by Lynn Cahoon
“Great, my new retreat will be known as the place Thomas Cook was murdered.” Cat laid her head down on the table. “I might as well give up and sell now.”
Shauna pushed her shoulder. “Now don’t be going all dark on me. Like they say, any press is good press. Maybe Mr. Cook’s ghost will stay around and help the unpublished writers that come to the retreat after him.”
“That’s morbid,” Cat mumbled, unnerved that she was even considering the marketing possibilities. “It seems a little callous to turn his death into a promotional ploy.”
“Well, nothing is happening today except you heading off to bed.” Shauna pulled Cat to her feet. “Say good-bye to your uncle and get upstairs. I’ll round up the guests and take them out for the day. We might even do a picnic lunch on the college grounds.”
Cat leaned into her uncle and gave him a quick hug. “Thanks for taking care of this. I’m sorry this had to happen here.”
“Nothing you did to cause this. Bad things happen everywhere, including Aspen Hills.” Uncle Pete nodded to Shauna. “You take her advice and get some sleep. Things will look brighter after you wake up.”
“Except for Mr. Cook,” Shauna added quickly. When both Cat and Uncle Pete looked at her, she shrugged. “Someone had to say it, we were all thinking it.”
Cat walked up the stairs and passed by her office. She wanted to go in and sit in front of her computer and work on her next novel. Writing calmed her in a way nothing else ever had. It made the world and all the bad things, like Michael’s infidelity, disappear and she could create her own reality. One where good conquered evil and chocolate didn’t make you gain weight.
Instead, she headed to her bedroom suite, closed and locked the door, and fell onto her bed, fully clothed. Exhausted by everything that had transpired, she closed her eyes and went right to sleep.
*
An insistent knocking pulled her out of a deep dream. She remembered running through the house, opening doors, and finding Tom Cook’s body. Door after door in the dream opened onto the scene she’d etched into her memory. If she ran faster, she was sure she could stop him from being killed. So she kept opening doors. Finally, she found herself awake, sweaty, and lying on her bed in a tangle of the handmade quilt she’d bought at the local flea market.
Grabbing her bedside clock, she squinted to make out the time. Two-thirty. The sun was still shining through her window, so it had to be in the afternoon. She sat up and swung her legs to the floor. Shauna and the gang should be arriving back from their field trip, and it was time for Cat to get back into hostess mode. One murder was not going to ruin this retreat, not if she could help it.
She followed the sound of banging up the stairs and into the attic. Seth stood there in the cleared-out space. His shirtless back glistened with sweat as he swung his hammer, finishing up a set of homemade sawhorses. Cat watched as he tucked his hammer into his tool belt and leaned back, admiring his handiwork.
“What are you doing up here?” Cat’s voice echoed in the cavernous room.
He spun around, his hand on his hammer. When he saw her, he visibly relaxed and his hand dropped to his side. “What does it look like? I’m working.”
Cat leaned against the doorway. “I thought you were working on the second floor rooms?”
“Well, with your uncle cordoning off the murder site, Shauna and I decided it was better for me to move to the library project rather than get in his way.” He appraised her rumpled shirt and shorts. “You have a nice nap?”
She ran her hand through her hair, remembering too late she hadn’t even showered that morning. “I was up all night,” she said. Then she straightened her shoulders. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
He chuckled. “And yet you did.”
The room got quiet for a minute, then he pointed to the wall. “You want to look at the plans?” He glanced around the room. “The place has great bones. You’re going to love this when it’s done.”
Cat walked over to the wall, glancing at the blueprints. She pointed to a spot. “Are these window seats?”
He nodded, moving to stand next to her. She felt the heat radiating off him and took a deep breath, trying to control the tingling coursing through her. He pointed to four different spots on the diagram. “Here, here, and these other two windows. I thought it would allow people to have kind of a private spot to work on their books when they come to your retreat things.”
Cat looked at him, surprised. “That’s a great idea.”
He shrugged. “I know my buildings. I liked the army, don’t get me wrong, but remodeling old places like this? That’s my passion. Did you know there was a pool in town about how long you’ll stay in business?”
“What’s the pool say?” She turned to look at him.
He grinned. “Most people are going less than six months.” He turned back to the blueprint. “I put you at two years.”
“Well at least you believe in the idea.” She counted the number of built in bookshelves he’d drawn on the plans.
He bumped her with his shoulder. “I’m going long because I’m hoping I’ll get to finish the remodel. Besides, I know how stubborn you can be.” He pointed to a bookshelf. “I’m thinking about making a few built-in desks rather than shelves in this area.”
She turned toward him. Looking at him filled her with memories. Her breath caught and she could feel the heat in her face. “Thanks, I think.” She fanned herself with her hand. “We really need to get the air ducts fixed up here.”
Seth shook his head. “I think you’ll have to do a second unit up here. I checked out the one that cools the rest of the house and it’s way too small. I know an HVAC contractor out of Denver who will give you a good deal.”
“Dollar signs keep running through my head.” Cat leaned against one of the sawhorses. “Now with Tom Cook’s murder, who knows what could happen to the retreat. I’ll be known as the place writers go to die.”
