Home Sweet Homicide: A Cozy Mystery (A Gemma Stone Murder Mystery Book 5) (7 page)

“No, we’d rather be downtown,” Holly said.

Peggy shrugged. “It’s a death sentence as far as I can see. Nothing goes on down here. Why, the other shop owners are already talking to me about moving out.”

“I think we’ll be fine,” Gemma assured her.

“All I’m saying is, if you want a
real
real estate agent, you should hook up with me. Holly, I can find you the perfect house, too.”

“I didn’t know you handled residential,” Holly said.

“I do it all. Nothing I can’t handle and when I want a certain price for something, I’ll march right into the other realtor’s office and shake my finger in their face and demand it,” Peggy continued.

Gemma knew she was just getting warmed up. “There was this one time, I sold a house to a young couple and when we got to closing they didn’t have enough money. Why, I took money out of my own account just to make sure they got the house of their dreams.”

And to make sure she got her commission, Gemma thought.

Holly and Essie turned back to their contracts and Peggy turned her attention to Gemma.

“And one time I sold a house to an older couple. Just happened to drive by a few nights later only to find it on fire. Well, let me tell you, I leaped out of that car and ran inside, pulling them out just in the nick of time,” Peggy boasted.

Gemma fought the urge to roll her eyes. She’d heard this story a hundred times.

“Yes, sir,” Peggy continued. “They called me a hero but I was just doing my job.”

“Peggy, we’re kind of busy...” Essie began.

Suddenly, Peggy’s eyes went wide and she flapped her hands around like a dying bird. “Oh, law, Essie, I am so sorry. I can’t believe you are working today after what happened to poor Katie and all.”

“Well...”

“You know I had a feelin’ something bad was going to happen in that house. I had that listing but when they wanted Katie to take it over, I just gave it up. I just had a bad vibe, know what I mean? I even warned Katie away from it but she didn’t listen. And now, poor Katie is dead.” She shook her head sadly.

“Ms. Langstrom, we’re kind of in a hurry to get this finalized,” Gemma said, stepping toward the older woman as if to guide her toward the door, holding her breath to keep from choking on the cigarette smoke.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said with a sickly sweet smile in Essie’s direction. “My condolences, Essie. I know you’ll be lost without your cousin Katie.”

Holly and Essie turned back toward their paperwork.

“It’s hard to believe she’s gone,” Peggy said to Gemma. “I guess someone’s going to have to step up to the plate and help all those families out there. I’m just the one to do it. I’m seventy-four years old and I’ve been in this business for going on thirty years now. And I’ve grown with the times, my listings all have pictures and they’re on that internet thing.”

Yes, ma’am, I’m sure you’re going to be busy,” Gemma assured her.

“You know, I’ve memorized every zoning code in this county,” Peggy said. “If someone wants to know something about zoning and code regulations, they call me.

“Yes, ma’am,” Gemma said.

She was still talking when Gemma closed the door and all three women watched her light up a cigarette before walking away.

“What a kook,” Holly muttered.

Gemma began exploring the nearly empty shop again while Holly talked leases and upfitting and lighting and cleaning. In the back was a small storage room, an office and a bathroom. She decided that would be adequate for their needs.

“The owner will clean the place for you and he was planning on sanding the floors and re-staining them,” Essie explained.

“I like the floors this way,” Gemma cut in.

“I do, too,” Holly agreed.

“Okay, then you’ll be able to move in even sooner. Will you be ordering your own display cases?”

“Yes, probably,” Holly said, glancing at Gemma.

Gemma shrugged.

“Lighting. I know a really good electrician who would be happy to help you out with that.” Essie suggested. “Your internet will be separate from your rent.”

“We’ll need light in the display cases, I’m sure,” Holly said, again looking at Gemma.

“I think we have a lot to talk about,” Gemma said. She’d never thought about lighting at all.

“Upstairs there’s a one bedroom apartment. It comes with the lease so you can sub-let it if you don’t want to stay there or use it for more storage,” Essie explained. “Do you want to see it?”

“I don’t know about Gemma but I’m on overload right now. We’ll check out the apartment later,” Holly said. “Gemma, what do you think?”

