DANGEROUS DUSTING

By

Dianne Harman

(Clean Sweep Cozy Mystery Series – Book 13)

Copyright © 2025 Dianne Harman www.dianneharman.com

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Paperback ISBN: 9798281770569

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing Dangerous Dusting has been a journey filled with suspense, surprises, and the kind of small-town charm I’ve come to love creating, and I couldn’t have done it alone.

To my family and friends, thank you for your constant encouragement, love, and patience. Your support allows me to keep diving into Jane Barrow’s world, one dust bunny and mystery at a time.

A heartfelt thanks to my readers—your enthusiasm for Jane, her family, and her unexpected knack for landing in the middle of murder investigations keeps this series alive.

And of course, to all the everyday heroes—parents, single moms, and small-business owners—you inspire characters like Jane every day. Thank you for showing all of us all what resilience and heart really look like.

And last but not least, to Tom, your sharp eyes and honest feedback helped shape this story into something I’m truly proud of!

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Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

ABOUT DIANNE

CHAPTER 1

“Come on, guys! It’s time to go!” Jane called out to her children as she looked out the window and spotted the school bus approaching. It had just turned onto the gravel road that led to their home and was headed in their direction.

“I’m ready,” Tyson said as he bounded down the stairs with his backpack over his shoulder. He’d started to grow his hair out a bit, so it flopped over his eyes as he bounced down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he tossed his head to get his hair to go to the side again. Jane had been fighting the urge to cut his hair while he was asleep.

“Where’s your sister?” she asked, frowning as she looked up the stairs. Usually, Libby would have appeared by now.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her this morning,” he said as he went to the window and watched as the bus approached. “It’s almost here.”

“Dangit, Libby,” Jane muttered to herself as she hurried up the stairs. When she was almost at the top, she called out, “Libby? Where are you?”

“I’m coming,” Libby grumbled as she left her room and tugged the door shut behind her. She had an uncharacteristic scowl on her face which surprised Jane.

“What’s the deal, Libs? You okay?” Libby was never grumpy in the morning, and she was definitely not a happy camper on this particular morning. Not if the expression on her face meant anything.

“I’m fine,” she muttered as she headed to the stairs. Her tone was lighter, but Jane knew her daughter well enough to know that wasn’t true.

Jane wanted to argue, but the truth was they didn’t have time to talk about it right then. The bus would arrive any moment and Libby needed to get on it. She would just have to ask again later and hopefully get to the bottom of what was going on. “Okay, the bus is coming,” Jane told her as she ushered her down the stairs. “We need to hurry.”

“It’s here!” Tyson called out right before he opened the front door and headed out.

Libby and Jane had made it down the stairs and she pulled her daughter into her arms for a quick squeeze. “We’ll talk later.” She pressed a kiss to her head. “Have a good day.” She hoped more than anything that it was nothing and Libby was just grumpy about getting out of bed. Maybe a day with her friends would change her attitude.

Libby mumbled something inaudibly as she headed out the door. She wasn’t as quick as usual, but she still gave the bus driver a wave as she approached and climbed on board.

Jane sighed as she watched out the window. Libby had never been sullen like this in the morning. “Maybe she’s just getting older?” Jane asked herself. It was times like this when she really missed having another parent around to ask their opinion on what was going on with her kids.

Did she seem upset? Did I do something unintentionally? All those questions that people could usually ask their spouse were now only spoken to empty air.

Jane stepped away from the window as the bus began to pull away. If she thought about it, Libby had slowly been growing up right before her eyes, but recently, it seemed as though it had been accelerating. She still had all of her stuffed animals, but they mainly stayed on a shelf or in the net in the corner of her room. Sometimes, Jane would notice one on the bed, but Libby didn’t seem to cuddle with them anymore. At least not like she used to.

She’d also started getting solid-colored pajamas when she outgrew her old ones. It had been a slow but subtle shift that Jane had noticed, but not thought about until now.

For a moment, Jane felt a stab of guilt as she wondered if it was the things that had happened to their family that started changing her little girl's childhood ways and replacing them with more mature ones. They’d been through a lot together during the last couple of years. First, having your father not only disappear but then returning and put your family in danger, only to end up incarcerated. That had been a lot for someone her age to deal with.

Or maybe this was a natural time for it to happen with her? Maybe Jane was reading far too much into it. No matter what the cause, Jane felt something like sadness start to take hold of her innermost feelings. Her children were growing up and changing. This made her incredibly proud, but at the same time, profoundly sad. No matter how much she wished time would slow down once in a while, it continued to march on.

Jane finished getting ready for work while Annie, their Anatolian Shepherd, followed her around the house like a big white shadow while she tried to figure out if she was overreacting. Eventually, she told herself to stop worrying until she could talk to Libby later.

Once she was dressed for the day, with a pair of comfortable knit pants that looked like slacks and her polo shirt with the Clean Sweep Cleaning Services logo in the corner, she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down with her phone to check the news.

She’d stopped watching the news on television and started to rely more on what she read online. She preferred learning about what was going on in her backyard from the people who lived there. Local news would cover the topics of the wider world when needed, and she’d learned long ago that too much information could be a bad thing.

It was overwhelming to see all the suffering and hurt going on around the world, especially when she was powerless to do anything about it. She couldn’t feed the hungry halfway around the world or stop world leaders from dropping bombs on innocent civilians.

With a sigh, she realized she was doing it again. Worrying about things that were out of her control, but as she continued to scroll, she found information on something she’d already had an influence on. The development plan for the proposed getaway resort in Alma.

“Plans Underway for Local Resort,” the title read on the news article one of her friends had shared. She clicked on the link and began to scan the article. It laid out everything she already knew, that a development company, A. E. Miller Group, had set their sights on Alma for a small “resort” that would welcome people who lived in cities to come and embrace small town life while on vacation.

It also highlighted that many locals had been against the proposed addition to the community, citing that many of them didn’t want to sell their land or have the small town receive an influx of visitors. They thought that would change the very thing that had drawn the resort to Alma in the first place.

As she continued to read, she saw an image that claimed to be the latest mockup of what the resort would look like. It was the image she’d seen that had made her so upset with the lawyer, George Jackson.

George Jackson had been brought in by the A. E. Miller Group to replace their previous lawyer who was allegedly using questionable tactics to gain community support for the resort. He and Jane had gotten off to a bumpy start when he’d asked her to talk with him, only to use their meeting to make it sound as though she was in full support of the resort project.

In the beginning, she’d been fairly neutral about it. While she didn’t want to see her small town change, she also wasn’t naive enough to think that the world wouldn’t eventually force a change. Nothing, not even the smallest towns, could escape the outside world and its drive for “progress.”

Only time would tell if the changes would be positive or negative and she didn’t have a crystal ball in order to see which way it would go for their small town of Alma.

It hadn’t been until she found out that George Jackson had lied to her that she’d gotten upset and was against the whole thing. He’d led her to believe that this “resort” would be something smaller, more manageable for the town. Not some hulking hotel on the edge of town.

Yet that was what the mock-up in the news article showed. It was the very image she’d seen of the proposed hotel, and made to look like a rustic log cabin, but nothing in their area was even close to that size. That was when she’d realized they were trying to use the old bait and switch routine, which was what the news article was subtly telling the community.

“The original proposed building would have been much smaller, but the A. E. Miller Group has decided that there is a lot of opportunity to be had in Alma, and they don’t want to build a smaller scale resort only to have to immediately expand it.”

Jane chuckled humorlessly. They probably figured most people wouldn’t even hear about this expansion or what it might mean for the area. Jane doubted anyone would want that hulking building to loom over the town the way it seemed to in the picture. However, despite everything that the locals who were against it had done, the project was still going forward.

An alarm went off on her phone to remind her it was time to leave for work. With a sigh, she closed out the app and began to collect her things. It seemed as though the A. E. Miller Group was Goliath, and in this story it seemed impossible for David to bring them down.

CHAPTER 2

Later that morning, Jane was busy scrubbing around a client’s bathroom faucet, humming a song she’d heard on the way to work. She still listened, mostly, to the local radio and it had been a song she hadn’t heard before. The chorus had stuck in her mind, and she’d found herself humming it over and over until she was almost irritated that she couldn’t remember anything else from it, just the same few bars repeating like a mantra in her brain as she cleaned.

She’d considered putting in an earbud in order to eject the tune from her mind, but that was when her cell phone began to ring. She was alone in the house since the clients both worked days and preferred her to come when they weren’t home. So she felt no hesitation in pushing the call button and answering her phone.

“Clean Sweep Cleaning Services. This is Jane.”

“Hi, Jane. This is Rose Grimes. I was calling about possibly having you clean a vacation rental in your area. Is that something you do?”

Jane had never cleaned a vacation rental before, but she figured it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. “I clean everything from personal residences to businesses. I’m sure my team and I can handle whatever you have.”

Depending on the location, she might pass it off to Brie. She was always telling Jane that she didn’t care how many hours she worked, because she needed the money. “What’s the location?”

They continued the conversation as Jane worked. Rose explained that she didn’t live nearby but that one of her business partners did and that they would check in on the rental after the first couple of cleanings just to make sure it was done the way Rose wanted.

Jane had no issue with this and went on to ask more questions about the property. How many rooms, bathrooms, etc.? These were the things she’d learned she needed to know before she gave a quote for her services.

“Here, I’ll send you the listing,” Rose said. “It has detailed photos of the place, and it looks like how we’d like it to look when a guest is thinking about renting it. You wouldn’t believe how many people will complain if it doesn’t look exactly like the photos.” She sighed as if it was one of those things that she lamented the most.

“I can imagine,” Jane said sympathetically as her phone dinged when she received the listing. She took a moment to flip through the photos, and she had to agree, they were very detailed. Enough so she felt confident in giving Rose her fee even without physically seeing the place. Her eyes drifted down to the information about the rental, and she realized that it was fairly close to Alma.

Actually it was just a short drive out into a more rural area north of her home. It was technically closer to the next town over, but it still wasn’t too far for her to consider doing it. She told Rose what she would charge as she continued to flip through the photos once more.

“Perfect. I’ll give you my email address and if you can send an invoice over, I’ll pay it right away. When do you think you can get to it?”

Jane considered her schedule in her head. “I should be able to head over there first thing tomorrow. I’m fairly booked today.” She’d rather get over there sooner than later and she had a slow morning planned for the next day.

“That’s fine. Please feel free to call if you have any questions. I tend to be by my phone. If for some reason I don’t answer, leave a message and I’ll get right back to you.”

“Perfect. Uh, if I may ask,” Jane said quickly before the woman hung up. “Is this a new rental? I wasn’t aware of anything like this in the area.”

“Fairly new, but we’ve had a few guests so far,” Rose said quickly. “We did have someone else who took care of the property, but she recently backed out. Since I live in a different state, I’m definitely out and my partner, well, he’s not the cleaning type.”

“Was it another cleaning company?” Not that she really cared if there was another one locally, but she hadn’t heard anything.

“No, no,” Rose replied. “It was someone my business partner knew. It’s a long story, but he’d mentioned she was uninterested in continuing and since I can’t seem to reach him, I decided to take matters into my own hands. We have guests wanting to make reservations and I need to make sure the place will be ready for them.”

“Understood,” Jane answered. “I’ll do my very best with it. I’ll give you a call when I finish to let you know.”

“Perfect,” Rose replied. “There’s a lockbox attached to the wall next to the front door. The key to the front door is in it. The combination number for the lockbox is 53041. “I look forward to hearing from you when you’ve finished it.”

When they hung up, Jane finished cleaning the bathroom before she stepped out and began to collect the cleaning supplies she’d been using. She was almost finished with that job. All that was left was a quick trip to take out the trash and she could head out the door.

She kept her phone out and studied the photos of the vacation rental once again as she went to their attached garage and pushed the button for the garage door. As it groaned to life, she reached for the trash can and began to push it down the driveway as she swiped through the photos one by one.

The rental didn’t seem overly big, so that wasn’t a concern. She was more worried about the fact that she would be expected to make it look identical to the photos. What if she didn’t notice something? She always tried to be meticulous, but there were things she wasn’t used to doing, and that was making a room look exactly the same as a photo.

Although she was an orderly person, it made her a little nervous to think that this job might be one that was out of her comfort zone.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out,” Jane murmured as she left the trash can by the curb.

With the trash out and waiting to be picked up, she just needed to lock up before she could head out. “Maybe I could talk to Brie about the rental and see if she has any tips for me.”

Brie had cleaned hotel rooms before coming to work for Jane, so she had some experience in that regard. While she probably hadn’t had to match a photo, Jane was sure that each hotel room was supposed to look the same.

When she got back inside, Jane found Brie’s contact and pressed the call button. She flipped the locks as she stepped through the door, listening as the line on the other end rang.

“Hey, Jane,” Brie answered happily.

“Hey,” Jane replied. “Are you busy?”

“Not at all. Is something wrong? Do you need to cancel our lunch tomorrow?”

“No, actually I was calling because I was hoping you could give me some advice,” she said as she headed to her car.

“Me?” Brie asked, surprised. “About what?”

“I just got a call from a new client who wants me to clean a vacation rental. Any tips on making it look the same every time? I’m kind of nervous about that part.”

“Well, I haven’t done a vacation rental. You mean like an Airbnb, right?” she asked. When Jane agreed, Brie sighed. “The best thing is to have photos of what they expect and then, if you’re worried, take photos after you finish of what you did. Compare the two. Like, swiping from one to the other? That will show you if something’s not right.”

“You’re brilliant,” Jane replied. “I hadn’t thought of doing that.”

“When I worked at the hotel, they had a few suites that had the extra decor and stuff like that. I did the same with those. I’d use the pictures from the website to make sure I got things in the right place, because you would not believe what people mess with.”

“Really?” Jane asked, surprised. “What do you mean?”

“Like one time someone swapped the artwork that was in the main room with the one in the bedroom. They were the same size and both landscapes, so it took me far too long to figure out what was different.” Jane could practically hear her shaking her head.

“Why would someone do something like that?” Jane asked, shocked. “What’s the point?”

“I think they were probably just having fun,” Brie admitted. “But it was still kind of annoying.”

“I bet,” Jane replied. “Hopefully, that won’t happen here.”

“Who knows? I’ve heard some stories, so I don’t completely envy you. Still, it should be interesting!”

They chatted some more as Jane headed to her next client. If she wasn’t a fan of cleaning the vacation rental, maybe she’d offer it to Brie. It was a bit out of her way, but maybe she wouldn’t mind. Whatever she decided, she’d worry about it later. For now, she had other clients to focus on.

When she got to her next job, she put her car in park and sighed. “Well, I’ll let you know tomorrow at our lunch how it went. I just pulled up at my next location.”

“Yeah, I need to head to my next one, too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Brie said before she hung up.

Jane reached for her purse and pulled out her keys. She just needed to believe that it would all be okay in the end. Surely it couldn’t be that bad.

CHAPTER 3

When Jane finished a bit earlier for the day than she’d expected to, she breathed a sigh of relief as she pointed her car for home. Her shoulders ached and she could feel that she’d done a long days work. She was considering getting takeout if she got home and didn’t feel like cooking dinner.

She’d been thinking about Libby off and on all day and she was eager to have a chance to talk to her daughter. She’d debated how she should handle it. Should she prod Libby until she told her what was wrong? Could she manage to pull it from her if she didn’t want to talk about it? Then, she finally settled on what she thought was the best course of action.

If Libby said that everything was fine and there was nothing wrong, then Jane would assume that it was probably an age thing. Sometimes, kids just had times when they were moody and grumpy.

She could still remember being young and occasionally confused about who she was and who she wanted to be. There were times that growing up was incredibly hard and she didn’t want to make it harder by pushing Libby to share something she didn’t want to.

Before she knew it, Libby would be eight and then Jane would blink, and she’d be fifteen. Tyson had done something similar when he was younger. When he’d gone from a boisterous little boy to a quiet one who preferred to sit and read or draw, at first it had been hard to adapt to. But now she couldn’t imagine Tyson any other way. So, if Libby refused to talk about it, she’d give her that space. But Jane also wanted to make sure her daughter knew she was there if she needed her to be.

When she got home, she went around the house and opened the windows. It was a nice day outside and the house felt stuffy when she’d walked through the front door. She pulled back all of the curtains and opened the windows. She stood by the one in her bedroom and looked out over the yard and the world beyond, inhaling the fresh air with a soft smile.

Eventually, she turned and headed back downstairs to make sure Annie had fresh food and water before the kids got home.

“So how was your day?” she asked the dog who seemed happy to be included in the conversation. Annie wagged her tail as she watched Jane fill her bowl and place it on the floor.

With the windows open, she could hear the rumble of the big yellow school bus as it drew closer to their house, and Annie gave out an excited bark.

“Yep, sounds like the kids are home,” Jane said to the dog. As she started to whine, Jane added, “It’s okay, he’ll be here in a second. Relax.”

She knew even as she spoke the words, though, that Annie wouldn’t relax. Annie was always eager for Tyson to come home. She loved everyone in the family, but Tyson was her favorite person. Those two shared a love and understanding that couldn’t be matched.

Soon, the front door opened, and Tyson was giving Annie attention while Libby shuffled inside. Jane carefully watched her daughter and noticed a distinct lack of excitement.

“How was your day?” she asked both of them.

“Good, actually,” Tyson said easily.

“It was fine,” Libby sighed. “I think I’m going to go read, if that’s okay.”

“Sure,” Jane said as she watched Libby drag her backpack behind her and head for the stairs. Jane and Tyson both remained quiet as they watched Libby retreat upstairs.

Tyson just shook his head as he relaxed and began to give Annie some love.

“Do you have any idea what her deal is?” Jane finally asked her son. “Because this is weird.”

“I have no idea, but she seemed quiet on the bus, too. I mean, she talked to her friends, but she was much more…” he hesitated as if trying to find the right word.

“Reserved?” Jane asked, trying to help.

“Yeah, that works. It was like she was there and participating, but just not with her usual excitement.”

“Hmm,” Jane mumbled as she started toward the kitchen. “Well, maybe some food will help her feel better.”

“What are we having?” he asked, brightening.

“Tostadas. Is that okay?” She’d thought about going out to eat but once she saw everything in the fridge, she decided she could rally enough energy to cook.

“Better than okay,” he beamed. “Want some help?”

It was Jane’s turn to grin then. “I would love it,” she replied.

*****

Dinner had been put away and Libby didn’t go back to her room. She had her headphones on, and she’d retreated into her handheld game. Jane had thought about asking what she was playing, but when she could hear the sound through the headphones, she decided to just leave her little girl to her game for now.

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket as she put away the last of the dinner dishes. She tugged it out, expecting it to be her best friend Abby, so she was surprised to find that it was Mike, a State Trooper she’d been developing a relationship with.

“I thought you were working this evening?” she asked as she answered.

“I had to go in early, so I get to clock out a little early. I was in the mood for some dessert and thought I’d buy some and bring to you and the kids, if you’re not busy.”

Jane thought about how Libby was so withdrawn and thought that a visit from Mike and dessert might be exactly what she needed to perk up.

“Sounds perfect. We’ll be here,” she promised.

“Okay, I’ll be there shortly,” he said before they hung up. Jane hoped this would be enough to put a smile on Libby’s face.

Almost as if her thoughts had manifested in Libby, Libby strolled into the kitchen, without her headphones and game.

“Hey, you,” Jane said as she moved to put her arm around her daughter’s slim shoulders. “How are you doing today?”

“Fine,” Libby said unenthusiastically. “Is there anything for dessert?”

“Actually, Mike just called and said he was getting off work early and wanted to bring some dessert to us. What do you think?”

For the first time, Jane saw a little bit of the old Libby flicker behind her eyes. Still, she kept herself reserved. “Okay,” she said with a nod.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You just don’t seem like yourself,” Jane pressed.

“I said I’m fine,” Libby replied, and Jane wasn’t sure she liked the tone of her words.

“Listen…” she began, but the sound of Annie barking interrupted her just as headlights flashed through the windows before they shut off.

“Mike’s here!” Tyson called out from the other room over Annie’s barks. He softly muttered for her to be quiet, and the dog quickly settled down. Then, it became a flurry of activity as Mike came in with his hands full of bags from the store.

“I hope everyone loves banana splits,” Mike said as he set the bags on the table in the kitchen. “Of course, I bought enough toppings that you can make whatever you want.”

Libby and Tyson both looked at the spread with awe as Mike began to unload his purchases. He’d brought it all. Bananas, of course, but also whipped cream, hot chocolate, caramel sauce, cherries, nuts, and more. Then, there were the ice cream flavors. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and cookies & cream.

“I know cookies & cream isn’t normal for this kind of thing, but it’s one of my all-time favorites,” he said.

“Me too!” Libby said with surprise before she seemed to catch herself and retreat again.

Mike gave Jane a questioning look, so she shrugged in answer. She had no idea what was going on with Libby or what to do about it.

They all made banana splits, although Mike admitted he preferred to slice his bananas, so they tried it that way too. Tyson said he preferred it that way, but Jane had to admit she liked it the traditional way the best.

“What do you think, Libby?” Mike asked when she stayed quiet.

“It’s pretty good this way,” she replied, almost too maturely. “Do you mind if I take my bowl to my room? I want to read some more.” When she saw that Jane was hesitating, she pressed on. “I’ll bring it back out as soon as I’m done.”

Tyson was already finished with his, so she nodded. “Okay, but only if you bring it here as soon as you’re done.”

Libby nodded and thanked Mike again before she left the room, acting more like someone twice her age.

“What’s going on with her?” Mike asked once they were sure she was gone.

“I don’t know,” Jane admitted. “But it’s strange, isn’t it?”

“I mean, she’s not doing anything wrong, but that’s not how Libby acts. I haven’t been around long, but it’s been long enough to know that,” he said as he stared after her.

“Tyson told me he noticed she was reserved on the bus with her friends there as well,” she added.

“Hmm,” Mike murmured. “That’s odd.”

“I don’t know what to do, though. She says she’s fine when I ask and the last time she seemed kind of irritated that I’d asked again.” Jane let out a huff. “So at this point, I’m kind of at a loss.”

“I guess the only thing you can do is talk to her teacher,” Mike said. “She might not have any answers either, but it’s worth a shot.”

Jane nodded. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” She thought about it a moment as she reached for the container of sprinkles and turned it over in her hands. She watched the colors move and shuffle as she spun it. “Yes, it’s worth a shot.”

Mike reached over and took her hand. “Hey, I’m sure it will be okay,” he assured her. “I may not have kids, but I can see that you do a great job with them. I’m sure she’ll be okay in the long run.”

“I hope so,” Jane sighed. How could she explain that she was starting to fear that maybe her best wasn’t enough?

CHAPTER 4

When Jane went to bed that night, she silently hoped that whatever had been causing Libby to act so out of character would be over by the next morning. She knew sometimes she had a habit of getting grumpy when she was out of sorts. Who hadn’t had days when they just felt off? So she crossed her fingers that it would all be over the following morning. Yet when she went into Libby’s room the next morning, she could tell it wasn’t.

“Hey, kiddo. How are you this morning?” Jane asked.

Libby, who was standing in front of her closet looking for what she was going to wear, didn’t even turn to look at her. “Fine,” was all she said.

“Need anything this morning before I head downstairs?” When Libby shook her head and started to tug her clothes from the closet, Jane turned and left the room.

What is going on with her? Jane wondered as she checked on Tyson before going downstairs. He was standing in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, so she gave him a wave before heading to the kitchen for some breakfast.

