Beware the Orchids (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 1) Read online

  “Mr. Weasley.”

  “Harry, please.” He peered up at me from behind thick glasses which distorted his eyes so badly it was hard to tell his expression.

  “Well, then, Harry, I must insist you stop filching the food. If you continue, there won’t be enough for everyone else.”

  “I get hungry.”

  “We all do. Perhaps you could keep food in the refrigerator in your room?”

  “Perhaps.” He unloaded his pockets, leaving the sandwiches in a pile on the starched white tablecloth. “I’ll go find me a woman to dance with.”

  A big band number played from the record player. It was all I could do to keep my feet from tapping along. If I hadn’t received a stern warning from Alice that I was not at the functions to participate, but to make sure everyone was having a good time, the only person I would want to dance with was Heath and he was out of commission. Still, I had a tiny regret over taking a job that sometimes had me working sixteen hour days. At the age of twenty-eight, I liked to think I had a lot of fun left in me.

  Heath waved me over the moment Dave left the table. “You’ve got to fire him.”

  “I know.” I fell into a chair.

  “We have to help the girls clean out Maybelle’s cottage for a new renter and he’s worthless. He’ll fill a grocery size bag and carry out just that one bag. I carry more than that on these things.” He slapped his crutches.

  “Did you see a wooden box full of men’s watches and things?”

  He sighed. “Are you feeling sorry for me in the slightest?”

  I grinned. “A bit.” I patted his cheek. “You poor thing. Now, did you?”

  “Yeah. We handed it over to Officer Lawrence last night. He seemed interested.”

  “One of those watches might be Bob Satchette’s.”

  A sharp look from Alice got me to my feet. Maybe Bob could answer some questions for me. He seemed in a much better mood as he laughed at something Birdie said. In the photo Maybelle had of him, he’d seemed cozy with Myrna Smith. Now, that woman glared daggers in his direction.

  Before I left, I put a hand on Heath’s shoulder. “Maybelle had some photos in her possession. One of them showed you jimmying the lock on Alice’s office door. What was up with that?”

  He turned, eyes wide. “Why would she have a picture of me?”

  I shrugged.

  “Alice lost her key. I had to get into the office so she could retrieve her spare. It was innocent, Shelby.” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you’re starting to believe I killed Maybelle.”

  “I’m just knocking off leads. Don’t get your drawers wadded up.” I made my pats a little harder, parting with one final whack, then headed over to talk to Myrna.

  I sat in an empty seat at her table. “You don’t look as if you’re having fun.”

  “Look at that pink haired hussy.”

  I glanced to where Bob swept Birdie into a swing dance. “They’re good.”

  “I taught him those moves.”

  “The rat.” If I wanted information from her, I needed to be on her good side. “What happened?”

  “It’s my fault, really. I knew when I started seeing him, on the sly, of course. I do have a reputation to keep, unlike Birdie. Anyway, I knew he was Shady Acres’s Casanova. He keeps Cialis on his nightstand for crying out loud.”

  Eew. I needed to change the subject, but curiousity welled more than in the proverbial cat. “He didn’t like a secret liaison?”

  “No. Seems he likes to flaunt his women.”

  “Was Maybelle ever one of them?”

  “I did find her teeth on his nightstand once. Not sure whether he wanted them there or she left them during one of her snooping visits. That woman could get into any locked door. A marvel, really.” She stood and patted my hand. “Thanks for talking, but I’m heading over there to get my man back.”

  That left Bob for me to talk to and he was busy. With two ladies.

  Grandma yoo hooed me from across the room. She had a grip on Harold Ball’s arm to rival a wrestler. “He has something to tell you!”

  I met Cheryl’s amused glance. We met halfway across the room and continued to where Grandma was. “I thought we were going to exchange notes later.”

  “This is important. Tell her, Harold.” Grandma gave him a little shove.

  “I saw that new guy stick something in his pocket from Maybelle’s place.”

  “Really? What?” I crossed my arms.

  “Something from a box in the closet.”

  “Where is Dave now?”

