“I’ll tell her.”
He headed for his cruiser as Abby sat down on the porch steps to wait for Jada. There was still no sign of her by the time Gage’s cruiser had disappeared down the road. But rather than rush her, she’d give Jada another few minutes before tracking her down.
Besides, it was nice to sit right where she was and soak up some rays. Quiet moments like this one had been rare lately. The murder and the break-in had created havoc in her life. Then there was the escalating tension between her and her mother. At least the two of them had established a bit of a truce before she’d left the house with Jada.
If she could avoid updating her mother on Owen’s precarious status, maybe the peace would extend at least through lunch. It would be a crime to let a family squabble ruin the beauty of a piece of Frannie’s pie. She might even step out of her comfort zone and try the strawberry rhubarb.
She checked the time again. Her mother had to be wondering where they were. To head that concern off at the pass, she sent a quick text saying they should be headed her way soon. It was time to see what was keeping Jada. The door opened just as she was about to step up on the porch. Jada peeked out and frowned at the empty driveway. “Chief Logan already left?”
Abby couldn’t quite tell if Jada was disappointed or relieved by his absence. “Yeah, he had to go.”
Jada opened the door wider and set a small suitcase out on the porch before disappearing back into the house. She returned seconds later with her backpack slung over one shoulder and an oversized red binder in her hand. After locking the door, she picked up the suitcase. As she waited, Abby got a better look at the notebook, and she realized the word “scrapbook” was written in gold in the center of the cover. It seemed like an odd thing to be bringing with her, but she decided not to ask. After everything Jada had been through lately, she was entitled to bring along whatever she wanted.
She must have noticed Abby staring at the scrapbook, because she offered her a closer look. “I have something to show you, but it can wait until we get back from lunch. We’ve kept your mom waiting long enough, and I bet she’s getting hungry. I know I am.”
Trying to keep things light, Abby teased, “For something healthy like a salad . . . or a giant piece of pie?”
Jada laughed. “Definitely the pie.”
* * *
Lunch went smoothly, which was a huge relief. Their food arrived in record time, pie included. By unspoken agreement, they kept the conversation light, with topics ranging from Jada’s classes at the college to what movie to watch after dinner. Her mother had insisted lunch was her treat, including the extra piece of pie Abby had ordered to take home to Tripp.
On the way home, they stopped at Jada’s house so she could pick up her car and follow Abby back to the house. As they walked toward the back door, a soft woof coming from inside had her smiling. “I’m going to take Zeke for a long walk if either of you would like to come.”
“Not me. I’m going to take a nap.” Her mother walked up onto the porch and stood off to one side to give Abby easy access to unlock the door. She was also smart enough to stay out of the way in case Zeke came zooming by to do a quick circuit of the yard.
Jada jumped back to give the dog room to get past. She smiled as she watched him trot across the grass toward the trees along the back of the yard. “I would love to tag along with you and Zeke, but I really need to hit the books.”
Abby hadn’t even thought about Jada having to miss class to deal with the break-in. “Do you have everything you need?”
“Yeah, I brought my laptop and textbooks from home. I’ll work at the dining room table, if that’s okay. I also might need to print a few things later, if you don’t mind me logging into your network.”
Abby followed her mother into the kitchen with Jada right behind her. “The dining room is fine. Feel free to make coffee or tea if you’d like. Otherwise, there’s pop and iced tea in the fridge. Remind me when I get home, and I’ll dig out the password for the network for you.”
“If I haven’t said it enough, Abby, I really appreciate everything you and your mom have done for me. I’m not sure how I would’ve gotten through all of this without you.”
This time Abby did hug her. “You would’ve managed, but we’re glad you reached out to us.”
Jada headed for the hall that led toward the dining room, but then she stopped to look back at Abby. “I’ll explain about the scrapbook later when you get back.”
As she disappeared from sight, Abby took Zeke’s leash off the hook by the back door, and grabbed the small pack she carried on their walks. She’d hoped to make good on her escape before her mother could corner her, but no such luck. She’d made it as far as the steps before the hammer fell.
Her mom stepped out onto the porch with her arms crossed over her chest and a big frown firmly in place. “You haven’t told me what Chief Logan had to say about Owen.”
Abby clipped the leash onto Zeke’s collar. “It’s safe to assume there’s a good reason for that.”
“Don’t play games. You at least asked about him. I also understand why you wanted to keep the conversation light during lunch, but don’t filter information just because I won’t like it.”
Deliberately turning her back, Abby leaned down to give Zeke a thorough scratching. He gave her cheek a huge slurp of a lick in appreciation, making her smile. Finally, she turned back to her mother. “I asked if you could visit Owen again. He said it wouldn’t be a good idea right now.”
“But—”
She held up her hand to halt her mother’s instant protest. “He didn’t say if that was his opinion or Owen’s. I didn’t ask, after he reminded me he can’t reveal details of an ongoing investigation. He did mention that Jada’s explanation of where she was the night of the murder had been corroborated by multiple sources.”
The look of confusion on her mother’s face made it clear that she wasn’t yet connecting the dots. “What does that have to do with Owen?”
