The Deep End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 2) (7 page)

“I was asleep upstairs,” he said, raking a hand through his hair. “I woke up briefly at eight when the lawn service arrived. Those mowers are noisy as hell.”

“And then what?”

He shrugged. “I went back to sleep. I never heard a thing after that. I went out around eleven but I didn’t go into the backyard. I went out the front door to my car.”

“You didn’t see Jasmine that morning?”

He shook his head. “No, but it didn’t seem unusual to me. She was always out and about, as you know.”

Rebecca did know. “Where did you go?”

“To the supermarket for bread. Jasmine avoided carbs and I wanted to make a sandwich for lunch.”

“So you must have a receipt or something to show you were at the supermarket,” Rebecca said with a note of triumph.

“I do, but she apparently died before I left the house.”

Rebecca let the information settle. His sister was brutally murdered while he slept upstairs. No wonder the police questioned him.

“Jake, what will you do now?” Rebecca asked. Her stomach tightened in anticipation of his answer.

Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’m honestly not sure. I guess it depends on what happens with the investigation and, of course, the estate.”

“No one seems to know whether Jasmine had a will.”

“I looked, but I didn’t find anything,” Jake said. “The common consensus seems to be that she died without one.”

Rebecca shrugged. “Jackson said he didn’t draft anything for her, that Father never asked him to.” She eyed him curiously. “What will you do, if the fortune falls to you?”

He covered her hand with his. “If you’re asking whether I’d give you back your family home, I would. I swear. At the moment, however, it isn’t mine to give.”

Rebecca quietly noted that he didn’t say he’d give back their entire inheritance, only the house. She hoped it was merely semantics.

“This fresh air has fixed everything,” he said, stretching his arms wide. “Are you ready to head back?”

With a pained look, Rebecca nodded. She really liked Jake and had been convinced that he was someone she could trust. Looking at him now, she wasn’t so sure.

Kit wasn’t the least bit surprised when she received Romeo’s text. A courtesy call that he was coming over to talk to Rebecca. Given the circumstances, she knew that he’d need to speak with Rebecca again. Although Kit doubted that kind and gentle Rebecca had anything to do with Jasmine’s murder, she had to be ruled out as a suspect. Her character Ellie Gold would have done the same thing. She trusted no one and that lack of trust saved her butt on multiple occasions. On the other hand, Ellie lived an insulated life and had trouble connecting with people on a personal level. At the end of the day, Kit was glad to be Kit Wilder and not Ellie Gold.

As soon as she finished reading the text, FaceTime alerted her to an incoming call. Kit was pleased to see her good friend, Jordan Newberg, pop up on her screen. Jordan lived in Los Angeles and had been the wardrobe designer for
Fool’s Gold
. She’d been keeping him abreast of recent events and she had no doubt that he was looking for an update. Stalking her Instagram and Twitter accounts didn’t seem to satisfy him, not that she posted about Jasmine’s murder. Romeo would go apoplectic.

“So?” Jordan prodded. “Anyone been arrested yet? Maybe one of your new besties?”

Kit smiled. “Someone sounds jealous.”

“Well, truth be told I thought I was your best girlfriend,” he complained. “Ever since you moved to Westdale, you seem to have acquired a harem.”

“Jordan, are you wearing purple eyeliner?” she asked, peering at the screen.

“What? It’s good to experiment with color,” he said defensively.

“It suits you,” she told him. “Brings out the color of your eyes.”

“Thanks.” He swung his head to the side in dramatic fashion. “So what’s the latest on the cheerleader’s demise? I need my fix.”

“I’m not your daily soap opera,” she insisted. “Turn on your television.”

“I have,” he said, staring at her on the screen. “I’m watching it now. The lead actress is very compelling, although her hair clearly needs a trim.”

Kit’s hand flew to her hair. “Well, I’m not the lead in this story,” she replied. “Poor Charlotte and Rebecca. I really feel for them. They’ve lost everything and now they have to endure this whole mess. At least Charlotte was in class at the time of death. Not that she could ever drown anyone.”

“You don’t really think your boyfriend will arrest the older sister, do you?” he asked.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“But you want him to be.”

A knock on the door ended their third grade conversation. “Sorry, Jordan. Show’s over.”

“Nooooo,” came the long reply as she hung up to answer the door.

Romeo stood on the front step, one muscular forearm pressed against the wall.

