Bourbon Creme Killer: Book 9 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Read online

  Staring at the phone on his desk, he reached for the receiver, then drew his hand back. He had no desire to speak to Stanton Vincenzo; unfortunately, he didn’t seem to have much of a choice. Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed.

  “Parnelli and Sons,” a nasal voice on the other end of the phone sounded annoyed.

  “Hello, may I speak with Stanton Vincenzo, please?” Kel asked pleasantly, tapping his pen nervously on his blotter.

  “Who’s calling please?”

  Kel thought fast. Just in case Vincenzo did turn out to be a bad guy, he didn’t want him knowing his name.

  “Kelvin Phillips, I believe he’s expecting my call,” he said smoothly.

  “One moment, please,” the indifferent receptionist said, placing him immediately on hold.

  “Mr. Phillips, thanks for the call, how can I help ya today?” a polite voice with a slight accent answered.

  “Mr. Vincenzo?” Kel confirmed.

  “You got me.”

  “I have a strange question for you, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem, Kelvin, shoot,” Stanton said magnanimously. Kel could almost picture him twirling around in an executive chair, hands behind his head.

  “Jeanette Hammond is my cousin,” Kel swallowed. For some reason, her name sounded strange on his lips after so many years. “And she usually calls my mother, just to catch up, you know how women are, on Sundays. She hasn’t called, and Ma is getting nervous. Jeanie mentioned that she’d been seeing you pretty regularly lately, so I thought you might have an idea of where she’s hiding out, ya know?” he mirrored the accountant’s conversational style.

  Stanton chuckled. “Women,” he sighed. “Yeah, I hear ya. I hate to tell ya, Kelvin, but I’m getting a little worried about the gal myself. I haven’t heard from her in a while, and I know she’s busy and all, but it’s still making me wonder. I mean, not even a text, ya know?”

  “Yeah, it is weird. When did you hear from her last?”

  “Couple weeks ago. We had dinner downtown on Friday at a new Italian place, I dropped her off at home after, and I haven’t heard from her since.”

  “That’s when we stopped hearing from her too,” Kel commiserated. “Well listen, thanks for your time Mr. Vincenzo.”

  “You bet, buddy. Hey, give me another call if you hear from her, all right?” Stanton asked.

  “Will do, thanks for your time.”

  They hung up and Kel stared at his desk blotter, tapping a pen on the notepad in front of him. Stanton sounded like a genuinely nice guy, even if he didn’t seem terribly worried about Jeanette. But then again, he knew how entirely independent his former girlfriend was—perhaps she had kept Vincenzo at arm’s length like she had Kel. He sighed and dropped the pen in frustration. It looked like he was going to have to go to Champaign to track down some of Jeanette’s coworkers and see if they knew anything helpful. According to her mother, Jeanette didn’t really have girlfriends. She threw herself wholeheartedly into working and making a home for Scott; she only dated or went out with coworkers on rare occasions. It sounded like the years hadn’t changed her much.

  ***

  It had been a long time since Kel had been in an airport that was so small, pleasant and unassuming. Willard Airport in Champaign brought back memories of the good old days, prior to 9/11, when one could actually drive up to the curb in front of the terminal and pick up their friend, colleague, or loved one within minutes of them landing. There were perhaps half a dozen taxis parked out front, which was fortunate, because the only limo service in the area was completely booked with weddings and graduations. The drivers lounged against their cars and scurried to help with luggage when a customer approached. He didn’t have to avail himself of their services, however, having rented a car, and the traffic was refreshingly light. There were no five-star hotels in town, so Kel had reserved a room in a brand-new four-star that was in the heart of the picturesque downtown.

  This was Jeanette’s world, and he tried to imagine her here, eating at the cute, casual restaurants, weaving through clumps of grad students to make her way to the funky coffee shops, or having a drink with friends on one of the outdoor patios along the main strip. Champaign was roughly the size of Calgon, but its laid-back, Midwest feel had Kel anticipating a relaxed stay as he tackled the unpleasant task at hand.

