Love Can Be Murder

car lead her to Deke's car, the coffin had been compromised as a second hint? Like if Allyson hadn't used a garden stake to frame Penny, she might not have been restaking her garden at just the right moment to see the distress signal from the cupola?
    "Jules, you are a wise woman," Penny murmured in wonder. “Excuse me."
    She retreated to her office where she paced, practicing deep breathing techniques as her mind churned. Finally, she picked up her cell phone and punched in a number. While the rings sounded, she wiped her clammy hands on her jeans.
    "Cumberland Federal Women's Facility."
    "Hello," Penny said. "I...I'd like to arrange a phone call with an inmate, please. Anita Frank."
    "I'll need the inmate number and date of birth."
    Penny recited the information she knew by heart.
    "And what is your name?"
    She closed her eyes briefly. "Just tell her it's Penny."
    "And for when would you would like to arrange the call?"
    "As soon as possible, please."
    She was given instructions on when to call back for a response. When she hung up, she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. If her mother didn't want to communicate, that would be her decision, but at least Penny could rest in the knowledge that she'd made an effort to forge some kind of relationship.
    She picked up a burlap bag from her desk, then walked out into the showroom. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the garden."
    She walked outside, thinking how quickly the weather changed this time of year. Cool and dry, it was great for late fall planting. She surveyed the expanse of the newly tilled black soil and sighed with pleasure. This time next year her garden should be yielding produce every single day. She expected to hire more people, attract new commercial business, and become a mainstay of the community.
    She bit her lip as she stared at the roof of the Archambault mansion. She only hoped the town would be able to compensate for the tourist dollars it would lose while the museum was shut down—especially if it never reopened. And until the full extent of the torture and cadaver ring was revealed, everyone in Mojo would look at their friends and neighbors a little differently.
    Penny inhaled deeply and expelled a cleansing exhale. No matter what the future brought, she was going to embrace it. There was nothing like a brush with death to make one appreciate living. She picked a nice fresh spot of dirt near the end of the plot and crouched down, running her fingers through the fertile soil.
    The Charm Kit to Bury the Past she’d received for her divorce party instructed her to place items representing situations she wanted to be reconciled in her life in a burlap bag with the aromatic packet of herbs provided. She had selected a picture of her and her brothers when they were young, her father's pipe, a single earring her mother had given her when she was little to play dress up, the letter Wendy had written apologizing for her long-ago affair with Deke, and the pewter lovebirds ornament Deke had given her. Satisfied with her assembly, she dug a hole as deep as she could with her hands and buried the bag under handfuls of black soil, repeating positive mantras like, "The past is gone, the only thing I can change is the future."
    Maybe voodoo and magic were just a figment of one's imagination, but if the belief brought peace, what was the harm? Afterward, she stood, content with where she was headed with her life, resolute to mend broken relationships where possible, and hopeful for a future relationship with a loving man.
    "Hello."
    Penny turned to see B.J. walking toward her on the perimeter of the garden, as tall and handome as ever. Her heart, frivolous thing, starting beating wildly. "Hello," she managed in a relatively calm voice.
    "Looks nice," he said, nodding toward the cleared land that went up to the fence around the Archambault mansion.
    "Thanks, I'm really happy with it."
    He smiled. "Good. I like to see you happy." His mouth turned down suddenly. "I can't stop thinking about what might have happened if I hadn't gotten there when I did."
    She turned to face him. "But you did get there, and I'm fine."
    His eyes softened. "I would have looked for you."
    She frowned. "Hm?"
    "I was listening to the conversation between you and Allyson before you walked down to the basement. I wasn't in position to get to you, but I heard what she said about you not having anyone who would look for you if you disappeared. That’s not true—I would've