Jewelry Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 6) (10 page)

N
ow that Jo
knew that Roger and Tony had spoken around the time of Valda’s murder she was furious. She stormed back into the villa. Eddy and Roger looked over at her, both startled by the fury in her expression.

“So, did you two plan Valda’s death together? Was it Tony’s idea, or yours?”

Roger bolted up from the couch and glared into Jo’s eyes. “How dare you?”

“How dare I? How dare I figure out that you’ve been lying to us this entire time about something that you never should have kept from us? The only reason why you wouldn’t tell the truth is because you were involved.”

“What are you talking about?” He took an aggressive step towards Jo, which prompted Eddy to move between them.

“Watch it,” Eddy warned.

“I’m talking about the fact that Tony called you at almost the exact time of Valda’s death. That’s what I’m talking about. Tony, the man you stole the necklace with, called you before you ever called the police about your wife’s death. So, why are you lying to us? Why are we here right now doing this sting operation when we have the murderer, at least one of them, right in front of us?”

“I didn’t kill her! I didn’t!” Roger nearly screamed. “You’re wrong. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then tell me. Tell me why Tony called you. Don’t lie to me and say you didn’t speak to him because I have proof that the conversation lasted over three minutes. A lot can be said in three minutes, Roger.”

“That’s not what happened!” Roger groaned. “All right, fine, if you want to know the truth, yes I did talk to Tony. That’s why I went home when I did.”

“Why? What did Tony say?” Jo stared at him.

“He called to taunt me. He called to tell me that he was out of prison, that he had taken the necklace, and that I would pay the price, just like he had to.”

“And you never thought to tell us any of this?”

“What does it matter?” Roger demanded. “I rushed home and Valda was dead. I knew Tony killed her and took the necklace. I still couldn’t tell the police.”

“Did he confess to killing Valda?” Jo stepped towards him. “Did he tell you that on the phone?”

“No, he just said he took the necklace. But when I got home she was dead. So obviously he killed her.”

“Obviously you’ve been lying to us from the very beginning, Roger. I don’t even know why I bothered to help you,” Jo said.

“Don’t get high and mighty with me.” Roger scowled at her. “I told you it was Tony. You were too busy suspecting me to go after the person who really did it.”

“But he didn’t have the necklace, did he Roger? I don’t know what to believe anymore!”

Eddy jumped up. “Take a breath, Jo. We’ll know soon enough. Let’s just let this play out and see where it ends up, all right?”

“All right.” Jo sighed. She slouched down on the couch. It was a waiting game, and she didn’t have the patience for it. She was angry at Roger for lying to her, angry at Drew for being involved, and angry that her past had resurfaced the way it had. She did her best to immerse herself in the television show. She stared at the screen. Her mind felt like it was turning to mush. She wasn’t much for watching television. She much preferred to be in her garden. Outside she heard the loud sound of a motorcycle. All at once the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She jumped to her feet.

“Eddy?” Jo said.

“Samantha just texted me. There’s a motorcycle headed this way.” A second later they heard the noise of the motorcycle at the end of the driveway. Jo walked towards the door. She listened closely. “Walt says no movement at Tony’s and car is still in the driveway.”

“But is Tony actually in the house? Maybe he had a motorcycle stashed somewhere?” Jo asked.

The sound of the motorcycle drew closer. Eddy fought with the keypad on his phone to text Walt.

“Auto correct.” He muttered.

“Eddy!”

“He can’t confirm that Tony is in the house.”

“All right, game on. Everyone down and quiet.” Jo crouched down, but she lingered by the door. The motorcycle engine cut off right in front of the villa. Jo’s heart pounded. Could Tony have slipped out when Walt wasn’t looking? Could it be Drew determined to get the necklace? Or was it another thief that was on their way to find it? There was a sharp knock on the door. Would a thief really knock?

“What should we do?” Roger whispered. Eddy and Jo exchanged a look.

“Open the door.” Jo frowned. “He’s coming in either way.”

Roger grimaced. He crept towards the door. Jo moved right behind him, prepared to pounce. Eddy stepped up on the other side. Roger opened the door. Tony shoved his way right into the villa.

“So, you have the necklace? The necklace that belongs to me?” He screamed in Roger’s face.

