Death by Intermission

by Alexis Morgan

  Her mother just laughed. “Sorry, boy, that’s all I brought out with me.”

  He accepted the disappointing news with good grace and headed back to his spot in the shade. Predictably, he closed his eyes and immediately dropped off to sleep, the soft rumble of his snores bringing a smile to Abby’s face.

  “Doesn’t his snoring keep you awake at night?”

  It was a fair question. “It did when I first moved down here after Aunt Sybil passed away, but I didn’t have the heart to shut him out of my room, considering he’d just lost his best friend. Now it’s like white noise and kind of soothing.”

  Her mom sighed. “After the divorce, I hated sleeping alone. I got used to it, but once in a while I still wake up and wonder where your father is.”

  That was news to Abby, so she did a little sharing of her own. “It was an adjustment to live alone after Chad and I split up, but he was already emotionally long gone before he actually left. It wasn’t all his fault that we both got so caught up in the whirlwind of starting up our business. I just wish he’d let me know he was that unhappy before . . . well, before he found someone else.”

  Her mom patted her hand. “I know Chad wasn’t a bad guy, but I’d still like to punch his lights out for making my baby girl cry.”

  Abby couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I would’ve bought tickets to watch.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes until the sound of Tripp’s truck starting up drew their attention. “Tripp’s heading over to the university to work on a paper. He . . . actually we both thought it would be a good night to have burgers from Gary’s Drive-In for dinner. You, me, and Zeke can meet him there and then maybe walk along the river after we eat. If you’d rather stay in, Tripp offered to pick up whatever we want and bring it home. It’s up to you.”

  Her mother winced. “Thank him for the offer, but I already have plans. Owen wants to grill a couple of steaks at his place. I was going to ask if it’s okay if I make a tossed salad to take with me.”

  Although she still wasn’t sure how she felt about her mom and Owen spending so much time together, it wasn’t her decision to make. Besides, it would give her some time alone with Tripp. “Use whatever you need, Mom. I also have several bottles of my favorite red wines if you want to take one along.”

  Her mom brightened up at that offer. “Thanks, I will. Just let me know how much it cost so I can reimburse you.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  Then she nudged her mom with her shoulder. “Just promise you’ll text me if you’re not coming back tonight so I don’t worry.”

  When her mother looked scandalized, Abby gave in to the urge for a little payback after her mother’s behavior the previous night. “Also, do we need to have ‘The Talk’ before you go?”

  “Now you’re being mean. Owen and I are just friends.”

  Looking at her mom’s bright pink cheeks, Abby laughed. “Yeah, right.”

  After giving Tripp’s house a pointed look, her mom said, “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve said the same thing about you and your handsome tenant.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Abby took a long drink of her water to buy enough time to decide what she wanted to say next. “Friendship aside, you seem to like Owen. I mean really, really like him. I’ve never seen you act this way about any other man you’ve dated.”

  “And you’re not pleased about that.”

  True enough. “I don’t actually dislike him, and I do want you to be happy. My main concern is that I don’t know much about him.”

  No one seemed to, but she didn’t point that out again. “Also, it bothers me that you were willing to lie for him. He said he would never ask that of you, so why did you feel the need to try?”

  Her mother looked away, staring across the lawn to where Zeke slept. “Because he’s not the kind of man who would kill someone like that. I was afraid that your police chief would take the fact that Owen disappeared for a while, and that the murder weapon belonged to him, and decide not to look any further.”

  “And I’ve told you Gabe wouldn’t do that.”

  When her mom started to protest, Abby held up her hand to stop the possible tirade. “Let’s not rehash that argument right now. Just remember that Gage is well respected in the law enforcement community and by everyone here in Snowberry Creek. Even Owen seems to trust him to do the job right.”

  “Fine, but I’m still not convinced.” Her mom stood up and stretched. “I think I’ll go take a short nap before I have to get ready for tonight.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll be in soon. If you’d like, I’ll put the salad together and make a vinaigrette dressing you can add after you get to Owen’s house. Do you want to pick the wine or would you rather I do it?”

  “I’ll trust your judgment.”

  On wine, evidently, but obviously not when it came to men. That was a discussion for another day. Right now, she was too tired to deal with it. “Enjoy your nap.”

  Once her mom was safely back in the house, Abby texted Tripp that she and Zeke would be joining him for dinner. He answered a minute later, saying he’d let her know when he was about to leave the library.

  With her plans made for the evening, it was time to make that salad for her mother. She picked up Zeke’s bowl to carry it back inside, which drew his immediate attention.

  She patted her leg to call him. “Come on, boy. Let’s go.”

  Inside, as she gathered the ingredients for the dressing and salad, she caught herself yawning. She gave her furry companion a look. “After we get done here, what do you say we both take a nap?”

  Judging from the quick wag of his tail, Zeke thought that was a fine idea. “Okay, first we make the salad, and then we sleep.”

  * * *

  As usual, Gary’s burgers were perfectly cooked, the perfect combination of grease and salt. Abby tossed her last fry to Zeke and then dumped all their trash in a nearby garbage can.

