by Kathi Daley
“I miss him,” I said as another tear escaped down my cheek.
“I know. I do too. I’m sorry he isn’t here to share this with you.” Mom touched her hand to her chest. “But I know he’s with you in spirit.”
I leaned forward and hugged my mom. She hugged me back and then took a step back.
“Today is a day for happy tears, not sad ones. I have something for you.” Mom handed me a box.
I opened it and gasped. Inside were gorgeous diamond earrings. “They’re beautiful.”
“I wore these on my wedding day. There was a matching necklace, which I gave to Siobhan when she married, and a bracelet, which I’ll give to Cassie when her time comes. They were my mother’s.”
I hugged Mom again. “Thank you so much.”
Mom kissed my cheek. “I’m going to go downstairs. Gabe is waiting for me. I’ll see you in a bit.”
My heart was pounding as I slipped the earrings onto my lobes. I’d have to be careful not to lose them—they were clip-ons, not studs—but the fact that I had a piece of my mother and my grandmother that I could someday hand down to my own daughter meant the world to me. I could hear the sound of music as Tara slipped her head in around the door.
“Are you ready?”
I nodded. “More than ready.”
Although I hadn’t been able to get married in the church, as I’d always dreamed, the ceremony was perfect. Mr. Parsons looked so handsome in his suit, and the smile in his eyes confirmed that I’d been right to ask him to be part of this special day. Tara, Siobhan, and Cassie cried throughout the entire ceremony, but somehow I was able to get through it without shedding any more tears.
After the vows were exchanged, Cody and I took a minute to ourselves in one of the upstairs guest rooms before heading down to the dinner Siobhan and Tara had spent half the day preparing.
“We did it.” I smiled as I gazed into Cody’s eyes.
He smiled back at me. “We did. You look amazing.”
I looped my arms around his neck. He leaned forward and kissed me.
“Somewhere in my heart, I always knew I was going to marry you,” Cody whispered against my lips.
I pulled back just a bit and raised a brow. “Always? I seem to remember quite the parade of girls between the day we first met and now.”
Cody shrugged. “You were too young. I was too young. My mind told me to wait, but my heart knew.” Cody ran a finger down my cheek. “I’ve always loved you and I always will. I can’t wait to make a life with you.”
The tears I’d been holding back were released all at once. “And I can’t wait to make a life with you. I think, Cody West, we’re going to be amazing.”
Chapter 14
Thursday, November 22
When I’d suggested the football game between O’Malley’s and Shots be held at ten o’clock in the morning, I hadn’t been aware that the night before would be my wedding night. To say that my tank was running on half empty was an understatement, but Cody and I had promised to be there, so we’d rolled ourselves out of bed, taken long showers, and downed a couple of pots of coffee.
“Your face is crooked.” Cassie laughed.
“Crooked?” I asked.
“You still have the fake eyelash Siobhan glued on for the wedding on your right eye, but the one on your left eye is gone.”
I groaned. “Terrific. I tried to take them off this morning when I showered, but they were glued on tight, so I left them on to keep from ripping my real eyelashes out. I guess the one on the left must have loosened enough to give way at some point.” I looked around for my older sister. “I wonder if Siobhan has anything in her purse that will remove the lashes that refused to wash away.”
“I’m betting she does. She’s over near the parking lot, talking to Maggie and Michael. I’ll go ask her for you.”
I smiled at my younger sister. “Thanks. That would be great.”
I looked toward the field, where Cody was chatting with Aiden, Danny, and Finn. I imagined they were coming up with a plan of attack. Initially, I’d been enthusiastic about the game, but the pounding headache I couldn’t quite get rid of had me wishing I’d called in sick and stayed in bed.
I waved at Danny, who gestured me over.
“You look like hell,” he said with a grin.
“Bite me.”
“I’d say we put Cait on tackle because she seems to have the disposition to go with the role, but this is flag football. Can you handle blocking?”
