Honeysuckle Homicide (Trash-to-Treasure Crafting Mystery) Read online

  The town’s only bakery, Sugar Buzz, was next door, but it was closed for the day. They made the best chocolate cupcakes. Claire Ann had bought a couple for us the other day.

  Down from the bakery was a storefront that I’d forgotten about. It was the realtor’s office, Lexington Realtors. Luke Lexington’s smiling face was on the sign in front. I still couldn’t believe what Ross had done. As I was about to turn around to leave, Ross burst out from the realtor’s door. His eyes were wide and his face panic-stricken. Our eyes met and at that moment I wished I had supernatural powers so that I could disappear.

  “Raelynn, you have to help me,” he said between his heavy breathing.

  I shook my head. “I already told you no. If you think I was coming to see Luke Lexington then you are sadly mistaken.”

  Ross reached out and wrapped his hand around my arm. “Raelynn, I’m in trouble. This is serious.”

  I yanked my arm away. The fear in his eyes scared me. “What is wrong with you?”

  He looked over his shoulder toward the office door. “Luke Lexington is dead.”

  Chapter Four

  Another murder in Honeysuckle? What was happening to this town? The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

  I grabbed Ross’ arms. He was in a state of shock and I seriously thought of smacking him out of it. The action would have helped me and him, no?

  Back to the situation at hand. Ross had to be mistaken. He needed to calm down and tell me exactly what had happened.

  “Ross, are you sure? Where is Luke?” I asked.

  “He’s on the floor of his office. I walked in there and found him that way.” Ross ran his hand through his thick dark hair.

  I felt guilty for thinking it, but I was glad that I hadn’t discovered another dead body. Once was more than enough.

  “What happened to him? Maybe he is injured and needs an ambulance. We have to help him.” I pushed past Ross and headed for the door.

  Ross grabbed my arm from behind. “No, you can’t go in there.”

  Again I pulled my arm away from him. “We have to help him, Ross. Now get ahold of yourself.”

  Ross was in freak-out mode. I’d never seen him this panicked, although I’d always known he wasn’t good under pressure.

  Leaving Ross standing on the sidewalk, I pushed through the main door. I paused in the small hallway. The walls were a bland white and the carpet under my feet a boring beige. I’d expected something a little more cheery from Luke Lexington. There were only a couple of doors, none of which were open. My heart pounded in my chest. What would I find?

  “Mr. Lexington?” I called out.

  When he didn’t answer, I moved to my left toward the door marked with his name. For a moment, I held the doorknob, but finally twisted the knob and opened the door. I didn’t have to search for Luke Lexington because he was on the floor beside the door just as Ross had said he would be. The chair had been knocked over, along with a small table too. Most of the items from Luke’s desk were on the floor. He’d obviously struggled with someone. I reached down and placed my fingers against his neck. There was no pulse. Blood came from his head, but I had no idea how he’d died.

  I had to get out of there and find Kent. As I turned to run out of the office, I bumped into Ross’ chest.

  I screamed. “What are you doing?”

  Ross peered over my shoulder into the office. “I came to check on you. Is he still dead?”

  “Yes, he’s still dead,” I snapped.

  “Well, let’s get the hell out of here.” Ross reached for my hand.

  I didn’t give him a chance to grab me as I rushed over to the front entrance. “What we have to do is get the police.”

  Ross followed me. “We don’t need to get involved.”

  When I reached the sidewalk, I said, “It’s a little late for that, Ross. We’re already involved. We found the body.” I looked at him. “That’s all, right?”

  “Are you implying that I had something to do with his death?”

  “That’s not what I said. I just want to know what happened. Did you walk in there and find him that way?” I asked.

  “Of course I just walked in and found him that way. I have no idea what happened to him,” Ross said.

