A Helen Bradley Mystery

Death on Arrival

by

Patricia H. Rushford

Death on Arrival

A Helen Bradley Mystery

 By

 Patricia H. Rushford

Copyright 2014 by Patricia H. Rushford

Mysteriously Yours

Cover design by Patricia H. Rushford

License Notes

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. With the exception of recognized historical figures, the characters in this novel are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Original series published by Bethany House Publishers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Note from the Author

Dedication Page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Note from the Author

I originally wrote four books in the Helen Bradley Mysteries in 1996. I was able to update and edit three of those books, Red Sky in Mourning, A Haunting Refrain and When Shadows Fall, and upload them to Amazon as e-books.  Since the original book #1, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, is not available for Kindle, I have created a new book one.  

Death on Arrival is a prequel to the series, which sets the story in 1996, when Helen is newly married to JB, AKA Jason Bradley. When Death on Arrival opens, Helen has just returned from their honeymoon in Paris. She’s eager to return to her home on the Oregon Coast, but that’s before she realizes what’s waiting for her there.

Dedication Page

Many thanks to my writing friends for their encouragement and brainstorming sessions. Their ideas made this novella possible. A special thank you to Dr. Sandy Dengler, Lauraine Snelling, Tracie Heskett, and Maria Tolar for their advice and their editorial assistance.

Thanks also to my family and friends who continue to be my fans.

Death on Arrival

Chapter One

When their plane touched down in Portland, Helen felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. She’d flown to Paris a month ago as Helen McGrady, widow and grandmother; and returned a newly married woman, Mrs. Jason Bradley.

Her family wouldn’t be meeting them at the airport. In fact Helen hadn’t even told them she’d be coming home or that she’d married. She sighed and leaned her head back against the seat, her stomach tying itself in knots as she anticipated their reactions. Her son would likely shake his head and laugh, not at all surprised that his mother would up and marry the man she’d known most of her life. He might even be happy about it.

Her daughter, however, would be angry and hurt, upset not because she’d chosen to marry JB, but because she’d done it without her approval. Kate had fallen into the adult child caretaker role. Though she didn’t say it to her face, Helen suspected Kate felt her mother needed a keeper.

A sigh worked its way through her concern. She was far from helpless and even farther from feeble. She might not be young, but she was definitely not old.

JB seemed to sense her unease and placed his hand over hers. His lips brushed against her cheek and in that irresistible Irish Brogue of his he whispered, “It’ll be all right, luv. You’ll see.”

She nodded. “I know. Kate will have a fit at first, but she’ll eventually come around. She won’t have much choice after all.”

“I wish I could be there to ease some of the tension.” 

Helen squeezed his hand. “Maybe it’s better that you’re not with me. We’ll give them a chance to get used to the idea.”

Her new husband, who was also an old friend, would be taking off for the Middle East as soon as they landed in Portland. His work with the CIA would take him on another dangerous mission. She hated the thought of having him leave so soon, but she knew well what his work entailed and had agreed to marry him anyway. Love superseded common sense at times. Still, Helen decided she’d have it no other way. JB loved his work and she loved him.

“I’m sorry to have to leave so soon. I’d hoped for another month with you.”

She smiled, her gaze holding his, reminding her of why she’d taken the leap. Seeing the love reflected in his sky blue eyes, she leaned her head against his broad shoulder. “I know.”

They’d married for better and for worse and Helen prayed the worst would be a long time coming.

An hour later, Helen hugged and kissed her husband for what could be the last time. Goodbyes could always be the last time when you had the kind of jobs both she and JB had. JB could have passed as the original James Bond in both looks and dangerous assignments. She on the other hand, had worked until recently as a police officer, then opted for undercover work, which she still did on occasion.

His arms wrapped tight around her. “It’s harder to leave you than I thought it would be.” His voice held an emotional roughness she seldom heard.

“For me as well.” She chuckled and tipped her head back. “But we were never this intimate as friends. Marriage makes us a true part of one another. Your leaving makes me feel as though you’re taking part of me with you.”

He released her and grinned in that rakish way of his. “I wish I could take all of you.”

“Mm.” She murmured. “I’ll miss you.” She didn’t tell him that though she loved him dearly, she wasn’t keen on accompanying him to a war-torn country at the moment. Truth be told, she wanted to go home. She shuddered to think of the pile of correspondence waiting to be answered. Even worse would be the answering machine.

Still, being home, watching the waves crash against the rocks below and later sitting by a fire in her cozy living room enticed her almost as much as cozying up to her new husband.

“Please give my regards to your family,” JB said as he turned to go.

“I will.”

Only not right now, she mused. Helen supposed she should go straight to Kate’s home here in Portland, but she wasn’t up to a confrontation just yet. She would talk with her daughter soon, maybe even tomorrow via phone. Cowardly perhaps, but better to save certain discussions for a time when she was less exhausted. Besides, she still felt the glow of an exquisite honeymoon and had no desire to shatter it with the reality of her daughter’s disapproval.

So for now, she would head home to her lovely cape cod near Lincoln City. There she’d turn her widow’s home into a love nest for her new husband. She taxied to JB’s apartment on the riverfront where she’d left her car, a vintage 1961 red Thunderbird convertible. Once she’d uncovered the car and tucked away her luggage, she made certain it was still in working order. Thankfully, the car started right up and in a few minutes Helen exited the parking garage and merged with the heavy downtown traffic.

It might have made more sense to stay in the apartment for the night and go home in the morning. Leaving now, she’d arrive in Lincoln City after dark. Nonetheless, Helen felt anxious to get home and settle into familiar surroundings. As wound up as she felt, she probably wouldn’t get much sleep anyway.

JB’s new mission had stirred up all kinds of old and painful memories. Unfortunately, the memories included her former husband, Ian. Eleven years ago the State Department sent Ian McGrady to the Middle East on a top secret mission. Helen never learned the details, only that he'd been killed in a terrorist bombing. Thoughts of Ian's death triggered an onslaught of worries about JB.

Helen pushed the thoughts away. She’d promised herself that she’d live life moment by moment and not dwell on the past or on any future problems that may or may not develop. Helen brushed her fingers through her short salt and pepper hair, encouraging the brisk evening wind to whip through it as she increased her speed along Interstate 5

Instead of focusing on JB’s assignment and his possible demise, she relived their days together in Paris. Marriage in a lovely cathedral, trips to every imaginable tourist trap as well as a number of out-of-the-way places along the French Riviera. “No matter what happens from here on out,” Helen said aloud. “We’ll always have our honeymoon.” 

“And nothing is going to happen now.” She needed to retain positive thoughts for her own sanity and for their future together.

When JB returned, they’d make their permanent home in her Lincoln City beach house and maintain JB’s apartment for trips into the city. They’d eventually have to remodel the place, but for now it would suit them just fine.

Once Helen left the Willamette Valley and began to pass through the coastal mountain range, the chill in the air increased significantly. She pulled over to the side of the road to slip a jacket over her sweater. Spring weather in the Northwest could be unpredictable, with temperatures in the seventies one day and forties the next. Still, she loved it. Loved walking and running along the beach and visiting her favorite haunts, like the used bookstores and art galleries and restaurants like Tidal Raves in Depot Bay and, of course, Rosie’s bookstore and coffee shop. Delight at being in her element increased with each passing mile.

At the end of her two-hour drive, Helen pulled into her driveway and sat there a moment taking in the sound of wind and waves. The house looked lonely, Helen thought whimsically, as though it had missed her. Mist and fog settled in around her like old friends. While she loved sunny days, she found the mist rather comforting. Reading and writing weather. Cozy fire weather. She looked forward to turning on the gas fireplace and settling into her favorite chair with a hot tea. First, however, she needed to unpack and then put the top up on the car.

Like many houses with a view of the coast, the back of the house faced the street, leaving the front room and bedrooms with ocean views. In her home, the kitchen was on the street side, but it afforded an unobstructed view of the living room and beach as well.

Her delight at being home diminished as she stepped out of the car. Something was wrong. She felt it first in her bones, and then she saw it. The porch light was out and the door stood slightly ajar. Could Janelle have forgotten to close and lock it?

Janelle Cooper, a woman from her church, usually looked after the house while Helen was away. She would collect the mail and make certain everything was in order every few days.

Helen made her way to the door and cautiously pushed it open.

“Hello,” she called out as she moved inside and peered beyond the entry. Hearing and seeing no one, she flipped on the light switch and called out again. Her weapon would have come in handy, but it was stashed away in the trunk of her car. She moved forward, turning lights on as she went. While she didn’t find an intruder, she had no question that one had been there. The house looked as though it had been through a tornado. Someone had apparently been looking for something. What, she could only imagine.

Fortunately, Helen didn’t keep any of her important files here in her home, but no one knew that. Had the intrusion been the result of a former arrest? Like any law enforcement officer she’d made her share of enemies.

“Time to stop speculating,” she muttered, “and call the authorities.”

While she hated to touch anything, Helen needed to use the telephone. She’d have gone back out to the car to wait and use her cell phone, but it had gone dead two days ago and she hadn’t bothered to recharge it. Electronics were only as good as the humans using them.

After reporting the break-in to the police, Helen called her friend, Janelle Cooper. When Janelle didn’t answer, Helen went back outside to wait. The mist had turned to rain. She shivered as the wet cold penetrated her clothing. Her homecoming was not going at all as planned.

It took less than ten minutes for the police to arrive. Helen didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned when one of them turned out to be a police woman she’d met in Florida not long ago. The dark curly hair and challenging blue eyes left no doubt as to her identity. Officer Angel Delaney.

Angel smiled and held out a hand. “Mrs. McGrady. I figured I’d run into you sooner or later.” She introduced Helen to her partner Eric Mason and went on to tell Helen that she’d moved to Bay Village a couple of months ago. “My parents live here. It’s where I grew up.”

Helen shook hands with both officers. “Good to see you again, Angel, but my last name is Bradley now.”

Angel looked as though she wanted to know more, but seemed to set her curiosity aside. “So we got a call that your place was burglarized?”

Helen walked toward the house. “Yes, it looks that way. I just got back from Portland. I’ve been in Europe for over a month. I noticed the door was ajar and came in to discover this.”

Angel and her partner, a nice looking man she took to be in his early thirties, followed her to the porch and asked her to stay outside while they took a look. After a few minutes, Angel met her at the car. “Eric is looking around outside. “ Angel pursed her lips. “Can you tell if anything is missing?”

“Not really. It’ll take me a while to go through the house.”

“If you want I’ll call the state forensics lab. Not sure it’ll do much good though. Someone probably knew you were gone and thought the house might be a good prospect.”

Eric came around the corner. “We’ll have to do more than that, Angel,” he said. “Looks like we have a homicide.”

Chapter Two

“You found a body?” Helen brushed a hand through her damp hair. “Where?”

“Out back. Just off your deck.”

Helen stared at him in disbelief. Her first thought was of Janelle. “I need to see.”

She bolted and raced around to the back of the house. Eric yelled at her to stop and she did once she saw the body. “Oh, no. I was afraid of this.”

“Do you know her?” Angel asked.

“Janelle Cooper. She picks up my mail and checks the house for me when I’m gone.” Helen sank onto the porch step, moisture from the damp wood soaking into her slacks. “She must have walked in on the intruders.”

As a police officer and later a detective, Helen had seen her share of death. But this was different. This was Helen’s home and Janelle had been a friend. She forced herself to look at the dead woman. A head wound seemed the obvious cause of death. Janelle’s gray-blonde hair was matted in blood. “I can’t believe it. Who would want to kill Janelle?”

Angel hunkered down next to the victim. “If she put up a fight, maybe forensics will be able to come up with some DNA.”

“When did you say you got into town, Mrs. Bradley?” Eric asked.

Helen glanced at her watch. Ten fifteen. “I got into Portland a couple of hours ago. I only just arrived here. I came in, saw the mess, did a walk through to make certain no one was here and I called you.” She chewed in her lower lip. “I didn’t think to check out here.”

“Can you vouch for your whereabouts?” He lifted his chin and rested his hands in his belt.

“Of course.” Helen sighed. She didn’t blame the officer for asking. She’d have done the same thing.

“I flew into Portland at seven, left there at around eight. My ticket information is in the car.”

“This woman’s been dead for a while, Eric.” Angel looked up at them. “The medical examiner can tell us for sure.”

Angel let her gaze linger on Helen. “Do you have any idea who might have done this, Mrs. Bradley?” She frowned. “I mean, did you have something here that would warrant breaking in and trashing the place like this?”

“If you mean information on cases I’ve worked on, no. The only things I have on my computer are a few articles. Since I left the police department, I’ve been freelancing. I write for several travel magazines.”

“Cases?” Eric cast her another suspicious look.

“I was a detective with the Portland Police and I occasionally help the sheriff here with his investigations.”

“So you’re a deputy?”

“Not exactly. More of a consultant.” She looked around. “Where is Sheriff Adams, by the way? This is his jurisdiction.”

“He’s on a domestic case in east county.” Angel said. “We were close by when your call came in.”

Helen nodded. Though she had nothing against Angel and her partner, she would have preferred working with Joe.

“What about your friend, here?” Eric asked. “Did she have any enemies?”

“Not that I know of. Janelle is a widow. Or was. To my knowledge, she lived alone and did some house sitting. I think she was a part-time housekeeper for one of the property rental places.”

The local sheriff, Joe Adams, drove up cutting the interview short. Seeing Joe took away some of Helen’s unease. Joe, a well-respected officer and a friend, was in his early thirties. He was also a nice-looking bachelor who had a number of the area’s single ladies swooning.  From the admiring look in Angel’s dark brown eyes, she might be one of them.

As Helen had told Angel and Eric, she worked with him on occasion. She listened while Eric gave his report to Joe, feeling relieved that he would be handling the case after all. “I called the State Police,” Eric said. “They’re sending someone from the medical examiner’s office.”

Joe clapped Eric on the back and thanked him and Angel for responding.

When Eric and Angel drove away, Joe pulled Helen aside. “You okay? You look pretty worn out.”

