“Over there is our roadie and lyricist, Abe, a man of great strength and the soul of a poet.” A muscular black man in a tight dark t-shirt and ripped jeans flashed a broad smile.
Sukie had never heard of Levi Bloom, but she was thrilled to meet these people who had recorded an album. As she looked at the girls, she wondered where she could find flowers for her hair.
Levi raised the guitar he carried and asked, “Well, brothers and sisters, what do you say? How about a song with that doobie?”
When the group around the fire made room for all the newcomers, Levi began to play his guitar, both strumming and plucking the strings with his fingers. Diesel began keeping rhythm by slapping his thigh at the same time Manny joined in with his ukulele. Levi broke into a sad, sweet melody with a folk-rock flavor.
One day, you smiled at me,
And like a fool, I fell.
One day, you looked at me.
And now my life is hell.
Your eyes so full of lovin’
Kindled in me a flame
But now I’ve only memories
And the whisper of your name.
On the chorus, Arabella, Sunshine, and Sophie sang a harmony that was so beautiful that it brought a tear to Sukie’s eye.
It’s the memories that haunt me
My nights are filled with pain
Your eyes, your smile, your touch, your kiss
And the whisper of your name, oh yeah,
The whisper of your name.
When the group finished the haunting song, they moved to the traditional folk song, “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair.”
Sukie had to pinch herself from time to time as the evening wore on. Finally, a real adventure.
Despite her determined efforts to stay awake, Sukie began to crash long before the songs and laughter ended. When the group finally broke up, the flames had faded to embers, and she had snuggled into Ben’s arms for warmth. When she and Ben headed into their tent for some sleep, Sukie stumbled from exhaustion. Stretched out in her sleeping bag, she had a single thought before falling asleep:
Tomorrow could only get better.
Chapter Eleven
ALEXA SAILED THROUGH TOWN, hitting all green lights on her short trip to Melissa’s tiny cottage on the outskirts of Carlisle. She thought of the place as Melissa’s dollhouse. The limestone house had been built as a carriage house. Somewhere along the line, the owners had converted the place into a residence and sold it, along with an overgrown acre of pines and flowering bushes.
The scent of lilacs in full bloom hit Alexa when she climbed out of the Rover. A narrow porch spanned the entire front of Melissa’s cottage. Alexa headed toward the aging green swing at the far right. Recoiling each time her hand brushed a cobweb or a flake of peeling paint, she groped beneath the low seat searching for the key. In heels and pencil skirt, Alexa couldn’t bend far enough to reach the middle of the wide seat. Exasperated, she knelt on the rough plank floor, her knees cushioned by a tie-dyed pillow plucked from the swing.
As Alexa clambered to her feet, key in hand, she froze at a loud creaking noise. She held her breath and listened. The morning was quiet except for the wind sighing through the tall pines and the low hum of bees in the lilacs.
Must have been the swing, she thought.
After slipping the key into the lock, Alexa stepped through the door into the tiny foyer and headed toward the kitchen. She sniffed the unexpected smell of men’s cologne just as she sensed movement in the doorway she had just passed. A violent push between the shoulder blades sent Alexa flying. High heels sliding on the polished floor, she crashed to her hands and knees. Behind her, the front door slammed and footsteps pounded across the wooden porch.
Dazed, it took Alexa a few seconds before she kicked off her heels and ran outside. As she reached the porch, she could hear a car tear out of the old farm lane at the rear of the property. A thick row of pines shielded the lane from sight, so she couldn’t actually see the vehicle.
Trying to catch her breath, Alexa lowered herself to the swing and studied her battered knees. Her shredded nylons were doing nothing to stop the flow of blood. With some hesitation, she stepped back into the house. Listening for sounds of another intruder, Alexa tiptoed to the kitchen. Melissa’s camera bags were open and scattered over the table.
“What’s going on here? Burglars at both Melissa’s gallery and home couldn’t be a coincidence. What are these people looking for?” Alexa mused aloud. She reached into her jacket pocket for her cell phone and dialed 911.
Alexa heard the siren before she saw dust rising into the air on Melissa’s gravel lane. The state trooper skidded into the driveway only minutes after she’d called for help. Following a few quick questions, Trooper Black rushed into the house while Alexa sat on the porch swing. He soon emerged, holstering his gun.
“I agree that any perpetrators have left the premises. Do you want me to call an ambulance for you?”
“No, thanks. I think some Neosporin and band-aids will fix me up.”
“Can you tell if anything is missing?”
“I’m not the person to ask. I think I should call the owner, Melissa Lambert. I was just here to pick up a camera. There is something that you should know. Melissa owns an art gallery in Carlisle. Right now, the borough police are there, investigating a burglary that she discovered this morning.”
A distraught Melissa arrived a short time later, driving her Prius. “What is happening? First, the gallery. Now, my house. Did they steal anything here?”
“Hello, miss. I’m Trooper Black. Let’s walk through the house and you can tell me if anything seems to be missing.”
They had just entered the house when Troopers Taylor and Cannon pulled up in an unmarked car. Alexa stood as they approached the porch.
