Death by Intermission

by Alexis Morgan

  “So wake me up at nine thirty if I’m not already up by then.”

  Her mother stepped even closer to the bed, not a good sign. “I invited Owen to join us for breakfast at eight. That’s just over thirty minutes from now, so you need to get moving.”

  That did it. Abby rolled over onto her back and glared up at her mom. “First of all, that man is coming to see you, not me. Second, I would appreciate it if you showed me the courtesy of asking me before you invite some stranger into my home, especially at this ungodly hour.”

  Her mother wasn’t having it. “Seven thirty is a perfectly reasonable time to get up. Besides, Owen isn’t a stranger, Abby, and you know it. He’s my . . . my friend, and you will make him feel welcome here.”

  Zeke picked up on the tension between the two women, and it was making him unhappy. Abby reached over to pat his back and reassure him that everything was under control. For her part, she’d noticed the slight hesitation in her mother’s voice before she’d finally decided to claim Owen was simply a friend. What other labels had she considered before settling on that one?

  Abby didn’t want to know.

  Surrendering to the inevitable, Abby gave Zeke a gentle shove to get him off the bed and threw back her covers. “Fine, Mom. I’ll get up this time, but I meant what I said. I don’t appreciate having unexpected guests being sprung on me with no notice.”

  “I would’ve told you last night if you hadn’t ordered me to go back inside.”

  Tired of being at a disadvantage, she stood up to meet her mom on more equal footing. “And about that—don’t ever flash the porch light at me like that again. You embarrassed me in front of Tripp, and I didn’t appreciate your ridiculous behavior one bit.”

  Her mother crossed her arms over her chest and glared right back at her. “I simply wanted to tell you I’d invited Owen over for breakfast. If you’d come inside in a timely manner instead of hanging around outside until all hours, I wouldn’t have had to use the light to get your attention.”

  Abby rolled her eyes, something she knew would set her mom’s teeth on edge. “You could’ve easily left me a note, Mom. I’m also an adult, not a teenager with a curfew.”

  Phoebe took a step back, but Abby didn’t mistake it for any kind of surrender. Sure enough, her mom did her best to make Abby out to be the unreasonable one in the room. “I’d forgotten what you’re like before your first cup of coffee. I’ll be downstairs. I could use some help cooking breakfast, so don’t drag your feet getting dressed.”

  It was so tempting to slam the door and crawl back into bed after her mom finally left, taking Zeke with her. However, that would be like throwing gas on a fire. While she and her mother normally got along pretty well, it had been years since they’d spent much time under the same roof. The two of them needed to set some boundaries before they managed to damage their relationship permanently. Until they did, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone else besides Owen to act as a buffer between them.

  With that happy thought, Abby reached for her phone and sent Tripp an invitation to join them for breakfast.

  * * *

  Abby’s mood had improved only slightly by the time she came downstairs. She paused at the bottom of the steps to determine who her mother was talking to in the kitchen. When there was no response, she figured it had to be Zeke. Maybe if she hurried, she could be on her second cup of coffee before their company arrived.

  Upon reaching the kitchen, she stopped long enough to feed Zeke before filling a mug with her favorite dark roast. One sip helped chase away the last cobwebs that came from going to bed too late and waking up way too early. At least her mother had put the thirty minutes since they’d parted company to good use. The table was set for three, there was a pitcher of orange juice sitting on the counter, and she’d just filled the cast-iron skillet with bacon.

  Abby pulled another plate out of the cabinet and set it on the table. When she opened the cutlery drawer, her mother sighed. “I take it Tripp will be joining us.”

  “Yep, so you’ll need to double up on everything. That man can really eat.”

  Her mother adjusted the heat under the skillet. “Maybe he wanted to sleep in this morning. He had a late night, too, you know.”

  So other people could sleep in, just not her.

  Abby didn’t bother pointing that out as she filled the toaster with slices of bread. “Tripp rarely sleeps late. He runs five miles at an ungodly early hour every morning, rain or shine. It’s a habit left from his years in the army.”