“It’s been a long day.” 

“And it promises to be longer.” Rain dripped from his wavy dark hair. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“Oh.” It hadn’t occurred to her until now that she wouldn’t be able to stay in her home. “I think so. I’ll call Rosie Monahan. She’ll still be up.”

Joe nodded. “Good idea. It’s going to take a while to deal with this mess. I’ll get forensics out here. I doubt you’ll be able to get your house back for a day or two and then there’s the clean-up.”

Helen grimaced. “You’ll let me know when I can get back in?”

“Sure.” He lifted off his hat and wiped an arm across his brow. “Welcome back, by the way.”

“Thanks.” Helen glanced at the house. “Not the welcome I was expecting, that’s for sure.”

Joe nodded his sympathy.

“Can I use your phone to call Rosie? My battery is dead.”

He handed her his cell. “I take it you know the number.”

Helen nodded and smiled. Rosie was her best friend and confidant.

Less than half an hour later, Helen was sitting in the apartment above Past Times, her favorite book store and coffee shop, in front of a warm fire, nursing a hot cup of herbal tea. Weariness and exhaustion had claimed her but sleep remained elusive. Not that she could have slept anyway. Rosie demanded to know all the details.

Her friend sat in a matching comfy chair, a knitted shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She looked much like a book store and coffee shop owner should, at least in Helen’s eyes. A throwback from the hippy days, Rosie usually dressed in a long denim skirt, a long over-shirt and Birkenstocks with socks. Somehow her manner of dress, her thick, wavy red hair and her extra fifty pounds of weight all fit together into a dear woman who not only knew everyone, but loved them as well. Tonight she had on a long flannel nightgown with a knitted multi-colored shawl around her shoulders.

They talked for several minutes about Janelle, but neither could come up with a motive for murdering their friend. “She likely interrupted a burglary.” Helen caressed her cup appreciating the warmth it provided. “It does no good to speculate,” she added. “Once I’m able to go through my things, I might have a better idea of what the intruder wanted. Of course, it may have been a random act. As one of the officers said, someone knew that I was out of town and decided they might find something worth taking.” She frowned. “That doesn’t make much sense either. My computers, and television. All of the electronics were still there.”

Rosie shook her head. “Janelle didn’t have an enemy in the world. You know her. Always going the extra mile. I can’t believe she’s dead.”

“I can’t either.” Helen closed her eyes, envisioning Janelle’s body lying just off her porch. “But it’s true.”

After a few moments of silence, which Helen spent musing over the evening’s events and gazing into the fire, Rosie said. “Somehow I don’t think we’re going to solve this crime tonight.”

“You’re right about that.” Helen took a sip of the now lukewarm brew.

Rosie yawned. “Sorry. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately. Hot flashes.”

Helen nodded and rolled her eyes in sympathy. “Now those I understand all too well.”

“So tell me about Paris.” Rosie’s brown eyes sparkled in the firelight. She was the only person with whom Helen shared her news about the wedding.

Helen relaxed against the cushions as thoughts of how her rendezvous with JB had turned into a marriage and a glorious honeymoon. “He proposed the moment my plane arrived. Strangely enough I said yes. I didn’t hesitate for a second.”

“Just like that? You always told me you’d never marry again, especially not another agent. I couldn’t believe it when you called.”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” She sighed. “But there I was in the most beautiful city in the world with the man I’ve loved for years. I knew I didn’t want to go a minute more without him in my life. He feels the same way about me.”

“How fortunate you are. A handsome man like JB sweeping you off your feet like that.” She closed her eyes and tipped her head back for a moment. Then setting her cup on the coffee table said, “I hope you took tons and tons of pictures.”

“I did. Once I get them in some sort of order, I’ll bring them by.”

“You’d better.” Rosie stood and collected the cups and the plate on which she’d served her homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. “And I’d better let you get to bed.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.”

“I made up the guest room right after you called. There are towels on the bed and everything you’ll need.”

Helen hugged her. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome and I’m sorry you had such a nasty homecoming.”

“Me too. It feels like a bad dream.” She still couldn’t believe her home had been broken into. Or that her sanctuary had been violated by a murder. Maybe it had been a random burglary and Janelle had interrupted the thieves. Nevertheless, she’d look into it. Perhaps tomorrow she’d know more. In the meantime, she needed to get some sleep. She’d been awake for the better part of two days due to their flights from France to Portland.

Once she’d showered, donned a pair of flannel pajamas, Helen climbed under the covers. She closed her eyes, hoping for sleep rather than the ruminations she expected. Despite the horror of finding Janelle’s body in her back yard and the questions surrounding the break-in, sleep claimed her almost immediately and carried her through to morning.

Helen awoke to the murmur of voices below and the scent of coffee and pastries wafting up from the floor below. She lay in the warm bed for several minutes before checking her watch. It was nearly nine. Past Times, being one of the area’s most popular coffee shops, would be full of customers. Thinking about the coffee and goodies waiting below made her stomach growl.

Helen tossed the covers aside and hurried to the bathroom. She’d brought in her suitcase from the car the night before and hurriedly slipped on a pair of jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt. She topped it with the blue sweater she’d worn on her drive home the evening before. The room was chilly, but Helen had no doubt Rosie’s coffee and a heated cream cheese croissant would warm her up quickly.

As she stepped into the shop, Helen heard Joe’s baritone voice. Being one of Rosie’s regulars, he stood at the counter with a travel coffee mug in his hand. “Hey Joe,” Helen called out to him as she stepped away from the stairwell.

“Helen.” He lifted his mug in a salute. “You’re just the person I want to see.”

“The feeling is mutual. Why don’t you grab a couple of chairs? I’ll get some coffee and join you.”

“Here you go, Helen.” Rosie set a drink on the counter along with a croissant. “Your favorite, an Irish cream latte.”

“That was quick. How did you know I was coming?”

Rosie winked. “Sound travels well in this place. I could hear a mouse walk, that is if there was a mouse, which there isn’t.”

“That’s good to know. I hope I wasn’t too noisy.”

“Other than sounding like an elephant....” She chuckled. “Just teasing.”

Helen took her items to the two corner chairs Joe had chosen. After setting her coffee and croissant on the table, she asked, “Have you learned anything new?”

“Not much. The ME is putting time of death yesterday afternoon around three. It’s looking more and more as if she interrupted a burglary in progress.” He paused to sip his drink. “I’m thinking that whoever broke into your place was looking for something.”

“And we won’t know what until I can check the place out.”

“You can go over any time. Just say when and I’ll meet you there.”

She nodded. “Can we go after we finish our coffees?”

“Sounds good.” Joe shrugged off his jacket and leaned back into the deep red cushioned chair. “We need to inform Janelle’s family, but so far I haven’t found that she has one.”

“I’ve been thinking about that.” Helen frowned. “I seem to remember her saying something about having a mother in a nursing home here in town. I don’t think there’s anyone else. She lost a daughter to breast cancer a while back. She’s never mentioned anyone else to me. Rosie couldn’t think of anyone either.”

“We’ll check into her history.”

Helen bit into her croissant, reveling in the flaky pastry and decadent cream cheese filling. Once she’d swallowed, she said, “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

“Yeah. I’d only talked to her a couple of times, but she seemed nice.”

“Not the sort of person someone would want to murder.”

Chapter Three

Half an hour later, Helen surveyed her trashed house and wanted to cry. It was going to take days to straighten up the mess and put things in order. Before even starting, however, she needed to do a walk-through with Joe to determine if anything was missing. She couldn’t imagine what that might be. She wasn’t a collector of valuable antiques. She had no secret files or documents. No fancy china. No expensive jewelry—at least nothing she kept in the house. The diamond and sapphire brooch she’d inherited from her mother along with the diamond ring from her marriage to Ian had been stored away in a safe deposit box in a Portland bank.

When she lamented these facts to Joe, he shrugged. “Maybe the intruder thought you had something important.”

“I guess the only way to find out is to get to work.”

“I’d like to stay and help put things away,” Joe said, “but I really should do some research on Janelle. Did you say you had an address?”

“I think so.” Helen dug through her address file and found Janelle’s name. “I have a phone number, but no address.”

Joe jotted down the number. “I should be able to do a reverse check.”

His cell phone rang. “Adams, here.” He smiled. “Hi, Angel. I’ll ask her.” Holding up the phone, he said, “Angel has the day off and is offering to help you clean up the mess.”

“That’s sweet. Tell her thanks but I really need to go through everything myself. I don’t want to miss anything.”

Joe relayed the message and sent Helen a wave as he left.

Helen didn’t bother to wave back. Instead, she righted her favorite rocker with its matching ottoman and sank into it. She needed to plan a course of action. The job had that overwhelming feel to it, which meant she needed to break it down into smaller tasks. Easier said than done.

After a deep and lingering sigh, she made herself move forward into the mess. The walk-through had proven unfruitful, as did the first hour of righting the furniture and returning the dishes and pantry supplies to the cupboard. Something about the entire business troubled her, but she passed the feeling off as annoyance and frustration.

She picked up the umbrella stand and set the four umbrellas into the tall ceramic vase half filled with stones to keep it upright. Fortunately, it hadn’t broken and the rocks were still inside. From the entry Helen made her way into the kitchen. She’d want something to eat before long and probably make some tea. After that she’d tackle the living room area. She’d leave the rooms with doors to the end so that even if she didn’t get to them today, the house would look somewhat tidy.

Once she’d straightened up the kitchen, Helen put water on to boil while she went into the living room. She noticed that her fireplace tools were missing. Helen never used them since she had a gas fireplace, but kept them for show.  Why would anyone take them, unless the CSI techs had taken them. She’d have to ask Joe. In the meantime, she began to gather up the books. She had hundreds, and nearly all of them were lying about in heaps. Oddly enough, the books looked intact as if they had been placed in piles. That’s when it hit her.

“Oh, my,” she uttered aloud. Something had been bothering her the entire time she’d been working that morning and she’d even had inkling of it the night before, but nothing had gelled until now.

She sat back on her haunches. “It’s been staged.” This wasn’t a savage break-in and possibly not even a robbery. Everything she’d worked with so far, even the pantry items, had been placed about rather than strewn about. Someone had wanted her and the police to think she’d been robbed and the place ransacked and that Janelle had interrupted a burglary. She now suspected Janelle’s murder may have come first and that this clutter was an afterthought.

The tea kettle whistled and Helen made herself some tea and then cleared a way to her favorite chair. She’d call Joe soon, but not before mulling things over. Sipping her Earl Grey, she went back to her original question. “Why would anyone want to kill Janelle and why kill her here in my home?”

The phone rang and Helen let the answering machine pick it up. She wasn’t in the mood to talk with anyone.

“Mother?” It was Kate and she sounded upset. “What’s going on? I thought you were in Europe. When did you get back and why haven’t you called me? And…and what’s this about a body being found in your back yard?”

How in the world had she found out about that?

Helen set down her tea. Of course. She might have known. With her son, Jason, working for the Portland Police and her history there, word was apt to get around.

Kate was still talking when Helen snatched up the receiver. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m here.”

“I…I…Mom, what’s going on?”

“I was planning to call you today. JB and I got in last night and I decided to come straight home.”

“You and JB?”

Helen winced. She hadn’t meant to include JB and now that she had she might as well get everything out in the open. “Yes. I was going to sit down with all of you soon. Kate, JB and I were married a couple of weeks ago. We’ve been honeymooning in Europe and just got back yesterday.”

“M…married?” As Helen had expected, Kate wasn’t taking the news well. “And you didn’t think it was important to let us know?”

“Of course I did. I wanted to tell you straight away, but I was afraid of how you’d react so I kept putting it off. I was going to wait until I got home.”

“I see.”

Helen heard the hurt in her daughter’s voice. “I shouldn’t have kept you in the dark. I’m sorry.”

“I doubt that.”

“Kate, please try to understand.”

“Humph. I’ve been living with your secrets all of my life. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you’d leave me out of the picture now.”

Helen rubbed her forehead. Not telling the family about the wedding had been a bad choice. “This isn’t the way I wanted you to find out. I thought maybe we’d have a sort of post-wedding reception.”

“Don’t bother.”

“Kate, you know I love you. You and Jason and the kids mean the world to me. But I have my own life and you have to admit that you’ve been a little too solicitous lately.”

“I’m looking out for you. Someone has to. You’re not getting any younger and some of the things you get yourself involved in…I mean…. You’re not a police woman anymore. You’re not a spy.” She sighed. “Oh, what’s the point? You never listen to me.”

“If you’re referring to that ridiculous idea you had about my moving in with you....” Helen bit back her own annoyance. “Kate, I don’t want to argue with you. I appreciate that you love me and that you are concerned about my welfare, but I am your mother, not your wayward child. And I am not, despite what you might think, an invalid. I don’t need a nursing home, or assisted living or even a retirement community. I am doing just fine on my own.”

“Then why was someone murdered in your back yard?”

Helen winced. “I have no idea.”

“Do you want me to come down? Joe told Jason that the place was a mess. I can bring the kids.”

“Maybe this weekend. I was going to extend the invitation to all of you. I’d planned to tell you all about JB.”

“All right. This weekend. We could use a trip down to the beach anyway. Just be careful, okay? And get new locks on the door.”

“Kate.” Helen soothed. “I’m all right. Really.”

After an exaggerated sigh, Kate said, “Shall I tell the others about you and JB?”

“Sure. It’ll give everyone a chance to get used to the idea.”

“Call if you need me before Friday,” Kate said.

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Helen settled the phone into the cradle and took a sip of her cooled tea. Picking up the phone again, she placed a call to Joe. The receptionist at the sheriff’s office promised to give him the message that she’d called. After taking her cup to the kitchen, Helen continued to clean. By the time the phone rang again, she’d managed to get most of the books back into the book cases. Knick-knacks, though she didn’t have many, had been returned to their respective places.

“Hey, Helen,” Joe said. “I got your call. I’m near your house. Is now a good time?”

“Absolutely.”

