by Lena Gregory
“Umm…let me think. I guess it was the two of them, Bobby Fischetti and Trevor Barnes. I don’t remember one of the girls’ names. Andrea or Abigail, something with an A. I didn’t really know her. And Gabriella Antonini. She was dating Bobby Fischetti at the time. Don’t know what ever happened with those two. They left town right after high school.”
“Actually, they were in the café yesterday. They were talking to Skyla, said they’d gotten married right out of high school and moved to Georgia.” Okay, so they hadn’t exactly said they’d moved to Georgia; Gia had stalked them on Facebook, but why split hairs?
“Skyla Broussard?”
“Yes. You know her?”
“Not well, but if I remember correctly, she was part of that group too. She used to date one of the boys. Ron, I think. Or maybe it was Mitch.” Debby frowned and stared off into space for a minute or two. “No, sorry. I can’t remember which one. It was a long time ago. Well, not that long, but my memory is not as good as it once was.”
If Skyla had dated Ron, that would explain her reaction when she found out he’d been murdered. But why wouldn’t she just say she’d known him? It didn’t explain her weird reaction to seeing the Fischettis, though. “Was Skyla friendly with Gabriella Antonini?”
“As far as I remember, they were all pretty tight. Like I said, they didn’t really bother with anyone else.”
“Did they ever fight amongst themselves?”
“I don’t know. I never paid them much attention after that one night. I wasn’t interested in the same things as they were. Hard to forge friendships with no common ground.”
“That’s true.” She thought of Gabriella and Skyla. Somehow, Gia couldn’t picture them as close friends, though she couldn’t say why. She saw a flash of Gabriella standing on the sidewalk outside the café, held still by the other woman’s firm hold on her arm. “Could the other woman you were thinking of be named Allison?”
Debby pursed her lips, but then shook her head right away. “It’s possible, but I don’t remember. Why?”
She couldn’t see any reason not to share what had taken place on a public street. “I saw Gabriella out in front of the café today, and she was arguing with a woman named Allison. I thought maybe that was her.”
“It could have been, but I’m not sure.” Debby’s gaze shifted to the TV.
The lead story began with the footage of Trevor being escorted into the station.
“Do you really think he could have done it?” Debby asked quietly. “I wasn’t friendly with Trevor in high school, but I’ve seen him around since he opened the shop, and he always seemed like such a nice guy.”
“He is a nice guy. There has to be some mistake.” A bit of anger surged in Gia, not at Debby for asking the question everyone in Boggy Creek wanted the answer to, but at Trevor for avoiding Hunt’s questions. If he had simply answered honestly, none of this would be happening. Unless, of course, he was guilty. Gia gasped. How could she have even thought such a thing?
Cybil stood. “It’s getting late, and I want to have time to get my new baby home and settled tonight.”
Debby jumped to her feet. “Oh, you’ll be taking him home tonight?”
“Is that okay?”
“Um…” Debby headed for the counter and held the half-door open for them to precede her through to the back room. “It depends on who you pick out. Why don’t you choose a pup you like, then we’ll figure it out?”
When Thor stood to follow Gia, she told him to stay and petted his head. “I’ll be right back, boy.”
“Puppies are nice and all,” Cybil said, “but I was thinking of taking something older, something not everyone would want.”
A huge grin lit Debby’s face. “I wish more people thought like you. Most people want a puppy, but some of these guys have been here for a long time, and they don’t have much chance of finding a forever home. As much as I love all of them, they need families.”
Debby led them through the puppy room and through a door on the opposite side. Several small pens lined one wall, all with half-doors that allowed you to see the dogs living in each pen. “You can look around and see if one catches your eye.”
Gia walked along the corridor, peeking into each pen. Some of the dogs jumped and propped their front paws on their doors, some stayed lying where they were and simply looked up as she passed, others continued to sleep as if nothing could disturb them. “How long can they stay here?”
“As long as they live.” Debby pulled a hardcover ledger out of a desk drawer. “We’re a no-kill rescue and adoption organization. Our animals stay with us until they find a forever home or eventually pass on.”
“Do a lot of people adopt older dogs?” Gia reached over a half-door to pet a big black dog she thought might be part German shepherd.
“Some do. Most want puppies, but some prefer an older dog.”
Cybil had stopped at one of the pens and leaned over the half-door to pet one of the dogs. “Can I open the door?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Debby said as she flipped through the ledger pages.
Gia started to follow, but her phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID, then excused herself and stepped out front to answer. “Hey, Savannah, what’s up?”
“Where are you?”
She dropped onto the chair, and Thor propped his chin on her leg. She petted his head. “At the shelter with Cybil. Why? Is something wrong?”
“Is Thor with you?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Oh, good. I was on Facebook, and I saw a post that someone found a Bernese mountain dog roaming in your development. There’s no picture yet, but the post said the dog was clean and well-groomed but didn’t have any tags, and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t Thor.”
“Nope, Thor’s right here with his head in my lap.” She scratched behind his ears, and his eyes rolled back in his head. “You know who has a Bernese mountain dog, though? Nancy. She took John to the shelter to pick one out right after meeting Thor.”
