Read Between the Tines (32 page)

She looked me square in the eye. "Nate never beat me."

My mouth fell open. "But I saw your bruises."

She laughed. "Courtesy of a fling I had on the side that got a little too amorous."

"But we all saw him hauling you around by the wrist at the funeral as if you were his property."

"Oh, that." She waved a hand. "He didn't want me talking to anyone. He was worried I'd tell them I'd cheated on him." She laughed again. "Yep, that's the big strong man I married. He'd rather have everyone think he beats me than to think I cheated."

I had little experience with men and didn’t understand their egos. And clearly, I'd been all wrong about Nathan. Olivia, too, for that matter. "You didn’t strike me as someone capable of murder."

"I didn’t know I had it in me either. I tried to reason with
Gary
, but when he refused to keep this quiet, I wasn't going to let all that money slip between my fingers." A self-satisfied smile claimed her lips.

"So you picked him up at work and took him to the woods to kill him."

"Not to kill him. To talk to him in a place we wouldn’t be seen. But when he said he was going home that afternoon to dig up this box and take it to the police, I had to stop him. So I grabbed that log and hit him."

With the look in her eyes right now, I could just see her in a rage, holding the log and pummeling
Gary
.

"Now," she said and jerked her head at the pages on the floor. "If you'd be so kind as to gather all the pages together and put them in the box, we can make this short and sweet and I can get out of here."

I snorted. That's what she thought. Killing me was not going to be short or sweet if I could help it. I wanted to keep questioning her about
Gary
but coming up with a way to escape was more important right now. To buy time to think of a way out, I turned my back on her and shuffled papers in exaggerated movements so she thought I was complying.

No one knew I was still here, so somehow I had to alert someone to my location. My cell sat on the table where I'd placed it after the conversation with Irene. As I grabbed a month's records with one hand, I poked speed dial for Mitch and watched the display until the call connected. I'd never been so happy for Mitch's commandeering ways than I was now. I owed him a big thank you for programming my cell.

I saw the call connect on my screen. Before Mitch spoke and Olivia heard him, I bent over as if to reach for another month and hit the speaker button. "So Olivia. Before you shoot me, you have to tell me. How did you know I was at the Buzzys' house so you could come over here to kill me?"

She laughed. "
You
told me where you'd be."

I spun around. "Me? I told you I'd be at the Buzzys'?" I had to say my location one more time for good measure.

"At the funeral. I heard you tell your friend that you'd be loading up the patio concrete this afternoon." She grinned. "I just had to wait until your worker left and you were all alone."

"Tell me," I said. "Does Nathan know you killed
Gary
?"

"No. And once I take care of you, Nate will never need to know." Her tone was cold and calculating.

I had underestimated this woman. She was a killer and she seemed to have no remorse. Obviously, when the two were put together, it resulted in a deadly combination. Just like mixing bleach with vinegar that gave off a toxic vapor. But this one's smell hadn't saturated my nose yet. I still had time if I kept her talking.

I squatted down and started shuffling papers. "How did Nathan steal the money?"

"It was simple. He set up accounts for bogus companies with bogus P.O. boxes and then started paying them. Then he went to the post office, picked up the checks and deposited them into an account."

"But didn't others at the company notice? I mean, they must've had reports that department heads would question."

"That was Nate's job. As the accounting manager he could alter the books so no one questioned it." She jerked the gun at me. "Enough of this yapping. Hurry up with those pages."

I didn't pick up speed but continued retrieving pages at a steady pace until I was out of paper. I stood and returned to the table. I noted my phone call was still in progress. Mitch was listening. I had to get Olivia to say what she planned to do with me in case we were gone by the time Mitch got here.

"Once I get this all packed up what happens next?"

She laughed like Snidely Whiplash strapping Nell to the railroad tracks. "Asking about it won't change my mind, Paige. I am going to kill you. Make no mistake about that."

"But not at the Buzzys' house, right? People know where I spent my afternoon. If I disappear they'll start the investigation here and follow the evidence trail right to you." Was I nuts? Helping my killer plan my murder was proof positive I'd gone over the edge.

"We'll be taking a trip up to Piney Ridge."

"Piney Ridge," I shouted as if surprised, but I really wanted to make sure Mitch heard where I would be taken.

"Yes. You're going to go hiking and have a little accident." Her tone sent shivers over my body. "Now pick up that box and move. We'll take your car."

I'd run out of time and could do nothing but head for my car. I dragged my feet but she shoved me toward the door and toward my certain death.

I hoped to find Mitch and legions of officers waiting outside to take charge, but found only the big hole I'd made in the ground and my tools. I slowed and searched for a way to stop her. I spotted a tall garden rake leaning against the wall and remembered a time when I'd accidently stepped on the tines of a rake and the handle pinged forward and gave me a nasty knot on the head.

If I timed things right and caught the very end of the rake, it could hit Olivia's arm and knock the gun free. If I timed it wrong, I'd get another knot. But another knot would be better than a shove off a cliff.

I focused on the tines and, at the perfect moment, I stomped on them. The handle sliced through the air and hit her arm. The gun went off and I heard the bullet thump into the dirt beside us.

I spun and after making sure she'd dropped the gun, I tossed aside the box and barreled into her, knocking us both into the gaping hole where the patio had once been. She clawed at me, scratching my bruised face. She yanked my hair, but I couldn’t back off and let her go. I tried to remember self-defense moves I'd seen on TV and the only thing that came to mind was to gouge her eyes. I lifted my fingers and aimed as I vaguely heard a noise behind us.