Trooper Taylor spoke first. “We heard about the dispatch to Melissa Lambert’s home and thought we’d check it out. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Those abrasions on your knees look pretty bad. Do you need medical attention?” Trooper Cannon asked.
“I’m fine. Melissa is inside with Trooper Black. I surprised someone inside the house when I came to pick up one of her cameras. He knocked me down and hightailed it out of here. This is the second breakin today for Melissa. Somebody trashed her office at the gallery and stole some stuff.”
Taylor moved onto the porch. “We’d like to go inside and check it out. Will you stay here, please?”
Alexa used her phone to check emails and called to notify Melinda that her arrival in the office would be delayed again. Limping to the Land Rover, Alexa rummaged around until she found a half-opened bottle of water and a box of tissues. When she tried to clean her bloody knees, the Kleenex turned into wet blobs that stuck to the wisps of torn nylon.
In disgust, she returned to the porch swing, sitting sideways with her legs resting on the cushion. She was dying to go inside and find out what was happening. For a while, she was distracted by a carpenter bee industriously chomping its way into the porch ceiling. A fine mist of sawdust had formed a little pyramid on the porch floor by the time Melissa and two of the troopers finally emerged from the house.
“Is anything missing?” Alexa asked.
“As far as I can tell, just the memory cards from the two cameras. I’ll need to test out the cameras to make sure they weren’t broken,” Melissa replied.
“It looks like the guy may not have been in the house too long before you arrived. Not much has been disturbed,” Trooper Cannon offered.
“Can you describe your assailant? Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Trooper Taylor put his hand on Alexa’s shoulder.
“I might have some trouble doing yoga tomorrow night, but I’ll probably survive. Melissa, do you have a washcloth and some Neosporin or something?”
“Of course. I feel so bad, Lexie. You were doing me a favor, running out here. I’m so sorry. You could have been seriously hurt. I just don’t understand why all of this is happening.”
Melissa brushed a tear from her eye before she headed into the house.
“To answer your question, Trooper, I didn’t see anything. I sensed that someone was behind me just seconds before I felt this powerful shove in the middle of my back. I fell forward onto the floor and he ran out the front door. By the time I got to the porch, a car was pulling away—down the lane in the back, beyond the pines. I never got a look at whoever pushed me.”
“Did you form any impression about this person? Height? What type of sound did the shoes make on the floor? Was it a car or did it sound more like a truck? You said ‘he,’ but how do you know it was a man?”
“Whoa. I’m not sure about any of that.” Alexa ran through the brief encounter again in her mind before she continued. “I think the person was fairly tall. I say that because I sort of felt his hand hit my back at a downward angle. I think it was a man, not a woman. He made a little ‘oomph’ sound when he pushed, and the footsteps had some weight behind them. When he ran across the porch, it was a solid, flat sound on the floorboards.”
Alexa watched the bee float away on the breeze and caught a whiff of lilac, reminding her about the scent that had accosted her earlier. “The only thing I can say for sure is that he doesn’t spend much on cologne. He was doused in something cheap, maybe Brut or AXE. He smelled like some of the young men who come into the Cumberland Clinic with their girlfriends.”
Cannon was scribbling furiously into a little notebook as she spoke.
“On the vehicle, I’d say a car, not a pickup or larger truck . . . but I’m not sure.”
“Thanks. That’s helpful. Maybe Trooper Black will pick up some prints off a doorknob or see something in the lane out back.”
“Everything I just said is only an impression. I couldn’t swear to any of this since I never actually saw the person.”
“Still, this could help in the investigation,” Trooper Cannon replied.
Melissa came out the front door, loaded with first aid gear. “Come here and I’ll fix you up, Alexa,” she directed, angling Alexa’s legs so she could reach her knees.
Alexa complied, turning back to the troopers while Melissa held a wet washcloth to her right knee. “What do you think is going on? Is Melissa safe here and in her office?” Alexa grimaced as Melissa swiped the washcloth across her other knee.
John Taylor fielded the question. “At this point, we don’t have a good working theory. It could be that the publicity about Melissa’s opening put her on some opportunist’s radar screen. The guy reads about her photography show and thinks he can make a quick buck by stealing cameras and other equipment. The gallery address was in the newspaper article about the exhibit. I imagine that Melissa’s home address is in the phone book and a dozen places online, right?”
Melissa nodded her agreement. As he continued, the trooper’s tone grew speculative. “It could be something more though. Both of these burglaries targeted Melissa’s cameras, memory cards, and computer. Maybe this is just a photography lover. But maybe Melissa has taken some photographs that someone doesn’t want her to have. They left the exhibit alone, so we’re probably looking at something else.”
“Ms. Lambert, don’t forget to put together that list of recent photo sessions that we discussed,” Cannon reminded Melissa as she rose to her feet, her medical duties complete.
“How did the guy get in here? I didn’t see any broken glass.” Alexa frowned as the words came out of her mouth, thinking of the broken door pane at Cecily Townes’ house.
“Um, I think I know how he got in. I keep a key in the gallery, hanging on the wall.” Melissa looked embarrassed as she continued in a tiny voice. “It was labeled ‘house,’ and it’s missing now.”