“Oh, that’s right. I’ll give her a call now.”
“Wait. Have you heard from anyone?”
“Not yet. I didn’t expect to hear from Hunt so soon, but I’d have expected Leo to call by now.”
Gia would have expected Leo to call as well. It was rare for him to go longer than a few hours without calling to reassure Savannah all was well. “Have you tried to call him?”
“Not in the past hour or so.”
Gia laughed. “Okay, okay. I get it. I’ll stop asking.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m as anxious as you are.”
Somehow Gia doubted that. “Listen, one more thing before you call Nancy. Did you go to school with Trevor?”
“We went to the same school, but he was a few years ahead of me, around Hunt’s age, I think.”
“Do you remember offhand who he used to hang out with?”
“Not at all. I only vaguely remember knowing who Trevor was in high school. I didn’t meet him until later, after he opened Storm Scoopers. Why?”
“I’ll explain it all later, but the short version is that Trevor used to hang out with Ron Parker and Mitch Anderson, and supposedly the three of them were really close.”
“Then why would Trevor kill Ron?”
Gia tempered her anger. No sense fighting with Savannah. “He didn’t kill him.”
“Oh, I know, I just meant it doesn’t make sense he’d try to kill him. If he did. Which he didn’t.”
“And yet, Hunt arrested him.”
Savannah didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. They both knew he had to have just cause. “Anyway, go call Nancy. She’ll be worried sick if her pup is missing. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Savannah disconnected.
Gia checked for missed calls, hoping she’d missed one from either H
unt or Trevor. Nothing. With a sigh, she stuffed the phone in her pocket and went to find Cybil.
She found her sitting on the floor of a pen with a medium-sized dog curled in her lap.
“Who’s this?”
“This is Caesar. He’s a four-year-old beagle mix, and he’s coming home with me.”
“He’s adorable.” Gia entered the pen, closed the half-door behind her, and squatted beside Cybil and her new pup.
Tears shimmered in Cybil’s eyes when she looked up at Gia. “I don’t know how I can ever thank you.”
Warmth surged through her. “You just did.”
Cybil hugged Caesar close and nuzzled her cheek against his head.
“You can take him home tonight?”
“Not tonight, only because it’s so late. I’ll have to come back tomorrow, but this little guy is all mine.” She kissed his head.
“He’s adorable.”
“Yes, he is.”
Debby peeked into the pen. “Are you ready?”
Cybil groaned, but kissed Caesar once more, put him down, and stood.
“I’m sorry you can’t take him tonight, Cybil. If I didn’t have to be at my son’s concert in a little while, I’d have stayed to do the paperwork, especially since you’ve adopted so many dogs here over the years.”
“I understand. Besides, I’m going to have to dig a few things out of the shed for him and I should run to the pet supply for food and more treats.”
Debby led them to the door, then said good-bye and locked up.
“Do you need a ride tomorrow?” Gia asked.
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I appreciate you coming with me tonight, but I know you have to work in the morning, and I want to be here bright and early to pick him up.”
Gia stopped with her hand on the car door handle and looked over the roof at her. “You’re not going to walk here, are you?”
Cybil laughed. “Gia, I don’t walk everywhere because I can’t drive. I walk because I enjoy it.”
“You have a car?”
“Of course, an SUV, which I enjoy taking off-road whenever I get a chance.” She climbed into the car.
Cybil was so far from what Gia had imagined she had to laugh. She let Thor into the back seat then got in, started the car, and headed down the long driveway.
They drove in silence for a few minutes. If the smile playing at the edges of Cybil’s mouth was any indication, she was probably lost in thoughts of her new puppy.
Meanwhile, Gia’s mind ran amok with troubling thoughts of Trevor and Hunt.
“Make a right here.” Cybil pointed to a narrow street lined with palm trees that met above the road and formed a beautiful archway.
“This is so pretty.”
“Thank you. My house is at the end of the street.”
Gia followed her directions and pulled up to a sprawling, stucco ranch house. Somehow the thought of Cybil wandering through all that empty space was sadder than the image of her living in a cozy cabin in the woods. When she’d seen her with Caesar, the realization that Cybil seemed lonely had hit her hard. “Why don’t you come into the café for breakfast tomorrow morning on your way to pick up Caesar?”
Cybil took Gia’s hand in her own and squeezed. “I’d like that. Do you want to know what I believe?”
“Sure.”
“I believe there are a few people we meet in our lives who are meant to be a part of something special. Sometimes lasting friends, other times just part of an important event in your life. Either way, I think we recognize those people when our paths cross. When I first met you walking in the woods with Thor…”
Thor poked his head between the seats at the mention of his name.
Cybil laughed and petted him. “There was something about you that called to me. I knew you’d play a role in my life in some way.”
Gia recalled their first meeting. She’d been confused—conflicted, as Cybil had phrased it—and Cybil had offered advice. She’d felt something too, a sort of connection.
