The Body in the Gravel Read online

  Jazzi didn’t blame Walker for not being enthusiastic about opening it.

  “Let’s find out what’s inside it.” Gaff handed Ansel his car keys. “You and Jerod are young and strong. You can carry it in.”

  Jerod grimaced. “It won’t let out some noxious fumes or something, will it?”

  “Only one way to find out.” Gaff wasn’t as concerned as Jazzi thought he should be.

  The two guys went to get the safe, and Walker pushed out of his chair. He rubbed his palms on his jeans. “Even my skin feels itchy, I’m so nervous. What have you done in the last two years, bud? Give me some kind of distraction.”

  “Fumed about you for the first one, then met Jazzi here’s sister and fell hard. We bought a house and moved in together a while ago.”

  Walker actually grinned. He must not have expected that. “I didn’t think any woman would put up with you.”

  “Neither did I.” Thane laughed. “What about you? You left everything behind.”

  “I bopped from job to job for a while, then started driving a truck for a cement company.” He stopped to chuckle at himself. “It’s in my blood, I guess.”

  Jazzi saw the men climb the deck steps and hurried to open the kitchen door for them. They carefully lowered the safe to the floor. Walker stared at it and took a step back.

  “Well?” Gaff motioned for Walker to get on with it.

  With a deep breath, Walker crouched in front of the safe. He turned the tumbler and moved aside before he lowered the handle to open it. Only one envelope lay inside. Walker poked it, and when nothing happened, he took it out and opened it. He scanned the top sheet of paper, and his jaw dropped. “Darby left me everything—the house, the business, everything.”

  Thane rubbed his forehead as if he couldn’t believe it. “You’re kidding.”

  Walker read, “Sorry I was a crappy dad. I know this won’t make up for it, but I wanted to do something. Call my lawyer for any answers.” Walker showed them the paper with the lawyer’s number on it. He looked stunned. “I thought Dad would leave everything to someone else just to punish me.”

  A smile started on Thane’s face. “Does this mean you’ll move here and run the business again?”

  “I sure hope so.”

  Gaff shook his head, disappointed. “No clues, nothing to point us toward someone who’d hit him in the head with a shovel and dump his body in gravel he was going to deliver. Any ideas, anyone?”

  Walker held out his hands in a gesture of defeat. “My dad had a knack for making people mad, even people who usually wouldn’t harm a soul. It could have been anyone.”

  Not the answer Gaff wanted. He stuffed his notepad back into his shirt pocket and started for the door. “I need to call this lawyer to see if I can learn anything. Then I have to find all the people Darby saw and talked to on the Monday he died.”

  How he meant to do that, Jazzi had no idea. And for the moment, she didn’t care. She was just happy Thane and Walker were together again. Whoever killed Darby could wait.

  Gaff turned to Walker. “You coming?”

  Thane waved the detective away. “I’ll drive him wherever he needs to go.”

  “Works for me.” And Gaff left.

  Thane settled back at the card table, and Walker sat across from him. Thane stretched his legs and locked his hands behind his head. “Let’s take a minute to catch up.”

  Chapter 11

  Jazzi carried one of the thermoses to the card table, along with Styrofoam cups. She usually hated drinking out of Styrofoam—she was sure she could taste the stuff in her coffee—but she didn’t feel right bringing her own mug when Thane and Walker didn’t have one. She put the two bags of chips on the table, too.

  Once everyone had grabbed what they wanted, Walker said, “The first thing I want to do is call Dad’s lawyer and see what’s up.” He shook his head. “It’s just like Dad to leave nothing for Mom.”

  “She remarried. He’d hate her for that. How’s she doing?” Thane asked.

  Another smile played across Walker’s lips. He really was an attractive man. Jazzi tried to think of anyone she or Olivia knew whom they could set him up with. Ansel watched her expressions and shook his head. He knew her too well.

