Random Acts of Murder: A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery, Book 1 (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries) (11 page)

CHAPTER
18

Normally I
ate with my family after church on Sunday, but today I decided to bypass lunch. I’d had my fill of my family last night, and I wasn’t in the mood for their criticism and teasing today. I could already hear them lecturing me about leaving the gala without telling anyone, reminding me that I should play it safe, warning me that I could be shot at again.

Instead,
Jamie and I had gotten smoothies at one of our favorite places downtown and then set out for a walk down the Serpentine Wall, which ran along the Ohio River, right in the shadow of downtown. I really needed some girlfriend time now, as I tried to sort out my jumbled emotions.

Jamie and I loved walking around
the wall, and we’d done it ever since our college days together. In the summer, there were concerts here. At night, one could marvel at the lights on the various bridges leading from Kentucky to Ohio. It was our little oasis in the city.

“So, you really think
Chase was going to kiss you?” Jamie asked.

I pressed my lips together for a moment. “I don’t know that for sure. It felt like it, though.”

“You really would have kissed him?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. It’s not like I have forever. Before, I felt like I had my whole life ahead of me.
Now . . .”

Jamie
raised a hand and nodded. “I get that. You’re saving your first kiss for true love. Maybe it’s Chase.”

I laug
hed, quick and hard. “Chase? No. It was just the moment, you know? I mean, what’s the use of waiting for true love for your first kiss if you’re going to die before that happens?”

“I’ve always thought your plan sounded crazy. There I was, a hundred pounds overweight and wanting desperately f
or someone to want to kiss me. You had a line of guys, and you weren’t interested in any of them.”

I slowed my steps as I tried to sort my thoughts.
“I thought the notion was romantic, and I still think that when I was younger, it was a really good plan of action. It helped to protect my heart. But I’m a big girl now, and I don’t know. I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but I’m twenty-eight and I’ve never been kissed. I’m going to be dead by next year at this time. It can change your perspective on things. I think I’m old enough to handle a kiss now.”

“Even though I thought you were crazy,
you actually managed to stick to it all these years, even when you were engaged to Rob. That couldn’t have been easy—he was awfully good looking.”

“He also ran away at the first sign of hardship. I’m so glad I didn’t marry him. Things tend to work out the way they’re supposed to.”

She tossed her empty cup into a trash can and tucked her hands into the pockets of her black leather jacket. “So, your evening sounded like it was nearly perfect.”

She obviously hadn’t been listening all that well.
“Aside from the murder and the bucket being found there.”

“Exactly. Except for that. And Mrs. Signet.”

I sighed and took a long sip of my mango-pineapple smoothie, thankful that there wasn’t a biting wind sweeping through the downtown area. Otherwise, the cool drink would have me shivering all the way to my bones. “I just don’t get it.”

“If I ever understand men, I’ll write a book about it and make millions. Men are confusing
and complex and they get some kind of male version of PMS; I don’t care what they say.”

I chuckled.
Jamie would know. She lived around enough guys. My mind quickly went back to last night, though. “It was like Mrs. Signet’s words scared him. Terrified him, maybe.”

“Talk of true love can
be terrifying to some.”

“I don’t know. I can’t help but think there was more to it.” I shook my head. “Anyway, this isn’t my biggest concern of the moment. My biggest concern is these murders. I mean, even if Chase did like me, as soon as he discovers I was at that first crime scene, he’s going to resent me for lying to him.”

“Maybe no one will ever find out. Isn’t that what you’re hoping?” The sun hit Jamie’s wild curls, and her auburn highlights became illuminated.

“Someone seems
desperate for the police to find out.” I took another long sip of my smoothie.

“But why? What sense does it make?”

“You’re the armchair detective. What do you make of it?”

Jamie slowed her steps for a moment.
“It almost sounds like someone wants to frame everything on you. But why they just don’t come out and give the police a bigger piece of evidence, I don’t know. Why don’t they just tell the police they saw you?”

“Coming forwa
rd would make them look guilty.” I shrugged, never once having imagined that at any point in my life I’d be wandering through downtown Cincinnati having this conversation. “They’ve got to be more subtle.”

“Subtle. Most criminals haven’t mastered that art form yet.”

My brain was going at nearly full speed now. “And how about the fact that someone’s trying to shoot me? How does that tie in? This is all just crazy.”

“That’s a good qu
estion. The other question is: Are they missing on purpose or just a terrible shot?” She raised her eyebrows and cast a glance at me.

My head was beginning to pound.

“Well, I discovered something interesting as I was researching a story.”

I
looked over at my friend. “What’s that?”

“
You talked about a T.J.? You said he’s Chase’s new partner, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, Rex Harrison’s former partner in the Cincinnati PD was none other than . . . drumroll please . . . T.J., Chase’s current partner.”

My mouth parted in surprise. “Really?”

She nodded like the cat that ate the canary. “That’s right.”

I absorbed that information. “That is interesting. It’s a small world, isn’t it? Are you doing an article on Rex?”

“For the newspaper, we have articles in queue for the election. So, we’ll have a bunch of articles about Rex in case he wins, and a bunch on Ralphie in case he wins.”

“You’re not digging up dirt on my brother, are you?”
I kept my voice light.