Several minutes later, she ushered him in, glad to have the living room nearly ready for guests. “I’m glad you came by.” She gestured toward the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“No thanks. I’m trying to cut back.”

“In that case, I’ll get right to the point. I haven’t discovered anything missing, except my fireplace tools.” 

Joe nodded. “I forgot to tell you, the CSI people took them. They found the poker on the rocks about ten feet from the body”

“I see.”

“You had something else to tell me?”

“Yes. I think whoever killed Janelle staged the house to make it look as though someone had broken in.”

“What makes you think that?”

“The place looks a mess, but everything has been placed in an orderly fashion. Nothing is broken. The books, for instance, had been taken out of the bookcase and stacked, not strewn about.”

“Interesting.” Joe said.

“I’m not sure what it means yet, but it’s something to keep in mind.”

Joe nodded. “I have something for you as well. I’ve been looking for information on Janelle and it turns out she doesn’t exist, at least not in any of our data bases. We have no prints on file. There’s no social security number, no driver’s license, nothing. We’re doing a statewide search. I have no idea who this woman is.”

Helen sank onto the couch. “But she’s been watching my house for the last four years. She’s a friend. She’s…”

“So where did she live?” Joe asked. “Did she have a car?”

“I have no idea.” Helen stared out the patio door to the place they’d found Janelle’s body the night before. “I’d like to find out.”

“I thought you’d probably say that.” He handed her a photo. “The medical examiner faxed it to me this morning. I took the liberty of making you a copy. It would save us a lot of time if you were to check with anyone who might have known her. Also, you mentioned that she worked for one of the property management places. Any idea which one?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember. I didn’t call any of her references. That wasn’t too smart, but she seemed trustworthy and kind and someone at church recommended her.” Helen rolled her eyes. “I might have a copy of the references she gave me in my file drawer.”

Helen hurried upstairs into the bedroom she used as an office. Like everything else in the house, the room was a disaster. Covers had been stripped off the bed; files pulled out and left on the floor. Her desktop computer was the only thing that hadn’t been moved.

She doubled back to the living room where she’d left Joe pacing. “Sorry, but it’ll take a while to find her file up there.”

“Well, if you learn anything new, let me know.”

“I will. Did the CSI technicians find anything useful?” Crime Scene Investigators worked out of Portland and would probably not have much to report for a few days, but maybe the preliminary investigation had turned up something.

“You know how that goes. Nothing so far. I called Jason earlier to see if he could shake things up a little. He’s the one who told me they couldn’t find any trace of Janelle. Something else that seems a bit strange. There were no discernible prints here. Looks like someone may have wiped everything down and then used gloves to mess things up.”

It was shortly after noon when Joe left. Helen decided she needed a break from cleaning. She also needed food. Unfortunately, her refrigerator was as empty as her stomach. She stashed the photo of Janelle in her purse along with her fully charged cell phone. After slipping into her lightweight jacket, she locked the door and remembered that she still needed to call a locksmith. Something she would do later.

Helen’s mind buzzed with questions about Janelle as she drove into town and turned into the large parking area in front of Rosie’s. Upon entering the book store/coffee shop, she called out to her friend.

“Coming.” Rose called from the kitchen behind the counter. “Just have to take out my last batch of brownies.”

Helen wandered back to the kitchen. “No hurry. It’s just me. Can you close for lunch? I need to eat and we need to talk.”

“Sure.” Rosie eyed her warily as she slid the tray of brownies onto the stove top. “What’s going on?”

“You know our friend, Janelle. The one who was killed in my back yard?”

Rosie frowned. “I know that look. What’s up?”

“Janelle Cooper doesn’t exist. At least not according to the police.”

“That’s crazy. We know her. She…”

“I know. You and I are going to make a list of everything we know about her and everyone she knew. I have a lot of blanks to fill in and I thought maybe we could do it over lunch.”

Rosie went over to the coffee shop’s entrance and turned the open sign over. “There. Officially closed. I’ll make sandwiches. I have bread rising and can’t really leave the shop right now. How about a chicken cranberry cashew salad and some fresh croissants.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Rosie ducked into the kitchen again and came out with two croissants, butter lettuce leaves and a bowl of a delicious looking salad. She set it all on a small round bistro table near the fireplace and disappeared into the kitchen again and then came back with plates, napkins and utensils. “Set these on the table and I’ll get us some coffee. Your usual?”

“Why not? I’m already wired, might as well go big.”

Rosie laughed. “I’ll do half decaf for both of us.”

A few minutes later, Helen spread chicken salad on the buttery croissant and topped it with a couple of lettuce leaves. “This is perfect.” 

Once she’d taken a few bites and had a couple sips of her latte, Helen pulled her note pad out of her bag. “Now, talk. What do you remember about Janelle.”

“Her mother is in the nursing home here in town,” Rosie said. “I think her name is Betty. I visited the nursing home last Christmas and brought goodies for all of the residents.”

“I remember that. Is Betty still alive?”

“One way to find out.” Rosie disappeared upstairs for a few minutes and came back down with a phone directory. “Here’s the number. Why don’t you call the facility and ask about her?”

Helen did just that. Yes, Betty Sullivan was still alive, but her daughter hadn’t been in for over a week.

“I have some bad news, I’m afraid,” Helen told the woman from the facility, “Janelle Cooper has died.”

“Oh, no, that’s too bad. I’ll let her mother know. I don’t know that telling her will do much good though. She has Alzheimer’s, you know.”

Helen didn’t know. “I need to get some contact information on Janelle. We’d like to notify her next of kin.” 

“Hold on a minute.”

“Would it help if I came over there? Maybe I could talk to her mother as well.”

“Sure, but I’m not sure it will do much good. I just looked up Betty’s file and there’s nothing here about Janelle.”

“Not even a phone number?”

“Well, yes. I do have that.” She read off the number and Helen thanked her, then immediately dialed the number.

“Hello, this is Janelle, please leave a name and number and…”

“Hello,” a familiar male voice interrupted the recording.

“Joe? Is that you?”

“Yeah. How did you get this number?”

“I called the nursing home where her mother lives. Are you at Janelle’s home?”

“No, this is her cell phone.”

“So she had the phone on her when she was killed?”

“She did, but the phone and the number are registered to Betty Sullivan.”

“Her mother.” Helen sighed. “Rosie and I are trying to come up with more information about Janelle. I thought I’d do some research on Betty as well. I’m planning to drop by the facility to see her. She has Alzheimer's, but I might be able to learn something.”

“Good luck with that. I just got a memo on Betty Sullivan. She never had a daughter, let alone one named Janelle.”

Helen blew out a long breath. “This case is getting stranger by the minute.”

“No kidding.” Joe cleared his throat. “Looks like Betty had a son, but he’s deceased. Why don’t you head on over to the nursing home. Talk with the staff and Mrs. Sullivan. Someone, somewhere has to know something.”

Chapter Four

“Can you give me more information on Betty’s family?” Helen asked Joe. “With Janelle gone, someone will need to be listed as a contact in Betty’s file.”

“As I said, her son died a couple of years ago from cancer. Left a wife and daughter. But the wife wasn’t Janelle. It’s possible that Janelle was adopted or a foster child. I’m checking with children’s services.”

“Out of curiosity, what was the son’s name and who did he marry?”

“His name was Brett Sullivan and his wife is Sherrie. We’ll work on locating her.”

“All right, thanks. I’ll head over to the nursing home and talk to Betty and the staff.”

“One more thing,” Joe said, “the facial recognition software came up with nothing. If we didn’t have her body laid out in the morgue, I’d swear the woman never existed.”

After hanging up, Helen relayed Joe’s information to Rosie. “Our Janelle Cooper doesn’t exist as Janelle, but she had to be someone else before she changed her name.”

“Makes you wonder if she was running from someone.” Rosie drained her cup and began to take her empty plates to the kitchen.

“There are a lot of reasons to change one’s name. Witness Protection. She could have been involved in criminal activity. Or been the victim of abuse.” Helen examined her sandwich before taking a bite.

“She could be using an alias to carry out fraudulent activity,” Rosie suggested.

“Or scamming someone.”

“Hard to believe that of Janelle.” Rosie poured herself another cup of coffee and then went to turn her sign back to open.

Once she’d finished her sandwich, Helen took her dishes to the counter. “Thanks for the lunch. That chicken salad was wonderful.”

“Thanks. I’m thinking of offering it as a lunch option.”

“Yum. I’ll be a regular customer.”

Rosie grinned. “You already are.”

Helen chuckled. “I should get going. Maybe I’ll turn up something at the nursing home.”

“Okay, I’ll keep trying to come up with information on Janelle. Oh, one thing, you said she didn’t have a driver’s license. She may not have had a car. I’ve seen her walking and riding a bike, but never noticed a car.”

“Thanks.” Helen added that bit of information to her scanty bio of her house-sitter. Before heading out, Helen scanned the sky for clouds. Seeing only a scattering, she put the top down. Even with all the craziness, there was no reason she couldn’t enjoy the ride and the sun.

Several minutes later she drove up to Vista Ridge Convalescent Center. She didn’t much like places like this, but they were necessary when the elderly and infirm needed long term and twenty-four hour care. And some of the facilities, she had to admit, were quite nicely appointed.

Vista Ridge was one of the nice ones. The view from the reception area and large social room showed off their exceptional view of the coast.

“Can I help you?” The question came from a young woman behind the counter at the nurses station.

“Hi,” Helen stepped up to the counter. “I’m Helen Bradley and I called a little while ago about Betty Sullivan.”

“Oh right.” The girl, Mindy, according to her name tag, didn’t look much more than sixteen, but the wedding ring on her finger and a photo of a small child on a bulletin board near her desk, said she was probably in her twenties. The older one got, Helen mused, the younger these under-thirty people seemed. “She’s in the community room. The supervisor told her about her daughter, but she didn’t respond.”

“Is your supervisor here?”

“Sure. Hang on a sec and I’ll see if she’s free.” A phone down the hall rang. “Helen Bradley is here to talk with you about Betty’s daughter.”

The woman must have responded positively as Mindy gave Helen a generous smile and said, “Mrs. Madison be right with you.”

And she was. The supervisor grinned and extended a hand. “Helen. Good to see you.”

“Sandra.” The woman, a member of Helen’s church, had three teenage children, a full time job and was somewhat of a social butterfly. “I’d forgotten you worked here.”

“No wonder, you’re not around all that often.”

“Too true.”

“Come on back to my office.” 

Once Helen had taken a seat in one of two armchairs in the spacious office, Sandra snatched a file off her desk and joined her. “I understand we have a bit of a mystery in the making.”

“It certainly appears so. I came home last night to find my home had been ransacked and Janelle Cooper lying dead in my backyard. In trying to find next of kin, we’ve hit a brick wall. Janelle Cooper, according to the police, doesn’t exist. Rosie Monahan and I remembered that Janelle’s mother lived here.”

“I have to tell you that I’m shocked we don’t have more information on Janelle. We always have contact information, but with Janelle it was only a phone number.”

“The phone number is listed under Betty’s name. And we’ve learned that Betty never had a daughter, only a son.”

Sandy frowned. “There must be some mistake. Janelle made the arrangements for Betty to be admitted here. There is no mention of a son on her chart.”

“He died several years ago.”

Sandra pressed her lips together and made a note on the chart. “Janelle was always so attentive to Betty. We had no reason to think there might be a problem. However, now that I think about it, it does seem strange that Betty never mentioned having a daughter. I’ve spoken with her numerous times and she always asked about her son. In fact when I told her that her daughter had passed away, she said she didn’t have a daughter.”

“Which is apparently true,” Helen said. “There is a possibility that Janelle may have been adopted or been a foster child. The sheriff is looking at that angle.”

Sandra frowned. “Though Janelle doesn’t seem the type, there is another possibility. I’m sure you’re aware that some people prey on the elderly. There was one case not long ago that a couple of so called ‘care-givers’ swindled an elderly man out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They ended up with power of attorney and took everything. Ironically, they were never charged because they had legal documentation.”

“I’ve heard of things like that happening. Do you know anything about Betty’s finances?”

“Only that her social security checks come to us. Janelle paid for any additional expenses over Medicare. She has a small amount for miscellaneous personal needs in an account here. As to what she might have outside of that, I wouldn’t know. According to the admittance forms, Janelle had been caring for her at home until she was no longer able to do so.”

Helen nodded. “I appreciate your talking with me. If it’s okay, I’ll visit with Betty for a few minutes.”

“Of course.” Both women stood. This time Sandra reached out for a hug and Helen complied. “Good to see you again, even if the circumstances are less than ideal.”

“You too. Be sure to call me or the sheriff if you think of anything that might help the case.”

“I will. And if you find a next of kin we’d like to know.”

On the way home from Vista Ridge, Helen stopped at the grocery store for a few items that she could turn into a light dinner. Her brief visit with Betty had brought nothing but sadness and frustration. Betty barely acknowledged her. She’d have to find out what the connection was between Betty and Janelle some other way. The best place to start, she determined, was with Betty’s daughter-in-law.

Once home, Helen cut up carrots, celery and onion and sautéed them. To that she added hamburger, a small jar of green chilies and spices and then drowned the mixture in chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Setting the chili on simmer, she went upstairs to her office and clicked on the computer. Once it had booted up, she began searching for Brett Sullivan. Minutes later, she’d found the man she thought was Betty’s son. A funeral home in Santa Barbara had posted his obituary. He’d died five years ago leaving a mother, Betty, a wife and eighteen-year-old daughter. By tracking down Brett, she now had a phone number for Sherrie.

When a woman answered, Helen immediately thought it shouldn’t be this easy. And of course, it wasn’t. Yes, the woman’s name was Sherrie Sullivan and yes, she was a widow who’d been married to Brett. She also admitted to having a mother-in-law named Betty.

“Why are you calling me?” Sherrie asked.

“I’m trying to track down Betty Sullivan’s family.” Helen switched her phone to her other ear and picked up a pen. “Do you know a woman named Janelle Cooper?”

