Wrapped up in murder, p.1
Wrapped Up in Murder, page 1
Chapter 1
“You know what I saw today?” I asked, pulling a loaf of bread down from the top of the refrigerator. I had been driving to another job, and I was struck by how different the town looked. “All over town? Wreaths. And these little Christmas trees in shop windows. All decorated cute and stuff.” For Coalville being such a small town there were a lot of decorations.
Our little town, stuck up in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, wasn’t really known for much, although my parents did talk about the movie star who had apparently gone to their high school. That didn’t keep most of them from going all out for the holidays, even if it didn’t bring that much attention our way. I just hadn’t expected it quite yet.
“Nun on a bun,” I muttered, “I thought I had more time.”
I groaned as my dog looked up at me, ears perked as if I had his full attention, his tail wagging back and forth. His broad chest and blocky head made some people think he was intimidating, but the most the gray pitbull mix had ever attacked was a dust mote. Possibly a bee. But, he seemed to have learned his lesson with that one.
I knew his focused attention right now had more to do with the sandwich I was putting together than the fact I was talking to him. Still, nothing like having a rapt audience.
“I know, Zio. Thanksgiving was just last week. Or no. It was the week before that. Swizzle sticks, I really need to get moving on the shopping. When am I supposed to do that?”
My fix-it business slowed in the winter, but I did still have some jobs lined up for the coming weeks. And there were always the emergency jobs that popped up.
“Lou, are you talking to yourself?”
I glanced up at one of my two employees. Braden had the day off, since I’d only had one quick job scheduled, but Jen had come in to go over my books. I shook my head at her. “I was talking to Zio. The benefits of having a pet, people won’t think you crazy for having a one-sided conversation.”
She let out a light laugh. “If you say so.”
It was good to hear her laugh. Things had been rough since her mom’s death, but she swore she was more than ready to come back to work. And I was glad to have her. Even if she had broken my best friend’s heart. That was their business to sort through. I was not getting into the middle of it.
Really, I wasn’t.
“Can you believe the whole town is decorating for Christmas already?” I figured I’d get more of a response than I had from Zio. He was currently nudging up against my leg. With a sigh, I dropped a piece of ham for him.
“Well,” Jen said. “It is December. Most of those decorations have been up for at least a month. How did you just notice?”
“Don’t remind me. What am I supposed to do?”
Jen shrugged. “Nothing? No one says you have to decorate if you don’t want to.”
“Not about decorating. I haven’t even bought any presents yet.”
“Well, you’ve still got almost three weeks. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“You’ve met my family right? Shopping for all of them is not a quick thing. Now we’ve got Jordan, too. What do you buy a…” I tried to do the math in my head. “Four-month-old? They aren’t even sitting up on their own.” As well as my younger sister’s newborn, Alona.
“They should be the easiest,” Jen said. “A cute outfit would work.”
I stared at her. “You have met me, right? If I have any cute clothes, I certainly didn’t buy them.” And only wore them under protest. As a genderqueer person, I knew I didn’t owe anyone androgyny, but it was the space I felt most comfortable in. And I just preferred a more practical style. “I wouldn’t know what counts as cute.”
“A stuffed animal, one of those board books. There’s plenty of toys with all the bells and whistles. You could buy any number of presents.”
That made me want to let out another groan. “That is not helping me. What if I pick the wrong thing?”
Jen put a hand on my shoulder then stepped back. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I’ve got your books all up to date, so I’m done for the day.” She gave a little shake of her head. “They were a mess. How did you survive without me?”
“That’s a good question. Please don’t leave me again.”
The smile froze on her face before she looked away. I could have kicked myself. Way to be insensitive, Lou.
“Since Mom died, my only living relative is a cousin who won’t speak to me since I testified against such a nice, upstanding man. So, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that. The man who had used Jen and tossed her aside—not to mention killing two people to keep his secrets— wasn’t either of those things, but some people would never believe that. I would have thought her family would be on her side for that. Mine would have been.
Not all families were like mine.
“Thanks for your help, Jen.”
“That’s what you pay me for.” Then, she walked out of my house.
I turned back to Zio, who still looked at the counter with the saddest eyes ever. “You still have food in your dish. You are not being deprived. Go eat. Looks like I need to make a shopping list.”
That would be the only way I could make sure I didn’t accidentally skip presents for anyone. I didn’t know if I had enough paper and pens, something I was never short of, in this house to accomplish this task.
No, I would definitely need more space than that. I walked into the living room and opened the closet where I’d stored the large whiteboard. I hadn’t planned to take this out again, not after solving that last murder.
And nearly losing my life — twice — for the trouble.
At least making a Christmas list wouldn’t kill me. Maybe give me a hand cramp from all the names I’d have to write down, but I should be able to survive that. That was all the use this board would see again.
Now, I needed to figure out where to start.
~
I had just written one final name on the board when I heard footsteps behind me. “Please don’t tell me you’re investigating another murder.”
