by Amy Boyles
I clapped with glee, so proud of myself for figuring all of this out. Here was the thing—I could go by myself. I could sit outside of Knight’s house and wait for whoever it was and tackle them to the ground once they arrived—but that didn’t seem like a very smart idea.
I chewed my fingernail. For this, I required backup. There was no telling who I’d find myself against. Payne, maybe? He was tall and strong and could break me in half in seconds if he wanted to.
No, I needed more bodies on the ground, and I knew exactly who to ask.
Only, it was now just five in the morning. I couldn’t do any asking until at least ten, which meant that I had five hours to kill.
What could I do in five hours? Easy. I could keep myself busy by visiting Julie Bender and seeing if she needed any help in her kitchen.
Right after Julie’s husband died, I would assist her, going in to knead dough and restock shelves. There was something therapeutic about kneading dough. Any anger, resentment and frustration that I had built up could be worked out while pounding my knuckles into a mass of yeast and flour.
Really, it was relaxing.
When I showed up that morning, offering my services, Julie seemed surprised but had no problem filling a cup with coffee for me and escorting me to the kitchen.
“I could use cinnamon rolls,” she said. “The recipe is taped to the cabinet.”
I smiled at her. Her thick dark hair was tied back, keeping the curls from her face and neck. Her lips split into a wide smile.
“Girl, you got a man on your mind?”
I scoffed. “No men. Just other stuff.”
She pulled up a stool. “Shop doesn’t open for half an hour. Want to talk about it?”
“While I beat dough? It’s probably best that I don’t.”
“Mmm,” she said, sipping coffee. “This wouldn’t happen to be about John, now would it?”
I stared at her, surprised. “Why would it have to do with him?”
Julie spoke while I prepared the yeast. “I don’t know, maybe because I’ve seen y’all together a few times and he’s a good-looking, single man and you’re a good-looking, single woman. Seems like there might be some sparks there.”
I measured out the flour and sifted it into a bowl. “Just because there are sparks doesn’t mean anything.”
She got a whimsical look in her eyes. “You know, when I first met my Clint, I couldn’t stand him.”
“Are you kidding? Y’all seemed like the perfect couple.”
“Now you’re kidding me. We fought like cats and dogs when we met and even while we dated. I swear that I broke up with that man at least three times before he proposed. But I kept coming back to him. Do you know why?”
“Tell me.”
She laid her coffee down and laced her fingers. “Because I knew that deep down I cared for him. What was keeping us apart was me and my issues. I was afraid, see. Afraid to let him love me.”
“I don’t love John,” I said pointedly.
“Now, I’m not sayin’ you do. You barely know him. But what I can say is that sometimes we keep ourselves from finding happiness.”
The yeast was ready, and I dumped it into her industrial-sized heavy-duty mixer along with the flour. I switched it on and dusted the powder from my hands.
“What if you know something about a person, something that could either break them or free them?”
She scowled. “Are you telling me that you know something about that man, something that’s important?”
I cringed in reply.
Julie’s voice rose. “Clementine Cooke, if you know something that will help John remember who he is, you better say it. You better tell that man because he needs to know. He hasn’t a clue about who he is, and if you can unlock his memory, you have a duty to help him.”
“It’s not that simple, Julie.”
She crossed her arms and frowned. “Explain to me what isn’t that simple.”
So I did. I told her about how I had met Rufus years back and I’d been attracted to him, and how he’d ensnared me, knocking me out and how when I came to, he was about to steal my powers. I finished the story with how I escaped and ran away from magic after that.
She eyed me with shock, her jaw turning slack. “You mean to tell me that the same man who sometimes comes in here and tells the children stories did that to you?”
I slumped into a chair. “Worse, he seems different, right? Changed.”
“Oh my word, Clementine, I had no idea.” Julie exhaled a shot of air. “And you think that darkness is still inside him?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.” My words came out pleading—for what? That I prayed he was different, not the same person? “You don’t know how much guilt I’m carrying around knowing this. But I can’t tell him who he is, not until I know for sure that he won’t return to those ways.”
Julie pulled up a cane-backed chair and placed it beside me. “I can’t say that I’ve ever had a decision like this to face, holding the fate of someone in my hands.”
“I don’t hold his fate—”
She raised her palm to silence me. “Yes, you do. You can tell this man who he is and let him decide for himself what truly lies in his heart. Or, you can keep doing what you’re doing, which is keep it from him, denying John the truth of his identity.”
When she put it that way, it made me seem like a horrible person. I dropped my face into my hands. “It’s not like this is an easy decision.”
“I know it isn’t.” She squeezed my hand. “There is nothing about your past and your present with him that is easy. I understand that. And I don’t envy the position that you’re in. Should you tell him and fear that he’ll attempt to steal your powers again? Or do you deny him and leave a man, who seems to me like a good person, without the truth of who he is? You don’t know if he already regrets his past. What if he’s been searching for you all these years to apologize and make amends for what he did? What if he would have done that weeks ago and the two of you could have moved on? Then again, you wouldn’t have had the chance to see who he is now, and watch him bloom into this kind person right before your eyes.”
