"There are other circumstances as well."
"Like what?"
"I can't talk about it right now. It's too . . ." Raw, she wanted to say. Her night with Chance was raw to the bone. She wasn't ready to pick at the details.
"Does it involve a man?" Maggie could always read her. "You listen to me. I'm sorry I ever pushed you into going there. You should come home as soon as possible."
"There's more, Maggie. It's about Brianna's death. I think there was foul play involved."
"What makes you think that?"
"Certain things don't add up."
"Like what?"
"I don't want to say right now."
"Have you gone to the authorities?"
"That's a sticky issue. I think the sheriff's son may be involved, but I can't prove anything. Brianna's house was broken into the other night. There are so many things."
"For God's sake, Kat, you totally slipped that one by me. Were you there when the house was broken into? Are you okay? You sound drunk. Have you been drinking, or is it the pills?"
"I'm not drunk. I haven't slept much."
"You come home," Maggie said. "Today, as a matter of fact. I don't want any excuses from you. For your own safety you need to get away from that place. When you get back, we'll put our heads together, and if there's reason to be concerned about Brianna's death we'll seek counsel. You shouldn't go this alone."
Kat wanted to tell her everything--that she hadn't been alone up until now because of Chance--but she decided to wait. "You're right, Maggie. I'll continue looking into Brianna's death from there. I'll come home as soon as I wrap up some loose ends."
"The sooner the better. That shack isn't worth your sanity. Call me as soon as you get in, no matter how late."
Kat ended the call, took a quick shower in tepid water, and shored her hair up into a ponytail. Over her jeans she slipped on a clean flannel shirt. Mornings in Rosswood were getting chillier.
She surveyed the house and devised how much she'd do before she left town. It hurt to think of Chance. She worried he would come by, so she drove into town and stopped at Hank's to stock up on enough snacks to get through a day: a bag of corn chips, raisins, yogurt, an apple, an orange. Up front she threw in a package of beef jerky. She was the only customer in the store.
Hank rang up the corn chips. "Getting an early start?"
"I'm leaving town soon."
"That's a shame. Folks are going to miss you around here."
"That's a nice thing to say. Maybe I'll be back again." She wrote out a check while he bagged her groceries. "I'm going to need someone to clean Brianna's house and paint the inside. Do you know of anyone who could use a job?"
"I think I could find someone. Maybe Peggy Simmons. She's always looking for odd jobs. A hard worker and dependable, too."
"You have my number in Seattle. Tell her to give me a call. I'll order the paint from you and pay you directly for that."
"That'll work," he said. "You have a safe trip back."
"Thanks again for helping me out."
"No problem at all."
The bell jingled on her way out. She tossed the sack in the SUV, hurried into the café, and made a straight line to the counter facing the kitchen. An aroma of freshly brewed coffee and fried eggs permeated the room.
Bev, the woman who had waited on Kat when she was there before, was wiping up the counter close to Kat. The dark circles under her eyes were almost purple, and she looked as though she'd pulled an all-nighter. She carried the coffeepot to a table of four men.
When Kat came into the café, she hadn't paid attention, but now she homed in on Doug Jones and three of his pool buddies. They were laughing and making comments she couldn't discern.
The waitress hurried back to Kat. "What can I get you?"
"Large coffee to go. Black. And a glass of water, please."
She poured water from a pitcher and set a glass in front of Kat. "It's getting colder these days, cold enough to start snowing again."
"I won't be here to see it," Kat said. "I'm leaving soon, by tomorrow in fact, before I can get caught in any of it."
"Yup, we get a lot of snow in this part of the world. I'll get your coffee."
Just as Bev walked away, Doug strutted up to Kat and slid into the neighboring seat. His day-old beard was dark and stubbly, his eyes bloodshot, his shirt pocket torn. He swiveled the stool to face her and positioned one knee touching her thigh and the other touching her rear. "You aren't gonna take off without a proper sendoff, are you, sweetheart?"