  That done, the three of them headed for the path that followed along the river’s edge. Tripp held Abby’s hand as they turned left to head upstream, and they let Zeke set the pace. The evening air was pleasantly cool, the perfect temperature for a slow ramble.

  When they reached the water’s edge, Tripp asked, “Did you and your mom have any more heated discussions while I wasn’t there to referee?”

  “No, actually. In fact, we had a nice chat right after you left. I even made a salad for her to take over to Owen’s and even gave her a bottle of my favorite red wine for good measure. I still wish I knew more about him, but I guess all I can do is trust her instincts about him.”

  She gave Tripp a teasing look. “I guess we McCree women are drawn to men of mystery.”

  That earned her a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, for example, Owen’s interest in the veterans group sort of hinted that he might’ve served in the military. He stopped short of admitting that, though. Makes me wonder what there is in his background that he’s so reluctant to share.”

  Maybe she’d touched on a nerve, because Tripp didn’t look particularly happy right now. In fact, it was as if he was no longer with her. “Tripp? What’s wrong?”

  He kept walking for a few more steps before he finally answered. “Abby, some memories are a burden no one else should have to carry.”

  Okay, this conversation had gone off track. “Look, your memories are yours to share or not, as you see fit. I was going to tease you about the fact that I still have no idea what your major is at the university.”

  She knew the crisis had passed when the corners of his eyes crinkled just a bit. “That drives you crazy, doesn’t it?”

  “Yep, like I said—you’re a man of mystery. I spend a lot of time thinking about all the possible different directions you could go.”

  He looked curious now. “What are your top five guesses?”

  “For starters, a business major, maybe, but I really don’t think so. Psychology is a strong possibility, though.�
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  “Why? Oh wait, I know. It’s so I can figure out how that quirky mind of your works.”

  Abby rolled her eyes. “Hey, you’re the topic of this conversation, not me. Anyway, another strong possibility would be history, but only because I know you find it interesting. The same with biology.”

  “Okay, that’s four. What’s your top idea?”

  It was a struggle to keep a straight face, but she thought she pulled it off pretty well when she said, “Kindergarten teacher. I can just see a line of camo-wearing five-year-olds saluting as they march into your classroom.”

  Tripp’s laughter rang out in the night air. While he still didn’t give her the slightest hint if she’d come close with any of her guesses, she didn’t care. What mattered was he was still chuckling half an hour later when they finally returned to where they’d left their vehicles parked.

  Always the gentleman, he walked her all the way to her car instead of veering off to where his truck was parked on the other end of the lot. After letting Zeke into the back seat to get comfortable, Tripp started to wrap his arms around Abby, but then he stopped to look around. Puzzled, she asked, “Is something wrong?”

  He shot her a quick grin. “Just checking for flashing porch lights.”

  “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

  “Nope, probably not.” He took her hand and tugged her in close. “However, since the coast is clear, what do you say we pick up where we left off last night?”

  When she lifted her face in invitation, he pressed her back against the driver’s door and took his time kissing her, doing a thorough job of it. Both of them were breathing hard when they finally came up for air. He remained motionless, as if waiting for her to say something. Unfortunately, he’d managed to fry her brain, so the only thing she could come up with was a heartfelt “Wow.”

  Evidently that was enough, because he grinned and stepped back. “Wow pretty much says it for me, too.”

  She was about to suggest going for seconds when her phone started beeping. It was tempting to ignore the call, but her conscience demanded she at least peek at the screen to see who it was. As soon as she did, she wished like crazy that she hadn’t.

  “It’s my mom. I swear that woman has the worst timing.”

  Tripp took another step back, their special moment clearly over. The insistent beeping was as much of a mood killer as the flashing porch light had been.

  “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

  “Why do I feel as if I’m about to regret this?” Surrendering to the inevitable, she swiped her finger across the screen. “Hi, Mom, what’s up?”

  Whatever her mother was trying to tell her came bubbling out in an incomprehensible rush. “Slow down, take a deep breath, and then tell me again. I’m with Tripp, so I’m going to put the call on the speaker.”

  The sound of her mother breathing hard and fast came through loud and clear as they waited for her to regain control of her emotions. Finally, she tried again, this time with more success and a whole lot more anger.

  “You were dead wrong about Gage Logan, Abby. I told you he couldn’t be trusted. He just showed up unannounced and hauled poor Owen back down to that jail of his. Now, what are you going to do about it?”

  Good question, but one Abby had no answer for. Already knowing she would regret it, she said, “I’m on my way, Mom.”

  And if she drove really slow, maybe she’d come up with a brilliant idea, but she wouldn’t bet on it.

  CHAPTER 8

  The need to get back to her mother had Abby flirting with getting an ugly speeding ticket. Unfortunately, she still hadn’t come up with a plan of action that would keep her mother from doing something that might end up with her in the cell right next to Owen’s.

  Her mom was on the front porch when Abby pulled into the driveway. Tripp was right behind her, so she drove around back to park so he could leave his truck in its usual spot by the garage. Bracing herself for another maternal explosion, she got out of the car and let Zeke out of the back seat. She waited for Tripp to catch up with them, figuring she would need his calming presence to get through the next few minutes. They’d barely started down the driveway when her mom came charging around from the front of the house.