“
Girlfriend, we’d publish that beforehand if we did. You’ve got to know us reporters better than that. We thrive on exposing hidden information.”

I smiled. Jamie was
loyal but tough. “Good to know.”

“So, anyway, I’ve been doing some interviews about Rex and found out some information about his brother. He’s the reason Rex is so adamant about cleaning up the drug problem in this area. Apparently
, he was an addict.”

I remembered Rex saying something about that when he spoke to the teens at the youth center. He’d mentioned how, on the surface, his brother had everything together. A good job, a nice house with lots of land, lots of money. But he
had a secret drug problem that destroyed him. He ultimately took his life.

“We all have loss in our lives, don’t we? There’s no way to avoid it, no matter who you are. It’s something we share as human
s, despite the barriers of class, money, race, gender. And everyone’s sad story comes out during election time. I guess it makes the candidates seem more human.”

She swung her head toward me. “You talking about your brother?”

“Brian is more like it. Someone in the White House once said, ‘Never waste a tragedy.’ I guess that slithers all the way down to local politics as well.”

“Nothing surprises me about Brian anymore.”

I noticed a crowd of people ahead, gathered around a platform set up in an open area. I’d seen protests here before. Was that what was going on now?

We walked closer. My steps slowed when I saw the campaign signs.

This was a rally for Rex Harrison.

Of course.

**
*

Twenty minutes later, I had to admit that the man was charismatic. I’d give him that. And he made my brother sound like the devil. Rex made all sorts of promises that seemed impossible to carry through with. Most politicians did. But did he actually believe his own lies?

The crowd around him obvious
ly did. They cheered and clapped and chanted his name, even.

“I’m so tempted to vote for this guy,” Jamie muttered.
She stood with her arms crossed, absorbing the scene, maybe even with a touch of awe.

I gasped
, partly in shock, partly in mock drama. “Really? You’d vote against my brother.”

“You see, that’s the problem. If
Rex were running against anyone else, this man would totally have my vote. But I like your family too much to not support Ralph, even if I do trash-talk him sometimes.”

I’d hear
d the debates between Jamie and Ralph before. Jamie wasn’t one to back down from an argument. She let you know how she felt and when she felt that way. But she was loyal, and I was thankful for that.

“What is it
about Rex that you like?” I watched people gather around the man as if he were a celebrity.

“He doesn’t
seem all proper, like the Washington, D.C., type, you know? He grew up in a working-class family—”

“So did Ralph, “ I reminded her.

“But you guys are different. You might be working class, but you’ve got everything together, at least on the surface. Guys like Rex, they had to fight their way to the top. He knows what that’s like.”

To hear
her talk, it was a wonder that Ralph was ahead in the polls. I think it had to do, in part, with my family’s standing in the area. My mom served on a million different boards, and probably a lot of those people would vote for Ralph. Then there was my sister and the people who worked with her. All of those people I supposed encompassed the upper echelons of people in our community, however.

Rex’s supporters came from the bad parts of town. They had very little, so Rex’s promises had to tempt them, even if only a fraction of them were true. The man chose not to wear ties and nice suits. Instead, he wore
shirts unbuttoned at the collar with nice jeans.

The man was no dummy, that was for sure.

The election was getting closer and closer. If something like what I’d done was discovered, it could cost my brother the win.

And his defeat would be on my shoulders.

I wondered if my brother would forgive me before I died.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Jamie said, just as
people began to disperse. “I want to swing by that organic bakery. They have the best almond-flour muffins ever.”

***

Jamie had talked me into trying a muffin, and I had to admit, they weren’t bad. We were walking back to her van when a group of people rounded the corner.

“If it isn’t Holly Paladin,” someone said.

That’s when I recognized Rex Harrison and his posse.

Rex knew me. Not only had we spoken at the awards ceremony, but
we’d also met at the youth center. He’d been there campaigning, even though I really thought it was more of a PR opportunity. In fact, Brian had given me a lecture because I hadn’t insisted to Abraham that he reject Rex coming in favor of Ralph.

Just one more reason why I didn’t like politics.
They made things way too complicated.

“Hello, Rex,” I managed.

His eyes sparkled with recognition a moment before he took my hand and kissed the top. “Hello, Holly Paladin.”

Just
then, I heard someone snap a picture. Lovely. The fact that I was cavorting with the enemy had been documented.

I quickly pulled my hand back
and tucked it safely into the pocket of my gray wool petticoat.

“It was nice to see you at my rally.”
He looked a little too smug for my comfort.

“I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
I raised my chin.

He grinned, as if I’d paid him a compliment. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“Start believing, Rex. You need to start believing.” His kind of charm might work on some people, but not on me. Sure, I’d been wrong about people before. Take Chase for example. But Rex just seemed too slick to me.

“
And who is this vision with you?” He turned to Jamie, appearing all debonair and suave.

Jamie actually giggled. I’d never seen my friend giggle before, not in our
ten years of friendship. “I’m Jamie.”

He kissed her hand. “You’re lovely.”

“Thank you.” She giggled again.

I scowled, and someone else snapped another picture.
This was just great. I had a feeling these images were going to be all over social media.

“My day is brighter now that I’ve met you,” he
murmured, his gaze locked on Jamie.