Rear-View Murder: A Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery Read online

  Gemma caught a glance of herself in the rear view mirror. She was smiling. At that moment, she decided this was the car she was going to buy. Once off the interstate, she went back through town and returned to the car lot. Both Buddy and Nick were waiting for her.

  “What did you think?” Nick asked.

  “I want it,” Gemma said. “How much?”

  “We haven’t even had it long enough to price it or get it cleaned up,” Buddy told her.

  “Figure out a price, get it cleaned up and I’ll come back tomorrow to get it,” Gemma said. “Do I need to leave a down payment or something?”

  “Do you have something you want to trade?” Buddy asked.

  “No,” Gemma and Nick said at the same time. As infatuated as she was with this little blue car, she wasn’t ready to give up the Subaru. And for once, it seemed, Nick was in agreement.

  Chapter Three

  When they returned the next morning, Gemma’s new car was sitting out in front of the office, polished to a brilliant blue shine. The transaction went smoothly and she was able to negotiate a lower price simply because she paid cash.

  Nick gave her a quick hug when they stepped back outside. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” Gemma said, clutching the keys in her right hand. “I think I’m going to name her Gum Drop.”

  “You name your cars?” Buddy asked.

  “Of course. The Subaru’s name is Rosie,” Gemma said with a little laugh. “Doesn’t everyone name their cars? Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, Gum Drop and I are going grocery shopping.”

  Nick and Buddy both laughed at that and Gemma happily left them behind.

  Her first stop was the home Holly shared with her parents. Her boyfriend, up and coming hot shot local attorney, Mitch Ward, was there looking as elegant as ever, even in casual clothes. They were sitting in the swing on the front porch poring over some sort of papers when she got out of the car and waved at them.

  “Hey, look who has a new car,” Holly said, hurrying down the steps and meeting Gemma about halfway up the walk.

  “What are you guys doing?” Gemma asked.

  Holly and Mitch exchanged glances.

  “Looking at apartments,” Holly said and reached for Mitch’s hand. “We’re thinking of moving in together.”

  Gemma wasn’t surprised. The two met while they were juniors in college and had been dating steadily since. When Mitch moved to Gypsy Hill, Gemma was pretty sure he was the one for Holly. “Wow! That’s exciting news.”

  “Yes it is,” Mitch said, giving Holly’s hand a squeeze.

  The look they shared made Gemma sad and happy at the same time. Of course, she was happy for her best friend. But even as young girls they had talked about having a double wedding. Unless something changed drastically, Gemma wouldn’t be getting married any time soon. And it sure looked like that was where Holly and Mitch were headed.

  “Let’s see the car,” Holly said, changing the subject as if she sensed Gemma’s feelings.

  Mitch looked it over, but not quite as closely as Nick had. He asked about the warranty and a few other vague questions that Gemma was able to answer to his satisfaction.

  “It kind of stinks,” Holly said, climbing out of the driver’s seat. She looked into the back seat and wrinkled her nose.

  “It’s been sitting a while,” Gemma explained. “I’m going to take it for another spin on the interstate with all the windows down and then run a few errands. That should take care of it. Maybe I’ll buy an air freshener while I’m at it.”

  “Want me to come with you?” Holly asked.

  “No, you finish your apartment hunting with Mitch. That’s way more important than helping me get a feel for this car,” Gemma said, getting back into the driver’s seat.

  “Okay,” Holly said, as Mitch put his arm around her waist.

  Gemma thought they looked like the perfect couple.

  “Oh, you haven’t signed any contracts or agreements relating to the kiosk at the mall have you?”

  “No, I would never sign anything without you,” Gemma promised, thankful that Holly had warmed to the idea about the kiosk at the mall quickly.

  “Good. Mitch wants to go over them with us. Just to be on the safe side,” she explained.

  “Good idea,” Gemma said. “I’m glad we’ve got him looking out for us.”

