Page 34 of Tessa's Trust

I fought the urge to smack my head. That could have been anybody. It might have been a delivery person. Since we were so rural, the bigger shipping companies often contracted jobs out, and sometimes people just used their cars.

“What about Lenny?” I asked. “Does anybody else think it’s strange two bodies were found in that basement?”

“Many people wanted Lenny dead,” Timmy muttered. “He owed everybody money, and even though we all kind of loved him, he turned into a mean drunk sometimes.”

That was true. I’d always thought he was a sweet man, but I’d never really seen him late at night at a bar, and I’d heard he caused more than one ruckus through the years. “Did he have a problem with anyone in particular?” I had no idea what I was doing as an investigator, but curiosity often led to decent results.

“Well, he and Sadie had a dustup,” Timmy said thoughtfully.

I nearly sat down. “This is news. Does the sheriff know?”

“Of course, the sheriff knows. You can’t expect him to tell you his whole case.” Mrs. Canterbury shook her head sadly. “Come on, Tessa.”

Truth be told, I had expected him to tell me everything.

“You’re a suspect,” Timmy said, his gaze filled with what might’ve been respect. “We all know about the quitclaim deed Sadie signed over to Rudy.”

“Huh?” I didn’t really feel like a suspect. “You know I wouldn’t kill anybody.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Mrs. Canterbury pushed her thick glasses back up her nose. “People do strange things when pushed to their limit. Have you been pushed to your limit lately?”

“Not yet.” I was certainly getting there, however. “What was the problem between Sadie and Lenny?”

“They dated in high school, you know,” she mentioned.

The sheriff had mentioned that, but high school for them was a long time ago. I grabbed a chair and flopped onto it. “Do you have any more details?”

“Oh, yes. Sadie grew up over in Burke, and she met Lenny at a football game when Burke played Shadle. I mean, they were hot and heavy from what I’ve heard. I, of course, grew up in the city here, in Silverville,” Mrs. Canterbury said.

Yeah, the big city. I bit my lip. “I don’t think Sadie’s strong enough to stab somebody like that. I mean, she’s tough, but physically, that would’ve been quite the ordeal,” I murmured.

“Her brother has the strength,” Timmy murmured.

“Jonathan?” I asked, stunned. I just couldn’t see him getting bloody.

“Oh, yeah. Jonathan and Lenny hated each other.” Bert seemed as if he didn’t want to be left out of the discussion.

“Really?” I said, leaning forward, unable to help myself. This was good gossip. “Why?”

“It was always a mystery,” Mrs. Canterbury said softly, looking around as if eavesdropping ears were in every direction. But the diner was vacant. “They went way back, too. I’m sure it had something to do with a girl. Things always do, right?”

“Either that or money,” I muttered.

Mrs. Canterbury reached out and patted my hand. “Lenny was kind of an asshat, Tessa. I wouldn’t worry about his murder. I think you’ve probably done all you need to do to fulfill your duties under your contract to buy Silver Sadie’s and the building.”

I sighed. “You’ve heard all about the contract, too?”

“Everybody’s heard about the contract,” Timmy said. “You can’t seriously be going on a date with all three of the Brando nephews.”

“I kind of have to,” I said. Maybe, if I owned the building at this point—which I wasn’t sure about. However, there had been a week time limit in that contract, so I would stick to it. After that, I wasn’t sure. There had to be a way to prove that I owned the building legally, and Anna would figure it out. I was sure of it.

I glanced at my watch. “Oh, I’m sorry, I have to get going. Thank you for your help. You’ve all been wonderful.”

They all smiled, and Mrs. Canterbury leaned forward again. “If I find out anything else, I’ll call you.”

“Thanks, Mrs. C. I really appreciate it.” My mind reeling, I exited the diner and sat in my vehicle for a few minutes.

I could head over the pass, or I could scout around a little bit more. After making a quick call to the hardware store for somebody to change all the locks on the building, I decided to channel my sister and do something I shouldn’t. Taking a deep breath, I started down Main Street and then turned away from the river road toward an even more rural area outside of town. I might as well check out Sadie’s house.

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