A secret to die for, p.1
A Secret to Die For, page 1
A Secret to Die For
Richard Houston
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
A Secret to Die For (Books To Die For, #6)
DEDICATION
Cast of Characters
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
About the Author
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Copyright © 2018, Richard Houston. All rights reserved. Including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.
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Version 2019.11.26
Cover Art by Stephanie Burdine
Edited by Elise Abram
DEDICATION
TO REBECCA HOUSTON the mother of my grandsons and wife of my son. You left us too soon and we miss you dearly. Until we meet again, know that we love you and will always be in our hearts.
Cast of Characters
FRED – The world’s smartest four-legged sleuth.
Jake Martin – Fred’s owner and narrator.
Bonnie Jones – Jake’s friend and neighbor from Colorado who helps solve crimes.
Kelly Brown – A sheriff’s deputy and Jake’s girlfriend.
Matt Edwards – The corpse. He was married to Kari.
Kari Edwards – Matt’s wife.
Rob Croix – Kari’s ex and prime suspect.
Sheriff Bennett – Fremont County’s sheriff.
Katherine Croix – Matt Edwards’ ex-wife, currently married to Rob Croix.
Michelle Rivers – Matt’s girlfriend and realtor.
Dave Rivers – Michelle’s husband and Katherine Croix’s brother.
Deputy Greg Johnson – one of Bennett’s deputies.
Chapter One
MATT COULDN’T BELIEVE his luck as he watched his kids splash into the water from the slide on the dock. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he'd be able to afford such a beautiful home on a lake with its own private dock. He and his second wife, Kari, had found the home after a long, arduous search. Most properties he found were either in dire need of repairs or so far over budget he was beginning to think he’d never find anything Kari would like that they could afford. She'd recently bought a new dental practice in the town of Truman and didn’t care where they lived as long as it was in a good neighborhood, had at least four bedrooms, five baths, a gourmet kitchen, and didn’t cost over five-hundred thousand dollars. Matt didn’t argue about the kitchen even though neither of them could cook. He wanted to live on the water and have enough property that they wouldn't see their neighbors from any window in the house. It was the last requirement that had blown their budget. There were several homes overlooking Truman Lake Kari liked, but they were too far from the water, and homes on Lake of the Ozarks, close to Truman with over an acre were rare.
Lexi took the move the hardest even though she only had to be with her father one month in the summer and every fourth weekend. The thought of being away from her friends was too much. She swore her life was over at the age of fourteen. Little Matt was the complete opposite. He couldn’t wait to see the house after Matt described it.
“And I can go fishing and swimming anytime I want?” he asked right after talking his father into getting a dog.
Kari hadn’t been a happy camper either, at least not at first. The house was over forty minutes away on two-lane back roads from her office in town. But it was an HGTV dream house compared to the twenty-two hundred square foot cookie-cutter tract home they owned in Overland Park. The house sat on half an acre, had three thousand square feet, all the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen she’d asked for, plus a beautiful office off the foyer. It was the office with its floor-to-ceiling cherry wood bookcases that had sold her. As far as Matt was concerned, the biggest selling point was the dock on the water. He’d finally be able to take his fishing boat out without spending half the day getting to the lake and waiting in line to launch. All he had to do now was walk less than fifty feet to his dock out his lower-level patio door. The dock came with three lifts: one for his boat, one for the kids’ jet-skis, and one for the pontoon boat he’d promised to buy. His fishing boat would be safe from algae and jet-skiers that went by too fast despite the no-wake buoys throughout the cove.
Matt took a sip of his cold beer and thought about how lucky he was as he watched Kari return from the house with a tray of goodies. She was wearing a new bikini and had her bleached hair tied off in a ponytail. She wore very little makeup causing her fair complexion to bring out the freckles she hated so much. Not only had he found the perfect home, he also had a smart and beautiful wife. Life couldn’t get any better. Then she screamed and dropped the tray she was carrying.
“Help, Daddy! Help me!”
Matt turned back to the kids and saw Lexi swimming toward her brother who was closer to the dock. Little Matt’s head was face down, and he wasn’t moving. Matt dropped the beer he’d been sipping and yelled to his daughter, “Get away from the dock!” then he jumped in. The last thing he remembered before his heart went into cardiac arrest was a tingling feeling throughout his entire body.
Chapter Two
FRED GROWLED THE MINUTE I pulled off the road onto Bonnie’s drive. I was too engrossed in the day’s events to pay him much attention. I was beat after driving a hundred miles each way to the auction and standing all day while waiting to bid on the siding I wanted. Bonnie was still back in Colorado playing nursemaid to Margot. I'd driven to Carrolton because Margot’s son, Jon, had seen an ad for a lumber company going out of business, passed it on to his mother, and she'd insisted I go. They'd been sitting in their warm home a thousand miles away in Cherry Creek when Jon showed her the ad. They didn’t have a clue it was a hundred miles from the farm, nor did they care. In the end, I saved them a bundle by buying some fibered cement-siding and several Pella windows at a fraction of what the big box stores wanted. I knew enough not to expect a "Thank you, Jake."
