by January Bain
“Really? How’s that?”
“I have my ways.” I gave him the benefit of a piercing stare. Don’t think you can push me around. I just needed to get close to each of the suspects, then I would know who to focus on to find the proof they did it, the old-fashioned way. Having visions doesn’t play well in a courtroom. Go figure. At least a good segment of the rest of the world had clued in. Visions were real. I had them enough to know this for certain. Tested and approved.
“You need to be more specific. Are you ruling them out with facts, or something intangible like a feeling, that will not hold up in a court of law? Big difference.”
I looked away. Knowing I was right and proving it were going to be very different things. Nice of him to point it out.
“So, am I under arrest?”
“No. Like you said, anyone could have laced the jam with the poison. But I must caution you not to leave town. Oh, and I’m sorry what this will do to your business, especially if you weren’t involved.”
“If I wasn’t involved! I’ll have you know that I would never do such a thing. Why, you…you…” Granny’s no cussin’ rule was a royal pain in the butt.
He gave me a steady look from his incomparable deep brown eyes, their liquidness drawing me in like a siren to deep water. What was the male version of that image? Maybe a Triton? Whatever he was, it should be labeled friggin’ dangerous. “Careful. You don’t want to be insulting a lawman just doing his job. But if you discover some facts about this case, you’d best be sharing them with me straight away. Sooner this is resolved, the better for your business. I don’t want to see you or your family hurt in anyway.”
“Too late. Business was booming this morning. Now look at it. Not a customer in sight.” I sighed. Taxes were due in two months. Worry about having the money in time sent chills of anxiety down my spine. I bit the inside of my cheek, the instant pain taking my mind off it.
“I’m sorry to hear it. Anything I can do, don’t hesitate to ask.” He stood up, hat in hand.
“I think you’ve done quite enough.”
With him standing, his virile presence filled the tiny space to a suffocating level. When had it gotten so hot in here? My breath caught in my chest. The look in his eyes was mesmerizing, sending a different kind of chill racing through me.
“I’d hazard a bet there’s not a straight man alive in Snowy Lake doesn’t have a crush on you, Miss McCall.”
“Sorry, that crown goes to my sister Star, Officer. I’m just the town science nerd.”
“You’re a lot more than that, darlin’.” He placed the Stetson back on his head, giving it a tweak with his fingers as a silent salute and exited the tent with a final shot. “‘If at first an idea does not sound absurd, then there is no hope for it’. Albert Einstein. Be where I can find you later. We need to talk more about how you ruled out Fred Smith.”
“If you can find me, have at it,” I muttered, quieter than I wanted to. But I had places to go, things to do, people to grill. No time to hang around the café waiting for him. I had until tomorrow to get a handle on this thing before Granny came home, probably towing Auntie T.J. behind her Buick.
Chapter Nine
I watched the Mountie walk away, drawing the attention of every female worth her salt—and pepper. He made his own straight and narrow path, walking like a cyborg of a lawman right through the thinning hordes of late-afternoon fairgoers. For most people, the red carpet rolled up at six p.m. anyway, the supper hour in Snow Lake. I’d bet Ace Collins never let up. But on the plus side, I didn’t think he’d ratted me out. There were too many gossips in this town to do that.
Okay. Time to check out Helen Davis.
“Can you hold the fort, Tulip? I gotta see someone.”
“Don’t you mean hold the booth?”
At my stare, she flushed. “Okay, lame. Go. I want to hear Star sing again anyway. Oh, and Charm, if there’s anything I can do, just ask, okay? I know what you’re up to—couldn’t help but overhear when you talked with the Mountie behind the curtains, so just say. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
I rushed forward and gave her a hug. “Thanks. I needed that.”
She gave me a further nod of encouragement, and I was off and running. Helen Davis’ house was on the edge of town and I made it in three minutes flat, even being stopped by our one traffic light. Crazy. But I hit it all the time and I’d swear someone hid in the bushes watching and activated it soon as they saw me coming. I know. Not paranoid or anything.