I nodded. “I can handle any job you give me.”
Cody took me by the shoulders and turned me so that we were facing each other. “What happened to your eye?”
I put my hand to my face. “Nothing. It’s fine.” I glanced at Cassie and Siobhan, who were coming in my direction. “Just give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be good to go.”
I could hear Danny and Aiden chuckling while Cody looked confused. I had a feeling this was going to be one of those days when I found myself wishing I only had sisters. Brothers could be a real pain in the butt.
******
“Great game and great catch, which has earned you a very highly sought-after victory cookie,” said Libby Baldwin, Danny and Aiden’s twenty-one-year-old cocktail waitress who’d recently found out she was pregnant and so was forced to watch from the sidelines.
“Thank you.” I accepted a familiar-looking turkey-shaped cookie from Libby. “Is Devita making these cookies now that Carla’s working for her?”
“No, I bought them from Sally before she died. At the time I purchased them, I had no idea they’d be the last turkey-shaped cookies Sally would make. When I found out she’d been killed shortly after I left the bakery, I decided to freeze them and bring them to the Thanksgiving game as rewards for a job well done. It’s my way of participating. Of course, I only have a dozen cookies and I ate three before I had the idea to save them, so I’m only giving cookies to those who made a significant contribution, and your catch made the cut.”
I frowned as I stared at the cookie. “You bought these cookies on the Monday Sally was murdered?”
Libby’s smile faded, and suddenly she looked uncertain. “Yes. Was it insensitive of me to bring them here? Did I mess up? I wasn’t trying to appear callous, I just thought the turkey cookie rewards would be cute.”
“What time did you buy the cookies?”
Libby took a step back. “Is something wrong? Should I put the rest of the cookies in my car?”
I took a breath and let it out. “No. I’m sorry. Your idea was lovely. I’ve been trying to firm up a timeline for what happened between three and four o’clock on Monday, November 12, and I’ve been missing the part relating to a purchase made at three fifty-five.”
Libby hesitated and then answered. “I guess that’s about when I was there.”
“And Sally helped you?”
Libby nodded. “She said I was going to be the last sale of the day because she had a dinner to get to and needed to lock up.”
“And were you the only one in the bakery when you made your purchase?”
“Actually, I heard Sally talking to a man when I first walked in. They were in the kitchen, so I couldn’t see who it was, but he had a deep voice and an accent.”
“Did you hear what they were talking about?”
“No. Sally came out to the front after I walked in. No one else came in while I was there, but a woman walked in through the back door just as I was leaving.”
“What woman? Do you know her name?”
“I don’t know her name, but she works at the Driftwood Café. I’ve seen her in there a bunch of times.”
“Eve? Is her name Eve?”
Libby frowned. “I think it might be.”
I hugged Libby. “Thanks. You’ve been very helpful.” I looked around. “Have you seen Finn?”
“He was heading to the parking lot.”
I took off at a jog in that direction. Finn was just getting into his car when I arrived.
“Wait,” I said.
“What is it? I need to go. The subpoena to search Miranda Wells’s home again has just come through. It wasn’t easy to get because we’d already searched the place.”
“It wasn’t Miranda. At least, I don’t think it was. I think it was Eve Donner.”
“Eve? Why do you think Eve killed Sally?”
“Because Libby Baldwin just told me that she was the person to who bought cookies at three fifty-five on the day Sally died, and as she was leaving, Eve was walking in. I also heard Sally may have been sleeping with Eve’s boyfriend. And to top it off, Connie Salisman told me that Eve told her group, who were meeting for dinner that night, that Sally called her to cancel, but Sally told Libby she needed to close up in a hurry because she had a dinner to get to.”
Finn frowned. “Are you sure about all this? Two days ago you were sure it was Miranda who killed Sally.”
“I’m sure.”
“We’re going to need proof.”
I nodded. “I have a plan. Give me a minute to let Cody know I’m going with you on an errand and I’ll fill you in.”
