A Justified Murder (Medlar Mystery 2)

While they were viewing the partially completed house, the woman had asked why she wasn’t putting her hooks into Jack. “If you don’t watch out, some other woman is going to lay claim to him.”

“Jack’s for fun, not for keeps,” Kate replied.

The woman had laughed in understanding. “When it comes to men, pretty packaging isn’t a guarantee of the best content.”

After the showing, Kate was smiling. It was all working out well. She stopped at a Publix and bought prawns, picked up Jack’s favorite hot sauce, and pickles for Aunt Sara. At home, she put the seafood away, then called out, “Where is everyone?”

“Out here,” Sara answered.

She and Jack were sitting in the shady part of the patio, looking out at Sara’s beautiful tropical garden. “Did Jack tell you he sold another of the Morris houses?” she asked as she sat down, and Sara nodded, pleased.

There was a pitcher of lemonade for her and Jack, and some sort of electrolyte-filled drink for Sara. There was also a platter of crackers, cheeses, and vegetables.

Kate kicked off her shoes and put her feet up. “Anything happening?”

“Not even one new murder,” Jack said. “Makes for a change.”

Kate gave him a sharp look. She could tell that something was bothering him. This summer they’d spent a lot of time together. After Jack had his cast removed, he’d had to learn to reuse his leg. Kate swam laps with him at home, and she and Sara went to the gym with him. Planning the remodeled houses, working out together, and doing all the things that were necessary to keep a home running, had kept them busy. “You okay?”

He cut off a chunk of Vermont Shepherd cheese. “Today everyone was asking me questions about the murder. They wanted to know the details of Janet Beeson’s death. How did she die?”

“You didn’t tell them, did you?” Sara asked.

“Knife, gun, poison?” he said. “No, I left that part out. Did you get the pictures ready? I could drop them off at the sheriff’s office in the morning.”

Sara shook her head. “Daryl called me. Said I was to wait on turning them over to him.”

“Why?” Kate asked.

“I don’t know but I think something’s up. He was talking so low I could hardly hear him.”

“What’s your gut say?” Jack asked Sara, then turned to Kate. “And speaking of that, did you get the prawns?”

“Pounds of them,” Kate said. “I’ll make a salad.”

After months together, they were used to coordinating meal preparation, so they went into the house. When Jack saw the jar of hot sauce, he grinned. “Thanks, Red.”

“I like Princess Kate better.” As she got greens out of the fridge, she asked Sara to tell exactly what Sheriff Daryl Flynn had said.

“It wasn’t so much what as how. I got the impression that they have a suspect.”

“Who?!” Jack and Kate said in unison.

“No idea, but it was making Daryl sad.”

“That means it’s somebody he knows,” Jack said.

“And cares about,” Kate added.

“Just what I thought,” Sara said.

“When will the arrest be made?” Jack asked.

“No idea,” Sara said. “It was all in his tone. Whatever they’ve found out, he didn’t like it. Remember Detective Cotilla?”

Kate and Jack nodded. The detective had headed the investigation on the Morris case. The fact that he’d figured out nothing and they had done it all, didn’t keep him from accepting a commendation and endless praise.

“Since he’s so good at murder investigations and since he knows so very much about Lachlan, he’s been put in charge of this case. Seems the Broward people are beginning to make jokes about us. ‘Bloody Lachlan’ is now our nickname. One of their sayings is ‘If you value your life, don’t go to Lachlan.’”