Old Fashioned Murder (A Ryli Sinclair Cozy Mystery Book 3) Page 8

  Matt walked over to where we were gathered. He, too, did a double-take at Aunt Shirley. “Nice hair, Aunt Shirley.” I couldn’t tell if he was lying. Sometimes cops have to be good at being deceitful.

  Garrett sighed. “I’m going to take a look around the bedroom. No one leaves.” He made a point to look at me before striding down the hall to Manning’s bedroom.

  “I hope this won’t take too long,” Mrs. McElroy said. “Our grandchildren are coming over for a visit in a couple hours. I don’t want to miss them.”

  Paige, the comforter of the group, patted Mrs. McElroy on the arm. “I’m sure we’ll be done by then.”

  “I need to sit down,” Neighbor 370 complained. “My bunions are killing me.”

  I figured now was a good time to find out her name. I didn’t want to have to call her Neighbor 370 forever. “I didn’t catch your name.”

  Neighbor 370 scowled at me. “I didn’t give it.”

  “Her name’s Mildred Prittle,” Aunt Shirley said. “And she’s as big a pain in the butt as Manning was.”

  Before I could comment, a couple EMTs and our coroner, Melvin Collins, came rushing in from the hallway.

  “Back there,” Matt pointed.

  I wasn’t sure how they were all going to fit inside Manning’s tiny bathroom.

  Garrett squeezed by the group in the hallway and made his way toward us. He kept his eyes on me the whole time.

  “I’m assuming the items in the box did not belong to Mr. Manning?” Garrett asked me.

  “Why are you asking her?” Sheri demanded. “I’m the Coordinator in charge of this facility, and I’m pretty sure her and her dim-witted aunt are behind the thefts somehow.”

  Garrett’s face went blank and his eyes hardened. “You are aware that this ‘thief’ and her ‘dim-witted’ aunt,” his mouth quirked like he wanted to smile, “are practically my family, right? So keep it up, and we’ll be having this talk downtown at the station.”

  I did a little dance inside. I wish my job allowed me to put people in their place. Instead, it usually got me tangled up in murder.

  Sheri’s face turned red and her cheeks puffed in and out. “I became aware that an order I placed last week had recently gone missing from the pantry. I’ve been doing my best to find the culprits and have them arrested.”

  Garrett frowned. “Why the zealousness for a few stolen items? There didn’t look to be too much in the boxes worth pressing charges over.”

  Sheri broke eye contact and refused to answer.

  “Ms. Daniels, I’ve asked you a question.”

  Sheri sighed. “Because one item in particular isn’t in the boxes. I already checked.”

  I could tell Garrett didn’t like that answer. “What kind of item?”

  “Let’s just say it could be deadly in the wrong hands.”

  I heard a bunch of gasps around me.

  Sheri Daniels sighed. “I placed an order through the greenhouse for castor beans to start new seedlings for the spring.”

  “And these castor beans are deadly?” Garrett asked.

  Sheri Daniels pressed her lips together. “Yes. They contain ricin. If you grind the seeds up, it’s an extremely dangerous poison.

  Cha-ching…and a story is born!

  CHAPTER 13

  * * *

  Chaos erupted in the tiny living room.

  “Poison!” Lovey exclaimed. “Like we could all die?”

  “How would we know if we were poisoned?” Dotty demanded.

  “I don’t feel too well,” Mrs. McElroy said and swayed on her feet. Mr. McElroy caught her and lowered her to the couch.

  “We need help!” Mr. McElroy exclaimed. “My wife has been poisoned!”

  Garrett threw up his hands. “Calm down. Everyone just needs to take a deep breath and calm down. No one has been poisoned.”

  “How do you know?” Mildred said and slammed the end of her cane down on the floor repeatedly. “I feel kind of woozy myself.”

  I almost laughed out loud.

  “Enough!” Garrett’s voice rang out with enough command that pretty much everyone stopped what they were doing—even the emergency personnel people. “You guys carry on,” he said to the EMTs. He turned to us. “You people keep quiet.” Mildred huffed but didn’t say anything more.

  I turned to Sheri. “Do you think Manning was the thief? The person that’s been stealing from people’s bedrooms and who stole from the pantry?”

