Falling in Love on Willow Creek

by Debbie Mason

  Agnes walked from the hallway into the store with the map Sadie had printed off after she and Chase had come up empty-handed this afternoon. She was hoping her grandmother might provide a clue about where Elijah had buried his stash.

  Abby looked from Agnes to Sadie. “I’ve got it. You can write a children’s book using your grandmother’s story and illustrate it with photos of Lula Belle the unicorn. She’ll become the store’s mascot. It’ll be great exposure for both you and the store. You can write a series of books and then branch off with Lula Belle merchandise.”

  “That’s a grand idea.” Agnes beamed. “Elsa has been after me for years to write the story. You know how much she loves to promote local history and authors.” Elsa Mackenzie was Hunter’s aunt and one of the owners of Three Wise Women Bookstore on Main Street.

  “Perfect. I’ll call Elsa, and we’ll—”

  Sadie had to stop Abby before she got on the phone with Elsa. If she didn’t put on the brakes, every member of the Sisterhood would arrive at the store. Honestly, she was surprised neither Abby nor her grandmother had called a meeting of the town’s most influential women.

  “Hold it. It’s a good idea, and I promise I’ll think about it once Elijah is…” She couldn’t say back home or in jail, so she settled on: “…safe. Did you think of any other locations than the ones I already had, Granny?”

  “No, but I circled the ones that I think are most likely.” She handed Sadie the map.

  Sadie glanced at the locations her grandmother had circled and held back a sigh. Agnes had circled all nine locations, including the ones Sadie and Chase had already searched.

  Sadie put the map on the counter. “If I knew where Elijah had been drinking the night he’d buried the drugs—and, we’re assuming, his phone—we could narrow this down. But the only person I can think to get the information from is Payton, and Chase would kill me if I spoke to her.”

  Abby smiled at her grandmother. “She’s in love with him.”

  “Head over heels,” her grandmother agreed. “And it’s about time she found a man worthy of her love.”

  “Hunter agrees with you. He likes Chase, and that says a lot. He thinks he’s good for Sadie too.”

  “Sadie’s right here,” Sadie said, trailing her finger over the map, location to location, before looking up. “I agree with you though. Chase is good for me. Too good for me.”

  “Come on, Sadie, don’t do that. You’re incredible. You are—” Abby began.

  “Let me rephrase that. He’s good for me, but I’m not good for him.” Before either her grandmother or Abby could argue in her defense, she said, “You know Elijah’s gun? The one they’ve tied to the deputy’s murder? It’s mine. Your gun was jamming, Granny, and I gave Elijah mine. I haven’t told Chase.”

  “But you didn’t kill anyone. You were nine months pregnant, and you were at your own baby shower. You have an alibi,” Abby protested.

  “Not for every minute of every day that weekend, and I don’t think they’d consider Granny a reliable witness. Sorry, Granny, but you were hiding Elijah for all those months,” she said at her grandmother’s hurt expression.

  Sadie explained that she couldn’t remember if she’d left her gun in Highland Falls in February or brought it from Charlotte when she moved back home, but it had turned up at the cottage a few days before she met her brother in the woods. “If I can figure out who stole my gun, we’ll know who murdered the deputy.”

  “Okay, so it’s just the three of us, and each of us would hide the body for the other if we, say, had to kill someone in self-defense. So this right here”—Abby linked her fingers over her head, making a dome—“is a sacred place where we can say anything and not be judged. I didn’t take the gun, and I didn’t kill that poor deputy.” She gave Sadie a play along look, and that’s when she realized what Abby was up to.

  Sadie’s pulse began to race at the thought her grandmother might have had something to do with Brodie’s murder. She knew Agnes would do anything to protect Elijah but would she really go that far? “I didn’t either. I wouldn’t, even to protect my brother.”

  They looked at her grandmother, who had her head cocked as if thinking over her answer. “Granny?” Sadie said, unable to keep the panic from her voice.

  Agnes frowned at her. “You can’t be thinking I had something to do with the poor lad’s death.”

  Abby answered for Sadie. “Of course not, but we wouldn’t judge you if you did. Under the dome, anything you say is just between us.”