Cannon said, “That information makes it even more likely that we’ve got the same perpetrator in both incidents.”
Taylor continued, “There is one more thing that concerns us. This gets to your question about safety, Alexa. Melissa was close to Cecily Townes. You two found her body. We can’t rule out a connection to the murder, however slim.”
The trooper turned toward Melissa. “I think it would be a good idea to stay with someone for a few days while we investigate all of this. You should go about your daily business as usual, but be careful. Try not to be alone.”
“I can’t believe this. OK, I can go stay with my boyfriend, Jim. But I don’t want to go around looking over my shoulder every minute of the day.”
“Hopefully, we will get this sorted out soon.” Trooper Taylor’s reassurance sounded as if he was trying to convince himself as much as Melissa.
After stopping to grab a sandwich and buy new pantyhose, Alexa finally made it back to the office around three o’clock. Melinda fussed over her boss, bringing her a cup of tea and ice-filled baggies for each swollen knee.
“They say that into every life some rain must fall.” Melinda had a quote for every occasion.
“Who says that exactly?” Alexa grumped.
“And of course, there’s a silver lining in every cloud.”
“Just let me know when you figure out the silver lining in getting whacked in the back and gouging the hell out of my knees. Until then, let me try to get some work done.” Alexa grinned as Melinda scurried out of the office. She tried to push aside her worry about Melissa and these breakins. She really did need to get some work done.
Alexa frowned when the phone buzzed, annoyed at the interruption. Melinda said, “Sorry, but a Jack Nash is on the line. I wasn’t sure if you were expecting his call?”
Intrigued, Alexa instructed, “I’ll take it. Thanks.”
“How can I help you, Mr. Nash?” she asked when the line rang through.
“Hello, Ms. Williams. I’m sorry to interrupt your workday. I know you must be quite busy. However, I have a proposition for you.”
“A proposition?”
“Yes. I believe you are aware that we now have a vacancy on the Children of Light Board of Directors due to Cecily Townes’ untimely passing. I know by your reputation that you are a fine lawyer who has worked in family law and is familiar with the world of foster care and adoption. I was hoping I could convince you to fill that slot on the board.”
Nash’s request took Alexa by surprise. This was totally out of the blue. “I’m honored that you would consider me for your board, Mr. Nash. There is no way I could hope to fill Cecily Townes’ shoes.”
“I appreciate your modesty, Ms. Williams. But, we decided to approach you based on your own merit and the value you could bring to the board.”
“I would need more information before I could make this commitment. For instance, duties, time involved, any fiduciary responsibility for the organization.”
“I understand completely. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Actually, I’m having a little soirée at my place on Wednesday evening. Most of the board members will be there for the dinner. Perhaps you could come, and we could grab a few minutes to go over the details? By the way, your friend Melissa Lambert will also be there. We want to recognize her generosity to RESIST.”
“This Wednesday? OK. Thank you. I’ll come to dinner, and we can discuss this further. But I still need to think about your offer.”
“I’ll see you on Wednesday. I’ll have one of my people call your office with the details.”
Alexa shook her head as she ended the call. In some ways, the idea had some appeal. From the little she knew, Children of Light did a lot for abused and neglected children. But, she was still getting back on track after last autumn’s trauma. Did she want to take on more responsibility before she had gotten her life back in order?
She turned back to the computer screen but just couldn’t pick up her train of thought. Her mind whirled, and her knees throbbed. “That’s it. This day has been a total loss anyway. So, screw it.” She saved the document on her computer and hobbled out the door, heading for home and some time with Scout.
Chapter Twelve
“THANKS FOR AGREEING TO MEET.” Tyrell Jenkin
s unfolded his body from the chair and stood to greet Alexa.
“Sure. I hear the coffee is good here. What would you like?” Alexa gave him a professional nod, trying to ignore a frisson of excitement.
“I’m not into all these fancy drinks. Just a cup of black coffee is fine with me.” He took his chair and leaned back with arms folded.
Alexa looked toward the young barista at the counter. “Jess, a black coffee and the usual for me, please.” She sat down at the table and glanced around the room before her eyes came to rest on the social worker. For some reason, Tyrell’s good looks threw Alexa off balance.
“Sounds like you’re a regular here at Legal Grounds.”
“I volunteer at the Cumberland Clinic down the street. I make a regular coffee run here for the staff. The place is pretty empty this morning.”
“Cumberland Clinic? I heard about the violence over there last fall. I hope you weren’t caught up in the middle of any of it.”
“I was, but I’d prefer not to discuss it.” Alexa was relieved to see Jess heading toward the table with their drinks.
The perky barista leaned in a little too close as she smiled at Tyrell.“The black coffee must be for you, right?”
“Watch it there, girl, or I’ll call you out for racial stereotyping,” Tyrell barked.
The young server flushed and stammered as she tried to deny the accusation. “No. No, sir. I just meant that Alexa always orders the chai tea.”
Tyrell smiled, but his eyes remained as hard as flint. “Just messing with you. The coffee is for me.”
After Jess fled to the safety of the counter, Alexa said, “You couldn’t have given the kid a break?”
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