  Sheri shrugged. “Probably.”

  “So now Manning’s the thief?” Aunt Shirley snorted. “A few minutes ago Ryli and I were the thieves. Maybe you stole the shipment and put it here after you killed Manning.”

  Sheri Daniels’s mouth hung open. “I most certainly did not!”

  “Or maybe Shifty here did it,” Aunt Shirley continued. “He and Manning had a plan to steal the items, but Manning got greedy or something so Shifty here knocked him off.”

  “I did not!” Shifley exclaimed. “But I wouldn’t put it past Manning to be the thief. I thought he’d been acting strange lately.”

  Since when?

  Garrett closed his eyes and shook his head. “Just stop with the speculation. I only work with facts and motive. And I’ll be the one to decide what those are.”

  I was about to say something about Thomas Shifley’s perception of Manning’s recent behavior when I caught Aunt Shirley’s eye. She gave me a tiny shake of her head.

  Great, I’m about to get in deep.

  “So you don’t think we need to worry?” Mr. McElroy said. “How’re you feeling my love?”

  Mrs. McElroy smiled. “I feel okay. I think the scare just made my heart race a little too fast.”

  “I know why Ryli, Paige, and Aunt Shirley are here,” Garrett said. “Why are the rest of you here?”

  “We heard shouting in the hallway,” Lovey said. “So that’s why me, Dotty, and Virginia are here.”

  “Same with us,” Mr. McElroy said. “We heard the shouting in the hallway and checked it out.”

  “And you?” Garrett asked.

  Mildred scowled. “Like Ray Manning, God rest his soul, I’ve never liked Shirley. I was glad when I heard she was leaving and wanted to make sure I got to see her off. Plus I heard the commotion in the hallway. I figured Shirley was behind it somehow.”

  I grabbed hold of Aunt Shirley before she could take a swing at Mildred.

  “And who are you?” Garrett asked.

  Shifley swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “My name is Thomas Shifley. I’m the orderly in charge of this floor.”

  “I call him Shifty,” Aunt Shirley said. “Because that’s exactly what he is.”

  Shifley’s face turned red, and he looked like he wanted to strangle Aunt Shirley.

  Garrett held up his hand. “I want everyone to go back to their apartments on this floor, and I’ll be around shortly to ask questions. Aunt Shirley, Paige, and Ryli, you go back to Aunt Shirley’s apartment. I want to speak to Ms. Daniels and Mr. Shifley alone.”

  “But I don’t know anything!” Shifley whined. “I didn’t do anything.”

  Garrett rubbed his temple. “This is going to be a long day. I can already tell.”

  I knew that look and what it meant. I didn’t want to be around to see the fallout. I grabbed hold of Aunt Shirley and Paige and started for the door. Paige blew Matt a kiss as we left.

  The McElroys and Mildred went straight into their apartments without saying a word. The rest of us stood out in the hallway, unsure as to what to do.

  Lovey pointed to Aunt Shirley’s hair. “I didn’t think it was the appropriate time in Manning’s apartment to tell you this, but I like your hair.”

  Virginia and Dotty nodded in agreement.

  Should I be concerned they’re all such good liars?

  “Well, I think we deserve a drink,” Dotty said. “Death will do that to you—even if you don’t like the person that died. We’ll talk with you guys later.”

  Virginia, Lov
ey, and Dottie went into Virginia’s apartment while we went into Aunt Shirley’s.

  “Does this mean I don’t get to leave this place?” Aunt Shirley grumbled.

  For the first time in nearly an hour, I felt light-hearted. I was hoping that’s exactly what it meant. My good mood was momentarily put on hold when Hank’s ringtone filled the air. I reached into my pocket, pulled out my cell phone, and put it on speaker. “Hey, Hank. I got you on speaker. What’s up?”

  “What’s up?” he barked. I could imagine him yanking his unlit cigar out of his mouth. “How about the fact I just heard on the scanner there’s been police and medics called out to Oak Grove Manor. How’s that for what’s up? What’s going on over there?”

  “Aunt Shirley’s neighbor Ray Manning was found dead,” I said.

  “Was he involved in the theft story you were talking about earlier?”

  “Looks that way.”