  Meanwhile, her mother added several more strips of bacon to the already crowded skillet. “Owen texted just now to say he is on the way, so I hope Tripp won’t keep us waiting.”

  The man only lived on the other side of the backyard, but her mother knew that. Besides, one glance out the window verified he was already headed in their direction. Rather than stand there and trade barbs with her mother, Abby unlocked the back door and stepped out onto the porch. Zeke shoved past her to charge across the grass toward his buddy. Tripp immediately stopped to send a stick sailing through the air. Zeke woofed his approval as he lumbered across the yard to retrieve it. The pair continued the game for several more tosses before finally heading back in her direction.

  She stepped down off the porch to meet him in the middle of the yard. “Thanks for coming.”

  He studied her face for a few seconds and then looked past her toward the house. “I take it you and your mom are having a tough time of it this morning.”

  “You could say that.”

  It probably wasn’t fair do dump all her anger on Tripp, but she needed to blow off some steam before facing her mom again. “To start with, I planned to sleep in this morning, but Mom didn’t give me that option. She not only feels it’s perfectly fine to invite a strange man over for breakfast without asking me first, but she also expects me to drag myself out of bed to play hostess. She didn’t take it well when I told her never to flash that stupid light again. I also pointed out that this is my house, and I’m an adult.”

  Tripp crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t say a word, which spoke volumes in itself. That he wasn’t rushing to Abby’s defense made it clear that he didn’t think she was the victim in this situation.

  “What?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Come on, Abby. Your mom is well aware that you’re an adult and that this is your home. I suspect she also knows she was out of line with the whole ‘it’s time to come in’ routine, but look at the situation through her eyes. This is the first time she’s stumbled across a dead body, and she’s upset that her only daughter is caught up in yet another murder investigation. That’s enough to freak her out, but it’s obvious that she has feelings for Owen. Even if the evidence tying him to the case turns out to be only circumstantial, it still makes the whole situation that much harder for her to deal with.”

  Okay, even if Abby didn’t like it, he was right. That meant there was one other thing she needed to apologize for. “I shouldn’t have asked you to join us just because I need a buffer between me, my mom, and that man. I’ll understand if you want to skip out on breakfast with the McCree clan.”

  Tripp pretended to give the matter some thought. “Let’s see—I can stay home and eat cold cereal with slightly outdated milk, or I can eat a home-cooked meal at your place. Gee, that’s a tough one.”

  Okay, that made her laugh. “So bottom line, you’re willing to put up with two testy women and a slobbery dog because you’re hungry and haven’t made it to the store recently.”

  “Pretty much.”

  It was hard to argue with that logic and wasn’t the first time she’d rescued Tripp from stale cereal and old milk. “Okay, come on in. Owen should be here any minute. Play your cards right, and I might even make pancakes to go with the bacon and eggs my mom was cooking.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  * * *

  Owen was coming in the front door just as they walked in the back. Abby headed down the hall to greet her moth
er’s guest, her mood improving considerably as soon as she spotted the logo on the box he held out to her mom. He must have stopped at Something’s Brewing on his way to her place. People came from all over the surrounding area to hang out at the popular coffee shop and to enjoy Bridey Kyser’s baked goods. Abby was particularly fond of her muffins and brownies, but she wasn’t picky. Whatever Owen had brought would be a nice addition to the meal her mother had prepared. It also meant Abby wouldn’t have to make pancakes after all.

  Her mother peeked inside the box and smiled. “These muffins look great, Owen. You didn’t have to bring anything, but thank you.”

  She surrendered the box to Abby. “I put the eggs and bacon in the oven to stay warm until we were ready to eat. Now that Owen is here, set it all on the table and then arrange the muffins neatly on a plate.”

