A Justified Murder (Medlar Mystery 2)

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?”

“No. They just took turns telling me what a wonderful person Mrs. Beeson was. She sorted out one doctor’s entire accounting system—for free. He sent her five pots of white orchids in thanks.”

“I guess we can cross him off the suspect list as having done something awful to her. How many people are still a possibility?”

“None,” Sara said. She’d left her writing room and sat down by her niece. “I talked to Heather. She spent the day doing deep research. She had her hair done at Best Day, looked at a Tiffany lamp at Out of the Attic, had tea at Mitfords, and... Ivy is going to kill her for this, but your mother spent an hour browsing at Caroleena’s Bridal Salon. And somewhere in there, Heather had a cozy, chatty lunch with the owner of Kendal Place Inn.”

Jack gave a low whistle. “Those are the gossip centers of this town. I owe her an oil change.”

“I sent your mom flowers as thanks and in sympathy.”

“Did anyone have anything bad to say about Janet?” Kate asked.

“Not a word. Just the opposite. She seems to have helped a lot of people. She was even nice to Eric Yates.”

Jack groaned.

“Tell me all,” Kate said.

“He’s the local Lothario,” Sara said. “Late sixties but thinks he’s twenty. Flirts with all the females who come into his drugstore. He told Heather he felt bad because when Janet first came to town, she thought he was serious when he suggested they go out together. She showed up on a Saturday night at seven, dressed up in a red suit and high heels.”

“Poor thing,” Kate said.

“Jerk!” Sara muttered. “He did that to me when I got back, only I was repulsed. You should see him! Cigarette-stained teeth, cheap toupee, a little belly that curves down like a sack of flour resting on his belt.”

Kate smiled. “That’s a vivid image. I hope Janet got angry and told him off.”

“Nope. Heather called a woman Eric said had been a witness. She said that when Janet found out his invitation was a joke, she was gracious. But Eric did say that Janet never returned to his store.”

“I don’t blame her.” Kate slipped off her shoes and put her bare feet on the coffee table. “What do you think Sheriff Flynn is doing now?”

“Talking on the phone,” Jack said.

“And you know this how?” Sara asked.

“One of the nurses at the hospital is a friend of Bea’s.”

“Who is Daryl’s right-hand man,” Sara told Kate.