She pulled her truck into the parking lot in front of the library and climbed out. The air was cold and the long-sleeve shirt she was wearing might not be enough to ward off the chill.
Grabbing her tool kit from the truck bed, she made a mental note to ask Maxwell to bring her a sweater when he met her and Carly for lunch.
For a split second as she entered the library, she stiffened at the thought of Mrs. Briar coming down on her for being too noisy, but then she remembered that the grumpy elderly woman was no longer living, having been killed some years prior. Hazel now worked with Holly Griffin, who she hired after the local inn, Over the Moon, was torn down and replaced with Rock Ridge Roses. Initially, Kate hadn’t liked Holly because the woman had acted pushy and entitled, storming through Rock Ridge and demanding a job at every business she came to. But Kate had gradually gotten to know Holly and was now glad that the woman was working at a job she liked.
Kate found Hazel scanning in returned library books behind the counter. There were a few patrons scattered across the various communal tables, but for the most part the main room was empty.
“Wonderful of you to come,” said Hazel in a whisper. “How are things going now that the mansion is done?”
“Busy as ever,” said Kate. She hadn’t exactly tackled her schedule. There was still a long list of customers waiting on her for repairs.
“Let me see here,” said Hazel, glancing at the tables. “I can have them move to one table while you work on the first two and then switch them again.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, as Hazel moved out from behind the counter.
Once Hazel had consolidated all of the patrons at one table, Kate got to work, eyeing each table leg and tightening the screws. A half hour later, she was ready to repair the final table and instead of bothering Hazel, who had disappeared down an aisle to assist someone in finding the mystery novel section, she asked if the group would be so kind as to vacate their table.
They grumbled, collecting their laptop computers and books in order to once again move, but soon Kate was kneeling and fixing the legs one after the next.
Just as she was finishing up, Hazel returned and clapped her hands together, happy that the task was finally done.
“What a relief,” she said as she led Kate into the office behind the front desk. “I can’t tell you how squeaky those loose legs had become. It was driving me up a wall.”
She rounded the desk and found the library checkbook in one of the drawers and sat. Kate wrote up an invoice and handed it to her.
“Your rates have always been so reasonable,” she said as she made out the check.
“It’s been a lot easier now that I’m married to Scott, that’s for sure,” she said as Hazel handed her the check.
Changing the subject on a dime, the older woman commented, “I can’t believe that killer is out on bail.” She shook her head and added, “The wealthy seem to play by their own rules.”
“Wait,” she said. “Hans Geoffrey is out on bail?”
“If you ask me, he killed that woman, and he should be locked in a jail cell until the trial.”
“Well, Hazel there has been new information, and he might not have done it.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” she said, waving the idea away with her hand. “I tell you, I don’t like any of these new characters who have been floating into Rock Ridge. They don’t belong. And I just know they’ll change this town for the worse.”
Kate couldn’t argue with her. She felt the same way, though it wasn’t lost on her that her own reaction was highly prejudicial. And the fact that there could be a new mayor voted in next week made her nervous. She already knew she would vote for Dean, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Hans Geoffrey had been influencing Dean, he’d even dragged him into the questionable world of escorts, and even if Dean was allowed another two years in office, Kate had little hope that he’d have a vested interest in preserving the way things were around here.
“Thanks,” said Kate, tucking the check into her pocket and grabbing her tool kit off the floor.
“No, thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”
She started through the library and after passing through the door, her cell began vibrating from her pocket.
It was Scott, so she answered quickly, swiping her thumb over the LCD screen and setting the cell against her ear. “What’s up?”
“Good news about the syringe,” he said. “We got a clear set of fingerprints and they didn’t belong to Elaine Benson.”
“Whose are they?”
“Well, we ran them through the system and couldn’t find a match, so we now know that our killer doesn’t have a criminal record. We also know that the syringe came from Rock Ridge Mercy.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I’m just as surprised as you are. I’m working on cross-referencing the fundraiser guest list for any Rock Ridge doctors who might have attended.”
“Why would a doctor want to kill an escort?”
“I can think of at least a hundred reasons,” said Scott and, quite frankly, so could Kate, but it still shocked her.
“This is a solid start,” he told her. “We’re lucky Cat opened up to you, and I really think we should get you on the payroll as an informant.”
Kate had to laugh as she said, “I’ll think about it.”
Scott wrapped up the call by suggesting a place to meet for dinner and after Kate told him that she didn’t have a preference, he mentioned he would text her.
She tucked her cell into her pocket and climbed into her truck. Before setting off toward the park, she texted Maxwell that she was heading over and asked him to bring one of her sweaters.
The drive was pleasant enough until she reached the park. As she pulled her truck into the parking area, she was momentarily thrown that there were no spaces left. Instead, she parked across the street and after hopping out of her truck, she looked both ways before jogging over.
It was then that she saw Celia Demblowski holding a rally on the grassy side of the park beyond the baseball field.