I didn’t spot the minivan until we were halfway down the long gravel drive leading to the farmhouse. I’m sure if Fred could talk he’d tell me he saw the minivan first because dogs had superior senses compared to my puny powers of sight and sound. Bonnie’s cat, Tigger, had probably known, too, but didn’t let on. But I’d bet neither knew the minivan wasn’t from around these parts. My inferior powers of deduction had come to that conclusion because of the license plates on the vehicle. Kansas plates weren’t that unusual in this part of Missouri. Fremont County was home to two of the largest lakes in the country, and Kansas was less than a hundred miles away. Weekend visitors from neighboring states were common, and many of them had second homes here. If Fred knew any of that, he hid it well. I parked next to the minivan and told him to stay put. He was out the door before I could get my seatbelt unbuckled. Tigger waited like it was no big deal and didn’t jump out until after me.
The minivan driver got out as we approached. Fred must have realized the middle-aged woman was no threat and approached her with his tail wagging. He’d probably sensed it in a millisecond, whereas it took me a little longer to notice her head barely reached the top of her van, and unless she was some kind of black-belt karate expert, I didn’t need to worry either.
“You must be Jacob Martin,” she said, extending her hand. “My name’s Kari Edwards. Kelly told me where you lived, so I thought I’d stop off before heading to my mother’s in Overland Park. I’ve been going there most weekends since the so-called accident. I hope you don’t mind.” My fears were put to rest when her grip suggested she didn’t have the strength to crush a wounded moth.
“Kelly sent you?” There was still enough light to see wrinkles on her forehead I hadn’t noticed before. People tend to say more with their face and body language than they do with words. She had me wondering about the "so-called accident," though. I couldn’t say exactly how I knew, but I knew she wasn’t here to sell me magazines.
She reached down to pet Fred who’d been sitting silently between us. She wasn’t tall, so she didn’t have to stoop to rub his head. I couldn’t help but notice her ring finger and the lighter band of skin where her wedding band had been.
“Why don’t you come on in, Kari. I can put on a fresh pot of coffee while you tell me what’s on your mind.” I didn’t wait for her to answer and started up the short fli
KARI SAT PATIENTLY at the kitchen island while I turned on the heat and started coffee brewing. She was wearing long shorts—or maybe they were short pants. Giorgio Armani didn’t need to worry, I didn’t know the difference. I did, however, notice the goosebumps on her legs. The house had been shut up all day, so it was cold. To be honest, the goosebumps weren't the first things I noticed. Even though Kelly and I were what some might call "an item," I still had my man card and had been checking out Kari’s legs.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a modern kitchen. I’m beginning to wonder if I can afford you.” Kari shivered and Fred moved closer to her. He'd stayed with her instead of following me around the house, but I knew it wasn’t because he thought she might steal something. He’d been around Bonnie and Kelly long enough to become a ladies' dog.
I felt myself blink a little too hard. I don’t think Kari saw me bat an eyelid, because she turned when Tigger came in through the pet door at the same time I almost went into shock. I'd been sure she was here to sell me something. It’s not unusual for salespeople to gain people’s confidence by mentioning someone they might know, but she caught me completely off-guard when she said she wanted to hire me.
“Afford me?” Then it hit me. “Oh, you need a handyman.”
Crow’s feet appeared around her eyes when she raised her eyebrows. “Handyman?”
“I don’t call myself a contractor because I work by the hour, and you have to buy the materials.”
Kari still looked confused. She grimaced and scratched her cheek like a kid who couldn’t decide if she liked vanilla better than chocolate ice cream.
“I used to be a very successful software engineer. Worked for some of the biggest companies on the Fortune 500, but that’s another story. No, I couldn’t possibly afford a kitchen like this. I’m sort of a hired-hand. I live in the back room while working on the house.” I finished making coffee and re-filled Fred’s bowl before continuing. The sound of dog food hitting his bowl was too much for him, and he left Kari and came over to me. I made a mental note to buy more dog food or put him on a diet.
“Actually, I was wondering if...” She paused.
I thought she was trying not to hurt my feelings and was choosing her words accordingly. “You wouldn’t need to wonder if you could afford me if you saw my place back in Colorado. This house belongs to my neighbor back there and her sister. It’s the sister’s husband’s family homestead, and she hired me to fix it up. Once it’s done, I’m going back to Colorado where I plan on spending more time writing.” I didn’t mention I was going to ask Kelly to marry me first.