“Hi, did you get my text?” he asked.

“I did. Sorry, but Rebecca and Charlotte went to the Weston Inn to meet with catering staff about their charity event.”

“They’re organizing a charity event?” he asked, incredulous. “Don’t they have enough on their plates?”

“They’d started planning it before their dad died. It’s a Monte Carlo casino night thingy to raise money for cancer research.”

He checked his watch. “When will they be back?”

“Soon,” she replied. “They’ve been gone a couple of hours already and the Weston Inn is just a hop, skip and a jump in Liberty Square.”

“So it’s just you and me?” he asked, a sly smile tugging at his lips.

“I suppose it is,” she said.

“Stop playing coy and let him in,” a voice called from across the road.

Kit waved to Phyllis, who sat on her porch across the road. Phyllis was the eyes and ears of Westdale, or at least the part of Westdale that she had access to.

“I think Phyllis wants you to let me in,” Romeo said with a grin.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll do it for Phyllis.” She moved aside so that he could enter and they took their conversation into the kitchen.

“Can I get you a drink?” she asked.

He declined. “I’ll just pass the time with you while I wait for Rebecca, if you don’t mind.”

“Is it bad news?” Kit asked, hoping the answer was no. She really wanted this nightmare to be over for Rebecca and Charlotte.

Romeo merely shrugged and Kit’s stomach twisted into knots. Shrugging was not a positive response. The front door swung open and Rebecca and Charlotte stepped inside.

“I thought I recognized your car,” Charlotte said. “Have you come to make me cry again?”

“Now Charlotte,” Rebecca chastised her. “Detective Moretti is here to help. The sooner we find out what happened to Jasmine, the better it is for us.”

“That’s true,” Romeo said with an approving nod. “So you won’t mind if I ask you a few more questions, Rebecca?”

“Me?” Her eyes flickered to him in surprise.

“Do you want us to leave?” Kit asked, gesturing to herself and Charlotte.

Rebecca strode into the living room and settled herself on the sofa. “Please stay. I have nothing to hide.” She folded her hands neatly in her lap.

“Good, then you can tell me why you visited a lawyer after your father’s death,” Romeo prompted.

“That’s not unusual. Jackson’s been Father’s lawyer for years. He handles the estates of many of the Pilgrim Society families.”

That was true, although Kit knew he didn’t handle any of the Winthrops’ estates. Her mother was very particular about the people who handled her fortune and she’d decided many years ago that Jackson Kohler smelled ‘peculiar.’ That declaration was sufficient to keep their trusts and estates out of the smelly hands of the Kohler law firm.

“I’m not talking about Jackson Kohler,” Romeo said pointedly and the color rose to Rebecca’s cheeks.

Kit wondered what Rebecca was hiding. Secrets only made her look guilty.

“How do you know about that?” Rebecca asked quietly.

“A witness saw you enter the building, but you went to the third floor, not the seventh floor where Jackson’s office is located. As it happens, the third floor is another law firm.”

“Lawyer and client meetings are confidential,” Rebecca said. “I don’t have to tell you what we discussed.”

Kit sucked in a breath. Was she going to lawyer up? She cast a sidelong glance at Charlotte who wore a confused expression.

Romeo crouched beside Rebecca so that he could speak to her at eye level. “You’re right, but I’d just like to know whether you discussed your father’s will.”

“And give you a reason to arrest me?” she asked sharply. “No thank you.”

“Rebecca,” Charlotte interjected. “Why did you see a lawyer?” As far as Charlotte knew, the sisters shared everything. She couldn’t imagine why Rebecca had an important meeting that Charlotte knew nothing about.

Rebecca threw her hands in the air. “Fine. Before Jasmine died, I went to see if anything could be done.”

“If you could challenge your father’s will,” Romeo clarified.

“Of course,” Rebecca huffed. “The whole thing reeked of impropriety.”

“But you said we need to honor Daddy’s wishes,” Charlotte said, her sweet face twisted in confusion.

“I didn’t want to give you false hope,” Rebecca told her calmly. “The lawyer said that the litigation would be very costly and we don’t have money to fund it. If we lost…” She shook her head. “In the end, I decided to concentrate on moving forward with our lives.”

“And where were you on the morning of Jasmine’s death?” Romeo asked.

“I told you already,” she replied curtly. “I was here, doing research on my laptop.”