  Granny waved her hand. “I’d not do such a thing, and neither would our Elijah. I had a hard time convincing him to take my gun.” She looked at Sadie. “I was thinking back to Valentine’s Day weekend. Elijah had come home a few days before you. He said everything would be all right because the deputy was going to help him.”

  “Please don’t tell me he was in your apartment when I was home that weekend. I know I had pregnancy brain and was sleep-deprived but surely I would have noticed.”

  “No. He stayed at the cottage that weekend.” She tapped her fingers against her lips, and then her eyes went wide. “Wait now. When we came home from the baby shower, I noticed a few things out of place. So did you. You said something about your room being tossed. I passed it off, saying how your room is always a mess.”

  “And I’d believe that, because it’s true. But at the time, I didn’t think anything was missing. Was anything missing from the apartment?”

  “At the time, I didn’t think so either. But later that week, I discovered the emergency money I kept in the orange juice container in the freezer was gone.”

  “Did you confront Elijah about it?”

  She nodded, her reluctance obvious. “I did. He apologized and promised to pay me back. He didn’t want to mooch off Payton is what he said.”

  “But it was fine to mooch off you.” Sadie took a deep, calming breath. It wouldn’t do her any good to point out her brother’s faults to her grandmother. Agnes would just get defensive.

  “Okay, so we know that Elijah, and possibly Payton, were in the apartment that night. But why would they take Sadie’s gun? More important, how did they even know it was there?” Abby asked.

  “I told Elijah. I was afraid he’d try to sneak in while Sadie was here, and she might suspect he was an intruder and shoot him.”

  “So that leaves us with Elijah and Payton.” Sadie narrowed her eyes at her grandmother. She was holding something back. “Granny, what aren’t you telling us? Who else was in your apartment that night?”

  “Colin might have dropped in for a wee visit while you were sleeping,” she admitted sheepishly.

  “How long have you been having an affair with Mr. Murphy?”

  “It’s not an affair. His wife died going on two years ago now. We’ve been seeing each other since last fall.” She smiled at Sadie. “He likes Chase too, and Nate. Although Colin would prefer if he was my bodyguard. He said I wouldn’t have been able to sneak out on him. He was a spy, you know.”

  “Has Mr. Murphy shared his thoughts on who he suspects of killing Brodie?” Sadie asked.

  “Oh, aye, he thinks it was Dwight.”

  “Did he ever think that Elijah might be involved?”

  “He did, and he was none too pleased when he found out Elijah was hiding here. He broke up with me, if you must know. But when he heard about the deputy, he came back around. He was afraid they were going to arrest me so he’s been working to solve the mystery.”

  Sadie was beginning to think Mr. Murphy might be good for her grandmother, until Abby said, “Don’t get mad at me, Agnes, but Mr. Murphy was in your apartment the night Sadie’s gun went missing, so we have to include him on our suspect list. To be honest, if he was a spy like you say, he’s the most qualified to pull it off.”

  Sadly, Abby made a good point. As Sadie knew, her brother didn’t have the stomach or the skills to lie in wait and shoot a man who was armed. And while he did have opportunity, Brodie’s death made his situat
ion worse. Sadie didn’t see Payton as a murderer, but her brother’s girlfriend did have motive and opportunity. She also had a connection to Dwight. From the sound of it, Mr. Murphy had both the skills and the opportunity.

  “But why would he want Brodie dead?” Sadie asked Abby instead of her grandmother.

  “To protect your brother. He knows how much Agnes loves Elijah, and it sounds to me like Mr. Murphy is in love with her. Sorry, Agnes. I just think we need to look at everyone, especially now that we know the gun that killed Brodie belonged to Sadie.”

  “Aye, but there’s one problem with your theory. Colin wanted to turn in Elijah. He only agreed not to if I agreed that I wouldn’t give Elijah shelter or money or lie to the police to protect him when he’s arrested.”

  “Once this is over, I look forward to spending time with your Mr. Murphy, Granny. I like the sound of him. I think he’s good for you.” It didn’t escape Sadie that her grandmother had said almost the same about Chase not ten minutes ago.