As Jane went about her morning routine, she decided she wouldn’t try to push for answers as to what had caused this sudden change. She didn’t want to push Libby farther away by insisting she talk about it. She was sure all that would do was end up making them both mad. If Libby didn’t want to open up about it, then pressing her to talk about it wouldn’t make things any better.

Jane helped them get ready for school and out the door without another comment on her daughter’s strange behavior. Instead, she waited until the bus had carried them away before she reached for her phone and began to dial the school. Libby may not want to talk, but that didn’t mean Jane wasn’t going to still try to help in some way.

“Alma Elementary,” a sweet voice answered over the line.

“Hi, this is Jane Barrow, Libby Barrow’s mother,” Jane began. “I’m wondering if I could speak to her teacher, Mrs. Coltrane?”

There was silence for a moment and then the woman said, “I believe she’s in. Let me see if she’s available. One moment.”

Jane thanked her and waited as she was put on hold. After a few moments, Libby’s teacher answered the phone. “This is Mrs. Coltrane.”

“Mrs. Coltrane, hi,” Jane began as she inhaled. “This is Jane Barrow, Libby’s mother.”

“Yes, yes. How may I help you, Ms. Barrow?” the woman replied, sounding almost short-tempered. Jane ignored it. Maybe she’d interrupted her busy morning.

“Well, I was calling because Libby seems different lately and I was wondering if something might have happened at school to cause this change. Have you noticed her behaving unlike herself?”

“Unlike herself?” the older woman repeated. “I don’t know about that, but she has seemed much calmer and more studious in the last few days. I dare say, I’ve seen an improvement in her classwork.”

“Really?” Jane asked, surprised. “So she hasn’t been a little too quiet in class?”

Mrs. Coltrane chuckled lightly. “Ms. Barrow, I don’t think I can ever have a student in my class be too quiet while I’m trying to teach.”

“Yeah, I suppose not,” Jane sighed. “I guess that means I’ll have to keep looking.”

“Perhaps she’s just growing up, Ms. Barrow. Children often realize around her age that it’s time to put their childhood behind them and start to act like little adults. Maybe that’s what’s going on here?”

“Maybe,” Jane replied. “Thank you for your time.”

“Of course,” Mrs. Coltrane said before the line went dead.

Jane lowered the phone from her ear and sighed. So, Libby’s teacher couldn’t help her get to the bottom of what was going on with her little girl. Who else could she turn to?

As she set her phone down and began to clean up from the morning, Mrs. Coltrane’s words echoed in her mind. “Children often realize around her age that it’s time to put their childhood behind them and start to act like little adults.”

Was that what had happened to Libby? Jane supposed it was possible, but something about it seemed far too sudden for her comfort. Something inside her told her that wasn’t the only thing happening here.

Her hands stilled as she rinsed out the coffee pot and she realized that was it. This was bothering her so much because she just knew something wasn’t right with Libby. This wasn’t a sign Libby was growing up, it was a sign that something was really bothering her. Jane knew it, but maybe her teacher hadn’t been the right person to turn to. Still, who else would know what was going on with Libby?

Jane glanced at the clock. She couldn’t do much about it now. She needed to make sure she focused on work this morning. She had that vacation rental to clean and even though Brie had made her feel more confident, she still felt nervous about the whole thing.

Annie began to bark right before Jane heard someone knock on the door. She turned in surprise at the sound and frowned. Who would be dropping by this early in the morning?

As she went to the door and peeked out, she saw it was her good friend Abby from down the road. She grinned and pulled the door open.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jane asked as she let her friend in.

“Sorry to drop by so early,” Abby said as she tucked her long dark hair behind her ear. “But I had the day off and I’m going to head into the city. I thought I’d make a trip to Costco. Is there anything I can pick up for you?”

“Yes, there is!” Jane said eagerly as she turned and led her friend farther inside while Abby chuckled and followed her.

Jane found the list of a couple of things she’d wanted from Costco and gave it to Abby. Then, she dug in her purse for her wallet and handed over a few bills. “I think that should be enough to cover it. If for some reason it isn’t, just let me know.”

“I’m sure this is fine,” Abby said with a wave. “Don’t worry.” She paused and looked around. “Feels like forever since we’ve been able to hang out. We need to plan a night.”

“I know. I could really use some friend time,” Jane sighed.

“Oh? What’s going on?” Abby asked, her brow furrowing.

“Nothing major. Just life. Plus, Libby’s been acting quiet and grumpy lately and I don’t like it.”

“Libby, grumpy?” Abby asked, taken aback. “What the heck happened?”

“I don’t really know,” Jane admitted. “And when I try to talk to her about it, she blows me off and says there’s nothing wrong.”

Abby’s face turned grim. “That’s not good.”

“No, it isn’t,” Jane replied. “And I don’t like it.”

“Maybe she just needs time, you know? Sometimes things go wrong, or we have a tough time, and we just don’t want to talk about it. It’s nothing personal, but you just want to hold it in a bit,” Abby said hopefully.

“I hope you’re right,” Jane sighed.

“Have you talked to her friends? Or maybe their parents? Maybe they’ve seen something or heard something?”

“That’s a good idea,” Jane nodded. “I’ll try that. I called her teacher this morning, but she wasn’t much help.”

“Unfortunately, not all teachers are great,” Abby muttered. “I had some amazing ones in school and others who seemed as though they didn’t like children.”

Jane nodded. “I had a few of those, too. They didn’t pay much attention to the class, just droning on and on about their subject. But I don’t think I had any of those types until I got older.”

“I had a teacher in fourth grade who would dump your desk on the floor in front of the entire class if you had trouble finding your paper,” Abby said. “She’d embarrass you if you didn’t have a pencil or something like that, too. It was horrible.”

“I hope that never happens to Libby. Surely teachers don’t get away with that kind of thing these days. Besides, I would think if it was something like that, her teacher would have mentioned it.”

“You’d think,” Abby replied. “It’s probably some sort of disagreement with a friend or something. I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”

Jane nodded and was glad she had Abby to talk to about it. She’d been feeling helpless before, but now she felt a little more confident that it would all work out in the end. She just needed to give it some time.

They chatted for a few more minutes before Abby said she better go. “I don’t want to hit that crazy traffic,” she explained as she headed for the door.

“I don’t blame you. Good luck!” She waved to Abby, who returned it before slipping out the door.

“Guess I better get going, too,” Jane sighed. She made sure Annie was comfortable and then she headed for the door. She’d figure out what happened with Libby, but unfortunately, it was just going to have to wait.

CHAPTER 5

Jane put the address for the vacation rental into her GPS and began to follow the route. She roughly knew the rural road it said it was on, but she knew plenty of those roads ended in one place only to pick up again on the other side of a small stream. If you got far enough outside of town, some of the roads had signs warning you that they were not maintained by the county. The last thing she wanted was to take her car down the wrong road and wind up stranded.

She checked her phone and noticed that even the cell service seemed to be waning as she turned onto a gravel road with trees that shaded it from both sides. She imagined how beautiful the road must be when the leaves changed in the fall compared to their lush, fullness of late spring. Right now, everything was thick and filled with fresh growth, but she had a feeling that when summer rolled around, the area would be filled with wildlife seeking refuge from the heat under all the forest-like growth.

She hummed a tune that was in her head as she continued to scan the road for any signs of the house or wildlife. The last thing she wanted was for a deer to jump out in front of her and total her car. With the tree line so close to the side of the road, it made her nervous that one could jump out at any time, causing her to have a wreck. But nothing jumped out at her. Just the occasional bird or two would fly in front of her, flitting from one tree to another in the dappled sunlight.

Jane came upon a large blue roadside mailbox that stood beside a long driveway, just like the directions on the listing said. Or was it red? She spotted a red one further down the road, peeking out from the forest. She checked the GPS, but it didn’t look like she was there yet, so she drove past the blue mailbox.

“Rerouting,” the GPS said over her car stereo.

Jane sighed. “Of course, the cell signal is horrible, so the GPS must be lagging, too.” She slowed and pulled partially into the driveway with the red mailbox so she could turn around. The driveway was long, and the house was farther back. In the clearing, she could see a wraparound porch and a sloping metal roof.

The gravel crunched under her tires as she came to a stop, and she looked up and saw an older man standing on the porch, glaring at her. It was a little hard to see, but she could tell that his glasses were on the edge of his nose, and he was frowning at the woman who had stopped in his driveway.

“Sorry,” she mouthed as she gave a little wave and began to back up. The man didn’t wave back though, and continued to glare at her until she disappeared.

“Rude,” she murmured as she drove to the correct driveway. She understood that it could be annoying to have a stranger pull into your driveway, but he could have at least waved. It wasn’t like she’d gone very far in or anything.

As she pulled in between a row of thick trees, she tried to shrug off his rude behavior. It wasn’t like she’d have to deal with the man, so who cared if he was a curmudgeonly old man?

She found that the dense tree cover opened up after a short distance to a wide, green yard. There were blossoming trees around the yard and Jane was fairly sure they were apple trees. They were absolutely loaded with blossoms, and she could smell the faint scent of pollen on the breeze.

“This place is gorgeous,” she murmured as she took in the cabin tucked near more trees and a circular driveway in front of it. The entire driveway was asphalt, which surprised her, and created a large circle as it wrapped around, drawing close to the front door. An old barn was a short distance away, with a basketball hoop mounted on the side.

Large trees dotted the yard, creating pockets of shade among the sunny areas. The entire cottage was surrounded by the semi-forest, giving it a sense of privacy. Although she knew there was a neighbor not too far away, it felt as though the place was tucked far away from the world. It would be a beautiful place for anyone who wanted to have a quiet retreat from the world.

She pulled up as close as she could get to the front door of the house and turned off her car. With one more appreciative look around, she climbed out and began to collect her things.

Using the key from the lockbox, she stepped inside the cabin and strolled around to get a lay of the place before diving right in. She had no idea what condition the last renters had left it in, so she figured she would give the place a walk-through before she decided where to start.

She glanced around the living room, the kitchen, and then peeked in both bedrooms and the bathroom. Everything looked pretty clean, so when she headed back to the front area of the cabin, she felt this might be an easy job.

Jane was starting to doubt she’d need all the time she’d originally thought she would, but she hadn’t compared the photos yet, so she might have more in store for her than she realized. For now, she’d do the base cleaning and worry about the particulars when she was finished.

She pulled out her phone and put one earbud in before turning on some upbeat music. She’d made a playlist for when she wanted some music to listen to while she worked. She’d tried to listen to whatever came up on her playlist, but found that slower songs made her want to sit down while the faster ones made her want to move around more.

She started with dusting the upper corners where the walls met the ceiling and slowly worked her way down. She found dust on top of the wall art that the previous cleaners must have missed a time or two.

Everything appeared to be going well, so she began to dance around the rental as she cleaned. Her happiness was fueled by the fact that while there would probably be times when the rental was a little more work to clean, at least this time it was an easy job. That was enough to give her a reason to celebrate, even if it was a small win.

Just as she switched to more classic music and “Barracuda” by Heart came on, she paused the music and went to the photo listings. She wanted to give her full attention to the photos while she compared them to the real thing.

“Okay,” she mumbled as she pulled up the first picture and moved to where it seemed the photographer had been standing. She started from one side and worked her way around. “So far so good,” she said as she looked from her phone to the room and back again. Then, something caught her eye.

“Why was the rug moved?” she muttered. She checked the location in the photo one more time before she went to move the rug into place. It wasn’t far, just a few feet away, but it seemed odd that someone would move it. She dragged it back to its normal location and straightened it.

“There,” she said softly. She was just about to continue comparing the photos for anything else when something on the floor caught her eye. There was a dark stain on the floor where the rug had been.

“Covering a spill, huh,” she smirked as she moved closer. Now it made sense. Whoever had rented the place must have spilled some wine or something dark and had hoped to cover it up. It looked like they’d done a terrible job of cleaning it up, too. But when she drew closer, she started to think that it was no ordinary spill. The wood floor had absorbed whatever it was and as she moved closer to try to determine what it was, she gasped.

“Is that blood?” she asked the empty room.

Jane took a step back, sure she had to be wrong. It couldn’t be blood, could it? It was too large, too… Realization ran through her, chilling her to the bone. If that was blood, something terrible must have happened here, because there was no way someone could lose that much blood and be okay. But how would she know for sure? And what on earth should she do about it?

CHAPTER 6

Jane’s ears began to ring as she realized what this meant. This was a crime scene.

“Okay, think,” she told herself, pacing. “Surely Rose doesn’t know about this, because of the pictures,” she began. Plus, the woman was out of state, so Jane doubted she knew much about the place. Maybe it was the last renter? Maybe they cut themselves and had to have stitches? But when she glanced back at the stain, she had a feeling that wasn’t it.

It looked like far too much blood for something so simple. She needed to find out if this was… what? A crime scene? Had she just cleaned up a crime scene without realizing it?

The first thing Jane did was pull out her phone and call Mike. She didn’t hesitate as she found his contact and pressed call. She had to find out if it really was blood. Surely it wasn’t, was it? She’d thought about calling the police department but was afraid that she might be overreacting. Besides, Mike’s jurisdiction was the entire state. She’d rather call him for his advice than risk looking like a fool.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said when he answered, a smile in his voice.

“Mike, I need your help,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.

All of the playfulness left his tone. “What’s wrong?”

She told him and she thought she heard him swear. “You sure do have a way of finding trouble,” he sighed, but thankfully he didn’t sound upset. “Send me the address and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Wait for me outside.”

Jane agreed and after they hung up, she went outside to wait. Jane paced back and forth on the porch, afraid to touch anything else until he came. When Mike arrived at the cabin, Jane had already been pacing back and forth enough that she was surprised she hadn’t worn a hole into the floor.

“Show me,” he said as she opened the door for him.

Jane led him over to the dark stain on the floor and stayed back from it. The more she walked around, the more she was sure this was not good. No one could lose that much blood and still live, could they?

Mike knelt down where the stain was and pulled some sort of a dropper from his breast pocket. Without a word, he placed a couple of drops of something at the very edge of the mark. Instantly, it foamed white.

“What are you doing?” Jane asked, arching her neck to get a better look.

“I’m making sure it’s blood and not something else,” he explained as he straightened.

“And?” Jane pressed.

“It’s definitely blood,” he sighed as he met her eyes.

Jane realized then what he’d done. “You used peroxide, didn’t you?”

Mike nodded. “Just a drop proves if it’s blood. So what are you doing cleaning a house with a blood stain on the floor, Jane?” He walked over to stand right before her, worry in his eyes.

“It’s a new client. This is a vacation rental, and they needed someone local to clean it.”

“I’m going to need their contact information,” he told her. “If they knew they were getting you to clean a crime scene…”

“The woman who contacted me lives out of state. I’m sure she didn’t know. Besides, the rug was moved and was covering the stain. I didn’t know it was there until I realized the rug was out of place and I went to move it back.” Jane felt as though she were having an out-of-body experience. She looked around the room as her ears began to ring again.

“Hey, hey,” Mike said as he put his arm around her. “Just breathe. This will be okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Did someone die there?” Jane asked as she looked over at the stain. “Because that’s a lot of blood.” In fact, it seemed like that was the only thing she could focus on now.

Mike put his hands on her face and made her turn to look at him. “Take a few deep breaths with me. You’re going to be fine, you just need to stop thinking so deeply about it, okay? Take a minute to separate yourself from it.” She could feel his fingers in her hair, gently stroking and it helped her to slow her mind down.

“Sorry,” Jane said after a moment. “I don’t know what got into me.”

“It’s okay. That is a lot of blood, but I assume you didn’t find a body elsewhere in the house?” He withdrew his hands, and instantly she felt the loss of their warmth.

“No, actually the house was pretty clean. I was happy about that only thirty minutes ago,” she grumbled, feeling as though it was hours ago now.

“I need to call this in, but I’m not going to request any other officers just yet. I think you and I can walk around first and see if anything else is out of place.” He reached for her hand. “Why don’t you step outside with me and get some air, too? We’re going to need to find out who has been here and what’s been going on.”

Jane nodded and allowed herself to be led outside.

The sound of the birds chirping in the trees and the strong breeze that had kicked up that day helped her thoughts begin to return to normal. She was fairly sure she’d never seen that much blood before. At least, not in that way. Maybe it was the unexpectedness that had made her woozy? Whatever it was, the fresh air seemed to chase it away and the world didn’t feel quite so dark and foreboding in the sun.

She listened as Mike called in what was found and explained that he would search for any other evidence on his own and would be in touch. Then, he got a large baggie out of the car and retrieved rubber gloves. “I know you’ve already been touching who knows what in the house, but let’s not leave any more fingerprints now that we know better,” he said as he handed a pair to her.

Jane nodded and tugged them on.

“Walk me through what you did when you got here,” Mike told her. “Start with opening the door.”

Jane inhaled sharply and held it as she tried to recall what she did first. “So I got out of the car and grabbed my cleaning pack.” She went to her back passenger door and touched it to help draw up the memory.

“I carried it to the door and got the key out of the lockbox.” She showed him where the lockbox was located and how she unlocked the door. “Then I went inside and started to look around.”

She led him through the house, one room at a time, and how she had looked around to evaluate the place before she started to dust.

“I didn’t have much to do,” she admitted with a shrug. “So I was kind of celebrating an easy gig this time.”

Mike smirked. “Don’t blame you. So did you look under the beds, in the closets, things like that?”

Jane shook her head. “Not yet. I figured that there probably wouldn’t be much to those, so I was going to check them on my last walkthrough.”

Mike nodded. “Let’s go ahead and do that, then. Do you mind helping me look around for anything that might have been left behind? We need to see if any clues were left. Then, we’ll need to contact the owner and find out who was here last, how many people, and where they were from.”

Jane nodded. She hadn’t thought about the fact that whoever it was had probably been visiting from elsewhere. “This place is so remote, do you think that’s why they chose it? They knew they were going to hurt someone?”

“I don’t know,” Mike admitted. “But it seems possible.” He went to the biggest bedroom first and knelt beside the bed. Then, he pulled out a flashlight and bent over to look beneath it. When he found nothing, he straightened and stood up with a groan. He shined his flashlight in all the corners of the room, and then the closet, but there was nothing.

“I’m going to compare the pictures of the rooms again,” Jane said eventually. “Since that’s how I found the blood stain, maybe it will help me find something else?”

“It’s worth a try,” Mike agreed as she opened the listing once again.

Jane started with the larger guest bedroom and moved through the house, one room at a time. At first she thought maybe she was just wasting time when she started checking the living room.

“Wait, something’s different,” she said as she looked at a living room photo that was taken from another angle. “Look,” she zoomed in on the photo. “There was a statue there and now it’s gone.”

Mike looked closer. “What is that? A dancing woman?”

“I think so,” Jane replied. “But it definitely shows there was a statue there and now it’s missing.”

They looked around the room but didn’t find it hidden or knocked over. Resolving that it was another clue, Mike suggested they look around outside.

Jane had thought the property was so beautiful and peaceful when she first arrived and now she couldn’t help but feel differently as the wind picked up and began to blow. As she stepped down off the porch a shadow fell across the property when a cloud slipped in front of the sun.

“You go that way, and I’ll go this way. I’m not holding out hope, but you never know,” Mike told her. She nodded and headed in the direction he had told her.

Jane scanned the bushes and flowers around the base of the house, but the grass had recently been trimmed, and she saw no sign of anything. The yard looked serene and not as if a crime had recently happened there. As she searched, she wondered who had been hurt and what had happened to them.

Maybe it was all a misunderstanding, and it had already been reported and taken care of. That was her hope as she rounded the corner to the back of the house. But as she did, she heard Mike talking on his radio.

“I’m going to need assistance at my location. I have a 10-67.”

His radio crackled in response, but he didn’t listen as he noticed Jane approaching. He was standing just inside the tree line, the lower half of his body hidden by thick evergreen bushes. “Jane, stay back,” he warned her with an outstretched hand. “I’m pretty sure I found our victim.”

CHAPTER 7

Jane found herself sitting on the porch steps, chewing on her thumbnail. Something about the entire situation wasn’t sitting well with her, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Did the owner not know that something happened? Who was dead in the trees behind the house? What had Mike found?

More than anything she wanted to go where Mike was and ask questions, but she also knew she had absolutely no interest in seeing whatever happened to the person who had lost all that blood.

Jane let her questions run through her mind as she dutifully sat where she’d been told to wait. She watched and listened as the officers buzzed around her, and some of them didn’t even seem to notice that she was sitting there.

“There’s no way someone didn’t murder that guy. Did you see him? I’d say it looks like he really made someone mad,” one of the officers said.

“But what would do something like that to a person’s skull?” the other asked as they walked by.

She shivered as she tried not to imagine the scene they’d been painting with their conversation. Clearly the person Mike found was male and not in very good shape. Now she was glad she hadn’t pushed in order to see the scene Mike had found just behind the evergreen bushes.

Jane’s phone began to vibrate in her pocket, shocking her from the picture she’d been creating in her mind. She didn’t immediately recognize the number but answered it anyway.

“Jane, this is Rose Grimes. I was calling to make sure you were able to find the place and get in okay? No questions or anything? I was worried when I hadn’t heard from you.”

Jane realized she was sitting dumbly as she stared at her feet. It almost seemed like a joke but then she remembered that Rose wasn’t close by and so she likely had no idea what had happened. How would she break the news to her?

“Well, Rose. I’m afraid I have some bad news,” she began.

“Oh?” Rose asked, sounding a little surprised. “Okay. What is it?” Her voice was wary, and Jane didn’t blame her. She probably expected something like a clogged toilet or broken furniture.

“I was cleaning the cabin, as I normally would. Then, I was making sure everything was in place like you asked me to. I noticed that a rug had been moved, so I went to move it back and found a stain on the floor.”

“A stain?” Rose asked. “What kind of stain? Were you able to get it out?”

“Unfortunately, it appeared to be blood. I know someone who is a State Trooper, so I called him and asked him to come by and tell me for sure. He did a quick test and determined that it was blood.”

“Oh,” Rose said, clearly stunned. “I- I can’t believe it. So the police are there now?” she asked.

“That’s right,” Jane replied. “I’m still here, sitting outside while they handle everything. I’m sure they’re going to question me soon, after they deal with the scene.”

“The scene?” Rose asked, sounding confused. “But I thought it was just a blood stain. Maybe someone just cut themselves?”

“No, no,” Jane replied. “It wasn’t a small stain. After I showed it to the officer, he looked around the premises and he…” Jane didn’t want to sound indelicate, but she wasn’t sure what else to do besides just come out and say it. “…he found a dead body. He told me it looked like a homicide.”

“Oh, goodness,” Rose gasped. “I guess that’s a problem. Do the police have any idea who the person was or what happened?”

“I think they’re working on that now,” Jane said. Just then, she heard a nearby officer mutter a name as he and another officer passed by where she was standing.

“Looks like the victim is Blaine Friedman. We need to contact the next of kin,” he murmured to another officer. Jane idly wondered where Mike was as she glanced around the yard, searching for his face.

“Do you know a Blaine Friedman?” she asked Rose after the officers moved along.

“Blaine?” Rose asked. “He’s the one who owns the property. Is he there now? If he is, I’d love the chance to speak with him.” She sounded eager to talk to him and Jane couldn’t blame her. If he was the owner and a local, Rose probably wanted to hear about what was going on from someone she knew and was familiar with.

“I think he’s the victim,” Jane said gently.