“Would you mind if I have someone take a look at your laptop to confirm your story?” he asked.

Rebecca studied her fingernails. “I would mind, but I suppose it’s the best way forward.” She looked squarely at Romeo. “What about Jasmine’s boyfriend? Have you tracked him down yet?”

“Not yet,” he said, “but we’re working on it. I’ve sent a couple of my guys to interview Jasmine’s former cheerleading buddies. See if they know whether she did, in fact, have a boyfriend.”

Kit snorted. “Please don’t tell me you sent Harley or Jamison. If they glimpse cheerleader cleavage, they’ll lose the power of speech.”

“They’re not my guys,” Romeo reminded her. “They’re Westdale cops. My guys are more professional.”

Kit gave a dismissive wave. “Local. County. Who can keep it all straight?”

“You’ll be an expert soon enough, if the number of murders in Westdale continues on an upward trajectory,” Romeo said.

In that case, Kit didn’t think she wanted to be an expert. Then again, unless she was the murderer, she didn’t seem to get much choice in the matter.

Chapter Four

Kit stood in front of the sofa, hands firmly on her hips. She hated to see Rebecca and Charlotte wallowing in self-pity. Rebecca had been close to tears when someone from Romeo’s team packed up her laptop and Charlotte had been even closer to tears because she hadn’t heard from Brendan. The whole house felt like a tomb.

“You have been moping around this house long enough. Jasmine may be dead and still causing trouble, but we are all very much alive.”

“She drowned in our pool and now I’m a prime suspect, because I sought legal advice,” Rebecca said, glancing up from her book. “How can I not mope? I’m innocent and they’ve taken my laptop.”

“We know you didn’t do it,” Kit said. “And we’ll prove it. Don’t worry.”

“How?” Charlotte asked. “We don’t know who the real murderer is.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Kit insisted. “Remember who you’re talking to.”

“A blackballed actress who moved back home to attend college?” Charlotte ventured.

Kit shot her a withering glance. “I have my police training and I’m stubborn like a Winthrop.”

“And your detective boyfriend,” Rebecca murmured.

“Well, I don’t know that we’ve discussed labels,” Kit said.

“Fine, let’s go out tonight,” Rebecca said. “Take our minds off this mess.” She nudged Charlotte. “Your choice. Where would you like to go?”

“You know, I’m in the mood for something terribly unfashionable like a chicken wings. There’s an Irish pub in Eastdale that I’ve heard people talk about at school.”

Kit shrugged. “I’m game. Call Francie to meet us there.”

Rebecca chewed her lip. “Maybe I should see if Jake is still in town.” She’d been afraid to reach out to him, especially now that they were both suspects in his sister’s murder.

“Okay,” Kit said, turning to Charlotte. “How about you? Do you want to invite Brendan?”

Charlotte shook her head. She had no desire to chase a guy, no matter how ideal he seemed. That wasn’t her style. If he liked her enough, he’d get in touch. She really hoped he got in touch soon.

The Irish pub was spread over two floors and was much bigger than Kit expected. They sat upstairs at a long table with a pitcher of beer, enjoying drunken karaoke performances. The place was crowded but jovial, as onlookers hooted and yelled encouragement. Kit quickly warmed to the attention-seeker’s fertile environment.

“I can’t believe this guy hasn’t been discovered,” Kit joked as the drunk guy warbled his version of Eighties songstress Tiffany’s
I Think We’re Alone Now
.

“I think he’s in our class,” Francie whispered. “He looks familiar.”

“He’s not the only one,” Charlotte said. “I recognize a few of those women from Jasmine’s funeral. I think they were cheerleaders.”

“Friends of Jasmine?” Jake craned his neck to see them. “Oh yes, I remember the redhead. She wore the leopard print dress.”

“I’m hoping you remember because it was tacky,” Rebecca remarked.

Jake adjusted his phantom tie. “Yes, tacky. Of course.”

Rebecca smiled at him, pleased that he’d agreed to come. Admittedly, she was disappointed that he’d still been at Oak Lodge but hadn’t called or arranged to see her again. She wondered how much he knew about the investigation, if he’d heard that she was also a suspect.

“When are you heading back to Connecticut?” Kit asked, cutting into Rebecca’s thoughts. Kit always seemed willing to ask what other people were thinking. She liked that about her.

Jake circled the rim of his pint glass with his thumb. “Tomorrow, actually.”