“Should we be worried?” I asked Jack as we walked toward the diner. “We said she would be safe with us. Now she’s wandering all over town on her own.”
Jack wasn’t nearly as concerned. “She’s an adult. She’s allowed to do whatever she wants.”
“I know that. It’s just … what if she gets lost?”
“She’s lived here her whole life.”
“How will she get home?”
“I have a feeling she knows plenty of people who can give her a ride.”
“What if something happens to her?”
Jack’s expression softened when he registered my worry. “She’ll be fine. She knows how to handle herself. You saw her in the woods. She kept a keen eye open even when you were grilling her about her background.”
“I was not grilling her. I wasn’t!” I hated the dubious curve of his eyebrow and huffed out a ragged sigh as he held open the diner door to usher me inside. “I simply find her fascinating.”
“I’m sure she gets that a lot.” A small smile played at the corner of Jack’s lips. “She seems to enjoy being the center of attention.”
The diner was half full, which was a relief because we wanted to talk openly. We secured a large table at the center of the dining area. We’d just managed to sit down and peel off our coats when the door opened to allow Landon and the police chief entry.
“Maybe we can get them to sit with us,” I whispered, drawing Jack’s eyes to the door. “They might share information if we offer them a friendly lunch.”
Instead of clapping me on the back and telling me it was a great idea, as I expected, Jack’s eyes filled with mirth. “Oh, what a diabolical plan.”
I pressed my lips together, annoyed. “I only meant … .”
“I know what you meant,” Jack said, cutting me off. “Charlie, you’re new at this so I’ll forgive the really odd enthusiasm, but they’re either going to share information or keep certain things to themselves. Soup and a sandwich won’t change that.”
“But … .”
“I think you have a little crush on Agent Michaels, which is cute, but he’s clearly happy with his blonde. If they want to sit with us they’re more than welcome. We don’t need to go out of our way to invite them.”
Well, that was a little condescending. “I don’t have a crush on him.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
“It’s no different than the way you look at his girlfriend,” I hissed, expressing myself a little more emphatically than necessary. When I risked a glance at Landon and Chief Davenport I found the FBI agent staring at me. I quickly squared my shoulders and mustered a smile. “Won’t you join us?”
Jack made a small groaning noise, but matched me smile for smile. “Plenty of room,” he offered.
Landon glanced around, clearly conflicted, and then nodded. “Sure. That sounds good.”
“There’s an open seat over here,” Laura offered, winking as she patted an empty chair.
Landon shoved Chief Davenport in that direction and took the open seat next to Jack, purposely ignoring the one on the other side of me. “What have you guys been doing so far today?”
“Hanging out with Tillie Winchester,” Jack replied, grinning at the memory. “She’s … funny.”
“That’s not a word I would use to describe her, but she has her moments,” Landon said dryly. “Did she do anything odd?”
“Define odd.”
Landon ran his tongue over his teeth and tilted his head to the side, as if conducting some form of internal debate. “You’d know if she did anything odd. Where is she, by the way?” He glanced around the table. “You didn’t leave her out there, did you?”
“Of course not,” I sputtered. “She took off when we hit town. She said she would find her own way home.”
I expected Landon to be upset by the news, but he barely blinked. “Okay.”
“I told you,” Jack snickered.
“You’re not worried about her?” I was mildly incensed on Tillie’s behalf. “She’s elderly. What if she forgets where she is and wanders into the woods?”
Landon snorted, seemingly amused by the question. “She’s only elderly when she wants to put one over on strangers and new acquaintances. She’s fine. Her mind is sharp, and she’ll have no problem getting a ride back to the inn.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because she’s Aunt Tillie,” Landon replied matter-of-factly. “Even the zombie apocalypse couldn’t claim her. She’ll be fine. Bay and Thistle are in town to give her a ride if she needs it. I saw Kenneth’s car at the senior center. That’s probably where she headed.”
“Who’s Kenneth?” Jack asked.
“Her boyfriend … sometimes.”
“She has a boyfriend?” Jack looked as if he would fall over when he let loose with a hearty guffaw. “That guy must be a glutton for punishment.”
“You have no idea.” Landon smiled at the waitress as she approached. “I’ll have my usual.”
“Got it.” The waitress turned to Chief Davenport. “You, too?”
“That’s good.” The chief looked to be in a serious discussion with Bernard, the two of them getting along well, but Landon appeared uncomfortable in what should’ve been an easygoing setting.
I waited until all of the orders were placed to fix my full attention on him. “What did you guys find out today?”
“We spent the morning at the medical examiner’s office,” Landon replied, toying with his crinkled straw wrapper. “There are some abnormalities that he’s having trouble explaining.”
Chris visibly perked up. “Abnormalities?”
Landon nodded. “It looks as if the injuries to Penny’s throat were inflicted after her death, as we suspected.”
“That would indicate a human did the deed,” Jack noted.
Landon nodded in agreement. “There was, however, animal DNA in the wound that the doctor can’t quite pinpoint. It’s all mixed up – like perhaps it was multiple animals – so they’re running additional tests.”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up his forehead as Chris excitedly slapped the table.