“He’s the one who was killed? Are you sure?” A panicked edge laced Rose’s voice.

“I just heard an officer say the victim was Blaine Friedman and that they would be contacting the next of kin,” she explained.

“Oh, no,” Rose gasped on the other end. “No, no, no.”

“I’m sorry I have to be the bearer of bad news,” Jane went on.

“This isn’t right,” Rose said firmly. “Something has happened. Oh, I bet that Greta knows something about this. I’ve always had a strange feeling about her.” Her words began to rush out, tumbling over one another.

“Greta?” Jane asked. “Who’s Greta?”

“Yes, Greta Yang. She’s a realtor who has a good mind for business, but she also has an attitude. You’d think she was dealing with cocaine rather than condos. I worked with her once before, but I was glad when that relationship ended.”

“How did you and Greta become involved with this property? You said you don’t live around this area?” Jane tried to keep her voice down as she watched the officers moving around her. So far no one had given her any trouble. She knew she’d have questions to answer eventually, but she assumed that for now, Mike had handled that part of things.

“I once worked with Greta on another project years ago. Apparently, she gave my name to Blaine when he went to her to sell the property. She convinced him that instead of selling it, he should turn it into a vacation rental that would generate some passive income for him.

“I’m an investor and I’ve done that with a lot of homes and have worked with a number of homeowners to help them create a passive income flow for themselves. I pay for  any updates and improvements needed by the property and handle the bookings, then I get part of the rental income.”

It seemed simple enough to understand. She was an investor, nothing more. “So you’ve never met Greta or Blaine in person?”

“No,” Rose replied. “Well, I did meet with Greta, but not recently. We often communicated through video conference calls.”

“Why do you think this Greta Yang had anything to do with it?” Jane thought she’d heard the name before, but she wasn’t sure who she was.

“She’s always been a bit…” she paused as she considered her words, “…intense. She doesn’t joke around and isn’t into half measures. The last time we all had a call, I could tell she was upset with Blaine, but when I asked about it, they both said it was nothing, so, I didn’t pry.”

Jane nodded to herself. She didn’t blame Rose. She probably assumed it was something personal and wouldn’t want to get caught up in someone else's drama. Jane knew she’d be the same way. If it didn’t involve her, she wasn’t going to press the issue. Perhaps Rose was the same way?

“So you mentioned you’re an investor and that Blaine owned this place?” Jane asked as she looked around. “Why would he rent it out if he lived here?”

“His parents left the property to him in their will,” she explained. “He was going to sell it, but, as I said earlier, Ms. Yang convinced him otherwise.”

Jane considered that for a moment. “Did Blaine mention he was having any trouble with the property or people who were upset with what he was doing?”

“Hmm,” Rose said as she considered the question. “Well, once he mentioned something about a neighbor who lived nearby and was unhappy with him, but he never elaborated as to why.”

“Did he mention their name?” Jane asked, hopeful.

“No,” Rose replied. “But I suppose it wouldn’t be too hard to find out. It’s my understanding that he’s the only other resident for miles.”

Jane thought back to the grumpy looking older man whose driveway she’d turned around in. Could he know something about what happened to Blaine Friedman?

“I know this might seem, well, tactless, but I still need to ask.” Rose said. “Can you keep me up to date on what’s happening there? I have a lot of money invested in this property and I would really rather not go in the hole with this one.”

Jane found herself surprised by the question. “I can, yes. But with the owner no longer living…” She had a feeling Rose was just going to have to deal with the loss. What else could be done?

“I understand,” Rose said simply. “But I’ll be contacting my lawyer about this. I never really planned for something like this, and I’m hoping my contract with Blaine will cover it,” she said with a sigh.

Jane was a little taken aback that she wasn’t more concerned that her business partner had apparently been killed. It seemed all she was worried about was her money. “I’m sure the police will do everything they can to find out what happened.”

“Perfect. Please, let me know if you hear anything.” The line went dead without Rose even saying goodbye.

“Well, okay then,” Jane sighed as she tucked her phone away.

CHAPTER 8

“Jane.” The sound of Mike calling her name made her head turn. She stood up from where she’d been seated as he drew closer with another man who looked to be about fifteen years his senior. Mike was in his State Trooper uniform, but this man wore slacks and a deep navy button-down shirt. “Jane Barrow, this is Detective Ethan Foster. Detective Foster, this is Jane Barrow.”

Detective Foster had a receding hairline, and the shiny skin there reflected the sun. Jane absently noticed that he had beads of sweat starting to form there.

“It’s my understanding that you’re the cleaning lady?” Detective Foster asked as he pulled out a small spiral notebook and pen. He clicked the end before holding it over the page.

“I own Clean Sweep Cleaning Services,” she corrected. “I was recently hired by a woman named Rose Grimes to come to the property and get it ready for their next guest.”

“And how did this Rose Grimes come across your number?” he asked. She had a feeling he was somewhat suspicious of her, but she tried not to take it personally. After all, it was a strange situation she’d found herself in.

Jane opened her mouth to answer but realized she didn’t know. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I assume word of mouth or an internet search.” She glanced at Mike, who gave her a reassuring nod.

“Have you ever met or spoken to this man?” Detective Foster held up a photo of a man with cropped dark hair and a thin beard. He was wearing a suit jacket with no tie in front of a box hedge. He gave the impression of being some sort of professional who wore clothes like that on a daily basis.

“No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him.” He might be vaguely familiar, as though she might have passed him or seen him at some time, but she had no idea when or where. He also could simply have one of those faces that’s easily recognized.

“This is the man Trooper Calloway found in the tree line behind this particular home. Do you think someone might have wanted you to find the body or be the one to clean the scene?” He arched a brow at her.

It took her a moment to respond because she hadn’t considered that. “The place was fairly clean when I arrived,” she admitted. “I didn’t really have much to do. It was almost as if someone had already cleaned up after themselves.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I was targeted to find it or be here, if that’s what you’re asking. I think someone was betting that the stain wouldn’t be noticed.”

“I see,” Detective Foster said as he began to scribble something in his book. “I will want the name, contact information, and anything else you have on the woman who hired you.”

“Sure,” she answered. Then, she bit her lip, wondering if she should ask her next question.

“What is it?” Mike asked, noticing her hesitation.

“Well, I got a call from her while I was waiting,” she explained. “I told her I had to call the police and that someone was murdered.”

“And what did she say?” Detective Foster asked.

“She was checking in because I hadn’t called to let her know I’d finished the job. Honestly, after everything that happened, I kind of forgot I was supposed to. She was making sure I hadn’t run into any issues.”

“I see,” Detective Foster replied, but Jane had a feeling he was making a lot of assumptions in his mind. She just hoped they weren’t about her and her involvement in what had happened. “There’s a lot of work to do, so for now, I don’t have any more questions for you. Still, this case is far from closed. Until then, I suggest you don’t go on any trips.”

Jane nodded. “I hadn’t planned to.” She wasn’t upset by his statement. If anything, she’d somewhat expected it. Right now, he probably had her name on his list of suspects. She just hoped she didn’t stay there long.

Detective Foster turned to Mike. “I’m going to see if they found anything else. Can you make sure she gets to her next destination safely?”

Jane had a feeling that was the detective’s polite way of telling her to get lost.

“Will do,” Mike told him with a nod as he began to lead Jane away. He guided her toward her waiting car and lowered his voice. “It’s going to be a while before the place is cleared. I’ll give you a call and let you know what else we find.” He looked over his shoulder. “I don’t like it that you’re wrapped up in this.”

“I’m not a fan of it either, but here we are,” Jane said.

He nodded. “I’ll talk to you later. Try to not stumble onto any more crime scenes today,” he said with a wink. He gave her a longing look, but she knew he needed to keep his distance.

“I make no promises,” she said, giving him a small, but hopefully reassuring, smile.

Mike chuckled, “That’s my girl.”

*****

“I can’t believe you found a literal crime scene,” Brie said with a sigh as she leaned back in her chair.

Jane had already planned to meet Brie for an early lunch, and she was glad she had someone to talk to about what had happened. Everyone else she knew had been busy when she’d tried to call them.

She and Brie had met at a sandwich shop near the edge of the city, so that both of them had to drive halfway to meet up. Jane had a client she’d visit nearby afterwards, but then she’d end up doing a loop back towards home.

“I’m starting to think it’s a habit of mine,” Jane grumbled.

“I have to say that I don’t envy you one bit,” Brie said as she reached for her iced coffee. “That sounds like a nightmare. At least you know a State Trooper. I bet it would have been a lot worse if you hadn’t had someone there to vouch for you.” A warm breeze picked up, blowing the strands of hair that had fallen from her messy bun.

“The detective seemed to think there was something strange going on. I just hope he doesn’t try to lump me in with it all.” Jane had thought about it off and on and although she knew she was innocent, she worried that he might try to make her fit in with whatever had happened.

“I doubt he will. Your innocence should be easy to prove,” Brie said with a wave. “Although, if I were in your shoes, I’d be having a meltdown worrying I was going to get blamed for something I didn’t even do.” She chuckled a little at herself.

“The thought did cross my mind,” Jane sighed. “But mostly I just want to know what happened. How did the victim end up outside in the tree line after he lost so much blood inside the house? And what was he doing there in the first place?”

“Who knows?” Brie shrugged. “But I bet they’ll figure it out.”

Jane reached the bottom of her drink and sighed. She looked up at the soda machine where two kids were lingering as they tried to determine what they should get.

“I hope so. From what I heard, it sounded pretty violent. I’d hate to think someone in the area could be capable of something so horrible.” Just the thought that a person could hit someone so many times and repeatedly… she shivered at the thought.

Finally, the children moved away from the fountain drink machine. “I’ll be right back,” Jane said as she held up her empty cup and shook it. Brie nodded, understanding.

Jane was weaving through the restaurant tables on her way to the soda machine when she felt her phone vibrate. She tugged it from her pocket and saw that it was George Jackson, the lawyer for the A.E. Miller Group, the people who had been driving her small town crazy with plans of turning Alma, Kansas, into a resort town.

She’d tried to get along with Mr. Jackson, but once she found out he’d used her goodwill against her and also lied to her about the size of the project the Group was planning, she didn’t want anything more to do with him. Jane silenced the call and slipped it back in her pocket. She had no interest in hearing what he had to say.

When she returned to the table, Brie started telling her about her plans for the week. Jane listened and gave her feedback when necessary, but she found herself slipping her phone out of her pocket and checking it for a voicemail.

“Something wrong?” Brie asked, concerned.

“No,” Jane said with a shake of her head. “I was just looking to see if I had a voicemail by someone who called me earlier.”

Brie nodded in understanding before she reached for her sandwich. Jane didn’t want to talk to George Jackson or get used by him again, but she was curious about what he might have wanted. What could have been the purpose of his call? But Jane wasn’t curious enough to return his call.

CHAPTER 9

Jane had just finished with her last client for the day, and she was exhausted. She didn’t think it had a lot to do with the work she’d done, but it was more of a mental exhaustion. The whole time she was working, she’d been distracted by the fact that somehow she’d managed to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation. What had happened to that poor man in the photo?

She’d decided to search for Blaine Friedman on the internet to see if she could find out more about him. Apparently, he’d been raised in Alma but moved away when he was old enough. He’d had a job as a car salesman at an upscale dealership in Blue Springs, Missouri, which was on the Missouri side of Kansas City.

He’d won a couple of sales awards, but beyond that, there hadn’t been much to find out about him. She just hoped the investigation would be wrapped up quickly so that she could stop worrying about it.

Jane had just pulled up in line at a drive-through to order a quick snack and a drink when her phone began to ring. When she glanced at it, she saw that it was Mike. “Maybe he’s got good news,” she muttered as she pressed the handsfree button to answer.

“Hey,” she said as the call connected.

“Hey, yourself,” he said, a smile in his voice. “I’m so glad to hear your voice.”

“I’m always just a phone call away,” Jane said as she felt something flutter in her chest.

“Listen,” Mike sighed. “I wish I had better news, but unfortunately, I don’t. I wanted to give you a heads up that Detective Foster is trying to stick you with evidence tampering.”

“What?” Jane gasped as she slowly inched forward in line. “Are you serious?”

“Unfortunately I am. But don’t worry. So far I’m still a part of this case, and I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I know you didn’t realize what was going on. Right now, you’re just a victim in this case.

“Okay,” she sighed. Part of her was really starting to regret taking on Rose Grimes as a client. This job was already a headache, and it was still just the first day. “What should I do?”

“Just go on with your life as usual and I’ll handle the rest. But I wouldn’t give Rose Grimes any more information than you already have.”

“I don’t intend to,” she said firmly. “I really wish I’d never agreed to take the job.”

“I don’t blame you. Something’s fishy with that woman and this whole situation. I was in on the call the detective did to notify her and ask a few questions, and she seemed far more fixated on what was going to happen with the house.”

“Yeah, she gave me that impression, too,” Jane said as she pulled up closer to the drive-through speaker. “I would think she’d be a suspect but supposedly she never met the victim in person, and she lives somewhere else.”

She’d considered that the woman might have been involved, but at this point, she wasn’t sure how.

“True, but she’s only in Nebraska. In the Lincoln area, if I remember correctly. The victim seems to have been killed sometime on Sunday, most likely late. The timeline is still a bit unclear. She could have been lying about meeting him and hurried back to her hometown before anyone was the wiser,” Mike pointed out.

Jane thought Mike could be right. It would have been a bit of a drive, but considering he wasn’t found until days later, it was possible she could be a viable suspect. It was her turn at the speaker, so she said, “Give me one second. I’m at the drive-through and need to order.”

Mike agreed and waited patiently as she ordered her pretzel and soda before she returned to their conversation. “Okay, I’m back. So, what? They think that she and I are in it together? How does that work?”

“I’m not sure,” Mike admitted. “Which is why I’m confident you have nothing to worry about.”

Jane was silent as she thought about everything. Who knew running a cleaning business would get her involved with so many crimes? Maybe she should do a little looking around to see what was really going on, just in case.

“I can hear your gears turning through the phone,” Mike chuckled. “If you poke around, be careful and keep me updated. Don’t do anything dangerous.”

“Me do something dangerous?” Jane gasped dramatically as she rounded the building and drew closer to the window to pick up her order. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Ha-ha,” Mike replied. “Take care.”

“You, too,” she said before they hung up. As she pulled up to the window to get her order, she decided she was going to do one more thing before she headed home for the day.

*****

When Jane drove by the vacation rental in order to try to talk to the neighbor, she couldn’t help but glance down the driveway as she went by it. What had happened there to cause a man to not only get fatally injured, but end up out in back of the house by the trees?

It was probably safe to assume that he hadn’t walked back there, which meant he’d been put there. She’d also remembered on the drive over that a statue was missing. She and Mike had briefly discussed it before they’d gone outside to look for clues. Was that what had caused Blaine Friedman’s fatal injury? For now, she was thinking that was probably the case, but they wouldn’t know until more details were uncovered.

This time when she pulled into the neighbor’s driveway, it wasn’t just to turn around. She slowly went over the potholes in one section of the driveway until she managed to get close enough to the house. Then, she pulled off to the side and shut off her car.

“Here we go,” Jane said to herself as she reached for the door handle. After the glare he’d given her for using his driveway to just turn around, she had a feeling he probably wasn’t going to be too receptive to strangers showing up on his doorstep.

As she approached the house, Jane looked at the windows and the door for any signs of movement. She hoped he was still home, although it was hard to tell considering that the garage was closed and all of the curtains were drawn, but then she saw something. There was movement at one of the curtains as if someone had barely been holding it open before dropping it. Then, the door made a noise before it slowly swung open.

“Who are you?” a hardened voice called from inside.

“I’m sorry to disturb you. My name is Jane. Jane Barrow. I just want to ask you a few questions, please?”

“About what?” he growled. She still couldn’t see anyone through the door, so she stayed down at the bottom of the steps.

“Something happened next door. A man was killed…” she began.

She thought she saw the door closing so she scrambled to think of something to keep him talking. “I just want to know about the man who owned it. Who he was, and why this happened. I own a cleaning company, and I was the one who found him. I just need some answers for myself.” Her words had tumbled over one another at the end, sure he was ready to shut her out for good.

Silence hung between them for so long she thought he might have shut the door, but then he said, “Look, I’ll tell you what I know about the place and that’s it,” he sighed. “And I promise, it’s not much.” This time the dark screen door opened, and she saw the hunched man from earlier as he stepped out.

She hurried up the stairs. “That’s all I ask,” she said eagerly.

As the man shuffled across the porch, relying heavily on an old cherry wooden cane, Jane took in his plaid shirt, suspenders, and slacks. He carried the scent of pipe tobacco with him while he walked over to the rocking chair on the porch. A matching one was on the other side of a small table with a potted plant that spilled over the edges. Jane noticed there were also large ferns hanging along with many other plants tucked in corners along the porch.

“Come sit down, and I’ll tell you what I know,” the man grumbled as he lowered himself into the chair.

CHAPTER 10

Jane lowered herself into the wooden rocking chair and was surprised to find that it was more comfortable than she’d expected. She stayed on the edge of the chair, though, eager to hear what the man had to say. Her eyes took in their surroundings, but she found herself extremely aware of the older man’s movements and even the small grunt he gave as he sat down.

“So what do you want, now?” he asked as he reached into his shirt pocket. His fingers fumbled around in there until they wrapped around something. When he pulled it out, she saw that it was a long, mahogany pipe. From the table, he picked up a metal lighter and flicked it open before putting the flame from the lighter to the bowl of the pipe.

“As I was saying,” she began. “My name is Jane Barrow. I was hired to clean the vacation rental next door. Today was my first day and when I was working, I found that a man had been murdered there. I’m not investigating for the police or anything, but I’m curious about who he was and how any of this happened.”

She didn’t want to tell the man that the police seemed to think she had something to do with it or, at the very least, had destroyed evidence. Better to keep some things to herself.

His bushy white eyebrows shot up. “Murdered? Who was murdered?” he asked, sounding surprised. His eyes were wide behind his thick glasses.

“It’s my understanding that it was the property owner, Blaine Friedman,” she replied. “Did you know him?”

She could tell that what she’d said really caught him off guard as his head jerked back slightly. He turned and looked out across the yard, puffing slightly on the pipe he held. “Well, I’ll be,” he said finally with a shake of his head. “Can’t believe that’s the way that family’s story ends.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked with a tilt of her head.

The man sighed and it sounded as though it carried years of exhaustion behind it. “Let me start over.” He extended his gnarled hand as he cleared his throat.

“My name’s Jim Woods. I’ve lived here a little over forty years with my wife, Darla. I’d introduce you to her, but at the moment she’s with our daughter getting her hair done. Which is good, I think, since her heart isn’t quite what it used to be.”

Jane nodded politely but didn’t feel he required an answer as he went on.

“Living here for so long, you get established, see. So we knew Bob and Peggy well. They were Blaine’s parents. They’d lived next door for, oh, maybe thirty years? Thirty-five? Heck, I don’t know, it’s all the same when you get to be my age,” he grumbled. “They raised him better than how he turned out, too. I’ll tell you that much.” There was a note of bitterness to his voice that piqued Jane’s curiosity.

“What do you mean? Did he turn out not to be a good guy?” she asked, trying to understand his meaning. He didn’t think Blaine Friedman was a good guy?

Jim scoffed. “Well, he didn’t learn to honor his father’s word, that’s for sure.” He looked over at her then and noticed her confused expression. “When his parents were alive, I made a deal with them. If that land was ever to be sold, we were to have the first crack at it. See, my wife’s family owned that land for many years, back in the day. They settled here generations ago, back when the town was just getting started.

Eventually, though, her father went through some hard times and sold off some of it to help pay his debts and held onto the rest of it. He always regretted it, so when they handed this house down to her, she swore she would get as much of the land back in her family’s name as she could. We got the other land parcel back a number of years ago, and so we were just waiting to hopefully get the Friedman’s.

“We didn’t mind having Bob and Peg for neighbors, though, so we’d never made a big fuss about the whole thing. Bob and I came to an agreement through the years that if the place was ever for sale, we would have the opportunity to buy it before anyone else.”

Jane nodded as she followed along with the story. “But that’s not how things went?”

“No,” he snorted. “It’s not. And then he had the audacity to turn it into a vacation spot?” He shook his head. “There went our peace and quiet, I’ll tell you that much. We never know if we’re going to be able to have a nice, peaceful weekend or not.”

The bitterness in his voice was almost palpable. “So the people who have been renting it have been loud?” she asked.

“Not always,” he admitted, “But quite a few of them. We had to call the sheriff on one group of young men that rented it a few weeks ago. They brought guns with them and were shooting day and night. We were terrified a bullet would come crashing through our walls.”

Jane could only imagine. “What about most recently? Were there any noises coming from over there, say on Sunday?” She knew Mike had said they weren’t sure of the timeline yet, but she figured his estimate was as good as anything at this point.

“I did. There was yelling or something coming from that direction, but I couldn’t tell you what they were saying. As far as I know, they could have just been calling to one another across the yard. Still, you could hear their voices echo. Didn’t think too much of it, though, since it’s been noisy over there off and on now night and day. It’s like these people come out to the country and suddenly think they can lose their minds and act like fools. Yelling and carrying on like they’re wild animals or some such nonsense.”

Jane nodded slowly. “What about genders? Could you tell if the voices were male or female?” she asked. She needed him to stay on the topic of what he heard Sunday night.

“One was definitely male and the other female, but that’s all I know,” he said.

“Why do you say one was definitely a male?” she questioned.

“It was really low. He might have had it lowered a bit as he yelled, as people do sometimes, but it was still low enough I don’t think any woman could ever imitate it.”

That was something, at least. Was it Blaine Friedman’s voice or another man's? Still, she felt she was starting to get somewhere. “Do you recall the time of day?” When he started to shake his head, she hurried to add, “Even if it was light or dark out?”

“It was getting late. The sun was just starting to go down. Not so dark that you couldn’t still see, but it was certainly around dusk.” He took a few more puffs on his pipe before he tapped it out carefully.

“Is there anything else that stood out to you about that night? Anything at all?” Jane pressed.

Jim turned to look at her again, his eyes narrowing. “Why? I thought you were just curious about the place?”

She’d pushed too far. Her questions strayed from her excuse to talk, and he’d picked up on it. “Sorry, I guess I just found myself starting to wonder what really happened over there.”

He eyed her carefully and appeared to have accepted her excuse, but he didn’t seem willing to share much more. “You know, my wife used to clean houses for a living,” he admitted. “She did it for quite a while. She said she cleaned so she could stay sane.

“When you came up, I thought of her in your shoes. Finding someone gone from this world and wondering what happened. But I think maybe you should just let the rest of it go. No good ever comes from poking around in business that doesn’t concern you. Trust me, it’s a lesson I’ve learned well in my years.”

She had a feeling that was his polite way of saying he wasn’t going to tell her anything else. So she thanked him for his time and headed to her car.

Once she was behind the wheel, she glanced back up at Jim where he was still seated on the porch. It looked like he was adding some more tobacco to his pipe, but his eyes were on her. They weren’t glaring, but he certainly was watching her carefully. Had she overstepped or was he hiding something? She wasn’t sure, but she knew that all he’d done was pique her curiosity even more.

As she started her car, she watched him slowly light his pipe and take another puff. She gave a polite wave as she pulled away and he nodded his head almost imperceptibly. It seemed she’d gone too far with her questions and they’d made him not only shut down, but wary of her. Still, he didn’t seem angry, just uncertain.