“You could spread some rumors about the guy’s ghost haunting the place, helping out the unpublished among the visitors.” Seth walked closer to her and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll make the best of your situation. You always do.”
Anger flashed through her and she bolted upright off the wooden stand. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged. “You know, you were always the one who had a few options. If plan A didn’t go through, you had plans B and C ready to go. What do you think it meant?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe something about my marriage to Michael?”
Seth sighed and sank onto the sawhorse, sitting almost in the same spot where Cat had just stood up. “Look, I didn’t like that you were dating that old guy. I figured you were trying to make me jealous. We hadn’t been broken up for long when you first started seeing him. Once you decided to get married, I realized you must have been in love with him and I left it alone.”
She leaned against the wall, not able to walk away, not yet. “I saw you at the church. I thought you might say something.”
He walked over to her and lifted her chin so he could see her eyes. “It wasn’t my place to say something. But if you needed a quick getaway, I wanted to be there for you.”
She felt his warm breath from his words and leaned toward him. He smelled like the wintergreen mints he chewed constantly after he’d quit smoking the year they’d broken up. He dropped his hands to her arms and gently stroked her from the shoulder down to her elbow and back again. “I’m glad you’re back home.”
She might have purred if she’d let herself. Instead, she tilted her head, biting her bottom lip. “I’m glad to be home.”
They stood looking at each other and then he pulled her close. His lips brushed hers and she felt her body melt into his. The door at the bottom of the attic stairs burst open.
“Where is everyone?” Billy Williams called up the stairs. “I thought this was supposed to be some sort of guided retreat?”
“I’ll be righ
t down.” Cat called down the stairs. She whispered to Seth. “Do me a favor and call Uncle Pete and have him come over.”
Seth took her arm, stopping her from moving. “Are you going to be all right? Maybe I should go down instead.”
“Make the call, then come and join me. We’ll be in the kitchen. I’m sure he’d appreciate a snack before he gets busy on his novel.” Cat took a deep breath and took a step down. She paused, her hand on the banister, and looked at Seth. “Just hurry.”
Chapter 5
Shauna filled Cat’s glass with iced tea. “How long has your uncle been questioning Billy?”
Cat looked at her watch. “Since three?” She squinted at the display. “Where are the guests? Did you bring them back from the pool yet?”
“Hours ago. You were upstairs in your office.” Shauna sat across from her. “Hopefully, you were writing and not just pacing.”
Cat ran a hand through her hair. “I did get a few pages pounded out. Funny how stress can turn off the word faucet sometimes, and other times it makes it flow faster. You didn’t answer my question, though: Where are the others? I figured they’d be huddled in here with us, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation in the living room.”
“Seth took them to that buffet at the Indian casino. He said he’d stay around, let them play for a while if they want, then bring them back.” Shauna raised her eyebrows. “The guy’s a total hottie. And sweet. What in the world possessed you to leave him for Michael the Jerk?”
Cat took a sip of her tea. The cold flowed down her throat and took her back to the summer she’d started dating Michael. They’d met at the college. She’d been taking summer school, trying to finish her degree so she could get out into the real world. “Seth and I had broken up a few months before. He wanted me to backpack across the country that summer before he went off to the army and I’d insisted on taking classes. It hadn’t seemed like a forever breakup, but by the time he got back that fall, I was head over heels for Michael. The man could be a charmer, when he wanted to be. And right then, I was what he wanted.”
The front door slammed shut and Cat jumped. Uncle Pete strolled into the kitchen and nodded at Cat’s glass. “You got more of that?”
Shauna jumped up and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard. “Of course. You sit down and relax.”
Uncle Pete took off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. Cat wondered if that’s where she’d learned the movement. “Do I look that bad?”
“You look tired.” Cat tilted her head toward the front of the house. “I take it the slam was Billy leaving?”
“He said he was going to eat, but I’d bet money you could find him down at Bernie’s. That’s where he spent most of last night, except for the part where he followed Amy Potter home and stayed with the girl until he arrived here this afternoon.”
“Amy Potter? I thought she moved somewhere back East. And didn’t she get married?” Cat searched her brain for the latest news on Amy. The girl had been a few years younger than Cat, but they’d had several classes together.
“She’s back, sans husband.” Uncle Pete smiled. “She’s been trying to work her magic on our boy Seth, but he tends to ignore her advances.”
Cat felt her cheeks heat. “Doesn’t matter who Seth was or is dating.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Uncle Pete held up a finger when Cat tried to argue. “I saw you leaning into him when I showed up this afternoon. And he was too concerned about your safety to stay on the phone long. Basically he told me to get my butt over here. The guy’s never got over losing you.”
“He was so worried about you. That’s why he said he’d take the others out for a dinner run.” Shauna went over to the stove and, as she stirred a pot of spaghetti sauce, the smell of tomatoes and herbs filled the kitchen. She’d made the sauce from scratch as they waited for the interview to be over. “He even said he’d take half his normal rate, since all he was doing was babysitting and not repairing anything.”
