Stabbed in Cherry Hills Read online

  Kat held up the flowers. “I heard about Leo Price. I’ve come to offer my condolences.”

  Wendy’s face softened. “Oh, that’s nice of you.” She stood up and rearranged some items on the counter. “Why don’t you set them here.”

  Kat did, her eyes drifting to the door that led into the inner office. Leo had escorted her through that door less than twenty-four hours ago, neither one of them imagining that his life would be over soon.

  “Leo was a good guy,” Wendy said, fluffing the flowers.

  “I only met him yesterday, but he was a gracious interviewer.”

  Wendy regarded her with slanted eyes. Kat’s cheeks started to burn as she considered for the first time that Leo might have shared all the embarrassing details of her interview with his colleagues.

  But before she could dwell too much on that possibility, Wendy said, “I’m not sure what’s going on with the position you applied for, but I can ask HR.”

  “Oh, no,” Kat said, horrified that Wendy thought she had come down here to inquire about a job after her interviewer had turned up murdered. “That’s the last thing on my mind right now.”

  “It’s hard to think about anything besides Leo, huh?” Wendy sat back down with a sigh. “I can’t imagine how awful it would be to die at somebody else’s hands.”

  Kat’s stomach twisted. “Me neither.”

  The phone rang. Wendy adjusted her headset and punched one of the buttons on the switchboard in front of her. “DataRightly,” she said.

  As Wendy chatted with the caller, Kat’s eyes drifted to the switchboard. She wondered how many incoming calls Wendy fielded each day. Specifically, she wondered if Leo’s Christy had ever phoned him at the office. If so, perhaps Wendy would know how to find her. At the very least, maybe she could give her a last name or an area code to go by.

  “Sorry about that,” Wendy said, taking off her headset.

  “No problem.” Kat leaned against the counter, hoping she looked casual. “Say, Wendy, did Leo ever receive personal calls at work?”

  Wendy lifted one shoulder. “Sure, sometimes. Most of us do on occasion. I wouldn’t say he abused the privilege.”

  “Did a woman named Christy ever call here looking for him?”

  Wendy peered at her. “You mean his girlfriend?”

  Kat’s pulse quickened. “You know who I’m talking about?”

  “Yes. And yes, she phoned here on occasion.”

  “You don’t happen to know her last name or phone number, do you? I’d like to get in touch with her.”

  “She never gave her last name.” Wendy narrowed her eyes, as if it had just dawned on her that Kat might have had another motive for stopping by than to pay her respects. “But why do you need to talk to Christy?”

  Kat scrambled for a good excuse. She couldn’t very well admit she was butting into a police investigation against the chief’s orders.

  She had a flashback of Stumpy hopping across Leo’s bedroom. “I’m on the board of Furry Friends Foster Families,” she said, thinking fast. “Now that Leo’s gone, we took his cat into custody. I thought if Christy had already formed a bond with him she might want to adopt him herself.”

  “Oh.” Wendy collapsed against the back of her chair, her expression shifting from suspicion to dejection. “I never even thought about the effect of all this on little Stumpy.”

  Kat stilled, the easy way the Manx’s name had rolled off of Wendy’s tongue not escaping her attention. “You’ve met Stumpy?”

  “Well, sure.” Wendy looked surprised by the question. “He’s very sweet once you get to know him.”

  “But when did you meet him?” Kat asked. “Did Leo bring him to the office?”

  Wendy snorted. “No way. Stumpy would hate to be around all these people. He’s scared of his own shadow.”

  “Then you’ve been to Leo’s condo,” Kat surmised.

  “Yes.” Wendy shifted in her seat, a flush working its way up her neck. “Leo and I, we kind of dated for a while.”

  Kat had to work to keep her expression neutral. “How long ago was this?”

  “Oh, six months or so.”

  “What happened?”

  “Christy happened.”

  Kat processed that, scrutinizing Wendy in an entirely new light. Could Wendy have been jealous enough of Leo’s new relationship to kill him? Maybe she had answered one too many calls from Christy yesterday, the constant reminders of how Leo had cast her aside finally sending her over the edge.