Did that mean he’d seen or heard more than he let on, or was it something else? She had a hard time thinking the hunched older man could possibly have done something to Blaine Friedman, but he also seemed very upset with him.

As her car pulled out of his driveway, she saw that he was still on the porch, watching as she pulled away.

CHAPTER 11

Jane checked the time as she made her way back toward town. She still had roughly an hour before the kids would be home. Could she find Greta Yang and see what she knew about Blaine Friedman?

Jane pulled into a local park and found a shady spot to park her car for a moment. While she was there, she reached into her purse, pulled out a granola bar, and tore it open.

A quick search easily brought up Greta since she was a local realtor. She realized why the woman’s name sounded familiar. At one time, Jane and her ex-husband had thought they might be able to buy their own home, rather than rent. Greta had been the one who helped them look at a couple of houses that were on the market at the time. Once Jane saw the woman’s face online, she’d realized who she was.

Jane found a button that allowed her to send a message to Greta, so she clicked it and quickly typed up a short message. She explained who she was and that she was hoping to ask someone who might have known Blaine a few questions.

Her thumb hesitated over the send button. Should she be so honest when it might mean Greta wouldn’t answer? After all, Jim Woods had been leery of speaking with her about what happened to Blaine.

Jane forced herself to push the button. The last thing she wanted to do was offend someone else by being less than truthful when she didn’t need to be.

Once the message was sent, she relaxed in her seat and took a deep breath before she broke off a piece of her granola bar and popped it in her mouth. She decided she could take a few moments to herself here in the shade for a little while before she headed home.

She inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of the park, a mixture of damp mulch, trees, and the faint hint of lilacs from a few bushes nearby. Her lilac bush at home had already blossomed and faded since it was directly in the sun. The ones here seemed to have held on a little longer, probably because the overhead trees protected them from the heat.

Her mind continued to wander, and she’d just started thinking about Libby when she heard her email app ding on her phone. She knew it was a long shot, but she reached for it anyway, hoping it was an answer from Greta.

When she saw it was just another spam message she let out a huff. But just as she was about to toss it down, another one came through and this one was from Greta.

I’m in the office today if you’d like to stop by and chat. I don’t know how much help I will be, but I can try. She then followed it up with the address.

Jane smiled. At least she could do one more thing before calling it a day.

*****

Jane knocked on an open office door after the receptionist told her where to go. Greta looked up from where she’d been writing something, her dark wavy hair falling over her face. As she brushed it aside, she gave Jane a polite but genuine smile.

“Hi, I’m Jane Barrow. I messaged you about asking you a few questions,” Jane said.

“Yes, come in,” Greta said as she motioned her toward a chair. “Please, sit down.” She was wearing an angular cream-colored dress that looked expensive, at least to Jane. She absently wondered how much money a realtor in their area made.

“Thank you so much,” Jane told her as she lowered herself into the chair. “I promise not to take up too much of your time.”

“It’s fine,” Greta said with a wave as she began to move some papers to the side of her desk. “I needed a break anyway. You said that you had questions about Blaine Friedman?” she asked, her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

Jane nodded. “Rose Grimes recently hired me to clean the vacation home that he owned. I was under the impression you were the one who introduced Mr. Friedman and Ms. Grimes.”

“That’s right,” Greta nodded as she folded her hands together on her desk. “So you’re the one who found Blaine, correct?” The smile was gone from her face and while she still didn’t seem like the woman Rose had described, Jane noticed there was a coldness to her that hadn’t been there a moment ago. It was almost as though the smiles and politeness were simply a mask she wore when it was needed.

“Something like that,” Jane nodded. “I just want to understand what I stepped into here and if I should be concerned.” It was something she’d thought about on the drive over. Should she be worried that she was now involved in all of this, even distantly? How serious of a situation had she inadvertently gotten  herself into?

“I’m not sure why you would be concerned. Nothing that’s happened has anything to do with you, I’m sure. You just happened to win the unlucky lottery this week.” Greta shrugged but didn’t seem to be too worried or too sympathetic.

“Of course that would be the lottery I would win,” Jane joked but Greta only gave a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. It seemed as though the longer they spoke, the less she tried to pretend to be happy to have this conversation. Jane decided to get to the point. “Do you know who might have wanted to hurt him?” Jane asked.

Greta tilted her head to the side. “Blaine was not what you might consider a ‘good man.’ He was flawed and had no interest in changing that. It was only a matter of time before a life like that caught up with him.”

“What do you mean? Was he into things he shouldn’t have been?”

Greta shrugged airily. “You could say that.”

“But you were friends with him?” Jane asked, trying to understand the nature of their relationship considering she didn’t sound as though she’d liked him very much.

Tossing her head back, Greta laughed. “No, we were not friends. Or, at least what I would call friends. Friends don’t screw you over and then expect you to keep secrets for them.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

“So he really wasn’t a good guy,” Jane surmised.

“No, and he seemed to keep questionable company. Like that handyman he chose to fix things out there.” She shook her head. “I wanted someone with a better reputation, but Blaine wanted cheap and quick. I should have known better than to partner up with him.”

“How did you all come to partner up together?” Jane asked. “When I talked to Rose, she mentioned it, but I didn’t understand how the whole thing worked.”

Greta grinned, and for an instant she looked like a shark until she seemed to catch herself. “Actually, that’s the brilliant part. See, with that new development going in, there are going to be more visitors to this area. So I’ve been convincing people with the right kinds of properties to turn them into vacation rentals. I help them go through the channels and get set up, plus help direct customers their way, and I get a little slice of the pie.”

She leaned back in her chair then, stroking the arms gently as though lost in thought. “If I can help enough people get set up, I should be able to sit back and relax while the money rolls in.”

Jane had to admit that Greta seemed to have it planned out. “So you help them get in touch with people like Rose, who help fund remodels and things like that?”

Greta eyed Jane and smiled. “You got it.”

“But Blaine hired a handyman you didn’t think was reputable or what?” Jane asked, trying to understand all of the parts to this story.

“I’m sure he’s a fine handyman, but I just don’t trust him. Amos Parker has a questionable reputation that I personally prefer not to be associated with,” she sniffed. “And clearly Blaine thought the same thing after what I heard.”

Jane perked up. “What did you hear?”

“It was before the place was up for rent and he was still in the process of remodeling it. He and I were supposed to talk, so he asked me to meet him at the house. When I showed up, I guess they hadn’t heard me pull in. I overheard the two of them talking low to one another and then as I got closer, Blaine said ‘or else’ to Amos.

“They both came around the corner then and saw me. Suddenly they were all smiles and acting like nothing was wrong. But I heard the tone in their voices, and I know they were discussing something serious.”

“Is this Amos Parker local?” Jane asked.

Greta nodded. “He is, but I don’t know if you want to talk to him. He’s been to prison.” She gasped as though she thought that fact was equal to having the plague.

“I’ll keep that in mind. So you never had a problem with Blaine?” Jane asked.

Greta arched her brow. “I never said that. That man was not one of the good ones, that was for sure.”

“But you went into business with him anyway?” Jane questioned.

Greta shrugged. “Just because I don’t like him as a person doesn’t mean I can’t make money. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in order to protect that nest egg.” She smiled a little at that and Jane found herself wondering just how far Greta Yang would be willing to go in order to protect her finances.

CHAPTER 12

By the time Jane got home, the kids had just gotten off the bus, barely beating her there. She passed the school bus after she turned onto their road, so she knew they hadn’t been home long without her. She gave the driver a small wave as she passed him, and he returned it with one of his own. She slowed to let the dust settle a moment before she pulled into her driveway.

She looked up at her house, her pride and joy at this point, and smiled. They’d done a lot of work to it and while she’d paused most of the projects for the winter, she’d been itching to get back to it. As she climbed out of the car and headed to the house, she made a mental note to reach out to Brett Wildwood, her friend and handyman, to see what his schedule was like.

He could also help her establish what the next pressing project would be, because she knew there would be one. That was one of the so-called joys of owning an old farmhouse. There was always something that needed to be fixed.

“I’m home!” she called out as she walked through the front door and closed it behind her. She was a little surprised to see that Tyson and Libby hadn’t already taken over the living room and the TV like they usually did after school.

Tyson emerged from the kitchen, a snack-sized bag of chips in his hand. He popped one on his mouth before he said, “Hey.”

Jane looked around and frowned. “Where’s your sister?” Usually, Libby would have been bouncing with excitement to tell her mother what had happened at school that day. Even if it was something as simple as how many butterflies she’d seen at school, she always had some sort of information she was dying to tell someone.

“She went right to her room,” he said with a shrug as he popped another chip in his mouth.

Jane looked toward the top of the stairs, worry lining her face. “I wonder what’s gotten into her. This isn’t normal,” she muttered.

“I don’t know, but she hasn’t been as talkative on the bus, either. The bus driver stopped me and asked if Libby was okay when we were getting off.” He flopped on the couch and reached for the remote.

“So I’m not the only one,” Jane answered, talking more to herself than Tyson. She didn’t know if that made her feel relieved or more worried.

“Nope,” Tyson said as he turned on the TV. “Do you mind if I watch an episode of ‘Wrangler’ while you’re busy?”

“No, go ahead,” Jane said as she put her things down and headed for the stairs. There was one thing she was going to do before anything else.

When she reached Libby’s door, it was almost closed, so she knocked lightly before she pushed it open. “Hey, kiddo,” she said as she entered the room.

Libby was on her bed, her backpack open with papers and books scattered around her. She looked up and gave her mother a small smile before her eyes went back to the items spread around her. “Hey,” she said weakly. She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“What are you up to?” Jane asked casually. She didn’t want to continue to ask what was wrong, only to get rebuffed. She’d decided on another tactic to hopefully get Libby to come out of whatever funk she’d been in.

“Just doing my homework,” she said softly.

Jane nodded slowly and she noticed that Libby didn’t really seem to be working on anything. Just moving papers around and generally looking busy, but not really doing anything. She decided not to point that out, though.

“I was thinking on the way home,” Jane began. “Why don’t you have a sleepover with one of your friends this weekend? It seems like it’s been a while.”

“I don’t know,” Libby sighed.

That concerned Jane. “What do you mean, you don’t know? You love having sleepovers. You and Erica always seem to have a good time. Why don’t you invite her?” Erica was one of Libby’s best friends this school year.

“I just don’t want to,” Libby replied, sounding frustrated. “Okay?”

Jane frowned, taken aback by Libby’s outburst. “Okay,” Jane said gently. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but Libby not wanting friends to come over was as odd as her turning down dessert. Something was wrong. “I guess I’ll leave you alone.”

“Thank you,” Libby said softly as she picked up her math book and cracked it open.

Jane sighed as she hesitated by the door. Nothing about their short-lived conversation set well with her. While some parents might feel she should have gotten onto Libby, she knew this wasn’t normal behavior and was a symptom of a larger issue. But how was she supposed to find out what it was when it seemed Libby was blocking her at every turn? That was when she had a new idea.

Walking away from Libby’s bedroom, Jane headed back downstairs to where she’d left her things. After she pulled her phone from her purse, she went into the kitchen to start dinner and to make a phone call.

Jane had grown to like Libby’s friend Erica’s mother, Mae. Mae was a good mom and had been forced to be a single parent, much like Jane. They’d had a number of conversations about how hard it could be, and they’d promised one another that if there was anything they could do to help each other, they would. Jane hoped Mae would be able to give her an idea about what was going on with Libby.

Once Jane had gotten dinner underway, she found Mae’s contact number and pressed call. She tucked the phone under her chin as she began to brown ground sausage in the skillet.

“Jane! Long time no hear,” Mae said as she answered.

“I know, it’s been a little while, hasn’t it?” Jane asked as she used a spatula to move the sausage around in the hot pan, chopping it as she went so that it would be in small pieces.

“It has,” Mae sighed. “So what can I do for you?”

Jane looked toward the doorway, hoping that Libby hadn’t snuck downstairs. “It’s Libby. She’s been acting differently lately, and I was hoping that Erica might have mentioned something? I’ve tried talking to Libby, but she’s freezing me out.”

“Oh, I see,” Mae said, her voice becoming soft.

“I’ve tried talking to her, and I’ve asked Tyson. I even called her teacher, but no one seems to want to help me figure it out. Please tell me you’ve heard something, anything,” Jane pleaded.

“I may have an idea, but I don’t know for sure. Um…” Jane heard the rustle of the phone as she moved around. “Do you think you could meet me for coffee in the morning? I know it’s Saturday, but I’ll be out running errands. Just you, though,” she added quickly.

Jane was a little surprised she wouldn’t just tell her, but she nodded. “Yeah, sure. That’s no problem.”

“Okay, good,” Mae replied. “Let’s meet at Lou’s Diner at 8:30 tomorrow morning. I’m not sure if I can help, but we can meet up and discuss it then,” she said, sounding polite. Then softer, she said, “I would prefer no one heard us.”

Jane realized then that Erica must have been nearby. “Understood,” Jane replied. “Tomorrow morning, then.”

“Talk to you then,” Mae said brightly before they hung up.

Jane continued to cook, wondering what Mae might have to say that she wouldn’t want to say in front of her daughter? Had something bad happened and Jane missed it? Guilt wracked her as she continued browning the sausage  she tried to think about what it could be that was causing such an upheaval in their life.

I’ll find out tomorrow, Jane reminded herself. And besides, Mae wasn’t certain that what she had to say was it.

Jane tried to remember that as she drained the sausage and then added the jar of marinara sauce to the pan. Once it was mixed, she checked the boiling pasta to see if it was tender yet. When she determined that it needed a few more minutes, she went ahead and put the frozen garlic bread in the air fryer and turned it on.

When the food was about done, Libby walked through the doorway, her nose in the air. “What are you making?” she asked.

“Pasta with marinara sauce,” Jane replied as she took the pasta to the sink to drain.

“Is that the one that tastes like it’s lasagna sauce?” Libby asked, sounding hopeful.

Jane smiled. “It sure is. Will you get our plates out, please?”

Libby nodded and went to do what she’d been asked. As Jane watched her, she remained hopeful that she could figure out what had happened to make her bright and bubbly Libby so reserved.

CHAPTER 13

The next morning, Jane woke up early and found she couldn’t get back to sleep. Rather than try for an extra forty-five minutes of sleep, she decided to go ahead and get up. At least this way, she could take her time getting around for the day. She carefully selected her clothes from the closet and headed down the hall to the bathroom. With a quiet click of the door, she shut it behind her before she turned on the shower.

As steam filled the bathroom, she couldn’t help but wonder what she might hear from Mae. Worry for Libby and what might have happened made her dream up worst case scenarios in her mind, each more ridiculous than the next. Finally, she realized she was doing more harm than good, so she pushed the crazy thoughts away and focused on getting clean and dressed.

By the time she was dressed and ready, she realized that the kids were sleeping in. She left them a note that she’d be back soon and quietly slipped out the front door. It wasn’t uncommon for her to have to leave early on Saturday morning for one reason or another, so the kids wouldn’t be surprised to wake up and find her gone.

They’d probably assume she had a Saturday morning client she was taking care of. She was grateful she could get out without having to explain what she was doing.

Once in the driver’s seat and her car started, Jane slowly pulled out of the driveway and down the road. A golden early morning light created rays between the trees, and she smiled to herself at the beautiful morning.

Jane worked the muscles in her neck, noticing that they seemed to be tighter than usual. She rolled her neck one way and then the other, but the tension remained. She resolved to get out her neck massager when she got home.

But was it any surprise that she was tense? Between what was going on with Libby, the new client resulting in a murder investigation, plus the uncertainty that still remained in town over the proposed development project, it was the perfect recipe for a tension cocktail.

Thinking about the development project made her shoulders slump. Things had been quiet for a while, but how long would that last? Were they quiet because they were up to something or was it simply because no one had the energy left to fight?

It was a heartbreaking thought, but the truth. How long could a handful of people slow down a big company long enough to get them to change their plans? She wasn’t sure, but she had a feeling they were coming to the end of their proverbial rope.

When Jane arrived at Lou’s Diner, she was lucky enough to see a parking spot open up near the door. She waited patiently for the people to pull out so that she could take their space. “Let’s hope the rest of the day goes just as smoothly,” she said to herself as she shut her car off and climbed out.

When she got inside, she easily spotted Mae near the door and slipped into the booth across from her. “Good morning,” she said pleasantly.

“Good morning to you, too,” Mae replied. “I can’t tell you how good it felt to sneak out this morning and have a little time to myself.” Mae’s eyes glinted mischievously. “I almost felt like a teenager again, sneaking out of my parents’ house.”

“Isn’t it crazy how sometimes our kids can almost be like parents? Asking where we’ve been and what we’re doing all the time.”

“I know!” Mae gasped with a chuckle. “What is that all about?”

The server came over and offered Jane coffee, which she happily accepted. Jane watched her as she placed a white ceramic mug before her and began to pour the steaming liquid inside.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asked sweetly as she finished filling the mug.

Jane could feel her stomach on the verge of twisting with hunger. “Could I get a cream cheese bagel?” she asked.

“Sure,” the server replied.

Jane looked at Mae. “Would you like anything? I’ll pay since it’s my fault you’re out this early.”

“I’m not sure,” she said.

“How about a bagel? They’re really good and they’re from the bakery down the street,” Jane explained.

Mae nodded. “Okay, I’ll try one,” she said, seeming to warm up to the idea. The server nodded and made a note before heading off to fulfill their order.

“Thanks again for meeting me this morning,” Jane told her. “I didn’t know who else to ask at this point.”

“No, I understand completely,” Mae replied. “I’m sure I’d be doing the same thing if I were in your shoes.”

The server brought their bagels and when she asked if they needed anything else, Jane thanked her and assured her they were good.

“Okay, so about Libby,” Jane began. “It’s like all the life has left her. She’s like a grumpy preteen and not my sweet and vivacious little girl.”

“I can’t imagine Libby grumpy,” Mae replied with a shake of her head before she took a bite of her bagel. Her eyes widened in surprise as she nodded and chewed. Finally, she said, “Jane, this is so good.”

“I know,” Jane said with a grin as she took a bite of her own. “I like to get a half dozen from the bakery and keep them at home. So, what have you heard?”

“Well, I don’t know specifically if this is what has made Libby change, but it was the first thing I thought when you told me.” She paused to take a sip of coffee. “It’s Mrs. Coltrane. Erica said something a while back that it seemed like the teacher was picking on Libby. Did you know that she’s making her go by the name of Elizabeth in class?”

“What?” Jane gasped. While Elizabeth was Libby’s real name, they’d called her Libby since she was a baby. At this point, it was more her name than Elizabeth was.

Mae nodded. “Erica said that she even makes her write Elizabeth on her papers. Supposedly she does this to all the kids who have nicknames like that. She makes them go by their given names. But that’s not the only thing that’s happened.”

“What?” Jane gasped, her heart already hurting for her daughter. “There’s more?” How could there have been more and she’d never known about it?

“I guess they had a presentation about their family and favorite things. She embarrassed Libby because she took one of her stuffed animals and then made a remark about her dad.” Mae looked sorry to have to be the one passing this information along.

“Are you serious? What kind of remark?” Jane asked, beginning to get angry.

“Erica said she told Libby that she needed to put away her childish things, so that she wouldn’t end up like her father,” Mae whispered.

Jane felt her blood begin to boil. “How dare she?” Jane ground out, doing her best to keep her temper in check. Otherwise, she might find out where this Mrs. Coltrane lived and pay her a visit that very weekend. She had to settle down before she ended up with charges herself.

“I know. I’d kind of hoped Erica was simply being a little dramatic about her stories, but when you said Libby was acting differently, well…” she shrugged, not finishing.

“No, I understand. I probably would have assumed that it wasn’t as bad as Libby would have made it sound.” She shook her head slowly, her mind racing as she took a bite of her breakfast and tried to decide what to do.

“What are you going to do about it?” Mae asked as she continued eating her bagel.

“I’m not entirely sure. I mean, of course I’ll have to talk with her teacher on Monday. But I don’t know what I can do to make a difference for Libby,” Jane admitted. She didn’t add that she also had a murder investigation she was wrapped up in. That was more information than Mae really needed right then.

“Why don’t you tell Libby that Erica and I would love to have her come over to our house? Maybe we can help break away some of that shell she’s put up to protect herself?” Mae offered. “Maybe she can even spend the night, if she wants. I hate to think that woman took away some of Libby’s sparkle. Besides, Erica’s been asking for another slumber party.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her,” Jane said with a nod. “Surely if I tell her Erica wants her to come over, she’ll be open to it.” She hoped Libby hadn’t grown up and put away her young ways too quickly.

“We’ll be home. Just send me a quick text whenever you decide to head over, and we’ll be there. And tell her I can’t wait to hear about her new stuffed animal friends.” She smiled indulgently. “You know, she’s so creative with her stuffed animal's names and personalities that I’ve always thought that she’d grow up to be a writer.”

“Wouldn’t that be something?” Jane asked. She hadn’t ever thought about it, but Mae was right. Her imagination was a hallmark part of who Libby was. The fact that her teacher seemed to think it was okay to take it away only enraged Jane more. But what could she do to change it?

CHAPTER 14

When Jane walked through the front door later that Saturday morning, Tyson was playing a video game on the living room TV while Libby sat on the couch eating cereal, watching him.

“Hey, guys,” Jane said as she shut the door behind her. She’d stopped by the store on the way home to grab a few things that they’d needed and now her hands were full.

“Do you need any help?” Tyson asked as he looked up.

“No, this is all of it,” she assured him. “Keep playing.” She glanced at her daughter, but Libby’s eyes were on the screen as she scooped the last few bites of cereal into her mouth.

Tyson nodded and she carried the bags to the kitchen. As she unloaded them, Libby brought her empty bowl to the sink. Jane watched her as she made her way through the kitchen, debating about the best way to talk to her.

“Hey,” she finally said as she pulled a box of granola bars out of her bag and set it on the table. “Can we talk?” Jane was nervous about the upcoming conversation, but she knew it had to be done. There was no way around it. She just hoped that with her new knowledge, she could keep Libby from shutting her out again.

Libby eyed her mother suspiciously. “What about?” she asked warily. She looked at the groceries as if they might hold a clue.

Jane patted a chair near her and Libby walked over to it. Jane pushed the bags on the table to the side, not worrying about putting the stuff away. It could wait a few minutes. “I want to talk to you about something very important. So I need you to really listen to me, okay?”

Jane had already gone through a range of emotions before coming home. That had been part of the reason she’d stopped by the store. She’d needed some time to work through her own anger and frustration over what she’d learned before she brought it up to Libby. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally make things worse.

The seriousness in her little girl’s face let her know that she was indeed listening. It twisted Jane’s heart to see such a little girl acting so grown up. It didn’t feel right. Kids were supposed to smile often and laugh loudly every chance they got. They grew up too fast as it was. “Did I do something wrong?” Libby asked, her voice small.

“No, baby. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Jane said quickly. “Actually, I think a grown-up might have done something wrong, and I want to talk to you about it. Do you know your teacher, Mrs. Coltrane?” When Libby nodded, Jane continued. “Has she been making you go by the name of Elizabeth?”

Libby’s little head nodded, eyes wide. “She said that Libby is a little girl’s name and not a young lady’s,” she explained.

Jane had to hold back the words that wanted to tumble from her lips, none of them nice. She was more certain now than ever that she wanted to give this teacher a piece of her mind. “That’s ridiculous,” Jane allowed herself to say. “Did she tell you other things too?”

