A Justified Murder (Medlar Mystery #2)(16)

“Seventy books?” Kate said. “I had no idea it was that many.”

“In the romance world, I’m a wimp. A slug. A lazy writer. Some of them write a book a month.”

“We just need one more,” Jack said. “What’s your instinct about this?”

“My first thought is guilt. I think these people did or said more than they’re telling. Valerie said she ‘gloated’ over her win. What exactly does that mean? Sent Janet black roses and a nasty note? Lyn said she’d had a ‘bad day.’ Maybe she did something else to Janet besides color. I think there’s more to these stories.”

“But how could they think that any of these petty arguments could cause them to be accused of murder?” Kate asked. “It makes no sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Sara said.

“What’s your second thought?” Jack asked.

“That this has something to do with Sylvia Alden. I can’t get her out of my mind. I get the impression of mega money with her. And Janet bought her house. There’s too much coincidence there.” She thought for a moment. “And there are conflicting stories. Heather said Sylvia was a recluse who rarely left the house. That conjures a vision of a fearful woman peeping through the curtains. At best she comes across as shy and awkward. But from what Megan Nesbitt said, that description is far from what Sylvia Alden actually was.”

“She made costumes for the boys and they all loved her,” Kate said.

Jack nodded. “She wasn’t agoraphobic. She did go places.”

“Right,” Sara said. “I can’t quite put a character to her. Something doesn’t add up. And why did Janet buy Sylvia’s house?”

“Sentiment?” Kate finished her cereal. “Janet told the Nesbitt family that she’d even kept the gardens the same as a memorial to her friend. But what if there was something more?”

“I remember a story where the heroine’s house was used to store drugs,” Sara said. “She ended up being mixed up with some drug lord.”

“Did she marry him?” Kate asked as she reached for Jack’s computer.

Sara laughed. “Amazing Grace. You like that movie too?”

“Love it!”

“I have it on DVD. Maybe tonight we can watch it.”

“Could you two come back to the present?” Jack said.

“You mean to trying to figure out a murder case we’ve said we want no part of? That present?”

Jack wasn’t bothered by Kate’s sarcasm. “We need to make people understand that we aren’t involved.”

“And that we need sleep,” Sara said.

They turned to Kate, but she was looking at the past real estate contracts she’d brought up online. “Tayla was the broker on the house sale to Janet Beeson.”

At the mention of the name, Sara went back to the stove.

Jack gave a look at Kate to say, Now you’ve done it. She had mentioned Tayla. The forbidden name.

Kate was unperturbed. “I’ll get the facts on this, and we’ll add it to the report to Sheriff Flynn. Any word on when he wants the photos?”

“None.” Sara looked up. “Wonder if anyone went to him last night.”

“I doubt it,” Jack said. “They just want to tell us their guilty secrets so we can tell them to go home and feel better.”

Kate picked up her buzzing phone. “As I said, none of this makes sense. I just got a text from Tayla. She’s overwhelmed with potential buyers. It looks like the news has made people realize that our town exists. I need to go.” She kissed Aunt Sara, said goodbye to Jack, grabbed her bag, and left the house.

That evening, Kate got home just after five. She slammed the door behind her.

Jack was sitting directly ahead in the living room, laptop open. “Bad day?”

She sat down on the sofa across from him. “Only if you consider three reporters pretending to be clients maddening. I should’ve known people wouldn’t be rushing to move to a town with a fresh, unsolved murder. Then there was my boss. Tayla was so nervous today that when someone dropped a box of paper clips on the carpet, she let out a little scream. Where’s Aunt Sara?”

“Writing her anger away. She received a hundred and eight emails today.”

“Yeow. That may be a record. Was it more people confessing they did something rotten to Janet Beeson?”

“It was mostly friends teasing that she was living a TV series about finding another murder in Lachlan. Her agent said three publishing houses were offering her new contracts if she’d tell all.” He looked up at her. “No one knows for sure that we saw the body, but everyone assumes we did because of what happened last time.”

Kate leaned back against the couch. “Why are you home so early?”

“Let’s see. Two people came by the job site to ask if the Morris house was haunted. Four people arrived with cameras to ask me what Mrs. Beeson’s body looked like. That girl Britney showed up and tried to put her hand inside my shirt. And, oh yeah, Gil shot himself in the foot with a nail gun. I had to rush him to the hospital. And before you ask, he’s fine. His ego is more hurt than his foot.”

Kate gave him a look of sympathy. “Anyone at the hospital ask you questions?”