  Walker said, “When we left River Bluffs, I got a job with a roofing crew, and Mom got a job at a diner within walking distance from our apartment. Once a certain customer met her, he came in every day at the same time for supper. After a few months of that, he brought a rose every time and left it for Mom. The way Mom talked about him, I could tell she liked him, so I suggested a divorce.”

  Thane whistled. “How did that go over?”

  “Mom was ready, but she still didn’t want to deal with Dad, so she went through a lawyer. In theory, Dad dealt only with him, but somehow, he must have figured out where Mom was living. He said he’d pay five thousand dollars to get rid of her. She took it.”

  Jerod shook his head. “She got gypped.”

  “She just wanted out of the marriage,” Walker told them. “When the divorce was final, Gene asked her to marry him. Now she works only two days a week, and they’re really happy together.”

  Thane reached for more chips. “So if you leave Dayton to move back here, will she mind?”

  “We’ll be in easy driving distance. And Gene’s friends love her. She has a happy life. She’ll be okay as long as I drive to see her once a month.”

  “That’s good.” Thane pulled the bag closer. “I always liked your mom.”

  “Everyone did. It was Dad they tried to avoid.”

  Thane finished his coffee, took one more handful of chips, and said, “I’d better get back to my job. Where do you want me to drop you off?”

  “I’m staying at a hotel in town. I’ll call Dad’s lawyer from there.”

  When they got up to leave, Ansel turned to Jazzi, his eyebrows raised in a question. She knew her Viking enough to nod. He said, “Why don’t you and Thane come to our house for supper tonight? Olivia, too. You can tell us what the lawyer said.”

  “You sure?” Walker sounded pleased with the invitation.

  “You don’t want to miss Jazzi’s cooking,” Thane told him. “I’ll pick you up and drive you there. What time?” He turned to Ansel.

  “Six?”

  “We’ll see you then.” Thane led Walker to his van.

  Jerod stood. “If we hustle, we still have time to stain the deck. I’d like to cross that off our list.”

  A good idea. At the rate they were going, every project was going to take longer than they’d expected. With the three of them working together, though, they finished faster than usual. Jazzi tapped the lid back on their can of stain. Before Jerod could think of something else, she said, “Can we leave early? We have to stop at the store to buy stuff for supper, and everyone’s coming at six.”

  Jerod started cleaning up the work site. “Sure, why not? My Franny would be freaking out by now, you’re cutting it so close. Just be here bright and early tomorrow morning. We still haven’t gotten permission to finish the driveway, so we’ll tackle the garage next.”

  While Jazzi and Ansel helped him, Jazzi thought about their list. After the garage, they were going to tear off the front porch and rebuild it. Then the house needed a new roof. After that, hopefully, they could finish the driveway. Then, and only then, they’d start on the inside of the place.

  Lord, they had a lot to do! She pushed those thoughts aside and started toward Ansel’s van. Ansel called for George, but the pug didn’t move, so he went to pick him up and carry him. Was there ever a more spoiled dog?

  They all left together, and on the drive north, Jazzi planned a menu and the ingredients she’d need for tonight.

  Chapter 12

  Ansel searched to find a parking spot anywhere close to the grocery store but had to settle for pulling into a slot out
in the boondocks. Jazzi prepared herself. The store was going to be bumper-to-bumper carts.

  Ansel grabbed one of the smaller ones and wheeled it toward the produce aisle. “Where to?”

  “Salad things.” She grabbed a head of lettuce and a box of baby spinach, radishes, carrots, and mushrooms. She had a can of pickled beets at home and stale bread to make croutons. “Goat cheese,” she added.

  Ansel parked their cart behind three women who were busy reading labels on every cheese in the case. With his long arms, he stretched between them to get the goat cheese. The younger woman glanced at him and smiled.

  “Anything else you need?”

  “This is it.” He smiled, too, and her eyes lit up, but then he went to stand beside Jazzi.

  The woman went back to her shopping.

  “Next?” he asked.

  “Chicken breasts and a box of brownie mix.” She walked alongside him and chose bone-in, skin-on breasts. He bought the Ghirardelli mix for brownies marbled with caramel. Then they stood in line to pay.