“Mom, we’ve assumed all along he was protecting someone, most likely Jada. I’m guessing he knew she went missing from the food truck but not why, and he was covering for her. She doesn’t need him as an alibi now.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Not if she was his alibi, too. That leaves his absence unexplained.”
Her mother’s eyes flashed wide in surprise and then just as quickly narrowed in anger. “You don’t think Owen killed that poor man.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think, Mom, but the facts do. Owen has no alibi and the weapon belonged to him. I’m sorry, but just how do you think that adds up in the eyes of the law?”
“He’s not a killer, Abby. I couldn’t be that wrong about him.”
“How much do you know about his past? You have to know he hasn’t been a barbecue king his whole life. Where was he and what did he do before moving to Snowberry Creek?”
When her mom didn’t answer, Abby sighed. “That’s what I thought.”
By this point, Zeke had abandoned Abby to stand next to her mother, not that the woman noticed. She was too caught up in the need to defend the man currently sitting in the Snowberry Creek jail. Finally, she did an about-face and stalked back into the house. Abby considered going after her, but there was nothing she could say that would change the situation, and plenty that could only make it worse.
She tugged on Zeke’s leash. “Come on, boy, let’s go. I need this walk more than you do.”
Her furry friend gave the back door one last worried look before giving himself a quick shake as if that would throw off the cloud of tension that had engulfed the three of them. Having left all thoughts of gloom and doom behind, he trotted off across the yard, ready to enjoy a leisurely stroll.
If only it were that easy for her to do the same.
CHAPTER 19
The walk smoothed the sharp edges of Abby’s mood. She’d tried without success to come up with a plan that would help her mother deal with the fact that he
r boyfriend might be facing murder charges. At least when she and Zeke returned, her mother was still upstairs in her room, so bonus points for that.
Meanwhile, she made good on her promise to help Jada log into her network and connect wirelessly to the printer. With that done, she left the younger woman to continue working in peace. Still feeling out of sorts, she thought maybe her mood would improve if she restocked the cookie supply in the freezer. Besides, Zeke always appreciated her keeping his treat jar full.
Deciding on a double batch of gingersnaps and some of Zeke’s favorite pumpkin blueberry cookies, she lost herself in the soothing rhythm of baking. As usual, Zeke curled up in the corner to watch. He liked to be close at hand in case she wanted his opinion on how something had turned out. Sugary treats weren’t good for him—or her, for that matter—but he was always willing to clean up the mess if anything dropped on the floor. Zeke was a dog who liked to earn his keep. She liked that about him.
Just as the first tray of gingersnaps was ready to come out of the oven, a familiar face appeared at the back door. She motioned for Tripp to let himself in while she set the hot cookies on a rack to cool. After putting the next batch in the oven and setting the timer, she turned to greet her guest. “I swear you and Zeke have a secret signal that lets you know when I have cookies in the oven.”
Neither male denied the truth of that statement. In fact, Tripp grabbed a paw-print cookie out of the treat jar and tossed it to Zeke like a cop paying off an informer. Having settled his debt, he helped himself to a glass of ice water and settled in at the table. Abby didn’t buy his innocent act for a second. He was just waiting for the cookies to cool enough to avoid being burned when he started sneaking them off the wire rack.
“Where are your mother and Jada?”
As Abby finished filling a third tray, she smacked Tripp’s fingers with her cookie scoop when he tried to snatch a glob of the raw dough. “Jada is in the dining room listening to music with her headphones on while she gets caught up on her classwork. As for Mom, I assume she’s still sulking up in her room.”
Was it rude to hope she stayed there for as long as possible? Yeah, probably.
Using his Special Forces ninja skills, Tripp succeeded on his second attempt to abscond with two balls of cookie dough. Looking all smug and proud of his evil deeds, he asked, “Since you’re baking, I’m guessing today hasn’t been a bed of roses. How did it go with Gage?”
Abby quickly gave him a summary of everything that had happened up through since she’d last seen him, before going into more detail of what they’d learned while at Jada’s house. “As far as she could tell, the only thing that was missing was a photograph of her father’s unit when he was in the army. It used to hang in his office, and she has no idea why anyone would steal it. It was a gift from a member of his unit from back in the day. Since the guy died a while ago, there’s no way for her to get another copy. The sad thing is that she’d just gotten it back the night of the murder, when she snuck back into Mitch Anders’s office during the movie.”
“That’s too bad.” Tripp frowned as he nibbled on a cookie. “I can see why the photo mattered to her father and Jada, but who else would care about it? Heck, I have pictures of my buddies that mean a lot to me, but I can’t imagine anyone else being interested in them.”
After filling the last tray, she put it on the counter to await its turn in the oven. Meanwhile, she started mixing up Zeke’s portion of the day’s efforts. Tripp quietly watched her with those eyes that always saw too much. Finally, he said, “And how did lunch at the diner go?”
“Great, especially the ginormous piece of strawberry rhubarb pie I had. I’ve never had it before and felt daring.”
Tripp perked up. “How was it?”
“Fabulous. Sweet and tart at the same time, and the crust was so flaky. I wish I had Frannie’s recipe, but I know better than to ask her for it.”