“Are you serious?” Chris almost knocked over his chair he was so worked up. “Can we have a sample of the DNA?”
Landon remained dubious and calm. “You’ll have to talk to the medical examiner about that.”
“I’ll head over there after lunch,” Hannah offered. She looked almost as excited as Chris did. I realized I liked her. Er, well, I liked what I knew of her. She seemed sweet, kind and smart. She was also oblivious to her looks, which made the fact that she was so beautiful easier to swallow.
“How will you approaching the investigation?” Laura asked Landon, her eyes predatory as they roamed the strong planes of his face.
“We’re heading to the resort this afternoon,” Landon replied. “We’re not focusing on any suspect or scenario at present. The medical examiner couldn’t identify the DNA, so we have to wait for another test to get some actionable results. That means we’re tackling the investigation as we would any other.”
That was an odd way of putting it. I opened my mouth to ask a follow-up question, but was momentarily distracted by movement in front of the diner’s big window. Tillie Winchester scurried past, moving faster than I would’ve thought possible given her age, while casting a worried glance over her shoulder. The movement wasn’t lost on Landon.
“What is she doing?” Jack asked, concerned. “Should we help her?”
Landon remained seated when he saw another senior citizen – I was fairly certain it was the woman from the unicorn store – racing in the same direction. “She’s fine.”
“Who is that?” Millie asked, her eyes widening. “I don’t like the looks of her.”
Landon and the chief snorted in unison.
“That’s Margaret Little,” Chief Davenport supplied. “She and Tillie are … lifetime enemies.”
“Mortal enemies,” Landon corrected. “They’re fine.
Mrs. Little won’t catch Aunt Tillie. She never does.”
“But aren’t you worried one of them will have a heart attack?” Bernard asked. “I know I’m no spring chicken, but that’s a lot of effort for ladies of advanced age to be expending.”
“Oh, please use that ‘ladies of advanced age’ line on Aunt Tillie when you see her at the inn later,” Landon pleaded, amused. “They’re fine. At least no one has a chainsaw this time.”
Chris’ eyes widened to comical proportions. “A chainsaw?”
“Nothing is worse than the time Tillie decided she was going to make fireworks and turn Margaret’s store into the Fourth of July,” the chief explained. “But Landon is right, Tillie is fine.”
As if on cue, Tillie appeared in front of the window again. She wasn’t alone. She had a clearly complaining Thistle trailing behind her. I couldn’t hear what the teal-haired woman said, but she obviously wasn’t happy.
“See.” Landon bobbed his head. “Reinforcements have arrived.”
“I thought they hated each other,” Laura challenged, staring at the two women as they disappeared back in the direction of The Unicorn Emporium.
“Tillie says she doesn’t hate Thistle, only dislikes her most of the time,” I offered.
“She loves Thistle,” Landon corrected. “Thistle makes it hard to like her a lot of time. Aunt Tillie and Thistle like to … um … play games, if you will. They both have evil minds.”
“But good hearts?” I asked hopefully.
Landon shrugged. “Sometimes.”
As if she heard him through several feet of brick and glass, Thistle popped up in front of the window a second time and glared into the diner. Landon shifted uncomfortably when her eyes found his.
“Criminy! What are they even doing out there?”
“They’re fine,” Chief Davenport admonished. “If you spent as much time in town as I do you’d be used to this. It happens about three times a week.”
That’s when Bay, her blond hair shining in the sun, joined the small group. She screwed up her face in concentration as Thistle said something to her. Bay’s mouth dropped open and she glanced over her shoulder, clearly barking something at someone standing just out of sight.
“Who is she talking to?” Bernard asked.
“I don’t know,” Hannah answered, but it’s like a television show on mute.”
“Like a soap opera, to be more exact,” Landon grumbled, pushing himself to his feet. “I’ll handle this.”
“Yes, you should truly terrify them when you punish Bay with kisses,” the chief drawled. “Don’t do that, by the way. You know I don’t like it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Landon waved off his admonition. “She’s still eight with pigtails to you.”
“And overalls … and a stuffed dog … and ice cream on her face.”
Landon smirked. “She had ice cream on her face last night.”
“And a stuffed dog,” the chief said, wagging a finger. “I saw how much you ate and drank. You were stuffed.”
“Why are we even having this argument?” Landon complained, moving toward the door. “They’re clearly up to something. I’ll put a stop to it.”
Chief Davenport rolled his eyes and shifted on his chair so he could watch. Whether he forgot we were present or simply didn’t care, he talked to himself as he watched the scene play out. “Oh, he’ll put a stop to it. Those women will ride roughshod over him. They always do.”
I watched the chief’s eyes light up when Bay and Thistle appeared in front of the window again. They clearly didn’t see Landon closing on them, because they remained focused on Tillie, each grabbing an arm and dragging her along the sidewalk as they tried to cajole her into making the trek easier.
Bay, her mouth open, made an odd face when she smacked into Landon. She jerked her head around, smiling when she saw the new player. She said something to Landon, who responded with a headshake.
“It’s like the best television show ever,” Laura said. “That guy is so hot.”
