The neighbor is nixed, p.5
The Neighbor is Nixed, page 5
Tina sighed and ran a hand over her salt and pepper pixie cut. “My phone’s dead. Let’s get you out of my herb garden,” she said. “Come into the house.”
I gently stepped around the plants and out of the planter while picking greenery out of my hair. Tina hadn’t been lying when she said her backyard was just as packed as her front. Railroad tie planters had been built from one end to the other, most filled with different foliage.
“I’ve got carrots and squash over here,” Tina said, pointing to her right. “To the left is the tomatoes. Let’s make sure you take some home with you.”
As I followed her into the house, I couldn’t imagine the amount of work it took to keep up with it all. Her garden must be a full-time occupation for her.
We entered the house. As I closed the sliding glass door, she asked, “Do you want some lemonade? I made it with lemons from Yolanda’s trees.”
“I’d love some. Thank you.”
As I sat down at the kitchen table, I studied the space. White cabinets, brown tiled flooring—simple, clean, and functional, just like Tina.
She brought over two glasses and sat down.
“Did everything go okay at the hospital?” I asked.
She nodded and smiled. “Yes. Finding Sylvia just spiked my blood pressure. They wanted to watch me for a few hours and let me go once everything had settled.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Her grin faded. “I’m going to be in a lot of trouble, Bernie.”
I fought a grimace as I sipped my lemonade. A bit too much sugar for me. “Why is that?”
“That hammer we found by Sylvia?”
“What about it?”
“It was mine.”
With a gasp, I set down my glass. “How do you know that?”
“I had some tools out front, one of them being my hammer. The rubber grip is coming apart and there’s a chunk of it missing. My hammer killed her.”
When I came home from my run, I had noticed the tools and wondered if I should mention they’d been left out. “You’re certain?”
She nodded. “That morning, when I headed out to see Sylvia, I saw it was gone. I remembered leaving it outside, but then figured I’d picked it up or misplaced it. Then there it was, next to Sylvia.”
“Or perhaps she grabbed it and went over and knocked Sylvia’s brains out,” Ruby said. “She could have been hiding it in her jacket, or even carrying it down by her leg. You never would have seen it.”
Good point. But was the woman in her sixties sitting across from me a killer? I didn't think so.
“What do you think happened?” I asked. “Someone on their way to see Sylvia picked up the hammer from your yard?”
She shrugged and shook her head. “They must have. I didn't kill her, although the cops are going to find my fingerprints on the hammer.”
“You don't know that. Maybe the killer wiped it down to hide their own prints.”
“Except, I picked it up to look at it when I found Sylvia to make sure it was mine. I wasn't thinking.”
I stared at my neighbor. She’d come upon a body and picked up the hammer that had most likely been used to kill?
“Did you tell the cops that?” I asked.
“No. I haven't had my formal statement taken yet.”
The sheriff's office was going to have a field day with Tina's mistake, and they'd dig to make sure she wasn't lying about it. On one hand, maybe it would take the target off me. On the other, her life would become more difficult than she could probably imagine.
With a sigh, I smiled, hoping to hide the fact that I believed she was in deep doodoo—even more so than me. A stupid, flippant comment versus fingerprints on the murder weapon? Hands down, the cops should be more interested in the latter.
We chatted a few more minutes, then she grabbed a paper grocery bag and insisted on us going out to pick tomatoes. Once I had my bounty, she also tossed in a few onions. Maybe I could talk Darla, my friend and chef extraordinaire, into making me some salsa.
Thankfully, I didn't have to scale the wall to return home, either. Tina pulled out a ladder from her shed and I climbed over easily. When I reached the top, I slowly lowered myself to the ground. Tina hurried up the ladder and handed me my bag. “See you later, Bernie!”
I waved and headed back to my house. With my dark sweatshirt and the night settling in, the remaining press either didn't see me, or decided I wasn't worth chasing.