“I think this will be great,” Gemma said. “Let’s sign the lease and get that locked in. We can work out the details later and we can start getting it ready to open.”

“Mitch will want to look at this contract,” Holly held off.

“Go ahead and sign it,” Gemma suggested. “I’m sure we can work out the details later.”

“Absolutely,” Essie said while Gemma and Holly signed. “Here’s your copy. Show it to Mitch. Let me know if anything needs to be changed or whatever and we’ll get together in a day or so. How does that sound?” Essie suggested. “After, you know, after...”

“Of course,” Holly said and reached out to touch Essie’s hand lightly. “We appreciate you meeting us down here today during this trying time.”

Gemma was ready to go buy paint and order display cases and call the electrician, but she knew Holly would want her to slow down.

The bell over the door tinkled again and all three looked up to see a thin, fragile looking young woman. Wearing sneakers, faded jeans and a white tank top, she had long pink hair and a tattoo on her wrist.

“Can I help you?” Gemma asked, thinking the girl looked familiar.

“Ms. Stone,” she said, her voice soft, shy. “You gave me your business card.”

Gemma almost had it figured out. The girl wasn’t from the area. Gemma had met her somewhere else. Her name was right on the tip of Gemma’s tongue. Nancy? No, Nicole?

“You probably don’t remember me but you solved my sister’s murder,” she said.

“Natalie,” Gemma said, finally remembering her name when she saw the opal ring on the woman’s slender finger.

Gemma found that ring in the trunk of a used car she’d bought from Nick’s brother-in-law along with the partially mummified body of a young woman who just happened to be Natalie’s sister.

The young woman smiled for the first time, eyes twinkling. “Yes, ma’am, Natalie Sparrow.”

“How did you find me here?” Gemma asked, surprised and happy to see her.

“The witch at your house told me where you were.”

“O
h, my goodness,” Holly squealed and she and Gemma rushed toward the girl at the same time.

“What in the world are you doing here in Gypsy Hill?” Gemma asked once they’d hugged her warmly.

“I’m going to school at Elizabeth Bailey,” Natalie explained.

“Well, good for you,” Holly said.

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I have to meet someone else on the other side of town,” Essie said, reminding them that she was there.

“Oh, sorry,” Holly said, taking the contracts she offered. “If we think of any changes, we’ll get in touch.”

“That’ll be fine,” Essie said, nodded a brief hello at Natalie. “Here are your keys. You’ll probably need to make another set.”

“Thank you,” Holly said, stuffing the keys into the pocket of her slacks.

Gemma was already focusing on Natalie. “So you’re going to school here. What are you taking?”

“Just basic courses right now but I think I’d like to go into business administration or something like that,” Natalie told them and then looked around the empty building as if seeing it for the first time. “Is this your shop?”

“It is now,” Holly said with a smile, then headed toward the back to check out the storage and office space Gemma had seen earlier.

“How’s your mom and dad?” Gemma asked, leading Natalie on into their shop. She already considered it theirs.

“Still grieving over Opal,” Natalie told her.

“And you?” Gemma asked, looking her up and down. “I love the hair.”

“Thanks, I like it too. It’s not too much, is it?”

“Oh, no. The pink really accentuates your skin tones,” Gemma said. “It’s young and fresh.”

Natalie blushed and walked further into the shop. “This could be really cute with some paint and...”

“Yes, dear. We signed the contract but it was just standard stuff,” Holly interrupted, coming out of the back room, her phone clamped to her ear.

“She’s talking to her fiancé,” Gemma explained in a whisper. “He’s a lawyer.”

Natalie nodded.

“I do agree. It needs some fresh paint and I was thinking display cases placed randomly...” Gemma began explaining.

“With the most expensive jewelry in the back,” Natalie said. “The less expensive ones in the front leading customers from one to the other, toward the back.”

Gemma grinned. “Do you want to come to work for us?”

Natalie chewed on her lower lip, looked away and looked back again. “That’s actually why I came to see you. You said if I ever needed help... School’s expensive and I could sure use a job right now.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Gemma asked, hugging Natalie. “Of course, it’ll only be part time for a while but you’ve got school, too.”

“I’ll take whatever I can get,” Natalie said, practically beaming.

“He’s such a worry wart,” Holly said, coming toward Gemma and Natalie.

