A Murder State of Mind Boxed Set Read online

  "How ‘bout you come for dinner here? Penny's a terrific cook and she’s already asked me to invite you over for dinner one night. So tomorrow? She's very tactful, so after dinner I know she'll find something to do so we can talk."

  "Sounds like a winner to me. What time?"

  "Five o'clock? That'll give Penny plenty of time."

  "Great. I'll be looking forward to it.”

  Kelly was up at daybreak Saturday morning. Saturday and Sunday were business days at the flea market and it was part of Kelly's job to make sure all the day-jobbers were set up in the right section. They kept him hopping all morning. It was noon before he got a break and went to the cabin for lunch. He checked the flashing light on the answering machine. Gus. Kelly threw a couple of frozen burritos into the microwave and dialed Gus' home number.

  "What's up?"

  "Remember the license number you got from that anonymous caller?"

  "Sure. What about it?"

  "You aren't gonna believe this one."

  "Don't tell me it's turned out that jerk was on the level."

  "Oh, the guy was on the level all right. The only problem was, he needed an eye exam. The number he gave us was LQY-464. Which belonged to a fella named Donovan Nolan. We checked Nolan out good and after he came out clean, we wrote your caller off as a crank."

  "I remember. So Nolan’s not so clean after all?"

  "Oh no, Nolan's out of it. And it’s just damn luck and your trip to Houston that turned this up. See, after what you told me about Andrew Davis, I went ahead and did a background check. Which naturally included his vehicle registrations and plate numbers. Nearly split a gut when the number on his BMW turned out to be LQV-464."

  "You're putting me on."

  "Nope, I'm giving it to you straight. And I still haven't told you the best part."

  "You mean there's more?"

  "Yep. Once I had the number, I ran it through our local computer. Just on the off chance a man in a hurry might have a heavy foot. And I hit the jackpot, ‘cause he did. One of our units wrote Andrew Davis a citation for doing sixty-five in a fifty and you'll never guess where and when."

  "Not in the vicinity? We’re not that lucky."

  "Oh, son! He was logged in two miles the other side of Lake Country Estates at one forty-nine on Sunday morning."

  "Jackpot!"

  "Yessir. I've already booked a flight to Houston. Mr. Davis and I, we’re going to have us a nice, long chat."

  "Poor Krystal. It'll hit her pretty hard if it turns out he's the one."

  "Yeah, but if he's a killer, she can consider herself lucky. Murderers have a habit of repeating and that little gal's got too damn much money for her own good."

  "I'm having dinner with her tonight. It's going to be tough trying to act like I don't know anything's going down."

  "Just be careful what you say. I know you've gotten close but you don't really know how things stand between her and her uncle."

  "That goes without saying, Gus. As far as I'm concerned, we didn't even have this conversation and I wasn’t about to tell Krystal anything about her uncle anyhow. She wants some answers but I figured I'd just focus on the grandmother. She didn’t like her grandmother much anyhow. Even if Andrew turns out to be the murderer, there's still a chance the story about him and Anna will never come out."

  "Okay. I'll give you a call as soon as I get back from Houston. By the way, Cam posted bail on the burglary charge. He ought to be home sometime this afternoon."

  "Good. Thanks, Gus. At least this is a break for Cam, even if it does turn out to be pretty tough on Krystal."

  Kelly finished up at the flea market by three-thirty, giving him plenty of time to spruce up for his dinner date. He chose a light blue shirt topped off with a dark blue vest. Lynda always told him blues made his eyes look sexy. He kind of hoped Krystal would have the same reaction.

  Dressed and ready, he grabbed the bouquet of crimson dahlias and pink roses he'd picked up from Loretta Carter's flower stand and headed for Old Blue. Inside the pickup, he propped the flowers against the passenger door and leaned out the window.

  "You watch the place," he called to Jake before he wheeled out of the garage and headed for town.

  Krystal took his breath away when she met him at the door. Her silvery blond hair danced over her shoulders in soft waves framing her sun-kissed face. Her mint green pullover hugged her breasts and a chain of gold coins accented her tiny waist. Kelly whistled his admiration.