  Seriously, did the woman think Abby was going to just dump the muffins out on the table? Clenching her teeth, she walked away rather than snarl at her mom for once again ordering her around in her own home. Tripp trailed after her, leaving the older couple to follow behind. She hoped they stayed there long enough for her to regain control of her temper. That didn’t stop her from complaining to Tripp about it. At least speaking through gritted teeth made it easier to keep her voice down. “See what I mean about how she’s acting?”

  This time Tripp looked a lot more sympathetic as he set the bowl of scrambled eggs on the table. “Yeah, I do. Would you rather go have breakfast at the diner? We can scoot out the back and be gone before your mom can stop us. It would even be my treat.”

  The idea was tempting, and Abby actually toyed with the idea of making an escape. Finally, she sighed. “As good as that sounds, I won’t be driven out of my own home. Besides, we’d have to get back in time to meet with Gage. I can only imagine the fit Mom would pitch if we disappeared and left her and Owen to face him on their own.”

  With that decided, the two of them made quick work of setting out the rest of the food. When her mom and Owen still hadn’t come in, she called, “Breakfast is ready.”

  Tripp had already settled in his usual seat at the table, and Abby took the chair next to his. When the other couple finally joined them, she tried not to notice that her mom’s lipstick was smeared a little. Meanwhile, Owen smiled as he surveyed the table. “Ladies, I would say you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble, but I won’t. It all looks delicious.”

  He was laying it on a bit thick, but Abby carefully schooled her expression. They still had a long, tough morning to get through, and there was no use in making it harder on all of them. She picked up the platter of bacon and passed it to Tripp. He winked at her as he took several strips before passing it over to Owen. “Thanks, Abs.”

  At least no one seemed inclined to talk much as the food made the rounds. That was fine with her. A lack of sleep combined with her irritation with her mother made for a volatile combination. Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long. When Zeke scooted closer to get her attention, she automatically broke off a small piece of her bacon and fed it to him.

  “Abby, we don’t feed animals at the table.”

  That did it. She gave him another, even bigger bite of bacon as she met her mother’s gaze head-on. “You might not, but I do. For the last time, Mom, this is my home. Zeke’s, too, for that matter. If I want to feed my dog at the table, I will. Deal with it.”

  Phoebe gasped in outrage. “I taught you better manners than this.”

  Abby’s smile was tight and showed a fair amount of teeth. “Nope, I guess not.”

  Her mother flinched as if Abby had hit her. Tripp was smart enough not to get between the two women and didn’t say a word. Neither did Owen, but he quietly took her mother’s hand in his in a show of support. Either way, Abby wouldn’t apologize. Not this time. Rather than continue the discussion, she picked up her plate and grabbed two strips of bacon for Zeke before heading out onto the back porch to finish her meal.

  Tripp and Zeke joined her a few seconds later. The dog stretched out on the floor, happy to hang out with his two favorite people. Tripp set a fresh cup of coffee down beside her before settling into his own chair. He’d brought his breakfast with him, too. Abby let him enjoy his meal in peace. She fed Zeke his bacon and then carefully peeled the wrapper off her muffin before taking a big bite. Peach was her favorite flavor, but it might as well have been sawdust. She washed it down with coffee and then set her plate and mug up on the porch railing.

  “I’ll apologize to her later.”

  Tripp shook his head. “I wouldn’t.”

  Okay, that surprised her. “Really? You were the one who pointed out she’d been thrown for a loop last night.”

  “Yeah, she was. That doesn’t excuse her embarrassing you in front of Owen and me. Even if feeding dogs at the table really bothered her for some reason, she should’ve told you that privately.” He paused to give her a considering look. “I don’t remember you ever complaining about her before this.”

  “We had a few rough spots when I was a teenager. Just normal stuff. I spent most of my time with her after my folks split up. She did most of the parenting, because Dad moved to Oregon and remarried. He and I are still close, but not like me and Mom.”

  “So what’s changed?”

  Abby gave the question some thought. “I’m not sure, but I’ve noticed it since I moved here to Snowberry Creek. She never acted like this when I was still with my ex-husband. Of course, she only came over for an occasional dinner or to spend a holiday with the two of us. No overnight or extended visits.”