Libby nodded again.

“Tell me,” Jane said gently. “Please?”

It was as if Libby had been holding back until Jane had tugged on the right string, because then everything started to tumble out.

Tears began to fall as Libby explained how Mrs. Coltrane had asked them to bring something to school that meant something to them to tell the class about. She’d brought one of her stuffed animals and had gone on about how she collected them and that the one she’d taken that day was one that her father had bought her right before he’d gone to jail.

“She told me if I kept liking little kid stuff that I’d grow up and still be a kid. She said that was probably why daddy is in jail. Because his parents let him do what he wanted to.” A pair of tears slipped down Libby’s chubby cheeks, so Jane pulled her into her arms.

The rage Jane felt toward Mrs. Coltrane was indescribable. The sheer amount of anger she held inside her was enough to make her want to rip the woman apart with her bare hands. How dare she say something like that to her little girl. What kind of a person would think that it was okay to speak to such a young child that way? She was still in elementary school, for goodness sake!

“Let me tell you something, Libby. That is not true,” she said as she pulled back just enough to be able to see her daughter's streaked face. “You can love stuffed animals for the rest of your life, and it doesn’t mean you’re going to go to jail. Daddy is there because he made bad choices, that’s it. It has nothing to do with what he was like as a little boy.” She stroked Libby’s hair.

“Sometimes I forget that most people who go to jail are really bad people,” Libby sniffed. “So I don’t remember that I probably shouldn’t tell everyone.”

“It’s okay, Libs,” Jane assured her. “You should never feel like you need to filter what you tell people. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“But Ms. Coltrane…” she began.

“No, Mrs. Coltrane is wrong,” Jane told her firmly. “You do not need to be called Elizabeth, and you don’t need to be ashamed of your stuffed animals or your father. There is nothing about your life that you should feel you have to hide.”

“But Daddy,” Libby sighed. “Daddy did something bad.”

“That’s right, but you didn’t. So you can tell your story and hold your head up high. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re a good girl with a big heart. Everyone has their own lives, and some people like to spend theirs telling others to be like them. But imagine if we were all exactly the same.” She brushed a few strands of Libby’s hair away from her face. “Wouldn’t that be boring?”

Libby giggled. “Not if everyone was like me.”

Jane giggled with her. “No, I guess not. Then we’d all have fun all the time.” She smiled. “But only if you’re the type of little girl that does what makes her little heart happy.”

Libby looked up at her. “So I don’t have to go by Elizabeth anymore?” Libby asked, her nose wrinkling.

“No, you don’t,” Jane told her with a laugh. “You can go by whatever name you want.”

“It’s not that I don’t like Elizabeth. I know it’s a special name and you picked it for a reason, but Libby’s my name, you know?”

Jane nodded. She’d given Libby the name of Elizabeth because it was a family name, but there was a reason she’d called her Libby this whole time. She wanted her to have her own name.

“I know,” Jane said gently. “And I almost forgot that I had something to tell you.”

Libby blinked, some of the old Libby seeming to return to her eyes. “What?”

“I ran into Erica’s mom. They wanted to know if you wanted to come over. Maybe even spend the night?”

Libby started to smile. “Can I?”

“Of course you can,” Jane said as she squeezed her daughter one more time.

Tyson came shuffling in then. “Libby’s spending the night at Erica’s?” he asked.

“If she wants to,” Jane said as they pulled apart.

“Yeah!” Libby cried out.

“Okay, then you better go pack,” Jane said, happy to see some of Libby’s old self shining through.

Libby pulled away and ran for her room, bounding up the stairs.

“Well, she seems to be back to normal,” Tyson muttered.

“Can you believe that Mrs. Coltrane was making her go by her given name, Elizabeth?” Jane asked him. “And told her that still playing with toys would make her turn out like her father, in jail?”

“What?” Tyson asked, surprised. “I always knew she was a mean old lady, but that’s nuts.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked, surprised to hear this from him.

“Oh yeah, she’s been like that for a while. “She’s one of those teachers who treats kids like they need to be little soldiers or something. She was that way when I had her, too.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jane asked. She couldn’t believe that this woman had been getting away with that kind of behavior for so long.

Tyson shrugged. “I mean, that’s just the way she was when I was in her class. She didn’t really bother me, so I didn’t think anything of it. But she was hard on others.”

Jane couldn’t believe it. “Why does she even have a job?” She wasn’t really asking Tyson, but he answered her anyway.

“Probably because most of the time, parents don’t listen. Either that or the school just glosses over it. I remember one kid in my class had his parents transfer him to a different school because of her.”

Jane was silent, unable to even think about all the children this woman had harmed. How could something like this happen in this day and age? Surely the principal or the school board would do something about a teacher who was bullying students.

“So, if Libby’s staying with a friend, can I sleep over at a friend's too?” Tyson asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Sure,” she said with a shrug. “If you want.”

“Okay, cool,” he said before taking off and heading upstairs.

Jane watched him go, her mind working. She was going to have to stop this Mrs. Coltrane, but how? That was the question.

CHAPTER 15

“Bye, have a good time,” Jane told Libby as she stepped through the front door of Mae’s home, leaving Libby and Erica giggling with their plans for the night. Jane felt relieved to see the smile back on her daughter’s face. For now, she could take that burden from her shoulders. She’d figure out a way to deal with her bully of a teacher, but at least her daughter was smiling and coming back to herself. That was what mattered.

In the meantime, Jane had managed to look up the handyman she’d been told by Greta Yang that Blaine Friedman had hired. She’d said the guy was questionable and that she’d overheard Blaine saying “or else” to the handyman recently. Jane wanted to know what that “or else” was all about.

She’d searched for him online and found a Facebook page for his business. He didn’t have a lot of followers, but the handful of reviews he’d managed to collect seemed to suggest he was doing a good job. Jane didn’t need to contact him for his services, but more for the information he might have.

After reaching out to him while Libby had been packing, he agreed to meet with her to talk. He said he’d be getting lunch and sitting by the river, if she wanted to meet him there and ask her questions.

So now that she’d dropped Libby off and Tyson was at his friend’s, she was going to hopefully catch up with Amos Parker.

When she crossed the bridge at the river, she looked over at the parking area where people either fished or sat and watched the water roll by. It was common to find several cars parked on the flat gravel area at any time of day. There was a red truck parked close to the bridge with a man fishing and a white truck with tool boxes on the sides of the bed.

She’d noticed on Amos’s Facebook profile that he had shoulder-length brown hair with natural lighter highlights. The man in the white truck had a ponytail, so she assumed that must be Amos.

Jane pulled up beside his truck and shut off her car. When she climbed out, she noticed he’d climbed out of his truck, too.

“You must be Jane,” he said as he met her in front of her car. He extended his hand and gave her a firm but polite handshake. He’d grown a bit of a beard since his profile picture had been taken, but he didn’t seem like the terrible person that Greta had made him out to be. Still, she watched him carefully.

“I am. And you must be Amos,” she replied.

He nodded. “So you’re the one who found Blaine?” he asked as he leaned against his truck. Jane noticed he had a styrofoam cup from a local fast-food restaurant in his other hand and he took a sip as he leaned back.

“I did,” she admitted. “And I’ve had a lot of questions since then.”

He chuckled. “I can imagine. That seemed to be standard Blaine, as I understand it.”

Jane saw her opening. “So you knew him well?”

Amos tilted his head to the side. “Eh, I think saying I knew him well is a stretch. I wouldn’t have considered him a friend or anything, but I’d say hi if I saw him in the store.”

Jane nodded. “I understand that. So you worked for him? That about it?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m not sure how he got my number, but he contacted me about doing some work to remodel this house he wanted to turn into a vacation rental. Nothing crazy, just some updates here and there. I gave him a good deal and he gave me steady work for a while. Then he promised if my work was up to par he’d have me come in anytime something needed fixing.”

“So you were his on-call maintenance guy,” Jane surmised.

“Basically.” Amos rubbed his hand over his beard as he considered her words. “We were on good terms, but I didn’t know the guy really well.”

“When was the last time you spoke to him?” she asked as she leaned her hip against her own car and crossed her arms.

“It was the night the police think he was killed.” When he noticed Jane’s questioning look, he added, “I had to talk to the police last night. The detective even asked me if I knew you.” He gave her a pointed look. “Which, at the time, I didn’t.”

She shrugged. “Technically, you still don’t.” She gave him a pointed look of her own. “You can’t tell me you aren’t curious about what really happened.”

“No, I am,” he nodded. “Especially after what I saw that night.” He shook his head. “It just seemed so strange.”

“Tell me,” Jane pressed.

“Blaine had told me he lived elsewhere, so when the final touches on the house were done, I didn’t really expect to see him after that. When he called me Sunday night and said there was something wrong with the jets on the tub and asked if I could look at it, I told him sure, and headed right over. I hadn’t expected him to be at the house when I got there.”

“So you were under the impression he’d gone back home, only to find that he was at the house?” she questioned.

He nodded. “That’s right. I asked him what he was doing there, and he said he’d tried to fix it, but couldn’t do it. I didn’t question it because he had his suit jacket off and his sleeves rolled up. He looked comfortable, at least.”

Jane nodded. “So you fixed the tub?” she asked, urging him on.

“Yeah, it was just a clogged filter causing water pressure issues. I changed it out and it started working good as new.”

“Was he there by himself?” Jane asked, trying to fully paint the picture of what Amos had seen that night.

“No, a woman was there with him. I assumed she was the guest who had called about the tub. She was wearing a robe and slippers as though she’d been planning to get in the tub. It all made sense, at least at the time.”

“So nothing about the situation seemed suspicious to you,” Jane pushed.

“Not at all,” he said with a shake of his head. “Why? Do you think there should have been?”

“I don’t really know,” she said. “It just doesn’t make sense.” She brushed her hair back as a slight breeze blew across the river, dragging a few strands of hair across her face. “Do you remember if the rug in the front room had been moved?” she asked suddenly.

“The rug?” Amos asked. When she nodded, he shook his head. “I have no idea. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware there was one.” He winced. “I don’t really pay attention to decorations or stuff like that.”

Jane nodded. She’d had a feeling he probably wouldn’t know, but she still had to ask. “I take it you didn’t recognize the woman, either?”

He shook his head. “No. But she was pretty, probably about forty or so with sad eyes. Slim build, not real tall, either.”

Jane frowned. If she was slim and not tall, there was no way she could have moved Blaine’s body. Still, maybe she might know something. “And she was a guest?”

He shrugged. “That’s what he told me. I didn’t see any reason to think he would lie about it.”

“Were there any cars in the driveway? Maybe you noticed where the plate on the car was from?”

“Blaine’s car was pulled up right behind a sporty looking car. I’m not sure of the make or model. It was dark and I was there for a reason that didn’t involve their cars.”

Jane understood. “I get it. So, I heard he threatened you a while back. Is that true?”

“He threatened me?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“I was told he was overhead telling you ‘or else’,” she explained.

He smirked. “Oh, that. Yeah, kind of, I guess. I didn’t really take it as a threat, though. I don’t even remember what he was talking about. It was that unimportant. Certainly not a real threat.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked as she shifted her weight. A crane swooped down and landed on the opposite side of the river. She watched as he seemed to search for the best spot to hunt for his lunch.

“Blaine was a…” he hesitated as if searching for the right word. “…a real piece of work.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked as she tilted her head in confusion. “Was he hard to work for?”

“No, no. Not like that.” He shook his head as he looked down at his feet. “I guess you could say he was a ladies man. Always looking to impress some woman or flirt with a lady. He never missed the chance to dole out some flattery. I noticed that when we’d go buy things for the house. He’d put the charm on all the time.”

“And you saw this as a problem?” Jane asked, trying to understand his point.

“I don’t know. I just think he could have upset a woman or two in his past with the way he was. Maybe she thought they were exclusive and found out he wasn’t. That kind of thing.”

Jane nodded. “So that’s the only way you could imagine that someone wanted to hurt him?”

“Well, no,” he confessed. “There was this guy. He used to come around right at the beginning. I got the impression he was helping Blaine or something. They seemed friendly enough the first time or two I saw him, but once I heard them arguing. I heard Blaine tell the guy to stay out of it and then the guy said something back to him and stormed off. I never saw him after that.”

Jane nodded slowly. Amos didn’t seem too upset by Blaine’s “or else,” but he had seemed to notice a pattern in Blaine's behavior. It sounded to Jane as though the man might have had a habit of using people, and if that were the case, maybe this time it had finally caught up with him.

CHAPTER 16

When Jane got home, she felt she had more questions than answers. It had been a long few days and she was starting to feel the effects of it. The tension in her neck and shoulders was getting worse and she was considering taking a pain reliever to see if it would help.

She’d thought about trying to find out who the woman was that Amos had described or even who Blaine had been arguing with, but part of her really just wanted to relax. She needed to unwind, and knowing that Libby was, hopefully, returning to herself was starting to get her there. Maybe a nice quiet evening was what she needed to recuperate from her recent stresses.

Granted, she was still worried about being caught up in Blaine Friedman’s murder investigation, but she was at a standstill with that right now, anyway. She wasn’t sure how she could uncover each person’s identity and right then, she didn’t have the energy to try, anyway. Why not take the lull in information to put a little spring back in her step?

Jane dropped her bag on the table and gave Annie a perfunctory pat as she headed to the kitchen. It was late afternoon now and she had no idea what she was going to eat for dinner. Considering she’d barely had breakfast, her stomach was growling. As she held the fridge door open, her phone began to ring.

“Hey, gorgeous. What are you up to?” Mike said as she answered.

“Just trying to decide what I’m going to have for dinner. The kids are both staying at a friend's house, so I just have to worry about myself tonight,” she sighed. “What are you doing?” She shut the fridge, not seeing anything that she really wanted in there.

“Well, because of Blaine Friedman’s murder investigation, I’ve got all my hours in early this week, so I have the night off. I was curious if you wanted to spend it with me.”

The thought of a night alone with Mike sounded like just the evening she needed. “That sounds great, but could we do it here? I don’t really want to go out tonight.”

“Of course! Why don’t I pick up some Chinese and you find a movie for us to watch? Or, I guess, we could also binge watch a show if that’s more your speed. We can lay around and do nothing together, for all I care.”

Jane smiled. “That sounds perfect. Can you do me one favor, though?”

“Anything,” he said without hesitation.

“Will you also grab some ice cream? Something about Chinese food always makes me want ice cream,” she replied.

“You got it. Any special flavor?” he questioned.

“Nope. That’s up to you.” She liked the idea of this impromptu home date. Ever since Mike had met the kids, they’d been doing more dates that involved the kids, so she was really looking forward to the chance to be alone with him for once. How long ago had it been since the last time they’d been alone together?

“You got it. If you think of anything else, just text me,” he told her.

After she agreed, they hung up and Jane headed upstairs. Before Mike arrived, she wanted to take a shower and freshen up. With a giddy smile, she ran upstairs to get ready, her tiredness suddenly evaporating.

*****

Mike and Jane were curled up on the couch, their legs intertwined as the male lead went running through the airport.

“Call out her name!” Mike yelled at the TV. “Then she’ll know you’re there and wait for you! Come on!” he growled.

Jane smiled and chuckled to herself. She hadn’t known how he’d react to her wanting to watch the latest romantic comedy and so she’d picked out two other movies just in case he didn’t want to watch it. He’d admitted he hadn’t heard of it, but he was willing to watch whatever, so she’d pressed play. Ever since then, he’d gotten so into the movie that he’d been yelling at the characters because of their miscommunication.

“I don’t like movies like this,” he grumbled as he reached for another handful of popcorn. Jane could tell he really did though, at least a little bit, considering how glued to the TV he was.

“Can I get you more to drink?” she asked as she began to extract herself from the blanket that covered them.

“No, I’m okay,” he assured her. “Can I do something for you?” he began to sit up as though he would do just that.

“Well, only if you can go to the bathroom for me,” she teased.

“I could try, but I don’t think it would help,” he sighed as he relaxed back onto the couch.

Jane chuckled as she padded barefoot to the bathroom. She and Mike had had a great evening so far just spending time with one another. He’d caressed her legs and feet, almost absently, but she’d been a little bit surprised when he settled on the couch and hadn’t tried to put any moves on her. She’d almost been ready for it, considering how long it had been since they’d had any real time alone. Not that she was mad, because after all, she’d told him she was tired before he’d come to her house.

When she returned to the couch, she snuggled up under his arm and noticed the way he smiled as she did. They finished the movie that way, her tucked into his side as his fingers lazily moved in swirls and lines along her arm and shoulder. She loved that he seemed to enjoy just touching her, something she didn’t remember Evan ever doing.

“Okay, I didn’t hate that movie, but I was not a fan of the way they kept misunderstanding each other,” he said as they straightened up and she reached for the remote.

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of miscommunication tropes, either,” Jane admitted.

“Trope?” Mike questioned. “What do you mean?”

“It’s like, a category. Usually people use it when talking about books, but it applies to movies too. Like the predictable parts.” She wasn’t sure how else to explain it to him, but she struggled to find the right words.

“Oh! So like when, in some romances, the two hate each other but end up in love by the end.”

Jane nodded. “Exactly. That’s enemies to lovers.”

Mike nodded slowly. “So would we be old friends to lovers?” he asked with a quirk of his brow. His hand went to her leg and squeezed.

“I would say so,” she answered with a tilt of her head. “But if we were in a movie, I doubt it would be a romance.”

“Why do you say that?” Mike asked.

“Too many dead bodies,” she said with a shake of her head. “We’d have to be one of those murder mysteries.”

Mike tossed his head back and laughed. “Can you imagine?” They laughed and joked about it a little more before he said, “Actually, speaking of murders, for now I’m still assisting on the case for Blaine Friedman. I don’t think they realize we’re a thing yet.”

“I’d hate for you to get in trouble if they found out,” Jane winced.

He shook his head. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. I’m not super involved, but I do have access to the files.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “In case you were doing any snooping around and needed some information.”

“How did you know?” she asked as she lightly slapped his arm.

“Darlin’, you’re as predictable as summer turning into fall when it comes to this sort of thing.” His smile was wide and sexy, and she couldn’t keep from reaching out to touch him.

She slid her hands along his chest, outlining the design on his shirt. “You wouldn’t happen to know who the woman was that last rented the place, would you?” she asked.

“Actually, I do. I can’t remember her name right off the top of my head, but I remember being surprised that she was a local woman.”

“Local? Really?” Jane asked.

Mike nodded. “Yeah. I’ll find out her name the next time I go in.” He leaned closer to her, his lips pressing to her cheek near her ear. “There’s something else I’d like to talk about.”

“And what’s that?” she asked as his lips moved to her ear and she felt the graze of his teeth.

“The fact that we’re alone, for once,” he purred in her ear. “And I think I’m tired of talking.”

She turned to face him, a smile on her lips. “You and me both,” she said before her lips crashed into his.

CHAPTER 17

Sunday morning, Jane cracked her eyes open and stretched. She could tell by the light streaming through the window that she’d slept longer than usual, and it made her smile. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually slept until 8:00 a.m. She was so content she stayed under her blankets for a little longer, smiling at the ceiling. She had no one to get up and cook for. No one who needed her to do something for them. She could just lay there for another hour or so if she felt like it.

That was when her bladder decided to remind her that she wasn’t as young as she used to be, and that she usually would have gone to the bathroom by now. With a sigh, she tossed the blankets back and forced herself to shuffle down the hall.

Once she’d relieved herself, she paused in front of the mirror and took a look at herself. “What am I going to do this morning?” she asked. After a great evening with Mike, she felt much better than she had the day before. The stiffness was gone from her shoulders, and she was fairly sure she even felt more energized. But who could blame her after the evening they’d spent together?

She headed back to her bedroom and took a moment to truly look around. The rest of the house was coming along nicely, but she realized that her bedroom was still painted in primer and that the new trim pieces, all cut to fit and ready to go, only needed to be stained and installed.

“Of course my room is still in shambles,” Jane muttered. It was what she always did, make sure everyone and everything else was taken care of before herself. “Well, not today,” she said confidently. And after pulling on her shoes, she headed out the door.

The hardware store was locally owned, and Jane was sure, just like every other time she’d been in there, the owner would be in a conversation with someone at the checkout. She’d never learned the owner’s name, she’d just put two and two together over time on her own.

She’d been in there enough since moving into the old family farmhouse to have seen the same scenario a number of times. Thankfully, since he didn’t know her, Jane’s conversations with the owner were often briefer than some other people she’d seen him with in the store.

Jane found a parking spot fairly close to the door and pulled in. The sun was warm, and it was starting to feel as though they were moving deeply into summer. She knew before long it would be too hot to leave the windows open. It was probably best for her to settle on a paint color while she could still easily ventilate the room.

When she walked through the front door, just as she thought, the owner was once again talking to someone at the counter. This time it was a chubby man with a round face and kind eyes. They both glanced her way as she entered the store, but quickly dismissed her and continued on with their conversation.

Jane was grateful because all she wanted today was to grab a few paint swatches and another can of stain. She didn’t need any help or distractions. She only had so many hours before she had to pick up Libby, and she fully intended to make the most of them.

Jane made her way to the wood stains and quickly located the same color she’d been using throughout the rest of the house. She’d seen someone online say that what she was doing, dark stained wood trim with solid color walls was dated, but she didn’t care.

She liked the way it looked and that was that. After she’d gotten the stain, she moved to the paint display one aisle over. Here, she was fairly close to the checkout counter and could hear bits of their conversation.

“I’m still in shock over what happened. I heard whoever it was chased him down,” the owner said.

“I’ve heard about three different versions of what happened,” the other man said. “So I don’t really believe a single one of the rumors going around. All we know is that Blaine is dead. Simple as that.”

Jane couldn’t believe her ears. They were talking about Blaine Friedman? She clutched the two colors she’d selected tightly in her fist as she tried to hear a little better by moving slightly closer.

“But I’ll tell you something I do know.” The owner grunted his questioning response, and the man went on. “I’m just glad he ended up screwing me over and cutting me out of his whole ordeal. Otherwise, think of the money I’d be out right now!”

“You ain’t kiddin’,” the owner replied. “And you know all that’s going to be wrapped up in probate or whatever they call it. Cuz I’m sure Blaine didn’t have himself a will or anything like that. Even if you got your money back, it would take too long to do you much good.”

“Well, I better get going.” They mumbled their goodbyes, and Jane heard the man walk away. Hurrying over to the counter, she placed the can of stain on the counter and tried to get a look at the man who left.

“$12.64,” the man behind the counter said as she stared after the other man. She hurried and pushed her debit card in the machine, punching in her pin as quickly as possible.

“In a hurry?” he asked, watching her.

“Yeah, sorry. I just have to meet up with someone,” she said quickly. The guy was going slow as he walked across the parking lot. His head was bowed, and she was fairly sure he was texting.

“You have a good day,” the owner said as he handed her the receipt. She muttered her thanks as she hurried toward the door, bag in hand.

“Excuse me,” she said as she drew close to the man who was texting in the parking lot. “Excuse me, sir?”

He turned around and she saw that he had, in fact, been texting. “Yes?” he asked, seeming a little surprised she was talking to him.

“I was wondering if we could talk a moment? I heard you talking about Blaine Friedman. Is that correct?”

His brow furrowed but he nodded. “Yes,” he said carefully. “Who are you?”

“Oh, my name is Jane,” she said, extending a hand. “I’m the one who discovered his body. I’ve had a few questions about him since then, and I’ve been hoping to find someone who could answer them for me. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, sounding uncertain. “I mean, I really need to get back home. My wife’s been home sick, and I need to get some stuff to her. She can barely eat.”

