Part 3 (1/2)

”We're in.” Jose opened the door. ”Welcome, my ladies.”

”That's called getting the job done.” Annie Mae made her way into the house.

We all followed, entering the sitting room first.

I darted my eyes around looking for Lucy.

”Y'all are absolute barbarians breaking in.” Bezu strolled about Lucy's sitting area. ”My oh my, it sure is nice and cool in here. Maybe I can get a beverage. I'm parched.”

”Holy smokes. That's ugly.” Annie Mae stood in front of the love seat in the sitting room. She pointed to what looked like a paint-it-yourself, blue and white vase on the coffee table.

”I do declare. Not at all what I expected Lucy would ever purchase.” Bezu leaned into the vase, forming her pink lipsticked mouth into a pout.

”It looks like a monkey painted it.” Jose walked around. ”But I love everything else.”

I shook my head. That vase sure looked better in the picture Lucy had shown me earlier. The yellow roses in the vase looked as though they had been shoved in, as a few of the stems were bent over, the flowers scattered on the table. Lucy was a neatnik, so I was surprised she'd leave anything lying around. I picked up the petals and put them in my purse to throw away later.

Annie Mae yelled, ”Lucy!”

We began to walk down the wood-floored hallway, four sets of shoes clopping to the back of the house.

Bezu entered the kitchen first.

”Lucy,” I shouted.

”Lucy, I'm home!” Jose screamed like Ricky Ricardo had done on the I Love Lucy show.

”Okay. I'm seriously worried now.” My chest tightened.

”Me, too.” Bezu opened a closet door.

”Where is she?” Annie Mae poked her head into a sitting room.

”Jose, please call your people at the police department.” I ran into another room looking for Lucy. ”Remember the crossword puzzle?”

”Everyone calm down,” Jose shouted. ”Let's search every room first.”

Jose and Annie Mae looked upstairs. Bezu and I explored the main level. The rooms were very much in order. A cross hung in every room. Fresh flowers sat in vases throughout the house. But it didn't seem that anyone was home. Even though there were shoes near the front door, a sweater thrown over a chair, and dishes in the sink. My heart raced, and my hands began to shake.

I had this ominous feeling that something was wrong.

Really wrong.

We met back downstairs in the kitchen.

”Look here.” Jose held the panty door open and pointed at Lucy's purse next to a clear bakery bag of dinner rolls on a shelf. He picked up the bag containing the dinner rolls. ”They're already cut in half, too.”

On the counter next to the sink sat a cutting board scattered with crumbs. A serrated knife lay near a knife block set-which had two slots empty.

Rocks formed in my gut. ”This is not good.”

Jose dialed Lucy's cell. We heard ringing coming from the pantry.

I ran in and picked up Lucy's purse. Pulling out her phone, my hands shook. ”Call the police now.”

”Hold on, Cat. Maybe a neighbor came by, and she got to chatting with them.” Jose went over to a window and pulled the curtains back.

”Maybe, but it may not have been a social call. They're fighting with one neighbor, Ina Nesmith, over tree roots.” I began to pace the white-tiled kitchen floor accented with red, matching the red-and-white-checkered tablecloth.

”What are you implying?” Jose said.

”Things are not right.” I glanced around the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place. Yet everything felt askew.

”Have you tried that back door?” Annie Mae pointed to a closed door near the rear of the kitchen leading to a mudroom.

”I'll check it out.” Jose strode to the back.

He turned the handle and swung open the door.

Lucy lay on her back on the lime-green linoleum floor, dark red blood pooled around her left arm. Her wrist was slit open. A kitchen butcher knife lay near her right hand.

I screamed.

”Holy s.h.i.+t,” Annie Mae said.

”Oh my.” Bezu's color drained from her face as she leaned against the kitchen table.

My knees buckled under me. I felt contents of my stomach lurch into the back of my throat.

Chapter Four.

Jose checked Lucy's vital signs. ”She's dead.”

I knelt down and held Lucy's cool hand. My heart raced, and my stomach flipped. Had the crossword killer struck again? No. Lucy said that the paper was already in the box before she'd purchased it. It couldn't be the same killer, could it?

Grabbing a kitchen towel, Jose picked up a folded piece of paper. ”There's a note.”

”What does it say?” Annie Mae asked.

Jose opened the white paper. ”One side is from someone named Ina Nesmith. That's her neighbor you mentioned, isn't it, Cat?”

I nodded.

Jose continued. ”It says *Back off, Lucy, or else. -Ina.' The other side, written in what looks like pink lipstick, reads *It's over. Lucy.'” Jose put the note back on the floor where he found it. ”This appears to be a possible suicide note. But then again, Ina's note could be construed as a threat. Either way, no one touch anything. This is now a crime scene.”

”Why would she kill herself? She was happier than a pig in mud.” Bezu sat down in a chair as she pressed her hand to her chest.