  Agnes smiled. “You’ll meet him before this night is over, my girl.” Her grandmother walked around the counter, bending to pick up Michaela. “You’ll be a good girl for your granny now, won’t you, my wee angel? She’s a right love now that the fairies have given her back to us,” Agnes confided to Abby.

  “Granny, how many times do I have to tell you she’s not a changeling? She’s grown out of her colic, and she’s sleeping—”

  “I know what I know.” Agnes tapped a finger to the side of her head. “If you’d grown up in Scotland like I did, you’d see the truth of what I—she’s here now.” Her grandmother gave an almost imperceptible nod at the window.

  Sadie’s eyes went wide. “Granny, I told you to tell Payton we’ll have to make it another night.”

  “I did. I told her you were busy taking photos for the new website, just like you said. But she wouldn’t be put off. She must want that money for the bairn something fierce.”

  “I don’t have any money.”

  “We’ll figure something out to string her along. But for now, tell her you forgot your checkbook at home and—”

  “Granny, no one uses checks anymore. Everyone does e-transfers.”

  “No wonder people can hack into bank accounts so easily these days.”

  Sadie didn’t bother responding. Her grandmother wouldn’t believe Elijah had hacked into her bank account even if Sadie had photographic evidence, which she didn’t.

  Agnes continued. “Just tell her the computer is down.”

  Abby smothered a laugh with her hand.

  Payton knocked on the door, her attractive face pressed to the glass. “Go answer the door. Colin will be waiting for you at Payton’s house. Don’t worry about the bairn. We have it all worked out,” Agnes said while giving Payton an enthusiastic wave. “Stall her for five minutes while I get the bairn settled and do a sound check with Colin’s listening device. Come, Finn.” She patted her leg when the dog moved to sit beside Sadie, growling low in his throat.

  Sadie rubbed Finn’s head. “It’s okay. Go with Granny and look after our baby, boy.” As though he understood, he loped after Agnes.

  Abby turned slightly so her back was to the door. “Okay, so Finn’s reaction to Payton just put her on the top of our suspect list. We have to check out her place. Chase will understand.”

  “Maybe the top of your suspect list, but not mine. Finn was just being protective,” Sadie said through a clenched-teeth smile. Waving at Payton, she held up a finger and then mimed unlocking the door. When she went to dig around in the diaper bag on the counter, she let her hair fall forward. “We can question her here just as easily.”

  “If she’s been up to what we think she’s been up to, she’s a lot more devious than she looks.”

  Sadie thought about the life insurance policy. She still had a hard time believing her brother had bought one so maybe it would be worth checking out. “Okay, but we can’t be long. Chase said he’d be back within a couple hours. If he finds out—”

  “He won’t,” Abby promised.

  Sadie gave her a look.

  “Trust me, as much as you don’t want Chase to know what we’re up to, I don’t want Hunter to know either.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sadie walked to the front of the store and inserted the key into the deadbolt, forcing a smile for the woman she suspected of being in cahoots with the man who wanted to get rid of her brother. She opened the door. “Sorry about that. Granny’s big on security these days.”

  “Me too. I think everyone in town has been on edge since they heard about the deputy’s murder. I can’t imagine how you feel with it happening almost in your backyard. Then again, your fiancé is living with you, so you’re probably not as worried as some of us are.” She gave Sadie a sweet smile and tucked a strand of long blond hair behind her ear.

  “I’m sure it’s very scary being alone and pregnant, not to mention the fact that my brother is the prime suspect.” Sadie added plenty of contempt to her voice when she mentioned her brother.

  Payton wore a faded jean jacket over a pretty blue maxidress dotted with white flowers. She rubbed her stomach and then lifted her hand to wipe the corner of her eye with a finger. Sadie didn’t see any sign of tears but she did see signs of her brother’s baby.

  “It’s been really hard with Elijah on the run. Your grandmother has been so sweet to me. Always calling to make sure I have everything I need.” She chewed on her bottom lip, glancing at Sadie from under her long eyelashes. “She mentioned that you wanted to start an education fund for the baby.” Payton rubbed her baby bump. Sadie blinked, positive the small mound had shifted to the side.

