by Eryn Scott
“Got it. I’ll go check her out. But I think it’s time for you two to head back home.”
Hadley and Suze adopted the same narrowed glare.
“We just gave you two really good clues, and you’re going to send us away?” Suze asked.
Paul frowned. “I appreciate your help, but this isn’t Stoneybrook. We can’t get by on knowing people and hearing everything through the gossip mill.”
“Everyone gossips, Paul, not just small towns.” Hadley put a hand on her hip.
“Yes, but I’d feel much better if you two could focus on our town. Talk with Leo, figure out why Barry was acting so weird. Please leave the questioning up here to me.”
Hadley and Suze glanced at each other. Suze wet her lips, and Hadley pressed hers together in a thin line.
“Okay,” Hadley said after a moment. “We’ll go back.” She put her hands up in surrender.
“Good luck,” Suze called over her shoulder as they walked back to Hazel’s car.
Once inside, they sat there in frustrated silence for a few seconds.
“I hate getting kicked off the case,” Suze wrinkled her nose. “It makes me feel like a teenager all over again—so many rules and things we’re not supposed to do.”
Hadley held up her pointer finger. “But we didn’t get kicked off the case. He just relegated us to local issues. That’s not bad.”
“True.” She tipped her head to one side. “So does that mean you’re not going to see Vivian again if she calls to set up an appointment?”
Hadley chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m not sure yet.”
Suze smiled and then started the car. They tried to forget all about murders and victims and alibis as Suze drove them back to Stoneybrook. Returning home after venturing up to the bigger city for a few hours felt akin to wrapping herself up in a fluffy blanket and sinking into her couch, Ansel curling up by her side. Hadley sighed. Paul was right, this town was her wheelhouse, and she and Suze could get to the bottom of things here.
She waved goodbye when Suze dropped her off at the jam kitchen. Inside, Hadley puttered around for a few minutes. Already a few weeks ahead on her production, she checked her online orders and didn’t see anything new.
She exhaled and looked around her kitchen.
Technically, she should be at home right now, packing up and getting ready for her inevitable move. Grabbing her purse, she cursed herself for being so on top of things in the jam business and headed home.
An hour after arriving at her house, she had managed to play with Ansel, organize her books based on spine color, and buy a new set of aprons online for her jam kitchen to replace her ratty, old ones. She stared at the empty boxes in her living room.
Just when she was about to get up, her phone rang, startling her but putting a smile on her face. Hadley grabbed at it. Maybe it was Paul with more information about the murder. Her heart beat in anticipation.
Deborah’s name flashed on the screen.
Hadley pressed her lips forward. Not Paul, but not bad either. She answered it.
“Hey, Deborah.”
“Hadley, honey. I know we just saw each other yesterday, but I felt so bad there wasn’t anything you were drawn to, and I wanted to make it up to you. I found two places I think you’ll just love. Are you free today at any point?”
“Right now is great, if that works for you.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Deborah cleared her throat. “Uh, yeah. I’m just about to show someone else around and … well, from how you acted yesterday, I got the vibe you weren’t into being stuck in the car with him.”
Luke.
Hadley glanced around her house. It was either deal with Luke or stay here and be forced to pack up.
She sighed. “That’s okay. I’m fine sharing you. You can come get me now.”
From the squeal that followed, she was afraid she would live to regret those words. If Deborah thought they would make a great couple before with no evidence whatsoever to support her theory, Hadley saying yes to spending more time with him would surely convince the matchmaking realtor they were meant to be.
“Oh great!” Deborah said. “I’m just about to head out the door.”
Hadley paced around for a few minutes until Deborah’s SUV pulled up in front of her house. Saying a quick goodbye to Ansel, Hadley pulled the door closed behind her and jogged up the driveway, climbing into the air-conditioned vehicle. Minutes later, she and Deborah pulled up in front of the tenant house Luke was living in on the edge of Fenton Farms.
Mouth hanging open a bit, Hadley scanned the secluded meadow surrounding the small house. She hadn’t been back here for years; she’d forgotten how magical the place was. Tall grass swayed in the breeze sitting tucked up around the house, looking as soft and fluffy as if it were drifts of cream-colored snow. Stately pines surrounded the meadow, giving the place an enclosed feeling, like it just might be the only house in the world. Regardless of the trees, the house still had a great view of some of the larger peaks of the nearest mountains as they peeked up over the treetops.
Hadley sighed, peace washing over her. She rolled down her window, knowing she would hear the rushing of the wind through the grass layered with the louder sound of the river flowing just yards past the meadow. The smell of warm soil and pine needles flowed in through the open window as she focused on the house. It was the least remarkable thing on the property. It was small, outdated, and could use new siding, a new coat of paint, and a new roof … to start.
Luke exited through the front door, smiling as he spotted her through the open passenger window.
“Couldn’t get enough of me yesterday?” He smirked as he slipped into the back seat.
Hadley turned around. “It’s been an informative day. For example, I’ve learned my annoyance with you is not greater than my hatred for packing. So, yes, tease away. I’m immune to it today.”
Luke chuckled, buckling himself in. “Where are we off to, Debs?”