“You killed my wife!” Roger screamed back at him. “How could you kill an innocent woman?”

“Shut your mouth and give me my necklace!” Tony glared into his eyes. Jo moved to restrain him, but Eddy held up a hand to stop her.

“She was all I had in the world!” Roger lunged at Tony. He slammed his fist across Tony’s face. Tony stumbled back, then lunged forward and tried to tackle Roger to the ground. Eddy moved to jump into the fray, but Tony landed his foot in Eddy’s stomach which knocked him back several feet. Jo pounced onto Tony’s back to try to pull him off Roger. As she struggled with him, Tony reached up and behind his body. He grabbed at her hair and neck. Jo gulped down air as he twisted around and managed to squeeze her neck. In the middle of all the chaos she realized she had put herself in an impossible position. Tony had his legs twisted through hers and his hand wrapped tight around the side of her throat. It was getting harder for her to breathe. All of a sudden his hand was gone, as were his legs, and Tony was thrown to the ground. Jo stumbled to her feet to see Drew with Tony pinned beneath his thick, black boot.

“Drew?” Jo stared at him with wide eyes.

“Stay down.” Drew kept one foot on Tony’s back. “Don’t move!”

Jo swallowed hard. She knew that Drew was still a thief, but she was still disappointed. She knew that he had probably come for the necklace. He had probably just saved her life, but she wished he hadn’t. She wished he’d stayed a memory.

“The necklace isn’t here, Drew.” Jo rubbed at her throat and eyed him warily.

“It was a setup?” Drew raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Something else you learned from me, hmm?” Jo met his eyes and didn’t say a word. She wanted to say a million things, not the least of which was to accuse him of murder. He was there for a reason, and she knew that she was not it. “And you don’t have it either, hmm?” He looked down at Tony. “It must be a terrible thing to know that that beautiful necklace, the very reason you were in prison for so long, still isn’t yours to keep.”

“Keep quiet!” Tony growled. He tried to get out from under Drew’s boot, but Drew held him in place.

“The police are on their way.” Eddy hung up his phone. Drew’s eyes snapped towards him.

“Then I’ll be going,” Drew said.

“Wait just a second. Not so fast.” Eddy moved in front of the door. “No one is going anywhere. There’s still a matter of a missing necklace.”

“It’s not missing, Tony has it.” Jo glared at the man on the ground. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. I guess he just thought it might be a good idea to come here and wipe out the last witness to his crime. He killed Valda, and was going to kill Roger next.”

“That’s not true!” Tony squirmed under Drew’s shoe. “I’m here to look for the necklace.”

“I know you had it!” Roger accused as he stood up from where he was hiding behind the couch. “You told me you had it.”

“Okay fine, I did steal it. If you can call it stealing, since it was mine in the first place.”

“You mean, you stole it in the first place.” Eddy frowned.

“So, where is the necklace?” Drew applied pressure to Tony’s back. “You must have it.”

“I did have it, I did. Valda handed it right to me. She didn’t even fight me.”

“But you still murdered her?” Jo stared down at him with disgust.

“I did not!” Tony struggled to get free. “I didn’t kill anyone! I just wanted the necklace. Why would I kill her?”

“If you didn’t kill her, then who did?” Eddy threw his hands up with exasperation.

“Maybe someone else came looking for the necklace?” Tony lifted his head. “It’s not like I’m the only one who wanted it. There were others who wanted it just as bad. Isn’t that right, Drew?” Tony turned his head in an attempt to look up at him, but Drew increased the pressure of his shoe against the man’s back.

“Stop trying to blame other people for your own actions. I had nothing to do with the missing necklace,” Drew said.

“But that’s why you’re here isn’t it? To get it back?” Tony said.

“Maybe. Or maybe I am here to make sure that my friend is safe.” He looked at Jo and met her eyes. “Now, are you going to return the favor, Jo, or are you going to watch them haul me away in handcuffs?”

“Go, just go!” Jo lunged between Eddy and Drew to make sure that Drew had a clear path through the back door.

“Jo! Move out of the way!” Eddy tried to get past her, but Jo stood her ground until Drew was gone. Before Eddy could argue with Jo, a police officer burst through the front door of the villa. For a tense moment, Jo waited for Eddy to send him after Drew. Eddy stared hard at her, but he did not mention Drew.