It annoyed her, but didn’t surprise her. Of course Celia was striking now while the iron was hot. Dean was still suffering from the scandal and Celia was stealing his votes because of it.
Carly was seated at one of the picnic tables. Her blond hair wafted in the breeze. There was a picnic basket on the table and as Kate approached, waving, Carly smiled and began setting out their lunch.
“Where’s Josie?” she asked, opening her arms and giving Kate a hug.
“She’s on her way with Maxwell.”
“So you’ve been running around today?”
“Not enough, but yes,” she said, getting situated across from her friend.
Carly was staring at her and she had no idea why until her friend asked, “You didn’t end up throwing on that dress—”
“And going to the mansion?”
Carly gasped. “You didn’t! You did?”
“I thought I’d give it a shot,” she said then blurted out, “not to have an affair!”
“Wow, you scared me for a second.”
“Carly! You know me better than that.”
Her friend playfully cowered and then began setting out their sandwiches.
“I thought he was good for that woman’s murder, so I went to get a confession.”
“Which Scott used to arrest Hans,” she supplied.
“Oh, he arrested him alright, but not because of me.”
“What do you mean?”
“He found me there, and let’s just say I’ve had a rocky few days because of it.”
Carly looked stunned and said, “I can’t even imagine.”
“Yeah, and the worst part is that Hans didn’t do it.”
“You’re kidding,” she said.
“I wish I was. Scott will catch the guy, though. It won’t be too much longer.”
They bit into their sandwiches and glanced over at Celia, who was shouting about the econo
my. The crowd in front of her podium cheered.
“She’s about to get a run for her money,” said Carly, setting her sandwich down and lifting a bottle of wine from the basket along with two glasses.
“How do you mean?”
Carly stared at her wide eyed for a long moment then said, “Kate, your name is on the ballot.”
“What?”
“You didn’t know?”
“How could I? Who put my name on the ballot? Why on earth would someone do that?”
“I thought you knew,” said Carly.
Kate began racking her brain, but nothing made sense. “I can’t be mayor,” she said. “I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Well, that’s debatable,” her friend pointed out. “Hey, you might be just the change this town needs.”
Kate shook off how thrown she was, concluding, “It’s not like anyone would actually vote for me. This has to be a practical joke.”
“For what it’s worth, I’d vote for you.”
“Oh please,” she said, laughing.
Soon Maxwell trekked over, carrying Josie in her car seat. Carly immediately popped up when he set the nine-month-old on the table. She lifted Josie into her arms and began smiling and having a high-pitched conversation with her goddaughter.
“How’s she been today?” Kate asked as Maxwell sat at the picnic table.
“Great as ever,” he said, glancing in the picnic basket. “What do we have here?”
Kate handed him a sandwich, and he wasted no time scarfing it down.
From out of nowhere, she heard a male voice behind her singing, “Lady in red...is dancing with me...”
“Oh, God,” she cringed, cautiously glancing over her shoulder.
It was Hans.
“Cheek to cheek...” he sang.
“Who’s the Romeo?” Maxwell asked her, and she wanted to crawl into a hole and die because of it.
“Excuse me,” she said, hopping up and approaching Hans if for no other reason than to get him to stop singing.
“Did you miss me?” he asked.
She frowned. “Just because you made bail doesn’t mean you should run around town with no regard.”
“You’re lucky I’m not furious,” he said in a smooth tone. “You set me up.”
“I didn’t set you up.”
“You agree to dinner and the next thing I know, I’m being arrested—and by your husband no less.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “As far as I’m concerned, you should be in jail. Supplying your escorts with drugs? Syringes? That’s deplorable.”
“Hey now, that’s on them. Those girls are going to do whatever they want, and the only reason I provided sterile syringes was to prevent them from getting diseases.”
“Oh, so you’re some kind of saint?” She laughed in his face. “Hardly.”
“You know I didn’t kill Cherry.”
She glared at him, but didn’t contradict his statement.
“That’s not why I’m here, though.”
“Of course not. You’re here to embarrass me,” she said.
“Not quite. We have a lot to go over,” he said easily, as he slipped his hands into his pockets and straightened his back.
“A lot to go over? What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about where you stand on the issues. How you’ll respond during the debate in a few days. What you’ll wear. Lord knows you can’t show up in jeans and a ratty shirt.”
“It was you?” she asked, stunned. “You put me on the ballot?”
“Of course,” he said, grinning. “You think I haven’t noticed that people around here love you? You’re a shoo-in and once you’re in office, well, there’s nothing I won’t be able to do.”
“What about Dean? What about all the money you gave him?”
He shrugged. “I have plenty of money, and the bottom line is that Dean will never live down the fact that a dead hooker turned up at his fundraiser.”
Chapter Ten
Scott held Kate’s chair as she sat at their table in Gino’s, an Italian restaurant that they ordered from frequently, but rarely dined in. She had showered at home and changed into a nice pair of black jeans and a bright green sweater that fit her well. Scott hadn’t had time to change, but to Kate he always looked sharp. Once he had sat across from her, their waiter approached, recited the dinner specials, and asked if they’d like to order wine or perhaps cocktails.
