Between a Book and a Hard Place

by Denise Swanson

  They were gone for nearly an hour, and when Dad returned, he whispered in my ear, “I let Eldridge out the back way. Everything went fine. I answered his questions as you and I discussed, and he told me not to worry. But he also said not to leave town.”

  “Yikes!” I squeaked. “That doesn’t sound good.” Then, trying to make us both feel better, I hugged Dad and said, “No need to stick around the store. I can handle the few remaining customers myself.”

  Kissing my cheek, Dad headed for the exit, and for the next forty-five minutes I restocked shelves. At twelve I bagged the last shopper’s purchases—a bottle of Old Spice aftershave and a roll of Necco Wafers—said good-bye, and locked the door behind him.

  Hurrying into the back room to freshen up for my lunch date, I grabbed my tote bag and headed into the staff bathroom. After combing my hair, brushing on some blush, and applying lip gloss, I changed into a pair of white jeans and an aqua silk T-shirt. Next I got rid of my sneakers and socks and slipped on a pair of sandals.

  I noticed I had fifteen minutes before Noah was due, so I took a seat at the soda fountain, grabbed a pen and pad of paper from my purse, and made a list of what I needed to do regarding Jett’s murder. I’d received a text from Jake saying his confrontation with Meg had gone as well as could be expected and that he had asked a friend from his law enforcement days to look into my stepfather’s financial situation. He’d call me later.

  Poppy and I had arranged to get together with Boone at his house for pizza and drinks at six. I’d suggested we make him supper, but Poppy claimed that the only thing domestic about her was that she lived indoors, so we’d compromised by agreeing to bring takeout for dinner.

  We were going to ask Boone about Jett’s research, then ply him with pepperoni and booze before we delved into Mrs. St. Onge’s difficulties with the Confederate Daughters of Missouri initiation.

  I chewed on the end of my pen. Who else did I need to interview? Ah. Yes. Miss Ophelia. I had a vague memory that she was somehow related to Noah. Maybe a second or third cousin twice removed. I hoped he’d have time to go with me to see her after we ate.

  Before I could come up with anyone else to question, I saw Noah’s car pulling into the space in front of the store. Stuffing the pen and paper into my purse, I ran to the entrance, disengaged the dead bolt, and let myself out, then relocked the door behind me.

  Like Jake’s darkly powerful truck, Noah’s taiga green Jaguar mirrored his character. The Jag was as sleek and sophisticated as its owner.

  As Noah hopped out of the driver’s side and hugged me, he said, “I am so sorry about your stepfather’s death. Are you and your mom okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I assured him. “I barely knew the man, and Mom seems more interested in his will than what happened to her husband.”

  Letting my comment go, Noah opened my door and handed me inside. Once I was seated, he smiled and said, “You look gorgeous.”

  “Thanks.” I tilted my head. “You look pretty darn terrific yourself.”

  As always, Noah was perfectly turned out. His chinos fit as if they’d been tailored just for him, and the crisply starched, striped button-down shirt showed off his broad shoulders.

  While he walked around the Jag and settled in behind the wheel, I allowed myself a tiny contented groan. I loved the whole luxury-car experience. The ivory leather seat felt heavenly, and the burled walnut veneer dashboard gleamed richly in the sunlight.

  Breathing deeply, I inhaled the scent of Noah’s signature aftershave. It permeated the interior, and I was brought back to our first date. I had felt like the luckiest girl in the world. The hints of Brazilian rosewood and cardamom in the Amouage Dia Pour Homme would forever remind me of Noah and that idyllic time.

  I was still a little surprised at how easily we had slipped back into our old relationship. After the initial awkwardness when we’d first started seeing each other again, we’d picked up where we’d left off so long ago. It was almost as if we’d never broken up in high school. As if the past thirteen years had just been a bad dream.

  Of course, if that were true, Noah and I would probably be married and Jake wouldn’t be in the picture at all. My chest tightened. How was it possible that I cared for both men? I had never been one to date more than one guy at a time. What had gotten into me?