I parked in Helen’s driveway. Knocking on her front door, I admired the profusion of day lilies blooming around the house. Her charming ranch-style house boasted a curving patio-stone walkway and raised-brick flowerbeds. Not so much stooping to do at Helen’s compared to Granny’s, with her right-on-the ground profusion of semi-annuals.
“Why, Charm, how lovely to see you. How’s your grandma doing? Come on in, dear.” She held the screen door open for me and stepped aside to let me pass.
She wasn’t the type anyone would pick for a murderer, either, but still, I had to check it out. Maybe she knew something. Anything.
“Would you like some iced tea, dear? I made a pitcher this afternoon. I’d offer you some homemade bread and jam, but I know your Granny insists on the six p.m. dinner hour and I don’t want to spoil your appetite.” Then she realized what she said and turned red to match the strawberries dotted all over her apron. “I’m sorry to hear of your troubles about your jam. And poor Mrs. Hurst.” She tsked-tsked. “Terrible thing. At least she must have gone quick. Cyanide is known for that.”
“How did you know that? And iced tea would be nice. Thank you.”
“You’re not the only one who reads in this town, dear. I do love a good detective mystery myself.”
“Suzanna said that you took Mrs. Hurst a loaf of homemade bread the day she died?”
“I did. Come, let’s sit in the kitchen. I’ve got to keep my eye on dinner. Got a pot roast simmering on the stove.”
I followed her through to the back, admiring her home. Immaculate as always. I sighed. I needed to get down to some serious housecleaning myself, if time ever permitted. Generally, I found it easier to visit outside my apartment than invite anyone in. But if I did ever want to have a guest over, say, like a male visitor, I needed to get busy. Now where did that idea come from? I gave my head a shake. I needed to keep all my wits about me if I was going to get to the bottom of things.
“Extra sugar, dear?” she asked, taking the pitcher of iced tea from the fridge.
“No, thanks. So, you were saying about the loaf of bread?”
“Yes. I used an overnight recipe. Makes it easier in the morning. Just pop it in the oven. Easy peasy.”
“Smart. And?” She set a glass of iced tea in front of me, placed the other on the table and sat.
“Well, all her money can’t buy her a loaf of real homemade bread, now can it?”
I shook my head. “She was lucky to have a friend like you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say we were friends. But I like to think that good karma is returned. I like to pay my way forward. Not take any chances.” She gave a hoarse cough, taking a swallow of her tea to ease her throat. Her faded blue eyes watered and she blinked a few times.
“You okay, Helen?”
She waved me off. “Doc Watson’s been fussing about, but I’m fine. Just a silly cough that won’t go away. How’s everyone in your family? Star sure has been making the news lately. That girl’s blessed with the voice of an angel.”
“Yes, she is.” A jolt of worry made me sit up straighter. Star was looking more and more ready for the big time. Problem was, I wasn’t ready for the changes that were coming. Not the time to be dwelling on it, though. “Did anything seem different at Mrs. Hurst’s? Was she upset or anything?”
“No. She was actually in a good mood for a change. She’d found some pearls she’d lost. You know, I’ve been all through this with that nice Constable Collins. Perhaps he c
an help you, Charm?”
I started at the use of his name, a wave of unease washing over me, and it was all I could do to stay seated. “Perhaps. But if you could do me one favor it would help me a great deal?”
“Of course, dear, whatever you need. I don’t believe you had anything to do with Mrs. Hurst’s unfortunate demise.” She shook her head. “You had nothing to gain and everything to lose putting the poison in your own jam. I think someone’s setting you up.”
“Yeah, me too. Hope you shared that thought with our new Mountie?” I made myself ask the question.
“I did. What is it you need me to do?”
“I’d like you to visualize Mrs. Hurst—what you saw at her house yesterday—while I hold your hands.”
“You don’t think I’m involved?” Her hand fluttered to the neckline of her housedress, her expression one of deep concern.
“No, of course not. But anything you saw might aid me in some way.”
