Chapter 15

"Thank you for coming." Jane shook hands with the guests as they reached the reflection center. Several people had already taken their seats on the benches that lined the area. The wisteria had begun to bud in gorgeous violet hues, scenting the air with its distinct floral, fruity notes. Beneath the branches stretched a long table, draped with delicate funeral fabric and laden with the food.

Two metal A-Frame stands flanked the podium, one displaying a photo of Lucy, her kind eyes filled with mischief, while the other featured Cartier looking every bit a million bucks.

Conrad stood at Jane's side, a tower of support and a ready shield against trouble. Beau, Fiona, Raymond, Tiffany, and June intermingled with the growing crowd.

Jane wasn't shocked when Abigail and Maggie arrived together. They hadn't known Lucy, but here they were to pretend to celebrate her life. No doubt for the very reasons Jane had given her friend. Or perhaps they were even here to pick their next victim!

Did the pair intend to leave clues for the next murder, as chapter three of Grave Actually suggested? Time would tell. Jane tapped her foot, anxious to get this started so the killer(s) could be revealed, but also, she was hesitant because…what if she were wrong? Or made things worse?

She'd begun to wonder if the killer(s) intended to commit one murder for each weapon in the board game, Clue. What remained was a dagger, rope, lead pipe and revolver. Could Aurelian Hills handle five more suspicious deaths?

Mason strode over, dark head held high, and a new—younger—woman on his arm. Proving to the community the defection of his fiancée meant nothing to him? His eyes narrowed when he spotted Abigail. She wore the ring once again and paid him not one iota of attention.

Ashley Katz came soon after Mason. The reporter showed amazing restraint, not rushing to any suspects and asking probing questions. She simply expressed her great sympathy.

Christopher arrived with Donnie and another firefighter, each man carrying a big bag of cat food in his arms. Jane pressed a hand over her heart. How sweet. They'd adhered to her wishes. In lieu of flowers, she'd asked everyone to bring supplies for a local animal rescue.

Donnie glanced at her and hastily looked away, not staring. Hmm. Because of guilt? Or had someone warned him to stop? He definitely wasn't out of the running.

When the line of guests ended, Jane drew in a deep breath. Time for phase two of the plan. Her finger went to the wire hidden beneath the collar of her top as she scanned the crowd–all fellow residents of Aurelian Hills. Lucy's friends from school, the bank and the vet's office, along with every suspect Jane had hoped to attend. Well, except the mayor.

Peering up at Conrad, she patted his stubbled cheek. "I hope you're ready."

"Always."

With another quick nod, she made her way to the podium on the dais, facing the crowd of thirty. As Lucy had no other living family, they weren't tricking her loved ones into believing she died.

Jane cleared her throat and tapped the microphone. "Good afternoon."

Conversations tapered off. All eyes swung to her. People in motion stopped, and anyone at the snack table meandered closer.

She offered her saddest smile. "Today we honor the life of Lucy Chang. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how wonderful she was. As a premier loan officer at the Bank of Aurelian Hills, she loved helping others realize their dreams. There's probably not a new homeowner or ready-to-tackle-the-world entrepreneur in our lovely town who didn't have her help in the last few years. She was also a devoted fur-mom, daughter and sister, willing to sacrifice everything for the family she adored."

Jane scanned the faces of those watching her. Abigail and Maggie whispered among themselves. Mason glared at Abigail and drained a glass of sweet tea. Christopher pressed a hand over his heart, truly mourning the deceased. Donnie stared down at the ground.

"Lucy is survived by her precious fur-daughter Cartier. Someone she loved with her whole heart. With her dying breath, Lucy asked me to find Cartier, who is missing, and that is something I intend to do. Nothing and no one will stop me." Careful. Rage had infiltrated Jane's voice. She cleared her throat. "Let's eat, drink and celebrate the life of our darling Lucy. If anyone would like to share a story about her, please feel free to do so."

Jane dabbed her eyes before abandoning the stage to join Conrad and the crowd.

Conversations and motions resumed. Now for phase three. Mingling and pretending to be distracted.

Conrad bent down to whisper in her ear, "So far Trick and Isaac haven't noticed anything suspicious on the camera feed."

