by Holly Quinn
“Step outside please.” Sammy gave her sister a swift shove, knocking her backward.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ellie almost lost her balance and caught herself from flying off the concrete step.
“I have company.”
“I know. I saw a car in the driveway. A date?” Ellie searched her sister’s eyes with deep interest.
Sammy hoped to God that the detective couldn’t hear this conversation. She closed the door behind her but didn’t pull it tight. “No,” she hissed. “It’s not a date.”
“What are you so angry about? I’m here as a concerned sister, and this is what I get?” Ellie pushed her sister lightly on the shoulder. “I’m way over-tired and exhausted because Tyler has been sick. You have the audacity to not return my phone call from this morning? And then, I stop by the store and you left early? Which you hardly ever do, especially with Spring Fling around the corner. Forgive me for being the concerned sister!” She turned on her heel in a fit of irritation and stomped toward her car.
“Ellie, wait!” Sammy followed close on her heels. “Look I’m sorry. The detective working on Ingrid’s case is inside. Okay? Please don’t tell anyone he was here. I don’t want to become the talk around town, and after my visit to Liquid Joy this morning, trust me, it’s all anyone is talking about. Please.”
Ellie stopped midstride and turned before reaching her car. “I want to be here for you. Let me. I’m your sister, and Mom and Dad are worried sick.”
“Ugh.” Sammy took a deep breath. “Mom and Dad know?” Sammy must not have fully closed the door as Bara nosed his way outside and bounded toward Ellie.
“Hey, boy!” Ellie reached and scratched Bara behind the ears, “At least someone is happy to see me.”
“Ellie. I am happy to see you. Just not right now.” She leaned in and gave her sister a kiss on the cheek and hugged her tight. “Which reminds me, Heidi and I thought tomorrow night would make a great girls’ night out? What do you think? Why don’t you ask Randy if he’ll watch Tyler? Come on, please? The three of us haven’t been out together in forever.” Sammy hoped in begging her sister she could defuse some of the agitation she saw on Ellie’s overtired face.
“Fine.” Ellie waved her sister off. “Go back to your date.” She opened her car door before getting one last word in, “I’m still mad at you.” Ellie shook a warning finger at her sister.
Sammy mouthed the words through the closed car window: “It’s not a date.” She smiled, waved, and leaned down to pat her pup and then held his collar tight. She watched her sister pull out of the driveway before returning inside. As Sammy and Bara turned toward the front door, she noticed the detective was standing at the screen, watching her with an amused smile on his face. She wondered exactly how much of the conversation with Ellie he’d overheard. He held the door for her as she entered. Bara blew past them and curled himself in front of the fire on his plush dog bed.
“You could have invited her in.” Liam sat back down at his original place on the couch.
“Yes. I could have. However, you don’t understand how overprotective my sister is. I would have been forced to spend the night at her place after knowing we were discussing the possibility of me being followed. I’m a big girl, thank you. I can take care of myself.”
“I see that,” he said with amusement.
“Have you finished with the pizza?” Sammy opened the large box to see that a few pieces were now missing.
“I’m good. But you certainly didn’t eat much.”
Sammy took a tepid piece from the box and raised it to her lips. “One more, but I’m saving room for dessert. I have something special to share.”
The detective raised his eyebrows. “And what would that be?” he asked in a teasing tone.
Sammy frowned. Seemingly, he was getting the wrong idea. “Cake,” she replied between bites of pizza.
“Ahh,” he said in a delighted tone. “You know a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” he added jokingly. She wondered if he had overheard Ellie and now was teasing her.
“Well then, I guess you’ll be falling for Marilyn,” Sammy said with a quick jab of return wit. She was enjoying the banter between them. He was easy to be around, and she enjoyed his company. Maybe Ellie was right. Maybe this was a date? “Do you want me to put a pot of coffee on to go with the cake?”
“Sounds good to me. Will you drink some this late?”