  Noah had been silent as he concentrated on driving through the bustling downtown area. With people on their way to and from lunch, Shadow Bend was really hopping, and I noticed the alien hunters that had been at the police station were now marching around the village square. Their odd costumes and posters made them hard to miss.

  When Noah merged onto the highway, he said, “I hope you don’t mind. I thought we’d head into Kansas City for lunch.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I smiled and asked, “Where are we going?”

  “Webster House.” Noah put the Jaguar on cruise control and smiled broadly. “You mentioned once that you wish you’d gone there when you worked in the city, so I took a chance and made a reservation.”

  “Wow!” I grinned back at him. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”

  “Well, you did go on and on about it being built in 1885 and being one of the oldest public school buildings in Kansas City and on the National Register of Historic Places.” He chuckled. “And you may have mentioned once or twice that it’s full of fabulous antiques and has great food.”

  “Oh. Right.” I felt heat flooding my cheeks. “I guess I did rhapsodize over it just a little. Anyway, thanks for taking me there.”

  “You are very welcome.” Noah laced his fingers with mine and said, “I can’t imagine a better way to spend a sunny afternoon.”

  We rode hand in hand until Noah said, “By the way, why did you and Del Vecchio go talk to my mother last night? What in the heck did Nadine say about your stepfather that made you suspicious?”

  “Well . . .” I hesitated. I hated to sound like I had thought Nadine was a murderer, but I couldn’t think of a way around it, so I said, “Tony heard your mom say that Jett had better stop poking his nose where it didn’t belong, and I wanted to know what she meant by that.”

  “Did my mother even let you in the door?” Noah put on his turn signal, accelerated, and passed a slow-moving Kia Sorento. “I’m guessing Nadine wasn’t too thrilled to see you.”

  “She was reluctant, but I didn’t give her much of a choice,” I admitted. “Although the only thing she would tell us was that Jett stopped by her house wanting to see some private papers regarding your dad’s great-great-great-grandfather’s part in the Civil War. When she refused to show him the documents, he threatened her with some unnamed humiliation if she denied him access to those records.”

  “Damn!” Noah shook his head, then steered the Jag around a tractor trailer that had just merged onto the highway from the entrance ramp. “I sure hope Nadine has an alibi, because that gives her a hell of a motive.”

  Had Noah seriously just said his mother was a suspect? I jerked my gaze from the road to his face and saw that his eyes were twinkling.

  “You can relax.” I crossed my arms. “Nadine was at a luncheon during the official time of death.” I pursed my lips. “Unless you think she might have hired a hit man to do the job for her.”

  “Nah.” Noah grinned. “I see all of her financial transactions, and I haven’t noticed any large withdrawals or suspicious checks.”

  “That’s a relief.” I watched the countryside whiz by for a few minutes, then said, “But speaking of Jett’s research, when you and Boone worked with him to reopen the library, did my stepfather say what archives he was interested in viewing or why he was in such a rush?”

  “Boone handled most of the communication with Benedict.” Noah shrugged. “I think your stepfather said he was on deadline for a book he was writing about Missouri’s part in the Civil War.”

  “And that informat
ion leads me to a favor I need to ask of you.”

  Before I could even finish my request, Noah said, “Anything.”

  My heart warmed at his sweet response. I was touched that Noah was so willing to help. “You’re somehow related to Miss Ophelia, right?” When Noah nodded, I continued. “Do you have time after lunch to go with me to ask her what she knows about the Civil War in regards to Shadow Bend?”

  “That depends.” Noah grinned. “Can you narrow down what you’re interested in? Otherwise we’ll be at Miss Ophelia’s for the next week or two. She’s a living encyclopedia on that subject.”

  “I think I can do that.”

  “Then I’d be happy to visit Miss Ophelia with you.” Noah winked. “Since I knew your store was closed for the afternoon, I arranged for Elexus to cover my patients and I took off the rest of the day, too.”