  “Who found him? And for your job’s sake you better say you did!”

  I sighed. “As a matter of fact, I did find him.”

  “Ha! That’s my girl! Now get back here and write me a story.”

  “I have to wait for Garrett to come release us, then I’ll be there.”

  “Make it fast, Sinclair. I want that story by press time!”

  “So now I get two front-page stories, right?”

  Hank didn’t say anything.

  “Right, Hank?”

  “Fine. You can have front-page top half and bottom half if you get me that story!”

  I hung up and let out a little victory shout. “Can you imagine? I’ll have two front-page stories next week! Of course, I can’t exactly call it a murder since we don’t really know anything yet, but I can at least allude to stolen items and speculate on when the toxicology report will come back. Hopefully by the following week everything will be solved, and I can have another front-page story.”

  Paige clapped her hands together. “That’s wonderful. I’m very proud of you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Just great, Barbara Walters.” Aunt Shirley thrust a pad of paper and pen in my hand. “Now, let’s get down to brass tactics…suspects and motive.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Surely Garrett will have this wrapped up in a matter of hours.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You know how Ace can get sometimes.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. Aunt Shirley knew how I felt about her little nickname for Garrett.

  “Let’s at least sit down and think this through,” Paige said diplomatically.

  I let her lead me to the sofa and sat down next to her. Aunt Shirley sat in her recliner and reached into the drawer of her end table. “Darn, I already packed away my new e-cig.”

  “Good,” I said. “I hate when you smoke that thing.”

  Aunt Shirley scowled at me. “It helps me think. Sherlock Holmes had his pipe, and I have my e-cig.”

  I had to physically bite my lip to keep from retorting.

  “We have Sheri Daniels and Shifty for sure.” Aunt Shirley stopped talking and glared at me. “Start writing. You’re the professional here.”

  Paige put her hand on my knee and gave me a gentle smile. Her way of saying we didn’t need two murders this morning.

  I put down Sheri Daniels and Thomas Shifley on the paper. I could only think of one other person who might know about the order or who could have moved the order. “Kaylee?”

  “Yes,” Aunt Shirley agreed. “I don’t think she did it, but she did have access.”

  I rested the pen against my chin. “I overheard Kaylee and Manning talking in the hall the other day, and Manning said a lot of people knew she put the boxes in the pantry. So there are more suspects here than we know.”

  “But the big question is why,” Paige said. “Why kill Manning?”

  Aunt Shirley leaned back in her recliner. “I’ve been thinking about how quick Shifty was to place blame on Manning being the thief. What if the other recent thefts were in fact committed by Manning, or Manning somehow found out who was committing them and someone killed him to keep quiet?” Aunt Shirley frowned and shook her head. “I haven’t quite figured out how the ricin plays a part as far as who knew castor beans were being shipped to the Manor and that they could be potentially poisonous. I sure didn’t know. And the truth is, the whole ricin thing just may be a coincidence.”

  “You don’t like coincidences,” I reminded her.

  “I know. Ace will send off for a tox report, which should come back fairly quickly because they’ll rush it if they suspect foul play. Your job, Ryli, is to somehow sweet talk your man into sharing that information with you.”

  I let out a short laugh. “Garrett isn’t going to tell me anything. I might be able to eavesdrop a little, but believe me, Garrett will not volunteer anything. The man is a vault when it comes to keeping secrets.”

  Aunt Shirley crossed her arms and snickered. “Well, you better learn how to crack that safe fast because we’re gonna need to know if we’re on the right track.”

  A few minutes later Garrett and Matt walked through the apartment door. I scooted over on the couch so Matt could sit next to Paige. “How’d it go?” I asked.

  “Should have the toxicology report soon since we may know what we’re looking for,” Garrett said. “Talked with the two I kept, then talked with Virginia, Dotty, and Lovey. Officer Ryan took Mr. and Mrs. McElroy and Mildred Prittle.”

  “Who’re you arresting for the murder?” Aunt Shirley demanded. “I’m sure it’s that Sheri Daniels. She’s also the ring leader for the thefts that are going on.”

  “First off, I’m not even sure there’s a murder,” Garrett said. “And second, if there’s a burglary ring going on, it’s for me to figure out, not you. And believe me, I’ll be figuring it out soon.”