  “And all of the paperwork making HealthGems a legal business is just about ready,” Mitch told them. “I’ll want to go over all of that with you as well.”

  “Can you believe he’s making us take life insurance policies out on each other?” Holly whispered.

  Gemma laughed. “He’s just taking care of you.”

  “Of us,” Holly reminded her.

  “HealthGems,” Gemma said. “I like the sound of it.”

  “Owner and Funder,” Holly added. “I like the sound of that.”

  “And CEO,” Gemma reminded her. “We’re on our way.”

  The two friends shared another smile and then Gemma shifted into drive and pulled away from the curb. She was still a little surprised to be driving a vehicle that responded so easily, obeyed her commands quickly and efficiently. Out on the interstate she picked up speed and wondered why she had resisted buying a new car for so long. Oh, she still broke out in hives at the thought of getting rid of her mother’s car, but she decided she liked this little car.

  Gemma drove a little further than necessary, actually all the way to the big city of Harrisonburg. There she got off the highway and then circled back on, heading for Gypsy Hill. As she drove along, she gazed at the rolling countryside that was getting greener every day. Cows and horses dotted the landscape and big barns and farmhouses reminded her just how rural the area was.

  Back in town, she sniffed deeply and smiled. That musty smell was almost gone.

  Gemma’s last stop was a new grocery store that had just opened in town. It was cool and comfortable inside and their selection of produce was amazing. She pushed the cart up and down each aisle, carefully selecting purchases. Her mom had done most of the grocery shopping while her dad cooked. The memory of him standing in the kitchen wearing one of her mother’s aprons came to mind, making her grin at the cantaloupe she was holding in her hand.

  Back outside, she found herself looking for the gray Subaru she was used to driving and then remembered she was driving the little blue car. Laughing at herself, she found it quickly and pushed her cart in that direction. When she tried to insert the key in the trunk, it wouldn’t go all the way in and refused to turn. So far, this was the only flaw she’d found with the vehicle. Hopefully, that would probably prove to be a minor fix. Maybe there was even a separate key for the trunk that Buddy had forgotten to give her.

  Gemma opened the driver’s side door and reached down to pull the lever to pop the trunk open. The lever moved easily but the trunk didn’t open. “Okay, Gum Drop, we’re going to have to have a talk about this,” Gemma said to the car as she loaded her groceries into the back seat.

  After pushing the empty cart to the cart return, she came back to her car. Before getting in, she inspected the trunk lock closely. There were some scratches and scrapes and what looked like small dents all around it. Gemma stood there looking at it for a moment, wondering if maybe at some point her little car had been broken into. The damage was minimal, but it was obvious something had definitely happened to it in the past.

  She tried the keys again and then tugged at the trunk without any results. “Okay, Gum Drop, you need to give up your secrets.”

  Glad that she was wearing sneakers instead of her usual high heeled shoes, Gemma stepped back and planted one good, solid kick right above the lock.

  And to her surprise, the lock released and the trunk popped open just a small crack.

  “Good girl,” Gemma said and approached the back of the car slowly, as if someone might jump out at her.

  When nothing happened after a few minutes, she hooked her fingers under the trunk lid and li
fted upward slowly. The musty, dank smell hit her full force but she held her breath and opened the trunk all the way. Peering inside, all she could see was what looked like a pile of old, wrinkled, moldy, rotting blankets.

  “Yuck,” Gemma muttered. “No wonder you were so stinky, little girl. Let’s get this cleaned out.”

  She pushed the trunk almost closed and climbed behind the wheel. There were probably dumpsters out back where she could rid of the contents of that trunk and then maybe take it through the car wash.

  Feeling pretty proud of herself, Gemma drove around to the back of the store and, just like she’d predicted, there were several large dumpsters. She backed up to the one that was short enough for her to reach and walked around to the back of the car.

  “Don’t worry, we’re gonna get rid of this nasty cargo and you’ll be good as new,” Gemma said to the car as she opened the trunk wide and held her breath. “This is so gross.”