A disappointment, but not a devastation. The event wasn't over. The killer still had plenty of opportunities to hide clues.

Her gaze fell on the reporter. "Maybe it's time we stir things up by asking probing questions?" she whispered back. The other woman would be the perfect accomplice.

She'd start with Donnie. Except, he was no longer in his seat. Hmm. Where had he gone?

A thunderous boom shattered the solemnity, shaking the ground and jolting everyone from their quiet mourning. The crowd froze in place. What in the world? Gasps and cries erupted as thick black smoke rolled in from the Autumn Grove section of the cemetery, tainting the air with an acrid residue.

"Fire!" someone shouted, and screams rang out. People went running, slamming into each other. Beau raced toward ground zero.

A fire? Here?

"I'll call 911," Fiona proclaimed as Raymond gathered Tiffany and June, both in shock. Blood dripped from a gash across her half-sister's temple, and Tiffany's knees were scraped.

"What happened?" Jane demanded, a surge of protection swelling in her chest.

"We fell when the masses stampeded in every direction," a panting Tiffany told her.

Fighting a tidal wave of fear, Jane shouted to Conrad, "Go! Help the boys. I'll stay with Raymond and direct the people to safety."

Conrad hesitated only a moment before commanding, "Keep your promise," and sprinting off.

"Follow me, and I'll lead you out of the cemetery," Jane instructed, launching down the pathway toward the parking lot. Her friends obeyed, and so did the stragglers, remaining close on her heels.

"Stay calm and stick together," Christopher called, bringing up the rear in perfect teamwork. "Where are your hoses and buckets?" he demanded as soon as they reached the gate. Determination etched every line of his face.

"The shed." Like most public areas, the Garden of Memories was required to have fire hydrants, but modern fire trucks had difficulty reaching the oldest parts of the cemetery, so provisions were made.

"Stay here and let the emergency personnel know where to go when they arrive." He took a step in the wrong direction, and she caught his wrist. "I'll take you there. Fiona, direct the firefighters," she called. There wasn't time to waste. If he got lost…

Jane meant to tell Raymond where she was headed, but he was busy seeing to the injured.

Once again, Jane led the way, passing the old business center. Were Conrad, Beau and the others okay? What had caused the explosion? An accident, or a killer determined to cause a distraction?

"Have you seen Donnie?" she asked.

"No, he told me he needed to leave."

She balled her hands into fists. Had he done this?

The shed came into view, painted to blend into the scenery. Jane punched the correct code into the keypad lock–an upgrade thanks to Beau–and swept inside. Grimy windows allowed in broken shafts of light. The scent of gasoline, cut grass and dust filled her nose. Where were the hoses and buckets?

The bulk of sunlight vanished as the heavy doors shut. She turned, intending to ask Christopher to reopen the access, but the words died when she spotted what he clenched in his fist. A knife.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. She held up her hands to ward him off as she backed up, putting distance between them. "What are you doing, Christopher? Why do you have a knife?"

"Please don't be afraid of me," he begged. Though his voice brimmed with reassurance, he never sheathed the weapon. "I didn't mean to kill Hannah. And I love you. I would never hurt you."

Jane's jaw dropped, pieces of the puzzle linking, shocking her to her core. His motive made no sense! "You love me?" Although, she had no problem pegging him as the killer right now. All the clues…

His ex-girlfriend's uncanny resemblance to Jane.

The phone call after Hannah's murder to ensure he had an excuse to race to the Treasure Room.

How he always seemed to appear just as Jane needed him.

Tattling on Abigail and Maggie.

Finding the co-written manuscript.

Telling everyone about the secret tunnels.

But a profession of love? This, Jane never expected. "You don"t love me," she informed him. "You broke up with me. And also, no one has ever really killed for love, only hate-in-denial."

"I told you. I didn't mean to kill Hannah. And our breakup was supposed to flip a switch inside you so you'd do anything to win me back," he admitted. "Yet you didn't, and I thought I had let you go and moved on. Then Marcus Hotchkins died, and you reappeared in my life. But you didn't see me." His eyes narrowed. "I realized I had to make you see me."

