by Tim Myers
“And I wouldn’t dream of asking,” I said, returning the smile and acknowledging that I’d gotten it.
Kelly looked at her watch and said, “Is it that late already? I’m starving; I skipped lunch completely.”
Out of politeness more than anything else, I asked, “Do you and Annie have big plans tonight?”
Kelly frowned. “She’s visiting her father. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her around. I always miss her when she’s gone.”
Suddenly I didn’t feel much like eating alone, either. “Would you like to grab a bite with me? I was just getting ready to go out and get something to eat myself.”
She studied me a few seconds, then said, “Are you asking me out, Ben Perkins?”
I shrugged. “Why not? We both have to eat, don’t we?”
Kelly smiled. “I have to say I’ve had more eloquently worded offers in my time, but a hungry gal can’t be all that choosy, can she?”
“Hey, I’ve got no problem with you settling for me. So where would you like to go?”
Kelly hesitated, then asked, “How about the Lakefront Inn? I hear their new chef is wonderful.”
The Lakefront was a little steep for my budget, but I could swing it if I ate a brown bag lunch every day for the next few weeks. “Then the Lakefront it is.”
“Good, let’s go. I’m starving.”
Cindy was grinning at me as I walked past her, and I scrunched an eyebrow at her, daring her to say a word. All she managed was “Have a nice meal” as we walked out
When we were out on the front steps, I asked, “Kelly, should we both drive, or would you like to ride with me?”
She didn’t even have to think about it. “Oh, let’s take the Miata. I’ve wanted to ride in it since I saw you tooling around town one day with the top down.”
“It might get a little too chilly for that tonight,” I said. The evening was unseasonably cool, and I knew firsthand how chilly it could be driving around with the top down,
She put an arm in mine as we walked to my car. “Come on, where’s your sense of adventure? I’m game if you are? We should enjoy the cool weather. How often do we get it in the summer?”
Once we were at the car, I reached into the glove box and took out a woman’s scarf. “You might want to put this on then. The wind won’t blow your hair so much.”
She studied the floral print, then said, “Well, I see someone who’s in touch with his feminine side.”
“It’s not mine. I mean it is, but it’s not like I wear it or anything. Oh, just put it on.”
She laughed as I put the top down. It was a sound full of life and exuberance. With the scarf around her head, Kelly said, “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
As I drove, I said, “I’ve been trying to get Molly to consider somebody as a suspect besides Louisa, but I feel like I’m beating my head against the wall.”
Kelly touched my arm. “Ben, is it all right with you if we don’t talk about the case tonight? I haven’t been out to dinner in ages, and I’d like to just enjoy the evening, no business talk at all, if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly.”
When we pulled up into the restaurant part of the inn, the place was nearly deserted. I said, “I hope they’re open tonight.”
She glanced at her watch and said, “Ben, it’s only six. I’m sure their dinner crowd doesn’t start gearing up until after seven.”
“Would you like to drive around a little longer then? We could go out into the country; it’s beautiful in the convertible.”
She jumped out of the car. “Are you kidding? I’m famished as it is. We can take a drive later. Come on, let’s go.”
I smiled softly, enjoying Kelly in this new light. When she’d been in my soapmaking classes, she was always focused and intent on learning, and when she’d been with Louisa, I’d seen the competent professional she was. Now I was seeing a completely different side of her, a young woman set to have fun. Her mood was infectious, and I found myself hurrying to catch up with her before she made it inside.
The inn had been built in the 1800s, and I’d always been a fan of its architecture. The clapboard siding was I painted in a soft golden yellow hue, and the forest green s shutters and door looked perfect. There was a rose garden between the restaurant and the inn, and a walking path between the two with stepping stones melted into the grass. Inside, the restaurant sported broad heart-pine board floors, and the ceiling was all fine wooden bead-board. Old-fashioned wallpaper with flowers and curlicues covered the walls in a background the same shade of gold as the exterior. The tables were all of an elegantly simple Shaker design, and fine linen covered them. The crystal shone in the light, and I multiplied the number of days I’d I be eating out of a sack by twenty. The look on Kelly’s face was worth it, though. There were half a dozen folks spread throughout the dining room, and I realized most of them had to be guests at the adjoining inn, given the barren look of the parking lot.
Kelly said, “Oh, this looks wondrous.”
A short little man with a broad black moustache said, “Will there be just the two of you?”
“That’s right,” I said.
Kelly said, “A table by a window, please.” He nodded. “But of course.”
He led us to a table with a beautiful view of the nearby garden, and I managed to grab Kelly’s chair and hold it out for her just before he beat me to it.
She thanked me, then studied the menu for a few moments before speaking. Finally, Kelly said, “Let’s see, what looks good. I’m going to start with a shrimp cocktail, then maybe have a filet mignon. I’ve been craving red meat for weeks. Annie’s trying to turn me into a vegetarian, and my darling daughter is driving me crazy with her campaign.” Kelly looked at me and asked, “What are you having? Go wild, Ben, it’s my treat.”
“I’m the one who asked you out to dinner, remember? I can pick up the check.”
