by Annie Knox
Dolly, Rena, and I just watched him.
Finally, he lifted his head. “First of all, I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation, especially in front of an accused suspect, but since you three are operating in some sort of fantasyland, I think it’s safe to tell you that there is absolutely no indication of the mob operating in Merryville.”
“But have you actually looked?” I asked.
He closed his eyes. “No.”
“So then—”
“Unh. Stop. I’m still talking. Once again, the bigger issue is not how crazy you all sound but the fact that you’re putting yourself in harm’s way. Let’s just imagine for one insane moment that you’re right. That Daniel Colona was investigating mob activity in Merryville, Minnesota, and it got him killed. What’s to stop those same mobsters from killing you?”
Rena, Dolly, and I exchanged sheepish glances.
“Exactly. Now, please, for the love of all that’s holy, stay out of this investigation.” Jack stood up then, and with a small salute made his way back to the cluster of cops standing by the bar.
Okay, I’ll admit he made a good point. I wasn’t about to stop trying to find the killer, but I could be a little more discreet in my inquiries.
* * *
Later in the evening, I left Dolly and Rena sharing a chocolate molten lava cake with dulce de leche ice cream, and moved to the bar to find Jack.
I caught him pulling on his jacket, ready to leave.
“Can I walk you out?” I asked.
“Sure.”
We made our way through the late evening crowd. Jack held open the door as we stepped into the clear night. Spring had come early to Merryville, and the air had a softness to it. It was perfectly neutral in temperature, and the gentle breeze bore no chill. A glance up revealed a sky full of steady stars.
“We okay?” I asked.
“Are you asking if I’m okay with you snooping around Daniel’s murder? Because the answer is no.”
“I’m asking if you can still tolerate me despite the fact that I have every intention of snooping around Daniel’s murder. Slightly different question.”
He laughed softly, little more than a vibration deep in his chest.
“Yes, if you don’t get yourself killed, I will get past your crazy insistence on asking questions that are none of your business. I understand that it comes from a place of love, and I respect that. I don’t condone it, but I respect it.”
“Good. Because I forgot to tell you something.”
He sighed.
“The other morning, we found one of Daniel’s journals.”
“You were in his apartment?” I could practically feel him starting to stiffen.
“No, it was on the main floor. Honest, we didn’t go looking for it. We just found it. Anyway, it’s mostly gibberish. But it did have what we think is a picture of a burrowing owl next to the letters ‘DNR,’ which we think is the Department of Natural Resources. And the date June tenth, which we haven’t figured out. And Dee Dee Lahti’s and Ama Olmstead’s phone numbers.”
I paused to find him staring at me with an expression of mingled astonishment and frustration.
“What?”
“Did it have a map to where his killer lives?”
It was my turn to sigh. “Of course not. Look, we’ve given you most of the information that’s in the journal. We told you about the owls and the Badger Lake development, and that’s what the picture and Dee Dee’s number was about; he was calling her to reach Kevin, to ask Kevin to take him out looking for the owls. Ama’s number makes sense. He was a reporter and he’d obviously want to have some connection in town. Ama swears he never actually called her. And that just leaves the date. We don’t know what the date means.”
“Are you going to give me the journal?”
“Of course. We just forgot is all. Like I said, we’re just trying to help.”
“You sure are a stubborn woman.”
“Am I?” I’d never thought of myself as stubborn.
He placed both his palms on his forehead and shook his head slowly. “You’re kidding me, right? I think I’ve told you to mind your own business and stay out of this murder investigation two times already—”
“Three, if you count tonight.”
He laughed. “Thank you. I’ve asked you to leave the policing to the police three times in as many days, and yet you’re telling me about going through Daniel Colona’s personal effects.”
I drew myself up and planted my hands on my hips. “Look, it’s not like we went through his personal effects tonight. It was a couple of days ago, and I’m telling you now because I want to be up-front with you. It’s not like Rena and I went looking for this.” Okay, we’d gone looking for plenty, but not for this. “Val stole it. Hard to say when, but Daniel didn’t ask us if we’d found it, so probably the night of the murder.”
“Val the ferret?”
“Oh yes, she’s a total kleptomaniac. We’re always returning wallets and lipsticks and the occasional bottle of Xanax. For all I know, Val managed to finagle Daniel’s journal out of his pocket while the EMTs were working on him. She’s fast. And crafty.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You live a strange life, Izzy McHale.”
“Do I?” I teased, flashing him a quick smile.
He laughed in response. “Minx.
“But seriously, even if the ferret dumped Colona’s journal in your lap, your number one move should have been to call the police—call me—not go snooping through its contents.”
“Fair enough. But we did help.”
Jack threw his arms wide, tipped his head back, and groaned to the heavens above. “I give up. You helped. Just please, for all that’s holy, stop helping.”
As he lowered his head and arms, I noticed how the mellow light of the streetlamp picked out streaks of gold in his dark blond hair. It was cut to such military precision, the short strands stood out like sparks around his head. I also noticed how big he was. I mean, I’d always known he was a big guy, dominating both the football field and the hockey rink in high school, but I’d never thought about how much bigger he was than me. The McHale girls are not petite, but I suddenly felt dainty in his presence.
