Garage Sale Mystery: Murder by Text

The film begins with Jennifer Shannon and her business partner Dani meeting members of country singer John Dalton’s band, including wardrobe designer Cassie Parker and bass player Lita Merrill. Dani is a massive fan of Dalton, known for his hit song 'True to You' and his image as a devoted husband to his wife, Pamela. However, tragedy strikes during a sound check when the band receives a group text from Lita stating she 'can't do this anymore' and saying goodbye. John and Cassie rush to Lita’s house and find her hanging; John attempts CPR, but she is pronounced dead. While the police view it as a clear suicide, Jenn is skeptical because Lita had just brought items into their shop on consignment—behavior inconsistent with someone planning to end their life. Jenn begins her own investigation, noticing a scratch on Lita's hardwood floor that doesn't match the chair she supposedly kicked over. She also discovers a tiny piece of 'taser confetti' (an AFID tag) at the scene. Meanwhile, two subplots unfold: Dani’s judgmental sister, Beth Ann, arrives for a tense visit, criticizing Dani’s 'artsy' lifestyle, and Jenn’s daughter Hannah leads a protest against her father Jason’s construction project, the historic Hatcher building. As Jenn digs deeper, she meets Lita’s estranged husband, Bo Taylor, who has a shady past and a life insurance policy on Lita, making him a prime suspect. However, Jenn discovers a demo recording where Lita sings about a married man who refused to leave his wife, threatening to expose the truth. When Cassie Parker is found murdered in her home—ostensibly a robbery gone wrong—Jenn realizes Cassie was killed because she knew John Dalton had stolen her taser. Jenn uses her son Logan’s knowledge of technology to understand how a text could be used to create a false alibi. She realizes that John killed Lita, staged the hanging, and then sent the suicide text from the concert venue using Lita's phone before 'discovering' the body and planting the phone back in her pocket. In the climax, Jenn confronts John in his dressing room just before a show, laying out the evidence of the taser tag and the cell tower records. John is arrested, Jason saves the Hatcher building by securing it historical status, and Dani reconciles with Beth Ann, who finally accepts her sister's lifestyle.