Suddenly, Sammy was aware the room had begun to darken. She flicked on a nearby lamp to add to the radiance of the fireplace. She certainly didn’t want Liam to think she was purposefully keeping the room at a romantic glow. “How about I put on a pot of decaf?”
“Sounds perfect.”
The detective trailed her into the kitchen as she finished her slice of pizza. She pressed her foot on the stainless lever to pop open the lid of the Trash can and tossed the leftover crust inside. Sammy wiped her hands on her jeans before opening the cabinet to pull out the can of decaf coffee.
“So, who’s Marilyn?” Liam leaned on the kitchen island with a casual ease.
“Your dessert maker.” Sammy pointed to a pink box that sat on the kitchen island. “Go ahead and open it. I don’t mind if you sample the frosting with your finger.” She turned to put the coffee filter in the machine. “Don’t tell my cousin Heidi. She thinks I’m a germaphobe.” Sammy said over her shoulder. “But she works in the hospital and doesn’t understand why walking around in her scrubs after work and touching everything is not okay. That’s a whole different kind of germs.” Sammy shuddered to shake the image from her mind.
Liam removed the tape from the box, pulled the cake from its wrapping, and set it on the island. “This does look amazing.” He took his finger and did as she suggested and licked the dollop of pink frosting from his finger. “It’s very good. Strawberry, I think?”
“Well. There you go. Now you can go meet Marilyn from the Sweet Tooth Bakery. Maybe there will be an even deeper love connection, besides cake,” Sammy hinted. After filling the coffee pot with water, she turned to him, “You are single, aren’t you, Detective? I guess I shouldn’t have made that assumption.” She placed one hand on her hip and pushed the power button on the coffee machine with the other.
“For the moment.” He cleared his throat. “What about you? Tim mentioned you had a bad breakup before you moved back to Heartsford and it sort of put a bad taste in your mouth when it comes to men.”
“He said that, did he?” She would have to wring Tim’s neck the next time she saw him. “Let’s just say my past relationship didn’t fit with my current living situation.”
“He didn’t like dogs?”
“No. He didn’t like Heartsford.” She pulled two mugs from the cabinet and set them on the island. “Brian was a city boy. Still is. Except now he’s married with a baby on the way and looking for a small town where he can raise his new baby.”
“Ouch.”
“Yep, but I’ve already shared too much. I’m not bitter. It is what it is. Sometimes things just don’t fit, and you certainly can’t force it.” She reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle of French vanilla creamer. “What about you?”
While Sammy reached for plates and cutlery, the detective explained. “My fiancée died of breast cancer a few years ago. We were engaged to be married and then she shared the news. Brenda didn’t tell me she had found a large lump. She went to the doctor without telling anyone. Instead of getting treatment right away, she lived in denial. When she found an additional lump, she finally told me and decided to take on surgery and the chemo treatments. Unfortunately, it was too late. Three months before our wedding date, she died.”
Sammy almost dropped the dishes upon hearing such tragic news. She was surprised at how candid he was about sharing his story. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” She set the plates down gently on the kitchen island and waited for him to continue.
“I’ve had a few years to adjust,” he walked over to the sink and wa
shed the rest of the sticky frosting from his finger.
Now she knew why the man had early gray. It wasn’t only the stress of the job. Hearing his story made Sammy look at Liam Nash in a whole new light.
Sammy wanted to grill the detective further about the murder investigation, but they were having such an easy time together, she didn’t want to break the spell. She got the sense that the detective was holding his cards close to his chest, especially when it came to his work. Sammy didn’t get the feeling he was going to share with her as much as she’d hoped. Even though she was desperate to pick his brain on whether Coach was indeed his number one suspect, she decided to wait it out in hopes of winning his confidence.
After she had plated the cake, they stood at the kitchen island sharing the dessert. To break the awkward seriousness, Liam said, “Maybe you should introduce me to this Marilyn.” He rolled his eyes in pleasure. “She’s a great baker.” He winked. And they both laughed aloud.