  “Last I saw him, he was whispering with Weasley by the men’s room. Can I go now, Ida?”

  She kissed his cheek, leaving a red lip print. “Sure you can, honey. Have fun. Poor thing,” she said as he left. “Can’t quite get over the fact I’m spending time with Officer Lawrence.”

  “Spare the details unless you get information out of him. I’m going to find Dave.”

  “I’m going with you.” Cheryl marched beside me like a celebrity bodyguard. “What are you going to say when you find him?”

  “I’m going to play it by ear. There he is.”

  Dave sat alone on a bench near the pool. He didn’t glance up until we sat next to him.

  “What’s wrong, Dave?” I really hoped his mood wasn’t bad because I planned on firing him in the morning. Laziness and stealing could not be tolerated. Still, I’d feel bad for him.

  “Nothing.” He forced a grin. “Just enjoying the nice evening.”

  “Someone saw you take something from the cottage you were cleaning out today. What did you take?”

  “Nothing, I swear.” He held up his hands. “That person is lying.”

  “Dave, why would they lie?”

  “I have no idea. Why don’t you ask them?” He bolted to his feet. “Unless you plan on having me arrested, I’m going to the cottage I’m sharing with Heath.” He mumbled something about not getting his own place and shuffled down the walk.

  “That’s guilty behavior if I ever saw any.” Cheryl watched him until he turned the corner. “What did he take?”

  “Something from a shoebox in the closet. It would have to be small. Paper perhaps.”

  “Let’s go see if the boxes are still there.”

  We hurried to Maybelle’s cottage. The door was locked, the shades drawn, and multiple black bags sat out front. “Looks like the place is cleaned out.” I grabbed a bag. “Let’s take these to my place. We can go through them, then cart them to the dumpster.”

  “We’re stooping kind of low here.” Still, she hoisted two bags over her shoulders and marched toward my cottage.

  By the time Grandma joined us, my floor was covered with papers. We’d started making two piles; one to look at closer and one to toss. When she opened the door, the papers blew together and into every corner of the room.

  “Storm is coming. What in the world are the two of you doing?”

  “Going through the bags that came out of Maybelle’s cottage. Now, we have to start all over.”

  “Good thing I’m here to help you.” Grandma grinned and knelt beside us. “You go gather up all those ones that blew and I’ll tell you what else I found out.”

  “You can talk while I gather.” I kicked off my shoes and crawled under the kitchen table.

  “Bob Satchett is missing a watch.”

  “I know that.”

  “I bet you didn’t know it was a special watch.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. “Define special.”

  “Seems it has a thicker back than most watches. He kept his bank information written on a slip of paper and stuffed in the back.” She grinned. “I bet Maybelle stole that watch, took out the information, and that’s in here somewhere.”

  Maybe, but my guess is that Dave had already found the bank information. “We’ll keep looking, but my bet is that it’s been found. We need to get into Heath’s cottage.”

  “That shouldn’t be hard,” Grandma said. “Just come on to the m
an. He’ll open the door fast enough.”

  I shook my head. “He’ll let me in once I explain why we want in. He wants his name cleared more than anyone.”

  At least, I hoped. If it turned out Heath was the guilty party, my heart would break.

  10

  I took a deep breath, left my cohorts at home, and marched down the flagstone to Heath’s cottage. I rapped three times and waited, hoping, praying, Dave hadn’t returned. If he had, I’d think of some silly reason for the late visit.

  Heath answered the door, buttoning a shirt over six pack abs and arms to make a girl swoon. I yanked my thoughts away from his physique. “Is Dave home?”

  “No, why?”

  “Great.” I pushed him inside.

  He stumbled back before getting his footing. “What’s going on, Shelby? Somehow, I don’t think you’re here for a make-out session.”

  I wished. “Dave took something from Maybelle’s cottage today, and I think I know what it is. I just need to find it. Come with me to his room.” I headed for the guest room.

  “We can’t snoop through his things without permission.” He limped after me.