  Jeanette worked for a local real estate office, as an agent. Kel had no idea how a realtor had happened to meet and date an accountant, but he certainly intended to find out. Driving south and west of downtown, he found a quaint, upscale strip mall which housed bars, restaurants, a coffee shop, and various professional offices, one of which was the real estate company at which Jeanette worked. He parked out front, and put on his most “I’m-an-innocent-home-buyer” smile and headed into the cool, tastefully furnished interior of the firm.

  “Good morning, sir. How may I help you?” a stunning blond twenty-something receptionist asked.

  “Hello. I’m from out of town, and interested in taking a look at some homes, in case I get transferred out here. A friend of mine referred me to Jeanette Hammond. Is she available?” Kel asked pleasantly.

  Clearly the blonde had been coached well, her response was immediate and professional.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Jeanette isn’t going to be in the office for a few days, would you like to speak with a member of her team?”

  “I’m sorry… her team?” he asked, not wanting to sound too eager. She had offered him exactly what he needed, a chance to speak with someone close to Jeanette.

  “Yes sir. Jeanette is a member of a team, and they help each other’s clients when a team member is on vacation, or has too many closings stacked up, that sort of thing,” the blonde smiled sweetly.

  “Well, that’s very efficient,” Kel nodded. “So, if I end up buying a home, Jeanette will still get the commission and all of that?”

  “Yes sir, the team has ways of handling those situations to make it fair to all involved. If you’d like to have a seat, I can get Rhonda out here to get you started,” she gestured to the waiting room.

  “Perfect, thank you,” he replied, moving to sit in one of the subtly stylish faux suede chairs.

  The receptionist got on the phone to summon Rhonda to the front, and Kel picked up a real estate book, flipping through the pages idly. He spied a dish of individually wrapped, creamy, rich, hard caramels, and popped one into his mouth. He’d forgotten to eat breakfast before starting off on his little adventure, and didn’t want the realtor to have to hear his stomach growling. A tall, buxom woman, roughly Jeanette’s age, with hair dyed an interesting shade of copper, approached him, hand extended.

  “Hello there,” she trilled. “I’m Rhonda Cooper.”

  “Kelvin, Kelvin Phillips,” he shook her hand, talking around the candy in his mouth.

  “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Kelvin. Won’t you please come with me?” she waited for him to rise from his chair, then led him toward the inner sanctum in a cloud of pleasant perfume.

  “So Denise tells me that you’re one of Jeanette’s referrals and that you might like to see some houses today, is that correct?” she asked, immediately getting down to business.

  Kel seated himself in a club chair across the wide grey Formica desk from her.

  “Yes, that’s right,” he nodded.

  “Would you like some coffee?” she asked.

  “That would be great, thank you.”

  Rhonda pressed a button on her intercom, requesting that Denise bring coffee, then folded her heavily baubled hands in front of her, and regarded Kel with a friendly smile. He tried to not be distracted by the sheer number and size of her accessories.

  “So, tell me a bit about your situation, then we’ll dive into what you’re looking for in a home, and then we can go see some houses.”

  Prepared to ferret information out of the realtor, Kel hadn’t anticipated that she might have some questions for him; luckily, he fabricated pretty easily on the fly.
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  “I’m living in Florida, and there’s a possibility that I may be spending a great deal of time in the Midwest, so I thought that I should probably look into purchasing a home out here.”

  “I see,” she nodded. “Well, you’re in for a treat. There are so many lovely homes on the market, and the prices can’t be beat. So, how do you know Jeanette?” she asked, a slight hint of suspicion coloring her tone.

  “I don’t, actually,” he shrugged. It was true, he had no idea what his former sweetheart was like now. “A friend of mine knows her really well, and when he heard that I was coming out here, he recommended her.”