  I’d only made it a few more steps down the sidewalk when I spotted Kent headed my way. He frowned when he saw me walking with Ross. A knot formed in my stomach. How would I tell him that there had been another murder in Honeysuckle? It was homicide, right? A man didn’t just knock himself in the head and it didn’t look like an accident with the way things were scattered around the room.

  “Is there a problem?” Kent asked.

  I rushed over to him. “Luke Lexington is dead. He’s in his office.”

  Kent stared at me as if what I’d said didn’t quite register. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course she’s serious,” Ross said.

  Kent cast a look to Ross, then he ran toward Luke’s office. I ignored Ross and ran in the same direction. When I reached the office, I stopped at the door. I didn’t want to see the body again.

  Ross stood beside me and said, “Listen, I don’t think I need to hang around any longer. I’m just going to take off.”

  “You can’t go anywhere. The police will want to talk with you,” I said.

  “Tell them what happened for me, okay?” He took off before I could stop him.

  “Ross, get back here.”

  Kent stepped out the door at that moment. “Where is he going?”

  “He said he had somewhere to go and that I should tell you what happened.” I was sure my face looked as if I was about to be sick in the bushes behind us.

  “Who found the body? Was it you?” Kent asked. I knew he was holding his breath hoping that I would say no.

  “Ross found him. I went in to check on Luke and made sure he was really dead and didn’t need an ambulance.”

  Kent pulled out his phone. I only heard one side of the conversation, but that was all I needed. The police had now been instructed to find Ross and bring him in for questioning.

  “Are you sure that is necessary?” I asked.

  Kent stuffed his phone back into his pocket. “If he discovered the body then we need to speak with him. You know that.”

  Yeah, because I’d been the one to stumble on a body last time. It was surreal to think that this had happened again. Had Ross done something to Luke? No way. Ross was a rat, but he would never murder anyone.

  In a matter of seconds, the other officers had arrived. They moved quickly around the building. It was like a bee’s nest had been disturbed and they were swarming the area.

  “Would you like to wait in my car, Raelynn? I can’t leave the scene yet to drive you home, but I don’t want you to have to stand here either.” Kent had turned on his official police voice. It was all business now. It was good that he took his job so seriously.

  I was torn because until I knew exactly how Luke had been killed, I didn’t want to walk home alone, but I didn’t want to wait in Kent’s car either.

  “How about I call Claire Ann and we can walk home together?” I said.

  Kent nodded. “I’m surprised she isn’t on the scene yet.”

  In addition to working at Honeysuckle Supermarket, Claire Ann was the editor for the Honeysuckle Gazette. She would of course make this the front-page story. She’d given me my own article to write each week dealing with home décor and improvement. So far I was enjoying it.

  Kent touched my arm. “Are you okay?”

  I wrapped my arms in front of my chest. “Sure, I’m fine. What will they do with Ross when they catch up to him?”

  “They’ll just take him to the station for questioning,” Kent said. Another officer called for Kent. “I’ll be back in just a second.”

  I leaned against the wall of the building, trying to stay out of the way. Of course since Honeysuckle was such a small town, a crowd of people had started to gather. So far no one had paid attention to me, but I knew i
t would only be a matter of time until they discovered I was on the scene of another death investigation. What would they say about Ross though? Everyone in town loved him, even if they knew he was a cheat. What would they say about the police questioning him?

  Amongst the people I spotted a woman in a brown business suit rushing across the street. Her blonde bob and flawless makeup made her look magazine-perfect. She hadn’t noticed that I was watching her. The woman came as close to the scene as she could before being stopped by police. She looked as if she wanted to talk with someone. Finally, the woman noticed me watching her. She wasted little time closing the distance between us.

  “What happened?” she asked with wide eyes.

  I looked around, unsure if I should give any details. “Luke Lexington is dead.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth. “He was murdered? How terrible.”

  I hadn’t told her that he was murdered, but that would be someone’s first thought, right? After all, Honeysuckle had just experienced a murder and I knew everyone was still on edge.

  “They don’t know for sure that he was murdered,” I said.