Chapter Nine
Soft light filtered through the bedroom window, waking Sammy from a restless slumber. She sat upright in the bed and stretched her arms to the ceiling. Bara welcomed her with tail wagging and kisses, giving her the push she needed to get out of bed. She tossed her blue-and-yellow star quilt aside and swung her feet to reach for her terrycloth, rubber-bottom slippers to avoid the chill of the solid wood floor. Sammy moved swiftly down the stairs with Bara close behind. She could tell from his impatience he was ready to go. She swung open the back door and let him out into the small fenced yard.
Sammy rinsed the coffeepot from the night before and refilled it, but this time not with decaffeinated coffee. Today she would need the full, robust caffeine. As she eyed the pink box of cake, she recalled the previous night with Liam Nash. It had been a long time since she’d spent an evening alone with a man in her home. Even though it wasn’t really a date, she was enjoying her new friendship. Though he certainly didn’t dig deep in his investigation. He hadn’t asked her much about the case. The conversation had swayed more toward getting to know each other. Maybe he was just testing her to see if she’d leak information? She pulled a fork from the drawer, flipped the box open and decided to nibble a piece of cake for breakfast. While leaning over the box with a fork in her hand, she decided her time would be better spent with Lynn at the bank, instead of adding bulge to her growing waistline. Her eyes darted to the clock on the microwave to see if that would work. She set down the fork and rushed her morning along.
After a hot shower, fresh whitewashed jeans, and a cotton-white button up, Sammy settled Bara in for the day. With more errands, he would have to stay home yet again. She hugged her puppy tight and kissed his head before skipping out the front door. Her neighbor Mary, from across the street, was out picking her cellophane-wrapped newspaper off the front step in her bathrobe and shared a morning wave and then retreated inside like a turtle.
Filtered light shone through thick clouds, as if the day was trying to decide what kind it was going to be. Sammy looked through the windshield, disgusted. She was tired of the same gray skies. Spring sunshine could not come fast enough. The drive to Main Street took no time at all and Sammy found a parking spot directly in front of Heartsford Credit Union. She stepped out of her car and noticed Carter’s basketball coach talking to another man. She wondered if it was a school parent sharing his condolences. Sammy didn’t want to interrupt the men so deep in conversation, but wondered if she should have stopped to say something too. Instead, she stepped into the bank and decided if she saw the coach alone on the way out she would approach him. Considering she was the one who found his aunt deceased, it would be the right thing to do. Then she might be able to truly gauge his emotions regarding the loss of his aunt too, which might prove telling. Lynn however, noticed her right away and waved her inside the glass corner office.
“Good morning, Samantha. How are you?”
“Hi, Lynn, it’s good to see you. Looking well I see.”
Lynn had lost over a hundred pounds and was working hard to keep the weight off. Sammy saw her religiously walking past the front window of Community Craft on her lunch break trying to get in her daily exercise. She also came in and signed up for classes from time to time to try her hand at various crafts.
Lynn gave her a friendly smile. “Thanks. You know how hard I work at it! I appreciate you coming in today. Before I get into the business of why you’re here, I must ask, how you are holding up? I heard you found Ingrid. You poor thing! I can’t even imagine…” She laid a French manicured hand against her cheek.
“Yeah. I’m trying not to think about it.”
“I’m sorry to bring it up. Do you think the police know who killed her?”
“I have no idea.” Sammy shrugged.
“Well.” Lynn took a deep breath and smoothed her long pencil skirt and then took a seat at her desk. She placed reading glasses on the end of her nose and then began to idly shuffle papers in front of her.
Something in Lynn’s demeanor gave Sammy pause. “You know something, don’t you?” She leaned forward onto the large oak desk with both hands.
“Not really.” Lynn’s eyes darted around the small office, as if she was looking to escape Sammy’s grilling.
“Please. If you know something, please tell me.” Sammy took a seat in front of the desk to try to appear less confrontational. She waited in silence until Lynn had the courage to continue.