Ruby and I settled in for the night with some Cagney and Lacey reruns.
“I think she did it,” Ruby said when we were about halfway through the show. “I've been sitting here thinking about it, and sweet Tina had the motive, access to the murder weapon, and the opportunity to off Sylvia.”
“You're wrong,” I said, shaking my head. “She was too upset. They took her to the hospital for high blood pressure.”
“That can be faked,” Ruby said. “She just needed to get herself all worked up into a frenzy and her blood pressure would go up.”
I'd never heard of such a thing.
“By the look on your face, you think I'm crazy,” Ruby said. “Didn't you ever give yourself a fever so you could stay home from school when you were young?”
“No. That's ridiculous.”
“What? Giving yourself a fever or wanting to stay home from school?”
It wouldn't have mattered. My mother would've given me some Tylenol and sent me whether my fever was real or not. I missed three days from kindergarten through high school. I even won an award for my excellent attendance record. “Mom didn’t care about fevers,” I grumbled. “I had to be throwing up in order skip class.”
“Jeez, your mother is something else,” Ruby muttered.
I stared at the television. Ruby's relationship with my mother hadn't really been given a chance to flourish since Ruby's parents took her away almost directly after birth, claiming Ruby wasn't fit to be a mother. Whether that was true or not, she wasn’t allowed to discover.
Ruby sighed. “But getting back to the dead lady across the street, the police are going to be a bee in Tina's bonnet. I mean, who makes a mistake like that? Touching a murder weapon? My guess is she offed Tina, had her hissy fit for the cops’ sake, then realized her mistake while she was in the hospital. She came up with the story and is now acting all worried.”
Ruby wasn't wrong. Tina could've grabbed the hammer on her way to Sylvia's and hit her—opportunity. She hadn't seemed as upset about Sylvia hassling her about her front yard gardens, but perhaps she had been. Motive. With her swinging tools around all day while gardening, she was definitely strong enough. She had the means.
Hmm... had I just discovered the killer?
Chapter 7
I spent most of the night tossing and turning, wondering if Ruby could be right. Had Tina murdered Sylvia? Was her reaction to finding the body simply an act? Had she realized she’d messed up and hadn’t wiped down the hammer, then concocted her story of picking it up at the murder scene? I struggled to remember if I’d seen her carry it when she’d crossed the street that morning. Unable to recall, I also speculated she could have hidden it in her sweatshirt or the waistband of her pants. Just because I hadn’t noticed it didn’t necessarily mean she didn’t have it.
In the morning, as I sat at the kitchen island sipping my coffee, a knock sounded at the back door.
“Dang it,” I whispered when I saw Darla carrying enough food to feed the seven people who were supposed to be staying at my home.
“Come in, come in,” I said, stepping aside as she hurried past me into the kitchen, her blonde ponytail bobbing.
“This cinnamon cake is still hot,” she said, setting it down on the counter. “I also made Eggs Benedict, cut up some fruit, and squeezed some fresh orange juice. Jack is bringing that in.”
I turned to find Mr. Dimples strolling through the back door. “Hey, Bernie!”
“Hi.”
“Everything okay?”
I nodded. The two obviously hadn’t seen the news; too busy being lovestruck and staring into at each other’s eyes all night.
Well, that’s what I figured, anyway.
“Did I hear Jack?” Ruby yelled as she hurried in from the living room. “My stars, I certainly did. Isn’t he just as hot as the surface of the sun?” With a gasp, she laid her hand over her heart and batted her eyelashes in his direction.
“What time are your guests coming down?” Darla asked as she pulled out some plates from the cabinet. “Should we set the table now, or are they late risers?”
“There aren’t any guests,” I said.
Darla and Jack exchanged glances as she set the dishes back on the shelf. “Why didn’t you call?” she asked. “To cancel?”
“Were they no-shows?” Jack asked.
“I didn’t call because I forgot. The woman across the street was murdered yesterday and things were pretty crazy around here. Phoning you to cancel breakfast completely slipped my mind.”