Kelly frowned. “We’re not going to have any of that nonsense, are we?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said stiffly.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Okay, first, I backed you into this dinner invitation; there was no gracious way for you to refuse. I admit it: I was shameless. I couldn’t bear the thought of eating alone tonight, and I thought you’d be good company. Was I wrong?”
I smiled. “Oh, is that it? Do I have to sing for my supper if I don’t pick up the check? Are we going to have an impromptu soapmaking lesson with the dessert course?”
She laughed. “No shoptalk, yours or mine, I promise. I want to see if we can get through the evening without mentioning soap or the law. Agreed?”
“Agreed. The least we should do is go Dutch, though. It’s not fair for you to pay for my meal.”
“Oh, please. I want to. You’re not going to take that pleasure away from me, are you? If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s Southern macho pride.”
I said, “You don’t have to twist my arm. You can get the check, if I can cover the tip. There’s nothing macho about the request, but it’s not negotiable.”
“So if you can’t leave the tip, dinner’s off?”
I shrugged and said, “It’s your decision,” as the waiter approached. Kelly crinkled her upper lip, her eyes never leaving mine, as she said to the waiter, “We’ll need just another minute.”
“Of course, Madam. Whenever you’re ready.”
I matched her gaze, until finally she said, “You’d have made a heck of a lawyer, you know that?”
“No shoptalk, remember?” I said. “So what’s it going to be?”
She laughed, then nodded. “Be my guest. The tip is all yours.”
“Then let’s get that waiter back over here, I’m starving, too.”
After a wonderful meal full of good food and even better conversation, Kelly and I both reached for the check the same time. She said, “Ben, I thought we agreed.”
“How am I supposed to know how much to tip if I don’t see the total?” I asked.
One look at the bill told me I was glad I’d lost that particular argument. After we settled up and walked outside, there was a definite chill in the air. I started to put the top back up when Kelly said, “Can we leave it down? I want to see the stars.”
“It’s going to be cold, but I’m game if you are. I’ve beet known to drive around with the top down in the snow.”
“That must be great fun. Come get me the next time it’s snowing, promise?”
“It’s a date,” I said as I got in. “Would you still like to take that drive?”
“Absolutely,” she said.
“Then let me grab a blanket from the back.” The trunk space wasn’t much, but it was large enough to hold a fleece blanket I kept back there for just such occasions. I couldn’t believe the declining temperature at this time of year, handed the blanket to her and said, “Use this, it’ll help with the chill.”
“What about you?”
I said, “I expect you to share, young lady. We can work it around the stick shift.”
She laughed and waited until I was buckled in before giving me part of the blanket. As we drove, we talked about things large and small, some of great consequence and some of none at all. Later, I caught Kelly yawning, and, said, “I’m not putting you to sleep, am I?”
“No, it’s not you. I was up at five this morning getting Annie’s things together, and I’m beat.”
“We’re not far from the shop now,” I said. “I can have you back at your car in no time.”
When we got there, the parking lot was empty save for her car. I took the blanket and stowed it back in the trunk as she put the scarf back in the glove box.
She said, “I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun with another grown-up.”
“It must be tough raising your daughter by yourself.”
Kelly said, “It’s the only way I’d have it.” I walked her to her car, and she surprised me before getting in by leaning forward and kissing me. It wasn’t much more than a peck, but I felt a charge from it nonetheless.
As Kelly opened the door to her car, she faced me and said, “We need to do this again.”
“That sounds great to me, if you’re willing to get the tip next time.”
She smiled, then said, “So now you expect me to pay for the entire meal?”
“No, I meant we’d switch next time and I’d get the check,” I stammered.
“I knew exactly what you meant, Benjamin.” There was a light in her eyes I hadn’t seen before, and I hoped that I’d been partially responsible for putting it there. “This may be forward of me, but who cares? I’m free tomorrow night. Annie will still be at her dad’s.”
“Tomorrow it is then,” I said.
We were still standing there when the spotlight hit us from another car I’d missed, parked in the shadows. I held up my hand up and said, “Who is it?”
“It’s Molly,” she said, “Shut the light off, would you?”
“Sorry,” she muttered, then joined us a few seconds later.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I was out patrolling and saw an empty car in the lot. With what’s been happening lately, I thought I’d better hang around and see who it belonged to.”
Molly nodded to Kelly, then added, “Sorry to interrupt.”
“You weren’t interrupting anything,” Kelly said. “We were just saying good night.”
The three of us stayed like that for nearly a minute before Molly said, “Well then, I’d better get back to work.”
After Molly drove away, Kelly said, “I’m so sorry about that.”
“About what?”
“I forgot all about Molly being your girlfriend. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”
I took Kelly’s hand in mine and said, “Listen to me carefully. Molly’s not my girlfriend. We’re friends who go out on occasion, but we’re not in any kind of relationship beyond that.”
Kelly looked at me steadily for a moment, then asked, “I can tell you believe that, but does she know that?”
“If she didn’t before, there shouldn’t be any doubt in her mind now.”