Conrad was right. Instead of being a man and telling you how he felt, he tried to get you to chase him by breaking up with you.

"You can"t love me," she said, gentling her tone. "You're holding a knife, threatening my life."

"I do love you," he insisted, "and I'll prove it. But I need you to listen to me, okay?" He took a step forward, and she took another backwards step. His eyelids narrowed again, and his grip on the weapon's hilt tightened, his knuckles turning white. "I meant what I said. I didn't plan to kill Hannah. Only intended to injure her."

"Why?" Jane croaked. Keep him talking. "Why her?"

"She offered the biggest pool of suspects and gave you a chance to seek revenge against Abigail Waynes-Kirkland while also giving me an opportunity to ruin Maggie's life for cheating on me with a coworker. She doesn't know that I know, but I do." Anger infused his voice. Then his posture softened. "I never intended to injure you in the Treasure Room, Jane. You arrived before I was ready…I didn't expect…didn't plan for how long it would take to…but I did catch you before you fell," he ended proudly.

"As if that makes it better," she snapped. Careful. He has a knife, remember?

"You were supposed to find an unconscious Hannah after I left. Then you would've called for help, allowing me to come to the rescue and revive her. You could launch an investigation. Since I was there and a hero, you'd want to include me, allowing me to prove I'm better for you than Conrad." Once again, anger infused his tone. "But Hannah died, and I panicked, I admit it. I had no other choice but to work with the situation presented to me." His hazel eyes implored her to understand. "I had no intention of striking you, but Lucy revealed herself, and my body acted of its own accord."

Air hitched in Jane's lungs, the rest of the story writing itself. "You did it. You left the grocery store without the other firemen noticing. But they told Conrad you guys stayed together."

"Obviously, we covered for each other. We were on the clock, but Brent took a lengthy call from his girlfriend and Jeb wasn't exactly sober."

"You used the hidden outside door to enter the Treasure Room's secret chamber," she continued. "After killing Hannah, you struck me. Then you did your best to place suspicion on Lucy, Maggie, Abigail, Jacob and even Donnie. Did you kill Jacob, too?"

"Yes, but only because he'd started to suspect me. I was there when he, Maggie and Abigail plotted out a story using you as their inspiration. When he realized the tale was coming to life before his eyes, he believed one of the other women was responsible. Until he caught me reading the manuscript."

The moisture in her mouth dried. So Abigail and Maggie were innocent? They'd acted guilty because they'd done the plotting and had comprehended how badly it incriminated them? That sucked!

"Did they write Grave Actually?" she asked.

His chest puffed up. "That's all me. Did you like it?" His tone hopeful. "I did it just for you. A love letter."

He was unhinged! "Were you responsible for that explosion?" Best not to mention her opinion of his writing. "What did you do to my cemetery?"

"Please don't worry. It was simply a minor distraction. More smoke and noise than fire. I set it off with a remote. Everyone will think Donnie did it. But Jane, with me, you won"t have to be Cemetery Girl anymore." He stepped closer. "You won't be forced to agonize about this place at all. I know what you really want, and I'm willing to give it to you. A life of adventure. We'll travel the world together." Another step closer as she backed up, hitting the far wall. "For the past year, I've seen you at every homicide. I noticed how you look at Conrad, and it's not fair. I deserve your adoration. Me." Total conviction radiated from him. He believed every word he spoke. "Everything I've done, I've done for you."

He couldn't be serious. But either way, she shouldn't rebuff him outright–yet. Better to play along until help arrived. "I'm not saying no, but I'm having trouble getting over the fact that you murdered two people." Her gaze slid behind him, to the locked door. Surely Trick and Isaac had noticed her with Christopher on the camera feed. Someone monitoring her audio? Conrad and Beau would realize she was missing and come gunning for the fireman.

"I did that for you," Christopher repeated. "For us. I gave you what you love. A mystery to solve. Suspects. Conrad has done nothing but stifle your talents."

Jane licked her lips. "Where is Lucy's cat?" She struggled to filter fear and disgust from her tone.

"Safe. I'll let her go as soon as we get this sorted out."

This? A Bonnie and Clyde type romance? "Why are you confessing now? What about the game?" A game he'd won. She'd suspected him too late, and even then, she hadn't taken the suspicion seriously.