  “Just keep a watch out. It’s a little slip of paper…” Where did I look first? The man hadn’t unpacked. Boxes lined the walls. Seriously? This much stuff for maybe a week’s work? I headed for the dresser.

  Business cards, receipts, and a tiny folded square of paper. Bingo! I slipped it into my pocket. “Heath, I found—”

  Dave entered the cottage, a puzzled look on his face. “Hello?”

  “Yeah, uh, hello, I’m, uh, here to see Heath. Yeah, that’s it.” I needed to think of something fast. I grabbed the collar of Heath’s shirt and yanked him close, pressing my lips against his. He stumbled, taking us both to the floor. His elbow connected with my ribs, knocking the breath out of me. At least, I think it was the elbow. It might have been the kiss.

  “Should I leave again?” Dave’s question pulled me to my senses.

  “Help me up,” I whispered harshly to Heath. When he did, I painted on a smile. “That was fun. We should do it again sometime.” I sailed out the door. It wasn’t until I got outside that I realized my comment could be completely misunderstood by Dave. No help for it now. I had what I’d come for.

  “Hold up.” Heath caught me halfway home. “What was that all about?”

  “I had to think of something.”

  He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. “You should hear what Dave is saying. He’s making you out to be quite the naughty girl.”

  “Really?” My gaze landed on his lips.

  “Yeah. I have a question.” His husky voice sent shivers through me.

  “Yes?”

  “What is a real kiss from you like, because that one was pretty hot.” He cupped my face and kissed me with such tenderness tears sprung to my eyes. The kiss deepened, making my blood boil and my knees weak. “That’s how I kiss someone,” Heath said with a wink. He turned and sauntered down the sidewalk, whistling.

  Back at the cottage, I waved the square of paper, ignored Grandma’s and Cheryl’s questions, and strolled as if in a trance to my room. I didn’t want to share what had happened. Not until I had time to process the kiss.

  ~

  After a sleepless night of reliving the kiss, then deciding it was nothing more than a teasing gesture in response to my clumsy roll on the floor kiss, I crawled out of bed and headed to the kitchen for a glass of green tea. I’d need extra caffeine to function that day.

  “Hey, woman who strolled in last night like she was hiding something.” Cheryl popped up from the sofa. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  “I’m thinking the bushes around Bob and Myrna’s cottages need trimming.” I poured tea from a pitcher into a glass. I held it up to see if Cheryl wanted some. She shook her head no, so I continued. “Which means skipping breakfast.”

  “Oh, goody. Snooping. You get started. I’ll run to the buffet, grab some things we can eat with our hands and find you.”

  “Perfect.” Other than hanging around those two cottages for a bit, I had no idea where to go from there. The paper I’d taken from Dave’s room burned in my pocket. What did I do with it since I didn’t have the watch? Sometimes, I didn’t think far enough ahead.

  The responsible thing to do would be to turn it over to Officer Lawrence. Which I would do as soon as I made a copy. I spread it out on the kitchen table and snapped a picture of it with my phone. Ta da. I was now ready to be responsible the next time I saw the gruff police officer.

  I was waylaid by Alice the moment I stepped from my little home. “Is there something you wanted me to do?”

  She lifted her chin. “I expect a certain…decorum from my employees.”

  Ah. Dave snitched. “It isn’t what it looked like.”

  “Rolling on the floor with the handyman isn’t what it looks like?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  She made a noise in her throat. “Make sure it isn’t. Discretion, Shelby, please.” She whirled and marched away like a drunken cow. I really wanted to teach her to walk in heels.

  Reputation ruined, but one step closer to finding out who killed Maybelle, I went to the storage shed and grabbed shears and a rake. I might have a mystery to solve, but I was also getting paid to do a job.

  Heath stepped out of his cottage, a brace on his leg, and tossed me a wave.

  I ducked my head and increased my pace. There was no way I was ready to face him in the light of day.

  “Ah, something happened between the two of you last night,” Cheryl sang on her way past me toward the dining room.

  My face heated, and I kept on my path, not breathing until I reached Myrna’s cottage. Her kitchen curtains were parted a bit and I was able to peek in as I worked.