“I just know Harold wanted to rent that retail space for a new hardware store before Ingrid opened The Yarn Barn. He didn’t have the funds to back it, and we just couldn’t take his proposal. She didn’t need a large loan to open. But he did. And … well … I just know there was bad blood between them.” She put her head in her hands. “I haven’t told the police yet, and this is driving me crazy. Do you think I should mention it? Or am I overreacting? I can’t imagine Harold … but…”
“Yes.” Sammy nodded. “You probably should mention it to the police. If for no other reason than to ease your own mind.”
Lynn nodded her head in agreement and then slid a printed form across the desk. She directed Sammy with a pen to where to add her initials, and then handed over the pen to Sammy. “It’s just to lock in the interest rate. Sorry again for having to drag you in here for this. I really don’t know how this page escaped me.”
“No problem, it’s nice to have a visit too. We’re all so busy these days.” Sammy signed the form and slid it back across the desk.
Suddenly, a roaring screeching sound of tires followed by intense yelling and horrific shrieks came from Main Street. Lynn and Sammy made alarmed eye contact before the two leapt to their feet, scrambled through the bank, and rushed out the front door. Carter’s basketball coach lay in the middle of the road, a crowd quickly forming around his unresponsive body while someone yelled: “Call nine one one! Call nine one one!”
Sammy noticed Douglas on the sidewalk and grabbed him by the arm to gain his attention. “What happened?”
“Coach was hit by a car.” Douglas held one hand to his chest, trying to catch his breath. “Someone ran him down. It all happened so fast.”
“Did you see the car?” Sammy shook his arm to wake him from his shock.
“No.” The coffee shop owner shook his head violently and then turned to a nearby garbage can and vomited.
Detective Liam Nash jolted out of the front doors of City Hall at top speed. He stopped for a quick moment, locked eyes with Sammy, and then ran out to join the growing circle around the coach.
“Back away!” He waved his hands to enlarge the circle around the unconscious man. “Give him some room.” The detective knelt on one knee and quickly checked for a pulse. “He’s still with us.” He waved the emergency crew closer.
From the corner of First Street, an EMT rolled a stretcher out from the back of an ambulance, and the emergency crew got to work on the coach. The detective backed away from the emergency team to give them space and ran a hand through his wavy curls. Sammy approached Liam and
tapped his shoulder.
“This has to be related, if it was an accident … the car that hit him would have stopped, right?” Sammy uttered quietly in his ear so only the detective could hear. “You have to believe Coach didn’t have anything to do with Ingrid’s murder? Right? Especially now,” she pointed to the man, who was now on the stretcher, being wheeled toward the ambulance.
The detective’s eyes never met hers. Instead, they darted around the scene, searching. “Did you see anything?”
“Douglas, the owner from Liquid Joy, might have seen something, but he seems to be in shock and unable to process what he witnessed. I haven’t heard if anyone else saw the incident. Unfortunately, I was inside the bank when it happened.” Sammy hoped that the coach would pull through this. Thoughts of Carter flashed through her mind. She wondered how the teen would take this news. Her concern for him grew, and the rest of the basketball team, who would depend on their coach to lead them through the upcoming championship games, as she stood watching the horrible scene playing out before them.
Sammy noticed Lynn remove herself from the crowd and head back into the bank. It must be too uncomfortable for her to watch. Sammy rubbed her arms up and down as she shivered from the slight chill that ran through her. When she turned her head, she noticed the detective had left her side and was talking with Douglas. The color had returned to the coffee shop owner’s face, but he still looked completely overcome.
Sammy couldn’t believe it. Another crime committed in their small town? Why? This had to be related to Ingrid’s murder. Two malicious deaths in the same family? That could not be a coincidence. She wondered if Heidi was working in the ER today. Hopefully, she would get more information on the coach’s condition and would be able to share the news over dinner.
She watched an unfamiliar, tall, thin-haired man standing alone, observing the commotion from a slight distance. Everyone else in the crowd seemed to be talking with friends or neighbors. He was alone, which made him stand out from the rest. He slipped from the crowd. He had appeared from nowhere. Then disappeared from sight. Who was he?