Both stared at me slack-jawed. I had been right. They’d been too busy being lovey-dovey to watch the news.
Jack shook his head and scrubbed his hand over his cheek, as if he could rub away the dimple. “Tell us what happened, Bernie.”
I had previously shared my run-ins with Sylvia with both of them, so they weren’t surprised by her antics. But the fact the whole neighborhood had an issue with her? That shocked them.
By the time I finished my story of Tina finding the body, the eardrum shattering scream and me running over to the house, they’d each retrieved a cup of coffee and taken a seat at the kitchen island.
“Unbelievable,” Darla muttered. “I understand why you forgot to cancel your order with me.”
“I’m so sorry about that,” I said. “I’m not sure what to do with all this food. I’ll never be able to eat it.” Well, based on the tantalizing scent, I could certainly make a large dent in the cinnamon cake with little to no effort.
“No worries,” Darla said, pulling out her phone. “I know what to do.”
I decided not to question her plan, but roll with it instead.
Ten minutes later, my doorbell rang. “We were summoned,” Jezebel said when I answered. “Darla says you’ve got a bunch of food that needs to be eaten.”
I smiled as I took her in an embrace. “I do.”
“Good. I brought the walking garbage disposal.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder at her boyfriend, Gunner. “He’s a bottomless pit.”
The huge man also hugged me, his beard tickling my cheek. “Watch it, woman. You’ve been known to put away more than your fair share, too.”
Based on their ripped physiques, one would never guess such a thing.
“Hey, Jezzy!” Ruby yelled. “Hold still! I’m trying to imagine you with a personality!”
I repeated the insult and Jezebel laughed. The two had always greeted each other with zingers while alive and had continued when Jezebel discovered Ruby was stuck on this plane.
“Hey, Ruby! Your face makes onions cry!”
After a good chuckle, we filed back into the kitchen. Darla had retrieved the plates once again and scooped out Eggs Benedict, fruit, and cinnamon cake, then poured fresh juice for everyone while I caught up Gunner and Jezebel on the latest neighborhood gossip.
“So now the sheriff thinks I have something do with it,” I said, rolling my eyes as we settled in around the dining room table.
“You did say you wanted to kill her,” Gunner said. With a wink, he took a big bite of the eggs.
“A figure of speech. I’d never hurt her.”
“Oh, come on,” Darla teased. “Remember that time on our way back from shopping? Sylvia was out in her front yard? You told me you wanted to run her over.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’d actually do it,” I said. “People say things they don’t mean all the time.”
“I don’t,” Ruby said. “When I say Jack looks like a Greek god and I should be his one and only goddess, I mean it.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
He glanced around the table and narrowed his gaze on me. “She’s next to me, isn’t she?”
I nodded. “And saying a bunch of stuff I’m not going to repeat.”
Just as he was about to protest, Adam’s voice sounded from the front door. “Hello?”
After hurrying into the entryway, I hugged him and settled my head against his chest, his unexpected visit both thrilling and surprising me. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to interview Tina. I saw the crew arrive while I was there and thought I’d drop in.”
“We’re having the breakfast that was supposed to be for my full house today.”
“Ah. They canceled, right?”
“No,” I replied, stepping away. “They arrived, but then scattered when the sheriff yelled that we were in the middle of a murder investigation.”
Adam pursed his lips and winced. “Oh, no. Sorry about that.”
“Do you want something to eat?” I asked hopefully, squeezing his hand.
“Sure. I can stay for a bit.”
As we entered the dining room, everyone greeted him. I’d become so close to all in the room, I realized being with them was like settling down with family I loved and adored. My heart filled with joy as I stared at my friends.
“We were just talking about the murder across the street,” Darla said. “And all the times Bernie threatened to hurt Sylvia, in her offhanded way, of course.”
