No Gravestone Left Unturned (A Jane Ladling Mystery 2)

“Smoothly? You got us both drugged,” Beau reminded her.

“Yes, but I also caught the killer. And I’ll do it again, you watch and see. I’ll bring everyone together, like before, turn up the heat, sprinkle in a little zaniness and boom! The murder is solved.” Why mess with such a flawless plan? “Seems to me the girls are the only ones getting things done around here.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Fiona said with a serious nod.

“I mean, I’m still waiting to hear what you learned about Jake and his past girlfriends.” Jane squeezed Conrad’s bicep. Oh! His very well-defined bicep. “I know there were at least two.”

“I called the girlfriends. One shouted an obscenity at me and hung up. The other went to voice mail. No return calls. None of which matters right now. There will be no party,” Conrad insisted. “Not big, not small, not anything. No. Party.”

“We should begin planning immediately,” Fiona exclaimed. “Over blueberry pancakes!”

“Are you serious?” Blueberry pancakes? Today? After snails and crackers? Jane nearly whimpered with relief. “Yes!” She bounced on her feet, then all but burst through the front door like the Kool Aid Man, leading the charge inside the house.

Rolex wasn’t happy when the crowd invaded his turf, especially when Beau’s friends returned and bellied up to the table with everyone else to await the best meal ever to be enjoyed in the history of meals.

As Fiona whipped up her masterpiece the kitchen, the boys discussed security measures for the party. Jane listened with half an ear, fork and knife in hand, and mind whirling. She had her suspects pared down to five names. Abigail, her ex, Robby—the Dirty Three. Yeah, that one worked. They were thieves, plain and simple. The kind of people who would steal Blake Crawford’s identity and money, then kill Ana to hide their crime. Tonight’s actions had proven it beyond a reasonable doubt.

There was also too eager Tiffany and too nice Jake. Cohorts in crime?

Tomorrow’s celebration would allow Jane to do five things. Ply her guests with peach julep, her new favorite drink. An extra splash of bourbon or twelve might encourage loose lips. Thanks for the idea, Tiffany and Jake. Observe the Party of Five–Hang Five?–as they interacted with each other because yes, Jane was inviting the Waynes and yes, they would accept despite everything. How could they not? They would risk anything to get their grubby paws on her gold.

She petted Rolex, who curled up in the centerpiece as usual, while everyone plotted and planned. The guys droned on about egresses and extra cameras. They also grumbled. A lot. How could they continue to miss the beauty of this party? It provided the perfect cover to observe the five as they interacted with Blake, whom she would invite as well. He would accept when she made an offer he couldn’t refuse…somehow. And bonus, she would discover who treated her differently now that she’d “found” gold. Oh, and if she masterminded a confession out of the killer, that was just gravy.

Everything was doable. Probably. It was worth a shot, at least.

“Hope you’re hungry,” Fiona called. “The first stack is almost ready.”

“We’re starved,” Jane called back.

Conrad nudged her shoulder with his own. Jacketless, he appeared relaxed again, with an elbow propped on the table. His tie was open, the top buttons of his shirt undone. He’d rolled up his sleeves. One leg was bent, his ankle resting on his knee. His dark hair possessed no kind of order and all kinds of mess, as if he’d plowed a hand through it only seconds ago.

“What will it mean for our relationship if I’m not a fan of these pancakes?” he asked.

Oh, that’s right. He’d never tried them. The day after she’d solved the Hots case, Conrad had come over to talk. Fiona had been in the process of making the first batch of goodness in months that had seemed like years. By the time Jane and Conrad had ended their conversation, the hotcakes were devoured, the last drop of batter scraped from the bowl.

“Let’s put it this way. It’s more important for you to like them over me,” she teased. Maybe, probably. These pancakes were everything. True Heaven on Earth. A wonder of the world and one of Jane’s main reasons for living. If Conrad didn’t like them? What then?

Fiona’s voice rang out once again. “You get axed from Team Truth, effective immediately. And before you go asking on what grounds, it’s for being an incurable fool, young man. That’s what it means.”

Beau whistled under his breath, as if the situation were beyond his control. A man had to do what a man had to do. “You’ll become our mortal enemy. A blood feud will ravage our futures from now until eternity.”

His buddies nodded, showing their support.

Jane nodded, her mouth watering. “Axed. Mortal enemy. Blood.” Gimme my pancakes!