Three weeks without a murder had me walking with a definite spring in my step. “Good morning!” I sang to everyone I passed on my way to breakfast.
“Shelby Jenkins!” Alice Johnson, manager of Shady Acres, narrowed her eyes. “What are you wearing?”
“Shorts and a blouse.” I glanced down at my favorite rainboots, black and white striped with a red bow on the back, a light blue blouse and cut off denims. Was something wrong with her eyes?
“Untie the blouse at your waist. Your stomach is showing. You’ll give the old men a heart attack.”
“But, it’s hot today.” I did as instructed…she was my boss after all. Now, my shirt was wrinkled where I’d tied it. I sighed. “Do you have a certain chore for me today?” As the community gardener and event coordinator, I had learned not to plan my to-do list before speaking with Alice.
“That old brick path needs cleaned up.”
“Where does it go?”
“Nowhere…I don’t care. It’s an eye sore. Now that we’re under new management, I’ll be hiring an interior decorator to redo the cottages. We’re going to make this the ritzy place for retirees that it was meant to be.” Without a dismissal, she turned and headed for the main building.
I shrugged. We could have at least walked together.
“Bossy, witch.”
Startled, I turned, knocking a stack of magazines from the hands of our receptionist Teresa Givens. “Me?”
“Of course not. Alice.” She stooped to pick up the magazines.
I stooped to help, glancing at the headshot of one of Hollywood’s hunks. “I didn’t know you read these.”
She shrugged. “I’m fascinated by the lives of the rich and famous. When I was little, I dreamed of being a movie star. I want a big house, a fancy car, and a man who showers me with gifts.”
“You’ve got the looks for it.” I stood and handed her the ones I’d gathered. “What’s stopping you?”
“Money, mostly. Thanks.” She wrapped her arms around the pile and turned toward the cottages. “See you at breakfast. Alice was insistent I put these away so clients wouldn’t see my ‘trashy’ magazines. Her words, not mine.”
How well I understood. Every employee at Shady Acres had received a tongue lashing from Alice at one time or another. It was worse after the murders last month. Now, Alice seemed to think herself invincible.
She’d been the primary target until I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong. Then, the target had switched to me.
I pushed open the double doors to the dining hall. Conversation, laughter, and the clink of eating utensils against dishes assaulted my ears. Taking a deep breath, I glanced around for Grandma and Heath.
Grandma sat at a table with Harold Ball, Marvin Hall, William Jamison, and Bob Satchett. Of course, she was the only female at the table.
My eyes widened at the fluorescent pink jogging suit she wore with royal blue heels. Shaking my head, I moved to the employee table where Heath was already digging into a mountain of pancakes.
“Hello, gorgeous.” He swallowed and grinned.
I planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “Good morning.” I headed for the buffet and filled my plate with fruit, cheese, and a croissant before sitting next to Heath.
“Did Alice tell you about her plans for the place?”
“Redecorating? Yep.” I bit into a strawberry. “I like my cottage just fine. What’s on the agenda for you?”
“I need to look into Dave’s and Harry’s cottages and see what repairs, if any, need to be made.” His tone sobered as he mentioned the deceased Dave, and his killer Harry. “Alice wants those cabins done first. She said she already has people interested in renting them.”
“She wants me to clear some path to nowhere.” I buttered my croissant. “Which is fine. I have a lot of the grounds looking pretty good, other than a few bushes that need trimming, I could do with a large project.” Not to mention I needed to come up with a social activity for that weekend.
“Well, we need to earn our keep, I suppose.”
I shrugged. At least she had stopped giving me portions of her own job to do. For a while, I had been lucky to get any of my own work done, as Alice tended to treat me as her personal assistant. It was still better than a room full of rowdy third graders, which is what I worked at before. I finished off my breakfast and grabbed Heath’s plate and mine. “I’ll set these on the counter on my way out. I might as well get a look at this path.”
I waved at Grandma on my way out and headed for the part of the grounds I had yet to get to. I hadn’t counted it a priority since it was at the back. Shouldn’t I first work on what could be seen? Still, orders were orders.
After stopping at my cottage for a floppy straw hat to ward off the summer’s hot sun, I made my way to the bleached blond brick walkway, my mind already deciding the types of colorful foliage I would line it with. Flowers for spring and summer, evergreens for fall and winter.
Weeds and grass grew between the bricks. First priority would be grass and weed killer. I continued along my brick road until I came to a nine foot overgrown hedge hidden by a stand of trees.
I glanced right, then left. The hedge stretched as far as I could see. How had I missed something so large? Maybe because I’d been busy solving a couple of murders and trying to stay alive myself. I shoved aside branches and followed the hedge until I located a rusty gate. I pushed it open, wincing at the loud shriek the hinges made.