******
“This has to be one of your crazier ideas,” Finn said twenty minutes later as he drove toward Eve’s house. I just hoped she was home and not spending the holiday on San Juan Island with her cheating boyfriend.
“It’s not a crazy idea. It’s a very good one. We know Eve will most likely not speak to you or allow you to search her car or her house, and we’ll never get a warrant on Thanksgiving, but there’s no reason for her not to talk to me.”
“I’m not sure about you going inside alone.”
I took out my phone. “I told you, I won’t be alone. I’m going to call you before I go in. You’re going to answer so we make sure we have a connection. Then I’m going to accidentally forget to hang up before sticking the phone in my pocket. We might not be able to get a warrant for a search or a wiretap, but no one can fault you for giving your sister-in-law a ride to a friend’s and then waiting out front for her to talk to that friend. And a phone line accidentally left open isn’t at all like wearing a wire. We’re good. If Eve goes all Rambo on me and I need saving, you can rush in on your white horse.”
Finn groaned. “Cody is going to kill me if I get his new wife killed the day after the wedding.”
“You won’t have to worry about Cody. Siobhan will kill you first. If I get into trouble, just don’t be late with the rescue.”
Finn, who was driving his civilian car and not his cruiser, pulled up just down the street from Eve’s house. I could see he wasn’t happy about any of this, but he knew me well enough to realize I wasn’t going to let this go.
“What’s your plan exactly?” Finn asked. “Are you just going to go inside and ask Eve if she killed Sally?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. We suspected Sally had been hit over the head with a rolling pin, but Kimmy told me that Eve was on her way to softball practice after she got off work that day, so I’m thinking Eve killed her with a bat. I’m hoping it will be sitting in plain sight for me to find.”
“Unlikely.”
I bit my lip. “Yeah. I guess it is unlikely. I guess I’ll just wing it.”
I called Finn’s phone and established a connection, then slipped my phone into the pocket of my sweatshirt. I opened the car door and slipped out. “Wish me luck.”
As I walked down the sidewalk to the path leading up to the house, I found myself wishing I had more of a plan than I did, but it seemed plans hadn’t been working out anyway lately, so what the heck.
I knocked on the door and waited.
“Cait? What are you doing here?” Eve’s roommate, Rena, asked.
“I came to see Eve. Is she here?”
“No. She’s on San Juan Island with Hugo. She won’t be home until Sunday.”
“Drat. She borrowed my iPad the other day and I wanted to get it back. I don’t suppose she left her softball bag here?”
“It’s in her car. But her car is here. Hugo picked her up.”
“Do you have a key? My recipe for stuffing is on that iPad, and maybe you’ve heard, I’m throwing a huge dinner later today. I really need that recipe.”
Rena turned and looked behind her. “She usually leaves her keys in the bowl near the back door. Let me check.”
I followed Rena into the house and down the hallway. Sure enough, there was a set of keys in the bowl. Rena picked them up, looking momentarily uncertain.
“Do you think you can check her car for her bag? It would help me out a bunch.”
Rena shrugged. “Yeah. Okay. There’s nothing worse than trying to make a meal without your recipes.” She headed out the back door to the car. “I heard you invited a bunch of people without families to this event. I think that’s really nice.”
“It started as a Christmas Eve celebration for our friend Mr. Parsons, but it’s really taken off.”
Rena looked in through the window. The back seat was empty, so she popped the trunk. Laying across the bottom of the trunk was a black bag. Rena unzipped it and pulled it open. She frowned.
“What is it?” I asked.
Rena held up a bat. “Eve’s bat. It looks like it has blood on it.”
Chapter 15
“What a great turnout,” Francine said as the two of us stood watching the almost hundred guests who had ended up attending our feast chow down.
“It is a great turnout. More than we were expecting, and we’re still going to have too much food.”
“I bought a bunch of takeout containers. Anyone who wants to can make up a meal to take with them once everyone has had their fill.”