  “No starch?” he asked.

  “Green pea risotto, but I have everything to make that at home.”

  When they finally left the store and made it into their kitchen, they had to start cooking right away. Jazzi didn’t let herself glance at the flowers she’d put in the heavy crock by the sink. They needed to be trimmed and arranged, but she’d do that later. Inky and Marmalade came to stand next to her, meowing while she rehydrated dried mushrooms in the microwave to start the stuffing for the balsamic-glazed chicken breasts. She was making a mushroom-goat cheese filling. Ansel mixed the brownies while she reduced the ingredients for the glaze. But the cats didn’t bother Ansel. They stood, one on each side of her, meowing to be fed until she couldn’t stand it anymore and stopped to fill their bowls.

  Ansel chuckled. “Your cats know we’re here to serve them.”

  She glared at them, purring as they ate. “I didn’t know cats were so demanding.”

  “Farm cats know their place in the world. Ours were happy with squirts of milk when we hooked the cows up to the machines.”

  “Those were the good old days when you lived with your parents.”

  He snorted. “Glad they’re behind me.”

  George came to stand close to Ansel, looking hopeful, until Ansel went to fill his bowl, too. “See? He’s learning bad habits from your felines.” When George glanced longingly at the stove, Ansel shook his head at him. Sounding stern, he said, “Chicken has to cook before you eat it. I don’t want you to get sick.”

  A firm voice had never deterred George, but he understood about cooking. He finished his dry food, then went to his dog bed to put his head on his paws and sulk.

  Jazzi’s chicken took a while to prep since it was a one-dish wonder. She had to make the rice mixture to spread on the bottom of the casserole before adding the glazed breasts. But once it was in the oven, she could hurry upstairs to shower and change. Ansel’s brownies went in before she finished, so he went up ahead of her. When they were both ready, they finished the salad together. Then Jazzi glanced at the countertop near the sink. “Doggone it!”

  Inky couldn’t knock the heavy crock over, so he’d bitten off the heads of half the flowers. When Jazzi glared at him, he nudged his head against her leg to pet him.

  “You’re horrible.” But she bent to stroke his black fur anyway. Marmalade cried for attention, so she petted her, too. She glanced at the clock. Better get busy. They were pressed for time. As she scooped up dead flowers to throw them in the trash, she glanced out the window over the sink. Gray clouds scuttled overhead, and more leaves had changed color in the woods at the back of their property. It was a perfect evening to hibernate inside and share a meal.

  As Ansel walked past her, he patted her fanny. “Your flowers look great. We’d better set the table.”

  Jazzi placed silverware next to the stoneware plates Ansel had set on the table. They’d just finished when Olivia gave a quick knock at the door, and she, Thane, and Walker came in.

  Walker took a deep breath. “Boy, it smells good in here.”

  “The food’s just about ready. Let’s get drinks. What do you want?”

  The girls chose wine, and the guys grabbed bottles of beer.

  She carried the chicken dish to the table and put it on a trivet. Then she went back for the brownies while Ansel got the salad. Silence reigned for a few minutes while everyone filled their plates, then conversation started again.

  “What did the lawyer say?” Thane asked. “Is everything legit? I keep waiting for it to be a big joke, that your dad left a note that said ‘Ha, ha, the money’s gone and the company’s bankrupt.’”

  Walker laughed. “I kinda worried about that, too, but everything’s in order. Gaff told me he called the law office, too, and the only time the lawyer saw Dad was to make out the will. Dad even left money I could use right away to pay the drivers and keep deliveries going.”

  “I bet the lawyer thought of that,” Thane said.

  “I don’t care whose idea it was. I’m just grateful for it. I went to see the drivers today, and they were relieved they were going to get paid on Friday and they’d keep their jobs. It was great seeing them again.”

  Olivia pushed a black olive to the side of her salad dish. Ansel loved them, but she didn’t like olives of any type. “How did it feel walking into your dad’s office again?”