  Reaching in, Gemma caught the edge of what looked like a dark green blanket. It turned out to be a hoodie, covered with mold. Holding it with two fingers of one hand, she tossed it into the dumpster and turned back to the car. The next item was a heavier jacket but it was just as smelly and moldy. It went into the dumpster followed by what appeared to be piece of a blanket.

  The stench was horrible now and Gemma held her nose with one hand. When she reached in again, something bright skittered across the fabric. Gemma squealed and jumped back.

  Bugs. She hated bugs.

  She inched back up to the trunk with one hand over her mouth. But she saw what she had originally thought was a bug. Partially hidden in the folds of fabric was what looked like...a ring? She fished it out with one finger, not wanting to touch the garment that held it in place any more than she had to.

  The ring that circled the tip of her finger was beautiful. It sparkled in the sunshine, the tiny diamonds winking and glittering as Gemma examined it closely. “Jade,” she said aloud when she focused on the pale green stone nestled in a delicate heart shaped setting.

  It occurred to her that this was an engagement ring. She’d never seen one quite like this but Holly had taught her a lot about precious stones and jewelry design over the past year. This was exquisite and probably quite expensive. Maybe even an original piece. She tucked it safely in the pocket of her jeans, knowing that when Holly saw it she would be able to tell her more.

  But first, she had to finish cleaning out this trunk. Making a face, Gemma tugged at the next garment. It was a little more difficult to pull out, almost as if it was wedged under something. Finally, it came loose with a ripping sound and she quickly tossed it into the dumpster.

  Then she turned back to the car, wondering just how much stuff was in there and why it was all still in the trunk. Buddy obviously didn’t clean the car inside and...

  A hand.

  Gemma blinked, looked again. The hand was still there, almost as if it was reaching for her.

  Chapter Four

  Gemma simply stood there staring at the hand for a moment, sure she really wasn’t seeing this. The hand was mostly bones that looked like withered twigs but the fingers were splayed as if they’d been pushing against this pile of garments for a long, long time. She decided it must be a joke. Maybe a mannequin or just a dummy hand. Knowing Buddy, he probably put it in there just to scare her.

  But she couldn’t bring herself to touch it. In fact, she couldn’t bring herself to touch another thing in the trunk of this car.

  Taking little side steps, Gemma made it to the front of her car, opened the door and snatched her phone off the console. With shaking fingers, she dialed Nick’s number.

  “Hey, sweetie,” he answered on the first ring. “Still out joy riding...?”

  “Nick, I need you to come here right now,” Gemma said, her voice low and shaky as she returned to where the trunk lid remained open. “I’m at Martin’s, over on Richmond Avenue.”

  Hearing his voice gave her enough courage to pull some of the smelly fabric away from the hand, but she jerked her fingers away when she realized there was an arm, or what was left of an arm, attached to the hand.

  “I’m on my way,” Nick said, all playfulness gone from his voice.

  “I’m behind the store next to the dumpsters,” Gemma told him, shivering despite the warm afternoon temperature and trying not to cry. “Please hurry.”

  While she waited, Gemma paced back and forth behind the car hugging herself, stopping occasionally to peer into the shadows of the trunk. The dank, rotten smell hovered over the car like a cloud.

  Nick arrived moments later, his SUV sliding to a stop just inches from her car. “What is it?” he asked, running toward her, his face clouded with worry. “What’s wrong?”

  Gemma simply pointed.

  Nick looked into the trunk, stepped forward, and then looked even closer. “Holy...,” he muttered.

  “It’s a hand,” Gemma whispered, hoping that maybe he would tell her she was wrong. “Is it real?”

  “Yes,” he answered, without looking up. Reaching inside, he moved some of the fabric around.

  When he looked at her again, she knew he wasn’t going to tell her anything good.

  “It’s a whole body, baby. I’m calling 911.”

  “Oh, Nick,” Gemma whimpered, tucking herself in underneath one of his arms while he spoke into his cell. “Oh, Nick.”