A network of worry lines crinkled across her skin. When had she gotten so old? And still trying to do for others. I shook my head.
“Sure. Shall we try then?”
I gave her a smile of encouragement, pulling my chair closer to hers. I took her cool hands in my mine, picking up on the slight tremor.
“Now, close your eyes and just think about being at her house. What you saw and felt. Go over it in your mind.”
I closed my eyes, breathing slowly, waiting. A dismal, sluggish image began to emerge to me, much slower than normal, as if her mind was clouded by something. Instead of a color image, gray tones dominated. But when the picture finally came into sharper focus, I didn’t see Helen should be seeing—I was seeing into her body.
Confused, I stared at the internal image. Not being an expert in anatomy, I was uncertain at first, trying to make it out. Were those her lungs? A large dark ominous area on one drew my full attention. It pulsed with an irregular beat. An invader. I reacted without thinking, attacking it with all my being, sending a death ray like in a video game. Awesome energy flowed through me and exploded into it. The evil monster turned a bright red hue, lit up with a huge charge of electricity. I focused as hard as I could on the villain, wanting instinctively to drive it out. Blow it to pieces. Grab a hold of it and force it to leave this good woman, all the while thinking I had done this before, a very long time ago in someplace that was far away from here…
I had no idea how long we sat like that, my hands electrified and clutching onto hers while I envisioned her cancer gone. The affected area on her lung went back to a healthy pink, all traces of the tumor vanquished. But when I sat back, overcome, she was staring at me with the oddest expression on her tired face. She raised one trembling hand to her chest.
“What did you do, Charm?”
I gulped, unable to explain. “I don’t know,” I whispered, slumping back in the chair. I swayed a bit, a wave of exhaustion washing over me.
“Are you okay? Did you find out what you needed to know? Was I able to help?”
Then she didn’t know. Maybe no one did, if no CAT scan or MRI had been taken. But I was dead certain I had just blown up her cancer and sent it to the great unknown.
“I wasn’t able to see anything, sorry.”
“But something else happened, right?” she pressed, the expression in her eyes wary and confused.
I shrugged, took up my glass of tea and gulped it down. Better.
“More tea, dear?” Her color was returning to normal and her eyes were brightening.
“No. I should get home.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Please, come back and see me if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“Thanks, I will.” I went to stand and it took every bit of effort I had not to show my weakness. Gritting my teeth, I made my way to the front door, feeling more like a lumbering zombie than a human being. What the heck had just happened?
“You take care, dear. You’re looking a bit peaked.”
I nodded and made my way outside, the screen door slamming shut behind me. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I used my stubborn willpower to make myself march over to Thor.
In the jeep, I reached for my water bottle, draining it in mere seconds. “So, Thor, I wonder what all that was about? Well, at least I know Helen didn’t kill Mrs. Hurst. That’s something, anyway.”
I began to drive to Granny’s house, then remembered she was with Auntie T.J. in Winterville for the night. I must have been a bit off if I’d forgotten that. I made a quick U-turn and headed back to Tea & Tarot. I’d rummage in the fridge and find something to eat. Suddenly starved, I cranked the wheel again, heading to the Grab-n-go to buy some decent food.
I picked up a basket inside the store and hurried down the first aisle to choose my purchases. Maybe I should have gone for fast food? My stomach rumbled alarmingly, screaming its need.
“Okay, okay.” I grabbed a microwavable fried chicken dinner special and made my way to the till. The cashier eyed me, her lips pursed.
“So, you heard, eh?”
“Sorry, not sure what you’re talking about.” Her prissiness grated.
“The coroner’s report. You telling me you haven’t heard all about it? That no one has shared it with you?” My skepticism might have been verging on snarkiness.
“I may have overheard a bit about it.”
Her expression screamed enjoyment at my discomfort and possible demise.
“Did you hear the part that I love to read murder mysteries and that this choice of weapon—poison—is a rip-off of Sparkling Cyanide?”
“Really. That’s how they’ll nail you? Oh my, why would you even admit to such a thing?” Her round owlet eyes grew wider still.