I put the marker down and turned toward Matthias Lindert, local cop and apparently my boyfriend now, though I’m still not sure how that happened. He was staring hard at the board from where he stood next to my couch.
“You promised you were done with that.” He turned a stern gaze on me. “I haven’t even heard of anything. Why are all your family members suspects?” He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “Wait, why are my mom and sisters on there? What is going on, Lou?”
I took a few steps and put a hand to Matt’s chest. “The only murder happening will be to my bank account.” I reached up and brushed snow off his shoulder. “I need to go Christmas shopping.”
He looked from me to the board and back again, his brow furrowed as if trying to figure out the world’s toughest puzzle. “You made a list,” he said slowly, “of who you need to buy presents for.” I was nodding when he added, “On your murder board.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “It was the only thing I had with enough room to fit everything on.”
He shook his head then turned back to the board. “You do realize my mom and sisters don’t expect gifts from you, right?”
“At Thanksgiving, your mom kept asking me all about what I liked and what my interests are. She probably has a list a mile long. You think I’m going to accept a gift from her and not give one in return?”
“She won’t expect one.”
I just looked at him. Even if they claimed to not want something, I wouldn’t show up empty-handed. I couldn’t disappoint any of them.
Matt finally sighed. “I’ll make you a list. But, I don’t like seeing my sister’s name on that board again.”
I hugged him. “It worked out in the end. We caught the real murderer, who is in prison now, and Sylvia and her husband are working things out.”
He held on to me tight. “I still have dreams that I wasn’t in time, and you and Everett were dead.”
I let him hold me for another moment then stepped back. “We’re both fine. You lost a nice tea cup, but other than that…”
He leaned down to kiss me. How did that not put a crick in his neck? “Never again, Lou. You promised.”
I gave him a quick nod. “I did. I promise that if someone else gets killed in this town, and one of my friends is a prime suspect, I will do my best to not let the killer come after me as well.”
He groaned and pressed one hand to his eyes. I grinned. I was done investigating. It only brought more trouble my way, and put people I cared about in danger. But, I still found joy in needling him.
“What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the diner.”
“Yeah.” He drew the word out. “Like half an hour ago. I got worried.”
I spun to face the clock on the other side of the room. “Well, swizzle sticks.” How had I spent more than two hours on this? “Sorry. I lost track of time. I just need to change and I’ll be ready to go.” I’d have to worry about finishing the list of people I needed to get gifts for later.
Matt’s low laughter followed me out of the room. “Not sure what I’m going to do with them,” I heard him say before I stepped into my bedroom. “Or without them.”
Zio let out a short bark, and I shook my head. As if he would ever have to find out.
Chapter 2
“Wow, Lou, it’s been a long time.”
I looked up at the person who had opened the door of the old Victorian house on the corner. I knew the for-sale sign had come down a while ago, but I hadn’t realized anyone had moved in. Maybe my friends and family were right. I should be more observant of things other than my job.
The person was a couple inches taller than me, which honestly didn’t take much. Dark red hair pulled back into a loose tail. Green eyes that were filled with humor. “Nicole Hughes?”
I hadn’t even looked at the name of the emergency appointment, just the address. It had been a long couple of days, I’d barely seen Matt since we got dinner together the other evening. Thankfully, this would be my last job for the day. It had been another busy one: busted pipes—several of them—, a leaking roof —not much I could do with snow on said roof, except call in a more experty expert—, and now a hole in a bathroom floor.
“So, you do remember,” she said, smiling. “Though almost everyone calls me Nikki now.”
“You used to hate that nickname.” I did remember that.
“Well it was used as a taunt. I’ve taken it back.” She smiled at that. “I figured we would have run into each other before now. I’ve been back in town for a while.”
“Coalville is a small town, but not quite that small. And I keep pretty busy.”
“I’ve heard.”
I furrowed my brow. What was that supposed to mean? Not that it mattered, I was here to do a job. “Where’s this hole in the floor?”
She waved me in, and I followed her down a hallway. Lots of pictures on the walls, and as we passed the living room, I saw a blanket thrown over the back of a couch and lots of pillows scattered over it. Where did people sit?
I glanced at a closed door as we passed. From the layout of the house, I didn’t think it could be another room. Probably stairs leading to the basement. Or a closet even. I shook off the curiosity about that.. I was only here to fix the bathroom floor.
I was still curious. Especially since all the other doors had been open. Maybe she stored her presents in there. She probably had her Christmas shopping done. I remembered back in school Nikki being more organized than me.
Nikki gestured me through a door while she stayed at the threshold. It wasn’t difficult to see the hole from there. “What went through it?” I asked her.
“My foot.”
I let out a snort at her dry response, but I caught the bandage at her ankle. “Are you all right?”
“Just got a little scraped up. I’d just like it not to happen again.”