He glanced at his friends, then focused on Kat. "You know, you can do better than that over-the-hill cowboy you've been hanging out with. In fact, if you want to be discreet, I know an old shack in the woods where we can hook up before you go. I won't tell a soul. Just you and me and Mother Nature."
"And you can just cool off." Kat grabbed her glass and flung water in his face.
He leaped to his feet, wiped the drips from his eyes, and brushed the front of his shirt. His buddies howled. He leaned into Kat. "Later, sweetheart. Just you and me and the shack makes three." He strolled back to the table with his chest puffed out and high-fived one of the guys.
They were still laughing while Kat paid the waitress and marched from the café. To collect herself, she sat in her car and guzzled the caffeine, burning her tongue in the process. That jerk was one more reason to get out of this town.
She drove to the post office. All the parking spots were empty, giving her reason to believe she'd be the only customer, but a man in corduroy pants and a long-sleeved shirt was hunched over the counter. As Kat approached, Lenny's eyes took on a dreamy glow.
The man glanced over his shoulder to acknowledge her. "Ms. Summers."
"Hello, Doctor Conklin."
"I'll finish over there," he told Lenny and smiled at Kat before moving to the table under the bulletin board with what appeared to be an official form of some sort.
Pastor Fletcher walked in, greeted Kat, and wandered to the postal boxes as Kat stepped up to the counter.
"Kaaat, nice to see you so early this morning," Lenny cooed. "You brighten up the room just like Brianna did. I bet you came in for your letter. I tried to deliver it to you. I thought it was important, but you weren't home. You got my note, didn't you?" He pulled a letter from a stack of envelopes and transferred it to Kat. "There you are. The post office always delivers." He chuckled and let out a snort.
"I'm leaving town early in the morning."
"Oh no, so soon?" He stared at her with sad puppy-dog eyes, as if he were about to cry.
She had to repeat his name twice to snap him out of his reverie. "I'd like you to forward my mail and also Brianna's if she happens to get any."
"Oh, yes, well, that reminds me." He shuffled some papers on the table behind him and handed her a manila envelope. "It's from a publisher." He pointed at the return address. "Maybe they want to publish one of Brianna's stories, posthumously." His face reddened. "Oops."
"Don't worry about it."
"I wish you weren't leaving so soon." He fidgeted with a pencil and looked at Kat. "You see, I know you're a real estate agent from what Brianna told me and also from that letter I gave to you. The return address? That was your business address in Seattle, wasn't it? Well, uh, you see . . ." He hesitated.
"What is it?" The sound of fingernails scraping a blackboard crossed Kat's mind. Her patience was wearing thin.
"Well, yes, Kaaat. You see, Clare and I own a cabin in the woods off Pine Road, and we've been trying to sell it, but we haven't had any luck. And I hate to bother you, but you're leaving tomorrow, sooner than I'd hoped you would, and I had this idea. You see, we were hoping, well I was anyway, hoping you might take a look and maybe give us some pointers on how we might move it along. You know, sell it better. I hate to ask you."
"What time?"
"You mean you'll do it?"
"I could take a few minutes. Just give me a time."
"Really?" His eyes were blinki
ng like Christmas lights.
Just watching him made Kat's shoulders tense. "Just give me a time."
"Oh, thank you. I know Clare will be happy."
"Lenny, what time?"
"Yes, a time. I can't get away until the post office closes, and Clare, if she agrees, has to have her dinner. Then again, I may come alone. Let's say around six-thirty?"
"Six-thirty would be fine."
"Oh, thank you." He found a used envelope and on the back sketched a map to his cabin. "It'll be so hard to see you go. It's been like having Brianna back. Oh, well, we can say our goodbyes at the cabin."
The pastor, who'd been lingering nearby, waiting his turn, said to her, "I'm sorry to hear you're leaving. I was hoping you'd come by the church, for comfort that is. That's all I ever wanted to give Brianna, just comfort."