I smiled and took a sip of my juice. “She was the one who threatened me,” I replied. “She wanted to take away my livelihood, so you’re correct, I didn’t have anything good to say about her.”
Jezebel shook her head. “She can’t do that now, right? You and your neighbors can go about your business.”
Glancing over at Adam, I noted he’d quit eating and stared at me. I dabbed my mouth with my napkin and smiled.
“At least you’re dating a cop,” Darla said, then pointed her fork at Adam and grinned. “You’ll need to inform the sheriff that he needs to back off on pursuing Bernie as a suspect.”
She had been teasing, but Adam shook his head, his gaze serious. “I can’t do that.”
Darla set down her fork, her brow furrowed. “Why not?”
“Because it’s an active investigation,” Adam said, shrugging. “Everyone has to be considered a suspect until they’ve been cleared. That’s the way these things work.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the table. Everyone except Jack had quit eating, their gazes jumping from me to Adam.
“I don’t understand,” Darla said. “Bernie’s your girlfriend, right?”
Adam nodded.
“Do you honestly think in your heart of hearts that you’re dating a murderer?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then what’s the issue?” Darla asked.
Adam cleared his throat and set down his napkin as if trying to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he smiled. “The issue is that a woman is dead. There are steps to an investigation that must be taken. Unfortunately, Bernie has found herself in the middle of it. She has said some things she probably shouldn’t have. She found the body. She’ll be carefully scrutinized, just like everyone else involved. When our office feels that she’s in the clear and had nothing to do with Sylvia’s death, then we won’t investigate her any further.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Darla said, rolling her eyes.
I wiggled in my chair, the tension in the room gripping me like a vise.
“It is, but that’s the way these things go,” Jezebel said. She also knew the ins and outs of an investigation because Gunner was in law enforcement as well.
“Wait a minute,” Gunner said. “There’s nothing ridiculous about doing a deep dive into someone who had threatened to kill the murder victim in the past… even if she is dating a cop.”
“Thank you,” Adam muttered.
“She’s your girlfriend,” Darla said. “You’re supposed to love and trust her. Investigating her for a murder you know she didn’t commit not only seems like a waste of the sheriff’s department resources, but if I was Bernie, I’d also question my relationship with you. Do I really want to date someone who thinks I’m capable of murder?”
Darla was on a roll. With each passing moment, she became more irritated. Her cheeks flamed red, and I swore her irises had dilated.
“It’s fine,” I said, shooting Jack a glare. Why didn’t he try to calm her down? Did she truly feel this way or was this her schizophrenia?
“How can you say that it’s fine for your boyfriend to think you’re a killer?” Darla shouted, shooting to her feet.
“I agree,” Jack said, also standing. “I think it’s pretty awful of you, Adam.”
“I’m just doing my job,” he said through a clenched jaw.
“Look, it’s not a big deal,” I said. “The sheriff’s department won’t find anything because I’ve done nothing but run my mouth when I shouldn’t have.”
Darla shook her head. “You’re being foolish, Bernie. And Adam should be standing up for you. I’ll see you all later.”
As she and Jack headed for the kitchen, I stared at the table and wondered how things had spun out of control so quickly. One moment I had the warm and fuzzies settling in my chest from being with my friends that I considered family, the next, a cold stone of fear had taken its place.
I expected the police to interview me and quickly dismiss me as a suspect. I thought I was no longer on their radar. But apparently, I still sat in the crosshairs, a potential murder charge hanging over my head.
“We better head out as well,” Jezebel said. “I’ve got inventory at the bar.”
“Thanks for coming over and helping us with the food,” I said, trying to remain upbeat.
Gunner gave me a hug. “If you didn’t off your neighbor, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Tell that to all the people in prison for crimes they didn’t commit.
After they left, Adam gathered all the plates. We stood at the sink, both of our hands covered in warm, soapy water, and washed dishes. A simple act, one that I loved doing with my boyfriend. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind washing dishes with him for the rest of my life.
