Roadside Homicide: A Modern Country Cozy Mystery in a Small Town Read online

  After tiptoeing across the front hall, she reached for the doorknob and heard, “Where are you off to so early?” She pivoted to see her father in his navy pin-striped pajamas, holding a cup of tea.

  “I have a last-minute thing to do before the wedding.” She flashed him a smile. “Just tell Jenn and mom I’ll be home in plenty of time for hair and make-up.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?” He narrowed his eyes and sipped his tea. “You know you can’t fool me. What’s going on?”

  If she told him the truth, he’d try to stop her from leaving. If she lied to him, she’d feel sick to her stomach until the wedding.

  She wrung her hands on the strap of her messenger bag. His brown eyes never strayed from hers, but she saw a softness there.

  She swallowed the giant lump at the back of her throat. “I think — we think — we know who killed Roy. I’m meeting Chris for breakfast.” Better to stick to the truth, even if it was only partial.

  “You’ll be with Chris?” Another sip of tea.

  “Yep.” She blinked and waited. Her blood pounded in her ears.

  He grinned and nodded. “All right. I’ll tell your mother and sister you’ll be home in time.” He pointed at her with his teacup. “Just be sure you are.”

  “I will.” She flew out the front door, careful not to slam it.

  She took the shortcut to Route 2 and headed south along the river. As she passed the backwaters of Morgan Creek, a bald eagle landed in a nest of twigs, where another eagle was waiting. She took the eagle sighting as a sign that today would be a magical day.

  ✽✽✽

  The heady scent of freshly brewed coffee at Grounds for Appeal soothed Robin’s jumped up nerves. Just a few minutes to go. She slurped her Skim-partial Witness, a latte with nonfat milk, and stretched her neck. She checked her watch again, and it still said the same thing it did ten seconds ago.

  The bell on the front door to the coffee shop tinkled. Her face grew hot, but she plastered on a bright smile.

  He was here. She knew he wouldn’t be able to resist meeting with her, not after their last conversation. He sauntered up to the barista on duty, placed his order, and then slid into the booth opposite her.

  “Good morning.” Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. She drank more of her latte. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Of course. Think nothing of it.” His eyes reminded her of a cobra staring down a mongoose. “What can I do for you?”

  This was it. Her big moment. She had practiced in the mirror last night and in the car. She had to stay calm, repeat the words, and the scene would play out just fine. “I’m afraid I brought you here under false pretenses.”

  “Is that so?” His eyes popped open. “I didn’t know you had it in you to be deceitful, Professor Robin.”

  “I can when I need to be.”

  “I’m intrigued.” He leaned forward on the table, his hands only inches from hers. She sucked air into her lungs and leaned back a little. “So, what’s up?” He quirked one eyebrow.

  “I found something of yours. I wanted to return it.” His eyebrows pinched together, but he kept his forearms on the table, his fingers loosely clasped.

  She shoved her hand into the front pocket of her messenger bag. Her fingers fell on something soft, and she pulled it out, keeping it hidden in her palm.

  Just as she was about to reveal what was in her hand, the barista arrived with Troy’s drink, a Latte and Order. He winked at Robin, then took a big gulp, licking milk foam from his upper lip. Her stomach lurched.

  Robin opened her hand and lay the tissue on the table. Her hand trembled as she peeled back the edges to reveal the trinket she found at Roy’s. She pulled her hands into her lap, where he couldn’t see them. “It’s yours, isn’t it? I saw you wearing a pair just like it the other day.”

  Troy’s face paled, and his eyes focused on the tiny chunk of gold in the middle of the table. He pressed his hands flat, like the gold would bite him. “Where did you find it?”

  “At Roy’s.” She watched him closely and let the silence stretch. She might enjoy this too much, watching him panic. At least Troy wasn’t denying that the bauble was his. He didn’t take her for a fool.

  After a full minute, he leaned back in his seat and shrugged. “I must have dropped it there when I went to see Roy after he came home.”

  “What day would that have been?” She clasped her hands in front of her, as if she were a math teacher asking him to recite the Pythagorean theorem. Her knuckles were white.