  Rhonda nodded, and there was a faint knock on the door, as Denise, the beautiful blonde, came in bearing a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee, cream and sugar, and a plate of peanut butter cookies. Kel’s stomach growled audibly and the women chuckled.

  “Should I bring more cookies?” Denise teased, on her way out.

  “I’ll let you know,” Kel grinned, taking a sip of his coffee.

  “So, who’s your friend… the one who gave the referral?” Rhonda asked, seemingly preoccupied with stirring cream into her coffee.

  “Oh… Scott, uh… Malcolm Scott. He’s a good guy.”

  Rhonda wrote down something on a pad that was hidden behind her computer monitor.

  “We like to keep track of these things,” she explained, seeming satisfied with his answer. “Referrals are very important in this business.”

  “I can imagine,” Kel nodded.

  They chatted about what Kel was looking for in a home, which was easy for him—he simply described the features that he had in his home in Calgon.

  “Well, the need for a pool really narrows the market pretty significantly,” Rhonda clickety-clicked away on her computer, frowning.

  “What if we look at properties that have room for a pool, should I decide to put one in?” he asked helpfully.

  “That makes life easier,” she agreed, brightening. “Okay, since you want to go out and look right away, we’ll look at the ones that are vacant for now, then I can make appointments to see those that are occupied for tomorrow, how does that sound?”

  Kel didn’t want to get locked into having his time taken up, particularly if the realtor wasn’t helpful in giving him information about Jeanette.

  “I’m not sure just yet what commitments I’m going to have for tomorrow, so we can go look today, and then, perhaps I can text you with my availability in the morning?”

  “That’s fine,” she agreed, hitting the print button on her computer and glancing at her watch. “That means we have four to see today. If there’s any way that you can let me know tonight, rather than tomorrow morning, so that I can make appointments for us, that would really help me out,” she blinked at him.

  “I’ll try my best,” he gave her what he hoped was a charming smile.

  “Great. Go ahead and bring your coffee with you, and let’s get started,” she stood, grabbed her purse from under her desk, and headed for the door.

  ***

  “So, you’ve never actually met Jeanette?” Rhonda asked, when they were on their way to the first house. Her oversized sunglasses not only hid her eyes, but most of her face as well, and her rings glittered in the sunlight.

  “Nope, I haven’t,” he mentally crossed his fingers at the lie. “What’s she like?” That was a genuine question, he was curious.

  “Oh, she’s lovely, inside and out, and talk about a great realtor… she really goes above and beyond for her clients,” Rhonda reached over and cranked up the A/C, effectively dissipating the heavily perfumed air in her car.

  “Nice. Her husband must feel like a lucky guy,” he probed, hoping that he wasn’t being too obvious.

  “Oh honey, Jeanette isn’t married. She doesn’t have time for men, she’s all about the job. Although she has gone out with a couple of guys lately, and just between you and me, I can’t tell what her taste in men is—the two guys are as different as night and day,” she confided, taking a quick but meaningful glance at Kel over the tops of her gigantic sunglasses.

  “Really?” he grinned, trying to put Rhonda at ease so she’d keep going.

  She nodded, pursing her lips.

  “You betcha. One is a respectable accountant, who seems boring, but, you know… stable. The other one is movie-star good-looking, but… he’s a mechanic,” she whispered. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but Jeanie just doesn’t seem to be a grease-under-the-nails kinda gal, you know?”

  “They have amazing cleaning products to protect against that these days,” Kel shrugged.

  “Well yes, but that’s not exactly my point. She’s well… polished, sophisticated, you know? It just seems strange.”

  “Maybe he brings out a hidden wild side or something,” the artist suggested mildly, with a chuckle.

  Rhonda laughed, nodding. “We’ve all taken a walk on the wild side, haven’t we?”

  “Indeed,” Kel agreed, wondering how he might be able to get the mechanic’s name.