  She glanced up from washing a mug and screamed, then slammed the window open, catching me in the forehead. “What are you doing?”

  A lot of people seemed to be asking me that question lately. “Trimming the bushes.” I put a hand to my head, relieved there was no blood. I didn’t handle blood well.

  “There’s no need to stare in windows while trimming.” She slammed the window shut and closed the curtains.

  Great. No clues coming from her. I quickly finished the work there and moved to Bob’s cottage where he and Alice argued in the living room. Lucky for me the window was open. I trimmed the bushes just out of direct sight.

  “I’m telling you, I’ll get my rent caught up next week,” Bob said. “My account’s been cleaned out. If I catch who did it, I’ll kill them.”

  “One more week, Bob. If I don’t have the full amount due, I’ll have to evict you.” Alice stormed outside and slammed his door.

  Bob followed. “Don’t threaten me, Missy. My garbage disposal has been broken for a week! I have grounds not to pay.”

  She shook her head and continued on her way, passing Mr. Weasley.

  He approached Bob. “I have a leaky faucet. Ever since the handyman got hurt things are falling apart around here. I thought we had a substitute.”

  “I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the man if we do. Come on in for coffee.”

  I’d hoped the invitation would warrant a bit more information, but all they did was complain about the lack of repairs. Yep. I’d have to fire Dave. Better yet, I’d try to get Alice to do it. She was the manager, after all.

  I finished at Bob’s cottage and headed for the dining room. Since Cheryl had yet to bring me my breakfast, and my stomach was letting me hear about it, I needed to search for my own food.

  Most of the buffet had been cleared, but there was a blueberry muffin and one cold sausage patty. I grabbed both and headed for Alice’s office.

  Her door was partially open so I gave a soft knock and entered. Alice had her head down. She sighed when I entered.

  “I guess I should close the door if I want privacy.” She glanced up. “Yes, Shelby?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but there a
re complaints about the lack of repairs. I want you to fire Dave Mason. Since Heath is no longer using crutches, he can handle small repairs. Dave didn’t do anything anyway.” I gripped the back of a chair.

  “You hired him.”

  “You’re the manager.”

  “Very well. Find him and send him to me. Anything else?” She straightened and crossed her arms. “The grounds are starting to shape up by the way. Oh, and the greenhouse will be repaired today. The two functions you’ve headed up have been a great success. You’re an asset to our community.”

  “Thank you.” Warmth infused me. I’d rarely gotten compliments at my teaching job. I knew I’d done well because of my reviews, but to have someone call me an asset gave me the warm fuzzies. “I’ll try and find Dave.”

  “See if you can’t get those cleaning girls to hurry up with Maybelle’s cottage, would you? I have an interested tenant.”

  I nodded. Just like that, she gave me another of her jobs to do. Was I the gardener or her assistant? I turned to leave and ran into Officer Lawrence, literally. “Sorry.”

  He shook his head. “Miss Johnson, do you have a minute?”

  “Seems everyone wants a minute,” Alice said, waving a hand for me to leave.

  “Miss Hart, don’t go far, please.” Officer Lawrence gave me the look that said stay. “I have questions for you, too. Please wait in the lobby.”

  I did as ordered, sitting on a faux leather loveseat and twiddled my thumbs. Maybe I’d get really lucky and Dave Mason would stroll through the door and I could send him to Alice. No such luck. No one came through the front doors. I didn’t know who was more bored; me or the receptionist who filed her nails. A plaque on the desk said her name was Teresa Givens. Did Shady Acres really need a receptionist? It seemed as if Alice could do the job well enough. She was pretty good about putting off her responsibilities on me.

  I jumped to my feet when Office Lawrence came my way and pulled the folded piece of paper from my pocket. “I think one of the watches in Maybelle’s box that you have belongs to Bob Satchett. This paper, his bank information, should have been inside the watch, but was stolen by Dave Mason, our temporary, soon to be fired, handyman.”

  When I stopped for breath, he took the paper. “How did you come by this?”