I smiled. “You’re a really good hostess.”
Francine shrugged. “I enjoy entertaining. Not that I do much anymore, but this has been fun. I spoke to Mr. Parsons, and I think we’re going to go ahead and throw a smaller event at Christmas.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. I’m sorry I’m going to miss it.”
“We’ll miss you and Cody as well. But maybe next year.” Francine glanced at the buffet table. “It looks like I need to set out more gravy.”
After she walked away, Finn walked over to me. “Is everything buttoned up?” I asked.
He nodded. “The sheriff picked Eve up and has her in custody, and he sent one of his deputies over to pick up the softball bag and bat, which he shuffled off to the crime lab. He didn’t even ask very many questions about how my sister-in-law just happened to be looking inside Eve’s bag even though Eve wasn’t on the island.”
I smiled. “See? I told you it would all work out.”
“I spoke to Cody about Eric.”
I looked down. “And?”
“And he’ll need to answer for his role in attempting to frame Miranda. I’ve shared what I know with the sheriff and he’s going to have the police in Florida near where Eric lives talk to him. He won’t do any serious time. He might even get off with a slap on the wrist and probation. It’s out of my hands now.”
“I’m glad Cody told you himself. I would have if he hadn’t, but I suspected he’d do the right thing once he had a chance to think things through.” I glanced at my new husband, who was chatting with Mr. Parsons and a few others. “At least he seems happy today.”
“I think he is happy. Turning Eric in couldn’t have been easy, and I’m sure his mother is furious. When I spoke to Cody earlier, he said the trip to Florida was in question now because his mother isn’t speaking to him anymore. She’s basically disowned him.”
“That’s so unfair,” I said.
“I agree. Cody did the right thing. It was Eric who made the wrong move. I’m not sure how much of this Cody plans to tell you. At least today. But I wanted you to know. I think he’s a bit fragile right now. It might be up to you to cheer him up.”
I smiled. “I think I can handle that.”
Finn winked at me. “I know you can.” He looked around the room. “Have you seen my lovely wife?”
“Last I saw,
she was in the kitchen.”
Finn left, and I made the rounds, stopping to speak briefly to everyone. When I arrived at Chappy’s table, I saw he had a plate full of yams and a cat in his lap. “I see you met Cosmo.”
“He came over to say hi. Seems he likes yams almost as much as I do.”
The cat did look content.
“Is this cat one of your strays?” Chappy asked.
I paused before I answered. I supposed at this point he was. We’d solved the case and his job was done. He’d shuffled the clues in my direction, even though I’d only understood them in hindsight. Even the fact that he’d been sitting in front of the Driftwood Café had been a clue that had blown right over my head. “He isn’t exactly a stray, but he’s looking for a good home. Are you interested?” Usually, the magical cats found homes with children or people in emotional or physical need. Chappy was getting on in years, and he did live alone. I imagined he was as much in need of a faithful companion as anyone.
“I guess I might be. If he’s agreeable, of course.”
I looked at the cat. “How about it, Cosmo? Are you interested in rooming with Chappy?”
“Meow.” The cat began to purr so loudly, everyone nearby looked in his direction.
I looked at Chappy. “It looks like you just found yourself a roommate. I’ll send food and supplies home with you. Don’t forget them.”
Chappy grinned. “I won’t forget. I think Cosmo and I will have a good life together.”
I smiled back. I was sure they would at that. It did my heart good when things worked out. I glanced at all the people I loved. Mom had Gabe now, and Maggie had Michael. Aiden had Alanna, and Siobhan had Finn and Connor. I had Cody, and in a strange, platonic way, Mr. Parsons had Francine, and of course Alex had Willow and Barry. Cassie was still single, but she was barely out of high school. And Tara? I’d been hoping and praying she would find her one and only, but when I saw her sitting next to Danny with a huge grin on her face, I had to admit my smile turned to a frown. Would those two ever be done with each other?