  By the time the police cars began arriving, Nick had led Gemma away from her little blue car. One officer began draping crime scene tape around the area while another walked around writing in a little notebook and taking pictures with his cell.

  A big, black car arrived and an older man dressed in a suit got out. He talked with the police officers who had arrived earlier and then looked inside the trunk. Using what looked like a pencil, he lifted some of the fabric, talked to the officers some more. One of them nodded in Gemma’s direction and he turned to look at them.

  “Nick,” he said coming toward them with his hand outstretched.

  As a local reporter, Nick seemed to know almost everyone in their small community and was especially close with police, firemen and EMTs.

  “Detective Temple,” Nick said and the men shook hands.

  The detective had thick gray hair that the breeze ruffled slightly. But it was those deep blue eyes with the lines fanning out on each side that Gemma recognized. He was one of the detectives who came to the house that horrible, horrible stormy night to tell her that both of her parents had died in a car accident. They would need her to identify the bodies. The memory of that night plus the current events made her feel weak and light headed, almost as if she had somehow stepped into a nightmare.

  Nick nodded at Gemma. “This is my... This is Gemma Stone. She owns the car.”

  “Ma’am,” the detective said quietly. It was obvious he recognized Gemma as well but all he said was, “Let’s step over here out of the way.”

  Gemma saw them placing her groceries on the ground outside the car. She knew she would never be able to use them.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” Detective Temple asked, his tone quiet, tender.

  “I just bought this car today,” Gemma began, watching a uniformed officer go through her groceries. “It had a funny smell, but Buddy said it had just been closed up for so long...”

  “Buddy over at Harper’s?” the detective asked, glancing at Nick.

  Nick nodded.

  “The trunk wouldn’t open so I kicked it. When I got it open, I saw it was full of old coats and blankets and stuff. I decided that was what was making it smell so bad, so I came back here to get rid of them. That’s when I found the...,” Gemma swallowed hard. “That’s when I saw the...”

  “It’s okay,” the older man said, gently brushing his fingertips against her upper arm. “You hadn’t looked in the trunk before today?”

  Gemma shook her head and tried to stop trembling. “No, sir. I just picked it up this morning and I drove around...”

  “Where did you
go?” His voice was still as gentle as the look in his eyes.

  “I went over to Holly’s house to show her the car...”

  “Holly?”

  “Holly Blake, my best friend.”

  The detective nodded. He pulled out his glasses and a small notebook and began scribbling notes.

  “And then where did you go?”

  “I just drove around up to Harrisonburg and then back here to the store,” Gemma finished. She was suddenly exhausted.

  “Did you leave the car unattended for any length of time?”

  Gemma shook her head. “Only while I was in the store here.”

  “You took the interstate to Harrisonburg?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Okay, I think I’ve got it from here.”

  A van arrived with the words County Coroner stenciled on the side. Gemma watched while a tall, thin man climbed out. He was accompanied by a young woman. They went to her car and slowly removed the last of the garments from the trunk while a nearby police officer placed them in separate bags. They also retrieved the garments she’d placed in the dumpster earlier.

  When the young woman returned with a gurney and a body bag, Gemma wanted to look away but found that she couldn’t. As it turned out, it wasn’t necessary. Their bodies blocked her view so that all she could see was them moving carefully, working together to lift what looked like nothing more than a small bundle from the trunk of her car. The sound of that body bag being zipped up was one of the worst sounds she’d ever heard.

  “Nick, I’m sure you’re going to want to get this story for the paper,” Detective Temple was saying. “Could I get you to hold off on it until tomorrow?”

  “Sure,” Nick said.

  “I’m going to have to pay a visit to Buddy, get some paperwork on this car, some background. Why don’t the two of you come to see me tomorrow morning? Say about ten?” He looked from one of them to the other. They both nodded. “I may have some more questions but I’ll definitely have some answers for you then or at least have an idea of how to proceed.”