A maze! One that needed work, but a maze nevertheless. I’d found my next social event. How fun to traverse the maze at night by flashlight. I’d have to work fast to have it ready by the weekend, but a backhoe would rake up the fallen leaves quick enough. It would take a while to trim the hedges, but that wouldn’t stop the community from having a bit of fun. The prize would be at the end.
Deciding I needed something to show my way so I wouldn’t get lost, I headed back to my cottage for some ribbon leftover from a project I’d done with my students once upon a time.
Armed with red ribbon and a pair of scissors, I hurried back and left a bow at each intersection, removing the ribbon when I realized I’d gone the wrong way. Oh, this was fun! I could already imagine the hilarity that would ensue when it was dark.
After an hour of traversing the very difficult trails, I wished for a drink of water. Why hadn’t I filled my cooler and brought the wheelbarrow? I sat on a stone bench and fanned by face with my hat.
The maze was very peaceful. Birds twittered from within and from somewhere came the sound of trickling water. It would be beautiful when finished.
Rested, I pushed to my feet and continued on my personal treasure hunt. There had to be an end to the thing. I only hoped it didn’t come back out before revealing something wonderful. A place I could set the prize for the participant who got there first.
I rounded a corner. Oh, a gazebo! It needed paint, and one of the benches sagged, but it was the perfect place to hide a…body?
Sensible navy pumps covering feet connected to shapely calves, hung down the gazebo steps. I dashed forward, pulling my phone from my pocket as I ran.
Teresa Givens, a knife protruding from her chest, stared up at me with dead eyes.
I dialed Officer Ted Lawrence, who also happened to be Grandma’s boyfriend. “This is Shelby. I found a dead body.”
“Who?”
“This isn’t the time for teasing! Teresa Givens is lying in the gazebo in the maze with a knife in her chest.”
He sighed. “I’m on my way.”
“Oh, Ted?”
“Yeah?”
“Follow the brick road, then the hedge, then the red bows, and…oh, bring me some water, please. I’m dying here.” I cringed at my choice of words.
He said a few colorful expletives and hung up.
I dialed Alice next. “Teresa is dead in the maze.”
“Excuse me?”
“Dead as in stabbed in the chest.”
“We have a maze?”
“Alice!”
“Sorry, I wasn’t aware.”
I gave her the same directions I had given Officer Ted, then dialed Heath. “Teresa is dead in the maze.” I should have recorded my first conversation and replayed it to all interested parties.
“Are you okay?”
Finally, someone cared about me and the victim. “I’m fine.” Tears burned my eyes. “But Teresa isn’t. Oh, Heath, all she wanted was to be a movie star.” I plopped onto the sagging bench across from the body. “Who would want to kill such a nice girl?”
“I’m on my way. Oh, there’s Alice. I’ll come with her.” Click.
Great. The one woman other than me who had a crush on Heath would now get to follow the maze with him.
Doing my best not to look at Teresa’s body, I decided to stay busy seeing what all needed done to get the gazebo in shape. Maybe I could ask Heath to fit it into his schedule to help. I had an engraved wooden box given to me by my lousy, coward of an ex-fiance that would make the perfect prize. I would set it right on the banister.
Where was everybody? I resumed my seat and fanning my face. It had taken me a long time to get here, but I left them a clear path.
An hour after I called Officer Ted, he arrived on the scene with Grandma, Alice, and Heath in tow. Grandma stood over the body, a hungry gleam in her eye. Since the first murders, she fancied herself a sleuth and seemed to look for mysteries every day.
“I don’t think she was killed here,” I said.
Officer Ted glanced my way. “Why do you say that?”
“There’s no pool of blood under her.” I stood. “Now, I’m not saying she wasn’t killed in the maze, that’s possible, but I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Most likely.” He didn’t look the least bit happy about my observation. “Stay out of it, Shelby.”
“I didn’t have anything else to do while waiting on y’all, but think about it.”
“Your job here is done.”
“Not really. I have a lot of work to do before the weekend haunted maze activity—”
“What a great idea!” Grandma clapped her hands. “It’ll be even more scary now that someone was killed.”
Officer Ted scowled. “This is a crime scene. I doubt it’s cleared in time for you to prepare for this weekend.”
Of course, he was right. I needed another plan, and I was fresh out of ideas. No, wait. I’d play off the scariness of this and build people’s anticipation with a murder mystery dinner in the dining hall.
I skirted Teresa’s body, tears springing fresh. I really thought we could have become friends, given the time, if not for the fact the girl was very secretive about what she did after work. I glanced one more time at her, then squatted next to her.
“Did you see this?” I pointed to the bouquet of roses under her. “I think she was here with a beau.”