“No, sorry.” The woman hesitated. “Look, I wish I could help you, but we haven’t been in contact with Betty since before Brett died. I sent her a note saying that Brett had cancer and didn’t have long to live. She never responded. They didn’t have a close relationship and I took her silence as a lack of interest. After Brett died, I tried to reach out to her again. Our daughter wanted to visit her grandmother, but again, there was no response. To be honest, I let it go. I did send Christmas cards thinking maybe she’d like to know about Caitlin. The cards never came back and she made no attempt to contact us.”

“She’s in a nursing home and a woman named Janelle Cooper told people here that Betty was her mother. Janelle was killed and we’re trying to find next of kin.”

“Betty didn’t have a daughter.”

“So, she didn’t ever adopt or care for a foster child?”

“Never.” Sherrie cleared her throat. “You said she was in a nursing home?”

“Yes, but not until two years ago.” Helen mulled over the information. “Do you still have Betty’s address?” Helen didn’t like the direction her mind was taking, but she’d pursue it anyway.

Helen wrote down the address and thanked Sherrie.

“Mrs. Bradley, do you think maybe she didn’t respond to us because she couldn’t?”

“It’s entirely possible.”

“Um…do you think Caitlin and I should come out to see her?”

“It’s hard to say. She has Alzheimer's, but she does talk about her son. You might want to contact the nurses there.” Helen gave her the name and phone number of the care facility. “I appreciate your taking the time to talk with me.”

“I wasn’t much help, but I hope you find the answers you’re looking for.”

Helen did as well. Tomorrow she’d pay a visit to Betty’s former home. Whoever lived there now might have some idea of what was going on. She settled back in her recliner rocker and took a sip of her tea. Tonight, however, she would do a little more cleaning. She’d need to work on her bedroom so she’d at least have a place to sleep. Helen began righting the furnishings and miscellaneous items when she realized that not only had the sheets been stripped from the bed, they weren’t in the room. A search produced a load of clean sheets and towels in the dryer.

Had Janelle stripped the bed for some reason? Helen could understand wanting to put on fresh sheets for her return, but towels? And why hadn’t Janelle put fresh linens on the bed when she took the others off? There were several sets.

While Helen made the bed and finished cleaning up her bedroom, questions cluttered her mind. Had someone stayed here at the house during her absence? Helen shook the thoughts from her head. Before, when she’d come home, everything had been perfect. Perhaps Janelle had come in to freshen the linens and was surprised by a burglar. Another thought came to mind but Helen dismissed it. She had trusted Janelle and had no reason to suspect she might be staying there herself or worse, renting it out. On the other hand, who was Janelle Cooper?

There were too many unmatched pieces in this puzzle. Pieces Helen intended to find.

Chapter Five

She’d just finished working through her bedroom when she heard a car outside. Helen went to the window and peered out. The yard light illuminated the familiar blue minivan. Kate pulled up alongside Helen’s Thunderbird. “Oh, please. Not now.” She was both annoyed and elated to see her daughter. Kate had probably moved heaven and earth in order to clear out room on her schedule for the visit.

Helen hurried to the door and pulled it open before Kate could knock. As she opened her arms in welcome, she said, “I thought we agreed that you’d wait until the weekend to come.”

“You agreed.” Kate hugged her back. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

The animosity Kate had shown in their earlier phone call had evaporated. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“You were upset. I should have called you the minute we got married.”

Kate grinned. “You should have told me you were considering marriage before you eloped.”

“I didn’t know.” Helen stepped aside to let Kate in.

“I’m not quite sure I believe that, but hold that thought. I want to hear all about it. Just let me get my stuff in first.” Kate set her purse in the entry.

“Can I help?”

“Sure.” Kate opened the side door of the van and pulled out a suitcase. “You can take this, while I get the food.”

“You brought food?”

“Of course.” She chuckled. You just got home. I didn’t think you’d have time to stock the fridge.” She sniffed and added, “Looks like you found something though. Smells good whatever it is.”

“Chili.” What with all the craziness regarding Janelle, she’d forgotten to eat. “There’s plenty if you want some.”

“Sure.” She followed Helen inside and set the box on the counter.

“Is that everything?”

“Almost. I brought a cooler. I’ll get that while you start putting the groceries away.”

Helen’s annoyance had turned to gratitude. She loved her family and enjoyed having them close. Maybe it was the discussion she’d had with Sherrie, but suddenly she felt extremely grateful to have a daughter and son who cared so much about her welfare.

A few minutes later, Kate and Helen were sitting in front of the fireplace with their bowls of chili and some fresh sourdough bread on trays.

For the second time since she arrived home, Helen shared her story about JB’s proposal and her acceptance.

“What a letdown it must be to be so elated from your honeymoon and come home to a murder. You said the place was in shambles.”

“It was and a lot of it still is. I stayed with Rosie last night and then came home to clean up this morning.” Helen told her about feeling that the mess had been staged.

“Why would anyone do that?”

“To make us think Janelle’s death was the result of a straightforward burglary, but I don’t believe that. Especially now.” Helen reiterated the information she’d gathered and included finding the linens in the dryer.”

“You know, mother, it wouldn’t surprise me if Janelle took advantage of your absence to rent your house out to people. I mean she does a fair amount of house-sitting, right?”

“So she said. I’m not sure what to believe. I need to call some of the different property managers. Maybe they can give me more information. In the meantime, I’m going to check out the home Betty had been living in before going to the nursing home. Since Janelle was the one who checked her into the place, there may be a lead of some kind.”

“So, Mother, why are you investigating? Aren’t the police doing their job?”

“Of course, they are. But she died here, Kate. While taking care of my home. I feel like I owe it to her to find out what happened.”

“Even though she may be a criminal?”

“Or a victim.” Helen tipped her head back. She’d always been a good judge of character. “I can’t see that woman as a criminal. You met her, Kate, she seemed entirely trustworthy.”

Kate nodded. “You know as well as I do that some of the most innocent looking people can have the darkest hearts. They are often the serial killers, or rapists.”

“I know. Only too well.” She sighed. “I guess I just don’t like the idea that someone I trusted with my home could betray me.”

Kate scooted out of her chair. “Do you want me come with you?”

“What?”

“Tomorrow, when you check out Betty’s house.” Kate took both trays and headed for the kitchen.

“If you want to.” Helen followed her and began running water in the sink to wash the few dishes they’d used.

“I thought we’d finish cleaning up the house in the morning and then…”

Helen laughed. Kate was one of the most organized people she knew. Helen liked things in order, but Kate went to the extreme. “Let’s not plan the entire day. I’ll need to talk with Joe again before visiting the house. He may have more information.”

“If you’re planning to stay here,” Helen said as she washed the dishes, “you’ll have to either clean up the guest room or sleep on the couch.”

“I’ll take the guest room.” Kate headed for the stairs.

Helen left Kate to her task as she finished the dishes. That done she went to lock the doors. Only then did she remember that she’d forgotten to have the locks changed. She placed a rod in the slider of the patio doors as she usually did to prevent anyone from opening it. The night before it had been closed, but unlocked and minus the rod. With the front door, Helen placed the umbrella stand in front of it so that anyone opening it would make a lot of noise. It was then that she thought about Janelle having keys to her home. She’d have to remember to ask Joe whether they found keys on Janelle’s body. Helen wondered about other keys too. Most of the rentals had keys that locked into a box that required a code. Maybe she should consider doing that as well.

Kate came down the stairs. “The bed’s made and most of the stuff is picked up. I’ll finish it tomorrow.” When she saw Helen place the umbrella stand in front of the door, she stopped. “You forgot to have the locks changed?”

“Yes, but I’m sure we’ll be fine. If it makes you feel any safer, I could sleep down here on the couch with my gun under my pillow.”

“Would you?” Kate smirked. “That would make me feel oh so much better.”

Helen rolled her eyes at the dramatics then showed her the rod that would keep the patio door from opening.

“Okay, but how about we move a chair in front of the main door?”

Once Kate was satisfied of their safety, they went to their respective rooms. Helen didn’t mention that if someone wanted to get in they could easily break a window.

Before crawling between the sheets, Helen paused to enjoy her view of the ocean. The house sat on a cliff high above the surf. Helen loved watching the waves swell and crash into the jagged rocks below. Her gaze drifted in closer, just beyond the patio where Janelle’s body had lain. She shuddered as the image of the dead woman came back. “What happened to you,” Helen whispered. “Who are you?”

She rubbed her forehead forcing the image away. She opened the window an inch so she could hear the ocean and collect some fresh air before climbing into bed. With random thoughts about Janelle, the break-in and JB, sleep took a long time to claim her.

Helen woke to sunshine and the delicious smell of bacon. “Bless you Kate,” she murmured as she tossed her covers aside and slid out of bed. She pulled on a bathrobe, made her bed and followed the wonderful smells to the kitchen.

“How long have you been up?” Helen asked.

“About an hour.” Kate handed her mother a cup of coffee. “Is this okay? I know you like tea in the morning.”

“I do, but this is fine.” Helen pulled a container of creamer from the refrigerator. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Thought I should earn my keep.” She set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Helen and then added a piece of sourdough toast.

“Mm. My favorite.” She nibbled on a crispy piece of bacon.

After pouring them both a glass of orange juice, Kate joined her at the counter. “I thought we’d change things up a little. We should take advantage of the sun and get a walk in this morning. Who knows how long it will last?”

“I’m all for that. We’ll drive on into Lincoln City and walk on the beach there. Then if you’re game, we can grab a latte at Rosie’s before heading up to check on Betty’s house. It’s bit south of here.”

Kate’s brow knit in a frown.

“You don’t have to come with me to check out the house if you don’t want to.”

“I know.” She raised an eyebrow. “But someone has to keep you out of trouble.”

Helen chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

“Mother, you know I didn’t mean it.”

“Yes you did, but I forgive you.”

The topic floated away from the turbulence surrounding Janelle’s death and into the calmer waters of family. “So tell me all about the kids,” Helen said.

“Jennie and Lisa are doing their usual teenage things. Boys, school, boys…” She shook her head. “To be honest, it’s primarily Lisa who’s into boys. Jennie is her usual level-headed self. All she thinks about is getting through law school and becoming a detective.”

Helen couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in the girls. Lisa was so like her mother and Jennie, well, that girl had her grandparents’ sense of adventure running through her veins.

“They said to tell you hi.”

“I can’t wait to see them.” Kate and her husband Kevin Calhoun had two children, Lisa, sixteen and Kurt, ten. Jason and Susan had two children, Jennie, sixteen and Nick, almost five. Helen loved being a grandmother.

“You need to update your pictures of the kids,” Kate said nodding toward the hallway where Helen displayed family photos. She laughed. “Looks like you’re only about four years behind.”

“True. Maybe you can do that while you’re here. I have a bunch of photos that need to be switched out.” She had a tendency to tuck away things like photos to deal with later and later somehow never came.

After finishing breakfast, Helen and Kate headed for Roads End. They would walk from the park there. With the tide out, the sand was packed and perfect for walking. They both removed their shoes, rolled up their pant legs and enjoyed wading in the icy ocean and racing away from waves to keep from getting their slacks wet. Helen never tired of playing tag with the surf, even though the surf usually won. The fresh air tended to clear her mind, but that wasn’t the case today. Thought of Janelle sullied her usual serenity as she kept mulling over the case.

After about three miles, Kate admitted she’d had enough. “I’m a little out of practice. To be honest, I’ve spent way too much time on designing projects and too little on exercise.”

Helen grinned. “I wouldn’t worry about it. You couldn’t slow down if you tried.” Kate had inherited Helen’s genetic make-up; they were both slim and active.

They piled into the convertible and headed to Rosie’s for their lattes.

Joe was just getting out if his squad car as they pulled into the parking lot. He waited for them at the door and held it open. After greeting Kate, he said, “You’re just the person I want to see, Helen” 

“You have some news?”

“Not much, but we did find a couple of rental properties who used Janelle. Both of them said she’d done a good job for them. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any information on her either.”

“No address? How did they pay her?”

“By check. My guess is she cashed them at one of the stores who knew her because there’s no record of a bank account.”

“How does a person exist without some kind of a money trail?” Helen then told him about Betty’s house. “It’s a long shot. The house was probably sold when Betty went into the nursing home. But I thought I’d go by there and see if whoever lives there now has any information on Janelle.”

“It’s not much of a lead, but worth following through on.” Joe pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call the court house and find out who owns it now.”

Kate and Helen ordered their lattes and caught Rosie up on Kate’s life. Several minutes later Joe joined them. “The house,” he said, “is still in Betty Sullivan’s name.”

“You don’t suppose Janelle lived there.” Helen thought back to her discussion with Sandy at the nursing home.

“It’s a good guess, Joe said. “I’ll get the keys that we found on the body out of the evidence locker.”

“Sounds good.” Helen’s mood buoyed. Perhaps they were finally going to find the truth about Janelle. “Kate and I will meet you there in a few minutes.”

Twenty minutes later, Helen, Kate and Joe parked in the driveway and walked up to the front entrance of the single story ranch home. It looked well cared for and lived in. Joe knocked on the door. “Police. Anyone home?”

After a few moments he spoke again. “This is Sheriff Adams. Anyone here?” Helen thought she heard a noise at the back of the house and the sound of a motor starting.

“Someone was inside.” Joe took off running in one direction while Helen ran in the other. They reached the back yard at the same time, but saw no sign of whoever had been there. “Stay here, Joe said. “I’ll check the alley.”

He came back a few minutes later shaking his head. “Whoever it was is long gone. I heard a motorcycle but hard to tell if it was our guy.”

“I heard it too. Whoever was here certainly seemed in a hurry to get away.” She gestured toward the house. “The back door is open.”

Chapter Six

Joe stepped inside with his gun drawn and came out seconds later. Holstering his weapon, he said, “No one else is here and nothing seems out of place. Helen, maybe you and I can take a closer look. Kate, I shouldn’t let you come inside. We might be looking at a crime scene.”