“Holly, I would like for you to meet our first employee,” Gemma announced.

Holly’s mouth dropped open. She closed it and looked from Gemma to Natalie and back again. “Well, this is a surprise.”

“She needs the money, we’re going to need the help. It’s a win-win,” Gemma said quickly.

Holly laughed. “Never let it be said that we let any grass grow under our feet. Renting our first shop and hiring our first employee in the same day has got to be some kind of record.”

“We need to celebrate,” Gemma said caught up in the excitement. “There’s an ice cream shop nearby.”

Holly made sure the door was locked securely and then the three walked to the ice cream shop, where they splurged on banana splits. They sat at one of the little metal tables talking, filling Natalie in on their plans and, in general, getting to know her better.

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re on board as of today,” Gemma said.

“We are going to need a little help getting the shop ready. But now, remember, this is probationary,” Holly cautioned Natalie.

“Yes, ma’am, I understand,” Natalie’s head bobbed up and down, her long hair flowing around her slender shoulders like pink silk. “You won’t be disappointed.”

“I’m sure we won’t,” Holly said.

Gemma smiled at her best friend. If she was still upset about finding Katie Mack in the closet the day before, she hid it well. Perhaps thinking about HealthGems was the best thing for both of them right now.

“Just tell me when you need me. I’ll have to work around my classes,” Natalie told them.

“Oh, absolutely. Get me a schedule and we’ll start there,” Gemma offered.

Natalie checked her phone. “I have a late class today so I’m going to have to leave now.”

“Okay, email that schedule to me. You’ve got my number, too,” Gemma reminded her. “We’ll get together in a few days.”

“Sounds good,” Natalie said, standing up. “And, thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

When she was gone, Holly pointed at Gemma with her red plastic spoon. “Can you believe we started HealthGems less than a year ago and we’re already opening a shop and hiring an employee?”

“Amazing,” Gemma said, shaking her head.

“Do you think the pink hair and the tattoo will scare customers off? This is a pretty conservative town.” Cautious Holly was back.

“I don’t think so. She’s very soft spoken, polite. And I think she might help draw in a younger crowd,” Gemma said, gathering their empty bowls and clearing the table.

“Mitch wasn’t happy that we’d already signed the contracts and wants to look them over carefully tonight,” Holly said when they reached her SUV and climbed inside.

“I can’t imagine they were anything but standard stuff. If he has questions, he probably should wait until after the funeral,” Gemma suggested.

Holly was quiet as they headed back toward Gemma’s house. Finally she said, “You know, I’m glad we were the ones to find Katie in that closet.”

“Really? I thought you’d rather it be anyone than us,” Gemma said.

“What if Essie had found her? What if Peggy had found her?”

“Then Peggy would have brought her back to life and the rest of us would have heard about it forever,” Gemma said, laughing aloud.

Holly laughed so hard she snorted, which made Gemma laugh that much harder.

When they calmed down somewhat, Gemma had a thought. “Do you think that whoever put her there knew her schedule? Knew we were going to find her?”

Holly flicked a worried glance at Gemma. “Mitch asked me that same question.”

“We were definitely the first people she showed the house to that day or they would have still been there,” Gemma reasoned. “I wonder if she had other showings earlier in the day at other houses.”

“Probably. You know what a hard charger she was,” Holly said.

“Surely someone would have called her office or something when she was a no show,” Gemma said and then added.  “I can’t believe the neighbors didn’t see anyone or anything.”

“Except that witch,” Holly shot her a quick glance.

“Yeah, there’s that. I need to talk to Aunt Maisy,” Gemma finally said.

G
emma invited Holly to come in with her but she and Mitch had a date that night. Again, the house was filled with the scent of something wonderful coming from the kitchen. And that’s where Gemma found Maisy. Wearing a long, hunter green dress, earrings and bracelets jingling, she was pulling something golden brown out of the oven.

“I hope you like chicken pot pie, dear,” Aunt Maisy said, placing the steaming dish on top of the stove.

When she turned, her face glowed with happiness and Gemma thought her aunt looked much happier and more full of life than when she had arrived. Was it just a couple of days earlier? At least she wasn’t wearing the witch hat.