A quick thrust of my fingers was followed by an ear-piercing scream.

"It's over Olivia." A booming male voice sounded from behind.

I glanced back. Mitch stood with his gun trained on us.

Olivia didn't give up but clutched me around the neck and squeezed. I coughed and gagged..

"Cover 'em while I break it up," Mitch said to someone.

As my eyes felt like they would bug out of my head, big booted feet appeared near me and then strong hands pried Olivia's fingers off my neck.

I sucked in air and gagged as Mitch dragged Olivia out of the hole.

"Cuff her," he said, a huge scowl on his face.

Through watering eyes, I saw Officer Riley holster his gun and snap the cuffs on Olivia. Mitch squatted down and looked at me with relief flooding his eyes. "Are you okay?"

I couldn’t speak so I just nodded.

"As mad as I am at you for not letting this go, I need to thank you for giving away Olivia's whereabouts."

"Wait, what?" I croaked out. "You knew she was the killer?"

He gave a wry smile. "Stan Carson gave her up a few hours ago, but we couldn’t find her."

"So Olivia had him break into my house."

Mitch nodded. "He and Olivia were involved and they were supposedly going to take the money and run off together. She told him if
Gary
kept evidence on the computer that implicated Nathan in the embezzlement, there'd be no money to finance their life together."

Everything was now starting to make sense. "So he must be the guy she told me had gotten a little too amorous and hurt her."

"Suppose so." Mitch sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Promise me this is the last time you'll ever do anything like this."

"You sound like Adam," I said my voice hoarse. "I couldn't promise him, so I sure can't promise you."

He arched a brow and seemed to war with what he wanted to say. He probably wanted to say, I told you so and remind me of how he'd warned me this could happen if I butted in.

"We'll talk about this later," he finally said and, straitening his shoulders, he climbed out of the hole and went to Olivia.

She glared at me with venom in eyes that were watering far worse than mine were.

The magnitude of what had just happened hit me. I'd barely escaped with my life. I tried to climb out of the hole, and my knees buckled under me.

"Look's like she's heading into shock," Riley said, tipping his head at me.

"Look's like it," Mitch answered. "You transport Olivia and I'll get Paige to the hospital to be checked out."

Mitch came over to me and gently helped me to my feet. He supported me as I walked to his squad car and the reality of it all sank in. This was over. Finally, over.
Gary
's killer was in cuffs, but only by the grace of God, had it happened before she killed me.

Outside The Garden Gate the following week, I watched Daisy dig into the lush soil, spilling thick clumps as she hefted her shovel into the wheelbarrow. It felt good to have things back to normal. Well, almost normal. Adam still wasn't talking to me and Daisy had miraculously become a better employee overnight.

"Never thought she could do it," Hazel said, nodding at Daisy. "But she's really coming around."

"Let me get this straight. You're admitting that I didn’t make a mistake in hiring her?"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you should keep hiring. We'll go bankrupt if you keep it up." Hazel laughed and my focus shifted to Mitch's police cruiser as he drove by.

He gave me a tight little wave.

"It's odd to see the two of you as friends," Hazel said.

"Truth be told, it's kind of odd to be friends again."

"Guess being friendly with Mitch has its benefits. Otherwise how would we keep up with Nathan and Cara after they were shipped off to
Texas
?" She grinned at me and I knew she was thinking about how they'd been arrested in a local motel that same afternoon that Olivia tried to kill me. Their affair that no one had known about ended that day and so had their freedom.

I thought I'd take some satisfaction in seeing the two of them arrested for embezzlement, but it was just another sad day in Serendipity, a town that had not so long ago boasted jaywalking as its most serious crime. At least, they'd been taken back to the state where they'd committed the crime and people around here weren't consumed with their trial.

"We're setting a bad example for Daisy," Hazel said and nodded at Daisy who'd taken a break. "We should get back to work."

"You are so right." I waved at Daisy then went inside to do some paperwork. I'd rather be digging in the soil like Daisy, but she couldn’t do the paperwork so that left me tied to the desk. I stepped into my office to the ringing of the phone.

"Thank you for calling The Garden Gate," I said in a singsong tone.

"Paige, this is Yolanda."

"Yolanda," I said, genuinely glad to hear from Karen's mother. "How are you and Karen doing?"

A long intake of air followed by a slow hiss filled the phone. "We're okay. The news of
Gary
's embezzlement hit her hard, but she's turning to her faith to get through it."

How I could sympathize with taking this hard. From the other end of the spectrum.
Gary
's deceit was much like mine. Though I hadn't committed a crime, I imagine Adam felt much the same way as Karen did. "Is there anything I can do?"

"That's why I called. Karen is using the insurance money and proceeds from the house to pay back
Gary
's theft. You once offered to complete the landscape project for free. Since her financial resources are now limited, I was wondering if you would still be willing to do this."

I stifled a laugh. Karen's predicament wasn't funny, but I was grateful that I could help Karen with a one-time financial favor, not by providing her with a job at my shop. "Be glad to."

"Thank you, Paige. You're a true friend." The relief in her tone declared the stress she'd been under. "One more thing. Would you mind not telling Karen I called? And maybe send her a note so she knows it was your idea?"

Another secret involving Karen? Was this wise? How could it not be wise? It would help Karen and hurt no one. "Sure, Yolanda. I'll get a card in the mail today."

"Say, Yolanda, since you called I have a question to ask you. This might sound kind of tacky, and I would never ask Karen, but my curiosity is getting the best of me. So if you don't want to answer it, you don't have to. Okay?"