  “I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I know Elijah would be as touched as I am.”

  “You haven’t heard from him?” Sadie asked, forcing her gaze from Payton’s lopsided baby bump.

  “Oh no, he’d never do anything to endanger me or our baby. I know you’ve had your differences, and he’s made plenty of mistakes, but he’s a good man at heart.”

  “So you don’t think he had anything to do with the deputy’s murder?”

  “I hope not, especially for your grandmother’s sake. She loves Elijah so much. She’d do anything for him. She hid him, you know. From the police. I hope they never find out. They won’t hear it from me.” She crossed her heart with her long, white-tipped fingernail and smiled.

  Sadie knew a threat when she heard one. If she didn’t pay up, Payton was going to tell the Jackson County sheriff that Agnes had been helping Elijah.

  “I probably should get home before it gets too dark, so if you have the money your grandmother mentioned…” Payton trailed off with a deceptively innocent smile.

  “Of course.” Sadie turned. “Did you find my phone?” she asked Abby, who’d spent the entire time Sadie was talking to Payton pretending to search her bag.

  “Hi.” Abby gave Payton a finger-wave. “Sorry, looks like you left it at home again, sweetie. If you think pre-baby brain is bad, wait until you have post-baby brain,” Abby confided to Payton. “Poor Sadie, she can’t remember anything.”

  “Sadly, Abby’s right. Why don’t you go on up and wait for us while I go home and get my phone? Granny’s upstairs with the baby. She thought you’d be joining us for tea anyway. I don’t have my car so Abby has to drive me.”

  Abby grabbed the diaper bag and joined Sadie. “I promise we won’t be long. Unless Sadie left her phone in the dishwasher again.”

  As they watched Payton disappear down the hall, Abby whispered, “I so do not buy her sweet-and-innocent act.”

  “Neither do I, and something tells me she’s not pregnant.”

  “Why would she pretend to be pregnant?” Abby asked, holding the front door open for her.

  “What better way to tug on my grandmother’s and brother’s heartstrings and get them to open their wallets than to pretend she was having Elijah’s baby?” Sadie locked the door.

  Ten minutes later, they pulled up
two houses from Payton’s. Sadie dug around in the diaper bag for her phone and set the alarm for fifteen minutes. “We have to make this fast,” she said as they quietly closed the doors on Hunter’s truck; Hunter and Chase had taken Chase’s car.

  Sadie and Abby crouched low as they ran across the neighboring lawns to Payton’s backyard. “Careful,” said a whiskey-smooth male voice in the dark. “Stay a few feet from the house. She’s got outdoor security lights.”

  Once they did as the man directed, he stepped out of the shadows. He was a tall, handsome Black man dressed in dark clothing. He had an earpiece in his right ear.

  Sadie offered her hand. “Hi, Mr. Murphy. Thanks for meeting us. Is everything okay at my grandmother’s?”

  He shook her hand warmly. “It’s Colin. And everything’s fine. I wouldn’t have agreed to your grandmother’s plan if I didn’t think she and your daughter would be safe. I left the outdoor security lights on. The next-door neighbor will take his dog for a walk in ten minutes. You can set your watch by him, and the dog uses the shrubs near the house to do his business. If the lights don’t go on, he might trouble himself to investigate. I’ve taken care of the alarms inside. I’ll stay out here and keep watch. I’ll text you if you need to get out of there.” At Sadie’s questioning glance, he smiled. “I have your number.”

  “Mr. Murphy—Colin,” Abby corrected at his raised eyebrow. “What exactly did you do for a living?”

  He winked. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Now get going. Split up, and take these.” He handed them each a pair of gloves. “If you find anything of interest, take a picture with your phones.”

  “You’ve already searched the house, haven’t you?” Sadie said.

  “I have, but you’d recognize if the male clothing is your brother’s better than I would. I took some fingerprints as well.” He lifted his chin at the back door. “Time’s a-wasting, ladies.”

  As they headed to the door, Abby whispered, “Way to go, Agnes. That man is hot. He’s an older version of Shemar Moore.” At Sadie’s blank look, Abby whispered, “Criminal Minds? S.W.A.T.?”