I rolled my eyes, grabbed the bag and gave her a politically incorrect finger. Way to go, Charm. Now Granny would be racing home just to admonish her granddaughter.
But at least my energy was slowly returning. I hurried back to Thor, almost prepared to eat the dinner frozen. Inside the Tea & Tarot, I popped the dinner into the microwave and stood by impatiently tapping my foot, waiting for the timer.
Ding.
Finally. I’d never lived through a longer three minutes in my life. I pulled off the cellophane with trembling fingers and dumped the steaming contents onto a plate. Picking up a piece of fried chicken, I attacked.
Ten minutes later, partially satiated, I sat back and consumed a second glass of milk.
I looked around. I needed to bake, take my mind off everything else. A hot Mountie, a dead neighbour and the oddest of all, a strange experience I could not explain. Was Helen even going to be all right? What if my actions had sent miniscule atoms of cancer all throughout her body? No. That couldn’t happen. It had felt like such a good thing, that maybe she was now cured. But it would take days, weeks, even months before I would know for certain. An incredible ray of confidence rose in me that she was cancer-free. I would cling to that life raft.
In no time I was elbow-deep in brownie batter, singing along to the radio.
“‘Fly me to the moon. Let me play among the stars—”’
“I would, darlin’, but Jeff Bezos and his New Shepard rocket ship’s only going up sixty-two miles.”
I startled, shooting a quick glance over my shoulder at the intrusion. “Well, at a round trip lasting less than an hour, at an estimated cost of $200,000.00 US, making the trip worth about $3,000.00 a minute, I’ll pass. Taxes are due soon. I’ll have to put the moon trip off until they’re paid.”
“Okay. What about like George Bailey of It’s A Wonderful Life fame, I lasso you something? An asteroid would pay off huge dividends.”
“Now you’re talking. A flying goldmine. Just need to invent the tether device first and we’ll be all fixed. Those suckers can be worth trillions with their rare earths and valuable metals. Why, the platinum alone would be worth the trip.”
“Not to mention the palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium.”
Oh, brother. This guy could make reading
a dictionary sexy.
He came around and stood right beside me, filling my lungs with his tantalizing scent.
He leaned in closer, taking a deep whiff of the batter. Don’t breathe. “Hmm, that smells nice. What are you baking?”
And before I could stop him, he’d picked up a spoon from the counter and dipped it into the batter, sweeping a large amount of my favorite concoction into his mouth. “Yum. Triple chocolate.” He smacked his lips, grinning like a small boy getting away with things, and it was extra charming on a man as large as Bigfoot.
“That’s going to cost you.”
“I think I can afford it.”
“Are you sure? I haven’t said what I charge yet.”
He leaned in closer, getting far too near my own for comfort. I reached up and swiped a bit of chocolate from the corner of his mouth with a finger, swallowing. Hard. Our eyes locked while I sucked the batter off the digit.
“You have the most amazing eyes.” He reached out and touched my face.
On a sigh, I parted my lips to his. He slid his tongue into my mouth, rich with the lingering taste of sweet chocolate, but it was him tasting me in deep penetrating waves, stroking the fire within that captured my rapt attention. I’d never been kissed with such hunger and reverence. He branded me with every thrust of his tongue against mine. Our breaths mingled until I couldn’t tell if it was his air or mine I inhaled.
Stop this, are you certifiable? What if someone walks in? No, I don’t want this to end. Confused, overwhelmed by a thousand sensations and emotions, I finally found my voice.
“You don’t kiss like a lawman.” I turned away to hide my embarrassment at kissing a man I’d just met and picked up my spatula to scrape away at the sides of the bowl. Even if we’d had a lot of interactions today, none had been a bona fide date. For heaven’s sake, it had all been about a murderer being loose in our town, and me being suspected of the murder. None of this made any sense. None whatsoever.
“And how does a lawman kiss?”
I shrugged, feigning indifference. “How should I know? But I’m fairly certain nothing like you. You trying to soften me up, Ace?”