“I understand. I promise I won’t take up much of your time. I just want to find out what might have happened.” Jane knew she was going to have to stretch the truth with this one, since he was trying so hard to get away.

“It’s been hard on me, you know? Finding a person like that and not knowing who they were in life.” Jane knew she was being dramatic, but it was the only thing that came to her mind on such short notice. Thankfully, it seemed to do the trick.

“I guess if you come by my house, I could probably answer them. I don’t think my wife’s contagious, because she’s been sick a week and I have yet to catch it.”

“Perfect. I can do that,” Jane nodded eagerly. She knew there were bugs going around since she had school-age children. At this point, she was pretty sure they’d all had the flu twice this season.

“O-Okay,” he said as he came to a stop next to a sporty looking car. “I live at 213 Shadow Lane. Give me about thirty to forty-five minutes to give her some meds and help her get some food in her belly, then I can talk.”

Jane nodded. “Thank you. I will.”

He was starting to get in his car when she realized she’d never asked him his name. “I’m sorry, I never caught your name,” she called out.

“Joseph. Joseph Whitley,” he said before he climbed behind the wheel and shut the door.

CHAPTER 18

Jane absolutely hated having to kill time, because that was when it seemed to move the slowest. But she had to do just that as she waited for the chance to speak with Mr. Whitley and see what he had to say about his relationship with Blaine Friedman. And besides, he might have a better idea of what happened, considering it sounded as though he knew Blaine personally, something that, besides the neighbor, nobody really had. What had he said?

I’ve heard about three different versions of what happened. So I don’t really believe a single one of the rumors going around. All we know is that Blaine is dead. Simple as that.

What had he heard? What were the rumors? Jane was eager to find out.

When the time came, she pulled up in front of the address he’d given her, 213 Shadow Lane. It was a modest home in one of the better parts of town. There was no car in the driveway, but the garage door was down, so she hoped he’d pulled in when he’d gotten home and hadn’t left again before she got there.

As she stepped out of her car, she didn’t know why, but she got a strange feeling that she should let someone know what she was doing. There were no kids at home waiting for her, Mike had no clue what she was doing, and her best friend had taken a trip to go see her parents, so it wasn’t as though anyone would be reaching out any time soon. She almost dismissed it, but as she walked up the driveway and then along the sidewalk, she quicky typed a message to Mike.

I overheard someone talking about Blaine Friedman while I was at the hardware store so I’m meeting with him to see if he knows anything. 213 Shadow Lane. I’ll let you know if I find out anything.

She saw where Mike read it almost immediately and she smiled when he quickly responded with, let me know when you leave.

As Jane rapped on the glass storm door, she felt her nerves lighten. She didn’t know why she’d been so nervous. Maybe it was because she realized she knew nothing about this man or his wife. At least now, she could meet with him and not feel as though she was doing something stupid and ridiculous.

The carved wooden door opened, and Joseph gave her a weak smile. “Come on in. Just try to keep your voice down, if you please. She’s asleep.”

Jane nodded as she stepped inside and could smell the scent of chicken broth floating through the home. She had to admit that it smelled good.

“Thank you for taking the time to help me understand a little more about what happened,” she said as he shut the door behind her.

“It’s fine. I’ve taken today and tomorrow off to help my wife get better, so it’s nice to have a little company. She’s been ill for a while.” He waved toward a blue corduroy couch covered in pillows as he moved toward a recliner. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Jane clutched her purse as she sat in the middle of all the pillows, not wanting to disturb them. “Are you sure your wife shouldn’t see a doctor? If she’s been sick that long, it must be something serious.”

He waved his hand. “I don’t think so. She had a migraine at first and then it moved to nausea, but now she just doesn’t want to eat. Seems as though the migraine and everything else has lifted. I think she’s on the mend, slowly but surely.”

He gave her the least confident smile Jane had ever seen, but she said nothing to disagree with him. After all, his wife’s health wasn’t any of her business.

“So, I heard you mention that you knew Blaine Friedman?” Jane began, trying to get to the point.

“That’s right. We went to high school together and became friends there.” He shrugged one shoulder. “He’d moved away and became some bigshot, but I’d catch him in town sometimes and make him swing by the house before he left town again.” He smiled as if this had been a genuine accomplishment.

“But what were you saying at the hardware store? Something about being cut out?” she asked.

“Oh, that.” He had the sense to look abashed. “Blaine was back in the area so he could wrap up his parents’ house and sell it, when suddenly he had this idea to turn it into a vacation rental. He said the lady he contacted to sell had suggested it and he was going to think it over. I told him it was a great idea and that I’d heard a lot about it. I’d been doing some research on the whole thing and had been saving up to buy some property to do the same thing.

“One night he was over here, and we agreed that he would provide the house, and I would provide the funds to remodel it. The house had been dated and needed a few repairs. Fortunately his father had taken care of the place, at least, structurally. I had already made plans to buy some material when he told me he’d found a different investor and he didn’t need my help.” He frowned, his eyes growing dark and distant.

“Was that normal for him to do? If you guys were friends, I would think he would want to keep you included,” Jane mused. Part of her was thinking aloud, but still asking the questions that came to mind.

“You would think so, but Blaine was like that.” He chuckled slightly. “He would make you wonder sometimes if you were truly friends, but then he’d end up in town and stopping by.”

Jane frowned, trying to understand the dynamics of their relationship. How could he wonder if his friend, a person to whom he was going to loan a lot of money, was actually his friend? Jane decided to come back to that later.

“You said you’d heard rumors about what happened to him,” she said, changing the subject slightly. “Would you mind sharing what those are?”

Once again he shrugged but this time, he looked away toward the hall behind her. “Some say that a group tried to rob the place and didn’t think he’d be there. Others think he made the wrong person angry.” His eyes went to the ground. “And others think it was a scorned woman.”

“A scorned woman?” Jane repeated. “Like whom?”

“I haven’t heard names. I’ve heard tell now that he was a bit of a playboy. Love ‘em and leave ‘em, or whatever. I don’t know if that’s true or just rumors at this point.”

“You were friends, and you don’t know if the rumors are true?” she questioned.

“Well, like I said, we didn’t spend a lot of time together. He’d just come over for dinner sometimes when he was in the area. He really enjoyed it when my wife made chicken pot pie, so she’d be sure to make him one when he came around so he would have dinner with us.”

“So your wife got along with him?” Jane asked, just to be sure.

“Oh, yeah. She’d light up when he came around. Of course, he was always quick with flattery for everyone and full of jokes. You know the kind. He was that person who could charm anyone.”

Jane knew the type and rarely found that they were truly as charming as they thought they were, but she kept that thought to herself. “So, what were you doing Sunday night?” He seemed nice and friendly enough, but he still had a solid motive. People had killed over less before and being cut out of a business deal was no small thing.

“I was home that night. My wife had gone out with friends, so I wasn’t really expecting her back. It was just me, some take-out food, and the TV.” He held her gaze as he said this, and it made Jane shift uncomfortably. The man might have kind eyes but there was some sort of intensity when he was looking at her that made her uneasy.

“I see. Is that normal for her to do?” she asked casually.

“Yeah. She did it more so before we sold off my truck to cut back on expenses. But she really needed a night out with friends. They’ll go to the city on Sundays when it’s not so busy and let people buy them drinks. Then, they usually get a room until the next morning. She teaches yoga but doesn’t have class on Monday,” he explained.

Jane nodded. Whatever worked for her. “Maybe that’s where she picked up her bug?” Jane said.

“Probably,” he sighed. “But it’s nothing some rest and time won’t heal.”

“So what do you think happened to Blaine?” Jane asked.

“I’m not really sure. I mean, the handyman seemed a little shady, but I admit I don’t know him. Honestly, I don’t know of anyone that openly disliked Blaine.” He looked down at his hands as if studying his nails. “He was a charming guy.

“The only time I ever saw someone get mad at him was when we were first at his parents’ house and giving it a thorough lookover to find out what needed to be done to fix it up. That old man who lives next door came over and Blaine went out to talk to him. Then, I heard the neighbor start yelling and cussing up a storm. He said he’d make sure Blaine would regret what he was doing. I thought the old man might have a heart attack right then and there.”

“Why was he so mad? Because Blaine didn’t sell to him and decided to have a vacation rental instead?”

“That’s right,” he nodded. “All he kept saying was that Blaine’s parents promised, and he needed to uphold that promise. Blaine just kept saying he didn’t have to do anything.”

Jane fell silent, considering what Joseph had said. Jane had written off the elderly neighbor because, well, he wasn’t exactly young or strong enough to kill someone and then cart their body to the tree line. But maybe she’d missed something?

Joseph seemed to notice her introspection. “I’ll tell you something else that’s interesting,” he said suddenly. “That realtor that brought up the vacation rental idea? I heard she tried to kill her boyfriend.”

“What?” Jane asked, surprised. “Greta Yang?”

He nodded. “That’s the one. I heard she caught him cheating and that she tried to hit him with a golf club or something.” His eyes went wide. “Maybe she and Blaine had something going on and she got angry with him, too?”

This was news to her. “Are you sure?”

He shrugged. “Look it up if you don’t believe me. I’m sure there was a news article or something somewhere about it. All I know is my friend is gone, and the police don’t seem to have any leads.” He shook his head. “It seems someone might have committed the perfect crime.”

Jane had to admit that she was starting to agree.

CHAPTER 19

When Jane left Joseph Whitley’s house, she had a lot to think about. She found herself heading back to her bedroom with the paint swatches while simultaneously trying to put the pieces of Blaine’s death together. Had she been wrong in assuming that whoever killed him had carried him out to the trees? Was there some small piece of the puzzle she’d missed and now it was throwing off her own investigation?

Jane pulled the curtains open in her room and then found a spot to tape up her paint swatches. She stood back, trying to determine if she liked the green or the mauve better. As she tilted her head, trying to imagine the walls and the trim completely finished, she wondered if the blue she’d seen at the hardware store would have been even better in this light.

The sound of her phone ringing interrupted her from her thoughts as she pulled it from her back pocket. She smiled when she saw Mike’s contact photo looking up at her.

“Hey, handsome,” she said with a grin.

“Hey to you,” he said playfully. “I’m calling with good news. The detective is dropping his investigation into you. He’s decided that you were an innocent bystander in all of this.”

“About time,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed. “But better late than never.”

Her eyes were still focused on the paint swatches, distantly deciding which one she should use as she talked. “So, I discovered who Blaine’s jilted business partner was today, and I went to talk to him.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Mike sighed with a slight chuckle. “Learn anything?”

“Actually, I might have. You know Greta Yang? I heard she attempted to kill an ex-boyfriend of hers.”

Mike was silent for a moment. “Really,” he said finally. “Are you sure?”

“Well, no. It’s just what I was told. But maybe you could find out if there’s any merit to it.” She didn’t want to immediately believe a rumor, but she knew that sometimes rumors ended up being true. With a situation like this, it seemed better to double check. Greta did seem intense, and she also hadn’t seemed to be shaken up by Blaine’s death.

“I can look into it when I get to work in the morning. So what are we thinking with this whole thing? Detective Foster has been playing this thing close to his chest, but I think it has more to do with how little he has. I heard him talking to another officer about the case and he said he’s struggling to get people to talk. It seems he doesn’t have your approachable personality.”

“I don’t know about that,” Jane said, giving up on making a decision regarding the paint color as she turned away from the wall. “I think you know as well as I do that a lot of people balk at the badge these days. I think Alma in particular has a fog of distrust hanging over it from the development stuff.”

“I was thinking about that the other day,” he admitted. “It seems like things have been kind of quiet on that front.”

“Yeah,” she scoffed. “Makes you wonder what they’re really up to. If raising kids has taught me anything, it’s to never trust silence.”

Mike chuckled. “I’m sure.” He sighed. “I better get off here. I’ve got a mountain of chores to do around the house while I have the day off. I’ve put off a lot of stuff for a little too long.”

“I get it. Let me know if you ever need any help. It’s what I do for a living, after all.” She’d literally built a business around helping people stay caught up on keeping their homes clean. “If you get finished or need backup, just give me a call.”

“I couldn’t do that. You clean all day long. I don’t want you to come over here and pick up after me,” Mike said.

“If we stay together, I imagine we’ll live together. Pretty sure I’d be cleaning up after you then.” She had said it without much thought, but once the words were out, she realized the weight of them. She’d just mentioned living together. She froze as she waited for his reaction. When he stayed silent for a beat too long she stammered. “I- I mean…”

She could practically hear the smile in Mike’s voice. “No, I get what you’re saying, and I guess you’re right. But I still don’t want you cleaning up after me like that. Some guys might be okay with that, but I’m not. My mom raised me better than that.”

Jane couldn’t help but smile. Even so, she was worried she might have said something she shouldn’t have. “I don’t want you to think I was hinting at anything…”

“No, I get it. And, I’ll be honest, I’ve thought about it once or twice.” His voice was low and rumbling, a sound that never failed to make her insides quiver.

“You have?” she asked, her voice tight.

“Uh-huh. Especially last night when we were together on the couch. I couldn’t help but think about how great it would be to fall asleep with you in my arms and your head on my shoulder. I don’t know, maybe that’s not very manly of me to think like that…”

“It’s incredibly manly,” Jane said, in a breathless tone of voice. She’d had the same thoughts when it had grown late and she knew he’d be leaving. She’d wanted more than anything for him to spend the night, so she could see what he looked like first thing in the morning. It had been so warm and comfortable tucked into his side the way she had been. Their bodies had fit together like a hand in a glove.

They talked a little longer before they hung up. After she pressed the end call button, she checked the time. Only a couple more hours until she had to pick up Libby. If she didn’t wait around, she could drive out to the vacation rental and take a look at the distance from the house to the trees again.

She wanted to see just how far it really was so that she could accurately decide who might or might not have tried to hide Blaine’s body back there. Because so far, she wasn’t convinced any of her suspects could have done it.

You know, you don’t have to keep investigating now, a little voice in the back of her mind told her. You’re in the clear. Mike said so himself. So, why are you still looking into this?

But she knew why. People didn’t always talk to the police the way they did to her. What if Detective Foster never found out who killed Blaine Friedman? What if she was the only one who could uncover enough to find the killer? Could she live with herself?

Jane knew the answer to that, so rather than debate a moment longer, she went in search of her keys.

CHAPTER 20

When Jane pulled into the driveway of the vacation house, she didn’t pull all the way in. She kept her car closer to the tree line next to the road so she wouldn’t disturb anything, just in case. She still felt a pang of guilt at the possibility she may have accidentally destroyed evidence when she was cleaning the house. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

The gravel crunched under her shoes as a light breeze rustled the tops of the trees. It seemed quieter here than it was at her house. Was it because, out here, the main roads were so much farther away than at her house? Or was it a more natural thing? The surrounding trees, the hills in the distance? She could see why some people would visit and find the desire to yell as loud as possible. It felt as though you were the only one on the planet out there.

When she was close enough to the house, she carefully eyed the porch. Had Blaine walked out of the house after bleeding or had he collapsed inside and was carried out? That was the main question on her mind. Not just anyone could take a fully grown man and carry him out of a house, let alone across a yard.

Once she was around the house, she began to mentally measure from the corner of the house to the trees. How far was it? Maybe twenty yards? That seemed like a lot. Looking at the ground, she didn’t notice any drag marks. No more smudges of blood or signs of any disturbance.

So what had caused Blaine to be so far from the house and what was the murder weapon? Was it the statue that had been missing from the photos or was that missing before he was killed? Jane shook her head. Too many questions.

She spun around, taking in the yard, looking for anything a person might use to help dispose of a body. When her eyes landed on the barn across the field, she walked over toward it.

There was a small door on the side, so she used it and stepped into the darkened barn. Shafts of light slipped between boards, but otherwise the place was fairly sturdy. It looked as though hay had been put down sometime this year, since it was broken down and dusty but still fairly fresh.

She walked along the main hall, peeking in the various empty stalls when something caught her eye in the dark corner of a middle stall. There, tucked in with old rakes and shovels was a metal wheelbarrow with incredibly long wooden handles. It was rusted and the paint was long gone from the handles, but it seemed to be operational. There was a newer looking wheel on it, so someone had done some maintenance on it fairly recently. She pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight.

She could see a dark smudge and she had a feeling a test would reveal it was blood. She needed to tell Mike. Her stomach rolled at the realization that this was how someone had probably transported Blaine Friedman to the trees.

Jane hurried from the barn and back out into the fresh air and sun. She took a few deep breaths and then texted Mike about the wheelbarrow she had discovered.

“Excuse me, I don’t think you should be here.” The male voice frightened her badly, practically making her drop her phone. She fumbled it for a moment but quickly recovered. She looked up to find a man, possibly in his early thirties or late twenties standing at the edge of the driveway. A truck was parked behind her car in the distance, and she wondered how he’d managed to sneak up on her without her hearing him.

Jane frowned. “Are you related to Blaine Friedman?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. My parents live next door.” He eyed the barn. “What were you doing in there?”

“Sorry, let me explain myself. My name is Jane Barrow. I was hired to clean this place, and I was the one who found his body. I was just looking around, trying to make sense of things.”

It was her usual line, but this man didn’t seem to fully buy it. “Uh-huh, so why are you here now?”

Jane cleared her throat, trying to give herself a little time to think so that he didn’t end up calling the cops on her. The last thing she needed just after she’d been cleared was to get roped back in again. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

She decided to lean toward the truth. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how he was found in the trees, but there was a big blood stain in the house,” she explained. “I just thought I would come out, look around, and see if I could make some sense of things.”

He eyed her again, carefully. “The only reason I’m not on the phone with the sheriff already is because of my father. He mentioned that you’d come over and talked to him about what happened.” He extended his hand. “Lonnie Wood. So you found the body?”

“Well, I found the blood and called a State Trooper I know. He was actually the one who found the body.”

He nodded and looked across the yard and she swore he looked right at the spot where Blaine had been found. “Dad said he didn’t mention it, but I visited my parents here that evening.” He paused. “His memory isn’t quite what it used to be. I’d picked a few things up for them and brought them out. Mom made dinner and insisted I stay. She wanted some ice cream, so I went to town real quick and brought her some back.”

“Did you see or hear anything?” Jane asked, eagerly.

“I heard voices. Dad thought they were arguing, but I wasn’t entirely certain. When I left I looked over and saw there were two cars there. I slowed down and took a couple of photos so I could talk to the police about it. Mom and Dad have been complaining about the noise over there so much lately that I thought maybe I would need to do something to make it stop.”

“And did you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “When I came back, one of the cars was gone. I told my parents I was going to talk to the police, but they said not to, that it wouldn’t do any good. I didn’t agree, but kept it to myself since they’d asked me not to. I figured they’d change their mind eventually.”

“Can I see the photos?” she asked.

He pulled out his phone and began to swipe as he searched for them. “Surely they’ve figured out who killed him by now, right?” he asked.

Jane shook her head. “No. I think they’re still following leads,” she admitted. She felt her phone buzz but decided not to check it just yet.

When Lonnie spun his phone around, she saw that he hadn’t gotten good photos of the cars themselves, but mainly of their plates. One had a Missouri plate while the silver car had a Kansas plate. But thanks to the darkness, and the blurriness of the photo, she couldn’t tell what kind of cars they were.

“You didn’t turn this in to the police?” she asked, somewhat surprised.

“No, should I?” he asked, sounding surprised.

She nodded. “I think so. Is it okay if I send this to myself?”

He shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“So, both cars were there when you left but only one was there when you came back?”

He nodded. “That’s right. The silver car left and the black one with the Missouri plate was still there later.” The photo went through to her phone, so she handed his phone back to him.

“Did you know Blaine?” Jane asked.

Lonnie shrugged. “He was a few years older than me, but I knew of him. I have to say that the world isn’t really missing anything with that guy gone.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked, surprised at his bitterness.

“He was just one of those guys who acts as though they can do whatever they want. Like he doesn’t put his pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us.” He shook his head. “I always felt someone needed to bring him down a peg, but I didn’t expect this.”

Jane nodded and thanked him. “I guess I better get going,” she said. She’d caught a glimpse of the time, and she knew she’d need to leave soon if she was going to pick Libby up like she’d told her she would.

“I don’t think I’d come back if I were you,” he warned as she started to head to her car. “I understand you’re probably just trying to help, but I bet the police would have a problem with it. And, if you’re right and they haven’t caught the person, that means they’re still out there. You never know what someone might do to cover things up.”

Jane nodded and hurried to her car. Once in her car, she saw that Mike had gotten her message and said that he’d head out there to check it out soon and to leave things where they were. Good, that was taken care of. As she looked back up at Lonnie Wood, who was still standing in the driveway, she wondered if he had been giving her a warning or if that was a veiled threat. She didn’t stick around to find out.

CHAPTER 21

“Hey, good to see you! Come on in,” Mae said as she opened the door and saw Jane standing on her doorstep.

“Thanks,” Jane said as she stepped inside. The sound of little girls giggling carried down the hall. “That’s a good sign.”

Mae smiled warmly. “She’s really been slowly coming back to herself. She was a little reserved when she first got here, but I think Erica and Libby had a talk. She seems like she’s much more herself, although I think she’s still a little worried.”

Jane nodded. “I’m sure, but I have a plan that will hopefully help with that.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that,” Mae said wickedly. “I’ll let her know you’re here. One second.” She slipped down the hall and Jane heard her knock on Erica’s bedroom door before peeking in and speaking low to them. Jane heard their syrupy sweet response and giggles before the door shut again.

When Mae reappeared she was smiling. “It’s going to be a few. They had a situation going on in there. Do you have a moment to sit and visit?”

“Sure,” Jane replied as they moved toward the kitchen where Mae offered her a soda and Jane slid onto a barstool at the peninsula that divided the living room from the kitchen.

“So what’s this plan?” Mae asked as she grabbed a can of diet soda and took a swig as she leaned against the counter.

“It’s not fully formed, but trust me, you’ll hear about it if it works the way I hope it will,” Jane said as she cracked open her can of soda and took a long drink. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she’d been.

“Well, good. I had a teacher like that when I was growing up and he was incredibly cruel to some students. I was the only person in the class who failed one of his math tests, and he put it on the blackboard for everyone to see. He told everyone that was what it looked like when you didn’t study. But I had studied, really hard. He’d just gotten me so twisted up that I did a lot of it wrong.”

“That’s terrible. What did you do?” Jane asked.

Mae shrugged. “Survived the year and told myself I was bad at math the rest of my life.”

“See, that’s what we should be beyond by now. There are so many resources and things for students and teachers, we shouldn’t have bullies as teachers. I know they aren’t super common, but I think it’s more common than some people think. I’m just not going to be one of those parents who looks the other way. Not anymore.” She felt like she’d done enough of that in her life, and she was finished with it.

“Good for you,” Mae said happily.

Jane’s phone began to vibrate so she pulled it from her purse to see who it was. When she saw the name, she groaned. “I wish he’d just leave me alone,” she grumbled.

“Who?” Mae asked.

“George Jackson. He’s the lawyer for the A. E. Miller Group. They’re the ones who are trying to put that resort in.”

“And he’s calling you?” Mae asked, confused.

“Yeah,” Jane sighed. “Ever since I exposed their last lawyer for fraud and whatever else, they got a new one from the city. He decided that since I was their biggest opponent, he needed to try to get me on his side. When people heard that I talked to him, he used it to his advantage to flip the script. I was not pleased.”