  “Did she think you should’ve stayed married to him or something?”

  “Not that she’s ever said. Considering she’s divorced, too, she can hardly point fingers on that subject. No, I think it’s more the fact that I didn’t start looking for a new job as soon as Chad bought out my half of our import business.” She reached for her coffee and took another long drink. Thanks to her divorce settlement and her unexpected inheritance from Aunt Sybil, she could afford to take some time to decide what she wanted to do next. “There have also been a few pointed comments about me not diving right back into the dating pool.”

  There was an amused gleam in Tripp’s dark eyes. “Tell me this. Has she also started sending you links to dating sites?”

  “Seriously? Your mother actually does that?”

  The corner of Tripp’s mouth quirked up in a small grin. “Yep, nothing like having your mom offering you tips on how to create a great profile. She thinks I’m not trying hard enough find a ‘nice girl’ and settle down to give her some grandkids to spoil.”

  Tripp rarely talked about his family, but he and his mother were pretty tight. He sounded genuinely amused by her efforts to marry him off. It also occurred to her to wonder what his mom would think about her son’s friendship with Abby. Probably not much, considering the trouble that seemed to follow her around since moving to Snowberry Creek. Rather than ask, she picked up where their conversation had left off.

  “Back before Chad and I broke up, Mom had started dropping some heavy-handed hints about wanting grandkids, so maybe that’s part of it. She’s mentioned that it will be hard to find another guy like Chad in a town this size.” Shaking her head at that thought, she added, “She actually said it like that was a bad thing. Personally, it’s one of the things I like most about Snowberry Creek.”

  The last thing she wanted was another man who had cheated on her for months without ever having the guts to tell her that he wanted a divorce. Tripp looked as if he was about to say something in response when her cell phone beeped. She dug it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen before answering. “Hi, Gage. What’s up?”

  She listened for several seconds. “Sure, come ahead. We’ve just finished breakfast, but the coffee’s still hot. We also have some of Bridey’s best muffins. I’m sure there are some of those left if you’re hungry. See you soon.”

  Tripp was already up and gathering their dishes. “He’s early.”

&nbs
p; “Yeah, but I want to get this over with. Maybe Mom will calm down once she’s given her statement.”

  Before going inside, Tripp leaned closer to whisper, “That will probably depend on what Gage has to say about Owen’s knife being the murder weapon.”

  A chill washed over her as she followed Tripp back into the house. She might not be very happy with her mom right now, but it would really be great if the police had somehow already cleared Owen’s name. But judging from Gage’s grim voice on the phone, she was very much afraid they weren’t going to be that lucky.

  CHAPTER 5

  Surprise, surprise. Abby’s announcement that Gage was already on his way didn’t go over at all well with her mother. She clutched Owen’s hand and gave him a worried look. He smiled at her and said, “It will be fine, Phoebe.”

  “But he said ten o’clock. What’s happened that he’s coming so early?” Turning back to Abby, she frowned. “You should’ve told him we weren’t ready for company.”

  It was really hard not to laugh at that comment. “Mom, Gage is my friend. That means he is welcome to stop by regardless of the circumstances.”

  She paused to give Owen and Tripp each a pointed look. “Besides, it’s hard to say that company isn’t welcome at this hour with the two of them here.”

  Her mother didn’t back down. “It’s not the same. No matter how you personally feel about Chief Logan, he’s not making a social call.”

  “No, he’s doing his job, one which is never easy. I’m not going to make it any harder for him by playing stupid games.” Then she deliberately softened her voice in an effort to rachet down the tension. “For what it’s worth, I know for a fact the sooner you give your statement, the better you’ll feel.”

  She meant her words to offer some comfort. Judging by her mother’s reaction, they had the opposite effect. “The fact that you know that just makes me furious. What kind of town is this that you’ve gotten drawn into multiple homicide investigations since moving here? It’s time you move back where you belong.”