When she put it that way, I was even more confused than when I started. But Julie was right, if I’d already told Rufus, then I would never have gotten to know him. I would’ve written him off.
“So have I made the right decision? I’m so confused.”
“At some point you’ll have to tell him. From what you’ve said, I can understand withholding the information. But you’ll have to let him know. You’re not being fair to him otherwise.”
“I will, when I think he’s really changed.”
She pursed her lips and cocked her head. “And do you think that will ever happen, or are you using it as an excuse to stay safe?”
My stomach knotted. “I don’t know. Maybe I am using it as an excuse.”
“You need to take a good, hard look at yourself, Clementine, and know your own truth about this. I won’t judge you either way. I understand that this isn’t easy, but I also don’t think it’s easy on him, either. That man needs to be freed. What he chooses to do with the knowledge is up to him and him alone. But all I can say is that from what I’ve seen, John, or whatever his name truly is, seems to be a decent human being.”
“I know,” I grudgingly agreed. “I know.”
Julie popped up from her chair and pointed to the mixer. “Looks like your dough is done. Now girl, make me some cinnamon rolls while I open up the shop.”
I laughed as Julie headed out from the kitchen, leaving me alone. As I set the dough aside to rise, I wondered if what Julie said was true, that I was simply making another excuse for not telling Rufus the truth.
I wasn’t. I would tell him, but when I knew the time was right. I would tell him then and not a moment sooner.
Chapter 17
I found Malene, Norma Ray and Urleen at the library a few hours later, quilting squares in their laps.
“Wel
l, look who the cat dragged in,” Norma Ray said. “We heard all about your little misadventure at Lynn’s last night. Are you finally ready to believe my theory, that Knight has been sucked into the cosmos?”
“Not yet,” I said politely. “But I did come with a plan, an idea for us.”
Urleen glanced at me over the rim of her glasses. “And what plan would that be?”
“We need to head over to Knight’s house tonight. I think someone is looking for that money.”
Urleen and Norma Ray shot Malene confused looks. Malene glanced at me, her cheeks pink. “I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.”
“Then what have y’all been talking about?”
“Willard Gandy,” Malene said, embarrassed.
“Are you kidding?”
“I’m telling you that man is up to something! He’s still coming home in the middle of the afternoon. It makes no sense.”
I sighed and dropped my purse onto the floor. “I honestly do not understand your interest in that man.”
Norma Ray and Urleen exchanged another look with Malene. She scowled back. “Y’all two stay out of this. But the fact is, I have to know what he’s up to.”
“If you know, will that help you focus on what’s going on with Knight?”
Malene pushed her glasses up her nose. “It will certainly help.”
“I’m sure it has something to do with aliens,” Norma Ray said.
“Aliens?” I asked. “What makes you say that?”
“Because all the best conspiracy theories have to do with aliens. One time I watched this show and an entire town, over the course of one night, was abducted by aliens. They probably have Willard under mind control and every day he has to return to his house so that they can do their brain experiments.”
“No wonder you’ve never been married,” Urleen said. She pulled a flask from her purse. “You need to take a shot of this. That’ll help you get some reality back in your life.”
Norma Ray gasped. “Alcohol? In the middle of the day?”
“It’s NyQuil,” Urleen said. “I would never drink whiskey before supper.”
“But you would drink NyQuil,” I said, not bothering to hide my sarcasm.
Urleen shrugged. “Nothing wrong with a little NyQuil if you’re feeling down.”
I pinned my gaze on Malene. “What happened? Last night you were all ripe and ready to break and enter Lynn’s house, and now you don’t want to help me stake out Knight’s place. What changed?”
“Willard yelled at her this morning,” Urleen said. “Saw her snooping around and scolded her. Made her mad, so now she’s gotta figure out his mystery first.”
So I actually needed these women to help me. I needed them to watch with me. The more eyes we had on Knight’s place, the better.
I sighed. Man, did I hate even suggesting this, but what other choice did I have? “Tell you what—I’ll help you figure out what’s going on with Willard, and if we can, then you help me tonight at Knight’s.”
Malene pretended to think this over. I knew there was really nothing for her to consider. She would accept my offer.
“Well,” she said after chewing it over—literally, she sat and chewed her cud for a moment, “when you put it that way, how can I resist?”
What had I gotten myself into? “Okay. So how do we do this?”
Urleen spoke. “If you go right up to Willard Gandy and ask him what’s going on, he’ll turn you away first thing—before you even know it.”
“I agree,” Norma Ray said. “He gets one whiff that Malene is involved and the whole plan is over before it even started.”
“Which means that I need to be a decoy,” I said. Great. If I didn’t play my cards right, by the end of the day I’d have Willard Gandy as an enemy instead of a friend. “What should we do?”
Malene rubbed her chin, her eyes sparkling. “You know what we did last night?”
Dread washed through my veins, cold as an ice pop. “Entering Lynn’s house without her knowing it? We’re not doing that here.”
