped resembled a laugh. To me, it sounded like a choking whale. “Silly me. Thanks, Darren.”
Cody narrowed his gaze and if Darren hadn't been present, he'd have frightened me. Cold and calculated, and at that moment, I had no doubts he was capable of murder.
Before anyone said anything else, I hurried outside and hopped on the ATV. As we drove home, my hands shook while the adrenaline slowly ebbed.
Had Cody killed Sylvia? The circumstantial evidence pointed to it and he certainly had the most to gain. Was Pete truly innocent? And if Cody had killed her, what about the fingerprints on the hammer? Adam had said they belonged to Tina and Pete. Tina had touched the hammer, so I understood why hers would be there. But Pete? The only reason had to be because he'd handled it. And if he’d held it, didn't that mean he'd murdered her?
My gut and the circumstantial evidence pointed to Cody. All of it. But that dang physical evidence was messing with my theory. What was I missing?
Chapter 19
As I paced my living room, I had the feeling something was right in front of me that would unravel the mystery of who had killed Sylvia, but I simply couldn't see it.
“It's so frustrating!” I yelled. Elvira, who rested on the back of the couch, opened one eye and then turned away from me. She detested loud noises, but apparently not enough to give up her perch.
“Stop yelling!” Ruby screamed. “What are you trying to do? Wake the dead?”
“Aren't you funny,” I muttered, then issued a long litany of curses as I picked up my phone to call Adam.
“Hey, Bernie,” Adam answered. “What's up, hot stuff?”
“I don't think Pete killed Sylvia,” I replied, not in the mood for flirty banter.
He sighed, a sound I recognized of him about to become highly annoyed with me. “Why is that?”
“Because of her ex-husband.”
“Cody?”
“Yes. He's not as nice as you think he is.” I mentioned the gambling problem, the money he owed, that he was a drug dealer, and the fact he was now the owner of the house. “His life changes with Sylvia dead, Adam.”
“Circumstantial. We have hard evidence that Pete murdered her. Prints on the hammer, remember? We've got a motive—they were sleeping together and she was hassling him about the tree. And we've got an alibi for Cody.”
“Well, they actually had an affair,” I said. “You make it sound like everything was on the up and up when they were involved. Pete wasn't aware she was married.”
“Fine. They had a sordid affair. That's the least of his sins. Pete's not a boy scout, Bernie. He's done time before.”
No, I hadn't been aware of that detail. “For what?”
“Bar fight. Put a guy in a hospital a few years back.”
The revelation shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. People never fit in the little boxes I thought they should, and I was finally beginning to learn that.
“He's got a history of violence, so that's a bonus in our case,” Adam continued. “We've also got motive and opportunity. It's a slam dunk for us.”
When he put it like that, Pete was guilty without a doubt. “Yes, yes. I understand all that. Did you know Cody has a twin brother?” I asked.
“I didn't, but I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.”
“What if that wasn't Cody at the coffee shop? What if it was his brother?”
The long stretch of silence had me wondering if we'd been disconnected or he'd simply hung up. “Adam?”
“I'm here. That's... it's an interesting thought, but it doesn't negate the physical evidence, Bernie.”
I sighed and attempted to quell the frustration swelling within me. The last thing I needed was to become short-tempered with Adam. “Are you coming over tonight?”
“Please don't be snappy with me,” he said softly. “I can hear the irritation in your voice.”
I'd failed miserably. “I'm sorry. There's just something that's not adding up for me.”
“The case has been solved, Bernie. Everything has added up just as it should.”
“Okay. Fine.” I'd have to put Sylvia’s murder behind me. “What about tonight?”
“I'd planned on being over right after work,” he said. “Want me to pick up some food?”
“Yes.” I certainly didn't have the desire to mess around in the kitchen and try to make something edible. And dishes... yuck.
“What are you in the mood for?”
“Probably sandwiches from the deli or Chinese.”
“Your wish is my command. I'll see you later.”
After hanging up, I decided to go for a walk—not a run. My knee still bothered me a little and I didn't want to do any further damage.
“Do you want to go with me?” I asked my ghost.
“No, thanks,” she said. She and Elvira had curled up on the couch together, my cat purring loudly. “This is much more fun than exercise.”
She wasn't wrong, and for a second, I debated stretching out on the other sofa and indulging in an afternoon nap. “Okay, I'll be back in a bit.” Best to evacuate the premises before I could change my mind.
As I strolled down the street, I glanced at all my neighbors' houses. Yolanda was most likely out back in her pseudo-forest enjoying being naked in nature. I hadn't seen Tina recently. Maybe she tended to her gardens in back. And then there was Wilder... I still hadn't seen Luna and his house appeared to be empty. Perhaps he was searching for his next sacrifice to Satan. I stopped in front of Pete's and crossed my arms over my chest. How much time would he spend in prison? Did he have a good lawyer? What would now happen to his house? With no family I was aware of, would it be foreclosed? Had he really been a killer? As much as the evidence pointed to the answer being a resounding yes, I still had a hard time swallowing it.
With a sigh, I continued my walk, then headed back home after two miles out. A four-mile walk had to be somewhat equal to a two-mile run, and I didn't have the pressure on my knee. Bonus, for I still didn't feel any better.
My gaze was once again drawn to Pete's house. I stopped and stared. What was it about this place that had me so fixated?
“Bernie!” I glanced over my shoulder to find a smiling Tina approaching wearing gardening gloves and a toolbelt that carried small shears, her phone, and a couple of shovels. Very handy. “What're you doing?”
What was I doing? Studying a potential killer’s house trying to figure out why I was obsessed with it. “I'm... I'm not sure.”