  Wendy lifted one shoulder. “What Leo and I had was pretty casual. Even before Christy came along I was never under the impression we were doing anything more than having some fun.”

  Kat didn’t say anything. Wendy might be telling the truth about going into things expecting nothing more than a fun fling, but sometimes emotions had a way of overshadowing reason.

  “And going back to your original question, no,” Wendy said. “I don’t know how to contact Christy. Her number always displays as unavailable when she calls.”

  The door to the inner office opened, and out stepped a pretty brunette. With her coat and purse in tow, she was obviously headed out. She didn’t pay them any attention, too busy fiddling with her BlackBerry as she passed by the reception desk.

  Kat thought the brunette might stay glued to her BlackBerry until she reached the elevator, but partway through the lobby she looked up. Her eyes locked on to something behind Kat, and she stumbled in her four-inch heels. She managed not to trip, but the BlackBerry fell out of her hands.

  “Wh—what are those?” the brunette stammered, aiming a shaky finger at the bouquet Kat had placed on the counter.

  “Roses,” Wendy said. “Kat brought them over as a tribute to Leo.”

  The brunette rotated her gaze toward Kat, her face draining of color.

  Wendy smacked her palm against her forehead. “Oh, sorry, you two probably don’t know each other. Skyla Perriwinkle, meet Kat Harper. Kat’s applying for the programmer analyst position.”

  Skyla didn’t say anything. She seemed rooted to the floor.

  Kat frowned. “Is something wrong?”

  Skyla stared at her for a moment longer before she seemed to snap out of her trance. “Uh, no.” She scooped her BlackBerry off of the carpet only to drop it again.

  “Do you want to sit down for a second?” Wendy asked, getting out of her chair. “You’re trembling.”

  Skyla grabbed the BlackBerry again. This time she clutched it hard enough to cut off the blood circulation to her fingers. “I have to go. Maura has a meeting in twenty minutes, and she asked me to get her a bagel before it starts.”

  Before either of them could ask any more questions, Skyla raced across the lobby. She bypassed the elevator and disappeared through the stairwell door.

  “That was odd,” Kat said, wrinkling her forehead. “Do you have any idea what that was about?”

  “She’s been acting weird all morning.” Although they were clearly alone, Wendy hunched over the counter and lowered her voice to a whisper. “She was the one who found Leo, you know.”

  Kat’s heart wrenched. Having stumbled across her own share of dead bodies in the past few months, she knew firsthand how the experience could rattle a person.

  “It probably doesn’t help that she dated him for a while too,” Wendy added.

  “Huh.” Apparently Imogene hadn’t been exaggerating when she said Leo had liked to play the field. “How long ago did they date?”

  Wendy sat back down. “I can’t remember exactly, but it was before Leo and I went out.”

  Kat stared at the flowers, trying to view them through Skyla’s eyes. Was it possible she still hadn’t gotten over her coworker? And would unrequited love be enough of a reason for her to attack her colleague in the parking lot outside their office? Her phoning the authorities could have been the result of her conscience kicking in after the fact.

  “What Skyla had with Leo was more of a casual thing too,” Wendy said, as though she
could read Kat’s mind. She heaved a sigh. “Even so, it had to be pretty traumatic to find him dead.”

  Kat reached over and fingered one of the rose petals. “I bet.”

  Tears filled Wendy’s eyes. “Poor Leo. I’m really going to miss him. He was so friendly, and he had a personality as big as a barge. Work isn’t going to be the same without him.”

  A weight settled on Kat’s shoulders. It only occurred to her then that she had just narrowly missed her chance to get to know a wonderful person.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Kat left DataRightly intending to return home, but she only made it one block before something caught her eye.

  There, across the street, was a green chalkboard propped up on the sidewalk advertising fresh, New York-style bagels.

  She lifted her foot off of the gas pedal, her heart beating a little faster. Was this where Skyla Perriwinkle had run off to? Given the shop’s proximity to DataRightly, it seemed like a safe bet—assuming Skyla hadn’t lied about her reasons for rushing out of the office.