"Right." Kat edged outside, glad to get away from both the pastor and Lenny and more than glad to leave this post office for good. She really didn't want to meet Lenny at some cabin in the woods, but he'd been a friend to Brianna. She only hoped later she could easily get away from him.
On her way to her car, the doctor caught up with her. "Ms. Summers, I couldn't help overhearing you were leaving tomorrow."
"That's right."
"I'm sorry we didn't get to chat again after our last conversation about your sister. I was hoping you might drop by. But now you can't."
"I'm sorry, but I have to return to Seattle."
"It's too bad. I wanted you to stop by for tea. I was hoping we could get better acquainted. Well, I trust you got your answers."
"You mean about Brianna's death."
"Have you been able to settle yourself about it?"
"I'm not sure I have. I think there might be more to it, but right now other circumstances force me to distance myself."
He looked puzzled.
"I know I sound vague, but it's personal," she said. "Are you sure Brianna didn't say anything to you the last time you saw her that might indicate her state of mind and why she did this?"
"Sometimes people do things we can't always understand, and we search for reasons to make sense of it." He latched onto her forearm and stared into her eyes. "Sometimes it's best to leave it be, don't you think that's true?" He gave her arm a slight squeeze. "I do hope the rest of your stay is a pleasant one. I wish you the best of luck."
He ventured past her, walking toward town. She passed him in the car on her way out, thought about waving, but his eyes were focused downward.
CHAPTER 30
"Kat, darling." Chance had been dreaming about her: the sweet taste of her, her auburn hair twined in his fingers, her body soft and supple, her thighs pressing against his, driving him absolutely mad. Craving her again, he reached for her, but she was gone. Her side of the bed was numbing cold, the house cruelly quiet.
He rolled onto his back. Zeke was staring at him, wagging his tail. He licked Chance's arm. "Where is she, boy?"
Chance slipped on his pajama bottoms and checked the guest room. The bed was made, and it appeared as if no one had ever slept in the confines of the room. With Zeke lumbering behind him, he inspected the bathroom. No sign of Kat's presence. He stuck his head in the study. His manuscript was neatly placed on the desk.
Dread flooded in on him at the idea his life's story had soured her. But why had she agreed to make love? For the thrill of it? That wasn't like Kat. Her body had formed to his in the most loving way.
He let Zeke out and found her business card on the kitchen table with the note on the back. She needed time to think. His story was the reason. She must have had second thoughts because of his past.
A shower and breakfast didn't ease the hollow feeling inside. Since he'd left the organization, Kat was the first woman he'd confided in about the secret side of his life, the part he now despised. He felt open and vulnerable, as if a layer of skin had been peeled away.
If Kat needed time to take it all in, he would allow however long it might take. But he wasn't about to give up on her. In the end he would pursue her no matter what. At the moment, though, he would give her the space she needed to think things through, and he would track down Sue Ann to get to the bottom of the events of the previous evening.
Zeke was palling around with Rusty down by the barn, the sun highlighting his golden fur. Chance yelled to his hired hand that he was going into town. Rusty waved in reply. Chance buttoned his shirt sleeves and tossed his jacket into the cab.
When he approached Maple Lane, he was tempted to turn in and drive past Brianna's house. Every ounce of him wanted to check up on Kat. It was his nature to take control, but as difficult as it was, he reminded himself to give her breathing room.
Because it was a Friday at Bertie's, he had to park halfway down the block from the entrance. The Grill was stuffy with the smell of fried food and the packed-in lunch crowd. One lone spot was left at the counter between Doc Conklin and Lenny. He acknowledged them both with a nod.
Sue Ann backed through the swinging doors and handed a sack to Lenny, stole a glance at Chance, and deposited the plate with a roast beef sandwich and chips in front of the doctor, who folded his arms and stared back at her. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I ordered this to go."
"I don't think so." Sue Ann seemed stressed and irritable. Chance read it in her voice. "Oh, hell, hang on." She snatched the plate and disappeared into the kitchen.
"I'm sure I told her I wanted take-out."
"It's loud in here," Chance said. "She probably didn't hear you."