"I hate seeing you sad, and I thought the truth about my grand gesture might make you happy again. Plus, I didn't want some copycat killer stealing my thunder." He closed the rest of the distance. The space was so small, with no tables to hide behind. "Let's forget the game. I was always ten steps ahead of you anyway. When you passed out," he added as if he couldn't help but brag, "I ensured your phone gave mine permission to find it, allowing me to track your whereabouts, then I deleted the message informing you of the change. You should really update your passcode. It's the same now as it was when we dated."

Yes. Rolex's birthday. And wow. Christopher really had been steps ahead. Jane had never guessed he messed with her phone. Except she had lured Christopher into making a confession, so she was clearly twenty steps ahead of him. All she had to do now was stall.

Her stomach churned. "Am I supposed to run away with you or stay here and continue blaming Abigail and Maggie and Donnie?"

His entire countenance softened again. "I knew you'd see it my way. They are terrible people, aren't they? And you don't even know the half of it. The girls have said awful things about you behind your back."

As if the opinion of people she wouldn't trust with hearse, much less with the fabric of her entire life, bothered her.

"Jane," Conrad called, his concerned voice seeping through the cracks in the wood.

Relief exploded inside her, but Christopher jolted, his attention swinging toward the door.

Jane seized her chance. Remembering a self-defense move Conrad once taught her, she cried, "Hi yah," and performed the world's best roundhouse kick. The blade fell from Christopher's grip, clanking to the floor.

That worked? Well, of course it worked! Grinning, she swooped down and grabbed the handle before the fireman had a chance. At the same time, Conrad and Donnie burst through the doors. The love of her life had a gun aimed and ready.

Donnie pointed at Christopher. "He's there!"

"Hands in the air, Wellington," her stunning lawman commanded.

With panic glittering in his irises, Christopher attempted to grab Jane. To use her as a human meat shield or drag her away with him? He'd forgotten she held his knife.

She slashed his hand before he made contact, and he howled with pain. "That's for blowing up my cemetery, being a lowdown dirty murderer, and worst of all, kidnapping a cat!" Of course the man had a lot to pay for, but disturbing her "guests" first came to mind.

Donnie rushed past Conrad to tackle Christopher to the ground. Beau, Trick and a deputy arrived next.

"Stop! This is just a misunderstanding," Christopher called, but Donnie subdued the other man easily, allowing Conrad to sheathe his weapon, stalk over and secure metal cuffs to Christopher's wrists. After reading the firefighter his rights, Conrad jerked the prisoner to his feet.

As the deputy took custody to finish the arrest, Conrad stalked over to wrap Jane in his arms.

She beamed with pride. "Did you see my sweet move? I dropped him to the ground."

"Give me a minute, woman. My stomach needs to get out of my throat," Conrad said, his voice strained. "You really are okay?"

"I really am. Christopher did it, by the way," she told him. "He confessed to everything."

"We've got it all recorded. But you weren't safe," her fiancé complained, pulling back to frown down at her.

"Conrad, my love." She jutted her chin. "I've been carrying around a fully loaded roundhouse kick. Totally packing heat. I was never in any danger."

He snorted. "You owe me so many casseroles."

"And you owe me another poem."

A second snort met her words. "I've got to go to the station to handle this, but a deputy will take your statement. I'll return as soon as I'm done."

She cupped his jaw and peered into his beautiful amber eyes. "We won the game and beat the curse. We are the best sheriffs in the history of sheriffing! But I'm officially undeputizing myself. I've got a wedding to plan!"

"Agreed." He kissed her lips before reluctantly releasing her and stalking from the shed.

She grinned at her friends, and Donnie, who remained behind. "It's nice to meet you Donnie."

He blushed and kicked a rock with his shoe. "You too. Sorry I made you so uncomfortable before. Chris told me you liked me, and I…I didn't mean…I…never mind. He also told me to leave the memorial, that I was making everyone uneasy. I was sitting in my car when I heard the explosion and came running. Conrad asked me questions as we ran to get you, and I realized Chris had set me up."

"It's okay." Jane beamed at him, at everyone. "I finally know how to end my book."