  Without giving herself time to think, Kat veered into the parking lot. She felt a bit stalkerish as she pulled into an empty spot, but she had to talk to Skyla. She wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew what about those flowers had caused Skyla to react so strangely.

  Kat was just getting out of her car when the shop’s glass door opened and Skyla emerged. She held a paper bag in one hand and a carrier containing two coffee cups in the other. She didn’t see Kat as she started down the sidewalk, her heels clicking against the concrete.

  “Skyla!” Kat called out, slamming her car door shut.

  Skyla stopped short, her eyes widening when they landed on Kat.

  Kat hurried over to her. “Sorry for accosting you like this, but I wanted to ask about your reaction to those roses.”

  Skyla blanched, and the paper bag fell to the ground.

  Kat bent over to retrieve the bag, but she didn’t offer it back to Skyla. First, she wanted some information. “Something clearly bothers you about those flowers. What is it?”

  Skyla didn’t say anything. Kat’s question seemed to have paralyzed her.

  “I know you dated Leo,” Kat said.

  Skyla swayed backward, the statement evidently taking her by surprise. “We dated, yes. But that ended over a year ago.”

  Kat studied Skyla for any signs that she still had feelings for her late coworker. She didn’t pick up anything.

  “I really don’t make it a habit to date guys from the office,” Skyla said, ducking her head. “Leo and I happened when I was in kind of a particularly lonely period.”

  “I’m not judging.”

  Skyla shifted her feet, still not looking at Kat. “We only went out a few times. It didn’t take long before I realized Leo wasn’t interested in anything too serious. I kinda got the impression he didn’t want to open himself up, like he was afraid of being hurt.”

  Kat recalled Leo’s reaction when she’d brought up Professor Bluefield’s name during her interview. Perhaps losing his first love to his high school friend had deterred him from getting too close to anyone else. The thought made her chest ache.

  Skyla peeked at Kat from under her lashes. “I didn’t stab him.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting you did.” Although the thought had certainly crossed her mind. “But I heard you were the one who found him.”

  Skyla nodded, the coffee carrier beginning to shake in her hands.

  “That must have been jarring,” Kat said.

  “It was.” Skyla shuddered. “Lying there on his back with that rose on his chest, he looked like something out of a funeral scene from some movie.”

  Kat felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. “Wait a minute. What rose?”

  “The yellow rose that was left on Leo’s body.”

  The blood in Kat’s veins turned to ice. “Left? As in staged?”

  “Yes. At least, I assume it was staged.” Skyla drew her shoulders up to her ears, as if she were having a hard time staying warm. “I figured his killer must have put it there, the way it was tucked between his hands like that.”

  Kat stared at her. It was no wonder the bouquet she’d chosen had shaken Skyla so much. When Skyla had first seen it, she had probably figured Leo’s murderer had sent it over as a taunt.

  “The rose kinda rules out the chance of him being mugged by a stranger, right?” Skyla said. “I mean, it seems a little personal.”

  “It at least implies his killer knew he liked yellow roses,” Kat agreed. “Although that could be anybody who ever saw that painting in his bedroom.”

  Skyla frowned. “What painting?”

  “The painting of the yellow roses in his condo,” Kat said. “You must have seen it hanging over his bed.”

  “He didn’t have any paintings when we dated. He must have bought it after we broke up.”

  “What about the bedspread with the rose pattern? Did he have that when you were together?”

  “I just remember this ugly brown thing. But it’s been about a year since I’ve been to his place. He could have changed things around since then.” Skyla puckered her lips. “I have to tell you though, yellow roses seems like an odd choice for Leo. He never acted like he cared much about flowers.”

  Kat nodded, wondering if the owner of the green button had had anything to do with Leo’s yellow-rose-themed bedroom. “Did you ever meet Christy?” she asked.

  “Who’s that?” If Skyla recognized the name, she didn’t show it.