“No problem. I’ll wait in the car. I wouldn’t want to mess up any evidence.” Though the remark came off as a bit sarcastic, Kate seemed relieved.

Helen nodded. “It’s probably for the best. In fact, you can take my car and either go back to the house or wait for me at Rosie’s.”

Kate agreed. “I’ll head back to the house and finish straightening things up.”

“Did you ever figure out if anything was missing from your place?” Joe asked as Kate pulled out of the driveway.

“Nothing so far. Like I said before, I think the house was staged to make it look like a burglary attempt gone bad. And with the information or lack of it surrounding Janelle, I’m thinking she may have been the target all along.”

“Could be. Let’s see if the house can tell us anything about our mysterious Janelle Cooper.

“Or whatever her name is,” Helen added.

Joe stepped aside and motioned for Helen to go in front of him.

“Maybe there’s something here that will give us an idea as to her identity.” Helen paused to take in the decor. The house looked like something her mother might have lived in. The furnishings, early American, came complete with crocheted doilies on nearly every flat surface. The rug was a burnt orange shag and the stove and refrigerator a pale, sickly yellow. Likely, Betty had decorated the interior fifty years ago and no one had done anything to change it.

“That’s what I’m hoping.” Joe said. “Why don’t you get started? “He dangled Janelle’s keys. “I want to check the locks to see if one of her keys fits. At least then we can be fairly certain she was living here.”

“I think I can attest to that already.” Helen nodded toward the photos on the refrigerator. “This is Janelle and Betty at some kind of party at the care facility.”

Joe leaned forward for a closer look. “I still don’t get it. Why would Janelle pretend to be Betty’s daughter?”

“And why create this persona?” Helen rubbed at a sore spot on her shoulder. Maybe once this was over she’d treat herself to a massage. The trip home with all those hours in the air created arthritic aches in a number of her joints.

“Living in Betty’s house, pretending to be a daughter.” He shrugged, “Sounds like something a con-artist might do. People prey on the elderly all the time.”

“I still have a hard time seeing Janelle as a criminal. She seemed like such a kind-hearted person.” Helen began pulling out drawers in the kitchen. She and Joe would work their way through the house. With any luck, they’d find some answers.

An hour later Helen and Joe emerged with at least part of the mystery solved. They now knew that Janelle was indeed Betty’s daughter. “What I don’t understand,” Joe said, “is why all the secrecy?”

“Things were different back then, Joe. It sounds like another one of those sad cases when having a child out of wedlock had to be kept secret at all costs.” Betty Sullivan had given birth to a baby girl when she was only 15 years old. She’d given the child to her older sister to raise. Her sister, Charlotte, lived in Ohio and had raised the baby as her own.

“Okay, I get that, I guess, but not to even record the birth?”

“The aunt did record the birth, just not with the name Betty had given her. It’s a good thing the sisters had kept in touch.” According to the papers they’d found, Janelle had discovered her birth certificate after Charlotte’s death. She must have been shocked to find that her real mother was her aunt Betty.

Joe nodded. “I’ll need to get this evidence turned in. Good to know who she really was, but we still have no idea who killed her.”

“At least now we know more about the players.”

“Right. My money’s on the grandson.”

“Hard to believe that’s the case.” Cody Owens was another piece of the puzzle they’d found and Helen agreed that he might indeed be suspect. Though she couldn’t imagine a grandchild murdering his own grandmother, it was a distinct possibility. 

“Happens all too often these days,” Joe said. “Remember the case last week where this kid killed his grandparents because they wouldn’t front him money for drugs?”

Helen winced. “I was in Europe last week so thankfully, no.”

Joe dropped Helen off at the coffee shop where she’d made plans to meet up with Kate. She wanted to share the news of their discovery with both Rosie and Kate and felt much in need of another latte.

Past Times as usual smelled wonderful. Kate had already snagged a corner table where they’d have some privacy. Since the shop was fairly quiet, Rosie brought their drinks and joined then.

“So what did you find out at the house?” Kate stirred the whipped cream into the hot coffee drink.

“Quite a bit.” Helen settled in to relate the story. “Janelle Cooper really is Betty’s daughter. Betty was only sixteen when her Janelle was born. The parents sent Betty off to stay with a sister who took Janelle in as her own. The sister died a few years ago and Janelle discovered that her mother was really an aunt. She also found her birth name and her birth mother. Letters confirmed the transaction. The baby was given the aunt’s last name and the birth record listed her as being Janice Kamden.”

“Wow. So she came out here and took the name Betty had originally given her?”

“Not legally, which is why we couldn’t find any trace of her. At the house, we found checks and several pieces of ID with the name Janice Kamden. I have no idea why she felt she needed to change her name to Janelle other than to please Betty.”

“I wonder why she didn’t have any ID on her when she died.” Rose cradled her cup and took a sip.

“Joe thinks her wallet may have been stolen. He’s going to check for activity in her bank account.”

“On the phone you said there was a grandson?” Kate leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs at the ankle

“Yes. Apparently, Janelle’s daughter had a son and Janelle took him in after the daughter died. Joe’s looking at him as a possible suspect.”

“You think that’s who was in Betty’s house when we arrived?” Kate asked.

“I suspect so. And running certainly makes him look guilty of something.”

“I may have found a clue at your house, Mother,” Kate set her cup on the table beside her and picked up her bag. “I found this book.”

Helen took it and frowned. “An Untimely Death. I don’t recognize it from my stash.”

“I didn’t either and it’s autographed with an odd note thanking you for sharing your home with her.”

“Sharing my home?” Helen frowned as she reread the autograph. Maude Evans. Not someone she recognized.

“I know that author.” Rosie snatched the book out of Helen’s hands. “She lives here in Oregon and comes to the beach sometimes to write. In fact she’s a well-known mystery writer.”

“Now that you mention it, I think I may have met her at a book signing.” Helen acknowledged. “She was staying in my house?”

Kate shrugged, “Apparently. Could Janelle have been renting out your place? That would explain why the sheets and towels were being washed.”

“The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t think she’d do something like that.” Helen ran a hand through her hair. “I trusted her.”

“Sounds like we need to find her grandson. He may have some answers.” Kate set her bag back on the floor. “How old is he?”

“I don’t know. High school maybe. There was a picture on the mantle.”

“Maybe he was running a rental business on the side,” Rosie suggested. “And when Janelle found out he’d rented out your place she confronted him and he killed her.”

Helen shook her head. That’s doubtful; he’s just a kid.” She perused the book jacket. “I wonder how long this has been going on.”

“And who else is involved.” Kate chewed on her lower lip. “I mean if she rented out your place and she worked for other people as well, maybe there are a number of people whose homes were rented while they were gone and without their permission.”

Rosie stood when a customer came in. “I’ll be right back. I have an idea of how we can find out.”

Kate leaned forward, arms resting on her knees. “Do you know any of Janelle’s other customers?”

“She had some files that Joe took with him. We didn’t go through them, but I got the impression they might be people she worked for.”

“You should call Joe and let him know what we’ve found.”

“I suppose.” Helen opened the book and read the autograph again. “Maybe I should talk to this writer first. Find out for sure that she actually did stay at my house and when. She’d be able to tell me who actually rented her the place.”

“Good idea.” Kate drained her cup and set it on the table.

Rosie finished up with her customer and came back, settling into the chair she’d vacated. “So, I think you should talk to Maude.”

“We were thinking the same thing,” Helen said. “You wouldn’t by any chance have contact information.”

Rosie smiled. “I have a card. She came in about a week ago and left me a card and told me about a new book. I carry them for her. In fact, I’m hosting an autograph party for her this weekend.”

She hurried back to the counter. Helen and Kate met her there to pay for their drinks. Maude Evans lived in Portland. On the card were a phone number, a web site and an e-mail address. “I’ll send her an e-mail as soon as I get home. Or maybe I’ll call.” She dropped the card into her bag. “Thanks Rosie. This is a big help.”

“When did you start using Janelle to keep an eye on your house, Mom?” Kate opened the passenger side door after handing the keys off to Helen.

“About four years ago. I only used her when I’d be out of town for a week or two at a time and when Ryan couldn’t be there.” Normally, for short trips into Portland and such. Helen asked her neighbors, the Johnson’s, specifically, their son, Ryan, to bring in the mail and look after the place. But Ryan wasn’t always available and this last time he and his parents were vacationing in California. Thinking about Ryan reminded her of Janelle’s grandson. Perhaps Ryan would know Cody. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Once home, Helen called Maude Evans. The answering machine asked her to leave a message, which she did. She then sent Maude an e-mail thanking her for the book and asking when she’d stayed. She asked that Maude call her and within fifteen minutes the phone rang.

It was Maude. “Hi there. I just got your e-mail message. How can I help you Mrs. McGrady? Um…Helen.”

Helen didn’t bother to correct her. It was going to take her awhile to get used to being called Mrs. Bradley. “I understand you rented my home and was wondering when.”

“Um, just last week. I was there for two weeks and managed to finish my book. Your house is one of my favorites. It’s so nice of you to offer it up.”

“So you’ve stayed here more than once?” Helen’s stomach wrapped itself in knots as she wondered how many more people had been in her home without her knowledge.

“Oh, yes. I was there about six months ago too.”

“Maude, I hate to tell you this, but I don’t rent out my home.”

“Well of course you do…I…What are you saying?” She sounded nearly as alarmed as Helen felt.

“Whoever rented the house to you did it without my knowledge. I’m calling you to find out who that might be.”

“Oh, my. I don’t know what to say. I have the name in my address book.” She hesitated. “Are you serious? You didn’t know?”

“I had no idea. Who rented the house to you?”

“Um…here it is. Janice Kamden.”

Helen blew out a long breath. “And you dealt directly with her?”

“Yes, at least I’m assuming so. I never actually met her. We corresponded with e-mails.”

“And did you deal with her on other rentals?”

“Yes. She owns a property rental company. I found it on the internet. I should have known something was wrong. Your home was so open and, well normally the owners of these rental places have private areas. I am so sorry.”

“It certainly wasn’t your fault, Maude. And I appreciate your help.”

“So how did you find out this woman was renting your place? Was it that I left you a book?”

“Partly. But I came home yesterday and found the house had been tossed and Janice had been murdered.”

“Murdered.” She gasped. “Oh, my word. I left the place perfectly clean and neat. I swear. I had nothing to do with…Oh, my. Am I going to be a suspect?”

“The police will probably need a statement, but as long as you have an alibi you should be fine. It sounds as though you were as much a victim as I was.”

“Indeed. I feel terrible taking over your home like that. You must feel violated. How do people get away with things like this?”

Helen settled onto the sofa. “I wish I knew. Janice had a grandson. Did you meet him?”

“No, I’m sorry. All I did was mail the check in. That’s another thing that should have clued me in. I’ve been coming to the beach for years and most of the property management places have you sign a contract. Janice didn’t.” 

“Who did you make the check out to?”

“To Janice.”

And Janice had the checking account. Helen told Maude that Joe would be contacting her, thanked the author and promised to be in touch.

After hanging up, Helen turned back to Kate. “That was interesting. It looks as though Janelle or Janice had a side business going. Though I can’t imagine how it got her killed.”

“I’m still wondering how the grandson fits into all of this.”

“Yes. Well, it’s time to talk with Ryan. I’ll call and ask him to come over.”

Ryan answered the phone and promised to be right over.

While she and Kate were waiting, Helen called Joe to bring him up to date.

“Thanks for the info, Helen. I’ll get in touch with the writer.”

“Have you had time to look through the files you pulled from Janelle’s desk?”

“Some. It looks like she kept good records, but there’s nothing about renting out places. Just clients she worked for. I’m going to be talking with some of them this afternoon.”

“Good idea.”

“There’s one more thing,” Joe said. “Reports on Janice Kamden came up clean. No priors, not even a parking ticket.”

“Did you find anything out about the grandson?”

“Nothing so far. You wouldn’t want to check with the schools would you?”

“I’ll be happy to. In fact Ryan Johnson is on his way over. I’m hoping he can fill in some of the blanks.”

“Good luck. Seems like the more information we get, the more muddled this case gets.”

Helen couldn’t have agreed more.

Chapter Seven

“Welcome home.” Ryan gave Helen an enthusiastic greeting followed by a hug. “Nice to see you again, Kate. Are the girls coming down this weekend?”

By girls, Ryan was referring of course to Helen’s granddaughters, Lisa and Jenny. Ryan and the girls had been friends for as long as Helen had lived at the beach.

“They are.” Kate smiled. “The whole family will be here.”

“Cool.” Ryan followed the women into the house. “You wanted to talk to me about something.”

“I do.” Helen gestured for him to have a seat. “Can I get you anything?”

Ryan shook his head. “I’m good.”

“A couple of things,” Helen said as she lowered herself into her rocker recliner. “Do you know a Cody Owens?”

“Yeah. Cody is in my computer lab. He’s kind of quiet. Moved here about a year ago.” He frowned. “Is Cody in some kind of trouble?”

“I’m not sure as yet. We’ve discovered that he’s been living with his grandmother, Janelle Cooper. Only Janelle was killed here Wednesday night. Helen told him the rest of the story about her coming home to find the murdered woman.

“Oh, man. I had no idea. I mean, I saw her come in that afternoon and figured she was just doing her regular cleaning.”

“Did you see anyone else?”

“No. We’ve only been home for a few days. And I knew you didn’t need me to get your mail or anything. So I didn’t come over.”

Even though the Johnsons were neighbors, the houses were separated by a treed lot, so it made sense that Ryan hadn’t noticed anything suspicious.

“I’m glad you didn’t. And I didn’t expect you to. I was just hoping you might be able to give us a little more information.”

‘Sorry.” Ryan clasped his hands together and leaned forward, forearms on his thighs. “I didn’t even know Cody was related to Janelle.”

“To make things ever more confusing, her real name is Janice Kamden.”

“I’ve never heard that name. And she’s dead? You don’t think Cody killed her, do you?”

“We don’t know what to think,” Kate offered.