  “I don’t know.” He wrapped his hands around his mug. “I’d have to look at my calendar.”

  She nodded. “Sure, busy guy like you. Owning a casino must be a twenty-four-seven job.” Troy narrowed his eyes, looking wary. “It must have cost a fortune to buy that casino. And then even more money to fix it up so nice.” She eyed him, leaving a space for a reply, but none came. She went on. “I heard a rumor that your folks sold their farm and gave you a sizeable chunk of money.”

  “That’s right.” His eyes darted around the restaurant, but the restaurant was empty except for them. He glanced at the door.

  “You know what’s funny about that?” He brought his attention back to Robin. “Sales of property are public record. Really easy to look up on the internet, which I did.” His face turned the color of the milk foam on his drink. “Turns out, your parents’ farm wasn’t worth as much as people thought. In fact, I’d say they got barely enough to pay for the RV they drove down to Florida.”

  His hands twitched around his mug. Robin took a deep breath and continued. “Which makes me wonder, how in the world could you buy the casino? Let alone your fancy suits, your fancy car,” she gestured to the parking lot where his BMW coupe sat, “and these beautiful cufflinks.” She pointed to the cufflink resting on the tissue. “Did you win the lottery? Wait, no.” She held up a finger. “That would have been in the news. Did you take out a huge loan? Nope.” She tilted her head to one side. “Chris ran a quick credit check and your credit is stellar, so no big outstanding debt.” When she said Chris’s name, Troy sat bolt upright.

  She stared at the gleaming cufflink, shaped like a pot of gold, then lifted her eyes to meet his. “Where did you get the money, Troy?”

  His face wasn’t pale anymore. Like a cartoon tea kettle, a blotchy shade of red rose from his neck to his cheeks, clear up to his hairline. Through gritted teeth, he said, “What difference does it make where I got the money?”

  “It makes a big difference.” She nodded, smiling. “Where you got the money, and how, is why you killed Roy.” He lowered his head, almost like a bull getting ready to rush her. She rested her hands on the table, fighting to stay calm. “Once I found that cufflink, we could put all the pieces together. The answer was simple to see, really. We just had to look at the picture from the right angle.”

  He shifted his weight just the tiniest bit.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t try anything.” She shook her head. “Do you think Professor Robin would be stupid enough to meet you alone?”

  From the kitchen came Chris and Officer Warsinsky, rounding both sides of the counter and heading toward them, guns aimed at Troy. Troy braced his hands on the table, ready to sprint. He wasn’t quick enough. Just as he jumped up, Chris reached out, grabbed Troy’s arm, and wrenched it behind him, while Warsinsky kept his gun trained on Troy.

  “I’m innocent!” Troy struggled, trying to plead his case to Chris over his shoulder.

  “And I’m Loretta Lynn.” Chris clapped handcuffs on Troy, who was still twisting side to side.

  “She’s lying! You can’t believe anything she says!” Troy panted, his face turning an ugly shade of purple.

  It impressed Robin how Chris could wrangle Troy. He was twisting like a dog with an itch he couldn’t reach.

  Finally, Chris shoved Troy at Warsinsky, who dragged him outside, where his police car was parked behind the restaurant, out of sight.

  “I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me!” Troy shout
ed the entire length of the restaurant, until Robin heard a car door slam, and then blissful silence fell.

  Chris held out his hand to help Robin out of the booth. Feeling shaky, she gladly took it. “Congratulations. You were amazing.”

  “Thank you.” He still held her hand. Feeling heat on her cheeks, she took it back. “Just how long were you going to let me sit out here talking to a killer?”

  Chris laughed, his blue eyes dancing. “I know how you like to lecture, so I figured I’d let him run with the bait.” He winked at her.

  Robin had a smart comeback loaded, but Chris’s wink stole the words right out of her mouth. She realized she was staring at him. “I better get going. Big day.” She turned to the door and bumped into Chris when he sidestepped at the same time. They tap-danced back and forth, apologizing to each other, until he stood still, and she squeezed past him.

  As she waved on her way out the door, she heard him call, “See you at the wedding!”