“Listen,” he added. “You have to leave Hal Olson alone. I know you think he doesn’t have an alibi, but I assure you he does.”
“But he didn’t meet Kevin until an hour and a half after the murder,” I insisted.
“For crying out loud. Look, I shouldn’t be telling you this. I mean I really should not be telling you this—”
“Right, ongoing investigation and all.”
“Exactly. But if it will get you off Hal’s back, it’s worth bending the rules a little. Hal told us his real alibi: he was pulled over for speeding in Round Earth County.”
I frowned. “Well, why didn’t he just say so?”
“First, let me remind you it was none of your business. Second . . .” He took a deep breath, weighing whether to go on. “Second, he got caught with a joint.”
Good heavens, Hal had quite a night planned for himself last Friday. Pot and hookers. Definitely the sort of guy Merryville needed at the helm.
“They hauled him into the police station and he spent a solid hour talking them out of booking him,” Jack continued. “Man could sell corn to Iowa. Bottom line, there’s no official record of the drugs, and it would kill his political career if anyone found out. I only know because I’ve got a buddy in Round Earth. And now you know . . . but you won’t say a word.”
“Of course not. I would never betray your confidence like that. Thank you for trusting me.”
For an instant, the mood between us grew fraught yet still. We were in the eye of the hurricane and could smell the ozone of the storm about to wash over us.
Jack scuffed one shoe across the pavement, then loo
ked me straight in the eye. “Izzy, would you go to dinner with me?”
“Dinner.” I uttered the word as a statement, because I knew exactly what he said, but I needed to hear the syllables again.
“Yes, dinner.” He flashed me that cocky smile. “Or dancing. I’d like to watch you dance.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” I muttered. “It’s a horrible sight.”
“Well, then, let’s start with dinner.”
“Jack, are you asking me on a date?”
He laughed. “I’m sure trying to. Must be doing something wrong, though, because you haven’t said yes.”
I’d never gone on a real date with anyone other than my ex-fiancé, Casey. We’d been a couple since my sophomore year in high school, and when he left me, I hadn’t really been in a dating sort of mood. Now, confronted with a yes or no question, I felt paralyzed by fear. But then I heard a voice in my head that sounded suspiciously like Aunt Dolly: You only get one ride in life. Make the most of it.
“Jack Collins, I will have dinner with you.”
He laughed again. “You make it sound like a momentous decision. It’s just a date, not a blood oath.”
I felt heat licking up my cheeks. “I know it’s just a date. But I’ve never been on a date with anyone but Casey.”
Jack sobered instantly. “Really?” I nodded. “Well, then, Izzy McHale, I am honored. And I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at seven, if that’s okay with you.”
I cleared my throat and tried to get a grip. “Seven it is.”
And then he did the most wondrous thing. He leaned forward, rested a hand on my shoulder, and kissed me. Just on the cheek, and only for an instant, but he kissed me. When he pulled back, my hand flew to my face, as though I needed to be sure it was still there.
I looked up to find him smiling like he’d just scored a winning touchdown. Then he spun on his heel and headed down the street whistling a tuneless ditty as he went.
CHAPTER
Seventeen
Thursday morning, I crawled out of bed feeling like I’d been hit by a train. I’d only had two glasses of red wine at dinner the night before, but I rarely drank and I was feeling the aftereffects.
I managed to get Trendy Tails unlocked and Rena set up to start the workday, but then I hobbled down the street to the Happy Leaf for one of Taffy’s herbal remedies. And maybe a scone.
“Wow. You look like you had way too much fun last night,” Taffy teased.
“Two glasses. Just two glasses of wine, I swear.”
“Uh-huh.”
I collapsed at one of the chintz-covered tables.
“You have a hangover cure, right? I mean you have a tea for every occasion.”
“I absolutely do. Peppermint and ginger for your tummy and a little fennel for your liver. Between a pot of that blend and a few more glasses of water, you should be feeling fine in no time.”
“Bless you,” I muttered as I rested my head on the table.
I heard Taffy puttering around, the domestic sounds as comforting as her earth mother presence. I heard Taffy squeal before I heard the skittering of tiny feet across one of the shelves behind the counter.
I sprang to my feet—a little too quickly, making my head spin—ran over to the counter, and scanned the shelf of apothecary jars filled with tea leaves and dried herbs. My eyes danced right over him, and then back.
There he was. Gandhi the rogue guinea pig. He sat between two jars, looking me square in the eyes. He definitely was a cute fella, a beautiful fringe of his auburn hair ringing his shiny black eyes. As a pet, he was adorable. However, as an unwelcome visitor, first in Richard Greene’s shop and now in Taffy’s, he was a royal pain.
“Can you get him?” Taffy whispered to me.
I shrugged, a small movement so I wouldn’t scare him away.
Slowly, step by painstaking step, I made my way behind the counter and toward his spot on the shelf. He kept his eyes on me the whole time, casually chewing on some tidbit he’d found.