  “My name is Darcy Parish.” She stuck out her hand.

  That was where I knew her from. She was a realtor and had an office across the street. When I spotted a ‘for sale’ sign with Luke’s picture on it in someone’s front yard, it was a sure bet that the next sign I saw would be one of Darcy’s. It was as if they were in competition with each other.

  “Raelynn Pendleton,” I said, shaking her hand.

  “That’s right. You inherited Mrs. Winter’s place. It’s such a beautiful house.” She pulled a card from her pocket and handed it toward me. “If you ever want to sell it give me a call.”

  I couldn’t believe she was trying to get business as we stood outside a crime scene. I took the card. “Thanks. I don’t have any plans to sell.”

  She smiled. “Well, if you do…”

  “I’ll make sure to let you know.”

  Darcy glanced in the direction of Luke’s office. The police moved in and out of the building. “It’s such a shame. We had a friendly competition going on. Who will I compete with now?” She wiped a tear away with a shaky hand. “I was just coming over to wish him luck on his new listing.” After a brief pause, she said, “Okay, I have to go now. See you later.”

  Darcy sashayed across the street as if she’d just gotten the best news.

  “I thought about using her to sell my house,” a female voice said.

  The woman stood near me. She had wavy ash-blonde hair and wore pink knee-length shorts and a white shirt.

  The woman crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Luke Lexington talked me into using him though. I regret that decision now.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “I honestly believe he stopped people from looking at my house just so a friend of his could come in and offer us a low amount. We thought no one was interested so we sold. Later we found out people had wanted to see our home, but he had stopped them. I believe he was being paid by the buyer. The guy would turn around and sell the house again with Luke and make more money.”

  “That’s terrible,” I said.

  The woman nodded. “Yes, I’m not bitter though. What’s done is done, right?”

  “Yes, I suppose. I’m Raelynn Pendleton.” I offered my hand.

  The woman shook my hand. “Connie Dayton.”

  Claire Ann had made it to my location in record time. Her eyes were the size of saucers as she approached.

  “My friend is here. Nice to meet you, Connie.”

  Connie smiled. “Same to you.”

  I stepped down the sidewalk toward Claire Ann.

  “Raelynn, how did this happen?” she asked.

  At least she didn’t pull out her recorder and try to get an interview. No, she’d wait and do an official interview later.

  Kent was busy with the officers collecting evidence from the scene, so I motioned for Claire Ann to follow me. “Let’s walk to my place. I’ll explain there,” I said.

  During the trip home I filled Claire Ann in on the incident and all that I knew, which honestly wasn’t much. I hoped to have more details from Kent soon.

  As we stepped through the door, Claire Ann said, “No offense, Raelynn, because I know you loved him at one point, but that rat Ross is probably behind this.”

  I placed my keys and purse on the table by the door. “I know, Claire Ann. No offense taken. It would be a logical thought that he would be involved, but as low as he is, I still don’t think he had anything to do with the man’s death.”

  Claire Ann crossed the floor and then took a seat on the sofa. “I guess you would know Ross pretty well since you were married to him. But if he didn’t do this then who did?”

  I sat on the chair across from the sofa. “I have no idea. I really didn’t know Luke Lexington well, did you?”

  “He sold my parents’ house for them. Got top dollar too. Other than that, I don’t know much. I’ve heard he’ll do whatever it takes to make a sell or catch a listing.”

  “I met a couple interesting people while waiting for you. Plus, Luke had argued with his ex-girlfriend not an hour before he was found dead.” I gauged her expression.

  “Aren’t you a regular detective now?”

  ***

  A few hours had passed. I’d just added a coat of robin’s-egg blue paint to an old dresser I’d rescued when my phone rang. I wasn’t ready for the voice that came across the line when I answered.

  “Raelynn, they arrested me for the murder of Luke Lexington.” It sounded as if Ross was trying to be calm, but I knew he was probably freaking out.