  Chapter 23

  Climbing out of her car, Robin yawned and blinked. She was crashing hard, following the adrenaline rush of dealing with Troy. After drinking two Skim-partial Witnesses, she should be ready to parkour her way to the wedding. Instead, she dragged herself into the house, wishing for a nap.

  She reached for the front doorknob, but it slipped from her grasp as Jenn yanked the door open. “Where have you been?” Jenn glared at her, hands on her hips, curlers in her hair, white plastic swooshes plastered under her eyes. “I told you I wanted to French braid your hair and do your makeup.”

  “I know.” She nudged past Jenn, heading toward the kitchen and a strong cup of tea, dragging her messenger bag behind her. “Didn’t Dad tell you I’d be back in time?”

  “Yes.” Hands still on her hips, Jenn was right on her heels. “But I didn’t know what that meant. You take five minutes to put on makeup. For all I knew, you were going to get here five minutes before we left.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Robin hung her bag on the back of a chair. “I know better than that. Besides, I bet you just got up. You just want me to think you’ve been up since dawn.”

  Jenn pouted. “That doesn’t matter. It’s the principle of the thing.”

  Robin laughed. “Okay. Principle noted. Mea culpa.” She fell into a kitchen chair and snagged a piece of buttered toast from the breakfast leftovers sitting on the table.

  Their parents bustled in, wearing robes, although her mother’s hair was swept up into an elegant French twist, and her father’s face was freshly shaved.

  “There you are.” Her mother gently swept past Robin, gently massaging blush into her cheeks. “Your father said you’d be back, but I had my doubts.”

  “What is wrong with everyone? Of course, I’d be back. My sister is getting married.” She spread a copious amount of jam on a second piece of toast. “Why does everyone think I’m so irresponsible?”

  “How did it go with Chris?” Her father reached for a piece of toast. Her mother and sister whipped their heads in her direction so fast they looked like they would break out into a tap dance. 5, 6, 7, 8…

  Her mother took a seat, her hand fluttering up to her breastbone. “You were with Chris? Where? Why?”

  Peeling the plastic strips off her face, Jenn sat down, too. “What’s up?”

  “Chris and I met at Grounds for Appeal —”

  “Is tea really so awful, Robin?” Her mother crossed her legs and smoothed her robe over her lap. “You had to go into town on your sister’s wedding day just to get a five-dollar cup of coffee?”

  Robin finished chewing her toast. “No. I went into town to help Chris catch Troy Harris.” Her mother, father, and sister gawked at her, but she was too tired to come up with something funny to say about their mouths hanging open.

  “What are you talking about? Please, explain.” Her mother used her “I’ll cut a switch,” tone of voice.

  “Yesterday, I figured out it was Troy who killed Roy. Then I called Chris and we put together a plan to catch him.” She nibbled a piece of bacon.

  Her father set down his toast. “Chris did what? I thought that boy had more sense than that. How dare he put you in danger?” Her father rose from the table.

  “Dad.” Robin reached across the table and grabbed his sleeve. “There was no danger at all. Chris and Warsinsky were there the whole time. Guns and all. I was safe as houses.” Her father resumed his seat.

  “Wait.” Jenn shook her head back and forth, curlers bouncing. “Back up. How did you figure it out? Wasn’t Troy supposed to be at work when Roy got shot? And didn’t you say Jodi’s was the only car you and Chris saw on the traffic video?”

  “Yes, but I knew something didn’t make sense. Why in the world would Jodi have an affair with Roy? And how could that sweet girl shoot him in cold blood? It didn’t add up. So, I went back to Roy’s yesterday to see if I could find any more clues.

  “You see,” she resettled herself in her chair and used her hands to set the scene, “it all started about ten years ago when Troy, Roy, and Mark Jenkins put together a plan to rob the bank.”

  “The bank robbery?” Jenn squinted at Robin. “What the heck?”

  “Remember when Roy disappeared from River Sutton, right before graduation? No one seemed to know where he went, not even his mother. But Troy knew. He started a rumor that Roy had dropped out of school to go to North Carolina to get a job. In fact, he posted a message about it on a forum as ottersTE84.”