I also avoided saying how Bonnie had spared no expense and wanted all the modern conveniences. She had reminded me as much several times when I’d offered her a less expensive design choice, saying money wasn’t a problem. Margot was paying for everything. Besides the island, I'd installed several thousand dollars’ worth of new cabinets, granite countertops, a huge farm sink, stainless steel appliances, and a commercial gas stove. She'd chosen glass tiles for a backsplash with a wall-mounted, pot-filling faucet.
Kari tilted her head slightly and looked at me without blinking. She was quite attractive. Not in the sense that she belonged on the cover of Vogue. She wasn’t skinny enough for that, but I didn’t read Vogue and by the looks of her mismatched outfit, she didn’t either. “I think you’re being modest, Jake. I’ll bet your place is every bit as nice. I hope you’ll consider one more job before you leave.”
Fred stopped eating and turned to look at her. There was no way he could have understood her compliment, but the way he cocked his head and smiled made me wonder if he did. Or maybe he had his doubts about her like I did and was waiting for her to sell me a subscription to A Dog’s World.
I searched through the cupboard for a clean cup and only found a thin, china teacup Bonnie kept for special occasions. I filled it for Kari before rinsing out my morning mug for myself. The chore of washing dishes was long overdue. “I wish my place was half this nice,” I said, handing her the cup. “Bonnie spent more on the backsplash than I did my entire kitchen. My cabinets came from Habitat for Humanity; hers were custom made.” I stopped talking when I noticed her staring into her coffee. “I’m sorry, do you need cream or sugar?” I’d have to check for maggots in the coffee grounds later.
Kari pushed back in her chair without sipping the coffee. “No, it’s fine, but I think you misunderstood why I want to hire you. I’m sure you’re a good handyman, Jake, but I also heard you’re pretty good at solving murders.”
She had my full attention now. I knew Tigger wouldn’t care, she rarely cared about anything I did or said, but I was a little surprised to see Fred go back to his food. “You want to hire me to solve a murder?”
“Kelly said you’ve solved more murders than our little county has seen in twenty years. And seeing as the sheriff won’t pursue it, I have no choice but to hire someone who will.”
My first thought was why Kelly hadn’t told me any of this. I’d spoken to her less than two hours ago when I’d phoned to let her know I was on my way back to the farm and asked if she wanted to come over when I got back. I’d offered to stop at Pizza Hut and get her favorite pineapple and ham pizza even though Fred and I couldn’t stand it. She’d said she was in the middle of something and would call me tomorrow. Whatever she was in the middle of must have been important because she hung up before telling me about Kari.
“So, Jake, are you available?" Kari said, waking me from my thoughts. The house had warmed sufficiently for her to remove her coat. I took it as a sign she wasn’t ready to leave. “I’m willing to give you a nice retainer and pay your expenses—within reasonable limits of course. And there’s a nice bonus if you can get enough to make the sheriff take another look.”
“If this is a murder case, why doesn’t Sheriff Bennett want to investigate it?”
“He refuses to believe it’s nothing more than bad luck. It’s why I need you.”
“Maybe you better start from the beginning, Kari.”
She got up and placed her coat on the island, then smoothed out the wrinkles in her pants. “This will take a while. Do you mind if we sit at the table?”
I refilled my coffee cup and dumped hers in the sink before refilling it while she made herself comfortable at the kitchen table. She’d let her coffee get cold without drinking any of it. Tigger had obviously been bored with our conversation and gone off to hunt mice or something more exciting. My faithful sidekick, Fred, was lying on the rug next to the sink and waited for Kari to speak.
Kari lowered her eyes and stared into her coffee. I knew it wasn’t because of maggots—I’d checked the coffee grounds before refilling the cups. Whatever she was about to say must be important. “A few months ago, I had the perfect life. A new home on the lake and a husband I loved dearly. He was smart, good-looking, and could make me laugh whenever I was down.” She paused to wipe a tear from her eye. I waited until she was ready to continue but already knew where it was going because of the way she spoke of her husband in the past tense.
She put the tissue down and stared me in the eyes with her nostrils flared. “Why does God always take us down when life gets too good? Is this his way of punishing us?” Then she seemed to collapse and started to sob.
I wanted to get up, hug her, and tell her everything would be okay but couldn’t get my butt off my chair. My inability to show emotion was a trait my first wife hated, but I'd been raised by a mother who thought empathy was a four-letter word. I waited for Kari to recover.
“Sorry, Jake. It’s just that I really loved Matt. I’d been on my own for so long after coming off a bitter divorce. I’d lost my kids in a custody battle. The bastard had more money and better lawyers than I did and got everything. Matt was a gift from God, and his kids were, too.”
I refilled my cup, but not hers; she hadn’t touched it. “I can give you something to make it taste better. Bonnie keeps some whiskey in the upper kitchen cabinet. She puts it where she can’t reach it. Not that it stops her.” I realized I was babbling to cover up my inability to comfort her and shut up so she could get on with her story.