“All we know,” Helen added, “is that someone, and we suspect it was Cody, ran from the house where Janelle lived when we showed up with Joe.”

“Wow.”

“Can you tell us anything more about him?”

“He wasn’t at school today. I didn’t think anything about it. He’s straight up. I mean good grades and he’s way above the teacher when it comes to computers. He’s even invented a couple of computer games.”

“Hmm. You’d expect him to have his own computer then. We didn’t find one at the house.”

“He has a laptop. Carries it in his backpack all the time.”

“What about friends? Anyone close?”

“Not that I know of. He’s pretty much a loner.”

“I see.” Helen sighed. “Not much to go on.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be more help. If he’s at school tomorrow I can reach out to him.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ryan.” Helen said. “Right now he’s a person of interest.”

Ryan frowned. “You don’t think he went ballistic to do? Like those guys who end up killing a bunch of people because they were bullied or something?”

“Was Cody bullied?”

“Not that I know of.” Ryan nodded and got to his feet. “I should go. Wish I could be of more help.”

“You’ve given us a lot actually.” Helen stood as well. “Tell your parents I said hello.”

“Sure. I’ll probably see you this weekend.” He stepped outside.

Helen smiled. “I’m sure you will. And Ryan, if you hear of anything about Cody, please let us know.”

Ryan promised that he would and took off running toward his house.

“What’s next?” Kate asked when Helen closed the door and returned to the living room.

“Tea.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kate joined her mother in the kitchen and within a few minutes took their hot drinks to the dining room table where they could watch the waves pound against the rocks.

“I need perspective.” Helen pulled the writing pad she’d set on the table earlier toward her. “Sometimes it helps if I can write everything pertaining to a case down and think it all through. First thing is the messy house, which I still think was staged.” Helen wrote the brief notation down.

“And then Janelle’s death.” She paused. “Hit in the head and ID taken.”

“Maybe she didn’t have it on her.” Kate suggested.

“That’s a possibility, but wouldn’t we have found it at her house then?”

“You’d think so unless the grandson took it with him. Maybe he needed the credit cards or some cash.”

While they enjoyed their orange spice tea, Helen continued making notes.

“I still don’t understand why she changed her name to Janelle.” Kate said.

Helen shrugged. “Joe said she didn’t have any priors. Maybe she did it to please Betty.”

“There has to be more to it than that.”

“You’re right. I think we need to look more closely at her grandson. We know her daughter died, so that must have been when Cody came to live with her.”

“Why did Janelle take him in?” Kate folded her arms on the table. “What about her daughter’s husband, Cody’s father?”

“Good question. Now that we know Janelle’s real name we should be able to locate more information on her family.”

After a few minutes of silence Helen stood. “Would you mind making us some dinner while I look Janice Kamden up on the internet. I had good luck finding Betty’s family so maybe I’ll be able to find something on Janelle. Or Janice.”

“It’s worth a try.” Kate sauntered over to the fridge and opened it. “Nothing looks interesting. Does salmon sound good?”

“Wonderful.” Helen glanced at her watch. “Bob’s seafood place should still be open.”

“Perfect. I’ll get some shrimp for a salad too.” Kate grabbed her jacket from her the coat rack and waved goodbye.

As soon as the door closed, Helen hurried upstairs to her office and turned on the computer. It took only a few minutes to locate Janice Kamden’s history. As it turns out, her daughter was married to a guy named Roy Owens. She clicked on a few links, but couldn’t find anything useable. She finally called Joe with the information and he promised to get right on it. A few minutes later he called back.

“We might have something here, Helen,” Joe said. “Turns out that Roy Owens has a rap sheet a mile long. Your suggestion that Janice may have changed her name to protect herself and her grandson is a distinct possibility. He’s been brought up on abuse charges a number of times. I’ll follow up on this guy, see if we can locate him.”

“Good. It’s entirely possible that Roy found Janice and his son and threatened them.”

“Definitely worth considering.” Joe thanked her for the information and hung up.

Helen returned to the dining room and looked over her list. She wrote down the information she’d gleaned about Roy. Another possibility lingered and this she’d thought of early on. Suppose Janelle had not been the intended victim. Helen again considered the possibility that someone from her long past of putting criminals behind bars had decided to get even. That line of thinking brought her to Maude Evans. Could the writer have made some enemies? Could she have been the intended target? Someone may have known Maude was staying there.

The doorbell rang, pulling Helen away from her brainstorming. She rose from the table, noting that the sun had already set and wondered if Kate might be loaded down with groceries and needing help. Helen hurried to the door and yanked it open.

“Ryan... What in the…?” Ryan stumbled into the house nearly crashing into Helen. Behind him stood a teenage boy with a gun.

Chapter Eight

Though he was a bit older than the photo she’d seen at Janelle’s home, and sported some facial hair, Helen recognized him. “Cody.”

“I’m…I’m sorry Mrs. Bradley,” Ryan stammered, “I tried to talk him into going to the police but…”

“Just shut up, Ryan. Both of you get inside.” Cody waved the gun and backed up against the door until it latched.

Helen nodded at Ryan to do as Cody said and followed him into the living room. With her heart rate and adrenalin ratcheted up she found it hard to appear unaffected by the boy’s demeanor. Still, she didn’t want to alarm him further. A kid with a gun was dangerous. A frightened boy with a gun was deadly. “What’s going on, Cody?”

“You tell me. My grandmother is dead and it looks like the cops think I had something to do with it.”

“Are you saying you didn’t?”

He screwed up his face as though he were about to cry. “I loved her. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. She was always super nice to me.”

Helen sighed. “Do you have any idea who might have killed her?”

“No.” He shook his head and lowered the gun, but not enough for Helen to disarm him.

“I went back to school after I left here,” Ryan said. “I’d left a book I needed in my locker. Cody was waiting outside. He asked me to help him. I told him I couldn’t, but figured maybe you could.”

“I’m sorry.” Ryan said. “I didn’t know he had a gun.”

“You did the right thing, Ryan,” Helen assured him.

“Ryan says you used to be a cop and that you’d listen to me.”

“That’s true, Cody. I may be able to help, but you need to give me the gun and turn yourself in to the police.”

“No. I didn’t do anything.” He raised the gun again.

Helen held her breath. “Maybe not, but running away makes you look guilty. And holding us at gunpoint isn’t the smartest thing to do.”

Tears filled his eyes and he brushed them away with his forearm.

“You need to give me the gun, Cody.” Helen held out her hand.

“Listen to her, man.” Ryan pleaded. “She’ll help you, but not like this.”

Cody sniffled. “How do I know you won’t call the police?”

“You don’t. In fact, I will have to call the sheriff eventually, but first, I’ll make sure you have an attorney and that you have every opportunity to tell your side of the story. If you are innocent, the evidence will show that. However, holding Ryan and me at gunpoint is illegal. But, if you give me the weapon right now, I won’t press charges against you.”

Cody hesitated. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You need to trust someone. I can help you. I want to find out who killed your grandmother. Now give me the gun and we can work on that.”

He hesitated and then lowered the weapon and passed it over to her.

“Thank you.” Helen allowed herself to breathe again as she removed the clip and saw that the safety had been on. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s Grandma’s. She had it in the house for protection.”

Helen nodded. “All right, suppose you sit down and tell me what you know about your grandmother’s death. Maybe you could start with why my house was being used as a rental.”

He raised an eyebrow and sank onto the couch. “You know about that?” He ducked his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Grams didn’t know anything about that. I…I knew she needed money and…I mean…why let these places stay empty?”

“How could she not know?” Helen placed the gun on the fireplace mantle and remained in front of the fire. The warmth settled her nerves and helped her think more clearly.

Cody cleared his throat. “I took over some of the places for her. Like this one. I set up a web site on the computer and listed the places she gave me to look after. I deposited the money into an account I set up.”

“So did she find out about your scam and confront you? Did you kill her?”

“No!” He bolted out of his chair.

Ryan jumped up. Holding up a hand he warned Cody to back off. “Take it easy, man.”

Cody hesitated and finally lowered himself onto the sofa. “I thought you believed me.”

“I’m trying.” Helen folded her arms as she searched the boy’s face.

“Well, I’m telling the truth.” Tears welled up in his eyes again.

“All right, Cody. You were at your grandmother’s house when the sheriff and I came over today and you ran.”

“I was scared. I thought maybe whoever had killed Grams might come after me too.”

“Okay.” Helen tried another approach. “Tell me about your father.”

“Dad? Why? What does he have to do with anything?”

“I understand he has a record.”

Cody pressed his lips together. “He’s doing good now.”

“So you’ve been in contact with him recently?”

“Yeah, but if you think he had anything to do with Gram being killed, you’d be wrong. He doesn’t even live around here.”

“Where is he?”

Cody shrugged. “I don’t know. Last I heard he was in Montana.”

Helen heard a car door slam. Kate. “My daughter,” she said when Cody’s eyes widened.

“You sure it isn’t the cops?”

Ignoring his question she asked, “How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t remember.”

Kate entered a few minutes later, surprised to find the two boys. “We have visitors?” Though she smiled, her daughter took in the scene, her gaze stopping at the gun on the fireplace mantel.

“Two more for dinner.” Helen said. “That is unless you need to go home, Ryan.”

Ryan licked his lips and glanced at Cody. “I’ll stay.” Though he clearly wanted to leave, he also seemed willing to provide Cody with emotional support. And her with an extra body should she need the man power.

Cody seemed to relax and gave Kate a nod.

“Kate,” Helen said, “this is Cody, Janelle’s grandson.”

“Oh, of course. I recognize you from your picture. I’m so sorry about your grandmother.” Kate placed her grocery bags on the counter. “I hope you guys are hungry. I got a little carried away at the fish market. Everything looked so good.”

“Starved,” Ryan answered for both of them. Rising he added, “Can I help with anything?”

“I’ve got it, thanks.” She gave Helen a meaningful look that clearly read, do you want me to call the police?

With a small head shake Helen indicated a no.

“Why don’t you three get back to what you were doing?” Kate suggested. “I’ll have dinner ready in about twenty minutes.”

While they were waiting, Helen discussed Cody’s side business with him. Apparently, the young entrepreneur had dreamed up the scheme by himself. Yes, maybe having someone rent her home while she was away could be considered unethical, he admitted, but he’d never meant any harm. “Am I going to get arrested for that?” he asked.

“It’s possible. We’ll need to give the sheriff the names of the people you conned.”

“There were only four.”

“Four too many.” Helen shook her head. She didn’t know about the others, but she doubted that she’d press charges.

Two hours later, Helen told Cody it was time to turn himself in. He balked at first, but after Helen explained the procedure, he acquiesced. Her attorney friend, Bob Kennedy agreed to meet Joe and Cody at the jail. Ryan stayed until Cody had been arrested.

“Mrs. Bradley,” Ryan said as he stood at the door watching Joe place Cody into his squad car. “Do think he killed his grandmother?”

“Do you?”

“No. He made some mistakes, but he’s not a killer.”

Helen smiled. “I agree.”

Ryan stepped outside. “Jennie and Lisa will be here Friday, right?”

“That’s the plan. I’ll tell them you said hi.”

He grinned. “Thanks for your help with Cody. Sorry I brought him here. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You did fine, Ryan. Fortunately I was able to defuse and disarm him.”

“Do you think the sheriff believes him?”

“Joe needs to look at the evidence but he’s also fair. He’ll give Cody the benefit of the doubt.”

Ryan said goodbye and headed home. She watched him for a moment before ducking inside. Kate already had tea poured and ready for them, fully expecting a total debriefing. Helen felt herself relaxing. The entire episode with Cody had proved exhausting. She wanted nothing more than to enjoy her tea and go to bed. Rest, however, would have to wait while she studied the facts of the case again and tried to come up with a viable suspect.

Chapter Nine

The next morning Helen and Kate headed into the coffee shop. Joe had promised to come by and share what he could about the ongoing investigation.

“Morning Helen, Kate,” Rosie greeted as they walked in. They ordered and settled into the cushy chairs next to Joe, who was perusing the morning paper. As they approached he folded the paper and tucked it in next to him.

“How is Cody?” Helen asked before Joe could even acknowledge them.

“He didn’t spend the night in jail, though I think he might have preferred to. His lawyer posted bail and got him placed with children’s services. He wasn’t too happy about that, but he’s only sixteen. We couldn’t let him go back to his grandmother’s place alone.”

“Of course.” Helen looked up as Rosie handed her a latte. “Thanks.” Turning to Joe she asked, “What now? Did you find anything more on Cody’s father?”

Joe took a sip of his coffee. “He’s most likely out of the picture since he lives in Montana in a half-way house. His parole officer is vouching for him.”

“I’m glad to hear that for Cody’s sake, but that puts us back to square one on the case, doesn’t it?”

Joe nodded. “I’m not seeing a motive here. Maybe we should go back to the home invasion theory. Makes the most sense at the moment.”

“On the other hand, maybe whoever killed Janelle was after me. We can’t rule that out. After all, it happened in my home.”

“Mm.” Kate set her mug on the table that sat between them. “Don’t forget about the woman who rented your house, Mom. Whoever killed Janelle may have been after her.”

“Good point. I’ve considered that.” Helen warmed her hands on her cup. “It might not hurt to talk with Maude. See if she had any enemies, someone who might want her dead.”

Joe shrugged. “You can go ahead and pursue that line if you want. Until we have hard evidence to tell us otherwise, I’m pursuing the idea that Janelle was the target.”

Helen agreed. “If that’s the case, it was likely someone who knew her. I think we can rule out Janelle’s mother.” Leaning back she thought about Betty’s son. “We should look more closely at Sherrie and her daughter Caitlin. Maybe Sherrie knows more about Betty’s situation than she was letting on.”

“What are you thinking?” Joe asked.

“If you really believe it was a personal hit, then shouldn’t we be questioning Sherrie and Caitlin and checking their alibis? There was a wedding photo at the house which I’m assuming from the date was Brett and Sherrie, and a number of family photos. I’ll check out the house again and pay Betty another visit. If the information about Brett, the cancer and his death, came to the house it may still be there. And if Betty wasn’t able to respond, then why didn’t Janelle? Sherrie indicated that she didn’t know about Janelle, but what if she did?”