  Without any warning, Nadine’s comments about Noah’s beautiful new hire popped into my head, and I suddenly blurted out, “I hear Dr. Rodriquez is gorgeous. That she looks like a supermodel.”

  “Uh.” Noah glanced at me with a puzzled frown. “Who told you that?”

  For a split second, I’d considered claiming that the beautiful young physician’s appearance was the talk of Shadow Bend. But I only fibbed if I was fairly certain that I could get away with a lie, and Nadine would probably relay last night’s discussion to Noah in excruciating detail, padded with a few embellishments of her own.

  “Nadine may have mentioned that Dr. Rodriquez was attractive,” I muttered.

  “Ah.” Noah’s lips twisted into a cynical smile. “I’m guessing that Mom was bragging about Elexus’s royal ancestry, too.”

  “Uh-huh.” Why had I introduced this subject? It made me look like a jealous idiot. And I had no right to that emotion. Not with the whole Noah/Jake situation. Neither man owed me exclusivity.

  “I don’t suppose Mom mentioned that Elexus is engaged?” Noah asked.

  “We didn’t really get into it.” I truly wished the Jag’s floorboards would open up and swallow me. I hated this whole conversation.

  “Mom was just trying to stir up trouble.” Noah groaned. “As usual.”

  “What a surprise.” I patted his knee. “Sorry I mentioned it.”

  “I bet Mom was thrilled to see you with Del Vecchio.” Noah grimaced.

  “Not especially.” I shook my head. “She did try to get him to take her side, but otherwise she mostly ignored him. She’s sort of hard to figure out.”

  “You’re telling me.” Noah’s gaze met mine, and we both sighed.

  For the rest of the drive we ignored both the murder and our families and caught up on what we’d been doing since we’d last seen each other. We both were reading books in genres that were new to us. Noah had discovered Michael Crichton’s early medical thrillers and was engrossed in Drug of Choice.

  I was testing the romance waters, literally, with a novel set on a cruise ship. I’d picked it up because the heroine was an Alpha Sigma Alpha alumni and I wanted to support my sorority. I wasn’t sure I believed the premise of happily-ever-after, but it was a fun read.

  Noah parked in the restaurant’s garage, and we walked across the street. The front entrance of the Webster House’s Romanesque-style building was impressive. Steps led to red double doors, which swung open on well-oiled hinges. And, as promised, the interior was filled with amazing antiques. Noah patiently waited as I paused to examine several that caught my attention.

  We were seated at a table for two with a fabulous view of Kansas City’s downtown. Once we were settled, the hostess handed us the menus and told us that our server would be with us shortly.

  As I studied the selections, I enjoyed the restaurant’s warm ambience. It reminded me of an English country home. Or at least the image of an English country home presented by the PBS programs I watched.

  When our server approached, Noah asked me, “Is it too early for wine?”

  “Probably.” My pulse jumped at his mischievous little grin, and I said, “But let’s have some anyway.”

  After sending the waitress off to get a bottle of 2009 Santa Margherita, Noah took both my hands and said, “This is so nice. It seems like something always comes up to keep us from being alone.”

  “That reminds me. Are mother and baby okay?” I felt guilty that I hadn’t asked about his patient earlier. “Did they make it to the hospital in time?”

  “She’s fine.” Noah’s eyes lit up. “And she had a healthy baby girl. Her husband is deployed, so I stayed with her until her ob-gyn showed up. Dr. Barnes was in St. Louis, so the patient was lucky she got there in time.” He chuckled. “Although I doubt the new mother felt fortunate at the time. Six hours of labor is not fun.”

  Before I could respond, I heard a female voice behind me say, “Dr. Underwood. You’re just the man I’ve wanted to talk to.”

  “Hi, Kiara.” Noah greeted the owner of the voice. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Kiara Howard walked up to our table. She was the event coordinator for the Shadow Bend country club. As always, the striking African-American woman was beautifully turned out. Today she wore a gorgeous peach silk suit, and suddenly I felt underdressed.

  When she noticed that it was me with Noah, she said, “Dev, nice to see you.”