Cat snorted. “Of course he did. He wasn’t worried about me, he wanted to pad this week’s paycheck.”
Shauna and Uncle Pete exchanged a look.
“If you say so.” Shauna turned her attention to Uncle Pete. “So are you staying for dinner? For an Irish girl, I make a mean spaghetti.”
“Actually, you can box some up and I’ll take it back to the station with me.” He drained his tea. “It’s going to be a long night. Apparently this guy is connected to the governor somehow, and my phone’s been ringing off the hook with requests for updates. I keep saying, I can’t update anyone until I get a chance to investigate. It’s funny how they forget about that part.”
“From what I saw, the cause of death is pretty apparent.” Cat shuddered. “I don’t know how I’m going to get all that blood out of the rug in that room.”
“You’re not. The rug’s been taken in as evidence. Bob Jenkins is coming by to look around the room for something that could have been used as a weapon. Whatever it was, the thing was heavy. Bob says he died from the first strike, but the guy kept swinging. I’m surprised someone didn’t hear the racket.” Uncle Pete stood and adjusted his belt.
Cat wondered how the man carried all those tools around all day without his back screaming from the weight. Today, his belt was totally decked out. She guessed that he had expected to be taking Billy in for questioning or at least holding him for a while. She realized he was waiting for a response to his statement. “I was upstairs in my office all evening. Shauna had walked with most of the guests to the library for writing time, and Seth was still working on that last wing of second floor rooms we haven’t opened yet. So I guess either the killer timed the attack with the construction noise, or the soundproofing Seth did in the rooms last week is really amazing.”
“Even when that boy’s staying out of trouble, he’s smack in the middle of it.” Uncle Pete chuckled. “No worries; we’ll be in and out. You don’t mind if we bag a few items if there’s something that Bob finds suspicious?”
“Would it matter if I said yes?” Cat yawned and stretched. “Do what you have to do. I want to have the murder solved as much as you do.”
A knock sounded at the front door. “Must be Bob. We’ll check in when we leave and have you sign a property tag. Even though you’re family, we need to do this the correct way.”
“Especially since I’m family,” Cat countered. “I don’t want the town gossips to be thinking I killed one of my first guests.”
Uncle Pete chuckled and stepped toward the door.
“Come back when you’re leaving and I’ll have your dinner ready. With some fresh French bread and a container filled with fresh fruit, all you’ll need to add is something to drink,” Shauna called after him.
He nodded to her and smiled. “I sure am glad my niece decided to bring you along when she came home to start her new adventure. I haven’t ate this good since my Ginny died.”
Cat stood. “I’ll walk you.”
Uncle Pete kissed her on the cheek. “You just sit and relax for a while. I know how to find my way to the front door.”
Cat watched him leave the kitchen and waited until she heard the men making their way to the second floor. She probably should greet Bob Jenkins, but she’d wait until a more appropriate time. She turned to Shauna at the stove who was dishing up a dinner plate of spaghetti. “I don’t remember him ever talking about Aunt Ginny. He paid you a huge compliment.”
Shauna sat the plate in front of Cat with a bowl of parmesan and then returned to the stove to get her own dinner. “He’s a sweet man. I like cooking for him.”
Cat took a bite of the spaghetti and sighed. “I didn’t think I’d ever be hungry again after seeing that body.”
Shauna looked down at the plate she’d just set on the table. “Well, I guess I could have been more appropriate with the dinner selection. Do you want me to make you something else?”
“Are you kidding? This is wonderful.” Cat took another bite and after she swallo
wed, she paused, looking at her fork. “Lesson for today: Life goes on for the rest of us, even when someone leaves the playing field.”
“You’re acting all calm and philosophical about Tom’s death.” Shauna met Cat’s gaze. “Do you want to tell me how you’re really feeling?”
“Scared to death that the murder is going to close down the business before it ever has a chance to get going.” Cat shrugged and turned her attention back to the food in front of her. “I can either give in to the fear or pretend I’m not feeling it. Either way, I’m determined to make this session a positive one for our guests, even if it’s started out sucky so far.”
“Rose is in shock. She adored the guy.” Shauna took a sip of her tea.
Cat set her fork down and went to the fridge to get out the bottle of white zin she kept on hand. She grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and set them on the table, filling each glass with the wine. She handed one to her friend. “The session hasn’t gone perfect so far, but I’m determined to fight it out. Are you with me?”
Shauna picked up the glass. “To the writing retreat, may it grow and prosper.”
They clinked their glasses, but Cat paused before drinking. “And to Tom Cook, may Uncle Pete find his killer and put him away for the rest of his, or her, lifetime.”
Cat and Shauna repeated the gesture, then took a sip of the wine. They finished eating in silence, but when Cat tried to clean up after dinner, Shauna shooed her away. “I’m not done baking for tomorrow’s breakfast. Let me alone so I can do my job.” She took the plate out of Cat’s hand. “Besides, don’t you have a book deadline coming up soon?”
“You know I do.” Cat glanced at the table. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t do my share of the chores.”