Chief Davenport darted a dark look in her direction. “He’s also taken.”
Laura didn’t appear annoyed by the words, or the tone he employed. “For now.”
“Forever,” he corrected. “I don’t know why I’m even worrying about you. You’re no threat to Bay.”
Laura snorted. “Honey, I’m a threat to everyone.”
“And that’s why you’re a threat to no one,” the chief corrected, shaking his head. I couldn’t help but enjoy the way he dressed down Laura. I barely knew the woman and could barely tolerate her. Apparently I wasn’t alone in my assessment of her personality. “You think so much of yourself you can’t see the truth.”
Laura rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let me watch the hot FBI guy in peace.”
I tore my gaze from Laura’s determined stare and cracked a smile when Landon finally gave in to whatever Bay asked him to do. He grabbed Tillie around the waist, hoisted her over his shoulder and turned to walk down the sidewalk. Thistle and Bay scampered after him, their mouths moving rapidly.
“Where is he taking her?” Jack asked.
“Hypnotic. That’s the store Clove and Thistle own,” the chief replied. “They’re probably trying to get her off the street.”
“Oh, the cute magic store?” I asked, my interest piqued. “I saw it when we hit town. I want to stop there before we leave.”
“It’s a nice place,” Chief Davenport said, shifting in the chair and smiling as the waitress delivered his lunch. “You might want to add a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese on cracked wheat, if you have time. Landon is rounding up Bay for lunch.”
“You don’t know that,” Laura challenged. “He didn’t say he was bringing her back.”
Landon picked that moment to reappear in the doorway, Bay’s hand wrapped in his. He looked serious as he spoke to her. Tillie and Thistle were nowhere in sight.
“I think he’s right, though,” I pointed out, smiling as Laura’s scowl became more pronounced.
“Of course I’m right,” the chief grumbled. “I could set my watch by Landon’s moods where Bay is concerned. You have no chance, honey.” He emphasized the last word in a derogatory manner before lowering his voice. “You try to hurt her, and we’ll have words.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the murderous look on Laura’s face, and shifted my eyes to the door as Landon and Bay entered. It appeared they weren’t quite done arguing.
“I’m only saying that it’s not my fault,” Bay whined.
“I didn’t say it was your fault,” Landon countered. “But you’re coming with us to the resort this afternoon to make sure nothing else happens that can be misconstrued as your fault.”
“You can’t make me go with you,” Bay argued.
Landon rolled his neck. “Bay … .”
“I will gladly offer my services to the FBI if you ask nicely, though,” Bay teased, grinning at Chief Davenport as she passed.
“You’ll be the death of me,” Landon muttered, reclaiming his chair. “Order some lunch. You haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“I ordered a grilled cheese and chili for her,” the chief supplied.
“Oh, such a good provider.” Bay beamed. “You have to ask me nicely, Landon. You’re not the boss of me.”
“Fine,” Landon growled. “Will you please come to the resort with me?”
Bay grinned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Yes.”
Landon looked as if he wanted to remain stoic and angry, but his grimace flipped upside down as he handed Bay the pickle from his plate. “You’re a lot of work.”
“I know.”
The small interaction made my heart flip when I saw how comfortable they were with each other. I didn’t realize I wanted that … wanted the peace of someone understanding everything about me … until I saw the real thing in action. I didn’t get a chance to ponder the realization for long before Jack leaned in.
“I think we should schedule our own visit to that resor
t,” he whispered. “Are you game?”
I nodded, sobering. “I think that’s a good idea. We have to start somewhere.”
8
Eight
Because he was much more interested in the possibility of seeing Bigfoot – or Sasquatch, whatever – Chris took Hannah, Bernard and Laura back to the site. That left Jack, Millie and me to head to the resort. Jack plugged the resort’s coordinates into the GPS and headed in that direction.
The resort was beautiful. I couldn’t tear my gaze from the quaint shopping village on one side and the majestic hills on the other. A full landscaping team was working on the smaller hills we drove past, but it was too soon to tell what they would look like when finished.
“What’s the deal with the big hill?” Millie asked, leaning forward in the passenger seat.
“Landon said this was a ski resort in the winter,” I replied. “That looks like a tow rope to the right and a chair lift down that way on the left. I’ll bet those hills are ski slopes in the winter.”
“What are they now?”
“Empty,” Jack answered, pulling into a parking spot.
Everyone hopped out of the Tahoe and studied the resort. It wasn’t busy because it was between seasons, but it was obvious where the main door was thanks to a big sign over the glass entryway. What I didn’t understand were the two buildings across the parking lot. They were both large and well-kept, but they stood alone compared to the rest of the resort.
“What do you think those are?”
“That’s where the golf course is,” Jack replied. “That building there is the cart shed. The other is the pro shop and what looks to be a small restaurant.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Because I golf.” Jack’s answer was succinct. He turned from the empty buildings and focused on the bigger one. “This is the main hotel. I think the dining room is that way.”
“So we should go that way?” Millie asked.
“That’s the direction I believe Landon, Terry and Bay headed,” Jack replied. “I think we should try going in a different door.”
The Bigfoot Blunder (A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 7
