by Kasi Blake
* * *
Jason’s truck pulled into the driveway in the dusky glow and I moved to the door. I pulled it open as he came up the stairs, putting a finger to my lips.
His brows creased in confusion, then his eyes moved to the futon and lit up in surprise. He moved with me quietly into the kitchen.
I kept my voice to a whisper. “She might have had a bit too much to drink,” I murmured.
His eyes were steady on me, with a glint of amusement in them. “Did you help?”
The hint of a grin tweaked the corner of my mouth. “I might have had a tiny bit to do with that but it hardly needed any encouragement,” I pointed out. “She would have drunk the entire bottle if I had not distracted her.”
There was a yawning from the other room and we moved to the living room. Cheryl stretched, shrugging off the blanket, seemingly quite comfortable with the idea of having slept in a stranger’s living room for the afternoon.
“Well then, I have some shopping to do,” she stated, drawing herself to her feet.
I glanced back toward the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee, or water, or something else before you go?”
She shook her head. “Nah, I’m meeting some friends at TGI Friday’s for drinks at five.” She glanced at the clock. “That gives me a half hour – just about perfect.” She gathered up her purse and coat. “Thanks for the wine. Hope I was helpful.”
“You were indeed,” I agreed, moving to open the door for her. “Thank you for your time.”
“Yeah, sure,” she waved, and then she was moving down the steps toward her car.
Jason came up behind me, watching her go. She backed her car up smoothly; apparently the nap had prepared her well enough for the short drive into Millbury for her next round of drinking.
His voice was rich and warm at my ear. “So, did you really learn anything?”
I turned against him and his arms automatically came up around me. “Welcome home,” I murmured, drawing him in to a kiss. It was many long minutes before we pulled apart again.
I smiled up at him. “That always comes first,” I pointed out.
“Of course,” he agreed with a smile.
I took his hand and we moved back into the dining area. I made us some tea and took the cheese out of the fridge, putting it out on the table with the Triscuits. Jason took a pair and layered them, popping them into his mouth.
I took a sip of my tea. “Yes, I did fill in a few holes,” I agreed. “For example, it was Cheryl who took the money.”
“Oh?” he asked, his eyebrows raising. “She stole from her own sister?”
My mouth tweaked. “She didn’t quite see it like that. Her sister was dead already, and Cheryl felt it was owed her after the injustices she had suffered.”
Jason ate another pair of squares. “So what did she feel about the drowning?”
“She felt it was an accident and wholly her sister’s fault. She seemed to have a fairly poor view of her sister.”
He chuckled. “Not uncommon between siblings,” he pointed out. “There can be issues there that even decades don’t resolve.”
“When pressed, she singled out Sam and Richard as the two who might have the strength to have done something to Eileen,” I continued. “Although I don’t think she took it seriously. She figured her sister just drowned through her own stupidity. Apparently Eileen couldn’t swim very well.”
“Well, it seems that she and Zelda concur on the suspects.” Jason nodded. “It seems worth looking into, at least.”
“I agree. What do you think our next move should be?”
His eyes held mine, and a smile drew across his face. His voice was a low murmur.
“I’m sure we could discuss that in the morning,”
