A Willing Murder (Medlar Mystery 1)

That’s bad, she thought, but felt relieved. She’d have to go to Tayla’s office first, meet her friend in person and ask directions.

The GPS said that the office was only a mile and a half away. An omen, she thought, and pulled back onto the road.

Her first sight of Lachlan made her draw in her breath. She’d seen photos but they didn’t do the pretty town justice.

To her right was a fire station, redbrick with two open garage doors. Some muscular men were washing a big red fire engine, a dalmatian nearby. “Like something out of Disney.” She saw the blond fireman, the youngest one, pause, rag in hand, and look at her. His wet T-shirt clung to him.

The man next to him hit him with his elbow, but the fireman didn’t stop staring. When he smiled at Kate, she smiled back.

“I just might like it here,” she murmured as she pulled in

to the town hall parking lot. Tayla’s office was beside it.

She got out and looked around. Across the road from the brick building was a large green area, with trees and benches and a wide oval track. There were joggers and people walking, dogs chasing Frisbees and three families having picnics.

How lovely, she thought, and remembered the photos of the town as it was when Tayla had returned to Lachlan. The green area had once been filled with buildings that had been hit hard by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

The severely damaged buildings had been repaired, but no one had cared enough about Lachlan to make them beautiful. Ugly concrete block stores dominated. Tayla had torn down and rebuilt to create a recreation area smack in the middle of town. To get people downtown for something other than shopping, she’d told Kate in an email. But, of course, once they’re near all those lovely stores, they’ll buy things.

Kate had laughed at that. She’d majored in business in college and she agreed with Tayla. Keep the money moving!

Tayla’s office was an old house that had been tastefully converted. It was one story with a tall, pitched roof and a couple of dormers. A long porch extended across the front. The two large windows and a wood-framed glass door were a concession to business.

The windows had the current listings taped to them. Kate was too much of a businesswoman not to stop and look at them. There were three fixer-uppers that had peeling paint and sagging roofs, a lovely Victorian-style house and some nice starter homes.

Smiling, Kate stepped back. Judging from the photos, they could use some staging and the yards needed cleaning. Yes, she could work with that.

She opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately, Kate liked the place. The ceiling went up to the roof, exposing the rafters. The dormers let in light that filled the office. The waiting room was furnished with modern, good-quality leather-and-chrome chairs.

No people were to be seen.

“Hello?” she called. No answer. There was a tall counter and Kate picked up one of the brochures that Tayla had sent her. It told what she’d done to the town, with impressive before and after photos. At the bottom was a stamp-sized photo of Tayla with her short gray hair, very stylish, very of-the-moment.

In the back, a door opened and a woman came around the corner. She was older than Kate, late twenties maybe, shorter, and carried a few extra pounds. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t hear anyone come in. Chris is usually here, but today—” She broke off as she stared. “You must be Kate.”

“I am. Is Tayla here?”

“No. She has some showings in Weston. The couple wanted to be near big stores and flashy streets. We’re too quiet for them. Their loss. She won’t be back for hours. She said you wouldn’t be here until tomorrow.”

“I didn’t think I would be. I was going to go to my aunt’s today but my GPS can’t find Stewart Lane.”

“I guess it’s too tiny to put in the system. I’m Melissa. Want some coffee? Tea? Water from the faucet?”

Kate smiled. “Water sounds good.”

“Come on, then, and I’ll show you around.”

It took only minutes to see the place, and Melissa showed Kate her office. It was a good size, with a window that looked out to the big circle, where people picnicked.

“Try it,” Melissa said, nodding toward the tan leather chair. “Tayla ordered it just for you. I tried to get her to buy it in red but she wouldn’t.”

“Good. I like this one.” She sat down and swiveled around in a full circle: L-shaped desk, wall, window. It was an excellent area.

Melissa was leaning against the door frame, cup in hand. “You know, you look a bit like your aunt. I’ve only seen her once, but I think your faces are shaped the same.”

When she paused, Kate knew Melissa was waiting for a reply, but she said nothing. She’d seen a publicity shot of her aunt on the back of her books but she had no idea what she looked like every day.

“If you don’t know where Stewart Lane is, then you haven’t seen her house, have you?”