“No, I should say not,” Mae replied. “And you don’t know what he wants now?”

Jane shook her head as she took another drink. “Nope,” she said when she lowered the can. “And I really don’t want to know. He probably wants to secretly take more photos of us talking and tell people I’m going to be their poster child or something.” She shook her head as she heard Libby emerging from Erica’s room. “He’s not going to get what he wants this time.”

Jane cheerfully greeted her daughter, and they began their round of thanking Mae and Erica and promised to have Erica over sometime soon. Then, they were headed to the car and Libby tossed her things in back before she climbed in. As Jane shut the door for her, she heard her voicemail ding.

“Wow, he actually left a message this time,” Jane muttered as she rounded the car to the driver’s side. “But that still is not going to get me to talk to him,” she mumbled before getting behind the wheel. She wasn’t worried about what he wanted because what he wanted wasn’t her problem. He probably was going to try to get back in her good graces to try to smooth something else over. She’d decided she wasn’t going to accidentally get conned by him into something she didn’t want.

“Mom?” Libby asked, her voice small as she buckled her seat belt.

“Yeah, sweetie?” Jane answered as she started the car.

“Can I stay home tomorrow?”

Jane frowned as they pulled away from the curb. “Why? You seem okay. Are you getting sick?”

“No, but I’m worried about tomorrow. What do I do when my teacher starts calling me Elizabeth again and telling me I’m too much like a little kid?”

Jane paused, her anger at the teacher growing in a flash before she tamped it down. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

“You do?” Libby asked, sounding hopeful.

“I do, so don’t worry. I’m sure everything is going to be just fine.”

Libby nodded and as Jane watched her in the rearview mirror, she hoped she wasn’t lying. Because she didn’t know if her plan would work and if it didn’t? It might just make things worse for all of them.

CHAPTER 22

“I can’t believe it was her teacher making her feel that way.” Mike lamented as he and Jane talked on the phone. “That’s horrible.”

Jane had been seated outside, soaking up a bit of sun while she waited for Tyson to come home. He’d arrived about fifteen minutes ago, but Jane had remained outside, enjoying the evening air. Her legs automatically moved the yard swing back and forth as she swayed in the dimming light.

“I know,” Jane sighed. “But I have a plan on how to deal with all of that and it seems like it’s coming together.”

“Good. I’d hate to think how many children’s spirits this woman must have broken over the years. It makes me want to go to that school and give her a piece of my mind, too. Telling a kid they’re going to go to jail because they still act like a kid. That’s ridiculous,” Mike said.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Jane assured him.

They continued to talk about whatever came to mind, simply enjoying each other’s company even if they were apart. Finally, they both fell silent for a moment. Then, Mike said, “I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day.”

Jane frowned, trying to remember what she might have said. “About?” she asked when she couldn’t think of what he might mean.

“When you mentioned living together,” he said softly.

“Oh.” She’d done her best to try to forget that little slip. She’d been so worried that she’d scare Mike off with her careless remark. They’d both wanted to take things nice and slow, but she felt as though he’d been even more worried about it than she was. So she’d tried her best not to bring up any sort of conversation about commitment, because for now, she liked how things were. The last thing she wanted was to ruin it.

“I just wanted to say that I don’t hate the idea. I want to be careful before we get to that step and that we think it through, obviously. But eventually? I think it sounds nice.”

Jane was stunned. “You do?”

“I do. I mean, I know you were just talking, but what do you think about it? Eventually, I mean. Definitely not tomorrow or anything,” he assured her quickly.

Jane smiled. “I think it sounds like it could be good,” she found herself saying.

“Yeah?” Mike asked, sounding happy. “I mean, I would definitely want to make sure the kids were okay with everything, too. I don’t want anyone feeling unhappy about it when it happens. I’d like for all of us to be on the same page.”

Jane heard those very specific words and felt as though she’d suddenly become filled with butterflies. He said “us,” she realized. “I completely agree,” she said.

The conversation drifted again and yet Jane felt that her smile was still in place. Finally, he asked, “So what are your plans for tomorrow?”

“I was thinking of going to talk to Greta Yang.”

“Oh?” Mike asked.

“I know it might seem strange, but I’m starting to think maybe she had something to do with Blaine’s death. I know you haven’t checked to see if she really did attack her ex but, honestly? I can see it. She’s an intense woman who seems like she wouldn’t take anything from anyone. Plus, now knowing that whoever killed him used the wheelbarrow…” she let her sentence trail off.

“Yeah, that was a big miss for us. Someone should have spotted that, but I don’t think anyone suspected that they’d gone anywhere near the barn.”

“I’m also a little curious about the neighbors’ son. I mean, yes, he did take those photos to turn the noise in on his parents’ behalf. But what if he didn’t turn the photo in because he went over there himself to get them to quiet down? He’s a bigger man than Blaine, so he’d be fully capable of doing something like what happened to Blaine.”

“Questions, questions,” Mike sighed. “All we can do is keep following the trail. I’ll talk to him early tomorrow and get those tag numbers. Then, I’ll see what I can find on those vehicles and their owners.”

“Those are some really grainy photos. I wish he would have had his camera in night mode so they would have been better,” Jane explained.

“Yeah, but we have some software that can help with that. Besides, when we look up the tags it should tell us the make and model of each car as well. We’ll find out who they were and what happened the night they were there, I’m sure of it.”

“I hope you’re right,” Jane sighed. “The violence of what happened is so unnerving. I don’t like thinking that there’s someone in the area who literally beat a man to death, and we don’t even know why the person did it.”

“Clearly, whoever it was, Blaine must have upset the wrong person,” Mike replied. “I heard Blaine was infamous for dating multiple women at a time and even going after married women.”

“Really? Wow,” Jane replied. “He almost certainly had the ability, because of his conduct, to upset any number of people.”

“That’s the angle Detective Foster is working on. He’s been exploring personal relationships that he’s uncovered through some of Blaine’s friends. I have a feeling it’s going to take some time.”

“I don’t like that at all,” Jane mumbled.

“Neither do I,” he sighed. “But I don’t see that we have much of an option.”

After they both hung up, Jane stared out into the darkening sky. There was no way she could rest until they found whoever had committed the horrible crime. Knowing they were out there, still walking around free, made her almost sick to her stomach.

CHAPTER 23

The next morning, Jane checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror one more time to make sure she was ready for the day. Her plan for dealing with Libby’s teacher was coming together and now the only thing left to do was execute it. She gave herself a long look in the mirror in the attempt to bolster her bravery and push her nervousness away.

There was no way she could follow through with it if she doubted herself for even a moment. She turned and headed down the stairs just as both kids stepped out into the hallway.

“I’m going to drive you two to school today,” Jane told them.

“Seriously?” Tyson asked, surprised. He wasn’t a fan of the bus and its noise, but she knew he tried not to complain too much.

“Yeah, so you have a little longer to get ready for school this morning,” she explained.

Once downstairs, she checked her phone and saw she had a message from her best friend, Abby. First, she sent a message to the bus driver, so he’d know to skip their stop, and then she went to her message from Abby.

I’m coming home today. I’ve had enough and now I remember why I moved away from all of this.

Jane smiled as she typed out her response. Abby had gone to visit her family for a bit and had apparently already gotten her fill. Then, just as she was about to put her phone away, she got another message. This one from her sister.

Want to get together this weekend and do a cookout or something? It feels like it’s been forever since we all hung out.

Jane typed out a response to her sister telling her she thought it was a great idea before she pressed send. It seemed like it was already a busy morning, and there was still so much left of the day.

Eventually, they were all ready to go, so they loaded up in her car.

“This is nice,” Tyson sighed as he relaxed into the seat. “No screaming preschoolers to deal with.”

“They aren’t preschoolers,” Libby corrected. “They’re first graders.”

Tyson rolled his eyes. “Whatever. They act like preschoolers,” he muttered.

Jane smirked to herself as she pulled out of the driveway. She could only imagine how noisy the bus must get sometimes. Especially this close to the end of the school year.

They were just entering the city limits when Libby spoke up from the back seat. “Mom?” her voice trembled a little at the word.

“Yes, baby?” Jane asked as she looked in the rearview mirror at her daughter.

“My tummy hurts,” Libby said as she clutched at it.

“You’re just nervous,” Jane assured her. “But it’s all going to be okay. You’ll see.” She was much more confident in her plan, even though a part of her was nervous, too. She’d never done something so bold and demanding.

Still, this wasn’t just for Libby but every student who had been a victim of Mrs. Coltrane’s outdated ways. Jane could have understood some old-fashioned ways of thinking, but not forcing young children into maturity and belittling them.

“Don’t worry, Libby,” Tyson said as he twisted in his seat to look at her. “Mom will take care of it. If she says she’s got it, you don’t have to worry.”

Jane smiled a little to herself. “Thank you,” she whispered to him, and he just gave her a little nod.

Jane dropped Tyson off at his section of the school first, so he wouldn’t have to walk so far. Then they drove around the block to where the elementary school was located. Jane found a parking spot and soon she and Libby were walking up to the big building together.

Libby slipped her hand into her mother’s as they drew closer, and Jane knew she must really be nervous. She squeezed her little girl’s hand and when she looked up, she gave Libby a reassuring smile. She caught sight of a cluster of Libby’s friends just outside the doors.

“Go be with your friends. Have a good day,” she said as she released Libby’s hand and put her arm around her. She bent and pressed a kiss to her temple before she ushered Libby off. Libby nodded and headed right for Erica and the others.

Jane took a deep breath and walked toward the main offices. She approached the long wooden counter where a couple of students were lingering nearby. It was where everyone had to go to speak to any administrator in the building, so it was her first stop.

When she drew closer, a young lady with long blonde hair and thick bangs looked up. “Good morning,” she said brightly.

“Good morning,” Jane said, forcing herself to smile. “I need to talk to the principal, please. Now.”

Perhaps it was the “now” that she tacked onto the end or the serious look on her face, but it caused the woman to pause. “Oh, okay,” she said as she reached for the phone. “One moment.”

Jane nodded and then stayed right there, showing she wasn’t going anywhere until she got what she had come for. It wasn’t her usual way of handling things, but she felt this required a bit more of a “foot down” approach.

“He’ll be out in just a moment,” the young woman assured her as she hung up the phone.

Jane nodded but didn’t budge. Just then the principal, a balding man with a bulging belly, came from around a corner near the back of the room. He gave Jane a polite smile when he approached. “How can I help you?”

“My name is Jane Barrow. I’m Libby Barrow’s mother. I need to speak with you about her teacher. It’s incredibly important.”

She looked around as if to point out there were a lot of people around, but she was willing to state her business in front of them if he wanted.

He seemed to catch the seriousness of the moment and nodded. He went to a door on the side of the room and opened it for her. “Come on back and we can talk privately,” he said calmly.

Jane followed him and had a sense that a few pairs of eyes were watching her. Good. Let them see that she was there to stand up for her child and she wasn’t going to allow another parent or child to be bullied.

They disappeared behind the corner he’d emerged from and then the principal pushed open a glass door with a wooden frame that had his name on the door. Mr. Moriarty. She’d learned enough about him through her research to make her anger find a home directed at him, too.

“Please, take a seat,” he said. His words were polite, but she could hear a tired edge to them. She ignored it.

“I know this might seem a little sudden, but what I have to talk about is incredibly important,” she began.

“I’m sure it is,” he said with a groan as he sat in a squeaky swivel chair. “Why don’t you start by telling me what this is about?”

Jane smiled but she knew there was no warmth in it. If he wanted her to get to the point, she’d be more than happy to. She reached into her purse and pulled out the stack of papers she’d spent the night before and this morning printing off. She tossed them on the center of his desk.

“Those are all messages from parents of current and former students of this school. All of them had Mrs. Coltrane for a teacher or had some sort of interaction with her in a school setting,” she explained.

“Okay,” he said slowly as he reached for them. She had a binder clip holding them all together so that she wouldn’t lose even one.

“They all illustrate a pattern of behavior where Mrs. Coltrane shames students and more. She has bullied countless students and what is worse, a number of parents said they came to you for help, just as I am, and yet nothing changed.”

She gave him a pointed look, holding his gaze. Her words weren’t harsh or cruel. She delivered them with a detached tone that was so matter of fact there was no room for argument.

“Well, I mean, I did speak with her at one point,” he began as he tossed the papers back on the desk, but she cut him off with a shake of her head.

“No. I’m not accepting excuses today,” she said firmly. “And I’m not letting this go until something is done about her. In fact, if I don’t feel you’ve taken this seriously and start the motions today to have her replaced, I will be going to the media with all of these.”

She reached for the stack of papers and held them up. “Every one of these papers represent a parent who is prepared to talk. We will speak to the media, go to town meetings, whatever we have to do. And I’m sure you heard what I did at the town meeting over that development project.”

She saw his eyes widen a bit then. “If you keep covering for her and allowing her to behave this way, I will cause just as much trouble for you and the school district.”

She wasn’t sure how long it would take, but someone had to do something before a child was truly hurt by this woman. Not all scars could be seen, and she knew that far too well.

“There will be no need for all of that,” he said, sounding resigned. “I’ll handle it immediately.”

Jane nodded. “Good, because the students deserve better than what they’ve been getting.” And as she held the principal’s gaze, she let herself feel the thrill of another victory.

CHAPTER 24

When Jane left the school, she’d already heard the whispers behind her. She didn’t care. Maybe it was about time that someone held people in their town accountable for their actions. If that had to be her, so be it.

For now, she was seated in her car, still in the school parking lot, as she checked the time. Her next step would be to visit Greta Yang again. The woman was intimidating, but Jane was still riding high off her win at the school, so it seemed like the best time to go ask her questions.

On the drive to Greta’s office, Jane tried to run through her list of questions. She’d decided to go with Greta because she seemed the most accessible. She’d tried to call Rose Grimes the day before but had gotten nothing but voicemail. Greta seemed like the next best choice when it came to someone who had known Blaine.

Jane still wished she knew of a friend of a friend of his that he might have spent time with. She considered Mr. Wood, but dismissed him almost immediately. He’d admitted that he didn’t spend a lot of time with Blaine. She doubted he would know enough about what he’d been up to recently to give her a lead.

She’d had a feeling when Mike said Blaine Friedman was known for dating multiple women and oftentimes, all at the same time. So that piece of information gave her a little nudge. She felt whoever had killed him had done it in an act of passion. It was a sudden decision made in the moment and that was probably what had happened to the missing statue. The lack of a murder weapon was a bit of a problem, but she hoped that, with time, it would turn up.

Greta may have attacked a former lover and according to Rose, seemed to recently have had a problem with Blaine. Jane wondered if Greta and Blaine might have had something going on together. It didn’t have to have been serious or going somewhere, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t have had some sort of a falling out.

Jane pushed the door open to the realtor offices where Greta worked, but the assistant that had been out in front before was missing this morning. Jane heard talking coming from what she thought was Greta’s office, so she moved closer, instinctively trying to keep her footsteps quiet.

“I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do. I don’t really want to keep this to myself, but will anyone actually believe me?” Greta was asking someone. Jane didn’t hear a response, so she assumed the woman must be on the phone. “I realize that, but it’s not like I really know anything, either.”

Jane’s purse chose that time to bump into a display of brochures, causing it to make a noise.

“I better go. It sounds like people are starting to show up here.” She mumbled something else and then there was the sound of approaching footsteps. Jane stayed beside the front desk, trying to look as innocent as possible.

“Jane,” Greta said as she exited her office. “I’m surprised to see you.” She was still dressed immaculately, this time in a cream-colored fitted dress that went just above the knee. Her dark hair was swept back, and she wore long, dangling earrings.

“I’m sorry to bother you. I just had a few more questions about Blaine Friedman and wasn’t sure who else to ask,”

Greta seemed a little disheartened to hear it, but nodded. “Come on in.” When they entered the office, Greta shut the door behind them. “What kind of questions do you have? Like I said, I wouldn’t have considered the man a friend, or anything like that. So I doubt I have the information you’re looking for.”

“I’ve assumed from what I’ve heard that he didn’t live around here, correct?” Jane asked. She thought someone might have mentioned something along the way, but she struggled to recall exactly where he resided.

“That’s right. He lived in one of those towns over on the Missouri side of the state line,” she said, waving her hand in the general direction. “You know how the city is. All those different suburbs and towns that all blend into one another. Some consider it Kansas City, some insist they are separate from the city, even though there is no sign when you leave one and enter the other.”

Jane knew exactly what she meant. Kansas City itself wasn’t all that big. But the surrounding towns, while considered separate, were hard to differentiate. To anyone visiting, it would all be one big, continuous place. “Did he drive back and forth or something while he was remodeling?” Jane asked.

Greta nodded. “A bit. He would often come down for a weekend or a handful of days and then go back while they were remodeling. I’m not entirely sure why he was in town this time though, or what he was doing at the vacation house. I was assuming he was just staying there, but with him getting killed there, well, I guess someone else had to have been there with him.”

Jane nodded in agreement. “Do you know if he was dealing with unsavory people or perhaps he had a girlfriend? Wife?”

Greta snorted, surprising Jane. “I’m sorry,” Greta said with a shake of her head. “It’s just that the idea of Blaine being with one woman is laughable.”

“So it’s true. He was a womanizer,” Jane replied.

Greta nodded solemnly. “Unfortunately. He was not a good man, Jane. And if you ask me, he probably got what was coming to him.” Jane blinked in surprise.

“Yeah, I know. You’ve probably heard the rumor about me. That I tried to kill my ex.” She grinned wickedly. “I wish I was half as interesting as the rumor mill makes me out to be.”

“So you didn’t?” Jane asked, although she was almost afraid to ask the question.

“No,” Greta shook her head. “At least, not intentionally. I found out he was cheating, so I packed my things. I was in my car, tears streaming down my face and looking like a mess when I started to back out of the driveway. I didn’t know he’d come up and stood behind my car. I could barely see with my mascara running in my eyes. But he swore I was trying to kill him, and the rumor took off like wildfire.”

Jane shook her head. “That’s a small town for you.”

Greta nodded. “I’ve actually been debating reaching out to the detective. I know Blaine was seeing a local married woman. I heard him talking to that handyman of his. I don’t think he realized I was within earshot because I heard Blaine saying something about enjoying married women more, because he would flirt with them right in front of their husbands and most of them were too stupid to even see it. The husbands, that is,” she added at the end.

Jane found herself looking down at the edge of Greta’s desk in concentration. This must be the trail that the detective had uncovered. “You wouldn’t happen to have an idea who it was, do you?”

Greta shook her head. “Not really, which is why I haven’t said anything. But it sounded like someone he would visit often and here in town.”

“Why do you say that?” Jane asked.

“Because he said something like ‘every time I come to town, I arrange to meet with them. I go to their house, play around with his wife when he’s not looking and then get her to meet me later for a little dessert.’ So I started wondering if this husband found out and did something about it.”

“It’s possible,” Jane nodded. “A good hint might be any couples that had separated recently,” she began thinking out loud. After a moment she blinked and looked up at Greta. “This might help. Where were you last Sunday night?”

Greta looked grim then. “I was staying with my mother at KU Med. She’s on chemotherapy and had a medical emergency. She had to stay there for a while for them to monitor her. I slept by her side all weekend so my dad could sleep in something beside one of those hospital chairs.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jane replied.

Greta shrugged. “It is what it is. I just appreciate that it took you so long to ask. Does that clear me from your list?” Greta asked, a small smile dancing across her lips.

“Who says I’m investigating?” Jane asked quickly.

Greta laughed. “I asked about you after our last talk. I’ve heard you sometimes investigate things. I put the rest together. It’s alright, and in a way, I’m a little flattered.” She gave Jane another one of her wicked grins. “After all, that means you think I have it in me to kill a man.”

“I think we’re all a lot more capable than we realize,” Jane replied.

*****

“And then, the principal came in with the new teacher and told Mrs. Coltrane to come with him. Once they left, the new teacher said that Mrs. Coltrane wouldn’t be coming back and that she would be our teacher the rest of the year.”

Libby was speaking fast and was obviously very excited. She was talking to Jane in person, and via Jane’s phone, to Mike who had video-called to find out how things had gone with Libby and to update Jane on the case.

“Wow! So how is the new teacher?” Mike asked Libby.

“She’s nice!” Libby said, full of excitement. “She said tomorrow we’re going to play a game to see who gets to be her helper next week. I really hope it’s me!”

Libby talked to Mike for a little while longer before Mike finally said, “Well, I’m happy for you. Can I talk to your mom now for a little bit?”

Libby nodded and told him bye before running upstairs to her room.

“Sounds like you fixed that problem,” Mike said as Jane turned the phone to fully face her.

“I guess I did,” Jane replied with a smile. “But I had the support of a lot of other parents. I heard that a bunch of them called shortly after I left to make sure something had been done about the situation. Apparently one of the other parents thought it would be a good idea to harass the principal to make sure he listened this time.”

“Good,” Mike nodded. “Now if only you could help me get to the bottom of this Blaine Friedman case.”

“I know,” Jane sighed. “That’s a tough one.”

“I talked to the Woods’ son and got that photo. The dark car in the picture is Blaine’s, but the other one? It was harder to read from the angle and the blur. There were two digits that could have been one or the other, so I have to wait until morning for the program to finish. I told my boss we need a faster computer. He said to fork over the money, and he’d buy it.”

Jane laughed. “I’m sure the budget is tight. You’ll find out in the morning, anyway.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed. “I just feel like, if we had the technology and stuff some other departments have, we’d be getting closer.”

“I didn’t think State Troopers often investigated crimes like this?” Jane asked.

Mike shrugged. “We can, but we’re usually stuck with traffic stuff. I think the only reason I was allowed to stay on this case is because it was so rural. Otherwise I’m sure some town or county jerk would have shoved me out by now.”

It was Jane’s turn to shrug. “Who knows. I’m just grateful that it’s you. So you’ll find out who the other car belonged to tomorrow and talk to them?”

“If I can,” he said. “I had to leave a message with Rose Grimes that we still need access to the renter records for the place. She was supposed to get them to me by this morning, but I still haven’t gotten anything.”

“You don’t think she might be the killer, do you?” Jane asked. “I mean, she says she’s far away but…” Mike started shaking his head, so she stopped.

“We already have her alibi. Plus, she was also in her office bright and early the next morning. She would have had to drive straight through after killing him, and go right to the office.”

“Okay,” Jane nodded.

“Anyway, Detective Foster is looking in a different direction, so I told him I would deal with the last renter stuff.”

“Hopefully, you’ll hear something tomorrow,” she replied.

“Speaking of tomorrow, I was thinking maybe we could go to lunch tomorrow? I’ll be in the area where you’ll be, and I thought it might be nice, for once.”

Jane grinned. “I’d like that.”

When he returned her smile, she could see that her eagerness delighted him. “Good. It will be my treat. I’ll text you the name and address of a great burger joint that’s one of my favorites.”

Jane nodded. Lunch with Mike? She thought that having a little slice of him in the middle of the day was going to make it a great Tuesday.

CHAPTER 25

The next morning seemed to drag on and on for Jane. She found herself checking the time off and on, swearing it had been at least an hour since the last time, only to find it was barely twenty minutes later. She’d hoped that getting in and doing some cleaning for her clients would help, but she still couldn’t help but watch the clock.

“Is something the matter, dear?” Mrs. Hanning asked as she came into the kitchen and spotted Jane looking at the clock again.