“Officer, this man is involved in a murder and a theft.” Eddy pointed at Tony who had just gotten to his feet.

“Theft of what?” The officer looked between all of them.

“A necklace.” Roger frowned. Eddy sent a text to Walt saying he could take a break from the surveillance on Tony’s place.

“Where’s the necklace? Do you have it?” The officer looked at Tony.

“These people are crazy, I didn’t steal anything.”

“He doesn’t have the necklace.” Eddy attempted to explain. Jo tried to remain incognito.

“So, he broke into the house?” The officer made a note on his notepad.

“No, he didn’t break in actually.” Roger hung his head. “I let him in.”

“So, you let him into the house and then he attacked you?” The officer made another note. Roger groaned and shook his head.

“No. I think, I might have been the one to attack him first.”

“So, there is really no reason to arrest this man?” The officer raised an eyebrow. He looked over at Tony. “Do you want to press charges against this man for assault?”

Tony stared hard at Roger. Then he shook his head. “No officer. I’d just like to be on my way if that’s all right with you.”

“And you two?” The officer turned to look at Jo and Eddy. “Did you have a part in all of this?”

“Not exactly.” Eddy frowned. Jo just shook her head. She could have told the officer about Tony threatening her, but in order to do that she would have to reveal that Drew was present and had fled before the police arrived, which would only complicate things. Besides all of that she was still scared of the police and wanted to avoid talking to them wherever possible.

“All right then. I think you should leave.” He said to Tony. “The two of you need to stay away from each other. Understand?” He gestured between Roger and Tony.

“Yes sir.” Tony nodded.

Eddy could not hold his tongue any longer. “Don’t you think this should be looked into a little more?” He walked over to the officer. “A woman is dead.”

“Uh.” The officer skimmed through the information on his phone. “There is a suspicious death, but there is no confirmation of any foul play. I will pass on the information to the relevant people and see what they want to do. I don’t know anything about this necklace that you’re talking about, but if you want to make a theft report I’ll need a description of the item. Do either of you want to do that?” He looked from Roger to Tony.

“No.” Roger stood up.

“No.” Tony shook his head.

“Then there is nothing else I can do here.” The officer scrutinized Eddy. “You look familiar to me.”

“You’ve probably seen me around the station.” Eddy sighed. “I’m retired.”

“Oh, I see.” The officer smiled. “Still working the beat, huh?”

“Something like that.” Eddy gritted his teeth.

“Well, it looks like this one is a non-issue. So, let’s all agree to move on and have no further contact, hmm?” The officer looked at each person in turn. “I don’t want to have to come out here again.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Tony moved past the officer and right out the door. The officer followed after him with a slight nod of his head. Jo pushed the door closed behind him.

“Unbelievable.” Eddy shook his head.

“What did you expect?” Jo raised an eyebrow. “You should have discussed it with me before calling the police.”

“Things got a little out of control, don’t you think, Jo?” Eddy eyed her with annoyance.

“It seemed to me that Drew got them back under control.”

“Drew? You mean the criminal that you encouraged to run away before the police could get here?”

“Eddy, I can explain.”

“Is he the one who you caught breaking into Roger’s house?” Jo glanced over at Roger and then back to Eddy. She didn’t speak. “The one whose face you claimed not to see?” Eddy pressed.

“It’s not important now, is it?” She met his eyes. “I just want to get this case solved.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen now, is it? Our main suspect wasn’t even arrested by the police. It’s clear that he didn’t kill Valda, and that he doesn’t have the necklace. There’s nothing more that we can do here,” Eddy said.

“No there’s not because now that the police have been here no one else is going to show up to look for the necklace. The plan is blown, and we are no closer to knowing the truth than when we started.”

“And that’s my fault?” Eddy stared at her with widened eyes. “How can you truly believe that it is my fault when you obviously were very friendly with a criminal that has been involved in this crime possibly from the first moment?”

“What are you saying?” Jo stared at him.

“I’m saying that you have been protecting Drew from suspicion, when he is just as likely to be as guilty as Roger or Tony.”

“I didn’t do it!” Roger growled. “I’m standing right here you know. I didn’t do it!”