The realtor stiffened at the nickname, but covered her distaste with a smile. “We have two houses, one for each of you.” Before either of them could say anything, she added, “But don’t worry. I think you’ll love them.”
The scenery around Stoneybrook often took Hadley’s breath away, and she found it happening all over again as Deborah drove them around the backroads of the town. The A-frame Deborah showed Hadley first, however, did nothing to change her breathing. It was cute and close to the river, but there was nothing about it that wowed Hadley or made her feel a connection with the house or property.
“No worries. I’ll keep searching,” Deborah said as they climbed back into the vehicle, but her rigid posture revealed her downtrodden feelings.
Hadley, too, felt frustrated. At this rate, she would never find a place to live and would be forced to become a burden on Suze since Paul had acted weird about her moving in.
Dispirited, Hadley tried to focus on Luke’s next house. They passed by Barry’s farm, and Hadley scanned the dozen stacked boxes sitting in the field. Remembering the story about so many of his bees dying, Hadley pressed her hand against the glass and tried to think happy thoughts for the rest of them.
Just past Barry’s farm, Deborah took a right and traveled down a dirt road, pulling to a stop before a gorgeous new construction house with an old construction feel. It had cedar siding and brilliant white trim, which accented its forest-green door.
“Okay.” Luke got out and strutted around the property. “This is not half bad, Deb. Not half bad at all.”
Hadley followed Luke and Deborah inside the house for the tour.
It was amazing. There were views of the mountains from most of the rooms, the river was right through the trees, and it seemed to have everything on Luke’s list. This had to signal the end to his search. He couldn’t possibly be so picky.
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I like it. Like—like it, like it. But do I love it?”
The indecisive shrug which
followed rendered Hadley to all of twelve again and all she wanted to do was roll her eyes and let out a frustrated groan. Being an adult, she simply walked away.
She knew she was being childish, but after seeing Vivian’s looks of pity that morning as she explained how much more everything was up in Cascade Ridge, looking at houses with someone who had loads more disposable income felt … well, annoying.
Hadley’s wandering took her around back and she found herself in the landscaped backyard. It was the perfect mix of neighborhood and wilderness, a small radius around the back porch was cultivated while anything ten feet out was untamed forest. Following a footpath out to the edges of the property, Hadley walked toward the sound of the river. Maybe that would calm her down. But before she even reached the river, something to her right caught her eye.
She followed the shock of color in the otherwise green and brown forest, moving through what looked to be an animal path toward a small meadow. It probably used to be a meadow, but now was being used as a beautiful garden full of flowers. The tilled land and the fact they were growing in rows told Hadley these flowers had been planted on purpose, despite them all being native species to the area.
“Find a secret garden?” Luke asked as he stepped up behind her.
Hadley jumped, her hand moving to her chest as she let out a breath. “Maybe. It seems too far away from the house to be a part of the landscaping, but it’s too deliberate; someone had to have planted all of this.” Hadley walked forward and held the head of a beautiful sunflower in her palm.
“Not to mention someone’s been here harvesting.” Luke knit his brows together for a moment as he bent down to inspect the stem of a flower that had been freshly cut.
Hadley understood his need to inspect. What she didn’t understand was when he leaned over and smelled the plant’s leaves and then swept his thumb across the surface. As he stood, Luke rubbed the tips of his fingers together like she had the morning she’d found Charlie’s body and had gotten the sticky substance on her skin.
“What?” she asked, taking a step closer to him.
“These flowers have been sprayed.”
“With water?”
Luke shook his head. “Pesticides.”
Hadley blinked. “Which means someone hasn’t been following the rules.”
“Looks like it.” His blue eyes seemed to cloud over, like a summer day overtaken by a storm.
9
Minutes later, Hadley and Luke walked Deborah back to the secret garden they’d found behind the house. The second time approaching the hidden plot of land felt a lot less magical now that Hadley knew about the chemicals coating the leaves and petals.
“I know you probably don’t have the property line memorized, but do you know if this garden is part of the property we were just looking at?” Luke ran a hand over his light-brown stubble.
Deborah bobbed her head. “I would say so. It’s a ten-acre plot and this is only a few hundred feet from the house. It must be a part of it.”
“Who owns this land right now?” Hadley asked.
Deborah fidgeted with the hem of her blouse. She glanced from Hadley to Luke. “It’s … well, Jack and Sarah Henley do.”
Henley. The last name felt like a sucker punch to Hadley’s gut. And from the way Luke’s expression fell, he was equally affected by it. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Her ex-husband’s family was a Stoneybrook staple. They were everywhere around here. And Jack, Tyler’s father, had a knack for real estate, flipping properties before anyone even knew he’d purchased them.
But while Luke and Hadley were both surprised to hear the last name, their shock was bred from different reasons. Whereas Hadley’s came from the general dread which now encompassed anything having to do with her ex-family, Luke’s came from the fact that he and Tyler had been best friends since childhood.
“The Henleys?” Luke’s face was set like a block of concrete. Then he began to shake his head. “No. They’re not farmers.”