  I’d been afraid that would happen, but I hadn’t thought Ross would actually call me from the police station. How could I help him after what he’d done to me? Plus, what could I do to help him? I couldn’t force the police to let him go. What had been their basis for arresting him? They had to have some kind of evidence.

  “Do you have an attorney?” I asked.

  “No, that’s why I need your help.”

  “I’m not a lawyer, sorry,” I said.

  “Come on, Raelynn, this is no time to play games. You know what I mean. I only get one call.”

  “I suppose I could make some calls for you.”

  “I need you to get me out of here,” he demanded.

  I remembered that tone. I hadn’t liked it then and I didn’t like it now. I studied my fingernails. Too bad he couldn’t see my I-don’t-care-attitude. “How about I just get you a lawyer and he can handle this.”

  Muffled voices sounded from his end of the line. “I have to go, Raelynn. You were with me when this happened. I can tell them that you had something to do with the murder because Luke Lexington wanted you to list your house. I’ll tell them that you snapped.”

  “You dirty rat…”

  The line went dead. I knew he was a despicable person, but I’d never thought he would stoop to such a level. Surely the police wouldn’t believe him. Then again, everyone in this town loved Ross. Everyone except for Kent. Lucky for me there was no way a judge would let Ross out on bail for a murder charge. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with him in person.

  Chapter Five

  I was in the kitchen eating chocolate baking chips right out of the bag when a knock rattled the front door. I rinsed the chocolate from my fingers and headed toward the front door. Since I’d left the shade up, I spotted Kent on the front porch. I hoped that he had good news for me. Maybe all of this would just be a misunderstanding and Luke had been killed by some freak accident. There was no way I would let Ross do this to me. I just wanted him to stay out of my life.

  When I opened the door, I stepped to the side and motioned for Kent to come in. “How’s everything?”

  He shook his head. “Not good, Raelynn.”

  My heart rate increased. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear what he had to say.

  “Ross called me from the jail. Apparently he used me as his o
ne call,” I said.

  Kent’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t listen to him. He got more than one call.”

  I shouldn’t be surprised that he’d lied to me about that.

  “What did he say?” Kent asked.

  I picked at the hem of my shirt until finally I said, “He said that he would tell everyone I killed Luke Lexington.”

  Kent’s face turned red. “They found keys marked with your name on them beside Luke’s body.”

  “You know I had nothing to do with this. You’re my alibi. We were together.”

  “I know that, but Ross is telling everyone differently. I will vouch for you, but be prepared for the people in Honeysuckle to have a reaction. You know how much they love Ross.”

  “What about the keys? How did he get my keys?” I asked.

  Kent looked me in the eyes and then said, “I honestly don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me.”

  A seed of doubt was planted in my head. Did Kent secretly think I’d really had something to do with the murder? I supposed I had been gone from him long enough to commit murder. But if he didn’t trust me any more than that…

  “Are you sure they are my keys?”

  He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and I knew my face probably turned white. I recognized the keys. The key chain was mine and I had had the extra set in the drawer by the front door. “Ross must have taken them this morning.” My voice was merely a whisper.

  “Just stay away from him. If he calls don’t answer.” Kent stuffed the keys into his pocket.

  I had hoped that he would have given the keys back to me. Now they were considered evidence. This was looking worse and worse by the minute.

  Kent took my hand in his. “I promise we’ll figure this out.”

  I nodded.

  “I’ll call you later,” he said.

  Kent walked down the porch steps and climbed behind the wheel of his Crown Victoria. In a matter of minutes, my new relationship with Kent had turned cool. He had to do his job though. If Ross wanted to lie, then Kent had to look into his claims. I needed to pay Ross a visit and demand that he stop this. I wouldn’t let him blackmail me. He couldn’t force me to hire the best lawyer I could find for him. That would certainly put an end to my relationship with Kent. He wouldn’t understand if I helped Ross. I couldn’t blame Kent for that either.