“No, no,” Jane sighed. “It’s just been a long morning.”

“I despise those days,” Mrs. Hanning sighed. “It’s as if each minute equals ten minutes and you’re ready to pull your hair out.”

“Pretty much,” Jane sighed.

Mrs. Hanning gave her a knowing look. “Is there something in particular you’re looking forward to?” she asked. “Or maybe I should ask, whom?” Her knowing look made color rise in Jane’s cheeks.

“It’s nothing,” Jane said softly as she lowered her head and began to focus on scrubbing along the edge of the sink.

“I definitely think it’s something,” Mrs. Hanning said with a smile. “Tell me! I’d like to think we’ve known each other long enough that we can consider each other as friends, even if I do pay you to clean my house. I appreciate you even more for it.” She gave Jane a gentle look as she ducked down to be in Jane’s line of sight.

“I’m meeting my boyfriend for lunch,” Jane admitted shyly.

“You have a new man in your life? Or is this the man you mentioned before? The police officer,” Mrs. Hanning asked with an arched brow.

“State Trooper, but yes, him,” Jane replied. “He’s usually busy during the day, but he’s going to be in the area, so he wanted to have lunch.”

“That’s beautiful. So I take it things are getting more serious between you two. I remember you said you were keeping it casual since you both had a rough go of it before.”

Jane was surprised Sharon had remembered so much. “That’s right.”

“You didn’t expect me to remember?” She gave Jane a coy grin. “I do pay attention, my dear.”

When Jane finally finished at the Hannings, it was time to meet Mike. As promised, he’d given her the address of a locally owned burger place nearby and asked if she would meet him there. Since she’d never tried it, but had heard good things about it, she had no trouble agreeing.

They met up outside with a kiss and headed in the restaurant together. Mike grabbed the menus which were displayed in a slot near the register, and they found a table.

“Wow, this place is like a classic diner,” Jane said as she looked around. The place was busy but there were still a couple of open tables, and the scent of the grill filled the place. It was a mix of onions, burgers, and toasted bread. Her mouth was watering just smelling the place. “I don’t know what to order,” she admitted as she looked over the menu. Finally, she said, “Just get me what you’re having.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. Jane nodded and he took their menus and headed to the register. After a short time, he slid back into the booth across from her and passed her a soda. “They’ll bring out our food when it’s ready.”

The other patrons were all distracted with their own conversations, so nobody noticed when they started discussing the case and what Mike had found.

“Any call back from Rose?” Jane asked.

Mike shook his head. “I was thinking of calling her again.”

Jane nodded. “I would. Let’s do it right now.”

“You think?” he asked as he looked around.

Jane shrugged. “Why not?”

Mike seemed to think that was as good a reason as any and pulled out his phone. After a moment, he set it down between them as it started softly ringing.

“This is Rose,” a tired voice answered.

“Rose, this is Mike Calloway from the Kansas Highway Patrol. We’re still investigating the death of Blaine Friedman and we’ve been waiting for you to let us know who the last guest was at his vacation rental.”

“Oh, right,” Rose replied, sounding distant and distracted.

“Is this a bad time for you to talk?” Mike asked, his voice still firm as if he didn’t really care.

“No, sorry,” Rose sighed. “There’s just a lot I’m dealing with because of all of that. Give me one second.” They could hear typing on the other end and then she said, “It was someone named Lucy Palmer. It says that she had the place reserved for Sunday night only.” She paused and then she said, “Well, that’s odd.”

“What is it?” Mike asked, urging her to share.

“It’s just, it shows that her address is a P.O. Box there in Alma.”

“Would you please provide that, as well?” Mike asked. He pulled a small notepad and pen from his pocket and quickly wrote it down. After repeating it, he thanked her, and they hung up.

“Lucy Palmer,” Jane repeated. “I don’t recognize the name. I mean, I know there are some Palmers in town, but that’s all I know.”

Mike seemed to be thinking. “I don’t recall that last name coming up in the investigation.” He sighed. “We got the tag back for the darker colored car in the photo. It belonged to Blaine Friedman. Last I knew, they were still running the tag for the other car. Hopefully I’ll be hearing back soon on who it belongs to, but I’m willing to bet it’s this Lucy Palmer.”

Jane nodded. “You’re probably right. It would check out, too, with the local address and the Kansas tag. And the county sticker, if we could see it, would probably be ours.”

“I just wish there was a way to find out for sure if that car was hers,” Mike muttered. “What if there was someone else involved?”

Jane got an idea. “What if I send the photo of the cars to the handyman, Amos? He could tell us if those were the cars he saw when he was there earlier.”

Mike shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

Jane pulled out her phone and began to type a text message to Amos Parker before she attached the photo. She pressed send, and silently hoped he would answer. As she set her phone down, she said, “I just want to know why the other car left and Blaine stayed. I guess we’re assuming it was Lucy. Was it the trouble with the jet tub that made her leave?” Jane could feel the lines between her brows deepening as she tried to piece it together.

“Seems like an odd thing to leave over, but maybe so? Maybe she rented the place, just to get away for the night. The jet tub was a big sell for her and when she arrived, it wasn’t working. She calls Blaine, he comes, tries to fix it and when he can’t, he calls his handyman.”

“Mr. Parker said that he fixed the tub, but maybe something else went wrong?” Jane theorized, following Mike’s lead. “I guess she could have called him back to report what had happened, and he returned. We don’t know for sure that he was there the whole time from when the handyman left and the neighbor's son took the photo.”

Mike nodded, agreeing. “But if she left, who killed Blaine?” Mike asked.

Jane’s phone dinged just as their food arrived. Jane saw that Mike had ordered them both bacon cheeseburgers with a side of fries. They looked handmade and the last trace of oil on them was still sizzling.

“Thank you,” Mike told the woman who slid the tray in front of them. Meanwhile, Jane checked her message.

“It was Amos. He said those are the same cars,” she said.

“Okay, so then we know that car belongs to Lucy Palmer. Amos described her as older but pretty and thin, if I remember correctly,” Jane said.

“I’ll run the name through the database once I’m back in my car,” Mike said as he popped a fry in his mouth. “And then I’ll figure out what to do from there. I might want to secure a search warrant before I tip her off.”

“I have a better idea,” Jane said as she tried one of the fries. She groaned as she bit into it. “That is so good.”

“Wait until you get to the burger,” Mike said with a smile.

Jane began to type Lucy’s name into the search engine along with Alma, Kansas and hit search. “Here she is,” Jane said as she touched a link with the right information and set it down between them before picking up her burger and lifting it to her mouth.

“Lucy Palmer,” Mike said as he looked it over. “Seems that’s her maiden name. Now she’s Lucy Whitley.”

“Whitley,” Jane muttered. “That’s so familiar… Why would she book it under her maiden name?” she mumbled to herself as she tried to remember where she’d heard that name before. Then, it clicked. “I bet that’s Joseph Whitley’s wife,” she gasped.

“Which one is that again?” Mike asked before he bit into his burger.

“The one who was a business partner with Blaine in the beginning, but Blaine cut him out to go into business with Rose.” Jane tapped her fingers on the tabletop as she concentrated. “Wait, what if they were having an affair?”

“What?” Mike asked, confused.

Jane shook her head. “I learned that Blaine bragged about sleeping with married women. He’d befriend their husbands, then flirt with the wives and lure them into his bed. I think it was some kind of game to him or something.”

Mike nodded. “If that’s true, maybe they had a falling out? Maybe something happened after the handyman left?” He nodded slowly, following along. “I’ll definitely make sure I have a search warrant before I talk to her.”

Jane shook her head. “That poor man, and I bet Joseph didn’t even have a clue.”

CHAPTER 26

When Jane left Mike and went back to work, she found herself thinking about Joseph Whitley. He’d thought Blaine Friedman was his friend. Jane wondered if Lucy was truly sick, or just distraught over the drastic thing she’d done. Now that she’d put the pieces together, it seemed so obvious to Jane. Most likely, she’d heard about Blaine’s womanizing ways and realized she was just a notch on his bedpost. It could have made her mad enough to kill him.

That made her thoughts drift to Joseph Whitley. The strange man with gentle eyes would have quite the shock when the police showed up at his door and informed him that his wife had killed her lover.

“I wish there was a way to warn him,” Jane told herself as she loaded her things back into her car after her last cleaning of the day. It was still early but she’d flown through her work that afternoon, even after feeling the effects of having a full belly. She would definitely want to go back to that place in the future.

As Jane headed for home, she tried to put herself in Joseph’s shoes. After all, Jane’s spouse had kept something from her as well and she knew what it felt like. While it wasn’t a secret lover and a murder, it had still been a surprise. If someone had warned her, she would have deeply appreciated it, even if she might not have completely understood that at the time.

So as she rolled into Alma, she found herself clicking on her turn signal and heading toward the Whitley home. She wasn’t sure if his wife was still sick or if he’d be there, but she had to try. She wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t at least try.

Jane wasn’t sure what she was going to say when she got to their house, but any ideas she had went right out of the window when she saw the car in the driveway with the trunk popped. Jane slowed down and stopped at the bottom of the driveway, blocking their sporty silver car in the driveway.

Jane picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Mike. Something’s going on at the Whitley’s. She pressed send and then climbed out of her car.

Heading up the driveway, she noticed that, while the glass storm door was still closed, the inside wooden door stood open. Jane tried to see inside as she approached, but it was dark inside the house. Just then, a figure came rushing out.

It was a slim woman with her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was a beautiful woman, despite the dark circles under her eyes and the fact that she looked completely wiped out.

The woman hesitated a moment when she saw Jane walking up the driveway, but after she collected herself she seemed to move faster to the car. “Can I help you?” she asked as she tossed the bag she was carrying in the back seat of the car.

Jane eyed the woman. “Are you Lucy?” Jane asked.

A flicker of recognition crossed her face before she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re not Joseph’s wife?” Jane asked. She stood between the woman and the open trunk, as if blocking her.

“Lucy, we have to hurry!” Joseph said from inside the house. They both turned toward the noise.

“My husband and I are going out of town so I can get some fresh air,” Lucy replied. There was a tremble of fear in her voice, but she held herself with her chin up.

Jane had a feeling she’d missed something, somewhere. She took in Lucy’s appearance and the redness on her nose. “Have you been crying?” Jane asked.

“It’s allergies,” Lucy said dismissively as she pushed past Jane, but Jane ducked around and stopped her again just as she was starting to reach for the trunk.

“I don’t buy it,” Jane said as she heard a vehicle approach. She held Lucy’s gaze. “You were having an affair with Blaine Friedman, weren’t you?”

At the mention of his name, Lucy’s face began to crumple. “How did you know?” she whispered just as doors shut somewhere behind them.

“Lucy Whitley,” Mike said as he walked up behind Jane. Jane turned to see that he also had Detective Foster with him. “We have a warrant to search this vehicle and the premises.” Mike held up the warrant as Lucy’s eyes went wide.

“What are you talking about?” she gasped.

While Mike handed over the warrant, Detective Foster moved closer to the trunk of the car. “Going somewhere?” he asked as he peered inside.

“We’re going on a short trip,” she said distantly as she read the warrant. “I still don’t understand.”

“You rented Blaine Friedman’s vacation home for the night of his death, did you not?” Jane asked.

“I did, but he was alive when I left.” She was frowning at all of them in turn.

“Maybe the first time, Mrs. Whitley. But was he still alive after you returned the second time?” Detective Foster asked.

Lucy shook her head fervently. “I didn’t go back. I came home and went to bed.”

Something shifted in the trunk of the car, causing them all to look. “Looks like your suitcase shifted,” Mike said as he reached inside. He paused and Jane wondered what he saw.

“What is it?” Jane asked.

Detective Foster looked inside the truck over Mike’s shoulder and his face became grim. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “Lucy Whitley, you are under arrest for the murder of Blaine Friedman.”

Jane was about to ask what it was when Mike lifted what looked to be a bundle of rags. But as part of it tumbled away, she saw it was a statue covered in a dark substance at one end. The same statue that she’d noticed had been missing from the vacation home.

CHAPTER 27

Detective Foster began to lead Lucy over to where another police cruiser had pulled up behind Mike’s patrol car. Lucy began to sob. “But I didn’t do anything!” she cried out. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about!”

“Wait!” A voice called from inside the house. Mike and Detective Foster seemed surprised. Even Jane had momentarily forgotten about Joseph inside.

The heavyset man shoved the door open and rushed down the driveway. “You can’t arrest her!”

“Sir, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your wife…” Mike began, and Jane felt herself bracing for the impact of his words.

“She didn’t kill Blaine!” Joseph cried out. “I did!”

It seemed as though every one of them froze in that moment, processing what he had just said.

“Sir, you don’t…” Mike began but Joseph shook his head.

“She came home that night and went to bed. She thought I was asleep, but I heard her crying. I knew she’d been to see him, because she’d done it before. But I knew this time he’d hurt her, and I wasn’t going to put up with him anymore. I went over there to give him a piece of my mind.”

Everyone was silent as they listened, too stunned to speak.

Joseph looked down at the ground then. “I didn’t go over there to kill him.” He shook his head as his eyes grew distant. “But when I told him off, he laughed at me. Told me there was nothing I could do to stop him. So, I grabbed the closest thing I could find, which turned out to be a heavy decorative statue.

“I hit him over the back of the head with it. When he went down, I just kept hitting him. I used the wheelbarrow to dump his body out by the tree line.”

Lucy gasped. “Joe.”

His eyes met hers. “I knew you two had something going on because you always lit up when he was around. For a while after he’d leave, it almost seemed that you liked me again. So I just let it happen. I thought if he was helping you be happy in a way I never could seem to do, then it couldn’t be that bad.” His mouth set in a grim line. “But then you came home crying that night.”

“I found out there were others,” Lucy said with a sob. Her eyes appeared distant as she stared off into space. “Other women. He’d told me before that I was special, that I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. He loved to take photos of me, he said. Then…” she stopped as her throat seemed to tighten. “Then, I heard a woman at the salon talking about him, and I knew that he’d been seeing others beside me.”

Jane shivered as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.

Detective Foster took the cuffs off of Lucy and began to place them on Joseph. “Joseph Whitley, you have the right to remain silent. Everything you say, can and will be used against you in the court of law,” he said as he read Joseph his Miranda Rights.

Lucy was still staring at her husband. “I can’t believe you knew and didn’t say anything,” she said as she looked at him in disbelief.

“I love you, Luce. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. If he could make you happy and yet you’d still stay with me?” He shrugged. “It seemed like something I could learn to deal with. But I couldn’t deal with him hurting you.” He shook his head.

“This way, Mr. Whitley,” Detective Foster said as he began to lead him away.

Lucy was still taken to a patrol car so that she could give her statement. Once the detective delivered Joseph into another officer’s custody, he returned to Mike and Jane. He eyed Jane as he walked up to them.

“I’m not entirely sure how you fit into this whole thing, and I don’t care,” he said simply. “I’m just glad we have the right person in handcuffs and another case has been solved.” He turned to Mike. “You know, you had good instincts on this one. You might want to consider a future as a detective,” he said before he turned around and walked away.

Mike turned and looked at Jane with a grin. “That should have been for you,” he told her.

“What do you mean?” Jane asked with a frown.

Mike shrugged with one shoulder. “Most of the time, I just told him what you had told me. All I did was repeat what you said. I mean, I agreed with most of it, but in the end, you were truly the one who put it all together.

“I came here thinking it was Lucy,” she reminded him.

“So did I, and look what that got us,” he said as he gestured toward the police cruiser. “Doesn’t matter how we got there, only that we did.”

Jane nodded slowly. She wasn’t sure she entirely agreed with him, but he did have a point.

CHAPTER 28

Days later, Jane wiped her brow as Libby and her friend ran around in the front yard, playing in the sprinkler. Jane couldn’t remember this little girl’s name if her life depended on it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her name to stick. So, she tried to avoid using it as much as possible.

It was getting hotter out and she was considering turning on the air conditioning in the house, but she was sure the day would start cooling off soon. The thought of going through all the work of closing the windows only to open them back up again later kept her from doing it.

Jane’s phone began to ring, and she was glad to see it was her friend, Abby.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Abby asked when she answered.

“Just watching Libby and her friend play in the sprinkler. Tyson is with some friends,” she answered.

“No Mike tonight?” she asked.

“No, he’s working a late shift this evening for a friend of his, so it’s just me,” Jane sighed.

“Mind if I come down and bother you for a bit? I miss my friend,” she pouted.

“I would love that,” Jane answered.

“Okay, cool. I’ll be down there in say, forty-five minutes?”

“I’ll be here,” Jane told her before they hung up. She turned around and grabbed the pitcher of lemonade she’d pulled from the fridge and poured three glasses. One for herself and one for each of the girls. After taking a quick drink of her own, she picked up the other two and headed outside.

“Hey, guys! Want some lemonade?” Jane called from the porch. It was humid and hot, so when Libby suggested that she and her friend, who Jane knew also had a “J” name, play in the sprinkler today, Jane had made sure to reach out to the girl’s mom and ask that she bring a swimsuit.

Both girls came running over and took a glass, eager to gulp it down.

“Slow down, or you’ll get the hiccups,” Jane warned, and Libby forced herself to slow down, still breathing heavily as she gulped it down. “You guys have been out here a while, are you sure you don’t want to come in and watch a movie or something?” Jane asked as she saw dust getting kicked up from someone driving down their road.

“What do you think?” Libby asked her friend. Jane had secretly hoped that she’d say her friend's name so that she could remind Jane of it, but unfortunately, she didn’t.

“Yeah!” the other girl cried out as she pumped a fist in the air. The car, which Jane had expected to fly right on by, seemed to be slowing down.

“You two go in and get changed. I’ll shut the water off,” Jane told them as the car pulled in. It was a very nice car, almost too nice for Alma. As soon as she thought that, she knew exactly who it had to be.

“Ms. Barrow!” a gentle yet commanding voice called out as she leaned over the spigot and turned the handle. “Ms. Barrow, I really need to speak with you.” George Jackson had gotten out of his car and was crossing her yard.

“Well, I don’t want to speak with you,” Jane called back as she headed for the door. If she could beat him there, she’d shut the door and lock it, leaving him to figure out what to do when she refused to come outside.

“Please.” She could hear the pleading in his voice, and she hesitated only a fraction of a second before she pushed herself forward. She refused to hear him out on principle. He’d used her words against her, and she wouldn’t allow him the chance to do so again.

“Ms. Barrow.” He sounded frustrated as she picked up her pace, her eyes on the steps of the porch. She was almost there. “What can I do to make things right?” he asked as he stopped in his tracks, not bothering to hide the plea from his voice.

She rounded on him then, her eyes finally taking him in. She could see sweat beaded up on his dark brow, and his crisp white shirt was rolled up to the elbows. His dark grey tie looked expensive, along with the shoes on his feet.

“Apologizing would be a start,” Jane said before she turned and headed the last few feet to the porch. “I mean, you did use my reputation…”

“I’m sorry,” he said loudly and firmly, cutting her off. “I am so incredibly sorry that I didn’t think about what I was doing and how it might affect everyone here. Please, I want to make it right.”

Jane’s foot stopped on the bottom step, sure she had heard him wrong. “What did you say?” she asked as she turned.

“I’m sorry,” he said, a bit of relief sliding into his tone. “Please, we need to talk.” He stopped there and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket before dabbing his brow with it. For a moment, she was distracted by the glint of the sun off of his silver framed glasses.

“About what?” she asked, willing to at least hear what he had to say.

“The A.E. Miller Group,” he said as he tucked the handkerchief away. “They aren’t what they seem.”

Jane frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’re right, Jane,” he said with a sigh. “They have to be stopped.”

Jane blinked. “If this is some kind of trick…” she began but he shook his head fervently.

“It’s not. I promise you. But we need to speak and soon. I have much to tell you and hopefully, get your help.”

Jane could see the sincerity in his face, and she found herself curious. “Okay, but not today,” she said with a shake of her head. “My daughter has a friend over.”

He nodded. “That’s fine, but it needs to be soon. If we’re going to do anything, we need to act quickly.”

Jane nodded. “I’ll call you.”

Mr. Jackson seemed satisfied with this although still slightly worried. Still, he nodded and wished her a good day.

As Jane watched him go, she found herself wondering what in the world he could have discovered to have had such a change of heart.

LEAVE A REVIEW

I’d really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes and leave a review for Dangerous Dusting.

Just go to the link below. Thank you so much! It means a lot to me ~ Dianne

Link: http://mybook.to/DADU

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ABOUT DIANNE

I live in Huntington Beach, California, with my husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and my boxer dog, Kelly. My passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever I have a little free time, I am either in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book I'm reading.

Her other books are available below:

Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel

Amazon: Coyote in Provence

Amazon: Cornered Coyote

Amazon: Coyote Series

Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop

Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove

Amazon: White Cloud Retreat

Amazon: Marriage and Murder

Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6

Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District

Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy

Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold

Amazon: The Death Card

Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School

Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band

Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast

Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave

Amazon: Murder in Cuba

Amazon: The Blue Butterfly

Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel

Amazon: Murdered by Words

Amazon: Murdered by Country Music

Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge

Amazon: Murdered in Argentina

Amazon: Murder on the East Coast

Amazon: Murder at the Clinic

Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club

Amazon: Alexis

Amazon: Trouble at the Animal Shelter

Amazon: Murder in Calistoga

Amazon: Murder on Bainbridge Island

Amazon: Murder & The Movie Star

Amazon: Murder in Whistler

Amazon: Murdered by Plastic Surgery

Amazon: Murder in Seattle

Amazon: Murder after Midnight

Amazon: Murder in San Francisco

Amazon: Murder at Le Bijou Bistro

Amazon: Murder at the Courthouse

Amazon: Murder at the Gallery

Amazon: Murder at the Waterfront

Amazon: Murder at the Gearhart

Amazon: Murdered by Superstition

Amazon: Red Zero 1

Amazon: Red Zero 2

Amazon: Red Zero 3

Amazon: The Professor’s Predicament

Amazon: Murder at the Church

Amazon: Murdered by Prejudice

Amazon: Missing in Cottonwood Springs

Amazon: Holly and the Coat Mystery

Amazon: Holly and the Food Pantry

Amazon: Holly and the Missing Dog

Amazon: Holly and the Oracle

Amazon: Holly and the Ruined Party

Amazon: The Other Witch

Amazon: A Matter of Deception

Amazon: A Matter of Extinction

Amazon: The Deepest Dark

Amazon: Murder in Kauai

Amazon: Murder in Portland

Amazon: Murder on Jupiter Island

Amazon: Murder in Savannah

Amazon: A Murderous Opening

Amazon: Too Good to Be True

Amazon: Voices from the Past

Amazon: The Backseat Mystery

Amazon: The Confession

Amazon: The Puppet Master

Amazon: Murdered Underground

Amazon: Murder at Home

Amazon: Murder in Cabin 3

Amazon: A Sparkling Deceit

Amazon: The Nosey Neighbor

Amazon: A Clean Break-In

Amazon: A Recipe for Trouble

Amazon: Dirt & Deceit

Amazon: Ransom

Amazon: Winter Festival

Amazon: Swept Up Secrets

Amazon: Secrets & Suspicions

Amazon: The Garden Club Murder

Amazon: Polished Peril

Amazon: Clues for Concern

Amazon: A Violent Vacation

Amazon: The Glass Mermaid

Amazon: Front Page Murder

Amazon: Back Page Betrayal

Amazon: Dangerous Dusting

Please feel free to follow me on these social media sites:

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