He was right. The Henleys, while having lived in the Cascade Valley for generations had always been into real estate and business. Tyler’s mother and father owned the grocery store in town, his uncle ran the local ice cream shop, and his aunt kept a popular café. Tyler had gone to school for accounting. Not a one of them were farmers. And even if they had been, Hadley couldn’t imagine any of them being the kind to treat their plants with town-banned pesticides.
Hadley may disagree with them about a lot of things—and half of them may still not be talking to her after the divorce—but she refused to believe the family she had been a part of would do something so terrible.
Deborah shrugged, missing the piece of information about the pesticides, and so, not understanding what was so bad about owning a garden. “I’m sorry, Luke. I thought you might be thrilled to take the place because of who owned it.” Deborah leaned in close to ask, “Is there a reason you don’t want to buy from the Henleys? Have you had a falling out?”
The question was so Stoneybrook, Hadley had to suppress the urge to shake her head. She also knew the act of Deborah asking the question meant half the town already thought he did, regardless of Luke’s answer.
“Not at all,” Luke answered, then glanced over at Hadley for a quick second.
He was one of the few people in town who knew the actual reason Hadley had asked for a divorce from Tyler this year. When they’d first let their families know, Tyler had said they’d simply grown apart, omitting his infidelity. Hadley had been so shocked in the moment she hadn’t contradicted him. Once she came to her senses, it seemed petty and unnecessary. After growing up in a small town, it was kind of nice to keep a secret.
It didn’t hurt she was also incredibly embarrassed about having missed the signs. Regardless of the hurt she’d felt at being cheated on and the financial strain he’d placed on her with the cost of his extravagant affair, Tyler was also someone she’d known her entire life. She wasn’t about to be the one to go around town telling everyone what had happened.
Luke cleared his throat and turned to look at Deborah. “I was just … uh, curious about who owned the place, that’s all.” Gesturing back toward the house, Luke motioned to get them to start moving.
The short walk was awkward, the unspoken things hanging between Luke and Hadley felt like a whole other person. They hadn’t talked much about the affair, other than Luke apologizing for knowing toward the end and not knowing how to tell her.
She couldn’t hold a grudge against him for keeping it from her, sure she wouldn’t have been ready to hear it from him. In the end, the woman he’d been sleeping with, Christina, had contacted Hadley, hoping it might be the catalyst to Tyler leaving her for good as he’d been promising he would.
And even though it had been almost a year since she found out—and months since her divorce finalized—she still wasn’t ready for people to know. She didn’t want to deal with the sympathetic looks she would get for months after once they did know. A small part of her was still waiting for Tyler to be the one to tell everyone, a hope that became more of a dream once he’d decided to move to Seattle a few months ago.
“So what do you think?” Deborah asked as they got into the SUV and buckled up.
Luke’s voice was tight in that way it got when he was lying. “I’m interested. There are a few things I would like to ask the Henleys myself, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Deborah smiled, missing the small intonations Hadley had caught. “Sure thing. You let me know how you’d like to proceed.”
Pulling out onto the road, Deborah began to chat in length about paint colors and the mistakes people often make when pairing them, but Hadley couldn’t focus on her words. Luke cleared his throat, and she glanced back at him.
His blue eyes narrowed as she met them, his lips pressed into a thin line. Suddenly, she was transported back in time to when they were younger, and it seemed like she could read his every thought, and he knew hers.
Hadley had always wondered if being a tw
in, how she and Paul had a bond regular people didn’t, made her more susceptible to these telepathic-like connections. As it was she, Paul, Suze, and Luke had been inseparable growing up, and for a long time, it had felt like it wasn’t just Paul whom Hadley could read.
She still felt like that with Suze. The woman could cock an eyebrow or grunt, and Hadley knew exactly what she was thinking. They often texted each other at the same moment, seemingly on the same wavelength.
And even though she and Luke had grown apart in high school, he maintained he could still read her just as well. She couldn’t read him like that anymore.
Except in that moment.
Just with one look, Hadley knew Luke wanted her to come with him to talk with the Henleys.
She shook her head. Heck no! She sent him a scowl, hoping her actions were subtle enough to escape Deborah’s attention as she moved into the horrid mistakes people make with drapes.
When she looked back at Luke, he was holding up two fingers, almost like a peace sign. He curled them down twice, looking almost like he was using air quotes. Hadley knew otherwise. It was their secret, childhood sign for a double dog dare.
Seeing it again brought back so many silly memories that she couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of her. Deborah caught it, but the woman was blindly entrenched in the world of home interiors and seemed to assume Hadley had found something she’d said about drapes hilarious and said, “It is funny! Isn’t it?”
Hadley suppressed a grin and shot a glance back at Luke one more time. Rolling her eyes, she reluctantly nodded, telling him she accepted. After all, they’d taken an oath to only use the double-dog-dare gesture when completely necessary. She pretty much had to. And when Deborah dropped him off a few minutes later, Hadley knew the hand he held up in a wave was him telling her he’d come pick her up in five minutes.
For the remaining time in Deborah’s car, Hadley tried to focus on her words. They parted at Hadley’s house, her slipping out of the passenger seat and waving to Deborah.