  Abby paused to pet Zeke and muttered, “Oh brother, she’s definitely got fire in her eyes right now.”

  Tripp leaned in close to whisper, “Brace yourself, because I’ve seen that badass look before. It was when you faced down Detective Earle when he tried to run you off the first time you visited me in jail.”

  “Very funny.”

  Tripp looked dead serious. “Who’s laughing? I’m telling you straight up that you McCree women are tough, especially when you get all riled up trying to protect someone you care about. It’s scary enough to make battle-hardened soldiers and homicide cops tremble in their boots.”

  Actually, she kind of liked that he saw her that way. Hopefully it was true, because she’d need every scrap of determination to get through the confrontation headed their way.

  Her mother planted her hands on her hips and glared at her. “Well, what do you have to say now? Still going to claim that your good buddy will treat Owen fairly?”

  Praying for patience, she said, “Mom, if you’re going to insist on yelling rather than having a calm discussion, let’s take it inside. I prefer not to provide my neighbors with their evening’s entertainment.”

  “Fine.”

  With that, her mom spun around and marched toward the back door, leaving Abby to follow. Not that she wanted to. Before taking a single step toward what she knew was going to be a major fight, she offered Tripp a chance to miss out on the fireworks. “Why don’t you take Zeke back to your place for a while? No use in the two of you getting caught in the crossfire of a McCree family argument.”

  To her surprise, he fell into step right beside her. “Don’t worry about us. We can take care of ourselves. Besides, you might need help restraining her if she decides to go after Gage just for doing his job.”

  Tripp was right about how she’d acted back when he’d willingly gone to jail rather than let Detective Earle arrest someone Tripp had believed to be innocent. In her efforts to help, Abby had done a little investigating on her own and almost got herself killed in the process. Assuming her mom was right about Owen being innocent, that meant the real killer was still on the loose and wouldn’t appreciate anyone asking too many questions.

  Abby had been there and done that. There was no way she wanted her mother drawing that kind of danger in her direction. When their little parade reached the kitchen, she tried to buy herself a little more time to think by putting on a pot of coffee. Her mother plopped down at the table to watch.

  “I know what you’re doing, Abigail, but delay tactics won’t work. Besides, it’s too late for caffeine if any of us hope to get to sleep at a decent hour.”

  Abby turned on the coffeemaker and sat down across from her mother. “I drink coffee this late all the time, Mom, but then I’m sure your definition of a decent bedtime is different than mine.”

  Her mother sniffed in disapproval. “Well, some of us work for a living and have to keep a regular schedule.”

  “Luckily for me, I don’t. For the record, I plan to sleep in tomorrow.”

  Tripp looked like he was at a tennis match, his head swiveling back and forth as the two women lobbed snarky comments back and forth. Zeke whined and laid his head in Abby’s lap, another indication the McCree women were once again making a spectacle of themselves. She did her best to tamp down her temper and redirect the conversation. “So, why don’t we start by you filling us in on what happened after you went to Owen’s tonight.”

  “Like I told you, Gage Logan and his deputy showed up to take Owen into custody. They wouldn’t let me come with him or tell me why they were arresting him.”

  Then she pointed a finger at Abby. “I should’ve never trusted you. Now look what’s happened.”

  Up until then, Tripp
had been relaxed, but no longer. In the blink of an eye, he leaned forward and slammed his hands down on the table as his dark eyes shot sparks at her mother. “That’s enough, Mrs. McCree. Stop hammering on Abby for something that isn’t her fault, or this conversation is over.”

  Her mom’s eyes went wide with shock. “Abby, are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

  Good question.

  Yep, she was. “He’s right, Mom. I get why you’re upset, and I’m sorry you got caught up in this mess. I’m even sorry that Owen has as well. That doesn’t mean I’m willing to let you tear into me like this. When you want to discuss the matter like a reasonable adult, fine. Otherwise, we’re done here.”

  Then she poured coffee for Tripp and herself. She handed him his mug and jerked her head in the direction of the back door. “I’m going to drink this out on the porch. You’re welcome to join me, but I won’t blame you if you want to take it over to your place and barricade yourself inside.”

  He accepted the coffee. “Yeah, I’d better head home to work on my paper. You’re welcome to hang out over there with me if you’d like.”

  Her mom continued to fume in stony silence. Maybe a better daughter would have groveled and begged for forgiveness for snarling back at her mother, but Abby wasn’t that person. She followed Tripp and Zeke out the door. “Thanks for inviting me over to your place. If I have to talk to that woman again right now, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  “Sure thing.”

  He slung his arm around her shoulders as they made their way across the yard. Once they were safely inside his cozy living room, she did her best to shed the last of her anger. “I can’t help her when she goes on the attack like that.”

  She watched as Tripp filled the water bowl he kept on hand for Zeke. When he was done, he motioned her to sit down on the love seat. “Enjoy your coffee, unless you’d prefer something stronger.”

  She briefly considered the offer. “Tempting, but I’d better keep my wits about me. Don’t let me being here interfere with your plans for the evening. Once I’ve calmed down a bit, I’ll head back home.”