“I’ll have a glass of Tempranillo,” she said and Scott ordered a beer.
When the waiter rushed off to fetch their drinks, Scott reached across the table and took her hand.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thanks.” She smiled.
“I don’t think I tell you that enough.”
“Well, I’m not one of those people who need to hear it, but I appreciate it.”
The waiter returned and set the glass of wine in front of Kate and the beer next to Scott. They hadn’t even looked at the menu yet, but both of them already knew what they wanted so Scott began, asking for spaghetti alfredo, and Kate said that she would have a steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.
When they were alone again, she asked, “Any luck finding doctors who went to Dean’s event?”
“That’s the problem,” he complained. “Most of the guests were doctors. It’s going to take some time to narrow it down.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Hans invited everyone around who had money, so of course, a number of doctors showed up.”
“All from Rock Ridge Mercy?”
“A fair amount, but it’s only a matter of time. I managed to get a warrant to look into the computer system at the hospital so we’ll be able to identify who signed out medical supplies that weren’t used immediately at the hospital. Like I said, it’s a start.”
“Good,” she said. “I’m just glad you were able to get the night off.” They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment, which to Kate felt slightly strained. She still hadn’t told him that Hans Geoffrey had added her name to the voting ballot. She wasn’t sure how he would take it. Of course, he would be furious that the billionaire wasn’t backing off from his interest in Kate. But the real issue she was having was that now that she was on the ballot, she felt kind of curious about what being mayor would be like. Not that she wanted to be Hans’s puppet. If anything, she wanted to run the guy out of town. But she felt like she shouldn’t clue Scott in until she knew what she was going to do about it.
Figuring that their entrees would arrive soon, she excused herself to the ladies’ room to wash her hands.
After crossing through to the back of the restaurant, she swung the bathroom door open to find three stalls. One of them was in use, so she neared the sinks and turned on the faucet. As she washed her hands, she caught sight of Celia emerging from one of the stalls.
The older woman hesitated to near the sink when she realized Kate was washing her hands. She took slow and deliberate steps that made Kate uncomfortable.
Kate turned off the faucet and began drying her hands.
“You’ve got some nerve,” said Celia, planting her fist on her hip.
“For the record, I didn’t put myself on that ballot. I have no interest in running for mayor.”
“Yeah, right, you expect me to believe that?”
As she tossed her paper towel into the bin, she said, “It’s the truth.”
“I heard you convinced Hans Geoffrey to get behind your campaign.”
“Then you heard wrong, Celia. Hans was the one who put me on the ballot, and I can assure you I have no interest in running.”
“Good,” she said. “No one would vote for you anyway.”
“If that’s what you think, then why are you acting so bent out of shape about it?”
Celia held her head high and announced, “I’m not,” but nothing could be further from the truth.
Kate left her to wash her hands in private and returned to the table just as the waiter
was setting down their entrees.
She loved when that happened, but the fact of the matter was that Celia’s attitude had a lasting affect. She rarely cared what other people thought of her, but at the same time, she didn’t want anyone to be upset at her.
As she sat across from Scott, she told herself not to let one tense encounter with Celia ruin her dinner, but it was a challenge.
Scott gave a toast to their strong marriage and after they finished dinner, Kate couldn’t help but order dessert. After an hour of good conversation, the bill arrived and as Scott fished his wallet out of his slacks, Kate glanced out the window.
Outside, Marcy Clapton was skulking along the sidewalk and holding her cellphone very close to her ear. She looked distraught, but Kate supposed that could be because she had been forced to turn down her next big event in order to hang around Rock Ridge.
Still, the young woman didn’t look quite right, so Kate told Scott that she needed some fresh air and that he should take his time.
When she stepped outside, she saw Marcy tuck her cellphone into her purse and fold her arms.
“Nice night,” she said, approaching the young woman.
“According to whom?” she complained.
“Is something wrong?”
Marcy sighed and began shaking her head. “I should be back in New York already. This is ridiculous. And I just got an ear full from my dad. He thinks that as long as I’m in Rock Ridge, I should stay until the election, but I told him I missed the deadline to register to vote, so what’s the point?”
Kate cocked her head at that. “Why would he want you to vote here?”
“Oh, he’s been a resident for years. He’s behind Celia and worried that people will vote for Dean. I told him even if I did vote, it’s not like one vote would tip the scales.”
“Hmm,” Kate said. “He sounds involved.”
“He’s not that bad,” Marcy said, folding her arms against the wind. “Every time I start thinking he’s trying to control me, I just remind myself that Elaine had it far worse.”
“What do you mean?”
“Elaine’s dad...” she widened her eyes as if recalling a dark exchange from years ago. “When he found out about the club in New York and what Elaine was really doing for a living, he went crazy.”
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