  “If!” Aunt Shirley cried. “Old Man Jenkins has had his bottle of Viagra stolen. How much more evidence do you need!”

  Garrett blanched. “A lot more evidence.”

  Matt laughed at Garrett’s face.

  “There’s also more news,” Garrett said hesitantly.

  I narrowed my eyes at Garrett. “What’s going on?”

  He sighed. “There’s good news and not-so-good news. I talked with the Executive Director, Lucy Stevenson. She’s absolutely horrified that all this—possible murder and a possible burglary ring—could be going on under her nose. She’s put out about the fact that not only didn’t she know about the missing boxes from the pantry, but the fact other items have recently gone missing from residents’ rooms. This has made it to where I could negotiate Aunt Shirley’s return. She said when I solve the case, Aunt Shirley can come back to stay.”

  I sucked in my breath. “But until it’s solved?”

  “She lives with you,” Garrett said.

  “Whoohoo!” Aunt Shirley exclaimed.

  I closed my eyes at the dreaded words. If ever there was a time to interfere with the investigation, it was now. Somehow I’d find a way to hear the results of the toxicology test, and I’d do whatever I could to help solve this case fast.

  We quickly gathered up some boxes and Garrett and Matt walked us down to the lobby to say goodbye. I turned to leave when Garrett grabbed my hand. “Hey, what do you know about this Virginia lady? She’s the one you interviewed, right?”

  I cocked my brow. “Why?”

  Garrett sighed. “Just answer the question, please.”

  “Yes, she’s the one I interviewed. I know her, Lovey, and Dotty have been friends for over sixty years. I know three of her husbands have died—but don’t worry, they are easily explained deaths.”

  “How so?”

  I told him how each husband had died. “I also know she’s a really nice lady who likes to hang out with her friends and drink cocktails. Harmless, really.”

  “Did she mention threatening letters?”

  I nodded my head. “Oh, yeah. She said that Manning would send her threatening letters all the time. Like mean, nasty letters.”

  “D
oes she still have them?”

  “No. I think they burned them in a silly ritual and then had more drinks.” I said it like it was a joke, but I could tell he wasn’t buying it. “What’s going on?”

  No surprise he ignored my question. “Did Virginia ever mention writing threatening notes to Manning?”

  I shook my head. “If you’ve found something that points to Virginia leaving threatening notes to Manning, believe me, it was done in self-defense. Virginia did not do this! She is the victim here. Manning was a nasty man. I had my own run-ins with him numerous times.”

  I suddenly wondered if I should mention overhearing Kaylee threaten to kill Manning. I didn’t want to throw Kaylee under the bus, but I also didn’t want Garrett focusing too much on Virginia and not looking at other suspects.

  “I do know of something I haven’t told you yet. I may have overheard Kaylee Jones threaten to kill Manning the other day.”

  “What? Who’s Kaylee Jones?” He held up his hand. “No, never mind. I’ll start from the bottom and work my way up the suspect list. Thanks for the information.”

  He leaned over and gave me a kiss. It almost made me feel better for throwing Kaylee under the bus.

  CHAPTER 14

  * * *

  Paige decided to go home to get supper ready for Matt, and since I wasn’t expecting Garrett to finish up anytime soon, Aunt Shirley and I headed over to see Mom. Even though I love spending time with my mom, this time I went to sulk over having to be Aunt Shirley’s caregiver. After mom stopped hyperventilating over Aunt Shirley’s new hairdo, we brought her up to speed over finding Manning’s dead body. By the time we finished our story, the dinner she was making for her and Doc was finished.

  “You want to stay for dinner, dear?” Mom asked.

  I sighed. Even though I was tempted to say yes, I declined. I didn’t figure she wanted two extra wheels at her romantic dinner. And if anyone deserved happiness, it was my mom.

  “Better not. I think Garrett might stop over to grab a quick bite before heading back to the office.” I had no idea if it was true or not, but it sounded plausible.

  “Don’t forget we’re voting on a new pastor tomorrow after church.” Since we’d been months without a full-time preacher, we were really hoping this guy was going to work out. “Please try to keep Aunt Shirley in line.”