Hot and Bothered

Chapter 2

2

Julie shoved the squeeze handle of the mop all the way to the hilt. Water spurted into the mop bucket, with a few drops splattering onto Felix. He looked up from the book he was reading and sniffled.

“I’m sick, and now you’re trying to murder me with mop water.” Her godson shoved his glasses back onto his nose.

“You seem so uncharacteristically cheerful. Are you sure you’re sick?” she asked dryly. On a scale of one to ten, he was maybe at a three in terms of sickness. She figured he needed more of a mental health day than anything else. Nothing wrong with that.

“Too late now. You can’t take me back to school,” he pointed out.

“Oh yeah? Try me.”

“They wouldn’t take me. I have even more germs now.”

She pushed the mop across Mrs. Murphy’s living room floor. The bookstore owner was the first Jupiter Point resident to book her “Green and Pristine” cleaning services. Most of the others seemed to be holding back, waiting to see if she was going to stick around.

Which was a good question. She loved this town. But so far, Felix hated it.

And then there was Ben, who seemed to hate her.

He had yet to say one word to her.

“There are other places I can take you,” she told Felix ominously. “Where you’ll be babied and coddled and fed chicken soup by servants and—”

“That’s not funny. You promised.”

Since Felix looked so alarmed, she relented. “Of course I won’t take you to your grandparents. I told you I wouldn’t leave you alone with them until you’re ready. But Kiddo, I hope you can be ready soon. There’s no reason to be so scared of them.”

“Mom says they’re monsters.”

“That’s just a figure of speech. You know how your mom is. She loves to make things exciting.” Sometimes Julie felt like a civilian casualty of Savannah’s ongoing war with her parents. “But I promise you that they’re not monsters. They took me in when I didn’t have anyone to take care of me. Would monsters do that?”

Felix blinked at her behind his glasses. Savannah refused to say who his father was, but clearly, he carried the near-sighted gene. None of the Reinhards wore glasses. But he’d definitely inherited his wild black mop of hair from Savannah. “I guess not.”

His phone beeped. Julie had mixed feelings about an eleven-year-old having a cell phone, but it gave Savannah a way to keep in touch with Felix when she was shooting a movie, as she was now.

He read the text and snorted. Probably a meme. Savannah communicated best with Felix via memes, especially when she was away on a film set. She loved making him laugh.

Julie reached the armchair where Felix was curled up. “Okay, kid, why don’t you jump over to that couch. And don’t forget the floor is hot lava.”

“I’m not six anymore,” he grumbled, before gathering up his backpack full of books and climbing onto the couch.

He was just settling in when the jingle of keys sounded at the front door. Mrs. Murphy bustled in.

“Julie, I’m happy I caught you before you finished up. I’ve been hoping for a nice chat after all these years.”

Julie barely kept herself from a massive eye roll. Of course that was why Mrs. Murphy had hired her. Perfect chance for some gossip. When it came to the Jupiter Point grapevine, Mrs. Murphy was the root of all information. She was never malicious. She just wanted to know what was going on.

She plopped onto the couch next to Felix, who blinked at her. “I’m Elaine Murphy. And who might you be?”

“Felix Reinhard,” he said.

“Reinhard. So your mother is—”

Julie stepped in. She didn’t mind getting the third degree herself, but Felix shouldn’t have to. “Felix, can you run out to the car and get me some more vinegar?”

Felix shot her a reproachful, knowing look. When she and Savannah got into fights over Felix, Julie always made a point of sending him out of the room on random errands.

As soon as he was gone, Julie stuck her mop in the bucket and faced Mrs. Murphy. “Felix is Savannah’s son. I have no idea who his father is, but I don’t believe he’s from Jupiter Point. Savannah is currently shooting a movie, and as you probably know, Adam Reinhard has been ill. He wanted to spend some time with his grandson, so I volunteered to bring Felix to Jupiter Point for the semester. I can clean houses anywhere.”

Julie figured this was the most efficient way to get the word out, rather than explaining to everyone individually who Felix was and why he was here.

“So, you and Savannah…” The older woman trailed off delicately.

“Me and Savannah what?” Julie squeezed the water from the sponge mop again.

“Are you…”

Julie stared at her blankly. What exactly was Mrs. Murphy getting at?

Then it clicked.

As did the opportunity to tweak her—just a little. “Savannah and I are a couple, absolutely,” she said solemnly. “All those pictures of Savannah with movie stars and so forth? It’s all a front. Don’t be fooled. We’re lesbian lovers, always have been.”

Finally, Mrs. Murphy burst into laughter. “Okay, you had me up until the end. Always have been? I don’t think so. Not with how you and Ben Knight were. You were the most lovey-dovey couple I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something, considering all the honeymooners who come around here.”

The mention of Ben sent a deep pang of pain right into Julie’s solar plexus. She focused on her yellow latex gloves, giving herself time to recover.

“I’m Felix’s godmother,” she explained, dropping the joke. “Almost more like an aunt.”

“Well, you and Savannah did grow up together, so that makes sense. Something tells me you’re a lot more than an aunt to that boy, though. Savannah never was especially reliable. Do you know how many times she had me order books, then lost interest by the time they arrived? I had a whole ‘Abandoned by Savannah’ section in the bookstore. I just hope the boy doesn’t fall into that category.”

Julie picked up the mop bucket and backed out of the room. They’d been chatting so long that the floor was dry. “Of course not. Savannah loves Felix. But she’s such a big star now, so in demand. Whenever she’s on location, Felix stays with me.”