  “Always fun to run into a familiar face.” I smiled at her. “What brings you into the city?”

  “I’m waiting for a couple who are considering holding their wedding at the country club.” She glanced at her watch. “They requested an interview before driving all the way to Shadow Bend.”

  “It is quite a jaunt.” I shrugged. “Would you like to join us until they arrive?”

  “No, thanks.” She checked the time again. “They should be here any minute.”

  “How are things at the club?” Noah asked. “I wasn’t able to make the last meeting.”

  Noah was a member of so many boards, I sometimes wondered how he managed them all.

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We had a bit of a problem the other night.” Kiara tapped the toe of her high-heeled pump. “That professor investigating the alien sightings burst into the ballroom during our monthly dinner dance, claiming that everyone needed to come outside and use their collective energy to help him communicate with the extraterrestrials.”

  “What happened?” I asked. Chief Kincaid would blow a gasket if this guy kept bothering people.

  “Our security guard escorted him out of the building,” Kiara answered. “He was told that if he returned we’d call the police.”

  “Has he been back?” I asked, noticing that the event coordinator seemed nervous.

  “Not exactly.” Kiara fingered the stack of gold bangles on her right wrist. “However, I did receive a phone call from one of our members asking that we allow the professor access to our grounds. I told her I’d have to take the issue to the board.”

  “That’s the correct procedure.” Noah seemed perplexed that the event planner was discussing it with him now. “Which member made that request?”

  “Your mother.”

  “Oh.” Noah rolled his eyes at me, then said to Kiara, “Please disregard Mom’s call. I’ll speak to her and take care of the matter.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.”

  The three of us were silent for a few seconds; then Kiara noticed a couple entering the restaurant and said, “I think that’s my bride and groom.” She fluttered her fingers and said, “Have a nice lunch.”

  After Kiara left, our waitress served our wine and took our food orders. Noah and I decided to share the olive oil crostini with pimento cheese, rosemary deviled ham, and pickled shrimp spreads, but while he selected the Monte Cristo Panini for his main course, I went for the Frutti di Mare, a combination of campanelle pasta, bay scallops, shrimps, and mussels in a corvina and tomato cognac cream sauce. For the kind of money
the restaurant was charging, I wasn’t eating a fancy grilled cheese and ham sandwich. Gran would be happy to cook that for me anytime.

  The food was delicious, but I could tell Noah was worried about something.

  As we finished our coffee, he said, “I really need to figure out who is riling Nadine up about the aliens. Do you think it’s that professor?”

  “I doubt it.” I set my cup down. “He’s not at all attractive or charismatic. Unless, of course, he’s from old family money.”

  “Who else could it be?” Noah signaled the server for our check.

  “No clue.” I toyed with my spoon while I thought about who would be able to influence Nadine. “Maybe it’s one of her CDM friends.”

  “There are one or two who get involved in some weird causes.” Noah wiped his mouth on his napkin and sat back. “You know how it is. Too much time and money on their hands and husbands or children who neglect them.”

  “Maybe you could make some calls,” I suggested. “I can keep an ear out in the store for any sign of who might believe in ET.”

  “Let me know if you hear anything.” Noah took care of the bill.

  We walked back to where we’d parked and Noah helped me into the Jag, then headed the car back to Shadow Bend. Noah was clearly still concerned about his mother’s interest in the professor.

  After several miles of silence, I joked, “Maybe it was the aliens who killed my stepfather.”

  “Right.” Noah snickered. “Try selling that theory to Chief Kincaid.”

  CHAPTER 18

  As we parked in front of Miss Ophelia’s, I admired the modest turret-covered front porch. Unlike most of the more elaborate Victorian homes built in Shadow Bend during the nineteenth century, this house’s stick and spindle work was minimal, but the irregular roofline classified it as a Queen Anne.

  We walked up a short flight of steps to the front porch, and I admired the four white posts with their gingerbread trim supporting the arched roof. The pale yellow exterior was in pristine condition, but the period feeling of the house had been retained.