Kelly hesitated, then said, “Does that mean we’re still on for tomorrow?”
“I’m still interested if you are. Tell you what, why don’t I cook for you instead of us going out?”
Kelly nodded, buzzed my cheek, then said, “That sounds wonderful. Good night, Ben, and thanks again.”
“Thank you,” I said.
After she drove off, I walked up to the steps of Where There’s Soap and sat there staring out into the night. Molly had indeed acted jealous upon finding me with Kelly, but she’d been just as adamant as I’d been when we’d decided to keep our relationship uncommitted. We’d have to find some way to work through it. I couldn’t lose Molly as a friend—she was important to me—but I wasn’t about to give up the growing excitement I’d felt being with Kelly. Somehow we were all going to have to work things out. Having Jerry Sanger’s murder hanging between the three of us didn’t help matters, but no matter how angry Molly got with me, there was no way I was going to back off on that. I had a feeling that if I kept digging, I’d uncover who had really murdered Sanger. As interested as I was in Kelly, and as important a friend as Molly was, I had a priority that outranked them both. My main job for the next few days and weeks was to find a way to get my sister Louisa off the hook.
I just hoped I’d be able to focus the next day and not spend it thinking about my date tomorrow night.
Chapter 9
There were four messages waiting for me on my machine when I got home. Under ordinary circumstances, I could go two weeks without getting that many calls. I sat by the machine and hit Play, wondering why I’d suddenly become so popular.
Cindy’s voice was the first one in line. “Ben, you’ve got to call me the second you get in; I don’t care what time it is. Don’t you dare call Kate first, you hear me? I want to hear all about your date tonight. Bye.” It hadn’t taken long for two of my sisters to start speculating on my evening. Well, they’d just have to wait till morning to hear what I had to say, if I told them anything even then. After all, just because we were family didn’t mean they had to know all my business, though I’d have a tough time convincing either one of them that was true.
The second message was from Molly. In an abrupt tone of voice, she said curtly, “Sorry about tonight. I was out of line.” I definitely had to spend some time repairing the fresh rips in our friendship. At the moment I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that, but it was important to me, so I’d find a way.
My heart quickened when I heard Kelly’s voice leaving the third message. “Hello, kind sir, I just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful evening. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow night. Sweet dreams.” There was a warmth in her voice that I loved hearing. It was funny how quickly my attitude toward Kelly had changed. When she’d been my student in soapmaking classes, I’d enjoyed her presence, but I never really thought about asking her out. I’d heard the rumors that she wasn’t interested in dating, and I hated being turned down asking for dates, something I’d carried with me since a particularly disastrous rejection in high school. But it looked like the rumors might have been wrong. Kelly and I had meshed from the start, even enjoying the moments of silence that were usually deadly during a first date. There was some real potential there, something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
The fourth message brought me out of the warm glow like a bucket of cold water poured over my head.
It was delivered in a low grating whisper, and I couldn’t tell for the life of me whether it was from a man or a woman. The message was clear enough, though: “Back off or suffer the consequences.”
I called Molly on her cell phone, something she’d told me a dozen times was for emergencies only. This counted, in my book.
“Molly, it’s Ben,” I said when she answered.
“Geez, do we have to do this tonight? I said I was sorry. Can we just l
eave it at that?”
Trying to keep my voice even, I said, “It’s not about that. Listen to this message that was on my machine.”
I hit Replay, then fast-forwarded through the first three messages. I stopped too quickly though, because we both heard Kelly’s warm good-bye. Molly said, “So you’ve got a new girlfriend. Congratulations. Why are you calling me, Ben, to rub it in?”
“You know I’d never do that. Listen.” The machine played the threat, and Molly said softly, “Rewind it. I want to hear it again.”
I did as she asked, making certain I got to the beginning of the fourth message and not the end of the third. The words chilled me again as I heard the repeated threat.
Molly hesitated, then said, “Okay, don’t erase that. I’ll be right over.”
Fifteen minutes later she showed up at my apartment. I’d had time to brew fresh coffee, and I made some of the almond-flavored stuff she preferred. If she noticed it when she took her first sip, she didn’t say anything about it.
After she took a sip, she said, “Let’s hear it one more time. It lost something over the phone.”
I was expecting her to want to hear it again, so it was all cued up and ready to play. After the whispered voice finished its brief threat, Molly said, “Ben, I’m going to need that tape from your machine.”
I certainly wasn’t crazy about that idea, especially given the first three messages I’d received. “That was the fourth message on my machine. The other three are kind of personal.”
Molly looked at me sternly. “Okay, we’ve got one from the creep, one’s from me, and one is from your new attorney friend. Who’s the other one from?”
“It’s from my sister Cindy.”
She shook her head. “And you’re worried about that right now? I can’t even fathom what that’s about, but I know how you are about your privacy. Here’s what we’ll do. I’m willing to let you keep your tape if, and it’s a big if, we can get a clean recording off it.”
“Honestly, I’m not trying to be a pain. I just don’t want you to have to deal with all this other stuff, given our history.”