Mrs. Murphy followed after her. “Well, I’m sure he’s lucky to have you. He seems very attached to you.”

Of course he was. Julie was the most consistent person in his life, other than Savannah, and he craved routine. In her opinion, he was one step away from an anxiety disorder. But she didn’t want to tell Mrs. Murphy all that.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you about something,” she said quickly, before the bookstore owner could ask her anything else.

She brightened. “What’s that?”

Julie screwed up her courage. “I wanted to ask about Robert Knight.”

“Ah. Jupiter Point’s only unsolved murder.” She gave Julie a shrewd look. “Ben’s father. You must have known him pretty well.”

Mrs. Murphy truly was a mastermind when it came to interrogations. She should have been a spy, not a bookstore owner.

“Not well, no. I was shocked when I heard what happened. Have they made any progress in solving the case?”

“You’d have to ask Chief Becker. He doesn’t tell me anything.” Mrs. Murphy sniffed, as if insulted that the town’s police chief didn’t confide in her. “But there was a big story in the newspaper recently. Merry Warren interviewed all the Knight brothers.”

Well. She’d definitely have to check that out. She could probably find it online. If she couldn’t talk to Ben herself—since he clearly didn’t want to—she could read his words in a newspaper.

“As a matter of fact, I heard that Will Knight is now investigating the murder himself. So you could always talk to him.”

Julie swallowed hard. Seeing Will would be almost as hard as seeing Ben.

Which had happened exactly three times since she’d gotten back. The first time was at the 7-Eleven, where he’d been wrapped up with a stunning blond. Ben had scowled at her so hard, she’d worried his head might explode.

Originally, she’d intended to talk to him right away and find out what had gone wrong twelve years ago, why he’d stood her up. But his frown had stopped that plan in its tracks.

Then she’d spotted him at the hardware store with his older brother Tobias. She’d ducked behind a shelf of plumbing parts before they could notice her. Then she’d spent the next ten minutes peering between copper pipes and white plastic elbows as they’d shopped for lumber.

If Ben had been alone, maybe she would have tried again to talk to him. But two Knight brothers at once? She couldn’t bear it. The brothers had been like another family to her, at a time when she felt utterly alone in the world. Even though the Reinhards asked her to stay after her mother died, there were always strings attached. She always felt like a guest, maybe one step removed from a servant. But with Ben and his family, she never felt that way.

The third time she’d seen Ben was at the cemetery. She’d gone to visit her mother’s grave. He was kneeling at his father’s, eyes closed, in silent communion with his murdered parent.

Again, she’d fled before he could see her. The guilt was too much.

Because there was a strong possibility that she’d encountered Robert Knight’s killer on her last night in Jupiter Point.

That encounter was the reason she’d stayed away until now. And one of the main reasons she’d come back.

Twelve years was long enough to keep a secret like that. Someone needed to know. Not Ben, since he obviously didn’t want anything to do with her. The police chief? Could he be trusted?

Mrs. Murphy was asking her something. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I was saying that we could really use you at the theater. We’re putting on Grease this year. I remember what a lovely voice you always had. The church choir sure missed you after you left.”

“Oh no. I definitely don’t have time for anything like that. I’m still settling in.” Besides, she wasn’t ready for anything that public. She still wasn’t entirely sure it was safe to be back in Jupiter Point.

“Well, I sure hope you stay a while. You’ve done a spectacular job here.” Mrs. Murphy surveyed the living room, where the floors radiated a soft glow and the windows sparkled. Julie smiled proudly. “Green cleaning” hadn’t exactly been her first choice for a job. But she liked creating order out of messes. She liked setting her own hours and choosing her own clients. Green cleaning had been very good to her.

Felix loped back into the room with his odd, stiff-legged stride. Her heart swelled at the sight of him.

Sure, the arrival of Felix had upended her life. But he was worth it.

“Julie, you have to help me.” Savannah’s call had come at night, waking Julie from a deep sleep in the little Reinhard guesthouse.

“Savannah? What’s going on?”

“You can’t tell my parents anything. Promise.”

“Um.” Julie sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “They barely know I’m alive, you don’t have to worry about that. But where are you?”

“I’m at a hotel in Benson. I need you to come here. I’ll explain when you get here. Bring a suitcase.”

“Benson?” Why was Savannah in the next town over? “A suitcase? What are you talking about?”

“Please! And don’t worry about money. I’ll cover everything.”

None of it made any sense. Julie had her last final the next day. She and Ben were planning a camping trip to celebrate the end of her junior year. She couldn’t go to Benson.

“Just come. I need you!”

The edge of panic in her friend’s voice really scared her. Savannah never panicked. She was always so bold, so defiant, so rebellious. And she’d done so much for Julie. If not for Savannah, she’d be in a foster home by now. Savannah was the one who’d insisted that Julie stay with the Reinhards, even after the car accident that took Mama.

“Okay. I’m coming.” Julie took down the address and threw some clothes into a bag.

But she had to tell Ben what was happening, and she tried his phone. No answer. Probably had it turned off.

So she got into her mother’s old sky-blue VW beetle and drove out to the Knight house.

And that was when everything had gone off the rails.

She’d told no one except Savannah what had happened. But now it was time. Past time. She was going to tell the whole story to someone.

Felix helped her pack up her cleaning supplies while Mrs. Murphy reeled off the list of who was performing in Grease.

Maybe she should tell Mrs. Murphy her story so everyone could hear it. Then she wouldn’t have to face Ben. Because once the Knight brothers heard the entire thing, they’d probably think she was a coward and want nothing to do with her.