  “Oh, nobody.” Kat didn’t want to get sidetracked with explanations. “Skyla, can you think of anybody at DataRightly who might have wanted to hurt Leo?”

  Skyla shook her head. She didn’t look surprised by the question. She had probably already figured she might be working with the murderer.

  “When you discovered Leo outside, did you notice anything unusual besides the rose?” Kat asked.

  “Nothing that looked deliberate. The résumés for the position he was filling were scattered all over, but I figured he’d dropped those after he was . . .” She trailed off, her face turning a light shade of green.

  Kat thought about her own résumé lying in a pool of Leo’s blood and shivered. “Right.”

  Skyla looked at her watch and nearly jumped out of her skin. “I have to get back to the office. Maura’s meeting starts in five minutes.”

  Kat handed her the paper bag. “Thanks for talking to me.”

  Skyla offered her a shy smile. “If you get that job, maybe I’ll see you around the office.”

  “Maybe,” Kat said, but she was no longer sure she was even interested in the DataRightly position.

  Needless to say, learning that a killer might work there had dampened her enthusiasm considerably.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Cherry Hills’ newest detective,” Andrew said, strolling into Jessie’s Diner later that afternoon.

  Behind the counter, Kat froze. It was impossible to miss the sarcasm dripping from his tone.

  Still, she wasn’t going to volunteer anything. “CHPD hired another detective?” she asked instead.

  Andrew walked up to the counter and sat down. “The word ‘hired’ implies that we’re paying you.”

  She quirked her lips as if she didn’t know what he was talking about, praying her guilt wasn’t written all over her face. She should have known word of her visit to Leo’s employer would reach Andrew. Gossip was inevitable in a town the size of Cherry Hills.

  Andrew set his elbows on the counter and leaned closer to her. “Imagine my surprise when I showed up at DataRightly earlier and found out you’d already been by to question everyone.”

  Kat picked up a towel and started wiping down the counter. “I wasn’t questioning people. I just popped in to pay my respects.”

  “Right.” Andrew stared at her down the bridge of his nose. “Stay out of it, Kat.”

  Kat squared her shoulders, bristling from the stern look on his face. Her
first instinct was to remind him that he was her boyfriend, not her boss.

  But she bit her tongue. After all, he was right. Leo’s murder was police business. She should do the smart thing and let the cops figure out who was guilty.

  Then again, she hated being told what to do.

  “I know you can’t resist butting into things, but in situations like this you really need to mind your own business,” Andrew went on. “Showing up at Leo’s workplace and interrogating his colleagues could put you on the wrong person’s radar if he or she thinks you’re getting close to the truth.”

  “I don’t suppose you know who the wrong person is in this case, do you?”

  Andrew sagged in his seat, her question seeming to drain him of energy. “No. Nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything, and there wasn’t even a murder weapon left on the scene.”

  Kat thought about the rose. “From what I’ve heard, the whole thing sounds like it was premeditated.”

  “Anything’s possible at the moment.” Andrew paused, his eyes narrowing. “But that’s for the police to figure out.”

  “Right.” She straightened, rubbing the counter with more verve. “So, can I get you a milkshake or something?”

  “Sure.” His eyes lit up, and a huge smile brought out the dimples on both sides of his mouth. “Strawberry.”

  She tossed the towel into a bucket under the counter and turned around to wash her hands. “Coming right up.”

  “Make it to go, will you? I have to get back to the station.”

  Kat slid open the metal freezer panel built into the counter. “Okay.”

  Andrew watched her scoop ice cream into a metal mixing cup. “I don’t know how you survived without a Jessie’s milkshake for fifteen years,” he said. There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice now. It was as though he had already forgotten about chastising her mere seconds ago. “I wouldn’t last a week without one.”

  “Milkshakes are available in other parts of the country, you know.”

  “But do they compare to a Jessie’s shake?”

  “I haven’t found one quite as good, but some are pretty decent,” she said. “When I lived in Ellensburg, the best place to get them was this ice cream parlor located right next to the technology building on campus. Professor Bluefield used to treat our team there after we had worked particularly hard on something.”