  The rest of the afternoon passed very pleasantly, with Kel and Rhonda viewing some lovely homes, but without him gathering any more valuable info. She gave him her card, and told him to call her when he had his schedule for the next day figured out. Feeling that he had probably tapped the extent of her knowledge about the very private Jeanette Hammond, he probably wouldn’t be in touch, but promised that he would.

  Settling back into his room after having a lovely drink at a funky, upscale tapas restaurant across the street from his hotel, Kel checked his phone and realized that he had forgotten to turn the ringer back on after his time with Rhonda. There was a voicemail from a number that he didn’t recognize.

  “Hey Kelvin… Stanton Vincenzo here. I got your number from the caller ID on my phone. There’s something I forgot to tell you that might help us find your cousin Jeanette. Give me a call when you get this. Thanks.”

  Kel’s eyes went wide and he hit the Call Back button.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Missy had taken sensitive, artistic Grayson Myers under her wing when she first hired him to work at her shop in LaChance, Louisiana; the pale, tattooed youth, with long dark hair and soulful eyes, had been like a son to her ever since. Petaluma, his birth mother, was a raging alcoholic who had begun throwing him out of the house since he was around nine years old. She wasn’t a huge part of his life now that he was an adult, but he’d requested that she be able to attend his wedding.

  “Of course your mama can come, honey. We’ll have a room for her here at the inn,” Missy assured him, trying to feel optimistic about the prospect of having Petaluma under her roof.

  “Oh no!” Grayson exclaimed. “You really don’t have to do that Mrs. B. I don’t think that Mom will fit in there…”

  “Oh, darlin, now you know we’ll do our absolute best to make her feel right at home,” Missy protested.

  “No, that’s not what I mean. You know what she’s like, Mrs. B., I mean, I love her and all, but I don’t want her to embarrass anyone. She should really just go to a hotel or something,” he insisted.

  “Well, why don’t we just ask her what she’d prefer to do? That seems like the right way to handle it.”

  There was an audible sigh from Grayson’s end. “I suppose so,” he said uncertainly.

  “Good then. I’m so excited to see you two in a couple of months,” she grinned from ear to ear.

  “We can’t wait,” the shy young man confessed. “I’ve really missed you and Miss Echo.”

  “Oh honey, I haven’t told you her good news…”

  Missy told Grayson about Echo’s engagement and delicate condition and the thoughtful young man came up with an idea that she hadn’t considered. They spent the next half hour or so plotting and planning, both of them delighted with their newly created secret.

  “Remember, don’t tell her,” Grayson admonished one more time before hanging up. “This has to be a surprise.”

  “You got it, honey.
I wouldn’t miss the look on her face for anything in the world,” Missy chuckled.

  Just as she hung up the phone, still smiling, Echo came in the front door of the cupcake shop, looking far less weary than she had been previously.

  “Hey, darlin!” Missy put the phone down on the counter and gave her best friend a hug. “You’re looking better.”

  “It’s amazing how good you feel when your stomach actually decides to keep the food that you put in it,” she quipped.

  “Well, yay! Think you’re finally getting the hang of this pregnancy thing?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, but it does seem to be getting more bearable.”

  “That’s a good thing. Can you handle a cupcake? I have some vegan Coconut Cremes…” Missy tempted her friend.

  “Coconut??? Oh, that is the magic word! I can’t get enough of it lately, bring me two please,” Echo was delighted.

  “And a cup of herbal tea?”

  “I want coffee,” she pouted.

  “You can’t have coffee, darlin,” Missy blinked at her.

  “I still want it,” was the glum reply. “Fine, I’ll have tea. Just pick something that’ll go well with the coconut.”

  “You got it, sugar.”

  Missy was back in a flash with cupcakes for both of them, coffee for her and tea for Echo, all on a pretty little silver tray.

  “Have you heard anything from Kel?”

  “Yeah, he’s found out a few things after talking to one of Jeanette’s friends, and he said he got a strange call from the accountant boyfriend, but he’s still up there digging. I wish I could join him,” she mused.