I couldn’t blame her for that. “I wish you would have called me sooner, Nikki,” I said, grabbing some tools to rip up the rest of the rotten flooring. “Before your foot went through the floor.”
“I really didn’t think it was that bad.” I heard a snap as she chewed on the corner of her nail. So, she still hadn’t broken that habit. “A little spongy, but I was sure it could wait. Until, you know, my foot went all the way through it.”
I let out a little huff of a laugh at that. “Spongy usually means something is rotten under it. They didn’t catch this in the inspection when you bought the house?”
“That was last year. I just noticed an issue a few months ago.”
Nikki had been back in town that long? We’d been…friendly in school, though I hadn’t spent as much time with her as I did Cord. I hadn’t spent as much time with anyone back then as I did my best friend. I supposed that hadn’t exactly been a good measuring stick.
“Don’t you have, like, a couple kids now? Where are they ?”
“Their fathers’ for the week. We trade each week. Not that he’ll spend any more time with them than he did when we were married.” She blew out a breath. “Sorry. At least it means I can get their Christmas presents wrapped without having to worry about them sneaking a peek.”
I paused, tools in hand. “Nun on a bun,” I muttered.
Nikki’s lips twitched. “You always did come up with creative phrases, Lou.”
I brushed that off, my mind stuck on one thing. “I knew I forgot something.”
Nikki tipped her head to the side. “You have kids at their father’s house, too? I would have thought I’d have heard by now if the infamous Lou Carsley had children.”
“Funny,” I said, though I did not laugh. I might have smiled. Just a bit. “No one calls me that. And no kids. Just siblings who keep having them, and I meant to start shopping this week, but I still haven’t gotten to it.” It was Friday already. Where did the time go? “Can’t I buy one big thing for all of them to share?”
Nikki put a hand on my shoulder. “You never change, do you?”
“I try not to. Anyway, I’m going to put down some subfloor today.” I had some pieces of wood in the truck I could use to brace the floor. “I’ll pick up some flooring that matches the rest of what’s here and install that tomorrow. What time would work for you?”
“I work from home, so I’ll be here all day. So whatever works for you.”
“I’ll double-check with Jen and see if more appointments have come in, but I could be here in the morning.”
Nikki glanced away, and I thought the bottoms of her ears turned red, but she’d been playing with an earring there. That was probably it. “On a Saturday?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Won’t be the first time.”
I’d have Braden along with me for that job, so we should be able to get done even quicker. I got what I needed from the truck and took the supplies into the bathroom. Once I finished nailing down the plywood, I’d go purchase that flooring, then figure out what I was supposed to do about those Christmas presents I still needed to buy.
One thing at a time, though.
~
“I need help.”
Cord laughed even before I’d flopped onto her couch. I hadn’t been ready to go home after finishing what I could of Nikki’s bathroom, but now I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get up again. At least Cord wasn’t on duty with the ambulance service right now. “Maybe you should tell me something I don’t already know.”
I tossed a pillow at her, but she easily dodged, and it fell harmlessly next to the coffee table.
Cord came over and dropped on the couch beside me. “Seriously, what’s wrong? You and Matthias aren’t having problems, are you? If so, I don’t think I’m the right person to come to. Your relationship with him has already lasted longer than any of mine.”
“It hasn’t even been two months,” I reminded her.
“I know. That’s longer than all of mine combined.”
I shook my head but decided not to argue with her, even though I was sure she was wrong. She dated a lot, but certainly… that wasn’t what I came here for.
“We aren’t having problems,” I assured her. “I’ve seen him every night this week. Everything’s fine.”
“What do you need help with? If it’s fixing something…”
I laughed at that. When it came to providing medical assistance, she was top notch. But, even for something as simple as switching out her shower head, she called me. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do that. I do need to go shopping, though.”
Cord perked up a bit at that. “What kind of shopping?”
I dug the lists I’d made out of my pocket. It had eased Matt’s mind to get those names off the white board, even if it had taken me several sheets of paper to make everything fit. Especially once I listed out ideas for everyone. I set them in front of us on the coffee table.
“Jen assured me Jordan should be easy to buy for, but there’s so much baby stuff, I don’t know where to start. Then there’s all the other kids. Ten of them, Cord. I don’t think I’ve ever actually counted them up. Then there’s my siblings, my parents. What am I supposed to get for all of them?”
I turned to my best friend and saw her curled into a ball. Laughing hysterically. That made me want to throw another pillow at her. Too bad she only kept one on each end of the couch, and I’d wasted the one missile I had at hand.
I scowled at her, but that only made her laugh harder. She held up her hands after another minute. “All right, all right. I’m sorry. I just have never seen you like this. What do you usually buy for the kids? Might as well start there.”
“Whatever they happen to be interested in at the time. Which doesn’t always make my siblings my biggest fans.”
Cord snorted at that. “I don’t see what the problem is. Just do that. And whatever you do for your parents and siblings. You’re a thoughtful person, Lou. You’ve got this.”