Malene shook her head. “No, we won’t. We’re going to take a modified approach.”
“What approach would that be?”
She smiled. “We ring the doorbell.”
Once we had the plan in place and had agreed on the time to meet, I left to talk to Liam and see how the renovation was going. After that, I needed to head over to Architectural Scavengers to meet up with the lady who was going to recoat and seal the iron tub that I’d bought.
When I reached the house, Harlow was there, spritzing the place with lavender. Liam and his men, who were framing a wall that they had demolished, were staring at her in confusion.
Liam lifted his brows at me. I smiled widely as if to say that I didn’t have anything to do with it.
“Hey, Harlow, how’s it going?”
She stopped squirting oil. “It’s great.” She beamed. “Just wonderful. I thought I’d come over and check on the guys, see how they’re doing and add a little calm to their day.”
“Smells like it’s certainly working.”
“I hope so.”
“Listen, I was wondering if you stopped by last night.”
She laid the bottle on the table and looked at me in confusion. “No, why?”
“Well, I was driving by and noticed some lights were on. I knew that Liam wouldn’t have done it, so I came up to look and found that someone had left all the cabinets wide open. You were in here cleaning the insides yesterday, so I wondered if maybe it had been you.”
I knew what her answer would be, but it never hurt to ask and make sure that my suspicions were correct.
“No, it wasn’t me.” She paused to drum her fingers on the kitchen counter. “You say that someone opened all the cabinet doors?”
I nodded. “As if they were looking for something.”
Worry flashed in her eyes. “But we’re the only ones with keys, aren’t we?”
“As far as I know.”
She nibbled her bottom lip a moment before exclaiming, “Well, it must’ve just been Knight’s spirit playing a trick on us, is all. No big deal. He simply wants us to know that he’s here. That’s all it is.”
I seriously doubted that. “You’re probably right. Well, I’ve got a few measurements to take and I’ll be out of your hair.”
I measured the windows for drapes and also a spot in the kitchen to see what size table needed to fit into the breakfast nook. Then I packed up my things and headed over to Architectural Scavengers to see about refinishing the bathtub.
After I was done there, it was time for me to head back to my house for the afternoon rendezvous with Malene and her incessant need to know everything that Willard Gandy was up to at all times.
When I arrived at my house, I fed Lady, who was none too pleased that I’d left her at home.
“You usually take me with you. If it hadn’t been for that squirrel outside who keeps making fun of me, I wouldn’t have had any entertainment.”
“Sorry,” I said. “You can come with me in just a minute. We’ll be going across the street.”
A square of dog food fell from her mouth back into the bowl. “Oh, great. If I see that squirrel, I am going to get him. He just doesn’t know it yet, but he better watch out because I’m on the prowl!”
“Okay, great.” I patted her head and was a little worried about her enthusiasm but decided to let it go. “Finish up your lunch and we’ll head over.”
From the bottom of my purse, my cell phone rang. I fished it out and saw that Malene was calling.
“Hey there,” I said.
“Clem, you’ve got to get over here.”
I moved from the kitchen to the living room and peered out the window, looking for Malene. “What? Why?”
“Because Willard just got home. He won’t be there for very long, so I need you here, now. So that we can get this done.”
I raked my fingers down my face. “Can’t it wait one minute? I just got home.”
; “No, it can’t wait,” Malene said. “Come on, now!”
I hung up and called Lady. “Let’s go. We’re on.”
She padded from the kitchen, water dripping from the sides of her mouth. “Oh, goody. I’m on! I get to do what doggies do and go outside.”
I clipped her leash onto her collar, and we headed across the street. The plan was simple, really. I would ring the doorbell and keep Willard busy, pulling him down the front steps. Malene would be hiding in the bushes. When the time was right, she’d sneak into his house to see what the hubbub was all about. Then she’d slip out the back and return to her place before Willard ever had an idea that she was there to begin with.
Perfect plan, right?
As we crossed the street, Lady pulled on her leash, veering to the right.
“What are you doing?”
“That squirrel,” she said, panting. “Don’t you see him? He’s taunting me! I’m going to eat you,” she yelled.
“Not so loud. Someone might hear you.”
I did, indeed, see a squirrel in a nearby apple tree chattering at Lady. Looked like my dog had a mortal enemy.
Join the club.
Not that Rufus was my mortal enemy anymore, but you know what I mean.
Anyway, I dragged Lady across the road, and before I knew it, we were standing in front of Willard’s. I peered into the bushes to see if Malene was hiding inside.
“I’m here,” she whispered. “Go on.”
I tried to get a good look at her and could just make out two beady eyes staring out from behind all the green.
“Okay,” I whispered.
Lady padded up to the bush. “Is that Malene? Malene, what are you doing hiding in there?”
“Get, Lady,” Malene spat. “I’m on an important reconnaissance mission.”
I rang the doorbell, and Willard answered, hair askew.
“Hey, Clem. Everything okay?”
Oh my goodness. I had no really good plan on what to do. Well, I had a plan, but it was pretty wimpy. “Hey Willard, I hope I’m not bothering you.”