Now I was close enough that I barely moved an inch at a time. Slowly I lifted my hands to grab him. I swear I could feel his gentle breath against my fingers. I closed my hands together . . . and held nothing but air. In the time it took me to clutch his little body, he’d disappeared back behind the jars. I could hear him running, but the sound grew softer as he made his way through some hidey-hole and out of my reach.
“Oh, Taffy. I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged, resigned. “It’s okay. Maybe we can lay down one of those humane traps?”
“I think that’s a great idea.” I made my way back to the table I’d been occupying and gingerly sank into the seat, trying not to wobble or fall before I got myself situated.
After just a few more minutes passed, Taffy brought over a steaming pot of tea that smelled a bit like Christmas and a plate with two plain cream scones. She poured my first cup.
“Drink up,” she urged.
“So what kind of shenanigans got you into this state?” she asked after I’d downed the cup of tea in a single slug.
“Dolly and Rena and I went out for a couple of post-sleuthing bottles of wine. I wasn’t kidding. I only had two glasses, but they were generous glasses, and I’m a lightweight.”
Taffy poured me another cup of her elixir.
“Did you all have fun?”
I allowed a little smile to slide across my face. “I did, indeed.”
I took another swig of Taffy’s tea. Between the ginger, peppermint, and fennel, it had a real bite. Not delicious, but not horrible, either, and it was already working its magic. I could feel my head clearing a little more with every sip.
“Thank you again. You’re saving my life here. I’ve got a long day ahead of me, and I need to shake off last night ASAP.”
“What do you have going on?”
“Hmmm. Well, I have to sit down with Ingrid and Harvey and figure out how to weave their wedding into Romeo and Pearl’s ceremony; I have to finish making the bow tie pet favors and the Jordan almond bundles for Ingrid and Harvey; I have to figure out what I’m going to wear on Saturday and do a load of laundry so I have some clean undies; and then, uh”—I ducked my head to take a sip of my tea—“tonight I have a date.”
“You have a what?” Taffy asked, leaning forward in her chair.
“A date,” I repeated, shrugging sheepishly.
“Oh my. Who with? I want to know everything.”
“There’s not much to tell. Jack Collins asked me out for dinner last night. It’s definitely a date, but it’s just the first one.”
“You have to have a first date before you can have a second and a third and then fall in love and get married and have babies,” Taffy said.
“Whoa. One step at a time. Just a date.”
“But with Jack Collins. He’s a good-looking man.”
He really was, I thought. Casey had been tall and slender and bookish, similar in build to Sean but with blond hair instead of sable. Jack was totally different. He was tall and broad shouldered, with powerful arms and a military straightness to his stance. He looked like he could have stepped out of a G.I. Joe comic. But he had these gorgeous blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled. Oh, yes, indeed, he was a good-looking man.
“I’ve got news, too,” Taffy said, blushing softly.
“Oh really,” I said with a smile. “Spill it.”
“I’m going on a date tonight, too.”
“With Ken?”
“Yes. A real date this time. Not just hanging out.”
Interesting.
“What changed?”
“I’m not sure. He said he’s not worried about the investor anymore. In fact, his exact words were that it was ‘safe’ to take me out on the town.”
It all sounded very sketchy to me, but Taffy looked ready to float away on a cloud of
happiness.
“You’re really into him, aren’t you?”
She beamed. “I’m completely smitten.” Her smile faded just a bit. “I know you’re not exactly Ken’s number one fan, but I hope you can be happy for me. Since I’ve moved to Merryville, I haven’t had much luck on the dating scene. You know, everyone’s dating someone they went to kindergarten with. Ken’s been so good to me. Says I’m the center of his galaxy. He’s such a romantic, I can’t resist him.”
I reached across the table and captured one of Taffy’s hands in my own. “Of course I’m happy for you. I don’t need to love Ken. You do. That’s all that matters.”
She gave my hand a squeeze.
“Here’s hoping our luck has finally turned a corner.”
* * *
I returned from the Happy Leaf feeling a million times better, both physically and emotionally, and because I was feeling generous, I brought back baked goods for Rena, Ingrid, and Harvey.
We all gorged ourselves on apple turnovers, scones, and cream cheese Danish, while we talked about how the ceremony would unfold on Saturday.
“For the most part, everything will run like it did last Friday—”
“Minus the body,” Ingrid said.
“Yes, minus the body. We also have to make a few accommodations for the animals. First, Ingrid, I think you should come down the back stairs and through the kitchen. You’ll be walking to the altar holding Pearl’s leash. She’s not a rambunctious dog, but I don’t want her tripping you coming down the stairs in your heels.”
Ingrid laughed. “Good idea. I can barely get myself down those stairs in heels, let alone with a beagle toddling along at my side.”
“Harvey, you’ll be standing at the altar waiting for Ingrid. Romeo will be at your side. Don’t worry. He’s a pretty chill dog, so I don’t think he’ll make a run for it.”
Harvey looked mildly alarmed at the notion of the dog pulling him along on a mad dash out the door, but he simply nodded. What a good sport.
“We’ve had to make some compromises with the music. Hetty and Louise are set on ‘Puppy Love,’ so Pris and I were thinking that would make a good song for you and Pearl to come in on. But if you’re really tied to Pachelbel’s Canon, we can work something out.”