Joe rubbed his chin. “Good questions. I’ll check them out and see if either of them have flown into PDX recently. I’ll leave a key to the house with Bailey. Feel free to go through it and let me know if you find anything helpful.”

Helen put thoughts of the murder on hold after Joe left. She’d head over to Janelle’s or Betty’s place after she dropped Kate off at home. In the meantime Kate wanted to talk about a meal plan for the weekend. She also needed to pick up a few groceries and get a roast into the crock pot.

While they were talking food a woman came in, ordered coffee and stood in front of them.  “Excuse me.” She grinned and lifted her cup in a kind of salute. “I’m Maude Evans. The writer who stayed at your house? Rosie said I should introduce myself.”

“Of course.” Helen smiled up at her and indicated the empty chair. “Please, join us. Rose said you’d be coming into town to do an autographing.”

She offered them an even wider grin. “I am. Saturday. I have a new book.” She set her drink on the coffee table and reached for a large bag. “I brought a copy for you.” She shrugged. “My way of apologizing once again for invading your space.”

“Thank you.” Helen accepted the book and read the title aloud. “Murder in the Maze. Sounds interesting.”

“It’s a historical set back in the Great Gatsby days. The first in a series. My character is like a grown up Nancy Drew. A single girl who can’t seem to keep her nose out trouble.”

Helen chuckled. “What fun. I can’t wait to read it.”

Kate, who’d been quiet up until now, took the book from Helen. “I hope you’ll share, Mother. I love books set in that era.”

“I’ll consider it,” Helen teased and then said, “Maude, this is my daughter, Kate. She’s visiting and we’re planning a family event this weekend.”

“I won’t keep you then. I only wanted to meet you.” She sighed, her hazel eyes wide with concern. “And apologize again.”

“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault by any means. Actually, I’m happy to share my house with another writer.”

“Yes, well, I can tell you I’m going to be much more careful about renting a place from now on.”

“Good idea.”

“So you’re a writer too?” Maude asked.

“I write travel articles, though it’s crossed my mind to write a book. I love to read mysteries and seeing as how I used to be a detective in real life, it might be fun.”

“Oh, yes.” Maude exclaimed with just a bit more exuberance than called for. “I’d be happy to brainstorm with you.”

“Thank you.”

“And Helen, if you ever decide to rent out your place for real while you’re gone, let me know.”

“I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon, but I’ll keep your offer in mind. It might be a good idea to have a house sitter staying on the premises.”

Kate and Helen said their goodbyes and headed back home. Kate planned to gather the food for the weekend while Helen nosed around.

“Are you heading over to Janelle’s house now?” Kate asked as she exited Helen’s car.

“Eventually. First though, I’m going to pay a visit to the care facility and see what happens to Betty now that Janelle is gone. Someone will need to be responsible for her affairs.”

“Good idea. I wonder if they know about Betty’s son’s family.”   

“I got the idea they didn’t, but I’ll pass along the information. Sherrie sounded concerned once she found out about the Alzheimer’s.

Goodbyes said, Helen drove directly to the nursing home.

“Helen, hi,” Sandra Madison purred when Helen stopped by the nurse’s station. “How can we help you?”

“First of all, how is Betty doing?”

“She’s having a good day. Her daughter-in-law is visiting and Betty seems to remember her. They’re in the great room, chatting.”

“Really?” Sherrie must have made arrangements to fly out right after they’d spoken. Helen spotted them immediately but hesitated to interrupt them. Still, she wanted to talk with Sherrie. Helen greeted both women and introduced herself. “I came by to let the staff here know about you, Sherrie. I’m glad you decided to come.”

“I am too.” She sobered. “I’d like to talk with you.” She told Betty she’d be back in a few moments and took Helen aside. “Have you heard anything more about your friend? Um, Janelle?” 

“I’m afraid not.”

“I just arrived today,” Sherrie went on. “We’ve been talking about Brett’s passing and she didn’t know that he’d died. I’m wondering if she ever saw the letters I sent.”

“It’s hard to say.” Helen mused. “Betty does have dementia.”

“Yes, but Janelle should have responded to me.” Sherrie sighed. “All this time I thought Betty didn’t want to see us.”

“You’re right. I have no idea why Janelle didn’t contact you.” Helen still had a hard time seeing Janelle in a bad light.

Sherrie glanced back at Betty. “I met Janelle once at a family reunion years ago. Of course back then we thought she was Brett’s cousin, Janice. At the time we had no idea she was actually Betty’s child.”

Helen frowned. Had she told Sherrie about Betty being Janice’s birth mother? She didn’t think so. “How did you know about Janice?”

“Oh,” Betty seemed surprised at the question. “I’m not sure.”

“When we spoke on the phone, you told me that Betty didn’t have a daughter,” Helen pressed.

“I did, didn’t I? I brought out some old photos and correspondence. I think Brett must have known. I’d forgotten.”

Helen nodded. Something wasn’t adding up. Had she just seen a flash of guilt in Sherrie’s eyes? “The sheriff will probably want to talk with you. Where are you staying?”

“I don’t know yet. As I said, I only just arrived. I’ll probably check into a hotel.”

“We have a lot of them around here.” Helen told her. She thought about mentioning Betty’s house, but didn’t. She doubted the police would have released it yet and she still wanted to have another look around. Plus, she didn’t trust Sherrie.

“Do you think maybe we could meet later for dinner?” Sherrie asked.

Helen was surprised by the invitation, but felt compelled to talk with her again. Once she’d gone back through Betty’s house she might have more information. “Possibly. I have family coming for the weekend, but why don’t you give me a call when you get settled into a hotel. There’s a great restaurant just south of here.” Helen handed her a business card that had both her land line and her cell phone number on it.

After leaving the nursing home, Helen stopped at the police station to pick up the key Joe promised to leave for her. Joe was out on a call so Helen left a message telling him that Sherrie, Betty’s daughter-in-law was in town.

Once at the house, Helen began having second thoughts about going through it. Not that she was doing anything wrong; she just felt oddly anxious, but pushed the thoughts aside. She was here to look for evidence, something that could possibly shed some light on Janelle’s murder. The unsettled feeling stayed with her as she walked up to the front door. Using the key to gain entry, Helen made a quick run through the house to make certain she was alone. 

She set her bag on the counter and began looking through drawers. She wasn’t certain what she was looking for, but thought maybe something they’d missed the first time around. Helen went through bookcases and cupboards and closets, rummaging through boxes, and came up with nothing but a box of photos and mementos she hadn’t seen the first time around. In it she found a graduation announcement from a couple of years ago along with a more recent wedding invitation from Caitlin and her fiancé, Andrew McCain. According to the announcement, they’d been married about a month. Had Janelle shared these with Betty? The fact that they’d been saved in a nice photo box and not thrown out told Helen she may have. There’d be no way of knowing unless someone at the care facility saw them. Not that it mattered. Sherrie had told her there’d been no contact on Janelle’s part.

Helen had just gotten back into her car when her cell rang.

“It’s Joe, I got your message.”

“Glad you called.” Helen relayed the conversation she’d had with Sherrie. “It might be nothing, but when I first spoke with her on the phone, she didn’t know who Janelle was and told me that Betty didn’t have a daughter. Yet when we spoke at the care facility, she told me she remembered meeting Brett’s cousin Janice. Did you tell her?”

“Nope. I sure didn’t. I’d like to know how she found out.” 

“Well, it may be that she didn’t connect the dots when I called,” Helen mused. “Anyway I’m having dinner with her later. Maybe I can find out more then.”

“Good. I have some new information for you. We’ve been going through and processing Janice’s accounts. There are several with both Betty’s and her name on them. Adding things up, it looks like Betty had a substantial amount of money.” Joe cleared his throat. “We’re talking millions.”

“And Janelle had access to all of Betty’s finances?”

“With power of attorney she would. Here’s the strange thing. She didn’t do anything personal with the money. There are no big payouts or withdrawals. In fact the only money spent was related to Betty’s care. Monthly payments to the nursing home and insurance premiums, doctor bills, that sort of thing.” 

“Interesting. Neither of them lived as though they had money,” Helen said. “Still that kind of money is a powerful motive. Maybe Janelle was killed because she had access to it. And whoever takes over Betty’s finances will have access to it as well.”

“Exactly. I’m guessing Sherrie has already started the ball rolling on that.”

“Okay, then.” Helen sighed. “Are you going to talk with her?”

“At this point my interrogation might scare her off. Since you’ve established a rapport with her, I’ll let you follow through.”

“Good idea. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

Helen headed back home. As promised, Kate had put a roast in the slow cooker and the intoxicating scent of onions, meat and spices filled the house, making her wish she could stay home. On the other hand, she needed to talk with Sherrie again. She suspected her family would start arriving any time after five. They wouldn’t be happy with her decision to go out for dinner.

And they weren’t, but she promised she’d be back early and they seemed okay with it. Helen still felt odd about the arrangement. Her intuition told her it might not be a good idea. Yet, Helen really needed to get to know Sherrie and find out if the woman had killed Janelle.

Chapter Ten

Sherrie called at five saying she’d made reservations at the Tidal Raves in Depot Bay for 5:30 and would Helen mind picking her up at the Bayside Hotel on the way. Helen agreed and within minutes the two of them were on the highway heading south.

“I’m so glad you called me about Janelle, or Janice.” Sherrie settled back in her seat. “I’m sorry she was killed, but glad I could come and be here for Betty. I only wished I’d known about her situation sooner.”

Helen nodded. “I’m surprised Janelle didn’t notify you when she placed Betty in the care facility.”

“I am too.”

Helen glanced over at her passenger. She felt a bit wary of being alone with Sherrie, considering that she could have murdered Janelle. As Joe had said, money, especially that much could be a big motivator. “I suppose you’re working on switching power of attorney from Janice to yourself.”

Sherrie sighed. “I am. It’s a big responsibility. I have no idea what to expect.”

“What do you mean?”

Sherrie shrugged. “I had power of attorney for Brett, but I knew about our financial situation. Brett had good insurance. With Betty, I have no idea what I’m getting into.”

Helen frowned. “So you don’t know anything about her financial status.”

“I know what you’re thinking, that I shouldn’t be jumping into this blind. But I’m the only relative she has besides my daughter and her husband. If we don’t take responsibility for her, who will?”

Helen didn’t respond. Did Sherrie really not know that Betty was wealthy?

“Once I get the information on her finances I’ll be able to see where we stand.”

Helen debated whether or not to tell her about the money, but decided not to. If Sherrie really didn’t know, then there was no motive. “Will you be moving out here then?” Helen asked.

“Yes. I think I need to be here. Fortunately, Caitlin and Andrew will be coming out west as well.”

“Did your daughter come with you?” Money was still a strong motive and if Sherrie was innocent, maybe she needed to look closer at Caitlin and Andrew McCain.

“She’s flying in tomorrow. Andrew was able to find a job in Lincoln City.” She smiled. “Everything in falling into place.”

“So he’s been out here for a while?”

“No. At least I don’t think so. He’s been doing his job search via the computer.”

Helen made a mental note to have Joe check on any incoming flights for Andrew. She slowed and stopped at the light at Salishan Resort.

“Is this it?” Sherrie asked.

“No.” Helen took a moment to explain that the resort was one of the more popular places on the Oregon Coast, pointing out the golf course and the shopping mall and art gallery.

“I think I’m going to like living here.” Sherrie grinned.

“I certainly do,” Helen admitted. “There’s always something to do.”

They chatted about a number of things that evening. Sherrie was good company and Helen found herself enjoying their time together. Once they’d finished their meals, which Sherrie insisted on paying for, they headed back toward Lincoln City. The outing had told Helen one thing: Sherrie had not killed Janelle.

“Thank you so much for spending time with me.” Sherrie said as Helen pulled into the hotel parking lot. “I’m glad that you thought to call me. I just wish I could have known Janice.” She frowned. “Though I still don’t understand why she never contacted us.”

“It’s hard to say. Could be as simple as not getting around to the task.” Or it could be that she didn’t want to share the funds. Helen kept the last thought to herself. “I’d like to meet your daughter. Maybe after the weekend. There’s a coffee shop I like to frequent, Past Times. My friend, Rosie, runs it.” Helen gave her the name and directions. “Would you like to meet me there on Monday, say around ten?”

“Perfect.” Sherrie opened the car door and stepped out. “And wish me luck. Tomorrow I’m going to try to find a place to live.”

Helen waved a final goodbye and headed for home. It appeared that Sherrie didn’t know about Betty’s house or about her wealth. Still, something didn’t feel right. Helen decided to take a detour back to Betty’s house. She’d have another look around and maybe take a couple of the photos home with her, primarily the one of Andrew and Caitlin that had been tucked inside the wedding invitation. Joe could investigate Andrew’s whereabouts and see if he had a record.

She still had the key and let herself in. It was getting dark and Helen felt around the wall just inside the door for a light switch. Before she could switch it on, someone crashed into her. Helen slammed into the door jamb and fell to the floor. Whoever it was ran out. By the time she’d reoriented herself and gotten to her feet, the person, a man, had disappeared down the street.

Her first thought was of Cody. Had he come back to get something? No, not Cody, she decided. This man had been larger, more solid.

Helen berated herself for being caught off guard as she placed a call to Joe. She explained briefly what had happened and waited on the step for the sheriff to arrive. Whoever had been in the house may have left evidence and Helen didn’t want to take a chance of corrupting it.

She was not in the best of moods when Joe arrived and fortunately, he didn’t chide her for snooping around after dark. He seemed satisfied that she’d wanted to have another look around and pick up a couple of photos.

Joe wrinkled his nose. “You notice that smell?”

Helen sniffed at the air. “Not until you mentioned it. To be honest, I was pretty shaken up, not to mention sore.” In the fall she’d hurt her shoulder and twisted her ankle when she’d fallen to the floor. “It’s rancid.”