"I'm sure I told her. I have patients to tend to. I can't sit here all day. She remembered the postman, but not me. I don't know why Bertie puts up with her."
Now the doctor was crabby. Chance let the comments pass.
Lenny placed his money on the counter and said to Chance, "I guess you know Kaaat is leaving town tomorrow."
Chance felt a stab of hurt and disappointment. "I didn't know."
"Oh, I thought you would be the first to know. Hmm . . . Well, she's a jewel, just like Brianna." He slid off his stool. "I should give her a parting gift. Poor thing. She deserves it." He picked up the sack. "Maybe I will."
Lenny wandered toward the exit just as Sue Ann banged through the swinging doors and dumped a sack in front of Doc Conklin. "There."
After the doctor slapped his money on the counter and left, she completely ignored Chance and took off into the crowd like a rabbit afraid of getting trapped. Chance watched her flit around the room taking orders, clearing tables, trying to delay the inevitable. He decided to wait her out.
Bertie, who'd been in the kitchen helping the cook, came out to work the bar and noticed Chance staring into the crowd. "Did Sue Ann take your order yet?"
"When does she take her break?"
"As soon as it calms down around here," Bertie replied. "What's the problem?"
"No problem. I just want to talk to her."
"Did she do something I should know about?"
"No. I need some information about someone she might know. It's nothing to concern yourself with."
"Should be another hour before I can do without her."
"I'll wait," Chance said. "In the meantime I'll have a Reuben."
As the hour ticked by, he fixed his eyes on Sue Ann's movements, which seemed jerky, jittery. Once, she almost lost the plate she was carrying and nearly tipped over a customer's water glass.
Chance paid for his meal and sipped coffee while he waited. A loud roar near the pool tables sent his attention in that direction, and when he looked back, he'd lost sight of Sue Ann. He stood and surveyed the room.
Bertie came out of the kitchen and informed Chance that Sue Ann had just left. "She went out the back, took off outside somewhere."
He burst from the restaurant, scanned up and down the street, and caught her scurrying from the alley past the movie theater. When he reached her and grabbed her to twirl her around, she jerked free and let out a pained yelp. In the sunlight he saw a bruise on her upper arm the
size of an orange. "Who did that to you?"
She masked the bruise with her hand. "Nobody."
"Who put you up to calling me last night?" Chance reasoned the man who knocked her around was one and the same.
"No one."
The terror in her eyes made him think otherwise. "Then why did you call? What did you want to talk to me about?"
She shook her head and averted her eyes. For warmth she hugged her bare arms to her chest.
"Sue Ann, is someone abusing you? Because if he is, you need to tell me, so I can get you some help. If not me, then the sheriff or Doc Conklin."
"Just leave it alone, okay?"
"I need to know if someone wanted me away from my house last night so they could harass Ms. Summers. Did you have anything to do with that?"
"God, no. I don't know." She edged around Chance and began walking away, her pace quickening with each step. "Just leave me alone," she shouted before disappearing into Bertie's.
He chose not to press Sue Ann any further, but it didn't matter. He'd already guessed who manhandled her and who possibly put her up to luring him from his house. He hustled back to his truck and drove up the side street to Tim Holmes's auto shop.
Dressed in work overalls, Tim meandered from the auto bay, wiping his hands with a greasy purple rag. On seeing Chance striding toward him with fury in his eyes, Tim jerked to a stop. "Got a problem?"
Chance felt unbridled anger rising. "I think you're the problem."
"What the hell does that mean?" He stuffed the rag in his back pocket.
"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"
Tim turned around but was met with a hand gripping his shoulder. He shoved Chance's hand away. "Hey, what the hell's wrong with you?"
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
"What?"
"I'm talking about Sue Ann. I saw the bruise."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do, and I want you to leave her and Kat Summers alone," Chance said while pointing a finger in Tim's face.
Tim's eyes smoldered, and he threw Chance's hand aside. "Even if I did whatever it is you're accusing me of, those bitches probably deserved it."
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