  "Thank you," she said, dipping him a little curtsy. "What lovely flowers."

  "Fitting, I'd say, for two such beautiful hostesses." Kelly handed Krystal the flowers and smiled over her shoulder at Penny, peeking her head around the kitchen doorway.

  "How are you, Penny?"

  "Very good. I hope you brought appetite. Maybe too much food."

  "I'll bet I can put a good dent in it." Kelly sniffed the air. "I'm starved and it sure smells good in here."

  "Chinese. You like?"

  "My mouth's watering already."

  Krystal took the flowers and arranged them in a large cut glass vase. She pointed toward the small living room. "Let's sit in here while Penny finishes dinner."

  Kelly nodded and followed her down the hall. Inside, he had his choice between the armchair Gus had chosen when he questioned the girls or a cozy love seat. Smiling at Krystal, he walked over to the love seat. She followed, smiled into his eyes and sat down beside him.

  "I'm glad you came."

  "How could I resist being entertained by two beautiful women and from what my nose tells me, a scrumptious meal to boot?"

  "I hope you don't think I'm lazy, letting Penny do all the work. I tried to help her but she shooed me out of the kitchen. I'm a terrible cook."

  "I doubt if you have much to worry about. Any man with a lick of sense would be satisfied to have you sit around and look beautiful all day."

  Krystal laughed and leaned her head back, letting it rest in the curve of his shoulder. "I suppose you're not going to tell me anything until after dinner."

  "Of course not. You can't expect a hungry man to carry on a conversation, can you?"

  Penny appeared in the doorway and smiled at the two of them snuggled up together on the love seat. "We eat now," she said. They rose to join her in the kitchen.

  The table, covered with a yellow cloth and set with red brick stoneware, had the festive air of a party. They took their seats and Penny carried in a tray stacked with four steaming bowls.

  "Wow!" Kelly's eyes gleamed. "From the looks of it, you cooked enough to feed an army. Look out, though. As good as it smells, Penny, there might not be much left when I push away from the table. What have you got here?"

  Penny beamed. "This one is beef with oyster sauce." She indicated a bowl filled with thick chunks of beef and mushrooms, sprinkled with sesame seeds. "The other two are shrimp dishes. The shrimp in chili sauce has much spice. Krissie say you like hot food."

  "Mmmm, you bet I do. What's this?" He pointed to a bowl filled with thick patties covered with chunks of pineapple and mandarin oranges.

  "That is sweet and sour pork."

  "Well, if it tastes anything like it smells, you're gonna have to fight me for leftovers."

  The food was wonderful. The three of them laughed and joked through the meal and read laughed louder as they read each other’s fortunes from the fortune cookies Penny served with tea as dessert. When the meal was done, Penny started to clear the table and Kelly grasped her wrist. "Hold it, little gal. You've just finished feeding me like a king. I’ll do the clean-up. Anyway, I need the exercise after a meal like that."

  "He's right." Krystal jumped up and placed her hands on Penny's shoulders. "You scoot into the living room and relax while Kelly and I clean up."

  "Okay, okay." Penny laughed and put up her hands. "Adelle wants me to come, watch television. I go then. Okay?"

  "Of course." Krystal smiled at her roommate's gracious withdrawal.

  "I told you she w
as tactful," she said after Penny had left the room.

  "Yeah and a great cook too. What's your preference—washing or drying?"

  "Oh, I'll just rinse them and stick them in the dishwasher. You can carry them into the kitchen for me if you'd like."

  "You got it." Kelly grabbed a couple of bowls. "Lead the way."

  "This is tough." Kelly said after they had finished the dishes and were back on the love seat. "I'm going to have to tell you some things about your grandmother you might not like. Are you sure you want to hear them?"

  "Of course I'm sure. I've been trying to find out what happened between my parents ever since I was a little girl. Besides, my grandmother and I weren't close. I didn't like her much and nothing she did would surprise me."