“Does it look like anything’s been disturbed?” He asked as they walked through the house.

Helen shook her head. “It looks pretty much like it did when I left this afternoon.”

“Maybe you interrupted him before he had a chance to find anything.” Joe went around to the windows looking for a point of entry. “It looks like he came in through an open bedroom window. I’ll have the techs come in and dust for prints.”

Helen nodded and told him about her dinner with Sherrie. “I don’t think she knows anything, but I’m not so sure about her daughter and son-in-law. In fact, that’s why I came back. I thought I’d pick up a photo of them, see of you can find anything on either of them.”

Helen showed Joe the photo and the wedding announcement. He took them and promised to let her know.

It was well after nine when Helen left Joe and his crew at the house. She imagined the family would be up waiting for her and she wasn’t disappointed. They were all gathered around the fireplace, Nick, the youngest, had fallen asleep on Jennie’s lap. What a picture they made. She greeted them all with hugs and told them how much she appreciated their flexibility. She didn’t tell them about getting mowed down at Betty’s house. Tomorrow would be soon enough for that, if she told them at all.

Helen joined her family for tea and cocoa and then excused herself to go to take a shower before bed. The day and especially her encounter with the intruder at the house left her exhausted, but as she climbed into bed, the exhaustion turned to endless ruminations about Janelle’s murder and the events that had followed. Their best lead was turning out to be Betty’s family. She’d call Joe in the morning and hoped he’d have some information about Andrew. The man at the house could have been Sherrie’s son-in-law.

Chapter Eleven

Helen grumbled as another thought about the intruder drifted into her mind. The smell that lingered in the house after the man had escaped brought up another scenario entirely. There was a very good chance that the vacant house had been an enticement for one of the town’s homeless.

In a way, she hoped that was the case. She liked Sherrie and really didn’t want her new friend or Sherrie’s family to be connected with the murder. For now, Helen told herself, she needed to put her thoughts on hold and get some sleep. Her own family would be up early and wanting to enjoy their beach outing and their time with her.

With trips to Depoe Bay, the aquarium in Newport, shopping, and picnics and playing on the beach, Helen barely had time to think about Janelle’s murder, which turned out to be a good thing. She needed a break from it and the children provided the perfect out.

Late Sunday afternoon, she bid a reluctant goodbye to all of them. She’d managed to tell them all about her elopement with JB and they all seemed quite pleased to have a new grandfather. She had promised to bring him over to meet them as soon as he returned home from his assignment. The words, if he comes home, entered her head, but she dismissed them before they could take root. Helen couldn’t allow herself to even consider what ifs with regard to JB.  

The quiet house was a wonderful reprieve and at the same time, incredibly lonely. Which was a good thing, she told herself again. Fresh hot chamomile and mint tea in hand, she settled into her favorite chair in front of the fireplace. Perhaps this was a good time to reexamine the murder.

What had Janelle been doing at the house Wednesday afternoon? Helen was still having a hard time thinking of her as Janice. And why had she been killed here? It seemed to her that if Sherrie or Caitlin or even Andrew had killed her they would have done so at Betty’s home. Did any of them even know where she lived?

Her rabbit trail of thoughts dead-ended. So where did that leave them with the murder investigation? There were any number of suspects and scenarios. The writer, for example.

Maude had her book signing on Saturday and Helen and Kate had taken the crew to meet her. While she was excited to see them, she seemed rather anxious. Maybe she’d talk with Maude again tomorrow. Maude had mentioned that she’d be staying in town for a few days. It wouldn’t hurt to have her input. She was, after all, a mystery writer.

And a person of interest.

Helen yawned, her brain simply too weary to think any more about the murder or about anything else. Maybe it was time to read a mystery rather than try to solve one. She picked up the book Maude had autographed for her when she’d stayed there just prior to Janelle’s murder. She still couldn’t believe that Janice’s grandson had rented out her house. On the other hand, it had worked out in a way. She’d not only made a new friend, she’d acquired a couple of new books.

Helen enjoyed Maude’s writing and could hardly put the book down. She certainly had the knack of holding the reader captive. At eleven, Helen finally closed the book and headed for bed.

On Monday morning Helen awoke to the phone ringing. It was Joe telling her that his investigation into Betty’s family had turned up nothing. Sherrie and her daughter and son-in-law all had alibis. Apparently money, at least where the Sullivan family was concerned, had not been the motive. Still, Helen mused, they may have hired a hit.

While she drove into town for coffee at Rosie’s, Helen rethought the case. Janelle had gone to Helen’s home to pick up the mail and apparently to freshen it up and get it ready for Helen’s return. Someone had attacked her there. Someone who knew she’d be there? Or was it, as they suspected in the first place, that she’d surprised an intruder?

Helen puzzled over the course of events. According to the coroner Janelle had been dead for about six hours before Helen arrived home. That would have put the attack at around three in the afternoon. She thought again about Janelle’s grandson. What if Janelle had discovered what he’d done? He claimed that he’d never hurt his grandmother, but what if he had acted irrationally? After all, he’d held her and Ryan at gunpoint.

She continued to mull over the possibilities until she stepped inside the coffee shop. At that point the wonderful scents coming from the store eased away remnants of the murder. Five customers waited in line ahead of her, so Helen found an empty grouping of chairs and sat down to wait. Rosie had seen her and given her a wave. Off to the right was a table that still contained several of Maude’s books and a sign that indicated that they’d been autographed by the local author.

When things calmed down for Rosie, she brought Helen a latte and sat down.

“Thanks.” Helen took a tentative sip. “Busy morning.”

“And I expect it to get busier. The book signing Saturday brought in a lot of new people.”

“Did Maude sell a lot of books?”

“Over a hundred, which is great for a small place like mine.”

“I’m reading one of hers now. She’s a good writer.” Helen set her cup aside to cool. “And judging from her police involvement, she’s done her research.”

Rosie nodded. “She told one of our customers yesterday that she has a friend who works in criminal investigation.”

Joe came in and Rosie excused herself to get his coffee. He lowered himself into the chair she’d vacated. “We got the autopsy report and some interesting information from the CSI team in Portland.”

“Are you going to share?”

“They’re certain our victim was hit on the side of the head with a fireplace poker. Yours, I’m afraid.”

Helen winced. “I don’t suppose you found any prints.”

He shook his head and reached up to take the cup Rosie offered. “I’m afraid not.” 

“Anything else?”

“The person who whacked her was short. I’m seriously looking at the kid again.”

“Oh, Joe. I just can’t see Cody doing something like that.”

“You’re a grandmother.” He offered a wan smile. “But think about it. He had motive. What if she found out about his financial venture and confronted him? If he’s telling the truth and she didn’t know, she’d have been upset. They argue and he grabs the nearest thing to a weapon.” 

“I know it makes sense in a way, but would he think to create a mess so we’d think it was a robbery?” Helen frowned. “Besides, how would she find out? The only reason she’d have been at my place was if she came to straighten up and found....” Helen gasped. “Oh. You don’t suppose....”

“What?”

Before she could answer, Maude came in. After greeting Helen and Joe, she placed her order with Rosie and then came back. “Thank you for coming to my signing. It was wonderful to meet your family.”

“They enjoyed it.” Helen said. “I started reading one of your books last night. The one you’d signed and left in my bookcase.”

She offered up a shy smile. “I hope you’re enjoying it.”

“I am. You do very well with details.”

“Thank you. I’m especially interested in forensics.”

“I can tell.” Helen set her cooled drink on the table. “Joe, why don’t we run through the details of this case with Maude? She might have some ideas about who killed Janelle.”

Joe frowned and before he could say anything, Helen plunged headlong into the details. She told Maude what they’d learned so far. “In thinking this through, Maude, I got to wondering if you may have seen the killer.”

“It’s all very interesting.” Maude tightened her grip on her cup. Her hand shook as she reached out to place it on the table. “I don’t remember seeing anything.”

“Janelle was killed at around the time you would have left the house.” Helen leaned forward. “Are you sure?”

“I’d like to help, but, no, I…I didn’t see anything.”

“I wish I could believe that. You see, Maude, I think you’re the one who killed her. I think Janelle came to the house while you were still there. And you weren’t supposed to be there. Did she order you out? Threaten to call the police?”

Maude shook her head. “No. How can you say something like that? I am not a killer. True, I write about crime, but I’m not a criminal.” The once-confident author seemed to deflate as she buried her face in her hands. She bent down to reach for her bag,

Joe pulled out his weapon. “Hold it right there.”

The bag dropped to the floor with a thud.

Chapter Twelve

 Maude screamed.

Rosie shrieked.

Helen’s heart jumped to her throat.

Joe nodded toward Maude’s bag. “She was going for a gun.”

Helen picked it up and searched through it. “Books and a wallet. No gun.”

“Of course not! I was just reaching for some Kleenex.” Maude’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I don’t even own a gun.”

Joe settled his weapon back into his holster, looking confused and out of sorts.

Helen suggested he sit back down. She placed a hand on Maude’s arm and handed her a tissue. “We know you killed Janelle. Why don’t you tell us about it?”

“I didn’t mean to.” Maude sobbed. “She must have thought I was an intruder and picked up the poker from the fireplace. She came at me and I grabbed it away from her. I swung it and she went down.” Tears filled her eyes again. “It was an accident. I never meant to hurt anyone.”

Joe pulled out his handcuffs. “So you dragged her body outside and cleaned up the crime scene.”

“I didn’t think anyone would suspect me.” She lifted her hands so Joe could cuff her. “How did you know?”

“I didn’t for sure.” Helen answered. “After my family left this afternoon, I got to thinking. Most people from the Portland area who visit the beach usually head home in the late afternoon. And with you being a writer and loving to write at the coast, I thought you’d want to stay as long as possible.”

Maude sighed. “I was up in the office working when I heard a noise downstairs. She must have heard me as well.” She turned to Joe. “I’ll need to contact my attorney. Since it was self-defense, I shouldn’t have to do any jail time, right?”

“You tampered with evidence and fled the scene.” Joe helped her to her feet and read her her rights to make the arrest official.

Maude turned as they reached the door. “I’m sorry about your friend. I shouldn’t have tried to cover it up.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

“I was so scared. Killing someone can ruin your reputation. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Maude went quietly with Joe and for several long moments, Helen stared at the closed door.

Rosie came up behind her. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Neither did I.” Helen handed Rosie her coffee mug. “I think I need another one.”

“You and me both.” Rosie headed for the counter. “Flip the sign for me, will you. We need to debrief.”

Rosie made them each a latte while Helen turned the open sign in the window to closed.

“So, do you think she’s right?” Rosie asked. “That she won’t do jail time?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. A good attorney will get her off. She might have to do community service.”

“I suppose this means you won’t be renting out your house to her.” Rosie grinned and handed Helen her drink.

“Probably not. Will you keep selling her books?”

Rosie laughed. “I know this isn’t the least bit humorous, but I’ll bet once the press gets hold of this story, those books will sell better than ever.”

Helen had to agree. Fame, even the negative kind, could sell books. They sat in silence for several minutes. Helen felt relieved to have solved the crime, but there was no satisfaction in seeing Maude arrested for murder.

In the early afternoon, Rosie closed the shop again when she and Helen drove to the funeral home for Janelle’s or rather Janice Kamden’s memorial service.

The funeral brought closure in a number of ways. Sherrie had brought Betty as well as her daughter and son-in-law and Cody.  Caitlin and Andrew had agreed to take Cody in. He was, after all, family. The four of them would live in Betty’s home, at least temporarily, as soon as they made a few renovations.  Helen felt certain that Janice would have been pleased at seeing her family together again.

Helen pulled into her driveway around four-thirty. Her cell phone went off just as she opened the door. The familiar Irish accent made her smile. “Did you miss me, luv?”

“Of course.” Helen leaned back against the front door, closing it firmly. “Are you coming home?”

“On my way. I just left the airport.”

“Drive safe.”

“Always.”

Helen tucked the phone away. She had just enough time to walk on the beach and shower before dinner. And then she and JB could get back to what mattered most. Their honeymoon.

About the Author

Award-winning author and speaker Patricia H. Rushford has written over fifty books, including five mystery series including:  The Helen Bradley Mysteries, The Angel Delaney Mysteries The McAllister Files, which she wrote with a police detective. She's also written the popular Jennie McGrady Mysteries and the Max & Me Mysteries for kids.

Patricia's most recent works include Strangers in the Night, a romantic suspense for Summerside Press. Most of her mysteries are set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband Ron. She enjoys sharing the sights sounds and culinary delights of the northwest with her readers. The Oregon and Washington coasts provide the settings for many of her novels.

Patricia, who worked for 18 years as an RN, holds a master's degree in counseling. In addition, she conducts writers' workshops for adults and children and has been the Director of the Oregon Christian Writer's Summer Conference and co-director of Writer's Weekend at the Beach. Patricia has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows across the United States and Canada.

Books by Patricia H. Rushford

FICTION

Romantic Suspense

Sins of the Mother

Strangers in the Night

The Angel Delaney Mysteries

Deadly Aim

Dying to Kill

As Good as Dead

The Helen Bradley Mysteries

Death on Arrival

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Red Sky in Mourning

A Haunting Refrain

When Shadows Fall

The McAlister Files

Secrets, Lies and Alibis

Deadfall

Terminal 9

She Who Watches

Novels for Guidepost Books

Strangers in Their Midst (Mystery and the Minister’s Wife series)

Chasing the Wind, Measure of Faith, and With Open Arms (Stories from Hope Haven)

Mysteries for Kids

The Jennie McGrady Mysteries

The Max & Me Mysteries- Available as e-books

Non-fiction:

It Shouldn't Hurt to Be a Kid

What Kids Need Most in a Mom

Connect with Patricia

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Patricia-H.-Rushford/e/B000AR89Y2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

 On her Website:

http://www.patriciarushfordbooks.com

 On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricia.h.rushford

On her Blog: http://www.patriciarushford.blogspot.com/

Follow her in Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/patrushford/

Also on Twitter and Linked In