  Walker’s fork paused in midair. “Surreal. Like coming home when I didn’t think it would happen again. The place was a mess. Dad must not have filed anything for a few months. Bea couldn’t even dust in there. Every surface was covered.”

  Jazzi swallowed her bite of risotto. “Bea?”

  “Dad’s housekeeper. She comes every Monday to clean the office, and Earl said now that Mom’s gone, she cleans the house, too. Dad was always nice to Bea. Mom used to suspect they were having an affair.”

  Thane choked on his sip of beer. When he stopped coughing, he asked, “Do you think they were?”

  “I think the only thing Bea wanted from Dad was a paycheck.”

  Jazzi didn’t voice her thoughts, but Darby was killed on a Monday night. Had he tried something inappropriate with Bea? Or had she seen anyone come or go who might have argued with and killed him? She made a mental note to call Gaff later and tell him about Darby’s housekeeper.

  The conversation drifted from Darby and the will to Thane and Walker’s pasts and growing up together. The two trotted out memories, good and bad. By the end of the night, Jazzi felt like she knew Walker a lot better. He was a good man. Too bad she didn’t know a wonderful female to introduce him to.

  By the time the three of them left, it was inching toward nine, but Jazzi still called Gaff. When she told him her news, he sounded excited. “We needed a new lead. This is good. I’ll pick you up when I go to question her.”

  Jazzi didn’t argue. She was involved in this case because of Thane, and Thane was involved because of Walker. If she could help either of them, she would.

  After they cleaned the kitchen, she and Ansel relaxed in front of the TV for an hour, pets stretched beside them. Then Ansel headed upstairs. When he looked at George at the bottom of the steps and said, “Later,” even the cats knew what that meant. They flopped on the floor to wait. When he held out his hand for her, she grinned.

  “I thought you’d be too tired.”

  Ansel’s blue eyes sparkled. “When you look as hot as you did tonight? I’m not dead.”

  Her tight jeans brought her luck. And she’d worn a lower scooped neckline than usual, but she hadn’t thought he’d noticed.

  “What man can resist a woman who smells like roast chicken?”

  She sighed. “You had to go and ruin it.”

  “I’ll make up for it.”

  He would, too. To heck with it. Who cared if he didn’t smell her Chanel? />
  George whined, and Ansel pulled her toward the bedroom door. “We don’t need an audience.”

  Nope, all she needed was Ansel. Everything else could wait.

  Chapter 13

  After work on Thursday, Jazzi took more time than usual showering and getting ready to go out. She was happy with what they’d gotten done on the fixer-upper today. They’d installed a red tin roof on the garage and new gutters, and they’d gotten a good start on new siding. The paint on the clapboards had bubbled so much, they’d decided the wood must have been green and would never hold a coat of paint. The best thing to do was to cover them, so they’d tried to match the siding to the yellow brick of the house.

  She glanced at herself in the bedroom mirror. She and Olivia had girls’ night out once a week. Ansel and Thane had known that when they moved in with them, and now the guys met and went out together, too. Olivia was a hairstylist and always looked trendy and put-together, so Jazzi made an extra effort when she was with her.

  When Jazzi came downstairs, Ansel sat up and took notice. “Should I go with you this time to act as a bodyguard? You look hot.”

  Her thick, wavy, honey-gold hair fell past her shoulders, and her long, flowered dress hugged her curves. “And who’s going to protect me from you? This is my night to yak with my sister.”

  He laughed. “Picky, picky, picky.”

  “Where are you and Thane going?”

  “Thane invited us to the American Legion off State Street. He says the food there’s great. He invited Walker along, too. What about you?”

  “We both need a Henry’s fix again.”

  Ansel grinned. “That’s your favorite hangout. Beat off any guys who hit on you and come home to me.”

  “Always.” And that was an easy promise to keep. No one could tempt her more than her Norseman. She grabbed her sweater on the way out the door. October nights were downright nippy now.

  On the drive downtown, she thought about Walker. She was glad he was going with the guys. He probably needed something fun. It had to be hard to bounce back into Darby’s business and pick up where Darby left off.