  "Well, you'll have to use your own judgment on how much of this you want to accept as gospel. Stella was only able to repeat what she heard from your grandmother before she died and I guess she wasn't too lucid."

  "No, she wasn’t. She died two years ago and I was already living here in Fort Worth. I didn't see much of her in the year before she died but the last time I went home, she didn't even know who I was."

  "Okay." Kelly smiled and squeezed her hand. "According to Stella, your father caught Anna in bed with another man and that's why he killed himself. Anna found your father's body in the study and called your grandmother. It seems Vivian decided to use your father's death as a means to get rid of Anna and get Andrew made your custodian so she could direct your life."

  "I don't know why she wanted me." Krystal's eyes were bright. "She never liked me. She was always telling me I was just like my mother and she made it pretty obvious what she thought of her."

  "I'm sorry." Kelly stroked her cheek and pulled her against his chest.

  "It's okay. I already knew my mother was unfaithful to my father. Uncle Andrew told me that much. I can't figure out how my grandmother used Daddy's death to send her away, though."

  "Anna was hysterical when she found your father's body and she picked up the gun. She was still holding it in her hand when your grandmother walked in. She threatened to tell the police Anna murdered your father unless Anna gave Andrew custody and agreed to let him take over the business until you were old enough to inherit."

  "And my mother agreed to that." Krystal shook her head in disbelief.

  "She didn't have much choice in the matter. Your grandmother was prepared to swear she arrived at the house and found your mother standing over your father's body with a gun in her hand. In other words, she either had to leave town without you or be charged with murder."

  Krystal rubbed her eyes and tried to wipe out the tears. Kelly reached over and tugged her into his lap.

  "It's all right," he said. "You go ahead and cry. I know this hurts like hell but maybe now that you know the truth, you can put it in the past and get on with your own life."

  Kelly rocked her gently back and forth while she sobbed against his chest.

  Finally, her breathing slowed and she lifted her head. "I'm sorry," she said getting to her feet. "I'll be right back. I need to wash my face. Don't worry. I'm okay."

  Kelly sighed and watched her walk stiffly out of the room. He’d hated to do that but he'd been afraid not to. If it turned out Andrew was Anna's murderer, Krystal was really going to be hit between the eyes.

  "I'm a mess." Krystal smiled weakly when she came back into the room. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were flushed but she definitely wasn't what Kelly would call a mess.

  "You're beautiful." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry I had to hurt you like that."

  "You didn't hurt me. They did. I've always known what my grandmother was like. It was just the shock of hearing about it that hit me so hard. I'm okay now. Really I am. There's one thing I would like to know, though. Did Stella tell you who the man was that my mother ran away with?"

  "No." Kelly's eyebrow twitched when he spoke. "I don't think she knew."

  "I guess it doesn't matter anyhow. It's all in the past. I just wondered if he might have had something to do with my mother's death."

  "I doubt it. At least I've never seen Anna with anyone but Bubba and I've been right there for the last five years."

  "What about my uncle? You don't still think he murdered my mother, do you? I can see him trying to keep me from finding out what my grandmother did to my mother but he wouldn't have any reason to kill her."

  "I honestly don't know who killed Anna but I do think your uncle might know something he's not telling."

  "But Uncle Andrew didn't even know where my mother was."

  "Didn't he?"

  "You mean you think he did." Krystal narrowed her eyes.

  "I didn't say that, Krystal. I just meant there are a lot of questions that still haven't been answered. I'm sure the police are going to find out exactly where everybody who knew Anna was on the night of the murder."

  "What about that Bubba? Maybe he thought he was going to inherit my mother's money."

  "No." Kelly shook his head. "Bubba knew Anna had a daughter."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because he told me he did."

  "I'm sorry." Krystal touched his hand. "I didn't mean to accuse him. I know he's your friend. It's just—everything’s so ugly. I don't know what to think."

  "I know." Kelly smiled and squeezed her hand. "How about if we change the subject?"

  She nodded and a gleam of mischief showed in her eyes. "By the way, how did you get Stella to tell you all this?"