Cybil held her gaze. “I’m really glad we met.”
“Me too.”
“I’d love to stop by the café in the morning. Thank you.”
Gia took Cybil’s walking stick out of the trunk, walked her to the door, and said goodnight, then headed home still thinking of Cybil. She’d seen that same loneliness in another friend’s eyes too, and as much as she was hoping she and Cybil would become friends, she had to admit to herself that she had an ulterior motive for inviting her to the café early. With any luck at all, Earl and Cybil would also hit it off and become friends.
Chapter 10
Once Gia fed and walked Thor, she heated her dinner and took it to the living room with a diet soda. She set up her laptop on the coffee table beside her dinner, dropped onto the couch, and set to work. Now that she had some idea whom to look for, maybe she could make sense of what was going on. She put her cell phone right next to her computer and checked to make sure the ringer was turned on and the volume was turned up. Again.
Thor jumped onto the couch beside her, trying to wiggle his head onto her lap.
She laughed and scooted him over. “Not yet, Thor. I have to eat first.”
He grudgingly settled at her side with a chew toy.
The first thing she did was look for a website with old yearbooks and school photos. She’d have to start with people she knew, then go from there.
She took a bite of breakfast pie while she waited for the site to load. She didn’t often eat the meat lover’s pie, loaded with bacon, sausage, ham, peppers, onions, and cheese, but she’d been in the mood for it tonight, and it definitely hit the spot.
Once the search box came up, she typed in Boggy Creek high school, then waited some more. While it took its time loading, Gia jumped up and grabbed a pad and pen from the side table drawer and made a mug of peach tea.
When she returned, she wrote “Ron Parker” in the middle of the page, then added Mitch Anderson’s name below it and drew a line connecting them. She wrote “Friends?” next to the line.
When the Boggy Creek High School page came up, she typed in Ron Parker, hit Enter, then returned to her chart. She wrote “Trevor Barnes” in the upper left corner, then connected him to Ron with another line. She wrote “Friends?” next to the line, thought about adding “Killer?” then added “Suspect” instead.
What else did she know? She thought about how the three of them connected, if they even connected, while she finished her dinner. Even if Ron was friends with Mitch Anderson in high school, that didn’t mean they’d stayed friends. Maybe they’d had a falling out. Or maybe they just chose different paths and fell out of touch. And even if they had stayed friends, that didn’t necessarily mean they shared the same views on politics. So maybe Ron running against him had nothing at all to do with his death. Then again, maybe someone connected to Mitch Anderson wanted to make sure he won the election by eliminating the competition. Except for the fact that, by all accounts, Mitch was probably going to win anyway.
But how in the world did Trevor figure into any of it?
She tossed the pen onto the notepad and rubbed her burning eyes. Exhaustion settled as a dull throb in her temples. She pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, tucked her feet up beneath it, and settled against a throw pillow with her computer in her lap and Thor curled beside her, his head resting against her leg.
Another screen popped up, prompting her to join the site for free. Ugh… One of the downsides of living on the edge of the forest was no high-speed internet. Not bad enough her internet was slow as molasses in January—another of Savannah’s favorite expressions—but now she had to waste time joining the website. She typed in her information as quickly as possible, using the email address she saved for such circumstances so as not to clutter her work email, then waited for the page to load.
A yo
ung version of the Ron Parker she recognized from the campaign trail smiled out at her from the screen, peering over the wire-rimmed glasses perched on the edge of his nose. Though his name was listed beneath his picture, nothing else had been included. No plans for the future, no senior quote, no fond memories or sports or clubs or anything, as most of the other students on the page had listed.
She typed in Mitch Anderson and sipped her tea while she waited for his picture to come up. When it did, Gia studied him. He looked the same but so much younger. Had she looked that young when she’d graduated high school? She’d felt like an adult, had become one the day she’d graduated and her father had thrown her out to fend for herself.
Mitch Anderson had worn the practiced smile of a politician even then. Beneath his picture were the words “Time to Climb.”
At least she confirmed Ron and Mitch had gone to school together. She tried Trevor’s name and hit Enter, then waited…and waited…and waited. A screen popped up telling her this was the last search she could do with her free trial membership. If she wanted to search any more, she’d have to subscribe, and they would bill her credit card monthly, and blah, blah, blah. She had no intention of paying. At least, not yet. There had to be another way to find what she was looking for.
She clicked cancel, and Trevor’s headshot popped up, his expression serious. Far from the fun-loving guy she’d come to know. He’d worn his hair in the exact same style in high school as he still did. The quote beneath his photo read, “‘If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.’ - William Arthur Ward.”
Gia could imagine a young Trevor Barnes, full of enthusiasm and ready to conquer the world. She wondered briefly what he’d done between high school and opening Storm Scoopers. Surely, he hadn’t had the money to open the ice cream shop right out of high school. Maybe his parents had helped him. Come to think of it, she didn’t even know if his parents were alive or if he spoke with them or if he even grew up with them. She didn’t know if he had siblings. In all the time they’d hung out together, he’d never once mentioned his family.