She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, mirroring my stance. “It's hard to imagine one of our own as a murderer. I've done my own fair share of contemplation about it.”
“He had motive,” I said. “His fingerprints were found on the hammer.”
“Very true.”
But so were Tina's.
What if Pete wasn't the killer, but Tina? Adam had said they'd investigated her, but nothing came out of it. Yes, Sylvia had hassled her about her gardens, but she couldn't claim an affair like Pete could. To my knowledge, she also hadn't told Sylvia to drop dead.
I had to investigate Pete’s house further. Something wasn’t sitting right with me, and my gut told me his home held the answers I was looking for. I could only hope I’d recognize them if I saw them.
The secret to solving the murder niggled annoyingly right at my conscious.
“I'm heading home,” I said, forgetting my walk. “I'll speak to you later.”
“Sure, hon. Take care.”
Maybe I was wrong to not willingly accept the official physical findings, but I wouldn't stop poking around until I was satisfied.
When nightfall came and I waited for Adam, I stared out my front window monitoring my neighbors' whereabouts. Yolanda had gotten home not too long ago and her living room lights blazed brightly. I imagined her settled in for the night with a cup of tea and a book.
Although I couldn't really get a good view of Tina's, I knew she was an early riser and would most likely be in bed very soon.
Every light seemed to be illuminated in Wilder's home, and I didn't know what to make of it. No one had seen Luna yet. Maybe he needed the light to finish her grave in the backyard.
Regardless, my street was empty, and it was time for me to make a move. “Are you coming with me?” I asked Ruby.
“Heck, yes! I wouldn't miss this for all the tequila in Mexico.”
“That's a lot of tequila,” I replied, snickering. “You sure about that?”
“Don't make me second-guess myself. Let's go! Cagney and Lacey are on the move!”
As we hurried toward Pete's house, she said, “You know, we need one more hot chick and we could be Charlie's Angels!”
Rolling my eyes, I didn’t bother to comment. The less noise I made, the greater the chance I wouldn't be discovered.
I glanced around, then jogged up Pete's driveway, still unsure of what I searched for. After making my way around the side of the house, I peeked in the windows as Ruby ghosted through the walls. Nothing struck me as odd, and my grandmother wasn’t any help.
“This guy needs to clean his toilet,” she said. “Absolutely gross.”
As I stood on the porch, I glanced around and debated venturing into the backyard. Beer cans were strewn about. A plate with an old sandwich sat on the table. How the bugs hadn’t gotten to it yet, I didn’t understand. I almost tripped over his toolbox.
With a gasp, I knelt next to it, a hedge of bushes hiding me from the street. The hammer protruded from the side, along with a wrench and a handsaw. Organization wasn’t Pete’s strong point. I studied the hammer grip, ripped up from use, just as Tina’s had been. This was it, what I had been looking for! I wasn’t sure how it all fit together, but I knew the hammer was crucial to finding the real killer.
As I was about to grab it, vehicle lights swung around, illuminating the area.
“Abort! Abort!” Ruby yelled. “Someone's here!”
“Are you sure?” I hissed. “They aren't just parking on the street?”
“Nope. They're walking up the driveway! Hide!”
“Who is it?”
“I don't know! I left my night vision glasses at home!”
“Ruby!”
“Crawl over there! To your left! Behind the bush!” Small scrubs had been planted along the side of the front porch, but had yet to mature.
I did as instructed and quickly realized the single bush did nothing to hide me. If I curled up in a ball, I could be seen over the top. If I laid flat, it hid my head and my upper torso. My only hope was that whoever approached didn't glance my way and notice my legs.
Footsteps sounded up the driveway, and I was out of time. There wasn't anywhere to hide.
“Holy cow!” Ruby yelled.
I peeked around the leaves to find a man hunched over the toolbox, a phone in his hand lighting the area. He grabbed the hammer and stood.
“What the heck is your lawyer doing here?” Ruby asked.
Great question, but everything suddenly fell into place. I'd found the killer.
I scrambled to my feet. Darren's eyes widened as he attempted to hide the tool behind his leg.
“B-Bernie! What are you doing here?!”
“I live in this neighborhood,” I said, stepping around the bush. “But I guess you didn’t pay much attention to that when you looked over my tax return. Details are important, Darren. I think the question is, what are you doing here, in my neighbor's yard, stealing his hammer?”
He chuckled and shook his head. Even in the low illumination of the flashlight, the resemblance between him and Cody was uncanny. Darren was simply a bit more polished. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
I pointed at him and narrowed my gaze. “You killed her, didn't you?”
For a brief second, acknowledgement flashed in his eyes, but his condescending smile returned once again. “Are you drunk?”
“Oh, how I wish!” Ruby said. “I'd give just about anything for a few shots of tequila and a beer chaser!”
“You killed Sylvia,” I said, ignoring his question. “And I’m going to nail you for it.”
How, I wasn’t sure. But, I’d eventually get it all figured out. My mind raced in the attempt to do so.
“Listen, Bernie,” he said, taking a step toward me. “I'm not sure if you're on drugs or drunk or you're just crazy. But I didn't kill anyone.”
“Uh oh,” Ruby said. “We have a problem. He's gripping that hammer pretty hard, Bernie. Don't push him, or you may end up with it stuck in your skull!”
I pulled one of the chairs in front of me as Ruby bent over. Darren would have to climb over it to get to me. Running wasn't an option. In front of me lay the chest-high wedges. If I turned, I'd trip over the small shrubs hiding in the darkness behind me.
He stared at me, probably going over the pros and cons of bashing in my head, just as he'd done to Sylvia.