  "Not the way you're thinking." He laughed and pulled her closer. "Actually, I told her the truth about me being a friend of Cam's and trying to investigate Anna's death. We hit it off pretty well and I think she just decided to be frank with me. She's not such a bad sort, you know. She just tries to act like a hard case."

  "You would think that. You're a man." She snapped the words and her eyes flashed.

  "Okay!" Kelly threw up his hands. "I think I'll leave that alone."

  Krystal snuggled against his chest and he placed his fingers under her chin and turned up her face. "Would it seem like I was taking advantage of the situation if I was to kiss you?"

  "No, I don't think it would seem like that," she said. Her eyes sparkled as she leaned toward him.

  His lips sought her mouth and she met him with a passion that surprised and stirred him. "I wanted to do that the other night," he whispered into her ear, "but I was afraid it might scare you away."

  "I'm not scared." Her breath tickled his neck as she spoke. "I wanted it too. Do you mind if I ask you something very personal?"

  "I guess you'll have to ask me before I can answer that, won't you?"

  "Would you tell me what happened to your wife?"

  Kelly stiffened. The question caught him off guard and a flash of anger showed in his eyes.

  She reached out and grasped his hand.

  "Don't get mad," she pleaded. "I'm not just prying. I really care about you, Kelly. I could feel your hurt when you talked about her. I've shared so much of my life with you I guess I hoped you'd be willing to share a bit of yourself."

  "I'm not mad." Kelly tightened his hand on her fingers. "You just caught me by surprise. You're right, though. I think both you and I know there's some chemistry going on between us and it's only fair you should know where I'm coming from."

  Krystal lifted his hand and brushed his finger with her lips. "I guess that's why I've been wondering about your wife."

  Kelly took a deep breath. "Lynda died five years ago. I was on the police force working undercover narcotics. I'd infiltrated one of the biker gangs."

  "That's how come you're such good friends with Detective Graham?"

  "That's right. Gus used to be my partner. I've known him all my life." Kelly paused for a moment. "I won't go into all the details—just the bare facts, okay?"

  "Of course but you don't have to tell me. I'll understand if it's too painful."

  "No, I want to. You and I are talking about having a relat
ionship together and you've got a right to know about Lynda. It's just that her death was so devastating, I still have a hard time talking about it."

  Krystal nodded and rested her head against his shoulder.

  In a low, quiet voice Kelly told her about the bikers, about Lynda being trapped in the fire, about his own feelings of guilt and about the agony of loss that had plagued him ever since.

  Krystal lay in his arms, her fingers gripping his hand and when he finished, she put her lips to his mouth.

  Kelly was weak from the release of pent-up emotions and the warmth of her breasts pressing tightly against his chest aroused him. He tightened his arms around her back and she came to him, molding her body against his, inviting his response. His eyes met hers with a question and in answer, she grasped his hands and placed them under her sweater.

  He stroked her soft flesh, sought the hooks of her bra, released it and gently explored her nipples. She squirmed beneath his hands, grasped the sweater and pulled it off. He closed his eyes and with a soft moan, she leaned over him and pressed her nipple against his lips. His tongue explored the hard peak and his hands grasped her buttocks and pressed her against his groin. She moaned louder and reached for his zipper, freeing his organ from the confines of blue jeans. Stroking him, she set his blood to boiling.

  "I love the way you touch me," she said, moving her lips against his.

  "Do you want to go on?" He groaned and lifted his head to search her eyes.

  She nodded and a gentle flush spread across her cheeks as she reached into her pocket and took out a small package. He smiled, relieved to realize she'd thought about this beforehand. He wouldn't have wanted her to regret their passion.

  Tearing open the wrapper, Kelly prepared himself and lay back on the couch.

  Keeping her eyes locked on his, Krystal stood over him and slowly removed the rest of her clothing.

  "God, you're beautiful," Kelly said when she dropped her panties on the floor and lowered herself into his waiting arms.

  Smiling, she straddled his waist and reached for his hardness. Stroking it gently, she drew him inside the soft, moist center of her womanhood.