SCREWED DOWN MURDER (Mrs. Fix It Mysteries Book 2) by Belle Knudson

stitches?”
    “Glue. It’ll be fine. I’m not supposed to use it too much for a day. Means I have to take tomorrow morning off,” she said.
    He handed her a plate of food. “Want me to feed you?”
    “No. I can eat.”
    “I wish you would let me take care of you, Katydid.”
    “I can’t, Scott. Not yet.”
    “I’m doing my best.”
    She took a bite of her food. She knew he was doing his best. “So what happened with the angry guy you interviewed today?”
    “He’s in custody. That’s all I’m saying.”
    “He must have been twice as pissed when you told him his suspicions were true,” she said.
    The chicken was good. Moist and crispy.
    “He was, but that’s not your problem. I don’t want to talk about the case.”
    “What do you want to talk about?”
    “Tell me about your kids.”
    “Why?”
    “They are a part of who you are, who you’ve become in the years since I knew you.”
    She put down her plate, wiped her hands. “What can I say? They are great kids, volunteering for AmeriCorps this summer. I wish they were home, but they want to go out and save the world. I can’t deny them that.”
    “Is it harder not having them here since Greg is gone?”
    “Yes, I think if he were here things would be easier. I wouldn’t miss them so much.”
    She thought about her boys. They were still young and thought they could change the world. She admired that about them and didn’t want them to lose that idealism. She must have done something right, since they weren’t bitter after Greg’s disappearance.
    “You must have raised them well if they want to change the world. You had to take over at a crucial time as both mother and father. Do you give yourself credit for that?”
    She leaned back. No, she probably didn’t and she should. “I have as much guilt as the next mother. It is what it is.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Eleven
    Kate was on her way out the door the next morning, thinking about Scott when her phone rang. She looked at the screen. She might have to give Jessica her own ringtone. The woman called her enough and gave her enough business to warrant it.
    In Kate’s mind the case was close to being settled. Scott had convinced her that the contractor they had arrested yesterday was probably the murderer. The mystery woman in Dudley’s office had no bearing on the case. If she came forward, she’d help. If not, they could build a case without her.
    With that settled, Kate had slept better last night than she had in weeks.
    “Hello, Jessica. Have you looked over my estimate?”
    “What? Oh, yeah. It’s fine. I’ll sign it and get it back to you.”
    “Okay. I have a job this morning, but I can see you after that,” Kate said. “It’s a quick job.”
    “No, I really need you to see what I’ve found. I was looking through Dudley’s office to see if anything was missing. I found his appointment book. It has an odd entry in it,” Jessica said.
    “An odd entry?”
    “I can’t describe it. I think you need to come by and look at it.”
    “Jessica, Scott is pretty sure they know who killed Dudley. Can this wait?”
    “Okay, I guess it can.”
    “I’ll be over in two hours.”
    Her first job of the day was fixing a wooden swing set. She used lag bolts to secure the structure so that the kids could climb on it again. The wood might disintegrate before the bolts did. She received a check, then decided to put it in the bank.
    She and Jessica could decide on a payment plan today. Kate couldn’t wait until all of the projects were done to see any cash. She didn’t think that Jessica would be averse to that. With the check in the bank, Kate headed to Jessica’s house.
    Her car wasn’t in the driveway, but that didn’t mean anything. Jessica could have put it in the garage. Kate parked her truck on the street then rang the woman’s doorbell. No one answered, but the house was big enough that Jessica could take a few minutes to get to the front door.
    Kate looked