Rumor had it that the last person who asked Frannie for one of her recipes had been banned from the diner for a month. Meanwhile, Tripp slumped back in his chair. “Sorry I missed out on it.”
It was tempting to let him suffer a bit longer as punishment for stealing cookie dough, but she didn’t have the heart. She retrieved the container from the refrigerator, got a fork out of the drawer, and set them both on the table in front of Tripp.
“I knew you wouldn’t fail me.” Tripp’s greedy grin as he dug right in went a long way toward improving her mood. At least she’d made one person happy today.
“Mom is upset that Gage said it wouldn’t be a good idea to let her visit Owen again.” She went back to mixing up Zeke’s treats. As she rolled out the dough, she caught Tripp up on the rest of that story.
He ate another huge bite of his pie before responding, probably buying himself time to consider what he wanted to say. There was a growl of temper in his voice when he finally spoke. “I can see why she’s upset, but I don’t understand why she thinks that any of that translates into being your fault.”
She finished rolling out the dough and set her rolling pin aside. “To be honest, I have no idea. It’s not like I volunteered the two of us to stumble over another dead body. I’m also not responsible for Owen’s unexplained disappearance at the movie, nor did I plant one of his knives near the victim. For sure, I didn’t break in to Jada’s house.”
Lost in the whirlwind of her thoughts, she stared down in confusion at the dough. She needed to be doing something, but right then she couldn’t think what that might be. A second later, a big hand waved back and forth right in front of her face. She blinked and focused on Tripp.
“What?”
“You really zoned out there for a minute. Not sure where you went, but it didn’t look like it was anywhere happy.”
Rather than continue to complain about her mother, she lied. “I was thinking about dinner. I just realized I didn’t put anything out to thaw. After I finish these cookies, I guess I’ll have to make a quick run to the store.”
Which meant she needed to start cutting out the cookies. As she began arranging the bone-shaped cookies on the baking sheets, she noticed Tripp had gone quiet. His dark eyes twinkled with devilment, which made her hesitate to ask, “What are you thinking about so hard, or do I really want to know?”
“I’m debating whether or not I should offer to provide dinner tonight.”
That usually meant he’d show up at the door with a couple of pizza boxes and a six-pack of his favorite beer. Sometimes he surprised her by actually cooking, usually a huge pot of chili. Either option sounded good to her. But on second thought, she wondered why he would debate the issue at all. Unless . . . Oh, no, he wouldn’t. From the way he was grinning, yeah, he would.
She pointed her spatula at him. “Tripp Blackston, by any chance did Jean stop by today while we were gone?”
“Yep, she did.”
“And did she just happen to bring you another tuna casserole?”
“Yep, and there’s plenty to go around. For what it’s worth, this one seems to be a pretty traditional version. You’ll love it. Everyone will.”
When she snickered at that bald-faced lie, his laughter rang out across the room. “Well, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration. However, the offer stands.”
She’d deal with her guilty conscience later, but for now she didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll make a salad.”
“It’s a deal.”
* * *
If Jada didn’t like the prospect of tuna casserole, she was polite enough not to say so. In contrast, Abby’s mother looked slightly horrified and muttered something under her breath that sounded like she was grateful she’d eaten a big lunch at the diner. Personally, Abby was just glad not to have to make much effort to put a meal on the table. Regardless, she made an extra-large salad complete with lots of cheese, chickpeas, and several hardboiled eggs to ensure anyone who didn’t eat a lot of the casserole could still get enough protein.
Her mother put out placemats and then the plates and flatw
are. “So you’re saying Tripp just happened to have this casserole lying around when you realized you hadn’t planned anything for dinner tonight.”
“Yep, that’s right. I told you about Jean from the quilting guild. She worries that he doesn’t get enough home-cooked meals, so she brings Tripp tuna casseroles. He politely thanks her for thinking of him, and he would never hurt her feelings by admitting he’s not all that fond of canned tuna.”
“Seriously?” Her mom sounded incredulous.
“Tripp eats them, too. Every bite.” Abby put the final flourish on the salad before turning to face her mother directly. “Even when she uses one of her secret ingredients, which have included anchovies and barbecued potato chips. However, he assured me this one looks pretty traditional.”
Her mom picked up the salad and set it in the middle of the table. “Well, all I can say is that man deserves a medal.”
“He does indeed.”
Studying the table, Abby considered what else they would need. “Tripp will most likely drink iced tea with dinner. Can you ask Jada what she wants? And what would you like?”
“Tea is fine for me.”
Just as her mother headed for the dining room to check in with Jada, Tripp kicked the back door and held up the casserole in one hand and a six-pack in the other. Guess she’d been wrong about the iced tea with dinner, which was fine with her. She wiped her hands on a dish towel before opening the door to let him in. He set the casserole on the counter. “I usually stick these in the oven for twenty minutes to heat through.”
“I turned it on about ten minutes ago, so it should be up to temperature.”
Tripp stripped the foil off the casserole and then slipped the dish into the oven. After setting the timer, he looked around the kitchen. “So what’s for dessert?”
Abby fought back a smile. “We’ve already had dessert today, or did you forget that huge piece of pie I lugged home for you?”
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