  “How did you know it was Troy?” Jenn asked.

  “I didn’t when I first read it. But after I figured out he was the killer, it fit. He was a tight end for the football team. His number was 84.

  “Anyway, he started that rumor so no one would go looking for Roy.”

  Her father said, “Why? Where was he all that time?”

  “It actually wasn’t ‘all that time.’ It was only a few months, because Roy was hiding out in the woods, on the hillside behind Rollins County Savings Bank. You know how the bank’s back parking lot ends on a steep hill? It’s almost straight up, but it’s thick with trees. Roy had built himself a hidey-hole in that hill, just large enough to hide himself and some supplies.

  “Roy was quite an outdoorsman, if you’ll remember. I think he must have been a bit of a survivalist, too. Chris scoured the hill early this morning and found Roy’s little underground lair. Chris said Roy camouflaged it with branches and brush that he tied together with twine. When he lifted the cover, there was a pit underneath, big enough for a man and a couple of crates of supplies. He said there were old magazines in there, too.

  “So, Roy disappears,” Robin used air quotes, “and Troy spreads the rumor that he left for North Carolina. Then, right after Troy graduated, he got a job as a bank teller.”

  “That’s true.” Her mother nodded. “His mother was happy as a lark when he got that job.”

  “Right,” Robin continued. “And at the same time, Mark Jenkins got a job as their security guard.

  “Troy and Mark paid attention to everything that went on at the bank, who came and went, the schedules, the deposits, all of it. Then, at night, they’d sneak out to where Roy was hiding and cook up their plan. I imagine they brought him food and stuff, too.”

  “He hid in that hole all that time?” Her father shook his head.

  “And after. Anyway, they made their plan, but Mark must have had second thoughts and tried to back out. Or maybe he did back out, but Troy and Roy weren’t having it.

  “What we know is, on that last Friday in December, Roy put on a Spider-Man mask and entered the bank right before closing, holding a gun. One teller — Troy — filled two sacks with money from his drawer and the vault. While he did that, Mark tried to stop Roy. Roy shot him, either because Mark startled him or because he and Troy needed Mark out of the way.

  “After he shot Mark, Roy took off out the back. It was full dark at 5 p.m. in December, so he could escape up the hill with no one the wiser. It was cold, too, so the ground was hard. No footpri
nts.”

  “I would’ve never pegged Roy as a mastermind.” Jenn felt the curlers on her head to see if they had cooled.

  “The police and the FBI focused their searches on the nearby houses, never dreaming that someone would literally hole up in the woods. They questioned Roy’s mom more than once, but she didn’t have a clue about any of it. The only person they questioned, who truly knew what happened, was Troy. But he always was a good liar.”

  “Snake.” Jenn’s lip curled.

  “True that.” So much talking and all the excitement made Robin parched. She poured herself a cup of tea before going on. “My guess is — and Troy can confirm it, if he talks — that once the hubbub had died down around the bank, Roy left half the money in the hidey-hole and really went to North Carolina. Then, when the coast was clear, Troy picked up his half.

  “But the entire plan hinged on keeping all this completely on the down low. If either of them started spending a sizable amount of money, the FBI was sure to notice and start asking questions. Again, I’m guessing, but I think Troy convinced his parents to sell their farm and move. They were probably happy to retire and go somewhere warm. Then he told everyone that his parents gave him a big ol’ chunk of money that he used to buy the casino. In reality, the money he used was from the bank robbery.

  Her mother tucked in a stray bit of hair. “That reminds me, I need to call his mother. Poor thing will be a wreck.”

  “Meanwhile, down in North Carolina, Roy was keeping a low profile, paying cash for everything. That way, no one could trace him.”

  “Sounds like the plan was working.” Jenn rested her elbow on the table and set her chin in her hand. “Why did Roy come back?”

  Robin sighed. “I think the guilt of killing Mark just ate at him for years until he couldn’t stand it anymore. Remember how he came back and tried to see Jodi? They weren’t having an affair. He wanted her forgiveness for killing her brother.”

  “Oh, my stars and garters.” Her mother covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide.